Gbnews. Com. The lady who gbnews. Com. But now the lady who has all the answers Polly Middlehurst with the. News middlehurst with the. News jacob thank you. And a very good evening to you. Well, the news that is broken within the last hour is that the uk is now sending spy planes and two Royal Navy Ships to the Eastern Mediterranean in new plans to support israel. The aircraft support israel. The aircraft will begin spy patrols tomorrow. Surveillance aircraft, theyre believed to be to track threats. The government governments saying to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups. The Prime Minister rishi sunak, making clear the ministry will be supporting a prevention of a further escalation of the conflict in the area. The British Armed forces on standby and theyre there to deliver practical support to israel and partners in the region. Can they partners in the region. Can they say, to offer deterrence , peace say, to offer deterrence, peace and reassurance . Yes. Well, the and reassurance . Yes. Well, the governments also been organising flights for british nationals in israel. The first is due to leave tel aviv for the uk today. The foreign secretary, james cleverly, has been urging british citizens who want to get out to register their presence. Out to register their presence. S those eligible have been told not to go to airports unless theyre instructed to do so. Meanwhile the palestinian president has condemned violence against civilians. Rocket fire against civilians. Rocket fire landing in gaza city and Mahmoud Abbas saying the killing or abuse of civilians contravenes morals, religion and international law. His comments international law. His comments come as vital medical supplies run dangerously low in gaza with the International Red cross warning the situation is deteriorating by the hour. The deteriorating by the hour. The only remaining power station stopped working yesterday in gaza city. Fuel supplies powering generators for night time hours also dwindling and could run out tonight. Night time hours also dwindling and could run out tonight. Well, and could run out tonight. Well, the us secretary of state has described the hamas terror attack as depravity in the worst. But speaking during his trip to israel today, hes reassured the israeli Prime Minister that as long as america exists , as long as america exists, israel will never have to defend itself on its own. Benjamin itself on its own. Benjamin netanyahu, the israeli Prime Minister, insisted hamas should be treated in exactly the same way as isis and tony blinken said he knows the terrorist group hamas does not represent the Palestinian People or what he called their legitimate aspirations. The us defence secretary is also travelling to israel tomorrow. To now news israel tomorrow. To now news away from the israel hamas conflict. An mp for the Scottish National party has defected to the tories today amid reports of toxic bullying culture in the partys westminster group. Lisa partys westminster group. Lisa camerons defection comes as she was facing a selection battle to be the candidate for a seat in west of scotland. She said shed been a victim of group bullying at westminster and shed even suffered panic attacks as a result. The Prime Minister , result. The Prime Minister, rishi sunak, says hes delighted ms cameron has joined the scottish conservatives and Bernie Ecclestone has been handed a 17 month suspension sentence after pleading guilty to fraud. Today, the ex formula to fraud. Today, the ex formula one boss will also have to pay £652 million to hmrc. He appeared at Londons Southwark crown court this morning after failing to declare more than £400 million of overseas assets to the government. The billionaire turns 93 later this month. He had been due to face month. He had been due to face trial in november after hed previously denied the charge with gb news across the uk on tv in your car, on Digital Radio and on your Smart Speaker by saying play gb news. This is britains news channel. Britains news channel. 39 years ago to this day, the 12th of october 1984, the ira bombed the grand Brighton Hotel dunng bombed the grand Brighton Hotel during the conservative party conference, Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher and members of the cabinet had been staying at the cabinet had been staying at the hotel for the conference. Five died in the five people died in the explosion and 34 were injured when the attack. When researching the attack. Today, a bbc resource for students the ira as a students described the ira as a terrorist organisation who targeted british troops with bombs and shootings. That seems pretty clear cut then. So why is it now that the bbc is having such difficulty in calling the evil terrorist group which has used such despicable violence in israel . Hamas what it really is a terrorist organisation. Our National Broadcasting service seems to prefer to describe members of hamas as militants or insurgents and attackers. Insurgents and attackers. Militants simply mean someone who is engaged in warfare. An insurgent is someone fighting against a government or invading force. The definition of a terror list, though, is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation , especially against intimidation, especially against civilians , in the pursuit of civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. This is what has happened. Hamas has killed children. Hamas is a terrorist group and describes it as anything else is in defensible. In a letter to the chairman of ofcom yesterday evening for top lawyers rightly pointed out that an amendment to the terrorism act in 2021, his majestys government legally recognised hamas as a proscribed and terrorist organisation , terrorist organisation, according to the bbcs own impartiality guidance. Due impartiality guidance. Due impartiality does not require absolute neutrality on every issue or detachment