hello it's wednesday, it's 10:00. i'm victoria derbyshire. meet calder and alexandra — twins but with two different biological dads. in their first ever tv interview, we'll be talking to simon and graeme berney—edwards about how they managed to have two babies at the same time, who are only half siblings. rules which ban using young celebrities and cartoon characters in gambling ads are to be made stricter in an effort to stop the ads appealing to children. the law has been in place for quite a considerable length of time and the industry is well used to the fact there is a cut—off point. they shouldn't be using individuals who may be have that youth appeal. we're talking to an addiction specialist about what you can do to reduce the risk of your children getting into gambling. and seven fires a day in england and wales are caused by faulty electrical appliances, according to research out today. lorraine ward and her young family lost everything in a fire at their home caused

by a faulty tumbledryer. hello, welcome to the programme. we're live until 11:00 this morning. later we will be talking to this family, alexander and calder, who are not impressed on being on television. also... later we'll talk to the paretns of diabsled children about a new range of barbie dolls which are being released, including one that uses a wheelchair and one with a prosthetic leg. if you have a child with disability how important is it to them that some of the toys they play with kind of represent them. do get in touch on all the stories

we're talking about — use the hashtag victoria live. here's annita mcveigh with a summary of the days news. good morning. nine out of ten police officers say there are not enough of them to meet demand, as the government is warned the public faces "increased risk" due to lack of front line staff the police federation, which represents the rank and file, says a survey of 18,000 constables, sergeants and inspectors in england and wales found that almost 90% didn't feel they had enough officers to manage demand. social media companies should be made to take more responsiblity for cracking down on content fuelling knife crime. that's the message from the home secretary, who's been speaking to bbc radio 1's newsbeat programme. sajid javid says he's asking online companies to do more to tackle content which promotes knife crime, but is warning them he'll take action if they don't. we don't have the legislation for it. i have the legislation for terrorist content, i have it for illegal child sexual

abuse imagery, but we don't have that legislation today for that kind of content. alexandra and calder are 19—month—old twins, but, they have two different biological fathers. simon and graeme berney—edwards are one of the very few british couples who have chosen to fertilise one embryo each during the nf process, and then have the embryos implanted into a surrogate at the same time. the dads will be speaking exclusively to this programme shortly in theirfirst ever tv interview. the british chambers of commerce warns that firms are in danger of being "hung out to dry" because of the contrinued uncertainty over brexit the business group says companies have been left in the dark because a lack of clear and precise information is causing real damage to many firms. the brexit secretary, stephen barclay, has played down a report that theresa may could present mps with two options in march: either backing a reworked

withdrawal deal or accepting a delay to brexit. an itv news correspondent says he overheard part of a conversation involving the government's chief brexit negotiator 0lly robbins in a bar in brussels, during which he apparently suggested mps will be given such a choice. a ban on the use of young celebrities and sports stars in gambling adverts is to come into force to help protect children the new standards, which cover social networks and other online platforms, will come into force in april. the advertising standards authority will be able to ban any adverts which fail to comply. the australian government will re—open the country's controversial detention centre on christmas island, to cope with what it believes is an influx in asylum seekers the announcement came after the government suffered an embarrassing defeat in parliament. mps there passed a landmark bill allowing migrants in offshore camps to receive medical care in australia. the prime minister scott morrison said it would undermine border security. and, imagine walking into a supposedly empty house and finding this...

this huge tiger was found in a vacant property in houston in texas. animal control officers managed to cage the female tiger before she was taken to a sanctuary, where she is said to be doing well. the police are investigating who owns the house and how the tiger got there. that's your latest bbc news, back to you victoria. good morning. this is alexandra and this is calder. they are twins who are 19 months old but they have two different biological dads. their dads are simon and graeme berney—edwards and they are one of very few british couples who have chosen to fertilise one embryo each during the ivf process, and then have the embryos implanted into a surrogate at the same time. graeme and simon chose to use a surrogate in canada.

here she is — 32—year—old meg stone, with simon and graeme and the twins not long after they were born, because the rules in britain are outdated and don t offer many rights to the biological parents. the dads are here to tell us their story in their first ever tv interview and why they think the laws around surrogacy in the uk need to be changed. good morning. we all cool with children. talk us through your family because i had to read this a few times before i got my head around it. they are twins but graham, you are the biological father of calder and simon, you are the biological father of alexandra 7 explain. we went with a couple of

different agencies, but effectively we had an anonymous egg donorfrom the states because fertility treatment was done in las vegas. they harvested the eggs from the donor and they then split those eggs in half. half of those eggs were fertilised by graham and half by me. they then do the five—day process to get to the point where you have got some embryos. at the end of that, we had a of graham's embryos, and a number fertilised by me. had a of graham's embryos, and a numberfertilised by me. those had a of graham's embryos, and a number fertilised by me. those were then graded, as they do. they put them... and ready to do the transfer... just so everybody is aware, the children have gone offset

