hello, it's friday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm joanna gosling. the prime minister has this morning denied claims by brexit party leader nigel farage that the conservatives offered his candidates peerages to try to get them to stand down. imean, i mean, that would be a big thing for me to investigate. i'm sure conversations take place between politicians of all parties, but certainly nobody has been offered a peerage and i wouldn't do that. we'll be talking to brexit party candidate anne widdecombe, who has told us she was approached by the conservatives and asked to step aside. more than 22,000 young people face homelessness this christmas, according to a charity which has analysed new figures

recorded for the first time. we'll talk to kai gunner and brooke morgan about what it was like to be a teenager and homeless. and ask the politicians what their parties plan to do tackle the problem. leaders of six councils across northern england have called for a "massive increase" in government funding to deal with widespread flooding, saying there's likely to be lasting damage to vital infrastructure including power plants, roads and bridges. in our film today, we've been to meet people living in south yorkshire. if the politicians got off their backsides and helped these young'uns with me, we'd get further. there's too much of this and not enough work. that's my feeling. and comedian al murray has told this programme his nephew desperately needs a stem cell match within weeks. he is critically ill. there is a 50—50 chance of him surviving this, basically. and without the transplant there is no cure. how soon would he have to have it? before christmas.

this has got to happen kind of right away. hello... welcome to the programme. we're live until 11 this morning. do get in touch on all the stories we're talking if you text, you'll be charged at the standard network rate. first, carrie gracie has the news. the prime minister has denied offering brexit party candidates jobs and peerages to try to get them to stand down. speaking during a bbc phone—in, borisjohnson said the claims made by brexit party leader nigel farage, were untrue. mr farage said his candidates received "thousands of phone calls and emails" trying to get them to withdraw ahead of next month's election. labour has promised to give every home and business in the uk free full—fibre broadband by 2030,

if it wins the general election, and would fund it by nationalising part of bt and taxing tech giants. the tories said it was a "fantasy plan" and the lib dems called it "another unaffordable item on the wish list" while bt‘s chief executive, philip jansen, told bbc news the process for implementing labour's plan would not be "straightforward". but the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, described the £20 billion plan as "visionary". this is hard—nosed economics. if we do not get on and do this, already we are falling behind our global competitors and we will fall behind even further. future generations will not forgive us. it's visionary, i accept that, but, you know, other countries are having these visions and we are not and we are being held back. the number of children being admitted to hospital in england with a severe allergic reaction has risen every year for the past five years. nhs figures show over 1,700 children were treated for anaphylactic shock in the last year compared

to a thousand in 2013. children under 10 were most likely to be affected. more than 22,00016—to—25 year olds will be homeless or at risk of homelessness this christmas, according to the charity centrepoint. the figures are based on new data it has collected from councils across england. young adults make up around a quarter of those seeking help. the government says it has provided £76 million to help reduce rough sleeping. there are more than 200 flood warnings in place across england and wales this morning, with more rain on the way. in fishlake in south yorkshire, pumps have been working through the night to protect homes and businesses. some streets in the village have now been flooded for more than a week. in the unites states, two teenage students have been killed and three others injured

at a school shooting in los angeles. the victims died in a i6—second gun attack shortly before classes began on thursday at saugus high school in santa clarita, north of los angeles. the suspect — a student — then shot himself in the head and is now in a critical condition. musician taylor swift has said her performance at the upcoming american music awards is in doubt because she is being barred from performing her own songs. in a message to fans on social media, the singer said music managers scooter braun and scott borchetta would not let her perform songs from her past albums, which they own the rights to. she said a netflix documentary about her life had also been put in jeopardy. braun and borchetta have not yet responded. we are up—to—date with the top news stories. back to joanna we are up—to—date with the top news stories. back tojoanna gosling for the rest of the programme. homeless young people are sleeping in public toilets,

in stairwells and even on night buses — that's according to the charity centrepoint, which says figures recorded for the first time suggest more than 22,000 young people face homelessness this christmas. the introduction of the homeless reduction act last year means councils now have to record figures of homelessness more thoroughly. let's talk to kai gunner, who faced homelessness aged 17 after his dad died. brooke—morgan was homeless at 16 during her gcses. balbir chatrik — policy director of crisis point. and also with us are conservative bob blackman, who introduced the law that enabled this data to be collected, labour's sarah jones — the party's housing spokesperson — and layla moran from the lib dems. thank you forjoining us. you were homeless at 16 when you were doing your gcses. what happened? homeless at 16 when you were doing your gcses. what happened? we had a bereavement in the family. my uncle

suddenly passed away because of dehydration. he lived in manchester. it was very unexpected and effectively that was my mum's first baby. it hit her hard, so my role model, best friend, poet, designer and creative mum went from all that to not really eating or speaking and working. it all happened very suddenly, over a few weeks. i lived with my nan but because i was so mentally removed and in a really bad space, it didn't work out. i was sofa surfing for a little bit. i try to go back to my mum but that relationship was not conducive or healthy any more. i was then referred to centre point by local authorities. so much going on at the age of 16. centre point gave you effectively a life raft. what else might have been able to help? is

