this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at apm: there are angry exchanges in the commons as theresa may accuses jeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. but he has hit back saying the tories only represented the rich. the election on 8thjune is a choice between a conservative... yes, between a conservative government for the few and a labour government that will stand up for all of our people. the choice is clear — every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for britain. labour pledges a pay increase for nhs staff and no tuition fees for student nurses and midwives if it wins the general election. jeremy corbyn will not take part in an opposition leaders debate ahead of the election.

his decision comes after theresa may also ruled it out saying she preferred to get out and meet voters. west ham and newcastle united football clubs have been raided in an investigation into alleged tax fraud. surrey police is strongly criticised for returning shotguns to a man who went on to murder his partner and her daughter. almost a decade after madeleine mccann disappeared, detectives say they are still following a critical lead. in the next hour, a top us military commander has told congress that a us missile defence system based in south korea will be operational in days. it comes as president trump prepares to brief the entire senate over north korea's nuclear capabilities. and why our immaculate green lawns could become a thing of the past because of climate change.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. there were angry exchanges in the commons today in what was the last prime ministers questions before parliament is dissolved next week. the prime minister said only the conservatives could provide strong and stable leadership. mr corbyn responded by saying the conservatives only represented the rich. our political correspondent iain watson reports. the speaker: questions to the prime minister. it's fair to say pmqs can be a rowdy affair, but today it felt even more like a political rally than a parliamentary occasion as the election battle lines were drawn. the prime minister launched a pre—emptive strike.

even beforejeremy corbyn asked a question, theresa may attacked the record of the labour leader's team on security. the plan to disband mi5, to disarm our police and scrap our nuclear deterrent was endorsed by the right honourable gentleman's policy chief and even by his shadow chancellor. and in a sign that they will fight the campaign onjeremy corbyn‘s leadership, conservative mps cheered when he announced how long he had been labour leader. when i became labour leader 18 months ago... this could be the last time that theresa may and jeremy corbyn clash head—to—head before the election. she won't take part in television debates, so the labour leader wanted to denounce just about the entire record of her government today, on health, housing and pensions. and he road—tested a few campaign slogans too. here's one coming up. many people feel the system is rigged against them. then he broadened the attack.

strong leadership is about standing up for the many, not the few. but when it comes to the prime minister and the conservatives, they only look after the richest, not the rest. they are strong against the weak and weak against the strong. labour are determined that the election campaign shouldn't be conducted on the prime minister's terms, so you may have noticed there thatjeremy corbyn did not mention brexit. theresa may, unsurprisingly, did the complete opposite. every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit. every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best dealfor britain. expect to hear a lot more of that over the next six weeks. meanwhile, the snp deputy leader chose to campaign on the issue of the state pension.

and accused the prime minister of dodging the issue. pensioners right across this land are right to conclude that this tory prime minister plans to ditch the triple lock on the state pension. and the lib dem leader also attacked his party's former coalition colleagues, the conservatives. 20 years ago, she berated the conservative party for being the nasty party, but her party has never been nastier. but he saved some of his most stinging criticism for labour. the legacy of this parliament is the utter, abject failure of her majesty's official opposition to effectively hold her government to account for any of it. this was the longest pmqs on record, lasting the best part of an hour. but politics is about to move away from westminster. it will now be up to the voters to put the politicians on the spot. joining me now from westminster is our political

correspondent alex forsyth. they didn't mince their words today, alex? no, as iain was saying, this wasn't about a moment in parliament as prime minister's questions takes place every week, this was an opportunity to campaign. what the parties were doing was trying to draw the debate round to the territory they know is cold fortable for them. so for labour, it was about the nhs, it was about living standards, it was about school funding and for the tories, it was about the economy, about stability, about the economy, about stability, about brexit, and what we will hear again and again from theresa may is the idea of strong leadership. remember this was the last prime minister's questions before the election so some of the people might not be there in six weeks tile and you got a sense today that thises wa the last day of term. people were gearing up for the last day of term. people were gearing upfora the last day of term. people were gearing up for a big fight and they we re gearing up for a big fight and they were ready to get out there with their parties political messages. tell us about news from the liberal democrats camp and someone who won't

be standing after all? that's right, a former mp, david ward who was criticised in 2013 for making comments which were deemed to be anti—semitic. well, he lost his seat at the 2015 general election, but his local party decided that he should stand again as an mp prompting some criticism for the liberal democrats. then the leader tim farron came out today and said that in fact he had sacked david ward. he wouldn't be standing as a lib dem candidate because tim farron wa nted lib dem candidate because tim farron wanted to show the liberal democrats had a zero tolerance policy about anti—semitism. the bbc has been speaking to david ward. he insisted he was not anti—semitic and he did not understand the decision to sack him from the lib dems. this is what he had to say. this is all part of the plan, isn't it? how do you stop the house of commons raising issues of israel? what you do, you make sure that supporters of the palestinians don't get into the house of commons. and

