a big valentine's day. everybody okay, people get off today at it's me, patrick christys right here on gb news. there's a lot to go out this hour so far late . do we owe the world how much money should charity starts at home? now, this debate is red. it's had a game because some politicians are calling us to stop sending foreign aid. china specifically , we sent them specifically, we sent them hundreds of millions over the years. why? when we have starving here also starving right here is also quite unusual places that we send foreign and we can all have a giggle about that and a little bit one place that we could spend money is on national spend more money is on national defence. because defence. our military because apparently greece and lithuania are spending a higher percentage apparently greece and lithuania aregdp nding a higher percentage apparently greece and lithuania aregdp their a higher percentage apparently greece and lithuania aregdp their armed er percentage apparently greece and lithuania aregdp their armed forces:entage apparently greece and lithuania aregdp their armed forces thange of gdp their armed forces than we are on secretary is desperately rattling and trying to get desperately rattling and trying to ge t £11 billion more in to get £11 billion more in funding nato is warning that we don't have enough soldiers and

troops. of course , soldiers. troops. and of course, soldiers. un troops are also supposedly living in terrible conditions. the nhs is starting a massive drive in india now. the nhs is starting a massive drive in india now . given all drive in india now. given all the strikes and complaints about , the nhs why anyone would want to come to work in it? i don't know. but should be training people already here. but people who are already here. but more than i think this is an interesting angle. is it actually on countries that actually on other countries that we to act some kind of we seem to act to some kind of brain drain swallow all brain drain? we swallow up all the medical profession . you the medical profession. you perhaps make more perhaps could make more a difference in their home country and east. of course, as i said, it's valentine's day, everybody now it just a big goal to get us all spend money on chocolates all to spend money on chocolates and, and pretend to love and, flowers and pretend to love each it a beautiful each other. or is it a beautiful celebration of human adoration and affection which come for you and affection which come for you and get touch, email me and get in touch, email me gbviews@gbnews.uk uk. should we stop sending foreign aid to china? i think that's the one we'll go off today. people gbviews@gbnews.uk. right now gbviews@gbnews.uk. but right now a satellite . good afternoon .

a satellite. good afternoon. it's 3:01. i'm already smith and the gb newsroom two police officers will face misconduct cases over the handling of win cousins of indecent exposure the independent office police conduct says the case involves a met police and a kent police sergeant former officer cousins who is currently in prison killing sarah everard has three counts of indecent exposure, one of which he committed just four days before mr. edwards murder . days before mr. edwards murder. the northern ireland assembly failed to elect a speaker to enable the crisis. have devolved government to resume business. the dup again blocked the election of a speaker during a recall setting this afternoon. the party protesting at brexit's northern ireland protocol millions of households are facing an in the council tax

april research by county council's network says three quarters of councils in england are planning a 5% hike. this is the maximum amount allowed without the need for a local referendum, adding around without the need for a local referendum, adding aroun d £100 a referendum, adding around £100 a year to bills the average band d property local authorities say they have little choice but to raise the council tax in order to protect services university staff are staging the first of three days of walkouts in an ongoing dispute over pay , ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions . around 70,000 members of the university of college union are on the picket, university of college union are on the picket , threatening on the picket, threatening disruption . and 150 university disruption. and 150 university fees. civil are also striking this including ppc's union members at the british museum department for work and pensions dvla and the animal plant health agency . at least five survivors agency. at least five survivors have been rescued from the

rubble in turkey today , eight rubble in turkey today, eight days after the country's earthquake struck, killing more than 37,000 people. earlier, serious told u.n. than 37,000 people. earlier, serious told un. officials he will open two more border crossings so emergency aid can enter from neighbouring turkey. many syrians expressed anger over the lack of aid reaching opposition controlled areas. the un says aid deliveries will be allowed through the two crossings for an initial three months near . crossings for an initial three months near. defence ministers are discussing support for ukraine and brussels including the possible supply of fighter jets to kyiv. it comes the alliance warning we are already seeing a fresh russian offensive in ukraine with kremlin claiming the nato is becoming more and more involved and dragging out the conflict. meanwhile the government has announced a national minute's silence will be held on the 24th of february to mark the first un of our

three of the invasion. nato's secretary general, jens stoltenberg says they will do all they can to help the war torn country in unity need to ensure that ukraine gets the weapons it needs to be able to retake territory liberate their lands and win this and prevail as a sovereign independent . the as a sovereign independent. the us military says it has recovered key sensors . the recovered key sensors. the suspected chinese spy. the plane was brought down off the coast of south carolina on the 4th of february. the us command says the search find significant from the search find significant from the site, including the priority sensor and electron pieces. the us has also shot down three more objects and saying beijing denies it was government spy vessel staying the us now and former south carolina governor nikki haley has announced she is running for president. she'll be

challenging her onetime donald trump for the 2024 republican presidential nomination . nikki presidential nomination. nikki haley was trump's former united nafions haley was trump's former united nations ambassador ambassador for the first time in recent history. the queen consort wear an existing crown. the coronation, rather than newly commissioned piece. buckingham says camilla will wear queen crown, which has been moved from the tower of london ahead of the king's coronation in may. the palace says the decision was made in the interests of sustainability and efficiency . sustainability and efficiency. this is gb news. we'll bring you more news as it happens. now it's back to . it's back to. patrick okay, ladies and gentlemen, now, ben wallace, he's the defence secretary is attempting to secure between eight an d £11

secure between eight and £11 billion extra in defence spending during the next years to avoid deep cuts to the armed forces as well. senior conservative meps have called on the uk to stop sending foreign aid to china as western security agencies discuss . the threat of agencies discuss. the threat of suspected spy balloons being used by beijing and frankly a lot of other nefarious things taking place at nato defence ministers. the defence secretary, course are in secretary, of course are in brussels today to , discuss brussels today to, discuss potential surveillance gadgets, now opens up a couple of angles for us this story and i'm going to hit them back throughout the course of the show is our own defence. do we spend enough frankly on defence? why have we been but also our been cutting it? but also our foreign obligations the foreign aid obligations and the emails this are already flooding in any country. a space program should receive money from uk should not receive money from uk that's there that's nit getting in there early. traps. nick gb early. are the traps. nick gb views or gbnews.uk? you views or gbnews.uk? what do you think about on foreign aid? but earlier recovered earlier today us recovered what it chinese it described as key chinese sensors from the first suspected spy sensors from the first suspected spy balloon was shot down ten days ago off the coast of south. since then, a further objects have been brought down across

nonh have been brought down across north america. china maintains that balloon was simply a weather monitoring ship. it was blown course . and this blown off course. and this is where gets interesting okay. where it gets interesting okay. the uk sent 50 million quid to the world's second largest economy in 2021 to support development projects . but development projects. but development minister. andrew mitchell says that no more foreign aid should be sent to china. it's not the only amount foreign aid that we sent to china. should we send them ? £99 china. should we send them? £99 million are very similar economic programme just a couple of ago before i goes of years ago just before i goes my this to rattle my guest on this going to rattle off of our previous off a couple of our previous they're not still happening before i guess i've been i was about it previous places that some your been some of your money has been millions of pounds was sent a go bandin millions of pounds was sent a go band in ethiopia called yaka or the ethiopians girls apparently yes 99 million quid to boost china's economic growth yes 99 million quid to boost china's economic growt h £300 china's economic growth £300 million for the people of pakistan . now, the concern now pakistan. now, the concern now was that sometime that money ended up going to people or groups, should say, who do not groups, i should say, who do not wish us well. i think we should

put that way. do not wish as put it that way. do not wish as well, can . and rainmakers well, can. and rainmakers who watch received a cool 25 watch ants received a cool 25 million quid and in nigeria we did decide to do the right thing and send them 11.3 million quids worth of solar panels. but then we also funded the oil industry to the tune of 19 and a half million. anyway, do million. so great. anyway, do you money should you think there's money should be spent? i joining me now is gb news political reporter. news is political reporter. olivia utley. olivia. yeah the foreign is centred foreign aid debate is centred today any way china. what today any way around china. what arguments really on both sides of are ? well, are of this are? well, there are plenty conservatives i'll plenty of conservatives i'll deal perhaps the easier deal with perhaps the easier side it. first, you think side of it. first, you think it's sort of patently that that as one of one of your as one of your one of your viewers push it we're spending we're aid to we're sending foreign aid to a country which has a space program their argument is that because we've got this defence of this aid spending budget, britain law, we end up wasting money because we essentially have a certain amount of money that has to be spent by the end of the year. the department for international aid is very careful not to have too many

overheads, so they don't have too in of head too many people in sort of head office working out how money is spent, obviously quite spent, which obviously quite a lot sense because you don't lot of sense because you don't want of money to want that sort of money to be wasted. other hand , it wasted. on the other hand, it makes quite difficult to makes it quite difficult to allocate, just allocate, so we end up just pushing money towards big european projects and those projects might not necessarily have britain's best interests , have britain's best interests, britain's best foreign policy aims at heart . you know, on the aims at heart. you know, on the other hand , i mean, does does it other hand, i mean, does does it sort of general argument that we should be spending this amount that we have written law on aid every year and the best way to do that, some would say is to join up to these big european aid programs , countries across aid programs, countries across europe, all contribute to certain packages . and if you're certain packages. and if you're going to do that, then you then you can't have too much. you can't to be particular about exactly where your aid is going. it's showing of soft it's all about showing of soft power through , joining up with power through, joining up with other european countries and, showing europe is going showing that europe is going to help is the

help nations. and there is the argument as well. so a lot of people assume that all of this money goes straight to a particular and that's not the case.it particular and that's not the case. it can straight to ngos, straight to charity, straight to people. in some cases. the concern, of course, is that if you're dealing with countries like china, well, you're dealing with countries like china, well , realistically, like china, well, realistically, anything they send over that probably going to end up being controlled states anyway. controlled by the states anyway. so a concern. now, so that is a concern. now, supposedly anyway, the un obugafion supposedly anyway, the un obligation around 0.7. we've obligation is around 0.7. we've up dropping, that's about nought point 5. and when he spoken about was diminishing our standing on the world stage do you think that's really true ? is you think that's really true? is that something that someone who is skint here right now should be worried about ? well, you be worried about? well, you know, the reason argument this relatively rich european power like , britain, to show that it like, britain, to show that it is a kind of global power after brexit should be being mugged . brexit should be being mugged. none of us have about a foreign aid budget. and if you know you're looking put pressure on, for example , all the european

for example, all the european countries to raise nato spending, say then to show it's good to sort of an example by having a high foreign aid spending budget . i mean, on the spending budget. i mean, on the other hand, there is a strong argument which is being put now by a lot of backbench conservative, is that while people at home suffering a cost of living crisis , you know, now of living crisis, you know, now is the moment to be being almost as it were. and we know that dufing as it were. and we know that during the pandemic we cut that aid spending back from 0.7% to 0.6. and it hasn't been a huge cry, too, to push it forward again . so consensus in the again. so consensus in the country generally seems , to be country generally seems, to be that what we're doing now is probably about right and getting it back up to where we were shouldn't really be a priority while. we're suffering this crisis thank crisis domestically. thank you very much as always. olivia oliver, our political reporter. just couple of very, very quick emails on. this campaign asking you about the foreign aid. so do you about the foreign aid. so do you think it's britain? do you think it's for britain? do you think it's for britain? do you that we shouldn't you think that we shouldn't sending to china? you sending it to china? do you think we be reducing? our

think we should be reducing? our overall budget is the old does charity starts at home discussion really discussion isn't it really gbviews@gbnews.uk not gbviews@gbnews.uk we should not be any foreign be handing out any foreign aid to country, phil . it should to country, says phil. it should be kept here to pay for people to up to people here. to look up to people here. basically, that's phil's basically, that's that's phil's . me now is labour mp . so joining me now is labour mp , of the foreign , a member of the foreign affairs select committee is graham stringer. graham, thank you very much. great to have you the deal china the show. let's deal with china first. what could the possible justification continuing justification for continuing send money millions , tens of send money millions, tens of millions to china , part of a millions to china, part of a foreign aid package actually be isuppose foreign aid package actually be i suppose the argument and i don't agree with it . i i suppose the argument and i don't agree with it. i think there are people in need in china who we can help. you can almost that argument to absurd detain if you think there probably extraordinarily poor people living in the appalachians in the united states and kind imagine we would send money to the united states to help very people. i think it's a pretty absurd argument and when put it into the

international context where china and in a real sense is at war with most of the democracies in the country . they are in the country. they are stealing our intellectual property . they are stealing our intellectual property. they are undermining is attacking, is breaking the international regulations on trade. we treat as a developing country so they don't have to meet net zero objective and they're just stealing our industry i absolutely don't that we should be sending any money to china we should be reducing our trade commitment with china and protecting our own industries against sabotage. yeah, i mean , i'm inclined to yeah, i mean, i'm inclined to agree with you and i suspect most people are because as far as can tell, that seems to be the common sense and logical approach. other aspects of foreign i find fascinating.

foreign aid i find fascinating. there are . huge worries from there are. huge worries from people that some of the foreign aid that we send to countries ends up, for example, even in the hands of terror groups and in the hands of people who do not as well, how sure can not wish as well, how sure can we when we send money abroad we be when we send money abroad as a nation that isn't going to people who frankly want to wipe off the face of earth ? we off the face of the earth? we can't because argument you put at the start of this program is that if you decide you're going to spend 14 billion a year, which is roughly where it is every then it is to give that to other organised nations, multilateral were we lose control of it. i think that's a bad idea. control of it. i think that's a badidea.a control of it. i think that's a bad idea. a big debate in international, whether it should be unilateral aid. this country deciding we support and don't support or we should give it to major multinational

organisations. i'm rather angry of this country keeping control of this country keeping control of that and so pick up the point that was by one of your viewers . i mean, the moment in particular the moment i think every virtually everybody would agree with sending as much humanitarian aid to syria and turkey as possibly can. that's one extreme. but the other extreme we absolutely not be sending money to china or control of them. so it ends up with terrorists . there is, of with terrorists. there is, of course, the argument that if they so wish is , free to donate they so wish is, free to donate off their own back to charity. and a lot of that is what is happening when it comes to the turkey syria earthquake. we've raised millions and millions and millions. i mean, it seems to go up time i look it is up every time i look it now is for 30 quid or for 30 million quid or something. all probably now something. i'm all probably now and people done off their and people have done off their own something own back. that wasn't something that. is that. the government is just taking of that pay packets

taking out of that pay packets in a roundabout way through taxation. suppose is that taxation. so i suppose is that argument at the can argument at the minute. can i you you feel as though what you do you feel as though what we're doing in terms with we're doing in terms of with the small crisis and the small boats crisis and the amount that costing us amount of money that costing us in , could cross the us in hotels, could we cross the us in hotels, could we cross the us in a sense , foreign aid could in a sense, foreign aid could come out of our foreign aid budget . i come out of our foreign aid budget. i think some of it does . and there's been an effort to try that . personally, i support try that. personally, i support lots to again go to point that was made previously when we are helping ukraine as i think we should help ukraine who are under attack from the russians then i think is overseas aid writ large. and i think helping helping that situation out of the aid budget it might not it might fit with what has gone in the past but it is certainly helping the ukrainians. yes and indeed, it is interesting. i

have said should not could because as you've rightly pointed out in so nought point 3% of our national income now is going to overseas aid. and the other. well, it's about 0.2% now. is it because we've reduced it is being spent on things like the boats crisis etc. so that is a chunk of it's least is coming out of our foreign aid budget which i think will, i suppose, ease a lot of people, a lot of would say, well, you know, we shouldn't particularly doing it below. graeme, thank you very, very much. it's great have very much. it's great to have you show and a good way you on the show and a good way to kickstart proceedings today. i who i think graham stringer that who is labour and member of is a labour and a member of the foreign select look you foreign affairs select look you had to listen to that now so some of foreign budget some of our foreign aid budget is technically is actually technically technically home. i technically staying at home. i know you're all going know what you're all going to say this but staying at say this now, but staying at home of it, going to home as a result of it, going to help towards the small boats crisis. there's a bit that. crisis. so there's a bit that. right. so it's not necessarily additional , there additional tax cash, but there is as you heard from is also as you heard from graham. no i would argue massive, massive accountability when it comes to where a lot of this money goes, does it end up

in the hands of people that we wouldn't it to go to? wouldn't like it to go to? that's a concern for people it should be a concern for people. and as a pretty flat and as well, a pretty flat rebuttal from wasn't rebuttal that from graham wasn't there sending money to there about sending money to china it would have china china it would have do no wishes. was alluding wishes. well and he was alluding to when it comes to copying to that when it comes to copying various things us they various things from us they mocking us off some people say and for a so and have done for a while. so why pay them for the privilege? well, let's get the view of what some i've been actually some of you i've been actually saying is sue cox saying joining me now is sue cox from felixstowe and stephen hoyle's. me hoyle's. he joins me from helensburgh great helensburgh in scotland. great to both on. thank you to have you both on. thank you very much. i think especially as it's valentine's day so we'll start so do start with ladies. so what do you think about foreign aid specifically to start to specifically to start with to china, . i absolutely china, your views. i absolutely i don't . yeah, so. yes, yes. but i don't. yeah, so. yes, yes. but i don't. yeah, so. yes, yes. but i absolutely don't. i think foreign aid should be given to china, but i think foreign aid should go to any country that's got a nuclear programme. space programs or poor humanitarian or human rights situation in china

where they will chop head off if you don't toe the party line. i also think, as you have touched on that china is the largest, second largest economy is growing massively over the last 40 years. but they are investing in their own interest and they have put themselves a position where the whole world is dependent on them. not only are they all the biggest creditors to many of the poor countries in africa , and i think they are africa, and i think they are taking the world by attrition , taking the world by attrition, particularly with things like the belt and road initiative . the belt and road initiative. yeah. so i'm going to i'm going to stop i'm going to stop you there just because i'm going to come back to you. i want to have time. i think you've spoken a heck of a lot of sense there, especially about time. got especially about time. you got a show right on gb news. show right here on gb news. stephen, pressure after stephen, no pressure now after the box office barnstorming performance from sue. but stephen, on stephen, what is your take on nuclear china more nuclear write to china more generally? sorry, foreign aid nuclear patrick nuclear well i think patrick that insane to.

