it all boils down to one thing — judgement also tonight a frustrating draw for england against slovenia but they're still through to the last 16 at the euros. the wikileaks founderjulian assange hasjust landed in a remote us territory in the pacific, where he'll face a final court hearing — and then should be free — we're there live. kanpai. and the king and queen welcome japan's emperor and empress at a buckingham palace banquet at the start of a state visit. coming up on the bbc news... coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and

abroad. good evening. a fifth conservative figure is now being investigated by the gambling commission over alleged bets on the timing of the general election. the conservative party has withdrawn its support for two candidates, craig williams and laura saunders. now russell george, a conservative member of the welsh parliament, is being looked into as well. and labour has suspended one of its candidates, kevin craig, who admitted he had bet against himself losing in a suffolk constituency. and now a cabinet minister has said he was joking when he told the bbc he'd won more than £2,000 on the timing of the election. more on that in a moment, but here's our political editor chris mason. this is craig williams, a friend and parliamentary aide to the prime minister, he turned down my request for an interview but said this on social media this afternoon. i remain on the ballot paper on the 4th ofjuly and i hope

to secure your support after years of delivering. i committed an error ofjudgment, not an offence, and i want to reiterate my apology directly to you. that video followed this statement from the conservative party this morning. and so, on the radio at lunch time, one key question. why has this decision been taken now not a week or more ago? well, look, i'm as disappointed and angry as the prime minister is and various other conservative spokesmen who have commented on this in recent days. these bets should not have been placed, and it is right that we've had this internal process and those inquiries have led to the decision today to suspend

these candidates. here is where craig williams was the mp and is hoping to be reelected. i think craig williams has been incredibly stupid for such a small amount of money, for any amount of money, but for a few hundred pounds, i mean, he is an idiot. well, ijust think it's all blown out of proportion. far more terrible things have been done in the house of commons than this. enter another politician from montgomeryshire, this is conservative russell george who sits in the welsh parliament. he is not a candidate in the general election. he bet on a july election over a week before it was called. i understand he didn't know about mr williams�* bet nor mr williams, his. in a statement, mr george said he would cooperate fully with the gambling commission, adding...

and this is laura saunders, the conservative candidate in bristol northwest who is now no longer supported by the conservatives. i asked her for comment today. she hasn't replied. it's taken rishi sunak the best part of two weeks to act on this. that is just weak leadership. but hang on a minute, labour are disowning this guy tonight, a candidate and a donor. i'm kevin craig, and it is the honour and privilege of my life to be labour's parliamentary candidate here in central suffolk and north ipswich. he is also being investigated by the gambling commission, a labour spokeswoman said.

it has been quite the day. amid all the political shenanigans, the emperor ofjapan is in london on a state visit. a yen for his thoughts on all of this stuff. chris mason, bbc news. the metropolitan police says five more officers are being investigated by the gambling commission — again over alleged bets on the timing of the election. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford is here. what more can you tell us? the inuuiries what more can you tell us? the inquiries are — what more can you tell us? the inquiries are at _ what more can you tell us? the inquiries are at an _ what more can you tell us? tie: inquiries are at an early stage but there are concerns that that cloud of suspicion that hung over one close protection officer who allegedly placed bets on the election date has now spread to five others in different parts of the metropolitan police who face similar suspicions. 0nly metropolitan police who face similar suspicions. only the original officer has actually been arrested. there is greater concern about the possibility that the close protection officer has laid pots. ——

has laid bets. it is worth saying, of course, that the full scale of the gambling commission investigation is unclear but it is thought to be incredibly bigger than what is publicly known.— what is publicly known. thanks very much. meanwhile, in another twist, a conservative cabinet minister has claimed that he won more than £2,000 betting on a july general election. alisterjack says it wasn't during the period under investigation. 0ur political correspondent joe pikejoins us now. and this was all a conversation he had with you, joe? tell us. he told us he had won £2100, putting various dates on a possiblejune or july election, including one that at 25 to one. when i confronted him last week about this he said he had beenjoking. —— including one at 25

