this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 8pm: the latest round of brexit talks ends with both sides saying progress has been made. but the eu negotiator says it could be months before they start to discuss future relations. cricketer ben stokes will not be considered for selection for international cricket until further notice — after his arrest on suspicion of assault. ryanair is threatened with legal action for "persistently misleading" passengers about their rights — following thousands more flight cancellations a muslim preacher — who told children that martyrdom was better than school — has been jailed for six—and—a—half years for supporting so—called islamic state. also in the next hour — how do you rebuild your home after it's been hit by two of the most powerful atlantic storms in over a decade? destruction on the british virgin islands has been described as "apocalyptic" — we'll see one woman's efforts to rebuild. a heat—guided seek and destroy

mission with a difference — hunting for the honey bee—eating asian hornets in devon. in meet the author this week, an american novelist as well as telling stories right about the arts, sex and the mind. in her book of essays, and the mind. in her book of essays, a woman looking at men looking at women. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the latest round of brexit talks have ended — with somewhat different interpretations of how they've gone. the brexit secretary, david davis says there've been decisive steps forwards. his eu counterpart, michel barnier, agreed that theresa may's earlier keynote speech on brexit in florence had created a new dynamic —

but he's still warning that it could be months before they're ready to discuss a future trade deal. from brussels, ben wright reports. the british minister's car is the same. ajag, of course. but the tone of these brexit talks has changed. a month ago, it was fractious and frosty. the divides were wide. but today, reporting back on the week's negotiations, david davis and his counterparts were conciliatory and for the first time, mr davis spoke first. i believe that thanks to the constructive manner in which both sides have conducted these negotiations, we are making decisive steps forward. david and i, as well as our teams, worked well together. mr barnier said the two sides managed to find clarity on some points and it does seem that the prime minister's speech in florence last week has helped unblock the talks. why?

in part because she said the uk would honour the financial commitments it made as an eu member. it is one of the key three issues on the table and it remains very contentious. the current eu budget period runs until the end of 2020, two years after we have left. the uk has said the other eu countries should not lose out financially, but mr barnier said the uk's spending promises stretch further into the future. translation: if you are only talking about two years, that is not the end. the commitments entered into by the uk while they were a member of the union up to the time of their withdrawal, those will have to be honoured. protecting citizens' rights after brexit remains another disagreement. the two sides seem closer, but the question of how eu citizens in the uk can pursue disputes is a stumbling block. the uk has been clear that as a third country outside the european union, it would not be right for this

role to be performed by the european court ofjustice. but the eu is adamant that it should. the future of the border between northern ireland and the republic of ireland is the third big issue being discussed now. david davis said both sides were trying to find imaginative solutions, but it is not clear what those are. what is not being negotiated now is the future trade and security relationship between the uk and the eu. that is because the talks can only move on when the eu decides sufficient progress has been made, to the frustration of david davis and his team. mr barnier, could you define more clearly the phrase "sufficient progress"? it is very vague. translation: it will take weeks or even months before we can say yes, there has been sufficient progress. and so it may take months before we know what sufficient progress means. despite today's step forward, this negotiation has many more hurdles to clear. the european parliament's brexit representative, guy vehofstadt, has been speaking in london tonight.

the mep and former prime minister of belgium said that he continues to think that brexit is a bad idea. however, he set out why he thought there was a glimmer of hope. if you ask me the question, is there really nothing positive you can say about brexit? well, i can say, yes, there is something positive, it has opened peoples eyes on the continent. if i would have given the professor the same speech one year ago, i would professor the same speech one year ago, iwould have professor the same speech one year ago, i would have been, professor the same speech one year ago, iwould have been, it professor the same speech one year ago, i would have been, it would have been a depressive one. you would go out all depressive. since brexit i see that the mood has reversed that in fact in a certain way the european union regained popularity. not that people are less

