Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240713

Im lukwesa burak. The headlines at 7pm. Released by mistake from prison a convicted burglar who went on to kidnap and rape 11 women and children across england is found guilty of 37 offences. Joseph mccann is a horrendously dangerous individual who has shown complete contempt for his victims. He is clearly, i think, one of the most dangerous sex offenders that we have ever seen in this country. Im Christian Fraser in maidstone, where borisjohnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head laterfor the final time during the Election Campaign, when they take part in a live bbc debate. The hour long programme, hosted by today presenter, Nick Robinson, starts at 20 30. Well bring you all the build up from eight and all the reaction in the spin room at nine 30. The other headlines. The teenager who threw a six year old boy from the viewing platform at the tate modern gallery pleads guilty to attempted murder it was a pre planned attack. A miraculous survival a woman whose heart stopped for six hours after she collapsed in a snowstorm in spain describes how doctors managed to revive her. And britains anthonyjoshua, squares up for one of the biggest fights of his career in saudi arabia. A man who carried out a string of sex attacks on 11 women and two children has been found guilty of 37 offences. Joseph mccann a convicted burglar whod been released from prison by mistake kidnapped and raped victims chosen at random on a cocaine and vodka fuelled rampage over a two week period last spring. The women and one boy were aged between 11 and 71 years old. Our home affairs correspondent, june kelly has the story and a warning her report does contain some details viewers will find distressing. In the front seat of this passenger seat of this car, a 21 year old woman is being kept captive byjoseph mccann. He has grabbed her off the street with a knife to her throat, held her and raped her. She is too traumatised to escape. As he pays for his petrol, this is a man at the start of a perverted mission to attack, terrify and humiliate women and children. Mccann kidnaps this first victim after she leaves this nightclub in watford. Her ordeal lasts five hours. A few days later in walthamstow in east london, a 25 year old is walking home from this tube station. Mccann spots the woman her identity is disguised then stops and seizes her, subjecting her to m hours of depravity and violence in his car. Still holding this woman, he moves to edgware in north london and kidnaps a 21 year old off the street. He drives to a pub car park in hertfordshire and now, with two prisoners, he stops and rapes the 21 year old. He then heads to watford and this hotel. Hello . Keeping watch on his captives, mccann, wearing rosary beads around his neck, tries to book a room so he can continue his abuse. But when he returns to the car, one of the women smashes a vodka bottle over his head and both finally manage to break free. With a manhunt under way, mccann evades capture and travels to the north west. In lancashire, he rapes a girl of 17 and her 11 year old brother after taking them and their mother prisoner. Within hours in greater manchester, he abducts and rapes a woman of 71, then kidnaps and sexually assualts a 13 year old girl. He crosses into cheshire. In congleton, he grabs two 14 year old girls off the street. Police then spot and chase his stolen fiat. He hits this mercedes. They lose him and he abandons his car with the girls in it. Having shaken off the police, he turns up at a pub. Hejust came in for a drink surprisingly, and had a malibu and lemonade. I knew he was a dodgy character when he walked in. He had quite a sway on him. He asked to use the phone. It was very bizarre really, he was writing down a lot of things as well. Things like postcode and phone numbers. He is eventually found by police who corner him hiding up a tree. For hours there is a stand off, before he is finally brought down and arrested. He tells officers, if you had caught me for the first two, the rest of this wouldnt have happened. Joseph mccann is a horrendously dangerous individual who has shown complete contempt for his victims. He is clearly one of the most dangerous sex offenders, i think, that we have ever seen in this country. Joseph mccanns background makes this case a catastrophic failure by the criminaljustice system. It can now be reported that mccann, who began offending when he was 11, should have been in prison when he was roaming around the country raping women and children and threatening to slit their throats. He had been wrongly released. This is his history. In 2008, at the age of 23, he was jailed for an aggravated burglary at an 85 year old mans home. In 2017, he was freed on licence. The same year, he was arrested for new offences and should have been recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions. But he wasnt. In 2018, he was sentenced for his new crimes with the judge expecting him to remain injail for some time because of his previous conviction. Instead, at the start of this year, he was mistakenly let out. He should have gone before the parole board who would have decided if he was safe. A controlling individual, but at heart, a coward. He didnt have to heart, a coward. He didnt have to hear the testimony and tears of those he abused, and face up to the enduring damage he has done to them. In just