this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 11pm: counting is under way following the local elections. early results in some areas are expected around 2am. the duke of edinburgh announces he's to retire from all public duties with full support from the queen. but it was business as usual for the 95—year—old today, who took his place alongside the queen this lunchtime. president trump moves a step closer to replacing obamacare, as the us house of representatives passes a new healthcare bill. emmanuel macron and marine le pen are back on the campaign trail in france following their hostile tv debate ahead of the polling day on sunday. and coming up at 11:30, we'll take a look at tomorrow morning's front pages, including the sun on the prince of edinburgh, "he's had his phil." good evening, and

welcome to bbc news. in the past hour voting has ended in local and mayoral elections across england, scotland and wales. nearly 5,000 council seats are up for grabs. six new metro mayors, with extensive strategic powers, are also being chosen in england, including the west midlands and greater manchester. the first results are expected in the next few hours but many areas won't start counting until tomorrow morning. let's get the latest from some of the local election battles across england. in lincolnshire the conservatives are looking to gain control of the cou nty are looking to gain control of the county council. let's speak with the bbc political editor. what are you

expecting to see tonight? lincolnshire is traditionally trueblue conservative and anything other than a conservative victory tonight would be a huge shock. the ballot boxes have started to arrive here at the hall in the centre of lincoln. they have been carried in bya lincoln. they have been carried in by a local scout group. the votes are being verified, checked and will be counted. we expect the first results in a couple of hours. although we think of lincolnshire as tory territory, four years ago the tories were deprived of an overall majority here. that is largely because of the rise of ukip, who had a good year in 2013, they had won a clutch of county seat in lincolnshire, and that will be the talking point tomorrow morning — how well will ukip do in lincolnshire?

it has been fertile territory in recent yea rs it has been fertile territory in recent years and eyes will be on boston and skegness because paul nuttall announced that he would be standing against the city conservative, because the town of boston has been known as the brexit capital of the uk. in last year's eu referendum, boston had the highest vote in favour of leaving the eu, 7596, vote in favour of leaving the eu, 75%, so those crunching the numbers will have a close eye in that part of lincolnshire. as for the overall result, the conservatives say they are confident, they have seen off the threat from the other parties, and we expect lincolnshire to go conservative. it will be a conservative. it will be a conservative gain, probably. great atmospherics already, thank you very much. 0ne much.

one of the key battleground areas is warwickshire, where neither party w011 warwickshire, where neither party won overall control of the county council when the seats were fought in 2013. let's speak with west midlands political reporter kathryn sta nczyszyn. midlands political reporter kathryn stanczyszyn. she is at a kuyt in stratford—upon—avon. —— count. what are the results to look out for? warwickshire has been controlled by the conservatives since 2013 but it isa the conservatives since 2013 but it is a minority administration and the tories say that they are very hopeful tonight of taking full control of warwickshire. 0f hopeful tonight of taking full control of warwickshire. of course, as you say, historic battleground between labour and the conservatives. in the north warwickshire constituency it has been hotly contested over the last two elections. it has been held by the conservatives since 2010 but was a labour stronghold before that. labour in warwickshire say they hope to gain on their 22 seats but we are

not sure if that is wishful thinking more than anything else because the tories need only two more seats, they persuaded an independent candidate on the county council couple of months ago to come to the conservatives, so they need to make more to reach 2090 take the overall control. we know that elsewhere is looking similar, it was hard to say. how much, though, it could be a barometer of what might happen. we are not sure. it is turbulent here because the lib dems also have a strong because the lib dems also have a strong presence because the lib dems also have a strong presence with ten seats on warwickshire council. ukip haven't got any but they took 10% of the vote in the last county council elections, so that could have an impact here as well. it is difficult to predict and how much of it will bea to predict and how much of it will be a barometerfor the to predict and how much of it will be a barometer for the general election we don't know yet. thank you, kathryn stanczyszyn in stratford—upon—avon. and let's speak with our political

correspondent chris mason, joining us correspondent chris mason, joining us from salford. interesting stuff happening in the north—west of england, not least the mayoral contests. they will be absolutely fascinating, the posts that have been created, metro metro mayors, responsible for city regions, not just the cities themselves. a couple to keep an eye on here. there is the greater manchester mayoral post and the liverpool city region. in party political terms these are not necessarily the most exciting contest because it is widely expected that labour will win both of them. andy burnham, the former cabinet minister, will become the first directly elected mayor of the greater manchester reason dell might region. what's interesting in manchester and two and less extent

