you head towards qm ‘u'frfii “fifi; ll'u‘f: bit going on as you head towards the weekend. there is more detail always available on the bbc weather website. by for now. today at five. our main story is that policing in england and wales is in a "potentially perilous”'state with forces putting the public at risk by rationing their response. that's the warning from the police watchdog, the inspectorate of constabulary. the report did say most of the 43 forces were providing a good service, but others were letting victims down. the government has said it expects to see a "rapid improvement", inspectors say policing is in a potentially perilous state, but ministers say there's no excuse for rationing services. proactive, preventative presence of police officers in communities is eroding even further. so that means they're not stopping crime from happening in the first place and that's what the public want. we'll have more on that report and we'll be talking to sir peter fahy, former chief constable of greater manchester. the other main stories on bbc news at five. calls for the us attorney general, jeff sessions, to resign over undeclared meetings with russian officials. the fact that the attorney general — the top cop in our country — lied under oath to the american people is grounds for him to resign. england's nhs is on a "burning

platform" unable to meet the needs of the population, a warning from the chief inspector of hospitals. british cycling bosses promise changes after accusations of bullying and sexism at top levels of the sport. i am to be the last viceroy of india and i shall carry out my role with great pride. and, the new blockbuster on the final days of british rule in india. we'll be talking to the british director, gurinder chadha. today at five. our main story is that policing in england and wales is in a "potentially perilous”'state with forces putting the public at risk by rationing their response. that's the warning from

the police watchdog, the inspectorate of constabulary. the report did say most of the 43 forces were providing a good service, but others were letting victims down. the government has said it expects to see a "rapid improvement", but police leaders say forces are having to "prioritise more" because of a sharp fall in their budgets, as dominic casciani reports. the cornerstone of british policing — the bobby on the beat. part of the front line neighbourhood services that solve so many crimes, but are posts like this being eroded as forces juggle priorities? that's one of the warnings in a stark report from her majesty's inspectorate of constabulary. laura beale was the pride of devon and cornwall police. after 14 years, she's had enough and resigned, saying she can't deal any more with the workload. the team covering her patch went from 17 officers to six. we need to focus on the front line. that is where it needs to be. you want to see a police officer and if somebody came up to me and said, "officer i need some help" and i'd be able to go

and have the time to deal with it. what i'll do is i'll contact her straightaway... hmic says after five years of cuts to the budget and workforce, some chiefs aren't making the right tough calls. in some areas, inspectors found 999 calls being downgraded to help manage the pressure on officers left behind. hmic also said says domestic violence calls are not being treated seriously enough. otherforces have ignored leads on organised crime and only durham is delivering outstanding results. neighbourhood policing, that pro—active, preventative presence of police officers in communities, is eroding even further. so that means they are not stopping crime from happening in the first place and that's what the public want to see. domestic violence is now a national priority, one of the modern demands on forces long focused on burglaries, muggings car crime. officers need new skills, including finding and solving crimes with computers. some experts warn forces will lose the trust of the public if they don't modernise.

if people don't have a response from the police force when they call, what's going to happen when they actually see something happening? what's going to happen when they get a piece of information that should rightly be handed on to the police? they will think, "i don't care." "i'm not going to, they didn't care about me." this report is a very clear message to some police they have work to do. a clear message from us and the hmic that the police and crime commissioners need to get a grip and look at what there are. this report is a warning that some forces have been tipped over the edge in an era of austerity. the nature of crime has been changing and that means ministers, chief constables and the public need to think carefully about what modern policing is for.

hmic says there is even a national crisis in recruiting detectives. just another of the reasons why some forces are facing a difficult future. dominic casciani, bbc news. bedfordshire police was the only police force inadequate, it's chief constable has rejected the grading. we have less cloth than anybody else. we are a small rural force with the challenges of of london, manchester or birmingham. it's really difficult. we have a very, very thin blue line. in the report it starts off by saying an effective police force, this report is about effectiveness, is a police force that reduces harm and reduces crime. the report then reflects that last year all crime was up 7.8% across the country. of in bedfordshire, it

was only up 3%. the report then, this is the himc data, says compared with 2011-2016, this is the himc data, says compared with 2011—2016, dates they have chosen, all crime nationally is down 0.5%. in bedfordshire it's down 4.796. 0.5%. in bedfordshire it's down 4.7%. that 0.5%. in bedfordshire it's down 4.796. that was the very forceful response from the chief constable of bedfordshire to this report. let's speak now to sir peter fahy, who has spent 34 years as a police officer, including almost 13 years as a chief constable, most recently at greater manchester police. would be the public be right to be alarmed by reading the conclusions of this survey? well the public could be confused. the report seems to be saying that the majority of forces are doing well, but also says that policing is a perilous state. the reality is that public confidence in policing has held up up confidence in policing has held up up very well and the police on the whole have done a good job in