there anything looking back where you think... and we will speak to some politicians in a moment, but in policy terms, what things are helpful? all the cuts to youth centres, things like that, that can just help you get a clear mental space and have another adult to talk to, as opposed to it becoming, i don't know... it's a good point, the people around you were affected by what was affecting you and you didn't have someone outside.“ there was an external or wider support system then maybe i wouldn't have needed centre point. and what happened with you, kai? your dad died when you were 17. he had a lung disease. he died when i was 17. i was essentially, not exactly made homeless, it was more that i could have been kicked out of my flat if it wasn't for my age. being 17, it's

a rough time as it is, being a teenager, so to then have the person you are teenager, so to then have the person you a re closest teenager, so to then have the person you are closest to die on you out of the blue. my dad was terminal but it was still so sudden. he should have had another two or three years left at least. that's what they used to say. i wasn't offered another tendency for another two months and was essentially squatting for two months with nowhere to go or turn to. people were on my side but they couldn't help me. if you can't sign a tenancy i had no legal redress, as it were. i couldn't give my address for stuff. there was so much going on with you. so much bureaucracy, and facing homelessness after your dad died. to ask the same question, could there have been policies in place that could have supported you in that situation? in my case, there

wasn't really much. apart from more help with grieving, really. i didn't know what to do, how to do it. i was getting close with my mum, because we had been rocky from a few years previous, which is why i was with my dad in the first place. so me and my mum were getting back on good terms, and we are really close now, but more help with grieving at the time would have helped. centre point has identified 22,000 young people facing homelessness this christmas. the thought of people sleeping in to i lets, the thought of people sleeping in toilets, on night buses, it's devastating and upsetting to hear these experiences in the studio. what do you think is going on? we talk about the recording of the numbers giving a clearer picture. it's important to say, it is devastating for those 22,000 young people who are either homeless or

facing homelessness. they are approaching their local authorities for help. in the run—up to christmas. it's meant to be a family time. it's very hard for young people and it's interesting listening to these two young people. figures that centre point show that family crisis and family breakdown is the biggest cause of youth homelessness. we are talking about really young people, in some cases children, who are out on the streets. a third of the young people we spoke to had stayed overnight in a park. a quarter had lived in a tent and some had been in a public toilet. that's really unacceptable in this day and age. let's find out what the politicians think can be done. bob, you oversaw a change in the way figures are collated. hearing the stories, what needs to be done? it's bob blackman, not bob

chapman. sorry. i introduce the homelessness reduction act precisely because of these types of problems. the biggest cause of homelessness in this country is because of the ending ofa this country is because of the ending of a private sector tenancy. the second biggest cause, as has been mentioned, is a relationship break—up, but often it's the young people in a relationship that end up being the victims of not being able to get anywhere. we estimated at the time when i introduce the legislation that 300,000 people across the country at any one time oui’ across the country at any one time our sofa surfing and are actually homeless. before the legislation there was no requirement whatsoever for either data collection or local authority involvement, so i introduce the legislation to ensure that anyone threatened with homelessness would actually get the opportunity of sitting down with a local authority advisor to help and assist them get somewhere to live.

from that perspective, the legislation was introduced back in 2016, 2017. it became law in 2017 and then operational in april of 2018. it's only just and then operational in april of 2018. it's onlyjust gone 0ctober and then operational in april of 2018. it's onlyjust gone october of 2018. it's onlyjust gone october of 2018 where the duty to refer from every public service you can think of, people who are homeless, to the local authority to make sure they get help and assistance. the final thing i would say is that also the biggest area we have put into the legislation was to put a statutory duty on local authorities to assist those who are leaving care to be given housing because there was no provision for that in legislation whatsoever before the legislation i introduced. sara, it's a complicated picture and people find themselves in all different circumstances but we are hearing the main cause of this is family breakdown. we have

heard it described that there were places that our two guests could have gone to but because of the maelstrom they were in and they were struggling, it was difficult to make that work. what do you think is the solution? i think there will always be family breakdowns and issues that cause that homelessness. as bob blackman says, the end of tenancies isa blackman says, the end of tenancies is a massive issue, where landlords if people for no reason and they find themselves homeless. what we need to look at is the scale and increase in the problem and ask the question, why has it increased so much that so many young people are facing homelessness. we have 120,000 children facing christmas in temporary accommodation. and that's exactly why we are talking about it. it's not about identifying the problem, it's about asking you as politicians how you solve it. there are a whole raft of issues, many of which were put into practice in previous years, so we have some good learning here. the first is to get

those who are sleeping rough off the streets and to physically build the homes they need to live in. the second is to give the support they need, so when we talk about support with bereavement or mental health issues, all those support systems have been pulled away so when you have been pulled away so when you have that crisis it is much harder to find help, so we need to put those support systems back in place. but we need to look at the wider homelessness issue and make sure we are supporting people who are sleeping rough but also supporting people who are the hidden homeless, as we call them, who are sofa surfing and in temporary accommodation, because it is a real crisis. a woman came into my office yesterday who was seven months pregnant, homeless and had no idea where to go. what could you say to her? we spent a long time on the phone with a council trying to make sure she was given the support she needed. we found somewhere for her to sleep last night and she went to

