the deaths come amid rising tensions in the middle east, following a suspected israeli air strike on iran's consulate in the syrian capital damascus. a game—changing treatement for type one diabetes. the nhs in england begins to contact tens of thousands of people who are eligible for an artificial pancreas. good morning. working parents in england can now get extra help with childcare. but will the promise of funded care get parents back to work as planned? i'll take a look. another day of drama. in the championship, to the delight of ed sheeran and the home fans at portman road, ipswich town are top of the table thanks to a late late winner. good morning. the weatherfor the rest of this week remains unsettled. it is going to be wet and windy at times, there will be sunny spells, and it is turning much milderfor us

all, especially on saturday. # well... and as lulu prepares for her farewell tour after a 60 year career, she shares a little secret of her success... all that, starve, watch my diet, exercise, and i don't speak before 12 noon when i'm on tour. whoa. not at all? it's not a big deal, you know? good morning. it's monday, the 2nd of april. a british national is reported to be among at least six aid workers who have been killed in an israeli air strike in gaza. the charity, world central kitchen, which distributes food in the territory, confirmed some of its staff had been killed and called the deaths a tragedy. the israeli military says it's conducting a review. our reporter, graham

satchell, has the latest. the bodies of six aid workers being brought to a hospital in central gaza. officials say at least three were foreign nationals, one british, one australian, one polish. all were working for the charity world central kitchen, and they were hit by an israeli air strike while driving in northern gaza. this is a video produced by the charity. it is one of the biggest providers of food aid in gaza and has delivered more than 42 million meals since last october. the australian government said it was urgently investigating what had happened and wanted answers. this is just completely unacceptable. australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable. in a statement, the israeli military said it was conducting a review

at the highest level to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident. but the deaths have been condemned by the founder of the charityjose andres. he said the israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. it needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. in the syrian capital damascus, the clear—up has started after an israeli air strike on iran's consulate. two senior commanders of the iranian revolutionary guard were killed in the attack. it is the clearest sign yet that this conflict is escalating. iran is at the centre of the so—called axis of resistance, a coalition of countries including yemen, syria and lebanon who are supporting the palestinians and opposing israel. the iranian ambassador in the massacre hinted at retaliation. translation: definitely, - the zionist regime knows better than anyone that such crimes and violating international law will have its response

in an appropriate time. the question now is what iran does next. it will be reluctant to get involved in an all—out war but it will undoubtedly strike back. graham satchell, bbc news. now, ben has more of this morning's news, including some information for parents with their children in nurseries. yes, an important change, sally. thank you very much. let me explain. as of this week, some working parents in england can access more government—funded childcare for their children. up until the end of march there were 30 hours per week of funded childcare available to three and four year olds. that has now been extended, with 15 hours per week available for two—year—olds during school term time. the government claims it

will mean more than 150,000 children will be able to access a government—funded childcare place. but many in the industry are warning the funding does not meet demand and there is a shortage of available places. vanessa clarke reports. yay! from a quick stumble to the back of the net. the two—year—olds here at monkton nursery in liverpool are quick learners. some of their childcare hours are now being paid for by the government, giving their parents a helping hand. but balancing the books is proving tricky for the nursery. the only way that we can remain financially viable is by asking the parents for a supplement to the funding, a subsidy allowance. parents are unclear as to how the funding works, so in a way, they're blaming the nurseries for charging extra because they think it's all going to be free. the first part of the roll—out is aimed at eligible working parents of two—year—olds who can now access 15 hours. the next step will be for younger children. for kirsty, who works in a children's home, the changes are a chance to increase her hours at work. that's if she can find a place.

i've been to three nurseries and i've put her down on three waiting lists because they're all got massive waiting lists now, because there's not enough nurseries for the hours that are funded. so yeah, it will help — if i can get her in somewhere. the department for education says it is confident in the strength of the childcare market to deliver this expansion, and that funding rates for younger children have increased, as have the number of childcare places and staff. as demand grows, the plans rely on nurseries and childminders providing even more places like this. with the annual cost of a nursery space now more than £15,000, any help will be welcome news to parents. but as the sector prepares for the next expansion in september, which will include even younger children, questions over funding, availability and staffing will continue. vanessa clarke, bbc news, liverpool. in other news today.

20 councillors in pendle in lancashire have resigned from labour in protest at the party's leadership. the group say sir keir starmer�*s policies no longer reflects their views, and the mass resignation is believed to be the largest defection since sir keir became leader of the opposition. labour says it's focused on winning the next general election. the nhs in england is starting the process of contacting tens of thousands of people living with type one diabetes, in the first step towards them receiving what's known as an artificial pancreas. health experts say it is a game—changing moment — meaning they would no longer have to inject themselves with insulin. 0ur health correspondent, dominic hughes, has more. i'm just going to pull this down just to your height. two years ago, we reported on how six—year—old charlotte was taking part in a trial of a device that could radically change the way she manages her type one diabetes. this around yourarm... rather than regular fingerprick tests to check her blood glucose and then injecting insulin,

charlotte was using what's known as an artificial pancreas. the device continually monitors a person's blood glucose, then automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given to them through a pump. now thousands more people will be assessed to see if they, too, can use the pumps, something that experts say will be a game changer. for many people with type one diabetes, managing their condition means a lot of thinking of before they do a lot of things, such as eating, such as going for a run. but with this technology, a lot of those day—to—day thinking and working out things will be reduced. more than 300,000 people are living with type one diabetes in the uk. the devices will be rolled out to children and young people under 18 with the condition as well as pregnant women and those adults with type one diabetes who have an elevated blood sugar level. retired engineer les is one of those who, like charlotte, took part in the trial.

i very quickly, my blood glucose control, itjust was a tremendous improvement, to the point where i'm now below the diagnostic threshold for type one diabetes. i feel healthier in myself, more able to do everything. what's my glucose? computer: 0k, viewing. you're 5.9 and steady. the devices are already available in scotland to some patients, but they don't suit everyone. and nhs bosses have warned of challenges in getting enough supply of the devices, plus the need to train more staff in how to use them. that means it could take five years before everyone eligible has the opportunity to have one. dominic hughes, bbc news. the sports brand adidas has banned german football fans from buying their country's kit with the number 44 on the back. concerns had been raised that it

looked similar to the symbol used by nazi ss units in world war ii. adidas denied the resemblance was intentional and said they would block any fan from personalising their shirt with those numbers. the former us president donald trump has posted a $175 million bond in his new york civil fraud case. mr trump, who is standing for the presidency again this year, was found liable in february forfraudulently inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan terms — a decision he is appealing. new figures show that shop prices rose last month at their slowest rate in more than two years. the british retail consortium says that lower food costs and increased competition eased inflation to 1.3%. two neighbours who have lived on the same road for more than 30 years have both turned 100 years old on the exact same day. josie church and anne wallace—hadrill, from oxford, were born on the 1st of april 192a —

and celebrated with a special party, as briony leyland reports. # happy birthday to you... this a neighbourly birthday chorus for two much—loved senior residents of this north oxford road. josie church and anne wallace—hadrill are both 100 years old. they've lived next door to each other for more than 30 years. neither wanted a fuss about theirjoint milestone, but their neighbours had other ideas. actually, overwhelmed! i can't believe it. i mean this... i'm so lucky. this road is to me exceptional. i know most of the people in it. they all seem to know me, and we're all so friendly. how do you feel on your hundredth birthday? i feel about 100. and what do you think of all the attention? good fun!

anne, who's living with dementia, had a career as a lexicographer, and during the war she was in the women's royal naval service, her work recognised with a medal. ..to present you with your- long—overdue world war ii medal. applause. josie had a long career in nursing and, remembering a time before the nhs, is a passionate supporter of it. her neighbours say both women have given a lot to the community. they stand for, so much that we admire, i think. we love the young families that are coming in now, but also we want to celebrate and honour the ones that have been here a long time. and i thought, well, we'll do some a little something. and it's grown and grown. celebrations of big birthdays and good neighbours on a landmark day. briony leyland, bbc news.

happy birthday, josie and anne. they look incredible. they don't look 100. if you were watching breakfast over the weekend, you will have seen louis the osprey, who became an online star during the first lockdown, return to his nest in the scottish highlands earlier than usual this year. well now his mate, dorcha, has rejoined him much earlier than in previous years too. it's thought the rare birds will begin laying eggs in around three weeks�* time — and we can all follow progress via a livestream of the nest. and you can keep up—to—date on their progress. brilliant pictures. i wonder why they have returned early. do you think it's the weather? is it getting warmer? that they know what carol said already today, that there is the promise of slightly warmer weather coming? good morning, carol! good morning to you both. it is

getting warmer in the next few days. it will take a few days before it warms up in the north of scotland, though. the weather remains unsettled, sunny intervals, absolutely, but also spells of wind and rain, and by the time we get to saturday we will be in double figures in some parts of the south could be as high as 18 or 19 degrees. what is happening this morning is it is fairly cloudy to start across northern england, scotland and also northern ireland, with some rain and drizzle. it will brighten up later across northern ireland and northern england. in the south, the early showers clearing, some sunny spells and one or two showers developing through the day and then wet and windy weather sweeps in from the south—west in the late afternoon or late morning into the afternoon and that will continue to push northwards as we go through the rest of the evening. temperatures up to 15 degrees today. again, this rain pushing northwards, bringing its cloud with it as we go through the night. further spells of rain across parts of scotland being driven in on this brisk

north—easterly wind, accentuating the chilly field. some clear skies across southern england tonight as well, and these are our temperatures, three in lerwick but milder in london at 11 degrees. tomorrow we start off with all this rain wrapped around an area of low pressure that is pushing into the north sea, and this is the legacy of rain with it. cloudy still with brisk winds in the north—east, some brighter skies in the south, and temperatures tomorrow, a 10 degrees difference in temperature north to south, five in lerwick, 15 in london, but although it is going to remain cold across the north—east of scotland for the next few days without north—easterly wind, it will warm up this here too. we like the sound of that! now, tony hudgell�*s story is one we've followed for a long time here on breakfast. he is quite simply an inspirational boy whose sponsored walks have raised almost

£2 million for charity. tony uses crutches to walk after abuse by his birth parents meant his legs had to be amputated. but now he's had an operation which could eventually allow him to walk without crutches. our reporter tim muffett was with him as he prepared for surgery. tony hudgell has put so much effort into raising money for others, but the challenge in front of him will hopefully improve his life. ahead of some major surgery, what are your thoughts at the moment? sort of a mixture of we're finally here, and nervous. a roller coaster of emotions, i think, at the moment. tony was abused by his birth parents, his injuries so severe he had to have both legs amputated. he was adopted by paula and mark... go, tony, go! ..and has raised almost £2 million for charity through a series of challenges. this but in order to use his prosthetic

legs, tony needs crutches. tony has a permanently dislocated hip, and his left leg is shorter than his right leg. so the aim is to help the hip to be more secure and to grow the left leg as well. the idea will be that eventually he'll be able to walk without crutches, and maybe one day follow his dream to be able to run. yes! so you're going to be going to sheffield tomorrow to go to hospital, have an operation. how are you feeling about that? i don't feel as nervous or anything like that. i i feel a bit like...excited. all tony's ever wanted to do is walk and be at the same level as his friends. and hopefully this is going to give him that opportunity. there's only two people in the world that can perform this operation. are you going to can come and help me do this, tony?

tony isn't just facing complex surgery. are you going to help me pack these? so his leg and his hip�*s going to be in a cage, a frame, for anything up to a year. and daily there has to be adjustments done to it as well. i've had to adapt all his boxers. so i do that and then get the cage. it opens right up, doesn't it? yeah, it opens, and then i put the one with the cage.... - superheroes, just like you. you like superheroes, don't you? well, he feels that the sooner it's done, the sooner he'll be able to accomplish what he wants to, and probably move on to another challenge, knowing tony. he's a fireball. he's just always so upbeat. he's never down. he's always smiling. are you ready to go? yeah.

so today tony's having his big op, and we've come up to sheffield. how are you feeling? it was horrible this morning. we have to keep that goal there that, you know, this is going to be life—changing for him. going under anaesthetic can be unsettling for anyone, children especially. so before surgery, a chance to choose a scent. the smell of the gas that they use smells a lot like quite strong, smells like felt—tip pens. so we're actually choosing some a decent smell to go in that the patient might actually like. it's nice! which one have you gone for? which one did you choose? lemon sherbet. very nice. do you want to try it? i'll have a go. that one i think makes makes your nose tingle a little bit, but this is the one he wants to go with. not bad. good choice, tony. there just never seems to be, you know, an obstacle in his way. he'll always find a way

to overcome that. for what he faces every day, and he stays so happy. he's always upbeat. what did you say to him before he went under his anesthetic? that i'm so proud of him and that i love him very much. all equipment available for today? yes. communication clear at all times? very good — more than five hours later, surgeonjames fernandez is leading a post—operation debrief. thank you for my dream team. how did the surgery go? i'm quite well. we're trying to stabilise the hip, but not, of course, like not like putting a hip replacement. we are actually creating what is called a false hip by bending the bone, but using a fixator from the outside and then lengthening below. tony's such an inspirational boy, isn't he?

what do you make of him and his family? it's great. as a team, they do well. we have done ourjob. now 50% of the work is done. and it is now for tony and paula to carry on the rest of the work with turning the nuts and bolts to lengthen so that we get that bone a bit longer. so that is almost equal to the other side. it has been very challenging. back at home, and things have been tough for tony and his family. tony's pain has been through the roof. we have to adjust his frame that's around his leg. we have to do a quarter turn four times a day. each time that's done, it is quite painful. it's... metal. and every morning, evening and before i go to bed, - we do tightenings. it must be a bit tough at the moment, because you're not

quite as mobile as you were. i have to get mum . and dad to carry me. good boy. i mean, your mum and dad have been amazing, haven't they? really helpful. i mean, he's being so brave. he really is. he's really, really trying. but he's just lost his little spark at the moment, hasn't it? it's really, really tough for him. good boy. hopefully it will. .. we'll see the benefits. three, two, one. there will be painful days ahead, but tony is a strong and courageous boy who doesn't back down from a challenge. tim muffett, bbc news. and we all send our very, very best wishes to tony. i know it is a long journey for him, but if there is any kid who can do it, it's tony. we will keep you updated with all his

progress. as sally says, along process ahead, but we will let you know how he's getting on. it is 23 minutes past six. let's take a look at today's papers. the metro leads with the latest figures on channel crossings, reporting that nearly 800 migrants made the journey over the easter bank holiday weekend. the paper says it piles more pressure on rishi sunak as it takes the total number of people crossing so far this year to 5,000. the i says the prime minister has been warned not to rely on an economic upturn to boost conservative hopes in the local and general elections. the paper quotes one government insider as saying that using the economy as a campaign tool is not working among local voters. the daily mail has a picture ofjk rowling with the headline arrest me. ms rowling, who lives in edinburgh, believes the anti—hate crime law that has come into force in scotland is a threat to free speech. and the sun leads with sport fans

sharing their apparent fury over team gb�*s redesign of the union flag for the paris olympics. it follows the row over nike's reimagining of the st george's cross design on its new england kit. now, how much chocolate have you had over the weekend? here is one way to work off those extra calories. this is a bottle that's being filled with a gallon on beer, ready for the hallaton bottle kicking event that's thought to have been taking place in leicestershire for the last 2,000 years. the day starts with a parade of a hare pie which is given out to spectators. and then two teams from the villages of hallaton and medbourne compete to move two of the three barrels to the opposition�*s stream. are you still with us? the winning team wins bragging rights for the next 12

months and the two barrels filled with beer. the losing village gets the third barrel, which is empty. harsh! this is phil allan, who's been the chairman of the event for over 50 years. that is hidden there. he won the best of three event 2—0. he says there are often injuries. including "some broken legs and collarbones". i guess that is part of taking part. madness! still to come on breakfast... she has been performing for six decades. now, as lulu prepares for a farewell tour, she talks about her career, her music, and the long lost record she made with david bowie.

we'll hear from her at ten to seven. it isa it is a great chat. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. hello, good morning from bbc london, i'm tolu adeoye. an iranian tv host stabbed outside his home in wimbledon has been discharged from hospital and says he is now staying in a safe place. pouria zeraati was attacked by a group on friday. his london based tv station said it had faced "heavy threats" for 18 months. counter—terrorism officers are leading the investigation but no arrests have yet been made. the iranian regime has denied any involvement. a great—grandfather from north west london who's helped to advise thousands of victims of the windrush scandal about compensation says he fears the government's just waiting for them to "die off". conroy downie, who was born

injamaica and came to the uk as a teenager, is calling for the compensation scheme, which was launched five years ago this week, to be run independently. the home office has said it's committed to "righting the wrongs" of the windrush scandal. london lions women's basketball team will make history tomorrow night when they become the first british side ever to play in the final of a european competition. they'll take on turkish side besiktas. the players are raring to go. energy's really good, everyone is really locked—in. we're here, now, it's kind of unbelievable still. but we have to get the job done in turkey first and i know there's going to be tonnes of fans supporting us when we play home. a london theatre has celebrated 50 years of hosting the world's longest—running play, agatha christie's the mousetrap. the production opened in the west end in 1952 at the london ambassador's theatre, before moving next door to its current home in st martin's theatre. there have been nearly 30,000 performances. let's take a look at the tubes now.

a few issues — the bakerloo line is part suspended. the dlr has minor delays, thejubilee line has severe delays. the northern line is part closed and the piccadilly line has minor delays. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. quite a cloudy start to the day with some pretty heavy showers overnight last night. and today we are expecting sunny spells and further scattered showers to develop during the day. the heavy showers from overnight will continue to clear out into the north sea and we are left with some sunshine developing and some scattered showers, but these showers will not be as heavy or frequent as yesterday. temperatures reaching around 13 to 15 celsius and quite breezy out there as well. during the evening, thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain spreading up from the south—west. some of this rain may be heavy in places and temperatures, overnight holding up at around nine to 11 celsius so quite a mild night in store and still quite breezy out there as well. looking ahead to the next few days, staying unsettled, low pressure nearby. these series of weather fronts arriving in bringing some strong winds at times,

some further outbreaks of rain, and temperatures gradually rising so by the weekend, whilst it will remain unsettled with some outbreaks of rain, on saturday as well, temperatures will reach around 17 or 18 celsius in places. now, fancy a career in gardening? the royal parks charity is looking for ten new apprentices. the scheme's open to all ages. you can read more about the scheme on our website. i'll be back with another update in around half an hour. but now it's back to ben and sally. hello, this is breakfast with ben thompson and sally nugent. some working parents in england can now access 15 hours of funded weekly childcare for their two—year—olds. the expanded scheme came into effect this week. nina's here. nina, the hope is it'll help parents return to work.