managing very significant cuts. through all the words, i think what is clear is there's been a reduction in 30,000 staff and yet the police are expected to do more and more. they are expected to be good at neighbourhood policing and at dealing with serious crime. they have more responsibility for managing offenders. of course, we have been talking about a huge increase in sex offences as well. really, what we need is a proper honesty with the public that the way the police do things has got to change and that will mean that some of the services and way of doing things the public have been used to are going to have to change. the same way in the way you interact with your bank or with the health service or other public services

have changed. how do we square the ministerial demand for rapid improve am with you and others are acknowledging is a very difficult set of circumstances where resources are concerned? it's not really helpful. earlier this week we had simon bailey the chief constable of norfolk, asking for a different way of dealing with some sex offenders. immediately he gets shouted down by politicians and the home office. that doesn't really help public understanding. we need an honest conversation with the public that say that the police are doing a good job, when you compare it to policing around the world. if you want the police to do more and you're not freepd give the police more money because that is going into the nhs and social care, then the police are going to have to deal with things in a different way. i think it's also misleading to call it downgrading. every day the police have tos are being assess and prioritise. if a murder happens today some 999 calls will get downgraded as the police concentrate on the murder. it is what happens in policing an the health service. the police on the whole are good about that. this report doesn't come forward with suggestions about what the police can stop doing, how the police could act ina can stop doing, how the police could act in a different way, and how absolutely police need to modernise, making better use of technology in

line with the changing nature of crime. on that very point. as you say, there are no real recommendations here about what could be done differently. you have now said two or three times there needs to be a different way of looking at ways maybe of accessing the service. i don't want to put words into your mouth, sir peter, give the viewers a sense of what might be done differently? there is a debate about things like closing police stations and closing front offices of police stations. the public are used to dealing with public are used to dealing with public services on the internet. it's about how police deal with digital crime. them are playing into a court system that a lot of victims don't have confidence in. we need different ways of dealing with sexual owe financeses. it's about the way that the police work with other services. what we hear today is that the health service is in crisis. we know that the local authorities are taking huge us cuts. it's no good—looking at it as the

police in isolation. have you to look at public service and how agencies can work in a different way making better use of public co—operation and support, particularly concentrating on who are the individuals and what are the problems of greatest concern to the public. i think the problem is, if you look at police, nhs, councils, you look at police, nhs, councils, you will not find a solution that will reassure a public in an area. good of you to join us. will reassure a public in an area. good of you tojoin us. thank will reassure a public in an area. good of you to join us. thank you very much, once again. his response to the report published today. pressure is increasing this afternoon on one of donald trump's key advisors, the us attorney generaljeff sessions, who's been accused of lying under oath. it comes after it emerged he had two undisclosed meetings

with the russian ambassador during the american presidential campaign. both the senate democratic leader, chuck schumer, and his counterpart in the house of representatives, nancy pelosi, have called paul ryan said there was no evidence of russian collusion. we'll be live in washington shortly, but first this report from richard galpin. sessions was already a controversial choice as attorney general because of allegations which he denies of racism. and now it's been revealed that during the presidential election campaign last year, he had two undisclosed meetings with this man. the russian ambassador to washington. the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god. speaking under oath last months, he told senators he had not had any contact

with russians. and, if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the trump campaign communicated with the trump campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign what will you do? i'm not aware of any of those activities. i have been called a certificate gait at a time or two in that campaignl certificate gait at a time or two in that campaign i did not have communications with the russians. i'm unable to comment on it. the fa ct i'm unable to comment on it. the fact that the attorney general, the top cop in our country, lied under oath to the american people, is grounds for him to resign. it's grounds for him to resign. it's grounds for him to resign. he has proved he is unqualified and unfit to serve in that position of trust. this morning mr sessions denied lying under oath. well, i have not met with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign and

those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false, and i don't have anything else to say about that. thank you. according to his spokesperson he had many meetings with foreign ambassadors last year, but these were in his capacity as a senator, not in connection with the presidential campaign. therefore, he argues, he did nothing wrong. the other problem for mr sessions is that as attorney general he oversees the department ofjust and the fbi. both are currently investigating russia's alleged meddling in the us election and any links with trump's associates. the information reported last night makes it clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that attorney general sessions cannot possibly lead an investigation into russian interference in our elections or come anywhere near it. with these revelations, he may very well become

the subject of it. sessions is standing firm and still has the confidence of the president. our correspondent, jane o'brien, is in washington. what is your sense of the pressure thatis what is your sense of the pressure that is building now? the calls for his resignation are coming from democrats. that is theirjob. they are making political hay out of this whole situation. they didn't want jeff sessions in the first place they spy a scalp they could take. if they spy a scalp they could take. if they could force the attorney general to resign within barely a month of the new administration that would be a really big trophy. now, the point is, as far asjeff sessionses is confirmed. when he a nswered sessionses is confirmed. when he answered those questions at his confirmation hearing he says he was answering them in his capacity as someone answering them in his capacity as someone associated with the trump

