to update laws on sex and gender. sir keir starmer will pitch labour as the "party of national security" and stress his ambition to increase defence spending. tributes pour in for rugby league legend rob burrow, who's died at the age of 41. mexico has its first female president, as former energy scientist claudia sheinbaum is elected by a landslide. hello, i'm maryam moshiri. it's the start of the second full week of the general election campaign. the conservatives say if they're re—elected, they'll change the equality act, so that gender is a matter of biology. rishi sunak will announce that that what he calls the "confusion over definitions of sex and gender" cannot be allowed to persist.

labour leader sir keir starmer will reaffirm his commitment to the uk's nuclear deterrent, describing labour as the party of national security. he says keeping britain safe should be the "bedrock" of any government. the liberal democrat deputy leader daisy cooper will outline plans to give rivers and coastlines protected status to prevent water companies getting away with "environmental vandalism". and snp leaderjohn swinney has called for a "respectful" contest — ahead of the scottish leaders' first television debate of the campaign. let's speak to our chief political correspondent henry zeffman. what's correspondent henry zeffman. to unpack today. st with what's to unpack today. starting with the conservative party and what they describe as the way they want to go forward on the issue of sex and gender, which are as you society is talking about a lot these days. it absolutely is. and the way that can serve —— conservation has

progressed the conservatives say is the reason that the law needs updating. what they are talking about is tweaking the equality act, passed in 2010. the conservatives say that in the intervening 1a years, there are so many more issues being thrown up around sex and gender that the law requires updating. specifically, kemi badenoch, the equalities minister, said she was to change the law, to make clear that references to sex refer to biological sex. biological sex at the time of birth, although in some cases people will have gender recognition certificate that might change things. the kind of settings the conservatives say this would affect our female only spaces like certain hospital wards or prisons and also rape crisis centres, it might have implications for women's sport because above all what the conservatives want to do is reassure those settings that, should they wish to bar biological males, evenif they wish to bar biological males, even if they might have a gender recognition certificate from those

spaces, then they would be able to do so. critics of this plan would say that actually, under the equality act as it stands, those settings do have the powers to do so, theyjust might on occasion need clearer guidance from government and i think there is another strain of criticism which would say the conservatives are being divisive ear, in pursuit of votes in the general election.— ear, in pursuit of votes in the general election. next, talk about what labour _ general election. next, talk about what labour are _ general election. next, talk about what labour are setting _ general election. next, talk about what labour are setting out, - general election. next, talk about what labour are setting out, they| what labour are setting out, they are setting out their fault lines on defence strategy and saying to people that they are the party of defence. it people that they are the party of defence. , . , people that they are the party of defence. , ., , , ~ people that they are the party of defence. , . , , ~ ., defence. it is really striking that the labour _ defence. it is really striking that the labour party _ defence. it is really striking that the labour party think _ defence. it is really striking that the labour party think that - defence. it is really striking that. the labour party think that defence is fertile electoral territory for them in this general election. sir keir starmer is campaigning in the north—west of england today, and will be joined north—west of england today, and will bejoined by north—west of england today, and will be joined by some of the 1a former military personnel standing former military personnel standing for the labour party as candidates at this election, and he will vow that the nuclear deterrent will be protected under a labour government. he has a policy called the triple lock on the nuclear deterrent,

different things that ultimately commit labour to maintaining and indeed building new nuclear submarines for that nuclear deterrent. the conservatives want to get the conversation on defence or spending levels. the question whether labour are committed to 2.5% of national income being spent on defence but i like the conservatives who say that they would hit that spending total by 2030, labour say that they would do so when circumstances allow, so not a specific date. henry zeffman, our chief political correspondent. thank you very much indeed. now, at the bbc you'll know there's one voice we always want to hear — and that's yours. one of the things you've told us is that you want to be more involved in how we cover the general election campaign and we want to know about the issues that matter to you. here's what people have been saying about how they feel ahead of polling day.

i will vote, but i don't know who i can trust. personally, i would just settle for truth, honesty, integrity from anyone. just tell the truth. you know, it's ok, these magic words, and itjust sounds like a lot of hot air, sometimes. if they engage more with younger voters, i'm more inclined to listen to what they have to say. i'm very interested in what we're doing for environmental changel and also education is a big one. i will be sorry to see the present government go, but i think the country as a whole is ready for a change. i'll probably not even vote, to be quite honest. - ijust think what's the point? i think everybody wants a change. everybody�*s fed up with the way things are going. i mean, where i live, there's potholes everywhere. how they are going to help out, like, the small towns? the youth and the next generations. everything's stagnant at the moment, so i'm voting for change. _ ijust think it would be really

nice if more investment, more genuine investment, was promised into the nhs, into children's mental health services. issues that matter to people? well, i think it's the nhs really isn't it? probably, the economy is one. i mean i'm quite young but having a stable economy means that we could have jobs. as primary school teachers it - would be we funding for schools. and more specialist places. and specialist places for children. definitelx — most of the businesses around here want to have police back on the streets to stop the thieves walking into shops and walking out with whatever they want without being stopped. just a general, honest government. that'll do me. if you have a question that you want answered by the politicians, a suggestion for where we should be reporting from or perhaps an issue that you're concerned about — we want to hear from you.

let us know by going to bbc.co.uk/news on your phone or on your tablet or laptop and you'll see a link where you can tell us. it's your voice, your vote. a "beacon of hope and inspiration" — the words of kevin sinfield as he paid tribute to his friend and former rugby league team—mate rob burrow, who's died at the age 41 — describing him as the "bravest man" he's ever met. after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease nearly five years ago, rob became a prominent campaigner for research into the condition and was made a cbe for his work. rob's former club leeds rhinos has described him as a "true inspiration". rob burrow�*s life is defined by his defiance of the odds.

they always used to say, "oh, he's good, is that rob. but he's never going to make it because he's not big enough." this is a sensational try! there aren't many in rugby league that can do that! as the smallest player in a giant's game, he was world class. burrow, dancing steps by him! rob burrow, where do we start? absolute legend. pound for pound probably the strongest player we had in the squad and the strongest guy who's played in super league. just feel so honoured to have played alongside him. in a game like rugby league, we needed characters like rob burrow. everybody's got this perception that you should be big and bulky and talismanic and gladiatorial. yet you look at this young fella who don't look like he's grown since he was in his tens,

going to play with professional adults in a gladiatorial game like rugby league. he rewrote the rules about what a rugby league player should look like. shortly after retirement, rob discovered he had motor neurone disease. i suppose you have your good days, bad days, but... yeah. he found strength in his new team—mates, doddie weir and stephen darby. all three men had been diagnosed with mnd and were determined to raise awareness together. i'm not giving in till my last breath. i've too many reasons to live. rob's aim was to to be a voice, to raise that awareness for other people that were suffering and going through this. you know, this has never been about rob. this is about raising awareness for other people that have this horrible, horrible disease. first, when rob was diagnosed, i was the one that would break down in tears and rob would be,

you know, pull yourself together. lindsay, you know, we can get through this. his love for his family and their love for him shone through as rob made his private battle a public one to help those suffering with mnd, raising huge amounts of money and awareness. as a father of three young children, i would never want any family to have to go through what my wife and children have since my diagnosis. you have done such important work raising awareness of motor neurone disease. you've been an inspiration to so many, and we have nothing but admiration for everything that you've done. he can tell what sort of mood you're in, you know, - and he'll crack a joke or tell us to stop being silly. _ and, "why are you looking so sad?" you know. but at the end of the day, it's still hard. _

the wider rugby league family also united behind him to raise funds for research into a condition that has no cure. i think the last couple of years, my respect for him was only increased because he's been so brave and courageous, how he's attacked what mnd has brought to him and the family. so inspiring to mnd community, it's been incredible to see the effects he's had on so many people. he's an absolute champion. good to see you. who scored the most tries out of you two? laughter i think he knows that as well. is he laughing? yeah, he is. he's laughing. hopefully through the campaigning we have done, we have helped to make people aware of mnd and to give people and families affected by the disease some help. we have to keep raising funds to fight this disease and look after those with mnd until we have a cure.

rob burrow overcame so many challenges, both on and off the field. i've had patients who have come in and said, i've got what rob burrow has. and i think that that is, that is the power of the campaign that he has led, that people are far more aware. this is about mnd awareness, and i think he's been hugely successful in doing that. i have no idea how my family would react, the more was taken away from me. it seems as though they've become a beacon of hope for families in the same situation as us. he has created a legacy and will always be remembered as a giant, whether wearing the blue and amber of his beloved leeds or wearing the warmest of smiles in the face of a cruel disease.

rob burrow, who has died at the age of a1. let's take you to headingley stadium in leeds to show you the floral tributes that have been left by fans and well—wishers for rob burrow. you can see the a small sea of flowers. 0ur reporterjohn maguire is at the stadium now. i know that you have been talking to team—mates or rob burrow throughout the morning. give us a sense of what he meant to the club and to headingley. figs he meant to the club and to headingley-— he meant to the club and to headinule . a , headingley. as sally was saying in her report. _ headingley. as sally was saying in her report. rob — headingley. as sally was saying in her report, rob was _ headingley. as sally was saying in her report, rob was 5'5" _ headingley. as sally was saying in her report, rob was 5'5" tall- headingley. as sally was saying in her report, rob was 5'5" tall and l her report, rob was 5'5" tall and there is no way that that, on a cv, that those are an appropriate size for a rugby league player, but his skill, tenacity, determination, took him right to the very top of the

sport. he played the leeds rhinos more than a00 times, winning absolutely everything it is possible to win, in their famous blue and amber. it is a club that has very much taken into heart over the years not just much taken into heart over the years notjust because of the 17 years he spent here as a player but also the last four and a half years, after his diagnosis with motor neurone disease, two years after he stopped playing in 2019 was when he had that diagnosis. it is reflected in some of the sentiments here. someone has written on this shirt, a legend on the pitch, a hero off it. that sums up the pitch, a hero off it. that sums up what the people of leeds and the people of this club specifically think about rob. his legacy will be an incredible one, notjust what he did on the pitch behind me there, but because of what he has done over recent years to raise awareness of motor neurone disease, to make those documentaries, to show us what daily

life is like, how difficult it is once someone has had that diagnosis of mnd, notjust for the patient themselves but for their friends, family, colleagues and loved ones. we were due to be in leeds today because by pure coincidence it is the first day that work will officially start at the rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease, about five miles away from here, at the seacroft hospital site in leeds. it will be a purpose—built, brand—new building design from the ground up by clinicians and patients. rob had a significant hand in the design of the building. it will be holistic, welcoming. the architect described it as a hug of a building, just to try to make life for people who have this dreadful diagnosis that little bit easier, as they face a very long future with they face a very long future with the disease because it is so devastating but to face that future and try to understand a little bit

more, and be given that extra layer of care. when you hear about rob, you hear about how incredible he was on the pitch as a team—mate and off the pitch when he was playing. there was this fundraiser, £15 million, he and kevin sinfield rays, the awareness they raised. as sally said in the report, he was determined not to give in until his last breath and the fact that today's ceremony will go ahead, it was very much rob's wish that the ceremony goes ahead so that the opening of that building is not delayed by a single day. i think that probably tells you everything you need to know about this man, not only what he achieved on the pitch and off the pitch and she was diagnosed, but as you say, even in his last breath, he was determined that his life would mean something and his legacy will be an incredible one in years to come.— one in years to come. john, thank ou. the royal college of nursing says

the number of nhs patients being treated in corridors and other crowded places now amounts to a "national emergency". one in three nurses who replied to an online survey said that on their latest shift, they ended up providing care in a waiting area, side room or corridor. 0ur health reporter, jim reed, has more. paul simms had a heart attack injanuary. he describes his treatment that day in a&e as excellent. but he then had to spend almost two days being cared for in this small corridor because there was no space in the main wards of the hospital. it was constant foot traffic by doctors and nurses. so it was very difficult for me to even sleep or rest because people were coming in and out, pushing the doors, banging the doors, trolleys were coming through, knocking into me because i shouldn't have been there, really, in a corridor. and also there wasn't a power supply in the corridor. so my heart monitor went flat.

the hospital where paul was treated describes his experience as less than ideal, but said the same level of care is provided regardless of where patients are located. the royal college of nursing, though, is concerned that scenes like this are becoming more common. one in three of the 11,000 nurses who filled out the union's online survey said that on their most recent shifts, they had to look after someone in a corridor, waiting room or other location not meant for treatment. similar results were seen across the four nations of the uk. we are calling this a national state of emergency. our members are incredibly concerned around the fact that very poor, undignified, unsafe care is being totally normalised. it is not ok for patients to be looked after in corridors, in store cupboards, by nurses' stations,

without emergency equipment, without call bells. and sadly, some of our patients are having their entire hospital stay and treatment sitting in a chair, sometimes up to 72 hours. totally u na cce pta ble. we're calling for that to be a never word, because that should never, ever happen. that's why we've had enough. we have got to have proper long—term solutions for this rather than just move the problem somewhere else, because the impact on patients and staff is enormous. the conservatives said the nhs budget had increased by a third since 2010 in england, with more community diagnostic centres opened. the snp—led scottish government said health funding had also risen in scotland. the liberal democrats and labour both said they had plans to fix or reform the nhs. jim reed, bbc news. the bbc has learned that a waste company, linked to a controversial £200,000 donation

to the first minister of wales, was under criminal investigation at the time of the donation. vaughan gething was given the cash during his successful leadership campaign, by a company controlled by a millionaire businessman. but since december, another of that donor's companies has been under criminal investigation by the environmental regulator, natural resources wales. mr gething, who narrowly won the topjob in march, insists he has not broken any rules, and has refused calls to return the donation. wyre davies reports. all smiles for the cameras. welsh first minister vaughan gething is one of the most senior labour politicians in the uk and a key player in the party's general election campaign. but questions over a £200,000 donation to his own leadership campaign earlier this year won't go away. his successful bid to become party leader in wales was bankrolled by a waste management company controlled by david neal, a wealthy businessman who has two criminal convictions for environmental offences.

another of mr neal's companies runs this troubled landfill site in west wales. it's an inescapable stench that makes you retch. it's horrendous, it's rancid. it's almost like you can taste it. other people living nearby say the smell from the site is ruining their quality of life. i don't want to wake up to my house smelling of rotten eggs, which is worse than my son's nappy. my biggest concern is that it's not being managed as it should be. david neal says his company is working with the regulator to stop the smell. but the stench from here stretches all the way down the ma to the office of wales's top politician. up until now, the questions for vaughan gething have focused on what one of his donors did in the past. but we can now reveal that one of that millionaire donor's companies is currently under criminal investigation,

and was, when vaughan gething accepted the sum of money. the conservative opposition in the welsh parliament, the senedd, has tabled a vote of no confidence in mr gething's leadership. to him, the prize of becoming first minister was too great and he was prepared to sacrifice the integrity of the office of first ministerfor the £200,000 that he took. with news that one of david neal's companies also revealed plans for a solar farm in this protected area of countryside the day before a firm he controls made a second donation to mr gething, others have questioned the new first minister's judgment. you get offered £200,000. the level of due diligence that you would expect to take place in that context would be significant. vaughan gething has not broken the ministerial code in taking the donation and he retains the full backing of labour's uk leader, with only weeks to go before the general election.

i'm really looking forward to a new partnership where we can both deliver together for wales. thank you, vaughan. but we've also discovered that one senior labour figure offered to lend mr gething money to repay the controversial donation in full. he turned down the offer. we've repeatedly tried to ask the first minister about the new evidence. did you know about the criminal investigation _ before you accepted the money? thank you. but his team said the issues had previously been addressed and were a matter of public record. this week's senedd vote of no confidence is an unwelcome distraction for the first minister at a particularly busy time. wyre davies, bbc news. you can watch "wales investigates: a big stink" on bbc iplayer now — or bbc one wales tonight at 8pm. to another election now, in mexico.

claudia sheinbaum has been elected as mexico's first ever female president. the former mayor of mexico city had the support of the outgoing president. the election campaign was marked by unprecedented levels of violence, often carried out by organised crime gangs. ms scheinbaum has promised to reduced the violence, and improve the lives of women in a country with one of world's highest rates of femicide. 0ur mexico correspondent will grant has more on the significance of that result, as well as how the new president will work with the us administration. we are at the point where the country's electoral authorities have announced that claudia sheinbaum, the former mayor of mexico city is mexico's first woman president. a piece of history, an extraordinary piece of history in a country which has been so dominated by men, by machismo in the political sphere for decades, centuries, infact. here she is, broken through.

she's broken the metaphorical glass ceiling for generations of women and girls in mexico to come. but for her, this is a watershed moment. and for mexico, too. i think they'll look at her record in mexico city and be buoyed by that in washington. but, of course, there are very, very thorny issues between the two nations, the most obvious one being immigration and undocumented immigration through mexico on its way to the us. we don't know, of course, what the political landscape in the united states is going to look like with the election looming there too. so, a moment of flux. and we'll have to see how she gets on with whoever it is who takes over in the white house or if there's continuity with the biden administration. but let'sjust take a moment to just underline how important this is. yes, other nations in latin america have had women presidents — brazil, argentina, chile. but mexico now has its

first female president. an extraordinary moment. dubbed the missing crypto queen, she is on the fbi's top ten most wanted list after defrauding investors for $a.5 billion, and then vanishing. for the past year, bbc world service and panorama have been trying to find out more about what happened to her, and whether she is ever alive. the scoring is going to be number one worldwide. she the scoring is going to be number one worldwide.— the scoring is going to be number one worldwide. ,, , ,, ., one worldwide. she became known as the missin: one worldwide. she became known as the missing crypto _ one worldwide. she became known as the missing crypto queen _ one worldwide. she became known as the missing crypto queen and - one worldwide. she became known as the missing crypto queen and has - the missing crypto queen and has been accused of defrauding victims out of more than $a billion. the bbc has been investigating her disappearance of five years. find disappearance of five years. and international _ disappearance of five years. and international fugitive who allegedly masterminded a vast worldwide full—screen has been added to the

fbi top— full—screen has been added to the fbi top ten most wanted list. there are fears that _ fbi top ten most wanted list. there are fears that she _ fbi top ten most wanted list. there are fears that she might _ fbi top ten most wanted list. there are fears that she might have - fbi top ten most wanted list. iii” are fears that she might have been murdered. ., ~ murdered. one, two, three. we will double the — murdered. one, two, three. we will double the coins. _ murdered. one, two, three. we will double the coins. there _ murdered. one, two, three. we will double the coins. there was - murdered. one, two, three. we will double the coins. there was hype i double the coins. there was hype that ou double the coins. there was hype that you could — double the coins. there was hype that you could buy _ double the coins. there was hype that you could buy nice _ double the coins. there was hype that you could buy nice cars - double the coins. there was hype that you could buy nice cars withl that you could buy nice cars with this coin — that you could buy nice cars with this coin. she is leading people out of their— this coin. she is leading people out of their financial misery. the dream she sold was _ of their financial misery. the dream she sold was no _ of their financial misery. the dream she sold was no more _ of their financial misery. the dream she sold was no more than - of their financial misery. the dream she sold was no more than a - of their financial misery. the dream she sold was no more than a ponzil she sold was no more than a ponzi scheme, with investors losing billions. i scheme, with investors losing billions. .,, scheme, with investors losing billions. ., ., ., , ., , billions. i lost a lot of my money. it was a billions. i lost a lot of my money. it was a really _ billions. i lost a lot of my money. it was a really sad, _ billions. i lost a lot of my money. it was a really sad, embarrassing | it was a really sad, embarrassing and depressing moment of my life. the fbi launched a criminal inquiry. if you look at all the money it

has ended up in her pockets, privatejets, she had multi—million dollar mansions. dubai, london, germany are the three we knew about. by 2017, law enforcement in ten different countries suspecting the police were after her, ruja ignatova fled bulgaria and 2017th and has not been heard from since. her disappearance has been linked to an unnamed demand —— man, described in us court documents as a drug trafficker. the bbc understands this to be a man suspected of leading a bulgarian organised crime group but has never been prosecuted for any crime. sources close to ruja ignatova says he was her head of security. herformer adviser, frank schneider said it was a typical arrangement in bulgaria.

as in most, will call the mafia environments, you have to buy yourself protection. the bigger it gets the more dangerous it becomes. a secret police report seen by the bbc suggests taki may have had ruja ignatova murdered, killed on a yacht off greece, her body thrown into the sea. the report is not the purpose of bulgarian insiders believe it is a credible theory. the key question is why would taki kill her. one possible answer is she already knew too much, if in the mafia you become a liability, you are butchered. and you are thrown to sink at the bottom of the sea. the man has never been arrested over claims he has had ruja ignatova murdered, but bulgarian police say they don't have enough evidence. since ignatova has been said to been murdered, they have been reported sightings of her but have come to nothing. nobody has ever been found. the bbc wrote to his lawyers about the allegations in this film. they did not respond.

