Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At One 20170426

Surrey police are strongly criticised for returning shotguns to a man who went on to murder his partner and her daughter at a puppy farm. Almost a decade after Madeleine Mccann disappeared, detectives said they are still following a critical lead. And our green and pleasant land, but for how much longer . Warnings that Climate Change could have a dramatic impact on britains gardens. Coming up in sport on bbc news. Sunderland manager david moyes is charged by the fa after being caught on camera telling a reporter she might get a slap after a match last month. Good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. There were angry exchanges in the commons today in what was the last Prime Ministers questions before parliament is dissolved next week. The Prime Minister said only the conservatives could provide strong and stable leadership. Mr corbyn responded by saying the conservatives only represented the rich. Our Political Correspondent ian watson reports. Questions to the Prime Minister. M is fairto questions to the Prime Minister. M is fair to say pmqs can be a rowdy affair but today it felt even more like a political rally. As the election battle lines were drawn. The Prime Minister launched a pre emptive strike even before Jeremy Corbyn asta question, theresa may attacked the record of the Labour Leader and his team on security. The plan to disband mi5, Disarm Police and scrap the Nuclear Deterrent was endorsed by the right honourable gentlemans policy chief and even by his shadow chancellor. And ina and even by his shadow chancellor. And in a sign that they will fight the campaign on the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn Conservative Mps jeered when he announced how long he had been Labour Leader. When i became Labour Leader 18 months ago. This could be the last time theresa may and Jeremy Corbyn clash head to head before the election. She will not take part in Television Debates and so the Labour Leader Wa Nted Debates and so the Labour Leader wanted to denounce just about the entire record of the government today, health, housing and pensions. And road tester few campaign slogans. Many people feel that the syste m slogans. Many people feel that the system is rigged against them. Then he broadened the attack. Strong leadership is about standing up for the many and not the few. But when it comes to the Prime Minister and the conservatives, they only look after the rich and not the rest. They are strong against the week and theyre weak against the strong. Labour are determined that the Election Campaign should not be conducted on the terms of the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn did not mention brexit. Theresa may unsurprisingly did the complete opposite. Every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. Every vote for a chaotic brexit. Every vote for a chaotic brexit. Every vote for me is a vote to strengthen oui vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best dealfor britain. Expect our hand in negotiating the best deal for britain. Expect to hear a lot more of that over the next six weeks. Meanwhile the snp Deputy Leader chose to campaign on the issue of the state pension. Pensioners right across this land are right to conclude that this tory Prime Minister plans to ditch the triple lock on the state pension. This was the longest pmqs on record, lasting the best part of an hour. But politics is about to move away from westminster and it will now be up from westminster and it will now be up to the voters to put the politicians the spot. On the spot. Our assistant Political Editor norman smith is in westminster. Was anything new in these clashes . It was a highly charged session as youd expect. A kind of Curtain Raiserfor youd expect. A kind of Curtain Raiser for the campaign ahead, youd expect. A kind of Curtain Raiserfor the campaign ahead, a very long Curtain Raiser, double length of time it normally takes as a speakerjust length of time it normally takes as a speaker just allowed length of time it normally takes as a speakerjust allowed mps to have their say. What we learned i think is how the main parties are going to fight the election. The conservatives clearly want to make itan conservatives clearly want to make it an issue of leadership. Again and again theresa may stressing this catchphrase of the conservative party, strong and stable leadership. The first tory mp to ask a question, michael fabricant, mentioned the phrase three times and whenJeremy Corbyn replied and said when i became Labour Leader i8 corbyn replied and said when i became Labour Leader 18 months ago there were cheers on the tory benches. As forJeremy Corbyn, he wa nts to benches. As forJeremy Corbyn, he wants to present himself as the underdog, standing up for the many and not the few, defending Public Services against austerity and cuts. Quoting letters he received from viewers from constituents worried about the lack of pay rises, schools, the nhs. The most significant moment may have came have come from Angus Robertson of the snp who challenged theresa may over whether she was going to retain the triple lock guaranteeing pension increases. And again she dodged it. That tells us i think thats theresa may is increasingly confident about this election, that she seems to be potentially prepared to disappoint the one group of voters we know who do go out to vote, the pensioners. Thank you. Meanwhile labour has announced plans to scrap the 1 tax on Pay Increases for nhs staff in england and to end tuition fees for Student Nurses and midwives. It