to theirgrandma. aware, the children have gone offset to their grandma. when they were ready to do the transfer they took the two strongest of each embryos and transferred into the surrogate. they have the same biological mother but two different dads. which means, although they were born pretty much at the same time, just a few minutes apart, they are half siblings7 at the same time, just a few minutes apart, they are half siblings? yes. when you two were talking about having children, where you are debating which one of you should be the biological father when you are thinking about egg donation and surrogacy7 thinking about egg donation and surrogacy? yes, it was always a bit ofa surrogacy? yes, it was always a bit of a difficult one. we knew we wanted more than one child so the agreement would be, if we could only afford to go down the road of surrogacy, one afford to go down the road of surrogacy, one would be simon's child and one would be my child. we

spoke to the first agency and they introduced us to the idea that we could implant two embryos at the same time and we could have twins although they would only be half siblings. presumably, yourjaw hit the floor because i have never heard of this? neither had we. it was a com plete of this? neither had we. it was a complete revelation. you think, is this something we should be doing? but the clinic was at the moment, we have a number of couples who go along this route. so yes. and here they are. why did you choose canada to find a surrogate? we chose canada specifically because we really like

the setup, the legal framework for surrogacy the setup, the legal framework for surrogacy in canada. it is very similarto surrogacy in canada. it is very similar to the surrogacy in canada. it is very similarto the uk surrogacy in canada. it is very similar to the uk in many ways and the fact it is altruistic, it is not about payments. it is really important we want to do have an ongoing relationship with the surrogate. the children cannot have a relationship with the egg donor, it is important they have that relationship going forward. but the legal framework in place relationship going forward. but the legalframework in place in canada is clearer and provides a lot more legal surety, which felt really important. in britain, asi understand it, when a child is born from a surrogate, they have six weeks, if i have understood this correctly, to decide whether they wa nt to correctly, to decide whether they want to keep that child or not? that is right. calder is back and i think alexandra is on her way. do you want to come and sit up here? no, back to grandma. you have this six week

cooling off period, but in that time in the uk, we wouldn't be on the birth certificate. it would be the surrogate and if she was married, her husband would be the one on the birth certificate. even if he hadn't fertilised the eggs? even if they had no biological relationship to the children, that is the case. that doesn't get reversed until the pa rental doesn't get reversed until the parental order is put in place. which, for us, we didn't hang about, took nine months. hello, alexandra. having two embryos implanted into your surrogate in canada, there is no guarantee they were both going to survive, either of them to survive, when she revealed to you that yes, they had ta ken when she revealed to you that yes, they had taken and they were growing, what was your reaction? there was many emotions went through

our heads. we were highly delighted, absolutely elated. when reality kicked in, we thought, what have we done? there was going to be two! but absolutely blown away by the science and the fact it was successful. all went according to plan. i think she faced timely from the scanning room where you were able to see on the ultrasound, one heartbeat. then a deep breath, maybe not even breathing and then esau the second heartbeat7 breathing and then esau the second heartbeat? i was going to say, not even breathing! to see that, we sat at the kitchen table for about two hours afterwards going through

elation, to crying, to complete and utter shock and then thinking, what have we done? the reality that the fa ct have we done? the reality that the fact this was happening. was the pregnancy relatively smooth7 fact this was happening. was the pregnancy relatively smooth? yes, by all accounts she had a fairly straightforward pregnancy with her own children. she reassured us she carried healthy babies. it was all pretty much going to plan. we had arranged to go out to canada six weeks before the babies were due to be borne in case they came early. we had be borne in case they came early. we ha d a llowe d be borne in case they came early. we had allowed ourselves a bit of a buffer after they were born in case there were any health issues. children, i suppose gave us a little inkling of how they were going to be

and through a false alarm the week before we were due to go to canada. there was a very panicked friday evening getting things together and lots of messages back and forward to canada. you thought the babies were going to be born earlier7 you are on a plain click7 going to be born earlier7 you are on a plain click? she went 37 weeks in the end. the six weeks we were there, they did give us a false alarm every week. and this is continuing in reality now they are here. in this country, would you be able to have an agreement with a surrogate that is legally enforceable7 surrogate that is legally enforceable? no, that is a real issue going forward. i don't think i would ever want to see, that's a personal thing, i wouldn't want to see the payments, the transactional

version of surrogacy in the same way the states is. i think that altruistic thing about having a legal framework in place that is clearer, that enables people to move through and have the parental order put in swiftly and a lot more quickly and easier. in canada, we had a few forms to sign, which we did at the end of the first week we we re did at the end of the first week we were there. they were notarised by an official at city hall and that was sent off and then we got the birth certificates and that was it. the argument from people here who support the british system might be, there are checks and balances in place and if it takes a little bit of time to make sure everything is above board, then so be it? we still had a social worker and they came round whilst we were still in hospital to make sure everything with us stacked up, they chatted to

