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tv   BBC News at Five  BBC News  May 17, 2017 5:00pm-6:01pm BST

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today at 5. the liberal democrats have launched their election manifesto, with the promise of a referendum, on any final brexit deal. the british people, you, should have the final say. and if you don't like what theresa may comes back with, you should have the right to vote remain. we'll have the latest from washington. and from bethnal green where tim farron is to launch the party ‘s ma nifesto farron is to launch the party ‘s manifesto in just a couple of hours. and former leader nick clegg will a nswer and former leader nick clegg will answer your questions about the ma nifesto answer your questions about the manifesto in around 30 minutes. the other main stories on bbc news at 5. the white house strongly denies the claims, saying the president has the utmost respect for the law. some senior republicans are breaking ranks, others say they still have confidence in mr trump. i think we've seen this movie before.
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i think it's a watergate size and scale. we need the facts, it's obvious there are people out there whio want to harm the president. we have an obligation to carry out our oversight regardless of which party is in the white house. unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in 42 years, but wages aren't keeping up with inflation. chelsea manning, the former us soldier, who passed hundreds of thousands confidential diplomatic documents to wikileaks, has been released from a military prison in kansas. and items worn by one of television's best loved characters, coronation street's busybody hilda ogden, have sold for more than £4,000 at auction. it's five o'clock.
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our main story — the liberal democrats are putting another eu referendum at the heart of their general election manifesto — which was launched earlier today. the party said it would "let the people decide" whether brexit happens, once negotiations have finished. the party's leader tim farron says the decision to leave the eu could "wreck" the lives of future generations. let's go live now to east london — ben brown is there. we are here in bethnal green in east london and tim farron injust a couple of hours will launch the liberal democrats general election ma nifesto liberal democrats general election manifesto with the offer of a second referendum at the heart of it. tim farron saying it will give the people the final say on europe. the party is making other promises, including a promise to legalise cannabis and tax the sale of cannabis and tax the sale of cannabis which it says would bring
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in about £1 billion per year. it is not repeating its promise to scrap tuition fees. 0ne not repeating its promise to scrap tuition fees. one other promise, they said they would put up income tax by 1p they said they would put up income tax by1p in they said they would put up income tax by 1p in the pound to pay for an increase in the national health service spending and social care. here is chris mason. tim farron went back to school this morning. the lesson? how the liberal democrats think the country should be run. front and centre was brexit, and how it should be handled. at the heart of our manifesto is an offer to all of the people in our country that no other party is making, which is that we do not just have to accept whatever deal we get back from the brexit negotiations, but the british people, you, should have the final say. if you do not like what theresa may comes back with, you should have the right to vote to remain. the lib dems say they would spend more money on health and education paid for by higher corporation tax and a penny on income tax. 0n housing, they want to introduce a rent to own scheme for tenants, and promised to legalise and regulate cannabis.
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they claim this could generate £1 billion per year in tax. it's about keeping the availability of hard drugs away from cannabis, and regulating cannabis so the most dangerous strands like skunk are outside of the regulated system. it is about helping those people who are vulnerable and hitting those people who are the criminals who take advantage of them. the big lib dem manifesto launch event is not until this evening. but take a look at this. the document itself is online. tim farron says it is not a programme for government, he expects the conservatives to win the election and he thinks it could be a landslide. he wants to be a strong voice in opposition. it is telling as well what is not in the manifesto. the lib dems are not promising to scrap university tuition fees in england. the very promise that they broke in government. what you need to do is make promises you can keep. what we've laid out in the manifesto is fully costed on the base of the government's current figures, even with us heading out of the eu,
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is a plan that will boost education, further education, and schools, by £7 billion. at the last election, the lib dems faced the ghoulish nightmare of near oblivion. they are all smiles now but have a huge amount of ground to make up to get even close to where they used to be. chris mason, bbc news. this is a nightclub in bethnal green where they are to launch the ma nifesto where they are to launch the manifesto this evening. there is already a bit of dry ice and they expect 1000 people here to listen to tim farron launching the manifesto. 0ur correspondent is following the liberal democrat campaign throughout this election. first of all the promise of a second referendum is at the heart of this manifesto? brexit has been at the heart of the ma nifesto, has been at the heart of the manifesto, at the heart of the