will be partly funded through an increase to Corporation Tax but the plants will not plans will not be fully costed until the Labour Election Manifesto is published. Our Health Editor hugh pym has been looking at labours plans. Marches by Student Nurses and midwives in protest at plans in england to scrap state funded bursaries. From August Nurses and midwives starting training will need to take out student loans, as with other courses. The government argues this will encourage universities to create a lot more places. But ucas figures Show University applications were nearly a quarter lower this year in england. Labour says, if elected, it will restore the Bursaries Due to be scrapped in august. The party also wants to end the i pay cap for health staff. It says its policies will be paid for by reversing Corporation Tax cuts. Labour also plans to get regulators to draw up guidelines on safe staffing in hospitals and then legislate to make hospitals abide by them. We think it is deeply unfair that our nhs staff have had to suffer from a i pay cap continually under this conservative government. We are saying we are going to scrap that cap, were going to give our nhs staff the pay they deserve and we are going to ask the independent Public Sector pay bodies to look at the evidence again and come forward with a fair package for our nhs staff, because they deserve better than what theyre getting under this conservative government. But the conservatives argue that labours Funding Plans for the measures didnt stack up. Theres always a case for paying nurses more, they work extremely hard. But labour have already promised this money from Corporation Tax 12 times. They promised it for University Tuition fees, for the schools budget. And if you dont really have that money, if you then lift that pay cap, what you end up having to do is to employ fewer nurses and that means less safe hospital wards. The Liberal Democrats said labour was not being honest with the public about the revenue raised to pay for the policies. Hugh pym, bbc news. So how would labour pay for these proposals . Critics say the plan is simply not feasible. Reality checks chris morris has been sifting through the facts. Labour says we will have to wait until their manifesto is published before we know exactly how they will fund their proposed changes to the nhs. But heres a first look at how much their proposals could cost. A 1 rise in nhs pay in england would cost an estimated £350 million per year if you exclude doctors, £500 million if you include them. But labour also wants to increase the number of front line staff, so the actual bill could be much higher. The house of Commons Public Accounts Committee has estimated that the nhs is about 50,000 staff short of safe levels and adding those extra staff would cost an extra £2 £3 billion per year. Another cost is reversing the plan to end bursaries and introduce tuition fees for Student Nurses and midwives in england. That would add roughly another £800 million per year in spending. Now labour say they will fund these changes by increasing Corporation Tax, which is a tax levied on company profits. Corporation tax has been reduced by the government from 28 in 2010 to i9 now and it is due to go down to i7 by 2020. The latest figures we have show that £45. 5 billion were collected from Corporation Tax between 2015 and 2016. In other words increasing the current rate of Corporation Tax could free up money for the nhs but labour has also suggested spending any increased tax take on amongst other things, social care, ending University Tuition fees, and the adult skills budget. So once again we will have to wait until the Labour Manifesto is released to see how the figure is actually add up. West ham and Newcastle United football clubs have been raided as part of an investigation into suspected income tax and National Insurance fraud. Nearly 200 tax officers are part of an investigation into alleged fraud in football. 0ur Sports Correspondent Natalie Pirks is at the London Stadium, home to west ham. What do we know . We understand around 50 officers raided the taxpayer funded home of west ham at the London Stadium at around eight oclock this morning. There were still here are ten oclock and we have just seen about ten officers going back into the stadium. About 20 minutes ago. So some five hours later. We know financial records and computers have been seized and also we understand st james computers have been seized and also we understand stjames park, home of Newcastle United, was also rated this morning. Theyre Managing Director lee charlie was elected. Now he has been with the club for many years, he has been Managing Director since 2008 at the News Comesjust director since 2008 at the news comes just days after the club were promoted back to the premier league. There are also reports that both Training Grounds for both clubs have been raided as well for the west ham are saying they are cooperating fully with hmrc, a spokesman for hmrc has confirmed that both are pa rt hmrc has confirmed that both are part ofan hmrc has confirmed that both are part of an investigation involving 180 officers across the uk and france. The French League is interesting, both clubs have done a lot of business with french clubs in the past few years and currently the french authorities are saying no comment. Hmrc went on to say that several men have been arrested, working within the profession, for suspected income tax and National Insurance fraud. They will not get any more details but we understand it is suspected fraud. And we can also talk to richard conway, our sports