Rabu, 15 Juli 2020

The Andrew Neil Show ends as BBC News unveils cuts - BBC News

The Andrew Neil Show will disappear from BBC schedules as part of cuts to the corporation's news operation.

The political discussion programme had already been off the air during the Covid-19 crisis and will not return. But the BBC said it was talking to Neil about a new BBC One interview show.

In total, 520 jobs will go, from a workforce of around 6,000 people.

That includes 450 job cuts that were announced as part of an £80m savings drive in January, and then put on hold.

Meanwhile, The Guardian has announced that it will cut 180 jobs, including 70 from editorial teams.

Which other BBC programmes will be affected?

Most of the changes will take place behind the scenes.

The corporation's head of news, Fran Unsworth, said the BBC would concentrate on fewer stories, with journalists pooled in centralised teams, rather than working for specific programmes.

The BBC News Channel and BBC World will continue to share some output in the mornings and evenings, as they have done during the Covid-19 crisis, although they will remain separate channels.

Radio 4 programme In Business will close, as will the Business Live page on the BBC News Website, while bespoke business news bulletins on the BBC News channel will be reduced.

On BBC World Service, World Update and The World This Week will end, while daily current affairs show Newsday will shorten in length.

The BBC also said it would close most of its social accounts to focus on core services like @bbcnews, @bbcworld and @bbcbreaking.

One of Neil's former programmes, lunchtime TV show Politics Live, will return four days a week after being rested during the pandemic.

More than 100 MPs and peers recently wrote to the BBC, arguing that axing it permanently would "seriously harm the ability of the BBC to scrutinise and explain" politics.

How will the BBC cover stories?

The BBC says it will have fewer reporters overall, but that a new commissioning system (which was partly implemented during the Covid-19 crisis) will make sure coverage is better co-ordinated.

More interviews will be conducted by Skype, Zoom and other video technologies, meaning there's less reliance on satellite trucks and radio cars.

A new original journalism team will also be created, incorporating several staff from the Victoria Derbyshire show, to pursue under-reported and exclusive stories. There will also be a greater focus on digital storytelling.

Unsworth said Covid-19 had "changed all of our lives" and had also "led us to re-evaluate exactly how we operate as an organisation".

She said: "Our operation has been underpinned by the principles we set out earlier this year - fewer stories, more targeted and with more impact. For BBC News to thrive, and for us to continue to serve all our audiences, we have to change."

Why are the cuts being made?

The BBC announced in 2016 that it needed to save £800m, with around £80m of that figure coming from News.

Just over £40m - around half of the savings required - has been found over the past four years.

In January, the corporation announced plans to close 450 jobs, as well as programmes like BBC Two's highly-regarded Victoria Derbyshire show.

The cuts were later postponed as the newsroom faced the demands of covering the coronavirus pandemic.

At the same time, the BBC delayed a decision to end free TV licences for the over-75s. That contributed to a further budget shortfall, meaning that the number of proposed job losses in news has increased by 70 posts.

A separate decision to cut 450 jobs in the BBC's regional newsrooms was announced earlier this month.

What next for Andrew Neil?

Neil has been one of the BBC's top political broadcasters over the past two decades on shows like This Week and Daily Politics.

The Andrew Neil Show began in autumn 2019 in the run-up to the general election and the UK's departure from the European Union. It included interviews with most party leaders, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not appear - leading the host to controversially deliver an on-air ultimatum.

Announcing the latest cuts, the BBC said: "We remain committed to Andrew Neil's in-depth interviews (as well as the Budget, US Election and other Specials).

"The Andrew Neil Show will not be returning but we're in discussions about a new interview series on BBC One."

Neil had previously told the Radio Times he feared he would become "surplus to requirements" as the BBC made cutbacks.

Today we have fresh details on the radical experiment that BBC News announced in January.

Two big things have changed because of coronavirus. It has accentuated the BBC's financial strain, and shown a different way of working is possible. Both help account for the rise in likely redundancies.

The fact that Politics Live will come back for four days a week will appease many in Westminster - but the loss of The Andrew Neil Show will have the opposite effect. That show was originally commissioned because of an intervention by Tony Hall, but he is leaving as director general in September.

The BBC says Neil's in-depth interviews are still key to its coverage, and they would like to find a slot on BBC One for those interviews.

There is no one correct way to conduct interviews. The right approach depends on the interviewer, the interviewee, and the context.

