>> good afternoon. i'm sophia wenzler with your headlines from the gb newsroom. donald trump says los angeles is a total wipe—out as wildfires continue to devastate the region. the hollywood hills blaze, described as the most destructive in la's history, has claimed five lives and forced 137,000 people to evacuate and reduce sunset boulevard to rubble. the president elect slammed the democrats for showing gross incompetence in their response, while joe biden's promised an all out effort to contain the flames and rebuild. firefighters warn there's zero containment as the fires threaten landmarks like the hollywood sign, with paris hilton among those losing their homes. jemmy carter is

being honoured at a state funeral in washington today following his death last month at the age of 100. president biden, who has declared a national day of mourning, will deliver the eulogy, joined by all four living former presidents carter, a nobel prize winner and the 39th us president, is being remembered for his leadership and humanitarian work. the ceremony at the national cathedral follows a procession from the us caphal follows a procession from the us capital. flags are flying at half staff across the country in tribute. back in the uk. mick lynch is stepping down as general secretary of the rmt union after four years at the helm, announcing his retirement. he praised the union's resilience through recent struggles, saying it's stronger despite all the odds. the 63 year old highlighted the union's fight against rail industry cuts under the previous tory government as a key victory. he called for a new generation of workers to carry on the fight

for fairer conditions and a just society. meanwhile, the railways minister, peter hendy, said he wishes mick lynch well. >> sure it's a relief for mick lynch and i wish him well. he's 63. he's done a good job in difficult circumstances. >> somebody has to do that. >> somebody has to do that. >> i wish him well for his retirement and i hope that there's a good successor. we need to deal with the people who work on the railways decently and with respect, and we have to be they have to be reasonable and so do we. so i wish him well. >> farmers are voicing their frustrations at this week's oxford farming conference, with the government facing mounting criticism over farming policies. in his speech to the conference, the environment secretary unveiled labour's long term vision, including a 25 year farming roadmap focusing on boosting profitability and ensuring food security. however, many in the agricultural community say they feel overlooked, with concerns about tax changes and a lack of

support. our reporter, will hollis is outside the conference for us, joined by mo metcalfe fisher from the countryside alliance, who claims steve reed speech was just a rehash of things they've heard before. >> we need to stand in solidarity with the people of the countryside, our farmers. a steve reed is in there talking at farmers. he needs to actually be listening to them. if the treasury. keir starmer, rachel reeves, steve had actually spoken to farmers before they announced the family farm tax in the budget. this wouldn't be happening right now. there wouldn't be pain and anxiety spreading throughout the countryside. families who have had farms in their families for generations, terrified about the future, terrified about what it means for our nation's food security. >> in other news, the foreign secretary has unveiled world first sanctions to tackle people smuggling gangs, targeting the cash that fuels their operations. prime minister sir keir starmer says the measures will freeze assets, ban travel and smash their lucrative

business model. over 36,000 people crossed the channel in 2024, fewer than in 2022, but still a major concern for ministers. sir keir starmer says he won't stop claiming liz truss crashed the economy despite legal threats from her team. truss's lawyers have issued a cease and desist letter, calling the claim false and blaming it for damaging her re—election prospects. the dispute centres on her 2022 mini—budget, which caused market turmoil, though her team points to a report showing economic growth afterward. downing street says the prime minister stands by his remarks, urging critics to ask the public about the impact on mortgages and inflation. and travel chaos continues across the uk as heavy snow and winds cause widespread disruption. temperatures plunged to —11 degrees overnight, with more snow and ice warnings in place affecting rail lines and airports. manchester airport was forced to close both its

runways, and transport for wales has shut several rail lines due to damage from the weather. the health security agency has also extended its cold weather alert until sunday, warning of serious health risks. those are the latest gb news headlines. more in half an hour for the very latest gb news direct smartphone. >> sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code or go to gbnews.com/alerts. >> thank you sophia. welcome to the show. we've got an absolute cracker ahead yesterday where our biggest viewing figures in an entire year. the channel's biggest day. today it's going to get bigger and better. and we start, of course, with the aftermath of last night's dramatic rejection of a demand for a full inquiry into britain's rape gang scandal. it

was defeated down every labour mp who was able to vote voted against it. the reform party voted in favour of it. and an astonishing figure that that came across. charlie peters identified 50 towns across britain, 50 that were blighted by grooming gangs. only three mps. out of those 50 towns, only three. and that's all conservatives in skipton, keighley and ipswich voted in favour of that full inquiry. it's an astonishing state of affairs. and let's go back now to the man who really has kick started a global conversation on rape gangs. britain's shame. that man is charlie peters. charlie joined us again from rotherham. the dust is settling on the votes. the survivors cruelly were denied the inquiry they so sorely want. and you have fresh revelations from a survivor on that point. charlie, tell us more.

>> well, martin, before we get to that important voice, let's start with some breaking news, because the labour mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, has broken with the party line to call this afternoon for a limited national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal. andy burnham, speaking to bbc radio in greater manchester in the last hour, saying that at the end of that debate last night he heard that ministers were open to calls for a national inquiry, despite voting down that bill 364 votes against. but he said that he wants to add his own voice to that conversation. he said i do think there is a case for a limited national inquiry that draws on reviews like the one that i commissioned and the one we've seen in rotherham, the one we've seen in rotherham, the one we've seen in telford, to draw out some of these national issues, he goes on, and also to compel people to give evidence

who then may have charges to answer and be held to account. thatis answer and be held to account. that is something i couldn't do at my level. so andy burnham, they're breaking with the labour leader, sir keir starmer's perspective and the labour government's three line whip perspective on this yesterday, which was against a national inquiry calling this afternoon for a limited national inquiry. the labour government did say in the day before the bill being the day before the bill being the amendment being brought to the amendment being brought to the house, that this was a wrecking amendment that would ruin their children's wellbeing bill. however, they did gradually change their tune as the day went on, with both the safeguarding minister, jess phillips, saying that she was open to an inquiry if that's what survivors want, and the prime minister's spokesperson, echoing those calls after that vote last night. but this is the most dramatic intervention from a senior labour figure we've seen since this conversation started. with that breaking news

from oldham last wednesday saying a limited national inquiry to compel people to give evidence to bring in the reviews we've already had in local areas. but i imagine also andy burnham is looking there at this as a national issue, considering some of those towns where there haven't been reviews. and martin, i should say this statement comes on the back of us speaking to survivors and campaigners in greater manchester all week, including martin west, that father of scarlett's, a girl who's been abused and exploited by these gangs for years. he told us that he wanted andy burnham and all senior labour figures to call for that national inquiry, and it seems that the mayor of manchester has heard that call. >> charlie peters. it's an astonishing development and one that could see the beginnings of a power rift, a schism between the mayor of manchester and the prime minister. and we all know, charlie peters, that the north west, the greater manchester area was absolutely a focus, a

hotbed of these historic area