Brown calls strikes 'unfortunate'

Last Modified: 25 Apr 2008
By: Jon Snow

On tonight's show...

Well it's not exactly the winter of discontent, nor even the spring of it, but this is one of the biggest strikes on Labour's watch. With thousand of schools affected across England and Wales, we think about a million children have had to stay at home today. We are in Suffolk, in an area severely impacted by the strike, and we'll also have the wider picture too.

And we're also talking to ministers and others about the realities behind the strike. Elected on 'education education education', New Labour did indeed ramp up teachers' wages by at least 20 per cent.

But they've been restricted to a low CPI inflation figure for the last three years and now promised another three of much the same, they are watching their remuneration gradually returning to bad old days. Lindsay Taylor and Victoria MacDonald are on the case.

Body of missing disabled man found

The case of the missing (now dead) severely disabled man in Redditch takes another turn. His body was found at the family home, his mother having been found dead with a ligature around her neck in woods not far away.

Two men are being questioned by police - one of them is believed to be the partner of the mother. Darshna Soni has as much of the inside story as we're allowed to tell.

Grangemouth strike to be escalated

We have an excellent report form Grangemouth tonight. With the failure of talks between management and the union, Scotland's only oil refinery faces a strike starting on Sunday and the process of shutting it down has already begun.

The plant has an important strategic role and there's talk of how a closure could severely impact the supplies of oil and gas from the North Sea.

Ministers north and south of the border have been seeking to reassure people that petrol supplies will meet needs in the affected areas should there be no panic buying or hoarding. Our reporter has found some localised instances of petrol stations running low or without fuel.

Questions over a Syrian nuclear plant

An extraordinary video is set to be released on Capitol Hill in Washington, supposedly depicting North Koreans in a nuclear installation in Syria. Allegedly the one Israel bombed last year, which was described by the Syrians as a 'farm'.

At the moment it is still proving difficult to prove what it is that is depicted. Sarah Smith in Washington is on the case and we hope to be talking to the Syrians afterwards. (However I'm just hearing that senators are having a problem letting the film out and so whether it runs or not is on a bit of a knife edge. I hope it does, because it's a great story)

Old foes Ken's key advisors

Finally, a delicious filmic insight into the Ken/ Boris/ Paddick run for mayor of London. You may dismiss it as a local London story, but actually of course the mayor had become one of the most powerful jobs in Britain. Steal your nerves; it involves a puppet, dead animals and extremely curious behaviour.

That's it. See you at seven. As ever is.