Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC 20240703

Hello and welcome to the bbc news at one. In the last hour, the mp Natalie Elphicke has become the latest conservative to defect to the labour party. Natalie elphicke has been the mp for dover in kent since 2019. Our chief Political Correspondent Henry Zeffmanjoins Me from The Houses Of Parliament henry, was this a surprise . It was a shock. If you had asked me before this afternoon to list 100 conservative mps most likely to defect to the labour party, Natalie Elphicke would have been nowhere near that list. And i think that was reflected in the faces of conservative mps at prime ministers questions, as keir starmer announced at the start of his question that he wanted to welcome her to the labour side. Mps had not noticed her there, and they were expressing to bewilderment to each other. Natalie elphickes announcement will hurt rishi sunak, because she goes for him on an issue that is central to his attempt to recover his political position. She accuses him of failing on small boats. Remember, that is one of his five priorities, and she is the mp for dover and deal in kent, where some of these crossings happen. So that will sting. The Conservative Party pointing out in response, hang on a second, as the conservative mp for dover and deal, she unleashed a volley of criticisms of sir keir starmer personally and the labour party generally, about that issue. But also if you think about the mood of the Conservative Party, it isjust about the mood of the Conservative Party, it is just a few days since they got back here to westminster after a very bad set of local election results. Rishi sunak is trying to tell them that a Hung Parliament is in play, that there is all to play for. Privately, they really dont believe that, they are quite demoralised, and whatever they think of Natalie Elphickes specific decision, the fact that they are enduring another defection to the labour party, the second in just a couple of weeks, is whether going to hurt that morale. Hurt that morale. Henry zeffman, thank you. Hurt that morale. Henry zeffman, thank you, with hurt that morale. Henry zeffman, thank you, with the hurt that morale. Henry zeffman, thank you, with the very hurt that morale. Henry zeffman, thank you, with the very latest. L the worlds oceans have broken temperature records every day over the past year, because of climate change, according to bbc analysis. The heating has a major impact on Global Marine life. Figures from the Eu Climate Service copernicus also show that last month was the warmest april on record. 0ur Climate Editorjustin Rowlatt is in anglesey. Yeah, lets start with that impact on marine life. The most dramatic impact perhaps is in the tropical seas, where there is a mass global Coral Bleaching event under way. Coral contains tiny algae within It Thatis Coral contains tiny algae within it that is what gives it those beautiful colours, it injects that when it is under stress because of heat and it can die as a result. In antarctica, we are seeing Emperor Penguins struggling to find safe places to make their nests on the ice, but we are also seeing changes in the plants and animals in the seas around the uk. As i have been discovering. The menai bridge between north wales and the island of anglesey. Scientists have been monitoring the plants and animals on the sea shore here for almost 70 years. Its invaluable and it tells us so much about where species were, how quickly theyve moved. Theyve been going back to the same places all around the uk creating a unique record of the changing populations on our countrys rocky coasts. In that time, Sea Temperatures around this country have warmed by an average of about one degree celsius. The big thing that ive seen is species arent all moving at the same rate so things are moving further north, but not at the same speed. So, all the Community Compositions are changing everywhere because different species are moving at different rates. Some creatures cant move at all like barnacles. So, nova, this is a really disruptive process for ecosystems . I think if i was a barnacle, id be quite worried, yes if one species vanishes or a new one comes in, it can affect all the other plants and animals in the system. At aberystwyth university, scientists track the changes with the same technology the police use at crime scenes. I think were going to put this down about five metres. The researchers collect the traces of dna animals leave in the water. It is known as edna, environmental dna. Its possible to use edna to track the movement of invasive species. There is a japanese species of sea squirt. Its called a carpet sea squirt. They form a blanket, a carpet, if you like, over the sea bed. They prevent the growth of native organisms in the areas that they colonise. Because they do so well in our environment, they can potentially take over huge areas of the sea bed. What we are finding is that the ones that are more invasive appear to be responding more strongly to Global Warming and increasing water temperatures. It is evidence ofjust how fragile some of our marine ecosystems are and stands as a warning that as our seas continue to warm, we can expect unpredictable changes in the marine life of the uk. Yes, jane, it is not only barnacles that should worry, we all need to worry, because it is notjust Sea Temperatures, it is Air Temperatures as well, there is a terrible heatwave in south asia at the moment, we have seen floods in kenya, last week there were terrible floods in somalia, this week, the warmer the atmosphere is, the more moisture it can hold, the bigger the rainstorms we see. Those impacts Around The World affect agriculture, they affect the prices of key crops like wheat and rice and barley and were seeing that over recent