against accusations of a u—turn over social care policy. nothing has changed! nothing has changed. it's her answer to critics who see a climbdown over whether there's a cap on social care costs in england. what we have done is clarified that in the green paper, which will be a consultation document, we will have an upper limit, an absolute limit, on the amount people will pay for care. but opposition parties accuse her of changing her mind, saying there was no mention of a cap in the tory manifesto. they haven't said what the cap is, they haven't explained to the millions of people who are desperately worried at the moment about what kind of care they're going to get in the future. this is a government in chaos and confusion. well, this is theresa may's manifesto meltdown. the moment their policies are subject to any scrutiny, they start unravelling. we'll hear from one family caught up in the social care crisis. also tonight, labour brings forward

its pledge on tuition fees in england — they'll be scrapped for students starting this year. president trump is in israel. he speaks of a rare opportunity for peace with the palestinians. the sun was out, the garden is in full bloom, yes, time for the chelsea flower show. coming up in sportsday on bbc news, david moyes resigns as manager of sunderland following the club's relegation from the premier league this season. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. theresa may calls it a clarification, opposition parties call it a u—turn.

either way, the conservatives have spent the day defending their decision to include a cap on the amount anyone in england will have to spend on social care. there was no explicit pledge to have such a cap in the party's manifesto last week, leading critics to label it a "dementia tax". labour accused the conservatives of being mired in chaos and confusion over the policy, while the liberal democrats called it a manifesto meltdown. here's our political editor, laura kuennssberg. surreally rolling along, it had seemed, with only a few noises off. and antihunting protest was the last of the tories‘ problems today. the ma nifesto of the tories‘ problems today. the manifesto created a mess over social ca re manifesto created a mess over social care that had to be cleared up. the original version of the tory plans we re original version of the tory plans were to be bundled away. it might not sound like it, but this is a big

change to what theresa may had planned — introducing a limit, a cap, on how much people in england could have to pay. this manifesto says that we will come forward with a consultation paper, a government green paper, and that consultation win include an absolute limit on the amount people have to pay for their ca re costs. amount people have to pay for their care costs. you have just announced a significant change to what was offered in your manifesto, saying there will now be the possibility of a cap on social care that was not in the plans that was announced just four days ago. that doesn't look so strong and stable, prime minister, it looks rather like panic in the face of opposition. our social care system will collapse unless we address this problem, and we can't leave it to the future, we have to start dealing with it now. that is why i want to fix it, and i'm going to pick said. she was, though, pressed again and again, seeming exasperated by the end. let's be clear, we have not changed the

principles that we set out in the ma nifesto, principles that we set out in the manifesto, we are very clear about the principles upon which this system will operate. she wasn't hanging around. and ministers, well, they didn't really want to talk about it either. can i press you very quickly about the u—turn on social care? secretary of state, can we ask you very quickly about the u—turn on social care? when did theresa may change your mind? a closed—door, becausejust theresa may change your mind? a closed—door, because just yesterday ministers were saying nothing was going to change. any chance that you will get it again? no. but there we re will get it again? no. but there were concerns inside the party. the prime minister herself had heard nervous on the doorstep. the principle of a coupes and stays the same, but the change of heart is a giftand the same, but the change of heart is a gift and a source of gags for labour. another u-turn, jeremy? you

cannot trust this woman, she does u—turns an immigration, on parliament won't be meeting, having an election until 2020! you can't trust! but the opposition is still attacking the part of the plan that remains — the value of people's homes in england will be factored in for all kinds of social care, even no assets below £100,000 will be protected. this is what happens when you have a government that thinks it's going to win with an enormous majority. governments that have landslide majorities make bad decisions, make mistakes and take people for granted. social care is devolved, decided separately in wales, northern ireland, and in scotland, where her plans for the future will be published in the ma nifesto future will be published in the manifesto tomorrow. theresa may, though, has been trying to make inroads in areas that have been hostile to tories for years. she's a liar and hostile to tories for years. she's a liarand a hostile to tories for years. she's a liar and a coward! and don't forget, she's been trying to make this

