this is bbc news. the headlines at 11: the former labour foreign secretary, david miliband, says his party is now at its weakest in 50 years after the copeland byelection defeat. jeremy corbyn insists his leadership is not to blame. iraqi forces have now entered parts of western mosul in what is expected to be a dangerous battle to remove so called islamic state from the city. the white house has excluded the bbc, the new york times and others from a media briefing. the block came just hours after president trump used a major speech to attack sections of the press. as you saw throughout the entire campaign, and even now, the fake news doesn't tell the truth. also coming up — the national trust receives an unexpected gift — the island that inspired its creation. grasmere island in cumbria had been held in private hands for 124 years but it has now been gifted to the

organisation in a will. and later on bbc news, dateline london. foreign correspondents in london will cast a critical eye over the weeks big news stories. that's coming up at 11:30. good morning and welcome to bbc news. the former labour foreign secretary david miliband, has said that the party is further from power than it has been at any time in the past 50 years. in an interview with the times newspaper, mr miliband said he was deeply concerned about labour's future underjeremy corbyn, after the party lost the copeland by—election to the conservatives. here's our political correspondent, chris mason. jeremy corbyn went to stoke yesterday to look and sound like a winner. his man had won the by—election there, activists were delighted,

but labour's vote slid in stoke and the party suffered a cumbrian humbling 140 miles north in copeland as the conservatives triumphed. enterfrom new york the man people in the labour party see as the best leader they never had, david miliband. he now runs a charity, the international rescue committee, and this is not the first time he has been a public doom monger about his party and jeremy corbyn. labour, he told the times, had now lost support among what he called its core base. but those loyal to the leader say it is not alljeremy corbyn‘s fault and add... i would actually like to talk about issues and what it is that makes a difference to people's lives and what makes a difference to people's lives is having the sort of government that will address the concerns of people that

have some solutions. this government does not and we need to make clear that we are the alternative and we have alternative solutions that will work. if you need to make it clear... the fault cannot be laid at the door of one individual. but plenty of other labour mps see what has happened as evidence of what they have always feared withjeremy corbyn, a painful drift towards irrelevance. don't expect them to try to get rid of mr corbyn now, though, because they know what happened when they tried that last time. he won again. with me is our political correspondent, matt cole. david miliband may say that, but willjeremy corbyn care? i do not think you will be too bothered. i think you will be too bothered. i think he will have expected this from david miliband. this was the man who was beaten by his own brother in the leadership contest, who then left politics. his history

in the party was very close to tony blair's. so him saying something like this, i am surejeremy corbyn and his closest supporters will say it is the usual suspects trash talking the party underjeremy corbyn‘s leadership. tony blair came out criticising the party only a week ago. the former shadow chancellor had been pointing to jeremy corbyn as being what —— has been pointing to these criticisms as being what went wrong in cold blood. they are now any situation where even the core support of the party could be leaking. let's remember, for 80 years, copeland since its inception with a labour seats of this is by no means something to be underplayed. certainly jeremy corbyn will point to the victory in stoke central, holding that seat, as some would say they should, that is also a labour stronghold, but that will have tempered some of the critics. if they had lost both seats i think we could be in a very different conversation now, but it is

interesting to note that those liberal critics were still mps have been perhaps less than forthcoming in calls forjeremy corbyn to go perhaps because they know that he will simply say, "no. perhaps because they know that he willsimply say, "no. i'm perhaps because they know that he will simply say, "no. i'm staying." iraqi troops have entered western mosulfor the first time in their offensive to drive out so—called islamic state from the country's second city. west mosul is the last is stronghold in iraq. they're surrounded, along with an estimated three quarters of a million civilians. earlier i spoke to amy christian from 0xfam — who gave us a sense of the conditions in mosul. in the last few days, we have seen around 450—500 around the airport, south of mosul, seeking shelter in a safe place. they have left with very little things with them and they are traumatised and they are in need of lots of support. what sort of conditions are people living under? yesterday we visited a place where these a50 people arrived to and families there have taken

