just overall, the sense and tone comedy hope and optimism, is with the labour and is no longer with the conservative party. but as labour welcome a new member, more questions over about one of the party's best known mps, diane abbott, as the deputy leader, angela rayner, says she should be allowed to stand at the election. yes, a big row tonight about the people keir starmer will welcome into his party, including another former conservative mp, and those who have been in the party for yonks who have been in the party for yonks who appear much less welcome. a nine—year—old girl's in a critical condition after a drive by shooting outside a restaurant in east london last night. three men were wounded. showering themselves in stolen money, the gang behind britain's biggest ever benefit fraud — £54 million — are jailed. and the king will take part in trooping the colour, but from a carriage, not on horseback.

in coming up on bbc news, know that novak djokovic on course to defend his french open title and through to the third round after being roberto in straight sets. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the man who was until last night the conservative mp for bolton north east in greater manchester has joined the labour party. mark logan is not standing at the general election but he says he is now backing sir keir starmer as the next prime minister. this afternoon he told the bbc the conservative party was unrecognisable from the party hejoined a decade ago. it comes amid continuing confusion and division over the fate of one of labour's longest serving and best known mps, diane abbott. she says she's being banned

from standing next month. keir starmer has been saying no decision has been taken. but today labour's deputy leader angela rayner said she sees no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to stand again for her seat in east london. our political editor chris mason is in westminster. some interesting movements today is. good evening. it's rather a noisy affair, the labour party today, for one reason or another. to explain how this came about, the interview i will show you in a moment or two, i got a call from labour who said we want to introduce you to this guy who was a conservative mp who has nowjoined the labour party. it is a fillet for them on a day when there is lots of noise swilling swilling about about diane abbott and others. somewhat of a helpful distraction from their perspective but nonetheless for them, quite the coup, the third time in a little over a month that someone who was sat on the conservative benches has decided to endorse keir starmer and the labour party. as far as sir keir

is concerned, yes, you might smile at a new arrival but there are still all this issue about his left, the left of the party, many of whom are absolutely furious. i will bring you absolutely furious. i will bring you a flavour of that after we have shown you this exclusive interview. this man was a conservative mp this time yesterday. today he is saying he will vote labour at the general election and he isjoining the party too. election and he is “oining the party too. ~ . ~ ., too. when i look back to those ears, too. when i look back to those years. 1997. — too. when i look back to those years, 1997, when _ too. when i look back to those years, 1997, when labour- too. when i look back to those | years, 1997, when labour came too. when i look back to those - years, 1997, when labour came to the fore at that time and we had the song, things can only get better, i feel we are at that point again in british politics and british history, and that's why i have decided i will be going for labour at this next election on the 11th of july. at this next election on the 4th of jul . ., . , , ., at this next election on the 4th of jul . ., ., , ,, ., july. how externally, there you are uuuotin july. how externally, there you are quoting the — july. how externally, there you are quoting the labour _ july. how externally, there you are quoting the labour and _ july. how externally, there you are quoting the labour and of - july. how externally, there you are quoting the labour and of 1997 - july. how externally, there you are quoting the labour and of 1997 but| quoting the labour and of 1997 but you were a conservative mp 2a hours ago. that's quite a thing. you were a conservative mp 24 hours ago. that's quite a thing.— ago. that's quite a thing. that's not 'ust ago. that's quite a thing. that's not just something _ ago. that's quite a thing. that's notjust something in _ ago. that's quite a thing. that's notjust something in the - ago. that's quite a thing. that's notjust something in the last i ago. that's quite a thing. that's| notjust something in the last 24 notjust something in the last 2a hours i have been thinking about. i have been thinking about this for a

