also tonight... ten—year—old leah harrison, who died in a mudslide on a school trip in north yorkshire — her family say she was a happy, bubbly little girl. look at the state of it. we're inside myanmar, with rebel forces battling the military regime. and we speak to manchester city star phil foden, ahead of the fa cup final this weekend. and on newsnight at 10.30pm — we'll go deeper behind the headlines and speak live to key players on today's big stories. plus, we take a first look at what's on tomorrow's front pages. good evening. the party leaders�* general election

campaigning marathon has started in earnest — with rishi sunak clocking up the miles in england, wales and scotland — and sir keir starmer heading to labour—target territory in kent. amid the handshakes, placards and babies, the economy and immigration emerged as the main early battle lines, with mr sunak confirming that flights to rwanda to remove people who arrive on small boats won't set off before polling day. meanwhile, nigel farage confirmed he won't stand in the election, but he will help the reform uk campaign. with our first report tonight, here's our political editor chris mason. cheering placards and cheers and babies getting attention from politicians. keir starmer is quite the fan of visiting lower league football grounds in places he hopes labour can win. he was in gillingham in kent this morning. his deputy with him, too. thank you. whatever service people try

and access these days, they find it's like wading through treacle. red cards aren't usually welcome for folk on a football pitch, but expect to see plenty of these in the next month or so, spelling out labour's core message. we've had 1a years of going round and round in circles, getting absolutely nowhere. chaos and division feeding chaos and division. if you want change, you have to vote for it. and if you vote labour, it's a vote to stop the chaos. it's a vote to turn the page and it's a vote to rebuild our country together. thank you very much! thank you! a general election is about winning seats and staying in them. rishi sunakjust about managed that in ilkeston in derbyshire, as he made the case the economy is on the up.

inflation down from 11% when i got thisjob, down back to normal, just over 2%. energy bills now falling by hundreds of pounds. wages have been rising by faster than prices for almost ten months now. the conservatives and labour have a very different approach to dealing with people crossing the channel in small boats. labour would scrap the tory plan to send some migrants to rwanda, which rishi sunak claims could make a big difference. how do we stop the boats? well, i'm very clear, it requires bold solutions. that's why we need rwanda. got to make it crystal clear to everybody. if you come to our country illegally, you won't get to stay. but the prime minister told us today he didn't expect anyone to be sent to rwanda before the election. within hours, mr sunak was at a brewery in barry in south wales, having a go with the kit. there was then an awkward moment

when he said this... are you looking forward to all the football? not so much my bag. wales have not qualified for the euros, the football tournament starting next month. england and scotland have. and talking of scotland, rishi sunak completed his three nation dash today by flying to the highlands. and having a catch up with the scottish conservative leader at the port of nigg, north of inverness. meanwhile, in edinburgh today, the new look scottish national party had their general election launch. onjuly 4th, independence day. make sure your voice is heard. i expect over the next six weeks, we'll see the tories and labour really going at it. they'll be going hammer and tongs to discredit each other. i'll also be going hammer and tongs but not against anyone. i'll be going hammer and tongs

to put scotland first. ready? right. cheering, let's go. cheering. and in cheltenham, in gloucestershire, the liberal democrats were sorting out their choreography. some in party colours from head to toe. leader ed davey has a phrase we'll hear a fair bit of. a fair deal where everyone can have a decent home that is secure and clean, an unaffordable, comfortable retirement when the time comes. —— and affordable comfortable retirement when the time comes. a fair deal where every child has a decent school, where they can have the opportunity to realise their potential. the next six weeks will involve a fair bit of ticker tape and assorted electioneering paraphernalia. luckily, there are those keen to pick it up. chris mason, bbc news. nigel farage has confirmed he won't stand for election for the reform uk party, suggesting tonight that he had been considering standing — but that rishi sunak�*s announcement