that's right. economically inactive is the phrase the chancellor used to refer to parents who were staying at home and could not contribute to the economy, obviously contributing massively society but he wanted to get them back to work because we have got the gaps in the job market. is it going to work now? we talk about it a lot, and you might well be living it. nursery costs that suck your income or in lots of cases stop you returning to work. so last year the chancellor announced extra help. let's look at what's changing. yesterday the roll—out began. most working parents of two—year—olds are now eligible for 15 hours of government funded childcare a week during term time. this will be extended to working parents of all children nine months and overfrom september. before the full roll—out of 30 hours a week to all eligible families with children under five a year later. it's worth checking online though

because you could be entitled to more care now, if you have a three or four—year—old, if you're on certain benefits or less if you are a high earner. good news for some parents then, but providers are worried about demand. by september 2025, demand is likely to have risen by 15%, the equivalent of more than 100,000 additional spots. and then there's concern around the amount of funding. the government's increased the hourly rate it pays providers. but that doesn't always cover the costs. so, some are charging for extras like meals and nappies to bridge that gap. a few weeks ago we spoke to therese. her two—year—old daughter quinn is now eligible for 15 funded hours but it won't be coming her way. our nursery has had to take the really tough decision to opt out of the funding hours because they are currently running at a massive deficit. we've had four, i think between four or five nurseries close in the local area. there is another nursery

in the village but even they're having to look at the same thing, whether they can actually afford to run with the scheme that's currently in place. a really frustrating situation for therese. although all three and four—year—olds are entitled to some funded childcare across the uk, there are different schemes in scotland, wales and northern ireland. we would love to hear from you. maybe this week your financial situation changed because of the expansion. are you one of the parents able to return to work? or a parent whose nursery isn't able to offer a spot? or perhaps you are a childcare provider. what difference has it made to you? get in touch in all the usual ways. i have got a tiny baby and the parents i speak to say, great, it is helpful but if you are thinking about whether or not this will get you back to work, 15 hours per week only in term time, is it enough to make a switch?— only in term time, is it enough to make a switch? �* .. , i. make a switch? because you then need to to u- make a switch? because you then need to tap up with — make a switch? because you then need to tap up with the _ make a switch? because you then need to top up with the rest _ make a switch? because you then need to top up with the rest of _ make a switch? because you then need to top up with the rest of the _ make a switch? because you then need to top up with the rest of the hours - to top up with the rest of the hours and make the money to be able to afford to do that.—

and make the money to be able to afford to do that. as nina hasjust explained, these are potentially significant changes for parents, children and childcare providers but a lot of questions remain over how the roll—out of this will work. labour has criticised the government's policy and pat mcfadden, the party's national campaign coordinator, joins us now from westminster. good morning to you. let's clarify, what is labour �*s position on this? as we were there, working parent in england can now access 15 hours a funded weekly childcare, for two—year—olds, it will be extended to under fives from september 2025, will labour committed to do that if you win office? it is will labour committed to do that if you win office?— you win office? it is a good aim to exand you win office? it is a good aim to expand childcare _ you win office? it is a good aim to expand childcare provision - you win office? it is a good aim to expand childcare provision and . you win office? it is a good aim toj expand childcare provision and we have been talking about this for some time. it is good for children because a good high quality nursery education can be a great start in life and we want children to be ready by the time they start school. it's also good for parents, if they can get back to work. and at the

moment for parents trying to find a place and go back to work, it can be very expensive. so it's a good aim but our concern about the proposals as they stand is really about the ability to deliver. if you fund the demand, you have to make sure that the supply is there. we have had a recent report from ofsted that showed that there has been a decline in the number of available places in the last nine months of last month. —— of last year. we are concerned about the deliverability of this scheme and we want to make sure that people's entitlement is matched with an available places. bud people's entitlement is matched with an available places.— an available places. and therefore the question _ an available places. and therefore the question is, _ an available places. and therefore the question is, how _ an available places. and therefore the question is, how would - an available places. and therefore the question is, how would you i an available places. and therefore the question is, how would you do an available places. and therefore l the question is, how would you do it differently to make sure there is more availability? you are right to highlight the concerns that people have about getting access to this new service. how would you do it differently? indie new service. how would you do it differently?— new service. how would you do it differentl ? ~ ., ,, ., differently? we have commissioned sir david bell, _ differently? we have commissioned sir david bell, the _ differently? we have commissioned sir david bell, the former— differently? we have commissioned sir david bell, the former chief - sir david bell, the former chief inspector of ofsted, to review this,

come up with a deliverability plan, to make sure that we address the how of this, as well as just the availability of entitlement. because thatis availability of entitlement. because that is the right way to do this, to make sure that people's entitlements are matched with actual places so we don't have theoretical entitlements where people cannot find a place in their local area. the bbc carried news of a surveyjust their local area. the bbc carried news of a survey just a their local area. the bbc carried news of a surveyjust a couple of weeks ago, that said that almost a third of councils had seen a real shortage in places in their area. there is a shortage of places to match entitlement which is why we have asked sir david bell, the former chief inspector of ofsted, to carry out a review of this to make sure that this is implemented properly. sure that this is implemented --roerl . �* ., sure that this is implemented --roerl. �* ., , . properly. and when are you expecting to hear the results _ properly. and when are you expecting to hear the results of— properly. and when are you expecting to hear the results of that _ properly. and when are you expecting to hear the results of that review? - to hear the results of that review? because a lot of people as we approach what will be a general election this year will want to know how you deliver this and how you will pay for it. the conservatives

say that this expansion will cost £4 billion, any further provision will cost more presumably, how will you fund it? we cost more presumably, how will you fund it? ~ ., ., ., .,~ fund it? we are not intended to take an one's fund it? we are not intended to take anyone's entitlement _ fund it? we are not intended to take anyone's entitlement away, - fund it? we are not intended to take anyone's entitlement away, i - fund it? we are not intended to take anyone's entitlement away, i want i fund it? we are not intended to take| anyone's entitlement away, i want to be clear about that. we want sir david bell to report in good time, we understand the election is likely to take place later this year, we know the timetable that has been set out. we want him to report in time for any changes to be able to be implemented in that time. while you are with us this _ implemented in that time. while you are with us this morning, _ implemented in that time. while you are with us this morning, there - implemented in that time. while you are with us this morning, there are l are with us this morning, there are are with us this morning, there are a few other things i would like to talk to you about, our top story this morning is those reports that a british national reported to be among at least seven aid workers killed in an israeli air strike in gaza. once again, a reminder of the risks that aid workers are facing right now and a reminder of an urgent need to resolve this crisis, isn't it? , , ., , ,

isn't it? yes, it is. there has been an appalling _ isn't it? yes, it is. there has been an appalling death _ isn't it? yes, it is. there has been an appalling death toll _ isn't it? yes, it is. there has been an appalling death toll beginning i an appalling death toll beginning one october seven to the hamas attack and then the six months since then, with tens of thousands of palestinians being killed throughout this conflict. there have been three things in our mind throughout, number one, the return of the hostages that were taken on october seven, numbertwo, an end hostages that were taken on october seven, number two, an end to this conflict, numberthree, and seven, number two, an end to this conflict, number three, and this is crucial, a betterfuture for the palestinians. there is no point in just pressing a pause button without the political work needed to rebuild a future for the palestinian people. and the news you have just reported underlines all of the importance of those points. underlines all of the importance of those pointe— underlines all of the importance of those points-— underlines all of the importance of those points. also a reminder about how divisive — those points. also a reminder about how divisive the _ those points. also a reminder about how divisive the politics _ those points. also a reminder about how divisive the politics can - those points. also a reminder about how divisive the politics can be - how divisive the politics can be around what is going on there. new reports, 20 lancashire council is resigning their memberships of labour in protest of the party's

leadership, following 11 councillors quitting labour in november, saying over sir keir starmer�*s decision not to push for a ceasefire in gaza. how damaging to labour's chances of winning the next election are these defections? i winning the next election are these defections? ., , ., , , defections? i regret to see anybody takin: that defections? i regret to see anybody taking that decision, _ defections? i regret to see anybody taking that decision, but _ defections? i regret to see anybody taking that decision, but the - defections? i regret to see anybody taking that decision, but the three l taking that decision, but the three things that we have been pushing for remain as i outlined a moment or two ago. ourfocus will remain as i outlined a moment or two ago. our focus will be on the 2000 plus labour candidates standing in the local elections coming up on the 2nd of may, and our labour mayoral candidates standing. i understand why people have strong feelings about this, given what that they are saying the news every night, and we will continue to push for a return of the hostages, a cessation of the fighting ended betterfuture for the police —— for the palestinian people. police -- for the palestinian --eole. ., ~' ,, police -- for the palestinian --eole. ., ~ ,, ., police -- for the palestinian --eole. ., ~ ., ., , people. thank you for “oining us, pat mcfadden. h

talking about that story this morning about child care, we have the education secretary coming up in an hour. if you have any questions you would like us to put to her, whether or not you can get a place for your child and whether place might be, do let us know. we will ut this might be, do let us know. we will put this question _ might be, do let us know. we will put this question is _ might be, do let us know. we will put this question is to _ might be, do let us know. we will put this question is to her - might be, do let us know. we will put this question is to her right i put this question is to her right now. let's get the sport now with chetan. , ., , ., , , ., chetan. yes, the championship, great names on chetan. yes, the championship, great games on good _ chetan. yes, the championship, great games on good friday _ chetan. yes, the championship, great games on good friday and _ chetan. yes, the championship, great games on good friday and easter- games on good friday and easter monday, and ed sheeran there, very excited to see there. there is a debate whether he stayed to the end because there was a 97th minute winner. he because there was a 97th minute winner. , ., because there was a 97th minute winner. , . ., , . | winner. he beat the traffic. i assume he _ winner. he beat the traffic. i assume he is _ winner. he beat the traffic. i assume he is still _ winner. he beat the traffic. i assume he is still waking - winner. he beat the traffic. i assume he is still waking up| winner. he beat the traffic. i- assume he is still waking up happy. it is the race for the automatic promotion places in the championship.

ipswich are top, ahead of leeds by one point, after a breathless 3—2 win against southampton at portman road. and they had to come from behind to get it. nathan broadhead with the equaliser with little over 20 minutes remaining. ed sheeran enjoyed that along with the rest of the ipswich fans and things got even better in the 97th minute. jeremy sarmiento with a late winner against the ten men which set off pandemonium inside portman road. the commentary suggesting that ed sheeran had left before that. the rest of the ground revelling in the moment, with their side going from third, to top in the blink of an eye. and they are just a point above leeds in second. this foul on crysencio summerville with minutes to go saw him score the penalty which put them 2—1 up against hull. the visitors pressed for an equaliser but left themselves exposed in defence. wales international danjames taking full advantage in the dying seconds. 3—1 the final score. and that was the result at leicester too. they had to come from behind

to beat norwich city. jamie vardy helping to put their championship promotion charge back on track. only their second victory in seven league games. they are third, two points off the top but with a game in hand. the world men's curling championship got under way at the weekend and defending champions, scotland, are among those aiming for the medals. but you won't have to wait for their matches to see scottish representation. every curling stone used at the championships is made from granite found only on the island of ailsa craig, off the country's west coast. and the company which shapes the stones has given us a glimpse at this unique process. what's stood the test of time is certainly this type of rock that's here. this metamorphic rock from this small island.

it's hard to believe that take it from a rough rock like this, ends up into a masterpiece and somebody throws that rock that then ends up winning the gold medal. this is kays of scotland. we manufacture curling stones for the olympics and the world championships in over 17 different countries. we've been here for 174 years. this is where we use all the hand tools. and it's really the skill of the crafter that gives it that final finished shape of the curling stone. the operation was known as three hand turning and grinding. it meant that the success of the product was dependent on the skill of the operator. the operator had to coordinate hand and eye to get the proper size and shape of the stone. all the curling stones that

kays curling makes and has made over the years has come from this island. we have been taking granite here for the last 170 odd years. these are the stones that's been accredited by the world curling and have been used in every olympic games since 1998. so out of that one boulder, you'd probably get something like 70 to 80 curling stones, out of this one boulder. we do this harvest roughly every ten years, and the product we take, like, this material we've got here should last us ten to 12 years based on the market growth at that point. the ailsa craig is definitely far and away the best material that's ever been located anywhere because of its unique composition. very, very fine micrograin granite which resists wear and tear.

ice can be very abrasive so the ailsa craig material resists the wear and tear of the ice. the ailsa rock. that's the beginning _ of all the world's curling stones. hard to imagine they're stood here and over 100 years ago, there's people like me coming across here to dig out the stone, to then manufacture the stone and then rough cut it here. such a unique and interesting job with such a great and fantastic story. it's incredible, isn't it? and you can watch scotland's games in the championship today, tomorrow and on friday on the iplayer and bbc sport website. i never knew that about the stones. i never knew that about the stones. i wonder if that brings an extra special luck?— i wonder if that brings an extra special luck? hopefully, they are not doinu

special luck? hopefully, they are not doing too _ special luck? hopefully, they are not doing too badly, _ special luck? hopefully, they are not doing too badly, four- special luck? hopefully, they are not doing too badly, four wins i special luck? hopefully, they are | not doing too badly, four wins out of five and contenders for gold. sweet and other favourite that may bring a little bit of luck for them. —— sweden are the favourite. let’s -- sweden are the favourite. let's see if there's _ -- sweden are the favourite. let's see if there's any _ -- sweden are the favourite. let's see if there's any luck _ -- sweden are the favourite. let's see if there's any luck in _ -- sweden are the favourite. let's see if there's any luck in the - see if there's any luck in the weather, carol telling as it might be getting warmer. yes, it is getting warmer, ben, more especially into the weekend. some of us will have a chilly week, particularly north—east of scotland with a chilly wind, and sunny intervals for many. spells of rain crossing the whole of the country and then turning much milder by the weekend. you can see this quite nicely on this chart. the yellow across most of the country away from scotland where we hang on to the blue, especially across the far north. then a southerly wind spreading across through friday into saturday, then the temperatures pick up. we could see 19 degrees. this is more likely on saturday across east anglia and the south—east of

england, but across for example the northern isles where it has been five and six, and will be this week, we will get back into double figures. today we have got a lot of cloud to start the day across scotland, northern england and northern ireland with some rain and drizzle. it will brighten up for northern ireland and northern england and as we come south, the showers will have cleared the south—east, there will be sunshine in isolated showers before the next batch of rain sweeps in from the south—west through the afternoon with strengthening winds. temperatures up to 15. this evening and overnight in a band of rain drifts steadily north, further cloud and some rain across parts of scotland, windy as well here. when the across parts of the south or breezy at least, —— windy across parts of the south. temperature tomorrow morning will be mild in the south but still chilly in the north. tomorrow, the low pressure driving

our weather pulls off into the north sea but it leaves a legacy of cloud and rain across parts of southern scotland and northern england and northern ireland. we expect it to brighten up across northern ireland with a few showers through the day and parts of northern england as well, but the brighter skies are likely to be on the far south of england and the far north of scotland. we still have brisk winds across the far north—east during the course of wednesday and that will dampen down the temperature, 5 degrees in lerwick to 15 in norwich and london. 10 degrees difference north to south. thursday, the low pressure coming into the south—west pulls away into the north sea. it will leave a legacy of cloud across the north and east, brighter skies for a time in the south, but then we have a repeat performance as more rain comes in with strengthening winds from the south—west. the

weather is all over the place this week, but low pressure really is in charge. a bit of everything, thank you for explaining it. it's now six decades since marie mcdonald mclocklin lorrie traded herfour names forjust one, lulu. when she released "shout", in1961l, it catapulted her to chart success across the globe. this weekend sees the start of lulu's farewell tour and she's been looking back on a career full of highlights with our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson. # you know you make me wanna shout, look, my hand'sjumping # look, my heart's bumping... 1964, a 15—year—old lulu in the film uk swings again, making a big noise with a first single shout. now, exactly 60 years later, she's about to embark on herfinal ever tour. to be honest with you, if when i was 15 years old and i would have, someone would have suggested i'd be doing a farewell tour when i was 75,

i'd have said, you're having a laugh! how difficult a decision was it? you almost need an army to go on the road, and... i don't want to do it like this any more. i was 75 in november and it's 60 years this year. it's sort of people kept saying, how are you going to celebrate? how are you going to celebrate? in a way, it's a chance for me to party. this is how i party. there have been many lulu landmarks. to sir with love made her the first scottish solo act to have a us number one. # my heart goes boom—bang—a—bang, boom—bang—a—bang, when you are near. she also won eurovision. # an assassin that's second to none # the man with the golden gun... and recorded a bond theme. 60 year career. how much of an achievement is that?

to be living at 75 is an achievement and to still be able to sing and to have energy and have your health is an incredible blessing in life. i feel very... i've always said i feel lucky and i'm grateful. i think that is really important. i get down on my knees every morning and thank god forjust being alive and for what i've got. for being lulu. for being lulu, i mean, wouldn't you want to be lulu? no, thanks! # we—e—e—e—ell. do you ever wish you had an easier signature song? because that is one you have to belt out. with shout, you either get "we—e—e—e—e—lll..." people try to get it, but as you can see, i can still do it.

so why would i think it was a... i should have something easier? i think because i'm working class and i've thought about this recently as i'm getting older, because i'm working class, i have a very strong work ethic and i don't look for things to be easy necessarily. lots of singers lose their voice over the years. how have you kept yours? i'm very disciplined. i've learned, in fact, to use my vowels and to speak like this and use the whole range of my voice right down to there. and also exercise my voice. sings operatically. all that stuff. watch my diet, i exercise, and i don't speak before 12 noon when i'm on tour. whoa, not at all? big deal, you know, that's not a big deal. i mean, i've done total silence for weeks, and it's all about being disciplined. i don't know why, but i find that

hard to believe having met you a few times. i think i'm lying? after crying all the way to the altar, lulu emerged as mrs lulu gibbs. hubby maurice was a lucky guy. he got the girls thousands of fellows would give their right arm for. from a young age, lulu had to get used to life in the public eye. at 20, her marriage to maurice gibb from the bee gees made headlines around the world. what have you learnt about fame over these decades? that's a very good question. what have i learnt about fame? just to be famous is quite a difficult thing to cope with and is not the answer to all your dreams. fame is only what's on the outside. it seems like they're rich, famous, got everything at their fingertips. that's not really what it's all about. i think i'm lucky again because i am good at recovering from maybe a bad spell, a tough, you know, marriage,

you know, i always wanted to have lots of children, i thought, and then when it came to it, i didn't. that was a heartbreak for me. but you come through, you know, you come through. and what i've trained myself to do is to look at what i've got and not so much what i don't have. # you're face to face with the man who sold the world. among her many collaborations was a hit single she made with david bowie. that was a special moment in my life. he said, "i'm going to make a hit record with you." true to his word, he made that single and we were going to do much more together. we had planned to do an album, and i went to new york and did a couple of recordings and they've disappeared. i'd love to get the other song, though. # can you hear me? # can you feel me inside? # show your love # take it in right,

take it in right. oh, my god. that was the song, one of the songs that i did with him. and it's lost. can you hear me, mm. # you gotta be strong enough to walk on through the night # there's a new day on the other side. and such has been lulu's longevity that even her number one with take that was 31 years ago. it was an incredible thing. and they were very, very respectful, is the word, i think, because, of course, they were like in their teens, i think, and i was 40. but i've had many reinventions in my life and that was a big one. and now we're family. # relight my fire! lulu, lovely to speak to you. nice to speak to you. you ready for the tour? i was born ready. i think that's been said

before, but i stole it! i think she is allowed to steal anything she likes! and lulu's farewell tour is called champagne for lulu, after a line from the absolutely fabulous episode where she made a cameo. mm—hmm. lulu. — what do you want, lulu? oh, i'd like one of those. and i'll have two of those. yes. lulu. — and i'll have three of these. steady on, sweetie. and let's go for the champagne. champagne for lulu! in case you hadn't noticed, that was a chilly lulu! time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. i'm tolu adeoye. an iranian tv host stabbed outside his home in wimbledon has been discharged from hospital and says he is now staying in a safe place.

