a leader. they are so talented? a newly elected — leader. they are so talented? a newly elected mp? _ leader. they are so talented? a newly elected mp? person - leader. they are so talented? a newly elected mp? person of. leader. they are so talented? a. newly elected mp? person of the mature age _ newly elected mp? person of the mature age of — newly elected mp? person of the mature age of expense, - newly elected mp? person of the mature age of expense, why - newly elected mp? person of the| mature age of expense, why not? that's _ mature age of expense, why not? that's how — mature age of expense, why not? that's how low down the barrel we are. , ., ~ ., , . that's how low down the barrel we are. , my, . are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going _ are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going to _ are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going to be _ are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going to be mps - are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going to be mps after- are. listen, who knows which tory mps are going to be mps after the} mps are going to be mps after the election? — mps are going to be mps after the election? i think the supermajority message _ election? i think the supermajority message is getting through, i think there _ message is getting through, i think there will_ message is getting through, i think there will be a narrowing of the polls _ there will be a narrowing of the polls closer to the election, but all of— polls closer to the election, but all of us — polls closer to the election, but all of us have seen the polls, it's become — all of us have seen the polls, it's become the opinion poll election in many— become the opinion poll election in many respects. the polls get the headlines more than the policies. there _ headlines more than the policies. there will be a range of print mps, ithink— there will be a range of print mps, ithink kemi — there will be a range of print mps, i think kemi badenoch is a strong candidate, — i think kemi badenoch is a strong candidate, it feels a bit weird calling — candidate, it feels a bit weird calling out who should be leader before _ calling out who should be leader before the election. but if there were _ before the election. but if there were to — before the election. but if there were to be a leadership election, after— were to be a leadership election, after the — were to be a leadership election, after the election, which have the choice _ after the election, which have the choice have lost it... can after the election, which have the choice have lost it. . ._ after the election, which have the choice have lost it... can she warn the seat for _ choice have lost it... can she warn the seat for the return _ choice have lost it... can she warn the seat for the return of a - the seat for the return of a good friend borisjohnson? it is

the seat for the return of a good friend boris johnson?_ the seat for the return of a good friend boris johnson? it is all such massive speculation. _ friend boris johnson? it is all such massive speculation. i— friend boris johnson? it is all such massive speculation. i think - friend boris johnson? it is all such massive speculation. i think boris| massive speculation. i think boris is a great — massive speculation. i think boris is a great asset to the tory party. we know — is a great asset to the tory party. we know the mistakes he made as prime _ we know the mistakes he made as prime minister but i think, i don't know, _ prime minister but i think, i don't know. i_ prime minister but i think, i don't know, i have no idea if you want to be an— know, i have no idea if you want to be an mp _ know, i have no idea if you want to be an mp again. know, i have no idea if you want to be an mp again-— be an mp again. thank you all very much. be an mp again. thank you all very much- that's _ be an mp again. thank you all very much. that's it _ be an mp again. thank you all very much. that's it from _ be an mp again. thank you all very much. that's it from us _ be an mp again. thank you all very much. that's it from us tonight, i much. that's it from us tonight, thank you for your company. i am back tomorrow, see you then. time for a look at the weather. live from london. nigel farage launches reform uk's election manifesto — calling it a �*contract with the people' with pledges on tax, and immigration. we are running very fast to catch up and i genuinely believe that our campaign now has the momentum.

in other news, witnesses tell the bbc of the coastguard in greece deliberately throwing migrants overboard — to their deaths. an investigation by bbc panorama reveals pupils at a school for children with special educational needs were subject to bullying and physical abuse. hello, i'm kasia madera. good evening and welcome to bbc news. reform uk launched its election manifesto today, or contract as the party calls it, saying the word manifesto has been devalued. as well as policies on immigration, nigel farage outlined pledges on tax and the nhs. our political correspondent alex forsyth has this report. there was something of a stir outside this community club in merthyr tydfil. all eyes on a party that's certainly been attracting attention.

