the conservatives hail a historic victory, as they sweep labour aside in the copeland by—election. they've got a lot to cheer about, it's the first by election win for a party in power in a generation. this is an astounding victory for the conservative party but also for the people of copeland. you know labour have held this seat since the 1930s. meanwhile labour does hang on to its seat in stoke central, seeing off a challenge by ukip. it's a message about the economy, it's a message aboutjobs, it is a message about this country, but above all, above all it was a message that hope triumphs over fear. we'll be asking how the political landscape is changed by today's by—election results. also tonight... a nerve agent classed as a weapon of mass destruction is found on the face of the murdered half—brother of

north korea's leader. claudio ranieri speaks out after his sacking yesterday by leicester... is there anything you would like to say to the fans? yes, i am very sad for them. say to the fans? yes, i am very sad forthem. i say to the fans? yes, i am very sad for them. i wish them all the best. and as hollywood gears up for its big night, we look at the art of the oscars acceptance speech. and coming up on bbc news, premier league managers give their reaction to claudio ranieri's sacking. jose mourinho said he had been let down by the selfishness of others. good evening. the conservative party has won a historic by—election victory in copeland. it's the first time a party

in government has taken a seat in a by—election for 35 years, and it's a major political upset. theresa may said her party had secured an outstanding victory. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn described their defeat as "very disappointing." but he said he wouldn't be standing down. labour has held copeland since 1935 but the conservatives overturned a labour majority of more than two and a half thousand. in a second by—election in stoke—on—trent central, labour saw off a concerted challenge from the ukip leader paul nuttall — with a reduced majority. in a moment, we'll have a full report from stoke but first our deputy political editorjohn pienaar is in copeland. well, like the storms yesterday, the campaign circus and the big—name politicians have moved on but yesterday's by—elections have left politics a little clearer than before. labour held off one big

challenge and just may have seen of the threat from ukip in its heartland but losing here in cumbria hurt labour and jeremy corbyn badly and tonight, theresa may and the conservatives looked like a party which need fear no one. my report contained some flash photography. sometimes party leaders seem to grow a little after a win. theresa may ‘s victory appearance here today told you that she had used the tories winning copeland to claim she could reach people and parts of britain no tory leader has won britain's margaret thatcher. this truly is a government that is working for eve ryo ne government that is working for everyone and for every part of the country. as for the idea that the tories could win two b, that the government needs good opposition, try telling them that or her. does britain need a stronger opposition to hold you to account over brexit? the opposition will do what they will do and what i am concerned about is what the conservative

government does. we are working for a country that truly works for eve ryo ne a country that truly works for everyone not just a country that truly works for everyone notjust the privileged few. that is the message that people here have heard. did you think that copeland would vote tory? no. we could dream of it. i have been a councillor for 20 something years and we dreamt one day... nothing like this has ever happened. the conservative party candidate, 13,000, 748. cheering and applause. it was a big win. the first win in a by—election by any government over its opposition in 35 years and in a place that has been labour since 1935. it has been very clear, talking to people throughout this campaign thatjeremy corbyn does not represent them. and this is tory territory now, labour folk do not like it and some feel they no reason why, copeland depends on sellafield and jeremy corbyn has opposed nuclear power. the nuclear probably had quite a lot to do with it

because jeremy corbyn said he did not want it and maybe he did do a u—turn on that, but knows. the men have done no good when they have been prime ministers, so maybe a changes everything. no hope for labourunderjeremy changes everything. no hope for labour under jeremy corbyn? i changes everything. no hope for labour underjeremy corbyn? i don't think so. i have to back him because lama think so. i have to back him because i am a labour man. i think it is hopeless. still can't been a safe seat for labour butjeremy corbyn turned up he to celebrate holding out against ukip. it is a message about the economy, aboutjobs, about this country but above all, it was a message that hope triumphs over fear. what about copeland? he had already been dogged by that defeat all day. our party mentorship is in good heart, it is very large and strong and we will be out again

