And there are huge commitments in the nhs to sort out those negative things. It is a very, very serious situation, so we look forward, as ijust said, to seeing them in court. President trumps tussle with his judiciary continues, after an Appeals Court rejects his attempt to re instate a travel ban on seven mainly muslim countries. Cocaine with a street value of £50 million is washed up on the norfolk coast. It is not easy for me to admit i have been standing in the same place for 18 years. I have been standing with you and coming up on the film review, well take a look at Denzel Washingtons oscar nominated drama, fences. A Government Investigation into the alleged abuse of iraqi civilians by british soldiers is to be closed, after strong criticism from a committee of mps which called it an unmitigated failure. The Commons Defence Committee has accused the Iraq Historic Allegations Team of acting with almost total disregard for the welfare of soldiers and their families. It says the £60 million inquiry has taken up more than 3,500 allegations of abuse, many of which were not supported by credible evidence. It is it isa it is a multi Million Pound enquiry. The investigation had looked at allegations against british troops between 2003 and 2009 from the major Combat Operations of the coalition invasion, to the Counter Insurgency in the years that followed. But last week the lawyer who brought many of the allegations was struck off for miscounduct. The Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced in the last hour that the inquiry will close within months. I am very pleased to confirm that the iraq historical Allegations Team, that was set up to look into thousands of allegations that had been brought forward against british troops in iraq, is now going to be wound up this summer. This will be a huge relief to hundreds of british troops who had these unfair allegations hanging over them and they are now being freed of that and we will put in place new measures to ensure it never happens again and that there are proper safeguards to prevent these completely malicious and unfounded accusations being made against our brave servicemen and women. The Chief Secretary of staff Nicholas Carter has criticised the move to bring forward the allegations but praised the government for now being behind british soldiers. The Army Leadership code requires the army to be held to the highest values and standards and i think everybody understands that. As we have seen during the course of this week, where you get unscrupulous lawyers making vexatious allegations, it is absolutely inappropriate. So from my perspective i think this is something important to make a big statement about the army and it shows the government is fully behind supporting the army and providing it with the appropriate framework in which our soldiers can deal with difficult operational stations. The Defence Select Committee called the the committee a seemingly unstoppable self perpetuating machine. In perhaps the most strongly worded passage it said that the rise of the so called lawfare where soldiers we re so called lawfare where soldiers were directly perceive that the courts, had directly harm the defence of our nation. 0ur political correspondent, carole walker, is in westminster with the latest. How damaging is all of this . What has happened is the Ministry Of Defence itself is very aware of the problems at the heart of this investigation and that many of those go back to the claims that were made by phil shiner and his legalfirm. He has been struck off after being found guilty of 12 charges of misconduct. And what sir Michael Fallon the Defence Secretary said is that it fallon the Defence Secretary said is Thatitis Fallon the Defence Secretary said is that it is the mod itself which provided much of the evidence that the claims he had made of torture and abuse by british troops were false. That they were not correct and that they were false allegations. I think it is because of this that the enquiry is now being wrapped up. What the mod are saying is the caseload will be down to around 20 by the end of summer and those remaining cases will be handed over to service police. It is also worth noting that the mod has also worth noting that the mod has also announced the Royal Military police will stop around 90 of more than 675 allegations of abuse from afghanistan, and that is also because of the findings against phil shiners legalfirm. As because of the findings against phil shiners legal firm. As you say, this comes as we have had this incredibly critical report from the commons Defence Select Committee. It said that the enquiry had lost the confidence of Service Personnel and asa confidence of Service Personnel and as a waiter public perception. And it talks about how the enquiry had become a seemingly unstoppable self perpetuating machine, one which would prove to be deaf to the concerns of the armed forces and blind to their needs and profligate with its own resources. It too was very critical of what he called the machine which had grown around this. This industry of the law firm which was providing so many of these allegations. It is worth noting that the committee was also critical of the committee was also critical of the mod itself, saying it could not escape the responsibility for the way the enquiry was set up and the way the enquiry was set up and the way that this had led to some of the enquiry is being conducted in an unacceptable way, with troops finding themselves under covert surveillance. In one case an investigator posed as a policeman, and was not a policeman, and there we re and was not a policeman, and there were unannounced visits which it said had been the lives of many service men in misery. The announcements this afternoon