people into their own houses. one man had taken a0 people into his house and was looking after them there. and the expectation of what is going to happen with this offensive, are people frightened or worried? yes, people leaving their homes do not know what they are leaving their homes to. they do not know how long they will be displaced from their homes and towns and villages and want to get back to them as soon as possible. often when they do return home they find their houses destroyed or damaged, so 0xfam is in places that have been retaken from isis, trying to rehabilitate the water plants and give aid and blankets to people who need it. what about your organisation, 0xfam,

and the other agencies, what are you planning to do and planning to provide? at the moment, we are preparing to respond to a large influx of displaced families in the coming weeks. we have already been responding to a huge number of people who have been displaced from mosul. around 190,000 people have been displaced since the offensive began in october. we have been supporting them in camps with water and sanitation, we have been giving out blankets, heating and solar lights and food as well to people. in terms of operating on the ground, how difficult is it and how difficult can it be when the fighting is so near? it is a real challenge for all of the agencies working here trying to help people. security is a big concern, but also just the changing context. we have to be able to respond to things when they happen and to be able to give aid to people when they needed. a third person has been arrested

by detectives investigating the escape of a murderer from custody. a 25—year—old man from liverpool has been detained on suspicion of perverting the course ofjustice in connection with the hunt for sean walmsley. two people detained on thursday have been released pending further inquiries. walmsley went on the run when two armed men confronted prison officers guarding him at aintree university hospital on tuesday. police in birmingham have released cctv images of the moment a 17—year—old girl was hit and seriously injured by a car — which then fled the scene. the footage, which some viewers might find distressing, was released by west midlands police in the hope that someone will come forward with more information. let's take a look. the girl was walking with her mother on bromsgrove road — on the left of the screen — at around 6.30pm on saturday 28th 28th january when a car

mounted the pavement. the teenager was taken to hospital in a serious condition and is said to be still recovering from her injuries. police want to trace the car, described as a dark coloured bmw 5 series. several news organisations, including the bbc, have been barred from entering a press briefing at the white house. president trump's spokesman said the administration would "push back" against what it sees as false reporting. 0ur washington correspondent laura bicker reports. president trump has stepped up his battle with the media. a few days ago, i called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are. they are the enemy of the people. because they have no sources, theyjust make ‘em up when there are none. he is angry at recent reports claiming his campaign aides had contact with russian intelligence officials. the new york times used anonymous sources for their story. this should not be allowed, he said.

they shouldn't be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody‘s name. let their name be put out there. this latest tirade during a speech to a conservative conference was 15 minutes long, and just a few hours later, things changed at the white house. this is a usual briefing by the white house press secretary, all accredited media can attend. instead, a member of selected media groups were invited into sean spicer‘s office and others were barred, including the bbc. he was asked why. this ban saying cnn and others have been blocked from media briefings, are cnn and the new york times not in here right now because you are unhappy with their reporting? why are they not in here? because we had a pool and we expanded it and we added some folks to come and cover. it is my decision to expand the pool. the president said, "we are going to do something about it," in reference to the stories that he says are false by the new york times and cnn and others. what is he talking about?

we are going to aggressively push back. we are notjust going to sit back and let false narratives, false stories, inaccurate facts, get out there. the white house correspondents' association says it is protesting strongly and is encouraging those who were allowed in to share material. the bbc is also asking for clarification as to why it was barred. we heard from the white house press secretary sean spicer in that report. but in december he was interviewed by news agency politico, where he said that campaigning in one thing, but barring media from government press briefings is what dictators do. 0ne one of the things that the trump campaign gained notoriety for bus criticised for was banning reporters, banning outlets, politicals, whatever you want to call it. you have said, i think, that that is not going to happen. well, i think... that that is not going to happen. well, ithink... there is a big difference between a campaign where it isa

difference between a campaign where it is a private venue using private funds and a government entity. and i think we have a respect for the press when it comes to the government, that that is something that you can't ban an entity from. conservative, liberal or otherwise, i think that is what makes a democracy a democracy versus a dictatorship, so i think there is a vastly different model when it comes to government in what should be accepted and that is on both sides. with me is silvia borrelli, the london politico reporter. politico was one of the media organisations barred from the white house press briefing. along with us, the bbc as well. what do you make of it? well, this is really a first and we just heard spicer speaking and is two and a half months later it look like a com pletely half months later it look like a completely different world and i mean aside from what the opinions of different journalists or what the reporting is, this is a completely new level of trying to silence the