the council this morning for an appointment that hopefully mean she can be given temporary accommodation. but it is so cold outside as we approach winter, we need to be investing. layla moran, what are your ideas on how to resolve the issues? first of all, all credit to bob blackman and the legislation because at least we know the scale of the issue now. many people see rough sleepers on the street and think that is homelessness, but the hidden homelessness, but the hidden homeless problem is just homelessness, but the hidden homeless problem isjust as big. 22,000 people, that's bigger than the size of a sold—out gig at the 02 arena. you here that they have the risk of not having a home over christmas and that is heartbreaking. the liberal democrats have pledged £500 million to open up shelters again. it's also about having the

link workers between schools and families to rebuild relationships. i was with a group of head teachers yesterday who pointed out that they actually spend a lot of time on these pastoral issues and not enough time teaching. when they tried to refer to children's social care in local authorities, there is a real crisis in children's social care. unfortunately it's about money. whilst i say, all credit to the homelessness reduction act for at least exposing the size of the problem, it needs to be followed up with serious money so young people and others who find themselves at risk are not having to sofa surf in order to... the last thing i would say, i have been running a long—standing campaign to scrap things like the vagrancy act, which actually makes rough sleeping in this country illegal. it's also about the approach we take to homelessness. the victoria derbyshire show does it very well to bring out the compassionate side, but the fact is that in 2017—18,

more than 1000 people were arrested for being rough sleepers and that is not the approach we should be taking. we have had a text from keith, what about changes to the bedroom tax and the benefit system? i will be living on the streets with the changes to universal credit. another viewer says, we have to get back to fair rents in social housing so back to fair rents in social housing so when the issues arise local authorities and notjust charities can solve the problem is, notjust graduates. thank you to all of you for giving a good airing to what is going on. if i can ask bob blackman and sarah jones to going on. if i can ask bob blackman and sarahjones to stay with us to talk about politics. broadband is in the news today. we are in the general election campaign. sarah jones, we are in the general election campaign. sarahjones, we are talking about the needs of people who are finding themselves homeless

and the importance of where to spend resources . and the importance of where to spend resources. is it the best use of billions of pounds for labour to say they will fund broadband for people can they will fund broadband for people ca n afford they will fund broadband for people can afford it, when people are struggling and have nothing?‘ can afford it, when people are struggling and have nothing? a good question. they would the economy we have low productivity and the economy is slowing down. —— with the economy. we have wages that are not growing and economic growth is at its slowest in a decade will stop the media is saying capitalism needs a reset and it is not working. with digital broadband, only 10% of the country gets the service they need and there is huge regional disparity. we are much less productive with people unable to work from home and unable in certain areas. it's part of the infrastructure we need to build across the country so we can have a strong economy. i understand the arguments, but in terms of who funds it, the tories want to roll it out but they talk about business funding it. why should the state funded it? its one element of bt that we will

step in and fund. it's a sensible and practical way to link it up with all the other utilities and infrastructure we are looking at creating so we can have a country thatis creating so we can have a country that is more productive because under this government to the economy is foundering and we need to do something about it. broadband is one pa rt of something about it. broadband is one part of that picture. bob blackman, borisjohnson has pledged to provide full fibre broadband. is this the only way to do it, to make the state responsible for it? most certainly not. i have to declare an interest because i worked for bt for 19 years before i was elected as an mp. the reality is that competition in the marketplace from various different competitors has driven bt to be a far more efficient and effective organisation. my serious worry about

this labour proposal, apart from the fa ct this labour proposal, apart from the fact that it will cost billions of pounds to do, which could be used for other public services, it will actually stifle competition and we will go back to the bad old days where you would phone up the post 0ffice, where you would phone up the post office, as it was, and get an appointment and six months later you would get a telephone line. the reality is that competition in this marketplace has driven dramatic improvement. i think taking that competition away, which is what this would do, because of the companies... only 1096 of the country has full fibre broadband. it's not working, is it? the reality is that we have produced, through bt, it has produced remarkable results from using copper. nobody believed broadband could be delivered in the way it has been delivered to homes up way it has been delivered to homes up and down the country. we now need to move to full fibre and that's right. but that investment is huge and other companies as well as bt

have invested in the full fibre broadband. what we need to do is make sure that is driven out throughout the country by promoting the use of it and promoting the ability of people to gain investment over the entirety of the country. but doing it through a nationalised industry is absolutely and utterly the wrong way to approach this requirement for the uk. thank you both very much. let's hear what bt boss philipjansen told the bbc after the announcement. and incidentally the bt share price has fallen more than 2% after the announcement that labour intends to provide free fibre broadband if it wins the general election. how we do it is not straightforward. it needs funding and it's very big numbers. 30 to £40 billion for building. that's an eight year timeframe, that's another 30 or 40 billion. so it's not to far short of

