hello, it's monday, it's nine o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to the programme. the top story today... tributes are pouring in for the top story today... tributes are pouring infora the top story today... tributes are pouring in for a sir ken .com or one of the last great musical acts of his time, who has died at the age of 90 and will be best remembered for jokes like this. tickled i am by all this goodwill. what about you mrs, have you been tickled by goodwill? freud said a laugh was a sudden explosion of psychic energy. the trouble with freud was he never played second house friday night at glasgow empire. we'll pay tribute to the man best known for his tickling stick and epic performances. also on the programme — the prime minister will meet the national security council to hear the latest intelligence on the nerve agent attack on the russian father employed by britain as a spy. it comes as salisbury residents voice concern they're being kept in the dark. i'd like to know what precautions i personally can take rather than just watching my clothes. what long—term

implications are there to me and my wife. --? we'll get reaction. and it has been described as the worst grooming scandal in the country. 1000 young girls abused in telford. we bring you details. hello. welcome to the programme, we're live until 11. throughout the morning, the latest breaking news and developing stories. a little later we'll talk about these popular baby sleep products, which are sold on the high street but can pose a risk to babies — we'll tell parents what to look out for. we are having that conversation about 20 minutes to ten. and we'll bring you more on former england and liverpool defender jamie carragher‘s applogy, after a video showed him spitting towards a 14—year—old girl. do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about this morning — use the hashtag victoria live. and if you text, you will be charged

at the standard network rate. our top story today — sir ken dodd, the much loved comedian, has died at the age of 90. described by his publicist as "one of the last music hall greats", sir ken was known for his marathon stage performances and the creation of the diddy men and the tickling stick. the performerfrom liverpool had recently spent six weeks in hospital with a chest infection. on friday, he married his partner of a0 years, annejones. caroline davies looks back at his life. tickling sticks and diddy men — ken dodd was a variety performer with a gift for the surreal. what a brilliant day for going up to count von zeppelin and saying, "you'll never sell a sausage that size!" and the love of a catchphrase or three. how tickled i am! how tickled i am by all this goodwill. what about you, missus? have you been tickled by goodwill? # knick—knocky, knick—knock, knick—knocky knick—knack! knicky—knacky—noo! proud of his merseyside roots, the coal merchant's son from knotty ash became a chart—topping singer, a television star, and a ventriloquist.

doddy! hi—ya, doddy! although silly on stage, dodd was serious about his craft. freud said that a laugh is a sudden explosion of psychic energy. of course, the trouble with freud was he never played second house friday night at glasglow empire. he still lived in the home he grew up in, and guarded his private life carefully. in 1989, that was shattered when he faced charges of massive tax evasion. he had 20 offshore bank accounts, and more than £300,000 hidden around his house. he was acquitted and continued performing. last year, he was given a knighthood in recognition of his charity and comedy work. we shall have one or two glasses of tickle tonic, and then we shall go back to knotty ash up north, knotty ash on merseyside, and i shall see the diddy men there, so i'll give your regards to them.

aged 90, dodd was recently hospitalised with a chest infection, but he still wanted to go back on stage. i look forward to getting back to doing myjob — the onlyjob that i have ever had, the onlyjob that i know. # happiness, happiness. after more than 60 years of making others laugh, it was performing to the british public that dodd said gave him enormous happiness. happiness! and caroline davies is here now. caroline, in the final few days he married his long term partner? he did, yes, to his partner of the 40 he did, yes, to his partner of the a0 yea rs, he did, yes, to his partner of the a0 years, and jones. she wasn'tjust his partner but one of his supporting acts. she was a singer and dancer. we have heard from his publicist that apparently after he left hospital yesterday she would like to get married. they had had a

very long engagement. that was on friday. so many tributes? there have been many. one was from comedian gary delaney, who made reference to the fact that ken dodd's show tended to go on for a while. he said one of the great of all time, the funeral will be held on wednesday, thursday, friday and most of saturday. dara o'briain called him an education to watch. fellow liverpudlian remembered him fondly and said your city will miss you terribly. -- claire sweeney. thank you. joanna gosling is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the rest of the day's news. good morning. the government's national security council will meet today, to discuss the nerve agent attack in salisbury of a former russian intelligence officer and his daughter. the group, chaired by the prime minister, will be given the latest evidence and intelligence on the attack, before deciding what action should be taken. yesterday, hundreds of people who were in the same pub and restaurant as the victims were warned to wash their clothes

and other belongings they had on them at the time. there are claims that up to 1,000 children may have been abused in the shropshire town of telford over a a0 year period — and mps are now calling foran inquiry. seven men have already been convicted, but it's thought others have escaped charges. it's thought the unfolding scandal in telford could be the worst the country has ever seen. at least five people were killed after a helicopter crashed into the east river in new york last night. the pilots —— pilot managed to free himself. the helicopter, chartered for a photo shoot. an investigation will be held to determine the cause of the crash. a bitter row has broken out at the top of the labour party, with a shadow cabinet minister being removed from her post, apparently against her will. the labour party says debbie abrahams stepped down as the spokeswoman on work and pensions, while what is described as an "employment issue" is investigated. but mrs abrahams claims she's the victim of a bullying culture in the party.

jamie carragher has apologised, after a video showed the former england and liverpool defender spitting at a girl in a car the footballer, who's now a tv pundit, had been covering his former side's 2—1 defeat by manchester united on saturday. footage has emerged of mr carragher spitting toward the vehicle from his own car. on twitter, he said he'd been provoked, but described his actions as "totally out of order" almost two thirds of doctors in some parts of the uk say they feel patient safety has deteriorated over the past year, according to a new report. the royal college of gps is and has found growing pressures on nhs staff has led to some concerns about patient care. adina campbell reports. with the nhs coming out one of the toughest winters on record, a new report by the royal college of gps is and is claims most of care have got worse over the past 12 months.

more than 1500 doctors in england, wales and northern ireland replied to the same questions they were asked during a similar period a year ago. 6a% said they felt patient care had deteriorated. 10% higher than last year. had deteriorated. 10% higher than last yea r. 93% had deteriorated. 10% higher than last year. 93% said they had experienced staff shortages, up again by almost 10%. and 85% said they had seen a rising demand for their service, 7% higher than 12 months ago. doctors crying on their way home or distress calls to older patients because of substandard care we re patients because of substandard care were delays in social care, were some of the anonymous stories reported to the royal college of physicians. the government says it is absolutely committed to making the nhs the safest health care system in the world. with nearly £3 billion in extra funding allocated to ordered over the next two years.