press, which is something that is unprecedented from any us president, whether democratic or republican, and something that we really would not have expected. and how do you fight back against it? well, that is the question, really. you go on with your reporting, you go on with doing your reporting, you go on with doing your job, your reporting, you go on with doing yourjob, but at the same time if they want to go on with this fake news rhetoric it is hard to tell them that they are wrong and some people, part of trump's electors, are wanting to hear this. it is precisely what they are fuelling off of and trumpet some of who does not react well to criticism. they do not ta ke react well to criticism. they do not take questions if they don't like it. they don't know how to manage them. at this point, all we can do is continue to do ourjob, as the questions, report on what is going on, and that is pretty much it. and it is spreading. it is notjust in the united states? i think it is.

this is really fuelling a similar rhetoric here in europe. if you think about the european commission spokesperson tweeting that there had been faked reports out from the media last week on the president of that organisation or even jeremy corbyn yesterday or marine le pen fighting back against accusations of her aides taking money. they do not know what to say so they say it is the media making up stories, so basically it is all our fault when they can't live up to the public‘s expectations are they can't answer difficult questions. and yesterday we we re difficult questions. and yesterday we were covering donald john's appearance at the conservative association rally in maryland and it was less than two minutes before he started attacking the media. —— donald trump. he just started attacking the media. —— donald trump. hejust brought started attacking the media. —— donald trump. he just brought it up out of the blue and just kept going. yes, he hasn't seems that he really feeds off and the media is one of the ones that actually tops the list. the other is security, keeping immigrants out of the country and fighting terrorism, but the media is really something that gets on his

nerves and even from his social media, it is something that is pretty obvious. he can't hold back from just voicing his opinions on the media and lashing out against them ina the media and lashing out against them in a way that is unthinkable from a us president. does it make any difference if organisations are barred from the white house briefings? well, it does, because although some people say these briefings are not useful at all to begin with because they don't like the media and they are not sharing any useful information, if you are only selecting the media that you like and you think is reporting accurately on you because you can't ta ke accurately on you because you can't take the criticism from everyone else, whether it is the bbc or cnn 01’ else, whether it is the bbc or cnn or political, it is not great and thatis or political, it is not great and that is not doing a service to the country or the public. thank you very much. a syrian cameraman who worked on the oscar nominated documentary the white helmets has been blocked from travelling to los angeles to attend the ceremony on sunday. khaled khateeb was issued a visa to enter the usa. officials say they have found some "derogatory information" about him. the documentary follows three

of syria's white helmet rescue workers from their training in turkey to their work trying to save lives on the front line. 0ver a0 people have died after a bombing in syria. the headlines on bbc news: the former foreign secretary, david miliband, has warned that labour is further from power than it has been at any time in the past fifty years. mr miliband was speaking after the party lost the copeland by—election to the conservatives. iraqi forces have continued to make progress in their battle to recapture the city of mosul, islamic state's last major stronghold in iraq. the white house has excluded several major news organisations, including some it has openly criticised, from a briefing held by president trump's spokesman.

mr trump has been angered by what he's described as fake news items published by some media outlets. three men had been charged with slavery offences following the discovery of a cannabis farm in wiltshire. they are due to appear in court in swindon today and will also face charges of conspiring to produce cannabis and extracting electricity without permission. the cannabis had a street value of over £1 million. 20 rooms were converted for growing the planned within the disused 1980s bunker. an island which inspired the foundation of the national trust, has been gifted to the conservation charity after more than a century in private hands. sitting in the middle of the lake district, grasmere island was left to the trust by its former owner in her will. dave guest has been for a visit. it is small but beautifully formed.

