good morning. it's tuesday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire and we're live from new broadcasting house. today, dame barbara windsor and her husband urge the prime minister to "sort out" dementia care funding. unite with me against dementia. barbara and i want to lend unite with me against dementia. barbara and i want to [end our voices to fixing dementia care for everyone. please stand united with us everyone. please stand united with us by signing our letter to the prime minister, as he urgently needs to to address these challenges. she already met boris johnson a decade ago, when he asked herfor a pint. is that who i think it is? you said he was going to be around walford way, now is your chance. can i have

a pint of bitter, please. also today: this woman, victoria smith, died months after her disability benefits were stopped. now the assessment company capita is going to court to fight a decision that it mishandled her claim. we'll talk to victoria's mum. she was a human being. she was my daughter. and she was my friend and my world. plus, james hodder‘s girlfriend kirsty boden was killed in the london bridge attacks. he's calling for an urgent meeting with thejustice secretary in his fight for legal aid for the families of those killed in terror attacks. hello.

welcome to the programme. we're live until 11 this morning. later on the programme we'll talk to helen wood, a former escort who hit the headlines after wayne rooney paid to sleep with her. she's now written a memoir and we'll talk to her later. use the hashtag victoria live. first, the latest news, rebecca jones. the european union has rejected holding further brexit talks with the uk while borisjohnson‘s government insist on changing the withdrawal agreement to scrap the irish border backstop. eu negotiators told european diplomats such changes, which the new uk government is demanding were unacceptable. downing street says the prime minister will enter into any fresh brexit talks with the greatest energy and the spirit of friendship. a teenager is due in court, charged with attempted murder, after a child was allegedly

thrown from the tenth floor of the tate modern art gallery on sunday. the six—year—old, found on the fifth floor roof, is in a critical but sta ble floor roof, is in a critical but stable condition. he was visiting london with his family, from france. the 17—year—old is due to appear at bromley youth court today. the former us president barack obama has responded to the weekend's mass shootings in texas and ohio, by calling on americans to reject language from any of their leaders that feeds hatred or normalises racism. mr obama did not name any one, but his rare intervention came after president trump sought to deflect criticism that his anti—immigrant rhetoric fuelled violence. dame barbara windsor has urged the prime minister to improve social care for people with dementia. the eastenders star, who's met borisjohnson several times, including when he appeared on eastenders ten years ago, made the appeal as she and her husband were named ambassadors

for the charity, alzheimer's society. dame barbara was diagnosed with the disease in 2014. a british airways flight from heathrow to valencia had to be evacuated after smoke filled the cabin minutes before landing. the 175 passengers on board were told to use emergency exits to leave the plane and slide down the chutes. british airways has blamed a technical issue. sales in shops are rising at the slowest rate for 2h years, according to the british retail consortium. july was up by 0.3%, compared with an increase of 1.6% in the same month last year. poor weather, slow real wage growth and brexit uncertainty are being blamed. facebook‘s been accused of failing to shut down groups selling fake amazon reviews. despite a request by uk regulators to remove the pages, the consumer group, which? , that are still active.

despite a request by uk regulators to remove the pages, the consumer group, which? , claims it's found many that are still active. facebook says it's taken down almost all of the reported group. tens of thousands of pupils in scotland are getting their exam results today. more than 130,000 candidates have completed scottish qualifications authority exams, courses, and awards over the past year. nearly half have opted to receive their grades by text or emailfrom 8 o'clock this morning. the rest are receiving theirs by post. residents in villages close to a military base in siberia have been evacuated, after a fire broke out in the ammunition store which sparked a series of explosions. this video shows the huge ball of fire which led to thousands of people being asked to leave their homes, while russian soldiers at the base were forced to hide in bomb shelters. it's thought eight people have been injured.

and that is the news for now, back to victoria. thank you very much. he asked herfor a pint in eastenders a decade ago. now dame barbara windsor — alongside her husband — is asking borisjohnson to "sort out" the way the country cares for people with dementia. this is the moment mrjohnson and dame barbara met on the soap. is that who i think it is? you said he was going to be around walford way, you wanted to give him a piece of your mind, here is your chance. is that better? a pint of bitter, please. it will save you time. such an honour to have you here, mr mayor. please, call me boris. has your bike got a puncture? would you like a top up? no, i'm fine.

