Grades is going down. And gb news has a downing street shortly to hand in our dont kill cash petition calling on the government to protect the status of cash in the uk in an ever growing digital society. Were live from westminster. Were live from westminster. And dont forget you can still sign a petition on our website. Were almost at 300,000. Were almost at 300,000. Thats a qr code on the screen there. Please get screen there. Please get involved and make them listen. Involved and make them listen. Plus, prince Harrys Netflix documentary about the Invictus Games confirms its release date i we want emma we want to know, will you be watching it. 7 do let us know. Do let us know. Email us at gb views at gb news. Before we start, here are your latest headlines now with Aaron Armstrong. Good afternoon Aaron Armstrong. Good afternoon to you. Its a minute past 12. Im Aaron Armstrong in the newsroom. Tributes to being paid to the legendary broadcaster sir Michael Parkinson, whos died at the age of 88. His family have said sir michael passed away at home last night after a brief illness. Known as parker , he illness. Known as parker, he became one of the countrys most famous faces through his long running chat show, interviewing the stars, the worlds biggest stars, including connolly , including Billy Connolly, madonna and muhammad ali. Comedian stephen fry said he was impossibly thrilling , and matt impossibly thrilling, and matt lucas has described him as a titan of television. Gb news can titan of television. Gb news can reveal 550 people have crossed the English Channel in ten small boats over the last 24 hours. It bnngs boats over the last 24 hours. It brings the number of migrants whove made the journey this year to more than 17,000 uk border force. Yesterday spent border force. Yesterday spent the day on red alert during what they have described as an extremely busy time for Asylum Seekers. A significant surge in crossings is expected this weekend as weather conditions improve. Chancellor jeremy hunt improve. Chancellorjeremy hunt will be presented with almost 300,000 signatures later, calling for the protection of cash as legal tender. Its part of the gb news dont kill Cash Campaign , which wants to make campaign, which wants to make sure its a widely accepted form of payment until at least 2050. Reform uk adviser ben habib says those who still use cash are being discriminated against. You know, there are 5 Million People in this country who rely on cash trades, who dont have bank account and credit cards and so on, and theyve been marginalised and their continually being marginalised. Continually being marginalised. And if we move to a society where cash is discriminated against, where restaurants refused to take it, shops refused to take it, shops refused to take it, shops refused to take it, in effect, that promise on the back of a £10 note and all other legal tender becomes a meaningless promise. Promise. You can watch that petition being handed live to downing street on gb news from 2 00. Top a level results across england. Wales and Northern Ireland have fallen almost back to pre pandemic levels. The pre pandemic levels. The proportion of candidates receiving top grades is down by almost 10 from last year and almost 10 from last year and almost 18 from 2021. Around 73,000 fewer a or a stars have been awarded compared to last yeah been awarded compared to last year. Its part of a plan to tackle grade inflation during covid, when results were based on Teacher Assessment, covid, when results were based on Teacher Assessment , the on Teacher Assessment, the number of students accepted for a place at university is also down. Thats 2. 6 on last year. But Clare Marchant from ucas says the overall picture is positive. Positive. 79 of students today are actually going to their first choice. University which is to be really celebrated. Its up around 5 in 2019, slightly down on last year, but thats what we expected is return to normal grading. So a day to celebrate, as you say, for them. Our job at as you say, for them. Ourjob at ucas is to support those that change their mind or indeed didnt quite get the grades they wanted. Well, education secretary Gillian Keegan says students shouldnt be disappointed and insists the changes are fair. The Actual University places and the access to university is still exactly the same as it was. So if they were going to if theyd have got to be and gone to university in 2019, theyll get a, b and go to university in 2023. So all weve done is and this is really important because our exams both gcses and a levels, are highly regarded across the world and we just want to make sure they keep that value. And obviously we needed to go back from teacher assessed grades did that last grades and we did that last yeah grades and we did that last year. Now were back year. But now were going back to normal grading system and to the normal grading system and that make sure these that will make sure that these hold when. Hold their value when. Question on labours policy of getting 50 of all students into university, the shadow education secretary, bridget phillipson, told us its more important young people have choices. Choices. If i were education secretary, id make sure that under Labour Government under the next Labour Government its once again. I its a big focus once again. I mean, that does mean making sure that people to go that young people who want to go to University Get that opportunity to do so and for all people talk about that people tend to talk about that number 50, its number in terms of 50, its often far less in places like sunderland where im an mp, while young people have those opportunities. The opportunities. Its about the range of opportunities its range of opportunities and its about people having real about young people having real choices whats best for choices about whats best for them and apprenticeship universities see world of universities see the world of work further, study authorities work further, study. Authorities in tenerife say wildfires on the Spanish Island are out of control. Five villages on the northeast coast of the island have been evacuated. The fire spread some seven square miles in 24 hours. I broke out at a National Park near the mount tabor volcano that spains highest peak hampering access to the area. And thousands of the area. And thousands of canadians have been evacuated from parts of the north west territories, including the provincial capital, yellowknife, because of wildfires. Canadas endunng because of wildfires. Canadas enduring its worst wildfire season with more than 1000 active fires burning across the country. 