when everything happens and this is really ha mening today, when everything happens and this is really ha 41 indecent ay, when everything happens and this is really ha 41 indecent images we' re convicted over whatsapp. we're live outside westminster possessing 41 indecent images of children sent to him by a magistrates court. >> yes, the italian job, the convicted over whatsapp. we're live outside westminster prime minister. he is in rome magistrates court. >> yes, the italian job, the today seeking lessons from his italian counterpart on how to prime minister. he is in rome stop illegal migration. will the today seeking lessons from his italian counterpart on how to government go for an italian style deal with albania to stop illegal migration. will the process migrants overseas? we're live at their official press government go for an italian style deal with albania to conference. >> i'll be glad when you are process migrants overseas? we're live at their official press gone. those are the words of the conference. >> i'll be glad when you are second trump assassination suspect writing about the gone. those are the words of the president two months ago. the second trump assassination gunman was foiled by the secret suspect writing about the service at trump's florida golf president two months ago. the gunman was foiled by the secret course, just 300 yards from the service at trump's florida golf former president. yesterday . course, just 300 yards from the former president. yesterday . former president. yesterday. one of the best things about this show is it's the time slot when everything happens and this 00:00:59,444 --> 4294966103:13:29,429 is really happening today, former president. yesterday. one of the best things about this show is it's the time slot

when everything happens and this is really happening today, we are bringing you live events from rome, from the united states of america and from westminster magistrates court. >> yes, we are expecting that huw edwards sentencing at about half 12. there have been lots of sordid details given inside that court will be there with our reporter. find out exactly what huw edwards, the former national treasure , bbc presenter on close treasure, bbc presenter on close to half £1 million a year. how he will be sentenced . and of he will be sentenced. and of course, we will be in rome to see. see whether our prime minister has managed to agree some kind of deal or taken some notes. what exactly will he be asked? he may be asked about the cost of his wardrobe. >> he may well, indeed. but also, i mean, this idea that he's leaning on giorgia meloni someone who's been criticised for being cruel towards migrants, someone who's called a fascist by her political opponents, is starmer really going to take notes from giorgia meloni ? and how would keir

meloni? and how would keir starmer, the opposition leader , starmer, the opposition leader, be speaking about keir starmer, the prime minister, were he still in opposition? you can imagine if a different prime minister was doing this and the shoe was on the other foot, starmer might have something to say about it. yeah, i think he probably would. >> but it's all looking rather cosy anyway. gbnews.com/yoursay please do get in touch throughout the show. we'll read out your comments very soon indeed. but it's the headlines with sam francis . with sam francis. >> tom, emily, thank you very much indeed. good afternoon to you. it'sjust much indeed. good afternoon to you. it's just coming much indeed. good afternoon to you. it'sjust coming up much indeed. good afternoon to you. it's just coming up to 12:03. the top story this lunchtime, disgraced newsreader huw edwards is being sentenced at westminster magistrates court this afternoon. that's after he admitted to being sent more than 40 illegal images of children over whatsapp. it's now emerged dunng over whatsapp. it's now emerged during that hearing this morning that the 63 year old sent hundreds of pounds to a convicted after receiving abuse images from the dark web. seven of those images were described as being the most serious

category a child abuse. pictures and videos. edward's barrister said the former bbc star is acutely aware of the repugnant nature of his actions, while the court's now adjourned as the judge takes time to

court's now adjourned as the judge takes timegun before brandished that gun before fleeing the scene. the 58 year old was soon arrested, though, after an urgent alert was put out. us media say he's a pro—ukraine activist and had attempted to recruit foreign italy, has succeeded in getting the numbers recruity 60% fighters for the war against italy, has succeeded in getting the numbers recruit foreign attempted to recruit foreign fighters for the war against russia. well, trump, who is russia. well, trump, who is unharmed after the incident, has unharmed after the incident, has now posted on social media now posted on social media saying it was certainly an saying it was certainly an interesting day . sir keir interesting day . sir keir interesting day. sir keir interesting day. sir keir starmer is in rome today for starmer is in rome today for high level talks with italy's high level talks with italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni. prime minister, giorgia meloni. top of the agenda tackling top of the agenda tackling illegal migration and speaking illegal migration and speaking ahead of today's visit, the ahead of today's visit, the prime minister has vowed to prime minister has vowed to tackle smuggling gangs, insisting there'd be no more tackle smuggling gangs, insisting there'd be no more gimmicks in border control. our gimmicks in border control. our political correspondent political correspondent katherine forster is in rome katherine forster is in rome with sir keir starmer. with sir keir starmer. >> the issue of illegal >> the issue of illegal migration will be very much top migration will be very much top of the agenda here because of the agenda here because italy, of course, on the italy, of course, on the forefront of this challenge with forefront of this challenge with people crossing to europe and people crossing to europe and italy, has succeeded in getting italy, has succeeded in getting

the numbers down by 60% the numbers down by 60% in the last year. now they've got this new, processing deal with albania. it's the first offshore processing deal in europe . processing deal in europe. >> katherine forster there in rome for us. well, here the conservatives have called for an investigation into sir

insulation and new boilers. it comes as sir keir starmer is facing fresh criticism as the government prepares to make that cut to energy support, which will affect millions of pensioners. conservative james cleverly and liberal democrat spokeswoman wendy chamberlain have condemned the action, calling it a historic mistake and unbelievably foolish. the heanng and unbelievably foolish. the hearing into manchester city's 115 charges for alleged breaches of the premier league's financial rules begins today. the club is facing accusations of financial rule breaches spanning 14 seasons, including failing to cooperate with the league's investigation. city, though, deny all allegations, insisting that they have irrefutable evidence and welcome the chance to clear their name. a guilty verdict could lead to severe penalties, including possible points deduction or expulsion from the league. while that hearing is expected to last for ten weeks. home prices in britain have surged by nearly

£3,000 in the last month. now reaching new highs in august. the average asking price for a home jumped by 0.8% to just over £370,000, to according rightmove, with experts saying that increase double the long term average is down to a rebound in the market and easing mortgage rates. despite the boost, though, there's uncertainty about a potential bank of england rate change and of course, the upcoming budget announcement . and finally, tito announcement. and finally, tito jackson , an original member of jackson, an original member of the legendary jackson five, has sadly died at the age of 70. the cause of death is still unknown, but his sons have confirmed that news in a post on social media. tito was in munich preparing for an upcoming performance before his sudden passing and as a key part of the jackson five, tito helped to drive hits like a—b—c and i want you back , and i want you back, contributing to their over 150 million records sold worldwide . million records sold worldwide. those are the latest gb news headlines. for now, i'll hand you back to tom and emily for

hopefully a rendition of one of those songs for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code, or go to gb news. >> com forward slash alerts . >> com forward slash alerts. >> com forward slash alerts. >> good afternoon britain. it's 12:08. now, former bbc newsreader huw edwards will be sentenced in the next 20 minutes. >> yes, this is after he pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. >> well, we're joined now by gb news home and security editor mark white, outside westminster magistrates court where the sentencing is taking place. mark, an extraordinary day . mark, an extraordinary day. >> well, indeed, yes. and we've been getting quite a bit of detail really coming out in the pre—sentencing reports from the prosecution about the case setting out the offences that

huw edwards has pleaded guilty to, and it all really stems from a relationship over social media that he had struck up with a young man, a 19 year old man called alex williams. now alex williams was a student at the time. he's now a convicted for sharing images of children with huw edwards and others. but alex williams reached out to a number of celebrities via social media in the hope that some would respond and huw edwards did indeed respond. and over a penod indeed respond. and over a period between 2020 and 2021, the pair had effectively a social media relationship, definitely on whatsapp. but the prosecution says on other platforms as well. but they've never been able to retrieve the conversations from those other

platforms. what they have been able to retrieve from whatsapp shows that it was an explicit a sexually explicit relationship that huw edwards had with 19 year old, who was sending him multiple images he had asked huw edwards if he wanted to see naughty pics of young people. huw edwards had said go on. multiple images were sent. many of them were not categorised as child sex offence images. some 400 images, but about 41 of the images that were sent to huw edwards were described as sexually explicit images of children and we were told by the prosecution that actually the images when they were sent over there were thumbnail images on them and they were saying things like 13 year old and things like that, and that huw edwards was

still receiving those images and not saying that he didn't want to receive these images, which is slightly strange. when we were hearing the mitigation from the barrister for huw edwards, just in the last 15 minutes, who was telling the judge that huw edwards did not receive any kind of gratification from these images of children, that was what the defence has put forward in its mitigation, saying as well, of course, that huw edwards was of previously good character, that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. so the judge now is considering what the sentencing for this former bbc presenter should be. we should say as well, that the barrister also read out an apology from huw edwards to the victims and wider pubuc edwards to the victims and wider public as well. it says he apologises to the court. he

profoundly he is profoundly sorry. he recognises the repugnant nature of such images and the harm caused to those in those images. he apologises sincerely. he has betrayed the priceless trust of so many people, damaged his family and loved ones. he is, according to huw edwards, barrister, truly sorry and of course, the barrister, going on to say that he no longer is a presenter with the bbc, has paid a heavy price for his transgressions . but the for his transgressions. but the judge has a number of options. of course, he could jail huw edwards, but many people believe thatis edwards, but many people believe that is unlikely. it could be a suspended sentence . there could suspended sentence. there could be a community order. he is also looking because he said this just before retiring to consider what that sentence should be. he is looking at the possibility of a sexual offender treatment

programme , and also he is programme, and also he is looking at the possibility of sexual harm prevention order that would restrict huw edwards ability to go on social media. he would be monitored for the platforms that he was accessing. >> well, mark, it will be an extraordinary moment. it will be a fascinating moment to see what that sentencing is. we will be back with you in about 15 minutes time. thank you very much indeed. yes we will bring you that sentence when we get it. >> but in other news, sir keir starmer, he's in rome today. he's talking with his italian counterpart giorgia meloni. >> well, the meeting will centre around tackling the small boats crisis after the prime minister signalled he's interested in italy's migration deal processing deal with albania. >> this comes as the home office shows 801 illegal migrants crossed the channel in 14 small boats just on saturday. the record daily number since labour came to power. >> well, let's get more with our

political correspondent, katherine forster, who is with the prime minister in the italian capital. catherine, it seems that you've been jetting around the whole world over the last week or so. what's happening today ? happening today? >> yes. good afternoon, tom and emily. from a villa somewhere near rome. well, the prime minister back from washington first thing saturday morning is now in rome as part of his continuing sort of european reset. he's been in berlin , he's reset. he's been in berlin, he's beenin reset. he's been in berlin, he's been in paris, he's been in dublin. but here in italy, the focus on illegal migration or irregular migration as it is increasingly being called, never more urgent, of course , given more urgent, of course, given the crossings of 801 people on saturday, that's the second highest number that's crossed this year, and the highest since labour came to power. of course, we also had tragically eight men

died, six people taken to hospital, including a ten month old baby. so sir keir starmer has pledged to smash the gangs. of course , rishi sunak pledged of course, rishi sunak pledged to stop the boats didn't have much luck with it, said flights would go to rwanda . sir keir would go to rwanda. sir keir starmer ditched that as soon as he came in, but today he's been at the national coordination centre for migration , looking centre for migration, looking about how various different italian agencies work together and various screens monitoring traffic in the mediterranean. and italy's record is quite impressive because they're right at the forefront of this challenge facing the whole of europe. they've succeeded in getting illegal migration down by some 60% over the last year. now there's lots of talk of albania. we'll come to that in a sec. but a lot of how they've done that is by giving quite a lot of money to be honest, to countries like tunisia and libya , countries like tunisia and libya, where many of these migrants

head out from . they're trying to head out from. they're trying to stop them making that crossing. but in terms of albania, it's worth saying nobody's actually been sent yet. it's a very new scheme and they've got two processing centres. the idea is they'll be able to send 3000 migrants a month, not women or children or vulnerable people, and they'll be processed if their asylum application is accepted, they will then be brought back to italy. that's a key difference with the rwanda scheme, which was a one way ticket to africa. so the prime minister has said he's interested in it, and i asked him a little bit earlier about italy and what they could learn. let's have a look at what he had to say . to say. >> here there's been some quite dramatic reductions. so i want to understand how that came about. it looks as though that's down to the upstream work that's being done in some of the countries where people are coming from. i've long believed, by the way, that prevention and stopping people travelling in the first place is one of the

best ways to deal with this particular issue. we've already got a shared intent to work together on this trade, this vile trade of pushing people across borders . okay across borders. okay >> so he didn't talk specifically about albania. there but at the weekend he did say, i'm interested in how that works. i think everyone is. so certainly leaving the door open to possible offshore processing. now, this isn't the first time that he's met giorgia meloni. they met at the european political community back at blenheim palace in july, had a long conversation about this matter. then, of course, they come from opposite ends of the political spectrum, but this is a challenge facing the whole of europe . europe. >> well, thank you very much indeed. katherine forster there indeed. katherine forster there in a villa somewhere outside of rome. thank you very much indeed. always great to get your analysis on this. but shall we speak to the rome correspondent

at politico europe, hannah roberts? hannah, what do you suspect keir starmer is hoping for from this meeting? he seems to want to find some solutions, of course, to our migration crisis. what might giorgia meloni advise him ? meloni advise him? >> well, both meloni and starmer could benefit from this meeting. starmer can say can look like he's serious about getting tough on migration. and meloni can say, look, even leftist governments want to learn from us. starmer will be looking to italy's strategy. as your report said, it's been a kind of two pronged strategy with paying governments in tunisia and libya to block migration and bolstering their coast guard . bolstering their coast guard. and at the same time, meloni has been building migrant processing centres in albania, which she hopes are going to form a deterrent . but starmer is really deterrent. but starmer is really arriving at a strange time in rome, just in the middle of a

migrant centred row. the deputy prime minister, matteo salvini, who's from the far right, anti—immigration league, is on trial for his his, role in deaung trial for his his, role in dealing with migration, several years ago , prosecutors on years ago, prosecutors on saturday asked for six years prison for him for blocking migrants from entering the boats. so, if he were to be convicted, he would probably have to resign. so we've got to say, you know, from the point of view of starmer's supporters, is italy really the right model for him to be following? >> and it's not just salvini because meloni, of course, forced through this government decree. when was it back in february that was incredibly controversial. it was criticised by the united nations, by humanitarian groups because it was about migrant charity ships, partly, perhaps the success of the italian government in the last few months, at least in