us, they chatted to meg. we had that and itjust us, they chatted to meg. we had that and it just seems us, they chatted to meg. we had that and itjust seems there is a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of time and money being spent. we had to go to the royal courts of justice, money being spent. we had to go to the royal courts ofjustice, it was a high court judge the royal courts ofjustice, it was a high courtjudge that came and oversaw this. at the department of health say they want surrogacy laws in this country to be fit for feather so they are supporting a review of the legislation by the law commission. alex and facebook says, just amazing and congratulations. ali tweets, isn't science wonderful. two lovely children to two amazing dads. i wish both families all the very best. that is interesting. you are one family. i wish all of you all the very best as the children grow and develop. would you like any more children? is two enough7|j

still more children? is two enough?” still get broody. i am a stay at home dad and i still get broody. how do you feel about that? we always said, if we were lucky to have one of each and by that i mean, one of each as opposed to a boy and girl, that would be the cherry on cake. but we never say never. my mum is very keen for us to have, we talked about how many embryos left in the freezer in vegas and she wants us to have the whole lot. how many are there7 have the whole lot. how many are there? nine. but we have got to pay for it. listen, thank you so much for it. listen, thank you so much for coming on the programme, very nice to meet you and all the best. the department of health are supporting the review by the law commission. still to come.

tougher rules to stop gambling companies using celebrities and animated characters. we will talk about what you can do to stop your children getting into gambling. seven fires a day caused by faulty electrics. we talk to a family who lost everything caused by their tumble dryer catching fire. new laws are needed to stop social media being used to fuel knife crime 7 that 5 according to the home secretary. he told bbc radio 1's newsbeat the laws exist for terrorism and child sex abuse images 7 but not knife crime. he 5 also admitted he worried about his children 5 safety when they re out on their own. what did he tell you? well this

shocking picture of knife crime in the country. he had to front up and say it is not good enough and we talked through certain measures he had been talking the recently. he mentioned a few weeks back and refocused in on that, clamp down on social media, stop things happening on the internet. it is a nonsense because how do you police the internet. 0ur viewers think it is a glib statement. we said, you need to do more, you cannotjust come up with these headlines. he accepted cannot police the internet but steps have been made when it comes to child sexual abuse images and terrorism. but when it comes to knife crime and gangs, he doesn't

have the legislation he needs. he also talked about his fears as a pa rent also talked about his fears as a parent and it made an interesting interview. we are going to play that interview. we are going to play that interview now. as a parent, i want my children to be able to walk around on any street and feel they are safe and that's why a lot more needs to be done. you mentioned there your own children, do you worry about their safety when they leave home without you? as a parent, absolutely. i do. my daughter, my eldest daughter has started going out a lot more than she used to, just part of growing up. you want them to go out and meet their friends and enjoy themselves, but i do worry. there are some nights i've actually stayed up quite late into the early hours of the morning just waiting to know that she's back home. you've just brought out a new knife prevention order system, a new knife crime strategy. it talks about cracking down on people on social media meeting up, using it as a sort of way of prompting gang disputes. how on earth can you control the internet, you just can't do it, can you? so, the purpose of the knife crime prevention order is just that, to prevent young people from having

to carry, pick up a knife in the first place. that's no good for anyone, there's no reason anyone, anyone, young or old, needs to carry a knife. so it's about prevention. going back to the social media element, can ijust show you this very briefly? this is a video that the met police worked with youtube to have removed. you can see from it its highly aggressive, these people are talking about ultimately calling each other out and saying, we are going to come and attack you. i spent 30 seconds on google trying to find this video and it's been banned. i found the link that sent me to this website. you can't police the internet and every time the government says we are going to police the internet, you just lose credibility. you look, frankly, out of touch. i actually think you can do a lot more to police harmful content on the internet. in the home office, i am also responsible for other types of illegal content on the internet, terrorist videos, extremism videos. child sexual exploitation videos.

these are all illegal content, everywhere in the world it is illegal. at the moment we don't have that legislation for it. i have the legislation for terrorist content, i have it for illegal child sexual abuse imagery, but we don't have it, that legislation today, for that kind of content. we are changing that. the biggest tech giants need to do more and my message to these companies is, we are going to legislate and how far we go depends on what you decide to do now. so it's over to them to take action, otherwise we are going to take it for them. is he right to say no laws exist at the moment? it depends who you ask. speak to civil liberties campaigners and they say there are plenty of laws, frankly this isjust demonising a type of music and a certain type of society and that is the headline to detract from the real issue. the law society says

there is a hole in the legislation. it exists for child sexual imagery, terrorism, but this gang culture that it terrorism, but this gang culture thatitis terrorism, but this gang culture that it is used to ramp up tension, it isn't there at the moment. if you don't act now, he is telling the companies he will come in hard. you have been talking to one guy who recently was carrying a knife. he was one of the most fascinating blokes i have ever spoken to. he has lost cou nt blokes i have ever spoken to. he has lost count the times he has used it. he had a moment, he found god and now goes round schools to tell people about his experiences. but when i put drill music and this idea of ramping up tension, i asked him, did it affect you, did it ramp you 7 did it affect you, did it ramp you he did it affect you, did it ramp you up? he said, yes it did. a lot of other people just say it is the soundtrack to my life, but he did admit it would ramp him up. i started carrying a knife when i was 12. a knife

