good afternoon. the bbc understands that conservative mps are warning theresa may that unless she sacks her two chief advisers she will face a leadership challenge. senior tories have demanded mrs may's joint chiefs of staff fiona hill and nick timothy are removed this weekend. they're being blamed forfailures in the election campaign. it comes as theresa may prepares for discussions with northern ireland's democratic unionist party to provide the extra support the conservatives need in the house of commons to continue governing. here's our political correspondent, eleanor garnier. her report contains flash photography. waiting but waiting for what? theresa may might still hold the key is the number ten but is deprived of a commons majority and fighting to save her own job. deprived of a commons majority and fighting to save her ownjob. no chance then to govern alone. it's the democratic unionist party the tories have been forced to turn to do help prop them and theresa may up. buta do help prop them and theresa may up. but a deal with the dup, a party

opposed to same—sex marriage and anti—abortion, is not without controversy. i come from a liberal wing of the conservative party and luckily we have a parliament now that would count in terms of legislation passed. i will not support any legislation i regard as socially illiberal or taking this country backwards. and there are warnings a minority conservative government with dup support won't last long. we have had a 2015 election, then the referendum and now we've had another general election so we've got to have a period when we reflect on things. i wa nt to period when we reflect on things. i want to make this clear, i don't see a minority government prospering terribly well for very long. but it is theresa may's closest aides who some tories are blaming for much of what went wrong. if they are not sacked this weekend, senior conservatives are now warning they will warn —— force mrs may act with

a leadership contest. but this former minister, despite losing his seat, remains loyal. should she stay on as leader? yes. the conservative party has got the largest number of votes a nd party has got the largest number of votes and the most mps. we are the only party is able to form a strong government to undertake the brexit negotiations. the whole party needs to analyse the results and take appropriate lessons. while questions continue, theresa may needs to act quickly to get a deal with the dup. the queen ‘s speech is in just over a week and those crucial brexit negotiations start in just nine days' time. with ultimatums now on the table, theresa may's gamble may not just have cost the table, theresa may's gamble may notjust have cost the tories their majority, but for her, her political career. our assistant political editor, norman smith, is in downing street. how significant is this call for the two aides to be sacked? sean, we are getting a sense ofjust

how fragile her position is. tory mps have, in effect, issued an ultimatum. sack you chief advisers oi’ ultimatum. sack you chief advisers orface a leadership ultimatum. sack you chief advisers or face a leadership contest. these chief advisers are hugely influential. more than that, they are blamed by many conservative mps for the fraud campaign and the widely criticised manifesto. they we re widely criticised manifesto. they were also accused of one former downing st insider this morning of creating a dysfunctional and toxic atmosphere inside number ten. but above all, their departure is seen by many tory mps as a litmus test of mrs may's readiness to change and to show she understands the reverse she suffered in the election. a lot of conservatives were aghast when she appeared in downing street afterwards and did not appear to

accept any responsibility for what had happened. so she has been clearly told, either these two individuals are dismissed by the weekend or she faces a leadership challenge which would come ahead of crucial brexit talks. but that just underlines how much pressure she is now under. thanks very much. there've been two further arrests in connection with the london bridge terror attacks. in total, eight people are now in custody. police investigating the murders say the three attackers had wanted to hire a lorry, but their card payment was declined. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, reports. this was the weapon found still strapped last saturday night to the body of khuram butt. he and his fellow attackers used three identical ceramic knives to murderfive people. counter—terrorism detectives want help, to find out where these knives were bought. the men had already killed three other people on london bridge with a van hired from b&q. throughout the carnage, heroic members of the public tried to stop them.