driving down these arrivals, is they now have this very strict code of conduct for those that go out to rescue, asylum seekers. >> that's right. the ngo boats , >> that's right. the ngo boats, which started rescuing people in the mediterranean when the eu and italian force pulled back and italian force pulled back and now only allowed to carry out one rescue of a migrant boat at a time, then they take days to bring the boats back to italy. previously they would have done 4 or 5 rescues and then brought a larger number of migrants back to italy. so they're using up a lot of their resources, lots of petrol , and resources, lots of petrol, and they're often impounded when they're often impounded when they get to italy if they're considered to have, not stuck to the rules in terms of rescue efforts. >> and is there support in, in italy for this offshoring policy with albania, it is a little bit different from what the uk government was trying to do

previously with rwanda. you would accept back migrants who had their had their claims, had legitimate claims anyway. is that something that the italian people support? >> well, certainly meloni's core base supports this. and she really wanted to do something for her core base. after many of her international policies have been more moderate and mainstream. so for her core base, she needed to look very tough on immigration. she's built, ordered these albania centres , but there are serious centres, but there are serious issues with them, even though they don't have some of the issues that the uk has had with rwanda, there will be, yeah, migrants will be, who have their asylum claims successfully . asylum claims successfully. protests will come to italy. that's true. the centres will also be under italian law, but one of the major problems is that people have to be identified at sea, divided about who's going to go to albania, who's going to go to albania,

who's going to go to the uk and rights organisations say that's impossible because you can't determine at sea necessarily how old a migrant might be. only over 18 year olds are supposed to go to albania. you can't determine if someone's a trafficking victim that quickly. the non—vulnerable people are not supposed to be going to albania , and rights albania, and rights organisations are also raising problems about, the right to legal access that the migrants will have once they're there. the courts, that judged their asylum claims will be in italy. still, their lawyers will be in italy still. so there are serious access to justice issues. so starmer needs to be thinking about whether this is really an appropriate model to follow for the uk. >> seems if he's going to copy anything from meloni, he's going to be in for a lot of criticism. but hannah roberts, thank you very much for joining but hannah roberts, thank you very much forjoining us. rome correspondent at politico europe. yes. >> any time if italy's giving, you know , countries like you know, countries like tunisia, huge amounts of money. well we're already giving huge amounts of money to france, which is where the migrants are

passing through to here. so i'm not sure how we could emulate that part of what italy is doing anyway. >> well, much more to come on. good afternoon britain this afternoon. live shots here from westminster magistrates court. now less than ten minutes until that sentencing of huw edwards, prosecutors say he paid hundreds of pounds for indecent images. we'll be back live at westminster magistrates court after this

good afternoon britain, it's 12:26 now. the former bbc newsreader huw edwards will be sentenced in the next few minutes. huw edwards has been charged and has pleaded guilty to possessing 41 indecent images of children . this, out of

of children. this, out of a number of 400 odd images sent to him by a convicted . him by a convicted. >> yes, the court heard a little earlier that he paid a man, alex williams, hundreds of pounds , in williams, hundreds of pounds, in exchange for some of these images. a man who is now a convicted who was only 19 years old, i believe when they first were in touch with each other . were in touch with each other. this convicted apparently sought him out over instagram, over social media, and they began exchanging texts, which led to the sharing of these, some indecent images. i believe that most of the pictures, the children were between 13 and 15, but there were images of children as young as seven years old now. >> it's been a confusing case throughout the day because there have been messages the defence has shown where edwards wrote. please don't send me anything illegal. however, there have also been messages that the

prosecution sent where some of these images were clearly labelled. one image was labelled 13 year old, which would suggest huw edwards would know what he was receiving. now the convicted who sent these images, the court heard, actually reached out to a number of celebrities on social media. although we understand it was only edwards who responded this is of course, in the context, the wider context of huw edwards, who has been off television now for over a year. he was taken off for a different scandal involving a young man believed to be of age at the time, that they were sending explicit images to huw edwards it has been the most remarkable fall from grace for a man who many people would have described as a national treasure, the man who presented the bbc election programme, the man who announced the death of the queen. this

will really have shaken the bbc to its core, and a man who was on nearly £500,000 a year in his job and was paid, after after he was charged for quite a few months from huw edwards lawyer. >> the defence was put across, mitigating factors. no previous convictions that he may have been impaired by a mental disorder believed to be depression, perhaps anxiety also, and that he'd also shown remorse for his actions. so those are what the lawyer argued as mitigating factors for what's happened. he's also apologised at length, the statement read out in court, saying he is remorseful for the hurt that he's caused. >> now, we already know that this is where the sentence will take place. it will not go up to a crown court. it will remain at westminster magistrates court, which means the maximum custodial sentence that can be handed out is one lasting 12

months. that's just one option for chief magistrate paul goldspring, who will be announcing his sentencing in the next minute or so . they can look next minute or so. they can look at a suspended prison sentence as another option or indeed a community order sex offender treatment programme. these are all options that the magistrates, the chief magistrate, will be looking at in handing out his sentence. yes. >> and the prosecution, i believe, has also proposed a ban on edwards using any type of home broadband system , any home broadband system, any routers, unless that particular device is being monitored and examined by investigators to essentially make sure that he's not looking at anything illegal, also , there was talk of that also, there was talk of that perhaps alcohol consumption had disrupted some of his decision making , disrupted some of his decision making, again, potentially a mitigating factor . the making, again, potentially a mitigating factor. the probation service also told the court , service also told the court, that they'd used a sexual

offender predictor tool to establish whether he is a risk of re—offending. they say that it's a medium to low risk of re—offending, so this will all be taken into account when the judge decides what sentence to hand out to huw edwards. >> but this is, of course, a situation whereby someone who is seen to be in a position of trust was in the home of every household in the country, in effect, a man of great authority, of great respect, of great power, of great influence. huw edwards, was receiving 41 images, indecent images of children. this all occurred, of course, in 2018, 2019. the convicted who sent the images was 19 at the time and is now 25. this is extraordinary for a number of reasons. huw edwards was receiving these images while at the peak of his fame, while

at the peak of his fame, while at the peak of his fame, while at the height of his influence, and only now we are learning about the extent of what went on because the convicted who sent those images had his phone searched by the police. they say they've been able to recover the conversations that alex williams and huw edwards had over whatsapp. although the police and the prosecutors say also that there may have been other communications on other messaging platforms that have not been able to be recovered. >> yes. and if you remember at the time when this scandal broke , the time when this scandal broke, initially for huw edwards, his wife put out a statement, didn't she? essentially asking the media to leave him alone because he was suffering with his with his mental health in a, in a bad way, in a bad way. and things did quiet quieten down for a little while . but as we're little while. but as we're

speaking, we are expecting the sentencing any minute now . sentencing any minute now. really, in the next few minutes, we will be bringing that to you live. >> and it is important to emphasise the difference here. the original scandal, the reason huw edwards lost his job at the bbc was not this scandal that we are looking at today. this was only published and known about later. the original scandal was huw edwards paying for images from someone believed to be an adult. although a young adult at the time and sending a considerable amount of money to that individual, this is about images indecent images of children being sent to huw edwards by a convicted , only edwards by a convicted, only discovered in a separate investigation. because this convicted phone was searched, was gone through and messages to

huw edwards were found. now huw edwards defence has said that has pointed to messages that huw edwards sent to the convicted , edwards sent to the convicted, saying don't send anything under age. they point to a number of instances where huw edwards was saying don't send anything that is illegal. however, some of these images are reportedly clearly illegal. one of these images, at least, is labelled as 13 year old. there will have been instances where the prosecution can say it beggars belief that huw edwards did not know what he was seeing, and yet the defence of huw edwards has been saying throughout this trial that he was saying he did not want to receive indecent images of children . images of children. >> yes, in july he did admit to having 41 such images, all sent to him on whatsapp. we are

awaiting a sentencing. there are awaiting a sentencing. there are a few options available at the magistrates court to the chief magistrate, paul goldspring . the magistrate, paul goldspring. the maximum he can get is 12 months jail sentence, but he may well be given a community order. he could be given some kind of sex offender rehabilitation treatment of sorts. he may be given a ban on accessing the internet or social media and the like. there's all sorts of different measures, different sentences , different punishments sentences, different punishments that he could be. he could be given huw edwards the, huw edwards , who is now 67 years edwards, who is now 67 years old, i believe now , the really old, i believe now, the really interesting point about all of this is how mental health plays into the conversation. >> the prosecution has accepted that huw edwards has suffered from depression and mental health issues. that is something that the defence has been pushing to a huge degree through through this trial , saying that

through this trial, saying that huw edwards was not in his right mind when these conversations were had, when these images were sent to him. although it must be said that when these images were sent to him, the court has heard that edwards sent words like amazing and go on, even though he also sent don't send anything underage. there's a real duality playing out here, and you can see that there have been arguments from both the prosecution and from the defence that could sway the jury that could sway the magistrates. either way here. and of course, those options are a custodial sentence of up to 12 months, or indeed a non—custodial sentence. a rehabilitation program . those a rehabilitation program. those are the options that will be before the magistrate. we're expecting this sentence any moment now, i should say, but the prosecution has been putting forward the arguments that huw edwards is at high risk of

relapse, pointing to what they say is a history of impulsivity thatis say is a history of impulsivity that is the argument they are making for a stricter sentencing here, saying that although huw edwards expresses contrition, although he expresses shame, although he expresses shame, although he expresses shame, although he had a statement read out saying how profoundly sorry he was to well to the country for what he has done, the prosecution say that these might be thin words due to his high risk of relapse and history of impulsivity. that's the argument of the prosecution. >> and it's interesting what you say about the duality of his whatsapp exchange exchanges over these pictures. on the one hand, being offered a picture of someone young and saying, go on! on the other hand saying i don't want to receive anything illegal sense perhaps that there's a conflict, a conflict going on inside. >> absolutely. and we are waiting for this, for this

sentencing. we're going to go to your headlines now, and we'll be right back at westminster magistrates court as soon as we hear what this sentence will . be. >> very good afternoon to you. we will, of course, return to that news live from westminster magistrates court. as soon as that sentencing is passed. we know at this stage that huw edwards is currently sitting in the dock as the judge is reading out his sentence , we will bring out his sentence, we will bring you the details as soon as we have them. now, though, a look at the other stories, making the news this lunchtime and the secret service have foiled what the fbi are calling an apparent assassination attempt on donald trump. this time on his international golf course in west palm beach. reports suggest a secret service agent saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out from the bushes as agents shot at him while he brandished that gun before fleeing the scene. the 58 year old was soon

arrested after an urgent alert was put out. us media say he's a pro—ukraine activist and had attempted to recruit foreign fighters for the war against ukraine. well trump, who is unharmed, has posted on social media saying it was certainly an interesting day . sir keir interesting day. sir keir starmer is in rome for high level talks with italy's prime minister, giorgia meloni. today top of the agenda tackling illegal migration and speaking ahead of that visit, the prime minister vowed to tackle smuggling gangs, insisting there would be no more gimmicks in border control. our political correspondent katherine forster is in rome for us. >> the issue of illegal migration will be very much top of the agenda here because italy, of course, on the forefront of this challenge with people crossing to europe and italy, has succeeded in getting the numbers down by 60% in the last year. now they've got this new, processing deal with

albania. it's the first offshore processing deal in europe . processing deal in europe. >> katherine forster there for us in rome. here, meanwhile, the energy supplier ovo has unveiled a new £50 million support scheme to help customers hit by the government cut to winter fuel payments. it comes as conservative leadership hopeful james cleverly has condemned sir keir starmer's decision, calling it a historic mistake and unbelievably foolish. approximately 71% of disabled pensioners and 83% of those aged 80 or over will miss out. pensioners and 83% of those aged 80 or over will miss out . and 80 or over will miss out. and home prices in britain surged by nearly £3,000 last month, reaching new highs in august. the average asking price for a home jumped by 0.8% to just over £370,000. that is according to rightmove. well, let's head back now to tom and emily for more details on the sentencing heanng details on the sentencing hearing taking place at westminster magistrates court

for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code , or go to gbnews.com the qr code, or go to gbnews.com >> forward slash alerts . >> forward slash alerts. >> forward slash alerts. >> good afternoon britain. it is 12:41. we can take you straight to westminster magistrates court, where the sentencing is being carried out. for huw edwards, the former bbc presenter and now a man who has admitted he is guilty of possessing 41 images, indecent images of children. we're heanng images of children. we're hearing his sentencing at westminster magistrates court as we speak . cameras, of course, we speak. cameras, of course, are not allowed in the courtroom, but we are learning the details of what has been a no less than extraordinary case. the prosecution has heard how huw edwards received images , one huw edwards received images, one described as 13 year old, written on that image. another,

clearly of a child aged between 7 and 9 years old. another folder of images labelled adolescence. these were images sent to huw edwards by the convicted alex williams between 2018 and 2022. >> yes , and we are hearing >> yes, and we are hearing reports that the judge, who is now sentencing huw edwards, has begun by saying that the former broadcaster's long earned reputation is in tatters. that's the chief magistrate there, the district judge, paul goldspring, who has begun his sentencing remarks. he notes that he was a previous good character , enjoyed previous good character, enjoyed a very successful career in the media. exemplary, until now, you were very highly regarded by the public. he went on to say. it's not an exaggeration to say your long earned reputation is in tatters. so we will bring you, as we hear what exactly he has been sentenced with and what his

punishment, whether it's a custodial sentence or some type of rehabilitation treatment or the like. >> the magistrate has gone on to say that he accepts huw edwards had issues with his mental health, adding that it is difficult to assess the degree to which huw edwards received sexual gratification from these images. now, this is a very interesting line for the magistrates to come out with because it emphasises, frankly, what we've been hearing throughout the morning. the two different cases being put forward by the prosecution and by the defence, the messages where huw edwards was sending go on, and words like amazing. replying to these images, but also messages where huw edwards was saying please don't send anything illegal. now the

magistrate says the degree that you received sexual gratification from the images is difficult to assess. it must be said that huw edwards has claimed throughout that he had no memory of viewing these images, despite the evidence of these images being clear on the whatsapp chat history. the history that was found on the phone of the convicted alex williams, a 19 year old who had reached out to several celebrities on social media. we learn it appears that only huw edwards was the was the only celebrity, the only figure of authority, of fame of note who replied to this individual who was 19 years old when he struck up that conversation with huw edwards and began sending these indecent images. it must be said that the 41 indecent images of children that were sent to huw edwards were a portion of the

images that were sent as a whole by this convicted . 377 is the by this convicted. 377 is the number of images as a whole, mostly of adults, 41 of them of children. so the court has heard today very interesting as an indicator that the judge has accepted that huw edwards had some kind of mental disorder at the time of offending. >> that may well become a mitigation, a mitigating factor in the sentence that is handed out to huw edwards, but we know that he paid this convicted a large sum of money to be spent on gifts and presents in exchange for these images, some of the images, most of the images, of aged 13 to 15, some much younger , 7 to 9 years old much younger, 7 to 9 years old as well. the 44 images, 41 images that we're looking at in this case, what this has also

