Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Five 20170220

Of reassurance to eu leaders, saying that his country remains committed to continued cooperation. And what a night ahead for non League Sutton united, as they host premier League Giants arsenal in the fa cup. Its five oclock, our main story members of the House Of Lords have begun debating the legislation that will allow the government to begin the process of withdrawing the uk from the European Union. In a mark of the significance of the debate, theresa may was present. The leader of the house, baroness evans, said she was confident the lords would not ignore the result of the referendum and the vote in the commons. Joining me from the House Of Commons lobby is our Political Correspondent leila nathoo. 100 peers want to talk, what have we been hearing . This is a first chance we have heard to hear from been hearing . This is a first chance we have heard to hearfrom peers, a range of views this afternoon, both supporters and opponents of brexit and the governments plans and strategy for withdrawal. Theresa may herself was present in the chamber, a very nusra lacked for a Prime Minister to be present, to sit in on a debate in the House Of Lords. A very unusual event. The government does not have a majority in the lords, this bill has come to the House Of Lords unchanged, and the government was hoping it will stay that way, although we know that peers have said they will try to amend the bill, try to tack on and Extra Ct Amend the bill, try to tack on and extract guarantees from the government as the process goes on. Today we have heard arguments in favour of the governments position and many against, we can heara flavour of what has been said. The government is determined to trigger article 50 by the 31st Of March in order to deliver on the decision of the british people. The bill before us the british people. The bill before us isa the british people. The bill before us is a procedural part of that withdrawal process. I welcome the constructive tone we have heard from the opposition, that they will not seek to frustrate this process, while of course undertaking the Scrutiny Role we are here to perform. Leaving the European Union offers our nation many opportunities, and im committed to working with all noble lords to ensure that we achieve the right deal for britain. This bill confers upon the Prime Minister the power to begin the process of leaving the eu, Andl Begin The Process of leaving the eu, and i commend it to the house. We will not be threatened into not fulfilling our normal constitutional role, and neither will we be goaded into acting irresponsibly. We have to have a serious and responsible debate, and in doing so, if we ask the House Of Commons to look again atan the House Of Commons to look again at an issue, it is not a constitutional outrage but a constitutional outrage but a constitutional responsibility. there was a real chance of success, rising up successfully against leaving the European Union, it would open up the most protracted, bitter, potentially endless conflict in British Society and politics that we have seen since the decades old debate on irish home rule, and possibly even longer than that. It is not in the interests of our democracy and the governance of our country to do so. We cannot simply consigned britains Economic Future to this Headlong Rush Towards Brexit at any cost. We have a responsibility not to next years growth figures, or inflation figures, but to the prosperity of oui figures, but to the prosperity of our country for decades to come. A flavour of some of the debate, lord mandelson saying we have a responsibility, others saying we have an important Scrutiny Role, others saying they have a constitutional role to fulfil, what are the kinds of issues, briefly, that you believe will come up that the lords feel they have to get involved with here . Well, the real battle lies ahead. Today and tomorrow just hearing battle lies ahead. Today and tomorrowjust Hearing Peers debate the principles of brexit, but over the principles of brexit, but over the next couple of weeks they will be debating concrete amendments to this bill, and the main issues are the of eu citizens. He is wont to government to guarantee the rights of eu citizens already living in the uk. Of eu citizens already living in the uk. Peers want. They are calling for parliament have a meaningful vote on the final deal agreed by theresa may, so a chance for parliament to send her back to the Negotiating Table of they do not like the deal that she has agreed. There is also an attempt by peers to get a guarantee of a second referendum on the final deal. The lib dems are pushing for that, so plenty of issues still to be discussed. In a couple of weeks time, well get to the nitty gritty of these amendments. The government is expected to be defeated on a couple of those migrants and the parliamentary vote. If defeats does happen on those two issues, the amended legislation will be sent back to the House Of Commons for consideration, but it is expected that mps will then reverse those changes and the lords have suggested they dont have the appetite for a protracted back and forth between the commons and the lords, so theresa may can be confident that she will be able to trigger article 50 and begin those withdrawal talks before the end of march, as she hopes. All right, we shall see, good to see you, leila nathoo, in central lobby. Back to the central chamber, Ming Campbell on his feet, 190 peers will be going through until midnight, i hope they have brought a packed lunch to keep them going, a long night ahead, and anotherfull day of debating. We will be dipping into the debate throughout the news at five just to bring you a flavour of what is going on. Nearly every local authority in england is planning to raise Council Taxes in the coming year, most of them by 5 , to help meet the rising cost of social care. But the local government association, which represents councils, has warned that deep cuts to other services will still have to be made because of the huge cost of looking after growing numbers of elderly and disabled people. Heres our social Affairs Correspondent alison holt. This is social care in action. Good girl. And i will be behind you. After