will be greeted with huge relief by servicemen and by many mps who campaigned on their behalf. And probably by the mod itself but there are still questions here for the mod to a nswer are still questions here for the mod to answer about the way it set up the enquiry and whether it led to the enquiry and whether it led to the way that the enquiry then spiralled Out Of Control, largely because of the activities of one lawyer and his legal firm. Thank you for now. That was carole walker. Now we turn to the exeter studio, to talk to conservative Mp Johnny Mercer to check this enquiry. Your response to the fact that Michael Fallon has come out to this saying it will be closed within months . Iam closed within months . I am pleased that iraq historical Allegations Team is going to be closed within months and that was our key recommendation. I think todayis our key recommendation. I think today is worth remembering, it is worth remembering those who have been dragged through this process and it is a day for celebration for them. The effects of this, both nationally, because it has impugned our armed forces on the national stage, but also for servicemen and women who went through this, it was appalling, and im delighted the committee and the Secretary Of State announced yesterday. I hope it will cause a shift in time towards standing foursquare behind or servicemen and women the country. The report makes clear and you have been making clear this had such an impact on some soldiers and their families. Does this. Can this draw the line for people who have perhaps suffered in this way . Or will there be some comeback . Do you know of servicemen and women who might want some come back here . Yes, i do. Some come back here . Yes, ido. I some come back here . Yes, i do. I do not think it draws a line and is the end of the matter because we must look to see what happens with phil shiner and there are others similar to him, who are bucking against regular tory authorities. We will hear about that in the next few weeks. Within the mod itself, as the reporter said they are, i am pleased they have shut this down but there is no doubt that the mod created the atmosphere and environment for phil shiner or a figure like him to expand and conduct his activities. I hope they look at what happened and i still cannot understand all of the decisions made in this process. Never again should our men and women be exposed to this sort of behaviour by their own government. Is there any sense in which at the beginning of this, what has become a terrible situation, it did come out of noble intentions . That the mod and the government wanted to be seen to be doing the right thing and taking some terrible allegations seriously . Because there were some very grave instances we do know about. Is it something that started from the right place but was allowed to grow Out Of Control . Ido to grow Out Of Control . I do think that. People have asked me about individuals involved in this process, but i dont think anyone has made a really. Sort of. A anyone has made a really. Sort of. A serious and determined effort to make this into a corrupt investigation. It has grown out of a series of decisions made into something that, as the report finds, is completely Out Of Control. I do not think it was a specific deliberate effort to undermine the armed forces, but that environment has been created. You have got individuals like phil shiner, which im afraid there are more. The two have morphed together and our servicemen and women, their priority has been at the bottom of that. Instead of standing up at the beginning and saying, actually, we do not believe there could be 3500 cases of abuse in iraq, And A Com Plete cases of abuse in iraq, and a complete breakdown in Law And Order in the british army, and we will stand by our servicemen and women and phil shiner should do a better job. Instead of saying that. We put him on a pedestal and danced to his tune for too long. I am pleased the Defence Secretary has taken this step but i hope this is the beginning of a realignment. We have afghanistan as your report alluded to there, 90 of those cases are now getting cut, and Northern Ireland as well we must get that right too. It is not about covering up. Those of us who served on these operations we re us who served on these operations were absolutely committed to those who have broken the law and those who have broken the law and those who have broken the law and those who have committed crimes and that isa who have committed crimes and that is a fundamental tenet of how we operate as a country. If that is not what this was about we must allow those who seek to use the course to rewrite history, if you like, to do so rewrite history, if you like, to do so off the backs of our servicemen and women. I think the audience were detected in your voice the real passion you feel about this, presumably. In your voice the real passion you feelabout this, presumably. I dont put words in your mouth but presumably you feel because there are servicemen and women out there who have been let down. I know servicemen and women who have been desperately let down, and whose families have been destroyed. Who wa nted families have been destroyed. Who wanted to get married years ago but suffered miscarriages in their family and whose careers have finished and left institutions in uk. Im afraid it is simply not good enough the way we treat our servicemen and women. We dug about how proud we are as a nation that we are thankfulfor the how proud we are as a nation that we are thankful for the freedoms and privileges enjoyed by us but they are not free. We should look after these people. The way they have been treated is appalling that i hope this is the start of something better. Thank