this is bbc news. the headlines... donald trump remains defiant after failing to overhaul in the last few minutes ukip's only mp douglas carswell confirms he's standing down from the party — but says he will stay on as an independent mp. donald trump remains defiant after failing to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. the president was forced to abandon his healthcare bill because of lack of support within his own party. two men remain in custody as investigations continue into the westminster terror attack. it's emerged khalid masood sent whatsapp messages moments before he carried out the attack. the united nations expresses concern over reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed by air strikes in mosul. i've spoken to witnesses who say that whole families have died in the rubble of their houses, and that nobody was even able to dig them out. also in the next hour... celebrating 60 years since

the beginning of the european union. leaders from 27 member countries, minus the united kingdom, mark the anniversary of the treaty of rome by renewing their commitment to a common future. and in sport, it's pole position for lewis hamilton. he dominates formula one qualifying in melbourne ahead of the season opening australian grand prix. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. we have some breaking news now from the last half an hour. the uk independence party's only mp, douglas carswell, has announced that he is leaving the party. mr carswelljoined ukip after defecting from

the conservative party in 2014. on his website he announced, as you can see here in the highlighted area... with me for more on this is our political correspondent, matt cole. how much of a surprise is this? well, there has certainly been long—standing, not even rumours, i think open disagreements between the former leader, nigel farage, and douglas carswell. the relationship seemed to begin so well, lots of backslapping and hugs, when douglas ca rswell crossed over. backslapping and hugs, when douglas carswell crossed over. it very quickly began to come rather fractures. in recent times those close to nigel farage have accused douglas carswell of being largely responsible for nigel farage being blocked to getting a peerage and elevated to the house of lords, for example. douglas ca rswell elevated to the house of lords, for example. douglas carswell had been asked after the referendum result

had gone in ukip‘s favour whether he would now consider a job done and returned to the conservatives. i've spoken to him in the last few minutes and he says he has no plans to the battle. he intends to sit as an independent. because he's not crossing the floor back to another party, he's not going to call a by—election like he did for his captaincy when he crossed from the conservatives to ukip. he says he's going to sit as an independent and represent his constituents no longer as part of ukip. he said on his blog that he feels ukip have done the job. we are now going out of the european union. you make it sound as if it was as much personality issues as politics. there has been a question hanging over ukip since the referendum will stop what is it for now? —— since the referendum. what is it for now? douglas carswell seems to be suggesting that his work is done. paul nuttall says the party wa nts to is done. paul nuttall says the party wants to target northern working—class labour votes, perhaps

rather different from the conservative background of douglas ca rswell conservative background of douglas carswell and his conservative background of douglas ca rswell and his part conservative background of douglas carswell and his part of the party. the question now of what is the party for, i think douglas carswell seems to have had his own answer. he says he's leaving in amicable terms. congratulates ukip, its workers and party members for all the work they did campaigning for brexit. but without really commenting yet, we will be speaking to him shortly at greater length, he hadn't said yet what he thinks the future for ukip is. but he's very clear that it doesn't involve him. he says he's now going to sit as an independent mp. but when he left the conservative party to drain ukip, he resigned his seat in clacton in order to trigger a by—election so that he could be re—elected as a ukip mp. is it really tenable for him simply to cross over and become an independent without holding a by—election? an independent without holding a by-election? there are plenty of mps over the years who have done what he's doing, changed party or change political persuasion, without

calling a by—election. so he will be able to point to that. but this was able to point to that. but this was a point of great moral principle. he was standing for it when he suddenly had to re—stand. he's made a very specific point to address. on his website he says because he's not joining another party, he doesn't have to stand again. i think what he's trying to say is that his personal politics are in no way changing. you still have him as your man with his politics, but what you are not getting as the machine of ukip behind it. i don't think ukip will be best pleased. this is, to date, the only elected mp that has come through the ballot process. they did have mark reckless elected in another by—election, but he lost his seat in 2015 the general election. they have had one or two others crossed the floor without by—election, but he has been at their prize, the one ukip member to make it through a general election with a seat. nigel farage, in seven

