this is bbc news. i'm jane hill. the headlines at two. a pay rise for police and prison officers in england and wales but unions demand the freeze ends for all public sector workers so we have always been very clear that we need to strike a balance between being fair to public sector workers, making sure we recruit the best possible people and also that we hold on to them. the government is making a big mistake in thinking it can get away withjust lifting the cap, people have been waiting seven long years. foreign secretary borisjohnson flies to the caribbean amid criticism of britain's response to hurricane irma. almost 400,000 rohingya muslims flee violence in myanmar bangladesh's almost 400,000 rohingya muslims flee violence in myanmar; bangladesh's prime minister calls for safe zones to allow them to return home. i'm live on the border where hundreds of thousands of refugees

have made their way here to escape the violence at home. also this hour, tributes to a giant of british theatre. sir peter hall, founder of the royal shakespeare company,has died at the age of 86. give me actors, and a text, and i instinctively know what to do. and a stone's throw away; a plan to ease traffic congestion around stonehenge is given the go—ahead. for the first time in seven years,

the government is partially lifting its pay crap. prison officers in england and wales will receive a pay rise of 1.7% this year, above the 1% freeze which has been in place for yea rs. freeze which has been in place for years. police will receive a 1% pay rise plus a 1% bonus for the years. but unions are demanding far more for all public second for workers given current levels of inpolice station which today hit 2.9%. we'll ta ke station which today hit 2.9%. we'll take about inflation later this hour but first this report from ian watson at the tuc conference in brighton. police and prison officers are vital parts of the criminal justice system. it has been announced that they are getting a pay increase. the public service unions see themselves as the victims of an injustice, a pay wages for seven years. the government is making a big mistake in thinking it can get away with just lifting the cap. people have waited seven long years.

they have had real pay cuts to the tune of thousands of pounds, firefighters, midwives, people across the public services, and they want to make up the ground that they have lost. usually, pay review bodies stick to government advice and do not recommend increases above 1%. but now it has been said that the government should reach its own cap this year. the government has accepted a recommendation to increase the salaries of most police officers by 1% across—the—board followed by a further 1% as a bonus, paid forfrom police reserve budgets. prison officers will get 1.7%. it's simply not good enough. anything under the rate of inflation, which is currently 2.90%, is a cut in pay for my members, let's be clear about that. so, it's not good enough. and, is advising pay review bodies next year to give some flexibility to the pay cap in parts of the public service

which are suffering from skills shortages. the government will hope that easing the pay cap will notjust help with recruitment and retention in the public sector. they will hope it will also ease a sense of frustration amongst the big service workers about falling living standards. but some unions say any increase beneath inflation means there's still a case for strike action. we will carry on balloting our members and talking to other unions who will hopefully do the same, so that we can stand united, whether url cleaner, benefit worker or a teacher, we all deserve pay rises. and the labour shadow chancellor shed he would back strikes if that was what was decided. so clear dividing lines remain between the government and opposition on pay. 0ur correspondent is at westminster

now. some public sector workers getting a pay rise then and some not? that's right. things were coming toa not? that's right. things were coming to a head when it came to public sector pay. we have had increasingly threatening rhetoric talking about striking over the issue and we had the latest inflation figures today showing at 2.9%. there had been significant naps for some time from the government that they were prepared to consider removing the cap on public sector pay rises given the election result and popularity of jeremy corbyn‘s anti—austerity message. today we are seeing the beginning of the end of that 1% public sector pay rise cap. but, the fa ct public sector pay rise cap. but, the fact that these are just modest rises, recommended by the independent pay review bodies, police officers getting just 1% pay rise and a 1% bonus just for next year, so non—pensionable and then prison officers getting 1.7%, some

unions have described it as pathetic, clearly below the rate of inflation and of course labour picking up on the fact it's not across—the—board, it's picking up on the fact it's not across—the—boa rd, it's only picking up on the fact it's not across—the—board, it's only police officers and prison officers who've been given the increase above 1%. certainly this is a breach of the pay cap that's been with the government for more than seven yea rs, government for more than seven years, 2010 there was a pay freeze in the public sector introduced, then the pay cap. so certainly this does seem a peeling back of that cap but there's very much more discussion to be had, not least because the rises won't be funded with any new money. we have always been very clear, we need to strike a balance between being fair to public sector workers, making sure that we recruit the best possible people and also that we hold on to them in the public services. we've looked at the evidence, we have been working on this owt over the summer and we feel 110w this owt over the summer and we feel now is the time to move to a moshe flexible approach to make sure we do deal with any issues we've got in the public services so we can

