tv BBC News BBC News October 4, 2019 7:00pm-7:46pm BST
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the headline set 7pm. prince harry starts legal action against the sun and daily mirror newspapers against allegations of alleged phone hacking. the metropolitan police is heavily criticised for its investigations into false allegations of a vip paedophile ring. i have the utmost contempt for senior officers of the metropolitan police past and present. for the turmoil that they have put peoples lives through. the prime minister insists again tonight that there will be no delay to brexit but government papers seen will be no delay to brexit but government papers seen in the court today say he will send a letter to the eu asking for an extension if no
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deal is agreed in the next two weeks. and coming up later, millions of customers are being penalised by staying loyal to their insurance companies, once the financial watchdog. good evening and welcome to bbc news. our top story, the duke of sussex has begun legal action against the publishers of the sun and daily mirror in relation to alleged phone hacking. documents have been filed on behalf of prince harry at the high court regarding the alleged illegal interception of voice mail messages. a spokesperson
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said, we confirm that a claim has been issued by the duke of sussex. we have no further comment to make at the current time. let's get more on this, we are going to speak to a royal correspondent. just explain what has happened. two separate but linked legal actions, as you said, against news group newspapers which owns the sun, used to own the news of the world, which was probably the most high profile user of hacked voice mail messages and mirror group newspaper which owns the daily mirror. we know that the claimant in this case is the duke of sussex, thatis this case is the duke of sussex, that is harry, and buckingham palace has confirmed they have launched legal actions against those two groups for what the palace described as the information that back interception of voice mail messages, known as phone hacking. the phone hacking scandal of the early 2000 that led to the levenson enquiry of
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2011, 2012, and of course, the allegation is in the main about phone hacking that could have taken place in the early 2000 is, a long time ago, but remember the context of the switch is that prince harry in the middle of this week announced a legal action against the mail on sunday newspaper for publication of a letter from his sunday newspaper for publication of a letterfrom his wife sunday newspaper for publication of a letter from his wife megan to her father. and that legal action was about the use of what he said was megan is property and at the same time that was announced, an absolutely scorching statement by harry condemning what he described as the excesses of the tabloid press. and what he said was a ruthless campaign against his wife. so three legal actions in one week and prince harry's name has made it very clear that instead of taking the rather traditional royal route of effectively soaking up the blows
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from the tabloid press are not responding to them. he is responding extraordinarily vigorously with these legal actions. and one would assume, i suppose, these legal actions. and one would assume, isuppose, that these legal actions. and one would assume, i suppose, that buckingham palace are supporting him because this is very unusual for the royal family to take the sort of line. this is very unusual for the royal family to take the sort of linem is unusual but i'm not sure we will go as faras is unusual but i'm not sure we will go as far as to say that the whole infrastructure supporting it. we know that when he gave a statement in 2016, another furious statement, he made one about some of the comments that had been made about his then girlfriend, megan marco, the duchess of sussex. there were voices within the palace that urged caution and said that he shouldn't make such an outspoken attack, but he insisted that it should be made. and i am not entirely sure that eve ryo ne and i am not entirely sure that everyone at the palace was on board
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about what happened on wednesday either with that furious statement he made that accompanied the legal action against the mail on sunday. harry has shown that he is prepared to defy royal convention, to go against the normal way of things in the way that he speaks to and reacts to the press. he is very unhappy with the tabloid newspapers, clearly. and this may very well be more of his own back than something that comes from the palace. you are saying he is prepared to take this on. could we then see him, would we be prepared to stand in the dock?m isafairold be prepared to stand in the dock?m is a fair old while away to be honest. i am is a fair old while away to be honest. lam not is a fair old while away to be honest. i am not sure that he would be called as a witness in this case. and it may well be that instead of looking for a full—blown court case, he is instead looking for an
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acknowledgement by the newspapers that they acted in the way that this claim suggests, possibly damages as well. they have of course been paying out significa nt well. they have of course been paying out significant sums to other celebrities who made claims against them. possibly damages, which would go to charity. and possibly an apology as well. but again, step back and you see someone who has now got the tabloid newspapers in particular in his sights and is fully prepared to go as far as he possibly can to persecute or prosecute them. going to leave it there for now, thank you very much. i'm just to let you know we will return to the subject later in the programme when we return to the subject later in the programme when we speak to victoria howard, the founder and editor of the crown chronicles. an independent review has identified
