hello — this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. the battle begins. the party leaders hit the campaign trail for the 2017 general election. jeremy corbyn will say that labour will stand up for british people against what he calls a rigged system, when he makes his first official speech of the election this morning. last night, on the campaign trail, theresa may told voters in bolton they faced a choice between her "strong and stable leadership" or a "coalition of chaos". exactly 7 weeks to go. good morning — it's thursday 20th april. a breakthrough for brain diseases. scientists discover drugs that could stop conditions like alzheimer's and

parkinson's in their tracks. iam anti—us i am anti—us air force base in south korea where huge military exercises are under way. we'll hear about the new research that suggests cycling to work cuts the risk of heart disease and cancer by almost half. a slowing global economy has been blamed for austerity and the financial crisis but data out this week suggests the world's economy is getting back on its feet. i'll have more on why and what it means for you. and in sport. serena williams reveals she's expecting her first child the 23—time grand slam champion making the announcement on social media and wont play for the rest of the year, ruling her out of wimbledon. it could be good news for this woman. the new star of british tennis, johanna konta, speaks exclusively to breakfast. and matt has the weather. a cloudy day for england and wales,

even the odd spot of drizzle. a good deal brighter in northern ireland. good morning. first, our main story. jeremy corbyn says he'll stand up for the british people who "are the true wealth creators, held back by a system rigged by a system rigged for wealth extractors". that's what the labour leader will tell voters in the first formal speech of the election campaign. here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. the campaigning can start in earnest, now the election date has been set — and the party leaders are wasting no time. jeremy corbyn‘s pitch is as the antiestablishment party. he'll promise not to play by the rules. and say labour will stand up for british people in a system rigged to favour the rich — a message he hinted at it in croydon yesterday. are we going to be a country that works only to make

the richest even richer? i know which side i am on. you know what side you're on. this election will be fought on the streets of this country, up and down, in town halls, in streets, on beaches, on seafronts. theresa may wants to exploit when she sees asjeremy corbyn‘s weakness, choosing the labour held seat of bolton for her first visit. she said only the conservatives can deliver the security the country needs. it's a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos, led byjeremy corbyn. expect the campaign messages to come thick and fast from every party in the next seven weeks. the race is on, the battle lines drawn — and they knowjust what is at stake: not just their futures, but the whole country's. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. our political correspondent

chris masonjoins us from westminster. in the morning. this is an important day, isn't it, forjeremy corbyn? they are saying it is as first official speech but nonetheless all eyes will be on him later this morning. you will hear lots of references to the word first, i suspect, as various defence are branded as the first. the rhetoric, the language being cranked up as we count down. now the vote has happened here in the commons, there is the sense that the dataset and it can all start formally even though mps will sit in the chamber for the next week or so. jeremy corbyn‘s big pitch is to say that labour is i million miles behind in the opinion polls but they are offering something different. they say it is

a foregone conclusion in the media that labour is going to lose but they stand up for ordinary people so it should not be. theresa may will return to the theme of strong and sta ble return to the theme of strong and stable leadership. liberal democrats will continue to make the argument for the uk staying as close to the european union as possible. we have to wait until we see the official ma nifestoes. to wait until we see the official manifestoes. these are the early opening gambits and then we wait? just imagine a bunch of people, often quite young, hunched over computers, typing furiously because normally manifestoes, the collections of promises, are monks, even collections of promises, are monks, eve n years collections of promises, are monks, even years in the making. here they have to cobble something together in the best part of a week, ten days, a fortnight. a lot of promises we are familiar with. the conservatives, likely to promise that if they are elected, they will take the uk out

of the european single market and away from the european union courts and we'll get on with brexit and do what they have been saving it from their perspective, i hope to have a bigger majority to do it. a whole blizzard of promises to come our way in the coming weeks, a political palaver under way again. it is nirvana for nerds like me but some people, it can be a long seven weeks. a political palaver, i quite like that. we'll take a detailed look at how the parties are performing in the polls at ten past seven this morning. chris is never a nerd, hejust called himself a nerd. it's emerged president trump's armada of warships sailing to north korea amid tensions over pyongyang's nuclear ambitions went in the opposite direction. we are going to bring you much more

from this with our correspondence, steve evans in south korea later on this morning. services in and out of one of london's busiest train stations are expected to return to normal this morning, after a fire caused serious delays and cancellations yesterday. network rail said engineers worked overnight to restore services to euston, which serves the west coast mainline through the midlands, north west england and scotland. the station was shut for much of yesterday when a fire next to the track damaged signalling and cut power to the station. scientists have discovered drugs which may be able to stop alzheimer's, parkinson's and a wide range of degenerative brain diseases. clinical trials are planned, but the findings so far have been described as exciting, important and potentially a major step forward. this is particularly exciting because these drugs are already used to treat other conditions and this means to treat other conditions and this m ea ns really to treat other conditions and this mea ns really ca n to treat other conditions and this means really can —— we can move to

testing and people much faster than we would for other drugs and their processes . we would for other drugs and their processes. even though this is not an overnight process, it might be a few years rather than decades when these can be helping people with dementia and a movement towards the treatment we so desperately need for these devastating conditions. and we'll be finding out more about these drugs with the lead researcher later in the programme, that's just after six thirty. test results on victims of an attack in syria earlier this month confirm the nerve agent, sarin, or a similar substance was used — according to the global chemical weapons watchdog, the opcw. the attack killed at least 87 people. the syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. police may now have to shoot at terrorists who use cars as weapons, a senior officer has said. the national lead for armed policing simon chesterman, said the tactics of armed officers will have to change following a string of attacks involving vehicles. in the past, police have been told not to shoot drivers of moving vehicles because it's too dangerous.

cycling to work could halve the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, according to new research published today in the british medicaljournal. scientists at the university of glasgow, who analysed data from more than 250,000 people, said walking reduced the risk of the same conditions by a quarter. 0ur reporter vishala sri—pathma has more. the commute to work, for some, is the only exercise they get all day. for those of us that cycle to the office, there's some good news. experts from the university of glasgow say it reduces the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. in fact, cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46% lower threat of cardiovascular disease. that compares to driving or even taking public transport. it also means you are less likely to die younger. walking has its benefits too, although it's not as effective as cycling. you have to walk a total of two hours a week at an average speed of three mph for the health

benefits to kick in. so we need to make it easier for people to cycle. so we need to increase cycle lanes, we need to have cycle — city hire schemes, subsidised bike schemes, have people have showers at work, so they do not feel sweaty when they get to work. there's a whole host of things to make it easier for the average person to cycle. and if we can do that, more people will be on bikes, and we're going to improve public health, just like places like amsterdam and copenhagen have done. charities welcomed the findings. cancer research uk says it is evidence that you do not need tojoin a gym or run the marathon, and that everything they get you hot and out of breath can help make a difference. vishala sri—pathma, bbc news. the american tennis player serena williams has announced now, we're not ‘kidding' around with this next item. these little nigerian dwarf goats were filmed wearing the specially constructed nightwear by a farm

in the us state of maine. it isa it is a goat in pyjamas. 0bviously it had just been born, they are a bit chilly at night, it is springtime, the farmers wanted to keep them warm and they have kind of got a goat onesie. it is a nigerian dwarf goat. they are so cute. i love the way they jump. dwarf goat. they are so cute. i love the way theyjump. talking of dwarf goat. they are so cute. i love the way they jump. talking of goats, we have got our own goat. the greatest of all time. serena williams is about to have a baby goat. should we explain that? serena williams, a widely regarded as the greatest, greatest female tennis player of all time. it is often how she is referred to. she is having a

baby goat. you started it. i was just following. she is pregnant. when she won the australian open earlier this year 's, the 23rd grand slam title, that is the most number of majors on the one by anyone in the open year of the women's game, she was probably eight weeks pregnant. while people were staying at home, she was winning the australian open. this was the picture that she posted on social media yesterday. that means she wont play for the rest of the year, ruling her out of wimbledon. it's expected the next tournament she'll play in will be the french open championship in 2018. andy murray made a winning return to competitive tennis after a month out with an elbow injury. the world number one beat gilles muller at the monte carlo masters. sam warburton will lead the british

and irish lions on their tour to new zealand. coach warren gatland has defended his selection of the iii—man squad, saying nationality didn't come into his thinking. barcelona are out of the champions league, after a goalless draw with juventus, who reached the semi—finals 3—nil on aggregate. monaco beat borussia dortmund in the other quarter—final. manchester united can secure their place in the last four of the europa league this evening. they play belgian side anderlecht at old trafford, looking to build on a i—all draw from the first leg. jose mourinho is earmarked as a way to get back into the leg. it is their big chance. here's matt with a look at this morning's weather. good morning. let's get thursday on

the way with some fairly cloudy conditions. most well and truly frost free. cloudy start but mainly dry. a bit of a damp start. 0ne frost free. cloudy start but mainly dry. a bit of a damp start. one of two showers dry. a bit of a damp start. one of two s howe i’s a cross dry. a bit of a damp start. one of two showers across the far west of scotland. cloudy at the moment but a bit of sunshine to the east of scotland. damp on the ground in north—west england. some rain through the night through the south pennines. it will ease off in intensity, fairly light and patchy through the morning but across the south and into east anglia, a bit of a chilly start but there is a morning sunshine. a fair bit of cloud to can pay with what we saw yesterday. generally, england and wales are cloudy compared to yesterday. a bit of afternoon sunshine. 0ne yesterday. a bit of afternoon sunshine. one or two light showers.

we'll continue to see some rain and its east of scotland, north—east england where we see that temperatures up to 17 degrees. we finished the day with a bit of a breeze blowing across northern scotland, with outbreaks of rain through the night and some showery rain into northern ireland and north—west england and wales. cloudy skies and a frost free night with temperatures holding up quite nicely. into tomorrow, expect more rain across scotland and northern ireland. reverse fortunes around again. passing showers in the north of england and wales before things turn and scotland turns brighter but the weather front to set parades the milder south, with 18 or 19, temperatures falling back well down into single figures by the end of the day. the air works its way to the day. the air works its way to the south as we go through friday and into the weekend, with the high

pressure still close by to the weather front does not have much on it as it hits the south and only one 01’ it as it hits the south and only one or two showers and the forecast, primarily across some eastern areas. more of a breeze but further west, lighter winds, should feel quite pleasant. chile into sunday and on sunday, this is what we will see. it turns wet and windy on sunday. potentially some gale force winds, and as the low precious zips off towards scandinavia, and early heads up, it will feel cold late april and it could be a bit wintry for some woodlands sums over hills. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the main stories this morning. jeremy corbyn vows to prove the establishment wrong as he launches his prime ministerial

bid on the first full day of election campaigning. theresa may begins her campaign in labour heartlands telling voters only she can deliver strong and stable government. it really has started, hasn't it? thank goodness you're here to distract us all from it! it's going to ruin our lives for the next several weeks! let's have a look at this morning's papers. talking about the issue as to what will be in the manifesto. those in the daily mail say they already know, they claim what they think will be in the manifesto. the tory ma nifesto will be in the manifesto. the tory manifesto will be significantly different this time around two 2015. 0n the front page of the guardian, bill gates has said that many lives may be lost if the tories cut foreign aid. he says that the uk will lose influence if they tear up

their pledge on foreign aid. bill gates has given a lot of time to this, one of his great passions. in relation to the idea that labour and the snp, according to the tories, it has been denied that it is a coalition of chaos. the daily express is talking about a story we are discussing this morning, a new drug which could potentially have great side—effects for those with dementia. it is an antidepressant that has been called and encouraging development. a lot of people will be talking about what any change in government might mean for the economy, the imf has said that

posterity is over, governments across the rich world increased spending. whether the uk government does that is anyone's guess. overall they are saying that it looks like things are changing in terms of the global economy. another story i want to tell you about is how popular tequila has become! in which household? possibly mine! they have rocketed from 46 million to 103 million. shots of tequila, that is how we are getting through things! that is a hugejump. can how we are getting through things! that is a huge jump. can you how we are getting through things! that is a hugejump. can you match that? sadly, no, probably good for this time of mourning. in the mail, the baby is due in the autumn, which

means potentially she could return for the french open in 2018. but the mail has suggested she may retire after giving birth to her first child at a mail. if there is anyone who can come back, it is serena williams. she would be returning for months before her 37th birthday. williams. she would be returning for months before her 37th birthday! lot of men who have had children, obviously they haven't given birth, they have said that fatherhood, players such as andy murray and novak djokovic, they have said it gives them a new lease of life —— four. did we see yesterday, victoria beckham was awarded her 0be. a momentous moment in her life, she

has admitted she has only really got five friends. i quite like this idea. she says she has five proper friends who stick by her, quality over quantity. does via sound about right? we've got that right here -- five. maybe except for nigel no mates on the end of the sofa. as the uk gears up for a general election, voters in france are getting closer to deciding who their new president will be. this weekend's result will be closely watched as both left and populist candidates campaign hard on issues that could have big implications across europe. breakfast‘s graham satchell has been on a french exchange between the twinned towns of tredegar in south wales and 0rvault in north west france. we are on the west coast of france.