years, were seeing that over recent years, we have seen that driving up prices. And of course, rising temperatures affect all of us. Youve got underlying conditions, and you are a very hot place, that can really exaggerate, or exacerbate, your condition. So, really serious impacts for all of us as a result of these rising temperatures we are seeing. Justin rowlatt, thank you. Social Media Companies have been told they could be named and shamed if they dont comply with new Online Safety rules aimed at protecting children. The Media Regulator 0fcom has set out a draft code of practice which requires Technology Firms to toughen up their age checks and change their algorithms, in order to filter out the most harmful content from young peoples feeds. But a group of bereaved parents has written an open letter Criticising 0fcom for a lack of ambition. They united in person this morning for a bbc breakfast special, as Angus Crawford reports. 11 young faces. 11 short lives. The online world playing a role in each of their deaths. Leaving behind them parents campaigning in their names so no other family has to go through what they have. And they have a simple message. Sit up and listen to parents that have lost their children. It is a David And Goliath situation. Its been quite painful and very frustrating as a parent. Everyone here knows only too well how damaging the products of big tech can be. Today, their chance to question the minister and the regulator and demand that they do more to rein in silicon valley. Parents and young people and everyone here today is kind of counting on us. First, the Chief Executive of 0fcom. How are you going to impose and verify their age . Pretty much all the social media platforms have a minimum age of 13, but theyre not doing enough to. Theyre not doing anything really at the moment to enforce that. We know that, im afraid 40 of 5 to 7 year olds currently are on social media. And i would say to any parents listening today, it is a very risky environment for children of Primary School age. 13 is still a child. 1a is still a child. 15 is still a child. Well, it clearly isnt ok for 13 to 17 year olds to be on social media today, given that its not a safe environment for them. Then a question for the minister. A question about suicide content on social media. Why are they allowed to publish this content . Thats a really simple and really powerful question. Under the act, they theyre not. My message here, sitting on your sofa today is that the Tech Companies dont need to wait for the full implementation of this bill. They can start now, and some of them already have, but they need to go further and faster to make the changes. They are waiting. How can we make them move . Yeah. So i feel your frustration on this. And if we could fully implement the bill tomorrow, id be doing it. Absolutely. What we dont want to do is do so fast that it has lots of loopholes or that they can easily litigate and its chewed up in the courts for years. We want this to be robust. So i would like to see a phone which at Point Of Purchase is set up and its safe by design for children. What weve done is really big. It is groundbreaking. Its more than any other country in the world has done in this space. Is it job done . Absolutely not. So many really brave parents have gone through so much horrendous, so, so many horrendous tragedies. And yeah, i think that they should be proud of the strength and the solidarity as well. I suspect if if they were still alive and seeing what were doing, theyd be theyd be really proud and theyd be cheering us on. 11 young voices may be stilled, but in the fight to protect other children, their parents will not be silenced. Angus crawford, bbc news. Details of organisations offering information and support with Mental Health or self harm are available at bbc. Co. Uk actionline, or you can call forfree, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000155 998. Some prisoners are to be released up to 70 days early to try to relieve overcrowding in prisons in england and wales. The new rules will come into force later this month. Certain prisoners wont be eligible, including anyone convicted of Sexual Offences and terrorism. 0ur Political Correspondent helen cattjoins me. What is being said about this, helen . ~. ,. ,. , helen . Well, there, according to the latest figures. Helen . Well, there, according to the latest figures, fewer helen . Well, there, according to the latest figures, fewer than helen . Well, there, according to the latest figures, fewer than 1500 latest figures, fewer than 1500 places left in the prison system, and that is in a system that is currently housing 87,500 prisoners, the vast, vast majority of those amen. So, what the government is doing is to say to Prison Governors that they can allow adult male prisoners who are approaching the end of their sentence to be released, some of them, 70 days early, and it says that those prisoners will then be supervised, under strict conditions, things like curfews or electronic tagging. It also says it is building more Prison Places but that is quite a few years down the track so this is temporary. But this is the second time that the covenant has extended how early prisoners can be released. This scheme was brought in back in october and at that point it was 18 days. In march it was extended to 3560 days. In march it was extended to 35 60 days, and there has been some criticism already from within the Justice System of this latest move. The president of the Prison Governors Association says it is a sticking plaster that will not work in the long term. The National Association of probation officers said that the scheme so far had created a chronic workload and that their members were at breaking point. This has come to light, it was reported