Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Nine 20240714 : comparem

In only their third ever test match. And coming up two arsenal stars are targetted in a carjacking attempt, by an armed gang in a london street. Good morning and welcome to the bbc news at 9am. More disruption is expected on parts of the rail network today, after yesterdays high temperatures caused extensive damage. Network rail feared rail lines would buckle in yesterdays extreme heat. But with speed restrictions in place, that didnt happen. What did cause pandemonium yesterday, however, was damage caused by trains to overhead cables when the cables sagged in the heat, causing some fires. This left some commuters stuck in london late into the night. Repair work has been ongoing throughout the night but only half of the tracks north out of london st pancras have been fixed, meaning a significantly reduced service. East Midlands Trains has urged passengers not to travel to london st pancras from nottingham and sheffield. Its put an emergency timetable in place. Thameslink services which operate on part of the same route will also be disrupted. London North Eastern railway said there will be further cancellations on lines going to kings cross. Greater anglia, sta nsted express, eurostar are also disrupted. Leigh milner reports. It was the second hottest day on record for the uk yesterday, the highest temperature recorded in cambridge, at 38. 1 degrees. You might have been faster travelling on one of these than the train. The heat caused chaos on the countrys railway lines. Passengers had to be rescued from broken down trains, as power cables fell and sparked line side fires, causing disruptions at rush hour for commuters travelling on the west coast, the midlands and east coast mainlines. In birmingham, trams were halted by the risk of rails buckling. Precautionary speed restrictions across the network meant problems all day, but it was the overhead power cables which caused delays and cancellations for many, expanding, sagging and eventually collapsing in the hot weather. Last night, these commuters were still trying to get home from work at 10 15. I am trying to get home to bedford. I have onlyjust got here but usually my route would be to go to sandy, get a taxi from sandy, which is usually what happens when its like this, or from euston, but none of those options exist here today. And there does not seem to be any plan b. Throughout the night, Network Rail Engineers have been racing against the clock to repair the damage caused by the overhead cables in time for this mornings rush hour. Leigh milner, bbc news. Well, we can get more from leigh milner who is at st pancras this morning. Bring us up to date on the travel disruption on the trains and airports. I have been bumping into passengers all morning telling me they have had their journey is delayed all morning telling me they have had theirjourney is delayed or even cancelled. It is no wonder because network rail say most of the disruption is coming from this very station. Two out of the four lines in and out of the station are closed meaning only half of its services are running. U nfortu nately for are running. Unfortunately for passengers, many have been left stranded overnight. We have been talking to some who say they cannot get in or out of london and are trying their hardest to find alternative routes. This will majorly affect the east Midlands Trains and thameslink services, also trains running to the north east of england and scotland as well. We are being told to check before you travel and only travel if you need to. Elsewhere, with the airports, you are being asked to check before you travel there because flights have been delayed and cancelled. We have had a statement from heathrow which has apologised, saying it is down to the severe weather. As you can see it is getting pretty busy at saint pancreas. It is friday, the school holidays, and you should only travel if you have too. We have even had passengers feinting because it is so hot on trains. If you have to make a journey, carry plenty of water. Matt taylor from bbc weather can tell us more. How is it looking . Has the heatwave gone . It has peaked. The problems at heathrow this morning and in the south east due to intense thunderstorms working northwards and eastwards. The heat peaks yesterday, reaching 38. 1 in cambridge. Some spots could be higher today. Within a whisker of the all time record, a july record at that. We saw National Records broken in continental europe, germany, luxembourg, belgium and netherlands. Things are cooling down. After 38 yesterday, highs this weekend of only 2a celsius. A welcome relief from the humidity. The second heatwave europe has seen this summer, is it too early to say whether we can expect more . Hard to say over the next few weeks. We are only midway through summer. What climate scientists are saying is heatwave conditions are becoming more likely as we see the planet warms up. More likely as we see the planet warms up. If you think of it like a motorway, if you set a speed limit at 70, the odd person will go to 100, if you bring that speed limit up, you will see more people go above. You hit that extreme more often and that is a rough analogy. You warm the planet, you see extremes a little bit more. Two premier League Footballers have been involved in a carjacking attempt by an armed gang in a london street. Arsenal players mesut ozil and Sead Kolasinac were targeted this video from social media appears to show kolasinac chasing off the armed robbers. The club said both escaped uninjured. There have been no arrests so far. For more on this, we can speak to holly hamilton who is in