news correspondent. Is this the first time with non tax authorities are looking into british football . Well at the Public Accounts Committee last december a senior officials spoke about the concerns of hmrc around image rights, that is part of a contract for players, they get paid for the commercial use of their image by the club. They said they were concerned about that. What we do not know either specific reasons behind these rates today. But hmrc told mps in december that 43 footballers eight agents and 12 clubs were under enquiry in relation to these image right payment. We will have to wait for more detail as to why these raids were carried out today at west ham in newcastle. It is around £5 million of fraud relating to tax and National Insurance. But in a Statement Today hmrc were clear about their intentions saying that the raids send a clear message that whoever you are you can expect to face the consequences if you commit tax fraud. Surrey police have been strongly criticised for returning a collection of shotguns to a man who went on to kill his partner and her daughter. 82 year old john lowe shot christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in farnham in 2014. A report by the independent Police Complaints commission heres duncan kennedy. The white haired Figure Ofjohn lowe moments after he shot dead christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in surrey. Christine who was a partner at her daughter lucy were killed with a shotgun. This shotgun. That had been returned tojohn lowe by Surrey Police. John lowe, seen here at the police station, was jailed for life. Today be independent Police Complaints Commission Said that Surrey Police had made a series of errors in handing the gun back to him. But there were lessons for all Police Forces. We found systematic failings for the local force and also we feel there are lessons to be learned nationally for Police Forces to ensure that there are far arms licensing teams are up to the job. It was in march 2013 Thatjohn Lowe had his shot guns seized by Surrey Police after allegations that he had made threats to kill. That complaint was later withdrawn. Injuly made threats to kill. That complaint was later withdrawn. In july 2013 the shotguns and license were returned to him. Seven months later christine and lucy lee were shot dead with one of the weapons. Stacy banner, the daughter of christine and sister to lucy said the police had been warned aboutjohn lowe. And sister to lucy said the police had been warned Aboutjohn Lowelj told the police how dangerous he was. I told the police that he would kill. And he did. Surrey police have admitted mistakes were made in this case. They say the medical Records Ofjohn Lowe will not properly investigated and that a full Risk Assessment was not carried out before the guns were given back to him. Senior officers say they have apologised to the family of christine and lucy lee. To accept that if the guns had not been returned then christine and lucy lee could still be alive . Clearly he used those shotguns in a double murder, a horrific case, seven months after they were returned. I do not think we can ever be asked to see into the future but clearly what should happen in this case is a better Risk Assessment should have been done and those guns should not been done and those guns should not been returned. One member of staff from Surrey Police was sacked over the case, retired. The deaths of christine and Lucy Lee Have traumatised family and change the way guns are now controlled in the uk. Our top story this lunchtime clashes between theresa may and Jeremy Corbyn in the commons for the last time before the election. And still to come. The former world number one Maria Sharapova is back for her first match since her 15 month doping ban. Coming up in sport at half past, former Winnerjohn Higgins is the first man into the semifinals of the World Snooker championship. He beat kyren wilson to make it through for the first time in six years. Next week will be the 10th Anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine Mccann. Detectives say they are still pursuing what they describe as a critical lead in the case. The little girl was three when she vanished during a Family Holiday in portugal. Her parents kate and gerry say the 10th Anniversary is a horrible marker of. Stolen time. And theyve promised never to give up looking for their daughter. Our Home Affairs Correspondent tom symonds reports. Ten years, no answers. A desperate search with the media following every step. What happened here . Where is Madeleine Mccann . This is still a Missing Persons enquiry. Despite 2014s Extensive Police searches in portugal, there is no definitive evidence she is dead. For six years, with government money, the metropolitan police have been reviewing everything from scratch. We have a significant line of enquiry which is worth pursuing. And because it is worth pursuing, it could provide an answer. But until we have gone through it, i will not know whether were going to get there or not. And that is all the police are saying. This investigation was once pursued by up to 30 officers. Now there are just four on the case and a handful of leads. But while theres still something to investigate, there is still hope. Madeleines parents have described the ten Year Anniversary as a horrible marker of stolen time. Theyve released a statement promising never to give up. There have been many challenges and low points along the way, they said, but the warmth, encouragement and positivity we have experienced from the quiet majority has undoubtedly sustained us and