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campaign from day one. we've been following tim farron and his team 110w following tim farron and his team now for a week half and every time he gets off the big battle bus and walks down the stairs and talks to those constituents the first thing he says it we must not leave the single market, it would be detrimental to future generations. so no getting away from that being the key message. and many of the target seats there are going for it did bode remain but will this message actually win the election for them, this and other policies have been struggling to get through, i think, and have been struggling to get through, ithink, and make have been struggling to get through, i think, and make the same impact as the other parties with their policies. they have not been making headlines, the character and personality of tim farron has been debated among some supporters saying he's just not charismatic enough to lead the country. so i think you will have to do something a bit more significant to win over those voters. and he is trying to win over younger voters with a series of promises in the manifesto but not a
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promises in the manifesto but not a promise to scrap university tuition fees. one of the eighth of tim farron said a couple of weeks ago that that nightmare is coming back, tuition fees. it seems to have been that connotation of the party being u ntrustworthy that connotation of the party being untrustworthy and having done a u—turn. that is still lasting with many young people, some of whom did not even vote. but going back to 2010 you may remember that young people, 30% of them actually voted lib dem and that figure went down to just 5% the following year. so they're just 5% the following year. so they‘ re really just 5% the following year. so they're really trying to get that demographic up again and that it's like talking about housing, things like talking about housing, things like liberalising their views on drugs, might be the key to winning those people over. thank you very much. that is it from here in bethnal green, live coverage of the ma nifesto bethnal green, live coverage of the manifesto launch later on this evening at around seven o'clock. the head of one of labour's biggest
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union backers has said the party is on course to lose the general election. len mccluskey of unite claimed it would be a successful campaign if labour lost about 30 seats. he was quoted in an interview for politico — but this morning he said he'd changed his mind. the interview i did with politico was a conversational piece, against the backdrop of if the opinion polls are to be believed, that i made those comments. since then, labour launched their manifesto and it is fantastic. a manifesto for workers and ordinary working people. a manifesto that will change britain for the good. and the response that we have had from unite members has been incredible. that's why i was checking our polls that we do, constant rolling polls, and the response has been like something we've never seen before. so i am now full of optimism — if i was having that interview today, i would not be making those comments. in america paul ryan has said he
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still has confidence in president trump despite allegations that he may have asked the former head of the fbi to drop an investigation into his former national security adviser. according to friends of james comey the president made a request the day after michael finn was fired about contacts with russia. the white house has denied the allegations. the president sacked mr comey last week by the fbi has now been urged by senior republican to hand over all relevant documents. donaldj trump, the 45th president of the united states, is barely four months into office — yet he is dealing with an almost daily drip of damaging allegations. the latest — that he tried to influence an fbi enquiry. in february, one of the president's closest allies was forced to resign, when it emerged that mike flynn, then the national security advisor, misled the administration
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over his contact with russian officials before mr trump took office. now an explosive accusation from the new york times — that the day after mr flynn's dismissal, donald trump had asked the fbi director, james comey, to drop the flynn investigation. "i hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting flynn go." those were the president's words, according to a note, which the paper says mr comey wrote directly after the meeting. and there is james! despite public shows of support, relations between donald trump and mr comey were strained over the fbi investigations into mr flynn — and alleged russian interference in the us election. investigations mr comey insisted would continue. the fbi, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. mr comey was fired by the president last week, but washington has been
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astounded by the existence of the note he apparently made after their earlier meeting. a meeting which vice president mike pence was reportedly asked to leave. in a week full of revelation after revelation, on a day when we thought things couldn't get any worse — they have. 0nly 2a hours ago, president trump justified sharing sensitive intelligence information with russia's foreign minister, a decision which observers say could have compromised american allies and their sources. for some senior lawmakers, republicans included, this is all too reminiscent of an earlier dark era. i think we have seen this movie before. i think it is reaching a point where it is of watergate size and scale, and a couple of other scandals that you and i have seen. but some are not yetjumping to
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conclusions. i'm sure we're going to hear from conclusions. i'm sure we're going to hearfrom mr comey conclusions. i'm sure we're going to hear from mr comey about why if this happens as he describes, why he did not take action at the time. whether joking at america's expense or offering mr trump general support, vladimir putin waded in today saying his american counterpart should be given a break to let him get on with hisjob. but the given a break to let him get on with his job. but the questions at home keep on coming. in a week that mr trump heads off on his first overseas trip as president, the white house emphatically denied the allegations against him. donald trump had been president for purely for months, some people are asking if things can carry on like this for another four years. if things can carry on like this for anotherfour years. president if things can carry on like this for another four years. president trump is speaking at the us coast guard academy. let's take a listen.