will this be your big break? well, we'll try. nigel farage was here to set out reform uk's policy platform. and wales, where labour is in charge, was a deliberate choice for a party trying to pitch itself as the opposition. people actually need some sense of being inspired, some sense of believing that somebody up at the front that believes in what they say, says what they believe and is going to show a way forward for the country. what they call a contract with the voters features plans to cut immigration on page one, proposing limits on who can come to the uk to work or live, and a pledge to stop the small boats. i have said from the start, this should be the immigration election. and there was more. plans to cut taxes, abolish nhs waiting lists, ditch net zero policies and reform benefits to get people into work. you accuse other parties of broken promises but isn't this really a list of unrealistic promises, a wish list rather

than a serious plan? it is a promise that this is what we are going to campaign for over the course of the next five years. i said at the very start, we are not going to be in government this time but we are going to provide a voice of opposition. he says he makes no apology for a radical platform but do the sums add up? you are proposing some really significant tax cuts in this contract, billions of pounds' worth, in part paid for by a £50 billion squeeze on wasteful government spending. what is going to go? the size of departments. what we are arguing for here is a very modest cut, a very modest cut... £50 billion a year. £5 in a hundred and that's the job of the whitehall bosses, is to save £5 in a hundred and anyone who's ever worked in the private sector will tell you, when times are tough, you have to cut things. and times are tough, you know? we are massively in debt, we have to become more efficient. so there would be cuts to public services to be clear? times are tough, there will be cuts to public services. no, we have no desire for any cuts at all from the concept

of things being free from the point of delivery. so you can take £50 billion out of government spending with no cuts to public services? you know what? the french have exactly the same amount of money being put in and get better returns on all health indices. we can do better. he'll hope his pitch has popular appeal. the question is how far it might take his party. alex forsyth, bbc news. justin tomlinson, the minister for energy security and net zero also appeared on the bbc earlier this evening where he was asked about the threat posed by reform to the tories. i've stood against ukip, reform, brexit party, they come up with a different name every time. the reality is there are only two people who could become prime minister in two weeks' time, sir keir starmer or rishi sunak. they are not expected,

reform, to pick up any mp5. it is a straight choice between us and labour in the election. reform are doing their level best to help to keir starmer into downing street who would then unravel everything that reform hold dear to themselves. it's cutting their nose to spite their face, it doesn't make any sense at all. we've been testing claim and counter—claim — with particularly close scrutiny of the two main westminster parties. senior labourfigures have been claiming that homeowners will pay £1i,800 more on their mortgage if the conservatives win the election. here's the shadow chief secretary to the treasury, darrenjones explaining what these figures are based on. the conservative party's manifesto which is entirely unfunded and the conservative chancellorjeremy hunt conservative chancellor jeremy hunt has conservative chancellorjeremy hunt has confirmed in a e—mail to his constituents that the money that the conservatives said they were going to raise, in order to pay for their promises, has already been spent. so

evenif promises, has already been spent. so even if the conservative chancellor is saying that they have not got the money to pay for their manifested thanit money to pay for their manifested than it seems quite clear to us that it is entirely unfunded and that means if they are going to deliver on their promises, the conservatives would have to borrow all that money, tens of billions of pounds of money just like they did with liz truss and kwasi kwarteng and we all know what happened then because people with mortgages had to pay more because of the consequence of unfunded policies that lead to more borrowing that led to changes in interest rates, we don't want to go back to that. i suppose this is what you would expect from the conservative part of the fact of the matter is everybody knows the consequences of unfunded policies from the conservatives because liz truss did it when they were in government and we had interest rates government and we had interest rates go through the roof and our mortgages and rates went up in first—time buyers cannot get mortgages when they wanted to be as interest rates spiralled and it all came a consequence of the conservatives being reckless with the economy. well do the numbers add up? it's an assertion that nick eardley from bbc verify

is going to put to the test. earlier in the campaign we looked at rishi sunak�*s dubious claim now, there's a claim from labour that risks misleading people too. this is it — that mortgages would go up £1i,800 under the conservatives. mentioned on the airwaves by senior labour figures, posted here by rachel reeves and keir starmer today. to understand why this is potentially misleading, let's look at how labour reached the figure. they've gone through the conservatives' manifesto and done their own sums. the conservatives say they will raise £12 billion from a welfare crackdown — there are big questions about that sum. but labour assume they'll raise nothing. labour also reckon plans for national service would cost a lot more than the tory manifesto says — not £2.5 billion but £5.2 billion. and putting those and other assumptions together, labour have calculated there would be a £71 billion spending gap.