yesterday had taken him by surprise. the party leader richard tice, who's standing in boston and skegness in lincolnshire, says they will field candidates in all but 20 constituencies. here's our special correspondent, lucy manning. nigel paul farage. seven times, nigel farage has stood for parliament, seven times he's failed. there will be no eighth attempt as he also says there will be some people very disappointed i'm not standing, but i am campaigning. and, you know, the problem is, six weeks is such a short period of time to fight a parliamentary constituency and promote the cause around the country. and, you know, i think rishi sunak has wrong—footed an awful lot of people, myself included. on the show he normally presents but will stop for the election, he said he had been set to stand. i will stop for the election, he said he had been set to stand.- will stop for the election, he said he had been set to stand. i had, to be honest with _ he had been set to stand. i had, to be honest with you, _ he had been set to stand. i had, to be honest with you, put _ he had been set to stand. i had, to be honest with you, put in - he had been set to stand. i had, to be honest with you, put in place i be honest with you, put in place some preparations to launch next

week. i wonder whether the conservative party found out about it. at today's reform uk launch in london, the elephant in the room was the man who wasn't in the room. i'm absolutely delighted, during this election campaign, that my good friend nigel farage will be helping out significantly in campaigning to drive home the message of reform uk and how the party's pitch was change and stopping immigration. whether you vote tory or whether you vote labour, you will get the same form of socialism. you'll get higher taxes, lower wages, and mass immigration that will make us all worse off. you must be extremely disappointed nigel farage isn't standing. not at all, actually nigel is going to be helping through the campaign, he is the honorary president not a good look though, that he doesn't think he can win a seat, so why should voters think that you can win a seat? nigel is campaigning hard to say to people, put their trust in the

reform uk candidates. we are going to win seats. the conservative seat of penistone and stocksbridge — the tories will be somewhat relieved if a farage—less election stops voters switching from conservative to reform, letting labour in. richard's a reform voter. i'm disappointed, yeah. i heard on the radio this morning that he's not standing, so i wish he was. because he's a voice to be reckoned with and he talks a lot of sense. sean is leaning to the tories. reform party, i agree with a lot of what they're saying, but unfortunately theyjust haven't got the backing, have they, at the minute. so at this stage in their campaign, i think it would be just a wasted vote. so nigel farage will be on the campaign beat, but not on the ballot paper. lucy manning, bbc news. well, as we've heard, rishi sunak has said there will be no planes leaving for rwanda before the election. his comments came on the day the last set of migration figures before polling day were released. net migration — that's the difference between the number of people coming here and those leaving — rose sharply in recent years, as this graph shows.

it's now fallen by about 10% to 685,000 last year. that's from a record high of more than 760,000 the year before. joining me now is our political editor chris mason. migration, the figures and what to do, are going to be key in this election. , . , , do, are going to be key in this election. , ., , , , election. they are because they matter to _ election. they are because they matter to so — election. they are because they matter to so many _ election. they are because they matter to so many people, - election. they are because they i matter to so many people, surveys point to that and the numbers as the chart illustrated are high and it would have made news even without a general election campaign, in fact at the beginning of the week i was planning to come today not knowing we would now be in such a campaign, so it's inevitable that what they are being seized on by the various political parties. the conservatives have been making an argument saying they are falling and that proves their plan is working because they want to see numbers go down, labour say it suggests the conservatives' approach to migration has been chaotic. we have two things, legal migration, the vast majority of the

numbers, and then there is a legal migration, irregular migration, such as those people crossing in small boats and on the small boats that big dividing line between the conservatives and labour, we see the conservatives and labour, we see the conservatives talking about this rwanda plan but acknowledging today, crucially, that no flights will go before the election, so it's the anticipation of an idea rather than the actual idea. labour are saying the actual idea. labour are saying the rwanda plan is a waste of money and they would get rid of it, they would want a border security command. they say that would smash the criminal gangs. the conservatives argue that's pretty much what's in place already. there is a bigger picture point here about migration. this is the first general election taking place since the uk left the european union and so it means that the whole question of migration lands squarely with candidates and the government at westminster. they can choose the policy prospectus, they can't blame anyone else. there are choices and