ask awkward questions. and this is the strategy and it works, doesn't it? tell us about the debates. we knew that theresa may wasn't keen and now jeremy corbyn isn't either? theresa may said she wouldn't take part in a televised debate and now we hear from jeremy corbyn that he won't ta ke from jeremy corbyn that he won't take part in a debate against other opposition party leaders because labour want to frame the election in terms of what they see is the choice between a labour government and a conservative government. so, he says, he would only debate theresa may head—to—head and he won't do a debate with other opposition party leaders. this is whatjeremy corbyn had it say on this a few moments ago. i asked theresa may this morning about the tv debates and she said they're over because there is no more prime minister's questions because parliament will be dissolved next week. so actually, the debate

has to be including the prime minister, the leader of the conservative party, and we are up for that debate. 50 what format for that debate. so what format might we see jeremy for that debate. so what format might we seejeremy corbyn take part in the coming weeks if not a full—on leaders debate? you will see me all over the country taking questions from people on the streets. theresa may has said she debates jeremy corbyn every week at prime minister's questions and she will be out and about answering questions and talking to people during the course of this campaign, but it seems only a week or so in and we're already again, debating the debates! alex, we are indeed, thank you very much. meanwhile labour has announced plans to scrap the 1% cap on pay increases for nhs staff in england, and to end tuition fees for student nurses and midwives. it will be partly funded through an increase to corporation tax, but the plans won t be fully costed until labour's election manifesto is published. 0ur health editor hugh pym has been looking at labour's plans. marches by student nurses

and midwives in protest at plans in england to scrap state funded bursaries. from august nurses and midwives starting training will need to take out student loans, as with other courses. the government argues this will encourage universities to create a lot more places. but ucas figures showed university applications were nearly a quarter lower this year in england. labour says, if elected, it will restore the bursaries due to be scrapped in august. the party also wants to end the 1% pay cap for health staff. it says its policies will be paid for by reversing corporation tax cuts. labour also plans to get regulators to draw up guidelines on safe staffing in hospitals and then legislate to make hospitals abide by them. we think it's deeply unfair that our nhs staff have had to suffer from a 1% pay cap continually under this conservative government. we're saying we are going to scrap that cap, we're going to give our

nhs staff the pay they deserve and we're going to ask the independent public sector pay bodies to look at the evidence again and come forward with a fair package for our nhs staff, because they deserve better than what they're getting under this conservative government. but the conservatives argue that labour's funding plans for the measures didn't stack up. there's always a case for paying nurses more, they work extremely hard. but labour have already promised this money from corporation tax 12 times. they promised it for university tuition fees, for the schools budget. and if you don't really have that money, if you then lift that pay cap, what you end up having to do is to employ fewer nurses and that means less safe hospital wards. the liberal democrats said labour was not being honest with the public about the revenue raised to pay for the policies. with me is pauljohnson, director of institute for fiscal studies. thank you very much for being with

us. thank you very much for being with us. what do you make of the proposals then? well, the specific proposals then? well, the specific proposals are about increasing pay in the nhs and there is something to, there is an issue here because certainly over the next three or four years the government's proposition is pay will only rise by 196 proposition is pay will only rise by 1%a proposition is pay will only rise by 1% a year whilst we expect and hope that pay in the rest of the economy will rise rather faster than that and you can't just will rise rather faster than that and you can'tjust keep public sector wages down further and further relative who what's going on in the private sector the if you think you need to do that and we may well need to do something about then you have to ask how much is it going to cost and how much we have to pay for it? labour say corporation tax is the way to pay for it, by putting that up and then the conservatives are saying, well, labour say that about all their proposals. they a lwa ys about all their proposals. they always say they'll do it with corporation tax rise? well, we will look at the manifesto to see what

they're proposing, whether they are looking at doing far too much with corporation tax. we have had some very big cuts in the headline rates of corporation tax over the last several years and we now have the lowest rate in the g20, but it is important to be clear, two things, first, in the end, you and i pay corporation taxment companies can't. it is their customers or shareholders or employees who have to pay it. secondly, there have been some increases in corporation tax as well. it has not all been in one direction. interest there is a limit to what you can do with corporation taxment you might be able to get a couple of billion, but there is a limit. this might be the brexit election, but the health service is always central to politics this this country and the question of how to fund the national health service, not just fund the national health service, notjust in terms of nurses pay and so on notjust in terms of nurses pay and so on that we have been discussing today, but in a broader sense and the parties still don't agree on that? i think it is a really big

question actually because the spending on the health service has been squeezed more over the last seven been squeezed more over the last seve n years been squeezed more over the last seven years than at any time in the health service's history. the pressures a re health service's history. the pressures are building and we will have to make some decisions over the next four or five years and ten yea rs next four or five years and ten years about whether we want to have a health service free at the point of view, in which case we will need to increase spending and increase tax or whether we're going to find other ways of funding it, ration it, co—payments, that sort of thing if we wa nt co—payments, that sort of thing if we want a health service of the level we have come to expect then that's going to mean more tax, or less spending on other things or we will have to pay of other ways to pay for it and that should be a big pa rt pay for it and that should be a big part of how we talk about the choices facing the country. those choices facing the country. those choices are political. thank you very much indeed for being with us. pauljohnson, director of the institute for fiscal studies. thank you. the headlines on bbc news:

