Dame tessa jowells message, in herfirst interview since being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Coming up on afternoon live all the sport, including. Phil neville, a rather controversial appointment . Absolutely, and definitely not the best start for the new england win ins manager. He has apologised for comments he made about women on social media and says they are not a true representation of his character. More on that later. See you later, holly. And the weather. Yes, hail storms, severe gales blowing through scotland. Things will get better later on but more on that in about half an hour. Thanks very much, tomasz, and coming up, whats with the big pout . 1000 camels a dozen camels have been disqualified from a camel beauty pageant in saudi arabia for receiving botox injections. Hello, everyone. This is afternoon live and i am simon mccoy. I thought things had changed and it is absolutely clear that they havent. We have to send a clear message that this is unacceptable. The words of government minister anne milton in the commons a short time ago, over the men only Charity Dinner where women were allegedly groped, propositioned and sexually harassed. Undercoverjournalists from the ft say it happened at the prestigious president s club annual Charity Fundraiser in london. Already two charities who benefited say theyre handing the money back, and one of the organisers, david meller, is standing down as a non executive board member at the ministry of education. Daniela relph has the latest. Undercover at the 5 star Dorchester Hotel. Madison marriage, a reporter for the Financial Times. Here, getting ready for a nights work as a hostess at the president s Club Fundraising dinner. The guests, all men. The hostesses, all young women. Paid around £200 for an evenings work. As the dinner began, guests were told they were at the most un pc event of the year. There was a charity auction, including an offer of Plastic Surgery at a harley street clinic. Perhaps, they were told, for their wives. And during the evening, the undercover reporter says she and others were repeatedly groped and harassed by male guests. Multiple women told me that they had been touched inappropriately, and that ranged from holding the hands, to touching their stomachs, hands near the bottom of their back. Things which maybe you might not find too offensive, but touching their bums, kind of grabbing them, pulling them into their laps. Yes, a complete range of Sexual Harassment, basically. The event raised more than £2 million for several organisations including great 0rmond street hospital. It now says it will return all donations due to the wholly unacceptable nature of the event. Guests included the government minister Nadhim Zahawi, who said he left early after being uncomfortable at what was happening. David walliams made this statement. And in a statement, the president s club said. What happened was that women were bought, as bait. For men. Rich men, not a mile from where we stand, as if that is an acceptable behaviour. It is totally unacceptable. Businessmen david meller is a trustee of the president s club and until today, he was also a nonexecutive board member at the department for education. He has now stepped down from that role. To be honest, mr speaker, i was born in 1955, and to be honest, mr speaker, i was born in1955, andi to be honest, mr speaker, i was born in 1955, and i think, as the honourable lady will know, and i have said at this dispatch box before, i thought things had changed, and it is absolutely clear that it hasnt changed. I think there is an association between rich wealthy people and this sort of behaviour. We have to send a clear message that this is unacceptable. The future of the president s club dinner is also now in doubt. Will the allegations of lewd behaviour end an event that has been held for 33 years . Daniela ralph, bbc news. 0ur Political Correspondent vicki young is at parliament. Widespread condemnation. I dont know if the Prime Minister has had anything to say . She actually wasnt asked about it at Prime Ministers questions, which was surprising, but you saw there that the labour mp Jess Phillips had an urgent question responded to by a minister. But we ask that spokesperson what theresa may thought of the whole thing, and the response was that she was uncomfortable with the reports she read this morning and they added obviously it was an event she would not have been invited to, as a woman. Nadhim zahawi, the Education Minister, a lot of pressure on him to explain himself and he has tweeted in the last half an hour. I do condemn this behaviour. It is truly shocking. I will never attend a men only function, ever. And on david meller being asked to stand out from his position on that board, downing street saying he was asked to give up thatjob and he has done so to give up thatjob and he has done so and they say that was the right decision. Very strong words as well from Jeremy Corbyns spokesman who said the event was appalling, women clearly felt threatened they are, he said it was an outrageous example of Sexual Harassment under the guise of a charity event. So a little taster of what people are saying about all of what people are saying about all of this. You know, many people here will feel over the years they have heard it all, but they are genuinely shocked this has been going on for very many years. As i said, pressure still on the Education MinisterNadhim Zahawi, but this was also from a number of female mps. At that dinner last night there were not justjust dinner last night there were not just just conservative members attending, notjust just just conservative members attending, not just conservative just just conservative members attending, notjust conservative men attending. They were from all political denominations. The problem is with the dinner itself, the fact that there are men who attend those dinners and think it is appropriate. 