critical now towards the union, on the contrary, but they want to reform in europe, not to leave europe. guy verhofstadt from the european parliament. in the last couple of minutes he's been quoted as saying his assumption is that we, the eu, can make withdrawal agreement with britain. steve verhofstadt from the european parliament saying his assumption is that we can make a withdrawal agreement with united kingdom. that's kept more on this, gavin lee is in talent for us. that is where theresa may is dining with eu leaders. it's going to be an interesting meeting because the german election is over, the french election is over, people said the brexit talks couldn't really get underway until we'd had both of those elections and now we have. is brexit and brexit negotiations

underway in earnest?” brexit and brexit negotiations underway in earnest? i think it is, and we've got past this impasse. jean—claude juncker said it feels like the wings are in the sales of the european union. you've got the florence speech from theresa may last week, which may be led to a small breakthrough, at least the pace of brexit talks beginning after what seemed like groundhog day stalemate for the last three rounds. angela merkel seemed to be shoulder to shoulder with emmanuel macron, who gave his speech on europe this week, wanting to see more integration, shared cooperation on defence, share corporation on the economy. given the hits angela merkel has taken in the elections, one of the coalition partners she may go into government with at least not keen on that macron plan. one of the estonian senior spokespeople for

the estonian senior spokespeople for the presidency said, if you go back in warterms, the presidency said, if you go back in war terms, transfer this to politics. remember the tim collins speech in iraq talking about being careful trying to win the hearts and minds of the others. it appears emmanuel macron is trying to win the hearts and minds of those in the room behind me talking about his vision for theresa may. theresa may has been told by the european council not to mention brexit tonight, this is about the future, she is there in solidarity. she gets her moment tomorrow morning, she'll meet with angela merkel first—in, have a bilateral meeting, before the summit takes place. we may get a sense from the two women what they do or don't want to talk about a week on from pretty significant events. talks between david davis and michel barnier are critical. in and michel barnier are critical. in a sense perhaps it is at leader level in those talks, when they happen, that some of the key breakthroughs might be made.”

happen, that some of the key breakthroughs might be made. i think it's a really good point. firstly, the fact both david davis and michel barnier spoke today... it's also worth noting behind the scenes what seems to matter. today almost gentlemanly conduct from michel barnier to say, you go first in a press c0 nfe re nce , barnier to say, you go first in a press conference, you speak about this. usually the eu have led the way. things are significant. they seem way. things are significant. they seem to bejoining way. things are significant. they seem to be joining together slightly. there is still a slight impasse on money and citizens rights and whether the european court of justice will have a say on the 3 million eu citizens in the uk. in three weeks' time the european council summit three weeks' time the european councilsummit in three weeks' time the european council summit in brussels is where the leaders will ultimately decide, is enough sufficient progress on the three issues of the irish border, citizens rights and the brexit bill significant enough to move on. theresa may will be hoping to get new answers, suggestions at least, it is going the right way tomorrow. i love the idea, don't mention the b

word! gavin lee in talent, where theresa may is dining with eu leaders tonight. let's talk to our political correspondent in westminster. the prime minister made an important speech before she left, didn't she? she did, a robust defence of capitalism, taking it back to first principles on the economy. this speech had long been in the diary, it was to mark the 20th anniversary of the bank of england. it is notable because it came england. it is notable because it ca m e less england. it is notable because it came less than 2a hours before jeremy corbyn's conference speech in which he talked about the broken model, the failed dogmas of neoliberalism, promising to transform the way the economy is managed. we have theresa may barely a day later mounting a very strong defence of free markets, of capitalism. the speech has been in

