tv Britains Newsroom GB News May 22, 2024 9:30am-12:01pm BST
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follow his journey all morning and the under—pressure former post office chief, paula vennells, is before the inquiry . vennells, is before the inquiry. >> public inquiry for the first time this morning. what did she know? >> and the turbulence? tragic 73 year old granddad geoffrey kitchen died yesterday on board a singapore airlines flight from london. six people remain in a critical condition. the horror stories like this put you off flying at all and inflation is falling to 2.3. >> lowest level in almost three years, but not as low as the government and all of us wanted . government and all of us wanted. >> anne robinson, tv presenter for many years worth £50 million. so she's going to do with it. give it to her children before she dies because she wants to avoid inheritance tax. >> some people will say unethical. i say good on her. >> absolutely. it raises
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interesting issues though, doesn't it, about the relationship in the family. you could end up in poverty as an elderly person. if you fall out with your kids and you've given them all your cash, we're going to be debating that at the top of the show. we've got sam fowles and charlotte griffiths here. first, though, the very latest news headlines with sam francis . francis. >> very good morning to you from the newsroom . it's just after the newsroom. it's just after 9:30 and a recap of the headunes 9:30 and a recap of the headlines this hour. rishi sunak has claimed today's fall in the rate of inflation down to 2.3, is a major moment for the uk economy. it's down from the march figure of 3.2, driven by lower gas and electricity bills. the slowdown, though, is not quite as big as experts had predicted, prompting uncertainty about when the bank of england will cut interest rates. the prime minister, though, says everything is heading in the right direction and inflation is back to normal. >> now that is an important moment for our country, for the economy and shows that our plan
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is working now. whilst i know people are only just starting to feel the benefits and there is more work to do, i hope this gives people confidence that if we stick to the plan, there are brighter days ahead . brighter days ahead. >> however, shadow chancellor rachel reeves has warned the government can't be taking a victory lap. >> this is about more than lines on a graph. >> it's about family finances. and the truth is, after 14 years of conservative government, working families and pensioners are still worse off. and the truth is, i'm much more ambitious for the country than rishi sunak and jeremy hunt seem to be. >> well, as we've heard this morning, conservative mp craig mckinlay is returning to parliament today, eight months after he was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma. he had extreme surgery to remove both his hands and feet after contracting sepsis last year. the 57 year old has been fitted with prosthetics and told our political editor, chris hope, that he's looking forward to being known as the bionic mp. i
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am hoping people might give me the benefit of the doubt and say that man's been a fighter for himself. >> he's damn well going to fight for me. i'm going to give him my support. >> the bionic mp bionic mp is what i want to be. >> paula vennells has arrived at the horizon inquiry this morning, with victims urging the former post office boss to come clean about failings. wrongful prosecution of subpostmasters continued during her time in charge of the company between 2012 and 2015. she's likely to be questioned about whether she lied to parliament about the faulty it system . and finally, faulty it system. and finally, tributes have been paid to a 73 year old british man who died dunng year old british man who died during severe turbulence on a flight from heathrow to singapore . jeff kitchen suffered singapore. jeff kitchen suffered a suspected heart attack and has been described as a gentleman with integrity. his wife was one of the passengers who was injured after the plane hit an air pocket and suddenly dropped . air pocket and suddenly dropped. 71 people are still in hospital in thailand, where the flight
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was forced to divert. despite the trauma, though, 143 passengers did make it on to another plane to complete their journey to singapore . that's the journey to singapore. that's the latest from the newsroom for now . for more, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. common alerts now, though, it's more from andrew and bev . and bev. >> good morning. 934 this is britain's newsroom on gb news with me, bev turner and andrew pierce. >> we've got some breaking news to start the programme. the bodies of two women have been found inside a house in nottingham. >> police say the bodies had lain undiscovered for some time. we're sending our reporters to the scene and we'll have more on this later in the show. >> an extraordinary story about the conservative mp craig mackinlay, who returns to parliament today after his battle with sepsis. >> you may have seen the brilliant documentary that gb news did about this last night.
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craig had extreme surgery that removed both his hands and feet, replacing them with prosthetics. >> so craig spoke and his wife spoke to gb news political edhon spoke to gb news political editor, chris hope, about his extraordinary journey and just a warning. the following report contains some sensitive images, but one day his life changed. >> suddenly it was one of those days that will be etched on craig's memory for life. it was the end of september 2023. he was getting ready to go on houday was getting ready to go on holiday with his family. he started to feel unwell and unexpectedly , craig had unexpectedly, craig had contracted sepsis. so the grim reaper let me survive. >> but he's taken his payment in four of my limbs. but that's the way it is. plenty of worse things happening. >> that is it. no way back . and, >> that is it. no way back. and, yes, it was very matter of fact . yes, it was very matter of fact. he accepted that they black. they're not any use anymore . and they're not any use anymore. and that's it. so he had a very
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long, very long operation . and long, very long operation. and he did come back , without those he did come back, without those black arms and legs. and by then i was fine. i just knew that is it. that's the new, new future. new life begins when your body just isn't doing something you want it to do, and you think you can do it. >> i mean, when i had the skin grafts and they're very painful. funny how skin grafts been more painful than anything else. more painful than anything else. more painful than anything else. more painful than the amputation , and painful than the amputation, and just trying to transfer off the bed onto a wheelchair and you're sort of bouncing across and it's sort of bouncing across and it's so painful and you are in tears of frustration that this is just why is it so bad ? why isn't this why is it so bad? why isn't this getting better? but no, i've been pretty much cheerful throughout. i just think i'm probably coming to the end of my
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tether of being under the care of an institution of the nhs for so long. big sadness to me is holding little one's hand going to school. can't do that anymore. we can hold sort of hold hands, but i can't feel that she's holding . that's that she's holding. that's a little specialness that's never coming back . you know that touch coming back. you know that touch of hands where it's gone? it's being an mp . at the end of the being an mp. at the end of the day, i hope it's about what you got up here rather than. yeah knocking on every door, much as i'd like to, but. yeah life will have to change. and if it means more time with family, that has got to be a change for the absolute good. and i'm looking forward to that. >> what an amazing man. if you missed the programme, it's on gb news youtube channel. i would highly recommend you watch the whole thing. and christopher hopeis whole thing. and christopher hope is with us. i mean, i've known craig for a long time and i'd heard he'd been so ill. >> but chris, extraordinary. his fortitude. he's coming back to work. when you think how many tory mps are abandoning parliament cause they think they might lose their seat. yeah and
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he's got a majority of 10 or 11,000. >> might well leave the model of pubuc >> might well leave the model of public service, isn't it? and you set aside. he's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. he's marmite. he's on the erg. he's one of 28 spartan tories who fought theresa may's deal . one of 28 spartan tories who fought theresa may's deal. he chairs the brexiteer. brexiteer. he's a net zero scrutiny group chairman. he doesn't like net zero much or he like he understands it, doesn't want to be imposed government diktats on people. but all that to one side. he's lost his arms and legs and he wants to be fight and win his seat again in south thanet, becoming east thanet in a general election. it's a it's a general election. it's a it's a real moment, i think, to step back from politics in a week of poisoned blood. paula vennells from the post office today. and look at this . people do as we look at this. people do as we know andrew and bev that you go into politics with a higher ideal into politics with a higher ideal, and he's demonstrating that. >> and it's important to remember that and the time scale. so he was contracted sepsis in september and he doesn't know how he got it december 28th. >> he's getting ready to go on houday >> he's getting ready to go on holiday to turkey. when you go on holiday you kind of think,
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well i'm feeling a bit peaky, but i'll survive. i'll get i'll get there and i'll be ill on my sunbed. you don't want to give up and say i'm not well, we will be in there. yeah. he's got a wife and a little girl, wife and a little girl. holiday started vomiting overnight. his wife caught his concern about it. olivia's four years old. she's getting excited for the daughter for the for the holiday. they then call the ambulance. they think, well, it's probably just a bit of something. it's like a flu or illness or something. it's not that serious. she's a pharmacist. she's concerned. kills her brother in law who's a surgeon. they think get to hospital , gets hospital at ten. hospital, gets hospital at ten. next morning, he goes into septic shock . his body turns septic shock. his body turns blue induced coma, wakes up and his arms and legs are like they've been dipped into tar. it's that quick. it's that quick. >> if you're not. >> if you're not. >> yeah, and he's in a coma. 5% chance of living. you know, cottee had to say goodbye or and was asked is it worth carrying on and his limbs if you watch the film do you watch the film. it's extraordinary. his hands are like are like, like leathery, like hard leather. yeah. and he woke up going, what has happened to me? and then the
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amputation happened in december in saint thomas's. and the videos you saw there were when he's now outpatient in lambeth . he's now outpatient in lambeth. i heard about this, of course, as a political journalist for gb news and thought, we've got to tell this guy's story. so i went to sit with him in hospital, talk to him, and said, you know, i think you are you set yourself all your all politics, what you're doing now with going back into public life is extraordinary. >> chris. you could relate to him in a way other political journeys couldn't because of your own daughter, pollyanna. >> that's what my daughter is. an amputee, lost a leg at age two in a bus crash, and is now a dancer and is an adult 19 years old, speaks for herself and she she there she is. campaigns on ableism, and she is someone who is got her own voice now, so i won't talk for her. but i do know what it's like, having to deal with amputation , amputee deal with amputation, amputee and the drama and the difficulty of that. so i do feel personally stirred into action on this story. but it's not really about me. it's about totally about craig and his wife. and today is a big day. >> he's back to parliament. >> he's back to parliament. >> yeah, we'll be on. we're
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going to be shortly interviewing him for your program on gb news. he meets a speaker , before he meets a speaker, before parliament pmqs and then keir starmer keir starmer is probably going to say something in pmqs about him . as i say, i think about him. as i say, i think like martin bell back in the day, he now sits almost outside of normal politics as somebody who is willing to carry on in pubuc who is willing to carry on in public life without arms and legs . and it's a lesson to those legs. and it's a lesson to those 65 tory mps who are giving up on this party, i think. i mean, it's putting the politics to one side. he's saying i'm going to keep serving the public despite my condition and that's amazing. >> it is amazing. >> it is amazing. >> and there are no other wheelchair bound mps in parliament. i've only known one in all the years. >> wheelchair bound. i mean, robert halfon has a kind of, scooter because of his his issues with mobility . i can't, issues with mobility. i can't, i can't. yeah. >> and it's not a particularly disabled friendly building. it's not. >> there are steps everywhere . >> there are steps everywhere. >> there are steps everywhere. >> very old building with steps everywhere and not very many lifts. >> he's lacking hands. so he's his legs are made by the nhs. his hands are about £100,000. you'll see them on camera there.
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they they were induced him on monday. they're metal . and he monday. they're metal. and he wants to call himself the bionic mp. the challenge he has got though bev and andrew, is when you meet somebody and in politics, you meet people all the time. what do you do? do you shake hands ? do you fist bump? shake hands? do you fist bump? and when i met him and wasn't sure what to do because the touch you have when you meet somebody is so important in the first contact with somebody, it is. so do you give them a hug or. >> yeah, it's amazing isn't it? i mean i arguably i think he'll probably be a better mp in a sense because i do believe in that cliche. what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. >> yeah it does. well, i know that. and he's a changed man. he's going to be a campaigner on sepsis and he knows what the nhs means. >> 48,000 people a year. >> 48,000 people a year. >> well, look at these numbers. 48,000 deaths a year from sepsis more than lung, bowel and breast cancer combined. now we all talk about those cancers. we never talk about sepsis . talk about sepsis. >> you know, the launch of my book the other night, michael ashcroft was there. lord ashcroft, he had sepsis. did he in america really quick. they thought we were going to lose him. and he battled back . but
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him. and he battled back. but he's intact. he's got all his limbs. >> yes. it's very rare this happens. what happens to the body shuts down in septic shock . body shuts down in septic shock. and all the effort by the body is to preserve the organs. so the limbs start dying off. >> gosh. >> gosh. >> well , it's >> gosh. >> well, it's an education, chris, and it's a brilliant film. well done. honestly, well done filming it. and if you didn't watch it last night, i would urge you to go on to the gb news youtube channel and watch the whole documentary because it's brilliant. >> he's such a nice bloke . >> he's such a nice bloke. >> he's such a nice bloke. >> he's such a nice bloke. >> he is really. >> he is really. >> i mean, i've always liked him. >> no, i love it. i do like him. i mean, he's campaigned with me. >> he beat nigel farage, of course he in the, he was one of the four people he set up ukip before farage. >> yeah. six months later farage joined. he's a former leader of ukip and he was put up by the tories to fight farage and beat him in 2015. yeah, yeah, he's got us. i mean , again, putting got us. i mean, again, putting politics to one side, whatever you think about politics and viewers will have different views of tories or whatever. but forget that. here's a guy who wants to be an mp without any without any arms and legs, and that deserves everyone's
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applause. >> absolutely well done. and chris will be talking to craig mckinley at westminster a little later in the program. >> up next, though, ann robinson, tv presenter . she was robinson, tv presenter. she was famously known for hosting the weakest link. of course, she's given her £50 million fortune to her family to avoid inheritance tax after she died. she doesn't want the tax man to have it. is it a smart move or deeply unethical? this is britain's newsroom on
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gb news. begum morning 948. so, tributes have been paid to a 73 year old british man who died yesterday dunng british man who died yesterday during severe turbulence on a flight from heathrow to singapore. >> jeff kitchen suffered a suspected heart attack and has been described as a gentleman with integrity. so joining us now in the studio is barrister sam fowles, an editor at large at the mail on sunday. >> charlotte griffiths, sam , it >> charlotte griffiths, sam, it was breaking yesterday. we were on air. this news and it's
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really shocking because it wasn't a plane crash . nothing wasn't a plane crash. nothing went catastrophically wrong except turbulence , which we're except turbulence, which we're all used to, resulting in terrible injuries and the death of this poor man. does it change the way you feel about flying? >> well, to be honest, i was already a bit scared of flying. >> i didn't, i didn't go on a plane until i was in my late teens, which means i never went through that fearless phase. i just the first time i was on, i was old enough to appreciate why it was dangerous and why it was scary. so i've always been a bit scared of flying, and the fact that it's the fact that nothing went wrong, the fact that this is this could happen to anyone. it could happen anywhere, and it has. well, not just not just terrifying consequences, but catastrophic consequences for this one poor guy. >> absolutely. and his family . >> absolutely. and his family. charlotte, how about you never flying again ? flying again? >> i'm never flying again. oh, well, actually, my husband's going to save lots of money because i'm never flying anywhere tropical again. really? lucia? no. singapore i went to singapore on my honeymoon.