trade—offs if they advocate particular avenues but it is down to them. a , particular avenues but it is down to them. , ., , particular avenues but it is down to them. ., , well, behind the scenes at westminster, mps have been scrambling to pass key laws before parliament dissolves next week. the process is called wash up. among those bills likely to be passed is compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal, and another aimed at limiting costs for leasehold property owners in england. but it's thought that one of rishi sunak�*s flagship policies — a plan to phase out smoking — will be shelved, as damian grammaticas explains. all day on their there have been high—stakes negotiations, rituals to —— which laws to push through, which tojunk. some have been campaigned forfour tojunk. some have been campaigned for four years tojunk. some have been campaigned forfour years but now tojunk. some have been campaigned for four years but now with a short notice election they are having to be ditched. one of the casualties is rishi sunak�*s own signature legislation meant to be part of his legacy to ensure children now and

one day adults too never smoke. the commons he has seen it but the lords there hasn't so it seems his tobacco and vapes bill is doomed. it would have banned the sale of cigarettes to anyone born in 2009 or after, created £100 on the spot fines for shops in england and wales flouting the law and given ministers the power to restrict the packaging and flavours of vapes to make them less attractive to children. at the last election the conservatives promised in their 2019 manifesto to protect those renting homes to give them more secure tenancies. recently saying it will be done by this election. but that too won't happen. the renters reform bill was meant to end so—called no—fault evictions, which is something had already been watered down to the point of being an effective. and what will disappoint legions of football fans is the loss of a long fought for law to update how football is governed. it would have created a new

independent regulator for football with powers to assess the suitability of club owners, to force teams to stay solvent and sanction any that don't stick to the rules. the football bill might be revived after the election as it has cross—party support. there are still a few hours for horse trading to try to save some legislation, but much is being cast aside stop damian grammaticas, bbc news, westminster. as part of that wash—up process, sub—postmasters in england, wales and northern ireland caught up in the horizon it scandal will have their convictions quashed tomorrow. today, the public inquiry into the scandal heard that the post office dropped a wide—ranging review into the convictions over fears it would make front page news. our business correspondent emma simpson was watching. paula, are you really- telling the truth, paula? it's day two, and paula vennells is facing detailed questions about a key moment in the scandal — when the independent investigation by second sight is under way.

i was not trying to close anything down. it's really important that i say that. it's 2013, and second sight were about to issue their interim report on the horizon it problems hitting branch accounts, and the post office is debating how to respond. the inquiry saw this e—mailfrom the head of post office communications. "if we say publicly that we'll look at past cases, we will open this up very significantly into front—page news," adding, "it would have the ballistic impact." then, in paula's reply e—mail, "you are right to call this out, and i will take your steer, no issue." you did take the advice of the pr guy, didn't you? i really don't remember it relating to the decision... groaning. hang on, please. thank you. if this review had actually taken place, would it have avoided a lost

decade for miscarriages ofjustice to be discovered? it may well have done. this is susan crichton — she was post office top lawyer then, but she was sent out from the board meeting that soon followed. she had been due to present a paper about past prosecutions. what would you say to the suggestion that this is the executive team shielding the board from the executive team's dirty laundry? i'd say it was completely wrong. and then questions about the mediation scheme to help the victims and what it was going to cost. why did you write an e—mail which says, "when we discuss this, the hope of mediation was to avoid or minimise compensation"? because that was what we discussed. right, good...that was easy, wasn't it? sorry, but not as the purpose of doing it, but one of the aspects. the hope, the hope? possibly, yes.

