of the bbc commentatorjohn hunt who were killed in a crossbow attack in bushey. england fans celebrate as the team reaches the final of the european championships. hello, i'm kasia madera. the prime minister has insisted that president biden was on "really good form" during their first face to face talks in washington. sir keir starmer said the president had been across all the detail and covered a number of issues at pace. it comes as the 81—year—old president faces growing calls to step aside for the us presidential elecion in november, following his stumbling performance in the recent tv debate with donald trump.

our political editor chris mason has been travelling with the prime minister. come with us into the oval office of the white house. focus in on the prime minister. is that an expression that says this is a pinch yourself moment? hope you're 0k, says his host, as america asks that very question of their president. yes, it is blunt, yes, it is personal. this white noise of hollered questions at the start of the meeting are about his mental abilities, if he is really fit to run for elections. so what did keir starmer make of him? you know what an increasing number of people are saying, they are implying that president biden is senile. is he?

no, we had a really good meeting yesterday, we were billed for 45 minute, went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace, he was on really good form, and... mentally agile? across all the detail, we were going at pace through a huge number of issues which was really important to me, because obviously it was my first opportunity to have a meeting like that, and he has shown incredible leadership. we have seen george clooney suggesting he is not up to it, is that fair? i have given you my read out of the meeting, he was on good form. a meeting of the nato defence alliance is a reminder of the sacrifices made in war. this is the arlington national cemetery. at the summit a key discussion has been about military funding, in a dangerous world. you have said that spending more on defence up to 2.5% of national income is iron clad,

how clad in iron can it be when we have to wait for this review, there is no timescale on it and then there is a judgment whether it is affordable, is that iron clad? there is information we previous did not have so we want to go through that, the commitment is iron clad to that 2.5%, what i don't want to do is what has been done in the past, which is to set an arbitrary date without a pathway, i don't think that is serious for we are so serious about it that we want to make sure that it is within our fiscal rules that we can show how... so it will happen? yes, absolutely. a week on from the general election, sir keir starmer�*s first overseas trip is wrapping up. from the polling station to the white house balcony, it has been quite a week. chris mason, bbc news, in washington. chris mason with the prime minister there. just to say at the moment, a news conference has

been taking place with yan stoltenberg and president zelensky of ukraine, the general secretary of nato, sink the ukrainian future is in nato. wonder if we can have a listen in. ~ ., listen in. with the long national -ress listen in. with the long national press fort _ listen in. with the long national press fort ukraine, _ listen in. with the long national press fort ukraine, more - listen in. with the long national- press fort ukraine, more immediate support —— national pledge. with the bilateral security agreements on top of everything we do to enhance our interpretability with ukraine. so, yes, we see a russian attempt to intimidate us from support, but we see, if anything it has the opposite effect on nato allies, they are stepping up their support for ukraine. let me add one more thing, is that we have seen arrests across the alliance, and the united kingdom, and germany, and poland and baltic countries, following these hostile actions and of course, there

are ongoing legal processes and what nato does is also to increase intelligence sharing. to help allies to protect against these actions. thank you so much for your questions _ thank you so much for your questions. first, we are very close to our— questions. first, we are very close to our goat — questions. first, we are very close to our goat i— questions. first, we are very close to our goal. i think the next step will be _ to our goal. i think the next step will be invitation and then membership is understandable until we will_ membership is understandable until we will not be invited until the war in ukraine — we will not be invited until the war in ukraine but i hope that we will prevaih _ in ukraine but i hope that we will prevail. today, i see successes for our people. — prevail. today, i see successes for our people, for our families, for them, _ our people, for our families, for them, especially afterthis our people, for our families, for them, especially after this brutal attack_ them, especially after this brutal attack on — them, especially after this brutal attack on our hospital, children's hospitah — attack on our hospital, children's hospital. we, in ukraine are not thinking — hospital. we, in ukraine are not thinking about wording, close versus not close _ thinking about wording, close versus not close to — thinking about wording, close versus not close to nato. we are thinking about _ not close to nato. we are thinking about real — not close to nato. we are thinking about real strong steps from very strong _

about real strong steps from very strong people. and, speaking about the war. _ strong people. and, speaking about the war, you cannot even sometimes use the _ the war, you cannot even sometimes use the word — the war, you cannot even sometimes use the word success. because success— use the word success. because success in— use the word success. because success in a war, in your country, in your— success in a war, in your country, in your life. — success in a war, in your country, in your life, success when you don't lose your _ in your life, success when you don't lose your family, that success. and to survive _ lose your family, that success. and to survive and to win this war, it will be, — to survive and to win this war, it will be, that— to survive and to win this war, it will be, that will be a real success for us _ will be, that will be a real success for us i_ will be, that will be a real success for us. i think we half stop saying for us. i think we half stop saying for the _ for us. i think we half stop saying for the membership of ukraine you need _ for the membership of ukraine you need success, i think this is success— need success, i think this is success for both of us. we strengthen nato. we have strong army. _ strengthen nato. we have strong army. we — strengthen nato. we have strong army, we are strong guys and we are fighting _ army, we are strong guys and we are fighting against this terror, putin. that is— fighting against this terror, putin. that is why— fighting against this terror, putin. that is why ukraine in nato, this is both success. but for today, we are

speaking _ both success. but for today, we are speaking about country's successes, what success is to give us the possibility to live, i did not tell of this— possibility to live, i did not tell of this details, how many different countries — of this details, how many different countries and how many different systems — countries and how many different systems we can have, for us, it is to push— systems we can have, for us, it is to push them, to have them quicker and ukraine — to push them, to have them quicker and ukraine. that is a success for us, for— and ukraine. that is a success for us, for today _ and ukraine. that is a success for us, for today. tojust be honest with— us, for today. tojust be honest with you — us, for today. tojust be honest with you. thank you. a us, for today. to just be honest with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to — with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to and _ with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to and when _ with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to and when you _ with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to and when you have - with you. thank you. a poignant note on which to and when you have the i on which to and when you have the president of ukraine talking about what success looks like. success is when you do not lose your family. we're going to step from this press conference where president zelensky and the head of nato are answering questions following this two day nato summit and it is very much ukraine at the top of the agenda, zelensky saying the support from

