private medical reports. it's the most terrifying thing i have ever experienced. we speak to a man whose addiction to synthetic opioids nearly killed him — as doctors warn the uk is too slow to act to stop the spread of their use. bakery chain greggs is forced to shut some shops as it problems prevent people from paying by card — just days after other big food chains suffered similar issues. how much is too much when it comes to easter eggs? we talk to the shopkeeper who mistakenly ordered more easter eggs than the entire population of his island. coming up on sportsday later in the hour on bbc news: we'll be live at st george's park as england prepare for their friendlies against brazil and belgium at wembley. good afternoon and welcome

to the bbc�*s news at one. there was some welcome news for the economy today with a sharper than expected fall in inflation. the rate at which prices go up fell from four per cent to 3.4% in february. that's the lowest level in nearly two and a half years. the slower pace of food prices helped push inflation down — but it is still some way off the bank of england's target rate of 2%. our chief economics correspondent, dharshini david, has this report. who doesn't want to nibble on a few treats, savour the first day of spring? but even the softest of creatures can come with a fierce bite. as customers at this farm shop in crewe know, lower inflation still means higher prices. in terms of car insurance, i've just had my renewal through and it's actually doubled. sometimes ijust don't even like pay for my wi—fi i because i call

it so we'll have to go without. council tax, broadband, phone, everything's gone up significantly. carving up budgets is still a stretch for many, even if wages have been rising. now, there's been some relief as items like bread, cereal, cakes get cheaper. and that means food inflation has dropped from nearly 20% last march to 5%. prices for restaurant meals, too, are tailing off. it's global wholesale food and energy costs, those factors that triggered the cost of living crisis, pushing inflation up to over ii%, which are also helping to bring it back down, along with the impact of those higher interest rates. and those factors are projected to bring it below the bank of england's 2% target later in the spring. that's what analysts expect. but crucially, inflation in services, which covers the likes of hotel stays, rents and water bills and insurance premiums, that remains at 6.1%. that concerns the bank of england. it wants to be confident that not only is overall inflation returning

to target, but that it will stay there before they cut rates. in the meantime, making the sums add up is still challenging for many labour highlights that some people are still getting worse off. the chancellor himself acknowledges there's further to go. the plan to bring inflation down, it was over 11% when rishi sunak became prime minister, nowjust 3.4%. that plan is working, but we do need to stick to it and see it right the way through. relief can't come too soon for this taxi firm. they put plans to expand on hold after insurance premiums for their drivers soared. i could not believe it. itjust knocked me back so much. and it's kind of scary as well. when will it stop?

yet many businesses are cutting back on price rises, fearing customers won't swallow them. we're moving towards lower inflation, but that last morsel, getting it down and keeping it down, can be the toughest. and dharshini is with me now. some good news for the economy, then. could we also see a drop in interest rates soon? that is the key question for over a million mortgage holders who are due to remortgage this year. many will have noticed already that shock that when you have switched deals you have seen your rate go up three or four times. have seen your rate go up three or fourtimes. it have seen your rate go up three or four times. it takes time to filter through to the economy, which is why we always say the bank of england is not looking at what happen to inflation last month or next month, it is thinking about what happens one or two years ahead. it takes time for interest—rate changes to feed through. so, looking ahead, there are some signs that those price pressures are easing and they will stay at a more gentle level than we have seen over the last couple of years, but it is that services inflation that matter. also wage rises. both of those are moving

gradually in the right direction. we have got another meeting at the bank of england, which were going to learn about at lunchtime tomorrow. the signs are that they might indicate we are nearing a turning point. they are starting to feel a bit more relaxed about the outcome from inflation, but they are not readyjust from inflation, but they are not ready just yet to cut rates. from inflation, but they are not readyjust yet to cut rates. at from inflation, but they are not ready just yet to cut rates. at the change in expectations may be all it needs for those people offering mortgages to offer slightly more attractive deals. it all hinges on those expectations and whether or not the bank is feeling more relaxed. are they? tune in to one o'clock news tomorrow and we might have details for you. it’s o'clock news tomorrow and we might have details for you.— have details for you. it's to date. dharshini david, _ have details for you. it's to date. dharshini david, thank _ have details for you. it's to date. dharshini david, thank you - have details for you. it's to date. dharshini david, thank you very i dharshini david, thank you very much. —— it's a date. the rate of inflation has been a crucial political issue. ben wright has been listening to prime minister's questions this afternoon. ben. there is a phrase we will hear endlessly between now and the end of the general election from conservative mps. that phrase is, our plan for the economy is working. the message to voters — stick with us. although the bank of england as