continue to have world class service ofs. liz truss there explaining why the government decided to act now. talking about wage restraints as being an essential prart of the government's commitment to deficit reduction, but recognising that there needs to be some flexibility, certainly this is what downing street is indicating that next year when other work places, teachers, nurses, for example, their pay is reviewed, that the government is suggesting they'll move on that. i think with labour still arguing for pay increases across—the—board and the unions threatening strike action, despite this increase, i think this is certainly not the end of the story. we were talking about the potential rises on offer here. let's talk particularly about police officers because it's emerged in fact that the home office was advised to award police officers a full 2% increase. let's find out more from our home

affa i rs let's find out more from our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw. explain what has happened? the police remuneration review body is the independent body which takes representations from the home 0ffice, representations from the home office, from the police organisations and then recommends what pay award should be given that year. it's previously said 1% is enough for police officers, but this year it recommended a full 2% increase for all police officers. that would include their pensions, so that would include their pensions, so that's a full 2% rise. the government has decided to split that. 1% full rise basic pay, includes pensions, but 1%, a one—off yearly bonus so. they haven't quite gone along with what the review body recommended and this's come outjust in the past few minutes because we have seen the actual recommendations from the review body. yes. the point about the 1% bonus is that would not be pensionable presumably. true. and would it be for one year only, do we know that detail? it's one year

only, a one—off bonus, it's not pensionable so doesn't count towards the pension. that does mean however a police officer will take home a little bit more because they don't have to make a pension contribution as part of the amount that they'll get, so it's kind of good news for them but it doesn't count towards them but it doesn't count towards the pension. interestingly, there is ina the pension. interestingly, there is in a statement we have had from the national police chiefs council some suggestion that there could be some flexibility for chief constables to award that amount. so we have got to check up and find out whether this isa1% check up and find out whether this is a 1% bonus across—the—board for police officers or whether they can be flexible and award some to some officers and less to others. that's something we have to clarify. what is clear is that there's no extra money for it. that is the crucial point isn't it? yes. that is what i was going to pick up on. so what are you hearing from within police forces, what are they saying about the fact this has to come from an existing pot? police constabularies across england and wales have budgeted for a 1% rise, the government have given them money and

said you are going to get a 1% rise so said you are going to get a 1% rise so that was all budgeted for in their plans. so they are now going to have to find that extra 1% bonus for this year which is going to cost them over the course of 12 months an extra £50 million. we have had from the national police chiefs council a statement saying that will put pressure on their finances and will after ex—policing services, so they're concerned after ex—policing services, so they‘ re concerned about after ex—policing services, so they're concerned about that. chief co nsta bles they're concerned about that. chief constables have warned, police and crime commissioners have warned, if you increase pay without giving us any you increase pay without giving us a ny extra you increase pay without giving us any extra then we are going to have to find the savings from somewhere and the main place that police forces look for savings is to cut officer numbers. thank you very much. just perhaps worth pointing out that jeremy corbyn, the labour leader, is due to speak at the tuc conference that's taking place in brighton. he's due to speak in the next hour and that could be very interesting, one imagines there'll be references to all of this that we have been discussing. jeremy corbyn due to

speak at 2. #45rks we are told. back in brighton once that gets under way. inflation has hit its highest rate for five years, boosted by rising clothing and fuel prices, putting more pressure on the household budget. figures from the office for national statistics show the consumer price index was 2.9%, higher than predicted. the news led to a sharp rise in the pound. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. with every month, the average wage buys less of this. for most of the last ten years, food prices kept on dropping, as did the price of many imported goods. but then the pound dropped in value. firms like this cake shop now have to spend more pounds to get the dollars or euros they need to get the supplies from abroad. and now, those cost rises are feeding through. big increase in the price of utter, which has gone of butter, which has gone

up i 100% over the last 12 months and a big increase in the price of sugar which has gone up by a0%. for us it will definitely not be changing the ingredients or downsizing the size of portions and things like that — so we have put our prices up by about 10% over the last year, which has helped. we've obviously look at our suppliers and done a lot of work to reduce the costs they're passing on to us. companies with rising costs face a dilemma, especially in a competitive industry like food. raise prices too much and customers might go elsewhere. raise them to little, and those higher costs will start eating into whatever profit you hope to make. at 2.90%, inflation returned to a four—year high which was first hit last may. among the pressures on the cost of living was petrol, up 5.1%, and clothing, which also rose by 5.1%. in the city, traders had not expected the cost of living to rise quite this fast.

