briefly the dinner you referred to there, that was a meal featuring johnson and sam blyth, guarantoravour residence. and insists it was all declared. it is inevitably focusing on the former prime minister. lucy powell, the shadow culture secretary, the party was referred to the parliamentary watchdog and she tweeted a few moments ago the revelations undermined public confidence in the bbc and its reputation for neutrality and impartiality. sp there are kind of obvious questions, not only for the political establishment, the civil service, the prime minister, also the chairman and again, for the sake of fairness, which i am sure you will in due course read this out anyway, but sharp's position, he has acknowledged he introduced johnson's guarantor, the man who underwrote his 6—figure financialfacility, sam blyth, sam blyth, he introduced him to simon case, he said that on the record but as for the application process, he says there were no interest to declare and said activities went no further. respect. so his position is straightforward in that respect. he says there was no conflict

businesses like this robotics plant in blyth, - robotics plant in blyth, northumberland, welcomed theptimism, but to invest in the future, they need a governmentnot planned to be much more concrete and detailed. is that the government is talking about are correct, but there is a lack of clear, strategy, and that the policies that are going to underpin that strategy. without that clear, long—term plan, it is not... business can't get behind it, can't have the confidence. it is business can't get behind it, can't have the confidence.— have the confidence. it is time to ower u- have the confidence. it is time to power up the _ have the confidence. it is time to power up the future. _ have the confidence. it is time to power up the future. just - have the confidence. it is time to power up the future. just down i have the confidence. it is time to i power up the future. just down the road in blyth _ power up the future. just down the road in blyth is— power up the future. just down the road in blyth is a _ power up the future. just down the road in blyth is a business - power up the futur

what has been said about sam blythe and his - said about sam blythe and his role at the british counciladian _ at the british council? a very i wealthy canadian businessman, interestingly, interest in different countries will be same time these discussions are going on about the abc -- bbc —— bbc chairman schiff... an offshoot of the foreign office, he was on the shortlist for running it. he later wrote hymns about that position and did i make a former application, but the sunday times says he was on the at the time. guaranteeing that big loan when these discussion were taking place. mrjohnson's spokesperson said, he did not talk to him about that and was not even aware of discussions of the british council.— the british council. thank you so much for talking _ the british council. thank you so much for talking us _ the british council. thank you so much for talking us through - the british council. thank you so much for talking us through it i the british council. thank you sol much for talking us through it all. that is you and watson, our political correspondent. —— that is iain wats

on tom great to join you here from the proud port town of blythe. of newcastle so in a particularly sunny, crisp and, chilly northeast . this news and, chilly northeast. this news the british vote has gone into administration has come to a shock. so this town , the sites shock. so this town, the sites where britishvolt factory, the gigafactory , the £36 billion gigafactory, the £36 billion facility was to be built is just a few miles up the road in commerce and we'll be moving there later in the day, as i to people but i'm delighted be joined for now by professor matt ball of the university of newcastle so he's an engineering electrification specialist. he's also the chair of driving the electrical revolution, which is a local research group linked to government . matt, you are government. matt, you are electrification specialist as i said, but just first off, this yesterday, did it come as a shock ? not completely, no . it's shock? not completely, no. it's been running for some time that the brakes will work able to garner the support that needed t

i suppose a question is the act of introducing blyth to the nation's top official not in and of itselfspokesman said: "the bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government." the cabinet office has been contacted but has not commented to the bbc. another day of protests in france against the pension reform plans of emmanuel macron. on friday there were nationwide strikes affecting travel, finance, education and other sectors. organisers say they are opposed to raising the state pension age from 60 to 264. new zealand �*s labour party has confirmed chris hipkins as its new leader. the former minister for education and policing emerged as the sole nomination after the surprise and resignation of jacinda ardern on thursday. thousands of people have been gathering in the dutch city of amsterdam — to mark national tulip day. it takes place every january — and always attracts a big crowd — especially since plenty of free tulips are up for grabs. tim allman reports. they have, at times, been as valuable as diamonds, rubies and gold. # when it

