today at 5: interest rates are set to rise sooner than expected, though they remain on hold for now. the bank of england says growth will be faster, but the next rate rise could come as soon as may. it will be necessary to raise interest rates somewhat earlier and somewhat to a greater extent than we had thought in november. we'll have more on the bank's announcement and what it could mean for business and households. the other main stories on bbc news at 5: council tax is to go up almost everywhere in england as local authorities say they're struggle to make ends meet. one in five people working in parliament have experienced sexual harassment in the past year — a new code of conduct aims to tackle the issue. plastic pollution has reached the arctic and scientists say the contamination threatens wildlife in the pristine wilderness. and flying the flag for britain — lizzy yarnold will lead out team gb at the opening ceremony of the winter olympics tomorrow. it's 5:00pm.

our main story is the bank of england's view that interest rates will probably rise earlier than expected because of strong growth in the global economy. the key lending rate has been left unchanged at half of one per cent. but the bank's governor, mark carney, said that increasing growth in the year ahead meant that action would be needed to control inflation. the pound surged leapt in value against the dollar, as our economics correspondent andy verity reports. if the whole economy performed like this manchester maker of branded clothing, its biggest problems would be almost solved. it's growing fast, exporting to europe and boosting productivity through investment.

and while inflation caused by the weak pound boosted its costs, it's been able to absorb out and carry on winning new orders. the last 12 months, we've grown by 20% in the uk but europe has been much stronger than that, so we have more than doubled the growth rate in the uk. i'm cautiously optimistic about the future. we are making major investments over the next 12 months in technology, which will allow us to increase productivity and efficiency, and improve quality and service to our customers. the key to this company's competitiveness is speed. coming up with branded products much faster than if you ordered them from china. the speed of growth in the wider economy had been slowing but recently it's growing faster than expected and today the bank of england said it is probably growing as fast as it can without overheating. gdp growth is expected to average around one and three quarters percent over the forecast period, a little stronger than projected in november. while modest by historic standards,

this demand growth is still expected to exceed the diminished rate of supply growth over the forecast period. the key judgment for the bank of england is when the next rise in interest rates comes. today, its monetary policy committee held the official rate at 0.5%. but following the bank's warning, in the city they're saying the next rise is likely in may. prices are still rising faster than wages meaning on average your real income will buy less and less. but the bank of england's big judgment call is we will get bigger pay rises in the years to come. if they're right about that, the squeeze on living standards should start to ease. the weaker pound has raised the cost of imported goods, including raw materials for firms like this one, but because an interest rate rise is now expected soon, investors expect to make more money holding pounds. that has pushed up the value of the pound by a cent this afternoon, if it stays stronger, that should help to contain inflation.

andy verity, bbc news. almost all council tax payers in england face higher bills and charges from april because local authorities say they're struggling to make ends meet. a survey suggests around three—quarters of councils are planning an increase of at least 2.5%. that would mean more than £40 on the average bill. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy reports from guildford in surrey, one of the wealthiest regions of england, where the county council is facing a budget shortfall of more than £100 million. adult social care, children's services, transport subsidies and infrastructure projects. these are all the cornerstone services of our lives and council spending. but today's report says, in england, they're all under pressure. 0ur reseach shows councils are right on the edge financially. they are keeping services together but only doing that by whacking up council tax,

charging for everything they can and draining their reserves. today's research by the local government information unit heard from a third of english councils and found nearly all of them plan to increase council tax. with 95% of authorities saying they expect taxes to rise. 93% of councils say they expect to increase the price of services they charge for, and those figures come as eight in ten councils say they fear for their long—term financial sustainability. take surrey‘s pothole bill, the council reckons it would take £300 million to fix all of its roads. and it's got 1300 miles of roads that need repairing. it says it can't do everything. but when you tell people here their council tax is about to go up, 6%, the largest anywhere in england, well... there's not always much support. the county council has voted

to put up your council tax by 6%, what do you think? i think all of the councils are doing it, no one is pleased because we don't have enough money to go around and pay the other bills. what do you think about the fact surrey council is putting up the council tax by 6%? it's a liberty. you don't agree? i don't agree at all. nobody welcomes a tax rise but if it goes towards increased payment to carers, people will be ok with that. last week, northamptonshire county council banned all new spending and said its financial future was grave. but the government says its financial settlement for local authorities is balanced between pressures on councils and strains on taxpayers. it's for individual councils to decide what's the right balance to strike between raising money for services people want to see, funding things like adult social