tomorrow and every other day campaigning to get the message across social justice in campaigning to get the message across socialjustice in britain. yet the team ukip in stoke was a big relief to labour. and a painful blow to ukip and it's defeated candidate and leader. this seat was number 72 on our and leader. this seat was number 72 on our hit list, a lot more will happen, there is a lot more to come from us, we are not going anywhere, lam not from us, we are not going anywhere, i am not going anywhere so therefore, we move on and our time will come. paul nuttall may not be on his way out as leader but his campaign wobbled and then failed and the questions being raised when ukip lost nigel farage, did it lose its way? those are beautiful! just now theresa may looks the biggest winner, ruling her party against weakened and divided opponents with an assurance that is almost regal. well done indeed. i will see you on monday. back to business means back to brexit and there is nothing easy about that. john pienaar, bbc news,

copeland. asjohn mentioned, it wasn'tjust labour who suffered defeat in yesterday's by—elections, ukip struggled too. a fact particularly marked in stoke on trent, which had voted overwhelmingly for brexit. so, what next for ukip and their leader paul nuttall? alex forsyth is in stoke for us this evening. alex... this should have been prime ukip territory, almost 70% of the residence of stoke voted to leave the eu during the referendum, labour's candidate in this by—election backed remain but still ukip came second to him. they did improve on their performance in the general election but the party fell far short of the significant breakthrough it had hoped for. the morning after a hard—fought campaign brought dawning realisation for a ukip that they had been rejected by voters. the party had hoped for a big win. in stoke more than two thirds of people voted to leave the

eu but even where brexit proved so popular, ukip suffered defeat. people may have voted brexit but it does not mean it ukip. no, it does not and that is what ukip is all about, brexit. they have got no policies whatsoever whereas labour had. stoke has long been a labour stronghold, a collection of west midlands towns with a rich industrial heritage. a prime target for the ukip leader who is keen to prove that the party can win over working people. but paul nuttall had a tough campaign, forced to quell claims he had lost close friends at hillsborough. seniorfigures claims he had lost close friends at hillsborough. senior figures say that did play a part but insist he is still the right man to lead ukip. was this a ukip failure or a paul nuttall failure? this is a party failure. it is a party failure. winning by—elections like this takes time and people have to get used to you as a party. you have been around

for years! yes, focused on one single issue, getting britain out of the european union and we are now evolving into something bigger and we need to get that across to the electorate. this was a significant defeat, instead of proving it can win over disillusioned labour voters, it is less struggling to explain what it stands for beyond brexit. its former leaders said the campaign failed to cut through on key issues. there is a debate in ukip as to how strong we should be on the immigration issue. i feel we should own should be on the immigration issue. ifeel we should own it. we will have to look at that and think. worry tough enough and clear enough. in stoke, local ukip members admit that the party has to broaden its appeal, particularly given that the conservatives in government have promised to deliver brexit. there is no point in trying to dress up as reasonable what was a defeat. compared with expectations. we need to press on. our number one target was to get the uk out of the

european union, that is what we campaign for, but that was only the first call, we have to move on and get our message across to people on issues other than the european union. having failed to do that here in stoke, ukip is once again searching for direction. alex forsyth, bbc news, stoke—on—trent. our deputy political editorjohn pienaar is in copeland this evening. where do today's by—election results leave the main parties? comparisons between theresa may and margaret thatcher are very easily made and very easily overblown but there are some comparisons to be made. the ambition to reach out to blue—collar workers and voters and winning in copeland backed up by some very rosy opinion polls of late will encourage some conservatives to believe that that high ambition may not be unattainable. for labour, for jeremy corbyn and those around him, there will be relieved that they