to one. he said he never reached any gambling commission rules and that he hadn't put any bets in may on an election date. may, of course, is the month where rishi sunak made a surprise announcement. may is the month the gambling commission of focusing on. i did ask him if he at any point put bets on the election date and he did not respond to the request. in this case i think we should say it is different from the many others. it is not necessarily about breaking the rules, this is about breaking the rules, this is about whether it is appropriate for someone who is in the cabinet, who is at the heart of government at rishi sunak�*s top table, and whether he should be putting a bet, potentially, on a decision which would ultimately be made by his boss. �* , . ~

would ultimately be made by his boss. �*, ., ~ ., , boss. let's talk to chris mason. it seems extraordinary _ boss. let's talk to chris mason. it seems extraordinary that - boss. let's talk to chris mason. it seems extraordinary that we - boss. let's talk to chris mason. it seems extraordinary that we are l seems extraordinary that we are talking about this a week from a general election, what's going on? it is extraordinary when you might think that the focus should be on the final messages from parties but we have these headlines instead. let me give you the latest. journalism is the art of trying to find things out and it can be long—winded and it can be imperfect. let's be clear, as we have been throughout, about the scale of what we don't know in so many of these alleged cases. how much was allegedly bet, when, what odds, and with what knowledge, what was the context? there could be a huge range in the various cases. but the work of reporters at the bbc in the sunday times and the guardian might reveal something about the judgment of some of those who are seeking elected office, who in one case hold elected office, or in other senior roles. then there is the role of political leaders. so often they are prisoners of the alleged behaviour of others and that can be deeply infuriating. i suspect thatis can be deeply infuriating. i suspect that is the case for rishi sunak

tonight, for keir starmer, too, but they are defined by their reaction and also the precedents that can create and the potential hostages to fortune. i said create and the potential hostages to fortune. isaid before create and the potential hostages to fortune. i said before on previous nights sitting here that we might not be at the end of this and there is a prospect that there is still more of this to come.- is a prospect that there is still more of this to come. thanks very much. and tomorrow evening sees the last debate of the election campaigning, with rishi sunak and keir starmer going head to head in nottingham. that's tomorrow on bbc one and the iplayer at 8.15. four men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass at the prime minister's constituency home. north yorkshire police say they detained the men at lunchtime around 12.40 at the property, and they remain in custody. jessica lanejoins us now from north yourkshire. you can see there is still a police presence here this evening near the

constituency home of rishi sunak in north yorkshire. it is after north yorkshire police have arrested four men earlier today on suspicion of trespassing. police say they had arrested the men within one minute of them entering the grounds of rishi sunak�*s constituency home, which was at around 12:1i0pm this afternoon. a video has been released by a protest group called youth demand which seems to show a young man entering the prime minister's property. a downing street spokesperson this evening has said, the prime minister thanks the police for their swift response to keep him and his family safe. those four men remain on police bail this evening as investigations continue. jessica, thank you. to the football now. it's been a frustrating night for england at the euros. they were held to a goalless draw by slovenia, but england are still through to the last 16. our sports correspondent andy swiss watched the action in cologne.

a lazy day in cologne, but only if you were a supporter. under sweltering skies at the stadium, there was one burning question... would england fans finally get a performance to cheer? england! england had already qualified for the knockout stage, but hardly in style. now they were hoping to win their group and silence their critics. on paper, their opponent, slovenia, are the weakest in their group, and england sooner threatened. —— group, and england soon threatened. bukayo saka putting the ball in the net, but it was offside and it was no goal. and the first half brought only more frustration. folden went close before a tantalising cross was so nearly touched in by harry kane. but england looked nervy. he doesn't look nearly as

accomplished as the right back does. and come half—time whistle, there were jeers from some fans. and it is a straight swap for that... after the break, a change, 19—year—old kobbie mainoo brought on, and england started to build some pressure. slovenia were having to scramble, but england still couldn't find a way through. goalless draw. delight for them but for england another disappointing display and another difficult night. they might be through to the last

