Original Broadcaster Captioning (Enhanced). Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:10MUSIC
00:00:11Live from London. This is BBC News.
00:00:14News. Power failure causes major major disruption across railways
00:00:17railways in the Midlands and the the north-west of England. New strikes
00:00:21strikes hit two refineries deep inside inside Russia as a wave of Ukrainian
00:00:25Ukrainian drones target the country.
00:00:28country. Iran says a deal with Oman Oman on the Strait of Hormuz is in
00:00:31in its final stages. What are the the details, though, of any deal?
00:00:35deal? And will the US agree? Calls
00:00:38Calls for an independent inquiry inquiry into a military base in North North Yorkshire, where four young
00:00:42young women have told the BBC they
00:00:44they were sexually assaulted and
00:00:48and harassed and can Gianni Infantino Infantino remain as Fifa president?
00:00:51president? Uefa has insisted they
00:00:53they will still boycott the World
00:00:55World Cup. Well, let's return to
00:01:02to that breaking news of the last last hour here in the UK getting
00:01:05getting reports of major disruptions disruptions right across the railways
00:01:09railways due to a power failure, failure, according to National Rail.
00:01:12Rail. It's impacting services in in the Midlands, in Greater Manchester
00:01:16Manchester and the northwest of England. England. However, the disruption
00:01:18disruption could spread much further further and is expected to last until
00:01:21until the end of the day. So what what train lines are we actually
00:01:25actually talking about? Let's go go through those. Those affected
00:01:27affected include Avanti West Coast,
00:01:29Coast, East Midlands, northern TransPennine
00:01:32TransPennine Express and Transport Transport for Wales. Well, the issue
00:01:35issue has reported to have been caused
00:01:37caused by an electricity supply failure
00:01:40failure at a communications centre. centre. So what exactly do we know?
00:01:43know? Well National Rail well they they first announced disruption on
00:01:46on social media just after 2pm local
00:01:49local time. In that statement, they they warned about disruption in the
00:01:52the Greater Manchester area, the the Midlands and the north-west of
00:01:55of England. Then replying to a customer
00:01:58customer query, National Rail said said rail replacement transport has
00:02:01has not been arranged at this time. time. That could mean that thousands
00:02:04thousands of commuters have been been left without alternative means
00:02:08means of travel. So let's get right right up to date with our correspondent
00:02:11correspondent Sean Dilley. He's here here with me again. And Sean, just
00:02:14just tell us the latest of what we we know here. Well, let's start with
00:02:17with some breaking news courtesy
00:02:19courtesy of the BBC's transport correspondent correspondent Katy Austin, who has
00:02:22has spoken to sources at Network Network Rail. Now we understand that
00:02:25that there was a power supply failure failure specifically in the Ardwick
00:02:29Ardwick area of Manchester. It wasn't
00:02:31wasn't just the railway that was
00:02:33was impacted, but it did affect Network Network Rail's regional operating
00:02:37operating centre and that houses houses all of the controls to safely
00:02:40safely operate the railway. Now that that would include signalling, which
00:02:43which we know was said to be one one of the reasons for the fault.
00:02:46fault. There was a delay to a back-up
00:02:49back-up supply kicking in as well. well. Now, part of what we understand
00:02:52understand at the moment is that that all affected trains had to stop.
00:02:56stop. So the aim and the operation operation behind the scenes now is
00:03:00is to get all of those trains into
00:03:02into the stations to get that signalling
00:03:04signalling system back up and running. running. Now the railway is of course
00:03:08course incredibly busy. The timetables timetables are exceptionally complex,
00:03:11complex, so you have an awful lot
00:03:13lot of companies those people working
00:03:16working for Department for Transport Transport operator of course, which which is essentially going to be
00:03:20be nationalised Railways and Network Network Rail working together to
00:03:24to get those trains up and running
00:03:26running even though it looks like
00:03:29like the power supply issues are are being taken care of, we do expect
00:03:32expect that that disruption is going going to continue throughout the the day. So that is the breaking
00:03:36breaking news here on BBC News. There There was worry. I read it there
00:03:39there in the introduction of actually actually the potential for this to
00:03:42to spread. So give us a rough idea
00:03:45idea of the amount of trains that that we're actually talking about
00:03:48about that have been brought to a a standstill roughly. And the potential
00:03:51potential for that to actually increase. increase. Yeah. Well, we don't have
00:03:54have an actual number. We imagine imagine it's around a thousand just
00:03:57just based upon our knowledge of of how the rail networks work. Having
00:04:00Having reported fairly substantially
00:04:03substantially on transportation issues.