campaign alla she's been trying to make this campaign all a question of leadership. are you embarrassed by this u—turn, prime minister?! leadership. are you embarrassed by this u-turn, prime minister?! tories out, tories out! the prime minister is adamant she has not budged on her principles, but she has made a big change to her plans published just a few days ago. for the first time in this general election campaign, theresa may looks rattled. the tories say they are the only ones who are willing to be honest about the cost of social care. why was there no mention of a cap in the ma nifesto ? there no mention of a cap in the manifesto? but if honesty is the best policy, seemingly, that involves being ready, at short notice, to take your own plans apart. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, wrexham. the cost of paying for social care is one of the greatest financial and emotional challenges any family faces. and it is a problem that's likely to become more common as increasing numbers of people live into old age. 0ur social affairs correspondent, alison holt, takes a look at one family's reaction to the new conservative plans. pensioner peter martin is full—time

carerfor his adh pensioner peter martin is full—time carer for his adh old pensioner peter martin is full—time carerfor his adh old mother pensioner peter martin is full—time carer for his adh old mother doris. limited savings mean they qualify for council help, getting three visits a day. —— his adh—year—old mother doris. peter has spent the last few days trying to work out what the conservative care plans would mean for them. he believes they'd lose local authority help because the value of their home would be included in calculations for the first time. at the moment, we are paying £68 a month, and if the new system came into effect tomorrow, we be paying £950 a month. he also wants more details before being reassured by a cap on care costs. under the new system, i see only uncertainty, i see the money disappearing very quickly, the debt rising very quickly. and thenjust a

and then just a complete lack of certainty over the future. so what would the tory plans mean for people who need care? at the moment, in england, anyone who has assets or savings of more than about £23,000 pays for their care. last week, in a ma nifesto, pays for their care. last week, in a manifesto, the conservatives said they'd increase that, allowing people to keep £100,000. the value of their home would be included in the calculation is for both residential and home care. deferred payments would allow the costs to be recouped from someone's estate after death. but it was what was missing thatis death. but it was what was missing that is called the controversy. no mention of a cap or limit to the massive costs mention of a cap or limit to the massive costs some mention of a cap or limit to the massive costs some would still face before they got council help. it had been a 2015 election promise, now theresa may says they will consult on what she calls an absolute limit but does not say what that will be. sir andrew dilnot wrote the report

that said a cap on care costs was essential to help people plan ahead. worried by last week's proposals, he welcomes this change. the proposals, as they were described last week, failed to answer one of the two big questions about social care — how is everybody going to manage what they face? with last week's proposals, people were left with enormous fear about the future. putting a cap in place means people will be above to manage. many questions remain about the costs and details of the plans, but for people like peter and doris, getting this right couldn't be more important. alison holt, bbc news. let's speak to laura in wrexham, where theresa may has been speaking today. just how damaging is this for theresa may? well, this peaceful evening in wrexham in wales is a real contrast to a very bumpy day

for the prime minister and the tories. i think this has certainly been one of if not the most difficult days she has had in this campaign, choosing to clarify one of the main ideas from the manifesto, because in political speak, clarifying, well, that means changing your plans. and she did that without being able to tell us at what point this cap on social ca re costs at what point this cap on social care costs might be introduced. would it be £100,000? would it be £10,000? i asked that this morning, i wasn't the only one, and she was not able to give us wakeley answer. in the last couple of hours, the bbc‘s andrew neil has had another 90, bbc‘s andrew neil has had another go, and are not getting very far with getting an answer. what we're going to do, as we said in our manifesto, is publish... we refer to a green paper — of course, a green paper, many people may not realise, a green paper is a consultation, so we want to take people's views, the views of charities, the views of others, on how the system should be operating. what i've said today is that we will have... so we don't know what

the size of the cap is? so we will have, in that consultation, that concept of an absolute limit on the costs that people have to pay. well, ministers i've spoken to today have said, of course, the important thing is to try to get this right before setting out firm plans, so having a consultation is the right choice to make. they've also said it was better to deal with this problem now, rather than risk the concerns over this policy overtaking the whole election campaign. but it is worth saying that no main party leader has had to make this kind of change to a manifesto plan in living memory. the tory manifesto was, after all, only published four days ago. and particularly when theresa may has chosen to try to make this election campaign all about leadership, all about authority, all about her ability to make decisions, what has happened today suggests that she is rather more susceptible to pressure than the tories would