pouria zeraati was attacked by a group on friday. his london—based tv station said it had faced heavy threats for 18 months. counter—terrorism officers are leading the investigation, but no arrests have yet been made. the iranian regime has denied any involvement. a great—grandfather from north west london who's helped to advise thousands of victims of the windrush scandal about compensation says he fears the government's just waiting for them to "die off". conroy downie, who was born injamaica and came to the uk as a teenager, is calling for the compensation scheme, which was launched five years ago this week, to be run independently. the home office has said it's committed to "righting the wrongs" of the windrush scandal. london lions women's basketball team will make history tomorrow night when they become the first british side ever to play in the final of a european competition. they'll take on turkish side besiktas. the players are raring to go. energy's really good, everyone is really locked—in. we're here, now, it's kind of unbelievable still.

but we have to get the job done in turkey first and i know there's going to be tonnes of fans supporting us when we play home. a london theatre has celebrated 50 years of hosting the world's longest—running play, agatha christie's the mousetrap. the production opened in the west end in 1952 at the london ambassador's theatre, before moving next door to its current home in st martin's theatre. there have been nearly 30,000 performances. let's take a look at the tubes now. a few issues — the bakerloo line is part suspended. the dlr and district lines have minor delays, thejubilee has severe delays. northern is part closed, and piccadilly has minor delays. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. quite a cloudy start to the day with some pretty heavy showers overnight last night. and today we are expecting sunny spells and further scattered showers to develop during the day.

the heavy showers from overnight will continue to clear out into the north sea and we are left with some sunshine developing and some scattered showers, but these showers will not be as heavy or frequent as yesterday. temperatures reaching around 13 to 15 celsius and quite breezy out there as well. during the evening, thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain spreading up from the south—west. some of this rain may be heavy in places and temperatures, overnight holding up at around nine to 11 celsius so quite a mild night in store and still quite breezy out there as well. looking ahead to the next few days, staying unsettled, low pressure nearby. these series of weather fronts arriving in bringing some strong winds at times, some further outbreaks of rain, and temperatures gradually rising so by the weekend, whilst it will remain unsettled with some outbreaks of rain, on saturday as well, temperatures will reach around 17 or 18 celsius in places. now, fancy a career in gardening? the royal parks charity is looking for ten new apprentices. the scheme's open to all ages — you can read more about the scheme on our website. i'll be back with another update in around half an hour. bye— bye.

good morning. welcome to breakfast with ben thompson and sally nugent. our headlines today... a british national is among seven aid workers who have been killed by israeli air strikes in gaza. the deaths come amid rising

tensions in the middle east following a suspected israeli air strike on iran's consulate in the syrian capital damascus. a game—changing treatement for type one diabetes. the nhs in england begins to contact tens of thousands of people who are eligible for an artificial pancreas. working parents of two—year—olds in england are now eligible for some free childcare — but there are questions over the number of spaces available. and why funding pressures at national park authority is like here in the peak district could lead to difficult cutbacks, including reducing maintaining footpaths, which means many of us won't be able to access these beautiful landscapes. good morning. another day of drama in the championship. to the delight of ed sheeran and the home fans at portman road, ipswich town are top of the table thanks to a late late winner.

good morning. the weatherfor the rest of this week remains unsettled. it will be wet and windy with sunny intervals, but it is turning warmer ijy intervals, but it is turning warmer by the weekend. all the details later in the programme. it's monday the 2nd of april. our main story. a british national is reported to be among at least seven aid workers who have been killed in an israeli air strike in gaza. the charity world central kitchen, which distributes food in the territory, confirmed some of its staff had been killed and called the deaths a tragedy. the israeli military says it's conducting a review. our reporter, graham satchell, has the latest. the bodies of six aid workers being taken to a hospital in central gaza. all were working for the charity world central kitchen, and they were hit by an israeli air strike while driving in northern gaza. the charity said seven were killed

from all corners of the world. britain, poland, australia, america, canada and palestine. the smiling face of australians, one of whom lost their lives. she had been working on girls are helping to organise the supply and preparation of food. the australian government is demanding answers. the of food. the australian government is demanding answers.— is demanding answers. the truth is that this is beyond _ is demanding answers. the truth is that this is beyond any _ is demanding answers. the truth is that this is beyond any reasonable | that this is beyond any reasonable circumstance. that somebody going about providing aid and humanitarian assistance should lose their life. this is a video produced by the charity. it is one of the biggest providers of food aid in gaza and has produced more than 14 million meals since last october. in a statement, the israeli military said it was conducting a review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident. but the deaths have been condemned by the founder of the charityjose andres. he said the israeli government needs

to stop this indiscriminate killing. it needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. in the syrian capital damascus, the clear—up has started after an israeli air strike on iran's consulate. two senior commanders of the iranian revolutionary guard were killed in the attack. it is the clearest sign yet that this conflict is escalating. the iranian ambassador hinted at retaliation. translation: definitely, - the zionist regime knows better than anyone that such crimes and violating international law will have its response in an appropriate time. the deaths of foreign aid workers in gaza will put international pressure on israel. governments around the world will want assurances that charities and their staff can operate safely. graham satchell, bbc news.

our middle east correspondent yolande knell is in jerusalem for us now. yolande, what more are we hearing this morning? when it comes to this attack on the convoy, what we are hearing is that world central kitchen, this us charity that has brought in so much food to gaza, that has been running this soup kitchen out of rafah in the south and has been involved in opening up the maritime route, bring in the first food from cyprus into gaza, they have been saying that what happened is that their team had just unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food aid brought in by sea to a warehouse in the centre of the gaza strip. they say that they have been coordinating their movements carefully with the israeli military, and after that their convoy was still hit. very strong words coming out, the ceo of the organisation calling this attack on aid workers

unforgivable. the israeli military says it is carrying out an in—depth examination of the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident. but worryingly also, the world central kitchen says it is now pausing its operations in gaza which have been so important there because of course this is a territory that is facing now a man—made famine, according to the un, and it says it is going to look at its operations in future, whether it carries on its work.— it carries on its work. thank you very much- _ and now ben has more of today's newest. sally, thank you very much. as of this week, some working parents in england can access more government—funded childcare for their children. up until the end of march, there were 30 hours per week of funded childcare available to three— and four—year—olds. that has now been extended, with 15 hours per week available for two—year—olds during school term time.

the government claims it will mean more than 150,000 children will be able to access a government—funded childcare place. but many in the industry are warning the funding does not meet demand and there is a shortage of available places. vanessa clarke reports. yay! from a quick stumble to the back of the net. the two—year—olds here at monkton nursery in liverpool are quick learners. some of their childcare hours are now being paid for by the government, giving their parents a helping hand. but balancing the books is proving tricky for the nursery. the only way that we can remain financially viable is by asking the parents for a supplement to the funding, a subsidy allowance. parents are unclear as to how the funding works, so in a way, they're blaming the nurseries for charging extra because they think it's all going to be free. the first part of the roll—out is aimed at eligible working parents of two—year—olds who can now access 15 hours.

the next step will be for younger children. for kirsty, who works in a children's home, the changes are a chance to increase her hours at work. that's if she can find a place. i've been to three nurseries and i've put her down on three waiting lists because they're all got massive waiting lists now, because there's not enough nurseries for the hours that are funded. so yeah, it will help — if i can get her in somewhere. the department for education says it is confident in the strength of the childcare market to deliver this expansion, and that funding rates for younger children have increased, as have the number of childcare places and staff. as demand grows, the plans rely on nurseries and childminders providing even more places like this. with the annual cost of a nursery space now more than £15,000, any help will be welcome news to parents. but as the sector prepares for the next expansion in september, which will include even younger children, questions over funding, availability and staffing will continue. vanessa clarke, bbc news, liverpool.

in other news today. 20 councillors in pendle in lancashire have resigned from labour in protest at the party's leadership. the group say sir keir starmer�*s policies no longer reflect their views, and the mass resignation is believed to be the largest defection since sir keir became leader of the opposition. labour says it's focused on winning the next general election. nine nhs trauma centres in england are taking part in a new study to see if giving antidepressants to people straight after they suffer a serious brain injury could reduce their likelihood of developing the condition. this research suggests rates of depression in people who have experienced brain trauma are ten times higher than in the general population. new figures show that shop prices rose last month at their slowest rate in more than two years. the british retail consortium says

that lower food costs and increased competition eased inflation to 1.3%. the sports brand adidas has banned german football fans from buying their country's kit with the number 44 on the back. concerns had been raised that it looked similar to the symbol used by nazi ss units in world war ii. adidas denied the resemblance was intentional and said they would block any fan from personalising their shirt with those numbers. the former us president donald trump has posted a $175 million bond in his new york civilfraud case. mr trump, who is standing for the presidency again this year, was found liable in february forfraudulently inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan terms — a decision he is appealing. two neighbours who have lived on the same road for more than 30 years have both turned 100 years old on the exact same day.

josie church and anne wallace—hadrill, from oxford, were born on the 1st of april 1924 — and celebrated with a special party, as the street came together to sing happy birthday to the pair. i feel about 100. actually, overwhelmed! i can't believe it. i mean, i'm so lucky. this road is to me exceptional. i know most of the people in it. they all seem to know me, and we're all so friendly. happy birthday to them! incredible women. they do not look 100. not at all. the power of community. i wonder if they are helped by where they live. and they seem to know their neighbours and to like living where they do. a humpback whale was freed after becoming trapped in fishing ropes in cornwall over the weekend.

take a look at this. lifeboat crews managed to successfully rescue the whale just off the coast of penzance, despite the rough waters. the whale, named ivy, had got its head and dorsalfin tangled in the ropes. we'll get more on this just after 8:30 this morning. incredible pictures. really tough conditions to be doing that, as well. carol has been talking to us this morning about the possibility of things getting a little bit warmer, but it is looking foggy in york. good morning. you are absolutely right. good morning, everybody! it is a foggy start in york, as you can see from this weather watcher picture. it is a murky start for some of us, cloudy and wet with rain continuing across parts of scotland, drizzle in northern ireland, rain across northern england and a band of showers pushing south eastwards through the course of the night. they will clear in the next couple

of hours. it should brighten up a touch. we still have this key north—easterly breeze really making it feel quite cool, and also rain coming in from the north sea. also across northern england, tending to fizzle a bit, and as we come south, we are looking at some bright and sunny skies, isolated showers behind the showers clearing this morning, but later in the day we have this next batch of wet and windy weather coming up from the south—west, and thatis coming up from the south—west, and that is going to be slowly pushing north and east. temperatures today ranging from a chilly five or six in lerwick to 14 or 15 as we slipped down towards birmingham and london. through this evening and overnight, this band of rain marches steadily northwards with all this cloud. we hang onto cloudy conditions with rain across parts of scotland, and that rain through wales and northern ireland, quite mild for most of us away from the north. tomorrow we

start with the rain across northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland. it should clear away from northern ireland, leaving showers on its wake. to the north, still at brisk wind and a fair bit of cloud with some splashes of rain. sunny skies across the far south. but then the next area of low pressure will bring more rain. there is always a kicker, isn't there? there is always some rain somewhere. the nhs in england is starting the process of contacting tens of thousands of people living with type 1 diabetes, in the first step towards rolling out what's known as an artificial pancreas. the move would mean patients no longer have to inject insulin. we will be speaking to one patient in a moment but first our health correspondent, dominic hughes, can explain what it involves. i'm just going to pull this down,

just do your height. two years ago, we reported on how six—year—old charlotte was taking part in a trial of a device that could radically change the way she manages her type one diabetes. this around yourarm... rather than regular fingerprick tests to check her blood glucose and then injecting insulin, charlotte was using what's known as an artificial pancreas. the device continually monitors a person's blood glucose, then automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given to them through a pump. now thousands more people will be assessed to see if they, too, can use the pumps, something that experts say will be a game changer. for many people with type one diabetes, managing their condition means a lot of thinking of before they do a lot of things, such as eating, such as going for a run. but with this technology, a lot of those day—to—day thinking and working out things will be reduced. more than 300,000 people are living with type one diabetes in the uk.

the devices will be rolled out to children and young people under 18 with the condition as well as pregnant women and those adults with type one diabetes who have an elevated blood sugar level. retired engineer les is one of those who, like charlotte, took part in the trial. i very quickly, my blood glucose control, itjust was a tremendous improvement, to the point where i'm now below the diagnostic threshold for type one diabetes. i feel healthier in myself, more able to do everything. what's my glucose? computer: 0k, viewing. you're 5.9 and steady. the devices are already available in scotland to some patients, but they don't suit everyone. and nhs bosses have warned of challenges in getting enough supply of the devices, plus the need to train more staff in how to use them. that means it could take five years before everyone eligible has the opportunity to have one.

dominic hughes, bbc news. joining us now is eight—year—old charlotte, who has an artifical pancreas, and her mum ange who also has type 1 diabetes. joining us from east london is douglas twennyfourfrom diabetes uk. good morning, everyone. charlotte, i am going to ask you the very first question, because you are a superstar for us today. you question, because you are a superstarfor us today. you have question, because you are a superstar for us today. you have one of these new contraptions. tell us what difference it has made to you. well... ., , .,, , what difference it has made to you. well... ., , , well... for us, it has given us back our lives. — well... for us, it has given us back our lives, because _ well... for us, it has given us back our lives, because so _ well... for us, it has given us back our lives, because so much - well... for us, it has given us back our lives, because so much time i well... for us, it has given us back our lives, because so much time is| our lives, because so much time is spent _ our lives, because so much time is spent constantiy_ our lives, because so much time is spent constantly monitoring, i spent constantly monitoring, consiantiy _ spent constantly monitoring, constantly thinking, - spent constantly monitoring, constantly thinking, having l spent constantly monitoring, | constantly thinking, having to spent constantly monitoring, i constantly thinking, having to do manuai— constantly thinking, having to do manual interactions— constantly thinking, having to do manual interactions all— constantly thinking, having to do manual interactions all the - constantly thinking, having to doj manual interactions all the time, but manual interactions all the time, hut this— manual interactions all the time, but this system _ manual interactions all the time, but this system being _ manual interactions all the time, but this system being in - manual interactions all the time, but this system being in places. manual interactions all the time, | but this system being in places in the brain— but this system being in places in the brain working _ but this system being in places in the brain working in _ but this system being in places in the brain working in the - but this system being in places in. the brain working in the background hand has— the brain working in the background hand has freed _ the brain working in the background hand has freed up _ the brain working in the background hand has freed up so— the brain working in the background hand has freed up so much- the brain working in the background hand has freed up so much time, i the brain working in the background i hand has freed up so much time, and steep _ hand has freed up so much time, and steep as— hand has freed up so much time, and steep as welt — sleep as well. more - sleep as well. more sleep, l sleep as well. i more sleep, which sleep as well. - more sleep, which is sleep as well. _ more sleep, which is always sleep as wet. — more sleep, which is always good.