doneis this case, what this has also done is of course, drag the reputation of the bbc to a place that i don't think many people wanted it to go to or feel comfortable about it being in. >> of course, huw edwards was in many ways the face of the bbc, so we're delighted to now speak to the former bbc journalist danny shaw. danny, we will be interrupting you as we learn more about this sentencing. so please forgive us in advance for that. but. but, danny, this is a dark day for the bbc. >> it's a very dark day for the bbc. of course, huw edwards was a national figure, respected by audiences and by those who he worked with, he was the trusted voice of so many big occasions. set piece occasions, the, you know, the funeral, the death of the queen, the funeral of the

queen, and then the, you know, general elections and so on. he was someone who was trusted and respected. he had that authority. he presented live events almost with ease. he had that sort of combination of sort of being relaxed on camera, but also having authority, that sort of great combination that good presenters need and he did that for many, many years. and so this has come as a huge shock to people who work for the bbc and to those who knew and worked with huw edwards. and it's a terrible stain on his reputation and a really dark day for the bbc. >> and how was huw edwards known as a, as a colleague, was he an easy to get along with? man, was he difficult at times? we've heard mixed reports in the press from various sources at the bbc as to what kind of man he was to work with. >> i think mixed reports is probably the best way to describe it. i didn't know him

very well. i obviously worked with him a little bit. i came on to set to do interviews with him when i was bbc home affairs correspondent, and he was presenting , and, you know, we'd presenting, and, you know, we'd have the conversations, snatch conversations here or there, you know, nothing untoward , nothing know, nothing untoward, nothing out of the ordinary. when i was at the bbc, i didn't hear any gossip or any stories about him. but clearly we know that some of this activity was going on for quite some time, and it's a real concern. i think that when you're in such a position, you're in such a position, you're such a trusted figure. presenting high profile programmes, it is a concern that where is the due diligence , is where is the due diligence, is there enough due diligence? is there, you know , a look into there, you know, a look into someone's background because he had spoken about his mental health problems in the past, and that could have been you know, a sign of some of this behaviour taking place, i don't know, but what inquiries , what were, were

what inquiries, what were, were taking place when he talked openly about his mental health problems that he had, were inquiries made? were people sort of, you know, helping him, supporting him or, you know , supporting him or, you know, were there other issues or concerns addressed, or followed up? i think that those are the key questions that the bbc needs to answer now. >> it is of course, a huge theme of this entire case, this issue of this entire case, this issue of mental health. the court has just in the last few minutes, been told that huw edwards has been told that huw edwards has been staying at a private adult mental health hospital in central london since pleading guilty in july. so that's where he's spent the summer. and of course, his defence has been emphasising his mental instability at the time of this offending that he has admitted to. and yet and yet this offending took place between 2018 and 2022. what many people

would describe as as the zenith of huw edwards career, the time that he fronted the bbc election coverage, the time when he announced the death of the queen, that is, when this offending was taking place. >> yeah , that's such a concern. >> yeah, that's such a concern. and so i think shocking to hear that that was going on for that length of time. i'm sure that the magistrate who's sentencing him will take into account the struggles that he's had with his mental health and the fact that he's in a clinic and trying to get help for his problems . that get help for his problems. that will all be taken into account, but he won't be able to get away from the fact that these are serious offences, as we've heard, some of which involved the abuse of children. the images depicting abuse of children as young as seven, between 7 and 9, and some in the most serious category of abuse. so the magistrate, the chief

magistrate, paul goldspring, has got to do a balancing exercise weighing up all those factors that go into the background, the context of this, and hugh edwards's personal struggles with the fact that these are serious offences, and it's part of a chain of abuse, you know, at the end of it, at the sort of start of the chain is a child being abused that's then filmed or photographed, and those images are then sent without that demand for those images, that demand for those images, that abuse wouldn't be happening . that abuse wouldn't be happening. >> and the risk of re—offending is certainly going to be up there when it comes to what this chief magistrate, paul goldspring goldspring , decides, goldspring goldspring, decides, he's clearly heard from a number of experts in relation to hugh edwards's mental health. a psychosexual therapist has given evidence saying that he turned to online relationships , going to online relationships, going through a very difficult period in his life and that very complex individual due to

psychological factors in his childhood. so they've really dug into his personal background , into his personal background, into his personal background, into his personal life, into his personal history, in order to decipher why huw edwards was receiving and seeking out these types of images. >> yeah, i don't think there's anything unusual about that. in cases like this, it's quite common when someone has pleaded guilty or when they've been found guilty for the hearing to be adjourned while reports are prepared by experts, by probation officer, pre—sentence report is compiled by probation officer and other experts. medical professionals may get involved as well so as to give the magistrate or the judge who's doing the sentencing the clearest sort of information about the appropriate sentence. and that's what the magistrate will be taking into account. i'm, i'm pretty sure there won't be a prison sentence in this case.it be a prison sentence in this case. it is likely to be suspended or a community

sentence. but we'll have to wait a few minutes to find out. but you know , you can always look at you know, you can always look at explanations as to why someone has committed an offence. there are always reasons behind it, whether it's they were drunk, whether it's they were drunk, whether they were on drugs, whether they were on drugs, whether they were on drugs, whether they had mental health problems, whether they were forced into it by someone, whether they had difficult personal circumstances or financial problems. but at the end of the day, you know, someone over the age of ten knows the difference between right and wrong, and it's their personal responsibility. they have to take account for their actions and be held responsible for that , whatever the circumstances. >> and danny, what many people will think listening and watching to this not only is to be shocked at, frankly, what has taken place, but if we're to believe the defence of huw edwards, if we're to believe his lawyers saying that this was a deeply unstable man who was suffering severe mental health cnses suffering severe mental health crises throughout the period 2018 to 2022, when this offending took place, why on

earth was this a period when he was being promoted by the bbc, given the biggest jobs by the bbc, given half £1 million a year by the bbc? at this moment when clearly, if we're to believe his defence, he was going through intense personal trauma , surely that's the time trauma, surely that's the time to perhaps take a break from work rather than be plunged into the highest profile role in this country? if we're to believe his defence team that he was going through a mental health crisis , through a mental health crisis, didn't the bbc have a responsibility to, to not deepen that, worsen that , or indeed to that, worsen that, or indeed to not put vulnerable people , not put vulnerable people, potentially in the place of this, of this powerful man going through all of these series of cnses through all of these series of crises ? crises? >> well, that's exactly why i think there needs to be an inquiry into this. i think the

bbc has set up some sort of internal investigation or review. i think the findings of that need to be made public because these are absolutely the questions that should be asked. i mean, every employee who goes through difficult times, where it comes to the attention of the employer, they should be looking into the support for that particular individual. and particularly in the case of someone who holds such a senior position, is anchoring news programmes on the biggest news days of the year. you know, everything is on their shoulders. the stress, the strain on their shoulders is considerable. and when you know that, you know they have talked about mental health problems in the past, i would want to know what support was being given to huw edwards, what, you know, discussions were going on around that , given discussions were going on around that, given that discussions were going on around that , given that stress discussions were going on around that, given that stress and strain that he would have been underin strain that he would have been under in his professional life. so that's why we need, you know, more of a review into this. and i do think that there's a

there's a wider need to look at there's a wider need to look at the sort of pedestal that we place , you know, top presenters place, you know, top presenters who are paid 400,000, 500,000, £600,000 more to look at the pedestal that we place these people on and say, is that really appropriate to place them on that and to give them that stress and that pressure? i know it's sort of part and parcel of showbiz, of entertainment, of life to do that. but they are human beings at the end of at the end of the day, with their frailties and weaknesses, and, you know , and clearly succumbing you know, and clearly succumbing to, to to, temptation and, and illegality as well. >> absolutely. that's a very good point. people do tend to put people on a pedestal, see them every day delivering the biggest news. we're now hearing that the sentence has been read out suspended for two years. >> this is a 6a6 month sentence for huw edwards, suspended for

two years. that's the news that has just come in from the magistrate in this trial, paul goldspring at westminster magistrates court. huw edwards, the former face of the bbc, has been sentenced to six months suspended for two years. this is the sentence that has just been reported six months for huw edwards, suspended now we've been waiting for this throughout the day, our reporter , mark the day, our reporter, mark white is inside westminster magistrates court and will bring us all of the details on precisely how the magistrates arrived at this judgement and what it means. the mitigation in this case has been that edwards had no previous convictions , had had no previous convictions, had voluntarily stopped receiving images showing remorse and had a mental disorder. but of course,

he was in possession of 41 indecent images of children. so what we are hearing now, just taking place within westminster magistrates court, is that a six month sentence has been handed to huw edwards now we are getting this very just in the last few minutes . we're going to last few minutes. we're going to dive into the details as soon as we can. the former bbc journalist danny shaw is still with us on the line because, danny, this is, going to send shockwaves , reverberations shockwaves, reverberations through the country . through the country. >> i think the details are that have been disclosed during the sentencing hearing . and the sentencing hearing. and the really shocking thing, i don't think it's any surprise that huw edwards has been given a suspended prison sentence six months, suspended for two years. the person who sent him the images, i think, was given a one year suspended sentence. so it would have been very odd had huw

edwards been given a tougher sentence than that. i think that's what people were expecting, a suspended sentence that he wouldn't go to prison immediately. clearly, if he re—offends within those within those two years, then he can be sent straight to prison. i think what's been really shocking and unnerving, some of the details that have emerged during the sentencing hearing about how long this offending has gone on, he was edwards was in communication with this other man, alex williams, since 2018. he's paid him a lot of money. i think £1,500 was mentioned, had been talk about his mental health struggles, his problems with relationships. and that really does beg the question as to what support the bbc as its employer gave to huw edwards, given the prominent position he was in and whether it made enough inquiries to ascertain, you know , whether he was you know, whether he was actually fit to do that role and whether there were any other issues in his personal life that

the employer should have been aware of. and that goes to whether there were complaints about his conduct in the bbc as well. >> yes. and we are hearing as well that as well as this suspended sentence, he will be required to complete a sex offender programme. we don't as yet have any detail of what that might entail, but a sex offender programme, presumably a rehabilitation for huw edwards that he'll have to complete, but yes , six months imprisonment, yes, six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. some may be watching and listening to what he has admitted to, to what he has now been convicted of, and thinking that seems awfully soft . soft. >> well, some people might think that, but to be honest, this is in line with the sorts of sentences that are handed for down these types of offences. it's what's known as a possession offence. someone has the images in their possession, but they weren't distributing

them to other people. they weren't actually taking the images themselves . those are images themselves. those are regarded as more serious , regarded as more serious, offences. so it was a possession offences. so it was a possession offence . he doesn't have any offence. he doesn't have any previous convictions. the magistrate has heard about his his otherwise good character and also the background of all the problems that he has had in his personal life and mental health struggles and so on. so taking that all into account, it's pretty much in line with the kinds of sentences you would expect. for an offence like this. some people might think it's soft, i think the really important thing is that he was caught and the second most important thing is that he doesn't do it again, and it's quite possible that that the shame, the exposure that's come about because of this, aligned to the course that he'll now have to do, may hopefully prevent any future offending taking place .

taking place. >> very interestingly, the judge has said in this case, the magistrate has said the doctor was satisfied that huw edwards has volatile mental disorder , has volatile mental disorder, has volatile mental disorder, has a volatile mental disorder and is vulnerable to suicide, which clearly has led to this to this outcome, that this is a suspended rather than a custodial sentence. the judge said he would be vulnerable in prison and would be at risk of suicide. i mean, it does seem extraordinary that for a lot of this conversation, people are talking about how vulnerable huw edwards is and about the welfare of huw edwards rather than the welfare of children. >> yeah, that is a striking feature of this case. i mean, you know , this, i think it's you know, this, i think it's been 2.5 hours or so. this sentencing hearing, it's mainly been about huw edwards but at the root of it, there were

images of children that had been taken that had been produced, that had been distributed to him and to other people, no doubt of children being abused. and there is very little discussion of that. that's partly because the victims in this case aren't there to give their , assessment there to give their, assessment of the impact that it's had on them. we often see in cases that involve a sort of named individual who's been attacked or abused , you know, a statement or abused, you know, a statement is read out by them on all their behalf about the impact that the crime has had on them. now, this clearly is not possible in this case, because i don't think those victims have been identified, as far as we know. but there will have been victims in this in this case. and i think that's a very important point. you make a very important reminder to people. yes, this sentencing hearings about huw edwards. but what about the victims and the thousands of other victims of child abuse whose images are being produced,

shared, distributed on social media and other platforms? >> and we see so often with serious cases, serious criminal cases, how mental health is used as, a defence, as a mitigating factor. i must say, lots of people are getting in touch. this afternoon to say essentially they've got fatigue of hearing that mental health was one of the reasons why this happened and therefore can't have such a severe punishment. >> no, we will be speaking in just a moment to our man inside the court. mark white has sat through the hearing today. he's seen huw edwards in what he was, how he reacted to this sentence. it will be fascinating to hear, but let's also just hear from the nspcc child safety online policy manager ravi govinda, who has issued a statement in response to this to this sentencing , saying online child sentencing, saying online child sexual abuse is at record levels and offenders like edwards who

fuel this crime should be in no doubt about its severity and the impact it has on its victims. mark white is with us now outside westminster magistrates court, mark a six month suspended sentence . suspended sentence. >> yeah, i think that's pretty much what people were expecting really, in terms of the offences he was charged with. but then , he was charged with. but then, despite the serious nature of those offences , especially the those offences, especially the category a offences involving children, one as young as seven between 7 and 9 years old and moving images of further aggravating factor. but despite those aggravating factors, the whether mitigating factors that the chief magistrate had to take into consideration here, and those being, of course, that he was of previously good character with no criminal past, that he was genuinely in the eyes of the

magistrate here, remorseful for his transgressions. the fact that he pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity, and the fact as well that the magistrate and those responsible for drawing up the various pre—sentencing reports felt that he was someone who would benefit from a community order and indeed a treatment program. now, the magistrate added that he felt that huw edwards, rather than going on a voluntary program, should have compulsion. there should be a compulsory treatment for order sexual offenders to ensure that huw edwards must attend that program or face the consequences. of course, if he doesn't . another course, if he doesn't. another aspect, though, that the prosecution in this case was calling for, which was a sexual harm prevention order, was the chief magistrate. now this

order, the prosecution felt, was necessary because it would give them the ability to put restrictions on huw edwards social media and internet use. his browsing history and browsing activity could be monitored. so that's one thing that they did want. the chief magistrate, though, has decided that he is not willing to go down the road of this sexual harm prevention order. so where are we? we were archewell to see are we? we were archewell to see a suspended jail term. the magistrates always get very exercised when we see a defendant has escaped a jail term. but you know, they have providing they are of good behaviour going forward. they will not spend any time behind bars . however, if huw edwards bars. however, if huw edwards offends again at any point dunng offends again at any point during the two years that this order is in place , for then he order is in place, for then he could he will be returned to

court and then he could . a jail court and then he could. a jail term that initial six month jail term that initial six month jail term . regardless of that, of term. regardless of that, of course, huw edwards career is over acknowledged in court, the judge saying that wasn't a mitigating factor, though, that was just a natural outcome of the offences that he has pleaded guilty to. the reaction the pubuc guilty to. the reaction the public revulsion to what has happened, the natural consequences of that is for this once very high profile bbc presenter to lose her job. we presenter to lose herjob. we got an apology from huw edwards as well through his barrister that was read out in court, which is worth i think, repeating to you, the barrister said he is profoundly sorry that he recognises the repugnant

nature of such images and the harm caused by those images. he apologises sincerely. he has betrayed the barrister, said the priceless trust of so many people damaged his family and his loved ones. he is, according to his barrister , truly sorry to his barrister, truly sorry and that, as i say, was one of the mitigating factors that the chief magistrate took into account when he decided that a suspended sentence was more appropriate than a jail term. at this time, just as you're speaking, we are looking at a new mugshot of huw edwards >> this is the mugshot taken in connection, of course, with this sentencing today. you were there inside the courtroom, what was huw edwards body language like? what was his reaction to this sentencing ?

