Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC 20240703

Said the economy is back on its feet and pledged taxes will go down under and pledged taxes will go down under a conservative government. fin a conservative government. On welfare reform, labour has said they are against sanctions. That will mean more people on our welfare roles, not less. But conservatives know that if businesses are going to find the workers they need without depending on unlimited migration, we need to move people off welfare and into work. Mel strides Welfare Reforms will help i Million People do just that at a cost of £2. 5 billion. The obr say the impact will be to reduce the flow of people signed off work and not having to look for work by two thirds. A Quiet Revolution that will make sure those who can work do work and we give help where it is needed. Labour doesnt want to talk about these decisions because they would duck them. But conservatives know it is simply not possible to grow the economy without a plan for where additional workers will come from, and we have that plan. The final area of substantive difference between the parties is tax. In her maze lecture the Shadow Chancellor spoke for an hour. 8500 words. Not once did she mention reducing the tax burden. But conservatives look around the world, we notice that the lower taxed economy of North America and asia generally grow faster than the higher taxed economies of europe. Labour like to criticise recent tax rises, thinking people dont know what caused them, the furlough scheme, the Energy Price Guarantee and billions of pounds in cost of living support. But labour supported those policies which is why it is playground politics to use those tax rises to distract debate from the biggest divide in british politics today, what happens to the tax burden next. Because conservatives recognise that while those tax rises may have been necessary, they should not be permanent. Labour do not. We can seak to permanent. Labour do not. We can speak to correspondence permanent. Labour do not. We can speak to correspondence nick speak to correspondence nick eardley. What did you make to the chancellors speech, and talking, focusing on the difference between them and the Shadow Chancellor. You would think them and the Shadow Chancellor. Wm. Would think there was an Election Campaign under way already. Its amazing it might be six months away. Because what we have seen this week is both parties trying to wrestle control of the narrative. Thats what the chancellor was trying to do this morning, to say, we get it, the economy is absolutely front and centre of peoples attention at the moment and we think we have a better story to tell than labour. And fundamentally it all comes down to what will happen to tax after the general election. The conservatives have come up with this book which apparently sets out how much labour policies will cost, according to treasury analysis. The argument you heard from the chancellor is that the labour Spending Plans will cost a lot of money, around £50 billion over the course of a parliament, and it will need to be made up by something. The conservatives are arguing it will be tax rises. We dont have a response from labour to the specifics of this documentjust yet but the argument you will hear from the labour party is that actually taxes have gone up under the conservatives and you cant trust what they say when it comes to this sort of stuff. Coming back to that in a minute. Firstly, listen to how the chancellor was trying to frame the debate this morning. Unlike labours commitments, which are for unlike labours commitments, which are for the unlike labours commitments, which are for the next parliament, our ambition are for the next parliament, our ambition has no Time Commitment because ambition has no Time Commitment because we have been explicit that we will because we have been explicit that we will only deliver it when it can be afforded. It will come through growth be afforded. It will come through growth of be afforded. It will come through growth of the economy and not by increasing growth of the economy and not by increasing borrowing or cutting spending. It is frankly disgusting to try spending. It is frankly disgusting to try to spending. It is frankly disgusting to try to scare pensioners by misrepresenting that policy, but it wont misrepresenting that policy, but it wont fool misrepresenting that policy, but it wont fool anyone. With £38 billion of unfunded spending pledges in the next parliament, taxes will go up under next parliament, taxes will go up under any next parliament, taxes will go up under any future labour government, as sure under any future labour government, as sure as under any future labour government, as sure as night follows day. But taxes as sure as night follows day. But taxes will as sure as night follows day. But taxes will go down under a conservative Government Beer Coz we will do conservative Government Beer Coz we will do the conservative Government Beer Coz we will do the hard work necessary to keep will do the hard work necessary to keep our will do the hard work necessary to keep our economy competitive. So my challenge keep our economy