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actually, on this exact flight , actually, on this exact flight, i honestly, i don't think i'd ever do it again now. really? because of this? yeah because of this. i've already got. i bet like you, i'm already a little bit afraid of flying. so i think i could do a short more likely to die in a car crash on the way to die in a car crash on the way to the airport than you are to die in this way. my husband tells me that a lot. and because i'm always sort of complaining as i get on a plane going, oh darling, we're going to die. but i just somehow, although that's true, i just don't believe it. you know, when you get in the plane, if you're a bit afraid of flying, that all that logic goes out the window and you just live in fear. >> if they the people who've suffered most injuries, will. the people who are not wearing their seat belts. yeah. and they do encourage you to keep the seatbelt on the whole plane. and actually i do. do you just take it off when i go the whole time. and i have done for years, because if you do fall asleep and there's turbulence, they're going to wake you up. and i just think it's just easier. >> yes. i think well, this was a really good example of there was no warning. so he he bashed the light on as quickly as he could. the pilot, but there wasn't enough time to even do your buckle up. so that's it is a
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good lesson and just have it done. what's the harm? it's not like it's very constraining. that's something. if i do do a short haul flight, i'll always wear a belt. >> now, you were asleep in a car? yeah. plane goes a lot faster. yeah, it's a lot higher. >> higher? >> higher? >> doesn't make sense not to. >> doesn't make sense not to. >> yeah, it's absolutely right. and i've got to say i've like many people, been guilty of being a little bit laissez faire with the with the safety instructions and maybe listening when they're doing that. maybe you're still reading your book or your paper and i tell you what, i unfortunately, i do have to fly for work. i'm going to listen attentively to those safety instructions in future. yeah, right. let's move on to this other story about anne robinson. sam, tv presenter , robinson. sam, tv presenter, done very, very well. i mean, she's done really well. she's got £50 million fortune, which is no mean feat. and she's announced that she's going to make sure it's given to her children. you have to give it away, isn't it, for seven years before your death? if you're not going to have to pay inheritance tax on it? so she's getting ahead of this. what do you make of it? would you do this for your children, or do you think, well, this is my social conscience splitting from my
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self—interest here, and so, you know, don't pay interest every time . don't hate the player. time. don't hate the player. hate the game. right? yeah. but the this is why it's a flawed system, right? i think i think inheritance tax is, is really important. i think people need to be incentivised to earn their own money, not just rely on their parents. however, it clearly doesn't do that because there is there's a very obvious loophole around it, there is there's a very obvious loophole around it , the when loophole around it, the when i googled inheritance tax in preparation for this, all i got was just a list of blogs from different financial consultancies on how to avoid inheritance tax . so i think if inheritance tax. so i think if we are, if we're going to have it and i think we should have it, then that we need to cut out the loopholes and it needs to be a proper inheritance tax , not a proper inheritance tax, not just something you can you can get around. >> but charlotte, my parents have worked so hard. >> i mean so hard all their life to make sure that they have something to pass on to me and my brother and sister. they've already been taxed on it multiple times. right? why should they be taxed on that aspiration and that effort?
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again i'm afraid i believe. >> i believe in that too. i just can't bear the idea that i'll be taxed after i'm dead. having paid a lifetime's worth of tax. and also, i'm 39, so i'm in that classic generation whose parents bought a house for basically tuppence 40 years ago, and my mum bought her four bedroom house in shepherd's bush. it was a medium area in west for london £40,000 when i was born, you know, and, and she still lives in it and, you know, fair enough. she wants to live in her house. she doesn't want to move out. but me and my three kids are sort of crammed in a flat around the corner. i'm always trying to persuade her to swap with me because i'm like, mum, you're just sitting in this massive house that you bought for nothing but she actually doesn't want and i want her to doesn't want and i want her to do the seven year thing and basically give it to me anyway. she said no because she's like, what if we fall out and then you chuck me out one day? >> that's right. that was what would happen before the show. >> of course, she's given the money to kids. they may say, sorry, mum, if you get ill and infirm, you're on your own. >> yeah, yeah. >> yeah, yeah. >> well, although, you know, there's there are.
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>> as a lawyer, can you do a contract? >> i'm saying there are things you can do. and so actually when l, you can do. and so actually when i, i moved in with my then girlfriend, now my wife, one of the things that i did was draft a document to say, this is your house. there's absolutely no way i can ever have any interest of it in it to protect you, because otherwise, because there are legal mechanisms that could have given me an interest. so i sort of did the opposite and took myself out, but there are various ways that you can you can agree to sort of protect yourself for those those seven years. >> right? okay. >> right? okay. >> and you can take out an insurance policy against your inheritance tax as well, can't you? to some extent, so that you're paying a premium. so when you're paying a premium. so when you do die, you've paid for the insurance. >> and this is i was astonished to find out about this, this industry. but but again here we go. this is inheritance tax helping the economy. it's created an entirely new insurance industry . insurance industry. >> it's pernicious and wicked. >> it's pernicious and wicked. >> well, i don't i don't think so . 50. >> so. >> right. >> right. >> we need to go. let us know your thoughts. gbnews.com/yoursay thank you so much, charlotte and sam. up next, paula vennells and the post office inquiry. first, you whether . whether. >> a brighter outlook with boxt
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solar sponsors of weather on . gb news. >> morning. here's your latest gb news weather update brought to you by the met office on this rather wet wednesday. heavy rain is going to spill across many parts of the country and that does bring the risk of some flooding. it's already a wet start across parts of eastern england, and that rain spilling its way north and westwards across many areas. as we go through the day, the rain is really going to be persistent and intense for some of us, and we are likely to see some impacts in association with such wet weather. there will also be some showers around towards the north and also the south of the country, but sunshine is going to be relatively limited. temperatures not as high as they have been recently, and under the wet weather it's going to feel pretty unpleasant. like i said, some showers developing, especially towards the south. some of these could turn heavy and thundery as we go through the evening. some frequent lightning, perhaps even some large hail to watch out for here. the greatest cause for concern, though, will be the
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very wet weather across parts of england and wales and into southern scotland to hear the persistent rain could lead to totals building up. as we go through today into tomorrow , in through today into tomorrow, in excess of 100mm in some places, especially over the high ground of north wales, we are likely to see some impacts from it. towards the northwest of scotland there will be some showers as we go through the day and again these could be a little bit heavy at times. two through the evening and overnight. the rain does gradually make its way north and westwards, but it takes quite a while to do so, which is why we're going to continue to see those rainfall totals building up, and why there is the risk of some impacts, including some flooding towards the south. as we go through the night. it should turn largely dry. there may be some clear breaks, but on the whole staying quite cloudy. temperatures for most not dropping a huge amount. thursday does look like it will be another wet day for the northern two thirds of the country. perhaps the rain not quite as heavy as through today, but nonetheless it is going to be quite a wet picture and that still brings the risk of some impacts because of the unsettled weather, drier and perhaps
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gb news. >> way . >> way. >> way. >> good morning. it's 10:00 >> way. >> good morning. it's10:00 on wednesday. the 22nd of may. this is britain's newsroom on gb news with me. bev turner and andrew pierce, the bionic mp. >> that's what he wants to be known as. and quite right, too. the conservative mp for south thanet, craig mckinney, returns to parliament for the first time today since his battle with sepsis left him without any hands or feet. we're going to follow his journey and the under pressure former post office chief paula vennells is facing the post office inquiry for the first time right now, and about time. >> two ray addison has more .
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>> two ray addison has more. >> two ray addison has more. >> it's finally here. the day that former subpostmasters have waited years to see, as paula vennells faces a grilling over what she really knew about problems with the horizon it system , and when she knew it , system, and when she knew it, and that turbulence, tragedy. >> the 73 year old granddad geoffrey kitchen, who died on board the singapore airlines flight from london. six people are still in a critical condition . we're asking, is this condition. we're asking, is this going to put you off flying and diabetes diagnosis rising ? diabetes diagnosis rising? >> there's been a spike in the under 40 getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. it's being blamed . surprise, surprise on blamed. surprise, surprise on junk food and obesity . junk food and obesity. also, do you remember we spoke about a week ago or so to the mother of the boy that died in the manchester arena bombing. she's walked from manchester to
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downing street. she's going to be arriving in about half an houn be arriving in about half an hour. we'll take that lie. >> seventh anniversary, of course, of that manchester arena bombing , which killed 23 people bombing, which killed 23 people and injured over a thousand people. >> that bombing, i'd forgotten that. the majority of which young people were young people and children @gbnews .com forward slash. your say is the comments page where you can talk to us and also to each other. first though, the very latest news with sam francis . news with sam francis. >> very good morning to you. it's just coming up to 10:02. the headlines from the newsroom this morning. the headlines from the newsroom this morning . rishi sunak has this morning. rishi sunak has claimed today's fall in the rate of inflation to 2.3% is a major moment for the uk economy. it's down from the march figure of 3.2, driven by lower gas and electricity bills. the slowdown is not quite as big, though, as experts had predicted, prompting uncertainty about when the bank of england will cut interest rates. but the prime minister says everything is still heading in the right direction and
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inflation is back to normal. >> and that is an important moment for our country, for the economy and shows that our plan is working. and whilst i know people are only just starting to feel the benefits and there is more work to do, i hope this gives people confidence that if we stick to the plan, there are brighter days ahead. >> however, shadow chancellor rachel reeves has warned the government can't afford to take a victory lap. >> this is about more than lines on a graph. it's about family finances and the truth is, after 14 years of conservative government, working families and pensioners are still worse off. and the truth is , i'm much more and the truth is, i'm much more ambitious for the country than rishi sunak and jeremy hunt seem to be. >> as we've heard this morning, conservative mp craig mackinlay is returning to parliament later, eight months after he was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma. he had extreme surgery to remove both his hands and feet after contracting sepsis last year. the 57 year
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old has been fitted with prosthetics and told our political editor, chris hope, he's looking forward to being known as the bionic mp. >> i'm hoping people might give me the benefit of the doubt and say that man's been a fighter for himself. he's damn well going to fight for me. i'm going to give him my support. the bourbonic mp bionic mp is what i want to be. >> victims of the horizon scandal are urging a former post office boss to come clean about what she knew during her time as the former boss. paula vennells, is giving evidence at the start of her much anticipated three days of questioning at the honzon days of questioning at the horizon inquiry. days of questioning at the horizon inquiry . vie. she was in horizon inquiry. vie. she was in charge of the organisation from 2012 to 2019, while those wrongful prosecutions of subpostmasters continued, she's likely to be questioned about whether she deliberately misled mps about the faulty it system . mps about the faulty it system. ireland has officially recognised palestine as an independent state in coordinated
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announcements with norway and spain, the irish premier said a two state solution is only the only credible path to peace in the middle east. israel says the move will strengthen hamas, though, and has recalled its ambassador from dublin in protest at simon. harris made the announcement this morning . the announcement this morning. >> today, ireland, norway and spain are announcing that we recognise the state of palestine. each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision . effect to that decision. >> tributes have been paid to a 73 year old british man who died dunng 73 year old british man who died during severe turbulence on a flight from heathrow to singapore, jeff kitchen suffered a suspected heart attack and has been described as a gentleman with integrity. his wife is one of the passengers who was injured after the plane hit an air pocket and suddenly dropped . air pocket and suddenly dropped. 71 people are still in hospital, we understand in thailand, where
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the flight was forced to land . the flight was forced to land. the mother of one of the 22 people murdered in the manchester arena bombings is expected to arrive at downing street today after a 200 mile walk 15 days ago. martyn hett's mother, figen murray, set off from the spot where he was killed. she's written to the prime minister asking him to meet her when she arrives in london on the seventh anniversary of the attack . anniversary of the attack. police are reportedly being to told cut back on arrests because we're running out of space in prisons. the times newspaper claims police chiefs are being told to pause some large scale operations until overcrowding in jails in england and wales eases . it claims to have seen an internal document from the national police chiefs council, which warns the criminal justice system may struggle with large numbers of arrests . to weather numbers of arrests. to weather news and an amber warning for heavy rain has been issued by
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the met office today. for many parts of england and wales, slow moving heavy showers are expected until tomorrow morning, potentially triggering flooding and bringing some travel disruption. some areas could see up to 4 or 5cm of rain. disruption. some areas could see up to 4 or 5cm of rain . and just up to 4 or 5cm of rain. and just a quick a quick update on that breaking news we've been reporting on this morning. we understand two bodies have been found in a property in nottingham, two bodies of women. we understand that police were called to an address in radford after concerns were raised there about the welfare of those two women. it's believed they may have been there for some time before being discovered. police say they don't, though, believe there's an immediate risk to the pubuc there's an immediate risk to the public they are keeping. they say an open mind into what happened. we'll keep across that for you throughout the morning and bring you any more details as we get it. for the latest stories, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code there on your screen , or go code there on your screen, or go to gb news. common alerts .