you comic that is the story of the missing crypto queen, dead or alive. back to uk politics now... the conservatives promised to tackle the confusion over the legal definition of sex by changing the equality act if they win the next election. we can cross now to our political correspondent who is on the conservative campaign bus, helen catt, going backwards. i get a little bit sick when i go back was, to be honest with you. always good to be honest with you. always good to see that on tv. this policy has been announced. kemi badenoch has been announced. kemi badenoch has been doing the rounds this morning. tell us more about what the tories are putting forward. this tell us more about what the tories are putting forward.— are putting forward. as you mentioned, _ are putting forward. as you mentioned, what _ are putting forward. as you mentioned, what they - are putting forward. as you mentioned, what they are i are putting forward. as you - mentioned, what they are proposing is that if they are re—elected, they will amend the equality act to make

it clear that the protections that are afforded to people on the basis of sex only apply to biological sex. the equality act legally protect people from discover nation on a number of grounds such as age or race and sex —— from discrimination. they say the definition of sex has evolved. the law hasn't kept up with it, they say, so they want to change it, they say, so they want to change it or amend it to make it clear that refers to biological sex. they say that will mean that people who run, for example, domestic abuse groups would be able to exclude people who are not biologically female without fear of getting sued. that is the policy they are putting forward. it would also apply to places like hospital wards, single sex hospital wards. critics of this have accused the conservatives in the past of seeking to stoke divisions or demonise transgender people. what kemi badenoch said in her article for the times newspaper this morning is that they believe this will

actually protect transgender people and people with gender dysphoria because this is about they say trying to target those who are abusing the ability to use this. we haven't had any response yet from labour, liberal democrats, orthe snp. conservative strategists will also be hoping that this will put a bit of pressure on those parties to talk their stance on the issue too. there have been some very public disagreements and conflicts in the past. disagreements and conflicts in the ast. ., , ., past. helen, i will leave you in the london traffic, _ past. helen, i will leave you in the london traffic, it _ past. helen, i will leave you in the london traffic, it is _ past. helen, i will leave you in the london traffic, it is london - london traffic, it is london traffic, isn't it? it london traffic, it is london traffic, isn't it?— london traffic, it is london traffic, isn't it?_| traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i will leave _ traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i will leave you _ traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i will leave you to _ traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i will leave you to the - traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i| will leave you to the london traffic, isn't it? it is, yes. i- will leave you to the london traffic on the conservative campaign bus, thank you very much indeed. there are a number of seats to watch and let's focus on two of them. in the country's south—east we have lewes been targeted by liberal democrats and further north, the constituency of norwich north, a key focus for labour. joining me now is lucinda

adam in sussex and andrew sinclair, political editor for bbc east. lucinda, let's talk a little bit about lewes. tell me what the key battleground is in lewes. what are signs pointing towards in terms of the lib dems taking the seat back? good morning. this is our most marginal seat in sussex, onlyjust under 2500 votes that are the conservative mp who has been in place since 2015 and the liberal democrats, who have come a close second in every general election here since the 1970s and before 2050 there was a liberal democrat here for 18 years before that. a very tight contest —— before 2015. the main issues come up repeatedly at the cost of living, cost of housing here and also sewage. you can see the river behind me that runs through this market town of lewes. we just had figures this month from the environment agency of a record

number of raw sewage dumped in the waterways of lewes. more than 17,000 hours of raw sewage dumped in these rivers and on the coastal parts of this constituency last year in more than 1500 events, something that all politicians have been calling absolutely appalling and unacceptable. it is an issue that is really affecting residents here and they would like to see a change on that. and the cost of living, people who visit lewes, you can see the high street behind me over the bridge, might think this is an affluent town, it is a very pretty market town with a lot of nice shops. in fact, there is a cost—of—living crisis here and there are now more than ten food projects, are now more than ten food projects, a mixture of food banks and community fridges. just this month, three of the food banks in the coastal towns of this constituency said they had to close to new members, they were just overwhelmed and they said the demand was unsustainable. the local council here has just given them an additional £20,000 in funding so they can help the people that need

it but that is in addition to £20,000 that they also gave at christmas. they are feeling the pinch here, the cost of living. those are the main thing is that the candidates are telling me coming up on the cost of living and sewage in rivers and seas. it is on the cost of living and sewage in rivers and seas.— on the cost of living and sewage in rivers and seas. it is marginal, how tiuht is rivers and seas. it is marginal, how tight is relatively _ rivers and seas. it is marginal, how tight is relatively tight, _ rivers and seas. it is marginal, how tight is relatively tight, this - tight is relatively tight, this seat? . , ~ tight is relatively tight, this seat? ., , ,, seat? relatively tight, like i said, 'ust under seat? relatively tight, like i said, just under 2500 _ seat? relatively tight, like i said, just under 2500 votes _ seat? relatively tight, like i said, just under 2500 votes and - seat? relatively tight, like i said, just under 2500 votes and we - seat? relatively tight, like i said, | just under 2500 votes and we have seen more marginal constituencies than that. but what is a real warning flag, we haven't had a general election for five years, since 2019. the local council here, claudia sheinbaum pardo district council, in may last year in the local elections, the conservatives were wiped off the board. they had 18 seats they were defending and they lost every single one of them. the council is now actually run by a coalition between the green party and the labour party. that is unusual. the green party have the

largest number of seats, the lib dem accounts are second and they have been involved in a power—sharing coalition over the past year but there was a bit of a disagreement just recently about power—sharing of the leadership. currently, the greens and labour run the council in coalition and lib democrats are the opposition. but they are very strong here and putting all of their resources to getting this seat. we saw ed davey visit here just last week. there is a real debate. lewes likes to be quite a rebellious place. it is famous for its bonfire night celebration and we have seen many a politician and many a prime minister burned in effigy in these streets in november. it is also very politically engaged town and constituency, turnout is always high here. it is all to play for as the candidates for the conservatives and liberal democrats battle it out and try and see who can win onjuly the ath. try and see who can win on july the ath. . ., ., ~ y. y try and see who can win on july the ath. . ., ., y . ath. lucinda, thank you very much for the low — ath. lucinda, thank you very much for the low down _ ath. lucinda, thank you very much for the low down from _ ath. lucinda, thank you very much for the low down from lewes. - ath. lucinda, thank you very much| for the low down from lewes. let's cross live to andrew sinclair, political editor for bbc east. norwich north very much being eyed

as a key target for labour?— as a key target for labour? yeah, it's really interesting. _ as a key target for labour? yeah, it's really interesting. if— as a key target for labour? yeah, it's really interesting. if you - as a key target for labour? yeah, it's really interesting. if you look| it's really interesting. if you look at a constituency map of east anglia, it is a sea of blue, the conservatives hold just about every seatin conservatives hold just about every seat in this region. they are just a few specs of red and one of them is norwich south, behind me and apart from a small exception where the liberal democrats hold, has always been held by labour. norwich north where i am standing is a very different ball game. it is a typical bellwether swing seat. largely residential seat. a lot of housing, which was built after the war. some pockets of deprivation. quite a bit of light manufacturing within norwich north and we got an airport which largely services the gas platforms of the north sea. although there has been a lot of excitement here recently because ryanair have just started frequent flights from here. politically, this is one of east anglia's most marginal seats. the conservatives hold it with a

majority of a700. as i said, this is a classic bellwether seat. it went to labour in 1997, it went back to the conservatives just before 2010, and so every time there is an election, labour put a lot of resources into trying to win this seat. they know that if they can't win norwich north, they will have big problems trying to form a government. lots of campaigning has been going on from the moment this election was called. issues, yes, of course of the cost of living but the big talking point in this part of the world is the nhs. problem is getting nhs dentist has been coming up getting nhs dentist has been coming up a lot on the doorstep now for the last couple of years. it is a really big issue in this part of east anglia. also waiting lists. the local hospital he has had big problems with people waiting to be seenin problems with people waiting to be seen in hospital —— hospital here. wait in long periods before they get seen. that is starting to get better. just about everyone in this city know someone who is on a waiting list at the moment. {lilia

waiting list at the moment. ok, andrew, thank _ waiting list at the moment. ok, andrew, thank you _ waiting list at the moment. 0k, andrew, thank you very much. lucinda, thanks to you both for updating us from your regions. here are the candidates who have been selected so far to battle it out in that constituency that andrew was talking about of norwich north. the bbc will have a full list of candidates once nominations close. here are the candidates who have been selected so far in lewes. again, the bbc will have a full list of candidates once nominations close. more now on the general election campaign. labour leader sir keir starmer will reaffirm his commitment to the uk's nuclear deterrent, describing labour as the party of national security. he says keeping britain safe should be the "bedrock" of any government. labour's shadow defence secretaryjohn healey was also on the today programme a little earlier. healey was pressed on david lammy voting against trident in 2016 and his moral argument against nuclear weapons at the time. the world has changed fundamentally

in eight years and keir starmer has changed the labour party. any frontbencher now, and if we win the election, any labour minister, knows that the deterrent will be the bedrock of our defence plans and our national security. they know this. they accept this, and they fully support it. they accept this, and they fully support it— they accept this, and they fully su--ortit. ~ ., support it. when you say the world has changed. _ support it. when you say the world has changed. in — support it. when you say the world has changed, in what _ support it. when you say the world has changed, in what way? - support it. when you say the world | has changed, in what way? because the invasion— has changed, in what way? because the invasion of crimea of course was 2014. _ the invasion of crimea of course was 2014. wasn't— the invasion of crimea of course was 2014, wasn't it?— 201a, wasn't it? we've had growing chinese aggression. _ 201a, wasn't it? we've had growing chinese aggression. we've - 201a, wasn't it? we've had growing chinese aggression. we've had - 201a, wasn't it? we've had growing chinese aggression. we've had the | chinese aggression. we've had the full scale invasion by putin of ukraine. we got conflict in the middle east. we've got a growing alliance of aggression between russia and north korea, iran, and china. the world is far more dangerous. the threats are increasing. this is why the triple lock guarantee is important... just because it is a stronger commitment the conservatives made. it matters because one of the first thing that david cameron did as prime minister in 2010 was delayed by five years

the submarine building programme for the submarine building programme for the new dreadnoughts. that has added hundreds of millions of cost and also put extra pressure on the current cruise. == also put extra pressure on the current cruise.— also put extra pressure on the current cruise. hannah, you are in the north west of england, greater manchester whether labour leader is campaigning, tell me a bit more about how this message is expected to go down with key labour supporters? brute is expected to go down with key labour supporters?— is expected to go down with key labour supporters? we are expecting to hear from — labour supporters? we are expecting to hear from the _ labour supporters? we are expecting to hear from the labour— labour supporters? we are expecting to hear from the labour leader - labour supporters? we are expecting to hear from the labour leader here | to hearfrom the labour leader here in greater manchester in the next half hour or so, talking about his plans and his commitment to spend 2.5% of gdp on defence. that is a pledge that they have said they will do as soon as resources allow. there is a difference with the conservative party insofar so far as rishi sunak has said that he will reach that level of funding

specifically by 2030. the conservatives say they will do that by shrinking the size of the civil service, saving money in that kind of area. there are questions about whether that is realistic and affordable. laboursay whether that is realistic and affordable. labour say they will only do it once the economic conditions allow. this is a clear pitch to reach to voters here in an area, greater machester and indeed across the whole of the country. there are parts of the country where the day lost seats at the last general election perhaps in part because voters have fears because jeremy corbyn, their then leader, was a bit less strong on defence and had slightly more nuanced positions and didn't necessarily come out stating quite so clearly that he was in favour of things like nuclear deterrent. you heard john healy being asked about the way that some current shadow cabinet members who could well be ministers and cabinet ministers in the next labour

government, how they previously voted underjeremy corbyn. and that changed position. it fits into that labour message, their key message, of change, saying they have changed the party and they are now ready to change the country. that is a clear appeal to voters who are perhaps not quite convinced last time and there is a definite strategy within the labour party of them thinking people need to see that they are confident our national security. before they can be trusted with other issues. let me ask you briefly about diane abbott and the leadership's reaction to what has happened because she announced she intends to stand as a candidate and the row over whether she would be allowed to stand has been ongoing for several days. what is the reaction to that this monday morning? the is the reaction to that this monday mornin: ? ,.,, ., ., morning? the position from keir starmer is _ morning? the position from keir starmer is that _ morning? the position from keir starmer is that diane _ morning? the position from keir starmer is that diane abbott - morning? the position from keir starmer is that diane abbott is l morning? the position from keir. starmer is that diane abbott is free to go forward as a labour candidate. i guess we would expect confirmation

of that in the coming days. it has clearly been a row that has hugely overshadowed the whole of last week. it got in the way of a number of policy announcements they were trying to make and try to dominate the news agenda. they are hoping, there is a sense now that, to some extent, this may be resolved, they would hope. that they are able to move on and get their pledges on defence sort of front and centre of their arguments today rather than internal party warfare. they don't want to be having those kinds of conversations.— let's cross over now to nicky campbell with your voice, your vote. studio: we are joined studio: we arejoined by studio: we are joined by viewers on bbc television. bbc news. it is the cross on bbc thing we are launching today, your voice, your vote, finding out of all the list of myriad policies and the policies

that we need to make our country better, are the politicians addressing them and talking about them? are the things that you really care about high enough up that agenda? goodness me, i can list them, the things people have been talking about so far. looking at the texts, listening to the calls. we are on the front line of this, we do it every day on the nation's' phone income tax, immigration, mortgages, renting housing defence, security, nhs, schools, environment, protecting nature, clean rivers, the economy, pensions, social care, welfare... it is down to you, right now, this morning, what do you want to talk about? what do you want to talk about? good morning to test in norwich and lucy in edinburgh, kim in ely, welcome. lucy, not your real name, what would you like to say? hi, my main concern or my biggest

floating point is labour's proposal is to put vat on school fees. i got two children at a private school in edinburgh where about 25% in this city go to private schools. i don't think it's a fair proposal. i think it will tax people like myself who save. we work very hard to send our children to private school. we don't go on many foreign holidays. we don't have a fancy car. that is where our disposable income goes. i think if you put that on school fees, not a lot of families like myself will be forced to pull out our children and that would put further strain on the city's schools who are already at breaking point. i think children who goes to schools like eton and harrow will become even more elite because those families won't notice the 20% increase. �* , families won't notice the 2096 increase. �* , , ., increase. and they will be a flight from any of _ increase. and they will be a flight from any of the _ increase. and they will be a flight from any of the private _ increase. and they will be a flight from any of the private schools i increase. and they will be a flight from any of the private schools at the telegraph newspaper might expect, very big on this issue, pointing out they believe labour have no contingency for potentially a huge increase in these children going into the state school sector.

do you think it will be riven with unintended consequences? because they would argue that, look state schools have had to cut their cloth in a very real and painful way for a long, long time. this will provide 6500 teachers and it is time for private schools to do just that. how do you answer that one? i private schools to do just that. how do you answer that one?— do you answer that one? i think it will punish _ do you answer that one? i think it will punish both _ do you answer that one? i think it will punish both the _ do you answer that one? i think it will punish both the children - do you answer that one? i think it will punish both the children who| will punish both the children who are currently at state schools and the children who are at private school. take edinburgh. 25% of children go to a private school. there are six private schools just in the city. if those children are suddenly entitled to a place at their local school and they choose to take it up, where our edinburgh city council going to find the teachers and the money and the desks for a0,000 children? the children who are at the state schools are also being punished. it will have a detrimental impact on everybody. it is such a misconception to think everybody who goes to a private school is really rich. it's not at all the case. many families

struggle. they save. to send their children to a private school. ijust think it's completely misguided. it is just such think it's completely misguided. it isjust such an think it's completely misguided. it is just such an easy win for the labour party to sort of cash rich people when that is not the case at all. . ~ people when that is not the case at all. ., ,, , ., people when that is not the case at all. ., ,, i. _ people when that is not the case at all. ., _ , people when that is not the case at all. ., ,, i. _ , .,, ., all. thank you, lucy will stop -- to bash rich people. _ all. thank you, lucy will stop -- to bash rich people. tessa, _ all. thank you, lucy will stop -- to bash rich people. tessa, what - all. thank you, lucy will stop -- to i bash rich people. tessa, what should they be talking about? i bash rich people. tessa, what should they be talking about?— they be talking about? i would like to see the nhs, _ they be talking about? i would like to see the nhs, the _ they be talking about? i would like to see the nhs, the police, - they be talking about? i would like to see the nhs, the police, and i they be talking about? i would like| to see the nhs, the police, and the education _ to see the nhs, the police, and the education services ring fenced from standard _ education services ring fenced from standard politics. iwould education services ring fenced from standard politics. i would like to see an _ standard politics. i would like to see an agreed amount, a percentage of our— see an agreed amount, a percentage of our gdp _ see an agreed amount, a percentage of our gdp invested into each of those _ of our gdp invested into each of those public services, so that the politicians — those public services, so that the politicians can't constantly use that as — politicians can't constantly use that as the hot potato to centre their— that as the hot potato to centre their policies around and their vote winning _ their policies around and their vote winning around. i think if you have an agreed — winning around. i think if you have an agreed investment that is only allowed _ an agreed investment that is only allowed to be changed by agreement by all parties, in the event of a covid _ by all parties, in the event of a covid pandemic or something that

needs— covid pandemic or something that needs investment, i think you can build _ needs investment, i think you can build strategy. you can make long—term investment. you will see the tory— long—term investment. you will see the tory party will probably strip out the — the tory party will probably strip out the nhs and the police services, then out the nhs and the police services, than you _ out the nhs and the police services, then you will get the labour party, they wiii— then you will get the labour party, they will invest loads of money back into it _ they will invest loads of money back into it we _ they will invest loads of money back into it. we are constantly on this cycle _ into it. we are constantly on this cycle of— into it. we are constantly on this cycle of flip—flopping back and forth — cycle of flip—flopping back and forth if— cycle of flip—flopping back and forth. if you ring fenced those services, _ forth. if you ring fenced those services, you will get proper investment, strategic, long—term investment. where people can actually— investment. where people can actually invest in all levels, all tiers— actually invest in all levels, all tiers of— actually invest in all levels, all tiers of education and policing and everything. it'sjust ridiculous. we have _ everything. it'sjust ridiculous. we have been— everything. it'sjust ridiculous. we have been in a perfect storm recently. _ have been in a perfect storm recently, where we have had brexit, we had _ recently, where we have had brexit, we had the — recently, where we have had brexit, we had the ukraine war, we've had covid _ we had the ukraine war, we've had covid back — we had the ukraine war, we've had covid back. we have been hit by some really— covid back. we have been hit by some really difficult times. people need to understand we have got to pay for that. to understand we have got to pay for that it— to understand we have got to pay for that if you _ to understand we have got to pay for that. if you take out those services and you've — that. if you take out those services and you've got a long term strategy around _ and you've got a long term strategy around those, ijust don't think you have _ around those, ijust don't think you have to _ around those, ijust don't think you have to worry quite so much about robbing _ have to worry quite so much about robbing those services to fund those extraordinary events. the

robbing those services to fund those extraordinary events.— extraordinary events. the institute for fiscal studies _ extraordinary events. the institute for fiscal studies said _ extraordinary events. the institute for fiscal studies said the - extraordinary events. the institute for fiscal studies said the dark i for fiscal studies said the dark shadow over this entire election campaign, what labour, the conservatives and others are saying is there ain't no money and how will they square the circle? but is there ain't no money and how will they square the circle?— they square the circle? but there is mone . they square the circle? but there is money- there _ they square the circle? but there is money. there is _ they square the circle? but there is money. there is money. _ they square the circle? but there is money. there is money. where i they square the circle? but there is money. there is money. where is. they square the circle? but there is l money. there is money. where is it? we've not money. there is money. where is it? we've got plenty _ money. there is money. where is it? we've got plenty of — money. there is money. where is it? we've got plenty of people _ money. there is money. where is it? we've got plenty of people in - money. there is money. where is it? we've got plenty of people in this i we've got plenty of people in this country— we've got plenty of people in this country who all contribute, who do work _ country who all contribute, who do work hard. — country who all contribute, who do work hard, but you see those services _ work hard, but you see those services being stripped out and being _ services being stripped out and being robbed... if services being stripped out and being robbed...— services being stripped out and being robbed... if they say, the main parties. — being robbed... if they say, the main parties, we _ being robbed... if they say, the main parties, we are _ being robbed. .. if they say, the main parties, we are not- being robbed... if they say, the main parties, we are not going| being robbed... if they say, the i main parties, we are not going to raise tax, you either raise tax or you borrow or you cut... but raise tax, you either raise tax or you borrow or you cut. . .- raise tax, you either raise tax or you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes — you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes we _ you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes we need _ you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes we need to _ you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes we need to explain i you borrow or you cut... but i think sometimes we need to explain to l sometimes we need to explain to people _ sometimes we need to explain to people if— sometimes we need to explain to people if we are doing that, if we are increasing taxes, and if taxes do need — are increasing taxes, and if taxes do need to— are increasing taxes, and if taxes do need to increase, then people need _ do need to increase, then people need to— do need to increase, then people need to understand. that is where the politicians don't talk plainly, to explain— the politicians don't talk plainly, to explain why we need to and what they are _ to explain why we need to and what they are actually doing.— they are actually doing. thank you. it is 'ust a they are actually doing. thank you. it isjust a case _ they are actually doing. thank you. it isjust a case of— they are actually doing. thank you. it isjust a case of stripping - they are actually doing. thank you. it isjust a case of stripping and i it isjust a case of stripping and cutting — it isjust a case of stripping and cuttina. . ~ it isjust a case of stripping and cuttina. ., ,, ,., it isjust a case of stripping and cuttina. . ~ _ ., it isjust a case of stripping and cuttina. . ~' ,. , ., ., ~ cutting. thank you, lucy and thank ou for cutting. thank you, lucy and thank you for that- _ cutting. thank you, lucy and thank you for that. lucy _ cutting. thank you, lucy and thank you for that. lucy before _ cutting. thank you, lucy and thank you for that. lucy before and i cutting. thank you, lucy and thank you for that. lucy before and we i cutting. thank you, lucy and thank. you for that. lucy before and we had

tessa there. interesting because you can come on here and say what you want and you can say what the polished policies should be. the politicians come on, you see it on the telly and you hear it on the radio and today set the agenda. what agenda should they be setting? ultimately, you are the boss. lynn in edinburgh, print in ely. kim, good morning. tell us more, your voice, your vote, your point? you asked about _ voice, your vote, your point? you asked about something hopeful and i think the _ asked about something hopeful and i think the hope — asked about something hopeful and i think the hope lies _ asked about something hopeful and i think the hope lies with _ asked about something hopeful and i think the hope lies with our- asked about something hopeful and i think the hope lies with our young i think the hope lies with our young people _ think the hope lies with our young people. that— think the hope lies with our young people. that is— think the hope lies with our young people. that is where _ think the hope lies with our young people. that is where i— think the hope lies with our young people. that is where i would i people. that is where i would votem — people. that is where i would votem there _ people. that is where i would vote... there has— people. that is where i would vote... there has been- people. that is where i would vote... there has been a i people. that is where i would vote... there has been a lot. people. that is where i would. vote... there has been a lot of conversation _ vote... there has been a lot of conversation about— vote... there has been a lot of conversation about national. vote... there has been a lot of- conversation about national service. telling _ conversation about national service. telling young — conversation about national service. telling young people _ conversation about national service. telling young people into _ conversation about national service. telling young people into good i telling young people into good citizens — telling young people into good citizens. but _ telling young people into good citizens. but that _ telling young people into good citizens. but that misses i telling young people into good citizens. but that misses the l telling young people into good i citizens. but that misses the point also if— citizens. but that misses the point also if we — citizens. but that misses the point also if we are _ citizens. but that misses the point also if we are not _ citizens. but that misses the point also if we are not supporting i citizens. but that misses the point also if we are not supporting them from _ also if we are not supporting them from birth— also if we are not supporting them from birth upwards, _ also if we are not supporting them from birth upwards, to— also if we are not supporting them from birth upwards, to be - also if we are not supporting them from birth upwards, to be part i also if we are not supporting them from birth upwards, to be part of. from birth upwards, to be part of our society— from birth upwards, to be part of our society and _ from birth upwards, to be part of our society and communities i from birth upwards, to be part of our society and communities and j from birth upwards, to be part of- our society and communities and give them _ our society and communities and give them everything _ our society and communities and give them everything they— our society and communities and give them everything they need, - our society and communities and give them everything they need, how- our society and communities and give them everything they need, how canl them everything they need, how can we ask— them everything they need, how can we ask them — them everything they need, how can we ask them for— them everything they need, how can we ask them for something - them everything they need, how can we ask them for something in - them everything they need, how can. we ask them for something in return? post pandemic, —