now, the prediction is that interest rates might arise from their record low as soon as possible. that pushed up the value of the pound this morning i nearly sent against the dollar. but some economists still think there is no need to raise rates any time soon. the bank of england has a difficult decision to make on this, because inflation is rising well above wage growth, and that means that household incomes are being squeezed. we think that they will probably keep interest rates unchanged for another couple of years. weather for luxuries or essentials, prices on average continue to rise faster than the average wage. but for now, most of the interest rate setters at the bank of england are sticking to their belief that this latest bout of inflation and the squeeze on living standards hasn't temporarily. a 28—year—old man is being questioned on suspicion of supplying a class a drug after the death

of a woman at a festival. 25—year—old louella mickey was discovered in a wooded area at the bestival site on monday. she is the daughter of holby city and taggart actorjohn michie. police say the man was arrested on suspicion of murder and supplying a class a drug. borisjohnson is boris johnson is on borisjohnson is on his way to the british virgin islands today. more aid supplies are on their way. hurricane irma, the strongest recorded in the atlantic ocean, is now petering out, as it passes over the us state of georgia. a tropical paradise reduced to rubble. this is tortola — the largest of the british virgin islands and the most heavily populated.

just imagine trying to live here now. there are 1a other inhabited islands in the bvi just like this. the people here are british citizens and they are looking to the uk for help. and britain is helping. at raf brize norton, giant transport aircraft have been loaded with hundreds of tonnes of aid for the region. they are taking emergency supplies as well as timber and building equipment. there have been eight such flights in the past few days, and the government rejects criticism that its response has been too slow. we responded very quickly. we had a ship there already, not by chance, we always put a ship into the region for the hurricane season. that ship has been helping since thursday in anguilla and the british virgin islands. we have 900 troops out there now. we have three helicopters out there. the aid effort is under way. hms 0cean sets off from gibraltar today with a crew of 700 who specialise in disaster relief. they won't arrive in

the caribbean until late next week, but they'll be part of what the british government says will be a long—term reconstruction effort. we're just determined to get on scene as quick as we can and maximise the support, because it's notjust about the here and now, this is going to be a long recovery operation and we'll be very well—placed to assist with that reconstruction. the building materials that i've got on board, the timber, will go a long way to assisting in the recovery. the scale of this disaster will be something the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, will see for himself over the next few days when he arrives in the region. 0n tortola, he'll find long lines of people trying to get food and water. and a sense of growing panic about what the future holds. several of the worst—hit caribbean countries are french, and president macron arrived in guadeloupe to see what more was needed. his government has asked for british help with the

aid effort. on st martin, mr macron‘s next stop, the slow and dirty work of the clean—up continues. the islanders here have been doing this for days. not everyone has the means to clear up, says wilfred. i'm lucky to have gloves but there are many who don't. in florida, the recovery is going to cost tens of billions of dollars. this is 0rlando — at least 5 billion people are still without power in florida. many have been returning to ruined homes. the florida keys, an island chain in the south, were worst hit and are still cut off. irma didn't discriminate as it barrelled through a vast swathe of territory, taking homes, property and livelihoods of anyone in its path. richard lister, bbc news. one of the greatest names in british theatre, sir peter hall, has died at the age of 86.

he founded the royal shakespeare company at the age of 29 and went on to become the director of the national theatre. 0ur correspondent nick higham looks back at the life of the man who's described as a "collossus". i think she wants to be that side of the camera. give me a stage and three actors and a text and i have the confidence to know instinctively what should be done. he started as britain's most talented young director, charismatic and adventurous. samuel beckett's waiting for godot was a theatrical bombshell — atjust 2a, peter hall directed the uk premiere. at stratford, aged 29, he created the royal shakespeare company. not bad for the working—class son of a railwayman. we are not going to read the play — embarrass each other and ourselves. the rsc was a company of international standard which attracted the very best actors. peggy ashcroft was one,

here in an early hall triumph — a reworking of shakespeare's henry vi plays as the wars of the roses. sir peter was a visionary. he was a colossus, striding the world of the british theatre. in a way it would be iniquitous to pick out any individual production. i think his greatest legacy must be the company he formed, the royal shakespeare company. but the wunderkind suffered a nervous breakdown and quit. only to re—emerge as laurence 0livier‘s successor as director of the new national theatre being built on london's southbank. he revelled in his new role. it is a very, very complex, very stimulating job because it is both concerned with management and with art. he combined creative flair with a phenomenal workrate, administrative skill and formidable powers of persuasion. ah, yes. he transferred national productions like amadeus to the commercial stage, and later formed

his own company to direct classics and new plays in london, bath and on tour. he loved opera too, and for six years was artistic director at glyndebourne, where he demonstrated that an opera's director can be as important as its conductor. and he also made films like this nostalgic portrait of rural life in a suffolk village like the one he'd grown up in. he gets to here, somewhere — he trips. you will appreciate we can only do it once. it was shot mainly at weekends, using amateur actors. it was the work of a fine director and talented impresario, who ended his career as the grand old man of british theatre. and you can see a special tribute on

