hello it's monday, it's 10:00, i'm victoria derbyshire. in her own words — today, jennifer arcuri the us businesswomen says borisjohnson should have declared the nature of their relationship when he was mayor of london, becasue it would have been "transparent and open." when he was running london ms arcuri went on three trade trips alongside him — this is what he said when he was asked if he should have "declared" the nature of their relationship. everything was done with full propriety. so you did declare the interest and you'll be able to say that when...? no, i said that everything was done in accordance with full propriety. i asked you a very specific question — you have to declare interest, did you delare interest? there was no...there was no interest to declare. in her only bbc interview, we'll talk live tojennifer arcuri in the next few minutes.

and boris johnson? he's talking to business leaders at the cbi this morning. we'll bring you that live. plus, why didn't he say he regretted his friendship with jeffrey epstein? the backlash against prince andrew's newsnight interview continues. do i regret the fact that he has quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming? yes. unbecoming? he was a sex offender. yeah, i'm sorry — i'm being polite. a lawyer for five victims of the dead paedophile tells us the chances of the prince being questioned in the us are much higher now. i think he has made things much worse for himself in this interview andl worse for himself in this interview and i think the authorities are going to want to speak to him now and they should want to. hello, welcome to the programme. we're live until 11:00 this morning.

inafew in a few minutes, we will be talking live to jeffrey jennifer in a few minutes, we will be talking live to jeffreyjennifer arcuri. do get in touch on all the stories we're talking about — use the hashtag victoria live. if you're emailing and are happy for us to contact you, and maybe want to take part in the programme — please include your phone number in your message. a lawyer representing the alleged victims ofjeffrey epstein has told this programme that she believes prince andrew is more likely to be questioned by us authorities over his association with the convicted sex offender as a result of his interview with the bbc. the prince has attracted widespread condemnation for the interview, in which has said he'd "let the side down" over his friendship with epstein, and denied having sex with a 17—year—old girl virginia roberts. jennifer arcuri, the american businesswoman whose relationship with prime minister borisjohnson has led to allegations of misconduct, has said she is "heartbroken" after, in her words, being "cast aside".

it's alleged that she and her business received favourable treatment during mrjohnson's time as mayor of london due to theirfriendship — claims that he denies. arcuri claims that since the story became public, she has being blocked from contacting mrjohnson. victoria will be speaking to her live on this programme very shortly. police are surrounding a hong kong university campus after a tense overnight stand—off with hundreds of protesters inside. dozens of demonstrators tried to leave after sunrise but turned back as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets. earlier, police tried to enter the campus, but were met with petrol bombs and bricks. it follows months of confrontations between the authorities and anti—government protests, which have become increasingly violent. students who were forced to flee a fire at a block of flats in bolton are to be re—housed. two people were injured and dozens more lost all their possession in the blaze at a student accommodation block. concerns have been raised

about the cladding on the outside of the building. a woman is suing a london nhs trust for not revealing her father had been diagnosed with huntington's disease before she had her own child. the woman, who can not be named in order to protect the identity of her daughter, now nine, only discovered her father carried the gene for the degenerative, incurable brain disorder after her daughter was born. she then found out she too carried the faulty gene. her daughter has not been tested, but has a 50:50 chance of inheriting it. the woman alleges that st george's nhs trust owed her a duty of care to tell her. four people have been killed and six others injured in a mass

shooting in california. police say a gunman started shooting after entering a home in fresno, where family and friends were watching a football game on sunday night. the gunman is thought to have fled the scene. let's go back now to the programme with victoria. us businesswoman jennifer arcuri says borisjohnson should have declared the nature of their relationship when he was mayor or london — becasue it would have been "tra nspa rent and open". mrjohnson has faced questions about an alleged conflict of interest when he was running london, centring on grants the entrepreneur received from city hall, and overseas trade missions she accompanied him on. before we speak to her live, here's why it all matters. jennifer arcuri is an american businesswoman, now infamous because of her controversial friendship with borisjohnson. in the last 2a hours, she's lashed out at him for ignoring her phone calls as though "she was a one—night stand". miss arcuri moved to london in 2011 and joined mrjohnson when he was mayor of london on three

overseas trade missions in 2014 and 2015. although she's so far refused to discuss the nature of their relationship, he visited her at her london apartment, which was equipped with a dance pole. the prime minister is now being investigated for an alleged conflict of interest. did miss arcuri receive favourable treatment during his time as mayor of london because he was herfriend? one of her businesses was awarded two grants of £10,000 and £1500 in sponsorship money from a mayoral organisation when mrjohnson was running london. she received another £15, 000 government grant for foreign entrepreneurs in britain. and a further £100,000 grant was awarded to miss arcuri's company, hacker house, by the department for culture, media and sport earlier this year to help it train people in cyber security, even though her business didn't meet the eligibility criteria. a government review of this decision concluded last month that the funding was appropriate.