competitive. So my challenge to keep our economy competitive. So my challenge to the labour party today is simple. Challenge to the labour party today is simple, you refused to vote for the National Insurance cuts in the budget, the National Insurance cuts in the budget, 50 the National Insurance cuts in the budget, so come clean with the brilish budget, so come clean with the british people. Are you planning to reverse british people. Are you planning to reverse them, and if not, which other reverse them, and if not, which other taxes reverse them, and if not, which other taxes will you put up to pay for your other taxes will you put up to pay for your £38 billion black hole . Because for your £38 billion black hole . Because on tax, jobs and welfare reform. Because on tax, jobs and welfare reform, there isntjust clear blue water reform, there isntjust clear blue water between the parties, there is Deep Blue Water between the parties, there is Deep Blue Water, an ocean of Deep Blue Water Deep Blue Water, an ocean of Deep Blue Water that is the difference between blue water that is the difference between more jobs or fewerjobs, between more jobs or fewer jobs, more between more jobs or fewerjobs, more people on welfare or fewer. Tax cuts or more people on welfare or fewer. Tax cuts or tax more people on welfare or fewer. Tax cuts or tax rises. More growth or less growth. In short, a prosperous future less growth. In short, a prosperous future or less growth. In short, a prosperous future or a less growth. In short, a prosperous future or a poorer one. You less growth. In short, a prosperous future or a poorer one. Future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot of future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot of that future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot of that over future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot of that over the future or a poorer one. You will hear a lot of that over the next| future or a poorer one. You will. Hear a lot of that over the next few months, the conservatives trying to frame the election that way. Labour will do it very differently. They will do it very differently. They will say that all their plans are costed and funded and they will point to some of what has happened over the past few years, like liz trusss premiership as evidence that they will argue that the conservatives cant be trusted on the economy. But if you stand back from some of the claims which will be contested and counter contested over the next few weeks, there is a question for the chancellor as well over what specifically he will do to bring down taxes. You will know because we have covered it extensively that one of the issues over the past few years has been the point at which you pay various levels of tax has been frozen and as peoples wages go up, that means more people are paying more tax. We asked the chancellor this morning would he commit to ending that and he didnt, he didnt say he would do that earlier than planned. So that suggests that might continue. He did say that if he can he will cut National Insurance again before the general election. That would be a symbol to the electorate of where the conservatives, if they are in government, are hoping to go. The big thing that is happening this week as both sides of the debate, labour and the conservatives, are trying to take control of the debate and say, this is where we think the key thing at the general election will be. As i say, thats still meant to be a few months away. Flick meant to be a few months away. Nick eardle , meant to be a few months away. Nick eardley. Good meant to be a few months away. Nick eardley. Good to meant to be a few months away. Nick eardley, good to talk to you. Thousands of children with complex needs across england are missing out on vital support because some councils are not providing care plans quickly enough. Local Authorities Say they are facing growing demand and insufficient funding and the childrens commissioner has described the situation is a crisis. 0ur correspondent charlie rose has the story. Like all five year olds, freddie should be getting a full time education. But last year, a rare complication from chickenpox resulted in freddie having a stroke. Following the stroke he has a lot of fatigue. Obviously hes now got a brain injury, which has affected his emotional regulation. He can be quite disregulated emotionally. One minute hes up here, the next minute hes down there. He did have a speech delay before but thats just been exacerbated by the stroke. He was fully potty trained. He is now sadly back in nappies. Sarah says freddies needs means hes limited to 16 hours a week at his local Primary School near stoke on trent. She says to access full time education, freddie needs a legal document called an Educational Health and care plan, or ehcp, setting out the support he should receive. The process for getting an ehcp should take no more than 20 weeks. But after applying for one for freddie lastjuly, the family are still waiting. Im so amazed and shocked by how difficult it is to get an education for a child, who through no fault of his own needs additional support. Staffordshire