hello, it's thursday, it's nine o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to the programme our top story this morning — the nhs is facing a watershed moment where patients will be failed unless the government provides more cash. that's according to hospitals and ambulance service leaders, who say they can't cope with the pressure they're under. we've now reached a point where we have to make a choice, which is, do we want to preserve those standards, and that's what everybody in the nhs would want, or do we abandon them? and the only way we can preserve those standards is if the nhs and the health and care system more widely gets the long—term funding settlement that it needs. we'll ask doctors and health experts what changes they'd like to see. we will talk to a conservative mp who has had cancer twice as well. also this morning, plastic—free aisles for supermarkets, just one of the government's ideas for cracking down on waste. but without tough laws to force people to change their habits, does the plan go far enough? i quite understand, people are impatient for change, so am i, but we just needed to make sure that every change

that we make we get right, and that we carry people with us in order to make sure that it's lasting. we'll have more details, plus live coverage of theresa may as she unveils her full strategy for the environment. plus youtube cuts its business ties with logan paul, despite his apology for posting a video of a body at a suicide hotspot injapan. hello, welcome to the programme, we're live until 11 this morning. two things i want your own experiences on today — if you've been in hospital this winter, tell me your experiences — good and bad. and if you work in the nhs, what's it been like from your point of view? what is it like right now? plenty of nhs workers watch our programme.

plus, we definitely want your reaction to the government's plans for cutting plastic pollution. our top story today — dire warnings from the people who run england's hospitals. patients left for hours on trollies in corridors, a critical shortage of beds and sick people stuck in ambulances unable even to get inside. today's warning from nhs providers is the latest of several over recent days and paints a grim picture of doctors and nurses working in unsafe conditions. the government says plans are in place to cope, but practitioners say this is a watershed moment for the nhs. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. it's already been a tough few weeks for the nhs across the uk. cold weather and a rising number of flu cases have contributed to pressures that a&e staff have described as the worst they've ever seen. the prime minister and the first minister in scotland have both had to apologise to patients who've faced cancelled operations and long waits. the pressure of winter on the nhs has been unrelenting. in scotland, at the end of december,

just 78% of patients at a&e were seen within four hours, well below the 95% target. across the uk, the number of people coming down with flu has increased dramatically in recent weeks, and many of the patients attending a&e are older and sicker, meaning they require more care. now, according to the organisation that represents health providers, such as hospitals and ambulance trusts in england, the whole service is at a watershed. we have now clearly reached the point where the nhs cannot meet the standards of care that we would, all of us at the nhs, ministers included, want to provide. so the key question is, do we abandon those standards, and none of us in the nhs want to do that, or does the government make the decisions that it needs to make about the long—term funding? and it needs to make those decisions quickly. this is one of the strongest warnings yet about the strain being faced by the nhs this winter, and it will add to the pressure on ministers to build a consensus

over the long—term future of the health and care service — and to do so quickly. dominic hughes, bbc news. nick boles is conservative mp for grantham. he has been treated by the nhs for cancer twice and has an interest in how the nhs should be funded. as we all do, actually. thank you for talking to us. do you agree the nhs in england is in crisis?m for talking to us. do you agree the nhs in england is in crisis? it is having a very difficult time. i think that, in a sense, we have these moments sometimes during winters, and at least this time i think that the nhs has prepared early, has not pretended it is not going to happen, they have thought about it, but it is leading to a whole load of decisions to delay some treatments, cancel some operations, that are hugely u nfortu nate, operations, that are hugely unfortunate, incredibly distressing to the people involved, and i won't us to the people involved, and i won't us to get way point where this doesn't have to happen again. how

big do think the gap is between what the nhs has been ask to deliver and the nhs has been ask to deliver and the funding your government is giving it? we have put a lot more money in, but clearly not enough. everyone says that. don't you wonder why the government isn't putting in what is necessary, then? to be fair, and there some intense conversations with says simon stevens, who runs the nhs, about what is required and what could be delivered from productivity and efficiency changes, we did agree a great deal more money for improvements in the nhs. but still not enough. but it has not been enough, partly because of an ageing population and medical technology is becoming more expensive. sometimes these things are not always possible to anticipate. there is a suspicion from some voters that the conservative government, when it

comes to decent long—term funding of the nhs, sees it as a black hole, rather than a good investment for the health of its citizens. rather than a good investment for the health of its citizenslj rather than a good investment for the health of its citizens. i have never met a conservative politician who has expressed that view in private, let alone in public. make the political decisions to put the money there, you made a decision to give £1 billion to the dup, 3 billion but aside for brexit. you can find the money if you want to. and the chancellor made a decision in the budget to put more money into the nhs because he anticipated that the winter would be difficult, so we do make these decisions. what is required is not individual decisions that particular moments to bail out a particular problem. what we need isa a particular problem. what we need is a long—term funding solution that the british people can believe in and trusting, and because they believe in it and trust in it are therefore prepared to pay a bit more

in tax to support it, and that is what i am proposing today. there is 110w what i am proposing today. there is now a growing recognition that that is what we need to move towards, we cannot lurch from one funding crisis to another, this problem will never go away, the costs are only going to go away, the costs are only going to 9° up go away, the costs are only going to go up over go away, the costs are only going to go up over the next 20 years, and we need to put in place a long—term package of support for the nhs. so your idea is that national insurance would become national health insurance — how much extra would you put on national insurance in order to fund, in a sustainable way, the nhs in england? there is a debate about this, and i am not myself an expert, but we currently spend about 9% of national income on health and the public element of social care, so the taxpayer commitment to social care. 0ver so the taxpayer commitment to social care. over the next few years, most people, most experts, most of the studies believe we will have to move

to something of the order of 10—11% of gdp. and that is a substantial increase. now, i believe that if people knew that when they looked at their payslip, there was a line that said national health insurance, if they knew that money could only go to support national health care and social care, that they would be willing to pay a bit more. and it is not going to have to be an enormous amount more, but there will have to be some increases. we might have to extend national health insurance to unand income. —— unearned. there are extensions that might be necessary to ensure the nhs has this money. as isaid in to ensure the nhs has this money. as i said in the introduction, you have had cancer twice. what do you think when you hear that a hospital in 0xford when you hear that a hospital in oxford is thinking of cutting chemotherapy cycles for its

patients? it would be appalling that we re necessary , patients? it would be appalling that were necessary, and we need to make sure that we don't ever find ourselves in that situation again, but we will not do that byjust having a short—term row about money thatis having a short—term row about money that is or is not going in this year. we need to have a long—term solution. thank you very much, good to see you well. thank you very much. nick boles, conservative mp for grantham. annita mcveigh is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest of the day's news. the prime minister's setting out plans to tackle plastic pollution, by eradicating all avoidable waste within 25 years. two ideas among the proposals include asking every supermarket to have an aisle of goods with no plastic wrappings, as well as extending the 5p charge for carrier bags to all retailers in england. but environmentalists say theresa may's plans are worthless unless they're written into law. here's our environment correspondent roger harribin. a pod of short—finned pilot whales. in the atlantic waters off europe, as elsewhere, they have to share

the ocean with plastic. there's huge public concern about plastic litter since david attenborough‘s blue planet series showed sea creatures eating plastic waste. the prime minister will surf that wave of concern with her first environment speech. she's setting out a timetable to abolish single—use plastics. there'll be money for research into smarter plastics and more plastic—free aisles in supermarkets. the countryside should also benefit from the 25—year—old environment plan also being published. this is the uk's prime site for nightingales in kent. the local council wants to build much—needed homes on part of this site. but green groups are expecting the government to protect existing sites like this. they also want the government to follow its promise to improve other areas degraded by development or careless farming. they want commitments that ministers can't wriggle out of. environmentalists welcome

the government's plans to restore britain's nature. but the problem, they say, is that so far it's just a plan. to really convince them, ministers would need to introduce legislation, and there seems no sign of that. roger harrabin, bbc news, kent. a woman whose father has been missing for years has been charged with murder after a body was discovered in the garden of her home in stockport. barbara coombes' father has been missing for more than a decade. the 63—year—old has also been charged with preventing a lawful burial and fraud. during their investigation police officers have told neighbours that mr coombes would have been in his 80s when he disappeared in 2005. police in paris are hunting two armed robbers who stole jewellery worth millions of pounds from the city's ritz hotel. armed with small axes, thieves smashed windows to gain access to display cases, before snatching the jewels from the ground floor of the hotel. three people were arrested

while trying to flee the scene. rescue teams in southern california are searching for survivors of the mudslides that swept away homes in the town of montecito. 17 people are known to have died in santa barbara county, and more than 20 others are still and accounted for. many places remain inaccessible, and more than 100 homes have been destroyed. youtube has cut business ties with the popular vlogger logan paul, after he posted a video showing the body of an apparent suicide victim in japan. the us star's channels were removed from its google preferred programme, which is lucrative for advertising. youtube says it has also put on hold original projects with him. paul posted the footage with a man's body on december 31st, triggering widespread criticism. mixed news on the high street as the

christmas trading figures are released. marks and spencer reported a fall in sales of both clothing and food in the run—up to christmas. the high—street giant blamed a tough 0ctober. meanwhile, sales atjohn lewis grew, but its owner warned profits will be dragged down by attempts to maintain competitive against its rivals. more figure are due out this morning. that's a summary of the latest bbc news, more at 9:30. i want to hear from you this morning if you have been in hospital this winter, or a member of if you have been in hospital this winter, ora member of yourfamily has, tell us your experience, good or bad. chris says my wife's mother was admitted in december, eight and a half hours later she had a ct scan and then an emergency operation. i have to agree with the headlines that a&e felt and looked like a battle ground surgery. i saw one female doctor so stressed that she