unbelievable. so much for giving him what for. i do admire a man who devotes his entire life to serving society. i almost went into politics myself. if you have any ideas on how you could help walford, here is my card. i would not dream of telling the mayor of london what to do. thank you so much! she is a legend. dame barbara windsor, who has alzheimer's, she has now launched an open letter to the prime minister, alongside her husband, to coincide with their appointment as ambassadors for the alzheimer's society. the people i have met have shared with me that regretfully, our ca re system shared with me that regretfully, our care system is letting them down. i have heard so many stories about how ha rd have heard so many stories about how hard it is for families to get good quality care, and indeed, any social ca re quality care, and indeed, any social care at all. barbara and i want to lend our voices to fixing dementia ca re lend our voices to fixing dementia care for lend our voices to fixing dementia ca re for everyone. lend our voices to fixing dementia care for everyone. so, please stand united with us by signing our letter

to the prime minister, as he urgently needs to address these changes. thank you. unite with me, against dementia. in the letter, dame barbara says that we are lucky to have amazing support but my heart goes out to the many people who are really struggling to get the care that they so desperately need. she continues: let's talk to sally copley, director of policy, campaigns and partnerships with the alzheimer's society, margaret dangoor who's mother and husband passed away after suffering dementia, and keith oliver who appeared on our very first programme back in 2015 to talk about dementia and i would describe him

as a friend of the programme. good morning to all of you, starting with sally, from the alzheimer's society, first of all, explain to the audience, many of them will be able to relate to this, because they will be in the middle of it, what is the problem with dementia care funding in this country? the fundamental problem is that when you have a diagnosis of dementia, and 850,000 people across the uk have that diagnosis now, you are not entitled to any care as part of the diagnosis, because there is not a medical intervention that can be made. what happens is that you are at the mercy of the social care system, which is fantastically underfunded. that is the crux of the problem. we have a helpline where every day, we hearfrom people who cannot get access to the care they need, and when they access some care, it is not the quality they need, and then they have to pay for it. that is why we are delighted that they have put their names to

this letter, and are promoting it, because everybody can add their voices and stand alongside dame barbara, and tell the prime minister. these people have waited long enough to have adequate care would be an improvement on what we have now. people make the comparison with a cancer diagnosis, if you are diagnosed, you immediately access urgent treatment, it is paid for, why is it not the same for dementia? that is exactly the comparison we would make, we do not wish either disease on anybody but that is the comparison we would make. now, the conservatives have a history of making promises, when it comes to dementia and care and funding. sadly, not delivering. when david cameron was prime minister, he pledged to set a cap on lifetime ca re costs by pledged to set a cap on lifetime care costs by 2020, when theresa may was prime minister, she said people would have to pay more of the cost of social care, then she did a u—turn, branded the dementia tax by

opposition politicians. now, the department of health and social care is saying they are trying to make the uk the best country in the world for looking after people with dementia and they say they have given 4 billion to local authorities. is that enough? no, not enough, we are now calling specifically for an injection of £21; specifically for an injection of £2.11 billion as an nhs dementia fund that would go straight to people living with dementia in their personalised health care budgets. so they could get their funds together, they could get their funds together, they could get their funds together, they could set their plans together. but this is years of underfunding, into the system, and we know that other bodies, such as the local government association, the nhs themselves have said that when they publish their long—term plan, there isa publish their long—term plan, there is a paragraph which is very clear that the success of the nhs long—term plan will only work if there is a decent long—term funding settle m e nt there is a decent long—term funding settlement for social funding. the knock—on can be seen through com pletely knock—on can be seen through completely avoidable accident and emergency admissions, people staying

in hospitalfor too long, getting into hospital when they shouldn't be there in the first place. you can see the knock—on effect, that is why the fundamental cash injection is what is needed now, and then in the longer term. we feel optimistic, because it looks to us like support we are feeling from across the country, i don't know anybody who doesn't think this is an absolute emergency and crisis to be addressed now. we are really hopeful that with the support of dame barbara, as well as people watching, that we can say, let's sort it out. was it on white of the coalition government in 2010 to make the cuts they did to social care? when we see what the situation is now? you see it across government spending, difficult to spend more in the short term, in order to save more in the longer term, that is the classic across all areas. what we say is, if you invest now in social care, you say is, if you invest now in social care, you will save in the longer term but more than that, this is about quality of life. we care about people who are not getting the care

they need. when you have a diagnosis of dementia, it is utterly life changing, it need not be that your life is massively chain straightaway, with the right care and support in place. remind our audience, you looked after your husband and your mother, both had dementia, you were the carer. my mother went into a nursing home, purely because she wanted to go into one. she wanted to live in the same locality as she had with my father. my husband, i looked after him, he had dementia for 12 years. i looked after him until he died, he died at home. did you want help? did you need it? you have to have help, for a numberof years need it? you have to have help, for a number of years i did not have helped in the home, but later on, when mobility deteriorates, you have to have help, you simply cannot cope with somebody that you cannot

support, while you carry out all the things that one needs to do. was it easy to get the help? know, the care workers were easy to get the help? know, the care workers we re very easy to get the help? know, the care workers were very willing, but the whole system of coming to different people across a district, the travelling, the payments, all these issues, they are not trained to do the job sufficiently for people with dementia. it is a very complex illness as it progresses. i was a nurse by background, some years ago, and certainly, i had to train them, particularly when we did receive continuing care towards the end of his life for a short while. for those who are not aware of you, you have been on the programme a number of times, including the very first programme in 2015, to talk very candidly and courageously some would say about living with dementia. let me ask how you are at the moment?