the diary, as i said, but i think it'll be read as a bit of a riposte tojeremy it'll be read as a bit of a riposte to jeremy corbyn's it'll be read as a bit of a riposte tojeremy corbyn's vision for his economic model. the argument for capitalism, the free market economy, she said, was the greatest agent of collective human progress ever created. she said it wasn't about abandoning the system entirely. some of these arguments have been made in the conservative manifesto but they weren't strongly pushed during the election campaign. here we have theresa may restating this case pretty passionately just 2a theresa may restating this case pretty passionatelyjust 2a hours afterjeremy corbyn set out an opposing vision. levin the cricket all—rounder and england vice—captain ben stokes has been effectively dropped from the team pending an investigation into allegations that he was involved in a brawl outside a nightclub. video footage has emerged which appears to show the star

player punching another man, who falls to the ground, in the early hours of monday morning. stokes himself is said to be fragile and devastated. our sports editor dan roan has the details. they are the shocking scenes that have cast a shadow over english cricket, a video allegedly showing england vice captainfierrfitokes involved in a street fight. the footage, published by the sun newspaper, claims to show the cricketer brawling with two men outside a nightclub in bristol in the early hours of monday morning. despite appeals for calm from others present, stokes appears to grapple with a man on the floor before throwing a flurry of punches. a 27—year—old was later taken to hospital with facial injuries. stokes, who was arrested after visiting the embargo nightclub in a city where hours earlier, england had played a one day international, was held on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm and released under investigation. team—mate alex hales, who was with him, is helping police with their inquiries.

only yesterday, ben stokes was included in england's ashes squad that will leave for australia in november. but the ecb, having reviewed the footage this afternoon, said that neither he nor hales would be considered for selection pending their own internal review and the police investigation, england's ashes preparations thrown into disarray. it's not the first time that stokes has faced scrutiny off the field. in 2011, he was cautioned after obstructing a police officer during a night out in newcastle. two years later, he was sent home from the lions tour in australia for repeated late—night drinking. in 2014, he broke his hand after punching a dressing room locker that ruled him out of the t20 world cup. and last year, stokes was banned from driving after being caught speeding four times. he is not streetwise off the pitch. that is something only he can get right. he has been told by many to improve his lifestyle, to not do this or that.

but ultimately, he has to look himself in the mirror and change. earlier, stokes, who fractured a finger in this latest incident, was said to be fragile and devastated. arguably the world's best all—rounder, the 26—year—old's global appeal was confirmed earlier this year when he became the most expensive foreign player in the hugely popular indian premier league. stokes has not been charged, but if he is and then convicted, his future could be in question. the usual outcome is very fact—specific. the worst—case scenario is five years in prison. that is potentially what he could be looking at in the worst—case scenario, but it will depend on the facts. stokes was the man the aussies feared most this winter, but after a night that appears to have spiralled out of control, his fate now lies in the hands of the police and the cricket authorities. the all—rounder‘s ashes dream seems a long way off. dan roan, bbc news, at lord's. two men are in hospital with serious

burns after the light aircraft they we re burns after the light aircraft they were travelling in crashed in warwickshire. the single—engine plane had been completely destroyed by fire after the crash. our reporterjoan cummins is there at the scene in warwickshire. thank you very much for being with us, what is the latest? what i can tell you is when the ambulance service said that plane had completely burst into fla mes plane had completely burst into flames and been destroyed, they weren't exaggerating. there are literally fragments of the plane in a field behind me. obviously it's dark now but the accident happened around four o'clock this afternoon. there is a tiny little local airstrip here and i've been told the quys airstrip here and i've been told the guys who were in the plane were doing a small little pleasure flight when the accident happened. one eyewitness said he thought the plane

had clipped a hedge and had hit farmland behind me. it burst into flames. miraculously those two men managed to escape from this wreckage and make their way across to a nearby farm where the farmer tried to help them and put water on their wounds. the ambulance service airlifted them to hospital where, as you say, they are being treated with critical injuries. thank you very much indeed. the headlines on bbc news: the eu's lead negotiator says there are still "big gaps" between the sides on some of the withdrawal issues after the latest round of brexit talks. the england cricketer — ben stokes — will not be considered for selection for international cricket — after his arrest on suspicion of assault. ryanair is threatened with legal action for misleading passengers about their rights — as thousands more flights are cancelled. the latest sport, let's join