00:04:05issues. Yes, it can have an incredibly
00:04:09incredibly impactful sort of, if if you like, impact on other train train operating companies because
00:04:12because train drivers, train staff,
00:04:15staff, railway workers have to travel travel using the entire rail network
00:04:19network to get to their places of of work. I know it sounds a bit trite trite to say that everything is connected.
00:04:23connected. Indeed it is. And if everything everything is connected, if there
00:04:26there is disruption, there is potential potential for knock on there. So
00:04:30So there is now obviously a substantial
00:04:33substantial amount of work under under way to try to return those
00:04:37those services. Let's just quickly
00:04:38quickly remind viewers of the Network
00:04:41Network Rail National Rail spokesperson spokesperson saying this is expected expected to cause major disruption
00:04:44disruption until the end of the day.
00:04:46day. They said if you're travelling travelling Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry,
00:04:49CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Railway, London, Northwestern, northern,
00:04:53northern, TransPennine express or or transport for Wales in the affected
00:04:56affected area, your train may be be cancelled, delayed or revised.
00:04:59revised. And they added that people people should please allow extra extra time to make their journeys
00:05:03journeys this afternoon. You may may need to use an alternative route
00:05:06route or change trains partway through
00:05:08through to reach your destination. destination. Sean, thanks for taking
00:05:12taking us through all of that. Well, Well, we were talking about trains
00:05:16trains brought to a standstill. The The passengers affected are North North of England. Correspondent Rowan
00:05:20Rowan Bridge was one on one of those those delayed trains. He just sent
00:05:23sent us this update. Have a look.
00:05:25look. This service left Manchester Manchester Piccadilly just after
00:05:29after 1:15 this afternoon and we we realised there were problems not
00:05:31not long after that because the train train sort of juddered to a halt.
00:05:35halt. It then sat there for a while while and then finally made it through through to Macclesfield. But then
00:05:39then it basically sat at Macclesfield Macclesfield for the best part of
00:05:42of an hour. We're now clear of that that and you may be able to tell
00:05:46tell the train is now on its way way down to London, but other services
00:05:50services that left Manchester after after us haven't been so fortunate. fortunate. The reason we've made
00:05:54made it through is that they were were able to basically guide the
00:05:56the train through the last of the the problems with the signalling signalling and onto the track where
00:06:00where it was clear and that's why why we're on the move. But the services
00:06:04services behind us haven't been so so fortunate. They are still caught
00:06:07caught up in all the signalling problems, problems, and that means they're
00:06:09they're going to face even more significant significant delays than we're facing
00:06:12facing at the moment. We're due into into Euston about an hour or so later
00:06:16later than we were meant to arrive arrive there, but thankfully we are are going to make it. But it's going
00:06:19going to cause disruption for people people like us who are trying to
00:06:23to make connections onto other services. services. Well, that was Rowan Bridge.
00:06:26Bridge. Let me point you again to to the live page on the website because
00:06:30because that is being constantly constantly updated because information
00:06:33information is so important in a a situation like that. I'll just
00:06:36just repeat that line that Katy Austin, Austin, our transport correspondent,
00:06:39correspondent, had given to Shaun Shaun and that was details from Network
00:06:42Network Rail talking about the electricity electricity problem that they had
00:06:45had and then going on to say there there was a delay to the back-up
00:06:49back-up supply kicking in. That meant meant the signalling went down and
00:06:51and that meant that all trains had
00:06:53had to stop so that some of the explanation
00:06:57explanation that is coming out already already after this major power failure
00:07:00failure affecting so many trains
00:07:01trains in different parts of England.