a drop of controlling inflation, ministers have seized on these numbers today to argue that the economy is turning a corner. labour have pointed out the fact that prices are still rising and taxis are at an 70 year high. but the economic battle lines of a coming election are clearly sharpening. sir keir starmer also used his moment to try to rubbish the government's rewind a plan and call on the prime minister to get on and call a general election —— rwanda plan. rishi sunak is miles behind labour in the opinion polls at the moment, so rishi sunak is in no hurry to call that election. you try to lift the pessimism and gloom that has settled over conservative mps at the moment. we have had days of speculation about possible plot to unseat him. the vast majority of conservative mps think it would be self—defeating and absurd to have another leadership contest before the next general election, bert rishi sunak will meet his backbench mps at a routine private meeting

this afternoon to try to convince him that he does have a plan for their political recovery.— him that he does have a plan for their political recovery. ben, thank ou. ireland's prime minister leo varadkar has announced he is to step down as irish premier and as leader of his party, fine gael. the announcement comes after a turbulent number of weeks for the fine gael, fianna fail and green party coalition government. it was resoundingly beaten in two referendums on changes ministers had proposed to the irish constitution. i know this will come as a surprise to many people and a disappointment to some, and i hope at least you will understand my decision. i know that others will — how shall i put it — cope with the news just fine. that is the great thing about living in a democracy. there is never a right time to resign high office. however, this is as good a time as any. budget 2024 is done, negotiations have not yet commenced on the next one, the institutions of the good friday agreement are working again, and our trading relationship

with the uk in the post—brexit era is settled and stable. live now to belfast and our correspondent there, sara girvin. this was a massive shock today. absolutely. a massive shock. given the scrambled meetings that we know took place in dublin this morning, did feel like many within his own party may not have even this coming. when leo varadkar was first appointed to shock back in 2017, he really became the personification of the changing face of ireland —— taoiseach. he was 38, of indian heritage, and he became ireland's first openly gay prime minister. during that press conference, he became visibly emotional. he said there would be speculation about the real reasons as he described them, prime stepping down. he said those

real reasons were both personal and political. he said a new person was needed to lead his party into the next general election and that he felt he was no longer the right person for thatjob. leo varadkar has previously said that he would retire from politics by the age of 50. today he has announced he is stepping down at the age of a5. a general election in the republic of ireland must be called by next spring. today's announcement doesn't change that, but we do know that when it happens, it will be without leo varadkar n ireland's top politicaljob. now a new to macon and new leader of fine gael will be appointed in the next few weeks —— a new taoiseach. and you can follow continuing coverage of the resignation of the irish taoiseach, live with bbc news on iplayer. an investigation has reportedly begun at the clinic in london which treated the princess of wales over claims staff tried

to access her private medical records. the daily mirror alleges at least one staff member at the london clinic in marylebone was involved. the chief executive of the london clinic says: "all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken" when looking at alleged data breaches. here's our royal correspondent, jonny dymond. privacy and the princess — the mirror makes a splash with a story about an attempt to access private medical information regarding kate, the princess of wales. she was here two months ago for an abdominal operation. since then, she's been out of sight, but hardly out of mind. from the palace, silence. from the hospital, a statement. all of this, the hospital visit, the long recovery was supposed to be ordinary. a woman, wife and mother getting better after an operation.

the palace has been flabbergasted by the response. the concern often that the princess's right to privacy has been shredded in a world of phone and feed. this is not the first time that the princess's private medical records, some of the most protected personal data there is, have come to others' attention. a decade ago, phone pranksters duped a nurse into revealing some petty details. profile is part of royal duty. for a monarch, opting out is not an option, but the prince and princess of wales are less bound by law and tradition. that's one reason they issued their own photo last week, a move that backfired as its authenticity was questioned by publishers worldwide. the couple may have thought they'd be able to step back a little for a long recovery from an operation, but events and rumours and their own mistake have conspired against them.

