Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240714

Florida, orlando, a lot of people in spain, infact florida, orlando, a lot of people in spain, in fact the majority of people in spain. Police in hong kong clash with pro democracy demonstrators, on the 16th weekend of protests. There is a bit of a showdown between these riot police with their less lethal guns and up above there are protesters throwing projectiles down. Theyre picking up targets. And coming up at half past 12, click investigates whether Technology Companies bear responsibility for the opiod crisis in the us. Jeremy corbyn has said he will serve a full term as Prime Minister if his party wins the next general election. Amid rumours that he is considering standing down, mr corbyn told the bbc he would lead labour into the next poll. The labour leader also sought to play down divisions within his top team after one of his closest aides said he would quit and criticised the partys leadership. It comes after a failed bid to oust the deputy leader tom watson, as the labour conference begins. 0ur assistant Political Editor norman smith is in brighton. Jeremy corbyn talking to andrew marr this morning and trying to calm things down a little bit. Because this is a conference which wa nted because this is a conference which wanted to be talking about some of the big policy announcement we have already had such as abolishing prescription charges, scrapping 0fsted, removing some of the tax advantages, private schools have. Much of the conference already has been devoted to internal feuding. 0f course we had that move to oust tom watson yesterday. This morning mr corbyn was saying he knew nothing about that emotion and got on well with tom watson. Andrew fisher, one of mr corbyn key aides seeking to play that down as a nonstory seeing the biggest rows he ever had with mr fisher was ever football because mr corbyn is an arsenal fan and mr fisher is a spurs fan. Have a listen to what he said on the Andrew Marr Programme. I have obviously seen the words that andrew wrote and i discussed them with him at length immediately and he is wanting to leave in order to spend time looking after his son and to be with his wife and family because this is a very stressful and full on job. And he is working with us for the rest of this year, he will be here for the general election campaign. As we speak, he is indeed downstairs we had a very convivial cup of coffee together this morning with everybody else the senior team in my office. The idea that there is some kind of, i dont know what you are leading up to here. Im literally not leading up to anything. Im literally going to put you his words. Ive heard those. A lack of human decency. Why do you think he said that . I think he said that because he was extremely distressed at that point about whatever it was going on in discussions within the office at that moment. But the spouts expats are probably nothing compared to the thunder cloud hanging over this conference which is of course brexit. We saw big demonstration yesterday by supporters who want the party to come out and unequivocally back remain. Mr corbyn sticking to his preferred position which is basically to put things off until after the election and then to hold after the election and then to hold a special conference at which labour would decide whether it was going to put a revised labour deal to the electorate or whether it would back remain. That is clearly not satisfied many of the delegates here but this morning mr corbyn refusing to commit, and actually not ruling out the possibility he could actually remain neutral in such a referendum. I am leading the party. I am proud to lead the party and proud of the democracy of our party and, of course, i will go wrong with whatever decision the party comes to, but i willjust simply say, and ive said this to everybody, please remember why people voted leave and why people voted remain. But also remember that there is more that unites all of those people over austerity, over investment, over education, over health, over a green industrial revolution, over what divides in this conference of the people are talking about brexit, but there are also discussing every other policy that youve ever thought of. With a fantastic level of enthusiasm and excitement. That clash is likely to come to a head tomorrow on the conference floor when we will have the brexit vote and crucial will be the attitude of some of the big unions. Joining me is the leader of the pcs union. Deepak mr corbyns stands . Well the tuc met a week or so ago and we had a united position which as we are all against the tory no deal brexit. We are in favour of an urgent general election and after an election we would want a Labour Government to have a second referendum and that referendum should have option and it should have a credible leave option, unlike the tories who, under theresa may, have not negotiated anything credible. That was the united view of the trade unions and that is what i hope will be agreed at the Party Conference this week. You will know, the difficulty with that of clarity on the problem is on the doorstep, when people say to you and other labour members, are you for brexit against brexit, you cant provide a clear answer at the election. Well, we have to be clear the election is not just well, we have to be clear the election is notjust about brexit. I have just addressed this conference and are medically it is also about austerity, schools, hospitals. I work in the Civil Service where there is a crisis going on. You cant administer Social Security system. In the tragedy of focusing only on brexit is it perpetuates a divide. A divided nation, divided trade union, which are shown in all the opinion polls. And if a Political Party like labour says we are only for one side of that divide, the danger is they are banned in communities like the south wales valleys to nigel farage who offers them no hope austerity