0n we are on the west coast of france. on board, a group of french and welsh people whose towns have been twinned for almost 40 years. they share rotary and a deep mistrust of traditional politics —— camaraderie. we are fed up with the old way of doing politics. fed up and slightly confused, the french face a dizzying array of candidates for president, 11 in all. what is astonishing about this election is the almost complete rejection of mainstream politics. the french president is very unlikely to come from either of the two parties that has won friends since the war. what happens is so new. '- since the war. what happens is so new. “ i’ui’i. since the war. what happens is so new. -- run. the welsh contingent

come from tredegar, the parts of south wales are voted for by rex it. many in france have the same worries about the eu and immigration, its winery mccain is doing well. they say, what are the politicians doing for us? as faras say, what are the politicians doing for us? as far as the immigration is concerned, they think they are doing nothing. i think this is why a certain lady may be leading france soon. dissatisfaction with the ce ntre—left soon. dissatisfaction with the centre—left and centre—right has opened the door to marine le pen and the far left candidate. the prospect of either at candidate actually winning has left some in a spin. to have marine le pen, or the left candidate, would be extremely detrimental. time for lunch. there is an alternative to the extremes, a

new party at the centre with a candidate who has never stood for election before. emmanuel macron. he is... he is attractive, he has an attractive programme. is... he is attractive, he has an attractive programmelj is... he is attractive, he has an attractive programme. i think many french people are not sure about him. some days he says white, sometimes black, we don't know exactly what he thinks. and manual micron and marine le pen are the front—runners in a close race. read it and wants to take friends out of the eu, whereas emmanuel macron is a staunch supporter. —— marine le pen —— emmanuel macron. many here have watched it rakes it in donald trump, and say anything could happen —— watched brexit. however, the people

of tredegar and 0rvault will remain friends no matter what happens. you're watching breakfast. still to come this morning: drugs which might be able to stop alzheimer's and parkinson's have been discovered by scientists. we'll speak to the lead researcher about its significance. time now for the news, travel and weather where you. —— you are. good morning from bbc london news. a 4 year old boy has died after being hit by a car in north west london. it happened on montrose avenue in edgware at around 7 o clock last night. the driver stopped and is helping police with their investigation. detectives are also asking for anyone else with information to come forward. 200 people have been moved to safety from a tower block in west london after a fire broke out on the 27th floor.

it took dozens of firefighters around 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control at trellick tower in kensal town. a woman and two children escaped the flat on golborne road unharmed the fire brigade said there were no reports of any injuries. transport bosses are planning to reduce the number of buses running on oxford street in an attempt to cut congestion and tackle air pollution. 23 routes will be affected by the changes... amounting to a 40 percent reduction. transport for london says the decision follows a public consulation and is in response to changing demand. the announcement has been welcomed by the new west end company, which represents businesses in europe's busiest shoppoing district. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube the 0verground is part suspended this morning between btw harrow & wealdstone and euston — following yesterday's fire at euston station. other services going into euston a running as normal. 0n the roads, usual issues at the blackwell tunnel. northbound traffic on the southern approach is slow from the woolwich rd flyover. meanwhile the a13 is building

westbound from dagenham into barking and there's heavy traffic on the highway westbound through wapping towards tower hill. and in islington essex road remains closed northbound from islington green to gaskin street for ongoing water woks . time for a look at the weather. time for another dry day, yesterday we saw a lot of sunshine. today, cloudier, but not quite as chile a start. 6— seven degrees for most places. a bit cooler in southern counties. cloud increasing through the day, the best of the sunshine towards south—eastern areas through the morning. towards the north—west, we might see some outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, but nothing more. most of us dry, temperatures 12— 15 celsius. warmer air than yesterday. overnight, not a lot changing. we

should stay dry. variable cloud, most temperatures dropping back into single figures. a frost free start to friday. 0n single figures. a frost free start to friday. on friday, more cloud around bans on. starting to feel a bit warmer. white pleasant, 16— 17 degrees. feeling colder over the weekend. some sunshine emerging at times. we might just weekend. some sunshine emerging at times. we mightjust be ourfirst proper bit of rainfall for some time at the start of next week. abhi back with the latest from bbc london news the next half an hour. -- i'll. london news the next half an hour. —— i'll. you can also tune in to bbc london radio. goodbye for now. hello this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. it's 6:29 on thursday 20th april. coming up on breakfast today: those of you setting off for work

today may want to cycle in this morning. we'll take a look at a study which says it cuts the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half. also this morning, you may remember the story of the bbc camera crew caught up in an explosion on mount etna. we'll bring you the story they were there to film. i used to live here! i went to meetjohanna konta — the most successful female british tennis player since virginia wade. we talked about her love of the game and her hopes for the future. all that still to come. but now a summary of this morning's main news. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn says he'll stand up for the british people who are being held back by a system rigged in favour of the powerful and wealthy. in his first major speech of the election campaign, mr corbyn

says he rejects the idea the result is a "foregone conclusion". meanwhile, theresa may says "strong and stable" leadership is at the heart of her pitch to voters in a speech in bolton, the prime minister warned of a potential "coalition of chaos" led by mr corbyn. although the labour leader ruled out forming a post—election alliance with the snp. the billionaire philanthropist bill gates has warned theresa may that reducing the government's commitment to foreign aid would cost lives. in a speech in london, mr gates — who's the founder of microsoft — said british people would be proud of the spending, if they could see its impact. the prime minister has refused to say whether she will retain a pledge to spend at least 0.7% of national income on overseas development. we'll take a detailed look at how the parties are performing in the polls at ten past seven this morning. scientists have discovered drugs which may be able to stop alzheimer's, parkinson's and a wide range of degenerative brain

diseases. 0ne one of them is already safely given to people with depression. clinical trials are planned. the finding is described as important and potentially a major step forward. in 10 minutes we'll be finding out more about these drugs with the lead researcher, that's at 20 to 7. services in and out of one of london's busiest train stations are expected to return to normal this morning, after a fire caused serious delays and cancellations yesterday. network rail said engineers worked overnight to restore services to euston, which serves the west coast mainline through the midlands, north west england and scotland. the station was shut for much of yesterday when a fire next to the track damaged signalling and cut power to the station. test results on victims of an attack in syria earlier this month confirm the nerve agent, sarin, or a similar substance was used — according to the global chemical weapons watchdog, the 0pcw. the attack killed at least 87 people. the syrian government has denied using chemical weapons.

american troops are taking part in a military exercise with south korea today, an action which pyongyang has called "a provocation". the government in washington says the eleven—day exercises were planned months ago, and happens every year. called 0peration max thunder, it involves about 80 aircraft, a thousand american personnel and about 500 south korean officials. cycling to work could halve the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, according to new research published today in the british medicaljournal. scientists at the university of glasgow, who analysed data from more than 250,000 people, said walking reduced the risk of the same conditions by a quarter. cycling, even better. we will be discussing that later. john is here with all the support. some happy news. great news for serena williams. you might see her play

again, i williams. you might see her play again, lam williams. you might see her play again, i am sure she will be back. because she is expecting her first child and that means when she won the australian open, she was about eight weeks pregnant which is just incredible. not only she all but trophies, she is expecting at child. in this post on social media yesterday afternoon, she appeared to show off a bump with caption '20 weeks'. her most likely return to action could be the french open in 2018. williams announced her engagement to the co—founder of reddit in december. andy murray has made a winning return to competitive tennis after a month out with an elbow injury. the world number one took less than two hours to beat gilles muller at the monte carlo masters. he last played on the atp tour in indian wells in march. british number three kyle edmund

pushed defending champion rafael nadal to a deciding set before eventually going out. nadal is aiming for his 10th monte carlo title. sam warburton will captain the british and irish lions on their tour to new zealand this summer. warburton led the lions to a series victory in australia four years ago and he knows this challenge will be far tougher than that. every player from one to 20 through has to come through every test match to ta ke has to come through every test match to take the win and i'm not saying it's easy, i wouldn't presume that, to beat them but the series should be tough, they got a great record at home. they are extremely tough to beat. barcelona are out of the champions league after they again failed to score againstjuventus. it finished goalless at the camp nou last night in the second leg of their quarter—final — so the italian side went through 3—nil on aggregate. that avenged their defeat to barca in the 2015 final, neymar clearly devastated

at the final whistle. monaco will bejoining juventus in the semi—finals. former chelsea and manchester united striker radamel falcao was on the scoresheet as they beat borussia dortmund 3—1 on the night, 6—3 on aggregate. manchester united can secure their place in the semi—finals of the europa league this evening. they play anderlecht at old trafford looking to build on their 1—all draw from the first leg. captain wayne rooney could return from injury. winning the europa league would guarantee united a place in next season's champions league — even if they finish outside the premier league's top four. when you get into this level, the motivation has to be very high. we must equalise at least. they lack

motivation and anderlecht dream to go because we showed in brussels that we had a stronger team. we've had one of the biggest shocks in world snooker championship history. the world number two and pre—tournament favourite judd trump has been knocked out in the first round. and the man that beat him...1000—to—one shot rory mcleod. it's only the second time mcleod has made it in to the second round at the crucible, in his 26 years as a professional. trump has never won the world title. it goes to show, the success that comes in your later years if you persevere. talking about serena williams having a they will ——a baby and she will be 37 potentially when she returns. will she continue? why not? more and more sportsmen and women are enjoying success later. later in the programme, we are

talking tojoh later in the programme, we are talking to joh konta later in the programme, we are talking tojoh konta who is known for being a late developer, saying she did not get really great until her 20s. more a little bit later. millions of people across the uk live with diseases such as alzheimer's, parkinson's and multiple sclerosis without effective treatment or cure. but today, scientists are announcing a major breakthrough. they've discovered two drugs that could help — and one is already used for depression. joining us from our london newsroom is giovanna malucci who led the research. could you explain to us in layman 's terms, if you could, the significance of your discovery? thank you. a few years ago, we discovered a pathway in brain cells which leads to bad debt in mice, this is, but we know the pathways are also involved in many of the human diseases. then we discovered a compound, an experimental compound