you, Johnny Mercer forjoining us so thank you, Johnny Mercer forjoining us so quickly. Johnny mercer there in exeter. We will tell you more about this story at 5 30pm. The Health Secretaryjeremy hunt says its completely unacceptable that some patients in england are waiting up to 13 hours in a e. Figures show that Waiting Times in Casualty Units are worse than at any time in the last decade. Mr hunt says he does have an improvement plan, but admits it will take time, and says theres no Silver Bullet. Our Health Editor hugh pym reports. Nhs england figures this winter show the worst waiting time performance in a e since records began more than a decade ago. Jeremy hunt paid tribute to the work of staff, but said that the problems of high Patient Demand were not unique to the nhs, and all leading Health Systems were grappling with the same challenge. He said there was no Silver Bullet. I think its wrong to suggest to people that these profound challenges, such as we face with an ageing population, are ones where theres a Silver Bullet where you can solve the problem overnight. We have a very good plan, it has the support of the nhs. It will take time to deliver. Asked about bbc coverage this week of patients enduring lengthy waits in a e, and an elderly woman having to spend six months in hospital because no care home place was available, he said he didnt want to make excuses, and these examples were completely unacceptable. It is, you know, incredibly frustrating for me. Im doing thisjob because i want nhs care to be the safest and best in the world. And that kind of care is completely unacceptable, no one would want it for members of their own family. But its happening in a Hospital Rated good. So, what can you do about it . Yes, what i think you have to recognise that overall, there are positive things as well as negative things, and there is huge commitment in the nhs to sort out those negative things, and the particular Pressure Point we have is a e. What we need to do is to find ways of treating, particularly people with complex conditions, older people with dementia, treating them at home or in the community. And that is the big direction of change that weve embarked upon. There have been cuts to social care under your government. Hasnt that created the problem that were now seeing . No. What i would say is, on social care, the Prime Minister has been very clear, we recognise the pressures there, we recognise there is a problem about the sustainability of the social care system, and that has to be addressed, and we are going to do that. More money in the budget . Well thats for the chancellor and the Prime Minister. But, you know, look at what the Prime Minister said this week this is an area where there is pressure, and if were going to have a solution, it needs to be a long term, Sustainable Solution, and not a quick fix. But labours accused the government of losing control of the nhs this winter, with patients paying the price as Hospital Targets are missed. Meanwhile, sir robert francis, who headed the mid staffordshire inquiry, has said the nhs is in an existential crisis, and that if current pressures continue, there could be a repeat of the mid staffs patient care failings. Our Health Editor hugh pym. And you can see more of that interview with the Health Secretary at 5. 30. Also, a reminder you can find out more about the state of Health Service wherever you are in the uk all the details from the bbcs Nhs Health Check coverage are online bbc. Co. Uk health. A federal Appeals Court in the United States has refused to reinstate Donald Trumps ban on travellers from seven mainly muslim countries. The controversial Immigration Reform was suspended last week, when a judge in seattle issued a temporary order, but the president appears determined to continue the legal battle, saying on twitter see you in court. The security of our nation is at stake . David willis reports from washington. The office upon which im about to enter. As his controversial pick for Attorney General was sworn in, donald trump hailed a new era ofjustice in america. Former senatorjeff sessions, now the us top Law Enforcement officer, may have his work cut out. Im establishing new Vetting Measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the United States of america. We dont want them here. Donald trumps sudden ban on visitors from seven mainly muslim nations caused chaos at airports and sparked protests across the us. Then, last week, a districtjudge in seattle granted a stay, and now a San Francisco based Appeals Court has backed that stay, citing, amongst other things, the fact that nobody from those seven nations has actually carried out an attack on the us. The decision infuriated donald trump. See you in court, he wrote, the security of our nation is at stake prompting the leader of one of the states leading the court challenge, washington governorjay inslee, to reply, mr president , we just saw you in court, and we beat you. The president is nonetheless convinced he will win. Its a political decision, were going to see them in court and i look forward to doing it. So you believe the judge has made. We have a situation where the security of our country is at stake, and its a very, very serious situation so i look forward, as ijust said, to seeing them in court. We are a nation of laws, and as ive said, as we have said, from day one, those laws apply to everybody in our country. And that includes the president of the United States. An appeal to the highest court in the land, the us Supreme Court, now seems likely. But that could put the decision in the hands of a court thats currently evenly divided, and a tied decision would leave the lower courts ruling in place. Mr trump maintains his ban is necessary in order to protect