over an hours time, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head in the last televised debate between the two Party Leaders ahead of the general election. Itll be broadcast live on bbc one and here on the bbc news channel. Lets go over to my colleague Christian Fraser, whos in maidstone at the studio where the debate will be held. Just the outside studio in the spin room where the journalists are gathering and the anticipation is building as it isjust an hour gathering and the anticipation is building as it is just an hour away. The journalists are all taking their seats ready to watch the debate and of course this is the room where the respective teams will come out later and put the gloss on what has happened. That is why it is called the spin room of course. Tonight it is in front of a live bbc audience of around 100 people in the audience and they will be asking the questions. Nick robinson will be the moderator or referee in the middle trying to keep on top of the facts. Lets be to our Deputy Editor politicaljohn p no with me. Perhaps this is another heavyweight contest tonight. Trying to get away from this adversarial politics but each man will be looking for a knockout blow tonight. They can shake hands if they want and at a blow tonight. They can shake hands if they want and at 6 08a session like this but they want to draw blood. The fact is that the tension and unproductive ability about this means it is an opportunity but a huge risk. They look rehearsed, but the off the cuff sound bite will be in their pockets, but you can never legislate for the thing that is genuinely unexpected where they genuinely unexpected where they genuinely extemporaneous and land a glove on the other contender. That makes it a gripping spectacle in its way. We go through these campaigns and we see the appearances on the street, the pouring of the paint and the cutting of the joint in the butcher shop, these are so choreographed and the risk is so extracted from these occasions, these occasions are the genuine and real bits of the campaign. This is the last televised debate night before the vote on thursday so one would presume that there will be people still undecided tuning into night and making up their mind tonight. Most people have made up their mind and most people will have made up their mind while ago, but there is a significant slice which is yet to decide who arent especially in love with any of the leaders on offer. There was a poll that said that half of all people are already determined to vote conservative and were doing so because they were the best of a bad bunch. And those who decided to vote labour was 1 more at 49 . There is iio labour was 1 more at 49 . There is no enthusiasm and there are still minds to be made up and votes to be had. If this can change minds tonight, those votes can make all of the difference between a Hung Parliament and the lights slide win. That mightnt be very big at all. There is a ten point lead for the conservatives, but we saw that in 2017 and something happened in the last week, so is it really encumbered on Jeremy Corbyn last week, so is it really encumbered onJeremy Corbyn to do something tonight to shift the narrative to try and eat into that lead . Sam i guess it is. An Boris Johnson will be he goes in with a lead in the opinion polls. If he comes out without sustaining any great damage, he will collect a result. Jeremy corbyn would love to land a glove on the tip of Boris Johnsons knows metaphorically speaking. And he will be going for johnson in a way personally. The flaws in the case of both of these weaknesses has to do with the assessment of their characters. Borisjohnson, on his side and those in the party see him as a winner, it doesnt mean they trusted him as telling the truth the whole time. That is his supporters. Those who dont support see it as a weakness. Jeremy corbyn will be out to exploit the weakness that Boris Johnson Jeremy Corbyn will be out to exploit the weakness that borisjohnson is not exactly straight and forthright with the facts. Today he was having agoat with the facts. Today he was having a go at the Northern Irish border but it could be any number of issues today. Boris johnson but it could be any number of issues today. Borisjohnson will but it could be any number of issues today. Boris johnson will want to paintJeremy Corbyn today. Boris johnson will want to paint Jeremy Corbyn as a irresponsible spend of our money and isa irresponsible spend of our money and is a reckless vendor of money like the labour of the past. John was talking about landing a blow on Boris Johnsons nos, in talking about landing a blow on borisjohnsons nos, in actualfact, i will show you the set a little bit later, but you look at the two podiums and they are almost two metres apart, just an arms length apart. It has been set up in a very adversarial way and that may be intended to provide us with some fireworks tonight. John also said there has also been plenty going on on the Political Campaign today, notably, those Northern Ireland papers that were released by labour. That would tend to suggest there will be a regulatory and perhaps a Customs Border than the irish see if Boris Johnsons Withdrawal Agreement is ratified. We also have an intervention site by a former conservative Prime Minister, john major, urging conservative voters to lend their vote to former ministers standing in this election as