that completely protected mice from two different types of brain disease but that was toxic to the pancreas is that was not possible to take forward. although we had a great pathway and the potential to intervene, we didn't have the right compound. to what we have done is screen the library of essentially licensed and mostly brain penetrating safe compounds and we found two which are protected in two different mouse models of brain degeneration and the real advance here, it's the same pathway for the same effect but these are safe compounds which can be rapidly put into clinical trials so we are not promising a cure but we are seeing the discovery now puts us into a position to test whether this is a valid and possible benefit for patients quite quickly. just give us an idea of the timescale. you are saying the trial could start right away? there is the barrier we need

forfunding and a small amount of paperwork, ethical approval but this is not a new lead compound which is ten, 20 years away. if we get it going, we can get these trials off the ground very soon. tell us more about those trials. a lot of people listening to you talking would say, i love my family member, someone who is suffering, to be part of one of those trials and possibly in the future, benefit from what happens. tell us more. they haven't happened yet. that is our next step. we will have discussions about setting goes up have discussions about setting goes up imminently. but they would be straightforward and there would simply bea straightforward and there would simply be a daily dose basically and we would use trazodone first which is licensed antidepressant. it is used in the past dementia sometimes

for agitation but we would use it in early to moderate disease and we would know as we did with the u nfortu nate failures of would know as we did with the unfortunate failures of the other trials, within two or three years, you will know whether this is changing the disease course and have to emphasise, we are not expecting a cure. we will not cure these disorders but if we stop them in their tracks and we change the way their tracks and we change the way their progress, we will radically change the course and the natural history of diseases like alzheimer's and other dementia. people will still be able to hold onto a meaningful quality of life and stay out of institutional care. that is what we are hoping for. but we are still at the testing stage and the only thing we have is the rapidity of being able to do these trials which is a great excitement. when you have done the discovery work in mice, it's great to test it in humans but it is still in a testing

stage. take us forward from that point. after the trials have taken place, in theory, how soon could those products be available? there are two drugs. trazodone is licensed, off—peak and readily available. the other is not yet but it's fairly far advanced in that it is in clinical trials for cancer in patients but that is not licensed. i don't know how long that would take but presumably of its safe and effective, that could also be not far away. giovanna mallucci, thank you very much to your research. the story goes, the prime minister decided to call a general election forjune while on a walking holiday in wales. the decision took the country by surprise.

so, was it the beautiful surroundings of snowdonia which inspired her? we've sent holly hamilton to the rural market town of dolgellau to see how the locals feel about being at the centre of the election story so far, we are about as far away from the westminster bubble as you can get but it is beautiful and as you say, this is how the story went, that theresa may came here for a 5— day walking and thinking holiday and this is where she made that decision to go to the polls onjune the eighth. the town has been quite happy to have had this guest and the fa ct happy to have had this guest and the fact she has made that decision. you area fact she has made that decision. you are a business owner here. what is your reaction been to the fact that theresa may came here to the town and made that decision? regardless of your political stance, it's been fantastic for the town. having dolgellau's name in the national newspapers and social media has been fantastic. beautiful as we are in

southern snowdonia, i'm not surprised she came here. this is real thinking country. it is some way you can have peace and quiet, there are a million and one walks you can go on, wander around if you wa nt to you can go on, wander around if you want to make a big decision. making a big decision somewhere like this, far away from the westminster. david, are you looking forward to another election? i feel that we don't really need it. it's going to be very divisive and a challenge to the union. it will all be about brexit again. i think it's a shame. how do people here feel about that? specifically with brexit because this is an area which is believed —— received a lot of funding. this is an area which is believed —— received a lot of fundinglj this is an area which is believed —— received a lot of funding. i think it will help but it's a great shame. sharon, you also run a bed and brea kfast sharon, you also run a bed and breakfast here. what has been your reaction? i think it's important that as a member of the general

public and business owner, that you think about what is important and you need to listen to the manifestoes and you need to make your votes. you can't think it is a foregone conclusion. we need to understand what is important as an individual and business and the community. and make sure we votes. that's the important thing, that some are getting maybe a little bit ofa some are getting maybe a little bit of a voterfatigue some are getting maybe a little bit of a voter fatigue but at the same time, people agree it is important to get out. make sure you are registered, when you live overseas orare registered, when you live overseas or are on holiday, make your vote count. maybe a bit of advice from people here and possibly theresa may that if you are looking to vote and ta ke that if you are looking to vote and take some time to have a think about it, come somewhere like this but getting a pretty sown —— pretty soon, it gets busy in the summer. it's beautiful. i hope that holly comes back with a load of new ideas for the programme. perhaps inspired for the programme. perhaps inspired for the programme. perhaps inspired for the surroundings. in summer,

it's beautiful. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. the main stories this morning. jeremy corbyn vows to prove the establishment wrong as he launches his prime ministerial bid on the first full day of election campaigning. theresa may begins her campaign in labour heartlands telling voters only she can deliver strong and stable government. here's matt with a look at this morning's weather. 0nly he can tell us if holly will get a 0nly he can tell us if holly will geta tan 0nly he can tell us if holly will get a tan in snowdonia. absolute lynott, i'm afraid. some stunning shots this morning, sunshine picking through the cloud. —— absolutely not. some sunshine in the east of

scotland, great conditions across scotland and northern ireland. the odd shower to the north and west of scotland. brightening up quite quickly over the next few hours, drizzle across greater manchester and merseyside will ease. we will see some rain and drizzle come and go. a dry start in chilly to the south and east of england, some frost across kent at the moment. a cool morning. if you see some breaks of cloud later on, temperatures will lift up quite nicely. some showers, fairly light across england and wales. sunny and bright conditions through the afternoon. tonight, quite breezy across scotland. further outbreaks of rain in the

north and west. plenty of cloud around, stopping the frost. temperatures lowest towards the south—west of england. a cool start here in the country side. elsewhere, lots of cloud to begin with. southern areas brightening up. scotla nd southern areas brightening up. scotland working south, a few showers in northern england. scotla nd showers in northern england. scotland brightening up towards the end of the day. this weather front will be in northern ireland and southern scotland by the end of the day. could get up to 19 in the south. temperatures in single figures further north. that front pushing in on the weekend. high pressure in charge, not much rainfall on that weather front as it clears from the south. 0ne rainfall on that weather front as it clears from the south. one or two showers on saturday. mostly dry with some sunny showers on saturday. mostly dry with some sunny spells. the best in the west. feeling pleasant in the sunshine. a cool start to sunday, at daytime temperatures higher than

those on saturday. some rain in northern scotland, gales could develop later on. eventually introducing colder weather for next week. that is how it's looking. finance ministers, central bankers and big business are gathering in washington later today — an annual meeting that looks at how the economies of the world are working. steph is looking at how that related to the prices we pay and the jobs we get. there is some good news about how the global economy is doing. we spend a lot of time talking about the economy here — but actuallym the health of america, europe and asia has a massive impact on the prices we pay in the shops and the jobs and pay available here. globally, we had been experiencing a bit of a slowdown in recent months due to a lot of things, politics, conflict and still a massive hangover from the financial crisis. but data from the international

monetary fund, which works with almost 200 countries promoting trade and reducing poverty, suggests the world's economy is finally picking up. charlotte harington from fidelity international is here to talk it through with us and why it matters. what and why it matters. are your thoughts on this? things what are your thoughts on this? things are getting better? yes, the imf have upgraded their outlook for both the uk and also globally. in the last 6—9 months, it has been marked with low unemployment rate rates and growing confidence. marked with low unemployment rate rates and growing confidencem marked with low unemployment rate rates and growing confidence. it has been quite turbulent few years with the politics going on in the uk, and more uncertainty in the general election. why do you think this is occurring? it is not really a change to the structural long—term average

growth rate, but it is a mini cycle upswing that we are seeing. looking at how the uk is doing compared to countries around the world, how is it doing? if we look more to the future, it is slightly lagging globally. so far, the uk has surprised many. that is the result ofa surprised many. that is the result of a robust consumer. looking at the global economy, what do you think are the important factors in future for us? low interest rates have been a great support. the gradual normalisation of monetary policy in the us. also, there are some risks. china remains a risk. also this move to protectionism with the potential for trade terms. we will be watching those things which could potentially slow this down. i started off saying how the global economy has an impact

in the uk, why is that? the uk has had quite a significant appreciation in the currency. that will see prices rise. at the same time, the labour market is quite touch. unemployment is very low. there is potential for wage growth. those two factors combined, that will market the outlook for the consumer in the uk. thank you very much for your time this morning. we will be discussing this more gust after seven o'clock this morning. a few months ago, you would never have thought you would be talking about the success of british tennis players. at just 25 years old, johanna konta isn't doing too bad for herself. she's the most successful british female tennis player since virginia wade. after winning the miami 0pen last month, she's ranked number 7

in the world. but she doesn't plan to stop there — her dream, she says, is to be world number one. she invited me tojoin her at the national tennis centre to chat about her love of the game, the lta's tennis for kids scheme and her hopes for the future. my my dream has always been to be number one in the world, to win titles and be at the top of the game. iam titles and be at the top of the game. i am doing everything in my power to make that come true. we are here this morning with one of the fastest rising tennis dials in the world. she has her eyes firmly fixed on the number one spot. she has given us exclusive access look at that —— tennis stars. hello, nice to

see that —— tennis stars. hello, nice to see you! congratulations! welcome to, i guess it is my home in a way. i used to sleep there, so i literally used to live here. i actually lived pretty much on the tennis court. that's how you get good. i woke my dad up to get to practise at the crack of dawn. he told me i needed to invest energy into it, i needed to get up and trained before school. 0nce into it, i needed to get up and trained before school. once he realised i would be waking him up every morning, initially, he wondered, what have i got myself into? you said you want to be world number one? i do. that has been a dream of mine since i was a young girl. it continues to be my dream. i think it will be as long as i am

playing this sport. i need to keep focusing on my work because i know that will bring the best out in me. what does that do? when my feet get too tight, it helps loosen me up. what is this doing?” too tight, it helps loosen me up. what is this doing? i am reallyjust trying to loosen it up a bit. so that i'm not stiff as a bored when i start warming up. is there still some way to go to make men's and women's tennis even? there has become so much more depth in our game —— board. it is becoming more exciting, but it is also important not to compare us to mean in terms of our tennis. we work in different ways, but we were just as hard and commit our lives to the sport, just

as they do. it is a great time to be pa rt as they do. it is a great time to be part of women's tennis and british tennis in general. it is a very exciting period and i am really enjoying it. iwas exciting period and i am really enjoying it. i was wanted to be just the best version of myself. i'm sorry to say i did ask are the w question, wimbledon. for a sorry to say i did ask are the w question, wimbledon. fora british tennis player, it must hang heavily on her shoulders. but those shoulders could do it! staying on the sporting theme now. still to come this morning, we'll meet the 9 year old who designed these mascots for the world athletics championships in london in the summer. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news. a 4 year old boy has died after being hit by a car in north

west london. it happened on montrose avenue in edgware at around 7 o clock last night. the driver stopped and is helping police with their investigation. detectives are also asking for anyone else with information to come forward. 200 people have been moved to safety from a tower block in west london after a fire broke out on the 27th floor. it took dozens of firefighters around 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control at trellick tower in kensal town. a woman and two children escaped the flat on golborne road unharmed the fire brigade said there were no reports of any injuries. a smart card scheme that was meant to offer part—time commuters to london flexible rail season tickets has run millions of pounds over budget, according to a spending watchdog. 11 operators running trains into the capital were expected to introduce the cards to reduce the cost of selling tickets. however, only five train companies are offering the service.the department of transport says smart ticketing remains a priority

for the government. but campaigners say it's not good enough. the government's failed on their ma nifesto the government's failed on their manifesto commitment, they failed on delivering that promise in 2013 to delivering that promise in 2013 to deliver smart and flexible ticketing. they have wasted an astonishing amount of taxpayer's money. let's have a look at the travel situation now. between harrow & wealdstone and euston — following yesterday's fire at euston station. other services going into euston a running as normal. 0n the roads, usual issues at the blackwell tunnel, northbound traffic on the southern approach is slow from the woolwich rd flyover. meanwhile the a13 is building westbound from dagenham and in islington, essex road remains closed northbound from islington green to gaskin street for ongoing water works. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. time for another dry

day, yesterday we saw a lot of sunshine. today, cloudier, but not quite as chile a start. 6—7 degrees for most places. a bit cooler in southern counties. cloud increasing through the day, the best of the sunshine towards south—eastern areas through the morning. towards the north—west, we might see some outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, but nothing more. most of us dry, temperatures 12— 15 celsius. warmer air than yesterday. overnight, not a lot changing. we should stay dry. variable cloud, most temperatures dropping back into single figures. a frost free start to friday. on friday, more cloud around than sun. starting to feel a bit warmer. quite pleasant, 16—17 degrees. feeling colder over the weekend. some sunshine emerging at times.

