Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Six 20170328

Also tonight. Joy for supporters of the former royal marine jailed for killing a wounded afghan fighter hell be freed in weeks. This is the moment we have all been fighting hard for. Its hard to believe that this day is finally here. From Cod Liver Oil to gluten free bread the nhs plans to take them off the prescription list. You might have to pay over the counter. The new, hi tech pound coin is in circulation from today but are all Parking Meters ready for them . Coming up in the sport on bbc news, andy murray will miss great britains davis cup quarterfinal against france next month as he recovers from an elbow injury. Good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. The scottish and uk governments look to be on a Collision Course tonight. Within the last hour, the Scottish Parliament has voted for the power to request a second Independence Referendum. But, minutes later, the Scottish Secretary In Westminster rejected the demand until, in his words, the Brexit Process is complete. That could be years away well outside the timetable set out by first minister nicola sturgeon. Our scotland editor sarah smith reports on another looming confrontation between holyrood and westminster. Jubilant excitement and supporters heard the Scottish Parliament had just voted for a referendum. Tears of joy today, but just voted for a referendum. Tears ofjoy today, but disappointment will follow. They are shouting yes, the Prime Minister will soon tell them no, there will not be a vote. |j call on nicola sturgeon. Earlier, the debate suspended after last weeks Terror Attack In Westminster resumed. Scotlands future should be in scotlands hands. That is what this debate is about, the future of our country, how we best harness our potential as a country and overcome the challenges we face. Is she going to spend the next two years and 100 of her time campaigning for scotland to leave the uk at the expense of governing, or will she roll up her sleeves and seek to secure more powers for this government when they are returned from brussels to britain . Independence debate is a lwa ys britain . Independence debate is always in sight passion and confrontation. We are sick of it, most people in scotland have had enough. This Parliament Needs to and must focus on the priorities of the people of this country. It is not the time to be sidetracked by more unnecessary division. I will not ta ke unnecessary division. I will not take any lessons from the first minister. Actually, sit down, nothing changed yesterday. I think i answered the question. The result was never really in doubt, as the greens voted with the snp. The motion, as amended, is agreed. The first minister can now formally asked theresa may for an independence vote. |j asked theresa may for an independence vote. I hope the United Kingdom government will respect the view of parliament. This is simply about giving people in scotland a choice. We agree that now is not the right time for that choice, but that choice should be available to people in scotland when the terms of brexit are clear. I look forward to discussions in the weeks ahead. Nicola sturgeon knows theresa may is going to refuse to allow another scottish referendum. So, why bother asking for one at all . The tories say it is all part of a well rehearsed gain from the snp, where they put forward proposals to westminster they know will be rejected and then react with Righteous Indignation when they are. Rejecting holyroods request for a referendum is a risk, but that is exactly what the uk government will do. The Prime Minister has made her position very clear. Now is not the time for another referendum. Nothing has been said in the Scottish Parliament which takes away from the Fa Ct Parliament which takes away from the fact that a referendum during the Brexit Process would be unfair on the people of scotland. The danger for the uk government is that saying no could backfire and stirrups support for independence. But they firmly believe most scottish voters do not want another referendum and will accept that now is not the time. As weve heard, there were clashes in Holyrood Over Whether Public Opinion in scotland is in favour of a second vote on independence. Our scotland correspondent lorna gordon has been gauging the mood in dundee. On the banks of the tay, a regeneration is under way. £1 billion is being spent on dundees waterfront homes, hotels, offices. A new museum, the v a, is part of that transformation. The citys Creative Industries employ thousands, in areas like Computer Gaming and cartoons, attractive to young people. Job prospects, just one of the factors influencing these students views on independence. Im still pragmatic and very cautious about the economics of it but morally im very much now pro. I was no before and yes this time because we hoped that there would be more powers given to scotland, because we were promised more powers and we hoped there would be more federalisation across the uk but that didnt occur. Dundee was