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more than a0 failings in the way the metropolitan police investigated false claims of a vip paedophile ring at westminster. a former high courtjudge found that police "unlawfully obtained" warrants to search the homes of prominent figures who'd been wrongly accused by carl beech. he's now serving an 18—year prison sentence for lying. the metropolitan police has said it is deeply deeply sorry. our home affairs correspondent, june kelly reports. among the many prominent figures coral beach named was lord bramall, a former chief of the defence staff. also falsely accused were lord britain, who had served as home secretary. the former conservative mp harvey proctor, the late prime minister edward heath and the long—time labour politician lord john r. and police interviews coral beach claim that these men along with other high—profile names formed a paedophile network in the 19705
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and 805 and that he was just one of the boys the 5exually and 805 and that he was just one of the boys the sexually abused and tortured. he even said he had witne55ed three boys being murdered. one hit by a car. it was in october 2012 that coral beach approach the voucher force making limited abu5e claim5. police examined hi5 allegations but they went no further. injuly 2014, he fir5t went no further. injuly 2014, he first met the labour mp tom watson. thi5 first met the labour mp tom watson. this was after he had published wider claim5 online. by december 2014, the met police had launched operation midland to investigate the allegations. they described his claim5 allegations. they described his claims as credible and true. in fa ct, claims as credible and true. in fact, they were both incredible and untrue. a senior retired judge was brought in to review the scotland ya rd brought in to review the scotland yard enquiry. now has full findings have been published. he details one
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of the most damaging episodes in the modern history of the metropolitan police. but today the force refused to do any interviews. instead there was the statement. when we get it wrong as we have in the circumstances we re wrong as we have in the circumstances were such damaging consequences, we circumstances were such damaging consequences, we find it genuinely distressing. so finally, let me be very clear, i am deeply sorry for the mistakes that were made. and for the mistakes that were made. and for the ongoing pain these mistakes have caused. i promise we will do all we can to prevent them happening again in the future. i think it is helpful that mike steve roadhouse was the senior officer who headed the enquiry. now and a top policejob outside the met he has castigated on the number of fronts in the report, and this includes sanctioning the use of the phrase credible and true to describe the allegations. this was while privately acknowledging that coral beach, then known by the pseudonym nick, could have made up
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his story. he says in his review... the police team are described as being under pressure from tom watson, a campaigner on child abuse. one detective described the politician as a priority. the review says there can be no doubt that tom watson believed in it saying his interest created further pressure upon officers. harvey proctor lost his home and hisjob because he was under suspicion. today, he said tom watson should resign as deputy labour leader and be expelled from the party. i have icy contempt for mr beech, it is matched by my icy contempt for tom watson and the labour party should immediately
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dissociate themselves from mr tom watson. what has operation midland done to you? i have no money, i have no resources. i cannot plan my future. i am not sure that i have a future. i am not sure that i have a future. it eventually emerged that coral beach himself was a paedophile. his one—time supporter tom watson says today's report contains multiple inaccuracies but the case has raised questions about the case has raised questions about the competence and independence of the competence and independence of the country's largest police force. our correspondence has been outside new scotland yard four this afternoon. what stands out from what we afternoon. what stands out from what we have learnt today is the sheer scale of the failure is on the incompetence of the metropolitan police. it has been described, the operation, as disastrous. and then the review, they have drawn up a list of the failure is. there are 43 points on that list including
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perhaps most importantly this position that the metropolitan police took, that they should simply believe everything that coral beach told them. there was to be no further investigation, no questioning further. theyjust had to run with what carroll beach had told them. another key point, it took them six months before they spoke to carol beach's mother who of course could have told them if there was any inconsistencies in what he had told them. perhaps one of the biggest elements today, completely new, is that the review has said that the action of police officers and getting search warrants to search the homes of those alleged suspects was unlawful, that they had misled thejudge suspects was unlawful, that they had misled the judge with inaccuracies and what those warrants had written on them. and this possibly could lead to criminal investigations