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is speaking at the us coast guard academy. let's take a listenlj is speaking at the us coast guard academy. let's take a listen. i did not get elected to serve the washington media or special interest, i got elected to serve the forgotten men and women of our country and that is what i'm doing. i will never stop fighting for you andi i will never stop fighting for you and i will never stop fighting for the american people. as you leave this academy to embark on your exciting new voyage, i'm heading on a very crucialjourney as well. in a few days i will make my first trip abroad as president. with the safety, security interests of the american people as my priority, i will strengthen old friendships and seek new partners. but partners are also help us, not partners who take and take and take. partners who help and take and take. partners who help and partners who help pay for
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whatever we are doing and all of the good we are doing for them. which is something a lot of people have not gotten used to and just cannot get used to it. i say get used to it, folks. i will ask them to unite for a future and opposition, for our peoples and the people's of the world. first in saudi arabia where i will speak with muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism and embrace a peaceful future for their faith. and they're looking forward to hearing what we as your representative we have to say. we have to stop radical islamic terrorism. thenin terrorism. then in israel i will reaffirm our unbreakable alliance with thejewish
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state. in rome i will talk with pope francis about the contributions of christian teachings to the world. finally i will attend the nato summit in brussels and the g—7 in sicily to promote security, prosperity and peace all over the world. i will meet scores of leaders and honour the holiest sites of these three great religions. and everywhere i go i will carry the inspiration i take from you each day, from your courage and determination to do whatever is required, save and protect american lives. save and protect american lives. save and protect american lives. we want security, you're going to give us security. injust one
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going to give us security. in just one example, going to give us security. injust one example, we going to give us security. in just one example, we see how priceless that gift of life is to the people you touch every day. a few years ago a coast guard helicopter and rescue swimmer took off in the direction of three terrified fishermen. they clung to their sinking and burning vessel. that they are coast guard heroes did theirjobs well, that they are coast guard heroes did their jobs well, they that they are coast guard heroes did theirjobs well, they flew over the sea despite tremendous danger and extended a helping hand at the moment it was most urgently needed. there was very little time left but thatis there was very little time left but that is not the most remarkable part of that story. as one coast guard swimmer put it, you do that stuff all the time, you do it every hour of the day. something is happening all the time. the united states
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coast guard, you do an amazing job, a remarkable thing happened with that rescue but when you think of it, you do those rescues all the time. the vietnamese fishing captain grabbed the hands of the swimmer and said, iwas grabbed the hands of the swimmer and said, i was asking god to please let me live, i need to see my kids, please god... president trump they're speaking at that commencement ceremony for the coast guard in connecticut. looking forward and not backwards to the controversy surrounded the fbi investigation as to whether his advisers had links to russia and talk about his upcoming foreign trip next week, saying that he was voted in to get things done and that is what he is going to do. and seemed to be blaming the media for his current travails. gary 0'donoghue is standing by. a familiar refrain, if
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there are problems in his administration it is the media, it is therefore. he not address the immediate allegations directly but clearly cast some advice for those people graduating from the coast guard academy saying look, if something is worth fighting for it is worth fighting hard, fight for what you think is right. he said that he was the politician that had been the most unfairly treated in history, that was his assertion and he blamed of course the fake media which you have heard before. but no direct rejection or rebuttal of these claims. the central claim is that jaw—dropping these claims. the central claim is thatjaw—dropping claim that he asked the former fbi directorjames comey to drop the russian investigation into the former nsa michael flynn. that still requires an answerand a
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michael flynn. that still requires an answer and a lot of people on capitol hill and in congress are now getting itchy feet especially on the republican side as well, the senate intelligence committee just announcing that it is going to try to get former fbi director to testify in private and in public and the potential for another easy to issue a subpoena to the white house to see if they can get any recordings from them. and subpoenas to the fbi to see if these memos are available. so a lot of activity going on and concern in republican shoes. thank you very much. joining me now from his home in north virginia is michael shoyer, a former senior official at the cia who is a professor of security studies at the georgetown university. good to see you. what do you make of what james comey claims good to see you. what do you make of whatjames comey claims president trump said to him about the michael flynn investigation but i quote, the new york times is quitting, i hope
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you can let this go, i hope you can see your way clear to letting this go. he is a good guy, i hope you can let this go. what does that amount to? it amounts to me to a suggestion that he would like to avoid the bother of something that had very little basis in fact, but he did not orderjames comey to do anything. so to me it is much ado about not much. so, but the united states code, section 15 title 18, the law relating to obstruction ofjustice, it says whoever corruptly influences oi’ it says whoever corruptly influences or endeavours to influence the due administration ofjustice or endeavours to influence the due administration of justice is or endeavours to influence the due administration ofjustice is guilty of obstruction ofjustice. he did not have to orderjames comey to shut down the investigation, did he come he only needed to lean on him? we interpret words differently. i think if there is any obstruction of
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justice all you need to do is to review the history of james comey. he has abetted the senior people, the democratic party, to stand up for his whole time. again the president is going to say things privately that can come back to haunt him. any president can. you make a very important point, you say privately. because this discussion a p pa re ntly privately. because this discussion apparently happened after a four way meeting involving the vice president mike pence and the attorney general jeff sessions. they had the briefing with james comey and the president, the president then asked the vice president and attorney general to leave the room. and then he made these comments. to james comey. does that smell fishy to you? well what smells fishy to me is where you have