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to gb news. common alerts. >> what's the time? it is 10:07. with britain's newsroom on gb news, andrew pearson bev turner. >> so the former ceo of the post office, paula vennells, is speaking at the horizon inquiry right now. she started by saying how sorry she is for all the sub posts , for all that the posts, for all that the subpostmasters and their families have suffered. >> yeah , it's a bit late for >> yeah, it's a bit late for that, isn't it, when you consider that some took their own lives, many bankrupted. let's bring in our reporter addison. who is? he's there for us this morning. ray long awaited this. quite why it's taken so long to get her there. and she's going to face, i think, up to three days of questioning . questioning. >> yeah, it's going to be a gruelling time for miss vennells. these three days of questioning here heard from former subpostmasters who've waited years to see her face,
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the kind of questions that they've been asking for years and have been really brought to the nation, if not the world's attention, through that drama series that we've all watched so closely. when she arrived, she was virtually , scrubbed by the was virtually, scrubbed by the media. but she had no comment at that point. she certainly has no opfion that point. she certainly has no option now but to answer questions. however she was warned at the very start that she had a right not to self—incriminate herself. that was the warning given to her, as those questions began just minutes ago. here in central london. as you said, she has apologised to subpostmasters for her involvement and also said that she felt that she was too trusting when she was asked if she was the unluckiest ceo in the united kingdom. those
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questions will continue today and then for the next three days as well, and it's all being carried out under oath. hence that warning against self—incrimination as well. of course, she was the chief executive of the post office from 2012 to 2019. we know that this problem started well before that , back in this problem started well before that, back in 1999. this problem started well before that , back in 1999. however this problem started well before that, back in 1999. however for the major point here is what did she know and when did she know it? we saw , didn't we? that it? we saw, didn't we? that email exchange that came out and the voice recording, which came out within the last 24, 48 hours or so, which seemed to indicate that she had been warned about this problem with the system. however, when she spoke to mps in 2015, she said she had no idea that that there was an
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issue . i spoke to former issue. i spoke to former subpostmaster leigh castleton earlier on and i asked him , what earlier on and i asked him, what does he want to hear from paula vennells at this inquiry? this is what he had to say. >> the truth just what she saw, what she heard, people that fed into her, how she took the decisions she took . she had a decisions she took. she had a chance in 2013 to stop this. really she could have wiped the slate clean and allowed second sight to do a full investigation. and allowed us to move forward. and for whatever reason, that didn't happen . it reason, that didn't happen. it took. and then she fought very hard on behalf of the post office in the glow in 2019. and i'd just like to know why. you know, why that had to be, why we've had to lose so many lives waiting for justice. >> well, i also spoke to former subpostmaster seema misra in 2010 when she was ten months pregnant. she was wrongly convicted of stealing £70,000
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from her post office branch in west byfleet in surrey, and received a 15 month sentence. she said she has mixed feelings about miss vennells. i don't know , like a mixed feeling, you know, like a mixed feeling, you know, like a mixed feeling, you know, angry, excitement, sort of wanting to hear the truth. >> so yeah, we've been hearing, wanting to hear for such a long time. so let's see what she's got to say. today. i would like to say to her, please, for god's sake, speak truth. >> so in the last few minutes, then miss vennells saying that she did probe, she said, i did ask questions and i'm disappointed when where information wasn't shared. and it's been a very important time for me to plug some of those gaps. well, subpostmasters is hoping that those gaps will be fully plugged over the next three days. okay. thank you ray. >> thank you very much. though. in a very rainy london this morning, we're going to go over now to listen to paula vennells giving that testimony herself. here she is . here she is. >> she's got a contract with
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fujitsu. would not have been the contract with fujitsu. sorry. let me start again . existed over let me start again. existed over a very, very long period of time. as the inquiry knows , i time. as the inquiry knows, i was involved with review being the strategy and some of the content of the contract with fujitsu. as we prepared to retender the horizon system in up, up and during 2015, when the original contract with fujitsu and versions before that would not have crossed my desk as network director or as managing director. what should have happenedis director. what should have happened is the service level agreements within that contract should have been reported on differently than they were, and that also might point to some of your points about bugs, errors and defects. because if i turn to those , the reporting that the
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to those, the reporting that the group executive , the chief group executive, the chief executive and the board received and the inquiry heard this from lesley sewell as well, was at different levels . so i think we different levels. so i think we had a level zero and a level one that came to my level and to the board, issues that cropped up below that were not reported. one of the biggest challenges is, as i have been going through all of this documentation , is all of this documentation, is realising how much went on at an individual postmaster level. so when, when, when a bug affected large numbers of post offices or there was an outage which affected large numbers of post offices or a network failure , offices or a network failure, they were raised. but if a single subpostmaster made a call x number of times to a service centre , it wouldn't have been centre, it wouldn't have been picked up. and i think from a governance point of view, there is and the point has been made previously, a very important
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lesson around the issue of the institution and the individual. how does somebody, as a chief executive of an institution this large and complex , have sight to large and complex, have sight to what happens to an individual if they are affected by a bug? the only thing i can think about is that it ought to be possible to have data, which reports the number of times the postmaster may complain about something, the number of disputes that have not been resolved, age disputes, disputes where postmasters have challenged them isn't all this really obvious? it is. and it wasn't in place . and it should wasn't in place. and it should have been. >> if it was really obvious, why wasn't it in place? >> i think because of the way that the reporting had been planned, management information across many areas of a business tends to be written in layers of escalation, and the layers of escalation, and the layers of escalation that were selected around it and fujitsu were such that it didn't. and i think this
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probably happens in many, many other large institutions too . it other large institutions too. it didn't give you on a board a line of sight to what happened to an individual. and we are seeing the terrible impact of that today is the overall answer to my question . to my question. >> you don't believe that there was a conspiracy to deny you information and documents? the reason such information and documents didn't reach you was the way that the company was organised and structured . organised and structured. >> i think in the majority of cases, yes, that is true. >> and who was responsible for organising and structuring the company? >> sorry if i if i may just say the other point is that i have seen documents and i have heard evidence where i think colleagues did know more information than was shared . and information than was shared. and information than was shared. and in those cases i the mistakes were made or they decided it wasn't appropriate to do so . to
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wasn't appropriate to do so. to your first point, in terms of sorry , could you say that again? yes. >> if it was the organisation and structure of the company that prevented the this information and these documents from reaching you, who was responsible for organising and structuring the company after you became ceo ? you became ceo? >> i was responsible for a ceo. you're accountable for everything. you have experts who report to you . so the decision report to you. so the decision on what would have been reported on what would have been reported on it, for instance, would have been decided by the it director when i was chief executive, in an attempt to get more on top of some of the issues that were reported, i asked alastair cameron, for instance, to put in place an operations board where it began to review some of those things that were raised . but in things that were raised. but in terms of what you put in a
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report , it the it reports the report, it the it reports the post office had were not that different from ones i've seen in other big corporate companies. the difference for the post office as a result of what what we're discussing here today, is that it somehow did it was at the time it did not see what was happening in an individual post office. if that was, it was just at a level that didn't reach us and that was wrong. and there needs to be different sort of reporting that would have flagged that . flagged that. >> in a note that alice perkins wrote before the departure of susan crichton to you, she said, quote , it's the fact that she quote, it's the fact that she that susan sees so much as beyond her control that's the problem. it's her alibi . do you problem. it's her alibi. do you think the same could be said as you of you know, definitely not. >> i, i asked questions, i
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oversaw the strategy, which would have introduced changes where we felt it was appropriate to the organisation . i probed, i to the organisation. i probed, i worked in a structured way and an informal way. i would walk around the desks in the organisation and talk to people just to find out what was going on. i was sometimes criticised in team development events for being too curious and stepping too much into people's territory . i don't think that's a criticism that could have been levelled at me . levelled at me. >> you tell us that you always enjoyed a good relationship with moya greene, the chief executive of royal mail group, in your witness statement. >> yeah, we had a good working relationship , skip, you say no relationship, skip, you say no need to turn it up. >> paragraph 259. on page 114, i got on very well with moya . got on very well with moya. >> i got on very well with most of the people i work with. >> yes, i'm focusing on moya green at the moment, she
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overlapped very extensively as chief executive of royal mail group, with your holding the most senior positions in the post office. yes yes, yes, she became ceo of royal mail group in july 2010. you became md of post office in october 2010? yes. she left in 2018. and you left in early 2019? yes so a very substantial period of overlap . can we look please at overlap. can we look please at pv when 50532. this is a new document for the inquiry. having been properly disclosed by you, recently it's an email. sorry. i message exchange with moya green. and i think you'll be familiar with it. >> what was the reference again? mr sorry, pv en50532. >> thank you . can you help us to
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>> thank you. can you help us to date it, please ? date it, please? >> i think this is january this year. yeah >> you'll see that the way you've screenshot dated, it, includes the words yesterday at 646. that doesn't literally mean yesterday from the day that you disclose it to us. >> it was that i think moya had been away . she had come back to been away. she had come back to the uk . i have been away. she had come back to the uk. i have a been away. she had come back to the uk . i have a sense been away. she had come back to the uk. i have a sense this is around january time, because i think he was at the time of the itv drama that would make sense because in the third paragraph it says nick was a poor witness. >> chairman gone. that's a reference to mr staunton. yes, i believe so. >> and he resigned, i think, or was required to resign on the 27th of january 2024. >> yes , let's just read through >> yes, let's just read through
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it. paula i'm just back in the uk. what i have learned from the inquiry stroke, parliamentary committee questions is very damaging. nick. that's nick read. yes yes. nick read was a poor witness , chairman, as we've poor witness, chairman, as we've established that some, mr henry staunton. correct? yes. has gone. he will be next. when it was clear the system was at fault, the post office should have raised a red flag, stopped all proceedings , given people all proceedings, given people back their money, and then tried to compensate them from the ruin this caused in their lives. to compensate them from the ruin this caused in their lives . ms this caused in their lives. ms moya. and then if we go down, please, the next page . keep please, the next page. keep going. you said you say in reply. yes, i agree this has stroke is taking too long. moya,
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the toll on everyone affected is dreadful. i hope you had a good break and are well. best wishes paula , moya green. i don't know paula, moya green. i don't know what to say. i think you knew moya . you reply. no, moya, that moya. you reply. no, moya, that isn't the case, she replies. i want to believe you. i ask you twice. i suggested you get an independent review reporting to you. i was afraid you were being lied to. you said the system had already been reviewed multiple times. how could you not have known all over the page and scroll down? moya. the mechanism for getting to the bottom of this is the inquiry. i've made it my priority to support it fully . moya green, the post fully. moya green, the post office did not. they dragged their heels. they did not deliver documents . s they did deliver documents. s they did not compensate people. paula, you appealed the judge's
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decision. i'm sorry. i can't now support you. i've supported you all these years to my own detriment. i can't support you now. after what i have learned at moya . you'll see in the at moya. you'll see in the course of that exchange that moya greene accuses you of knowing. yes did you understand that to be an accusation that you knew about bugs, errors and defects in horizon ? defects in horizon? >> no. i understood this to be moya. and there is a further series of exchanges of texts where moya , steps back a little where moya, steps back a little bit from the challenges that she's putting here. i understood that moya had returned to the country earlier this year, that she had been listening to all of the information in the inquiry,
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and she was trying to square her, her memory with what she was hearing . i yeah. was hearing. i yeah. >> that's me. go up a page, please . she says in the second please. she says in the second text down. i think you knew. and you say that isn't the case. what did you think you were denying ? denying? >> i think moya was possibly suggesting there that there was some concern conspiracy. as you as you mentioned earlier , and as as you mentioned earlier, and as i said, i didn't believe that was the case. she may have been saying that i. know i think it's the same thing i was going to say about a cover up at the same thing, but the text at the foot of the page, she asks you the question.
