Chuck Berry's trademark four-bar guitar introduction and quickfire lyrics reflected the rebelliousness of the youth of the 1950s.

He was one of that exclusive group who took rhythm and blues from its black roots and "crossed over" to make it part of most teenagers' lifestyle.
He influenced generations of succeeding rock stars, most notably the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys.
Yet he faced major financial difficulties through mismanagement and had frequent brushes with the law.
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born into a middle-class family in St Louis, Missouri, on 18 October 1926.
As a teenager he began playing concerts in his local high school but his education was curtailed after he was convicted of armed robbery and spent three years in a reformatory for young offenders.
On his release he made a living as a hairdresser, playing in a trio in the evenings with Ebby Harding on drums and Johnnie Johnson on piano. Johnson would remain with Berry throughout his career
He was influenced by blues heroes such as Muddy Waters and T-Bone Walker, as well as white country and western music, though his singing style owed much to the clarity of Nat King Cole.
"My music is simple stuff," he once said. "Anyone can sit down, look at a set of symbols and produce sounds the music represents."
His recording career began in 1955 with the legendary Chess label in Chicago, where his first release Maybellene, became one of rock and roll's first hits.
In the next few years, he scored a succession of hits, all aimed at an adolescent audience, including Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen, Carol and the classic Johnny B. Goode.
His music transcended the colour bar that plagued many contemporary black artists as affluent white teenagers in Eisenhower's America reached out for something new.
"I play the songs they want to hear," he said.  "That makes them feel they're getting what they came for."
He appeared in several rock films including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr Rock and Roll, both from 1957, Go Johnny Go from 1959, and Jazz on a Summer's Day in 1960.
In 1962 he was charged with transporting a minor across state lines for immoral purposes.
The girl in question was a 14-year-old prostitute from Texas who he claimed he had brought to Missouri to check hats at his St Louis nightclub.
After he fired her, she complained to the police. In court the judge's summing-up was blatantly racist and the trial was eventually declared null and void.
His conviction at a second trial and the resulting two-year sentence left him embittered.
His release coincided with the rhythm and blues revival in Britain. With his material being covered by bands like The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, his work was discovered by a new generation.
"If you tried to give rock and roll another name," John Lennon famously said, "you might call it Chuck Berry."
Successful tours followed. He scored a few more hits with No Particular Place to Go and Memphis, Tennessee. His biggest hit came later in Britain with the atypical 1972 novelty record, My Ding-a-Ling, replete with double entendres.
When he wasn't churning out the hits, Chuck Berry was thrilling audiences with his live performances. His trademark became his duck walk, a crouching movement across the stage made during his guitar solos.
Offstage, he could be a prickly character, exemplified in the 1987 film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll which featured a tour with a backing band organised by devotee Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
In the same year, he published an explicit autobiography genuinely penned by himself.
Berry's attitude to money was notorious. He demanded cash upfront for many of his concerts and in 1979, he served a 100-day jail term for tax evasion.
There were further brushes with the law. In 1988 he settled a lawsuit from a woman he allegedly punched in the face.
Two years later he was sued by a group of women after it was discovered that a hidden camera had been placed in the toilets of his restaurant in Missouri.
He also received a suspended jail sentence for marijuana possession.
Despite the advancing years, he continued playing one-night concerts and embarked on a European tour in 2008 at the age of 82.
In January 1986, Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a citation that summed up his contribution to popular music.
"While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together."
Berry himself had a simple explanation for his success.
"It amazes me when I hear people say, 'I want to go out and find out who I am.'  I always knew who I was. I was going to be famous if it killed me."


A Japanese proposal to stop using swastikas to identify temples on tourist maps has sparked a backlash.

Japan's official map-making body said foreigners might mistake it for a Nazi symbol, and that temples should be represented by a three-storey pagoda instead.
It is one of six map symbols the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) has proposed dropping, as Japan prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The GSI came up with the suggestions after speaking to experts and surveying more than 1,000 people, including tourists, embassy officials and foreign students.
It is conducting a public consultation before making an official decision, but some people in Japan are not happy.
Many say the ancient Sanskrit symbol - which has been adopted into Japanese where it is pronounced manji - has long been associated with Buddhism and Japanese culture, and that the tourists should learn this.
In this tweet, Twitter user Fei Explorer linked to a news article on the change and asked rhetorically: "So if terrorists hang up the Union Jack, does this mean the UK should change its flag? Or the USA or Australia?"
Another Twitter user, Konosaki Lem, said: "It's said some would mistake the manji for the Nazi symbol, but Buddhism has a much longer history with this symbol. So I strongly oppose changing our maps for some foreigners who are ignorant and extremely stupid. The idea is foolish."
GSI's executive officer for national mapping, Takayuki Nakamura, acknowledged the controversy, but said some people wanted to go even further.
He told the Japan Times: "Some say we should change symbols for Japanese-language maps at this opportunity, while others say the traditional symbols should stay. Either way, it will take a while before any changes are made, as we need to co-ordinate with related government agencies."
Other symbols that will be changed for foreigners maps include that for a hotel, which GSI admitted looked like the symbol for helipads.
The church symbol could be mistaken for a graveyard, added the agency.
Meanwhile, some respondents to the GSI survey thought the symbol for a hospital looked too much like a shield.
Then there were uniquely Japanese symbols that baffled some, such as that for post offices. The symbol is derived from an old Japanese term dating back to the 19th Century meaning "communication".
The giant X symbol for police station actually represents two police batons crossing each other, but also confused many. It would be replaced by a saluting policeman.
The rest of the 18 symbols are either new ones that will be used exclusively for foreign-language maps to denote places like public bathrooms or restaurants, or existing ones that will be used for both Japanese and foreign maps.
The symbol for hot springs will remain as it is, much to the amusement of some who have pointed out that it looks like another quintessential Japanese icon - a steaming bowl of miso soup.
Reporting by Tessa Wong.


Airdrieonians manager Eddie Wolecki Black is in a stable condition after taking ill during half-time of Saturday's win at Cowdenbeath.

Wolecki Black, 50, was taken by ambulance to Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
The former Glasgow City head coach took over from Gary Bollan in December after the latter had joined Forfar Athletic.
Airdrie thanked their physio Kirsty Hughes and Cowdenbeath "for their prompt and professional response".
Former Montrose player and manager Wolecki Black had initially joined Airdrie in September as director of coaching.
That followed a spell working with Edusport Academy - a Scotland-based football academy for young French players - and a highly successful period in charge of Glasgow City.
City won four successive Scottish Women's Premier League titles during Wolecki Black's time in charge and also reached the Uefa Women's Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 2014.
Airdrie's 3-1 win at Cowdenbeath's Central Park moved them up to fourth in Scottish League One, just inside the promotion play-off zone.


Staff at a tax office threatened with closure in Gwynedd will keep their jobs, it has been confirmed.

But HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the office at Ty Moelwyn in Porthmadog, which employs 17 people offering a Welsh-language service, would move to Thedford House in the town in 2018.
Staff were told the news on Thursday.
It had been announced in 2015 that all tax offices across Wales would close, with staff expected to transfer to new centres in Cardiff and Liverpool.
Next year's move will mean Porthmadog staff are based in the same building as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the town.
HMRC said it would enable both departments to explore how they might work together in the future to provide Welsh language customer services.
Rachel McLean, director general of customer services at HMRC, said: "This move is vital to the success of our plans to continue to provide Welsh language customer services from Porthmadog.
"It will also allow us to explore how we might develop those services with both DWP and other government departments in the future."
Simon Brooks, chairman of Porthmadog town council said: "This is excellent news for the staff and their families and for the whole community.
"It is also a boost for the Welsh language in the Porthmadog area."
UK government minister Guto Bebb said he was "delighted" the future of the office had been secured.
"This demonstrates the UK government's commitment to the Welsh language and to ensuring that we maximise the benefits that come from co-locating government offices to provide the best possible service for the taxpayer," he said.


Malky Mackay has been sacked as Wigan manager after 138 days in charge of the Championship strugglers.

The 43-year-old former Cardiff City boss, appointed on 19 November following the departure of Uwe Rosler, secured 19 points from a possible 72.
He was sacked following Monday's 2-0 home defeat by Derby County, a result that leaves the Latics eight points adrift of safety with five games left.
"This is a very difficult decision," said Wigan chairman David Sharpe.
"But I feel that for the long-term future of the club, there needs to be a change now."
Wigan's defeat by Derby means they have not won a home league game since 30 August, a run of 18 matches.
The club said no decision has been made regarding Mackay's replacement.
The Scot's appointment last November caused controversy as he was still being investigated by the Football Association after claims he sent texts of a homophobic, racist and sexist nature while at Cardiff.
Mackay admitted sending messages that were "disrespectful of other cultures" and the FA's investigation is ongoing.
Dave Whelan, then chairman of Wigan, was banned, fined and ordered to attend an FA education programme after making racist comments while defending Mackay's appointment.
Wigan were 22nd at the time and Mackay has failed to turn around their fortunes.
He gave no indication his departure was imminent as he spoke following the defeat by Derby.
"I thought we were terrific in the first half," he said.
"I thought we showed courage and we kept going, and we had four chances in their six-yard box.
"To not take one of them is criminal as far as we're concerned."
Mackay's sacking comes just a month after 23-year-old Sharpe replaced grandfather Whelan as chairman.


Men's 10km sprint
Men's 12.5km pursuit
Men's 15km mass start
Men's 20km individual
Mens 4x7.5km relay
Mixed 4x6km relay
Women's 7.5km sprint
Women's 10km pursuit
Women's 12.5km mass start
Women's 15km individual
Women's 4x6km relay


When former England rugby player Matt Dawson was bitten by a tick in a London park early last year, it caused a bacterial infection to spread through his body.