nato is crucial and the idea of success is when you do not lose your family. we will have much more on the nato conference a little bit later on in the programme. stay with us here orfor that. ijust want later on in the programme. stay with us here or for that. ijust want to bring you up—to—date with some of the other news stories here in the uk. a manhunt is under way in bristol after two suitcases containing human remains were found late last night at clifton suspension bridge. officers were called after reports that a man with a suitcase was seen acting suspiciously. our correspondent phil mackie reports from bristol. a private ambulance arrives to take away the human remains. it has been a truly shocking scene of crime. the grim discovery was made just after midnight, after a call from the public about a man acting suspiciously. this is the man detectives want to speak to — caught on cctv, bearded and dressed in black.

they say he isn't considered to be a danger to the public, but urge anyone who knows him to contact them urgently. this is a very disturbing incident, and i fully recognise the concern it will cause for our communities. we currently have an increased presence of officers in the area, and i encourage anyone who has any concerns to please do speak with one of the team. this was a particularly horrific discovery. how has it affected the officers who were here last nights? i'm gratefulfor you asking that question. it's something that in a career, i'm sure, somebody would never anticipate coming across as part their duty, so i can't speak on behalf of them, because i haven't had the privilege of speaking to them, but what i can reassure you is they are being supported. specialist investigation teams have been working round the site all day. much of the forensic activity has been at the other end of the bridge — that's where we have seen a tent and, more recently, a private ambulance come along. it was a gruesome, grisly discovery for those officers last night — one suitcase on the bridge and one nearby.

investigators are also in contact with the relatives of other people reported missing nearby, including studentjack o'sullivan, who disappeared near here in march. a senior officer has been in contact with jack's family to inform them of the incident, but i can confirm at this time that no parallels are being actively drawn. a forensic postmortem examination is under way. it's hoped that that will provide more answers about who it is and what happened. we can actually cross over to bristol to speak to our correspondent who joins us alive. fill describing it as horrific, the community absolutely in shock, a search is still under way, tell us more. . ~' search is still under way, tell us more. ., ~ ., ., more. talking to some of the neighbours — more. talking to some of the neighbours around _ more. talking to some of the neighbours around here - more. talking to some of the neighbours around here we i more. talking to some of the i neighbours around here we are more. talking to some of the - neighbours around here we are on the leave what's inside of the bridge, please describe it as disturbing and when people asked what was going on here because police and the cord and cannot see anything, they were

horrified upset and shocked most of the investigation has been going on since the early hours of this morning. it is quieted down and in the couple hours of soap, the private and blitz has left the scene, forensic officers were here for most of the day, they have not gone away, and bless ourselves there but if you officers looking through the undergrowth towards the visitor centre here at the bridge but the focus relief from the police is on finding the man they believe brought those suitcases to the bridge and as you have heard from phil, they've released two images of him today, but also to identify the remains found in the suitcases and please today confirm at this stage whether there was one or two sets in there —— cannot confirm. but they of course was to identify the remains of an they can inform next of kin. what else we know is that police say that the man they are looking for was brought here in a taxi. they have spoken to the taxi driver, he is helping with their inquiries and they have seized that taxi to

forensically examine that as well. just in terms of the call, this man was acting suspiciously, what more do we know about his behaviour on that bridge we have spoken to a student here in bristol described what he saw. abs, bristol described what he saw. cyclist chasing a man before the police arrived, the police got the call a few minutes before midnight, when they got here, the man was not here, hence they did not find him, but they found this sickest one on the bridge and one nearby but the human remains in. a student described as been very shocked, what is happened is he is learn what he has witnessed at the time. this is a very quiet part of bristol, the suspension bridge, obviously is very well—known, known, an iconic part of bristol designed by burnell back in the 19th century and a busy commuter route. plenty of cctv around as

well. up please say they are putting together a timeline of cctv to try together a timeline of cctv to try to trace the man's movements, but the manhunt is still active. but they are saying to the public is, they are saying to the public is, they don't believe that he poses the money threat, but they are saying that, if they do see him, not to approach him, but to call 909 straightaway. approach him, but to call 909 straightaway-— approach him, but to call 909 straiahtawa . . ~' . ., straightaway. thank you so much for the update — straightaway. thank you so much for the update. live _ straightaway. thank you so much for the update. live it _ straightaway. thank you so much for the update. live it from _ straightaway. thank you so much for the update. live it from bristol. - straightaway. thank you so much for the update. live it from bristol. wel the update. live it from bristol. we have a live page on that story on our website as well. a man supsected of murdering the wife and two daughters of the bbc racing commentator john hunt in a crossbow attack is in a serious condition in hospital after he was found injured in a cemetery in north london last night. a crossbow was also found at the scene. police are still waiting to speak to 26—year—old kyle clifford, who is the ex boyfriend of one of the young women. the three were found at their home in hertfordshire on tuesday evening and died at the scene.

our correspondent lucy manning reports from bushey. they are at peace. there is an enormous loss here, that can only be measured in tears. groups of friends of the hunt family came to comfort each other at a church vigil. they came with memories, friendship and deep grief. to remember carol hunt, her daughters 28—year—old hannah, a beautician, and 25—year—old louise, who ran a dog grooming business. leigh is an old friend of carol hunt's. lovely family. i'll miss carol like crazy, because there was the four of us that were close friends, and i'lljust really miss her and i can't believe this has happened. can you tell me what she was like, carol? lovely girl. sweet, kind girl. always thought about her family, very family orientated.