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>> so that's paula vennells. paula vennells giving evidence at the inquiry. we've got stephen pound in the panel with us and mark perry, stephen pound, significant thing. i heard us say was staff did no information, didn't share it. are you saying it's everybody else's fault? well, that's what it looks like. >> but i mean, this is a clear failure of leadership. you know, the fish rots from the head, and i think she was the head now. i mean, you don't want to kick a person when they're down, but in all honesty, she kicked a lot of people when they were down. yeah. and i think the reality is that when you have people have died, people have committed suicide pregnant women have been sent to prison. yeah. you know, this is outrageous. it's just it's one of these other horror stories that seems to overshadow british society today. but, i mean, paula vennells, on the one hand, she's done the right thing by surrendering her cbe before it took a while to get. i agree, but i mean, in all honesty, i think she should realise that the potential for a custodial sentence is very, very real. now >> yeah, absolutely. >> yeah, absolutely. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> i mean, i keep coming back to what i think is the absolute central point of this , and that central point of this, and that is that i was regarded a
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subpostmaster or subpostmistress as a pillar of society alongside the vicar, alongside the policeman, alongside your doctor. >> you you just couldn't believe that they were in any way corruptible in any form. >> not so many of them. >> not so many of them. >> well, i was about i was, i was about to say if 1 or 2 rogue cases came in, you'd say, we must investigate that whoever was at the post office and suddenly start seeing the numbers tumble and tumble, hang on at some collective madness. come over. subpostmasters and mistresses that they suddenly decided all to rob the businesses they work for. why didn't somebody with a bit of common sense say, this can't be happening? that's all you have to say. but check out the computers. now. the problem is, because they took that decision too late. all the big wigs then decided did. we should have done this years ago. so i'm afraid we're going to have to find a way of diverting blame. and i see ken clarke yesterday who
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you've had dealings with over the decades. okay, is also in the decades. okay, is also in the frame for having not behaved blood. absolutely >> this is about his faith in institutions, isn't it, stephen? i mean the nhs , the infected i mean the nhs, the infected blood, the post office. i know a much revered institution for many years. >> well, it also, you know, the police service, the prison service, you know, you name it. i think we've got almost an existential crisis here in british society. i do want to be alarmist about it, but it just nothing seems to be working. and there seems to be every stone you lift up. there seems to be something horrible slithering underneath it. this is pretty terrible. i think we've got to actually draw the line and say, look, we cannot carry on like this. we just can't go on being a third rate nation with a first rate past. it's not good enough. paula vennells has got to go, i think and i think that's that's where we start. i don't know about ken clarke. i mean i look into the details of that a bit more. yeah but at every other level, you know, you see these absolute horrors taking place. yeah. occasionally a spark of light, like occasionally a good like craig mckinlay today. you know, the mp for extraordinary stuff. so you do see examples of courage and bravery and honesty and decency. well you do but
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dark clouds overshadow almost everything. >> we've got to radically change your our view on how we treat pubuc your our view on how we treat public servants , because you've public servants, because you've already said that post office post submasters mistresses died, committed suicide, went bankrupt, lost their businesses and their families . it's so and their families. it's so badly affects people's lives that whoever caused that should go to jail. and it's exactly the same with the blood contamination system. it could have been stopped if people had bothered to look what was going on, but they just chose a blind eye and people's lives have been ruined. mike, i regret deeply the fact that a subpostmaster on my old patch came to see me to say that he was being stripped of his subpostmaster licence. >> he was going to have to move out. so i went to see the post office, went to see the chap who's in charge of parliamentary liaison. he said, yeah, the reason is because he attacked one of our people with a sword. and i said, that's a bit out of order, isn't it? and it turned out that what had happened was he'd been accused so many, and he'd been accused so many, and he just lost his temper and he
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happened to be a sikh, and he happened to be a sikh, and he happen to have a ceremonial sword there. and i and god forgive me. and i still guilty about this, turned it. i took the post office's word because i trusted the post office. yeah it's all about trust. no mp will do that again. >> but stephen, as mike makes the point, there were nearly a thousand postmasters who prosecuted nearly a god. >> exactly. why did nobody think with an ounce of common sense? just imagine if vickers suddenly started committing terrible crimes across the country and the church. yeah, and the church of england said i don't know, you just can't get a decent vicar these days. or doctors started robbing the practices they were working in. that would be as bad . but somebody would be as bad. but somebody would say, this isn't the way that they usually behave . something they usually behave. something must have gone wrong. >> the post office has been high fiving when people went to prison. >> their prosecutors were predicated on a lie, which was that only the postmasters and post offices could access their machines. >> yeah, but also the fact that they sent each other congratulatory emails and said, we got a result. yeah, yeah, i mean, that is sick. >> that is normal. >> that is normal. >> vennells has just said that she was too trusting. yeah, she
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should have been more cynical, more sceptical, should have questioned, but also the fact that she had about five quangos. >> i mean, she was a ceo of about five different organisations. yes. >> this woman was also a church of england vicar, you can hardly believe. >> just leave that hanging in the air for a minute. >> and also there are senior politicians involved in this particular scandal who used exactly the same excuse i was lied to. thank you. the lib dem. exactly. i was lied to. it's not my fault people lie sir davey wouldn't even meet them. no they wouldn't. >> he wouldn't meet mr bates now. star of the tv film. let's be honest, if it wasn't for the tv program, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion. >> no we wouldn't. >> no we wouldn't. >> no, that's right. >> no, that's right. >> power of the media. yeah. >> power of the media. yeah. >> so until you find out what happened during the pandemic, you through, you're gonna have your heads blown off like it's coming out better, we're going to be bringing you all the highlights from the post office inquiry here on gb news as well this morning. and we've got a list of brilliant stories to do with you. you too, this morning. we will get to that as well in about an hour's time. but first, though, your morning's news with sam francis.
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>> 1030 i'm sam francis. a quick look at the headlines from the newsroom this morning. rishi sunak says inflation is back to normal and claimed it's a major moment for the uk's economy. the rate dropped to 2.3% for the year to april, driven by falling energy prices. but most experts had been predicting an even sharper showdown, and that's prompting doubts about imminent interest rate cuts. labour says there's still much more to do. the bodies of two women have been found at a property in nottingham . police say they nottingham. police say they believe the remains had been there for some time before being discovered. officers were called because of concerns about the welfare of the people there, and they say they're now keeping an open mind about what happened . open mind about what happened. former post office boss has told the official horizon inquiry how sorry she is for what subpostmasters and their families have suffered, beginning the first of her three days of evidence, paula vennells also said she believed she was
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too trusting during her time in charge between 2012 and 2019. she's also likely to be questioned about whether she deliberately misled mps about the faulty. it system . for the the faulty. it system. for the latest stories, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen, or go to gb news. com slash alerts . go to gb news. com slash alerts. >> cheers! britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report , and here's financial report, and here's a quick snapshot of today's markets. >> the pound will buy you $1.2729 and ,1.1732. the price of gold this morning is £1,899, and £0.49 per ounce, and the ftse 100 is at 8393 points. >> cheers, britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news
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financial report, available tomorrow, stephen pounds trying to. is he trying to sell you his book again? >> no, no, i'm trying to buy his book. he's bought it. yeah right. thanks, guys. still to come this morning, the incredible story of the conservative mp craig mackinlay and his battle with sepsis. he's returning to the commons today. he's lost both hands and both feet. >> the bionic mp, he will be mp warmly welcomed back. >> we will have that live. this is britain's newsroom on
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gb news. >> 1037. you're listening to britain's newsroom on gb news with andrew pierce and bev turner. a lot of you getting in touch? yeah we've got this inflation news as well. >> today. we're going to have liam halligan here shortly to talk about this. and adrian, who is a gb news member has said inflation falls but will prices go ezedi gas companies,
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supermarkets are still going to want their profits to stay the same, and adrian a similar adrian. oh same adrian i hope craig mckinley gets a standing ovation in parliament today. >> i think that's a given , actually. >> that's right. christine has got in touch to say rachel reeves responds to the reduction in inflation by pointing out the conservatives failures. yawn. she says in capital letters. and also, the labour party have had their heads implanted with answers as david. they appear robotic and clueless . i think robotic and clueless. i think it's just playing it very safe. >> yeah. >> yeah. >> that that i mean, i thought rachel reeves sounded particularly robotic today, actually responding to his inflation. inflation is down from 3.2 to 2.3. they're nearly at the 2% target they want. it still means prices are going up, but not as fast. and why can't labour just but not as fast. and why can't labourjust say but not as fast. and why can't labour just say good. but not as fast. and why can't labourjust say good. it's good news. >> it's quite hard to respond to what is a good news story for the conservatives in any way other than your soundbite , isn't other than your soundbite, isn't it because they're not going to
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say, oh, congratulations. exactly. i'm not sure whether how much credit the tories. >> well and actually and people are still struggling with the cost of living crisis aren't they. that's the truth. >> kevin has got in touch. morning, kevin. i can't work as i'm stressed. i can't work because i have mental issues. i can't work as i'm anxious. i've got no arms or legs, but i can work and i will work. well done. to the bionic. bionic mp. i admire all people like you . so admire all people like you. so true. and sylvie, who is also a member . true. and sylvie, who is also a member. thank you, true. and sylvie, who is also a member . thank you, sylvie says member. thank you, sylvie says craig mckinley, a tory mp who may have lost four limbs but has more backbone than any of the current crop of ministers. maybe it's current crop of ministers. maybe wsfime current crop of ministers. maybe it's time the tories look for a leader with a bulldog spirit. >> well , leader with a bulldog spirit. >> well, yeah, i mean, he's an example to us all, isn't he? >> he's brilliant. >> he's brilliant. >> extraordinary adversity to lose four limbs. and he's back at work today going to be in the commons. and on that we're going to chris hope, our political editor who broke this story on gb news last night, about craig and his extreme surgery. he's in westminster and joins us now.
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chris >> andrew. hi, andrew. hi, bev. yeah, i'm here in parliament square in westminster. behind me is the palace of westminster. around 11 am. this morning. we'll see. craig mckinley , the we'll see. craig mckinley, the self—proclaimed bionic mp with with, prosthetic arms and legs, meeting with the speaker of the house of commons. his first time back in parliament since september. then he should be meeting possibly keir starmer, the labour leader, and then into the labour leader, and then into the commons chamber when i do expect some loud, claim, you know, you can't clap in house of commons. by the way, i don't want to remind viewers of that, but you can you can utter words of encouragement for him that should happen around , 1145 of encouragement for him that should happen around ,1145 and should happen around, 1145 and then as pmqs gets underway at midday, we should be hearing words from both the pm and sir keir starmer, the labour leader. and i think politics here in westminster is being put to one side in this instance, in a difficult week of poisoned blood stories, paula vennells, in front of the post office community committee. you've got here a story of an individual,
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an mp who wants to keep on being an mp who wants to keep on being an mp who wants to keep on being an mp without any arms and legs. and that is something, i think, which reminds us why people become mps . they become mps become mps. they become mps because they want to give back. it's not always about them. we might think that from the coverage of parliament, half the time it is about something bigger than that. and craig mcenany, i think, epitomises that extraordinary chris, and you're going to get to talk to him, i think, aren't you, because you had a you did a remarkable documentary, which we watch on gb news last night. >> chris and i think you've actually spent a lot of time with him while he was in hospital. you of course, can relate to his plight because of your own daughter, chris. >> that's right. andrew. and my daughter is an amputee . lost daughter is an amputee. lost a leg in a bus crash when she was aged two years old. and so i was very aware as soon as i became very aware as 500“ as i became aware very aware as soon as i became aware of what had happened to craig, i was going to see him in hospital just talking about politics. and as soon as you're with him, his his disability falls away. the fact he's got no arms and no legs when i met him didn't matter at all. the old
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craig mckinley inside there shines out. he's a passionate . shines out. he's a passionate. he's not everyone's cup of tea. he's not everyone's cup of tea. he's passionate on brexit. he doesn't like net zero much. he helped to found ukip. doesn't like net zero much. he helped to found ukip . but, you helped to found ukip. but, you know, politics is about different ideas on gb news. we have all sorts of ideas. we don't always agree with them and that's the point. he believes in in serving the public. and he's going to back to fight the election this autumn, probably without any arms and legs. and that, i think, deserves a lot of credit, so i think we'll be seeing him later and the reaction will be quite astonishing. i think he'll find himself a changed mp coming back here. he's someone now who sits outside normal politics. i think , he'll be someone who stands for sepsis for disability and for sepsis for disability and for battling to help the nhs with its various weaknesses as well as its strengths. a different craig mckinney will emerge back into public life today. >> okay. thank you very much, chris. chris, we hope there at parliament square on the green. >> and it's not it's not especially disabled friendly , especially disabled friendly, the palace of westminster. no, it's a very, very old building
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with many, many stairs. well he has not many lifts. >> he has prosthetic hands now. he has prosthetic feet or lower leg , and he has prosthetic feet or lower leg, and there will be challenges, there's no doubt about it. but what a man of mental fortitude and stoicism. really brilliant. and i love the fact that we as a channel are doing this story, because this is what gb news is all about, isn't it? it's about people who are doing their best, working hard, particularly in the face of adversity. we're always trying to represent these stories. you've been very busy on our message board about paula vennells . you are not impressed vennells. you are not impressed at all. the post office inquiry says james. it seems like the fujitsu company at the heart of all this seems to be getting off very lightly. is it because our mps are ministers? all have lucrative shares in them? as usual, just asking my kind of question, james. you can ask those all you like , let's have those all you like, let's have a look. gemma talking about craig mckinley. what an inspiration to us all. she says . jack, who is us all. she says. jack, who is also a gb news member. thank you jack. dear paula , words are jack. dear paula, words are cheap. so what does that say about you ? a lot of you getting
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about you? a lot of you getting in touch to say that we can't believe we're hearing the same old. it wasn't me, guv. i didn't know what was happening. >> she said that my staff did no information , but they didn't information, but they didn't share it. she was the boss. the buck stops at the top and i think there will be smoking gun emails will come to light during these next three days, which will be pretty difficult for her to explain. >> accountability deficit. it is the phrase of our time. it just feels like nobody is ever held responsible for anything, right? keep your messages coming gbnews.com/yoursay your say. now though, the mother of the manchester arena bombing victim is arriving at downing street any minute now as she finishes a 200 mile walk. >> it's the seventh anniversary of her son martin's death. figen murray is campaigning for venues and local authorities in the uk to be required to have training and preventative plans against terror attacks. >> our reporter, sophie reaper, is at downing street now. morning, sophie. we saw you, of course, with a fegan's mother.