was running up and down looking for her next patient, saying, why didn't they tell me where he is? total chaos. so yes, your experiences, if you or a member of yourfamily have beenin you or a member of yourfamily have been in hospital this winter, good and bad. you can e—mail tweet, whatsapp, facebook, and if you text, we will have to charge you, we apologise for that! jess with the sport now. we're going to talk about the video assistant referee last night. 0-0 it referee last night. 0—0 it finished between chelsea and arsenal in the league cup. the referee consulted the video assistant referee on two occasions. here is one of them. the referee was happy with his original decision not to award a penalty in this case. a similar system is used in rugby and cricket and has become part of the

fun experience. but in football, fa ns fun experience. but in football, fans are not able to watch the var process , fans are not able to watch the var process, which some fans say is frustrating. we will wait to see if fa ns frustrating. we will wait to see if fans think this is a positive step. let's talk about cricket. england have named their test squad to face new zealand? yes, i think it was clear after the loss of the ashes that england were struggling with click bowlers down under. they have we called mark wood. liam livingstone from lancashire has also been named. james vince keeps its place in the squad. but gary ballance has been dropped. just a few weeks after entertaining us just a few weeks after entertaining us in i'm a celebrity, amir khan is going back into the ring? yes, two yea rs going back into the ring? yes, two years out of the ring. he is ready to make a comeback. his opponent will be named next week for

the fight in april in liverpool. it is interesting how, after years of slapping each other off and supposedly not liking each other, khan and promoter eddie hearn have decided to work together. he has signed a three fight deal with matchroom promotions. khan has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent weeks after appearing on the reality tv show. you are going to be anxious, you are going to be nervous. maybe people saw more of that in the real side of me. maybe they thought i was arrogant. i had to be confident in front of my opponent, otherwise people would think, who is —— he would think, who is this when i'm fighting? people got to see the real side of me away from boxing. it is lovely to come back and have so much lovely to come back and have so much love from the british public. this is all the more exciting because we may be moving closer to the british superfight may be moving closer to the british super fight between him may be moving closer to the british superfight between him and kell brook.

i have not forgotten strawberry gate! thank you. in just over an hour, the prime minister will set out how the government plans to safeguard the environment for the next 25 years, in what is being seen as a new focus on green issues. one of the key elements of today's speech will be on how we can reduce our plastic waste. measures include plastic—free aisles in supermarkets, possible charges for single—use items like takeaway containers, the extension of the 5p plastic bag charge to small shops in england and government funding for plastics innovation. labour claim the proposals are "cynical attempt at rebranding the tories‘ image" in order to woo young voters. well, theresa may is not the only conservative leader to make commitments on the environment. david cameron promised his government would be the "greenest ever". but despite despite this famous "hug a husky" moment, he faced criticism for not doing enough. let's talk to laura round from the conservative think tank, bright blue. dustin benton from the green alliance, which campaigns on environmental policy, and has been critical of previous government's achievements in the area. and the chair of the parliamentary

environmental audit committee, the labour mp mary creagh. welcome all of you. why is mrs may talking about the environment for the first time? i think the election last year showed the conservatives have lost a lot of support from younger voters, especially voters based in metropolitan areas who are more socially liberal, and which polling shows, really care about environmental issues. when we asked under a0 voters what issues they would like politicians to speak more about, the environment was second, well ahead of housing. for under 28 euros, climate change was the top issue. so really important for potential future electoral success. theresa may's former director of human occasions said today that

andrea leadsom was told to make the plan brilliant parliament as boring as possible, mary creagh, do you welcome the plans? we have been waiting nearly three years. it is a 22 year environment plan. you mentioned in your introduction the hog a husky moment, that manifested as cut the group —— cut the green clap. let's talk about the ideas being talked about today. do you welcome them? the prime minister has a target to end voidable plastic. booing it is difficult to find one. isa booing it is difficult to find one. is a plastic tampon applicators? lawro, do you know what i voidable plastic is? this is the problem. we have had is the pre—briefing. in 25 years i will be 75, the prime minister will be 86. we can't wait

to tackle the tide of plastic waste in ourocean. we to tackle the tide of plastic waste in our ocean. we also need to be looking holistically at how we tackle climate change and how we meet the current recycling targets, which is 50% recycled by 2020, which we are currently set to miss. mary is right. there is a short—term needs to get things done. if government wants to solve a big part of the plastics waste problem, they can introduce a return scheme. you could do that today. we know from out could do that today. we know from our research that would cut a third of the plastic going into the oceans. that is really effective and achievable. but i don't think we should start entirely with cynicism. this is the first major speech are sitting prime minister has made since198a. the ambition, we hope, will be really good. i am keen the prime minister is moving the uk in the right direction. the real

challenge will be, what will this deliver within the lifetime of this set of ministers? we don't need to wait 25 years. the young voters that mrs may desperately needs, if 25 yea rs really is mrs may desperately needs, if 25 years really is the target, the running time, they will be in their mid—a0s, 50s, once they? running time, they will be in their mid—aos, 505, once they?” running time, they will be in their mid-40s, 50s, once they? i suppose that's true but it is also about people growing up now learning more about politics. 525 years? is that the nature of her personality or is there something else going on? —— whiley 25 years? it is an ambitious plan. it is a positive thing. could it be done in ten or 15 years? there we re it be done in ten or 15 years? there were things we need to get done. it has taken us a long time to get to the point where we have got 10% of the point where we have got 10% of the uk species at risk of extension. it will take some time to get us out of this. we have to make sure we

don't wait 25 years to start making a difference. we could, for example, bring forward the 2040 petrol and diesel vehicles ban to 2030. that would cut uk oil imports in half and massively improve air quality. that is achievable now. it is unfair to say that everything won't happen for 25 years. i didn't mean that. i didn't express it very well. it could be a ten year plan. it will be difficult to hold this government accountable in 25 years to see what they have achieved, as mary says, theresa may will be 80 odd. we have had the green growth strategy before christmas. we have got the carbon plans every five years. we have to look at climate change targets. the government needs to look at itself as the largest purchaser of goods and services in the country. we have

just done an audit of the ministry ofjustice.1% of their vehicles across the prison and probationers state are electric. they are missing their own targets internally now. i am keen to see the details of this plant, notjust am keen to see the details of this plant, not just the am keen to see the details of this plant, notjust the headlines, which are about plastic. we want to know about biodiversity, landscape restoration, forestry. we may get some of that in the speech. extending the 5p charge is one of the measures being introduced. we called her that. millions into research to develop less harmful plastic. we have bio plastics. we have 0xy degradable additives that go into plastic bags. the entire plastics system needs remodelling. are we using the ingenuity that we have got? the biggest threat to the

environment is brexit, which sets are air pollution targets, waste targets. we need an environmental protection act, which my committee called for a year ago, to make sure we don't lose those protections as we don't lose those protections as we leave. mary is absolutely right about that. we need the commitments that have been made. we need to get on and do what we can do today. we know that right and manufacturers mixed lots of different types of plastics together and make products that are not recyclable. we could do with that today. what about using some of the international aid budget to help countries reduce plastic pollution in the sea, most of which comes from rivers in africa and asia? that is a positive announcement that will resonate with announcement that will resonate with a lot of voters. again, because i have done a lot of polling on this, the british population are very proud of our commitment and are setting a global example on these issues. especially conservative

voters who voted remain. it is a good way of reaching out to those voters and show that we not moving away it. we want the aid budget to go to the poorest people on the planet. eight of those ten rivers are in middle income countries, china and vietnam. we don't want the aid budget going to china. we want the aid budget going to niger and nigeria, which are pollution problems. we can ask middle—income countries to do with themselves. we are told that most of these are just plans, which will be consulted on. there is no talk of legislation. will that be enough to change things? it won't be enough. we need legal commitments and a new environmental regulator that will hold the government to account. we need to replicate some of the structures of the eu to give citizens the right to hold the

government to account. looking forward to hearing what our viewers think. the prime minister expected to give her speech at about half past ten. we will bring that to you live. the trial is resuming in the case of barry bennell, the former football coach who's accused of sexually abusing boys. bennell, who's now known as richard jones, faces a8 sex offence charges, which he denies. we can speak now to our sports news reporter, david 0rnstein, who's outside liverpool crown court. what happpened in court yesterday? victoria, yesterday marked the start of evidence against mr bennell, with the prosecution described as a predatory and devious paedophile. the testimony of the first witness was harrowing, emotional and it was played out to the court by an interview he conducted with the police. he met mr bennell, he said,

when he played for a youth team in the north—west of england in the early 1980s, aged between 11 and 12, and bennell was said to be a scout from manchester city. he would a lwa ys from manchester city. he would always flashes eyes at you and make you feel like you are special will stop everybody wanted to be in football, everybody wanted to please him. this man said that he and a number of other top players were hand—picked by mr bennell to stay at his home above a video shop he owned. but it is where the alleged abuse began. he said there were two bunk beds and a double bed in a room which mr bennell would share with two boys. they would play fight, watch movies, then the lights went out and live music started. he talked of songs by billyjoe well and the steve miller band, but mostly incantation, the song. that was playing well the abuse was taking place. he said that music still sends chills down his spine. i

cannot stand chorus, and aftershave he alleged mr bennell would wear. he was also abused at eight to at butlins in north wales. he woke to find mr bennell behind him. he also talked of experiences when he felt the bed vibrating on mr bennell‘s property vibrating as others were abused. nobody spoke about this but he said there was a distinctive look among the boys. it was almost like an untold rule. we didn't want to spoil our chances. i want to make it, i want to play for city. you knew you didn't say anything. he had a big power hold over us, which was pretty horrific. he said he was abused tens if not hundreds of times over a three—year period. he learned how to shut down his body and emotions. he would have tears running down his cheeks. it didn't stop him. 0ther running down his cheeks. it didn't stop him. other than his wife, this

