Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Ten 20170613

Also tonight inflation jumps to a four year high squeezing Family Incomes and outstripping wages. How children are starving in a country with one of the Largest Oil Reserves in the world. President trumps Attorney General denies allegations he colluded with russia in the Election Campaign. I have never met with or had any conversations with any russians or any foreign officials concerning any inferference with any campaign. Interference with any campaign. And harry kane scores a double in paris but was it enough to beat france . Coming up in sportsday later in the hour on bbc news, its now two defeats in four matches for the lions on tour, and just over a week and a half to the first test against the all blacks. Good evening. Talks today between theresa may and Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party about enabling the Prime Minister to form to get a Working Majority in the commons havent yet resulted in a deal. Both sides, though, said the talks had gone well and an agreement is expected tomorrow. The dup leader, arlene foster, has outlined her priorities among them brexit and Counter Terrorism. The former conservative Prime Minister, john major, has added his voice to concerns about the implications of a deal with the dup and its possible repercussions on the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. Our political editor, laura kuenssberg, reports. Both sides, though, said the talks had gone well and an agreement theyre all here. With new mps, parliament returning to its business. The Commons Speaker elected, well, dragged, by tradition, to his grand chair again, but a government in charge . Not quite yet. Mr speaker elect, on behalf of the whole house, may i congratulate you on your re election. At least someone got a landslide. Laughter. Theresa may able to laugh about losing seats, but no deal in place yet that will prop her up. As we face difficult challenges ahead, let us come together in a spirit of national unity, to keep our country safe and build a stronger, fairer and more prosperous future for everyone in every part of our united kingdom. The labour leader delighted in throwing the torys Campaign Barbs back at her. Democracy is a wondrous thing and can throw up some very unexpected results. And im sure we all look forward to welcoming the queens speech, just as soon as the coalition of chaos has been negotiated. Number 10s hoped for deal with the Northern Irish unionists kept Downing Street waiting. Even the resident cats involved in a stealthy power play. The dup, natural allies with the tories, seemed to be enjoying their big doorstep moment. Reporter are you ready to drive a hard bargain mrs foster . Arriving for talks, willing in principle, would they sign on the dotted line . But time passed, and more time passed. The dup chose the back door to leave. After nearly two hours of talks, its the Prime Minister whos first to emerge. Theres no sign of the dup. Ive been told the is have been dotted and the ts have been crossed but there is no sign of a final deal. Theyre not exactly wearing their influence lightly. You cant blame this small party for seeming cock a hoop at their newly public power, even though their involvement in government is anathema to some. I was on the right on saturday. We need some more people over to the right. I think theres been a lot of commentary around the issues that were talking about and it wont surprise anyone that were talking about matters that pertain, of course, to the nation generally, bringing stability to the uk government in and around issues around brexit. Obviously Counter Terrorism and then doing whats right for Northern Ireland in respect of economic matters. But relying on a Northern Irish party for a Government Pact is a danger, according to one former tory pm. Risking Northern Irish peace and Power Sharing by appearing to take one side. I am concerned about the deal. I am wary about it, i am dubious about it. The danger is, that however much any government tries, they will not be seen to be impartial if they are locked into a parliamentary deal at westminster, with one of the Northern Ireland parties. Concerns shared by the dups rivals in Northern Ireland, sinn fein, who took a rare trip to parliament today. This new arrangement is very unsettling and people are concerned and wary of what it may mean and what promises will be given. Tonight, theresa may, in paris, trying to get back to business, but when its hard to keep her papers in order, let alone her party, what options does she really have . What we are doing, in relation to the talks that we are holding, the productive talks we are holding with the democratic unionist party, is ensuring that it is possible to, with their support, give the stability to the uk government that i think is necessary at this time. Yet no deal would be a risk everywhere. Theresa may has few good choices. Chin up, as this card reads, perhaps her only helpful advice. Laura kuenssberg bbc news, Downing Street. Theresa may is