this is bbc news. the headlines at 2pm. on the last day of campaigning, the conservatives and labour return to their core themes. for theresa may, brexit; forjeremy corbyn, investing in public services. who do you trust to actually have a strong and stable leadership that is going to deliver the best deal for britain in europe? because brexit matters. brexit is the basis of everything else. you've got a choice. five more years of tory cuts, longer waiting lists, underfunded schools in many parts of our country and hope under labour. seven weeks after the snap general election was called — the parties are all making their last big push for votes. we'll have the latest from the campaign trail as it draws to a close. also in the next hour.

the london bridge attack — the death toll rises to eight after a body — believed to be missing frenchman 45—year—old xavier thomas — is found in the thames. more police raids — a 30—year—old man is arrested in east london — amid further questions over how one of the attackers was able to enter the uk. celebrating the life of ronnie corbett — stars of comedy and tv attend a memorial service for the man whose career spanned more than six decades. the creator of charlie and lola, lauren child, has been announced as the new children's poet laureate. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. seven weeks after the snap general election was called — leaders from all parties

are on the last push for votes before millions of people go to the polls tomorrow. after the last few days of campaigning were dominated by the issue of national security following the london bridge attack — today, party leaders have returned to their core themes of the past few weeks. for the conservatives, theresa may has focused on brexit, to deliver the best dealfor britain. labour's jeremy corbyn is concentrating on public services and has told voters that the election is a choice of hope over fear. in fact, it's almost the best son i have seen in the whole campaign, so well done, colwyn bay, well done, wales. but it's also about what we do in our society. when the tories came into office in 2010 with the support of the liberal democrats, their response, yes, that's correct, thank you. their response to the financial crash of 2008, 2009, was,

well, yes, the banks must be supported, yes, the banks must be bailed out, yes, they will need tax relief at the top to encourage them to do something with their money, maybe invest, maybe not, and public services would be slashed all across the country. look all across the uk at the cuts and closures that have taken place. at the cuts and closures that have ta ken place. there at the cuts and closures that have taken place. there is a price to be paid. it's all very well, congratulating firefighters, paramedics, ambulance drivers and police officers and security officers when they rushed to be scene of a disaster when the rest of us are scene of a disaster when the rest of us are trying to get away to a place of safety. they go and put themselves in danger that the rest of us may be safe. i absolutely praise, congratulate and thank them. applause but i tell you this. it's all made more difficult when 20,000 police officers have lost theirjobs in the

last seven years. and so, our proposal is that we would put 10,000 more police officers on the streets all across the uk. properly funded police and community policing in order to make everyone safer. but it's also about communities coming together and i believe very strongly in the power of communities coming together. we are people who want to live a life that is safe, secure, we wa nt live a life that is safe, secure, we want the very best for our children in the future. therefore, we need government who are prepared to invest in young people for the beach. thank you very much, up there. be sure that none of you fall down that slope. because a labour government will support education in wales, scotland and, i am very proud of one of our proposals, which will be for english schools but i'm sure, andi be for english schools but i'm sure, and i know, and it will because the welsh government is very keen on

culture and music, i want every child in every school to be able to learn a musical instrument. because it's something that helps their creativity and their imagination. so, by voting labour, by electing labour companies —— labour mps tomorrow, you are electing a government that is going to challenge the economic narrative we have had in this country for the last seven years. what has actually happened has been that the richest payless in tax, corporations have seen their tax rate fall from 28p down to well below 20p and, under this government, set to fall further. we have also seen tax write—offs on inheritance tax, capital gains tax and many other tax reliefs at the top end. we've also seen reliefs at the top end. we've also seen absurd and obscene amounts of money squirrelled away into tax havens on exotic islands around the world. and, at the same time, at the

same time all across the country, what's happening? schools are underfunded, libraries underfunded or closed, so much of our community fabric destroyed on the altar of the idea that somehow or other you cut your way to prosperity. well, you don't. you don't cut your way to prosperity. so, we're saying to things here. one is, a labour government will be really serious about investment. we are really serious about tariff free access to the european market to maintain manufacturing jobs here in north wales as well as all over the uk. and we will establish a national investment bank which will have at its disposal over ten years £500 billion which will be invested barely all across britain, so it will be —— invested barely all across britain, in scotland, wales

and every english region. we cannot go on being the country in the world that doesn't invest when we shared and allow so much to be put into property speculation when it should be put into good quality housing for all as well asjobs for all be put into good quality housing for all as well as jobs for all three manufacturing industry. we have a very serious set of economic proposals there. at the other end, what is happening? 6 million people, 6 million people die in less than the living wage. that's not right, that's not necessary. —— 6 million people in britain earn less than the living wage. they have to access tax credits in order to survive. many people in work are run such low pay, even nurses in the nhs, have to use food banks to survive. many people sleeping rough on the streets of our

