Care staff are going to have to make difficult decisions about who should be admitted because there may not be enough staff, beds or ventilators. This professor, who is coordinating the network of icus in italys lombardy region, is warning that the uk must get ready. What happened to us is like a bomb which exploded. So they have to be ready to take care of a huge number of patients, and a number of patients that is growing day by day and that can certainly exceed the capacity of icu admission of any health care system, no matter how efficient and modern it is. Also this morning, well be talking to two of the 140 brits whove been stuck on a cruise ship off the coast of california. Because of coronavirus. One word, nightmare. We have just been confined to our cabin since thursday. Luckily we can get outside because we have a balcony, unlike other passengers. Not a lot we can do. The cabin is very small, probably 12 paces up and down it, so you cant really do anything. No exercise, nothing. And well talk to labour leadership candidate lisa nandy about why she wants to be your next Prime Minister. Hi, good morning. Welcome to the programme. Were live until 11 this morning. How are feeling about coronoaviurs right now . Are you happy with the measures were being asked to take in this country . Do you look at italy and wonder if we should be doing what they are . Please get in touch using the hashtag. Are you going to the Cheltenham Festival . How are you feeling about that . Lots of you already getting in touch on bedroom tax. Teresa on twitter its breathtakingly shocking to see how many barriers are put in the way of Domestic Abuse survivors escaping abusive situations. Use the hashtag victoria live. Annita mcveigh has the news. Ba has cancelled all its flights today to italy, after the Foreign Office warned people not to travel there unless it was essential. It follows the italian governments decision to put the entire country into lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. The italian Prime Minister has said the strict quarantine measures introduced in the north of the country were no longer enough to contain the virus. More than 9,000 people in italy have now tested positive, and a63 have died the largest number outside china. Meanwhile, 2,500 passengers who were stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of california because of the coronavirus, because of the coronavirus have begun disembarking in San Francisco. 21 people on the grand princess have tested positive for the virus. Arrangements are being made to fly the 140 british holidaymakers on board back home. Here, Health Chiefs are warning that extra measures to slow the spread of the virus may have to be applied. The deputy chief medical officer for england, drjenny harries, said that the uk will soon see a marked rise in the numbers of coronavirus cases. With a new virus like this, we normally see we can expect, if you like, a cases. It has a relatively slow ta ke like, a cases. It has a relatively slow take off at the start and that is where we are at the moment. It will start to rise quite sharply. In other news. This programme has discovered that a Cross Party Group of mps is calling on the government to change the law to stop Domestic Abuse survivors being penalised by the so called bedroom tax. The sanction cuts housing benefit for people who have a Spare Bedroom. The move follows the case of one woman, whod been a victim of rape and abuse and was living in a home adapted for her safety, who suffered a 14 cut in her benefit. The European Court of human rights has ruled that the policy discriminated against her, and ordered the government to pay compensation. And well have more on that story in a few minutes time, just after this bulletin. Boris johnson is facing a rebellion by tory mps over the involvement of chinese telecoms giant huawei in the uks 5g network. In january, the cabinet approved huaweis partial participation in the project. But critics claim the company is a Security Risk because it is linked to the chinese government. A group of about 30 conservative mps want huaweis involvement to end before 2023 and may now back an amendment to the 5g legislation. The United States has begun withdrawing troops from afghanistan, almost 19 years after the conflict there began. Its a condition of the historic peace deal agreed by the us and the taliban last month. America agreed to reduce its troops in the country from around 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days. A therapy dog that was stolen from a 12 Year Old Girl with autism has been found dead. Three year old dalmatian lottie was taken from the home of Chloe Hopkins in leicestershire, in december. An appeal to find lottie was widely shared on social media and had been backed by the tv presenter chris packham. Police in leicestershire are appealing for information in that case. That is a summary of our news. Back to you, victoria. Thank you very much, annita. Why are Domestic Abuse survivors subject to the so called bedroom tax . This programme can reveal that a group of mps from across the politicial divide have signed an open letter calling for the government to change the rules so Domestic Abuse victims dont lose out. 0ne rape survivor living in a home adapted for her safety with a panic space had her housing benefit cut becasue she was deemed to have a Spare Bedroom. The European Court of human rights ruled that her rights had been infringed. The government tried to overturn that ruling but last week that was rejected. 0ur reporter Anna Collinson has seen the open letterfrom mps and can tell us more about this case. This involved are women who had suffered abuse, stalking, harassment, at the hands of an ex partner. We are calling her women woman a because we cant reveal her name for safety reasons. She was living in a three bedroom property with her son, in a property specifically adapted by the police, called a sanctuary scheme home, and the idea is it gives Domestic Abuse victims the ability to live in their home safely. There were special security measures in place they are, as well as a panic space. But the introduction of the spare room subsidy also known as the bedroom tax came in in 2012 and cause problems for people like woman a. The way the bedroom tax works, it means if you receive housing benefit it can be reduced if it is deemed that you have too many bedrooms in your property. For woman a, she said it had devastating consequences for her and her little boy. Her housing benefit was reduced by 14 because it was real she should only have two bedrooms in her property. Woman a took her case to the European Court of human rights and after years of legal battles, in october, she won. The court ruled the policy unlawfully discriminated against not only woman a but all victims of Domestic Abuse. She was also awarded £8,600 because of the distress caused by this policy it was confirmed it was going to stick and it would stay. That ruling stands from the European Court of human rights. It is final. The nps letter has been shared exclusively with you, with us, a programme. What does it say the mps letter. You, with us, a programme. What does it say the mps letter. It calls for immediate action on what they call a life and death matter. The majority of signatures are labour mps including Stella Creasy who organised the later, but there is also peter bottomley, the conservative mp, on there. The letter says the government has already committed the government say they have already committed to protecting Domestic Abuse victims in the bill but they say this undermines this. They say there are already exemptions within the bedroom tax for certain people, where night groups like foster carers, disabled siblings, some pensioners. For groups like foster carers. They say this stops Vulnerable Women from accessing their benefit and does not protect them from being penalised. And this woman has exclusively spoken to this programme . Element yes, she says all i want is a safe home for me and my child. She said the constant worry about whether they would be made to leave their home has been truly awful, making them anxious not only about money and the risk of homelessness but also has reminded her of the terrible violence she experienced and thought she would safe from. So how many people does this affect . The vast majority of people this effects our women and it is estimated there are around 3000 victims of Domestic Violence. At this a quote from the department for work and pensions says there is no plans to abolish the removal of the spare room subsidy, known as the bedroom tax. In the studio is the lawyer representing woman a, the women in this case. Rebekah carrier and also here is Kizzy Gardiner who is the locum mp for walthamstow shes standing in for Stella Creasy mp while shes on Maternity Leave and shes worked on this 0pen open letter. What do you think of this case . As explained it has been an ongoing battle to battle for a long feed of time. We started this work in 2013. My client, who we have to call client a, she had suffered terrible anxiety throughout this period. She would really have liked to come here today but she cant because the risk to her life is real. Some of those assaults mentioned took place when her ex partner had to serve a sentence for assaulting a police officer, he came out and broke into her house. This isa out and broke into her house. This is a reality that she really needs to be safe. Sanctuary schemes where a very innovative thing produced in 2006. They are a National Scheme and the idea is they change the dynamic so the idea is they change the dynamic so the women being abused doesnt have to become homeless, operator children and go somewhere else, but instead is made safe in her home. There is a carefully crafted arrangement between police, local authorities and other agencies. That is what has happened to her house. |j wonder if you could describe this womens house adapted for her . It is a Council House adapted for her safety . Council house, ordinary terraced house in an ordinary street, but to her it has to be there because she has a network of neighbours she has known for a long time, she has lived there for a long time, she has lived there for a long time, who know about the safety arrangements. She has specially adapted glass in the windows so they cant be broken, she has safe spaces in her house and she has direct lines to the police. All of that adaptation is actually quite expensive and that is why the reels suggest youre only allowed to have it but it is cheaper than the cost of having to relocate her. She also has a Spare Bedroom, which is why there is this issue with her housing benefit . She has a Spare Bedroom because at the time she was given that property in that particular pa rt that property in that particular part of the country, as is the case across the country, and there was the limit where a shortage of two Bedroom Properties and a surplus of three Bedroom Properties so she has always lived there with a smallerfamily has always lived there with a smaller family and that is what has worked locally. That is why the bedroom tax is quite a crude measure because housing availability differs across the country. What are the dup saying to her . She knew about this when she got a letter from her landlords and the local council saying she was in rent arrears and would have to leave. Housing benefit is dealt with by people like her through the local authority, who are also lines out. She had a series of letters, year after year, also lines out. She had a series of letters, year after yea r, get also lines out. She had a series of letters, year after year, get ready to leave, you must leave, pay your rent on the state, which of course you cant afford to do, early. That is very distressing for her, and as she says it is distressing for her because she is really anxious you will have to move and no amount of reassurance can take that anxiety away from her. It which is why she a lwa ys away from her. It which is why she always keeps a packed suitcase ready to go . Element when you visit her, you notice our house is very ordinary, but all the curtains are drawn and she is very anxious about opening them, and it has a secure gate as well, and you come into the hallway and some of her things are packed and she always has said, im ready to go, but she is really anxious about it. It is the end, well, almost the end of a long battle for her. Well, you say almost the end, and let me bring a new, if i may . The European Court of human rights has said this policy is discriminatory against survivors of Domestic Abuse. The government tried to appeal against that and finally was told last week it cannot appeal. The European Court of human rights ruling is final and it stands, hence this call on the government to do what . We are calling on the government to extend exemptions to women affected by this. It is not a huge amount of women affected, small numbers, but there is a moral responsibility to protect them. The government has fought against this but they have lost and the time is now to extend the exemption to protect these women in the way they should be. As has been said, this will not cost a huge amount of money, it is not a financial issue, it isa money, it is not a financial issue, it is a moral issue and it is now a legal issue because the government have been told they have to do this. We are asking them to do what they have been told by the court and make the extension applied to these women so the extension applied to these women so they can be safe in their homes. 219 households, in terms of Domestic Abuse survivors, affected by the under occupancy penalty. We are talking about a tiny amount of money in relative Government Spending terms . Yeah, really tiny amount, but as has been said, the women cant be here to represent herself because of the situation she is in and with these situations affect these women and it is literally a matter of life and it is literally a matter of life and death and you hear that a lot, but this is about their safety. A small amount of women will be massively affected by the difference. A massive difference to the women and children affected in these cases. Do you see any contradiction between the Domestic Abuse bill, which has been reintroduced, and this policy . think there a massive incongruence between the Domestic Abuse bill in this policy. The government say they wa nt this policy. The government say they want to do things to help women and children affected by Domestic Abuse. This is great, this is a chance for them to really put their money where their mouth is, and show that through action, to people genuinely affected in these situations. Let me ask you, rebekah, by the European Court of human rights ruling. What did it say specifically about this case . Element it looked at the measure introduced, the bedroom tax, the reasons for it, which the government may clear in their statement today, to reduce. To save money, to free up accommodation thatis save money, to free up accommodation that is over occupied, and they say to incentivise work. Although that one doesnt pan out because many of the people claiming housing benefit, actually most housing benefit claimants are in work, it is not a case about people who are not working are not willing to work. So the court looked at the measure and the court looked at the measure and the aim of it and the court said, to put it really simply, you can do this, you can achieve all of your aims, without putting the lives of these women and children at risk, its not necessary for you to do that. Most of the people affected are women, the overwhelming majority, and it is discriminatory against women in the way it impacts on women in these six games. And i mentioned the dwp statement we were given and we are carefully considering that discussing the court decision. They have no plans to get rid of the spare room subsidy. They dont need to get rid of the spare room subsidy, that is quite clear. They just of the spare room subsidy, that is quite clear. Theyjust need to change the regulations. It doesnt even require a full act of parliament, they need to change the regulations to add women who need to stay in a specially adapted Century Homes to be exempt. It is quite a simple thing. They could do that today. They could do that today. Wightman steve tweets, the bedroom tax has failed, notjust for victims of Domestic Abuse but for all steve tweets. It must be scrapped whole sale as a failed policy. Just tweets, unreal. Women and men fleeing dangerous domestic situation should be supported and flexibility in the system made for trauma survivors. Trauma is one of the core courses of most Mental Health diagnoses. We need to get educated. Thank you to your programme for covering this issue. We will see what happens then. Thank you both very much for coming on the programme. Kitty gardner, replacing Stella Creasy when she is on leave, the local m