bbc4 at 9. the headlines: a pay rise for police and prison officers in england and wales, but unions demand that the freeze ends for all public sector workers. the foreign secretary, boris johnson, is to fly to the caribbean amid criticism of britain's response to hurricane irma. and, as we were hearing, sir peter hall, the founder of the royal shakespeare company, has died at the age of 86. in sport, the champions league group stage starts tonight. manchester united and chelsea are at home, as are celtic who face neymar‘s psg. northern ireland manager michael

o'neill northern ireland manager michael 0'neill has been arrest and charged in connection with drink—driving, after being stopped in edinburgh on sunday. a world 11 will face pakistan in the first of three 2 t20 matches in lahore today, the most high profile match in the country since the terrorist attack on the sri lanka team eight years ago. a full update in ten minutes. china has again called for dialogue after the united nations imposed further sanctions against north korea over its latest weapons test. the measures will restrict oil imports and ban textile exports in an attempt to starve the north of fuel and the money it needs to build nuclear weapons. pyongyang has said it ‘categorically rejects' what it described as the latest ‘illegal‘ un resolution. almost 400,000 people have now fled across the borderfrom myanmar

to bangladesh since an upsurge in violence at the end of august. the prime minister of bangladesh has visited one of the refugee camps set up for the rohingya muslims who've poured into his country seeking shelter. sheikh hasina has called on myanamar to take the refugees back — saying they were their people. the un is holding an urgent meeting tomorrow to discuss the crisis. reeta chakrabati is at one of the refugee camps for us now. it's nearly three weeks since this crisis began and the conditions in which nearly 400,000 people are living remain pitiful. i don't know how much you can see behind me but ina how much you can see behind me but in a sense the people who're just behind me are relatively lucky, they have the money and means to buy themselves some bamboo and tarpaulin to make themselveses a basic shelter. we have seen other people sitting on big bans at the side of the road or standing under trees in the road or standing under trees in the forest, perhaps them no money at all, perhaps too dazed to build

something for themselves. the bangladeshi prime minister seen for herself the conditions on the ground today and she was openly critical of the myanmar government. here is justin rowlatt. this woman is nine months pregnant. she is expecting any day. but this is where she is living, with 15 other family members and is almost certainly where she will have to give birth. translation: i am worried. there is no help. nobody is getting any food. here there is no rice, no vegetables, nothing. iam starving. she hiked the seven days through hills and jungle to get here, after her village was burned to the ground. we've seen her and her family moved on by the authorities. and driven off the land by fellow refugees. many nights, she has had to sleep under the skies despite the monsoon rain.

now, her baby is sick. and her husband has jaundice. and tens of thousands of other refugees are, like her, living in these filthy makeshift cities that are mushrooming on the muddy hilltops here. they arrive bewildered. if they want a plastic sheet or bamboo to make a shelter, they pgy- they often have to fight just to get food. these guys are well—meaning bangladeshisjust trying to help out. butjust look how chaotic this is. and it is so demeaning for these people to have to beg for food. there is growing criticism of the way bangladesh is handling this crisis. we have to give them shelter so that they can live and they can get some food and medication.

all the big international aid bodies and agencies are here, but the government has put restrictions on what they can do and where they can work. we are doing the best we can with the government. there needs to be more coordination. we need to sit together and plan better. we need to mobilise support. itjust seems as if it's not being organised. there's no kind of organisation here. the airlifts are coming in. we're bringing tents, relief items. what needs to happen next is for us to work closer together, to make sure that the land is allocated, temporary shelter is provided, so things can be a little more organised. and that is what we are discussing with the government, to see how we can provide assistance, notjust unhcr, but other agencies, provide assistance in an equitable way. and while that discussion takes place, just look at this. refugees sit amongst a litter of unwanted clothes.

they've been given out of generosity, but what these people really need is nutritious food. fresh water, sanitation. somewhere clean to live and to sleep. roshida needs medical care and a safe, clean place to have her baby. what she, what all the refugees need, is a home. justin rowlatt, bbc news. i'm joined by chris lom from the international 0rganisation i'm joined by chris lom from the international organisation for migration, a un body. a lot of criticism of the lack of coordination of aid here, your body is responsible for delivering aid, how do you answer that? the answer

is, this is unprecedented. nearly 400,000 people have come across in about 17 days since august 25th. the contingency plans were for a far smaller number of people over a much longer period. so now what you are seeing is aid agencies kicking in their supply lines and sending in people and the coordination effect taking place which will result in more aid being distributed. chris, thank you very much. it is hoped with more aid coming in, coordination will improve and the aid will get to the people who need it most. it's also hoped that with a visit of the prime minister, there'll now be a new political will to acknowledge that whether they like it or not, bangladesh has to help the hundreds of thousands of people who're here. it has been the source of much debate for decades — how to solve the traffic problems on the major road from london to the west country that passes right by the ancient stone circle