labour have then assumed the conservatives would borrow all of that money, and then assumed that extra debt would push interest rates up as a result. so a number of questionable assumptions so far. bear with me, there's more. labour have then taken the average house price, assumed an 85% loan to value — even though that's higher than most mortgages — and then come up with this figure overfive years — £4,800. it's not an annual figure, it's over a whole parliament, but it involves a lot of assumptions, some of them dubious, and for that reason, it risks misleading people. in the upcoming election, labour will be hoping to expand their dominance in wales, while the conservatives are defending the ground they won last time. in 2019 welsh labour won 22 seats, making them the largest party despite the performance of the conservatives, who won their largest number

of seats in decades with 1a. and plaid cymru won four seats. but a major boundary review means the number of mps in wales has been cut from a0 to 32. 0ur wales correspondent hywel griffith has been looking the political landscape in the run up tojuly 4th. at the whitland livestock market, they know all about making decisions under pressure. but when it comes to choosing who to vote for, there seems to be reticence, resentment even. you know, what government is going to help the farmers at the minute because we feel unsupported a bit. none of them are for farming, are they, really. so do you feel forgotten or marginalised? well, yeah, that's why we don't vote. brexit has changed the landscape for welsh farmers and the subsidies they receive, leaving some here angry with both the uk conservative government and the labour administration in wales. labour has been the dominant force in welsh

politics for over a century. for the last 25 years, it's been the party of government in wales, responsible for health, education and agriculture. in this election, its record in power has come under real scrutiny. so has its new leader in wales, vaughan gething, who lost a vote of no confidence in the senedd, but insists he can lead labour to success. i'm confident that i can regain the trust of the senedd. i'm confident that i can do the job i've been elected to do just a few short weeks ago. and people will see the difference that we can make with two labour governments working together. yes, we're here and we're ready to start. if change is coming, the parents here in ammanford want to feel it in their pockets. the cost of living and childcare in particular can feel punishing. people are skint and my classes certainly, i've got parents on maternity leave so they are looking for ways to cut corners. what's important.

to me is that we can provide for the family, and at the minute, - by the time i go back to work, it's all going on childcare. - the offerforfamilies in wales is different to england, less generous, say the conservatives. we've got a labour government in wales for 25 years. they haven't done much about the cost of living standards. we've handed money over to the welsh government for things like childcare, the 30 hours of free childcare every week. that hasn't been passed on. what we have seen is millions of pounds being spent on things like the extra senedd members. take a photo from here if we can. for plaid cymru, this election is all about being seen and cutting through, trying to convince voters they can be a force in westminster. to me it's about maximising wales' voice always. we're in politics because we don't think this is as good as it gets for

wales and we are in politics fighting for westminster because we need somebody to be speaking up for wales. plaid cymru will always do that. for voters here in carmarthenshire, it's almost time to pick a winner and decide who they want their voice to be. hywel griffith, bbc news, carmarthen. there's a full list of the candidates standing in the general election available on the bbc news website. throughout this election campaign we have been asking you to contact us through your voice — your vote. one person got in touch about a plan to build a huge wind farm in radnor forest in mid wales and a corridor of pylons down the towee valley — to connect into the national grid near camarthen. 0ur correspondent colletta smith has been to speak to some of the people affected. if you come up here and look over this gate, where the fir trees are it'll run all the way through this valley. dina's been so shocked by big plans for turbines and pylons

here that she got in touch with us here at the bbc. my father was brought up just over the hill. so it means a lot to us all. but i don't want my grandchildren turning round to my daughter and saying, "what did you and nana do about it?" at least i've said something. this project would take energy produced in giant turbines on a 60 mile pylon pathway spanning almost the width of wales cutting across this landscape. people come here to the upper tywi valley for the rural delights, peace and quiet, the dark skies. you use electricity, we all do, we are using more of it, we are needing more of it, it needs to come from somewhere, doesn't it? it does. carpeting the counties of rural wales with turbines is effectively curing the disease but killing the patient. wherever energy is produced, whether it's on a hill here in powys, or up in perthshire, it's connecting in to the same national energy grid in britain. that means whoever is in charge

in westminster is responsible for working out the decisions about that mix of energy supply and how many points there are to connect it into the grid. industry groups say offshore energy won't be enough for wales or the uk to meet net zero targets. onshore wind is the cheapest, it's the quickest to build and it's the most readily deployable technology we have for renewable energy and we desperately need to upscale the amount of renewable energy we are producing if we are going to be anywhere near meeting our targets in the next decade. but many of those impacted don't agree. dyffryn and carys are fighting plans for two pylons in theirfields. they want the wires to go underground instead. we're stood under these oak trees that have been here hundreds of years and these plans could just destroy that. so you would be happy to have cables running under your [and right through the farm? sure.