angry exchanges in the commons as theresa may accuses jeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. he has hit back saying the tories only represented the rich. jeremy corbyn will not take part in an opposition leaders debate ahead of the election. his decision comes after theresa may also ruled it out saying she preferred to get out and meet voters. west ham and newcastle united football clubs are raided in an investigation into alleged tax fraud. and in sport, is this the end ofjoe barton's football career? the 34—year—old burnley mid—fielder has been banned for 18 months after admitting an fa misconduct charge relating to betting. the ronnie 0'sullivan comeback is on. he trails 11-9. british number one, johanna konta is through to the last 16 of the

stuttgart 0pen tennis. i'll be back with more on those stories at a.30pm. see you then. will, thank you very much. newcastle united and west ham united football clubs have been raided in an investigation into alleged tax fraud. it is understood newcastle's managing director, lee charnley, is among several men who've been arrested. hmrc said it deployed 180 officers across the uk and france seizing business records, financial records, computers and mobile phones. fiona trott is at st james' park, home to newcastle united football club. what's been happening there today? well, this is where hmrc officers came this morning. they arrived behind the milburn stand, the managing director since 2014, lee charnley was arrested. he is being

questioned by hmrc officers this afternoon. while the search was going on here, another search was happening at a house about eight miles from here. we understand that that was a home of a football executive. we're hearing reports that the club's training ground was also searched. no official statement from the club today though about the search here at the house or at the training ground. fans here in the city, of course, very mixed emotions from them. they saw their club promoted back to the premier league just two days ago. we don't know the specific nature of this investigation today, but of course, remember back in january, investigation today, but of course, remember back injanuary, concerns at the parliamentary committee talking about the tax arrangements within the football industry. we learned then that 43 players, 12 clu bs, learned then that 43 players, 12 clubs, eight agents, the subject of open inquiries by hmrc. but certainly, here today, what we know is that lee charnley, the managing

director of newcastle united is helping hmrc officers with their inquiries today as part of their investigation into suspected £5 million national insurance and income tax fraud. fiona, thank you very much. lance corporal trimaan dhillon has been jailed for life and must serve a minimum of 22 years for the murder of alice ruggles. newcastle crown court heard that he killed his ex—girlfriend after stalking her and had been aggressive, controlling and manipulative throughout their short relationship. ms ruggles had told northumbria police she felt "harassed, alarmed and distressed" by his behaviour. 0ur correspondent allison freeman — who is outside newcastle crown court — sent us this update a short time ago. yes, it has been a very difficult afternoon in court. we have heard impact statements from the family who described this ray of sunshine

that alice ruggles was, who touched hundreds of people's lives. now, that sentence has just been handed down in the past few minutes. a minimum of 22 years for lance corporal trimaan dhillon for murdering alice in her own home on 12th october last yearment throughout the trial we've heard that during their short relationship, dhillon had been controlling, manipulative, jealous, all the while, cheating on her behind her back and when she found this out, she tried to end the relationship, but dhillon wouldn't allow it. he stalked her repeatedly, driving all the way from his barracks in edinburgh to her home in gates head sometimes late at night. he was stalking her in effect and then on 12th october last year, he actually murdered alice in her own home. it was, he was found guilty today of breaking into her flat and slitting her throat six timesment thejudge described it slitting her throat six timesment the judge described it as an act of utter barbarism. he said that alice must have been in extreme pain and

terror throughout the final moments. and the investigation has been referred to the ipcc? well, that's right. alice did actually report lance corporal trimaan dhillon to the police, northumbria police after he turned up at her house on several occasions and ignored warnings not to get in touch with her. she was asked on one occasion what she wa nted asked on one occasion what she wanted done about it, whether she felt she wanted to get dhillon i will prisoned and some of the family state m e nts will prisoned and some of the family statements refer to that she was a nice person and didn't want to get him into trouble and didn't understand the serious risk posed to her. northumbria police referred themselves to the ipcc and carried out an internal investigation and the results are with the ipcc. the suzy lamluh trust said alice shouldn't have been asked what to do and it was the police's responsibility. surrey police have been strongly

criticised for returning a collection of shotguns to a man who went on to kill his partner and her daughter. 82—year—old john lowe shot christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in farnham in 2014. a report by the independent police complaints commission has found serious failings at the surrey force. here's duncan kennedy. the white—haired figure ofjohn lowe moments after he shot dead christine and lucy lee at his puppy farm in surrey. christine, who was a partner, and her daughter lucy were killed with a shotgun. this shotgun. that had been returned tojohn lowe by surrey police. lowe, seen here at the police station, was jailed for life. today the independent police complaints commission said that surrey police had made a series of errors in handing the gun back to him. but there were lessons for all police forces. we found systematic failings for the local force and also we feel there are lessons to be learned nationally for police forces to ensure that their firearms licensing teams are up to the job.