i suppose a question is the act of introducing blyth to the nation's top official not in and of itselfhe bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government." the cabinet office has been contacted but has not commented to the bbc. let's get some of the day's other news. there's been another day of protests in france against president macron�*s pension reform plans. left—wing party unbowed, and other youth organistations, have been marching in paris. on friday, the country saw nationwide strikes affecting travel, finance, education and other sectors. 0rganisers say they are opposed to raising the state pension age from 62 to 64. new zealand's labour party has confimed chris hipkins as its new leader, paving the way for him to replace jacinda ardern as prime minister. the current minister for education and policing emerged as the sole nomination after ardern�*s surprise resignation on thursday. he named carmel sepuloni as his deputy. turkey has condemned the burning of a copy of the quran during a protest in sweden, describing it as a "vile

i suppose there is the act of introducing sam blyth to the nation's top official not in and of itselfict, but his position is emphatic. ican bring i can bring you a statement from the bbc. bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government. the cabinet office been contacted but has not commented to the bbc. the news that broken the last hour. six more classified documents found in the usjustice department search of president biden pod back in wilmington dell —— wilmington delaware. his attorney said the president offered access to the home to allow the department to search the entire premises for potential vice presidential records and potential classified material. neither the president nor his wife were present at the time. protests in israel against plans by the new right—wing government to overhaul thejudicial system have gone on into the night. there were more than 100,000 protesters in tel aviv alone. thousands more took to the streets in other cities. it's the largest demonstration since benjamin netanyahu's return to power last

blythe, proposing to act as a guarantorfor that loan.ard sharp with cabinet secretary, the most senior official in government, simon case. that, as far as richard sharp as saying in his short statement, is the end of it. he simply connected individuals. the sunday times says he didn't declare any of that when he was applying for the job and indeed appointed for the role of bbc chairman and that raises what some see as a conflict of interest. boris johnson's spokesperson has dismissed the story saying he never sought financial advice from mr sharp or received it and all of his financial affairs are properly declared. the bbc have said it is a matter for the government. untilthis bbc have said it is a matter for the government. until this morning we have no government response, but the foreign secretary james cleverly, has been speaking on sunday with laura kuenssberg on bbc news and it still he acknowledged perception was important but defended the appointment of richard sharp. i've only seen the details that you've seen in the papers ove

this is sam blyth, the wealthy canadian businessmen and distant cousin of boris johnson.ster financially. he asked his friend richard sharp had to go about it. mr sharp at the time was advising the government and put mr blyth in touch with the most senior civil servant in the country to discuss the matter. but richard sharp was also running for the job of bbc chairman. it is an appointment given by the government, not the broadcaster. mr blyth went on to guarantee an £800,000 loan facility to boris johnson, but mr sharp said he wasn't involved in the financing. the sunday times has obtained a leaked memo to borisjohnson dating from december 20020, two weeks before mr sharp was announced as the new bbc chairman. it dispenses the following advice to the then prime minister: last week, richard sharp said he gave no advice to borisjohnson. i knew nothing and i know nothing about his finances. sam was responding to press reports. i don't know anything about boris johnson's finances. and he's sticking to that position now. a spokesman for borisjohnson said richard sharp has nev

a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point.prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ sally bundock bbc hello there. wednesday morning will be getting off to an exceptionally mild start given we are in earlyjanuary. mild is a feature of the weather through the rest of this week. it will also be windy, and there will be spells of rain because on the satellite picture we can see various weather systems heading in our direction, various areas of cloud moving our way to bring further rain at times. a very mild start to the morning. double—digit temperatures first thing in many places, even in the north of scotland, where tuesday was quite cold, wednesday will dawn on a slightly milder note. some outbreaks of rain here, also some rain in the southeast corne