we ask them for something in return? post pandemic, i've _ we ask them for something in return? post pandemic, i've got _ we ask them for something in return? post pandemic, i've got two _ we ask them for something in return? post pandemic, i've got two kids, i post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of— post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them — post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them is— post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them is ten _ post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them is ten and _ post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them is ten and one - post pandemic, i've got two kids, one of them is ten and one of- post pandemic, i've got two kids, l one of them is ten and one of them is 14 _ one of them is ten and one of them is 14 they— one of them is ten and one of them is 14 they have _ one of them is ten and one of them is 14. they have coped _ one of them is ten and one of them is 14. they have coped amazingly i is 14. they have coped amazingly welt _ is 14. they have coped amazingly welt but — is 14. they have coped amazingly welt but i— is 14. they have coped amazingly well. but i look— is 14. they have coped amazingly well. but i look at— is 14. they have coped amazingly well. but i look at the _ is 14. they have coped amazingly well. but i look at the school- well. but i look at the school system — well. but i look at the school system that _ well. but i look at the school system that is _ well. but i look at the school system that is very - well. but i look at the school system that is very inflexible well. but i look at the school. system that is very inflexible for kids with — system that is very inflexible for kids with additional— system that is very inflexible for kids with additional needs. i system that is very inflexible for kids with additional needs. my l system that is very inflexible for. kids with additional needs. my son is currently — kids with additional needs. my son is currently learning _ kids with additional needs. my son is currently learning 150 _ kids with additional needs. my son is currently learning 150 poetry- is currently learning 150 poetry guotes — is currently learning 150 poetry quotes for— is currently learning 150 poetry quotes for an _ is currently learning 150 poetry quotes for an exam. _ is currently learning 150 poetry quotes for an exam. the i is currently learning 150 poetry quotes for an exam. the way l is currently learning 150 poetryj quotes for an exam. the way it is currently learning 150 poetry. quotes for an exam. the way it is done, _ quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you — quotes for an exam. the way it is done. you can't— quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you can't take _ quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you can't take a _ quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you can't take a book- quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you can't take a book in, l quotes for an exam. the way it is done, you can't take a book in, it is not _ done, you can't take a book in, it is not about— done, you can't take a book in, it is not about applying _ done, you can't take a book in, it is not about applying the - done, you can't take a book in, it i is not about applying the knowledge, it is about _ is not about applying the knowledge, it is about memorising _ is not about applying the knowledge, it is about memorising things. - is not about applying the knowledge, it is about memorising things. all. it is about memorising things. all these _ it is about memorising things. all these structural— it is about memorising things. all these structural things _ it is about memorising things. all these structural things in - it is about memorising things. all these structural things in place i these structural things in place where — these structural things in place where it's— these structural things in place where it's not— these structural things in place where it's not really— these structural things in place where it's not really supportive these structural things in place i where it's not really supportive of what _ where it's not really supportive of what kids — where it's not really supportive of what kids are _ where it's not really supportive of what kids are actually _ where it's not really supportive of what kids are actually fully- where it's not really supportive of. what kids are actually fully capable of. what kids are actually fully capable of so _ what kids are actually fully capable of, what kids are actually fully capable of. ., ., ., ., ., of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how — of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how we _ of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how we teach _ of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how we teach and _ of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how we teach and how - of. so we need to have a fundamental look at how we teach and how we i look at how we teach and how we learn? i look at how we teach and how we learn? ., , ., �*, ..,, learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean, learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean. you _ learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean. you can — learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean, you can see _ learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean, you can see with _ learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean, you can see with kids i learn? i do believe that's the case. i mean, you can see with kids with | i mean, you can see with kids with additional— i mean, you can see with kids with additional needs, _ i mean, you can see with kids with additional needs, with _ additional needs, with neurodiversity, - additional needs, with neurodiversity, they. additional needs, with i neurodiversity, they are additional needs, with - neurodiversity, they are in mainstream _ neurodiversity, they are in mainstream schools - neurodiversity, they are in mainstream schools but i neurodiversity, they are in - mainstream schools but they're not learning _ mainstream schools but they're not learning in — mainstream schools but they're not learning in a— mainstream schools but they're not learning in a way— mainstream schools but they're not learning in a way that _ mainstream schools but they're not learning in a way that works - mainstream schools but they're not learning in a way that works for- learning in a way that works for them _ learning in a way that works for them necessarily. _ learning in a way that works for them necessarily. also, - learning in a way that works for them necessarily. also, the - learning in a way that works fori them necessarily. also, the fact that covid — them necessarily. also, the fact that covid raises _ them necessarily. also, the fact that covid raises its— them necessarily. also, the fact that covid raises its head - them necessarily. also, the fact that covid raises its head all. them necessarily. also, the fact that covid raises its head all the time, _ that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't_ that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't it, _ that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't it, but— that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't it, but it - that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't it, but it has - that covid raises its head all the time, doesn't it, but it has hadl that covid raises its head all the| time, doesn't it, but it has had a massive — time, doesn't it, but it has had a massive impact— time, doesn't it, but it has had a massive impact on _ time, doesn't it, but it has had a massive impact on our— time, doesn't it, but it has had a massive impact on our young - time, doesn't it, but it has had a - massive impact on our young people.

they are _ massive impact on our young people. they are then — massive impact on our young people. they are then also _ massive impact on our young people. they are then also faced _ massive impact on our young people. they are then also faced with - massive impact on our young people. they are then also faced with being . they are then also faced with being hu-e they are then also faced with being huge expenses— they are then also faced with being huge expenses to _ they are then also faced with being huge expenses to go _ they are then also faced with being huge expenses to go to _ they are then also faced with being huge expenses to go to university. | huge expenses to go to university. again, _ huge expenses to go to university. again, that— huge expenses to go to university. again, that hasn't— huge expenses to go to university. again, that hasn't been— huge expenses to go to university. again, that hasn't been discussedl again, that hasn't been discussed very much, — again, that hasn't been discussed very much, the _ again, that hasn't been discussed very much, the whole _ again, that hasn't been discussed very much, the whole expense i again, that hasn't been discussed very much, the whole expense of| very much, the whole expense of university. — very much, the whole expense of university, which _ very much, the whole expense of university, which a _ very much, the whole expense of university, which a few— very much, the whole expense of university, which a few years - very much, the whole expense of| university, which a few years ago, was a _ university, which a few years ago, was a massive _ university, which a few years ago, was a massive campaigning - university, which a few years ago, i was a massive campaigning point, university, which a few years ago, l was a massive campaigning point, a massive _ was a massive campaigning point, a massive issue _ was a massive campaigning point, a massive issue. the _ was a massive campaigning point, a massive issue. the odds— was a massive campaigning point, a massive issue. the odds are - was a massive campaigning point, a massive issue. the odds are kinderl massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked _ massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked against _ massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked against them. _ massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked against them. i _ massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked against them. i agree - massive issue. the odds are kinder stacked against them. i agree with| stacked against them. i agree with some _ stacked against them. i agree with some of— stacked against them. i agree with some of your— stacked against them. i agree with some of your other— stacked against them. i agree with some of your other callers, - stacked against them. i agree with some of your other callers, being i some of your other callers, being divisive _ some of your other callers, being divisive and — some of your other callers, being divisive and pitching _ some of your other callers, being divisive and pitching different- divisive and pitching different groups — divisive and pitching different groups of— divisive and pitching different groups of people _ divisive and pitching different groups of people against - divisive and pitching differentl groups of people against each divisive and pitching different- groups of people against each other isjust— groups of people against each other isiust not— groups of people against each other isjust not helpful. _ groups of people against each other isjust not helpful. pitching - groups of people against each other isjust not helpful. pitching the - isjust not helpful. pitching the old against _ isjust not helpful. pitching the old against the _ isjust not helpful. pitching the old against the young, - isjust not helpful. pitching the old against the young, i- isjust not helpful. pitching the old against the young, i don't. isjust not helpful. pitching the - old against the young, i don't think there _ old against the young, idon't think there is— old against the young, i don't think there is a _ old against the young, i don't think there is a conflict _ old against the young, i don't think there is a conflict there. _ old against the young, i don't think there is a conflict there. it's - old against the young, idon't think there is a conflict there. it's not- there is a conflict there. it's not about— there is a conflict there. it's not about the — there is a conflict there. it's not about the needs _ there is a conflict there. it's not about the needs of _ there is a conflict there. it's not about the needs of one - there is a conflict there. it's not about the needs of one over - there is a conflict there. it's not| about the needs of one over the others — about the needs of one over the others it— about the needs of one over the others. it should _ about the needs of one over the others. it should be _ about the needs of one over the others. it should be thinking - about the needs of one over the . others. it should be thinking about the fundamental— others. it should be thinking about the fundamental thing _ others. it should be thinking about the fundamental thing that - others. it should be thinking about the fundamental thing that we - others. it should be thinking about the fundamental thing that we can| others. it should be thinking about i the fundamental thing that we can do to help _ the fundamental thing that we can do to help all— the fundamental thing that we can do to help all the — the fundamental thing that we can do to help all the people _ the fundamental thing that we can do to help all the people in— the fundamental thing that we can do to help all the people in our- to help all the people in our countrv~ _ to help all the people in our count . ., ~ to help all the people in our count . . ,, i. to help all the people in our count . . ~' ,, , to help all the people in our count . . ,, , . to help all the people in our count . . , . em country. thank you very much. but ounu country. thank you very much. but young peeple _ country. thank you very much. but young peeple i _ country. thank you very much. but young people i think— country. thank you very much. but young people i think are _ country. thank you very much. but young people i think are really - young people i think are really important _ young people i think are really important and _ young people i think are really important and we _ young people i think are really important and we shouldn't i young people i think are really important and we shouldn't be patronising _ important and we shouldn't be patronising them _ important and we shouldn't be patronising them and - important and we shouldn't be patronising them and say - important and we shouldn't be patronising them and say they| patronising them and say they shouldn't— patronising them and say they shouldn't have _ patronising them and say they shouldn't have a _ patronising them and say they shouldn't have a voice. - patronising them and say they shouldn't have a voice. there's a lot of that _ shouldn't have a voice. there's a lot of that. when _ shouldn't have a voice. there's a lot of that. when we _ shouldn't have a voice. there's a lot of that. when we did - shouldn't have a voice. there's a lot of that. when we did that - shouldn't have a voice. there's a - lot of that. when we did that debate on national service, those plans, it was a humdinger right here on the nation's phone in, the things we

discuss every day. a deep coming up and lynn. that was kim. lynne, i discuss every day. a deep coming up and lynn. that was kim. lynne, lam writing so much stuff, what would you like to say? i write stuff down and i can ever read my handwriting afterwards! i am a sprawling lefty, i mean in terms of where i hold my pen, by the way! lynn, what would you like to say? i’m pen, by the way! lynn, what would vou like to say?— pen, by the way! lynn, what would you like to say?— you like to say? i'm a sprawling le as you like to say? i'm a sprawling lefty as well- — you like to say? i'm a sprawling lefty as well- i— you like to say? i'm a sprawling lefty as well. i texted _ you like to say? i'm a sprawling lefty as well. i texted in - you like to say? i'm a sprawling| lefty as well. i texted in because you like to say? i'm a sprawling i lefty as well. i texted in because i wanted to say that i think the english politicians should be talking a bit more about the state of the union. our constitutional future. ifeel like that of the union. our constitutional future. i feel like that has really been shut down in this campaign. there is time to go but i would love it if they were talking about us and what they could offer scotland in particular. give or take 50% of scots still want independence. ten years on from the referendum, you could argue that support has been pretty steady but very little discussion. they need to tackle it

head on because we seem like an afterthought. no doubt that labour will get a huge majority and keir starmer will be prime minister. nobody is denying that it it makes them really lazy about the constitution and it means they won't tackle it. they want to talk about the future relationship. i think that should be something that is discussed honestly. we have no control over things like migration, energy policy, international policy, things like gaza. it is in franchises scots, particular those who want independence. inaudible absolutel . who want independence. inaudible absolutely. everything _ who want independence. inaudible absolutely. everything everyone - who want independence. inaudible absolutely. everything everyone is l absolutely. everything everyone is saying makes complete sense. we are hearing about the passion, we are hearing about the passion, we are hearing it from your cores because you have been watching it and you think no, no, no, you should be discussing this. what about another

elephant in the room? what about brexit? i know that is still a big debate everywhere. but particularly politically appointed in scotland. isn't it, lynn? politically appointed in scotland. isn't it. lynn?— politically appointed in scotland. isn't it, lynn? absolutely. we have rural economies, _ isn't it, lynn? absolutely. we have rural economies, fishermen, - isn't it, lynn? absolutely. we have i rural economies, fishermen, energy. scots are feeling the pinch as well, the cost—of—living crisis. that is due to brexit and liz truss's disastrous budget. people look at the snp and say you are not running things as you should be. we look at westminster... things as you should be. we look at westminster. . ._ westminster... inaudible they are — westminster... inaudible they are the _ westminster... inaudible they are the ones - westminster... inaudible they are the ones that - westminster... inaudible - they are the ones that crashed the economy. it was a disaster for massive part of our economy, our young people, university education, research and development, all these types of things. this was imposed on us. scots didn't vote for brexit.

lynn, i have to... listen, it is pouring out of people and you can understand why. thank you very much indeed. was itjust over the last couple of days, liz truss said she was a better prime minister than tony blair. that's an interesting debate as well. big response to what lucy said. maybe we could possibly have that private school vat debate on the nation was microphone in tomorrow. we will see what happens —— nation's phone in. pretty in loughborough, hello. -- nation's phone in. pretty in loughborough, hello.- -- nation's phone in. pretty in loughborough, hello. good morning. thank ou loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for— loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for having _ loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for having me _ loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for having me on. - loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for having me on. it - loughborough, hello. good morning. thank you for having me on. it is - thank you for having me on. it is fine and it _ thank you for having me on. it is fine and it is _ thank you for having me on. it is fine and it is good _ thank you for having me on. it 3 fine and it is good and it is over to you, what should they be discussing more? i to you, what should they be discussing more?— to you, what should they be discussing more? to you, what should they be discussin: more? ,, , , ., discussing more? i think they should be discussing — discussing more? i think they should be discussing quite _ discussing more? i think they should be discussing quite a _ discussing more? i think they should be discussing quite a few _ discussing more? i think they should be discussing quite a few things. - discussing more? i think they should be discussing quite a few things. my| be discussing quite a few things. my only concern is net migration, people — only concern is net migration, people coming into the country. the only reason — people coming into the country. the only reason i am saying that is because — only reason i am saying that is because i_ only reason i am saying that is because i don't think we have the infrastructure available in this country —

infrastructure available in this country. services are being really cut back— country. services are being really cut back and the country. services are being really cutback and the more people that we let in. _ cutback and the more people that we let in. the _ cutback and the more people that we let in, the more services are going to be _ let in, the more services are going to be streamlined and cut going forward — to be streamlined and cut going forward i— to be streamlined and cut going forward. i don't think the government has enough money to make sure they— government has enough money to make sure they are _ government has enough money to make sure they are providing a proper service — sure they are providing a proper service to — sure they are providing a proper service to individuals of this country. _ service to individuals of this country. i_ service to individuals of this country, i don't think.- service to individuals of this country, i don't think. what should the do? country, i don't think. what should they do? definitely _ country, i don't think. what should they do? definitely cut _ country, i don't think. what should they do? definitely cut net - they do? definitely cut net migration _ they do? definitely cut net migration down _ they do? definitely cut net migration down to - they do? definitely cut net migration down to the - they do? definitely cut net| migration down to the tens they do? definitely cut net i migration down to the tens of thousands. migration down to the tens of thousands-— migration down to the tens of thousands._ we - migration down to the tens of thousands._ we just l migration down to the tens of- thousands._ we just haven't thousands. that's. .. we 'ust haven't rot. . . thousands. that's. .. we 'ust haven't got... yeah, — thousands. that's. .. we 'ust haven't got... yeah, go h thousands. that's. .. we 'ust haven't got... yeah, go on. _ thousands. that's. .. we just haven't got... yeah, go on. that— thousands. that's. .. we just haven't got... yeah, go on. that is- thousands. that's. .. we just haven't got... yeah, go on. that is quite - thousands. that's. .. we just haven't got... yeah, go on. that is quite a i got... yeah, go on. that is quite a cut in the — got... yeah, go on. that is quite a cut in the stat. _ got... yeah, go on. that is quite a cut in the stat. it _ got... yeah, go on. that is quite a cut in the stat. it is. _ got... yeah, go on. that is quite a cut in the stat. it is. going - cut in the stat. it is. going forward. _ cut in the stat. it is. going forward. as— cut in the stat. it is. going forward, as a _ cut in the stat. it is. going forward, as a country, - cut in the stat. it is. going| forward, as a country, that cut in the stat. it is. going i forward, as a country, that is cut in the stat. it is. going - forward, as a country, that is what they will— forward, as a country, that is what they will need to do going forward. it is they will need to do going forward. it is not _ they will need to do going forward. it is not going to be for my generation, it is going for the generation, it is going for the generation after and the generation after that — generation after and the generation after that. they are the individuals who will— after that. they are the individuals who will suffer more so than myself. pradeep. _ who will suffer more so than myself. pradeep, thank you very much. with climate change, lots of people mentioning that this morning, mentioning that this morning, mentioning the fact that tories and labour and others i am not mentioning it. let's do some textss.

with climate change, you haven't seen anything yet with migration. wonderful colours, very sensible, very wise, i would like to vote about the party talking about true fairness. nhs, social care for adults, defence, thank you. tv have left us now... live from london. this is bbc news. the general election campaign continues as the conservatives promise to update laws on sex and gender if they win. it would mean some organisations could bar transgender women from single—sex spaces. what we are trying to do is reemphasise that

sex, in the law, means biological sex. sir keir starmer will pitch labour as the "party of national security" — and stress his ambition to increase defence spending. we will be hearing from the labour leader, who will be speaking in greater manchester. tributes pour in for rugby league legend rob burrow, who's died at the age of iii. his friend kevin sinfield called him a beacon of hope and inspiration. china accuses mi6 of recruiting chinese state employees as spies for the uk. hello, i'm maryam moshiri. it's the start of the second full week of the general election campaign. the conservatives say if they're re—elected, they'll change the equality act, so that gender is

a matter of biology. rishi sunak will announce that that what he calls the "confusion over definitions of sex and gender" cannot be allowed to persist. meanwhile, labour leader sir keir starmer will reaffirm his commitment to the uk's nuclear deterrent, describing labour as the party of national security. in a speech shortly, sir keir will say keeping britain safe should be the "bedrock" of any government. the liberal democrat deputy leader daisy cooper will outline plans to give rivers and coastlines protected status to prevent water companies getting away with "environmental vandalism". and snp leaderjohn swinney has called for a "respectful�* contest" — ahead of the scottish leaders' first television debate of the campaign. the minister for women and equality, kemi badenoch, spoke to bbc radio 4's today programme earlier about how the conservatives are seeking to clarify the equality act.