stonehenge. dozens of schemes have been put forward and then rejected. but now the government has finally approved plans to dig a road tunnel near the monument in wiltshire to ease congestion on the a303. but critics are concerned it will damage the archaeology of the site and the wider environment. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy is there. it's a beautiful spot. 0ver it's a beautiful spot. over to you. it's a beautiful spot. over to you. it is but we have the wind and rain piling in today. you are absolutely right, the central point is this debate has gone on for the best part of three decades. at the heart of that debate is how to protect these beautiful stones from this, the less than beautiful a303. now, the government today came up with its plan for it. what it wants to do is build eight miles of dual carriageway and, for the two mile section that runs past here, they

wa nt to section that runs past here, they want to put that road into a tunnel about 50 metres further back from where it is at the moment. this whole plan's got the support of many heritage groups, but there are still some who say it's simply not good enough. from the thunderous blight of this... to the wondrous sight of this. the a303 and stonehenge have long been unhappy partners in this world heritage landscape. but now there is this. the government's plan to put 1.8 miles of the a303 into a tunnel as it passes the stones. the £1.6 billion project has the support of english heritage and the national trust. but even for them it is a qualified welcome for today's news — so delicate are the archaeological challenges of protecting this unique site. we believe this is a solution that's got real potential to benefit the world heritage site. we will support this scheme as long as and subject to it being designed and delivered in a way that

does protect it. proposals for a tunnel past stonehenge were first announced in 1989, but were repeatedly dropped because of rows about the cost and the route. if you stand by the stones you're interested in looking at the stones. and there are still many who fear the new tunnel option may protect stonehenge but not the surrounding countryside — also rich in neolithic remains. the tunnel will take the road away from the central part of the world heritage site. but as unesco points out, the whole site is important, and for its archaeology. the tunnel cuttings will destroy archaeology. around 25,000 vehicles use the a303 every day. having road next to ruins has been a dilemma — not quite 5000 years in the making — but one that now has a firm if controversial solution in sight. not quite there yet. still another

year or $0 not quite there yet. still another year or so consultation before the secretary of state finally signs off on the project. even then, it won't be until about 2021 before the bulldozers go in. if this plan gets the go—ahead and objections are overcome, expect this new route to be ready by about 2026. i hadn't realised it was quite so blustery until you started talking. let's find out what the weather prospects are for you wherever you are in the country right now. some very turbulent weather wherever you are this evening. a storm is going to bring some very windy conditions particularly across northern england, the south—west and southern

parts of england, gusts widely between 50 and 60 mph. there is an area towards the midlands that for a time could see gusts of around 75 mph. could see some disruption to travel, some trees perhaps bruited which will make for tricky conditions overnight and perhaps first thing tomorrow morning. that storm will soon be out of the way tomorrow morning. gales along the east coast for a time and then another day of sunshine and showers. still windy but losing some strength overnight. another cool day with temperatures between 13 and 18 celsius. hello. this is bbc news with jane hill. the 1% cap on public pay is set to

be breached. the uk's inflation rate climbed to itsjoint highest level in more than five years last month, reaching 2.9%. the foreign secretary borisjohnson flies to the caribbean today amid criticism of the speed of the british government's response to hurricane irma. founder of the royal shakespeare company and former national theatre director sir peter hall has died aged 86. we're going to talk more about public sector pay rises and sir peter hall in this half hour. before we ta ke peter hall in this half hour. before we take a look at the spot, just a line that's been coming through. a suggestion that president trump is

likely to make a stop in china during his trip to asia in november. reuters are quoting a us official. not definite but likely, interesting in light of everything going on with relation to north korea. more on that as we get it. now, 0llie foster has the latest details with the sports news. it's the start of the the champions league group stage this evening and neymar, the world's most expensive footballer, is in glasgow to take on scottish champions celtic, with his paris st germain teamates. he cost the french side 200 million, also in their ranks is kylian mbappe, who will eventaully cost them 166 million and with edinson cavani, it's the most expensive front line ever assembled. celtic are bracing themselves and though they let in nine goals home and away to barcelona last season, they managed two draws against manchester city. the eyes of the world will be on this game. it's one that, like i

say, we are in a real good condition to go into the tournament. this time. the players are pretty clear on how they work, clear on terms of how we handle these types of pressure games. they just how we handle these types of pressure games. theyjust need to go and enjoy it. barcelona against juventus is another standout game. premier league champions chelsea are also at home and face champions league debutants qara bag from azerbaijan. manchester united were in the europa league last season, but won it to see them return to the champions league. first up, swiss side basle at old trafford. to go back to the champions league is to go back to the natural habitat, manchester united, season after season. i only played the europa league twice. apart from that, i only played the champions league. for some players it is to go