the latest sport, let'sjoin hugh. we have more on the big story that cricketers ben stokes alex hales will not be considered for selection by england until further notice as investigations continue into a brawl outside a bristol nightclub earlier this week. stokes was arrested under suspicion of causing actual bodily harm but no charges have been brought. the video has been released by the sun newspaper that appears to show a fight involving the all—rounder. we haven't independently verify the video and the pictures coming up are fairly graphic, they seem to show stokes repeatedly throwing punches towards two men. one man needed to go to hospitalfor two men. one man needed to go to hospital for treatment for facial injuries. stokes also suffered a minor fracture injuries. stokes also suffered a minorfracture in his hand on the night of the incident. joe wilson assent this earlier from lord's. as

criminal proceedings are one going the ecb has its own disciplinary code, its own responsibilities. the ecb code of conduct begins with these words. the ecb is committed to maintaining the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. the events of bristol have to be seen in the context of those words, specifically we have to consider the code of conduct when we think about the video that has come to light. it was after studying the video evidence, which appears to show the altercation which led to ben sto kes's altercation which led to ben stokes's arrest, that the ecb came to this position. it has to be seen as the start of disciplinary proceedings rather than at the end. there is an indefinite sense about alex hales and specifically ben stokes not being considered for selection until further notice. specifically until the first test match in brisbane. the police in bristol still want witnesses to come forward and i'm sure they'll want to see as much video evidence as possible, they'll want to gather a

sense of the whole story. for now, i think this is a reiteration of how seriously the ecb are taking this. plenty of games in the europa league, two british clubs in action. arsenal made it two wins from two with 4-2 arsenal made it two wins from two with 11—2 victory over their belarussian opponents. with 11—2 victory over their bela russian opponents. the with 11—2 victory over their belarussian opponents. the younger of young players came on. theo walcott led the way. he put the gunners ahead after just walcott led the way. he put the gunners ahead afterjust nine minutes. he was then gifted his second. one of the easiest goals he will have scored. rob holding put them in charge with the first strike of his arsenal career. boateng pulled one back before half—time. olivier giroud chalked up his 100th goalfor the gunners olivier giroud chalked up his 100th goal for the gunners from the spot. before the home side got a second consolation goal. 15 minutes in, evidently against the cypriots at goodison park. after losing their first game 3—0 everton would have

hoped for victory. it's not good so far. 1—0 down, ronald koeman's side. england have named their squad for the world cup qualifier against slovenia in lithuania. —— qualifiers against slovenia and lithuania. fabian delph features for the first time ina fabian delph features for the first time in a gareth southgate squad. dele alli is included despite being the subject of a fifa investigation surrounding an obscene gesture he made in england's last qualifier. aaron ramsey will win his 50th cap for wales after being named in chris coleman's squad for that match and the final group game against the republic of ireland. castleford tigers and saint helens are 25 minutes in to their super league semifinal with the winners qualifying for the grand final at old trafford next month. it was the tigers aiming to reach their first everfinal tigers aiming to reach their first ever final who scored first inside

the opening minute. zak hardaker giving the home side the best possible start. he kicked the extra two points with a penalty before st helens got back into the game. grace going over in the corner for his 11th try of the season to split the deficit. i'll be back with more in the next hour. the murder of a teenage girl by a fellow resident at a care home, was preventable according to a review of the case. melissa mathieson who was 18, was strangled by 19 year old jason conroy at alexandra house in bristol — a home that specialised in caring for people with asperger‘s syndrome. the review found that better processes should have been in place. four catholic families in a housing development in belfast have left their homes because of sectarian threats. the area is a housing scheme designed to bring

