Piers Morgan Uncensored - Piers Morgan Uncensored: 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death

Episode Date: August 31, 2022

Standing in for Piers, Jeremy questions whether Meghan Markle can ever truly replace the People's Princess on the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. Jeremy also questions whether the police are too woke as TalkTV host James Whale slams the police force in this country citing them being "unshaven, dishevelled and fat.". Following the viral video of a dinner lady saying she had to deny children lunch because they didn't have enough money, Jeremy looks at the child poverty crisis. Watch Piers Morgan Uncensored at 8pm on TalkTV on Sky 526, Virgin Media 627, Freeview 237 and Freesat 217. Listen on DAB+ and app.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Piers Morgan. I'm censored with me, Jeremy Kyle. Now, coming up tonight, 25 years since the death of Princess Diana. The question is, will Meghan Markle ever be able to replace her in people's hearts? Good cop, mad cop. Is it time that our police wake up and solve some real crimes and hunger shapes? The utter disgrace of children turning up to school with an empty stomach in 21st century Britain. I spend as much time taking food away from children as I do serving it. And to be honest, it's not what I took the job for.

You know, I never dream that I'd be having to tell children. You can't have that. You've no money on your account. Good evening, my friends. Welcome to Uncensored. Now, this very hour, 25 years ago, the Royal Flight bearing Diana Princess of Wales coffin arrived back in London, draped in the Royal Standard. As she made her final trip home, the grief and the loss felt around this country and the world,

I think, changes forever. It took almost 20 years for the royal family to find someone else who could bring the glitz and the glamour that Princess Die provided. Megan Markle, an outsider like Diana, appeared at first to be just that person to refresh the firm and bring it into the 21st century, but it hasn't quite worked out that way.

I remember Blair saying on that fateful day that the public everywhere, not just here in Britain, kept faith with Princess Diana, but there are already signs that the public have lost faith in Megan. Diana Spencer was undoubtedly the original people's princess, but what to the people of today make of this version? I went to Windsor Castle this morning where Charles proposed Diana to find out.

25 years ago today, Diana died sadly the whole world in mourning. One word that in your mind would sum up, Diana? She was amazing personally. She did the job and death, so I'd have to say. She'd appreciate co-de-nation, sure. Incredible human. Brilliant, and I was on my way to work, and I just read the papers and I said it can't be true.

and it was a shock. I thought she was the most wonderful princess. She was a beautiful lady. I met her and I was in awe of her. I thought she was amazing. What do you think the people's princess would have said to her son or Megan Markle about what's going on?

I think she would have preferred case because I think Kate's lovely and she's really kind and nice. I think Megan's a little bit in it for herself. And what do you think Diana would have made her marker? What would she have said? You're going to do. What were...

What were... Would you describe Megan Markle as? Oh, do you have to? Don't like her at all. One word that sums up Megan Markle? I feel for her, to be honest. Do you?

Yeah, I do, yeah. I just think that it's just been really hard on her. And I agree with Harry. I agree with their decisions and their choices. I think it was the right thing to do to get her out of there before history, like he said, started to repeat itself. So a cross-section of opinion,

joining me in as talk radio as royal correspondent, Rupert Bell, Princess Diana's friend Sally Morgan, who worked with her for nearly five years in the 90s and lawyer, Paula Rohn, Adrienne. Ladies and Rupert, welcome. Sally, can I start with you? I found it really strange. I live in Windsor.

I went up to the castle today to just gauge opinion. And I almost found this generational reaction, if I'm honest. The older generation called a beautiful, wonderful inspiration. and caring and have no time for Megan Markle. The younger generation would say to me, we don't really know too much except for what we've watched on the crown, but we feel sorry for Megan. Who was Diana, the woman that you knew?

What made her so special in your mind? Well, I think that she was, and she turned out to be very outspoken. She was one of the first people to talk about her mental health and mental health. she was one of the first prominent people to embrace individuals with AIDS. She was somebody that stood up for the underdog, and I also think that people could see her pain. I certainly could see it, and I saw it on a daily basis. Was she inspirational?

I think she was. I mean, she was inspiration for so many people, for so many women at that time that were having difficulties in their marriage, in their relationships. You know, if the Princess of Wales can divorce the Prince of Wales, if that can happen, then I can certainly leave my husband who isn't treating me too well or is having an affair. So I think that she was an inspiration to many people.

Paula, to bring you in, Megan Markle has, by anybody's standards, caused so much reaction. And let's be honest, a lot of it negative. You could feel that today on the streets. You read it almost every day. I think she's caused a negative reaction. I do think that the press have reacted negatively. My problem with that, and I said it last night,

and the reason we're doing it is because it is everywhere, and it's what people want to talk about. Here's what I'm going to say, and I'll say it again, if you don't want to be in the royal family, because you don't want the press exposure, and you don't like every facet of your life being interrogated, I get that. You go to California with the love of your life and you have two children.

