this is bbc news. the headlines at 11.00. the headlines at 12.00. government staff are being drafted in to manage the response to the grenfell tower fire — following fierce criticism. the chancellor, philip hammond, has told the andrew marr programme that he supports a public inquiry. the commitment government should make is that when the enquirer reproduces findings, and i don't mean in years' timed, we will act upon them. church services take place across the country — to remember those affected by the blaze. the queen's speech to parliament next year is to be cancelled, to allow mps more time to scrutinise brexit legislation. at least 57 people are killed in a forest fire in central portugal — which continues to spread. claims of growing inequality across britain — a new report says the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. and the click team try out the

latest gadgets and consoles in los angeles. government staff have been drafted in to improve the response to the grenfell tower disaster in west london — amid criticism of the local council's performance. many residents have said they have received little or no assistance from kensington and chelsea council, although the authorities insisted they are committed to supporting anyone affected. meanwhile, church services will be held today to remember the victims of the blaze.

nick quraishi reports. the devastation caused by the inferno stops people in their tracks. the dark reality abundantly clear in broad daylight. four days on, the community is still angry about a lack of co—ordination, communication and accountability. it's always the public that runs to the rescue. where's the authorities? where are they? residents, community leaders and volunteers took their frustrations to downing street, spending two hours with the prime minister. it was a robust discussion, there was forceful emotion in the room, people were able to say what they wanted to say and we felt that was listened to and listened to carefully. theresa may, who has come in for widespread personal criticism over her handling of the crisis, said she'd heard the concerns. the prime minister admitted: whitehall officials have been drafted in to help kensington and chelsea council cope with the response and the red cross will provide psychological support.

as people wait and pray for the missing, church services today will remember those who didn't make it out of grenfell tower. a reminder of the complex and lengthy process of recovering bodies from this charred shell. nick quraishi, bbc news. 0ur correspondent mark lobel is in west london, outside notting hill methodist church, where one of the services will be held. as you say, one of those services is under way. it's been going on for about an hour here at the notting hill methodist church. the church is surrounded by flowers, notes and onlookers. people have come to pay their respects in great numbers, and that service should be concluding $0011. that service should be concluding soon. a message that service should be concluding $0011. a message we that service should be concluding soon. a message we are hearing from residents is for a greater

expectation of government help here. residents say they haven't seen a greater amount of help. i went to the relief centre, and noticed an enhanced effort by neighbouring council officers, helping to assist people on the ground with health or aid or housing queries, but nothing like the scale which the residents are hoping to see down here. yesterday, residents from here and council leaders went to see the prime minister in downing street for talks. the prime minister released a statement afterwards saying that she did regret a lack of help given to people here in the initial hours. the bbc spoke to one of the people who attended that meeting yesterday. here is what she had to say. the main message we were trying to get across wasjust hope main message we were trying to get across was just hope and main message we were trying to get across wasjust hope and peace. this community has been my community my whole life, and i have never felt scared or anxious to be here until

re ce ntly scared or anxious to be here until recently with the renovation and the gentrification of the area. people are scared they are going to lose their homes, their community and their homes, their community and theirarea. iwas their homes, their community and their area. i wasjust trying to convey how scared, angry and passionate people are. if you come round here, you can see for yourself it isa round here, you can see for yourself it is a great area. it has so many community centres, places for people to be educated and expand their horizons. this is where the carnival is. it's a great place to live, but things need to be done now and people need to be held accountable. the people who have lost their lives, and the people who will be affected by this fall probably years to come, they need to be not even rewarded, that doesn't even begin to say it, but stuff has to happen. things like this cannot be tolerated. we are just as much a pa rt of tolerated. we are just as much a part of kensington and chelsea as

south kensington and knightsbridge. we have been helpless here. we've been trying to get people to help. although this is a local issue in some ways, directed at the council, the government is keen to show they are listening. another minister took to the airwaves this morning. this is what greg hands, the minister for london, had to say earlier. the prime minister has met with the residents. we've convened a number of meetings. we have a lot of people oi'i of meetings. we have a lot of people on the ground. we are making sure the full force of government is there to respond to this tragedy and learn lessons for the future. that is why the prime minister called for a full public enquiry into what has happened, which will examine all aspects of grenfell tower and the issues to be learned. meanwhile, in g re nfell tower issues to be learned. meanwhile, in grenfell tower it self, which you can see behind me now, this charred

building that people cannot help but look at, a team of search and recovery operation team from the london fire brigade, a team of 50, have been working for the last few days. we saw a couple of them in their bright orange suits recently. they are doing the search and recovery heart, and the metropolitan police are involved in the victim recovery and identification process. these church services are ongoing so people have a chance to pause and reflect on what has been going on the last few days. thank you. political reaction to the tragic events in west london continue today. earlier i spoke to our political correspondent, susana mendonca, who told me what the chancellor of the exchequer, philip hammond, and the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, have been saying. there's been so many questions raised about whether or not the government acted upon recommendations made following a previous fire in camberwell in 2009 — the recommendations made in 2013.