communities together. it's claimed the threats came from the paramilitary ulster volunteer force. the no—frills airline ryanair has been threatened with legal action over the way it has dealt with passengers following the cancellation of thousands of flights. the head of the civil aviation authority, which regulates the industry, says he is furious with ryanair managers. in particular, he's accused them of failing to tell the hundreds of thousands of passengers affected by the flight cancellations that they are entitled to be re—routed on other airlines. here's our transport correspondent richard wescott. it is europe's biggest and busiest airline. but ryanair has been made to look a bit small today. accused of persistently misleading nearly three quarters of a million customers, the uk regulator has now threatened them with legal action. we want them to make it clear to every passenger what that passenger is entitled to in terms of re—routing, expenses and compensation where applicable. we don't think that is a big task.

the law is clear. there is no dispute over the law, it is just over ryanair‘s willingness to do that. airlines are meant to rebook passengers on rival carriers if they can't replace their cancelled flights. but just listen to ryanair‘s boss last week. we will not pay for flights on other airlines. no. it is not part of the eu261 entitlements and as the lowest cost airline in europe, we can't afford to pay the fares of our competitors. there are lots of confused customers who have been contacting the bbc, like matthew, who in an online chat with the airline told them, you are obligated to re—route me as advised in the caa's open letter. ryanair replied, no, i'm not. duncan says, they refused to book me on another flight except for the next ryanair one on wednesday, which was three days later. kevin says, nowhere did they say they could book us onto flights with another airline. it is rare for you to go public.

you must be angry. we are furious. we don't understand why this needs to drag on for weeks. if the caa takes further action, it could land ryanair with a multi—million pound fine. but the airline says it will comply with the regulator and has issued guidance to call centre staff. yesterday, rya nair suspended 3a winter routes including five in scotland, where the government says it has serious concerns, as have passengers. at the bottom of the e—mail, it said, you are not entitled to any allowance. they did refund my flight but they didn't say i was allowed compensation. i have friends coming from london and she just e—mailed me to say it has been cancelled. they were supposed to come for my 40th birthday party. so, bit of a nightmare. there is a global shortage of pilots right now. plenty of rivals are recruiting.

ryanair didn't have enough crews to cover the holidays. after cancelling 20,000 flights out of the blue, it is promising no more problems ahead. richard westcott, bbc news, sta nsted. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 this evening in the papers — our guests joining me tonight are the journalist and author, rachel shabi and the writer and broadcaster, david davies. a muslim preacher — who told children that martyrdom was better than school — has been jailed for six—and—a—half years for supporting the so—called islamic state. kamran hussain, from stoke—on—trent, was secretly recorded by an undercover officer, making a series of radical sermons over four months, last year. the judge at the old bailey said the a0 year old had preached " hatred and division". liz copper reports.

kamran sabir hussain, the religious leader who thejudge said kamran sabir hussain, the religious leader who the judge said preached hatred and division. inside this room, he encouraged his congregation to support terrorism. the sermons in the mosque in tunstall were secretly being recorded. community leaders have welcomed the conviction. this man's children attended the mosque but he withdrew them after becoming worried about you same's views. he has concerns about the resources put into the government anti—radicalisation programme, prevent. it follows the conviction of this group last month, who plotted a terrorist attack. amongst them, this man, also from tunstall, who received a life sentence. there's money coming into the city. where's it going? you don't see anything on the ground for anybody. this is the second case in tunstall.

the other one just two miles down the road. what's being done? the hussein was tried at the old bailey committee was told he had a previous conviction for perverting the course of justice. conviction for perverting the course ofjustice. staffordshire police say they are working with the community to target young people at risk of being radicalised. this is about making sure we are out in our communities, people have the confidence to report areas of concern, people they are concerned are at risk. it also goes on training professionals. so they can spot the signs and know how to deliver referrals. hussein made no reaction as he was sentenced for what thejudge said reaction as he was sentenced for what the judge said was calculated and intentional support for so—called islamic state. staffordshi re so—called islamic state. staffordshire police say they will be relentless in taking action whenever provided with information about extremism. they say they will use every lawful technique and power available to tackle terrorism.

