we're live in paris, where the polling stations will close within the next couple of hours, as the people of france choose their new president. after a deeply divisive campaign, france will know later tonight whether the new head of state will be emmanuel macron or marine le pen. tens of millions of voters have been visiting the polling stations, but the latest official figures show that turnout is down on the previous contest five years ago. i'm shaun ley — the other headlines this afternoon. labour promises to raise tax for only the top 5% of earners. the shadow chancellor says labour is now the party of low taxation for middle and low earners. the conservatives pledge more money to fund mental health staffing in the nhs and a change in the law so fewer people are detained against their will. 82 nigerian schoolgirls are due to meet the country's president, after being freed by the islamist militant group boko haram. tom daley marries the americans film

director dustin lance black. good evening from paris, where the polls will close within the next couple of hours, and the people of france will discover who their next president will be. tens of millions of voters have been visiting the polling stations today after a deeply divisive campaign, with emmanuel macron and marine le pen offering radically different visions of the future of this country. tonight's result will also have a direct impact on the future direction of the european union in the years ahead. as the brexit process unfolds, so the relevance of the outcome to france's neighbours is very clear. our paris correspondent hugh schofield has been to a voting station in the capital. you join me at a polling station in paris, at a school. you can see the

table by people come to tick up their cards. and then they go to cast their ballot behind the curtains overhear. everywhere, a classic snapshot of the presidential election in france. but in some ways, it is different. one point is that in emmanuel macron and marine le pen, we have two leaders who are outside the existing political structure. throughout the long run—up to this election, we have seen a run—up to this election, we have seen a succession run—up to this election, we have seen a succession of establishment figures see just discarded, as if the only political offering which has any meaning people is one that is entirely new. and the other point is entirely new. and the other point is that in macron and the pain, we have two people who claim to transcend the old left right political divide. they both claim to draw supporters from either end of the old political spectrum. of course, in the new political

situation, they represent very diverging tents. le pen, for the revival of the nation, for protection, and macron saying, no, france has to engage in globalisation and it has to reform, to do that better. but in the divide between the two candidates, we see a fundamental argument about politics, modern politics, which has resonance well beyond the borders of france. so, from 11 candidates in the first round, we're down to the final two candidates today, emmanuel macron and marine le pen. but voters going into france's polling booths have more than two options. for the first time, the number of those who spoil their ballot, or simply leave their ballot paper blank, will be counted in the results, as our correspondent karin gianonne explains. in this final round in the election, under french electoral law,

voters also have three other options apart from the two main candidates. first of all, there is abstention — the french can choose not to vote, either out of principle or out of apathy, and this can affect turnout, which is traditionally very high in france. in the last round, it was 77.8%. in 2012, it was over 80%. but there are some who think that this time around could be the lowest turnout ever. well, voters do have two other choices. first, to simply spoil the ballot paper, rather than choose one candidate. but for the first time in presidential elections, there's another choice. the third option is the blank vote, and that means you wanted to take

part in the election but you reject all the candidates on offer. you can do that by putting in an empty envelope or a blank ballot paper into the box. under new rules, these votes are counted, so while neither candidate can claim them in their total, we will see those figures show up at the end of all this. the polling stations in the big cities are staying open for an hour longer than in other parts of france, so in the city of bordeaux in south—west france, there are just under two hours to go. our correspondent nuala mcgovern is there. some thought today that overall, turnout is slightly down on five yea rs turnout is slightly down on five years ago — what has been your sense of the kind of enthusiasm, or lack

of the kind of enthusiasm, or lack of enthusiasm, among voters there? it's the same actually, here. we have just been it's the same actually, here. we havejust been inside. welcome to bordeaux and to the town hall, very beautiful, in the south—west of france. there is a steady stream of people who have been coming in this morning. there are two polling stations here, another two up the road that i have also dropped into. but the percentages are down, and they're comparing but the percentages are down, and they‘ re comparing it but the percentages are down, and they're comparing it with 2012. any of the public can go in and see how many people are registered and how many people are registered and how many have turned out and they do it oui’ many have turned out and they do it our buy our in every polling station. so, it really reflects what you're seeing nationwide when it comes to those numbers. early in the morning, some of the people i spoke to, young families, a celebratory mood. this morning, maybe people are a little more reluctant to cast their vote, perhaps not thrilled with either candidate. we're seeing

some of those which are now taking place just some of those which are now taking placejust behind me in the some of those which are now taking place just behind me in the town hall here in bordeaux. for our viewers, they may or may not remember alain juppe, a man viewers, they may or may not rememberalainjuppe, a man who viewers, they may or may not remember alainjuppe, a man who was possibly expected to become president tonight but was knocked out in an earlier round, part of the republican party. he is the mayor of this city, he has been known as the most liked politician in france, which is not a bad title to have! i went inside and they already have a podium, he's expected to deliver an address after eight o'clock, because bordeaux is a big city, that's when the polls will close. we expect results pretty soon after that, so mrjuppe will be one of those people who people will be looking towards in this city. republicans, of course, not part of the equation, neither are the socialists, so people are lining up behind either candidate and we'll have to wait and see who will be crowned. just a