maintained our faith in human goodness. This is how madeleine might have looked as she has grown up. Her 14th birthday is the week after next. Tom symonds, bbc news. The us military has begun Installing Parts of an advanced Missile Defence system at a site in south korea amid continuing high tensions with north korea over its missile and nuclear programmes. Meanwhile in washington, the entire us senate will get a Security Briefing on north korea at the white house today in whats a highly unusual move. From south korea, heres stephen evans. Just a few miles south of north korea, 2,000 american and south korean troops practise with real ammunition. They attack targets in the hills with fearsome weaponry. A true show of force. And a show of unity between the military of the two nations, all watched from the grandstand by south korean spectators, unfazed by the current war of words between washington and north korea. She says, as we see in these drills, kim jong un will know how strong the south Korean Military is. And i dont think hed ever dare to attack us. He says, im certainly more worried than before because of president trumps hardline policy. Kim jong un is not the type of person to be pushed around. North korea says this is a rehearsal for invasion. China doesnt like them either. It wants the exercises stopped and for north korea to stop Testing Missiles and nuclear devices. It thinks that kind of moratorium, a quid pro quo, could be the basis for a deal. It is not likely to happen. Right in the south of the peninsula, under cover of darkness, the us deployed an anti Missile System called thad, designed to shoot down north korean attacks. There were protests. Local people fear the system will be targeted. In north korea, there were also war exercises. North korea has thousands of big artillery guns capable of hitting the south korean capital seoul. And the 25 Million People who live there. Stephen evans, bbc news, south korea. Lets cross to washington now and our correspondent Barbara Plett usher. Tell us about the Security Briefing that will be taking place today at the white house and how unusual it is. It is unusual, especially if you are talking about all of the senators. Normally, the Administration Officials would go to capitol hill to give this briefing. It was president trumps idea to do it this way. Perhaps he wants to undermine the message that he is very serious about north korea, although he is trying to put the best face on his first 100 days in office. One way to do that might be to ta ke office. One way to do that might be to take this sort of position on a National Security issue. There is a real concern about the National Security threat from north korea. The assessment is that the north koreans are able to make more sophisticated Nuclear Weapons and they might be able to hit the United States within a couple of years, so thatis states within a couple of years, so that is focusing minds here. Senators will want to know what the Trump Administration strategy is. They will be asking a lot of questions at this briefing. So far, the approach has been to increase the approach has been to increase the pressure and to have tough rhetoric on military options, to increase Military Presence in the region. But at the same time, very much to focus on economic and diplomatic pressure would be the approach in the next couple of days and weeks, especially leaning on china to do more to squeeze north korea. China is its main ally. And also to check out the options of more sanctions on pyongyang. There has been talk, for instance, of an oil embargo. Barber, thank you. The boss of barclays, jes staley, is warning about imposing strict Immigration Rules post brexit this lunchtime. He says ensuring that eu citizens can continue working in the uk Financial Sector should be the top concern for british banks. Hes been speaking at a summit of Business Leaders at county hall in central london, from where our Business Editor Simon Jackjoins us. Yes, this happy gathering you see is a bit likea yes, this happy gathering you see is a bit like a Business Version of a truth and reconciliation event, the truth and reconciliation event, the truth being that we are leaving the eu, the reconciliation being between a majority who didnt want that to happen and the minority you did. They have been trying to come together in a show of unity to try and thrash out the best way forward to make brexit as successful as possible. I spoke earlier to the Chief Executive of barclays, jes staley. Making sure we have access to the best and brightest of talent around the world coming to london and coming to the United Kingdom is the best thing for the financial industry, perhaps even more important than passporting. And as that talent comes through the university system, if you think about start up businesses and new creative technologies, young people and talent all over the world coming to the United Kingdom, going through the educational system and then providing that new intellectual capital for a bank like barclays, thats tremendously important. And that is not a typical of people here, an emphasis on retaining access to skills. Remember, this is access to skills. Remember, this is a Business Lobby that during the referendum itself largely wanted to stay in. Their voice was ignored. Whether the government will listen to them now that we are heading for the exit remains to be seen. Simon, thank you. A fire has broken out at the Christie Hospital in manchester. The blaze in the cancer uk Research Lab Building started at 10. 