because everyone was doing it at the time. i've stabbed quite a lot of people and if i was to count, i wouldn't be able to count because so much happened in my gang life and so many people remind me to this day about how many people i stabbed that i can't remember. you know, that the god's honest truth. you know what people say, if you carry a knife yourself, you are more likely to have it used on you? yes. has anyone ever pulled a knife or new? a knife on you? yes. you've been stabbed 7 yes, i've been stabbed, i was stabbed in the head as well. it penetrated my temple, but it didn't go through. but i couldn't eat properly for two weeks. i've had a knife pulled on me plenty of times. we used to sit down in the park and have conversations and say, what life going to be like if we make it till 16? when we made it to 16, we never planned life past 18 because we were thinking we would die. we used to sit down and be like, what life going to be like when we are 18?

are we still going to be doing this? because we had no life, you know. thinking back to when you carried a knife, would ten, 15, 20 years in prison for carrying a knife be a deterrent for you? for me personally, with no doubt, giving tougher sentences would prevent people from carrying knives because no one wants to go to jail for 15 yearsjust for carrying a knife. that's how long you go down for for manslaughter or murder. one of the things the government is looking at is online videos and people listening to drill music and things like that, but online videos, social media used to kind of ramp up tensions between gangs. do you think that's a problem? yes, definitely a big problem. back in my day, if i listened to drill music i'm riding out 24/7. like, if i was listening to drill music every day, the way it is now, i'm definitely committing crime. they are doing acts of people stabbing each other. that's glamorising it and it's wrong. 0ne comment from someone who text, the biggest thing to change to prevent knife crime would be to sort out the archaic laws around cannabis. social media is not your

problem. thank you jim connolly. thank you for your messages about the new range of barbie dolls coming out. including a doll using a wheelchair and next to her, a doll with a prosthetic leg. made to look like a prosthetic leg. if you have children with disabilities, a finding toys that are representative insignificant. says, having a doll or other play toy with disabilities is important and helps children understand disabilities at a young age. iam understand disabilities at a young age. i am a childminder and i have a range of disability toys to help children understand this. neil says, asa children understand this. neil says, as a disabled stroke survivor and newly promoted godfather to my niece and my friend's new daughter, my

wife and i are also looking for ways to highlight disabilities, visible or not for when they are away. i think the barbie doll range is a fantastic step with helping kids understand different disabilities andi understand different disabilities and i support further input from toy manufacturers and games developers. we will talk about that before 11am. do get in touch with us. one of the uk's leading business groups says firms are in danger of being "hung out to dry" by the government because of the continued uncertainty over a no—deal brexit. the british chambers of commerce says companies have been left in the dark because 20 critical questions remain unanswered and that the lack of clear precise information is causing real damage to many businesses. 0ur political guru norman smith is at westminster.

these are the kind of questions businesses need to know when we leave. what kind of trade deals will be rolled over, what regulations will they face and what information can they get on tariffs. the latest bigness organisations ringing alarm bells saying they don't know what is going on. this morning we had the brexit secretary stephen barclay, trying to answer some of the questions. you have to say, i am not sure they will have got many a nswe rs. sure they will have got many answers. what tariffs will i have to pay in imports in the event of no deal? i wrote to the british chambers of commerce last week regarding the questions they raise. they were willing to discuss... do you have any answers? if i can finish, we have arranged a meeting today going through these issues on

details. have you been able to tell them different industries would pay on imports from the eu and elsewhere. we expect to give more information on that in the coming days. 0h information on that in the coming days. oh dear. not good. iwant information on that in the coming days. oh dear. not good. i want to ask you about the civil servant he was overheard in a bar potentially laying out what theresa may's strategy might be as we get nearer brexit day7 strategy might be as we get nearer brexit day? this is 0lly robbins, chief negotiator. he starts talking about what basically mrs may's strategy is. it is alleged, he suggests mrs may wants to run the clock right down to the last week in march and say to mp5, it is either ideal or we will have a lengthy delay to brexit. that has caused an argument at westminster. because the

suggestion, many people think mrs may is going to run the clock down to the last minute, but also brexiteers are on the woolpack because they say she is going to try and corral them on board by saying, if you don't back my deal, we will have this lengthy delay which will go on and on. they are very indiscreet, the remarks but a lot of people at westminster think they could be plausible and the strategy could be plausible and the strategy could be plausible and the strategy could be to run the clock down until the last few days before we leave. tomorrow is valentine's day, i know you haven't forgotten, what is going on in parliament? i've got chocolates, got a card, still need to get the flowers, thanks for the reminder(!) it was going to be a big day with a series of votes but then became a day with a series of votes but then becamea damp day with a series of votes but then became a damp squib when it was decided not to have a major tussle and put it off until the end of the month but things never go to plan, we are in the world of "brexit". what is now looming is the