final thought, because there's been so final thought, because there's been so much talk in this campaign about what is at stake, notjust for the future of france but for the future of the eu, and in the uk, people are interested in how rucksack unfolds within that context — what is your sense in bordeaux among voters of what they think is at stake in this election? i think it comes up again and again, you only have to be speaking to people for a couple of minutes, and yes, there isjobs and the economy, but really, the eu is the economy, but really, the eu is the big division for voters, when it comes to these two candidates. the differences between them are stark so differences between them are stark so it should not be that difficult for somebody to make that decision, dining to cast your ballot. will it be france leaving the european union, or not? very easy for them to decide, without a candidate. will it bea decide, without a candidate. will it be a renewed eu and a change towards

looking towards building it, or with it turn the other way? want to watch in the coming days. bordeaux, one of the big french cities, where the polling will be going on for another couple of hours. soon after that, the shape of the result should be pretty clear. that is the usual form here in these presidential elections in france, they'll have a pretty goodidea in france, they'll have a pretty good idea as soon as the polls close, unless, of course, it is much closer than people have foreseen. not long to wait. in the meantime, from paris, back to london. and you can see live coverage of the french election result here on bbc news later this evening — coverage starts at 6.30 on the bbc news channel. that's france decides: the presidential election 2017 this evening at 6.30 with christian fraser. labour is promising not to raise

income tax for anyone earning less than £80,000 a year as part of an election pledge to low and middle earners. the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, said those earning over that amount would be asked to pay "a bit more" to help fund public services. the conservatives say they have no plan to raise taxes, but have so far refused to rule it out completely. here's our political correspondent ellie price. a policy pledge to capture the imagination of low and middle—income voters — and the newspaper headlines. labour say 95% of taxpayers will benefit from what the shadow chancellor described as a personal tax guarantee. anyone earning under £80,000 you will not have an increase in income tax or vat. 0r national insurance contributions. for those above $80,000, we will be asking them to pay

a moderate bit more. the policy may sound relatively familiar... there will be no increase in vat, no increase in national insurance, no increase in income tax... the conservatives made that pledge at the last election. so far, theresa may has ruled out a rise in vat but not committed to retaining that previous manifesto pledge of not raising income tax and national insurance contributions. today, the tories said there was a black hole in labour's tax proposals. they're going back to type, they want to tax aspiration, they're always going to raise taxes. they'll start at £80,000, you'll blink and they'll bring it down again. it's the same old labour, raising taxes and hurting aspiration. and potentially the economy. the lib dem leader, tim farron, was on a 5k fun run today. his party said labour's tax pledges were not worth the paper they're written on. official figures show that the top 5% of earners, those in labour's target group for tax rises, already account for more than 47% of all income tax paid in the uk. you can't get that much more

by putting a few pence on income tax for the highest earners. if you really want to raise significant amounts of money to support public services, i'm afraid it can'tjust be other people who pay. it has to be all of us. but announcing the pledge today, john mcdonnell did not rule out introducing a new higher rate of tax for the top earners. he insisted the decision would be made when the party's manifesto is launched, within the next few weeks. the conservatives say reforming mental health legislation in england and wales will be a priority if they win the election. theresa may said a new law would tackle discrimination and what she called the unnecessary detention of vulnerable people. there would also be a boost to the number of mental health professionals by 2020. richard lister reports. when she entered downing street for the first time as prime minister last year, theresa may described the lack of sufficient mental health care as a burning injustice.

now, in what the conservative campaign describes as its first major domestic policy announcement, the tories have pledged to employ an additional 10,000 mental health staff in the nhs, to give more legal protection to all people suffering from mental health issues, and to make mental health first aid available in every school. if you have a child that has severe mental health problems, and you find that child, instead of getting treated by the nhs, actually ends up in a police cell, that is a terrible thing for the child, it'll probably make their condition worse. but it's also very bad for the police as well. we want to stop that. the tories say they will rip up the mental health act amid concerns it is allowing the widespread detention of people against their will. the liberal democrats say the conservatives delayed such reforms while in the coalition, and failed to fully fund children's mental health care. when i come across families who are waiting desperately for their children to receive

the care they need, they feel badly let down by this government. so, for me, it's empty rhetoric at the moment. labour says there are 6,000 fewer mental health nurses than in 2010, and less investment. health care charities welcome the attention but worry about the future. daily at sane, we hear of people struggling to get help, who are being turned away and neglected. we've lost over 25,000 beds since 2000. the main focus may be on brexit, but health care is also a key battle ground in this campaign. the liberal democrats say their manifesto will include a commitment to keep the triple lock on pensions. this would guarantee they rise by as much as wages, inflation or 2.5%, whichever is highest. but pensioners with annual incomes above £45,000 would lose the winter fuel payment. labour has also pledged to retain the triple lock. theresa may has declined to say whether the conservatives would do so.