very long period of time. i believe the labour party has been on a journey in the last few years. let’s journey in the last few years. let's sell this journey in the last few years. let's spell this out _ journey in the last few years. let's spell this out exquisitely. - journey in the last few years. let's spell this out exquisitely. are you saying the conservative party right now is unfit to govern? i saying the conservative party right now is unfit to govern?— now is unfit to govern? i feel the conservative _ now is unfit to govern? i feel the conservative party _ now is unfit to govern? i feel the conservative party i _ now is unfit to govern? i feel the conservative party i joined - now is unfit to govern? i feel the conservative party ijoined a - now is unfit to govern? i feel the i conservative party ijoined a decade ago is unrecognisable from the conservative party of today. that's not to say that their aunt, my colleagues from the conservative party previously, who have been doing a lot of hard work or severally haven't been doing good things, and i don't want to necessarily be critical in that sense, chris, but| necessarily be critical in that sense, chris, but i think overall, the sense and the tone comedy hope and they optimism is with leg and it is no longer with the conservative party. is no longer with the conservative pa . ~ . ., is no longer with the conservative pa . ~ ., ., is no longer with the conservative pa .~ ., ., ., party. what would you say to the erson party. what would you say to the person who _ party. what would you say to the person who would _ party. what would you say to the person who would say _ party. what would you say to the person who would say you - party. what would you say to the - person who would say you should have a bit more guts, you should have crossed the floor while you are still an mp rather than waiting until now? i still an mp rather than waiting until now?— still an mp rather than waiting until now? ., ., ., ,., until now? i had thought about it, obviously. — until now? i had thought about it, obviously, before, _ until now? i had thought about it, obviously, before, but— until now? i had thought about it, obviously, before, but i _ until now? i had thought about it, obviously, before, but i felt- until now? i had thought about it, obviously, before, but i felt more| obviously, before, but i felt more comfortable with my ending as an mp on midnight last night, sojust12,

24 on midnight last night, sojust12, 2a hours ago. i felt that was the right thing to do. because the electorate did vote me and as a conservative mp.— electorate did vote me and as a conservative mp. final question, are ou auoin conservative mp. final question, are you going to — conservative mp. final question, are you going to join _ conservative mp. final question, are you going to join the _ conservative mp. final question, are you going to join the labour- conservative mp. final question, are you going to join the labour party? | you going tojoin the labour party? absolutely, the application is going on today. he absolutely, the application is going on toda . , _, .,, absolutely, the application is going ontoda. , ., on today. he is the contrast, labour are proudly — on today. he is the contrast, labour are proudly showing _ on today. he is the contrast, labour are proudly showing off _ on today. he is the contrast, labour are proudly showing off another - are proudly showing off another conservative mp while in another noisy row with diane abbott, who has been a labour mp for decades, over whether she can even be a candidate for them. , , ., for them. they 'ust want me excluded from for them. they just want me excluded from parliament. diane _ for them. they just want me excluded from parliament. diane abbott was i from parliament. diane abbott was suspended from _ from parliament. diane abbott was suspended from the parliamentary| suspended from the parliamentary labour party after saying jewish, irish and travel people do not face racism all their lives. she apologised and was readmitted to the parliamentary party the other day. enter next labour's deputy leader telling sky news diane abbott should be able to stand again for the party. if be able to stand again for the -a . y ., be able to stand again for the -a . , ., ., be able to stand again for the party. if you want to say she should be able to stay. _ party. if you want to say she should be able to stay. diane _ party. if you want to say she should be able to stay. diane abbott - party. if you want to say she should be able to stay. diane abbott has . be able to stay. diane abbott has been a trailblazer, 37 years, the first black female mp in parliament.

she has shown people like me that you can be yourself. keir she has shown people like me that you can be yourself.— you can be yourself. keir starmer, thou~h, you can be yourself. keir starmer, though. is — you can be yourself. keir starmer, though, is sounding _ you can be yourself. keir starmer, though, is sounding rather- you can be yourself. keir starmer, though, is sounding rather more l though, is sounding rather more circumspect. the though, is sounding rather more circumspect-— circumspect. the situation in relation to — circumspect. the situation in relation to diane _ circumspect. the situation in relation to diane abbott - circumspect. the situation in relation to diane abbott is i circumspect. the situation in l relation to diane abbott is that circumspect. the situation in - relation to diane abbott is that no decision— relation to diane abbott is that no decision has been taken to bar her. we have _ decision has been taken to bar her. we have to — decision has been taken to bar her. we have to remember that she was a trailblazer— we have to remember that she was a trailblazer as an mp. find we have to remember that she was a trailblazer as an mp.— trailblazer as an mp. and this labour activist, _ trailblazer as an mp. and this labour activist, proudly - trailblazer as an mp. and this labour activist, proudly on i trailblazer as an mp. and this| labour activist, proudly on the trailblazer as an mp. and this - labour activist, proudly on the left of the party, has been banned too. honestly, i'mjust of the party, has been banned too. honestly, i'm just so shocked right now, to be treated this badly after being such an active member of the party. being such an active member of the la . ,, being such an active member of the -a . ,, ., being such an active member of the .a . ,, ., , being such an active member of the party. she had been due to run in a crucial london _ party. she had been due to run in a crucial london seat. _ party. she had been due to run in a crucial london seat. she _ party. she had been due to run in a crucial london seat. she has - crucial london seat. she has apologised for liking a social media post that allegedly downplayed anti—semitism. who keir starmer is willing to welcome into his party and who he appears rather less enthusiastic about is generating no end of noise. let mejust explain let me just explain why you saw

