Whos Daughter Molly took her own life when her world turned dark online. He is with us this morning. Morning, morning. With me at the desk, journalistjane moore, author and storyteller irvine welsh, and nimco ali, activist and former conservative adviser. Good morning to all of you. Lets have a look at some of the front pages. Almost all the papers today lead with the allegations of rape and sexual abuse made against Russell Brand. Its been painstaking work by The Sunday Times and channel for over a long period of time. Their headline is Russell Brand, the sex predator who hid in plain sight. The observer has labour wants new eu links in a reset of policy. The Sunday Express says almost a million ditch crisis hit nhs and go private. Lets start with the biggest story of the day, these allegations against Russell Brand, which he has denied butjane, you have worked with him. What kind of person is he . It depends, i worked with him years ago in what i think he would freely admit where his drink and drug years. A very compelling personality. Sort of takes over the room. My more recent experiences with him have been a much more humble person, somebody who has obviously got married, had children, slightly reinvented himself. So reading it, its like, will the real Russell Brand please stand up and, yeah, i know we are going to talk about it later but its a year of investigation and pretty damaging stuff. He investigation and pretty damaging stuff. ,. , stuff. He is a very big figure. He was someone stuff. He is a very big figure. He was someone who stuff. He is a very big figure. He was someone who was stuff. He is a very big figure. He was someone who was hugely i stuff. He is a very big figure. He was someone who was hugely popular for a long time and then made himself out as a kind of health guru. You also were friends with him at some point, irving what did you think of this . Its at some point, irving what did you think of this . Think of this . Its shocking that an bod think of this . Its shocking that anybody who think of this . Its shocking that anybody who has think of this . Its shocking that anybody who has allegations i think of this . Its shocking that. Anybody who has allegations made against anybody who has allegations made against them, its he has always been against them, its he has always been a against them, its he has always been a flamboyant person who has settled been a flamboyant person who has settled down and you cant really kind of settled down and you cant really kind of condemn anybody, which hunt them kind of condemn anybody, which hunt them for kind of condemn anybody, which hunt them for sexual promiscuity, but these them for sexual promiscuity, but these are them for sexual promiscuity, but these are really serious charges. People these are really serious charges. People never come you never know whats people never come you never know whats going on with people, they never whats going on with people, they never presented any kind of way, that is never presented any kind of way, that is the never presented any kind of way, that is the heinous nature of those kind of that is the heinous nature of those kind of crimes and i worked with harvey kind of crimes and i worked with Harvey Weinstein and ijust kind of crimes and i worked with Harvey Weinstein and i just thought he was Harvey Weinstein and i just thought he was generic kind of hollywood buffoon, he was generic kind of hollywood buffoon, i he was generic kind of hollywood buffoon, i didnt really see him as a sex buffoon, i didnt really see him as a sex predator but obviously people dont a sex predator but obviously people dont advise that kind of thing so the unfortunate thing about it is you never the unfortunate thing about it is you never know with anybody as i and russett you never know with anybody as i and Russell Brand has very strongly denied Russell Brand has very strongly denied he said, all of the relationships he had were consensual, its a major story that is getting consensual, its a major story that is getting people talking this morning. Lets turn to politics, we are about morning. Lets turn to politics, we are about to morning. Lets turn to politics, we are about to talk to the Foreign Secretary are about to talk to the Foreign Secretary. Nimco, youve advised the conservatives and you have fallen out of conservatives and you have fallen out of love conservatives and you have fallen out of love with them lately. What is the out of love with them lately. What is the kind out of love with them lately. What is the kind of thing you would like to hear is the kind of thing you would like to hear from the Foreign Secretary . I to hear from the Foreign Secretary . I advised to hear from the Foreign Secretary . I advised the foreign the Home Secretary i advised the foreign the Home Secretary i i advised the foreign the Home Secretary. I didnt i advised the foreign the Home Secretary. I didnt care i advised the foreign the Home Secretary. I didnt care if i advised the foreign the Home Secretary. I didnt care if they secretary. I didnt care if they were secretary. I didnt care if they were labour secretary. I didnt care if they were labour or secretary. I didnt care if they were labour or conservative. | secretary. I didnt care if they. Were labour or conservative. We secretary. I didnt care if they were labour or conservative. We need to talk were labour or conservative. We need to talk about were labour or conservative. We need to talk about violence were labour or conservative. We need to talk about violence