we'll have all the latest news from the campaign. also this evening... around half a million people are left with no child benefit payments after processing problems at hmrc. and i am here in newcastle as england's footballers face one of their final warm england's footballers face one of theirfinal warm up games for euro 2024. on bbc london... and coming up on bbc news — enzo maresca has left leicester after helping them get promotion to the premier league. he'll manage chelsea next season after signing a five—year deal. good evening. nigel farage says he's returning

to frontline politics and will run as a candidate in the general election for the reform uk party, which he will now also lead. he's to contest the seat of clacton in essex, his eighth attempt to become an mp, having previously said he wouldn't run in this election. but he's changed his mind because he said he didn't want to "let millions of people down." he also predicted that labour would win the election, and that as a member of parliament, he could provide more of an opposition to sir keir starmer than the conservatives, whom he claims are "incapable." lucy manning has all the details. mr farag, are you standing? we will find out in the _ mr farag, are you standing? we will find out in the moment, _ mr farag, are you standing? we will find out in the moment, won't - mr farag, are you standing? we will find out in the moment, won't we? | find out in the moment, won't we? why have you changed your mind? who says — why have you changed your mind? who says i — why have you changed your mind? who says i have? _ who says i have? you said ten days ago you are not going _ you said ten days ago you are not going to _ you said ten days ago you are not going to stand. _ you said ten days ago you are not going to stand, so why _ you said ten days ago you are not going to stand, so why the - you said ten days ago you are not . going to stand, so why the change? do you _ going to stand, so why the change? do you ever— going to stand, so why the change? do you ever change _ going to stand, so why the change? do you ever change your— going to stand, so why the change? do you ever change your mind - going to stand, so why the change? | do you ever change your mind about anything ever? he said he wouldn't, but now he will. a major u—turn, a change of heart thrust nigel farage into the heart thrust nigel farage into the heart of the general election campaign.

i can't let down those millions of people. i simply can't do it! it would be wrong. so i have decided... i've changed my mind. it's allowed, you know! it's not always a sign of weakness. it could potentially be a sign of strength. so i am going to stand in this election. margaret thatcher famously said she wasn't _ margaret thatcher famously said she wasn't for _ margaret thatcher famously said she wasn't for turning. you are obviously— wasn't for turning. you are obviously for turning. why the massive — obviously for turning. why the massive u—turn all of a sudden? this_ massive u—turn all of a sudden? this is— massive u—turn all of a sudden? this is the — massive u—turn all of a sudden? this is the old thing about hearts and heads, isn't it? i rationally thought this was too difficult. i have change my mind because i can't let down millions of people who would feel let down by me unless i was at the front and lead this charge over the course of the next five and a half years. a reform uk source says mr farag loves the theatre of it all and says he put himself centre stage at this election, but the worry for the

conservatives is that he will divert votes away from them. mr farage, who had been named a chicken for not running, was also named the new reform uk leader. when the election was called, he had said it was too soon and he was also too busy with us politics. six weeks in such a short period of time to find a parliamentary constituency and promote the cause around the country, and i think rishi sunak has wrong—footed an awful lot of people, myself included. nigel paul farage. included. niel paul faraae. .,, nigel paul farage. he has tried seven times — nigel paul farage. he has tried seven times before _ nigel paul farage. he has tried seven times before to - nigel paul farage. he has tried seven times before to be - nigel paul farage. he has tried seven times before to be an . nigel paul farage. he has tried i seven times before to be an mp, nigel paul farage. he has tried - seven times before to be an mp, so will it be eighth time lucky in clacton in essex? the seaside town, big brexit voters, and previously had a new kip mp. today's announcement making waves. no, i wouldn't want him running the country, but it is funny, some of the things he says and does. it is