we have stories of people who came out armed with chairs, other items, throwing bottles, anything they could get their hands on, with a view to trying to prevent the attackers coming into pubs and bars, but more importantly to scare them off, to try and stop other people being attacked. afterwards in the van, police found 13 petrol bombs, made with lighter fluid and cloth from tracksuit bottoms, as well as two blowtorches. trying as they prepared for their attack. the day had started with the ringleader, khuram butt, who was on police bail, trying to hire a seven—and—a—half—tonne truck. he did not have enough money, so instead, he hired the white van from b&q in romford, which they picked up sometime after 6.30pm. then, leaving barking soon after 7.30, they set off to central london. at nine o'clock they arrived in london bridge, driving across it and back again, before ploughing into pedestrians on their third pass. by the time they crashed the van at 10.07, they had fatally

wounded three people. they then used the knives to kill five more. at 10.16, they were killed by police. there was a safe house, a flat in this street in london, above a row of shops, and it is here police believe they prepared for their attack. they found an english language copy of the koran left open at the page of the koran left open at the page of martyrdom. a week on from the attack, people are being urged to visit london's bars and restaurants in a show of "unity and resilience". the british red cross has launched a campaign calling for people to go out in the capital tonight. theatres, bars, restaurants and taxi services will be donating some of this evening's proceeds to those affected in the attack and their families. the duke of edinburgh is celebrating his 96th birthday today — his last before he steps down from official duties.

philip will spend his birthday privately at windsor castle. next week, he's expected to help the queen celebrate her official 91st birthday at the annual trooping the colour parade. with all the sport, here's mike bushell at the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. there's a spring in the step of the british and irish lions rugby team, after they won their most challenging match on their tour of new zealand so far. they beat the crusaders 12—3 in christchurch, and it was all about the boot of 0wen farrell. this is the time for the british and irish lions to call in the cavalry in canterbury. regarded as the best clu b tea m in canterbury. regarded as the best club team in world rugby, the crusaders and the tourists would play like they were on home turf stopping a side with eight all blacks in it from the. always

influential alan farrell put them 6-0 influential alan farrell put them 6—0 up and despite the odd bump in the road as well as a solitary penalty, it was his first start on tour and it was going rather well. while it wasn't free—flowing, riveting rugby it was solid. the lions sniffed out danger. the pressure was telling here and a penalty awarded. it was a fourth and final 0wen farrell success. make no mistake, this was effectively a test match. the first defeat this eden for the crusaders and a cavalry charge for the english and irish lions. alfie hewett has become the first british wheelchair tennis player to win a french open title. he lost the first set to love against the defending champion, argentina's gustavo fernandez, before fighting back to win his first grand slam title. he also plays in the doubles final later, with gordon reid. it's a big night of world cup qualifiers with northern ireland in azerbaijan, and scotland hosting england at hampden park in glasgow.

0ur sports reporter, david 0rnstein, is there. hi, david. with all the history behind this, it's always a special fixture, but this is one that scotland really have to win. that's true. it's the oldest international fixture will and rivalry in the world foot should —— footboard dating back to 1872. it's certainly one of the most crucial for scotland because if they don't win they stand very little chance of qualifying for the world cup in russia next summer. currently this situation in group f is that england's set—top on 13 points and scotla nd england's set—top on 13 points and scotland are fourth, six points back, but only two points of second place. the best eight of the nine runners—up in this —— these groups going to qualifying play—offs to join the winners in russia. but scotla nd join the winners in russia. but scotland haven't beaten england on

home soil since 1985. they have won just one of the last ten meetings so the odds are against them. they have admitted they are massive underdogs and there is pressure on gordon strachan. a win would be timely. and harry kaymer be captain for the first time. that's right. 23 years old. he hasn't played at senior level for southgate. he has been out through injury since september. he has played for southgate at u21 level but here he gets to captain his side and what an honour it will be for a player who scored 35 goals in 38 games for tottenham. how he would like a gold tonight! in the absence of wayne rooney tonight. it could suggest he is the future for england in terms of attacking and captaincy. thanks very much. before i go, a quick update on england's match against australia in cricket's champions trophy.