it was in march 2013 thatjohn lowe had his shotguns seized by surrey police after allegations that he had made threats to kill. that complaint was later withdrawn. injuly 2013, the shotguns and license were returned to him. seven months later christine and lucy lee were shot dead with one of the weapons. stacy banner, the daughter of christine and sister to lucy, said the police had been warned aboutjohn lowe. i told the police how dangerous he was. i told the police that he would kill. and he did. surrey police have admitted mistakes were made in this case. they say the medical records ofjohn lowe were not properly investigated and that a full risk assessment was not carried out before the guns were given back to him. senior officers say they have

apologised to the family of christine and lucy lee. do you accept that if those guns had not been returned then christine and lucy lee could still be alive? well, clearly he used those shotguns in a double murder, a horrific case, seven months after they were returned. i don't think we can ever be asked to see into the future, but clearly what should happen in this case is a better risk assessment should have been done and those guns should not have been returned. one member of staff from surrey police was sacked over the case, another retired. the deaths of christine and lucy lee have traumatised the family and changed the way guns are now controlled in the uk. a 24—hour strike on arriva rail north will go ahead on friday. the rmt union said the industrial action will take place following the failure of talks to resolve an ongoing dispute over the role of guards. it's the third time workers have walked out over the row. the number of senior bbc managers earning more than £150,000 a year

has risen despite assurances that it would fall. the national audit office says the total went up from 89 to 98 during the past four years. but overall the number of managers fell from 540 to 319. next week will be the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of madeleine mccann. detectives say they are still pursuing what they describe as a "critical lead" in the case. the little girl was three when she vanished during a family holiday in portugal. her parents kate and gerry say the tenth anniversary is a "horrible marker of stolen time". and they've promised never to give up looking for their daughter. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. ten years, no answers. a desperate search with the media following every step. what happened here? where is madeleine mccann? this is still a missing persons inquiry. despite 2014's extensive police

searches in portugal, there is no definitive evidence she is dead. for six years, with government money, the metropolitan police have been reviewing everything from scratch. we have a significant line of inquiry which is worth pursuing. and because it's worth pursuing, it could provide an answer. but until we've gone through it, i will not know whether we're going to get there or not. and that's all the police are saying. this investigation was once pursued by up to 30 officers. now there are just four on the case and a handful of leads. but while there is still something to investigate, there is still hope. madeleine's parents have described the ten year anniversary as a horrible marker of stolen time. they've released a statement promising never to give up. there have been many challenges and low points along the way, they said, but the "warmth, encouragement and positivity we have experienced from the quiet majority

has undoubtedly sustained us and maintained our faith in human goodness". this is how madeleine might have looked as she has grown up. her 14th birthday is the week after next. the two candidates in the french presidential race, marine le pen and emmanuel macron, have had an angry exchange after the leader of the front national paid a surprise visit to striking factory workers as mr macron was holding talks with their union leaders. the candidates were both in mr macron‘s home town in northern france, where a factory belonging to the american home appliances manufacturer whirlpool is due to close next year. our correspondent hugh schofield has the latest form paris. this sounds fas fating hugh. tell us more. well, these were lively scenes. i don't know if the pictures have come in, but they were very,

very enjoyable to watch! there was emmanuel macron who was talking to union representatives in the chamber of commerce building and all very official and then suddenly out of the blue, the factory not far away, marine le pen arrived and staged this publicity coup where she arrived in front of the gates and started talking to the workers who we re started talking to the workers who were on the picket line and who welcomed her and lots of selfies and all the rest of it and then said to the cameras, "i'm with the workers. i'm with the working people while emmanuel macron is behind a desk hobnobbing with officials." the message very clear, that she was out campaigning with real people while emmanuel macron was, you know, a desk bound person. but rising to the challenge and this is where it got interesting, emmanuel macron came out himself, in is the last hour, to speak to the workers and turned the

situation which was really in his disfavour looking bad for him, very much back into his favour because he showed, i think, much back into his favour because he showed, ithink, great much back into his favour because he showed, i think, great courage and presence of mind to turn up and amid about oo and hisses from the workers, he met them and talked to them and was not at all phased, exercised his charm and deliberateness and delivered a message which was not, i promise i'll save you, it was much more on the lines of, "look, i can't save every single factory. we will do what we can here if i'm president, but we have to recognise we live in the real world. factories will close if we banned closures and no one would invest. delivering the responsible message which he could call the demagoggy of marine le pen. is the election still very