meanwhile, the home secretary, amber rudd, has refused to confirm if the government would commit to its previous target for reducing immigration. i spoke to our political correspondent leila nathoo for more details. amber rudd apparently refusing to guarantee that a previous tory commitment made by david cameron of bringing net migration down below 100,000, so, in the tens of thousands, a commitment that the cameron government had made, there is no guarantee as yet that this is going to be in the tory manifesto, when we get it, hopefully, in the coming weeks. amber rudd was saying, our manifesto is not going to be identical to the last one, but we do want to continue to bring immigration down. everyone is wondering, will it be a commitment, will it be a pledge, will it be an aim? will we get some figures and another commitment on immigration? will we get that commitment from the tories? interesting in the interview

that she appeared to be suggesting that circumstances had changed because of brexit and that therefore that might be a reason to look again at the commitment? well, the argument from some opponents of brexit has been that we rely a lot on skilled workers, workers coming into britain from the eu. if we are going to be stopping those workers from coming freely into britain, as theresa may says she wants to do, putting immigration at the heart of her brexit strategy, then we might need certainjobs and professions to be supplemented by people from other countries. now, there is a lot of speculation about what will be the conservative commitment on this. remember, theresa may herself has a particular connection with this policy — she was home secretary under david cameron. so, it is a sensitive issue for her. she has said that she wants net migration to be down to sustainable levels,

which she you are in the tens of thousands, but no firm commitment yet. net migration of course only applied to non—eu migrants, because as a member of the eu, you cannot restrict anybody from the eu. so, i suppose there was a logic in saying that might change. but in truth, the government has got nowhere near meeting that pledge at any time since it made it in 2010? no. the latest figure is 273,000. way off tens of thousands! yes. some might say that it was foolhardy for david cameron to make that commitment. whether theresa may will want to have that target to be measured against in the future, we'll have to wait and see. but it is interesting, because we haven't really heard much about immigration so far in this election campaign. and that is slightly

jarring with how central it was to the referendum campaign. when the manifestos eventually get published, everyone will be watching that very closely. the headlines on bbc news... less tha n less than two hours left of polling at the end of a bitter election campaign. either emmanuel macron or marine le pen will become france's next president. here, laboursays marine le pen will become france's next president. here, labour says it is now the party of low taxation for middle and low earners. the conservatives have pledged more money to fund mental health staffing in the nhs. 82 nigerian schoolgirls have arrived in the capital, abuja, where they're meeting the country's president,

after being freed by the islamist group boko haram. these are the latest pictures of the girls, who boarded an aircraft on their way back. they were among 276 taken captive in the north—eastern town of chibok in 2014. they are the second group of chibok girls to be freed, and were released in a prisoner exchange deal. joining me now via webcam is pernille ironside, deputy representative at unicef nigeria. cash before being with us on bbc news. so, good news at last about the chibok girls? indeed, this is incredibly heartening to know that these girls will very soon be reunited with their families, a day which no doubt they have all been waiting forfor so long. which no doubt they have all been waiting for for so long. but their journey ahead is very long and difficult after the indescribable

horrors and trauma that they have no doubt experienced at the hands of boko haram. three years in 50, we know that some girls have escaped, and so we have got some sense of what these other girls may have had to go through — can you give us an idea, because oh, no unicef is trying to help support these girls, as they try to get back to normal life, as far as it is possible, can you give us a life, as far as it is possible, can you give us a sense life, as far as it is possible, can you give us a sense of what you think are the conditions that they have had to endure? from the date of abduction, these girls will have been exposed and subjected to both psychological and physical abuse and extreme violence. they will have seen extreme violence. they will have seen violence perpetrated against others and they will have experienced it themselves. for many, this will be really an extreme shock to their systems. i suspect, as is the case with many girls who are

enslaved by armed groups, that they will have been sexually abused and forced to do things that were against their will. so, we have to be prepared, and theirfamilies have to be prepared to give them the support that they need in order to progress through their very personal journey. there is no standard approach to supporting these girls and no fixed timescale within which any one of them may recover. it's an individual journey, any one of them may recover. it's an individualjourney, and any one of them may recover. it's an individual journey, and unicef, together with others, are there to support the government in their leadership, in helping these girls recover as best leadership, in helping these girls recover 3s best 3s leadership, in helping these girls recover as best as possible. 276 was the number originally abduct it. soon after, some got away. this now represents, with the ones who came out a couple of months ago, still

only about half of the girls — do you think enough has been done to try and get them back? no doubt the government is making extraordinary efforts, and all of that happens behind the scenes, and we are not privy to it, nor are others. so, we are seeing the results of enormous effo rts are seeing the results of enormous efforts on the part. but what we have to bear in mind is that there are actually thousands of women and girls who are still in evictee by boko haram. the 276 chibok girls was only one single massive incident. but we must also put that into the context that there's many others who remain in evictee, and we must continue to campaign not only for the chibok girls but for all of them, to maintain all of the efforts for their release and reintegration as soon as for their release and reintegration as soon as possible. a major search and rescue operation