00:07:04England. Let's turn to Russia and
00:07:08and Ukraine because that Russia Ukrainian Ukrainian drones have hit two refineries
00:07:11refineries in Russia. A huge column column of smoke now hangs over the
00:07:15the city of Yaroslavl after an attack attack on one of the country's largest
00:07:18largest facilities. It's a stark stark reminder that long range strikes
00:07:21strikes are bringing the war in neighbouring
00:07:23neighbouring Ukraine deep into Russian Russian territory, Ukraine's president
00:07:26president said they targeted the the refinery and another one as well,
00:07:30well, where two people were reported reported dead as part of their efforts
00:07:33efforts to cut revenues which fund fund the Kremlin's war effort. The
00:07:36The region's governor called it the the largest attack ever, saying 93
00:07:4093 drones were destroyed. But that's that's only part of the picture because
00:07:44because across Russia, the military military says it's intercepted around
00:07:47around 600 Ukrainian drones heading heading for targets as far apart
00:07:50apart as Moscow and the Black Sea. Sea. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least
00:07:54least ten deaths have been reported reported following the latest wave
00:07:56wave of Russian air attacks. These These images are from Zaporizhzhia,
00:08:00Zaporizhzhia, where Russian drones drones hit an apartment block, injuring
00:08:03injuring two civilians. Our correspondent correspondent Dan Johnson sent this
00:08:06this from Kyiv. This is a deliberate deliberate Ukrainian strategy to
00:08:09to take the war deeper into Russian Russian territory, to make the Russian
00:08:13Russian people really feel the impact. impact. President Zelensky says this
00:08:17this is primarily about hitting the the Kremlin in the coffers, having
00:08:19having a real impact on the economy
00:08:21economy and trying to make sure that
00:08:24that the Russian military can't get get the supplies and the fuel that
00:08:27that it needs to continue the war war against Ukraine. But there is
00:08:30is an acknowledgement that this means
00:08:33means disruption, destruction to to civilian infrastructure. The Wildberries Wildberries warehouses, which have
00:08:37have been hit repeatedly over the the past few weeks. Another one of
00:08:41of those was damaged last night. night. They've had workers killed killed in those facilities, and that
00:08:45that is no doubt having an impact
00:08:47impact on the sort of ordinary business business that people in Russia rely
00:08:51rely on this network for. It's a
00:08:54a small business retailer that distributes distributes items, everyday items
00:08:57items that so many millions of Russians Russians rely on. So those attacks
00:09:01attacks have had a real world impact impact for ordinary Russians and
00:09:04and the oil refineries that is making
00:09:08making petrol short in supply. We've We've seen huge queues over the last
00:09:11last couple of months as petrol has has been running out and prices have
00:09:14have soared. So no doubt that is
00:09:16is also putting pressure on the Russian Russian people and the refinery.
00:09:19refinery. One of them that was hit hit last night 400 miles from Ukraine,
00:09:23Ukraine, is one of Russia's biggest biggest which has been hit before. before. But the regional governor
00:09:27governor said this was one of the the largest attacks on that refinery
00:09:30refinery that Ukraine had launched launched so far. Dan Johnson now
00:09:33now Alexander Khara is the executive executive director of the centre
00:09:36centre for Defence Strategies in in Kyiv and former assistant to Ukraine's
00:09:40Ukraine's Minister of defence. I I asked him a little earlier on the
00:09:43the programme how effective Ukraine's Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil
00:09:46oil refineries have been in recent
00:09:47recent months. It's difficult to
00:09:50to assess the efficiency and effectiveness effectiveness of those strikes because
00:09:54because Russia still fights back
00:09:56back and the Russians didn't rule
00:10:00rule out the long, let's say, prolongation
00:10:03prolongation of this war into 2027
00:10:062027 to 2028. For sure they are going going to mobilise more people after
00:10:10after the so-called elections to to the Russian parliament. But anyway,
00:10:13anyway, we have no other choice but
00:10:15but to bring war back to Russia and
00:10:18and to undermine the resource base
00:10:21base of the Russian war machine.
00:10:24machine. And there are 2 or 3 goals
00:10:26goals for that. First, it's the direct
00:10:29direct affection to the war machine. machine. Second, it's the we just
00:10:33just showing the Russian people that that the war is not something in
00:10:36in Ukraine. It's not a shooting range
00:10:38range in Ukraine, but war is affecting
00:10:41affecting them financially. And in in terms of security. And certainly
00:10:45certainly we're trying to strike
00:10:48strike and to push Putin and his his circle to negotiate something,
00:10:51something, even though we believe believe that there is a slim chance,
00:10:54chance, at least so far. So part part of that. I assume it's not just
00:10:58just hitting oil refineries. We've We've seen these whole series of
00:11:01of attacks on the Wildberries factories. factories. That is an important part.