we mightjust be ourfirst proper bit of rainfall for some time at the start of next week. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. you're watching bbc breakfast. the campaign trail begins for the election. jeremy corbyn will say that labour will stand up for british people against what he calls a week system when he makes his first official speech at the election this morning. last night on the campaign trail, theresa may told voters they faced a choice between her strong and stable leadership or

a coalition of chaos. the campaigning is under way. the date is set. politics is about to get loud yet again. the countdown to polling day, seven weeks from today. good morning. it is thursday the 20th of april. hello, this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. the battle begins. the party leaders hit the campaign trail for the 2017 general election. jeremy corbyn will say that labour will stand up for british people against what he calls a rigged system, when he makes his first official speech of the election this morning. also this morning: a breakthrough for brain diseases. scientists discover drugs that could stop conditions like alzheimer's and parkinson's in their tracks. we'll hear about the new research that suggests cycling to work cuts the risk of heart disease and cancer by almost half. it's been a tough few years,

but data out this week suggests the world's economy is getting back on its feet. i'll have more on why and what it means for you. and in sport: serena williams reveals she's expecting herfirst child. she made the announcement on social media, posting a picture with the caption "20 weeks." and we'll be hearing from one of the stars of british tennis. johanna konta speaks exclusively to breakfast about her dreams of becoming world number one. and matt has the weather. we are serving up a cloudy weather story for you but there will be some brightness here and there. especially to the east of scotland and north—east england. the forecast coming up in15 and north—east england. the forecast coming up in 15 minutes. good morning. first, our main story. jeremy corbyn will set out his pitch to voters this morning as he tries to become the next prime minister. in a speech the labour leader will say that he'll stand up for the british people who "are the true wealth creators, held back by a system rigged for wealth extractors". last night, on the campaign trail, theresa may said the public faced a choice between her "strong and stable leadership" or a "coalition of chaos". here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. the campaigning can start in earnest, now the election date

has been set — and the party leaders are wasting no time. jeremy corbyn's pitch is as the antiestablishment party. he'll promise not to play by the rules. and say labour will stand up for british people in a system rigged to favour the rich — a message he hinted at it in croydon yesterday. are we going to be a country that works only to make the richest even richer? i know which side i am on. you know what side you're on. this election will be fought on the streets of this country, up and down, in town halls, in streets, on beaches, on seafronts. theresa may wants to exploit when she sees asjeremy corbyn's weakness, choosing the labour held seat of bolton for her first visit. she said only the conservatives can deliver the security the country needs. it's a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos, led byjeremy corbyn. expect the campaign messages to come

thick and fast from every party in the next seven weeks. the race is on, the battle lines drawn — and they knowjust what is at stake: not just their futures, but the whole country's. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent chris mason joins us from westminster. morning to you. welcome to your home for the next seven weeks. laughter i wonder, from the words we have heard from theresa may and jeremy tilse, is this the tone that is that, is this what we are going to hear? yes, and we will hear those soundbites again and again ——jeremy and we will hear those soundbites again and again —— jeremy corbyn. i can't believe we are talking about a general election and westminster can't either. it gives you a sense

of the pace and excitement. it already feels we are well into the campaign. there is still seven weeks to go. big moment forjeremy corbyn as he sets out his stall, antiestablishment, acknowledging the opinion polls suggest he is1 million miles behind. he says he won't play by the normal rules of politics. he is fighting for ordinary people. i think we will have a similar set of language from theresa may to what we heard in alex's report from her visit to bolton last night. her argument is the conservatives can offer stable leadership with a bigger majority because that is what it is about from her perspective. that will mean getting stuff through the commons around brexit much easierfor getting stuff through the commons around brexit much easier for the. what about policies, are we closer to getting any idea about what the party will offer? imagine a bunch of young people, political nerds,

looking at laptops, typing furiously, trying to rattle out a ma nifestos, furiously, trying to rattle out a manifestos, promises which take months, even years to formulate, and they have to do it in days or weeks. i think what we will get is a solidified version of what the government has promised around brexit, for instance, so withdrawing the uk from the courts of the eu and the uk from the courts of the eu and the single market. i think from labour's perspective, a lot we have seen on labour's perspective, a lot we have seen on the provision of free school meals for rymer schoolchildren, imagine those things finding their way in. —— primary school children. the tone i think will be familiar but with a huge amount at stake, deciding the government in less than two months‘ time. deciding the government in less than two months' time. chris, almost unimaginable. thank you very much indeed. i love the image of the nerds on the laptops writing ma nifestoes. we'll take a detailed look at how the parties are performing in the polls at 7:10am this morning. services in and out of one of london's busiest train stations are expected to return

to normal this morning, after a fire caused serious delays and cancellations yesterday. network rail said engineers worked overnight to restore services to euston, which serves the west coast mainline through the midlands, north—west england and scotland. the station was shut for much of yesterday when a fire next to the track damaged signalling and cut power to the station. scientists have discovered drugs which may be able to stop alzheimer's, parkinson's and a wide range of degenerative brain diseases. one of them is already safely given to people with depression. clinical trials are planned, but the findings so far have been described as exciting, important and potentially a major step forward. speaking earlier on breakfast, the lead researcher, giovanna maluchi, told us: there would be a daily dose. we would use a licensed antidepressants on it is used in the elderly. we are

not expecting a cure, we cannot cure these disorders but if we stop them in their tracks and change the way they progress we will radically change the course and the natural history of diseases like alzheimer's disease and dementia. test results on victims of an attack in syria earlier this month confirm the nerve agent, sarin, or a similar substance was used, according to the global chemical weapons watchdog, the 0pcw. the attack killed at least 87 people. the syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. south korean and american military forces are taking part in a joint military exercise, an action which north korea has called provocative. 0peration max thunder is a training practice involving aircraft carriers, fighterjets and military drills. earlier we spoke to our correspondent steve evans at a us base in south korea. he told us more about the training practice. there are about 1000 american personnel involved and about 500

south koreans. it involves aircraft pretending to fight each other and also bombing targets on the ground, not with live ammunition. despite its regularity, north korea finds it very, very annoying. it says it is a rehearsal for invasion. china wants these exercises to stop, a moratorium to be put on it. what china suggests is stop these exercises on the one hand, and north korea should put a moratorium on its nuclear programme on the other. it doesn't seem likely to happen but if there is to be a peaceable resolution, as vice president p says he wants, it would

involve something like that. —— mike pence. at the moment the atmosphere is farfrom pence. at the moment the atmosphere is far from that, there is a tension which is building up and doesn't seem which is building up and doesn't seem to be deflating. there is the row in south korea about the presence of a lack of it at the carl vincent aircraft carrier strike group. the fact that it wasn't sent when president trump said an armada was on the way is causing consternation here with some people saying, if you can't believe what he says, if you can't trust what he says, if you can't trust what he says, what can you trust? cycling to work could halve the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, according to new research published today in the british medicaljournal. scientists at the university of glasgow, who analysed data from more than 250—thousand people, said walking reduced the risk of the same conditions by a quarter. 0ur reporter vishala sri—pathma has more. the commute to work, for some, is the only exercise they get all day.

for those of us that cycle to the office, there's some good news. experts from the university of glasgow say it reduces the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. in fact, cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46% lower threat of cardiovascular disease. that compares to driving or even taking public transport. it also means you are less likely to die younger. walking has its benefits too, although it's not as effective as cycling. you have to walk a total of two hours a week at an average speed of three mph for the health benefits to kick in. so we need to make it easier for people to cycle. so we need to increase cycle lanes, we need to have cycle — city hire schemes, subsidised bike schemes, have people have showers at work, so they do not feel sweaty when they get to work. there's a whole host of things to make it easier for the average person to cycle.

and if we can do that, more people will be on bikes, and we're going to improve public health, just like places like amsterdam and copenhagen have done. charities welcomed the findings. cancer research uk says it is evidence that you do not need tojoin a gym or run the marathon, and that everything they get you hot and out of breath can help make a difference. vishala sri—pathma, bbc news. the american tennis player serena williams has announced she is pregnant. the world number two is expecting a baby in the autumn, which would mean that she was in the early stages of pregnancy when she won the australian open singles title injanuary. williams won't play again this year. it is great news for her. 7:11am is

the time and we have the weather coming up in a couple of minutes. the surprise announcement of a general election onjune eighth has left political parties with just weeks to finalise manifestos, select candidates and deploy battle buses. and with local elections in may, it's going to be a busy time for voters too. the prime minister apparently came up with the idea of an election while on an easter break in snowdonia. so, we've sent holly hamilton to assess what people there make of it all. good morning to you, holly. good morning. that's right, we're not quite on the campaign trail but we've found a trail of our very own, and as the story goes, this of course is where theresa may came to doa course is where theresa may came to do a bit of thinking, a bit of walking, she decided on a five—day trip that we are indeed going back to the polls. she spent her time buying souvenirs, chatting to locals and getting her head together. locals here we've spoken to have been happy that she decided to come here to make that decision and i

been speaking to people like brenda. you spoke to theresa may in snowdonia, up in the mountains. what was she like? she was interested in what i was doing, i had been out for a run, i was what i was doing, i had been out for a run, iwas running what i was doing, i had been out for a run, i was running down a steep hill and ijust a run, i was running down a steep hill and i just saw a run, i was running down a steep hill and ijust saw this group of people coming up, and i shouted, i don't know whether it is worse coming down or going up this hill, andl coming down or going up this hill, and i stopped and said, oh, hello, and i stopped and said, oh, hello, and realised it was theresa may and her husband and a group of people behind. she asked me if! her husband and a group of people behind. she asked me if i was going to runa behind. she asked me if i was going to run a marathon, i was training for a marathon on and i said, no, to run a marathon, i was training fora marathon on and i said, no, i am doing a local run, do you know it? she said she did and we had a bit of a chat about the route she was taking. it is a lovely, lovely route. so, did you mention the general election at that point? 0h, no, and! general election at that point? 0h, no, and i didn't mention brexit or anything like that, and i think she

was around just to relax, taking a lovely, lovely route just to chill out a bit. which is the perfect place to do it, i must say. you are a pig farmer. another election, how do you feel? good, you know, the people want to vote someone in who will be positive to respect the wishes of the people, so it is the people's choice and i am pleased about it. i think a lot of people agree with you they are happy we are getting another election. we will speak now with doctor ellen from the university of aberystwyth. we have another election, what has been the reaction from people? quite varied, isn't it? there was initial shock, but the process has happened quickly with the announcement and a vote yesterday and campaigning is starting strongly, i think, across the uk. in wales we also have a local election coming up on the fourth of may. we are at a different time here, having to prepare for