hello, victoria. yes, i'm coping at the moment, thank you, probably the best word to use. dementia is progressing and it is harder, and the word are used before, frustrating. i guess all of what we are talking about today, for people like me, is immensely frustrating. what do you think of the call by dame barbara windsor and her husband on the new prime minister, to sort out dementia care funding, and the call from the alzheimer's society, foran call from the alzheimer's society, for an immediate cash injection of just under 3 billion. i think it is fabulous, what they are doing. i support it totally and it is great that barbara and her husband are using their position to help other people in the way they are. for too long there has been a great underfunding of social care, and also, notjust underfunding of social care, and also, not just underfunding underfunding of social care, and also, notjust underfunding but under respect for social care.

funding is important but there needs to bea funding is important but there needs to be a greater understanding and a greater respect for people who are needing social care, and working in social care, as well. a message from gary, "i complete on my mother's house today, £460,000 will all go on dementia home fees. my dad was a bricklayer, my mum worked part—time just say they could own their own home. the owner of the care home is a multimillionaire. iwonder why home. the owner of the care home is a multimillionaire. i wonder why the proceeds from my mother's house should end up in his pocket" and thatis should end up in his pocket" and that is one extreme example, and may be, gary, we will try to get you onto the programme. how do you react to that? i think it is wicked. i think that is dreadful. i think that is being repeated around the country, as well. in my case, i have

alzheimer's disease, a disease of my brain, i alzheimer's disease, a disease of my brain, lam alzheimer's disease, a disease of my brain, i am told, and yet the care i get is not fit for purpose. when i was diagnosed, immediately afterwards, i was then discharged, and put out there, and coal, sort your life out, really. and now, i have a care plan, which took ten minutes to write, and for years to get. and i am getting some support from the nhs, and the people supporting me are really caring individuals. but i increasingly get the sense that the system does not care. if boris johnson happen to be watching this programme right now, what would you say to him as new prime minister? first, listen. second, speak to people who know the lived experience, both with a diagnosis and those who are caring for us. caring for us at home, caring for us professionally. and

then, put right what has been wrong for so many years. the numbers are not going to get any less, the problem is not going to go away, the problem is not going to go away, the problem is not going to go away, the problem is going to get worse. worse for individuals, worse for families, and worse for the society in which we live. thank you so much, good to talk to us, thank you for coming on the programme. too late for our family, says andrew, but dame barbara is right, we sold my mother's home of 60 plus yea rs we sold my mother's home of 60 plus years to we sold my mother's home of 60 plus yea rs to pay we sold my mother's home of 60 plus years to pay for her care, i have such little faith in the government, i doubt things will change. my mum had to pay for my mother's care because they had too much in savings, same for my grandma, who shared a room with someone who did not have to pay a penny, she had nothing left by the time she died. keep messages coming in, we will

talk to some of you around the country. president trump will visit el paso in texas tomorrow, the scene of one of the weekend's two mass shootings in the us. twenty—two people were killed there when a gunman opened fire in a walmart store. nine more people died later in a second shooting incident in dayton, ohio. the suspect being held for the el paso shooting, patrick crucius, is reported to be a supporter of so—called "white nationalism" and although president trump condemned bigotry and hatred in a tv address yesterday, his predecessor in the white house, barack obama, has put out a statement making it pretty clear where he believes responsibility lies for encouraging people like crucius. he said:

so, what do we know about patrick crucius? he is believed to be the author of a text posted on 8chan, an online message board frequently used by the far right, which says, "this attack is a response to the hispanic invasion of texas" and rails against a "cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by invasion". it also expresses support for the gunman who killed 51 people in mosques in christchurch, new zealand, in march. so, what is driving young white men to commit acts of appaling violence, and what connections can be drawn with president trump's rhetoric? let's talk now to brian klaas, a political scientist from university college london, matthew goodwin, an academic

and author of national populism, and dr zubaida haque from the runnymede trust which campaigns against racial inequality. isn't it right, as president trump emphasises, that the fault is with the people who pulled the trigger, and not with anyone else.|j the people who pulled the trigger, and not with anyone else. i don't think so, when the president speaks, his words matter, when you see attacks like the one posted by the domestic terrorist, that echoes every one of the major talking point, referencing fake news, saying send them back, he said it was an invasion of mexicans into america, fighting against president president trump has tweeted about mexicans into america 20 plus times. if you had a muslim hate preacher, who said, all the same things as the terrorist, using the exact same phrasing in the manifesto, would anyone then said, i wonder if you play video games? i want to be

really clear, a re play video games? i want to be really clear, are you saying that president trump is radicalising people or are you saying he's creating a culture whereby it becomes acceptable? he is making hate speech mainstream and giving a platform to white nationalism, he has retweeted a series of white nationalist, giving a platform to people in his administration who are white nationalist and his rhetoric is causing people to think this is acceptable. to shoot people? they are using the same language, massive spike in hate crimes, people committing this language are finding inspiration in president trump and when it happens, neo—nazi website celebrate the rhetoric, so do people like david duke of the ku klux klan, these people are finding safe havens in the rhetoric of president trump and his policies. do you agree? i think that what we are seeing is a rather simplistic causal link between acts of violence and president trump. if you look at some of the things he has said, in my view, they are idiotic, very