several falls, 80 year old Maureen Edwards is being given support that will mean she regains some independence and rebuilds her confidence. It means she and her husband will be able to cope at home. According to todays survey, the sheer demand for this sort of care is the reason why most local authorities in england plan to raise council tax. That was wonderful. Weve got the carers, they come in, get her up, wash her, dress her. You know, its helped no end. Yeah, very good. Im grateful for all that theyve done for me, i really am. And. Without them, i dont know what i would have done. The edwards live in surrey, and its the councils social workers who organise their support. The authority had discussed increasing its council tax by 15 to meet the growing care costs. Now, like most local authorities, its likely to rise byjust under 5 . Staff here describe the demand as unrelenting. Ive worked in Adult Social Care for 20 years, and ive never known the pressure that weve got now. And theres no simple solution to it. People getting older, People Living longer, and their needs are increasing with more complexity. Councils pay for most social care, and todays survey shows nearly all are struggling with the costs. There are 151 local authorities in england. 147 plan to raise council tax specifically to help pay for social care. But Councils Warn that wont plug the funding gap, and that could mean cuts to other council services. There has been a united voice of local government to say that they need to have more funding into social care and that the crisis in social care is immediate now. The funding for local government needs to be resolved immediately. And another step for me. The government says extra funding is being put into social care and that authorities will soon be able to keep all of the money they raise from council tax and business rates. Im behind you. Alison holt, bbc news. Nhs trusts in england are overspending by hundreds of millions of pounds more than expected, according to figures out today. Trusts reported a deficit of £886 million in the last quarter, more than one and a half times the government target. The chief executive of the nhs confederation, niall dickson, says the immediate priority should be increased funding for social care. I think the solution is to, first of all, put more money into social care, because the pressures that you are seeing in hospitals, and indeed in Mental Health trusts as well, is a manifestation of a system which is not currently working. And that is largely because, in social care, they are not able to look after people because Community Services are not funded sufficiently in order to try and prevent people from becoming ill. So weve got more and more older people, we hear this all the time. The more and more older people with a range of different conditions who could be managed more effectively in the community, in hospital emergency departments, and any kind of pressures but especially during this cold weather time, many of them end up in hospital emergency departments, and any kind of pressures that we are seeing, that means cancelled operations by those hospitals. That means, again, once those elderly people have been put right, as it were, they cant get them back into the community because there arent places. The British Medical Association has also spoken out, saying that the nhs is at breaking point, with a decline in the number of Hospital Beds. The Doctors Union say that in the first week of january this year, almost three quarters of trusts had a Bed Occupancy Rate of 95 on at least one day, leading to delays and cancelled operations. Dr nadia masood is an Anaesthetic Registrar In London and is here with me now. Good to see you, thanks for coming in. The problems with the nhs, so much of that has been haired over the last few weeks and months, practically how do those problems affect you in your daily routine . Practically how do those problems affect you in your daily routine . has been affecting doctors and staff for yea rs has been affecting doctors and staff for years now, they are the ones that bear the consequences of cuts to resources and bed numbers. Practically, what it means for patients is that they will have more and more operations delayed or cancelled, because there is no bed for them to go into. It will mean sick patients waiting longer for a bed in hospital and getting sicker. We had a tragic story last week about a lady who needed a critical ca re about a lady who needed a Critical Care bed, and unfortunately died whilst waiting for it. For staff, it is increasing workload, dealing with it. I have spent many nights awake with a patient that needed a bed in a Critical Care unit, but there was not available. And you cannot leave them, as an anaesthetist. No, so we often have a makeshift Critical Care bed, andi often have a makeshift Critical Care bed, and i would stay with them all night until a bed could be found. These are the consequences and, yes, i cant go off and do anything else, so i cant go off and do anything else, so patients are losing out, staff are bearing the brunt of the extra work that is required, and all of this because we do not have enough beds, the population is growing, hugely, and yet we have the Second Lowest number of beds per head in europe, just not good enough. Why has this gone on. Long, we have known there has been a so called age time bomb, i suppose, that we are all living longer, and our health needs are becoming more complex. But it feels as if this whole issue has just hit us Out Of The Blue, and yet you are saying this has been building upfor you are saying this has been building up for years. This is not Out Of The Blue for most staff, we have been saying this for absolutely ages. What does not help is a government who, instead of looking for solutions, are constantly finding excuses. They are talking about how the numbers are being tallied up wrong. To be fair, they did put in a lot more money last year, they brought forward finance that should have been going to the nhs later on, they have brought that forward , nhs later on, they have brought that forward, and yet we find out today that trusts are still way overspending. Certainly, noone was go to say they have not put any extra money in, but it is not