the us from the threat of terrorism, but it may yet be proven unconstitutional. And, until he has his day in court, refugees from around the world and citizens of those seven muslim nations can continue to come into this country. David willis, bbc news, washington. Joining me from washington is bruce fein, who was associate Deputy Attorney general under president reagan in the early 1980s. Good evening to you, sir. Thank you. I will ask you all about the situation and thus far. Are you at all surprised it has reached this point . That we had this latest court ruling and it will go to the Supreme Court . We did not know whether it would go to the Supreme Court. The government has not made a decision and we thought it was a slam dunk, so to speak, and if it was they would have filed a petition already which indicates they have reservations. At another site we are not surprised. There is quite a lot the president said, that he will have his day in court. He had his day in court ready and was asked, wheres the evidence of any terrorist threats from these seven nations, and he came up with nothing. The government attorney said they are still looking for them. He already had his day in court and situations like this, if you have had time. Narrowly, you would say, well, your honour, we will have the secretary of defence indicate under old based on Classified Information that these countries are especially dangerous for terrorists to emigrate from but nothing of the sort. He says the case is not over but what evidence will he put on that he has had no opportunity to put on already . The other thing that shows how ineptly he is handling this he has used such bellicose language against the judges, calling them dumber than done, and suggesting they are talking about politics rather than law. He indicates he might flout a Supreme Court ruling, which will might hurt the court against them. But i would be surprised if he got even one justice but i would be surprised if he got even onejustice against but i would be surprised if he got even one justice against them, because they would worry that he would perhaps flout the court order. Asimilar would perhaps flout the court order. A similar situation occurred in my experience when i was involved in watergate and president nixon, and he had the issues of turning over juries which ultimately exposed wrongdoing and drove him from office. There, even though he appointed for members to the Supreme Court himself, the court was unanimous against the president and voted that he must over these president ial tapes, at the end because they worry if we are not unanimous the executive might flout us and we will be turned into ink blots and they do not want that. That is interesting what you say about how you think it might go. Surely, ultimately, the Supreme Court justices are there surely, ultimately, the Supreme Courtjustices are there to come to a decision based on the letter of the law and the constitution and judicial roles. They might not like the fact he talks and uses the language that you just use their about them, but they cannot vote based on the fact they are upset by his tone. They are there to rule on the matter in hand, i do not . Absolutely but the problem that mr trump confronts is that he has had an opportunity to submit evidence, expert evidence, opinion evidence, showing that these countries were more they see say saudi arabia or pakistan or United Arab Emirates or egypt you have had nationals who we re egypt you have had nationals who were terrorists, but they submitted nothing. The attorney stood up and said our defence is that if the president says it it is legal. Said our defence is that if the president says it it is nixon frost, reminds me again of nixon frost, where, if the president does it it means its where, if the president does it it means its legal. It did not work for president nixon and i do not think it works here. If the president says is National Security, you dont have any right to look behind him, they said. Buti you dont have any right to look behind him, they said. But i do not know what they will do if they have an opportunity to present more evidence that would justify this particular action. He and his administration has to keep this going, does it not . Doesnt this go to the heart of so much of the rhetoric during his campaign . He would remind the American People that he has to protect them and he has to keep the borders safe, and that is why so many people voted for him. It is odd rhetoric because the countries that have been most dangerous to the United States, saudi arabia, as i say, egypt, pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, they are not even on the list. How is he making us Safer By Banning Entry from nationals of countries that have never committed a Terrorist Act . The other thing that he has. That is odd about this particular case is that it was not vetted by the National Security experts. It was not as though he sat down with the department of Homeland Security and the new Secretary Of State and cia and fbi and said, lets look at this. He just decided himself out of the oval office that undermined his credibility. The other thing i will act is the Court Of Appeal is basically gave the president a road map. If you go back and be right and narrow the Executive Order so it does not include permanent resident aliens and does not include Non Immigrants who were already vetted and given rights to remain in the United States, we will look at it and maybe others who do not have Constitutional Rights to be present in the United States, you may be able to exclude them. He has an ability to go back and rewrite the Executive Order, but i that his character is such and he is so impulsive, that he wants to show he is tough against