like a good old british style, really. but no, i wouldn't want him running the country. you really. but no, i wouldn't want him running the country.— running the country. you know, i think if he ran _ running the country. you know, i think if he ran for _ running the country. you know, i think if he ran for clacton, - running the country. you know, i think if he ran for clacton, he - think if he ran for clacton, he will win it _ win it. i- win it. i think he's win it. — i think he's marvellous. i win ii. — i think he's marvellous. i think he's _ i think he's marvellous. i think he's a — i think he's marvellous. i think he's a perfect _ i think he's marvellous. i think he's a perfect gentleman. - i think he's marvellous. i thinki he's a perfect gentleman. he is i think he's marvellous. i think- he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated — he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated. and _ he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated. and i— he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated. and i think— he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated. and i think he's - he's a perfect gentleman. he is very well educated. and i think he's veryl well educated. and i think he's very good _ well educated. and i think he's very good for— well educated. and i think he's very good for the — well educated. and i think he's very good for the job _ good for the job. the _ good for the job. | the conservatives good for the job. - the conservatives say, as good for the job. _ the conservatives say, as he good for the ion. — the conservatives say, as he won't be prime minister, it is a wasted vote, a blank check for labour. but nigel farage says he will surprise everyone again. lucy manning, bbc news. we got a bit of a flavour there of what some of the people of clacton think of nigel farage campaigning in the area. laura foster is in the seaside town for us now. what have you been hearing? if i had to describe the reaction of people here, in one word, it would be surprised. as news began to ping around people's phones, there were some cries of, you must bejoking!

but there was also some nodding and smiling. everyone we have spoken to today seemed to know who nigel farage is, but they had a lot of different opinions on him and on reform uk, but this is an area where that party could perform very well. in the brexit referendum, it had one of the highest percentages of leave voters in the country. nigel farage will officially launch his candidacy here tomorrow at midday, but he is by no means the only person competing to be mp in clacton. indeed. thank you for that, laura foster, by the seaside in clacton. here is a list of candidates we know about so far standing in the clacton constituency. bbc news website will have a complete list once they are all confirmed. the labour leader sir keir starmer says if he becomes prime minister, he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend the uk. at campaign event in bury, he said his party would increase at a campaign event in bury, he said his party would increase defence spending and update the country's nuclear arsenal. both the tories and labour are keen to make national security

a prominent issue in this election, as chris mason reports. the fusilier museum in bury in greater manchester is a shrine to military service. today, the man who wants to be prime minister wants to convince you the country would be safe in his hands. look at those around him. they have each served in the forces. they are now labour candidates. national security is the most important issue of our times. something which, of course, is always true. and which for us, if we are privileged to serve our country, will become our solemn responsibility. and labour is promising to keep the uk's nuclear weapons if it winds. keir starmer, you could be prime minister next month. if circumstances necessitated it, would you authorise the firing of

nuclear weapons, yes or no? it's a vital part of our defence, and of course, that means we have to be prepared to use it. how things have changed. i can't imagine being invited to a place like this for a speech by his predecessorjeremy corbyn. i want to be here because of my beiief— i want to be here because of my belief in— i want to be here because of my belief in a — i want to be here because of my belief in a nuclear free future! here — belief in a nuclear free future! here addressing a campaign for nuclear disarmament rally in 2016. in that same year, half a dozen members of the current shadow cabinet voted against renewing the uk's nuclear weapons. has the labour leopard really changed its spots on defence? i lead this party. i have changed this party. if we are privileged to come in to serve, i will be the prime minister of the united kingdom. and i have got my whole shadow cabinet behind me. one of those opponents eight years ago, labour's now deputy leader, but she backs the current policy, but chose to mention something today her

boss did not. globally, we should be looking at disarmament of nuclear weapons, but that has— disarmament of nuclear weapons, but that has to _ disarmament of nuclear weapons, but that has to be done in combination with other— that has to be done in combination with other countries. the _ with other countries. the scottish national party are opposed to nuclear weapons. the liberal democrats criticised conservative cuts to the army, and the tories are having a go at labour. you have got keir starmer promising everything on defence, 2.5%, when conditions allow. i would love to do everything when conditions allow, it's just, everything when conditions allow, it'sjust, you can't believe everything when conditions allow, it's just, you can't believe a word this guy says. let's talk about money. you have talked about labour spending 2.5% of national income on defence, but not put a timeframe on it. isn't it meaningless without a time frame? we must increase defence spending to deal with— we must increase defence spending to deal with the increasing threats we face _ deal with the increasing threats we face. �* , , face. but by when? we will _ face. but by when? we will undertake i face. but by when? | we will undertake a face. but by when? - we will undertake a defence face. but by when? _ we will undertake a defence review withih_ we will undertake a defence review within the _ we will undertake a defence review within the first year. we will look at the _ within the first year. we will look at the threats we face, the capabilities we need, and we will set the _ capabilities we need, and we will set the plan to hit 2.5% as part of that review — that review. labour look and sound very