there the interview with mr logan but not any reaction to it from rishi sunak or indeed anyone else. that is because until we broadcast that interview in the last half an hour or so, they didn't know about it. we will bring you that later, at ten o'clock, online and on the radio too. and keir starmer will continue too. and keir starmer will continue to face those questions around diane abbott and others, particularly as far as diane abbott is concerned, until there is a clear answer, which there isn't yet. studio: chris mason, thank you. the main topic on the campaign trail today has been tax, with the conservatives and labour reassuring voters that they wouldn't raise vat if they win the general election. value added tax currently stands at 20% for most items. the liberal democrats also said they would not "look to raise" vat or income tax. but as our economics editor faisal islam reports, similar pledges at the last election didn't stop the tax burden rising to its highest level since the second world war.

the town hall meetings, the scoops of ice cream and the campaign water features continue for party leaders. but today's main stunt surrounded claim and counterclaim over taxation. the conservatives attempting to seize the initiative with a promise emblazoned on a van not to raise vat, and trying to claim labour would do so. the choice at this election _ claim labour would do so. the choice at this election is _ claim labour would do so. the choice at this election is who _ claim labour would do so. the choice at this election is who is _ claim labour would do so. the choice at this election is who is going - claim labour would do so. the choice at this election is who is going to - at this election is who is going to cut your taxes and who is going to put them up. i am crystal clear that we are already cutting people's taxes and they will continue to come down under a future conservative government. down under a future conservative government-— government. labour, though, confirmed _ government. labour, though, confirmed the _ government. labour, though, confirmed the same - government. labour, though, confirmed the same broad - government. labour, though, - confirmed the same broad approach on tax rate rises and notjust on vat. we have been really clear about not raising _ we have been really clear about not raising income tax and national insurance. _ raising income tax and national insurance, and we have said repeatedly that nothing in our plans requires _ repeatedly that nothing in our plans requires us — repeatedly that nothing in our plans requires us to raise tax, and that's why we _ requires us to raise tax, and that's why we have — requires us to raise tax, and that's why we have been able to set out our position _ why we have been able to set out our position on— why we have been able to set out our position on vat as well. in

why we have been able to set out our position on vat as well.— position on vat as well. in watford, a key battleground _ position on vat as well. in watford, a key battleground seat, _ position on vat as well. in watford, a key battleground seat, market - position on vat as well. in watford, l a key battleground seat, market day, election fever yet to grip here, but some signs the economic weather may be getting a little brighter. i am feelin: be getting a little brighter. i am feeling hopeful. _ be getting a little brighter. i am feeling hopeful. get— be getting a little brighter. i —.n feeling hopeful. get the good weather and everybody is feeling good. weather and everybody is feeling aood. ., weather and everybody is feeling aood. . , ., , , ., weather and everybody is feeling ood. . , ., , , ., . good. the tax promises from the main arties now good. the tax promises from the main parties now appear — good. the tax promises from the main parties now appear to _ good. the tax promises from the main parties now appear to disarm - good. the tax promises from the main parties now appear to disarm what - parties now appear to disarm what are overwhelmingly the three biggest taxes, income tax, national insurance and vat are nearly two thirds of the entire tax take. a shared pledges that the rates of all three will not be raised, but what does that mean? these are a very curious, even eccentric, set off tax pledges from all the main parties trying to convince voters, even if you park what happened in the past parliament, from now, over the next three years, there is going to be an £11 billion rise in the tax burden from that ongoing freeze in tax thresholds, even if the rates stay the same, and that's the equivalent of 1p on the basic rate, the higher rate and more. and so it raises the