0ne dinners and think it is appropriate. One of the prizes on that dinner was Plastic Surgery, to spice up your wife. It is appalling that that continues and i support the minister and her response and we all have our duty to make sure that those dinners dont ever happen again. |j duty to make sure that those dinners dont ever happen again. I hold you back hope that the secretary of state is as disappointed as i am at both a board member and a minister in this department attending an event describing itself as the most un pc event of the year. Lets be clear about what that meant, mr speaker. An event where women were not invited as guests but were there as objects of the rich and powerful men. They are to act as hostesses and were forced to wear revealing clothes and a number reported they we re clothes and a number reported they were groped and sexually harassed. Some of the charities, as we have been hearing, have decided to hand back the money raised that evening at the president s club dinner. 0ne of the prizes up for auction was a lunch with borisjohnson, the foreign secretary, and there are a number of questions from labour mps this afternoon asking whether he go ahead with that price. Studio vicki, thank you very much, vicki young. We can now speak to maria miller, chair of the women and equalities select committee. It is difficult to know where to start here. Firstly, your reaction to what was in the Financial Times this morning. I think it is shocking that in 2018 britain we have people in the city of london who think it is appropriate to hold events which create so much of a Sexual Harassment environment for women, but also exclude women from taking pa rt but also exclude women from taking part in what would have been an important business networking event. Shocking, and really unacceptable. Has there been any breach of any law . A men only event requiring women staff to parade, we are skimpy outfits, behave in a certain way, or at least expected to. I been, well, again, in this century you dont expect this sort of thing to be acceptable, let alone be done . What is clearly a breach of the law as people harassing women who were employed as hostesses. I think those who decided to go along to an event which was a men only with more than ioo which was a men only with more than 100 hostesses might well have asked themselves the question, you know, what was the objective of this . But those women who were employed deserve to be treated respectfully, not just because deserve to be treated respectfully, notjust because that is the right thing to do but because thats the law, and the people who employ them have a duty of care and also health and safety law which they should abide by and keep those women safe. They clearly didnt do that, but the problem is the law really has very little piece, and if those women very little teeth, and if the women we re very little teeth, and if the women were to bring action their compensation would be derisory. The Education Minister has condemned the behaviour and he was present there. What should be done about that . My understanding is the minister accepted an invitation from the member of the board for the department for education. Maybe he mistakenly thought that would be a legitimate thing to accept. I have already made it very clear to members in the government that they need to review their processed for not only accepting invitations to events, which is already subject to a great deal of scrutiny because of the potential problems that can cause the government, but also ministers need to review what events they decide to give gifts to, because of course the foreign secretary had also agreed to give a gift to this event, importantly, to raise money, but to an event im sure he would not want to be associated with. Pretty stomach churning, isnt it . We are talking about a group of rich arrogant men who clearly feel they can get away with whatever they want to get away with. Sexual harassment, as we know, is endemic in this country and more than half the women in this country suffer Sexual Harassment on a regular basis, and im afraid it doesnt have much respect for class. The idea, as the organisers tended to suggest, that rich wealthy men dont sexually harass women, is clearly untrue. Harvey weinstein is an example of that, but also, you know, the proliferation of nondisclosure agreements, settlement agreements, around the behaviour of senior members of staff in major corporations in this country, it is something which i think now really does come under the spotlight. Maria miller, thank you very much for your time this afternoon. Lots of reaction on twitter to this story. I will show you one from Kevin Maguire of the daily mirror, speaking specifically about the presence of Nadhim Zahawi, and he quotes what Nadhim Zahawi, and he quotes what Nadhim Zahawi, and he quotes what Nadhim Zahawi says. You can see the court there and what kevin thinks of that. Nadhim za hawi court there and what kevin thinks of that. Nadhim zahawi has tweeted himself, and says i do unequivocally condemn this behaviour. The report is truly shocking. I will never attend a men only function ever. That is unlikely to be the end of the matter but we will keep an eye on twitter and of course bring any further reaction to you. You are watching afternoon live. Theres been a significant rise in the number of prosecutions collapsing in england and wales, because of a failure by police or prosecutors to disclose evidence. Figures obtained by bbc news show that more than 900 people were formally cleared, or had cases against them dropped, in the year to last april, because of problems with disclosure. 