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your information from, the new york times? the new york times said the day afterjames comey resigned but he had just asked for massive funding for the russian investigation. the next day his successor said he knew of no such thing and that request would not go to congress but to thejustice department. so if you're asking if i believed the new york times, then no. and of james believed the new york times, then no. and ofjames comey produces a memo i would think it has to come out of the electronic system of the fbi. if it comes from the home of james comey you have either the chance of it being written in the past ten days or he was keeping information about private conversations with the president at home instead of in secure accommodation. but you know as well as anyone that a lot of officials and particularly when they have a very important meeting with the president, they keep contemporaneous notes. they're called memorandums, for the record. a lot of people do it and head of the fbi, it is more
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likely than not that he would do that? well i likely than not that he would do that? welll certainly likely than not that he would do that? well i certainly did as a senior officer but i never took them home. and they are available on the computer. all i'm saying is that he wrote a memo at the time, it would be available on the fbi electronic communication system and if it does not come from there was no certainty when it was written. the dorrans fallen to its lowest level in six months, investors are concerned that the president, tied up with all this, is not able to push through tax cuts. not able to deal with the economy. and we know that non—farm roles were pretty poor compared to what people thought they would be. and also dealing with infrastructure spending and cutting red tape. his agenda is getting stymied and republicans are getting worried about this because of all this? republicans are on the same side as the democrats, you have to remember
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that both establishments are anti—trump and will be until and u nless anti—trump and will be until and unless he is able to tame them. take for example but idiot mccain you had on talking about watergate. the head of the senate intelligence committee, by the way. yes. seven months after they started an investigation of this russian business, the only piece of evidence they have is from the word of a private sector it company that worked for hillary clinton, but the russians took e—mails from the ian c. your old oil services institute came back and said those people online, they never talk to us about what happened at the world of cyber security. —— your own. if not for their private sector clinton employed company, we would have
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nothing to go on. michael, good to have your perspective, thank you. as well as that senate intelligence panel asking forjames comey to appear before it in private sessions and in public, it is also asking for the fbi director mccabe to put forward any notes that it may have in relation to all of this and somewhat breaking news, the bbc understands the three bitcoin accou nts understands the three bitcoin accounts into which the wannacrypt ransoms were meant to be paid, those accounts a p pa re ntly meant to be paid, those accounts apparently have been credited with 44 bitcoin payment so far, the equivalent of around £62,000. this appears to mean that some people who
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we re appears to mean that some people who were held to ransom by the same computer worm that affected the nhs, have paid up. but not many. so clearly the criminals involved in all this have a bit of money but not very much. some accounts relating to those involved in spreading this virus have received some money following the computer problem is that the nhs experienced and indeed companies right around the world experienced at the end of last week. the former american soldier chelsea manning, who passed hundreds of thousands of confidential diplomatic documents to wikileaks, has been released from a military prison in kansas. the 29—year—old was expected to remain injail until 2045 — but president 0bama commuted her sentence just before leaving the white house injanuary. rajini vaidyanathan is outside the prison in kansas. as chelsea manning said anything today? she has not given any on
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camera statements but she did release a written statement not long ago. just saying that she was looking forward to her freedom so much and also thanking all her supporters from around the world. who have helped and lobbied for her release for the past seven years while she was held here at an all—male military prison. she also released a photo of her lace up shoes and said, first steps of freedom in the caption. her release was under the cover of darkness, with very little fanfare, in the early hours of the swelling. it has been met with mixed reaction, supporters are delighted and after a long campaign she has now been released. but certainly hear some people have been driving past while we have been here this morning, one man stopped his car and said, chelsea manning is a traitor. and that certainly is how some people in
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this military town feel about the fa ct this military town feel about the fact that she has been given an early release. it is important to stress that chelsea manning still remains on active duty with the us military. that is because her lawyers are appealing her conviction. while that appeal is going on she will remain on active duty, she will not get paid, but she will be entitled to medical benefits and health care. as i said this was and health care. as i said this was a release that has divided many people in america. the other thing to note is that it was while chelsea manning was in prison, shortly after her sentencing, but she announced her sentencing, but she announced her decision to be known as chelsea and live life as a woman, during the trial she was bradley manning and she was sentenced for one of the largest lea ks of information she was sentenced for one of the largest leaks of information in us government history. thank you. coming up in the next half hour. the former deputy prime minister and liberal democrat leader nick clegg will be here taking your questions as part
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of our askthis series ahead of the general election. to get in touch just email askthis@bbc.co.uk. time for a look at the weather. here's nick miller. no fun for the evening rush hour across a large part of england with more heavy rain to come over the next couple of hours. standing water and spray on the roads, poor visibility. that all pushes away as the night goes on. quite chilly in western parts with low single figures. tomorrow, plenty of sunshine before the cloud bills delivering some heavy showers versed in northern ireland and then developing in scotland especially for the afternoon. the odd shower in the midlands but for most of east anglia and south—east england it
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stays dry in feels quite pleasant in the sunshine. another area of rangers pushing up the east of uk through friday. elsewhere again sunshine and showers. if you catch a shower tomorrow and all the way through the weekend, it could be heavy and sundry. but pleasant sunny spells in between. this is bbc news at 5pm. the headlines... the liberal democrats are putting another eu referendum on the final brexit deal at the heart of their general election manifesto donald trump is facing increasing pressure over allegations he may have tried to shut down an fbi investigation into links between his advisers and russia. unemployment has fallen to its lowest level in 42 years, but wages aren't keeping up with inflation. chelsea manning, the former us soldier who passed hundreds of thousands confidential diplomatic documents to wikileaks, has been released from a military prison in kansas. time for the latest sports news