enough to keep up with what the nhs needs. We have People Living longer, more people being born, more People Living longer, and the nhs needs more to keep up with that, so anything extra that the government has been putting in is not enough. Does it feel like a Bottomless Pit potentially . That no matter how much you put in, there will be problems . I dont think so, i dont think it should be regarded as a Bottomless Pit, i dont think any member of public or nhs staff member would like the nhs to be viewed that way. But you dont think there needs to bea but you dont think there needs to be a revaluation of how it is funded . There needs to be a proper Re Evaluation of where we get the money from, how it is distributed inside. There is a lot of wastage in the nhs, they waste millions on management consultants, telling them how to save money, whereas there are lots of Front Line Staff who have real insight into the problems of the nhs, real insight into solutions that could be found, and yet their voices often go unheard. The department of Elf Spokesperson has just put out this statement, the nhs has worked hard to manage its finances, and the position is improved by1. 3 finances, and the position is improved by 1. 3 billion compared to this time last year, with 44 fewer trusts in deficit. If 1. 3 billion is not enough, it does feel like a Bottomless Pit, doesnt it . |j not enough, it does feel like a Bottomless Pit, doesnt it . Iwould guess you have to ask how patients feel if they are denied care. The suggestion is that, no matter how much money you put into the nhs, because we have a growing population, because we have People Living longer, it is very difficult for any society deal with. Only of it is managed properly can redirect that money in the right place. The money isnt being spent on extra beds, it is not being spent on extra staff, there is no predicted increase in staff numbers. So if this extra money is coming in, my question is, where is it going . Because those workers on the front line are certainly not seeing the effects of extra money in terms of extra resources to look at the patients where is it going . Extra resources to look at the patients where is it going . Thanks for joining patients where is it going . Thanks forjoining us, good to see you, thank you. Mps are debating a petition signed by nearly two Million People calling for the visit to be stripped of the trappings of a State Occasion in order to avoid causing embarrassment to the queen. They are also considering an alternative petition, backed by almost 312,000 signatories, demanding the state visit goes ahead. Lets get a flavour of the debate so far. This debate cuts to the heart of the nature of our democracy and how we honour and celebrate other countries. And that is why i think it is important that we reflect on whether it is right, after seven days, that donald trump should be afforded a full they do visit. I personally am a great friend of the United States, my father is buried in the United States, i studied in the United States, ive worked in the United States, ive worked in the United States, ive worked in the United States, ive visited america more times than i visited france. It is a country i love tremendously. 0f france. It is a country i love tremendously. Of course, one would expect the leader of the free world to come to britain, but it is the terms on the basis on which that is done. And for those reasons, i think an official visit might have been appropriate, but to afford this man, after seven days, a state visit, is why so many people have petitioned. Labours david lammy. Conservative mp nigel evans said he has seen no evidence for President Trump being racist and that the millions of American Voters should not be ignored. He is going to go down in history as being roundly condemned for being the only politician to deliver on his promises. Now, i know thatis deliver on his promises. Now, i know that is a peculiar thing any politics that we are used to, that politicians stand up for something and then deliver on them. But the fa ct and then deliver on them. But the fact is, he is, and i know that we can all go back and talk to the people that we know in our own little echo chambers, and all we hear the same things, but the fact is that there were 61 Million People who voted for donald trump, and when we stand up in this country and then condemn him for being racist, and i have seen no evidence of that, i have seen no evidence of that, i have seen no evidence of being dumb icame have seen no evidence of being dumb i came being racist, we are actually attacking the american people, the 61 million who voted for donald trump. If they wanted more of the same, that was on the ballot paper, but they decided, by the majority of states in the electoral college, as it works, that they wanted donald trump. Nigel evans of the conservatives. Anti trump protests are planned in several towns and cities across the uk to coincide with the debate in westminster. Our home Affairs Correspondent, nick beake, is at the demonstration in Trafalgar Square and joins us 110w. A sizeable crowd, as big as the protesters hoped . Well, were just adding to lose the light in westminster, you can see that big ben is now illuminated, and in the last half hour or so more people have been arriving in parliament square. Certainly not the sizeable crowd we saw a few weeks ago when they were responding to the news that there would be a state visit. We expect more people to arrive for about six oclock, and there is a stage behind me, and there will be speakers, and we have got politicians, activists, musicians, including the paloma faith and lily allen. We got a flavour of the debate inside parliament, some four, some against the state visit. They are some against the state visit. They a re really of some against the state visit. They are really of one voice here, people are really of one voice here, people are completely against the visit, and they cite the way that donald trump has treated migrants, particularly the ban on people from mainly muslim countries getting into the United States of america. So we expect more people to arrive at six oclock, that is when things will begin here in earnest. Nick beake, thank you very much, college green, just outside