brexiteers appear on the war path because they are not happy with the motion the government has put down. it isa motion the government has put down. it is a little bit complicated but basically the motion acknowledges the votes we had in parliament, but also, remember, had mps saying we really don't want no deal. by acknowledging that if the position, it is effectively saying, we are rolling out no deal. they are on the war path and threatening to abstain or even vote against. she could be defeated tomorrow and the honeymoon that blossomed between the brexiteers and theresa may appears to be over. rules around gambling ads, which include a ban on the use of young celebrities and sports stars, will become stricter, to protect kids from irresponsible ads. from 1 april, gambling operators

will also have to make sure that the majority of the audience of any social media influencers they work with are over 18. a recent uk study suggested 450,000 11 to 16—year—olds regularly gamble. the new standards from the committees of advertising practice or cap will also ban the use of animated and licensed characters from film and tv. cap says care must be taken that gambling ads do not appear in the children's section of websites, such as the young supporters‘ pages of a football club. banned adverts included three coral interactive ads for featuring animated images of a rainbow, a pot of gold and a leprechaun, fish swimming in the ocean and a wizard, found likely to be of particular appeal to children. another ruling dealt with the gambling website m88.com, which advertised three games that showed animated images of a wolf, a pixie, a forest, and a fairy in a forest, all of which were banned for appealing to children. we can speak now to liz karter, who's an addiction therapist, and works with some

children addicted to gambling. liz ritchie, whose 2a year old son took his own life after a gambling addiction. when did your son begin to gamble? 16,17, when did your son begin to gamble? 16, 17, when he was at school, he and a group of friends would go into the local bookies and to gamble with dinner money. and when did you find out about that? about a year later, by which time he had a very serious and deep—seated addiction. and, he killed himself last november, november 2017, and after that, we met up with other families this had happened to, and we decided we needed to tell other families, other

parents, i want to tell other mums, about the risks, the suicide risk associated with gambling addiction and to warn them, because nobody warned us. is there any doubt in your mind that your son taking his own life was absolutely connected to gambling7 own life was absolutely connected to gambling? he left a very clear suicide note, so there is no doubt. goodness me. tell us about the work that you do, as a gambling addiction therapist. the work that i do is, obviously helping somebody to stop gambling but then looking at the wider reasons for their gambling, so, if! wider reasons for their gambling, so, if i am looking at the impact of advertising, i think, so, if i am looking at the impact of advertising, ithink, quite so, if i am looking at the impact of advertising, i think, quite clearly, it is going to be helpful, potentially, because with a young person, when we are young, we are not clearly formed as a personality, we don't know who we are. we look to

the people we admire and we emulate them. children see a superhero, they run around wearing a cape. yes, there is the potential that seeing a gambling advertisement connected to a hero could lead them down that path. but i think we need to be clear, not every child that sees an advertisement for gambling is going to become a gambling addict. no, nobody is saying that, of course. no, i don't think we are saying that every child will be addicted, nevertheless, there is a significant proportion of people, and we are not saying all gambling products are the same. nobody is saying that going to newmarket with families is an addictive event. but the reality is, we have had some very dangerous products, that people get addicted

to, especially before brains are fully formed. we have had a decision from a minister who said fixed odds betting terminals were readily available and too dangerous to have on the high street and that is how jack and some of his friends became addicted. we have the same games online. at gambling with lives we think we have to get serious about gambling advertising. we think that like italy, gambling advertising should be banned, italy has a much lower rate of gambling addicts. and we think there needs to be a proper nhs diagnosis and treatment programme. which there isn't at the moment. i think we have a lot of crossovers in viewpoints, i really do, and! crossovers in viewpoints, i really do, and i think the argument, certainly, i found in do, and i think the argument, certainly, ifound in the do, and i think the argument, certainly, i found in the last do, and i think the argument, certainly, ifound in the last 19 yea rs i have certainly, ifound in the last 19 years i have been practising, is, is it product or is it personality and

psychology7 for me, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, and your story is terribly sad. and i hear a lot of sad stories, and what i know from the clients i work with is, for a lot of them, not necessarily for your son but a lot of my clients, their gambling has also been an emotional management, escapism from stresses and pressures in their life, and what i know is, i see an awful lot of young people now who are suffering incredible stress and pressure and that has led to seeking escapism from an online product, that complete absorption in particular can offer that emotional medication. i'm sure you're right, cani medication. i'm sure you're right, can i respond, nevertheless, that attitude sits very well with the gambling industry that would like to locate blame for the addiction with

the addicted. we need to, as a society, look at those that commit harm rather than those that have been harmed and what causes the addiction, it does not drop out of the air onto people, people who are too young wander into an environment they think is safe because they are told it is safe, they are told it is fun, and they go on very addictive products. they may later use it as a sort of escapism but that is after they are addicted. we need to look at, what i want to be clear, i am saying, it is good that the government and the gambling industry are looking at how to act in the public interest, certainly, i think we do need to reduce the level of advertising, we need to have sensible conversations. as a psychotherapist, i believe in the