witness said nobody knew of his experience until november of 2016, when he was watching this very programme, the victoria derbyshire show, when other alleged victims talk of their experiences. under cross—examination yesterday, he rejected the idea there were financial motives behind his case. he said he was not in this for money. the court was later played the transcript of police interviews with mr bennell, in which he denied abusing this individual. he said he was one who got away with it. he thought he might be one who would succumb to his grooming process. he was not a victim though. he was the priority... the priority, mr bennell said, was another boy, who he described as his favourite. what are we expecting in court today? we are expecting further evidence. we should hear from another witness. let's recapture. before this trial

mr bennell admitted seven charges of child six abuse involving three boys aged between 11 and 1a. he denies a further a8 charges against 11 boys ranging between eight and 1a, and between 1979 and 1991. the court heard earlier in this trial that mr bennell served sentences in prison in england and the usa for abusing children. but he claims with this particular trial, that he is a victim of a malicious campaign. the trial continues and is expected to last around eight weeks. thank you. still to come, as nhs bosses say they're struggling to cope, we'll ask if the only answer is to pump more money into the service. we wa nt we want your experiences, if you or afamily we want your experiences, if you or a family member has been in hospital, what is it like for you? and we'll be discussing equal pay, after the resignation of the bbc‘s china editor in protest at the fact that she wasn't being paid the same

as the two other male international editors. we will talk to one professor. time for the latest news — here's annita. the bbc news headlines this morning. hospitals are struggling to cope and need long—term funding, according to health bosses. nhs providers, which represents acute hospitals and ambulance services in england, says standards of care cannot be met without without more money. the department of health and social care says the nhs was given top priority in the last budget. 0ne conservative mp says he wants to see a change in the way in which the nhs is funded. if people knew when they looked at their payslip that there was a line that said national health insurance, if they knew that that money, legally, could only go to support the national health care and social care, they would be willing to pay a bit more. it is not going to have to

be an enormous amount more, but there will have to be some increases. a woman whose father has been missing for years has been charged with murder after a body was discovered in the garden of her home in stockport. barbara coombes' father has been missing for more than a decade. the 63—year—old has also been charged with preventing a lawful burial and fraud. during their investigation police officers have told neighbours that mr coombes would have been in his 80s when he disappeared in 2005. police in paris are hunting two armed robbers who stole jewellery worth millions of pounds from the city's ritz hotel. armed with small axes, thieves smashed windows to gain access to display cases, before snatching the jewels from the ground floor of the hotel. three people were arrested while trying to flee the scene. rescue teams in southern california are searching for survivors of the mudslides that swept away homes in the town of montecito. 17 people are known to have died in santa barbara county, and more than 20 others are still unaccounted for. many places remain inaccessible, and more than 100 homes have been destroyed.

that's a summary of the latest bbc news. thank you very much, annita. summary m essa g es thank you very much, annita. summary messages about your experiences of being in hospital, margaret says, i broke my wrist and went to aberdeen a&e, my wrist was manipulated into praise and sedation. the attention i received was first class. javad says i broke both legs, the staff were brilliant, but i could see there was a lot of pressure on them, i would love to pay extra money through national insurance contributions, but i believe the government was taking us towards private health insurance. alan says, if every gp surgery insurance. alan says, if every gp surgery opened longer each day, that would take pressure off a&e. kimberly says, so again those who pay taxes need to pay more, but what is not fine is those who do not work

will receive the same services without paying into the system. that is not a plan, by the way, kimberly, it isa is not a plan, by the way, kimberly, it is a suggestion from one conservative mp. more about the nhs in the next half—hour, your experiences are very welcome. but jessica is back with the sport. headlines this morning: the draw for the first grand slam of the year, the first grand slam of the year, the australian open, have taken place. johanna konta will play madison brengle in the first—round, and in the men's single straw, no andy murray, recovering from surgery, andy murray, recovering from surgery, kyle edmund will be britain's male representative, playing us open finalist kevin anderson, a big match. no goals in the first leg of the efl cup semifinal between arsenal and chelsea, the video assistant referee system created the biggest talking point. martin andersson consulted it for two penalty claims but was satisfied with the evidence not to

award a spot kick. and england have called up lancashire batsman liam livingstone for their series against new zealand next month. fast bowler mark wood has also been recalled after injury. a full bulletin for you just after ten o'clock. good morning, thursday morning, welcome to the programme. give us more money or patients will suffer, thatis more money or patients will suffer, that is what nhs bosses in england are saying today. the warning comes amid reports of patients being left on trolleys while ambulances queue up on trolleys while ambulances queue up outside. the royal college of nursing says there are currently a0,000 vacant posts. then there is these zoo of money. nhs providers say they got less tha n money. nhs providers say they got less than they needed in november's budget. —— the issue of money. the

government says the nhs is a top priority. the number of doctors being trained is up by a quarter. but chris hobson from nhs providers explains how the current situation is affecting patients. the nhs can no longer deliver the standards of ca re no longer deliver the standards of care in the constitution, so we have an important decision to make, do we abandon those standards, which were incredibly hard fought to gain those standards in the 2000s, or do we make decisions on the long—term funding of the nhs and social care to ensure it has enough money to meet those standards? we need the government to make those decisions this year, by the time of the budget at the latest. for the first time ever last, the nhs missed all of the key standards on a&e, elected surgery, key standards on a&e, elected surgery, ambulance waiting times,

cancer waiting times. we set a new trajectory to recover the a&e standard, which we will now miss. we have reached the point where the nhs cannot meet the standards of care that we would all of us, ministers included, want to provide. 0livia szepietowski is a doctoral researcher who specialises in obesity. tim gardner is from the health foundation, a charity which carries out research and policy analysis into health care. we are also hoping to talk to underneath assist, but he is slightly delayed, will talk to him after ten o'clock. —— hoping to talk to an anaesthetist. do you agree with nhs providers that this is a watershed moment for the nhs? so research has found that the nhs is going through the most steer decade in all of its history. it is seven years into a massive funding squeeze. “— years into a massive funding squeeze. —— most austere. the

government did provide more money in the budget, but that is less than half of the minimum funding gap that our analysis found was going to hit services. how much extra would be nhs need, 28—19, for example? —— 2018-19. before the budget, there was a gap of £a billion, and the government found some money, but still at least £2 billion, and that is before we start asking the nhs to do more, rather than just is before we start asking the nhs to do more, rather thanjust maintain current standards for more people. can you describe your experiences of working alongside doctors, nurses and patients, treating people with obesity? absolutely. conditions are extremely stretched in hospitals at the moment. as we have heard on the news, patients are struggling to get a bed when they need it, and it is

affecting my specialty, bariatric surgery, surgery affecting my specialty, bariatric surgery, surgery for weight loss, and to improve other things like diabetes and high blood pressure and cholesterol. unfortunately, these kind of surgeries are not seen as essential to many different local authorities and trusts, and despite the amazing effects that they have, and the people that they can really help, we are seeing that the surgeries are being delayed or cancelled, and often notjust once but multiple times for one individual. because they are not urgent? exactly, they are not seen as urgent, but at what point does it become agent? when someone needs an operation, they need that operation. they have been found to have the requirements, and so it should really be that people should not be delayed so much. should patients pay

for things like gastric bands, for example? it is an interesting argument. gastric bands have been shown to be hugely effective in treating people with obesity, and particularly gastric bypass and sleeves. u nfortu nately, particularly gastric bypass and sleeves. unfortunately, there is this huge stigma around obesity, and it is seen as being the individual‘s fault. my research focuses on genetic factors in obesity and diabetes. 0ne genetic factors in obesity and diabetes. one of the amazing results we see is that, within hours or days ofa we see is that, within hours or days of a surgery, somebody who was diabetic before is no longer diabetic, and that can save huge amounts of money for the nhs. so these operations, whilst they do have an overhead for the surgery itself and the follow—up, they actually save the nhs loads of money, because those people don't have diabetes, they don't require blood pressure medication and so on. is there anything else that the nhs, putting money to one side, which is

difficult in this conversation, but anything else the nhs could be doing to help itself? so as olivia mentioned, things are incredibly tough within the health service at the moment, we have seen it on the news throughout the last few days. u nfortu nately, news throughout the last few days. unfortunately, in terms of quick fix solutions, the nhs has done? everything can do. part of that response is to cancel some of the less urge nt response is to cancel some of the less urgent but still very important procedures that we know patients can benefit from and that have big cost and complications for patients themselves, but it is the only realistic option, in order to cope with the tide of urgency needed that it is being presented with. and it is not just it is being presented with. and it is notjust the less urgent stuff, i ta ke is notjust the less urgent stuff, i take your point, a hospital in 0xford potentially considering getting chemotherapy sessions. in order to free up staff, for example. they have not made the main —— final

decision, but it must be drastic. this is not simply about money, the government did find extra funding, specifically for winter pressures, but it was only announced, really, less tha n but it was only announced, really, less than a week before winter began. 350 million. that is right, so began. 350 million. that is right, so not that helpful. so one of the big issues facing the health service is staffing. we need to have a robust, long—term plan, and a long—term approach for how we train, recruit the right staff with the right skills and get them in the right skills and get them in the right places. we also need to do better at retaining the staff that we have got, and that seemed to be the problem in oxford, not not enough money, but simply not enough staff to be able to run the service safely. a spokesman for the department of health and social care are acknowledged there were problems, we know there is pressure

on a&e departments, we are grateful to all the staff for their work in challenging circumstances. it says plans are in place for extra money for council run test and was so people can be moved out of hospital more quickly, and the single biggest expansion in the number of doctor training places, 25% in the coming yea rs. training places, 25% in the coming years. the current model does not work, that seems to be the consensus, andjeremy work, that seems to be the consensus, and jeremy hunt, england's health secretary, has talked about a long—term sustainable model. what might that look like? you might not have the answer, it is fair enough to say it, because it may be above all of our pay grades, but what do think? i am not sure there is consensus that the model does not work. easy is that the nhs is currently facing, funding shortfall, staffing shortages, the growing needs of an ageing, growing,