they've taken a short—sighted view| and bearing in mind that the rest of us will be living with these pylons for generations to come. - this part of the world now feels suspended between britain's green energy priorities and its untouched natural beauty. continue to get in touch with us, lots more detail on the website. a bbc investigation has uncovered claims that the greek coastguard caused the deaths of dozens of migrants in the mediterranean over a three—year period — including nine people who were deliberately thrown into the water. more than a0 people are alleged to have died as a result of being forced out of greek territorial waters, or taken back out to sea after reaching greek islands. with more on this, here's paul adams. for more than ten years,

migrants looking for a better life have used a number of routes to reach europe. some travel from north africa to italy. others cross from turkey to the nearby greek islands. for many, greece is seen as the best way into europe. last year, just over 41,000 people arrived using that route. human rights groups say thousands of people seeking asylum have been forced back illegally from greece to turkey, denied the right to seek asylum, something enshrined in international and eu law. the documentary looks into the role of the greek coastguard in trying to stem the flow and it raises some serious questions. for years, the greek authorities have been accused of taking a sometimes uncompromising attitude towards asylum seekers attempting to reach the islands. the bbc has documented some of these episodes and heard stories of other practices which appear

to breach international law. video recorded last year showed one such episode. on the island of lesbos, a group of migrants, including women and children, are taken back to the shore and escorted by masked men to a waiting coastguard ship. the boat heads out to sea, out of greek waters. the migrants are put into a tiny liferaft and set adrift, found later by the turkish authorities. greece says it is investigating. it doesn't seem like it's forceful. the footage is shown to the former head of the coastguard special operations. he says he sees nothing wrong with the video. but during a break, he takes a different line. the documentary contains other shocking allegations. ibrahim says he was shot at after coming ashore on the island of samos, taken back out to sea with two

companions and thrown overboard. the two others drowned. the greek coastguard says that it strongly rejects all accusations of illegal activities and works tirelessly and with the utmost professionalism and a strong sense of responsibility and respect for human life and fundamental rights, adding that they were in full compliance with the country's international obligations. for nine years, greece has been on the front line of an issue that resonates right across europe. stopping the boats remains as politically charged as it was when the refugee and migrant crisis erupted almost a decade ago. paul adams, bbc news. and you can watch �*dead calm: killing in the med?�*

on the bbc iplayer now. an investigation by bbc panorama has revealed pupils at a school for children with special educational needs being mocked, bullied and physically abused. the school, which is based in the wirral on merseyside, says it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and five staff have been suspended. ruth clegg reports. this is life wirral, a school which says it helps children reach their full potential. inside the reality is very different. this is how some at the school talk about the pupils. inside the reality is very different. this is how some at the school talk about the pupils. those conversations were recorded by an undercover reporter for bbc panorama, who went in after whistle—blowers raised concerns about how

the children were being treated. hello, how are you? sasha spent nearly seven weeks volunteering in the sports department. the children who come here are aged between 11 and 18. many of them have autism or adhd. she filmed pupils being physically abused, bullied and mocked. paul hamill is a member of the school's senior leadership team. this is how he talks to one of the pupils who is standing right next to him. you're the best footballer in the disabled school, well done you. laughter. you know what i mean? it's like being a pirate in a blind school. later, in the car, paul hamill says he's fantasised about killing the same boy and that the boy had overheard him.

the bbc wrote to paul hamill. he did not respond. inside the school, staff are filmed manhandling the children, wrestling them to the floor and putting them in dangerous headlocks. this is alastair saverimutto. the ceo, promoting his school. since the school opened in 2021, it's received more than £2.2 million from wirral council. lawyers for mr saverimutto says he denies ever using inappropriate force on or behaving aggressively towards a pupil. mr saverimutto says he does not condone the behaviour revealed by the programme, and five members of staff had been suspended and will face disciplinary action. wirral council says it's investigating and merseyside police has been alerted. the department for education says all pupils have been removed from the school and that it will take enforcement action,

including permanent closure, should the school try to reopen. ruth clegg, bbc news. campaigning is getting into full swing in france — after president macron called a snap general election. the country's star footballer, kylian m'bappe, has taken some time out from leading the french side at euro 2024 — to call on voters to take a stand against "extremist" parties. let's just remind ourselves of what he said. translation: | think - we are in a crucial moment in history of our country. we have to evaluate things and see what our priorities are. the euros are an important moment in our careers, but i think we are citizens first of all, and we must not be disconnected from the world around us, and even less from our country. so, we know we are in a very important moment in the history of our country, in an unusual situation, and that is why i appeal to all the french people, and even more the young generation.

i think we are a generation that can make a difference. today we see that the extremes are knocking on the door of power and we have the opportunity to shape the future of our country. earlier the national rally candidate, nicolas conquer, gave the bbc his reaction to mbappe's comments. you owe it to the french nation to represent the whole nation no matter what the political beliefs are. second, as nationalfootball player and also the captain himself, he should be leading by example and following the national football federal rules which limits expressions during competitions where they should not make any political stances. they are campaigning to bring the cup back home, not make campaigns for the majority. so by making these statements, he is not bringing any unity where he should be.