question about whether these tax pledges are actually worth much to voters at all. when they say the tax rates won't go up, what's your feeling? rates won't go up, what's your feelin: ? ., , , feeling? that they will, they will to u -. feeling? that they will, they will go up. it's definitely _ feeling? that they will, they will go up. it's definitely going - feeling? that they will, they will go up. it's definitely going to - go up. it's definitely going to happen. i don't believe a word as anyone is saying, to be honest. mar; anyone is saying, to be honest. may be, if the anyone is saying, to be honest. may be. if they have _ anyone is saying, to be honest. may be, if they have been in a few months — be, if they have been in a few months they might change your mind is what _ months they might change your mind is what they say anything to get you to vote _ is what they say anything to get you to vote for — is what they say anything to get you to vote for them and then they change — to vote for them and then they change their minds. across the uk most parties _ change their minds. across the uk most parties were _ change their minds. across the uk most parties were making - change their minds. across the uk | most parties were making promises change their minds. across the uk - most parties were making promises on taxation. . ., ., , ., , , taxation. taxation should be used rudentl , taxation. taxation should be used prudently, sensibly _ taxation. taxation should be used prudently, sensibly and _ taxation. taxation should be used l prudently, sensibly and predictably, in a way that supports the strongest economy, the very best of public services and the greatest opportunity for people in scotland. ordinary people are already paying way too _ ordinary people are already paying way too much tax under the conservatives. the conservatives are going _ conservatives. the conservatives are going into _ conservatives. the conservatives are going into the action promising more taxes, _ going into the action promising more taxes. they— going into the action promising more taxes, they will keep raising impacts— taxes, they will keep raising impacts on people. in public spending. — impacts on people. in public spending. for— impacts on people. in public spending, for example - impacts on people. in public- spending, for example hard-pressed spending, for example hard—pressed local councils, there have been very few pledges. this could be storing up few pledges. this could be storing up a problem for after the general election. faisal islam, bbc news, in

watford. we'll have more from the election trail later but now some of the day's other news. a nine—year old girl is in a critical condition in hospital, after a shooting in east london. it happened in hackney last night. three adults were also hurt, one of them with potentially life—changing injuries. it's understood the gunshot came from a passing motorbike. thomas magill reports. the terrifying moment after a gunman opened fire into a busy restaurant on kingsland high street, hitting three men sitting outside and a nine—year—old girl enjoying a family meal inside. police say she is now fighting for her life. we do not believe that the girl and the men injured were known to each other. and, as with any child, she was an innocent victim of the indiscriminate nature of gun crime. specialist armed officers and london ambulance arrived at the scene as onlookers tried to help. one eyewitness described the moment the gunman pulled up outside the restaurant.

i was at the shop opposite the cafe where the shooting was. and, there were a lot of people in there screaming. i saw people lying on the floor. i saw a lot of people gathered around. there was a high degree of tension in the air. well, as this investigation continues with forensic officers at the scene, the met has described it as complex and fast—paced. police say they have now recovered to the motorbike recovered the motorbike from a nearby location. the three injured men remain in a stable condition in hospital, as the met confirm there will be a significant police presence in the area to provide support and reassurance to residents in the coming days. thomas magill, bbc news. it's the biggest ever benefits fraud in britain. this man, gyunesh ali, and four other bulgarians have been jailed after admitting they stole almost £54 million in universal credit. the judge said they'd plundered

the state's support mechanism on an industrial scale, stealing "eye—watering sums." the gang were sentenced to between three and eight years in prison. our social affairs correspondent michael buchanan reports. taxpayers�* money thrown around like confetti by a multi—million pound fraudster. the video was found on the phone of this man, gyunesh ali, who today was jailed for more than seven years. ali was clearly a ringleader in the gang, and the evolution of the gang begins with ali. we could see ali essentially taught the gang how to operate. prosecutors said hundreds, possibly thousands of people were flown from bulgaria to london. their ids were then used to make claims for the main benefit, universal credit. police officers! when the fraudsters�* various premises were raided, investigators found an extraordinary amount of evidence. 900 mobile phones, all fully charged, most with the names of the false claims attached.