00:11:05part. What you've just described, described, isn't it impacting ordinary
00:11:08ordinary Russians, impacting the the economy and trying to impact
00:11:12impact the psychology of Vladimir
00:11:14Vladimir Putin? Well, you're right
00:11:16right and Wildberries is not just
00:11:18just about impacting the cycle of
00:11:20of the Russians. They use this platform platform for delivery of dual use
00:11:24use goods, drones and components
00:11:26components for their war. And certainly certainly there is a financial cost
00:11:29cost for Russia because it's been been financed by VTB, the second
00:11:33second largest. And the Russians Russians call this system Bank of
00:11:36of Russia. And now they have a debt debt problem and the government is
00:11:40is trying to cover that, and they they are trying to please the ordinary
00:11:43ordinary Russians with some reimbursement reimbursement for the losses of their
00:11:47their businesses. So it's not just
00:11:49just a cycle, it's economy. And it's
00:11:52it's the system that distributed distributed the dual use goods. Let's
00:11:56Let's turn from the war in Russia Russia and Ukraine to the war with
00:12:00with Iran, because with reports of of a possible breakthrough over the
00:12:03the Strait of Hormuz, Iran says they're they're close to finalising an interim
00:12:06interim agreement with Oman over over that vital waterway, which has
00:12:09has effectively enclosed since the the start of the conflict back in
00:12:12in February. Pakistan, which is mediating mediating between the United States
00:12:15States and Iran, says it hopes an an agreement will lead Washington
00:12:18Washington and Tehran to resume talks talks and resolve their conflict.
00:12:22conflict. Well, if confirmed, a deal deal might begin to ease an economic
00:12:26economic crisis that has shaken markets. markets. But it could cement Iranian
00:12:30Iranian control over the maritime maritime chokepoint. Let's talk to to Ali Vaez. He's deputy programme
00:12:33programme director for the Middle Middle East and North Africa at the
00:12:36the International Crisis Group. Ali Ali Vaez, welcome to the programme.
00:12:40programme. So we appear to be edging
00:12:42edging towards a deal. But what deal? deal? That seems to be the crucial
00:12:45crucial question. It's great to be
00:12:48be with you. Well, this deal at this
00:12:50this stage, the first phase is just just an agreement between Iran and
00:12:54and Oman on how to administer the
00:12:57the Strait of Hormuz in a 2 to 4
00:13:024 month timeline. It creates a temporary
00:13:07temporary route that will direct direct all of the inbound traffic
00:13:11traffic through the northern corridor, corridor, hugging the Iranian coastline
00:13:14coastline and all the outbound traffic traffic through the southern corridor
00:13:17corridor in Oman's territorial waters.
00:13:20waters. But this is not the same same as reopening the strait. The
00:13:24The strait will only reopen when when there is also a understanding
00:13:27understanding between Iran and the the United States to return to the
00:13:31the agreement they had back in June. June. The memorandum of Understanding,
00:13:35Understanding, in which the US also also would have to remove its own
00:13:38own blockade provide Iran with sanctions sanctions relief and also end the
00:13:42the war in Lebanon. And what do you you make of the likelihood of the
00:13:46the second part of what you said said the US agreeing to whatever
00:13:50whatever Iran and Oman agree? Well,
00:13:54Well, at this stage, the odds are
00:13:56are not that negative because I think
00:13:58think President Trump realised with
00:14:00with almost two weeks of tit-for-tat
00:14:03tit-for-tat escalation between Iran Iran and the US., that there is really
00:14:07really no military solution to reopening
00:14:09reopening the Strait of Hormuz and
00:14:11and the continuation of the blockade blockade is going to be problematic,
00:14:15problematic, especially given high high energy prices in the United United States in the run up to the
00:14:19the mid-term elections. So I think
00:14:20think there is now a degree of pragmatic
00:14:24pragmatic recognition of the fact fact that a diplomatic solution to
00:14:27to this issue is better than and
00:14:31and less costly than a military one.