"I had two days where I felt awful. Very feverish, on the sofa, crashed out," he said.
Eventually he went to hospital where he was diagnosed with Lyme disease:
"It was a really scary time for me and my family. Such a tiny creature caused me to end up needing heart surgery."
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, passed on to humans by infected ticks.
While it is difficult to estimate the total number of UK cases, they are understood to have increased more than fourfold in the past 10 years.
The peak season is April to October, though they are active all year round.
Source: BBC Trust me I'm a Doctor
A World Cup winner in 2003, Dawson played 77 times for England and made seven appearances for the British and Irish Lions.
Matt said he was floored by his diagnosis: "I'd heard of Lyme disease before. It was something I'd always associated with places abroad, on the continent, in America, wherever there were deer.
"There's no way that I would've walked through a wood or a forest with my kids and gone back home and thought, 'right, I'll just check for some ticks just to make sure everything is fine'. I just wouldn't have thought of that."
Ticks can be found in areas with deep or overgrown vegetation.
They're common in woodland and heath areas, but can also be found in gardens or parks.
People who hike and camp in such places are at risk of getting bitten.
Ticks don't jump or fly, but climb on to your clothes or skin if you brush against something they're on. They then bite into the skin and start to feed on your blood.
It's thought only a small proportion of ticks carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, so being bitten doesn't mean you'll definitely be infected.
Pets can also bring ticks home in their fur.
Source: NHS Choices
Matt Dawson has now joined forces with The Big Tick Project, which looks to raise awareness about the dangers of ticks and tick-borne disease in the UK.
Tied to researchers at University of Bristol, the project has conducted the largest ever study of ticks in dogs. They studied 14,000 dogs from 1,400 vets across the UK and found almost one-third were carrying a tick.
TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham is working with the project to raise awareness among pet owners and vets:
"It is really important that pet owners understand how they can treat their pets for ticks and reduce the risk of the further spread of these horrible, debilitating and potentially dangerous diseases to the UK," he said.
After multiple heart operations and 18 months of treatment, Matt no longer has the disease.
But it still affects his life:  "I'm still on medication and its going to take a lot of time for the heart to fully recover.
"This is not something that should be looked at like, 'oh it's only a tick, a tick is a bit like a flea, its fine!'," he said.
"These ticks carry some really quite potent, serious bacteria and they can cause you a lot of problems. Raising awareness of them is imperative."
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning


Almost 500,000 households across Northern Ireland are going to see a rise in their electricity bills.

In its first price-hike for four years, Power NI is increasing residential prices by 5.6%, which will make the average annual household bill £27 more expensive from October.
Some 34,000 farms and businesses will also see their prices rise by about 6%.
One reason is because it costs more to generate electricity, as a result of increasing gas and coal prices.
Exchange rates are also making this more expensive as coal is traded in dollars and the pound has weakened significantly against the dollar since the UK voted to leave the EU in June.
Until now, customers have not been exposed to this volatility, as Power NI hedges its electricity prices up to a year in advance.
Stephen McCully, managing director of Power NI, said: "So much is dependent upon world fuel costs, which are outside our control and which have an effect on the price we pay for wholesale electricity.
"We have not increased our prices since 2013, so it is particularly disappointing for us that we have to do so now."
Since its last tariff, gas prices have risen about 10% and rising inflation has pushed up network costs.
The Federation of Small Businesses said the price hike - which amounts to twice the rate of inflation - was "disappointing and unwelcome".
"It adds a further adverse burden to what are already some of the highest operating costs faced by SMEs, at a time of increasing uncertainty," said FSB NI's policy chairman Wilfred Mitchell.
"Rising costs are already having to be absorbed by business owners, making it increasingly difficult for them to invest, expand and create jobs; this price hike will undoubtedly have a negative impact on economic growth."
Jenny Pyper, Utility Regulator chief executive, said: "Agreeing an increase to Power NI's domestic electricity tariff is not a decision that we take lightly."
"We carry out extensive scrutiny of Power NI's costs to ensure that any change to their tariff is justified."
"Domestic electricity prices in Northern Ireland have not increased in four years, but unfortunately, due to rises in wholesale energy costs, this increase is unavoidable," she added.


A violent rapist who first struck as a teenager more than 20 years ago has been jailed for life.

Gary Gallacher was 13 years old when he began his campaign of terror and degradation in 1995.
He threatened his victims with a knife before beating and raping them, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.
Judge Lady Scott warned Gallacher, who is now 34, he would only be released when he no longer posed a threat to the public.
She told him: "You have no remorse. You blame your victims and you do not care about the harm you have inflicted. You take no responsibility. You have apparently no wish to change.
"You have been convicted on 25 charges, involving three victims, which constituted a very serious and sustained course of conduct consisting of physical and sexual violence."
His trial earlier this year heard how Gallacher, who has a history of violence, had first struck in Bishopbriggs, near Glasgow.
He continued to offend for 17 years while living across the city and later in Ayrshire. His crimes did not stop until 2012.
His first victim told how Gallacher had bound her hands with her school tie and raped her, despite her protestations that she was too young to have sex.
During another attack, Gallacher held a knife to her neck and told her she belonged to him.
Gallacher's second victim, who was also a teenager at the time, told his trial how she was slapped, punched, kicked, stamped on and pulled by the hair.
He also brandished a knife at her and repeatedly struck her with it, leaving her with scars.
Gallacher's third victim told his trial how he had assaulted her on her 17th birthday and had also bitten and throttled her.
Lady Scott imposed an order for lifelong restriction on Gallacher and warned him he faced imprisonment for an indefinite period.
The judge ordered he must serve at least five years in jail but told him there was no guarantee he would be released at the end of that period.
Hearing that he posed a high risk of reoffending, she said he would only be freed when he no longer posed a threat to the public.
In sentencing, the judge said she had taken into account that he was a child when his first offences took place and that he suffered from a muscle-wasting disease.
Gallacher was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Det Insp Gillian Faulds, who led the investigation, said: "Gary Gallacher is a very dangerous individual who carried out a campaign of violence on three partners who will no doubt be affected by the experience for the rest of their lives.
"Despite the horrific abuse the women suffered, they managed to find the strength to speak to police and testify in court to ensure that he was held to account. I would like to thank the women for their bravery in coming forward."


Ten people have been arrested in a suspected £4m VAT and money laundering fraud linked to the transport industry.

Addresses in Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire, Essex, Surrey and Counties Tyrone and Down were raided by police and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers.
A spokesman said computers, mobile phones and cash were seized during the raids.
The nine men and one woman have been questioned and released on bail until November.
Two men and a woman were arrested in Cambridge and a man was arrested in Runnymede, Surrey.
One man was arrested in Basildon in Essex and two men were arrested in Yorkshire - one in Bradford and one in Hull.
Three men were arrested in Northern Ireland - two at addresses in County Tyrone and the third was arrested in County Down.
HMRC officials were supported by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Cambridgeshire Police and Surrey Police.


UTV has said it will return up to £55m to shareholders when the company completes its deal with ITV.

The Belfast-based business agreed to sell its television stations and brand to ITV for £100m in October.
That will leave UTV as a radio-focused business, which will change its name as part of the deal.
ITV has said it will retain the UTV name rather than rebrand the TV business as ITV Northern Ireland.
Documents published by UTV on Friday show that its former chairman, John B McGuckian, still owns more than 7% of the business.
About 3% is held personally with the remainder held by the McGuckian family's Milestone Trust.
Mr McGuckian was ousted from the UTV board in 2012.
The documents also contain details of a transitional arrangement between UTV and ITV.
That will allow the UTV radio business to remain in the Havelock House building in Belfast for up to a year, for a fee of £37,500 a month.
The TV newsroom will also continue to provide news to the U105 radio station for a fee of £11,000 a month.


Water levels at a loch created in the 1950s have dropped low enough to reveal structures usually hidden underwater.

Loch Glascarnoch near Garve supplies water to Mossford power station.
A road that used to link Inverness and Ullapool, two bridges and part of a telegraph pole have been visible and were photographed by Calum Maclean.
Glascarnoch and its dam form part of energy giant SSE's Conon hydro electric scheme, which involves six dams and seven power stations.
The dams and power plants were built in stages between the 1940s and 1960s.
A new road to Ullapool was built to replace the one lost under Loch Glascarnoch.
SSE said the water level of the loch had been lowered for operational reasons.
A spokesperson said: "As we head into the winter we've pulled the level down because the rain we usually get in October and November can raise the levels up by as much as one metre a day."


A national park has said it has been "overwhelmed" by public generosity after appealing for help to gather aid to take out to earthquake-hit Nepal.

The Brecon Beacons is home to the Ghurkha Wing (Mandalay) company at Brecon's Infantry Battle School.
The park said it was unable to take any more donations as the convoy trucks were now full.
Ghurkhas have been barracked in the town since 1974.
A park spokeswoman said: "We have been overwhelmed by the generosity from the people of Britain - so much so that I'm afraid we cannot accept any more items to go in this convoy.
"There will be some HGVs leaving Brecon for Aldershot to deliver all the supplies generously donated. Thank you again for all your superb efforts."


Relegated Tranmere Rovers have named Gary Brabin as their new manager.