known as yes city during the last referendum and there are those here who are eager to say yes once again. Others, though, are wary of re running a debate where emotions ran so high before. Some feel strongly another vote would be a distraction from governing scotland. If its coming up in 2018, ill be out there campaigning for a no. Leave it alone, and leave it alone. Let some water go under the bridge. Understand you have to support businesses. Deal with the things that you made a mess of. Deal with education, deal with the priorities that you are missing out on. Whats best for their future, the priority for families at this playgroup in the city. How would you vote in another referendum . Yes for scotland. Yes. The eu is more important than the uk for me, just now. Leave things the way they are, people at the moment are happy with their lives, i think. Im happy with mine, so why change some things that youre happy with . Both sides in this debate paint different pictures of what scottish voters want. The Constitutional Stand Off between the first minister and Prime Minister has yet to be resolved. But the debate on scotlands future, in cities like dundee, is taking off once again. Lorna gordon, bbc news, dundee. And sarah smith is at holyrood now. Sarah, they must have been expecting a negative response from westminster. Were they surprised by the uncompromising tone . Westminster. Were they surprised by the uncompromising tone . |j westminster. Were they surprised by the uncompromising tone . I think the Scottish Government have been taken aback. They knew that the Prime Minister was never easily going to agree to another Independence Referendum. But when saying now is not the time, and also making clear that means that number 10 are not prepared to talk about this, to enter discussions about another vote until at least after the uk has left the eu, if then, that has taken the Scottish Government by surprise. They say that position is not only democratically indefensible, it is also unsustainable. They dont think that the uk government can keep this up that the uk government can keep this up and keep saying they wont even talk about a referendum for the next two years. But there is no reason to believe that Downing Street are about to change their minds about this. The risk, of course, is whether or not they might antagonise scottish Public Opinion. It is a lwa ys scottish Public Opinion. It is always a gamble if westminster is seen to be telling scotland what it can or cannot do. It is a risk that the uk government are prepared to ta ke the uk government are prepared to take because they do think that Public Opinion, for now, is very much on their side. This Time Tomorrow Britain will have taken the historic step of formally saying it wants to leave the european union. No other country has done this before. Today, theresa may said shes determined to use britains exit from the eu to shape an even bigger role for what she calls a global britain. The Prime Minister was speaking in birmingham. Our Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg is there. Nine months of careful assembly. Plenty of preparation and attention to detail. The decisions that have been taken will affect all our lives and livelihoods and her political future. Banging the drum for trade with the gulf, the Prime Minister wants to reach out. Tomorrow we begin the negotiations, to secure a new deep and special partnership with the european union. As we do so, i am determined that we should also seize this historic opportunity to get out into the world. But theres a job at home to do, too. Here in birmingham, voters favoured leaving the eu, but were split almost down the middle. Never mind for now, negotiating with more than two dozen other countries, the referendum divided opinion here, notjust between north and south, or town and country, or even constituency and constituency, but sometimes street by street. In this part of birmingham, on this side of the road, the harborne council ward, where nearly 70 of people voted to remain, but on the other side of the road, the quinton ward, where there was a very clear verdict the other way around. In the next two years, theresa may must try to seal her deal with voters everywhere, who wanted very different things. Others like mike wheeler, a businessman, have even changed their mind in the last few months. Ministers want to keep people on side, but we brought mike and a group of businesses together to ask how. Since the referendum, what weve seen is not what we expected, which was a massive crash of the economy and high levels of unemployment coming through. Our sales have increased locally, our Exports Sales have increased and our Employment Levels have increased. So we havent seen what we expected, so that gives me a lot of confidence. We should finish the year much better than i thought we were going to finish. However, do i think uncertainty has gone away . Absolutely not. I think its here to stay and any false move by anyone in the government, really, could bring that back, just