towns and cities because they can't get anywhere to live because there isa get anywhere to live because there is a housing shortage. and the levels of poverty amongst those with disabilities because of frozen benefits or benefits taken away by unfair benefits or benefits taken away by u nfa ir tests benefits or benefits taken away by unfair tests of availability for work which lead people to enormous levels of stress. none of this is right, proper or necessary. and so, we've got to look at the issues of rights at work. we've got to look at theissues rights at work. we've got to look at the issues of rights at work all over the uk. at the moment, we have, asi over the uk. at the moment, we have, as i said, people on 0—hours contracts with very few rights. we have a government he had introduced these to go to an employment tribunal and even costs might be charged against the worker going now. we have introduced the workers charter. full employment rights from day one of employment. secondly, an

end to bogus —— bogus self—employment where employers offer people work but don't really offer people work but don't really offer them a job, saying, offer people work but don't really offerthem ajob, saying, go self—employed, it won't cost me anything, i won't have to pay any national insurance, you might get any benefits, you won't get any security, well, i'm sorry, that's not ok in this country. full employment rights. and an end to 0—hours contracts and, particularly important, i think, 0—hours contracts and, particularly important, ithink, is 0—hours contracts and, particularly important, i think, is a 0—hours contracts and, particularly important, ithink, is a real living wage of £10 an hour by 2020. that £10 per hour real living wage will make a big difference to an awful lot of families. so, as we go forward to the election starting at 7am tomorrow, indeed many have voted by post already. they have been told to vote by ceremony people who know

so to vote by ceremony people who know so much i'd know so well but what has happened in this campaign is something quite remarkable. we've been picking up support all the time. people have been listening to what we've had to say, listening and reading the words we have put forward , reading the words we have put forward, the ideas we have put forward, the ideas we have put forward and it's that community strength which is so important and so strength which is so important and so vital. so, tomorrow, the choice. the choice is quite simple. five more years of a tory government, five more years of austerity, five more years of cuts. 0r five more years of austerity, five more years of cuts. or something different. a government that is serious, serious about representing people and a government that would not be afraid, not to be afraid to pick up the phone, not to be afraid, hang on one second, i'm not done yet... a government that would not be afraid to pick up the phone to

donald trump and say, listen, mate, you're wrong, you're wrong on trying to destroy the paris climate change agreement and you're wrong for this very simple reason. we all live on one planet. there isn't any other planet and if we don't look after it and protect it, it wait to be there. 0ur and protect it, it wait to be there. our future and protect it, it wait to be there. 0urfuture will and protect it, it wait to be there. our future will not be there and so it does mean a government that is interested and serious about supporting and protecting our natural environment and the quality, river quality and the quality for all of us. there is no hiding place from pollution. that would be our government. a government that invests for the many, that invests for our futures, that funds are services properly. but it will also be such an important message. we've had seven years of cuts, closures,

poverty and austerity. we've had and seen poverty and austerity. we've had and seen their way in which former mining communities, former steel communities, many parts of the whole of britain have seen little and been given very little ever since that time. it's time for a change. time for a change, for a government that invests across the whole of the uk, that supports people across the whole of the uk and deals with the issues of inequality and poverty. will it cost? yes, it will cost. it will cost to get rid of university fees in england. it will cost in terms of free school meals for all primary school children in england and preschool places for all four—year—olds. it does cost. i fully understand that. and it does mean that taxation has to be raised elsewhere. therefore, there will be no tax rise for 95% of the

population of this country. no rise in income taxed, no rise in employees national insurance and no rise in vat. there will be a rise of corporation tax up to 26%, which is actually less than it was in 2010, and there will be some other tax rises for the very rich and those that invest in property in britain and try to do it tax—free from overseas. but the benefits of that, the benefits of that will be transformative to so many peoples lives all across the country. and i wa nt lives all across the country. and i want our government, elected tomorrow and in taking office on friday, i want that government to measure its friday, i want that government to measure its success friday, i want that government to measure its success by the reduction of inequality, by the elimination of poverty, by the creation of good quality housing for all all across the country, because i find

something deeply offensive about one of the richest countries in the world, the fifth richest country in the world, tolerating the idea that people should be sleeping rough on the streets of our towns and cities. emily campaigned on homelessness and pointed out there were even people homeless living in caves here in north wales because they couldn't find anywhere else to live. don't blame them, blame a system that doesn't provide the housing that's necessary. and, when you vote tomorrow, think of this. think on the world we want for our children and the security we want for our older people. think of what we can achieve together and think of the alternative. the alternative of that arid road, less spent on public