that it's absolutely insane to. be honest with you. i mean, we're sending all this money. we've no idea how it's being spent. we've no idea how it's being spent . and i think candidly it's spent. and i think candidly it's supported. the chinese military and the expansion you said before into africa and were using that money better spent at home or even more immediately in place like turkey or , syria. and place like turkey or, syria. and to be honest . so for me, it's it to be honest. so for me, it's it doesn't make sense. i agree with the previous comments graeme stringer, it's doesn't make sense to me, but i have some money that's being sent there and i don't think we should be doing it. the foreign aid policy actually crazy . yeah, exactly. actually crazy. yeah, exactly. i'll just emphasise again that some of this money that we is going directly to ngos so it's not all going to the government but a different governments. but i do obviously take your and as we've alluded to, let's honest if we're sending some money to some of the most corrupt corners

of the world, imagining the us more the back more likely to find in the back pockets of various government ministers than it is into needy people's sue, i want ministers than it is into needy pe aski's sue, i want ministers than it is into needy pe ask you sue, i want ministers than it is into needy pe ask you the sue, i want ministers than it is into needy pe ask you the question , i want ministers than it is into needy pe ask you the question now,1nt to ask you the question now, where would you rather spend the money in this country? so if we're sending roughly speaking something like 14 billion quid abroad as foreign aid, where do you want to see that money spent? if you don't want to send it overseas ? i think the it overseas? i think the greatest need in this country now is our health service with hundreds of people waiting for operations even more now because of the strikes . and, you know, of the strikes. and, you know, we're talking a country that we're talking a country that we're about china and parts of parts of the guys that we are giving money is to help them with their health since said that their national situation. well you our national health situation absolutely dire felt a little bit poorly the day and i was absolutely petrified because

i thought i am not going to be able to speak a doctor and to live in a supposed civilised country with that just how you actually feel is so. so i've got it, i got it. and feel for you. i know how you feel. and bessie, you certainly quite price hard and bushy tailed on this show, i must say. but i with you, i think it's absolutely shocking. we look around at this country and we see things aren't working. basic infrastructure not a housing not working. we see a housing crisis. people crisis. we see people like yourself don't particularly yourself who don't particularly worried whether not they worried about whether not they can basic health care. but can get basic health care. but stephen, same to you. stephen, same question to you. where rather this where would you rather see this money this if we're not money spent in this if we're not sending abroad to areas i'd sending it abroad to areas i'd like to see it being sent into is education for a start and secondly to beef up the military . i mean we will put armed force go down far, far too much . and go down far, far too much. and here we are now badly . and if we here we are now badly. and if we believe what's being said in nato that we support some sort

of action the future, then what you know the first objective of a prime is actually to defend these people and i think that's one we as we should put some more money into it and you there's a lock on in the nhs but i think this time now too there is a look at our military again yeah. again to agree with you very sound stuff out from you see. thank you very much. great to have you both on the show. sue cox from felixstowe and steven there joining us from helensburgh in scotland. stephen, that touching on something will be talking about definitely show. definitely throughout the show. yeah the foreign stuff yeah the foreign aid stuff but also military expenditure. also the military expenditure. our defence secretary wants to know around 11 billion quid know that around 11 billion quid spent been spent and that we've been slashing military so slashing in the military for so long in terms of troop numbers, arguably. conditions. long in terms of troop numbers, argualconditionsonditions. long in terms of troop numbers, argualconditions are tions. long in terms of troop numbers, argualconditions are shocking living conditions are shocking for people in some sectors of the military. nato coming out and saying we might not have the troop numbers strongly to be that effective force that much of an effective force on the battlefield. could we even lose our place at top even lose our place at the top table? what about the influence

there? go. you're there? so that we go. you're with christys on. gb with me. patrick christys on. gb news coming millions news on. coming up, millions brits tax with brits face a council tax with the majority of england's local authorities say no. raise the tax so that max taxes to the max . i'll be back in a moment.

okay. welcome back, everybody i don't know what you're paying in council tax, but they seems like a bit too much, doesn't it? they never really seems to go down, but i suppose italy now millions are facing a% council tax rise from april as local authorities scramble to balance the books. but i've got some interesting info as to yes , okay, sometimes info as to yes, okay, sometimes what your money is spent, but also bad some councils are also how bad some councils are actually balancing their books, which does beg the question why would we give more money and trust them with it? but there we go.the trust them with it? but there we go. the county councils network has found that three quarters of

councils england who have councils in england who have social responsibilities are social care responsibilities are planning tax hike , working planning a 5% tax hike, working out to an average of an increase 0 f £100 to band d council of £100 to band d council leaders said they have little choice but to raise taxes. but with many already struggling , with many already struggling, ordinary people already struggling make ends meet. is this the right time to get stuck 7 this the right time to get stuck ? the finer points of all of this is joe venter, who is digital campaign manager for the tax payers alliance. joe, thank you very much. great to have you on the show. i am looking at absolutely horror stories here and this is this is a embargo berkshirelive these berkshirelive get reading these news saying news outlets of they're saying places like slough example which supposedly slough borough supposedly anyway slough borough council to increase council tax 9.99% so 10. i mean i read some interest that they've got 760 million quit borrowing debts . million quit borrowing debts. this is not by any means an incident that's located just around the slough area. so many councils appear to have been so bad at managing our money for a very long period of time. do they have a bit of cheek asking

us to pay more now? well that's exactly the case. patrick and neil, thank you for having me on today. you know, really is concerning. and remember when concerning. and i remember when the chancellor first announced back november, it back in november, believe it was that threshold the council that the threshold the council tax will be increasing 5. tax rises will be increasing 5. what we warned at the time is that you will have councils up and down the country will basically use this as a green light to carry on with wasteful spending. you know, because we know currently know are currently under pressure right pressure like we all are right now from inflation and energy pfices now from inflation and energy prices the of it. prices and all the rest of it. but i what that move did but i think what that move did was gave these councils was it just gave these councils green light to pass those costs on and then pass on the costs of wasteful spending on the taxpayers we taxpayers who already, as we know . yeah, indeed. and councils know. yeah, indeed. and councils i mean do they have much accountability for example, it was borough, wasn't it? was haringey borough, wasn't it? they spent the best part of 150 grand renaming . a road sign from grand renaming. a road sign from black boy lane to something else. i don't remember they renamed, but it didn't matter because someone crossed and because someone crossed out and rewrote name. in rewrote the original name. in fact, original name was kept

fact, the original name was kept on bottom madness. is on the bottom madness. but is any accountability? can anyone go ? look, i'm sorry, but you are go? look, i'm sorry, but you are wasting my money. i am skint. i can't . well, i think we're going can't. well, i think we're going to see a lot of that you know, we as individuals certainly look at what our councils spending our money on and often , you our money on and often, you know, quite frankly, we're horrified. you know, you horrified. but, you know, you would central would hope that central government would a role here in protecting taxpayers . but i protecting taxpayers. but i think actions have think their actions have indicated quite the opposite. you , you look at some of you know, you look at some of the real basket like the real basket case like croydon, thurrock slough, as you mentioned they've mentioned there, where they've actually to go actually been allowed to go beyond even the% threshold. and you're at, you know, 10, you're looking at, you know, 10, 15% council tax rises and, those areas. and, you know , looking at areas. and, you know, looking at areas. and, you know, looking at a catalogue of catastrophe for spending and management of finances over years and years . finances over years and years. and of course, it just seems now that they're almost being rewarded failure , in a way, rewarded for failure, in a way, the fact that they've managed their badly means their finances so badly means they can raise higher taxes on residents . absolutely ludicrous. residents. absolutely ludicrous. well, run a like

well, you wouldn't run a like this. and this is gets me this. and this is what gets me policy x one of the big complaints about some not all by any stretch much of is some people going politics that people going to politics is that they've a proper job they've never had a properjob in lives. local councillor in their lives. local councillor is wonder if they run is well you wonder if they run their business this it their own business like this it would have gone bust long time ago they have been ago and they would have been sacked. end up in sacked. i think we end up in a situation where now they can come rattling the can and sticking their hand and voting on increases quietly. on big tax increases quietly. and one, joe, we're and a final one, joe, if we're looking national picture looking at the national picture of tax on the local picture of tax, all being taxed beyond their is their and fundamentally is a terrible for our economy. terrible thing for our economy. it's absolutely terrible it's an absolutely terrible thing our economy. patrick. thing for our economy. patrick. it's ways that we'll it's one of the ways that we'll probably find ourself a recession soon. yeah, we're being taxed now to a quick being taxed now to make a quick buck, make a quick of revenue buck, to make a quick of revenue and the long term, and ultimately the long term, we're paying we're all going to end up paying for it. okay, joe, thank you very much. a pleasure to talk to you government. joe you about government. joe ventured, campaign ventured, a digital campaign manager for the taxpayers alliance, always worthwhile checking out what the taxpayers alliance as alliance are doing as well, going some going online. there is some really stuff, especially really good stuff, especially that work around local and you

often out some rather often find out some rather interesting your interesting tidbits about your local it's always local area as well. it's always worth you're with me worth a look you're with me patrick news the patrick christys on gb news the nhs england is to send a team nhs in england is to send a team to recruit staff for the health and social care sector. now is this the best way to solve the staffing crisis? we need people to work over here. don't wait. nothing against that. but it's actually these foreign actually bound for these foreign countries over countries that we're going over impinging on their impinging their best on their brightest. yet, brightest. but first, as yet, not. good afternoon . it's not. good afternoon. it's 3:33am. rory smith and the gb news room to police officers will face cases over the handung will face cases over the handling of one cousins report of indecent exposure . the of indecent exposure. the independent office police conduct says the cases involves a met police constable and a kent police sergeant . former kent police sergeant. former officer cousins, who was currently in prison for killing sarah everard has admitted three counts of indecent exposure, one

of which he committed just four days before ms. everard's murder murder . the days before ms. everard's murder murder. the northern ireland assembly has failed to elect a speaker , enable the crisis hit speaker, enable the crisis hit devolved government to resume business. the dup again blocked the election of a speaker during a recall setting this afternoon. the party protesting brexit's northern ireland protocol detective looking into the murder of 16 year old briana j. so they are investigating whether it was a hate crime. jay who a transgender girl was fatally stabbed in linear park , fatally stabbed in linear park, cheshire last saturday. a boy and a girl, both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder murder. the been arrested on suspicion of murder murder . the white house murder murder. the white house says no group or individual has come forward to claim three objects shut down in the united states. but there has been no indication that were part of china's spy program. the us military says it has recovered

key from the suspected chinese plane, which was brought down the coast of south carolina ten days ago. it said search crews found significant debris from the site, including the priority sensor and electronic pieces. beijing denies it was a government spy vessel . millions government spy vessel. millions of households are facing an increase in their council tax from april. research the county council's network says three quarters of councils in england are planning a 5% hike. this is the maximum amount applied without . the need for a local without. the need for a local referendum and would add around £100 a year to bills for the average band. the proper . tv average band. the proper. tv onune average band. the proper. tv online and dab plus radio this is gb news. don't go anywhere , is gb news. don't go anywhere, patrick. he'll be back in a moment .

okay. loads to come in the next 20 minutes, ladies and so let's rattle it. i'm going to be talking a bit about ufos now. i don't know if anyone who believes in aliens , but that's believes in aliens, but that's right, because we discussing the mystery of the skies okay and that's been taking place in america flying objects. i did like the way now bulletins out anyone else was goes nobody has come forward to claim these ufos. they're like it's a lost baga , paddington underground or baga, paddington underground or something like that of they're not going to come forward. they're anyway. so they're spying on us anyway. so a small in derbyshire called bonzo has the dubious reputation of being the so—called ufo hotspot, and they've been claims of around 20 potentially alien aircraft over the years. our national reporter paul hawkins joins us now. thank you very much . have you seen any aliens . much. have you seen any aliens. no but i spoken to someone who

thinks saw a ufo. it's funny, though, isn't it? yeah. you would have thought that might have made the headlines today if i indeed seen or spoken to i had indeed seen or spoken to one. now i spoke to a lady one. but now i spoke to a lady who is probably the most notorious sighting in bonzo, which one britain's hot which is one of britain's hot spots, about 19 sightings in the past 20 years or so. but the most famous one, if you go back to 2001, a lady called sharon rowlands, she's in her garden with her husband and they decide to test a camcorder which for those who on old enough, it's kind of a think of it like an amateur camera that you used to have before smartphones available. but she's testing it in a garden and suddenly they this object in their in their backyard floating over their backyard floating over their back , going the back garden, as back, going the back garden, as you'll see in this footage we're going to show you extends out into a beautiful valley in the derbyshire dales where are. derbyshire dales where we are. she this object floating in she sees this object floating in the of about the the sky. it's kind of about the size of a house, cylindrical. there's it, it's there's lights around it, it's rotating it's she points

rotating it's moving. she points a camcorder at it starts moving towards her. and then i asked her, how did she. it started to move backwards and forwards her i and it felt nerve and as if it was watching us instead of us watching that . yeah. at one watching that. yeah. at one stage we do think it's going to in the cold coming so close. yeah and that was really quite yes. and then it just went by that it came it was on a disc and then like came over. yeah. and then it looked like two engines or whatever it was pulsed and then just like disappeared that's it blinked out and be clear, nasser themselves looked at it and they couldn't tell you what it was . couldn't tell you what it was. no, no, they they could tell us what it wasn't , but they what it wasn't, but they couldn't tell us what it was. they said. it wasn't a commercial aircraft. it wasn't military aircraft. it wasn't a balloon. it wasn't a weather balloon. it wasn't a weather

balloon . yeah. what they did say balloon. yeah. what they did say was that it was made of metallic and that was it. was that it was made of metallic and that was it . okay, paul, and that was it. okay, paul, i've got to ask two questions, but does this footage still exist and do you believe aliens coming ? exist and do you believe aliens coming? first of exist and do you believe aliens coming ? first of all, she said coming? first of all, she said she was quite clear. i don't think it's aliens. i just think it's an flying object. i don't know what i saw, to be honest, but i know saw it in terms of the footage. it exist. i one would imagine nasr nasser has copy somewhere. the other copy is on a disc that she keeps in a vauh is on a disc that she keeps in a vault in nottingham and she said one is having any access to it. in fact she's very reluctant to talk about this because she knows what saw. but some knows what she saw. but some people say, you're bit people say, look, you're a bit and she says, look, not and she says, look, i'm not crackers, know what i saw and i know i've i've spoken to people i've worked with people that have seen things in sky have seen things in the sky that. explain that. they can't explain perfectly people who perfectly reasonable people who can't up the can't seem to come up with the explanation they've explanation for what they've seen. and one of those seen. and she's one of those people well. but very adamant

people as well. but very adamant about it's one about what she saw. and it's one of definitely the most of the definitely the most famous or famous sighting in bonds or probably one of the most famous sightings in britain. exactly. okay, for okay, paul, thank you very. for cancen okay, paul, thank you very. for cancer. oh no reports expertly swerving question as to whether or not he actually believes in aliens. but there we go. it's not job. that is it not really his job. that is it to be questions by me on to be asked questions by me on national moving national television. but moving on matters serious on matters more serious now. people matters serious because nhs are to visit india nhs staff are all to visit india later this in hope of later this in the hope of recruiting doctors and nurses for uk health and social for the uk health and social care sector . for the uk health and social care sector. it comes amidst the staffing crisis in the nhs. in october, a leading social care charity reported , the highest charity reported, the highest rate of vacancies in the sector on record with around . hundred on record with around. hundred and 65,000 unfilled posts. 165,000 unfilled posts within the nhs, as it were . and clearly the nhs, as it were. and clearly the nhs, as it were. and clearly the optics of the nhs at the minute are absolutely awful. people are out on strike. everyone seems to be complaining about it from the people who work to themselves as work at it to themselves as well. would well. why earth anyone would want here and work and? want to come here and work and?

it me, given what's it is beyond me, given what's been going. but nhs right been going. but is the nhs right to go abroad? recruit staff because couple of because there's couple of points. should spending points. f should be spending recruitment money, as it were, and incentivising people who are already and become already here to try and become workers in health and social care sector. was also unfair on other countries . so less other countries. so less economically developed countries in some cases, not necessarily the case of india of course but so guys to go and like pinch their best and brightest is not a fair thing to do because may be be more use over i don't know. so joining me now the know. so joining me now is the executive chair of the national carers it's joe carers association. it's now joe ahmed, very, ahmed, mba. now, thank you very, very now i'm going to very much. now i'm going to start with arguably the most bafic start with arguably the most basic question, but i understand was to india to was sending people to india to try to in sell the nhs to try to in a way sell the nhs to them going on at them, given what's going on at them, given what's going on at the and the the moment and all the complaints the and complaints and the optics and people on strike, why would anyone want to come over here and in, the and work in the nhs in, the health and social care sector ? health and social care sector? well, i think, i think it's one of those things where people just make assumptions that that having a role in the uk will be

better for them , they will have better for them, they will have better for them, they will have better pay and they will progress in their particular careers much better if they've worked in a nhs setting. so it's a perception and that it's better them. i've got i've got to ask nigel , better them. i've got i've got to ask nigel, is better them. i've got i've got to ask nigel , is that better them. i've got i've got to ask nigel, is that true? because if it's if not true, then i suppose essentially we are lying to people to try and get them over if it if is true, why also having people complaining about well, i think what we've to think about is where, where are being recruited from , whether we are as a from, whether we are as a country where we've got a very good nhs research or all sorts of things. the reality is that it's the workforce challenge that we've never tackled and the warnings have been there for many, many years . so as the has many, many years. so as the has shrunk , the work methodology of

shrunk, the work methodology of process has become much more difficult so for somebody who's coming across. they may not well know that's i don't think that we're lying to them i think we are seen a really good system sadly . what i think is happening sadly. what i think is happening is the system is creaking and it's creaking really badly . is the system is creaking and it's creaking really badly. can i just ask why are we having to go india? why can't we get people who are already here or maybe incentivise them? i've got no if by the way, if i was having a heart attack, i wouldn't care which part of the world anyone was from. it was straight. you mean. i just don't understand. we haven't got people to fill people here that want to fill these jobs. well i think there's a couple of answers to that question. and i think what firstly , we've got to firstly, we've got to acknowledge we've always had within the nhs who come across from to work in our services . so from to work in our services. so i think that that is something that that's nothing new but i

think you're wider question is really important and that is that this has got to be a short term solution if we are doing that and we are going that on top of the numbers of the nhs vacancies got 165,000 in social care. so we are in a very challenging situation , but it's challenging situation, but it's got to be a short solution. we've got to find the long term solution for this and that has to be a domestic workforce which is valued and rewarded properly so that we don't have to rely on friends and colleagues , other friends and colleagues, other countries to come . i do find it countries to come. i do find it quite interesting that there are people working in the nhs . you people working in the nhs. you really do think that it's completely broken that , it's completely broken that, it's awful and staff are treated horribly . care is a shocker as horribly. care is a shocker as well and yet are also willing to go abroad and presumably tell people that they can have a great time working in our nhs. is it fair to go to countries

