are he could secure a peace deal. are you able — he could secure a peace deal. are you able to — he could secure a peace deal. are you able to say that the west is not about _ you able to say that the west is not about to _ you able to say that the west is not about to forced ukraine into a peace deal? _ about to forced ukraine into a peace deal? i _ about to forced ukraine into a peace deal? , ~ , , deal? i believe we will keep this country safe _ deal? i believe we will keep this country safe and _ deal? i believe we will keep this country safe and sir— deal? i believe we will keep this country safe and sir keir- deal? i believe we will keep this i country safe and sir keir starmer's actions show that he will be able to do that. this is the most dangerous time for generations. that is why we have made the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5%. that is a choice that we have made, a priority thatis choice that we have made, a priority that is right for the country. keir starmer and the labour party have said that they will not match that choice. there is no way you can keep the country safe and secure from the growing threats we face, countries acting together, unless you are prepared to act on our defence. there is a very clear dividing line there which i'm sure everyone can appreciate. at the end of the day when it comes to this question, his track record will tell you that.

that is just the reality of the situation. here is some who believes jeremy corbyn could make a good minister of a country not once, but twice. jeremy corbyn wanted to pull a set of metal, scrap the army. multiple members of the government that labour would provide don't believe in a nuclear deterrent, so i don't see how you can say to the country with a straight face to say i will keep you safe to the country. it is because of that increase in defence spending that i can stand here and provide more support to ukraine, and notjust that, can say that that support to ukraine will be provided for as long as is necessary to repel russian aggression. keir starmer can make that pledge. the labour party and keir starmer not matching our investment on defence spending and our adversaries. what you think putting things when he, that the west isn't prepared to make the tough choices to invest in their

security. russia's economy has utilised for war. we need to meet that aggression with strength. with we have always led in nato. the 2014 summits in the uk we set the 2% pledge and we are doing the same again now, a new baseline for nato, 2.5% of gdp. i hope other countries over time will come to much because investment is our —— inner selective security is the right thing. sir keir starmer doesn't demonstrate that leadership to our allies at a time when we need it. sky. thank ou. time when we need it. sky. thank you after— time when we need it. sky. thank you- after at _ time when we need it. sky. thank you. after at the _ time when we need it. sky. thank you. after at the local _ time when we need it. sky. thank you. after at the local elections . you. after at the local elections you. after at the local elections you said — you. after at the local elections you said the results suggest we are heading _ you said the results suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with

heading fora hung parliament with labour— heading for a hung parliament with labour as— heading for a hung parliament with labour as the largest party. you have _ labour as the largest party. you have also — labour as the largest party. you have also ruled out during any deal with another party, so as you outline — with another party, so as you outline these future threats why have _ outline these future threats why have you — outline these future threats why have you openly admitted that you are not— have you openly admitted that you are not going to be able to stay on as prime _ are not going to be able to stay on as prime minister? i�*m are not going to be able to stay on as prime minister?— are not going to be able to stay on as prime minister? i'm not entirely sure i understand _ as prime minister? i'm not entirely sure i understand the _ as prime minister? i'm not entirely sure i understand the question. - as prime minister? i'm not entirely. sure i understand the question. that wasn't me who said those things, they were independent election our nests. we have had the local elections, the next election that country will face as the general election and the choice of that general election is clear, about future versus the past. as i've set out today we have a clear understanding of what the future entails, the most dangerous time that we have known in a long time but also the most transformational it is only mass loss, me, that has doubled plan that will deliver the