campaign. he did not have any contact with any russian officials. he did not discuss politics or the election. as a senator, it's his job. he would be expected to have contact with russian diplomats and many other foreign diplomats. that is where we're coming into this murky water of — did he lie? did he misunderstand or mist speak? as far as most republicans are concerned, he's done nothing wrong. that is why he's done nothing wrong. that is why he's sticking by his guns. at the moment, his party is behind him. many thanks. these are the headlines this evening. inspectors warning that cutbacks to policing in england and wales are putting the public in unacceptable risk as forces ration their services. as we heard, calls for the us attorney general to resign over undeclared meetings he

had with russian diplomats. england's nhs is on a "burning platform, unable to meet the needs of the nation." a warning from the chief inspector of hospitals. murray has lost the first set of his quarter—final on a tie—break. billy vunipola has recovered from a knee problem and will play for saracens this weekend. despite warnings from the british boxing board of control about his verbal threats. david haye has told tony bellow to enjoy "his last days" ahead of their heavyweight fight on saturday night. more in the next 15 minutes. british cycling bosses will make changes in order to be more caring

to riders after accusations of bullying and sexism. an investigation into the culture at british cycling was launched last year, with a report on the findings imminent. but the governing body says work on an action plan to address any failings is already under way. our sports correspondent, david ornstein, reports. over the last decade, cycling has become symbolic of britain's olympic success, but at what cost? the governing body has been hit by allegations of bullying and sexism while its anti—doping structures are being investigated. today, the new chairman of british cycling admitted to serious failings. occurrence of issues in terms of behaviours and harassment, bullying, is unacceptable. the report has highlighted some issues that we, as an organisation, need to address. we've already met with groups of both riders and staff and we've made it very clear that where there's been failings, we apologise for those. well, this is the national cycling centre, home

of the so—called medal factory, but concern over the way those medals have been won has led to a rethink. and that takes the form of a 39—point action plan, which includes training in governance, leadership and diversity, an annual staff appraisal system and a complete overhaul of procedures around athletes' welfare. it all steams back to april when sprint cyclistjess varnish complained of sexism, discrimination and bullying. uk sport is demanding reform at britain's most successful and best funded olympic sport. there are a number of fires that seem to be going off in different areas and it's difficult for them at this point in time. the most important thing — as an investor in british cycling — the most important thing is that we see that the information that's being revealed is accepted by british cycling and acted upon. this morning, britain's most decorated olympian, sir bradley wiggins, refused to speak about the contents

of a medical package delivered to him in france in 2011. questions remain for british cycling to answer on a range of fronts. commentator: and it will be britain, in a world record time. they hope today will begin the process of doing that. our sports news correspondent, david ornstein, is at the national cycling centre in manchester. talking about allegations of bullying and sexism. this sport has other problems on top of those? indeed. only yesterday british cycling faced criticism in the house of commons department of culture, media and sport select committee hearing into a mystery package. that's why you saw bradley wiggins there, in 2011, the final stage of a race, a package was delivered from here, the national cycling centre all the way to the french ski resort

via london and geneva by a staff member called simon kope. he said to the committee yesterday, in the commons, that he knew nothing of what was inside the package. so too mr brailsford who said it was medicine. bradley wiggins be didn't know what was inside, but he was treated by the drug. dr richard freeman was due to appear, but was too ill to do so. he hasn't commented. he was supposed to update — upload the details of what treatment was administered to wiggins back at this event in 2011, he didn't do do so. furthermore, his la ptop he didn't do do so. furthermore, his laptop with medical records was stolen. these are very serious problems for both british cycle and

tea m problems for both british cycle and team sky who wiggins and dr freeman we re team sky who wiggins and dr freeman were working for at the time. it was found to be odd and the team who prides itself on being a clean team wouldn't upload such serious records. bradley wiggins was very tight—lipped there. one mp said that tea m tight—lipped there. one mp said that team sky's credibility was now in tatters. the general medical council could be involved. both on the front of their anti—doping procedures and 110w of their anti—doping procedures and now their culture here at british cycling it's not been a great week for britain's best funded and most successful olympic sport. thank you very much for bringing us up—to—date there. other stories making the news today. north korea has described reports of the poisoning of its leader's half

brother as the height of absurdity. kimjong—nam, who died two brother as the height of absurdity. kim jong—nam, who died two weeks ago, was poisoned with a nerve agent. a north korean official said there is strong evidence that it was heart failure. shares in snapchat jumped shares in snapchatjumped 40% in value as trading opened in new york. the business is just value as trading opened in new york. the business isjust six value as trading opened in new york. the business is just six years old and has yet to make a of proit, but with 200 million shares being offered for sale at $17 each the company is worth £$24 million. the veteran comedian sir ken dodd was made a knight today

in recognition of his 60 year career in entertainment and his charity work. the 89—year—old former diddyman said he was ‘highly tickled'. also being honoured at the palace was double olympic boxing champion nicola adams who was awarded an obe. the boxer successfully defended her flyweight title at the rio olympics last year. the chief inspector of hospitals in england has given a stark warning about the state of the nhs saying it stands on a "burning platform" with most nhs trusts needing to improve patient safety. professor sir mike richards says the traditional model of caring for patients is "no longer capable" of meeting the needs of today's population. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, reports. this comprehensive review of all 136 hospital trusts in england paints a very mixed picture. the regulator, the care quality commission, found many examples of excellent care and some hospitals improving services despite extreme pressure. but plenty of areas, too, where the nhs is struggling. you can get a very good service within a trust that is struggling or you can get an individual service not doing so well in an otherwise good trust. what we are trying to do is to shine a spotlight so that the trusts themselves know what it is they need to improve.