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now, with 0lly foster. hello there. watford have kept up their impressive rate of manager turnover. walter mazzarri has been sacked with two years left on his contract. the next man in will be the night manager in five years at vicarage road. mazzarri's tenure has lasted less than one year, most of them do. you will go after the final game against manchester city on sunday, after winning just 11 games this season, although they did beat relegation. they briefly climbed to seven before christmas, but they have lost their last five matches on the bounce and they could finish as low as 17th. there's one match in
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the premier league tonight. manchester united are at southampton. united will finish sixth no matter how they get on in their last two matches. jose mourinho has beenjuggling his squad to keep them fresh for the europa league final a week today. they've lost their last two matches but he insists that they will be competitive at st mary's. we want to fight for the results. i don't want to field a team where people have a feeling that we are not fighting for the result. we are fighting for the result. so i'm going to rotate people. as i was saying, they will not be playing against southampton, fellaini will, because he is not playing the last three matches. these are examples of try not to accumulate. but people have to play, because we don't have other players. i cannot put four or five kids on together in the fire, i cannot do that to the kids. kyle edmund has been knocked out of the rome masters. juan martin del potro beat him in staright sets. the british number two fought back to 5—all in the opener but was broken again by the opener but was broken again by the 2009 us open champion and lost the 2009 us open champion and lost the first set 7—5. the argentinian
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is back up to 34th in the world rankings after a couple of injury setbacks and took the second set 6-4. del setbacks and took the second set 6—4. del potro will face kei nishikori in the third round. andy murray was also knocked out in the second round. he was the defending champion in rome. the world number one has one title from eight tournaments so far this year. . . but has had eight tournaments so far this year...but has had a real dip in form recently so his chances at the french open later this month don't look too promising. a lot of people think i've got no chance of doing anything at the french after the last couple of weeks. but, you know, ido last couple of weeks. but, you know, i do think that i can. it is certainly not going to be easy. i'm going to have to work hard these next ten days. and, you know, really, you know, prepare very well, make the most of every single day. and then really work my way into the tournament. it's going to be tough,
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but i think i can still do well. some cricket news. some of england's t20 matches could be broadcast live on free to air television from 2020. the england and wales cricket board have offered a free to air package to broadcasters in the next right‘s deal to run until 202a. live cricket on terrestrial tv hasn't been seen in this country since england's 2005 home ashes series. since then sky has held all live rights, including most recently a 75 million pound —a—year deal. after an impressive time trial yesterday, geraint thomas lost ground on the main contenders for the giro d'italia on stage 11 today. the welshman is down to 14th after being dropped on the final climb of the day as 0mar fraile (pron: fry-lay) the day as 0mar fraile (pron: fry—lay) picked up his maiden grand tour victory into bagno di romagna. holland's tom dumoulin continues to
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lead by over two minutes he absolutely stormed the time trial yesterday. that's all the sport for now. i will be back at 6:30pm with sportsday, looking at a possible deal of a free two rights deal with cricket on free to air television. so, with 22 days to go until polling day, and in a week of manifesto launches, we're asking you to send in questions for special guests. it's called ask this — you may remember it from the general election in 2015. today it's the turn of the liberal democrats, on the day they launch their manifesto. i'm joined by former party leader nick clegg. next, thank you forjoining us. are you ready for this? i will try to! i'm braced! that's good to know! let's crack on. the first question has been sent from an h. they have beenin has been sent from an h. they have been in touch via the website to ask, why doesn't the party, the
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double democrats, respect the result of the eu referendum? of course we respect the result of the referendum, but the referendum was the beginning of a process. that process is now going to unfold in the months ahead as theresa may negotiates the exit from the european union. what we know now that we didn't last june european union. what we know now that we didn't lastjune is what does brexit actually mean's different righties of brexit, slow and fast. what does it mean for farmers, students, the industry and so on's it makes sense, in our view, to say that just as the british people took the decision to leave, when we have gone through that journey and we know what leaving means in practice, it should also be for the british people to decide. 0ther whites, what are the alternatives? theresa may will get to decide on her own in the number ten bunker whether it is good for the country, or it is just the politicians in westminster. we think it should be the people. this is not a newfangled idea. it was an idea
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promoted by jewellery a newfangled idea. it was an idea promoted byjewellery sceptics, david davis, john redmond and others wrote lengthy essays about how this was a 2—step process and the british people need to be in charge in the beginning and the end. it sounds logical, it is at the heart of that ma nifesto logical, it is at the heart of that manifesto that tim farron is going to put out later on this evening. the fact is, the british public don't seem convinced. it does feel like a don't seem convinced. it does feel likea do don't seem convinced. it does feel like a do over to them, the idea that there should be a second call on all of this. and it certainly hasn't helped you in the local elections, it is asked, really. firstly, without being pedantic, it would be the first referendum on what the actual deal looks like. you need to be very clear about that, that's the problem. we are very clear about the fact this is not repeating last year's debate, it would be the first time we are able to compare a concrete opposition. brexit is very cleverly is very cynically claiming that brexit would
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give us £350 million from the nhs, that was the only concrete claim they made and it disappeared in a powerful smoke. they didn't set out in detail what it meant in practice. my in detail what it meant in practice. my own view is that since the brexit negotiations haven't started, of course it is understandable that public opinion says, we should wait and see. i think public opinion may shift when they see that it is not a walk in the park, this cost free brexit is already unravelling. the next question, milan has got in touch. how can the public be confident that you will negotiate strongly with the eu one brexit terms when you have already committed to what they are saying is another vote? i accept that and the lib dems you have a party, we are quite open about this, we got really envisage any circumstances in which being out of the european union matches the privileges and the benefits we get from being in it. there is no point beating about the bush. just because we lost the debate last year, which we did,