against were labour or conservative. We need to talk about violence against women i to talk about violence against women and girls to talk about violence against women and girls and to talk about violence against women and girls and this to talk about violence against women and girls and this is to talk about violence against women and girls and this is the to talk about violence against women and girls and this is the key to talk about violence against women and girls and this is the key thing and girls and this is the key thing with the and girls and this is the key thing with the russell and girls and this is the key thing with the Russell Brand and girls and this is the key thing with the Russell Brand allegationj and girls and this is the key thing i with the Russell Brand allegation as well. With the Russell Brand allegation as wetk sexuat with the Russell Brand allegation as well. Sexual violence with the Russell Brand allegation as well. Sexual violence is with the Russell Brand allegation as well. Sexual violence is a with the Russell Brand allegation as well. Sexual violence is a global well. Sexual violence is a Global Pandemic well. Sexual violence is a Global Pandemic well. Sexual violence is a global andemic. ,. ,. , pandemic. 0k, he will be heading to the un pandemic. Ok, he will be heading to the un general pandemic. 0k, he will be heading to the un Generalassembly pandemic. 0k, he will be heading to the Un General Assembly tonight i pandemic. 0k, he will be heading to l the Un General Assembly tonight and im sure well talk about that in a second but top of the list for many people Around The World are the images coming out of libya. The images coming out of libya are almost too awful to absorb but it is real. Villages are gone, thousands of lives swept out to sea. Well talk to the Foreign Secretary in a moment, but we asked the bbc� s anna foster, who is on the ground in what was the city of derna, to send us her impressions. Morning, laura, morning, everyone. I wanted to try and really show you what its like to be standing here in derna at the moment. You can see already the level of destruction, the way that buildings have just been completely smashed and destroyed by the force of this water. But what that doesnt show you is what i wanted you to see, which is how widespread this damage is. If i start to turn around, this is what was the wadi, the river that ran through derna, and look, its completely gone. Everything is destroyed. Its like a wasteland. This was a narrow channel that has just widened out and taken everything with it buildings, cars, thousands and thousands of people. If i move a little bit further round, you can see this is the only way now to get across the river. There are people walking on foot, there are cars going across this bumpy and jagged road, because theres really nowhere near enough aid here either. You can see really at this stage you would expect there to be so many more trucks, so many more people. There are lots of local libyans doing what they can here. But when you look back upstream to where that dam burst and those thousands and thousands and thousands of litres of water just came pouring down this area, it really shows you how desperate the situation is for the survivors. Theyjust dont have what they need. A terrible 360 degrees reality of whats happening on the ground in derna. Welcome to you, Foreign Secretary. We heard from anna and our team on the ground and weve spoken to other sources who say there isnt enough expertise there yet, there isnt enough technology. They want that kind of help. What is the uk giving and when can it arrive . ~ , ,. ,. , arrive . Well, firstly, the situation there i arrive . Well, firstly, the situation there i think arrive . Well, firstly, the situation there i think its arrive . Well, firstly, the situation there i think its very arrive . Well, firstly, the situation there i think its very difficult there i think its very difficult for most people to comprehend, the scale of the damage, and weve seen some of it there. One of the big challenges with libya is unlike in other areas where the uk has been able to join other countries in supporting for example during the turkish earthquakes or during the recent earthquakes in morocco in both those countries there was a high functioning government that we could liaise with, that we could plug into, that we could coordinate with. Sadly, in the eastern part of libya, wejust with. Sadly, in the eastern part of libya, we just dont have that and thatis libya, we just dont have that and that is why we are not seeing the International Support on the ground as we would wish. The uk has allocated £1 million already. We are contributing an additional 10 million to help across the wider North African region, both morocco and libya, and weve got an Emergency Medical Team who are deploying and we will look at what more we can do. Deploying and we will look at what more we can do. People have been askin on more we can do. People have been asking on the more we can do. People have been asking on the ground more we can do. People have been asking on the ground for more we can do. People have been| asking on the ground for expertise, trained rescuers, from what you said, does that mean its impossible for the uk to get that help there . Im not going to say its impossible, of course not, but it is so much harder and in the Conversations ive had in the past where weve deployed aid experts its notjust about where weve deployed aid experts its not just about sending them where