this is bbc news. the headlines at two. some hospital services could be cut or scaled back in nearly two thirds of england. a heterosexual couple who went to the court of appeal after being told they could not have a civil partnership have lost their case. better news about government borrowing: the treasury records its biggest january surplus for 17 years. four us citizens and an australian pilot have died after their light plane crashed into a shopping centre in melbourne. and in the next hour. the ice maidens cometh. seven british soldiers make their final preparations to cross antarctica, unassisted. and who ate all the pies? the keeper at sutton under investigation for a potential breach of betting rules. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. some hospital services could be cut or scaled back in nearly two thirds of england, in order to save money and to try to improve efficiency — according to a bbc analysis of plans in 44 areas. proposed changes range from full closures, to centralising services on fewer sites. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson has the details. protests outside horton hospital in oxfordshire just a few months ago where there are concerns about bed closures and cuts to stroke and critical care. and it's not the only place. right across england, proposals for big changes are afoot in the nhs. the bbc has analysed 44 of the transformation and sustainability plans. two thirds include either hospital closures or moving treatments to a different site. more than a third involve cuts

to the number of hospitals providing non—emergency treatments and around one third plan to reduce the number of hospitals offering emergency care. proposed closures to hospital beds have been heavily criticised by the think tank the king's fund. that has prompted concerns after scenes like this. to shut even 10% of beds is unrealistic at the moment with the current crisis. when hospitals are full they become less safe places we have to make sure any bed reconfiguration is done with patient safety the priority. the ambition of taking care out of hospital and moving it closer to patients homes has been praised by experts as the best hope of delivering essential reforms to the nhs but they say it can't be done without extra funding. ideally there ought to be an earmarked fund

for new investment, to strengthen and improve the out—of—hospital services, and to shore up adult social care, which is really in crisis at the moment. if those additional funds aren't forthcoming, the government needs to be honest about the consequences for patients and what the offer to the public will be. leaving downing street today, the health secretary was asked to comment... are you cutting hospital services? but decided not to. in a statement, the department of health said... the challenge, though, for the nhs in england is the short time given to deliver these large—scale improvements and during a period of unprecedented low increases to nhs budgets. you can find out the nhs plans

in your area in england by going to bbc dot co dot uk forward slash health. a heterosexual couple have lost their attempt to be allowed to have a civil partnership. rebecca steinfeld and charles keidan had argued that being prevented from entering into one is discriminatory. todayjudges at the court of appeal said that there was a potential human rights breach, but the government should have more time to decide on the future of civil partnerships — which were created in 2004 for same sex couples. our legal affairs correspondent clive coleman reports. emerging from court, charles keidan and rebecca steinfeld, a heterosexual couple fighting for the right to enter a civil partnership. all three of the judges agreed we're being treated differently because of our sexual orientation and that this impacts our private and family life. all three rejected the argument that we could just get married. all three emphasised that the government cannot maintain the status quo for much longer.

a civil partnership defined in the 2004 act that created them as a relationship between two people of the same sex so they are not available to heterosexual couples. in december 2014, charles and rebecca were stopped from registering their notice of intention to form a civil partnership by their local registry office. same—sex marriage came into force in march 2014. sir eltonjohn and david furnish were among the first to tie the knot. since then, civil partners have been able to convert their civil partnership into a marriage, and some 13% have done so. charles and rebecca argued that the ban on heterosexual couples becoming civil partners breached their right to a family life and discriminated against them. the government won but only by a whisker. all three judges found that the ban on heterosexual couples entering into civil partnerships was potentially in breach

of their human rights and discriminatory. but two of the judges found that the different treatment of same—sex and opposite sex couples was justified by the government's policy on civil partnerships which is to wait and see how many same—sex couples want to enter into one, rather than to get married. the government has welcomed the court's ruling and says it will carefully consider it. but campaigners are impatient. the government has to wake up and smell the coffee. there is a growing feeling this needs to happen. there is a growing appreciation backed up by the court today that this is an inequality that cannot go on. there are more than three million heterosexual cohabiting couples in the uk who, campaigners say, want the option of a civil partnership which conveys and protects virtually all of the same rights as married. this important issue of social policy is not going away. rebecca steinfeld and charles

keidan join me now. thank you forjoining us. just take us thank you forjoining us. just take us back to 2014 first of all, rebecca if you can start, this is where the fight began. in october 2014 we went to the register office in chelsea to give notice of our intention to form a civil partnership, we were turned away because we are not of the same sex. since then we have had a baby who is 110w since then we have had a baby who is now 21 months old and we have taken the government to court and we have launched a political campaign to challenge what we see as an unfair situation and asked the government to make this very simple popular change that will be great for family and children. a lot of people my square knot marriage ? and children. a lot of people my square knot marriage? we recognise marriage is a profound and meaningful institution for marriage, it is not right for us. for us we see ourselves as partners in life,