this is my local hospital in stockport. i've been here a couple of times myself and with the family. the report today allows us to see how hospitals like this one are performing, notjust the whole hospital but individual departments, such as accident & emergency or children's services, and what the report shows is real concerns over staffing, safety, levels of overcrowding and hospitals facing unprecedented pressure. across the major hospital trusts in england, 68% have been rating as inadequate or requiring improvement. 81% are said to need to improve safety, but 93% were rated as good or outstanding for the caring attitude of staff. university hospitals bristol is one of those trusts that has made significant improvements. it's the first to go directly from requiring

improvement to outstanding between two inspections. the report findings were very positive for us and i think in the report, it acknowledges a lot of the hard work this department does. and the very positive culture for providing patient care we have. there are concerns over the pressure on staff right across the nhs of coping with an older, sicker population. they have become the shock absorbers in an nhs that doesn't have sufficient staff or resources. i worry about the long—term consequences, staff can't carry on working in this way without their own health and well—being being affected. the department of health says these inspections play a key role in making the nhs in england the safest and most transparent healthcare system in the world but they will also remind ministers the nhs continues to face serious challenges. voting has started in the second election in 10 months to the northern ireland assembly. 90 members will be elected, 18 fewer than previously. polling closes at 10.00pm tonight. we'll have special coverage

from stormont tomorrow as the results come in. figures revealed today show almost 4,000 motorists a day are fined for driving in bus lanes in england, with the most lucrative camera making £6,000 every 24—hours. bbc research has revealed that, in total, the cameras earned local authorities around £31 million last year. our correspondent, phil mackie, is investigating in birmingham. are you at one of the treasure troves there, phil? i am, yes. kerching they are saying at birmingham city council. i have seen a couple more cars go into this bus lane where they are getting 40 drivers today. we have seen 20 while we have been here. a couple more went down there. if you see where that white bus is going now, that is where the bus lane kicks in and cars can't drive down there. taxis, bikes

and buses can, cars can't. you can tell the one that is will go through there. they look lost and confused. pa rt there. they look lost and confused. part of the problem is this is a busyjunction. we are in the city centre. there is the bull ring shopping centre. there are pedestrians crossing, buses and taxis coming up here. the last chanceis taxis coming up here. the last chance is where that car is coming past at the moment. it's a really ha rd past at the moment. it's a really hard thing to do. you can understand people just getting a little bit lost, a little bit dazed and confused and ending up with a £60 penalty fine. a bigger penalty fine in the london and south—east, £130. you get 50% discount if you pay early. this camera catches 40 drivers today. birmingham city council raised £1.6 million from its 12 cameras last year. £7.5 million since they introduced the cameras in bus lanes a few years back. they say it's not about the money at all, they are trying tone force the law.

they think if the bus lanes work, then puck lick transport works a whole lot better. that is what they like to see at the moment. so they are quite pleased with how things are quite pleased with how things are operating. the one you mentioned is in newcastle upon time tyne. that caught 6,000 drivers. , 100 drivers a day. £6,000 a day. newcastle said it hes a, working. since they introduced the camera congestion has got a lot, lot less. but talking to drivers i think they feel this is a bit of a cash cow. certainly the rac say it's a cash bonanza for local authorities, who clearly deny it. watching the baffled drivers heading down that tunnel, getting caught on camera, it's clear to see in some areas people get lost and confused. thank you very much for explaining that. our correspondent in birmingham today. this is bbc news

at five. coming up. m as the race for the presidency in france hots up, we'll be finding m out more about the candidate many are seeing as the frontrunner, emmanuel macron. we'll also be speaking to british film director, gurinder chadha, about her new film which explores the final days of british rule in india. time for a look at the weather. here's jay wynne. good evening was a pretty reasonable day, we can see the satellite sequence and there have been some good spells of sunshine with a bit ofa good spells of sunshine with a bit of a breeze and also if you showers, one or two down to the south—west with some more persistent rain. there is some snow over the hills, and we can see the south of scotland

as well. in the north of scotland, most of the showers, will go away, a touch of frost developing and in the south, we will see some cloud and that combination will help to keep temperatures up. it will be wet start today, still some outbreaks of rain, northern scotland is the place to be for the best of the sunshine and elsewhere there will be a fair bit of cloud. the south—east of england should dry up, that will see the highest temperatures, a level 12 degrees. further north it is closer to six or 7 degrees. closer to the weekend, keep the umbrella is handy, i suspect it won't be a complete wash—out. this is bbc news at five — the headlines. the police watchdog says policing is in a potentially perilous state, as it warns a third of forces need improvement — but ministers say there's no excuse for rationing services. senior democrats on capitol hill