but some doctors say they often feel they are having to do more for less. senior conservatives have criticised an attack made by the liberal democrat leader, sir vince cable, on brexit voters. sir vince accused them of being mainly older people, who'd blighted the hopes of younger people because they felt nostalgic about the days when britain's population was largely white. the communities secretary, sajid javid, described his remarks as disrespectful. a police investigation as an honest after people across the country received anti—muslim letters in the post. the document caused for —— calls for a punishing muslim day in october and suggests a number of violent acts. a council facing financial problems, has been accused of using millions of pounds of money ring—fenced for public health to prop up other services. the bbc‘s inside out east programme has learned northamptonshire county council may have to return as much as £10 million to public health england. the bbc is urging the united nations to support the staff and families of its persian television service,

which broadcasts from london into iran and the region. the un's human rights council in geneva will discuss a report describing how relatives of bbc staff in iran have been detained and subjected to travel bans. future students will be able to make consumer—style comparisons of degree courses when choosing their university. under government plans, universities in england would be graded on areas such as the chances of employment, potential earnings and drop—out rates. the department for education says the new system would expose poor teaching and help students get value for money. the annual crufts dog show had to be temporarily halted, after two protesters stormed the venue. as this year's winner, a two and a half year old whippet called tease, made her way to the podium, this happened. two demonstrators from the animal rights group peta emerged from the audience. they were quickly chased down and subdued by security staff. you can see here the quick reaction of tease's owner, moving him out of harm's way.

no animals or owners were harmed. that's a summary of the latest bbc news. more at 9.30. thank you. do get in touch with us throughout the morning. you can send us an e—mail and message was on facebook. time for sport now with will and let's talk about the winter paralympics because britain's snowboarders have made their debut but it wasn't a great start, was it? no, it wasn't the best start. they have had a nightmare at the winter paralympics. have had a nightmare at the winter pa ralympics. temperatures were have had a nightmare at the winter paralympics. temperatures were up at 18 degrees. they have had to reschedule some of the events, especially the events on snow. the snowboard cross was moved forward as they tried to get that out of the way with better snow in the morning. it didn't go that way. they have a metal release date. james

barnes—miller got out. this metal gate wasn't working. they stuck a bungee jump caught on the side. that is the snowboarders coming out. this caused huge delays. it said everyone back. we can see owen pick, the flag bearerfor back. we can see owen pick, the flag bearer for a back. we can see owen pick, the flag bearerfor a team back. we can see owen pick, the flag bearer for a team gb at the opening ceremony. this is him. losing his first eliminator in snowboard cross. all three britons not making the semifinal. owen pick said the delay affected his performance. there were talks of the coaches cancelling it and doing it another day. it was like, guys, come on, this is the paralympics. it was tough. it was really tough. it was a shame that today has gone the way it has gone

in general, because we wanted to put ona in general, because we wanted to put on a good show. not great news. but they will all get another chance in the slalom. paralympic gb curling team is doing pretty well and they have an interesting fan? they do. mr t. he isa interesting fan? they do. mr t. he is a huge curling fan. he really got into it during the winter olympics in february. he has tweeted today, saying, wheelchair curling... he says he has so much respect and a lot of admiration for the paralympian ‘s. the paralympics gb curlers dominated their second game of the day against finland, beating the 9-2. of the day against finland, beating the 9—2. they were beaten earlier in the 9—2. they were beaten earlier in the day by switzerland. defeat and two wins for them. tomorrow they

ta ke two wins for them. tomorrow they take on sweden and canada. safe to say mr t will be watching. thank you. good morning. welcome. there are calls for an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in telford in shropshire, where it's thought up to 1,000 children could have been abused there over a ao—year period. the stories we'll hear this morning are horrific. girls as young as 11 who were drugged, beaten and raped. mps are calling for an inquiry, with claims the scandal could be the worst the country has ever seen. to give you a sense of the scale, telford has a population of around 170,000 people —1,000 of those young girls — are thought to have been abused. sex grooming gangs in rotherham are thought to have targetted around 1,a00. the population there is 260,000. there are also allegations that the abuse could be linked to three murders and two deaths

in the town. as with other grooming scandals, we've seen the victims are mainly white, and the abusers mainly british pakistani or bangladeshi men. seven men have been convicted, but it's thought others have escaped charges. we can speak now to kathleen hallisey, who is a lawyer specialising in child abuse. thank you for talking to us. you've worked on similar abuse scandals. what do you draw from what we know of this one? it's a disgrace and essentially it means there's no end to the sexual abuse scandals we are going to see in this country. why do you say that? just when we think we have reached the tip of the iceberg, most recently it is football abuse,

we seem to think that is the end and it isn't the end and i think we will continue to seek more sexual abuse scandals. —— to see more. in your experience, how does the abuse of so many victims stay covered up for so long? we see that people in positions of authority don't take these allegations seriously, they blame the victims and that allows the cover—up and the abuse to carry on for decades. we have learned so much in terms of how victims present. presumably in the future those in authority would not necessarily treat alleged victims in similar ways to the past? i hope so, but looking at information from the abuse scandal we have in telford, those lessons don't seem to have trickled down to social workers and police. we are talking about very

recent allegations. in terms of some of the men convicted, that was in 2013, and what is new now is the scale of abuse in telford. the figures estimate up to 1000 children could have fallen victim to abuse gangs in telford. yes, looking at people who were unfortunately victimised and abuse, they are very recent allegations. the local mp lucy allen says there has to be an independent inquiry into what's happened in telford, would you agree with that? absolutely, i don't think we can end it here. we definitely need a public inquiry, the victims need a public inquiry, the victims need justice. many of these victims will not come forward. again, i am extremely concerned that have been continued failings by police and

social workers and i think a broader inquiry needs to look in depth at those issues. we need to be educating people in positions of authority of how to deal with these and that victims should not be seen as criminals. i don't mean this fli ppa ntly as criminals. i don't mean this flippantly but why don't people read the rotherham inquiry outcome? the lessons a re the rotherham inquiry outcome? the lessons are there. absolutely they are there but they don't seem to have been learned so maybe we need another inquiry with more attention on that inquiry. 0k, thank you for talking to us. we will have plenty more on this story tomorrow on the programme. the number of rough sleepers in the uk has more than doubled in the last eight years — in every major british town or city you will see someone sleeping on the streets. in london its estimated that one in every 59 people is homeless or living in inadequate housing like bed and breakfast,

rooms or hostels. now one group of homeless people in london have decided to take matters into their own hands. they've taken over an empty four—storey building in the heart of the capital's west end and say anyone without a home is welcome. on wednesday the group, calling themselves the sofia solidarity centre, will go to court to fight a possession orderfrom the landlord in a bid to stay. we gained access to the building and spoke to some of the volunteers and people living there. heavy snowfall has hit many parts of the uk, with the south east and north—east of england seeing up to 13 centimetres of snow and temperatures of minus 12. for people living on the streets, these conditions are treacherous. you see it in doorways. people just look at you like you're scum. you're stuck in a position where you're going to be lost in the system for a very long time. during the cold weather, it became