offensive, racist, xenophobic. on the other hand, we know, for example, the department for homeland security first pointed to this problem in 2009, in a very well distributed report, that led to that a nalyst distributed report, that led to that analyst being fired by the fbi, under the presidency of barack obama. we also know from places like norway and new zealand that we have had acts of mass violence by white nationalists under left—wing governments and all types of governments and all types of government and we do not say, they are labour inspired acts of terrorism. what we really need to do is, draw on as much of the evidence and research as we can to understand why people perpetrate these acts and try to avoid the somewhat simplistic interpretations and say, if we didn't have trump, essentially we would not have these acts of violence. that is too simplistic. you are shaking your head in disagreement. i think matthew puts it rather simplistically; this is not joe blogs sitting there saying,

stoking fear of immigrants, stoking fear of, exacerbating the racial divide, telling democratic congress women to go back to their own country. — — women to go back to their own country. —— joe bloggs. this is the president of the nation. words matter because he is a leader, because he is the president. matthew, it is notjust about words, it is also about the fact that it is notjust it is also about the fact that it is not just what donald trump says, it is what he has done, he has policies to back what he has said, the mexican wall already almost going up, the muslim ban, to countries, he has separated children, migrant children, from their parents, and caged them. there are policies that back up his words. you cannot dismiss these words. steve bannon did this on radio four last week, he said, this is donald trump's house style. but it is words and actions.

every time we reform and immigration system, just to be clear, that is somehow going to be encouraging terrorism and mass violence? there isa terrorism and mass violence? there is a slippery slope. from the us to the uk to europe, we know that we have lots of people out there feeling concerned about these issues and they want the government to change policy. associating those individuals with violence and terrorism is in my view going to make things worse, what you are saying to voters is, you are like this crazy shooter in el paso because you feel anxious about these issues. but when we talk about president trump's actions and policies, he cut funding for investigation into white nationalism, they are an equal threat to radical islamic terrorism. at the same time, the fbi said that the conspiracy theories that donald trump himself has promoted are causing domestic terrorism. he is giving a platform to them, they spoke at a rally last week, one of the speakers of a conspiracy. and

tracking any regulation of guns as well, they bought guns legally, because the rules around them are bafflingly resistant to reform. —— one of the speakers at a donald trump rally was a supporter of the qanon conspiracy. a guy was killed within one minute, nine people were killed, in ohio, and still universal background checks on every single sale are not allowed. in between these two points of view, yes, you can have the debate about immigration reform. after parkland, he talked about background checks and he is mentioning it again. but in february, he said that he would veto a bill. what he says on the teleprompter and what he actually does is very different. —— parkland. i don't disagree with anything you have said, donald trump is making mistakes in policy terms but we also know this problem of white nationalist violence and extremism, i have been looking at it since 2004, it has a much longer history than the trump presidency, what worries me is that this debate

about, this is all about donald trump, it takes us away from looking at what drives people into this violence. we are not saying it is all about trump but it is notjust his words, his actions have backed their words, and the his words, his actions have backed theirwords, and the fbi has his words, his actions have backed their words, and the fbi has said between 2000 and 2016, white supremacist have killed more americans than any other domestic extremism. i don't dispute that. what do you ask then, let me ask your view, why do you think some young white men are pursuing this form of horrific violence? young white men are pursuing this form of horrific violence ?|j young white men are pursuing this form of horrific violence? i think it... there are all sorts of reasons, there are all sorts of reasons, there are all sorts of reasons we have serial killers and why people murder, including videos, social media, but the point is, what donald trump has created is an environment where people have the

license, now, to take to their arms. that is a serious problem. as i said, he is the president. as brian said, he is the president. as brian said, what has also happened is the counter terrorism, the counter violent extremism programmes have taken violent extremism programmes have ta ken away violent extremism programmes have taken away their attention from white nationalism, under trump, taken away their attention from white nationalism, undertrump, they did that, took away the funds to look at, took away the funds to look at neo—nazis, and right—wing extremism. that is a serious problem. you can ignore donald trump but you cannot ignore his action.|j am not ignoring him, but it is not just about him. well, go to the question, take norway, as an example, how did the norwegians respond to anders behring breivik, somebody who committed the biggest act of terrorism in post—war europe, undera labour act of terrorism in post—war europe, under a labour government in a progressive culture. they invested 10 million euros into a new research ce ntre 10 million euros into a new research centre to try to understand what drives people into acts of violence. i'm not sure why that's a problem,

we should support that. understanding is not enough. what would you do? if you have taken away money from countering violent extremism and focus on white supremacist, despite the fact that all evidence is that most of the atrocities that have been committed in the united states in the last 19 years is by white supremacists, if you take that away and add to that, add to that a president who is stoking racial hatred, who is stoking racial hatred, who is stoking fear of immigrants, who has called immigrants rats... animals. and said they are an infestation. what is your view of why certain white men are pursuing this? macro and a simple answer that is not simplistic, it is the right answer, two things are happening, especially in el paso. radicalisation is happening, spreading through social media and provide by the president of the united states. and extremely easy a ccess