you have got this piece of equipment in your hand, and you are wearing heels. could you hold them upjust in your hand, and you are wearing heels. could you hold them up just a little bit. what can you tell from this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? _ this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? no? _ this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? no? so _ this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? no? so this i this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? no? so this is i this? what does it show us? do you want to explain? no? so this is the | want to explain? no? so this is the insulin _ want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump— want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part— want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part of— want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part of it, _ want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part of it, we - want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part of it, we can i want to explain? no? so this is the insulin pump part of it, we can seel insulin pump part of it, we can see ourcurrent— insulin pump part of it, we can see our current blood _ insulin pump part of it, we can see our current blood sugars. - insulin pump part of it, we can see our current blood sugars. that- insulin pump part of it, we can see our current blood sugars. that is. our current blood sugars. that is updated — our current blood sugars. that is updated every— our current blood sugars. that is updated every five _ our current blood sugars. that is updated every five minutes, i our current blood sugars. that is updated every five minutes, andj our current blood sugars. that is. updated every five minutes, and it tells us _ updated every five minutes, and it tells us if— updated every five minutes, and it tells us if it— updated every five minutes, and it tells us if it is— updated every five minutes, and it tells us if it is giving _ updated every five minutes, and it tells us if it is giving us— updated every five minutes, and it tells us if it is giving us insulin- tells us if it is giving us insulin or stapping _ tells us if it is giving us insulin or stapping the _ tells us if it is giving us insulin or stopping the insulin - tells us if it is giving us insulin or stopping the insulin to i tells us if it is giving us insulin or stopping the insulin to stopj tells us if it is giving us insulin. or stopping the insulin to stop us having _ or stopping the insulin to stop us having a — or stopping the insulin to stop us having a hypo _ or stopping the insulin to stop us having a hypo it _ or stopping the insulin to stop us having a hypo. it has _ or stopping the insulin to stop us having a hypo. it has got - or stopping the insulin to stop us i having a hypo. it has got everything on that— having a hypo. it has got everything on that little — having a hypo. it has got everything on that little screen _ having a hypo. it has got everything on that little screen that _ having a hypo. it has got everything on that little screen that helps i having a hypo. it has got everything on that little screen that helps us i on that little screen that helps us manage _ on that little screen that helps us manage our— on that little screen that helps us manage our diabetes. _ on that little screen that helps us manage our diabetes. find- on that little screen that helps us manage our diabetes.— on that little screen that helps us manage our diabetes. and sue know a lot more about — manage our diabetes. and sue know a lot more about how— manage our diabetes. and sue know a lot more about how your _ manage our diabetes. and sue know a lot more about how your body - manage our diabetes. and sue know a lot more about how your body is i lot more about how your body is responding. what does that change day to day, what does that allow you to do? it day to day, what does that allow you to do? ., , , ., day to day, what does that allow you to do? ., , ., ., ., day to day, what does that allow you to do? ., , i. ., ., ., ., to do? it means you are not have to constantly every _ to do? it means you are not have to constantly every second _ to do? it means you are not have to constantly every second of - to do? it means you are not have to constantly every second of everyday worry _ constantly every second of everyday worry what — constantly every second of everyday worry what is — constantly every second of everyday worry what is going _ constantly every second of everyday worry what is going on, _ constantly every second of everyday worry what is going on, because i constantly every second of everyday worry what is going on, because byl worry what is going on, because by having _ worry what is going on, because by having that — worry what is going on, because by having that better— worry what is going on, because by having that better control, - worry what is going on, because by having that better control, it - worry what is going on, because by having that better control, it is- worry what is going on, because by having that better control, it is in. having that better control, it is in better—

having that better control, it is in better health _ having that better control, it is in better health in _ having that better control, it is in better health in general- having that better control, it is in better health in general and i having that better control, it is in better health in general and it. having that better control, it is in better health in general and it is| better health in general and it is cutting — better health in general and it is cutting down _ better health in general and it is cutting down the _ better health in general and it is cutting down the chance - better health in general and it is cutting down the chance of- better health in general and it is cutting down the chance of the i cutting down the chance of the complications _ cutting down the chance of the complications that _ cutting down the chance of the complications that come - cutting down the chance of the complications that come with i complications that come with diabetes _ complications that come with diabetes as— complications that come with diabetes as well. _ complications that come with diabetes as well. find - complications that come with diabetes as well.— complications that come with diabetes as well. and you can monitor charlotte _ diabetes as well. and you can monitor charlotte remotely. i diabetes as well. and you can i monitor charlotte remotely. so that means that you can worry a bit less. yes, so she can go to play dates or when _ yes, so she can go to play dates or when she _ yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is— yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is in— yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is in school— yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is in school she - yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is in school she is - yes, so she can go to play dates or when she is in school she is able i yes, so she can go to play dates orj when she is in school she is able to do that— when she is in school she is able to do that now. — when she is in school she is able to do that now, because _ when she is in school she is able to do that now, because i— when she is in school she is able to do that now, because i can - when she is in school she is able to do that now, because i can see i do that now, because i can see what's — do that now, because i can see what's happening _ do that now, because i can see what's happening from - do that now, because i can see what's happening from my- do that now, because i can seei what's happening from my sofa. do that now, because i can see - what's happening from my sofa. that must have what's happening from my sofa. must have changed things for you a lot. it must have changed things for you a lot. how must have changed things for you a lot-- how did _ must have changed things for you a lot.- how did it _ must have changed things for you a lot.- how did it change i must have changed things for you a lot. it did. how did it change for ou? lot. it did. how did it change for you? well. _ lot. it did. how did it change for you? well. i _ lot. it did. how did it change for you? well, i don't— lot. it did. how did it change for you? well, i don't have - lot. it did. how did it change for you? well, i don't have to i lot. it did. how did it change for you? well, i don't have to do i you? well, i don't have to do injections _ you? well, i don't have to do injections for _ you? well, i don't have to do injections for every _ you? well, i don't have to do injections for every time i i you? well, i don't have to do i injections for every time i want to eat, injections for every time i want to eat. and — injections for every time i want to eat. and i— injections for every time i want to eat, and i don't have to finger prick— eat, and i don't have to finger prick every— eat, and i don't have to finger prick every time i want to eat toast. — prick every time i want to eat toast, because i have to do the finger— toast, because i have to do the finger prick and see how much insulin — finger prick and see how much insulin l — finger prick and see how much insulin i need. it _ insulin i need. it is _ insulin i need. it is a - insulin i need. it is a lot easier, isn't it? you can— it is a lot easier, isn't it? you canjust — it is a lot easier, isn't it? you canjust relax— it is a lot easier, isn't it? you canjust relax more. - it is a lot easier, isn't it? you can just relax more.— it is a lot easier, isn't it? you can just relax more. let's bring in dominic from _ can just relax more. let's bring in dominic from diabetes _ can just relax more. let's bring in dominic from diabetes uk. i can just relax more. let's bring in dominic from diabetes uk. good | can just relax more. let's bring in i dominic from diabetes uk. good to have you with us as well, and we were hearing... i'm sorry, douglas.

we heard how it works. you partly fund it, the charity funded it, so to see it rolled out in the real world and making such a difference to people's lives must be great to see it working. this to people's lives must be great to see it working-— see it working. this technology is transformative, _ see it working. this technology is transformative, and _ see it working. this technology is transformative, and as _ see it working. this technology is transformative, and as charlottel transformative, and as charlotte mentioned, it brings back a lot of control to people with type one diabetes. the day—to—day hassle imposed upon them by diabetes is taken away, but in the long term, we know that this technology helps people to keep their insulin levels and a healthy range, which reduces the range of complications. bend and a healthy range, which reduces the range of complications.- the range of complications. and we know that knowledge _ the range of complications. and we know that knowledge is _ the range of complications. and we know that knowledge is power i the range of complications. and we know that knowledge is power and | the range of complications. and we | know that knowledge is power and it allows people to do much more. people might be concerned about using it. it was in trial and is now being rolled out. if people are sceptical about using a device like this, what would you say to them? so

this, what would you say to them? sr this, what would you say to them? sr this device might not be for everybody. but for most people with type one diabetes, it has the potential to change their lives. it has the potential to increase quality of life, which is why we are working with the nhs to make sure that in rolling this out, they are spared this, but also we can tackle health inequality.— spared this, but also we can tackle health inequality. and, ange, what would ou health inequality. and, ange, what would you say _ health inequality. and, ange, what would you say to — health inequality. and, ange, what would you say to people _ health inequality. and, ange, what would you say to people who - health inequality. and, ange, what would you say to people who are i would you say to people who are watching this morning who might not be sure about this? i watching this morning who might not be sure about this?— be sure about this? i would say really look _ be sure about this? i would say really look into _ be sure about this? i would say really look into it, _ be sure about this? i would say really look into it, because - be sure about this? i would say really look into it, because the| really look into it, because the prospect— really look into it, because the prospect of— really look into it, because the prospect of it _ really look into it, because the prospect of it can _ really look into it, because the prospect of it can be _ really look into it, because the prospect of it can be quite - really look into it, because the . prospect of it can be quite scary. it is quite — prospect of it can be quite scary. it is quite a — prospect of it can be quite scary. it is quite a technical— prospect of it can be quite scary. it is quite a technical system, i prospect of it can be quite scary. i it is quite a technical system, with the wires, — it is quite a technical system, with the wires, but _ it is quite a technical system, with the wires, but it— it is quite a technical system, with the wires, but it has— it is quite a technical system, with the wires, but it has such - it is quite a technical system, with the wires, but it has such a - the wires, but it has such a positive _ the wires, but it has such a positive impact— the wires, but it has such a positive impact on - the wires, but it has such a positive impact on life, - the wires, but it has such a�* positive impact on life, and the wires, but it has such a - positive impact on life, and with that perfect _ positive impact on life, and with that perfect control, _ positive impact on life, and with that perfect control, it - positive impact on life, and with that perfect control, it is- positive impact on life, and with that perfect control, it isjust i that perfect control, it isjust going — that perfect control, it isjust going to _ that perfect control, it isjust going to change _ that perfect control, it isjust going to change your- that perfect control, it isjust going to change your life. - that perfect control, it isjustl going to change your life. you that perfect control, it isjust - going to change your life. you have .ot going to change your life. you have got to _ going to change your life. you have got to look— going to change your life. you have got to look into _ going to change your life. you have got to look into it _ going to change your life. you have got to look into it and _ going to change your life. you have got to look into it and see - going to change your life. you have got to look into it and see the - got to look into it and see the positive —

got to look into it and see the positive effect _ got to look into it and see the positive effect it _ got to look into it and see the positive effect it can - got to look into it and see the positive effect it can have. - got to look into it and see the i positive effect it can have. find positive effect it can have. and what about _ positive effect it can have. and what about you, _ positive effect it can have. what about you, charlotte? if positive effect it can have— what about you, charlotte? if there are other children managing their diabetes and all the things i have to do, what would you say to someone else who was younger who gets the chance to have one of these? i else who was younger who gets the chance to have one of these? i would robabl chance to have one of these? i would probably say — chance to have one of these? i would probably say take _ chance to have one of these? i would probably say take care _ chance to have one of these? i would probably say take care of— chance to have one of these? i would probably say take care of it, - chance to have one of these? i would probably say take care of it, and - probably say take care of it, and make _ probably say take care of it, and make sure — probably say take care of it, and make sure not to mess up! what — make sure not to mess up! what you — make sure not to mess up! what you need to do to not mess up? always make sure your insulin is all done _ always make sure your insulin is all done and _ always make sure your insulin is all done and stuff.— done and stuff. yes, you always do our ins done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and _ done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and just _ done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and just eat _ done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and just eat well _ done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and just eat well and - done and stuff. yes, you always do your ins and just eat well and keep| your ins and just eat well and keep checking _ your ins and just eat well and keep checking your _ your ins and just eat well and keep checking your system. _ your ins and just eat well and keep checking your system. find - your ins and just eat well and keep checking your system. and douglas, when ou checking your system. and douglas, when you are _ checking your system. and douglas, when you are able _ checking your system. and douglas, when you are able to _ checking your system. and douglas, when you are able to get _ checking your system. and douglas, when you are able to get access - checking your system. and douglas, when you are able to get access to l when you are able to get access to all this data, does this help with further research later down the line? i guess it has been very difficult to get data from different people managing the condition in their own way. does this allow you to learn from the information gathered by these devices to come up with new treatments in future? yes. with new treatments in future? yes, so the people _ with new treatments in future? yes, so the people who — with new treatments in future? yes, so the people who are _ with new treatments in future? is: so the people who are type one diabetes, this will help them, that

is her different things affect their sugar levels, and that is important. but they also need support from their health professionals to also look at the date and that is coming out of these devices and how they are used. but ultimately, it will help with research, but it will help with the health care system, because it is going to reduce the burden of diabetes, it is going to reduce complications of diabetes, which will help people with diabetes but is also good for the nhs. charlotte, before we let _ is also good for the nhs. charlotte, before we let you _ is also good for the nhs. charlotte, before we let you go _ is also good for the nhs. charlotte, before we let you go this _ is also good for the nhs. charlotte, before we let you go this money, i l before we let you go this money, i know there is one really important thing that you need to do, so if you would like to do that for us, just straight to that camera there. you have got an important message. ihequr;r have got an important message. happy birthda , have got an important message. happy birthday. dad! — birthday, dad! how— birthday, dad! how old is dad today. are you allowed to say? £13. how old is dad today. are you allowed to say?— how old is dad today. are you | allowed to say?_ he how old is dad today. are you - allowed to say?_ he is a allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a bab . allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a baby- you — allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a

baby- you don't — allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a baby. you don't look _ allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a baby. you don't look so _ allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a baby. you don't look so sure! - allowed to say? 43, i think. he is a baby. you don't look so sure! that| baby. you don't look so sure! that is so nice to see you. thank you, charlotte and hypo, and also douglas twenefour from charlotte and hypo, and also douglas twenefourfrom diabetes uk, joining us from east london. thank you all. now. it's the time of year when many of us are trying to get outside more — and the creator of a new "ginnel this garden" in manchester is hoping to show that even an alleyway can become a thriving green space. jason williams, also known as the cloud gardener, first started raising plants on his 18th floor balcony. our reporter, juliet phillips, has been to see his latest creation. spring has onlyjust sprung, but this ginnel in the middle of moss side is showing plenty of signs of life. designed by urban gardener jason williams, it began as an exhibit at the tatton flower show. he gave the rhs director general a tour of the garden's new home. when i was designing the space,

it was all about, how do i incorporate as many people as possible to this space? and so we have quite a high population of refugees or social housing here. and a way to bring people together is to label things in both english and arabic so that everybody feels welcomed into the space. the real key to a garden like this, and we do a number of community gardens around the country, is actually getting people involved and doing it with the people. so it actually responds to what people want and need, otherwise it's not going to work. hi, i'mjason, i'm the cloud gardener. we first metjason three years ago. like many others, his passion for plants grew in lockdown, only his garden was 18 floors up. he gained a huge social media following as the cloud gardener and began helping others transform urban spaces. so here we've got mr tortellini's section. the ginnel garden has been designed purely with residents in mind, even the four legged ones.

jason was asking us what we'd like included in the garden, because obviously he wanted to make the space really work for the people that live here. and i mentioned that i had a tortoise and that i'd actually really like somewhere that i could grow tortoise safe food for him. so he incorporated that into the design. it isn't only mr tortellini who's been catered for. the idea of this section was to give the community a little bar area. so when we do... exactly, and some herbs for cocktails. even the bins are blooming. and for those who live here, caring for the garden has already brought people together. it makes such a difference, knowing your neighbours and having that good relationship with the people that live close by. so yeah, we're really looking forward to the weather picking up and then we can get out and really enjoy the space. aren't we all, gemma? that was juliette phillips reporting from manchester.

staying with beautiful landscapes. there is concern that england's national parks are struggling financially. despite the government saying it's investing an extra 10 million in them this year. our reporter geeta pendse joins us now from the peak district. geeta, it's exactly the time of year when many of us get out and enjoy our national parks. it is indeed, and there are several issues national parks are facing, but first let me welcome you to the peak district. i can guarantee you behind me there is a stunning view, but the fog is hiding it at the moment. this is one of the most popular locations in the peak district. but as you mentioned, our national parks, those running the national parks, those running the national parks, those running the national park authorities, are worried about the future, and they say that a real terms cut to government funding in recent years meant that they have to to make

quite difficult decisions, in some cases reducing the foot paths and the maintenance of them and the rights—of—way, and also in some cases closing visitor centres and having to make reductions in park rangers and stuff. the government has recently announced an additional £10 million for our national parks to try and address some of these issues, but those who run parks like the peak district here which was actually the very first national park to be created back in 1951, they say they are still worried about the long—term sustainability of these beautiful places and the access that they can provide for us when they are struggling with funding issues. we will have much more in this later in the programme. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm tolu adeoye.

an iranian tv host stabbed outside his home in wimbledon has been discharged from hospital and says he is now staying in a safe place. pouria zeraati was attacked by a group on friday. his london based tv station said it had faced "heavy threats" for 18 months. counter—terrorism officers are leading the investigation but no arrests have yet been made. the iranian regime has denied any involvement. a great—grandfather from north west london who's helped to advise thousands of victims of the windrush scandal about compensation says he fears the government's just waiting for them to "die off". conroy downie, who was born injamaica and came to the uk as a teenager, is calling for the compensation scheme which was launched five years ago this week to be run independently. the home office has said it's committed to "righting the wrongs" of the windrush scandal. london lions women's basketball team will make history tomorrow night when they become the first british side ever to play in the final

of a european competition. they'll take on turkish side besiktas. the players are raring to go. energy's really good, everyone is really locked—in. we're here, now, it's kind of unbelievable still. but we have to get the job done in turkey first and i know there's going to be tonnes of fans supporting us when we play home. a london theatre has celebrated 50 years of hosting the world's longest—running play, agatha christie's the mousetrap. the production opened in the west end in 1952 at the london ambassador's theatre, before moving next door to its current home in st martin's theatre. there have been nearly 30,000 performances. let's take a look at the tubes now — a few issues — the bakerloo line is part suspended. thejubilee has severe delays. northern is part closed and piccadilly has severe delays. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. quite a cloudy start to the day with some pretty heavy showers

overnight last night. and today we are expecting sunny spells and further scattered showers to develop during the day. the heavy showers from overnight will continue to clear out into the north sea and we are left with some sunshine developing and some scattered showers, but these showers will not be as heavy or frequent as yesterday. temperatures reaching around 13 to 15 celsius and quite breezy out there as well. during the evening, thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain spreading up from the south—west. some of this rain may be heavy in places and temperatures, overnight holding up at around nine to 11 celsius so quite a mild night in store and still quite breezy out there as well. looking ahead to the next few days, staying unsettled, low pressure nearby. these series of weather fronts arriving in bringing some strong winds at times, some further outbreaks of rain, and temperatures gradually rising so by the weekend, whilst it will remain unsettled with some outbreaks of rain, on saturday as well, temperatures will reach around 17 or 18 celsius in places. now, fancy a career in gardening? the royal parks charity is looking for ten new apprentices. the scheme's open to all ages.