so in late 2020, mr sharp connected sam blyth with the head of the civil service simon case for adviceonflict of interest. he'd already applied for the job of bbc chairman, and a few weeks later was announced as the government's choice. he says he did nothing wrong. he says the three friends all had dinner at chequers, the prime minister's country residence, later that year, after he'd got the job, but describes this as a "social meeting" and mrjohnson�*s financial affairs were not discussed. this morning i asked mr sharp about exactly what had happened. during the process, candidates were asked if there could be anything that could embarrass the government or the organisation if it came to light. i mean, this is embarrassing to the bbc and potentially the government, isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet secretary about avoiding a conflict and the perception of conflict, i felt comfortable, and i still feel there was no conflict, because at that stage what i was seeking to do was ensure that the process was followed exactly by the book, and that the process hadn't started

a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point.own this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich i wet one today. it certainly has, and more to come. many of us have seen heavy and persistent rain today. this was the scene in haverfordwest in the west of wales, and the jet stream is haverfordwest in the west of wales, and thejet stream is in quite an active mood this week. the jet stream has the winds high up in the atmosphere blowing straight across the atlantic in our direction, steering all of the weather systems towards our shores and that means there will be further spells of rain at times albeit with drier interludes in between and it will be mild and often the windy. we have all of the elements tonight, further outbreaks of rain pushing east, some brisk winds blowing the rain along with wind gusts of

a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point.y travel like thousands of miles over time because they are solitary animals, so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. now on bbc news, the travel show. yeah, all checked, triple checked. metal clanking. radio: science team, | are you a go or no go? science says go. radio: rangers, go for launch. go or no go for launch? bridge is go for launch. metal clanking. there will be a time when people will go to space at much less cost and very regularly. i think the same things gonna happen going underwater. it's going to get less expensive and much more accessible. radio: go for launch. this is the point of no return. if there was any point to freak out, now would be the point to freak out. this

the sunday times says richard sharp became involved after dining with his friend sam blyth, a distanton case to discuss the matter in noio. richard sharp said "there is not a conflict when i simply connected, at his request, mr blyth with the cabinet secretary and had no further involvement whatsoever." the cabinet office have been contacted but have not commented to the bbc. a bbc spokesman said: "the bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government." president zelensky and the first lady have been taking part in a memorial in kyiv for interior minister denys monastyrsky and 13 other people killed following a helicopter crash. the accident happened earlier this week in a suburb of kyiv, and set a kindergarten on fire. president zelensky says he'll keep asking western allies to send modern tanks to ukraine, after a meeting of allied nations in germany on friday ended without an agreement to provide them. protests have taken place in berlin to demand the approval of german—made tanks to be sent to kyiv. let's go live to berlin now and

sam blythe there is a distant cousin of the former prime minister. he went on to say...last hour, he has put out this statement internally to all bbc staff. it is quite a complicated story and you were trying very fabulously to explain it, but it is complicated but essentially it was this story that broke in the sunday times and the picture around it is a perception issue. was there a problem that somebody who later became chairman of the bbc, was, it was reported, helping facilitate an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson and later decided this man was his preferred candidate for the bbc chairman and a bit after that he was appointed by a panel. richard sharp, he put out this internal statement making clear he was not involved in making a loan or arranging a guarantee. but he is very aware he says that this is what he calls a distraction. you knows that as bbc chairman he has a responsibility to staff and audiences to make sure the bbc is held in high regard and says, i do not want this episode to distract from the important work you are doing. he has said over the weekend tha

said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blythked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. the australian open tennis tournament is coming to an end in melbourne. belarussian aryna sabalenka is the new women's champion after beating elena rybakina. darren walton, our reporter for the australian associated press, told me the scale of sabalenka's victory can't be over—stated. a breakthrough is an understatement. it's a real show of resilience, a breakthrough for the ages, and she has been hailed as the best player without a major for several years. she never made a final until this week in melbourne. everyone knows her history with the serving problems, the yips. she left melbourne park l