thousands of sim cards were also discovered. computers, some open on the universal credit application page. claim packs full of forged documents, such as tenancy agreements and proof of earnings from fake companies. and spreadsheets with details of the thousands of fraudulent claims they'd made. they'd basically had laid it all out on a plate for us. there was so much there. we expected to go in and find evidence, but not on this scale. the magnitude of it was just overwhelming. i think that's when it really hit home. when one of the ringleaders, galina nikolova, was arrested, £750,000 in cash was found at her home — under her bed, in suitcases, behind a fridge. today she received the longest sentence, eight years in prison. the fraud allowed the gang to live a life of luxury, visiting stately homes and going on foreign holidays. nikolova and her boyfriend, stoyan stoyanov, posted

pictures from turkey. they bought luxury goods — shoes, cars, watches. defrauding the welfare system for nearly five years. the judge here at wood green crown court was also critical of the department for work and pensions. he said the reason the fraud had gone on for so was because of gone on for so long was because of what he described as the "woefully inadequate" checking system in place at the dwp at the time, which failed to spot the repeated use of the same names, addresses and telephone numbers. the gang were also helped by changes made to universal credit during the pandemic which saw face—to—face meetings with claimants suspended. today they were jailed for more than 25 years in total. prosecutors will now pursue the gang for any assets they might have bought with the proceeds of their crimes. many of the millions they stole are thought to have been spent in bulgaria. michael buchanan, bbc news. mountain rescue teams searching

for a father and his 12—year—old son have found two bodies in the scottish highlands. tom and richie parry from cheshire went missing after heading off on a hill walk in glencoe on tuesday. police say there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances. lorna gordon reports from glencoe. the mountains of glencoe. majestic, challenging and, in changeable conditions, sometimes deadly. thousands of tourists and walkers visit them every year. 12—year—old richard parry and his father tom had been among them. they'd climbed ben nevis before moving on to glencoe. —— 12—year—old richie parry and his father tom had been among them. they'd climbed ben nevis before moving on to glencoe. the two had been reported missing after failing to return to their home in cheshire. tom parry�*s colleagues said he would have been well prepared and are devastated their bodies have been found. when going out walking, he would have been meticulous in his walking regime up in scotland. so for us, we just can't understand, really, how this has happened.

for 12 hours, dozens of mountain rescue volunteers, as well as a coastguard helicopter, scoured the mountains. we don't know exactly where the father and son have been walking. but some of the more exposed routes can be treacherous if the weather turns. in poor weather, navigation can be an issue. if you don't know where you're going, you can quite easily wander off into, i suppose, a gulley or an exposed ridge, which is not part of the, if you like, the tourist trip. —— tourist route. and so poor weather does present the walker with a lot of challenges. glencoe mountain rescue said the pair were experienced walkers. but the number of call—outs here is on the rise, especially from people who are not familiar with scotland's mountains. police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding richie and tom parry�*s deaths. their family now left coming to terms with the father and son's half—term break ending

in tragedy on the mountains. lorna gordon, bbc news, glencoe. our top story this evening. mark logan, a conservative mp for bolton north till yesterday, says he will be voting labour at the next election and hopes to join the party. i election and hopes to 'oin the -a . election and hopes to 'oin the .a _ , election and hopes to 'oin the -a . , , party. i will be live with the news ofthe party. i will be live with the news of the royal— party. i will be live with the news of the royal family _ party. i will be live with the news of the royal family and - party. i will be live with the news of the royal family and tripping l of the royal family and tripping of that colour here from horse guards parade. moving a mural — the massive task of relocating the broadwater farm artwork a0 years after it was created. and the winners of race across the world have been crowned. i'll be speaking to them. in the run up to the election,

we're getting the latest from our political reporters right across the uk — finding out about what is at stake in their constituencies and the key issues concerning people locally. tonight, we are going to cardiff in wales and the south coast of england. tristan pascoe is in bournemouth. but let's start with teleri glynjones in cardiff. cardiff has a reputation for being a booming capital city. a population of young professionals, lots of students and skyscrapers going up everywhere. just a stone's throw from the seat of power here in cardiff bay are pockets of real deep poverty. places like grangetown, and easily. and that means that the cost of living is a top priority as well as health inequality. but health is devolved, meaning the decisions on