The 44-year-old has been in a coaching role at Everton since leaving Conference side Southport, who he guided to the third round of this season's FA Cup, in January.
Brabin has previously managed Cambridge and Luton Town, guiding both clubs to the Conference play-off places.
Tranmere, without a manager since Micky Adams departed in mid-April, lost their League status with one game to go.
Alan Rogers and academy boss Shaun Garnett were put in caretaker charge following Adams' departure, but were unable to prevent the club being relegated out of the Football League with a 3-2 defeat at Plymouth on 25 April.
"I have had approaches from other clubs and declined them, but the Tranmere job is special," said Brabin.
"The chance to lead one of the three famous old Merseyside clubs back to where it belongs in the Football League is a fantastic challenge that is hard to resist."
Rovers chairman Mark Palios stated that Brabin was their "main target" to take over, but has not disclosed the length of his contract.


Following the arrests of journalists working for Al-Jazeera in Cairo, writer Hugh Miles looks at why the broadcaster has become a target for the Egyptian authorities.

Since the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in July this year, the climate for journalists working in Egypt has become much tougher.
As the security situation has deteriorated, anyone questioning the official line on current events has come to be regarded, at best, as highly suspicious.
Although they have not quite put it in these terms, the current Egyptian government's approach to the media appears to be that you are either with us or against us. And against us means being with the Muslim Brotherhood - which last week was declared a terrorist organisation in Egypt.
The battle over the media is a key factor in the struggle for power in Egypt and almost every Arabic language channel viewed as sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood has long since been shut down.
Most were taken off air within hours of the ousting of Mr Morsi.
Only Al-Jazeera has continued to deliver the Muslim Brotherhood point of view in Arabic.
It has aired round-the-clock coverage of the pro-Morsi protest movement, hard-hitting testimony from survivors of the Rabaa massacre in which hundreds of Brotherhood supporters were killed, and exclusive interviews with the handful of Islamist leaders who have managed to escape the ongoing security crackdown, such as at the start of this month with al-Gamaa al-Islamiya leader Assem Abdel-Maged.
Such vigorous support for the Muslim Brotherhood has served to make the network simultaneously the leading TV outlet for the beleaguered Islamist movement and a thorn in the side of Egypt's new government.
Without Al-Jazeera, the government would otherwise enjoy dominance of the TV news spectrum, so it is easy to understand its frustration.
There can be little doubt the Egyptian authorities would love to shut the channel down altogether if they could, although this is a highly unlikely eventuality given that all their attempts to achieve this in the past have failed.
During the Hosni Mubarak era, the information ministry used a variety of ingenious methods to try to silence Al-Jazeera, including preventing it from using Egyptian government studios, blocking its satellite feed, detaining its correspondents and forcibly deporting its family members.
Despite this, in January 2011 Al-Jazeera was viewed by many as playing a leading role in fomenting the unrest that led to the toppling of President Mubarak.
After the revolution, tensions between Egypt's rulers and the network persisted.
In 2011, an Al-Jazeera journalist was seized from a plane at Cairo airport and arrested, and the network's Cairo offices were ransacked twice in one month after Egyptian officials blamed the network for stoking up anger against Israel and provoking a mob attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo.
None of this had much impact on the channel's output.
Al-Jazeera's trump card is the staunch political and financial backing it continues to receive from its backers, the government of Qatar.
Although the Qatari royal family is more pragmatic and less ideological than the Muslim Brotherhood, the two share a good deal of ground intellectually and have a well-established relationship.
Both of them could be described as Islamists, and both make clear they are above all else devout Muslims who seek guidance from early Islamic sources.
Several of Al-Jazeera's key figures, such as Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi, the religious thinker and presenter of one of Al-Jazeera's most popular shows, are long standing members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who stepped down earlier this year in favour of his son, Sheikh Tamim, took a major role in leading the intellectual discourse in the region, especially in terms of political Islam.
As the Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt, he saw an opportunity to exercise influence on Islamist activists congenial to his own religious beliefs - although even under President Morsi this support was not uncontroversial, as tensions occasionally flared over who should be the rightful leader of the Arab Islamist movement.
With the removal of the Morsi government, Qatari efforts to control and influence political Islam in Egypt were abruptly curtailed.
But despite that, and despite these recent arrests, in an increasingly divided Arab world, the Al-Jazeera network remains the standard bearer for the Islamist position and an aggravation for the Egyptian government.
Hugh Miles is a writer and journalist living in Cairo. His books include Al-Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged the World.


Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has insisted he had a "duty" to inform police of sex abuse allegations against former Home Secretary Leon Brittan.

Mr Watson has faced calls to apologise, from Lord Brittan's brother Sir Samuel Brittan, over "unfounded accusations" after police dropped a rape inquiry.
Mr Watson said he was sorry for distress caused to the Brittan family.
But, in a blog for The Huffington Post, the MP said he had wanted the claims "properly investigated".
Lord Brittan, whose career included two years as home secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government, died in January aged 75.
He had not been told there was no case for him to answer over an alleged rape in 1967.
Sir Samuel said Mr Watson "should apologise to my sister-in-law [Lady Brittan] for making unfounded accusations against my brother".
Responding, Mr Watson admitted he should not have repeated a claim that Lord Brittan was "close to evil".
He added: "I have said in the past that I am sorry for the distress Leon Brittan's family experienced as they grieved for him.  I still am."
But he said he had been told of "multiple allegations".
He admitted he "did not and could not know if they were true" but said he thought they should be "fully investigated".
"As the tributes flowed in from his lifelong friends, I felt for those people who claimed he abused them," he said.
"The choice facing anyone who is presented with testimony of this kind is whether to pass it on to the authorities and urge them to investigate or to ignore it.
"I chose the first option. I felt it was my duty to do so."
The Crown Prosecution Service found in July 2013 that there was not enough evidence for a prosecution over the claim Lord Brittan had raped a 19-year-old female student in 1967.
Mr Watson later called for a full review of all abuse allegations made against the peer.
Officers subsequently interviewed Lord Brittan, who had terminal cancer at the time, but no charges were brought.
Police have since said they would not have taken further action over the rape claim.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has discussed the case with Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Met commissioner.
Mr Johnson regards the delay in contacting Lord Brittan as "completely unacceptable".
Tory MP Nigel Evans, himself cleared of sexual abuse, earlier told the BBC that Mr Watson had "set himself up as judge and jury".
"Even when Leon had died, Tom Watson decided to repeat the allegations," Mr Evans said. "It is totally unfounded."
Former Chancellor Norman Lamont said police investigations into historical abuse risked becoming a "witch-hunt".
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: "I visited Lord Brittan several times in his last days and saw the suffering of a man under the shadow of the vilest accusations. This was an extremely painful time for his wife."
Earlier this week, a vulnerable man who made sex abuse allegations against high-profile figures, including Lord Brittan, told the BBC he may have been led into making the claims by campaigners.


Thailand has withdrawn criminal charges against a Hong Kong journalist detained last year for carrying personal body armour to report on the Bangkok blasts.

The court where Anthony Kwan was due to stand trial next month confirmed that the case is no longer going ahead.
Mr Kwan was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport in August when officials found the body armour and a helmet in his luggage.
It is illegal to use such items without a weapons licence in Thailand.
Mr Kwan had faced a possible five-year prison sentence.
Journalists regularly use body armour and helmets when reporting from dangerous locations.
His detention was criticised by his employer, Initium Media, as well as the Foreign Correspondents Club in Thailand.
On Tuesday the club issued a statement saying it welcomed the decision, and reiterated that journalists "who need to work in dangerous areas... be able to use appropriate protective equipment legally in Thailand".
Mr Kwan was allowed to leave Thailand shortly after he posted bail in August.


The number of Premium Bond prizes is to be reduced, and National Savings and Investments is also cutting savings rates on a number of its products.

From June 2016, the chances of winning a Premium Bond prize will change from 26,000 to one, to 30,000 to one.
The savings rates on Direct Isas, Direct Saver, Income Bonds and the Investment Account will also be cut.
NS&I said the new rates would still be competitive with other savings rates in the market.
Direct Isa rates were previously reduced in November 2015.
"This is another serious blow for savers who like the absolute security offered by NS&I, but now face even lower returns on their cash," said Danny Cox of Hargreaves Lansdown.
However NS&I defended its decision to cut savings rates, which follows a continuing reduction in returns to savers from banks and building societies over the past seven years.
"The majority of the new interest rates on offer are either at, or above, average market rates," said Jane Platt, the chief executive of NS&I.
"We believe they present a fair offer to customers, who will also continue to benefit from our 100% HM Treasury guarantee on all holdings, as well as tax-free prizes for Premium Bonds."
NS&I has been told by the Treasury to raise less money for the government in 2016/17 than it did in the current tax year.
One reason is that it is currently cheaper for the Treasury to raise money by issuing government bonds than through NS&I.


Sam Burgess' move back to South Sydney Rabbitohs has stalled as it will take the club over the NRL's salary cap.

The 26-year-old England World Cup player quit rugby union to return to his former club in rugby league.
The deal was confirmed on 5 November but the Rabbitohs must release players in order to register Burgess, who helped them win the NRL title in 2014.
"The Rabbitohs look forward to the confirmation of Sam's contract in the coming weeks," said a club spokesman.
Hooker Isaac Luke has already left Sydney to join New Zealand Warriors and Glenn Stewart has joined Super League side Catalans Dragons.
On Thursday Souths also confirmed they were releasing Australia international Dylan Walker.
The 21-year-old requested an exit after ending up in hospital after taking an overdose of painkillers.
Walker and winger Aaron Gray were fined by Souths.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Former Bradford Bulls prop Burgess left Australia in November 2014 to switch codes and join Premiership side Bath on a three-year deal.
He made his England debut only nine months later and was included in Stuart Lancaster's squad for the World Cup ahead of more experienced back Luther Burrell.
Burgess had been used as a flanker for his club, but was played as a centre by Lancaster - a move that drew criticism as England failed to get out of the group stage.
The player asked to leave Bath after the tournament, citing family reasons, and rejoined the Rabbitohs, where he will link up again with his brothers, twins Tom and George.
South Sydney's first game of 2016 season is at Allianz Stadium on 6 March against Sydney Roosters, whose assistant coach is England rugby league boss Steve McNamara.