care, but making the tax rises are not excessive for constituents. some have said councils are perilously close to financial collapse. resources, how to create them, how to spend them is as always at the heart of this debate. duncan kennedy, bbc news. joining us is the conservative mp bob blackman. he sits on the communities and local government select committee and is also the former deputy leader of brent council. thanks so much were joining us. thanks so much werejoining us. do you sympathise with an authority like that? there are clearly different issues affecting different ones. this cou nty affecting different ones. this county council in particular has been vocal about the pressures it faces. i have sympathy with local authorities in the position of adult social care because this is demand led and we have an ageing

demographic population and the need for actually funding that service, the decision has been made by the government to say that large element of that can be met from increases in council tax. but there are other ways that local authorities can manage their budgets. the clear issueis manage their budgets. the clear issue is that large numbers of local authorities across the country are carrying high levels of reserves which are not earmarked for any particular purpose and can be used partially, i wouldn't use them all, because that would be a good rundown of reserves. councils can look at the contracts they are placing. 0ne of the issues in local authority procurement is that they are not a lwa ys procurement is that they are not always the best procurers of services from external companies. from the profiteering from contracts. that has to be carefully looked at before people start to ask for more money. the other thing to

say is that local authorities across this country in england and wales have had a three year settlement from the government, so they knew what they were going to get and this is that the end of those three yea rs. is that the end of those three years. the government is planning a format your settlement so that there will be certainty —— a four settlement. this isn't a seven position they find themselves in. the government put in more money than they were predicting to this year so the government is meeting the council ‘s halfway. cani the council ‘s halfway. can i pick you up on the reserves? that is clearly a sensitive area. local authorities would say those are therefore extreme circumstances, we don't want to start running down oui’ reserves because we we don't want to start running down our reserves because we might need them. you are telling them to spend pa rt them. you are telling them to spend part of that. pa rt part of that. part of this is they should be using a planned use of reserves, making sure they have got sufficient reserves to c0 pe sure they have got sufficient reserves to cope with the day—to—day expenditure in the event of a crisis

and a particular problem. equally, there are local authorities that are sitting on very large levels of reserves. that money was intended to be used for investment in services and is currently not being used, it is sitting in the bank. it needs to be used that way. you have hinted about the way money is spent and how have hinted about the way money is spentand how might have hinted about the way money is spent and how might be toa to a greater iii” can to a greater iii“ can you engaged to a greater extent. can you give us an example of the way local authorities haven't achieved efficiency so far because they would say they have been doing that for several years. it is fairto several years. it is fair to say in terms of the public sector that government has been effective in making sure it is as efficient as it can be, but there are still economies that can be made. 0ne are still economies that can be made. one of the things they have to look at is how services are delivered and whether they can be delivered and whether they can be delivered in a more effective and efficient way, with wholesale looks at how the process paper, have a process things electronically,

whether they need to actually process things. i remember looking at my local authority budget, a simple application of a grant went to 20 pairs of hands before it was approved so we put a stop to that. we need to look and make sure we are being as efficient and effective as we possibly can be because times are tough and we know that under these circumstances they have got to make sure that every pound is used as effectively as possible. 0ne effectively as possible. one of your colleagues telling me the other day that he was fearing for the local elections and your prospects, giving there have been quite a few council tax raises in the offing. do you have concerns in that area? we have the london elections and the local authority elections across the country in certain areas but mainly in the metropolitan areas. the reality as it is up to local authorities to determine what their

expenditure targets are for next year and set their council tax at the level which is commensurate with that. in reality they need to make local decisions and local priorities. we are at the stage of looking at changes on business rates, which is about a third — 40% of local authority income. the money to use that for the investment in local services. this is something that those of us involved in government have been pressing for for many years and finally the government is making that happen. are you quite relaxed about the potential impact in support for conservatives in the conservative authorities with council tax rises? they clearly have to make decisions on the level of council tax. my personal view is local authorities should bear down very hard on

council tax increases, so they do the minimum increase possible and not go to the maximum level they are allowed under the capping process. that, to me, is the way that they should use it as councils. thank you very much, the conservative mp who was former deputy of brent council. the latest performance figures for hospital accident and emergency departments in england show a slight improvement in waiting times in january compared with the previous month. but despite the cancellation of routine treatments in order to deal with winter pressures, thousands of patients still had to suffer long waits before being admitted to wards. let's speak to our health correspondent nick triggle. talk us through the figures. if you cast your mind back to the start of the year, we heard reports of hospitals really struggling. ambulances queueing outside of a&e and doctors unable to find beds for

their patience. it was one of the worst on record. patients are meant to be seen, once they arrive, within four mac hours and the target is 95% to be seen in that time. just 85.3% we re to be seen in that time. just 85.3% were seen to be seen in that time. just 85.3% were seen during those hours in january. it was marginally better than december, when 85.i% january. it was marginally better than december, when 85.1% were seen. we also saw the trolley waits. that is when the patient has to be admitted on to a ward but doctors can't find a bed for them. one in five patients had a weight of over four hours. 1000 waited more than 12 hours. in the overall context, because we are talking about winter pressures which will hopefully ease in the months ahead, what about the ability of the system to respond, as we look ahead to the months ahead, the level of resources ? in one respect, health managers have