have called for the us attorney general, jeff sessions, to step down — over undeclared meetings with russian officials. the chief inspector of hospitals — is warning that the nhs in england is on a ‘burning platform' — unable to meet the needs of the population. british cycling bosses promise changes — after accusations of bullying and sexism at top levels of the sport. it is 531 and will catch up with all of the sports news now. good afternoon, andy murray breezing through the championships, much stuff in the quarterfinals, he is facing philipp kohlschreiber who is ranked 29th in the world and it went with serve. remember this is murray's first tournament for five weeks after that disappointing early exit at the australian open in january. cost tribe as any beat them

once in five minutes but he has a lwa ys once in five minutes but he has always taken at least a set of the scot. he edged a first set on the tie—break. the first break when to marry their early in the second set to give him a 2—1 lead. it is currently 4—2 to andy murray. there's a boost for england's six nations hopes today with news that number 8 billy vunipola is set to make a surprise return for his club this weekend. he's been out of action since november with a knee injury but his recovery has gone better than expected, and he could appear for saracens in their premiership match against newcastle on sunday. if england win their next 2 matches they will set the record for most consecutive wins in test rugby - with 19. arsene wenger says his focus is totally on arsenal...even though a very tempting opportunity has opened up at barcelona. the frenchman is set to make a ‘mutual decision' with the gunners on whether he signs a new contract either this month or next. i'm not looking forjobs in other

clu bs, i'm not looking forjobs in other clubs, orforjobs i'm not looking forjobs in other clubs, or for jobs of i'm not looking forjobs in other clubs, or forjobs of other people. ijust clubs, or forjobs of other people. i just focus on me clubs, or forjobs of other people. ijust focus on me getting to the next level and trying to improve. because i think as well, need to try to improve that always needs to try to improve that always needs to try to see what to do better and reinvent himself and that is what i tried to do. and that is basically it. despite warnings from the british boxing board of control about his unsavoury verbal threats, david haye has told tony bellew to ‘enjoy his last days‘ ahead of their heavyweight fight on saturday night. i must warn you there is flash photography in these pictures... there has been so much animosity between the two, with haye seemingly the main protagonist over the last couple of days in the build up to the fight, with a serties

of crude and threatening comments. there isn‘t even a title on the line, so it has been sold as a ‘grudge—match‘ perhaps for the benefit of those trying to sell tickets... britain‘s double olympic champion nicola adams received her obe from the duke of cambridge at buckingham palace. (oov) adams was the first woman to win an olympic boxing gold at the london games in 2012 and last summer successfully defended her title in rio dejaneiro. she will have her first professional fight on april the 8th. england‘s one day series in the west indies starts tomorrow in antigua captain owen morgan has confirmed that jake ball and alex hales will miss the opening game. sam billings is likely to open against the windies with steven finn playing in place of ball. tomorrow is the first of a three match series. celtic have paid tribute to one

of their ‘lisbon lions‘ tommy gemmell, who has died at the age of 73 following a long illness. he scored in the 2—1victory against inter milan in the 1967 european cup final when celtic became the first british club to win the trophy. he also scored in the 1970 final which celtic lost to dutch side feyenoord. the club have called him ‘a true celtic legend ‘. that is all we have got, we have got andy murray as well, it looks like you will take the second set, in the decider. the race for the presidency in france is hotting up — with all candidates on the campaign trail. yesterday the centre—right republican candidate francois fillon confirmed that he will fight on — despite being under investigation over his wife‘s working arrangements. today — the candidate many are seeing as the

front—runner, emmanuel macron, unveiled his manifesto. mr macron has promised to ban nepotism in parliament, and during his manifesto speech also spoke about the transformation of france‘s rigid labour market. translation: we and our project have chose some first of all to look to the future and the transformation of the future and the transformation of the world of work, the transformation of our productive model, the digital transition. these are risks but they are also brilliant opportunities. and so at the heart of this project, there is the heart of this project, there is the refusal to knowledge defeat. i will not say in this project, that we have already lost the battle over the nature of work. no. work is going to change, and we will part of that change, we will go with it and we will transform the balance of forces. that was emmanuel macron earlier

today. let‘s look at his background ina today. let‘s look at his background in a little more detail. a former investment banker — the 39 year old is the youngest candidate in the race to become the next french president. a protege of president hollande — emmanuel macron worked as economic adviser before taking up the post of economy minister in 2014. last april macron set up his own political party — en marche, which he describes as "neither left nor right". he officially launched his presidential bid last november. mr macron says "i want to free the energy of the able while protecting the weakest". he is an economic liberal and pro—business, who has backed ending france‘s 35—hour week for younger workers. joining me now is prof sudhir hazareesingh — who teaches politics at balliol college, oxford, and author of ‘how the french think‘. thank you so much forjoining us,