independents. Here is our Political Editor laura ginsberg. Enter the stage, a tory leader from previous dramas, with an unusual act. Sirjohn major thinks we must be in the eu but, in his own video, he is urging you to vote against the party he led, if there is a former tory trying to stop brexit where you live. None of them left the conservative party. The conservative party left them. Without such talent on its ventures, parliament would be poorer, which is why, where i resident in any of their constituencies, they would have my vote in this election. Some traditional tories might listen to that, those who are nervous about his successors platform. The political age couldnt be more different, even though clunky metaphors are still part of the fashion. If we can get brexit done, if we can get a working majority in parliament next week, then we will finally be able to get this country out of neutral, into first, into second, third, fourth, how many gears does that thing have . What do you say to the former conservative Prime Minister, who doesnt think that voters should back you this time . I think its very sad and i think that he is wrong, and i think he represents a view that is outdated, alas. Greatly as i respect him and his record. Watch out though. Not everything is going according to his plan. The tories had to cancel a planned stop on the stump today after security concerns in kent. It is 20 years too late. Some of the voters whod come along to watch didnt want to look, but couldnt look away. Bored to tears with it. More bickering and having a go at one another. Dont like the mud slinging, dont like the way its going, and couldnt predict it at all. Its too much. Bizarre. Bizarre, you know. Why is it bizarre . They dont tell the truth, do they . This is the trouble. Jeremy corbyn claims, when it comes to brexit, it is borisjohnson that is not being straight with you. Armed with a list of the different kinds of checks there could be between Northern Ireland and the rest of the uk after brexit. I have here a document. Brandishing a leaked document showing the checks the conservatives dont want to admit. This is cold, hard evidence that categorically shows the impact a damaging brexit deal would have on large parts of our country, and now we have caughtjohnson red handed, misrepresenting his own brexit deal. You are saying the tories are hiding details about the kind of deal that they would like to do after brexit, but you are also hiding a much bigger issue, whether, if you become Prime Minister, you believe we should be in or out of the european union. Laura, i am not hiding in this. What i am saying is that we have to bring an end to this debate. We will negotiate a credible deal and we will put back deal to a vote of the british people. The tories say the actual document is nonsense, but admit there will be some more checks on foods. But there brexit plans are dismissed as tall tales, whether it is shaking hands or entertaining a young crowd on the campaign trail. The effects of brexit are hugely damaging, and they are damaging, whether it is a conservative brexit, whether it is a brexit that labour want to negotiate. There is no good brexit. 0r from the comfort of the tv sofa. I think brexit is a disaster. I think borisjohnson is a disaster, if i can be undiplomatic and blunt about it in a scottish characteristic style, so i could never support borisjohnson as Prime Minister. I am not a huge fan ofJeremy Corbyn. And there will be no avoiding any of that pressure for the pair as they arrived for a debate tonight. The final head to head clash, but not yet your final choice. Who chooses the audience . It is the pollsters. What you will get is representatives from both parties plus some undecided voters in the middle as well. They will get some questions and nick will be the referee, the adjudicator if you will, to make sure those questions are answered and at the start of the debate, they will each get a minute to set out their case. That will be on the autocue reader for them. Those are the only rules of the evening. Lets take a little look outside because we have a Jeremy Corbyn just arriving with his team. There you go. This is not live actually, this is just there you go. This is not live actually, this isjust a there you go. This is not live actually, this is just a few minutes ago. You can see him on his way in. We have not seen any sign of Boris Johnson yet although we have seen borisjohnson in johnson yet although we have seen Boris Johnson in kent johnson yet although we have seen borisjohnson in kent campaigning today as you saw there in lauras package. There you seeJeremy Corbyn arriving meeting Jonathan Monro and going into the building. He is here and we wait to be Prime Minister. Lets pick up some of those themes we have been hearing and talking about from laura. He was the political correspondence for the times and the guardian. The one thing shut that shone through watching that piece there, it is the sense of apathy out in the country and people dont want to vote, people who feel as if they cant trust their politicians. It is depressing. It is depressing and ive been going around labour heartland seats with the brexit party and what i am hearing is that it is not about who they want to vote for, it is about them not being bothered with the process. They might have political leanings but the will not leave the front door and cast a ballot and