pointed out that it could have actually been much worse. we have seen actually been much worse. we have seen rising numbers of people coming into a&e and when you compare this winter to last winter, performance hasn't deteriorated significantly. very similar. hospitals are certainly working better with councils that run their care services and patients are getting out of hospital more quickly so the nhs is still a long way from their targets. nhs bosses at the weekend said it would be a year before it would potentially hit them so we will be seeing a lot more about the pressures in the nhs. one in five people working in parliament has experienced or witnessed sexual harassment in the past year according to a report released today. a cross—party working group has recommended a new code of conduct and grievance procedure for mps, peers and parliamentary staff. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo reports from westminster. the corridors of power, a workplace for thousands of people, and

after a series of sexual harassment claims last year, the subject of a cross—party review into how such complaints are made and handled. in the commons this morning, the promise of a new system to protect staff and wanting a change in culture. it is a right, not a privilege, to be treated with dignity and respect at work. and this ambitious report is a major step towards a safer and more professional environment. the report found nearly 1,500 parliamentary workers who responded to a survey, almost one in five said they had witnessed or experienced sexual harassment last year and the proposes is a new behaviour for people in parliament. a new process and new sanctions for mps found to have behaved inappropriately with a possibility of suspension and deselection in the most serious cases.

people wanting to complain about harassment and bullying in westminster have so far had to rely on their own bosses or political parties to take up their case. but having an independent confidential grievance procedure is designed to encourage more people to come forward if they have concerns. it's an attempt to shift the power dynamic here and it has been broadly welcomed by some of those who have spoken out in the past. i think it's really important that there is an independent process there. i do have concerns about anonymity but i think it's a really good report. a really good way forward. there are tougher sanctions such as recall, that mps will ultimately face, and i think they do have to have that deterrent, but also having a code of conduct is part of a culture change needed in westminster. mps will debate the proposals later this month. in a place where loyalty is highly valued, parliament hopes it can break through the culture of silence that has endured here for so long.

leila nathoo, bbc news, westminster. let's speak now to the labour mp harriet harman, who is the longest serving female mp in westminster, or the mother of the house as she's affectionately known. tell viewers, if you can, what has been announced today and how it is likely to improve things? i think it is a really important moment. i think across all sides of the house is a determination to really sort the situation out and have the highest standards. i can just remember over the decades, collea g u es just remember over the decades, colleagues of yours, young women journalists who would say they dreaded standing around in the members lobby, trying to chat to mps because they would be preyed on, knowing that they needed to go into the bars late at night to get the story and the situation, hearing from mps and being groped and having to ta ke from mps and being groped and having to take the out to lunch in order to chat to them about their work and come again, being preyed on. there

was no proper complaints procedure, it was regarded as par for the course and it was not right. and then mps saying, "we didn't know the rules. " then mps saying, "we didn't know the rules." what was actually really good about this with was a real code of conduct, you are not too leer at people and receive them. it was all about recognising that preying on young women in the house of commons is not acceptable and an independent complaints system because the thing is you have to have confidence that your complaint is going to be taken seriously or else you would never make a complaint because you would be listed as a troublemaker and it would be more problems for you. i think an independent complaints procedure with a range of sanctions, and that is important because if it isa and that is important because if it is a relatively minor offence it is like a yellow card. an mp could be warned. it is worth complaining if

an mp is stepping out of line, even if it is on the minor end, just to make sure the standards are at the highest. there is a vote going on. you mention the independent process. can you tell us how the independence is maintained? i think it will not involve people who are in the heart of the parliamentary process, because what passed for a complaint system in the past was complaining to the whips, so past was complaining to the whips, so there was no semblance of an independent system. this is all going to be discussed further that the independent body will feed into the independent body will feed into the other processes which are there to prevent things like financial abuse. this is going to be debated in the house of commons that it is

the moment the house has shown its seriousness and it is a doubly good thing. the overall majority of male mps wouldn't dream of sexually preying on young women in the house of commons, or young preying on young women in the house of commons, oryoung men. but actually, too many have got away with it for two long and this is the moment it stops. that is an important point but i would ask you then surprised by the extent of the problem of the response is one in five people working there have either seen something they thought was totally unacceptable or indeed suffered or the victims themselves. u nfortu nately the victims themselves. unfortunately it is the case that if the potential predators have impunity then actually itjust happens over and over again and even though it is a minority carrying it out come i am sure, if it is possible for people to do it and get

away with it, they don't stop doing it. i think this is an important moment and it is notjust here in the house of commons, i think in all workplaces and needs to be a proper code of conduct and processes and those who want to complain will have to have the confidence their complaint will be taken seriously. a group of mps are leading an inquiry into fake news and are in washington to hear evidence from tech firms on what they are doing to tackle the problem. take for example this picture of a woman which was taken during the westminster attack last year. a twitter account generated by a russian bot tweeted: "muslim woman pays no mind to the terror attack, "casually walks by a dying man while checking phone." in fact the picture was taken completely out of context and twitter later shut down the account.