You don't land and sign a deal with Spotify, and this is the bit that really gets on my bit. if I'm being completely honest. Every single time there is something that matters to the royal family like the death of Prince Philip, like today the 25th anniversary, what does old Megan Markle do

drop her latest truth bomb? It's a podcast. It's true. Her timing is dreadful, Paula. Yeah, I know. I think it is. I think that, you know, listen, this is what happens. This is what happens. The negativity just runs right, doesn't it?

I'm going to say a negative. I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and say a negative. When we talk about facts, I think what we're missing here is a reality. You described Diana so beautifully. And I would say that I could describe Megan in exactly the same way. Well, we could describe Megan in that way. But if you look at what she's done to the royal family.

It's not what she's done to the royal family. Let's remember that. She doesn't think she's manipulative. I don't know her. What I do know is that the message, the very clear message that we are getting reported to us, is that she's a bully, that she's aggressive, that she's taken over Harry's life as if he's some weak individual.

And yet we forget that his own mother was forced to flee this country. She herself was planning to move to L.A. She herself had decided to begin a relationship with somebody who didn't look like her, who didn't talk like her, who didn't come from a family that fit into the establishment.

And this is what you're asking of Megan. she wasn't prepared for this and neither were the establishment. The establishment got it wrong with Diana. They got it wrong with Andrew. Well, no, I... Let me bring in... Let me bring in Rupert Bell, if I can.

Talk to Israel correspondent. He shared a goddaughter with Diana and knows through his family, his brother trains for the Queen, many links, cold stream guards as well. Rupert, you're very... You always play it very straight down the line. What was your response to what I said about

Megan Markle, Lyca or Lothar? It seems to me that she... drops this stuff at the exact moment to cause as much embarrassment and hurt to the royal family as possible. It does all. Her timing is horrendous, but she has created this. When we went to the wedding, the groundswell of public opinion was so much in her favour. And yet she has managed, and to end up basically painting this picture that everything is everybody else's fault. It's never her fault. And I think that's part of the problem. It always seems to, say, saying that ex-member of the royal family has done this,

that member of the royal family has done that, she has not done anything wrong. And I think that's what's frustrating people. Why does she always feel the need to pay the victim as she sits in her 14 million dollar villa in California when most of us are worried about whether they're going to get food on the table? So I really do think she needs to start reading the room and realize that what she is saying most of the time doesn't,

resonate with most of the British public. Paula, that's quite an interesting point of Ruperts. How would you respond to that? Quite easily, we talk about this groundswell as if we can dictate what others think. I don't know what the society thinks because it's not being reported. What I'm being told is that that's what people think,

but your own report has just informed us that actually there's a lot of people out there who have sympathy for. Yeah, absolutely. And I suspect... I started by saying it was generational. I genuinely believe that. Absolutely. And I wonder if it's because of where people are getting their information from.

And if it is generational, which I think is probably right, there is the younger generation that get their information, get their news from other places. Absolutely. The older generation who get their news from different places and who trust where they get their news. I'm not doubting that, but you haven't answered the question. And a supporter of Mia Hagan of her last night also did not answer the question. Do you not think there is something in the fact, in my opinion there is? inside it would have been in it, that every time Prince Philip died, today's the 25th anniversary of Diana, the queen is ill,

she keeps dropping this stuff via third and fourth parties. There's got to be, I'm not saying she might not have a case. I'm not saying it wasn't hard. I'm not saying that there have been people who have said and done things massively unfair to her. I absolutely can see the comparisons, but I absolutely, when I look at those pictures of the two of them in the Diana picture in the black polar neck and her as well,

Diana looks vulnerable, lost, scared. Mega Marco looks straight down the camera and looks like I've got this absolutely licked. She doesn't create sympathy in me. That's the problem. And let me tell you why. Because let me answer the question. Because you answer the question yourself,

but your tone was very quiet when you did. I noticed that. You said that the bombs are dropped by some third or fourth party person. Omar Schmidt or something, isn't it? So we're not suggesting, are we, that this is Megan, that is putting out this information. Well, we know her spoke.

But it is, but it is Megan that wants that information. That's the first point. That's the first point. But deny any of it, does she? Come on. And then secondly, even if she did deny it, where are we going to read that? Why do you forgive it? Where are we going to read that? Are you with me on this? There's a half as bizarre article that came out in, I think it was 2021.

Forgive me if I've got the date wrong, where it referenced in lots of detail about the approach that is taken in relation to Megan, as opposed to the approach that is taken to, lovely paint. Is that because of the colour of her skin? I don't know. You tell me. I'm interested in what you say to that. She will tell you yes. Architects yesterday, you heard the podcast.