back and for others it is the motivation to play champions league for the first time. so we look forward to the match and also i hope 0ld forward to the match and also i hope old trafford feels it in the same way we are feeling it. jose mourinho gave an interesting interview over the weekend saying manchester united failed to evolve after sir alex ferguson left. he called the period under david moyes and louis van gaal as an empty period. david moyes was a brave man to take it on. it didn't work for him. louis van gaal came in and the style of foot ball van gaal came in and the style of football for those two years was not what manchester united supporters had become accustomed to and so they didn't take to it. jose has taken a season or two to get his way but he

did exceptionally well in winning two trophies last year. the northern ireland manager michael 0'neill has been arrested and charged in connection with drink—driving. 0'neill was stopped by police on the outskirts of edinburgh early on sunday morning. he is due to appear at edinburgh sheriff's court on october 10th — that's two days after northern ireland's final world cup qualifier against norway. after winning their test series, england meet the west indies again in a t20 international on saturday before the 50—over one day series next week. star man chris gayle is back for the windies. he is the greatest 2020 batsman ever so irrelevant of his age he still clears the rope with ease. he has that x factor, he's a game changer. there's loads of batters that when you get them out you realise they're big wickets but he is right up there. do you think he'll remember that dismissal? well, let's hope i get him again and he'll remember that one eight years after the terrorist attack on the sri lanka team in lahore, that killed eight people and injured six players, the most high profile cricket match is set to take place

in pakistan later today. the first of three t20 games against a world xi will be played in the city. pakistan have been forced to play their home matches in the united arab emirates since the attack. the pcb chairman says, "the series will serve to open the doors of international cricket in pakistan. " the world xl will be captained by south africa's faf du plessis and they have also tempted england's paul collingwood out of international retirement at the age of 41. sam warburton will miss the autumn internationals. he captained the lions against the all blacks this summer but he needs neck surgery and will be out for four months at least. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. 0ur

our main story. the government has announced a pay rise for police and prison officers that breaches the 1% public sector pay cap. police will get a 1% payroll as plus a 1% bonus for the year and prison officers will get a 1.7% pay rise. all this has to be from existing departmental budgets. let's speak now to alex wild, research director at the taxpayers' alliance. he's in our central london studio. your thoughts on the basic principle. what about all the other public sector workers?” principle. what about all the other public sector workers? i don't think that we should pretend that the pay cap isa that we should pretend that the pay cap is a miraculous and brilliant policy. it is a very blunt instrument. it means we get lots of strange variations and you can't seriously say that everyone in the public sector deserves one, two,

three, four, whatever percent. it doesn't really make sense. it seems as though with prison officers there are recruitment issues and it might bea are recruitment issues and it might be a good place to start. the governor cannot afford to abandon restraint. public sector pay accou nts restraint. public sector pay accounts for about a quarter of all public spending. it's costs each household about six and a half thousand pounds per year. maybe they might relax restrictions in some sectors but it is not a signal that we should abandon that in all directions. when we start to take into account pensions which are just deferred pay, people in the public sector are paid an average 10% more than people in the private sector and it is people in the private sector who effectively have to pay these wages. it may make sense to relax in some areas but the overall

fa ct relax in some areas but the overall fact remains that people in the public sector are still paid more than people in the private sector. your point about restraint, there is still restraint. there is no new money for this. it means a chief co nsta ble money for this. it means a chief constable will have to rejig the budget. there is no fresh money coming in to pay for this 1% rise. absolutely. prisons and the police are relatively small part of the public sector and the question is whether this opens up the floodgates. 0nce whether this opens up the floodgates. once you start getting in to look at this in the nhs and schools in particular, there won't be enough money in the existing budgets to pay for two or 3% increases there. it is a direction of travel issue and we are very concerned and the government seem to be giving up on this. we are still borrowing about £58 billion per year, which is about £2000 per

household. this is the public sector finance which are unsustainable. public sector pay is around a quarter of all public spending. the unions are calling for things like 596 unions are calling for things like 5% pay increases. each one percentage point costs about £2 billion. if the unions got their way, we need an extra £10 billion. that's around 2.5 p on the basic rate of income tax. this isn't free money and it all has to come from taxes. rob money isjust money and it all has to come from taxes. rob money is just taxes money and it all has to come from taxes. rob money isjust taxes in the future. thank you. let's talk about one of the greatest names in british theatre. a former director of the national theatre, he founded the royal shakespeare company at the age ofjust 29.