apparent that people are dying. we had to do something about it, so an empty building was found and it now has 100 or more residents, who are eating, sleeping and being comfortable and not dying. we're kind of happy with that. ok, so when we have somebody new come in, they come in the front door, they'll be greeted here. we'll ask them what they need, how they are, what their priority is, whether they want to go straight to sleep, to eat, and we have the kitchen down the end there. we can provide and are providing hot, nutritious food all the time. there's tea and coffee, some medical supplies, and we have people who know how to look after people. so if somebody needs

some attention to wounds or infections, we can do that. we have been donated a huge amount of clothing, bedding, so whatever the people need and whatever their priorities are, we can look after them. we've got sleeping areas on the ground floor here and on the first floor. there was electricity already in the building, and the water was already on. we just tidied up the plumbing where there were leaks and stuff, made sure everything is safe and secure. we have qualified electricians helping us. i'm a plumber—builder as well, so... we do safety checks every day, make sure there's nothing dangerous, no cables to trip over, everything's lit properly, so people don't. .. yeah, we're keeping people safe. do you worry that you might attract the wrong kind of attention and people that don't necessarily need help might come here? it becomes quite obvious very quickly and, yes, it may happen. but that, as a percentage of the whole of what we're doing, i think it's worth it.

some people might argue that you guys aren't able to give the support that a lot of the people coming through the doors need that a shelter, a regular shelter, might be able to. i'll counter that with the fact that a lot of people who are supposedly psychologists and mental health workers have learnt it from a book. we've all learned it the hard way and we can actually give more support because we've all been down the road. if any person comes in with a particular issue, there is someone here who has already been through that issue. we can actually guide people through our own experiences, empathy and listening, so we're actually better qualified than most people who are qualified. what about others who might say that you've got no business being here, you don't own the building, that you're not paying rent for the building. what would you say to that? our brothers and sisters have no business being on the street, freezing, dying. and there are ten empty

commercial buildings for every person that is registered as street sleeping. ten empty commercial buildings for every person who is registered as sleeping on the streets. i'm sorry. what business model is that? so, yeah, no business being here, with 100 people here, eating, sleeping, comfortably? we're saving lives here. i'm sorry. property? i have disregard for that. when the building's been empty 15 years and we can save lives with it, it's our moral duty to save those lives. i left home at 15 years of age. i started going into the hostel system. there was a big battle because of social services and, like, a lot of things happened in a short amount of time. and i've been homeless recently due to having a lot going on in my life. there was no help being given. there was nothing available. no services wanted to, obviously,

understand or were willing to help, so i had no choice but to have nowhere to go, because there is nowhere for us to go. i mean, it is hard out there. people are breaking down as it is, with other problems in life. having to worry about this as one for a long time isjust even more worse and there is no way that... no way of them helping me out. they would put me in shelters and nowadays, not any help for shelters. so i found, like, a link to the squat and now i'm in a squat situation. like, i have a lot of issues. i have a daughter that i don't get to see. i don't get to see none of my family. when you are this low in life, like, you take everything for how it is and you appreciate it a lot more. how does it feel to not have a permanent home? it destroys your brain.

yeah, man. it makes you think a lot. you start, like, deteriorating inside and, yeah, you start breaking down slowly. there's not a lot you can do, really. you are stuck in a position where you are going to be lost in the system for a very long time. i mean, right now i'm doing three days' work a week, which ain't a lot but i'm doing my best to save money for a deposit to get my own place and move on with my own life but it's very hard. i was just on my way to work and then i see you lot and i had a phone call from my bossjust, like, two minutes ago, and he's saying there's no work available and so now i've got to stress about whether i'm even able to work tomorrow or throughout the week. a lot of people wouldn't want to go down the official channels for various reasons. some have maybe run away from home or social care. some are avoiding being part of the... they don't want to be recognised. here, no human is illegal. if you need food, you need shelter, we have it. and we're dealing with people

who can be very vulnerable, very frightened, sometimes quite aggressive, because fear creates aggression. everyone on the team knows what it's like. we all have some experience, some of us with mental health issues, homelessness. we're all able to see, when somebody comes in, who they might relate to best. i will see someone come in, i will pick up on something, you know, and go, "oh, i see myself, i see my story, in that person". and this is where us, sitting round as we do, socialising, gets people to relax, unwind, unburden. so there's a lot of, i wouldn't say counselling, but camaraderie, empathy, and the shedding of the weight and baggage. it is perfectly legal in the sense that if you find an empty building, an empty commercial building, and you can get in without doing any damage, which happened, you can use this space as your home until such time as a repossession

order, an order possession, is obtained by the owners. it is a legal thing. it is lawful. this place has saved my life and the community spirit in there is wonderful. everybody is so helpful, it is unbelievable. it is like xanadu. i've been on the streets three weeks. i was a subletting a flat and the landlord just threw me out, no warning. threw us out, no warning at all. turned up with three of his mates. threw us out. not a lot of people are willing to be understanding. there's not a lot of people out there that actually want to help or... everyone isjust, like, in london in general, everyone's worried about themselves, about their own life. i mean, that's cool, but you've got to be understanding about others as well. you feel like a second—class citizen. you just feel worthless. your self—confidence and everything just sinks down to nothing. you are sitting in doorways and people just look at you like you are scum. you know what i mean?

i'm not. i've worked all my life. you know what i mean? and that's what it makes you feel like. it makes you feel like scum. i'm young. there's a lot of things i'm still understanding till now, at my age, and it's a lot harder for me to understand them things when i've got this going on in my life. we're not doing any harm in that place. i've fixed the toilets, i've fixed the basins. i clean the stairs, i clean the toilets. everyone mucks in. it's sanitary, you know? to see them wake up having had theirfirst decent night's sleep for months, and to see the difference in them, their weight fall off them, it's. .. it is a passion for life, for humanity, for our brothers and sisters. we couldn't leave them out there, so we had to do this. now, it's a shameful situation when we have to do this. rough sleeping in england has increased for the

seventh year in a row. there were a751 people counted or estimated to be bedding down outside in autumn 2017. that's a 15% rise on a year before. the figures provide a snapshot of rough sleeping on a typical night, and shows about a quarter were in london. the government says it is investing £1 billion to tackle rough sleeping. without an address, finding work is very difficult. without a change of clothes, finding work is very difficult. without the sleep... because sleep deprivation is one of the major problems of being homeless. you might see people bedding down in cardboard boxes in the doorway. are they really asleep? is that real rest? a lot of them are sleeping with one eye open because of the amount of times that people are attacked, abused. so is that rest? here, they're getting

