what mel stride the work and pensions _ £390 a month. he wants to hel get a job, he says. if he wants to help them _ get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get — get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get a _ get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get a job _ get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get a job then - get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get a job then he i get a job, he says. if he wants to help them get a job then he can l help them get a job then he can start by looking at removing barriers to disabled people are ring workplace. there is nothing stopping people in that group from working, nothing in universal credit that says you will be penalised if you work. there is an amount in universal credit that you can earn without it affecting universal credit at all. that was part of the design of it so that people would not be worse off in work, so actually, this policy that they are suggesting is really unnecessary. they can improve employment support for disabled people but that will not remov

mel stride yesterday said it is not sustainable — mel stride yesterday said it is not sustainable in—uestion over what it means and i question over what it means and whether— question over what it means and whether the _ question over what it means and whether the conservative - question over what it means and whether the conservative party. question over what it means and i whether the conservative party is doing _ whether the conservative party is doing its — whether the conservative party is doing its sums _ whether the conservative party is doing its sums to _ whether the conservative party is doing its sums to think _ whether the conservative party is doing its sums to think will - whether the conservative party is doing its sums to think will they. doing its sums to think will they promise — doing its sums to think will they promise it? _ doing its sums to think will they promise it? one— doing its sums to think will they promise it? one thing _ doing its sums to think will they promise it? one thing that i doing its sums to think will they. promise it? one thing that keeps comi

so i think much of what mel stride is saying backed up spiral. think much of what methe ride is saying backed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime saying backed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, icked up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, is ed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, is right. by the prime minister, is right. and yet we've to wait till and yet we've got to wait till 2025 when we may well have a labour government this is a problem i'm afraid what the secretary announced secretary of state announced yesterday is a step forward. >> i personally don't think it goes far enough deal with goes far enough to deal with this issue of sickness this systemic issue of sickness andindeed this systemic issue of sickness and indeed those who can work , and indeed those who can work, but who on unemployment but who are on unemployment benefits refuse do so. benefits and refuse to do so. it's a step forward. it's not far enough. and as you say, nigel, what are the odds of this ac

so i think much of what mel stride is saying backed up spiral.hink much of what methe ride is saying backed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime saying backed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, icked up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, is ed up spiral. so i think much of what methe prime minister, is right. by the prime minister, is right. and yet we've to wait till and yet we've got to wait till 2025 when we may well have a labour government this is a problem i'm afraid what the secretary announced secretary of state announced yesterday is a step forward. >> i personally don't think it goes far enough deal with goes far enough to deal with this issue of sickness this systemic issue of sickness andindeed this systemic issue of sickness and indeed those who can work , and indeed those who can work, but who on unemployment but who are on unemployment benefits refuse do so. benefits and refuse to do so. it's a step forward. it's not far enough. and as you say, nigel, what are the odds of this actu

, the work and pensions_ today that mel stride, the work and pensions secretary should say out loud that that in the very, very long time, the — loud that in the very, very long time, the triple—lock is unsustainable. often in westminster the very— unsustainable. often in westminster the very long term means two weeks on friday _ the very long term means two weeks on friday. but he was talking about looking _ on friday. but he was talking about looking decades ahead. but the fact he was _ looking decades ahead. but the fact he was willing to say it publicly tells _ he was willing to say it publicly tells you — he was willing to say it publicly tells you something. it tells you something about were lots of politicians are in private, which is they— politicians are in private, which is they are — politicians are in private, which is they are really concerned about, not 'ust they are really concerned about, not just the _ they are really concerned about, not just the cost but questions around its fairness — just the cost but questions around its fairness that politicians perhaps have focuse

and the back to work to drive shelved until 2025, some of those proposals from mel stride not due to that is all from us tonight. to france, where dozens of girls have been sent home from school for insisting on wearing the abaya — a traditional muslim dress. the french government announced a ban last month, arguing that wearing the garment broke rules on keeping education secular. there is now a legal challenge in front of the courts on the matter. azadeh moshiri has more on the first day of the ban. here's how the first day of the band played out. according to official figures, 298 girls turned up to school in an abaya. now, a strict protocol was already in place, and so each student then had a dialogue with school staff. in most cases, they changed and were able to start their classes, and yet 67 of them refused. and so instead they were sent home. now, according to the government, 12 million boys and girls started their school term on monday. and so as far as they're concerned, they believe the ban was widely accepted. and yet this comes after months, if not years, of debate over

but all reality, as mel stride admitted yesterday , mel stride admitted yesterday, this isn't sustainablee long term, and this could well be last time we see this be the last time we see this coalition policy. but those those pensioners are important, coalition policy. but those tthsabel|sioners are important, coalition policy. but those tthsabel points; are important, coalition policy. but those tthsabel points outs important, coalition policy. but those tthsabel points out in nportant, coalition policy. but those tthsabel points out in terms nt, coalition policy. but those tthsabel points out in terms of as isabel points out in terms of actually voting. >> who are they more important to labour or the conservatives . to labour or the conservatives. >> well, traditionally they have been more important to the conservatives . the grey vote, as conservatives. the grey vote, as it's known, tends to go to the conservatives . but of course we conservatives. but of course we know that pensioners are far more likely to turn out either way in a general election . it's way in a general election. it