100 billion. let's talk to tanja lister who runs a hotel in a remote part of north—west scotland. what is the broadband like where you are? where we are it's nonexistent. how does that impact on your business? in many, many ways. i would like to stress that it's not just business that it impacts on, but also communities as a whole and individuals. we have to rely on satellite broadband, which is both expensive and can be quite slow. i think one of the main ways it impacts on us is in terms of the service we provide to guests. we are unable to provide internet access in our bedrooms which causes us problems for our guests. we can only provide it in public areas. but also one of the main thing is it impacts one of the main thing is it impacts on is our ability to recruit. 0n

average, the people we are recruiting now, they might be in their 20s or 30s on average, but they are very much reliant on the internet and have it as an expectation. we employ about 25 people at the height of the season and it certainly doesn't help with that. what do you think about the idea that broadband is nationalised? to be honest, i think it's a bit of a red herring and actually talking about something that might be delivered in ten years time when it such a fast moving commodity is really not where the focus should be. from my point of view, what we need to be talking about is how we deliver a service now, or as soon as possible. there have been various different programmes that have been undertaken and promised. in scotland, where we are, the situation is slightly different because there has been a programme which has talked about overall

connectivity by 2021 and it looks like that will not happen either. but we need to have that better coverage soon. but we need to have that better coverage soon. the other point i would make, as overall connectivity im proves would make, as overall connectivity i m proves across would make, as overall connectivity improves across the uk, those communities and businesses and individuals that don't have it are disadvantaged even more greatly because there is the sense that the whole world is moving on and some of your local competitors might have access to superfast broadband when you don't. it makes that gap and disparity even more hard to take. this has now become an election issue. where does it rank in terms of your priorities? did you expect it and did you wanted to be an issue that's up there? how important is it for you when you decide where you put your vote? the issue of broadband and connectivity is a huge

issue for us, and it's right up there in terms of issues. in terms of it being free, that's not necessarily relevant for me. i appreciate that for some people the costis appreciate that for some people the cost is a major issue, but that could be addressed through separate means. we should actually be focusing on working together, prefera bly cross— party, focusing on working together, preferably cross—party, so we don't derail current programmes that are starting to make improvements. but let's strengthen those and actually deliver something. we want to see results and not promises. thank you for joining results and not promises. thank you forjoining us and sharing your experiences. if you are watching at home and have thoughts you want to share, all the usual ways of getting in touch. we look back at the general election campaign so farcoming we look back at the general election campaign so far coming up. and we hearfrom comedian al murray who tells us his nephew desperately needs a stem cell match within weeks. that full interview coming up.

leaders of six councils across northern england have called for a "massive increase" in government funding to deal with widespread flooding in the region. in a letter to the communities secretary they said there is likely to be lasting damage to vital infrastructure including power plants, roads and bridges. around 120 flood warnings are still in place across england this morning after another day of heavy rain. 0ur reporterjim reed spent the day in south yorkshire to find out what people there think about the politicians‘ response to the flooding. it's been going on for a week now. nervous homeowners checking weather forecasts and local whatsapp groups for any sign of change. the water level in this part of south yorkshire had been dropping over the last couple of days. the river here had been as high as that bank you can see behind me over there. but the rain has started to come down again this

afternoon in drips and drabs. the forecast isn't great. and people we've been speaking to, living in these houses along the river here, say at the moment, they're sitting there crossing their fingers, hoping everything is going to be ok. more than 800 homes in the doncaster region have been flooded. the local community has pulled together to help with clothes, food and other essentials. clothes. we've been sorting through them. fred turner has been running the effort at this centre in the village of stainforth just down the road from fishlake. the rain's coming down again this afternoon, you've got a couple of days of respite. yeah. this is — the last thing we needed was more rain, it really is. so, once the rain's gone, the water then comes down from the hills. it'll be back into coming down through sheffield, rotherham and it's going to hit us again. you've had lots of politicians down there over the last couple of days? i should say we have. yeah, yeah. quite a few. how are you feeling about that?

well, they're all...they‘re all on the campaign trail, you know. they've got to show their face. do you feel like it's been a bit politicised then, with the election on and everyone dashing around? of course it has. there's no doubt about that. do you mind that? i mean, it's nice to be noticed, but at the same time... well, i think it, i think what it has done with all the media that's been around in stainforth in the last few days, it's getting that message out to the rest of the countryjust how bad it is up here at the minute. the leaders of all the main political parties have turned up in the region this week. labour leaderjeremy corbyn called the government's response woeful, and said it would never have happened in the home counties. we need to hear they're getting the money they need and these people need to know they matter. borisjohnson chaired an emergency meeting, sent in troops and promised financial support. it's an emergency, boris. julie was part of the group which met the prime minister here this week.