a good night's sleep and you can see the difference. steve, why is it you do what you do? because i know what it's like. i know every person in here has a very, very unique story. everyone's different, and everyone needs a different approach. so, why do i do what i do? it makes a difference. westminster council told us they have "well—established routes to help people who may be sleeping rough or homeless via streetlink. over a00 bed spaces are available each night to help people" your messages

youi’ messages on your messages on this. this of your says, totally agree with what has been said about whether the people who are helping homeless people are qualified to do so. there is no one better equipped to help understand that people with the same extremes. stevie says, what i am seeing right 110w stevie says, what i am seeing right now about people being empowered to ta ke now about people being empowered to take over empty buildings and use them for the homeless is amazing. cancels all over the uk should take note. cancels all had empty buildings that can help people. neil says building —— breaking the law is not the way to do with this issue. and paul says, completely agree with the homeless squatters. if buildings are empty for years, it should be made legal to take possession. councils should be doing it. thank you. still to come... a row has broken out at the top of the labour party as one ofjeremy

corbyn‘s top team says she has been removed from her post against her will. more shortly. and a charity is warning that these do not meet sleep safety guidelines and could increase the risk of cot death. time for the latest news — here's joanna gosling. the bbc news headlines this morning: hello again. the comedian sir ken dodd has died at the age of 90. # happiness, happiness... described by his publicist as "one of the last music hall greats," sir ken was known for his marathon stage performances and the creation of the ‘diddy men‘ and the ‘tickling stick‘. the government's national security council will meet today, to discuss the nerve agent attack in salisbury of a former russian intelligence officer and his daughter. the group, chaired by the prime minister, will be given the latest evidence

and intelligence on the attack, before deciding what action should be taken. yesterday, hundreds of people who were in the same pub and restaurant as the victims were warned to wash their clothes and other belongings they had on them at the time. a plane has crashed at kathmandu international airport in nepal. it crashed on the side of the runway, according to the kathmandu post. an airline spokesman said dazzled his we re airline spokesman said dazzled his were expected. a bitter row has broken out of the top of the labour party, with a shadow cabinet minister being removed from her post, friendly against her will. the labour party says debbie abrahams stepped down as spokesperson on work campaigns and is. she says she is the victim of a bullying culture in the victim of a bullying culture in the party. at least five people were killed after a helicopter crashed into the east river in new york last night.

the pilot managed to free himself and was rescued by a passing tugboat. the helicopter, which had been chartered for a photo shoot, crashed near roosevelt island. an investigation will be held to determine the cause of the crash. there are claims that up to 1,000 children may have been abused in the shropshire town of telford over a a0 year period. mps are now calling for an inquiry. seven men have already been convicted, but it is thought others have escaped charges. it is thought the unfolding scandal could be the worst the country has ever seen. jamie carragher has apologised after a video showed the former england and liverpool defender spitting at a girl in a car. the footballer, who's now a tv pundit, had been covering his former side's 2—1 defeat by manchester united on saturday. footage has emerged of mr carragher spitting toward the vehicle from his own car. on twitter, he said he'd been provoked, but described his actions as "totally out of order". a police investigation has been launched after people across the country received anti—muslim letters in the post. the document calls for a "punish a muslim" day in april and suggests a number of violent a cts

that's a summary of the latest bbc news. thank you very much. some more m essa g es thank you very much. some more messages from you about the homeless film that we just showed, where some people took over an empty building in the west end, in the heart of the capital. debra says, well done for that brave man standing up against homelessness. if i had a spare home we re homelessness. if i had a spare home were empty building i would give it to them. are we still the sixth richest country in the world? we must win support for this movement because surely it can lead to real sustained change for the better. fiona says what they are doing is wonderful. why can't more of these empty buildings be utilised? lee says, what a marvellous scheme of self—help, a sure sign of government failure. the authorities don't care about single men and they find it ha rd to about single men and they find it hard to get housed, whilst wealthy, greedy landowners sit on empty buildings to make more profit. i hope they win a landmark case.

something has to be done to help them. these are genuine people in need of help. now the sport. it has not been a great day for britain at the winter paralympics. james barnes—miller, ben moore and owen pick have all been knocked out of the snowboard cross. pick went out in the first eliminator after the metal start gate broke this morning, which meant they had to use a piece of rope to ensure the athlete started at the same time. harry kane will have a scan on his ankle today after he was injured during their a—1 win over bournemouth. they move into third in the premier league. there was a brilliant old firm derby in the scottish premiership. rangers went ahead after three minutes. 2—2 at half—time before celtic snatched victory through odsonne edouard. and tiger woods came so close to winning his first title in more than four yea rs. his first title in more than four years. he needed to sink this putt but ended up finishing one shot behind paul casey at the valspar championship. a row has broken out at the top of the labour party, as one ofjeremy corbyn‘s top team says

she's been removed from her post against her will. on sunday, labour said debbie abrahams mp had stepped down as spokeswoman on work and pensions while an "employment issue" is investigated. but she claims she is the victim of a "bullying culture of the worst kind". ben wrightjoins me now. what is going on? it is an extraordinary row. interrupted pretty late yesterday evening, when the labour party issued a short statement saying debbie abrahams has stepped aside while these employment issues are being investigated. i understand they concerned a number of complaints around the issue of bullying. and that this now will be investigated by the party itself, not just the whips investigated by the party itself, notjust the whips to enforce discipline at the house of commons. almost as soon as that statement had been put out, debbie abrahams hit

back with a blistering attack on jeremy corbyn‘s office, saying the treatment she has experienced by certain individuals in the leader's office has been aggressive, intimidating and wholly unprofessional. she says the treatment has shown a bullying culture of the worst kind, and she is now making a formal complaint to the labour party and to the parliamentary authority. an extraordinary war of words. debbie abrahams has been in the leader's tea m abrahams has been in the leader's team since jeremy corbyn abrahams has been in the leader's team sincejeremy corbyn took the ii.” " ' " shadow 7 ff ~ , ~ shadowwork iee jee :e£ e—ee eeee 3e§q;§,§;;fw . 7 ., .. 7 . ... iee jee :ee eee eeee 3eeqe§7§eee . 7 .7 7 7 . .7 pensions secretary. iee jee :ee eee eeee 3eeqe§7§eee . 7 .7 7 7 . . 7 pensions secretary. e“; n in 7 77 w iee jee :ee eee eeee 3eeqe§7§eee . 7 .7 7 7 . . 7 pens c'rclecretaryreee ”in if? if iee jee :ee eee eeee 3eeqe§7§eee . 7 .7 7 7 . . 7 eggnszéfic! a they {zigéfm if? if 77. debbie abrahams corn - letel out. debbie abrahams completely denies the allegations against her, saying she has completely not been bullying her staff. the allegation is she has been bullying people, and now she says she has been bullied by the top people in labour? yes. i understand there was a meeting on friday between debbie abrahams and people from jeremy corbyn‘s office,

