ITV secures Royal Variety rights

21 February 2011 Last updated at 16:46 GMT Take That performed at last year's Royal Variety Performance, which was screened on BBC One ITV has won the rights to broadcast the Royal Variety Performance for the next 10 years, it has been announced.

Production of the event has been shared between the BBC and ITV, with its main channels broadcasting the event on alternate years since 1986.

ITV will now show it exclusively through to 2021, with ITV Studios producing the coverage.

The two most recent shows, shown on BBC One and ITV1, attracted audiences of 8.9m and 9.6m viewers respectively.

ITV won the rights from the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF), which benefits from the annual fundraising event.

"We can look forward to the future with renewed confidence and financial security for the next 10 years," said Laurie Mansfield, the EABF's honorary life president.

The deal also deepens the relationship the EABF has with ITV, which currently provides the winner of Britain's Got Talent to the event each year.

ITV Studios managing director Kevin Lygo said: "It's an honour for ITV Studios to produce coverage of one of the most prestigious television events of the year.

"We are thrilled to be part of the long tradition of celebrating the very best of the entertainment industry."

The EABF is a charity which cares for entertainers throughout the UK who need help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health or hard times.

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Judge warns of human rights clash

21 February 2011 Last updated at 10:22 GMT Lord Woolf said it would be hard to adhere to two separate conventions on human rights An ex-Law Lord has warned of conflicts between the European Convention on Human Rights and the government's proposed British Bill of Rights.

Lord Woolf said the UK faced a "stark choice" between accepting European court rulings or leaving the system.

The government is looking at a Bill of Rights following rows with Europe over prisoner voting and sex offenders.

It insists this will not undermine the European Convention but Lord Woolf warned of "complication".

The comments by Lord Woolf, Lord Chief Justice from 2000 to 2005, follow an outcry over the European Court of Human Rights' ruling that serving prisoners should be allowed to vote.

The House of Commons voted to keep the ban on prisoners voting earlier this month - although the vote is not binding.

The UK Supreme Court has also recently ruled that sex offenders in England and Wales can appeal against having to register with the police for life, arguing that this has to be the case under the European Convention on Human Rights.

'Virtually impossible'

At prime minister's questions last week, David Cameron called this decision "offensive" and confirmed that a commission looking into a British Bill of Rights - which was in the coalition agreement - would be set up soon.

On Sunday, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said the UK government would continue to adhere to rulings from the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights.

But he said he would seek to kick-start reform to balance its relations with national courts when the UK takes over the chairmanship of the Council of Europe in November.

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We have a Bill of Rights in this country. It's called the Human Rights Act and is thoroughly British, European and universal in its values”

End Quote Shami Chakrabarti Liberty Lord Woolf told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We have got a stark option: either we accept the European Convention, or we don't accept it and decide to leave the Council of Europe.

"It's very difficult to do what Mr Clarke indicated he would like to do when he's chairman of the relevant body, because there are 47 signatories in Europe which are signatories to the European Convention as well as ourselves. To try and amend that is a virtually impossible task."

He also said: "If you have a further convention - a British convention [the Bill of Rights] - there's going to be a complication in the position, because you're going to have two conventions to which the courts are going to have a regard."

The commission on a British Bill of Rights will be jointly chaired by Mr Clarke and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Lord Woolf said: "I don't see any problem about the commission that is being set up and I was very relieved Mr Clarke indicated there would be no question of us withdrawing form the European Council and the European Convention on Human Rights."

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "We have a Bill of Rights in this country. It's called the Human Rights Act and is thoroughly British, European and universal in its values.

"It protects all of us from the whims of politicians and, when the current frenzy of misinformation has died down, voters will worry about MPs who seek to put themselves above the law."

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'Serious' cases hit by rights ruling

9 February 2011 Last updated at 17:52 GMT Scottish police can no longer question suspects without allowing them access to a lawyer Five rape allegations are among cases abandoned by prosecutors in the light the Cadder ruling.

In October, judges upheld an appeal by teenager Peter Cadder, whose assault conviction was based on evidence gained before he spoke to his lawyer.

In light of that ruling, 867 cases were abandoned, including 60 serious cases, nine of which were High Court cases.

Scottish Labour has called on Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to make an emergency statement.

Last year's ruling - that the Peter Cadder case breached the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - meant Scottish police could no longer question suspects without allowing them access to a lawyer.

Until then suspects could be questioned for six hours without a lawyer present.

Following the decision, the Scottish government introduced emergency legislation to bring the country's rules into line with European human rights laws.

'Reduced impact'

At the time, the Crown Office said a total of 120 solemn cases would be affected by the judgement - double the actual number.

It had also estimated the number of possible appeals at close to 3,500. The actual number of 867 was said to be the equivalent to 0.3% of all criminal cases reported to the COPFS in a year.

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These cases are not closed and will be kept under review, so proceedings may be raised should additional evidence come to light in the future”

End Quote Scott Pattison Crown Office The Crown Office claimed that precautionary measures it had taken had "significantly reduced" the impact of the judgment on prosecution.

Scott Pattison, director of operations at the Crown Office, said there had been "extensive liaison" between procurators fiscal and the police to minimise the number of cases affected by the ruling.

"Each case was then carefully considered by Crown Counsel before any conclusion was reached that no further evidence was available, and the case required to be discontinued as a result of Cadder," he said.

"In some solemn cases, we have decided to discontinue proceedings meantime - these cases are not closed and will be kept under review, so proceedings may be raised should additional evidence come to light in the future."

Labour's justice spokesman Richard Baker said the public had the right to know the full extent of "this disaster", and called on the justice secretary to brief MSPs.

He said the SNP government had acted too late by failing to act on "the much earlier Salduz case".

"Almost 900 accused persons will no longer face justice," he said.

"Some of those include High Court trials where Scotland's most serious crime is prosecuted including murder and rape."

'Devastating effect'

John Lamont, the Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman said: "We are now seeing the devastating effect this ruling is having on the Scottish justice system.

"Our conviction rate is suffering as self-confessed criminals are being allowed to walk free, and it will continue get worse as closed cases are referred back to the High Court for reconsideration."

Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown said: "The loss of the ability to prosecute in 60 serious cases is extremely worrying but it demonstrates how out of line Scots law had become with the standards of justice demanded in the rest of the UK and across Europe.

"Crown Office must be particularly vigilant in reinvestigating these serious cases and continuing with every possible prosecution whenever this can properly be done."

Of the nine abandoned High Court cases, five include rape allegations and one involved a firearms offence.

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