a conservative candidate is also being looked into over a bet relating to the timing of the general election. also on the programme... inflation falls to its lowest rate for almost three years — helped by slightly lowerfood prices. the search continues in the canary islands for a british teenager, jay slater, who's been missing since monday. launching their manifesto — the scottish national party says winning a majority of seats in scotland would mean independence negotiations could begin after the election. commentator: it's deflected in! and a draw for scotland against switzerland keep the tartan army's hopes alive at the euros. yes, a goal in cologne for scotland gives them a precious point here at the euros. stay with us here on bbc news for

continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. a police officer working as part of the prime minister's close protection team has been suspended and later arrested over alleged bets about the timing of the general election. and, as we come on air tonight, we can reveal that a second conservative candidate is being looked into by the gambling commission — the industry regulator — over a bet relating to when the general election would be. it isn't known when the bet was placed orfor how much money. our political editor chris mason broke the stories — and has this report. the prime minister in suffolk this morning visiting a nuclear power plant, and wherever he goes he has close protection officers out of

view, nearby. iwas close protection officers out of view, nearby. i was tipped off tonight that one of them had put bets on the timing of the general election. the metropolitan police acknowledged i was right, they were informed by the gambling commission, the regulator, on friday, and the force said... and that is not all. this is laura saunders, the conservative party candidate in bristol north west, and has worked for the tories since 2015, including at their head office in westminster. i was also told that the gambling commission was looking

into a bet from her about the timing of the general election. we don't know when the bet was placed or for how much. she has not commented tonight. the conservative party spokesperson told the bbc... another one of those individuals was another conservative candidate who was a parliamentary aide to the prime minister. joe pike caught up with him last week. did prime minister. joe pike caught up with him last week.— with him last week. did you have information _ with him last week. did you have information from _ with him last week. did you have information from inside - with him last week. did you have information from inside when - information from inside when you placed your bet? it is information from inside when you placed your bet?— placed your bet? it is an independent _ placed your bet? it is an independent process - placed your bet? it is an l independent process with placed your bet? it is an - independent process with the gambling commission and i will not be expanding on that statement. did ou be expanding on that statement. you have any be expanding on that statement. d c you have any information? be expanding on that statement. did you have any information? i- be expanding on that statement. did you have any information? i made i be expanding on that statement. did you have any information? i made a| you have any information? i made a huge error — you have any information? i made a huge error of _ you have any information? i made a huge error ofjudgment, _ you have any information? i made a huge error ofjudgment, that - you have any information? i made a huge error ofjudgment, that is - you have any information? i made a huge error ofjudgment, that is for. huge error ofjudgment, that is for sure _ huge error of 'udgment, that is for sure. ~ ~ ., , huge error of 'udgment, that is for sure. ~ ~ . ., sure. mr williams acknowledged he had laced sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a _ sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet — sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet of— sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet of £100 _ sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet of £100 on - sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet of £100 on a - sure. mr williams acknowledged he had placed a bet of £100 on a july l had placed a bet of £100 on a july election, three days before it was

called. fourweeks election, three days before it was called. four weeks to the day on from rishi sunak surprising many with a summer election, its timing is still generating headlines. chris mason, bbc news. you can find a full list of candidates standing in the general election on the bbc website. inflation has hit the bank of england's target for the first time in almost three years. prices rose at 2% in the year to may, compared to 2.3% the month before — the fall was driven by a slow down in rising prices forfood, soft drinks and furniture. but petrol prices went up sharply. rishi sunak said bold action by the conservatives meant the economy had turned a corner. the labour leader sir keir starmer said the lower rate didn't mean "life had got easier for many people". here's faisal islam. it's here in the supermarket where you get a real sense of the inflationary shock to the level of prices. if you want lamb, well, that will the cost you 10% more

than this time last year. yet that pales into insignificance for olive oil, up nearly a0%. but some staples are starting to come down in price. milk, cheese and rice, for example. officially, goods price inflation is now negative, driven by falls in energy prices. and that is what's led to the overall rate of inflation being bang on target, 2%, finally. of inflation being bang so this is the rate of inflation across the economy. after reaching double digit levels, it's now hit 2% for the first time in nearly three years. but for services from hotels and restaurants to hairdressers, it's only really going down rather slowly — the key measure for the bank of england in deciding interest rates. and this chart shows what shoppers know, that overall prices are up 25% since the beginning of 2022. it's just that over the past year, that rate of increase has slowed to under 2%. you got food left or is it all gone? and those rises have affected butcher gary in sussex

