this is bbc news. i'm annita mcveigh. the headlines at 2.00pm: labour and the conservatives compete for worker's votes — theresa may rules out a vat rise, while labour says it won't raise tax for those on low incomes. we are the party that wants low taxes are low and medium earners. the conservative party are the party that wants low taxes for the high earners. madeleine mccann has been missing for ten years, but in an interview to mark the anniversary, her parents say they still hope she will be found. one of the world's best known mountaineers ueli steck has been killed in an accident on mount everest. 100 days into his presidency, donald trump tells a rally that media criticism is fake news . you can see the interview with kate and gerry mccann at 2.30pm this afternoon.

good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. theresa may has said there will be no increase in vat if the conservatives win the general election. however, the prime minister has given her clearest signal yet that her party will abandon its promise not to raise income tax or national insurance contributions. labour has also promised not to raise vat. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, said he would end what he called "giveaways to the rich", while labour would protect low and middle earners. our political correspondent leila nathoo reports. in the swing of an election campaign, there is, for some, an unmentionable word. so far, theresa may has

skirted around the issue of whether her government would increase taxes but this morning she gave her strongest indication yet not to raise national insurance, income tax or vat. we have no plans to increase the level of tax, but i am also very clear i don't want to make specific proposals on taxes unless i am absolutely sure i can deliver on those. it would be my intentions of a conservative government and a conservative prime minister, to reduce the taxes on working families. later, she went further in clarifying her plans. we won't be increasing vat, but what i want to ensure is we are able to have the strong... you definitely won't raise vat, that is a 100% commitment? where will extra money come from to pay for schools, hospitals and social care? the prime minister hinted

the long—term plan for that would be in her manifesto. labour says it would make those at the top pay more. we would end the tax giveaways to the rich. we would demonstrate how we would fund those. let me give this assurance, there will be no increases in income tax for middle and low earners. labour is guaranteeing the state pension will continue to rise by 2.5% a year. theresa may suggested she was considering a new way of calculating the increase. but brexit looms and with the eu states negotiating around their position yesterday, the other opposition party sends an opportunity. the labour party are fighting amongst themselves and have given up opposing the government. the country needs a stronger position for the sake of democracy. we don't have too agree with me on everything to agree with me that britain needs a strong opposition.

the eu has been clear they have been clear they have to look after the interests of the eu 27. in the next parliament we have an importantjob of holding the current government to account. theresa may doesn't want to discuss our eu divorce bill before trade talks and says she is still happy to walk away without a deal. with me is our political correspondent jonathan blake. we've also heard from jeremy corbyn today. the may giving herself some wriggle room on tax rises, what isjeremy corbyn said on the subject? he has been spoken at —— speaking at the national association of head teachers conference. he has been outlining that labour would be the true party for the many and not the few. talking about the crisis as a

calls within nhs funding, not enough homes being built, a real term cut. education was his main focus today. he wants free school meals for all primary school pupils and being against the expansion of grammar schools. he was asked about tax after words. theresa may was talking about her plans. jeremy corbyn wa nted about her plans. jeremy corbyn wanted to draw a clear line between labour and the conservatives. we are the party that wants low taxes low and medium earners. the conservative party are the party that wants low taxes for the high earners. we look at things the other way round. so, yes, there will be changes but they will be very, very much at the top end. theresa may has been talking about pensions this morning. she's starting to question the triple lock. what's your reaction and your response? the triple lock was a very important step forward in protecting incomes for pensioners and the pension system we have in this country.

it gives security to people in older age. we will protect the triple lock and we will also address the question of the waspi women and the way they have been, i believe, short—changed by our society. these sorts of issues would be the absolute bread—and—butter issues that we would focus on in a normal election campaign. what evidence is there that they are getting any sort of traction against the overarching issue of brexit? regs it is the backdrop to this campaign. there are plenty of other issues in play. as far as theresa may is concerned we hear her say that every possible opportunity, that she would provide strong and stable leadership. she has been criticised for repeating that too often and it's sounding a bit robotic. she says that is very

much what she and the conservative party has to offer and i think we will hear more about in the campaign. there are so many other issues that people will make up their minds on and labour will try at turn to move the debate on to widen the discussion on to the sorts of things they have been talking about today, so the nhs, schools and other areas of domestic policy. at the moment we are getting big promises, but there will be more detail to come from all parties when they put out their manifestos in the coming weeks. ten years after the disappearance of madeleine mccann, her parents have told the bbc they will do "whatever it takes, for as long as it takes" to find their daughter. madeleine was three—years—old when she went missing on holiday in portugal while her parents were eating at a nearby restaurant. speaking to fiona bruce, kate and gerry mccann talked about the pain they continue to face after a decade of uncertainty. every day is another day without madeleine... i think it's just that number.