Rory McIlroy is seven shots off the clubhouse pace at the Wells Fargo Championship in the US after firing an opening one-over-par 73.

Defending champion McIlroy was near the tail of the field as he stood on four over after nine but recovered to finish seven behind leader Anirban Lahiri.
World number three McIlroy's second nine included a run of three straight birdies from the fifth.
Indian Lahiri fired a 66 while Ian Poulter and Paul Casey both shot 70.
Lahiri has a two-shot clubhouse lead over Australian duo John Senden and Tim Wilkinson with former US Open champion Retief Goosen a further shot back on 69.
Poulter produced a steady round of two birdies and 16 pars while his fellow Englishman Casey's matching 70 included four birdies.
Northern Irishman McIlroy, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Wednesday, clinched his first PGA Tour victory in the Quail Hollow event in 2010 and also triumphed in Charlotte 12 months ago.
Mcllroy, after starting at the 10th, dropped shots at both the 12th and 13th in windy conditions and a double bogey at the 18th saw him going to the turn in 40.
After picking up his first shot of the day at the short second, McIlroy bogeyed the third but three straight birdies from the fifth included almost holing his tee shot at the par-three sixth.
McIlroy was unperturbed by a bizarre moment immediately after his iron shot at the sixth as a spectator threw a golf ball which had an ear plug attached to it onto the tee.
"It was sort of strange. Charlotte's finest (police) sorted it out and got him off the property, thankfully," said the four-time major winner.
The defending champion blamed "not having my scoring head on" for his opening nine struggles.
"I've been working a lot on the range and I was still in range mode on the front nine," McIlroy added.


A Japanese dog called Purin has won her second world record, by travelling 10 metres on a ball, in just 11.9 seconds.

She adds it to her other world record, from 2015, when she proved her great paw-eye coordination by catching 14 balls in one minute.
Purin's not the only talented dog out there, so we've been looking back at some of our favourite record-breaking pooches...
Purin footage from Guinness World Records Blockbusters
Jiff, a Pomeranian from Los Angeles, America, won fans in 2014 for an unusual talent.
Despite having four legs, Jiff prefers to get around on just two - he stands up on his back legs, or balances on his front, like a handstand.
And as if that wasn't enough, he's speedy as well! He can travel 5 metres in just under 8 seconds on his front paws, and is even quicker on his hind legs, doing the same distance in less than 7 seconds.
Otto skated his way into our hearts in 2015, when he skateboarded through a 'human tunnel' of 30 people.
The bulldog was cheered by a huge crowd in Peru, and was given an official certificate for his achievement.
It took 270 dogs to set a new world record in 2016.
The dogs and their owners stretched and twisted in an hour-long 'doga' (dog yoga) session in Hong Kong, China, to be part of the biggest ever doga class.
They beat the previous record of 265 dogs, set in San Diego, America, in 2015.


An ongoing skills shortage in Scottish construction is reaching "crisis point", a report has warned.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said about 30% of respondents to its monthly construction market survey reported an increase in workloads.
But almost two-thirds said difficulty in sourcing labour was an obstacle to growth.
A similar percentage reported problems in finding enough bricklayers.
Just under two-thirds of chartered surveyors predicted a growth in construction workloads during the next 12 months.
But Rics said growth in Scottish construction would only be sustainable if the continuing skills gap was addressed.
Rics Scotland director Sarah Speirs said: "The availability of both blue collar and white collar construction workers is reaching crisis point.
"Without the relevant skills, we will not be able to grow many of the Scottish government's priority construction sectors such as infrastructure.
"Currently, while we know that there is a serious shortage of skills, we don't yet know why we have seen such a dramatic drop in the labour market over the past five years.
"Part of the problem is the legacy of the collapse in the sector following the onset of the global financial crisis.
"Many professionals and other skilled workers chose to leave the industry and quite simply have not returned or been replaced.
"A real focus on attracting more young people into the industry is critical alongside an expansion of apprenticeship opportunities."
Earlier this month, a report prepared on behalf of the Scottish Building Federation suggested confidence among employers in the construction sector had fallen back to levels of the first half of 2014.
A Scottish government spokeswoman said Skills Development Scotland has launched a plan for the sector to ensure it was recruiting and retaining talented workers.
"We will continue to work with bodies including the Federation of Master Builders to increase opportunities for employment in construction, improve how the public and private sector invest in young talent and ensure that Scotland has a skilled workforce across all industries," she said.
"Over the last four years we have delivered more than 100,000 new modern apprenticeships and this will increase to 30,000 each year by 2020."
Scottish Labour's skills and lifelong learning spokesman Iain Gray said: "While the SNP government boast about their apprenticeship programme, it is clear that there are just not enough apprenticeships in key sectors like construction.
"We also know that Scotland needs almost 150,000 engineers by 2022 and if we want our economy to continue to grow we need to fill that gap.
"Yet this year saw a fall in pupils coming out of school with Higher passes in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects.
"We will pay a price in lost opportunity for the Scottish government's complacency."


Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his return to politics.

On his Facebook page, he said he would seek the leadership of the opposition UMP party, widely seen as a first step towards a presidential bid in 2017.
"I am a candidate to be president of my political family," Mr Sarkozy wrote.
The statement ends months of speculation about the intentions of the 59-year-old conservative, who vowed to give up politics after he failed to be re-elected as president in 2012.
The UMP party elections are due to be held in November.
"After a lengthy period of reflection, I have decided to offer the French people a new political choice," he wrote.
He said he could not "remain a spectator given the situation in which France finds itself, given the destruction of political debate and the persistence of the derisory splits within the opposition".
The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris says that although Mr Sarkozy's announcement had been expected, it comes as a major event.
Mr Sarkozy has many supporters who believe his energy are essential to pull France out of its current difficulties, our correspondent adds.
However, Nicolas Sarkozy remains a divisive figure. He was defeated by Francois Hollande in the 2012 election, becoming the first French president not to be re-elected for a second term since 1981.
But opinion polls suggest President Hollande has now become the most unpopular French president in modern times.
Although Mr Sarkozy has kept a low profile since leaving office, he has faced a series of legal investigations that involve him in some capacity.
In July, he was placed under formal investigation on suspicion of seeking to influence judges who were looking into his affairs.
Other inquiries include one into his links with former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi and another into illegal campaign funding in 2012.
Mr Sarkozy denies wrongdoing.


Estonian President Toomas Ilves has called for a permanent Nato force to be stationed in his country.

Mr Ilves told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Estonia felt threatened by Russian military flights and exercises in the area, as well as by belligerent rhetoric from Moscow.
Currently the sole Nato contingent in Estonia is a 150-strong US infantry company, stationed temporarily.
Nato has pledged a 5,000-strong task force to defend vulnerable members.
According to Nato's founding charter, if a member country of the alliance is attacked every other member would be obliged to go to war in its defence.
But the  1997 Nato-Russia Founding Act forbids the presence of permanent bases in eastern and central Europe.
The Russian government meanwhile has said that it is concerned over moves by Finland and Sweden towards closer ties with the Nato.
Nordic defence ministers - also including Norway, Denmark and Iceland - agreed on Friday that Russia's recent behaviour was the gravest challenge to European security and that northern Europe must be prepared for a possible crisis.
But in a statement, the Russian foreign ministry warned that this could undermine co-operation in the region that had been developed over several decades.
Finland - which borders Russia - and Sweden are not Nato members but have increased co-operation with the alliance.
Mr Ilves told the newspaper that it was time for Nato to recognise that the security environment had changed since 1997 and that a brigade at the very least should be stationed in Estonia.
"One hundred and fifty soldiers is not a lot, so we do think that further stationing of troops at a higher number is only reasonable," he said.
"We get exercises [by Russia] that take place behind our borders that have 40,000 to 80,000 soldiers. Yet we are accused of escalating the situation... and Russia says that it will have to take counter-measures."
The Estonian president suggested that Russian troops could reach the Estonian capital Tallinn - just 218km (135 miles) from the Russian border at Narva - in just four hours.
Nato has said that a 5,000-strong rapid response force, pledged at the alliance's summit in Wales last September, could be deployed within 48 hours to protect Eastern European members in the event of Russian aggression.
"It's a great idea but it probably is, in terms of the realities, just too late," said Mr Ilves.
Estonia has a standing army of just 5,300 troops and relies on Nato to police its airspace.
In early 2014 Nato quadrupled its policing mission over the Baltic states from four to 16 fighter jets, a tiny fraction of Russia's combat aircraft numbers.


A lawsuit against a modelling website, alleging that it failed to warn members about rapists using the site, has been revived by a US court.