in paris this evening meeting her french counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Instead of opening discussions about brexit with the new french president from a position of strength, a politically weakened mrs may insisted, nonetheless, that brexit talks with the European Commission will Begin Next Week as planned. Our europe editor, katya adler, reports from paris. It must have felt a bit lonely getting out of the car today at the grand elysee palace. Emmanuel macrons greeting was friendly, though far from a effusive. The Prime Minister will have imagined this visit very differently before the election. But now shes on the brexit back foot, her credibility damaged in europe, standing next to the passionately Europhile French President , theresa may was determined to sound resolute. I think there is a Unity Of Purpose among people in the united kingdom. Its a Unity Of Purpose having voted to leave the eu, that their government gets on with that and makes a success of it. But president macron had word of warning. That britain shouldnt try to charm individual eu countries. A brexit deal, he said, would be negotiated by the European Commission alone. But he emphasised once again that the eu is reluctant to see britain go, and in case theres a change of heart. Translation the door is always open. The negotiations of brexit havent been finalised, but that decision has been made by the people of the uk, to get out of the eu. And whether french or british people, i feel one has to respect that decision. This visit to paris is the Prime Ministers first trip abroad since the election, and it has been awkward because of her political difficulties at home and because of the confusion here in europe as to what kind of Brexit The Uk now wants. Despite this, though, theresa may and the french president wanted to emphasise bilateral relations between their two countries remain strong. United in grief, the two leaders stood for a minutes silence to remember the victims of the attacks in manchester in london and here in paris, before an england france football friendly. Theresa may and Emmanuel Macron today announced new Joint Counterterrorism plans that will remain in place, what ever brexit brings. In a moment we can speak to our europe editor, katya adler, whos in paris, but first lets go to westminster and our political editor, lets return to that closer to home. No sign of a deal as far as the conservatives and dup are concerned. Where are we with the talks tonight . As theresa may has been watching the football with Emmanuel Macron and the home secretary, amber rudd, negotiators have been hard at work but im told talks have broken up for the evening, they will begin again in the morning. I have to say, although they have been unable to conclude a deal in the last 48 hours oi conclude a deal in the last 48 hours orso, conclude a deal in the last 48 hours or so, there is no question that the dup and the tories are natural allies and there isnt really anybody in westminster who would say that the prospect of doing that deal are in doubt. It is very likely they will be able to sign on the dotted line at some point tomorrow, once the Prime Minister is back in the country. The reasons for that well, it is notjust because they have been informally working behind the scenes with each other for the last couple of years but above all else, the dup sees an opportunity here to maximise their influence and theresa may absolutely needs this show of public affirmation, to show to the country, to to her party and to the country, to to her party and to parliament, that she has the numbers across the road to be a sustainable Prime Minister. That she will actually be able to govern effectively without being buffeted at every single turn. It seems, at this stage in the proceedings, while there hasnt essentially been a conclusion to these talks, the deal is not a question of if, but when. Katya adler is in paris. First time weve heard president macron talk about brexit directly to a uk Prime Minister and he struck a fairly uncompromising tone. Yes, Emmanuel Macron, among other european leaders, at this delicate time politically for the uk and at a time politically for the uk and at a time of brexit, tried to choose his words carefully but yes, he had a warning for the uk because assumption in the eu is as soon as the brexit negotiations start the british Prime Minister and her other ministers will go on tours around europe, trying to charm, persuade, bully or bribe individual eu countries to give the uk an advantageous brexit deal. Forgett said Emmanuel Macron today, eu countries have given the Negotiating Reins to the European Commission alone. Im hearing across europe that he also underlined despite the confusion and arguments in the uk right now, about what kind of brexit is preferable, the eu absolutely expects it to ha. He was pushed at the press Conference Today and he said, of course the door remains open to the uk to stakes right up until negotiations are finished. We heard a similar message from the eu ear other great power germany today from the finance minister, but again the eu expects brexit to happen and until it is notified formally otherwise it is going along with Theresa Mays Brexit plan a, the one she formally submitted back in march, and that is that the uk would leave the European Union, which includes leaving the european Single Market and the Customs Union as well. Kata and lawyeria, thank you both very much. And laura. O inflation is rising at its fastest rate for nearly four years. The cost of living, as measured by the Consumer Prices index, went up by 2. 