india? india might be a bad example . they have got quite example. they have got quite a good economy. ocado's massive poverty in india, but in the grand of things, india's economy is pretty right. but other countries other less economically developed country . economically developed country. is it right that we are so welcoming some of that top brass in terms of their medical profession , they not be better profession, they not be better served in their own countries. oh are we brain draining the world is what i'm getting at. i think it's a difficult question because they wouldn't come they didn't want to come so there is something that is drawing to come and work in the nhs and ask our own nhs. i the reason that people are so drained and so exhausted and this is true of the social care sector as well, is because we don't the workforce and we have invested in making sure that we can keep the doctors and we very, very , the doctors and we very, very, very driven by management

managing the nhs has been the big thing and i that's really difficult . yeah. just just difficult. yeah. just just quickly actually very quickly sorry but i just want to see something. one of my producers actually mentioned earlier, which is when we do bring people oven which is when we do bring people over, we i'm just over, let's we get i'm just picking a number out the sky so we get 10,000 people from india. okay. we find somewhere okay. we to find them somewhere to maybe do some to live. we to maybe do some additional etc. and additional training, etc. and there the anti to it as well. there is the anti to it as well. and presumably as you've said now it would really be the best thing for everyone all round if we could get who were already here because then we wouldn't have to find additional accommodation for the whole. absolutely. think it's a absolutely. i don't think it's a burden. it's burden. i think it's a responsibility. people responsibility. you bring people across , you are going to across then, you are going to have to after them, give have to look after them, give them the pastoral care, make sure that they have that sure that they they have that sort cultural grounding of sort of cultural grounding of the difference the work. the difference in the work. absolutely but i will stick by my point, which is that we have to in a domestic to invest in a domestic workforce and that's by improving the image and the pay

the people who doing the job. yeah the image well the pay of course is imposed so the image especially at the moment is absolutely through the floor and thank you very much drama thank you very much now drama mba the executive the mba that was the executive the national association what national care association what do make that ladies do you make that ladies and gentlemen, obviously needs to fill not the fill vacancies. that is not the right to go about it. gb news contacted health, education, england and. said we england and. they said to us, we continue to on developing continue to work on developing relationships india relationships in india for doctors, other health doctors, nurses and other health professional as our professional as part of our mandate to support growth the mandate to support growth of the nhs workforce . the purpose is to nhs workforce. the purpose is to support a new ethical pathway for health care to for international health care to come the west yorkshire come into the west yorkshire area and to help increase numbers. right. okay, so that's basically that lolo's you've been getting in touch in the emails as well by the way about foreign aid. i've not forgotten about your go to the emails shortly in light of the fact that calls now to stop that there are calls now to stop sending aid to china, we sending foreign aid to china, we sent them at least 50 million sending foreign aid to china, we sent inam at least 50 million sending foreign aid to china, we sent in the at least 50 million sending foreign aid to china, we sent in the lastast 50 million sending foreign aid to china, we sent in the last of 50 million sending foreign aid to china, we sent in the last of years. llion quid in the last of years. a lot. you now are up in arms and we need to stop that. but we also should start charity at home sending billions

home and stop sending billions in aid around 14 or 15 billion quid various places around quid to various places around the and past we sent the world and in past we sent them some comical them to some quite comical things. go band things. some ethiopian go band called yak, and that is the ethiopian spice girls. they received a million pounds of received a few million pounds of your i we all your quid too. i mean, we all that last album. no me neither. we're returning to we're going to be returning to the shortly. so what are the inbox shortly. so what are your views on that vaiews@gbnews.uk? but matters closer to the king has closer to home? the king has formally a tempo syrian formally launched a tempo syrian community tent in trafalgar square , where members of the square, where members of the syrian community can gather to support those affected by the recent earthquakes. he's also been meeting some of the turkish diaspora in this country have been organising food, clothes and blankets to turkey. let's cross to our royal reporter cameron , walker cameron, a is cameron, walker cameron, a is there. what's going on, patrick? yes, i'm told, is very much engagements that the king wanted to squeeze into is very diary supporting those in turkey and syria affected by the

earthquake. so just take a look at this tent here in trafalgar square. this is as said, serious house, temporary syrian tents for people to get together to support those affected by the recent earthquake . the king was recent earthquake. the king was formally opening a sit here today. formally opening a sit here today . it's supporting those in today. it's supporting those in britain who's been collecting their money and clothes and blankets and warm clothing for, those affected by the earthquake in turkey and syria because let's not forget, it's two countries who have been affected earlier today , he's here for earlier today, he's here for syria in public square. but earlier today, he was in hounslow meeting volunteers who are collecting food, warm clothing , blankets in particular clothing, blankets in particular for people in turkey affected by the earthquake. of course , 5000 the earthquake. of course, 5000 people, more than 35,000 people are confirmed to have died in in that earthquake . and it is that earthquake. and it is something that has quite personal, i think, to king charles and queen camilla, because they have made a personal donation to the disasters emergency committee

and have the prince and princess of wales . now, we don't know the of wales. now, we don't know the exact number of pounds that they have the royal family have donated to at disasters emergency . however, we do know emergency. however, we do know that the amounts raised in total. so by everybody equates total. so by everybody equates to more than £60 million. now as we know , the queen consort has we know, the queen consort has been diagnosed with covid 19. she's tested positive for covid 19. she's had to cancel all her engagements this week . we do now engagements this week. we do now know that she will be wearing queen mary's crown at. the coronation on may the sixth. the king's safe up appears to be in good spirits and isn't affected too badly , too concerned about too badly, too concerned about the queen consort , his health the queen consort, his health and no doubts. all are on the king to see if he is well enough and does not test positive for his plans, engagements. milton keynes on thursday celebrating the fact that it has got the status . royal reporter from status. royal reporter from trafalgar square and fantastic

that there are trafalgar square and fantastic that there ar e £60 million that there are £60 million already being raised . it just do already being raised. it just do somewhat i think to dispel nofion somewhat i think to dispel notion that britain is not a particularly charitable country, that the average man or woman, the street does not care about people countries. but people in other countries. but it does also beg the question and it leads us almost seamlessly now to our big question today, which is about foreign now, there have foreign aid. now, there have been for to us sending been calls for to us sending foreign china for the foreign aid to china for the obvious reasons, a quite wealthy to say the least. got to say the least. they've got a space and they space program and they don't necessarily mean as well as what in the spy stuff, in light of all the spy stuff, why sending them the why are we sending them the money? lots of you been getting in with this and i'm going in touch with this and i'm going to to leave from to go down to leave from hastings, he says, while we know stopping money foreign stopping all money to foreign countries completely, especially whilst issues at whilst we have so many issues at home, time to propping home, it's time to propping other our other countries up whilst our own are suffering not. i think a lot of people would agree with you in some of the places that we has been we that money has been absolutely ridiculous and argument against that not argument against that i'm not saying i'd saying i agree with it, but i'd against if you don't send to against is if you don't send to some countries then some things basically become our problem

down but can down the line. don't. but we can argue going in the argue what's going in the channel. the ship is quite literally although one literally say although that one jim says it's not as black and white as that few things are to be our foreign aid be fair. but our foreign aid goes for people in goes a long way for people in poorer nations, even in china, us will suffer. i get what us they will suffer. i get what you're saying now i think china is bad example of foreign aid because believe that because i refuse to believe that even if we send to money places, not non—governmental organisations charities on the ground, ordinary in china, that the government the chinese state will not have control that so i do think that realistically there's not much point to any foreign aid to china. i would be very, very doubtful about it all. going to the places all. going to the right places now we're moving on and un's now we're moving on and the un's already displays of red and already the displays of red and pink balloons and roses in shop windows is of course valentine's and this might have dragged your hearts but don't worry a speed dating could help you to find a last match it's become increasingly popular for those suffering with dating fatigue being offered as a fun and fast

way to meet partners. well, i wanted to speak to man who's involved with organising these and a self—proclaimed dating guru. oh it's rob rail, who is the managing director of speed dating service day. and it does look, rob , i've got to ask it. look, rob, i've got to ask it. we've got a partner i do. i'm happily married. yes you see, you're an advert. you are a personal advert. i think if you were twice divorced and bitter and alone valentine's day, people might have some concern the kind of service you are providing. but so. so what? so what goes on? i must say i've not been speed. what? what is? so what happens ? so we've been so what happens? so we've been doing it for about 12 years now . you get about 40 people will turn up to a bar every night of the week i'll do the events and you'll go on about 20 dates for 3 to 4 minutes. all different age groups attend and it's just great way to meet lots of people and in one evening it saves the time spent on online dating and dating the finger fatigue people

have now there's too much choice with the dating apps come to one of my events in a safe environment and it's also now it's just a bit of fun really you can bring some friends, you have a few drinks and you never know who you're going to meet. we've had four weddings since the business 12 years the funeral business 12 years ago. exactly. and so how ago. yeah exactly. and so how goodisitin ago. yeah exactly. and so how good is it in terms of long term relationships that . yeah, i mean relationships that. yeah, i mean it's pretty hard to say . don't it's pretty hard to say. don't always give me the positive feedback , but i know of lots feedback, but i know of lots people that have found love . so people that have found love. so through dating the dash and the events that we do so we've had four weddings, lots of positive feedback . we've had 60,000 feedback. we've had 60,000 people through the doors since launched back in 2011. and people, people it, you know, since the pandemic and covid and beenin since the pandemic and covid and been in lockdown, it's now as popular as it's ever been people want to get out of the house and meet in person. pardon me wonders whether or not this is this is a great thing and you

really are selling it to me. but how does it work at the of it? so do you end up being ranked by a lot of strangers on a piece of paper? because i can imagine that being quite brutal, especially you look me. especially if you look like me. but patrick you'd be fine. trust me. no not. it's not like that, you know, this is a speed date in a way, and it between me and you. but i mean, it's not like that. it's we have auction that. it's we have an auction for friend. well, so you would say yes. no or friend. so there's a gentle let down there at end. so a lot of people at the end. so a lot of people come my events they will come to my events and they will go with some new go away with some new girlfriends guy if. girlfriends or guy friends if. they find one that they don't find the one that evening. may only i think evening. i may only say. i think it's a fantastic idea and. it's dating a dash, is that right? presumably people check it presumably people can check it out yeah, we've taken out online and yeah, we've taken that ashcombe. it's valentine's day this evening are day i'm events this evening are sold but we've a lots have sold but we've got a lots have lots of massive parts on friday or. okay. all right, rob thank you very overall by managing director dashes director of diana dashes valentine's day people why not get on series of get yourself on a series of dates not just one you can date and dash anyway it me

and dash anyway it with me patrick on news patrick christys on gb news coming more those suspected coming more on those suspected chinese spy prompting the question contend to question should we contend to send in foreign to send millions in foreign to china or indeed anywhere else for that matter? state aid .

it's 4:00 on patrick christys and this is giving news coming up this hour where you stand on foreign aid, money well spent, or could we be using it for projects it should charity starts. and that's why i'm asking tonight. and of course, it's a debate. the politician is all having. it's been reignited by that some people by the fact that some people think stop sending think we should stop sending foreign because foreign aid to china because well, they're wealthy and well, they're quite wealthy and don't mean is that don't necessarily mean is that well do they so we've sent them hundreds millions pounds hundreds of millions of pounds

should stop at least should that stop at least anyway. we using that anyway. can we be using that money wisely? money a lot more wisely? apparently greece lithuania, apparently greece, lithuania, get they're spending a get this they're spending a higher percentage gdp on that armed forces than we are on defence secretary , desperately defence secretary, desperately trying to claw an extra billion pounds more funding nato is that we don't have enough soldiers and troops apparently all living terrible conditions . do we terrible conditions. do we really have to rely on foreign workers to , save our health workers to, save our health service from collapse ? service from collapse? apparently so, because the nhs is started. a recruitment drive in india . what could we be doing in india. what could we be doing to try to entice more people? they were already a to work in our nhs or actually is it all a rather nice thing? i would argue that it might not be a good thing for some of these countries because we're taking their best talent only and actually is unfair on them actually is quite unfair on them and. is in the air, and. love is in the air, apparently it's valentine's apparently yes, it's valentine's day. a big come to day. is it just a big come to get as old to spend money on chocolates, flowers, pretend to love or it love each other? or is it a beautiful celebration of human adoration and bless anyway gets

in touch with me. gbviews@gbnews.uk uk. it's going to be about foreign aid today from should we sending from you. should we be sending foreign aid china and where foreign aid to china and where you like our foreign aid budget be spent if it stays here in the uk? gbviews@gbnews.uk. but right now it's your headlines. uk? gbviews@gbnews.uk. but right now it's your headlines . patrick now it's your headlines. patrick thank you and good afternoon to you . top story on gb news today. you. top story on gb news today. two police officers will face cases over handling of former met police officer . wayne met police officer. wayne cousins report of indecent exposure. the independent for police conduct says case involves a met police constable and a kent police . cousins is and a kent police. cousins is currently in prison for the murder of sarah everard and has admitted three counts of indecent exposure to one episode of which he committed just days before the murder of sarah everard . now, in other news everard. now, in other news today, the northern assembly has failed to elect speaker to enable the crisis hit devolved

government to resume its business. the dup has vetoed the election during recall setting this afternoon meaning no further business be conducted. it's demanding action on removing barriers on trade between great britain and northern ireland negotiations. meanwhile between the uk and the eu to resolve differences over the protocol are continuing . the protocol are continuing. millions of households facing an increase in their council from april. research by the county council's network says three quarters of councils in england are planning 5% hike. the maximum allowed without the need for local referendum , adding for local referendum, adding around for local referendum, adding aroun d £100 a year to bills for around £100 a year to bills for average band d properties. local authorities say they have little but to raise the council in order to local services . order to local services. university staff are staging

first of three days of walk outs in ongoing dispute over pay , in ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions. in ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and conditions . around pensions and conditions. around 70,000 members of the university of college union are on the picket lines, threatening disruption in 150 universities. civil servants are also striking this week the pcc's union, the british museum and the department work and pensions. the dvla and the animal and plant health agency oversees neas now. and uk charities and organisations are to send emergency worth more than hundred and £50,000 to turkey. eight days after devastating earthquake struck there and in syria, at least six survivors have been rescued . the rubble in have been rescued. the rubble in turkey today as the number of people that have died in the disaster passes. 37,000. earlier syria's president told the un. he'll open two more border crossings so emergency aid can

from neighbouring turkey. for an initial three month period, many syrians have meanwhile expressed their anger over the lack of aid reaching opposition controlled areas and the un secretary antonio guterres has called man made obstacles should be removed and they have an urgent message . the international community. the human suffering from epic natural disaster should be made even worse by men . obstacles, even worse by men. obstacles, access funding supply . aid must access funding supply. aid must get through from all sides to all sides . through all routes. all sides. through all routes. without restrictions . nato without restrictions. nato ministers are discussing support for ukraine in brussels including the possible supply of fighter jets to kyiv that comes after the alliance warned. we're already seeing a fresh russian offensive in ukraine with the kremlin claiming nato's more and more involved in dragging out

the conflict . meanwhile, the the conflict. meanwhile, the government here has announced a national one minute's silence to be held the 24th of february. to mark the first anniversary of the invasion and nato secretary general jens said they'll do all can to help the war torn . we can to help the war torn. we need need to ensure that ukraine gets the weapons it needs to be able to retake territory liberate their lands and win this war and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation. now the white house has said no group , organisation or group, organisation or individual has come forward to claim three objects shot down over united states. but it said there's no indication at this stage that part of china's spy program . the us military has program. the us military has said recovered key sensors as well as significant debris , as well as significant debris, as it puts it from the sites . the it puts it from the sites. the suspected chinese spy plane . suspected chinese spy plane. beijing has denied the balloon

which was brought down off the coast of south carolina to ten days ago was a spy vessel . now days ago was a spy vessel. now detectives looking into the murder of brianna gaze say they're investigating whether or not it was a hate crime . the 16 not it was a hate crime. the 16 year old who was a transit a girl was fatally stabbed in a linear park . cultures in linear park. cultures in cheshire near warrington last saturday. a boy and a girl both aged 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. police have been granted an extra 30 hours to question them both both for the first time in recent history in the queen consort, which will wear an existing crown at the coronation rather a newly commissioned piece , buckingham commissioned piece, buckingham palace, says camilla will wear queen mary's crown, which has been moved now from tower of london ahead of the king's coronation may. the palace says the decision made in the interests of sustainable and efficiency . up to date. i'm back efficiency. up to date. i'm back in an hour. see that .