county council apologised to the family for the delays. It said a significant increase in requests for education, health and needs assessments had been made worse by a shortage of educational psychologists and it had now recruited more. Unfortunately sarah and freddies situation is not unique. Right across the country there are heartbreaking tales of how children are struggling because they cant access vital education. Data obtained from local education authorities across england suggest that between april and december last year at least 12 councils managed to finalise ehcps within 20 weeks in fewer than 10 of cases. In essex and portsmouth, fewer than i of plans were issued on time. The average across england isjust under 50 . Both essex and Portsmouth Councils said there had been a huge rise in requests for ehcps as well as a shortage of educational psychologists. They said they were working to tackle delays. I showed my findings to robin walker, chair of the education select committee, a group of mps who scrutinise the governments work. Its your government, isnt it, the conservative government, thats overseen this issue getting worse over the past five years. I dont deny that there are challenges, but i think its important to recognise that the government has increased funding both for Mental Health and the Health Service and for schools to deliver high needs. There have been investments in this space. One of the things, though, that we called for on the education select committee, is an audit of what resource every local authority has in this space. Because we want to make sure that they do have the resource that they need. It absolutely is a crisis. Its really shocking that its getting worse, especially at a time of such a great need post lockdown, where children had actually had, particularly children with send, had had a period of time where they were completely out of services and support and really need it. Its complicated, its difficult. There are workforce issues. But nothing is more important than childhood and a child getting their needs met in a timely manner. The local Government Association said delays are a result of increasing demand and insufficient funding. The Department For Education said since 2019 funding for those with complex needs has risen by more than 60 to more than £10. 5 billion this year. Meanwhile, sarah says shes been told to expect a draft Education Health and care plan for her son freddie injune, almost a year after she asked for one. Charlie rose, bbc news. The inquiry into the post of a scandal will hear evidence today from alistair cameron, chief Financial Officer and former interim Chief Executive of post office limited. The inquiry is tasked with providing a public summary of the failings that occurred with the Horizon It System and lead to the suspension, prosecution and conviction of subpostmasters. Our correspondent Azadeh Moshiri is there for us. Hello to you, tell us about the witness today, Alisdair Cameron and his significance. He is a Chief Financial cameron and his significance. He is a chief Financial Officer cameron and his significance. He is a chief Financial Officer who cameron and his significance. He 3 a chief Financial Officer who is currently on medical leave. He held the role of interim ceo in 2019 after Paula Vennells resigned. And so he is a Current Post Office executive and a very senior one. He opened with a very open apology. He said, i am sorry that when ijoined in 2015 i accepted there had been no miscarriages ofjustice in the earlier prosecutions. He also added that he did not push against the lack of challenge and testing of the post office legal case. Had i done better we might have started the process of getting justice for subpostmasters sooner. He said he hopes his testimony helps this inquiry get some answers and he has already said quite a bit. They are going through a Draft Document that he put together in 2020 that was trying to understand what went wrong both internally and externally. In it there were already some opinions expressed by him then after being at the post office for more than five years that were very candid. He said that he believed the post office had a culture which was self absorbed and offensive and that this stopped the post office in dealing with subpostmasters cases in as straightforward and acceptable a way. He also said the narrative he was trying to put together in 2020 he believed would have been incomplete. When jason he believed would have been incomplete. Whenjason beer, the inquiry counsel, asked him why he didnt necessarily trust some of the recollection is a narrative he was putting together back then, he said because he had been absolutely staggered by what he had heard in the past few weeks during the course of this inquiry. They are still going through that document now and some of the views he held at that time and also what he believes now there is so much more information about the conduct of the post office. ,. ,. ,. ,. , office. You may not be aware of this but emma simpson, office. You may not be aware of this but emma simpson, our office. You may not be aware of this but emma simpson, our bbc office. You may not be aware of this