support" to work from home, under plans announced by the government.work and pensions secretary mel stridepeople find work and reduce government spending. those are some of the other stories we have been looking at from around the uk. there is plenty more on the bbc website. you're live with bbc news. the us secretary of state antony blinken has arrived in ukraine for an unannounced visit. it is being seen as a show of support, four months into ukraine's counter—offensive against russian forces. mr blinken has already met his ukrainian counterpart dmytro kuleba. during the two—day visit, mr blinken is expected to pledge a new package of us assistance worth more than one billion dollars. speaking in his opening news conference, antony blinken outlined the aim of his visit. paul adams reports. with america's secretary of state just hours away, a fresh wave of attacks at dawn. kyiv�*s well drilled air defences called into action once more. outside the city a supermarket damaged by falling debris, wrecked early in the war, in the process of being repaired now wrecked again. and a familiar welc

commitment in their manifestos and indeed, we can listen to what the current pensions secretary mel stridey, very long term, you are absolutely right, it is not sustainable. of course what i am dealing with is now. and where we stand at the moment is we remain committed to the triple lock and that is the path that we will be taking. as to the future and after future general elections and so on and so forth, who knows? but that is the position we are in at present. which raises the question — is the end of this totemic policy of the past 13 years coming closer? and whether that is something to worry about or to welcome. thank you very much- — worry about or to welcome. thank you very much- let's _ worry about or to welcome. thank you very much. let's race _ worry about or to welcome. thank you very much. let's race some _ worry about or to welcome. thank you very much. let's race some of - worry about or to welcome. thank you very much. let's race some of those l very much. let's race some of those issues. let's talk to thabani sithole who worked as a nurse until 2019 until she retired aged

these these are measures announced yesterday by mel stride there , work and pensions stride there, workre's been substantially. there's been a 62% increase in incapacity benefits over the last ten years. it's costing the taxpayer an extra £26 billion pounds a yeah an extra £26 billion pounds a year. so the government thinking is now we've got 5.4 million people currently on out of work benefits in this country. the government wants people who are able to work in some capacity to do so. and the thinking is that now that so many jobs can be done from home, we saw, didn't we, during the pandemic that it is possible for lots of work to be done from somebody's house, that that means that there'll be many people who can work from home who possibly couldn't go out because of social anxiety or get to work because of disabilities , etcetera. that disabilities, etcetera. that would be able to do productive work from home. and the government is very , very keen to government is very, very keen to push and encourage people to do that. push and encourage people to do that . it's push and encourage p

mel stride from the government said it is not sustainable in the very, very long term.te pension since 2016 it is actually long overdue to review how it is working and make sure it is doing itsjob properly. it was introduced in 2011 and it was right for pensions to be properly protected and help them catch up because they had fallen behind. but we have got ourselves into a position where all politicians have tried to pretend thatjust having this triple lock means pensioners are all fine and dandy and there is no problem. pensioners, and to be fair, the media, have all used triple lock as a kind of totemic shorthand symbol of recognition that a political party does care about pensioners. but actually the poorest have never been even covered by the triple lock. and the 2.5% element has done its job and triple lock. and the 2.5% element has done itsjob and run its course and maybe it's time to look at improving the way the protection works. it is absolutely vital we keep protection. the state pension in the uk is about the lowest in the world. we are certainly not one of t

and john says that mel stride is a man with a gold plated pension. i'm the triple lock may be cut. i'm married month my pension married and per month my pension is less than £10,000 per is £283 less than £10,000 per year. is £283 less than £10,000 per year . the manifesto should not year. the manifesto should not be changed. >> and in in terms of pensions too, in europe, we're only midway down the table. we are not particularly generous providers with the state pension more to the story also is that we should always also be planning future. planning for the future. >> shouldn't we all? >> everybody shouldn't we all? we all talking we should all be talking about it. paying so much it. i need to be paying so much into for into it. i'm ready for a biscuit. you? ready biscuit. are you? yeah. ready for digestive ? for a digestive? >> we're going to plane here. >> we're going to plane here. >> we're going to plane here. >> we're going to be back in just a moment. >> fancy stuff with emma >> that fancy stuff with emma webb pound. >> that fancy stuff with em

we want to ask you about mel stride's decision to say people should back to work. need should go backl to get everybody who's on mental health work, health benefits back to work, back but we're back to work. oh, but we're going it after the next going to do it after the next election. if we if the plan is to this, why don't they do it to do this, why don't they do it now? yes, quite. >> i think you've got to >> well, i think you've got to do it carefully. i mean, you know, you'll have heard of the 100 people test, right? you you stop people down the stop 100 people walking down the high say, you high street and you say, do you think that if people think it's right that if people through no fault of their own, they unable to work? they simply are unable to work? do think state should do you think the state should help out of those 100 help them? 99 out of those 100 people say yes, course. people would say yes, of course. if you ask the same 100 if you then ask the same 100 people. but you think it's people. but do you think it's right people are capable right that if people are capable

isn't it, because his ideas on work and pensions, some of them have been lifted wholesale by by mel strideperformers. they're often on gb news have been on news or they have been on gb news or they have been on gb news before. they talk to a to an audience who who they need to convince support them for convince to support them for labour power. angela labour to win power. angela rayner have rayner of course she'll have a platform next week the trade platform next week at the trade union that's big union congress. that's a big meeting. and how that goes meeting. and, and how that goes and how the unions and who can be more left wing maybe be somewhat more left wing maybe than shadow cabinet nowadays than the shadow cabinet nowadays and respond this and how they respond to this reshuffle quite reshuffle will be quite interesting right . interesting right. >> thank you very much, christopher . appreciate it. christopher. appreciate it. >> thank you. thank you very much indeed. at half past nine this morning, britain's newsroom, andrew pearson , newsroom, andrew pearson, beverley turner, who h