that alongside the general election campaign starting up, but it's very exciting. we're seeing the political parties developing pictures early. theresa may emphasising her strength of leadership and increasing her capacity to get the best vote for the uk in brexit in getting a strong vote in this election, and on the other hand jeremy corbyn is trying to push the labour party as being much stronger, and being less establishment as he has been in the past. and i mean, we are not into that official campaign trail yet, it is already getting emotional, we have heard accusations of broken promises, and we can't trust theresa may. it is the attempt to try to impact her reputation, she has strong credibility elections, a lot about the party image of the leader and the capacity to govern, especially around the economy, so they will play on the broken promises issue and try to talk about

austerity policies in the uk. theresa may will emphasise her strength in governing, trusting in her dileep britain to a stronger britain and her capacity to go in —— to lead britain. it is forced on issues these days, so it will be interesting to see how it develops — a strong, pro—european, positive attitude around, you know, anti— brexit vote in the liberal democrats, we might see a surge in their position during selection too. thanks very much, we have a view —— a few weeks left in the campaign but if you want to think about it, come somewhere like this, i have heard it is very beautiful. yes, who knows what you will dream out when you are out in snowdonia? it is interesting hearing thoughts from people, as soon as we

hearing thoughts from people, as soon as we talk about a general election, we talk about polls. in the united states, there is a lot of scepticism about how useful and accurate polls. the last two or three times they have not always got it right. we are joined three times they have not always got it right. we arejoined by three times they have not always got it right. we are joined by the three times they have not always got it right. we arejoined by the head of political research from westminster. we mentioned that the polls aren't always the most reliable, but you have a new poll out today. where do we stand? the results will be the same no matter what the tigers the situation has improved for theresa may said the announcement of the surprise general election. polling people over the weekend, we saw the conservatives at 44%, that has now risen to 48%. labour have risen by 1% to 25%. every person in our survey who says

they are intending to vote labour, that means there are two who are intending to vote for theresa may and her pa rty. intending to vote for theresa may and her party underlying that there are a numberof and her party underlying that there are a number of other good bits of news for the conservatives. when we asked people whether theresa may was right to do this u—turn and call a surprise election, four out of ten said it was the right decision, three out of ten said it was wrong. so she is winning that battle as well. we asked people whether she or jeremy corbyn would make a better prime minister, 53% now say theresa may, whereas15% said jeremy corbyn. it has been christened the brexit election. what appears to matter to people the most? brexit is on the top of most people's lists. ditto the people put it in their top

three. bennett the usual suspects, immigration, health and the economy. as you pointed out in your introduction, the margin of error is low. it suggests that we should not focus too much on the specific percentages of the overall story, and that overall story is that it is and that overall story is that it is a strong position for the conservatives at moment. we saw bill gates pleading with the tories today not to cut the foreign aid budget. how much do you think people are bothered about that? do you think they care about it? we made two key findings in this area. generally speaking, people do think it should be cut. the majority of people believe that overseas aid should be

reduced. but it is also showing that they will leave we spend more both as percentages and as an absolute figure on aid. ultimately, it doesn't really matter to people. this election will be fought on brexit. after that on health, immigration, health and the economy. overseas aid is not high on the list. in 2015, the polls made some significant mistakes. they led experts down the wrong path. what has changed between then and now? allies is being done differently to make polling more accurate? we go back and look to see what we've done right and wrong. we did that in 2015, and also in our previous polls over16 2015, and also in our previous polls over 16 years where we have consistently got things right. in 2015, we identified that we needed

to do 2015, we identified that we needed todoa 2015, we identified that we needed to do a betterjob of contacting certain groups in society. we did not have sufficient numbers. it was a small error but enough to make a big difference in a relatively close race. we have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in the last year recruiting people to our site from those demographics. anyone can sign up those demographics. anyone can sign up via our website. thank you very much for your time. do we allow margins of error with the weather? the viewers don't! pretty great conditions for some this morning. this was the scene just a short while ago. some spots of rain. some sun breaking through the cloud. some sunny spot is to get your day under

way. lovely blue skies in some areas. eastern scotland, a pretty decent day. a dry and bright day. some more cloud in scotland and ireland, the odd shower here and there. a lot of dry weather, some sunshine pushing into eastern england. grey and misty across the north, rainy this morning. slowly starting to turn dry. had she rain developing across wales and the midlands, edging south. mostly dry for many. starting to change across the south—east, down two —2 in kent overnight. some sunshine, but overall cloudy compared to yesterday. when you see sunshine across england and wales it should feel pleasant, the warmest conditions into the afternoon in eastern scotland and north—east england. 16— 17 degrees. compared with yesterday, a milder day. temperatures up on where they should

be for this time of year. looking at tonight, a windy night across far north scotland. outbreaks of rain, more persistent across the highlands and ireland. a shower in northern ireland, england and wales, most areas dry. lots of cloud around, the chilli is to conditions around devon and cornwall. into friday, wet and cloudy conditions across much of scotland, especially in the west. outbreaks of rain pushing into northern ireland and england later in the day. with some sunshine, got the warmest air. up to 90 degrees across southern england. the dividing line bringing rain to england and ireland later. temperatures dropping across scotland. colder air working south. high pressure is close by. not much in the way of rain across the south coast. we will see a lot of dry weather across western areas. some more cloud and breeze. feeling

cooler once again. turning increasingly wet and windy across parts of scotland later. more in around half an hour. on board, a group of french and welsh people whose towns have —— as the uk gears up for a general election, voters in france are getting closer to deciding who their new president will be. this weekend's result will be closely watched as candidates campaign hard on issues that could have big implications across europe. breakfast‘s graham satchell has been on a french exchange between the twinned towns of tredegar in south wales and 0rvault in north west france. we are on the west coast of france. on board, a group of french and welsh people whose towns have been twinned for almost 40 years. they share camaraderie and a deep mistrust of traditional politics. we are fed up with the old way of doing politics. fed up and slightly confused,

the french face a dizzying array of candidates for president, 11 in all. what is astonishing about this election is the almost complete rejection of mainstream politics. the next french president is very unlikely to come from either of the two parties that has run fance since the war. what will we do, what will happen? it is so new. the welsh contingent come from tredegar, the part of south wales who voted for brexit. many in france have the same worries about the eu and immigration, its why marine le pen is doing well. they say, what are the politicians doing for us? as far as the immigration is concerned, they think they are doing nothing. i think this is why a certain lady may be leading france soon. dissatisfaction with the centre—left

and centre—right has opened the door to marine le pen and jean—luc melenchon. the prospect of either candidate actually winning has left some in a spin. to have marine le pen, or mr melenchon, would detrimental for all of us. time for lunch. there is an alternative to the extremes, a new party at the centre with a candidate who has never stood for election before. emmanuel macron. he is... he is attractive, he has an attractive programme. i think many french people are not sure about him. some days he says white, sometimes black, we don't know exactly what he thinks. emmanuel macron and marine le pen

are the front—runners in a close race. marine le pen wants to take france out of the eu, whereas emmanuel macron is a staunch supporter. if one of these two wins, it will have a dramatic impact. many here have watched brexit and donald trump, and say anything could happen. whatever the outcome, the people of tredegar and 0rvault will remain friends. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news. a 4 year old boy has died after being hit by a car in north west london. it happened on montrose avenue

in edgware at around 7 o'clock last night. the driver stopped and is helping police with their investigation. detectives are also asking for anyone else with information to come forward. 200 people have been moved to safety from a tower block in kensal town after a fire broke out. it took dozens of firefighters around 90 minutes to bring the blaze at trellick tower on golborne road under control. a woman and two children escaped a flat on the 27th floor unharmed. fire crew said there were no reports of any injuries. a smart card scheme that was meant to offer part—time commuters to london flexible rail season tickets has run millions of pounds over budget, according to a spending watchdog. 11 operators running trains into the capital were expected to introduce the cards to reduce the cost of selling tickets. however, only five train companies are offering the service. the department of transport says smart ticketing remains a priority for the government. but campaigners say it's not good enough. the government's failed

on their 2015 manifesto commitment, they failed on delivering that promise in 2013 to deliver smart and flexible ticketing. they have wasted an astonishing amount of taxpayer's money. let's have a look at the travel situation now. between harrow & wealdstone and euston — following yesterday's fire at euston station. other services going into euston a running as normal. 0n the roads, traffic on the a13 is very slow westbound from the ferry lane interchange in rainham into barking following a breakdown near the lodge avenue flyover. and on camden road, there are roadworks at saint sheikh —— st pancras way. lets have a check on the weather now

with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. time for another dry day, yesterday we saw a lot of sunshine. today, cloudier, but not quite as chile a start. 6—7 degrees for most places. a bit cooler in southern counties. cloud increasing through the day, the best of the sunshine towards south—eastern areas through the morning. towards the north—west, we might see some outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, but nothing more. most of us dry, temperatures 12— 15 celsius. warmer air than yesterday. overnight, not a lot changing. we should stay dry. variable cloud, most temperatures dropping back into single figures. a frost free start to friday. on friday, more cloud around than sun. starting to feel a bit warmer. quite pleasant, 16—17 degrees. feeling colder over the weekend. some sunshine emerging at times. we mightjust be ourfirst proper bit of rainfall for some time at the start of next week. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom

in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn says he'll stand up for the british people who are being held back by a system rigged in favour of the powerful and wealthy. in his first major speech of the election campaign mr corbyn says he rejects the idea the result is a "foregone conclusion". meanwhile, theresa may says "strong and stable" leadership is at the heart of her pitch to voters. in a speech in bolton last night, the prime minister warned of a potential "coalition of chaos" led by mr corbyn, despite the labour leader ruling out forming a post—election alliance with the snp. the billionaire philanthropist bill gates has warned theresa may that reducing the government's commitment to foreign aid would cost lives. in a speech in london, mr gates — who's the founder of microsoft — said british people would be proud of the spending, if they could see its impact. the prime minister has refused

to say whether she will retain a pledge to spend at least 0.7% of national income on overseas development. in just over half an hour we'll be speaking to mp 0liver letwin and the labour party's former director of policy, torsten bell. that's at 7:40am. scientists have discovered drugs which may be able to stop alzheimer's, parkinson's and a wide range of degenerative brain diseases. one of them is already safely given to people with depression. clinical trials are planned, but the findings so far have been described as exciting, important and potentially a major step forward. speaking earlier on breakfast, the lead researcher, giovanna maluchi, told us clinical trials could start imminently. there would be a daily dose. we would use a licensed

antidepressant, it is used in the elderly. we are not expecting a cure, we cannot cure these disorders but if we stop them in their tracks and change the way they progress we will radically change the course and the natural history of diseases like alzheimer's disease and dementia. train services in and out of one of london's busiest station have largely returned to normal this morning, after a fire caused serious delays and cancellations yesterday. network rail said engineers worked overnight to restore services to euston. most major services are operating as normal, but a full service is not expected until lunchtime. the station was shut for much of yesterday when a fire next to the track damaged signalling and cut power to the station. debenhams is considering closing ten stores and ten regional warehouses. the plans could affect hundreds of