in 2011, sir peter hall talked about the highlights of his career in the bbc series five minutes with. i do what i like and i like what i do. can't really say more than that. i see people trudging off to work, doing jobs which are boring, or temporary, and you think, how dreadful. i don't even think of it as work. i don't. i get up and go and rehearse. how wonderful. sir peter hall speaking in 2011. robert 0'dowd is chairman of the rose theatre in kingston which sir peter hall was founding director of in 2003. very nice to see you on what is a very sad day in the world of theatre. how significant was sir peter hall to your theatre? hugely significant. there have been a group of theatre lovers in kingston trying to get a theatre—going. it was david

jacobs, our then chairman who invited sir peter tojoin jacobs, our then chairman who invited sir peter to join along with sir frank wakeley who was running drama at the university of kingston. it was his business acumen, that really drove the theatre forward. it openedin really drove the theatre forward. it opened in 2008 and we are coming up to our tenth anniversary. without sir peter, we would not be here today. passion is a word that we hear a lot today. passion is a word that we heara lot in today. passion is a word that we hear a lot in relation to him. what was it like to work with him and alongside him? he was a big character, which is one of the things that made him successful but some people might say was one of the challenges. he was passionate but he was an understated person. his presence and power emitted from him rather than being over the put in front of you. you sat up straight and paid more attention when he was

in the room will stop either in the rehearsal room or shaping the future. he was very much involved in how we grew the theatre and became a proper producing theatre. it was his vision and understanding of of what works with theatre that came across very strongly. he was a big character but in a very understated way. he prepared passionately and fought very loudly for public subsidy within the arts and wanted to make it work through the box office. he didn't think it should rely purely on public subsidy. he said that the best theatre had a bit of both. you have to have centres of excellence and he founded the royal shakespeare company and moved the national to its current location on the south bank. without that, we wouldn't be where we are today in the uk. he was a passionate believer that theatre had so much to offer and should have public funding. he

was also a very shrewd producer and it was important that shows were seen by people. that equates to box office. he understood the business dynamic as well as the artistic dynamic, as well as being an extraordinary director. alas show he directed for roz wasjudi dench in a midsummer nights. an extraordinary production in whichjudi dench played to tania. his ability to be an artist was almost unique. the influence he had on other directors who succeeded him at the national. generally, from sir trevor nunn to nicholas hytner, they were all brought on by sir peter and his mentoring skills. i was going to ask you about the next generation. was he generous to people coming up through the ranks? whether they be

directors, actors, designers, whatever. one thing to sum him up was that he wanted to acid onto the generation. he wanted the rose to work with the university and to pass on those traits to the next generation. it was absolutely in the co re generation. it was absolutely in the core of what he believed in. the next generation is almost more important than the current generation. he has left an extraordinary legacy. robert 0 dowd, thanks very much for coming in to talk to us. now its time for business — and it's ten years ago this week since the collapse of northern rock. you'll remember those queues outside its branches up and down the country as people tried in panic to get their savings out. and jamie robertson is in newcastle for us now. thanks very much indeed. talking about a financial disaster, one of

the most memorable financial disasters of the last 80 or 90 yea rs, disasters of the last 80 or 90 years, what happened ten years ago. as you were saying, remember the pictures of depositors sitting outside the bank trying to get their money back. there then followed a great recession, the greatest since the 1930s. what would you expect here in newcastle where the beginnings of this work. what you expect happened to the economy? look around you, it's a place that looks affluent and profitable. amazing new buildings, the millennium bridge. the sage centre designed by sir norman foster. it looks like a success story. i'm joined byjames rowbotham who is the head of the northeast chambers of commerce. what we re northeast chambers of commerce. what were your feelings about what happened? initially, shock that this had happened to our bank and

something so important to us. then com plete something so important to us. then complete helplessness. real determination to do something. what could we do? that was the challenge that kept us going. could you do anything to help? we tried. we got m essa g es anything to help? we tried. we got messages out and a group of us went into show strength by opening accou nts into show strength by opening accounts and putting money into the bank to show we had confidence in it. the local newspaper started a save northern rock campaign. it had an impact here before it did in the rest of the country. in the end, the bank failed and was nationalised and broken up. i've been told that we are going back to the studio to a speech byjeremy corbyn. sorry about that. you are right. there is the labour leader who has started speaking in brighton. shami chakra barti sends

shami chakrabarti sends her solidarity and support to you at the tuc. thank you everything you do as a movement for our people and our country to secure better conditions and pay for working people and give them a voice in the workplace and a say in our politics. trade unions are farand say in our politics. trade unions are far and away the biggest volu nta ry are far and away the biggest voluntary and democratic organisations in this country. they are the roots and lifeblood of the labour party. you are abused by the powerful and your rights attacked, including by this government, but the trade union movement represents the trade union movement represents the best of britain and is a vital engine of progress in our democracy. of course, trade unionism has always had international solidarity at its heart. it's wonderful to see you go