She said that she felt that she was treated as a black woman only when she married a prince. And that's, of course, in any way, if that's right, that's fundamentally wrong. I've said that from day one. I just can't, Sally, get away from. I'm just being honest. See, Rupert makes a really, really good point. How does that look and sound right now with this country on the precipice of

economic disaster. Absolutely. But I do think that when you look at Megan and you look at how she is the one that really is controlling Harry, there's absolutely no doubt. She is. I mean, no, she is, Paula. Harry was vociferous. And has to be. Harry is totally and utterly in love with her. When you really, really love someone, you will do anything for them. She recognizes that. She refused. she looked at the system, she refused to bow to her brother-in-law and her sister-in-law. She could not understand. I'll tell you what I want to bring it on to it. I want to ring Rupert back in because I like the three of you to answer this next question.

Rupert, what would Diana, the people's princess, and let's be honest, flawed. Let's be honest, with her ex-husband, both used the media systematically. My old man worked for the Queen Mother and he said that everybody after the Queen has used the media. What would Diana have said about Megan? When I was out and about today at Windsor Castle, half of the people were saying she'd have taken her under the wing she'd have felt sorry for. The other half was saying she would have been gutted

that her son and his brother had split up over this woman and she had taken action. What would you say, Rupert? I think she would have tried to give Megan all the advice and would have probably been around to actually explain the pitfalls that are likely to come her way and realize what joining the firm is all about. Now, I don't know whether they were briefed enough, but the Dutch, Megan Markler said that she wasn't briefed.

Well, she knew all about it. When you go in and are going to be a member of the royal family, it's pretty, it comes out pretty quickly. And I think that's what she would have done. She would have, and she would have had plenty of experience, good, bad, indifferent, whatever, to bring to the table. Because remember, she came to the royal family as a 19-year-old, very inexperienced young lady. A big age gap between her and our husband. whereas Megan was a lady of the world being an actress, being out there already married before, so much more experienced. There was a naivety about Diana in the early stages because of the way the royal family was at the time. That then changed and she became a force, you know, not always a force, you know, she was flawed, as you referred to, Jeremy, but she did, though still have the well-being of her children completely at the centre of whatever she did.

We saw that throughout her life. I agree. Can I just say that, that, I mean, I actually, I'm going to disagree with you and Rupert a little bit, because, and I know this from the old man, there is absolutely no preparation for going into the royal family. And the reason you're nodding, I don't care who you are. You can give them a list from A to Z. I'm sure it's, absolutely. That's not my point. My point is, to me, we will differ, but that's human nature. It's a democracy, right? She used to stand outside Buckingham Palace. I'm utterly convinced this. was her big plan. I'm utterly convinced she went for this. I'm being completely serious. And I think what it is, is I'll sit about that picture. There's no vulnerability.

She doesn't link with people in my humble appeal. I don't have it. She's not vulnerable. That's the reason. Sorry, Paula, with vulnerability, genuine vulnerability. You can see it. You can sense it. She is a woman of colour who has walked into the establishment.

I am telling you, whether you can see it on her face or not, we are very used to walking into situations where we have to put on our file. Do you think she knew it was going like that, Paula? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. She would have gone in there with her rose-tinted glasses, I'm going to be a princess and I'm going to float around and this is going to be amazing. That's how she approached this and she got a rude awakening. And can I say, just to answer the question that Rupert got the opportunity to, you asked what would Diana have done? Diana would have been living with Megan in LA.

No, she wouldn't have done. That's where they would have been. That's what Diana needed to do. And I think we're forgetting how the press treated Diana. You must forget that. The one thing that Diana was... You were her friend. What would she have done? Well, I would say her friend.

I spoke to her every day for four and a half years. You're never really their friend, Jeremy, as we were just saying. No. But basically, I think that she would... The most... The priority for Diana now would be that her boys were not estranged. Yeah, absolutely. And if that would have meant that she would have had to have pretended

to try and in some way counsel Megan, you've got to remember also that Diana, yes, she was naive when she married the Prince of Wales, but she was aristocratic. She'd been brought up with her off. She knew, and her sisters who counseled her knew the system. So you never know until you're in there, as I've just said to you, never their friends, never ever.

Even aristocratic people, even other royals are never really their friends. There is this, they're in a bubble. That's why William at the moment. and Catherine, they're in the bubble. Can I just say, and I think I'm really pleased that we've spoken like this, because I think it was for me really interesting to see the reaction today from people. One final question.

Are you surprised? Were you expecting total negativity? Yep. Really good question. Really good question. And what shocked me most was three teenage girls. I thought they were 20, who said, well, we've seen it on the crown, which just blew my mind, so to speak. The three of you. The historical program, perhaps me.