but he says things are finally starting to stabilise. the actual price of the product is pretty much stationary now. well, we hope it's stationery. it would be nice if it would come down, but i can't see that. not in the foreseeable future anyway. have you made your mind up how are you going to vote? this is the last major economic statistic of the election campaign and the chancellor wants the credit with voters. you didn't accept the blame when inflation went to double digits and now you want the credit cos it's come back to target. it is true that inflation went up because of global factors, and global factors have also contributed to its fall. but it's also true that very difficult decisions that i took, working alongside the bank of england, meant that it didn't become an inflationary spiral. how do you think the campaign is going? of course, it's tough, and we recognise the way we'll win this election and do better than people predict, at the very least, is by arguing on the substance. i think it's very important if labourwin, that they have an effective

opposition in parliament. this is rachel. hello. and in swindon, an inflation day walkabout in a supermarket for the labour leadership team. unlike conservative ministers, i'm not going to tell people that everything is fine. i know that the cost of living crisis is still acute. it wasn't preordained that inflation would come down to 2%. it wasn't pre—ordained that it would go into double digits either. the reason why our inflation rate peaked at a higher rate than so many other countries is that we were so badly exposed to the cost of living crisis. i do, of course, welcome the fact that it's back to target, but working people have paid a high price these last few years with higher mortgage rates and higher rents. so inflation is now at target, but the voting public may not feel that the prices are now right. faisal islam, bbc news. scotland have a precious point

after a draw with switzerland keeping their dreams alive in their euro 2024 campaign. the team is now back on track after they lost their opening match against the hosts germany 5—1. 0ur correspondentjane dougall is in cologne. if you had said to anyone scottish at the beginning of the day, that they would have ended the day with a point, then they would have taken that. it was pretty nervy but the scotland fans saw a side of their team that has been missing for quite a while, especially in that first match. now it seems the belief is back. an army of pipers led the way, carrying the hopes of more than 20,000 scotland fans who walked en masse to the stadium in cologne. inside, a wall of noise, as the players sang their anthem,

the passion echoing around the stands. the tartan army willed scotland to turn their tournament around. for a moment it worked — a fumble in the box, but callum mcgregor recovered to set up scott mctominay. mctominay! it is deflected in! scotland lead! the ball came off a swiss player. they didn't care. just the start they wanted. back in glasgow the party had started. it didn't last long. a bad pass and switzerland pounced. the ball was a loose one. shaqiri! what a goal!

that is an unbelievable finish. the tables had turned in the crowd. just before the break, switzerland struck again. angus gunn, reaching out to keep scotland in it. commitment is everything but kieran tierney pushed too hard, clutching at his hamstring and had to be stretchered off. this game is about fine margins. a perfect delivery from captain andy robertson. it was a teasing one, but the header ricocheted off the post. grant hanley pleading with the heavens and the fans begging for more. time for a nervy last minute winner? robertson sent a header dangerously across the face of goal. not quite. a draw keeps scotland's hopes alive, and the vocal tartan army will follow their heroes as they head to stuttgart to play their last group game on sunday. that game is against hungary and scotland will need to get a win from that match if they want to get through to the knockout stages of this major tournament. if they were to do that, it would be for the first time ever. hungary played

germany earlier today, the other countries in scotland's. germany won 2-0. countries in scotland's. germany won 2—0. gundogan with the second goal, the former manchester city man, and this means that hungary are now bottom of the group and scotland are in third place. the emotion that we saw in the stands here tonight in cologne clearly inspired this scotland side to deliver and if passion could be converted into points, well, scotland would be safely through.— points, well, scotland would be safely through. thanks for 'oining us. the mother of a teenager who's gone missing in tenerife has revealed it was his first holiday away with friends. 19—year—old jay slater was last heard from on monday morning. he called a friend saying he was trying to walk back through a national park after missing a bus, but was lost. nick garnettjoins us from the island now.