there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully will become a giga factory, but unless the governmentrisk losing what is three quarters of a million jobs in the automotive sector in the long term in the uk. the government stressed £100 million worth of support was still available to future investors with a credible plan to build a plant that everyone accepts is needed. simonjack, bbc simon jack, bbc news. the uk government has confirmed it plans to block a scottish parliamentary bill, which reforms the process of gender recognition. the scottish secretary alisterjack said trans people deserved respect, but he believed the scottish bill would interfere with equalities law applying to england, scotland and wales. it's the first time westminster has sought to stop a scottish bill from becoming law. our political editor, chris mason, has the latest. outside the uk government's building in edinburgh, a protest. the sharing of power, devolution, is an illusion, they argue. the first minister is furious. i think it is a profound mistake. it's a direct attack on the institution of the scottis

said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blythis leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. severe rains sweeping new zealand's north island have prompted more areas to declare emergencies as flood rescue efforts continue in the city of auckland. at least three people have died following the torrential downpours. asya mohamed abeid is manager of new zealand ethnic women's trust in auckland which helps women whose lives have been devastated by the flooding. she joins us from auckland. thank you very much forjoining us here on bbc news the first of all, are you ok? and what has? ,, of all, are you ok? and what has? , , ., , has? on my side i am ok but many families _ has? on my side

said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyththis leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. iain watson reporting. tributes have been paid to the american singer and guitarist tom verlaine, who's died at the age of 73. # he founded the legendary punk band television, famous for their seminal debut album marquee moon. mike scott of the waterboys said he was the best rock and roll guitarist of all time. serbian tennis star novak djokovic is poised to make history later today as he bids for a record tenth australian open title. serbian sports journalist miodrag dimitrijevic told us earlier about djokovic's chances for winning his tenth australian open title. novak djokovic already w

said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyth. now, following the publication of this leaked memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed — his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson. he is, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he neither sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office itself, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment on a leaked document. police in the north east of england are questioning a 16—year—old boy on suspicion of murder after a 15—year—old girl was stabbed to death. the attack happened on a street in the small market town of hexham. another 16—year—old boy was taken to hospital but his injuries aren't thought to be life—threatening. northumbria police said the three teenagers knew each other. more now on our top story. the us memphis police department whose offices are accused of murdering irene nicholls. —— tyre nichols. joining me now is the founder of on

the loan facility was being provided by a distant cousin of missjohnson, a man called sam blyth.nt in the cabinet office, simon case, discuss it. paper says mr sharp is not a clear and his application. labour believes ms johnson should have declared the arrangement and has reverted to the parliamentary standards committee. mr sharp told us there was not a conflict. dominic and said he simply connected at his request to mr blythe with the cabinet secretary, mystery case, and had no further involvement whatsoever. a spokesman for borisjohnson dismissed the claims as rubbish and said mr sharp had never given any financial advice to mrjohnson and alljohnson�*s financial arrangements had been properly declared and registered on advice of officials. a spokesman for the bbc said the corporation plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions were a matter for the government. we have asked the cabinet office for comment but they have yet to respond. thanks to helen catt for that. it's the lunar new year on monday, also known as the spring festival or chinese new year. a t

said he didn't guarantee any loans himself and he didn't get involved in any financing, although mr blyth memo, as i understand it, mr sharp's position hasn't changed. his position is still insisting that he was not a financial adviser in any way to borisjohnson — he was, of course, a former banker. borisjohnson�*s spokesman is also saying he never sought nor received any financial advice from mr sharp. as to the cabinet office themselves, where this memo originated, they are refusing to comment. 0ur political correspondent iain watson. tennis, and belarusian aryna sabalenka is celebrating her first grand slam title after winning the australian open in melbourne. on sunday, it's the men's turn, with a showdown between novak djokovic and greek star stefanos tsitsipas, who — like sabalenka — is hoping for a maiden grand slam win. ben rothenberg, host of "no challenges remaining" podcast, is with us. thanks very much for coming on. a deserved win for sabalenka? absolutely. she played one of the best matches of her life on one the biggest stages. she has been knocking on the door, consolidate