the House Of Commons. Two senior ukip officials have resigned in protest at their leaders handling of the hillsborough controversy. Paul nuttall has been embroiled in a row after his website incorrectly claimed hed lost Close Friends in the tragedy. In a statement, the chair of ukips Merseyside Branch condemned mr nuttalls unprofessional approach and crass insensitivity, and suggested there could be more resignations on the way. 0ur Political Correspondent chris mason joins me from westminster. Chris, why exactly, we know that a Press Release was put out, but why have these two officials leave, because of arron banks or paul nuttall or what . It is a really good question, because there has been a movement during the day in terms of whether blame is being pinned, so this morning these two gentlemen, Stuart Monkham and Adam Heatherington, the leaders of ukip in liverpool and then the regional Merseyside Branch, put out a Press Release which was incredibly stinging about both paul nuttall and arron banks. Arron banks is a very wealthy ukip donor, to put it mildly, not the kind of guy you would be headhunted by the United Nations, diplomacy is not his thing. He is used to saying pretty fruity things on twitter. But his remarks in particular about hillsborough, in which he said he was sick to death of hearing about it, as really angered people on merseyside, as you might imagine, and of course these two officials found themselves caught between their allegiance to the party and their allegiance to their home city. In the Press Release, they were critical of both paul nuttall and arron banks. By this afternoon, when they were talking to us, Adam Heatherington at least was focusing his criticisms quell er on mr banks. Squarely. They acknowledged in their Press Release that it was an incredibly politically damaging time for them to do what they are doing, notjust because paul nuttall is their party leader, but he is the candidate in the stoke by election as well. Leader, but he is the candidate in the stoke byelection as well. Ok, chris, thank you for that, chris mason at westminster. Footage has emerged of the moment the north korean leaders half brother was attacked at Kuala Lumpur Airport in malaysia. A woman appears to cover his head with a cloth for a few seconds before walking away. Kim jong nam is then seen telling police what has happened. He collapsed shortly after and died. But north korea has questioned the identification of the man who died and has demanded the body. Daniel boetcher reports. Cctv footage at Kuala Lumpur International airport. A figure in a light suit with a bag slung over his shoulder walks through the hall. Its believed this man is kimjong nam. The next pictures are less clear. The man is grabbed from behind by a woman in a white top. She appears to push a cloth into his face. The footage then shows them separating. The man is seen talking to airport staff, apparently explaining what happened, and seems to be led to police, where he again explains and gesticulates, before he is accompanied to the airports medical clinic. Police believe kim jong nam, The Half Brother of north koreas leader, kimjong un, was poisoned at the airport a week ago. The mysterious circumstances, the investigation and speculation that north korea was behind the killing has led to growing diplomatic tensions. While the pyongyang ambassador at kuala lumpur said at a News Conference the investigation could not be trusted. It has been seven days since the incident, but there is no clear evidence on the cause of the death, and at the moment we cannot trust the investigation by the malaysia police, even though its result would be obtained. But malaysias Prime Minister has defended the investigation and the work of police and doctors. We have no reason why we want to do something that would paint the north koreans in a bad light. We will be objective, and we expect them to understand that we apply the rule of law. Malaysian authorities have said that Autopsy Results could be ready by the middle of the week and that they will release Kim Jong Nams body to his next of kin. His son is reported to be travelling to kuala lumpur. Daniel boetcher, bbc news. This is Bbc News At Five, coming up and as mps debate us president Donald Trumps state visit, ill be joined by republican commentator and Fox News Contributor Mallory Factor. Well have the latest from the bbc Sports Centre as sutton prepare to host arsenal in the fa cup. Now it is time for a look at the weather with matt taylor, spring has come dont disappoint me, matt it has been incredibly mild, 18 of the south east of england, 15 across Eastern Parts of scotland, where you saw sunshine, good breaks in this cloud. 0ut saw sunshine, good breaks in this cloud. Out in the west, a different story, lots of cloud, a damp and today, and some of that sits in for the night across the southern half of england. Around this wriggling weather front, temperatures will be up weather front, temperatures will be up to about 8 10. Further north, one 01 up to about 8 10. Further north, one or two showers, a julian knight, up to about 8 10. Further north, one or two showers, ajulian knight, low enough for A Touch Of Frost in one 01 enough for A Touch Of Frost in one or two spots. A chillier night. The Midlands Brightening Up into the afternoon after age as lee starts tomorrow, where you see sunshine through the afternoon, we could hit 15 degrees. It will get colder, i will tell you more than half an hour. There you go this is Bbc News At Five the headlines the brexit bill has been debated in the House Of Lords. It is right to invoke article 50, to do so now, and to do so with the Simplest Bill that it is possible to bring forward, and i commend ministers for doing so. There is likely to be a big rise in Council Tax Bills across england as local authorities try to tackle the social care crisis, most households could be charged 5 or more from april. Nhs trusts in england are reporting an overspend of nearly £900 million for the nine months to the end of december despite an extra injection from the government. Sports news now. Sutton are going to win now, are they . The countdown is on for the kind of game the fa cup is famous for. Non League Sutton united host premier League Arsenal in the last of the