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sorry. figen murray, on the day that she left manchester just from the arena. how was her journey been this week ? journey been this week? >> well, it's actually been just over two weeks since she set off on her journey, and we spoke to on herjourney, and we spoke to her this morning. she arrived at marble arch in central london yesterday. we caught up with her this morning before she set off on this very last leg of the journey to downing street, she told me that her hips are very sore and that her blisters are still yet to heal. but i think the overarching message she had was that it's all been so worth it at the time. i'm sure you'll remember , she said, that she remember, she said, that she wanted to send a message directly to prime minister rishi sunak that how important it was that we get martyn's law over the line to make sure that our venues are entertainment venues in the uk are made so much safer in the uk are made so much safer in the uk are made so much safer in the wake of the manchester arena attack. now, you mentioned she'll be joining us here shortly. they set off from
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marble arch, in quarter past nine this morning, so we should be expecting them any minute here at downing street. so once they're here they'll then be attending pmqs this afternoon. and then she has sit downs with both rishi sunak and keir starmer . she'll be speaking to starmer. she'll be speaking to them about the importance of it. and of course the memory of her son martin, who was one of those 22 victims of the arena attack. and she told me this morning she's hoping that that rishi sunak has really seen the importance of this law and that he'll give her a firm date. as of today, when martyn's law will be passed into legislation. i'm hoping she'll be joining us in the next 5 or 10 minutes or so, and she'll be able to tell us more about that as she completes this this huge journey, this epic adventure, all to try and make venues safer for us here in the uk . the uk. >> okay. thank you very much, sophie. well, we will, await the arrival of figen murray, this morning. now, up next, as former
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gb news. very good morning. it's 1049. very good morning. it's1049. you are very vocal on our message board this morning. gbnews.com/yoursay about paula. paula vennells giving her testimony at the post office inquiry. peter wright, who's a member, said i hope the post office official will go to jail like the ones in jail, but not charge . i don't quite know what charge. i don't quite know what that means, debbie said conrad turner, backing up her hero reeves on inflation in the late 70s. reeves on inflation in the late 705. it hit 24, didn't reeves on inflation in the late 70s. it hit 24, didn't get back to 3. for nearly 20 years. we haven't had deflation since the 1960s. rachel reeves is not my hero . i don't know enough about hero. i don't know enough about hero. i don't know enough about her for her to be my hero when she's in office, i'll take a judgement call. >> i don't know, we're going to get to know us because she's
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going to be our first woman chancellor of the exchequer. >> that's for sure. she is. >> that's for sure. she is. >> and maybe i will love her. or maybe i will criticise her and dislike a lot of what she does. it'5 dislike a lot of what she does. it's too early to know. she's certainly not my hero, neil, says a woman of the cloth. this is about paula vennells. we all know how trustworthy that lot are . i wanted to join, but when are. i wanted to join, but when they asked me if i'd ever. oh, no, i can't read that house. no. and peter said, i wonder if sir ed davey will be punished for this . this. >> well, he's given evidence to the inquiry already, and he says that he he says people lied to him. >> tess, this is brilliant. >> tess, this is brilliant. >> tess, this is brilliant. >> tess says because he was post office minister. >> exactly . >> exactly. >> exactly. >> i would love to see alan bates asking paula vennells the questions. >> wouldn't they be good? >> wouldn't they be good? >> wouldn't they be good? >> wouldn't it be good? and paula, of course, who ed davey wouldn't see when he was post office minister? paul has got in touch to say that, can gb news get a legal expert to tell us the probability of vennells going to prison? please? it is a complicated matter. >> i would definitely like to talk to a lawyer on that . talk to a lawyer on that. >> what the charge would be? is
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it some form of corporate malfeasance? >> yes, that's probably the. >> yes, that's probably the. >> but if , if, if people at the >> but if, if, if people at the post office knew wilfully that people were being prosecuted and they knew that the on the basis of flawed evidence that has to be corporate , corruption and it be corporate, corruption and it has to be it has to be a matter for the courts to deal with. >> marianne has said ignorance is never an excuse for poor oversight of management. mis vennells in any new system , due vennells in any new system, due diligence tells you if it if it is fit for purpose or not. people shouldn't have to die, lose their homes, friends and family and fight for 20 years before they are listened to . i before they are listened to. i could not agree more. >> and there is talk that whistleblowers raised the alarm about the it system. years and years and years before it went horribly wrong. when these postmasters and post mrs. we shouldn't forget, some took their own lives, some lost their businesses , their marriages, businesses, their marriages, their families, their businesses. it's a shocking
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scandal. christine. >> morning, christine. she said, the one thing that came across to me about craig's story, this is the mp craig mckinley, that we've been following his story for four months here on gb news. and christine said is the immense support from his wife and how she dealt with this appalling situation and prepared their daughter. that level of support was immeasurable for his recovery . you're so right. recovery. you're so right. christine cottee is her name. yeah. and well done to her. >> let's go back to the post office inquiry, because outside inquiry is a former subpostmaster and campaigner, chris christopher head. christopher. good morning. vennells is finally , in the hot vennells is finally, in the hot seat. what do you want to hear today from the inquiry ? i'm not today from the inquiry? i'm not sure christopher can hear us. he can't hear us. we'll come. we'll come back to it. we'll come back to him. >> he stood there with a t shirt on that says post office horizon scandal on his t shirt. again we just read, where are fujitsu? where are the people who created this technology ?
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this technology? >> it's the same. see, i take the same view with the blood. the blood contaminated blood. the blood contaminated blood. the taxpayer is picking up the £10 billion compensation bill. the taxpayers so far has paid billions in compensation, many millions of pounds in compensation. it was fujitsu's wretched it system that went horribly wrong . why haven't they horribly wrong. why haven't they paid any money? they say they will after the public inquiry is concluded. that will be 2026. spend some more of those postmasters and postmasters will have died. yeah. >> oh , absolutely. >> oh, absolutely. >> oh, absolutely. >> it it's just it's wicked. >> it it's just it's wicked. >> it it's just it's wicked. >> it is. >> it is. >> they should be making an interim payment. right now sort of corporate immunity. and also why fujitsu still getting government contracts. i mean they should be hanging their headin they should be hanging their head in shame and we should never trust them again because they got this so horribly wrong. yeah, right. >> lots of your messages coming in. we're going to read them while we take this very quick break. we're also going to bring you the latest on this story about two bodies, which have been found in a property in nottingham. don't go anywhere. this is britain's newsroom on gb
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views. >> a brighter outlook with boxt solar sponsors of weather on . gb news. >> morning. here's your latest gb news weather update, brought to you by the met office on this rather wet wednesday. heavy rain is going to spill across many parts of the country and that does bring the risk of some flooding. it's already a wet start across parts of eastern england, and that rain spilling its way north and westwards across many areas. as we go through the day , the rain is through the day, the rain is really going to be persistent and intense for some of us, and we are likely to see some impacts in association with such wet weather. there will also be some showers around towards the north and also the south of the country, but the sunshine is going to be relatively limited. temperatures not as high as they have been recently, and under the wet weather it's going to feel pretty unpleasant. like i said, some showers developing, especially towards the south. some of these could turn heavy and thundery as we go through the evening. some frequent lightning, perhaps even some large hail to watch out for
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here. the greatest cause for concern, though, will be the very wet weather across parts of england and wales, and into southern scotland. two here the persistent rain could lead to totals building up as we go through today into tomorrow in excess of 100mm in some places, especially over the high ground of north wales, we are likely to see some impacts from it. towards the north—west of scotland there will be some showers as we go through the day and again these could be a little bit heavy at times , two little bit heavy at times, two through the evening and overnight. the rain does gradually make its way north and westwards, but it takes quite a while to do so, which is why we're going to continue to see those rainfall totals building up, and why there is the risk of some impacts, including some flooding towards the south. as we go through the night, it should turn largely dry. there may be some clear breaks, but on the whole staying quite cloudy. temperatures for most not dropping a huge amount. thursday does look like it will be another wet day for the northern two thirds of the country. perhaps the rain not quite as heavy as through today, but nonetheless it is going to be quite a wet picture and that still brings the risk of some
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impacts because of the unsettled weather. drier and perhaps brighter towards the south. so temperatures still not quite as high as they were earlier on in the week, but feeling pleasant enoughin the week, but feeling pleasant enough in any sunshine by by that warm feeling inside from boxt boilers sponsors of weather on
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gb news. >> 11 am. on wednesday, the 22nd of may. this is britain's newsroom on gb news with andrew pierce and bev turner. >> he is the bionic mp, the conservative mp for south thanet i >> -- >> craig mckinley returns to parliament for the first time today since his battle with sepsis left him with no hands or
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feet. we're going to follow his journey all morning and the former post office chief executive , paula vennells, is executive, paula vennells, is before the post office public inquiry for the first time right now, she says she's very sorry and a diabetes diagnosis is shock number. in the cases of people suffering from diabetes, type two in the under 40s. guess what? obesity and junk food . what? obesity and junk food. >> an inflation has fallen to 2.3. its lowest level in almost three years, but not as low as we were expecting. >> gbnews.com/yoursay is a place to get in touch with us. you can talk to each other and also to us first, though, the very latest news headlines with sam francis .
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francis. >> very good morning to you. it's just coming up to 11:02. the top story this morning . the top story this morning. rishi sunak is claiming that a fall in the rate of to inflation 2.3% is, he says, a major moment for the uk economy. it's down from the march figure of 3.2, dnven from the march figure of 3.2, driven by lower gas and electricity bills. the slowdown, though, is not quite as big as experts had predicted, prompting uncertainty about when the bank of england will cut its interest rates. but the prime minister says everything is heading in the right direction and inflation is back to normal . inflation is back to normal. >> now that is an important moment for our country, for the economy and shows that our plan is working. and whilst i know people are only just starting to feel the benefits and there is more work to do, i hope this gives people confidence that if we stick to the plan, there are brighter days ahead . brighter days ahead. >> however, shadow chancellor rachel reeves has warned that the government can't afford to take a victory lap . take a victory lap. >> this is about more than lines
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on a graph. it's about family finances . and the truth is, finances. and the truth is, after 14 years of conservative government, working families and pensioners are still worse off. and the truth is, i'm much more ambitious for the country than rishi sunak and jeremy hunt seem to be victims of the horizon it scandal are urging a former post office boss to come clean about what she knew . what she knew. >> paula vennells has begun her appearance at the horizon inquiry in london with an apology for all that subpostmasters and their families have suffered. she was in charge of the organisation from 2012 to 2019, while wrongful prosecutions of subpostmaster matters continued. she's also likely to be questioned about whether she deliberately misled mps about the faulty it system . well, as the faulty it system. well, as we've heard this morning, the bodies of two women have been found at a property in nottingham . police were called nottingham. police were called to an address in radford after concerns were raised about their
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welfare. it's believed that they may have been there for some time before being discovered. police say they don't, though, believe there's an immediate risk to the public and they're keeping an open mind into what happened. keeping an open mind into what happened . conservative mp craig happened. conservative mp craig mackinlay returns to parliament today, eight months after he was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma. he had extreme surgery to remove both his hands and feet after contracting sepsis last year. the 57 year old has been fitted with prosthetics and told our political editor , chris hope, political editor, chris hope, that he's looking forward to being known as the bionic mp. >> i'm hoping people might give me the benefit of the doubt and say that man's been a fighter for himself. he's damn well going to fight for me. i'm going to give him my support. the bourbonic mp. bionic mp is what i want to be. >> israel has recalled its ambassadors from ireland after it officially recognised palestine today as an independent state. in coordinated announcements with
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norway and spain, the irish premier said his country was taking the decision for freedom and justice. israel's foreign ministry, though, has warned on social media the move would fuel extremism and instability. but simon harris says it's the only pathway to peace . pathway to peace. >> today, ireland, norway and spain are announcing that we recognise the state of palestine. each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision . effect to that decision. >> the mother of one of the 22 people murdered in the manchester arena bombings is expected to arrive at downing street today after a 200 mile long walk 15 days ago. martin hett's mum figen murray set off from the spot where he was killed . she's written to the killed. she's written to the prime minister asking him to meet her when she arrives in london on the seventh anniversary of the attack . anniversary of the attack. tributes have been paid to a 73
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year old british man who died dunng year old british man who died during severe turbulence on a flight from heathrow to singapore. jeff kitchin suffered a suspected heart attack and has been described as a gentleman with integrity. his wife was one of the passengers who was also injured after the plane hit an air pocket and suddenly dropped. more than 50 people we understand are still in hospital in thailand after the flight was diverted there, with 20 in intensive care . the test firing intensive care. the test firing of rockets at a scottish spaceport has been hailed as a major success. the uk space agency praised the success of the rocket's first stage of testing on the shetland islands. last week. debbie strang, from saxavord spaceport, says the uk could become the leading country in europe for small satellite launches. >> we are the first, spaceport short vertical launch spaceport in europe already , so we are the in europe already, so we are the first licensed spaceport in europe . so to a certain extent,
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europe. so to a certain extent, you could say we're already leading the way in launch terms in europe. we will be the first to launch. and when that happens later this summer , and finally, later this summer, and finally, children who submitted a joke to the beano are being included in this week's edition in recognition of their humour. >> the comic received entries from schools across the country after searching for their funniest jokes. beano's chief 939 funniest jokes. beano's chief gag makers whittled the wittiest submissions to down their favourite ten, which went forward to a public vote. north side primary school in london won the competition and is the joke don't laugh too hard. what's the hottest area in the classroom? the corner. because it's 90 degrees. that's the latest from the newsroom for now. for more. you can sign up to gb news alerts. just scan the qr code on your screen or go to gb news. common alerts.