is continuing to locate two men missing in the irish sea. there are reports debris has been found. the alert was raised when their speed boat failed to return to the scottish coast last night. martin cassidy reports. search has focused on an area south of the mall of galloway. lifeboats from scotland, northern ireland and the isle of man are being coordinated by the maritime and coastguard agency. rescue helicopter was also being deployed. we believe it isa was also being deployed. we believe it is a black fletcher speedboat, who approximately 18ft long, two persons were on board. one was wearing a dry suit. we believe both we re wearing a dry suit. we believe both were wearing life jackets. at this stage, the search is still concentrated off the mull of galloway. the men were heading in

the direction of stranraer. when they failed to return, having left in the morning, the coastguard was alerted at about eight o'clock in the evening. your chances of surviving in the water for much longer than an hour surviving in the water for much longerthan an hourare surviving in the water for much longer than an hour are very poor. if you are better equipped, and we understand these people are equipped with life jackets, and in one case a dry suit, which is a full body suit, then the chances of survival, if we can pick them up, hopefully are very high. this evening, helicopters and lifeboats are being refuelled and fresh crews are being deployed, as the search for the men continued. a 21—year—old man has died after falling off a jet ski on loch lomond. police scotland said stuart mclevy was a passenger on the craft when he fell into the water on saturday evening. he was taken to the royal alexandra hospital in paisley, where he was pronounced dead. the driver, who was also injured, was released from hospital after treatment for minor injuries.

the sister of seamus ruddy — who "disappeared" during the troubles in northern ireland — has said news that a search team has found human remains brings a sense of relief. mr ruddy was working as a teacher in paris in 1985 when he was abducted, killed and buried by the republican paramilitary group the inla. since monday, investigators have been searching a remote wooded area near rouen. more billionaires are based in the uk than ever before, according to the annual sunday times rich list published today. the hinduja brothers, who made their money from banking and manufacturing, top the table and are said to be worth more than £16 billion. joe lynam reports. they have been associated with the labour party since the late 1990s and acquired british passports in 1997. their investments in oil, it, energy and the media have made them

more than £16 billion, according to the sunday times rich list. not far behind is the ukrainian music mogul. he has stakes in the number of companies. at number nine, the duke of westminster, worth £9.5 billion, the highest—ranking british born person on the list. he owns property in large parts of central london. there are a record 134 billionaires in this year's top 1000 on the list. in order to get on the list, you need to be worth at least £110 million. although there are no women in the top 20 who became billionaires in their own right, the sunday times says this year's list is more diverse than ever. it says many have benefited over the past year from moving stock markets in europe and north america. british olympic diver tom daley has married his partner, american film director, dustin lance black. the couple got married in a service at a luxury hotel on dartmoor national park in devon.

they announced their engagement in 2015. daley revealed in a youtube video in 2013 he had a boyfriend, saying his "whole world changed" when he fell in love with a man. the graffiti artist banksy has taken on brexit in his new mural in dover. the work appeared near the ferry terminal overnight. 75 years ago, during the height of the second world war, the isle of wight came under a ferocious air attack from the luftwaffe. 70 people lost their life. the destruction would have been much worse had it not been for the actions of the crew of a polish wards will ship. this weekend, their heroism is being remembered. archive: polish destroyers, co—operating with the british navy,

are visited by the polish president... the blyskawica, one of two grom destroyers built in cowes, was the pride of poland. during a refit, back on the island, the crew could not have foreseen the role they would play in defending cowes against that devastating air raid. ..you are not only serving the cuase of poland but the cause of mankind. josef wlodarczak is the last surviving crew member. he recalls how all on board had a critical role to play. translation: when it comes to the isle of wight, our guns were blazing. i was down in the engine rooms ensuring the motors were running so the gunners could keep firing. whilejosef was in the engine room, tom guy was next to the ship, on dry land. it was dangerous. the guns were so red hot, and i could prove it, i could actually see them, they was red hot, they was. they put water on them all the time. but that decision to fire was controversial. while in dry dock, the blyskawica should not have had any live ammunition on board, yet her captain, wojciech francki,

was convinced an attack was imminent, after seeing german reconnaissance flights. june weeks' father saw the same planes. he was looking out of his bedroom window, and these german reconnaissance planes were so low, he could actually see the swastikas on them — they were really, really low. and he said to my mother, we are going to get it soon. the isle of wight was used to coming under attack. the luftwaffe used the light reflected off the medina as a guide to fly further north to attack cities on the mainland. but that night, the attack was unprecedented because they were aiming directly at cowes itself. captain francki was denied permission from the admiralty to arm the blyskawica, and in doing so, he risked court—martial. playing at his commemorations, his granddaughter said he took the initiative. when the bombing started,