have seen of this potentially existential threat from ukip, but thatis existential threat from ukip, but that is a long way from becoming a potential party of government. now, thatis potential party of government. now, that is a lot to do right there. those who are opposed tojeremy corbyn in his party believes there is no hope while he is leader and they see the party, even though they may hang on to strongholds in the north and in the midlands and elsewhere, carrying on, simply too wea k to elsewhere, carrying on, simply too weakto die elsewhere, carrying on, simply too weak to die and quite unable to win an election. in other words carrying on in an election. in other words carrying onina an election. in other words carrying on in a sort of twilight zone, in a perpetual state of opposition. john, many thanks. a woman who died after being hit by debris in wolverhampton city centre during yesterday's storm has been named as tahnie martin. she was 29 and from stafford. storm doris brought winds of nearly 100 miles per hour. it caused power cuts and travel chaos as flights were grounded and train services disrupted. a man has beenjailed for six years for killing an innocent bystander

with a single punch in an unprovoked attack. trevor timon, who's 31, admitted the manslaughter of oliver dearlove in blackheath in south—east london last august, but was cleared of murder. the judge said the "senseless" attack had caused "untold misery" for mr dearlove's family. police in malaysia say a highly toxic nerve agent called vx has been found on the face of kim jong nam— the murdered half brother of north korea's leader kimjong un. mr kim died last week after two women accosted him briefly in a check—in hall at an airport in kuala lumpur. the nerve agent, vx, is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the united nations. our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes reports from kuala lumpur. last week at kuala lumpur airport someone chose to attack kim jong nam in full view of at least half a dozen cctv cameras. it was a very deliberate and very public act of violence. today we learned what killed him.

and it's even more shocking. it is the vx nerve agent which is a chemical weapon. kim jong nam was walking across this busy departures hall last week when he was attacked at this spot. now we know what they choose to kill him, vx, one of the most deadly nerve agents ever invented. just a tiny drop, one hundredth of a gram would have been enough to kill him. vx is also banned under international convention yet someone decided to use it here in the midst of this international airport. vx is colourless and odourless with the feel of engine oil. it is so deadly it is classified by the united nations as a weapon of mass destruction. symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, vomiting and muscle convulsions. south korea says the north started producing chemical weapons in the 1980s and has up to 5000 tonnes of stocks. north korea's young dictator

kim jong un already has nuclear weapons. some think he is now sending a chilling new message, by killing his older brother with the world's deadliest nerve agent. what they have demonstrated is that they do have a weapon of mass destruction, vx, which has the potential to kill many thousands of people. they have shown that they want to be part of the weapons of mass destruction club and that they should be ta ken seriously. and if we do nothing, then we're going to be in a very difficult position. this is probably far more dangerous than the nuclear weapons programme which has been much vaunted in public in the last 12 months. the more we learn, the more bizarre this story becomes. this is one of the alleged assassins taking part in a vietnamese tv talent show. this was her facebook page. nothing about her suggests

she could be a killer. about the only thing we know for sure is that kimjong nam must have died in excruciating pain. his body convulsed, his lungs gasping for air. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in kuala lumpur. the time is 6.15pm. our top story this evening — the prime minister declares the copeland by—election a historic victory — as they sweep labour aside. iam in i am in hollywood among the setup for the oscars where it could be the speeches and not the films that get everybody talking. and later in the hour on inside six nations on bbc news, we are here in edinburgh as we preview all of the crunch matches in week 3 of the championship. claudio ranieri has this afternoon spoken about his abrupt

sacking by leicester — saying "yesterday my dream died." ranieri led leicester to the premier league title just nine months ago. but he was dismissed last night after a string of poor results that has left the side just one point above the relegation zone. our sports editor dan roan reports from leicester. at least there is still some loyalty here in leicester. claudio ranieri remained in demand today as both he and the city came to terms with his dismissal. the miracle worker out of work. i am very sad for them. i wish them all the best. emotions among them all the best. emotions among the neighbours were high. them all the best. emotions among the neighbours were highm them all the best. emotions among the neighbours were high. it is a disgrace. claudio ranieri! having masterminded the least likely and most popular triumph ever seen in the premier league, the italian has

become the victim of his most controversial sacking. nine months ago, ranieri was the toast of leicester. cheers! the phase has long gone. today's press conference flat and the man who stood alongside ranieri in the dugout, left to describe his mood. a bit shocked as we all were but his tone was no different. very level— headed interns, that is football. can you say he hadn't lost some parts of the dressing room? it is pure speculation, there was a lot of frustration because of results but he had lost the dressing room. the ruthlessness of the dismissal have shocked those who have spent a lifetime in the game. former leicester star gary lineker paid a very public doubting his success and he is angry. to toss that all

