hello, it's tuesday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. we've learned 500 people in england have been being hospitalised in the past five years after an acid attack. this morning we've been given exclusive access to the biggest burns unit in europe — in essex — which treats victims, including this woman, adele bellus, who's had so many operations there after an acid attack arranged by her boyfriend — she's lost count. he chucked the acid, got my right hand, my right arm and the right part of my face. in his mind it was, you know, attack me with acid so no one wanted me, so that's why he paid this guy to do it. also — five men have been arrested after images of a cardboard model of grenfell tower being burned on a bonfire were shared on social media. one of the survivors of grenfell is here. and britain's biggest foodbank charity says it's given out 658,000 food parcels in the last six months

— a 13% rise year on year. foodbank workers say the rise is down to problems with universal credit. it's the same old story, every time they're coming in now. we used to be doing, like, on an average 20—22 parcels a day. now we can reach anywhere over 30—a0 in a day, which, you know, we're having to do. it is busy! the government says there are complex reasons why people use foodbanks and it not down to one single reason. let us know this morning if you use a foodbank and the reason or reasons. is it complex as the gov says? hello. welcome to the programme. we're live until 11 this morning. 0n foodbanks — the kettlesz on twitter says "there's nothing

complex about being hungry and having no fod left in the house, or money to buy it. markie tweets — "foodbanks exist to sustain the illusion of poverty use the hashtag #victorialive. if you're emailing and are happy for us to contact you — and maybe want to take part in the programme — please include your phone number in your message. annita mcveigh is in the bbc newsroom with a summary of the days news. polling stations will open across america today for the mid—term elections. the vote‘s being seen as a referendum on trump's first two years in office. the president made a final appeal to voters last night at rallies in indiana and missouri. all the seats in the house of representatives are up for election, along with a third of the seats in the senate. the mid—terms will decide which party controls both houses of congress. five men have been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence, after a video was posted online showing a cardboard model of grenfell tower being burned as part of a bonfire party.

in the footage, people can be heard laughing and joking as the model is set alight. the men have been arrested under the public order act. the metropolitan police said the men handed themselves in at a south london police station last night. a 16—year—old boy has died after a stabbing in south london last night. this latest fatality comes after four people died in knife attacks in the capital in five days. nobody has been arrested in connection with last night's incident. the number of patients waiting for nhs tests and scans is increasing. it's thought a shortage of radiographers could be to blame. figures show more than a million people across the uk are on waiting lists. the government said steps were being taken to recruit more staff. researchers say women who are naturally "morning people" are less likely to develop breast cancer. the team at the university of bristol say the reasons why are still unknown, but add that the findings are important as they may affect every woman's risk of developing the disease.

a man has died after being attacked by a shark at a popular tourist spot in australia. it happened in the whitsunday islands near the great barrier reef — where two nonfatal shark attacks took place in september. local police say the 33—year—old man was pulled from the water with leg and arm injuries but later died in hospital. that's a summary of the headlines. later on the programme, we will get the latest on the story that five men have been arrested after images of grenfell tower being burned on a bonfire were shared on social media. we'll be talking to one of the stars of kidulthood about why he backs a plan to use tax breaks to try and get more people from a minority ethinic background working behind the scenes in the british film industry. do get in touch with us throughout the morning —

use the hashtag #victorialive. if you're emailing and are happy for us to contact you — and maybe want to take part in the programme — please include your phone number in your message. if you text, you'll be charged at the standard network rate. this morning, we take you inside the biggest burns unit in europe — in essex — where they're treating more acid attack victims than ever before. we've learned that in the past five years more than 500 people in england have been hospitalised after being burned by a corrosive substance. the st andrews centre at broomfield hospital is leading the way when it comes to treating the victims including patients from around the world. we've been given exclusive access to see how it's coping with the rise of this shocking crime. and just to let you know there are some images in claire jones‘s report that are upsetting. have we got adele?

it's a matter of seconds that changes someone‘s life. it isn't just my life, it's like a domino effect. he chucked the acid, got my right hand, my right arm and the right part of my face. in his mind it was, you know, attack me with acid so no one wanted me, so that's why he paid this guy to do it. it's a horrible injury that will require lots of work. it's just like a life changing thing. with acid assault your whole worldview changes immediately and your sense of safety in the world is compromised. from that day i vowed that i would have a normal life again and i wanted to get a positive out of a bad situation. the st andrew's centre

at broomfield hospital is one of the largest burns units across europe. where people are treated after they have been attacked with acid. and we have gained exclusive access to the unit to see behind—the—scenes how patients are treated for their injuries and follow them on the journey to recovery. adele bellus was severely burnt after her ex—boyfriend arranged for sulphuric acid to be thrown on her in 2014. it was a thursday, 14th of august. i had work that day. my parents were on holiday so i got up extra early to walk the dog. i kind of sat down at the bus stop and i was on the phone to my friend when i noticed a guy with a black tracksuit and he kind of had, like, a black scarf around him, covering his mouth, and he was lightlyjogging, shaking a bottle.