you can read more about the scheme on our website. i'll be back with another update in around half an hour. but now it's back to ben and sally. bye— bye. hello, this is breakfast with ben thompson and sally nugent. we've been talking this morning about the government's new scheme offering some working parents in england, 15 hours of funded weekly childcare for their two—year—olds during school term time. but while the government hopes the roll—out will help parents return to work, some critics claim there are not enough places to meet demand. we're joined now by education secretary, gillian keegan. good morning to you. we are going to talk about this in just a moment, i know this is an important announcement today but ijust know this is an important announcement today but i just want to start with our lead story that it

has been confirmed a british national has been killed in an israeli air strike in gaza, getting your initial reaction to that news. obviously we have not had it confirmed yet but we are very concerned about the situation. actually i think we do know that we have urged israel to do more to protect civilians but also allow aid to get into gaza. we haven't had confirmation of this and i think the idf are reviewing this probably as we speak. taste idf are reviewing this probably as we seak. ~ ., ~ ., ., , we speak. we do know that the person that we are talking _ we speak. we do know that the person that we are talking about _ we speak. we do know that the person that we are talking about was - that we are talking about was working for a charity which has been distributing food in gaza. that charity has now had to suspend work in the area, how worrying is that news? we know that is at least confirmed. it news? we know that is at least confirmed-— news? we know that is at least confirmed. , ., , , ., _ confirmed. it is worrying. obviously one of the key _ confirmed. it is worrying. obviously one of the key things _ confirmed. it is worrying. obviously one of the key things is _ confirmed. it is worrying. obviously one of the key things is trying - confirmed. it is worrying. obviously one of the key things is trying to . one of the key things is trying to make sure that we get more aid into gaza, so if one of the charities working on the ground has suspended, thatis working on the ground has suspended, that is obviously deeply concerning. the whole situation is concerning, what we have been doing is urging

israel to do more to protect civilians but also to make sure that we can get the aid into gaza. it is really vital and we know there is a situation unfolding there for a period of time now which is deeply concerning. but obviously our thoughts would go to everybody affected. �* , . ~ thoughts would go to everybody affected. �*, ., ,, ., affected. let's talk about the sub'ect affected. let's talk about the subject that _ affected. let's talk about the subject that you _ affected. let's talk about the subject that you are - affected. let's talk about the subject that you are on - affected. let's talk about the subject that you are on our i subject that you are on our programmes talk about, 150,000 children being able to take up funded places in nurseries. that's the number of children who are eligible, do you have the number from today who actually have secured funded places?— funded places? that's the number that we expect — funded places? that's the number that we expect to _ funded places? that's the number that we expect to have _ funded places? that's the number that we expect to have secured i that we expect to have secured funded places by the end of this week. we have a system where parents register and then they get validated code from the nursery which means they have a place they can take up. we expect that to be the number of families that will benefit from this increased office that we have for

childcare, free childcare places for two—year—olds, 15 hours free, that will build september 2024 to 15 hours for under two and then by september 2025, the whole policy is all that for free childcare from six—month—old until starting school. so you expect 150,000, you expect to be able to announce. when you come to the further announcements... i to the further announcements... i said by early april, in the next few days. said by early april, in the next few da s. ~ .., , ., ., days. ok. when it comes to the other announcements _ days. ok. when it comes to the other announcements you _ days. ok. when it comes to the other announcements you mentioned, - days. ok. when it comes to the other announcements you mentioned, how| announcements you mentioned, how many more children will that affect? it's a demand led system so it will depend on how many parents register for the code. we work with local authorities all across the country to make sure that we can respond to this to make sure we have got a sufficiency of places. we have done this before, we rolled this out for

three and four—year—olds, we have delivered this in the past but it is a demand led system and we are building the capacity for this roll—out and we think there are sufficient places and then we will be getting to work to build on the next roll—out for september 2020. what we have heard from the early years alliance on the programme who have said this. this phase that we are in now on the roll—out is the easiest phase of the childcare scheme. many parents are just shifting their situation so you might be covering children now who are already in childcare, already have a nursery place and the way they are funded is shifting. the challenges are going to come further down the line, aren't they? we have deliberately staged this programme so that we start with two—year—olds and then we go to under two, 15 hours, and then we role the whole lot up to 15 hours. we have done that to make sure that is deliverable.— that to make sure that is deliverable. �* ., , ., ,

deliverable. are there enough staff? yes, we deliverable. are there enough staff? yes. we had — deliverable. are there enough staff? yes, we had 15,000, _ deliverable. are there enough staff? yes, we had 15,000, 13,000 - deliverable. are there enough staff? yes, we had 15,000, 13,000 more | yes, we had 15,000, 13,000 more staff than we had last year. and we have been working on as well as securing the rates and making sure the funding is secured for the next two years, we have also been working on a lot of policies to make sure that we build more routes into the system and make sure we have more people being trained in the system. this is all something that we have to roll out but i'm very confident, the thing that could most impact this system roll—out is if labour got into power because they have said they will not continue with free childcare... said they will not continue with free childcare. . .— said they will not continue with free childcare... ok, right, that not is free childcare... ok, right, that rrot is true _ free childcare... ok, right, that not is true first _ free childcare... ok, right, that not is true first of _ free childcare... ok, right, that not is true first of all. _ free childcare... ok, right, that not is true first of all. i - free childcare... ok, right, that not is true first of all. i would i not is true first of all. i would also point out that labour have been in the programme and they spoke about this. i'm not talking about labour. they did say they would stop this policy,... they said this morning they would go into a consultation.— consultation. going into consultation _

consultation. going into consultation is - consultation. going into consultation is not - consultation. going into - consultation is not committing to deliver. �* , ., consultation is not committing to deliver. �*, ., , ., deliver. it's not saying they are not deliver. it's not saying they are rrot doing _ deliver. it's not saying they are rrot doing it- — deliver. it's not saying they are not doing it. they _ deliver. it's not saying they are not doing it. they said - deliver. it's not saying they are not doing it. they said on - deliver. it's not saying they are - not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they _ not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they are _ not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they are not _ not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they are not going - not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they are not going to - not doing it. they said on newsnight last week they are not going to do . last week they are not going to do it. ~ ., last week they are not going to do it. ~ . ., ., ~ last week they are not going to do it. we are here to talk about your oli it. we are here to talk about your policy- -- l — it. we are here to talk about your policy... i looked _ it. we are here to talk about your policy... i looked it _ it. we are here to talk about your policy... i looked it all— it. we are here to talk about your policy... i looked it all the - policy... i looked it all the models- — policy... i looked it all the models. absolutely. - policy... i looked it all the models. absolutely. we i policy... i looked it all the - models. absolutely. we looked at policy... i looked it all the _ models. absolutely. we looked at all the models, there's only so many ways you can do this, we looked at all the models around the world and we decided the hours based system is the simplicity roll—out and it was the simplicity roll—out and it was the best one to make sure that that advantage, that government investment got two parents. now we are delivering it and we will have sufficiency of places. they tried to tear down our plans because they don't have a plan. ok. tear down our plans because they don't have a plan.— don't have a plan. ok, let's not talk about— don't have a plan. ok, let's not talk about them. _ don't have a plan. ok, let's not talk about them. we _ don't have a plan. ok, let's not talk about them. we have - don't have a plan. ok, let's not i talk about them. we have spoken don't have a plan. ok, let's not - talk about them. we have spoken to them. let's talk about you is education secretary. really sorry to interrupt you but i have got to move on. we have a point here from a viewer who has written. victoria says, i work in a preschool, we are

on the brink of closure, the government has totally let down. this funding is not financially viable for preschools, there are not in a preschool is nurseries, this is why, it is difficult to recruit, it's a difficultjob, the pay is not good, good working supermarket and be on more money. the more i learn about the sector, the more i learn about the sector, the more i learn about the sector, the more i learn about the money, this is letting children down. victoria is in the industry, what would you say to her? i would say that the rates that we have put out for two—year—olds and under two—year—olds are higher than average parents paying today. so we are finding about £2 higher per hour for two—year—olds and under two—year—olds. a lot of the discussions and comments are coming in, i think, discussions and comments are coming in, ithink, based on discussions and comments are coming in, i think, based on previously when they did not have this new funding. we have put the new funding in place at the end of november, local authorities put it out in the early part of this year. we confirmed in the budget that we were

going to increase those rates for the next few years. all of that uncertainty about funding has been taken away in the last few months. we put the rate out. ok. taken away in the last few months. we put the rate out.— we put the rate out. ok, let's be su er we put the rate out. ok, let's be super certain- — we put the rate out. ok, let's be super certain. it _ we put the rate out. ok, let's be super certain. it will _ we put the rate out. ok, let's be super certain. it will be - we put the rate out. ok, let's be super certain. it will be a - super certain. it will be a massively _ super certain. it will be a massively improved - super certain. it will be a | massively improved about super certain. it will be a - massively improved about that's funding. we are funding it from 4 billion to 8 billion. that will go directly to the industry. no one can say that is not going to make a difference. say that is not going to make a difference-— say that is not going to make a difference. does it fully fund all ofthe difference. does it fully fund all of the places. _ difference. does it fully fund all of the places, does _ difference. does it fully fund all of the places, does the - difference. does it fully fund all of the places, does the funding | of the places, does the funding fully fund all of the places that you are talking about?- fully fund all of the places that you are talking about? yeah, we have worked with — you are talking about? yeah, we have worked with 9000 _ you are talking about? yeah, we have worked with 9000 businesses. - you are talking about? yeah, we have worked with 9000 businesses. yes, | worked with 9000 businesses. yes, the are worked with 9000 businesses. yes, they are funded _ worked with 9000 businesses. yes, they are funded funded places? we | they are funded funded places? we have they are funded funded places? a have worked with 9000 businesses to make sure that what we offer... just so you know what we offer, under two is about £11 22 so this is this government has migrate, they can

differ across the country. the two—year—olds, 828. three and four—year—olds, it's £5 88. they are the funded rates. we have worked with 9000 businesses to make sure we put together something which will ensure we have a sustainable industry. we are professionals, we want to make sure that when we say we are going to pledge to a policy, we are going to pledge to a policy, we deliver it, like we have done for three and four—year—olds. we will deliver for two—year—olds and under due. deliver for two-year-olds and under due. , ., ., deliver for two-year-olds and under due. , . . the deliver for two-year-olds and under due._ the massive - deliver for two-year-olds and under i due._ the massive increase due. guarantee? the massive increase that comes in — due. guarantee? the massive increase that comes in in _ due. guarantee? the massive increase that comes in in september _ due. guarantee? the massive increase that comes in in september 2025, - due. guarantee? the massive increase that comes in in september 2025, you | that comes in in september 2025, you can roll it out. do that comes in in september 2025, you can roll it out-— can roll it out. do you guarantee that when _ can roll it out. do you guarantee that when that _ can roll it out. do you guarantee that when that expanse, - can roll it out. do you guarantee that when that expanse, all- can roll it out. do you guarantee that when that expanse, all the | that when that expanse, all the children who need a place will need a __ children who need a place will need a —— will get a place? this children who need a place will need a -- will get a place?— a -- will get a place? this is a demand _ a -- will get a place? this is a demand led — a -- will get a place? this is a demand led business - a -- will get a place? this is a demand led business working | a -- will get a place? this is a i demand led business working to a -- will get a place? this is a - demand led business working to local authorities with about 60,000 businesses, but we are doing everything we can including putting the funding security in place and funding their workforce and putting a national campaign make sure the places are there. as of early april i know that 150,000 families will

benefit from this scheme because they have already registered and they have already registered and they have already registered and they have got places available. so we will be able to see how many people register and how many people get to their places, we are doing this professionally, making sure we are working all across the country to make sure that we build the capacity to cope with the demand. but it is a demand led system. for workin: but it is a demand led system. for working parents, being offered to 15 hours childcare per week, is that enough? if you are trying to hold a family together and support a family financially, you probably need to work more than 15 hours a week. many people will say that 15 hours is simply not enough.— people will say that 15 hours is simply not enough. people will say that 15 hours is siml not enou:h. . fl , . simply not enough. that's why we are offerin: 30 simply not enough. that's why we are offering 30 hours _ simply not enough. that's why we are offering 30 hours from _ simply not enough. that's why we are offering 30 hours from nine _ simply not enough. that's why we are offering 30 hours from nine months i offering 30 hours from nine months old to starting school. we are delivering it in phases to make sure that we can grow the capacity and grow the workforce. that is why we are delivering it in phases. the full pledge, which is a conservative

party pledge, conservative government pledge, is that your child from nine months old until starting school will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare, a week, 438 weeks of the year. that is the pledge we have made and don't believe that labour will continue without roll—out so i do believe thatis without roll—out so i do believe that is biggest risk... i without roll-out so i do believe that is biggest risk. . .— without roll-out so i do believe that is biggest risk... i have 'ust aot that is biggest risk... i have 'ust not to that is biggest risk... i have 'ust got to correct i that is biggest risk... i have 'ust got to correct you, i that is biggest risk... i have 'ust got to correct you, we �* that is biggest risk... i have 'ust got to correct you, we have i that is biggest risk... i have just got to correct you, we have had| that is biggest risk... i have just - got to correct you, we have had them on this morning,... that is not what they said. gillian keegan, thank you. they said. gillian keegan, thank ou. , ., , , you. listen to the newsnight is. thank you- _ let's talk sport, chetan is here. let's talk sport, chetan is here. let's talk sport, chetan is here. let's talk about the championship, it is getting exciting and it generally is at this stage of the year. i generally is at this stage of the ear. . ., , ed generally is at this stage of the i year._ ed sheeran generally is at this stage of the - year._ ed sheeran in year. i recognise him. ed sheeran in case someone _ year. i recognise him. ed sheeran in case someone doesn't _ year. i recognise him. ed sheeran in case someone doesn't recognise - year. i recognise him. ed sheeran in case someone doesn't recognise it. | case someone doesn't recognise it. it was a perfect night for him, i

have been doing my research about his songs. apparently he did not stay to the end of the game according to the coventry but ipswich fans will not care, got a win against southampton. and they had to come from behind to get it. nathan broadhead with the equaliser with little over 20 minutes remaining. ed sheeran enjoyed that along with the rest of the ipswich fans and things got even better in the 97th minute. jeremy sarmiento with a late winner against the ten men which set off pandemonium inside portman road. their side going from third, to top in the blink of an eye. and they are just a point above leeds in second. this foul on crysencio summerville with minutes to go saw him score the penalty which put them 2—1 up against hull the visitors pressed for an equaliser but left themselves exposed in defence. wales international danjames

taking full advantage in the dying seconds. 3—1 the final score. and that was the result at leicester too. they had to come from behind to beat norwich city. jamie vardy helping to put their championship promotion charge back on track. only their second victory in seven league games. they are third, two points off the top but with a game in hand. five games in the premier league tonight including champions league chasing tottenham at home to west ham. hammers manager david moyes has urged the supporters to get behind their midfielder kalvin phillips. the 28—year—old was caught making an offensive gesture to west ham fans while getting on the team bus after saturday's defeat at newcastle. kalvin is a human being and can do things which we all do at different times but what he needs is support and he needs support behind him. he needs people to help him. we are going to stand with him,

help him as much as we possibly can. and, you know, obviously, we need all our support to give all the players whoever it is the support they require. and injust underfour months, the olympic games get under way in paris and one sport that will be returning is climbing, which made its debut in tokyo in 2021. britain's most decorated climber, shauna coxsey, competed in the women's event then but there hasn't yet been a british male olympic climber. alpa patel has been to meet the teenager that is hoping to change that. he's been called a teenage climbing sensation. and in four months�* time, this 18—year—old will be the first edition male climber to compete at the olympic games. how did you get into climbing? i got into climbing at an after—school club. i was just eight years old, and my science teacher egged me on to give it a go and then i went there, i absolutely loved it,

i found it so addicting and i was just hooked from that point. i started, my parents were not climbers, i had nothing, no idea about climbing. ijust kept going to the climbing wall, i kept enjoying it and then it slowly started progressing. to find myself here nowjust having qualified for paris feels absolutely incredible. what are your top tips, if you are a beginner? using your body to get up it and not just putting aside as you can. using your body to get up it and not just pulling as hard as you can. so, like, turn your body into the wall to use less strength and more technique to get up. so, yeah. if you try this one. and we will see how it goes. 0k! do you try and instinctively do it, then? yeah, try to just not think about it and then just flow up it. 0k. so, where'd you go now? right hand above you, yeah. here. see, i can get up, i can get up, but i can't get down!

apart from trying to teach novice climb, toby showed us titan. it's called the titan, and we are here at park in wandsworth, and it's the one in london, the only replica. close by is dad and coach tristan, who tells us what the last ten years have been like. it's easy now because he's at this level. but things that you don't necessarily realise, like doing homework in between sets of pull—ups, dinner on the way to the climbing centre, eating out of tupperware and thinking that's normal, getting home really late. every school holiday was a climbing holiday. i think to start from nothing and then see him go the whole way through to compete on that stage, it's obviously an incredible achievement and we are amazingly proud of him. an olympic gold would be nice, my sights are set on that. but i think the way i get that is by forgetting about an olympic medal and just going and climbing. alpa patel, bbc news. good luck to te become a world cup

title win last summer so fingers crossed he can get an olympic spot for the summer. thank you, chetan, we will see you later. carol iswith is now to tell us all about the for the next two day, and about the for the next two day, and a double rainbow, you are treating us today. i know how much you love them! it isa it is a chilly start today for some of us, for example in newcastle. the temperature will go up for the end of the week. you can see the blue colours indicating it will be cold in scotland for the next few days, milder across england, wales and northern ireland but by the time we get to next saturday, amber sweeps across the country so temperatures are picking up. that doesn't mean it will be dry. this is the rainfall

accumulation chart, look at the blue, and this green, which means thatis blue, and this green, which means that is 70 millimetres of rainfall. that is falling on already saturated ground, not good news at all. we have got a lot of cloud across northern england, northern ireland and scotland, with some rain. it should brighten up in northern ireland and northern england through the day. for the rest of england and wales, some sunshine, isolated showers, we are saying goodbye to the showers in the south—east. later, maureen sweeps in from the south—west with strengthening winds. —— later, more rain sweeps in. we hang onto the cloud and rain in the east of scotland tonight, brisk north—easterly wind. the rain in the south will journey north—easterly wind. the rain in the south willjourney north through the night, quite a lot of cloud around generally, with one or two clear spells. it is going to be mild in the south, 11 degrees. nippy in the

north, 3—5. the south, 11 degrees. nippy in the north, 3—5 . through the rest of wednesday, we have this rain stretched across southern scotland and northern england, and also northern ireland. it should clear through the day from northern ireland, cloudy to the north, the odd shower to the south but the brightest guys in the far south. here we have wet and windy conditions returning and temperatures ranging from five to 15 degrees. so i hope i haven't given you shattered dreams! 0h, oh, clever, carol! that took me all mornint oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to — oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work _ oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work it _ oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work it out. _ oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work it out. if- oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work it out. if only - oh, clever, carol! that took me all morning to work it out. if only i i morning to work it out. if only i could turn back the clock! shall we ex-lain could turn back the clock! shall we ex . lain to could turn back the clock! shall we explain to everyone _ could turn back the clock! shall we explain to everyone what - could turn back the clock! shall we explain to everyone what is - could turn back the clock! shall we explain to everyone what is going l explain to everyone what is going on! the band johnny hates jazz started making music more than three and a half decades ago, but despite achieving chart success across the world, they never did a headline tour. that's about to change. we'll talk to frontman clark datchler shortly, but first her�*s a reminder of some

of their biggest hits. # don't say it's love, baby # cos you are to me what you are to me # don't say it's love, baby # if our friendship is to survive, don't say it's love. # walking the streets for a handful of money # love don't come cheap with a heart of gold # she's indiscreet but to me, girl, it's funny. # that they pay for the love of a girl with a pure heart of gold. # you've given me, given me. # nothing but shattered dreams, shattered dreams. # feel like i could run away, run away. # from this empty heart. johnny hates jazz frontman