she'll face the postmasters' lawyers tomorrow. emma simpson, bbc news, at the post office inquiry. at least four people have died and 21 are injured after a two—storey building collapsed in majorca. emergency services were called shortly after 8.30pm local time. spanish media reports say the building was a restaurant on the beachfront in palma de majorca. the cause of the collapse is not yet known. a girl who was killed in a mudslide on a school trip in north yorkshire yesterday has been named as ten—year—old leah harrison. her class were on a walk to celebrate the end of their sat exams. her classmates at mount pleasant primary school in darlington are being offered support and counselling. i mean, i have to say one of the hardest things for me was seeing upset children on their return to school. we're devastated at the loss, devastated for leah's mum and herfamily, and the school

community, the trust community, i have to say i feel like we're in shock really, today. the head of the civil service, simon case, has told the covid inquiry that he regrets whatsapp messages he sent during the pandemic, which were higly critical of the then prime minister boris johnson. mr case also said that "good people" in downing street were "smashed to pieces" by the toxic culture there at the time. with more, here's our health editor, hugh pym. neverfar behind borisjohnson, simon case was a man with a front seat atjohnson�*s number ten during the pandemic. and today, later than originally planned because of ill—health, the cabinet secretary gave evidence to the uk covid inquiry. i swear by almighty god... that the evidence i shall give... whatsapp messages from the time were quoted back at him. you yourself say good - people were being put off because it's such a rat's nest. yeah, that's all correct.

at times he showed his emotions... good people were working incredibly hard in impossible circumstances with choices where it seems there was never right, never a right answer. but that lack of sort of team spirit, the difficult atmosphere, you're trying to run everything from the centre of government, despite trying to run the response to a global pandemic. good people were just being smashed to pieces. and his exasperation. there were some dark days when it felt we just couldn't. .. we just couldn't get it right. and what about partygate, mr case having taken part in one office event? it was a terrible self—imposed wound. i mean, yeah, i mean, it sort of, i'm sure... to the bereaved, sort of feels like a terrible insult.

the report on this phase of the inquiry will come out next year. topics like the nhs and vaccines will be covered with further reports in a process lasting until 2026. hugh pym, bbc news. this week we've been reporting from myanmar, where rebel forces are fighting against the military regime. getting into the country to report is extremely difficult, but a bbc team has managed to spent a month with rebel forces on the front line of this hidden war. thousands have been killed since the military coup three years ago — and millions of people have been displaced. last october, several disparate rebel groups united, forming a single nationwide insurgency, which has made big gains, conquering large swathes of territory. many young people have fled the cities to join up to fight. tonight, our correspondent quentin sommerville and camera—journalist darren conway travel to the rebels' jungle hideouts in karenni state —

and a warning their report does show the aftermath of violence that has taken place there. like a beacon in the night, a jungle base has become a sanctuary. the final stop on a journey to freedom for young burmese who refuse to serve in the army. they were spirited here from cities by an underground railroad of agents and safe houses. to escape a new conscription law that would see them fight against the insurgency. instead, they'vejoined its ranks. why don't you want to fight for the military government? translation: the military is terrorising people. - they bomb using planes and they burn villages. i will never fight for their side. i will help and fight alongside the revolutionary forces. and they aren't

the only ones fleeing. across karenni state, hundreds of camps for the displaced have sprung up. young and old, they live in fear. it's a hardscrabble existence. heartbreak is a way of life here. some 2.5 million people have been forced to say goodbye to their homes since the military coup. they've left their farms and rice paddies to avoid the hundreds of army air strikes that target opposition—held territory. a relentless air campaign has civilians running for their lives. tens of thousands have been killed since the coup, many of them children. the bombs fall daily. the state capital,

loikaw, is now a ruin. go, go. come, come. we follow cobra and his best buddy sam on patrol. they were national karate champs who have taken up arms. go. move, move. peaceful protests failed so they've been in a stand—off here with the army since november. end of this street, the burmese army there, so we need to, we have to run. this is the heart of loikaw, downtown. look at the state of it though. there is destruction everywhere. if we just look over here, look

at the destruction of the buildings. this is... incendiary drones were dropped here, artillery, air strikes. we know this was the military junta because the rebels don't have that kind of weaponry. and something else. silence. because there are no civilians here, they've fled because the junta doesn't distinguish between rebel fighters, between resistance fighters and civilians. it has labelled them all as terrorists. in fact, eight kilometres from here, just yesterday, a military air strike killed a family of six, including two children. so, wherever they attack, they turn these places into ghost towns. cobra and sam will defend these front lines whatever the cost.