of the united states. and extremely easy access to weapons of war on the streets. 393 million guns for 390 million people, 1.2 guns for every man, woman and a child in the united states. japan has many more video games, much higher rates of video games, much higher rates of video game usage, that is what the republicans are saying is to blame for the massacre, and yet they have 300 times fewer gun murders per year. depending upon the year of statistics, between 100 and 300 fewer gun murders. that is the guns and the extremism and hatred that comes from resident not the sole cause of this, no one is saying that, but does it fan the flames of hatred and extremism? that, but does it fan the flames of hatred and extremism ?|j that, but does it fan the flames of hatred and extremism? i think, absolutely. thank you very much for joining us. still to come... we'll talk to james hodder whose partner, kirsty boden, was killed in the attack at london bridge. he's calling for legal aid to be provided to all families at inquests into attacks like the one that killed kirsty.

and victoria smith died months after her personal independence payments were stopped. now the company that assessed her for them is going to court to try and fight a decision that it mishandled her disability claim. we'll talk to victoria's mum. the game of political chicken being played between the uk and the eu over brexit doesn't show any signs of ending soon. we've been hearing for weeks that borisjohnson won't get back round the table with the eu unless it's willing to make changes to theresa may's withdrawal agreement. well, now the eu has said it won't return to further talks, while the uk insists on pushing for those changes. it's all making no deal look a lot more likely on october the 31st. our political correspondent jonathan blake is in our westminster studio. he has been waiting patiently! will there be any more talks or what? not as it stands. at the moment the

deadline of october the 31st is there on the calendar and there is nothing in the diary for boris johnson or his negotiating team or other uk ministers to get around the table with the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier or other officials from the eu. what is likely is some leaders may speak with boris johnson what is likely is some leaders may speak with borisjohnson at what is likely is some leaders may speak with boris johnson at the g7 summit which is coming up later this month in france and that may be an opportunity for them to decide or come to a view together or independently that we are in fact heading for the uk to leave the european union without a deal. as you suggested in the introduction, at the moment and not for the first time in this process, we are at stand—off and the potential is for the whole thing to end in stalemate. you had the eu updating officials and ambassadors in the last day or so, saying we are back where we were three years ago and there is no

basis for meaningful discussions. in response to that downing street say they are only too keen to get around they are only too keen to get around the table and talk as long as the eu agree to getting rid of the backstop in their withdrawal agreement and making changes to that deal, which the eu say they do not intend to do. jonathan blake reporting. still to come on the programme... we'll speak to former escort helen wood who hit the headlines in 2011 when the papers revealed wayne rooney paid to have sex with her. she has written a memoir and we will talk about that later. she has written a memoir and we will talk about that later. more than 253,000 people have signed a petition calling for legal aid to be provided to all families at inquests into terror attacks. it was set up only a month ago by the boyfriend of nurse kirsty boden, known as the angel of london bridge. she was stabbed to death while trying to help save the life of another victim of the attack injune 2017 in which three men

wearing stab—proof vests drove a van into pedestrians at 50mph on london bridge before attacking people around borough market with hunting knives. they killed eight people and injured 48. nowjames hodder is fighting for the rights of all families in similar attacks, including those of manchester arena, to be given legal aid for the inquests. we can talk to him now. good morning, thank you for coming on. good morning. before we talk about your petition, i would love you to tell our audience about kirsty and what she was like. absolutely. it is ha rd to what she was like. absolutely. it is hard to articulate kirsty‘s personality in any kind of words. she really was special, which i know sounds like a cliche, but it was true with kirsty. anyone who met her, whether it was for a brief moment or a longer, would always

remember her. she loved life, she loved people, obviously she was a nurse, so she loved helping people both professionally and in her personal life as well. she just had such a zest for life. now that that has gone from myself and kirsty‘s family's life, it is incredibly difficult to carry on with life without that. what was she doing when she herself was attacked? she was trying to help the waiter of the bistro, alexander, who had been stabbed in the neck and was bleeding from that wound. she came to his aid and she put a cloth on his neck to try and stem the bleeding. it was at that moment that the three terrorists came across her and despite the fact they came across her she still did not run. she

stayed with alexander and they swarmed her and stabbed her to death. i don't know how you cope with that. you don't, to be honest. you take it one day at a time and try to get on with it as best as you can. you havejust try to get on with it as best as you can. you have just gone through the inquest and that was difficult for you. explain to our audience. the inquest was almost torture. that sounds like an extreme word but it really was. we had to wait two years for this inquest to start, in which time we were obviously grieving for kirsty. we could not continue that process until the inquest started. the inquest itself went on for two months in which you have to relive the worst night of your life in extreme detail in a public forum