more sick population, no country in europe is immune from any of these issues. and all of these countries are facing the same issues as we are. the model is fundamentally sound, there is quite a lot of research that shows that no type of health system performs universally better than any other type of health system. go back 20 years, when there was quite substantial funding and staffing increases for the nhs in england, and we saw some quite big improvements in quality of care flowing from that, some other big advances. so it is mostly about more money. the model is fine, it is about staffing and funding it properly. what i would add is that it should not be a party political view, it should be about coordinating a cross— party view, it should be about coordinating a cross—party and moving forward to try and make the nhsa moving forward to try and make the nhs a sustainable as possible. it is reaching its 70th anniversary this year, and we want to see a blast for

another 70. thank you both very much. police have arrested two men after cctv stills were circulated as part of the investigation into the murder of the investigation into the murder of the investigation into the murder of the jay patel in north london. the two men, aged 15 and 16, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. mr patel died in hospital last week after being attacked outside his shop. two teenagers have been arrested. coming up, youtube has cut business ties with logan paul, the hugely popular vlogger who posted a video showing the body of an apparent suicide victim in japan. we will talk about that before ten. equal pay has been in the news again this week after the high—profile resignation of the bbc‘s china editor and the publication of figures showing a number of large companies have gender pay gaps. anyone who thinks they are being treated unfairly can take their case to an employment tribunal, but figures seen by the bbc‘s reality check show very few of these

cases are actually resolved by the courts. chris morris from the bbc‘s reality check is here to explain why. really interesting what you found. yeah, you can go to employment tribunal is for a variety of reasons. we were looking at cases of equal pay. in data stretching back to 2011,000 and thousands of people every year have begun cases relating to equal pay. —— stretching back to 200011,000 and thousands of cases. we know very little about the outcomes because the number of successful complaints in that period, since 2011, are so small, just a handful, but statistically they are recorded as 0% every year. 0% are successful every year. but

when you look at on successful complaints, that is also 0%. so none of these cases come to a public conclusion. what is happening is something called dismissal on withdrawal. what that means is perhaps the two parties come to a private conclusion outside the tribunal, or simply the employee withdraws the case. we don't know very much at all about those outcomes. when they settle out of the tribunal environment, they are usually subject to confidentiality clauses? yes. there is no requirement to make that conclusion public. and of course what that means is we know very little about how many cases of unequal pay are actually onerous. if you look at other tribunal on things like discrimination on age or disability, at least there is a proportion of cases that do come to a public conclusion in one way or another.

for equal pay, 0% successful and u nsuccessful. for equal pay, 0% successful and unsuccessful. incredible. thank you. professor elizabeth schafer launched legal proceedings against royal holloway, university of london, over the pay gaps between professors. caroline underhill is the head of equal pay at thompsons solicitors, has worked on thousands of equal pay cases, and has over 30 years' experience working as a barrister. doreen reeves, employment solicitor at slater and gordon, believes the answer is having a more open culture around talking about pay rather than using tribunals. welcome all of you. i will start with professor schaeffer. you have gone through the tribunal process yourself, briefly. what were you arguing? yes, i went to the tribunal about equal pay. i was on average being paid, iwas about equal pay. i was on average being paid, i was looking out of the averages and i worked out i was well

adrift of the male professorial average salary. i went to the tribunal about that. i'm not surprised at the figures you have quoted. going to the tribunal is a very tough process. it is tough emotionally and intellectually, and you have to be incredibly tenacious. you collected information and evidence that amounted to, that filled 120 files. then you have to be cross—examined. then you have to hear employer say potentially not good enough to be paid as paid as much as your employers. that does sound challenging? it is extraordinary the amount of evidence you need. you are trying to prove a point. you have to be comic and historian, document yourself, look at everything you have ever done and prove how valuable you are. —— you have to become and historian. my

judgment rent to 95 pages as well. not judgment rent to 95 pages as well. n ot exa ctly judgment rent to 95 pages as well. not exactly a light read. dealing with the sheer amount of evidence. i am used to conference situations, being in public and speeding and then being asked to defend my point of view. that process for some people would be, i think, of view. that process for some people would be, ithink, quite difficult. the whole process of the tribunal is very challenging, yeah. let's bring in caroline underhill. statistically from 2011 no cases we re statistically from 2011 no cases were successful or on successful. what does that suggest we should do in the future? we should make the procedure simpler. we should look at trying to make the law simpler. and we should also look at placing

greater emphasis on pay transparency and negotiation within employers, because one of the reasons that we don't have many cases that go through to full hearing is the length of time it takes to get to a final resolution on an equal pay case. 11 years is not uncommon. final resolution on an equal pay case. 11 years is not uncommonm took four years to get a judgment in the professor's case. doreen, do you thinkjudgment should the professor's case. doreen, do you think judgment should be the professor's case. doreen, do you thinkjudgment should be avoided altogether? we need to work towards altogether? we need to work towards a culture where there is less of a cloa k of a culture where there is less of a cloak of pay secrecy in the industry. do you think we are doing this because big companies will have to reveal a gender pay gap by april? yes, that is one way they assess average salaries for men and women over a period of time. but with

equal pay it is about looking at what you are being paid at the same time as you are in a job as a male. we need to work towards a culture where there is more transparency about how much you are being paid at work. so employees simply talk to each other? yes, at the moment you can only ask a male employee about your pay if you believe you are discriminated against on the grounds of your six. it is not as if you can have a culture where you are openly discussing your pay. you smile that that when doreen suggested that. ? don't think it isjust that when doreen suggested that. ? don't think it is just about employees talking to each other. employees —— employers have responsibility to be more transparent not only about what individuals are paid but why they are paid what they are paid, what the rate is for the job. what is it that makes somebody worth more than another? these are very difficult

questions. they are. it is very subjective. it is. that is one of the unfairness is. because generally speaking people believe when they work for an employer that they will be treated fairly and it won't be completely subjective. 0ne be treated fairly and it won't be completely subjective. one of the problems with equal pay is the pressure and force of the market. the market is not fair. professor, briefly tell‘s the outcome for your case “— briefly tell‘s the outcome for your case —— mike towell us. and i would ask you for your advice to others.” would also add that fairness is not what the employment tribunal deals with. the employment tribunal deals with. the employment tribunal deals with law and equal pay. 0ne with. the employment tribunal deals with law and equal pay. one of the first things thejudge with law and equal pay. one of the

first things the judge said in my tribunal, if you want to argue about fair pay, this is not the place to do it. you wanted to argue about equal pay, didn't you? yes. but what i was really after was a transparent system. the situation, when i went to the tribunal, was there were no criteria whatsoever to indicate why anyone might get a pay rise. of course what was happening was people who felt more confident about what they were doing, they were stating pay rises in confident terms and indeed securing pay rises, whereas other people, who tended to be women, not exclusively, were not doing that. so actually getting the judge to say there needs to be transparent criteria for pay, that is what i was going to the tribunal for. and he said that? o yeah, he

said it loud and clear in my judgment. was it worth it? it was worth it but it was an extraordinary journey. personally i found it quite empowering. i found that at the end i felt empowering. i found that at the end ifelt more confident empowering. i found that at the end i felt more confident about the value i was delivering. but i would say that if you are going to even think about going to the employment tribunal, you need to think like a lawyer. you may be very upset but you have to think like you are playing chess, you have to construct a case, documented, get evidence, produce an argument, ask questions of people around informally... what do you get paid? asked over coffee, if you can. very difficult to do in our culture. and you have to be absolutely tenacious. 0ne our culture. and you have to be absolutely tenacious. one of my friends, who is a lawyer, said the

whole system expects you to give up. if you haven't given up they were probably offer you a settlement the day beef your —— before the tribunal starts. the important piece of advice he gave me was, do not take it personally. it is like a chess game. thank you very much. thank you all. we will bring you the latest news and sport in a moment. youtube vlogger logan paul as had his channels downgraded by youtube. he was on a trip to japan. he he was on a trip tojapan. he and his friends were at the base of mount fuji, where people are known to ta ke mount fuji, where people are known to take their own lives. as part of a video he was blogging, you showed

a video he was blogging, you showed a video he was blogging, you showed a video of somebody who had a p pa re ntly a video of somebody who had apparently ta ken a video of somebody who had apparently taken their own life. he said later on that it was to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention. but in the video it shows injoking prevention. but in the video it shows in joking and prevention. but in the video it shows injoking and looking shocked. the video stayed up for quite a while and got millions of views. youtube didn't actually take it down. it was logan paul who took it down. it was logan paul who took it down after much criticism from the youtube and vlogger community. now youtube and vlogger community. now youtube have come out and said they will no longer effectively promote his work on what they call their google preferred programme, where brands target big stars with advertising. his channel is still up. he has still got millions of subscribers. and since that video was posted he gained more than 80,000 more subscribers. technically speaking because the video is still up, he can still make money from

advertising, just not as much. youtube have said they will no longer allow him to have him appear ina show longer allow him to have him appear in a show and his originals, which include a sequel to one of his films, will not be happening any more. yes, logan paul has been reprimanded by youtube but youtube has gotten criticism because it has taken effectively has gotten criticism because it has ta ken effectively between has gotten criticism because it has taken effectively between nine and 11 days since this happened for them to respond. thank you. you may remember we spoke to dan before christmas. he is a phenomenally successful star on youtube. he owns a lot of money from it. he said we have a responsibility to our young audiences. now the weather. good morning. we have seen quite a lot of fog around this morning. as you can see from one of our weather watchers, it has been across parts of the west, central england and eastern areas as well. but not everywhere. look at