The case against Internet Brands, which operates Model Mayhem, was originally dismissed in 2014.
But a federal appeals court has now overturned that decision.
The lawsuit was filed by a woman who claims she was drugged and raped by men who had contacted her through the website.
The woman, referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, was an aspiring model who had created a profile on Model Mayhem.
She claims she was contacted and invited to a casting session in 2011, but it was a sham and she was drugged and then raped on camera by two men.
Two men were jailed for such a scam in 2012.
The woman claims Internet Brands was aware that people were using the Model Mayhem site to target women in this way, but failed to warn its members, making it liable for negligence under California law.
Internet Brands filed a motion to have the case dismissed on the grounds that it was barred by the US Communications Decency Act (CDA), which says websites cannot be held responsible for content posted by their users.
"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider," the law states.
At the time, online giants including eBay and Facebook told the court that the lawsuit would have a "chilling effect" on the internet.
The district court dismissed the lawsuit in 2014.
However, a federal appeals court in California has now revived the lawsuit because it does not concern what was posted on Model Mayhem.
"Jane Doe does not claim to have been lured by any posting that Internet Brands failed to remove. Internet Brands is also not alleged to have learned of the predators' activity from any monitoring of postings on the website," the court wrote.
"Instead, Jane Doe attempts to hold Internet Brands liable for failing to warn her about information it obtained from an outside source about how third parties targeted and lured victims through Model Mayhem.
"Internet Brands could have given a warning to Model Mayhem users, perhaps by posting a notice on the website or by informing users by email what it knew about the activities."
A trial court must now decide whether the "failure to warn" lawsuit can go ahead.
"We express no opinion on the viability of the failure to warn allegations," the federal court wrote. "We hold only that the CDA is not a valid basis to dismiss Jane Doe's complaint."


Former champion Neil Robertson was made to wait before seeing off Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 10-4 in the first round of the World Championship.

Media playback is not supported on this device
The 2010 Crucible winner resumed 8-1 ahead, but Crucible debutant Saengkham finally relaxed to win three of the first four frames on Thursday.
A break of 76 saw Robertson, ranked ninth in the world, take the frame he needed to close out victory.
The 35-year-old Australian will face Marco Fu in the second round.
"I am very happy to get through. The damage was done yesterday when I took advantage of his nerves on his debut and punished his mistakes," Robertson said.
"Today he came out without any pressure on him and he knocked in a lot of great balls to nick a few back. But at 8-1 ahead you will have to not to turn up to get beat from there.
"I was a little bit slack on a couple of shots but regained my focus after the interval and was determined to finish it off."
Media playback is not supported on this device
In the afternoon's other match - the first second-round encounter of this year's tournament - world number 14 Kyren Wilson leads 2015 world champion Stuart Bingham 5-3.
Wilson, 25, raced into a 5-0 lead against his out-of-sorts opponent, but Bingham recovered to score two 50s in taking the three remaining frames of the session.
In the evening session, Ronnie O'Sullivan faces Shaun Murphy in a mouthwatering and potentially spiky last-16 match.
It is five-time champion O'Sullivan's first appearance since accusing snooker bosses of bullying, claims that 2005 champion Murphy said were "completely wrong".
Barry Hawkins resumes 7-2 up against Tom Ford in an all-English affair, the final first-round match to be played.


Around 33,000 children are to be immunised against measles and polio in typhoon-hit Tacloban city.

The World Health Organization, which is supporting the government campaign, fears possible outbreaks of disease.
More than 5,000 people were killed when typhoon Haiyan battered the central Philippines.
Huge numbers -  including many children - were left homeless, and many are surviving in cramped, unhygienic conditions in damaged buildings.
These "displacement centres", which include dilapidated schools or community buildings, were sturdier than people's homes, and more able to withstand the battering from the typhoon.
But, over-run by homeless people, they have created the perfect environment for the spread of disease.
Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson for the World Health Organization's emergency relief team said: "Measles is a viral infection that spreads very very fast.
"When you have an over crowded setting, there is a risk of infection.
"It is enough to have one case and then we would probably see very fast transmission.
"Therefore, it is very important we prevent this before it happens."
The aim is to immunise all under-fives in Tacloban City. The children will be given polio drops and measles injections.
More than a hundred medics are expected to be involved in the first day of vaccinations. Around 40 will be from the Philippines, the rest will be from mostly European countries including Spain and Germany.
The children will also be checked for malnutrition and given vitamin A drops to help boost their immune systems.
Unicef is helping to provide the Philippines Government with the vaccines, but other supplies, like syringes, are also being flown in from around the world. These also include 16 solar-powered fridges from the UK.
A major challenge is keeping the vaccines cold. They need to stay below 8C during transportation to the immunisation site, and between 2-8C after medical team mix the vaccines with a diluting agent.
With no electricity and temperatures of around 30C and high humidity, that is a huge challenge.
Dr Heather Papowitz, senior health advisor from Unicef, said: "In this environment it's extremely difficult. Getting the vaccines from the plane to the cold room at the department of health is a real challenge in this circumstances.
"The vaccines need to go through quite a process to get here.  They arrive by plane or boat, when they arrive they need to be picked up in cold boxes and taken by road to the cold room."
The cold room is a 9 sq m refrigerated room that is constantly kept between 2-8C. It is kept powered by a generator.
"Then we distribute them to the vaccination teams in these cool boxes," said Dr Papowitz.
"Then when people have to go out into the community, they take them in really small cool boxes to make sure they stay at the right low temperature the whole time."
The programme will start at the main displacement centres where the big centres in Tacloban city before medical staff head to more remote areas next week.


Were you up for that Ed Balls moment - the symbol of Labour's crushing electoral defeat, the trigger for wild Tory celebrations and Labour despair?