she's been volunteering nonstop since the flooding started. if the politicians got off the backsides and helped these young'uns with me, we'd get further. there's too much of this, and not enough work. that's my feelings. i mean, it feels like politicians can't win. if they don't come down here, they're kind of ignoring it. and if they do... this is nothing to do with the politicians. this is a disaster. and ifeel sorry for all the people that's got to go through it. and that's why we're here to help. it's not about politics for you? no. it's not about politics, no. others do think this could make a difference to the election campaign. this constituency is solidly labour, but the conservatives have been looking to pick up other seats in the wider region from jeremy corbyn's party. pictures like this won't help win votes, though many of the residents we spoke to, told us they saw

the flooding and the election as very different issues. by mid—afternoon on thursday, one single route had reopened into the village of fishlake. this local relief crew said we could follow them in. 0n the outskirts of the village, joe and his dad were back looking at the damage to their home. within minutes of it, like, just filled up down that way and then just kept building up, building up. then as it got to the corner here, it started coming from that end, running down. and just, within minutes it were in the house. there were no stopping it. the family has been busy, moving their most important possessions to a truck, waist deep in water outside. we're standing on the base of the lorry that you're using.

yeah. i mean, you you're up to there. so, it was up to nearly his waist. so it was this high? yeah, i were trying to get a line. it was just below the window. we've had the prime minister in this area, we've had lots of politicians around. is that something which, you know, is a positive thing? are you happy that they paid attention, or does it feel a bit like electioneering? well, it's got to work. we're getting on telly, aren't we? something's got to happen from this, surely. it's got to do. so, yeah, as many as they want, fetch them all. the more the merrier, if they want to come up? the more the merrier, yeah, come and have a look. you don't mind them coming and getting a photo opportunity? no. maybe a few of them get in the way a little bit, but, no, we're fine. you don't mind people turning up, you don't mind people speaking. it's when they come and they look like they're helping, but they're actually not. it's like... that's when it gets frustrating? yeah. and they're in the way, like. the people of fishlake clearly have

more important things to think about than party politics. at the moment, this is about homes and livelihoods, more than votes. but there is real anger here about the response of the authorities, and that could play a part at the ballot box in four weeks' time. floods, hecklings and one big u—turn that gave borisjohnson's election hopes a major boost. it's been an extremely eventful week in politics. more announcements today from the major parties — including a hundreds of millions of pounds package from the conservatives to support towns and high streets across britain. and with just four weeks to go now until election day, let's take a look back at the first full week of the campaign. let's talk to telegraph columnist sherelle jacobs, who this week wrote an article saying that labour is on the brink

are of the biggest wipe—out in british election history. and editor of the left—wing political website novara media, dalia gebrial. the big story of this week was the devastating floods in the north of england and the midlands. borisjohnson's response was criticised for being slow to respond when he arrived in doncaster. he wasn't the only leader to be heckled in the past few days. before i talk to you, let's have a look at boris johnson before i talk to you, let's have a look at borisjohnson being heckled but not the only one. actually, we will move on to that in a moment but let's start with what was going on with brexit of course and those allegations that are being put out from nigel farage saying that several people in the brexit party have been offered peerages and other jobs in order not to stand in their constituencies. the tories have robustly denied that so we can hear from nigel farage first of all. people who want to stand for election, one of our rights as free citizens,

being intimidated out of standing. but our candidates today have been subjected to thousands of phone calls and emails and threats all over the country. i think we're at about 285. so some have dropped away. most have held very firm. but also inducements, at all levels. i mean, numberio downing street, ringing our candidates, offering people jobs. it is quite astonishing. so it's a tale of intimidation and, i think, political corruption at the same time. that was nigel farage with the allegations and this is how james cleverly responded to that on question time. eight candidates in particular being offered peerages by the conservative party is not true? the... cos you'd know? i would know and it hasn't happened. imean... so it's definitely not true? so, the point i'd make, we have not made, and we do not make, deals with other political parties. we have stood candidates in every

part of the united kingdom. we have been asked to make election pacts. but i'm very much of the belief that political parties should put forward an agenda against which they are judged. the only pact that we have made is with the british people. let's talk now to ann widdecombe, brexit party mep for south—west england. these are polar opposite things being said but have you been offered anything? i can only say what happened to me, i can't speakfor anybody else but i was rung up, twice, but somebody at number 10. the first time it was all about how i really had a moral obligation to stand down and that's. . the second time, it is to say that if i did stand down, i would be offered, i

quote, a role in the negotiations. i've no idea what that means because i immediately said that i had played no role in the tory party for a large number of years and i could not be flattered and buttered up and promised things. that is what happened to me and that's all i can speakfor. happened to me and that's all i can speak for. you say you were called by somebody at number 10, are you prepared to say to you? no, you know very well i'm not prepared to say who, it was the same person, an interrupted conversation, the same person in both conversations. what you mean an interrupted conversation? straightforwardly, that we lost contact. you had to mecca with the same person pinned nigel farage has put out sir edward lister, the chief strategic adviser to borisjohnson as being involved in this. was it him? it was not and it was not boris or dominic cummings and beyond that are not telling you any more but i say this, no serious