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>> let's return to the breaking news in just a moment about the bodies of the women who've been found in a house in nottingham. first, though , your messages at first, though, your messages at home. you've been very busy this morning. and then. do you know how this works? they send a message, they can talk to each other, and then they go on twitter to say thank you to me. when we read out the messages, i love this connection. it's the connected world. now what have you all been saying , jackie you all been saying, jackie jacks has said , did she time her jacks has said, did she time her tears correctly? this is paula vennells . vennells. >> of course she didn't tell me. she's been crying. >> no sympathy at all for her, paul said vennells and her ilk are a disgrace. i would have a little respect if they were honest. it just feels like lie after perpetual lie. she could face criminal proceedings. we think in this inquiry, if it turns out that there was some sort of corporate malfeasance and cover up and cover up. absolutely. okay, let's return to this breaking news. two women's bodies have been found inside a house in nottingham. >> police believe they'd been
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there undiscovered for quite some time. we're going to bring in our reporter now, will hollis, who is there in nottingham at the scene. will morning tell us more? >> good morning. yes. well police say they are keeping an open mind as to what happened here at this incident in nottingham on hartley road in radford , not too far away from radford, not too far away from the city. the bodies of two women were discovered after a welfare check, after concerns were raised. after not seeing the occupants for quite some time. at around 11:00, police arrived here at the streets. hartley road in radford, and then soon after they discovered then soon after they discovered the bodies of the two women. the condition is the state of the police cordon here right now at the road is a little bit smaller than , maybe it would have been than, maybe it would have been yesterday. there is police tape around the front entrance and the back entrance, and there are two smaller police community cars.in two smaller police community cars. in front and behind the
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building. now, police , as i say, building. now, police, as i say, are keeping an open mind as to what has happened here after the women were found, after being undiscovered for quite some time. detective chief inspector ruby burrows , from ruby burrows, from nottinghamshire police, said that whilst we do not believe there is an immediate risk to there is an immediate risk to the public, we are keeping an open mind as to what happened at this address and will be working hard over the next few days to establish how and when these two women lost their lives. in the meantime, my thoughts and those of every other officer involved in this investigation are with those who have died, their family and their friends. now, the state of the property that is just behind me is overgrown. there is lots of weed, lots of grass . it doesn't appear that grass. it doesn't appear that the bins have been moved for quite some time on the back entrance. that i was just describing the curtains have been taken down. there is still a merry christmas sign in the window, so it does seem that while these bodies haven't been discovered for quite some time,
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it looks like the property hasn't been altered or changed in any way for quite some time. also >> okay, thank you very much. will will hollis there? that's a bit of a grim a very grim story, isn't it ? isn't it? >> christmas cards. blimey. and that's five months ago. >> absolutely. now inflation has fallen to 2.3, its lowest level since 2021. here to break it down. it's our economics and business editor liam halligan with on the money . with on the money. >> inflation is down on figures released this morning by the office for national statistics. 2.3% during the year to april, down from 3.2% in march. but that's still above the bank of england's 2% target. inflation is now back within the normal range, said chancellor jeremy hunt, and the uk economy, he says, is turning the corner. let's have a look at the details. let's have a look at where inflation has come from.
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back in october 2022, there it was 11.1% inflation. that's a 50 year high. it's come all the way down not in a straight line but it's come down to 3.2% in march. and then we had the april figure today. and here it is. as i said, consumer prices were up 3.2. 3% during the year to april. the lowest headline inflation rate, the consumer price index headline inflation rate since july 2021, down from 11% in october 22nd. as i said, the big question now , will the big question now, will interest rates be cut by the bank of england on the 20th of june, when the monetary policy committee next meets? and we'll come to that in a moment. why is inflation coming down? well, food price inflation is easing back in march this year, food pnces back in march this year, food prices were 19.2% higher than in march 2022. in april this year , march 2022. in april this year, food prices were just under 3% higher than april last year, so food isn't getting cheaper. but the rate at which food prices
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are increasing has eased very, very significantly . let's have very significantly. let's have a look at motor fuels, petrol and diesel . petrol prices look at motor fuels, petrol and diesel. petrol prices and diesel pnces diesel. petrol prices and diesel prices are up in recent months , prices are up in recent months, but in some cases they're lower than they were this time last yeah than they were this time last year. so petrol was up 3.3 a litre over the last month. and it is actually up 1.5% on april 2023. diesel is slightly different. diesel prices also up over the last month from march to april. £0.03 per litre, but they're slightly lower, 3.2% lower than in april 2023. so overall motor fuel prices have not really contributed much to this drop in inflation. that's not true for utility prices. gas and electricity . they are and electricity. they are sharply down over the last year , sharply down over the last year, 37.5% down since april 2023. electricity prices 21% down. that's on wholesale markets . that's on wholesale markets. plus, the ofgem energy price cap has lowered, which is putting a
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lid on households utility bills and not before time. this is a big reason lower utility bills, while headline y headline inflation has actually fallen. what does all this mean for interest rates? here's the history of interest rates from 2017. ultra low rising steadily. then suddenly lockdown came and interest rates were nailed to the floor. since then, we've had 13 interest rate rises and interest rates have been at 5.25% since august last year. i have to say i can't see the bank of england lowering interest rates in june when it next meets , they're going to stay at a 16 year high. in my view, there's no monetary policy committee meeting in july, so the earliest at which interest rates could come down again, this is my surmise, is in august. overall uk inflation is relatively low now compared to many other countries. we're at 2.3, the us
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is at 3.4, the eurozone is at 2.4, and the government will certainly crow about that. but there is a blot on the landscape. there are geo political dangers. we know that oil prices have been going up. oil average $74 a barrel in may 2023. the current price is $84 a barrel. that's 14% more barrel. that's14% more expensive. that is still feeding into inflation. and who knows with turmoil in the middle east and still in ukraine, geopolitical risks mean that those oil prices could spike. and if they do, inflation will go and if they do, inflation will 9° up and if they do, inflation will go up once again. but it is true to say inflation is down. it's also true to say it's not as much as expected. the last few years have been difficult, says prime minister rishi sunak. but our long term prospects are better than any other major european economy. that's what the imf is saying for now. but the imf is saying for now. but the question for the tories is do voters feel better off? will
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that help them at the general election? whenever it comes ? election? whenever it comes? >> thank you liam . now the >> thank you liam. now the mother of a manchester arena bombing victim , has arrived at bombing victim, has arrived at downing street. she's finished this 200 mile walk on the seventh anniversary of her son martin's death . our reporter martin's death. our reporter sophie reaper is there with figen murray now at downing street. sophie >> yes. good morning to you both again . here we are. joining me again. here we are. joining me is figen murray. first things first. congratulations. you've done it. amazing >> yeah. would you believe it? i can't believe it myself. actually that we're here now. >> how do you feel? >> how do you feel? >> yeah, it didn't actually sink in that the walk itself finished yesterday for the big part, it i didn't allow myself to let it sink in last night. it did. and today is obviously a really important day. not only the anniversary , but to meet rishi anniversary, but to meet rishi sunak and keir starmer. well obviously there's a very historic door behind us right i'iow. now. >> how does it feel to be here
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on behalf of martin and martyn's law and all those venues that you're trying to make safer ? you're trying to make safer? >> well, it's been five years in the making, and i can't believe we've finally reached that goal. it feels great. i just now need to have the answers that i'm looking for from the prime minister and i really hope he's going to give me the answers. >> of course, when we when we when we started this journey with you a couple of weeks ago, you told me that you wanted to send a clear message to rishi sunak. what are you hoping he's going to say to you today? i know you've got to sit down with him following pmqs. what are you hoping he's going to say? >> to be quite honest with you, i would like a date, an actual date today from him , he told me date today from him, he told me in a phone call on what would have been martin's 35th birthday on 15th of december, 2022. he told me he's very committed to the legislation , he said, it's the legislation, he said, it's an absolute no brainer. it needs to happen . he's supportive of it to happen. he's supportive of it and he'll try and get it done as
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soon as possible. 18 months on, we haven't had that happen yet. i now need an answer from him . i now need an answer from him. >> of course, today, as you might say, is the seven year anniversary of the attack itself what it means to you today as a mother to have that answer today from rishi sunak ? from rishi sunak? >> yeah, it is important because normally on the anniversary right from the start is that's the day when i switch social media off and i just have a day of reflection and family , and of reflection and family, and i'm very private that day. today is quite the opposite. i'm far from private, but it's an important day and i don't mind doing it for martin for and all the people who died that day . the people who died that day. >> megan, you're an amazing woman. thank you so much for your time. i know we'll be catching up with you later after your conversation with rishi sunak. so i hope that goes well for you. thank you. we're really proud of you @gbnews. thank you. there we are. as i say, we'll be touching base with vegan a little bit later on once she has spoken to the prime minister >> thank you sophie, i just find those mothers who have been bereaved and lost a child who
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turn it into something positive. yeah utterly remarkable. >> and let's hope the prime minister does see her. i'm sure he will. and it's very important. >> yeah , it is right still to come. >> our planes safe anymore. do you feel safe? that's what we're going to be asking. this was the tragic story that broke in our time yesterday about 73 year old grandfather from thornbury, who died during that turbulent on the flight from heathrow to singapore. don't go anywhere with
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gb news. it's 1122 with britain's newsroom on gb news. with andrew pearson. bev turner and stephen pound and mike parry here. stephen pound went and bought me a croissant because he knew i was hungry. why did you serve it? me on a plate with a knife and fork. >> it's a tribute that mediocrity pays to genius . mediocrity pays to genius. >> i noticed you didn't buy. i noficed >> i noticed you didn't buy. i noticed you didn't buy me one. >> they only had one left in the shop. >> yeah, that's not much of an excuse in britain. >> nothing worse.
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>> nothing worse. >> i didn't get one, by the way. i didn't. >> i didn't get one either. >> i didn't get one either. >> well, i didn't get one, and i paid well, thank you stephen, i do appreciate. now listen talking about food this these latest figures mike parry on diabetes. the number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has risen nearly 40% in six years. yes. >> that's right. >> that's right. >> shocking. yeah. >> shocking. yeah. >> and you know , it'll bring >> and you know, it'll bring calls again for state intervention in how we eat and all that kind of stuff. you know what i mean? which i'm not for now. i'm an expert on this because i got diabetes two right. and how long ago, about six years ago. and did you know it was because there was a little too much of you to love? mike, it could have been i. i'll tell you what the symptoms were in the summer. getting up in the middle of the night with a raging thirst and literally drinking a litre of doctor peppers. do you see what i mean? which you got out the fridge just to get the sugar levels up and all that. i realised something was wrong. went to the doctor, he said, it's quite simple . you've got to, disabuse simple. you've got to, disabuse your body of sugar and you've got to lose a lot of weight.