as i was on the phone like this, he came from behind and as he chucked it i moved my head like that. something in my head just told me to move. i don't know if i felt his presence or i don't know, something just said move so i moved. he chucked the acid, got my right hand, my right arm and the right part of my face. from there it kind of went into a blur, really. i was kind of playing chicken in the road, running in and out of traffic. adele was rushed to hospital in suffolk, where she received emergency treatment. by the afternoon, she was transferred to the specialist burns unit in essex. so what happens once you are admitted? so a patient that we would have typically would come through the doors that you have just come through. they would be greeted here by the ambulance crew and this is where theirjourney into the burns unit begins. once i got to the hospital theyjust basically put me in a shower

and i was in the shower for about two hours because basically every time they got the acid off me the acid that was there just carried on burning and burning. so the solution to pollution is dilution. that's good. lots and lots of fluid on it, keep them washing away. patients can spend long periods of time in the shower. it can take days for the initial burn to reach its full depth. i had a couple of operations so they got rid of all the dead skin, all the burnt skin. basically i had to wait 72 hours because that's how long the burn takes to get to the full burn. the acid continues burning into the skin long after the patient is admitted so specific tests are done to determine the treatment. they will have like a ph strip test to see the alkalinity of it and they will come here. they won't necessarily have got to a normal ph by the time they arrive here. once the wound has reached

a normal ph a further treatment can be carried out. acid burns such as sulphuric acid are felt straightaway but an alkaline burn such as bleach can take longer to feel. they took all the dead skin off me and then put put donor skin on and then i had a skin graft done which was taken on my thigh and used on the side of my head, my hand, my arm, my chest. patients are fitted for their own personalised pressure garments to help the appearance of the scars. we use pressure garments to help put pressure on to the scars to prevent them from becoming raised and lumpy. i had a mask which i had to wear i2 hours a day which was the big plastic one then i would have pressure garments which i would wear at night while i was asleep which went over my head as well as to have a suit which would be up to here. how long would the patient have a mask like that on for? normally while the scar is maturing so a scar can take up to two years to fully mature.

so a patient could be wearing this mask for up to two years while that recovery is happening? adele stayed in hospitalfor six weeks and has been coming back for treatment ever since. four years on, adele has returned to hospital for the next stage of reconstructive surgery. the next stage of reconstructive surgery. her hair piece has been removed. now the surgeon will discuss the next steps stop me it's a tight band, we are going to break it down... the surgeon will first relieve pressure on the scarring and then she will have laser treatment to help with the appearance. it's a

very, very general anaesthetic. the procedures are expected to take an hour to complete. how did it go?m we nt very hour to complete. how did it go?m went very well. i think she will get better movement in her neck. it was tight before and turning to one side was difficult. i think she will do 0k. it's a horrible injury that will require lots of work. for young people to have this on their face is really, really serious. the reconstructive surgery has just finished, and now the team are preparing for the laser treatment. the aim of that is to try and improve the level of scarring and adele's arm and leg. do you mind

telling me what you're doing? at the moment we are using a c02 laser which is making multiple holes into the actual scar itself. we are trying to make new collagen and trying to make new collagen and trying to make new collagen and trying to break up bands of constriction. that will help with her movement and the appearance and pliability of the scar. the surgery was a the surgery was a success. the surgery was a success. adele has had so many procedures, she's lost count. but for now it's time to be reunited with her mum. adele is one of many patients being treated here, as the number of acid attacks rises. people will say here in the centre

it's only the tip of the iceberg. there's a lot of people who don't report the incidents, even the patients who come here, only about two out of 21 we surveyed had had taken any kind of legal action. on top of that, patients may not come top of that, patients may not come to a&e, they may treat themselves due to embarrassment or worried about repercussion from gangs. over the past five years, 500 patients had been admitted across england from assault by corrosive substances. that has ramped up massively from 2015. we are seeing around 30—50 patients per year. the same numberyou around 30—50 patients per year. the same number you would see in five years, you are now seeing same number you would see in five years, you are now seeing in six months. i don't want to keep disturbing the wound... there's a grip there, does that mean? as a man... iwas grip there, does that mean? as a man... i was going to say, do you know how to put it in?! laughter

it's not just know how to put it in?! laughter it's notjust the physical stars, there are mental scars as well. i'm 26 now and i got attacked when i was 22. i have my good days and bad days but doesn't everyone? maria is a counsellor and works with victims of acid attacks. also their families and the staff who treat them. it's trying to process what happened, and why and trying to make sense of it. because a trauma means everything is thrown into the air. particularly with acid assault, your whole worldview changes very quickly, immediately, and your sense of safety in the world is compromised. a lot of staff are quite traumatised by what they see and hear. two weeks