candidate could ever be deflected by that sort of stuff so not only have i think the tories put themselves in a very difficult position in terms of their behaviour but it has been a com plete of their behaviour but it has been a complete waste of time. when nigel farage says several brexit party would—be candidates have been offered, or senior people in the party abbey offered peerages, and then we hear from party abbey offered peerages, and then we hearfrom people party abbey offered peerages, and then we hear from people within government including boris johnson saying that is absolutely not true, somebody is not telling the truth. as i've said, i can only speakfor what happened to me. and if they are denying that happened to be, they are not telling the truth number 10. i think it's very straight. you put a microphone under boris's nose and say, is ann widdecombe, a practising catholic, prepared to put a hand on the book over it, is she telling lies or are you? you cannot confirm you know anybody has been offered a

peerage? i have said so many times now it must be a bit boring for you, ican now it must be a bit boring for you, i can only talk about what has happened to me because that is what i know of my own first hand certain knowledge. ann widdecombe, thank you very much. let's bring in our guests. what you think about this row? do you think it will have an impact? maybe, i think if it's row? do you think it will have an impact? maybe, ithink if it's true, thatis impact? maybe, ithink if it's true, that is pretty disgraceful. i think there are plenty of people in this country who neither want to vote labour or tory and they should be given the democratic choice at the ballot box. however, what i would say more widely is it is a shame that the brexit party have not decided to concentrate their efforts ona decided to concentrate their efforts on a small number of constituencies, which are unwinnable by the tories, because i think there is a great opportunity for them to win some seats, not spread the butter to thin

operationally which they're doing right now, and influence the next round of negotiations and perhaps even be in coalition. i think that what they are doing tactically at the moment is a mistake. i think it isa the moment is a mistake. i think it is a rerun of 2015. in terms of when nigel farage with ukip was too ambitious in terms of trying to get national coverage and not concentrating enough on particular constituencies. i think, concentrating enough on particular constituencies. ithink, tragically, we might see the exit but did not win as many seats as they would do. —— de brexit party. there is a wider conversation to be had. in terms of the impact that this particular row might have on the tories, it remains to be seen. i think people want brexit done and i think there are a lot of people who are not paying much attention to what is going on in terms of the run—up to the

election, people will start to be more plugged it in the last two weeks. the government is talking about having a strong finish at the end. let's see. moving onto what has been going on out and about for the politicians and i mentioned earlier that boris johnson and politicians and i mentioned earlier that borisjohnson and others have been heckled so let's see what has been heckled so let's see what has been happening. you took your time, boris, ain't you? how are you? yeah, where've you been? i know. well, we've been on it round the clock, we've been on it round the clock. is there anything in particular that you'd like us to do, to...? no thank you. no? no. i'm not very happy about talking to you, so if you don't mind i'll just get on with what i'm doing. you've not helped us. this is your democracy, is it? the democracy is that we have a public meeting, where we conduct it in a reasonable manner, and those that wish to say something at the end are, of course, free to do so. ladies and gentlemen, if we could now observe a minute's silence for the victims of austerity.

and jo swinson... we'lljust be here for one minute. those were the moments when the politicians were out and they get to meet real photos and hear what people think of them —— photos put at what impact does that stuff have? i think personally it is wonderful to see people seeing it right through politicians going on there daily election beat. i think what i've really noticed is that whenever particular borisjohnson i've really noticed is that whenever particular boris johnson but i've really noticed is that whenever particular borisjohnson but alsojo swinson, people who have been in power, well not jo swinson, people who have been in power, well notjo swinson but the lib dems had been in power in the past ten years, it is the same story. it is the tory cuts have destroyed the lives of people up and down this country. in this very show we look at the coverage of doncaster, a big reason why we are

not seeing adequate relief effort is because the tories have not invested in flood relief and flood defence. in your earlier segment you had brooke talking incredibly about how a death in herfamily combined with the lack of youth services led to her being homeless. i think it's very interesting that whilst in the westminster bubble there has been a lot of effort to frame this as the brexit election, of course brexit is really important in a peoples minds when it comes to going to the ballot box but i really think the question of what austerity, the political choice of austerity, as done to this country has been the overriding question whenever borisjohnson in particular has come into contact with members of the public. whether it is on the street or in interviews. this week on the programme to find out what the average person is programme to find out what the average person is thinking and feeling, we had a focus group on the

programme, the first time it has been done on television, with particular reference to the election. they were asked if they recognised the leader of the brexit party, nigel farage, and jo swinson, the leader of the lib dems. quick show of hands, anybody else not sure? does that you mean you don't know — you're not sure who jo swinson is? she doesn't have a presence yet for me to form a decision. about half the group, actually. i put her as an elephant, cos she feels like the elephant in the room. everyone's just looking at her, like, what's she doing here? ok, if i'm wrong, like, correct me, but i thought he was part of like, the lib dems, and like, i kind of like where they're kind of going with things like, how they're just kind of focused, they put these, like, policies. they just seem organised. so ijust put a bird as like, kind of new, cos it's new, like. can i break this to you, reese? he couldn't be more opposed to the lib dems. the lib dems — i mean, just for those who want to learn, the lib dems want to remain