investigations into the allegations have been launched by the current london mayor, sadiq khan, and the greater london authority, who've referred mrjohnson to the independent 0ffice for police conduct. mrjohnson is accused of not declaring a personal interest despite the friendship with miss arcuri. he denies any wrongdoing, insisting he acted with full propriety and that there was no interest to declare. for her part, jennifer arcuri says she never discussed sponsorship or grants with mrjohnson. she now says mrjohnson has cast her aside like she's "some gremlin". good morning. good morning. tell our audience what its like to be in the middle of this scandal? a nightmare i cannot wake up from and itjust seems to get worse. it is not

because i keep coming on to do interviews, even when i don't do any interviews, even when i don't do any interviews, the story continues, or some new piece of information is found or some salacious gossip is being printed. nowi found or some salacious gossip is being printed. now i am here in london, i want to make every attempt that i can to speak out about the wrongdoing and the foul treatment i have received from the media and, you know, hopefully try to change the way this narrative is going. what has been the effect on you personally, also your business? what has been the effect on you personally, also your business7m is horrific. the mental warfare that is horrific. the mental warfare that is needed to not completely lose it every time you look at twitter or social media, or you see people respond because they are angry because of the deceptions they have been fed. my business, this allegation it didn't meet

eligibility requirements, this is just by the by, dcms was very intrigued and inspired by my company and that is why we got the funding. we were exceptionally good at what we would do, our technical acumen is very good and those in the uk intelligence services know who we are and what we stand for. the dcms funding was a grant you applied for a £100,000, which a review concluded recently said it was appropriate. and though you did not get the full £100,000, some of it has been closed, but we will come onto that later. so what do you think about borisjohnson later. so what do you think about boris johnson ignoring you later. so what do you think about borisjohnson ignoring you and treating you as some fleeting one night stand? i said that specifically because it wasn't like i rocked up when he became prime minister and thought, 0k, i rocked up when he became prime ministerand thought, ok, here i rocked up when he became prime minister and thought, ok, here i am

let's have this story come out. absolutely not. it's been almost ten yea rs absolutely not. it's been almost ten years that i've had him in my life. the fact that i now have to be dragged back to britain to somehow stand up for myself, not be afraid to actually call him out forjust looking the other way and allowing me to be fed to the lions. i find it absolutely atrocious. he has an entire pr team and when i reached out to him, asking him about this media and what happened with the story, i was completely sidelined. why keep me away, why treat me like the enemy? i don't get it. you haven't been dragged back to britain, you have come back voluntarily. he is the prime minister and he is extraordinarily busy, in a new relationship. perhaps it's not surprising he hasn't contacted you? sure, being dragged back means i chose to come back because i am choosing to show the

public. i never went anywhere, iwas a lwa ys public. i never went anywhere, iwas always a uk company. i happen to go across to the west coast to bring in more revenue and seek out new clients, build my business. i didn't do anything wrong. and when i come back here, dragged back meanly, dragged back with the weight of the world on my shoulders, having to fend for myself in my city, that is 110w fend for myself in my city, that is now completely turned upside down. the legacy of my events has been tarnished. hacker house has been eaten alive and broken out across the media. i have no interest in his new relationship, he has moved on, i have moved on. that should not stop him from having the kind courtesy of being able to acknowledge the fact that for a long time, i was a part of his life and just like that, after he has already become his big

leader role, feed me to the wolves and let me die, why? what did you wa nt and let me die, why? what did you want him to do? i wanted him to pick up want him to do? i wanted him to pick up the phone, acknowledge the fact the story was brewing and it is brewing because it is an orchestrated attack, specifically put together to feed lies to the public about my character, my personality, what kind of business woman i am. the public like to use words like blonde, model, ex pole dancer. all of these things became you know, being caught in a storm. but he is the prime minister now? arnth? he has bigger fish to fry. i don't buy that. why? that is something you tell somebody when you meet them for the night, you don't know them, you haven't spent the hours with them, the investment into another person. the fact i am called out just another person. the fact i am called

outjust on gmp, because why am i here, if i am not here to admit the affair? waita here, if i am not here to admit the affair? wait a minute, here, if i am not here to admit the affair? waita minute, iam not allowed to be upset because somebody who was very much a part of my life, knew what i stood for, the calibre and integrity and merit i work at, all these things he knew and hejust sat back. why? he didn't have to ignore me, it could have been a 32nd phone calljust to let me know he is acknowledging the fact that that while he is prime minister, he gets to feed me to the wolves.|j while he is prime minister, he gets to feed me to the wolves. i find that disturbing. has he fed you to the wolves? yes. why do you say that? because the right thing to do would have to have theme to pick up the phone and talk to me. why would that have stopped he feeling of this? the press coverage i have

received is about my business, not literally where everything i have ever done has been written down and categorically drawn back to one man. the entire press gives this man credit for everything i have done. why wouldn't he acknowledge the fact that he did know me, he did like my events, he enjoyed coming. and now it has turned into this whole nefarious, must have declared an interest in order to be transparent. these were things i didn't know of 01’ these were things i didn't know of or knew the importance of until now. what sort of pressure has there been on you to reveal all? how do i start? just in the last hour when i was on gmp, the fact i am called out, why did you come here if you are not willing to admit the affair? did you see the way they ganged up, admit it, how can you be upset