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.man. we both agreed to avoid any conflict that i should have nothing further to do with the matter. we then asked them if there's anything else they haven't declared... today at the public accounts committee, the chair of the panel that agreed his appointment ran through the questions candidates were asked, including any conflict—of—interest. and then also whether there was anything else we ought to be aware of which, if it came to light, might embarrass either the government or the organisation responsible. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. mr sharp isn't the first bbc chairman to be politically well—connected, he's a former adviser to borisjohnson and was rishi sunak�*s old boss at goldman sachs. he's not the first bbc chairman to have donated m

richard sharp has said there is no conflict when he simply connected at his request mr blyth with thecretary and had no further arrangement involvement whatsoever. he just made the connection. so is there a of interest? well, certainly there a of interest? well, certainly there is the potential conflict—of—interest of the prime minister, and ijust find it incredible that a tory donor, richard sharp, at the time he was a candidate for the bbcjob, was contacting the cabinet secretary. i myself have applied for many public service jobs over the years. it would never have crossed my service jobs over the years. it would never have crossed my mind to contact the cabinet _ would never have crossed my mind to contact the cabinet secretary, - contact the cabinet secretary, particularly not that i would have any role in the prime minister's finances. but in such a sensitive matter. ifind it pretty finances. but in such a sensitive matter. i find it pretty bizarre. just to stress here that the bbc doesn't play a role in the recruitment of the chair of the bbc, and the bbc has said that any ques

a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point., so they don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. let's bring you some live pictures now from myanmar where the country is marking 75 years of independence from britain with a military parade. large parts of myanmar have been engulfed by conflict since the army seized power almost two years ago. days before the anniversary, the deposed civilian leader aung san suu kyi was given another long prison sentence. herfather, aung san, was the leader of the independence struggle in the 1940s, but was assassinated months before his dream was realised. early at the leader of the ruling junto was greeted with a 21 gun salute as the army of armed might. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @ anjanagadgil. this

a pontoon in blyth, nearly 100 miles further north, was a fine resting point.don't need to be anywhere in general, theyjust prefer cruising around, but as it happens, they've come down this area for some reason in the uk. today though, thor left town. described as fit and healthy, he is hopefully heading north towards colder waters, although he may turn up again on our coast en route. danny savage, bbc news. we wish him the best of luck from all of us here. a reminder of our top story the us house of representatives has adjourned in disarray after three failed attempts to elect the republican kevin mccarthy as speaker. hello. wednesday morning we'll be getting off to an exceptionally mild start for the time of year. mild is a feature of the weather through the rest of this week. it will also be windy, and there will be spells of rain because on the satellite picture we can see various weather systems heading in our direction, various areas of cloud moving our way to bring further rain at times. a very mild start to the morning. double digit temperatures first t

the question now is what happens to this site near blyth, which is seen as ideal for the constructiony, they say is the british motor industry starts to focus on electric cars more and more, factories like this will be badly needed.— more, factories like this will be badl needed. ., ., ~ badly needed. theo leggett, thank ou. wages have grown at the fastest rate in more than 20 years — but are still not keeping up with higher prices. new figures from the office for national statistics, show that regular pay rose at an annual pace of 6.4% between september and november. but when adjusted for inflation and the increased cost of living — wages fell by 2.6%. our economics correspondent andy verity has the details. in north yorkshire where the local economy depends on tourism, this is the slow part of the year. but even now it is not a lack of work, it is a lack of staff to do it. david runs a lack of staff to do it. david runs a family business of five caravan parks and playing people and constantly advertises for more. he is having to pay staff over £15 an hour so they can afford to live

thank you, cameron now last year the blythe based britishvolt gigafactory was awarded the blythe based was awarded £100 million to build an electric battery manufacturing . it was battery manufacturing. it was hailed at the time as ground on the country's green industrial revolution . the factory now revolution. the factory now won't be built after the mother company went into administration on tuesday. let's get more from our and business editor. good morning, liam what does this mean for the uk's green industrial revolution and? where's all that money going ? where's all that money going? good to be with you , beth. i'm good to be with you, beth. i'm in campus. i'm outside the famous chilterns cafe. on campus beach chemist is just a few miles north of blythe, which itself about 50 miles north of newcastle here in the north—east cambs is the sites that gigafactory which, as you say, the future of it is in jeopardy . the company britishvolt a start up had plans to build a £36 billion plants building £3.6 billion plants building that go into electric vehicles driving car making in this