with the other mayoral comtesse is the amount of power that the mayors will have. it is a big shakeup in the whole political landscape in england. while there will be a vast amount of speculation and extrapolation overnight and during tomorrow in terms of what the results may or may not mean for the general election, speculation is the mistaken trade of people like me, we should remember these are elections to councils and mayoralties that matter in another themselves. inevitably the parties will look for signs of what might be coming down the track on the eighth ofjune? signs of what might be coming down the track on the eighth ofjune? of course that will happen as well, not least because you hear the mantra during election campaigns that the only poll that matters is the poll only poll that matters is the poll on polling day and less not put much weight on opinion polls. what we will have today is voting ballot boxes electing politicians. yes,

people might vote differently in the local contest to the general election, but it is a good snapshot in an election campaign into how people in the pockets of the country, lots of pockets of the country, lots of pockets of the country, that have had a vote today, might be able to, or might be inclined to vote in a month's might be able to, or might be inclined to vote in a months time. it is an extraordinary moment that we have an election night, and a results day tomorrow, that is happening smack bang in the middle ofa happening smack bang in the middle of a general election campaign. for the moment, thank you very much, chris mason in salford. and for the latest up to date election results from your area, go to bbc.co.uk/election2017, and the coverage of the local elections 2017 will continue on bbc breakfast tomorrow morning from 6am, and from 9am here on bbc news. after nearly 70 years in the public eye, the duke of edinburgh has decided to retire from royal duties from august. buckingham palace said that prince philip, who'll be 96 next month, has the full support of the queen. she will continue with

all her engagements. the announcement has prompted tributes from the public and politicians alike. here's our royal correspondent nicholas witchell. it's an image to which the nation has become accustomed over a good many decades. the queen and the duke of edinburgh side by side on official business. today, they were at a reception at st james's palace. the duke, a few steps behind, and there in support. inside, meeting members of the order of merit. swapping stories about hearing aids. we've all got them. and joking about retirement. you're standing down. i can't stand up much. never mind standing down, i have trouble standing up, he said. but, come the autumn, his attendance at events such as this will be the exception. after nearly 70 years of public service, the duke has decided a few weeks short of his 96th birthday

that it's finally time to step back from public duties. the palace says the decision has not been prompted by any particular concerns about his health and the evidence would support that. yesterday he was at lord's cricket ground, opening a new stand, and sharing a familiarjoke. i'm the world's most experienced plaque unveiler. alongside all those plaques he's unveiled are the serious achievements, things like the duke of edinburgh award scheme. but his most important contribution has been the support he's given to his wife, the queen. as she's become the longest reigning monarch in british history, he's become the longest serving consort. they've done it together. on their golden wedding anniversary, the queen spoke about how much her husband meant to her. he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments. but he has quite simply been my strength and stay

all these years. and i, and his whole family, and this, and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know. soon, though, the duke's public role will come largely to an end. the palace statement said, prince philip will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and august, both individually and accompanying the queen. thereafter, the duke will not be accepting new invitations for visits and engagements, although he may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time. political leaders paid their tributes. for his steadfast support for her majesty the queen, to his inspirational duke of edinburgh awards, and his patronage of hundreds of charities and good causes. his contribution to our united kingdom, the commonwealth,

and the wider world will be of huge benefit to us all for years to come. i wish him well in his retirement. i wish him well spending time doing the things he wants to do, as opposed to being required to attend lots of events, some of which he may find very exciting, some less so. so, all the best. good luck. he's dedicated his life to public service and supporting the queen. i think he's more than earned his retirement. prince philip, as well as the support he's given the queen and his own public service, of course, he's done an amazing amount of charity work as well. it was in a bbc interview to mark his 90th birthday in 2011 that the duke first hinted that he was thinking of scaling back. i reckon i've done my bit. i want to enjoy myself a bit now. with less responsibility, less frantic rushing about, less preparation, less trying to think of something to say. on top of that, the memory‘s going.