l but emma simpson, our bbc business correspondent, hasjust reported that news of alan bates, we know alan bates so well from the tv programme, that really gave and push this to the front of the agenda. It is saying that alan bates has rejected his second offer of compensation for the post Office Horizon it scandal. This latest offer amounted to around one third offer amounted to around one third of what he requested, talking about the fact of how frustrating it was, how frustrating for everyone. We will give you more details on that but its a reminder that this has involved real people, real lives and families over the years. Absolutely. Alan bates did families over the years. Absolutely. Alan bates did talk families over the years. Absolutely. Alan bates did talk about families over the years. Absolutely. Alan bates did talk about during families over the years. Absolutely. J alan bates did talk about during the inquiry how difficult the financial redress has been for all these victims. He told emma simpson that this offer was about a third of what he had requested back injanuary. This is the second time he has rejected an offer in compensation. He said it was about a sixth back then. He said to emma simpson this morning that as difficult as it has been for him, it is difficult for other subpostmasters as well. The term financial redress is important because several victims who have attended these sessions have told me in the past few weeks that they believe the word compensation just cant quite cut it. But after years of what they have been through, both the health impacts, several suicides have been linked to this, Mental Health issues have been reported, many victims have gone through bankruptcy, they have lost homes, their families bankruptcy, they have lost homes, theirfamilies have been shunned in theirfamilies have been shunned in their communities. Children have even, according to victims, been bullied as a result of what has happened here. So they believe there is no compensation, nothing can compensate for what they have been through. The post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake, the current one, has said there are three different schemes and they have been trying to revise the way they are going through so that appropriate financial redress can be given to these subpostmasters because many of them have said they are going through issues and processes that are re traumatising them. Things like having to go through their medical history once again. Having to go through some financial litigation again. And the post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake has said he believes that there should be full and complete redress for them and that he does believe eventually, once evidence has been established, in his words he believes people should go to jail for what has happened to these victims. ,. , ~. , victims. For the moment, Azadeh Moshiri, thank victims. For the moment, Azadeh Moshiri, thank you. Victims. For the moment, Azadeh Moshiri, thank you. We victims. For the moment, Azadeh Moshiri, thank you. We will victims. For the moment, Azadeh Moshiri, thank you. We will come back to you to hear more evidence from Alisdair Cameron, cfo and former interim Chief Executive of post office limited. The extreme weather we have been having here and abroad has left us with Soaring Fruit and veg prices making it harder to get our five a day. Now campaigners are trying to make it easier to get hold of fresh produce. They are calling for un used council [and in more parts of the country to be made available so people can grow their own food. Fiona lamdin has more. Its great, isnt it . Can you get me a scoop full of the compost . Planting out courgettes at this urban farm in hull. For hundreds of years, this was an active dock. But over the last decade, this industrial wasteland has been transformed into an unlikely but Thriving Community garden. We have got good, honest spuds in there. They are a really good easy win for growing and getting people sort of growing food. Everybody likes chips, obviously. But soon enough, you know, these will be up here and theyll kind of have a canopy over the bed, you know. Martins been involved for the last eight years, training hundreds of volunteers. Like the variety of veg that we have, we have a variety of people, lots of different people come and use the site. We do a bit of work with local Mental Health charities and the probation service, the local rehab. So we kind of have people coming down, you know, in recovery from addiction, for example. If you werent here, what would you be doing . Nothing, just sat at home. Theres quite a lot of people who come here who are isolated and hardly ever leave their flats, and its beneficial for them. But its certainly not the first time veg has been grown in unusual places. In 2007, West Yorkshire started to see rhubarb popping up in railway stations, peas outside Police Stations, and herbs beside Health Centres. Im a single mum, and 16 years ago i was reminded about Climate Change, and with some mates decided wed start to grow food to share in very public places. We wouldnt ask for permission, wed just start a conversation we call them