from fundamental democratic principles such as the rule of law. There really is no excuse for this shameful fight to apply gloss to evil , for this shameful fight to apply gloss to evil, bbc for this shameful fight to apply gloss to evil , bbc journalist gloss to evil, bbc journalist john simpson said in a message yesterday that it wasnt the bbcs job to tell people who were the good guys and who are the bad guys. As the bbc didnt seem too worried about making those kind of delicate distinctions ones when in the past alone, articles on its past year alone, articles on its website explicitly used the word terrorist headlines reporting terrorist in headlines reporting the a terrorist in the death of a terrorist in mozambique and a Court Case Involving terrorism charges in sheffield. When our apolitical, sheffield. When our apolitical, sovereign prince of sovereign and the prince of wales are able to describe hamas as what it is a terrorist organisation, it is appalling that the bbc has the audacity to hide behind the ghastly weasel words of its own patronising style guide, which of course it writes itself as one of my panellists this evening, henry hill wrote in conservative home this week in treating the israel palestine conflict as a special case latent anti semitism begins to manifest itself if the corporation is perfectly happy to use the word terrorist for other attacks in other places, we can only conclude the reluctance to condemn hamas reveals its lack of a moral compass in failing to call hamas exactly what it really is. If the bbc loses its really is. If the bbc loses its value of impartiality and becomes partial on behalf of evildoers was always. I want to hear from you, mel. Margaret gbnews. Com but im particularly pleased to be joined by one of the signatories to the letter, lord wolfson , who co signed the lord wolfson, who co signed the letter to ofcom yesterday. The letter to ofcom yesterday. The case you were making was that the bbc has not shied away from referring to terrorists in the past. Referring to terrorists in the past. Why should it make an past. Why should it make an exception for israel . Well, thats right. I mean , well, thats right. I mean, our case really rests on three legs. There are three parts of it. First of all, as you said in your introduction, just the normal use of english language, the word terrorism word the word terrorism is the word which be used to describe the word terrorism is the word whithappened used to describe the word terrorism is the word whithappened on ed to describe the word terrorism is the word whithappened on saturday, ribe the word terrorism is the word whithappened on saturday, may what happened on saturday, may 2nd. As a matter of english law, hamas is a terrorist organisation. They are organisation. They are proscribed as a matter of law here. Support for them is illegal and i hope actually that the police will be stronger in in dealing with pro hamas rallies, im afraid, which weve seen. Rallies, im afraid, which weve seen. The third point is, as you seen. The third point is, as you say, the bbc has used the word in other contexts. You mentioned ira, also al qaeda it called the terrorist attacks in paris in the nightclub, a terrorist attack, which it undoubtedly was , is. And the question which we are left with and which was the basis of our letter to ofcom is why is this different . Is there a broader point here that the way karate, for want of a better term , seem to think of israel as term, seem to think of israel as being different . So the bbc wont say terrorism , wembley wont light terrorism, wembley wont light up the arch , but black lives up the arch, but black lives matter has been very wishy washy in its statements about what has happened, that there is a woke reluctance chance to defend israel when israel is attacked. Israel when israel is attacked. I dont think black lives matter has been wishy washy at all. I think black lives matter has been very clear in its support for what happened on saturday. Im afraid whats happened over the last 72 hours is that people have shown their true colours. We have seen true colours. We have seen tremendous support out both for israel and for the Jewish Community here. As you say , from community here. As you say, from his majesty the king at the top through the prince, prince and princess of wales, the Prime Minister , the im a tory peer, minister, the im a tory peer, but i will say that keir starmer has been resolute on this issue as well. Ed davey has given some very good statements across the political stance. So weve seen a lot of support, but weve also seen people who should be speaking out. Why . Because they speaking out. Why . Because they spoke out in other contexts and thats the point. Its the difference in treatment at which concerns so many of us. Concerns so many of us. Concerns so many of us. And thats really interesting, isnt it . Because you dont expect people to tweet on its not on everything. Its not compulsory your on compulsory to put your view on every but there are every subject, but there are some notable celebrities and organisers, asians, put organisers, asians, who put their on every thing their views out on every thing who resoundingly silent. Who are resoundingly silent. Well, yes, i mean, gary lineker, for example, if i can pick on him, he drew a lot of publicity when he compared the governments immigration policy to 1930 germany. Well what happenedin to 1930 germany. Well what happened in israel on saturday was 1940s, germany. More jews was 1940s, germany. More jews were killed on saturday, deliberately than on any day since the holocaust. But as far since the holocaust. But as far as i know , the only thing gary as i know, the only thing gary lineker has so far tweeted about is to applaud the bbcs stance in not calling Hamas Terrorists , which is absolutely extraordinary from somebody who normally fills the ainnaves with his view on