people who oppose him, so he will not do that. I think he will go forward with a flawed Executive Order and he will lose. Good to talk to you. Thank you for your time. He was associate Deputy Eternal General Pressure Attorney General. Cocaine with a street value of £50 million, has washed up on two beaches in norfolk. The National Crime agency, which is investigating, said the loss of the drugs would represent a major blow to the organised criminals involved. Part of the 360kg haul was found on hopton beach near Great Yarmouth, and the rest on the coast near caister. Lets speak to our correspondent debbie tubby. What more. How did this all emerge and what are the authorities saying about it . It is understood that there were people walking their dogs around here and found some holdalls and told the police about them who alerted the other agencies. They have been out there searching a 1k mile stretch of the coast looking for further mile stretch of the coast looking Forfurther Banks Mile Stretch of the coast looking for further banks and they have found some on just the other side of Great Yarmouth and caister. These bags are the kind of banksy would put your sports kit in and they were tied by a rope to big green plastic containers, that were working as a float to make sure those drugs did not sink in the water. Inside the bags were big blocks of suspected cocaine. Individually wrapped in clear plastic. The experts say they have found 360 kilograms of the class a drug and it was cut and put on the streets. If it was cut and put on the speed it would be worth more than £50 million. I spoke to the National Crime industry and they said that they are now investigating to find out why those bags of cocaine were washed up on this coastline. They do not think norfolk was the intended destination and, as you say, and as they say, this is a big blow to the criminals involved. They believe that after their extensive search today that they have found all of the bags, but if anyone finds one they need to report it to the police. Thank you, debbie. Out there on the blustery norfolk coast. Many households in england and wales could see an increase in their council tax in april, according to new research. The local Government Information Unit says that 94 per cent of Council Leaders and officials who responded to their survey said they will be forced to put up the tax, and increase charging for services. Some households could face a rise of almost 5 , well above inflation. Our correspondent Judith Moritz reports. From rubbish collections to road resurfacing, local councils are responsible for the nitty gritty of community life. The pressure their finances are under is well known, so it is not surprising that the majority of them want to take measures to bring in more money. But now some councils are warning that things are so desperate, they simply cannot make ends meet. We are really at a crisis point now. Councils have already cut all the nice to have things and they are down to the bare bones, the Statutory Services they have to deliver, adult social care, looking after elderly people, protecting vulnerable people, keeping the streets clean, and collecting refuse. There is a real chance in the next two to three years we will see councils not able to meet those obligations, and that would be a tragedy for the communities they serve. A survey of local councils in england and wales was carried out 131 responded and 94 of them say they will be forced to increase council tax by more than 1. 5 next year, 42 say the cuts they make will be evident to the public, and 80 say they will add an extra charge for social care. In salford the authority is considering raising its council tax, together with its charge for social care, by a total ofjust under 5 . That is the council tax for next year. Lisa stone has been a salford councillor for six years and says it is becoming impossible to balance the books. We were able to Freeze Council tax for six years, but we had to put it up last year and will be looking to put it up again this year unfortunately. Do you remember things being as bad . No, this is the worst its ever been because every year you have to make more cuts on top of those youve made in previous years. Five councils, not named, planned to go to the polls to increase bills significantly, but have decided not to after a 15 rise was controversially dropped by Surrey Council this week. But all of the councils surveyed had one thing in common. Not one of them said it was able to reduce council tax next year. We have all the sports news coming up we have all the sports news coming up with the build up to the six nations. And the film review. But lets catch up with the weather. A chilly weekend, i feel. This says it all for this weekend. Cold, dusting of snow for some, sharp wind coming in from the north sea. We keep a lot of cloud is the weekend headline with some wintry showers and the wind is a real feature, i suspect. This evening and overnight, plenty of showers from the east coast and they will be falling as snow through the night. There will be a dusting of snow across east england and as much as three centimetres to higher ground. Further west, temperatures below freezing and frost first thing in the morning. The showers of snow continue into the morning but turned to rain by the afternoon. It will be cold when you factor in the wind. Some showers filtering further west. Top temperature on saturday, three To6 Top Temperature on saturday, three to 6 degrees. I will be back in half an hour. This is Bbc News At Five the headlines the investigation into the alleged abuse of iraqi civilians by british soldiers is to be closed within months after a report by mps branded it an unmitigated failure. The Health Secretaryjeremy hunt