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right over the next four months, i lost three stone. i cut out all sugar in my body . i lost three stone. i cut out all sugar in my body. i i lost three stone. i cut out all sugar in my body . i mean, all sugar in my body. i mean, all sugar in my body. i mean, all sugar, right? because i used to. if i was in my car going up to. if i was in my car going up to goodison park, i would get through a large bag of wine gums, a large bag of maltesers, no joke. a large bag of liquorice allsorts. i had an incredibly sweet tongue. okay, a sweet tooth . anyway, i did all sweet tooth. anyway, i did all that and i went back to see him and he said, mr parry, you are a medical miracle . you have got medical miracle. you have got rid of diabetes two well done. you're reading. when you came in here was 117. it is now 47. it's below 50 as far as we're concerned. you're rid of it now. that's what i want to see happen now with all these people who are becoming victims, not another call for state intervention. put tax on food and all that. i want the lesson to be learned. and if you take personal responsibility, you can do it for your own body and what you ingest into it. you can do it yourself and by the way, you'll feel much better about the sacrifices you've made and what you've achieved than
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following daft laws from the government to eat this and that. >> so was it denial that you were heading that way? did you? because you obviously that shock to the system is what made you change your behaviour. but did you just not think about it or do you think it won't happen to me? what was what? no logic. no, no, i mean, i put weight on because i had too much of the wrong stuff, okay? but i didn't care. i had no pride in my body and all that. the most amazing thing is, when i gave up sugar entirely, and i did. i mean, you know, i didn't put it in tea or coffee or anything like that. i didn't miss it for a moment. amazing. and therefore i'm saying to people who've got it now , don't be worried about now, don't be worried about giving it up and think that you're going to get a shock reaction. you won't miss it. >> what if you had a glass of wine because that's got sugar in? >> well, i cut down on booze in a big way, but. but actually, funny you should say that, the concentration of sugar in red and white wine is very high. yeah, if you drink ales , it's yeah, if you drink ales, it's not as bad. so i was still able to have a couple of ales because the sugar was low. but i gave up wine for six months, you know, stephen, this is interesting. >> this is going to be one of
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the biggest issues for the next government, the labour government, the labour government perhaps in coming. >> it is because this actually factors into one of the biggest questions facing us in society today about how much can the state tell the individual what to do, and remember that the famous times headline back in the 19th century we will not be bullied into health, you know, and i think, mike, i think, mike, not everybody has your eye on self control. i think there's a couple of things. >> but he didn't have it, though. he needed the shock didn't he. yeah, but he needed the shock to the system to then take responsibility for it. >> but you know on the one hand we should always be careful about what we put into our bodies. i mean, we all know that. yeah the reality is diabetes is just an aspect of the obesity crisis. obesity crisis is costing the nhs billions. and so what's going to happen is, you know, and i know already the government is doing this thing about sending people text messages and saying, we'll give you £150. if you lose a couple of stone in weight, you wait and see, semaglutide or, you know, there will be available on the nhs soon, but people won't take it because people won't take it because people don't believe it's going to happen to them. yeah. mike i think i think everybody should actually listen to that. >> i think they will. i think
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they will take the jab because, you see, it means they don't have to do the work like mike's done. >> yeah i agree with you. and to me that is dealing with it falsely because all you're doing is i've got this magic drug now which will solve my problem. you've got to do it yourself. what are you going to say about this? >> you're putting it off. you're not. of course you're putting it off. >> of course you are. yeah >> of course you are. yeah >> you know, but that's the sign, isn't it? the thirst, the very strong thirst. >> that's an important thing that, like i said, if you do wake up in the middle of the night with a raging thirst, that is a classic symptom. >> it is. and you know, the other thing that made me do it, i said to, you know, it was a young doctor. i said, what could happenifi young doctor. i said, what could happen if i don't get rid of diabetes? he said, you could go blind. and i said, don't be ridiculous. he said, you could write, you could lose your right leg. i said, well, do you know about it? he said, well, all the blood vessels, you know, block up and all that. he said. and i've had patients who have gone blind and have lost their leg. thatin blind and have lost their leg. that in itself is a great incentive. so all you people out there, and i absolutely mean it. if you've got diabetes, do something about it because it can be very, very debilitating.
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it could also be identified very quickly and very accurately by very, very simple blood test. >> yeah . so and it's well worth >> yeah. so and it's well worth having that. yeah, right. can we talk about something completely different here, mike, this is about the death of the iranian president in a helicopter earlier in the week. yes. and the reaction of the united nafions the reaction of the united nations to this man's passing, unbelievable. >> stephen, i'll tell you something about the reaction of our foreign secretary in a minute, i'll watch his name. loren. cameron. thank you. but this was drawn to my attention at the security council . this is at the security council. this is in the united nations. okay? member states were invited to stand and observe a minute's silence for raisi. now, this man raisi, hanged between 3 and 30,000 young people, 30 over 30 years ago, when he was coming up in the ranks in iran purely because they liked western values , purely because they values, purely because they reacted to tyranny. but in some cases , women were hanged because cases, women were hanged because they were victims of rape . they were victims of rape. that's right. okay. it is the
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most disgusting regime on earth. and yet listen to this. those taking part in this tribute shamefully included our own deputy ambassador to the un, james carlucci. >> i'm amazed. >> i'm amazed. >> at the same time, iranians were letting off fireworks and handing out sweets in their own streets to celebrate the demise of this monster known as the butcher of tehran. the butcher of tehran, because he killed 30,000 people. >> and as a woman, looking at the situation for women in iran, which has never been worse, arguably, stephen, i find that really chilling that all these western leaders would stand up in a and i find it terrifying. >> and don't forget, a young woman was actually beaten to death by the police for not wearing her hijab. that's right. yeah.i wearing her hijab. that's right. yeah. i mean, you know, god forbid that we ever give credit to something like that. look, the position of our man in washington or in new york, everybody else stood up. and i think it would have been difficult for the british not to have stood up. >> no, i would have not stood up. >> i wouldn't have stood up. i would have said, i'm sorry. this is you know, we are the united kingdom. >> but yeah, the point i was going to make was why didn't somebody have the courage to
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actually, as people were standing up to say no, no, why didn't somebody say that he could have walked out? >> that would have been that was what i would have done. yeah. because the foreign secretary was had a statement drafted for him by foreign office officials and refused to read it out. >> well, that's a very powerful a very powerful country. and stephen, mike, thank you so much . still to come this morning as tory mp craig mckinlay returns to parliament after his battle with sepsis. we're going to be to talking another quadruple amputee sepsis survivor to find out what her life is like. this
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gb news. 1133. don't forget, it's pmqs at midday . and as always, midday. and as always, christopher hope and gloria de piero. want your question for the prime minister? gbnews.com forward slash. >> there will be a lot of talk about craig mckinley. quite right. going into the commons just before prime minister's questions, our first bionic mp and we will see that live.
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>> we've followed his story. of course you can still see his story on gbnews.com on our youtube channel. actually, now you have to go, don't you? you're ditching me early today i am i'm going to be replaced. >> she's being replaced being replaced by a younger model . replaced by a younger model. >> tom harwood will be here with me in just a moment. first, though, the very latest news headunes though, the very latest news headlines with sam. >> 1133 i'm sam francis. a recap of the headlines this morning. rishi sunak says that inflation is back to normal and claimed it's a major moment for the uk's economy . the rate dropped to economy. the rate dropped to 2.3% for the year to april, dnven 2.3% for the year to april, driven by falling energy prices . driven by falling energy prices. but most experts had been predicting an even sharper slowdown , and that's prompting slowdown, and that's prompting doubts about imminent interest rate cuts . labour says there's rate cuts. labour says there's still much more to do . former still much more to do. former post office boss paula vennells has broken down in tears at the horizon. it inquiry , as she horizon. it inquiry, as she apologised for telling mps the
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business was successful . in business was successful. in every court case against subpostmasters, you can see here if you're watching on television, paula vennells giving evidence earlier, she admitted mistakes were made but denied there was a conspiracy to cover up the scandal in charge of the post office between 2012 and 2019. she said she's sorry for what she called subpostmasters and their families suffering . the bodies families suffering. the bodies of two women have been found at a property in nottingham. police were called to an address in radford after concerns were raised about their welfare. it's believed they may have been there for some time before being discovered . police say they discovered. police say they don't believe there's an immediate risk to the public, and they're keeping an open mind into what happened . and into what happened. and conservative mp craig mackinlay has returned to parliament this morning and will attend prime minister's questions later, eight months after he was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma, he had extreme surgery to remove both his hands
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and feet after contracting sepsis last year. the 57 year old has been fitted with prosthetics and has told our politics editor, chris hope he's looking forward to being known as the bionic mp. >> it's a bit like one of those new year moments where you're with friends, celebrating a new year and you think, was it really a year ago now? it was eight months ago. i was here. and i think it's going to be a very emotional day. i would like to thank this speaker for such a warm and fulsome welcome. it's really good of him. and to receive the family . receive the family. >> that's the latest from the newsroom for now. for more, you newsroom for now. for more, you can newsroom for now. for more, you can sign up to gb news alerts. just scan the qr code on your screen or go to gb news common alerts. next, a look at the markets. >> cheers! britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report , and here's financial report, and here's a look at the markets this morning i >> -- >> the pound will buy you
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$1.2732 and ,1.174. the price of gold is £1,898.74 per ounce, and the ftse 100 is at 8393 points. >> cheers britannia wine club proudly sponsors the gb news financial report . financial report. >> it is 1136. britain's newsroom on gb news. andrew pierce has more from miraculously into tom harwood. >> look, i've just had a bit of botox, that's all. >> still, andrew, not as much as him. now we've been covering this story all morning. tory mp craig mackinlay is in parliament now . it's his craig mackinlay is in parliament now. it's his first craig mackinlay is in parliament now . it's his first return since now. it's his first return since he began his battle with sepsis that saw both his hands and feet replaced with prosthetics about eight months ago. >> well, let's hear what he had to say. >> it's a bit like one of those new year moments where you're with friends celebrating a new yeah with friends celebrating a new year, and you think, was it really a year ago now? it was eight months ago. i was here. and i think it's going to be a
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very emotional day. the authorities here have been in contact on a daily basis for the last ten days, saying anything you need . what can we do to, you you need. what can we do to, you know, smooth the way ? i have no know, smooth the way? i have no doubt i'll have to find a new myriad of routes through with lifts and things, but i can manage stairs a little bit and that's getting better on a daily basis. but no, the authorities here have been have been fantastic at getting me, ready to be back here. i know they'll look after me. it's a place that does look after its members, and i'm really thankful to the speaker for doing all he can for that. but i'm really looking forward to get back in that chamber. back in the saddle. working for south thanet residents and getting back to work. i've got the same campaigns, a few new ones now about sepsis and limb loss. of course , i'll be a champion of course, i'll be a champion of from here on in, but yeah, very pleased to be back . pleased to be back. >> well, that was craig mckinley speaking just a few minutes ago . speaking just a few minutes ago. i'm pleased to say now we're joined by sepsis survivor corrine hutton . she's now the corrine hutton. she's now the founder of scotland's leading amputee charity , finding your amputee charity, finding your feet. corrine, thank you so much
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for joining us here on britain's forjoining us here on britain's newsroom. it's this is such a moving story, and i think people have been so affected by watching yesterday's documentary here on gb news. i suppose it must be a pretty profound moment to have a champion for amputee causes sepsis causes now in parliament. >> yeah, i think there's a lot more champions now out there that are helping the cause, but certainly wouldn't do us any harm . and, certainly wouldn't do us any harm .and, i certainly wouldn't do us any harm . and, i find it quite harm. and, i find it quite surprising , how alike craig's surprising, how alike craig's case is to mine. and the situation. the four year old child , 5% chance of survival. child, 5% chance of survival. it'5 child, 5% chance of survival. it's almost identical to mine, except mine was a chest infection in the first case. >> so sorry to interrupt. and we just warn you, corrine, that if craig arrives at the house of commons, we will have to interrupt you to talk to take that. but. but it's really lovely to talk to you today, one of our viewers, in fact, several of our viewers, in fact, several of our viewers are getting in touch to say, let's just give a
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moment to craig's wife, katie and his daughter and what this journey has been like for them. how has it affected your loved ones ? ones? >> well, i'm sure craig will agree with me that , for as we agree with me that, for as we lay there in a coma, not knowing what was going on, for my family, they were signing the organ donation register. they were trying to work out to how look after a four year old who's just lost his mother. there were lots of horrific things that they had to go through. so even then, when he comes out of the coma, that's when the hard work starts. you've got to. can he convert his house? he's obviously managed. he's done very well. but, you know, how is he going to look after himself, how can he dress? how can he wash himself? and, you know, these are all really difficult things that he and his family will have had to cope with. so. well done. them. it looks like they're doing really well. >> it is remarkable how similar your case is. and i'm sure there are many other people across the country who've been through precisely the same thing, that 5% chance of survival, the very darkest moments , but also in darkest moments, but also in some peculiar way, an uplifting
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story of how people can get through the toughest of circumstances. >> yeah, the quadruple amputations are not that common, to be honest. amputations are , to be honest. amputations are, but to lose your your legs and your your hands, in my case, or your your hands, in my case, or your arms, yeah. it's really tough . and you have to tough. and you have to physically learn everything again. it will be obvious things that you can't do without your hands, like zips and buttons and, tying knots, that sort of thing is pretty obvious. but i heard craig saying that, that holding his child's hand is something he can't do anymore . something he can't do anymore. and these are things that people wouldn't even have thought of. i couldn't ruffle my son's hair or touch his cheek, the emotional things are really tough as well. >> how good are the prosthetics works these days, corrine? i imagine they've come a long way , imagine they've come a long way, craig's hands cost £100,000. he couldn't get those on the nhs , couldn't get those on the nhs, how how useful are your prosthetics ? and what could how prosthetics? and what could how could they be improved ?