jobs in part of a strategic review by the boss of the business. remaining stores will be revamped to offer an extensive shopping experience. test results on victims of an attack in syria earlier this month confirm the nerve agent, sarin, or a similar substance was used, according to the global chemical weapons watchdog, the 0pcw. the attack killed at least 87 people. the syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. american troops are taking part in a military exercise with south korea today, an action which pyongyang has called "a provocation". the government in washington says the eleven—day exercises were planned months ago, and happens every year. called "operation max thunder", the training practice involves about 80 aircraft, a thousand american personnel and about 500 south korean officials. cycling to work could halve the risk of developing heart disease and cancer according to new research published today in the british medicaljournal. scientists at the university of glasgow, who analysed data from more than 250—thousand people,

said walking reduced the risk of the same conditions by a quarter. walking isn't terrible. it is all good for you. yes, absolutely. it is just the rain, when it falls from the sky, that's the problem. tell us about this remarkable lady and a great bit of news. she got people talking yesterday when she took to social media and announced she is pregnant, which is fantastic for her, although not if you are a tennis fan and wanted to watch her play at wimbledon. there are more important things than tennis. of course. i will show you the post she put online. overnight it was confirmed. she told the world via this post on social media yesterday afternoon, in which she appeared to show off a bump with the caption "20 weeks." with the baby due in the autumn her most likely return to action

could be the french open in 2018. williams announced her engagement to reddit co—founder alexis 0hanian in december. andy murray's made a winning return to competitive tennis after a month out with an elbow injury. the world number one took less than two hours to beat gilles muller at the monte carlo masters. he last played on the atp tour in indian wells in march. british number three kyle edmund pushed defending champion rafael nadal to a deciding set, which is no embarassment coming up against the so called king of clay, before eventually going out. nadal‘s aiming for a 10th monte carlo title. the british and irish lions coach warren gatland has defended his selection for this summer's tour to new zealand. the 41—man squad includes 16 england players, 12 from wales, 11 from ireland and two from scotland. gatland said nationality didn't come into his thinking. sam warburton will captain the squad. he led the lions to a series victory in australia four years ago, and he knows this challenge will be far tougher than that. he has been unlucky. it is notjust

his position, there is a lot of discussion about joe his position, there is a lot of discussion aboutjoe launchbury, ryan, the great brothers and many others left out. at the end of the day, selection is a matter of opinion and we might slightly disagree, but that's what makes it interesting. barcelona have been knocked out of the quarter finals of the champions league. their forward neymar moved to tears after defeat to juventus. 3—0 down from the first leg, messi with the best chance. it finished goalless in spain last night. so the italian side into the semi finals as they avenge their defeat to barca in the 2015 final. if you thought players only care about the big wages these days, that expression would suggest otherwise. monaco will be joining the italian side in the semi—finals. have a look at this goal from the former chelsea and manchester united striker radamel falcao,

as his side beat borussia dortmund 3—1, 6—3 on aggregate. manchester united can secure their place in the semi—finals of the europa league this evening. they play anderlecht at old trafford looking to build on their 1—all draw from the first leg. captain wayne rooney could return from injury. winning the europa league would guarantee united a place in next season's champions league, even if they finish outside the premier league's top four. when you get into this level, the motivation has to be very high. we must equalise at least. they lacked motivation and anderlecht dreamed to go so i think it is a motivational question, because we showed in brussels that we are a stronger team. we've had one of the biggest shocks in world snooker championship history. the world number two and pre—tournament favourite judd trump has been knocked out in the first round. and the man that beat him, 1000—to—one shot rory mcleod. it's only the second time mcleod has

made it in to the second round at the crucible, in his 26 years as a professional. trump has never won the world title. what an upset. he must have been so chuffed and yet it is still very... very orderly, absolutely. as it should be. i love that, super cool and calm. you have to keep your emotions under wraps when you are playing snooker. calm and collected. yes. thank you. if you're going to work this morning, you may want to cycle in. research by the university of glasgow has found getting on your bicycle to the office means you're less likely to develop cancer and heart disease. we asked people in manchester why they chose to commute on two wheels.

i have been cycling to work for about two years. it started when i got a job about two years. it started when i gotajob in about two years. it started when i got a job in the city centre. i have a lwa ys got a job in the city centre. i have always wanted to cycle to work. i have a nice route to work on the canal. it was a nice reason to get started. i have been riding a bike for nearly two years because work is about five miles away. it is faster than catching the bus. about five or six years. they have a bike to work scheme at the office. it is a good way to get a bike. it is cheap, it is good exercise and it clears your head in the morning. about 15 years, yes. it is just easier, head in the morning. about 15 years, yes. it isjust easier, healthier, cheaper. so long as i don't break down. i have to say, none of those people looked unhealthy. they all looked really healthy. we'rejoined now from glasgow by drjason gill from the institute of cardiovascular and medical

sciences, who carried out the research and martin key, campaigns manager at british cycling. morning to you both. jason, i am guessing you cycled in?” morning to you both. jason, i am guessing you cycled in? i didn't this morning, it was very early, normally i would. what are the benefits of cycling, what is the science? we found in a large study of more than 260,000 people, people who cycle to work at a 40% lower risk of dying and similar reduction in cardiovascular and cancer as well. why? we know physical activity has benefits, it reduces blood pressure and the level of light in your bloodstream. it makes your blood able to relax, it improves the way your body handles sugar, it reduces inflammation. a number of well—known mechanisms by which being active reduces the risk of adverse

health event. if you are cycling into work your lifestyle in general is more likely to be healthy on the whole, you are likely to eat better. that is a valid point. we tried to adjust for these factors. in the analysis, we adjusted for age, because older people are likely to develop adverse conditions, sex, ethnicity, deprivation. we know that poor people are likely to develop these conditions. if people smoke, dmi, how heavy people are, aspects of diet, other activity. we adjusted for all of the factors we could think of which might influence the result and we found the association of cycling and these outcomes is over and above these effects after adjusting for these factors that could have influenced the result. martin is here, british cycling, did you cycled it? i did, a couple of

miles. it is a lovely morning. the reasons are clear why it would be good for you, cycling, exercise, reasons are clear why it would be good foryou, cycling, exercise, but a lot of people might say why they wouldn't want to cycle. they may say, what about pollution, what about being knocked off my bike, road rage, what about the fact i will get to work looking like a mess. a lot of reasons people might say it is not great to cycle to work. and we know those reasons. millions of people cycle. relatively few people cycle to work. and for many reasons you mentioned. we need to help people build confidence. you might be happy to cycle on the weekend. when you get on a bike for the first time your confidence increases. try cycling to work on a sunday with family or friends. try to learn a back route and that will increase your confidence. if you need to get going you will suddenly feel better. another is packing on sunday evening. when you wake up

first thing, that means you won't check it out. you are ready to go. does it require more of a mindset from your employer as well because clearly you need facilities? in most environments, you need something at the other end. to an extent, but it is not completely — the great thing is not completely — the great thing is it is so accessible and you don't need special kit beyond a bike. there are always places to park your bike. there are lots of tips you can do. rolling up your clothes so you can change at the office. if you don't have a shower, a baby wipe in the bathroom is — you can freshen up. don't cycle very fast, don't sweat and you can get in in a good state. did you cycle in your suit? i did, yes. it is perfectly possible. you only have to go and a few hundred miles and everyone cycles in suit and dresses. that is true. and jason, your research looked at walking. and while it use great, it

isn't as good as cycling at all? there are several reasons, people walk shorter distances, so people cycling to work cycled 30 miles a week, whereas walkers walked six miles a week and more activity gives you bigger benefit. cycling is higher intensity. you get more out of breath. high intensity activities are beneficial. it is a combination of the fact that they do more and harder that gives the benefit. if you are walking and you take a longer route to work you will get a bigger benefit from going the shortest possible route. thank you. i love what you said. if you cycle to work, you need something at the other end. some facilities, or something. it makes it a bit nicer, doesn't it? some decent weather

around today! i think this shot behind me, it really sums up this morning for many. a fairly cloudy start to your day. some breaks in the cloud. if you are about to cycle into work, you've got some sunshine overhead in the moment. —— at the moment. some cloud, maybe one or two showers. mostly staying dry. west of the pennines, damp, drizzly and misty. north—east england brightening up quite shortly. some rain southwards and into the midlands. the coming few and further between. staying dry through the day. across east anglia and the south—east, some sunshine. some frost in kent and essex. 0verall, this morning, cold. some brighter brea ks this morning, cold. some brighter breaks appearing through the cloud. some of the sunniest conditions

through the afternoon. eastern scotland, seeing the highest of the temperatures. even with the cloud elsewhere, temperatures above where they should be for this time of year. a few showers in northern ireland and northern england. many areas dry. not too cold tonight. there some frost. a bit of a chilly start in the countryside. lots of cloud across england and wales, brightening up. we could see one or two showers. a damp morning across much of scotland, some heavy bursts of rain. pushing into northern ireland later. this is the weather front, a dividing line between mild air in the south. further north, temperatures dropping back into single figures. nothing desperately chilli. this weather front,

single figures. nothing desperately chilli. this weatherfront, that will bring much in the way of rain to southern areas. high pressure close by. that will bring the dry start to saturday. a bit breezy to the north and east. temperatures into double figures. someday, warmer. southern parts especially. wet and windy across the north of scotland. that's how it's working. more in half an hour —— looking. debenham's have announced an overhaul of their stores this morning — revamping the look and layout — but that means some of the stores could be closed. the retailer debenhams has announced it's looking to close 10 stores, 10 regional warehouses and a central distribution centre. the department store says those left will be revamped, changing the layout, reducing clutter, adding more beauty counters and even vip experiences. it's all focused on shopping as an experience, not convenience — so we asked people yesterday

if that's how they think about a trip into town. we prefer high street stores. we think they should be brought back more into the mainstream. independent stores, local high street stores. you do need department stores, but i think the essence of the community is the high street. it can be limiting, but you can get everything you need in one place. when you go in, they have everything you need. they have perfume, variety. i do prefer them. i don't prefer them, it isjust more ofa i don't prefer them, it isjust more of a variety sometimes. if you can't get them in the high street, then you know you can get them in department stores. catherine shuttleworth is with retail and shopper marketing agency savvy marketing and joins me now. going through the results, there's loads of stuff about social

shopping, destination digital. what does it mean? we have a chief executive who has come on board from amazon. we are trying to get people to find reasons to go to shops and not purchase online. 95% of people purchase things online. they are trying to create more ways for us to have experiences in the stores —— digital. young people are kind of rejecting buying lots of stuff. debenham's are trying to tap into what people like, eating, drinking, having an experience. yes, people are going for experiences? they are. yes, and we are spending time on

different things. debenham's have 165 stores. some of them are in town centres that have not had the kind of investment that they need. they need reasons to get people back into those stores. that is why they've announced this programme to invest in stores. they don't want people behind the scenes, they want people at the front of house, talking to customers. in america, a couple of big stores such as sears are closing. do you think our shopping habits are similar to americans? closing. do you think our shopping habits are similar to americans7m is true that our shopping experience is true that our shopping experience is changing. debenham's sell so much beauty stuff in the uk, they are responsible for about one third of

all beauty products we purchase. they can create experiences for younger people around that. they are not saying which stores they are closing. they are saying there are ten which are essentially under review. they are going to be closing a huge facility in northampton. it will be interesting to see which stores are closing. their structure needs to change so that the despatching centres are able to function better. the man who is coming in from amazon, he will no how to change the base of the business to make it more profitable. that will change starting with the back office. he will look at that with a new pair of eyes. thank you very much for your time. a few months ago, you would never have thought you would be talking about the success of british tennis

players. at just 25 years old, johanna konta isn't doing too bad for herself. she's the most successful british female tennis player since virginia wade. after winning the miami 0pen last month, she's ranked number 7 in the world. but she doesn't plan to stop there — her dream, she says, is to be world number one. she invited me tojoin her at the national tennis centre to chat about her love of the game, the lta's tennis for kids scheme and her hopes for the future. i found out how she likes omelettes for breakfast, as well! my dream has always been to be number one in the world, to win titles and be at the top of the game. i'm doing everything in my power to make that come true. we are here this morning with one of the fastest rising tennis stars in the world.