it's where blythe is where mrs. be a power plant that port of blythe. i didn't time to explain it that is the interconnector makes landfall from dogger bank which is going to be the biggest offshore wind farm in the world right . which farm in the world right. which is being built and just as the north—east kick started the industrial revolution, you know mining coal exports in it down the coast. steve has rock around all of that ministers are trying to present the north—east as , to present the north—east as, the centre of the green industrial revolution. all the jobs offering. so very quickly what's your guess as to the government maybe putting that my sweetener that carol might my guessis sweetener that carol might my guess is this and i wrote that in my column at the weekend in the telegraph. i think the money man if you like there , waiting man if you like there, waiting until the government gets desperate because this has huge symbolic importance unless chemists can get off the ground, unless this gigafactory

there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully will become a gigafactory.to attract the investment required to do that to the uk, we risk losing what is three quarters of a million jobs in the automotive sector in the long term in the uk. the government stressed that £100 million worth of support was still available to future investors with a credible plan to build a plant that everyone accepts is needed. simonjack reporting simon jack reporting on simonjack reporting on that story for us. the uk and the us have reaffirmed their support for ukraine in its struggle against the russian invasion. the uk foreign secretary, james cleverly, has been holding talks with us secretary of state, antony blinken, during a visit to washington. mr cleverly praised western unity and had this message for president putin. whilst three quarters of the entire membership of the united nations voted to condemn this invasion, we should remember that never in living memory has russia been more isolated and the atlantic alliance more united. if putin believed the world would succum

so in late 2020, mr sharp connected sam blyth with the head of the civil service, simon case, for advicehe agreed not to be involved any further to prevent a conflict of interest. he'd already applied for the job of bbc chairman, and a few weeks later was announced as the government's choice. he says he did nothing wrong. he says the three friends all had dinner at chequers, the prime minister's country residence, later that year, after he'd got the job, but describes this as a "social meeting." and mrjohnson�*s financial affairs were not discussed. during the process, candidates were askedif during the process, candidates were asked if i could be anything that could embarrass the government if it came to light. this is in to be bbc and potentially the government, isn't it? . . . and potentially the government, isn'tit? . . . ,. isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet _ isn't it? having had a discussion with the cabinet secretary - isn't it? having had a discussion | with the cabinet secretary about avoiding conflict on the perception of conflict, i felt comfortable, and i sti

there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully will become a gigafactory.has a real strategy to attract the investment required to do that to the uk, we risk losing what is three quarters of a million jobs in the automotive sector in the long term in the uk. the government stressed that £100 million worth of support was still available to future investors with a credible plan to build a plant that everyone accepts is needed. explain what this will mean to the consumer because people will still be able to buy electric cars. the? be able to buy electric cars. they will and by _ be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law— be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law they _ be able to buy electric cars. they will and by law they will - be able to buy electric cars. tie: will and by law they will have be able to buy electric cars. tte: will and by law they will have to be able to buy electric cars. tt3:1 will and by law they will have to do in 2030, whether you live in the uk, france, places in scandinavia. question is, where are those markets goin

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.submitted my application for the position of bbc chairman. we both agreed to avoid any conflict that i should have nothing further to do with the matter. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i richard sharp's appointment two ears a . o. . richard sharp's appointment two ears a a 0. ., . ., , richard sharp's appointment two earsao. . . . ,., years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard _ years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, - years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the i years ago. i am certainly of the i view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. the pre-appointment hearing. the committee _ pre-appointment hearing. the committee is _ pre—appointment hearing. the committee is due to meet tomorrow. tonight, the bbc chairman, richard sharp, said he welcomed the review into