we want to be recognised as partners in law and we are not alone as has been mentioned. there are over 3 million couples so a significant proportion of these would want to form a civil partnership with all the rights this infers. they are denied by this because they are of a different sex which cannot be right, it is surely a basic principle that everyone should be treated equally. had you been quietly confident before today that it would go in your favour, how surprised where you buy thejudgment? your favour, how surprised where you buy the judgment? we your favour, how surprised where you buy thejudgment? we hoped it your favour, how surprised where you buy the judgment? we hoped it would go in ourfavourso buy the judgment? we hoped it would go in ourfavour so naturally buy the judgment? we hoped it would go in our favour so naturally we are disappointed by the judgment but it was a very narrow ruling. 2—1. in so many points the judges agreed with one another and us and said we are being treated differently because of our sexual orientation which impacts our sexual orientation which impacts ourfamily life. this our sexual orientation which impacts our family life. this argument that we could just get married is not sufficient and the government has to act and act soon. how are you moving this forward? is it the potential

human rights breached thejudges alluded to? our solicitors are filing to appeal to the supreme court but we hope it won't come to that. it seems unnecessarily wrong that. it seems unnecessarily wrong that we have to continue this motion on financial cost when the government can do what is in their interest and in the country's interest and in the country's interest and in the country's interest and actually in the interest and actually in the interest families and that is to extend civil partnerships. they can do that. in the queen's speech by using legislation with cross—party political support. senior conservative mps as well as mps from other parties. we have come a long way despite this narrow setback. so you want to try to force the hand of the government, if that doesn't happen how far can you go because you are relying on financial support from well—wishers, if that is there than how far the cisco? it is difficult for us to keep going. we are ordinary citizens. litigation costs a fortune and we were advised it would cost about £25,000 to go to

the supreme court which is why we are hoping the government simply voluntarily axed to make this tidy amendment to the civil partnership act. all they need to do is remove six words which limits people of the same sex to civil partnerships and it'll all be over. they're not making assumptions, until that happens we will be continuing our crowdfunding effort and our petition on change. all which has generated huge support and enabled us to keep going. we wouldn't be able to continue the people were so helpful. we looked and it has been doubled in the last few hours and it doesn't ta ke the last few hours and it doesn't take saul webber certainly it will give us some of the resources that we need but we really think ultimately it is a matter for for parliament and government. who else is lobbying for you, though six words you want to remove, so that

you don't have to take the next step legally? the support we have had this incredible. 72,000 signatures ona this incredible. 72,000 signatures on a petition, thousands of people writing us, moving personal messages about the heartache people are suffering and the financial detriment because they did not feel marriage is right for them and they are forced into position of cohabiting without any legal or financial protection so all of those people. siddique khan supports us, london assembly and our constituency andy slaughter, the mp for hammersmith has been supportive. andy slaughter, the mp for hammersmith has been supportivem has been a cross—party effort which are so has been a cross—party effort which are so striking as well as cross—country and the city of london and with the meir in london giving a support too. on a personal level what does the family say? it depends who you ask. but some of them are? 0ur parents are concerned to ensure we have protections and they can see we have protections and they can see we do not have these protections but

for the younger generation, many of whom who have different lifestyles and have different preferences, they see this could be great halfway house where they can see the kids can receive protections but doing it ina way can receive protections but doing it in a way which is different. what protection is a civil partnership offer you two that you wouldn't have just by cohabiting? in terms of legal and financial protection, protection in terms of inheritance relief if one of the parties dies, writes to pensions, survivors benefits and to partner support in the event the relationship breaks down which is important for women. who often invariably give up full—time work or working when children are born so women who are in cohabiting relationships were they don't have rights can find themselves in an extremely difficult position if their relationship ends up position if their relationship ends up as position if their relationship ends upasa position if their relationship ends up as a separation or the partner dies. this really is an issue, it's

notjust philosophical and abstracts, it's an issue that has very serious and material consequences for people and especially women. two years on since you went to the registry office, how long, do you have any idea, how long if you don't fit on the legal route this could take for the changes?m the government decides that they can the government decides that they can the case is strong, the judges today said the government doesn't have much time to make a decision, we could be seeing civil partnerships formed by the end of this year, by christmas. we have seen them in the isle of man and that is 25 miles of the uk mainland, it seems ridiculous can be recognised in the uk and we hope if government is willing to consider the matter based on a very detailed ruling that will see sense. i want to add to that that lord justice breaks, one of the judges

noted in the judgment that this delay is having real consequences for people, that people who was the government dally about this issue, when their partners dies, they will face very fiscal disadvantages. there is every reason for the government to act, if they don't the position will become unlawful. judges have made that clear and people are suffering because of this. good of you to come and talk about it. we can't say anything in support obviously, we have to be neutral but we wish you well. an israeli soldier who shot dead a wounded palestinian attacker has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for manslaughter. elor azaria was convicted by a military court of killing abdul fatah who was lying on the ground, badly injured, after stabbing a soldier. the case has divided israel — the prime minister benjamin netanyahu had led calls for the soldier to be pardoned. the bodies of at least 74 migrants have been washed ashore on the coast of libya, according to the red crescent.