9 in the year to may. With wage increases failing to keep pace with the rise in inflation, many households are feeling the squeeze. It gives fresh impetus to political arguments about austerity. Kamal ahmed has more. Whether paying for a foreign holiday, finding the money for the Electricity Bill or buying your children new clothes, there was only bad news today. Rising prices, which has seen Inflation Increase from 0. 3 this time last year to 2. 9 today. The highest for four years. That rise in prices is biting. Martin jackson is a nurse in barnsley. The government has capped his pay since 2010. Just for one year, we might be able to manage but because its been over several years and The Cost Of Living has gone up significantly over that period, were finding it year on year, more and more difficult to manage finances on a weekly and monthly basis. On every high street, higher prices, largely caused by the fall in the pound, linked to brexit uncertainty. Real incomes are dropping and at the same time the government is still cutting. Benefits, Public Sector pay austerity is still with us. All influential chief of staff, who i think made the most significant intervention on this issue at the weekend. He said the public were tired of austerity. Its a message that has cut deep with this government. Tired indeed and pay put the surge in support for labour last week down to that weariness, despite evidence that controlling the public finances, rescued, in part, the economy. For supporters of a different approach, its time for a change. Weve had ten years of austerity and with it, real economic failure and weakness. My hope is that, finally, this defunct economic theory will be put to one side and government will have the sense to understand that the Public Sector needs to play a role in reviving the private sector. Who could benefit if austerity is relaxed . Theresa mays under pressure from her new partners, the dup, to ditch means testing of the winter fuel payments. In its manifesto, the dup said it wanted to guarantee pensions increases of at least 2. 5 , backing the present triple lock. They also said they wanted to maintain benefits. Could the benefits freeze be reversed . But a warning from George Osbornes former chief of staff take care on opening those spending flood gates. Well, the deficit a much lower than it was. So if we ease up now, well probably be ok for a while but at some point, if another shock hits our economy, we could find ourselves vulnerable and we would really have repeated the mistakes of the past. Its a hot and toxic mix fall in real incomes, rising prices and a government unsure of its economic direction. Expect less on balancing the books and cutting those debts and more on higher government spending, to make everyones life a little easier. Kamal ahmed, bbc news. The European Union has announced plans to exert greater control over the regulation of a Business Worth Billions of pounds to londons financial sector. The Draft Law Calls for the European Commission to have greater oversight of financial Clearing Houses, which move billions of euros through the city each day. Currently, london is the undisputed Market Leader in the sector. It processes three quarters of the vast trade, supporting thousands of jobs. Heres our business editor, simonjack. This rather plain building is home to one of the crown jewels of the city. Companies like this act as middlemen in international trades, often between european firms in euros, and thats why this has become a front in the battle for britains financial services. Buyers and sellers of special Financial Insurance called derivatives sent their orders from All Over The World to Clearing Houses like this one behind me, and london accounts for 75 of all the trades done in euros. Now that is worth a colossal 900 Billion Euros a day, and accounts, on some estimates, for up to 83,000 direct and indirectjobs. Little wonder, then, european officials have always been keen to get their hands on a piece of the action, and today launched the boldest raid yet. We need to adjust to the fact that the eus largest Financial Centre will be actually leaving the eu and potentially the Single Market. In the small print of todays announcement, an explicit threat to force some businesses to relocate to european centres, in the interests of financial stability. One way to think about the city is like a coral reef, its a delicate ecosystem thats grown up over centuries, lots of specialist organisms and animals living next to