services, less respectful communities, less support for children and young people and all the while the gap between the richest and the poorest getting wider and wider and wider. what we are doing in this election is turning our backs on that strategy of dealing with austerity by creating more poverty. we deal with austerity by challenging poverty and injustice and inequality. let's go to dan johnson who injustice and inequality. let's go to danjohnson who is in colwyn bay as well. as we were seeing back, another huge crowd and a familiar theme that from the labour leader? indeed, yes. all across the country we have seen these huge rallies. jeremy corbyn able to draw thousands of people to him and a familiar pattern where there are more people than the labour party have expected, with some unable to hear because the pa system isn't able to project as far as they go. he has a frantic

campaign schedule today. he started in glass go this morning, he's been to runcorn, now in north wales, of back to the midlands and then down to london for a rally this evening. returning to the core messages about funding the nhs, education, free tuition fees for students and also issues about police numbers is one issues about police numbers is one issue he's just raised issues about police numbers is one issue he'sjust raised here, about, he says, returning police numbers to the streets that the conservative government has taken away. no one can deny the inspiration he has put into crowds like this but the big challenge for him is to project his message beyond the people who come to his rallies to convince the wider electorate that he is credible lead and that his policies are affordable and that his policies are affordable and can be delivered. dan, thank you very much. dan johnson and can be delivered. dan, thank you very much. danjohnson travelling with the labour leader. north, south, east and west, they

are having breakfast on the go. this is the last push, the final few miles as they try to win new waver. and even before most voters were awake, theresa may without any london. talking about the conservatives' promise to invest billions more in housing, roads and rail, with security dominating the campaign, late last night, mrs may pledged to toughen the laws, if needed, to tackle terrorism but today returned again and again to her core message. who do you trust to actually have the strong and stable leadership that is going to deliver the best dealfor britain in europe. because brexit matters. brexit is the basis of everything else. we need to get that brexit deal right. all across the uk.

the labour leader started his day in glasgow, pledging higher taxes for the better off and businesses. pledging to put money into public services. you have a choice, five more years of tory cuts, longer waiting list, underfunded schools in many parts of our country. and hope for labour. hope that our young people will be treated and hope that the pensioners will keep the triple lock and security they need and hope to invest in our economy all over the uk. he is not aiming for government, but wants the lib dems to be the party of opposition and in the west midlands, first thing today, urged voters not to give theresa may a blank cheque. to make sure people have the opportunity to resist the taxes and to give a final day on the brexit deal is a stroke offer that the liberal democrat

will reap rewards for. in scotland, the snp are warning a vote for labour will let theresa may into government through the back door. it is time to end the attack on low—paid people, the disabled and vulnerable in our community. we need to end tory austerity, cancel attacks on the welfare state and invest in public services. after the vote to leave the eu, ukip are fighting to stay relevant and pushing for a hard brexit. i mean a brexit where we reduce immigration, where we don't pay a divorce bill and where we take back full control of our waters. don't go out and vote tory, vote for the real deal, ukip. it is really only the green party looking ahead and saying we have a wave of automation coming in, we have to tackle the job losses. also, we aren't going to waste £110 billion renewing trident. it is only by having a strong team of plaid cymru mps that will make sure that wales' voice is taken seriously and not ignored in the way it has been

since the referendum took place, lastjune. of course it's power here the parties are all competing for and they'll be using the last few hours of the campaign to win over waivering voters. to help to return their candidate to the house of commons. now, though, it's over to you. time to make your mind up and choose who you'd like to see as our next prime minister. let's cross now to the liberal democrat campaign bus. we've been hearing the main messages from the conservatives and labour from this final day of campaigning. how about the lib dems? well, like the other parties we are crisscrossing the country today. we were in total than a couple of hours today —— a couple of hours ago and then we were in twickenham, two seeds which voted

overwhelmingly to remain in the eu. that is at the heart of the liberal democrat manifesto. they have dug themselves the anti—brexit party since the outset and they say if they are successful in the election tomorrow, they will give people the opportunity to have a say on that crucial deal struck between the eu and the government. remember, they are trying to appeal to the 48% of the electorate who voted to remain. we will be finding out tomorrow whether that message has been successful in a bid to get them any more seats. thank you very much for that. the mega touch on the campaign bus with the liberal democrats. more on the last day of campaigning to come. the death toll in the london bridge attack has risen to eight, after a body was found in the thames last night. it's thought to be that of the missing frenchman, xavier thomas. the 45—year—old was on the bridge with his girlfriend on saturday night and hadn't been seen since.