that ten year mark makes it more significant. it's a reminder of how much time has gone by and obviously ten is a big number. i think that the day and the poignancy of it... we don't tend to go back because it's so draining. but inevitably on anniversaries and birthdays, they're by far the hardest. how different is your life now to what you must have imagined all those years ago? it's a hard one. such a long time. i think before madeleine was taken we felt we'd managed to achieve a perfect, nuclear family of five. we had that for a short period. you adapt. you have a new normality. unfortunately for us, the new normality at the moment is a family of four.

last time we talked, you told me how you were still buying birthday presents and christmas presents for madeleine... are you still doing that? yes, we still do that. a lot of thought goes into it. i couldn't not do that. she'll always be our daughter. the police have talked about one signifca nt lead that they're still pursuing. can you tell me anything about that? we're very much... the investigation is in the hands of the met police. ongoing enquiries. we've come a long way and there is progress, there are some very credible lines the police are working on, and while there's no evidence to give us any negative news that hope is still there. it really is there, in your hearts? one day you'll be reunited with your daughter? no parent is going to give up on their child unless they know for certain their child is dead. theyjust don't have any evidence.

my hope of madeleine being out there is no less than it was ten years ago. kate and gerry mccann speaking to fiona bruce. you can see the interview in full here on bbc news at 2.30pm. counter—terrorism detectives have been granted more time to question seven suspects detained in two separate incidents. khalid mohammed omar ali was arrested on thursday afternoon near parliament square. three women, two men and a teenager remain in custody following separate police operation in north london and kent. under anti—terrorism laws, suspects can be held for a maximum of 14 days with judicial approval. donald trump has marked the 100th day of his presidency with a speech defending his record and attacking the media. addressing thousands of cheering supporters in pennsylvania, he insisted he's delivering his election promises "every single day" and dismissed criticism

of him as "fake news". our correspondent laura bicker sent this report from the rally. they came to support their champion, to celebrate 100 days of a president who calls them "the forgotten of america." i think his first 100 days have been outstanding, myself. he hasn't got enough credit for what he has done. i support him 100%. in the nation's capital, the deliberate contrast. celebrities and journalists gathering for the glitzy white house correspondents' dinner which is usually attended by the president. but he said he wanted to shun the press in favour of his people. i could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away from the washington swamp spending my evening with all of you! back at the correspondents' dinner, the usual revelry was replaced

by a sombre defence. it is ourjob to report on facts and to hold leaders accountable. that is who we are. we are not fake news. but the president kept a determined note, and those who'd waited all day to hear those magic words were finally rewarded. we will make america safe again! and we will make america great again! donald trump has said there has been nothing like the last 100 days. he has proved to be unconventional and certainly unpredictable. on that, at least, both his supporters, and his critics, will agree. laura bicker, bbc news, pennsylvania. american political analyst eric ham joins me now from washington. good to have you with us on bbc news

this afternoon. at that rally, donald trump continued to attack the media as out of touch and purveyors of fa ke media as out of touch and purveyors of fake news and told his supporters he was giving one promise after another. what is your assessment of theirclaim? another. what is your assessment of their claim? actually, i think it is an alternative universe that donald trump is in when he talks about how successful this 100 days has been and how great it is for him to get out of the washington swamp. he ran on training though washington swamp and after 100 days it looks like he hasn't done enough to cause a ripple in this washington swamp. i think he has a long way to go and we haven't seen donald trump get his political footing. we have seen failure after failure so farand footing. we have seen failure after failure so far and that is why the 100 days is such a benchmark for us here in the dates because we look at

the 100 days this get an idea of what the four years will look like. as he creates his narrative, is anyone telling him that there is another narrative out there. is listening? if you live donald trump's approval numbers, that is showing what is really happening. donald trump has the lowest approval rating of any president in the modern era. he has the lowest approval rating of any president after the first hundred days. if you look at his approval ratings particularly amongst his own party, his numbers are still much lower than we have seen from predecessors, particularly george w bush, george bush and ronald reagan. those presidents after 100 days stored there approval ratings in the high 90s. he is in the low 80s. audi talking there are about other republican politicians? argued talking about the voters who put him

in power, are they keeping the faith and surely that is more important as far as donald trump is concerned?” am specifically talking about republican voters because they are the people who really matter because they will go to the polls and support you in four years. those numbers are not where they need to be at this point after a hundred days. why do you think that is? because he got off on a very shaky start. he has been such a combative resident, particularly with policy makers here in washington that it has just been very difficult for him to translate his campaign rhetoric into policy successes. we talk about that, but a beginning. into policy successes. we talk about that, buta beginning. is into policy successes. we talk about that, but a beginning. is there any evidence that he is sticking with the fake news attacks and the media and so on, but is there any other evidence that he is tailoring his approach based on what has happened