and Public Services and that is the message. It put you at a huge disadvantage in any general election where we have borisjohnson any general election where we have Boris Johnson with any general election where we have borisjohnson with a pretty clear position. The liberal democrats with a pretty clear position. The brexit party with a pretty clear position and alan johnson, former party with a pretty clear position and alanjohnson, former home secretary saying the other day, we are going to get slaughtered if that is our position in the general election. But just election. Butjust think election. But just think about that for one second. But that is really saying is you pick a side and is a winner ta kes you pick a side and is a winner takes all. I think our approach to politics is to gamble everything on asi, politics is to gamble everything on a51, 49 politics is to gamble everything on a 51, 49 vote and we politics is to gamble everything on a 51,49 vote and we abandon all those people who need proper schools, private hospitals it would be betrayal of the communities. Many of them voted leave as a well as many voted to stay. Now, a trade union view of the negotiation is you cannot really tell people what your view on the dealers until you have seen view on the dealers until you have seen the itself. If labour managed to produce a deal that protects jobs, protects the community, stays in the Single Market in the Customs Union than i am sure a lot of people will take the view that that is what the people voted for. If labour managed to negotiate would you say, ok, we should take that deal and leave the eu . So my union does not take a position put on my own personal view is i have voted remained in the last ballot and i would almost certainly vote remain if there because i believe that we should look out internationally and actually, the brexit project, run by the this is Borisjohnson Brexit project, run by the this is Boris Johnson and Donald Brexit project, run by the this is borisjohnson and donald trump, who wa nt to borisjohnson and donald trump, who want to get into the nhs, who want to race to the bottom, the stakes are so to race to the bottom, the stakes are so enormous. But ultimately, somebody who cares about uniting our country and the Labour Movement i wa nt to country and the Labour Movement i want to say that election should be about austerity and about people having a reasonable choice. And when we have the referendum in 2016 and over and was told it was no deal or revoke. We were told we would have 40 revoke. We were told we would have a0 trade deals on 2a hours be a piece of cake. Now that we know that the government has negotiated nothing, we should all be against no deal. Let a Labour Government get the best deal it can and get the best dealfor the best deal it can and get the best deal for the country. Lets move past brexit and get on to the villages uniting our communities. There an almost overwhelming likelihood when labour has a conference after three months after the election the party will back remain. The mps, the constituencies and, many of the unions, they dont wa nt and, many of the unions, they dont want brexit. It is true. The labour party, the delegates would be overwhelmingly full remain. I believe the majority of the unions will. But i come from south wales and i have to say, when i see some of the valleys, places steeped in 100 years of Labour Movement tradition in the mining hotbeds of this country, vote for nigel farage, a merchant banker, millionaire, someone who wouldnt know a working man or women if he saw them then i have to say to myself, you have to listen to those voters. They think the labour party is betraying what they said that will cause acute electoral backlash which is why the responsible thing, i believe, is to listen to those voters, listen to the remain voters. Get the best deal that you can from the European Union and that the people decide. That is how you unite the country and move on. Let us be clear. The party tomorrow, we understand there will be a vote on the conference floor and presumably a clp remain composite, if the conference votes for labour to unequivocally back remain that will be your policy going into the general election . Soiama going into the general election . So i am a democrat and a trade unionist. 0f so i am a democrat and a trade unionist. Of the Labour Party Voters aid wants to stay now it is far remain that has to be the position we we re remain that has to be the position we were taken to the election but what i hope, as i said in my speech, is walk through brighton, there are people here with a Life Expectancy of a5 sleeping on the streets. Women today will live less long than the mothers. We have a Social Security crisis. Disabled people committing suicide because of our welfare state. Tax evasion on an industrial scale. If we give brexit the chance for people to have a say over credible options, it will be the most response to do and that is certainly what the conservatives or the lib dems will not be offering. And as it credible for mr corbyn to stand aside from the fray . He has left open this possibility and although the labour party may take up although the labour party may take up position maybe he wont . Is that credible . So i cannot speak forjeremy and i dont know what he would do. The view that i take is that when this deal comes back, and that when this deal comes back, and that means we need a laboured government to get that and we need to appeal to those voters who voted to appeal to those voters who voted to leave as well as those who voted to leave as well as those who voted to remain, you negotiate a deal, you make a judgment on that deal. And i believe the labour party would have to ta ke believe the labour party would have to take a view in that case and if jeremy will then have to consider his position but im sure thatjohn mcdonnell made it clear that he would do, diane abbott, Emily