this lovely sunrise in east sussex. the fog is already starting to lift. we have some around glasgow, northern ireland, pockets of north—west england, wales and the south—west of england. as the rises it will lift into low cloud and eventually it will break and we will see some sunshine. in the east, more cloud, we have got some patchy rain and drizzle. this afternoon across south—west england, we are looking at sunny spells. a similar story across wales. you may find some fog as you will across northern ireland. if that happens, that will peg the temperatures back to close to freezing. in north—west scotland, a sunny day ahead. in the east, a bit more cloud. the fog will lift from the central lowlands and south—west. it should also lived in north—west england. dundee east of thing than

through the midlands, there will be more cloud. —— down the east of england. low cloud and drizzle lifting into low cloud. this evening and overnight but you will find is we will hang on to the cloud. more will form. patchy fog forming tonight. not quite as widespread as the nightjust gone. where there are brea ks the nightjust gone. where there are breaks in the cloud, it will be cold enough for a frost. those are the temperatures in towns and cities. lower in rural areas. a cold and frosty start for some tomorrow. the fog lifting into low cloud. tomorrow will be a cloudy day again with a spot of drizzle. we will see some brighter breaks, more notably in the north of scotland, parts of wales, cornwall, dorset and hampshire. north of scotland, parts of wales, cornwall, dorsetand hampshire. for a saturday, we have a weather front coming in from the worst that will introduce some rain and strengthening winds. the further east you travel, the try and the brighter the weather is likely to

be. as we head into sunday, there will be dry and bright weather around. the weather front producing cloud in parts of western england and wales. a new, more active system from the north—west later in the day will introduce wetter and windy weather. hello, it's thursday, it's ten o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. our top story this morning — one of the strongest warnings yet about the nhs in england. this time hospital bosses say services are at breaking point and that the government must spend more. 85% of patients was seen in four hours, well below the target. the nhs is seven years into a massively austere decade, the worst in its history, and we cannot go on like this. the details from our

correspondent shortly. and we want to hear from you about your experiences if you have been in hospital, or a family member has. also today, theresa may wants to eliminate plastic from supermarkets, including, among other things, plastic free aisles in supermarkets. in 25 years' time i will be 75, we can't wait to 25 years to tackle this tide of plastic waste. and we'll hear the story of the twin sisters from syria who were burnt when a shell hit their home six years ago. the conflict in their country has now being going on for eight years. good morning. here's annita in the bbc newsroom with a summary of today's news. thank you, victoria, good morning. hospitals are in need of long—term

funding according to health bosses, a warning made by nhs providers. in the last few minutes, figures have revealed weights in accident and emergency in england during december we re emergency in england during december were the worst since the target was introduced in 200a. the department of health and social care says the nhs was given top priority in the last budget but acknowledged there was pressure. the prime minister has set out plans to tackle, or is setting out plans to tackle plastic pollution by wiping out all avoidable waste by 20a2. the proposals include asking every supermarket to have an aisle of goods with no plastic wrappings, as well as extending the charge for carrier bags to all retailers in england. environmentalists have called the plan is worthless unless they are written into law. a woman whose father has been missing for years has been charged with murder after a body was discovered in the garden of her home in stockport. barbara coombes' father has been missing for more than a decade. the 63—year—old has also been charged with preventing a lawful burial and fraud.

during their investigation police officers have told neighbours that mr coombes' would have been in his 80s when he disappeared in 2005. rescue teams in southern california are searching for survivors of the mudslides that swept away homes in the town of montecito. 17 people are known to have died in santa barbara county, and more than 20 others are still unaccounted for. many places remain inaccessible, and more than 100 homes have been destroyed. that's a summary of the latest bbc news, more at 10:30. we will talk about those figures that annita was reporting from a&e units in hospitals in england from december, more in a moment, your experiences are very welcome. sport now with jessica. the draw for the australian open, which starts next week, has been made in the last hour. british number one johanna konta, who reached the semifinals

of the tournament two years ago, will play the american madison brengle in the opening round. brengle is ranked number 92 in the world but has won three of their four previous meetings against the world number nine. british number two heather watson will face kazakhstan's yulia putintseva. in the men's draw, kyle edmund is the only british representative following andy murray's pulling out as he's recovering from hip surgery. he's been handed a tough opening match, though, in melbourne. he'll have to get past 11th seed and us open finalist kevin anderson. other highlights in the men's draw include top seed rafael nadal up against dominican world number 81 victor estrella burgos.

swiss five—time champion roger federer will open his title defence against slovenia's former british player aljaz bedene. six—time champion novak djokovic will open against american donald young. it was honours even at stamford bridge as chelsea took on arsenal in the first leg of efl cup semifinal. the video assistant referee was consulted on two occassions. here's one of them. arsenal's danny welbeck challenged cesc fabregas in the penalty area in the closing minutes. but the referee was happy with his originial decision not to award chelsea a penalty. some fans have expressed frustration at how long the var decision process takes, but blues boss antonio conte said the system is "very positive". james vince and mark stoneman have kept their places in england's test squad for the tour of new zealand, despite their batting struggles in the recent a—0 ashes defeat by australia. lancashire batsman liam livingstone

receives his first test call—up, with the 2a—year—old having impressed for england's b team over the winter. fast bowler mark woods is also back in the squad after injury, but gary ballance has been dropped. after almost two years out of the ring, former world light—welterweight champion amir khan says he's ready to make a comeback. his opponent will be named next week, for the fight at liverpool's echo arena in april. khan's last fight was in may 2016, where he was knocked out by mexico's saul alvarez. he's signed a three—fight deal with eddie hearn's matchroom stable, which seems to increase the likelihood of a british super—fight between khan and his long—term rival kell brook, possibly later in the year. something to look forward to in the coming months. that is all the sport for now. thank you. back to those

figuresjust for now. thank you. back to those figures just out for now. thank you. back to those figuresjust out in for now. thank you. back to those figures just out in the last few minutes that show that waiting times in a&e departments in december in england were the worst since the target was introduced in 200a. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns can tell us more. when you go to a&e, the target is 95% of people should be seen with in four hours, that definitely didn't happen last month, only 85.1% of people were found in that time, and that adds up to about 300,000 patients waiting for longer than they should have done. four hours is the target. and we have weekly statistics from last week, when more than 20 hospital trusts were on the highest level of alert, so we have some figures to show how they did. two interesting things, one was norovirus, there was a spike in the number of beds being closed due to norovirus, and the other thing was bed occupancy generally. ideally, the nhs ones 85%

bed occupancy rates, last week it 95%, up from 91.7%. any stories from you about your experiences of being in hospital, maria said, my 12—year—old daughter has a long—term illness and often needs to attend a&e as an emergency case. 0n christmas day she was admitted, and there were so many patients on trolleys just waiting. there was even a queue to get into resuscitation. staff were run off their feet. fortunately, we resuscitation. staff were run off theirfeet. fortunately, we were taken to the children's ward. the staff there went out of their way to try to make the day special. let's talk to norman, who is at westminster. these figures, the stories are putting even more pressure on the government, aren't they? huge pressure, vic, i am in a rather more rural setting than westminster, because the pm is doing a speech on the environment today,

but she will be asked about these figures, and the timing could hardly be worse, frankly, because yesterday in the commons she was saying that the nhs was better prepared than ever before and that the delayed operations was all part of the plan. now we have got the guy who basically represents all of the nhs trusts, all of the nhs hospitals, saying things cannot go on like this, we have reached a watershed moment, we have not got enough staff, beds or money, and we can't just push it down the road, we need a nswe rs just push it down the road, we need answers now, we need more cash in the november budget. when you put all that together, that is beginning to put real pressure on mrs may, because the accusation will be that maybe she has taken her i off the ball with brexit, there is an element of complacency. speaking to those close tojeremy hunt, their ta ke those close tojeremy hunt, their take is that the nhs is getting more

cash next year, i think it is getting about 1.7 billion more next year, but even mr hunt accepts there has to be a rethink about the nhs, he has talked about a ten—year plan, and there is a growing view that eve ryo ne and there is a growing view that everyone needs to think seriously about how, in the long term, will go to fund the nhs, given that we are an increasingly ageing population that cannot carry on in this sort of piecemealfashion. that cannot carry on in this sort of piecemeal fashion. thank you very much norman, sorry, you obviously there may's speech, which we will bring to you live. norman mentioned chris hopson from nhs providers, he has been explaining how the situation is affecting patients. the nhs can no longer deliver the standards of care in the constitution, so we have an important decision to make — do we abandon those standards, which were incredibly hard fought to gain those standards in the 2000s, or do we make decisions on the long—term funding of the nhs and social care to ensure it has enough money to meet

those standards? we need the government to make those decisions this year, by the time of the budget at the latest. for the first time ever last, the nhs missed all of the key standards on a&e, elective surgery, ambulance waiting times, cancer waiting times. we set a new trajectory to recover the a&e standard, which we will now miss. we have reached the point where the nhs cannot meet the standards of care that we would all of us, ministers included, want to provide. dr tom dolphin is an anesthetist at a london hospital. he's also a labour member. of the latest figures show that targets were missed in december, nhs providers saying this is a watershed moment, do you agree? it certainly

looks like it, it looks like it in the figures and if you go to any a&e in any hospital, people everywhere, in cubicles, on chairs, they are queueing up, they are being treated in car parks around the country. it feels like this is the worst it has ever been. is there a mismatch between what the nhs is expected to deliver with the money it has got, with the workforce available, and what it is getting in in money? definitely. we have been told we are supposed to be saving £20 billion over the next couple of years from the budget each year, and at the same time we see more demand from patients, who need to be treated, and the funding does not match that at all. we have also got gaps in rotors across the country, a0,000 nursing places, 10,000 doctor places unfilled. you cannot provide a service that patients need with that