grasmere island lies at the heart of the lake district. wordsworth is said to have picnicked here frequently. but back in 1893 the island was put up for sale and the thought of this idyllic spot becoming private property outraged a local clergyman hardwicke rwa nsley. canon hardwicke rwansley had a deep passion that everybody needed access to nature and natural beauty. the journey to grasmere island is an idyllic experience in itself. back in 1893, the new owner decided to make a few additions which did not go down too well with the locals. mr bell erected a flagpole, he planted some shrubbery, which caused a lot of indignation. a respectful letter was written asking him to reconsider some of these changes. the reply was blunt. if you and your friends felt so strongly about what happens to the island, you were perfectly competent to turn up to the sale

as i did, and purchase it. i suppose really that is exactly the issue that rawnsley was concerned about, that bits of the lake district were being sold off to the highest bidder and they could do whatever they wanted with it. absolutely. he was passionate that ordinary people had access to natural beauty in nature. the loss of this island for public use proved the catalyst that inspired rawnsley to become a founding father of the national trust. but it is only now that the trust has been able to take control of the island. the last owner bequeathed it to them. so now this island belongs to the national trust, will it be overrun with hundreds of people? i don't think so. whilst we would never stop people from coming, the physical access to the island is difficult, which makes it a little refuge for nature. and as a conservation charity, that is important to us. this is quite an oak tree, isn't it? it is wonderful. a veteran oak tree. heaven knows how many

hundreds of years old it is. canon rawnsley spent his final years at allan bank on the shore of grasmere. from here he could view the island that inspired him to help create the national trust. now, at last, that island is part of the trust's portfolio, to be preserved and enjoyed by everyone for ever. every parent knows that baby's first outing can be quite a stressful experience. but this baby polar bear at munich animal park took her first steps in to the outside world in her stride. the baby, who is yet to be named, cautiously checked out the enclosure, to the delight of the viewing public. sport now and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's mike. it is one of the key matches

in the six nations this afternoon with both scotland and wales trying to bounce back from defeat. patrick gearey is already in place at murrayfield. it has been a decade since the scots last beat the welsh, but the fans have got a feeling that this could be the day to put that right? it could be. we have got all sorts of musical accompaniment. we have got a pipe band and guitar band and a bagpipe band. it is an optimistic moment for scottish rugby at the moment. they were impressive in beating ireland and people think they have got a chance to beat wales. but they have made five changes. greg laidlaw is out injured for the rest of the tournament. wales have only had to make one change and george north comes in for alex cuthbert. they are the more settled side and they have got that recent good record against scotland. let's hear from both of the captains. i know living in wales what rugby means there. i know the pressure is on. probably for me i think there's always huge pressure to win. people tell me that,

it's half in jest. i'm a scottish person and somewhere that's not full of rugby. in wales it's full on rugby, so i think their winning is everything for them. it is a different scottish team to potentially what we have seen before. like i say, we are very focused on the squad that we have at the minute, and what we need to do off the back of our game. you are only as good as your next one, and we focus on that. looking at the wider tournament, how much is it about who is going to emerge as the major title challengers? you will have to excuse me, i am in the middle of an impromptu rock concert, but later on is the game between the two teams that

won their last match, ireland and france. ireland have recalled johnny sexton, one of the most intriguing players of the tournament, one of the men who may take the number ten shirt for the lions later this year. how will he and his colleagues deal with a potentially explosive and very big french pack. that will be an intriguing contest in dublin later today. tomorrow should be a bit more predictable, england against italy in twickenham. patrick gearey in concert live at murrayfield. the chief executive of the league manager's association, richard bevan, says he believes claudio ranieri's sacking undermines the profession of coaching. ranieri says his dream died with his exit from leicester city on thursday night. many of the fans all over the world will miss his interviews. she