230 of those are in the remote northwest territories. Remote northwest territories. This is gb news across the uk on tv , on Digital Radio and on your tv, on Digital Radio and on your smart speaker. Thats it for the moment. Now its over to martin moment. Now its over to martin and. Pip and. Pip thanks very much, aaron. Thanks very much, aaron. Tributes are pouring for in the legendary broadcaster and beloved chat show host sir Michael Parkinson , whos died Michael Parkinson, whos died peacefully at the age of 88 after a brief illness. After a brief illness. Yeah, hes iconic and sometimes infamous. Interviews include, of course , muhammad include, of course, muhammad ali, Dame Helen Mirren , meg ali, Dame Helen Mirren, meg ryan, David Beckham and stephen fry. My favourite was brian clough, who said stephen fry said being interviewed by him was impossibly thrilling. So michaels family in a statement said this after a brief illness , sir michael brief illness, sir Michael Parkinson passed away piece at home last night in the company of his family. The family requests that they are given privacy and time to grieve. Joining joining us now to reflect on the life of this titan of british broadcasting is our National Reporter paul hawkins. The tributes , they just keep the tributes, they just keep on coming. And one of the things that people do keep saying is that people do keep saying is that he was always himself. He was so authentic. The interview was so authentic. The interview was never about parky. It was about his guest. Yeah, thats exactly what stephen fry has said. The genius of parky was that unlike most people, he was always himself. He was all authentic and he listened as much as he spoke, actually. I mean, if you watch his interviews, he says he probes the way using his fuel words as possible. And the really interesting thing is that he listens. He actively listens he listens. He actively listens as opposed to waiting for your turn to speak. And thats why he got the best out of so many of his guests. And thats why at the moment, trending on on twitter, if you look twitter, twitter, if you look at twitter, its parkinson, its its not just parkinson, its all people hes interviewed. All the people hes interviewed. And some the and you mentioned some of the interviews. They actually havent mention. Havent had many people mention. Nigel clough. Was that the one where said, have a chat where he said, we have a chat about decide i was right and about it, decide i was right and then move on that interview. Then we move on that interview. And cliffy, the thing about parky as a coal parky right now, as a coal miners from nottinghamshire miners son from nottinghamshire myself, miners myself, he was a coal miners son yorkshire. He had myself, he was a coal miners son thing. Yorkshire. He had myself, he was a coal miners son thing. You yorkshire. He had myself, he was a coal miners son thing. You cant1ire. He had myself, he was a coal miners son thing. You cant put he had myself, he was a coal miners son thing. You cant put pricead that thing. You cant put price on. They have the common touch. Yeah. And he spoke he yeah. And when he spoke he sounded a bloke in the pub, sounded like a bloke in the pub, a bloke in the street. People dont but what people dont, dont understand was understand about porky. He was a proper, proper journalist. Yeah, he did all the footwork. He was. He did all the footwork. In the newspapers he started in the newspapers and moved into and then he moved into broadcasting actually broadcasting and it was actually when granada, the itv regional show, itv region, up up in the north west, gave him a screen test. And he actually said, i went for the screen test and i was all ready to write a really cynical review this new cynical review about this new thing television. But thing called television. But when i got there and i was in the studio and they gave me the screen test, i actually found it quite was quite taken i quite i was quite taken by i quite i was quite taken by i quite liked actually, quite quite liked it actually, quite like showbiz about away like the showbiz about went away and to do the show and then agreed to do the show and then agreed to do the show and that his and then that launched his Career Television career into television and anybody who anybody was anybody who was anybody was interviewed michael interviewed by sir michael parkin. Parkin. And were they were they and they were they were they felt it was a privilege to be interviewed by sir Michael Parkinson. I watched a clip of George Michael this morning, and thats exactly said. He thats exactly what he said. He said, to be allowed to said, i used to be allowed to stay up to watch you and stay up late to watch you and how how what a privilege it is. I saw that clip you tweeted. It was. P p the next bit we yeah. And the next bit we wont go into we wont go into that bit. Yeah, but but there was a reason why he was on the show which alludes to yeah he which he alludes to but yeah he said that a lot of said absolutely that a lot of guests felt was a privilege guests felt it was a privilege to interviewed him. To be interviewed by him. And i also want to pick up