the bbc Sports Centre for us. Dramatic footage, tell us more. It is shocking, this emerged overnight, this cctv of an incident late in the afternoon in north london, two arsenal players, mesut ozil and ziad calour is a knack seemingly attacked in what seems an car robbery kolasinac, and what was shocking from the pictures was that one player, kolasinac tried to square up to one of the robbers. They were carrying knives, wearing helmets, which must have been a terrifying incident. Kolasinac managed to get both players back into the car. What you dont see any footage is the robbers pursued them for over a mile until they got to safety, at a restau ra nt until they got to safety, at a restaurant they were familiar with, called police. Police say the suspects on the motorbikes had attempted to rob a man driving a car, the driver and passenger got away unharmed. And they travelled to away unharmed. And they travelled to a Golders Green road restaurant where they were questioned by officers. Arsenal say both players are uninjured. What has been interesting is the reaction on social media, people praising kolasinac squaring up to the robbers. For the players, kolasinac squaring up to the robbers. Forthe players, it kolasinac squaring up to the robbers. For the players, it is business as usual, they have a game on sunday and will be back in training later today. A terrifying incident for both players. The recruitment of 20,000 new Police Officers will begin within weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. But some forces are concerned they dont have enough Training Instructors and police stations to support such rapid expansion. And new rules requiring recruits to have a degree are worrying recruiters. There are currently 122,000 Police Officers in england and wales mrjohnsons extra 20,000 would bring numbers back up to the 2010 level when theresa may became home secretary. New policing minister Kit Malthouse told bbc breakfast that the money to pay for mrjohnsons flagship policy will have to back fit the number of officers promised. We think that as crime has changed, as the pattern of crime has changed and as crime fluctuates as it has over the last couple of years, that the demands on policing also change, and we have to reflect that and the Prime Minister has set out this ambitious target of hitting 20,000 over the 36 months. It will be a challenge to get there. The whole policing family will have to come together to see what will be the largest expansion of policing for some time. Dany cotton has said in order to just stand still, 8,000 new Police Officers need to be recruited every year. You are recruiting 20,000 over three years. That still means after three years you will be 4,000 less. Do not forget the billion pounds the government put into policing last year is recruiting about 3,000 Police Officers, so, overall, we should be up at the end of 36 months by about 23,000 if my maths is right divided by three is 8000, not far off that number. How much will it cost, where is the money coming from . We are working out the cost. The first year will be £500 million. It is notjust about the Police Officer pay and conditions, there are other things, from what technology is required to support it, what training there will be. You say around £500 million, for the first year did you say . Over three years, you are looking at £1. 5 billion . Where is that money, if that is the case, coming from . It will be about that or more. We still have to work out the exact number but we are going into the Spending Review with the number of 20,000 as a fixed obligation, as a promise, and finances will have to back fit. That money will come from general taxation or from the headroom we have fiscally on borrowing. The Prime Minister has said this is a priority for him he is announcing it, one of his first big policy announcements. The money will be earmarked as a priority to the treasury and new chancellor. If there was a representative from the labour party on, the first question would be, one question would be, how can you make an announcement or proposal without having accurately costed it, and say, we will resort to further fiscal borrowing . We have accurately set a number. You havent, youve said roughly around 500 million for the first year. We have said 20,000. There comes a point in government where you have to make a commitment about output and work on input to make it fit. Borisjohnson is expected to continue his Cabinet Reshuffle today, with a number ofjunior ministerial positions still to be filled. Last night, the former brexit minister steve baker turned down a request to return to the department for exiting the eu. Mr baker is a prominent member of the pro Brexit European Research group who repeatedly voted against theresa mays deal. He tweeted to say that he cannot repeat his experience of powerlessness as a junior brexit minister. He said he had total confidence in mrjohnsons promise that the uk would leave the eu by october 31st, but warned that disaster awaits otherwise. Its being reported that there is anger among tory eurosceptics towards Dominic Cummings mrjohnsons new special adviser who they say is snubbing members of the erg when it comes to cabinet positions. In a further sign of the ergs stance, the groups vice chairman Mark Francois said it would oppose any attempt by mrjohnson to bring back the deal thrashed out with brussels, even if he succeeded in removing the irish backstop the most contentious element of the divorce deal. 0ur Political Correspondent Jonathan Blake is at westminster. Welcome, one day in and we are already seeing signs of not quite division but unrest, how would you categorise it . This