repeatedly. you had to look at cctv footage, we had to look at photos of the crime scene, you have to look at coroner's reports and witness testimony of kirsty‘s last moments. it is literally torture for anyone who has been through that. at the end of the process the government has turned around to me and all the families from london bridge and said you should pay for this, all the legal fees that you have racked up, you are those who have to pay for it. what the ministry ofjustice say is that they appreciate how on the face of it not providing grieving families with legal aid for an inquest because it is not in the public interest may seem strange, but they say an inquest is designed to be about fact finding and establishing the truth rather than being adversarial and as a consequence legal representation is rarely necessary. it is a pathetic

excuse. i can see that working for inquests of a smaller size, fair enough. but for an inquest the size of one like london bridge, which goes on for two months, in which, for example, the home secretary himself had three qcs representing himself had three qcs representing himself and his office. there were eight separate public officers, all with their own legal team who were there for the whole process. as we know at least one of the killer's families also got legal aid. so eve ryo ne families also got legal aid. so everyone has got lawyers. it is a lawyer first. why do families of those killed need legal representation at an inquest? can you imagine me with no legal training going to the old bailey, court number one, a very intimidating place, and standing up for two months arguing complex legal

arguments and being able to do that by myself? sorry to interrupt, is that not the coroner puts myjob? the coroner will ask those questions? the coroner sits and listens. through his team he does ask questions, but it is through your barrister, you're qc, that the right questions are asked. the pertinent and salient questions about what happened on that night. in order to establish the truth? exactly, and if any learning points can be made and it is in the public interest that you are given legal representation so you can engage with the process, otherwise you will not be able to do that and those points that could be learnt, things like the barriers on the bridge for example in the case of london bridge, they would not come out. the amount of evidence at my legal team was able to find in regard to those barriers was huge, from a range of sources. i would never have been

able to do that myself. you don't have to tell us this, but i want to ask you how much was spent on legal fees from yourself and kirsty‘s family? we don't know exactly, but we think it was hundreds of thousands. it is notjust the inquest, it is the leading up to it as well, till legal team have to prepare themselves. they went over 10,000 documents over weeks. a week was not worth of cctv. how could you possibly do that on your own without the help of a legal professional? some of the legal professionals who have helped you will not charge for some of the elements, is that true? no, indeed because the government turned round and said your application has been rejected. for legal aid? exactly, me application has been rejected. for legalaid? exactly, me and my family we re legalaid? exactly, me and my family were going to be bankrupt. but some

of the people waived the fees and did it pro bono, as did the barrister. the families of the manchester arena attacks are about to go through this. what is your message to the newjustice secretary? what do you want to say to her? i want to meet him face to face. he can have whoever he wants with him in the room, but i want him to explain to me why he thinks it is not necessary to give state funded aid to victims like us. face—to—face, and i will explain to him why! face—to—face, and i will explain to him why i think he is wrong, so we can get this changed before the manchester inquest starts. it can be done. all it is is a change in the legal guidance, it is not a change in legislation, it does not require a bill of parliament, so it is quick from that point of view. quite frankly i don't think he has any excuse not to change it for these 22

families who are about to go through absolute hell. so they don't have to worry about legal aid and they can focus on other matters, and they will have plenty to focus on. focus on other matters, and they will have plenty to focus onlj focus on other matters, and they will have plenty to focus on. i have got some comments. thank you for talking to us. this one says the perpetrators of the attacks seem to be given aid easily, while the victims are left to grovel and beg forjustice. keep victims are left to grovel and beg for justice. keep fighting, james, for justice. keep fighting, james, for all the families, you deserve justice. tom says, is a former police officer and interviewing officer, ifind it difficult police officer and interviewing officer, i find it difficult to find that these people cannot get legal aid. how can that be correct? thank you very much. thank you very much. we wish you all the best and we will get onto thejustice we wish you all the best and we will get onto the justice secretary's office. i would appreciate that a lot. thank you. thank you.

a ministry ofjustice spokesperson said: "our recent legal aid review found representation for bereaved families is not necessary at the vast majority of inquests because the process is designed to establish the truth and learn lessons, rather than apportion blame in an adversarial way. legal aid funding for inquests is available through an exceptional case funding scheme, with around two—thirds of those applications approved, and we're also making changes to ensure there is more support for bereaved families. next, victoria smith died months after her personal independence payments were stopped. she was 33 and had a number of conditions. victoria smith, who was 33 and suffered from a number of conditions including agoraphobia and fibromyalgia which left her body in constant pain, had her benefits withdrawn after a capita assessor gave her no points at all in an eligibility test. a tribunal later decided victoria was eligible for the benefit after all. and a county court ruled that capita was at fault and ordered them to pay £10,000 compensation.