588,000 cases were prosecuted. Heres our Home Affairs Correspondent danny shaw. I was relieved, notjust for myself, for everyone thats been with it every step of the way. Under investigation for rape for two years, liam allens life was on hold. Then, three days into his trial, his legal team received crucial information and the prosecution was halted. The case highlighted problems with disclosure, the duty on police and prosecutors to pass on material which might assist the defence case or undermine the prosecutions. Finally, liam allen achieved the justice that should have been his from two years earlier. He had been on bail for two years not knowing if he was going to be convicted, facing a sentence of perhaps 12 years or so and be on the sex offenders register for life. Just the toll upon a young man who is in the middle of a University Degree cannot be imagined. Bbc news has obtained figures on how many people have been cleared or had allegations dropped against them because of disclosure failings. In 2014 15, proceedings were halted against 537 people. By last year, that number had risen to 916. Thats a 70 increase in two years in the number of defendants cleared after disclosure failings emerged. The implication is that it could lead to miscarriages ofjustice. The criminalJustice System is based upon trusting the prosecution to disclose material which undermines their case or assists a defence case. And if they are not doing that, then clearly, there cant be a fair trial. The Crown Prosecution Service says the number of trials which collapsed because evidence is not disclosed when it should be is a fraction of the total number of cases they deal with, about one in every 1,000 prosecutions. But the cps says that is still too many and, in the coming days, they will be publishing an action plan to tackle the issue, along with the police. Senior Police Officers say there needs to be a change of mindset, so disclosure is put at the centre of an investigation, rather than something that is done at the end. Danny shaw, bbc news, at the old bailey. Save the children has temporarily suspended all of its operations in afghanistan after attackers stormed their offices in the eastern city of jalalabad. At least two people have been killed and 12 injured according to officials and its believed around 50 staff were in the building at the time. Four gunmen are believed to have taken part in the attack, and three are said to have been killed. The fourth is reported to be barricaded on the top floor of the office building. Uk unemployment fell by 3,000 to 1. 41; million in the three months to november. The number of people in work has reached a record high of 32. 2 million, according to figures from the office for national statistics. But the growth in wages, at 2. 4 , remained below inflation at 3. 1 . You watching afternoon live and these are our headlines this afternoon. Two childrens hospitals give back donations to a men only fundraiser following allegations of Sexual Harassment. A number of court cases collapsing in england and wales because of the mistake was sharing evidence is up. Cancer patient should be free to take the risk of undergoing different innovative treatments on the nhs according to dame tessa jowell, after she has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. A nun has expressed a deep sense of regret for any abuse at Childrens Home in scotland in the 1950s. She broke down while giving evidence at the scottish child abuse inquiry. A number of people have already told the inquiry about the abuse they suffered at the smyllum park Childrens Home in lanark. 0ur social Affairs CorrespondentMichael Buchanan reports. A former resident has said a culture of evil existed at smyllum, a former care home and orphanage in lanarkshire run by catholic nuns. Certainly, dozens of former residents have alleged they were abused at the home, which was run by the daughters of charity of st vincent de paul, and which closed in 1981. They say they were beaten repeatedly for any 01 no reason, some have also alleged they were sexually abused. Theresa mcgrane has described being sexually assaulted by a priest, then beaten by a nun who found out. She says the denials from sisters who worked at smyllum that any abuse took place is ridiculous. We seem to have been in two different places. The children have been in smyllum, and the nuns have been in utopia. I honestly think the lawyer has advised them to say it didnt happen, theyre all liars, thats not the truth, because theyre afraid of civil suits afterwards. If they admit one single thing, theyre opening themselves up to a civil suit. So something tells me theyve just been advised to deny everything. As well as the abuse, hundreds of children who died at smyllum are believed to be buried in an unmarked grave. A bbc investigation in september suggested at least 400 children who died at the care home between 1864 and 1981 are buried in St Marys Cemetery in lanark. The former labour cabinet minister, dame tessa jowell, has spoken about her diagnosis of a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer called glyco blastoma. In herfirst interview since being told she had the illness, the former culture secretary has been speaking to the today programmes Nick Robinson about how shes determined it will not diminish her sense of hope. I was diagnosed with an acute and very serious form of brain cancer. It came with absolutely no expectation. No warning . Absolutely none at all. I had not a single apparent symptom. But youve decided to speak in the house of lords about your illness, and what you think needs to be done to help others. Was it a difficult decision . And why is it important to you to go to the lords to speak out . It hasnt been a difficult decision at all, because this is something that i feel a tremendous sense of mission about. 0ne change you want is a change to the way medical research is carried out, and the phrase that is used is adaptive trials. What do you mean by that . The important fact about an ada