in an hour. see that. okay. all right. ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. okay. so to big ones, really? all rolled into one. we've got all defence spending, all back. all. but has that left us vulnerable ? we're also, of course, going to be talking about foreign aid in light of the fact that there are calls us to stop are calls now for us to stop sending of millions of pounds. if up over the course if you add it up over the course of the obviously racks up of the year, obviously racks up the hundreds of millions to china. as well . china. other nations as well. starting lord darroch starting with this lord darroch has while the has has claimed while the uk has underinvested in defence we still have capacity to deal with surveillance inflatables sent britain i.e. we can shoot down a chinese balloon. well, hope chinese balloon. well, i'd hope so , wouldn't you? frankly, it's so, wouldn't you? frankly, it's a balloon i would like to think that we haven't sent out silly to ukraine yet. we can maybe shoot ourselves it shoot something of ourselves it comes a diplomatic spat. comes amid a diplomatic spat. china us. so full

china and the us. so full suspected spy planes were shot over north america. senior mp is now calling on the uk to stop sending foreign aid to the country. we sent china sending foreign aid to the country. we sent chin a £50 country. we sent china £50 million, which is the world's second largest economy, china. that was just in 2021 to support development projects. if i go back to a little , i compiled back to a little, i compiled earlier on as well, you might find it quite funny, frankly , to find it quite funny, frankly, to see some of the areas that we sent money to in the past. we decided that we wanted it was a goodidea decided that we wanted it was a good idea , a good use of your good idea, a good use of your money. of my money, of everyone's we know is money to send kenyan rainmakers who watch and tries to predict the weather. and tries to predict the weather . £25 and tries to predict the weather. £25 million. i was a few years at £95 million to india despite , of course, them india despite, of course, them having a £100 million moon landing programme and this is a one as well. in nigeria we send 11.3 million quids worth of solar panels to solar panels. okay, we also funded their oil industry to the tune 19 and a

half million. so that kind of cancelled out and as regular viewers this show will now every time foreign debate comes time foreign aid debate comes up, to mention ethiopian up, i have to mention ethiopian spice girls, who we a few million quid to try to boost the musical development ethiopia musical development of ethiopia . make you feel . how does that make you feel when struggling when you're struggling to put the at the moment, the heating on at the moment, all your council is up all your council tax is going up by in the case of the poor people of slough 9.99. joining me is gb news political me now is gb news political reporter olivia thank reporter olivia. olivia thank you much. great to have you you very much. great to have you back show . so the back on the show. so the discussion minute discussion at the minute is around china this is from our politicians. we are broadening it out on gb news, but they it out here on gb news, but they are saying enough is enough when it comes foreign aid to china, is yes well, is that right? yes well, actually, the government has already that it's to already that it's going to phase out but out spending to beijing, but promises made a few years ago. and as you said in your and yet, as you said in your introduction that last year, 50 million spent on foreign aid million was spent on foreign aid spending, bilateral foreign aid spending, bilateral foreign aid spending britain to spending that is britain to china that put it just outside the top 20 countries that britain sent aid to. so it really a pretty astonishing figure. the other quite

astonishing figure is that we sent to 57 separate corners is in china. so that's a lot of money washing around and the argument for it is that lots of these lots of this aid spending is on climate change projects. and, of course without china making a huge difference to its carbon output then what we're doing is really a drop in the ocean. so there is obviously a good argument for the putting a lot of soft power, putting lot of pressure on china , reduce its of pressure on china, reduce its carbon footprint. the other argument, of course , that argument, of course, that although, as you say, china is china is a rich country. gdp is high poverty in china is quite high, too . that money isn't high, too. that money isn't evenly distributed , although the evenly distributed, although the come back to that is the problem is that you've got a government . well yeah exactly . we know . well yeah exactly. we know that there are serious problems that there are serious problems that with the ccp. so is it sensible to be sending aid money to any sort of public sector organisation with that sort of government in charge and this is kind of rumbled at the

kind of rumbled up at the because knew already that because we knew already that there was an argument going on on the conservative backbenches over sunak been over whether rishi sunak been too china . liz truss too soft on china. liz truss when she was running to be prime minister, called china the biggest threat in a generation . biggest threat in a generation. rishi didn't go that far rishi sunak didn't go that far and there were lots of china hawks the party duncan hawks in the party iain duncan smith, namely but simon clarke to pushing huge amounts of pressure on to do the same thing. so it feels like are all sorts of issues kind of bubbling up time and putting up at the same time and putting pressure rishi sunak all pressure on rishi sunak from all different angles. yeah, i've a lesson now. this is from 2021, ladies gentlemen. okay so ladies and gentlemen. okay so the of uk the ten biggest recipients of uk bilateral overseas development aid. foreign aid what aid. so foreign aid what afghanistan . aid. so foreign aid what afghanistan . £187 million. afghanistan. £187 million. nigeria 140 million. pakistan hundred £28 million. go ethiope . yeah. yemen. south africa. somalia south sudan, sudan and syria comes just just brings in the top ten, ladies and gents, with a cool 1 million quid. certainly the top one there, afghanistan. that stands out like a sore thumb it at least

gives the impression, doesn't it, olivia that i suppose the taliban are taking. i mean, wheelbarrows. well that, of course, is the danger mean. it's a very tricky balance strike. and we know that politicians are struggling with this because on the obviously, there the one hand, obviously, there people in afghanistan who are much heavily as much heavily struggling as a result the taliban takeover. result of the taliban takeover. when women unable when you've got women unable to go university, people plunged go to university, people plunged into serious so into really serious poverty. so not aid could be seen as not sending aid could be seen as sort of callous and not doing international duty . on the other international duty. on the other hand, as you it, could end hand, as you put it, could end up a situation where the up in a situation where the taliban's taking a home in wheelbarrows. get wheelbarrows. so how you get that distributed in that aid distributed in countries a big problem and countries is a big problem and one that conservative mp have argued that we're not pushing enough effort into. we have this amount of money written into. we've got to set 0.6% of our gdp on aid . but how that aid is on aid. but how that aid is distributed , we sort of can distributed, we sort of can sometimes shrug our shoulders. one thing that i think will be of to people, we talk a lot here

gb news about the channel migrant and about the fact that we're paying to put people up in hotels on all of additional costs that go into all of that as now, apparently as well. now, apparently billions more spent in the uk on things like the small boats crisis will as foreign aid. so when we rack up supposedly the 0.5% roughly of our gdp that , we 0.5% roughly of our gdp that, we are bracketing as foreign aid only nought point 3% of that will actually technically go abroad . now i wonder whether or abroad. now i wonder whether or not that changes game for people. do they feel better about? it's not about? the fact that it's not additional taxpayers money that's in every single that's going in every single sense helping the sense anyway, helping with the small crisis . olivia some small boats crisis. olivia some would . this is quite an easy would say. this is quite an easy political win, especially for the conservative. if they want to rally up their base to say, okay, look , i understand now, okay, look, i understand now, marjorie from slough, your council tax has gone 9.99. you are concerned you've got to asylum seeker hotels , your area, asylum seeker hotels, your area, you can't get a gp's appointment on the trains, you're always on

strike. i tell you what, marjorie, we're going to foreign aid. we're going to not any money abroad and we're going to keep it all here. it would at least and look good, least sound and look good, wouldn't it? sound wouldn't it? might sound and look good. issue too is that look good. the issue too is that it probably very it would probably be very difficult through difficult to get it through parliament. we know that there have to do things have been attempts to do things like before we're quite like that before and we're quite left wing on the house of left wing on the whole house of lords there's a bit of problem lords there's a bit of a problem with also can be problems with that also can be problems getting the courts at getting it through the courts at a later stage too. so what rishi sunak doing here is for sunak is doing here which is for be clever is essentially be quite clever is essentially redefining call foreign redefining what we call foreign aid say , using some aid doing as you say, using some of money to deal with the of that money to deal with the channel migrants. he also said when was chancellor during the pandemic he changed that the commitment was 0.7% of gdp to be spent on foreign aid. he's already watered that down. so instead of doing what you said, sort of making a bold statement about he's about slashing aid. he's he's playing a slower game really with this issue . yeah, with this issue. yeah, obviously. olivia, thank you very, much, as always. very, very much, as always. olivia, political reporter . olivia, our political reporter. so rattled off a couple

so i just rattled off a couple of things. about where of things. didn't about where some money is going to some of your money is going to as a of foreign it as a result of foreign aid. it will to some will undoubtedly go to some incredibly good causes. and when we at some really very we look at some really very dodgy the world this dodgy parts the world that this goes to people should be slightly that not all slightly reassured that not all of in every country of that in every country directly to the government, far from are various from there, are various different aid bodies , different aid bodies, international groups, that international groups, ngos that work in the most far corners of the world. and we send money directly to them. so it's not like single penny of your money goes straight. the hands of the chinese communist anything goes straight. the hands of the chinthat?ommunist anything goes straight. the hands of the chinthat? no.|unist anything goes straight. the hands of the chinthat? no. but;t anything goes straight. the hands of the chinthat? no. but still anything goes straight. the hands of the chinthat? no. but still some ng goes straight. the hands of the chinthat? no. but still some of like that? no. but still some of it does. and rather concerning li in some parts of the world. so afghanistan is the obvious example, clearly of example, which is clearly of that is going to places that money is going to places people like the taliban, but also well, countries like pakistan. unfortunately in some of groups where the money of those groups where the money goes that it can find way to goes that it can find its way to indeed reportedly quite extensively, reportedly has found into hands of found its way into hands of groups. do not wish us groups. again do not wish us particularly well over and that to me seems a bit weird , doesn't to me seems a bit weird, doesn't it. of just spending it. instead of just spending that all billions of

that money all cost billions of billions pounds, we've a billions of pounds, we've got a budget here when have budget to hit here when have thousands up thousands of children up homeless on christmas morning ? homeless on christmas morning? when we have military veterans who lining streets who are lining the streets and we nurses, who want we have nurses, etc, who want a pay we have nurses, etc, who want a pay and all of this stuff pay rise and all of this stuff actually. it quite hard to actually. is it quite hard to justify sending it, 190 justify sending what was it, 190 odd million , £187 million to odd million, £187 million to afghanis. it's down when we also afghanis. it's down when we also afghan refugees over here what do you think what do you think gb views or gbnews.uk loss have you been getting in touch? andy says, why do we continue to send foreign to countries? you spend vast money, vast amounts of money, nuclear weapons space programs . we weapons and space programs. we should money home. should keep the money at home. yes identified. another key issue if you're planning on issue that if you're planning on going moon book, going to the moon in my book, you probably taking any you probably be taking any foreign us. i think foreign aid from us. and i think that's cheeky. could you that's a bit cheeky. could you not some of that money not spending some of that money on your citizens? and people will say, well, it's about will say, well, it's all about soft power. okay fine. but what other we're trying other countries we're trying to curry with, case curry power with, in the case of, how that of, for example, how is that working for us? so just working out for us? so just nicola technology and trying turn us well we've turn it against us well so we've got carmel got susan now from carmel venture. politicians need to be

reminded there to reminded that they are there to make all better. there's far too much leaving our shores while the country is in decline. and i am worried about the notion am very worried about the notion anyway that we seem to have money for everybody else we seem to have for money huge amounts of relief funds. i'm not saying we should have, by the way. absolutely no. just look at what's in what's going on in turkey, in syria now with these earthquakes. absolutely. the pubuc earthquakes. absolutely. the public hand in public has put their hand in their government is their pocket. the government is matching funding up to a certain point. time i checked point. the last time i checked our was around 60 million our raised was around 60 million quid. very generous quid. very, very generous a cause. we all agree cause. i think we can all agree money should sent to. but money should be sent to. but then think other then when think about other little projects like little foreign aid projects like for mentioned that for example, i mentioned that nigerian rainmakers that apparently received a couple of million the day. million quid back in the day. why have we got money for everyone else and not people who are here right now? are struggling here right now? why being told off? why are we being told off? sorry, your skin so you disability is being disability allowance is being cut we haven't cut for example or we haven't got to get people got enough to go and get people a appointment then people are a gp appointment then people are in decline is as you say susan in decline is as you say susan in decline is as you say susan in decline unfortunately. .and

yet we still want to prop up other corners of the world. look, there are very much two sides the soft power sides to this. the soft power argument compelling one. argument is a compelling one. and already seen, china and as we've already seen, china is in fund is stepping in to help fund various nations and that gives up a huge amount of power that could be as a mixed bag. gb views out gb news dot uk. keep them all coming and mouth. local councils have a big tax increase for millions and that's from april as they aim to raise revenue . this tackle the rising revenue. this tackle the rising cost of care. so here we go again people across england have announced large increases with three quarters of councils who have social casualties planning a 5% hike. some councils, it's just under 10, whilst the government said that councils should consider money pressure on residents, local authority saw the state of the economy as why they have no choice but to put up rates. but again, it's fascinating because you look at some councils, some councils are billions of pounds in debt, some to the tune of hundreds of millions don't we

millions as well. they don't we manage your money well off that i think we have a right we just say, well, okay, 5% extra. i can't really put the heating on at minute i am having to at the minute or i am having to cancel various different i amenities or shop at different shops and that stuff. where shops and all that stuff. where is money going because you is this money going because you haven't it that haven't been managing it that well. is palmer, well. joining me now is palmer, director of tax justice uk. robert, very much. robert, thank you very much. look, is about look, some councils is about an absolute shocker our absolute shocker with our finances, including taking out huge , huge amounts of money and huge, huge amounts of money and then not for inflation, interest rate rises as well. why on earth should the british public, the ordinary man and woman out there on the street, give them any more money? i mean, it's a really good question and we've got a challenge that we can see know lots of people will be frustrated with the services they get from their local council. and the answer is, is that budgets have really that budgets have been really squeezed over the last ten, 15 years. and so they're trying to do the same amount of work. we with less money. and also a lot of the money that councils get from council tax goes into things like social, which

obviously some really vulnerable , you know, elderly people , , you know, elderly people, vulnerable adult children really need that support. but perhaps the ordinary day to day taxpayer doesn't doesn't see it. and i think one of the other things that really gets me about council tax is the way it currently works is if you're poorer, you more of your income in council tax than if you're rich. so there'll be people in mansions in westminster that will be lower council rates and people just down to you. yeah but just just to counter that, is that those people who live in those mansions will be paying a lot more in tax, won't they? so they will be paying in many cases, i would imagine close to 50% of every single thing that they earn will go to the taxman. and so do you want to pay even more in council tax as well? i think it depends. you know, there are some rich people out there are some rich people out there who pay not lots and lots of lots of tax. you are taking your income through your payslip if you're part of the public you're going to be paying lots

of but there are also lots of tax. but there are also lots of tax. but there are also lots of people can use of rich people who can use different schemes and parts of the taxes pay lower tax the taxes to pay lower tax bills. i we do this bills. i think we do this fundamental and i think fundamental problem and i think you pointed out before that year councils increase the council tax and it really hits people particularly who are struggling with the of living crisis and at the same time services is really not and you you talked about bad management of and part of that is because councils are so desperate to bring in money that that ended up diversifying and ended up being property property developers which is probably not where we want our local councils to me. i mean i'm look again i'm reading local i've spoken about this before on app . woking this before on app. woking council . £1.7 this before on app. woking council. £1.7 billion in debt according to reports and it joins places like croydon thurrock and the aforementioned slough as being particularly a debt riddled right and i just don't feel that there's enough accountability for this. so

unquestionably. i get that. accountability for this. so unquestionably . i get that. yes. unquestionably. i get that. yes. okay. local council budgets have been cut. people don't like talk about the fact that the population is, course population is, of course increasing at a rate as increasing at a rapid rate as well, which isn't because it's more to pay for it is more people to pay for it is also should anyway more also should be anyway more a source to raise money does beg the who the question exactly who is paying the question exactly who is paying but there paying council tax. but there we go. but if any member of, let's say woking, croydon, thurrock or slough council run a business the way that they run their local council's finances they would be sacked when they . yeah, would be sacked when they. yeah, i mean i think it's a good point. we should demand our politicians use our money and use public money properly and, and, you know, it's really important that it's done because councils provide services we will rely on. so, you know, you'll write that there are some councils hey, there are some big questions to answer about how that behaving. but i do think this problem that councils are being asked to do more with less , you know, we've got an ageing population that means more money

on social care and so i think we need to rethink the way in which we funding some of the services that provide because . i that councils provide because. i just think it's just don't think it's sustainable for council to sustainable for council tax to keep going up or not, particularly when hits the poorest, the hardest . okay. poorest, the hardest. okay. thank you very, very much, rob i always enjoy a challenge from a poem director tax poem of that director tax justice, uk i mean, are you struggling at minute? get in struggling at the minute? get in touch. no. the is the vast touch. oh, no. the is the vast majority of people are struggling quite a bit at the minute on the idea that council tax is going up. but it thing is i would be more inclined to have more sympathy for local councils i would be more inclined to have nitre sympathy for local councils i would be more inclined to have nit wasn't)athy for local councils i would be more inclined to have nit wasn't)athy fofact al councils i would be more inclined to have nit wasn't)athy fofact thatyuncils . it wasn't for the fact that councils i've been councils, as long as i've been alive , appears to have pretty alive, appears to have pretty much always gone up. pretty much. certainly way much. that's certainly the way i remember reporting at remember years back reporting at newspapers that said she'd always your local meeting. always go to your local meeting. people sorry , we're people will be, oh, sorry, we're scared the terrible economic scared of the terrible economic climate need to pay for climate oh, i need to pay for this. i buy it this. either so i don't buy it that it's just current economic climate. and it was just this climate. and if it was just this current economic climate, i would beg the question why places woking places like woking council managed themselves into

managed to get themselves into £1.7 billion worth of debt, but we got you only made patrick christys on gb news coming up the king. you've been out and about meeting about doesn't say meeting members turkish syrian members of the turkish syrian communities uk that communities here in the uk that raise money for the relief effort. i've got all of that coming your way and much, much more of it. but can i.