Thornbury and i think what we have to do is say, lets not fall into the trap of the lib dems ignoring 5296 in the trap of the lib dems ignoring 52 in Boris Johnson the trap of the lib dems ignoring 52 in borisjohnson ignoring a8 . Borisjohnson 52 in borisjohnson ignoring a8 . Boris johnson speaks of 52 in borisjohnson ignoring a8 . Borisjohnson speaks of the 1 in this country, labour must speak for everyone. Lets talk a little bit about mr corbyn. Youve seen grim pole readings about how people view him. Howfaror pole readings about how people view him. How far or is he a problem for labour at the general election . Will i dont believe he is a problem at all. I believe you bring something to politics that nobody else is bringing at the moment. The last election labour went into it double digits behind, they did much better than anybody expected. Jeremy faces a very hostile media, certainly the print media is very hostile to him and we know that within an election when there has to be balanced coverage and quality coverage, labour will get out there with a message and i think when that message is, is your kid going to a school with classes to bed . Is the teacher frazzled by their working school with classes to bed . Is the teacherfrazzled by their working 60 hours a week . Is the job you do not providing the care you believe . Do you believe attack should fund Public Services . People will listen andi Public Services . People will listen and i believe labour could win a massive victory because the alternative is borisjohnson who has never faced a consequence of austerity or his policies, he doesnt speak for people in this country, crashing us out in a disastrous direction. In the election happens, i believe that people will vote labour. Mr corbyn said today that if he wins that election he will serve a full term. Is it also true if he doesnt win that election he couldnt continue because no labour leader has survived, i dont think, anyway, no labour leader has survived two election defeats . I cant speak for him election defeats . I cant speakfor him but if labour we re i cant speakfor him but if labour were not to win the election i am sure there would be a stock take by jeremy himself and the shadow cabinet and the labour party as a whole but i hope he does when the election and i hope that i see him in ten downing st. John mcdonnell, with incredibly exciting economic policies in 11 downing st. A ministry for Employment Rights and my members currently working on job centres who have to turn people away and stop their benefits when they are late administering a compassion in welfare state. Properly funded. It would transform this country give hope to people and that is what i wa nt to hope to people and that is what i want to see. Thanks very much for your time. An awful lot going on at this conference was not just awful lot going on at this conference was notjust brexit of there we were talking mainly about brexit. Theyre really big policy announcements. We are get a vote in the next half an hour or so on private schools with calls from some constituency partners, suggesting that they should use that charitable status and be incorporated into the state sector. So there are a lot of big policy decisions also been decided here. Of course ahead of a likely general election labour having to put together a manifesto. Thank you. Travel Company Thomas Cook is meeting shareholders and creditors, in a final bid to piece together a rescue deal. The firm could fall into administration within days unless it finds an extra £200 million. In a statement, the company says all our Package Holidays continue to be fully atol protected and our Flight Operations continue to operate as normal. The foreign secretary, dominic raab, told the Andrew Marr Programme this morning that the company couldnt rely on a government bailout but a contingency plan was in place to help people if they were stranded abroad. Obviously the department for transport, the Civil Aviation authority, are following very carefully. We would wait to see and hope that it can continue but, in any event, as you would expect, we have got the Contingency Planning in place to make sure that, in any worst case scenario, we can support all of those who might otherwise be stranded. But i dont want to say too much more, given that those meetings are ongoing. 0ur correspondent Angus Crawford is outside that crucial meeting in central london. Thomas cook is hoping to get some kind of rescue plan sorted out. Angus, any news from that meeting . Well, to quote an industry insider, this is the last roll of the dice for thomas cook. As you say, in this legal building all the Major Players in this affairare legal building all the Major Players in this affair are there. Thomas cook management, the banks and shareholders, including the major shareholder, the chinese company. Now, what we dont know is the chronology of what might happen today. What we do know from a Company Insider is that they are very hopeful of getting a deal. As they say, no one wants to be the one to pull the plug so what happens now . Well, later to stay, either this afternoon on this evening the thomas cook board will meet. Now, they have to tell the Stock Exchange and the public about the decision and the public about the decision and about whatever deal may have been reached here until seven oclock on monday morning. Very often in these cases any announcements will come in the middle of the night. This has happened in previous cases and that is because that is what is called the golden hour. And that is where most aircraft were grounded at the moment. Thomas cook is remaining very tight generally but on its twitter feed today said it is aware that people may be unsettled by what is going on but Flight Operations continue to operate as normal. Thank you very much indeed, Angus Crawford. Thank you very much indeed, Angus Crawford. Lets get more on this, im joined now by the deputy travel editor