Do you think the three of you will start with Rupert, ladies first, do you think that the British public will ever take Meghan Markle to their hearts as Diana undoubtedly flaws in all was taken? Yes or no, Rue? Not in her present form. She's going to have to learn to not always be knocking the institution that has been around since 1066. The Royal Family may be a flawed institution.

at times. But there's only one person who matters, and that is the reigning monarch. The rest have to do her bidding, and you've got to work around it. And Megan needed to learn how to work around it and cope with the fact that Harry was six in line to the throne and was in essence an extra to the main members of the royal family, Charles and William. They were but bit part players. Thank you, Rupert. Paula, final word? I'm a member of the British society, and I accept her to my heart. Good for you. Sally? Well, we have to accept her.

She's married to Harry, but I think that the general public, she's a very headstrong, manipulative. She's very manipulative, poor. Other people would say independent. She's a business woman. Right, so there's your point, and I've run out of time, but did she look about this whole thing as a business? There you are, it's a very interesting point.

As a divorce lawyer, I can tell you. She was in a divorce lawyer. Oh, God, nobody told me that. You could have told me that a while ago. Are we paying her for this? Right, thank you, ladies. Thank you, Rupert. Next on uncensored.

Now, they dance the macarena, but how about they try a bit of smooth criminal instead? The big question on many papers today, have the police given up on solving crimes? We're coming back in three on uncensored. Don't go anywhere. Right, my friends, welcome back, and it's time to bring some law and order

to the uncensored studio. Now, the police are quite rightly expected to fight crime and keep us safe. But over the last few weeks, many have become uneasy. as senseless violence seems to become the norm up and down our country, and lawless Britain is running out of control, it seems. Now, a damning report today by the policy exchange think tank

has accused the police of being too distracted from tackling crime by woke causes, whatever that means. It's not apparently like the police have time to take part in random acts of dancing on the street, is it? Or giving water to thirsty protesters stopping people getting to work? And don't forget, Britain's wokeest police officer here modelling a rainbow hat.

remember, there are 10,000 fewer bobbies on the beat than they were 12 years ago, and here's one of the potential new recruits, a very honorable, upstanding member of society. Do you think the police awoke, Prime Minister? I tell you what, I've seen a bunch of police officers who woke quite a lot of drug dealers this morning, and they woke them long before they were expecting to have their breakfast. They woke them with warrants, and they woke them with the news that they were under arrest for causing misery. in the communities of London. So the question we're asking is,

are the police in this country too woke? Joining me now is Kevin Hurley, former police and crime commissioner, Benida Bong, chair of the Haringay Independent Stop and Search Monitoring Group. You try saying that. And tonight's Jezers-Jerno, the legend that is James Whale

and political commentator Marina Perkis. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Let's start with you, if I can, Kevin Hurley, former Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner. I've spoken to many people. Andy Cook, Peter Blexley, they all say the same thing. The problem with the police nowadays is, apart from there's few of them, they spend so much time doing jobs about social care and mental health

and dealing with all the things that they have to deal with that they're not on the streets, they're not getting intelligence, they're not finding out what's going on in the community, and as a result, they are not able to do their jobs. But when we see them mucking around like that, what are people supposed to think? Well, first of all, the first point you're making there is absolutely correct, because they are filling in the gaps where social services, mental health

have effectively collapsed in National Health Service, they are spending huge amounts of time in dealing with a lot of those cases and the other point about that is because of the fact there's so much inspection of what police do now they have to put asset or people looking after mentally ill people in hospital and so on.

But back to your point, the message we're seeing there of people dancing the Macarena and so on, whilst for some it might, be seen to be positive, at this particular time, I don't think that's a good message. The reason why I say that is that they were at the LGBT festival where they did that. There are a number of extremist groups who would like to pick on LGBT people,

and the reason why the police are there is to ensure the safety of people attending that. Far better if those four officers there were actually engaging with people, chatting with people, but separate from each other, keeping their eyes now, and looking and doing their job. Be vigilant. Marina, what do you make at the police in this country right now? I think they're doing the best they can, given they have been underfunded for 10-plus years

by successive Tory governments, who slashed it by 23,000, by the way, 600 police stations closed. Not to forget our courts, the courts that are closed on our judicial system. Well, you see that, though, the Macarena. What did you make of that? I don't care.

Are you trying to tell... People trying to say that there was a crime gone on over here and they're too busy doing the macaroni and so the crime happened. It's just not, it's reductive nonsense and we need to grow up and get away from this this type of conversation. James, um, you said to my team, I think the people running the police have ruined the force. What do you mean by that? I do. I think there are two types of police. I have great respect for the armed police,

the anti-terrorist squads, the people who do serious policing. I have absolutely no respect for those guys doing the dancing. They wouldn't protect me from crime. I'd have to protect myself. They're a waste of space. The bobby's I see on the beat quite often. They look unshaven, disheveled. They've got their shirts hanging out under their stab vests. They're short, some of them.

Others are fat. They're not a police force anymore. They're a police service. And what we need, I don't want to be a friend of the police. I don't want them to be my friend. I want them to be there to solve crime and protect me. That is their job. Now, you say, and this is something that I want to bring you on, Bennett, in a set.