it's believed he was knocked into the river after 29 people are still in hospital after the attack, ten of them remain ina after the attack, ten of them remain in a critical condition. sarah campbell reports. xavier thomas, missing since the attack on saturday night. a french citizen, he was a5. he had been walking on london bridge with his girlfriend on a weekend break to the city. she was left seriously injured and it was feared he had been thrown into the river thames. yesterday evening, the family of xavier thomas was informed a marine unit looking for him have recovered a body three miles downstream from the bridge. formal identification has not yet taken place. the bbc understands that zara selenakfrom brisbane in australia is also amongst the dead. her stepfather posted this video of her saying he would miss her funny little laugh. she is one of two australians to have been killed. the other was 28—year—old kirsty boden, a senior staff nurse at guy's hospital. prince harry, who is

currently in australia, reflected on the deaths. australians form an important and vibrant part of the fabric of life in london and we are reminded of that in good times and bad. our hearts go out to the victims, their friends and families. also killed was james mcmullan from hackney, aged 32. his sister described him as an inspiration. chrissy archibald was canadian, it has been reported she died in the arms of her fiance after being hit by van. alexandre pigeard was a french national working as a waiter. his mother, said friends, is devastated. ignacio echeverria, a 39—year—old spanish banker, and sebastian bellinger, a french chef, have both been reported as killed in the spanish and french media. however, this has not been officially confirmed and the bbc understands the family of ignacio echeverria have had no confirmation. as well as the dead, 29 people remain in hospital. ten in a critical condition.

lives ended or forever changed in an attack which lasted minutes. sarah campbell, bbc news. police have carried out more raids this morning. a man in his 30s has been arrested in ilford in east london. it comes as the home office is being put under pressure to explain why one of the attackers, the italian national, yousef zaghba, was allowed into the country despite being placed on an eu—wide extremist watch list by italy. 0ur correspondent wyre davies reports. in the early hours of the morning at this address in the ilford area of east london, police arrested a 31—year—old man on suspicion of terror offences in connection with saturday's attack. but as known associates and possible accomplices of the three attackers are tracked down, the nagging question — how much was known about khurram butt, rashid reddaway and youssef zaghba before they set out to indiscriminately kill? 22—year—old youssef zaghba, an italian—moroccan national,

was the last attacker to be identified. in the small italian village of fagnano near bologna, where members of his family still live, his mother valeria collina, whose face we are not showing, spoke of an increasingly angry young man, growing up in idyllic surroundings, but radicalised by things he saw and read on the internet. translation: what we clashed over was his radicalisation over the treatment of muslims. i would say to him, you don't have to react that way. if you go on facebook, there are lots of people who condemn these acts of violence, but don't act. unconfirmed reports said that youssef zaghba was flagged, or authorities were alerted, when he arrived at stansted airport earlier this year. but he was allowed to enter the uk, despite a continental wide alert from italian police after they had previously stopped him from travelling to syria. and he reportedly told them, he was going to be a terrorist. similar concerns have already been raised

about his accomplice, khurram butt. he was known to the police and had featured in a tv documentary about radical islam. one senior former cross—party adviser on security issues told the bbc that lives could have been saved had khurram butt been put under much closer supervision. khurram butt should have been subject to something like a control order. if he had been under a control order, he would not have done what he did and probably the others wouldn't either. control orders were something i supervised as independent reviewer of terrorism legislation between 2005 and 2011. they worked very well. they saved many lives. investigations continue amid calls for a thorough review of how intelligence is processed and suspects monitored. wyre davies, bbc news. our correspondent, sara smith, is at new scotland yard. that inevitable news, i suppose,

that the death toll has risen? yes, that the death toll has risen? yes, that the death toll has risen? yes, that the latest here that the death toll has gone up from 78. xavier thomas's family had said they thought he may have gone into the river at night but they were hoping for a miracle and then came the news the body had been found. —— the latest news that the death toll has gone up from latest news that the death toll has gone up from seven latest news that the death toll has gone up from seven to eight. in a statement, the police said a body was found three miles down the river by the specialist marine unit and though the formal investigation —— formal identification has not yet taken place, formal identification has not yet ta ken place, they formal identification has not yet taken place, they have let his family know. and that arrest in ilford this morning, with a man in his 30s being questioned at a police station in east london. 12 people we re station in east london. 12 people were arrested shortly after the attack, they have all now been released anti—people remain in custody. the mayor, sadiq khan, has