later, adele is back to have more treatment. nice to see you again. have had things been? my arm is fine, ilike have had things been? my arm is fine, i like it but it'sjust have had things been? my arm is fine, i like it but it's just my neck, it's really tight. today is her first physiotherapy session since the operation. i think another session up here could blend that in but it's very early days. doing firm, circular movements... adele is being shown what to do at home to help her scars. next, you can pick up help her scars. next, you can pick up the skin and roll it. that will probably feel a bit weird. every timei probably feel a bit weird. every time i come to hospital there is a positive thing, because i know it's a step closer to helping me, helping my scars and another operation is going to benefit me. seeing that

journey of people, when they've had very, very devastating injuries to them, and seeing them through the other side. the acid attack is a lwa ys other side. the acid attack is always going to be with me, no matter what i have done, and i've accepted that. that's part of me now, and i can't actually imagine myself without scars. i knew scars represent the new me, the new strong me. in half an hour we'll be speaking to one of the surgeons from the unit, who you saw in that film who has been treating adele. and we'll be hearing from another of the unit's patients — who is composer who lost part of his ear when he had acid thrown at him last year. tracy on facebook says, it makes my blood boil to know that someone

could do this to people. i wish adele all the best for the future. this shows how great the nhs is. another viewer says, if the government were really serious about stopping acid attacks when a mandatory sentence of 20 years would goa mandatory sentence of 20 years would go a long way to stopping them. five men have been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence after a video showed a model of grenfell tower being burned on a bonfire. a post shared on social media shows a cardboard model of the tower being set alight by a laughing crowd. 0ur reporterjim reed is here. what's the latest? these officers arrested five men last night, after they handed themselves into a police station. two are a9, one is 55, one is a6 and one is 19. that's after this video emerged yesterday on social media of a model of grenfell tower being placed on a bonfire. we are not showing footage of this video today.

you can see in the video which is about two minutes long, paper figures attached, a group are laughing and joking. 0ne figures attached, a group are laughing and joking. one person says, help me, another person says, stay put, another person says, jump out of the window. later on another voice says, that's what happens when you don't pay your rent. 0ne campaign called it a disgusting attack on vulnerable people. that video has been shed on twitter 1.8 million times and other social media outlets —— shared on twitter. million times and other social media outlets -- shared on twitter. the reason we aren't showing it is because it's really grotesque. we are showing is still images for those who haven't seen it. it comes after the prime minister became involved yesterday. there was criticism across the board by politicians. james brokenshire, the communities minister who has responsibility for this area, tweeted that the video was utterly disgusting and said those responsible should be ashamed of

their actions which are beneath contempt. the prime minister later tweeted. .. we also had a response from senior people in the fire service. dany cotton, who leads the london fire brigade called the video appalling and said it couldn't be justified at any level. the leader of the fire brigades union represents grassroots, the people on the ground, firefighters, described the people in the video as "thick numbskulls". any more details about the arrests? they'd been arrested under section aa of the public order act. that covers intentional harassment, alarm or distress by threatening, abusive or insulting language. there is an exception for offences committed on private property, where people involved

would have reason to believe it wouldn't be seen by anyone else. a racially aggravated offence would be very serious and that could carry a serious fine, or prison of up to two yea rs. serious fine, or prison of up to two years. thank you. we can talk now to rukayet mamadu, who is a grenfell survivor who we've talked to many times on this programme. she maanged to escpae from the tower with her 13 13—year—old grandson. how did you feel when you watch this video? to me, it was a shock to see that there are still people who have no... no human feelings. very insensitive. i felt very bad, particularly when there are people going through the enquiry now, going

through what they went through during the fire. some of the people making it like a joke. with children in the background. you mean the laughing in the background? you could hear laughing and children's voices in the background. this is not acceptable. they are bringing up children in that type of environment, regardless of the feelings of the people around them. what did you think when you heard somebody on the videos say, stay put, we are coming to get you? it's chilling. it's cold—blooded, it is very bad. for a chilling. it's cold—blooded, it is very bad. fora human chilling. it's cold—blooded, it is very bad. for a human being to rehearse and record it... no. it's the height of... it's the climax to

intolerance of the system, society. we appreciate everything society and the system is doing for us, regardless of what they have done, we still know that the people love us and they helped us. but this should be brought tojustice. these people should be aware. maybe they are not educated to know that what they are doing is going to transfer to their children. children don't just watch, they watch, listen, absorb. and they act it when they grow older. there has been a lot of public support, a lot of horror after people have viewed this video. how do you take that? we are very grateful for the support the whole world is giving us, because without them, what can we do? they have really supported us and i think this