there are many examples of this misleading or fabricated news. there are many examples of this misleading orfabricated news. a range of questionable motives. joining me now from washington is david carroll, associate professor of media design at the new school, new york who will be speaking as an expert witness at the hearing in less than an hour's time. thank you forjoining us. can you tell us what you think this might achieve? the session is very interesting to watch. i have seen the session with google and facebook and twitter is going on right now. mps are asking very pointed questions about the responsibility that the platforms have in circumstances of not only spreading fake news or disinformation, the economic models they are in, but also the political aspects of targeting voters, the

funding transparency of who is paying for advertising. it is very interesting. what did you make of the defence as it was presented by the firm ‘s? in many cases they are very defensive about the allegations that they are responsible should be further regulated, but at the same time they are explaining the things they are trying to do to take control of some of these situations. they are also acknowledging they need do better. the mps are hammering on the land of many they are spending, a tiny fraction of their advertising revenue, so they are getting at the business conflict in the ad supported business model and what percentage is being spent on public interest. that point has been hammered away and we have heard it in westminster. the extent of the investment these firms are making in trying to bring forward new measures, do you think

the case they are making is a credible one? they are certainly describing the things they are trying to do but the pressure for them to do more is palpable, so it will be interesting to see what the companies continue to see what the companies continue to do to expand. but it is also getting at the fundamental problem of how their business model has drained advertising revenue from the business of journalism and drained advertising revenue from the business ofjournalism and so local jewellers and —— localjournalism and other forms of media have jewellers and —— localjournalism and otherforms of media have been harmed by companies capturing the business. they do acknowledge that they need to leave money on the table to solve some of these problems but there is a systemic problems but there is a systemic problem to the business model that is really ha rd problem to the business model that is really hard to get at. these are obviously british parliamentarians who are carrying out this enquiry so is there a significant overlap between what they are talking about and politicians in the states? yes, there are some overlaps and

both are being discussed, where things collect, and there are overla ps. things collect, and there are overlaps. topics relevant both to the united states and the united kingdom. some companies operate across international lines. it is about an integrative approach that mps have ta ken about an integrative approach that mps have taken and it is no coincidence they are here giving it. of course, we will have more details of that media session for you from dc throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. brexit secretary david davis has dismissed the impact assessments, those economic impact assessments which were published earlier this week which predict how different regions of the uk will fare economically after britain leaves the eu. there were lots of scenarios within

them. he has also reacted to the word from brussels, the threat saying it will restrict access to the single market during the transition period if there is some kind of disagreement which involves the european court ofjustice. there are two things going on here. mr davies addressing two of these things. interesting to note how he has responded. let's return to our political correspondent to tell us more about it in westminster. 0ne more about it in westminster. one thing he is not addressing, i can tell you, is these two meetings of the exit sub committee taking place today and yesterday. he said they were productive. it was about what kind of future relationship we might have with the european union. nothing fruitful. this so—called intimidation or transition period and this backdrop of the league obtained by the bus feed website. is

adjusted every single region in the united kingdom will do less well economically over the next four yea rs if economically over the next four years if they were to remain members. today this ditty best to distance himself from those —— mr davies did his best to distance himself from them. every single financial forecast on brexit has been proved wrong. this isa brexit has been proved wrong. this is a work in progress. i have actually said we will publish before the government makes a final deal, we will publish economic estimates that they will be complete, properly completed economic estimates. you wouldn't drive a car that is half finished so you shouldn't listen to a forecast that is half complete.