this is a struggle of the young against the old, a new generation battling a military elite and it's myanmar�*s youth that's sacrificing most. this man isjust 23. he took shrapnel to his femoral artery in an attack on a military base. his comrades comfort him as much as they can. not all revolutionaries carry a gun. dr yuri was in his last year of medical school and abandoned his studies to help in this secret hospital, treating fighters and civilians alike. i just don't want to give away our location for security measures. so this is our operation theatre room. it is underground. they take every precaution here. the reason the operating

theatre is underground is because if we are over ground, they can see us and if they see us, they will bomb us, so we have to go underground. in the light blue is his fiancee, dr tracy. she, too, didn't graduate. now she's performing surgery. we've met some of the wounded here today. they are young men. very young, with their whole lives ahead of them, and they have horrible injuries. how do you both cope with that mentally? we can cry the whole day, it's ok. let it cry, let me cry, it's ok, but we have to stand up again because if we are not here, who will treat those patients? children, too, have been forced to seek shelter from the military�*s warplanes under the jungle canopy.

despite the war, songs are still heard and ballads still played by these students at the golden flower music school. this teacher's violin drowns out the din of war. some of her students are as young as 1a. this is their refuge for now. we have met a lot of young people here today, some of them very young, but soon they'll have to go and fight. how does that make you feel? translation: they have to sacrifice their bodies, l their limbs, their lives. and they have to leave their girlfriends and boyfriends behind to go to the front line. that shows their dedicated heart and how strong their beliefs are. i will always respect and honour the comrades. and some might never come back.

and this is the toll that myanmar�*s fight for freedom takes on her and the young. for cobra and sam, it's a price they have to pay now. they're fighting the same battles their parents fought against military rule. and tracy and yori hope it's for the last time. that their revolution means future generations, their children, might live together in a free myanmar. quentin sommerville, bbc news, karenni state, myanmar. he's just 23 years old. but manchester city star phil foden has already won six premier league titles, the champions league, and could add a third fa cup to his trophy haul this weekend. dan roan went to meet him.

the premier league player of the year. in a team full of superstars, phil foden has shone the brightest. the manchester city midfielder has been integral to a record fourth title in a row and told me what it meant to have enjoyed the best campaign of his career. so good to now say that i've had a good season and i want to continue to play well. i try and lead on the pitch with the things i do and how hard i work. so, yeah, i've been here for a long time now working with the manager and i think now is the time for me to step up and try and be the man who's going to score the goals. and he's done exactly that, with 27 goals so far in a break—out season. laser—like precision. foden�*s development has come under the watchful eye of pep guardiola. although the manager has raised the prospect that he will leave at the end of next season, when his contract ends. yeah, obviously it'll be really sad. i've not known really any of thing apart from him. so, yeah, it'll be strange when,

when he does go, but i don't want to think too much about it. i want us to enjoy now. he just simplifies football. i feel like maybe there's other managers out there who complicate it a little bit. a city fan since childhood, foden joined the academy aged eight and has earned legendary status in his hometown of stockport. and now the team is expected to win a second successive fa cup final against local rivals manchester united. does it mean a bit more to you, do you think, than some of the players? yeah, i'd like to think so. obviously, being there, being an academy player definitely means a little bit more for me. and this summer, many feel foden could be the man to help end his country's long wait for a major trophy at the euros. do you sense this is, this is the year for england? i'd like to think so. the quality of players that we've got is, yeah, unbelievable. i think we're capable of definitely going on and winning it. i think we've shown that in previous tournaments, that we've been so close. foden�*s gone from footballing prodigy to one of the best players in the world, but his greatest success could be yet to come. dan roan, bbc news.

this programme continues on bbc one. where there is discord, may we bring harmony. we where there is discord, may we bring harmon . ~ ., ., ., harmony. we are on the road to the classless society _ harmony. we are on the road to the classless society that _ harmony. we are on the road to the

classless society that i _ harmony. we are on the road to the classless society that i wish - harmony. we are on the road to the classless society that i wish to - classless society that i wish to see _