over the last 100 days and the fact that he hasn't been able to get ahead with all of the issues that he wa nted ahead with all of the issues that he wanted to get ahead on? ahead with all of the issues that he wanted to get ahead 0mm ahead with all of the issues that he wanted to get ahead on? if we are seeing any change in this president that will mark a noticeable difference, difference that would put many people, particularly in the policy community, at least, it is the fact that he is moving from a and nationalist foreign policy standpoint to a more internationalist, interventionist standpoint where he is engaging with world leaders and recognising that the united states and he is the president cannot engage with the rest of the world by himself and that he needs world leaders to deal with these intractable problems. his domestic agenda has completely stalled. he hasn't been able to get the support that he wanted for the wall, that he wanted particularly on his own base on health care and

other issues. if he wants to see success other issues. if he wants to see success going forward he has to change his tactics and tried to engage and be more inclusive in trying to get legislative successes. he is in desperate need of a win, evenif he is in desperate need of a win, even if he says otherwise. that's stalling of the domestic agenda, is that putting a dent in his america first policy? is that what might ultimately causes voters to turn away from him? that is right you see the campaign style rallies that took place last night in pennsylvania. as the begins to continued to rack up these losses, he has to do what he can to keep the base of support that he has. donald trump is only pulling around 40% some even right now he doesn't have a consensus of the entire country with him on his agenda and that will make it very

hard. he has to do what he can to try to shore up the support that he has, which is still in the low 40s. that is simply not enough to claim a mandate and to turn that mandate into political and policy success. eric, thank you very much for your thoughts on that. the headlines on bbc news: labour and the conservatives compete for worker's votes — theresa may rules out a vat rise, while labour says it won't raise tax for those on low incomes. madeleine mccann has been missing for ten years but in an interview to mark the anniversary her parents say they still hope she'll be found. donald trump tells a rally that media criticism is fake news. one of the world's most accomplished mountaineers, ueli steck, has been killed in an accident

on mount everest. steck, known as the swiss machine, was climbing alone on the mountain as he prepared for an attempt on the summit without oxygen. steck, who was 40, had won many awards and was famed for the speed of his accents. alexandra mackenzie reports. mount everest, dangerous and daunting, even for the most experienced of climbers. just climbing from base camp to camp number two. ueli steck, also known as the swiss machine, planning the detail of his route. we don't know if it is possible, that is the interesting thing. nobody has done that before. having the chance, it is there and it is possible, but i don't know. he knew the dangers, he had reached the summit without oxygen in 2012 and in 2015 he climbed all 82 alpine peaks, over 4000 metres injust 62 days. he conquered the north face of

the eiger in less than three hours. ueli steck was on everest to acclimatise before attempting a new route on the summit. if he had been successful, it would have pushed him into another sphere. a first ascent like that on everest, it is just sinking in at the moment. he was known as the swiss machine, really fit, lovely guy when you meet him. a bundle of energy. i have the peak again. pretty cool. the climbing community has said it has lost a pioneer. he was known for his speed and ruefully methodical approach, with an ability to push push himself to the limit of human endurance. the mountaineer alan hinkes met ueli steck on a number of occasions. he's been speaking to my

colleague nick owen. well, this is very sad news, i must say. he's a family man, so my heart does go out to his family and close friends. he's a mountain guide in switzerland, the same as me. we don't know but it seems like he has slipped high up on the west shoulder of everest. that's what he was trying to do, go up the west ridge and climb a route on the west edge of everest. his body has been found lower down. it could have just been one little thing and when your solo climbing without rope, there's no chance of recovery, really. a new route he was attempting there? well, not quite new but it would have been the first time it's been done since 1963 and he was going to solo climb it. that means without ropes, just do it on his own. he did have a nepalese friend with him. whether the two of them would have done it, i'm not sure. i think he was going to solo it. he was the man in everybody‘s lips,

the man of the moment. if he'd been successful in this, it would have really pushed him into another sphere. a first ascent like that on everest. it is just sinking in at the moment, i must say. he was known as the swiss machine, a really fit guy. lovely guy when you meet him. sort of petite, really, a bundle of energy. i'm six foot, he wasn't quite as big as me but spoke very good english, met him in scotland when he was in scotland to winter climb. he was a true mountaineer and a fellow mountain guide. it's a really sad loss. but he did get up to also sorts of what might seem from the outside daredevil things, you know, climbing without oxygen and apparently cycling around rather than taking any other form of transport to get from one mountain to another. quite an exceptional person, he sounds. oh, yeah, exceptionally fit person. if he was in the olympics, who knows what he could have done or in something like the tour de yorkshire that is going on at the moment.