thirdly, even that work in progress didn't use, didn't assess what our actual aim is. our policy aim. didn't use, didn't assess what our actualaim is. our policy aim. it didn't use, didn't assess what our actual aim is. our policy aim. it is about other things that might look like it but are not it and we intend to publish something at the end of this exercise that shows what it means— this exercise that shows what it mea ns— progress this exercise that shows what it means— progress for britain. we are still waiting to find out what kind of deal the government will ask for and what kind of bespoke do it might ultimately get that to be fair to david davies, the bank of england has upgraded its forecasts for economic growth so he and other brexit supporters will say that this forecasting was wrong. he was quite restrained on that rebuttal but much prickly when he was asked about what was going on in brussels. the commission sets out the directives for the negotiations on the limitation period, the two yea rs on the limitation period, the two years after we leave the european

union, but there is then the suggestion if we were to breach any rules of the european union or perhaps not implement any new rules, there might not be time to refer the whole thing to the european court of justice and we could be denied access to part of or indeed all of the single market. this is what he said in response. it was hardly a political document —— hardlya it was hardly a political document —— hardly a legal document, it was a political document. we are trying to build a bridge where we work well together and i do not think it was in good faith to publish the document which, frankly, discourteous language and frankly implying that they could arbitrarily terminate, in fact, the limitation period. that is not in good faith and we think it is unwise. in the past hour this has appeared.

it is relevant to that. the government suggesting that we retain all the benefits and indeed burdens of the continued eu trade deals with the rest of the world during that in limitation period. something they are trying to get agreement on. no sign yet, necessarily, that brussels will agree on it. very interesting. thank you very much. time for the weather forecast. sunshine at a premium today. we did have some blue sky and sunshine today but the cloud has arrived and we have got some rain pushing in from the north—west. it is this weather front splitting the country, bringing some heavy rain for a time

of the night and as it clears the way it will introduce cold showers. so, the rain is heaviest across the south—west, through wales and into the midlands. behind it we can see a mix of rain, sleet and snow, chiefly snow. that is where the coldest temperatures are likely to be. lo ‘s down to minus four celsius. we start off the morning with a wintry mix with snow showers in the north—west, rain, sleet and snow down in the south—east corner and behind we could see a little more in the way brighter, sunny spells. it is particularly warm out there with the wind direction back down towards westerly with temperatures struggling. more details at the top of the hour. this is bbc news, the headlines... interest rates could rise sooner

than expected. the bank of england says they could go up in may. council tax is to go up almost everywhere in england , as local authorities say they're struggling to make ends meet. it could mean more than £40 will be added to the average bill. one in five people working in parliament have experienced sexual harassment in the past year. a new code of conduct aims to tackle the issue. two training accidents over the past 24 hours means that she has had to pull out of the games. 0ur reporter

joins us now. we know it is a dangerous sport, what she does. she says that is part of the thrill of it but desperately unlucky. her first games. she has a fractured heel first games. she has a fractured heel. she has to have surgery as a result. she has posted pictures of herself in hospital. as you say, it has been a difficult time. she suffered a fall in training. she had a scan which confirmed the severity of the injury. this all comes 24 hours after she suffered a wrist fracture as well. she posted pictures of that as well. she was intending to compete this weekend, suffered another fall and her campaign is over. any real setback for her and the team. she was a talented snowboarder with a realistic chance of a medal. she won a bronze medal in a test event, the

bronze in 2017 and gold in a world cup bronze in 2017 and gold in a world cu p eve nt bronze in 2017 and gold in a world cup event last year, the first briton to achieve that. u nfortu nately, briton to achieve that. unfortunately, because of those injuries she would have an opportunity for an olympic medal. the tottenham head coach has called on the football association to assess the state of rochdale's pitch ahead of their tie later this month. it isa ahead of their tie later this month. it is a state. when half the fee is to be completely devoid of grass. rochdale's forsbrand replay was only two nights ago and was allowed to go ahead despite their previous two home games being postponed. they are due to play their a week on sunday. it was like i saw in the picture, i couldn't play for. that is my point of view. not because we are totte n ha m , of view. not because we are tottenham, no. ithink

of view. not because we are tottenham, no. i think rochdale cannot play two. maybe the fa cup will have to go in and take a decision. after their heavy defeat to wales in the opening weekend of the six nations, scotland have made six changes to their starting 15 folsom no‘s game against france at murrayfield. from a captain greg laidlaw was on the bench in cardiff and will start. sean maitland, ryan wilson are also back in. he has been the captain of the site for a couple of seasons. he drives a log of the standards on and off of the field so having him back in the group isa the field so having him back in the group is a positive, seeing him play so well and being desperate to be backin so well and being desperate to be back in the squad, back in the team. we should get his experience on the

field, which should help others around him. after the fixture against italy, events have made a couple of changes. jonathan joseph is back events have made a couple of changes. jonathanjoseph is back in, starting instead of then tmo who drops delivering rich. danny care replaces ben youngs at scrum—half. danny care will become the most capped scrum—half for england, starting against the welsh. great britain's mark cavendish has apologised to his team—mates after failing to make an impact in the sprint finish of the - of he won stage three, holding off attacks. it is his first stage wind of the year, his third overall. ad is all the sport for now. much more on the website. at 6:30pm. the ruling body of the freemasons in