fifth round ties tonight, and our Reporterjohn Watson is at Gander Green Lane for us now. I think whatever the outcome tonight, this will be a hugely significant moment in the history of this club, Sutton United, but for arsenal is it a good time for them coming into this . A huge amount of pressure on Arsene Wenger following the 51 pressure on Arsene Wenger following the 5 1 defeat to Bayern Munich and with that in mind you imagine that he will play an important first team tonight. A lot of the key players you imagine will feature because it would be on thinkable if arsenal we re would be on thinkable if arsenal were to lose to Sutton United. But coming into this match he was only willing to talk about one thing and that was the performance of his team and not his future. I think we have to focus on real problems, you know, and real problems are the way we play football and not my future. The fa cup is one of our targets and it is the next game. For us to bounce back after the game we had is of course, it is, it becomes a very important game but it always was in my head. They are the thoughts of Arsene Wenger but what about Sutton United . Arsene wenger but what about Sutton United . The Arsene Wenger but what about Sutton United . The big question for them, what would be best for them . Would they like to see arsenal play a full Strength Team with all of their big stars, a great moment for the players to come up against the likes of mesut 0zil . The fans would like that, but if they didnt that would give them the one more two percent chance of winning tonight. The chairman has invested £1 million of his own money on this daring to believe the impossible might be possible. I think there is a Sporting Chance and thats the great thing about sport. You have got to look at these things and say how do the minnows do it . I have had conversations with one more two people who play in the Northern Ireland team because they are the underdogs every day, wanted to know what their mentality was. Of course we have got a Sporting Chance, yes. With lincoln city of course, and on the non league side already into the sixth round, sutton hoping to emulate that. All of the criticisms the fa cup has faced this season with the teams not playing their first team, for the non league teams who have progressed through, lincoln and now sutton, a memorable cup run has been wonderfulfor and now sutton, a memorable cup run has been wonderful for them, and now sutton, a memorable cup run has been wonderfulfor them, hasnt it . Yes, imagine that, sutton versus lincoln in the fa cup quarterfinals. Thank you very much indeed. The five sports that lost their olympic and paralympic funding have had their appeals rejected by uk sport, who stated they didnt offer any critically compelling new evidence to change our assessment of their medal potential. Badminton, archery, weightlifting, fencing and Wheelchair Rugby all miss out on millions of pounds for their tokyo 2020 preparations. Badminton actually achieved their medal target in Rio Dejaneiro and say they are stunned by the decision. I was such an optimist, i thought after the decision in december its 0k, we can get a strong case and make people realise we need this and we can keep going, but it will be catastrophic really for the sport. Im still processing this information right now, i still cant quite come to terms with what will happen to my sport. That was all the sports now, you can keep up to date with all of those stories on the bbc sport website. Myself and john watson at Sutton United will have more on sportsday at 6 30pm. And after your link to me, clive, i know who you want to win in game tonight. Really . I want sutton or arsenal to win baroness angela smith is Labours Leader in the House Of Lords and is in westminsterfor us now. Thanks forjoining us, there is no question the elected chamber will block this . There never has been. No, buti block this . There never has been. No, but i think what will be happening, what we have seen today is quite robust debate and the government being asked questions, some of which they havent been able to answer. The most the House Of Lords can do is ask the House Of Commons to look at issues again and that may be the case on specific issues but i also hope the government, having made concessions in the House Of Commons about how the progress of negotiation can be conducted have promised to put those negotiations in the bill and that will be important over the next two yea rs will be important over the next two years during the brexit process. What do you think the key issues could well be for the peers that you believe the commons should have a revisit on . There are a number, and we have listened to the debate in the House Of Commons and re crafted amendments accordingly so for example the government said it would report back to parliament regularly but voted down the motion that said every couple of months. Lets look at its quarterly and make arrangements for confidential information so asking the government to look at that again. We want a final, meaningful vote on the outcome of negotiations and two the issues one would be the Northern Ireland border and the good friday agreement, and the other is the position of eu nationals living here. When even ukip say they should be allowed to stay and their position regularised, i think the Prime Minister could say the same. Theresa may turned up today, was that provocative . You are smiling. Theresa may turned up today, was that provocative . You are smilinglj think it is very helpful. When i criticisms has often been that Prime Minister s dont listen enough to debates taking place in the House Of Commons. Im sorry she left after my speech, i hope that wasnt my fault but i think it was good she was there. Im sure she wanted to stay but had other pressing business. Good to see you, Thanks Forjoining us. Tributes have been paid to the broadcaster and journalist steve hewlett, who has died at the age of 58. Mr hewlett, who presented the media show on radio four, was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus In September Last year. He had been giving listeners regular updates on his treatment, which he also wrote about in his column in the observer newspaper. The bbc Director General lord hall today