take king charles, who's been out and about today, meeting some the turkish and syrian communities , turkish and syrian communities, this country they seek to this country as they seek to organise efforts to help those affected by the recent earthquakes afternoon he's earthquakes this afternoon he's formally launched a temporary community tent in trafalgar where the diocese can gather. lets cross over for a royal reporter cameron walker cameron you very much so. what's going on then? the king's out of about my paycheque. yes he has in fact

he's created time his very busy schedule to make sure he supports both the syrian and turkish communities here in the united kingdom who are raising for their relatives and friends at back in their home countries affected by this terrible earthquake, which has killed so far at least 5000 people. now, take a look at this tent in the middle of trafalgar square here, which is has many crowds around this city. for those listening on.and this city. for those listening on. and it's called serious house temporary syrian community tents for people to get to support the syrian community. but of course , there are two but of course, there are two countries affected by, this earthquake. so the king was here , the central square , visiting , the central square, visiting the syrian community here. he formally opens, opened tents as it raises for money early let's say he was in hounslow meeting volunteers there who are collecting collecting blankets , collecting collecting blankets, warm clothing to then ship across turkey to, then aid the people in turkey who have been affected by this earthquake . as

affected by this earthquake. as i said, it's caused widespread damage in those two countries over there . but i think it's over there. but i think it's something very personal to king i'm told he wanted to create time in his very busy schedule to visit and support these communities . he we also know communities. he we also know that the king and the queen consort have made a personal donation to the disasters emergency committee . we don't emergency committee. we don't know the exact amounts of money, but we do know that the and princess of wales you also donated to that appeal and total raised by everybody equates to more than £60 million. now the queen consort is has tested positive for coronavirus . the positive for coronavirus. the king was clearly not that concerned because he was still out and about carrying on with his constant duties as king, visiting local communities. but the queen consort has to cancel all her engagement this week. but today we did find out that she's going to be wearing queen mary's crown at, the coronation, which avoids the controversial diamonds, the current oil which is currently in queen elizabeth,

the queen crown, which we will not at the ats the coronation on may the sixth. but all eyes are on the king because we've seen him in trafalgar square. and the questions being raised, if we are in fact still going to see him as planned in milton keynes on thursday, because he is to celebrate that city marking the fact that milton keynes is now having city status, the queen consort was meant to him, but now she has covid. so she is not. and let's hope the king does not test positive for covid 19 and does make of us engagements thursday . well, yes, engagements thursday. well, yes, indeed. cameron, thank you very much come and look at that. all reporter in trafalgar square for . you now, lots of you have been getting in touch with us and your thoughts on the nhs staff planning india in a planning a trip to india in a bid to help recruit carers . many bid to help recruit carers. many staff in crisis so we have a load staff shortages in the nhs specifically when comes to specifically when it comes to our care sector . specifically when it comes to our care sector. around our social care sector. around 160,000 vacancies and we are clearly struggling to fill with

people who are already here right. and i'm not surprised ehheni right. and i'm not surprised either. i know you, but i either. i don't know you, but i get people want a pay rise get that people want a pay rise and that are saying and i get that people are saying the conditions are awful. but can imagine trying can you imagine trying entice people we need people in and saying we need more staff who on would more staff who on earth would want work in our nhs want to come and work in our nhs at the minute, if they keep being told absolutely awful it is and it's terrible. well, supposedly i heard this an supposedly and i heard this an interesting supposedly and i heard this an interes'on] supposedly and i heard this an interes'on who works in the nhs earlier on who works in the nhs and she was saying, well actually a lot of people from other our nhs other countries do fund our nhs quite and i find quite dishonourable. and i find those slightly those two things slightly self—defeating. they either our nhs and is nhs is shocking and it is a terrible stain on the britain reputation worldwide or . it's reputation worldwide or. it's good and people from other countries and work. countries want to come and work. so john says we should more so john says we should be more focussed training up focussed on training up home—grown there are home—grown talent. there are similar systems already in place. we recruit foreign workers. only do they need workers. not only do they need to trained, but they also need to trained, but they also need to housed and looked after, to be housed and looked after, which becomes very and is which becomes very costly and is interesting, isn't it, in that sense? we sense? because we would obviously to people obviously have to house people and people to go over here and train people to go over here and train people to go over here and work, you know nhs and does

that add a housing crisis that add to a housing crisis etc? james says am actively etc? james says i am actively recruiting from overseas the care industry in the uk. recruiting from overseas the care industry in the uk . oh, care industry in the uk. oh, here go. i've 24 vacancies here we go. i've 24 vacancies per people in the uk per month, but people in the uk are reluctant to work. there seems to be far too many handouts. hence are recruiters are overseas? that's are going overseas? well, that's are going overseas? well, that's a interesting a really interesting point. later going to be later actually, i'm going to be talking somebody does in talking to somebody who does in the sector. i think the care sector. and i think james, quite a similar view to you. we be doing you. but what could we be doing more a country? firstly, more as a country? firstly, actually, does it matter, frankly? i personally, frankly? i mean, i personally, if ill, don't really care if i was ill, don't really care what nationality the individual try me better is. but try to make me better is. but doesit try to make me better is. but does it point something does it point at something bigger that there are bigger which is that there are too people who are too few people here who are willing work within our willing to work within our health service? and why is that what do to make it more what could we do to make it more for yes, i know the for them? yes, i know the arguments and the conditions argument. is it more we argument. is it more that do we need to more to try to sell need to do more to try to sell it to them? one more quick one, elizabeth social care elizabeth says the social care sector workers are poorly paid. if we go with dismal working conditions, they need to be treated only treated a valued much more. only when become a certain age when you become a certain age you you realise . okay,

you work, you realise. okay, there you me? partly there we go. you with me? partly he's news now. we'll have he's on gb news now. we'll have more on that story. the nhs england a team england is sending a team to india doctors and india to recruit doctors and nurses for. the health and social i am asking social care sector. i am asking if the way to solve if that's the best way to solve the staffing crisis and anger is revealed as one energy company has sent its staff on a paid for break to. the mouldings whilst they're making bumper and we are of course struggling to pay our bills but first insulated . on bills but first insulated. on patrick thank you good afternoon to you the top stories this hour on gb news. two serving police officers will face misconduct cases over the way they handled reports . the former met officer reports. the former met officer wayne cousins indecent exposure . the independent office for police conduct says the cases involve met police constable a kent police sergeant cousins who's currently in prison for murdering ms. everard, has admitted three counts of indecent exposure to one of

which he committed just four days before her death . the days before her death. the northern ireland has failed to elect a speaker to enable the crisis hit devolved to resume business. the dup again blocked election of a speaker during a recall sitting this afternoon. the parties protesting brexit's northern ireland protocol . the northern ireland protocol. the white house says no group or individual has come forward to claim response ability for the three most recent and identify objects shot down over united states. it said been no indication they were part of spy program . the us military says program. the us military says its significant debris from the site of the first suspect, a chinese spy balloon brought down off the coast of carolina ten days ago. beijing denied the object was part of their government's spy system and millions of households are facing an increase in their council . from april, research by council. from april, research by the county council's network says three quarters of councils

in england are planning a 5% hike. that's the maxim allowed without the need for local and would add . £100 a year to bills would add. £100 a year to bills for average band properties. those all your latest news headunes those all your latest news headlines on gb news. you're up to date on tv online on dab plus radio. don't go anywhere

all people were . a little bit all people were. a little bit later on, i'm going to be talking about an energy company that decided to send its stuff on a big up to the maldives and people are oh, that's people are saying, oh, that's absolutely isn't it? absolutely terrible, isn't it? we're struggling. we're all struggling. yeah. okay, i get that. at the okay, i do get that. but at the same time, i mean, if a company is making money, why not sending stuff to the maldives? you stuff to the maldives? and, you know, the thing know, of course, the nice thing with a bit closer the nhs with anyway a bit closer the nhs is decided to send some of its staff i suppose, staff to india, but i suppose, you know for a holiday to help

drum a little bit of drum up a little bit of recruitment for doctors and nurses uk health and nurses in our uk health and social care sector. now comes social care sector. now it comes amidst staffing crisis in amidst the staffing crisis in the october a leading the nhs in october a leading social charity, responded social care charity, responded or i should say, the or reported, i should say, the rate vacancies in the sector rate of vacancies in the sector we have 165,000 unfilled post it fascinating when you compare that number to the number people who of course decided that they were going to walk out of that because they couldn't keep their jobs didn't. you know jobs if they didn't. you know what all told, steve, what we were all told, steve, the pandemic but go as the pandemic but they we go as an emerging sea waiting times aren't showing any signs of improvements reports improvements either new. reports suggest half of suggest that more than half of patients more 4 hours to patients waited more 4 hours to be seen. so that's your a&e and with some waiting 10 hours or more. in fact, i've just clicked to an article here. i did that in the which shows that around 18 or so nhs strikes forced now thousands to wait 18 months for surgery . so that thousands to wait 18 months for surgery. so that is thousands to wait 18 months for surgery . so that is supposedly surgery. so that is supposedly this is, by the way, in the independent, which is, you know,

quite left leaning. that's a nhs are for say nothing else. i say this the strike so that we go and of course there's no quick stitch up job in sight. let's speak the independent, speak now to the independent, not independence, not the independence, just independent and, independent statistician and, former head of health analysis at the jeremy jenkins. at the as is jeremy jenkins. jamie, thank very much great to have you on the show. first and foremost, mean , the waiting foremost, i mean, the waiting times and length of time, people are having to wait both in a&e and for routine surgery . i mean, and for routine surgery. i mean, let's be honest with you, is being made catastrophically worse by this strike action, isn't no. patrick is being isn't it? no. patrick is being made by words, by the strike action. you can't divorce fact that, you know, if you look at some the ambulance response times they hit record levels in december. that's at a time when the ambulance workers were on strike. look at the data strike. and you look at the data that published every month, that is published every month, there's a target. you get about 95% of patients who if you go into a&e, 95% of the patients to be seen within hours. and you've got some cross across the country where no , you've got country where no, you've got over 50% of patients are not

being seen . the 4 hours and then being seen. the 4 hours and then way way off these targets you have got a postcode lottery across some areas across the country, some areas performing much better than others. but you know pretty it's bad out there at the moment. patrick and we do know because you think, okay, well, take a little bit longer to see what's the that. what we the problem with that. what we do there are many do know is there are many researchers done the years researchers done over the years that that when you get that shows that when you get those delays and see in somebody when you to the hospital you when you go to the hospital you know, those could be the know, those 4 hours could be the difference between life and difference then between life and death for people, because death for some people, because we elevated risk of we do see an elevated risk of death these delays death when you have these delays in system , strikes won't in the system, strikes won't be helping. obviously all these helping. and obviously all these vacancies, i think you talk vacancies, i think you just talk about going india to try about going to india to try and recruit vacancy recruit people yeah the vacancy you know they won't be helping the matter as well. no indeed. and when look at the care sector just in isolation , so not people just in isolation, so not people just in isolation, so not people just working .asfrontline a&e just working .as frontline a&e doctors or nurses what happens if people in the care sector quite often they are paid less than your average nurse or your

average certainly average doctor . they, i note, are not out on strike. but we do have vacancies and we had a lot of staff who were dismissed as a result of getting the covid vaccine, etc. so there was that element to it. it's also an incredibly stressful job. do we need to go to india to entice people to work in it, or should we just sell it better to people who are already here? well, i think we're probably a mixture of both on this, patrick. right. so we saw about 40,000 workers lose jobs in the pandemic because of the kind of the vaccine mandate that they had to have the vaccine to continue in the sector. but that's still only a 10th in terms of the 165,000 vacancies. and you got to remember as well, is that the problem with the social care vacancies is having an impact on the nhs as well because many beds you've got patients in beds, you know the figures over the winter have running the winter have been running about 13,000 patients fit to leave hospital for a lack of those staff the community in those staff in the community in the kind of area means they

the care kind of area means they can't discharged. so the can't be discharged. so the ambulance they can't ambulance is turn up they can't go where they got an emergency call because they've got a patient stuck in the hospital. so what we've got here, patrick? we've got an ageing population across country we know that, across the country we know that, but it's not news story. this, but it's not a news story. this, this is a population ageing thing that you could have planned 20, 30 years planned this. ten, 20, 30 years ago. just at the ago. you just at the demographics of the population. so planning has gone so a lack of planning has gone in. pay relatively low, in. the pay is relatively low, so more needs to be done so maybe more needs to be done there. successive there. but successive governments, patrick i've been looking of the looking at the funding of the social sector they're social care sector and they're always kicking it down the can because when it comes to problems asking more and more people more it, it's not people to more into it, it's not a winner. so that's big a vote winner. so that's the big problem. to get more problem. they need to get more people and they are going people in and they are going abroad to try and get people in. but what i don't understand is the sends people over to the nhs sends people over to india to go and sell a wonderful . can you look at the benefits that you can have from working in our nhs? whatever they say they people in they are and then people in india turn on the news they india turn on the news and they see lines

see nurses on picket lines saying i'm going to food banks. they see patients queuing they see that patients queuing up ambulances hospitals up ambulances outside hospitals read got near record read that we've got near record of a&e times , everyone of a&e waiting times, everyone saying face hinckley. in a nutshell, i think a lot of medical are actually saying this, which is i regret the career choice that i made and now i'm striking about it. so why should someone from india come and work over here now, a fair point, but what some of the nhs are is more to do . nhs are saying is more to do. the fact that they're overworked because haven't enough because, they haven't got enough staff now what you'll find if you do can recruit, say, places like india, the wage differences for some of those people they may come over for short period of might not come over of time they might not come over and live here permanently. you know, you can build up quite a lot wages the uk because you lot of wages the uk because you know, in know, relatively the wages in the better them than the uk are much better them than what get in india. i can what you get in india. i can imagine patrick as well, they're not going to be going over there. are going there. show him people are going on that a issue on strike. but that is a issue that i think the big that you saw. i think the big thing for me now, jeremy, thing for me right now, jeremy, is saying that the nhs is going to have workforce. he was the

to have a workforce. he was the secretary of for state a long time. haven't proper time. we haven't had a proper workforce aren't we workforce plan. why aren't we training enough nurses and doctors in country places doctors in this country places so need recruit so that we don't need to recruit from we were to recruit from abroad? we were to recruit from abroad? we were to recruit from because of lack from abroad now because of lack of this government of planning of this government and previous government and the previous government before i'm personally before that, i'm not personally i couldn't to hopes about i couldn't give to hopes about the nationality of an individual who wants to to make my who wants to try to make my better or my grandmother's health better or whatever. but my it points to my concern is that it points to a wider problem, which is that we aren't being able to we clearly aren't being able to get who are already get people who are already living to work in living here to want to work in our and having a chat our nhs. and i was having a chat with colleagues about this with some colleagues about this on they were on actually and they were saying, well i support what i mean nhs isn't doing mean the nhs isn't doing a little great because even the managers the are saying managers in the nhs are saying that absolutely knackered. that it's absolutely knackered. but be but then the argument would be well, job nhs well, it's not the job of nhs staff to it seem appealing. staff to make it seem appealing. if one of your big problems working in the nhs is that you're telling us that can't you're telling us that you can't get staff and you haven't get enough staff and you haven't got staff, well, you're got enough staff, well, you're also with your flock was telling people work people that you shouldn't work in because in this organisation because it will ruin life

will essentially ruin your life and leave in poverty. i and leave you in poverty. i suppose. there you thank you suppose. there you go. thank you very, but to be on very, very much. but to be on the as thanks. the show, as always, thanks. jeremy independent jeremy jenkins, an independent statistician and former head of health at that's just health analysis at that's just reacting initially. the fact that got he has, that we've got yes, he has, again, massive times in and a half waiting more than half of people waiting more than 4 some people waiting 10 4 hours, some people waiting 10 hours. also, of course, not having to go to india to recruit, a sun recruit, but moving on a sun newspaper exclusive come reveal that energy firm utility that the energy firm utility warehouse flew . 100 of its warehouse flew. 100 of its agents to a £600 a night resort in the old days for eight days as part of a reward for signing up new customers. so great i think he's brilliant. the group of representative just arrived in the indian ocean paradise tuesday and were allegedly seen handing business cards in handing out business cards in the will be weighed if the sunshine will be weighed if they all together, but they all work together, but there but the has there we go. but the jolly has caused outrage. campaigners caused outrage. some campaigners and of mps as millions and a number of mps as millions back is struggling with back home is struggling with soaring and worry about soaring bills and worry about putting we putting the heating. we did reach out you to see they reach out to you to see they haven't responded . shed some haven't responded. shed some light this. i'm joined now by

light on this. i'm joined now by end fuel poverty campaigner. it's time francis simon thank you very much. what is wrong about a business that's doing well , treating its employees to well, treating its employees to a nice, jolly up in the old age ? if this was a business that was doing well and by its customers, then sure, any business can reward it. stop incentivise its staff and ensure can try and keep the best staff that they can possibly get. the this is a company that has got three weaknesses been identified by ofgem. an independent report into its practises around supporting the most vulnerable people , around helping people in people, around helping people in debt and around customer service. was fined one and a half million pounds just a couple of years ago because of its treatment of people experiencing hardship . and so it experiencing hardship. and so it is not a company that is entirely blameless in this current crisis that we've got with energy . well, if it can't with energy. well, if it can't keep staff happy, simon, they leave and then they'll just be like nhs all over again. we're

all over words all to pay the pay all over words all to pay the pay and working conditions are a shock and here we go. we've got a company that's pretty pay its employees quite well. it's decided to give them incredible working at least working conditions, at least for a but we a week in the maldives. but we can't that either, can we? i think at the moment has to be a level of self—reflection from these energy firms that they are making millions pounds off the backs of people who are older , backs of people who are older, are elderly, who have got young children in the household, who are disabled, who can't keep their warm, know these are their homes warm, know these are their homes warm, know these are the things, you know, not the same things, you know, not necessarily one necessarily this one in particular, but the same particular, but it's the same industry which been breaking industry which has been breaking into people's homes to fit more expensive pre—payment because they lot of money they are making a lot of money off just the kind of the off not just the kind of the bills that we pay you you sign them they pay probably a huge amounts tax and apparently they that they hadn't done enough help customers they paid that they hadn't done enough help customers they pai d £1.5 help customers they paid £1.5 million to ofgem's voluntary fund.cani million to ofgem's voluntary

fund. can i be honest with you. are you just jealous that stuff went to the maldives ? no. that went to the maldives? no. that a fine. that wasn't very involvement in some money to the good of the nation. they were fine . not fulfilling their fine. not fulfilling their licence . that's the reality of licence. that's the reality of that. and as we said with the other firms they are all part of the energy system which causing these high prices . we know that these high prices. we know that it is difficult for energy firms to make money from the retail business clearly doing all right at that side of things but that is what is partly out. the pfices is what is partly out. the prices that everyone is paying . prices that everyone is paying. that's why the government's having to bail out households with the energy price guarantee . the whole system is broken that. it's making all this money and to these excess and able to make these excess profit loss. are people are profit loss. are people who are able keep warm. so what able to keep warm. so what should they do? what should they should they do? what should they should a company? who in particular time benefits as a result of geopolitical factors? the way out of its control deliver really not make as much

money as it can for the sake of you and me. do they have that obugafion you and me. do they have that obligation really ? i think when obligation really? i think when they're a public utility, i mean, if this was, you know, a firm that was was was offering some kind of consumer goods or something like that, then , you something like that, then, you know, they obviously have a lot more. but we have people need to live and to work and to stay healthy and are profiting off that not because of the geopolitical situation, but because that , you know, a lot of because that, you know, a lot of these firms are involved in in these firms are involved in in the trading of energy. so unit of energy was eight different companies between where it's produced and getting into . produced and getting into. you'll get all of those companies making that little bit thatis companies making that little bit that is adding to the unaffordability of energy at the moment for most and i think a huge amount to treasury in tax isn't . well but then the isn't. well but then the treasury is also having then pay back to the same firms to

subsidise the cost of energy for everyone because it's simply unaffordable . so yes, they might unaffordable. so yes, they might be paying , but they're also be paying, but they're also receiving amounts of government subsidy because they can charge the full weight of the ofgem price , which is different to price, which is different to what the price guarantee which we pay the government is making. yes is that not a political problem? and not the fault of this particular energy company mean if someone goes, you go is a handout you put it, take it, wouldn't you? i mean, it's the fault of energy system, the fault of the energy system, the system in this system that we have in this allows firms to make huge allows these firms to make huge amounts of bills that are expense they're receiving money from the government, as well as saying that give back. at saying that they give back. at the time, they chose the the same time, they chose the mess we're in with the mess that we're in with the energy market and the whole is in total reform. so in need of total reform. so nationalisation , i know there's nationalisation, i know there's lots of ways that you could reform energy market without resorting to nationalise . what resorting to nationalise. what do you know or? do you. sorry. would you nationalise? i don't . would you nationalise? i don't. it's necessary at the moment. i