clark datchlerjoins us now. morning. good morning to you. carol kirkwood, the _ morning. good morning to you. carol kirkwood, the nation's _ morning. good morning to you. carol kirkwood, the nation's favourite - kirkwood, the nation's favourite weather person is a fan. that kirkwood, the nation's favourite weather person is a fan.- kirkwood, the nation's favourite weather person is a fan. that is a big moment _ weather person is a fan. that is a big moment for _ weather person is a fan. that is a big moment for me, _ weather person is a fan. that is a big moment for me, that - weather person is a fan. that is a big moment for me, that has - weather person is a fan. that is a i big moment for me, that has made weather person is a fan. that is a - big moment for me, that has made my week, believe me!— week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank ou week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank you for— week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank you for coming _ week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank you for coming in. _ week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank you for coming in. why - week, believe me! lovely to see you, thank you for coming in. why no - thank you for coming in. why no headline tour? taste thank you for coming in. why no headline tour?— thank you for coming in. why no headline tour? . . , .. , , headline tour? we had huge success in 87 and 88. _ headline tour? we had huge success in 87 and 88, we _ headline tour? we had huge success in 87 and 88, we were _ headline tour? we had huge success in 87 and 88, we were number - headline tour? we had huge success in 87 and 88, we were number two l headline tour? we had huge success| in 87 and 88, we were number two in the us chartand in 87 and 88, we were number two in the us chart and i quit. so then we didn't speakfor over 20 the us chart and i quit. so then we didn't speak for over 20 years. we finally reconciled, and found our way into recording again, write me again, doing live shows but never our own tool. so suddenly here we are. ~ , y ., our own tool. so suddenly here we are. ~ , , ., i our own tool. so suddenly here we are-— l was - our own tool. so suddenly here we i are-— l was unhappy are. why did you quit? i was unhappy with how the — are. why did you quit? i was unhappy with how the band _ are. why did you quit? i was unhappy with how the band were _ are. why did you quit? i was unhappy with how the band were being - with how the band were being promoted in the uk at that time. there was the whole step —— stock aitken and waterman thing happening and i don't want to get caught up in that. i knew would come back together again, that. i knew would come back togetheragain, i had a that. i knew would come back together again, i had a feeling we would reunite and there was still a

road ahead for us.— would reunite and there was still a road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling. — road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling, how _ road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling, how you _ road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling, how you know? - road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling, how you know? i - road ahead for us. what was behind that feeling, how you know? i think| that feeling, how you know? i think it was a sense _ that feeling, how you know? i think it was a sense that _ that feeling, how you know? i think it was a sense that shattered - it was a sense that shattered dreams, i don't want to be a hero, turn back the clock, it had done so well all over the world, there was no way you could just walk away from that and there not be some kind of sense that there was more yet to do, there was unfinished business for us. so here we are in 2024, our first headline tour, it is bananas. it is, isn't it? i love the story about how when you wrote shattered dreams, you read it on a piano, and you still have it?— you still have it? yes, it's in my tarents you still have it? yes, it's in my parents front — you still have it? yes, it's in my parents front room. _ you still have it? yes, it's in my parents front room. your - you still have it? yes, it's in my parents front room. your dad, i you still have it? yes, it's in my| parents front room. your dad, a musician. _ parents front room. your dad, a musician, walked _ parents front room. your dad, a musician, walked in _ parents front room. your dad, a musician, walked in and - parents front room. your dad, a musician, walked in and said i parents front room. your dad, a i musician, walked in and said what parents front room. your dad, a - musician, walked in and said what do you? m1; musician, walked in and said what do ou? ~ , ., ., , ., musician, walked in and said what do ou? g . ., , musician, walked in and said what do ou? g ., ,, you? my dad was a very successful 'azz you? my dad was a very successful jazz musician- _ you? my dad was a very successful jazz musician. his _ you? my dad was a very successful jazz musician. his band _ you? my dad was a very successful jazz musician. his band had - you? my dad was a very successful jazz musician. his band had the i jazz musician. his band had the first number one hit of the british band on a uk chart. he asked me the name of the song he said, it's

called shattered dreams, and he said, i think you have written your first hit. many people didn't agree with him in the industry, they thought it was destined for failure but he was right. find thought it was destined for failure but he was right.— but he was right. and it took awhile. but he was right. and it took awhile- it — but he was right. and it took awhile. it took _ but he was right. and it took awhile. it took many - but he was right. and it took awhile. it took many weeks. | but he was right. and it took - awhile. it took many weeks. and back then ou awhile. it took many weeks. and back then you had — awhile. it took many weeks. and back then you had to _ awhile. it took many weeks. and back then you had to kept _ awhile. it took many weeks. and back then you had to kept getting - awhile. it took many weeks. and back then you had to kept getting radio - then you had to kept getting radio play to get it in the charts, as soon as you were on the top 40 you could get on top the pops. iatiui’hat soon as you were on the top 40 you could get on top the pops.— could get on top the pops. what do ou could get on top the pops. what do you remember— could get on top the pops. what do you remember about _ could get on top the pops. what do you remember about writing - could get on top the pops. what do you remember about writing that i you remember about writing that because it was such an iconic song? i was a young man of my time and i was very influenced subliminally by things like david bowie, mike and the mechanics, they were all influencing me. buti the mechanics, they were all influencing me. but i think i knew when i had finished it that there was something special about it. and was something special about it. and it was, and was something special about it. and it was. and it _ was something special about it. and it was, and it is one that many will know you will. you mentioned your dad, you only found out that he had a number one by googling him, is that right? a number one by googling him, is that ritht? , �* ., ,,

that right? yes, he didn't talk about it. he _ that right? yes, he didn't talk about it. he was _ that right? yes, he didn't talk about it. he was very - that right? yes, he didn't talk about it. he was very much i that right? yes, he didn't talk. about it. he was very much the that right? yes, he didn't talk- about it. he was very much the world war ii generation that was very quiet about their past, and did not blow their own trumpets so to speak. so when i found this out, and i questioned him about it, he kind of shrugged. he was like, yeah, i suppose we did. he sang on i am the walrus, he had performed with sinatra, ella fitzgerald, he did some great things but a very humble man which is lovely. he some great things but a very humble man which is lovely.— man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never— man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never spoke _ man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never spoke about - man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never spoke about it. - man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never spoke about it. i - man which is lovely. he never spoke about it. never spoke about it. i am| about it. never spoke about it. i am totall the about it. never spoke about it. i am totally the opposite, _ about it. never spoke about it. i am totally the opposite, here _ about it. never spoke about it. i am totally the opposite, here i - about it. never spoke about it. i am totally the opposite, here i am - totally the opposite, here i am talking about the tour, i don't care! ~ ., talking about the tour, i don't care! . ., talking about the tour, i don't care! . . , talking about the tour, i don't care! . , ,. care! what can people expect about the tour? you _ care! what can people expect about the tour? you can _ care! what can people expect about the tour? you can expect _ care! what can people expect about the tour? you can expect to - care! what can people expect about the tour? you can expect to hear. care! what can people expect aboutj the tour? you can expect to hear all the tour? you can expect to hear all the hits that — the tour? you can expect to hear all the hits that people _ the tour? you can expect to hear all the hits that people are _ the tour? you can expect to hear all the hits that people are familiar- the hits that people are familiar with, some of the songs from our more recent albums and a few unexpected covers in there but they are very high energy show is so you have what's come in full voice. 50 have what's come in full voice. so ou can have what's come in full voice. 50 you can sing? everyone joins in? you can sing? everyonejoins in? everyone has to come in a choice.

also what is lovely about the shows is that we will share a few stories here and there about why certain songs were written, and i know from past shows really people love that. we did a song called i don't want to be a hero which is an anti—war song and i have had x service people coming up and saying it was so meaningful to them. those things are and integral part of the show. we kicked off in chelmsford in april and then we have a very festive show in the indigo at the o2. and then we have a very festive show in the indigo at the 02. we and then we have a very festive show in the indigo at the 02.— in the indigo at the 02. we have some pictures — in the indigo at the 02. we have some pictures of _ in the indigo at the 02. we have some pictures of you _ in the indigo at the 02. we have some pictures of you playing - in the indigo at the 02. we have| some pictures of you playing top in the indigo at the 02. we have - some pictures of you playing top of the pops in 1987. i wonder if you look at these, what would you say to yourself now? what would you do differently, how would you talk to him? ., �* , differently, how would you talk to him? ., �*, ., ., differently, how would you talk to him? . �*, ., ., , ., him? that's a great question. i would say. _ him? that's a great question. i would say, appreciate - him? that's a great question. i would say, appreciate the - him? that's a great question. i - would say, appreciate the moment. because when it happens, you are so caught up in a moment that you don't realise that what is happening is

very unusual and potentially remarkable, certainly in my life. i would just say, appreciate it and don't get het up about things that i was bothered about at the time. iatiui’hat was bothered about at the time. what were ou was bothered about at the time. what were you bothered _ was bothered about at the time. what were you bothered about? at - was bothered about at the time. what were you bothered about? at that - were you bothered about? at that moment i was _ were you bothered about? at that moment i was just _ were you bothered about? at that moment i wasjust nervous, - were you bothered about? at that. moment i wasjust nervous, actually! moment i was just nervous, actually! you can probably see it! you moment i wasjust nervous, actually! you can probably see it!— you can probably see it! you don't look nervous _ you can probably see it! you don't look nervous at _ you can probably see it! you don't look nervous at all. _ you can probably see it! you don't look nervous at all. i _ you can probably see it! you don't look nervous at all. i definitely - look nervous at all. i definitely was! i think — look nervous at all. i definitely was! ithink i _ look nervous at all. i definitely was! i think i became - look nervous at all. i definitely. was! i think i became concerned about where the industry was heading. it was the rise of boy bands shortly after that, it wasn't something that i wanted to be a part of. i would say, clark, something that i wanted to be a part of. iwould say, clark, you something that i wanted to be a part of. i would say, clark, you have just had hits all over the world, enjoy it, man! {30 just had hits all over the world, enjoy it. man!— just had hits all over the world, i enjoy it, man!_ yeah, enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, don't wait — enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, don't wait until— enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, don't wait until 20 _ enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, don't wait until 20 do _ enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, don't wait until 20 do you - enjoy it, man! go on a tour! yeah, i don't wait until 20 do you remember that? he don't wait until 20 do you remember that? , ., ., ., , don't wait until 20 do you remember that? , ., , we don't wait until 20 do you remember that?_ we never. that? he is too nervous. we never treeted that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each _ that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each other _ that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each other on _ that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each other on top - that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each other on top of - that? he is too nervous. we never greeted each other on top of the | greeted each other on top of the pops, it was so competitive that you would only give each other side glances. we wanted to be as high on

the charts as possible. that's how it was. i the charts as possible. that's how it was. ., , ., the charts as possible. that's how it was. ., y., . ., the charts as possible. that's how it was. ., , ., . ., ., it was. i would if you change now? there is no — it was. i would if you change now? there is no top — it was. i would if you change now? there is no top of— it was. i would if you change now? there is no top of the _ it was. i would if you change now? there is no top of the pops - it was. i would if you change now? there is no top of the pops now! | it was. i would if you change now? i there is no top of the pops now! but it is still competitive. so _ there is no top of the pops now! but it is still competitive. so nice - there is no top of the pops now! but it is still competitive. so nice to - it is still competitive. so nice to see ou. it is still competitive. so nice to see you. thank _ it is still competitive. so nice to see you. thank you. _ and you can seejohnny hates jazz on tour across the uk starting this month. and a very special festive concert at the end of the year._ time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. i'm tolu adeoye. an iranian tv host stabbed outside his home in wimbledon has been discharged from hospital and says he is now staying in a safe place. pouria zeraati was attacked by a group on friday. his london based tv station said it had faced "heavy threats" for 18 months. counter—terrorism officers are leading the investigation— but no arrests have yet been made. the iranian regime has denied any involvement.

a great—grandfather from north west london who's helped to advise thousands of victims of the windrush scandal about compensation says he fears the government's just waiting for them to "die off" conroy downie, who was born injamaica and came to the uk as a teenager, is calling for the compensation scheme — which was launched five years ago — to be run independently. the home office has said it's committed to "righting the wrongs" of the windrush scandal. let's take a look at the tubes now. lines have minor delays. northern is part closed and piccadilly has severe delays. now onto the weather. cloudy this morning, but sunny spells will start to develop. the afternoon will see a mix of patchy cloud, bright spells and scattered showers. highs of 15 degrees celsius. now, fancy a career in gardening? the royal parks charity is looking for ten new apprentices. the scheme's open to all ages — you can read more about the scheme on our website. i'll be back with another update in around half an hour. but now it's back to ben and sally.

bye— bye. good morning. welcome to breakfast with ben thompson and sally nugent. our headlines today... a british national is said to be amongst seven aid workers who have been killed by israeli air strikes in gaza.

the deaths come amid rising tensions in the middle east, following a suspected israeli air strike on iran's consulate in the syrian capital damascus. a game—changing treatement for type one diabetes. the nhs in england begins to contact tens of thousands of people who are eligible for an artificial pancreas. good morning. funded childcare for most working parents of two—year—olds in england — but is it free? and will it get parents back to work? i take a look. good morning. the weather this week remains unsettled. it is going to be wet and windy at times, sunny intervals, and it will turn a bit milder at the weekend. # well... and as lulu prepares for her farewell tour after a 60—year career, she shares a little secret of her success.

watch my diet, exercise, and i don't speak before 12 noon when i'm on tour. good morning. it's monday, the 2nd of april. our main story. a british national is reported to be among at least seven aid workers who have been killed in an israeli air strike in gaza.(pres)the charity, world central kitchen, which distributes food in the territory, confirmed some of its staff had been killed and called the deaths a tragedy. . the israeli military says its conducting a review. our reporter, graham satchell, has the latest. the bodies of aid workers being taken to a hospital in central gaza. they worked for the charity world central kitchen. they were travelling an armoured cars branded with their charity logo when they were hit by an israeli air strike. the charity says seven were killed from all corners of the world. in britain, poland, australia, america,

canada and palestine. she had been working in gaza are helping to organise the supply and preparation of food. the australian government | is demanding answers.— that this is beyond any reasonable circumstance. that somebody going about providing aid and humanitarian assistance should lose their life. this is a video produced by the charity. it is one of the biggest providers of food aid in gaza and has produced more than 14 million meals since last october. in a statement, the israeli military said it was conducting a review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident. but the deaths have been condemned by the founder of the charity, jose andres. he said...

the israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. it needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. in the syrian capital damascus, the clear—up has started after an israeli air strike on iran's consulate. two senior commanders of the iranian revolutionary guard were killed in the attack. it is the clearest sign yet that this conflict is escalating. the iranian ambassador hinted at retaliation. translation: definitely, - the zionist regime knows better than anyone that such crimes and violating international law will have its response in an appropriate time. the deaths of foreign aid workers in gaza will put international pressure on israel. governments around the world will want assurances that charities and their staff can operate safely. graham satchell, bbc news. our international editorjeremy bowen is in northern israel for us now.

jeremy, what more are we hearing this morning? well, clearly what has happened is awful in gaza. there have been so many deaths there, but these also might well affect the aid programme, because these are the people, this organisation, has been bringing in aid on a rudimentary barge system from cyprus, and they are trying to move it around, and reports out of gaza, we are not there, we can't check it directly, are saying that they coordinated their movement with they coordinated their movement with the israeli military, and they were still hit and it still happened. i think it is a by—product of the way that there is an absence of governance inside gaza. they are doing their military thing, and the israeli government for its own quite complex political reasons are

reluctant to go down the road of trying to bring some order to the deadly chaos. trying to bring some order to the deadly chaos-— trying to bring some order to the deadl chaos. �* , , ., , deadly chaos. and, jeremy there has been a serious _ deadly chaos. and, jeremy there has been a serious escalation _ deadly chaos. and, jeremy there has been a serious escalation in - been a serious escalation in tensions between israel and iran too. , ., , ,, tensions between israel and iran too. , . , ,, ., tensions between israel and iran too. , ., , ,, ., too. yes, the air strike that you were hearing — too. yes, the air strike that you were hearing their— too. yes, the air strike that you were hearing their today - too. yes, the air strike that you were hearing their today is - too. yes, the air strike that you were hearing their today is i - too. yes, the air strike that you i were hearing their today is i think a very serious escalation, because not only have they hit several very senior commanders, but they did it on the premises that the the compound, which is in a very nice, well—to—do area in damascus, a hit that, and many is

israelis might regard that as an attack. they tend to do their fighting at one stage removed through them, but now this is a direct attack on the iranians themselves, probablyjust one step down from actually doing it within a round. so they have been saying that they will respond, and i think they have to respond because they have to show their allies that they are worth having is a patron, that they are able to push back against the israelis. forthe are able to push back against the israelis. for the iranians, the deterring attacks on them is really why they have this network of allies, because for iran, the most important thing is keeping the regime in tehran going, for the islamic regime. so not very far from here is the lebanese border, and if there are military responses, they may well come from a round's

lebanese allies, hezbollah, who have been involved in this tit—for—tat war with israel now since october, which has really seriously been escalating since the beginning of this year, with israel i think very much setting the pace. they are pushing iran, and they are pushing hezbollah to see just how much they will take, because i think the israelis will sense weakness there and try to exploit it. our international— and try to exploit it. our international editor - and try to exploit it. our international editorjeremy bowen in northern israel for us this morning, thank you. ben has more on this morning's news. thank you very much, sally. as of this week, some working parents in england can access more government—funded childcare for their children. up until the end of march there were 30 hours per week of funded childcare available to three and four year olds. that has now been extended, with 15 hours per week available for two year olds during school term time. the government claims it will mean more than 150—thousand children will be able to access a government—funded childcare place. but many in the industry are warning

the funding does not meet demand and there is a shortage of available places. vanessa clarke reports. yay! from a quick stumble to the back of the net. the two—year—olds here at monkton nursery in liverpool are quick learners. some of their childcare hours are now being paid for by the government, giving their parents a helping hand. but balancing the books is proving tricky for the nursery. the only way that we can remain financially viable is by asking the parents for a supplement to the funding, a subsidy allowance. parents are unclear as to how the funding works, so in a way, they're blaming the nurseries for charging extra because they think it's all going to be free. the first part of the roll—out is aimed at eligible working parents of two—year—olds who can now access 15 hours. the next step will be for younger children. for kirsty, who works

in a children's home, the changes are a chance to increase her hours at work. that's if she can find a place. i've been to three nurseries and i've put her down on three waiting lists because they're all got massive waiting lists now, because there's not enough nurseries for the hours that are funded. so yeah, it will help — if i can get her in somewhere. the department for education says it is confident in the strength of the childcare market to deliver this expansion, and that funding rates for younger children have increased, as have the number of childcare places and staff. as demand grows, the plans rely on nurseries and childminders providing even more places like this. with the annual cost of a nursery space now more than £15,000, any help will be welcome news to parents. but as the sector prepares for the next expansion in september, which will include even younger children, questions over funding, availability and staffing will continue. vanessa clarke, bbc news, liverpool.