in the eu, they want to revoke everything. and nigel farage is leader of the brexit party, and they absolutely want to leave. i got it wrong! it's fine, it's fine. it's so interesting, because there'll be other people as well. do not worry about it. should that worry them?” should that worry them? i think what people are picking up on the doorstep, and i disagree quite strongly, is that it is very much the brexit election and people want to get this thing done so we can move other things. hearing off the record from labour mps saying in some of these battle grounds, in the midlands and the north, trying to switch the conversation on to the nhs and other things, and not being able to because people just want to talk about brexit, this is the one thing that will cut through this election put it is about brexit, the people who feel betrayed, who feel

that sovereignty has been endangered by this parliament and they want to move on. a really interesting thing that some tory mps are picking up on on the doorstep in working—class is that people are reciting let's get brexit done, the prime minister's slogan, without it being brought up. i think that we shouldn't really worry too much about people not being plugged in quite yet. but as i said, people will re—engage and they will remember what this election really is about which is brexit. will remember what this election really is about which is brexitlj know you disagree on that.|j know you disagree on that.” absolutely think that brexit is a very fun hobby for a lot of the people in the westminster bubble because it is essentially like a punch and judy circus. people obviously care about brexit but i really think that the fact that

people are not finding the kinds of infrastructure of child care, social care, health care, that they know they are entitled to is people who pay tax, who work, that is really when politics meets with people's real lives rather than quite abstract negotiations happening in the eu. and if people don't even know who jo swinson and nigel parata shah, i'm not sure there must be plugged into what is happening in the eu -- plugged into what is happening in the eu —— nigel farage. plugged into what is happening in the eu -- nigel farage. thank you very much. al murray is one of the uk's best loved comedians, but today he's talking about something much more serious. al's six—year—old nephew finley was diagnosed earlier this year with a rare and aggressive form of childhood leukaemia. hejust has he just has weeks to find a stem cell donor to save his life. welcome to the programme and thank you forjoining us. it's my pleasure. you're here to talk about something really personal today and that is your nephew finley. tell us about him.

yes, my nephew finley, who is six, my partner's brother's eldest son, it's suffering with a very, very rare blood cancer. a thing called jmml which is a kind of... the l stands for leukaemia but it's a super rare leukaemia. 12 kids a year get it probably. and he needs a blood stem cell transplant, he needs a match for that. he's at great 0rmond street, goes in every three or four weeks, he goes in and has a full week of chemo, seven days of chemotherapy. and they keep an eye on his bloods and see how he's doing and everything. but the only cure forjmml is a blood stem cell transplant. people might have heard of bone marrow transplants but it is the blood stem cells, so we can reboot his blood, basically. we are going to actually do... show you what you can do, yeah. and you can get involved

in that but in terms of the impact on his life, it sounds gruelling for a six—year—old. it is really, really gruelling. to be honest, i went to see him last week at great 0rmond street and finley is a chirpy little six—year—old who wants to play football, run around, go swimming. he is into trains and planes and tanks. and you go and see him, if you get him when he's bright and the medicine isn't doing him in, you would never know he was ill, you wouldn't have a clue. i was there at the other day, and they have a magician come round and he was laughing his socks off at that. but he is critically ill. there is a 50—50 chance of him surviving this, basically, and without the transplant, there is no cure forjmml. how soon would he have to have the transplant? before christmas, this has got to happen kind of right away. and we had a match...

and sorry, that is a very tight deadline so why so quickly? because what happens is the disease is very aggressive and progresses really quickly. the thing is, in the spring he wasn't well and he was losing weight and odd things and you go that thing no one knows what it is, and gradually, over the summer, there was a process of elimination and finally they arrived at this diagnosis. and what it's like for his parents... i mean, i'm close to this, obviously, but i can't imagine what they are going through. there was a match at one point but the person, i think a couple of matches, but they have come off the scheme since. they might be too old or they might be unwell. because if you are unwell, you can't do it. that is a roller—coaster, to be told there are matches... oh, god, and you're thinking, can we... cut us a break, please. is there any chance that things can go our way? but it's notjust finley.

anyone with this kind of disease needs a match. let's talk about how you go about it because i'm going to do the swab. it is dkms, the charity, dkms.org.uk. and they are a blood donor charity set up by a german doctor whose wife died because they couldn't get a match. right. so, he set this up, it is international. they have about 9 million people on their register, 500,000 here, half a million people, and they have helped around 70,000 people get a second chance. and all you do, dead simple, you log onto the website, you put in your info. if you are between 17 and 55 you can go on the register and find out your eligibility to donate. i am no fitness fanatic, i'm 51, i'm a schlub! but they still took me! as long as you are under 55... as long as you're under 55, send off and they send you a pack that has a bar code in it, which is important to remember, and they send you these swabs.