is why these people decided to bring themselves, to report themselves to themselves, to report themselves to the police. they went themselves. so their conscience is working on them. besides, they know they will be caught anyway with the digital system. what i am particularly angry about is the victims, the people who lost people in that tower, how they will be feeling now. i was there, i lived there, i feel so will be feeling now. i was there, i lived there, ifeel so bad will be feeling now. i was there, i lived there, i feel so bad for people who lost their relatives. whoever recorded it, we will let the police carry out their enquiries but thank you for coming on to our programme. thank you very much. britain's biggest food bank charity says it's given out over 658,000 food parcels in the past six months — that's a 13% increase they say year on year. and the trussell trust gos on to warn today that many more people will be forced to turn to them this winter, unless the government makes even more changes to universal credit.

one of the problems with it, as you know, is that claimants have had to wait five weeks to get their very first payment. yesterday the government announced it would reduce that to three weeks — will that go far enough? we'll talk about this more in a moment but first let's look at what's been happening when it comes to universal credit and foodbanks. universal credit system has been rolled out across the uk in stages. the orange dots on this map show the job centres where it is available. and the purple dots where it's not yet offered to everyone. the whole country should be covered by the middle of december. the trussell trust says it handed out over 650,000 food parcels in the six months to the end of september — that's a 13% increase on last year. the main reasons given were benefit

payments not covering the cost of essentials, benefit delays and benefit changes more widely. one in three of those who blamed a benefit delay said that was due to universal credit. the charity says the rise in food bank use is steepest in parts of the country which have seen the full universal credit roll—out. in morecambe bay, foodbank use is up by 133% since the policy was introduced in 2016. in inverclyde use is up 162% in two years. and in bridgewater in somerset the rise is 1a8% since universal credit was put in place two and a half years ago. 0ur man andy smythe has been talking to people at one foodbank in north tyneside in the north—east of england — an area which transitioned to universal credit six months ago. my name is reverend alan dickinson, and i am the chair

of the bay foodbank. when we started in 2012, my expectation was that we would probably be going for maybe two years, and then we'd finish. i'm really sad to say that we are still here, five and a bit years later. we've seen an increase year on year on year. my name isjackie dickinson and i'm the food bank manager. in here, we have baby milk. people donate it and we quite often get asked for it. there's a huge increase in the amount of families that we are serving. personally, i would put it down to universal credit. we do ask people when they are referring what the issues are, and it's usually benefit sanctions, benefit delays. it's usually when you get the crunch of it, what they are saying is it's universal credit. we aren't getting money for 5—6 weeks.

it's the same old story, every time they're coming in now. we used to be doing, like, on an average 20—22 parcels a day. now we can reach anywhere over 30—40 in a day, which, you know, we're having to do. it is busy! she laughs. we will deliver the food directly to the client's house. it will be in an unmarked van, and they will get their food in supermarket carrier bags just like you would get from a supermarket delivery. we want to offer the highest level of dignity you can to that individual. it makes me sad, yeah. when i was made redundant after 36 years as a service engineer, i started volunteering in order to be kept busy. they took me on as a driver, so i'm lucky. but unfortunately, most of our clients aren't in that fortunate position. the driver then will come back to us, and they'll see the state

of some of the houses he's delivering too. so it's notjust food they are lacking, they haven't got the furniture in their house, are they living with no carpets? it'sjust shameful. shameful. about 36% of our clients are actually working. they are not all unemployed. phone rings. it's surprising how many of our clients who come here have worked most of their lives, but have found themselves in a difficult situation. the phone rings quite often hear, doesn't it? the phone rings quite regular! the phone never stops ringing, to be honest with you. phone rings. all right, yes. who's it for, emily? we have a number of bed and breakfast kind of families who are referred to us who are in a local bed and breakfast. that means that normally all they can use is a kettle, we have to give them food to last them 3—4 days and it will be pot noodles, cupasoups, anything they can do with a kettle. and that's it. there's no jobs, so they are replying to jobs, not getting them,

or they are getting jobs with zero hours. dutch mark wood they are applying to jobs. still coming in for food at the end of the day because they are getting a wage, they are not getting the referral but they're still running out of food. i think it's down to lack of employment in the area. i'm not a politician, and it needs a political answer. i really wish i didn't have to run a food bank. i really wish there was no food banks, but the reality is there is a huge demand out there and i don't even think we are touching the tip of the iceberg, to be honest. recently on the programme, naomi told us about her experience of switching to universal credit. it is definitely very hard, it does ta ke it is definitely very hard, it does take a long time to come through and when you apply for it you don't