next week, capita is going back to court to get that judgment set aside. victoria's mother susan kelmo is on the phone now. thank you very much for talking to us. good morning. good morning. first of all, what do you think about capita's action to try to reverse the county courtjudgment? about capita's action to try to reverse the county court judgment?” think it is wrong. they are just trying to clear their name. they make the mistake, i lost my daughter, nothing can replace her. i don't think they have got any right to try and claim this money back. they want the county court verdict set aside and they want the case reheard. they are adamant that their assessment was carried out correctly. no, it was not carried out correctly at all. the assessor

lied on multiple things that she said. it was not fair. it was totally unfair. she just took away my whole daughter's ability to live with her lies. i'm sorry, i'm getting emotional because it has been a very hard year. we buried her on thursday of this week a year ago. this is just so wrong. she said so many lies about my daughter, so many. honestly, you don't need to apologise, absolutely not. i wonder if you accept that although capita's assessors decisions affect their lives, it is the department for work and pensions that make the final decision. but without the assessor's report, how can they make an

assessment? if an assessor is coming to your house and they are saying things that are not true, how can the person at the dwp make a fair assessment if what is being said is lies? a week after her death a tribunal decided your daughter had been eligible for the payment. yes, for the high rate, even higher than what she was on before they took it away. what would you say to capita this morning? what would your message be? my message to them is they need to sort the system out, it is not fit for purpose. there are so many people being hurt with their lies and their handling of it. it is just ridiculous. i myself was due to have a face—to—face assessment on

the 25th of june have a face—to—face assessment on the 25th ofjune this year and the assessor never turned up. the 25th ofjune this year and the assessor never turned up. now, i have been fighting since the 25th of june to try and sort this out but they are stopping my dla as of the 30th of august. i lose my dla, i lose my carer ‘s allowance, i am a full—time carer, and i lose the tax my car. again, it is lies. i am sat here, i have hardly been out since my daughter died. i have got some messages, susan. iwill my daughter died. i have got some messages, susan. i will read them. we have not been able to get a comment from them on that. capita sent to a new low, even after the m ista kes sent to a new low, even after the mistakes they have made, still blaming the people who have died, says blaming the people who have died, sastohn. blaming the people who have died, says john. emma says blaming the people who have died, sastohn. emma says the whole process for pip is a special kind of torture, preying on those who are already suffering. i have depression and anxiety as a result of decisions

and anxiety as a result of decisions and complete incompetence from going through this process. they deserve everything that is coming. tim tweets, i will go round to capita and assess their fitness to work, i suspect i will find they are totally unfit to carry out the simplest of tasks. a capita spokesperson said: "we have offered our deepest condolences to the family in this vert ' they added: "we reviewed our assessment report at a senior clinical level and remain confident that it was correct based on the information we were given." helen wood from bolton hit the headlines in 2011 when her life as an escort was splashed across the newpapers after it was revealed wayne rooney paid to have sex with her. helen wood says she never wanted herjob to be revealed and she's now written a book to tell her story in her own words. and she is here. good morning. thank you for having me. i interviewed you

at the height of the publicity back in 2011 after you had been named in the papers. you described a week of horrible coverage and untruths being written about you and on the following sunday you went to a paper and sold your story to put your side of events, but you said it was horrific. which makes me want to know why you have written this book where you will be asked about it again. of course i will get asked about it again. but for me and for eve ryo ne about it again. but for me and for everyone who bought and took time to read the book they will see why i found it such a stressful ten years nearly. because what happened at that time of my life was just a small snippet of things and that is why i have chosen to write a book. i am fully aware that i have got to a nswer am fully aware that i have got to answer questions and i do not shy away from anything that i have done, but there is a lot more to the book than that story. actually, as much

as it is something that happened a long time ago, i am reminded on a daily basis of something i used to do. because people ask you questions about it, that is what you are known for. people ask me questions and i am on social media and it is my prerogative i am on social media, but when someone reminds you of something on a daily basis, there are not 24 hours that go by without something being mentioned about him. him being wayne rooney? yes. i was also on big brother and things like that get sent to me. that is another reason why i have written the book. like i said, anyone who has read it can see it is so insignificant, it is such a small part. what is quite a big part of your life it seems to me from reading the book is you describe being treated horribly by

various men in your life, whether it is boy friends, relatives, friends, whatever. is that relevant to you becoming an escort or not? funnily enough, since writing the book i think i was in denialfor a long time. when i started to write the book it became almost therapeutic andi book it became almost therapeutic and i started to realise certain things had implications and certain things had implications and certain things had implications and certain things had bled onto me certain things. so there is a link? yes, of course. now that i am a lot older andi course. now that i am a lot older and i look back at what i was doing, i was so headstrong and i was so cold in my heart and i was so headstrong and i was so cold in my heartand mind. iwas really robotic. i was searching for something, i was searching for any bit of attention which, it is not

nice to admit, but it was from males who were paying me attention and paying me money for my attention. because i had never had positive attention before. granted they are paying you for it, but when someone is being nice to you and talking to you as opposed to talking at you, it became quite addictive. at the time i had no idea i was searching for that, but as i got older i thought it all kind of fits together, it makes sense. the mail on sunday reported that coleen rooney ran you to stop you talking about wayne rooney and publishing your book. did she? no, she did not ring me at all andi she? no, she did not ring me at all and i wish i could tell her that the book is nothing to do with her or her husband. i never set out to hurt her. i still stick by my apology. that still stands, but i have a