power of —— empowering my clients by looking at what the underlying motivations are so that they can make adjustments in their life so that triggers are no longer there. the triggers come from outside, the triggers come from the advertising, lam also triggers come from the advertising, i am also a psychotherapist and i also believe in empowering clients, andl also believe in empowering clients, and i think that health messages, empowering a client is about having the information to make clear, informed decisions. people need to be informed of the dangers of the products they go on in order to make those decisions. i have a statement, and a couple of messages, but a statement from remote: as a gambling industry we can never be complacent where children are concerned, the effects of marketing and gambling advertising on young children should a lwa ys advertising on young children should always be put into the spotlight when concerns are raised, the industry took action on this just recently with additional

restrictions on areas like social media, sponsorship and television advertising including the bar on pre—watershed advertising on betting around live sports. that is politician speak, that is... they have taken some concrete action. politician speak, that is... they have taken some concrete actionm is nowhere near enough. that may be enough, they have taken a small step. gambling streamers on youtube have no security checking on the viewers age, according to one viewer, and offer up free spins to get people hooked. that need stopping. this viewer: "i hear stories about people being addicted to slot machines and gambling, if you want to stop people from losing their wages orfamilies you want to stop people from losing their wages or families money, you want to stop people from losing their wages orfamilies money, you need to stop all gambling. it is more destructive than drugs." we don't believe in stopping all gambling, we would not say that, we

believe in differentiating between different kinds of gambling and stopping the dangerous products. thank you both for coming in. seven fires a day in england and wales are caused by faulty electrical appliances according to research today and now the charity behind that research has revealed around two thirds of electrical products in the uk aren t registered with the manufacturer. electrical safety first says this means many consumers are unable to be contacted if a potentially dangerous fault is discovered 7 and as we are about to see, this can lead to devastating consequences. last year in england there were more than 2,300 electrical fires caused by faults. the most common of these were started by washing machines and based on a survey of 5,000

adults, electrical safety first found on average british homes have 15 electrical products and 10 will be unregistered. the charity estimates more than 200 million potentially dangerous unregistered electrical products are sitting in homes undetected. lorraine ward and her young family lost everything in a fire at her home after a faulty tumbledryer caught fire. she is represented by the law firm leigh day. angela is here, she says her family had a very lucky escape just a few weeks ago after her dishwasher caused a fire. it too turned out to be a recalled product. emma is from electrical safety first. and charlie is the deputy assistant commissioner for the london fire brigade. and, amelia, iam

and, amelia, i am sorry, and, amelia, iam sorry, i and, amelia, i am sorry, i did and, amelia, iam sorry, i did not introduce you. you are here with your mother. well, my husband got up to sort out the children, i had done the night feed, he put a load of the babies washing onto dry, went into the living room, around seven or eight minutes later, the electricity went off, did not think anything of it because we had heavy snow, wasn't unusualfor it because we had heavy snow, wasn't unusual for the area. then it because we had heavy snow, wasn't unusualfor the area. then he it because we had heavy snow, wasn't unusual for the area. then he could smell burning. he thought perhaps a fuse had singed, went to the kitchen, opened the door, because it was a heavy, old—fashioned door, and he said it was like something from back draft, went his head into the kitchen, two foot flames were shooting through the kitchen, out of the tumble dryer. we had to get out. —— backdraught. he screamed, he shouted, he grabbed the car seat in the hall, and he told our eldest at

the hall, and he told our eldest at the time, who was seven, to get a code and put on boots. —— backdraft. i was code and put on boots. —— backdraft. iwas ina code and put on boots. —— backdraft. i was in a bit of code and put on boots. —— backdraft. iwas ina bit ofa code and put on boots. —— backdraft. i was in a bit of a daze, because i was still asleep, he told us to get out while he was desperately trying to do something but it was so out of control. the photograph you have shown us of your kitchen, so bad, you cannot make out anything, com pletely you cannot make out anything, completely destroyed. just because ofa completely destroyed. just because of a tumble dryer which you had not registered with the manufacturer, because it was brand—new, you had paid the going rate for it. why would you think you would have to register it with the manufacturer? you would not, when you pay the amount of money you do for a brand—new item you never think it will devastate your life to how it did. good morning. thank you for joining us. what is it like when you hear lorraine's story7 joining us. what is it like when you hear lorraine's story? frightening, because it could have been that bad