it are made here in cardiff bay by the welsh government. interestingly, sir keir starmer was in cardiff today, in south wales today, making the case that his top priority is tackling those record high nhs waiting lists here in wales. it will not be lost on the voters that his party have been in charge here in wales for 25 years. cloud cymru and the tories are keen to draw attention to their record in wales. the dominance, the labour party's dominance in wales and cardiff in particular is not in doubt. now, let's go to tristan pascoe in bournemouth. bournemouth, dorset�*s biggest conurbation, regular party conference venue over the years and one of the country's

top destinations for stag and hen nights. but, within that night—time economy, crime — knife crime particularly — is a serious concern for voters. there's an ongoing murder investigation into the death of a woman from knife wounds just along the beach at the bank holiday weekend. all parties campaigning here are being challenged on how they'd make people, especially women and girls feel safer. the mp for bournemouth west since 2010 — sir conor burns — joked that he might have written his own political obituary when he said borisjohnson had been "ambushed by a cake" in downing street during covid restrictions. he might well be wondering how prophetic those words may turn out to have been with polls suggesting that the seat could turn red in five weeks�* time. electorally, dorset is a sea of blue. all eight seats are conservative—held, but with labour and the lib dems campaigning hard in five target seats here, the county will definitely be one to watch as the first wave of results roll in during the early

hours ofjuly 5th and we find out if the political tides here really are turning. here is a list of candidates we know about so far standing in bournemouth west constituency. the bbc news website will have a complete list once they are all confirmed. back to our story about outgoing conservative mp mark logan. chris mason joins us a bit more of an update. i mason joins us a bit more of an u date. ., , mason joins us a bit more of an udate. . , ., . update. i have been watching the programme _ update. i have been watching the programme over _ update. i have been watching the programme over the _ update. i have been watching the programme over the last - update. i have been watching the programme over the last ten - update. i have been watching the - programme over the last ten minutes orso programme over the last ten minutes or so since we spoke. microphone has been pinging away. the conservatives, his former home, lobbing a bit of mud in his direction. once all suggesting he had been on detection watch for the last few days because he had not been answering the pain from conservatives locally or nationally. shadow cabinet ministers on the

labour side, shadow cabinet ministers on the labourside, obviously labour side, obviously unsurprisingly, absolutely delighted. this place finds people who switch sides a little bit weird. the most important people in british politics are those willing to switch between labour and the conservatives or conservatives and labour. mr logan is an example of someone willing to do that, who just happens to be a former mp. the liberal democrats want to put mental health professionals in all of england�*s state schools — saying there are almost 340,000 children on mental health waiting lists. they say they would pay for it by trebling the taxes on social media giants and other companies. our political correspondent, alex forsyth, has been on the campaign trail with sir ed davey. another day, another stunt, as the liberal democrats try to slide into public view. laughter. these eye—catching moments are meant to grab attention, so they say they can talk about their policies. fantastic. great fun.

today, as the big yellow bus headed through somerset, it was a promise to tax social media firms to fund mental health professionals in england�*s schools. the conservatives say they�*ve already increased training places for mental health nurses, while labour�*s pledged support in every school. for the lib dems, health services are high on the agenda, as is sewage. it�*s appalling, and it�*s time for a change. cheering. the liberal democrats have got a really clear strategy in this campaign. they are standing right across the country, but they�*re really focusing their efforts on key seats and a lot of those are here in the south west of england. hi. so are promises to keep working taxes down and improve public services realistic? are you being honest with the public about the choices that are coming down the line? we are saying we�*re going to have to find money from somewhere. we�*re pointing out where — whether it�*s on the oil and gas giants, on the social media giants. and we will make sure our sums add up. we�*re in week one of this campaign. you�*ve already fallen off a paddleboard, ridden a bike down a hill with your legs up in the air and slipped