much emmanuel macron‘s to lose? le pen. is the election still very much emmanuel macron's to lose? he is still well ahead in the polls. marine le pen made the running in the last couple of days the we are at the gik of the round two campaign, but she is the one who has come out of the stalls quickest and there has been criticism emmanuel macron for resting on his laurels. there was a moment when he went to a restau ra nt there was a moment when he went to a restaurant and was photographed celebrating with friends and that was taken badly in the press anyway. it sealed to imply that he thought he had it in the bag. so there is a lot of advice going to emmanuel macron now, get out there, get serious and that's what he has done today. hugh, good to talk to you, many thanks. now the weather forecast. jay has the details. there have been showers around across central and eastern parts of the uk in particular. 0ne 01’ parts of the uk in particular. 0ne or two further west, but there has been lively western for eastern parts of england, rain, hail, snow mixed in with that and thunder and

lightening. the showers will fade away and then it turns cold in the southern half of the uk. not so further north because there will be cloud and patchy rain, but the blue colours on the map, that's a harsh frost developing in some rural spots. it should be a bright start. make the most of that because cloud and patchy rain will edge its way further south. it turns dull and damp here. it brightens up in scotland. we see 13 celsius in glasgow. similar temperatures in london, around about 11 or so for belfast and cardiff. friday, it looks like a quiet day really. a lot of cloud. sunshine. not much rain to speak of and the winds are quite light as well. hello.

this is bbc news. the headlines at 4:30pm... theresa may and jeremy corbyn have clashed during the final prime minister's questions before the general election. mr corbyn said voters had a choice between a tory government for the few, or a labour government that would stand up for everyone. labour has announced plans nhs staff will get higher pay and there will be nojewish and feasible student nurses and midwives under a labour government. the party has promised to introduce the policies to address staffing shortages. jeremy corbyn will not take part in a tv debate between opposition leaders. his spokesman says he's willing to go head—to—head with theresa may but mrs may has already ruled that out. west ham and newcastle united football clubs have been raided in an investigation into alleged tax fraud.

it is understood newcastle's managing director, lee charnley, is among several men who've been arrested. time for the sports news. good afternoon. burnley midfielderjoey barton has been banned from football for 18 months after admitting a football association charge in relation to betting. he said it could effectively be the end of his career and has admitted he is addicted to gambling. ian dennis has more. at was alleged that between the 26th of march 2006 on the 13th of may 2016, joey barton place 1260 bets on the result, progress, conduct or any of our expects of football matches and competitions, which is an break of fa rules. the burnley midfielder was fined £30,000 and warned about its future conduct. his 18 month

suspension is with immediate effect and is for all footballing activity. the 34—year—old joined burnley in january as a free agent until the end of the season and has made 18 appearances. he intends to appeal. a new twenty20 cricket competition will start in the summer of the year 2020, after the ecb voted heavily in favour of a change in the governing body's constitution. 0ur reporter patrick gearey told me it was an historic moment for english cricket. ever since victorian times the game has been based around counties, after this vote of 41 ecb members, 38 supported a change allowing the creation of eight non—county teams to ta ke creation of eight non—county teams to take part in a new t20 competition which, as you said, sta rts competition which, as you said, starts in the summer of 2020. it will be specifically aimed at young people and families, groups the ecb feels it is not reaching and who are important for the future of the game. county cricket and the existing t20 blast will continue

around it but this new competition will rival the likes of the ipl in india and the australian big bash. an overwhelming change for english cricket. surrey and england all—rounder zafar ansari has announced his retirement from cricket, with immediate effect, saying he had other ambitions he wanted to fulfil. ansari is only 25 and began playing with surrey at the age of eight. he made his test debut last october, shortly before he obtained a master's in history. he plans to explore another career, potentially in law. britain's joanna konta is through to the second round of the stuttgart 0pen in germany, beating japanese qualifier naomi 0saka in three sets. konta was playing her first wta event since winning the miami 0pen and won a difficult first set on the tie—break. 0saka soon presented even more of a problem to konta. she immediately broke her and went on to win the second set 6—3. but konta moved up a gear and after close to two hours the world number seven took the deciding set 6—1, and with it the match. later in stuttgart, maria sharapova makes her return to tennis following a 15 month doping suspension. the former wimbledon

champion is a wild card at the stuttgart grand prix — and her first opponent roberta vinci has already said she's opposed to the russian receiving her invite. world number one andy murray is through to the third round of the barcelona 0pen after his opponent bernard tomic withdrew with a back injury. we can bring you some dramatic news. ronnie 0'sullivan is fighting hard to stay in the world snooker championship. he trailed 10—6 overnight in his quarterfinal against china's ding junhui but at the mid—sesion interval had cut his deficit to 11—9 thanks to a break of 146 in frame 20. he had the chance to go for the 147 maximum but opted to pot a pink, then cleared the colours for what is nevertheless the highest break of the tournament so far. it's only the third 146 in championship history. these are the nice pictures. ——