really realise what kind of issues that can cause. i was actually pregnant when i applied universal credit, having to wait around six weeks for the benefit to be accepted was definitely an issue for my wife. what did it mean? it definitely meant using food banks, which are not the best circumstances being pregnant, it does not make you feel good, it is something i had to do around eight times before the benefit was accepted. mike says the reasons why people are using food banks is complex. —— mike says the reasons why. let's talk to a woman who runs a foodbank in hastings — natalie williams says she's seen a rise in the numbers using it since universal credit was introduced there two years ago. and deven ghelani, the director of the think tank policy in practice — who in a previous role ‘led the way on implementing uc for three yrs. natalie, first of all, you say there has been a big rise, what numbers are you talking about? we were

giving out under 2000 food parcels a year before universal credit, it is now more like a000 per year. in terms of meals it is up to 88,500 in a year. in case things —— and hastings adduced to beat we gave food to around 150 to 200 people, we would think that was busy. we gave food to 191 people in two hours on friday. we have seen people suffering with anxiety, stress, mental health issues, even suicidal because of the delay in getting money from universal credit. deven, what do you think about the link between the rise in food bank use, which people like natalie amber jostled trust tell us about, and the introduction of universal credit? —— people like natalie and the trestle just tell us about. huge amounts of money are being taken out of the benefit system. people have less to

live on themselves. universal credit until the budget on monday had to deal with more money being taken out of the system, it is nice to see some of us go back in. would you accept a link between the two? introducing a five—week wait will mean that some people will struggle during that transition. from our work on the front line, very few people have savings to fall back on but will last them for five weeks. one of the measures announced on monday was £1 billion to help around a third of those transitioning onto universal credit, reducing the five—week wait to something more manageable, three weeks. it is a real shame from my perspective, having been involved in universal credit from the outset, not to see these measures from the beginning, it has been a false economy both for... prevention is better than cure. at the time, were people like yourself saying you cannot wait for

five or six weeks until people get their first payments, five or six weeks until people get theirfirst payments, how five or six weeks until people get their first payments, how can they live with no income? when i worked on universal credit, the proposals we re on universal credit, the proposals were more generous than the legacy syste m were more generous than the legacy system and replaced. were more generous than the legacy system and replacedlj were more generous than the legacy system and replaced. i am asking about the waiting, irrespective of the first payment. payment in arrears is... the resolution put in place on monday is exactly what i would have in place at the outset when people transition onto universal credit. the idea behind it being in arrears is to ensure that what we found with the legacy system is that when many people are waiting for this payment, when they moved into work they would have to weight... i know the rationale, to try to replicate how a salary is paid, but did someone like you say thatis paid, but did someone like you say that is too long to wait for the first payment? campaigners and the trussell trust have argued for a long time to put more money into the

welfare system, including dealing with the five—week wait and a number of other administrative issues. that weight was designed as an intentional measure to make it mimic work, and in hastings coastal town, people are not paid monthly, it has not mimicked work for as ever. that has caused some of the problems. they might do a certain number of shifts and get paid at the end of the works completion? that fundamental design of universal credit is what has caused a lot of hardship in local communities. is that because was designed by people who have never had nothing?” don't think that is the case. i think the drivers it... do you know if there were people who have experience poverty who are involved in designing this? some of the

challenges you see the legacy system today are fundamentally around that transition into work, that was the co re transition into work, that was the core focus around universal credit, to resolve some of the barriers that the current system puts in place when they take the first steps into work. it was primarily to tackle that. the best way to resolve these has fundamentally been to not treat it as has fundamentally been to not treat itasa has fundamentally been to not treat it as a false economy, taking many out of the system. putting money in now feels belated but i think for campaigners today you have to take the win in the budget on monday, it isa the win in the budget on monday, it is a shame it has not been there since the outset. one person on twitter says food banks are for junkies who spend their gyro is on drugs, 2a quid in a supermarket and ican drugs, 2a quid in a supermarket and i can feed a family of four and have anafora i can feed a family of four and have an a for a few beers. that is so frustrating, it is such a myth. these stereotypes about people who come to food banks. delie we see people deeply ashamed of relying on a food bank. —— daily, we see. a

food bank volunteer recently had to turn to her own food bank because of a state with universal credit. a huge number of people who are working but on low incomes or with u nsta ble working but on low incomes or with unstable employment, is hours contracts. the people coming into the food bank are not there for a free hand—out, you can use them like that because they are crisis support. trussell trust food banks have a limit on the number of times people can be referred in six months. three times? yes, we have increased to five because of the gap in universal credit. another tweet, there is nothing complex about food banks, the government should be ashamed, it is a national disgrace. samantha says food banks are not a choice, the choices fuel, rent or food,it choice, the choices fuel, rent or food, it is not compensated. in a statement to speak of max says the reason that people use complex dummigan food banks is convex. —— in a statement, the government says. we