this is where jay slater was staying, one of the busiest and most popular resorts on the island, 20 miles to the north in one of the most remote areas of the island where the search is going on, though, and that is where police, mountain rescue workers and scores of locals have beenjoining in the search. it's now been over two days since jay slater disappeared. this was the 19—year—old's first holiday with friends. this was the 19—year—old's first he spent the weekend at a music festival. but after meeting people on sunday night, he headed to the far north—west of the island to stay with them and he hasn't been seen since. his last known location was here in the rural de teno national park. one of jay's friends says she last heard from him on monday morning. he told her he said he was going to walk back to where he was staying, a ten hour trek to the south—west of the island.

but the call was cut short when his battery ran out. search teams and relatives have been working tirelessly to try and find any sign ofjay. drones and search dogs are being used but the mountainous terrain hasn't made it easy. jay's mum says her son is a bubbly guy with hundreds of friends. they are all hoping for positive news. nick garnett, bbc news, tenerife. the scottish national party has launched its election manifesto with independence as a top priority. the snp leaderjohn swinney said if his party won a majority of scottish seats, it should mean negotations over leaving the uk would start after the election. there was also a focus on investing billions more in the national health service. 0ur scotland editor james cook reports applause the snp leader, john swinney, promised independence would be front and centre of this manifesto,

and it is. at the very heart of our beliefs is the principal that decisions about scotland should be made by the people who live in scotland. not independence for its own sake. independence for the powers to protect our national health service and to help people through tough times. independence for a stronger economy and happier, healthier lives. it's ten years since scotland voted against independence in a referendum. mr swinney says so much has changed, it's time for another one. i think scotland should have a referendum to become independent. i think it's the democratic approach to do so, and that's what the people of scotland voted for in 2021. should or must? must. if someone really doesn't want independence but they like the look of your government, or your offer at this westminster election, should they vote for you? yes. so how could this then be a mandate for independence if you are accepting that people might be voting on things

other than independence? because what i've said to you earlier on is that this should be a mandate for the people of scotland to decide on the question of independence as a stand—alone question, because i think that's the way that issue should be resolved. north sea oil and climate change have played a big part in this campaign. in aberdeen, energy workers want to know is the snp in favour of new drilling or not? we can't escape the journey to net zero. it's got to be undertaken. and any application that comes forward for a new oil and gas activity has got to meet the climate compatibility assessments that we have in place. at the moment? yes. that's the way in which we willjudge. and they do meet them. quite a lot of them at the moment. so you're in favour of new drilling? what i'm saying is there has to be a climate compatibility assessment in place which is consistent with our journey to net zero. but there is. i'm giving you an answer to your question. if a new licence is to come forward, then individual licences have got to pass that climate compatibility assessment. the past year or so has not been a smooth ride for the snp.

it has slumped in the polls amid changes of leader and a police investigation into its finances. john swinney hopes a renewed focus on independence will get it back on track. james cook, bbc news, edinburgh. the liberal democrats have been focusing on the nhs on campaign trail today, with the deputy leader daisy cooper reiterating the party's pledge to invest £9 billion in england's health and social care services if they win power. we will make sure that people can see a gp within seven days, that we boost gp numbers by 8,000. we will fix the crisis in dentistry. we will offer free personal care to every older person and disabled adult who needs it. with our plans and our additional investment, we could transform our health and social care services. sinn fein has also launched its manifesto in belfast today, making the case for more powers to be devolved from westminster to the northern irish assembly, stormont. the party is defending seven out of 18 westminster seats —

although sinn fein mps don't take up their seats in the house of commons, as they don't recognise britain's so—called "sovereignty" over northern ireland. sinn fein is committed to delivering on the things that matter most to workers and families. that is health care, the cost of living, housing, education and childcare. we're focused on what is possible to achieve if we work together, making politics work. the workers party of britain has also launched its manifesto today. policies include building one million council homes and scrapping nuclear weapons, which party leader george galloway said would give people hope and a patriotic purpose. he was the party's one mp in the last parliament, after winning the rochdale by—election in february. we want a million council houses. we want to put our own people back to work. we want to revive the whole concept