that review. — labour look and sound very different on defence than they did. the question for you is, how that might change your view of them or not. chris mason, bbc news, in bury. the conservatives say they want to update equality laws to define sex as someone's biological sex. they say current confusion over definitions cannot be allowed to continue, and updating the law would make biological sex a protected characteristic. that means it would be easier to create protected spaces for women and girls. labour say they wouldn't amend the law, and accuse the conservatives of stoking a culture war. here's alex forsyth. flanked by young footballers, the prime minister claimed today he was tackling an issue to improve the safety of women and girls. the conservatives want to change the equality act so sex would mean biological sex. they say that would make it clearer that single sex spaces, from public toilets to refuges, can be for biological women and girls only, not those born male,

even they have legally changed their sex on their birth certificate. the equalities minister claims this is necessary because there has been confusion and legal challenges over the issue. we have, you know, rapists being put in women's prisons and that being said to be legal. we can'tjust leave this and say, "oh, well, you know, we'lljust put out some more guidance." we've put out the guidance, it's not working, people going to court, endless tribunals. we need to settle this once and for all. labour point out there is already provision for single sex spaces. they would issue more guidance, but claim the tories are just trying to divert attention. we've seen, whether it's through this or national service, i think an attempt by the conservatives to generate some debates which are not about the economy, or the nhs, or law and order and criminaljustice to move away from those issues where the conservatives have an appalling record. even the lib dems, no stranger to political stunts of their own, called this a distraction to stoke a culture war. where a public service needs to have further guidance, we are happy to issue that guidance,

but let's not pick apart legislation that reflects the hard—fought and hard—won protections given to women, to trans women, and to all sorts of people from protected characteristics. the conservatives have been accused of trying to stoke tensions, not least in other political parties. they say it's a point of principle. this is a complex and sensitive area that can involve balancing the rights of those involved, and it's already been proven this issue is not easy to navigate. tensions were brought to the fore when the scottish government tried to change the law to make it easier for people to change their legal sex, only to be blocked by uk ministers. now the tories say decisions on this issue should be taken in westminster — not something welcomed by the snp. it's just another example of undermining the powers of the scottish parliament. now, obviously i don't want to see that, because i believe we should have a parliament with the full range of powers to tackle all of the issues that affect

the people of scotland. so, a policy change that's needed, or an issue being used as a political football? another point of contention in this campaign. alex forsyth, bbc news. let's hearfrom chris again, who's in salford. chris, did the big campaign news come from one of the two men most likely to be prime minister after the election today, or did it come from someone who is a rather long shot? in pure news terms, i think it came from nigel farage. there was a familiar pattern, clive, to the beginning of the day. you had the fireworks from the conservatives of an announcement that made news, that alex was just bringing us the details of there. then you have the attempt from labour of a reassuring comfort blanket. but then, enter nigel farage, a master of political theatre. just a week ago, he told me he would not stand as a candidate at the election. he was giving every impression that his ga was over the

atlantic towards the presidential election that would election in the autumn. —— his gaze. here we are, a week later, grabbing the attention, and by seizing the leadership of reform uk, has not only created another news moment, it also gives him a platform and a profile on this campaign that being merely an horrific president would not have afforded him. he has made a career of grabbing attention, nigel farage, and is managing to do it again. —— and is managing to do it again. —— and ona and is managing to do it again. —— and on a horrific president. as you say, he is likely to be, and his party is likely to be a bit part player in terms of winning seats, probably, but my goodness, their capacity to scare the conservatives is absolutely polls, as if rishi sunak did not have enough to worry about already! thanks for that, chris mason in