attempts, has never achieved it. i think paul nuttall is up to five or six attempts. it will hurt ukip, but i spoke to one of their spokespeople just a few moments ago and they had no knowledge of this. he doesn't appear to have told his party he was doing it. i broke the news to them! it's going to be quite a blow for them, isn't it? it is. there have been people in ukip calling for him to be kicked out, claiming that he is part of their problem element of national executive taking the party in directions that some, not least the close ally of nigel farage, banks, the money man, distancing himself in parting ways. there are some who have been calling for him to go. perhaps they would rather not lose an mp, but they may not be to win happy to lose douglas carswell. but make no mistake, if they blow. they've gone from having a parliamentary representative in the house of commons, now they don't

have any. i suppose it resurrects questions about what is ukip for, if we are about article 50 and starting the process of britain's withdrawal will, that is about to be triggered this year. what are ukip four, that is the question douglas carswell is acting. and that is why he is leaving. i asked acting. and that is why he is leaving. iasked him acting. and that is why he is leaving. i asked him why now, and he said it simple — theresa may is troubling article 50 on wednesday. he says there is no way she would be doing that. —— theresa may is dribbling article 50. he was going to leave on thursday, but he thought, why not. he does it on the 60th anniversary of the treaty of rome. some thought theresa may which is today to trigger article 50. perhaps the calculation was that might bea perhaps the calculation was that might be a bit disrespectful, but that hasn't happened. douglas ca rswell that hasn't happened. douglas carswell doesn't seem to be thinking along those lines. but it does so the question of what are they for — it was a coalition of people who believed in brexit from all parts of political persuasions. they

presented themselves as the political army in all of these campaigns. how they go on from here is something that paul nuttall i think is grappling with a bit. he's made it very clear that he sees himself and his party is looking to ta ke himself and his party is looking to take on the working—class voter, particularly in northern england, of labour supporters. but i think there isa labour supporters. but i think there is a question now as they fight and work out amongst themselves. and this, this won't necessarily help but debate. matt, many thanks. much more on this story, of course, throughout the afternoon here on bbc news. we do hope to be talking to douglas carswell himself shortly. now for some other news. donald trump has tried to shrug off the biggest setback so far in his presidency, a failure to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. he's been forced to scrap a vote on his plans at the last minute because he didn't have enough backing from his own party. one republican, kevin brady, told fox news that the priority now was to press ahead with changing america's tax system. greg dawson reports. it was a promise that became one of the pillars of his campaign — and one he repeated at every rally.

obamacare has to be be replaced. we're going to get rid of obamacare, which is a disaster. repealing and replacing the disaster known as obamacare. his pitch to voters — "trust me, i'm a dealmaker." if you can't make a good deal with a politician then there's something wrong with you. you're certainly not very good. throughout friday, the trump administration, led by the vice—president, was trying to persuade fellow republicans to back them. but it wasn't working. some wouldn't accept proposed cuts to health coverage. others said they didn't go far enough. my vote is still a no. facing defeat, house speaker paul ryan consulted with the president and pulled the plug on the bill. yeah, we're going to be living with obamaca re for the foreseeable future. i don't know how long it's going to take us to replace this law. my worry is obamacare is going to be getting even worse. donald trump still predicts that obamacare will end in failure,

but conceded until democrats agree it's time to make changes, he can't scrap it. it's imploding and soon will explode and it's not going to be pretty. so the democrats don't want to see that so they're going to reach out when they're ready and whenever they're ready, we're ready. pushing through healthca re change in america was one of president obama's defining achievements in the white house. it provided more than 20 million people with health insurance, but opponents say it is too expensive and involves too much government interference in people's lives. but criticising obamacare has proved much easier than replacing it for donald trump. after his controversial travel ban was blocked, this failure is another blow to his authority less than three months since he took power. counter—terrorism police have released all but two of the 11

people arrested since the attack in westminster on wednesday. detectives are piecing together the background of khalid masood to find out where and when he was radicalised they are appealing for information as they try to establish whether he acted alone or had help, as alexandra mackenzie reports. khalid masood, the former teacher and father who became a terrorist. but did he act alone? as police begin to build a picture of the killer, it has emerged that minutes before he launched his attack he used the messaging service whatsapp to send an encrypted message from his phone. born adrian elms in kent, by the time he was at huntley's secondary school for boys in tunbridge wells, he was known as adrian ajao. but what triggered such a brutal act from a once sporty schoolboy who liked to party? he is like jekyll & he is likejekyll & hyde. he was an incredible fella. but, you know, like i say, when i see him, i loved him. ijust wanted to give him a lift sort of and talk