of the independent, helen coffey. So much worry and concern and anxiety not only for the customers but also for the staff could be facing massive job losses. Yes, absolutely. I mean, obviously if you are a consumer it is a horrible position to be in wondering if your holiday will go ahead but for the Staff Members you got to remember that they employ 9000 people in the uk and Something Like 22,000 throughout europe. It is not just a 22,000 throughout europe. It is not justa uk 22,000 throughout europe. It is not just a uk concern. So those people right now must be feeling pretty worried about their future. What is the situation for people who are abroad now could get stranded this week and could get stuck there . We have had reports about people pretty much locked into the hotel compound unless they pay their hotel bills because the hotel is worried about not getting any of its money. Yes. And i heard that ijust thought, i mean, it is completely outrageous but it is also unlawful because the Company Actually hasnt gone into administration yet. They went until they make that decision and they announce it so that is one thing. The second thing is, even if they do, if you are abroad on holiday it is not up to you to pay for your holiday again put up you have already paid for it. That is what the protection means. Atol steps and pay those bills, not you. So dont let yourself be strong armed into paying extra money when you dont need to. And as we have heard there is a big operation battle, they called it. It is the Civil Aviation authority is already looking at leasing aircraft to essentially get all those people home. So i though it is very distressing shouldnt have to pay any money and you will be brought home, hopefully pretty much as expected. That would be a mass repatriation are potentially tens of thousands of people. Yes. It is kind of hundred and 50,000 plus people from the uk but in total it is 600,000 holiday makers who are abroad on thomas cook right now so it would be the biggest ever since world war ii is what we are hearing. It is a massive undertaking but we do have to remember that the caa did manage to remember that the caa did manage to do something similar when monarch went bust. 0bviously to do something similar when monarch went bust. Obviously it was on a smaller scale but theyve got this kind of logistical plans in place, where they create the shadow airline that mimics thomas cooks which is closely as possible. What about people who havent gone their holidays yet who are waiting very anxiously in this country waiting to find out if the holiday they have but may be spent thousands of pounds on, is actually going to happen or not. What they right . They are pretty well protected as well. 0bviously does not stop the blow to you personally if you have this lovely holiday booked and it gets cancelled because the company goes under but you should not lose out on your money but of depending on how you boot it if it was to a credit card you apply for a refund to your credit card issuer. If it is to a debit card there are various things such as the atol scheme of the chargeback scheme so you should not be out of pocket but obviously that doesnt change the fact it is really crushing. But i would say, if you have got a holiday booked, until they do go into administration you should still go on that holiday because otherwise you cannot get your money back. And finally, any way you can put the chances of them surviving stop is at 5050 chances of them surviving stop is at 50 50 now or less than that, do you think . It would seem less than that. Im not a Business Expert but the fact that this is the last ditch attempt, this meeting this morning. They have tried several avenues already and have come to nothing for that they have come to nothing for that they have even asked the government for money and as we had, that is going to happen. This seems really like the last stop. We will see. Thank you very much indeed for being with us and we can talk now to gary who was in that group of thomas cook customers who we re group of thomas cook customers who were staying at a beach resort and bungalows in tunisia. Now, the hotel, as we were talking to helen about refused to let some customers leave until they had been paid by thomas cook or by the guests. Gary is now home in shrewsbury, i am glad to save a copyjoins us now. Gary, tell us what happened. Basically, a roundabout three or four oclock yesterday afternoon the management started to put requests of payment under certain peoples doors. We went to have a shower and get a room of the act would not let us get a room of the act would not let us out of the room and those who are willing to pay our said we had already paid it. And then, as normally happens, collection of people started to mill around reception desk and we found out an old lady who had been in hospital, who fell on her first day and came back and had just paid to have thousand pounds under some duress to the reception so that she could continue her stay and leave that night. As the night progressed the security guards locked the gate at the bottom of the entrance drive. And prevented us from leaving, basically. And that type in question make were actually more or less held hostage . We were. Absolutely. I contacted the Foreign Commonwealth Office and they told us that mackay said we are being prevented from leaving and they told us it was an issue with thomas cook and to try and get hold of thomas cook, which of these it was pointless. The local rep, to be fairto him, he was pointless. The local rep, to be fair to him, he doesnt know if he is going to get paid on monday, he was trying to arrange the payment so that the management would allow us to leave. It was apparently the owner who was in italy and hejust made a commitment that no one was to leave unless you got this payment from thomas cook. A second coach then turned up and was turned away by then of course it was getting