concedes that the problems facing the nhs are completely unacceptable, but says there is a plan to help hospitals cope. President trumps tussle with the judiciary continues after an Appeals Court rejects his attempt to reinstate a travel ban on seven mainly muslim countries. Cocaine with a street value of £50 million has been washed up on the norfolk coast. More on some of those stories shortly. Lets get the sport now, heresjohn watson. There is a big rugby tournament happening, even i know that. Yes, we will cover that later. But we will start with the russian athlete who won 800 metres gold at london has been stripped of her medal and banned from competing. She has been found guilty of doping offences. At the court of arbitration for sport. All of her results from july 2010 to 2013 have been wiped. Mixed feelings Forjenny Meadows He was beaten by Hairat Forjenny Meadows He was beaten by hair at the 2010 european championships when she won the bronze medal. Mixture of elation that i will be upgraded to a silver medal. But i feel disappointed and cheated as a fan as well, that what we saw wasnt believable. Scotland will make one change to the side that beat ireland as rugby unions Six Nations Championship continues this weekend. Flankerjohn barclay replaces the injured ryan wilson in the back row. Scotland havent beaten france in paris since 1999. Dont forget you can watch a special inside six nations sportsday on the news channel at 6. 30 this evening. The Football Association of wales will be appealing against sanctions imposed by fifa for displaying poppies during a World Cup Qualifier. They were fined over £15,000 following commemorations prior to wales World Cup Qualifier against serbia in november. Fifa took action because fans wore poppies in the stands and the armed forces held bunches of poppies at the side of the pitch. Joe root, ben stokes and stuart broad have met with director of cricket Andrew Strauss to discuss the england test captaincy. England have also spoken to jos buttler, who captained england in the one day series in bangladesh. Root, who was vice captain to previous skipper alastair cook, is the favourite to take over. A new captain will be appointed before englands limited overs tour of the caribbean in march. Broad has previously captained the Twenty20 Side and stokes was vice captain in recent short form matches. And Great Britain will face second seeds croatia in the Fed Cup Promotion play off tomorrow. Their place was sealed after lativa beat portugal in britains group which meant gb will top group c having won all of three ties under new captain Anne Keothavong 3 0. Turkey were the latest team to be defeated with laura robson and jocelyn rae rounding off the whitewash in the doubles after Singles Victories for Heather Watson and johanna konta. Right now i guess just really happy to come through that. It wasnt easy. She definitely played herself into the match. To come through that and to give us the opportunity to go into the play off tomorrow, i am very happy for us and the team. Englands Danny Willett is one shot off the lead after the second round at the European Tour event in malaysia. The masters champion made six birdies to finish the day on five under par. He trails bernd wiesberger. The austrian made an impressive 9 under par 63. Scotlands marc warren lost the lead after a second round of 75. The overnight leader hit three bogeys and a triple bogey on the last six holes as his 3 over round left him on 6 under. Tiger woods has withdrawn from the next two events on the pga tour next weeks genesis open and the honda classic with ongoing back spasms. The 14 time major winner pulled out of this months Dubai Desert Classic before the second round with the injury. He only returned to action in december after two back operations. Thats all sport for now. You can keep up to date with all those stories on the bbc sport website. Ill have more in sportsday at 6. 30pm. You are watching the Bbc News At Five. Lets get more on our top story, the news that emerged in the last hour and a half, a Government Investigation into the alleged abuse of iraqi civilians by british soldiers is to be closed. It comes after strong criticism from mps who called it an unmitigated failure. The Commons Defence Committee accused the iraq historic act Allegations Team of acting with total disregard for soldiers and theirfamilies. Lets total disregard for soldiers and their families. Lets get reaction to the announcement. With me isjohn cooper qc. Hes a Human Rights Barrister who has represented families of armed forces personnel, in many cases against the mod. First, in terms of this specific enquiry, Michael Fallon has said it is going to be closed within months, what is your response . The important thing, there has to be a proper investigation with propagators. But some of these cases were not proper. So it is right they should be discontinued. Nobody is looking for a witchhunt. The fact enquiry or the unit has to close should not take away the important principle there should be accountability. If there is accountability, we must continue to pursue that. I am pleased the majority of these soldiers it seems, have nothing to answer for. My heart goes out to them and their families. This is not an anti forces bing. It is accountability and transparency. Lets not throw the baby out with the bath water. But there is an acknowledgement within this enquiry, huge abuses, the language from the Defence Select Committee is so strong, using underhand techniques, cases brought forward where there wasnt any credible evidence. This is some of the language being used, so is some of the language being used, so there was a problem . What has been going on is reprehensible. Were talking about one lawyer at the moment and