each other. Its very hard to replicate, very hard to build, but it doesnt mean it cant be damaged. Chip a piece of the coral off and some of the animals, some of the plants that live next to it also suffer. City lobbying groups insisted this intervention was not really about managing financial risk at all. This is something for which there is no appetite amongst our members, no appetites amongst our customers, no appetite amongst european companies. Nobody, literally nobody, has come to me from an economic or commercial perspective and made the case for this. So the only driver for this is a political driver, and the important thing to recognise here is that the politics need to be conscious of the economic realities. City veterans told the bbc that brussels may have some power over european firms, but International Firms are free to roam the worlds capital markets. And if there is a mutually damaging fight between the eu and london, there is another reef out there called new york. Simon jack, bbc news. The European Court of human rights has ruled that doctors should continue to treat a terminally ill british baby, until midnight on monday, to give his parents time to prepare a legal case. The parents of io month old charlie gard, who has a rare genetic condition, want to take him to america for experimental treatment. Charlies doctors backed by three separate Court Judgments insist it wont help him and argue he should be allowed to die with dignity. Inquests into the deaths of five of the victims of the london Terror Attacks have opened and been adjourned. In all, eight people were killed and dozens injured, when three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then stabbed people in nearby borough market. Our home affairs correspondent, tom symonds, reports. They were mainly in their 20s and 30s, a period of life when a london night out on a warm summers evening brings such pleasure. The Coroners Court heard they were all murdered close to London Bridge and the Popular Brough market. Sara zelenak was 21, an au pair from australia. She was found with a stab wound to her neck. Not far away was james mcmullan, 32, a london entrepreneur. Also stabbed. Kirsty boden was 28, an australian nurse, she was found near Southwark Cathedral with a chest wound. Sebastien belanger was 36, french, a chef. He was stabbed in the chest in borough market. 39 year old analyst Ignacio Echeverria took on the killers but was stabbed in the back near London Bridge. There would doubtless have been more victims had it not been for the heroes of that night. Drjohnny moses, off duty, was at a restaurant when it happened. They locked the doors. I said, im a doctor, im here to help. They let me out. I did feel scared. One of the things i quickly realised was that i mustnt give in to that fear. Armed police said run. He used Heart Compressions to keep one man alive while he was being carried by helpers towards the bridge. We need to keep the circulation going. Trying to keep the Chest Compressions going. As we were running, we had help from the public. You didnt run from the area. You used your training and you probably saved lives. You are a hero, what do you think of that . I guess i wish i could have done more. A key task for the coroner is to examine how the victims died. Not just look at the violence inflicted on them, but also wider issues for example, the treatment they experienced on the streets that night. The Police Investigation has closed borough market, but it should reopen tomorrow. Tom symonds, bbc news. Last week it was the former head of the fbi. Tonight it was the turn of americas most Senior Lawyer Jeff Sessions to testify before a senate committee, this time to claim that any suggestion he was involved in collusion between Donald Trumps Election Campaign and the russian government is an appalling and detestable lie. Senators are examining claims that russia attempted to influence the outcome of last years president ial election. From washington, nick bryant reports. Capitol hill, on days such as this, americas most elegantly designed theatre. The stage for the latest instalment of a Russian Saga Gripping Washington And Destabilising The Trump white house. Last week saw act i, the testimony of this former fbi directorjames comey, fired by president trump. Now the sequel, Attorney GeneralJeff Sessions, a former Trump Campaign adviser, now the head of the justice department. He came out counterpunching, fierce in his denial that hed held meetings with russian officials last year to discuss interfering with the president ial election. The suggestion that i participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian governments to hurt this country, which i have served with honour for 35 years or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process. It is an appalling and detestable lie. The Attorney General has recused himself from the russian investigation, but he was adamant that shouldnt be misconstrued. I did not recuse myself. Im defending my honour against scurrilous and false allegations. The Democratic