the aid organisation said the bodies were found near the town of zawiya and will be taken to the capital tripoli for identification. the united nations estimates that 5000 migrants drowned trying to cross the mediterranean to europe last year. government finances were £9.4 billion in surplus injanuary, according to the office for national statistics. the first month of the year traditionally sees a surplus, because of the high level of income tax receipts — but this is the biggest january surplus for 17 years. our business editor, kamal ahmed explained why this is good news for the government. the main reason since the referendum the economy has performed better than people thought which means we are paying more taxes, whether we are paying more taxes, whether we are individuals or businesses and that means the government is borrowing less. of course that means the chancellor has a bit of wriggling room looking forward to the budget of next month, could he spend a little bit more money on

that toxic issue of business rates, ease some of that pain, could he pay a bit more money and spend more money on the nhs which we have been reporting on today. we have to take ca re reporting on today. we have to take care with this room that he might have a bit more money at the time of the budget, the treasury still believes that they could be a big economic cost attached to britain leaving the european union, any extra money i think will want to be saved back for the possibility of a rainy day in the future. 16 minutes past two, the headlines. hospital services in two thirds of england could be cut or scaled back, bbc analysis of local plans shows. heterosexual couple have lost the court of appeal battle to have a civil partnership instead of a marriage. four us citizens at an australian pilots have died after their light plane crashed into a shopping centre in melbourne australia. and in sport the fa are

investigating a possible breach in their betting regulations after a bookmaker offered odds on the reserve keeper for sutton united eating a pie against arsenal last night. he was seen in the second half eating a pasty. manchester city face monaco tonight and the last 16 champion sleep tight, pep guardiola has never failed to reach the semifinals in his managerial career. this will crack will not race again this season, the king george winner has torn a tendency will miss the channel festival next month. i will be back at half—past with more. leading republicans have praised president trump's decision to name an army general who's an expert in counter—insurgency as his new national security adviser. general h r mcmaster replaces michael flynn —— who resigned after misleading officials about his contacts with russia. tulip mazumder reports. general hate charm at mass double

become the national security adviser sir -- become the national security adviser sir —— general h r mcmaster. become the national security adviser sir -- general h r mcmaster. donald trump finally has his man after sacking his first choice for security adviser and them being turned down by his second choice, the trump administrator will be hoping it is that i'm lucky.|j the trump administrator will be hoping it is that i'm lucky. i would like to say what a privilege it is to continue serving our nation and i'm grateful to you for that opportunity and i will look forward to joining opportunity and i will look forward tojoining the national opportunity and i will look forward to joining the national security team are doing everything i can to advance and protect the interests of the american people, thank you very much. despite president trump proclaiming that his administration is running like a finely tuned machine, it has looked very different from the outside. his original controversial pick for national security adviser, retired lieutenant colonel michael flynn, was forced to stand down for misleading the vice president is

about conversations he had had with the russian ambassador. then retired vice admiral robert harwood said he couldn't take on the job for personal reasons. 0ver couldn't take on the job for personal reasons. over the weekend the president met with four candidate at his luxury estate in florida before his press secretary announced the news in true trump style on twitter. the selection of general h r mcmaster has been widely commended in washington, he served in afghanistan and iraq and is seen asa in afghanistan and iraq and is seen as a soldier soldier who tells it as he sees it. i think everybody is concerned he was concerned about this humanitarian catastrophe that is unravelling here in the greater middle east and of course the grave security concerns associated with this and really a conflict that i think is characterised by a psycho willett cycle. the cycle of ignorance and perpetuation of ignorance and perpetuation of ignorance by groups. ignorance to form hatred and the hatred to justify violence. it remains to be

seen just how justify violence. it remains to be seenjust how much justify violence. it remains to be seen just how much freedom the new national security adviser will have as he takes on one of his first challenges, smoothing over reported tensions between the white house and the intelligence community. let's speak to jane 0'brien who's in washington for us. we are alla we are all a bit bereft there has not been a tweet from the president today but we are hoping to see him soon? we are indeed, he is off to the new american museum for african—americans which i i believe he's arriving now but what we're all talking about here in washington is is the national security adviser. the man that he has chosen to replace mike flynn who was forced to resign last week after misleading the vice president over his contacts with russia. that is what we are focusing on and general h r mcmaster isa man focusing on and general h r mcmaster is a man who was said in the clip is

widely respected throughout washington and described as an intellectual warrior. 0ne washington and described as an intellectual warrior. one of the most brilliant minds in the military today. he has a great resume, the issueis today. he has a great resume, the issue is now can he perform in the trump administration. a blunt speaker not afraid of authority? a p pa re ntly speaker not afraid of authority? apparently not. someone described him asa apparently not. someone described him as a man who is very candid, now whether or not mr trump really need yet another person who isn't afraid to speak his mind as a whole other issue. he will of course have to deal with steve bannon who is now on the security council and he is a political strategist and that would be an interesting mix because general mcmaster is not a political operative, he is a military man, he's used to very specific command structure and he will learn very quickly how to adapt very political climate. by all accounts a very one. thank you. five people have been killed after a light aircraft crashed into a shopping centre