without admitting this affair? when the story first broke, i was told just admit it and it goes away in two days. i said, can you guarantee that? they couldn't guarantee that. before the scandal came to the public‘s attention, you rang boris johnson in august, what happened?” rang him in august because i wanted to know what was going to happen with the story. i have never been m, with the story. i have never been in, caught in something like this. i had no idea the calibre of torture that i would have to go through. so i rang that i would have to go through. so irang and that i would have to go through. so i rang and he answered. it was passed off to someone who mocked me by pretending to speak with a chinese accent. so they weren't actually speaking chinese, it was english with a chinese accent? even more mockingly pathetic. it definitely wasn't him? it wasn't him,i definitely wasn't him? it wasn't him, i know his voice but it was somebody who didn't want him

speaking to me. and you sent him a text m essa g e speaking to me. and you sent him a text message last week? what did you say in the text? i rung him first, i said, why did you block me? and then i had click. i called back and called back. this is ridiculous. so i sent him a text message, you want to read it? is this the price of loyalty, to be hung up on, ignored and blocked ? loyalty, to be hung up on, ignored and blocked? why would i remain silent if you cannot even speak to me andi silent if you cannot even speak to me and i have been nothing but loyal to you. did he reply? no. why are you loyal to him? to you. did he reply? no. why are you loyalto him? because of to you. did he reply? no. why are you loyal to him? because of outside what the press are seeing right now, this... this man who is acting like he is as shallow as a paddling pool,

outside of this personified, fake puppet i see and i don't mean to discredit him as much as just layout the fact that i am very upset that he could not man up and pick up the phone and call me. no one supports him more than i do, no one wanted him more than i do, no one wanted him to succeed more than i did. all those years. i was tilting a tech ecosystem and my text messages are, we are doing this together, we will build this tech community, london will be great. he said, no, thank you so much for believing in london. for him tojust you so much for believing in london. for him to just all of a sudden decide, 0k, for him to just all of a sudden decide, ok, i am for him to just all of a sudden decide, 0k, iam prime minister, i have no time for you. i remember how busy you were during the olympics, i know how busy you are and i also know how busy you are and i also know you are a man of your word. this is why it was hard for me today

because every guy will tell you, they call and never follow up, not borisjohnson. every they call and never follow up, not boris johnson. every time they call and never follow up, not borisjohnson. every time he said he would call, he called me. i was convinced this was a man of his word because i couldn't believe, the further linear focus which he because i couldn't believe, the further linearfocus which he had me. i assure you, it wasn'tjust a sexual intention, he actually was very intrigued by my energy, my ability to get things done, he loved my events. he saw the way i could work a room, the way i met everybody. i was in london 30 seconds and i knew a lot of people. he recognised that. ifind it a shame because i know he is a passionate, in—depth, charismatic, a very considerate person. but it has been very hard for me to stand back and keep excusing this. where you dating him? i don't want to answer these questions, victoria. only because you said it wasn'tjust a

sexual intention. of course, i am not going to sit here and patronise the public to try, my intention is not to dance around the topic as much asjust to not to dance around the topic as much as just to put an end to this nonsensical questioning and more or less bullying on me to admit my weakness. i wasn't weak, no one lost their senses. let me play this, the reason you are in the middle of all this is because mrjohnson is to have failed to declare your relationship when mayor of london to potentially, he broke the greater london authority code of conduct. that is what is being investigated now. the code of conduct says that macro holders of public office should declare any private interest relating to their public duties. he denies any wrongdoing, have a look at this, this is mrjohnson being asked about this by my colleague, andrew marr.

everything was done with full propriety. so you did declare the interest and you will be able to say that when you will call for various hearings? no, i said everything was done in accordance with full propriety. you have to declare an interest, did you declare it? there was no interest to declare. there was no interest to declare? you know what, i agree with him, there was no interest. there was no interest, in that i was rightfully... i applied for these tenders, i had to go through the process. i got £10,000 for sponsorship and event that cost 50,000. idid sponsorship and event that cost 50,000. i did an event at the houses of parliament, they gave me 1500. have you ever done an event at the houses of parliament, that buys you a cup of coffee. he didn't do me any favours in that i was going to produce these events with or without him. the fact he wanted to come and show his support for the london tech

scene, was huge. he didn't have a real passion for the tech like i did and he didn't know where to start. of course, he had lots of handlers and people shoving papers in his face. i hear you say he didn't do you any favours, but the bottom line is, you were in a close friendship when you asked him to speak of business events like yours, which he did in april 2012, april 2013 and you said to ivu made a profit on that. twice in 2014, one event selling tickets at £1000 a head.” don't know where that came from. it's not like it was wild, what a pot of gold just because boris johnson came. i understand that but in that time borisjohnson wrote to city hall on multiple occasions declaring various personal interests. your name didn't appear at all. why not, do you think? i don't know. i don't know. should he have declared you as an interest.“ declaring me as an interest would