france have been in euro 2024 action this evening where they beat austria 1—0 in dusseldorf. but kylian mbappe had to be substituted after this collision late in the game. he was left with a bleeding face — and it's being reported that he broke his nose. the actor, sir ian mckellen has been taken to hospital afterfalling off the stage whilst performing in the west end. the 85—year—old was taking part in a fight scene during a performance of players kings at the noel coward theatre, a shakespeare adaption, which was then abandoned. the play sees sir ian take on the lead role of falstaff for the first time in his career. before we go let's take a quick look at what's making the headlines in some of the first editions of tuesday's papers. we start with the guardian — which is leading with today's

so called commitment from reform uk. the paper quotes economists who say it does not add up — and that the party's plans were based on "extremely optimistic assumptions". turning to the i and, it also leads on reform's contract — featuring an interview with party leader — nigel farage who told the paper their income tax cuts are there to provoke debate. the daily telegraph reports that tories are turning to former prime minister borisjohnson to counter the threat from reform, while the daily mail has an exclusive interview with the prime minister rishi sunak who warns labour only wants to lower the voting age to 16 to entrench its power. the times front page also features a warning from the conservatives not to risk a "generation of socialism" under sir keir starmer. the front page of the express has a warning from banking giant hsbc that labour's plan to raise the national living wage could drive up mortgage payments. and, the star has a more light hearted take on the election — focussing on the manifesto released

by the candidate known as "count bin face". ina in a moment it will be time for election cast but not let's have a look at the weather. hello. we have seen some warm sunshine around today, particularly across parts of southern england. for other areas further north, there have been a few showers around. as we head through the day tomorrow, again, a day of sunny spells for many of us. there will be a few showers in the forecast, so not completely dry. we've got this area of low pressure sitting across the bay of biscay at the moment. that's moving its way in, and just grazes the southeast corner of england. so that's going to bring some rain through tomorrow. for the rest of this evening into tonight, then, most places looking dry, showers easing away. still quite cloudy and breezy with a few showers across northern parts of scotland.

could be one or two misty patches toward central and southern england, perhaps. a relatively cool night for this stage injune with temperatures between 8—12 celsius in our towns and cities, a touch cooler in the countryside. so, a lot of dry weather through tuesday morning. variable amounts of cloud. let's just take a look down towards the southeast. there is that area of rain moving out of the channel islands, perhaps affecting east sussex and kent, for instance, as well. but away from that area, lots of sunshine around. more showers as we head north through the spine of the country, so the midlands, the pennines up towards central parts of scotland as well. a slightly brighter day, i think, for northern ireland compared to recent days, a bit more sunshine coming through here. still a northerly breeze blowing, and we will see these showers continuing through into the afternoon across scotland and through the spine of northern england, but i think either side of that, of a fair amount of dry and settled weather. it should dry up along the south coast after the earlier rain as well. temperatures up to around 16—21 celsius for most of us. now, we've got high—pressure that's trying to ridge in from the atlantic here as we head towards the middle of the week. so that should quiet the weather down, really. heading into wednesday, another mostly dry and settled day. you are showers then we have

seen over recent days. a bit more cloud and some patchy rain into the far north—northwest of scotland. elsewhere, a bit of cloud building through the day, but some strong sunshine lifting temperatures quite widely into low 20s across southern and central parts of england and wales. high teens for scotland and northern ireland. into thursday, and again, we've got more cloud in the northwest of the uk, turning a bit more breezy with a few showers here. but for most areas, a dry, settled day, and in that sunshine, we are likely to see temperatures lifting to around about 21—22 celsius. still a bit cooler for the likes of stornoway, lerwick, where we've got the cloud, breeze and showers. but most places looking dry and settled as we head through thursday into friday, but some rain in the northwest, perhaps more widespread on saturday. this is bbc news we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour which a street after this programme. newscast from the bbc.

adam in the studio, joined by bbc business editor. hello, simon. lots of business related numbers today. lots of business stuff. good summary of yourjob there. and we are joined by alex forsyth. where in the world is alex for site? i am in my first car park for the campaign in south wales. a big milestone. glad you are not driving. definitely not driving, safe, engine off. all according to the book. the reason you are in south wales is that is where reform uk launched their contract with the british people. and we will talk about that later on in this episode. you've chased nigel farage from car park to carp park, haven't you? this is slightly reminiscent of the 2015 election when he was the leader of... many car parts involved. i feel a familiar sense of tarmac,

gravel, building, nigel farage. first, we will talk about labour.