propaganda gardens. As the Food Revolution called Incredible Edible grew produce for anyone to enjoy for free. We wanted to grow food in the place they call home. We grew in a graveyard that was not used any more. We grew in front of the Police Station and nobody got arrested. We grew in the Health Centre because we wanted to show people healthy food. We grow in the middle of estates, we grew on the edges of a Recreation Field anywhere where we knew there was soil that we could grow food in and then put some lovely signage that said, this is food to share. This isnt our food, this is everybody� s food. And it kind of got people excited. And from there the story went and they started doing it all over the country. Well, getting access to the land was the next challenge. So two years ago, a campaign was launched allowing people access to grow on public land. And hull has become the first place in the country to adopt the right to grow. I was frightened 15 years ago because of the impact of Climate Change on my child and my community. Im even more frightened now. We will not be flying beans all over the planet. We will have issues on biodiversity. There will be some big issue and weather problems. Its just the right time to do it. Hull is now leading the way. During the last two months, theyve started Planting Veg Patches in parks. This former dock in the Heart Of The City is really proving to be the perfect classroom. Fiona lamdin, bbc news. We can speak to pam warhurst, the founder of the right to grow campaign. Im sure everyone watching will be going, what a brilliant idea, why did nobody think of this years ago. I know. It takes a few crises to come together, i think. Know. It takes a few crises to come together, ithink. And it know. It takes a few crises to come together, i think. And it takes a few people who think they have a simple story to tell and be able to tell it. We were fortunate enough all those years ago, 16 years ago, to tell those stories that caught fire. And now, as you heard there, it is even more pressing that we help more people find an easy way to get to that land and grow food for themselves and their community. Thats the essence of the campaign for a right to grow, make it easy for a right to grow, make it easy for people to feed themselves and nurture their communities. What for people to feed themselves and nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be used . Nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be used . We nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be used . We saw nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be used . We saw lots nurture their communities. What kind of loan can be used . We saw lots of. Of loan can be used . We saw lots of different rooftops and docks. Can you strike up a garden pretty much anywhere . You strike up a garden pretty much an here . ~ ,. , ~ you strike up a garden pretty much an here . ~ ,. , anywhere . When you think about it, this is about anywhere . When you think about it, this is about a anywhere . When you think about it, this is about a right anywhere . When you think about it, this is about a right to anywhere . When you think about it, this is about a right to grow anywhere . When you think about it, this is about a right to grow on this is about a right to grow on public land. Public [and is the land in our communities, down our streets, around our parks, that we pay our taxes for. Its All Over The Place and when you start looking for it it is very obvious. Grass verges. There are loads of places around. Thats why the best people to find those places are the people who live in that community. Thats why im saying, come on, localauthorities, come together with people in your community and get a map going so people can be shown where they can grow and do everything in your power to help them crack on with it. Haste to help them crack on with it. Have ou found to help them crack on with it. Have you found resistance to help them crack on with it. Have you found resistance from to help them crack on with it. Have you found resistance from local authorities . We have heard hull got on board with the idea but has it been patchy in other areas . Shore. This is the start been patchy in other areas . Shore. This is the start of been patchy in other areas . Shore. This is the start of the been patchy in other areas . Shore. This is the start of the campaign, l this is the start of the campaign, really. Hull led to the way, runnymede got on board. People are campaigning in liverpool, leeds, manchester and london. Increasingly communities are making the noise to say, talk to us about this. But councils are stretched and this is the irony, they are so stretched they havent really got the time to work out how they can play their part in helping communities be healthier in a climate crisis. But ironically this will help them because it will help with the health agenda, it will help people look after unloved pieces of land. It will bring back biodiversity. So increasingly this is a watershed moment. Councils are starting to get more confident and we need to encourage even more to get that way. We saw from that piece, we are talking about how expensive