england and wales has placed full—page advertisements in several major newspapers demanding an end to what they call the "discrimination" against their members. the united grand lodge of england says it welcomes individuals from all walks of life and masons are "undeservedly stigmatised" for their membership. there are about 200,000 male freemasons and 4,700 female freemasons in the uk. the letter is quite strongly worded, basically saying this has to stop. that's good to write and talk to christine chapman, a grand master in the world of female freemasonry. thank you for coming in to join us and talk to us. can i ask a straight question— how does female freemasonry in its values and the way it works differ from the male version? it doesn't. the only difference is

we admit women. 0therwise, it doesn't. the only difference is we admit women. otherwise, we work on the same principles. the same lines and ceremonies. i understood people could approach you andjoin understood people could approach you and join whereas with the male version it had to be by invitation. no, it's not by invitation, people can broach us but they have to be approved by us as being suitable candidates. what are the appeals ofjoining, for you? what would you say to someone? well, it depends because it's an the... you can find appeal at all sorts of levels, enjoyment from it from the wonderful social circle of friends and for women in particular it provides a social support network. it allows people to work to raise funds for charity. it is about

self improvement and becoming a better person. so, with that in mind... also, the esoteric nature. i was going to ask about the dissemination claims today. sorry to interrupt. have you experienced discrimination and for what reason have people been discriminated against at the freemasons? i haven't experienced any discrimination because i am a woman freemason but i am rather tired of reading all of this sensationalist headlines because they are mostly based on hearsay — a friend of a friend knows someone who knows someone so we are all tarred with the same brush as though we are all somehow corrupt. we are all very honest and honourable people and we make it a point to be people of integrity. is it something to do within the past it used to be a very secretive

organisation? yes, and there was a very good reason for the secrecy, because before the second world war they we re before the second world war they were very, very open and details of meetings were published in papers. the masons marched on the streets but hitler took it upon himself to persecute the freemasons on the continent and they ended up in the gas chambers and so there was a real fear that britain would be invaded and so the united grand lodge of england sort of went very secret because they were seriously worried members would be singled out and slaughtered. so unfortunately it took seven possibly another three decades before they realised that this secrecy policy have backfired on them and was creating this terrible image of men that had something to hide and that they were somehow secret conspiracies going on to overthrow the government. now they are much more open and trying

to dispel all of these silly rumours and myths around them. you know it is because people perceive them to be back room or secret influence in organisations such as the police or any high profile institution you would like to quote and that is why people are suspecting them of being a negative influence. what would you say to that? i would say that historically they may have been a lot more police but you will find fewer and fewer because it is so frowned upon that masons are discriminated against and people wa nt to discriminated against and people want to demand to know who the members are things like this. people ina similarwalk members are things like this. people in a similar walk of life in a society or club or organisation will automatically gravitate towards people that they know very well and asi people that they know very well and as i said, a lot of these rumours

are based upon people saying, i know someone who knows someone. and if someone who knows someone. and if someone doesn't get a promotion maybe it is because they are not good enough to have that promotion that they have got a very convenient excuse to blame freemasonry. this letter, g think it will have any this letter, g think it will have a ny effect this letter, g think it will have any effect at all? i think it will make many people stop and think. u nfortu nately, make many people stop and think. unfortunately, some of the internet trolls will never let the information get in the way of blind prejudiced. christine chapman, it is very good to talk to you, a grandmaster in the world of freemasonry down there in brighton. thank you very much. thank you, it's been a great pleasure. christine chapman, we are grateful for her to —— to have a joining us and her reaction to that letter published in many major newspapers. more on our main story, the bank of england has said that interest rates will probably rise

earlier than expected because of strong global growth. the key lending rate has been left unchanged at 0.5%. but the bank's governor, mark carney, said that an increased prediction of growth in the coming year in the uk meant action would be needed to control inflation. let's hear what mr carney had to say. we expect that, in order to return inflation sustainably to target, recognising that we expect the economy to move into a situation of excess demand and inflation still to be above target in a three year horizon, in order to bring it back to target over a more conventional target, which means moving it in from that three—year horizon, that it will likely be necessary to raise interest rates to a limited degree, ina interest rates to a limited degree, in a gradual process, but somewhat earlier and to a somewhat greater

extent earlier and to a somewhat greater exte nt tha n earlier and to a somewhat greater extent than we thought in november. and that reflects the evolution of the forecast. stronger world, slightly less supply, greater excess demand, change in the trade—off. so the message is not more rapidly, i would caveat that in terms of that. it is somewhat sooner and a somewhat greater extent. given the relatively limited amount spec capacity in the prospects for the economy, that some modest and limited adjustment and gradual adjustment of interest rates is possible, the degree of the exact timing will be determined by how the economy unfolds and, let me state something that is very, very obvious to anyone, lest people think we don't recognise it, but it is of course a crucial year for the don't recognise it, but it is of course a crucial yearfor the brexit negotiations and of course we will all be better informed, we hope, by certainly this time next year about the future trading relationship with