you might hear lots of different views or feelings about politics, but it is about getting people in the polls. The brexit party are concerned about that in hartlepool. Do think we will change the quality of the debates night, henry . Are sadly not, no. I think it will be similar sort we have seen through the general election because the reality of these events, we are now in the fourth general election with tv debate as a fixture, they are both well drilled. They both want to use it as an opportunity to get there very simple and very clear messages at that as many times as possible. Because ifjust a short sharp bears get brexit done from borisjohnson or real change from Jeremy Corbyn could change a few peoples mines, that would be worth it in a few marginal seats. The other thing about our modern politics, and this probably goes to the root of why we have got the apathy, is that even though People Like Us show up some of the lies and some of the figures and some of the untruths, on labours side about an average family benefiting to the tune of £6,000 a yearor family benefiting to the tune of £6,000 a year or borisjohnson talking about 50,000 nurses when we know 18,500 of them are already in the nhs, they still keep regurgitating the numbers that we have disproven. And it is very hard, im sure Nick Robinson will give his best on the debate stage, but if they both want to Say Something and determine to say because they think it will cut through, and the reality is that borisjohnsons message of get brexit done does have complications. Even if the uk to leave the eu at the end ofjanuary if he wins a majority, there is pa nty if he wins a majority, there is panty more if he wins a majority, there is pa nty more of if he wins a majority, there is panty more of sorting out the terms of brexit and the uks future of the relationship with europe to be done. Jeremy corbyns a second referendum atidea Jeremy Corbyns a second referendum at idea is not as simple as he portrays it. Store, those Northern Ireland papers. The big news of the day and they will leak from the treasury department. Jeremy corbyn wa nt to treasury department. Jeremy corbyn want to start there, but on his brexit message, he is not on solid ground. If he starts to talk about brexit then he open to questions about which way he will go if there isa about which way he will go if there is a second referendum. He might given and is on at doesnt seem to be satisfactory because people wanting to go either way. I think he will go strongly on the nhs and to explain over and over again that trump wants to buy and be part of the nhs. Although that might be discounted and disproven by the conservatives, it is a powerful message and it is a powerful message oii message and it is a powerful message on the doorsteps. That is something they will want to keep going after if they wanted this last hour of tv to count. I think organ will win tonight, he can be high energy and i saw that last night in birmingham. I think saw that last night in birmingham. I think aubin will win tonight. He needs to be able to do that tonight. The pollsters differ on the side of the size of the lead but do not differ on the fact that there is a conservative lead but corbyn needs any when he can get. Tonight is his big chance. We will be here at 8pm and we will take you into this debate with more analysis and we will be here after the debate at 9 30pm until 10pm with reaction from the politicians from parties that arent represented as well. Reaction from all of them and i should say, you can watch it on bbc one but if you can watch it on bbc one but if you watch it on the news channel, there are more bells and whistles. Maybe stay with us. The teenager who threw a 6 year old boy off a viewing platform, at the tate modern in london, in august, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Jonty bravery picked the boy up on the tenth floor of the art gallery, and threw him over the railings. He fell 100 feet. The 18 year old told police hed heard voices telling him to kill or injure someone. He will be sentenced in february. Helena wilkinson reports. The six year old boy was with his mother on this tenth floor viewing platform, when out of nowhere, a teenager appeared, picked him up, held him over the railings and threw him. He fell five floors on to this concrete roof. There was a little commotion, with a very loud primal scream. The childs mother then tried to climb the rail. I restrained her and pulled her back. He didnt seem to have any remorse, he just almost giggled at one point, saying i did it, yeah, idid it. The boy was treated at the scene, before being taken away by paramedics on a stretcher, under this blue tarpaulin. Today, john t bravery, who is autistic and suffers from a personality disorder, admitted trying to murder the boy. The teenager was under the care of the local authority. After he was arrested by the police, he told them he had planned to hurt someone at the tate modern so he could be on the television, and he wanted people to know he was unhappy with the care he was getting. Four months on, and the little boy is still recovering. Today, his parents said our son still needs intensive rehabilitation, since he hasnt recovered mobility in all limbs or cognitive capacity, he is constantly awoken by pain, and he cant communicate that pain. For the family, the horror and trauma they experienced that day will never