where this was discussed. during the course of the weekend, both sides are worked out what should happen next. clearly it is the hope of the labour party that debbie abrahams would step aside sort of quietly and allow the investigation to happen. for whatever reason, the manner in which that conversation happened and the action decided, clearly upset debbie abrahams. she feels she has been treated unjustly and this has exploded. it context last which will announced last month, which will come into effect announced last month, which will come into efiect% announced last month, which will come into effect % this announced last month, which will come into efiect% this is a come into effect shortly. this is a very pertinent issue right now in westminster. labour clearly feel they have acted appropriately. we asked debbie abrahams to come onto the programme. she declined to do so. she said she put a statement

out and she wants to leave it there. i want to this tweet. this is from a woman called sarah louise. she says, debbie abrahams, one of the few reasonable and nice labour mps, struggling to justify labour's destructive direction. what might that mean? i'm not sure what that means, to be honest. she has been, i think, pretty harmonious member of the top team. she had a grilling on the top team. she had a grilling on the labour pa rty‘s the top team. she had a grilling on the labour party's brexit policy on the labour party's brexit policy on the andrew marr show the other day. this is quite a surprise. what i find so surprising is the vehemence and the strength of debbie abrahams' own rebuttal and how the labour party has treated her. thank you very much, ben. many popular sleeping products

for babies don't meet safer sleep guidelines, and could increase the risk of cot death or sudden infant death syndrome, a baby charity is warning. items such as cushioned sleeping pods, nests, baby hammocks, cot bumpers, pillows, duvets and anything that wedges or straps a baby in place, can pose a risk to children under 12 months. the lullaby trust says at the moment there are no safety standards which relate specifically to sudden infant death syndrome, which can make it difficult for parents to know which products are safe to use. we've got some examples in the studio of the many different kinds of sleep pods and nests available to buy, and we've also got examples of what meets safety guidelines. let's speak to francine bates, chief executive of the lullaby trust. to rupal kantaria, who lost her baby to sudden infant death syndrome, and is working

with the lullaby trust to warn other parents of the dangers. and we also have jayde edwards, who slept with her baby on the sofa when he was born, and now works to educate other young parents about better sleeping practices with their children. thank you for coming on the programme. francine, let's look at some of these products and tell us which meet safety guidelines and which meet safety guidelines and which don't. 0k. which meet safety guidelines and which don't. ok. we have got a moses basket. this absolutely does meet the safety guidelines in terms of save rs the safety guidelines in terms of savers sleep. we have got a firm, flat mattress. it is waterproof. this is portable. you can carry it around the house with you. and a lwa ys around the house with you. and always keep an eye macron the baby. we recommend a cot or a moses basket to sleep a baby safely. this is good. you have to be careful about soft bedding. duvas and pillows arieh no no. we advised to use a sleeping bag. put the baby in the sleeping bag. put the baby in the

sleeping bag. put the baby in the sleeping bag in the moses basket or the card. and you will undoubtedly reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. obviously, the baby neatly slots in there. i can't do it now because the zip is broken! oh, it is there! when it is zipped up, the baby's it is there! when it is zipped up, the ba by‘s head it is there! when it is zipped up, the baby's head cannot be covered? absolutely. it is designed so the sleeping bag fits over the shoulders. it can never go over the ba by‘s shoulders. it can never go over the baby's head, shoulders. it can never go over the ba by‘s head, which shoulders. it can never go over the baby's head, which is key. the other products we are not so keen on. as you can see, they are much softer. they have raised padded cushion and sides. the big concern here is that this will increase a baby's risk. primarily to do with overheating. on a flat surface, a baby will not

overheat. but on a soft surface, there is a risk the baby could overheat. and of course overheating isa overheat. and of course overheating is a risk. we are also concerned about the pads. even small babies, as you know, can wiggle and move. they can turn their heads, they can squished theirface they can turn their heads, they can squished their face against this padded surface. and they may not be able to move back. the other issue we are concerned about is they can actually put their heads over the sides. we do not recommend these products. ok. but if you are a new parent, you would not necessarily know that this is not recommended by you? i think that's true. we have

become very much aware from parents calling the helpline every day, that these products are becoming much more popular. in fact, we did a survey and it was clear that a0% of pa rents were survey and it was clear that a0% of parents were either thinking of, had bought, one of these products. that gaveit bought, one of these products. that gave it a lot of concern to us because they don't conform to safer sleep guidelines. so we produced a guide. we produced a brochure in conjunction with the leading paediatricians, researchers and public health england, which sets out safer sleep advice, what to look for in products, and to give information about the risks associated, not just information about the risks associated, notjust with these products, but also hammocks, duvas, pillows, these things should not be used near a baby. thank you for coming on the programme. your baby boy was found not breathing and an inquest said it

was sudden infant death syndrome. what did you take from that in terms of when you had another child?|j what did you take from that in terms of when you had another child? i had my third child in 201a and these nests and pods have risen in popularity. i still bought something very similar to this for my child now it was almost four to sleep in because it was not clear to me that it didn't comply with safer sleep guidelines. all of my friends use this sort of product because again i think there's huge confusion out there amongst mothers and parents as to what and what doesn't comply, particularly because these products are fairly new. that is something i feel strongly to make sure parents

are making an informed choice and i don't think that's happening currently. when you said you were looking at this kind of stuff and buying it, it wasn't clear whether it met these guidelines, were you actually looking for some kind of recommendation or guidelines or just thinking, what can the possible harm be? the fact it was available from a trusted retailer in the uk on the high street, i wrongly assumed it must comply with all of the guidelines out there, not only the british safety standards but also safer sleep guidelines because otherwise how could it possibly of the available in a trusted retailer? i wasn't buying it second hand from an internet site from another country so that was my assumption. then on top of that, all of these mothers out there are saying how fantastic they are because their babies sleep better in them. i have no comment on that but we need to

separate out the marketing and pa rental separate out the marketing and parental opinion from the research and science, such that mothers and pa rents and science, such that mothers and pa re nts ca n and science, such that mothers and parents can make their own informed decisions. jade, how are you? fine, thank you. you are only 18, still incredibly young, were you aware of safety guidelines? not at all, you would assume there would be more initiatives involved to make sure me asa initiatives involved to make sure me as a young parent provides the best safety for my child but i have no idea about safer sleep, let alone how to place a child down. a year and a half later, getting involved with the lullaby trust and getting involved in information that was shocking, because a lot of the information was provided for children under the age of one, my children under the age of one, my child was a year and a half so i feel like what a lot of young