jonny dymond, bbc news. the government has banned 15 powerful synthetic opioids, which the home office has described as "highly addictive and incredibly dangerous". most of the substances involved are super—strength street drugs known as nitazenes. there have been more than 100 deaths in the uk linked to nitazenes since last summer, and drug experts say the government needs to do more to establish the extent of the problem. 0ur midlands correspondent, navteonhal, has spoken to one man who nearly died from an accidental overdose. drugs cause so much chaos and disaster. it's horrible. tell people to stop. so on august 23, i took nitazene, and i never want to take it again. last summer, while using what he thought was heroin, matt ended up in hospital.

it had been laced with a new super strength street drug known as a nitazene. it plays a big impact on your mental health. what did they tell you had happened to you? that i had died. that i died that day. nitazene is the most terrifying thing i've ever experienced, everfaced. i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. i wouldn't. it's terrifying. that's why matt's been off drugs ever since and is working with the charity change grow live to help with his recovery. nitazenes can be hundreds of times stronger than heroin, and just a tiny amount can cause users to stop breathing. it's believed that a crackdown on heroin production in afghanistan has led to a rise in synthetic opioids here. the national crime agency says nitazenes are being created in illicit labs in china and often enter the uk in the post. nitazenes are a whole new,

whole new ballgame. experts we've spoken to believe the government is behind the curve on nitazenes. there is currently no national system for tracking non—fatal overdoses, despite more than 100 deaths being linked to nitazenes since last summer. in a similar period, the department of health recorded just 19 non—fatal overdoses. i think that figure is an enormous underestimate. and i think it's worse than useless to be suggesting that there's maybe only 19. the government says it's trying to address these concerns. this is one of its drug testing facilities. it says it will analyse wastewater for the presence of synthetic drugs, record spikes in overdoses, and from today, 15 synthetic opioids will be controlled as class—a drugs. well, over the last nine months, we've pulled together an early warning system, drawing on tests done at the border tests done on samples that have been seized, post mortem toxicology,

as well as overdose reports, that i think does give us a complete picture. meanwhile, the department of health says it has a surveillance system in place to collect information on the nature and location of novel drug use. and that work is ongoing to improve it. but for those who know first hand the damage nitazenes can cause, they're worried about what's to come. please stop using. and the dealers don't care. they want your money. don't give it to them. your life's worth more than a £10 bag. navteonhal, bbc news. legislation banning the next generation from being able to buy cigarettes is being introduced in parliament. the bill will raise the legal smoking age in the uk by one year, every year, meaning anyone turning 15 this year, or younger, will never legally be able to buy cigarettes. it also aims to tackle youth vaping, with new powers to restrict vape flavours and packaging intentionally

marketed at children. live now to our health correspondent dominic hughes. what do they hope to achieve? the aim is nothing less than stopping young people from ever taking up smoking. the stopping young people from ever taking up smoking.— stopping young people from ever taking up smoking. the way that will work is this legislation _ taking up smoking. the way that will work is this legislation will _ taking up smoking. the way that will work is this legislation will mean - work is this legislation will mean it will be illegal to sell cigarettes for example to anyone aged 15 or younger from this year and then every year at the age limit of 15 years will go up by a single year. so the hope is that by the year. so the hope is that by the year 2040 for example smoking rates between the ages of 14 and 38 will between the ages of 14 and 38 will be next to zero. why other government doing this? they point to the health costs of smoking and say smoking related diseases cost the uk economy £17 billion every year and they say that dwarfs the £10 billion that they make by taxing tobacco

products are not to mention of course health impacts on people. 80,000 deaths every year i linked smoking to diseases such as cancer and heart disease, lung disease, dementia, and strokes and the list goes on. health experts say this is the single biggest public health intervention on smoking in a generation. the time is 13:17. our top story this afternoon. inflation falls faster than expected — to 3.4% — in a boost for the economy. and the bafta television awards have been announced — with netflix series the crown leading the way with eight nominations. later in the hour on bbc news, we will round up the latest action, hear key interviews and discuss the biggest talking points from here at the bbc sport centre.