a bit fraught. Tempers were fraying. I have seen some reports that the guards were armed. There were not armed. A lot of them are the guys who were on the beach patrol. They we re who were on the beach patrol. They were just what they were told to do, prevent us from leaving. A lot of talking but there was no actual, any physical restraint. It started to rain. Everyone went back inside and for the next two hours we all stayed in there. Then they wouldnt let our luggage be released and then one of the lads managed to get inside the luggage store and open the door and then obviously everyone released their own luggage then and they were not going to stop us doing that and towards the end of the night, around about 10pm, news came that payment had been made and that a bus would turn up very quickly to take us to the airport. It turned that round about ten and i think about 19 of us including the old lady got on the coach and we were taken to the airport where the plane, the incoming plane had been delayed and that worried a lot of people anyway because we thought that the incoming plane wasnt coming in. And then after an hour we boarded normally. Thomas cook never mentioned it, not even an apology, nothing. Not a squeak. We got off at manchester and i think everyone was really, really relieved to be back on uk soil without having to pay anything apart from the old lady and we believe she is trying to get that payment returned to her to the bank or credit card. She was in a lot of pain, she was very distressed, she was over 80. It was quite an experience. It tried to get out. There was glass on the wealth of double tie to take the glass off the walls. This morning we understand, from the same hotel, because we have good friends there, they tried to prevent our flight ban for glasgow and that turned into a bit of a fisticuffs and there were some physical restraint. The local police we re physical restraint. The local police were called. They told the holiday makers that they need to come down and get back inside. And we dont know the current status of one of that glasgow flight has gone. Fascinating to hear your story, gary. As you say, believed to be home, im sure. Thank you very much indeed for recounting to us exactly what happened to you and those with you. 23 thomas cook customers staying at that resort in tunisia. 23 thomas cook customers staying at that resort in tunisia. Hundreds of riot police have clashed with protestors at a Shopping Centre and Railway Station complex in hong kong, after hard line activists smashed ticketing machines and glass billboards. Its the 16th weekend of protests by pro democracy campaigners. 0ur correspondent Stephen Mcdonell is in sha tin and joins us now live. Reports that tear gas was fired once again there, stephen. I dont know what you saw but it has been another day of chaos. Yes, absolutely. We definitely saw that. I mean, right now it is a peaceful sunday evening, people are jogging peaceful sunday evening, people are jogging along next to the river behind me going for walks and things like that. Hard to believe that an hour ago there was a violent conflict on the streets here. It all started when people gathered in the Shopping Centre here. It was peaceful there was singing and chanting, and then at one point the more hardline wing of that Pro Democracy Movement moved on the mtr station started smashing it out. Ticket machines smashed and they we re ticket machines smashed and they were spraying graffiti on the walls and then, even in the general Shopping Centre, there were neon signs and ads, you know, glass ads being smashed up. Lots of camino, glass strewn along the floor. People had built a barricade at one point inside the Shopping Centre and sprayed stuff all over the ground to make the police slip over in order to slow the approach of the riot police. Well, the riot police did, though, come and then eventually it all spilled out into the streets. You know, the Shopping Centres of hong kong have become one of the battle grounds here. And especially the mtr stations because these hardline the mtr stations because these ha rdli ne protests the mtr stations because these ha rdline protests blame the mtr stations because these hardline protests blame the train operatorfor hardline protests blame the train operator for colluding with the police and the government. They said that following pressure from mainland Chinese Media control by the communist party that whenever they have a protest that line will be shut down stations will be closed and so for that reason they think it is fairgame to and so for that reason they think it is fair game to go and smash up the mtr stations. Many people who support the more general goals of the protest movement dont all necessarily support that and so they are with fire in terms of public support. Nevertheless, though, with all this destruction here today of course the riot police moved in, clear people out. We had running street battles, with rubber bullets being fired, with the so called beanbag rounds, they are the shotgun pellets wrapped in bags. They are being fired, tear gas, bricks being thrown in the other direction at the police and then eventually when they moved in fast enough, the raptor units, as they are called, they went in to try and grab as many protesters as they could and at that stage the activists fled from the scene and now it is kind of, as i say, returned a sort of normal here except that you can see still much of the debris of a political crisis now in its fourth month strewn all over the area. Now its time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. Hello. Although we had a sunshine to start in the east of the uk, it is all change today with these weather fronts sat across the country with thundery showers followed by more persistent rain and yet more showers. The far north east of scotland might escape, mostly dry and fine, but there are showers to come here which could be thundery