sentencing? >> well, you know, tom, i'll tell you, i think it was quite different from the huw edwards we saw arriving in court on the sist we saw arriving in court on the 31st of july to face those initial charges and, of course, to plead guilty to those charges. then, whether he was being advised, badly advised. i'm not sure. but he decided to get dropped off in a taxi round a corner. so he would have a long walk into court so that everybody could take their images. but he came in wearing sunglasses, as one of my colleagues put it, you know, looking , you know, very much looking, you know, very much like it was an emperor , a like it was an emperor, a strutting about as he came into court today. it was very different. no long walks in a taxi pulled up. huw edwards got up, got out , minus any up, got out, minus any sunglasses and straight in to court his demeanour in court. i have to say, a number of times dunng have to say, a number of times during the prosecution summary of the case and their

application to the judge for a sexual harm prevention order. you could see huw edwards glaring at the prosecutor in the case, shaking his head at various things the prosecutor was saying about the potential harm, the risk that this former bbc presenter still posed, and the need for the sexual harm prevention order. but i am sure that of course, he will be overall satisfied with the outcome of this case because he is not going to jail. he will have to undergo this treatment regime and other rehabilitation and much as you were talking with danny shaw, there about a lot of emphasis was placed on the mental state of huw edwards, the mental state of huw edwards, the fact that he had a long history of mental illness. it predated his offending and was well publicised so, and the from

the defence point of view , they the defence point of view, they said that this wasn't simply an excuse that he was coming up with. to try to add mitigation to the offending behaviour that he genuinely did have. all of these conditions, these conditions of cognitive impairment and of depression coupled with alcohol, which according to the defence, impaired his right thinking. they also said which i think i find quite strange that he didn't receive any gratification from the pictures that he was receiving. well, you know , for receiving. well, you know, for all but one of the pictures, he wasn't asking for them to stop. and indeed some of the thumbnails on the pictures that were being sent to him on whatsapp did say that these were young teenagers, 13 to 15 years old. in some cases, so it's hard to see how he wouldn't have been

aware of the fact that these were illegal images and the fact that he received so many images over such a long period of time would point. you would think, to the very least, the fact that he wanted to see the images , wanted to see the images, regardless of the level of gratification he was getting from them . another point that from them. another point that the defence brought out in this case, was the issue of the 19 year old man who was sending the sexually explicit images to huw edwards and was receiving payment . the defence said this payment. the defence said this wasn't payment for the pictures. it was in the form of gifts to this 19 year old student who has, incidentally, now been also convicted. he is a convicted for accessing the dark web and accessing the dark web and accessing images of young children and passing them on to huw edwards and others . but the

huw edwards and others. but the defence team again arguing that the money that he was paying and it was regular sum sums of money to this young man, and 2 or £300 at a time , adding up to a total at a time, adding up to a total of about 1500 pounds that they weren't in the assertion of the defence team for payment for services rendered. >> okay, well, thank you very much indeed. mark white, our homeland security editor there outside westminster magistrates court for that sentencing of huw edwards. we're now joined by former bbc presenter danny kelly. danny, thank you very much indeed. i'm sure you were listening to mark there a huge amount made by the defence about huw edwards mental health, his mental condition, his stability, his mental stability. convinced >> well, look, i think that there will be a understandable collective outrage from many

people watching gb news this afternoon because there is this perception that if you and i'm not undermining anybody's mental health here, but there is a perception that if you play the mental health card, you get a lighter sentence . and this and lighter sentence. and this and a lot of people's eyes would be the embodiment of the mental health card and a lighter sentence. this is a guy who has paid money for explicit images of young people completely against the law. abhorrent behaviour. >> and i think he's dodged a bullet . >> and i think he's dodged a bullet. emily, i think he's dodged a bullet. earlier on this morning when the magistrate said, we're not going to refer it up to crown court, he would have had a big sigh of relief because then he knows the sentencing is 12 months or less, and i'll tell you what, he's the luckiest man in london, in my view , because he's got a six view, because he's got a six month suspended sentence and yes, his career is in tatters. yes, he's publicly shamed, but that matters not one jot to the victims of paedophilia and young

people being forced to pose for old, dirty men like huw edwards and sent on whatsapp for money. i think he's dodged a bullet and i think he's dodged a bullet and i think he's dodged a bullet and i think that the nspcc, i heard them earlier on, i detected a tone of disappointment in their statement, and i don't know whether there will be a public clamour for some sort of reassessment of this six month suspended sentence. but at the moment we are living in peculiar times where people are being sentenced to 3 or 4 year stretches for facebook posts and then you have huw edwards dodging a bullet with a six month suspended sentence. >> i think a lot of people will look at the ton of bricks by which the criminal justice system has come down upon people saying things on twitter or on facebook that were deemed to be contributing towards riots and think, hang on, how are there multiple years of incarceration for these acts and no jail time at all for someone who must now

be? if not the one of the most notorious convicted in the united kingdom? >> yes, you're right, i honestly am staggered by the sentence. six months suspended. when i heard the word six months from your colleagues @gbnews i thought, wow, he's dodged a bullet. and then i heard the word suspended and my jaw was wide open . it sent out the wrong wide open. it sent out the wrong message. i think from now on there'll be a precedent set because it is so high profile. people will be playing the hugh card at court more frequently now. they'll make sure that they get a decent barrister who can go back through medical records and suggest long term mental illness. and i'm not for one second undermining people who have long term mental illness. but this is a guy who has successfully argued a lighter sentence due to his long term mental illness . yet he was full mental illness. yet he was full of his mental faculties in order to pay someone £1,500 for a string of these images. danny,

more than that, dodged a bullet. >> he was clearly judged by the bbc to have enough mental faculties to present the bbc election programmes to announce the death of her majesty the queen, to be the lead anchor of bbc news, to be the face of the to bbc tens of millions of households in this country. clearly, either the bbc was wrong to put such a mentally ill man at the pinnacle of their organisation , or something's organisation, or something's gone wrong today. >> that's a great point. i hadnt >> that's a great point. i hadn't thought of that. so he's mentally well enough to produce and present or present. forgive me. the most high profile bbc flagship shows yet he's mentally unwell enough in order to dodge a bullet and get successful mitigation for sending paedophilic images. and sorry, forgive me. that's wrong. he was receiving them and that was that was a big legal difference

there. but for receiving them and also paying people money in order to receive them and also comment on them saying amazing. and would you like some more hugh words to this effect? yes, please keep them coming. that doesn't necessarily tell me the mental behaviour of someone who is, as he said he was , is, as he said he was, displaying suicidal tendencies. he's spoken about this previously. yeah, he's well enough to present high profile bbc shows and receive these abhorrent images. he's dodged a bullet and there will be public outcry. >> thank you very much. danny kelly, former bbc presenter. i mean, that is it, isn't it? the conclusion you can pay a for sexually explicit images of children and avoid jail in this country, and that's the headline that many people will see. >> of course there is lots more to it. there is, of course, this this rehabilitation programme that he must go on. there is the mitigation that we heard from his defence saying that. he said please don't send me anything

illegal. but then of course, there's what the prosecution showed where he said amazing, where he egged it on and received at least one image that was labelled 13 year old. a folder of images labelled adolescents, one that the court has judged to be of someone aged between seven and nine. in one image. and that's 41 indecent images of children sent to huw edwards and a suspended sentence handed down today. >> an element of his freedom will be taken away. he's going to be on the sex offenders list for seven years, so that means he has to notify the police and the authorities of his movements . the authorities of his movements. so if he was going to leave the country for example, or move house or change dwelling, he'd have to notify, so there's an element of his freedom taken away. but yes , avoided jail away. but yes, avoided jail time, elements of his freedom taken away. >> but interestingly, the chief magistrate today said that he was not willing to go down the road of a sexual harm prevention order. now, this would have been

the order. this was the order that the prosecution was arguing for, which would have meant that all of huw edwards internet browsing was monitored and it was a much stricter order on how he can behave. and frankly , so he can behave. and frankly, so that he could be monitored in case he offended . again. the case he offended. again. the chief magistrate today chose not to go down that road, but our man in the room has been mark white throughout this sentencing today. white throughout this sentencing today . mark, this has been an today. mark, this has been an extraordinary moment, but many people will be very, very angry that huw edwards has avoided prison today. >> there's no doubt there will be a lot of anger, because, of course, we are more than aware of other people over the years who have been similarly. similarly charged with downloading, possessing images of children that are indecent

and many of those have actually gone to jail as a result. having said that, many others have had suspended sentences, so it's difficult to draw an exact equafion difficult to draw an exact equation between them because, you know, it's not uncommon for someone sentenced for the offences that huw edwards has been sentenced for today to get a effectively a community order instead of a jail term and he has been given a jail term, but a suspended jail term for two years now, we should say that i've stepped out of shot for the moment. now, that doesn't indicate that huw edwards is coming out imminently. it's just that the police understandably want to try to keep that main avenue where i was standing, where huw edwards will come out clear so that we don't have as big a bunfight as we often do with the press descending on

individuals coming out of court. so we'll give you and continue to show you the live shot of westminster magistrates court main door. i'm told by my producer, tom fredericks, that he's inside at the moment that he's inside at the moment that he's meeting with probation officers and other officials to work out the sort of wherefore all the sort of whys and wherefores of the programme that he will be on going forward, i should say as well, that we've had a statement from the crown prosecution right now. i am told from my producer that it is imminent that huw edwards will be coming out in the next couple of minutes. so just keep an eye on that main door for the departure of the former bbc main news presenter . while we await news presenter. while we await his departure from the

magistrates court, i can bring you a statement just in from the crown prosecution service, from claire brinton , who has said claire brinton, who has said accessing indecent images of children perpetuates the sexual exploitation of them, which has deep, long lasting trauma. for these victims, the cps and the metropolitan police, she said, were able to prove that edwards was receiving illegal images and videos involving children via whatsapp. this prosecution sends, according to claire brinton , a clear message that brinton, a clear message that the cps working alongside the police will bring will work to bnng police will bring will work to bring justice to those who seek to exploit children wherever that abuse takes place , so that that abuse takes place, so that there the response from the crown prosecution service following the conviction, the sentencing of huw edwards to

that six month suspended jail term , suspended for two years, term, suspended for two years, meaning that if he offends at any point during those two years, he'll be returned to court and it is possible that he could be sent to prison to serve that that six month jail term at that that six month jail term at that point. in the meantime, what will happen is he will be effectively a free man. but with certain obligations, those obugafions certain obligations, those obligations to attend a sexual offences treatment programme . offences treatment programme. that programme, the defence for huw edwards, had wanted to be a voluntary that they claimed that huw edwards was more than willing to cooperate, would go , willing to cooperate, would go, you know, fully willing and able to take part in that programme . to take part in that programme. but, according to the chief magistrate, he wasn't satisfied that that was strong enough,

that that was strong enough, that he wanted to ensure that there was no way that huw edwards would in any way not attend any of these rehabilitation classes. so he has been given a compulsory sexual treatment order that he will have to attend. i think the judge said it was something like a 40 day treatment programme that he will have to undergo as part of the other processes that he will have to be part of, deaung he will have to be part of, dealing with a probation officer on a regular basis as well, but that one other point that the prosecution were really keen on, the chief magistrate here imposing that sexual harm prevention order has not been granted. now, as i speak, i can see huw edwards through the glass coming through the

security area. just thanking those security staff and other people in the court and he is now coming out of the double doors and coming towards us with shouts. let's listen to what's being shouted . what do you say being shouted. what do you say to your victims? huw edwards huw edwards will you give back the £200,000 to the . bbc? so no £200,000 to the. bbc? so no statement from huw edwards, no acknowledgement of my questions or the other questions being shouted to him as he gets to in that limousine just at the front of westminster magistrates court. that mercedes, now heading off with huw edwards inside, having been sentenced to

six months suspended for two years, back with me now. so, all the police that were here just in short order, as soon as they came. now they're just disappearing again because people were just here for huw edwards. now that he has gone, the crowds will clear pretty quickly, the main sort of spectacle, if you like, has gone . spectacle, if you like, has gone. having been sentenced. shouts clearly you could hear from some people quite angry at the fact that this man has, as they see it , escaped a that this man has, as they see it, escaped a jail term. now heading off for whatever treatment that he is likely to receive in the coming weeks. as far as that treatment programme is concerned, the treatment programme for his mental health and we heard a lot about his mental health, his cognitive impairment issues , issues of

impairment issues, issues of severe depression , a potential severe depression, a potential for suicide . we were told that for suicide. we were told that he has been an in—patient at a private hospital for quite some time, and has been responding positively to the treatment that he's been receiving there. however, and this is why, as we said, just before huw edwards came out there, the prosecution was asking for a sexual harm prevention order. their fear is that once he is back out in the public, if you like, away from that continued envelope of care that continued envelope of care that he is receiving in this private hospital, that there is the potential for him to regress again in terms of his mental state and to potentially go down the road again of offending behaviour, to drink and to be somewhat impaired in the decisions that he is making. thatis decisions that he is making. that is why the prosecution felt a sexual harm prevention order

would be the order of the day, and why they were really hoping that the chief magistrate would go down that road. but of course he decided to . not so, huw he decided to. not so, huw edwards, now having left westminster magistrates court, his career is over, as we know , his career is over, as we know, but at least for him, he will not be spending any time in prison. >> now, mark, we're just going to take a little look back at that moment. huw edwards walked out. >> let's us know. let's listen to what's being shouted . what do to what's being shouted. what do you say to your victims? huw edwards edwards, will you give back the £200,000 to the . bbc? back the £200,000 to the. bbc? so no statement from huw edwards, no acknowledgement of my questions or the other. >> well, there we go. that was

the moment, mark, that huw edwards left westminster magistrates court. he could hear a number of journalists, including yourself, asking him questions. no response. i should say, mark, that just in the last few minutes we have had a statement from the bbc, from a spokesperson, just a short statement saying we are appalled by his crimes. he has betrayed not just the bbc but audiences who put their trust in him. mark >> yes, he has absolutely done that. but there are also some serious questions for bbc management to answer here, because you'll remember a lot of this stemmed from allegations that were made originally in the sun newspaper earlier last year, claiming that huw edwards had paid a teenage boy for sexually explicit images. there was a bbc internal investigation being carried out into that initial allegation. the police had decided there was no criminal offence and of course the whole

process was sort of interrupted. if you like, by the news that huw edwards was being admitted for psychiatric treatment, and we don't know. and we don't think actually the results of that internal investigation will be made public. there is no indication from the bbc that they plan to do that. but during this whole process , senior this whole process, senior management at the bbc were made aware in november of last year that huw edwards had been arrested on serious sexual allegations unrelated to the first allegations, but serious sexual allegations, and to according the bbc, they were advised by the police not to say anything publicly. that may well be the case, but despite that, they continued to pay this man his full salary, although he wasn't of course, an active

presenter on the bbc at that point and continued paying him this salary to the tune of about £200,000 for five months now. the bbc, as you heard me, shout to huw edwards there are you going to give the £200,000 back? the bbc is asking huw edwards to return that money, but again, no indication yet that huw edwards has done that, or indeed intends to do that. thank you . i don't to do that. thank you. i don't mind it being aslef. >> but talking with you as he first walked into westminster magistrates court 2 or 3 months ago to offer his guilty plea, you've spoken about the stark difference in demeanour, in character, even in cadence, of this man from when he walked in, compared to walking out today.