it is to grow fruit and veg, to buy it, but gardening can help with peoples Mental Health. Bill gardening can help with peoples Mental Health. Gardening can help with peoples Mental Health. Mental health. All the way, the food crisis, the cost Mental Health. All the way, the food crisis, the cost of Mental Health. All the way, the food crisis, The Cost Of Living Mental Health. All the way, the food crisis, The Cost Of Living crisis, crisis, The Cost Of Living crisis, the climate crisis. There are too many crises and this brings hope. This brings the possibility for people to find their own solutions and feed their own communities. From that all manner of things have sprung, people creating their own market gardens, people setting up their own market stalls. But all of thatis their own market stalls. But all of that is in the future. What we need is the simple route to get to the land at the heart of our neighbourhoods so folks can grow their own food. It is a no brainer. Really good to talk to you and lets hope we see lots of Kitchen Gardens springing up All Over The Place. I do hope so, thank you. We can leave you with news of the legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola who returned to the Cannes Film Festival on thursday for the first screening of his new film megalopolis. It cost 120 million, he self funded it, but it has proved deeply devices with audiences both enthusiastically cheering and booing. The film marks a decades long Passion Project for Francis Ford Coppola, who is said to have had the idea for the story more than four decades ago. It stars adam driver and aubrey plaza, who joined him on the croisette. Quite an expensive Passion Project, 120 million, especially if people cant decide if they like it or not. Now the weather with matt taylor. After a rather murky start to friday, sunshine will continue to develop for many during the day. A big difference for many across parts of northern england, the midlands and wales with a lot more sunshine around. A few heavy showers forming here and there. Low pressure still just about in charge, but this is the old weather front from yesterday sitting across parts of southern scotland, northern england, north and west wales, continuing to reduce quite a lot of clout in these areas, misty around the hills in some coasts. Away from that, if you showers brewing across england and wales but nowhere near as wet as yesterday. A few thunderstorms in the highlands where we could get to 23 degrees as we go into this afternoon. A warm day where you have the sunshine. Pleasant evening for most. Still if you showers and thunderstorms rumbling around but they will fade through the night and then the story turns to some extensive mist and fog coming off the north sea for the morning, may be as far west as glasgow and birmingham as we start saturday morning. Not too chilly out there with temperatures at the lowest of around six or seven, mostly in double figures as we start the weekend. The chart for the weekend showing a bit of optimism. High pressure trying to build from the north and west. Not fully with us yet. Still low pressure dominating to the south and east and its here where we continue to see a view showers rolling in. Also lots of mist and fog to start with a rather grey saturday in eastern areas that could linger around some coasts. Showers breaking out but because of the area of High Pressure, wales and the area of High Pressure, wales and the southwest in particular, they could be heavy and thundery. A quieter day for parts of Western Scotland and here we see the highest temperatures, 23 around glasgow and loch lomond. Into sunday, more sunshine in england and wales with High Pressure toppling down. They misty and foggy start with low cloud lingering around the north sea coast. A lot more clout through central and North East Scotland with a few showers expected. For many a dry day on sunday and a fairly warm one again as well with temperatures may be up to 22,23 one again as well with temperatures may be up to 22, 23 across wales and the south west, likely to see the highest temperatures. A brief ridge of High Temperature lasting into monday but low Pressure Ganging in from both sides going into next week so expect more showers after a fine start. But when the sunshine is out temperatures will still be a bit above normal for the time of year. Live from london. This is bbc news. Us Officials Say trucks carrying aid have amid concerns over humanitarian access. Meanwhile, israel has accused south africa of distorting reality during a hearing at the United Nations top court. In response to south africas call for an end to Israeli Military action in rafah. Police in france have shot dead a man who tried to set fire to a synagogue in central rouen. 30 is recalled after seeing smoke rising from the building. South west water has apologised for an outbreak of diarrhoea in South West Devon due to a parasite found in the water. Diarrhoea in South West Devon due to a parasite found in the water. Hello. We begin in The Middle East where the us Officials Say the uk, has helped to build and operate the pier, is expected this first shipment will provide enough provisions to feed 11,000 people