think there's ways that you can reform the markets unblinking. the cost of electricity to the cost of gas, those ensuring that we can benefit cheap. we do. there's ways you can introduce a social which enables social tariff which enables people more vulnerable people who are more vulnerable to a little bit less of to pay a little bit less of their energy. there's lots of different ideas out there. our woke . okay. a of people woke. okay. a lot of people might be sounding a might be sounding sounds a lot like rampant socialism to me but people within their people are well within their right they want. right to whatever they want. simon you. for simon thank you. for which i must have enjoyed that. thanks for coming out. simon for is that and fuel poverty that is and fuel poverty coalition campaigning the coalition campaigning now by the way people way i do understand the people out are struggling, out there who are struggling, the sending a load of the optics of sending a load of employees the maldives for a employees to the maldives for a massive jolly at the price of massive jolly up at the price of paying, massive jolly up at the price of paying, understand all paying, etc. i do understand all of but i also think that of that. but i also think that companies be to spend companies be allowed to spend a bit money on staff to bit of money on their staff to their staff happy. anyway, those of been getting touch of have been getting in touch with thoughts on. the uk with your thoughts on. the uk spending 50 million its spending 50 million quid of its foreign china that foreign aid budget. china that was the was back in 2021. why the foreign we're having foreign aid chat we're having around this show now which is so we be sending money abroad we be sending any money abroad should charity starts at home is there ground

there obviously a middle ground anyway? sending anyway? why are we sending foreign this is from john. foreign aid? this is from john. john we sending john says, why are we sending foreign to second foreign aid to the second largest in the world? largest economy in the world? the could invest into the amount we could invest into infrastructure, the amount we could invest into infrast benefit and look at would benefit so and look at that. we don't match up on that it well run fuel poverty. it may as well run fuel poverty. now i mean, this is it. we seem to have to give to and to have money to give to and sundry all around world for sundry all around the world for the benefit, soft and the benefit, soft power and all of this stuff and we have people here really, here who are really, really struggling. we people here like the nurses. john goes on to mention, keep about mention, i always keep on about this, not sorry. this, but i'm not sorry. homeless military veterans. veterans catastrophic veterans have catastrophic mental health veterans who really, really struggle with daily life with addiction problems all of this stuff. problems and all of this stuff. and don't seem to be and they don't seem to be getting and yet we getting any help. and yet we have of the in the have all of the money in the world give to absent nearly world to give to absent nearly every corner the every single corner of the world. paul whoever comes world. paul says whoever comes up stuff send this up with this stuff send all this aid abroad. it makes them feel good, but it's their money. well, your money, isn't it? well, it's your money, isn't it? and know the people go, well, and i know the people go, well, it's 0.5% of gdp. yes it's only 0.5% of gdp. yes i know that and i know that 50

million quid is not a huge amount, the grand scheme of things. john but, it is still 50 million quid. that would be a huge amount for plenty of people and communities this and communities living in this country gb country who are struggling gb views or gb news dot uk. keep your views coming in now. moving on. it said to be the most on. it is said to be the most romantic time of the but valentine's day divides. for some painful reminder of some it's a painful reminder of the difficult and fruitless search for love for others. wow all too happy to buy a car and some flowers and show some affection their nearest and affection for their nearest and so is 14th february so is the 14th of february really celebrating ? really worth celebrating? joining journalist and joining me is journalist and broadcaster who is broadcaster sam dowler who is there yes. good so some there now. yes. good so some valentine's , by the way, thanks valentine's, by the way, thanks to the count . appreciate it. and to the count. appreciate it. and good stuff. yes. no do do you celebrate valentine's day? what you be do do you think it's a good thing? well, i mean, the thing like, do we celebrate valentine's day? i mean, do you know anybody that goes, oh, i can't wait for valentine's day this year. it is mean. i'm in a relationship, but i mean he's not in the slightest bit romantic . i

not in the slightest bit romantic. i think he is something that i'm obviously you the card shops in the prison shops want us to buy balloons and, teddies and chocolates. naughty, naughty dog. and with the risk of sounding sexist, i think you know, i think if you if you're in a straight relationship to the female partner, i would prefer to get flowers . and i would say to the flowers. and i would say to the male partner , i would rather male partner, i would rather just do without it altogether . i just do without it altogether. i just do without it altogether. i just think i just think , you just think i just think, you know, unless and so unless, of course he going to get course he was going to get something of it the end something out of it at the end of the but i'm not i think of the day. but i'm not i think it's a cooperation mad idea. i was worried for a second when you speculating about you started speculating about what partner might what the male partner might want for . but we'll leave for valentine's. but we'll leave that. on that that. we'll leave that on that now but seriously you now but but seriously you miserable so this is just an excuse this is just an excuse to tell you apart that you love them and have a cuddle and i love actually on a sunday what's wrong with that . yeah i that but wrong with that. yeah i that but i mean if you have a great relationship you pretty much should do that all year round. i say i think if you i think if

you relying on valentine's sex be told that your partner loves you that is going wrong that but i just think you know, you that is going wrong that but ijust think you know, i think i just i think you know, i think i just i think you know, i think i think it's bit syrupy. i think it's a bit syrupy. i think it's quite simply as stephanie followed from know stephanie followed up from know from just i just from america, i just i just don't it. mean, i don't don't like it. i mean, i don't like i like mother's day or father's day either. i like if you i think someone i without a mother without a father or mother or without a father or without partner. what what do without a partner. what what do you what do you think i'd be like? oh know. happy valentine's day. may you know or like go to like a singles etc. like a singles night, etc. i think it does is up making think all it does is up making people worse. i that they people feel worse. i that they didn't upon i didn't didn't either upon i didn't recognise didn't recognise recognise they didn't recognise it they have a partner it enough or they have a partner at don't it works at all. i don't think it works out well for anybody. yeah, i can what you're saying. okay can get what you're saying. okay i can get what you say. i'll have this beautiful idea of your partner coming of partner coming with a load of blue and like a meal style restaurant, some flowers a weekend away. and you've been on national television going, i think you'd love it then you'd love . oh he he woke me up this

love. oh he he woke me up this morning at 9:00 in the morning with a homemade card and. that was it. so we blessed for that. but that was all right. some lovely always a pleasure. lovely stuff. always a pleasure. thank down to that thank you. i'm down to that and talking bleak talking about how bleak valentine's be apparently valentine's can be apparently always patrick christys. always me patrick christys. look, i've got loads your look, i've got loads coming your way all about foreign way and it's all about foreign aid. we start? charity aid. shall we start? charity vaiews@gbnews.uk your vaiews@gbnews.uk now is your weather . hello, vaiews@gbnews.uk now is your weather. hello, i'm aidan mcgivern from the met office. it's not particularly like out there. almost feels spring with sunny spells a very mild conditions although towards the northwest cloudier conditions conditions although towards the nort avest cloudier conditions conditions although towards the nort a few cloudier conditions conditions although towards the nort a few showers conditions conditions although towards the nort a few showers ahead ons conditions although towards the nort a few showers ahead ofs conditions although towards the nort a few showers ahead of these and a few showers ahead of these weather fronts. but these weather fronts. but these weather fronts. but these weather fronts are approaching behind this , drawn up from behind this, drawn up from north—west africa. it contains some dust, actually some saharan dust there, making the sun set quite vivid across some western parts of the uk but through the evening, under the clear spells, actually a few fog patches forming in the south and south—east, a bit more patchy compared with last night's clear spells for much of wales, eastern scotland as well . eastern scotland as well. western scotland, northern ireland. we've got cloud, wind

and rain moving in six and seven celsius in the north—west temperatures dipping close to zero across central and eastern parts of the uk with those fog patches eventually clearing through the morning on wednesday. then sunny spells ahead of the cloud rain that's moving from the west. the rain as it scotland and northern ireland peters out. it pushes into central parts of england by the afternoon only as a spell of on and off light rain ahead of that 16 celsius possible towards . the southeast behind that fresher conditions some sunny spells but also blustery showers for scotland and some more persistent pushing into northern ireland by the of the day that damp weather into wales in the southwest moderate bursts of rain associated it as well and by the end of the night on wednesday nights extensive for england wales southern scotland and northern ireland outbreaks rain but it is going to be a mild start to thursday that is from the north of scotland where there will be a touch frost and some clear spells through

thursday. the rest of the uk. well it's dull and damp a lot of low cloud in places , some low cloud in places, some drizzly conditions . later drizzly conditions. later thursday the winds really pick up especially across northern parts of the uk risk of gales. at first on friday, clearing away by the weekend .

hello wonderful people it's 5:00 here with me patrick christys right here on gb news with you for the next hour. so lots to get through foreign aid. do we show the world how and money or should charity start right at home? this debate has been wide open yet again because some politicians are calling for to us sending foreign aid to china. we've sent them hundreds of millions of pounds. why? when we

have starving people right here and have a space program, etc, etc. one place that we spend more money is on our own national defence. that's we got started and everyone else, they need some cash. apparently greece and even lithuania are spending a higher percentage of gdp on their own . i'm own gdp on their own. i'm own defence secretary is desperately rattling the cans again 11 billion quid more in funding needs. billion quid more in funding needs . joe is warning us that we needs. joe is warning us that we don't have enough. so just as reports that we don't have enough bullets and are living in terrible conditions , should we terrible conditions, should we be upping our defence budget ? be upping our defence budget? the nhs they started a recruitment drive in india . recruitment drive in india. given all the strikes and complaints about our nhs, i do wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to come and work it. but there we go. hopefully we find a few people. should we can find a few people. should we can find a few people. should we people who are we be training people who are already head out? and is he unfair to other countries? india if act as kind of brain drain if we act as kind of brain drain and of top and swallow up of that top medical talent , could they make medical talent, could they make more difference by home? more of a difference by home? and course, yes . can't forget

and of course, yes. can't forget we unless of course you did . in we unless of course you did. in which case i'll go rest your soul. but it's valentine's day. and is it just a big con? is it just a big con? get us all spending money on chocolates, flowers pretend to love each other, who's a beautiful celebration of human underrate you're wonderful, tender gets in touch gb views a tv ads .uk well, they were all on foreign aid i think also what do you the valentine's day okay so should we be sending out loads of money in foreign aid? what do you receive for valentine's day? gb views gb news .uk i think that that guidelines . just after that was guidelines. just after 5:00. your latest news from the gb newsroom and two serving police officers will face misconduct cases over the way they handle reports . former met they handle reports. former met officer wayne cousins indecent exposure. the independent office for police conduct says the cases involve a met police and a

kent police . cousins is kent police. cousins is currently in prison for murdering sarah has admitted three counts of indecent exposure , one of which was exposure, one of which was committed four days before her death . the northern assembly has death. the northern assembly has failed to elect a speaker today to enable the crisis hit devolved government to resume business. the dup has vetoed the election again during sitting this afternoon and. that means no further business be conducted. it's demanding decisive action on removing economic barriers on trade between . great britain and between. great britain and northern ireland. negotiations between the uk and the eu to resolve differences over the northern ireland protocol are continuing . now. millions of continuing. now. millions of households are facing an increase in their council tax from april . research by the from april. research by the county council's says three quarters of councils in england are planning a 5% hike. that's the maximum allowed without need for a local referendum and it

adds around for a local referendum and it adds aroun d £100 a year to bills adds around £100 a year to bills for average band d properties . for average band d properties. local authorities say they have little choice but to raise the council tax rates in order to protect local services . protect local services. university staff are the first of three days of walkouts this threatening disruption at 150 universities. around 70,000 members of the university of college union are on the picket lines in an ongoing dispute over . pay, pensions and working conditions . civil servants are conditions. civil servants are also striking this week, including staff at department for work and pensions and the white house says no group or individual come forward to claim responsibility for the recent unidentified shot down over nonh unidentified shot down over north america . it said there's north america. it said there's been no indication they were part of china's spy program . part of china's spy program. meanwhile us military says it's recovered significant debris from the site of the suspected

chinese spy balloon brought down off the coast carolina ten days ago. beijing has denied the object is part of their government's spy program . nato government's spy program. nato defence ministers are discussing support for in brussels, including the possible supply of fighter jets to kyiv. including the possible supply of fighterjets to kyiv. it including the possible supply of fighter jets to kyiv. it comes after the alliance warned we're already seeing a fresh russian offensive in ukraine with the kremlin claiming the nato is more and more involved dragging out the conflict. meanwhile government's announced a national one minute's silence be held on the 24th of february to mark the first anniversary of the invasion. nato's secretary—general says they'll do all they can to help the war torn country. we need to need to ensure that ukraine gets the weapons it needs to be able to retake territory liberate their lands and win this war and as a sovereign, independent nation .

sovereign, independent nation. detectives looking into the murder of briana gay in cheshire say they're investigating whether not it was a hate crime . the 16 year old who was a trans gender girl was fatally in culture last saturday. a boy and a girl aged 15 have been arrested on suspicion of murder . police have been granted an extra 30 hours to question them and a 22 year old man is in a critical condition. a machete attack at a pub in east london. authorities were called to the duke pub in walthamstow where three men were found with stab wounds inside the pub and a fourth was found nearby . three fourth was found nearby. three of the men, aged between 27 and 42, are stable in hospital. police believe the attack targeted, but no arrests have yet been made uk. targeted, but no arrests have yet been made uk . charities and yet been made uk. charities and organisations are to send emergency supplies worth more than emergency supplies worth more tha n £350,000 to turkey. eight than £350,000 to turkey. eight days after a devastating earthquake struck there. and in

northern syria. at least six survivors have been rescued from the rubble today in turkey as the rubble today in turkey as the number of people that have died in the disaster surpasses 37,000. earlier syria's president told the un he'll open two more border crossings so emergency aid can enter from neighbouring turkey for an initial three month period. many syrians have expressed anger over the of aid reaching opposition controlled areas and the un secretary general antonio guterres has called man made obstacles to be removed and they have an urgent message to the international community the human suffering from this natural disaster should not be made even worse by manmade . made even worse by manmade. access funding supplies . aid access funding supplies. aid must . get through from all sides must. get through from all sides to all sides through . all routes to all sides through. all routes without restrictions and is say the king has been meeting volunteer hours from the uk's

turkish community have been sending aid to home in the wake of last week's . king visited of last week's. king visited a west london charity . see the west london charity. see the efforts of residents working to help those left homeless in turkey and, syria. he told them how deeply sorry he was and dufing how deeply sorry he was and during his visit, the king also given turkish tea taste. as well as making a brief stop out of there by it was gb news news as it happens. now back to . it happens. now back to. patrick okay , ladies and gentlemen, two okay, ladies and gentlemen, two places for us to start this particular hour. it's basically foreign aid and national defence. all rolled into one. i'm just right now, she said. the romanian air force has had to two of its fast jets . a to two of its fast jets. a weather balloon like object was detected its airspace. now that's to according country's

minister of defence. and yes , minister of defence. and yes, the two mig 21 jets was scrambled to the area southeast romania early this afternoon , 10 romania early this afternoon, 10 minutes after the object was sighted. basically does come amid a backdrop. course , say amid a backdrop. of course, say of international of increase international insecurity. and china is now been embroiled in a diplomatic spat. the us, they've had four balloons that we all know story. we've banging on about it we've been banging on about it for in light of for the ages. but in light of china allegedly behaving like this . back china allegedly behaving like this. back here in britain, senior mp have called on the uk to stop sending foreign to china as western agencies discuss the threat of all of these objects on its of a much wider discussion forum which i think is good to have every now and again which about foreign aid in general. we sent china something like 50 million quid in 2021 years previous we sent them 30 odd million. it's the things like business like setting up business development or you know just run a wishy washy talked about oh here's some to china basically what do we actually get out of it should china as a massive economy with the program and clearly not the best will

towards the western world would seem should we be sending them any money but also else? any money at all but also else? where charity be? at where should charity be? at home. we are spending a huge amount, of course, on the small boats in migrant. boats crisis in the migrant. some that out of our some of that comes out of our aid budget. we do also decide to send our money, those send some of our money, those gentlemen, some pretty weird projects we sent them to in the past. i'm going to rattle off this list again. we sen t £25 this list again. we sent £25 million for kenyan rainmakers who want chance and think they can predict the weather supposedly , nigeria, 11.3 supposedly, nigeria, 11.3 million quid on solar panels. we did also fund oil industry to the tune of nearly million, so one cancels out the other in a big way that the ethiopian spice girls received few million quid. i why not everyone else is i mean, why not everyone else is out our largest out there and our largest recipients foreign aid is recipients of foreign aid is afghanistan is afghanistan, which of course, is run very much so by the actual taliban . so there you go. some taliban. so there you go. some of our money being to all the nefarious places that joining me now gb news is political now is gb news is political reporter olivia. olivia when it comes initially i what comes to china initially i what mp would really up and say oh

you know what i think we should definitely now be money apart from barry gardiner presented and should be sending money china they do not wish as well well. yeah i mean that would be very it would be a brave mp who would stand up and actually say we be spending more of our money on china. the argument behind chinese aid is that there are plenty of these international projects which aimed at, for example , reducing china's carbon example, reducing china's carbon and britain . the argument is it and britain. the argument is it has a duty to give to that because any changes we make to our own carbon are a drop in the ocean compared to china. so it's a bit of money. please stop ruining the ozone, essentially. yes and this sort of big international projects. the other argument, which is perhaps a little bit more compelling, is that although china's gdp is very large and it's one of the wealthiest economies in the world, there is a lot of poverty in china because that gdp isn't

equally at all. and in rural of china, some of the places where where the money from these projects is going to there is real poverty. but whether money that's sending to china is actually reaching those people is another story. and conservative china hawks who pretty and vocal at the moment would argue that it says we're going to do the defence on glenn and we supposedly want around 11 and we supposedly want around 11 and a half billion quid added to our defence budget because well frankly we might need it the way the world's going at the moment. but one of the other stories we'll about lot, it's we'll be talking about lot, it's about tax rises now about council tax rises now bear with this places like with me on this places like slough, example, are going slough, for example, are going to raise council tax. would to raise council tax. they would have by around have pay reportedly by around 10. in mind, they're 10. bear in mind, they're already massively in debt , already massively in debt, supposedly anyway, in councils at woking at £1.7 billion in debt. and the british taxpayer poorest people out there are asked now to pay more money in council tax . why on earth are we council tax. why on earth are we sending of this money that could