she has her eyes firmly fixed on the number one spot. she has given us exclusive access. hello, nice to see you! congratulations! welcome to, i guess it is my home in a way. this is your home away from home. i used to sleep there, so i literally used to live here. i actually lived pretty much on the tennis court. that's how you get good. i woke my dad up to get to practise at the crack of dawn. you woke him up? he told me i needed to invest energy into it, i needed to get up and train before school. once he realised i would be waking him up every morning, initially, he wondered, what have i got myself

into? you said, very clearly, you want to be world number one? i do. that has been a dream of mine since i was a young girl. it continues to be my dream. i think it will be as long as i am playing this sport. i need to keep focusing on my work because i know that will bring the best out in me. what does that do? when my feet get too tight, it helps loosen me up. your body is like a system, a chain. what is this doing? i am reallyjust trying to loosen it up a bit. so that i'm not stiff as a board when i start warming up. is there still some way to go to make men's and women's tennis fair? there has become so much more depth in our game.

it is becoming more exciting, but it is also important not to compare us to mean in terms of our tennis. we work in different ways, but we were just as hard and commit our lives to the sport, just as they do. it is a great time to be part of women's tennis and british tennis in general. it is a very exciting period and i am really enjoying it. i always wanted to be just the best version of myself. those children were so excited to see her, and she genuinely said, i know you're excited, but i am excited to see you, to! just great. —— too. good morning from bbc london news. a 4 year old boy has died after being hit by a car in north west london.

it happened on montrose avenue in edgware at around 7 o clock last night. the driver stopped and is helping police with their investigation. detectives are also asking for anyone else with information to come forward. 200 people have been moved to safety from a tower block in west london after a fire broke out on the 27th floor. it took dozens of firefighters around 90 minutes to bring the blaze under control at trellick tower in kensal town. a woman and two children escaped the flat on golborne road unharmed. the fire brigade said there were no reports of any injuries. a smart card scheme that was meant to offer part—time commuters to london flexible rail season tickets has run millions of pounds over budget, according to a spending watchdog. 11 operators running trains into the capital were expected to introduce the cards to reduce the cost of selling tickets. however, only five train companies are offering the service. the department of transport says smart ticketing remains a priority for the government. but campaigners say it's not good enough. the government's failed on their manifesto commitment,

they failed on delivering that promise in 2013 to deliver smart and flexible ticketing. they have wasted an astonishing amount of taxpayer's money. let's have a look at the travel situation now. 0n the tube the 0verground is part suspended this morning between btw harrow & wealdstone and euston — following yesterday's fire at euston station. other services going into euston a running as normal. 0n the roads: usual issues on the blackwall tunnell northbound traffic on the southern approach is slow from the sun in the sands at blackheath. in harold wood, the are westbound queues on the southend arterial approaching the ongoing works at squirrels heath road. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. time for another dry day, yesterday we saw a lot of sunshine. today, cloudier, but not

quite as chilly a start. 6—7 degrees for most places. a bit cooler in southern counties. cloud increasing through the day, the best of the sunshine towards south—eastern areas through the morning. towards the north—west, we might see some outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, but nothing more. most of us dry, temperatures 12— 15 celsius. warmer air than yesterday. overnight, not a lot changing. we should stay dry. variable cloud, most temperatures dropping back into single figures. a frost free start to friday. on friday, more cloud around than sun. starting to feel a bit warmer. quite pleasant, 16—17 degrees. feeling colder over the weekend. some sunshine emerging at times. we mightjust be ourfirst proper bit of rainfall for some time at the start of next week. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom

in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. the battle begins. the party leaders hit the campaign trail for the 2017 general election. jeremy corbyn will say that labour will stand up for british people against what he calls a rigged system, when he makes his first official speech of the election this morning. last night, on the campaign trail, theresa may told voters in bolton they faced a choice between her "strong and stable leadership" or a "coalition of chaos". it is going on, polling day is seven weeks away. and we are live in slowed only. this is where theresa

may's long hike helped make up her mind. good morning — it's thursday 20th april. also this morning... a breakthrough for brain diseases. scientists discover drugs that could stop conditions like alzheimer's and parkinson's in their tracks. we'll hear about the new research that suggests cycling to work cuts the risk of heart disease and cancer by almost half. the retailer debenhams has announced it is looking to close 10 stores, 10 regional warehouses and a central distribution centre. i'll have the details shortly. and in sport, serena williams reveals she's expecting her first child. she made the announcement on social media, posting a picture with the caption, "20 weeks."

and we'll be hearing from one of the stars of british tennis. johanna konta speaks exclusively to breakfast about her dreams of becoming world number one. and matt has the weather. good morning. well, i'll be serving up good morning. well, i'll be serving upjusta good morning. well, i'll be serving up just a little good morning. well, i'll be serving upjust a little bit good morning. well, i'll be serving up just a little bit of sunshine. 0verall, up just a little bit of sunshine. overall, a fairly cloudy story for many of us and a touch of drizzle, too. good morning. first, our main story. jeremy corbyn will set out his pitch to voters this morning as he tries to become the next prime minister. in a speech the labour leader will say that he'll stand up for the british people who "are the true wealth creators, held back by a system rigged for wealth extractors". last night, on the campaign trail, theresa may said the public faced a choice between her "strong and stable leadership" or a "coalition of chaos". here's our political correspondent alex forsyth. the campaigning can start in earnest, now the election date has been set — and the party leaders are wasting no time. jeremy corbyn's pitch

is as the antiestablishment party. he'll promise not to play by the rules. and say labour will stand up for british people in a system rigged to favour the rich — a message he hinted at it in croydon yesterday. are we going to be a country that works only to make the richest even richer? i know which side i am on. you know what side you're on. this election is going to be fought on the streets of this country, up and down, in town halls, in streets, on beaches, on seafronts. theresa may wants to exploit what she sees as jeremy corbyn's weakness, choosing the labour—held seat of bolton for her first visit. she said only the conservatives can deliver the security the country needs. it's a choice between strong and stable leadership under the conservatives, or weak and unstable coalition of chaos, led byjeremy corbyn.

expect the campaign messages to come thick and fast from every party in the next seven weeks. the race is on, the battle lines drawn — and they knowjust what's at stake — not just their futures, but the whole country's. 0ur political correspondent chris mason joins us from westminster. good morning to you. are we getting a sense of the tone of the next few weeks now? good morning to you. i think we are. this might be nirvana for nerds like me but i guess there will be a certain element of fatigue about the prospect of more political palaver over the next seven weeks. this morning, jeremy corbyn will be setting out his tone for the campaign, at knowledge of all the headlines that suggest he's1 million miles behind, by saying he is the anti—establishment candidate, he is out there to try and prove the

establishment and the media wrong. as for the prime minister, i think we will see repeated again and again the message we heard there in alex's report. what we are also now being told is that whilst the reason me has said she won't do election debates, where she appears on stage alongside other political leaders, downing street to seem open to the idea that in some sort of tv format, perhaps a question time type affair, with david dimbleby taking questions from a live audience. all of that negotiation is going on behind the scenes huddle whilst the political parties try to work out what their pitch to the country will be. avenue we spoken about polities yet —— about policies yet?! no, would be the direct answer! firstly, i think we have already got a reasonable sense of what the main parties will say because it is what they have

been saying for all the last couple of years. but also, in offices around here right now, there are young, keen political types, around here right now, there are young, keen politicaltypes, perhaps potential future prime minister is, typing away furiously, having to write these manifestos, these bundles of promises. they normally ta ke bundles of promises. they normally take months and they have got to do them ina take months and they have got to do them in a matter of days. this morning there has been some speculation that the conservatives could ditch their plan for ring fencing a certain amount of money, 0.7% of national income, forforeign aid. this morning, senior cabinet ministers saying how proud they were to vote that threw in the commons in the last couple of years. it doesn't mean the conservatives will definitely stick to it but it shows the kind of discussions which are under way. so, scrap yourself in, seven weeks to go. good luck is all ican seven weeks to go. good luck is all i can say! in ten minutes... in ten minutes, we'll be speaking to mp 0liver letwin and the labour party's former director of policy torsten bell. train services in and out of one of london's busiest station have

largely returned to normal this morning, after a fire caused serious delays and cancellations yesterday. network rail said engineers worked overnight to restore services to euston. most major services are operating as normal, but a full service is not expected until lunchtime. engineers say 100 metres of high—voltage cable destroyed in the fire still needs to be replaced. scientists have discovered drugs which may be able to stop alzheimer's, parkinson's and a wide range of degenerative brain diseases. one of them is already safely given to people with depression. clinical trials are planned, but the findings so far have been described as exciting, important and potentially a majfirfite fzrgaré; 7 ' ' ' there would be a daily dose,

basically. we would probably use trazodone first, which is already used with the elderly. we cannot cu re used with the elderly. we cannot cure these things, but if we can stop them in their tracks and change the way they progress, we can radically change the course of the natural history of diseases like alzheimer's and other dementias. south korean and american military forces are taking part in a joint military exercise, an action which north korea has called provocative. 0peration max thunder is a training practice involving aircraft carriers and fighter jets. 0ur correspondent steve evans is at the us base in south korea, where the drill is taking place. this operation involves around 1000 american personnel and about 500 from south korea. there are also basesin from south korea. there are also bases in japan from south korea. there are also bases injapan involved. it happens every single year, it involves a aircraft pretending to fight each other and also bombing targets on

the ground, not with live ammunition. despite its regularity, north korea finds it very, very annoying, it says it's a rehearsal for invasion. china wants these exercises to stop, a moratorium to be put on it. what china suggests is, stop these exercises on the one hand, and north korea should put a moratorium on its nuclear programme on the other. it doesn't seem likely to happen. but if there is to be a peaceful resolution, as vice president pence says he wants, it would involve something like that trash at the moment, though, the atmosphere is farfrom trash at the moment, though, the atmosphere is far from that. there isa atmosphere is far from that. there is a tension which is building up and doesn't seem to be deflating. there is the row in south korea about the presidents, or the lack of it, of the uss carl vinson aircraft

carrier strike group. the fact that it wasn't sent, when president trump said an armada was on the way, is causing consternation here. some people say, if you cannot believe what he says, what can you trust. the department store debenhams is considering closing up to ten stores. police may now have to shoot at terrorists who use cars as weapons, a senior officer has said. the national lead for armed policing simon chesterman, said the tactics of armed officers will have to change following a string of attacks involving vehicles. in the past, police have been told not to shoot drivers of moving vehicles because it's too dangerous. cycling to work could halve the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, according to new research

published today in the british medicaljournal. scientists at the university of glasgow who analysed data from more than 250,000 people said walking reduced the risk of the same conditions by a quarter. 0ur reporter vishala sri—pathma has more. the commute to work, for some, is the only exercise they get all day. well, for those of us that cycle to the office, there's some good news. experts from the university of glasgow say that it reduces the risk of developing cancer and heart disease. in fact, cycling to work is linked to a 45% lower risk of developing cancer, and a 46% lower threat of cardiovascular disease. that compares to driving or even taking public transport. it also means you're less likely to die younger. walking has its benefits, too, although it's not as effective as cycling. you have to walk a total of two hours a week at an average speed of 3mph for the health

benefits to kick in. so, we need to make it easier for people to cycle. so, we need to increase cycle lanes, we need to have cycle — city hire schemes, subsidised bike schemes, have people have showers at work, so they don't feel sweaty when they get to work. there's a whole host of things to make it easier for the average person to cycle. and if we can do that, we get more people will be on bikes, and we're going to improve public health, just like places like amsterdam and copenhagen have done. charities have welcomed the findings. cancer research uk says it's evidence that you don't need tojoin a gym or run the marathon, and that everything they get you hot and out of breath can help make a difference. there is lots of election news at the moment and some things which might make you scared when you watch the news. but the... every now and again we show you some cute animal pictures on breakfast.