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going ahead, criminal charges, and of course we have to wait and see if thatis of course we have to wait and see if that is going to happen. the metropolitan police are saying there should be no disciplinary moves or criminal charges brought against any officers. that was richard galvin earlier. let's get more reaction to this. leroy logan is a former superintendent at the met. you know very well how the met police operates, how could they have got it so wrong? unfortunately the met has a number of cases where it has got it wrong. sometimes it is down to the incompetence, sometimes it is lack of expertise to deal with the matters and sometimes it is just systemic failure is. there is a whole manual on police regulation based on errors, so unfortunately they didn't do the checks and bala nces they didn't do the checks and balances on the person who gave the
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information and took their word for it 100% without the necessary thorough analysis of the evidence. why in this case do you think they must know the key checks? what was it about this particular case? i don't want to give them excuses but they are in uncharted territory and a lot of these cases where it is historical and you have to give greater emphasis on informants because there are not that many witnesses or forensics or any form of other evidence that they can call on because of the time lapse, so it is very difficult to some extent to verify a lot of what people say, but like everything they want to make sure that it is evidence—based and no assumptions or generalisations, and unfortunately this case has
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shown a whole matrix of errors that could have been eradicated. a lot of it around leadership as well, the right sort of leadership and the senior investigating officer. hopefully he or she can really deal with political pressure and media pressure, that can put unnecessary. . . pressure, that can put unnecessary... forcing the issue of the investigation, which can end up ina the investigation, which can end up in a cul—de—sac like we have now. this has been described as one of the most damaging episodes in the modern history of the met. it is not the first time they have had to say sorry. they have admitted they got it wrong. just how damaged do you think they are coming out of this? obviously it is reputation damage. i was involved with the stephen lawrence enquiry, one of the officers who said the police was
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institutionally racist and it had a massive impact, but the recommendations coming out of that enquiry was a way of modernising the organisation, not only dealing operationally and strategically, but also how you would bring in specialist officers based on the culture and expertise. let's see what recommendations come out and hopefully the met will respond favourably and see it as a way of improving the efficiency and effectiveness. we have to leave it there, thank you for your time. let's return those who are our top story and that is that the duke of sussex has begun legal action of the sun and the mirror in relation to alleged phone hacking. let's speak to brian cathca rt alleged phone hacking. let's speak to brian cathcart who is the co—founder of the pressure group,
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nazaninhacked off —— hacked off. your response to this tonight? first off, i think it is a measure of how much they have been pushed. for yea rs much they have been pushed. for years and years the royals were a free shot, they could not defend themselves, and this young man in particular has suffered very badly because of that. we know what happened to his mother. we know as well that he and his wife have been enduring terrible abuse in the press in the past year or more, and though he raises the story of phone hacking, it is worth bearing in mind that he probably suspect that all his voicemails when he was a teenager, for seven or eight years, but listen to by reporters, and all
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the voicemails of those closest to him, so that will have scarred him, andi him, so that will have scarred him, and i think he has had enough. you say he probably suspect but ultimately in the courts he has to has evidence, so what kind of evidence does anyone need in order to prove a case of hacking? it is worth bearing in mind that although it has received very little coverage over it has received very little coverage over the years, hundreds of people have been able to prove that their phones have been hacked, to the satisfaction if north of the court then of the newspapers who have paid them compensation as a result. it will be interesting to see first of all of these newspapers offer to settle out of court, and also whether the police feels that he wa nts whether the police feels that he wants this case to go to trial, so that the people who are in the background of this, the two companies and their managers, who
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are accountable for this, or perhaps not accountable enough, should face the music. we have had no three allegations coming from the duke and duchess of sussex. how likely is it do you think that they will win, even on do you think that they will win, even on the hacking allegation, that they were when their case? on the hacking case, there is a very well established track record now, because as i see hundreds of people have been involved, of what kind of evidence you need, and my suspicion is they will be on the top end of having evidence to bring their case. i cannot prove that, we will see. in the case against the mail on sunday relating to the letter, it is a difficult one and the courts will have tojudge, but difficult one and the courts will have to judge, but as a general rule, the copyright and a letter that you write remains with you even if you have sent it. other people