said mr hewlett Embodied Everything Positive in Public Service journalism. David sillito looks back on his life. The pm programme on radio four. In 0ctober the pm programme on radio four. In october last year there was an interview with the bbcs steve hewlett. Hello, what do you make of this . He was a familiar voice, but not there to talk about the media. Steve is here tonight to talk about something more personal, to talk about your health. What is happening . I have got cancer. It would be the first of a weekly encounter charting the journey on the final bleak prognosis. She said we are now in a phase where you should live every day as it comes so it is clear the whole nature of the game has changed really. Over the yea rs game has changed really. Over the years he was a media common centre, was in charge of panorama when it broadcast its controversial interview with princess diana. There we re interview with princess diana. There were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded. It had been quite a life but it was the response of these interviews that truly startled him. I have done lots of things that other people wont be able to do, i met colonel gaddafi, and was locked up in prison with people who put on the most appalling things. I regard myself as very lucky. I honestly thought, oh well, my luck has run out. But the listeners, many perhaps facing a similar situation, admired this brisk, factual, sometimes funny, sometimes moving but above all frank account of facing the end and the impact it would have on his family. There was a look in the eyes of my children and loved ones which i will never forget. And what it is, you know what they mean to you, what you dont know is what you mean to them. Steve hewlett, who has died at the age of 58. You are watching the Bbc News At Five. The us Vice President , mike pence, has described americas commitment to the European Union as steadfast and enduring but said nato members must act quickly to increase defence spending. His comments were made after his First Official meeting with the president of the european council, donald tusk. Meanwhile President Trump is facing calls to further clarify his comments over the weekend, in which he appeared to suggest that there had been a Terror Attack in sweden. Richard lister reports. President ial visits to brussels rarely stirred much interest in the past, but these are different times. Donald trump has Lauded Brexit and belittled the eu, the relationship has become awkward. The greetings, at times, seemed strained. But the white house has billed this as a Reassurance Tour and after his initial talks, that is exactly what mike pence offered. Today is my privilege on behalf of President Trump to express the strong commitment of the United States to continued cooperation and partnership with the European Union. Whatever our differences, our two continents share the same heritage, the same values. And above all the same purpose. Alongside him a man who described trumps america as a potential threat. He wants actions as well as words. After such a positive declaration, both europeans and americans must simply practice what they preach. Next stop, nato, and demands that members pay their way, that has been a mantra for donald trump. You look at whats happening last night in sweden. Sweden, who would believe this, sweden, they took in large numbers and they are having problems like they never thought possible. There was no such incident in sweden. The country has taken in large numbers of refugees and hasnt suffered any Terrorist Attacks as a result but the policy is not without its swedish critics. The president said later he was referring to this fox news report claiming violence had risen in sweden along with refugee numbers. That claim too is questionable but mr trumps backers insist his points are valid. People seize upon it, then you see these articles and when i pulled it up on google its like donald trump was really right, there was the neo nazis go into the Refugee Camps and theres been a lot of corruption and theres been a lot of corruption and rape going on. Thats not the message mike pence is pressing but donald trump was micro voice is louder. These protesters are sending a message of their own, that the values of the Trump Administration are not welcome in europe. Thats a debate thats getting even more personal in london as members of parliament consider an online petition signed by almost 2 Million People suggesting Donald Trumps state visit to the uk would cause embarrassment to the queen. Richard lister, bbc news. With me is Mallory Factor republican commentator and is a Visiting Professor of politics at both 0xford and cambridge universities. Lets start with the demonstrations outside parliament. Not that big, it has to be said, and this is the place where mps are debating whether the full trappings of the state visit should be given to donald trump for the proposed trip here later in the year. Richard lister suggested it was getting personal, is it personal . Very personal, it has always been personal. Nothing to do with his policies and him suggesting certain things . Remember, he ran on those policies which a lot of people dont like. Take a look at the polls today, 52 of american view him favourably. Granted, theres a whole slew who view him very unfavourably. I will give you one hole, it puts him at 38 , and russ musson, traditionally kind to republicans. You can pick holes, thats the point. That same poll puts him at 75 of the people view very strongly favourable, a very strong unfavourable. It was a terrific organisation but the point is america is really splits and theres a lot of people who like him and a lot of people who dont. |j heard a bit of mike pence giving his commitment to the European Union and he will later make a commitment to nato and he said today in brussels that he wanted to reassure the people there that the us is committed to partnership with the eu, whatever our differences we share the same values and above all the same purpose to promote peace and prosperity through freedom, democracy and rule of law. That makes sense to a lot of people but how doesnt square with donald trump saying the eu is basically a vehicle for germany and the other countries would follow uks lead in