by the times, labour has accused the government of doing this under a cloak of secrecy. Automatic passport gates are back up and running at uk airports after a technical problem caused long delays for passengers yesterday evening. The disruption began when the gates, which use facial recognition, suddenly stopped working nationwide. Many airports were affected, including heathrow, gatwick, edinburgh, birmingham, bristol, newcastle and manchester. Prince harry is in the uk to celebrate the ten Year Anniversary of his invictus games. Hes due to attend a thanksgiving service at st pauls cathedral in london later today. Though it has emerged that he wont be meeting the king during his trip. 0ur Royal Correspondent Sarah Campbell is at st pauls. So, how much more do we know about what the trip entails, sarah . Yeah, hi, jane, what the trip entails, sarah . Yeah, hi. Jane. The what the trip entails, sarah . Yeah, hi, jane, the security what the trip entails, sarah . Yeah, hi, jane, the Security Sweeps hi, jane, the Security Sweeps are going to start very shortly. This service this afternoon really is a celebration of what for many people has been a changing event, being involved in the invictus games. It was of course the brainchild of prince prince harry, who saw the impact of servicemen and women returning from combat and he wanted to do something to help them so he established this kind of paralympic style games, if you like. They have been going for the last decade and the movement has really grown, so that now more than 20 nations take part. For prince harry, this is a rare trip back to the uk, and the first one, if you look back now at the images from 2014, this was the inaugural, the opening ceremony, you can see the warmth between prince william, between the king, and harry, at the opening ceremony, and it kind of shows how much has changed since then. If i tell you harrys spokesman has said that he hoped to see his father soon but it will not be this week due to his fathers full programme, and certainly the king has a very busy schedule, today he has got a garden party, government meetings, it is busy. Buckingham palace themselves have not commented and i think people will make up their own minds as to what it says about the state of relations between father and son that no meeting this time is planned. That no meeting this time is lanned. , ~ , that no meeting this time is lanned. , ~. ,. , planned. Thank you, Sarah Campbell, at st pauls the time is 13. 16. Our top story this afternoon. The tory mp Natalie Elphicke defects to labour the second such loss for the conservatives in less than a fortnight. Thomas, its time for your peanuts. Still to come how some children with severe Food Allergies are overcoming them by eating the very products that are harmful. Coming up on bbc news. They now know who they will be playing if they are on the winning side tonight. Its bellingham against kane, again, for a place in the Champions League final at wembley, and a meeting with borussia dortmund. The Pharmaceutical Company astrazeneca is to withdraw its covid 19 vaccine, one of the first produced during the pandemic. The firm said there were now other products available which target new variants of the virus. 0ur Health Correspondent Sophie Hutchinson is with me. What more have they said and what does it mean . Cast what more have they said and what does it mean . What more have they said and what does it mean . Cast your mind back to 2020 when the does it mean . Cast your mind back to 2020 when the only does it mean . Cast your mind back to 2020 when the only protection does it mean . Cast your mind back to 2020 when the only protection we does it mean . Cast your mind back to | 2020 when the only protection we had was social distancing and we faced a series of lockdowns and then in that autumn the first vaccines in the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine was one of the first, made in record time, ten months instead of ten years. Cheaper and easier to store and estimated to have saved 6. 5 million lives in its first year alone. But although it wasnt safe for most people, a tiny minority of adults suffered extremely serious side effects, mainly younger adults and in fact it was banned for those aged under 40 in 2021. The vaccine is linked to 73 deaths in the uk of almost 50 million doses and there are a number of court cases on going with people saying that they have been harmed by the vaccine. Astrazeneca said Patient Safety is its highest priority and today it said its vaccine is widely regarded as being a critical component in ending the pandemic. But it said that other vaccines have been updated to target new variants of covid and there was a decline in demand so it is withdrawing it from the market today. The market today. Sophie hutchinson, thank ou. A number of children with severe Food Allergies are now overcoming them by eating the very products that have been harmful to them, including peanuts. Its all part of a Research Trial being funded by the Natasha Allergy Research foundation, which was set up by the parents of 15 year old Natasha Ednan Laperouse, who died from a severe allergic reaction in 2016. Alastair fee reports from southampton, one of the hospitals involved in the trial. Thomas, its time for your peanuts. Its medicine time for 11 year old thomas a handful of chocolate coated peanuts. Six months ago, they could have killed him. In the beginning when thomas got diagnosed with a peanut allergy, it dominated our lives. Going out forfood, Food Preparation at home, everything was a worry. Today, thomas can eat small quantities of the very food his family has spent years trying to avoid. It means the world to me that i can eat a peanut and, like, i wont die. Thomas is taking part in an Allergy Trial led by