if you look at the origin of the gender recognition act and the equality act, it's quite clear that the intentions in the law are being misinterpreted, just because of changes, you know, social changes, and what we are trying to do is reemphasise that sex, in the law, means biological sex. it always has done. but there has been a lot of misinterpretation and we are adding that clarification, so that the law is clear. ok, so in the context or circumstances of a women's refuge or rape crisis centre, as you put out, or a women's prison, is the only relevant paperwork an original birth certificate? well, an original birth certificate is where your biological sex is recorded. for the vast majority of people, this is not going to be an issue. the change is impacting those people who have not been clear on what it means for somebody to be transgender, is there, uh, the holding of a gender recognition certificate, what it means, and we are emphasising not just what the law

says, but that there have always, always, been exceptions in the equality act, for single sex spaces. it is the redefining of sex that is the problem. that was kept —— kemi badenoch, the equalities minister. labour's shadow defence secretary john healey was also on the today programme. sir keir starmer is pitching labour as the party of defence, of national security, as he focuses on defence i had a bad campaign visit with veterans in greater manchester. —— ahead of a campaign visit with veterans. labour's shadow defence secretary john healey was also on the today programme. he was pressed on the shadow foreign secretary david lammy voting against trident in 2016. the world has changed fundamentally in eight years, and keir starmer has changed the labour party. and any frontbencher now and if we win the election,

any labour minister, knows that this will be the bedrock of our defence plans and our national security. they know this, they accept this and they fully support it. when you say the world has changed, in what way? because the invasion of crimea, of course, was 2014, wasn't it? we have had growing chinese aggression, we've had the full—scale invasion by putin of ukraine, we have got conflict in the middle east, we've got a growing alliance of aggression between russia, north korea, iran and china. the world is far more dangerous. the threats are increasing. and this is why the triple lock guarantee is important. studio: we will cut out of that to bring you what is happening in greater manchester. you saw there, sir keir starmer and jon eley, you had a second ago, about to take the

podium. they are going to be talking about the fence. they will be saying specifically that labour is the party of —— talking about defence. let's go to our chief political correspondent, henry zeffman. interesting where they pitch themselves in terms of defence and different from what we have seen in the past from labour. that different from what we have seen in the past from labour.— the past from labour. that is at the core of keir — the past from labour. that is at the core of keir starmer's _ the past from labour. that is at the core of keir starmer's election - core of keir starmer's election campaign, that one word slogan, change, refers to the fact notjust that they want to change the country and a change of party and government obviously, but it is designed to appeal to what keir starmer courses change labour party, and one of the clearest symbols of that is the language he is using to talk about defence, and to talk about as he is talking about today, the nuclear deterrent because as you heard in

that clip from shadow defence secretaryjohn healey, what labour are talking about today is what they call a triple lock of the nuclear deterrent, policies designed to show that labour will maintain and renew the nuclear deterrent and that in itself is a departure from a few years ago under the leadership of jeremy corbyn when there were splits within the party, but some of the very top of the party were at best equivocal about whether a labour government should retain that nuclear deterrent. truth? government should retain that nuclear deterrent.— government should retain that nuclear deterrent. why are they doinu nuclear deterrent. why are they doin: this nuclear deterrent. why are they doing this now? _ nuclear deterrent. why are they doing this now? where - nuclear deterrent. why are they doing this now? where are - nuclear deterrent. why are they l doing this now? where are these votes going to come from in terms of defence, who is going to think of defence, who is going to think of defence as a key issue for labour? general elections, the key is on the word general. lots of people don't necessarily vote for one specific issue but over the course of the campaign, and a parliament of several years, they build up a picture in their heads, about who

they support and why. and one of the things that the labour party has been trying to do, keir starmer is trying to do, is offer reassurance to voters who might be wavering slightly about labour's commitment to defence, that they can trust that the labour party has the same position on defence as they do. band position on defence as they do. and that is the key thing. this is a turnaround for labour. it has been pointed out by the conservatives that members of the front bench team including angela arena and david lammy voted against trident so labour have to make it believable that everyone is on board with this. that is one of the great challenges, because one of the big conservative attacks on labour in general and keir starmer in particular is about sincerity. they are trying to question, and get members of the public considering voting labour, to question how sincerely this change has taken place, or whether it is mere electioneering. and of course,

also, one of the risks for keir starmer here is that in advertising how much he has he would say shifted the labour party, he risks losing votes to the left. irate the labour party, he risks losing votes to the left.— the labour party, he risks losing votes to the left. we can trust live now to john _ votes to the left. we can trust live now to john healey, _ votes to the left. we can trust live now to john healey, labour's - votes to the left. we can trust live i now to john healey, labour's shadow now tojohn healey, labour's shadow defence secretary, was making a speech now. —— we can cross live. by, speech now. —— we can cross live. big thank you to john harwood and big thank you tojohn harwood and the team at the fusilli museum. thank you for hosting us and thank you for being here. —— the fusilier museum. they have a good track record at this museum of would—be prime minister is coming to visit, they've had margaret thatcher, tony blair, now we have got keir starmer. and when keir appointed me as shadow defence secretaryjust

and when keir appointed me as shadow defence secretary just over four years ago, he said to me, john, never again will labour go into an election not trusted on national security. ours is a party with deep pride and deep roots in defending this country. throughout most of the last century it was working men and women who serve and sometimes died on the front line. it was a labour government after the second world war that established nato and are independent nuclear deterrent. and when keir became the first labour leaderfor when keir became the first labour leader for over 30 when keir became the first labour leaderfor over 30 years when keir became the first labour leader for over 30 years to visit the barrow shipyard is a couple of months ago, to see the nuclear submarines being built, he said this. he said this is the bedrock of the uk's national security and the uk's defence. it is the bedrock for the contribution we also make to

defending our nato allies. this is a changed party. the labour party is now the party of defence. and if you want proof of this, it is the record number of new x forces parliamentary candidates standing for election on july the 4th. a total of ia great exporters candidates, wearing red rosettes standing for parliament, to represent their constituencies. —— ex—forces candidates. and i am honoured to be speaking here alongside ten of those ilt. they chose to serve the country in the army, navy, the raf, and they choose

now to serve the country in labour, in parliament. and what you did, most of you can't speak about. what you have sacrificed, most of us cannot know. just as it is with our current serving men and women in the forces, theirfamilies, and the veterans. and our armed forces are among the best in the world. respected throughout the world for their total professionalism. we are proud, we thank you. what this election is about change. and it is time for change. it is time for change for our on forces. —— for our armed forces. and for m years, the conservatives have failed our forces. what does it say to our

adversaries, when the ex defence secretary ben wallace admits to me in the house of commons that, over 14 in the house of commons that, over ilt years, the conservatives have hollowed out and underfunded our forces? what does it say when they have cut the size of the british army to the smallest since napoleon, and wasted at least £15 billion on bad defence procurement, when they have missed recruitment targets every year, when morale has fallen to record lows and we have service families, having to live, as louise said, in damp, mouldy housing? and increasingly drawing universal credit and food banks to get by. this is the shameful record of the conservatives on defence for the last 1a years. failing british taxpayers, failing british forces. and it is time for change. britain

will be better defended with labour. we will spend 2.5% of gdp on defence, to deal with the increasing threats. we will introduce a triple lot guarantee on our deterrent, so that it lot guarantee on our deterrent, so thatitis lot guarantee on our deterrent, so that it is there for future generations. we will fulfil nato obligations in full, and ensure that britain is the leading european nation in nato. we will make our allies our strategic strength, we will conduct a defence review to reinforce protections and to deter drawing russian aggression and, importantly, the men and women in our armed forces and their families will be at the heart of labour's plans for defence. so, i now want to hand over to keir starmer. the leader that has changed the labour

party, the leader that has put labour back in the service of working people and the country, the leader with a mission to change britain and a plan to make britain secure at home and strong abroad. i give you keir starmer. applause thank you. thank you. let me start by thanking you, thank you. let me start by thanking you. louise. — thank you. let me start by thanking you, louise, foryour thank you. let me start by thanking you, louise, for your service. what a fantastic— you, louise, for your service. what a fantastic contribution you will make _ a fantastic contribution you will make to — a fantastic contribution you will make to parliament as a labour mp for north—east derbyshire. and thank you, for north—east derbyshire. and thank you. john, _ for north—east derbyshire. and thank you, john, for all of your support and your— you, john, for all of your support and your leadership on this vital issue~ _ and your leadership on this vital issue. now, this week is the 80th anniversary— issue. now, this week is the 80th anniversary of d—day. so, i want to

start— anniversary of d—day. so, i want to start by— anniversary of d—day. so, i want to start by remembering the bravery of those _ start by remembering the bravery of those soldiers who sailed from the south _ those soldiers who sailed from the south of _ those soldiers who sailed from the south of england to the beaches of france, _ south of england to the beaches of france, their individual courage and collective _ france, their individual courage and collective strength of our troops, who sacrificed that day, turned the tide of— who sacrificed that day, turned the tide of the — who sacrificed that day, turned the tide of the second world war. —— who's— tide of the second world war. —— who's sacrificed that day. it brought _ who's sacrificed that day. it brought liberation to europe and secured — brought liberation to europe and secured our freedom. this weekend every— secured our freedom. this weekend every week, — secured our freedom. this weekend every week, we will remember them, and we _ every week, we will remember them, and we will— every week, we will remember them, and we will honour them, some of them _ and we will honour them, some of them gave — and we will honour them, some of them gave their lives so that we can live freely~ — them gave their lives so that we can live freely. 0thers returned home to build a _ live freely. 0thers returned home to build a new — live freely. 0thers returned home to build a new britain. we salute those who remain — build a new britain. we salute those who remain with us today, and keep the memory— who remain with us today, and keep the memory of their fallen comrades alive. _ the memory of their fallen comrades alive. and _ the memory of their fallen comrades alive, and we recognise with one voice, _ alive, and we recognise with one voice. as— alive, and we recognise with one voice. as a —

alive, and we recognise with one voice, as a nation, that our debt could _ voice, as a nation, that our debt could never— voice, as a nation, that our debt could never be paid in full. but, of course, _ could never be paid in full. but, of course, we — could never be paid in full. but, of course, we can order the sacrifice with our— course, we can order the sacrifice with our decisions today, and we must, _ with our decisions today, and we must, because sadly, the world we live in— must, because sadly, the world we live in today is perhaps more dangerous and volatile than at any time since — dangerous and volatile than at any time since then. and, frankly, for my generation, that is a shock. i remember— my generation, that is a shock. i remember vividly the day the berlin wall came _ remember vividly the day the berlin wall came down in 1989. i remember how i_ wall came down in 1989. i remember how i felt _ wall came down in 1989. i remember how i felt a— wall came down in 1989. i remember how i felt. a sense of freedom, of possibility. — how i felt. a sense of freedom, of possibility, of peace. european countries— possibility, of peace. european countries once again free to choose their own _ countries once again free to choose their own futures. new allegiances being _ their own futures. new allegiances being made, friendships forged, out of the _ being made, friendships forged, out of the scars — being made, friendships forged, out of the scars of war. and above all, a sense, _ of the scars of war. and above all, a sense, as — of the scars of war. and above all, a sense, as the wall came down, that

nothing _ a sense, as the wall came down, that nothing like _ a sense, as the wall came down, that nothing like that could happen again — nothing like that could happen again. an end of an era. i didn't think— again. an end of an era. ididn't thinkthat— again. an end of an era. i didn't think that in _ again. an end of an era. i didn't think that in my lifetime i would see russian tanks entering a european country again. the rumble of war. _ european country again. the rumble of war, rolling across our continent. soldiers kissing their children— continent. soldiers kissing their children goodbye. desperate families fleeing _ children goodbye. desperate families fleeing across european borders in search— fleeing across european borders in search of— fleeing across european borders in search of safety. but in that moment, _ search of safety. but in that moment, as we saw those pictures from _ moment, as we saw those pictures from kyiv. — moment, as we saw those pictures from kyiv. i— moment, as we saw those pictures from kyiv, i understood the post—war era is— from kyiv, i understood the post—war era is over. _ from kyiv, i understood the post—war era is over, and a new age of insecurity— era is over, and a new age of insecurity has begun, an era where the burden— insecurity has begun, an era where the burden of history for people and nations— the burden of history for people and nations will once again be heavier on our— nations will once again be heavier on our backs. national security is the most — on our backs. national security is the most important issue of our times, — the most important issue of our times, something which, of course, is always—

times, something which, of course, is always true and which, for us, if we are _ is always true and which, for us, if we are privileged to serve our country. — we are privileged to serve our country, will become our solemn responsibility. that's not something i say likely~ — responsibility. that's not something i say likely. the security and defence _ i say likely. the security and defence of our nation is personal to my family — defence of our nation is personal to my family. like so many families, i have _ my family. like so many families, i have relatives who served in the second — have relatives who served in the second world war, my mum's brother, my uncle _ second world war, my mum's brother, my uncle roger, served in the falklands— my uncle roger, served in the falklands on hms antelope, and i remember the terrible wait when his ship was _ remember the terrible wait when his ship was born, my mum's fear as she sat by— ship was born, my mum's fear as she sat by the _ ship was born, my mum's fear as she sat by the radio every day listening to news, _ sat by the radio every day listening to news, and then the relief, one long _ to news, and then the relief, one long week— to news, and then the relief, one long week later, when we found out that he _ long week later, when we found out that he had — long week later, when we found out that he had survived. so, i know the courage. _ that he had survived. so, i know the courage. the — that he had survived. so, i know the courage, the service, the sacrifice that allows — courage, the service, the sacrifice that allows us to sleep soundly at

night, _ that allows us to sleep soundly at night, from our forces and their families — night, from our forces and their families i— night, from our forces and their families. i know it, i respect it, and _ families. i know it, i respect it, and i_ families. i know it, i respect it, and i will— families. i know it, i respect it, and i will serve it with every decision _ and i will serve it with every decision. it is part of my story, and _ decision. it is part of my story, and the — decision. it is part of my story, and the reason why i have said from day one _ and the reason why i have said from day one of— and the reason why i have said from day one of my leadership that the labour— day one of my leadership that the labour party had to change, the change — labour party had to change, the change for— labour party had to change, the change for a purpose. to respect your— change for a purpose. to respect your service, face the future in this dangerous world, and above all, britain _ this dangerous world, and above all, britain safe — this dangerous world, and above all, britain safe. that is why, with my changed — britain safe. that is why, with my changed labour party, national security— changed labour party, national security will always come first. applause that is the message that i took to kyiv last _ that is the message that i took to kyiv last year when i visited president zelensky. a pledge of

unwavering british support in the face of— unwavering british support in the face of russian tyranny. but, we have _ face of russian tyranny. but, we have to — face of russian tyranny. but, we have to be — face of russian tyranny. but, we have to be resolute, notjust in support — have to be resolute, notjust in support for— have to be resolute, notjust in support for ukraine but also in this era at— support for ukraine but also in this era at home. we must face down the malign— era at home. we must face down the malign actors who try to attack and weaken _ malign actors who try to attack and weaken our— malign actors who try to attack and weaken our nation, and notjust through— weaken our nation, and notjust through traditional warfare over air, land — through traditional warfare over air, land and sea, but with hybrid threats, — air, land and sea, but with hybrid threats, to — air, land and sea, but with hybrid threats, to our energy supply, cyber security. _ threats, to our energy supply, cyber security, information warfare. now, i security, information warfare. now, lwould _ security, information warfare. now, i would prefer if politics were kept out of _ i would prefer if politics were kept out of this— i would prefer if politics were kept out of this issue. even at this election _ out of this issue. even at this election. throughout the whole of this parliament, i have deliberately not been _ this parliament, i have deliberately not been partisan over issues of national— not been partisan over issues of national security. butjust before the selection, the tories questioned this labour— the selection, the tories questioned this labour party's commitment to national— this labour party's commitment to

national security. and i will not let that — national security. and i will not let that stand. the people of britain — let that stand. the people of britain need to know that their leaders — britain need to know that their leaders will keep them safe, and we will. applause furthermore, the truth is that, after— furthermore, the truth is that, after 14— furthermore, the truth is that, after 14 years of the tories, we are less safe _ after 14 years of the tories, we are less safe and less secure. and you don't _ less safe and less secure. and you don't have — less safe and less secure. and you don't have to take my word for it. the tories' — don't have to take my word for it. the tories' own former defence secretary — the tories' own former defence secretary says the government has failed _ secretary says the government has failed to— secretary says the government has failed to take defence seriously. we have the _ failed to take defence seriously. we have the smallest army since the time _ have the smallest army since the time of— have the smallest army since the time of napoleon. at a time when other— time of napoleon. at a time when other countries are firmly on a war footing _ other countries are firmly on a war footing and — other countries are firmly on a war footing. and so, even as we work tirelessly— footing. and so, even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to _ tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight, — tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight, so, let me be

unequivocal. this labour party is totally _ unequivocal. this labour party is totally committed to the security of our nation — totally committed to the security of our nation. to our armed forces, and, _ our nation. to our armed forces, and, importantly, to our nuclear deterrent~ — deterrent. applause just a few weeks ago, i visited bae systems— just a few weeks ago, i visited bae systems in— just a few weeks ago, i visited bae systems in barrow in furness. i was the first— systems in barrow in furness. i was the first labour leader to visit, in 30 years — the first labour leader to visit, in 30 years i— the first labour leader to visit, in 30 years. i saw the nuclear submarines being made, and an industry— submarines being made, and an industry that supports the local community, and i met workers who are proud _ community, and i met workers who are proud to— community, and i met workers who are proud to be _ community, and i met workers who are proud to be doing their bit for our national— proud to be doing their bit for our national security. they deserve our full support — national security. they deserve our full support and they will get it. the nuclear deterrent is the foundation of any plan to keep britain — foundation of any plan to keep britain safe. it is essential. that is why— britain safe. it is essential. that is why labour has announced a new triple _ is why labour has announced a new

triple lock— is why labour has announced a new triple lock commitment to our nuclear— triple lock commitment to our nuclear deterrent. we will maintain britain's _ nuclear deterrent. we will maintain britain's continuous at sea deterrent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year _ deterrent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year we _ deterrent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year we will— deterrent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. we will deliver all of the needed — year. we will deliver all of the needed upgrades, and we will build four new— needed upgrades, and we will build four new nuclear submarines, like the ones — four new nuclear submarines, like the ones that i saw in barrow, that won't _ the ones that i saw in barrow, that won'tiust— the ones that i saw in barrow, that won'tjust keep us safe but the ones that i saw in barrow, that won't just keep us safe but will also _ won't just keep us safe but will also support good jobs and growth across— also support good jobs and growth across the — also support good jobs and growth across the uk. 0n also support good jobs and growth across the uk. on my first visit since _ across the uk. on my first visit since i— across the uk. on my first visit since i became leader of the labour party— since i became leader of the labour party was— since i became leader of the labour party was the plymouth, the front line of— party was the plymouth, the front line of defence in this country. devonport— line of defence in this country. devonport alone employs 2500 service people _ devonport alone employs 2500 service people and civilians. it supports 400 local— people and civilians. it supports 400 local businesses and generates about— 400 local businesses and generates about 10%_ 400 local businesses and generates about 10% of plymouth's income. when i was about 10% of plymouth's income. when i was there. _ about 10% of plymouth's income. when lwasthere, i_ about 10% of plymouth's income. when i was there, i met the ship apprentices, talented, ambitious young _ apprentices, talented, ambitious young people. i look them in the eye. _

young people. i look them in the eye, and — young people. i look them in the eye, and i— young people. i look them in the eye, and i promised that i would fight _ eye, and i promised that i would fight for— eye, and i promised that i would fight for the future of plymouth's defence — fight for the future of plymouth's defence industry. and i will. because _ defence industry. and i will. because it is only by harnessing and supporting — because it is only by harnessing and supporting the strength of proud communities like plymouth, barrow, aldershot _ communities like plymouth, barrow, aldershot and so many more that means— aldershot and so many more that means we — aldershot and so many more that means we can safeguard our security and our— means we can safeguard our security and our growth for decades to come. i and our growth for decades to come. i mean. _ and our growth for decades to come. i mean. look— and our growth for decades to come. i mean, look at ukraine now. industrial— i mean, look at ukraine now. industrial capacity is an absolutely critical _ industrial capacity is an absolutely critical part of security. so, with labour, — critical part of security. so, with labour, britain will be fit to fight — labour, britain will be fit to fight. within the first year of a labour— fight. within the first year of a labour government, we will carry out a new— labour government, we will carry out a new strategic defence review. we are absolutely committed to spending 2.5% are absolutely committed to spending 25% of— are absolutely committed to spending 2.5% of gdp on defence as soon as possible. _ 2.5% of gdp on defence as soon as possible, because we know our security— possible, because we know our security isn'tjust possible, because we know our security isn't just vital for our safety — security isn't just vital for our safety today, it is absolutely central — safety today, it is absolutely central to our success for the future —

central to our success for the future. national security and economic— future. national security and economic security must go hand in hand _ hand. applause and we also know that playing our part on _ and we also know that playing our part on the — and we also know that playing our part on the world stage makes us stronger— part on the world stage makes us stronger and better off at home. so, make _ stronger and better off at home. so, make the _ stronger and better off at home. so, make the mistake, i am absolutely committed to rebuilding relationships with our allies —— mac make _ relationships with our allies —— mac make no— relationships with our allies —— mac make no mistake. iwent relationships with our allies —— mac make no mistake. i went to the munich— make no mistake. i went to the munich security conference back in february _ munich security conference back in february i— munich security conference back in february. i met world leaders from the us. _ february. i met world leaders from the us, europe and the middle east. i the us, europe and the middle east. i met— the us, europe and the middle east. i met the _ the us, europe and the middle east. i met the secretary general of nato. and i_ i met the secretary general of nato. and i pledged to each of them that, with a _ and i pledged to each of them that, with a labour government, the uk would _ with a labour government, the uk would be — with a labour government, the uk would be a — with a labour government, the uk would be a point of stability in the chaotic— would be a point of stability in the chaotic world. that we would always meet _ chaotic world. that we would always meet our _ chaotic world. that we would always meet our international obligations, take our— meet our international obligations, take our responsibility seriously, he a _ take our responsibility seriously, he a leader on the world stage once

more. _ he a leader on the world stage once more, because when i spoke about the day at _ more, because when i spoke about the day at the _ more, because when i spoke about the day at the beginning, i wasn'tjust talking _ day at the beginning, i wasn'tjust talking about —— about d—day, i wasn't — talking about —— about d—day, i wasn'tiust_ talking about —— about d—day, i wasn'tjust talking talking about —— about d—day, i wasn't just talking about respect for our— wasn't just talking about respect for our past, but thinking about respect — for our past, but thinking about respect for the future as well because _ respect for the future as well because that is the best example of what cooperation can achieve in the face of— what cooperation can achieve in the face of fascism and aggression, are a joint _ face of fascism and aggression, are a joint endeavour, shared values, common— a joint endeavour, shared values, common respect, for freedom, democracy, liberty. that's what we are fighting for, and that fight never— are fighting for, and that fight never stops. applause there is a narrative you sometimes see that _ there is a narrative you sometimes see that arrow values are a point of weakness — see that arrow values are a point of weakness. that's what vladimir putin thinks. _ weakness. that's what vladimir putin thinks. but _ weakness. that's what vladimir putin thinks, but he is wrong. iv must be

prepared _ thinks, but he is wrong. iv must be prepared to — thinks, but he is wrong. iv must be prepared to stand up well those values. — prepared to stand up well those values, our cause and our strength. let me _ values, our cause and our strength. let me be _ values, our cause and our strength. let me be clear. this is not a party political— let me be clear. this is not a party political issue. this is a national issue~ _ political issue. this is a national issue it — political issue. this is a national issue. it affects every single individual, every community, and labour— individual, every community, and labour will— individual, every community, and labour will always put our country first _ labour will always put our country first we — labour will always put our country first. we will serve working people across _ first. we will serve working people across our— first. we will serve working people across our nation, respect our armed forces. _ across our nation, respect our armed forces. as _ across our nation, respect our armed forces, as they continue to protect our country — forces, as they continue to protect our country. but, onjuly the 4th, there _ our country. but, onjuly the 4th, there is— our country. but, onjuly the 4th, there is a — our country. but, onjuly the 4th, there is a choice, and you can choose — there is a choice, and you can choose to _ there is a choice, and you can choose to rebuild our country that is proud _ choose to rebuild our country that is proud to — choose to rebuild our country that is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder— is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with european allies, that leads— shoulder with european allies, that leads the _ shoulder with european allies, that leads the way in standing up for our values _ leads the way in standing up for our values and — leads the way in standing up for our values and our freedom all around the world — values and our freedom all around the world. and that will never shy away _ the world. and that will never shy away from — the world. and that will never shy away from doing our duty at home and abroad _ away from doing our duty at home and abroad a— away from doing our duty at home and abroad. a stronger, safer, more secure _ abroad. a stronger, safer, more