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those of us who believed, like i did, that we should remain in the eu. it means you acknowledge that the result occurred in the way it did, but it doesn't mean you give up in your belief that in the long run it is better for the in your belief that in the long run it is betterfor the uk in your belief that in the long run it is better for the uk to in your belief that in the long run it is betterfor the uk to be part of the eu. we are not alone in that. 7596, of the eu. we are not alone in that. 75%, that is a huge overall majority, of youngsters voted in large numbers to remain. we are in a peculiar situation as a country of hurtling towards actually a very uncompromising quite extreme version of brexit, as designed by theresa may, against the explicit stated wishes of those who have two inhabit that future, the young. surely it is right to give them a say whether they really wanted when it is finally fresh supply crashed out in detail? you're not going to like this question. —— thrashed out in detail. james asks, how does the party expect to attract younger voters given the fiasco of tuition fees? to govern is to choose. i was
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not in charge, and crucially there was no money. i think it was the right choice, we chose to invest billions of pounds in the pupil premium, into the school system, to help the poorest kids at a young age, to provide free healthy meals at lunchtime the kids in the first three years of primary school, to massively expand, no government had done this before, the preschool entitlement is given to chew year—old from poorest families, three and four—year—old and so on. so what to your roles. we couldn't pay for everything, we took a choice to help the children from the poorest backgrounds, because the evidence is overwhelming that that is the way you produce a fairer society. for those people who felt that the lib dems should be able to implement their manifesto in full, it isa implement their manifesto in full, it is a disappointment. but we didn't win the election, we didn't have the mandate to put the ma nifesto have the mandate to put the manifesto in place. some people call a compromise a betrayal, i call a compromise a compromise. as a result
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of that copper mines, you got hammered in 2015, the local elections didn't look too good. —— that compromise. i think that is a slight miscalculation. they weren't as good as you hoped and a lot of people predicted. the people's expectations are running ahead of them. it hurt you, really really badly, didn't it? i think them. it hurt you, really really badly, didn't it? ithink we them. it hurt you, really really badly, didn't it? i think we would have been hit regardless of that policy. there is a pattern across europe that smaller parties in coalitions get the disproportionate blame for the bad stuff and the bigger parties get the disproportionate credit for the good stuff. the conservative, they have done new terms like nobodies business, everything under the sun. a prime minister who said chew wasn't going to have an election is now having one. i am not the first politician who couldn't do in government what i wanted to do. brian would like to know, what does the lib dem manifesto say about support and financing of the nhs? the main thing we say is that with
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an ageing society, with this crippling, dysfunction between the hospital system, the nhs and social care, particularly elderly folk or in hospital beds for too long so we can't get them into social care homes. we need to bring social care and the nhs together, massively boost the emphasis and money going into mental health. that needs to be paid for, we are being quite open about it. we will put 1p on every £1 of income tax, raising about £6 billion. it will be a huge infusion into the nhs. i think now most people, of course no politician likes advocating tax increases, most people now understand up and down the country, we can't keep having the country, we can't keep having the nhs we cherish free at the point of view is based only not on the ability to pay, we cannot carry on having that with an ageing population, increasing costs of medical care, without paying for it. craig in bristol sent us a text. i'm
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a historical lib dem voter who voted to leave. what are you doing for us? well, what is his name? craig. what we are giving to craig is the right to decide on whether he and the rest of us... he voted to leave! craig wa nted of us... he voted to leave! craig wanted to leave, but i suspect craig, like many people, voted to leave but is unsure about what leaving means in practice. we will know what it means in practice after theresa may comes back with a deal. theresa may comes back with a deal. the question is for craig, do you just want theresa may to decide our future? there are huge variations. we going to continue to have arrangements which allow university stu d e nts to arrangements which allow university students to move from one place to the next in the eu? we will be part of research and development programme's what does it mean for fisheries and agriculture? craig mightjust fisheries and agriculture? craig might just want to fisheries and agriculture? craig mightjust want to say, i've looked at the details, i've seen the way that it at the details, i've seen the way thatitis at the details, i've seen the way
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that it is written and i still want to leave. 0r that it is written and i still want to leave. or he might, this is the lifeblood of any democracy, say, i've changed my mind. es says, can the legislation of cannabis be controlled safely and would the nation's mental health suffer through the use of it?|j nation's mental health suffer through the use of it? i have spent many years looking at this. there are now a bunch of states in north america, canada, justin trudeau's government is about to pass legislation to regulate the sale of cannabis. portugal and switzerland have done something on similar lines, mexico is experimenting with it. the bottom line is this, drugs do harm, some more harm than others but they do harm. if your main motivation is you want to reduce the harm that drugs do to society and you don't assume that you can just abolish them, because you can't, they have been around for bologna and the waron they have been around for bologna and the war on drugs is not working, surely it does not make sense to put the sale of substances in the hands of chronicles? surely what we
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learned with prohibition of alcohol many, learned with prohibition of alcohol any learned with prohibition of alcohol many, many generations ago, it is better to regulate it, tax it, and if we regulated the sale of cannabis we could put a minimum age. nobody under the age of 18 can buy it. you could put limits on the toxicity of the cannabis that is all. really potent forms of skunk now doing immense amount of harm. if you leave it in the shadows of the criminal economy, you are not protecting those who would otherwise be harmed. i understand that when people hear the word, the lib dems want to legalise cannabis, it is as if we wa nt to legalise cannabis, it is as if we want to encourage its use. ironically, it is the reverse. we wa nt to ironically, it is the reverse. we want to diminish the harm, this is a better way of controlling it. nick, thank you for taking questions from our viewers today. and thanks to you for getting in touch. the number of candidates standing for ukip in the election has almost halved. in 2015, the party fielded a candidate injust halved. in 2015, the party fielded a candidate in just about every seat,
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but here they are encouraging people to vote for the most pro—brexit person. in some parts of the country, the consequences could be significant. andrew sinclair is in norfolk for us now. yes, good evening. north norfolk was one of the few liberal democrat seats left standing after the 2015 election. according to an opinion poll today, it might not be a liberal democrat seat after this election, that is because europe and brexit are big issues in this part of. 59 cents of people in north norfolk voted to leave in last year's referendum, in some parts it was as high as 70%. ukip have done well in this parts of the world. we have three ukip meps, and in many seats they came second.