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could they be improved? >> legs are great, to be honest. once we got the legs sorted and i can see craig walking there, that will develop and the muscles will work and i can fool most people with my prosthetic legs, hands , technology is legs, hands, technology is great, but the reality is they're cumbersome. they're warm, they're sweaty. you can't get clothes on and off over them. you have to take them on and off, so i didn't i didn't do terribly well with mine for long. i just worked out how to do it with my stumps. but i now have these which are the best i can get. much better than prosthetics. i was scotland's first double hand transplant, so, course transplant. i always get that one wrong, i'm very grateful that someone donated their hands to me. and they are just incredible because . just incredible because. >> thank you for correcting us on that, corrine. because i sort of forgotten that detail of your story. you had a double hand transplant. that's absolutely remarkable. and do they have full sensation as everybody's hands would have? >> not full, i think my right
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hand. my dominant hand is 95% functioning, but probably about 80% sensations. so i do feel that there's a delay, and, you know, there can be a wee bit of confusion about where the, the feeling is , but still feeling is, but still incredible. and miles, miles better than what i had before, i think. >> i think bev and my both our jaws dropped when we saw your articulation and just the ability. i mean, it does, i suppose. ability. i mean, it does, i suppose . taking a step back the suppose. taking a step back the advances in modern medicine now, what is available to people are just miraculous , but when it just miraculous, but when it comes to people who might be worried about sepsis, about spotting the signs, about what? about the importance of that first phone call and getting, i suppose, as early intervention as possible. what were the signs that your family spotted that enabled you to survive that 5% survival chance ? survival chance? >> well, we did a wee bit of
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work on sepsis awareness, and i found out that a lot of the symptoms, they suggest should be showing i didn't recognise them. i didn't have them. i didn't at any point think i was dying. craig situation was a wee bit different. his wife, obviously very knowledgeable on the subject and spotted a real, impending doom. but for me, it wasn't that. i just thought i had an infection and an antibiotic would take it away. so what we've reverted to with, the sepsis awareness is just to raise the point and ask the question of any medic that's around. just ask the question, could this be sepsis? highlight it, and then it's up to them from their own. >> yeah okay. thank you corrine . >> yeah okay. thank you corrine. brilliant. thank you so much cofinne brilliant. thank you so much corinne hutton there. who is the founder of scotland's leading amputee charity finding your feet, are we going to go live to parliament now? i think we are going to take a quick break. actually, before we do that, craig mckinlay will be heading to parliament in
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break. it'5 break. it's 1147. let us go straight to chris hope and gloria de piero in westminster. good morning both. we are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of craig mckinley as well in the house of commons. we're going to take those pictures live, aren't we? >> that's right. hi, tom. hi, bev. yeah. gloria and i are ready for our pmqs live show starting at midday. but there's a bit of history being made in parliament today with craig mckinley, the tory mp for south thanet, going back into the chamber. we expect at 1150. i've just dashed from parliament where i've been with craig mckinley, his his wife katie and four year old daughter olivia, whose birthday is tomorrow. happy birthday olivia . they've happy birthday olivia. they've been with the speaker of the house of commons, there's some clip or play out on gb news shortly when we can get that back. and loaded up. he also met with sir keir starmer, the labour leader , for a private labour leader, for a private meeting. when it is very clear that on labour and the tories side, they're welcoming back a parliamentary and somebody who
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is giving his life to politics wants to fight another election without any arms and legs. extraordinary, commitment to pubuc extraordinary, commitment to public service. and that's the point, gloria. >> what's interesting about a day like today is the normal party politics. i mean, prime minister's questions is really where you sort of go each of the test strips out of each other, but when something like this has happened to a member, it doesn't matter what side of the house you are on. people, colleagues will hold their hands out to craig mckinley as, as a fellow parliamentarian, what's interesting also is the candidate, the labour candidate who is standing against craig mckinley has herself on social media. >> her expression of to love him and his family in what will be and his family in what will be an extremely tightly, you know, fought seat, actually. yeah >> he's a changed mp. nye bevan . >> he's a changed mp. nye bevan. tom, in a sense that, of course, he helped found ukip , who's a he helped found ukip, who's a brexiteer, a spartan, who
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opposed theresa may's brexit deal opposed theresa may's brexit deal. we're looking at the camera here. when you look back at the wider angle of the camera there, he'll sit at the front left of the chamber as the camera looks onto the speaker. so that's where expecting to appear and it'll be quite an echo, i think, from anna. almost a roar, a rumble of encouragement from other mp5 , as encouragement from other mp5, as that happens. but just to say about the changes to , i think to about the changes to, i think to craig mckinley, yes, he's the same person. when he emerged from his car, he was delayed in traffic by traffic on the old kent road and he joked he blamed on sadiq khan, the london mayor who's a labour london mayor, of course. so the old craig mckinley is in there, someone who is suspicious of net zero. he chairs a scrutiny group in parliament looking at net zero, he's an officer on the erg , the he's an officer on the erg, the european research group of tory mps. as i say, he founded ukip. he beat nigel farage in 2015. all this is true about craig mckinley. and yet he is now coming back without his arms, without his legs, his legs made by the nhs , his arms privately by the nhs, his arms privately funded, £100,000 fitted on monday . he hasn't yet worked out
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monday. he hasn't yet worked out how to do a thumbs up, i tried to ask him to do a thumbs up. he can't work out his his hands and thumbs yet, and they work incredibly by feeling the tension in his muscles. quite extraordinary. and again, he comes back on later today as a, as a public servant. and this is why i think sir keir starmer is welcoming him back. and also i, welcoming him back. and also i, we expect the pm because you've got someone here who is giving himself back to five more years as an mp. if he's re—elected , as an mp. if he's re—elected, when other mp5 as an mp. if he's re—elected, when other mps in his party are giving up on the tories, he isn't. >> and chris, what i was really interested in, having watched this incredible documentary that that, you was broadcast last night , which everyone basically night, which everyone basically can see on catch up. and i would absolutely recommend it and absolutely recommend it and absolutely sterling job. it's a gb news website if you want to watch it again or the youtube channel and the production team, rebecca and all the editors are thoroughly moving and incredible. watch. how did it come about ? come about? >> well, i got wind of his, of
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what had happened to him, in early december. and there's me meeting craig mckinley in his hospital in lambeth in south london, my daughter is an amputee, so i know a bit about the challenges he's facing, and i felt that it was a story that could that was really positive, that would almost set aside the party politics that he he is. i mean, he's a marmite mp for many on the left. but i think this this is more about serving as an mp and mp5 like you, gloria, before when you were an mp, you get into this game because you want to serve, you want to help people. it's not always about, a bad news story. it's about a happy story, about a positive story . keep watching the screen story. keep watching the screen to the left there. you'll see on the wide angle you should appear bottom left of the screen, and it's worth watching a reaction of mps as it happens. >> and this is science and technology questions that you are watching now. miriam cates every department has a monthly bout where the opposition gets a question and backbenchers indeed gets a question. the secretary of state and it just happens to be science and technology
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questions, which is maybe a link to our first bionic mp. and that's what he told you. he wants to be known as. >> that's why he wants to be the bionic mp. he looks bionic. he's got very silver arms. he's got these hands fitted on monday, they are formed into a hand shape , yeah. he really wants to shape, yeah. he really wants to be this person who can can make history. we are used to the odd mp in a wheelchair, we know robert halfon has a kind of, askew. he zooms about in in parliament. but never before have we had an mp without any arms or legs. it's quite a moment, i think, for a building which has lots of stairs in it, lots of push button access, he can't enter a pin number, i think for an mp also he can't, he can't. he's got to find a way of connecting with voters straight away without really you can do a handshake, but it will feel strange. and it's how you get past that immediate look, look of being startled by by somebody else. >> and the parliamentary authorities . one assumes that authorities. one assumes that
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actually it's just a load of politicians in the house of commons. but there are hundreds of staff to support the workings of staff to support the workings of democracy. and they will be they will have already reached out. so how can we make you how can we enable you to represent, to speak for your constituents in the way that you were elected to do? >> i've been with a clerk who will be looking after craig mckinney. she is now escorting craig mckinney to the chamber of the house of commons, she's from a group called member services. they look after, they ensure this place works for mp5. they look after, they ensure this place works for mp5 . this this place works for mp5. this house of commons is a servant to the mp5 who work for us. that's how it works. it's very important these clerks make sure the building works for the mp5. and they won't have had an mp like craig mckinney before. we are expecting eventually when we get towards midday. words from sir keir starmer. get towards midday. words from sir keir starmer . labour leader sir keir starmer. labour leader sir keir starmer. labour leader sir lindsay hoyle, the speaker of the house of commons and of course the prime minister, rishi sunak. we're expecting mr mr mckinney to meet with the pm after pmqs for a private private chat. and welcome back possibly i think is a positive news
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gloria to me in a week you know, started by the infected blood scandal today may news elsewhere about paula vennells, the former head of the post office, giving evidence about the post office scandal. this is a reminder, i think, of why politics matters , think, of why politics matters, why so many people want to be politicians despite the bad rep they get. >> and actually, it shines a light on sepsis , which i don't light on sepsis, which i don't feel like i understood properly until , your documentary until, your documentary actually, and until learning about craig mckinley's story. i know bev and andrew on their show. they have been talking and widening this out because it's not something, you know, craig mckinley is not the first and will not be the last to suffer , will not be the last to suffer, with sepsis. i was talking to one of our editors outside. she said her dad had been in hospital for between 3 and 4 months with sepsis. so it shines a light on something that i don't think is a condition that is widely understood. >> 48,000 deaths a year more than lung, bowel and breast cancer from sepsis. and it's not talked about like cancer in the same way. it's not understood. i don't think a possible
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temperature . you can feel awful. temperature. you can feel awful. it can be misdiagnosed or missed. that nearly happened with craig mckinley. he had a 5% chance of living last september. by december, he was in london having his legs and his arms amputated below the knee and below the elbow. and now today , below the elbow. and now today, he's back in the house of commons. it's a moment, i think tom and bev know it's so significant, and i think one of the most moving moments of your documentary was when craig was sort of looking on the on the positive side, if there is, here he is. >> no, no no no no, sorry, there's robert , that's robert there's robert, that's robert halfon and in comes craig mckinley. >> now you see top left of the screen. he's not wearing his jacket. a round of applause for craig mckinley. you're not supposed to do in parliament. >> but this is a special occasion and rules can can go walk . walk. >> oh. jesus.
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thank you . >> as you know, we don't know. labour seats. keir starmer welcoming craig mckinley to the house of commons. quite extraordinary. a real moment there. i'm very choked up having been with craig mckinley for months in his hospital bed. >> she will listen to the welcome to walk in on science questions for the new bionic mp . questions for the new bionic mp. >> there we are. you heard him. there. >> now that's answer the question about broadband. >> he called himself the bionic mp. of course, for connectivity on the border, there will be contracts covering north shropshire and also a normal business returns. >> and she returns to answering
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the question from a backbencher after i think she nicked her line from me. i said it was, it was, opportune that it was science and technology questions. yeah, tom and bev, this is just, right. well, we're going to we're going to hand over to you now because it's getting ever closer to the start of pmqs. so, chris and gloria take it away . take it away. >> oh, we all got a bit. we all got a bit choked. then by the scenes, including our, we'll have our panel obviously , james have our panel obviously, james murray from the labour party, who is already in the studio, and he also got a bit choked up by those images in the commons. and soon alan mac from the conservatives will be with us. >> that's right. well, it's midday on wednesday. the 22nd of may. back to politics as usual. this is pmqs live on gb news with my friend claudia piro and me, christopher hope . well, that me, christopher hope. well, that was fun . was fun. >> that was all a bit of a smash, isn't it?
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>> going back to the house of commons, we just witnessed the most incredibly moving scenes as craig mckinley returned to the house for the first time since last september. >> there's one moment we go to rishi sunak, the prime minister and sir keir starmer, the labour leader. they go head to head in their weekly prime minister's questions. well, a full coverage of every moment, every spit and cough. we're getting full reaction from the minister for industry and economic security , industry and economic security, alan mak, and shadow financial secretary to the treasury james murray. >> so i'm going to take the opportunity since we've got 30 minutes. and, james, you are the only one of our politicians is in there. we're going to bring alan mak in shortly. good figures on inflation today . figures on inflation today. >> well, i think the fact is matter is that people are not feeling better off. >> you know, people are still feeling worse off after 14 years of the tories, particularly after the last few years. >> you know, inflation has still
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pushed up prices of everything. you know, since 2019, the average amount that household spends on supermarket shops in a year has gone up by £1,000. so the idea that this is a victory lap is for the birds. >> i get your reaction to that response earlier. craig mckinley. it's very rare we see applause standing ovation. but it felt justified in this sense, not normally allowed in parliamentary rules. >> absolutely. i was i was watching it. >> i felt i felt choked up, actually. i felt really quite emotional watching that. and i think because clapping is so prohibited, normally the fact that everyone, you know, broke that everyone, you know, broke that rule and for good reason and good on them for doing so, that's really uplifting. >> that's fellow mps, isn't it, gloria? welcoming someone back who wants to serve and serve again in the next election. >> you know, i reckon people will be watching if politics can be like that for one moment. and why isn't it like that all the time ? more often? well, let's go time? more often? well, let's go back to the questions i'm sending you. questions to us for our panel. >> an inspirational honourable member for south thanet . member for south thanet. >> craig, it's so good to have
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you back amongst us. you are the man of the moment. >> and i met your daughter who is going to be the daughter of the one with the birthday tomorrow. >> so can i say to you and your family, it is an inspiration to people in this country who have suffered with sepsis. you were shown us the way forward. thank you for having. >> and that's the only reason our loud clapping. okay, can i say just to mention we've got the speaker of the icelandic parliament with us today, and the premier of the cayman islands. >> we now go over to questions. >> we now go over to questions. >> the prime ministerjenkinson . >> the prime ministerjenkinson. >> the prime ministerjenkinson. >> thank you, mr speaker. question number one. yeah. >> prime minister mr speaker, i know the whole house will join me in remembering the victims of the horrific manchester arena
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