weve deployed aid experts its notjust about sending them but thatis its notjust about sending them but that is the bit that we see, but of course they have to be received in country, they have to have the logistics, they have to be able to get to the right place, they have to have authorities to liaise with, and in Eastern Libya at the moment many of those things are just not in place. That makes it so much harder. Does the uk bear any responsibility for what is now happening in libya, which is basically run by two rival factions, youve expressed how difficult that makes it to help, but the uk intervened in libya to remove gaddafi. In place there are these two warring factions. Do we bear a special responsibility therefore to try to help, not to say its too hard . ,. ,. ,. ,. , hard . First of all we are not being fatalistic about hard . First of all we are not being fatalistic about this, hard . First of all we are not being fatalistic about this, we hard . First of all we are not being fatalistic about this, we will fatalistic about this, we will continue to do whatever we can to help, we will continue working with international partners. In fact, i discussed this my recent trip to ankara with the turkish authorities who are seeking to help. Colonel gaddafi perpetrated brutality not just on his own people but more broadly. Libya has not recovered from the civil war that raged across that country for many, many years. The uk played an active part. I personally played an active part through whats known as the berlin process which is an International Coalition to try and bring about elections, to try and get a high functioning government, but unfortunately, as we are seeing, we have not been successful. Does unfortunately, as we are seeing, we have not been successful. Have not been successful. Does that mean the uk have not been successful. Does that mean the uk has have not been successful. Does that mean the uk has a mean the uk has a particular responsibility to try to help now . The whole International Community is working towards this and of course we want to play our part. We do not pretend that we can do that on our own. We are a significant player and our assistance is often sought after because we have such expertise. We cannot do this alone and it is particularly difficult in these circumstances. Particularly difficult in these circumstances. � ,. ,. , circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role. Circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role you circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role. You say circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role. You say the uk circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role. You say the uk is circumstances. Lets talk about the uks role. You say the uk is often. Uks role. You say the uk is often called upon and that is the case but your department under your leadership has cut the amount thats been spent on aid. What do you think the consequence of that is what you mark if you look at the numbers, in 2019 when spent £15 billion a year on foreign aid, now it is 12 billion in 2022. ~ �. ,. ,. , in 2022. Weve got to recognise that our overseas. In 2022. Weve got to recognise that our overseas, sorry, in 2022. Weve got to recognise that our overseas, sorry, overseas our overseas, sorry, overseas Development Assistance, our aid budget in your shorthand, is basically defined by the scale of our economy and our economy, like every other country in the world, was very significantly hit by covid and weve got to respond to that. That said, we are still one of the largest aid donor is in the world. Thats not my question. The aid budget has gone down. Is there a consequence to that . Budget has gone down. Is there a consequence to that . Well, you can never reduce consequence to that . Well, you can never reduce budgets consequence to that . Well, you can never reduce budgets without consequence to that . Well, you can never reduce budgets without any i never reduce budgets without any consequences at all. What we have done is we have made sure the money that we spend leverages in other international money. We are driving innovation in things like the world bank and other International Financial institutions. We are making sure that we maximise the effectiveness of our Development Budget fuss by a third of our money, which our viewers might know, is actually being spent in the uk on Asylum Seekers or refugees who come here. Less money is being spent, a third of that is being spent at home. Do you accept then that actually the uk is Spending Power the uks Spending Power to help the most Vulnerable People in the world are significantly diminished . Thats what the independent commission for aid impacts, which is a government run body, said the uks role is diminished, it says the uks reputation has been undermined, and it says theres been a severe impact on the amount of help the uk can provide. Do you accept that . Of course when we are forced to reduce our spending that has implications for site you are not forced to, its a political choice, its a political decision where to put the money and you have taken money out of international aid. So the official Development Assistance, a lot of people think of it, a lot of people and i almost slipped up myself, think of it as overseas Development Assistance but the definition of what is 0da expenditure is defined internationally and the money we spend i think is absolutely right that we spend money supporting people fleeing conflict, as for exam