Senators complained he refused to discuss his conversations with president trump. I believe the American People have had it with stonewalling. I am not stonewalling. I am following the historic policies of the department ofjustice. Then tempers flared. Mr comey said there were matters, with respect of the recusal, that were problematic and he couldnt talk about them. What are they . Why dont you tell me . There are none, senator, there are none. I can tell you that for absolute certainty. So for once, the most angry words in washington didnt come from donald trump. Hed left town, seemingly in a genial mood, but he cant escape the russian cloud that hangs still over his presidency. Donald trump has made no secret of his annoyance in the past withJeff Sessions for accusing himself from the russian investigation, which means that his deputy has been making all the key decisions. But i dare say that donald trump would have been delighted with the performance of this Attorney General in the last few hours on capitol hill, for it was the most passionate rebuttal yet we have seen to the allegations of collusion between tea m allegations of collusion between team trump and the kremlin. Thank you. There have been further demonstrations in the venezuelan capital caracas, as the countrys economic crisis deepens. An unprecedented number of people are thought to be facing hunger. The country should be one of the richest with one of the Largest Oil Reserves in the world, but the Oil Price Collapse has crushed an economy already in difficulty and sent inflation soaring by over 700 . More than half of children across the country are showing signs of malnutrition. And last year the Child Mortality rate rose by 30 . The International Media is rarely given permission to enter the country, but the bbcs Vladimir Hernandez has been there his report contains some images you may find distressing. This is angelie, shes eight years old and weighs barely three stone. Which is 60 of what she should. This is an oil rich nation, now unable to feed its own people. This is a problem that the government is trying to keep out of sight. The media cant get into hospitals, but at this private clinic, doctors are desperate to show how bad things are. These pictures are hard to watch. They were given to me by medics in despair for treating children like these since the turn of the year. Patients are often in and out of hospital, but in a country struggling for food, chances of survival are not high. In big cities, desperate people are now chasing the bin lorry to find food. People in this area, where there are restaurants and bakeries, say that never before have they seen so many people chasing rubbish trucks, to try to get something to eat. The lack of food is hitting mothers and children particularly hard. Outside of the capital, food is even harder to come by. Those affected are likejermaine. At 11, hes half the average weight for his age. Since i metjermaine, hes been rushed into hospital twice after getting help from a local ngo. But will help reach them next time . Vladimir hernandez, bbc news, caracas. If you want more information about the situation in venezuela, and whats behind the crisis, you can find lots of details our website. More on the aftermath of the election this week well be looking at some of the factors behind the result. It was the conservative performance in scotland, their best for 38 years, which helped them be in a position to form a government at all. And that was not the whole story tonight our scotland editor, sarah smith, looks at the return of the conservatives and labour in scotland. The architecture of Scottish Politics has altered yet again. 0ver one third of seats which hands, the Direction Of Travel appears to change. 0ne Direction Of Travel appears to change. One of the biggest surprises was a bit of a comeback for scottish labour. They won seven seats, with 27 percent share of the vote, up nearly 3 . They started to regain some of their more traditional hotlines. Winning back Gordon Browns kuldeep was hugely important and labour after the seismic shock of losing 40 of their scottish seats two years ago. They are still in third place in scotland but they suffer the wipe out many had feared. People voted labour in large numbers because they saw labour as an alternative to both the tories and the snp. I think the really interesting thing in scotland now is that youve got the snp in decline, youve got labour close to both the snp and the conservatives, and were really back in the game. One important detail. In many of their seats like cal cordy and cowdenbeath that labour the tories took 13 seats across scotland. But it was largely in rural areas. They arent threatening the snp in the big cities or the central belt. Their leader Ruth Davidson has detoxified the tory brand enough that conservatives now feel comfortable in scotland. But they arent that far ahead of labour by total share of the vote. They have not become the sole opposition to the snp. The snp had a bad night but they did when 35 seats, over half