i can't remember names. just sort of winding down. six years later, that winding down is finally taking place. it means that other members of the royal family will step up to support the queen. it's likely she'll be seen more frequently at major occasions with the prince of wales or princess ann. those who know the couple say it won't be quite the same for the queen. the queen will undoubtedly miss him on public occasions. there's no doubt that when they go out for a day together, they are mutual support system. having been on tours with them, having followed in the car behind them, you see at the end of the day they get together into the car and he entertains her hugely, telling her funny stories about what's happened during the day. so she will definitely miss all that and occasionally she will strike us as a lonely figure. but she'll be going back to buckingham palace, windsor castle, balmoral, and he will be there. slowly but surely there is a generational shift taking place at the palace.

officials have made it clear that the queen will continue with her public engagements. but, at the age of 91 now, her load is being lightened. as monarch, she is still the centralfigure. as today has underlined, there is starting to be tangible evidence of transition. nicholas witchell, bbc news. president trump has been celebrating at the white house after the us house of representatives passed a healthcare bill, bringing his pledge to repeal and replace so—called 0bamacare a step closer. he vowed to "finish off" barack 0bama's signature health care law which offered medical insurance to millions more americans. but president trump's plan may well face a tougher ride in the senate where republicans have a smaller majority. here's our north america editorjon sopel the ayes are 217. the nays are 213. the bill is passed. without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. the moment at just after two o'clock this afternoon in washington,

when trumpcare became a thing. shame, shame, shame, shame. outside, a rather different scene, as protesters chant, "shame." this fight isn't over yet. getting the measure through the senate is going to be every bit as tough. because, as today's debate showed, this is a deeply divisive issue. so, i ask you, my colleagues, does trumpcare lower health costs? no. does trumpca re provide better healthcare? no. does trumpca re protect seniors and families? no. has panto season come to politics? yes. are we going to be men and women of our word? yes. are we going to keep the promises that we made? yes. or are we going to falter? thank you. in the rose garden this afternoon, the president beamed. a time for fist pumps and hugs with the speaker. this is an important legislative victory. this is a great plan.

i actually think it will get even better. this is... make no mistake. this is a repeal and a replace of 0bamacare, make no mistake about it. make no mistake. they are dancing a happy dance at the white house today. the extraordinary thing about this vote is, there has been no independent assessment done on who will be affected, in what way, and what the costs will be. by the time it gets to the senate, that will have happened. and that could affect whether 0bamacare really does become trumpcare. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. the headlines on bbc news: counting is underway following the local elections. early results in some areas are expected around 2am. the duke of edinburgh announces he's to retire from all public duties in autumn — a decision supported by the queen. the us house of representatives has passed a healthcare bill, bringing president trump's pledge

to repeal and replace 0bamacare a step closer. polls have just closed and counting is getting underway in a handful of places, most of the results will come in tomorrow. in a moment we will hear from sian lloyd in cardiff. but let's go to lorna gordon in glasgow first. 32 local authorities are being contested. 0ne 32 local authorities are being contested. one of the key battleground is in glasgow. for decades dominated by labour, will they now go to the snp? will the snp in power at a national level in power will become in power at local level as well? the conservatives

positioning themselves as protectors of the union. they are confident of making gains. the greens are hoping to increase their numbers. labour is possible could be looking at heavy losses. if the snp become the largest party in glasgow, once a labour stronghold, it will be a hugely symbolic win. it is expected labour will suffer losses at local levels. it has the most to lose. cardiff is seen as a key battleground with labour having a majority. the conservatives in the north. we will also be looking at how labour affairs in north wales. if it slides further that will be

seen as if it slides further that will be seen as a if it slides further that will be seen as a bad night. the second numberof seen as a bad night. the second number of councillors in wales is here. the big question, how will the conservatives perform in wales? the party looking to benefit from theresa may riding high in the polls. one of the areas of deciding ona polls. one of the areas of deciding on a new metro may is don caster. while other parts of the country are electing a mayor for the first time, don custer is an old hand at this. it was a labour idea at first, partly down to councillors being sent to prison for expenses fraud. we have had a council ever since.