16, but they know they'll need to and returning after his broken nose, a masked kylian mbappe scored his first ever euros goal, but france were held to a draw by an already—eliminated poland to finish second, also in group d. the founder of wikileaks, julian assange, has just landed in a remote us territory in the pacific, where he'll go through legal procedures that should result in him being set free. he flew to the northern mariana islands as part of a deal struck with us prosecutors, after spending five years in belmarsh prison fighting extradition to the united states. mr assange uploaded classified us

military files to his website nearly 15 years ago. 0ur asia correspondent shaimaa khalliljoins us from the courthouse in saipan. almost the end of quite an extraordinaryjourney? sophie, in so many ways, this has been a very long journey forjulian assange. he has waited years for this very moment. the founder of wikileaks was released from belmarsh prison in london, boarded a plane to bangkok, and then from here saipan in the northern mariana islands, where he is during this us district court behind me. he is expected to plead guilty of one felony, of obtaining and disclosing national security material. no jail time for this deal. he will be given credit forjail time in the uk. our correspondence looks at the long and

bitter stand—off between the us government and julian assange. julian assange, a polarising figure, was already airborne when the world learned of the deal that secured his release. it's a whirlwind of emotions. i mean, i'm just elated, frankly. it's just incredible. i don't know... it kinda feels like it's not real. light them allup... it was this footage released by wikileaks in 2010 that brought julian assange international attention. it shows an american helicopter gunship shooting unarmed iraqi civilians. it was part of a flood of classified material, military files and diplomatic cables, spilt by wikileaks that year. months later, an international arrest warrant was issued. sweden wanted to his question him about allegations of sexual assault made by two women. to avoid extradition, he sought refuge in ecuador�*s london embassy. he spent seven years there, but in 2019, a dramatic moment, as he's dragged out after the ecuadorian government withdrew his political asylum.

he's jailed for skipping bail, and soon it was the americans asking for his extradition. backed by his supporters, he fought against it in the courts and lost. his extradition was approved in 2022. butjulian assange kept appealing until finally this deal allowed him to fly out of the uk. we don't know the full details of the negotiations to secure his release, but australia, his home country, had been pushing hard for it. the charges were first brought under donald trump. his former vice president, mike pence, said julian assange had endangered the lives and should've been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. here on a little—known pacific island that's us territory, there's one last legal procedure. away from the holiday—makers, a judge approving his guilty plea before he can reunite with his family. a bizarre final twist in this long—running saga. caroline hawley, bbc news.

well, this unusual location was chosen because julian well, this unusual location was chosen becausejulian assange did not want to go to continental america. he has a deep—seated distrust of the us government, whom he accused of trying to kill him in the past, something that washington denies. this, in this remote, picturesque location, saipan island, is where the last chapter of this saga will play out. this is a case that has lasted nearly a decade and a half, spanned many countries, and needed so much diplomacy and relentless advocacy, and it has raised questions about the freedom of speech, especially in national security reporting, but for the first time in a very long time, after this hearing, julian assange will go home to australia a free man. shaimaa, thank you.

kenya's president has described violence during huge demonstrations against tax rises as an unprecedented attack on the country's democracy. medics say at least five people were shot dead by police in nairobi, as protesters broke through cordons. the military has been deployed to restore order. from nairobi, barbara plett usher sent this report. they called for a total shutdown, and in towns across kenya today, tens of thousands took to the streets. in nairobi by lunchtime, there were running battles as police tried to hold back the tide of fury. but then this... ..hundreds of demonstrators pushed through the gates of parliament, overwhelming officers lined up outside. the response was quick and brutal — live shots fired. reports of five killed in the street and dozens more wounded. 0thers made it inside, challenging the government's authority in the building where mps had been voting on the contentious finance bill.