i just feel for their oldest daughter and john. ijust can't imagine what it would be like. she was the nicest, kindest, sweetest person. beautiful. beautiful person. sally would chat to hannah as she did her nails. she was just a really lovely bubbly person, really great personality, a very happy little soul. when someone is that happy, and then all their lives are just taken in such a barbaric way. the suspect in these killings, kyle clifford, we now know was the ex—boyfriend of louise hunt. a former soldier, he had also worked for a security firm. his older brother is in prison, convicted in 2018 of murder. searches at a house in enfield connected to his family continue today, as he remained in hospital after the police found him with injuries, after the manhunt

ended at a nearby cemetery. pressure now for action to be taken on crossbows. our condolences and thoughts are obviously with all of the family members and family affected. it is awful. in relation to crossbows, the home secretary has announced thst she will look at the legislation, and we will. that she will look at the legislation, and we will. bbc racing commentatorjohn hunt has the sympathy and support of his community at work and at home. at newmarket, the racing paused. his wife and two of his daughters killed in their own home. three successful women remembered here. lucy manning, bbc news. in just a few hours' time, president joe biden— just a few hours' time, president joe biden is—

in just a few hours' time, presidentjoe biden is expected to face a make or break news conference in washington, as he attempts to convince voters and his own party that he's fit and well enough to run again in november's us presidential election. the high stakes moment would be the biggest test for him since his botched debate two weeks ago, which triggered this crisis. the performance is expected to either silence his critics, or prompt a fresh wave of calls for him to step aside. we are expecting that imminently. let's dip and live to what is happening at the nato conference now where the head of nato and president zelensky are continuing with the press conference we heard from a little earlier on. one thing zelensky was mentioning with a long—range strikes inside russia that has been something that ukraine has been calling for. president zelensky said that he hopes allies will make decisions to allow such strakes. without further ado let's crossover live to my colleague.

helena humphrey is at the nato summit in washington. you were just you werejust mentioning you were just mentioning their the high—stakes press conference that we were waiting for from president biden in a few hours' time. almost overshadowing the narrative of this nato summit, taking away some of those talking points with regards to further aid to ukraine, but i think it is fair to say the president really cannot afford to put a foot wrong in this solo press conference. every word will be very carefully watched and, so far, every media appearance, speech has really not been able to quell those growing number of calls from democrats and democratic supporters for the president to step out of the race. so a high—stakes moment for him to talk a bit more about it. i'm joined now by the bbc state department correspondent, tom bateman, we will be watching that press conference

closely later, what will you be watching out for and come up with campaigns, it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle, once people have started saying these kinds of things, watching the president and that way. there is absolutely _ president and that way. there is absolutely what _ president and that way. there is absolutely what we _ president and that way. there is absolutely what we have - president and that way. there is absolutely what we have seen i president and that way. there is i absolutely what we have seen now, two weeks since that disastrous debate performance by president biden and still, here we are. it felt perhaps at the start of the week as though the campaign, the white house i got a bit of a grip on things and perhaps thinking it would fade away by the end of the summit, what we had yesterday was an absolute turning point in the other direction, a disastrous day for president biden. in terms of all of the signs that heavy steam is now building up democrats and others who say his time is up and i began yesterday with nancy pelosi and now george clooney, absolutely crucial fundraiser sync he had lost the battle against time and last night, peter welch the first, senator, a

democratic senator, called for him to specifically step aside. in asking about the press conference, absolutely critical, that is because what we are seeing here is absolutely impressive message of unity from these 32 nato member countries. there are disparate views within this alliance, they have come up within this alliance, they have come up with pretty strong wording on ukraine, very strong wording on china in the communique last night. that is what president biden will be wanting to grandstand, to say this is great achievement of the summit, of course. everyone will be watching, perhaps more than they are listening and it will be about how does he appear the pullman —— appear at the podium, does he finish and give up coherent answers and it will really matter. and to mention everything that happened yesterday, just an hour or two ago downstairs, we saw just an hour or two ago downstairs, we sanohn kirby, white house spokesman making his width of the room so i went up and grabbed a few questions with him. is there any

response to peter welch's call for the president to step aside as the nominee, saying he cannot see what he saw in the debate. the nominee, saying he cannot see what he saw in the debate.— he saw in the debate. the president made his position _ he saw in the debate. the president made his position clear, _ he saw in the debate. the president made his position clear, he's - made his position clear, he's running _ made his position clear, he's running for reelection. reaction to geora e running for reelection. reaction to george clooney's _ running for reelection. reaction to george clooney's opinion? - running for reelection. reaction to george clooney's opinion? again, | running for reelection. reaction to i george clooney's opinion? again, the resident is george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, _ george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, he _ george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, he is _ george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, he is to _ george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, he is to run - george clooney's opinion? again, the president is clear, he is to run for- president is clear, he is to run for reelection — president is clear, he is to run for reelection and that is what he has made _ reelection and that is what he has made very. — reelection and that is what he has made very, plainly, plainly obvious. do you _ made very, plainly, plainly obvious. do you think— made very, plainly, plainly obvious. do you think there's a critical mass of democrats, we've had the first senator, key fundraisers are and what nancy pelosi said yesterday calling for him to make a decision. again, the president has said, he is going _ again, the president has said, he is going to _ again, the president has said, he is going to run — again, the president has said, he is going to run for reelection. that is his focus — going to run for reelection. that is his focus. also he is focused here at the _ his focus. also he is focused here at the nato — his focus. also he is focused here at the nato summit at making sure we can continue _ at the nato summit at making sure we can continue to sure of our allies and partnerships around the world as we have _ and partnerships around the world as we have real national security threats— we have real national security threats that he is trying to address _ threats that he is trying to address. sis threats that he is trying to address-— threats that he is trying to address. �* , ., ., g ., address. as we heard there from john kirb sa in: address. as we heard there from john kirby saying we _ address. as we heard there from john kirby saying we don't _ address. as we heard there from john kirby saying we don't essentially - kirby saying we don't essentially want this to distract from the nato summit and what has been achieved here. we can talk more about those

f-i6s, here. we can talk more about those f—i6s, the military aid, for example, the patriot missiles which will be sent to ukraine, but looking at that language which we will watching fork in the declaration last night, saying that path to nato membership for ukraine is now irreversible. not exactly what kyiv will have been looking for. ihla irreversible. not exactly what kyiv will have been looking for.- will have been looking for. no it's not. and will have been looking for. no it's not- and we _ will have been looking for. no it's not. and we just _ will have been looking for. no it's not. and we just have literally - not. and we just have literally wrapped up a news conference with president zelensky and jensen stoltenberg the secretary—general of nato, the outset of the summit, mr zelensky said that clear leadership, not delays as he put it. they always knew they were going to get exactly what he wants which is a formal invitation, a clear timetable to membership. there are those in europe, particularly those closer to the front lines with ukraine and the east of europe, that i think would like stronger language as well, but it is really always been particularly the germans and americans that are very worried

about escalation with russia. that is why they have held back. so, yes, stronger language than last year talking by an irreversible path and americans are called get a short and well lit bridge, but still, these are words not actions as stoltenberg was saying and there is not a clear formal invites. at the same time, with the secretary—general is saying is that he believes actually some of the pledges they've made a run military assistance, in a sense, are more important and there is some truth in that. look at the attacks on kyiv and other parts of ukraine earlier this week, those patriot missile batteries to make a significant difference. and getting them online quickly. although we do not have an exact timeline when they will get there, it will affect things on the ground. the other things on the ground. the other thing that president zelensky hasn't been appealing for, he did so in a very compassionate waste now, was the ability to strike deep inside russia, military bases, if those plans are going to attack ukraine. he will not get that from president

biden. very cautious about that. we have some very limited permissions to attack inside russian territory. but again, president zelensky i think walks away on that front disappointed. the think walks away on that front disappointed-— disappointed. the bbc state department _ disappointed. the bbc state department correspondent, | disappointed. the bbc state - department correspondent, tom bateman. great to get your thoughts and we will head back over to london. studio: thank you so much, helena. lots more of course will be coming up later on today on bbc news, especially as we bring you special coverage of the press conference on which so much is writing us president. let's turn away from nato to the football. the king has congratulated teaching the final of the euros. it had one request, asking if the team if they could ease the stress on england

fans by beating spain on the final and sunday without needing a last—minute goal or penalty. this was the moment ollie watkins' sublime goal launched england into the final. the semi—final last night was the most watched progamme on tv this year peaking at more than 20 million. nesta macgregor has been finding out how the team and fans have been recovering after last night. palmer finds watkins. watkins turns. watkins scores! ollie watkins — less than ten minutes on the pitch for a moment that will be forever remembered. ollie watkins, that is wonderful! the clock ticking towards 90 minutes, from the tightest of angles, the aston villa forward somehow found space, breaking dutch hearts. i said to cole we were both going to go on the pitch and he was going to set me up, at half—time. and it happened, you know, i manifested it, and as soon as he turned, i knew to make the move.

and from manifesting to this afternoon reminiscing, particularly for oscar and dad steve. genuinely one of the best moments of my life. we are massive villa fans, ollie watkins had a brilliant season, and it isjust the icing on the cake that he got the winner. how much are you willing to part ways with a ticket to see history made? if my wife's watching, less than i'm going to pay! meanwhile for barbek, a personal and painful reminder of one of england's most famous victories. the goal happened, limbs everywhere, it was crazy. | i thought it would be a good idea to get on a seat. - i then felt nose first _ onto the chair, broke my nose. two weeks ago, gareth southgate's side were labelled lacklustre. his team selection and tactics were also criticised, placing him under severe pressure. however, the performance and result against the netherlands has changed all that. this is now a chance to get to the first final not held in england, the first time england

will have ever done that, so we're trying to break new ground. a remarkable turnaround and now real optimism — even from one of the most vocal critics. tthere's just too much talent there to kind of keep underperforming. but even when they weren't playing great, they were grinding out results. forfans here and elsewhere, attention now turns to match tickets, accommodation and travel plans. england's journey to the final has been a bit stop—start, but it's still on track. next stop will be berlin, but surely they will need a first—class performance. nesta mcgregor, bbc news, in dortmund. the the hello. over the next few days, you'll be glad of any glimpses of sunshine, because out of it, it's going to feel distinctly chilly

for this stage injuly. temperatures this time of year should be roughly in the order of 18 to 23 degrees — just a few cities across the uk for you, just to show the example. what it will be like, though, is around 14—19 celsius, around three to six degrees lower than normal for some of you. and that cooler weather is expanding across much of western europe, the blue colours indicating below average temperatures. and into the start of the weekend, it gets colder for us but also extends in across much of western europe. the heat, humidity in summer is out towards the east, but at a price — temperatures in the high 30s, low 40s. in between, though, thursday into friday, we're going to see some severe storms develop across europe, a developing area of low pressure. and it all helps to increase the northerly air flow that we're going to experience into friday. it's that which is bringing the cooler air in place. through the night, lots of cloud, outbreaks of rain and drizzle, england and wales especially. some clearer skies, scotland, northern ireland, though — temperatures here could drop into mid—single figures for friday morning. here, though, some of the brightest weather to come on friday, a lot of cloud for england and wales. there will be some brighter breaks here and there.

some of you will see sunshine. outbreaks of rain and drizzle, though, pushing their way southwards. maybe the odd thunderstorm in the south—west and south wales later, but really grey conditions and breezy conditions later on across eastern counties of england, the wind picking up. lightest of the winds, though, with the sunshine in south—west scotland is where we'll see the highest of the temperatures — 20 degrees, compared tojust 13 or ia as a high on the east coast. it really will not feel like summer at all. now, into friday night, the breeze strengthens a bit more across some of those eastern coasts, further rain or drizzle around at times. but as we go into the weekend, just watching this area of low pressure, which is going to extend a bit of an influence out towards the east of the country. it is only going to give us a glancing blow, but it's going to be enough on saturday as that extends out to scandinavia to bring increased cloud, greater chance of rain at times across those eastern counties of england and parts of scotland and a stronger wind. away from that, to the south and the west on saturday, though, fair bit of cloud at times, some sunshine and one or two showers, although temperatures still lower than average. into sunday, our area of low pressure starts to pull away again, so it's an improving day. lots of cloud to begin with,

some patchy drizzle across eastern areas, but overall drier through the afternoon. much more sunshine developing, especially to the south and the west, and it will start to feel a bit warmer. this is bbc news. i'm kasia madera. the headlines: sir keir starmer sastoe biden is on "really good form" after his first talks with the us president, who's facing more questions over his fitness to stand for re—election. we had a really good bilateral yesterday. we went through a huge number of issues at pace. he was actually on really good form. police are searching for this man after human remains are found in two suitcases by the clifton suspension bridge in bristol. a vigil is held to remember hannah, louise and carol hunt, the family of the bbc commentator john hunt, who were killed in a crossbow attack in bushey.

england fans celebrate as the team reaches the final of the european championships. the prime minister sir keir starmer has described us presidentjoe biden as being "on really good form" after the two men held their first ever face—to—face talks. the meeting in washington, where the uk and us are taking part in the nato summit, comes as mr biden faces more calls from democratic party politicians, as well as prominent supporters, to step aside as the party's candidate in november's presidential election following his stumbling performance in the recent tv debate with donald trump. the prime minister has been speaking to our political editor chris mason about a range of issues, including defence spending, and the "special relationship", but chris started by asking him for his opinion on president biden's fitness for office.

prime minister, you know what an increasing number of people are saying. they're implying that president biden is senile. is he? no, we had a really good bilateral yesterday. we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour. we went through a huge number of issues at pace. he was actually on really good form and... mentally agile? absolutely — across all the detail. we were going at pace through a number of issues, which was really important to me because obviously it was my first opportunity to have a bilateral like that, and he showed incredible leadership. if there's one thing that came out of the council session yesterday, it was a clear understanding by everybody here that we face probably more threats now than we've faced for many years, and that we need the resolve of nato as the alliance that's been there for a very long time, that defensive alliance, and president biden has has led through some of the most challenging issues, actually, that we are facing globally. we've seen george clooney

suggesting he's not up to it. is that unfair? well, i've given you my readout of the meeting we had. as i say, we covered a lot of ground, strategic ground, international stuff — and notjust ukraine. he was on good form. and of course, you know, various interventions yesterday. we went straight from that to the dinner that he hosted. so i was actually really pleased to have the opportunity to be clear about the special relationship and about our long—standing commitment to nato at this really important time. you've said that spending more on defence, up to 2.5% of national income, is ironclad. but how clad in iron can it be when we have to wait for this review that's about to begin? there's no timescale on it, and then there'll be a judgment on whether it's affordable. is that really ironclad? we will go through the strategic review. i think that's very important, because there's information which we weren't privy to when we were in opposition, which we are now privy to.

so i want to go through that exercise. the commitment is absolutely ironclad to that 2.5%. i think that being clear that it's within our fiscal rules and therefore there has to be a road plan actually represents our deep commitment to it. what i don't want to do is what has been done in the past, which is to set an arbitrary date without a pathway. i don't think that's serious. we're so serious about it that we want to make sure that it is within our fiscal rules, that we can show exactly how it will be deliverable. so it will happen? yes, absolutely. but it will only be deliverable if we have that pathway. simply plucking a date is the politics of yesterday. i'm determined that we are seriously going to put the plan in place to reach that commitment, which i made very, very clearly. the government is due to announce its plan for releasing some prisoners early in england and wales, because the jails are full. can you reassure people that violent criminals, sex offenders, perhaps those convicted of domestic abuse, won't be released early?

there will be exemption categories, as you would expect in relation to high risk, but... including those who have been violent? ..i can't tell you how frustrated i am that we are in this position. this is a total failure of the last government. and it doesn't really matter what political party you support, to have left a situation where there are simply not enough prison places for the number of prisoners to not grip that, but to just let it get worse and worse and worse... are we jailing too many people? ..it�*s a shocking failure of government. you know, i knew this was going to be a bad problem. i am shocked by what i have seen. obviously we've got to pick it up. we've got to clean up the mess and then put in a plan for never being in this position again. but i am, you know, surprised and shocked — i won't pretend otherwise — by the irresponsibility of the last government on this issue. three women were killed this week by a man with a crossbow.

should crossbows be banned? first, let me just say how awful this incident was, and our condolences and thoughts are obviously with all of the family members and family affected. it is awful. in relation to crossbows, the home secretary has announced that she will look at the legislation, and we will, but there's no getting away from just how awful this incident was. why was emily thornberry, a long standing member of your shadow cabinet, not good enough for a job in government? look, emily has done a fantasticjob for me. she's a friend of mine, and she will contribute hugely to what we will do in government. there's dozens of jobs in government. was there not one that you could find her? we're shaping our team. myjob is to make sure that everybody... we've got, you know, really good people across this new parliamentary labour party, including emily. to make sure everybody is able to make that contribution, and emily will make a contribution,

that's for sure. prime minister, thank you. thank you. sir keir starmer speaking to our political editor chris mason on the sidelines of the nato summit. they covered a lot of ground there. at the moment, if we have a look at the live shot from nato, we've gotjens stoltenberg, who is speaking, and of course we heard earlier that press conference with president zelensky, so we're just keeping an eye and on what is happening at nato and of course we are awaiting that big press conference with president biden a little bit later on today. we will have special coverage of that because this is potentially make or break for the that because this is potentially make or breakfor the us president. but just picking up butjust picking up on that interview with chris mason and the uk prime minister. our political correspondent hannah miller is in westminster.

hannah, just, they covered an awful lot of ground, and we have already spoken a lot about the health and fitness of the us president, let's talk about some of the more uk policy areas. seeing as they are at nato, let's get this idea about defence spending, because sir keir starmer is talking about this being a 2.5% increase of national income, but as chris mason pointed out, is this as ironclad as the prime minister is making it out to be? there are certainly many people in westminster who believe that it isn't on the basis that there is no date by which he said the uk will meet that target. i think it is worth saying, though, nato members have agreed to spend 2% of their national income on defence, and to meet that by this year. the uk is one of the countries that has meant that, one of 23 out of 32 members

that, one of 23 out of 32 members that are currently spending 2% of national income on defence. keir starmer wants to be shelving leadership on this by saying he will go to 2.5%, it is something that the conservative government prior to him had said that they would do, i think by 2030 —— shelving leadership on this. he has not put a time on it, but he wants to show leadership on this, he wants it to be something he can take to other countries at a situation, an event like nato, and be seen to be kind of leading the world on this kind of thing, but the lack of timescale is something that has been concise by many people, though i would also add that there are people, particularly in westminster, who think that there are other priorities for government to raise spending on, other areas as well, so while there will be some who say, no, you should be going quicker on defence, there are other support to other departments they say also need spending increases. so it's one of those things, isn't it, where he is trying to show

leadership, show commitment but not putting a timescale on it?— putting a timescale on it? hannah is one of the other _ putting a timescale on it? hannah is one of the other aspects _ putting a timescale on it? hannah is one of the other aspects chris - one of the other aspects chris really pinned down a meeting point of was emily thornberry, she had been the shadow attorney general when labour were in opposition, she is not the attorney general, they brought someone else in, arguably with a bit more experience, but she did not get any cabinet position. there's a lot of interest in that, why that was. there's a lot of interest in that, why that was-— there's a lot of interest in that, wh thatwas. , ., , , why that was. jacob emily thornberry had that role — why that was. jacob emily thornberry had that role in _ why that was. jacob emily thornberry had that role in opposition _ why that was. jacob emily thornberry had that role in opposition for - had that role in opposition for three years and she she was sorry and surprised when she was not given that, but sir keir starmer appointed richard kermer kc into the role, in the lords. emily thornbury has said publicly that she will remain loyal to keir starmer was my government, you heard their keir starmer saying he wants to find, orthere

keir starmer saying he wants to find, or there will be ways for her to contribute. you do wonder, there are still some roles within parliament, not necessarily in the government but in parliament, that have not been filled, you wonder whether there might be something around that for her. she has not said that there is, but whether there is some kind of role to give her a kind of portfolio they may have in mind, you don't have that confirmed at the moment. indeed, for the time being. _ confirmed at the moment. indeed, for the time being, hannah, _ confirmed at the moment. indeed, for the time being, hannah, thank - the time being, hannah, thank you very much for talking us through that, hannah miller about our political correspondentjoining us from westminster. one of the things sir keir starmer and chris mason were talking about was the situation with prisons in the uk. thousands of prisoners could be released early in an attempt to tackle overcrowding in jails in england and wales. it's one of a number of measures expected to be announced tomorrow by the justice secretary shabana mahmood. the prime minister sir keir starmer has said he was "pretty shocked" at the scale of the situation and claimed the previous government was "reckless".

our senior uk correspondent sima kotecha can tell us more. prisons in england and wales are in crisis. they're struggling to cope with the growing population. as of last week, there were 87,900 people injail, with the full spaces available amounting just under 89,000. that leaves fewer than 1,500 spaces across the estate. so why is there a problem with overcrowding? recorded crime has actually fallen, but the crown courts have a backlog of more than 67,500 cases — partly down to them being closed during covid and the 2022 barristers strikes. this means those remanded in custody have had to wait longer for their hearings and trials. sentencing policy has changed over the years too, including increased sentence lengths, which has also contributed to more and longer custodial terms. the labour manifesto committed to building more prisons, but that will take time,

and the problem is now. tomorrow, the new government will announce that some inmates on determinate sentences — that's those with a fixed end date — will be released 40% into their sentence. this is likely not to include serious offenders such as murderers and rapists. this strategy raises questions for the probation service, which is already stretched and will have to monitor those released on license. and there are victims of crime, some of whom will be angry that people are released without completing their punishment. some vehemently argue for tougher and longer sentences. but supporters of the prime minister will say he has no choice but to do this, as the system is on the verge of reaching full capacity. sima kotecha there. water bills in england and wales are set to rise by around £19 a year over the next 5 years — that's the proposal from the industry regulator ofwat. but that's far less than the water companies had asked for and they're saying it's not nearly enough to address problems like sewage leaks. our business editor

simonjack reports. ageing infrastructure, underinvestment and unprecedented rainfall have exposed nasty problems in our water system that need to be fixed, and someone's got to pay. today, the regulator announced what that would mean for consumer bills. there is a big range in the proposed bill rises. southern water customers will see bills rise 44%, thames a rise of 23%, and ses, which only does water, not the more expensive waste, down 15%. but bear in mind this doesn't include normal inflation, so bill rises are likely to be higher than this. given the terrible service, why are most customers being asked to pay more? nobody wants to see bills go up, and that's why we've very carefully scrutinised this package. we need to invest more to improve have our nation's waterways and to protect our future water supplies against climate change and population growth. the companies wanted even higher bills to fund more projects like this storm tank which will reduce sewage overflows,

and the industry says the settlement will not solve the fundamental problems. i think they've got this wrong. for too often, ofwat has prioritised artificially suppressing bills at the direct expense of our environment and our economy. we desperately need this investment. we have the lowest asset replacement rate in europe, and that's because maintenance has been systematically underfunded. critics say water companies have allowed billions in dividends, millions in pay to flow out, which include a £200,000 bonus for the new boss of thames forjust three months' work. not all water companies are the same, some are in bigger trouble than others. thames is drowning in £18 billion worth of debt — it's only got enough cash to lasted 11 months. and there are many who feel, because it didn't get as much money as it wanted, the prospect of quasi—nationalisation came a step closer today. new environment minister steve reed said that would cost taxpayers, but he promised action. nationalising any of the water companies would cost billions of pounds and take years, potentially.

i want to get to work quickly to clean up the unacceptable levels of pollution that is so outraging the public. people like dave and jacqui, who are thames customers and monitor pollution levels in the river. they want to know where customer money is being spent. it sounds like rewards for failure. i mean, i think at the moment, people will go, "well, where is that money going?" they'll look at the headlines and go, "that sounds "like a lot of money going into someone else's pocket." the bill rises for 2025 announced onwards are provisional. a final decision comes in december. right now, neither the companies nor their customers seem very happy. simon jack, bbc news. it's one week since the general election, and as labour digests its huge successes, the party's also reflecting on the upsets it suffered. there were a couple of surprising losses for labour and some where majorities were slashed, in part due to dissatisfaction with its position on the war in gaza.

one of those who narrowly held on to her seat was the mp for bethnal green and stepney, rushanara ali. she told the bbc she faced unprecedented levels of abuse, including death threats. she's been speaking to our political correspondent leila nathoo. shame on you, rushanara ali! i don't know how you show your face, you're disgusting! election day at a polling station in bethnal green, east london. a week on, at her party's local office, and the returning labour mp, rushanara ali, is reflecting on the nature of a contest that she said went well beyond the usual cut and thrust of an election campaign. this was something else. it involved many months of online abuse, threats, intimidation, disinformation. it became a really frightening environment for the wider community. animosity towards labour in this formerly safe inner—city seat with a significant muslim populations stemmed from the party's

stance on the war in gaza. legitimate anger about what's happening in another part of the world was being exploited by certain groups. i spent, i'd say, as much time talking to the police and responding to threats and hostilities during this campaign as i did talking to voters. just after the election was called, she says she was sent a letter threatening her life delivered by hand to the labour office. she passed it to police. shame on you, shame on you! other labour mps who also onlyjust held onto their seats reported similar experiences in the face of challenges from pro—palestinian candidates. this was a campaign that was sullied by harassment and intimidation. one of their defeated colleagues, jon ashworth, claimed today the campaign had been marred by levels of bullying and intimidation he not seen before.

the new mps who have been arriving here in westminster this week have all been offered advice on safety and security precautions, including being offered panic alarms. two mps have been killed in their constituencies in the past eight years — it's little wonder the concerns are being taken seriously. all of us are still traumatised and still grieving for the loss ofjo cox and david amess. they are not forgotten. mps from all parties have been affected, and they want lessons to be learned. leila nathoo, bbc news. let's turn to the us. prosecutors in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the hollywood actor alec baldwin have described him as a reckless weapons handler, who "played make believe with a real gun". his defence team say he was reliant on experts to make the film set safe. cinematographer halyna hutchins died when she was hit by a bullet

from the gun baldwin was using while filming rust in 2021. our los angeles correspondent emma vardy has more. so far in this trial, prosecutors have been painting a picture for the jury of a movie set in which safety standards weren't being upheld, corners had been cut, people with not so much experience had been recruited to work on it, and all of this was playing into the situation which up to the tragic incident of the shooting that killed the cinematographer halyna hutchins. now, the jury have been shown bodyworn cameras of police officers who arrived on the scene when the shooting that happened. they've been seeing the chaos, the confusion, the panic that had happened on the movie set after that gun had fired a live bullet. now, in relation to alec baldwin specifically, the argument that the prosecution have been making and will continue to make today is that alec baldwin himself wasn't following safety protocols in the way he was handling a weapon — that he was seen gesturing

with it, for example, with his finger on the trigger — golden rules that you should never do, even if you believe a weapon is safe, they say. and it is these actions, this disregard for weapon safety on set, that they say means alec baldwin bears some responsibility into what happened. now, as to why there was a live bullet in the gun at all, well, the blame for that has been taken by the film's armourer, hannah gutierrez, who's already been found guilty in an earlier trial. she's already serving a prison sentence for that. that mix—up of ammunition was her error, but the prosecution say the blame also lies at alec baldwin's door for the way in which he was handling the weapon. so we've heard from law enforcement officers, experts, sort of fbi experts in that regard. we're also going to be hearing from other members of the rust crew who were working on set that day. but the big question still remains as to whether alec baldwin himself will testify. now, often in the us, defendants are advised not to testify. there's more risks to doing that.

they might undermine their own testimony. their own defence. but there is always the possibility that when the evidence plays out in front of a jury, that they may decide alec baldwin needs to look the jury in the eye and tell his own story. so we will have to wait till the rest of the arguments have been made to find out whether he is going to take the stand. but each morning that he has arrived here, he has walked very solemnly past the cameras, head down, hasn't answered any questions. he's been in court with his brother and his wife, so clearly a lot of family support for him during this trial. so much is at stake for him personally and professionally. it's been over two years that this case has taken to get to trial. if he is found guilty, he could also face a prison sentence of up to 18 months. emma vardy reporting. dozens of pilot whales have been found stranded on a beach on the orkney islands, in what's thought to be the largest stranding in scotland for decades.

more than 70 animals are out of the water at tressness on the island of sanday. rob flett is at the scene and sent us this a little earlier. here on the island of sanday in orkney, this has been a short—lived rescue attempt with a very sad end. just over those sand dunes, 12 whales are now being euthanised. the remainder of the 77 whales which beached sometime in the middle of the night and sadly weren't spotted until the middle of this morning, leaving just too little time for a rescue effort to be mounted which stood any chance of success. i've seen remarkable acts of compassion from the rescuers, just over those sand dunes, trying to keep the remaining whales moist and cool and alive long enough until a decision on their fate could be taken by veterinary experts from around the country. but sadly those vets decided there was just no realistic prospect of success and for those animals to be saved, so the decision was taken a short time ago

that they should be euthanised, and that's what's happening. very sad ending there. rob flett. apologies for the sound quality. i think it was quite when he there. —— quite windy. let's return to the football. the hero of last night was of course ollie watkins, who scored the winning goal exactly 90 minutes into the game. the 28—year—old started his football career in the lower leagues, plying his trade at exeter city beforejoining brentford and then aston villa. danjohnson's been tracing his steps in football's grass roots. he's the first face you see at exeter city's training ground. palmer finds watkins. watkins turns. watkins scores! ollie watkins — that is wonderful! they spotted his potential early, but still, that match winner, eh? i couldn't believe it, i literallyjumped up,

i couldn't believe it. just so happy for him, you know, he is such a good lad, such a nice person. and he's worked really, really hard to get there. and obviously delighted for england, but honestly more happy that he scored. ollie's gone a long way from south devon, but he's still inspiring the next generation here. it makes me believe that i can probably play in the prem - one day or, you know, - get to the levels he's got to, so it's just really good to see - someone like that score in a game so big for england. exeter fans watching last night were clear — he's one of theirs. but there was a time he struggled to even make the side. when you were at weston—super—mare on loan, did you ever lose your dream that things like this might happen to you? no, i never thought i'd be playing in the euros for england. obviously, you can dream, but i'm a realist, ijust take it day by day, one step at a time,

and i wasjust focusing on, you know, getting back into the first team at exeter. these pictures at his old school now hold extra hope for young players, like...0llie, 12. if you keep on trying and persevering, you will maybe reach your goal one day and your dreams. to think that some person from this school could play for england is mad. the whole country is just buzzing today, i've come into school, - all the kids are buzzing, saying about it. - the impact he has had isjust- incredible when you think about, like, where he has come from, it'sjust insane. _ from the fa cup second round nine years ago against port vale... ..to a last—minute match winner securing england's place in sunday's final, they say we still haven't seen the best of the devon boy done good. danjohnson, bbc news, exeter.

inspirational. no pressure for sunday! let's bring you up—to—date with the weather. here is matt taylor. hello. over the next few days, you'll be glad of any glimpses of sunshine, because out of it, it's going to feel distinctly chilly for this stage injuly. temperatures this time of year should be roughly in the order of 18 to 23 degrees — just a few cities across the uk for you, just to show the example. what it will be like, though, is around 14—19 celsius, around three to six degrees lower than normal for some of you. and that cooler weather is expanding across much of western europe, the blue colours indicating below average temperatures. and into the start of the weekend, it gets colder for us but also extends in across much of western europe. the heat, humidity in summer is out towards the east, but at a price — temperatures in the high 30s, low 40s. in between, though, thursday into friday, we're going to see some severe storms develop across europe, a developing area of low pressure. and it all helps to increase the northerly air flow that we're going to experience into friday. it's that which is bringing the cooler air in place. through the night, lots of cloud, outbreaks of rain and drizzle, england and wales especially. some clearer skies, scotland,

northern ireland, though — temperatures here could drop into mid—single figures for friday morning. here, though, some of the brightest weather to come on friday, a lot of cloud for england and wales. there will be some brighter breaks here and there. some of you will see sunshine. outbreaks of rain and drizzle, though, pushing their way southwards. maybe the odd thunderstorm in the south—west and south wales later, but really grey conditions and breezy conditions later on across eastern counties of england, the wind picking up. lightest of the winds, though, with the sunshine in south—west scotland is where we'll see the highest of the temperatures — 20 degrees, compared tojust 13 or 1a as a high on the east coast. it really will not feel like summer at all. now, into friday night, the breeze strengthens a bit more across some of those eastern coasts, further rain or drizzle around at times. but as we go into the weekend, just watching this area of low pressure, which is going to extend a bit of an influence out towards the east of the country. it is only going to give us a glancing blow, but it's going to be enough on saturday as that extends out to scandinavia to bring increased cloud, greater chance of rain at times across those eastern counties of england and parts of scotland and a stronger wind.

away from that, to the south and the west on saturday, though, fair bit of cloud at times, some sunshine and one or two showers, although temperatures still lower than average. into sunday, our area of low pressure starts to pull away again, so it's an improving day. lots of cloud to begin with, some patchy drizzle across eastern areas, but overall drier through the afternoon. much more sunshine developing, especially to the south and the west, and it will start to feel a bit warmer. hello, i'm lewis vaughanjones. you're watching the context on bbc news. this will help us train our soldiers faster and more efficiently equip our brigades. ukraine will prevail, and i want you to know we're going to be with you every step of the way. we went through a huge i number of issues at pace. he was actually on really good form, and there were a number of... -

mentally agile? absolutely across all the detail. it'sjust so hard for me to imagine a 4.5 years down the line from now, particularly at a time that's so combatative, that requires welcome to the programme. the us president is due to face the cameras and the questions in just a couple of hours. many will be watching and judging. we'll look ahead to that. at the nato summit itself, president zelensky is centre stage, and a commitment that f—16 fighter jets will be flying in ukraine this summer. our political editor chris mason sits down with prime minister keir starmer. we'll pick through that. and artificial intelligence at wimbledon — we'll explain all in our regular sgement ai decoded. we start in washington and that nato

summit.