the future trading relationship with the eu and that will have an affect. it could be positive, could be negative, could be neutral, on businesses and households and the outlook for the economy and for inflation. that was mark carney, the governor of the bank of england, speaking earlier today with the hint that interest rates may have to rise as early as may this year. these are the headlines for your bbc news. interest rates remaining on hold but expected to rise sooner and faster than expected. council taxes are to go almost everywhere in england as local authorities say they are struggling to make ends meet. 0ne local authorities say they are struggling to make ends meet. one in five people in parliament have experienced sexual harassment in the past year. a new code of conduct aims to tackle that problem. a quick look at the market numbers for you today. london and frankfurt in negative territory. trading is still going on in the states, the latest figures there for you but some pretty significant losses in

some pretty significant losses in some areas. we were talking earlier about the prospective rise in council tax in lots of parts of england because financial pressure as well as councils struggle with that mounting pressures , councils struggle with that mounting pressures, it has been revealed that low pay and overwhelming challenges of work mean that adult care services in england can no longer fill key posts that they have. that's according to the national audit office, which claims a lack of government planning and funding has undermined the sector at a time when demand is increasing. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has more details. it isa it is a busy lunchtime at northfield nursing home at sheffield. demanding work for the care staff who are looking at the residence with a high level of lead and —— of need and today's report outlines how difficult it has become to find the people needed to provide this vital care. joyce? it's only me, sorry to bother you. tammy is the nursing

lead here. finding care staff generally is a problem but she says attracting nurses has become a real issue for them. i don't think it is as attractive as maybe the nhs, where you have got your salary packages, enhanced rates of pay, unsociable hours, and i think it's ha rd unsociable hours, and i think it's hard work. it's busy, it's unsociable hours, and i think it's hard work. it's busy, its constant, you've got to be on the ball 24 hours a day. the report also says that with council struggling with budget cuts, the money they pay for ca re budget cuts, the money they pay for care doesn't cover costs and according to the boss of this home, some providers have had no choice but to close or risk the quality of ca re but to close or risk the quality of care falling. the only way that these operators can continue is to cut the standard, because fundamentally, the funding issue is impacting on the resources, the workers and the delivery of care. the national audit office says while working care can be rewarding, many staff feel undervalued. in 2016—17,

more than half of the workforce was paid £7 50 an hour or less. in the same year, staff turnover was needed 28% and six points 6% ofjobs were vacant. but it says there is no government strategy for tackling the problems. only the department of health can produce a workforce strategy that speaks to the national picture about the problems of low pay, low prestige and high turnover rates, which is reducing quality of service for people receiving care. in response, the department for health and social care says extra money is being put into social care and that it will soon publish a strategy for the help and care workforce. britain's 0lympic skeleton champion lizzy yarnold says she was lost for words when she was told she'd be carrying the flag for team gb at tomorrow's opening ceremony of the games in south korea. lizzy carried the flag at the closing ceremony last time round in sochi after winning

gold four years ago and she's aiming to become the first flying the flag for team gb. lizzy yarnold ready to lead out her country, a fitting tribute for an athlete who has led the way in her sport. it was in sochi four years ago that she raced to britain's only gold medal of the games. lizzy yarnold as 0lympic gold medal of the games. lizzy yarnold as olympic champion! and if that was special, is she says so was being chosen as the team flag bearer. it is an honour that i never really thought about but actually means so much, because the flag represents the whole team and we as a team represent everyone in great britain who have watched us, who have supported us and for our

pa rents to have supported us and for our parents to watch us on the tv screen, my parents watching at home _by screen, my parents watching at home —— by grandparents, that is the moment when they say great britain and yourskin moment when they say great britain and your skin tingles and the emotions begin. whilst the games don't officially start until tomorrow, there was the first sporting action today, including an 0lympic debut for mixed curling. but elsewhere, there is already controversy elsewhere, there is already co ntrove rsy over elsewhere, there is already controversy over russia. yet more of their athletes could be allowed to compete as neutrals, despite their country being banned as doping and some believe russia are yet to learn their lesson. i think it would be very good for russia now to accent the problem that they had and somehow they have but there is still relu cta nce somehow they have but there is still reluctance to go further, to stop fighting the evidence that everyone has agreed are clearly on the table and to turn the page and be good citizens, come back in the international community and be part of the group again. the other big talking point here is still the