>> yeah, i think that's right. i mean, there was a certain arrogance, i think, about the way that huw edwards walked into court on the 31st of july. now, whether that was just him being badly advised or whether it was fully coming from him, and he decided that this was the approach he wanted to take in going into court, but it was effectively, we can give you a shot down there as i'm speaking, to give you an indication of how long this walk was down this road, down here and round the corner. in fact, huw edwards got dropped off in a taxi and then walked all the way up that road , walked all the way up that road, pursued by members of the press. he was wearing sunglasses , and he was wearing sunglasses, and one of my colleagues here said, you know, he looked, you know, like an emperor. you know, he looked, you know, like an emperor . an emperor, you like an emperor. an emperor, you know, just pounding his way in with all the confidence in the

world. so whatever the advice was, if it was advice, i think that advice that was bad advice. it wasn't a good look and it was in stark contrast to that today. you didn't get the long walk in. it was a taxi that pulled up just two feet from where i'm standing. no sunglasses straight out and quickly into court. and then, of course, you just saw him coming back out and into that car and away again. no statement from him . but, you statement from him. but, you know, for me, i think the mask did slip a little inside the courtroom as well. and it spoke to me of someone who doesn't, despite what he is saying about being so deeply remorseful for the offences that he's pleaded guilty to. lots of shaking of the head and scowling at the prosecutor when the prosecutor was talking about the potential harm that huw edwards might still pose and why there was the

need for this sexual harm prevention order. monitoring his internet browsing and the potential for him to lapse back into offending behaviour. you know, as i say, shakes of the head grimacing and, you know, those, you know, rather disgruntled looks at the prosecutor, so i'm, you know , we prosecutor, so i'm, you know, we are told that he is very remorseful. the chief magistrate accepts he was very remorseful. but for several moments you could see that he was in complete disagreement about the potential risk that he still posed, in to particular children. >> very interesting thing to get that perspective from inside the courtroom . mark white, thank you courtroom. mark white, thank you so much forjoining us there so much for joining us there outside westminster magistrates court. as you have been all morning, we're going to go straight now to live shots from rome, the prime minister is, of course, in rome. we are waiting

for this live press conference with the italian prime minister, giorgia meloni and of course, our prime minister, keir starmer, who is appearing on the stage. now, let's listen . in. stage. now, let's listen. in. >> to buen pomeriggio tutti sono ovviamente molto contenta di raccogliere a roma per la prima volta, il nuovo primo ministro del regno unito keir starmer, credo che . keir starmer today credo che. keir starmer today and i think that today's meeting is further evidence of our very strong cooperation. our two respective countries have always worked hand in hand. can you hear me? yes i've always been working hand in hand to give a long term responses to the challenges of today and uk and

italy represent two fundamental pillars of transatlantic community, and these two countries are to play a primary role in international scenario and this is exactly what we want to do . the further enhancement to do. the further enhancement of our strategic cooperation can be decisive to address the various points in the agenda, international agenda to guarantee prosperity to our countries . and it is along these countries. and it is along these lines that we have adopted today's joint declaration, a piece , a declaration, which is piece, a declaration, which is very important because it has very important because it has very tangible points , important very tangible points, important points, and which are is an evidence of our deep rooted relation between our two countries. when we met in london in july on the sidelines of the

summit, we had decided that our attention would have been focused on a number of points. and when it comes to enhance cooperation, so the continuous dialogue in terms of foreign policy and defence policy, in light of the fundamental contribution that both our nafions contribution that both our nations have given and are presently giving to preserve peace and stability. but another point is energy. another basic principle of italian and uk policy and science , and the very policy and science, and the very close relation of our societies. the security fight against crime and the migration flows , and the migration flows, counteracting massive illegal immigration. and this is a topic we have addressed in detail today. there are so many migrants who are crossing the mediterranean to illegally have

access in europe, and many of them also crossed the channel to access the uk. so this is a problem which has affected the whole of europe and with prime minister summit, we agreed that the first thing to be done is to intensify our fight against human trafficking and we need to do so further uniting our forces, enhancing security cooperation between our law enforcement people, between our judicial judicial authorities, and trying to get to the very core of this activity. two major mafia prosecutors , paolo mafia prosecutors, paolo borsellino and falcone, would say , follow the money. follow say, follow the money. follow the money if you want to get to the money if you want to get to the very core of the criminal activity. and this is something that we have already shared at the g7 summit when we decided to set up an international

coalition against human trafficking and our goal is to pull together everybody's effort in trying to counteract these criminal organisations, which are leveraging on the desperation of people. and we want to maximise our cooperation between global european partners. and we also agree that to this end, we also have to better harness our organisations such as europol and interpol. and this is one of the things we are addressing now because we're trying to see how we can better use these organisations against the, organised crime. another point we want to get to the very root of the migration flow problem and we are giving renewed attention on the african continent, which, as you know, is a objective which also is

tightly linked to the fact that we need to develop the new cooperation with countries of origin, with the transit countries of the migration flow. so we, and we also want to follow the footsteps of what the uk and has already done through the so—called rome process. we want to , with the voluntary, want to, with the voluntary, assisted repatriation processes that we want to further increase. and we also agree on the fact that we must , increase. and we also agree on the fact that we must, must increase. and we also agree on the fact that we must , must not the fact that we must, must not shy away from new brave , other shy away from new brave, other options. and we mentioned here italy, albania agreement and the uk government has shown great interest in this agreement. uk government has shown great interest in this agreement . and interest in this agreement. and of course, we have shared with him all the contents of this agreement when it comes to migration flows, economic

relations, economic relations are very intense in terms of investments, in terms of, i mean , investments, in terms of, i mean, as you know, the italian community in the uk is one of the largest , community in the uk is one of the largest, community abroad is 600 000 people, many businesses working in the uk and many uk investments in italy . so this is investments in italy. so this is something that we want to further develop. this morning, prime minister has met various ceos of major italian and uk businesses and this , i think businesses and this, i think huge potential here to tap into. and i think when it comes to ,500 million investments is another evidence of this willingness to further enhance our bilateral relations and to

further enhance trade . we, one further enhance trade. we, one aspect of this cooperation is also the most strategic raw materials and innovative, materials. global compact air program. this means joint development together with uk and japan, a sixth generation aircraft by 2035. this is a project which also represents opportunities and which further contributes to developing european defence industry. because european defence industry is something which is of major interest for all european countries, and we also working on a protocol on science and this is and here i refer to science and technology and innovation. we also working together to, further develop and

develop the opportunities of exchange of our students. and here too, we are trying to find innovative solutions. so in other words, italy wants to further enhance this , very good further enhance this, very good relationship between italy and uk . and we want to also support uk. and we want to also support the uk in its effort to further develop a increased cooperation with the eu , while respecting, with the eu, while respecting, of course , the post—brexit of course, the post—brexit brexit rules . and within this brexit rules. and within this framework of course, protecting the rights of italian raisi who reside in the uk. and as we said, this is a very large italian community. we've also made reference to cooperation within the g7 and nato framework. so of course we mentioned the war in ukraine and we confirm here again our support to kyiv and our ultimate

goalis support to kyiv and our ultimate goal is to put an end to this to war, help ukraine in having a future of peace, freedom and prosperity . of course, with the prosperity. of course, with the support that is needed today and the support which is needed for the support which is needed for the reconstruction in 2025, italy will host a ukraine recovery conference, which was held in 2023, in london. and this is another instance of our synergies. and we mentioned the middle east. and of course, we can no longer postpone a global agreement based on mediation , by agreement based on mediation, by agreement based on mediation, by a us third qatar, which is calling for the ceasefire and the release, immediate release of all hostages and we also need to guarantee humanitarian assistance. italy calls on all the actors involved. and of course, israel stands ready to play course, israel stands ready to play its role. we on the front

line to counteract any escalation in the area. starting from lebanon. we've also talked about this today. it is of primary importance to find a long term solution to the crisis, which may give the possibility of talking about a two state solution. so this was a very important meeting that we had today . we have reached a had today. we have reached a very important , results. so i am very important, results. so i am very important, results. so i am very satisfied with this meeting here today. i am sure that this is just the first of a long series of meetings i keep. you have the floor. >> thank you very much. georgia. this is my first visit here to italy as prime minister. so it's really great to be here today in such a fantastic setting. fantastic weather. the perfect venue, i think, to follow on from blenheim palace, just a few weeks ago . and actually, this is weeks ago. and actually, this is the first in a series of landmark meetings in italy this

week we have the g7 culture ministers meeting in napoli. we have arsenal meeting atalanta in the champions league, but seriously, there's so much that bnngs seriously, there's so much that brings us together. but i am here today for a very simple reason. and because i recognise italy's significance as a leader in europe , on the world stage, in europe, on the world stage, as a g7 economy and nato ally , as a g7 economy and nato ally, and so as we open what i think will be a new era in britain's relations with the eu, our close friendship and partnership with italy is more important than even italy is more important than ever. and that's why it was very important for me to come so early on in my term as prime minister, as a real statement of intent. and i think we're both ambitious for what we can do together. and that spirit has come through all of our long conversations so far, not only

today, but on the previous occasions when we've had the chance to discuss a number of issues. but very much today, a resolve to work together for the good of the british and italian people for the security, stability and growth that we all want to see, and for the fundamental values that we share of democracy, justice, the rule of democracy, justice, the rule of law. so, as you say, we used our time today to discuss the global challenges before us and our determination to meet them together. jaw—jaw i want to thank you for your strong leadership, particularly on ukraine, because as russia continues to escalate, its illegal war, we will stand together shoulder to shoulder to support ukraine for as long as it takes. we will work together as we discuss to deliver the ,50 billion in loans for ukraine under your g7 presidency, and i look forward to supporting the

ukraine recovery conference in italy next year. we also agreed to deepen our security cooperation already very important for both of us. our forces will continue to exercise together through nato, the italian navy will join uk carrier operations next year and with vital projects like gsap, we are determined to work together to boost our defence, industrial capacity on the middle east. we are united in our support for an immediate ceasefire in gaza. we want to see the release of all hostages , see the release of all hostages, desperately needed humanitarian aid flowing into gaza and a calming of tensions on the west bankin calming of tensions on the west bank in particular. and of course, as we discussed, none of this is easy, but it is urgent and it is vital. so we will keep working together to resolve this crisis and end the suffering on all sides. we also discussed the

challenge of irregular migration. this is a problem across europe for both of our countries in particular, but across europe as director of pubuc across europe as director of public prosecutions in britain some years ago, i saw the important work that can be done across borders on issues like counter—terrorism, and i have never accepted, as we discussed, that we can't do the same with smuggling gangs. and now, of course , italy has shown that we course, italy has shown that we can. you've made remarkable progress working with countries along migration routes as equals to address the drivers of migration at source and to tackle the gangs. and as a result, irregular arrivals to italy by sea are down 60% since 2022. so i'm pleased that we are deepening our cooperation here, led on the uk side by our new border security commander, who has been with me today here in

italy at the coordination centre this morning to share intelligence, share tactics, shut down smuggler routes and smash the gangs. finally, as leading european economies, we also discussed the huge opportunities that we can realise together. italy is already a top ten trading partner for the uk and our sixth largest source of foreign direct investment . that all supports investment. that all supports economic growth, which is the number one mission of this government. and there's real potential now to go forward. it was excellent to have a business event first thing this morning when i met italian businesses who are actually already working in the uk. and i'm really pleased to announce that we've secured two new investments worth over £500 million into our economy . leonardo investing over economy. leonardo investing over £400 million into r&d and helicopter manufacturing in yeovil, and marsha gallia investing £100 million into green steel production in

sheffield , supporting hundreds sheffield, supporting hundreds ofjobs sheffield, supporting hundreds of jobs across the country. those are the two investment decisions i can announce today. we of course, want to go further in key sectors like defence, green tech, science and innovation to drive growth for both sides, create jobs and improve people's lives . because improve people's lives. because underneath all of this, it is important to say that there's a huge affection between our two nafions huge affection between our two nations and between our people. great respect for each other's cultures , shared passion, shared cultures, shared passion, shared values. so today we're building on that optimistic about what we can achieve together as strong partners , allies and friends. partners, allies and friends. thank you georgia. thank you . thank you georgia. thank you. >> grazie. >> grazie. >> abbiamo quattro domande iniziamo con francesco marzano del tg1 . prego. pomeriggio avete del tg1. prego. pomeriggio avete parlato di cooperazione per la lotta. i trafficante quello che come suggests human traffickers. how will this cooperation play

