Of bullets in rapid succession. He said he would also support a modest tightening of background checks for gun purchasers. Survivors of last weeks School Shooting in florida have marched on washington to call for tougher laws. And at the Winter Olympics, team gbs Womens Curling Team have beaten the reigning champions canada to reach the semi finals. It means the Canadian Women have failed to win a medal for the first time in olympic history. Good morning. Its wednesday 21st february. Im annita mcveigh. Welcome to bbc newsroom live. The met police has lost an appeal at the Supreme Court against two victims of black cab rapist john worboys who won compensation for its failings. The women were raped by worboys in 2003 and 2007 and said their treatment by police, who failed to believe their reports, caused them mental harm. The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the polices appeal. Our Home Affairs Correspondent june kelly is at the Supreme Court. What did the lawyers for the two women argue . And can you tell us details of the ruling . Good morning from the Supreme Court way have a number of womens groups represented here, because this decision by the justice is for womens groups more generally who were involved in these sorts of issues. To go back to your question, the lawyers fought the case on the basis that the met police had breached the human rights of the two women involved. These id victims of the black cab rapistjohn worboys. The lawyers argue the breached human rights by failing to investigate him. He was roaming around london for a number of years picking up women in his cab, dubbing them and sexually assaulting them. The lawyers have argue that they should have been stopped sooner and said he had been, these women may not have become victims of this man. There was a failure to investigate. They brought this case on that basis, and the women had won the case in the lower court, they won at the high court and the appeal court, but the met police fathers were such an important issue because of the implications of this case. The met police felt this was such an important issue. We will hand you over to Scotland Yard were rear having a statement from the Deputy Commissioner. From the most senior court in the country, we should look at the policing implications. You see the article three cases are the ones you will have to have a serious look at, can you explain what that means . It is cruel and inhumane treatment. Cases involving serious violence. It is clear that case fits into the criteria. We need to look at all of those cases, look at how we balance the challenge of resorting those against the many other demands we face. Do you expect now that there will be a slow or triple of cases from people who feel they hadnt had their crimes investigated properly, going through the courts, asking for compensation and holding you to account . We have always been held account and it is right and proper that we are. We are a public servers, thats what we do. Of course, there will be more claims. People will look at this judgment, as we all will, and work through what the policy implications are, what we need to change, were doing. Where do we need to look at the balance here. Where are you going to fool Police Officers away from to look at these crimes . |j dont from to look at these crimes . dont want to speculate too much, but the reality is its looking at things where article three isnt engaged, where we have to move resources from those sorts of investigations, things like fraud, into supporting your work around serious crime. We know we have more work to do about getting a offering investigations right. We are absolutely clear on the range of work we need to do. Another example of the met police not getting things right. Weve had huge issues with disclosure, now we have this. You will have to take resources away from one area of investigation to another. Can you cope with this . Its notjust another. Can you cope with this . Its not just about another. Can you cope with this . Its notjust about not getting things right. I think what you see with the complexities of issues that have come up with the complexities of issues that have come up over with the complexities of issues that have come up over the last few months and the challenging modern police situations that we face. We have to work out how we support those in addition to providing day to day service to be people of london. Thank you very much. As we we re london. Thank you very much. As we were hearing, the implications of thisjudgment could were hearing, the implications of this judgment could be very significant indeed. Not just for the met police, but for Police Forces around the country. What it means is that in the future, anybody who the victim of a serious Violent Crime and feels that the police failed to investigate crime properly could bring a case on the basis of what the justice has bring a case on the basis of what thejustice has decided this morning. That is where it has repercussions for the met police and for other forces. The repercussions for the met police and for otherforces. The Deputy Commissioner there was talking about what it means to them in terms of how they deploy resources, because what the met police are saying is that we will now have to look at perhaps moving resources away from certain areas. He spoke about fraud for example, and moving them into other areas, which are covered by thisjudgment, serious other areas, which are covered by this judgment, serious Violent Crimes. We are already hearing potentially what the implications could be, and forces around this country will be looking at this judgment and scrutinising it very carefully indeed. Thank you very much for that. The United Nations says its deeply concerned about the fate of hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the syrian district of Eastern Ghouta, which is still under rebel control. Syrian Government Forces have carried out some of the heaviest bombardments of recent years, supported by the russian military. Activists say that more than 250 people have been killed there since sunday including children. They have described it as the worst violence to affect the area near damascus since 2013. 