leave them. Helena wilkinson, bbc news, at the old bailey. A man has appeared before magistrates charged with the murder of a 12 year old boy, who was killed in an alleged hit and run outside his school in essex. Harley watson died in hospital after a car struck a group of children who were leaving Debden Park High School in loughton on monday. Terence glover, whos 51 and from loughton, is also charged with ten counts of attempted murder and dangerous driving. A senior british diplomat in the United States has resigned over the way the government is presenting its strategy to leave the european union. Alexandra hall, the lead envoy for brexit in the British Embassy in washington, said she could no longer peddle half truths on behalf of political leaders she did not trust. The Foreign Office has not commented on the matter. The commissioner of the london fire brigade, is to step down from her role, four months early. Dany cotton has been facing calls to resign, after a critical Public Inquiry report into the Grenfell Tower fire. She had originally planned to retire next april. Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg has been mobbed by press and spectators on her arrival at un climate talks in madrid. The teenagerjoined a youth demonstration inside the conference, where next week she will address the cop conference which focuses on greenhouse gases. A berkshire couple who were rejected by their local Adoption Service because of their indian background have been awarded more than £100,000 in damages. Sandeep and reena mander from maidenhead successfully sued the royal borough of windsor and maidenhead council. The judge said they were discriminated against on the grounds of race. Our Community Affairs correspondent Adina Campbell has more. It is an extraordinary story of survival. A british woman whose heart stopped beating for six hours after she collapsed in a snowstorm in spain says she feels incredibly lucky to be alive. Audrey schoeman suffered a cardiac arrest after getting hypothermia while hiking in the pyrenees. Her husband thought she was dead. But incredibly doctors saved her. Heres our medical correspondent fergus walsh. The woman who cheated death, flanked by her husband and the medical team that rescued her. Audrey schoeman can now reflect on her heart stopping experience. It feels really incredible that i survived it and just really lucky to be here and to be able to get on with my life. I am just happy. She set out with her husband from this mountain refuge in the catalan pyrenees last month when they were caught in a snowstorm. She collapsed and fell unconscious. I thought she was dead because i was trying to feel for a pulse, trying to feel. My fingers were also known, so i wasnt sure numb, so i wasnt sure if it was my fingers, but i couldnt feel her breath, i couldnt feel her heartbeat or anything. In the freezing conditions, her body temperature dropped from 37 to just 18 degrees. But it was this super cool state which protected her brain and body from deteriorating. 0nce airlifted to a hospital in barcelona, she was connected to a machine which took over the function of her heart and lungs, re oxygenating her blood and gradually warming her body. Six hours after her heart stopped beating, they revived her using a defibrillator. Apart from some numbness in her hands, the english teacher, who lives in barcelona, has made a full recovery. And it has not put her off hiking. Probably this winter i will go to the mountains, but i hope in spring we will be able to start hiking and trekking again. I dont want this to take away that hobby from me. This winter, i will not go to the mountains. Doctors are astounded by audrey schoemans recovery, saying she has set a record in spain for the longest cardiac arrest, hailing her a medical miracle. A slimmed down anthonyjoshua at his final appearance in riyadh today before a rematch he simply dare not lose. His opponent, the champion andy ruiz, some three stones heavier, as the mexican prepares to defend his titles after shocking the boxing world by winning theirfirst fight in june. Im pretty sure he doesnt want to lose again, he doesnt want to feel embarrassed or whatnot. But for me, i feel i accomplished my dreams and i still want to accomplish more dreams and that is what we are going to do. Saudi arabias human rights record has made this a controversial location for the middle easts first ever heavyweight title fight. That hasnt stopped fans from travelling here. Although the strict local laws still apply. I know we have to respect the rules but the fact that we cant even celebrate would be. That would be tough. With tequila they both obviously want it, but it is just a question of who wants it more. Will it be a knockout, will he go the distance . A knockout and aj will win. We havent come all this wayjust to see him go the distance. Billed as the clash on the dunes, tomorrows fight will take place here on the edge of the desert at a 15,000 seater venue built from scratch in less than two months. The next time anthonyjoshua comes face to face with his opponent will be in the ring tomorrow night. The real sense here in riyadh is that this is the biggest moment in his career, his credibility underlined. Aj, how are you feeling . Look at the support. Its lively. Are you confident . Talk is cheap. Despite the pressure, joshua seems relaxed and whatever happens tomorrow, he will earn £60 million