kind of gap. what was christmas like? it was horrendously busy. busier than this time last year or the year before? it certainly felt like it. it got to the point where you almost couldn't boot in a&e with people waiting everywhere, trying to get through with a trolley with a sick patient, and you cap to keep asking people to move to get through with emergencies. if there was a major incident, how would your hospital have coped ? major incident, how would your hospital have coped? we have managed to cope so far, every hospital has, by the extraordinary hard work that nhs staff are putting in. they are pulling out., moving patients to extraordinary places, and some are being left to sleep on floors, cupboards are being turned into rooms, that kind of thing. i am not sure what the plans are to deal with if there were a major incident. i expect somehow we would cope, but i do not know a family times we can keep doing it before something terrible happens. terrible meaning? that we cannot provide the care all need. philip is a disabled person with a

severe lung disorder. he recently had a fall at home and spent two hours on the floor. he called the ambulance service and they said it would take a few hours to get to him. when he got to hospital he waited 11 hours in a wheelchair with a dislocated elbow, in pain and suffering from a chest infection. it was not until 11 o'clock the next day when they got around to treating him. he was left with people around him. he was left with people around him coughing and sneezing. that sounds like the kind of pressures i have been seeing and hearing. it is a whole system problem. the a&e is full, the rest of the hospital is full. community services are not fair. general practices on its knees. there are not enough gps any more. the whole system is congested and grinding to a halt. the department of health say they have

put extra funding in, 350 billion before christmas. there is 1.6 billion coming down the track. they have plans to increase doctor places. that will be great for 2025 when they start work as doctors. but we need them now. we need more funding. where would you get the doctors from, even if there was more funding? a lot of the hospitals are struggling to staff what they have got to pay for the staff they need to have. there are staff available out there. there needs to be a longer term solution. in the short—term hospitals are doing what they can. there are bringing in extra staff when they're available. people are working where more shifts thanit people are working where more shifts than it is safe for them to do. they are being asked to do shift after shift. have you had to do that? yes. there are lots of gaps in road. the

shift are limited in length but it is more to do with the number of them. still to come... the story of the two young syrian girls, rahaf and qamar, who've both been caught up in the conflict which has engulfed their country for eight yea rs. let's talk more about the prime minister speech in the next quarter ofan minister speech in the next quarter of an hour. the prime minister is about to reveal plans for how her government aims to, and this is her quote, "leave the environment in a better position than they found it." we will bring you that speech live. there have been a lot of people welcoming it but there has been a lot of criticism of recent conservative governments for breaking promises on environmental policy. but today theresa may

will outline her 25—year plan for a "cleaner, greener britain". much of it will revolve around plastics, something we've covered on the programme a number of times — with a pledge to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 20a2. your definition of that welcome. she wants britain to be a beacon for the developing world. but can a shift in uk policy, actually affect global change? let's talk to lang banks, a campaigner for the world wide fund for nature. he lobbies international governments on environmental issues. and dr alison doig is christian aid's head of policy. she specialises in climate change. welcome to both of you. there is one definite in this plan, extending that 5p charge on plastic bags to small shops. the other plans are simply plans for a consultation. how is that going to be good for the environment when you look across the world ? environment when you look across the world? i think it is true to say

that those plans need to be firmed up that those plans need to be firmed up and we need to see more detail. we are looking forward to that speech. from what we have heard so far, the uk wishes to play a leadership role globally. that is welcome. the uk has played a big role historically when it comes to climate change, illegal wildlife trade, the poaching of elephants and rhinos and tackling the ozone layer. if the uk is to put its foot forward once more and leave the world issues, that is a good thing. put your own house in orderfirst. that is why what happens in the uk in the 25 year plan is critical and that it gets delivered. mrs may will talk about using the foreign aid budget to help the performance of developing countries. what do you think about the use of that money? is it think about the use of that money? isita think about the use of that money? is it a good use? it could be a very good use of that money. if it is used to put a ban on waste and a big stick to hit people with, that would

not be good. it would not be a sustainable solution. it is not a question of saving the environment and delivering development. both of those can be done effectively together. an example i would use, i worked a lot in delivering renewable energy is to poor people off the grid. imagine having —— having no lighting, using a wood stove every day to cook? we worked with the woman in that household to develop the solution. we worked with manufacturers in that country to build the technologies they were using, and with entrepreneurs to make markets work. similarly with plastics, working to developing solutions with the country and to develop good green jobs, solutions with the country and to develop good greenjobs, and an environmental solution working together is where it should be used. if it is used well, i think it can bea if it is used well, i think it can be a very good part of overseas development. ok. there will be people watching now saying, let's

say all the things that mrs may promises actually come to pass in this plan, it is a tiny dent in the plastics problem when you look at the problem globally. what do you say to people who feel cynical? don't. you have to start somewhere. there are 8 million tonnes of plastic waste that end up nics every year. it is a global issue. that is why countries like the uk need to step and coordinate action locally and globally. tackling climate change is an issue that needs tackling by every country. you say every country but we have president trump rejecting the idea of climate change. the paris agreement is bigger than one country, bigger than one president. the interesting thing in the us is that many states,

companies, mayors are stepping up to ta ke companies, mayors are stepping up to take the action needed. president trump is isolating himself. every single country are joined up to the paris agreement. we —— within the us there are companies, states and cities holding to paris. he is increasingly marginalised. this is where the uk can step in and step up their leadership. and say, actually paris is good. to deliver a safe climate we need to go a step further. there is an opportunity for countries to do more. the uk can lead that discussion and support poorer countries to step up. we actually launched with canada, the uk, the power in past coal initiative. that means countries

will give up coal by 2025. they are helping developing countries do the same. that is where the uk can be a positive force, play that bigger role globally. eid imported food, of course, and we buy imported clothes. how can our government forced the people who grow those products in the developing world, how can they persuade them to do it in an environmentally friendly way?m persuade them to do it in an environmentally friendly way? it is an important point. we understand the speech will contain an ambition to bea the speech will contain an ambition to be a global leader and make sure it is not just to be a global leader and make sure it is notjust the uk's backyard we are protecting. it is really important. the vast majority of the commodities we use on a daily basis are imported from other countries. we must make sure that they are not just exporting their environmental damage, whether it is cotton, palm

oil etc, 50% of the fish on our supermarket shelves comes from outside the uk, yes, we must compel businesses to make sure that they are only taking sustainable commodities. but they also must help the countries and work with farmers to make sure they can do this in a sustainable way. i think it is critical that we in the uk don't simply sit here and say we will make the uk and oasis of environment when the uk and oasis of environment when the rest of the world is going to hell in a handcart. we are all heading in the wrong direction. that is why is 25 year plan is important. it marks a turning point between destroying the planet and starting to restore the planet. thank you for coming in. we will bring you theresa may's speech on the environmentjust after 10:30am. next, please do watch this next film about twin sisters from syria caught up in the conflict

in their country, which has now being going on for eight years. six years ago, a shell hit their home, and the pair were badly burned. the children's charity unicef says that attacks on hospitals and other health facilities have become commonplace in syria, with less than half of the country's health facilities operating at full capacity. they're struggling to cope with the number of children seriously injured. we've been following the story of the two young girls, rahaf and qamar, who've both undergone operations in jordan. where they now live. 0ur correspondent caroline hawley has been back to tojordan to see how they're getting on, and some of this film is upsetting. six years ago, the two syrian sisters' home

in homs was hit by a shell. they were asleep, and their bedclothes caught fire. their burns left them so traumatised they couldn't leave the house. qamar had to wear this mask to help her skin heal. slowly, they got better. now, they're star students. their parents worry

about their future and the social stigma they could face. qamar drew her dream house for us, and a mosque. what do they pray for? rahaf has now been discharged, but qamar‘s still waiting for more operations. all this from a single shell fired in syria's war. nine year old rahaf and qamer.

let's talk to caroline hawley who reported on that film. incredible girls. you have been following them for some time. tell us about them ? following them for some time. tell us about them? i first met them several years ago, the year that they were injured. they were injured six years ago this month when that shells slammed into their bedroom. their father rushed in to rescue them. he was badly burned. they fled tojordan. them. he was badly burned. they fled to jordan. that is them. he was badly burned. they fled tojordan. that is where i met them first. this incredible hospital run by msf, where they do reconstructive surgery on by msf, where they do reconstructive surgery on the victims of war from around the middle east. this project started off treating iraqis and then it started treating syrians in yemen. —— and yemeni. they have come

a long way. their parents said to me the change has been incredible. for example, they could not feed and dress themselves because they had some knee injuries to their hands. they could not move them properly. their faces were they could not move them properly. theirfaces were in they could not move them properly. their faces were in a much they could not move them properly. theirfaces were in a much more disfigured state. they have had a lot of operations. too many to count between them. what about the other children in syria who left injured because they are harmed by shells falling around their homes? that is the reality and the tragedy of syria. these bombs, these shells don't discriminate. the problem is no one knows how many people have been killed and injured in the syrian war. a very conservative estimate is at least a000. a000 kids killed. and tens of thousands of children injured. some will have, many will have a life changing injuries. what happens to them? in a

sense they are looking they are being treated at the msf hospital, where the treatment is free. but as you can imagine, with all the wars waiting —— waiting in the middle east, the waiting list is really long. what are the chances of being able to bea what are the chances of being able to be a doctor when she grows up? well, she is very bright, very keen, she values her schooling because she has missed out on so much of it. she comes from a very has missed out on so much of it. she comes from a very supportive family, her father believes in education, but i know from the parents that they worry about both girls. even though they believe in education, in some parts of the middle east, you are defined by your marriage, and the fear is that their marriage prospects have been limited by what has happened to them. and so one thing qamar‘s mum said to me, she