in melbourne in australia. the pilot reported a ‘catastrophic engine failure' shortly after take off. the shops weren't open at the time of the crash, and no—one on the ground is believed to have been injured. 0ur sydney correspondent hywel griffith reports. just metres from the runway, a site strewn with charred metal. inside the wreckage of the plane which came swooping from the sky. eyewitnesses described seeing flames rise after it crashed into the dfo shopping centre which was due to open its doors one hour later. i just saw a blue flash come down past the dfo billboard over there. and, then, all of a sudden, it hit the spotlight, and just erupted into a huge fireball. there's explosions going off one after the other. so, the plane go up, then cars going off as well. so there was a lot of smoke and flame. piecing together what led to the crash may take weeks. specialist investigators have been called to the scene, but the police have confirmed that the pilot made a mayday call shortly before the impact,

reporting engine problems. we understand there was potentially catastrophic engine failure but we are unsure at this stage. it crashed into the back of the dfo shopping centre. it took more than a dozen fire crews to extinguish the flames. the aircraft would have been full of fuel. drivers on the nearby freeway reported feeling the heat as it burned. the crash has left many shocked. it's a desperately sad day, very, very sad day for our state. a number of people have died as a result of what is the worst civil aviation accident that our state has seen for 30 years. all flights out of essendon airport have been supended as teams on the ground try to establish exactly what went wrong. police have begun excavation work at two properties

in swindon in wiltshire, one of which is the former home of christopher halliwell, who's serving a life sentence for the murder of two young women. halliwell, who's 53, murdered becky godden in 2003 and sian 0'callaghan in 2011. 0ur correspondent, duncan kennedy is in swindon. we had a police operation since late last night and continuing again this morning. they have been operating behind this black tarpaulin and as you can see there's a of activity. they have erected white tents, they have put up black tarpaulin to cover what they are doing. all they have told us as they have no information that has led them to this address, and address that christopher halliwell lived in between 96—2000. they are looking at to this address, and address that christopher halliwell lived in between 96—2000. they are looking at two gardens here, they say they are looking at the gardens and

they are looking at the gardens and the garage and have no plans to look inside the houses at the moment. they're doing it with the full cooperation of the owners and those owners were not involved. they are not going any further in telling us why they have come to this address now. it all stems of course from last september when christopher halliwell was convicted. he was given a life term of the murder and had been serving 25 years for another murder. becky god disappeared in 2003, sian 0'callaghan in 2011 and there is an eight—year gap which police believe could account for more victims at the hands of christopher halliwell. there were keen last september during the course of the trial to stress that they believed they could be more victims and what is going on behind me now could be a part of that. there is one other factor to ta ke that. there is one other factor to take into account. the police were criticised at the time over the enquiry of becky godinet because of the way they handled the arrest. in effect the justice for christopher halliwell was delayed by six years and it was six years after becky godden's remains was found. that

caused all sorts of distress and all sorts of stress for becky godden's family. now the police about being meticulous in the investigation to find if there are any more victims at the hands of christopher halliwell. police in barcelona say they have detained a man driving a truck with butane gas tanks at high speed against the traffic on a highway. spanish national television tve reported that the truck had rammed several cars before local police fired several gunshots to stop it. police have declined to confirm that gunshots were fired but say they driver is being questioned. the house of lords is continuing to debate the legislation that will allow the government to begin the process of taking the uk out of the european union. some peers are seeking changes, despite the measure being approved by the commons in the wake of last summer's referendum. we can take you to those pictures of

donald trump in washington where he is visiting the national african—american history museum, let's see if he'll say anything. what have you learned? i've learnt and i've seen and they've done an incredible job and now we are going to look at the exhibit which is very exciting to me thank you. can i get a picture? that is so cool. so president trump not saying very much to the waiting media there but of course the main focus has been the news about the man he has chosen as his national security adviser. general mcmaster who we are told

will remain on active military duty while leading the national security council. we will live events in washington. if there are any speeches, he is learning as sees and if there's any more we will let you know. a former speaker of the house of lords has claimed that many peers contribute ‘absolutely nothing' to parliament — despite claiming their full £300 daily allowance. baroness d'souza made the comments in a bbc interview for a documentary. a house of lords spokesman said the chamber is ‘active and effective‘, and peers can be suspended if they claim allowances without doing any work. 0ur political correspondent tom bateman reports. they are the peers of the realm, appointed by the monarch on the prime minister‘s advice. unelected but often experienced politicians. tv cameras have for the first time been allowed to film freely in committees and behind—the—scenes of the lords. most peers don‘t get a salary but can claim an attendance

allowance of £300 a day. this system is, not for the first time, facing questions. there is a core of peers who work incredibly hard, who do that work, and there are — sad to say — many, many, many peers who contribute absolutely nothing but who claim the full allowance. baroness d‘souza claimed an unnamed member kept a taxi running outside the lords whilst signing in to collect the allowance. 0fficials here at the house of lords are pushing back hard against the idea of freeloading peers. they say there is a robust code of conduct which is independently overseen. the trouble for them is that even the merest hint of an expenses abuse will play into that longer sense of a demise of trust in politicians. lord‘s officials point out that a member was suspended in a previous case, but without names they can‘t investigate this new claim of allowance abuse. i never thought i‘d get expert at putting stockings or tights on... this rare access to peers behind