have saved me this entire embarrassment and humiliation in carrying this weight of being you know, torn through the media, then yes, i wish he had. would it have been the transparent and open thing to do? yes, if that is what it would ta ke to to do? yes, if that is what it would take to save me this humiliation. did you talk about it, did you say, declare it, tell people?” did you talk about it, did you say, declare it, tell people? i remember saying validate me, because i couldn't stand the whispers. i couldn't stand the whispers. i couldn't stand the whispers. i couldn't stand walking around and hearing, you know from day one it happen. the assumption of guiltjust because people looked at me. and they knew him and his track record. idid they knew him and his track record. i did know that track record but i quickly caught on. it bothered me the way people were whispering from day one. you know, this is why it was such a frustration. i always told him, validate me, tell people

how great my events are. tell them how great my events are. tell them how much we are doing for london, we are bringing in venture capital and bringing in entrepreneurs. this isn't a pie in the sky thing, tech isn't a pie in the sky thing, tech is real and we are the ones on the ground building it. ifeel like a lot of people in the tech community where it really excited that 0k, maybe he didn't go to all of the events, but he came to one and it got him engage somehow. it helped the conservatives, who are also pushing a very pro—tech agenda and most of it was spearheaded by the number ten then, which was david cameron. i was putting events on in london which meant that boris johnson should have been there. the enquiries he is facing serious, the allegations are serious. that he didn't declare an interest. he says, repeat everything was done in the proper way and there was no interest to declare. if you and he were not having a relationship, you could help him out? couldn't you? and he

could help me out, like two months ago. i have been as loyal as i can be. no one has understood boris johnson better than i have, for almost the last ten years. i have done nothing but excuse and be part of, you know, the team boris bus, the team boris begay, his campaign. everything in the city, about boris. my everything in the city, about boris. my merits where a complementary attachment to that. we were producing events in the name of london, the same city that he was the mayor. let me ask you about the trade trips, three he went on that he went on, asia, the usa and israel. according to an internal mayoral organisation e—mail that you know well, seen by the itv exposure programme, you called up the man got a place to the usa. the e—mail says,

please put her on the list, she has been speaking to paris about being in new york. the e—mail goes on, they are both happy with that. yes, that e—mail happened. i did not call him to ask him to go on the trip. in new york, i was already going. he wa nted new york, i was already going. he wanted a place at it? the events i went to in new york were more or less public, it was a breakfast to attract business to london, mainly from new york entrepreneurs. so i could go, just bring a few friends who are looking to go to london. did i call him and let him know i was going? absolutely. was i excited the mayor of london was coming to new york city? absolutely. who screamed from the hilltops? because you are close to him and you have his phone number, you were in a privileged position, he could ring him up and say hey, i am doing this, in a way

that most other businesses couldn't? i realise that but it wasn't like i was getting special favour for that. if being able to call the mayor is special favour? it is because of that... he is human, he is allowed to decide he recalls, right? the israel trip, you were initially rejected for it but eventually you we re rejected for it but eventually you were allowed to attend because they we re were allowed to attend because they were advised byjennifer arcuri she had secure permission from the mayor's office. that i call the mayor's office. that i call the mayor's office? absolutely not. never. i was planning to do a trip to tel aviv, looking at co—working spacesin to tel aviv, looking at co—working spaces in a unique set of skills placement the israelis were doing. i mentioned this to london and partners and they said there is an upcoming trip and i asked to become a part of it. it is an education trip, you are not in education company. 0k, trip, you are not in education company. ok, i am still going to go, ican company. ok, i am still going to go, i can stay at the hotel, can i go with you? i was going to go a few

days earlier than the programme to look at different areas. it wasn't like, hello, boris, can you get me on this trip, thanks? nothing like that ever happen. boris never gave permission for me to attend.” that ever happen. boris never gave permission for me to attend. i was already going. but london and partners acquiesced to your request to attend, perhaps because they knew ofa to attend, perhaps because they knew of a friendship with borisjohnson and he'd been at your events, would that be fair? also, i was a serious player in the tech scene. i had a lot of network, i was a big personality and they loved bringing me on trips. i am the one that stood in the front and greeted every delicate that went inside. that is why i knew everybody on the trips. sorry to interrupt, what i am saying to is, the fact you had the strong relationship, it wasn'tjust to is, the fact you had the strong relationship, it wasn't just sexual intent, you told us and receive these grants and the places on the trade missions, it wasn'tjust a

coincidence was it? no, it wasn't a coincidence was it? no, it wasn't a coincidence because i am a hard—working entrepreneur. coincidence because i am a ha rd—working entrepreneur. i coincidence because i am a hard—working entrepreneur. i wanted to be on those trips. the press isn't mentioning the three other trips i took. so no, it wasn'tjust about stalking boris on trade missions. absolutely not. i had intentions to be in all three places at three different times. what the press doesn't understand, your little start—up that is nothing until you make it something, doesn't exactly fit in every single box. it's not about eligibility, it is about the people. everybody knows that when you are funding early—stage start—ups, they are funding the individual, not the grand plan of what you have built, because it is just in its grand plan of what you have built, because it isjust in its incipient stage. the london team knew me because i was one of the entrepreneurs on the ground rolling up my entrepreneurs on the ground rolling

up my sleeves and getting stuff done. even if it wasjust up my sleeves and getting stuff done. even if it was just an event or basically spreading the word to palo alto. i did that. london and partners needed entrepreneurs like me. they needed people, not afraid to talk to strangers, not afraid to shout from the hilltops about london. i was a great brand ambassadorfor that london. i was a great brand ambassador for that lobby group. so thatis ambassador for that lobby group. so that is why i think the acquiesced, what you are saying, yes they knew i knew boris, they knew that i threw events. i had every intention to go and one more point, on these trips, we are assuming and discussing them like the london ecosystem, as it is today. at the time, i didn't take anybody else's place. it wasn't like i kept other people from going. sure, it was at the beginning.” i kept other people from going. sure, it was at the beginning. i was a female and there was very few of us a female and there was very few of us andi

a female and there was very few of us and i was extremely tenacious. that is what london and partners loved about me, that is what boris johnson loved about me and that is why i was accepted so greatly into this london community. i have great pride for this ecosystem, we built it. do you want an apology from him? i would love an apology. for what? i would love an apology for acknowledging the fact that given all those years you know that i was on the ground hustling and working asa on the ground hustling and working as a student. he saw my progression, as a student. he saw my progression, asa as a student. he saw my progression, as a young woman graduating and becoming you know, a mature entrepreneur. i wasn't technical but idid entrepreneur. i wasn't technical but i did five certifications and became technical. these are the things he knew about me. i am very hurt that he is acting as if i don't exist. and saying he is prime minister and has biggerjobs, i get that and that

is why when the story broke, and somebody mocked me in chinese, i didn't say screw you, i'm calling the press, the sun, the mirror, let's go. i said listen, i know this isa let's go. i said listen, i know this is a hard time for you, i will leave this here, call me when you are ready. i stood on good morning britain andi ready. i stood on good morning britain and i told them that i didn't need him, britain needed him. focus on getting the job done and i know he cares nothing more about getting that job know he cares nothing more about getting thatjob done. at the brexit came and went and the stories kept going. even when i was vindicated, the stories kept coming. let me read a couple of messages, if i may. some are not sympathetic and some are. on twitter: jennifer arcuri is a game player and he knows what she is doing. this one: did she expect wedding bells? dante: total attention seeker, leading everybody on by refusing to answer questions

about an alleged affair. and this: ami about an alleged affair. and this: am i the only one who thinks she has been hurt by borisjohnson and she is desperate? and this one: boris johnson's complete lack of integrity is being overlooked which is extremely relevant before an election. what do you think of those? that is part of the hard part of this. it is not easy to hear those things. those people don't know me. i can't hate them because they have been fed this webbed narrative about all these corrupt allegations. there was no corruption here. it isjust allegations. there was no corruption here. it is just somebody took a lot of time orchestrating all this together. when boris says there is no interest to declare in some ways he is right. this would have happened with or without him. i would still have been a tenacious go—getter that i was. ijust happened to meet him first. you met him first, therefore it is the perception as well as the reality,

isn't it? was there favouritism? no, there wasn't. go on? if anything i have got to work twice as hard as a woman and that is why i am standing here. i am woman and that is why i am standing here. iam not woman and that is why i am standing here. i am not here for attention. i am here to the british public know isi am here to the british public know is i did not run off with their money. i am is i did not run off with their money. iam not is i did not run off with their money. i am not here to sleep with their prime minister. i am not here to cause problems. i am here to do what is best for britain and what i am legally allowed to do is build businesses, employ people and grow an economy and right now we should be taking all the help we can get, right? thank you for coming on the programme. let me read a statement on behalf of the prime minister. the conservative party says any claims of impropriety in office are untrue and unfounded. city hall has made an unfounded complaint so we will not make detailed comment and until that system is finished we are working with the iopc to quickly resolve the matter. thank you.

a lawyer representing five ofjeffrey epstein's alleged abuse victims tells us exclusively that she thinks the chances of prince andrew facing questioning in the us over what he knew about epstein's criminal activities are now higher after this interview with bbc newsnight. in a moment we'll talk to lawyer lisa bloom who is representing five of epstein's victims. first here are key moments from saturday night's interview. do you regret the whole friendship with epstein? now, still not, the reason being is that the people that i met and the opportunities that i was given to learn, either by him or because of him, were actually very useful. he himself, not, as it were, as close as you might think... we weren't that close, so therefore... i mean, yes, iwould go and stay in his house,

but that was because of his girlfriend, not because of him. i've been speaking to lisa bloom, a lawyer in la who's representing five of epstein's alleged victims. i asked her what those victims had made of the prince's interview. found it deeply disappointing that he failed to express any compassion for the many victims ofjeffrey epstein. surely he now realises he was friends with one of the most prolific paedophiles the world has probably ever seen. jeffrey epstein caused so much damage to so many women. where is the sense that this is awful and this is terrible? i feel terrible for the victims? we didn't hearany of feel terrible for the victims? we didn't hear any of that. i think thatis didn't hear any of that. i think that is what really struck all of us. and he was given the opportunity of course, particularly right at the end of the interview to express sadness and sympathy. that is correct. 0ne sadness and sympathy. that is correct. one might conclude that perhaps he doesn't feel it. he does seem to feel a certain affinity for

jeffrey epstein, angeli maxwell, who he is still as recently as this year, and that seems to be where his sympathies lie. what was the most shocking and surprising thing from the 50 minute interview? most shocking to me was the absurd explanation of why he chose to spend time in new york forjeffrey epstein after his criminal conviction, after he got out of his incarceration. the explanation that prince andrew had to go to new york, it was the honourable thing to do to go and spend four days at the home of a convicted sex offender because he wa nted convicted sex offender because he wanted to tell him they were not going to be friends any more. i think that is preposterous. he could have easily sent him a message through many different channels. emails, phone calls, through an intermediary. i think that explanation just makes no sense at

all. he did apologise for staying with jeffrey epstein after all. he did apologise for staying withjeffrey epstein after he got out of prison. did you buy that?” think he is sorry now that he was ever associated with jeffrey think he is sorry now that he was ever associated withjeffrey epstein because his world is crashing down on him as a result. the real question is did the young woman, virginia roberts, who is accusing him of sexually abusing her three times, is that true? look at his explanation. i don't sweat. i was at a pizza restaurant at that time. that photo of me with her could be deducted and i can't say. it does look like me. none of that really struck me as the words of a man who was innocent. i would expect him to say i never had sex with any underage girls ever in my life. i would never do such a thing. we didn't hear that. he did say it didn't hear that. he did say it didn't happen. he didn't have sex with virginia roberts. he of course

denies having sex with her. but he doesn't deny the very possibility of ever having sex with any underaged girl. he didn't seem particularly affro nted girl. he didn't seem particularly affronted at the accusation. maybe he is just the type of person who is not particularly emotional. he has had to have kind of a thick skin, as he says. but i have looked at a lot of people who have been accused over the years, and none of us is ever going to be perfect at assessing who is innocent and who is guilty, but this was a very odd interview. what would you expect to happen next from the point of view of the us authorities? well, i would assume that they want to speak with them because i know that the federal authorities here are continuing to investigate everyone who is accused of enabling jeffrey epstein or participating in his crimes, and prince andrew is accused. i would expect him to talk to a lot

enforcement, to answer all their questions. the prince said it was a wrong decision to go and seejeffrey epstein in 2010 after he got out of jail. what did you make of this quote from the interview where prince andrew said as far as my association with him i was concerned, it had some seriously beneficial outcomes in areas that have nothing to do with what i would describe as what we are talking about today? how did your clients react to that? right, so he also said that out of the friendship with jeffrey epstein he got to be introduced to interesting people. prince andrew is a member of the royalfamily! prince andrew is a member of the royal family! presumably he could meet anyone in the world he would be interested in speaking to. most of the world's citizens would be thrilled to fly to england to meet with a member of the royal family. he really didn't need jeffrey epstein for that. that is another bizarre answer that to me just leads to more questions that he should be answering at this point. in terms of the investigations which are run going, despite the factjeffrey

epstein is dead, do you think it is more likely that prince andrew will be questioned now than it was before he did this interview? yes, he has made things much worse for himself in this interview and i think it is more likely the authorities will wa nt to more likely the authorities will want to speak to him now and they should want to. lisa bloom, lawyer. we can speak now to two people who watched that interview, both royal biographers, angela levin and pennyjunor. angela levin, what do you think will happen now as prince andrew's role within the royal family?” happen now as prince andrew's role within the royalfamily? i think happen now as prince andrew's role within the royal family? i think the royal family together will try and suggest things for him. i think the best one they will suggest is that he should step right back out of the public eye, and he should let it come down a little bit, and then he should wait and see how many other charities that he supports still wa nt charities that he supports still want him as patron. would you expect some drop him? i am sure they will actually. last time, a few weeks ago, some of them said he wasn't

wa nted ago, some of them said he wasn't wanted and it stopped him going to set places. you can see that. the people are going to donate money, and the royals have tremendous power to bring money to charities, would they want to do that with his name at the top? especially a child or family charity. let me bring you in. would the queen have approved this interview because that was the impression that emily maitlis got, who interviewed him. yes, that it is clear that is not necessarily quite right. i doubt the queen had any idea what was going to happen under her roof. i know that other members of the royal family, prince charles for instance, absolutely did not know until the very last minute, and of course he is in new zealand at the moment and are newspapers covering him in new zealand? no. they are filled with his brother. we are going to pour it there and crossed to the cbi where boris johnson is addressing them. bananas

and things and we even found a special government adviser who was a p pa re ntly special government adviser who was apparently an expert in helping you set up tile making businesses and we gave him as much money as we could find and he splendid advice basically informing us that the venture was doomed and we never really recovered our morale. we went on to do other things. but i am lost in admiration as a result of that experience for all those who have made a fantastic success of their businesses and their industries and businesses and their industries and business today, industry today, is doing extraordinary things in this country, dominating 21st—century sectors from batteries to bioscience, with record investments, record exports. t2 india. you know the story? t2 india, cake to france, tv aerials to korea, boomerangs to

australia. we export to the music of jason donovan to north korea. and under this government we have an economy that has grown over the last nine years and is 20% bigger than it was in 2010. last week it was announced that the rate of unemployment has fallen to the lowest level since 1974. and yet there is something very frustrating about this recitation of triumphs because it is only half the story. the story of an economy that is still not achieving what it could. like a formula one supercar, green supercar, the kind at which this country excels, which is only firing on half its cylinders, with so much more natural energy waiting to be unleashed. the country is being held

back, let's be clear, by politics and by parliament. that for the last three and a half years has to discharge its basic promise made umpteen times to honour the mandate of the people and deliver brexit and thatis of the people and deliver brexit and that is why we must have this election now. i don't want an election now. i don't want an election in december under normal circumstances. nobody does. but we have no choice. we must get brexit done. we have to clear this parliamentary blockage in this dino rod election because first of all we are democrats. there are lots of people who wanted to get brexit done because the eu has evolved substantially away from what it was established to do in 1975 and then there are huge numbers of people who

mainly voted remain, and i include that english luminaries of the cbi among them, but who just want to respect the result of the referendum, and after three and a half years they think, we think, i think it is time for the paralysis to end and we have to get brexit done because it is the best thing for our national mood and the best thing to take our country forward. and by the way it is the best thing for the economy because the worst thing now is the continuing economic uncertainty. people waiting to take on new staff or invest in property orjust to invest in this country. the uk attracts phenomenal inward investment. 92 billion last year. more than any other country in europe. but there is now a pent—up tidal wave of investment that could come to this country from people who see all our natural advantages.

great time zone. fantastic skills. the right language. greatest universities on earth. you will have to forgive me for making political points in this speech. normally i wouldn't intrude quite so politically into the sanctity of the cbi speech, but this is an election campaign, ladies and gentlemen, so i have got to make no bones about it. 0ne have got to make no bones about it. one of the advantages of voting conservative in this election is that we can and will get it done and get it done in a matter of weeks. we have a deal that is ready to go. just add hot water, stir in pot. it is there. the sceptics said it couldn't be done and they were wrong. they said we would never get a great new deal of the kind we have got. this deal allows us to maximise all the opportunities are brexit from freeport to free trade deals, from freeport to free trade deals, from cutting vat on tampons, to banning the cruel export of live animals. we can do exactly what we promise, take back control of our

money, our borders and our laws. we can take back control of our immigration and decide democratically who gets here in the interests of the uk economy and of every sector of uk industry and manufacturing. of course what this deal does, which is what everybody wa nted deal does, which is what everybody wanted in particular and certainly what i was trying to achieve, is it gives business complete stability and certainty about the arrangements that we have with our friends and partners in the eu as we make the transition in january as partners in the eu as we make the transition injanuary as we come out in january. the transition injanuary as we come out injanuary. the best thing of all is it is done. it is the blue peter deal. here's one i made earlier. and by the way it has the support, just in case you're interested in the political backing of this deal, it

has the support, the explicit support of every one of the 635 candidates at this election. every one. and i think the implications are one. and i think the implications a re clear one. and i think the implications are clear for what will happen in parliament injust are clear for what will happen in parliament in just a few weeks. what we need is nine more seats and we can deliver brexit injanuary. if we get a working majority, we can get parliament working for you and then we can unleash the potential of the whole country and get on with our one nation conservative agenda, and before i get onto that, i don't want to cast a necessary aspersions on your next guest, that there is only one. . . your next guest, that there is only one... for give me! this is an election campaign! there is only one alternative to that one nation conservative government that gets brexit done and that is a jeremy

corbyn nicola sturgeon coalition and what would mr corbyn do if that coalition were actually to form a government? the only hard fact that has swum it like flotsam from the bermuda triangle of labour's brexit policy is that they want more delay. more delay turning 2020 into a year of two referendums. 0ne more delay turning 2020 into a year of two referendums. one on scotland which nicola sturgeon has repeatedly confirmed is the price she will exact for her support. we don't know whatjeremy corbyn's position is on a referendum on the union with scotland. does he want to protect that union or would hejoin nicola sturgeon in trying to break up the most successful political partnership of the last 300 years? i don't know. who knows? perhaps you could ask him. andrew marr didn't have much luck! as for his position on the eu, it is positively

mind—boggling. he wants to negotiate a new deal. spend another three months, another three month extension negotiating a new deal, and then he wants to spend a further six months asking the public to vote on his new deal in yet another toxic and divisive referendum campaign. and we don't even know what his own position will be. will he actually campaign against his own deal? will he try in the final reel to destroy his own contraction, like alec guinness blowing up the bridge he has built in bridge on the river quai. 0rwill he has built in bridge on the river quai. or will he urges —— aired his labour colleagues to burn the dying text, like in the iliad. a literary allusion but you know what i am

driving at! izzy for leaving or remaining? nobody is clear. the can corbyn—sturgeon alliance would commit this country to dither and delay and with every month of delay, it is costing our party an extra £1 billion for nothing. we need to get brexit done. we need to get brexit done to end the uncertainty so that we, one nation conservative, can get on with our programme of uniting and levelling up the country across the whole of the uk. but if the potential of our country is enormous, then so is the injustice because there are some regions of our country that are 50% less productive. i was proud to be mayor of the city for three years and it is the most productive region in whole of europe by some measurements. there are some parts of the country where peoples lives area of the country where peoples lives are a decade shorter than elsewhere.