for us, loads of what ifs when a fire like this happens, and actually, we think we should not have been there, we should have put the appliance on at a different time and we had forgotten, thank god. you experienced a fire a couple of weeks ago. we had arrived back from holiday, try to make the house nice for when we come home, we had forgotten to put the dishwasher on, we had been away, ithought, goodness, i put it on, one hour later, this one was upstairs in the bath, my 11—year—old, our youngest, two years old, was in the living room with me and my husband and the smoke alarm went off. we looked at each other... he ran out and shouted, i came running in, there we re shouted, i came running in, there were flames shooting across the kitchen. i screamed upstairs, get out of the bath, get out of the house, get your sister. we grabbed loads of details and work them and did what we could. we didn't think we had put it out because we could

see flames, we could not do anything else, we got out and called the fire brigade. in light of other stories, i think we were extremely lucky. there was not a huge amount of damage, we had done a pretty good job, the smoke alarm was eight yards from the appliance and we were eight yards from the smoke alarm, and it was that quick, so fast, it was frightening. we were very, very lucky. this idea that we are going to buy something new, washing machine, kettle, dryer, and then register it with the manufacturer? most people don't do it. most people don't recognise the risks and don't know why they need to be registered, we are not saying everything is dangerous but if you register them, manufacturers know where you are and can manufacturers know where you are and ca n co nta ct manufacturers know where you are and can contact you should they discover a fault with a product, which is what happens when you have a re called what happens when you have a recalled item in your home, when something is recalled, it is re called

something is recalled, it is recalled because it will cause the risk of a fire or electric shock or could electrocute you. you could ultimately die from it. that was the situation with your tumble dryer. there had been a recalled but because it was not registered, you did not get the notification. the manufacturer said they put notices in the newspapers. most people do not see notices, if they don't have your details, they cannot reach out to you, cannot contact you, that is the only way they can get in touch with you. i think, thank you for coming along, people will be taken aback that figures from the charity show seven fires a day, england and wales, caused by faulty electrical appliances. unfortunately i suspect thatis appliances. unfortunately i suspect that is the tip of the iceberg, if you have a set of hair straighteners, a small appliance which does not develop into a fire, we have terrible stories here, luckily, everyone got out, it is the smaller events that do not get reported to trading standards, local

fire service, so we really support this research around total recall campaign has been around registering appliances, most people feel it is a marketing tool. but we are trying to detect it —— detach it from the marketing, just register it, and especially if it is a gift or if it is second—hand. especially if it is a gift or if it is second-hand. this is our point, we we re is second-hand. this is our point, we were not the original purchasers, and my father—in—law was an appliance engineer and said the next day, have a look online, see if it was at risk. we looked it up, and the model we had had been flagged at risk in 2013 but we had no idea of knowing. rented accommodation, given appliances, did not register, there is no way of knowing. it is one—to—one and if you don't have the details, game over. what incidences have you been to to sort out a fire that has been caused by a faulty electrical appliance in someone's home7 electrical appliance in someone's home? we go to many fires, 15 a day

in london, white or similar. high numbers. we had a case recently where a tumble dryer in a similar situation never stated a house, by the picture we saw, you cannot recognise it as your home. a couple of years before that, we had a death asa of years before that, we had a death as a result of a fridge freezer subject to recall, and because the people inherited it in the same way from somebody else when they moved into the property, or was not registered, people had not checked the recall database registered, people had not checked the recall data base because registered, people had not checked the recall database because why would they, i suppose, so for us it isa would they, i suppose, so for us it is a real worry. if you are out, if you are sleeping, it gives you even less time to react. how long did it ta ke to less time to react. how long did it take to get your lives back to normal, your little ones were affected. my baby, not so much, we lost all her new things, all her hospital photos and everything, everything had gone. my

seven—year—old at the time to go through counselling, really reacted badly to anything that sounded like a smoke alarm. we had to live in a hotel at the time, doing weekly checks, and we would have to ask them to pre—warn us because we had to get her out of the building, she would freeze and start shaking, horrendous to see a child go through that. she needed quite a bit of counselling. how do people register their white goods? white goods, is anything that you might find in the kitchen, there is a website, register my appliance, that is the easiest way that you can register your appliance, when it is new, and those when there are already in your home, we are trying to make sure that more manufacturers sign up to the essential recall database. that website is registermyappliance.org.uk. one viewer says, "there must be a better

way than the consumer doing it, what about the retailer?" we are pushing for that but legislation takes a long time, so in the meantime, protect yourself by registering yourself, we would hope to see it come into legislation that actually at point of sale your details are put on a central database. what is the point of the legislation when a warning or a recall can be put out and then manufacturers take years to put things right. there must be time limits. another viewer says "i a lwa ys limits. another viewer says "i always thought the point of registering an appliance was for insurance purposes, i never realised it was to help because it was faulty. and there are millions of people who are shocked." thank you, thank you very much, or all of you. the company that makes barbie is bringing out a new range of dolls, including one which uses a wheelchair and one with a prosthetic leg. it's not the first time it's brought