leaving . There is an election coming up in france and that will be involving marine le pen, i dont know if she will win, i dont think she will, but a lot of people believe this issue of freedom and liberty means getting out of the eu. But the president says one thing, mike pence says another. That causes confusion, mixed messages. Nato, classic example. We had the defence secretary, make a commitment to nato saying that. And american commitment, saying it was the bedrock of democracy. President trump said it was obsolete, how do you marry those two together . Is it possible . It probably is and im not going to attempt it. The liberal lead which you and i are, i mean come on, you are the liberal elite. Me . Little old me . You are in the bubble of london, theres a huge contempt. What was contemptuous about me pointing it out, just square the circle for me, how can mattis say one thing and the president say another . He has to change with the times. Why didnt he say that then . Theres been comments like this made. During the 0bama administration there was a lot of comments like this made. That nato was obsolete . Know, in terms of lines in the sand that got washed away quickly. Theres a whole series of those and im not going to go back and try to blame 0bama. Of those and im not going to go back and try to blame obama. Because you cant find any more examples theres a lot more. The liberals, the progressives have really lost their way. They used to be fighting for the common man and they have begun to fight for almost a middle and upper ethic. They have put a lot of their political capital, a lot of their resources into things like lg bt their resources into things like lgbt which im not suggesting is the wrong thing to do, im just suggesting that doesnt resonate with the common man. They have this moral superiority, almost thinking their belief is the only right one. I will put you are suggestion, that there are competing factions in the white house, one that wants to keep the eu suite because ultimately the wellbeing of those organisations means the wellbeing of america and eve ryo ne means the wellbeing of america and everyone pretty much knows that. But at the same time, referring to what you are talking about and thats the need to appeal to many people in america, millions of people who feel disenfranchised and who feel they have been left out by globalisation, and donald trump is talking to them. While donald trump is talking to the 40 in america, you have his lieutenants in the cabinet talking to the rest of the world and that causes confusion. Thats all im saying here. It is not about liberal elites but there are competing factions. Im not going to put words in the president s mouth. He talks about nato being important but he talks about the countries of nato paying theirfair share. You talks about the countries of nato paying their fair share. You will see the same thing going on with the United Nations shortly. There is a real problem when america is paying a disproportionate share and the working class america, not the elites in new york, san francisco, chicago, washington. The Working Class Bedrock of america dont like that and want to see it changed and thats why he has this very strong Group Supporting him. 0k, it is good to see you. Very strong Group Supporting him. Ok, it is good to see you. It is great to see you too. I like to be with the elites and so do i the top stories for you now, and the House Of Lords has begun debating the bill that will give theresa may the bill that will give theresa may the authority to begin brexit negotiations. There will be a big rise in Council Tax Bills across england. Most households could be charged 5 more from april. Nhs trusts in england report an overspend of nearly £500 million despite extra funding from the government. And here is an update on the markets for you, this is how the ftse in london, no change there, down ever so slightly. Better fortunes london, no change there, down ever so slightly. Betterfortunes in germany. Trading in the United States in positive territory. This thursday, voters in stoke on Trent Central go to the polls to choose their new mp after Tristram Hunt quit politics. The poll is being seen as a key electoral test for jeremy corbyn, whose party faces a strong challenge from ukip. Voters in stoke on trent needed new mp after their previous one resigned to runa mp after their previous one resigned to run a museum. A seniorfigure i met on the train up here described it as very selfish because its pitch labour into battle with ukip to hold on here. Its a place where wedgewood founded his pottery empire. The Thriller Coaxes Shape and beauty. Since the heyday, many manufacturing jobs have gone under and once rock solid seat looks in jeopardy. A big majority people of here voted to leave the eu. U nfortu nately here voted to leave the eu. Unfortunately many people feel they have been left behind by the political establishment. I think they need a national voice, someone who can stand up in the House Of Commons and listen to them and i believe im that man. Since we spoke a few days ago, hes found himself on the ropes with his party over claims he made about the Hillsborough Disaster and faced allegations he hadnt been living here when he entered the contest. Labours man is trying to paint his rival as an opportunities. Labours man is trying to paint his rival as an opportunitieslj labours man is trying to paint his rival as an opportunities. I live just outside the city in a pit village, it is where my daughter was born and i consider myself to be very local. Although hes faced trouble too, saying sorry for old tweets that are deemed to be sexist. 