In his first interview since that moment two weeks ago, the man who thought he was about to be chancellor told me about his "sense of loss" after his party's failure and a personal defeat which he describes as "a symbol of the vibrancy of our democracy".
Ed Balls was in reflective mood when we spoke - looking back at what he'd achieved as much as forward to what might be next.
"I think one of the really important things in life is to think about what you've done rather than fixate on what you might not have done," he said.
"So in those 20 years, I helped keep us out of the euro, I helped Britain to have an independent Bank of England, to raise education leaving age to 18, Sure Start, the national minimum wage, changing the health service - these are all good things.
"We didn't get everything right. We did some good things and I'm proud of what I've done and the decisions I've made."
When he lost his seat he thought back to the day he was first elected and gave his rather startled Tory successor a word or two of advice on how she should handle her victory speech and the waiting media.
Balls told me that it was not until the early hours of Friday that he knew he'd lost.
I asked what his emotions were at that moment, if there were tears.
He replied: "I've been around for a long time so I've seen wrenching political change and I've seen people be surprised by outcomes... a year ago, two years ago it was a really hard thing for us to do to win this election.
"Five years ago coming out of government after the financial crisis, I think many people thought it was an impossibility.
"In the final weeks we fought a good campaign and we were neck and neck in the poll. I think we thought there was a chance. But I think over the course of that night, as the results came in, we knew that chance had alluded us and it wasn't anger or tears, more a dawning disappointment and sense of loss."
Balls is not yet ready to to step back into Westminster - we spoke overlooking the City of London - but is he ready to accept the blame for what went wrong for him and his party?
When I asked him whether "Ed Balls was one of the reasons Labour was unelectable?" he replied: "Of course. I mean Ed Miliband said straight after the election he took responsibility but all of us have to bear our share of  responsibility.
"Ed was the leader I backed him as shadow chancellor 100%. In the end he didn't persuade people he could be the prime minister but I didn't persuade people I could be the chancellor either.
"I have to take that on the chin. People will analyse for weeks and months what happened and that's something that still feels too early for me.
"I'm not going to start giving you a verdict or a judgement. That's something I might do in future, might come back to. Not now. It's for others to go for the instant commentary and work out the next steps for Labour and the country.
"It is though pretty clear who he blames for one vital mistake made by his party - the failure to woo business.
"I think I wanted to be more pro-business but I also backed Ed Miliband 100 per cent. He was the leader, I was the shadow chancellor. We both worked very hard and in the end neither he or I persuaded people and we need to take our responsibility for that. It's not all on him it's on all of us."
It was Ed Balls though who was Gordon Brown's key economic adviser in the run up to the Great Crash and there's one question which has haunted him and his party - Did Labour spend too much in government? Why did Britain enter that crisis with a budget deficit and not a surplus ?
"Before 2007 it is a matter of record that we had a low level of national debt because of the decisions we had made but also we had a small deficit.
"People will now say that that small deficit should have had a small surplus. The reality is that would have made a small difference, not a big difference, that couldn't have made a difference to the global financial crisis, which was a huge failure in our banking system and a failure of regulation which I have taken on the chin for the last ten years. In the end though we didn't convince people of that argument, but i am afraid those are the facts."
Just as he leave frontline politics his wife - Yvette Cooper - is stepping forward to take over as the next Labour leader.
He told me she is "brilliant and people will get a chance to see what she stands for" but he insisted that "I am not playing a role in her campaign" except "whilst she is busy I can do more to help family."
Asked whether whether he worries that she is applying for the toughest job in British politics he said: "You have to take your calling when it comes."
What though of his future - ever since he was a student Balls has had politics in his blood - is he really going to walk away from it now?
"I'm not going to be dashing back" to front-line politics, Balls says, before swiftly adding but "never say never".
He was, he told me, embarking on "a new chapter, outside of politics. No by-elections, not back in parliament, that is how it feels at the moment. Outside of politics is where I am going next."
What, though ,of rumours that he fancies an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing - a prospect his wife has described as "truly terrifying"?
Despite running three marathons he told me "I'm not sure if I'm equipped for Strictly" - a non-denial denial if ever I heard one.
What he will talk about is his desire to spend more time "cooking, running, playing the piano" and using "real time to stand back and think", to write about economics.
I very much suspect we have not seen the last Ed Balls moment.
Here is the full transcript of the interview:
Ed Balls: Clearly I've got more time on my hands than I've had for the past 20 years, it's only been a couple of weeks, it's flown by.  I've had hundred of letters and emails from Labour voters and Tory voters - I've been replying to them.  I've been trying to get fit again, get back to piano practice, my oldest daughter is doing the GCSE now, with Yvette very busy at the moment there's a bit more time for me to spend with the family and also outside of the day to day there's a bit more space.  I've been thinking about and writing about economics for 20 years and there's really big issues out there, what's happening to secular stagnation, is the financial system sound - the development challenge which is pushing migrants into Europe - these are things where for the first time there's real time to stand back and think and write a bit, that's what I'm doing.
Nick Robinson: That sounds like there's a book coming or a series of lectures, we've not heard the end of Ed Balls on economics?
EB: It's a new chapter for me, and it's a big change.  I think .. you never know what's going to be happening in the future, I'm not going to be standing for a by-election â€¦and while you never say never I think for me the reality is the next phase for me is going to be outside of politics, but there's ways in which you can make a difference in the world outside of Parliament and that's something I'd like to do - who knows if there'll be a chance to be in public service again in the future, but for me now .. out of politics is where it is.
NR: But politics has been in your blood since you left University, people will find it hard to imagine after those five years..maybe.. after a breather you won't be back.
EB: I came into politics to make a difference, and that's what I've tried to do in my life.  And I think one of the really important things in life is to think about what you've done rather than fixate on what you might not have done.  So in those 20 years I helped keep us out of the Euro, I helped Britain to have an independent Bank of England, to raise education leaving age to 18, Sure Start, the national minimum wage, changing the health service - these are all good things.  We didn't get everything right, we did some good things and I'm proud of what I've done and the decisions I've made. But it is a different chapter for me now, and there's big issues out there in the world that I'd like to think about to write about to get involved in.  I don't know where it's going to take me but it's new and a change and I'm still fairly young.  I'm looking forward to it, it's exciting.
NR: So just to clarify no by-elections?
EB: No by-elections.
NR: No House of Lords?
EB: Out of politics is how I'm thinking of things at the moment.
NR: Not running a think tank?
EB: Look you never say never about anything 'cos who knows what's going to happen - it's only been a couple of weeks, but I think the reality for me now is that I want to make a difference to the world outside of politics - that's how I'm thinking about things - I'm not going to dashing back.
NR: The big question everybody says I have to ask you is Strictly. Are you going to take to the ballroom floor?
EB: Three marathons means I am fit but am I really fit enough for Strictly? When you look at it, the people who on Strictly, they tend to be half my age and to have played international sport or been to stage school or on the stage.
" am not sure if I am quite equipped for Strictly.
NR: Vince Cable, Ann Widdecombe did it, surely Ed Balls can do it?
EB: (sounding uncertain): Errrr.., OK, OK.
NR: Let me take you back two weeks ago - many people thought you were about to be chancellor of the exchequer, did you - even on Thursday night?
EB: We knew it was really close, and before that exit poll all the opinion polls said the election was on a knife edge....I'm not sure if it was more than 50% but I thought it was a real possibility.  So to go from that through the exit poll, that swing to the conservatives through to losing my seat in seven hours. In 2010 I held on, I think in 2015 the Tories were as surprised as I was by what happened in my constituency and in seats across the country, so it was a big change...
NR:  So within the space of a day, you went from thinking I might be standing outside No11 to being redundant?
EB: Politics is a brutal business and it is tough, as Robin Day famously said us politicians can be here today and gone today, and that's what happens.  But in the end the reason is because we live a democracy and in a democracy the people decide.  And however tough it is for us individual politicians - especially if you're fighting a  marginal seat like mine - you can be here today and gone tomorrow and that is democracy.  So in the end, although was hard for me, I am a symbol of the vibrancy of our democracy. And that's something I think people are proud of, and celebrate, and although hard for me ... it shows the kind of country we live in.
NR:  You were also a symbol too of Labour's defeat, some people said it was like the Portillo moment for the Tories. Does that hurt that there were people saying 'Yes! Ed Balls has gone?'
EB: The thing which hurts is the fact the millions of people who voted for us, and many thousands of people who worked to campaign for a Labour govt were disappointed because we didn't succeed, and we didn't convince people that we were the right people to be in govt.  And as I said on the night, such big issues for our country - whether we stay in the European Union, whether we can hold our union together, the depth of public spending cuts George Osborne is planning and the risk to the national heath service and I can't now change that course and that direction.  In that sense there are very many people who wanted us to succeed and we didn't and my disappointment is much much more about the result about what happened to the government than anything to do with my, that is really secondary.  That is how I felt in those moments, when I found out my result,  I already knew what was happening in the country - and that was a much bigger deal.
Repeat of last question due to plane noise.
EB: There are very many millions of people who voted for Labour, many thousands who worked hard for a Labour govt because they wanted us to win.  And the disappointment is that we didn't convince enough people that we could be the next govt, that they could trust in us.  And it means that on those big issues facing our country whether we can save our national health service , whether we can keep our union together, whether or not we can keep Britain in the European Union and reform Europe.  We now can't chart that course.  And for me that disappointment is much much bigger than anything personally that happened to me - I knew for hours that night what was happening in the country.  And by the time it came to my speech, what happened in the country was a much much bigger sense of sorrow than anything personal, that wasn't the issue for me.
NR: You knew for hours that you might lose but not days, when did you first realise that you might lose?
EB: I didn't know that I was actually going to lose my seat until the returning officer gave us the result at 7.30 in the morning, so I had hours of uncertainty â€¦I think the point where I knew that things were not turning out the way in which we hoped, when we knew .. was not the exit poll, it was probably results from Wrexham and Nuneaton and Swindon North about 1 in the morning which showed a swing from Labour to the Conservatives.  My seat was a very marginal seat, in 2010 we just held on. I always knew if Tories had a majority I was probably a goner but the reason I travelled seven and a half thousand of miles and went to 45 seats because I was fighting to win but only when it dawned in those hours after 1 in the morning that â€¦ actually things had not gone the way anybody had expected and the conservatives might get to a majority it was that point where I started to think well maybe my seat might go as well.   By then though, it was clear that Labour wasn't going to be the govt and that was a much bigger deal for me.
NR: And your emotion when you realised that - shock, anger, tears?
EB: I've been around for a long time so I've seen wrenching political change and I've seen people be surprised by outcomes... a year ago, two years ago it was a really hard thing for us to do to win this election. Five years ago coming out of government after the financial crisis I think many people thought it was an impossibility. In the final weeks we fought a good campaign and we were neck and neck in the polls I think we thought there was a chance. But I think over the course of that night as the results came in we knew that chance had alluded us and it wasn't anger or tears more a dawning disappointment and sense of loss.
NR: A loss for what might have been?
EB: Yeah of course because look we worked so hard for so long to try and win people's trust to convince people and there were so many people relying on us to do so and even now, since the election many more people come up to me to say we're really sorry or this is how we felt and you can feel that sense of disappointment and that's hard because I wanted to win.
NR: You must ask yourself again and again why and - this is hard question -  do you ever look at yourself and think maybe Ed Balls was one of the reasons Labour was unelectable?
EB: Of course. I mean Ed Miliband said straight after the election he took responsibility but all of us have to bear our share of responsibility. Ed was the leader I backed him as shadow chancellor 100% in the end he didn't persuade people he could  be the Prime Minister but I didn't persuade people I could be the Chancellor  either. I have to take that on the chin. People will analyse for weeks and months what happened and that's something that still feels too early for me. I'm not going to start giving you a verdict or a judgement. That's something I might do in future, might come back to. Not now. It's for others to go for the instant commentary and work out the next steps for Labour and the country.
NR: You know what they say - were you just  too associated with the past? In  the end is the election that was still about the great crash?  Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown  - they're all the lot that got us into the mess.
EB: There was a global financial crisis. I think Labour made important decision during that period to stop Britain & the world going into depression.  But in the end we didn't convince people of that argument and we didn't convince people we were the right people to take the country forward and in the end that's why we lost. And you know the why , the analysis of that is something that will now happen and we can all contribute to that in the future, but for me it feels too early to start making judgements about that. But I know in the end we didn't win because we didn't convince enough people that we were the better alternative for the future and that's our failure.
NR: There was one question you know that was asked again and again about the past. Labour spending. Not did spending cause the crash. But did spending too much mean that you weren't prepared for the after effects of the crash?
EB: Before 2007 it is a matter of record that we had a low level of national debt because of the decisions we had made but also we had a small deficit. People will now say that that small deficit should have had a small surplus. The reality is that would have made a small difference, not a big difference, that couldn't have made a difference to the global financial crisis, which was a huge failure in our banking system and a failure of regulation which I have taken on the chin for the last ten years. In the end though we didn't convince people of that argument, but I am afraid those are the facts.
NR: So you may have to go back and say 'more spending control might have been better.'?
EB: I think it would not have made a difference to the financial crisis at all.
NR: But to your credibility? To the sense that people thought you were capable of controlling the public finances?
EB: We were very, very disciplined in our approach to public spending after 2010. Unlike other parties we didn't make unfunded commitments.
NR: it was before though wasn't it?
EB: We had an absolutely disciplined approach in this parliament. before 2007, we had low national debt, we hadn't joined the euro, we'd made the bank independent, we had shed a number of jobs in the civil service through the Gershon Review, there was a small deficit, people will say there should have been a small surplus, i think that would have made a small difference, not a big difference.
NR: There might be some who look at you and say, 'even now, he's not willing to learn.'
EB: I think It is for me to think and reflect in the coming months and we can talk about these things, at the moment it is for the leadership candidates in the labour party to set out their positions and it is not really sensible for me to do a running commentary on the past. i always argued for what i thought was right, i have always been consistent, one of things that you learn in politics is that every day when you make a decision, a difficult decision in government or a decision in opposition about what you say, you have at the end of the day to go to bed thinking that was the right call, because you'll live with that for the rest of your life and i have always sought to do that in everything I've done.
NR: You say you backed Ed Miliband 100%. There were issues - there are in any government or shadow government where you had your disagreements  - are there any you want to reflect now? You argued about Labour's attitude to business, You had your doubts about the energy price freeze. Are those lessons you want the party to learn?
EB: I think I wanted to be more pro business but I also backed Ed Miliband 100 per cent. He was the leader I was the shadow chancellor we both worked very hard and in the end neither he or I persuaded people and we need to take our responsibility for that. It's not all on him it's on all of us.
NR: But things like the energy price freeze spooked business didn't they?
EB: People are going to stand back and analyse all those things in the months and years to come. I'm not going to rush to judgements. What I'm going to say to you is I accept my responsibility with Ed and with the whole shadow cabinet for the decisions we took and in the end we didn't convince enough people,
NR: you were fighting a Northern seat against the Tories and against UKIP. you were always one of those who said take the issue of Europe and immigration seriously - some lessons for the future?
EB: I think those were big and important issues and I talked a great deal in my constituency about those matters. And as did Labour in the run up to the election, and they're going to be big defining issues of this Parliament as well. In my constituency what happened was a collapse in the Lib Dem vote and more of those voters went to the Conservatives than we were expecting. In the end Nick Clegg had spent five years in a coalition telling Lib Dems it was better to be with the Tories and in the end I think you reap what you sow.
NR: You'd mentioned the leadership contest - lots of candidates. Presumably you're struggling to think who to support?
EB: I'm going to be supporting and voting for Yvette of course. I think she's brilliant and people will have a chance to see more of what she is and what she stands for and what she can do in the coming weeks. I'm not going to play any part in her campaign, that's her campaign and her ideas and it's not for me. I've got the opportunity at a time what there's other stuff going on in our lives and for our children, to stand back while she's busy do more for rest of family and that's what I'm going to do but I'll be voting for her like many other Labour members in September.
NR: You'll be cooking?
EB: Bit of cooking of course. A bit of running. A bit of piano. And just making sure...politics is a tough world and families need support and I think one of the things I certainly learnt from my time in Government and when the children were younger you have to try harder to get the balance right. Since 2010 I always made sure I went to parents evening and we went to the school performances and were there to help kids with homework.  I think it's important to get that balance in life.
In the end when people's careers... when something happens you don't expect. I think probably people look back, and too often regret they spent too much time away from things that were important to them and that's something I've been conscious not to let happen in our lives.
NR: Given that do you worry for Yvette- the woman you love? People say leader of opposition is the worst job in politics and it now lasts 5 years before you have a got at an election - does that worry you?
EB: In the end it's really important what happens in the next five years, I want Labour party to come out united and more determined. And I want that to happen. We've learnt some lessons but also we've shown a unity and a vision. We've got a number of great leadership candidates and a really talented shadow cabinet. Having people who can lead and set out a vision is so important, not just for Labour but for the country, and I think in politics you have to take your calling when it comes and that's what she's doing.
NR: This is the moment for her?
EB: Yep.
NR: She is not Mrs Ed Balls - she's always been Yvette Cooper and I'm sure that's important to you and her. Does that give her the freedom to say the last shadow chancellor didn't quite get that right?
EB: Of course and I think over many years she's never been shy of telling me when I got things wrong and me the same with her. She's her own person and has her own talents and her own backers and campaign and her own views and I'm sure she will set them out and she can do that in as forthright a way as she wants and that's fine as far as I'm concerned.
NR: When you reflect do you think people have had caricature view of Ed Balls and maybe you'll get the chance to show something a bit different?
EB: I think it's really hard in politics for people to see the real you because everything is mediated through the newspaper column and through the prism your opponents can often set up, and in the end  you have to have confidence in yourself and who you are and what your values are and why you do what you do, and you need people to see that and over time I think they do. I've had lots of emails and letters from Conservatives  following election night and after my speech to say they were sorry I had lost. In life I guess you always wish you could make those speeches earlier but that's not the way it is.
NR: Is there one lesson in this short fortnight you've already learnt that you think; that's something I now understand for the future?
EB: The lesson I've learned are you've always got to be proud of what you've done and enjoy what you're doing rather than fixate on what might be in the future. I've never had a grand plan for my career but nor have I ever felt disappointed that i haven't done something i wanted to do. I've learnt to enjoy what I'm doing and be proud  of what I've done. I think you've also got to make sure in politics you are always thinking about those other sides to your life outside the day to day, and you've always got to know every day that when you make a decision you're doing so for the right reasons and you can that day feel comfortable that in the in months and years to come when people look back and say was that right, that you can be judged knowing with integrity you made the right call and I've always sought to do that.
NR: This interview isn't the mark of a return to politics but it isn't the mark of never again, no return to politics?
EB: I've been in politics in Whitehall and Westminster for 20 years because I wanted to try and make a difference  to our country and the world. You never say never but for me it's a new chapter, outside of politics, but it doesn't mean you stop wanting to make a difference. I always wanted to be in public service that was always more important to me than wealth or the trappings of power so who knows? if there's the chance to do something good again that helps people I will take that. But no by-elections. Out of politics.  Not back in parliament - that's how it feels at the moment.
NR: Not back in parliament ever or not till the next election?
EB: You never say never.
NR: Wait and see?
EB: Outside of politics is where I'm going next.