these are the live pictures. ronnie 0'sullivan is back to 12—10, a big chance the danger and to set up a semifinal against mark selby. ronnie has that back to 12—10 thanks to ding missing a tight cut on a red into the back pocket. he will face mark selby, whoever wins this, in the semifinal. that is all the sport for now, more in the next hour. the commander of us foces in korea has told congress that an advanced missile defence system will be operational in south korea in the coming days. in recent weeks the us has deployed warships and a submarine to the peninsular. that is prompted an angry response. the head of the pacific command, admiral harry harris, told the house armed services committee that the united states

did not want to topple the north korean leader, kim jong un. he called on china, pyongyang's closest ally, to face up to its responsibilities. recent actions by beijing are encouraging and welcome but the fact remains that china is as responsible for where north korea is today as north korea itself. in confronting the reckless north korean regime it is critical that we are guided by a strong sense of resolve, privately and publicly, but diplomatically and militarily. as president trump undersecretary have made clear, all options are on the table. we want to bring kimjong options are on the table. we want to bring kim jong un options are on the table. we want to bring kimjong unto his options are on the table. we want to bring kim jong un to his senses, options are on the table. we want to bring kimjong unto his senses, not to his knees. we are challenged by an aggressive china and an advancing russia, neither of whom seem to respect the international agreements they have signed onto. at the harry harris, commander of us forces in korea. bill powell is a senior writer at newsweek. welcome to bbc news. how

surprisingly is the speed with which the system is being put into place? it isa the system is being put into place? it is a bit surprising, though the deployment was long planned and i think one of the things that was added to the urgency was notjust the sense that the crisis on the korean peninsular was escalating but also the political uncertainty in seoul, we have a presidential election coming up, the outcome of which is very much in doubt. i think the us wanted... and the south koreans wanted to get the system there and up and running so that it is, in effect, a fait accompli should the far left candidates prevail in seoul in the election. they want that system in place and a

planned running. how carefully have the united states got to tread, given china is saying this kind of system will upset regional security? the have played their hand very badly —— the chinese have played their hand very badly on this, the bullying tactics, economic lead particularly, have infuriated the majority of average south koreans. given that president trump and president xi have had extensive discussions on the north korea issue, i would expect that beijing would dial down some of their actions and rhetoric about the system and concentrate more solely on exercising what leveraging it can to try to get kim jong un and to come to his senses, as admiral

harris said. we know president trump likes to do things differently but he has summoned all 100 senate members to the white house, how often does that happen? very rarely, todayis often does that happen? very rarely, today is an extraordinary moment. none of us... at least, not i and my journalistic colleagues, we don't really have a sense of beyond what has been out there already, what the message will be. for me the most interesting question is will the administration present intelligence to the 100 members of the senate which is more alarming than what the conventional view is is to wear in the north koreans would be able to launch an intercontinental ballistic that could target the us with a

small nuclear warhead attached to it. the conventional view is that the north is 18 to 36 months out from being able to accomplish both of those tasks. what i am going to be very eager to find out is whether the administration says anything in that session today at the white house that brings that timetable forward , house that brings that timetable forward, because that would indeed be alarming. bill powell from newsweek, thank you very much. more now on labour announcing plans to scrap the 1% cap on pay increases for nhs staff in england, and to end tuition fees for student nurses and midwives. with me is donna kinnair, director of nursing policy and practice at the royal college of nursing. donna, thank you for being with us.

what would you say about labour's proposals that they have outlined today? the rcn has long campaigned today? the rcn has long campaigned to scrap the cap on nursing paid, because we know that many of the nurses feel undervalued and have had a pay restraint in several years which means they have lost about 40% of their wages in terms of salary. we welcome the recognition that nhs staff need to be rewarded and any government that rewards the nursing staff rewards the patients that they ca re staff rewards the patients that they care for. the question is whether the country can afford paying nhs staff more? my response to that is the austerity measures that we have put in place are a choice, and it depends on what we value as a country. we would argue that the health of the nation is the highest priority and therefore we would want to see those providing care for the

nation remunerated properly. part of theissueis nation remunerated properly. part of the issue is recruitment, isn't it? in terms of stuff coming into the national health service and the need for those staff. post brexit, perhaps with immigration controls tighter, whether that will be a problem? part of the problem originated because we failed to train enough staff, some of the things happening now such is the proposal to stop student funding might impact on that. part of it is the problem we have created, in the most the problem we have created, in the m ost rece nt the problem we have created, in the most recent yea rs the problem we have created, in the most recent years we have recruited more nhs staff but we are onlyjust back to the levels we saw in 2007/8, so back to the levels we saw in 2007/8, so we're just about at those levels. we know there was increasing demand on nursing staff to provide caring treatment to patients, therefore we need the numbers to provide good car. the idea from labour are vending tuition fees for student

nurses and midwives? we would welcome that, we have long can paint —— campaigned for that because although we have seen student nursing as any other student, 50% of student nurse time is spent in practice, they do not have the opportunities that other students have of working to supplement grants or supplementing their loans. therefore we feel that they are providing care to patients in the nhs and it is the only relationship this government will have in terms of defining the numbers going forward that we require for the health service. thank you for coming m, health service. thank you for coming in, donna kinnairfrom the royal couege in, donna kinnairfrom the royal college of nursing. they've been a firm fixture on television in the run up to the general election since the first leaders' debate in 2010 — but this time it's the country's two main political leaders who've pulled the plug. first, theresa may refused to take part in a debate. today it was jeremy corbyn who switched off to the idea. mr corbyn was asked if by not taking part, he ran the risk of looking like he was running scared.