was so thing qamar‘s mum said to me, she was so full of life before this happened, and she changed a lot. and although she is much better, i really saw a sadness in her eyes, andi really saw a sadness in her eyes, and i think, i know that the family really worry about their future. but they are incredible, really brave, really keen. it is so upsetting in one sense, though. thank you for bringing that to our audience, no doubt you will continue to follow them, caroline hawley. still to come, this is the scene live in west london, where theresa may is about to unveil her plans for the environment, the government say they will eradicate all avoidable plastic waste by 20a2. she is due to speak any time now, we will speak to her when she starts talking. time for the latest news, here's annita. the headlines on bbc news: waiting times at england's a&e departments during december were the longest since targets were introduced in 200a. the latest figures coincide with a warning made by nhs providers that hospitals are unsafe,

overcrowded and in need of long term funding. the organisation represents acute hospitals and ambulance providers in england. the department of health and social care says the nhs was given top priority in the last budget, but acknowledged that services were under pressure. the prime minister is about to launch plans to tackle plastic pollution by wiping out all avoidable waste by 20a2. her proposals will include asking every supermarket to have a plastic—free aisle, as well as extending the five pence charge for carrier bags to all retailers in england. environmentalists have called theresa may's plans worthless unless they're written into law. a woman whose father has been missing for years has been charged with murder after a body was discovered in the garden of her home in stockport. barbara coombes' father has been missing for more than a decade. the 63—year—old has also been charged with preventing a lawful burial and fraud. during their investigation, police officers have told neighbours that mr coombes'

would have been in his 80s when he disappeared in 2005. rescue teams in southern california are searching for survivors of the mudslides that swept away homes in the town of montecito. 17 people are known to have died in santa barbara county, and more than 20 others are still unaccounted for. many places remain inaccessible, and more than 100 homes have been destroyed. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. jessica has the sport headlines now. the draw for the first grand slam of the year, the australian open, has taken place. johanna konta will play madison brengle of the usa in the first round. heather watson plays kazakhstan's yulia putintseva. in the men's draw, no andy murray as he recovers from hip surgery, so kyle edmund will be the sole british male representative, playing us open finalist kevin anderson, a tough

match. no goals in the first leg of the efl cup semifinal. martin atkinson consulted the var on two chelsea pitman declaims but was satisfied with the evidence not to award a spot kick. that chelsea and declaims. until ian livingstone has been called up for the two match series against new zealand next month. rescue teams in southern california are searching through debris for survivors of the mudslides that have killed at least 17 people. it's thought that a similar numberare missing. heavy rain falling on ground burned by wildfires in december, resulted in streams of mud which have destroyed at least 100 homes and damaged 300 more. the flash floods struck early on tuesday morning, with the worst affected areas in santa barbara county, including the towns of montecito and carpinteria. david neels is the fire brigade chief

of santa barbara county. he said he had never dealt with anything on this scale before. i've been a firefighter for 26 years. for most people that are here on this incident, we've never seen an event like this. so this is very unusual, to have something to this magnitude. kelsey mcfarland, is a reporter with ksby news in california. she's on the scene in montecito. so the latest from officials today, they said that the death toll has risen to 17, and seven people are still reported missing. that being said, they have made hundreds of rescues , said, they have made hundreds of rescues, the devastation is something like i've never seen, and a lot of first responders that i spoke to that have been doing this for decades, it is unlike anything they have ever seen. there are cars that are completely crumpled, boulders the size of houses have

moved down from the mountain and are now in the middle—of—the—road, on the highway. there is marred up to my waist in a lot of areas. and this is an area that is beautiful and has mansions of the rich and famous, and it now looks like a scene from world wari, it now looks like a scene from world war i, completely devastated why has this happened? well, just a few weeks ago, we were actually reporting on the thomas dyer, the largest wildfire in california... —— fire. the prime minister isjust about to speak, there she is. this isa about to speak, there she is. this is a true oasis in the heart of london. in our election manifesto last year, we made an important pledge to make ours the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than

we found it. as we leave the european union, which for decades as controlled as some of the most important levers in environmental policy, now is the right time to put the question of how we protect and enhance our natural environment centre stage. and it is a central priority for this government — our mission is to build a britain where the next generation can enjoy a better life than the one that went before it. that means tackling the deficit and dealing with our debts, so deficit and dealing with our debts, so they are not a burden for our children and grandchildren, building the houses that people need so the dream of home ownership can be a reality, ensuring every child has a good school place and can get the best start in life, and it also means protecting and enhancing our natural environment for the next generation. so they have a healthy and beautiful country in which to build their lives. making good on the promise that each new generation should be able to build a better

future is a fundamental conservative principle. and whilst every political tradition has a stake in our natural environment, speaking as the leader of the conservative party, i know! the leader of the conservative party, i know i draw upon a proud heritage. because conservatism and conservation are natural allies. the fundamental understanding which lies at the heart of our philosophical tradition is that we in the present our trustees charged with protecting and improving what we have inherited from those who went before us, and it is our responsibility to pass on that inheritance to the next generation. that applies to the great national institutions which we have built up as a society over generations, like our courts, our parliament, the bbc and the nhs, and it applies equally to our natural heritage. britain has always been a world leader in understanding and protecting the natural world. from

gilbert white's vivid descriptions of the ecology of his hampshire village in the first work of natural history writing in the 18th century to sir david attenborough landmark tv series in the 21st century, which have opened the eyes of millions of people to the wonder of our planet and the threats it faces. the appeal of our natural world is universal and has caught the imagination of successive generations. in the united kingdom, we are blessed with an abundance and a variety of landscapes and habitats. these natural assets are of immense value. 0ur countryside and coastal waters are the means by which we sustain our existence in these islands. they are where we grow and harvest a large proportion of the food we eat, where the water we drink comes from. 0ur green where the water we drink comes from. 0urgreen and where the water we drink comes from. 0ur green and blue places have inspired some of our greatest poetry, art and music, and have become global cultural icons.

shakespeare's forest of arden has been recreated on stages across the world, beatrix potter‘s stories and william wordsworth‘s poetic descriptions of the calm that nature breeds among the hills has made the la ke breeds among the hills has made the lake district world—renowned. he suffered landscapes of john co nsta ble suffered landscapes of john constable and the beautiful defections of the river thames in my own constituency by stanley spencer are iconic. people from every continent are drawn to our shores to enjoy these beautiful landscapes, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in tourism. industries which directly draw on our environment, from agriculture and forestry, to agriculture and fishing, support hundreds of thousands ofjobs and contribute billions to our economy. the natural environment is around us wherever we are and getting closer to it is good for our physical and mental health and our emotional and spiritual well—being. millions of us visit the countryside, the seaside,

a local park or places like this every week to recharge our batteries, spend time with friends and family, and to exercise. so the environment is something personal to each of us, but it is also something which, collectively, we hold in trust for the next generation. and we have sponsored the attack and enhance it. —— we have a responsibility to protect and enhance it. it is sometimes thought that a belief in a free—market economy is not compatible with taking the action necessary to protect and enhance our natural environment, that we need to give up on the very idea of economic growth itself as the price we have to pay for sustainability. 0thers argue that taking any action to protect and improve our environment harm is business and hold back growth. both are wrong. they present a false choice, which i entirely reject. a free—market economy, operating under the right rules, regulations and

incentives, delivering sustainable economic growth, is the single greatest agent of collective human progress we have ever known. time and again, it has lifted whole societies out of abject poverty and subsistence living, increased life expectancy, widened literacy and improved educational standards. more than this, it is in free colonies and free society is that the technological and scientific breakthroughs, which improve and save lives, are made. —— free economies. the innovation and invention of a free enterprise economy will help to deliver new technology to drive a revolution in clea n technology to drive a revolution in clean growth. around the world, economies at all stages of development are embracing new low carbon technologies and a more efficient use of resources to move onto a path of clean and sustainable growth. and our industrial strategy puts harnessing the economic potential of the clean growth revolution at its heart, as one of

its four grand challenges. from how we generate power and transport people and goods to our industrial processes , people and goods to our industrial processes, and how we grow our food, new, clean technologies have the potential to deliver more good jobs and higher living standards. the uk is already home to around 500,000 jobs in low carbon businesses and their supply chain. we are a world leader in the manufacture of electric vehicles. we are the biggest offshore wind energy producer in the world, and we must continue to press for sustainable economic growth and the immense benefits it brings. now, of course, for a market to function properly, it has to be regulated, and environmental protection is a vital pa rt environmental protection is a vital part of any good regulatory regime. so where government needs to intervene to ensure that high standards are met, we will not hesitate to do so. and that the approach which underpins our corporate governance reforms and our plans to make the energy market work better for

plans to make the energy market work betterfor consumers. government, stepping up to its proper role as an engaged and active participant, he finds our industrial strategy, and it is the approach we are taking in this environment plan too. —— defineds. together, they combine to form a coherent approach to boosting economic productivity and growth, while at the same time restoring and enhancing our natural environment. conservative governments have always taken our responsibility to the natural environment seriously. in the 19th century, it was benjamin kayser ale and's conservative government which passed the river pollution prevention act, providing the first legal environmental and for our waterways. —— benjamin disraeli. a conservative government passed the clean air act, making the great smog of london a thing of the past. margaret thatcher was the first world leader to recognise the threat of global warming and helped to protect our ozone layers through

their work on the montreal protocol. and david cameron restored environmentalism to a central place in the conservative agenda. the measures set out in this plan builds on this proud heritage and the action we have taken in office since 2010. we have seen some notable successes. thanks to concerted action, our rivers and beaches are cleaner than they have been at any time since the industrial revolution. 0tters are backin industrial revolution. 0tters are back in rivers in every english county. we are releasing beavers to the forest of dean to help reduce the forest of dean to help reduce the risk of flooding. action at eu level, of which the uk has consistently been a champion, has helped to drive these improvements. because we recognise their value, we will incorporate all existing eu environmental regulations into domestic law when we leave. and let me be very clear. brexit will not meana me be very clear. brexit will not mean a lowering of the environmental standards. we will set out our plans