out? in what way? the uk also looks to the albanian model and the relationship between italy and albania, and also an update on the time it will take to implement this project. thank you so much . well, how this you so much. well, how this cooperation will play out in real life. let's say that we are focusing, as you know, the strategy that the italian government has put in place in to order counter illegal migration is very broad, and there is a cooperation in place on a 360 degree radius. on the one hand, a countering the traffickers of human being and on this front, the work that we are doing is mostly a way to perhaps extend the work done by our law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies, involving also other institutions. and in the future, we would like to really make sure that our legislation is in greater harmony in the future. right now, we are dealing with human

traffickers , heinous traffickers, heinous organisations, and they are very powerful and they have long tentacles spreading everywhere. now you make a deal with the trafficker in bangladesh, then you can cross five countries and reach italy on a dinghy. and this goes to show what the magnitude is that we're dealing with no nation by itself can be effective in dismantling these networks of traffickers. if we do not work on a 360 degree radius, first of all, involving our allies and partners, but all the countries of origin and transit, the work that we are doing on this , we are doing very doing on this, we are doing very specific kind of work to see how to gather in a more structured way. our law enforcement and intelligence services can work together and how we can involve, as i was saying earlier, how can we better involve interpol and europol facilities that are already there? and from my standpoint, they should have specific departments or sections dedicated to this for sure. these are subjects that we need to discuss with all the other

partners, but this is what we are talking about. on the one hand, on the other hand, you know that there's all the work of cooperation with african countries , which is something countries, which is something that the uk is also interested in and on which we are trying to find synergies. starting from the g7 that we spoke about, those initiatives with which we hammered out the global gateway by the may day plan, pig from the g7 to understand how this new cooperation with african countries . perhaps this too can countries. perhaps this too can also lead to networking for the work done at european level. and also we have the voluntary assisted returns and the uk has already dedicated energies on this for the voluntary assisted returns or repatriations to libya , to look for solutions to libya, to look for solutions to help the nations of north africa, which otherwise risk being left alone in front of

massive flows that come from other countries as well. so it's an extensive kind of work. albania. well, i have seen that the prime minister was very interested in what we are doing, but for sure he should be the one to speak about this. but indeed, the model that the italian government has conceived of centres to process asylum applications for those immigrants who disembark within italian or eu legislation or european legislation in a foreign country that was a model that was never experimented with before. if it works, as i hope it will, everybody can understand that this can become , understand that this can become, let's say, a new way really to deal with migration flows. also, because of the element of deterrence that this creates vis a vis relying on criminal organisations to reassure. and this is the reason why, as you all know by now, we've been working on this project very

rigorously. and from what i understand, it will take a few weeks before it is perfect. but as i mentioned earlier, i would have been better if it had started earlier. i know that the world is watching us, and rightly so . therefore, i think rightly so. therefore, i think that we have to do this in the best possible way, and if we need a few extra days as i was okay with this a few weeks ago, i will be okay with this. now as well. but we're talking about a few weeks . alex forsyth from bbc. >> thank you very much . keir >> thank you very much. keir starmer on migration. you say that you're interested in the albania scheme. can you be clear ? albania scheme. can you be clear? how seriously are you looking at the prospect of sending migrants to other countries for their claims to be processed, and are you entirely comfortable with every aspect of italy's approach, given the human rights concerns that have been expressed? and to prime minister meloni, was there a single piece of advice you gave keir starmer

when it comes to tackling this issue? and what do you say to those who accuse you of human rights violations when it comes to migrants? thank you. >> let me try to bundle both the answer to the previous question and the answer to that question up together. look what we discussed today is a common challenge, which is irregular migration. and we discussed in particular law enforcement. on the one side, how do you deal with this ? by collaborating, with this? by collaborating, cooperating, sharing data, intelligence , etc. but also the intelligence, etc. but also the prevention piece and that's why i had the new border security commander with me today at the coordination centre, so we could look at where we can do even more closely related work on enforcement , sharing more closely related work on enforcement, sharing our more closely related work on enforcement , sharing our data, enforcement, sharing our data, sharing our analysis, sharing our intelligence and sharing our strategies, and in relation , we strategies, and in relation, we discussed the albania arrangement, which isn't up and running yet, as you know, and therefore we don't yet know the

outcome of it. but we discussed the concept of it along with the prevention piece as well, because the numbers here, as i've said, have gone down quite significantly. that's actually not attributable, of course, to the albania scheme because that hasn't started. that, in my view, is more likely attributable to the work that the prime minister has done upstream, as it were, with some of the countries where migrants are coming from and the particular details and the approach that's been taken, i've always made the argument, that preventing people leaving their country in the first place is far better than trying to deal with those that have arrived in any of our countries. so i was very interested in that. and in a sense , today was, a return, if a sense, today was, a return, if you like, to british pragmatism. we are pragmatists first, and foremost. when we see a challenge, we discuss with our friends and allies the different approaches that are being taken. look at what works and that's

the approach that we've taken today. and it's been a very productive day , productive day, >> per quello che non so quali diritti umani, i do not know what human rights violations you are referring to. >> frankly speaking, because i have explained at length that the jurisdiction of these centres in albania is italian and european jurisdiction. so either you believe that european jurisdiction violates the human rights of migrants or. well, i do not know this accusation. i think it's completely groundless . think it's completely groundless. what we have done with albania means that these migrants will enjoy exactly the same rights they will have. the same treatment that they would have had in lampedusa for instance, or any other hotspot here in italy. but this will happen in a part of territory that is not physically located in italy . physically located in italy. why? well, first of all, this helps us also to alleviate the situation that, as you know,

here in italy is very difficult since we are the gateway to europe and you have seen what happened over the last few years, and also because we think that by ensuring the full. but safe implementation of both italian and european jurisdiction, no one can say since our law enforcement people are there, our judges are there, our laws , our models, everything our laws, our models, everything is there. so i repeat once again, either you are saying that italian and european legislation violates human rights of migrants, or you cannot argue that what italy is doing in albania is a violation of the migrants human rights. >> francesco la stampa . >> francesco la stampa. >> francesco la stampa. >> in italian voglio chitarra president meloni, i wanted to ask our prime minister meloni, her opinion on the use of

western, weapons and arms in russian territory by ukraine army and whether the, operation of ukraine in kursk is legitimate. >> from the question to the uk prime minister, may i, what is the, go ahead of the idea of giving the go ahead of the use of long—range missiles in russian territory? what do you think about the putin's answer? who has mentioned the possible use of nuclear arms, saying that his patience was wearing, wearing thing, with regards to ukraine, of course , it is very ukraine, of course, it is very important for us that kyiv has the very best conditions. >> okay, well, we're just going to come off this. that's giorgia meloni, the prime minister of

italy , and keir starmer there italy, and keir starmer there too, setting out joint declaration, joint things. they're going to be working on, including including, of course, illegal migration and tackling thatissue illegal migration and tackling that issue will dip in and out when keir starmer is speaking as well. but with us in the studio to react is writer and broadcaster john oxley and political commentator susie mel stride. thank you very much indeed for joining stride. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. there's been a lot made in the papers of the prospect of britain following italy's lead and negotiating some kind of agreement with the country of albania to offshore the processing of migrants. what did you take from keir starmer's response on that one? >> well , as response on that one? >> well, as we've response on that one? >> well , as we've seen, response on that one? >> well, as we've seen, there's been a lot of talk this morning and i'm sure your viewers will agree and a lot of discussion. >> but this very much is the first step of any plan. like this. it's great that we're going over sort of learning how italy has succeeded. they've reduced , oversea migrations by a reduced, oversea migrations by a huge amount , reduced, oversea migrations by a huge amount, but sort of looking at their homework is only the

first step. we then have to go out and make similar agreements, similar task force. and one of the things we've seen from albania, they're a country that has a very close relationship with italy so far , they've not with italy so far, they've not been particularly keen about copying that arrangement with the uk. so you know, this is this is the idea stage and there's really a lot to see if we can go out and have those agreements with a whole range of countries and a whole range of agencies. >> and yet this is the very early stages. this is about building those relationships. susie, i was slightly taken aback at how much praise keir starmer was heaping on giorgia meloni, quite a controversial figure in her own right. and yet this is a bit of a love in. >> yes , yes, it is interesting. >> yes, yes, it is interesting. but the thing is, is that ultimately, if you are a world leader, it is your job to build leader, it is yourjob to build relationships with other world leaders. and i think there are certain lines that we draw. you know, putin and others. but i think ultimately she's a member of the european union. and i think i really liked what keir starmer said there about we are

pragmatists, as you know , pragmatists, as you know, britain were pragmatists. we were looking for solutions here. we need to find the solutions to this problem. and italy ultimately have brought down their immigration levels by 60% from some countries. i mean, this makes sense. doesn't it, to go there, to have a conversation, to see what they're doing . and so, yeah, i they're doing. and so, yeah, i think i think this is positive . think i think this is positive. >> and yet in doing so, in bringing down those illegal boat arrivals by 60%, italy has had a huge amount of criticism from the un, from charities, from human rights activists, from lawyers, because this includes a very controversial policy about making it harder for people to rescue people at sea, which clearly has stopped some boats. but also there are human rights concerns. there everything that italy does has had a fierce level of resistance, frankly, from people like keir starmer, from people like keir starmer, from human rights lawyers. >> yeah. i mean, look, i think anything that prevents people from being rescued at sea is not acceptable. you can't have

children , women and men. you children, women and men. you can't have people drowning in the sea. but i think what obviously has been effective is some of this, you know, offshore processing of claims. and i think ultimately this is something that the labour party is going to or the labour government is going to begin to look at, but obviously they're only going to look at it if there are safe ways of doing it, if there are legal ways of doing it, but i think, you know, ultimately over the last ten years, the difference or five years, the difference or five years or whatever, the different solutions that different governments have implemented, namely the conservatives haven't worked in fact, the numbers are going up. so i think, you know, you know , there's a line here. you know, there's a line here. there is no way you know, as a uk government, we're going to make it harder for people to be rescued at sea. but there are other solutions here that we could look at that actually, you know, we you know, if we look at ways of doing that in legal ways and safe ways could be really possible and ultimately save lives. >> should we dip in back just to hear what keir starmer is saying now? >> and that means that i'm

utterly focused on what i think is the most likely deterrent and effective way of dealing with unlawful migration, and that is to take down the gang gangs that are running this vile trade of course, it's a problem when we've got people arriving into the uk who are arriving unlawfully across the channel or any other route. and of course, every government has the responsibility of making sure our borders are secure. but rather than a gimmick which as you know, costs £700 million to persuade for volunteers to go to rwanda, we have gone down the road of pragmatism already. we have returned over 3000 people by flights. so the flights actually did get off, under this government, not to rwanda, but back to countries of origin carrying with them 3000 people who shouldn't be here, including the single biggest flight that has ever taken off returning people to their country of

origin. and that's why we're working so intently on the border security command, which is intended to take down the gangs that are running this vile trade in the first place. it's also why i'm very interested in the work that the prime minister here in italy has been doing in terms of upstream work in the countries that people are coming from, which on the face of it appears to have had quite a profound effect on, irregular migration into italy. and that's what this is about. it's about the politics of pragmatism, the british are very good at pragmatism. it's what we've known for over the years, which is seeing a problem and actually rolling up our sleeves and thinking through which is the most effective way to deal with it, under the last government, in my view, we had a gimmick that didn't work and cost an absolute fortune. and we're not interested in that. in relation to your question about gifts. look, the rules are absolutely clear in relation to gifts in terms of the declarations that need to be made. i said before the election, i say again after the election, i say again after the election, i say again after the election, the rules really matter in terms of declarations.

that's why my team reached out for advice on to what declare from the relevant authorities. they reached out again more recently, got further advice and hence the declarations have gone in in accordance with the rules so that it's transparent and you can all see according to the rules exactly what declarations were made. but it was because i insist on the rules that my team reached out to make sure that we were declaring in the right way under the rules, and then reached out again to the appropriate authorities, basically asking for advice about what's the appropriate way to deal with this in accordance with the rules. thank you . with the rules. thank you. >> okay. well, there was keir starmer addressing illegal migration, but also the only he was addressing irregular migration. >> irregular migration not illegal. >> apologies, but also the question of gifts of course, because the scandal rumbles on, the story rumbles on over the gifts he accepted for himself and his wife. the wardrobe suggestions john oxley .

suggestions john oxley. >> it is interesting listening to keir starmer again and again in this press conference, say irregular migration and then to listen to the translator for giorgia meloni sort of stressed the word illegal migration. is keir starmer trying to deliver a pretty profound shift in the way we talk about these issues? >> i think he's definitely sort of focusing on on the real detailed nuances of this, because ultimately you can have the legal right to come here, but come through an irregular route. and it's interesting that he's drawing that distinction. and perhaps talking a lot more about boats and small crossings rather than immigration as a whole, and how we deal with people who have hang on the illegal migration act made it unlawful for you to arrive in this country via boat across the engush this country via boat across the english channel. >> you were deemed, therefore, an illegal migrant. i don't believe that law has yet been changed. so as it stands, you are an illegal migrant. by domestic law, if you arrive in

this country via those means, but you are still certainly historically, you're still potentially able to sort of legalise your position . partly legalise your position. partly the reason he's changing that language is, is surely a political move. >> i think it is definitely about looking at a political decision to look at the issue of the small boats separately from what other else might be happening around migration. >> it's also a conflict between two different forms of law. there's the refugee convention, 1951, that we signed up to at the un that says these are the ways in which you can claim refugee status. therefore, making someone legal, which we're still signed up to. and then there's the migration act that was or illegal migration act that was passed under the last government , act that was passed under the last government, which act that was passed under the last government , which says, last government, which says, actually, if you arrive by this way, you are an illegal migrant. and in these two sort of i suppose, laws are in conflict. absolutely. >> and one of the historic problems that sort of undermines this whole or sort of sets the scale for this whole disagreement is what a lot of countries have done, including

britain, is over the years . they britain, is over the years. they originally said, well, you can't claim asylum until you get here. and that was sort of seen as the barrier . so and that was sort of seen as the barrier. so you couldn't go to the british embassy in your country and say, i want to move to britain. here's my claim. because they wanted getting here to be the barrier. so we set up a system where you could only do it when you got here. and now having exactly the problems you expect that people do whatever they can to get here. we're now having to look at ways to make it harder. once you get they would they would still come by illegal means , regardless of illegal means, regardless of whether there were more routes set up, humanitarian safe legal routes set up because you may not have a legitimate claim. >> so you'd still arrive via illegal means , because a lot of illegal means, because a lot of people make the argument that if we had more safe and legal routes, if you were able to just turn up at the embassy in the country or from or on the way and be able to, you know, put in your claim for asylum that would end the illegal migration? of course it wouldn't. it wouldn't. >> but some people, you know,

