This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28539334

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
David Cameron meets British families of MH17 victims Parents of MH17 victim Liam Sweeney 'angry and frustrated'
(about 1 hour later)
David Cameron has met the families of British victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines MH17 plane. The parents of a British victim of the Malaysia Airlines plane crash have said they are "angry and frustrated" at not knowing what has happened to his body.
He was expected to express his condolences to the families and discuss the international response to the crash in eastern Ukraine on 17 July. Barry and Angela Sweeney spoke after meeting Prime Minister David Cameron along with other victims' families.
Pro-Russian rebels there have been blamed for the crash, which killed all 298 passengers - including 10 Britons. Mr Sweeney said: "It would be nice if they could just stop fighting [in Ukraine] for a little bit so that we could get all our boys and girls home."
EU ambassadors are also meeting in Brussels to discuss new economic sanctions against Russia. Pro-Russian rebels have been blamed for downing flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine.
Western nations have said there is growing evidence that the plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Russian-supplied missile fired by rebels in eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers, including 10 Britons, were killed when the plane crashed on 17 July.
Russia has denied supplying heavy weapons to the rebels, with both the Kremlin and the rebels blaming Ukrainian government forces for the crash. New sanctions
'Get them back' The crash site has yet to be fully investigated because of heavy fighting between Ukrainian government forces and rebels there, and some bodies have still not been recovered.
A Ukrainian official this week said the "black box" flight recorders from the plane showed the crash was caused by a massive, explosive loss of pressure when the plane was hit by a rocket.
The data and voice recorders were last week sent to the UK for analysis by aviation experts.
The crash site has yet to be fully investigated and some bodies have still not been recovered.
Officials say the exact number of bodies collected so far, and taken to the Netherlands, will be known only when forensic experts there have completed their examinations.Officials say the exact number of bodies collected so far, and taken to the Netherlands, will be known only when forensic experts there have completed their examinations.
Before his visit to Downing Street, Barry Sweeney - whose son, Liam, died on flight MH17 - told BBC Radio 5 live he would ask Mr Cameron to help repatriate the bodies of the victims. The EU also adopted new economic sanctions against Russia on Tuesday.
"I'll say to Mr Cameron... just help, just get them all back," he said. Western nations have said there is growing evidence that the plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Russian-supplied missile fired by rebels.
Russia has denied supplying heavy weapons to the rebels, with both the Kremlin and the rebels blaming Ukrainian government forces for the crash.
The UK pushed for "hard-hitting" sanctions against Moscow, saying the crash was a "defining moment".
Respect and dignity
Mr Cameron, speaking during a visit to Slough ahead of the meeting with victims' families, said: "I'm sure that the bereaved families' first concern will be that their loved ones are treated with respect and with dignity.
"We must do everything we can to make sure that that crash site is properly managed, that their loved ones are brought home and that everything that can be done on that front is being done, and that's what I'll be discussing with them today.
"I will be trying to bring them up to date with all the things that have happened, and listen to them and try to answer some of their questions."
BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said the meeting was held in the State Room upstairs in Downing Street, "which is a slightly less formal environment than the Cabinet rooms or an office environment."
Some of the families arrived through the front door, accompanied by Foreign Office officials, while others chose to use side entrances to avoid the media outside.
The Victim Support charity said it was offering practical and emotional support to "a number" of the British families who lost relatives in the crash.The Victim Support charity said it was offering practical and emotional support to "a number" of the British families who lost relatives in the crash.
The families had been referred to the charity by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, it said. The families had been referred to the charity by the Foreign Office, it said.
EU ambassadors are expected to agree economic sanctions against Moscow, targeting Russia's defence, energy and financial sectors. EU sources say the new sanctions target the oil sector, defence equipment and sensitive technologies.
Any new sanctions against Russia could come into force within 24 hours of a deal being reached between the EU's 28 member states. The aim is to increase the cost to Russia of its continued support for pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Mr Cameron said he and his French, German and Italian counterparts had agreed on the need for further action against Moscow in a conference call with US President Barack Obama on Monday. Downing Street says Moscow has failed to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict.
A No 10 spokesman said Moscow had failed to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine. "Indeed the latest information from the region suggests that even since MH17 was shot down, Russia continues to transfer weapons across the border and to provide practical support to the separatists," it said.
"Indeed the latest information from the region suggests that even since MH17 was shot down, Russia continues to transfer weapons across the border and to provide practical support to the separatists," a Downing Street spokeswoman said. On Monday, the UK said it would send 1,350 military personnel to Poland for exercises to support Nato allies in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.
'Serious measures'
No 10 said the five leaders had agreed that the international community "should therefore impose further costs on Russia and specifically that ambassadors from across the EU should agree a strong package of sectoral sanctions as swiftly as possible".
Former Conservative foreign secretary, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the West had adopted a "symbolic response" to perceived Russian aggression until now.
He said he had been waiting "for some months" for the international community to impose "serious measures" against President Putin.
"When you get to the situation of preventing them having access to financial markets, preventing high quality technology technology exports to their energy industry, that goes to the very heart of the Russian economy," he said.
The BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith said discussions were focusing on restricting the access of Russian banks to finance from the City of London and also a ban on future defence and high-tech energy exports from the EU to Russia.
It comes after the UK said it would send 1,350 military personnel to Poland for exercises to support Nato allies in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.