there will be other investigations. But we are talking about the behaviour of one lawyer at the moment. Who was struck off last week. Absolutely, and i am not defending his behaviour. But there are many other lawyers with integrity who are working hard and they should not have the same, tainted reputation because one man has acted in this particular way. I understand the language of the select committee. I understand Human Rights Lawyers generally are an adjutant to the powers that be, be it the Ministry Of Defence, be it government. Human rights lawyers are not there favourite people and not on their Christmas Card list. There is an element here of opportunities, undermining the work of the vast majority of Human Rights Lawyers who work very hard. Let me say this, most of my work in this area is for bereaved families. I have the support of Serving Members of the armed forces, who have a great deal of complaint about the way the Ministry Of Defence have treated them. What other Human Rights Lawyers do, protect the armed forces, make sure they have the proper equipment, make sure they are not send out onto the battlefield without the right equipment and they dont like us. It is not as black and white. Your work can continue, what you just described, those are valid cases. There is no suggestion that because this specific enquiry is going to go, but work you describe cannot continue . But there seems to be a groundswell against Human Rights Lawyers generally. I was listening to johnny Human Rights Lawyers generally. I was listening toJohnny Mercer on your programme earlier, looking into afghanistan and Northern Ireland. Lets be careful. Some of these cases are perfectly valid. Reprehensible, though it is, and i can hear it being said now, there is that trendy, left wing lawyer defending this. I am not. What i am anxious to say is, what has gone on has been wrong, but there is a lot of good work being done and supported by members of the armed forces. Members of the armed forces that actually rely on Human Rights Lawyers to carry on the good work. One of the worries i have, if i can put it this way, the sort of work many Human Rights Lawyers are doing at the moment in the field of the armed forces are all being put into the same bracket. If there is nothing else i can say to you tonight, then it is that i want to get over, we should not be put in the same bracket. John cooper qc, thanks for coming in. Japans Prime Minister is Holding Talks with President Trump in washington with japans 68 billion trade surplus with the us, top of the agenda. The us has accused japan of Currency Manipulation and made it difficult for the us to sell their ca rs difficult for the us to sell their cars injapan. Difficult for the us to sell their cars in japan. These difficult for the us to sell their cars injapan. These pictures from washington of the meeting. The acknowledgement by the Health Secretaryjeremy hunt that its completely unacceptable that some patients in england are waiting up to 13 hours in a e. Our Health Editor hugh pym has been speaking to him and began by asking him what the government are doing to improve the situation. Overall, there are positive things as well as negative things, and there is huge commitment to the nhs to sort out those negative things, and a particular Pressure Point we have is a e, and what we need to do is find ways of treating particularly people with complex conditions, older people with dementia, treating them at home or in the community, and that is the big direction of change that we have embarked on. But that is longer term. What we are seeing in hospitals right now, the scenes we have been showing on the bbc this week, real stress, real strain, the figures out Show Performance targets the worst since 2004, what can you do about it right now, shouldnt you be doing more . I think it is wrong to suggest to people that these profound challenges such as we face with an ageing population are ones where theres a Silver Bullet that you can solve the problem overnight. We have a very good plan, it has the support of the nhs. It will take time to deliver, but in terms of immediate support were doing what we can with extra Financial Support to the nhs this year, more doctors, more nurses. But we also need to row in behind people in the nhs who are working very hard to try and sort out those problems, and we also need the publics help because we know a number of the people seen in a es could actually have their needs dealt with in another part of the nhs, and we need to make sure that, as far as we can, we free up people in a e departments to deal with the most vulnerable patients who have particular needs. Thereve been cuts to social care funding under your government, hasnt that created the problem we are now seeing . No, and, as i say, there are no excuses and it is completely unacceptable. What i would say is, on social care, the Prime Minister has been very clear, we recognise the pressures there, we recognise there is a problem about the sustainability of the social care system, and that has to be addressed. And were going to do that. More money in the budget . That is for the chancellor and the Prime Minister. Look at what the Prime Minister said this week, this is an area where there is pressure and if were going to have a solution, it has to be a long term Sustainable Solution and not a quick fix. Secretary of state, thank you very much. This is Bbc News At Five the headlines the investigation into the alleged abuse of iraqi civilians by british soldiers will be closed after a report by mps branded it an unmitigated failure. Jeremy hunt concedes the problems facing the nhs are completely unacceptable, but says there is a plan to help hospitals cope. President trumps tussle with the judiciary