20 councillors in pendle in lancashire have resigned from labour in protest at the party's leadership. (tx from labour in protest at the party's leadership. the group say sir keir starmer�*s policies no longer reflect their views, and the mass resignation is believed to be the largest defection since sir keir became leader of the opposition. labour says it's focused on winning the next general election. new figures show that shop prices rose last month at their slowest rate in more than two years. the british retail consortium says that lower food costs and increased competition eased inflation to 1.3 percent. nine nhs trauma centres in england are taking part in a new study to see if giving antidepressants to people, straight after they suffer a serious brain injury, could reduce their likelihood of developing the condition. research suggests rates of depression in people who have experienced brain trauma are ten times higher than in the general population.

the nhs in england is starting the process of contacting tens of thousands of people living with type 1 diabetes, in the first step towards them receiving what's known as an artificial pancreas. health experts say it is a game—changing moment ? meaning they would no longer have to inject themselves with insulin. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, has more. i'm just going to pull this down, just do your height. two years ago, we reported on how six—year—old charlotte was taking part in a trial of a device that could radically change the way she manages her type one diabetes. this around yourarm... rather than regular fingerprick tests to check her blood glucose and then injecting insulin, charlotte was using what's known as an artificial pancreas. the device continually monitors

a person's blood glucose, then automatically adjusts the amount of insulin given to them through a pump. now thousands more people will be assessed to see if they, too, can use the pumps, something that experts say will be a game changer. for many people with type one diabetes, managing their condition means a lot of thinking of before they do a lot of things, such as eating, such as going for a run. but with this technology, a lot of those day—to—day thinking and working out things will be reduced. more than 300,000 people are living with type one diabetes in the uk. the devices will be rolled out to children and young people under 18 with the condition as well as pregnant women and those adults with type one diabetes who have an elevated blood sugar level. retired engineer les is one of those who, like charlotte, took part in the trial. i very quickly, my blood glucose control, itjust was a tremendous improvement, to the point where i'm now below the diagnostic threshold for type one diabetes. i feel healthier in myself, more able to do everything.

what's my glucose? computer: ok, viewing. you're 5.9 and steady. the devices are already available in scotland to some patients, but they don't suit everyone. and nhs bosses have warned of challenges in getting enough supply of the devices, plus the need to train more staff in how to use them. that means it could take five years before everyone eligible has the opportunity to have one. dominic hughes, bbc news. the sports brand, adidas, has banned german football fans from buying their country's kit with the number 44 on the back. concerns had been raised that it looked similar to the symbol used by nazi ss units in the second world war. adidas denied the resemblance was intentional and said they would block any fan from personalising their shirt with those numbers. the former us president donald trump has posted a $175 million bond in his new york civil fraud case.

mr trump, who is standing for the presidency again this year, was found liable in february forfraudulently inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan terms — a decision he is appealing. if you were watching breakfast over the weekend, you will have seen louis the osprey, who became an online star during the first lockdown, return to his nest in the scottish highlands earlier than usual this year. well now his mate, dorcha, has rejoined him much earlier than in previous years too. it's thought the rare birds will begin laying eggs in around three weeks' time — and we can all follow progress via a livestream of the nest. we will keep an eye on them for you. they arejust getting we will keep an eye on them for you. they are just getting their place ready early, that's all it is. getting organised! moving in. getting organised! moving in. getting all nice and cosy. here's carol with the weather.

it looks glorious behind you, carol, it looks lovely. good morning. it is glorious for some of us. this is one of our weather watchers�* picture, taken weather watchers�* picture, ta ken earlier weather watchers�* picture, taken earlier in herefordshire, but it is not like this across the board. there is a lot of cloud around, murky conditions and some rain and drizzle. for northern england, scotland and northern ireland, that is where we have the murky conditions. come further south and there is a bit more in the way of sunshine, early showers clearing away from the south—east, and as we move north it will slowly brighten up move north it will slowly brighten up across northern england and also northern ireland, but for scotland in the south and east, we hang on to the rain and also still that keen north—easterly breeze, making it feel that bit cooler. particularly so along the north sea coastline. through the day we will see one or two isolated showers develop across england, wales and northern ireland, but the main feature will be coming from the south—west and that is another area of low pressure

bringing some wet and windy conditions. temperatures six in lerwick to about 15 in london. through this evening and overnight, this band of cloud and rain pushes steadily northwards, getting into northern england and northern ireland by the end of the night. we hang onto a lot of showers and cloud in scotland, cold in lerwick, mild in scotland, cold in lerwick, mild in london at 11 degrees. tomorrow, the low pressure bringing this weather front pulls out into the north sea, but we still have this front draped across southern scotland and northern ireland and england. it will pull away leaving showers, and then we have cloud, but sunny skies will be in the far south, even in the south—west later, the next area of low pressure coming our way, the next area of low pressure coming ourway, bringing the next area of low pressure coming our way, bringing some more rain. don�*t say that! but it is getting warmer. great, warm rain. thank you, carol. now.

tony hudgell�*s story is one we�*ve followed for a long time here on breakfast. he is an inspirational boy, whose sponsored walks have raised almost £2 million for charity. tony uses crutches to walk after abuse by his birth parents meant his legs had to be amputated. but now he has had an operation which could eventually allow him to walk without crutches. our reporter, tim muffett, was with him as he prepared for surgery. tony hudgell has put so much effort into raising money for others, but the challenge in front of him will hopefully improve his life. ahead of some major surgery, what are your thoughts at the moment? sort of a mixture of we�*re finally here, and nervous. a roller coaster of emotions, i think, at the moment. tony was abused by his birth parents, his injuries so severe he had to have both legs amputated. he was adopted by paula and mark... go, tony, go! ..and has raised almost

£2 million for charity through a series of challenges. but in order to use his prosthetic legs, tony needs crutches. tony has a permanently dislocated hip, and his left leg is shorter than his right leg. so the aim is to help the hip to be more secure and to grow the left leg as well. the idea will be that eventually he�*ll be able to walk without crutches, and maybe one day follow his dream to be able to run. yes! so you�*re going to be going to sheffield tomorrow to go to hospital, have an operation. how are you feeling about that? i don't feel as nervous or anything like that. i i feel a bit like...excited. all tony's ever wanted to do is walk and be at the same level as his friends.

and hopefully this is going to give him that opportunity. there's only two people in the world that can perform this operation. are you going to come and help me do this, tony? tony isn�*t just facing complex surgery. are you going to help me pack these? so his leg and his hip�*s going to be in a cage, a frame, for anything up to a year. and daily there has to be adjustments done to it as well. i�*ve had to adapt all his boxers. so i do that and then get the cage. it opens right up, doesn�*t it? yeah, it opens, and then i put the one with the cage.... - superheroes, just like you. you like superheroes, don�*t you? well, he feels that the sooner it�*s done, the sooner he�*ll be able to accomplish what he wants to, and probably move on to another challenge, knowing tony. he�*s a fireball. he�*s just always so upbeat. he�*s never down.

he�*s always smiling. are you ready to go? yeah. so today tony�*s having his big op, and we�*ve come up to sheffield. how are you feeling? it was horrible this morning. we have to keep that goal there that, you know, this is going to be life—changing for him. going under anaesthetic can be unsettling for anyone, children especially. so before surgery, a chance to choose a scent. the smell of the gas that they use smells a lot like quite strong, smells like felt—tip pens. so we're actually choosing some a decent smell to go in that the patient might actually like. it's nice! which one have you gone for? which one did you choose? lemon sherbet. very nice. do you want to try it? i�*ll have a go. that one i think makes makes your nose tingle a little bit, but this is the one he wants to go with. not bad. good choice, tony.

there just never seems to be, you know, an obstacle in his way. he�*ll always find a way to overcome that. for what he faces every day, and he stays so happy. he's always upbeat. what did you say to him before he went under his anesthetic? that i�*m so proud of him and that i love him very much. all equipment available for today? yes. communication clear at all times? very good — more than five hours later, surgeonjames fernandes is leading a post—operation debrief. thank you for my dream team. how did the surgery go? quite well. we're trying to stabilise the hip, but not, of course, like not like putting a hip replacement. we are actually creating what is called a false hip by bending the bone, but using a fixator from the outside and then lengthening below.

tony�*s such an inspirational boy, isn�*t he? what do you make of him and his family? it's great. as a team, they do well. we have done ourjob. now 50% of the work is done. and it is now for tony and paula to carry on the rest of the work with turning the nuts and bolts to lengthen so that we get that bone a bit longer. so that is almost equal to the other side. it has been very challenging. back at home, and things have been tough for tony and his family. tony�*s pain has been through the roof. we have to adjust his frame that�*s around his leg. we have to do a quarter turn four times a day. each time that�*s done, it is quite painful. it's... metal. and every morning, evening and before i go to bed, - we do tightenings.

it must be a bit tough at the moment, because you�*re not quite as mobile as you were. i have to get mum i and dad to carry me. good boy. i mean, your mum and dad have been amazing, haven�*t they? really helpful. i mean, he�*s being so brave. he really is. he�*s really, really trying. but he�*s just lost his little spark at the moment, hasn�*t he? it�*s really, really tough for him. good boy. hopefully it will. .. we�*ll see the benefits. three, two, one... there will be painful days ahead, but tony is a strong and courageous boy who doesn�*t back down from a challenge. tim muffett, bbc news. and of course we will let you know how tony is getting on. we will

follow his progress. a transformation like this, the days are getting longer, easter holidays in full swing. you are getting longer, easter holidays infull swing. you might are getting longer, easter holidays in full swing. you might want to get out into the great outdoors, enjoy the countryside a little bit. but campaigners say england�*s nationals parks are struggling financially thanks to steep cuts to government funding over the past decade. the government says there�*s an extra £10 million of funding available for the parks for this year— but will that be enough? our reporter geeta pendse is in the peak district for us now. the sun will come out eventually and people will want to visit. absolutely, 30 million people visit the peak district every year. i am here at monsal head and behind me i promise is a spectacular view that is being hidden by the fog. the big attraction here in monsal is the trial which is 8.5 miles through an old railway viaduct and through the

monsal dales. but the key to places like this and all national parks is that the trails, the footpaths, the rights—of—way, are well maintained, and that is currently being compromised. those in charge of our tent national parks say that a real—time cutting government funding is leading to very difficult decisions which include reducing the maintenance of foot paths, but also closing or a threat of closure to visitor centres and staff cuts. to tell us more about it this morning, i am joined by phil mulligan, chief executive at the peak district national park. good morning. can you tell us about the challenges that you are facing at the moment? it has you are facing at the moment? it has been difficult. _ you are facing at the moment? it has been difficult, real— you are facing at the moment? it has been difficult, real term _ you are facing at the moment? it has been difficult, real term cuts - you are facing at the moment? it has been difficult, real term cuts of - been difficult, real term cuts of 40% _ been difficult, real term cuts of 40% over — been difficult, real term cuts of 40% over ten years. we are all having — 40% over ten years. we are all having to — 40% over ten years. we are all having to make difficult decisions. the role _ having to make difficult decisions. the role that we play for the nation

is so _ the role that we play for the nation is so vital. — the role that we play for the nation is so vital, we are incredibly cost—effective in providing people with opportunities to access nature, to get— with opportunities to access nature, to get health and well—being benefits and helping recover nature and mitigate against climate change, and mitigate against climate change, and all— and mitigate against climate change, and all of— and mitigate against climate change, and all of that is being threatened by short—term government funding decisions, — by short—term government funding decisions, and not giving us an increase — decisions, and not giving us an increase just in line with inflation for our— increase just in line with inflation for our core — increase just in line with inflation for our core ground. find increase just in line with inflation for our core ground.— increase just in line with inflation for our core ground. and one of the thints for our core ground. and one of the things that — for our core ground. and one of the things that has _ for our core ground. and one of the things that has come _ for our core ground. and one of the things that has come up _ for our core ground. and one of the things that has come up is - for our core ground. and one of the things that has come up is that - for our core ground. and one of the i things that has come up is that some national parks are having to reduce the maintenance of foot paths, and of course these places were created to make sure the public can access them, so that is a big issue. absolutely, we have 1600 miles of rights—of—way in the peak district alone _ rights—of—way in the peak district alone we — rights—of—way in the peak district alone. we have 20 million people who live within _ alone. we have 20 million people who live within an hour's travel, so we have _ live within an hour's travel, so we have huge — live within an hour's travel, so we have huge visitor pressure. people using _ have huge visitor pressure. people using the _ have huge visitor pressure. people using the footpath has an impact, they have — using the footpath has an impact, they have to have surfaces maintained, cut back the vegetation, repair— maintained, cut back the vegetation, repair the _ maintained, cut back the vegetation, repair the gates, and we have a brilliant — repair the gates, and we have a brilliant team of staff and volunteers who do that, but with a lack of _

volunteers who do that, but with a lack of funding and our local authority— lack of funding and our local authority partners face the same as wellr _ authority partners face the same as well, it— authority partners face the same as well, it is— authority partners face the same as well, it is putting pressure. and 'ust to well, it is putting pressure. and just to say. _ well, it is putting pressure. and just to say. the _ well, it is putting pressure. situc just to say, the government has recently announced an additional £10 million to national parks to try and address some of these issues. that is hel-ful, address some of these issues. that is helpful. but _ address some of these issues. that is helpful, but we _ address some of these issues. that is helpful, but we get a decision like that— is helpful, but we get a decision like that a — is helpful, but we get a decision like that a few weeks before the start _ like that a few weeks before the start of— like that a few weeks before the start of the financial year when what _ start of the financial year when what you — start of the financial year when what you really need to make long—term funding decisions is knowledge of what your budget is going _ knowledge of what your budget is going to — knowledge of what your budget is going to be over the next few years. and that _ going to be over the next few years. and that has been a real challenge for us _ and that has been a real challenge for us. �* , ., and that has been a real challenge forus. �* , ., , and that has been a real challenge forus. , , for us. and ditty of course is the 75th anniversary _ for us. and ditty of course is the 75th anniversary of _ for us. and ditty of course is the 75th anniversary of the - 75th anniversary of the parliamentary act which created what we can see now, these national parks across the country. as someone who was in charge of the peak district, how are you feeling about the future? ~ ., ., ., ., future? well, the future of national parks has never— future? well, the future of national parks has never been _ future? well, the future of national parks has never been more - future? well, the future of national i parks has never been more important. we were _ parks has never been more important. we were created for the nation. we have a _ we were created for the nation. we have a vital— we were created for the nation. we have a vital role to play in helping address _ have a vital role to play in helping address climate change and recover nature, _ address climate change and recover nature, and — address climate change and recover nature, and providing this incredible platform for people to

.et incredible platform for people to get exercise and connect with nature, — get exercise and connect with nature, so _ get exercise and connect with nature, so our role has never been more _ nature, so our role has never been more important, and really for a relatively— more important, and really for a relatively small amount of government funding, we could be doing _ government funding, we could be doing so— government funding, we could be doing so much more for the nation for the _ doing so much more for the nation for the next — doing so much more for the nation for the next 75 years.— for the next 75 years. thank you very much- _ for the next 75 years. thank you very much. the _ for the next 75 years. thank you very much. the government - for the next 75 years. thank you | very much. the government does for the next 75 years. thank you - very much. the government does say that it fully supports national parks, and as i mentioned earlier there is this additional funding that has been given to national parks in this financial year, and of course as we heard there, millions of people visit the peak district, and all ten of our national parks, and all ten of our national parks, and there will be a new national park being created very soon. whilst you can�*t see the landscape behind me, i�*m sure many of us have visited spaces near where we live or travel somewhere in the country, and there is this real strong desire to preserve them for the future. i preserve them for the future. i actually really like that. it is really dramatic where you are. it is very atmospheric, let�*s say. thank you. it is really nice to see you.

i don�*t believe you. would you really walk? that is very moody. let�*s go with moody, yes. i think i am a fairweather walker. the only way. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i�*m tolu adeoye. an iranian tv host stabbed outside his home in wimbledon has been discharged from hospital and says he is now staying in a safe place. pouria zeraati was attacked by a group on friday. his london based tv station said it had faced "heavy threats" for 18 months. counter—terrorism officers are leading the investigation but no arrests have yet been made. the iranian regime has denied any involvement. a great—grandfather from north west london who�*s helped to advise thousands of victims of the windrush scandal about compensation says he fears the government�*s just waiting for them to "die off". conroy downie, who was born

injamaica and came to the uk as a teenager, is calling for the compensation scheme, which was launched five years ago this week, to be run independently. the home office has said it�*s committed to "righting the wrongs" of the windrush scandal. london lions women�*s basketball team will make history tomorrow night when they become the first british side ever to play in the final of a european competition. they�*ll take on turkish side besiktas. the players are raring to go. energy�*s really good, everyone is really locked—in. we�*re here, now, it�*s kind of unbelievable still. but we have to get the job done in turkey first and i know there�*s going to be tonnes of fans supporting us when we play home. a london theatre has celebrated 50 years of hosting the world�*s longest—running play, agatha christie�*s the mousetrap. the production opened in the west end in 1952 at the london ambassador�*s theatre, before moving next door to its current home in st martin�*s theatre. there have been nearly

30,000 performances. let�*s take a look at the tubes now. a few issues — the bakerloo line has minor delays. northern is part closed and piccadilly has severe delays. now onto the weather with kawser. hello, good morning. quite a cloudy start to the day with some pretty heavy showers overnight last night. and today we are expecting sunny spells and further scattered showers to develop during the day. the heavy showers from overnight will continue to clear out into the north sea and we are left with some sunshine developing and some scattered showers, but these showers will not be as heavy or frequent as yesterday. temperatures reaching around 13 to 15 celsius and quite breezy out there as well. during the evening, thicker cloud, outbreaks of rain spreading up from the south—west. some of this rain may be heavy in places and temperatures, overnight holding up at around nine to 11 celsius so quite a mild night in store and still quite breezy out there as well. looking ahead to the next few days, staying unsettled, low pressure nearby.

these series of weather fronts arriving in bringing some strong winds at times, some further outbreaks of rain, and temperatures gradually rising so by the weekend, whilst it will remain unsettled with some outbreaks of rain, on saturday as well, temperatures will reach around 17 or 18 celsius in places. now, fancy a career in gardening? the royal parks charity is looking for ten new apprentices. the scheme�*s open to all ages. you can read more about the scheme on our website. i�*ll be back with another update after 9am. but now it�*s back to ben and sally. hello, this is breakfast with ben thompson and sally nugent. in the last few minutes we�*ve heard reports of a shooting this morning at a school in finland. it took place in the city of vantaa, north of the country�*s capital helsinki.

police there say multiple people have been injured and a suspect has been apprehended. officers are at the scene and bystanders have been asked to stay away from the area. we will keep you updated as we find out more on this developing story. some working parents in england can now access 15 hours of funded weekly childcare for their two—year—olds. the expanded scheme came into effect this week. nina�*s here. nina, the hope is it�*ll help parents return to work. yeah, parents return to work. lots of day at home parent: we re yeah, lots of day at home parents were not happy when they were described by the chancellor as economically inactive, in their view they are working very hard and they would love to be back at work but nursery prices are prohibitive so this policy aims at addressing that. we talk about it a lot, and you might well be living it.

