private tory focus groups over the last few months suggest their message of not now is a relief to some who simply don't want to go through the whole thing again. but for others, it will be patronising, arrogant, even. technically it is down to westminster to say yes or no, but telling the scottish government they can't even talk about another referendum for two yea rs — about another referendum for two years — risky doesn't begin to cover it. this miscalculation and finger wagging at scotland, theresa may laying down the law, thou shalt do this, ls not going to work. it this, it's not going to work. it will backfire rapidly and she will rue the day she edged towards telling the scottish 155157 what telling the scottish people what they can and can't do. only a week ago, expectations were that the snp getting a big move ready as they was getting a big move ready as they prepared for their spring conference that will start this weekend. but before the stage is even set, the drama whose ending will affect us all is well underway. the conservative party has been

fined a record £70,000 for breaking rules on election spending in the rules on election spending in some key marginal seats at the last election. the party claims the iiiéifiéf. 154,55 fiz'l? éiéiféis iii? . .. . . . with an administrative failure with an administrative error. the electoral commission has referred the case to the metropolitan police, saying there was a realistic prospect the money had given the party an advantage. 0ur had given the party an advantage. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford has more details. the south thanet constituency in 2015, where the conservatives were battling nigel farage, desperate to héffiififi nifiéi farane’fieén’erafe fun a him winning the seat. héffiififi nifiéi farane’fieén’erafe fun a w him winning the seat. any stop him winning the seat. any chance of counting on your support? they poured big games and resources into it and now they've been given the ever fine, into it and now they've been given the - ever fine, £70,000, for the biggest everfine, £70,000, for breaking the rules on recording election spending. both here and elsewhere. we've never issued fines to that extent before and i think they are some of the worst in the fa ct they are some of the worst in the fact that they were unable to

provide evidence when we needed it and the reports were and and the reports were inaccurate and the spending did and the reports were inaccurate and the spending - did not contain the spending returns did not contain the spending returns did not contain the things they should have done. to candidate won the seat. his the tory candidate won the seat. his official expenses after the campaign showed he had spent £14,838, just short of the legal limit in the constituency. but now the party's spending here is under question. the conservative party spent thousands of pounds on hotels here in south thanet, £15,000 in a single hotel on the hill here in ramsgate, and the electoral commission this could still lead to criminal

prosecutions and even by—elections ' constituencies . prosecutions and even by—elections ' constituencies like . prosecutions and even by—elections § constituencies like south % prosecutions and even by—elections § constituencies like south thanet. in constituencies like south thanet. recently, the lib dems and labour have also been fined for legal “a"; returns- h have also been fined for legal £5232: returns. the electoral expenses returns. the electoral commission is worried parties are starting to see the finds of the cost of doing business rather than a way of keeping british elections there. -- fair. !!=’%zéi -- fair. t‘tzf states committee has ruled united states committee has ruled there is no support for donald trump's claimed that his home had been under surveillance in the order of his predecessor barack 0bama. and his latest attempt to impose a travel ban against six mostly muslim countries has again been blocked by courts. the courts. jon sopel has the latest. saint patrick stay is being celebrated in washington but donald trump doesn't seem to be enjoying

tfeee' fifieefe eééfi e? 56 efiifislfifi luck teeee eeeee'e eeee e e6 efiifislfifi luck of the irish as his the luck of the irish as his problems pile up. —— saint patrick's day. remember his tweets that barack 0bama had tapped his phone and that his predecessor was "sick and bad"? he stood by the claim...|j his predecessor was "sick and bad"? he stood by the claim... i think you will find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks. but today the senate intelligence committee flatly contradicted him. based on the information available to us, we see no indication that trump tower was subject to surveillance by any element of the united states government, either before or after government. either before ereftee day government. either before oreftee day 2016. election day 2016. ata election day 2016. at a tetchy white house briefing, a spokesman said trump stood by the claim, even suggesting british intelligence could have been involved, but again no evidence was despite the fact the senate offered. despite the fact the senate intelligence committee says they see evidence... he stands by it but