secure britain with labour. that is the choice — secure britain with labour. that is the choice. it is time to stop the chaos. _ the choice. it is time to stop the chaos. to — the choice. it is time to stop the chaos, to turn the page and rebuild our country— chaos, to turn the page and rebuild our country together. thank you very much _ much. applause banjee. —— thank you. thank you very much. _ banjee. —— thank you. thank you very much. we _ banjee. —— thank you. thank you very much. we are — banjee. —— thank you. thank you very much, we are going to take some question— much, we are going to take some question from the media now, starting — question from the media now, starting chris mason, from the bbc. keir starmer, you can be prime minister— keir starmer, you can be prime minister next _ keir starmer, you can be prime minister next month, _ keir starmer, you can be prime minister next month, if- minister next month, if circumstances - minister next month, if- circumstances necessitated, minister next month, if— circumstances necessitated, would you authorise — circumstances necessitated, would you authorise the _ circumstances necessitated, would you authorise the firing _ circumstances necessitated, would you authorise the firing of - circumstances necessitated, would you authorise the firing of nuclearl you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons. — you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons. yes— you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons. yes or— you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, yes or no, _ you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, yes or no, and - you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, yes or no, and has - you authorise the firing of nuclear weapons, yes or no, and has the i weapons, yes or no, and has the labour— weapons, yes or no, and has the labour leopard _ weapons, yes or no, and has the labour leopard really— weapons, yes or no, and has the labour leopard really changed . weapons, yes or no, and has the i labour leopard really changed its

spots _ labour leopard really changed its spots on — labour leopard really changed its spots on defence? _ labour leopard really changed its spots on defence? the _ labour leopard really changed its spots on defence? the man - labour leopard really changed its spots on defence? the man you i labour leopard really changed its - spots on defence? the man you could be your— spots on defence? the man you could be your foreign — spots on defence? the man you could be your foreign secretary _ spots on defence? the man you could be your foreign secretary david - be your foreign secretary david lammy. — be your foreign secretary david lammy. and _ be your foreign secretary david lammy. and a _ be your foreign secretary david lammy, and a matter— be your foreign secretary david lammy, and a matter of- be your foreign secretary david | lammy, and a matter of weeks, be your foreign secretary david - lammy, and a matter of weeks, the woman— lammy, and a matter of weeks, the woman could — lammy, and a matter of weeks, the woman could be _ lammy, and a matter of weeks, the woman could be deputy— lammy, and a matter of weeks, the woman could be deputy prime - woman could be deputy prime minister. _ woman could be deputy prime minister, angela _ woman could be deputy prime minister, angela rayner, - woman could be deputy prime - minister, angela rayner, perverted against _ minister, angela rayner, perverted against the — minister, angela rayner, perverted against the uk's _ minister, angela rayner, perverted against the uk's nuclear— minister, angela rayner, perverted against the uk's nuclear weapons . against the uk's nuclear weapons eight _ against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years— against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years ago— against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years ago as _ against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years ago as did _ against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years ago as did plenty- against the uk's nuclear weapons eight years ago as did plenty of. eight years ago as did plenty of other— eight years ago as did plenty of other current _ eight years ago as did plenty of other current labour— eight years ago as did plenty of. other current labour frontbencher is. other current labour frontbencher is how— other current labour frontbencher is. how unshakeable _ other current labour frontbencher is. how unshakeable are - other current labour frontbencher is. how unshakeable are their- other current labour frontbencher . is. how unshakeable are their views? it isa it is a vital part of our defence and of— it is a vital part of our defence and of course it means we have to be prepared _ and of course it means we have to be prepared to _ and of course it means we have to be prepared to use it. nobody who aspires— prepared to use it. nobody who aspires to — prepared to use it. nobody who aspires to be prime minister would set out _ aspires to be prime minister would set out the — aspires to be prime minister would set out the circumstances in which it would _ set out the circumstances in which it would be — set out the circumstances in which it would be used, that would be irresponsible. but it is there is a vital— irresponsible. but it is there is a vital part— irresponsible. but it is there is a vital part of— irresponsible. but it is there is a vital part of our defence. of course we would _ vital part of our defence. of course we would have to be prepared to use it. we would have to be prepared to use it on _ we would have to be prepared to use it on the _ we would have to be prepared to use it. on the other point you put to me. _ it. on the other point you put to me. look. — it. on the other point you put to me, look, this is a changed labour party _ me, look, this is a changed labour party the — me, look, this is a changed labour party. the most important thing is that i_ party. the most important thing is that l voted — party. the most important thing is that i voted in favour of the nuclear— that i voted in favour of the nuclear deterrent. if we are privileged to come into serve, i will serve — privileged to come into serve, i will serve as the prime minister of this country. my commitment to the

nuclear— this country. my commitment to the nuclear deterrent is absolute. absolute. that is why i voted for it. absolute. that is why i voted for it that — absolute. that is why i voted for it that is — absolute. that is why i voted for it. that is why i have changed this party— it. that is why i have changed this party and — it. that is why i have changed this party and that is why it will be the number— party and that is why it will be the number one issue for an incoming labour— number one issue for an incoming labour government. thank you, chris. karl from _ labour government. thank you, chris. karl from w — labour government. thank you, chris. karl from in— karl from itv. thank you. i want to ress on karl from itv. thank you. i want to press on that _ karl from itv. thank you. i want to press on that point. _ karl from itv. thank you. i want to press on that point. angela - karl from itv. thank you. i want to press on that point. angela raynerj press on that point. angela rayner and david lammy both voted against renewing the nuclear deterrent. david lammy said he was doing so on the basis of his christian faith. have you spoken to them about this? have you spoken to them about this? have their views changed? did they now support the nuclear deterrent? i lead this party. i've changed this party _ lead this party. i've changed this party if— lead this party. i've changed this party. if we are privileged to come into serve. — party. if we are privileged to come into serve. i— party. if we are privileged to come into serve, i will be the prime minister— into serve, i will be the prime minister of the united kingdom. and i've minister of the united kingdom. and we made _ minister of the united kingdom. and i've made my commitment to this absolutely— i've made my commitment to this absolutely clear. and i've got my whole _ absolutely clear. and i've got my whole cabinet, shadow cabinet behind me on— whole cabinet, shadow cabinet behind me on this _ whole cabinet, shadow cabinet behind me on this. we have changed labour party _ me on this. we have changed labour party i_ me on this. we have changed labour party t know— me on this. we have changed labour party. i know full well that national— party. i know full well that national security, defence of our

country. — national security, defence of our country. is — national security, defence of our country, is the number one issue. that— country, is the number one issue. that is— country, is the number one issue. that is why— country, is the number one issue. that is why voted to renew the deterrent~ _ that is why voted to renew the deterrent. that's why i have been absolutely— deterrent. that's why i have been absolutely clear on this. i lead from _ absolutely clear on this. i lead from the — absolutely clear on this. i lead from the front. i've always led from the front _ from the front. i've always led from the front. 0n from the front. i've always led from the front. on this issue, i feel very— the front. on this issue, i feel very strongly about. thank you very much. _ very strongly about. thank you very much. karl — very strongly about. thank you very much, karl. serena from sky. you 'ust said much, karl. serena from sky. you just said in — much, karl. serena from sky. you just said in your— much, karl. serena from sky. you just said in your speech that you said playing _ just said in your speech that you said playing your— just said in your speech that you said playing your part _ just said in your speech that you said playing your part on - just said in your speech that you said playing your part on the - just said in your speech that you i said playing your part on the global stage _ said playing your part on the global stage is— said playing your part on the global stage is important— said playing your part on the global stage is important and _ said playing your part on the global stage is important and you - said playing your part on the global stage is important and you want. said playing your part on the global stage is important and you want to| stage is important and you want to be a leader— stage is important and you want to be a leader on— stage is important and you want to be a leader on the _ stage is important and you want to be a leader on the world _ stage is important and you want to be a leader on the world stage. . stage is important and you want to| be a leader on the world stage. 100 creatives— be a leader on the world stage. 100 creatives have — be a leader on the world stage. 100 creatives have signed _ be a leader on the world stage. 100 creatives have signed a _ be a leader on the world stage. 100 creatives have signed a letter- creatives have signed a letter urging — creatives have signed a letter urging you _ creatives have signed a letter urging you that _ creatives have signed a letter urging you that if— creatives have signed a letter urging you that if you - creatives have signed a letter urging you that if you get - creatives have signed a letterj urging you that if you get into government. _ urging you that if you get into government, they— urging you that if you get into government, they would - urging you that if you get into government, they would like i urging you that if you get into. government, they would like to urging you that if you get into- government, they would like to see you halt _ government, they would like to see you halt uk — government, they would like to see you halt uk arms— government, they would like to see you halt uk arms sales _ government, they would like to see you halt uk arms sales to _ government, they would like to see you halt uk arms sales to israel- government, they would like to see | you halt uk arms sales to israel and they say— you halt uk arms sales to israel and they say this — you halt uk arms sales to israel and they say this would _ you halt uk arms sales to israel and they say this would end _ you halt uk arms sales to israel and they say this would end uk - they say this would end uk plasma complicity— they say this would end uk plasma complicity in — they say this would end uk plasma complicity in war— they say this would end uk plasma complicity in war crimes _ they say this would end uk plasma complicity in war crimes in - they say this would end uk plasma complicity in war crimes in gaza. . they say this would end uk plasmal complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's _ complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's complicity— complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's complicity was _ complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's complicity was that _ complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's complicity was that they- complicity in war crimes in gaza. —— uk's complicity was that they said l uk's complicity was that they said it would _ uk's complicity was that they said it would be — uk's complicity was that they said it would be a _ uk's complicity was that they said it would be a symbolic _ uk's complicity was that they said it would be a symbolic move - uk's complicity was that they said it would be a symbolic move in i uk's complicity was that they said i it would be a symbolic move in line with your _ it would be a symbolic move in line with your vision _ it would be a symbolic move in line with your vision on _ it would be a symbolic move in line with your vision on change. - it would be a symbolic move in line with your vision on change. you - it would be a symbolic move in line i with your vision on change. you said you want— with your vision on change. you said you want to — with your vision on change. you said you want to see _ with your vision on change. you said you want to see a _ with your vision on change. you said you want to see a summary- with your vision on change. you said you want to see a summary of- with your vision on change. you said you want to see a summary of the l you want to see a summary of the uk's _ you want to see a summary of the uk's legal— you want to see a summary of the uk's legal position _ you want to see a summary of the uk's legal position around - you want to see a summary of the uk's legal position around this. i you want to see a summary of the i uk's legal position around this. my question— uk's legal position around this. my question is. — uk's legal position around this. my question is. do— uk's legal position around this. my question is, do you _ uk's legal position around this. my question is, do you believe - uk's legal position around this. my question is, do you believe in i uk's legal position around this. my question is, do you believe in a i question is, do you believe in a moral— question is, do you believe in a moral case~ _ question is, do you believe in a moral case in— question is, do you believe in a moral case. in arms _ question is, do you believe in a moral case. in arms sales, i question is, do you believe in a. moral case. in arms sales, given your— moral case. in arms sales, given your consent _ moral case. in arms sales, given your consent is _ moral case. in arms sales, given your consent is that _ moral case. in arms sales, given your consent is that you - moral case. in arms sales, given your consent is that you have i moral case. in arms sales, givenl your consent is that you have said around _ your consent is that you have said around the — your consent is that you have said around the horrifying _ your consent is that you have said around the horrifying scenes i your consent is that you have said around the horrifying scenes in. around the horrifying scenes in gaza? —

around the horrifying scenes in gaza? -- — around the horrifying scenes in gaza? -- your— around the horrifying scenes in gaza? —— your concerns. - around the horrifying scenes in gaza? —— your concerns. the l around the horrifying scenes in gaza? -- your concerns. the scenes in gaza are _ gaza? -- your concerns. the scenes in gaza are horrifying, _ gaza? -- your concerns. the scenes in gaza are horrifying, particularly . in gaza are horrifying, particularly in gaza are horrifying, particularly in relation — in gaza are horrifying, particularly in relation to rafa. that is why the number— in relation to rafa. that is why the number one — in relation to rafa. that is why the number one priority is to ensure we -et number one priority is to ensure we get the _ number one priority is to ensure we get the ceasefire —— relation to .we . we have been saying that for months — . we have been saying that for months. that means a ceasefire straightaway, a cessation of the hostilities. fartoo straightaway, a cessation of the hostilities. far too many people have _ hostilities. far too many people have lost — hostilities. far too many people have lost their lives and ages desperately needed in the region... studio: _ desperately needed in the region... studio: let's leave sir keir starmer who is currently taking questions from reporters. 0n the labour party's policy on defence. as he said earlier, he wants the labour party to be the party of national security. he talked about having visited the munich security conference and about how he saw britton's place in the world in terms of security —— he saw britain's place. let's cross live now to leeds. this is the beginning

of a project that was very close to rugby legend rob burrows' heart. this is the rob burrow centre for mnd. the ground—breaking for the first laying of stone of this new centre is taking place live now in leeds. you can see lots of media presence and we saw earlier rob's best friend was there too. rob wanted this centre to be a centre for excellence, a centre for those suffering with mnd and a centre to take the mnd ...i suffering with mnd and a centre to take the mnd i think we will listen in. inaudible

the opportunity now for our wonderful motor neurone disease team, many of whom are with us this morning, who provide even better quality care and the facility i'm sure you will have seen the wonderful designs, a real step up from our current facilities... studio: i'm really sorry about the quality of the audio. that is kevin sinfield, rob morrow�*s best friend who described rob as a beacon of hope —— rob burrow�*s. he is giving a short speech at the moment. we are hearing a short speech ahead of the laying of the first stone that was and can kevin sinfield, i apologise, kevin sinfield is in the crowd watching the proceedings. let's keep watching the proceedings. let's keep watching what is happening. to give you an update on what the nhs

described this centre is, they want the centre to be an aspiration and a hub of innovation, education and excellence for mnd in the region. they wanted to bring together holistic patient centred care and excellent nursing standards in what would be a purpose—built environment. a bespoke unit for mnd care, something that rob was a really, really keen to push forward. a lot of the fundraising that he took part in, that he was the centre of, was to raise money for this precise project. you can see that it was so important to rob. those who are organising today said that he wanted, was very clear, that he wanted this ceremony and this opening, this ground breaking of the new mnd centre to go ahead, despite the fact that, very sadly, rob passed away. ten.

ahead, despite the fact that, very sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8. sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8, 7, 6, sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8. 7. 6. 5. — sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8. 7. 6. 5. four. _ sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8, 7, 6, 5, four, three, _ sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8, 7, 6, 5, four, three, two,, i sadly, rob passed away. ten, nine, 8, 7, 6, 5, four, three, two,, one. | applause studio: what a poignant moment this is, a really poignant moment, in light of the news that rob burrow has passed away. the ground—breaking of the new rob burrow centre for mnd has gone ahead. the centre is part of a project, a passion of his that he led. he was very keen to see descent to be built and opened, as

per his request, today's planned ground—breaking has gone ahead. a testament, really, to the attitude that rob had, the team first attitude that he had and which he displayed throughout his career and, of course, throughout the fight against his illness. over £6 million of the required £7 million has been raised to help build this centre. what it will do as it will help care for and ensure those with mnd and the families of those with mnd and the families of those with mnd have a safe haven during their fight against this horrible illness. as we mentioned earlier, rob had a legendary career on the pitch, which included eight grand final wins, three world cup challenges and two

challenge caps. absolutely illustrious career for rob burrow. two years after he retired, he got that awful diagnosis —— challenge cups. many describe him as having a second career as a fundraiser and a true inspiration to all of those both within the world of rugby but also without. we arejust seeing we are just seeing now pictures of rob during his career. he was the former leeds united race by i’ug rugby league star. —— leeds rhinos star. now is a good time to move away from what is happening in leeds and take you back to greater manchester. we can carry on listening to sir keir starmer taking questions from reporters and the media about labour's defence plans. you have been on quite the political

journey— you have been on quite the political journey to— you have been on quite the political journey to summarise, university, a mar>

fabric of our society. one of our operations involved a plot to blow up operations involved a plot to blow up seven aeroplanes in the middle of the atlantic at the same time. can you imagine the devastation that would have been caused notjust to this country but across the world? we had to take real—time decisions in those cases that i was part of. part of trying to do my part in relation to defence of this country and everybody that lived here. i don't need lectures from anyone on national security. or the importance of protecting lives in this country. and since i've been in parliament, i've been absolutely resolute on this issue. on the question of the hedge funds, we have raised this before. i think it is relevant to this election. for the electorate, the voters, to know, what did the two candidates for prime minister do before they came into politics?

i was working for the crown prosecution service in the way i have just described, trying to protect those who live in the united kingdom from crime. rishi sunak was making money. betting against the country in the financial crisis. i think that's for him to answer as to what he was doing before he came into politics. thank you so much. khloe from the i. flan into politics. thank you so much. khloe from the i.— into politics. thank you so much. khloe from the i. can you confirm that the percentage _ khloe from the i. can you confirm that the percentage of _ khloe from the i. can you confirm that the percentage of defence i that the percentage of defence spending will begin to increase in the first— spending will begin to increase in the first day of a labour government even if— the first day of a labour government even if you _ the first day of a labour government even if you can't specify exactly when _ even if you can't specify exactly when you — even if you can't specify exactly when you will hit the target? quickly. _ when you will hit the target? quickly, what is your message to would-be — quickly, what is your message to would—be labour voters who want to see more _ would—be labour voters who want to see more of— would—be labour voters who want to see more of an emphasis on peace? just on _ see more of an emphasis on peace? just on the — see more of an emphasis on peace? just on the 2.5, we want to do do that as soon as possible. the first thing we need to do that we are committed to it, i was the first to say it, and the last time we were on 2.5% of gdp on defence was under the last labour government back in 2010 in the intervening 14 years, this government has never hit the target

of 2.5%. that was the last time. we want to hit that target as soon as possible. within our fiscal rules. but the first thing we need to do is the strategic review of defence. to assess the threat that we face. to deal with the capabilities, to ensure that we have the resource that we need. that will take place straightaway. it's important because although straightaway. it's important because althouthohn and i have had a number of briefings from the government on privy council terms, for which i'm grateful, in relation to the intelligence they hold, we don't know the full picture. we want to carry out that review straightaway. and assess exactly what resource is needed. but the 2.5 commitment is absolute as soon as possible. on the question of peace, look, absolutely i am committed to peace. i don't think they would be anybody in any political party, actually, labour orthe anybody in any political party, actually, labour or the tories, who

wouldn't be committed to peace. or anybody who served their country that isn't committed to peace. but for peace, you have to be prepared to fight. that is why i have said what i said this morning. thank you so much. ashley from the mirror. in so much. ashley from the mirror. in 2020 are bound to introduce a new law. 2020 are bound to introduce a new law do _ 2020 are bound to introduce a new law do you — 2020 are bound to introduce a new law. do you still stand by that pledge. — law. do you still stand by that pledge, prevention of military intervention act i think you call that? — intervention act i think you call that? , ~ intervention act i think you call that? , ,, , , that? yes. i think it is very important _ that? yes. i think it is very important that _ that? yes. i think it is very important that if— that? yes. i think it is very important that if there i that? yes. i think it is very important that if there is l that? yes. i think it is very| important that if there is to that? yes. i think it is very i important that if there is to be military action, and that there is the support of parliament for it. it has to be sustained military action. we had beef who seek attacks and the response to that was a one off response to that was a one off response —— we had attacks. of the houthi. david cameron and i could see the importance of ensuring that the whole house is behind the action thatis the whole house is behind the action that is deployed. for our armed

forces it is important if it is sustained action for them to know that parliament is fully behind the action that they are being asked to take when they put their lives on the line. thank you very much. last year, you said you would repeal the northern ireland legacy bill, which _ the northern ireland legacy bill, which gives an amnesty for crimes committed — which gives an amnesty for crimes committed during the troubles. that bill was _ committed during the troubles. that bill was supported by many of the veterans— bill was supported by many of the veterans groups you stand alongside. are you _ veterans groups you stand alongside. are you still_ veterans groups you stand alongside. are you still committed to repealing it and _ are you still committed to repealing it and if— are you still committed to repealing it and if so— are you still committed to repealing it and if so are you worried about dragging — it and if so are you worried about dragging elderly veterans into the courtroom rooms again? | dragging elderly veterans into the courtroom rooms again? i am committed — courtroom rooms again? i am committed to — courtroom rooms again? i am committed to repealing - courtroom rooms again? i am committed to repealing it. - courtroom rooms again? i am committed to repealing it. i. courtroom rooms again? i—n committed to repealing it. i work in northern ireland for five years. i worked. working as part of the good friday agreement to establish the police service of northern ireland. to ensure that that police service had the confidence of all communities. that was a very successful piece of work. never

complete in northern ireland. but a hugely important part of our history, which is very important to me in terms of myjourney. and relation to that legislation, for a government in westminster to pass legislation which has the support of no political party in northern ireland and no community in northern ireland and no community in northern ireland is, in my view, a mistake. particularly based on my experience in northern ireland. and i would actually dispute that across the armed services that they are all against the repealing of the legislation because it provides an amnesty for all sides. legislation because it provides an amnesty forallsides. including legislation because it provides an amnesty for all sides. including the terrorists. and i know that many people feel extremely uncomfortable about that. i don't doubt the issue has to be resolved. but resolving it without the consent and the support of the communities and political parties in northern ireland in my experience having worked in northern ireland for five years is not the