on something that has been coming through tributes as well, through in the tributes as well, which hes he obviously which is that hes he obviously hes hes interviewed over 2000 people. Of the most people. Yes. Some of the most famous in the world. And famous people in the world. And he interviewed about he was then interviewed about those in his those interviews later on in his career. And really career. And whats really interesting self aware, interesting is how self aware, aware was of aware and reflective he was of those chats. So if we those famous chats. So if we talk about mirren, for talk about helen mirren, for example, interview he did example, famous interview he did with where he alluded her with her where he alluded to her physical appearance said, physical appearance and he said, did talking about did your equipment talking about her physical appearance hinder your career . And she and she obviously hits back at that. And we wont we wont go into it. But she says no, basically, you know, im an actress and i dont think how you look matters about about your reputation. He then reflecting on that, he said he admitted that rewatching the interview cringe interview made him cringe because, in his words, he behaved like a and then behaved like a prat and then talking about meg ryan, who actually. Can i just interrupt . Yeah, go on, meg ryan, well get to because that was infamous but also one of Michael Parkinsons favourite interviews he always said was with muhammad ali and he met him four times. Lets just listen to it to one of the interviews. I suppose the question people ask themselves about, you and i think its out of their love. They have for you is that they dont want you to go and getting hurt in the ring never got hurt. Its strange. Its strange. Oh, you must have got hurt in the ring. Yeah, well, i mean, i saw you fight joe frazier. Yeah. You didnt know you did a very good actor. No. Are you calling me a liar . No. No. Right youre not as if had a low iq. I can enjoy this interview. Oh, yeah . Yeah no, you must mean, you know yourself. Ive been here a couple of times, but ive never been knocked out. I havent been stopped like joe frazier , george stopped like joe frazier, george foreman, ken, on leon spinks, arnie shavers. I mean, guys just arnie shavers. I mean, guys just knocked down this i mean, out for the count of 25. If they counted that long. And ten is the limit for some state. Now for the count of 100 people, hospital ive never been hurt and have a broken jaw once, but otherwise ive never been beaten in the whole. So i wouldnt just be that bad. They still have to fight because i wasnt looking good and wasnt feeling right. I mean, are you serious about wanting to fight again . Return. I shall return. I shall return. Shall return. You shall return. You shall return. You shall return. You heard me. You heard me. Heard you. Indeed i did. I mean. But. Well, first i will prove them well, that im going to take on a couple of tough and knock my homes. I want to knock on my homes. I want to take a couple of top tenants and show them that i am well, im not hurt. And after that, ill go home as i said, that if i can prove myself qualified and still can fight it look so bad that night until it looked like i couldnt find no more. I couldnt find no more. I couldnt move. I didnt hit him one first man dehydrate 11 rounds and 110 degrees heat and no sweat came round by just two legends chatting. Legends chatting. Yeah. Yeah. And having a real connection. That was one of the later interviews that he did with parkinsons. So he got to know him pretty well. Probably one of the most famous clips is from an interview in 1971 where the most famous clips is from an interview in 1971where muhammad ali was saying, why is everything so white . To everything so white . Alluding to racism . But when parkinson was racism . But when parkinson was asked about what it was like to interview muhammad ali, he said it was one of his favourite interviewees. And he said he do you a kipper . Completely you up like a kipper . Completely overwhelm with huge overwhelm you with this huge personality. But it shows. It speaks a lot about the skill set of parkinson that he was able to keep keep a hold of someone who was so huge and who would completely overwhelm you, somebody who overwhelmed him in a different a slightly different way. Did become infamous, and this did become infamous, was with ryan. Was the interview with meg ryan. We were yeah, yeah. Which we were going mention before. Yes. So going to mention before. Yes. So meg ryan done a film meg ryan had just done a film there a nude scene in it and there was a nude scene in it and he kind talking to her he was kind of talking to her about it and she completely closed up, didnt like that, didnt interviews. And didnt like the interviews. And at she basically told at the end, she basically told him, wrap this him, you need to wrap this interview up. Later on, she interview up. And later on, she was asked about that interview and she said it was like he came across like a like a disapproving dad. And it felt disapproving dad. And it felt like he was berating me for appearing in the movie. And then parkinson was asked about it and he said, i came across as kind of pompous and felt that i could have done better. Now that just speaks that, someone whos have done better. Now that just speakzreviewingsomeone whos have done better. Now that just speakzreviewing their ne whos have done better. Now that just speakzreviewing their work hos have done better. Now that just speakzreviewing their work and whos reviewing their work and admits that it wrong. Admits that i got it wrong. Thats quite humble and thats quite humble of you. And thats someone with that thats and for someone with that kind level of profile, that kind of level of profile, that kind of level of profile, that kind says a lot kind of personality says a lot about him. And dont forg