been talking about how there has been talking about how there has been a spike in hate crime with 20 reports of islam of a big hate crime on monday. that compares to an average of about 3.5 in a normal day. he said one of the greatest things about london is now defined unity in the face of adversity. he said that will not change in the aftermath of the attack said he has called on londoners to pull together. sarah smith, thank you very much. the time is approaching half past two. let's take a look at the weather forecast. good afternoon. for many of us, today will be the best day of the working week. predominantly dry with lots of sunshine coming through for some. just the remnants of yesterday's rain lingering. enjoy the sunshine if you've got it and it will feel quite pleasant, particularly in comparison to yesterday's weather with highs likely peaking at 20 degrees. at the end of the day, parts of wales and

south—west england will start to see the arrival of more wet weather, bringing rain and wind through the night, steadily drifting its way northward. the heaviest of the rain a lwa ys northward. the heaviest of the rain always on the slopes, with the potential for not much of the rain in the south—eastern corner. gradually, the wet weather will be brought into the north, but the far north of scotland should stay dry as well. somewhat quieter conditions for friday and if we get some sunshine, a little bit warmer as well. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: parties return to their core themes as political leaders make a final push for votes across the country in the last day of campaigning before the general election. theresa may says voters should be trusted. jeremy corbyn says it's a

choice between hope and fear. police searching for the body of french national xavier thomas, missing since the london bridge attack, have recovered a body from the thames. as police raid more properties in east london, the home office faces questions over how one of the london bridge attackers was able to return to the uk, despite being on an international database of suspects. thirteen people are convicted after abuse at two care homes in north devon. residents who had learning disabilities were routinely held in empty rooms without food, heating or even a toilet. the abuse took place from the start of 2010 until early 2012. both care homes have since closed. in iran, gunmen and suicide bombers have carried out co—ordinated attacks in the capital tehran. at least 12 people are dead including the attackers. they targeted the parliament and the tomb of the founder of the republic, ayatollah khomenei. 14 1a months after his death, stars of

comedy attend a memorial service for ronnie corbett. his career spanned more than six decades. let's get the sport now. defending champion novak djokovic is out of the french open after losing to dominic thiem in straight sets in the quarter—finals. the austrian had never beaten djokovic — in fact the last time they played, just three weeks ago, thiem could only win one game. but here he played the match of his life, showing why he's one of the most exciting young talents in the game, taking the third set to love as djokovic virtually gave up. and next he'll face the nine—time champion rafael nadal, who went through to the semi—finals when his fellow—spaniard pablo carreno busta was forced to retire through injury in the second set. andy murray plays kei nishikori at about 3 o'clock. the british and irish lions head coach warren gatland says there are plenty of positives, despite a first defeat on their tour of new zealand. the tough schedule has been evident,

a narrow win in their first match, followed by a 22—16 loss their second against the auckland blues this morning. our sports correspondent katie gornall reports. in ready the hacker is usually reserved for the all blacks but for their special guests the auckland blues lay down their own challenge. one of the weaker sides in the new zealand's super rugby they still boast eight all blacks including 20—year—old who go your money. after underwhelming in their first match the lions were much improved. cj stander muscled through. but it was auckland who snatched a somewhat fortu nate auckland who snatched a somewhat fortunate half—time lead. sonny bill williams who winning the race to touchdown to put his side 12—10 ahead. after losing liam williams to the sin bin warren gatland's side worked hard to regain lead but the

blues were looking, waiting for the right moment to pounce and with minutes left the fly—half was said charging to the line. the lions had one last chance to roll the dice but could not take it. there are still plenty of time to improve but they know this is a match they ought to have one. there is so much strength in depth in this country. i don't think there is much difference between some of the super rugby sides and the all blacks. these guys have been together seven months. there is a massive amount of depth and strength and not a lot of difference between the teams. johnnie peacock is one of 10 gold medal winners from last year's paralympic games included in a a9—strong british team for next month's world para athletics championships in london. peacock‘s most recent win came in manchester two weeks ago, in the 100—metres at the great city games. his performance in rio was one of the iconic moments. among the other champions from 2016 in the team are richard whitehead, hannah cockroft and kadeena cox.