But in one particular style - forensic, unrelenting scrutiny and interrogation of those in power - Neil is the best in the business.

His talks with the BBC are far from resolved. Two fresh proposals have run aground. He will no longer do Politics Live - but has been approached by other broadcasters.

What's the reaction?

Broadcasting union Bectu said it would hold BBC management to account and seek to avoid compulsory redundancies.

"BBC News is one of the most trusted brands at home and abroad. In an era of fake news and during an unprecedented health crisis this trust in a public service broadcaster is critical," said Bectu head, Philippa Childs.

"The government needs to take back responsibility for free licence fees for the over-75s, providing precious resources that would allow BBC News to continue to provide its world-leading range of news broadcasting."

Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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2020-07-15 13:18:45Z
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Ian Blackford snarls as furious SNP chief is brutally mocked by Tory MPs in Brexit row - Express

SNP MP Ian Blackford broke into a furious outburst during his address to the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Blackford argued the coronavirus crisis was a reason to delay Brexit and insisted the Scottish Government prioritised dealing with the crisis over everything else. Mr Blackford stopped mid-sentence as laughter could be heard as he called for a delay to Brexit.

Mr Blackford said: "My Government under the stewardship of Nicola Sturgeon has prioritised dealing with the crisis above all else.

"We are demanding that the UK Government does the same.

"Mr Speaker it has started already, this is a serious subject and what we get is laughter and guffawing,

"You really should show some respect and grow up."

DON'T MISS: SNP's Brexit fear mongering dismantled on lowered food standards claim

Before his outburst, Mr Blackford claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson could not have known the heavy impact coronavirus would have on the UK and the steps that needed to be taken.

He claimed Mr Johnson should delay Brexit in order to better focus on the health crisis of coronavirus. 

The SNP MP began his argument by saying: "The Prime Minister, like all of us here, could not have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic when his Government initiated the process for leaving the European Union.

"2020 has become a year like no other.

"This is so we can navigate the unprecedented health and economic crisis we are currently facing."

Mr Blackford closed by insisting the EU had indicated it was willing to grant the UK an extension to the Brexit transition period.

He said: "The EU has expressed its ongoing openness to extending the transition period for negotiations.

"The UK Government now needs to accept that offer." 

 

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2020-07-15 12:15:00Z
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Live: PM Boris Johnson answers questions from Keir Starmer at PMQs - The Sun

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  1. Live: PM Boris Johnson answers questions from Keir Starmer at PMQs  The Sun
  2. UK coronavirus live: test and trace 'as good as or better than anywhere in world', claims Boris Johnson  The Guardian
  3. LIVE: Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer and MPs at PMQs in Parliament  The Telegraph
  4. LIVE: Boris Johnson says no 'magic wand' to stop job losses at PMQs  Sky News
  5. PMQs: Boris Johnson questioned by Keir Starmer and MPs in parliament – watch live  Guardian News
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-07-15 10:40:40Z
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Lyra McKee: 27-year-old man arrested in Londonderry - BBC News

A 27-year-old man has been arrested in Londonderry as part of the investigation into the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.

The man, who was arrested under the Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, has been taken to Belfast where he is being questioned.

A search of a house in Derry has also been conducted, police have said.

Ms McKee, who was 29, was observing rioting in Derry's Creggan estate when she was shot on 18 April 2019.

One man, Paul McIntyre, 52, from Kinnego Park in Derry, has been charged with Ms McKee's murder.

He denies the charge.

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2020-07-15 08:31:54Z
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'Iconic': residents react to Black Lives Matter statue replacing Edward Colston in Bristol - Guardian News

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  1. 'Iconic': residents react to Black Lives Matter statue replacing Edward Colston in Bristol  Guardian News
  2. Black Lives Matter protester statue appears on Edward Colston plinth  BBC News
  3. Edward Colston statue replaced with sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester  The Telegraph
  4. Sculpture of black protester erected on Edward Colston statue plinth | ITV News  ITV News
  5. Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester  The Guardian
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-07-15 08:12:57Z
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Edward Colston statue replaced by sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester - Sky News

A sculpture of a Black Lives Matter protester has been erected in secret on the same Bristol plinth from where the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was toppled last month.

The monument, a black and resin steel piece, was installed just before 5am on Tuesday without the knowledge of Bristol City Council.

It depicts the moment black protester Jen Reid stood on the empty plinth during a Black Lives Matter march after the statue of Colston was toppled, dragged to the city harbour and dumped into the water.