00:14:35one. So there is, I think, the possibility possibility that the mediators, Pakistan
00:14:39Pakistan and Qatar, will try to get
00:14:40get the two sides back into negotiations
00:14:44negotiations and a return to the
00:14:45the MoU. Before we get to that point,
00:14:48point, not much has been said around
00:14:50around tolls. Donald Trump so many many times has said and insisted
00:14:54insisted that won't happen, but may may there end up being a different
00:14:57different sort of arrangement, a a different sort of wording about
00:15:00about some sort of payment for navigational
00:15:03navigational facilities, which effectively effectively ends up being the same
00:15:07same thing. Well, my understanding understanding is that at least at
00:15:10at this point during the temporary temporary pilot phase of implementation
00:15:13implementation of this new route,
00:15:15route, there is not going to be tolls. tolls. And the MOU between Iran and
00:15:19and the US also required that during
00:15:21during the 60 day period of implementation, implementation, there will be no
00:15:24no fees. And if Iran and the US get
00:15:27get back into the MOU, the clock clock would be reset on that timeline.
00:15:31timeline. So not in the short run, run, but in the medium to long-term.
00:15:34long-term. It is possible that there there would be some sort of voluntary
00:15:38voluntary fees and voluntary. Here
00:15:40Here is the key phrase because based
00:15:44based on international law, if for for provision of services, emergency
00:15:48emergency or environmental related related services, yeah, there is
00:15:51is a fee. If it's not compulsory compulsory it is not a violation
00:15:55violation of international law. Really, Really, really quick thought if you you would because Donald Trump has
00:15:58has said yet again that Iran would would be hit very hard if the strait
00:16:02strait did not open very soon. Have Have threats like that. Has the traction
00:16:06traction gone away because so many many times they've been made and
00:16:08and not carried through? Not really.
00:16:11really. I think Iran has called President President Trump's bluff multiple
00:16:15multiple times and doesn't really really take it seriously and is, is, you know, one of the consequences
00:16:18consequences of this war against against Iran is that the Iranians Iranians are no longer afraid of
00:16:22of US military power. As great as
00:16:25as always to have you on the programme programme and your analysis. Thanks
00:16:27Thanks so much for joining us. Thank Thank you. We're going to take a
00:16:30a short break around the world and
00:16:32and across the UK. You're
00:17:34Economist will tell us about her her experience. It's all on The Media
00:17:36Media Show on BBC News. Welcome back.
00:17:44back. Let's talk Fifa because European European football's governing body
00:17:47body says teams could still boycott boycott competitions including the
00:17:50the World Cup, with Uefa insisting insisting that Fifa's defence of
00:17:53of its president Gianni Infantino Infantino changes nothing. Infantino
00:17:57Infantino has received the backing backing of his top officials after
00:18:00after days of questions over his his leadership and apologise for
00:18:03for errors that were made in controversial controversial plans to sell off stakes
00:18:06stakes in competitions to private private investors. Well, after a
00:18:10a meeting of his senior executive executive in Morocco yesterday, Gianni
00:18:13Gianni Infantino now looks set to
00:18:15to fight for re-election come March.
00:18:17March. The Confederation of African African Football hasn't commented
00:18:21commented commented so far. Today Today they're meeting to discuss
00:18:24discuss the proposal that Fifa has has already abandoned. Well, let's
00:18:28let's talk live to Jim Boises, former former Vice President of Fifa and
00:18:32and honourary life, president of of the Irish Football Association.
00:18:35Association. And Jim, welcome here here to the programme. What do you
00:18:38you make, first of all, of that decision
00:18:41decision from Fifa management to
00:18:43to back Infantino yesterday? Well,
00:18:45Well, it doesn't surprise me in the the slightest, Matthew. I mean these
00:18:48these people are employees of Fifa.
00:18:51Fifa. It's their jobs. Their jobs
00:18:53jobs are at stake. And I think it it was perfectly obvious that they
00:18:57they were going to come out and hand
00:18:59hand back the President because obviously
00:19:02obviously it's their livelihood and and it doesn't surprise me in the
00:19:05the slightest. How perilous is his
00:19:07his position, do you think? Well,
00:19:10Well, I think his position is quite
00:19:13quite perilous, but I think an awful awful lot depends my hearing what
00:19:17what Uefa and I have just read the
00:19:19the statement. They don't appear appear to be backing down. I have
00:19:23have always said that a World Cup Cup without the European teams in
00:19:26in it, it just wouldn't work. But
00:19:29But there's more serious problems problems initially because the Women's
00:19:32Women's World Cup qualifiers are
00:19:35are taking place in October of this
00:19:37this year and at this point in time,
00:19:40time, Uefa have said that their European
00:19:43European teams will not be playing playing in these qualifiers. So.