45 this morning. Five greater mnachster five appliances were at the site in withington. Cancer patients at the 140 bed hospital havent yet been evacuated, and a Hospital Spokesman said all staff and patients were safe. She was banned from tennis 15 months ago for doping, but today the russian former world number one Maria Sharapova is back for her first match after being suspended last year. Shell take on the italian Roberta Vinci at the stuttgart 0pen. But her return has divided opinion amongst her fellow players. John watson reports. Allowed back in, but not to the fa nfa re allowed back in, but not to the fanfare that has greeted her for much of her career. Maria sharapova makes her much anticipated return to competitive tennis today after a 15 month suspension. Until yesterday, she remained banned, and without the necessary ranking to qualify, the decision by Tournament Organisers in stuttgart to hand her a wild card has been questioned by some. Of course a great player. I have nothing against her. But she made her mistakes, for sure. But she paid andi her mistakes, for sure. But she paid and i think she can return to play, but without any wild card. Sharapova shocked the world when she admitted she tested positive for the banned drug meldonium at last years australian open. A few days ago, i received a letter from the itf that i had failed the drug test at the australian open. But the fivetime grand slam champion remains a Star Attraction on and off the court. Grand slam champion remains a Star Attraction on and off the courtlj think there are many moments. As one of the richest sportswomen on the planet. And such appeal is not lost on those who run the womens game. With two of the sports biggest grand slams just months away, one of those wimbledon, where she made her name winning the title asa she made her name winning the title as a 17 year old. They too will have to decide if they will Hand Sharapova an easy route back to the top. John watson, bbc news. Were famous for being a nation of keen gardeners, but there are warnings that our immaculate green lawns could become a thing of the past because of Climate Change. The Royal Horticultural Society says drier summers and more frequent days of Extreme Rainfall in the winter could also threaten gardens with new plant pests and diseases. Their report also suggests the whole country will experience rising temperatures, but in terms of rainfall there will be a North South Divide, as john maguire reports. Climate change is having a massive impact on our planet and on so many aspects of our daily lives. Gardens act as a good measure of whats happening. And now research by the Royal Horticultural Society says the pace of change has been rapid and will continue, creating a North South Divide in ourflora and fauna. We found as you might expect that under Climate Change, the temperature will be getting warmer both in summerand temperature will be getting warmer both in summer and winter. Most interestingly, it has found a greater variability in the climate, so there will be more downpours both in the summerand so there will be more downpours both in the summer and winter, and in the summer in the summer and winter, and in the summer there will be more heatwaves, more frequent droughts and more intense droughts. Already, there are pla nts intense droughts. Already, there are plants surviving today that 20 years ago would have been killed off by winter frosts. The rhs ago would have been killed off by winterfrosts. The rhs says ago would have been killed off by winter frosts. The rhs says there are pros and cons for gardeners. There will be more work to do, weeding, mowing and pruning. There will be a greater variety of plants living across the uk, but there will also be more pests, especially things like slugs, thriving in the warm, wet winters. You get several very wet days, and then you just get one sunny day, and then youre back to rain again. Certainly, you can tell theres less rain each year. So you put different plants in to compensate for it. Horticulturalists say the way we plan our planting and gardens will also need to change in the future. Really, you want to look for plants that are going to be quite tough, quite resilient. Here, we have this lovely solomons seal or polygonatum. That prefers a much more moist soil, but equally is quite resilient, so it will cope with a bit of sun. Equally, we then have this lovely black lily turf. This is great because it has got these root nodules. This enables it to store water and nutrients and make it able to cope with drier, tougher conditions. And here at the rhs gardens at wisley, a centrepiece sculpture that seems more pertinent today in the changing times and climes than ever before. John maguire, bbc news, surrey. Time for a look at the weather. Heres matt taylor. The weather is already playing havoc with peoples gardens. Yes, the past month has been a challenge. We have had some pretty chilly nights following the arrival of the beautiful blossom across many parts of the uk. The other problem has been the lack of rainfall, especially across east anglia and the south, where many garden is parched at the moment. At least threatening clouds like we have seen over the past few days have produced a few welcome drops for the garden, but it has been rather chilly out there. This lunchtime, look at the difference between us and iceland. A good 10 degrees warmer across parts of iceland than it was in kings lynn at midday. They are on the right side of the high pressure, the winds flowing from the south and bringing them the warmer air. We have northerly winds at the moment, but that will change over the coming days. By the bank