this is as close as we feel safe to get to parliament because police are firing live rounds they the government had are firing live rounds there. the government had warned protesters to stay away from parliament, and this has been the response. but the fact that the protesters were able to breach the building and that there have been casualties could galvanise them further. it may also increase the pressure for a government crackdown. this is uncharted territory for president ruto. at the end of the day, he addressed the nation. i have directed all the organs of our national security to deploy measures to thwart any attempts by dangerous criminals to undermine the security and stability of our country. those on the streets earlier were united in anger. i want to demand that our leaders give us accountability. there has been too many years of the system going round and round. we never get accountability from these leaders, such that it has come to a point when we as the people can tell them

no and they still go ahead and do what they want to do. this evening, the wounded were being treated in hospital as the streets began to calm. the days ahead will show if protesters heed the president's warning. kenya's powerful are facing an unprecedented challenge from the people. barbara plett usher, bbc news, nairobi. thousands of you have been in touch with us through the bbc�*s your voice, your vote on what you think are biggest election issues. last year, net migration was more than 680,000, three times higher than it was in the last election in 2019. 0ur uk editor ed thomas has been to peterborough, a city where almost a third of residents were born outside the uk, to find out what people there are feeling. the increase of population does not measure up to the increase of services. we've got more than enough on our plate, and i don't think we can take any more.

we are not numbers, we're human beings that definitely do _ something for this country. peterborough is a city transformed. bbc news, we're doing a story about immigration. no speak... you don't speak english? where are you from? lithuania. more than one in four people were born overseas. why did you come to england? to work. work? work and live. drawn to warehouse, logistical and factory packing jobs. excuse me, bbc news. oh, hello. there's been generational change. it seems like every nationality lives here, and they don't respect our country. these streets have been cleaned by mike and graham for more than two decades. i don't see much integration. they keep themselves to themselves. yeah, they don't... but whether that's just because of where they have to live, because of the hmos they're given and all the things like that, i don't know. would you stop all immigration? you can't stop it. because then you'll have an empty hospital. these chats with people like mike and graham are revealing.

yes, they've got real concerns about high levels of immigration, but when it comes to services like the nhs, they are acutely aware right now the country depends on it. and there it is, that smiling baby... and that means depending on carers like rejoice. she is gorgeous! she is. she's from malawi, but is in peterborough with a family on a work visa. this country needs people like me, someone that can put their heart out there and help someone from the heart. outside of this place, do you feel appreciated? not by the country, no, because they think we are numbers, but we're not numbers, we're human beings. but as migration numbers boosted the population here, research from the institute for fiscal studies shows peterborough receives less funding for policing, local government and public health than it should do according to need. what impact has immigration had here? i think it's made the city

grow very quickly. this is sarah's experience. the increase of population does not measure up to the increase of services for people. where are the pressure points? at the hospital. i work for the hospital myself, and we see it every day. accommodation, social housing. it is really difficult for people to get housing these days. this all looks amazing. everything that we sell here is brilliant... for some, there's a sense of unfairness. haji moved to the uk as a child. he's proud to be british, and of his family's contribution to the country. we've worked hard, we've paid our taxes, we've paid towards the hospital system, education system, everything was brilliant. but now... people don't contribute towards the system, then i think they don't have the right to live here. do you think immigration is too much now? i think it is too much, to be honest. we've got more than enough on our plate, and i don't think we can take any more. we have kurdish, we have afghanistani, we have iraqi...

but not all migration is the same. fatima is a skilled one. she's from syria. last year, 67,000 people applied for asylum in the uk, 17% fewer than 2022. "went" would be present or past? past _ in peterborough, we spent time with two charities helping asylum seekers. sudan is... there's fighting everywhere. people are killed on the street. mohammed and adilfled sudan before their long journey to the uk. we travelled from libya, 300 people. we arrived to italy, 200. 100 people dead? 100 people died, children and women. why did you want to get to england? we chose england because the government help us here, but honestly, i don't get any help in france. it's the hope for a better life that also brought irina here. if you were the next

prime minister, what would you do? jesus christ! she came here 15 years ago from latvia. i would close the borders. her worry is illegal immigration and the small boats from france. if people are not behaving, you know, so they also must be deported. britain is now herfamily�*s home, and she says she will vote in this election. do you think there's a bit of a conflict in what you're saying, when you're an economic migrant who came here 15 years ago? i'm working, i'm all the time working, i all the time have a job. i don't know. do you understand the concerns some people have? look, i live here too. i'm a resident in england. we all have difficulties, homelessness and housing, access to healthcare. it's a deeper problem than just blaming a few people that have kind of escaped torture. this election, immigration matters. the challenge for the two main parties is to convince voters that they can control illegal boat crossings from france,

but also, after years of large—scale migration, they have a credible plan to make britain less reliant on workers from abroad. ed thomas, bbc news, peterborough. joining me now is our senior uk correspondent sima kotecha. that is the view from peterborough. what _ that is the view from peterborough. what are _ that is the view from peterborough. what are the party is saying? people cominu what are the party is saying? people coming here — what are the party is saying? people coming here legally _ what are the party is saying? people coming here legally or— what are the party is saying? people coming here legally or illegally - coming here legally or illegally triggers passionate views, and some people suggest that asylum and migration are the most important issues out there. the tories say they want to reduce illegal migration by establishing a deterrent, the rwanda scheme. they say they will crackdown on organised immigration crime by clamping down on people smugglers, and they will return people with no right to be here to there own country. labour says it will reduce reliance on overseas workers by boosting britain's skills, tackling skills shortages, and it says it wants to

reform the points—based immigration system to bring down migration and use new counterterrorism powers to tackle people smugglers. reform uk, nigel farage's party, says it wants to freeze nonessential immigration, but the truth is, immigration, but the truth is, immigration is a tough nut to crack, balancing the country's economic needs with the need to police borders, and i think the question for voters here is, which party has the most credible plan to get that balance right? sima kotecha, thank you. the emperor and empress ofjapan have been welcomed by king charles and camilla with a state banquet at buckingham palace tonight at the start of a three—day visit. princess anne, who was due to attend, remains in hospital in bristol recovering from concussion and a minor head injury. 0ur senior royal correspondent daniela relph reports. the centrepiece of any state visit, the grandeur and glitter of the

state banquet. senior members of the royalfamily state banquet. senior members of the royal family led state banquet. senior members of the royalfamily led the state banquet. senior members of the royal family led the guest list, as the king tried out his japanese. welcome back to britain. earlier, there was a seven with ceremonial welcome for princess this is a state visit during an election campaign. that is unusual, and changes have had to be made to ensure political neutrality. this state visit was planned well before the election was called, having already been delayed due to the covid lockdown. there was no appetite for a further postponement. instead, all the big political moments have been stripped away, so no trip to downing street and no formal meeting with the prime minister. the carriage journey included a masked empress. she has a chronic allergy to horsehair. the japanese royal couple are anglophiles. they both studied at oxford and maintain links to the uk. arriving at buckingham palace, the royal welcome has not

included princess anne. she remains in hospital in bristol after suffering concussion. today, her daughter, zara tindall, went to see her mother, as did the princess's husband sir tim lawrence. how's she doing, sir? doing fine. slow, but sure. not everyone could be here. kanpai. but this is a — not everyone could be here. kanpai. but this is a state _ not everyone could be here. kanpai. but this is a state visit _ not everyone could be here. kanpai. but this is a state visit that - but this is a state visit that unites two royal households and celebrates their shared experiences and friendship. daniela relph, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's darren bett. this programme continues on bbc one...

and officials and around 15 police officers are being scrutinised.