the frills is a clear attempt to show the purpose of the lords in modern political life. many want it to be seen as a crucial working part of the constitution, advising on and improving laws. we take all of the nonsense, rubbish, legislation — and some of it is rubbish — that comes down from the other end of the building in the comments. we work on it, line by line, clause by clause, and we improve it. parliament‘s traditions come dressed in a rich sense of history. peers want people to see why they are relevant to modern life, too. a bit tight at the moment, as you can see. but fresh claims about the abuse of allowances will do little to help their cause. tom bateman, bbc news, westminster. it is time for the weather forecast. doris is coming. you are going to

have fun with that, yes, in case you haven‘t heard, storm doris is expected to arrive on thursday. before that, we have rain, in the far north and west, and a lot of cloud elsewhere, it is a rather grey day, but still pretty mild. the heavy rain continues in the far north and west, but still double figures, quite widely across the country. peaking at 14 this afternoon. the weather for bringing the rain will sit across england and wales tomorrow, rather drab, feeding cloud and outbreaks of rain. further north, some sunshine and a scattering of showers, but it will be windy. it stays mild in the south, cold in the north, and doris is expected to arrive, moving from the west to the southern flank of the west to the southern flank of the low, the wind will pick up, severe gales likely, and that could

bring a spell of snow across central and southern scotland. more details in halfan and southern scotland. more details in half an hour. this is bbc news. the headlines: analysis for the bbc has revealed that nearly two—thirds of local plans to reform nhs services in england involve closures or downgraded hospital facilities. the government says patients will receive better care in the community. a heterosexual couple have lost their appeal for the right to enter into a civil partnership. london couple rebecca steinfeld and charles keidan claim it‘s unfair that only same—sex couples are given an alternative to marriage. new figures show government finances were £9.4 billion in surplus last month, the biggest january surplus for 17 years. economists say the government could undershoot the forecast deficit of £68 billion

for the current financial year. five people have been killed in the australian city of melbourne after a plane suffered engine failure and crashed into a shopping centre. no one on the ground is thought to have been injured. it is time for the sport. the fa and the gambling commission have opened investigations into an incident involving suttons united‘s reserve keeper. wayne shaw was caught on camera eating what was then thought to be a pie in the dugout during their loss to arsenal in the fa cup last night. however it‘s been reported that it was part of a publicity stunt for a betting company. he had said, last night, that some of his friends have made money on the bet which would break fa rules. but now wayne insists it was ‘just a bit of banter‘. we were told that we are not allowed to gamble because it is full—time football, and i‘ve no way but anyone

in jeopardy because of that. this is just a bit of fun and me being hungry. if it was a pie, whoever it was, it was a pasty but i was eating. —— back. —— bat. manchester city‘s manager pep guardiola says his club‘s critics will "kill them" if they don‘t progress out of the last 16 of the champions league. they face monaco at home in the first leg of the tie tonight. city are without their captain vincent kompany as he has been plagued by groin and calf injuries this session. in seven seasons as coach of barcelona and bayern munich, guardiola has won the champions league twice and never failed to reach the semi—finals. he knows tonight opponents, who are top of france‘s league 1, are a formidable side. they are intelligent, physically strong, they arrive to the box a complete team, so it‘s the most successful team in europe in terms of goalscoring. so, a tough draw.

looking forward to playing against them, with our level. so, just compliment, because they are a really good team. the england women‘s head coach mark sampson has made seven changes to his squad for the she believes cup in america next month. liverpool defender casey stoney returns to the squad following injury. england recently lost to norway and drew to sweden in two friendlies. they will play the three top—ranked teams in the world — the usa, germany and france — in the tournament, starting with the french on march 1st in pennsylvania. laura muir will go for double gold at next month‘s european indoor championships in belgrade as part of a 31—strong british athletics team. muir showing great form this year, setting a new british indoor record in the 1000m in birmingham on saturday where she took a second off dame kelly holmes‘ previous record. she will race in the 1500 and 3000m.

uk sport chief executive liz nicholl has warned there is "no excuse" forfailures to look after athlete welfare. this as british cycling prepares to publish a report into whether there was a culture of bullying, favouritism and sexism within the organistaion. nicholl has also revealed that they were never given the full details of a 2012 internal review into the sport that may have highlighted some of the current issues being investigated. we were given to believe that actually we had a very light touch version of it, fed to us at uk sport, so we had no indication of the significance of that report. it has only now come to light through the very well—managed independent cycling review. cheltenham gold cup favourite thistlecrack has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a slight tendon tear. his trainer colin tizzard said

the injury was discovered this morning when he was scanned. he‘d won his first four races over fences, including a three—length victory over cue card in the king george vi chase on boxing day. it means he‘ll miss the cheltenham festival next month. that‘s all sport for now. i‘ll have more in the next hour. former labour minister lord mandelson has accused jeremy corbyn of living in a "parallel universe" during an event for the jewish chronicle in london. lord mandelson told the crowd that the labour leader is out of touch with the 21st century, and that his leadership is severely affecting the performance of the party. for more on this i‘m joined by our assistant political editor, norman smith, who‘s in westminsterfor us. peter mandelson said everyday he tries to do something to rescue the labour leadership from jeremy corbyn. to some people he will be telling the truth and to others that