olympic gold medallists jack laugher and chris mears will return to the world stage in budapest next month, at the world diving championships. the pair won the 3—metre springboard title in rio and they've taken three world series medals this year. tom daley, dan goodfellow and grace reid are also included in a team of 12. great britain won their first race in the america's cup semi—finals in the most dramatic of circumstances. after going 3—nil down to new zealand, sir ben ainslie's team finally registered when their opponents capsized at the start of race 4. luckily all of their crew members were ok. that's all sport for now. pakistan are playing at edgbaston. they will love the bit south africa than any chance of staying in the

competition. all the news available on the bbc sport website. it is 61—3 at the moment. all to play forfour south africa. politicians are out and about campaigning for tomorrow's general election. theresa may hasn't spoken toa election. theresa may hasn't spoken to a bbc plane and was asked what would constitute success for the.|j am would constitute success for the.” am feeling good. i never predict election result. we will get out there for the final hours. what would constitute success?” there for the final hours. what would constitute success? i never said those sorts of targets. ijust get a said those sorts of targets. ijust geta airand said those sorts of targets. ijust get a air and campaign for the result i believe is the right one for the country which is a conservative government. you said you wanted a stronger hand. that is

just a variation of the question. i never predict and i never set targets. ijust go out and about and ta ke targets. ijust go out and about and take my message and the message is the same as it always has been, there is a clear choice for people when they come to vote between the coalition and chaos ofjeremy corbyn or strong and stable leadership from me and my team. to have any regrets, anything you are done differently? have enjoyed the campaign. the two terrible terror attacks obviously been something nobody wants to see. but outside of those i have enjoyed the campaign and enjoyed getting out and about and meeting different people across the country. tim fallon is urging people to vote tactically for the lib dems to

prevent a conservative landslide. he has been campaigning in south—west london and said floating lib dem would send a powerful message to theresa may that she did not have a blank cheque. on the biggest issue to face us as a country for the generation we still trust the british people and when brexit is a reality not going to become something in people's consciousness for a few weeks, it's brave and right and my motivation in saying that the british people should have the final say on the final deal is motivated more about me in —— me being might —— of my kids in the eye and said we did everything we could to announce your future. if you were a betting person you would say the lib dems are the only opposition party likely to make gains. it is a sad indictment on the situation we

find ourselves in that theresa may having run the campaign she has done feels she can take britain for granted. caroline lucas the co—leader of the green party has been campaigning in brighton and speaking to voters. she has been defending the idea of free movement and said voters should have the option of a second referendum. theresa may says that mps should have the final say on the final deal but the british people started off this process and that final say should go to them. earlier leanne wood told the bbc she is worried wales is voicing the negotiations could be ignored. it is essential that people in wales elected strong team of plaid cymru please in order

to defend the wales' interests as we leave the european union. we face a numberof leave the european union. we face a number of different threats from a tory government with an increased mandate. threats to people in our communities, threats to our nhs and threats to the process of leaving the eu. it's only by having a strong team of five camry mps we will make sure that wales' voices taken seriously and not ignored in the way it has been since the referendum took his last june. ukip are campaigning in great yarmouth on the final day of the campaign. some of their main policies ukip are campaigning in great yarmouth on the final day of the election. some of their main policies include completing the brexit process by 2019 without paying a divorce bill and cutting net migration, operating a one in one out policy. —— leader paul nuttall said that the party would protect the will of the people. if you want to vote for a party that wa nts if you want to vote for a party that wants real brexit brexit where we

don't pay a divorce bill, don't vote tory, vote ukip. you keep on saying brexit but you say you are not a single issue party. we're not, we stand for putting more money in the nhs, early investing in our defence for our boys and girls in the armed forces and reducing immigration drastically. local election results show you are perhaps a spent force. we always knew they were going to be the most difficult elections we would face but this is a general election and if different. in the past week people have been coming over to ukip. we're going into overdrive on the

la st we're going into overdrive on the last day of the campaign to get our message through. there are three components. it's time to end the attack on low— paid components. it's time to end the attack on low—paid people, the disabled and the vulnerable. we need to cancel the tax welfare state and invest in our public services. brexit presents a clear and present danger tojobs brexit presents a clear and present danger to jobs and the economy of scotland and scotland needs to be represented at the top table in the negotiations. finally, whatever those negotiations conclude people in scotland should get a choice as to whether they uk that emerges from brexit is the one they voted for three years ago. us media are reporting that fired fbi directorjames comey told the attorney generaljeff sessions that he did not want to be left alone with the president. it's one of a slew of allegations

relating to donald trump and the investigation into alleged russian involvement in the 2016 us election. tomorrow james comey will testify before a senate hearing. this afternoon four of america's top intelligence officials are set to face questions. we can now speak to our washington correspondent, laura bicker. obviously his appearance tomorrow is keenly anticipated that tell us more about these media reports circulating that he told the attorney general he did not want to be left alone with the president. these are reports are collated by the washington post and the new york times they allege that james cole me the day after he met president tramp, it is alleged that president tramp, it is alleged that president tramp leaned over to him and asked him to see his way to letting the

investigation into michael flynn the former national security adviser go, to let it go because he is a good quy- to let it go because he is a good guy. apparently, after that meeting and this is based on reports in the newspapers, he went to the attorney general and asked not to be left alone with the president. we hope to hear more about that when he testifies tomorrow because it will be the first time we have heard from him since he was fired. today, intelligence chiefs are before senators and eyes are beginning to move towards capitol hill as those questions continue about whether or not russia meddled in the us presidential election and whether trump aids colluded with russia needs to help that election for president tramp. as those questions continue to most to tweeted and has tried to distract the conversation.