parents or organisations would think is, if it's a young parent maybe they need much more care or a lot more. in reality it isjust sitting down with us and saying this is how you place a baby. my mainjob i would say is to ensure every young pa re nt would say is to ensure every young parent that i do get in contact with could have been all around london with the lullaby trust explaining to them you are no better or worse than a parent who is 35, it'sjust ensuring you know how to put your baby to sleep because all it takes is for you to sleep on a sofa or a bed with your child which i did from the age of newborn to be honest so i feel what the lullaby trust is doing is really good. explain why it's not advised to sleep with a newborn either in your bed or on the sofa.|j think for numerous reasons, and a lot of times as a young parent i

study, i also work, i'm trying to build a career, your sleeping on a bed with your child, you could potentially roll over, you could not realise your child is there and that's not to say you are bad parent but you get exhausted. old parents get exhausted too! i look back and think what if something went wrong but there are numerous things that can happen if you do that. and the biggest risk, francine, is suffocation. we don't know exactly why sids happens, but the risk is 50 times greater so it is extremely dangerous. with these new products on the market, there is concerned

they could the risk for sids. these products do not have a british standard. what does that mean, what does it look like? the symbol will be on the packaging of any product on the market. and that means it's 0k? it on the market. and that means it's ok? it means it complies with certain standards so it is well constructed, the chemicals that have been used in the products are safe, it complies with fire regulations. the moses basket has a british standard. the sleep bag has a british standard, the pods, the nests and the hammock do not. we would say to parents to only buy products where there is a british standard, make sure the surface your baby will sleep on is flat and is waterproof and firm, and ensure you place your baby on its back which is

the biggest, strongest factor in terms of reducing sids. the biggest, strongest factor in terms of reducing sidslj the biggest, strongest factor in terms of reducing sids. i appreciate that parents are exhausted and sometimes people say my baby sleeps better on its tummy so i'm going to put baby on its tummy and i think that's just understanding it is an informed risk you are taking if you choose to do those things, which i think the back to sleep campaign has been successful with, making parents aware of that, but there is not the awareness with nests. "our parents may do, but today's products are fantastic but there will always be an element of risk". pat says, or new babies are given a baby box by the scottish government which helps keep babies safe, perhaps the british government would consider that" so what do you think? going

back to an earlier comment, what i would say is we have been really successful in reducing the numbers of sids. you have, i've got the figures here, over 25 years... over 25 years we have reduced the rate of sids by 80%. it is phenomenal but the reason we have done that is because we have developed our safer sleep guidelines, based on detailed research which enables us to tell parents how to sleep their baby safely. while he first listener was clear that in the old days people used to spoil things onto babies and people used to sleep in different ways, yes that is true but the cot death rate was so much higher and i

think that is the key point. people often say, well i used them and my babyis often say, well i used them and my baby is fine. that's fine but your baby is fine. that's fine but your babyis baby is fine. that's fine but your baby is one baby, that's not what the research is saying. i don't fall into any of the risk categories in terms of a parent of a baby with sids, but it happened to me. as i keep saying, parents need to make an informed choice. thank you very much. thank you for your many comments about the film we played earlier which involved some people taking over an empty four story building in london and inviting anyone who was homeless to stay there for shelter. sarah says we all need to listen to the amazing man and yourfilm need to listen to the amazing man and your film who knows what support these homeless need, what compassion he has for the individuals who find themselves in this position. david says, we have farmers all over the

country crying out for workers and sometimes they even provide housing. it's an idea to offer people a chance of a fresh start, a wage, a purpose, a chance to restart life. bill says i have huge sympathy for homeless people and used to have some sympathy for squatters until the terraced house next door was squatted. they were worse than animals, shouting and screaming all day and night, abusive behaviour and serious damage to the property. it might be reasonable to allow formal charities to take over buildings if they have been unused for a period but they should also be required to leave on demand, not by going to court. joyce says, i believe the people organising the squat need a knighthood. there's no point in huge commercial buildings being empty for yea rs commercial buildings being empty for years and is not a people to use them. the latest sport at ten o'clock but

first the weather with matt. the best of the weather is to be found in parts of scotland. we have already seen sunshine around, and some sunshine here and in northern ireland throughout but a different story elsewhere, particularly in northern england. heavy rain in the midlands and south east too, linked to an area of high pressure. the tell—tale sign that the cloud is swirling around in the anticlockwise fashion. the further north you are, the further away from it, hence the drier conditions. let's focus on what is happening in england and wales because we continue to see outbreaks of rain coming and going throughout the day. heavy bursts throughout the day. heavy bursts through the midlands and towards the south—east. the showers in the south—west will push through smartly on the strong breeze and there will be brightness around in between those rain bands, the best of which will be in northern ireland and western parts of scotland. temperatures today, even with the

rain, still at 11 degrees, but in eastern parts of scotland with a gentle breeze it will feel rather chilly. tonight we will see the cloud and occasional rain across england becoming more confined to east anglia and the south—east with some showers in the west. more brea ks some showers in the west. more breaks in the cloud tonight and into tomorrow morning night than the one just gone with a touch of frost and for one or two maybe a bit dicey as well. this area of low pressure is waiting in the wings for wednesday, we are in between the ridge of high pressure and that means fewer showers around during the day. maybe wetter in parts of east anglia and some showers drifting eastwards but very few in number. most will have a dry day, if not completely, predominantly dry. once the march sunshine is on your back it will feel quite pleasant with temperatures in some spots into

double figures. into wednesday it turns more breezy but the best of drier weather limited to eastern parts of the country. later in the day, the cloud will thicken in the west, outbreaks of rain into the evening become persistent across ireland, western wales and into parts of devon and cornwall. temperatures between ten and 1a celsius. things will change by the time we get to the weekend, could we see cold air on the way back? with high pressure across scandinavia is set to drag in, it looks like cold air back to our shores is so temperatures will take a dip, night—time frosts will then. how cold it will get is uncertain at the moment but we will keep you updated here on bbc news. goodbye for now. hello it's monday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. our top story today — tributes have been pouring in for sir ken dodd, one of the last great music hall acts of his time, who's died at the age of 90

and is best remembered forjokes like this. tickled, i am, by all this goodwill. what about you missus — have you been tickled by goodwill? freud said a laugh was a sudden explosion of psychic energy. the trouble with freud was he never played second house friday night at glasgow empire. we'll carry on paying tribute to the man best known for his tickling stick and epic performances, and hear from former brookside actress claire sweeney, who knew him well. also on the programme — the prime minister will meet the national security council to hear the latest intelligence on the nerve agent attack on the russian father employed by britain as a spy. it comes as salisbury residents voice concern they're being kept in the dark. i'd like to know what precautions i personally can take rather than just washing my close, having personally been exposed, and what of the long—term medications for me and my wife? we hear from the leader of the council. and we're talking about jamie carragher, filmed spitting at the occupants of a car.