have just announced we will increase the amount people can earn on universal credit by £1000 before their payment begins to be reduced to ensure work always pays and we have introduced £1 billion to help people moving from the old benefit system to universal credit, on top of the improvements we have made already, advances have increased to 100%, the seven—day waiting period has been removed and we are pacing -- paying has been removed and we are pacing —— paying housing benefit for an additional two weeks on people move onto universal credit. is it frustrating for you, you stand by the principle of universal credit, you can keep more of what you earn, that the implementation, do you feel, has completely ruined it? about not completely but it has been a huge missed opportunity. the idea to do this major reform on the cheap

and implemented while taking so much money out of the system has been a huge false economy. prevention is better than cure. also i think to make the benefit system feel different, that is the biggest opportunity that has not been taken, for me. furtherforms opportunity that has not been taken, for me. further forms will be required to improve our more. debbie on e—mail, my son recently got his own flat and had to go on universal credit. he is profoundly deaf, he had to wait weeks for a payment, he has got into debt and used a food bank three times. it is ridiculous. thank you both very much. many more m essa g es to thank you both very much. many more messages to read, i will try to do that before the end of the programme. are the reasons complex? if you have used a food bank, you are the expert, let me know. still to come... as a group of top british actors call for drastic action to tackle a lack of diversity in film and screen, we talk to talk

—— urlacher diversity behind—the—scenes in the uk film industry. we talk to director and actor femi oyeniran who started his career in the cult classic kidulthood. the cabinet's meeting to discuss brexit — and the latest ways to overcome the main sticking point which is the so—called "back stop", the arrangements to avoid checks on goods at the irish border, if there's no trade deal. our political correspondent alex forsyth is in downing street good morning. good morning. it is still the sticking point, the insurance policy, the back—up plan there is no trade deal to stop checks that the irish border. we know there are differing views on cabinet when it comes to brexit but we do not expect today to be a decisive moment. rather, theresa may would update her ministers on where

things are at andover last week's meeting is anything to go by, they may tell her what they will and won't accept. we have not seen anyone come out but plenty of people go in, on the way, the environment secretary michael gove spoke to reporters, saying he was confident the prime minister was making progress in the negotiations. i'm just looking forward to going to cabinet, and i'm sure the prime minister will be making progress to make sure we get a good brexit deal for britain. how worried are you about a no deal? i think the prime minister is doing everything she can to get the right deal for britain, and i'm supporting her in that. are you worried about your red lines being crossed ? i'm absolutely confident the prime minister will do her very best. the problem is, as we've said before in brexit talks, time is tight. (inaudible) there are signs from the eu that u nless there are signs from the eu that unless they make some progress by the end of the weekend, there will not be enough time to schedule a

meeting in november to get a deal signed off on to the british parliament. the government says sources are pushing back, it could go right towards december and there would still be time to get things through, but no doubt, the pressure on the prime minister as ever in this process is pretty strong and i think it would be interesting to hear if any thing what has been said at cabinet today about what her ministers think of where those talks are at. thank you, alex. only three out of every 100 people working behind the scenes in the british film industry are black, asian or another ethnic minority. and it's not much better on screen either. and over the last ten years, only 13.6 of film directors were women, and only 0.3% of the total uk film workforce consider themselves disabled. later today a group of top british actors — including thandie newton, lenny henry and jodie whitaker — will hand an open letter to downing street calling for drastic action. they want the government to offer tax breaks to productions that promote diversity —

and notjust ethnic diversity, but also for films that promote women and peope with disabilities. let's talk to director and actor femi oyeniran, who started his career in the cult classic kidulthood, and actor kamran vahabi, who's currently starring in a play called boys in london, which tells the story of, quote, "nine men of colour." welcome, both. why so few non—white people working behind the scenes, do you think? i think it starts at the top down, i think it starts at the commissioning and funding level, there is not diversity within the composition of the people forming that bit of the industry and when you go into distribution there is a lack of representation, which then filters down all the way to who produces films and also who act in them. it is dominated by white,

middle—aged. . . ? it is dominated by white, middle—aged...? ok. kamran, what would you say is the reason? quite frankly, i think they are quite happy as it is because it suits their needs. why do you say that? about it maintains the status quo. it is not serving the audience. we are demanding representation on stage, screen and film and we are starting to see improvements, but it needs to be beyond that. on a personal note, every time i have gone into an audition room it has been surrounded by white, middle—class people. they are stories that involve ethnic people and it feels quite jarring sometimes when you are going in almost as a novelty. really? why would you say you are a novelty? what about your background might be seen as a novelty? it has almost become trendy to create stories based on the ethnic person. and ethnic background. to offer an example, our