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cannot just if you have sent it. other people cannotjust pilot if you have sent it. other people cannot just pilot it for their own purposes, so i think they have a strong case but these things are a lwa ys strong case but these things are always up to the courts. the sort of cases very much in the arena of the celebrity. do you think that it would have been betterfor them to be stoic and keep quiet as has happened with the royal family in the past? it would be a lot better for the papers but i think we have moved on past the idea that celebrities have no rights and are entitled to no privacy. that is probably a pre—levenson enquiry attitude and very few people would accept it now. i think as well the prince and princess need to draw a line. they have had years of abuse and it is, if they are going to carry on having anything like normal lives even for royalty, they need to
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show the paper is that it is not a free shot every time. has the lesson we free shot every time. has the lesson we learned, do you think, or are we likely to see more of these hacking cases come to light? i5 likely to see more of these hacking cases come to light? is it still going on? it is still going on continuously. there have been hundreds and hundreds of settlements. there are hundreds of other people suing in the pipeline, and these are people, let's be clear, people asserting their rights because their rights have been breached and they have a right first of all to compensation and then they have a right to the satisfaction that the company is perpetrating this are paying some kind of penalty. that is normal. brian cathcart of hacked off, thank you. let's stay with the story. we are going to speak to victoria howard, the founder and editor of the crown chronicles. thank you. first off, why do you think this is being
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announced and this action being taken now? i think that is the main question on everyone's‘s lips and for me i think it is something of a two pronged attack. we had the news that megan was launching this as the tour of southern africa came to a close and harry is launching his own lawsuit for these breaches, or alleged breaches, so it isjust, i think, issue of strength to say we are not going to take this. and to use two separate aggressive law firms in these areas does show that they are really taking this quite seriously. is this becoming less and less, i suppose, seriously. is this becoming less and less, isuppose, is seriously. is this becoming less and less, i suppose, is this normalfor the royals to take the sort of action? it is definitely becoming more of a trend but it is not something they take on lightly at all, so the last sort of big case of this kind we saw was the duke and duchess of cambridge over the publication in europe of some photos
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taken of the couple while on holiday in france, so this is something we do see when there clearly has been a breach, but there is some speculation as to these two lawsuits from the duke and duchess of sussex as to whether they have been properly advised from a pr point of view, so some people are speculating on that, but they clearly feel they are in good stead to take this forward. is this reallyjust about pr? we are talking here about a crime. absolutely they are alleging crimes and megan's loss it is about copyright breach and the invasion of privacy and harry is related to alleged phone hacking, which have proven their breaches of the law and they are entitled to take them to court and seek justice. they are entitled to take them to court and seekjustice. there is definitely the argument they are and many others know the story of diana and why this would touch such a nerve and why this would touch such a nerve for him. many people are on
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their side but the timing i think it's confusing most people right now. it's confusing most people right now. you talk of people being on their side. there is the argument that this is payback, this access to their lives for having access to the public purse. do you think that these actions are backfiring on them? i wouldn't quite go as far as to say backfiring. i think the timing of this has been slightly ill judged, whether there is some reasoning behind that we are not aware of might make up the reasoning for that, but they are entitled to private life and if you think of a royal was having a work life and the duties they perform as a public figure, that is what we should be allowed access to, and the private stuff should be kept behind doors. we don't need to see them going out to dinner or hear them leaving voicemails for each other, that sort of thing, sol voicemails for each other, that sort of thing, so i think there is a bit
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of thing, so i think there is a bit of speculation and questioning over these two cases, as itjust seems such a strong attack to protect themselves. however, ido such a strong attack to protect themselves. however, i do think they are justified in it. i am themselves. however, i do think they arejustified in it. i am really interested finally, your thoughts on the difference with which the brothers are approaching this. william is very quiet, in the background carrying out his royal duties and harry is not standing for it, as he? he is not and i do think to some extent this is down to their personalities. william has always been a bit more reserved and shy but he also has the role of being the future king sitting on his shoulders, so he is expected to deal with things in a different way. whether you want to call that protocol or not, it is by the by, but harry has always done things differently and isn't as bound by such rules as william is so i think this is just such rules as william is so i think this isjust a reflection such rules as william is so i think this is just a reflection of those different characters. thank you very