he has tweeted about a new fbi director and he has named that man as christopher ray. and tell us more about this individual. he served under a former president i believe. he served with the department of justice and george w bush for two yea rs. justice and george w bush for two years. he was deputy attorney general and looked into fraud investigations and has since been a private litigator. he actually was chris christie's, the newjersey government lawyer. he does have the department ofjustice experience. he is known as a safe litigator but it's only the two years and he has no experience in counterterrorism or in leading a global organisation like the fbi. when it comes to his confirmation hearings, they will be the questions you will be asked. confirmation hearings, they will be

the questions you will be askedm the questions you will be askedm the moment we have a summary of the business news but first our headlines. political leaders make a final bids to win over voters in the last day of campaigning before the general election. police searching for the body of french national xavier thomas, missing since the london bridge attack, recover body from the thames. there are more police raid in connection with the investigation into the attack. a 30—year—old man was arrested in east london. house price rises are slowing down. that's according to the uk's biggest mortgage lender, the halifax. it says prices rose by 3.3% over the year, that's down from a ten percent increase last year. efforts continue to resolve a major diplomatic row between qatar and its gulf neighbours over its alleged funding of terrorism. the country, which imports most of its food and water,

is said to be talking to iran and turkey to secure supplies after the united arab emirates and saudi arabia cut trade and diplomatic ties. and european stock markets are in wait and see mode ahead of voting in the uk general election, tomorrow. the pound is near a seven—month high despite conflicting polls on the outcome of the vote. the pound strengthened against the dollar after theresa may called the snap election. the markets are pricing in a win for the conservatives. the american online taxi company, uber, say it's sacked twenty members of staff, after an investigation into alleged sexual harassment and other complaints made by workers. uber has suffered a series of recent scandals, including claims of sexism. let's cross to new york and speak to our business correspondent michelle fleury. uber always seems to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. remind us of the issues they have

faced in recent months. the one that will be potential investors is a lawsuit involving the driverless technology owned by google's parent company. there is a lawsuit about whether uber infringed on that. the company whether uber infringed on that. the co m pa ny let whether uber infringed on that. the company let go one of the engineers who works on that project so that is concern about that. then of course a couple of other instances, the company's couple of other instances, the compa ny‘s chief executive couple of other instances, the company's chief executive got into a fight with a uber driver that was a public which was embarrassing for the company. he got this workplace issue now which on the face of it looks very serious. there are 20 ploys which were let go. they hotline was set up in february to look into these claims and 215 complaints came forward and of that 20 staff were terminated. 31 people

are now in training. seven have received final warnings. it raises some questions about the culture of that company. going forward, could this be seen as a turning point for uber. they have addressed the issues and they have listened to complaints and they have listened to complaints and now they're going to change things. i think at this point they have hired a law firm to go through to show they take this seriously. we're going to get another report compiled by the former us attorney general who now works for a law term —— law firm and he is due to hand over his report on the culture of the company which will be made public next week. then the question is, how does the company respond? can it make the deep—rooted changes are still remain the hard—charging company that has turned it into what is estimated to be eight $68 million company. what the accusations in

severe is that they prize results over taking seriously the concerns of their employees. can they get that balance right? it's notjust uber her love struggled with sexual harassment. it seems to be an issue for technology company ‘s across—the—board. for technology company ‘s across-the-board. companies in silicon valleys are sensitive on this issue. if you read through some state m e nts was the case of a venture capitalist

was the case of a venture aa—pitatist in silicon valley where a firm in silicon valley where a person employed there came forward and she lost that case. so there are still issues to be addressed and whether or not the spotlight this puts on silicon valley changes anything, we'll have to wait and see. spanish bank banco popular has been rescued from the brink of collapse by larger rival santander for one euro. but the actual cost will be close to £6bn as it takes on the bank's 3.5bn—euro losses and nearly £31bn of toxic property loans. the bank has struggled after billions in property investments turned sour. australia hasjust recorded its 103rd quarter without a recession — meaning it has enjoyed 26 years of uninterrupted growth.