right way to resolve this admittedly difficult issue. thank you so much, max. ., . ., , ., ., max. financialtimes. having a thrivin: max. financialtimes. having a thriving domestic _ max. financialtimes. having a thriving domestic steel - max. financialtimes. having a| thriving domestic steel industry max. financialtimes. having a i thriving domestic steel industry is a very— thriving domestic steel industry is a very important part of britain's nationai— a very important part of britain's national security. the labour party has criticised the £500 million deal that the _ has criticised the £500 million deal that the garment has done with tata steel to _ that the garment has done with tata steel to keep port talbot going because — steel to keep port talbot going because it will involve the loss of thousands — because it will involve the loss of thousands ofjobs —— the government has done _ thousands ofjobs —— the government has done. interning at the site greeh~ — has done. interning at the site greeh~ it— has done. interning at the site green. if you are potentially about to enter— green. if you are potentially about to enter government —— in turning that a _ to enter government —— in turning that a site — to enter government —— in turning that a site. would you continue that deal? _ that a site. would you continue that deal? it _ that a site. would you continue that deal? it hasn't quite been completed. orwould deal? it hasn't quite been completed. or would you rip it up and start— completed. or would you rip it up and start again with the potential risk of— and start again with the potential risk of tata steel competing walking away from _ risk of tata steel competing walking away from the uk? i�*m risk of tata steel competing walking away from the uk?— risk of tata steel competing walking away from the uk? i'm very concerned with the situation _ away from the uk? i'm very concerned with the situation at _ away from the uk? i'm very concerned with the situation at port _ away from the uk? i'm very concerned with the situation at port talbot - with the situation at port talbot and concerned about the situation in scunthorpe. it is very important for us that we have the capability in the united kingdom to produce our own steel. that is on the line in relation to what's going on in port talbot and in scunthorpe. i went to port talbot, as you would expect, to

talk to the workforce, to talk to the trade unions, to talk to the management and to talk to the ownership, to have confidential discussions with them. my number one issue has been to save those jobs that are at risk. i've looked in the eyes of those that are vulnerable to losing theirjobs. but also the importance of the steel industry. what i wouldn't do is what rishi sunak did. which is when mark drakeford, as first minister of wales, asked rishi sunak, as prime minister, for a phone call to discuss and jointly how they could save those jobs, discuss and jointly how they could save thosejobs, rishi sunak discuss and jointly how they could save those jobs, rishi sunak said, "i'm too busy". that's shocking. i went to scunthorpe and i've spoken to the management at scunthorpe and the works delete that workforce at scunthorpe. the issue is whether they can get an electric arc furnace in quickly —— and the workforce at scunthorpe. i understood the issues and problems and i am committed that we can overcome those hurdles with them. in relation to port talbot and scunthorpe, i'm absolutely vested in

notjust scunthorpe, i'm absolutely vested in not just saving those jobs, important though that is, but also to the future of steel—making in this country. my fear is if we lose it, we will never get it back and that will be a backwards step. thank you. amy from the telegraph. can that will be a backwards step. thank you. amy from the telegraph. cami you. amy from the telegraph. can i ask what do — you. amy from the telegraph. can i ask what do you _ you. amy from the telegraph. can i ask what do you think— you. amy from the telegraph. can i ask what do you think of— you. amy from the telegraph. can i ask what do you think of the number one threat— ask what do you think of the number one threat to britain's national security? — one threat to britain's national security? do you regret that private school _ security? do you regret that private school is _ security? do you regret that private school is closing as a result of your— school is closing as a result of your plans _ school is closing as a result of your plans to add vat to fees and when _ your plans to add vat to fees and when you — your plans to add vat to fees and when you take responsibility for that? _ when you take responsibility for that? in — when you take responsibility for that? , ., ., ., that? in number one threat to national security _ that? in number one threat to national security is _ that? in number one threat to national security is not - that? in number one threat to national security is not taking | that? in number one threat to l national security is not taking it seriously enough, not appreciating that it has to be the number one priority. the threats are, obviously, threats in relation to russia, china, the middle east, etc. the conflict. i do think most people feel we are in a more volatile world now than we have been for some time. the nature of the threats has changed. as i say, it is notjust the traditional way in which threats are carried out. it is a

information, and part of the attack on understanding national security is the number one issue. sorry, the second part of your question, private schools, i have seen a number of reports of private schools closing and it has got nothing to do with labour party policy at all if you look at the details. in fact, i think hundreds of private schools have closed over the last iii years. it's about time that was put into the mix when these stories are reported. thank you very much. noah, the son. john said earlier that men and women in the _ john said earlier that men and women in the armed forces will be at the heart _ in the armed forces will be at the heart of— in the armed forces will be at the heart of labour's plans for defence. coutd _ heart of labour's plans for defence. could you _ heart of labour's plans for defence. could you please clarify today whether— could you please clarify today whether you will keep a veterans mihister— whether you will keep a veterans minister in your cabinet? yes, we will. i minister in your cabinet? yes, we will- i think _ minister in your cabinet? yes, we will. i think it's — minister in your cabinet? yes, we will. i think it's very _ minister in your cabinet? yes, we will. i think it's very important. i will. i think it's very important. we have been committed to veterans

for a long time. i have spent a lot of time with veterans and we are pleased to have some with us here today, thank you. thank you all very much. thank you for being here. i know it is a bit hot in this room, we can all go outside and enjoy a bit of the fresh air. thank you very much indeed. applause student we will let sir keir and his team get some fresh air and the reporters and the media who have gathered in greater manchester to hear sir keir and the labour party put forward their views on where they believe defence is going to move forward in the case of a labour government. we had a few key points. national security will always come first said sir keir starmer. he said to the audience sat with my changed labour party, national security will always come first. he said he the message he took to kyiv was exactly that, we had to be resolute notjust in support for ukraine but also at

home in the face of actors who try and attack and weaken the uk. talking notjust of air and land and sea attacks but also of information warfare. he also went on to say that britain is less safe and less secure, arguing that we have the smallest army since the time of napoleon. he also talked about how labour is totally committed to national security and that we have to be fit to fight. he went on to emphasise the importance of the country's nuclear deterrent, saying it is the foundation of any plan to keep it safe. he also was asked at one point on that precise point by chris mason, the bbc�*s political editor that if the labour leader would authorise nuclear weapons, circumstances necessitated it. and if labour had really changed its spots, increase's words. chris pointed out that current frontbenchers are voted against the uk's nuclear weapons atjust eight years ago and that is the key point

labour party want to put a across, has it changed in terms of where it stands on defence and sir keir said in answer to that question, they need to deterrent is fundamental and "a vital part of our defence". he also said that means that we have to be prepared to use it. adding that it would be irresponsible to set up the circumstances under which it would be used. he also talked about his shadow cabinet because he was pressed very much on david lammy and angela rayner because as i mentioned earlier, one of the labour party members, important ones, who voted in parliament in 2016 against the nuclear deterrent. at the time, mr lambie cited his christian faith in explaining why he voted against it —— david lammy. the labour leader was asked if he had spoken to david lammy and angela rayner about their stance and he said "i lead this party, i have changed this party"

and he also said that if labour does come into power, he would be prime minister. he added that he has the whole shadow cabinet behind him. he said i lead from the front, i always lead from the front and this is an issue i feel very strongly about, he voted in favour of the nuclear deterrent back in 2016. mr starmer was also pressed on the party's candidate selections. of course, there has been a bit of controversy in the news of late, particularly in response to pfizer it was blocked as standing in chingford and woodford green he was asked about those events and he said he wants to make sure that labour is putting the best possible candidates forward to adding that he makes no apologies for doing that. without directly addressing that faiza shaheen case, he said that the

labour party has changed and stressed his line that labour has defence and security as key priorities. my colleague hannah miller is at that tour, sir keir starmerjust ended. he ended his speech. talk us through the key points we heard from sir keir and how it went down with the veterans who were listening on. i how it went down with the veterans who were listening on.— who were listening on. i think the mood in the _ who were listening on. i think the mood in the room _ who were listening on. i think the mood in the room was _ who were listening on. i think the mood in the room was obviously. mood in the room was obviously fairly warm towards sir keir starmer. the room packed with veterans on the stage behind him, some in the audience, too. it clearly had been gathered to give a warm reception to the types of messages that he was delivering. he told us he would use the nuclear deterrent in response to a question from my colleague chris mason, the bbc�*s from my colleague chris mason, the bbc�*s political editor. he also told journalists that there would be a vote before any military action in parliament. those were things that

came out of the kind of subsequent question and answer section. in terms of his general message of this, it's very much kind of playing into the message we have heard repeatedly from the labour party about them being a changed party. he said people need to know that their leaders will keep them safe and we will. he made quite a personal pitch as well. he said military is part of his story. he talked about his uncle roger, who served in the falklands. he said, "i know it, i respect it, and i will serve it with every decision" in relation to the military and the armed forces. it is clear this pitch has been made today because of conservative party attacks on the labour party and its attitude under previous leadership towards defence. they've made a big claim of saying they will put 2.5% of gdp into defence spending by 2030. the labour party haven't put

that timeline on it. they haven't decided exactly when they will do it although they have made the same pledge and the same commitment but with a kind of idea that this will be when resources allow. keir starmer tried to suggest he doesn't really want there to be kind of politics involved in the area of defence, trying to say this is something that should really sit above politics. but he clearly feels or suggested in this speech that because the conservatives have been using this as an attack line, they want to show that, under him, he sees defence and national security as a real priority. he faced questions about previous votes there from members of his shadow cabinet. he made, again, a very clear statement, saying that because he is committed to it, he leaves the party and it will fall into line behind him. trying to make that suggestion to voters that they can trust the

labour party with national security. hannah, thank you. we always want to hear your voice. we want to hearfrom you — it's your voice, your vote. we want the views of the people, notjust the politicians, and we want you to get involved and help us. so what are the issues that really matter to you? go to bbc.co.uk/news on your phone or on your tablet or laptop and you'll see a link where you can tell us exactly what you want us to look into ahead of this election. it's your voice, your vote. i will vote, but i don't know who i can trust. personally, i would just settle for truth, honesty, integrity from anyone. just tell the truth. you know, it's ok, these magic words, and itjust sounds like a lot of hot air, sometimes. if they engage more with younger voters, i'm more inclined to listen to what they have to say.

i'm very interested in what we're doing for environmental changel and also education is a big one. i will be sorry to see the present government go, but i think the country as a whole is ready for a change. i'll probably not even vote, to be quite honest. - ijust think, what's the point? i think everybody wants a change. everybody�*s fed up with the way things are going. i mean, where i live, there's potholes everywhere. how they are going to help out, like, the small towns? the youth and the next generations. everything's stagnant at the moment, so i'm voting for change. _ ijust think it would be really nice if more investment, more genuine investment, was promised into the nhs, into children's mental health services. issues that matter to people? well, i think it's the nhs really isn't it? probably, the economy is one. i mean i'm quite young but having a stable economy

means that we could have jobs. as primary school teachers, - it would be we funding for schools. and more specialist places. and specialist places for children. definitely — most of the businesses around here want to have police back on the streets to stop the thieves walking into shops and walking out with whatever they want without being stopped. just a general, honest government. that'll do me. live from london, this is bbc news. ina campaign in a campaign speech, sir keir starmer has called labour the party of national security as he calls for plans to increase defence spending. even as we work tirelessly for

peace, — even as we work tirelessly for peace, we _ even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight. the conservatives promised to update laws on sex and gender if they win the election. it means some organisations could bark transgender women from single sex spaces. we are trying to re—emphasise that sex in the law means biological sex. work has just started only £6 million rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease in leeds, the day after the rugby league legend's death. china accuses mi6 of recruiting chinese state employees as spies for the uk. very warm welcome to bbc news. it's the start of the second full week of the general election campaign. labour leader sir keir starmer has reaffirmed his commitment to the uk's nuclear

deterrent, describing labour as the party of national security. he said keeping britain safe should be the bedrock of any government. meanwhile, the conservative say if they are re—elected, they will change the equality act so gender as a matter of biology. the liberal democrat deputy leader daisy cooper will outline plans to give rivers and coastlines protected status to prevent water companies getting away with "environmental vandalism". and snp leaderjohn swinney has called for a "respectful�* contest" — ahead of the scottish leaders' first television debate of the campaign. earlier, we heard from sir keir starmer as he outlined his plans for national security and defence spending. even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit there were fit to fight, so let me be

unequivocal. this labour party is totally committed to the security of our nation, to our armed forces, and importantly, to our nuclear deterrent. it is essential. that is why labour has announced a new triple lock commitment to our nuclear deterrent. we will maintain britain's continuous at sea deterrent 2a hours a day, 365 days a year. deliverall the deterrent 2a hours a day, 365 days a year. deliver all the needed upgrades. and we will build four new nuclear submarines like the ones i saw in barrow, that won'tjust keep us safe but will also support good jobs and growth across the uk. that is the labour party's big message today. meanwhile, the ministerfor women and message today. meanwhile, the minister for women and qualities, kemi badenoch, spoke earlier to radio four about how the conservatives are seeking to qualify

the equality act. a look at the origin of the gender recognition act and equality act, it's clear the law are being misinterpreted just because of changes, social changes, and we are trying to reemphasise that sex in the law means biological sex. it always has done, but there has been a lot of misinterpretation, and we're adding that clarification so that the law is clear. 0k, so that the law is clear. ok, so in the context or circumstances of a women's refuge or rape crisis _ circumstances of a women's refuge or rape crisis centre as you put out, or a _ rape crisis centre as you put out, or a women's— rape crisis centre as you put out, or a women's prison, is the only relevant — or a women's prison, is the only relevant paperwork and original tfirth— relevant paperwork and original birth certificate? it birth certificate? it is _ birth certificate? it is where your biological sex recorded. forthe it is where your biological sex recorded. for the vast majority of people, this is not going to be an issue. the change is impacting those people who have not been clear on what it means for someone to be transgender is that the holding of a gender recognition certificate, what it means, and we are re—emphasising

notjust what the it means, and we are re—emphasising not just what the law says, but also that they have —— there have always been exceptions in the equality act for single sex spaces. it is the redefining of sex that is the problem. let's cross live now and speak to our political correspondent alicia mccarthy. talk to you. let's speak about what we heard there. the tory party coming out and saying that they will amend the equality act if they will amend the equality act if they win election. they think this will be at the forefront of people's mines? they clearly think this is very important issue, and it is something that has been around for a long time. obviously, it's something they think their supporters really care about, and it this question of, you know, what are protected single specs that would sex spaces, and where do you draw the line on those. it is something the equalities minister has been keen to talk about. �* . . ~ minister has been keen to talk about. �*, ., ,, ., about. let's talk about whether conservatives _ about. let's talk about whether conservatives are _ about. let's talk about whether conservatives are moving - about. let's talk about whether conservatives are moving on i about. let's talk about whether l conservatives are moving on with this, because in their words, they talk about confusion of the legal

definition of sex and how they will deal with that by amending equality act. , ., , , ., deal with that by amending equality act. yes, and this is a clear dividing _ act. yes, and this is a clear dividing line _ act. yes, and this is a clear dividing line with _ act. yes, and this is a clear dividing line with labour, . act. yes, and this is a clear i dividing line with labour, because labour say this change isn't necessary. they argue the equality act that came in in 2010 already has some pretty clear definitions. what is perhaps needed, labour would say, is perhaps needed, labour would say, is better guidance for people, but they think the definitions are clear, so there is no need to make this change, and in fact, they have gone as far as to describe this as something that is needless and a distraction in the election campaign. let's talk about labour today, because sir keir starmer coming out today, really pushing this point that in his mind and words, labour is the party of national security. coming under some criticism, though, especially regarding the voting record of some of his front bench, shadow front bench members. that's riaht, shadow front bench members. that's right. because _ shadow front bench members. that's right, because obviously, _ shadow front bench members. that's right, because obviously, if— shadow front bench members. that's right, because obviously, if you i right, because obviously, if you think about a few years, labour's position was very different, and it plays in in some ways to keir starmer's whole point in this that

the labour party has changed. so you have statements from some of his mps previously who were a bit less committed to the idea of nuclear deterrence, and what sir keir starmer is stressing today, one of the things who were stressing —— one of the things he was stressing was keeping these four nuclear submarines, and keeping the permanent presence of nuclear subs around the world. he is very much repeating that, showing off the candidates labour will be fielding this election who are ex armed forces, and recommitting to this idea of spending 2.5% of our national income on defence, though unlike the conservatives, he is not| national income on defence, though unlike the conservatives, he is i unlike the conservatives, he is not saying buy when that will happen. yes, he said there will be that 2.5% on defence. he was keen to point out the last time that happened was under a labour government? yes, that the conservatives have set a target for when they want that to happen. keir starmer has been pressed about when he would like this to be, when is the target, and

he has not set that day, just said it is something the party want to do. let's talk more about the lib dems, because they today are announcing their policy on marine protected areas, a new blue flag status rivers. this policy will go down well with a lot of people.- rivers. this policy will go down well with a lot of people. yes, they have been doing _ well with a lot of people. yes, they have been doing quite _ well with a lot of people. yes, they have been doing quite a _ well with a lot of people. yes, they have been doing quite a bit - well with a lot of people. yes, they have been doing quite a bit of i have been doing quite a bit of campaigning already on environmental things, and on water quality. you have probably seen those pictures of ed davey and his paddle board a few days ago. so this is again re—emphasising what they think is a real concern about sewage being dumped in rivers. it is something we saw in the news headlines a lot over the last few months, so they are saying they would have this new blue flag scheme for bathing waters, for rivers, to try to stop this amount of sewage being dumped, which they say is pretty scandalous. they reckon this will be pretty popular, and they essentially want to beef up the rules and regulations to try to stop quite so much sewage ending up

in our rivers and seas. good to talk to you. thank you very much indeed. with general election campaigning well under way, there are a number of seats to watch. let's focus on two right now. in the south—east, we have the liberal democrats targeting lewes. norwich north is a key focus for the labour party. earlier, i spoke to andrew sinclair, political editor of bbc east, and our political reporter lucinda adam in lewes. she told us about lewes and the key battleground there. only two votes separate the conservative mp who has been in place since before 2015, there was a liberal

democrat here for 18 years before that. very tight contest here, in two main issues coming up repeatedly at the cost of living, the cost of housing here, but also sewage. you can see the river behind me that through this market town of lewes, and we have had figures from the environment agency of a record number of raw sewage dumped on the waterways of lewes, more than 17,000 hours of raw sewage dumped here and in the coastal areas, in more than 1500 events, something our politicians have been calling absolutely appalling and unacceptable, an issue that is really affecting residents here, and they would like to see a change in that. and then people who visit lewes, you can see the high street by me over the bridge, might think this is an affluent town, a pretty market town with a lot of nice shops, but in fact, there is a cost of living crisis here. there are now ten food project, a mixture of food

banks and community bridges, just this month, three of the food banks in the coastal towns of this constituency said they had to close to new members, they were overwhelmed and said the demand was unsustainable. the local council has just given them an additional £20,000 infunding just given them an additional £20,000 in funding so they can help the people that need it, but that's in addition to £20,000 they also gave at christmas, so that is really feeling the pinch here, the cost of living, so that is the main thing all the candidates tell me are coming up on the doorstep, the cost of living and sewage in these rivers and seas. �* . , of living and sewage in these rivers and seas. . . , ., ., , ., and seas. and a very marginal seat as you said- _ and seas. and a very marginal seat as you said. how _ and seas. and a very marginal seat as you said. how tight _ and seas. and a very marginal seat as you said. how tight is _ and seas. and a very marginal seat as you said. how tight is relatively| as you said. how tight is relatively tight? it is relatively tight. this tended to votes, and we have seen more marginal constituencies than that, but i think what is a real warning flag, we haven't had a general election, of course, forfive flag, we haven't had a general election, of course, for five years since 2019. the local council here, lewes district council, last may in the local elections, the

conservatives were wiped off the board. they had 18 seats they were defending and lost every single one of them. the council is now actually run by a coalition between the green party and the labour party. that is a little unusual. the greens hold the largest number of seats here. the liberal democrats are second and have been involved in a power—sharing coalition over the past year, but in fact, there has been disagreement recently about the power—sharing of the leadership, so currently the greens and labour run the council coalition and the lib dems of the opposition, but they are very strong here and putting all their resources into trying to get hold of the seat. we saw ed davey visit last week. lewes likes to be quite a rebellious place. it is certainly famous for its bonfire night celebrations, and we have seen many a politician, many a prime minister burned in effigy in the streets in november. it also very politically engaged town and constituency. turnout is always high, so it is all to play for as

the candidates from the conservatives and lib dems battle it out to try and see who can win on july the 4th. thank you very much indeed for the lowdown from there. let's cross live to andrew sinclair, political editor for bbc east. norwich north very much being eyed as a key target for labour. . . , . labour. yes, really interesting. if ou look labour. yes, really interesting. if you look at _ labour. yes, really interesting. if you look at the _ labour. yes, really interesting. if you look at the constituency i labour. yes, really interesting. if you look at the constituency map | labour. yes, really interesting. if. you look at the constituency map of east anglia, it is a sea of blue. the _ east anglia, it is a sea of blue. the conservatives hold just about every _ the conservatives hold just about every seat — the conservatives hold just about every seat in this region. there are 'ust every seat in this region. there are just a _ every seat in this region. there are just a few— every seat in this region. there are just a few specks of red. one is norwich— just a few specks of red. one is norwich south, behind me, which is apart— norwich south, behind me, which is apart from _ norwich south, behind me, which is apart from a — norwich south, behind me, which is apart from a small exception when the lib— apart from a small exception when the lib dems held it, has almost always— the lib dems held it, has almost always been labour. norwich north, where _ always been labour. norwich north, where in _ always been labour. norwich north, where i'm standing, as a different ball game — where i'm standing, as a different ball game. it's a typical bellwether swing _ ball game. it's a typical bellwether swing seat, largely residential, a lot of— swing seat, largely residential, a lot of housing built after the war. a few— lot of housing built after the war. a few pockets of deprivation, quite a bit of— a few pockets of deprivation, quite a bit of light manufacturing within norwich— a bit of light manufacturing within