like that. Lets get on with it. We can all do this we can all do this, we can all do it together and we are on the right trip together. I am bothered by short term damage that can be done now and which will be very hard for the government to manage through policy. Im optimistic about the future from what ive seen and it is fair to say that our members are cautiously optimistic about the future. We are seeing lots of our members continue to invest. Continue to take advantage of the low pound, the exchange rates, etc, so for exporters its been a real boon. Yet, even from the looks on theirfaces, these prominent remainers are far less convinced. I worry that she will be pushed into a corner a little bit by the hard brexiteers, who will be reluctant to give an inch. With the Prime Minister almost ready to start a long and complicated process, the final product still looks unclear. But, however she fares, the shape of the country is being recast. Laura kuenssberg, bbc news, birmingham. A royal marine who was jailed for shooting dead a wounded taliban fighter in afghanistan will be freed in a fortnight. Alexander blackman had been convicted of murder but that was quashed and today his sentence was reduced to seven years. Hes already served more than three years in jail. He is eligible for release. His wife said she was overjoyed at the decision as Duncan Kennedy reports. Hip, hip hooray it was the news fellow marines had been waiting four years to hear. Moments later, the euphoria was shared in the dignified reaction of Alexander Blackmans wife. We are overjoyed at the judges decision to significantly reduce the sentence, such that he can be released imminently. This is the moment weve all been fighting hard for. Its hard to believe that this day is finally here. Asa as a marine sergeant, Alexander Blackman had been a decisive, accomplished leader of troops. Someone who had killed 30 times for his country. On this tour in afghanistan in 2011, he and his friends went through what was called a tour from hell. They were provoked and targeted incessantly by the taliban. In this field they found an injured taliban insurgent. Sergeant buckman was recorded saying this. He then pointed his gun at the insurgent. He then added in 2013, Sergeant Blackman was found guilty of murder, a decision that thousands of military colleagues believed was a moral outrage. Earlier this month, that conviction was reduced to manslaughter, on grounds of diminished responsibility. Although Alexander Blackmans supporters are relieved today, the judges made it clear that he had deliberately killed that taliban insurgents. Although he said his judgment was impaired at the time, they said he did break the geneva convention. Rob driscoll served alongside Alexander Blackman. He says the decision to release him now is the right one, given what they all went through. The answer to your question is, was it right, for me, what he did . And my answer would be absolutely. When youre surrounded by absolute lunacy, then a little bit of lunacy, kind of, doesnt seem so bad. This was a unique case, where the pressure of conflict drove one man beyond his mental limits. One recognised by his wife, claire. But the message from the judges was clear. Killing in war always remains covered by the rules of war. Our top story this evening Scotlands Parliament votes in favour of asking to hold a second Independence Referendum but westminster says no for now. And still to come the woman at the centre of a controversial rape case responds to the judges warning about women who get drunk on nights out. Coming up in sportsday on bbc news, after a meeting today the ecb are pushing ahead with plans for a new Twenty20 Tournament which is set to start in 2020, involving eight new city based teams. Cold remedies, Gluten Free Food and even suncream right now theyre all available in england on the nhs with a prescription. But that may change. Faced with mounting financial pressure, nhs bosses are looking at a radical shake up of prescription medicines. They believe more than £100 million could be saved if gps stop prescribing some drugs which are available over the counter. Our health editor, hugh pym, has the details. Gluten free food, some muscle rubs and ointments, omega 3 and fish oils, all available on prescription but they could be taken off the list, with patients having to pay for them. Nhs england will review these items and also consider whether some Cold Remedies and paracetamol should no longer be obtainable on the nhs. The aim being to save money. This pharmacist agrees theres a need to make the best use of stretched resources. Historically some of these things were not available to buy or as widely available, whereas now they are and it would cost the nhs a lot more to order these things in, and to pay delivery and handling charges, whereas now people can just buy these things in supermarkets. Gluten, found in wheat and other grains, can cause health problems. Gluten free foods are provided on prescription in scotland, wales and Northern Ireland and probably not for