the country has benefited from strong trade ties to china since australia is a major exporter of raw materials like copper. but there are concerns that the winning streak could be losing steam as subdued consumer spending due to record—low wage growth and high levels of mortgage debt hits household incomes. let's just take a look at the market. it is triple threat thursday tomorrow. we got the general election, in interest rate: the eurozone and testimony from the sacked fbi chief which is happening in the us so the markets are waiting to see what all of that is going to

throw at them. not a huge amount of money —— movement today. the issues going on with qatar and saudi arabia cutting diplomatic trade ties, all three of those countries are in opec and there is concern the tension will have an effect. i will be back in an hour. triple threat thursday, don't ask about friday! the creator of charlie and lola, lauren child, hasjust been named as the new children's laureate. the post was created in 1999 to highlight the contribution of children's literature to cultural life. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson was at hull city hall for this afternoon's announcement. previous children's laureates included quentin blake, julia donaldson and the tenth children's

laureate is lauren child. those are big names. that is true, they are. the interesting thing about quentin is he was the first children's laureate and he was made laureate when i began my career so it is incredible for me to be in this role myself. and you have two years, what you hope to achieve?” myself. and you have two years, what you hope to achieve? i would like to talk a lot about children's creativity and the pressures that are on children to do all kinds of things but there is not quite enough time. staring out the window and observing things and putting ideas together. also the fact that comes from everywhere. they're all kinds of things you look at that actually all make a thought, creation, nadir.

i really would like to look at that. how are you going to get children to stay out of windows more?” how are you going to get children to stay out of windows more? i suppose by encouraging them to observe things. when you have those quiet moments and maybe we don't spend enough timejust looking moments and maybe we don't spend enough time just looking and the way to become a writer or an artist or a musician is to have those moments where you just look around you and see these wonderful things. children love instrument things and taking photographs of things you find on the street for hilarious things you see going on, they are all important. but does social media not stop them reading?” important. but does social media not stop them reading? i don't think it does. i don't think one thing is right and another is wrong. i think everything feeds into creativity and ideas. social media has a great

place and a part to play in that. if we could just let go of all the neediness of it. we are always needing to be liked. it's very different to be a child now than it was 18 years ago. very different and it's one of the pressures because it is taking the playground out of the playground because it's all around you now, that sort of being liked and approved of or disapproved of. it's really ha rd and approved of or disapproved of. it's really hard today to have an idea or a thought in case someone else doesn't like it. that is a lot to achieve in two years. let's have a look at the medal. her name is on the back. if you are reading your child charlie and lola as they go to bed you are reading the word of the children's laureate. it's time for

the weather now. by by the end of may gardeners and growers will be starting to cry of the rain but the first week ofjune has changed that. particularly this area of low pressure. heavy rain yesterday easing away and better today before more wet weather is arriving for tomorrow. the heaviest rainfall was in edinburgh with 84 millimetres in 48 hours. way above the average for the whole month of june. some of the rain was quite heavy. particularly across eastern scotland. it is starting to ease away now and brighter conditions following behind. a better afternoon for many. still some rain in the northern isles but elsewhere some sunshine and pleasant. a bit more of a breeze from the northwest making it feel cooler. a similar story from northern ireland. lots of sunshine

across england and wales. highest temperatures up to 19 celsius. by the end of the afternoon, across cornwall and seven wales, we can see this next system arriving and it will move steadily north and east through the early evening rush—hour and overnight. it will bring some rain with it for all of england, wales and into southern scotland. to the north of that we keep some clear skies. to the south a blanket of cloud and rain. it will be sitting out to the west. the heaviest of of the rain on thursday across south—west england, wales and eventually the scottish borders and northern ireland. not really getting to the far north of scotland. no significant rain across the south—east, just the odd spot covering. 11 to 20 degrees the high. that frontal system eases away and

we see almost a repeat the formats of today's weather by friday. dry and quieter before the next low— pressure and quieter before the next low—pressure comes in for the start of the weekend. friday will be more straightforward. it will feel a bit warmer but we will see a few scattered showers as more wet weather pushes in for the weekend. the weekend is unsettled with some sunshine and some rain at times. this is bbc news. the headlines at 3pm: labour and the conservatives return to their core messages on the last day of campaigning before the general election. theresa may is crossing the country, urging people to back her to deliver on brexit. who do you trust to actually have the strong and stable leadership thatis the strong and stable leadership that is going to deliver the best dealfor britain in europe? because brexit matters. brexit is the basis of everything else. jeremy corbyn says

the election offers a choice between hope and fear, promising labour will protect public services. five more years of a tory government will lead to longer waiting lists. five more years of a tory government