where educational outcomes are vastly different. imagine if we could change that. imagine if every child in this country had the same start, had the same encouragement at the beginning of their lives. think of all the untapped talent in our country. i absolutely passionately believe that around this amazing country talent, genius, flare are evenly distributed with opportunity unevenly distributed and the answer to that problem, that fundamental injustice, it's within our grasp and our ambition is to unlock the whole of the nation's potential through three things. better infrastructure. better education. and technology. notjust to better education. and technology. not just to close better education. and technology. notjust to close the opportunity gap between rich and poor but also between the regions of the country.

and by analogy, you may remember what happened in london over the eight years in which we were running it. we invested massively in transport and infrastructure. there was a fantastic challenge land and infrastructure programme. areas of the city that had been left behind we re the city that had been left behind were able to participate in the growth and prosperity of the whole city and you saw a contraction in the gap between rich and poor. you saw an increase in life expectancy in the poorest groups and you saw a huge increase in their incomes as they were able to use mass transit to get to the opportunity areas. that is what we did in london and thatis that is what we did in london and that is what we want to do, loosely speaking, throughout the country. we think we should close both those gaps at once. not by decapitating the tall poppies, but by spreading equality of opportunity. giving

everybody the same freedoms. and the first and most important is everybody should be able to walk the streets free from the fear of crime and we need to stop our kids getting sucked into the county lines drugs gangs. we need safer streets. we need proper punishments for serious offences, and that means a government that not only funds the police as we are but also backed the police. that is why we are notjust investing in 20,000 more police officers but backing them up with proper powers to do stop and search and tougher sentences for serious sexual and violent crimes. and what is the best way to stop how young people being caught up in crime? it is to give, as i say, to give every child in this country the confidence that comes from an excellent education. we are boosting people funding so that each pupil gets a minimum of £4000 in primary and £5,000 in secondary. we are putting huge amounts into special

educational needs. £2 billion more into refurbishing, rebuilding our further education colleges. investing in skills for our country. it is not just investing in skills for our country. it is notjust universities, fantastic though they are. we must build the skills of our young people. and as we do that, we must also ensure, as i say, that they are able to exploit the opportunities that are being created. literally to find the work that this country produces, conveniently and affordably. that is the secret. and that means superb transport communications. and that is why this government is embarking on an infrastructure revolution because now is the time to make those investments with interest rates at a historic low, not borrowing for day—to—day spending but looking at what we can do to fund long—term investment. and i think you would

agree that is the right way for our economy. yes, of course that means supporting some really fantastic major projects. crossrail i was proud to help deliver when i was mayor. the tube upgrades and many other projects. but we want to go on with a northern powerhouse rail and the west midlands metro system and many other things. big ticket items that we will do. but it also means investing in the simple improvements that so many people and businesses have been craving and transportation. modernising roads and junctions that have become bottlenecks and sources of massive local frustration and economic inefficiency. putting in better bus services, which can make all the difference to towns and villages and rural communities. better cycleways across the whole country. i am

looking for answering nods here. i love cycleways! they are particularly successful in london despite what taxi drivers will tell you. they are wonderful things. we need better cycleways. and we also wa nt every need better cycleways. and we also want every home, every business in the country, to have the confidence and convenience that comes with gigabit broadband, 5g, 60 mobile telephony. —— 6g. now, you do all those things and what you achieve it uniting the country, raising productivity, infrastructure, technology, and you create a platform for growth. and if you create the platform for growth as a one nation conservative government, the market responds intimately vital ways. if you have good transport,

safe environment and good schools, then suddenly, as we found in london, in greenwich and elsewhere, the market will find that it can build thousands more homes on brownfield sites. superb affordable homes. giving young people the chance to have the keys to their own property, which every survey continues to show is one of our most fundamental human instincts, and will help with the expansion of part buy part rent schemes to get people onto the housing ladder. second, if you have safe neighbourhoods and decent housing and a skilled workforce, good reliable transport links, what else happens? what else happens in the area concerned? you get business investment. you get confidence coming back into the areas that have felt left behind.

and who spoke by the way in 2016 vote leave the eu. you getjobs. you get regeneration. and that is why i think this country needs a government that believes in business and understand the vital importance of wealth creation. the need to support business large and small. family business. cutting business rates. there have been 1.3 million businesses created since 2010 in this country. napoleon said we were a nation of shopkeepers. he was right. there have been more businesses created in this country than in france and germany combined. since 2010. and that is the balance and the symmetry of what i am proposing and what we are proposing with one nation conservatism. that is what we want to do. it is a

balance between fantastic public services and a strong dynamic market economy. i say when people get up at the crack of dawn to get their business ready, when people take out a mortgage for a new venture, when people have the guts to put a new product on the market, we don't sneer at them. we cheer for them. and to make sure that the businesses of this country can continue to flourish, i am today announcing a package of measures, you may have seen, cutting business rates further. we will have a big review of business rates. cutting business rates further, particularly for smes, to stimulate the high street. we will cut national insurance contributions to make it easier to hire and to put more cash into the pockets of the low—paid. we will increase the release for new buildings that