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much indeed, victoria howard of the crown chronicles. thank you. you're watching bbc news. government papers submitted to scotland's highest civil court say that boris johnson was sent a letter to the eu asking for a brexit delay if no deal is agreed by 19th october. the documents form part of a case brought by campaigners seeking a ruling to compel the prime minister to comply with the law passed by mp5 preventing a no—deal brexit. downing street insists the uk will be leaving the eu at the end of the month... do you understand that? joining us now is stephen tierney, professor of constitutional theory and director of the edinbrugh centre for constitutional law. i get the feeling there is still some confusion. thank you for joining us on bbc news. can you just
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explain to us what actually happened today? it is an interesting case because lawyers are basically going to court in edinburgh and said to the court, the prime minister hasn't done anything wrong yet but we think he might, and if he does, can you do one of two things? so there are two cases, really, to enter connections running at the same time. one is a claim that if the prime minister refuses to comply with the benn act, if he refuses, what remedies are there if he refuses to go to brussels and seeks an extension. then there is a second case also going on where the litigants are saying, if you want do what he mike is supposed to do, will you sign the letter on his behalf, so it is really extraordinary. you mention the benn act. how does all this fit
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into today's developments? before prorogation, parliament passed an act which means the prime minister has a duty to seek an extension of parliament has not agreed on an exit deal by 19th october. and basically the prime minister has a statutory duty under that act to go to brussels and say, can we have an extension until the end ofjanuary 2020, and he must accept that. he also alternatively has to bring back any alternative date and he has to present back to the house of commons. so it looks as if he is pretty much tied in, and so this court case is really an effort to really know that down and say he is tied and by the act, can he be tightened by the courts? and yet we are hearing from the prime minister that we are leaving at the end of the month. i5 that we are leaving at the end of the month. is there some legal loophole that they know that we are not aware of? this is the real curiosity because to some extent i
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think the litigants were blindsided today because the prime minister's lawyer said the prime minister will fully comply with the law, we will perform our public law duties, we will not frustrate the benn act, and thatis will not frustrate the benn act, and that is read as seemingly a commitment to go to brussels and seek an extension and if there is no deal agreed by 19th october, but then we are also hearing behind the scenes that the prime minister thinks he can interpret this quite narrowly and at the same time as he is formally asking for an extension, he will be all guns blazing looking to leave on 31st october, so we really don't know what the government has in mind to try and get round what looks like a fairly nailed down requirement to bring everything back to parliament. finally, i'm really interested in your thoughts on the courts getting mixed up, drawn into the political arena and brexit as well. yes,
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obviously we saw the prorogation case and lady hill today giving a speech to some schoolgirls in which there was a slight at the back saying i brought it down, and there isa saying i brought it down, and there is a perception today that the courts are being weaponised in the brexit process. and that this is not a healthy development. there are different ways of looking at that. one is that heroes are legal duty and people have the right to go to the court and look to enforce it but there is a real danger from the courts that they are being brought into areas of the constitution that traditionally were left to parliament and it is a danger if the courts are seen to be politically partisan. i am courts are seen to be politically partisan. iam not courts are seen to be politically partisan. i am not suggesting they are but clearly this is something judges have to be careful with because it is very delicate and sensitive and highly politically charged decisions. thank you very much. it's time for our catch up
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with the weather and ben rich has that. the weather remains unsettled. we'll see further heavy rain. a lot of cloud feeding and across the western half of the uk, the cloud giving an odd spot of drizzle, misty and perky. —— misty and murky. scotland places could get down to freezing. in this cool, clear area, they will be some fog patches which across parts of north—east england could be fairly dense. they tend to lift and clear, some early brightness in the east but cloud will be rolling in for the west ahead of this band of rain splashing across northern ireland and into north—west england, south—west scotland and eventually wales and the south—west of ingo before the day is done. temperatures 13 to 17 degrees. the sunday, the wet weather lingers across the eastern half of the country, they could be localised flooding, something brighter in the west.
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hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: prince harry starts legal action against owners of the sun and daily mirror newspapers, in relation to alleged phone—hacking. the metropolitan police is heavily criticised for its investigations in to false allegations of a vip paedophile ring. i have the utmost contempt for senior officers of the metropolitan police, past and present. for the turmoil that they have put people's lives through.