out dolls with disabilities. it did the same thing in the 19905 but the doll's wheelchair didn t fit through the doors of the barbie dream house and so, critics say, you couldn t play with it properly. mattel is trying not to make the same mistake twice — the new barbie in a wheelchair comes with a ramp. lorna fillingham is the mother of emily—may, who is eight and has a rare genetic condition and lives with learning disabilities. shannon murray is an actor and writer who is paraplegic. she had a diving accident at 1a. thank you for coming on the programme. good morning. is this important, how do you react to this? i think it is a really positive view, long overdue. i think for young children with disabilities, seeing themselves represented in

toys is really important. to me, when playing with other children, to be able to share your toys is what we all do as kids, whether boys or girls playing with dolls, to have dolls with disabilities, different skin colours and body shapes, so important for representation and for kids to feel included. incredible step forward, when my daughter is going to playgroups, absolutely no representation of disability in the dolls she was playing with. even when we are out and about. our children go to different schools, often regularly. people see children with disabilities, so this is a huge step forward. for children without a disability as well to understand what disability might mean. that is a point, for kids who don't have a disability. bizarrely, it will help

them learn. what is a fantastic step is, they had a becky, her friend, who was in a really clunky passive wheelchair where you have to be pushed. that is the 1990s. nobody wants to be becky, when you are playing you want to be barbie. but this is an active wheelchair, barbie is in control, she is an active wheelchair user, not a passive wheelchair user, not a passive wheelchair user, not a passive wheelchair user, that sends a different message. what toys are available for your daughter now to help her have fun and also develop? my help her have fun and also develop? my daughter likes cause and effect toys, she does play with dolls, dolls of all different genders, of all colours, absolutely nothing that represented her. so, i can't emphasise too much about how

important it is for her to have a dog that she can identify with and play with. can manufacturers go further7 play with. can manufacturers go further? -- doll. barbie can continue this range, there has been pressure on lego as well. shapes and sizes, colour, hairtexture, it is important for kids to feel they are pa rt of important for kids to feel they are part of society when they are playing. for me, as a kid, i had loads of barbies, i had a cousin who came overand loads of barbies, i had a cousin who came over and she had brown haired barbies and brown skinned barbies andl barbies and brown skinned barbies and i remembertrying barbies and brown skinned barbies and i remember trying to take them from her, iwas and i remember trying to take them from her, i was so excited to see a brunette doll! it did not happen here, all blonde hair, blue eyes, so boring. quite a lot of toys can be boring. quite a lot of toys can be boring and benign to look at. and these ones, the wheelchair, prosthetic leg, children will be able to play with that and explore that. like i say, identifying as

role models, for children, it is a huge thing, really important. for children to be able to see children that look like them being represented in toys. "i am a woman, disabled since birth," says one viewer, "i cannot stress how important these would have been to me as important these would have been to measa important these would have been to me as a kid, and how important they will be for disabled kids today". "wheelchairs are interesting but all the dolls still seem to be slim and beautiful, children are brought up to believe this is desirable, so they see the perfect body as desirable. good news to bring in disability —related dolls, but also they must think about healthy size and shape." and some of them are. they must think about healthy size and shape." and some of them arem this new range there is different body shapes and sizes and mattel have said this morning it was the

wheelchair doll that was most requested. i hope it is readily available, in high street shops, you do not have to go to a department store. most kids will be drawn to the one that is different if you have them in a box and take them out ina nursery, have them in a box and take them out in a nursery, it will go for the one thatis in a nursery, it will go for the one that is different. we have all seen blonde haired, blue—eyed barbie.” had cindy, not barbie! laughter thank you, for coming in. thank you we appreciate your time. a couple more messages. regarding alexandra and calder, 19—month—old twins on the programme at the start today and made their presence known. "the twins with two dads, beautiful family but such a shame they had to go to canada but bet britain needs

to support surrogacy because it is such a blessing. " genie says, "i have been watching the programme, amazing, thank you." thank you for your company today. have a good day. wherever you spend the day, it'll be on the mild side, rain drifting away towards the northern isles, best of the sunshine in the afternoon is across the north—eastern quarter of scotland, and certainly across the midlands, east anglia and the south, decent spells of sunshine around. 0n

the breezy side, especially so across northern and western parts but as i say, direction is crucial to boosting the temperatures well above seasonal, should be in single figures, no complaints if you please. overnight, thickening up the cloud, bits and pieces of rain here, further south, skies will stay pretty clear, a word to the wise, mild by day, but, look at that temperature regime, a touch of frost in the south. you re watching bbc newsroom live — it's11am and these are the main stories this morning:

social media companies should be made to take more responsiblity for cracking down on content fuelling knife crime, the home secretary tells the bbc we don't have the legislation for it. i have the legislation for tariffs content, i have it for illegal child sexual abuse imagery, but we don't have that legislation today for that kind of content. inflation drops to 1.8%, its lowest level in two years, due mainly to falls in fuel and energy prices. nine out of ten police officers say there aren't enough of them to meet demand, as ministers are warned the public faces "increased risk" due to lack of front line staff. the british chambers of commerce warns that firms are in danger of being "hung out to dry" over the prospect of a no—deal brexit.