delivered the holy grail to the football clu b delivered the holy grail to the football club and nine months later he is sacked from his job. football club and nine months later he is sacked from hisjob. two thirds of the managers in the last 12 months have been sacked within one year of being appointed, so you pretty much know the managers have sympathy. they know it is a fragile, volatile industry. it is very brittle, as you say. and i think certainly the timing of this has taken many certainly the timing of this has ta ken many people certainly the timing of this has taken many people by surprise. there is disbelief. and certainly i think it is probably undermined the profession of coaching. leicester aren't back in action until monday night. but they could start that game in the relegation zone, if any of hull, crystal palace or sunderland win today. here's what's happening in the premier league today then. a win for hull over burnley, would see them out, of the bottom three — while palace and sunderland can capitalise if hull slip up. at the top, chelsea could go 11 points clear with a win over a rejuvenated swansea. he is doing a greatjob. he has a

great team. a very compact defence. very dangerous for the situation. lizzie yarnold has won bronze at the skeleton world championships in germany. before the weekend, olympic champion yarnold had been having an indifferent season since returning after a year out. she began the day's two heats in fourth place, and improved to take bronze. germany's jaqueline loelling won gold, with silver going to her compatriot tina hermann. british number three kyle edmund has lost in a deciding set this morning to world numberfour milos raonic. edmund took the opening set in the quarterfinal of the delray beach open in florida. but the canadian came back to win the match, a—6, 6—3, 6—a. that is all sport for now. time for the weather with ben rich. hello there. we will not see anything as

windy as storm doris this weekend, but still blustery conditions around and some wet conditions as well as ca ptu red and some wet conditions as well as captured by one of our weather watchers in fife earlier on today. for the rest of the day, we keep the blustery wind. there will be rain at times, all courtesy of this, a clump of cloud coming in from the atlantic. with it, the strong south—westerly winds. this cloud continuing to produce some outbreaks of rain through the afternoon. rain tending to ease away from scotland and northern ireland, so improving here. wind easing as well. through northern england and wales, we will see some outbreaks of rain. just patchy, drizzly conditions down towards the south—east. 3pm this afternoon, render starting to come into devon and cornwall. a lot of rainfor into devon and cornwall. a lot of rain for the ills of wales. patchy rain for the ills of wales. patchy rain as well for east anglia. 9-10dc. rain as well for east anglia. 9—10dc. cumbria could see 50—70 millimetres of rain here. the risk

of quite poor travelling conditions and possibly some surface water flooding to northern ireland and scotland. brighter sky through the afternoon and lighter winds. not too bad for scotland versus wales at murrayfield in the six nations. there is the chance to bring in dublin for that match. this evening and tonight, the wet weather will continue for a time, tending to fizzle away. then a spell of drier weather before here we go again. more rain into northern ireland and western scotland by the end of the night. chilly across north east scotla nd night. chilly across north east scotland and most other places frost free. into tomorrow, the rain sinks into northern ireland and scotland. did the south—east of that, a fair amount of cloud. brighter at times. writing up eventually across northern ireland and northern scotland. some sunshine but also some heavy and blustery showers as things begin to cool off towards the end of the day. mild in the south—east. mild for man united

versus southampton. patchy rain at times. into monday, a weather front swings southwards and eastwards. behind it, some sunshine, some blustery showers with hail and thunder. it will start to feel quite a bit cooler. hello and welcome to dateline london. the state we're in — is there a vacuum at the heart of british politics? how far does the future of the european union rest on the next president of france? and, the fight against the group calling itself islamic state. who will be doing the fighting? my guests today are agnes poirier who is uk editor of france's marianne, stryker mcguire of bloomberg markets, mina al0raibi, the arab affairs commentator, and ned temko who is an author and journalist. the tradition in britain is for 0pposition parties to do well in by—elections since they can often be used as a protest vote against the sitting government.

this week, the conservatives actually won a seat in copeland held by labour for several generations and ukip's leader lost in the seat his party claimed was britain's brexit capital, in stoke. as we move towards brexit, we clearly have a government. do we have anything which looks like an 0pposition? perhaps the scottish national party? yes perhaps the unelected house of lords the short answer, do we have an opposition in the house of commons is absolutely not. you mentioned by elections. 0pposition parties have to work up —— might lose a by—election against a sitting government. it happened once in the early 1980s but labour was splitting at the time. it went so far to the left it became serially unelectable, but the last real loss by an

opposition party was in the 1960s. the last time labour lost that particular seat