2-1. described by his publicist as "one sir ken was known for his marathon stage performances and the creation of the diddy men and the tickling stick. the liverpool—based perfomer had recently been treated in hospital for a chest infection. the government's national security council will meet today, to discuss the nerve agent attack in salisbury of a former russian intelligence officer and his daughter. the group, chaired by the prime minister, will be given the latest evidence and intelligence on the attack, before deciding what action should be taken. yesterday hundreds of people who were in the same pub and restaurant as the victims, were warned to wash their clothes

and other belongings they had on them at the time. a bangladeshi plane with more than 70 people on board, has crashed at kathmandu's international airport in nepal. the plane from us—bangla airline went off the runway while landing, and crashed on the side of the runway, according to the kathmandu post. an airport spokesperson told the paper that casualties were expected. a bitter row has broken out at the top of the labour party, with a shadow cabinet minister being removed from her post, apparently against her will. the labour party says debbie abrahams stepped down e7.:7g7e7-:":"”"” ' " '

by manchester united on saturday. footage has emerged of mr carragher spitting toward the vehicle from his own car. on twitter, he said he'd been provoked, but described his actions as "totally out of order". that's a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 10.30. thank you. many comments from you about the film we showed earlier, where people have taken over an empty four—storey building in the centre of london and homeless people are being invited to share it. rachel says, i live in manchester and bypass scores of homeless people every day, mostly men. i also pass scores of empty buildings every day. surely that is an obvious answer? this from someone who does not please —— leave their name. what

about using church halls for homeless people? the majority have under utilised halls which could be used to house homeless people, even if only during the winter. is this not what churches are for, to give comfort to the vulnerable? sarah says, god bless that mantra standing up says, god bless that mantra standing upfor says, god bless that mantra standing up for the homeless. dean says it is disgusting that a building in central london has been left empty for 15 years. this is so wrong. paul completely agrees with the squatters will stop it should be made legal to ta ke will stop it should be made legal to take temporary possession for emergency housing. this person take temporary possession for emerge leave using. this person take temporary possession for emerge leave their . this person take temporary possession for emerge leave their flange. pe lot 1! $767 77 7 71.737 ,g7f7'77!7-7;§!¥é!!7fl7;iz di7=77 77 7 71.737 7!7‘77'77!7-7!'!!¥é!!7‘!!i! choose . sleep ' 77: lazy 5 : lazy a 5: lai‘ff: a to to aoto back mg aueue "7 "www" when it comes to housing. steve lee says, what i am seeing today is people being empowered to take over empty buildings for the homeless. it is amazing. and gay says

homelessness in this day and age is an oak ridge. we should be going forward is not you. do get in touch with us throughout the morning — use the hashtag victoria live. and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. now the sport. great britain's snowboarders made their winter prolix debutjeong snowboarders made their winter prolix debut jeong jang snowboarders made their winter prolix debutjeong jang today but it didn't quite go according to plan. —— winter paralympics. the event was held up by technical problems. kate grey can tell us more. yes, all sorts of problems at the snowboarding. the event was moved forward due to the increasing temperatures. it was about 18 degrees in the middle of the day. they had to move the event earlier. when the event started they had problems with the start gate. they we re problems with the start gate. they were not dropping down and athletes we re were not dropping down and athletes were falling over them. they had to replace it with a rope. not ideal. britain did have three athletes competing. none of them made it

through to the final stages. when i spoke to owen pick, he told me he was not happy with how the event had unfolded. there was talk that there were going to cancel it and do it another day. it wasjust like, guys, this is the paralympics, we want to race. it was tough. it was really tough. it was a shame that today has gone the way it has gone in general, because we wanted to put on a good show. no medals for great britain. the snowboarders will get another chance later in the week in the slalom. there was success for the wheelchair curlers. they won their match against sweden 6—1. they will go against sweden 6—1. they will go against canada later today. they are the paralympic champions. totte n ha m the paralympic champions. tottenham mandem than fans will be waiting for the result of a scan today on harry kane's ankle. he was forced off against bournemouth yesterday. heung—min son found the

net twice as spurs won a—1. arsenal manager arsene wenger says his team need to get the fans back on site after their recent poor form. the players did their bit yesterday, beating watford 3—0, but still plenty of empty seats at the emirates. there was a cracking old firm derby in the scottish premiership. josh windass putting rangers ahead after three minutes. it was 2—2 at half—time before celtic snatched victory thanks to odsonne edouard. tiger woods came so close to winning his first event for more than four yea rs his first event for more than four years at the valspar championship in florida. the 1a times major winner has slipped to 388th in the world rankings. he needed this putt on the final hole to force a play—off with englishman paul casey. it came up just short. that is casey's first tournament victory for nearly four yea rs. there was a really disappointing

defeat for the british number one kyle edmund at the indian wells open. it was his first match since reaching the final stages of the australian open. he was beaten in straight sets. that is all the sport for now. headlines at half past ten. theresa may will meet the national security council today, who are looking at the latest evidence of the suspected poisoning of a former russian double agent and his daughter. an assessment will be made of who might have carried out the nerve agent attack. sergei and yulia skripal remain critically ill in hospital. people in salisbury are concerned about possible contamination, and say advice from officials has been slow. yesterday up to 500 salisbury members of the public who were in a pub and restaurant at the same time as the skripals, were told to wash their possessions as a precaution after traces of the nerve agent were found there. leila nathoo is in salisbury. what is the latest? what is

happening today? there are still a number of locations still in play in the best occasion. the bench behind me remains cordoned off. the restau ra nt, me remains cordoned off. the restaurant, zizzi, and the pub are key sites in the investigation because traces of the nerve agent have been found at both locations. police are still carrying out searches there. we know the table at the zizzi restaurant were surrogate and yulia had their lunch has been contaminated so much it has been destroyed. we know the police are still examining sergei skripal‘s car and his home. clearly a number of locations still of interest to the police. they are trying to ascertain exactly when and how they were exposed to this deadly chemical. police do know the nature of the nerve agent, the precise chemical that was used in this attack. they

are not revealing that publicly. clearly that will give them an understanding of exactly how fast acting this chemical was, and will likely help them identify the exact time and place the two were exposed to that substance. this morning, theresa may is going to chair the meeting of the national security council. she's been kept updated on the investigation. we know the cobra emergency committee has met to discuss this at the highest level. clearly there is interest now to try to pin some blame on who was responsible. although amber rudd has been urging caution injumping to conclusions, the possibility that the russian state is involved in some way in this incident is clearly been considered quite strongly. and some people cross because they were told, wash your possessions if you we re told, wash your possessions if you were in that pub or restaurant, but they were told seven days after the poisoning happened? yeah, all along there has been some concern about there has been some concern about