right to tell my side of the story. at the end of the day her husband has not been dragged through the mud for the last ten years and has not been tarnished. he kind of got off lightly, like a lot of the men do, hence the name of the book. it is something i have had to live with, and probably will live with, for the rest of my life. ten years on i am still reminded about it. i kind of thought the public are very quick to say things and it is fine for the public to remind me daily of what i did. but! public to remind me daily of what i did. but i put pen to paper and it is like why are you dragging it up? iam not is like why are you dragging it up? i am not dragging it up, i am reminded of it all the time, so i am entitled to tell my version of events and open up about various other things. there is literally not a stone left unturned. when i talk to you in 2011 on radio 5 live you

told me then one day you would tell your son, who was aged seven then, the truth. he is nearly 16 now. have you told him? i told him a couple of yea rs you told him? i told him a couple of years ago which was a horrible build—up. years ago which was a horrible build-up. what did you say to him about wayne rooney? first of all i told him i had gone out on dates with people i should not necessarily have been seeing and that people might be nasty to him because of this. this was when he was younger. he has got older and i told him what idid and he has got older and i told him what i did and i did a job he has got older and i told him what i did and i did ajob i he has got older and i told him what i did and i did a job i should not have done, that i didn't realise it would get out and it was not meant to get out. because it is something ididi to get out. because it is something i did i have heard people on the way, including him. he was so resilient. he came back with the best reaction i could have wished for. i said best reaction i could have wished for. isaid people best reaction i could have wished for. i said people might be really nasty to you and say nasty things about me, and hejust said, well, if

anyone says anything to me i will say, if you have got a problem with my mum, take it out with her and not me. which is not the wrong word, but i could not wish for not a very nice conversation, it could not have gone any better for conversation, it could not have gone any betterfor something conversation, it could not have gone any better for something that was so unpleasant. and as he suffered any abuse? he has got a really strong group of friends. i would not have gone through anything and not been able to get through it without having very close friends. i have told him that having close friends is very important. he has always had the same group of friends. of course people have said things. obviously people have said things. obviously people have said comments to him when he has been playing football about wayne rooney and stuff like

that. i have asked him and he tells me and he just laughs and that. i have asked him and he tells me and hejust laughs and he goes, i am not bothered. why are they bothered about you ? am not bothered. why are they bothered about you? it is quite a typical teenage reaction. bothered about you? it is quite a typicalteenage reaction. apart bothered about you? it is quite a typical teenage reaction. apart from wayne rooney you have not named any of the men who paid you for your escort services. there is a super injunction in place taken out by an actor who paid you to sleep with him, he cannot be named, his privacy is protected, although there is speculation online. would you say that super injunction broadly has worked for that man? not necessarily, no, because it has brought attention to him. obviously he will not come to me personally, but we all knew what max clifford was capable of. i did not know at the time because i was not media savvy. had his legal team came to me first and asked me my intentions, they could have saved a lot of money and nobody would have known about

him. unfortunately, he took max clifford's advice and i got shafted and he has been shafted. you are not allowed to name him or breach that, you would be breaking the law.” would not want to. that is what was so annoying about it. i would not wa nt so annoying about it. i would not want anyone to know about it. it was bad enough that people knew about wayne rooney. do you have a bitterness towards him?” wayne rooney. do you have a bitterness towards him? i have a bit because i have got older. the other reason i have done the book is because one person put a review saying there was only one story. why would i do a kiss and tell and defeat everything i am against? i am against girls who go out and sleep with somebody and then ring the papers. i will not start naming men ina book papers. i will not start naming men in a book who have not done anything to me. of course there is an element

of bitterness there because i think why did you not get someone to come and speak to me first and ask me what my intention was? instead of listening to someone like max clifford who made his money through screwing people over, including me and him. thank you very much, helen. the book is called a man's world and it is out now. thank you very much for watching today and we are back tomorrow at ten. good morning. we have got a bit of sunshine out there. for many of as it is cloudy and we have got some showers. we have got this cloud in devon and it is quite menacing. we

will continue with the showers in the south—west, wales and northern england and in scotland and northern ireland the showers will be heavy and slow moving and there will be thunderstorms and a few flashes of lightning. there will be some sunny spells between the showers and maximum temperatures will be about 20-24. maximum temperatures will be about 20—24. tonight we will continue with those heavy showers in scotland and northern ireland and northern parts of england and later in the night across southern areas. overnight temperatures are 11—14. on wednesday further showers for northern parts of the uk and they could be heavy, slow and thundery. further south it should be drier and brighter with sunshine and temperatures in the high teens to the low 20s.

you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's 11:00 am and these are the main stories this morning: eu officials say they currently have no reason to hold any further brexit talks, insisting the uk's demand that the irish backstop be scrapped is unacceptable. a british airways flight fills with smoke ten minutes before landing — one passenger compares it to a horror film. we were saying, "get down, get down" so that we were trying to breathe in the cleaner air towards the floor of the cabin. a teenager is charged with attempted murder after a six—year—old boy was allegedly thrown from the top of the tate — he'll appear in court later today. the damaged dam at whaley bridge is due to be inspected later today