that loan was reportedly being guaranteed by the millionaire businessman sam blyth, who asked mr sharpiscussed this with the head of the civil service — this man, simon case — who was appointed by borisjohnson, and introduced him to sam blyth. just weeks later, mrjohnson had recommended mr sharp as his preferred candidate for the £160,000—a—year role as bbc chairman. candidates for the role must declare any conflict of interest. mr sharp says there wasn't one, as he'd just connected the two men. a cabinet office spokesperson said mr sharp had asked simon case for advice on it all. they agreed that he could not take part in discussions involving the then—prime minister, and this was accepted by mr sharp, to avoid any conflict or appearance of any conflict of interest. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today, but i have absolutely no doubt he was appointed on merit. thi

what i did do was to seek an introduction of sam blyth to the relevant official in government.uld have nothing further to do with the matter. john nicolson is a member of the select committee which approved richard sharp's appointment two years ago. i am certainly of the view that richard sharp, the bbc chair, should be called back, because clearly he withheld information from us during his pre—appointment hearing. the committee is due to meet tomorrow. tonight, the bbc chairman, richard sharp, said he welcomed the review into his appointment. it is now up to the commission to decide if the job was given fairly, openly and on merit. katie razzall, bbc news. a crackdown against the lgbt+ community in russia has intensified after a tough new law was passed by the russian parliament. the bill, passed in december, places restrictions on almost any mention of lgbt people or culture. russian officials have said the war in ukraine is a battle against western culture, and especially against lgbt values, which president putin described as "�*pure satanism.�* will vernon reports from mos

this is sam blythe, the wealthy canadian businessmen and distant cousin of boris johnson.the broadcaster. sam blythe went on to guarantee an £800,000 loan to borisjohnson, but mr sharpe says he wasn't involved in the financing. the sunday times has obtained a leaked memo to borisjohnson dating from december 20020, two weeks before mr sharpe was announced as the new bbc chairman. it dispenses the following advice to the then prime minister: last week, richard sharpe said he gave no advice to borisjohnson. i knew nothing and know nothing about his finances. sam was responding to press reports. i don't know anything about boris johnson's finances. and he's sticking to that position now. a spokesman for borisjohnson said richard sharpe has never given any financial advice to borisjohnson, nor has borisjohnson asked for advice from him. in terms of standards and ethics, it wouldn't tell us why they issued a warning on financial advice. it says simply it does not comment on lease documents. iain watson, bbc news. our political correspondent david wallace lockhartjoins us now. da

there is a brilliant site in blyth, it hopefully. will become a gigafactory, - but unless the governmentnt required| to do that to the uk,| we risk losing what is three quarters of a millionjobs in the automotive sector- in the long term in the uk. well, sales of electric vehicle are creeping up in the uk. in december, electric vehicles saw their biggest—ever monthly market share of almost 33%. for 2022 as a whole, they made up almost 17% of registrations, overtaking diesel for the first time to become the second most popular type of car after petrol. let's speak to ginny buckley, founder and ceo of electrifying.com. and online electric car marketplace which offers advice on buying electric. thank you very much indeed forjoining us. what is your reaction to this news? i forjoining us. what is your reaction to this news? i think it is really very. _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very. very _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad _ reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad news. - reaction to this news? i think it is really very, very sad

chairman richard sharp said, "there is not a conflict when i simply connected, at his request, mr blythand had no further involvement whatsoever." a bbc spokesman said: "the bbc plays no role in the recruitment of the chair and any questions are a matter for the government." the cabinet office have been contacted but have not commented to the bbc. thousands of israelis have packed the streets of several cities in the second weekend of large scale demonstrations against benjamin netanyahu's right wing coalition. this was the scene in tel aviv in what organisers believe could be one of the biggest anti—government protests in a decade. protesters are accusing mr netanyahu of threatening democracy with the most radically nationalist and religious coalition the country's ever known. already, plans for legal reforms have sparked an unprecedented clash between the government and thejudges; while the prime minister himself is on trial for corruption. the bbc�*s tom bateman is in tel aviv these protesters say they believe there is a coup going on to try to dismantle israel's system of government