norwich north. we've got an airport as wett— norwich north. we've got an airport as well which largely services the .as as well which largely services the gas platforms of the north sea, though— gas platforms of the north sea, though there has been a lot of excitement here recently because ryanair _ excitement here recently because ryanair have just started frequent ftights— ryanair have just started frequent flights from here. but politically this is— flights from here. but politically this is one of east anglia's most ntarginat— this is one of east anglia's most marginal seats. the conservatives hold it _ marginal seats. the conservatives hold it with — marginal seats. the conservatives hold it with a majority of 4700, and as i hold it with a majority of 4700, and as i said. _ hold it with a majority of 4700, and as i said, this is a classic bellwether seat. it went to labour in 1997, _ bellwether seat. it went to labour in 1997, back to the conservatives 'ust in 1997, back to the conservatives just before — in 1997, back to the conservatives just before 2010, and so every time there _ just before 2010, and so every time there is— just before 2010, and so every time there is an — just before 2010, and so every time there is an election, labour put a lot of— there is an election, labour put a lot of resources into trying to win the seat. — lot of resources into trying to win the seat, because they know if they can't win— the seat, because they know if they can't win norwich north, they will have _ can't win norwich north, they will have big — can't win norwich north, they will have big problems trying to form a government. so lots of campaigning has been _ government. so lots of campaigning has been going on from the moment this election was called. issues, yes. _ this election was called. issues, yes, of— this election was called. issues, yes, of course, the cost of living, but the _ yes, of course, the cost of living, but the big — yes, of course, the cost of living, but the big talking point in this part of— but the big talking point in this part of the world as the nhs. problem _ part of the world as the nhs. problem is getting an nhs dentist have been coming up a lot on the doorstep — have been coming up a lot on the doorstep now for the last couple of years _ doorstep now for the last couple of years it's — doorstep now for the last couple of years it's a — doorstep now for the last couple of years. it's a really big issue in this— years. it's a really big issue in

this part — years. it's a really big issue in this part of— years. it's a really big issue in this part of east anglia. also waiting — this part of east anglia. also waiting lists. the local hospital here _ waiting lists. the local hospital here has— waiting lists. the local hospital here has had big problems with people — here has had big problems with people waiting to be seen in hospital, often waiting very long periods — hospital, often waiting very long periods before they get seen. that is starting — periods before they get seen. that is starting to get better, butjust about— is starting to get better, butjust about everyone in this city know someone — about everyone in this city know someone who is on a waiting list at the moment. thanks to andrew and loosened at there. here are the candidates who have been selected so far to battle it out in the constituency of norwich north. as always, the bbc will have a full list of candidates once nominations have closed. and here are the candidates who have been selected so far in lewes. again, the bbc have a full list of candidates once nominations have closed. during this election campaign, there is one voice we always want to hear. that's yours. we want the views of the people, notjust the politicians,

and we want you to get involved and help us. so what are the issues that really matter to you? where should we report from and why? i want to vote, but i don't know who i want to vote, but i don't know who i can trust. personally, i would just settle for truth, honesty, integrity from anyone. just tell the truth. you know, it's ok, these magic words, and itjust sounds like a lot of hot air, sometimes. if they engage more with younger voters, i'm more inclined to listen to what they have to say. i'm very interested in what we're doing for environmental changel and also education is a big one. i will be sorry to see the present government go, but i think the country as a whole is ready for a change. i'll probably not even vote, to be quite honest. - ijust think, what's the point? i think everybody wants a change. everybody�*s fed up with the way things are going. i mean, where i live, there's potholes everywhere. how they are going to help out, like, the small towns? the youth and the next generations. everything's stagnant at the moment,

so i'm voting for change. _ ijust think it would be really nice if more investment, more genuine investment, was promised into the nhs, into children's mental health services. issues that matter to people? well, i think it's the nhs, really, isn't it? probably, the economy is one. i mean, i'm quite young, but having a stable economy means that we could have jobs. as primary school teachers, - it would be we funding for schools. more specialist places. and specialist places for children. definitely — most of the businesses around here want to have police back on the streets to stop the thieves walking into shops and walking out with whatever they want without being stopped. just a general, honest government. that'll do me. if you have a question that you want answered by the politicians, a suggestion for where we should be reporting from or perhaps an issue that you're concerned about,

we want to hear from you. you can use the qr code on your screen right now. or you can go to to bbc.co.uk/news on your phone or on your tablet or laptop and you'll see a link where you can tell us. it's your voice, your vote. ai misinformation is being recommended to young potential voters, the bbc has found. our disinformation and social media correspondent has been investigating, using our undercover vote at social media profiles. the undercover voters are fictional people i created based on analysis by the national centre for social research. they have social media profiles across all the main sites and give me an insight into what is recommended to different people's

feeds. the profiles are private with no friends. so what has been happening? tiktok has emerged as a new battleground this election, to engage new voters, but alongside funny montages, ifound engage new voters, but alongside funny montages, i found young engage new voters, but alongside funny montages, ifound young people are being recommended misleading and divisive content from students, political activists, comedians and anonymous accounts. here's howl found that out. my fictional characters, the undercover voters, are based on eight different battleground constituencies, and for this report, i've examined the social media feeds of my undercover voters, the three of them in the former redwall constituency of bishop auckland. let's meet them. we have jack, who is a disaffected 31—year—old voter, 26—year—old chloe, who is not really that into politics, and louise, 55, who is an undecided voter. videos that have been pushed to them include baseless claims that keir starmer was responsible for a failure to prosecute serial paedophilejimmy several. other videos misrepresent remarks by labour politicians and spread unfounded rumours why the

election was called. there are some abusive comments, like calling for rishi sunak to be euthanised. then there are some satirical clips recommended, including rishi sunak saying, please don't vote us out, we would be proper gutted, and making misleading claims about, for example, the national service pledge. they are described as parity, but some people in the comments are confused about whether they are real. then there are messages like these, saying vote reform uk, shared in the comments of some videos, with some users suggesting they were bots, fake automated accounts. i contacted some of them, who were real, based in the uk, with no instruction from reform uk, with no instruction from reform uk, but other anonymous profiles didn't respond. so what have tiktok said? a spokesperson said they have launched a uk election centre with a fact checking experts on top of the resource they already have. they are adopting an industry—leading ai technology and have removed 97% of

election misinformation videos before they have had any views. you can discover more about the undercover voters on newscast on bbc sounds and the bbc website. within the past hour, work has started on the £6 million rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease in leeds, a day after the death of the rugby league legend at the age of 41. his family had asked for the work to go ahead as planned, despite his death. his friend kevin sinfield has described him as a beacon of hope and inspiration. after being diagnosed with mnd nearly five years ago, rob became a prominent campaignerfor research ago, rob became a prominent campaigner for research into the condition and was made a cbe for his work. my colleague sally nugent looks back at his life and legacy. rob burrow�*s life is defined by his defiance of the odds. they always used to say, "oh, he's good, is that rob.

but he's never going to make it because he's not big enough." this is a sensational try! there aren't many in rugby league that can do that! as the smallest player in a giant's game, he was world class. burrow, dancing steps by him! rob burrow, where do we start? absolute legend. pound for pound probably the strongest player we had in the squad and the strongest guy who's played in super league. just feel so honoured to have played alongside him. in a game like rugby league, we needed characters like rob burrow. everybody's got this perception that you should be big and bulky and talismanic and gladiatorial. yet you look at this young fella who don't look like he's grown since he was in his tens, going to play with professional adults in a gladiatorial

game like rugby league. he rewrote the rules about what a rugby league player should look like. shortly after retirement, rob discovered he had motor neurone disease. i suppose you have your good days, bad days, but... yeah. he found strength in his new team—mates, doddie weir and stephen darby. all three men had been diagnosed with mnd and were determined to raise awareness together. i'm not giving in till my last breath. i've too many reasons to live. rob's aim was to to be a voice, to raise that awareness for other people that were suffering and going through this. you know, this has never been about rob. this is about raising awareness for other people that have this horrible, horrible disease. first, when rob was diagnosed, i was the one that would break down in tears and rob would be, you know, pull yourself together.

lindsay, you know, we can get through this. his love for his family and their love for him shone through as rob made his private battle a public one to help those suffering with mnd, raising huge amounts of money and awareness. as a father of three young children, i would never want any family to have to go through what my wife and children have since my diagnosis. you have done such important work raising awareness of motor neurone disease. you've been an inspiration to so many, and we have nothing but admiration for everything that you've done. he can tell what sort of mood you're in, you know, - and he'll crack a joke or tell us to stop being silly. _ and, "why are you looking so sad?" you know _ but at the end of the day, it's still hard. _

the wider rugby league family also united behind him to raise funds for research into a condition that has no cure. i think the last couple of years, my respect for him has only increased because he's been so brave and courageous, how he's attacked what mnd has brought to him and the family. so inspiring to mnd community, it's been incredible to see the effects he's had on so many people. he's an absolute champion. good to see you. who scored the most tries out of you two? him bya him by a long way! i think he knows that as well. is he laughing? yeah, he is. he's laughing. hopefully through the campaigning we have done, we have helped to make people aware of mnd and to give people and families affected by the disease some hope. we have to keep raising funds to fight this disease and look

after those with mnd until we have a cure. rob burrow overcame so many challenges, both on and off the field. i've had patients who have come in and said, i've got what rob burrow has. and i think that that is, that is the power of the campaign that he has led, that people are far more aware. this is about mnd awareness, and i think he's been hugely successful in doing that. i have no idea how my family would react, the more was taken away from me. it seems as though they've become a beacon of hope for families in the same situation as us. he has created a legacy and will always be remembered as a giant, whether wearing the blue and amber of his beloved leeds or wearing the warmest of smiles in the face of a cruel disease.

as we have seen, work is now under way in leeds at the rob burrow centre for mnd in leeds. there was a ground—breaking in the past hourfor the centre, at the hospital in leeds where he received treatment. the charity said burrow showed us how to live life to the fullest in the face of adversity. there they are breaking the ground ahead of the opening of that centre. the royal college of nursing says the number of nhs patients being treated in corridors and other crowded places now amounts to a "national emergency". one in three nurses who replied to an online survey said that on their latest shift they ended up providing care in a waiting area, side room or corridor. our health reporter jim reed has more. paul simms had a heart attack injanuary. he describes his treatment that day in a&e as excellent. but he then had to spend almost two

days being cared for in this small corridor because there was no space in the main wards of the hospital. it was constant foot traffic by doctors and nurses. so it was very difficult for me to even sleep or rest because people were coming in and out, pushing the doors, banging the doors, trolleys were coming through, knocking into me because i shouldn't have been there, really, in a corridor. and also there wasn't a power supply in the corridor. so my heart monitor went flat. the hospital where paul was treated describes his experience as less than ideal, but said the same level of care is provided regardless of where patients are located. the royal college of nursing, though, is concerned that scenes like this are becoming more common. one in three of the 11,000 nurses who filled out the union's online

survey said that on their most recent shifts, they had to look after someone in a corridor, waiting room or other location not meant for treatment. similar results were seen across the four nations of the uk. we are calling this a national state of emergency. our members are incredibly concerned around the fact that very poor, undignified, unsafe care is being totally normalised. it is not ok for patients to be looked after in corridors, in store cupboards, by nurses�* stations, without emergency equipment, without call bells. and sadly, some of our patients are having their entire hospital stay and treatment sitting in a chair, sometimes up to 72 hours. totally unacceptable. we're calling for that to be a never event, because that should never, ever happen. that's why we've had enough.

we have got to have proper long—term solutions for this rather than just move the problem somewhere else, because the impact on patients and staff is enormous. the conservatives said the nhs budget had increased by a third since 2010 in england, with more community diagnostic centres opened. the snp—led scottish government said health funding had also risen in scotland. the liberal democrats and labour both said they had plans to fix or reform the nhs. jim reed, bbc news. it is just it isjust coming up it is just coming up to it isjust coming up to 11:30am. this is bbc news. the headlines. sir keir starmer calls labour the party of national security as he outlined his plans to increase defence spending. even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight. the conservatives promised to update laws on sex and gender if they are re—elected. it would mean some

organisations could bark transgender women from single sex spaces. what we are trying to do is reemphasise that sex in the law means— reemphasise that sex in the law means biological sex. china _ means biological sex. china accuses mi6 of recruiting chinese state employees as spies for the uk. the bbc has learned a waste company linked to a controversial £200,000 donation to the first minister of wales was under criminal investigation at the time of that donation. but questions over a £200,000 donation to his own leadership campaign earlier this year won't go away. his successful bid to become party leader in wales was bankrolled by a waste management company controlled by david neal, a wealthy businessman who has two criminal convictions for environmental offences. vaughan gething was given the cash during his successful leadership campaign, by a company controlled by a millionaire businessman. but since december another of that donor's companies has been under criminal investigation

by the environmental regulator, natural resources wales. mr gething, who narrowly won the topjob in march, insists he has not broken any rules, and has refused calls to return the donation. wyre davies reports. all smiles for the cameras. welsh first minister vaughan gething is one of the most senior labour politicians in the uk and a key player in the party's general election campaign. but questions over a £200,000 donation to his own leadership campaign earlier this year won't go away. his successful bid to become party leader in wales was bankrolled by a waste management company controlled by david neal, a wealthy businessman who has two criminal convictions for environmental offences. another of mr neal's companies runs this troubled landfill site in west wales. it's an inescapable stench that makes you retch. it's horrendous, it's rancid. it's almost like you can taste it. other people living nearby say the smell from the site is ruining their quality of life. i don't want to wake up to my house smelling of rotten eggs, which is worse than my son's nappy. my biggest concern is that it's not being managed as it should be. david neal says his company is working with the regulator to stop the smell. but the stench from here

stretches all the way down the m4 to the office of wales's top politician. up until now, the questions for vaughan gething have focused on what one of his donors did in the past. but we can now reveal that one of that millionaire donor's companies is currently under criminal investigation, and was, when vaughan gething accepted the sum of money. the conservative opposition in the welsh parliament, the senedd, has tabled a vote of no confidence in mr gething's leadership. to him, the prize of becoming first minister was too great and he was prepared to sacrifice the integrity of the office of first ministerfor the £200,000 that he took. with news that one of david neal's companies also revealed plans for a solar farm in this protected area of countryside the day before a firm he controls made a second donation to mr gething, others have questioned the new first minister's judgment. you get offered £200,000.

the level of due diligence that you would expect to take place in that context would be significant. vaughan gething has not broken the ministerial code in taking the donation and he retains the full backing of labour's uk leader, with only weeks to go before the general election. i'm really looking forward to a new partnership where we can both deliver together for wales. thank you, vaughan. but we've also discovered that one senior labour figure offered to lend mr gething money to repay the controversial donation in full. he turned down the offer. we've repeatedly tried to ask the first minister about the new evidence. did you know about the criminal investigation before _ you accepted the money? thank you. but his team said the issues had previously been addressed and were a matter of public record. this week's senedd vote of no confidence is an unwelcome distraction for the first minister at a particularly busy time. wyre davies, bbc news.

you can watch "wales investigates: a big stink" on bbc iplayer now or bbc one wales tonight at 8pm. china has accused britain's intelligence service — mi6 — of recruiting a couple who worked for the chinese government to spy for the uk. the state security ministry in beijing claimed that mi6 operatives recruited the couple when they were visiting the uk and then sent them back to china to collect information. there's no word from the uk authorities on the case. the bbc�*s laura bicker is in beijing. she has more details about the alleged spies. these allegations were posted by the ministry of state security. on their chinese version of any social media app. they've got their own channel which they launched last august and here they are putting details of

allegations of spying. now, the allegations of spying. now, the allegations centre around mr wang and his wife. they say he went to the uk in 2015 to study and there m16 the uk in 2015 to study and there mi6 operatives, they say, recruited him. they took him out for tours, for dinner, to find his weaknesses, and said he had a strong desire for money according to this report. and the m16 money according to this report. and the mi6 operatives exploited this. in fact, they say he was initially hesitant but could not resist persuasion, enticementand hesitant but could not resist persuasion, enticement and even coercion. they say eventually he was given espionage training by mi6 and sent back to china to learn more about the chinese government and pass that information to mi6 operatives. we had no word from the british government or from mi6 on this, and at the moment, this is

just simply a statement reported by china from the ministry of state security. but this channel in recent months has also posted information to citizens asking them to be wary of foreign beauties of exotic beauties that may lower them into the hands of foreign spies. they've also asked citizens to be wary about what they are posting on their social media, for instance, pictures of airports etc, that could be used by foreign spy agencies. let's turn back the general election campaign now. the snp leader in scotland, john swinney, is back on the campaign trail ahead of the first leader debates this evening involving all the main parties leaders north of the border. let's speak to our scotland correspondent, lorna gordon. give us a taste of what's going to dominate the debate this evening. john swinney is on the campaign trail this morning visiting a dairy

talking business with the owners here, a family has owned it for three generations for thejohn three generations for the john swinney three generations for thejohn swinney has said economic growth is a priority. for the snp now. he is the party leader. expect that to be touched on in the debate this evening, but inevitably, some of those bigger issues that had dominated the headlines today will also be explored, not least labour's position on trident, the snp already saying it's only their party that will take a stand against nuclear weapons. they of course don't want to see nuclear weapons on the clyde where the trident submarine fleet is based in faslane on the clyde. i would also anticipate questions on the conservatives push on the difference between biological sex and the equality act. we have heard kemi badenoch on the airwaves this

morning of course. the scottish government lost a court case last year with the uk government. the part of a law in this area is devolved but the equality act is reserved. the snp will expectjohn swinney to be questioned on that later in the debate as well. but in both of these issues, i would anticipate the snp taking a position, this is an encroachment when it comes to gender recognition reform, a form of transgender issues and an encroachment of devolved issues and i anticipate them arguing from that position. when it comes to nuclear weapons, the snp saying it's only the snp that can make scotland a nuclearfree only the snp that can make scotland a nuclear free zone, only the snp that can make scotland a nuclearfree zone, so pushing that independence argument. of course, when you look at the polls, in terms of support for independence, that is running ahead of where support for the snp currently lies. that's what the snp currently lies. that's what the polling would suggest, so

perhaps the snp would use these issues to try and claw back some of the pro—votes if the polling is correct so it's an interesting day of campaigning here in scotland today. plenty of areas where the snp will be arguing forcefully, and their leaderjohn swinney will be arguing strongly, that it is only the snp which, as he says, can best represent scotland's interests. he did say the general election is going to be the biggest challenge the snp has had in years? yes. going to be the biggest challenge the snp has had in years? yes, you know, the electoral _ the snp has had in years? yes, you know, the electoral map _ the snp has had in years? yes, you know, the electoral map in - the snp has had in years? yes, you | know, the electoral map in scotland turned almost entirely yellow back in 2015, the general election which followed the referendum campaign. of course, that was a campaign where a majority of people voted to stay in the united kingdom, but the votes in favour of independence pretty much followed the snp in that general

election campaign and the electoral map turned almost entirely yellow. polling would suggest, though, this time around the snp have a fight on their hands. there's lots of marginal seats in scotland, and at the moment, polling would suggest that labour is ahead in scotland, so there are key areas where you see there are key areas where you see the snp campaigning, not least they are arguing that the conservatives and labour speak with the same voice, that there was not much to see that is different in their policies. what they are doing with those arguments are trying to appeal to voters who might previously have voted snp but you are thinking of switching to labour because of their view that this is a campaign about who is in westminster. of course, there are other marginal seats in scotland where the conservatives and the liberal democrats would fancy their chances. the conservatives in their chances. the conservatives in the north scotland, down across the

border, constituencies, the lib dems perhaps looking at some rural constituencies as well, but the snp starting to get in the swing of things now with a lead has only been in position for a few weeks, i general election campaign, i think even he would have admitted it earlier than he would have liked but it's very interesting the issues at play today in the campaign that will be pushed out. play today in the campaign that will be pushed out-— be pushed out. absolutely, yes. lorna gordon, _ be pushed out. absolutely, yes. lorna gordon, thank _ be pushed out. absolutely, yes. lorna gordon, thank you - be pushed out. absolutely, yes. lorna gordon, thank you very i be pushed out. absolutely, yes. i lorna gordon, thank you very much indeed. the conservatives are promised a tackle on the legal definition of sex by amending the equalities act if they are re—elected. let's cross live and speak to our particle correspondent helen catt, who's been following the conservative campaign on the bus. good to see you. talk to me about what exactly the conservatives have been saying today.— been saying today. well, the conservatives _ been saying today. well, the conservatives are _ been saying today. well, the conservatives are pitching i been saying today. well, the l conservatives are pitching this been saying today. well, the i conservatives are pitching this as clearing up a bit of confusion, so what they say they are going to do is amend the equalities act so that this is the actual 2010 which gives people legal protections based on

certain protected characteristics and they include age, race and one of them is sex. now they say that they will make it clear that that means a biological sex, because as it stands, some people interpreted as meaning that, and others meaning gender recognition certificate and the conservatives say if they are re—elected they will amend the act to make it clear it's about biological sex. they say they believe that was the original intention of this legislation and the meaning has evolved over time due to social change and they want to make this change. they say it would give more legal protections to people who run groups like for example rape crisis centres to exclude those who are not biologically female for example. the other thing this would do as they would make this issue something reserved to the uk government over definition was the same the whole of the uk because we have seen attempts in the scottish parliament to set different gender id laws in the last year or so, which westminster then

had to step in to stop so that is broadly what the conservatives are saying, they are framing it as this idea of clearing up confusion, about making it all very clear. in the past though critics had accused them of stoking division and certainly some of the reaction it got to this todayis some of the reaction it got to this today is lib dems for example are accusing them of waging a phony culture war on this. they say what's needed is better guidance and that's also what labour says is needed, and they were not going to change the legislation in this way. of course, while the conservatives are saying this is the issue itself, it is likely to shine light on the position of other parties which have perhaps like labour, in the past, had quite a different experience with this topic.— had quite a different experience with this topic. helen, thank you very much _ with this topic. helen, thank you very much for— with this topic. helen, thank you very much for that. _ with this topic. helen, thank you very much for that. let's - with this topic. helen, thank you very much for that. let's get i with this topic. helen, thank you very much for that. let's get a i with this topic. helen, thank you | very much for that. let's get a bit more on this from robin white, and equality and employment lawyer who is here to explain the present equality law and what the changes

mean. robin is also described as the only practising transsexual barrister and you transitioned to three men in 2011. thank you for speaking to us on bbc news, good to speaking to us on bbc news, good to speak to you. we heard that the conservatives are framing this as something that they want to correct, a confusion they describe it as, because in their words, the original meaning of that law has evolved over time because of societal changes. do you understand where they are coming from? i’m you understand where they are coming from? �* . ., ., ,, ., from? i'm afraid to say i think what the are from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really _ from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really trying _ from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really trying to _ from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really trying to do - from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really trying to do is i from? i'm afraid to say i think what they are really trying to do is take i they are really trying to do is take away rights from trans people. for a trans person to live properly in society they have to be accepted in their affirmed gender, they changed gender, that's what the law allows them to do, and that is what in most respects, and there are exceptions, already in existing law, in most positions trans people can live in

society in their affirmed gender. the proposed changes would make that very difficult. in the proposed changes would make that ve difficult. . . , the proposed changes would make that very difficult._ take - the proposed changes would make that very difficult._ take a i very difficult. in what way? take a simle very difficult. in what way? take a simple example. _ very difficult. in what way? take a simple example, when _ very difficult. in what way? take a simple example, when i _ very difficult. in what way? take a simple example, when i go - very difficult. in what way? take a simple example, when i go to i very difficult. in what way? take a simple example, when i go to the | simple example, when i go to the supermarket, and i go and use the female lavatory, now, in future, supermarket, and i go and use the female lavatory, now, infuture, by the sound of it, we would have to take our original birth certificates along with us and presumably someone is going to police which set of lavatories we will use and under the new arrangements for example, trans women, can look very male and would be expected in that circumstance to use the female lavatory. it's crazy. society is a little complex here and there and the existing law balances that complexity and allows people to live decently and properly. what live decently and properly. what kind of an impact _ live decently and properly. what kind of an impact do _ live decently and properly. what kind of an impact do you - live decently and properly. what kind of an impact do you think you will have on the trans community, obviously going to the toilet aside, what impact will it have going forward if this changes made?