and australia are going pretty well. aaron finch with a half—century. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 17:05. bye for now. you are watching bbc news. hello, jane. good afternoon from westminster. so much to talk about here. the aftermath of the general

election result. to bring you up to date with everything. we understand there is talk about theresa may's leadership. events are taking over that sentence. i'm just hearing that nick timothy has resigned. he is one of two special advisers to theresa may. i was about to tell you we heard in the last couple of hours that a lot of senior conservatives we re that a lot of senior conservatives were demanding that the reason may sacked head to chief advisers. nick timothy is one and fiona hill is the other. they had said she must get rid of them by the end of the weekend otherwise they would seek to instigate a leadership contest on monday. that is the demand that was made in the last few hours. so, we arejust made in the last few hours. so, we are just hearing that nick timothy has resigned. we wait to hear whether there is any development around fiona hill but that is what

we've heard in the last few moments. let us talk to the conservative mp whojoins me this let us talk to the conservative mp who joins me this afternoon from beds. did you know he was going to go? no, i heard exactly the same as you in terms of what people have been saying. i asked —— either to appoint or... nick has been a good servant to the conservative party and theresa may and he has worked very hard. politics is a rough business and these things happen. is this the right course of action, do you think? do you think fiona hill should go as well? it is not for me to say who the prime minister should appoint or not. the prime minister won with a majority share of votes and one more seats in the house of commons than

anyone else so she's working hard on making a government. nick hill —— fiona hill and nick timothy have worked for herfor fiona hill and nick timothy have worked for her for years and have been steadfastly loyal, but for a long time, since the prime in asda took office, there have been expressions of concern and advice to the prime minister that the circles she needed to run the home office wasn't the same circle to run the government and had to be wider. what the election campaign did was bring that more to the fore and to have those concerns more demonstrable because of the campaign and what happened. if the prime minister is using the opportunity to work —— widen the circle of advice and be more inclusive of the party as a whole, it will be the right thing to do. the fact that there wasn't a wide circle, to use your phrase, is that one of the key reasons that the conservative majority was reduced? in your mind, is that one of the key

problems within the overall general election campaign? when anything goes wrong people point fingers and blame and that sort of thing. it is perfectly clear, all of us know, that the circle of those advising the prime minister is relatively small. putting the manifesto together can't involve a committee of 300 or so colleagues over has to be an opportunity for some people to feed into that. but if the circle is too narrow and some things that come through our a surprise to colleagues and if it doesn't work and it would've been done differently, there has to be criticism. it reflects a n there has to be criticism. it reflects an narrowness of the mice that may been around the prime minister for a that may been around the prime ministerfor a long time. —— of advice. there were a lot of good things in the manifesto that reflects what the prime minister stead on the steps of downing street but we didn't make enough of that. then the concentration is on the errors in the manifesto. it is no

surprise people may have to go.‘ quick surprise people may have to go. quick thought about the talks that are to come or we assume are to come because to reason may need help from the dup, as we know. you will note —— theresa may. there are many people in the conservative party who have real concerns about that. the lack of assembly as storm at as well and also the social policies the dup despises and that it might take the conservative party backwards. do you have concerns? never any concerns about talking to people, but a formal agreement for the reasons you mentioned would concern me greatly. we are in a position of holding a ring in northern ireland. the conservative party and individual conservative members take a very

different view on some social issues and it matters to us so i don't think we should follow a formal agreement at all or anything like that. the prime minister needs to get a workable sense of what we can do but it needn't require a formal agreement. i don't want to see anything that would put the conservative party in a position of having to agree to things that are not part of our nature now. do you have any concerns, therefore, that the coming weeks will be a really difficult period because the dup might lay down certain rules? they might lay down certain rules? they might say, for our support, this is what we want in return. you have concerns about that potentially and lots of your colleagues do as well? i don't think we are in that situation at all. i would expect the prime minister to know exactly what the conservative party is and what it stands for and make no agreement that would compromise their beliefs