00:19:46So. And you really think that's a a possibility do you think of not
00:19:49not just talking about a boycott boycott but actually going through
00:19:52through with it? Women and men? Well
00:19:56Well they've said so they've said
00:19:58said and I think now somehow for
00:20:02for this to be resolved. Gianni Infantino Infantino and obviously the President
00:20:06President of Uefa have got to somehow
00:20:08somehow sit down and have got to to try to resolve, which is a very
00:20:12very serious situation. I mean, Gianni
00:20:14Gianni Infantino, as I said before,
00:20:16before, I knew when he was the general general secretary of Uefa and he
00:20:20he just appeared to have gone power
00:20:23power mad and egotistically mad.
00:20:24mad. So, you know, he needs to really
00:20:27really back down and he needs to
00:20:29to really try and get Fifa back to
00:20:31to what they're meant to do. And And that is promote football and
00:20:34and I mean football throughout the the world. He is of course defended
00:20:37defended himself. He's apologised apologised for bringing forth all
00:20:41all of these plans. But as I said said in the introduction, we've got
00:20:44got this African Federation meeting
00:20:46meeting as well. How important will
00:20:49will their positioning be? And that that was very interesting. That sort
00:20:52sort of offer around Morocco hosting hosting the World Cup finals. What
00:20:55What did you make of all of that?
00:20:57that? Well, first of all, I don't don't know what the African position
00:21:01position will be. Several countries countries in Africa have already
00:21:04already come out on a back Gianni
00:21:07Gianni Infantino as far as this so-called so-called report of Morocco possibly
00:21:11possibly getting the World Cup finals finals concerned, that shouldn't shouldn't be a decision for Gianni
00:21:15Gianni Infantino. That should be
00:21:17be a decision for the 37 members
00:21:20members of the Fifa Council. Now
00:21:22Now they should decide on the best best stadium to host the World Cup
00:21:26Cup final. After all, Spain, Portugal
00:21:29Portugal and Morocco have all decided
00:21:31decided that they will be hosting hosting the 2030 World Cup. So I
00:21:35I don't think that's Gianni Infantino
00:21:39Infantino position to, to give Morocco Morocco the final. It's a matter
00:21:43matter for the in my opinion, the
00:21:44the Council of Fifa. Final quick quick question because as yet we
00:21:48we don't have any sort of contender contender who might stand against
00:21:51against him. I suppose that helps
00:21:52helps him. As of now you know him.
00:21:55him. You know how much of a powerbroker
00:21:58powerbroker he is. You know how he he works behind the scenes. Can you
00:22:01you see a situation still that despite despite this furore that exists now
00:22:05now that he can see it off? Yes,
00:22:08Yes, I do. I think that I think someone
00:22:12someone may well challenge him now. now. I mean, three weeks ago it appeared
00:22:16appeared that there was over 200 200 associations had already given
00:22:18given him his backing. So he's going going to walk in, I think now he
00:22:22he may face a challenge, but at the the end of the day, even though he
00:22:26he does face a challenge, I'm not not sure there's somebody strong
00:22:30strong enough that would be able able to defeat him. Well, Jim Boyce,
00:22:33Boyce, great to have you on the programme. programme. I know we had a bit of of trouble with your line a little
00:22:37little earlier. I'm glad that we we got it working and got to talk talk to you. So thank you so much
00:22:41much for joining us. Been a pleasure.
00:22:43pleasure. Thank you. Now to important important story that you saw in the
00:22:47the headlines a little earlier because because four young women have told
00:22:50told the BBC they were sexually assaulted assaulted and harassed at an Army
00:22:53Army training college for teenagers teenagers in North Yorkshire. One
00:22:56One said she was raped by several several of her fellow junior soldiers
00:23:00soldiers in an attack that lasted lasted for hours. In a statement,
00:23:03statement, the army said unacceptable unacceptable and criminal behaviour
00:23:06behaviour has absolutely no place place in our armed forces. Our senior
00:23:10senior UK correspondent Sima Kotecha Kotecha has more. And a warning her
00:23:13her report contains distressing details.