salford. work to build the rob burrow centre for motor neurone disease in leeds has begun, a day after the death of the former rugby league player. rob had a stellar 17—year career that included winning eight super league grand finals, three world club challenges and two challenge cups. the 41—year—old had lived with mnd since 2019, and spent recent years raising awareness of the disease. here'sjohn maguire. two, one... cheering and applause. it's the moment that rob burrow was determined would go ahead today without delay. a spade went into the ground for the first time to create the motor neurone disease centre in leeds that will bear his name. along with rob's family was his former team—mate kevin sinfield. between them, they've raised almost £15 million. some of that money will help to build this centre. it will be rob's legacy. i wish he could have seen the outpouring of love. i think we all lose special people,

but it's very, very rare you lose someone who is so special to so many different people. rob's family say this new facility meant the world to him, and despite this being such a difficult day, it's a very proud moment. it's just amazing to be here today for rob. he'll be flying the flag, and we'll beat the drum, and we will keep doing it, raising money, and we will get a cure. not just the care centre - but a breakthrough for people with mnd so it's not the hell on earth that it's been. - rob played a part in designing the centre purpose—built and a one—stop shop for patients and theirfamilies. well, in the hours since rob's death, the tributes have built and built here at headingley. he played for the leeds rhinos 400 times during his career and won absolutely everything there was to win. lots of shirts, flowers, scarves,

and in particular this one seems to be the perfect sentiment. it says he was a legend on the pitch and a hero off it. the centre in his name will stand testament to his life, defined by determination and by defiance. john maguire, bbc news, leeds. and you can watch a special bbc news documentary, there's only one rob burrow, tonight at 8.30 on bbc one. about half a million people have been left without their child benefit payment today after a processing issue at hm revenue and customs. hmrc has apologised and say those affected will receive the payments on wednesday morning. theo leggett is here. a processing problem, what's that? problem in the computer system at hmrc. about 1.6 million people were

due to get their payments today, the majority did, but because the groups of payments are so large, they go out in batches. we are told that three out of ten batches did not work properly, which meant people were left without their money. for people on lower incomes in particular, that can be a big problem. it is notjust not getting the money, it is not knowing when they would get it either. among those people was susan macdonald, it disabled mother of two from dundee. her husband works in construction, and she told me that the family relies on this money to pay for essentials such as food and electricity. we need, we rely on that money every week. it's £42 that you get for two kids, and that is a lot of money to people like myself. and i can't imagine what... other people must be feeling the exact same way. it's so frustrating. well, hmrc has now apologised, as you mentioned earlier. people will receive their payments, we are told, on wednesday morning. hmrc says that anyone who has incurred a direct

financial loss because of not getting their payments, for example if they have been fined by the bank for a missed direct debit or something like that, they can apply for redress, but they have to apply for redress, but they have to apply for it online. meanwhile, hmrc says the problem has been fixed and anyone due to get payments tomorrow will get their money.— the time is 6.18. our top story this evening... nigel farage has announced he's the new leader of the reform party and will stand as a candidate in the election. coming up: we report from russia on putin's attempts to silence criticism of the war in ukraine. coming up on bbc news — tributes to rob burrow have been pouring in, following the death of the rugby league star. fans have left flowers and scarves outside of headingley stadium for burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019. ahead of the election, we're getting the latest from our reporters right across the uk, finding out what's at stake in their backyards, and the key issues

concerning local people. this evening, we'll hear from anna whittaker, who's in stoke on trent, but first, david delday is in kirkwall in 0rkney. david. it's well over 500 miles from here to do in london. we are much closer to do in london. we are much closer to scandinavia, norway roughly 300 miles in that direction. yes, voters in 0rkney and shetland often feel quite far away from the centres of power. but these islands also punch well above their weight, traditionally in things like farming, fishing and oil and gas, or more recently with the booming cruise industry and in the development of marine renewables. now, 0rkney produces far more power than people here actually use. domestic wind turbines and solar panels are just about everywhere, and there are plans for giant windfarms with turbines taller than skyscrapers, both on land and at sea. energy is a hot topic.