have you believe. laura, thank you. tonight, as part of his series of interviews with all the main party leaders, you can see andrew neil's full interview with theresa may. that's on bbc one at seven o'clock. labour says it would bring forward its pledge to scrap tuition fees to include students starting university in england this autumn — that's if it wins the election. the party also says that students who are part—way through their courses would not have to pay for the remaining years. 0ur political correspondent ben wright has the story. in what used to be hull's old fruit and veg market, jeremy corbyn apt is sales pitch to students. labour had already promised to scrap tuition fees for english students studying at english universities from next year, now he says student starting this year will be free of fees. surely, we should be investing in oui’ surely, we should be investing in our future. somebody who doesn't achieve the profession they want, nursing, teaching, medicine in some

other form, nursing, teaching, medicine in some otherform, engineering, whatever it happens to be, they lose out, but we asa happens to be, they lose out, but we as a society lose out because we've lost a qualified person. from this autumn, universities in england can charge up to £9,250 a yearfor undergraduate courses, but labour says new students, and those partway through courses, would have free tuition from this autumn. the party claims this policy would cost the taxpayer £9.5 billion a year. but the tories, lib dems and those studying the numbers said the policy would benefit better of graduates most of all. if you are a rather to lee—lo owner, you will never pay back anything like what you have borrowed, and the whole thing gets written off after 30 years. it is only the higher earners that pay it all back, so if you get rid of the tuition fees, it is the highest earners who benefit the most. actually, the very lowest earners do not benefit much at all. education isa not benefit much at all. education is a devolved issue, and scottish

stu d e nts is a devolved issue, and scottish students at scottish universities, for instance, already pay no fees. in hull, students weighed up the latest inducement from labour.m in hull, students weighed up the latest inducement from labour. it is a great thing in principle, but i'm concerned about how it will be funded. trident is a major concern, i will not be voting labour, u nfortu nately. i will not be voting labour, unfortunately. it is going to go down well with students, labour policies are historically pretty popular with students, i think this will be absolutely no exception. but whilejeremy corbyn will be absolutely no exception. but while jeremy corbyn wheeled will be absolutely no exception. but whilejeremy corbyn wheeled out this big hitter to take his party ‘s message to local voters, it was his own political past causing him difficulty. jeremy corbyn has been in hull talking about the future of young people, but he's also been fending off questions about his own past, in particular his support for sinn fein during the doubles in northern ireland and his refusal over the weekend to single out the ira for condemnation. he was today again as do unequivocally condemn

the actions during the troubles. again as do unequivocally condemn the actions during the troubleslj condemn the actions during the troubles.” condemn all acts of violence in northern ireland, from wherever they came. i spent the whole of the 1980s representing a constituency with a large number of irish people in it, we wa nted large number of irish people in it, we wanted peace, justice, a solution. and then jeremy corbyn was on to his neck to rally in scarborough, a seat with a big tory majority for labour to overturn, but his supporters here, young and old, do not doubt him. ben wright, bbc news, hull. our top story this evening... theresa may has defended herself against accusations of a u—turn over social care policy. and still to come — the chelsea flower show blooms again. we get a sneak preview. and coming up in the sport on bbc news, russia's given a final warning to address doping or face a total ban from next year's winter olympics in pyeongchang. donald trump has arrived in israel on the second leg of his tour

of the middle east and europe. he's meeting israeli and palestinian leaders. president trump has said he wants to reach a deal between them, and said there was a rare opportunity for peace. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, has been travelling with him. he sent this report. even with his arrival on air force one, a small piece of history was made — the first—ever direct flight between saudi arabia and israel. the two countries have no diplomatic relations. but the self—proclaimed deal—maker has his eye on a much bigger prize — the ultimate deal, he calls it, peace between israelis and palestinians. we have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region, and to its people, defeating terrorism and creating