of skilled work at which we once excelled. and we want to end britain's posture of confrontation around the globe. and tomorrow night, fiona bruce is hosting a question time leaders' special with the leaders of the four biggest political parties in great britain. the two—hour special will be broadcast on bbc one and bbc iplayer from eight o'clock tomorrow evening. a hospital consultant has told the jury at the lucy letby retrial that he saw the nurse standing next to a baby girl who was deteriorating and that she was doing nothing to intervene. it's alleged that the baby's breathing tube had been dislodged by the nurse, who is charged with attempted murder. she denies the charge. judith moritz reports. this was the moment lucy letby was arrested. last year a jury convicted her

of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder another six, but now she's back in court. she's being retried for one charge of attempted murder that the original jury couldn't decide. the prosecution's based on the word of dr ravi jayaram, who says he saw letby standing next to a baby who was rapidly deteriorating but doing nothing to help. it's alleged the nurse had dislodged the baby's breathing tube. the doctor says he'd gone in to check on the infant because after a string of incidents, he and his colleagues had started to think the unthinkable, that letby was murdering children. defending, ben myers kc asked drjayaram why he and his colleagues hadn'tjust called the police if they believed the nurse was killing babies. the doctor blamed the culture in the nhs and said there was a strategy to keep them quiet. ravi jayaram said, "i can tell you what would have happened "if we'd called the police. "they'd have spoken to the medical director and the chief "executive who'd have said, just ignore them, they're a bunch "of complaining pediatricians. " he added that they'd been told that

going to the police would have been bad for the reputation of the trust and there'd be blue and white tape everywhere. ben myers kc said... "you didn't call the police because you didn't see anything worthy of calling the police about." dr ravi jayaram said... lucy letby denies attempting to murder the baby girl in february 2016. her trial will continue in the morning. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. a seven—month—old baby girl has died after being bitten by the family's pet dog at a house in coventry. she was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital, where she died a short time later. police say the dog was not classed as a dangerous breed and was removed from the home the same day and humanely destroyed.

the jury in the trial of contance marten and mark gordon have been discharged after being unable to reach verdicts. the pair deny manslaughter by gross negligence of their baby victoria, along with four other charges. the newborn's body was found inside a shopping bag in a shed in brighton last march. her parents were arrested two days later after a manhunt. russia's president putin has signed what he's calling a breathrough defence pact with north korea, after his first visit to the isolated state in almost a quarter of a century. the agreement says that the two countries will protect each other in the event of what they call "foreign aggression". tonight president putin has arrived in vietnam for talks with the country's communist leaders. shaimaa khalil reports from south korea. vladimir putin's pyongyang trip was choreographed to a t, with some surreal, made—for—tv moments, like this one of him driving kimjong—un

on the streets of pyongyang. earlier, kim il—sung square, at the heart of the north korean capital, was buzzing with crowds and colour, as the two globally isolated leaders revelled in each other�*s company and what mr kim described as a new level of alliance. translation: we highly| appreciate your consistent and unwavering support for russian policy, including the ukrainian direction. i mean, ourfight against the hegemonic imperialist policy imposed for decades by the united states and its satellites. since his war on ukraine, vladimir putin and kimjong—un have grown ever closer. now they've signed a defence agreement that calls for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against either side. a move that will no doubt deepen washington's anxieties. translation: l have no doubt| that this powerful treaty signed between our two countries will be very constructive and will be a driving force in the creation of a new multinational world,

free from domination, hegemony and unilateral authority. high on vladimir putin's priority list is his need for more weapons as the war in ukraine continues. russia is desperate to replenish its depleting stockpile, and north korea can provide that. according to the us and south korea... it's already been doing so. moscow and pyongyang have denied any arms transfers. kimjong—un has his own urgent requests. his country, which has been heavily sanctioned for years, is struggling and needs money, fuel, food and other forms of aid. kimjong—un and vladimir putin have been pressured by the west and shunned by the world. they know there are limitations to what their pariah states can realistically offer each other. but for them, this deepening relationship means they haven't yet run out of options. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, seoul.