00:23:16details. It ruined my life. I've
00:23:18I've lost all my confidence. The
00:23:22The words of women who went to the the largest army training college
00:23:25college in the country for 16 and
00:23:27and 17 year-olds. Speaking to the the BBC for the first time. It needs
00:23:31needs to be closed down and I don't
00:23:33don't get why it hasn't. It just
00:23:35just doesn't make sense. The Army Army Foundation College in Harrogate
00:23:39Harrogate is for teenagers who want want a life in the armed forces,
00:23:42forces, but now it's at the centre centre of serious allegations from
00:23:45from several women who went to the the college in recent years. Claims
00:23:49Claims of harassment and sexual assault. assault. They were like, do you want
00:23:52want to come into the room? And me
00:23:55me being a naive 17-year-old girl girl was like, yeah, fine. Tilly,
00:23:59Tilly, not her real name, says she she was raped by fellow recruits.
00:24:03recruits. They started taking my my clothes off and then this led
00:24:07led to them doing stuff I didn't
00:24:09didn't consent to. There were a lot
00:24:11lot of them. They touched me in places,
00:24:14places, made inappropriate comments, comments, calling me a thing rather
00:24:18rather than a girl. Like some of of the other women we spoke to, Tilly
00:24:21Tilly reported it to the police. police. We're not providing the full
00:24:24full details of all their investigations
00:24:26investigations to protect their identity. identity. Monica, also not her real
00:24:30real name, says she too was attacked attacked by a junior soldier. Stood
00:24:34Stood against the door so I couldn't couldn't get out. He then pushed
00:24:37pushed himself up against me and and started kissing my face and touching
00:24:40touching me all over. He sexually sexually assaulted me. All of the
00:24:44the women we've spoken to went to to this college over the last five
00:24:48five years. Data obtained by the
00:24:50the BBC through a Freedom of Information
00:24:52Information request shows that North
00:24:54North Yorkshire Police recorded 16
00:24:5616 sexual offence crimes over the
00:24:58the last year at this college, including
00:25:02including voyeurism and exposure exposure and sexual assault. These
00:25:05These are recorded complaints and and it's not clear how many led to
00:25:09to prosecutions. If this was anywhere anywhere else it would have been been closed down by now. I think
00:25:13think as a matter of urgency, there
00:25:14there should be an independent inquiry
00:25:17inquiry into the college led by someone
00:25:19someone with significant safeguarding
00:25:22safeguarding expertise. A recent recent Ministry of Defence survey
00:25:25survey suggests almost 70% of women women in the armed forces experienced
00:25:29experienced at least one sexualised sexualised behaviour in the last
00:25:32last year. In 2021, Gunner Jaysley
00:25:35Jaysley Beck took her own life at
00:25:37at her barracks in Wiltshire months months after she was sexually assaulted
00:25:40assaulted by Warrant officer Michael
00:25:43Michael Webber last year, a coroner coroner ruled the assault and the
00:25:46the army's failure to take appropriate appropriate action more than minimally
00:25:50minimally contributed to her death. death. Webber was jailed for six
00:25:53six months. It's difficult to think. think. Almost five years on from
00:25:57from the loss of our daughter, that
00:26:00that this still continues and no
00:26:01no real change has been made, despite
00:26:04despite what we're speaking up and
00:26:07and it's still ongoing. And that
00:26:09that is heartbreaking to see. Brave
00:26:13Brave of the young soldiers to come come forward. I urge anybody to speak
00:26:17speak up. But yeah, heartbreaking.
00:26:21heartbreaking. The government defines defines a child as anyone under 18.
00:26:2518. In response to the allegations allegations made in this report,
00:26:28report, the Ministry of Defence says
00:26:31says unacceptable and criminal behaviour behaviour has absolutely no place
00:26:34place in our armed forces and these
00:26:36these reports are extremely distressing distressing and serious. It says
00:26:39says it's created the Defence Serious
00:26:42Serious Crime Command, which is independent independent and outside of the army
00:26:45army chain of command and has a specialist
00:26:48specialist team who help victims
00:26:49victims throughout the process of
00:26:53of justice. The Army is a tough training
00:26:56training environment with high standards, standards, but the supervision and
00:26:59and discipline of junior recruits recruits and their instructors is
00:27:02is now in sharp focus. After so many
00:27:07many serious allegations. Sima Kotecha,
00:27:10Kotecha, BBC News. I'm going to have have more on all of our headline
00:27:14headline stories here in about 15 15 minutes' time. Next up, Ben is
00:27:17is here with all today's business business news. Back
00:28:51Celsius mark on Tuesday.
00:30:56American people. For the latest, latest, follow us on the President's. President's. Path here on BBC News.