clear future for the country. that is the substance of the debates that we be having at the last next election. ., ., ., , ., election. following on the question about what that _ election. following on the question about what that sunday _ election. following on the question about what that sunday times - election. following on the question i about what that sunday times article said, about what that sunday times article said. it _ about what that sunday times article said. it bad _ about what that sunday times article said, it had some pretty direct quotes— said, it had some pretty direct quotes from donald trump. the suggestion was that we were encouraging him to think that a stand-otf— encouraging him to think that a stand—off between ukraine and russia would _ stand—off between ukraine and russia would be _ stand—off between ukraine and russia would be a _ stand—off between ukraine and russia would be a useful position for him to inherits— would be a useful position for him to inherits if he comes to the white house _ to inherits if he comes to the white house because that way he could put a deal— house because that way he could put a deal on the table. are we not in favour— a deal on the table. are we not in favour of— a deal on the table. are we not in favour of a — a deal on the table. are we not in favour of a deal? it sounds like we are. favour of a deal? it sounds like we are you _ favour of a deal? it sounds like we are. you were asking the country to trust _ are. you were asking the country to trust not _ are. you were asking the country to trust notjust— are. you were asking the country to trust notjust you but are. you were asking the country to trust not just you but the conservative party, it is only a few months _ conservative party, it is only a few months and — conservative party, it is only a few months and you were saying that they were part _ months and you were saying that they were part of— months and you were saying that they were part of the field consensus of the last— were part of the field consensus of the last 30 — were part of the field consensus of the last 30 years, you are not drawing — the last 30 years, you are not drawing attention to a record that people _ drawing attention to a record that people should be proud of over the last 14 _ people should be proud of over the last 14 years. do you even trust the

conservative party? it is only a short _ conservative party? it is only a short while since she thought a bunch — short while since she thought a bunch of— short while since she thought a bunch of marauding people with lateral— bunch of marauding people with lateral coming after you? | bunch of marauding people with lateral coming after you?- bunch of marauding people with lateral coming after you? i have not seen the sunday _ lateral coming after you? i have not seen the sunday times _ lateral coming after you? i have not seen the sunday times article. - lateral coming after you? i have not seen the sunday times article. we l seen the sunday times article. we have lead when it comes to ukraine. borisjohnson did that, i contended that. notjust in quantum but also being the first to provide capabilities, whether it was thanks, long range weapons, the first to provide bilateral security assurances, the first to train ukrainian soldiers. we have had a track level of leadership which i'm very proud of. that is the right thing to do. if you want to strengthen this country's security we need to re—establish deterrence and an investment and ukrainian security as an investment in our security. our nato allies are worried about if putin is able to

succeed that there will be next, with all the consequences that would bring. it is our adversaries all around the world that are looking at this moment and seeing how we react. in order to have security we do need to invest more in defence and ukraine and it is right that we talk to our allies about that. whilst we are enormously grateful for the continued support and investment they have put into a european security, it is not right to rely on american taxpayers to do that if we are not prepared to make sacrifices for our own security. i am. that is the decision i have met on defence are pending. when we talk to the americans we are able to say we are leading, investing more than anyone else in european security and others need to do the same. sir keir starmer cannot say that. he cannot say to our american allies or others

that we are leading, investing more in their own security. that is a clear contrast. on your last question, as i talked about it i will end on the same point, i am not for one second pretending everything about the last 14 years was perfect, of course not. but i am proud of the record. i am of course not. but i am proud of the record. iam proud of course not. but i am proud of the record. i am proud of the record when i made that speech, too. looking at our education reforms, children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are now more likely to go to university than they were before. the attending gap before covid closed, making sure that our kids are the best readers in the western world. that didn't happen by accident and certainly isn't happening in wales were labour are in charge, or in scotland for the snp are in charge, it and tear, ending long —— in england, underthe conservatives. if you can create a world—class education system, that is how you transform people's lies

with the better, how you give people the ability to flourish, that is what this conservative government has done over the last 14 years, together with providing the financial security so we can respond to the shops out there and continue to the shops out there and continue to keep this country safe, so i am proud of that and always will be. the choices about the future. in a more dangerous time, you can you trust to keep you safe and it is only the conservatives who have the bold action, clear plan required to keep the country safe and give our families a secure future. thank you. the prime minister there outlining his vision. i will go straight to our political correspondent to break down some of the key messages we heard there. we still don't have a date for the general election but the conservatives have set out a vision. what stood out most to you, what was the central claim that you

picked up on? tline what was the central claim that you picked uo on?— what was the central claim that you picked up on?— picked up on? one of the most interesting _ picked up on? one of the most interesting things _ picked up on? one of the most interesting things was - picked up on? one of the most interesting things was the - picked up on? one of the most - interesting things was the response from the prime minister to a question from chris mason, are you trying to claim that the country will be less safe under keir starmer? quite clearly he answered yes, he does believe that. that is quite a claim, one that the labour party i suspect would strongly dispute. rishi sunak points to defence spending when making that claim. he has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% of national income by 2013, the labour party have put a timeframe on it, saying they would aspire to do that when our economic conditions allow. if you're going to spend 2.5% of national income on defence, what the prime minister isn't saying is that means you can't spend it on other areas of policy. recent elections also suggest, the result is that we