good to have you with us. is its uprising, let‘s start with emmanuel macron. the kind of programme that he outlined today, does that answer the critics who say frankly he has been a man of no ideas so far? will he has put a little bit more meat on the bone but what strikes me most, of thin absence he has made today, is how artfully he has actually exploited the weakness of his main adversary francois fillon, because he placed a lot of emphasis as you mentioned on the need to moraes public life. so he is going to due use a ban, on having —— is going to introduce a ban on having relatives working in parliament. sol introduce a ban on having relatives working in parliament. so i think he is very astutely positioning himself so is very astutely positioning himself so that he can exploit the disadvantage at which the law finds himself in at the moment. would we be talking about him in anything

like these terms, whatever his merits if it weren‘t for the fact that fillon is having a disaster?” think we would but certainly fillon's problems aren't helping him. remember, to three mac said that if he was placed under formal investigation, he would not run as a candidate, he said that on the 26th of january. so candidate, he said that on the 26th ofjanuary. 50 years gone candidate, he said that on the 26th ofjanuary. so years gone back on his word and there have been a numberof his word and there have been a number of defections from his party since yesterday. what is interesting about emmanuel macron, is that he is an unconventional candidate and this is an unconventional election, francois hollande has not been able to stand. the primary contest on the right saw the defeat of nicolas sarkozy, and juppe. the primary on the left saw the defeat of the socialist prime minister manuel valls. so there is kind of an antiestablishment mood. and emmanuel macron is one of the people

benefiting from that. the antiestablishment mood reminds us of somebody, marine le pen. what kind of contest would we have do you think if it was those two on the final ballot? i think it would be fascinating, i think that emmanuel macron would win easily because he would not have any difficulty rallying support from the centre and even from the moderate right. the difficulty with marine le pen is that one can see very easily she gets 28, 30% of the boat, but then, she doesn't really have that much in terms of she doesn't really have that much in terms of reserves she doesn't really have that much in terms of reserves to rely on getting up terms of reserves to rely on getting up to 50%. one might imagine that the socially conservative part of fillon electorate might vote for her but that won't give her anything like what she might need in order to reach the magic 50% number.‘ like what she might need in order to reach the magic 5096 number. a final thought, if you are right in saying that emmanuel macron in all circumstances would win, what would

that mean for the wider european context, not least, the kind of brexit negotiations that will take place in the next few years? emmanuel macron is a committed european internationalist, as you mentioned. he believes passionately in need to rekindle the european project. he will drive a very hard bargain, if it comes to brexit, because he really believes that europe is in mortal danger at the moment. and that the revival and the of europe, requires a very strong franco german axis, i don't think britain can expect any favours from a emmanuel macron president xi. fascinating stuff, good to talk to, thank you very much. studio: very exciting race and i‘m sure we will talk about that in the weeks to go. this year is the 70th anniversary of partition — when india was divided — and the reign of the british raj came to an end.

it was a bloody chapter in the history of the region — and a million people died in the violence that followed — particularly in the western region of punjab which was cut in two by the border — creating a new islamic country — pakistan. it‘s the subject of a new film by british film director — gurinder chadha — which examines the last days of the raj — and centres on the household of the last viceroy of india — lord mountbatten — played by hugh bonneville. i‘m delighted to say that he is with us, the director. before we chat, why did we have a little look at the film and we can pick up on some of the themes. iamto iam to be i am to be the last viceroy ‘s of india andi i am to be the last viceroy ‘s of india and i shall carry it out with great pride. brew years the new boys. we have something in common. from now on there will be more

indians of all faiths around our table. we can change a lot and be absolutely happy. we came to give injure back herfreedom, not to absolutely happy. we came to give injure back her freedom, not to tear her apart. i had to say, it looks fantastic, it is so rich in terms of a visual feast but it is a very power. read? how did you approach this?” feast but it is a very power. read? how did you approach this? i wanted to tell this story, on the biggest ca nvas to tell this story, on the biggest canvas i could, and british cinema is known around the world for making these huge epic costume dramas so i chose that as myjohn ruddy to tell this big epic political story but at the same time it is a very intimate story because it is personally related to me. explained that a little more? india was partitioned in 1947 little more? india was partitioned in1947 and little more? india was partitioned in 1947 and the history that i grew up in 1947 and the history that i grew up with was that lord mountbatten came out to india to hand india back but restarted fighting and so he had no choice but to divide the country.

that is what i grew up with, in my research for the film i found out that isn‘t the truth. not many people want to talk about partition, but a lot of people living in britain today, are still influenced by it because our grandparents went through it, particularly mine. five small children at the time and in the house overnight, things started changing for the worse and an army truck came and said right down truck, you are out. she was put on the train with five children, three days, no food, no water. and her youngest child actually died of starvation on that train. so many terrible things happen to a lot of people but most people want to sweep it under the carpet. so by making this film hopefully i am talking about it. you are certainly making a big statement, if someone say to you, what is the main change in the traditional narrative that you offering, what would but that be?