anything and everything. Well, im sure hes been extremely busy on other things and he hasnt managed to get to condemning get round to condemning unambiguously a terrorist atrocity. Atrocity. And with the bbc, john simpson, one of its most distinguished former foreign correspondent, has said in his tweet that he thinks that the bbc is right, but he carries a lot of weight. Distinguish that figure. Do you think the bbc has to separate itself from the British State . We put we put the tweet up for people to read on on the screen. Do you think hes right that the bbc must always be even more impartial than anybody else . I dont think the bbc should be taking its instructions from the government or the state. I like fact that the bbc is like the fact that the bbc is editorially independent. Ant, but if were going to have a state broadcaster for which we all have to pay the least, we can expect is that it abides by what i would call moral norms. What i would call moral norms. It what they are it calls things what they are and what john simpson didnt deal with in his tweet was the fact that the bbc in so many other contexts, as weve discussed just now, has used the word terrorism. I mean, whats clear is that the bbc guidelines do not preclude include the use of the word terrorism. Im roger of the word terrorism. Im roger mosey, the former head of Bbc Television news made that very clear in an article in the guardian. But also that the bbc guidelines, they written by guidelines, they are written by the have practical, day the bbc to have practical, day to effect. To day effect. And if there is an exceptional circumstance , exceptional circumstance, theyre guidelines. Theyre only guidelines. , absolutely. But would well, absolutely. But i would say isnt even an say this isnt even an exceptional circumstance. Exceptional circumstance. Obvious . Exceptional circumstance. Itsious . Exceptional circumstance. Its absolutely obvious. Its absolutely obvious. Its absolutely obvious. Come to wembley, and to come to wembley, wembley isnt going to light up the it says that it will the arch. It says that it will have a minutes silence again , have a minutes silence again, thats different behaviour from how wembley normally behaves isnt it . And thats the problem. Its not that football should be political because perhaps itd be best if it werent at all, but that it should be consistent. Well, i think, i mean, i declare my interest. The declare my interest. Im the chair of the football regulatory authority, which Committee Chair of the football regulatory autheity, which Committee Chair of the football regulatory authe fa. Which Committee Chair of the football regulatory authe fa. Ihich Committee Chair of the football regulatory authe fa. I think Committee Chair of the football regulatory authe fa. I think sportwmmittee chair of the football regulatory authe fa. I think sport hasittee of the fa. I think sport has really two choices. It can either totally stay out of politics or it can deal in politics. Now, what the fa has doneisin politics. Now, what the fa has done is in 2016, after a terrorist attack in turkey, it lit the arch in 2015 after the massacre in a nightclub in paris , and it lit the arch. And in fact, before, for every next premier league game, the marseillaise was played at every ground. After this terrorist attack. When partygoers, festival goers were mowed down in their hundreds, all of a sudden, were told no lighting of the arch will wear a black armband and have a minutes silence. My concern is, again, silence. My concern is, again, why . Why the difference in why . Why the difference in treatment . The inconsistency and the English Football Team took the English Football Team took the knee and joined in with whole black lives matter approach during whatever football championship it was playing a couple of years ago. Playing a couple of years ago. Well, i think what we have to do is we have to decide, do we mean what we say or are we virtue signalling . And if we mean what we say, we have to continue to do it even when its tough. Now, i appreciate the fa may be concerned about the security implications, although i should say the security implications dont come from the Golders Green bridge club. But if we want to fight terror as a society, we need to be resolute about it. And that means not giving in. Is there something more sinister about this . Is there an implicit anti semitism in the unwilled menace to condemn terrorist attacks on israel that on any other country would be condemned more forthrightly . Well im always very careful not to throw about the charge of anti semitism. Anti semitism. What i anti semitism. What i would hope is that the fa come out and explain very clearly what they havent yet explained, which is this what is the difference between the terrorist attack in turkey and the terrorist attack in paris on the terrorist attack in paris on the one hand and the terrorist attack in israel on the other . Its that explanation which im hoping that the fa will provide and they have not yet provided and they have not yet provided and they have not yet provided and the bbc has of course made a statement which i can read out. It says the bbc is editorially independent. Our role to explain precisely role is to explain precisely what is happening so that the pubuc what is happening so that the public can their own public can make their own judgements. Our long judgements. Its our long standing position, including dunng standing position, including during conflicts standing position, including during israel conflicts standing position, including during israel and flicts standing position, including during israel and hamas between israel and hamas in gaza, been that we do not gaza, has been that we do not use the term terrorist without attribution with the attribution in line with the bbcs editorial guidelines. Bbcs editorial guidelines. Well, you can make of that what y