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the prime minister insists again tonight that there'll be no delay to brexit. but government papers seen in court today say he will send a letter to the eu asking for an extension, if no deal is agreed in the next two weeks. for the first time, all primary school pupils in england are being offered a free flu vaccine this year — as part of a huge nhs vaccination programme — bringing england in line with the rest of the uk. it means that in total — around 3 million people — almost half the uk population — will now be offered the treatment. there were almost 1,700 flu—related deaths in england last year alone. (take vt)> you can use the tissue if you like... it's a nasal spray and not a jab, and each year more children have been offered it.
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this time another 600,000 can have the flu vaccine, so it's available to all primary school pupils, with england following the lead of scotland, wales and northern ireland. public health leaders have stressed the importance of targeting youngsters to limit the potential reach of the virus. children are super spreaders, and they certainly can cause problems for older people and their families and their communities if they get flu. but we know also that the children who have had the vaccine in areas where we've looked at this carefully, much fewer visits to the gp, dramatically fewer hospitalisations. parents we spoke to in rochdale were pleased they had the chance to get their children vaccinated. it is a really good idea. i feel good about it. because i think they will be protected from flu, and during winter they get lots of flus and all that. they're always coughing and sneezing and picking up bugs, so... it comes with the territory, doesn't it? i have no issue with it. if the research says it's safe, then happy for the kids to do it. everybody should get it, because kids, children,
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are vulnerable, so they need to have it done. early each year the world health organisation recommends how that year's flu vaccine should be made up. it is then manufactured over the summer. this time there was a delay of a few weeks in the process. a few schools have been told that vaccinations have been postponed till december. health experts say this will still be in time for the worst of the flu season. the flu surveillance team here at public health england will spend the winter months analysing the strains of the flu virus which emerge. they'll assess whether the vaccine is as effective as it should be. if not, and it can happen, they'll put the word out to the nhs to be ready with antiviral drugs for those who most need them. hospitals are under great strain every winter. a bad flu season can push them to the limits, with longer waits for patients and yet more pressure on staff. hugh pym, bbc news.
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well, we can speak now to jonathan ball, who's professor of virology at nottingham university. he joins us live from nottingham. i5 is this the right thing to do? it certainly is. every year, we see varies scariest cases of influenza. it can cause thousands of deaths every year, even a normal season, and they can be tens of thousands of people admitted to hospital and that results in is great suffering but it also puts a huge burden on the nhs and so anything that reduces the amount of infections out in the community has to be a good thing. do you know why they have chosen to ta ke you know why they have chosen to take this step now? why wasn't it done earlier? well, i think you have to getan done earlier? well, i think you have to get an idea of whether or not immeasurable work, whether it will have the desired impact. so,
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previous data from the earlier trials they introduced vaccines to primary school children showed it certainly had an effect in limiting the amount of infections like the infections that were being spread to other risk groups, for example the elderly. but there was less evident is that it was actually impacting on the children themselves. but as we are gaining more evidence, as children are being in vaccinated from year to year, it is becoming increasingly obvious, something we suspected for a long time, that primary schools are a breeding ground for influenza and indeed many infections, and anything you can do to stop it at that breeding ground will benefit the wider community. everyone will be saying how do we know we have the right strain this yearfor know we have the right strain this year for this season of flow? we have to rely on a team of very leonard knowledgeable experts across the world and they have the unenviablejob the world and they have the unenviable job of trying to predict what the virus is going to cause this coming epidemic. they have to
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do this about a year in advance. some years it is relatively easy because there are a few strains that are circulating but occasionally, as we've got now, there are a few different varieties of one particular strain of influenza, called h3 n two. it can be quite severe. called h3 n two. it can be quite severe. there are multiple strains of that and so they have to have a best guess as to which of the two or three strains is most likely to cause the outbreak. what i would say, though, is any vaccine is likely to provide some coverage and some protection. even if it is not a great match, it should still give some protection. you touched very quickly there on some of the strains. what do we know about the evolution of the flu virus at the moment? i5 evolution of the flu virus at the moment? is it going on a particular direction that is worrying people like yourself? it is difficult to predict a direction for influenza evolution. unfortunately, what sometimes happens as strains appear