the wider risk to the public about this. this was a deadly chemical used. the bench was cleared last sunday night by police and officers in huge protective suits. there has been reassurance from public health officials that there was no wider risk to the public and no reason to be alarmed. yesterday, a full week on from the incident itself, we get this warning to around 500 people who dined at zizzi and had been to the mill pub, as a precaution, to say, wash clothes, wiped down any phones, any objects, as a precaution in case tupe don't —— to prevent repeated exposure. there has been anger and confusion among residents who say, if we are at risk, why are we only told this far on? if we are not, why are we being told at all? we spoke to one man who was at the mill pub. i have been more worried as the week

has gone on and the gravity of the event that has taken place in a small city has unravelled. the last few days have become more concerning. certainly because they haven't revealed what the nerve agent was. and what the effect, the long—term effect, on anyone's health could be. i'd like to know what precautions i personally can take, rather than just washing my clothes, having potentially already been exposed, what other long—term indications are there for me and my wife? we can talk now to matthew dean, conservative leader of salisbury city council. also with us, marina litvinenko, the wife of alexander litvinenko, a former russian agent killed in 2006 after defecting to the uk. and harry ferguson, a former mi6 officer. matthew dean, why did it take so long to warn people? matthew dean, why did it take so long to warn people ?|j matthew dean, why did it take so long to warn people? i think that was because of emerging science,

actually. you will recall that when this incident happened last sunday, the original speculation was that the original speculation was that the casualties had taken a heroin substitute. it took some days for public health england to ascertain it was a nerve agent, and then some further science has been done and theyissued further science has been done and they issued this very much precautionary advice yesterday, saying that only if you were in the mill pub or zizzi's restaurant on sunday or monday, you may wish to wash your clothes to eliminate any possible long—term risk of public health contamination. you don't think the warning... without exposure you have no risk whatsoever. if you are in the city going about your normal business, there is no risk. why didn't the

warning, earlier? we knew earlier in the week it was a deadly nerve agent, potentially? well, we could only go on what doctorjane harries, the deputy public health director of public health england, said yesterday. she said in her statement that the reason the advice was forthcoming yesterday was because they had done some more research. and they had reached the conclusion that there was a very small risk that there was a very small risk that if you are in that restaurant or that public house at the time, that any substance was administered to mr skripal or his daughter, but possibly, over weeks and months, if you continue to wear the same clothes without washing them, conceivably you may have some public health consequences. that was it. of course, i think theyjust took health consequences. that was it. of course, i think they just took the view that any advice is important to give out as soon as they have ascertained exactly what the risk

was. thank you very much, matthew dean. let's talk to marina litvinenko and harry ferguson. marina litvinenko, what were your emotions when you heard what was happening in salisbury? my first emotion was i was absolutely shocked. i couldn't believe something similar to me happened again. but when i hear what you already said in this programme, and even you ask why afterjust one week you need to protect yourself wash your clothes, remember, it was mustered 23 daysjust wash your clothes, remember, it was mustered 23 days just after my husband all these protections were done. only after them. husband all these protections were done. only afterthem. people husband all these protections were done. only after them. people didn't know. they were sitting in a place contaminated by radioactive material. they didn't know in hospital they were in contact with a person who was poisoned by radioactive material. in this case, i would like to say that after one

week to receive this action is good. if you remember what happened in 2006, everything was so much delayed. but you are shocked this could happen again on british soil? yes, because there was a very serious investigation after what happened to my husband. there was a lot of money paid for this investigation. after ten years we provided a public inquiry, which was not easy as well, but we did it and people who wanted to understand what actually happened in 2006 could see evidence and facts, and even more russia was named after this public inquiry as a state behind this crime. and even more, president putin was named, who has probably approved this crime. and i believed after this public

inquiry verdict was released in 2016 something would be done and what happened one week ago, it looks like nothing changed. next week is the russian presidential election, vladimir putin will probably be re—elected, i do think the killing of sergei skripal and his daughter is related to this? i don't think it does any harm. president putin plays to his domestic audience which is russian nationalists. if you ever have the chance to get at one of them come you take it and that appears to be what's happened in this case. does that mean you think it is from vladimir putin's point of view, it is something that he might

be behind orjust a freelancer? that's where it gets interesting and this is one of the reasons the government has been cautious in attributing blame. it is hard to imagine who it could be other than the russians, who else would want to kill him? but finding out who it is in russia is very challenging. it has become rather like the wild west. there is an organisation of former kgb officers who are ultra nationalists who have sworn to get people like sergei skripal because they view traitors as the worst criminals possible. they are quite capable of doing something of their own back because they have the contacts. one thing that strikes me about this assassination attempt is

that it about this assassination attempt is thatitis about this assassination attempt is that it is incredibly clumsy, particularly if it has come through the post. there's no reason the russian intelligence services should do that and you've seen the long—term effects locally. it also killed a police officer which would have elevated the whole event which makes me wonder whether it is the intelligence services behind it or wannabes equally powerful groups who have a great deal of control in russia today. ok, thank you, both. the letters started to arrive on friday. printed on a side of aa paper with the title, ‘punish a muslim day‘ — it lay out a points based system for certain acts of violence towards muslims living in the uk, from 25 points for removing a woman‘s headscarf to 500 points for murdering a muslim. "are you a sheep like the vast

majority of the population?" the letter reads. "sheep follow orders and are easily led. they are allowing the white—majority nations of europe and north america to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and to turn our democracies into sharia—led police states." the letters were received by people in bradford, leicester, london, cardiff and sheffield. counter—terrorism police, co—ordinated in the north east, are investigating. we can speak now to riaz ahmed, lib dem councillor in bradford, who received one of the letters. also fiyaz mughal, of tell mama uk, who monitor anti—muslim hate crime. and dr pauljackson, a far right expert at the university of northampton. welcome all of you. mr ahmed, when you opened this and read it, what did you think?

i thought it was something that should go in the rubbish bin, an advertisement or something. when i read through it i was shocked and amazed that some of the wording used, which you mentioned earlier. especially throwing acid. with the incidents that have happened around the country recently it was very shocking. the first reaction was to ta ke shocking. the first reaction was to take the letter down to the police station. how worried are you? i am just over 60 years old. nope, sorry, how worried are you?” just over 60 years old. nope, sorry, how worried are you? i wasn't worried about it myself, but the more i thought about it the more shocking it became because the intention is to terrorise people and caused discord in the community. it work? 1“; math? mud i; h itwork?- , 7, 7, hasn't worked and will not work

it hasn‘t worked and will not work because the people in britain have come beyond that. very few people still hold those extreme views. mgm m m—m m m'm qéfiet‘f q'affaa,