away on a premature decision and a disloyal and in many ways, a lack of gratitude, is quite gobsmacking. i am not ashamed to say that last night when i heard the news, i shed a tearfor claudio night when i heard the news, i shed a tear for claudio ranieri, night when i heard the news, i shed a tearfor claudio ranieri, for football and my club. ranieri's barely believable triumph won admirers across the world but since then, the euphoria has evaporated and the champions are languishing one point from the relegation zone. the owners said their club was in crisis and with survival on the line, decided to act. the fans are divided. 50% of the fans wanted him sacked because of the results but i would have kept him. disgusting, after what he did last year. there we re after what he did last year. there were former rivals talking also. this decision i think has everyone in football united. because it is something very difficult to accept, but at the same time, it is good for all of us to realise how football

is. it wasn't long ago ranieri helped bring this city to a standstill and many wanted him to stay forever. the journey has ended faster than anyone imagined. tonight ina faster than anyone imagined. tonight in a statement, claudio ranieri said his dream had died. leicester city have to look forward, just 13 games left in order to salvage their premier league status. even if they manage to do it, one sense is that this sacking will forever be seen as a symbol of something rather unsavoury in the modern game and his departure from the world of sport will be seen as having lost something. a former suspect in connection with the murder of black teenager stephen lawrence is facing jail for his role ina£4 lawrence is facing jail for his role in a £4 million drugs plot. neil acourt is due to be sentenced at kingston crown court alongside five other men for funnelling drugs between london and the north—east of england.

the head of the unite union, len mccluskey has described a meeting with the chief executive of the french car giant psa group as "open and relatively positive." psa — which makes peugeot and citroen cars — is in talks to take control of vauxhall and opel. that's raised concerns about the future of vauxhall‘s factories at ellesmere port and luton, which employ nearly 4,000 people. kenneth noye, who's serving a life sentence for murdering a man in a road—rage attack, has won a high court battle over whether he gets moved to an open prison. noye, who's 69, stabbed a man to death in 1996 on the m25 in kent. he'd argued that it was unfair and irrational not to allow him to go to a jail with lower security. past problems are continuing to haunt the royal bank of scotland. the bank — which is over 70% owned by the government — warned today that it made a loss of nearly £7 billion last year. that's three times more than the loss they made the year before. our business editor simonjack takes a look at what's happening at rbs. not so much a lost decade as a decade of losses.

2008 was the big one, £24 billion. since then, 4 billion, 1 billion, 2 billion, 6 billion, 9 billion, 3 billion, 2 billion and today, 7 billion. £58 billion in total. for the ninth time in a row, fines and compensation for sins of the past have laid waste to any profits made and further cost—cutting means more pain ahead. there will be job losses. i haven't put a number out and i won't put a number out. my view is always talk to our people first, whether affected, and there will be job cuts in this organisation. there has to be given that over the next four years it will take £2 billion of cost out of this organisation to reshape it, and be a really good bank. but that is not going to happen quite yet. it is not over yet, there is a really big fine from the us to come. there is going to be more job losses but that will be coming across the banking industry

as digitalisation takes place. but it is hiding a pretty decent performance from the high street bank. but unfortunately, it is going to take some time before that really shines through. i stood right here in 2008, i did not expect to still be here in 2017 reporting on yet another multi—billion pound loss. it was not supposed to take this long to fix and the fact that it has shows that no one really knewjust how big a mess the world's biggest bank at the time had got itself into. in 2008, the government of today announced an emergency £45 billion bailout to prevent a complete collapse. could things have been done differently? with the benefit of hindsight, it should have been fully nationalised, then broken up and used in the national interest. years before it can be returned in a way that taxpayers get their money back. the bank is much healthier today but with more losses yet to come, it seems certain we will be marking a full decade in the red