he‘s just arrogant. telling the truth and to others that he'sjust arrogant. there is no love lost between people who support jeremy corbyn and those who supported tony blair, they loathe each other. peter mandelson has the freedom to make such comments public, though, saying that the labour party is on life support and they can only get out of a&e when they can only get out of a&e when thejeremy they can only get out of a&e when the jeremy corbyn they can only get out of a&e when thejeremy corbyn is removed and he has a duty to work every day to removejeremy corbyn. the has a duty to work every day to remove jeremy corbyn. the freeness with which she feels it is ok to say that undermines the sense of despair amongst the old blairite wing of the party about what they believe has happened to labour underjeremy corbyn —— he feels. the other thing which might cause nervousness for jeremy corbyn, this follows tony blair putting his head above the parapet, calling for an uprising over brexit, they will be wondering if there are any signs of movement in the undergrowth amongst the old

blairites that they are trying to organise. there has been talk about whether there might be some sort of pro—eu centrist political grouping consensus is emerging. i‘m not sure there is, it is more a howl of anguish romp the old blairites but have a listen to what peter mandelson said. the problem with jeremy the problem withjeremy is not that... he's a sort of maniac. he is not a nasty person. although i do know people who don't actually like him. it's that he literally has no idea about the 21st—century. it is no how to conduct himself as the leader of a party person itself forward in a democratic election to become the government of our country. it says if he is in a parallel universe.

i suspect that privately some of the old blairite wing of the party will be hoping that maybejeremy corbyn comes a cropper in the two by—elections later this week in stoke and copeland and maybe that will trigger another leadership move againstjeremy corbyn. if he loses those seats, it is hard to see any figure emerging prepared to launch yet another, third leadership challenge, and to underline the fact that there really is no love lost between these camps, this was a statement issued by a labour source in response to peter mandelson. the idea ofjeremy corbyn being prime minister and implementing policies which benefit the people terrifies state establishment, and so it is no surprise that peter mandelson has tried to undermine him. i think we can take it from that that they are not the best of buddies. laughter thanks forjoining us.

the first minister of wales has written to the foreign secretary borisjohnson about a teacher from wales who was removed from a flight to new york. juhel miah, who is a muslim, was travelling with students from a school in neath when he was escorted from a flight by security personnel. he says this is despite having a valid visa for travel, a british passport, no dual nationality and no criminal record. the 25—year—old maths teacher — who says he‘s not yet received any explanation from us officials — described how he felt when he was approached onboard the flight. i was gobsmacked. i didn‘t think it would happen, but the moment she said, are you juhel miah? i said yes. all the staff and pupils were looking at me, all eyes on me, and she escorted me to the front of the plane and told me to put my belongings down. that is when she took me to the front of the plane for top how did ifeel? uneasy. i was uncomfortable and i thought eve ryo ne was uncomfortable and i thought

everyone was looking at me, thinking was something i‘m not. the conservatives are hoping to make the first by—election gain by a governing party since the 1980s when people in copeland vote for their new mp on thursday. the vacancy in cumbria was created when the former labour mp and jeremy corbyn critic, jamie reed, resigned to take up a job at the sellafield nuclear site. labour have held the seat for more than 80 years. but with a majority ofjust 2,500 over the conservatives, labour‘s long rule is under threat. jenny kumah‘s been there to meet the candidates. whitehaven, a coastal town in the constituency of copeland, and it was once the uk‘s third largest port. now it‘s the nucleur site at sellafield that is key to the local economy, and looming large on the political map. the conservatives are hoping to overturn decades of labour rule here and they are focusing onjeremy corbyn‘s past opposition to nuclear. but their candidate‘s faced criticism for barely mentioning

the potential loss of services from the local hospital in her leaflets. i was born at that hospital, my four daughters were born at that hospital. we must keep consultant—led maternity. so what i‘ve actually been doing is working with the minister to identify the problems with recruitment, because that‘s the real challenge. the labour candidate‘s message is the tories can‘t be trusted on the nhs. one of her biggest challenges is convincing the thousands of nuclear workers here that her party‘s leader is on their side. i‘m behind the nuclear industry, no ifs, no buts. and it‘s labour party policy to support new nuclear build, to keep the lights on in this country. in the last general election here, labour beat the conservatives byjust 2,500 votes. smaller parties see an opportunity. labour has moved to the ideological left, the tories have moved to the ideological right. people in cumbria want a pragmatic politician from a credible party

who will focus on their issues and do an excellentjob for them, and i will do that. and people here voted 60/40 for brexit. the infrastructure‘s crumbling, we need new road and rail links. the nhs is at risk. there‘s nojobs, all the heavy manufacturing industry‘s gone. i think it‘s time for change. all the parties are supporting plans for a new power station in the constituency, but the greens are against it. i don‘t think it‘s the magic bullet everyone‘s been led to believe it is, and if the nuclear industry had been so good for this area, then why are towns like whitehaven... why are there so many empty units? why are people so hard up around here and why are these towns struggling? if labour manage to hang onto this seat, it will be a boost tojeremy corbyn‘s leadership. if they don‘t, questions will be raised about the future of labour‘s stronghold in the north. jenny kumah, bbc news. and the parliamentary by—election in the constituency of copeland takes place on thursday.