freezing temperatures. it has been milder today but fans at tomorrow night's 0pening milder today but fans at tomorrow night's opening ceremony will be given blankets and warm conditions. it promises to be a shivering start to these games. there is stark new evidence today of plastic rubbish contaminating the pristine wilderness of the arctic. animals are becoming ensnared in plastic waste while scientists say there are far more plastic particles in one litre of sea ice than in open water. they say they've found plastic pollution almost everywhere they've looked in the arctic ocean. 0ur environment analyst roger harrabin has been to tromso in the norwegian arctic. a warning that you may find some of the images in his report upsetting. plastic pollution is drifting to the furthest corners of the planet. the arctic sea ice is created when sea breezes. it looks pristine, but scientists are finding that it

definitely is not. in fact, ice co res definitely is not. in fact, ice cores shows that cl definitely is not. in fact, ice cores shows that ci is contained small fragments of plastic per square metre than anywhere else in the ocean. it is because sea ice freezes from the top and that is exactly where the plastic bits floating. 0ne litre of melted ci is contained 234 plastic fragments like these. the numbers are way higher than i think most people expected and higher than what i expected and it shows that it is a serious problem and you have a situation in the world now that there is nowhere thatis the world now that there is nowhere that is so far away that it is not affected by plastic waste. there is plastic on the beaches, too. as local, so —— conservationist is trying forlornly to clear them up. here is what the plastic does. these

a ntlers here is what the plastic does. these antlers of the reindeer were trapped by discarded fishing net. it died. this arctic tern met its death by starvation. and see the strapping around the belly of this bearded seal. i have collected this waste in just a few seconds. some fragments come from norway but some clearly don't, like this elaborate bottle or this butter tub from spain. and the plastic is here with a vengeance. several years ago, it was predicted plastic pollution would enter the arctic and indeed, that is the case now. we are finding plastic along the coastlines in the arctic, from urban areas to remote areas and the more we look for the plastics, the more we look for the plastics, the more we look for the plastics, the more we are finding. arctic scientists don't know yet whether the plastic tide will affect local fish stocks, but it is another human threat to a fragile environment already being transformed by man—made climate change. coming up

is bbc news at six with fiona today with all the latest on the day's news. i will be back at ten. louise is back with the weather. thank you, all the weather action is across the globe as you can see quite nicely. let's zoom in to the uk and look at more detail at this weather front here that will bring some heavy rain across the west overnight and behind it, some wintry showers to look out for through tomorrow. and so underneath that cloud and weather front, we have closed the day out like this, i'm afraid, across wales, rather grey and wet in places. this is the radar over the last few hours, you can see it pepping up over the west and wales and that is the story for a few hours to come. the rain will sweep south and east through the midlands and into the london area and behind it, showers piling in and temperatures likely to fall away in the far north and west. that is where we will sue the lowest values, potentially down to —4 in

the glens of scotland. the more blue tones denoting freezing and it is towards northern ireland and scotland. that is where the showers will linger first scotland. that is where the showers will lingerfirst thing scotland. that is where the showers will linger first thing in the morning. it will have pepped up through wales and the midlands by this little fella here, so wintry mix. further north, snow is the risk and with temperatures freezing, there could be ice first thing in there could be ice first thing in the morning. this is the wintry mix, rain, sleet and snow, out of wales, into the midlands, east anglia and down perhaps to the north of london as we go through the early morning. that will linger towards friday lunchtime, clear away and behind it, somewhat brighter conditions. a colder feel with the north—westerly wind but temperatures will peak at around 4—7 and any showers on the north or west tasting post will be of snow. for england and wales, a cold night. widespread frost likely in the morning. different story further north and west, the cloud and rain starts to gather and

another area of low pressure will bring snow to scotland for a time in the early hours of saturday morning but it will be rain as it moves across england and wales. a rather grim saturday afternoon, i suspect. not great for the rugby, it means it is going to be a wet and windy affair. the best of any brighter weather will be through scotland and northern ireland and even when we lose that front into sunday, we still have the wind direction coming from the north—westerly and look at all the showers and, yes, they will be snow, falling even at a lower level. so the cold theme really is going to be an issue. primarily rain on saturday but snow showers developing for the second half of the weekend and the winds could be a feature as well so any lying snow could be blown around significantly. hospital a&es in england record their worst ever waiting times last month since records began. a thousand patients waited 12 hours on trolleys without being cared for by any medical staff at all. there is a breaking point,

we wonder how long our hard work and goodwill and our enthusiasm and care and professional attitude, how that can be sustained over a long period of time. making things worse, and report finds that social care is being undermined through a lack of government funding. we're with doctors and paramedics in east london and at a care home in sheffield to hear from patients and staff. also tonight... businesses are warned an interest rate rise could come soon though it's kept at nought point five per cent today. -- 0.5%. mps could be expelled under