You say that everyone should be prepared to be stopped and searched. Now, a lot of people, certainly in lawless Britain, we saw the horrendous situation in Liverpool. Suddenly the police are on the streets, pulling in gangsters, left, right and centre. We know about county lines, and we know about gangs, and we know about the drug wars and knives and guns. Surely stop and search, with respect, gets weapons and knives off the streets. Why? What's your view of that?

Well, I think, Jeremy, that no one in the community, the black community in particular, and actually saying that stop and search should not be used. We're not saying that at all. We're saying that it should be used. But when it is used, it should be used effectively, appropriately, and on the basis of intelligence policing. And very often what we find is that it's sort of a scattergun approach

where people are stopped in the street. There's no intelligence about any... Indiscriminately. Indiscriminately. And the impact... of that is that it annoys and upsets those people who are going about their daily business lawfully. And there's a long history of this going on. In the black community there is.

And I have to say my producer, well, he said the editor, he'd be upset if I said producer, was telling me today, he's a mother's a teacher. And she teaches this teenage black boy. And eight times he's been stopped in the last 12 weeks. And he comes into school devastated. I think it's fundamentally wrong. If anything like that is pitched at a person's color, creed, race, but I have to say that last year the Met Police

took 5,000 weapons off the streets of London, so there is an argument in lawless Britain to do more, isn't there? Yeah, I mean, you know, let's get this in perspective. Stop and Search is all about, first of all, the quality of the contact between the individual officer and the person being stopped and searched. That's a very difficult thing to

do because often teenagers, whether they're black or white, start to become quite difficult and quite assertive and as we've heard earlier, not all the police officers are huge people, they're scared, they're scare themselves and so very quickly it can start to go bad but let me just give you a couple of stats because I I oversaw Operation Blunt 2 in 2008 for the metropolitan police in that year we had

29 teenage murders in London four years later we were down to eight teenage murders a year in London now what's important about a murder victim a teenage murder victim is it's not just one parent that grieves. It's usually three or four parents that grieve when one gets murdered. Sure. Because the other three get caught and get life imprisonment. What I want to know is what's the answer, Marina? What is the answer? I mean, are the police

are they under-trained, under-prepared because of lack of funding? Is the recruitment process wrong? Are they not the beliefs there were before? I mean, I'm not being rude. When we were kids, you back me up here. If you thought the the policing was going to take you home and tell your mum,

you were terrified. People don't give a damn anymore. do they? I think they do in this idea, going back to what you've said there, James, that what, you need to see someone with like an armed rifle or something. Absolutely, I'd love it in. But that's indicative of you and what you need to be managed as a person. Most of us don't need that. Don't throw it back of me, please.

I'm a law-abiding citizen. I don't need that. You might need it. I certainly don't need it. No, I'm saying I don't need it. No, you said I did need it. You're saying that you can only receive... You see authority physically.

There is no authority. I can look after myself, but there are lots of people who can't. I don't want to have to look after myself, really. It's not my job, and I probably get into more trouble. But I want to see police. When I ring up and say, I've had my car stolen, I've been burgled. I want a policeman coming around. And why aren't they? Why aren't they there?

Because they are so full of these, you know, they've got to have five coppers to arrest one person, one for each arm, one for each leg in the head, in case they damage them. Listen, if you... You think that's what it is. don't think it's the fact that we had to shut down half of our police stations. I think Theresa May was the worst Prime Minister we've had for many, many years.

Thank goodness she's gone. But I don't think we have anybody in charge of the police. I think we should get rid of half of the police forces. We don't need this many. I'd like to see... Better quality is what you're saying. But who's going to be a police officer? Well, there's the point I'm making.

Is it an attractive proposition anymore to people? No respect. No. No. I can tell you now that police... Police pay for basic consuls who joined was cut by over 6,000. Which is exactly what Marina said. So then you go back to her and you talk about funding and he's right because they're recruiting anybody and there isn't the respect and there isn't there.

That's what we're saying, right? Well, you know, at the moment, the information that I'd have, I'm involved in police training locally, certainly in Haringay Borough. and the new recruit, they come onto the borough. We have a workshop with them where we talk to them about the history of Haringay in particular. We talk to them about the chain of events and as a result, what they're likely to be met with

when they're out there policing people. Do you think the quality, sadly out, I could sit with you look all night. It's brilliant. Do you think the quality of policing and the job they're doing is good enough right now? I think they have taken a serious hit when the major cuts were made. And we know who is responsible for that.

And what the police are now trying to do is to catch up, and they're trying to catch up with fewer numbers than they had previously. And that's creating a real gap in terms of response policing, for example. You know, people are phoning up and they're reporting. I mean, yeah, I have to finish, but we're reading, aren't we, Marina, every day.