0ne mum who is living in Eastern Ghouta with her two daughters said the constant bombardment is making it extremely difficult for her family to survive. In the middle of her interview, more bombs start dropping. My my daughters and all children of ghouta are facing. 0h, my daughters and all children of ghouta are facing. Oh, my god. Sorry. They are facing difficulties such as anger, fear, horror. The face that every day because of the war, and there is no water, no food, no medicine, no medical care, no access to light or heat. Many people and children are dying of hunger. Most of the children are in need of food and medicine. My doctor has become ill. We cannot do anything for them. We are having one meal a day. One meal in ghouta cost about 25 during the day. All children of ghouta have been deprived from playing, going to school, and having fun, eating and drinking. Listen. Exposure did you hear that sound . Were living in danger. Please help us. You can clearly hear the types of bombs close by and the panic in the voices of that mother and children. 0ne doctor living and working in Eastern Ghouta, named bassam, told the Victoria Derbyshire programme. You cannot measure the situation in ghouta now. Many injured civilians. We cannot treat all of them. I can hear the we cannot treat all of them. I can hearthe air we cannot treat all of them. I can hear the air strikes now. Believe me, the patient and injury at our awaiting places. There are more injured than we can deal with. Sorry, i am going to interrupted if i may. Can i hear the sound of bombs falling . Yes, yes. Every minute we have more than three or four error strikes. It is a situation. It is catastrophic in ghouta. You cannot imagine it. 0ur correspondent lina sinjab has reported from ghouta. Shejoins me now from beirut in neighbouring lebanon. In both those cuts, the noises, the sounds of explosions in the background while those interviewees we re background while those interviewees were being spoken to. It illustrates the horrendous conditions that people are in living in ghouta. They say they dont feel a anyone is listening to them. What is the International Community doing about this . As you mentioned, people are desperate for help, but they dont have any hope that the International Community can help. The un have condemned it and have said they have no words to describe the situation, that it no words to describe the situation, thatitis no words to describe the situation, that it is beyond imagination, but still they dont have any means to stop this horrific attack. The Syrian Government and russia say that they want to clear the area from what they describe as terrorists, but from all the images and reporting we have seen on the ground and the videos that are coming up, it is basically civilians that are targeted, hospitals, schools, bakeries, shops. It is an indescribable situation for the civilians trapped there. Nearly 400,000 are living under siege. Civilians trapped there. Nearly 400,000 are living under siegem there any sense that syria would agree to some sort of humanitarian pause to get in food and basic medicines that are needed . This has been a negotiation that has been ongoing for a long time, because ghouta has been besieged and sealed off the past 50 days or more. With this operation, the government is sending a message they are going to continue with ground operation, so we might be seeing a similar scenario to what happened at aleppo. If the deal is achieved, civilians should be evacuated and leave this area. This is what people do not want. They dont want to leave their homes, but they want to stay in their homes in safety. Some people watching me say that if there was an opportunity for people to leave here, why would they not take that opportunity . You have been to ghouta, you have watched the deterioration of the situation there. Why do people still want to stay there if they possibly can, evenin stay there if they possibly can, even in these extreme conditions . Definitely the priority for people is to have their own safety, and if safety is not provided and bombardment continues in ghouta, the priority is to leave, but they dont wa nt to priority is to leave, but they dont want to see another scenario that they have seen in many other cities and towns where people surrender to the fact that they have to leave their own towns and homes and never know if they will go back. The ideal situation is to stop the bombardment and have a peaceful deal with a can remain in their homes, but this is unlikely at the moment. The most likely scenario to happen is what happened in aleppo and many other cities, where if the deal is reached to stop the attacks, people may have to stop the attacks, people may have to leave their towns. Briefly, does syria with russian backing feel that it can act with impunity at the moment . We have seen they have been acting with impunity. No one has managed to stop the Syrian Government from its attack on many areas. The International Community the man able to even implement the geneva deal to find peace in syria, so so geneva deal to find peace in syria, so so far russia and the Syrian Government have the upper hand and no one seems to be able to stop them are ina no one seems to be able to stop them are in a peaceful agreement. Thank you very much. Uk unemployment has increased slightly for the first time in two years. The number of Unemployed People rose by 46,000 to 1. 