forfighting on saudi soil. What he wants above all is to establish himself as one of the best boxers in the world. Dan roan, bbc news, riyadh. Now its time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. Hello there. Its been a pretty grey and cloudy day today really with outbreaks of rain around at times. This was how the skies looked earlier on. In an leak in staffordshire, but most of us will have seen skies like these at some point during the day. 0vernight tonight, we will continue to see the feet of cloud, and a few passing showers across northern and Western Areas of the country. Its the present cloud that stops temperatures from falling too far too fast. So overnight lows of around 4 7dc. Now, saturday, not starting off too badly, there will be some dry and great weather, particularly across anglin and wales with occasional spells of sunshine here. A few showers initially pushing northwards across scotland, but later in the day, we will see a heavier zone of rain arriving across northern and Western Areas of scotland. So, turning went into increasingly windy for these areas. It will be quite mild though, temperatures up to 10 degrees. Now, for sunday, weve got a zone for stronger winds on the way, particularly late in the day across wales and southwest england. Thats your latest weather. Bye for now. Hello this is bbc news, im across a bureau. The headlines. A man who carried out a string of sex attacks on 11 women and children across england over two weeks has been found guilty of 37 offences. Jason mccann is a horrendously dangerous individual, who has strong com plete co ntem pt dangerous individual, who has strong complete contempt for his victims, and is clearly one of the most dangerous sex offenders i think that weve ever seen in this country. Boris johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will go head to head later for the final time during the Election Campaign when they take pa rt ina in a live bbc debate, coming up shortly. A teenager has admitted attempted murder after throwing a six year old boy from the tenth floor of the tate modern gallery in london in august. Lets go over back over to my colleague, Christian Fraser, whos in maidstone, at the studio where tonights televised debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn will get underway in just under an hours time. throw t0 0s will get underway in just under an hours time. Are they there yet christian . We have seen jeremy are they there yet christian . We have seenJeremy Corbyn, yes, he arrived a short time ago. No sign of the Prime Minister. He did arrive late when i was at the debate in sheffield, so he likes to come just ahead of time. We will keep an eye out for him and bring you those pictures of course only see them. We are ina pictures of course only see them. We are in a really functional pace may commence a febrile place, this. Its a big studio for the debate, theres a big studio for the debate, theres a Live Television audience in there. And this is the spin room, where you can see the massed ranks of journalists who are here. Many of them have already filed for their first editions, because first editions, bit earlier on friday of course. They will be fast and furious a little later this evening trying to get all the elements from the debate into their second editions. But as i say, the auditorium where they will be tonight quite a big space. Tell me, actually, they tell me its the place where they used of them super markets would come it looks a bit different tonight though. Take a look. Anticipation is building, and this is the set that you are going to see an bbc one at 8 30pm this evening. I have been a quite a few sets in my time, this one is pretty slick, wouldnt you say . Youve got the searchlights at the back, almost like the search for truth written large on the stage. And this is where the audience is going to sit. Just over 100 people, im often asked how the audience is selected, it selected by the pollsters, carefully selected so that the representatives equal representatives equal representatives from the dust parties, plus a selection of undecided voters as well. Lets have a look at the podiums. Because there are only about an arms length apart, it has been set up in quite an adversarial way, which will provide for some of the fireworks this evening. So lets speak to the man whos got to moderate it all our very own Nick Robinson. They are asking the questions, so what is your role tonight . They ask the questions, but question time they dont get to follow them up, so my job is to throw the questions to the two leaders, try to get them to debate, but if they ignore the question, if they dont answer the question, if they dont answer the question, if they ignore points they each make about each other, thats myjob tojump in and try and pin them down a little bit. But im not here to do an interview. Im not the great interrogator. But im a bit more than a referee. Im notjust trying to make sure its free and fair, and everybody gets an equal say, i do want to make sure that whatever questions come from their is answered appear. Lots of facts youve got to have at your fingertips. Its probably lots of facts youve got to have at yourfingertips. Its probably a professional question for this. Do you memorise them . What you have on your lecture . Well, ive got a card here for each question, in each question is a reminder to me of what