no evidence... he stands by it but again you are mischaracterising what happened - and last night in happened today! and last night in national vote —— nashville, tennessee, with just hours to go before his travel ban was to come into effect, bad news. ajudge in hawaii blocked the move again and mrtrump let rip mr trump let rip again. frustrated mr trump let rip again. we are going to take our case as far as it needs to go, including all the way up to the supreme court! cheering and applause we are going to win, we are going to keep our citizens save! the banned keep our citizens save'a these six mainly muslim from these six mainly muslim countries has strong support among the people who cheered the president to the rafters last night. but governing in america requires you to work within the checks and balances of the us constitution. and there may be similar battles to come over the president's budget which was unveiled today. it proposes a big

boost spending for the armed forces and border security, but major cuts to overseas aid and the environment, c'fljw i), f-cclf-jj, .!,‘,‘,l,,j,!.!!;:!ee and the democrats say domestic programmes which help the most vulnerable. he throws billions of dollars at the fence while ransacking dollars at the fence while ra nsacking 35:5: investment dollars at the fence while ransacking 35:5: investment in ransacking america's investment in jobs, education, innovation, clean $3“ jobs, education, innovation, clean % and life—saving medical energy and life—saving medical research. it will leave our nation weakened. no one can accuse donald trump of not being true to his electoral promises. but turning an easy campaign pledge into something more concrete is turning out to be extremely his most extremely difficult. his most eye—catching proposals are stuck in thickjudicial and legislative eye—catching proposals are stuck in thick judicial and legislative mud. a former british cyclist has told the bbc he broke the rules governing the bbc he broke the rules governing the sport by secretly injecting himself with when the sport by secretly injecting himself with - when riding himself with vitamins when riding for team sky. josh edmundson says he confessed at the time but alleges it

confessed at the time but allegesil! was covered up. we have this exclusive report. he was one of british cycling's top young talent, a team—mate to legends, but beneath the surface, josh edmondson was struggling to deal with the pressure and for the first time, the 24—year—old from tea m first time, the 24—year—old from team sky has broken his silence about the depression he suffered, me he linked it to the telling me he linked it to the controversial painkiller tramadol that he secretly took to get through training and races. the dangerous thing about it is you don't know when you are coming to your limit, soi when you are coming to your limit, so i would be pushing and pushing and pushing, and normally you can't keep it up, but you go a bit further than that. the next day if feels like you are over so you need it to just get through. and i think the withdrawal from that immediately after a race, iwasjust withdrawal from that immediately after a race, i wasjust depressed. i was at the point where i didn't leave the house two months. so it doesn't get much worse than that other than committing suicide. there

is no suggestion team sky were aware his use of the painkiller, but he of his use of the painkiller, but he says he went a step further and broke the sport's no needle ruled by self injecting an illegal cocktail of vitamins he bought from italy in the lead up to a major race in 2014. i bought the fly clips, the syringes, the folic acid, and syringes, the folic—aerd,—anér vitamins, and! syringes, the folic—aerd,—anér vitamins, and i would just inject sort of two or three times a that sort of two or three times a week, maybe. especially when i wa nted week, maybe. especially when i wanted to lose weight. it was very effective. actually putting the needle in and making sure there are no bottle —— bubbles in the butterfly clip, because if there are, you can have a heart attack and died, so it's a very daunting thing to do. team sky say he denied using the needle and because of concerns over his mental health, theirformer

clinical director told me he had advised senior management not to report the incident to the teeefe the insissnt to the ” ” "f ifi teeefe the insissnt to the ” ” "f if i had done that, and authorities. if i had done that, and i suppose authorities. if i had done that, and isuppose i'm authorities. if i had done that, and i suppose i'm looking at safety issues, but i did think there was a risk this lad would be pushed over the edge. he told us very clearly he had done the injection because he didn't know how to use the needle, and he said, i didn't use them, i didn't know how to use them before. this was at the time. without going into too much detail, i haven't got somebody who's in a good place, i've got somebody breaking down. but edmondson says he did confess at the time but senior management covered it up. they would have said publicly there was a young lad injecting that there was a young lad injecting things on their team. it is against the rules to self administer anything. what you are suggesting is the team covered up what had happened because they wanted to preserve the reputation and their

jobs of team sky. i can see his interpretation. but we did it in good faith and we did it on two counts. 0ne good faith and we did it on two counts. one is that the team discussion was we didn't think he had violated. and secondly, most importantly, he just wasn't in a good place. these revelations come with british cycling under unprecedented scrutiny over regulation.