we have. i don't expect her to do that or the party to be in that position. thanks very much for your time. a statement has now come through from nick timothy talking about his resignation. if you are justjoining us, nick timothy, theresa may's key adviser and crucial adviser for a long time, has resigned and that's a statement we are looking at now. it is lengthy so i won't go through all of it but he talks about the disappointing result in the general election and how that the result wasn't the absence of support for theresa may but was an unexpected surge in support for labour. it goes on to say that part of the reason for this is that britain is a divided country, many are tired of austerity. it is a dense statement so let us pick some of it with our

assistant political editor, norman smith, who is still in downing street has. so, one of the two has gone, norman. yes, and we are getting a sense of how mrs may is seeking to shore up her position because clearly there was that ultimatum issued by tory mps, in effect saying sack them all you will face a leadership challenge. now, mr timothy has voluntarily resigned saying he takes responsibility for his role in the election campaign although disputing that he was responsible for the very controversial social care policy which was so widely criticised, saying it was devised over many months and it wasn't his pet project or something he particularly drew up. but we get a sense now of the operation within number ten to shore up operation within number ten to shore up this is made's position because mr timothy and fiona hill have almost become lightning rods for the

criticism of mrs may and, in particular, they are directly blamed for the fraud election campaign, the ma nifesto for the fraud election campaign, the manifesto and for what was described by one insider this morning as the dysfunctional atmosphere inside number ten. it was put to me that their departure was a litmus test of mrs made's readiness to change and show that she got it, she understood the implications of the election night and the need to change her style to be more inclusive, collaborative and empathetic, if you like. there was a view that as long as these two individuals, who have been with her through thick and thin and ultra—loyal sort of bulldogs on her behalf, if they stayed beside her behalf, if they stayed beside her then there was no likelihood of her then there was no likelihood of her style fundamentally changing. 0ne her style fundamentally changing. one of them has now gone and i suspect there must be a question over whether the other two will follow. i should have asked whether

this is a question ofjumping or pushing? i would think it is a bit of both, to be honest. mr timothy would have been aware of the real anger among many conservative mps directed specifically at him. he is intensely loyal to theresa may and he would've taken the view that if he would've taken the view that if he stayed around, one, he would have remained the story which is damaging for anyone but high on the two become, and more than that he would become, and more than that he would be aware that he was damaging mrs may who he has served over many yea rs. may who he has served over many years. you probably took the view that the best service he could provide to her was to go. just as you are speaking, the press association is reporting that fiona hill has also resigned. they are saying she has also gone and that, then, norman, is what those senior conservatives have wanted. yes, it

is amazing how quickly events have moved. i think that underlines just how fragile mrs may's position is. she cannot afford in any way to risk facing down these tory mps. the idea they might not perhaps launch a leadership challenge. she knows the threat is real. the anger towards mr timothy and fiona hill is equally real and if she is to sustain her position as prime minister, never mind long—term, in the short—term, she needs to do what is required. if that means getting rid of these two aides who have served her lawyerly and who she has stuck by lawyerly, so it would have been a difficult moment, i am sure, if that what it ta kes to moment, i am sure, if that what it takes to protect her premiership in the immediate pressure she is now under then so be it. we are still talking about the immediate weeks

and months, that's interesting. i'll be looking at a cynic to racial and where the immediate challenge to her leadership is over? —— are we looking at a situation. we have the brexit talks imminent and that is really just in brexit talks imminent and that is reallyjust in the immediate future. i think the truth is, jane, that the departure of mr timothy and fiona hill is not of itself a cure all of her woes. what tory mps want to see isa her woes. what tory mps want to see is a different theresa may. they do not want to see the same old theresa may, the command and control mrs may. they want a different approach. so, of course there will be satisfaction that the two aides have gone, but that, of itself, is only pa rt gone, but that, of itself, is only part of the solution. they want mrs

made to demonstrate that she understands the clear disquiet amongst many voters —— mrs may, their disquiet at the manifesto, her approach, her policy and may be at brexit two. they want her to draw breath and think about how she presents herself to the parliamentary party and the electorate more broadly. i would say she has bought herself more time by the departure of mr timothy and fiona hill. has she somehow made her leadership in pregnant? absolutely not. she has simply got herself —— my herself necessary breathing space otherwise there was a possibility, indeed likelihood, that she would have faced a leadership challenge next week. thank you very much for now. if you are justjoining next week. thank you very much for now. if you arejustjoining us, the news in the last few minutes is that those two special advisers to the prime minister have now resigned.