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that we haven't really seen before, that we haven't really seen before, that we haven't really seen before, that we don't predict, it is a natural thing for the virus to change shape and change its appearance. it is always a challenge, therefore, to try a brick what is happening. but with luck, you do predict the right one and fingers crossed that is the case for this year. some people are saying that primary schools, the school environment, isn't the right place for this vaccination to be administered. does it matter? no, it doesn't matter where it is administered. you need to make, i think lessons from the mmr vaccination where vaccine uptake is dropping and in fact we don't have now dropping and in fact we don't have now what we call herd immunity, a level of immunity that offers protection to the entire community. you have to make giving vaccines easy and therefore vaccinating in school is the perfect place to do it. i must stress again that really, the breeding grounds for lots of infections are schools, particularly primary schools. what has the flu
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vaccine uptake ever been an issue? like you said, there have been problems with uptake. it is an u pta ke problems with uptake. it is an uptake and so not all parents, for example, give permission to allow their children to be vaccinated. so, in some areas, we their children to be vaccinated. so, in some areas, we see their children to be vaccinated. so, in some areas, we see below expectations. the aim is to immunise between half and three quarters of the vulnerable groups, or those eligible for the vaccine. the over 65 is, for example, are very good at taking up the vaccine. in fairness, the immunisation in schools has been very successful and i think that is why it has been rolled out to include this year six cohort. just reminders exactly what the virus does to the human body, how it attacks it. so, the flu virus calls what we call a respiratory tract infection. symptoms of a cold. sometimes they can be very trivial
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symptoms, you can have a runny nose, sore throat, and not feel physically well, but unfortunately can be associated with more severe disease, particularly in very chesty qoph and it can result in things like pneumonia. in people who have other health issues, for example people who are obese, people who have heart problems, people who are somatic, it can result in extremely severe infection, and that is what leads to hospitalisation and unfortunately to several thousand each year dying. press —— professorjonathan ball, professor of virology at the university of nottingham, thank you. the leader of plaid cymru says he expects a referendum on welsh independence within a decade — and sees the nation's future as a member of the eu. adam price told his party's annual conference in swansea that they need to look beyond brexit,
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and offered disillusioned voters a new political home. wales will live and thrive as any european nation or die as a backwater. that is the choice we face and on our choice our fate depends. meanwhile, the green party have gathered in newport with their co—leaderjonathan bartley, opening the party conference. during his speech, mr bartley stated the green party would abolish the home office, before setting out the party's position on a second brexit referendum. we may disagree with the corruption of the referendum but that is not a reason to ignore and sidelined those who voted to leave. we have always said that the referendum must be the start, not the end of a democratic process. if we want to stay in
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europe, we must winds the argument on europe. the former conservative leadership candidate, rory stewart, has resigned from the party, and announced he will run as an independent candidate to become london's mayor. mr stewart will leave parliament at the next election and this afternoon he's been explaining his decision.( the tory whip being withdrawn was a very, very important part of the decision. as you know, i voted against a no—deal brexit sol resigned against the cabinet and i had the tory whip withdrawn and i had the tory whip withdrawn and i had seen the conservative party move ina had seen the conservative party move in a direction which is more and more difficult for me. i feel boris johnson polite tone deals to meet more populist than i am comfortable with and i have realised that i am more comfortable being an independent. the headlines on bbc news...
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prince harry starts legal action against owners of the sun and daily mirror newspapers, in relation to alleged phone—hacking. the metropolitan police is heavily criticised for its investigations in to false allegations of a vip pasedophile ring. the prime minister insists again tonight that there'll be no delay to brexit. but government papers seen in court today say he will send a letter to the eu asking for an extension, if no deal is agreed in the next two weeks. now it's time for newswatch. here's rebecca jones. hello and welcome to newswatch, with me rebecca jones standing in the same area. bbcjournalist queue up to interview the prime minister but are there questions all appropriate and do they give him enough time to answer? and now their ruling against
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naga munchetty has been reversed, does the bbc knew a new set of editorial guidelines? —— does the bbc need a new set button mark since entering ten downing st, boris johnson has been criticised for tending to avoid the scrutiny of in—depth interviews. this week he made up for that with three sit down encounters on bbc television, as well as radio 4's today programme. it all began on sunday morning with andrew marr asking the prime minister, amongst other things, about his use of language.|j minister, amongst other things, about his use of language. i think you'll find a species of most politicians... they have been studied... that may be but the language of your government goes to a different place. i don't think thatis a different place. i don't think that is true at all. the front page of the mail on sunday, talking about your opponents, colluding with foreign powers, that sounds very 1930s
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