large parts of the united states are experienceing record—breaking temperatures. and wildfires have been burning out of control in new mexico, where thousands had to be moved from their homes. more than 70 million americans are living under heat alerts. will grant reports from california. awe—inspiring, but deadly. a towering wall of flames and heat bearing down on the town of ruidoso, in new mexico, has overwhelmed local fire crews and forced residents to flee. most just thankful to leave with their lives, but shaken. frank and connie lawer, both 83, are sheltering in an evacuation centre, lucky to have made it out at all. we could see the smoke change and we were engulfed in smoke. that scared me to death. i don't know whether we're going to have a home. there are several people in that area just above us that lost their home.

in california, these are now all too familiar scenes. hillsides ablaze, thousands of hectares lost as tinder dry brush catches alight and firefighters struggling to bring around a dozen separate blazes under control. it is devastating and especially when you get these wind—driven fires and you have all this unburnt fuel combined with low relative humidity, it can create massive damage. as californians endure another season of rampant wildfires, warnings over extreme weather are in place across the country, from heat waves in the northeast, to a tropical storm in texas. a nation experiencing the real—time effects of climate change. and this is just the start. experts say this has been an unusually early and aggressive fire season, with several months of hot, dry weather ahead. the contrast with the scene in texas couldn't be starker. the first tropical storm

of the hurricane season in the gulf of mexico has caused flooding in galveston, as well as in mexico itself, as north america braces itself for more extreme weather to come. will grant, bbc news, southern california. andy murray's wimbledon swansong could be in doubt after he was forced to retire from his second round match at the queen's club championships in london today. the 37—year—old was in obvious discomfort even before the match started and in the end managed just five games against the australian, jordan thompson before the pain became too much. with wimbledon just a fortnight away, the two time champion says he will have a scan tomorrow to find out the extent of the problem in his back. he has previously said he is unlikely to play beyond the end of this summer. tomorrow, england play denmark in their second match at the euros. they need just one more win to book their place in the knockout

stages of the tournament. 0ur sports correspondent andy swiss looks at preparations in the england camp on the eve of their match. # sweet caroline. ..# a danish band playing an english anthem. harmony among the rivals in frankfurt, as fans revelled in the main square. some england supporters sang a chant referencing germany's casualties in world war ii, which the authorities have urged them not to sing. but for most, the mood was one of anticipation. come on, england! 2-0. kane's going to get them both, foden's going to be outstanding and bellingham, absolute quality. best player in the world. even if it'sjust1—0, _ everyone's been moaning that, you know, we're not playing the most amazing and exciting football. - just need the three points. if we don't win it this year, we're going to be waiting a while, do you know what i mean? so i think this is our year. it's coming home, boys. despite jude bellingham's brilliance...

..england onlyjust edged past serbia in their opening match. they've been fine tuning their preparations at their base in blankenhain, hoping those first night nerves are now gone. we know that we can play better than we did the other day. emotionally, you know, there's so much attention, i don't think people can really understand what it is like for young players. so, pleased to have got the result from that and we know we have to be better now. well, england know a win here in frankfurt tomorrow will guarantee their place in the knockout stages but in denmark, they're up against a team with a point to prove. at the last euros, england beat denmark in the semifinals. kane is there to follow in! the danes will be out for revenge but england will be hoping once again the celebrations will be theirs. andy swiss, bbc news, frankfurt. time for a look at the weather. here's louise lear.

live from london. this is bbc news scotland get off the mark at euro 2024 — keeping their hopes of progressing alive with a draw against switzerland. the search continues in the canary island for a british teenager, jay slater, who's been missing since monday a police officer working as part of the prime minister's close protection team is arrested

on suspicion of betting on the timing of the general election. the inflation rate has fallen to 2% , the first time in almost three years that the bank of england's target has been met. hello, i'm lewis vaughan—jones. at euro 2024, scotland have taken their first point in the tournament — with a 1—1 draw with switzerland. scotland took the lead in the first half, scoring on the break, thanks to this deflected shot from scott mctominay. but midway through the half, shaqiri seized on a loose pass from the scottish defence — and hit a first time shot into the top corner. the result means scotland have just one point from their first two games —

and are likely to need to beat hungary in theirfinal group game to reach the knock—out stages.