the bakery chain greggs says it experienced problems today accepting card payments because of an it issue. a number of its shops closed and others accepted only cash. in the past week payment system issues have also affected sainsburys and tesco stores. with me now is our business correspondent marc ashdown, who can tell us more. what has been happening? it is the biggest bakery chain in the uk but customers looking for a coffee this morning may have been greeted by a sign saying having an issue with the tills. some of the stores were closed and some could not accept card payments and some could not even accept cash. some people were angry or even amused on social media. greggs said it was resolved by mid—morning and the majority of stores are back open. find by mid-morning and the ma'ority of stores are back open.h stores are back open. and it is not the first time _ stores are back open. and it is not the first time a _ stores are back open. and it is not the first time a big _

stores are back open. and it is not the first time a big company - stores are back open. and it is not the first time a big company like l the first time a big company like this has had it issues, what is going on? fin this has had it issues, what is going on?— this has had it issues, what is going on? this has had it issues, what is uaoinon? n ., ., ., going on? on friday mcdonald had a roblem going on? on friday mcdonald had a problem affecting _ going on? on friday mcdonald had a problem affecting people _ going on? on friday mcdonald had a problem affecting people trying - going on? on friday mcdonald had a problem affecting people trying to l problem affecting people trying to order food and then on saturday tesco had problems fulfilling online deliveries and sainsburys had the same issue and also problems with some customers paying by card in—store. all fixed pretty quickly, mcdonald's blamed a third party provider in the supermarket said it was to do with overnight in—house system upgrades. so we spoke to one it security expert who said because this happened on consecutive days you cannot rule out possibly some kind of issue with the common infrastructure provider. these systems are complicated and they mesh together. for a large retailer it is quite obvious that this is really a story about consumer confidence but if you are partial to a sausage roll at greggs they are back on the menu!—

a sausage roll at greggs they are back on the menu! thank you very much! train drivers at 16 rail companies are to stage a fresh wave of strikes in a long—running dispute over pay, threatening more travel chaos for passengers across the country. members of aslef will hold a rolling programme of one—day walkouts between april 5 and 8th, coupled with a six—day ban on overtime. the liberal democrats are launching their campaign for may's local elections, with a strong focus on health services. they are targeting conservative seats in the south of england. this report from our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. a smile on his face. here's someone who looks happy it's election time again. sir ed davey and his party love a homemade prop. this time an hourglass. it emptied a bit more slowly than he'd have liked. but with the message and the noise levels, the lib dems certainly want to give

the impression they are feeling energised, buoyed, they say, by what they're hearing on the doorsteps, both about the local elections and the general election to come. people who've had seven chances to vote for me since i first in 97, they've never voted for me. but they could vote for me this time. and when you hear that and see that and our numbers reflect it, you feel there is a big change. a change he thinks will be reflected at the ballot box. the liberal democrats are very excited about these local elections and the general election. whenever it comes, we think we've got a huge chance to beat conservatives in their heartlands. may's elections are local ones, but it's notjust local issues. the lib dems want to highlight the nhs social care, pensions, sewage. ed davey�*s choice of this as the location to launch this campaign tells you a lot about his thinking because the council here is not one that the liberal democrats are in danger of losing. so really this is all about the general election, the seats they're targeting, ones they used to hold or conservative ones that they think

they have a chance of winning. this is harpenden, genteel london commuter land and there's certainly discontent in the air fuelling lib dem hopes. i've been a conservative voterfor many, many, many years and i don't know what to do because i'm not happy with the way it's going. i think i'm so disillusioned with the government at the moment and politics in general that i haven't really decided who i would vote for. so votes up for grabs, but weighing against that old loyalties and time, which in politics can change things. damian grammaticas, bbc news, harpenden. there's a warning today that the shortage of teachers in england has reached a "critical state". the independent national foundation for education research says teaching is struggling to compete with other graduate jobs. the government says it's offering bursaries of up to £30,000 to attract the "brightest and the best" in subject areas where there are shortages. with me is our education

editor branwen jeffreys. why is it so difficult to find teachers and what impact does it have on pupils? teachers and what impact does it have on mils?— teachers and what impact does it have on --uils? ., ., have on pupils? there are long-term shortaues have on pupils? there are long-term shortages in — have on pupils? there are long-term shortages in seven _ have on pupils? there are long-term shortages in seven subjects - have on pupils? there are long-term shortages in seven subjects and - have on pupils? there are long-term shortages in seven subjects and we l shortages in seven subjects and we know this year in everything from chemistry to our eu, modern foreign languages and crucially maths, subject everyone takes up to the age of 16. the numbers of people training as teachers. below are what the government says is needed. and there are a number of reasons for this. the starting pay for teachers in england has gone up to £30,000 but if you are an experienced teacher he would have seen a 12% for in real terms taking living costs into account since 2010 so they have taken a big hit on their earnings. the knock—on effect of this is more lessons particularly in secondary schools being taught by people who have not specialised in the subject and have not studied it at university so it is thought that