Quick, please, everybody. But, you know, anything under £1,000, the police don't come out. That's not good enough. There is a point to what he's saying. We should know and think and believe that we can be protected and go to those people. But you're saying it's funding, right?

Absolutely. It's funding. And also, we've got situations like Lambeth's superintendent said that on one evening, 75 to 80% of calls were nothing to do with crime. They were police officers going to suicide and going to mental health crises. We've got police going to cardiac arrest.

So we are back where we are. The policeman and woman is not on the street, not getting intel, not dealing with the community because they're too busy filling out what computer forms and tickets. in boxes and they're not doing that. So everybody actually essentially agrees. I would love to speak. Undertrained is a major issue.

Underrained or underfunded? Every let, both. Right, okay. Listen, I have to move on. Thank you, Kevin Hurley. Bernard de Bonn. James Well and Marina are back later. Now, next on unscensored, Britain's child positivity crisis. It just gets worse every day.

A dinner lady from Lancashire broke down in tears this weekend describing this is unbelievable how she's been forced in capitals to deny starving kids school lunches. How has it got to this? I'm coming back in three. Don't go anywhere. Welcome back, my friends, to uncensored. Now, the cost of a living crisis

continues to bite millions of households across the country. The October energy price cap has been confirmed to rise by 80%. Inflation is now at 10.1% the higher since Feb 82. And let's not forget the spiraling cost of food at the supermarket the highest

since the global financial crash in 2008. But now the effect on children has been laid utterly bare. By an amazing dinner lady from Lancashire, who over the weekend says that she's been forced, forced to turn away hungry kids. Take a look at this. When I first started a year ago, okay, once a month, you know, parents forget to put money on at the beginning of the month.

And you get that. But now you're talking 10 to 15 children a shift every day, every single day. And I'm saying you can't have that. There's no money. And I'm just dreading going back to work. I'm dreading October. And to be honest, it's getting to the point where I'm just like, I don't even think I can do this job anymore.

I didn't take the job on to starve children. I'm sorry, it's just... Great Britain, 2022. I'm now joined by Head Teacher, Sirfying, co-founder of Britain's largest food bank, Ray Woolford. Welcome, gentlemen. Can you explain to me, Serge, when you see that kids in 2022, going to school and not being able to have lunch?

What's that like? What's the reality of that? I'm sorry, that's bad management. and lack of common sense. If there's one place where children shouldn't want for anything, it's in school. For one, I feel sorry for the dinner lady, being put in that position where she has to decide,

shouldn't happen, they've got a pass routine, pass it on, let's find out what's going on at home, what's happening. What are you doing that situation? You're a head teacher. What are you doing a situation with? Simple.

You feed them, and you find out what the hell's going on. If necessary, if they haven't applied for free school meals, because the forms are wrong, or whatever it is, but you feed the kids on every occasion. And the younger they are, the more important it is. It's common sense. Any responsibility from parents? Oh, God, yes.

That's the second step. First of all, you safeguard the kids. You make sure they get their dinner. Then you find out why the money is not there. And in this present climate, if the money isn't there and it's not going to be there, what do you do as the head is? Carry on feeding them. But you find out.

And if necessary, you get social services involved to find out how they can be helped in a far more sensible way. way, but you carry on fees, two pound 20 a day. You carry on feeding the kids. And that's as simple as that. Common sense. As I said, two things here. I can't believe that any head teacher would put the dinner lady in such a position in the first place. It's all wrong. It's nonsense. Ray Wolford, first of all, I'm going to say this. People like you deserve everything, co-founder of Britain's largest food bank. You said the reality that video is it's worse than that. It's much, much worse. I mean, to start with, we shouldn't have any discrimination.

school places. Children are hungry, children that are children that are going hungry. And that's right the way across the spectrum. It's not people sitting at home at benefits. It's people who have parents that have low-paid jobs, parents who are self-employed people that run pubs. The crisis we're facing at the moment is worse than we went through under COVID. Under COVID we had support structures. The energy crisis that is kicking in at the moment is forcing community organisations to go bus. The cost of the energy that we're actually having to to pay to run their fridges, has gone now from £68 a month

to a projected cost of £30,000 next year. That's ridiculous. You told me, and you feed 3,000 people. Whereabouts is your food bank? We're based in Deptford and South East London. We're one of the few banks, food banks in Britain, which is open seven days a week. We feed pets and children,

and their ethos is to feed and support anybody that walks through our door in crisis. That means that we do people that got small businesses. We do pensioners. Have you noticed a total increase of, and don't take this the wrong way, but anybody now is going to a food bank. It seems far more people. You tell my team, with everything going on, I could be closed by Christmas.

We are so desperate. I mean, cooking oil has gone from £1 to £2, £1,000 in less than six months. Where are we going as food bank? We're trying to appeal at the moment to raise $25K to get through next year. Our food bank isn't about dependency. We're a charity that works to tackle debt, to tackle advice, to tackle mental health, to give people clothes to support their pets

that the pets do not end up at Battersea Dogs Home. We support them in every way. We give our children underwear so that can go to school with a school uniform and a pair of pants. We give homeless people a pair of socks to go with the shoes that people give them with. We support elderly people that have families around on a thunder.

Do me a favour. How angry? I'll bring you in in the second, surge. What needs to be done? I mean, you're there in depth for doing your bit, at the kindness of your heart and people's charity and generosity. And we keep doing these stories every single night, and people go, oh, is it going to? It is that bad.

What needs to happen? We've got a new Prime Minister on Monday. One of the crucial things is the government will always tell us pouring money into the system. The problem is that local money that's put into the food sector, it's given to local authorities, and the money is not allocated to organisations that are at grassroots level

based on the numbers of people they feed. So there's organisations in my borough that look after 33 people that have refrigerated lorries that get thousands of pounds in funding because they're a cool charity. And we, that feeds anybody that walks through our door, can't get any funding

because we're based in Lewisham. We have women with their children coming from eight other boroughs to our food bank because they're too frightened to report to their schools that their children are going hungry. And if they do, they're frightened their kids will go into care. What's your response?

Because that's just appalling, isn't it? And I mean, honest to God, something has to be done, doesn't it? Well, the thing is, for me, it's about safeguarding kids, you know, and school's the right place to go. If you've got a problem, by all means, go to your food, but let the school know. Any good head in a good school will help all they can. And let's get some proper communication going on. Would you report a chart if you had real concerns about them?

Of course I would. It's my duty to do so. Because, I mean, and I've got a great pastoral team. We go knocking on doors, if necessary, especially during COVID. But let's find out what's going on. We mustn't ignore the fact that there's some bad parenting going on and poor prioritisation of the money they have. That's been going on for don't know for don't.

People don't like to hear that, right? But that is, I mean, that's... No, I disagree. Of course, in every society, you'll have poor people that are cheap, the system in the same way rich people avoid their tax. The reality is in Britain today, people on Universal Credit. If they're young, they get less than £300 a month. That's not enough to carry their electricity bill.

If they're on Universal Credit, they get less than £600. Anybody living in London, no, you cannot live and run your family on £600 a month. It's scoundless to blame the poor who have zero money and pensioners who have fixed incomes to not be responsible for managing their budget. Many don't have money to budget. That's the crisis problem. I understand that and I understand what you're saying, sir. Just both of you briefly, if you can.

What is the answer? Well, the answer I can only talk about schools. I don't know. Very many clever people that are. can't come up the answer. But I think schools should be places of safety. If there's a problem with a kid, put them first. Don't confront them with it. Okay, it's embarrassing enough. You know, there's plenty of ways of doing and helping families and kids in particular without anybody. I've been doing it for years. Good head teachers that I know do it for years. You know, let's not be

too negative with the kids. Adults, you can get on with whatever you want, you know, but keep it away from the kids. They get enough negativity. We've had decade of it now. I had two sets of exam results. I can tell you, Jeremy, all right, two great days. You should have seen those kids, proud of getting their exam results, looking for the future. The diet they're getting at the moment from everybody, it seems, never mind social media, is negativity and down. We've got to change it for the kids.

Right, briefly, briefly. The big problem we've got to take in with this energy crisis in particular is community groups, pensioners lunch and clubs, food banks. Everywhere. Needs emergency support nationwide, because there's no point telling people to go to the food bank because come Christmas, we will be all bust. Unless we raise 25K by Christmas,

we will have to close our door. That's the reality around the UK. We are the front line, and if nobody supports the front line, we're going to have people dying of starvation in the doorways of Britain. I have to say, I would have listened to somebody like you some years ago and thought it was over the top.

I don't believe it's over the top at all. I think you, Serge, are a unique human being, but I'm afraid we're in a situation where this entire country, and when it comes to kids, that takes it to another level, but it's pensioners, kids, whoever gets that job next Monday,

and everybody in the polls says it will be Liz Trust, has got a hell of a job on their hands. And something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now. Thank you both very much indeed. Right next on Uncensus. It's Heidi High, Wokey Low, another classic British sitcom, slap with a trigger warning.

When will it? Damn, well end. Cheers, as journales are next. We're coming right back. Welcome back, my friends. It's time for a very short, Jezzasjourners with talk TV hosts and legend James Well. And political commentator Marina Perkins, you're back. Let's get straight to it, Gorbachev, yesterday, dying 91,

inside Russia, not much sympathy, but across the world, seen as a man who really bought change, ended the Cold War. He had a legacy, didn't he? He did, and it's actually sad to see another one of the good guys fall, basically. He was the guy that made the West, oh, well, opened up Russia to the West, which is why he had that pizza hat advert

that everyone's obviously very fond of. So pizza express, but yeah. Sad, actually, but Putin very lukewarm when you consider what Gorbachev does and then what Putin's doing. I think it was sad. He was 91, so he had quite good in his. And I think he did a lot of good for the world, not just for Russia.

But Putin is going to ruin the world if he isn't stopped fairly soon. And I think, unfortunately, I thought that the Russian people might turn. against him, but it doesn't look like they... It doesn't know like that at all. This is bizarre, but there you go. 1980s sitcom, Heidi, Heidi, hi. Holy, holly, ho.

Yeah, good. Has been slapped with a new trigger warning on Britbox. Nobody watches that, do they? The Sunday night's staple, following the ups and downs of holiday camp workers. Heidi, hi. I love gladys.

And then he said Emmanuel. Now, viewers are warned of language and attitudes of an era that may offend, James Wales. What is wrong with people who offend? I mean, for goodness sake, if you've got nothing better to it, your lives just just find something you know a little offense fine make you get really upset

Heidi hi oh god rise and shine oh really good really good no really good what is wrong with what are we not going nothing is wrong with the world do you get upset when someone slaps an 18 on a movie i don't even look at them right so just don't ignore it no one again again but don't you think you say that but do you not think it's sort of it's par for the course nowadays and we're not going to be left with anything all right gladys we know but But I think the problem is that, you know, it's not just an 18 on a movie, it's everything. It's like every piece of work at university, if it's considered to be. Even Shakespeare, even some of these great things.

You might upset a student. Well, good, because if you don't get upset at that age, how are you going to manage as an adult? Well, more upset. Gary Linneker, who seems to be able to work for the BBC in a lot of money and say whatever, a senior BBC journalist today apologised to Linneker after accusing him of breaching impartiality over comments criticizing the government. Neil Henderson, BBC Home and a foreign news editor who asked Lindica, do you have the freedom to tweet about this sort of thing?

I thought there were rules. He seems to be one rule for everybody else at the BBC, that BBC, that dreadful organisation. It'll be gone soon, worry not. Right, can I just say something? If something is crap, objectively crap, you can say it's crap, and that doesn't mean you're not being impartial. It just means you're being objective.

Yeah, but he's a bit like Lewis Hamilton. He sits in his big mansion criticizing everybody. He doesn't he, Linnika. So what is it got a mansion? I know, but it just annoys me. At what point of wealth are you allowed? What is it? Just explain.

I thought the BBC weren't allowed to do that. They're so duplicitous to BBC, aren't they? What is it? What is it everybody likes about Gary Linnaker? He's sort of a bit wet and a bit weak, and he's not very entertaining. He's actually standing up for the good of the common people. The common people?

Who are the common people? As in common, as in all of us together, everyone, everyday people. Well, you might be common. I don't like to consider it. I'm common. I'm common. But Gary Lineca is just, I don't understand why everybody, is it just because it's football and lots of people like football? Because you can have a monkey on there or some other animal on there. James, he's got a platform and he's using it to push a positive message. But the new boss of the British bloated company, I ate him. He said that they weren't allowed to do that. But Linneka seems to get away with it. That's the point. And yet, the BBC has got someone on the board who put 400K into the Tory party. That's all right though, isn't it? No, I didn't say, why are you saying that to me? I don't think that's right at all very quickly. Hang on, what unions put loads of money into the Labour Party.

Why shouldn't those people who can afford it put money into the Tory party? That's the unions who are, again, are trying to achieve something for the greater good. No, they're not. They're not talking to ruin the country. We're not talking about donors like Lord Cruggers, for example. Listen, what we need is Margaret Thatcher back here again. If they'd only cloned her, the best Prime Minister that ever existed. What do you make of that?

And just very quickly, not on my note, Boris's farewell tomorrow. Tomorrow, it's my farewell on this show, appears he's back on Monday. So I'm going to pack my stuff a bit like Boris. He's doing a lovely tour. He went with the... What'd you make a... Just one sentence.

How do you sum up Boris Johnson's tenure? Disastrous. There's one word, James. Entertaining. Do you not think politics will be a little bit duller without him? Can you imagine trust and... I can't... Hang on.

I can't wait for the days of still again. Bet you're back. Please know. He will be back. This is interesting, though, because a lot of people are saying she'll make him the envoy to the Ukraine and then in two years

when there's a hung parliament, he'll rise again like a phoenix. Can you look at her face? Complete horror. Like Trump. He's probably going to be back too. Well, you can't go worse than the one they've got now, can't? Listen, don't start because Marina will get upset. Thank you both.

I know it was a shortened version. James, thank you very much indeed. Good luck. Marina, thank you. When's the paper? 11th of October. Goodness to me. There you go.

Well, listen, hopefully not tonight. That's it from me. Thank you to, James. Whatever you're up to. Don't forget, he told me to say it. Make sure you keep it unscensored. Have a great night. We're back tomorrow at 8.

Terrah!