the key point of the question is, and thats one orjust make factors asa reminder, and thats one orjust make factors as a reminder, but you know you do interviewing all the time, if it is not sort of up there, you might want to look downjust not sort of up there, you might want to look down just to check the exact number. If you are not there, you need to really have in your head to understand it, yes, you can revise a bit with a number or a quote, but essentially, to stress again, im not here is the interviewer, its not here is the interviewer, its not some long convoluted question from itsjust, hold on a second, what are you saying to this person here . Please answer the point that mr corbyn made, or mrjohnson made, thats really myjob. When you look at the history of this debate, and you go back to 2010 to remember in 2010, that break out moment, i agree with nick clegg, do you think we have break up moment in these debates . I think we havent so far, but remember how rare this is. Really, since the first us president ial Election Debate where we saw president ial Election Debate where we sanohn f kennedy taking on nixon back in 1960 for goodness sake, then, again and again people said lets have a version of that britain. Wilson didnt do it. Calla ha n britain. Wilson didnt do it. Callahan didnt do it. Thatcher didnt do it. Blair didnt do it. Theresa may didnt do it. Of course, we have this experiment, three people on stage when it nick clegg was there in 2010, we have seven on stage five years later in 2015. This is the first time in the history of britain in this election we have seen had to had to have debates. Between the pre minister and the leader of the opposition. That changes it. You listen to every day on the today programme, you do this all the time came interviewing these guys. It is this a little bit different . Are you getting nervous . You god, yes. I dont normally get scared, but you get hyped up a bit, you want to make sure you are doing a ball, and sometimes you do it well, sometimes badly. Im not going to be apologetic about the fact that ive woken up in the middle of the night, because i dont want to get in the way of them at saying what they want to say, but i also dont want people at home to say, why do you let them get away with that . So finding the right balance of helping them debate but helping you at home think of of understand what i need to understand and may be a make Nick Robinson there, best of luck to him tonight, not an easy job there, best of luck to him tonight, not an easyjob standing in the middle. Jfk, nixon, that was an iconic debate, was to . Back in the day, have we had an iconic debate like that and this campaign . I dont think so, not yet. There have been a number of debates through this campaign, but we havent really had to be happy, a sort of knockout blow. Anything that is really making a difference to the borders. John k has been to been to wolverhampton to find out what people make of them. Lets have a debate. From the bbc, we are doing some filming. About tv debates. Have you been following the election . No. Not at all . Ahead of tonights confrontation, were in wolverhampton. I guess youre used to these, arent you . Yes. To ask voters if they like leaders going head to head on the box. I think shows like that are going to be good to help inform people. What im always looking for is honesty and openness and straight answers to straight questions. Theres absolutely no point because they all tell lies anyway. Would you watch it . No. 0nly nine years and three elections ago. Ten million of us was the first Leaders Debate nearly a decade ago. Politics professor stephen fielding said at the time it seemed to make a big difference for nick clegg. We can do something new. We can do something different. He got a massive Approval Rating better than churchill in the second world war. And everyone thought that has changed the shape of campaigning. And yet, in the end, the liberal democrats got only one more percentage point than they did in 2005 and they actually lost seats. I think there was a lot of excitement, this is a new thing, it will change things happen, in the end, not so much. This time weve had all kinds of formats. Some head to heads, some big events, some solo, some with ice blocks. And tonight, the final confrontation. How important for the politicians is the debate tonight . Oh, could be vitally important. There s still a lot of people out there that havent yet made up their minds. 10 of people going to the polling booth not knowing who they are going to vote for. Those are the people theyre going to try and make an impression on. But many here told me tv debates just mean the same old slogans again and again, so the parties can clip them up for social media. I think its tv nonsense. They say what they need to say, try and get the message across, and thats it, really. Do you think you get answers to the questions youve got . We know the answer is already. What are those two men wanting to get out of this tonight . Youll hear Boris Johnson, whatever the question is, he will try to get in, gotta get brexit done. And Jeremy Corbyn, similarly, if you ask him a question he will try to get it around to the nhs. Theyve already got their lives, it is now repeating the lies, getting it through to a tv audience. What you get is what each of them believe, side by side, you actually get to hear them all giving