almost half of secondary schools are using nonspecialist mathematics teachers, people like pe or geography teachers, to fellon to teach mathematics and that iran is to around 13% of lessons. and i'm stressing mathematics because it is one qualification that everyone has got to get so that is why they say it is a critical problem.— it is a critical problem. thank you very much- _ vaughan gething is due to be formally nominated as the new first minister of wales shortly. the economy minister and former health minister narrowly won the welsh labour leadership contest by 51.7% to succeed mark drakeford who's stepping down after more than five years in the post. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith is in cardiff for us. that felt is set to take place behind me in a matter of minutes. and barring any last—minute surprises to treat will be nominated as the new first minister of wales,

as the new first minister of wales, a significant moment has has been said several times, he will become the first black first minister of wales but he also sees this as a generational shift and reset moving on from the older labour party politics. he of course was a jeremy corbyn supporter and shifting forwards to the general election something that vaughan gething has been keen to talk about, he will look to reset the relationship of keir starmer and we can expect to hear plenty about wales in the general election. we know the conservatives previously have pointed to wales when they wanted people to look at the record of the labour party on health with these long waiting list and on education with poor performance in welsh schools and on the economy in wales. all things that country will now be responsible for if as we expect he is made first minister. he will also want to move the narrative on for the last few days, still questions about his acceptance of £200,000 donations from a company whose owner

was prosecuted for illegally dumping waste. ., ~' , ., the crown is leading the way in this year's nominations for the bafta vaughan gething is due to be nominated as first minister of wales. he narrowly won the welsh labour leadership to succeed mark drakeford. we can take you to the live scene from cardiff. joining me is our correspondent. what exactly is our correspondent. what exactly is going to happen in the next three minutes? ~ ., is going to happen in the next three minutes? ~ . ., , , , is going to happen in the next three minutes? ~ . ., ,, , ., ., minutes? what will happen is an old school process. _ minutes? what will happen is an old school process. usually _ minutes? what will happen is an old school process. usually it _ minutes? what will happen is an old school process. usually it is - school process. usually it is electronic. forthis, school process. usually it is electronic. for this, the first minister is voting in everyone from each party. they shout their name of their nominee. the conservatives and

plaid cymru will

of course what position will he give to that rival? that will be the forefront of his mind. the key areas will be who looks after because there has been this quiet with farmers in wales and the way that subsidy payment would potentially work in wales. ministers wanted all farm sizes designate 10% of land to planting trees to combat climate

change that has gone out for consultation. that has already... i guess made the assumption this has been a really difficult task for her. she would not carry on in that role and transport again, there was a huge backlash after the 20 miles for speed limit came in so there may be a change, ministers said he was moving on. studio: remind for viewers not in wales exactly what powers the first minister has. the wales exactly what powers the first minister has-— minister has. the leader will make the decisions _ minister has. the leader will make the decisions moving _ minister has. the leader will make the decisions moving on. - minister has. the leader will make the decisions moving on. the - minister has. the leader will make l the decisions moving on. the person who made it most clear was when mark drakeford gave evidence in the covid inquiry and said all those big decisions, the buck stops with me and that essentially will be the remit for the first minister moving on. there is a big task on his plate

because for the majority of his tenure mark drakeford was on the whole well liked especially during covid though things changed towards the end with things like the speed limit but if we cross over now i think the vote is just about to start taking place. translation: as there are three nominations _ translation: as there are three nominations i _ translation: as there are three nominations i will _ translation: as there are three nominations i will take _ translation: as there are three nominations i will take the - translation: as there are three nominations i will take the vote . translation: as there are three | nominations i will take the vote by roll call— nominations i will take the vote by roll call and invite each member present— roll call and invite each member present to — roll call and invite each member present to vote for a candidate. i will call— present to vote for a candidate. i will call each member present in alphabetical order. please clearly state _ alphabetical order. please clearly state the — alphabetical order. please clearly state the name of the candidate that you support when i call your name. 0r indicate — you support when i call your name. 0r indicate clearly you wish to abstain — 0r indicate clearly you wish to abstain in _ 0r indicate clearly you wish to abstain. in accordance with standing

order_ abstain. in accordance with standing order 82, _