and if you look at the number of claims we accept, it is quite a large percentage. and historically, those people were able to get their asylum sort of piece of paper and then just get on a flight so they wouldn't have to make those crossings. so absolutely. >> but is that because we have a low threshold as to what a safe country is? >> well, it is over the last 10 or 15 years ago, our level of acceptance has gone up a lot. there are a number of reasons that lie behind that, partly to do with how claims are processed , do with how claims are processed, partly to do with how migration itself has shifted, because 15 years ago there were countries it was easier to get here from than, say, bangladesh or afghanistan. but you had a lot of people from sort of eastern europe at that point trying to claim asylum, who were rejected. >> now, susie, we heard a new news line from the prime minister in that press conference announcing that 3000 illegal migrants have been returned by flight since this government came to power in the last 70 days or so, including the single highest number of returns on a single flight in

british history, keir starmer is going to get quite a bit of kickback from his own party for this. i don't know. >> i don't think so. i think the labour party is split. you know, and that's unfortunately just the way it is. but you know, it is split. you've got some people that are you know, very critical of, you know, some of these things and then there's other people that are like, yeah, but there are people dying in the channel. so what do you do? you know what i mean? and often these people, i mean, i always think they're slightly disconnected from reality. i mean, i'm not i'm not in that you know, in that section, but i think a vast majority of the labour party, vast majority people that voted for keir starmer are people that have just campaigned very hard to get a labour government. a lot of the mps we've now got in, i think they understand a the british public are concerned about this. so we can't go whistling over here. we have to listen to them. but also like keir starmer said, we are going to be judged on whether we have solutions to these issues and so we should be judged on them . and we should be judged on them. and so i don't, i don't think so. and i also think i mean, we were

just talking about this, that there was some there was a middle class guy from albania that got here by illegal means, you know, you know , he didn't you know, you know, he didn't need to be in this country. i think there are people and i've spoken about this before because i've worked with albanian refugees, where you've got people being tortured and murdered in a varne. well, that's different, you know, you know, you know, and also the translators from afghanistan, that's different. but you know , that's different. but you know, we've got people that actually don't need to be here. and they are those people that probably put back on that plane. i'd be baffled why anyone in the labour party would have a problem with that. and if they did, i would have a nice little argument with them about it. >> i mean, the labour government, now elected, have been watching this problem get worse and worse, arguably over the past few years, while the conservatives have been they have seen various schemes fail. they've decided to completely axe the rwanda scheme for many reasons , and now they're looking reasons, and now they're looking for solutions. how long are they going to be allowed to look for solutions? on saturday, 801 migrants crossed . eight people migrants crossed. eight people died. yeah, this problem is getting worse. it appears at

least the numbers of crossings on on one day are. yeah yeah. solutions. solutions. >> yeah. i mean, i agree, i mean, i think look, i think it is important to say , you know, i is important to say, you know, i mean, what have we been in? i mean, what have we been in? i mean, it is two months now. i'm not i'm not using that as an excuse, but i just think if you want to turn around , you know, want to turn around, you know, this, this is a massive concern to british people. but it's like the prison system, the prison system. you know, last week , you system. you know, last week, you know, we're not going to reform the prison system in two months. it's just not going to happen. the nhs, education, we're not going to reform these things. i mean, the riots started and obviously they were like locking people up as a deterrent, you know, and actually, interestingly, who knows how much that also delayed some of the things that keir starmer wanted to do because you know, he had that was something that was right there. it was urgent. it was necessary. it had to be deau it was necessary. it had to be dealt with. but i think it's important to say we're not going to turn this around in two months. but i do think i think we've got to watch keir starmer because i think he is someone thatis because i think he is someone that is quite clinical on these things and i do think we are going to see results and i think

it is necessary. you can't have people being, you know, drowning in the channel. on the one hand. and also, you know, in this country, people having absolutely right concerns and also loads of people sitting in hotels and we were saying this, this is costing the taxpayer huge amounts of money. and these people aren't happy. they are miserable sitting in those hotels. this is not a good life. this is not a good, you know, answer for anyone as it were. >> no. and let's hope that the government that the new elected government that the new elected government comes up with some good ideas. but one does have to wonder, what on earth have they been doing for the last five years in opposition? isn't an opposition supposed to be drawing up a policy agenda? john. they went to the country on a very thin manifesto that didn't say much that they were wanting to do for understandable reasons. to be fair to the gangster, in 2019, the tories went on a thin manifesto and won big. turns out that if you have a very detailed manifesto, you're not likely to win an election in this country. but but clearly they haven't been doing their homework on this stuff. >> i think that's what we're seeing from this government across a number of issues. you know, they're saying that they hadnt know, they're saying that they hadn't really sort of had the

full appraisal. we can debate whether that's true or not. but i think if you've been sitting around out of power for 14 years, and if you've been leader of the opposition for 4 or 5, you have to understand that you only have a limited time to get stuff done. if you're not getting on with things from day one, those things aren't going to take effect until the next election comes around or afterwards. and so you do need to be really strict and really well planned. and i think we've seen this across our politics, both sides of the house, both major parties have just really struggled to get into how do we get government to do the things we want to do, and how do we get our plan adopted quickly? and i think there is a danger that, you know, keir starmer is falling into the same problem and he's just going to get two years in, going to get bogged down. and then before you know it, an election has come around and you don't have much to boast about. >> well, absolutely. john oxley and susie stride, thank you very much indeed. just before the election, we spoke to yvette coopen election, we spoke to yvette cooper. a number of times and it was a little bit vague, wasn't it? smashed the gang's not sure

what we're going to do with people we can't deport to an unsafe country. we'll solve it. we'll work harder , very much we'll work harder, very much against three word slogans. >> when those words are stop the boats, but very much in favour of three word slogans. when those words are smashed, the gangs. i think it makes sense now. the former bbc news presenter huw edwards, has been given a suspended six month sentence for child abuse. image offences. that means he avoids incarceration . incarceration. >> yes he does. he's also required to complete a sex offender programme and will be on the sex offenders register for the next seven years. >> well, we're now with the gb news home and security editor, mark white, who was there in the courtroom. mark, this is a profound moment in in broadcast history, but also, of course, it shakes our institutions . shakes our institutions. >> yes, there's no doubt. and there will be many people, i think, quite angry that huw edwards is not beginning a term behind bars, particularly victims groups. and those that

are perhaps angry may well be looking back to what has happenedin looking back to what has happened in recent weeks with the very significant establishment crackdown on those involved in the riots recently, involved in the riots recently, in which people who weren't even taking part in those riots, people that were posting on social media are behind bars, beginning prison terms. yet this man, former bbc head news presenter, who was has pleaded guilty to receiving those images , guilty to receiving those images, some very explicit images of some very explicit images of some very explicit images of some very young children will not be going to jail. and instead, that six month jail sentence has been suspended for two years. now that does mean that if he re—offends in that time, he will be taken back to court, and it's possible he

could be jailed at that time. but for the moment, at least, he is a free man with those certain restrictions or , programs that restrictions or, programs that he has to take part in such as the sex offenders rehabilitation program. his defence team had argued that he didn't need to do that in a compulsory sense, that he would voluntarily agree to be part of any treatment programs. but the chief magistrate here believed that that was not sufficient, that there should be a level of compulsion to ensure that huw edwards does indeed attend this 40 day program. the prosecutor here, the crown prosecution service, had asked for a sexual offenders harm reduction order to be passed down by the chief magistrate , down by the chief magistrate, but he decided not to do that.

the reason the crown wanted that in place is because they were concerned about the potential for huw edwards to reoffend . he for huw edwards to reoffend. he is undergoing treatment at the moment for mental health issues, and is said to be responding well to that treatment in a private hospital in london. but the concern that some within probation and the prosecution service have is that that when he is released from that hospital and back into the community, that the progress he's been making there may well be reversed . and it's possible be reversed. and it's possible that he could have a decline again in his mental health and potentially go down the road again towards that offending behaviour . again towards that offending behaviour. but the judges have said decided he was not going to agree to implement that. sexual offenders harm reduction order.

now when huw edwards left westminster magistrates court about 20 minutes after that sentence was handed down, you can imagine lots of cameras and people shouting questions at him as he came out. didn't see much. but here's just how that unfolded. about 40 minutes ago. let's listen to what's being shouted. what do you say to your victims? huw edwards huw edwards, will you give back the £200,000 to the . bbc? so no £200,000 to the. bbc? so no statement from huw edwards, no acknowledgement of my questions or the other questions being shouted to him as he gets in to that limousine . so hugh, so huw that limousine. so hugh, so huw edwards now says, left the court

to go back to that private hospital where he is undergoing the psychiatric treatment at the moment, there was a statement from his barrister, although he didn't say anything publicly when he left the court. a statement really, of contrition from the former bbc presenter. worth reading out what the barrister said. he said he apologises to the court and is profoundly sorry. he recognises the repugnant nature of such images and the harm caused to those by such images. he apologises sincerely. he has betrayed the priceless trust of so many people, damaged his family and loved ones. he is truly sorry that, according to his barrister. but i have to say, as i watched huw edwards in the dock, you know, at various points listening to the

prosecutor, he was grimacing, frowning, shaking his head, clearly not agreeing with the prosecutor when the prosecutor was talking about the potential for this man to go on and cause harm to children again . so, you harm to children again. so, you know, draw your own conclusions as to how remorseful he really is. but we got that statement from his barrister , accepted by from his barrister, accepted by the chief magistrate here at westminster magistrates court okay. >> well, thank you very much indeed , mark white. our homeland indeed, mark white. our homeland security editor outside westminster magistrates court, where huw edwards appeared earlier for his sentencing . earlier for his sentencing. >> goodness me, it's been a very chock a block show live with these live events that we haven't even mentioned , that haven't even mentioned, that attempted assassination of former president donald trump. yes, the latest on that assassination attempt be right here on gb news.

>> very good afternoon to you. it is just after 2:30. we will head straight back to tom and emily in just a few minutes. first, though , a look at the first, though, a look at the headunes first, though, a look at the headlines this afternoon and disgraced bbc presenter huw edwards has been spared jail after admitting to accessing indecent images of children. but the judge said his long earned reputation is in tatters. it comes after the 63 year old was sent 41 illegal images by convicted alex williams over whatsapp. the court also heard today edwards paid williams hundreds of pounds after receiving the images. at westminster magistrates court this afternoon, edwards was handed six months imprisonment, suspended for two years. it

means he doesn't go to prison but is subject to a probation period. the former newsreader also has to undertake 25 rehabilitation sessions and be placed on the sex offender treatment programme for 40 days. well, in a statement, his former employer, the bbc, said edwards had betrayed not just the bbc but audiences who put their trust in him, adding that the corporation was appalled by his crimes . in other news, the prime crimes. in other news, the prime minister has reaffirmed his commitment to cracking down on smuggling gangs after high level talks being held in rome. sir keir starmer met with the italian leader giorgia meloni to discuss what he called italy's remarkable progress in halting mediterranean crossings. it comes after italy recently controversially signed a deal with albania to handle asylum claims . in a with albania to handle asylum claims. in a joint press conference in the last half hour or so , both leaders have pledged or so, both leaders have pledged to work together to fight human trafficking and underscored their commitment to support ukraine against russia .

ukraine against russia. president biden says the secret service needs more help after what the fbi are calling an apparent assassination attempt on donald trump, which was foiled at the weekend. reports suggest a secret service agent saw the barrel of a rifle sticking out from the bushes on the perimeter of trump's international golf course in west palm beach. the 58 year old was shot and fled the scene, but was shot and fled the scene, but was soon arrested after an urgent alert was put out. us media suggests he's a pro—ukraine activist and had attempted to recruit foreign fighters for the war against russia. trump, who is unharmed after the incident, posted on social media saying it was certainly an interesting day here. energy supplier ovo has unveiled a new £50 million support scheme to help customers who are hit by the cut to winter fuel payments. the package, which eligible customers can apply which eligible customers can apply for includes direct financial aid, temporary reductions in direct debits and home upgrades like insulation and new boilers. it comes as sir

keir starmer is facing fresh criticism as the government prepares to make that cut to energy support affecting millions of pensioners. the conservative james cleverly and liberal democrat spokeswoman wendy chamberlain have condemned the decision, calling it a historic mistake. home prices in britain have surged by nearly £3,000 in the last month, reaching new highs in august. the average asking price for a home jumped by nought point 8% to just over £370,000, according to just over £370,000, according to rightmove. experts say that increase double the long term average is down to a rebound in the market and easing mortgage rates. despite the boost, though , rates. despite the boost, though, there is uncertainty about potential bank of england rate change and the upcoming budget announcement. finally tito jackson, the original member of the legendary jackson five, has sadly died at the age of 70. a key part of the jackson five success, tito helped drive hits like abc and i want you back, contributing to over 150 million

records sold worldwide. fans and family have said his legacy will live on as it will forever be. tito time. those are the latest gb news headlines for now. sophia wenzler will have your next update at 3:00. now though, back to tom and emily for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code , alerts by scanning the qr code, or go to gbnews.com forward slash alerts . slash alerts. >> good afternoon britain. it's 2:34 now. a man has been arrested and an assault rifle was recovered after an apparent assassination attempt on the life of donald trump. >> yes, the former president, he was playing golf on his course in florida when gunshots were fired. and the secret service opened fire on the armed suspect.