he sent smoke screens out, which actually they did afterwards praise him for his initiative in that. it was quite an unheard of thing to do, to disguise the ship, to kind of create a fog. his action and that of the blyskawica's crew saved countless lives. today, a modern polish navy destroyer is anchored off the coast of isle of wight, not to defend, but to honour the blyskawica's memory. a fascinating story. i popped upstairs. the weather is looking lovely in london and in paris. i wonder what it will do for the rest of the week? hello, west is best for the sunshine. the recent satellite pictures show northern ireland, western scotland, north—west england

and wales and a good part of the south—west saw some sunshine. in one or two places the temperature is lifted up to 20 degrees. but more cloud over northern and eastern areas. that was the scene in north—east scotland early on. where is the cloud has made it feel decidedly chilly through today, as we go through tonight, the extra cloud will help to hold the temperatures up. further west where we hold on to clear spells, that is where it will get decidedly chilly. towns and cities down to five or six degrees. in the countryside temperature is low enough to get a touch of frost. northern and eastern scotla nd touch of frost. northern and eastern scotland will have a lot of cloud and perhaps the odd spot of drizzle. that is the picture for the eastern side of england as well. north—west england should see some sunshine. for the midlands, east anglia and the south—east, things are likely to

start off fairly cloudy, perhaps with the odd spot of drizzle. as we go on through the day, it is more of the same. the north—easterly wind continuing to feed the cloud in. it should break up at times to give some brighter glimpses but the best of the sunshine will always be further west. a pretty chilly day on the east coast but it will not be as warm as it is today. temperatures around 14 to 17 degrees. a change on monday, watch the isobars. they are more widely spaced apart. that means the wind will tend to fade away as we go through tuesday. there will still be a lot of cloud across the eastern half of the country. still on the cool side for the time being. as we head towards the middle part of the week, we should see temperatures rising with the lighter winds and more sunshine. by the end of the week some rain will start to

creep in from the south. that is all for now. we're live in paris this evening, where the polls will close within the next couple of hours, as millions of french voters decide who their next president will be. as millions of french voters decide for the centrist emanuel macron, a strong supporter of the european union, victory would mean his first experience of elected office, at the age of 39. and for marine le pen, a win for the hard right would signal a dramatic new direction for france, with much tougher controls on immigration. new direction for france, with much and also on the programme this evening: an election pledge from labour, if it wins onjune the 8th it won't raise income tax for anyone earning less than £80,000 a year. the conservatives focus on mental health, promising to recruit another 10,000 staff in england if they're re—elected. and: if they're re—elected. but as long as you live for other people's opinions you'll never be more than afraid. people's opinions you'll never

you'll never be more than afraid. people's opinions you'll never how the poet kate tempest is at the helm of this yea r‘s brighton festival. is at the helm of this good evening from paris, where the polls will close within the next couple of hours, and the people of france will discover who their next president will be. tens of millions of voters have been visiting the polling stations today, after a deeply divisive campaign, with emmanuel macron and marine le pen offering radically different visions, of the future of this country. radically different visions, tonight's result will also have a direct impact on the future direction of the european union, in the years ahead, as the brexit process unfolds, so the relevance of the outcome, to france's neighbours, is very clear. this report on polling day

in france, is by our europe correspondent damian grammaticas. in france, is by our europe there in france, is by our europe is some flash photograj coming there is some flash photography coming up. a cheer this morning for the man promising optimism for france. he's just 39 years old, a nervous moment, hovering on the brink of the presidency. a nervous moment, hovering emmanuel macron's is an extraordinary political story. a year ago, a rank outsider. an extraordinary political story. the collapse of france's main parties and his message open internationalists, pro—eu have propelled his rise. it's done, he said. pro—eu have propelled his rise. now it's up to fate. pro—eu have propelled his rise. france's election has exposed the same fault lines that have riven other western countries. the same fault lines that have riven on one side, there's comfortable with globalisation. on the other, there's anxious, angry, faced by a changing world. his rival, marine le pen appeals to them.

this was another shock of this election. france's far right leader in the final run—off. she's anti—eu, wants to ditch the euro, reinstate border controls and painted her campaign as another fight against out of touch elites. a win for her would plunge europe into new political uncertainty. mr macron headed for paris this afternoon. he's a former banker and briefly economy minister. so part of the establishment. and briefly economy minister. the reason many may decline to vote for him. the two candidates have radically different views on questions of identity, immigration, openness to the world. so this election will be highly consequential, notjust for france but for all of europe. consequential, notjust for france will this be the next domino to fall, or will it mark the receding of the populist tide. to fall, or will it mark and there were signs today the turnout was down, compared to the first round of these elections.