be spent places like slough or wherever ? why are we sending it wherever? why are we sending it to afghanistan ? well, the to afghanistan? well, the argument in afghanistan is obviously that since the taliban over there are parts of afghanistan, which have descended into know abject poverty and there are women in afghanistan who would have been able to access higher education, pre taliban times not able to now and you know, there is an argument that it's our international duty help those most in need washing our hands of them because . the taliban has of them because. the taliban has taken over isn't the right to do. on the other hand, you then get to the argument of, you know, some these projects which sensibly independent from the taliban government probably aren't really independent at all. so is the money getting to the right place. and that's a very delicate balance that the department for international has to look into every time it commits to a project . it's commits to a project. it's worthwhile saying there are a foreign aid budget somewhere in the region of around 40, you know, 15 billion quid, i think isn't it and it was originally

around 0.7% of our gdp. that's now around 0.5, 0.4. it was a bit of a hoo ha when we were talking about reducing it and then not reinstating it. so that's the lay of the land at the moment. olivia thank you very much. olivia utley that just of the initial just wasn't some of the initial lines. the basic hook for lines. so the basic hook for this we stop giving this that should we stop giving foreign to countries china foreign aid to countries china loads been in on loads of you have been in on this gbviews@gbnews.uk and overwhelming theme of your emails like lens for example, is you have a space program in a nuclear program. we shouldn't be paying nuclear program. we shouldn't be paying foreign aid. and i find that quite hard to argue especially when comes especially when it comes to giving places like giving money to places like china we think china where even if we think we're giving it to some lovely fluffy that's to go fluffy ngo that's going to go in, can it orphan and toss in, how can it orphan and toss a few quid? well, realistically, how do we know that it's not getting into the hands of the chinese and used chinese communist and being used for whatever? backdrop of for whatever? on the backdrop of foreign is also foreign aid there is also now this big over our defence this big row over our defence spending . and ben wallace, the spending. and ben wallace, the defence secretary , is attempting defence secretary, is attempting to around defence secretary, is attempting to secure aroun d £11 billion to to secure around £11 billion to bolster little pot that we

bolster the little pot that we have at the moment. joining now is professor michael clarke, former director general of royal united services institute . you united services institute. you very much. great to have you on the. hugely concerned light the. i'm hugely concerned light of what we've just been talking about about things like about there about things like this. military veterans this. now for military veterans , it would seem in some cases, but we do have homes for people who may be cross in a boat across the channel, but in a more serving settings now more active serving settings now , well prepared is our , how well prepared is our military? an extra 11 military? do need an extra 11 and half billion quid for it. and a half billion quid for it. well our military can go and do things so. it can go on expeditions can operate, but you have to put the whole train set together and go off and either be capable of fighting a war or look as if you're capable of fighting a war. then the answer is no, can't do it. and the what ben wallace is talking about, you remember this, is ahead of the budget on the 15th of march. so quite a lot of whitehall politics behind all of this. but unless mod gets those sorts unless the mod gets those sorts of amounts of money, it can't

actually plug the holes in things like support and ammunition and backup . and so ammunition and backup. and so we've got very good equipment, but in very, very small numbers. we've got very well troops. it will run out of ammunition a week. so if the whole trains that to a war else in that went to fight a war else in the world, it would . right. and the world, it would. right. and that obviously absolutely shocking . however, is this just shocking. however, is this just another stunning lack of foresight because for years now, it seems , is that we've been it seems, is that we've been chipping away at our own military, putting a lot of our in the big nuclear basket and, lo and behold, something that looks a bit like a conventional war kicks and we're not going away . well, the what the away. well, the what the ministry of defence would say is you've got to be prepared to do everything so mod would argue that we have to have a nuclear deterrent that is our deterrent because that is our ultimate that would ultimate guarantee that we would not invaded . but if you want not be invaded. but if you want a force which the rest of the world as useful and can world regards as useful and can serve the interest the country take on the king's enemies, then you've got to pay for that as

well. and what the a sense the issue is the government keeps making claims that we're a major force in european security. we're second only to the united states in europe we can do this, we can that. and answer is we can do that. and answer is don't keep claiming that you don't keep claiming that if you can't if we're not can't do it, if we're not prepared pay to do it, if the prepared to pay to do it, if the if public really don't want to spend more money on, then stop saying that. we can do things that do. i'm that we actually can't do. i'm going it's and going to think it's not and that's what people like me that's what winds people like me up my which is i really don't think it's the british public going oh for example going oh i'm for example let's put we had a binary put it this way we had a binary vote is we've got 15 vote on this is we've got 15 billion quid as a nation. do you want to spend that in foreign aid or do you want to spend especially in the current climate on our own military ? i climate on our own military? i would suspect that the military would suspect that the military would win. michael you quite likely the thing is the public have never been asked. i mean politicians assume that the pubuc politicians assume that the public have no appetite to more than 2% of our gdp on defence

and in every election defence deau and in every election defence dealt with as a sort of fifth and sixth priority in an election campaign of 21 days, normally half a day is spent by either party talking about defence. they talk about and then they move on. and so nobody has actually seriously asked the pubuc has actually seriously asked the public how much they think they should sacrifice for defence at a time when our neighbourhood in europe is getting very dangerous. i find it fascinating though, isn't it? because what is a trident political tactic in world over is when an election is up, there's some kind of all of sudden there's some kind of military crisis someone sends the troops into somewhere where there's of military there's a bit of military posturing in the posturing and does well in the polls. because people do polls. why? because people do want seem though they've want to seem as though they've got a strong military can't just ask you one one to finish ask you one quick one to finish please if all and please michael if all right. and it relation to rolling the it is in relation to rolling the foreign military foreign aid and the military stuff one but we do have stuff into one to but we do have a problem with homeless military veterans. i think the of veterans. i think the optics of hotel used asylum hotel being used for asylum seekers whilst got people who are streets who have are on the streets who have served country is a bad one.

should we be maybe some money, in your view, of fray in your view, out of the fray budget and it towards budget and putting it towards our it my own view is our veterans. it my own view is no the foreign aid budget trivial compared what we trivial compared to what we spend on everything and the spend on everything else and the foreign budget also gets us foreign aid budget also gets us a of diplomatic leverage in a lot of diplomatic leverage in other parts of world. it may other parts of the world. it may not be popular certain parts not be popular in certain parts of the uk, but it's very popular elsewhere. so my would elsewhere. so my argument would be aid is actually be the foreign aid is actually money spent because money quite well spent because we more for it than we give we get more for it than we give away. if we were giving 50 or 60 million in foreign billions in foreign aid. i would say that's probably we're probably too much. but we're not. it's billion, is not. it's 15 billion, which is actually bit. actually a very small bit. remember, we're spending 100 billion on hs2. i'm not going to say is not really important. i'm just very much , you know, and just very much, you know, and people like me quite often see areas have done today and we look have bit of a laugh. look we have a bit of a laugh. some of funny areas in which some of the funny areas in which foreign to some of foreign aid gone to and some of them hilarious. i mean, the them are hilarious. i mean, the ethiopian spice girls, for example, i that obviously example, i mean, that obviously bonkers. you look at bonkers. but when you look at it in grand of things, that in grand scheme of things, that was like two or 3

was something like two or 3 million quid and okay, i mean, i'd two or 3 million quid. i'd love two or 3 million quid. i'm would as well. i'm sure would as well. but a nafion i'm sure would as well. but a nation doesn't necessarily need. so view will the foreign nation doesn't necessarily need. so budgetw will the foreign nation doesn't necessarily need. so budget alone the foreign nation doesn't necessarily need. so budget alone stop,ie foreign nation doesn't necessarily need. so budget alone stop, wasting] aid budget alone stop, wasting money in other areas and put that towards people at haven't as basically. yeah as military basically. yeah correct and spend the defence budget differently so that you can really can get more for that you really need because at the moment we are stocks are war stocks our stocks for sustaining go and sustaining the forces to go and do what we say they have to do are so that nobody takes them seriously. and our don't seriously. and our allies don't take seriously anymore the america american really america our american really don't seriously as a don't take us seriously as a military player. but we keep saying we are, but actually we're not okay. right. look we're not okay. all right. look thank you very, very much. and it is professor michael clarke that former director general, the royal services . great the royal united services. great stuff fascinating, really stuff that fascinating, really especially to that all our especially to know that all our allies taking it allies aren't taking it seriously. want to be seriously. we don't want to be left, we? so maybe time left, do we? so maybe it's time to a bit money for our to give us a bit money for our defence budget. let's discuss foreign and defence spending foreign aid and defence spending now with nile gardiner, the director of the margaret thatcher freedom. thatcher centre for freedom. great stuff . of course, thatcher great stuff. of course, thatcher

was strong . it came to the was quite strong. it came to the military. what you think, what do you think thatcher would have done? to foreign aid, done? it comes to foreign aid, given current that we're in given the current that we're in at the minute . well, patrick, at the minute. well, patrick, thanks very much for coming on the show today. and i think the first is lady would first thing is that lady would be appalled by the be absolutely appalled by the fact the british government is giving money to china . this is giving money to china. this is absolutely insane. and i do hope the foreign sector is going to act very quickly to end this this nonsense , you know, giving this nonsense, you know, giving tens of millions pounds to britain's biggest adversary on, the world stage alongside russia of chinese communist party, basically , this is a this is the basically, this is a this is the height folly. and this really does have to end and i hope that the british government to act very swiftly to end sending a two to china. on the issue of defence spending . lady defence spending. lady thatcher's view was always that you need to increase spending. you need to make britain stronger . and i'm in no doubt stronger. and i'm in no doubt that she would supporting the

calls today from ben wallace. the defence secretary to increase uk defence spending. i think a good source of additional funding for the uk and defence be to move funds from . the foreign aid budget from. the foreign aid budget currently standing at £11 billion towards the defence budget. after all, ben wallace has called for an extra budget. after all, ben wallace has called for an extr a £11 has called for an extra £11 billion of funding the foreign budget stands at £11 billion. you could take most of that money put it towards britain's defence. these are dangerous , defence. these are dangerous, patrick and needs a stronger military on the world stage. is precedent a little bit too nice on the international circuit? we're giving 180 odd million apparently. anyway 2021 to afghanistan . well, i'm assuming afghanistan. well, i'm assuming a lot that finds its way into the arms of the taliban because they seem to control everything in afghanistan. i will be highly sceptical money that sceptical that the money that we've some of very we've given to some of very well—meaning child education and charity afghanistan has charity in afghanistan has decided actually, you know, decided to actually, you know, at gunpoint, to the at gunpoint, handing over to the evil rulers of country. and evil rulers of that country. and so those money to the

so we've got those money to the taliban. us giving to taliban. we've got us giving to various different outlets in, syria, of it goes to ngos syria, some of it goes to ngos and. all of that, but and. i get all of that, but we're giving it to like china. we been widely we know it's been widely reported that some of money reported that some of the money that get to certain groups that get sent to certain groups in finds its way into in pakistan finds its way into the of people who think the hands of people who i think would us off the would happily wipe us off the face are we doing ? face of the what are we doing? is it madness ? i think a lot of is it madness? i think a lot of it is a great deal of foreign aid. assistance is counterproductive it goes towards often dictatorial regimes. we simply do not have full accountability in terms how the british taxpayer pounds are actually spent . and i think that actually spent. and i think that , you know, spending huge amounts of money on foreign aid assistance is actually a monumental waste of wasted money. you should get the private sector to fund foreign aid assistance, invest government money in propping up and ensuring that britain has far stronger defence. actually, that's the money should be spent . i think the british public are

a generous lot. something like 60 million quid has already been raised to the relief fund for turkey in syria in the aftermath of these earthquakes . so that's of these earthquakes. so that's very generous. well, we're to know where that money is going. definitely, we can it we've dipped into our pockets done dipped into our pockets and done it. that when it. i resent the idea that when i look around and so much i look around and see so much wrong with this country and supposedly not enough money to sort especially it sort out, especially when it comes people who've already comes to people who've already served and lost served this nation and lost limbs damage mental. limbs and damage to mental. i resent that our pay resent the idea that our pay packet without having packet without me having any sound many take it sound whatsoever as many take it and given to various different groups and potentially even some as an example i rattled off earlier kenyan rainmakers who watch and tries to predict the weather. i mean, i could do without thank very without hope. thank you very much. thank. now, much. but no, thank. now, according the director of the according to the director of the metropolitan for metropolitan torture centre for freedom. on freedom. right, we're moving on people councils people because local councils are hike taxes for are planning to hike taxes for millions april as councillors millions. april as councillors across england aim to plug financial holes 133 local authorities are charged with social care duties are increasing their rates, with 80

full will charging up to 5% more. so a 5% rise would add if you're in band d okay, so you're in band d property, let's say that's 100 in band d property, let's say that's100 quid to your in band d property, let's say that's 100 quid to your average that's100 quid to your average council tax payment. they're saying got little choice but to do this because wasn't a financial mess. joining me now is vicki price, economic adviser at the centre economics and business research. you business research. thank you very much, vicki. the council say , they're economic say, they're in an economic mess. a mess? their own mess. is it a mess? their own making ? well, we have to making? well, we have to remember that during austerity years, when george osborne, of course, was chancellor of the exchequer council , council exchequer council, council outgoings , you like from the outgoings, you like from the government on the central government on the central government went very significantly in. some cases i think 30% below where there were before. so that's a very, very substantial cut that they had to endure over a period of time. so thatis endure over a period of time. so that is something they're trying to make up, if you like, for now. but also worth remembering that it's only of what they that it's only half of what they get, which comes from sources. the majority . well well, the majority. well well, certainly for a number of

council , 50% certainly for a number of council, 50% plus comes from council, 50% plus comes from council tax in terms of the revenues that they get they get something like 23% from business rates and the rest from central government. so have to if they want to keep the going within and of course increasing so significantly raise council taxes and what they've been to do now certainly for this forthcoming year is raise by 5% without having a referendum in their own local area . and so their own local area. and so they're going ahead and doing . they're going ahead and doing. but then i look at places like haringey, they spent but then i look at places like haringey, they spen t £180,000, haringey, they spent £180,000, supposedly , supposedly on supposedly, supposedly on changing a road sign , you know, changing a road sign, you know, and yet here we are now, the fair people of, haringey or any other part of the uk have a council tax increase and they have a right to say excuse. you won't absolutely . the cash here won't absolutely. the cash here on meaningless and you're still pleading poverty. i think there's always waste there's

wasted local government is waste central government as, we know. i think obviously what we want is to have local councils that are a bit more efficient and don't spend the type of money that they don't need to spend. you see an awful lot of work going around wherever you live, where on where you've wondering why on earth one necessarily earth is this one necessarily needed , but they have a care needed, but they do have a care duty of particularly so the social care side which they have to meet and what is happening actually is because they have spend money on looking after people in need . what they're people in need. what they're doing is they're cutting back quite a significant. yes, of course, there are some examples of perhaps waste, as you mentioned . but generally what mentioned. but generally what they're , they're cutting they're doing, they're cutting back the services that back on the normal services that everyone is expecting them to have. remember they're responsible for refuse collection . they're supposed to collection. they're supposed to the a considerable the parks to a considerable extent. libraries sort playgrounds. so there's a lot about the streets, of course . so about the streets, of course. so there is a lot to the need to do, which requires money, of course, just this insulation increase, which has been quite

significant for me respect significant for me with respect i just not understand how i just do not understand how places like woking borough council find themselves burdened . £1.7 billion in borrowing at a yearly debt service level of . £1.7 billion in borrowing at a yearly debt service level 0 f £56 yearly debt service level of £56 million. i mean if you or i did anything , i million. i mean if you or i did anything, i mean, it's almost the gdp of a small country. woking for goodness sake. i mean , i'll expect the streets to be paid. we go. vicky you very, very much. i'm to to very much. i'm going to have to leave there. but vicky price leave it there. but vicky price there, chief economic adviser at there, chief economic adviser at the centre for economics business research, apologies, the centre for economics businesof research, apologies, the centre for economics businesof qesearch,|\pologies, the centre for economics businesof?esearch,| actually;, people of woking. i actually do know you may know it's. lovely. but you may well to know that well be shocked to know that your council apparently as well that with debt . that it's riddled with debt. there you're with me. there we go. you're with me. patrick christys on gb news. coming up, two police officers. they facing cases they facing misconduct cases over reports, the over the handling reports, the indecent wayne indecent exposure. wayne cousins, of course, raped and cousins, he of course, raped and murdered brown in one of the most shocking cases certainly i've ever reported on. well, there's more to it, ladies . there's more to it, ladies. gentlemen, like you would not believe. i will have the latest

on that when i'm back .