for a new world leading independent statutory body to hold government to account and give the environment a voice. and our work will be underpinned by a strong set of environmental principles. we will consult widely on these proposals, not least with many of the people in this room. but be in no doubt, a record shows we have already gone further than eu regulation requires us to protect our environment. thanks to action we have taken, 7886 square miles of coastal waters around the uk and a marine conservation zones, protecting a range of important a rare habitats and species. our ban on the use of micro beads and cut —— in cosmetic ca re micro beads and cut —— in cosmetic care products is another positive step towards protecting the marine environment. we want to further restrict neo— knicker tonight. we

will use the opportunity brexit provides to enhance environmental protections, not to weaken them. we will development —— development of new environmental land management scheme which supports farmers. and once we have taken that control of our waters, we will implement a more sustainable fishing policy that also supports our vital coastal communities. that is action for the future. but we are also acting in the here and now. when animals are mistreated, are common humanity is tarnished. we are pursuing policies to make britain a world leader in tackling the abuse of animals. here at home we are introducing iman baytree cctv into slaughterhouses to ensure standards of treatment are upheld. —— we are introducing mandatory. we recognise that animals are sentient beings and we will enshrine that understanding in

primary legislation. we have consulted on plans to introduce a total ban on uk sales of ivory that contribute directly or indirectly to the continued poaching of elephants. in 201a, we convened the london conference on the illegal wildlife trade, the first of its kind, to help eradicate an abhorrent crime and to better protect the world's most iconic species from the threat of extinction. in october, we will host this conference again and press for further international action. whether they are pets, livestock or wild life, animals deserved the proper protection under the law and they will receive that under the conservative government. i am proud of the progress we have made but recognise the challenges we face remain acute. in england, changes in patterns of land use have seen habitats lost and species threatened. since 1970, there has been a significant decline in the numbers of woodland farm land birds.

pollinating insects have declined 13% since 1980. while the water in rivers and beaches are keener than ever before, around the world 8 million tonnes of plastic makes its way into the oceans each year. the problem was vividly highlighted in the recent blue planet series on the bbc, which was public service broadcasting at its finest. and i also pay tribute to the daily mail for its tireless campaigning on this issue. the 25 year environment plan for england, which we are publishing today, said said the action government will take to tackle all of these challenges. i would like to pay tribute to michael gove and his tea m pay tribute to michael gove and his team for their work on it and the energy and enthusiasm they have brought to it. it's goals are simple. clean air, clean and plentiful water, plants and animals which are thriving and a cleaner, greener country. these are all valuable in themselves. but together

they add up to something truly profound. a better world for each of us to live in and a better future for the next generation. we have worked closely with the devolved administrations as we have developed this plan, and we want to work closely with them on these issues in the years ahead. this is a plan for the years ahead. this is a plan for the long—term. as our environment changes, our plan will be updated to ensure we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to deliver healthy natural environment. nothing is more emblematic of that natural environment than our trees. a tree isa environment than our trees. a tree is a home to countless organisms from insects to small mammals, there are naturalair from insects to small mammals, there are natural air purifiers, their act as flood defences. we have committed to planting more trees. we also support increased protections for england's existing trees and forests from inappropriate developments and invasive pests and diseases. to make more land available for the harms

our country needs, while at the same time creating new habitats for wildlife, we will embed the principle of net environmental gain for development, including housing and infrastructure. and as we pursue our northern powerhouse, connecting the great cities of the north of england to promote their economic growth, we will also create a new northern forest. it will be a new committee woodland for cheshire, yorkshire and lancashire, provide a new and enduring amenity for the population of the north of england, and act as a carbon sink for the uk. decades from now children as yet unborn will be exploring this forest, playing under the shade of its trees, and learning about our natural world from its flora and fauna. but today, more than one in ten young people do not spend time in the countryside or in large urban green spaces, meaning they are denied the benefits which spending time outdoors in the natural environment brings. these young

people are disproportionately from more deprived backgrounds and their effective exclusion from our countryside represents a social injustice which i am determined to tackle. the national park authority is already engage directly with more than 60,000 young people a year in school visits, and they will now double this figure to ensure even more young people can learn about our most precious environments. i have seen for myself this morning the excitement and enthusiasm of children here learning about these wetla nds children here learning about these wetlands and the birds that inhabit them. and to help more children lead happy and healthy lives, we will launch a new nature friendly schools programme, targeting schools in disadvantaged areas first. it will create improved school grounds, which allow young people to learn about the natural world. it doesn't have to be big, difficult or expensive. it could be planting a garden. growing a vegetable patch.

are setting up a bird feeder. whatever form it takes, are setting up a bird feeder. whateverform it takes, it are setting up a bird feeder. whatever form it takes, it will put nature in the lives of young people, because everyone deserves to experience it first hand. and this work with schools will be supported by £10 million of investment. we look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past. and wonder how anyone could have thought of that. for example, dumping toxic chemicals or untreated into rivers. how anybody ever thought that was the right thing to do. in years to come i think people will be shocked at how today we allow so much plastic to be produced needlessly. in the uk alone, the amount of single use plastic wasted every year would fill 1000 royal albert halls. this plastic is ingested by dozens of species of marine animals, and over 100 species of sea birds, causing immense suffering to individual creatures and degrading vital habitats. 1 million birds and over

100,000 other sea mammals and turtles die every year from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste. this truly is one of the great environmental scourges of our time. today i can confirm that the uk will demonstrate global leadership. we must reduce the demand for plastic. reduce the number of plastics in circulation. and improve our recycling rates. we will take action at every stage of the production and consumption of plastic. as it is produced, we will encourage manufacturers to take responsibility for the impacts of their products and rationalise the number of different plastics they use. we will drive down the amount of plastic in circulation through reducing demand. government will lead the way by removing all consumer single use plastic and central government offices. and i wa nt to

central government offices. and i want to see other large organisations committed to doing the same. supermarkets also need to do much more to cut down on unnecessary plastic packaging. so we will work with them to explore introducing plastic free aisles were all the food is sold loose. and we will make it easierfor people food is sold loose. and we will make it easier for people to recycle their plastics, saw less of it ends up their plastics, saw less of it ends up in landfill or water. i want us to go up in landfill or water. i want us togoa up in landfill or water. i want us to go a step further. we have seen a powerful example over the last couple of years of the difference which a relatively simple policy can make for our environment. we started asking shoppers to pay a 5p charge for using a plastic bag in 2015. as a direct consequence we have used 9 billion fewer of them since the charge was introduced. this means the marine life around the shores of the marine life around the shores of the uk is safer, our local communities are cleaner and fewer plastic bags are ending up in landfill sites. this success should

inspire us. it shows the difference we can make. and it demonstrates that the public is willing to play its part to protect the environment. so to help achieve our goal of eliminating all avoidable plastic waste, we will extend the 5p charge to all retailers to further reduce usage. and next month we will launch a call for evidence on taxes and charges on single use plastics. we will also use the uk's international influence to drive positive change around the world. when we host the commonwealth heads of government meeting in april, we will put the sustainable development of our ocea ns sustainable development of our oceans firmly on the agenda. we will work with partners to create a commonwealth blue charter and pushed her strong action to reduce plastic waste in the oceans. and we will direct development spending to help developing nations reduce plastic waste, increase our own marine protected areas at home and

establish new blue belt protections in our overseas territories. i want the britain of the future to be a truly global britain, which is a force for good in the world. steadfast in upholding our values, not least our fierce commitment to protecting the natural environment. you can see that commitment in our work on climate change. since 2012, the carbon intensity of uk electricity has fallen by more than twice that of any other major economy. in 2016, the uk succeeded in decarbonising at a faster rate than any other g20 country. and last april, the uk had its first four—day —— full—day without any coal—fired electricity since the 1880s. we are supporting the world's poorest as they face the effects of rising sea waters and the extreme weather events associated with climate change. last month i attended the one planet summit in paris where i announced new support for countries

in the caribbean, asia and africa, to help them build resilience against natural disasters and climate extremes. we will continue to lead the world in delivering on our commitments to planet from fulfilling the environmental aspects of the un sustainable environment goals to the paris agreement. we set our commitment to phase out unabated coal—fired electricity by 2025. and through the power past coal alliance, which the uk established with canada, we are encouraging other countries to do the same. 26 nations have alreadyjoined the alliance. and i will carry on oppressing others to join. alliance. and i will carry on oppressing others tojoin. we can be proud of our success in facing up to the reality of climate change. but as the plan we are publishing today demonstrates, we are not complacent about the action needed to sustain that success in the future. and we are not complacent about the action we need to take your in the uk to improve the quality of the air in

towns and cities. since 2010, air quality has improved and will continue to improve as a result of the action we are taking, but i know there is more to do. that is why we have committed £3.5 billion to support measures to improve air quality. we are investing in electric vehicle infrastructure and new charging technologies, supporting the roll—out of low—carbon bosses and expanding cycling and walking infrastructure. injuly, we cycling and walking infrastructure. in july, we published cycling and walking infrastructure. injuly, we published our plan to tackle traffic pollution and we will end the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars by 20a0. in the last budget, we announced a £220 million clean—air fund, paid the last budget, we announced a £220 million clean—airfund, paid for by tax changes to company car tax and vehicle excise duty on new diesel ca rs. vehicle excise duty on new diesel cars. this year we will set out how government will support the transition to almost all cars and va ns transition to almost all cars and vans being zero emission by 2015. —— 2050. the uk will host a summer driving innovation towards cleaner

transport. i am determined we will do what it takes to ensure our air is clean and the new year is a time to look ahead, we are making good process on discussions with eu withdrawal. we are pursuing a modern industrial strategy that will deliver prosperity across the country. we are improving standards in schools, investing in the nhs and helping more people own their own homes. in that you are 25 environment plan, we're setting out how we will protect and renew our natural inheritance for the next generation. how we will make our air and water clea n how we will make our air and water clean our habitats more healthy and create a better world for ourselves