and balance him up a bit. he had developed a reputation for violence. masood spent time in three prisons. last night, the saudi arabian embassy in london confirmed he had worked there as a teacher around ten years ago. by then, he had converted to islam. the police investigation into wednesday's attack has been swift. it brought them to this hotel in brighton. masood stayed here the night before he carried out his deadly attack which took the lives of four people. described as a nice guest, he said he was visiting friends. in manchester, a car was taken away by police. there were further raids and two people, both from birmingham, remain in custody. the police investigation will now focus on finding out if anyone helped khalid masood to carry out his attack and at what inspired him to commit mass murder. earlier i spoke to our correspondent nick beake, who gave us the latest on the police investigation. well, the two men mentioned

who remain in custody are both from birmingham. one is 58 and one is 27. they were arrested under terrorism legislation. so in theory the police have got two weeks to question them before they're charged with any offence, if indeed they are. 11 people in all have been arrested after the events of last wednesday, and the police moved pretty quickly, i think. for them, it was a nightmare scenario in part, because you have someone who they'd investigated previously, or certainly m15 had looked at and deemed to be a peripheralfigure. but in the here and now, march 2017, he was not someone on their radar. so i think they moved quickly to try and work out known associates. we heard the police yesterday asking the public for their information to work out whether this man was acting alone or being directed in any way. and of course we heard about this whatsapp activity, a way that you can use your mobile phone, and we know that khalid masood yesterday checked his phone some three minutes before he launched the attack.

the police will want to work out whether indeed he was reading messages, or maybe sending a message. if indeed that was the case, was he saying goodbye or was he potentially taking instructions? so that's one thing they'd hoped to achieve. we've also learn more about masood himself. absolutely. in some ways it's a contradictory pitch, because we've got somebody who we know has been to prison for a number of occasions because of violent tendencies. he has stabbed two different people. but also on the other hand you got people describing him as quite a charming individual, certainly when he was a younger man, but also the night before he launched his attack at the hotel he stayed at in brighton, the staff were actually putting in the system. he was a model guest, someone they want staying in their place. so the police are trying to work this out. of course, at the heart of all this is the question of when was he radicalised and who was potentially responsible for that? we know he spent two spells in saudi arabia as an english teacher. they've said, the saudi authorities, that he was not on their radar there.

he had no criminal record. another possibility is that you may have been radicalised in prison. we know he's spent spells in three different prisons. if that were the case, that's one thing the authorities will want to work on as soon as possible. the headlines on bbc news... ukip‘s only mp douglas carswell confirms he's standing down from the party — but says he will stay on as an independent mp. donald trump remains defiant after failing to overhaul barack obama's health reforms. the president was forced to abandon his healthcare bill because of lack of support within his own party. two men remain in custody as investigations continue into the westminster terror attack. the united nations has expressed deep concern over a "terrible loss of life" after reports

of an incident in the battle for mosul, that has caused a high number of civilian casualties. thousands of iraqi civilians are trying to flee the west of the city, as the fight against so—called islamic state continues. the us—led coalition and iraqi forces have been using airstrikes against is militants. but eyewitnesses say that many civilians have been killed and many remain buried under the rubble. our middle east editor, jeremy bowen, has been speaking to some of those escaping is held areas in west mosul, who say that people are being used as human shields. thousands of civilians are getting out of the parts of mosul that are controlled by islamic state everyday. and they're giving that because they feel that if they stay, if they don't take the really serious risk of trying to cross the front line to get out, then they're going to get killed anyway. many of the people here are talking about air strikes by the us—led coalition.

i've spoken to witnesses who say whole families have died in the rubble of their houses, and that nobody was even able to dig them out. what people have also said was that the jihadists of islamic state deliberately mingling with them, that they are treating them as human shields. so for these people, life back home has become absolutely insupportable, toxic and lethal. that's why they've come here to a very uncertain future. many of them are just in the clothes are standing up in, leaving behind all their possessions. perhaps it's easy to do that when you feel that if you stay at home, you're going to get killed. donald tusk, the eu president, has warned eu leaders that europe as a political entity must either be united or not exist at all.