southamptons hospital and university and imperial college, london. It uses the very foods that lead to severe allergic reactions. The early evidence is incredibly promising. This is whats called oral immunotherapy. Everyday foods are being given to children under medical supervision. The aim is to train the body to cope with the very ingredients that can cause an allergic reaction. In 2016, 15 year old Natasha Ednan Laperouse died after eating a Pret A Manger baguette. It contained sesame, which she was allergic to. Set up by her parents, this trial has been funded by the Natasha Allergy Research foundation. Natasha would be over the moon that we are actually doing this in her name. And thats what were doing in helping otherfamilies overcome the very things that we were unable to overcome in natashas life. Thanks to the trial, imani can now safely tolerate a small amount of milk. I was afraid. Now, im not that much afraid. Now i can go to parties without being worrying any more. Nearly 150 children have taken part in the study across five hospitals in the uk. Once completed, its hoped there will be enough evidence for the treatment to be offered on the nhs. Its amazing. Even small things like going to the theatre, we would avoid the ice cream at half time because it may contain peanut. We dont want to exclude thomas, so we just wouldnt eat it. Now we can eat it. Children taking part must continue to take small amounts of peanuts or milk to maintain their new tolerance, but, for the first time, they can lead more normal lives. Alastair fee, bbc news. The white house paused a shipment of weapons to israel last week because of concerns about the countrys plans to launch a Ground Offensive in rafah, in southern gaza. The consignment is said to have included large bombs. The us has been urging israel not to invade rafah, where Hundreds Of Thousands of palestinians have been sheltering. Mediators in cairo are holding further talks today with delegations from israel and hamas. From jerusalem, our middle east correspondent Yolande Knell reports you may find some of her report upsetting. The panic and confusion as rescuers pull the wounded from the rubble after an overnight israeli airstrike in rafah. And today, another all too familiar scene in gaza, a mother struggling with unbearable loss. After israel seized control of the key crossing with egypt, it says its continuing a limited offensive in gazas southernmost city, battling hamas gunmen in the east of their last stronghold. But for Hundreds Of Thousands of palestinians who fled to rafah to escape the fighting elsewhere, theres renewed fear. Last time they told us to go to rafah, saying theres aid and its a safe place, and look, they came into rafah. For now, i wont go anywhere. Ill stay here. Its enough. Were tired of being displaced, and i dont know where i want to go. World powers have warned israel against a full assault here, saying it would be a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel argues its operation is pressuring hamas to make concessions in talks on a ceasefire and the release of hostages. And this is a critical moment in those indirect negotiations now taking place in cairo. The us says it believes a deal is achievable, but israel clearly has issues about the wording of the draft texts, referring to a return to sustainable calm. It simply doesnt want the war in gaza to end before it can say its dismantled hamas. But there are signs of growing strain with israels closest allies. For the first time in this war, the us has halted a shipment of powerful bombs, an official says, worried about how theyd be used. The Israeli Military insists relations with washington remain strong. The aid is unprecedented. The Operational Partnership is significant. When there are disputes, they are being resolved in closed rooms, in a matter of fact way. In line with a promise to President Biden today, israel said it was reopening the biggest crossing for aid into gaza. Kerem shalom was closed on sunday after hamas rockets killed four Israeli Soldiers nearby. But a Un Agency Says no supplies have yet entered. The desperate situation in rafah could yet get worse. Yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. John swinney has been sworn in as scotlands first minister. His appointment was rubber stamped by the king before he was officially sworn in at the Court Of Session this morning. Hes also expected to form his government, with Cabinet Posts due to be confirmed in parliament. The Footballerjack Grealish has been fined £666 for speeding in Worcestershire Injuly last year. In 2020, the england and Manchester City star was banned from driving for nine months, and fined more than £80,000, for crashing his range rover. Today magistrates also handed him five Penalty Points for speeding at 44 miles an hour in a 30 mph zone. Lets return briefly to our top story, the news this lunchtime that the mp for dover has defected to the labour party this is the moment at the start of prime ministers questions when she joined the labour benches. And in the last few minutes she had this to say outside parliament. In 2019 the conservatives stood on a manifesto that was very much Centre Ground, but under rishi sunak theyve abandoned the Centre Ground and broken many election promises. Meanwhile, under keir starmer, labour have changed, and i think that change is going to bring a much Better Future for our country, and thats why i was so keen to join the labour party and play my part in bringing that important future forward. Do abandoned metal mines pose a danger to Public Health . A committee of mps have held a session on the issue this morning, with one expert telling the inquiry that an estimated 200,000 people in wales live on land contaminated due to flooding from waters polluted by old