not at all. i asked theresa may this morning about the tv debates. lots of people asked about it. she said they are over because there is no prime minister's questions time because parliament is now dissolved. they will be dissolved week. so actually the debate has to be including the prime minister, the leader of the conservative party. we are upfor leader of the conservative party. we are up for that debate. just how popular are the debates with the public? we can speak to charlie beckett, media professor at the london school of economics and director of its media think tank polis. and also doctor eamon butler, co—founder and director of the think tank the adam smith institute. he recently wrote why we should not have television debates. charlie,

what are the merits of having a debate? they have not been with us in this country for that long? we have been ridiculously slow to get them going. they have been part of them going. they have been part of the elections but every time we have one we had to go through palaver of negotiating who is going to appear, whether they will appear and how they are going to be. the fact is that they are very popular. politics is not particularly popular form of entertainment but television is a really important source, it is where people say they get their information, tv debates or tv programmes where we have the leaders interacting with each other, especially when they interact with the public, they are remarkably popular. millions of people tuna and, often for an hour or an hour and, often for an hour or an hour and a half, i think that is a really important part of an election. why do you disagree? because i don't think politic should be about

entertainment, i think it should be about the facts and what people are going to do. i think tv debates are completely unsuited to the british constitution. in america you are choosing a president, one of several individual standing for office. in the uk you are electing your local memberof parliament, the uk you are electing your local member of parliament, from those local mps they choose who the leader of the party is going to be and therefore who the prime minister will be. in other words, in america you are choosing the president. here you are choosing the president. here you are choosing people who are supposed to protect you from the central power of the government, your local mp is supposed to be representing you against the prime minister if he or she thinks the prime minister is doing a bad job. they are not suited to this. professor beckett, it favours those who are good on television and does not necessarily give an overall balanced view of how good a person

will be as leader of the country? no, but! will be as leader of the country? no, but i think it is a fantastic way... it is not to do with entertainment but it is engaging people, letting hear the arguments, letting people get some information. in an age where there are so many different sources, television remains the best way to get people to pay attention. of course it is about the leaders, that is what politics is about these days. it is about character, personality, persuasion. whether you can make an overall case. the television debates, for all their flaws, overall case. the television debates, for all theirflaws, are an important element. we want lots of other sources of information and you wa nt to other sources of information and you want to go to meetings with your local mp, for example, but the tv debates have shown they can really cut through and engage people. debates have shown they can really cut through and engage peoplem there not something in that, dr

butler, especially when members of the public bring questions on politicians have no idea of what they face, you see a different side of politicians when you are up against a member of the public rather than a journalist? mps experience that on the hustings in their own constituency, they understand these things. what you get in television debates is the high—profile performer. 0ne get in television debates is the high—profile performer. one of the reasons we have trump in america is that he was the most aggressive person on television and the most entertaining. is he going to be the best presidential candidate? people are not so sure. i think it is right that television debates have a major influence on elections, but is that what we want? do we want an election to be decided on an hour or an hour and a half sparked between two individuals, especially when they are individuals, especially when they a re party individuals, especially when they are party leaders and we are not voting for party leaders but for

people who will represent us against the executive in parliament. a quick and safe you both would, without these debates, how best will we find out... test the mettle, if you like, of these leaders? dr butler first?” don't think it should be focused on the leaders, they have far too much power, it has increased and it ought to be diminished. we ought to be looking at the people who represent us looking at the people who represent us in politics. tv interviews with ordinarily members of parliament and parliamentary candidates are perfectly good at doing that, radio is as well, there is a lot of information, that is what we should be judging on. information, that is what we should bejudging on. professor information, that is what we should be judging on. professor beckett? locally tv debates will not decide the election, they did not decide the election, they did not decide the last one but they are an important part of alongside the other things. you can talk to your mp in person or on twitter, you can get information and lots of ways but the tv debates are a very good way

to reach beyond the people obsessed by politics, the experts and the obsessives. it is a really good way to engage a wider audience. professor charlie beckett and dr eamonn butler, thank you forjoining us. a good television debates of our own. tb is a fantastic medium, we agree. notan agree. not an empty chair inside. breaking news from new york, the movie directorjonathan demme, best known for silence of the lambs, has died at the age of 73, according to his publicist. he also directed the oscar—winning film philadelphia. he had been suffering from oesophageal cancer, according to his publicist. he died in new york on wednesday morning surrounded, apparently, by his family. his most recent film was the 20 15th