much longer in england but some argue its essential theyre available on the nhs. Its really a support, particularly for the most vulnerable, particularly for the elderly, particularly for those whove got Mobility Problems or who are on a low income, who may not stick to that diet and cost the nhs more in the long run. The move to limit Prescription Treatments is part of an nhs attempt in england to cope with a rising workload and limited funding. In 2014 nhs leaders set out a five year plan highlighting a £30 billion funding gap by 2020, the difference between predicted Patient Demand and the likely money available. They said £22 billion of that had to come from efficiency savings, the government said it would fund the rest. Nhs england has since spelled out how that might be achieved with £7 billion to come from wage curbs, imposed by the government and Administration Cost cuts. On top of that, £9 billion from hospital efficiencies, for example, smarter procurement of medical supplies and another £6 billion from treating more patients closer to home, so making savings on hospital treatment. The head of nhs england, simon stevens, will announce a check up on the plans progress later this week. Critics say the Efficiency Target wont be met and that more funding is needed. Hell argue the nhs is in reasonable shape but as with prescriptions, there maybe more difficult choices ahead. The wife of the westminster attacker, khalid masood, has said she is saddened and shocked by the killings. In a statement, rohey hydara said she totally condemned her husbands actions. Masood killed three pedestrians and stabbed a Police Officer to Death Outside Parliament Last wednesday. The conservative mp who treated pc keith palmer, as he lay dying, has paid tribute to him in the commons. Tobias ellwood, a Foreign Office minister, was pictured giving first aid to pc palmer. Today, he spoke in the commons for the First Time Since the attack. Im very grateful for her kind remarks. I make it clear that i was one of many that stepped forward on that dark day, and our thoughts and prayers remain with those families and friends of the victims, including our own pc keith palmer. Last month, a judge in a rape case in manchester sparked controversy when she warned that women who drink, on a night out, could be putting themselves in danger. The comments were criticised by some, accusing the judge of putting the blame on the victim rather than on the attacker. Now, the woman at the centre of the case, megan clarke, has waived her right to anonymity and spoken for the first time to the bbcs victoria derbyshire. Megan clark was raped on a night out in manchester last july. Shed been drinking when she met 19 year old Ricardo Rodrigues fortes gomes. He was found guilty and jailed last month for six years. At the trial, the judge, lindsey kushner, said women were entitled to drink themselves into the ground but that their Disinhibited Behaviour could put them in danger. That led some to accuse her of blaming the victim, rather than the attacker. Now, megan clark has waived her right to anonymity to speak exclusively to me about the case. I think she was absolutely right in what she said, but it was taken out of context. She put the blame massively on the rapist, not the victims. She just simply said to be careful, basically, which is smart advice. We need to be careful. But she wasnt at all victim blaming. And she went on to say, a woman would be less likely to report a rape, quote, because she was drunk or cannot remember what happened, or feels ashamed to deal with it. Or, if push comes to shove, the girl whos being drunk is less likely to be believed than one who was sober the time. Is that how you felt at the time . Yeah, thats definitely true. You didnt think you would report Something Like that because youd had a few drinks . Yeah, definitely. Its not the way it should be, but that was the point, thats the harsh reality, thats the way things are. Megan clark also recounted how difficult she found giving evidence in court. It was really difficult. I managed to. It didnt bother me so much in the months before it, i managed tojust push it to the back of my mind and ignore it. But then obviously i couldnt once the trial started. And then it started to really bother me, when i had to give evidence in court. It was horrific, it was really, really difficult, especially due to seeing the footage of it immediately before giving my evidence. What is your message to other women, when they are out and about with their mates, in the summer, having had a few drinks . Dont live in fear of rapists and being in danger. Look after yourself, of course. Know that its not your fault, whatever happens. And id still encourage people to report it because, you know, you have a better chance. Even though you feel if it ever happened to you again, god forbid, you wouldnt report it . Yeah, i dont think i would, with the experience ive had. Megan clark was speaking to victoria derbyshire. You can see that interview in full on the bbc website, at bbc. Co. Uk victoria. Tesco britains largest retailer has agreed to pay a fine of £129 million plus costs, following a two year investigation by the Serious Fraud office into false accounting. The agreement, if approved by a crown court, Will Mean Tesco avoids prosecution for market abuse after inflating its profits by millions of pounds in 2014. For the first time in more than 30 years a new £1 coin has come into circulation today. Its got 12 sides similar to the old threepenny bit and is designed to be harder to copy than the round pound which will be phased out by october. So, is everyone prepared . We sent Simon Gompertz to southend. On a sunny day in southend, theyre keen to get you to spend your pounds but what do people make of the new pound coins . Its got 12 sides, two colours and its got various security features because there are so many fakes of the old pound coin. Very small writing, a sort of hologram in there. What do you think of it . I think its lovely. Much nicer than the older one. I do. It looks thicker somehow. Yeah. Its slightly bigger, but slightly thinner. Oh, it is thinner. And is coin operated equipment ready for the new coin . The payphones have been changed. So have most parking metres but despite £100 million being spent on upgrades across the uk, a lot of machines, like this one dont accept it yet. None of these machines have been changed yet. And some businesses have been putting off the upgrade because of the cost. The machines have to be changed to accept both the old coin and the new one. For us, each coin mechanism, which is what takes and reads the coins, is going to cost roughly £16 for each mech and over 800 coin mechs across all of our sites. We are looking at sort of over £12,000 altogether as a company. It does feel a little unfair we are the one that have to bear the burden and get on with it. Some businesses are so fed up with coin changes that theyve gone over to cards that you charge up at the counter, theyve changed to Coin Operation to the card, you swipe it through and then youre ready to play. We havent had to change anything at all. We think this is the future. We think coins are pretty much dead now. But coins remain very much alive despite what is happening here and hundreds of millions of the new £1 are being put gradually into circulation. If you get hold of old pounds they will still be useable in shops until october. After that, any old change you still have, youll have to take to the bank. Well, im looking forward to seeing one of those new coins. Now, were told there is a change in the weather coming to us. So, lets see if we canjoin weather coming to us. So, lets see if we can join jon weather coming to us. So, lets see if we canjoinjon hammond. You are just micing up, whats what were waiting for. Well done. Two sides to the coin weather wise. Beautiful sunshine today. We had pouring rain in some parts of the country as well. In the midlands. And that is typical of the weather we are going to see over the next few days. For some pouring rain will hold the temperatures back to 13, typical. But for others, boy, it is going to feel almost like summer. Variety is the spice of life. Overnight tonight a lot of cloud. Thunderstorms drifting north eastwards, more rain from the south west a damp and dreary night out there. A lot of cloud, and that will prevent temperatures from falling too low. No problems with frost. A murky night with fog around. For example on cost coasts and hills. Limited brightness. Sun across scotland but that wont last because rain will be on its way surging up the irish sea, some heavy at times affecting north wales North West England and eventually to the heart of scotland. Things going downhill across scotland. Mid afternoon, chilly across the far north itll stay dry but further south and west itll be damp. Hove combrirss up over high ground in the west. Some bright spells Northern Ireland but dont rely on those. Wet across west wales. Rain fringing cornwall but point east, itll be dry. A muggy feel. Mid teens, but nothing compared to the warmth which some of us will encounter on thursday. The Warm Air Wafting up from the near continent and somebody somewhere could hit up to 21 in the sunshine. Whereas, further north and west across the uk on thursday, it will be cooler because of the cloudier and wetter as well. Again, up cloudier and wetter as well. Again, up through the irish sea, some fairly persistent rain. It may brighten up across scotland and Northern Ireland and the best of the sunshine across the south east. You made it, jon. Jojust made it, jon. Jo just about. A made it, jon. Jojust about. A reminder of made it, jon. Jo just about. A reminder of the top story scotland has asked for a new Scottish Independence referendum, but westminster says no negotiations until brexit is complete. Now we can join the news teams where you are. You watching bbc news. The top stories just after 6 30pm. The motion is agreed. The Scottish Parliament has agreed to back referendum after hours of fierce debate. Three cheers for Alexander Blackman a royal marine