mountbatten is reviled by many for being the man who everyone blames for partitioning india. but what my story reveals is that there were plans to partition india long before my batting came on the scene.” plans to partition india long before my batting came on the scene. i am —— lets just pause for a second, let‘s ta ke —— lets just pause for a second, let‘s take one excerpt from the film, where we get a sense of the character that you are portraying if i may put it that way. so we have the man himself, and hugh bonneville who portrays i suppose some people might thinka who portrays i suppose some people might think a rather different kind of person. let‘s have a look. killer mac we are going to get this down to a fine mac we are going to get this down to afine art, mac we are going to get this down to a fine art, i never want to spend more than two minutes stress in. not excellence in till about the ceremony. so we‘ll do. socks, no suspenders, braces on the trousers. have you seen that before? nos sur. how much time do we waste button in

the trousers, one just stepped into these and the whole of the navy uses them now. this morning i say we are putting out all of the stops. to lead singer isn‘t it? lord wavell speaks very highly of you. thank you serve, honour. from punjab, he is the new boys. well, we have something in common. now, are we ready? music 13 minutes. we will do better next

time. tell us a little bit about that and what you are trying to convey. interestingly we did a lot of research, read a lot of books and looked at a lot of documents that had been hidden until recently. but we also met people who were lucky enough, in bombay we were lucky enough, in bombay we were lucky enough to meet mountbatten‘s adc at the time who told us that he was a very vain man. and for him, his outfits had to be pressed, within an inch of themselves. his medals had to be polished. he spent a lot of time focusing on his appearance. he loves the whole pomp and splendour of being the last viceroy. so we wa nted of being the last viceroy. so we wanted to convey that in the film. that comes across, what about the man, the character who provided the leadership, what did you make of that and what are you trying to

convey there? i think what the film does, it looks at all of the leaders involved, there was now batten, and the others, and humanise them. and saying if you were in their position, what would you have done? these were the decisions that they made, were they the right decisions or not? with mark batten what we learned very soon in, is that actually he was not a politician. i believe he was sent out there precisely because he was not a politician, he was a naval man. so there were all kinds of things going on in the cordle ‘s power in england that he didn‘t know about. so very soon and you realise, that he is in above his head. and his wife actually was a lot more astute than he was politically. again, some of these images in the times. what i would like now, is to have a look at another section of the film, this is talking about religious tensions. and the religious tensions clearly, which we can still talk about in

very powerful terms today. have a look at this. she doesn't want to dance. watch what you are doing. he wasn't doing anything. it's fine. you dance with your own kind. my own kind? have some respect. since when does a muslim tell us what to do? come, come. music what does that seem lead us towards, that scene? there were, in all tensions, terrible riots, a lot of violence. but the scenes of that really co m e of violence. but the scenes of that really come from 1857 when there was the big mutiny, or the first war of independence, depending on how you look at it. and all indians banded

together against the british and they nearly one, but the british actually ended up quelling that mutiny, and they were very worried so from that point on, lord curzon introduced to divide and rule rule. so indians were divided, dozens were separate, in two were separate, sikhs were separate, separate schools and textbooks. so the idea was to introduce those divisions so that politicians could make political gain from them, and in this clip that we have just seen, we have seen that is all being ramped up. when we started the chat com about your personal time, i know ten or 11 years ago you made a programme, the bbc series who do you think you are? and you return to pakistan at that point. let us just see some images? this was my first time back to my ancestral town and i was reticent about going to pakistan, but the welcome my god,

they are throwing flower petals at me. they said welcome you are our daughter and they gave me this beautiful shawl and i was shocked at this welcome. it was there that i met people and refugees who themselves had come from india, to live in my grandfather ‘s house now. at that point i realised only wanted to make a film about partition but as much about the people‘s partition, as well as the politics. was that the moment that the dream of this film started? yes, absolutely, but in pakistan while i was doing who do you think you are? that was 11 years ago, far more recently in the context of the film, you met the queen, and i do want to give any secrets away, what did you share in terms of conversations about this because the queen has a very acute interest in that part of the world? absolutely, just as it is my family story it is her family story. of course her son prince

charles has a very personal interest in mountbatten, his favourite uncle. i was introduced to the queen and she said, i seen your trailer. and i was quite shocked. she had seen it on television, she said she was looking 40 see the film, will she like it? and i said you are featured in it. there is a reference to her getting married because lady pamela mountbatten left india together and bea mountbatten left india together and be a bridesmaid at her wedding. what do you want the audiences to take away from this? it is a great spectacle, it is very rich in terms of its texture. you are providing your own brand of narrative if i can call it that? yes it is a british asian view on our history. both the british raj and asian history. and being british asian, i can stand back and look at it on everyone‘s point of view. i hope it is a very

balanced film about turbulent events in our history, but now moving forward 70 yea rs in our history, but now moving forward 70 years later, i think it isa forward 70 years later, i think it is a timely reminder of what happens when politicians all leaders start using hate to divide us, because it can only lead to destruction and death in my opinion. fantastic to talk to you, i‘m looking forward to seeing it from top to bottom. we need your support, british cinema needs british audiences! well we are giving you that support. it is in cinemas from tomorrow and of course because it is the news channel, mark kermode will be here to review it, i‘m sure that he will do it kindly, on the film review, so we willjoin mark for that. nice to see you. let‘s move onto one of the other stories, when the former prime minister gordon brown and his wife sarah lost their babyjennifer after she was born prematurely at 33