show, boys, we have put nine men of colour on centre stage and they are being themselves. that is very rare and is not really happen anywhere else, i truly believe that. and even from behind—the—scenes of boys we have people from all backgrounds, gender, nationality, race, all parts of the world. and why is it important that people behind the scenes are representative, femi?” believe that is the only way you will truly see change. once you have a producer of colour they are thinking about these issues. when you have the same white middle—class male, these issues don't even affect him so he does not really have any empathy in terms diversity and does not look at the world in a diverse way. i do not think the industry is not diverse because people are racist or anything, i think it comes from pure ignorance. there is a real

commitment to change —— bear isn't real commitment. would a tax break make a difference? i hope so, people get into industries to make money maximise many, so adding a commercial incentive to stimulate change, actually it is probably one of the smartest ideas i have heard to boost diversity in a long time. we are seeing images of kidulthood, how did you get your big break? noel clarke, who wrote kidulthood and directed the later films, noel clarke went to my college in west london and went back to his old couege london and went back to his old college and wanted to see what new talent existed in that college. that goes back to what i was saying, when you put people from diverse backgrounds in these roles they don'tjust look at backgrounds in these roles they don't just look at the world backgrounds in these roles they don'tjust look at the world in the same way that the same old producer that has done it for the past 50 yea rs that has done it for the past 50 years does, they look at innovative

ways of trying to get new people into the industry. noel clarke went to his old college which i went to ten yea rs to his old college which i went to ten years after him, that is how i am here today. it is so simple, so simple! but it is going to a different place to find different talent. when i have conversations with people in broadcast and behind—the—scenes, they say they really wa nt behind—the—scenes, they say they really want to use diverse talent but do not know where they are, i think that is so insulting because they are online, they exist in their little communities and they are trying to create contents but if you truly want to see change you need to seek that talent. noel and those quys seek that talent. noel and those guys did that, that is what i do when i make my films, i try to bring in people from unlikely places. i use casting directors as well as

actual street casting. street casting, walk out on the street...? not like that. tell me, wouldn't that be amazing?! we'll look at people online, people outside the industry. i suppose the unique thing about the film which i just industry. i suppose the unique thing about the film which ijust released in the cinema was that i'd put wrappers in it that when transitioning from being music stars, i gave them the opportunity to act. —— i put third in it. —— i could rappers in it. my film sets, i have made three films so far, 23 tv programmes, my film and tv sets are some of the most tv sets i have ever seenin some of the most tv sets i have ever seen in the industry —— two or three tv programmes. how did you get your break, briefly? i worked tv programmes. how did you get your break, briefly? iworked for tv programmes. how did you get your break, briefly? i worked for an

incredible director, he is the artistic director of the current show, boys. he was work —— he has worked with the national youth theatre and other organisations and has spotted talent in a similar way to noel, going into the communities, bringing us in, he has trained us and put as nine ethnic men together. what is really important is to see people of colour in leadership roles, that is something that that director does very well, he brings in myself for one of the others involved to help the system. so people coming into the industry from the ground up are seeing people that look different, they can see themselves in them. i never saw anyone from my background on stage or in tv or films. your background is? half afghan, half iranian, brought up in watford. i did not feel like i belonged in the

industry, nobody looked like me on stage, from what i could see from my couch at home. let's see if the latter has any impact. thank you for coming on the programme. at the beginning of the programme, we showed you some of the incredible work being done to treat the victims of acid attacks at the biggest burns unit in europe right here in the uk. we've been given exclusive access to the st andrew's centre, part of broomfield hospital. the number of acid attacks is rising — we've seen new figures that show over the past five years more than 500 people in england have been hospitalised. here's adele bellis, who had acid thrown at her four years ago on the long road to recovery. four years on, adele has returned to broomfield hospitalfor the next stage of reconstructive surgery. her hair has been removed... her hairpiece has been removed...

..and is now the surgeon will discuss the next steps. this is a tight band, we are going to break down the scar. the surgery will first relieve pressure on her scarring and allow more movement, and then she'll have laser treatment to help the appearance. it's a very, very gentle and anaesthetic. happy? yeah, that's good. the procedures are expected to take an hour to complete. so how did it go? yeah, went very well. i think she will get better movement in her neck. it was tight before, like turning to one side was difficult, but i think she will be ok. it's a horrible injury that requires lots of work. for young people to have this on their face is really, really serious. here to tell us more about the recovery involved

is naguib el—muttardi, a consultant plastic surgeon at the unit. and another of his patients — "peter." that's not his real name. he's 33 and had acid thrown in his face last year by two men late one night after they'd asked him for money. no one's ever been caught. peter, you are talking to us anonymously. explain to the audience why? you mentioned earlier that i am a composer, and quite frankly i don't want to be the composer with the scars. there is, i say, a tradition. there is a composer who was injured in the war, who had horrific facial scars and it becomes a part of every discussion of his work. i am above what happened to me and my work is bigger than that. i just don't want that to be