i just voted for the candidate i thought was less dangerous for france. i thought was less but i think i had to do it because the other one for me was not at all positive for france. because the other one for me was not we know what happened in the us, brexit as well, so it's very, very important to vote. brexit as well, so it's very, sorry, my heart is actually beating really fast now. holding its breath too, the eu. beating really fast now. a macron win would be a trying for europe's centrists, but france has been left divided. for europe's centrists, some have reported down out —— turnout was down. will that translate into the result? in a moment we'll speak to our europe editor katya adler,

following the macron campaign, but first to our europe correspondent james reynolds, who is with the le pen campaign. james, who is with the le pen campaign. your sense of th( le james, your sense of the mood in the le pen campaign this evening?m james, your sense of the mood in the le pen campaign this evening? it is quiet so far, her supporters are arriving. the final polls on friday had had behind emmanuel macron. eddie bate was criticised in the week. they define success in a different way. this is a movement which measures its progress over decades. for years this was a fringe movement on the marine le pen's father, ignored or boycotted by much of france, but that has changed. if marine le pen gets 40% of the vote, she establishes the party as a lasting, political force. she establishes the party as a lasting, politicalforce. ranking very much. one hour and 20 minutes

before the polls close, what is your sense of things there? there is a lot of excitement and anticipation amongst macron supporters. they have not been allowed in yet, but macron president is what they like to shout because that is what they have been led to believe by the opinion polls and before these elections. they are waiting for their and before these elections. they are waiting fortheir man, and before these elections. they are waiting for their man, this 39—year—old relative political novice, his political party is only one—year—old, to bring change to this change hungry nation. even if he does win the election, emmanuel macron would have to win over the french people. not just macron would have to win over the french people. notjust the supporters of marine le pen. we know many who have voted macron today did not vote because they are convinced of him to stop his far right rival. thank you both. there'll be live coverage of the presidential results as they come in from 6.30 this

evening on the bbc news channel and we'll be back here on bbc one with the outcome and all the reaction, at 10:00pm tonight. but for now let's join mishal for the day's other main news. labour says it will not raise income tax for anyone earning less than £80,000 a year as part of an election pledge to low and middle earners. of an election pledge the shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, said those earning over the £80,000 threshold would be asked to pay "a bit more" to help pay for public services. asked to pay "a bit more" to help the conservatives say they have no plan to raise income tax but have so far refused to completely rule it out. our political correspondent ben wright reports. it was a slogan used by tony blair, now revived by labour's new leadership. by tony blair, now revived setting out what he called a big deal to upgrade the economy, john mcdonnell promised not to raise vat or national insurance for anyone, but said the top 5% of earners would pay more. if labour is elected next month, we will guarantee for the next five years, there will be no income tax

rises, for all those earning less than £80,000 a year. rises, for all those earning less labour is now the party of low taxes for middle and lower earners. mr macdonnell said people earning more than £80,000 a year would pay a modest amount more but the rates and details would have to wait for the manifesto. and details would have the conservatives have promised not to raise vat but have so far made no matching pledge on national insurance or income tax. today, the tories said labour was going back to the past. this is a clear statement of intent. was going back to the past. they want to raise taxes, they want to penalise business, they want to penalise wealth creation and i think they will end up wrecking the economy as they have done in the past. the total amount of income tax raised in 2016 is just over £169 billion. tax raised in 2016 is the top 5% of uk earners, labour's target group paid

just over 47% of that, close to £80 billion. you cannot make a really big change to the amount of money that is available just by focusing on people over 80,000 the year, on people over 80,000 a year, that is available just by focusing on people over 80,000 a year, partly because they already pay an awful lot of tax and a lot more than they did a few years ago, but partly because if you really want significant amounts of money, you have to do something the politicians don't like doing, which is hit the majority of people, which is where vat and the national insurance and a lot of income tax is actually paid. insurance and a lot of income you are pledging to increase tax on high earners have to pay for public services and borrow billions for infrastructure, but that has been labour's message sincejeremy corbyn became leader. why do you think it can turn things around for labour in the last four weeks of this general election campaign when it seems it has not worked so far? campaign when it seems it i think there is an opportunity now in the general election campaign which we have not had before jeremy corbyn was leader. i think we can turn the polls around and i genuinely think we can secure

a majority onjune 8th. and i genuinely think we can secure many of the bankers and financiers who work here would pay more income tax under labour's plan and this is the first general election for many years, when there is a stark choice developing between labour and the conservatives with how the economy should be run and how money should be raised and spent. the conservatives say reforming mental health legislation in england and wales will be a priority if they win the election. theresa may said a new law would tackle discrimination and the unnecessary detention of vulnerable people. there would also be a boost to the number of mental health professionals by 2020. to the number of mental health the to the number of mental health liberal democrats would the liberal democrats said they would raise more money per health and social care by putting an extra penny on income tax. here's our health editor, hugh pym. penny on income tax. theresa may has already talked of transforming the way mental health problems are dealt with across society. now there are more details of what she wants to do if she gets back to downing street. of what she wants to do if she gets