a future of harmony, prosperity and peace. but we can only get there working together — there is no other way. after the warmth of his reception in saudi arabia, it seemed the whole israeli ruling class had decamped to ben gurion airport to make a public display of appreciation towards this country's most important ally. it was then on tojerusalem, a still—divided city whose future status will be hotly contested in any peace agreement. and for all the delight there is to welcome president trump, there is also unease. when donald trump was a candidate, he vowed that the us embassy would be moving — from tel aviv to jerusalem. now, under pressure from the palestinians, that seems increasingly unlikely. as a candidate, he had nothing to say about settlement building in the west bank. now that he's president, he's urging israelis to be cautious. it seems that the candidate and the president can be two different people. but symbols can be as important

as words, and it won't have been lost on israelis that donald trump became the first sitting us president to visit the western wall, one ofjudaism's holiest sites. he paused and put a note into a crevice between the stones in a tradition going back centuries. he also went to the church of the holy sepulchre in the old city, where it's believed thatjesus was buried and resurrected. the trump mission — to bring together the three great religions of christianity, judaism and islam. but in the west bank, talk of peace and new beginnings seemed as far away as ever, as israeli soldiers clashed with palestinian protesters, some clearly unhappy about the president's visit. back to the election now, and the green party has called for bold action on the environment, education, welfare and brexit at the launch of its manifesto. the party's co—leader,

caroline lucas, said they had "very distinct" plans for a universal basic income and a shorter working week, aiming for a "confident and caring" nation. launching its manifesto, sinn feinn said this will be another ground—breaking election for the party. their leader in northern ireland, michelle 0'neill, said brexit and the good friday agreement are not compatible, and proposed a referendum on irish unity within five years. so, this is very much an opportunity to tell both the tories and the dup again, in the strongest possible terms, that we reject brexit, that we reject any border, that we reject any attempt to put limits on our freedom of movement. we reject barriers to trade and agriculture, and we absolutely reject tory cuts. that we stand for rights, for equality and for irish unity. as we've heard, today is deadline day for voter registration — the more people that sign up, the higher the turnout

is likely to be — at least, that's the theory. at the last election, middlesbrough had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country. why was that? as part of a series of reports every day this week, we've travelled across the country to find out what voters think. 0ur political editor in the north—east, richard moss, has this report. middlesbrough. labourfor decades. but a town where turnout has barely reached 50% in the last five elections. the blue...upstairs, that's my son's bedroom... this is gresham, yards from middlesbrough‘s bustling town centre. kay shows us the house where she grew up. right, we're in his front room. his telly would have been there... after a decade of decline, there is a plan to redevelop and move students in. buy kay mourns the loss of her community. in the summer months, we'd all be sat out front, the kids would be playing.

and we had the shop. now, it'sjust all... it's just all...gone, isn't it? just derelict? you've got a chance, you've got an election coming up — will you vote? nah. why not, you want something to happen? yeah, well... vote for somebody to make it happen. they just do what they want to do, don't they, they get elected and then they just do what they want to do. they don't listen to the voters anyway. # everyone keeps telling me that i should vote labout, but i... at least local busker alex can muster some form of protest song — but will he vote? some people i know vote tory, some people i know vote labour, some people i know vote liberal democrats. but for me, none of them offer what i'm looking for, so why would i vote for any of them, you know? # ..it's really something new. it's not that nothing's happening here, we've seen demolition, there is a plan. but actually, when you talk to local people, they've got no faith it's going to amount to very much. they've certainly got no faith that their vote is going to make any difference. are you still going to vote for them? yeah, i will, i will vote labour. i don't know why, ijust... i don't think anything will ever

change, i think the conservatives will be in for ever. have you lived here a while? yeah, i've lived here... my nanny used to live around the corner as well. and she was happy in her house, and they've knocked it down, and made a car park on top of it, it's disgusting. election coming up, could it make a difference? i doubt it. change could be in the area here, though. saltburn is in neighbouring middlesbrough south — labour majority, just 2,000. away from crashing waves we find crocheting women, with politicians‘ fates in their hands. i think we need a fairer, more equal society. and i think the only that we can get that is to vote labour. there's people who have voted one way always, like my husband... "i've never, ever voted anything other than labour, but this time i might just vote conservative." so, i think this is probably a game changer. and on the seafront, more signs of the tide turning. my mother and father have voted labour, and all the family, so we've all voted labour all our lives. when you sit down and