47 million for the final quarter of the year. Despite the slight increase in the Unemployment Rate, the total number of those in work increased by 88,000. More than 60 brexit supporting conservative mps have written to theresa may, setting out what they believe britain should achieve from a deal with brussels. They say britain should be able to negotiate free trade deals with other countries, when it leaves the eu in march next year. Joining me now from westminster is our assistant political editor, norman smith. Critics are calling this a ransom note, is it and is it going to be able to strike any sort of deal . The signatories insists this is not a ransom demand, its not a threat to theresa may. If you read the letter, it is written in very conservatory language. It suggests they support the Prime Ministers approach to brexit, they support her leadership. It contains suggestions, things like theresa may needs to approach the negotiations as an equal partner, not just accept the eus timetable and mandate. It also wants to read the made to ensure that britain has the made to ensure that britain has the right to sign and negotiate trade deals during the so called transition or implementation period. It also raises questions about accepting new rules once we leave the eu. We have heard from some of her brexit critics as mining arguing that this amounts to the tory brexiteers trying to put the squeeze on theresa may ahead of that crucial meeting tomorrow where she will try to forge an agreement amongst the cabinet. That was certainly the view of one conservative mp. These hard line brexiteers of one conservative mp. These ha rd line brexiteers have of one conservative mp. These hard line brexiteers have a very strange view of what the rules and terms should be. This is in marked contrast to the views of the vast majority of my colleagues who would prefer to assess all the options available. Joining me now is one of the signatories of the letter. To be clear, youraim is the signatories of the letter. To be clear, your aim is to the signatories of the letter. To be clear, youraim is to make the signatories of the letter. To be clear, your aim is to make sure theresa may does not backtrack or backslide on previous brexit pledges, particularly those made at the lancaster house speech . pledges, particularly those made at the lancaster house speech . I would not dream of including her with that language. She constantly comes under pressure with people like antoinette who has voted against the government. Those are the people putting the squeeze on theresa may. We thought it was time she got a clear indication of how much support she has in the party and the kind of deal that we hope she is bringing out of the negotiations. Presumably your fear is that she might succumb to that pressure and soften her stamp on brexit . I think she is under pressure to do all kinds of things. What we are demonstrating as how much support she has for what she has already set out, and we are looking for clarification on some issues. It is known that are leading the delegation of colleagues in to see the Prime Minister yesterday. We had a positive and helpful conversation. We have every confidence she is delivering the brexit that a majority in the house of commons once. You listed suggestions for how to approach the negotiations. I these suggestions red lines . They are issues that need to be clarified, because there are some people in and around the government who seem to contest these things. For example that we might be ina things. For example that we might be in a Customs Union or might continue to be ruled takers from the European Union have two we leave or might be forced to align our regulation permanently with the European Union. These things are all contrary to what the Prime Minister has already said in speeches and we are just making sure that these points are clarified. What happens if theresa may decides for whatever reason that she cannot meet all the suggestions . I expect. There is this idea that somehow there is a halfway brexit approach that would have sort of consensus majority in the house of commons. It would split both parties and the government would be in very deep political trouble. The Prime Minister has set out something that will get a majority support in the house of commons from conservatives and the dup. That is the governments programme and we are behind it. You know that argument is contested by former tory remain supporters. What if theresa may cannot meet these so called suggestions . Even if the gang up with the labour party, and the snp, to try and defeat the government, they will not succeed. If the government were hypothetically to abandon its present policies and go for something who knows what Jeremy Corbyn really wants to bring down the government, there would be chaos. It is people like antoinette putting people on the Prime Minister. Putting pressure on the Prime Minister. We are making sure she has plenty of support from her own party. We expect david davis to set out the governments formal position on the transition period in response to the eus position. You happy with what appears to be shaping up as a standstill, nothing changes transition period . Shaping up as a standstill, nothing changes transition period . Up to a point. It is a very big compromise to accept this implementation period where we carry on implementing all the eu laws. Whether our new laws, new courtjudgments, laws. Whether our new laws, new Court Judgments, there has laws. Whether our new laws, new courtjudgments, there has to be some constitutional safeguard. It has to go through parliament. We cannot allow the European Parliament to pass any