nick timothy and fiona hill have handed in their resignations. that news, just out in the last few minutes. 0ne one of the other key elements is the prime minister needing to have discussions with the dup. that is necessary because of the maths, of course, and the way the general election shook down in the end. just worth telling you a brief line coming through on the press association. gavin williamson, the chief whip, is in belfast for talks with the dup about how pests —— best they can provide support, that is they can provide support, that is the phrase being used, to theresa may's government. we move in fairly soon to the start of talks about getting written disentangled from the eu. what does it all mean, though? there is a lot of disquiet about a lot of the dup policies and

senior conservatives are expressing disquiet. let us discuss that with the irish writer and broadcaster, brian connell who has joined the irish writer and broadcaster, brian connell who hasjoined me. thank you for coming along. first, the chief whip is already there and talking to the dup. is that to be expected? yes, as you say the queen's speech is just over a week away so they haven't got a lot of time. they had to get whatever they can agree into that speech so they will sit down straightaway, i would have thought. as to what is likely to be on the dup shopping list, there has been a lot of talk around social policies, marriage, and abortion as well. the first thing to say about those is that they are devolved issues or the dup has

secured a veto in the northern ireland assembly on those issues so they won't be imposed on them, neither are the dup going to impose on the rest of the uk something that isn't there already. they can't come to theresa may and say this is our policy on abortion...? no because what will run right through their shopping list will be strengthening in in the union between the northern ireland and the rest of the uk. as you know, the dup were very pro—brexit, but one thing they favoured was that the brexit campaign could split northern ireland away from the uk and they wa nt to ireland away from the uk and they want to keep it together, being strong unionists. i would say fairly high up that list is an undertaking from the prime minister that there will be no special status in the eu for northern ireland. if you cast your mind back to before the

referendum, that was turned down by the british government anyway. sinn fein wanted special status for northern ireland in the eu, one foot inside the single market and one outside but the irish government has impressed for that either. that's a fairly easy ask the pram in is double be able to take off the list. after that, there are various things for money, health, farming and agriculture... but the money could be quite a lot and it could be a significant factor? i think it will be quite a lot. no one is suggesting the dup can be bought them —— but they won't come cheap. are they in a strong position? they are in an exceptionally strong position because, do the maths. when we hear a lot of conservatives saying they have real concerns about the social policy side of this. "i don't want

the conservative party at westminster which has tried so hard to shake off their image as the nasty party... i have real concerns about being on board with a party that even adopts those policies..." is that something those conservatives who have those concerns. . . conservatives who have those concerns... are conservatives who have those concerns. . . are you conservatives who have those concerns... are you saying the maths is the maths and you will have to deal with the fact you are talking to people whose ideas you don't like? says the last election, theresa may and david cameron were operating on a slim majority anyway. the dup supported them in all kinds of votes that you or i would not be talking about on tv and it didn't worry tory backbenchers then what the dup position was. and northern ireland generally doesn't seem to bother this tory party very much at all. nobody here talks about the

fa ct all. nobody here talks about the fact the assembly has collapsed several months ago. they haven't been able to put humpty dumpty back together again. that seems to be of no concern to the prime minister before or since the election. she didn't even visit northern ireland to help out with that issue. a final thought about timescale because it's not on anyone's side, is it?|j suspect it won't be a coalition. we already know that. it will be eight confidence and supply arrangement,