here‘s a full list of the candidates, which is also available on the bbc news website. in a moment a summary of the business news this hour but first — the headlines on bbc news: hospital services in nearly two—thirds of england could be cut or scaled back, bbc analysis of local plans shows. a heterosexual couple have lost their court of appeal battle to have a civil partnership instead of a marriage. government finances recorded a £9.4 billion surplus in last month, the biggest january surplus for 17 years. now the business news. shares in hsbc are down more than 6% on the ftse this morning. the bank reported a steeper—than—expected fall in annual profits. their pre—tax profits were down 62% on the year before. the bank says most of the fall was down to one off charges,

including fines and the sale of its operations in brazil. chancellor philip hammond has told conservative mps he is listening to their concerns about the re—evaluation of business rates. rates are being updated for the first time in seven years to bring them into line with property values. but some have argued that significant increases will lead to businesses shutting down and are urging mr hammond to use next month‘s budget to soften the impact. and sticking with the budget, government finances were £9.4 billion in surplus last month, meaning the government took in more than they spent. the figures come from the office for national statistics. it‘s normal to have a bit left over injanuary because of the high level of income tax receipts that month, but it‘s the biggest january surplus since 2000. so it‘s leading to lots of speculation about how much extra money the chancellor might have to play with in next month‘s budget. all this week, we‘re doing a series called disability works. it‘s a week of coverage looking at how businesses work with people with disabilities. and how disabled people have made business work for them. jacob anthony, from south wales, is a professional chef. but he also has ataxic cerebral

palsy — a condition which affects hand—to—eye co—ordination. so the pace in the kitchen can be quite a challenge. he‘s founded a bakery called loaf and ladder making artisanal bread. the business is less than a month old and jacob is struggling with a common problem. making the transition from claiming state benefits to earning a living from a new business. my my name is jacob anthony and i run loaf and ladder bakery, and i started off as a chef in milton doing maybe 200 covers a night. the way cerebral palsy affected me, it was slowing me down in terms of, i couldn‘t chop things quicken. i couldn‘t chop things quicken. i couldn‘t do the manual work quicken. that increased the pressure on myself and created stressful stop so, the bakery is not the usual

bakery. i only make handmade bread, i don‘t do pretty breads, they are more rustic, the way i create the bread is more in tune with the way my brain will allow my hands to work. moving from benefits to starting a small business is actually... was quite difficult in my experience. 0nce actually... was quite difficult in my experience. once i hit the threshold of £73 a week, they start drastically reducing the housing benefit. effectively means i‘m not having —— on having to rely on my tax credits to feed me and keep the house warm. the business has to take off, basically, within 3—6 months. if it's off, basically, within 3—6 months. if it‘s not done within the 3—6 months, i‘m going to have too seriously reconsider my options. jacob anthony there.

elsewhere in the business news: it‘s been a good day for mining companies. two of the biggest — bhp billiton and anglo american, have reported sharp increases in profits. bhp‘s half—year profits were £2.61 billion — a massive jump from the £332 million it reported a year earlier. anglo american reported full—year profits of £1.29 billion. now that compares with a £4.5 billion loss in 2015. now, the prices of commodities — the stuff mined by these companies including iron ore and coal, have risen, which has helped. also there‘s been an increase in demand from china. mps on a select committee have called the government "inadequate" and "deeply disappointing". the women and equalities committee said the government has failed to act on recommendations published last march to help bridge the gender pay gap. they want more focus on flexible working and shared parental leave. and youtube is to scrap those 30—second adverts

that are unskippable at the start of videos. google are going to have a think about a format that works for both users and adverts. they‘ve acknowledged that those adverts can be a bit of nuisance. these are the markets. shares in hsbc down considerably after those results. now shares that have been doing well are intercontinental hotel group — they announced that they‘re paying a special dividend to shareholders this morning. they had been hit hard by the oil industry because over 14% of their american rooms are in oil—producing states. shares are up at the moment, though. that is it from me. we will be back with more business news in about an hour‘s time. a team of british soldiers is hoping to become the first all—female group to cross antarctica unsupported.

during a three month expedition they‘ll face temperatures of minus 40 degrees — and they‘ll be walking in that for up to nine hours a day. 0ur reporter phil mackie joined them for some of their training in norway. the ice maiden team is heading out across a frozen norwegian lake at the start of its final training exercise. in september, these soldiers will begin their historicjourney, hoping they will succeed and inspire a generation of women. it is notjust about five women crossing antarctica, it is about encouraging women from across the military but also in civilian life to get out there and give things a go, and realise there is no ceiling and you can achieve anything. i think we can inspire some women to get out there and be physically active. it doesn‘t have to be antarctica. their 5k can be their antarctica. we‘re just going to have... 0oh, it‘s hot chocolate with orange today! their home for the next few weeks and the 80 days of the expedition will be a small tent. it will be a bedroom, living room and kitchen. hi, mum. hi, dad. there are doctors, a former

teacher, and an electrical technician on the team. i am just a normal person from newcastle and i have just happened to come across this incredible opportunity. if you want it and work for it, you canjust do it. they will leave their families and partners behind to spend nearly three months together on the ice. there is important research being done as well. no one really knows what it willtake to sustain an all—female team on a journey like this. it is notjust about the calories. it is about the actual composition of the rations — making sure there is the right amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein — and trying to figure out how we can manipulate that, i suppose. and also for a group of women whose nutritional requirements are quite different to men, there has been very little research done and certainly not published. so i haven‘t really got a lot to go on. one of the hardest things will be maintaining morale as each long day‘s march goes by.