is one ministerial appointment that did not go the way Boris Johnson wanted. It is a significant one, steve baker is influential among conservative eurosceptics, a Senior Member of the European Research group which was a thorn in the side of theresa mays premiership, voting consistently in large numbers against her deal with brussels. He clearly feels, in his tweet, were he to return to the brexit department, he used to be a minister there, he would feel a powerlessness because of the real work, the real planning for a no deal brexit is being driven now by the Cabinet Office and michael gove, and number10, and Boris Johnson himself. It is an example of someone who might be you would consider a naturalfit for a someone who might be you would consider a natural fit for a Boris Johnson government not accepting the job they were given, and a sign even Boris Johnsons supporters job they were given, and a sign even borisjohnsons supporters will not roll over and take what they are given and do what they are told in some cases. A warning shot there that Boris Johnson some cases. A warning shot there that borisjohnson needs to deliver brexit as he has said he will, by 0ctober brexit as he has said he will, by october 31. Steve baker says he has confidence in that but otherwise disaster awaits. May be a sign he is on notice for some of the more hardline eurosceptics in the tory party to live up to that particular promise. Back with you a little later. The headlines on bbc news. Theres further disruption for air and rail passengers this morning after yesterdays extremely high temperatures. Boris johnsons plans for recruiting an extra 20,000 Police Officers over the next three years in england and wales are being set out. A new policing board will oversee the process. A leading conservative brexiteer, steve baker, has turned down a job in Boris Johnsons government, saying he would have been powerless if he had returned to his old department. In the sport, a big day ahead at lords as england afield with the bat, giving ireland at the chance to win theirfirst ever bat, giving ireland at the chance to win their first ever test match. Geraint thomas has dropped a third in Overall Standings as the Tour De France heads into stage 19, the defending champion is 1. 5 minutes behind the leader. Dillian whyte could face an eight year ban from the spot after testing positive for a banned substance, just before it will be his second doping offence. I will be back with more at 9 40am. Sports direct has said it is still finalising preliminary results, after delaying publication of the figures for a second time. The data had been due to be released at seven oclock this morning. Our Business Correspondent Dharshini David is here. What is going on . This is extraordinary. I have never known anything like this, two weeks ago, the company said they werent ready to bring out results, they would be delayed. Sports direct headed up by a colourful character in the retail world, mike ashley, he bought up house of fraser last year. He promised to make it the harrods of the high street. Instead, we have an omission an admission it might hinder their results, with concerns about challenges going forward. We we re about challenges going forward. We were told to expect results today. 7am, market watchers were waiting and we waited. There was no explanation and no appearance of numbers. A great mystery. Sports direct werent even answering phones to give any explanation. They have finally said they need more time to finalise these results. Markets dont like mysteries, they are already concerned about the results and mike ashley who likes to talk of himself as the saviour of the high street, has been on a shopping street buying retail chains but his strategy may have gone wrong. This wont instill any faith. The company says they anticipate the results will be out today but after what we have seen the jury is out and share prices are going up and down. We have had the announcement from borisjohnson there will be an extra 20,000 Police Officers recruited within a matter of weeks. Lets speak now to the shadow policing minister, labourmp, louise haigh. You must be delighted. I am pleased the new parameter is prioritising tackling crime, particularly the rise in Violent Crime. I take no pleasure as well countless Police Officers across the country in being proved right that the horrendous cuts over nine years to policing taking £3 billion out of our Police Service has had unimaginable consequences. And that when the previous Prime Minister accused the police of crying wolf, she was mistaken. It is galling to see the same politicians who have voted for every single cut over the last few yea rs 110w every single cut over the last few years now admitting they were wrong, and reinvesting in the police. It brea ks and reinvesting in the police. It breaks my heart to think of the numbers of officers, experienced, talented offices we have lost over nine years, and the uphill struggle we will have to recruit the same numbers back to put as in the same place we were in 2010. As a former special constable, if i think about the challenges facing the police now, they are a huge increase in Violent Crime, and special resources to tackle back which are notjust about numbers back protecting children as early as possible. The lack of Youth Services, the lack of actual start, Mental Health, diversionary activities. We need to invest in that as well to bear down on this. It is not as simplistic as investing in extra bobbies on the beat but that is welcome. The new panellist needs to think about this ina panellist needs to think about this in a holistic way to bear down on that surge in <