discussed. fair enough, but! just don't want that to be discussed. fair enough, but i will ask how the attack affected your hearing? not at all, miraculously. pa rt hearing? not at all, miraculously. part of my year has been burned away just in front of the actual entrance to my ear. miraculously, my eyesight was kept as well. because you were wearing glasses? i was wearing spectacles. there were a couple of weeks where there were some questions about how much of my ear would be lost. so there was some stress surrounding whether i would lose a lot of my hearing. but tha nkfully lose a lot of my hearing. but thankfully it did not happen. how amazing worthy st. andrews centre? absolutely incredible across—the—board. from absolutely incredible across—the—boa rd. from the absolutely incredible across—the—board. from the moment i entered the hospital, the treatment has been impeccable. and this

gentleman, the surgeon was one of the people who treated you. thank you very much forjoining us in your busy working day, we appreciate it. i wonder what impact the rise in acid attack, in acid attacks, is having on your unit? i think it is significantly affecting our servers. if you look at our statistics, in 2002 we probably had about four cases in 2012, in 2017 we had 26 cases. it is significantly rising. and the amount of effort and work we provide for these patients to get them out of the hospital safely is tremendous. it is a big team looking after them, from all aspects, from day one until they are discharged,

and then even after discharge they come for more physio, more scar management and reconstructive surgery. it is an extensive work and it costs a lot. it costs a lot, and we know about resources in the nhs, we talk about them a lot on the programme. from them a lot on the programme. from the moment a patient arrives, having been hit by acid, briefly, what does the treatment involved? the most important thing is the first aid, which should start from the beginning at the scene. the most important first aid as dilation with water and wash with water, as much as possible. we usually measure the ph of the wounds and tried to bring it to the neutral side. because we don't know what has been thrown, is it acid or alkaline? they are both corrosive and can cause damage. you don't know if it is acid or alkaline, that is important? yes. we

need to guy luzon decrease the concentration of the acid or the alkaline to prevent further damage of the skin. understood. peter, you are coming back from your girlfriend's has instructed, guys that you can this, you said no thank you, they offered you said no thank you, they offered you —— they asked for money, you put your hands in your pocket to see if your hands in your pocket to see if you had anything to give them, you felt the liquid on your face. can you put into words what that was like? initially it was lukewarm and it had a lemon smell to it, i thought it was lemon tea. it was about three or four microseconds before i realised that this was very much not lemon c. —— lemon tea. it burns. the pain

took quite a long time to accumulate, but by the time it had accumulated it was absolutely excruciating. i have never experienced anything like it. how do you feel about the fact that nobody has even been arrested in connection to what they did to you? personally, i have made my peace with this, but obviously it is disappointing, a certain sense ofjustice would be nice. but i have moved on from the event itself to the extent that it does not worry me too much. mr el—muttardi, we havejust a does not worry me too much. mr el—muttardi, we have just a few seconds left, how rewarding, if i can put it like that, is yourjob?” think it is extremely rewarding and we feel much, much better when we see an acid victim or a major burn who comes to our unit and we have treated him for several months and

then he walks out of the unit happily and safely. i think, for us, it isa happily and safely. i think, for us, it is a big, big thing of achievement for the whole team and the whole effort we made, that it has come to this happy outcome. thank you very much. thank you so much for your time and forjoining us on your busy day. thank you very much, peter as well. us on your busy day. thank you very much, peteras well. have us on your busy day. thank you very much, peter as well. have a good day, bbc newsroom live is next. lots of cloud at the moment across the uk, some brighter spells across many eastern parts of england and the east of scotland, such as this in the scottish borders, blue skies coming through the cloud. in the west, the cloud is big enough to bring showers which will continue for much of the day across western areas. if anything they will intensify, get quite happy, particularly towards the south—west

of scotland, eastern northern ireland, south wales and the south—west later this afternoon. eastern areas stayed largely dry and it is mild, even warm, temperature 17 or 18 across the south and east of england. the heavy rain, the dark blue, moves further east overnight. still very mild, temperatures in double figures. many more others will see rain throughout the day on wednesday. as the day goes on, many eastern areas becoming drier with brighter spells, more unsettled the further west you are. i will have more throughout morning. goodbye. you're watching bbc newsroom live, it's11am and these are the main stories this morning:

americans prepare to deliver their verdict on president trump as voting in the mid term elections gets underway. i'm not on the ballot, but in a certain way i am on the ballot, so please go out and vote. how we conduct ourselves on the ballot. how we treat other people is on the ballot. five men are arrested after a video emerged showing a model of grenfell tower burning on a bonfire. the information commissioner's office is to fine the motor insurance business owned by arron banks and the campaign breaches of the data law theresa may's cabinet meets shortly to discuss her latest attempts to resolve the irish border issue and finalise a brexit deal.