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in this election they are not standing everywhere. part of that is because they haven't got the money or the ground organisation, but in some places, like here, it is a very strategic decision. north norfolk is famous for its stunning coastline and the norfolk broads. it is not used to being in the front line of an election campaign. but this year, the race could be very close. at the last election, the liberal democrats' norman lamb had a very reduced majority of 4000. at 8000 people voted ukip. but this year, its local candidate has decided not to stand. instead, he is actively campaigning for the conservatives. as norman lamb is very much a pro—european, we felt the only way to pursue the aims of ukip was to pull out and support the conservatives. the people who voted ukip in 2015,|
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conservatives. the people who voted ukip in 2015, i don't think they will all naturally gravitate to the conservatives. many of them will have supported the liberal democrats in the past, we are working to win them back. the seat of peterborough is another place where ukip could be influential. with a majority of less than 2000, the conservative stuart jackson is under threat from labour. but ukip polled 7500 votes last time. and now they are standing aside to try and get the pro—brexit conservative re—elected. aside to try and get the pro—brexit conservative re—electedlj aside to try and get the pro—brexit conservative re-elected. i guess it will be helpful, because, you know, a lot of those ukip voters were former conservative voters, and now people realise there is not budge point in voting ukip. ukip used to do well in elections in the east of england. but in this month's local elections, it lost all of its seats. if they believe in something, they should stand. i think it's a bit cynical to be honest. why should stand. i think it's a bit cynicalto be honest. why would should stand. i think it's a bit cynical to be honest. why would you tell someone to vote for a different team? tell someone to vote for a different team ? lets tell someone to vote for a different team? lets say you're part of football, you are arsenal, you are
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telling all of your arsenal supporters to support manchester? you're not going to do that. label launched their campaign at the weekend. they are hoping ukip voters will go back to them. people voted ukip to leave the eu, which has happened. but they also voted ukip because they were concerned about affordable housing, public services, the nhs. those are the things that labour are now promising to deliver an. ukip knows it will struggle to get its own mps elected this year. but in deliberately deciding where not to stand, it could still have a big impact on the selection. back here in north norfolk there is another twist to the story. the greens, who last time polled 1500 votes, have decided not to stand to try to help out the liberal democrats. to give you some idea of how seriously the conservatives now rate their chances, we had the defence secretary sir michael fallon here today campaigning down the
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road. he said he thought the selection was a very important one for the conservatives, and he said it is far more than just about bank holidays and whether we should legalise cannabis, a bit of a dig to labour and the liberal democrats. you can see a full list of all of the candidates in norfolk north on the candidates in norfolk north on the screen. a full list of candidates in peterborough as well. the irish prime minister enda kenny has announced he is standing down. ata has announced he is standing down. at a meeting of his parliamentary party this afternoon, mr kenny announced his decision to retire after six years as taoiseach. fine gael will elect a new leader, who will be in place by the second of june. 0ur ireland correspondent chris buckler looks back at enda kenny's career. add a word of warning, there is some flash of geography from the very beginning. —— flash photography. enda kenny has spent most of his life in politics. by spent most of his life in politics. by20fl spent most of his life in politics. by 2011 when he led his party, fine
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gael by 2011 when he led his party, fine gael, to their best election results ever. he had already been a member of ireland's parliament, the dail, forfour of ireland's parliament, the dail, for four decades. it has been a democratic revolution here. people did not take to the streets, they took to the baz boxes. he became taoiseach at a time when the country's finances were in a mess. after a banking crisis and the multi—billion euro bailout. his greatest challenge was to turn the economy around. and that inevitably bed tax increases and spending cuts. right now, the state is spending 16 million per year more than what it is making. he made a televised address to one of started. his time as prime minister has been defined not just by as prime minister has been defined notjust by challenge but by change. it saw the first visit by a british monitor the republic of ireland, cementing a new era of anglo irish relationships. and, did relations
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have been valuable. mr kenny has found himself side—by—side with british prime ministers in trying to ove rco m e british prime ministers in trying to overcome political problems in northern ireland. in many ways, enda kenny is a deeply traditional man from county mayo. he not been afraid to speak out against the catholic church, particularly in their handling of abuse scandals. the report excavates the dysfunction, the disconnection, the elitism, that dominates the culture of the vatican today. he also stood against the church in supporting same—sex marriage. a stance which saw him cheered on stage by gay rights campaigners, when a majority voted in favour of it in a referendum. another sign of social change in what many still call catholic ireland. this is a global first. what many still call catholic ireland. this is a globalfirst. a small country with a big message.