answers to the same questions. It makes it kind of theatrical, like a tv drama, rather than about, like, the real issues that are being dealt with. What you want to know from those two guys . Honestly, are you really doing this for the people or for yourself . Do you think you will get answers tonight . Some of the points the general public make, yes, we do, but obviously the answers you get from the politicians, theyre all wishy washy. If its Nick Robinson was asking the question, you can get a bit more give and take, if its a member of the public you have to show deep, deep respect. You look very at home behind the podium. Im thinking maybe you should stand. Some have called for an independent body to oversee Election Debates in future. But first, tonight, one final showdown. So will you watch the debate . No, no, im going to yoga tonight, so. Jon kay, bbc news. Very good. Looking for some honesty, said the victor injohns piece, the man who keeps them honest or tries to his christmas from our reality check team. Youve got the irish papers in your hand, the paper is that labour have put out today command i know you have been dallying through them having a look. Jeremy corbyn says it cuts Northern Ireland off from huge swathes of the uk market, doesnt . Well, thats what the paper says. I mean, the tories say this is an initial analysis after Boris Johnson tories say this is an initial analysis after borisjohnson did his deal. Didnt inform policy and the Prime Minister hasnt actually seen it, but officials in the treasury who presume we know what theyre talking about, have said exactly that. This deal does have the potential to cut Northern Ireland off from large swathes of the rest off from large swathes of the rest of the uks internal markets, because there will be checks of some form down the ever see. The pre minister said again today, its nonsense pre minister said again today, its nonsense nonsense post there will be any checks, but if you actually read the Withdrawal Agreement, it makes it very clear, Northern Ireland would be in a regulatory zone with the republic of ireland, separate from regulations in Great Britain, and that means a lot of things going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland will have to be checked, and another thing would be subject to customs checks as well, so if there is a thought that goods are moving from Northern Ireland could then go into the republic of ireland, you will have to pay a tariff. If they dont end up going onto the republic of ireland and they stay in Northern Ireland, business can get that tariff reimbursed. This is not friction free trade, and i think there is a problem there, because this is precisely what the democratic unionist party, the governments first allies in Northern Ireland set up first allies in Northern Ireland set upa first allies in Northern Ireland set up a Boris Johnsons first allies in Northern Ireland set up a borisjohnsons deal when it first came out. Their argument is its a bad dealfor Northern Ireland. People will understand why perhaps understand why there needs be some checks going into ireland into the european union, but once things are coming from ireland into Northern Ireland, they are within the uk markets, and if they are then going onto liverpool or some other port in the rest of the uk, why do you need checks on that, why is the eu demanding another check between Northern Ireland and the rest of the uk . It basically comes down to the fact where all of this started, the irish land border between the republic of ireland and Northern Ireland should be as open as it is now, so if things flow from the republic of ireland into Northern Ireland, they are not checked, and under the rules of the European Unions customs code, you do need to say when stuff leaves their zone. So you want to have made that declaration when it moves in the republican of ireland to Northern Ireland, so you may have to Northern Ireland, so you may have to do that when it moves from Northern Ireland into Great Britain. Now, what is a customs declaration form . At something you can do online. It can be a very simple piece of administration, but its not quite the same as full u nfettered not quite the same as full unfettered access, and these things matter in Northern Ireland. There are issues of enormous sensitivity and right across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland now, people are saying this isnt what we signed up for. This is what we expected. So i think there is a problem therefore borisjohnson in terms of trust, if you like. Because he said we were going to look after Northern Ireland, and the union is important to us, but even those who we re important to us, but even those who were his allies there feel this deal is letting them down, and may become a you know, the future of the Northern Ireland economy doesnt win or lose votes in the heart of england during an election. But i do think we are going to have from Jeremy Corbyn, who has his own issues with this, but we are going to hear that this is an issue of trust. You cant believe the pre minister says. Trust. You cant believe the preminister says. One of the very many issues we will hear about in the course of the day, chris morris, thank you very much for that. We will be back at the top of the hour, we will take you into the debate this evening, plenty more analysis to come, remember, the debate on for an hourat