weeks, sarah brown decided to set up a charity to have premature babies thrive and now 15 years later, she says it is very uplifting to discover, they are out to save the life of the grandchild of another labour leader, john smith. we take up labour leader, john smith. we take up the story. two—and—a—half—year—old ella, healthy and happy. but she was born 12 weeks premature. at birth, she weighed 1lb10oz. and was the size of an adult‘s hand. i wasn‘t sure she was going to survive at all. to me, it seemed impossible. she seemed so utterly vulnerable. it felt like she had nothing within herself to fight with, because she was so tiny. the granddaughter of one labour leader, john smith, alive, her mother says, thanks to research ata lab set up in the memory of the daughter of another. gordon and sarah brown lost their daughterjennifer when she was just ten days old. we knew what had happened but we didn't know why it had happened, so in wanting to try

and work out what we could do to make sense of this, what i realised was more needed to happen to unlock that understanding. one of the things we felt we could most usefully do was invest in the science for it. the research done at thejennifer brown laboratory has focused on understanding the causes and consequences of premature birth. some good has come from tragedy. 15 years on, the memory of her daughter is still strong. what i really treasure is the ten very, very precious days that we had with our daughter, because thanks to the care of the doctors, nurses, midwives around us, we were able to have an extraordinary amount of time really being able to be with our daughter. all of that i have inside me and all that love you have for your daughter is still all there. for little ella there are now no more hospital visits ahead. absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant. she‘s now been signed off from ouor consultant.

they‘ve told us not to darken their door with a child quite so well as ella, so we are the literally luckiest people in the world. it‘s thought that up to a quarter of babies born in the uk need extra care, but the ongoing research that helped save ella will continue helping others also born prematurely survive and thrive, just like her. lorna gordon, bbc news, edinburgh. four minutes to six, stand—by with the bbc news at six, i will be back at ten, in the meantime, j bbc news at six, i will be back at ten, in the meantime,j is back. good evening, it has been a decent day for last swathes of the day. pretty decent skies in hampton court this afternoon, a bit patchy cloud to and the satellite sequence confirms that many places had a very pleasa nt confirms that many places had a very pleasant day with good spells of sunshine. andy kyu showers in the north and west and persistent rain

pushing its way into northern ireland. there is notjust rain. snow and hills, rain sleet and snow, as well as we go through the small hours of the morning. northern scotla nd hours of the morning. northern scotland will be largely dry and also quite cold, we will see a touch of frost, whereas in the southern half of the uk, more cloud and some rain helps keep temperatures around six or seven or 8 degrees. it would bea six or seven or 8 degrees. it would be a wet start for many southern counties of england, notjust wet but quite windy as well, not great conditions on the road, surface water. there that in mind. the north and west of wales starting up dry. toa and west of wales starting up dry. to a decent start to the day. still some rain around in northern ireland, northern scotland. after a chilly start we should see a good deed of sunshine, in northern scotla nd deed of sunshine, in northern scotland that is where the best of the sunshine will be through tomorrow. elsewhere there is a fair bit of cloud around. some rain on and off ready, and this area of rain

will be drifting its way further northwards. it should allow things to dry up at least. it is here that we will see the highest temperatures but elsewhere, it is pretty much single figures and there will be some wet weather to in the south—west through the afternoon. looking ahead to the weekend, we will keep on bella is handy because there is rain at times, not raining all day everywhere as we‘ll see. in fa ct into all day everywhere as we‘ll see. in fact into the start of the weekend and much of western europe, really heavy snow the alps. we may see as much as a metre of snow, that would improve things for the spring skiers for the next few weeks. meanwhile saturday, the wettest weather is in scotla nd saturday, the wettest weather is in scotland and northern ireland whereas across england and wales there will be a fair bit of cloud with very little sunshine. through on the breeze. the top temperatures getting to ten or 11 degrees but most getting to ten or 11 degrees but m ost pla ces getting to ten or 11 degrees but most places will be in single figures, six to 8 degrees would be fairly typical. things will switch around with the wettest weather further south across wales in

southern england. 9 degrees, top temperatures sixes or sevens and there will be a scattering showers but i think there will be drier and brighter weather. some forces are beginning to take officers out of neighbourhood policing to focus on other areas, and we‘re saying absolutely that erosion of neighbourhood policing cannot be allowed to happen. we‘ll be looking at why police forces are cutting the number of detectives, and how it‘s affecting crime rates. also tonight: i have not met with any russians at any time to discuss any political campaign. president trump‘s attorney—general is accused of lying to the senate about his meetings with the russian ambassador. the head of british cycling apologises for failings, following allegations of bullying and sexism. hello! anyone home? trying to help the rising number of people sleeping rough.