>> while the individual left an ak 47 style assault rifle and other items at the scene, including a gopro camera, before fleeing in a vehicle that was later arrested. >> of course, this comes just two months after he was shot at a campaign rally in pennsylvania. >> well, joining us now is our national reporter, charlie peters. charlie, this is a second assassination attempt in just two months. >> yeah, a very serious moment in american politics yesterday andindeedin in american politics yesterday and indeed in american national security. more questions again for the secret service who had such a devastating response after the last failed assassination attempt on donald trump earlier in the summer. now, tom, you've mentioned there was the ak 47 weapon removed from the scene and a gopro camera, also a scope and two backpacks. so quite a significant amount of equipment for this alleged shooter to be carrying. and the kalashnikov is particularly concerning because thatis particularly concerning because

that is a deadly weapon, certainly within the range that he is said to have been acting within. he was shot at by the secret service when he was identified, fled the scene and then later arrested. there's a lot of conversation now, as you would expect, as to the motive, the motive still being established and the former assassination attempt in this case. it's not entirely clear at the moment, but it does appear that this shooter had previously voted for donald trump in 2016, but in recent years had adjusted into becoming more of a pro—ukraine activist . so keen pro—ukraine activist. so keen was he on the ukrainian resistance to putin's full fledged invasion in 2022 that he has reportedly attempted to join the so—called international legion in ukraine, which is the armed forces they have comprised of foreign volunteers. sources. there telling the international press today that he was rejected for service because of his age and his lack of military experience. this man, a 58 year old in the us called ryan wesley ruth, he's obviously now under

supervision of the detention staff in florida. >> well, all eyes on donald trump and his security. how might this impact the election? >> well, that's a good question. i mean, in the last time we saw trump surge in popularity, in that brief moment where he seemed quite literally and physically invincible, to have the luck, to have dodged a bullet by a millimetre due to him turning his head to look at an immigration graph on a teleprompter put up by one of his staff. in that split second, it seems that this occasion, the secret service did prevent the shooting by more direct action when previously they had allowed a shooter to reach a vantage position in such precarious circumstances in an open field in pennsylvania, now in florida, on his home turf, really in his area, to have prevented that shooting by seeing him in a bush and shooting at him, that's more reassuring. but as you say, emily, how might this impact the election? well, we have seen, as you can imagine , a significant you can imagine, a significant degree of people saying that they are distressed by this. they've condemned the violence.

it could lead to an uptick in commentary on donald trump's status as a target. he has previously been almost grateful in a way , for extreme attacks in a way, for extreme attacks from the judiciary and indeed, even potentially physical attacks, because it allows him to run this line that he often does about him being a target of the establishment, that he is the establishment, that he is the most hated man, that he has to overcome an exceptional degree of hatred and a barrage of intolerance. well, there's one thing facing down lawsuits, but it's another to regularly face down assault rifles. it's an appalling situation, and both keir starmer and the foreign secretary, david lammy, have condemned the violence . condemned the violence. >> and of course, so has kamala harris, the opponent of donald trump, who is attempting to appear as this sort of unifying figure. she attempted to reach out to republicans and independents during the debate last week. she spoke about herself being a gun owner, even though a lot of her policy positions seem to have changed pretty considerably over the course of the last four or so

years, from the most liberal senator to now, someone presenting as a middle of the aisle kind of person. but but attention has turned, of course, to the secret service . big to the secret service. big failings for the secret service. two months ago . a more mixed set two months ago. a more mixed set of commentary now, because , as of commentary now, because, as you say, they did spot this would be assailant. they spotted a gun poking out of a bush. so we hear and got him to go away. seemingly, they have done their job in this case, they shot first, which is the ideal scenario when facing an assassination attempt that the secret service are not reacting. >> they are proactively shooting in this case. but it's also worth noting, as you were just talking about kamala harris and her statement, saying that she's a gun owner , etc. the washington a gun owner, etc. the washington post has uncovered that mr ruth, this 58 year old, the suspect of this 58 year old, the suspect of this case now facing potential charges, he did also have a criminal record that relates to gun ownership. in 2002, he was found guilty of possessing a weapon of mass destruction. now

in the us, that refers normally to automatic machine guns because there are still, i think in the uk we have this idea that everything in the us is a wild west when it comes to weapons ownership, but actually the minutiae of regulation on firearms is intense across states. and when it comes to automatic weapons, there is almost a blanket ban across many states on that. so a machine gun in his possession almost certainly that sort of weapon. in 2002, some criminal record there suggesting a potential political issue for gun owners in this case, that he was then allowed to pick up an ak 47. >> in florida law, owning a machine gun is classified as a weapon of mass destruction. >> i think it might have been a different state at the time. he's moved around a fair bit, but florida is more liberal than other states. >> one american states a machine gun is a weapon of mass destruction. saddam had weapons of mass destruction all along. >> that is a unique way of looking at this regulation. >> i do wonder how this will go down with his supporters. one very dramatic assassination

attempt . he received a boost in attempt. he received a boost in the polls, a second will trump supporters want a president who is so obviously a target ? is so obviously a target? >> it could go either way? >> it could go either way? >> yeah, i mean, there have been several us presidents who've survived assassination attempts and had twice in such quick succession and have had that experience, have had that experience, have had that experience of being extremely bold and being courageous in the light of it. i think of ronald reagan, a balloon bursting at a speech. he gave and he said, missed me as his joke when it went off. he was shot very on early on into his. 181 early on into his presidency . so maybe into his presidency. so maybe donald trump could take the reaction from these two assassination attempts in quick succession , and continued to succession, and continued to paint himself as a sort of invincible character, facing threats from the judiciary. but also from lunatics with weapons and other sort of language. we might see from some of his supporters . as you can as you supporters. as you can as you can imagine, they are keen to

snap back at this very severely as they should. but i think there's also going to be an additional concern anywhere in the world now. now knows what ryan ruth thinks. they all know about his political views. they know how much he cares about ukraine. we've seen excerpts captured of books he sold online on amazon, books that previously were unread. his face is now all over the media and everyone knows who he is and what he's about. is it possibly the case that the coverage of this shooting could incentivise further actions from extremists in the united states ? because in the united states? because they say, if i put a gun near donald trump, my views will go the world over. >> and that is that is the concern, because there are things that this man wrote in the wake of that shooting that that that first attempted assassination attempt, that could well, and we don't have probable cause or anything at this stage, but could well have motivated this second shooter to go out now , it could be that

go out now, it could be that a third or a fourth or i mean, in the way that these sort of social contagion aspects of school shootings sort of grew out of nowhere and became a purview of the mentally ill. now, people shooting at donald trump could be no. >> it's an extraordinary risk, isn't it? and i think something that people are especially conscious of in the united states in their reporting of how these shootings take place , these shootings take place, there certainly are fewer restrictions on how the press can operate over there than we do, especially when it comes to criminal charges. there are cameras in courtrooms, and you can quite easily have an aura of notoriety, even fame attached to some of the worst offenders in the united states. whereas in britain there are no cameras in any courts. i mean, the biggest story that you've been covering today, all of the shots across all the channels, were outside the court, all the conversation going on from reports from those inside delivered by text to their colleagues. whereas in the united states you can have someone on the most heinous charges giving their statement quite freely to millions of people, anyone can hear them,

anyone can watch them. people could even praise them, see them and want to become them. >> and if you've got a twisted ideology behind you, then you want to amplify it as far as possible. now, i hadn't given much thought to donald trump's security . when he goes out and security. when he goes out and plays golf at his own golf club, it's quite, very interesting to hear that. essentially, it's sweeped every hole he goes to checked over there was some conversation about whether there should have been some drones doing this sort of thing. i mean, the level of security required is quite incredible . i required is quite incredible. i mean, perhaps that sounds naive, but just to hear when he's golfing at his own club, i think there's so much security that goes on with guarding politicians of all stripes, and not necessarily just in the united states, that thankfully he must have the most, i think almost certainly. >> but it's useful that we don't know the extent the conversation that we're now having about drones, they almost certainly had months ago, and that will be discussed further and more effectively. i think now, as a consequence of this attempted assassination. it's interesting, isn't it, that after the failed attempt a couple of months ago,

his security visibly changed. and i mean that in terms of both the number of people around him, but also their build, there was quite a lot of criticism by the actions of those, particularly those of a smaller build who didn't necessarily jump into the action so cleanly. some people, when they were tested, didn't do what was required of the secret service. and i think we have seen a more severe response. >> the secret system became a laughing stock. >> well, i think that's a fair to say. i think that's fair to say. and i think donald trump's security were now pointing to saying, we got it right this time. >> well, charlie, thank you very much for bringing us all of that. up next on the program on the channel is martin daubney. of course, at 3:00. martin, what's coming up in your program? >> fantastic show today, guys. >> fantastic show today, guys. >> wow, what a bumper news day. >> wow, what a bumper news day. >> it's been . so what am i doing >> it's been. so what am i doing at 3:00? well, two weeks ago, a working class man in aldershot was jailed for two years and three months for throwing a mountain bike at an asylum seeker hotel. the door wasn't even damaged. no previous convictions. he's currently at

his majesty's pleasure today. a multi—millionaire former bbc presenter avoided jail despite pleading guilty to sharing 47 images of minors. is that the right outcome for a vulnerable man, or is this another shocking display of two tier justice in britain? also, sir keir starmer's charm offensive in italy? i'll explain why it's complete smoke and mirrors the issues that face italy are totally different from those facing britain, tunisia and libya. they actually tow the boats back to africa if the french did the same, we'd have the same 60% decline. it's all posturing and it won't amount to anything. and there's going to be a national beer shortage. get stuck in while you can. that's all coming. three, two, six i don't know about this beer shortage. >> i think we'll find a way around it. we're, you know, we're very resourceful. our spirits, when we need our beer, we need our beer. i can't imagine mr wetherspoon will allow his pubs to dry up. but

anyway, i look forward to heanng anyway, i look forward to hearing more about it, particularly about that potential migration changes. the lessons from italy . thank you lessons from italy. thank you very much indeed. >> and martin has wonderfully set us up for this very next item. it's bad news for beer drinkers, as the uk could indeed be hit with that beer shortage. are you brewing any in your bath? well, apparently it's all to do with the weather affecting wheat crops. this year we'll be getting more on that after this

>> welcome back. it is now 250 now. britain is apparently on the brink of a beer shortage after we were caught out on the hop by bad weather, caught on the hop industry experts fear a shortage of wheat beers, bread and cereals, causing a heavy reliance on foreign imports.

well, record rainfall means that the nation is set for one of its worst harvests since records began back in 1983. wheat crops will be cut by almost a fifth. >> i find it hard to believe records only began in 1983, but will pubs really be without beer this christmas? i'm sure . i'm this christmas? i'm sure. i'm sure the victorians had records. i'm sure. well, we're joined now by liz webster, the campaign, the founder of the campaign group save british farming. liz, it's been a tough, tough harvest. am i going to feel that when i pay for beer in a pub, >> yes. i mean, all foods, actually, all british foods are under a lot of stress for a variety of different reasons. but certainly the weather over the last 18 months has been really challenging. it's becoming too difficult too and risky to grow food in britain. we've lost support because we left the european union , and left the european union, and policy has been encouraging us to go into greening schemes. and when the weather adds insult to

injury, as it has in the last 18 months, then farmers are just giving up because the risk is too great. so i mean, here on this farm last winter, what we did drill the wheat that we did drill rotted and, you know , then drill rotted and, you know, then the fields became too wet to do the fields became too wet to do the rest of the drilling. so this year, harvest actually, for me personally, has been quite easy because we haven't had much to harvest. so it's been a fairly quiet time. but but yes , fairly quiet time. but but yes, it is going to have an impact. >> i mean, liz, to not ukraine war, not to be harsh to british farmers , but presumably we can farmers, but presumably we can make up the loss by just importing more beer from, from abroad. well, we can, but you know, there's a lot of stress on the global markets because of the global markets because of the ukraine russia war. >> so there's a lot of volatility, but yes, you know, the reality of where the direction of travel for british farming, which is your beer, your food, everything you consume, your milk, everything. >> it means that you're going to

be eating more imported products. yes. >> and we'll have less food security , which is a huge security, which is a huge concern going forward because if the war, or, you know, or if, as the war, or, you know, or if, as the climate becomes more unstable, it means relying on imports can be risky , as we saw imports can be risky, as we saw with the covid, >> you know , the impacts of >> you know, the impacts of covid that you can't always assume that you're going to be able to get those imports. and that's the lesson that we learned in the last two world wars, which is why we put a big effort into food production. but that sadly has not happened. and support for farming has been withdrawn. and the support that we have got is encouraging us to do greening schemes. so farmers are taking land out of production for greening schemes, which makes little sense . but which makes little sense. but thatis which makes little sense. but that is why there's a shortage of food and it's going to get worse going forward because you can't actually farm your whole farm. >> it has to be used for other purposes as dictated by the government. liz, we're going to have to end it there. we'd love

to speak to you again. founder of campaign group save british farming . that's liz webster. farming. that's liz webster. >> absolutely. and i have been told in my ear that detailed records did begin in 1983. so that's me. >> still find that hard to believe. >> this is good afternoon, britain. don't go anywhere . it's britain. don't go anywhere. it's martin daubney up next. so see you there at three. >> a brighter outlook with boxt solar sponsors of weather on gb news . news. >> hello again and welcome back to the latest forecast from the met office for gb news warm, sunny spells for most of us today, but cloudier skies will increasingly arrive into the far northwest because of this area of low pressure and its associated weather fronts, but it is moving quite far to the north of the uk, so these are weak fronts and another weak front has been clearing through the day to the south, so clearing skies for most of the country overnight. and under those clear skies it will be

fairly chilly in the south and across central parts. 2 to 4 celsius in some sheltered spots and a few mist and fog patches as well. by dawn. but across the north and northwest of scotland , north and northwest of scotland, thicker clouds, some low clouds, some patchy rain and drizzle and by dawn. so a milder start here. but a gloomy start and we've got rain clearing first thing across shetland. lewis harris mull, for example, but actually apart from the west of scotland, where we've got that thicker cloud first thing, there'll be plenty of fine weather across the rest of fine weather across the rest of scotland as well as northern ireland. some sunshine early on, england and wales virtually cloud free apart from those mist and fog patches, which will soon disappear during the morning, leading to another day of largely sunny skies. a bit of a breeze picking up across the far southeast and some patchy clouds rolling in here but staying dry. meanwhile, the thicker cloud in the north and northwest of scotland tends to disappear through the morning and into the afternoon. it's warmer and

brighter across much of scotland. temperatures in the north—east could reach the low to mid 20s, and similar temperatures further south—east across the uk as well. with light winds, it's going to feel very pleasant in the sunny spells, but as the breeze picks up across the east and southeast of england, we will see some low cloud moving in here overnight. meanwhile, clearer skies across the north of scotland. another fine day to come through thursday and into the start of friday, but some showers will develop later . develop later. >> that warm feeling inside from boxt boilers sponsors of weather on gb

>> well . >> well. >> well. >> a very good afternoon to you. hope you had a magnificent weekend. it's 3:00 pm on monday and welcome to the martin daubney show on gb news. we're broadcasting live from the heart of westminster and all across the uk .

the uk. >> what do you say to your victims? huw edwards shamed bbc presenter huw edwards today sensationally avoided a jail term despite pleading guilty to accessing indecent images of children as young as seven. >> a fair outcome for a vulnerable man or another example of two tiered justice. two tiered britain and in his latest attempt to smash the gangs today, sir keir starmer is in rome to learn from his italian counterparts. giorgia meloni . but it seems the gangs meloni. but it seems the gangs simply aren't listening. on saturday, 801 illegal immigrants landed on our shores a record since the labour party came into power . and earlier on today, gb power. and earlier on today, gb news sat down with the liberal democrat leader, ed davey. without a paddle board or a skintight suit in sight, we asked him if he is secretly campaigning for a second brexit referendum. trust me, you will not want to miss his giveaway answer . and not want to miss his giveaway answer. and get ready to cry into your beer because beer

drinkers could be in for some bitter news. pun intended, because britain is