the fierce wind which creates that power means it takes more electricity to heat our homes. fuel poverty is amongst the worst in the country and energy bills are often double the uk household average. six candidates have announced they are standing. a liberal mp has been returned here at every general election since 1950. we lost you there david. thank you for that. now over to anna in stoke. you join me live from stoke on try on it, in the former heart of the red ball. —— stoke—on—trent. there are three seats up for grabs here and they've always been dominated by labour mps until 2019, when voters in their droves took a chance on borisjohnson and the conservatives. the tories made history that night,

winning all three seats in stoke for the first time. but could the tides be about to change? well, boundary changes to all three seats could make a difference in this election, and one of those 2019 mps is standing down. jo gideon for stoke central will not contest her seat. the main issues i hear time and again here are around immigration and the nhs. stoke is famously known as the home of the pottery industry, but the prolific use of a synthetic drug called "monkey dust" and the number of empty buildings here are big concerns for locals. the polls are suggesting labour will take all three seats here. clearly, stoke will be one to watch as a key election battleground for the next month. 0k, anna, thank you for that, reporting for as they from stoke. —— reporting for as they from stoke. —— reporting for as they from stoke. —— reporting for us. and many of you have been telling us you want to be more involved

in this election campaign, and so we want to hear from you. it's your voice, your vote. what issues really matter to you, what do you really care about, and where do you want us to report from and why? we'll take a look at your suggestions, and they'll help shape our coverage. do tell us your thoughts throughout the campaign, and you can find the details of how to get in touch on the bbc news app. since russia's full—scale invasion of ukraine, the crackdown on dissent inside russia has been intense, and getting worse. a string of repressive laws have been adopted to silence criticism of the war and the kremlin. but as steve rosenberg reports, some russians are still finding ways to express their deep concerns. there are some faces you expect to see now in any russian town. but there are faces, too, that may surprise you. in ivanovo, this is the george orwell library — an oasis of free thought in an increasingly repressive russia. alexandra runs the library, which opened after the invasion of ukraine. there are books on russia's totalitarian past and dystopian

novels about big brother controlling you. so, what are the lessons of 0rwell�*s 1984 for russia 202a? translation: that mankind must resist total control, _ total brainwashing. that everyone can protect their personal space and freedom if they understand what's going on around them, if they want to be free and have the will. there are talks, too. this one on how to overcome a sense of helplessness. lectures and literature encouraging russians to think about what's happening in their country. the library insists it's not breaking any laws, but the subject matter here is very sensitive. any honest discussion about russia's past or present can bring trouble — and trouble they have. the local businessman who's been funding the project has fled abroad, wanted by police.

now the library has been told to vacate the building. but most people in ivanovo pass the library by, for a variety of reasons. in the city centre, a big band, but no talk of big brother. some here embrace the direction in which russia is moving. "we are growing more independent," vladimir says, "less reliant on the west." "we are making progress," says natalia. "as putin says, it's a new stage for russia." and russia's war in ukraine? "i don't watch anything about that now," nina says, "it's too upsetting." i find that, for many russians, it's too distressing to even contemplate that what is happening today carries the risk of a dystopian tomorrow. steve rosenberg, bbc news, ivanovo.

president biden's son hunter has gone on trial on gun charges, which he denies. it follows his purchase of a handgun in 2018, when, by his own admission, he was addicted to drugs. tom bateman is outside court in wilmington in the state of delaware. tom, just tell is exactly what the charges are. tom, just tell is exactly what the charges are-— tom, just tell is exactly what the charges are. tom, just tell is exactly what the charies are. ~ , ., charges are. well, the messages of su ort charges are. well, the messages of summit don't _ charges are. well, the messages of support don't come _ charges are. well, the messages of support don't come much _ charges are. well, the messages of support don't come much strongerl charges are. well, the messages of. support don't come much stronger in this courtroom than the form of the first lady, the wife of the us president, the stepmother of the defendant, jill biden, who has been in court to support hunter biden as this court case has gone into its first day. i was watching from the press benches as he turned from the defence table to glance at the first lady. as to those charges, these all date back to 2018 when hunter biden