frankly, none, because the way the polls are the conservatives have no chance of being re—elected, and if they intended to make this change, why didn't they do it sometime in the past few years with a thumping majority? i think a lot of people think they didn't do it because most people, the general population, don't care about the issue, and it would have set fire to elements of the party, old elements, who believe it's allowing people to live safely and properly. it's good to talk to you. thank you very much forjoining us and thanks once again. the lib dems have called for new protections for rivers and coastlines to end what they call environmental vandalism.— what they call environmental vandalism. , ., ., ., . vandalism. the party have announced an expansion — vandalism. the party have announced an expansion of _ vandalism. the party have announced an expansion of marine _ vandalism. the party have announced an expansion of marine protected i an expansion of marine protected areas and a new blue flag status for rivers which will be included in their general election manifesto. the lib dems up to need a data cube has been campaigning in

henley—on—thames in oxfordshire. the henley-on-thames in oxfordshire. the fact is that henley—on—thames in oxfordshire. tie: fact is that there's been henley—on—thames in oxfordshire. tt9: fact is that there's been this absolute environmental catastrophe of raw sewage being pumped into our rivers and streams for far too long now and lib dems have been at the forefront of trying to call for an end to raw sewage dumping for the last three years. we put out lots of incredibly bold proposals to tax the sewage company so they can pay for the clear up and called for an end for sewage dumping and today we are calling for blue flag status. we had it for many beaches around the country which is a guarantee to people it's a safe space to swim and we think there should be the same for rivers as well. it’s we think there should be the same for rivers as well.— for rivers as well. it's an indication _ for rivers as well. it's an indication i _ for rivers as well. it's an indication i suppose i for rivers as well. it's an indication i suppose of l for rivers as well. it's an l indication i suppose of the for rivers as well. it's an - indication i suppose of the quality of the _ indication i suppose of the quality of the water? i indication i suppose of the quality of the water?— of the water? i think you'd be surprised _ of the water? i think you'd be surprised people _ of the water? i think you'd be surprised people write - of the water? i think you'd be surprised people write up - of the water? i think you'd be i surprised people write up down of the water? i think you'd be - surprised people write up down the country who use our lakes and rivers for fishing, country who use our lakes and rivers forfishing, for swimming, walking for fishing, for swimming, walking the forfishing, for swimming, walking the dog, pure enjoyment at the weekend. it doesn't matter where you are in the country, i think every single person is outraged about this

scandal with raw sewage. the fact of the match and if people cherish our local environment, it gives your mental and physical health to get out and about and i think people across the country want to see an end to this raw sewage dumping. that was basically — end to this raw sewage dumping. that was basically bassinet speak to other corresponding at the blue flag launch in henley. david, good to talk to you. the lib dems say this is the boldest manifesto on cleaning up is the boldest manifesto on cleaning up our rivers and coastlines. the state of them has been very much in focus over the past couple of years? yeah, the lib dems think this is a strong issue and they have come to henley—on—thames to make that point. henley—on—thames to make that point. henley—on—thames of course is synonymous with rowing, water sports, the regatta being held here, but also it's got a riverfront which occasionally suffers pollution in recent years. as you heard from daisy cooper, the lib dems want to expand the current scheme where you have blue flags and beaches to expand that so it would apply to

rivers and lakes so people would know whether it was safe to swim or not. and if it were not safe to swim or not, they would actually increase the penalties on water companies, talk about things like sewage tax, so clearly part of their focus in seats that's been conservative since 1910, but the lib dems think they are in with a chance here in a seat which was previously held by senior tory figures like boris johnson which was previously held by senior tory figures like borisjohnson and michael heseltine. tory figures like boris johnson and michael heseltine.— tory figures like boris johnson and michael heseltine. fantastic, thank ou ve michael heseltine. fantastic, thank you very much _ michael heseltine. fantastic, thank you very much indeed _ michael heseltine. fantastic, thank you very much indeed for _ michael heseltine. fantastic, thank you very much indeed for talking i michael heseltine. fantastic, thank you very much indeed for talking to j you very much indeed for talking to us. i think we can move now from henley all the way to mexico. claudia sheinbaum has been elected as mexico's first female president. the former mayor of mexico city had the support of the outgoing president. the election campaign was marked by unprecedented levels of violence, often carried out by organised crime gangs. ms scheinbaum has promised to reduced the violence, and improve the lives of women

in a country with one of world's highest rates of femicide. our mexico correspondent will grant has more on the significance of that result, as well as how the new president will work with the us administration. we are at the point where the country's electoral authorities have announced that claudia sheinbaum, the former mayor of mexico city is mexico's first woman president. a piece of history, an extraordinary piece of history in a country which has been so dominated by men, by machismo in the political sphere for decades, centuries, infact. here she is, broken through. she's broken the metaphorical glass ceiling for generations of women and girls in mexico to come. but for her, this is a watershed moment. and for mexico, too. i think they'll look at her record in mexico city and be buoyed by that in washington.

but, of course, there are very, very thorny issues between the two nations, the most obvious one being immigration and undocumented immigration through mexico on its way to the us. we don't know, of course, what the political landscape in the united states is going to look like with the election looming there too. so, a moment of flux. and we'll have to see how she gets on with whoever it is who takes over in the white house or if there's continuity with the biden administration. but let's just take a moment to just underline how important this is. yes, other nations in latin america have had women presidents — brazil, argentina, chile. but mexico now has its first female president. an extraordinary moment. well grant, our correspondent in mexico. south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa, has admitted his party has suffered a 'challenging' result in the country's general election. the african national congress, the party once

led by nelson mandela, has had its worst election result since the end of apartheid 3 decades ago. it means a fresh political landscape for the country, with the anc losing support because of anger over the cost of living, high levels of corruption, unemployment and crime. the party has two weeks of tough negotiations with opposition parties ahead as it attempts to form a coalition. the actor barry keegan spent years in foster homes but despite a challenging start in life he achieved hollywood success winning a bafta and wowing audiences in the film saltburn. now he is turning its attention to helping children who experience growing up in care. our reporter caught up with him at pinewood studios. it's billed as an acting master class, and it's with an actor at the top of his game. i don't think |'u - ever go home again. barry keoghan gave one of the most talked about performances in the recent thriller saltburn. we dress for dinner here.

dress for dinner? question, how did this happen? today, he's been given a makeover by some of the children at the workshop. he says it's emotional to be able to inspire kids who've experienced foster care like him. you know, it was me and my brother together. and we went through some homes and, you know, the families were lovely. and the hardest part for me was, you know, having to move on to a different family because as a youngster, you're just trying to grab onto security. so i've got a couple of the scripts here that the children are looking at. they're learning their lines, and we understand barry is going to direct them later. and here he is in character as harry potter running through lines with the children. they're calling you barry potter, by the way. i know! barry was in foster care in ireland for several years before moving in with his grandma and aunt. and today, he had a frank chat with foster parent donna from kent. do you have a different perspective now to when, like, you were in the system and when you left? when you get older, you get

a bit of perspective into, ok, that was that and that was for that reason. and this person couldn't look after me because they were sick or they had a problem or, you know, and your understanding and your acceptance towards. it's just a lot more clear, whereas before, when you're younger, you're angry at it. he's teamed up with actor's studio, which runs screen acting courses to organize today, as well as the hazel project, which is based in kent and recruits and trains foster parents. they're obviously super—excited to come and meet a genuine . hollywood film star, _ but also that they instantly bonded because there's a common . experience there, you know? and i think that, you know, - ican't stress enough, you know, the amazing work that people like donna do, you know, - as a foster parent to prepare the children for something . like this as well. fostering gives you the opportunity to change a child's trajectory in life, and it is rewarding. barry got into acting after spotting a notice looking for non—actors in a boxing clubs window. you're behaving awful unusual.

so you know, you're an oscar nominee, bafta winner. and that dance you did in saltburn is one of the most talked about things of the past 12 months. you know, these kids are with a star today. and what do you hope they take away from having met you? to be talking about this next week and so on. you know, to remember to connect with one another and, you know, to hopefully give a bit of encouragement and confidence because i know that lacks a lot in kids in care. and so it's, it's... i can only hope, you know, and i can only go forward and continue doing things like this. also, for the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area that i came from, this is for yous. his film bird, shot in kent, has just screened in cannes as he continues to highlight the work of foster parents and children growing up in care. anita kadri, bbc news.

now it's time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. hello, some weather changes are on the way. after a weekend which has had some sunshine and warmth, helped by the fact that the jet stream is to the north of the uk, building high pressure very close to us, but for the next few days, thatjet stream is going to drift its way southwards and, in doing so, is going to allow an area of low pressure to come into play. to the north of the uk, is going to be driving in some weather fronts through tuesday, and increasing and north—westerly airflow, so stronger winds, and cooler air, denoted by the more blue colours on her chart. in terms of whether it does mean the temperatures will drop across the uk this week, but it will pick up, and there are going to be frequent heavy showers around, especially in the north and the west. the south and east will stay dry. and indeed for many today it is a dry day. the main chance of rain is around this weather front. it is a fairly weak affair. still around an area of high pressure, but lots of cloud across parts of northern ireland still, the far south of scotland and northern england, seeing a few spots of light rain and drizzle, but wales,

the midlands, east anglia, a greater chance of if few light showers, too. some more cloud across the south, with some glimpses of sunshine and temperatures up to the low 20s, a lot more sunshine from the central belt of scotland northwards, but a keen breeze in the far north of scotland could just bring one or two showers. that breeze will freshen up further through tonight, and elsewhere, skies will clear for a while, cloud will build again later and we will see some showers moving to the west but mainly, across the north and west of scotland, and northern ireland. temperatures before they come in, around 9—ili, so another reasonably mild night. tuesday is our day of change, a day of transition, really. outbreaks of rain developed across scotland and northern ireland through the morning, some of which could be heavy and thundery, brightening up later. heavier rain spreads its way into parts of northern england and north wales and the north midlands. to the south of it, we will stay largely dry and still with a bit of warmth in the hazy sunshine, but to the north of that weather front, even in the sunshine, 10—15 c, a good deal cooler than we saw through the weekend. outbreaks of rain across the south through tuesday night clear, and into wednesday, we are into that

cooler air for all of us. we can showers in the north and west with some hail and thunder mixed in, and a bit of a wintry niss on the tops of the scottish hills, with temperatures well down on what we have been experiencing, and even further south, while some in the south and east will stay dry, temperatures down a little bit. in fact, for all, it will be a cooler week, temperatures close to, if not a bit below average, and showers frequent in the north and the west.

live from london, this is bbc news. in a campaign speech in the past few minutes, sir keir starmer has called labour the "party of national security" as he outlines plans to increase defence spending. even as we work tirelessly for

peace, we have to be fit to fight. the conservatives promise to update laws on sex and gender if they win the election. it means some organisations could bar transgender women from single—sex spaces. what we are trying to do is reemphasise that sex in the law meahs— reemphasise that sex in the law means biological sex. and work has just started on the £6 million rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease in leeds, a day after the death of the rugby league legend. hello. welcome to the programme. it's the start of the second full week of the general election campaign. labour leader sir keir starmer has reaffirmed his commitment to the uk's nuclear deterrent describing labour as the party of national security. sir keir said keeping britain safe should be

the "bedrock" of any government. the conservatives say if they're re—elected, they'll change the equality act, so that gender is a matter of biology. rishi sunak will announce that what he calls the "confusion over definitions of sex and gender" cannot be allowed to persist. meanwhile, the liberal democrat deputy leader daisy cooper will outline plans to give rivers and coastlines protected status to prevent water companies getting away with "environmental vandalism". and snp leaderjohn swinney has called for a "respectful" contest ahead of the scottish leaders' first television debate of the campaign. a short time ago, ina ago, in a speech in greater manchester, sir keir starmer set out his plans for national security and defence spending. and so, even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight.

and so, even as we work tirelessly for peace, we have to be fit to fight, so, let me be unequivocal. this labour party is totally committed to the security of our nation. to our armed forces, and, importantly, to our nuclear deterrent. it is essential. that is why labour has announced a new triple lock commitment to our nuclear deterrent. we will maintain britain's continuous at sea deterrent 2a hours a day, 365 days a year. we will deliver all of the needed upgrades, and we will build four new nuclear submarines, like the ones that i saw in barrow, that won'tjust keep us safe but will also support good jobs and growth across the uk. the minister for women and equality, kemi badenoch, spoke to bbc radio 4's today programme earlier about how the conservatives are short time seeking to clarify the equality act. if you look at the origin of the gender recognition act and the equality act, it's quite clear that the intentions in the law are being misinterpreted,

just because of changes, you know, social changes, and what we are trying to do is reemphasise that sex, in the law, means biological sex. it always has done. but there has been a lot of misinterpretation and we are adding that clarification, so that the law is clear. ok, so in the context or circumstances of a women's refuge or rape crisis centre, as you put out, or a women's prison, is the only relevant paperwork an original birth certificate? well, an original birth certificate is where your biological sex is recorded. for the vast majority of people, this is not going to be an issue. the change is impacting those people who have not been clear on what it means for somebody to be transgender, is there the holding of a gender recognition certificate, what it means, and we are emphasising not just what the law says, but that there have always, always, been exceptions in the equality act for single sex spaces. it is the redefining of sex that is the problem.

let's go to our chief political correspondent, henry zeffman. other party is already moving on to criticise _ other party is already moving on to criticise these policies. the lib dems— accusing the conservatives of waging phony— accusing the conservatives of waging phony culture was. that is definitely one of the prominent lines _ definitely one of the prominent lines of— definitely one of the prominent lines of criticism, yes, from the liberal— lines of criticism, yes, from the liberal democrats who have been campaigning in henley and oxford to today. _ campaigning in henley and oxford to today. but— campaigning in henley and oxford to today, but also generally on the more left and liberal end of the spectrum. that includes on this issue. this is one of the main lines of criticism. another line of criticism is that actually, as it stands under the equality act, some people argue, certain women's only settings do have the right to discriminate between those who are biologically female and those who are not, but the conservatives are adamant that the conservatives are adamant that theissues the conservatives are adamant that the issues of sex and gender have moved so much since the equality act, the piece of legislation they say they want to amend, was brought in in 2010 that it requires

clarification. they say they want, where that legislation refers to sex, to make clear that it refers to biological sex. sex, to make clear that it refers to biologicalsex. i sex, to make clear that it refers to biological sex. i think politically what the conservatives are trying to do here is, yes, obviously to appeal to those voters who have a strong preference on this issue, but also to try to force questions for other parties, and principally, the labour party, of where they stand on this issue. let's now talk about labour and what they have been coming out with today. they have talked about the fight to fit under labour. the party has put forward its defence plans, a party all about national security, but there has been criticism, hasn't there, from other politicians, about some of the shadow front bench's voting record, particularly on nuclear deterrence? labour's method today was not subtle. we have watched keir starmer's speech with the sound off, you would nevertheless see that he had standing behind him a string of

labour candidates who are former military personnel, some of them wearing their medals, and keir starmer would say that is yet another sign of what he repeatedly calls has changed labour party. he was talking about labour's commitment to the nuclear deterrent, but the criticism, as you sake, from the conservatives is that some senior members of keir starmer's front bench, including angela rayner, who we think would be the deputy prime minister if labour win, david lambie, who would be the foreign secretary, voted against renewing the trident defence system backin renewing the trident defence system back in 2016, so that is one of the sort of big tensions of labour�*s campaign, notjust on this issue but generally, which is that keir starmer is basing his entire campaign around saying he has changed the labour party and now he wants to change the country, and you have his opponents, principally the conservatives, arguing about how real and substantive that change to the labour party actually is. always good to talk to you henry. as well as claiming to the party of

national security, labour had attacked the tory record on defence. bbc verify have been looking into these claims. labour claims the conservatives have cut the army to its smallest size since napoleon, and also missed recruitment targets of the year. is that fair? as you see here, from the most recent ministry of defence data on uk armed forces personnel, it shows the number of uk regular army forces was around 75,000 in the first three months of this year, down from around 79,000 at the end of 2019, just before the last election. so the number has fallen by around 4000 over this parliament. military historians estimate this is indeed the smallest size of the regular army since the napoleonic wars in the early 19th century. though the army today has a reserve force of over 30,000, so it is slightly larger than in napoleonic times if they are factored in. the total size of the uk armed forces also fell under the last labour

government, by the way. as for the claim about recruitment targets, the mod data shows the number of non—officers recruited into the army in every year since 2010 versus the targets for that year. you can see the targets in black, the numbers recruited in blue, and then in red, the gap between the two. so that does suggest a deficit in every year except 2021, when the target was reduced. however, we need to add some relevant context to these labour criticisms. they themselves have not pledged to increase the number of soldiers, and labour's commitment today to keep the uk's trident nuclear submarine deterrent, his running costs alone are estimated to be £3 billion a year, would reduce their financial ability to do that if they won power. thank you, ben. the very latest there from bbc

verify. work has started on the £6 million rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease in leeds, a day after the death of the rugby league legend at the age of 41. his family had asked for the work to go ahead as planned, despite his death. his friend kevin sinfield has described him as a beacon of hope and inspiration. after being diagnosed with mnd nearly five years ago, rob became a prominent campaigner for research into the condition and was made a cbe for his work. my colleague sally nugent looks back at his life and legacy. rob burrow�*s life is defined by his defiance of the odds. as the smallest player on a giant's game, he was world class.

absolute legend. pound for pound probably the strongest player we had in the squad and the strongest guy who's played in super league. just feel so honoured to have played alongside him. born on the 26th of september 1982, and raised in the rugby league heartland of west yorkshire, it was obvious at an early age that rob wanted to be a professional in the sport he loved. they always used to say, "oh, he's good, is that rob. but he's never going to make it because he's not big enough." after signing for leeds rhinos as a teenager, he went on to become one of their greatest. but not long into retirement, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. it was a condition that he faced with incredible positivity. i'm not giving in until my last breath. i have too many reasons to live. the love he had for his family and the love they had for him shone through as rob made his private battle a public one to help raise awareness of mnd.

rob's aim was to be a voice to raise awareness for other people who are suffering and going through this. first, when rob was diagnosed, i was the one that would break down in tears and rob would be, pull yourself together, lindsey, we can get through this. the wider rugby league family also united behind him to raise funds for research into a condition that has no cure and no treatment. who scored the most tries out of you two? 0h, oh, him, by a oh, him, bya long way! laughter. i think he knows that as well. is he laughing? yeah, he is. he's laughing. hopefully through the campaigning we have done, we have helped to make people aware of mnd and to give people and families affected by this disease some hope. we have to keep raising funds to fight this disease until we get a cure. rob burrow overcame so many challenges, on and off the field. he will always be remembered as a giant, whether wearing the blue and amber of his beloved leeds, or wearing the warmest of smiles

in the face of a cruel disease. rob borrow, the former rugby league international, who has died at the age of 41. —— rob burrow. china has accused britain's intelligence service mi6 of recruiting a couple who worked for the chinese government to spy for the uk. the state security ministry in beijing claimed that mi6 operatives recruited the couple when they were visiting the uk and then sent them back to china to collect information. there's no word from the uk authorities on the case. claudia sheinbaum has been elected as mexico's first female president. the former mayor of mexico city had the support of the outgoing president. the election campaign was marked by unprecedented levels of violence, often carried out

by organised crime gangs. ms scheinbaum has promised to reduced the violence, to reduce the violence, and improve the lives of women in a country with one of world's highest rates of femicide. see you are watching bbc news. in a few moments, we cross live to politics live, with the latest from the campaigns from the conservatives, labour, the lib dems, the snp and all the other major parties in parliament. my colleague joe cockburn will present that. later, ben thompson is here with the latest throughout the afternoon. you are watching bbc news.

it is monday, it is 12:15pm, and we live in westminster. we are trying to reemphasise that sex in the law means biological sex.

the conservatives promised to rewrite equalities legislation to protect women only spaces, but what does that mean? also: keir starmertries does that mean? also: keir starmer tries to put the focus on defence and security. this labour party is totally committed to the defence and security— committed to the defence and security of our nation, to our armed forces, _ security of our nation, to our armed forces, and — security of our nation, to our armed forces, and importantly, to our nuclear— forces, and importantly, to our nuclear deterrent. meanwhile, diane abbott says she will run as a labour candidate. will it draw a line under the row? the last election was all about brexit. why aren't the party is talking about at this time? and tv debates kick off this week. will they change anything? joining us today are the business secretary and equalities minister kemi badenoch, shadow secretary of state for health and social care wes streeting, kate andrews of the spectator, an author and former labour adviser tom baldwin. this is politics live: election 2024.