the votes are being verified and counted at the moment. six candidates. labour will be hoping to keep doncaster. ukip had a big presence in doncaster. they have done well in mayoral elections in the past. the big story is whether labour can the past. the big story is whether labourcan win and the past. the big story is whether labour can win and how far ukip can steal votes. we expect being in the turnout to around 30%, as it was last time. this election at this time slightly overshadowed by the general election. we should have a result at around 2—3 o'clock in the morning. in essex, the conservatives

and looking to keep control of the cou nty and looking to keep control of the county council. essex is the only place in the county voting. conservatives are hoping to make gains here. in the run—up to this election they have been expecting 50 of the 75 seat up for grabs. elsewhere in suffolk and norfolk the conservatives are also hoping to make gains. they run both county councils but they do not have a majority, they are a couple of seat short. they are hoping to make gains from ukip. there are many more marginal seats —40, a 10% swing could change the political colours of those divisions. watch out for a libdem resurgent. ukip got it second

largest vote share in a 6—foot and they may still be resilient. —— essex. labour are on the defensive, they do not think they will be making any gains but would fight to hold the seats they have. the coverage of local elections will continue tomorrow morning from six o'clock and then again from nine o'clock and then again from nine o'clock on abc news. the two candidates vying to become the next french president were back on the campaign trail today, after clashing in a tv debate last night, when centrist candidate emmanuel macron called his far right challenger, marine le pen, the "high priestess of fear". she in turn accused him of being soft on terrorism, as our correspondent lucy williamson reports. borders and barriers aren't really emmanuel macron's thing. but when you might be the next

president of france, your supporters have to get used to them. and so the european flags that mark his rallies were waved today from behind rows of fencing. france, he said, needed to end divisions, of its people, its land, and its social classes. translation: we've seen that society in the uk, where the middle—class implodes. and that was the moment that britain decided to withdraw from the world stage. momentum is building behind emmanuel macron but this fight has been getting ever more personal. with just one more day of campaigning left, the end of france's extraordinary presidential race is in sight. 2a hours after a bitter debate with marine le pen, mr macron is still seen as the firm favourite. some of his voters say they are not choosing him, so much as blocking the far right. two thirds of the country's far left supporters may not vote

for him at all. if marine le pen wins, it will be a of course. if emmanuel macron wins, what will be the consequence? in five years, marine le pen will be so strong. it's not what i prefer. it's what i have to do. critics have accused marine le pen of using last night's debate to goad her opponent. but personal attacks happen on the campaign trail, too. today, an egg, thrown during a visit to northern france. translation: the french people know my programme very well. that is because it is very clear. i have been presenting it to them for several years. i want to lift the veil, and i believe i did that successfully, on who mr macron is. there's more than one role at stake in this campaign. the presidency is the real treasure but, for france's far right party, emerging as the official opposition would also be a prize. this campaign has been,

in many ways, and argument over french identity. no matter how many european flags are waved, every election rally here ends the same. even if france's political map has changed. lucy williams, bbc news. let's ta ke let's take a look at the weather forecast. good evening. the weather is not in the mood for changing. a little bit more play into the weekend, the low pressure. easterly winds bringing clear skies. a touch of frost around first thing particularly across northern ireland and scotland. a bit of low cloud here and there,

especially in eastern areas. a bit more sunshine compared to yesterday morning... sorry, this morning. grey skies across the south. the odd spot of rain cannot be ruled out. a few more cloud breaks then we have seen in the past few days. sunniest weather throughout western parts of northern england and wales and northern ireland. even with the gusty wind, temperatures could hit 19- 20 gusty wind, temperatures could hit 19— 20 celsius. in the friday night, a few changes with more clouds in east anglia, midlands. that will keep the temperature is up. a touch of frost saturday morning. notice a big change towards the south—west. the low pressure i mentioned is

going to push weather fronts closer together. if you have plans for the weekend which are whether crucial, keep an eye out. northern england, midlands and parts of northern ireland, a lot cloudier on saturday. morning drizzle around before things turn in brighter in the afternoon. warm in the west and warmer and brighter towards east anglia and the south—east. whether the weather front makes our sure, the low pressure will push into central europe into sunday. they too dry weather. the wind more north to north—easterly. cool across northern and eastern areas. more cloud in scotland. to be south and west, sunshine around and across southern parts of the fill

it has so far it has - so far this week. hello. this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. we'll be taking a look at tomorrow morning's papers in a moment. first, the headlines at 11:30pm: counting is under way following the local elections. early results in some areas are expected around 2am. the duke of edinburgh announces he's to retire from all public duties in autumn — a decision supported by the queen. the bill is passed and without objection the motion is laid upon the table. the us house of representatives has passed a healthcare bill, bringing president trump's pledge to repeal and replace 0bamacare a step closer. manual macron and marine le pen are on the campaign trail in france following the badtempered tv debate ahead of a presidential election on sunday. and adrift for 32 hours in the irish sea — the rescued surfer matthew price tells the bbc he had

prepared for death.