bought a handgun from a gun store here in wilmington, delaware. the prosecution alleges that he failed to declare illegal drug addiction on a federalform when to declare illegal drug addiction on a federal form when he did so. to declare illegal drug addiction on a federalform when he did so. now, he has very publicly acknowledged his long battles with drug and alcohol addiction, his long battles with drug and alcoholaddiction, but the his long battles with drug and alcohol addiction, but the defence will argue that at the time he ticked that box he wouldn't have regarded himself as a drug addict. he denies all three felony counts. it is the political overtones, i think, that will dominate much of the coverage in the us as republicans have repeatedly tried to link scandals surrounding hunter biden to the us president. as for joe biden himself, he made a short statement in written form before the trial began, saying that he could not comment on a federal legal case, but as a father he said he supported his son's strength and resilience in the face of overcoming addiction, something he said many families could sympathise with.—

something he said many families could sympathise with. tom, thanks for that. could sympathise with. tom, thanks for that- tom _ could sympathise with. tom, thanks for that. tom bateman _ could sympathise with. tom, thanks for that. tom bateman live - could sympathise with. tom, thanks for that. tom bateman live in - for that. tom bateman live in wilmington, delaware. a mother has pleaded not guilty to killing herfour sons, who died in a house fire in south london. deveca rose was charged with the manslaughter of leyton and logan hoath, aged three, and kyson and bryson hoath, four. the brothers, who were two sets of twins, died after the fire in sutton in december 2021. a man has appeared in court charged with the murder and kidnap of a 17—year—old girl who vanished on her way from a nighclub near felixstowe in suffolk in 1999. victoria hall was last seen alive near her home in trimley saint mary. steve wright, who is 66, didn't enter a plea. he's also charged with the attempted kidnap of a 22—year—old woman the previous night. chelsea have appointed enzo maresca as their new head coach on a five—year contract. the italian led leicester to the championship title last month during his first season at the club. he replaces mauricio pochettino, who left stamford bridge by mutual consent.

colin gibb, from the duo black lace — who's song agadoo is one of the most enduring and arguably most annoying earworm pop songs ever — has died at the age of 70. #to # to the left, to the right... # gibb, along with partner alan barton, reached number two in the charts in 1984. despite being kept off top spot by george michael's careless whisper, the song became a staple at parties and weddings. we were going to get a little bit more of that. that's a shame. we were also going to bring you news of the euro matches, but technical issues have interviewed. apologies for that. issues have interviewed. apologies forthat. it issues have interviewed. apologies for that. it is probably the weather. i will not blame you, staff, i will blame the weather. beat spring stats have been released. _ blame the weather. beat spring stats have been released. good _ blame the weather. beat spring stats have been released. good evening i blame the weather. beat spring stats have been released. good evening to| have been released. good evening to you. one surprising thing is the may

stats. it has been the warmest may on record, would you believe? that is not because we have had scorching hot sunny days of the time. you can see the anomaly map finely shows that the greatest anomaly has been across the northern half of the country, particularly scotland, who had lots of wind and rain. nights have been consistently very mild which is why we have seen that anomaly map greater across northern areas and has pushed it into being the warmest may on record. the same cannot be said for the first week of june. things are turning a lot cooler as we move through this week. a blast of arctic air spreading southwards across the country. it will be quite noticeable. some chilly nights to come. gardeners take note, there could be frost in one or two back sheltered spots. as we head there tonight, much the same. plenty of cloud, some rain getting into the far north—west by the end of the night. temperature starting to come down. again, with the cloud cover, like we saw in me, that blankets the temperatures, so

it'll be another mild night to come. as we head through tuesday, that's where the front spreading south, it is a cold front, there were some heavy burst of rain. maybe some heavy burst of rain. maybe some heavy showers across the far south—east before the rain arrives. sky is brightening behind, sunshine for scotland and northern ireland. the last of the warm weather across the south—east, 20—21. wednesday, all into that cooler air mass, a blustery west north—westerly wind. showers across the northern half of the country. they will be heavy at times with some thunder mixed into some of them. best chance of staying dry across the south and east, but those temperatures tend to around 15. it stays cool with sunshine and showers for the rest of the week. thank you for that. that's it. have a very good evening. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm jane dougall. scotland's warm up match

against gibraltar has kicked off, we'll update you.