he challenged them, "prove today that you are the leaders of europe, that you can care for this great legacy we inherited." exactly 60 years ago, six european countries signed the treaty of rome, which became the founding document of the european union. today, 27 eu leaders have signed a new rome declaration to honour the 1957 treaty. theresa may isn't attending, as the anniversary comes days before she'll trigger article 50. the bbc‘s karin giannone is in rome. an enormous day here in rome. it was six nations back then. 27 leaders today. and they're all back in the same building — palazzp dei conservatori on rome's capitol hill. right in the historic city centre, designed by michelangelo. sumptuous surroundings, frescoes adorning the walls for this ceremony today. but it is a muted celebration. the challenges ahead

are clear to everybody, and you've got the departure in a matter of days of one of the european union's members. so it is a troubled time, although celebrations will not be too abundant or too obvious. and they are all too aware of what is ahead for the european union and the challenges there. let's talk to someone who was there on the day the original treaty of rome was signed back in 1957, the bbc‘s rome correspondent, david willey. david, you were a junior reporter for reuters. they'd given you this job because there wasn't that much interest back at home. no, there was no english participant. the british government had been invited by the six to take part, and they rather huffily declined. it was to be years later before britain became a member, under rather special terms. it has been dogged, the history of the today's european union, the original common market, has been dogged by a certain lack of credibility in the eyes of british people. i often wonder to what extent it's all to do with the fact that most of the founding fathers of the european union were catholics.

and it was significant in those days, i remember being struck by the following day after the signature, all the heads of state and foreign ministers trooped off to see the pope at the vatican. and here, this time, they went to see the pope first. so, you know, british attitudes towards the pope and the reformation, i think that has always coloured british attitudes towards the european ideal. and the brits were there that day, they're not here today. thinking about how the whole situation has changed in terms of aspirations for the european union. there is great uncertainty about the future of the union. of course, what everybody fears here is that britain's example could be followed by other members of the 27. this could be the beginning of the unravelling of europe, rather than its construction. the speeches are very brave today,

and it seems to be that there is great uncertainty about the political future of the union. rome itself, you were able to just walk into that building back in 1957. your biggest worry was where to put your umbrella! how rome has changed — there are places in lockdown today. absolutely. you can't move in rome today, whereas ijust walked up and presented myself. of course, it was much easier to move about on that particular night because i remember it was raining cats and dogs. so i had my umbrella and just forced my way in! but today the omens are much better. we have a lovely day in rome. it's a beautiful recalling of historic events. everybody, ithink, perhaps except for me, was conscious that it was an historic day. certainly the vatican newspaper came out with a headline saying it was one of the most significant events in rome in modern times. but your piece didn't make it too big, either? i didn't make the bulletin, as it were. david, thank you very much indeed.

we will just take you we willjust take you to some pictures coming in from central london where there is a protest going on. people are protesting against britain's withdrawal from the eu. there are said to be thousands of people who turned out on this very sunny afternoon in london. this occurs several days before the prime minister, theresa may, is to send a letter to the european council leader, donald tusk, that will be on wednesday. and by that she will trigger article 50 of the lisbon treaty, which. what people expect to be two years of negotiations leading to britain leaving the eu. many thousands of people coming out to protest against brexit. more needs to be done to help tackle the vicious cycle of debt and overcharging —

according to a house of lords committee. it says banks are failing customers who need them most — leaving the poorest to reply on expensive products. here's our business correspondent, jonty bloom. banks and building societies are not only there for the rich, but they are more difficult for the poor to access. 1.7 million people in this country have no bank account, many can only borrow at high interest rates even if they aren't forced to use payday lenders. the closure of thousands of high street banks also hits the poorest and especially the elderly as they have less access to online services. 40% of the working age population have less than £100 in savings, and if they have to use pre—paid meters, they also pay more more basic services like gas and electricity. to end such financial exclusion the lords committee is calling for better financial education in schools, a dedicated government minister to tackle the problem and for the banks to have a duty of care to their customers. too many people still don't have a bank account or access to basic and fairly priced financial

services of the sort that most of us take for granted. that means that the poverty premium, where the poor are paying more for a range of things from heating their house to being able to get a loan, is leading them into a vicious circle of further debt and financial distress. the government says four million people are benefiting from basic bank accounts which charge no fees and that tough new rules mean that the number of payday loans has halved since 2014. history helps us to paint a picture of the past but the future of the subject may well lie in virtual reality. a development team from liverpool has invented a new way to use a vr headset, to take students to the battlefields of the first world war. our correspondent robert hall has been to see the technology in action. thousands of children have followed the centenary trail across the channel to visit the first world war battlefields. thousands more will not have that chance. now, this merseyside development team think they have a solution.

keep it in the background. maybe start there, walk there. historian peter barton, facing a battery of small cameras, is here to bring history alive by inviting students into the trenches. trench warfare was more about maintenance rather than anything else. peter is a solitary figure. his production crew is hidden from sight, as the cameras record his view of the landslide. back in liverpool, the individual images are stitched together to make a 360 degree virtual reality. i think history as a subject can be quite dull if taught in a particular way, and it enables children from all walks of life to take part and experience the first world war battlefields. this technology will enable students to travel miles from their desk and onto the actual battlefield. and what they're doing over there is defending themselves, their regiment...

the acid stress test. the system will enable a class of students to share the experience, but to react as individuals. everyone loves the technology of it and it's far more immersive when you can see what you can do with it. it is not difficult to listen to, there were no distractions. here is an opportunity to take young people all over the world to show them the sites where things have happened in the past and to give them a genuine immersive experience which they could not otherwise get. without being there themselves. these are early days, but the virtual world is without limit, enabling more and more of us to step back in history. this year's comic relief has raised more than £71 million. the fundraiser included james corden's carpool karaoke with take that and a special love actually sequel. comic relief has raised

more than £1 billion since it launched in 1985. time for a look at the weather. lots more spring sunshine to come through the rest of the day today with high pressure firmly in charge. that continues to bring gusty winds to the southern coastal counties of england. thus of around 30 mph will knock the edge off the temperatures for east anglia and the east of kent, too. —— gusts of around 30 mph. if we do get to 19, that will be the warmest day of the year so far. wind will keep defrost at bay in the south, but we will see a frost developing in the countryside with temperatures down to —5 in the cold est with temperatures down to —5 in the coldest spots. a few mist and fog patches are possible tomorrow. again, a glorious day with plenty of

sunshine coming through. still those cold winds across the south of england. similar temperatures for many of us, although perhaps a degree down across england. just a reminder — the clocks go forward overnight tonight. for early risers, that means an hour less in bed tonight. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: ukip's only mp, douglas carswell, has announced he's leaving the party. but he'll remain in the commons sitting as an independent mp for clacton. mr ca rswell defected from the tories in 2014. president trump says he's surprised and disappointed at the collapse of his plans to change the us health care system — his biggest set—back since taking office. he'll now press ahead with reforming the tax system. two men from birmingham are still being questioned by police in connection with the westminster terror attack. police are still trying to establish whether the attacker, khalid masood, acted alone.

the united nations has raised "grave concerns" about reports of high civilian casualties in the iraqi city of mosul, following air strikes by the us—led coalition. the coalition says it's investigating. sport now, and lets go to the bbc sport centre for a full round—up. good afternoon. formula one is back, and so is lewis hamilton, who's dominated qualifying in melbourne. and the era of faster, more demanding cars got off to a promising start, as hamilton claimed pole position at the australian grand prix. it looks as though, we could see a real battle between mercedes and ferrari this season, as nick parrott reports. new cars, new regulations, but it was deja vu in australia as lewis hamilton came out on top in qualifying for the fourth year running. the briton predicted ferrari would be a threat and vettel joins him on the front row. his new mercedes team—mate got closer to hamilton

than rosberg managed a year ago and the finn went second. others seem unlikely to challenge with red bull's hopes appearing thin for now. verstappen was more than a second off the pace and had to settle for fifth. daniel ricciardo pushed so hard it cost him dear in front of his home fans. if hamilton was on the limit, it didn't show. when it mattered it beat the mark set down by bottas and despite reviving ferrari's fortunes, vettel was more than a quarter of a second adrift. working how he can gain advantage over the mercedes will be crucial. this rule change has been huge and such a massive challenge for everyone and the guys have just worked, you know, so hard to make