his family. his most recent film was the 2015th comedy ricky and the flash, starring meryl streep. silence of the lambs director jonathan demme has died at the age of 73. in a moment a look at how the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: angry exchanges in the commons as theresa may accuses jeremy corbyn of not being up to the job of prime minister. but he has hit back, saying the tories only represented the rich. butjeremy corbyn will not take part in an opposition leaders' debate ahead of the election. his decision comes after theresa may also ruled it out, saying she preferred to get out and meet voters. several people are arrested after west ham and newcastle united football clubs are raided in an investigation into alleged tax fraud. hello. let's look at how the markets

in the repairs —— europe have ended trading. markets across the world are powering ahead. there is less anxiety about europe amongst investors on the hope that centrist emmanuel macron can defeat the anti—eu marine le pen in the second round of the french presidential elections next month. traders are more confident about the health of the global economy, given signs of improvement in europe, the lack of an economic slowdown in china and winning fears that donald trump's protectionist policies will spark a trade war between washington and beijing. in the uk online fashion site boohoo have almost doubled pre—tax profits to £31 million, up from just under £60 million last year. sales have jumped by 51% because of foreign buyers, its share price has more than trebled in the past year. the barclays boss says

than trebled in the past year. the ba rclays boss says access to talented workers after brexit is tremendously important. that is for the uk financial sector. he suggested that immigration rather than trade would be the biggest issue for the city of london after the uk leads the european union. in the us, investors are waiting for a beginner ‘s men today from us president donald trump on his planned tax reforms —— investors are waiting for a big announcement today. he wants to slash corporation tax from 31% to 15% and cut the highest bracket of personal tax to 2596. highest bracket of personal tax to 25%. can he get it through congress? we have a global market strategist fromjp we have a global market strategist from jp morgan asset management to discuss those issues. let's talk about the tax cuts donald trump is about to announce later today. quite a big haircut? certainly the us tax rate is much higherfor corporate certainly the us tax rate is much higher for corporate than the rest of the world's corporate tax rates,

in germany and uk, for example, the rate is lower. if the us administration gets this route it will be a huge change for how us companies can provide earnings to shareholders or themselves, so all eyes a re shareholders or themselves, so all eyes are watching washington and seeing what comes out of the discussion and the plan going forward to get this through in congress in the us. let's move on online fashion, boohoo have done really well, asos have done pretty well. they are pointing towards international buyers, is that because sterling is more attractive now? that is one of the reasons for uk retailers to see a big boost in international sales. additionally it points to the strength of the global consumer. when you have an uptake in global data, that is a real sign that consumers are willing to spend and not just consumers are willing to spend and notjust on consumers are willing to spend and not just on the consumers are willing to spend and notjust on the high streets of the world but online, that is a big theme across the equity market,

looking at e—commerce and online retailers which, as we can see, has been doing rather well. the barclays boss says immigration will be key because he is concerned aboutjobs in the city. you are in the city, do you get that feeling? it is an important reminder that negotiations rounding trade or the goods and services, particularly the financial services trade, is more than what it is on the trade side but also in terms of movement of labour, movement of ideas, innovation etc. we will have to watch and see what happens with the negotiations but there is some concern that brexit has notjust the affects on paper but the secondary and tertiary effects on the market and tertiary effects on the market and the consumer place. you very much. let's look at the markets before we go. europe is in the green, lots of that will be fuelled by investors being confident about a macron victory in france.

analysts fear they might be over confident and we will not have long to wait, the second round of elections are in may. that is it from me, there is around above the other top business stories on the website. thank you. very soon it will be time for the bbc news that five. who is it with today? do we know? somebody very famous. it might be huw edwards. it is! he has been preparing all day. he is limbering up, we can feel it. that is it from us, now it is time for the weather with matt taylor. for those in the north and west, fewer share was compared to yesterday, but in eastern england they are very frequent, east anglia and the south—east especially have rumbles of thunder, some hail and even sleet at times. also affecting

parts of the east midlands. away from that, not too many showers. it is on the chilly side given the northerly airflow but with lighter winds and yesterday it does not feel quite as bad. into tonight, shell is fading in the south but clouding overfor scotland, northern and northern england with occasional rain. keeping temperatures up, but with clearer skies southern parts of england and wales away from the city centres will see a frost. tomorrow, bright and frosty to start across the south, clouding over with occasional rain developing. further north, cloud and occasional rain but a bit of sunshine and temperatures slowly on the rise. that process continues into the weekend. goodbye for now. today at five. the prime minister refuses to guarantee the so—called triple—lock on pensions if the conservatives win the election. in the final session of prime minister's questions before polling day — there were also clashes over brexit

and the quality of leadership. strong leadership is about standing up for the many and not the few. but when it comes to the prime minister and the conservatives they only look after the richest and not the rest. the choice is clear, every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic brexit, every vote for me is about to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for britain.