The Colston statue was specifically dropped into the water at Pero's Bridge - which was named after an enslaved man called Pero Jones, who lived and died in Bristol.

Jen Reid said she couldn't see the new statue being taken down 'in a hurry'
Image: Jen Reid said she couldn't see the new statue being taken down 'in a hurry'
Bristol statue. Pic: Hassan Akkad
Image: Artist Marc Quinn said he was 'crystallising' the moment Jen Reid stood on the empty plinth. Pic: Hassan Akkad

Naming the new monument A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), artist Marc Quinn told The Guardian Ms Reid had created the sculpture with her actions, and that he was just "crystallising it".

He added that surveys and health and safety checks had been carried out, and that the installation had been made "extremely difficult to move".

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees had previously said that any decisions on what to do with the empty plinth would be subject to democratic decisions and would undergo consultation.

More from Black Lives Matter

Ms Reid, who was pictured standing in front of the installation with her fist in the air after it was installed, said she couldn't see it being taken down any time soon.

She told the newspaper: "It's just incredible. This is going to continue the conversation. I can't see it coming down in a hurry."

The statue of Edward Colston was dumped in Bristol harbour by protesters. Pic: Bristol City Council
Image: The statue of Edward Colston was dumped in Bristol harbour by protesters last month. Pic: Bristol City Council

Meanwhile, the Colston statue is due to go on display at a museum alongside placards used during Black Lives Matter protests.

It was fished from the bottom of the harbour on 11 June, several days after it was toppled.

Previous works of Mr Quinn's include self-portrait Self, and a sculpture entitled Alison Lapper Pregnant for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.

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2020-07-15 07:30:40Z
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Coronavirus: Matt Hancock 'worried' about 'debilitating' long-term impact of COVID-19 - Sky News

Health Secretary Matt Hancock admits he is "worried" about the long-term impacts of coronavirus on those who have been infected.

Mr Hancock said a "significant minority" of people had suffered "quite debilitating" conditions after contracting COVID-19.

It comes after Sky News reported on how psychosis, insomnia, kidney disease, spinal infections, strokes, chronic tiredness and mobility issues are being identified in former coronavirus patients in northern Italy.

Infection rates have lessened but Italy is seeing the long-term effects COVID-19 has on survivors
'This is a multi-organ killer,' warn doctors

Asked about the long-term impact of the disease on patients, the health secretary - who contracted COVID-19 himself in March - told Sky News' Kay Burley @ Breakfast show: "I am concerned. Thankfully not for me, I'm fine.

"I am concerned there's increasing evidence a minority of people - but a significant minority - have long-term impacts and it can be quite debilitating.

"So we've set up an NHS service to support those with long-term impacts of COVID-19 and, also, we've put almost £10m into research into these long-term effects.

"It is something that I'm worried about, we've taken action on - both through the NHS and through the research activities.

More from Covid-19

"It's one of the consequences of this being a novel virus.

"We're constantly learning about the impact of it and it does appear that for some people there's a pretty debilitating long-term impact, quite similar to a post-viral fatigue syndrome that you do get with many viruses.

"It's really important we support people who are in that situation and, also, that we do the research to find out what we can do about it."

Doctors in Lombardy, the worst-affected region in Italy, have said COVID-19 is a systemic infection that affects all the organs of the body, not, as was previously thought, just a respiratory disease.

Mr Hancock admitted the fact that medical experts and governments around the world are "constantly learning" about the virus had been one of the hardest aspects of responding to the pandemic.

He said: "The decisions have been extraordinary and very large, the issues that you balance are very, very significant on both sides.

"The hardest part has been, without doubt, the fact that, as we've learnt more, so we've had to change policy and then you have to come on and explain why your policy is different today to yesterday.

"The truth is, because we're constantly learning."

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The health secretary explained how he was "constantly having to review decisions that you've made according to what we've learnt about the virus".

He pointed to the example of how scientists had previously thought those without coronavirus symptoms could not spread the disease.

"Before this coronavirus there were six previous coronaviruses and none of them had asymptomatic transmission," Mr Hancock said.

"So, understandably, the advice at the start was this one won't either.

"But it does, and it's one of the hardest things to deal with because it's hard enough stopping a virus when people with symptoms have got it - but when people without symptoms are passing it on it makes it just so much harder.

"The whole world is struggling with this problem."

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2020-07-15 06:59:02Z
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