ballesteros who was unjustly imprisoned for trade union activity in colombia. freed by international solidarity action by many people in this hall and he's with us today. i just had the honour of speaking to him fora just had the honour of speaking to him for a few minutes before i came into the hole. i'm looking forward to him giving a more detailed briefing on the situation facing trade unions in colombia. thank you for all you do for trade unionists under threat and imprisoned anywhere in the world. solidarity is vital. please keep it up. applause despite all your tireless efforts as trade unionists, modern britain is marked by growing insecurity at work which undermines and holds back both low paid workers and the better paid. in fact,

low paid workers and the better paid. infact, insecurity low paid workers and the better paid. in fact, insecurity now goes to the very top of our public life. think of poor theresa may and the insecurity she is facing at the present time. but, congress, this escalating insecurity is not only bad for individual workers and their families as it weakens bargaining strength and holds down page, just as it fuels stress and powerlessness, it's also bad for our economy and for our whole society. this epidemic of low pay which is closely tied up with insecurity at work, ruins people's lives, leaving workers locked in poverty and damages the economy as people have less to spend, it costs is all because it means more paid in tax credits and housing benefit from the public purse and it means less tax being paid to fund public services.

soi being paid to fund public services. so i want to page rebuke to those unions working so hard to organise insecure workers and have taken on the exploiters. as unite have done a sports direct. as the baker's union did so impressively last week at mcdonald's. macdonald ‘s boss is paid 1300 times more than the lowest paid 1300 times more than the lowest paid of his staff. symbolic of the deep inequality and injustice that scars our society. it's crucial for our movement to organise the lowest paid and most vulnerable workers. the tuc needs to represent all workers and the least secure have to be our priority because they need our solidarity the most. there needs for representation are the greatest. last week, i rate some of these cases at prime minister's question

time. theresa may could not bring herself to article one word of condemnation of mcdonald's or sports direct. this, from a prime minister who tried to rebrand the conservatives as the workers party. it's ok. i didn't buy into it either. it's essential that we work together as a movement, trade unions and the labour party. as part of local communities to stamp out low pay and insecurity. i know it's not easy, as merry explained, i was once a trade union official and before that working in the tailors and garment workers union as ben was representing low paid garment workers, mostly women, victims of some of the most appalling practices by unscrupulous employers that denied them what they were owed. exploitation and discrimination at

work cuts across all sectors and pay grades and that's why unison's victory against tribunal fees in the high court was such an outstanding game, one on behalf of all workers. applause thank you, unison, for that effort, winning that has meant so much to so many people. rights mean almost nothing if you can't afford to get access to them and, congress, we are united behind the cw you are the royal makers —— behind the cw u and the members who are being balloted on strike action. first companies get assets on the cheap and then they hiked prices for the public and

next day cut workers pay and pensions. privatisation is about transferring wealth and power from the many two and a view. when the workers, who provide the public services we all rely on, are having to use food banks, you know that something is deeply wrong in this country. seven years of tory page cuts have caused hardship and damaged public services by hitting recruitment, retention, and crucially morality. this government's position seems to change by the hour. at the weekend we we re change by the hour. at the weekend we were led to believe that the pay cap was a thing of the past. yesterday, the prime minister's spokesman said it would continue as planned, today, as inflation rises to my armour3%, planned, today, as inflation rises to my armour 3%, they try to divide

people on the cheap. the p 0 l —— poa is right, i pay cut is a pay cut. we must be united in looking for pay rises for all workers. let me be absolutely clear today. the labour party totally rejects the tory pa rty‘s attempt to labour party totally rejects the tory party's attempt to divide and rule, to play one sector of against another. a labour government will end the public sector pay cap and give all workers the pay rise they deserve and so desperately need. that is our policy. applause and, congress, in the case of the birmingham bin workers, which i know you have discussed today, collectively, as the labour and trade union movement have a duty as

a labour movement to find a resolution to this dispute as soon as possible. please, let's get that done quickly. congress, we often talk about workers' rights but were not just talking about talk about workers' rights but were notjust talking about rights at work, we're talking about people's lives, about the chance to live a decent life, work life balance, the security of your home, your family life and mental health. a manchester university study recently found that poor qualityjobs are actually worse for mental health than unemployment. most people spend most of their lives as workers, selling their time, labourand lives as workers, selling their time, labour and skills. workers' rights are human rights. they give protections to every single person in employment and indirectly to many more. children and carers, as well as those who need care. they are fundamental to any society that

claims to be advanced or democratic. yet, these rights, your rights as workers, hard won over generations are currently being sacrificed by this conservative government on the altar of a failing and ever more ruthless form of capitalism. increasingly, flexible employment is sold to others as a benefit, they call it the gig economy. who doesn't like going to a gig? of course, it isa like going to a gig? of course, it is a benefit to unscrupulous employers but it is the source of continuous worry and insecurity for millions of people. and is in part responsible for the worsening mental health of a country that has lost over 6000 mental health nurses in recent yea rs. when employers