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about equality, and equality of opportunity. last year, he went to the polls, with ireland's improving economy at the heart of his campaign. but fine gael lost a significant number of seats, and ever since, mr kenny's leadership of a minority government has been in question. his successor as tea shop will have to deal with the fallout from the uk's decision to leave the eu -- from the uk's decision to leave the eu —— as taoiseach. it is one of ireland's most important trading partners. but brexit also offers economic opportunities here, thanks partly to the policies of a prime minister who helped carry ireland out of crisis. chris buckler, bbc news. uk unemployment is down again, falling to its lowest level in 42 yea rs. falling to its lowest level in 42 years. the latest figures from the office for national sadistic stroke the number of people unemployed fell toi.54 the number of people unemployed fell to 1.54 million the number of people unemployed fell to1.54 million —— the number of people unemployed fell to 1.54 million —— the office for national statistics. she was one of television's
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best loved characters — hilda 0gden, famous for her sharp tongue and her unique style. now some of her trademark items have gone under the hammer, including her iconic headscarf, curlers and pinny, which sold for more than £4,000. they've been auctioned by the family ofjean alexander, the actress who played hilda for more than two decades. colin paterson reports from jean alexander's home town of southport. oh, look, i don't care if it only cost 2p! it's one of the most famous outfits in tv history. the curlers, the hairnet, and the pinny of hilda 0gden. it's better than nowt, it'll do. and today, it went under the hammer. you can get rid of it, and yourself and all! jean alexander played coronation street's much loved gossip for more than 20 years. she died last october at the age of 90. her nieces were auctioning off her belongings. the star attraction is the pinny. of course. did you know she always had that? i didn't, really. when we came to tidy up her things, sadly after she died, i came across a parcel in a wardrobe with her handwriting
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on a little label. and when we looked into it further, it turned out that this was the first pinny and headscarf and curlers she'd used in the show. she'd taken them with her when she started in coronation street. and they belonged to my grandmother, jean's mother. there was online interest from italy and the us, but many had turned up to bid in person. everybody had an auntie or a nan or somebody like that. and shejust reminded you of a typical northern lady. well, i always put my own curlers in myself, so that to me just would be brilliant to get that. 40 in the corner, 45. this piece of hilda history was the final lot of the day, and went for by far the biggest amount. £4200. bought by trevor beattie, a former advertising executive and now film producer who worked on the likes of lock, stock and two smoking barrels, and moon. it is like charlie chaplin's moustache or muhammad ali's boxing gloves.
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we may be making hilda 0gden — the movie, so we'll see. what makes her worthy of being turned into a movie? the character. if we had half of her character, we'd be better people. and jean alexander's nieces were delighted. she would have been amazed, she would have. amazing. wejust said, more money than probably her mum ever saw in her life. 30 years after hilda 0gden left coronation street, and her actual curlers could be headed for the big screen. colin paterson, bbc news, southport. a wonderful actress. time for a look at the weather. here's nick miller. the cobbles of coronation street haven't seen much rain today, but elsewhere there has been a soaking. it is pretty miserable for the evening rush hour, especially across the east midlands, south—east england and east anglia. rain reaching those areas. still heavy
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before clearing overnight. also some heavy showers in northern ireland and north—west scotland, the odd one continuing through the night. many places in the north and west will be clear and chilly. in brawl spots, no single figures. to start the day tomorrow. —— in roar spots, single figures. to start the day tomorrow. —— in roarspots, low single figures. some showers in scotland, especially in the north. a few pop up in northern england, the odd one in the midlands. most people in east anglia and the south—east will stay dry. a fresher feel to the weather, pleasant in the sunshine, warmer tomorrow compared with the areas that have the rain. 0n warmer tomorrow compared with the areas that have the rain. on friday, sunshine and showers. a similar picture all the way through the weekend. tonight at six. the liberal democrats publish their manifesto and pledge a second referendum on a brexit deal. party leader tim farron says brexit represents a once in a generation fight for the future of britain. we don'tjust have to accept
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what ever deal we get back from the brexit negotiations, but the british people — you — should have the final say. the lib dems are making a pitch for younger voters — we're in cambridge to hear about their hopes and needs. i think there is many things that need to be changed such as tuition fee, health care, nhs, it needs to be different. fee, health care, nhs, it needs to be different. a record number of people in work — but new figures show a squeeze in living standards. donald trump is accused of trying to stop an fbi investigation
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