this time next year. this sunday, the film industry's great and good will celebrate the 89th academy awards. la la land — a tribute to hollywood itself — is widely expected to sweep the board. the ceremony is no stranger to controversy, and this year is set to be more political than usual. our arts editor will gompertz is in los angeles and joins us from the red carpet. it is all being put together at the moment for sunday's oscar show which i think moment for sunday's oscar show which ithink might moment for sunday's oscar show which i think might be one of the most interesting in modern times. not just because of the films but because of the speeches. in these uncertain times across the world, particularly in america, what will winners choose to say on this most public of stages about the world in which theirfilms public of stages about the world in which their films reflect? public of stages about the world in which theirfilms reflect? in

public of stages about the world in which their films reflect? in the past, in troubled times, there have been some really good speeches and some real howlers. i have been finding out what it takes to make a really great winners oscars speech. oscar night in hollywood. once upon a time, going up to collect your oscar was a straightforward affair. you shook a hand, smiled politely and maybe offered a brief remark. thank you with all my heart. marlon brando for the godfather. but then marlon brando upped the speech—making game in 1973, without saying a word. and asking a native american to explain why. he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. and the reasons for this being, the treatment of american indian is today, by the film industry. excuse me. in these politically charged times,

this could be a vintage year for memorable oscar speeches. if those making them follow the rules. first of all, you have to start with the hallmarks of what makes a great speech in the first place. so you have to speak with authenticity, you have to speak from the heart, you have to connect to the material and connect to the moment. i sincerely hope i will always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. my heart is too full to tell you just howl picture industry. my heart is too full to tell you just how i feel and may i say thank you and god bless. ok, so anybody going up on stage to pick up one of these on sunday night — except theirs won't be made out of chocolate — is being told to keep their speech down to 45 seconds. it is, though, a live show, so theoretically, they could bang on forever. except the organisers have a humiliating weapon they can deploy, which is to ask the band to strike up and drown the winner out. it is an awful feeling because i don't make that decision arbitrarily.

the director will say to me, ok, get him off. your time is yourtime is up, your time is up, thank you very much! a classic example of how not to do it and that would be michael moore's example when he received the best documentary award for bowling for columbine. there was a great amount of negativity about george bush who was the president at the time. his attack, though, was so personal and so clearly biased that he was almost booed off the stage, even though nothing he said was necessarily inaccurate. this year, the academy has asked winners to deliver a heartfelt memorable message. that or possibly face the indignity of hearing the dreaded wrap it up music. time for a look at the weather. here's tomasz schafernaker. let's talk with a spectacular blue sky. this is from cornwall today. the weekend, different story, it

will probably look a little like the sky behind me. wind and rain on the way but nothing like what we had yesterday. looking pretty mixed this weekend. this is the sunshine and fine weather from early on but now, the clouds invading parts of the uk. some rain has already moved through and it is pretty downhill as far as the weekend is concerned. don't expect any blue skies through saturday or sunday. rain splashing through and by the end of the night, dribs and drabs of rain anywhere and with that mild south westerly wind, so one good aspect. the rain coming through and one area i want to point out through this weekend is actually north—western areas of the uk. there will be rain in other parts of the country on and off and the further south and south east you are, the light it will be, but it is around this area, we will see bouts of rain

waxing and waning through the weekend. there could be a little bit of flooding. by the end of saturday, we could have a little bit of brightness across scotland and northern ireland. and this is saturday, it will be windy around the coast at times. sunday will get very windy around these western approaches around the coasts of wales. slightly better, the south—east, so a bit of sunshine. a better weekend but not ideal. that's all from the bbc news at six — so it's goodbye from me — and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. hello, this is bbc news. theresa may said that the result was

an enforcement of the government's performance. labour seat of a threat from ukip and wins the by election. labour leaderjeremy corbyn said that they had won because people came together with a message. the half—brother of north korea's leader was apparently killed by a weapon of mass destruction. a young woman that was —— a woman that was killed by a strong jobless has been named. the royal bank of scotland reported a loss of £7 billion for 2016. that