heat—seeking cameras and traps are being used to find nests of asian hornets before they breed, spread and start killing the british honey bee. one nest has been detected in north devon — the first confirmed sighting in the uk this year. ecologists warn of the dire consequences for bees, and the honey industry, if the hornet — which also attacks humans — isn't quickly wiped out. john henderson has the story. this is the asian hornet ‘s nest. it's made of paper, in a similar manner to wasp nests, they chew up wood and form it into their nest. this bee inspector, up close and personal with a nest of asian hornet ‘s. it's guesswork to say how many asian hornet ‘s are using their nest, but there is no doubt about how deadly they are. they are killing my bees, so this is personal. beekeeper martin hocking

alerted authorities after seeing the destructive power of the predatory hornets. they are coming and taking bees in the air or on landing, and basically cutting them up in pieces. they only use the thorax and then they fly that thorax, which contains muscle, hence protein, back to the hive. which from here is about half a mile away. they are taking at times three bees every minute. the outbreak is the first confirmed sighting since last year when a nest was discovered in gloucestershire. that was contained but this is what the inspectors are up against. here is one of the asian hornets from the nest, if it was to stick me it would keep on stinging me. but to bees they are the greatest risk there is. despite finding the nest it'll be destroyed with insecticide. they've set up a surveillance zone around north devon with inspectors

armed with infrared cameras and trap to track on it and nests. as soon as we hear about them, we think prevention is better than cure. the main aim is to find the nest, which we found within a few days. the bee inspectors remove them before they produce queens. how the asian hornets got to woolacombe isn't clear, and outbreak in france was traced to bonsai pots. the fact is, they are here, and unless they are taken out, they are here, and unless they are ta ken out, they they are here, and unless they are taken out, they will keep killing british bees. scary stuff! let's check out the latest weather prospects. most of today has been dry with some sunshine and we are between two weather systems. ahead of this from the south—west we draw up some low cloud across england and wales with a little rain and drizzle and

afterward some clear skies and fresh aircoming into afterward some clear skies and fresh air coming into northern ireland, so sunshine on friday. this weather front is producing our main band of rain which pushes eastwards. takes a while to clear away but otherwise we see sunshine chasing and from showers dotted about, most in the north—west and western scotland. a bit cooler with the top temperature of around 18 or 19. enter the start of around 18 or 19. enter the start of the weekend, chilly but bright with some showers around and to the south—west, see some changes. some uncertainty but cloud and rain arriving and wet and windy overnight. this is bbc news — our latest headlines. the latest round of brexit talks has ended with both sides saying progress has been made. but the eu negotiator michel barnier says it could be months before they start to discuss future relations. ben stokes has been told he will not be considered by england for international cricket

until further notice. ryanair is breaking the law in its handling of flight cancellations, according to the boss of the uk's aviation regulator. a muslim preacher — who told children that martyrdom was better than school — has been jailed for six—and—a—half years for supporting so—called islamic state. let's get more now on brexit — the government is hoping to run as efficient a border as possible when we leave the eu, without queues of lorries waiting to get through customs. norway — which is not a member of the eu — has the largest eu frontier with european union member sweden. it's been called the most technologically advanced border in the world. so what could the uk learn from them? our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones has been to find out. it's 1,000 miles long and separates norway from sweden and the eu,

and there are dozens of places to cross this border. from a motorway where you can choose to stop for a customs check, to country roads much like those crisscrossing the uk's border with ireland, with at least on the surface, the same lack of controls. well, that's what i call a frictionless border, absolutely no checks whatsoever. 20 miles back in norway, tommy olsson sets off with export goods bound for sweden. he knows he won't have a smooth crossing. it takes a lot of time that sometimes, we don't have. ahead at the border, norwegian customs has been investing in technology to make things smoother. a giant scanner x—rays lorries picked out for special attention. here are some of the goods they've confiscated. with alcohol duty sky—high in norway, there is a constant battle against smugglers. we can see all the cars crossing the borders. cameras on border roads big and small are connected to a number