they have just been out for a two—hour march. they will have to do up to nine hours a day once in the antarctic, carrying everything they need along with them. it will be very, very tough, which is why they need to practise in conditions as harsh as these. there are seven ice maidens. two will be reserves as only five can cross the antarctic, where they hope to break the ice ceiling, putting them in the history books alongside explorers like scott, shackleton and amundsen. phil mackie, bbc news, norway. a man in new york has had an extraordinary escape after he was crushed by a car while shopping in a supermarket. he was in mini—mart in the bronx when a vehicle smashed through the window. he was taken to hospital, but was not seriously hurt, as tim allman reports. an entirely unremarkable afternoon in the bronx. a man enters a local grocery store, waves to the person behind the till and starts to shop. he goes to a fridge and picks up some bottles

of what looks like water. so far, so normal. little can he imagine what‘s about to happen. he heads to the counter but there‘s one last item he needs. then this happens. caught on cctv from a different angle, you can see a white car ploughing through a plate glass window and crushing the man between two rows of shelves. but look at him staggering free, obviously shocked and hurt but remarkably, amazingly, not suffering from any major injuries. he sits down in the corner. later, he would apparently walk to the ambulances. and what about the people in the car? one of the doors opens and a woman clambers out. she looks around, more than a little shocked herself. it‘s not clear why she or the car

she was in took this unusual detour, adding a whole new dimension to drive—through shopping. but when you see these images again, you can only wonder how tragically this might have ended and how miraculous it was that no one was seriously injured or killed. tim allman, bbc news. this is the scene in washington at the national african—american history museum which donald trump is visiting. some comments have been reported on some of the news agencies, saying in an interview before this visit he has been denouncing anti—semitism after he was asked about a spate of threats to jewish community was asked about a spate of threats tojewish community centres in the united states. he said anti—sarah doesn‘t fill —— anti—semitism is

horrible and it has to stop, he said. we can now hearfrom the president of the united states. thank you very much, everybody, it isa thank you very much, everybody, it is a great honour to be here. it was a beautiful morning and what a job they have done, like few others have been able to do. i‘m very worried proud of the work and love that has been done here. you need enthusiasm and love for anything you do to do it successfully and you are... where? you should be up here, come on. david, we have to get him up here, as well. david is tremendous and he was singing your praises all morning, so you should two should at least be here, we appreciate it very much what david rubenstein is also

here, you have got to get up here, david, you deserve it. he‘s a very successful guy who spends money doing great things and he‘s been a great help to so many different groups and this one in particular. it isa groups and this one in particular. it is a privilege to be here today. this museum is a beautiful tribute to so many american heroes, like frederick douglass, booker t washington, rosa parks, the greensboro students and the african—american medal of honour recipients, amongst so many other really incredible heroes. it‘s amazing to see. we did a pretty comprehensive tour, but not comprehensive tour, but not comprehensive enough, so i will be back. i told you that. i could stay here for a lot longer, it‘s really incredible. i‘m deeply proud that we

now have a museum that honours the millions of african—american men and women who built our national heritage, especially when it comes to face, culture and the unbreakable american spirit. my wife was here last week and she took a tour and it was something she is still talking about. she is here right now. it really is very special. something that frankly, if you want to know the truth, it‘s doing so well that eve ryo ne the truth, it‘s doing so well that everyone is talking about it. president 0bama was here for the opening last fall and i‘m honoured to be the second sitting resident to visit this great museum. there is a quote in the hall that we pass from spottiswoode rice, a runaway slave whojoined spottiswoode rice, a runaway slave who joined the union army, he believed his fellow african—americans believed his fellow african—america ns always looked believed his fellow african—americans always looked to the united states as the promised

land of universal freedom. the united states as the promised land of universalfreedom. today the united states as the promised land of universal freedom. today and every day in my presidency i pledge to do everything i can to continue that promise of freedom for african—americans and for every american. so important, nothing more important. it was a meaningful reminder of why we have two fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred, in all of its very ugly forms. the anti—semitic threats targeting our jewish community and community centres a re jewish community and community centres are horrible. and painful. and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil. i want to thank a great friend of mine, doctor ben carson and his beautiful family. forjoining

doctor ben carson and his beautiful family. for joining us doctor ben carson and his beautiful family. forjoining us today. it was very special to accompany him and his family for the first time, seeing the carson exhibit. i love this guy, he‘s a great guy. he can tell you better than me but i will tell you what, we really started something with them. we are proud of him and hopefully next week he‘ll his approval. proud of him and hopefully next week he'll his approval. three or four weeks late and you are doing better than most right? the democrats, they will come along, i have no doubt. then will do a fantasticjob, i have absolutely no doubt he will be one of the greatest ever in that position. he grew up in detroit and had very little, he defied every statistic, he graduated from yale, and he went on to the university of michigan‘s medical school.