down a giant waterslide. is there a danger that people will see you as a bit of a joke? no, you see, i believe politicians need to take the voters�* concerns seriously. but i don�*t think politicians have to take themselves quite so seriously. the level of attention we�*ve had on our policies, because we�*ve attracted people to come and see the bit of fun we�*ve been having, has actually meant that our ideas are being taken more seriously. so expect to see a lot more of this before this campaign is over and out. alex forsyth, bbc news, somerset. the green party of england and wales has told voters it offers "real hope" and "real change" and accused labour of offering what it called "timid half—measures". launching their election campaign in bristol, our political correspondent harry farley reports. colourful, young and generally left wing. bristol is one of the areas that could vote in a green mp onjuly the 4th. to have the greens convince people here that only they offer what they call real change.

definitely. i�*m going to vote for the greens. i�*m an outdoory person. i like our green space. i'm not going to lie — and i don't know anything about the green party. cheering. like all parties, getting their message out is key to the greens�* success or otherwise at this election. we have the practical solutions to the cost—of—living crisis, building new affordable homes, protecting our nhs from creeping privatisation and cleaning up our toxic rivers and seas. for a long time, the greens were political minnows. but there is a real sense of buzz and excitement here for what the greens unashamedly say is their most ambitious election launch ever. but the board of deputies of britishjews said today it is increasingly concerned over alleged anti—semitism from some green candidates. i don�*t know the details of that case. there have been press reportings of it, so you are aware of it.

we will make sure our internal process investigates all accusations and clearly, if they are serious ones, action will need to be taken. cheering. the party is proud of its record of long calling for a ceasefire in gaza. and whether on foreign or domestic policy, the greens argue they offer a challenge to labour from the left. harry farley, bbc news, in bristol. plaid cymru haved launched their general election campaign in north wales today. our wales correspondent tomos morgan was at the event. applause. launching their campaign to the delight of supporters in north wales, plaid cymru�*s leader rhun ap iorweth took aim at the opposition. it is time to kick the tories out of power. his message to voters was that plaid was the only party that would put wales first. yes, mr ap iorweth also admitted this could be a challenging election for them. —— yet, mr ap iorweth also admitted

this could be a challenging election for them. in this general election, 40 welsh seats have been reduced to 32 due to boundary changes. and having won four in 2019, plaid will do very well to win the same number this time around. so swimming against the current, they�*ve been somewhat conservative with their targeting of seats this year. your target seats are still only in welsh—speaking heartlands. it doesn�*t seem like the party is moving on and targeting other seats in wales. when will you try and make that push, and will you ever be able to cross into those areas that you haven�*t ever been successful? i have visited, i think, half of all the welsh constituencies plaid cymru represents every square inch of wales in the welsh parliament. that is no part of wales where i don�*t think plaid cymru�*s message can resonate. yes, of course, the first—past—the—post system and the polarising of an election in the uk media in particular around it being a choice somehow between blue and red, which it isn�*t, makes things challenging for us. two weeks today we�*ll hear plaid�*s manifesto pledges, which will then give the party another three weeks not only to convince supporters but also the welsh public that they can make

a difference for wales. tomos morgan, bbc news, bangor. question time will be on bbc one live tonight at an earlier time of 8pm and throughout the run—up to the election. buckingham palace has confirmed that king charles will take part in the trooping the colour ceremony next month — but in a carriage not on horseback. but it�*s not clear whether the princess of wales, who�*s also being treated for cancer, will attend. our royal correspondentjonny dymond is on horseguards parade in central london now. mixed views. the palace saying the king will attend trooping the colour. the closest the uk gets to the national day when regimental colours are presented to mnemonic and horse guards parade. he will be here. some concession to his cancer treatment. he will not be on horseback but instead in an open carriage. there was an occasion that

the princess of wales might have taken part in but she will not take part in that. every decision is being made with regard to how she feels and the medical advice she is receiving. time for a look at the weather. here�*s louise lear. once again, pictures of threatening looking skies. these from leicestershire. the showers have been coming down through the north—east of england today and some still with the old rumble of thunder. a rush of showers through east anglia and into the south of england. they will clear away this evening. in the west, the area of high pressure is arriving. when it does it will quiet the story down. take a look at this. a beautiful afternoon across northern cornwall and an empty beach. i wish i had been. this evening and overnight, we

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