0na tweets that are deemed to be sexist. On a visit to the constituency today, the Prime Minister did what other westminster parties are doing, trying to stop this becoming a two horse race. One of our key priorities is to create more opportunities for stoke, morejobs, and not just more jobs, but better jobs, better skilled jobs and better paid jobs for local people. The green partys campaign is about securing employment for people who want betterjobs in the area and also about defending the nhs. Health is a priority for the lib dems, as well, not least because their candidate is sometimes absent from the Campaign Trail because hes performing heart surgery. The nhs has been in crisis, particularly over the winter, and we feel labour are not providing the opposition we need to be providing to this government now. But the focus is on whether ukip can finally land a Knockout Blow in a labour seat. Something theyve never done before. Adam fleming, bbc news, stoke on trent. The by election in Stoke On Trent Takes place on thursday. Heres a full list of the candidates taking part, and this list is also available on the bbc news website. Theyre more than 100 league places below them but tonight Sutton United will take on mighty arsenal as they try to book their place in the quarter finals of the fa cup. The non league side are playing at home at their 5000 seat stadium with its Artificial Turf its a world away from the 60 thousand seater emirates. Whoever wins will face lincoln city, also a non league side who become the first non leaguers to reach the quarterfinals in more than 100 years. Our Sports Correspondentjohn Watson reports from suttons Gander Green Lane stadium in south london. Cheering once in awhile there comes a cup run to capture the imagination. To witness two in the same season is something quite unique. The achievements of lowly lincoln city and Sutton United embody the magic of footballs oldest cup competition. On saturday the National League leaders upset the odds, beating burnley, the first non league side to reach the quarterfinals in over 100 years. And now this patch of south london is brought into focus. Gander green lane, the home of Sutton United, where leeds fell in the previous round. Will arsenal follow . Commentator 10 we know it will be an uphill battle but no one thought that we could Beat Wimbledon and obviously no one thought we could win against leeds. So, you never know. I think if we can nick a draw or get a win, it would be one of the biggest upsets in cup history. Arsenal should be wary of the unexpected. Suttons victory over coventry city, then of the old first division, back in 1989, remains one of the great cup upsets. It might serve as motivation but matching arsenal and all their millions is a task not lost on suttons manager. If we did beat them, i dont know what id do. I think id be up there for a long, long time. I dont know how id get back down. Its something id not even thought about, if im being honest. I dreamt about it, but if it happened, it would be one of those moments for everyone, i think. It would be where were you when sutton beat arsenal . Suttons total weekly wage bill is £10,000. Arsenals world cup winner mesut 0zil earns 1a times that. But what they lack in wealth, they make up for with hunger, to rattle those accustomed to the 5 star treatment. Sutton will offer their opponents a warm reception. But what they cant offer them is a warm shower. Their 5,000 capacity ground is a world away from the comforts of arsenals 60,000 all seater stadium. Dare sutton dream of making it there for a replay. That was our Sports Correspondentjohn Watson. Pretty good weather down there today. It shouldnt be too bad but prospects of a cold shower for all of us later this week. We have seen the sunshine today, temperatures have soared. This was the scene in hampstead and in the london area would go up to around 18 celsius. It wasnt the same everywhere though, we have cloud in parts of south west england. Just 9 degrees in cumbria and this is the temperature we will be closer to later in the week. The thick cloud has been pushing south and on that cloud tonight we will continue to see rain and drizzle affect wales, southern england, very much hit and miss to begin with and staying dry hopefully at Sutton United but we will see Heavy Rain Pushing into wales and that will move into east anglia and the south east later on. Clearer skies, a few showers in the far north, but here are slightly cooler night. Here is where the best of your tuesday sunshine will be before we see rain and cloud cover to the west later on. It will be a damp start in wales and southern england. 0ccasional drizzle, still reasonably mild to begin with. Just noticed later in the day across all western areas, we start to see heavier rain pushing in. The best of the breaks in the cloud will be across the midlands into north east england. Here we could hit 15 degrees but forget about those temperatures as we had through the rest of the week because tuesday, this time tomorrow lots of rain and strong winds across scotland, Northern Ireland and northern parts of england, and windy across all of us as we head into wednesday. This deep pressure may bring 60 mile per hour gusts, that would cause a bit of transport disruption, but it will also bring a mixture of sunshine and blustery showers which will turn increasingly wintry as temperatures drop. Writing in in the north later on brightening in the north later on. Temperatures falling away the further north we go. As we go into wednesday the potential. The weather as we go into thursday the potential for Stormy Weather and to ta ke potential for Stormy Weather and to take us into the end of the week we say goodbye to that weather once and for all and we will notice the chill compared with today. Hikes in council tax in england and steep cuts to Public Services, thats the warning tonight from council leaders. They say the cost of care for increasing numbers of elderly people is forcing up bills. We are struggling to balance next years budget and we are really struggling to balance and make it sustainable over the next two or three years. I think our services are at breaking point. And new figures show the pressure on Hospital Beds because social care shortages have contributed to a much higher nhs deficit than expected. Thats despite a major injection of government money. Well be asking why the nhs is facing such problems. Also tonight listening in the Prime Minister makes a rare appearance in the House Of Lords as peers debate the brexit bill. The ukip leader paul nuttall under pressure as two officials in merseyside resign after his claims about the Hillsborough Disaster. No more bashing the Bottle Science finds the solution to getting that last drop of ketchup. And Sutton United prepare for the game of their lives in their fa cup match this evening against arsenal