i mean, an exceptionally fit chap. he trained, which is why he was called the swiss machine, he trained and really was at the height of his powers. believe it or not, he's only a0. for these sort of stamina and skill level that he's acquired, he was at the height of his powers and this is rather tragic, to say the least. solo climbing without ropes, it only needs one little thing to go wrong. one little thing to snap or slip and you've had it. most climbers do a little bit solo climbing. i've had narrow escapes even in the lake district in winter. it isjust sinking in with me. i've only got the message that he'd been killed a few hours ago. i'm on my way to nepal myself, as it happens. mps are calling for best—before dates on food to be scrapped,

saying they‘ re unnecessary and contribute towards unacceptable levels of food waste. in a report published today the environment, pope francis has called for international mediation to ease tensions between the united states and north korea. he said the crisis over north korea's missile and nuclear programme risked sparking a devastating war in which "a good part of humanity" would be destroyed. he also suggested a third party, such as norway, should mediate in the dispute. translation: these missiles in korea, it's been a year that they've been talking about it but now it seems the issue has heated up too much. i always appeal for a solution through diplomatic means for the future of humanity. a nuclear war would destroy i don't say half of humanity but a good part of humanity and of culture, of everything. it would be terrible. let's stop and find a diplomatic solution. there, i think, the united nations have the duty to resume their leadership because it has become too watered down.

authorities in the united states say that several tornados that hit texas on saturday evening have left at least five people dead and nearly 50 in hospital. emergency services are conducting a search for missing people and say they fear the death toll may rise. as david campanale now reports, the american mid—west has been struck by an intensive weather system that has caused damage across several states. it's texas and this region of the united states is known as tornado alley for its frequent, powerful storms. twisters like this are not uncommon but their dramatic capacity for death and destruction is unstoppable and always unwelcome. homes in the state have been flattened, trees uprooted and cars overturned. at least one powerful storm hit the city of canton about 80 kilometres east of dallas. more were reported in surrounding areas.

this is the tornado crossing the road right in front of us. blocked roads have hindered emergency responders, who are still trying to get out to numerous calls for help. fatalities, i believe, what i'm getting is that they are still coming in. we are talking about maybe five casualties. that number may go up once we can get into those areas. we are trying to deploy search and rescue and recovery right now. that number may go up, hopefully it doesn't, but we do know we have a number of fatalities as of right now. heavy rains and damaging winds have struck a broad swathe of the us heartland. downpours that began on friday have been so intense the ground has been unable to absorb rainfall, causing widespread flooding and prompting evacuations. the governors of missouri and oklahoma have declared states of emergency due to flooding and the damage caused to power supplies and structures. the massive storm system has also delayed thousands of flights.

colorado and wyoming further north have been struck by snowstorms. heavy rain in the midwest is expected to continue to the end of the weekend, along with wind gusts of 95 kilometres per hour. the british boxer anthonyjoshua has sealed his position as the world's leading heavyweight. he beat the former champion vladimir klitschko in front of a record crowd of 90,000 at wembley. despite being knocked down himself, joshua rallied and came back to floor his ukrainian opponent three times in the 11th round. our sports correspondent ollie foster watched the fight. anthonyjoshua is burning brighter than ever, but last night the lights almost went out. wladimir klitschko, at the age of a1, defying the march of time. in a stadium famous for knockout competitions, they came in record numbers to see aj deliver the most important ko of his career. the fight exploded in the fifth.

the ukrainian rocked but he was so resilient. in the next round joshua was stunned, hitting the canvas for the first time. but his fight was just getting started. he had never been beyond the seventh round, this went to eight, nine, ten. and wladimir klitschko looked like he was going to be on top by the time they reached the 11th — a round that'll live long in the memory. anthonyjoshua put him down again and again. wladimir showed unbelievable heart, but another flurry of punches signalled the end of the contest. and the fire was still burning. fighting is fun. i don't box just for the belts, i don't box just for money. ijust enjoy it. i don't feel like someone who lost. tonight, we all won. even though i did not get the belts, i don't feel like i lost. wembley is slowly returning to normal.

but this night will not be forgotten in a hurry. if you cut through all the hype, this was one of the great heavyweight contests. anthonyjoshua is still improving, still learning, and that is a frightening thought, especially for his next opponent. it is almost 2:30 p.m., let's check out the weather forecast. todayis today is probably shaping up to be the better day of the bank holiday weekend with lots of areas seeing plenty of sunshine. the sunshine is fairly hazy but it is warm and places, with temperatures up to 18 celsius. the south west in towards wales it has been a different story, quite cool, wet, heavy rain for cornwall and devon and that we will continue to move northwards and eastwards this evening. overnight,

we will continue to see heavy bursts in the south—west. to the north of here, largely dry and all places overnight will be relatively mild. for bank holiday monday we have this area of low pressure and play. it will dominate the weather for england and we'll is, more rain in northern england and particularly in the south—west. in the midlands or you get sunny spells developing it will warm up and could be heavy, thundery showers developing. for the week ahead, high pressure dominates. there will be an easterly wind, so the easterly areas would be cool and cloudy, the best of the sunshine in the west.