have a think about it properly, no, labour's gone. labour is struggling to hold on. some loyalty remains, but ties are looser. the conservatives are increasingly confident they are the future here now. # everybody's telling me that i should vote labour... it's been 15 months in the planning — and it's taken hundreds of people more than a month to build and create the stunning displays. the chelsea flower show opens its gates to the public tomorrow. 0ur correspondent frankie mccamley is among those allowed a sneak preview, and she's there for us now, frankie. well, the weather could not have been any better. the sun is shining on this garden, which has been designed to raise awareness of breast cancer research. 160,000 people are expected here over the next five days, including one very

special guest, who hasjust arrived. her majesty the queen, taken off for a tour to see what the annual show has to offer, which includes ian price's mind trap garden. he suffered from mental ill—health but is using his gardening skills to raise awareness of the issue. in this central area, the bubbling pool is to represent the fact that when you look into that, you don't get a true reflection of yourself when you're at your lowest point, when you're suffering. the views that you have from the central seat show you that there is a brighter world beyond. you can't see it all, you can't see how to get out, but you know there's something better than what you're in at the minute. ian is one of more than 500 exhibitors within the grounds of the royal hospital chelsea. bbc radio 2 feel—good gardens are exploring the five senses. this is chris evans' taste garden. the thing that i was most surprised by is that i thought, amongst the show gardens, ours might get lost. but what they can do within their 23 by 23 foot plot is amazing. that is sort of a testament to what we could do at home. it was an emotional morning

for dame judi dench, who had a shropshire apricot rose named after her. caring for nearly 2 million more dead this year, the commonwealth war graves commission is celebrating 100 years. coming to pay his respects and a chance to compare medals, a war hero himself. although we celebrate here today with this garden the past first and second world wars, we cannot forget the present because we're putting our lives on the line for a better tomorrow. the show is smaller this year, but with the royals out in force, it continues to bring the joy of gardening to millions. time for a look at the weather. yeah, glorious weather for chelsea, although there will be a lot of

watering needed over the coming weekend. these are buttercups seen in berkshire, where the temperature was about 25 degrees today. it could get even higher later in the week. not quite so warm here in northern ireland, where there has been grisly showers. —— to,. clearerskies following on behind, except in england, where we will see increasing amounts of low cloud and maybe some hill fog as well. some sunshine on the way in scotland and most of us will have a fine, dry day with some sunshine. a different look to the weather towards the south—west of the uk. it will not be as warm as today across the south—west of england, with more cloud around. that will at times be

pushing into the south—east of england. england, temperatures widely into the low 20s, not quite as warm as today perhaps around the london area. some rain coming into northern ireland. most of scotland will be dry with some warm sunshine. 0n will be dry with some warm sunshine. on wednesday, some more cloud coming in but that will tend to break up as we go through the day. another warm day. temperatures quite a few degrees above the average for this time of year. heading towards the end of the week, we will probably find more sunshine as we draw in the airfrom the near find more sunshine as we draw in the air from the near continent and we could be hitting 30 degrees in the south—east. that's it. now on bbc one, we canjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. . stories: theresa may has theresa may says that she will consider capping the amount people have to pay in old age. nothing has

changed, nothing has changed! we are offering a long—term solution for the sustainability of social care for the future. opposition parties have accused the prime minister of a major climb—down, saying there is no mention of a tory manifesto. this is a government in chaos and confusion. jeremy corbyn says he will scrap tuition fees for students starting university in england this autumn if he becomes prime ministers. donald trump has become the first us president to pray at the most holy site injudaism on a visit to israel for talks with both israeli and palestinian leaders. and organisers at the chelsea flower

show prepared to welcome the crowd for tomorrow. now it's time for sportsday, and david moyes is leaving another job sportsday, and david moyes is leaving anotherjob after a poor season, it seems. we will have plenty of reaction to that news this afternoon, david moyes has resigned as manager of sunderland following relegation from the premier league, one of many