Shrewsbury Town earned a hard-fought point at Peterborough with a late goal from ex-Posh striker Tyrone Barnett.

Posh started well, with Harry Beautyman heading over before Marcus Maddison and Erhun Oztumer spurned chances.
Conor Washington then broke the deadlock for Posh, finishing low into the corner from the centre of the box.
Shrewsbury's equaliser came when Ben Alnwick palmed a long-range shot into the path of substitute Barnett, who finished into the bottom corner.
Barnett, who cost Peterborough a then club record seven-figure fee from Crawley in 2012, joined Shrewsbury in February.
He has now netted six times this season, but this was his first in two months, to help lift Town to 18th, a point clear of trouble.
Shrewsbury boss Micky Mellon told BBC Radio Shropshire:
"You always hope that players who come back to their former club can score. It doesn't always happen but I was delighted for Tyrone Barnett to do that.
"It was a bit of a kick in the teeth to concede as we were enjoying a good spell. We gave away possession and they found the back of the net.
"Peterborough are a good side, but you don't just defend with your back four. All the way through we needed to get the shape right. We knew where the threats were to have any chance of winning."


A number of ex-footballers have come forward to say they suffered sexual abuse as children at the hands of coaches.

Those who have spoken publicly include Andy Woodward, Chris Unsworth, Jason Dunford and Steve Walters.
Andy Woodward, 43, was the first player to go public when he revealed he was abused by coach Barry Bennell, 62, who has served three jail sentences for child sex offences.
It happened between the ages of 11 and 15 while he was a member of Crewe Alexandra's youth team.
"I kept it locked away in the back of my head," he told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme.
Bennell had threatened to take his career away from him, he alleged, adding: "It was that control - that all I wanted to do was be a footballer."
Mr Woodward, who played for Bury and Sheffield United, retired from the game in 2002, aged 29, after suffering a series of panic attacks.
He said he wanted to encourage more victims to speak out and would "die a happy man" if he could prevent more children from being abused.
Ex-Manchester City youth player Chris Unsworth, 44, claimed he was abused by Bennell from the age of nine.
"It started in the car - he used to touch, play games on the way to training," he said, and later got "more serious" during sleepovers at Bennell's house where, Mr Unsworth claimed, "there was penetration".
He said although he had been "raped between 50 and 100 times", no-one ever spoke about it.
Mr Unsworth moved to Crewe with Bennell at the age of 12 when, he says, Bennell began to lose interest.
"Your body changes and that's when your time is up - he moves on to fresh blood."
Mr Unsworth said he "turned away from football" at the age of 16 because he had "had enough", adding: "I kept it locked away right in the back of my head, but I am still re-living it."
At the age of 13, Jason Dunford was a budding footballer when, he claims, Bennell tried to abuse him at a Butlin's holiday camp.
"I told him to get off me. I remember physically hitting him," he said. "After that he detached me from the group, saying he'd drop me."
A period of "isolation" and "mind games" followed, Mr Dunford said, where he was prevented from playing and accused of stealing money.
"He fabricated stories about me amongst my team-mates," he said, adding that Bennell told him: "Do you really want to tell your parents you'd been accused of being a thief?"
Mr Dunford, who never turned professional, pointed to a culture of silence in the 1980s and said his dream "would've burst" if he had tried to expose a coach like Bennell.
And he added: "For those parents out there kicking themselves, do not feel guilty. This man wasn't just playing games with the children's heads."
Steve Walters broke three decades of silence to reveal what he called "absolutely petrifying" abuse.
The ex-Crewe player, now 44, alleged the abuse began at the age of 12, when he would stay at Bennell's house in the town during the school holidays.
"Back in that day and age if you came out with accusations, would anybody believe you?" he said.
Bennell would "teach you these tricks and flicks, he could do things with a football we'd never seen before", he said, "but it was all just grooming, wasn't it?".
One of England's most promising young players, Mr Walters was diagnosed with a blood disorder at the age of 17, but continued to play at a lower level.
"I had problems with relationships because I've always thought, 'Am I gay?'" he said. "What's happened to us has made us feel like that - it's not right."
Former Tottenham and England player Paul Stewart, who began his professional career playing for Blackpool aged 17, told the BBC he was abused by a coach - not Bennell - for four years as a child.
"I was told that I had to do these things if I wanted to be a footballer," he said.
"He was threatening that he would kill my parents and my two brothers if I ever spoke out. I was just absolutely frightened.
"I do believe, in the days it was happening to me, it was a taboo subject, nobody spoke about it. It was brushed under the carpet if it was happening. I don't think there was anywhere to turn in those days."
On coming forward now, Mr Stewart said: "I felt that I needed to do this so other people will come out and with the hope that it may stop anyone who may be thinking of doing it again, in any walk of life - not just football."
He added: "The access to children at sport level is very easy and it is the perfect ground for them to prey."
Former Manchester City and England player David White also claims he was abused by Bennell - whom he "hero-worshipped" - and "kept the ordeal secret" from family and friends for almost two decades.
Mr White, now 49, says he was targeted in 1979, at the age of 11, when he played for Whitehill FC junior team in Manchester.
"I now realise the effects of Bennell's actions were much more far-reaching than I knew then," he said, adding the alleged abuse "influenced almost every event and relationship in my life".
"I would like to say that I do not feel brave... I feel like one of the lucky ones," he added.
"I salute Andy Woodward, Steve Walters, and Paul Stewart for so bravely revealing their personal tragedies.
"The physical abuse they and others suffered was certainly more extreme and prolonged than my ordeal, and I cannot be sure that I would have their courage."


Koen Bouwman won stage three of the Criterium du Dauphine from the breakaway as Chris Froome crossed safely in the main following pack.

It was a first professional win for 23-year-old Dutchman Bouwman.
This was the second of the first three stages to be won from the break, with Lotto-Soudal's Thomas de Gendt, winner on day one, doing enough to retain the overall race lead.
Froome, the three-time winner of this race, crossed the line in 40th place.
The sprint teams were hoping to dominate on the 184km stage from Le Chambon-sur-Lignon to Tullins, but miscalculated the strength of the six-man break, who held on in strong headwinds at the finish.
LottoNL-Jumbo's Bouwman burst clear on the final straight to win ahead of Delko Marseille Provence's Evaldas Siskevicius, while stage two winner Arnaud Demare (FDJ) beat Bryan Coquard (Direct-Energie) in the battle for minor places at the front of the peloton 11 seconds later.
1.  Koen Bouwman (Ned/LottoNL) 4hrs 06mins 06secs
2.  Evaldas Siskevicius (Lith/Delko) same time
3.  Frederik Backaert (Bel/Wanty) same time
4.  Bryan Nauleau (Fra/Direct Energie) same time
5.  Alexey Vermeulen (US/LottoNL) same time
6.  Quentin Pacher (Fra/Delko) same time
7.  Arnaud Demare (Fra/FDJ) +11secs
8.  Bryan Coquard (Fra/Direct Energie) same time
9.  Pascal Ackermann (Ger/BORA) same time
10. Phil Bauhaus (Ger/Sunweb) same time
Selected other
40. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) same time
1.  Thomas de Gendt (Bel/Lotto) 12hrs 37mins 04secs
2.  Axel Domont (Fra/AG2R) +48secs
3.  Diego Ulissi (Ita/UAE Team Emirates) +1min 03secs
4.  Pierre Latour (Fra/AG2R) +1min 07secs
5.  Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/BORA) same time
6.  Sonny Colbrelli (Ita/Bahrain) +1min 09secs
7.  Ben Swift (GB/UAE Team Emirates) same time
8.  Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) same time
9.  Tony Gallopin (Fra/Lotto) same time
10. Guillaume Martin (Fra/Wanty) same time
Selected others
12. Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) same time


England's ability to navigate a tricky path to the World Twenty20 semi-finals shows they can handle the pressure they will experience against New Zealand, says head coach Trevor Bayliss.

Media playback is not supported on this device
After losing their opener against the West Indies, England completed a record run chase to beat South Africa and then overcame a scare against Afghanistan.
They then reached the last four with a tense 10-run win against Sri Lanka.
"We've been under pressure in a couple of the wins we've had," said Bayliss.
"Once you've been there and been able to get through tight games it gives you the belief that you are good enough to do it.
"The more times you're in the situation the better for the long-term benefit of the team."
England will be playing in Delhi for the third time in the tournament when they meet New Zealand in the city on Wednesday.
"Having played two games there already, the players will know what to expect from the wicket," added Bayliss.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it is an advantage. New Zealand are very adaptable and we are going to have to play some very good cricket to win this match but we will give it one hell of a go."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Meanwhile, England's Jason Roy and David Willey have been fined for breaching the ICC's code of conduct during the win over Sri Lanka in Delhi.
Roy was found to have "shown dissent at an umpire's decision" after being given out lbw for 42 in the 10-run victory that sealed England's place in the semi-finals.
Willey, meanwhile, was fined for giving Milinda Siriwardana a send-off.
Roy loses 30% of his match fee, with Willey losing 15% of his.


On a crisp afternoon a group of school children stand outside Prince Charles Hospital holding their handmade no smoking posters.

"Please don't smoke outside our hospitals", they shout in unison.
As ambulances pull up outside the Merthyr Tydfil A&E department, the 10 and 11 year-olds watch as patients and visitors light up, puffing smoke into the air.
"We've seen a number of people smoking next to no smoking signs", their teacher Kelly-Anne Crane said.
In the last six months alone 783 smokers at Prince Charles and Royal Glamorgan hospitals, in Llantrisant, have been asked to stub it out by security guards.
Cwm Taf University Health Board - who manage the sites - say they are doing everything they can but people have a "total disregard" to the signs plastered across their NHS grounds.
And they are not alone. While all seven health boards in Wales have smoke free policies in place they say they are "powerless" to stop people lighting up, as they are not yet backed by legislation and so smokers are not breaking any laws.
The Public Health Wales Bill - which is currently going through the Assembly for the second time - would make it illegal to smoke on hospital grounds, giving the board's the much needed legal backing to issue fines to smokers flaunting the rules.
The Welsh Government said the bill will "build on existing voluntary smoking bans in order to aid enforcement".
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board - who manage hospitals across north Wales - said the public "do not respect" requests to not smoke on their sites.
They said that without legislation to back them up they had to rely on the "courtesy and consideration of smokers" not to light up, and despite extensive signage and recorded messages triggered a cigarette is sensed nearby, people still ignored their policy.
A spokesman said: "We do encourage members of staff to challenge smokers who are causing a nuisance but unfortunately this can provoke a negative or aggressive reaction, which understandably makes busy colleagues reluctant to continue asking people to put out their cigarettes or move away from entrances."
It is not just the contradictory image of patients in dressing gowns smoking outside the place they are being treated which concerns health boards and bodies like the British Medical Association (BMA).
Health boards have concerns about smoke drifting through windows into wards, passive smoking, and the impressionability of the growing number of young people receiving treatment on their sites.
Cwm Taf are now hoping the words of children will make people think twice about smoking outside their buildings.
Local school children like those from Cyfarthfa High, have designed special posters detailing the dangers of smoking.
If the posters fail the board is considering introducing push-button tannoys - which staff, patients and visitors can trigger if they spot someone defying the rules - which could use children's voices to tell smokers to stub it out.
Dr Chris Jones, chair of Cwm Taf, said: "Hospitals are for people who are sick and smoking causes illness.
"I don't think the health board is enforcing anything, we are encouraging people do to the right thing.
"We offer support and advice: it is not about being oblivious to the fact that giving up is difficult, but there is evidence that adults listen to children."
Hywel Dda University Health Board already has a push-button system at the entrances to their acute hospitals, but said it has not stopped some people.
A spokesman said: "Everyone has the right to breathe fresh air, especially when visiting a healthcare facility, and we regularly receive complaints about people smoking on our sites.
"We understand that visiting a hospital can sometimes be a stressful experience but we expect smokers to adhere to our smoke free policy and they should anticipate being asked to leave our hospital sites if they wish to continue smoking."
Cardiff enforcement officers challenged 6,708 smokers outside the University Hospital of Wales and University Hospital Llandough, in two years.
Trina Nealon, principal health promotion specialist for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said hundreds of people were challenged every month.
While there have been no reported cases of verbal or physical abuse against staff challenging smokers, the board said it knows some staff feel uncomfortable challenging visitors and patients who are dealing with stressful situations.
"We are not taking away anything from anyone," Ms Nealon said, adding that patients were given support to try and quit smoking on admission.
"How we see it is smoking is an addiction, and we are giving people an opportunity to actually give up that addiction.
"Generally speaking people are receptive and they put out their cigarette, understanding that they are in a hospital where people are there to get better and are there to get treated."
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said that while there had been a significant reduction in smoking at their hospitals "disappointingly there are some people who will continue to smoke despite all the messages."
Powys was the only health board who said they had little difficulty with smoking - "possibly as a result of only having community hospitals"
While there is hope that the new legislation would help health boards to challenge smokers, they appear to be under no illusion that the threat of fines will stub out the problem for good.
"It may not stop them smoking. We are hoping that it will lead to a culture change and people will accept that smoking in a hospital setting shouldn't be allowed," said Ms Nealon.


The airport in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, is shutting for six weeks, with passengers being diverted to a tiny airport a two-hour drive away.

8 March 2017 Last updated at 14:05 GMT
Video journalist: Stephanie Hegarty