nursery costs that suck your income or in lots of cases stop you returning to work. so last year the chancellor announced extra help. let�*s look at what�*s changing. yesterday the roll—out began. most working parents of two—year—olds are now eligible for 15 hours of government funded childcare a week during term time. this will be extended to working parents of all children nine months and overfrom september. before the full roll—out of 30 hours a week to all eligible families with children under five next year. good news for some parents then, but providers are worried. because by september 2025, demand is likely to have risen by 15%, the equivalent of more than 100,000 additional spots. and then there�*s concern around the amount of funding. the government�*s increased the hourly rate it pays providers. but that doesn�*t always cover the costs. so, some are charging for extras like meals and nappies to bridge that gap. a few weeks ago we spoke to therese. her two—year—old daughter quinn is now eligible

for 15 funded hours but it won�*t be coming her way. our nursery has had to take the really tough decision to opt out of the funding hours because they are currently running at a massive deficit. we�*ve had four, i think between four or five nurseries close in the local area. there is another nursery in the village but even they�*re having to look at the same thing, whether they can actually afford to run with the scheme that�*s currently in place. some of you who�*ve been in touch this morning are in the same boat as therese and are pointing out other problems. sian says she gave up work to train as a nurse and isn�*t eligible for the new funded hours as she can�*t work alongside her studies. she says she�*s happy she decided to pursue her dream job, but it�*s come at a big penalty in terms of childcare. tracy used to work in childcare and says the hourly rate varies across the country, so in some areas

the funding from the government is lower than the rate parents pay, and the opposite in other areas. so whether it�*s helpful depends where you live. victoria works in a pre—school, which she says is on the brink of closure. she says the funding isn�*t financially viable, and because it�*s a difficultjob with poor pay, recruitment remains an issue. she says"! could work in a supermarket and be on more money." that is also an importantjob. i think, sally and ben, parents i speak to say, it is a good start but 15 hours a week only in term time, is that enough to make in inactive lifestyle change and go back to work? and long term it is women on the whole who are missing the year or two years, sometimes three years on the career ladder. it is difficult to get that time back. and two days a week is not going to cut

it. absolutely, thank you, nina. it. absolutel ,thank ou, nina. ., , it. absolutel , thank ou, nina. ., , ., absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of messates absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of messages this _ absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of messages this morning, _ absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of messages this morning, we - absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of messages this morning, we will - absolutely, thank you, nina. lots of| messages this morning, we will look to them later. this morning, we�*ve been showing you footage of a lifeboat crew freeing a huge humpback whale which had become stuck off the coast of cornwall. it�*s thought that the whale became trapped in fishing ropes which then wrapped around its head and dorsalfin. the whale, known as ivy, was eventually cut free by members of penlee lifeboat. the whale had been spotted by a tour guide from marine discovery penzance, whose owner, hannah wilson, joins us now. good morning, hannah. morning. so, it is thanks to — good morning, hannah. morning. so, it is thanks to someone _ good morning, hannah. morning. so, it is thanks to someone being - good morning, hannah. morning. so, it is thanks to someone being very i it is thanks to someone being very eagle eyed and spotting what was going on and spotting that the wail was in distress, talk as to what happened. i was in distress, talk as to what happened-— was in distress, talk as to what hat tened. .,, ., ., ., was in distress, talk as to what ha ened. ., , ., ., ., ., , happened. i was aware that there was trobabl a happened. i was aware that there was probably a humpback— happened. i was aware that there was probably a humpback in _ happened. i was aware that there was probably a humpback in the _ happened. i was aware that there was probably a humpback in the bay - happened. i was aware that there was probably a humpback in the bay from | probably a humpback in the bay from early on, because one of the fishing boats had reported that there was

some species of whale, did not know what, to the coast watch station which overlooks the bay and keeps an eye on shipping. so i messaged duncan who is the skipper of our vessel who was out with a trip on the seaward people, and saying, keep an eye out for the comeback which has got entangled in fishing gear. —— the humpback. it was tough to spot despite being 16 metres. the sea state was such that you could not see it easily but he managed to find it. �* not see it easily but he managed to find it. ~ ., . i. ., find it. and once you have determined _ find it. and once you have determined that - find it. and once you have determined that the - find it. and once you have | determined that the whale find it. and once you have - determined that the whale needed help, where do you stop to plans like that? to help, where do you stop to plans like that? ., , ., ., , ., like that? to be fair, it was not 'ust us, like that? to be fair, it was not just us. a _ like that? to be fair, it was not just us, a massive _ like that? to be fair, it was not just us, a massive team - like that? to be fair, it was not just us, a massive team effort, people had spotted the whale from the shore. british divers and marine life rescue, we were talking with them the whole time. they were trying to assemble a team of people

who were trained in such rescues, but unfortunately down here —— fortunately down here they are used to helping out seals, dolphins and seabirds. in scotland they are far more used to conducting this kind of rescue, they have similar conditions with fishing gear and lots of humpback whales. in recent years, far more have been spotted around the cornish coast, but we didn�*t have those people on hand to assemble immediately. so it was going to be quite some time before they were able to get down because it is a very difficult rescue to undertake. they are huge creatures, not like a seal or a dolphin. especially if they are in distress, they could be thrashing around, people have been killed attempting this kind of thing in other parts of the world. i this kind of thing in other parts of the world. ., ., ., ,~' ., the world. i did want to ask that, we have been — the world. i did want to ask that, we have been looking _ the world. i did want to ask that, we have been looking at - the world. i did want to ask that, we have been looking at pictures| the world. i did want to ask that, - we have been looking at pictures and you get a real sense of the scale, you get a real sense of the scale, you can see the lifeboat crew in the rib, the inflatable rib, right next

to the whale. that huge thin causing a lot of weight and disruption, how do you get close to cut off the ropes? do you get close to cut off the ro tes? �* , ., do you get close to cut off the roaes? �*, ., ., , do you get close to cut off the ro-es? v . . , do you get close to cut off the ro-es? h . ., , , ., ropes? it's a really good question and it's rrot _ ropes? it's a really good question and it's not one _ ropes? it's a really good question and it's not one i _ ropes? it's a really good question and it's not one i am _ ropes? it's a really good question and it's not one i am particularlyl and it�*s not one i am particularly qualified to answer to be honest. we were very, very frustrated and felt very helpless that we could not do anything, we are under very sensible and strict instructions not to attempt anything. because of these dangers. the lifeboat crew were in the area, and they were doing, it was a very busy day yesterday in the bay, such was the sea conditions. they are obviously really used to conducting close work with people, usually, needing rescuing. so their boat handling skills are second to none, they are used to handling these vessels in challenging conditions. and the guy at the helm

did not absolutely fantastic job of getting close to the animal and keeping his crew out of danger. there were a couple of times you conceive, the footage, where he has to nudge the boat out of the way when the whale starts getting nervous and moving around a bit. in nervous and moving around a bit. in lots of ways, there were quite a few moments where i think luck was on everybody�*s side. i knew it was very choppy in the bay yesterday but it�*s not the first time that ivy has been spotted around there, i know she has been near one of the pubs recently, people have been able to sit outside and watch her, is that right? yes. and watch her, is that right? yes, this whale — and watch her, is that right? yes, this whale ivy _ and watch her, is that right? yes, this whale ivy has _ and watch her, is that right? yes, this whale ivy has been _ and watch her, is that right? yes, this whale ivy has been seen - and watch her, is that right? 123 this whale ivy has been seen for the last few months around the cornish coast. you can id particularly whales because of their scratches on the skin. she has been in the cornish coast and has been at port lebanon during the coast there, and

she has been spotted quite close in. people have been able to watch her, or him, we don�*t know what sex it is, and the long breaching out of the water. a pub there has quite a nice vantage point of the coast quite close in and people have been able to watch the whale while drinking a pint.— able to watch the whale while drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok now? it is— drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok now? it is assumed _ drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok now? it is assumed she - drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok now? it is assumed she is, - drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok now? it is assumed she is, there | drinking a pint. quickly, ivy is ok- now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash — now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash on _ now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash on her _ now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash on her tail, _ now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash on her tail, a _ now? it is assumed she is, there was a nasty gash on her tail, a couple - a nasty gash on her tail, a couple of very tight ropes over the back, but there was an injury to the tale, but there was an injury to the tale, but there was an injury to the tale, but the important thing was that, the crucial thing was that the kit was all cut free. if they are still towing around ropes that haven�*t been able to be freed completely, then the whale is in danger of further entanglement or wounds festering. but once she or he is free of the gear, those injuries can start to heal. and they can generally can recover from

start to heal. and they can generally can recoverfrom quite severe injuries. generally can recover from quite severe injuries.— generally can recover from quite severe in'uries. ., ,, , ., , . severe in'uries. thank you very much for severe injuries. thank you very much for explaining — severe injuries. thank you very much for explaining everything _ severe injuries. thank you very much for explaining everything that - severe injuries. thank you very much for explaining everything that went i for explaining everything that went on there, hannah.— the world men�*s curling championship kicked off this weekend and defending champions, scotland, are among those aiming for the medals. but you won�*t have to wait for their matches to see scottish representation. every curling stone used at the championships is made from granite found only on the island of ailsa craig, off the country�*s west coast. and the company which shapes the stones has given us a glimpse at this unique process. what�*s stood the test of time is certainly this type of rock that�*s here. this metamorphic rock from this small island. it�*s hard to believe that take it from a rough rock like this, ends up into a masterpiece and somebody throws that rock that then ends up winning the gold medal.

this is kays of scotland. we manufacture curling stones for the olympics and the world championships in over 17 different countries. we�*ve been here for 174 years. this is where we use all the hand tools. and it�*s really the skill of the crafter that gives it that final finished shape of the curling stone. the operation was known as three hand turning and grinding. it meant that the success of the product was dependent on the skill of the operator. the operator had to coordinate hand and eye to get the proper size and shape of the stone. all the curling stones that kays curling makes and has made over the years has come from this island. we have been taking granite here for the last 170 odd years. these are the stones that�*s been accredited by the world curling and have been used in every

olympic games since 1998. so out of that one boulder, you�*d probably get something like 70 to 80 curling stones, out of this one boulder. we do this harvest roughly every ten years, and the product we take, like, this material we�*ve got here should last us ten to 12 years based on the market growth at that point. the ailsa craig is definitely far and away the best material that's ever been located anywhere because of its unique composition. very, very fine micrograin granite which resists wear and tear. ice can be very abrasive so the ailsa craig material resists the wear and tear of the ice. the ailsa rock. that's the beginning _ of all the world's curling stones. hard to imagine they�*re stood here and over 100 years ago, there�*s people like me coming

across here to dig out the stone, to then manufacture the stone and then rough cut it here. such a unique and interesting job with such a great and fantastic story. and you can watch scotland�*s games in the championship today, tomorrow and on friday on the iplayer and bbc sport website. an update on the breaking news we just brought you. three children have been injured in a school shooting in finland. the incident took place this morning in the city of vantaa, north of the country�*s capital helsinki. police there say that the suspect is also a minor and is now in police custory. the school�*s pupils are aged between seven and 16 years old

and the school�*s principal says the immediate danger there is now over. just to confirm, three injured in a school shooting in finland in the city of vantaa near helsinki. we will bring you any more on that. it's will bring you any more on that. it�*s just 12 minutes to will bring you any more on that. it�*sjust 12 minutes to nine. let�*s get the weather now with carol, getting warmer and wetter this week? yes, correct on both counts. there will be sunny intervals this week but it will be wet and windy at times and as ben alluded to, by the times and as ben alluded to, by the time we get to saturday, most of us if not all of us will be in double figures in terms of temperatures, we could get up to 19 degrees in parts of east anglia and the south—east.

through the week it remained cool across scotland. the blue in the chart, north—easterly brisk winds, southerly winds across england, wales and northern ireland, spreading north to all areas by the time we get to saturday. that does not mean it is going to be dry, quite a bit of rain, this is the rainfall accumulation, quite a bit of rain, this is the rainfallaccumulation, key, dark rainfall accumulation, key, dark blue rainfallaccumulation, key, dark blue and green, so up to 70 millimetres of rainfall falling on saturated ground in the next five days. at the moment, cloud and murky conditions in northern england, northern ireland and scotland, rain and drizzle around. it should brighten up across northern england and northern ireland, a few showers developing across the rest of england and wales, but equally sunny spells. then the next band of rain is sweeping into the south—west with some strengthening wind. temperatures five to 15 degrees. this evening and overnight, a band of rain pushes north and east, the

rain continues with this cloud in scotland as does the brisk wind. it will be a breezy note wherever you are and temperature wise, cold in the north, three degrees, mild in the north, three degrees, mild in the south, 11 degrees. tomorrow the low pressure driving the weather has this weather front wrapped around it producing rain in northern ireland and northern england and scotland, it should brighten up a touching northern ireland with a few showers through the day and we are topped and tailed by some cloud and showers and tailed by some cloud and showers and sunny skies in the far south—east of england. even here later on further showery outbreaks of rain coming our way and still a brisk wind coming from the north sea making it feel cooler and these temperatures don�*t suggest that. through the week into thursday, low pressure pulls into the north of the but it will leave behind cloud across eastern and northern parts of the country. out towards the west,

drier and brighter, for a time, because then we have the next batch of rain coming our way in from the south—west. temperatures five in the north to 15 as we sweep down to the south. then it starts to get a bit milder and warmerfor south. then it starts to get a bit milder and warmer for some of us on saturday. that is the main thing, thank you, carol. it�*s now six decades since marie mcdonald mclocklin lorrie traded her four names forjust one — lulu. when she released "shout", in 1964, it catapulted her to chart success across the globe. this weekend sees the start of lulu�*s farewell tour and she�*s been looking back on a career full of highlights with our entertainment correspondent, colin paterson. # you know you make me wanna shout, look, my hand�*sjumping # look, my heart�*s bumping...

1964, a 15—year—old lulu in the film uk swings again, making a big noise with a first single shout. now, exactly 60 years later, she�*s about to embark on herfinal ever tour. now, exactly 60 years later, she�*s about to embark on herfinal ever tour. to be honest with you, if when i was 15 years old and i would have, someone would have suggested i�*d be doing a farewell tour when i was 75, i�*d have said, you�*re having a laugh! how difficult a decision was it? you almost need an army to go on the road, and... i don�*t want to do it like this any more. i was 75 in november and it�*s 60 years this year. it�*s sort of people kept saying, how are you going to celebrate? how are you going to celebrate? in a way, it�*s a chance for me to party. this is how i party. there have been many lulu landmarks. to sir with love made her the first scottish solo act to have a us number one. # my heart goes boom—bang—a—bang, boom—bang—a—bang, when you are near.

she also won eurovision. # an assassin that�*s second to none # the man with the golden gun... and recorded a bond theme. 60 year career. how much of an achievement is that? to be living at 75 is an achievement and to still be able to sing and to have energy and have your health is an incredible blessing in life. i feel very... i�*ve always said i feel lucky and i�*m grateful. i think that is really important. i get down on my knees every morning and thank god forjust being alive and for what i�*ve got. for being lulu. for being lulu, i mean, wouldn�*t you want to be lulu? no, thanks! # we—e—e—e—ell.

do you ever wish you had an easier signature song? because that is one you have to belt out. with shout, you either get "we—e—e—e—e—ll..." people try to get it, but as you can see, i can still do it. so why would i think it was a... i should have something easier? i think because i�*m working class and i�*ve thought about this recently as i�*m getting older, because i�*m working class, i have a very strong work ethic and i don�*t look for things to be easy necessarily. lots of singers lose their voice over the years. how have you kept yours? i�*m very disciplined. i�*ve learned, in fact, to use my vowels and to speak like this and use the whole range of my voice right down to there. and also exercise my voice. sings operatically. all that stuff. watch my diet, i exercise, and i don�*t speak before 12

noon when i�*m on tour. whoa, not at all? not a big deal, you know, that�*s not a big deal. i mean, i�*ve done total silence for weeks, and it�*s all about being disciplined. i don�*t know why, but i find that hard to believe having met you a few times. you think i�*m lying? after crying all the way to the altar, lulu emerged as mrs lulu gibb. hubby maurice was a lucky guy. he got the girl thousands of fellows would give their right arm for. from a young age, lulu had to get used to life in the public eye. at 20, her marriage to maurice gibb from the bee gees made headlines around the world. what have you learnt about fame over these decades? that�*s a very good question. what have i learnt about fame? just to be famous is quite a difficult thing to cope with and is not the answer to all your dreams. fame is only what�*s on the outside.

it seems like they�*re rich, famous, got everything at their fingertips. that�*s not really what it�*s all about. i think i�*m lucky again because i am good at recovering from maybe a bad spell, a tough, you know, marriage, you know, i always wanted to have lots of children, i thought, and then when it came to it, i didn�*t. that was a heartbreak for me. but you come through, you know, you come through. and what i�*ve trained myself to do is to look at what i�*ve got and not so much what i don�*t have. # you�*re face to face with the man who sold the world. among her many collaborations was a hit single she made with david bowie. that was a special moment in my life. he said, "i�*m going to make a hit record with you." true to his word, he made that single and we were going to do

much more together. we had planned to do an album, and i went to new york and did a couple of recordings and they�*ve disappeared. i�*d love to get the other song, though. # can you hear me? # can you feel me inside? # show your love # take it in right, take it in right. oh, my god. that was the song, one of the songs that i did with him. and it�*s lost. can you hear me, mm. # you gotta be strong enough to walk on through the night # there�*s a new day on the other side. and such has been lulu�*s longevity that even her number one with take that was 31 years ago. it was an incredible thing. and they were very, very respectful, is the word, i think, because, of course, they were like in their teens, i think, and i was 40. but i�*ve had many reinventions in my life and that was a big one. and now we�*re family.

# relight my fire! lulu, lovely to speak to you. nice to speak to you. you ready for the tour? i was born ready. i think that�*s been said before, but i stole it! i think we will let her steal it, she can do anything at all. she looks amazing. and lulu�*s farewell tour is called champagne for lulu, after a line from the ab fab episode where she made a cameo. tutu. — what do you want, lulu? oh, i�*d like one of those. and i�*ll have two of those. vos. tutu. — and i'll have three of these. steady on, sweetie. and let's go for the champagne. champagne for lulu! of course! stay with us, the headlines are coming up.

live from london. this is bbc news. a briton is among seven aid workers, mostly foreign nationals, killed in what a us—based charity says was an israeli airstrike in gaza. an expanded childcare scheme rolls out across england, but there are already claims

it�*s not enough. donald trump posts a $175—million dollar bond in his new york civil fraud trial. a high—tech solution to helping manage type—one diabetes. it�*s an artifical pancreas. and we have a special report from south africa�*s border, as illegal immigration dominates the political agenda in the run—up to the election. hello, i�*m nicky schiller. we start this hour in the middle east. the aid organisation world central kitcken says seven of its aid workers in gaza, including a british national, have been killed in an israeli air strike. these are some of the latest pictures we�*ve received from the scene of the incident. you can see damage to the roof of that vehicle marked with the world food kitchen logo. the us based charity says

it�*s suspending food distribution operations in gaza after the air strike.