the conservatives said there are concerns that individuals, including young people, are detained unnecessarily in police cells and secure mental health wards, so the mental health act, which dates back more than 30 years, should be scrapped and replaced. which dates back more than 30 years, if you have a child that has severe mental health problems and you find that child, instead of being treated by the nhs, actually ends up in a police cell, it's a terrible thing for the child, probably make their condition worse, but it's also very bad for the police as well. but it's also very bad we want to stop that. but it's also very bad but the liberal democrats criticised the conservative government's record on mental health. the conservative government's when i come across families who are waiting desperately for their children to receive the care they need, they feel badly let down by this government. the care they need, they feel badly so for me, it's empty rhetoric at the moment. the conservatives also said they want to increase staffing levels in all areas of mental health care in england, with 10,000 more planned by 2020. care in england, with 10,000 currently, there are 200,000

in a variety of roles, but according to government figures, the number of mental health nurses is down 6600 since 2010. the number of mental health nurses mental health charities welcome the aims, but are doubtful about what can be delivered. the aims, but are doubtful we've got to resource the front line so that there are enough beds and enough people and we wonder if the 10,000 people promised will be trained by 2020, will be sufficient to meet such demand. labour said there appeared to be no extra funding and warm words from conservatives wouldn't help tackle the injustice of unequal treatment in mental health. tackle the injustice of unequal hugh pym, bbc news. tackle the injustice of unequal more than 80 nigerian schoolgirls, freed in a prisoner swap, have met with the country's president in the capital. the girls from chibok were among more than 200 kidnapped three years ago by the islamist militant group, boko haram. the government says they'll be given medical checks before being reunited with theirfamilies. medical checks before being reunited

over 100 are still being held by militants. she's an artist and a poet, and now kate tempest is at the helm of the brighton festival, the largest curated multi arts festival in england. the largest curated multi arts this year the festival's theme celebrates what she calls the "everyday epic" and encourages the audience to take a walk in someone else's shoes. the audience to take a walk our arts editor will gompertz has been speaking to her. a warm welcome in brighton for kate tempest. your age is told in months. there's things i hope you will learn, things i am sure i learned once. the poets, performer and for this year only, guest director at the annual three—week's festival. outside is busy, people are excited. you have three weeks of this. what do you want people to take from it?

i hope what happens is, this is what happens to me and it is the thing of what i like the most of what the a rts what i like the most of what the arts can do, you leave the theatre, the cinema, the gallery or the community centre, where ever you have been watching the performance and you go back out into the street and you go back out into the street and suddenly, everything is a bit brighter. you are looking at faces more clearly and allowing yourself to connect with experience a bit more openly. itjust reaches your senses a little bit. a central theme is arts, access for all. we are hopefully coming to the end of a time when ideas about high culture and low culture are very much ingrained in ideas about class, andi much ingrained in ideas about class,

and i hope we are coming out of that now. the truth has lost its way... i think what is important is to remember that creativity is an extremely valuable and necessary pa rt extremely valuable and necessary part of our mental health. it makes us part of our mental health. it makes us human. it is, for me, one of the humanising principles and as life becomes increasingly synthetic, it is probably one of our most important vehicles and cultivators of empathy and connection, connection to ourselves and also to each other. a sentiment shared by this appreciative audience. earlier, liverpool missed a penalty as they were held to a goalless draw by southampton. as they were held to a goalless in the later game taking place right now, arsenal lead manchester united 2—0. right now, arsenal lead england striker danny welbeck scoring the second goal against his former side. scoring the second goal that's it, we are back with the late

news at ten o'clock, now on bbc one its time for the news where you are. goodbye. where you are. good evening, you're watching bbc news and i'm james pearce, here with the latest sports news. blackburn rovers have been relegated to league one. it's 37 years since they last played in the third tier of english football. on the final day in the championship the former premier league champions beat brentford, but it wasn't enough as nottingham forest and birmingham city also won to maintain their status in the league. james burford reports. a sad day for blackburn rovers fans.

victory and yet they become the first premier league winner to drop into the third tier of english football. it had been the perfect start for tony mowbray‘s side. a free kick put them in front against brentford, a lead was doubled just moments later, thanks to this from danny guthrie. brentford did manage a consolation before craig conway touch this away for rovers. too little too late, they played their part, no happy finish today. meanwhile, forrest had at one stage looked very bleak indeed. anything other than a win would not do so jordan smith literally saved their skin. from goalkeeping heroics to a goalkeeping blunder. a chance from the spot and brit a sombre longer

leading forest out of the woods. chris coen hammered home. everything looking rosy at the city ground. there was even time and space for another assombalonga rocket. fans flooded the pitch on the final whistle. so this is how tight it was. blackburn separated from forest, who survive, on goal difference. rovers join wigan and rotherham in league one. birmingham city saved themselves with a 1—0 win at bristol city. there was late drama at the top of the table. newcastle are champions by a point after they beat barnsley, and aston villa scored in the closing minutes to hold brighton to a draw. the play—off semi finals will see reading face fulham and huddersfield will play sheffield wednesday. jose mourinho has pretty much conceded defeat in the race for a champions league place by making eight changes to manchester united's starting line—up against arsenal. united were beaten 2—0 at the emirates and will now focus on this week's europa league

semifinal second leg. arsenal were kept at bay in the first half, united keeper david de gea quick to react to aaron ramsey's effort. it was goalless at half—time but arsenal took the lead soon after through granit xhaka's deflected shot. just a couple of minutes later it was 2—0, with danny welbeck scoring against his former club and ending united's 25 game unbeaten run in the premier league. liverpool are back up to third in the premier league after a goalless d raw at home to southampton. it's the fourth time this season they've failed to score against saints. liverpool captainjames milner had a second half penalty saved. goalkeeper fraser forster‘s gamesmanship seemed to work. forster was again at his best in injury time.