today is no exception. these little nigerian dwarf goats were filmed wearing specially—constructed nightwear by a farm in the us state of maine. the pyjamas are designed to keep the newborns extra warm. i challenge you to make the "leap" from this story to the next one, the election! things that make you happy---? election! things that make you happy...? no, not election! things that make you happy... ? no, not feeling election! things that make you happy...? no, not feeling it, sorry! politicians around the uk will be dusting down their rosettes, getting their soap boxes ready and preparing for a fast and furious general election campaign. already this morning, we have an idea of some of the key themes that the parties hope will persuade you to back them onjune 8th. researchers will be toiling away

right now, writing those manifestos. let's discuss them with torsten bell, former director of policy for labour, and the conservative mp and former minister sir 0liver letwin. both were heavily involved in writing their party's manifestos at the last election. in your case, 0liver letwin, many times previously as well. first up, good morning, by the way, boast of you. a manifesto, and we have got to wait a while because they are being written as we speak, is a manifesto a written as we speak, is a manifesto e? written as we speak, is a manifesto a pledge? yes. it is as simple as that, if you sated in the manifesto, 0liver letwin, this is a thing that the government will do? well, yes. my the government will do? well, yes. my view is that the manifesto most matters because of its effect after the election, rather than during it. i suspect even you and certainly most of your viewers are not going to read the manifestos in this

election. they will hear things on the radio and the television and they will see things on the ipad, but the manifesto will be real important when somebody is elected to government, because it does constitute a programme and they are committed to it. it particularly matters when they are trying to get some controversial things through. one big thing we will see in the conservative manifesto this time, almost certainly, is having conservative mps being elected on a promise to extend grammar schools. whereas previously they would have said that was not a manifesto commitment and it would have been very ha rd commitment and it would have been very hard to get through parliament. so these things do matter, even though as oliver says, not every single person in the country will read every line of the manifesto! with your experience within the labour party, having worked on election campaigns before, as we sit here on what is effectively the first day of campaigning, and in just a couple of hours, jeremy corbyn will be making his first speech, what do you think are the key and we will be expecting to see from him?

boyd the election you already saw in microcosm yesterday, we will see theresa may and having their saying vote for me for strong ladyship and delivering brexit, but the general tone, if you want strong leadership vote for theresa may, that is what she was saying in bolton yesterday and what she will be saying most days. jeremy corbyn will be saying why don't you vote for a change, vote for a party that will stand up for working people, and those two things will clash. in some ways it is an odd election, but in other ways elections fit into forms. if you are the government party you are arguing why not go forward rather than backwards, and if you are the opposition party you arguing, isn't it time for a change? the british public funds for one of those. 0liver letwin, jeremy corbyn

pitching himself as the antiestablishment candidate, we saw it in america with trump, and i am not comparing them directly, but can you see comparisons there, where some people might think i will buy into that? i can see that the labour party will be arguing for a change. that is what oppositions to win elections and i think it is true thatjeremy corbyn is not a typical figure of the british political establishment, that is certainly true. i think actually he may want to downplay that. they will be very interesting to see just how that goes. i suspect that theresa may will be doing exactly what thorsten has suggested, putting to the public that she is a strong leader, there's a big task for the nation airhead and she is therefore a good person to lead it, and asking for a mandate to lead it, and asking for a mandate to that. it may be that corbin brya nt to that. it may be that corbin bryant 's mike responds would be to try to argue that he could be the strongly there instead. there will be very interesting to say whether he put it that way all weather on

the contrary he says he would rather have a complete rupture, and not go through with brexit at all. it is in contrast to the last election where ed miliband's position was perfectly clear the contrast was perfectly clear. can i pick up on the issue you said about may, a lot of people have said that a strong leader would be happy to debate in any public forum. why is she scared of doing a television debate? i don't think it isa television debate? i don't think it is a question of being scared, i think it is what is this your advantage to persuade people, is it the direct approach or a debate? if you had come to the commons in the last year le saux and watched the ruse of may and jeremy corbyn across the dispatch box, you would see that she is not scared of debate with him, and! she is not scared of debate with him, and i am a biased spectator,

but almost any unbiased spectator would agree that she is better at the baiting than he is, just technically. but that is not the issue, how do you get your message across west, and on that basis she and others were planned their election campaigns. thorsten, you will be well aware of these figures andi will be well aware of these figures and i am sure the labour party is, aboutjeremy and i am sure the labour party is, about jeremy corbyn's personal polling, which at the moment is pretty desperate in relation to theresa may, who would make a better prime minister. how does he get around that issue, does he just ignore the polls? that seems to be the principle that they argue. you have lots of politicians and pollsters who tell you what jeremy corbyn —— pollsters who tell you what jeremy corbyn — — what pollsters who tell you what jeremy corbyn —— what the public think aboutjeremy corbyn —— what the public think about jeremy corbyn and theresa may come i am not going to argue that. yes, the public have a sense of instability and they want security but they also want change. in the country, last month we saw earnings

starting to fall after a fairly decent few years, and that looks like it will be set to last for the next year or so like it will be set to last for the next year or so as like it will be set to last for the next year or so as prices rise faster than wages. that is what the resolution foundation where i work now, we're working on, and that is why there is this tension between theresa may offering strong leadership, but also saying she will deliver change. that is the balancing actual have to try to strike in her manifesto and it is also the place where the labour party and jeremy corbyn will be trying to tap into the energy. people satisfied with the weather country works or do they want change? i think that is right, everybody more or less recognises that there is a large group of our fellow citizens who are not quite at the absolute sort of worst conditions of life, where benefits kick in, and you are out of work and all those terrible things, but at the same time are very far from being well—off, and who really do feel under pressure as families, what theresa may calls just about

managing group. we have now rebadged, ordinary working families. it is the same people. these are people who i think we all agree are facing pretty tough circumstances, so facing pretty tough circumstances, soi facing pretty tough circumstances, so i think the election in considerable part will be about who do people trust most to deliver a change for those people. we will have to live there. thank you for your time. 0liver letwin and fulston bell. something tells me the tone of that discussion seems very chummy. it might change. seven weeks today is when we will be voting in the general election. here is met with the weather. fairly cloudy thursday ahead for many, but for those in parts of north—west england, midlands and wales, it is a bit grey and misty and damp, some dresler ramp and not the same everywhere. we have some sunshine, clear skies, and

the same everywhere. we have some sunshine, clearskies, and more especially eastern scotland, there will be dry and reasonably bright and sunny weather all day long. western scotland fairly cloudy, one of two showers but most will stay dry, the same for northern ireland. northern england, the north—east will brighten up very shortly but it stay grey and misty for a while across southern parts of the uk. it is here at the moment that we have some spots of rain and drizzle. ageing in the southern england. very little rain around. most italy will stay dry. that's lavrov sunshine through east anglia and the south—east in the next few hours. they will start to cloud over here but elsewhere we will see more pics appearing in the cloud into the afternoon. we see those breaks in the cloud, able feel a touch milder. the best of the brightness, the channel islands, east of scotland and north east england. 16 or 17 the high. they bit of wet weather in the far north and west in scotland to finish the day. the night had wet

and breezy weather will continue. we will see some showers into northern ireland and northern england. further south it will stay dry overnight, a bit misty here and there but temperatures should hold on. maybe a bit chilly to devon and cornwall and the channel islands and hebrides and shetland, most will start tomorrow around eight to 10 degrees per fairly cloudy again. they were today, particularly on the hills in the west. parisien too. further south, the morning cloud will break up, some sunny spells developing. we will see temperatures left relative today, 18 or 19 but potentially across the south trevin wade to single figures. —— dropping away the single figures. it does meana away the single figures. it does mean a loss of try whether they can on saturday. ruse is across the east, winslet has to the east. a cool start to sunday. try for

those doing the london marathon, a bit of cloud around, some sunny spells and turning wet and windy across the far north of scotland. that will take is into next week, it will be quite chilly. you have been warned. you might remember a few weeks ago — the bbc camera crew who were caught up in an explosion on mount etna. well, they all returned home safe and sound, and now, thankfully, we can bring you the story they were there to film. while such explosions are difficult to predict, researchers have devised a new method of detecting when volcanoes will erupt using satellite technology. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle reports. it's one of the most active 0k it's one of the most active ok now is in the world. and last month we experienced mount etna's devastating power, first—hand. we'd gone to see a lava flow, but the boiling hot rocks, mixed with icy meltwater underneath. the pressure built up,

causing this. we were lucky to survive. this is sort of explosion is rare, and hard to predict. by contrast, though, the eruption from the crater that caused it can be forecast. that's because etna's monitored 24—7 by scientists using an array of insurance. mount etna is one of the most thoroughly monitored volcanoes on earth but obviously there are many other volcanoes and many dangerous volcanoes, especially in poorer countries were monitoring is much more room in —— much more rudimentary or in many cases com pletely rudimentary or in many cases completely absent. but now a ground—breaking prop —— project will change that. at leeds university, scientists are bad start using satellites to monitor every volcano on earth to provide an early

eruption alert. for people using monitors —— use monitoring volcanoes, we monitors —— use monitoring volcanoes, we are monitors —— use monitoring volcanoes, we are able to provide warning to people, it could really save lives. this will be a worldwide volcano watch, and this is how it works. before a volcano erupts, magma against a rise from deep beneath the earth, causing the ground to swell. it's only a tiny movement, hardly noticeable, but it can be detected from space. the satellites can measure these changes, down to even if you've millimetres, and if anything is detected, it is a sign that the volcano might be about to explode. 0ur volcano might be about to explode. our experience on etna showed the dangerous that's volcanoes can pose, forecasting major eruptions there and elsewhere could be a game changer. by the end of this year, scientists should have all 1500 of the world was michael caine is under

their watch. rebecca morelle, the world was michael caine is under theirwatch. rebecca morelle, bbc news. a dangerous trip, amazing pictures. time to get the news, travel and weather where you are this morning. see you in a bit. hello this is breakfast, with sally nugent and charlie stayt. jeremy corbyn will set out his pitch to voters this morning as he tries we should have some decent sunny brea ks we should have some decent sunny breaks coming through later on. one or two passing showers today for the

northern isles and the western isles and the highlands. overnight, the cloud will tend to come back in. with the cloudy ducks, some spots of rainfor with the cloudy ducks, some spots of rain for the north and west of the uk. slightly cooler conditions for stornoway and shetland. as it comes down, the front really weakens the significantly. so there will not be any huge rainfall. heading through the day, the sky brightening up, sunny spells in the afternoon. in the sunshine, turning schuyler warmer. for the weekend weather prospects, high pressure slips gradually a little bit further westwards to allow this low pressure system through in the second half of the weekend. nevertheless, the weekend is not looking too bad. but the mornings could turn out to be

quite chilly, especially where there are overnight cloud breaks. hello, you with business live. campaigning in the uk in action gets under way today. antonio to johnny will antonio tojohnny will meet with theresa may at 10 downing street this morning. the european parliament made it clear what its so—called red lines are in the negotiation process. and we will talk you through what is at stake. also in the