mines. Tomos morgan reports from ceredigion. This area of North Ceredigion is one of several uk hotspots for old abandoned metal mines. A third of waless 1,300 are in this county alone, and a recent foi revealed that at least 500 tonnes of harmful metals leak into welsh rivers from old mines each year. The main concern is lead, which can contribute to a number of health issues. And one Lead Poisoning Expert believes that we should be testing communities living near old mines and contaminated rivers to rule out any risk to the public. This is one of the key functions of Public Health, is to identify potential threats and to make sure if it is or isnt real. If its not, then people can be assured and you can worry about other problems. If it is, of course, then additional steps would be needed. Theres currently no clear evidence of a Public Health issue in ceredigion or the other uk hotspot areas. But today the Welsh Affairs Committee Held a one off inquiry looking into whether old abandoned metal mines pose any risk to the public. The uk government said that an evidence based review of population screening didnt recommend it back in 2018 due to concerns about testing, treatment and a lack of up to date population data. Three studies, however, have documented deaths or high levels of lead in animals living near contaminated rivers and old mines in wales, and some landowners regularly test their animals. Currently, its down to farmers to pay the brunt of the testing if they believe their animals may be poisoned or contaminated by metals. And that can run into the hundreds, and at a time when farmers across the uk are struggling financially, some say thats not fair. Where we do need to test i certainly think the cost should be borne by the state because its a problem that a society weve inherited and its not due to the actions or otherwise of individual farmers. Agriculture is devolved in wales and a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said some testing is chargeable to farmers, but some, such as post mortem examinations, were subsidised or free of charge. The uk government added businesses must ensure food produced doesnt go beyond maximum lead levels set by law and that monitoring is in place to check for this. The legacy of a time past. But what impact do these old works still have on those living in these communities across the uk . Tomos morgan, bbc news. When toby addison lost his sight as a teenager, he says he went off the rails and struggled to cope but as the years went on, he refused to let it restrict his life. Toby started posting videos about his disability on social media, and his refreshingly honest approach has earned him a huge following. Simon marks has been to meet him. I was born visually impaired and i was told i had a condition called retinitis pigmentosa. My sight was lost slowly over many, many years. And by the time i was 16, thats when i lost all my functional vision. And what effect did that have on you . You were still at school . Yeah, i was doing my gcses at the time when my eyesight started to go really, really quickly and i went off the rails a little bit and, yeah, didnt respond in the best way, naturally. I dont think theres a right way to respond to losing your sight. I went to university after i finished in school, and thankfully i had a clean start then. And, you know, my social life is buzzing now. And toby is also buzzing on tiktok and instagram, where he talks about his blindness in a refreshingly honest way. People thought that id never amount to anything, and to be fair, neither did i, due to my disability. Blind people cant succeed or have fulfilling lives, right . It would have been quite easy for me to believe that and live a life of no independence. But sometimes youve got to flip the script. Excuse me, do you know what station is this train stops at . Oh, sorry. I didnt realise you were blind. You wouldnt know, would you . Bognor, barnham, ford, arundel, amberley, pulborough, billingshurst, christs hospital, horsham, crawley, three bridges, gatwick airport, east croydon, clapham junction, london victoria. Your social Media Presence is off the scale. Youre very popular. I dont know why. How did that happen . Its a bit of luck, really. I reacted to a viral video of myself on someone elses page, and the video that i made ended up going viral. That was my first video, and i thought, ok, well, lets just keep, keep going. Lets see what happens. And i gained a large amount of traction very, very quickly. At some point in life, everyone will face a barrier. And its so easy to just give up because somethings in your way. If you do that, youll never get what you want. Push the boundaries, and dont let your circumstances dictate your life. Because if a blind man can do it, anyone can. Do you think you might be becoming a role model . I like to think ive got a positive influence over people who are maybe losing their sight, parents of kids who are losing their sight. You know, reassuring people that disability isnt something to be scared of. Thats my ultimate aim. If you fancy a stroll along brightons palace pier youll soon need to pay an admission fee. From 25th may, most people will have to pay £1, to access such delights as the Helter Skelter and the dodgems. The pier� s owners say the charge is needed to pay for its upkeep. Time for a look at the weather. Heres stav da naos. Is it beach weather . It is indeed pretty is it beach weather . It is indeed pretty glorious at the moment but not so pretty glorious at the moment but not so this pretty glorious at the moment but not so this morning as we had low cloud not so this morning as we had low cloud and not so this morning as we had low cloud and dense mist and fog patches across cloud and dense mist and fog patches across much of the country