the latest news headlines from gb newsroom. two serving police officers will face misconduct cases over the way they handled reports . indecent exposure by. reports. indecent exposure by. sarah everard's killer. the former met police officer, wayne cousins behind bars for murdering sarah everard and has admitted three counts of indecent exposure, one of which he committed just four days before her death . the before her death. the independent office for police says the new cases involve met police constable and a kent police constable and a kent police sergeant . the northern police sergeant. the northern ireland assembly has failed to elect a speaker to enable the crisis hit devolved government to resume business. the dup again blocked the election of a speaker during a recall sitting this afternoon. the party's

protesting about the northern ireland protocol . the white ireland protocol. the white house says no group individual has come forward to claim responsibility for. has come forward to claim responsibility for . the three responsibility for. the three recent unidentified objects shot down over the united . it said down over the united. it said there's been no indication they were part of china's program. meanwhile the us military says it's recovered significant debfis it's recovered significant debris from the site of the suspected chinese spy balloon brought down off the coast of south carolina ten days ago. beijing has denied the object was part of their government spy system and more than 41,000 people are now known to have died following earthquakes in southern turkey and. northern syria. uk charities and organisations are to send emergency supplies worth more than emergency supplies worth more tha n £350,000 to turkey. a after than £350,000 to turkey. a after the disaster and syria's president has told un he's going to open to more border crossings for an initial three month period. so emergency aid can

enter from turkey . and the king enter from turkey. and the king has been meeting volunteers . the has been meeting volunteers. the uk's turkish community who've been sending aid to their home country in syria in the wake of the earthquakes . king charles the earthquakes. king charles has visited a west london charity to see the efforts residents working to help those left homeless following the disaster. he told them how deeply sorry he was . those are deeply sorry he was. those are your latest news headlines. you are up to date on tv, online and dab radio are gb news back . dab radio are gb news back. at six? yes back, everybody. now i want to talk bit of chat about this because two police officers are facing misconduct charges over their handling reports of andy recent exposure by vince . having recent exposure by vince. having met police officer wayne cousins and yesterday cousins pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent exposure income between

november 2020 and february 2021. the also defended its decision to prosecute cousins after he'd been handed a whole life order for the rape and murder of sarah everett in march 2021. and that was the case particularly. i think we can all agree, was one of the worst cases that any of us ever really heard about and i was amazed when you look back at this council ago for the stuff that this guy done, how was allowed to go on and like that. and course, it culminated in and of course, it culminated in the sad loss of life from sarah. joining me peter kirkham, joining me now is peter kirkham, a senior investigating a former senior investigating officer. peter, you very officer. peter, thank you very much cousins clearly is much. wayne cousins clearly is an absolute complete and not a monstrous wrong in i was this going allowed to operate in the man . well i, i think there are man. well i, i think there are specific issues with the indecent exposure years and there's a more general issue about how his behaviours weren't

picked up by colleagues and things like that. but of course if somebody is hiding what they're really up to , then it they're really up to, then it can be quite difficult . get can be quite difficult. get beyond that. you might get a little little bit of a suggestion from time to time , suggestion from time to time, but not not really enough to go on. but the indecent exposure was i believe there was a car index number taken in one case and that really have led to him and that really have led to him and fairly promptly . and that really have led to him and fairly promptly. but and that really have led to him and fairly promptly . but we've and fairly promptly. but we've we've seen this for the last 12 years really since the cuts to police saying they haven't got enough people to do everything properly . and to be honest, properly. and to be honest, sometimes you look at it and you think we've got enough time to do anything, but this is this is the thing. when i was when i was at peter, when i was when i was looking at some of the breakdown of what happened. horrific evening in relation to sarah everard . actions wayne

everard. the actions of wayne cousins that when he rented a car in his own name basically he was using his mobile phone quite a lot of at least was able to track it just the manner in which he disposed of the body and then being caught on cctv. so those are the actions of a man who frankly didn't have any faith in the police force that he works for clearly because no who was trying to cover up anything like that would have behaved so stupidly i would suggest. it any wonder when suggest. and it any wonder when you look at the fact that he's away with flashing and goodness knows else a period of knows what else for a period of time as well you . yeah. i mean, time as well you. yeah. i mean, when you get away with something saying it obviously gives you the feeling that that you're to get away with it and. you still keep pushing the boundaries and so yes that would have been some that in there somewhere . but that in there somewhere. but i think when it comes to the actual murder itself , that was

actual murder itself, that was a massive leap from ordinance offending . and he probably found offending. and he probably found himself with the problem . lots himself with the problem. lots of offenders in serious cases like that find with a not really thought through exactly what was going to happen next and how they were going to do things. so i try and make the best of a bad job and to my it's not so unusual that to become just just just just lost day on this page. is there any whiff covering stuff up? you know . oh, it's stuff up? you know. oh, it's just it's just weighing , you just it's just weighing, you know, he's only he's only flash someone, you know, he's one of us, really . we'll let off. us, really. we'll let him off. is there any whiff of that ? i've is there any whiff of that? i've not heard or seen that suggests that to me . and i would be that to me. and i would be extremely if there was police officers. do not like police who are threatened with serious criminal offences. and although they're end of the scale, indecent exposure is pretty bad

and they would have been putting his name in the frame if they knew. yeah. i'm i must say i'm i forgotten a little bit about wayne cousins. i'm quite surprised that he's still with us really. but that we go. thank you very much, peter. that is, of course , as peter likes. see of course, as peter likes. see that? sorry, peter . i'm sorry that? sorry, peter. i'm sorry about that. but it's a particular for matt cartwright . particular for matt cartwright. okay. now, moving on, we are going to be talking about two big topics that really affect you guys throughout the course of, this show and this nhs downfall , visiting of, this show and this nhs downfall, visiting india of, this show and this nhs downfall , visiting india later downfall, visiting india later this in the hopes of this month in the hopes of recruiting more staff for uk's health and social care sector. many are if the many are wondering if the constant stories of pressure and crisis and nurses going to food and junior doctors having to go abroad , try to earn a crust and abroad, try to earn a crust and oh my gosh, everything is terribly now crumbling. cesspit of where patients lie of an nhs where patients lie waiting for hours and hours and hours hospital beds. why on hours in hospital beds. why on earth want to come earth would anyone want to come and work in our nhs? why would

they want to? if the stories are so bad or is the reality actually compared to frankly, most of countries out there, most of the countries out there, our nhs is better than theirs and do earn more money and? maybe some of the time we see who are just regretting their career choices. that is why some of them are out on strike. joining me now is simon walls. he's clinical lead at st he's a clinical lead at st cecilia's home. you cecilia's care home. thank you very much. great have you on the show. care sector fascinates show. the care sector fascinates me because not hearing me because we're not hearing about care workers going on strike they were treated appallingly the i appallingly during the they i mean correct me if i'm wrong here but i think from what i can gather on average pay a bit less than certainly of your more than certainly some of your more other ends. the nhs there does seem be going on strike and seem to be going on strike and i've it remarkable. what is it about about workers in the care sector that stops them potentially from on some of the strike action that we're seeing other people going hey patrick, i think for the most part it's because it's a vocation to most of them. it's more than just a

job. it's something they love doing. they love providing care to some of them. they could had more money if to went to be an or went to some other retailers but of them decide to stay but a lot of them decide to stay in care because it's what they want to do and it's what they enjoy doing. okay. well, there you go. when comes trying you go. when it comes to trying to recruit from in this to recruit staff from in this case india now , some people are case india now, some people are saying well actually we should be trying to do more to recruit and train people who are already here for a variety different reasons. what's your take on that ? i think absolutely reasons. what's your take on that? i think absolutely right, patrick. i think the government have sort of let the nurses of this country self down very much not giving them the power that they deserve and. therefore, the retention has gone down because they're moving elsewhere. they're going to other countries , they're working other jobs , they're working in other jobs where get paid and where they can get paid and where they can get paid and where they can get paid and where they do get that recognition. certainly in social care much of care always is very much of a knock on effect from the nhs and there aren't any nurses to fulfil at the minute fulfil the job. so at the minute we're recruited from we're being recruited from overseas which lot

overseas, which takes a lot sponsorship, it takes a lot of work they need to go through exams when , they get here before exams when, they get here before they even become qualified . and they even become qualified. and there's difference nursing there's a big difference nursing in the uk with the autonomy that we have that is working abroad. so it's taken a lot of teaching and a of experience nurses and a lot of experience nurses to teach them that well the housing and the housing as well of if people come over here, they've got to live somewhere. we've got a housing crisis at the minute, might imagine the minute, you might imagine that quite hard to find the that it's quite hard to find the accommodation for certain people. you a question people. can i ask you a question 7 people. can i ask you a question ? being brutally honest ? if we're being brutally honest with here is , it with each other here is, it potentially potentially not just necessarily about pay, etc. but actually a bit about the fact maybe some people from other countries are more inclined and more inclined to do the longer hours and maybe some of the dirtier elements of the job are. maybe people who've been brought up here , the niceties and the up here, the niceties and the pleasantries and you know, if i'd only phone in one of a creature comforts from the age four five years old, maybe four or five years old, maybe they just mean the best in

they just mean it's the best in they just mean it's the best in the don't fancy going to the world. don't fancy going to one someone's backside . one ps someone's backside. that's already a very small part of job. patrick but i understand what you mean. you it's yeah, i think lot of youngsters today, they , a lot of people will they, a lot of people will actually stipulate on their jobs. i'll take anything but let me take care. i'll go. let me do care. i don't understand why it's kind the youth of today but we have got some excellent young carers we're trying to utilise them in a sort of publicity campaign to try and get younger carers to, commend them to, to do what is very satisfying job albeit not very well paid this minute in time. albeit not very well paid this minute in time . no indeed. and minute in time. no indeed. and simon you you are clearly very, very passionate about what. you do and you speak i can just tell looking for it when you talk about it. you've said numerous times during this was our vocation and satisfying job vocation and it satisfying job and clearly got a huge and you clearly got a huge amount of reward poured out of it and you would you want to

maybe to sell lots of people i mean because all of this stuff on programmes like this and this channel another chance these are all negatives about the nhs and about the public about working in the public sector . i about working in the public sector. i mean, grief, sector. i mean, good grief, i think you have to go further than india and entice than india to try and entice someone over it. they may have to go to mars for goodness sake. you do a job selling it to you can do a job selling it to some think people some people, but i think people find difficult to sell . find really difficult to sell. it's a bit like when you bull who'd want to wipe somebodies . who'd want to wipe somebodies. but like i said, that's very small part of the job and the rest of the job. we treat them like family it's almost like going to home from your home. we all get there. we all work together, a family. we all get that. go and see, spend a lot of quality time with the people that we're looking after. and it means much to and that means much to them and that satisfaction that you can get from the people the reason that we're here doing what do now we're here and doing what do now can care that they want can get the care that they want and care that they need mean these people well a while ago have gone through two world wars and whatever played through.

yeah just so that we the british yeah could listen to you all day simon thank you very much. and it is a pleasure to see someone yourself talking so passionately about what they do and do for others . was the clinical lead at others. was the clinical lead at cecilia's care home fascinating 7 cecilia's care home fascinating ? look, you're with me, patrick christys, right here on tv news. coming up, as the diplomatic row over the suspected chinese 5 billion continues, some mp let me condense this for you. we're going to have a whopping great big discussion foreign, big discussion about foreign, whether not should be whether or not we should be sending or keeping sending money abroad or keeping it people it right here. are people needy enough over here? should charity starts at home? should we be sending tens if not hundreds of millions pounds to places millions of pounds to places like the taliban, china? when i come we'll talk about come back, we'll talk about all of that .

all right, people right. so we all know about what's going on

with that old chinese and america shooting down ufos and all of that. okay. well, the since it has taken place in romania apparently, because jets have been scrambled to nurse that toward something that looks suspiciously be suspiciously like it might be any products of china any of the products of china made as all say. made in china, as they all say. but realistically, it's opened up now a massive discussion foreign aid specifically of foreign aid specifically of foreign aid specifically of foreign aid to china we sent in around 50 million quid in 2021. we sent them loads before that as well. and it's so wishy washy. things like to improve development in the or economic development in the or economic development and all of this. china is a massive political and military powerhouse. it's got a space program. it's clearly got enough money to do things like satellites , well, spy balloons satellites, well, spy balloons and goodness knows what else is spending a huge amount of its gdp , a huge amount on its own gdp, a huge amount on its own military. so why are we you , military. so why are we you, everyone, we know, the taxpayer spending money, hard earned cash on money for china and we're giving money over there to maybe ngos and non—governmental

organisations. is that cool? but realistically, as long as ccp is in charge in china and jingjing pengis in charge in china and jingjing peng is that then we all know whose back pocket going into whose back pocket is going into ? doing that? why are ? why are we doing that? why are we money we sending to? money afghanistan, example? afghanistan, for example? because in because the taliban are in charge. 180 billion charge. there are 180 billion quid to the taliban. quid going to the taliban. millions, i should say . dr. alan millions, i should say. dr. alan mendoza, executive director , the mendoza, executive director, the henry jackson society, joins me now thank you very, very much. now. thank you very, very much. should charity more at should charity start more at home, think? well think home, do you think? well think we've already had cuts in the last few years. the overseas aid budget, which made sense given what you've just said. the charity does need to begin at home. we had a financial crisis that needed dealing with. i don't think we should stop foreign aid completely, but clearly the idea that we should be supplying money china in any level is ridiculous . as you've level is ridiculous. as you've pointed out, this after all, pointed out, this is, after all, an superpower and is an economic superpower and is finding plenty of money to spend on bad outcomes and indeed other countries we should be monitoring very carefully whether these are democracies

dictatorships, anything like that. dictatorships, anything like that . immorality dictatorships, anything like that. immorality only dictatorships, anything like that . immorality only thought that. immorality only thought that. immorality only thought that when we had the picardo department created, the idea was to marry more development goals with our foreign policy goals as well. can we not have a pretty straightforward system where we look at and go, have you got a nuclear programme? have you got a space program? alright, we're not going send you any our not going to send you any our cash. not going to send you any our cash . yeah, i think that's cash. yeah, i think that's a perfectly accepted position to take if you will spending money on advanced military or even civilian functions along those lines, why on earth should we be sending you money for humanitarian purposes? spend your military money on humanitarian purposes instead and?ifs humanitarian purposes instead and? it's important to note because a lot of people have been getting in touch saying, well, hang on a minute, was gold? is money going in foreign aid? and we're spending loads money every single on the money every single day on the channel. i mean, are channel. migrant i mean, we are spending money on but spending loads of money on but a proportion that good chunk of proportion of that good chunk of it is actually coming from foreign budget. i find foreign aid budget. i find it bizarre that even bizarre though that we've even got homeless veterans and

got a homeless veterans and we've got people struggling between heating , eating and the between heating, eating and the justification that we can have for sending 180 million quid or whatever to afghanistan or south africa is received quite a lot as well when we have got people right here who need the money, do you think, dr. allen is starting to look a little bit like we've got the money for everyone else but, not our own ? everyone else but, not our own? and i wouldn't go that far. patrick and i'm quite clear that we should be spending money in a more sensible way on overseas aid. but there is a value to spending. and let's just remind everyone what that value is. the value of spending overseas is to make contain make sure that can contain cfises make sure that can contain crises other countries and crises in other countries and stop refugee movements out of these countries into other places, including our. these countries into other places, including our . the places, including our. the purpose is if you have a famine or something similar or a natural disaster , you want to be natural disaster, you want to be assisting developmental helping economic growth in other countries . because realistically countries. because realistically if the arc of if we look at the arc of development the course of development over the course of

the century, if we don't the coming century, if we don't improve conditions in said countries , then people will countries, then people will increasingly be and come here . increasingly be and come here. so we're doing a moral thing by helping people. it's also in our national self—interest because it means you're going to improve prosperity other places and keep migrants from coming here. when they wouldn't need to be doing so. i we've got to get that clear. that's the point but we mustn't be wasting money on countries that don't need our help and are misusing their own for military space. other purposes that we wouldn't agree with . yeah, indeed. doug, with. yeah, indeed. dr. doug, thank you very, very much. always pleasure to have on the always a pleasure to have on the show insight that show and have your insight that dr. executive dr. alimentos, executive director of the henry jackson society and absolutely, i think we can all agree there are well, there are some incredibly worthy places to see all places that need to see all foreign aid. there are some incredibly causes. okay. but at the same time, when you're looking at places that, are flying or objects , the flying people or objects, the moon or outer space, they've got nuclear programs and all that. and i think worth saying is

and i think one worth saying is money. and on top of that as well, it's not nice. the well, it's not just nice. the people actively wish at people who actively wish at home, if you're sending money to places, the taliban or people very of pakistan where very areas of pakistan where they tend to as well, obviously go support terror groups go on and support terror groups . it's not great look for us. . it's not a great look for us. up . it's not a great look for us. up next now is dewbs & co and up next now is dewbs& co and right here in the studio with me is michelle dewberry. fantastic. yes. you're yes. okay oh, gosh, you're looking valentine looking very, very valentine things day themed. yes i've got my special valentine's day dress on red . i always wear red, to be on red. i always wear red, to be fair. but today i thought, you know what, i'll full red. everything is red patrick. everything. happy valentine's day. happy valentine's day. day. it's happy valentine's day. i want mystery card. so one of our viewers me a mystery our viewers sent me a mystery card. but. yeah, exactly. card. okay, but. yeah, exactly. yeah quite. keen to yeah quite. i'm quite keen to find who the who that's find out who the who that's actually from. it is you, actually from. so if it is you, want to send email and leave want to send an email and leave your because did not your name because you did not whilst it was coming up on your show. never mind what's show. michel never mind what's coming show. why is no coming up on my show. why is no one sent me valentine's card one sent me a valentine's card and patrick, what is going and yet patrick, what is going on? i'm not happy on? well i'm not happy about this. making out,

this. are you making this out, patrick? actually sent patrick? i someone actually sent a valentine's day. i know. i've got i should have got it in my bag. i should have brought out it was a problem. and this is not great. anyway, michel, to we've michel, we have to leave. we've got let's find out what's got time. let's find out what's coming people are going to coming up. people are going to have tune. what's coming up have to tune. what's coming up is programme. is britain's debate programme. that's up a that's what's coming up for a lovely right, michelle, lovely sum. all right, michelle, jeffrey's go away. all jeffrey's going to go away. all right? thank you very much, everybody. back again everybody. i'll be back again tomorrow perhaps tomorrow at three, perhaps outside. mcgivern tomorrow at three, perhaps outside. met mcgivern tomorrow at three, perhaps outside. met office mcgivern tomorrow at three, perhaps outside. met office it'sgivern tomorrow at three, perhaps outside. met office it's not rn from the met office it's not particularly like there particularly february like there almost spring with almost feels like spring with sunny spells of mild sunny spells of very mild conditions, towards the conditions, although towards the northwest, conditions , a northwest, cloudy conditions, a few of these few showers ahead of these weather fronts. but these weather fronts. but these weather fronts. but these weather fronts are approaching behind this drawn up from northwest africa. it contains some dust actually saharan dust out there making sun set, quite vivid across . some western parts vivid across. some western parts of the uk . but through the of the uk. but through the evening, under the clear , evening, under the clear, actually a few fog patches forming in the south and southeast , a forming in the south and southeast, a bit more patchy compared with last clear spells for much of england. wales eastern scotland as well for

western scotland. ireland we've got cloud wind and rain moving in six or seven celsius in the northwest, temperatures dipping close to zero across central eastern parts of the uk with those fog patches eventually clearing the morning on wednesday , then sunny spells wednesday, then sunny spells ahead the cloud rain that's moving in from the west. the rain as it crosses scotland, the northern ireland peters out, it pushes into central parts of england. by the afternoon only as a spell of on and off light rain ahead of that 16 celsius possible towards the southeast behind it fresher conditions some sunny but also blustery showers for scotland and some more persistent pushing into northern ireland by the end of the day that damp weather moves into wales in the southwest , into wales in the southwest, moderate bursts of rain associated with it as well and by the end of the night on wednesday nights extensive cloud for england wales southern , for england wales southern, scotland and northern ireland outbreaks of rain. but it is going to be a miles start to thursday that apart from the

thursday that is apart from the north of scotland there north of scotland where there will of frost. some will be a touch of frost. some clear spells through thursday to the uk . well, it's the rest of the uk. well, it's a dull and damp, a lot of low cloud in places and some drizzly conditions . later thursday the conditions. later thursday the winds pick up, especially across northern of the uk. risk of gales at first on friday, clearing away by .

well hello there. it's 6:00 on michelle dewberry. and this is dewbs& co, keeping you company on valentine's nights right through until 7:00 this evening. lots to get into the covid 19 inquiry begins its first hearings. but get this , there hearings. but get this, there are already requests for a delay. do you trust that we're