it means liverpool are just a point ahead of manchester city — third is the best they can hope for with just two games left to play. aberdeen have all but guaranteed themselves second place in the scottish premiership after they won 2—1 at hearts. earlier rangers secured at least fourth place and a chance to play in next season's europa league qualifiers. joe garner scored a stoppage—time winner as they came from behind to beat partick thistle 2—1 at firhill. in ireland's first one day international at lord's, they're heading for defeat, chasing 329 to beat england. after being put into bat, joe root, eoin morgan and jonny bairstow all made scores in the 70s as england set an imposing total. irish opening batsman paul stirling smashed 48 off 42 balls as they started the chase confidently. but wickets have continued to tumble through the afternoon with ireland set to be well short of the total. currently 221—6. great britain's rowers have won four gold medals in the first world cup regatta of the season in serbia.

it's the start of a new olympic cycle building towards toyko 2020 with three olympic champions competing in the british squad in belgrade. two of them — mo sbihi and will satch won gold in the first big race of the day, the men's four. gb also won gold in the men's and women's pairs and the lightweight men's double sculls. it was very scrappy bit you come away, you go to the first world cup wanting to win and we have come away with that, kind of the job done. wanting to win and we have come away with that, kind of thejob done. we know we have got a long way to go before we start pumping out some very polished performances. if you can win on bad days like this, it is even more sweeter can win on bad days like this, it is even more sweeter than when it is humming along nicely. it's been a great weekend at newmarket for trainer aidan o'brien — after winning the 2000 guineas with churchill yesterday, he's done the double for the third time after the his 9—1 shot winter won the 1000 guineas.

ridden by wayne lordan, winter, in the pink colours, pulled away in the final furlong, to win by two lengths from the 5—4 favourite rhododendron. andrew nicholson has won the badminton horse trials for the first time in more than 30 attempts. it was an an emotional victory for the new zealander who is based in wiltshire. he came back from a career threatening neck injury less than two years ago. nicholson kept his nerve on his horse nereo tojump clear in a nail biting final showjumping phase in which the overnight leader ingrid klimke dropped from 1st to 9th place. the victory was extra special for nicholson because of that injury sustained in the summer of 2015 when he was fortunate not to be left paralysed. last year's badminton winner michaeljung was second. rosalind canter was the highest placed briton in 5th place. denmark have won the inaugural golf sixes tournament at centurion club in st albans. the new competition is part of an attempt to attract new fans into the game, and it's played overjust six holes. the team of thorbjorn olesen

and lucas bjerregaard defeated australia in the final, winning by three holes to one. the new format is being held as a success as organisers hope to bring in younger fans. that is all your sport for now. now time for the weather. hello, west has been best for sunshine. this was the scene early on from one of our weather watchers in north—east scotland. the cloud has been feeding its way in across north and east scotland and north and east england. the cloud has made things feel rather cool by day. as we go through the night, the cloud will help to hold the temperatures up. further west, more will help to hold the temperatures up. furtherwest, more in will help to hold the temperatures up. further west, more in the way of clear spells and where we keep those clear spells and where we keep those clear spells, temperatures could drop low enough for a touch of frost. into tomorrow, still clouding eastern areas, still the best of the

sunshine in western areas. under the cloud, along the east coast it will field chilly. further west, cloud, along the east coast it will field chilly. furtherwest, not cloud, along the east coast it will field chilly. further west, not as warm as it has been today but still fairly decent under the sunny skies. asimilarday to fairly decent under the sunny skies. a similar day to come on tuesday. it should be sunny for just a similar day to come on tuesday. it should be sunny forjust about a similar day to come on tuesday. it should be sunny for just about all of us on wednesday. we're live in paris, where the polling stations will close within the next of hour, as the people of france choose their new president after a bitterly fought contest. a short while ago the far—right candidate marine le pen left her paris headquarters, a victory for her would mark a dramatic new direction for france. earlier emmanuel macron voted in his home town of le touquet, winning the election would be the pro—eu candidate's first experience of elected office. tens of millions of voters have been visiting the polling stations, but the latest official figures show that turnout is down, on the previous contest five years ago.

we'll bring you all the developments live in a special programme starting at 6:30pm here on bbc news. i'm shaun ley with the other stories this afternoon: