0 >> good morning everybody. it is 8:00, you are very welcome to join us here on the breakfast show on sky news. nearly five weeks, five weeks since the war in ukraine! and russian forces say they are scaling back their offensive around the capital of kyiv. but a warning from the u.s., and in the uk, not to take that promise at face value. the deputy prime minister tells us he doesn't trust putin's war machine. we will bring you an extraordinary interview with our own stewart ramsey. he will be speaking to us for the first time about that moment. remember when he and his team came under gunfire attack reporting the war in ukraine. we are very lucky to still have been with us. plus the maternity scandal that left hundreds of babies dead or brain damage the findings that were reported this morning. we'll talk to the health secretary. it is wednesday of course, -- repositioning not withdraw of new pictures of merch of the besieged city of mariupol. the government reacts to russia's latest movements. >> we charge the russian military machine spice actions, not just its words. there is obviously skepticism that it will regroup to attack again. >> the worst maternity scandal in nhs history. a major report will reveal the true scale of failings at a hospital trust where hundreds of babies died, or were left brain damaged. >> nobody should have to leave the hospital without their baby, knowing it was avoidable, the pain is indescribable -- >> indeed they are getting safer. that is indeed the -- remembering the spin -- will come together to pay tribute to the cricket legend shane warne at his stadium. >> -- able to join -- farewell. >> laser focused from egypt says players faced abuse as -- penalty miss says miss out on the world cup. >> what is it? tell us who you are. what is wrong with me? >> it is a sin. leading the tv baftas with 11 nominations. also coming up on the program for you this morning, wherever you are watching us around the world, we will speak to our chief correspondent stewart ramsey to hear from him for the first time since he and his team have come under fire close to kyiv as well as ambassador to the uk. >> you have north already here jackie weaver north already all -- >> schiff kept him out! >> i'm afraid the investigation into what happened doesn't agree is one of the viral moments of the pandemic which she did not have the authority to virtually object counselors. we are talking to her shortly. hi everyone, a very good morning. nearly five weeks into the russian invasion of ukraine, and vladimir importance forces have promised to significantly scale back military activity around the capital kyiv following peace talks in turkey. the deputy prime minister -- telling us this morning we need to treat clemson putin's war machine with a degree of skepticism. the ukrainian president says he is also skeptical and can't trust the latest promise from russia. and in the last hour on the program, the deputy pm agreed. let's have a key look at the developments you are waking up to this morning. then we will hear from -- uk and u.s. intelligence says that moscow has started scaling back troops from the ukrainian capital of kyiv. but only, so that they can intensify and offensive in other parts of the country. it comes after peace talks between the two countries inestimable yesterday. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy called them, positive. but, the ministry of defense says russia is starting to deploy whacked or mercenaries to reinforce its assault on eastern ukraine as desperation grows on the kremlin. well in the last hour i spoke to dominic y who said the government would not put faith in russian claims it is moving ships away from parts of ukraine -- 's >> russian military actions by its actions, not just as waves. there's also skepticism it will regroup to attack again rather than seriously engage in the pharmacy or anything of that nature of course the door to diplomacy will all be lee wagner left the job but i don't think you can trust what's coming out of the mouth of putin's war machine. >> well the latest satellite images of ukraine showed thousands of people queuing outside of a grocery store in the besieged city of mariupol. the port city in the southeast of the country has become a focal point for russian aggression, which has left its citizens sheltering without much food or water due to the constant threat of shelling. similarly, thousands have also been fleeing the northern city -- of that has been devastated by russian forces. despite moscow's promise to scale back military operations in the country, the president zelenskyy has urged his citizens to exercise caution amid the still existing threat of shelling. >> we can call the signals we hear from the negotiating platform positive, but the signals do not shown out the blows of russian shells. of course, we see all the risks. of course, we see no reason to trust the words of certain representatives of a state that continues to fight for our destruction. ukrainians are not naive people. ukrainians have already learned both during this 34 days of invasion, and over the past eight years of the war in donbas. it is only a concrete result that can be trusted. >> has there been some movement? by some russian units away from kyiv in the last day or so? yes. we think. so small numbers. but we believe that this is a repositioning, not a real withdraw. we should all be prepared to watch for a major offensive against other areas of ukraine. it does not mean that the threat to kyiv is over. >> well, alistair has the latest on this for us. >> the announcement just after talks finished by the russian deputy defense minister yesterday that russian forces would withdraw from the positions around kyiv took everyone by surprise. not potentially a very good thing, they say it is to build trust with ukrainians and further peace talks now i think the question is is that the genuine concession, or is it a move out of strategic necessity? by, that i mean that russian forces have failed to encircle the capital. they have failed to get forces anywhere close to the center of it. and it is unthinkable that they could even take the capital that was one of their main objectives so in reality, they would have had to pull back, rethink anyways. maybe that is what they are doing. that is why there is great skepticism with the ukrainians, and the rest of the world. we have seen it from the americans well. about this gesture, whether it is genuine or not. we will only know when we see it whether or not russia does withdraw its forces with large numbers. having said all that, and sounding less pessimistic there is a genuine know of optimism out of these talks there is a feeling that the concessions are being made on both sides that the palace and -- as for whether or not presidents ellen ski and putin are close to meeting in person as the turks have suggested, i'm not sure that we are there yet. there is a lot of work left to be done, i think the two sides still disagree on too much, but i think the gap possibly is coming closer. >> -- i don't nhs hospital trust where hundreds of babies died or left brain damaged will be revealed this morning, a major review into the feelings of i -- tell for it is expected to blame the culture that favorite natural births and repeatedly failed to monitor babies properly. we will have that report around 10:00. becky standing force insurers berry this morning. hello to you becky, it is a very stressful time when you are pregnant you go in, you are scared, you put your hands in the baby's life, in the hands of a professional, and you expect to come out with your baby. >> indeed. and the families who lost babies -- antitrust trust have waited a very long time for this report because they have always believed that their babies should not have died. it is because of their persistence because they both wanted their voices heard that we will hear the full details of the scandal. we know that this was a trust that favored natural birth overseas areas. we know that in some cases they blamed mothers for their own maybe's death. this report will reveal the full scale of his scandal, a tragedy that over two decades have affective so many families. >> across -- there are children mishitting. >> it is just that. you should be enjoying the strength and slide with your child. >> haley's son jack would be seven might now, but he only lived for 11 hours. >> when he was in intensive care i was able to hold his hand, so when i stroke his handprint, i feel like he is still holding his hand. he died due to fatal errors. >> i'm angry more than anything because i know if i had a caesarean it would be a play on the part today. that is what gets you so angry and upset. >> jack is one of hundreds of babies who died or left brain time inched, an independent report will reveal the full scale of the scandal, after parents fought for the truth. for many years they have been demanding to know why so many babies died. what was going on inside these hospitals. how was it allowed to happen. the report has examined serious failings over two decades at this nhs trust. there is always going to be -- a hole in my heart, in our lives, and that can't change. it is painful. >> midwives didn't listen to staff until it was too late. >> the cause of their death was the lack of oxygen and that would not have happened if they didn't come to me as soon as i arrived. >> she is determined it must never happen again. >> nobody should have to leave that hospital without their baby. knowing it was avoidable, the pain is indescribable. >> the hospital trust say they take full responsibility. change will come too late for so many families. >> i think it just can't be overemphasized that everything that we will hear today, and we do expect this report to be very damning is only coming to light because of the families are refusing to believe that their babies had to die. they were told, some of these families, by doctors that baby's death where their own false. they were told that they should go home, get pregnant again, they would get over it. these families are still devastated by what has happened to them and they believe the legacy for their babies will be improvements in the maternity care, not just at the -- health trust but maternity care across the whole of england. said to me that this needs to be a watershed moment for maternity care, and says it should never be left to fray families to fight for the truth like this again. >> thank, you 10:00 this morning as when we are going to hear more about the -- report. that is the name of the report into the deaths of so many babies. -- we're left with permanent brain damage. we will get more on that for you. hard to imagine, if you give an extra hard this morning. in the last hour i spoke to the chair of the house select committee and while he said the majority of birth now are perfectly safe, today's report will be hard for many people to read. >> i think it is going to be a very sobering report. i commission this report back in 2016 when two families came to see, me and they were worried about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their children. and there mushrooms and having 23 families and it up looking at nearly two dozen cases. the nhs will to save the birth of nearly 6000 babies every year. the vast majority are totally safer and i think today's report is going to be very sobering read. >> well, he is with us now, kindly imagine how these parents and there was a culture of telling them that there was nothing that could have been done and potentially go home and try to get pregnant again. when are we going to stop this? >> well i really hope that today's report marks the report and gives justice to the families you had to campaign to get heat review in the first place, which i think they have never been put in that position. we have been talking to the team and not expecting -- -- by the end of this journey of campaigning for justice that they feel was some vindication and also some assurance that this is not going to happen to women in the future. i think on some -- the only real comfort we can provide to these families now is to say that the truth has come out, lessons will generally be learned, and there will be a turning point. >> -- >> well, i haven't seen the recommendations, in fact i think she is going to be setting these things out as must do, is not recommendations. -- political divide act -- health secretary will expect the findings in full, and we will hold on to it. i hope this will be a moment of consensus in the house of commons -- but there will be some consensus on this. the thing that does worry me about this in particular is the shortage of nhs staff right across the board. it is particularly acute maternity services and even last year we had hundreds of cases where women were turned away from maternity and it's because there were not staff there to receive them. so, this report does look at historic failures dating back 20 years, and across successive governments being able to acknowledge that. it is not just about -- but there are real challenges today and i think we have to face up to those. every expecting mother in this country cannot have the confidence and certainty of knowing that when she gets worse she will be in defense. >> as you point out, you know, historically the government was not without guilt, we saw what happened with the -- scandal and it all comes down to the fact that parents, and patients are complaining and politicians are not listening to them. do you expect that politicians in the past have not always listen to people when they have had heartfelt conditions. >> it is not just politicians, i think the nhs has to learn lessons as well. some of the testimony we have been hearing from the grieving moms this morning about their experiences of asking questions, raising concerns, asking for caesarean sections, being denied. i think there is a lesson here about being listening to patients. of course when we put ourselves in the hands of clinicians, we respect their clinical expertise and judgment. we also know our own bodies, nothing sense home the -- listening to patients in the way that needs to happen. there is a cultural change that is needed as well as the investment in the staff, the -- high quality and accessible services not just on maternity but challenges in the nhs right now. >> given that you have spoken to the reports author, how confident are you that what happened assures worry would never happen again. >> well, if we listen, and we act, i think will be as confident as we can be. i think that is the responsibility on the government today. it will be a cross party responsibility as well and i can commit to those recommendations, those must do's as i'm sure -- will be holding into account as the opposition but will also be taken on board our next general election where we hope we will be in government. >> will you be testing if you have covid symptoms? >> yes i think people should. to be honest -- >> one if they can afford to? >> that is the question. i think what is effectively happening now is a stealth tax, a covid tax on people doing the right things. i'm clyde that finally the government seeing sense in the nhs staff will get access to free testing. but what about families that are struggling to pay for the test? one of our people going regularly into care homes to see their parents or grandparents and will want to do the right thing before going in? we have rising bells, we know the cost of living is a big issue, and we have big tax raises coming in april two which will hit families. so on top of this, to add an additional cost, while lecturing the public on personal responsibility when it comes to covid which is laughable given the actions of the prime minister, we have to make sure people can afford to do the right thing. that is why i think it is the wrong decision at the wrong time to take away access to free testing. now >> you have been reading my notes haven't you, because i was going to ask about what happened with the surprise party -- we had the first tranche of finds, 20 separate finds, don't know how many, people but 20 separate fines have been issued. people were breaking the law at the hearts of downing street when the rest of the country were in lockdown. what does that say about the culture of downing street? >> it says the prime minister is a liar, because he told the house of commons repeatedly that there were no parties and no wrongdoing and -- >> that he was aware of. he says he wasn't aware of. >> he was there. that is what i think is so completely until -able about boys johnson's position as prime minister now. you know, i can't think of a single prime minister that has -- walked into the house of commons and deliberately lied. there may be times the prime minister's have been wrong, there maybe have been times where prime ministers might bend the truth, or stretch the truth, and every week a prime minister's question. but they have been guilty of answering different questions to the once asked, these are the ones -- sometimes the truth can be uncomfortable when presented with difficult questions. you have seen that. but, to have a prime minister lie to the country, so the house of commons, to the queen, and still be imposed ice completely unacceptable. >> what should happen if he received a fix penalty? >> well, i think it is the same rule that applies to everyone. his position would also be -- and it is amazing how invisible the chance has been over the party gate allegations. he lives next door. i think he should be really upfront now himself about whether or not he has been involved in any wrongdoing, and up front with the country. i hope that in the case of all government ministers, they will be able to return to a position where we can take them at their word, when they categorically tell us something is not true, we can believe them. but how can we when we have prime minister at the top who has knowingly lied. we have conservative mps who are tolerating this. we have come to a point where i suspect was johnson will lead the conservative party to the next election because stories that made themselves complicit in his lie, and ultimately it is up to the voters to ask and solve the question are you the public honorable and tolerant of a situation where the prime minister can knowingly tell bare face lies to you the british people? and if you are not happy with, us you have an opportunity at the local elections to stand for storms impacting, and you will have an opportunity at the next general elections first and the prime minister packing too. >> and just before i let you go, -- front page of yesterday's telegraph that men who go through scams and hospital are now going to be asked to either they are pregnant? is that appropriate excuse of antitrust funds? >> i don't know about fans, i do think we need a bit of common sense, tolerance, and reasoning in this debate about trans people, and gender identity. and, i think people in clinical settings, the nhs has tried and tested guidelines on how to deal with people respectfully, and when i went in for mike scams last year i did not need to be asked whether i was pregnant, evidently night. if someone is going in who has undergone gender reassignment, or is going through the process of transitioning, maybe presence in a different gender to the sex they were born into, then maybe those questions are appropriate. but we have to take things on a case by case basis. apply some common, sense and in terms of the more general debate about trans rights, inclusion, the tension exist between sex based rights and gender identity which racing play out on our television screens that programs like yours. let's just have a bit more calm and, common sense, decency, and this debate and i must say, speaking for myself, i'm