plate recognition system. in the future they plan to connect this to the customs computers so that most lorries can be waved through. the ambition is that a large proportion of the lorries passing here where everything is ok should pass without human contact really. for now, drivers like tommy still have to queue up and hand over plenty of paper, although he only needs to visit swedish customs. now, tommy is exporting from norway and importing into sweden, and at many borders that would mean visits to two separate customs operations. but because the norwegians and the swedes work closely together and have integrated computer systems, he just has to go to one — the swedish customs post. back at norwegian customs, a queue of drivers arriving from sweden is building up and there's some impatience. it's not fast enough. it's very slowly so they could

work harder, and treat the customers better. sometimes it is very bad to come here because there's a lot of traffic. this may feel like a busy border but ten times as many lorries cross the channel at dover, so what's the brexit advice to uk ministers? with a hard border, they have a big issue because then you have to establish new facilities and you have to recruit a lot of people to deal with it. so, what would your advice be? make a deal. tommy's progress has been quite speedy but norway has a closer relationship with the eu than britain is planning. keeping the border traffic flowing may mean a big investment in technology and people. now — we heard earlier about theresa may's speech

at the bank of england today. she was there as the bank and its governor, mark carney, commemorated 20 years of it gaining the power to set interest rates. before 1997 rates were set by the chancellor of the exchequer. today mr carney, said even with this independence, there are limits to the power of the central bank. our reporter sebastian chrispin can tell us more. sebastian, why are we still talking about this topic 20 years later? what did mark carney say today and why does this still matter? it's important to rememberjust how important interest rates after the economy. they underpin how much money you earn on the cash in your bank account and how much to borrow money and most of these rates are pegged to the bank of england. that was a feeling by some that these interest— rate was a feeling by some that these interest—rate decisions were motivated by political events rather than economic circumstances, so was

the chance or deliver the budget for the chance or deliver the budget for the government won an election there would often be an interest—rate change to follow, support new labour bed in one of its early decisions was to move the decision—making process away from politics and into the bank of england. most people now welcome that decision, even theresa may who who voted against the independence when she was a young mp in1997, independence when she was a young mp in 1997, today backed that decision, but that is still criticism in some quarters and some seal the government was outsource its decision—making process to a relatively unelected body. what did mark carney say today and why does this still matter? the bank of england held an event to celebrate its independence and speaking today, mark carne said the bank of england was better placed to guarantee stability as an independent institutions and he welcomes 20 years of independence, but he was also keen to make clear

he wasn't able to do anything and some things are beyond his control. let's hear what he had to say. while carefully circumscribed independence is highly effective in delivering price and financial stability, it cannot deliver lasting prosperity and it cannot solve broader societal challenges. this bears emphasising because in recent years a host of issues have been laid at the door of the bank of england from housing affordability to poor productivity. calls for the bank to solve these challenges ignore the bank's carefully defined objectives. and they confuse independence with omnipotence. i think what we are seeing from mark carney is trying to mark this out. it is right that brick making decisions are staying with the bank of england, but there are things that cannot do, and he wants to make clear that things like house price changes and the uk's relatively poor

re cord changes and the uk's relatively poor record on productivity and any economic volatility brexit process, theseissues economic volatility brexit process, these issues remain at the doorstep of numberten and these issues remain at the doorstep of number ten and don't fault of the bank of england. well, let's hear about why some people have don't think central bank independence is a good thing. joining me now to discuss this is sean corrigan, director of ca ntillon consultants, who has spent much of his life working in uk markets, although he is now based in switzerland. thank you for being with us. bank of england, 20 years of independence. as independence a good thing for a central bank like the bank of england? it's always good to have the monetary authority separated from the main political body because we don't want the magic money tree to grow without a difficult debate. the idea at the time was we had had chronic inflation for the best part

of 30 years and to keep the money printing authority away from the temptation, was a good thing. but moving on from the decision 20 years ago we have gone to the other extreme and that no it is the first body everybody goes to. mark carney said independence wasn't omnipotent but he and his peers have gradually assumed that idea that they will be omnipotent and they interfere in all areas of life far beyond what a central bank should do. what sort of areas do you interfere in that you think they shouldn't and what are you talking about? there is an argument there shouldn't be a central bank at all and bank should be institutions that rise and fall just as insurance companies do. banking for 300 years has been privileged and the central bank has grown up privileged and the central bank has grown up to backstop the vulnerabilities but that is all they should do, the last line of defence,

the guy who clears the ball of the goal line and handles it is necessary , goal line and handles it is necessary, but then should either be sent off or take no part in the game. the central banking crisis assumed more than more powers and interfered and grown, so they now confuse backstop monetary stability with all sorts of other regulatory modes and with mark carney we have moved even beyond that is talking about using the power of banking to decide on climate and energy policy was that parliamentary scrutiny or judicial oversight and public debate, because we all deserve to him as an all knowing technocrat who knows things that the rest of us ordinary people can't possibly understand. you talk about their backstop rule but didn't the financial crisis you exactly why we do need central banks, because otherwise we would have been in the lot more trouble. but had ordinarily banks not had the backstop of the central bank to bail them out, they

wouldn't have made the egregious and bad decisions they made at the time. they would've had to line the fact like any other business, rolls—royce or marks & spencer and tesco, if they screwed it up they would have been sacked and somebody would take on the running of that service. because there is a central bank, our commercial banks can do things which are beyond the scope of any other enterprise in the world. interesting discussion. thank you for being with us. two of the most powerful atlantic storms another decade have caused widespread disruption across the caribbean and the southern united states. what the relief effort continuing and residents trying to rebuild, the scene on the british virgin islands has been described as apocalyptic. one resident, sarah penny, lives on the island of tortola — and has sent the bbc this video diary of what it is like on the island.

behind me, you will see what has sort of become a wrecked car graveyard. but it is actually a really positive thing. these are all vehicles that were destroyed, damaged, and had been blocking all the roads. the heavy duty equipment that actually people own privately, even the day after the storm, they were out hauling and towing cars out of the way to allow movement through the country. what we are driving past right now, this long queue of cars all the way up what is our dual carriageway is what you have to sit in now to try to get petrol. we're passing our waterfront condos, you will see one space that looks as if it is a doll house. you just see straight in. there was a big pile of rubbish there which is also the norm at this point in time because waste management is a challenge. you willjust see sort of piles and piles of debris. people do their best.

sarah penny there on the island of tortolla. a picture of total devastation. so what progress is being made in the clear up and how are the british virgin islands coping. joining me in the studio is benito wheatley — the director of the bvi london office which represents the interests of the government and people of the virgin islands in the uk and europe. of course, we reported a lot at the time on those storms. what is life like? we got a glimpse of the destruction? things are tough at this time but stabilising with uk support than the support of international partners. we are moving from crisis to recovery and many people are still without homes, without climate and 30 electricity and running water, but we will try to do our best to improve things. what sort of aid are you getting? there was some criticism the british willie britz low in terms of help but what sort of help are you

getting? hms ocean left behind supplies that people need, what are food and materials. her crew also helped us to clear a lot of baby from the roads which has been helpful. you talked about power and electricity. a lot of infrastructure needs. that could take months or yea rs. needs. that could take months or years. that is why we need a construction package. we welcome efforts from the uk government to look at this issue and we look forward to discussions with them on reconstruction. part of that has to be aid to underpin the recovery effort. we're talking about a sizeable amount of money. how much good that sort of programme cost, that long—term aid?