and they are like overgrown earbuds. i can't open mine so i'm going to take that one from you. there you go, simple enough. and you stick it in your cheek and you roll it around, rub it around in your cheek for about a minute. it's like cleaning your teeth but on your cheek. cleaning your teeth or picking your nose, depending on your preference! you do three, the other cheek with the next one and then the third one. and then you let them dry for five minutes, so the longest bit of this is letting it dry for five minutes. you pop it in the envelope with the bar code you send it back to dkms... and that's it. and if you are eligible, they send you a card saying life—saver in waiting. and it's that simple. there are no needles, because i know people are worried about that. it's not intrusive, no needles, it takes none of your time. it is ten minutes online... you're on the register and then it is up to you... and then it's up to you but that's fine, of course people get to the point where they don't want to. but the more people there

are on the register and the more potential matches there are, the more potential there is to save people's lives. like i say, it's notjust about finley, it's anyone with this kind of disease, anyone who needs a blood stem cell match. i can't let you go without talking about politics because obviously we are in a general election. you stood before, didn't you come against nigel farage? yes. let's just remind ourselves of what happened when the results came through. nigel paul farage, ukip. 16,026. craig mackinlay, the conservative party candidate. 18,848. you got... 318! well done, but you lost your deposit?

of course i did! what you think about the election campaign right now? nigel farage stood then, he's not standing now. i got 318 and he stood down 317 parliamentary candidates which seems the number which will haunt us forever. to be honest right now, with what is going on with finley it is noise, the whole thing, i can't really give it any serious thought at the moment. it'sjust really give it any serious thought at the moment. it's just seems to be yet another episode in this ongoing... what the word? saga? saga! when you came up with the pub landlord and wanted to leave the eu, where on the brink of it... or are we? we don't know! it is the strangest thing because like you say, when i came up with the character 25 years, it wasn't a mainstream opinion and now it's a

mainstream opinion and now it's a mainstream issue. it's sort of fascinating but, like i say, the way it has been going on and we are supposedly going through this massive change but it seems that for three years everything has been the same and stuck. and ongoing, repeating problem that nobody can agree on anything despite the fact we have all apparently agreed.“ there much comedy for you in it any more? tonnes. it's an inherently funny situation i think. people say, how do you compete, you can't keep up how do you compete, you can't keep up with reality, reality is outstripping satire. i actually think a bit of healthy competition from the real world is a good thing! it impacts on your real world because you have a business, people might not know that...” because you have a business, people might not know that. .. i have a business that makes drum kits in

stockport and we were founded four yea rs stockport and we were founded four years ago, 20 of us now with apprentices and master craftsmen and women and we make, and make a very high end product in the uk public supposedly we don't do manufacturing any more but we certainly do it in this country. and someone who owns and runsa this country. and someone who owns and runs a business in manufacturing, not knowing what will happen is extremely unhelpful, is as far as i'll go on what i think about it. it doesn't help. because why would it? how could it help, not knowing what happened next? and the lack of concrete proposals about what will happen next, from everyone, from all sides, everyone in this situation... there's no point singling out one particular party or parties or participant in what is happening politically, eve ryo ne what is happening politically, everyone isn't helping at the moment. it is as dry as that, i

don't want to go back to stockport and sack apprentices because trade barriers have come up and we can't get the raw materials predict who would want to have to do that? but like i said, even that at the moment, with finley in hospital and what is essentially a christmas deadline, you can think, oh well, whatever will be will be with that and there's nothing i can do about it and nothing i can do to influence it. if he's watching, what would you like to say to finley? hi, we will go to the tank museum when this has blown over! camber one! we will go to the tank museum when this has blown over, i promise. al murray talking to me early a lot getting in touch, jack says, i'm not sure if i'd be a match but i'm more than willing to find out to help this lad and his family. anonymous says, about alary‘s nephew, i offer myself

orany about alary‘s nephew, i offer myself or any procedures i can volunteer to help this young man. barry system watching and signing up right now, thank you, i wasn't even aware of this. you saw me do the dna swab on the programme it's really quick and easy and i'm signing up as well. thank you very much for your company today and i hope you have a good afternoon. bbc newsroom live is coming up next. goodbye. hello there. yesterday saw further rainfall to areas already affected by flooding. there are still flood warnings in place and you can keep across these on the bbc weather website. the focus of the rain today

has been fought northern parts of england, south—west scotland and it is gradually working towards the west. through this afternoon, there will be some good spells of sunshine in northern ireland, scotland, northern england, a couple of showers particularly in eastern areas and some brightness as well in the west, south—west england and parts of wales put cloudier in central and eastern england with the rain coming in. a prisk north north—easterly breeze which will help keep things feeling cooler —— brisk. the wind eases overnight, rain moving west, temperatures not falling as far as we have seen recently. moving into the weekend, the wind will ease but it will remain cool with a fair amount of cloud around as well and we will see some outbreaks of rain as well. goodbye.

you're watching bbc newsroom live. it's 11:00am and these are the main stories this morning: bringing the uk up to speed, labour promise to deliver free ultra—fast broadband to everyone in the uk over the next ten years, if they win the general election. most of the communities i've gone to, which are the small towns outside of the big cities and bigger communities, coastal towns for example, rural areas. all of them, four out of five in the latest survey of people are complaining about their connection. but speaking to the bbc this morning, the prime minister dismissed the plans. what we won't be doing is some crackpot scheme that would involve many, many tens of billions