a loan of up to £800,000 by putting a wealthy distant relative of the former prime minister, sam blythewith the most senior government official, cabinet secretary simon case. the paper claims he didn't declare this during his application to the bbc. but in a statement, mr sharp denied any conflict of interest, saying this morning the foreign secretary defended richard sharp's appointment. i know that he is an incredibly accomplished, incredibly successful individual who brings a wealth of experience with him. that is why he was appointed to chairmanship of the bbc. but i've not had a chance to discuss any of the issues that were brought up today. before he was appointed as bbc chair, richard sharp was quizzed by mps about his political links. i'm asking if you think it's appropriate that you should end up, as a massive tory donor, getting a job from a tory cabinet minister when you're friends with two members of the cabinet. firstly, i think that is an entirely legitimate question to ask. - well, thank you. and the answer is, - really, on my merits am ian appropriate candidate? will i b

businesses like this robotics plant in blyth, northumberland, welcomed the government optimism, but tothe future, they need a government plan to be much more concrete and detailed. the themes that the government is talking about are correct, but there is a lack of clear, strategy, and that the policies that are going to underpin that strategy. without that clear, long—term plan, it is not... business can't get behind it, can't have the confidence. it is time to power up the future. just down the road in blyth is a business that was supposed to be at the heart of the green industrial strategy, making electric car batteries, but it collapsed last week, and its founders say the battery manufacturing sector is doomed unless the government ramps up support. to drive growth long—term, optimism alone won't be enough. andy verity, bbc news. let's talk more about this with our economics correspondent dharshini david. what did you make of what the chancellor had to say? this what did you make of what the chancellor had to say? this was a hu . e chancellor had to say? this was a huge thing _ chan

he was saying in his email yesterday, was that he did have a communication with an old friend, sam blythto help out the prime minister because he had seen in the press that there were some problems with his finances. that was only a matter of passing on some information to simon case, the cabinet secretary, and then it was no more after that because of course at that time, he was applying for the job of the bbc and he says there is no conflict of interest because all he did was pass on the name of sam blyth onwards and he was not involved in the loan. but there's the second element of it, which is that once it becomes front page news, lots of people raised eyebrows about it. it all looks as though we want to know much more about it. there were many people involved in the process of appointing richard sharp. for instance, you've got the appraisal panel, and then you've also got the commons media select committee, which has an official role in essentially saying whether or not richard sharp should be approving him. and none of them knew about any of this. should he have told them? essentia

that interconnect to ends near blythe, near the chemist's plant .ts who can't talk to me on the record, but they told me on the record, but they told me off the record that a huge amount is going in order to make sure that this gigafactory three is built . and in terms of is built. and in terms of levelling up and what we've heard , the east, levelling up and what we've heard , the east , does it really heard, the east, does it really take a government initiative to put more money into this a sweetener carrot on a stick to get things it's a kind of chicken and egg mark the government's committed for a long time to the gigafactory project at cammell is up the coast here from hartlepool and yet the mone y £100 million of yet the money £100 million of government money was contingent on the company raising private sector capital as well. and it seems to me that's kind of fair enough. seems to me that's kind of fair enough . why should the enough. why should the government be investing if ? government be investing if? there a business case there, there i

looking look at our, i'm here with chris or for la mounts or from allah door for blythe and old villages have to stay. and thanks for joining us. if you look at the numbers who have arrived here today, how optimistic are you that you can actually defend the village more than not more optimistic than ever. um, it's going to be very, very tough because i think the government is very determined. the cooperation is very determined because they make a lot of money out of this mine. but we've never been as many yesterday. it could be some quite tense days. a had a for this people here where i've been gathering from all over europe. i have to say there are people here from norway, from italy, from the netherlands, from belgium. so they really have chosen this as the international rally point against climate change. hundreds of people of march through the us border city of el paso, texas. i had a visit, but later on sunday, by president boynton, it comes days after he announced measures to reduce the surgeon arrivals of the southern border. and he rules to my people from cuba, nicaragua, haiti,