had in the local election suggest that people are not willing to vote for the labour party under keir starmer's leadership in a way that they weren't underjeremy corbyn and i think that that is interesting because you see rishi sunak repeatedly trying to make a link, draw a line between keir starmer, the current labour leader, he would say that he has significantly changed the labour party and the fact that he stood as part asjeremy corbyn's shadow cabinet, trying to draw that line in people's mind between keir starmer and jeremy corbyn at a time when it suggested that link is less at the forefront of people's mind when they come to voting. the other thing that really stood out to me was this was of course the whole speech about security, there was no new policy in there as such, but keir starmer spoke a lot about security at the

last labour conference. not necessarily speaking about it as a topic as such but a kind of buzzword, a that speaks to people in terms of their fears about international security and wars overseas, but also in terms of their domestic security, that sense of personal, financial security and their prospects for their own individual lives. it makes me think that that is a kind of theme that is likely to come through and this year's general election when it comes because by talking about security you give yourself a way of encompassing absolutely everything in terms of how you speak to people and people's need to feel like there is a kind of leader there who has a plan and vision for the country. {lari plan and vision for the country. of course, we do have a live page with more analysis. now it is time for a

look at the weather. hello again. the weather this week is going to be more unsettled than it was last week. and that's because low pressure is very much going to be with us for a lot of this week. today, it's bringing in some rain from the southwest, very slowly, pushing northwards and eastwards. some of that rain will be heavy across parts of south—west england, south wales and northern ireland. and the clouds are going to continue to build ahead of it. there'll be some harr coming offshore at times across eastern parts of scotland, but in between, a lot of dry weather, sunny and warm conditions, with temperatures feasibly up to 24 degrees somewhere in eastern england. and as we head through the evening and overnight, the rain continues its journey, moving eastwards and also northwards. further showers come into the southwest and we see a return to localised mist and murk across eastern areas. but it is going to be a mild night. in fact, for some of us it will feel warm for the time of year. so as we go through tomorrow, the low pressure's still with us, the weather front pushing ever further east. and it will be a breezy day, perhaps not quite as breezy as today. we still will have the low cloud,

mist and murk along the wast coast. here's our rain. follow it all the way around and you can see a plethora of showers coming in across the south and the west. but in between, there'll be some sunshine, as there will be across parts of northern scotland. temperatures through the course of tomorrow ranging from 12 in lerwick, and 20 in inverness to about 19 as we push down towards norwich. now, on wednesday, we still do have that weather front affecting parts of northern and eastern england with some increasingly patchy rain on it. on either side, for northern scotland, for northern ireland, much of wales and southern england, there'll be a lot of dry weather, bar a few showers and some sunshine, with temperatures again up to 20, maybe 21 degrees. moving from thursday and towards the end of the week, the low pressure sinks a bit further south, but we do import more showers from the near continent. so during the course of thursday, you can see how we start off with showers across the southeastern corner. but they become more widespread across england

and wales through the day. some of those heavy and thundery move further north and we're looking at drier conditions with fewer showers and top temperatures, again, round about the 20—degree mark. beyond that, it still is changeable. we're looking at sunshine. we're looking at showers. and temperatures roughly where they should be, orjust above. am live from london.

this is bbc news. russian forces intensify their attacks in northeastern ukraine, with fighting reported in the border town of vovcha nsk. it comes as russia's defence minister, and putin's long—time ally, is pushed out in a rare cabinet shake—up. a maternity care overhaul — as mp5 say urgent action is needed to reduce the trauma experienced by many women during childbirth. and millions of indians are voting in the fourth phase of the seven week long general election. the uk prime minister rishi sunak warns of knavery dangerous years ahead. hello, i'm geeta guru murthy, welcome to bbc news now, welcome to bbc news now.

russia has intensified its attacks in northeast ukraine —