philip hammond was asked whether the government had acted upon that, and he said it wasn't fair to ask that, because they had got researchers to look into the issue and had a consultation. he was also asked about the key issue of sprinklers, because people have asked whether people would have survived had there been sprinklers in the building. philip hammond said he wasn't clear on whether sprinklers would have made a difference. if the conclusion of a proper technical evaluation is that that is the best way to deal with a problem, then, of course. my understanding, andrew, though i am not an expert, is that the best expert advice is that retro—fitting sprinklers may not always be the best technical way of ensuring fire safety ina building. if it is, it should be done. let's get the technical

advice properly evaluated by a public enquiry, and then let's decide how to go forward. but let's be clear, if something needs to be done to make a building safe, it will be done. we also heard from jeremy corbyn about this. he was making the point that he thought the council demonstrated it didn't have the resources needed to deal with this kind of issue, this is kensington and chelsea borough council, and he could understand why it wasn't the case. he thought that something had gone badly wrong in britain to have this situation. he has mentioned the idea of requisitioning properties. he said he didn't think it was controversial. there are a lot of empty properties, and a place like kensington certainly has some. he said you could engage in compulsory purchase orders. there are a large number

of deliberately kept vacant flats and properties all over london. it's called land banking. people with a lot of money buy a house or a flat and keep it empty. would you just keep it as long as it was needed? 0ccupy it, requisition it, compulsory purchase. there's a lot of things we can do. as a society, can't we think of all of us? it is all very well putting your arms around people in a crisis, but the housing crisis is rising and homelessness is getting worse. in an emergency, you have to bring all assets to the table to deal with the crisis, and that's what i think we should be doing. the chancellor has also been speaking about brexit this morning.

the prime minister theresa may has a lwa ys the prime minister theresa may has always said that no deal is better than a bad deal with brussels. mr hammond said he wanted to see an brexit that supports jobs and investments. when i talk about an brexit that supports british jobs, investment and businesses, i mean a brexit that avoids cliff edges. we segue from a customs union to an organisation that will allow british goods to flow not just without tariffs, but without delays and bureaucracy. it is the delay and the bureaucracy. it is the delay and the bureaucracy interfering with just—in—time supply chains, with the flow of fresh produce, which we importa flow of fresh produce, which we import a huge amount of from the european union. we need to ensure that it continues to work seamlessly, which is probably the numberone seamlessly, which is probably the number one challenge. keir starmer

said that membership of the customs union should be one of the options considered by the negotiation team. he criticised the prime minister said leading the uk into the worst possible situation ahead of brexit talks. the prime minister has got us into a mess. she has no mandate here and no authority abroad, and negotiations start tomorrow. her approach so far has alienated our allies in europe, weakened our position with the eu, and got us into the worst possible starting position. french voters go to the polls today for the second round of the country's parliamentary elections. president macron‘s en marche party is predicted to win up to 80% of seats, as our paris correspondent, hugh schofield, reports. president macron is within an ace of pulling off the second part of his quiet revolution. if all goes as expected, he is about to secure the biggest makeover in decades in france's parliament, the national assembly. it's notjust that his en marche!

party looks set for a crushing majority, the actual candidates are very different from what went before. half are totally new to politics. half are women, which means the new parliament is likely to be one of the most feminised in the world. the opposition parties, meanwhile, are preparing for the worst, which, in the case of the socialists, could mean a total wipe—out. so great is the president's predicted victory that the big problem may be the lack of opposition. can that, some ask, be good for democracy? emmanuel macron says that he wants french democracy to be alive again, that he wants the french parliament to work, to criticise, to propose. can he do that with a majority so big, with such a big abstention rate? but not all voters see the president's growing power as a problem. translation: haven't we had too much debate over the last few years? the country hasn't moved forward for the last 30 years precisely

because there's too much talking and not much gets done. after today, france's long election season — two rounds of presidentials then two rounds of legislatives — will finally be over and president macron, it's almost certain, will have pulled off one of the most extraordinary democratic coups ever. the tools for reform will be in his hand. the task now is to use them. hugh schofield, bbc news, paris. let's go to hugh, and hugh, polls have been open for a few hours now. what is turn out like? very low. even though last week only one in two voters voted, it's going to be even lower this time round. partly

thatis even lower this time round. partly that is due to the lovely weather france is then drying, but partly it is fatigue. this is the fourth vote in the last couple of months, and there is a sense of inevitability about macron‘s expected victory. among his opponents, there is a sense of demoralisation, that there is no point did turn out. his supporters will come out, but his enemies will have some months to come that he got in with a minority of the actual public vote. i suspect that will be thrown in his face. if, as expected, he does achieve this landslide victory according to forecasts, what are the challenges facing him? we know what his plans are, which is to move quite fast with his programme of reform, particularly on labour reform. france is accused of having a very

rigid labour system, which means that private employers are reluctant to ta ke that private employers are reluctant to take on new staff. his idea, with his liberal economic background and police, is to open it up, so that companies are more confident about taking on staff. that will no doubt provoke opposition among the unions and the left, but he is determined to go through. his biggest challenge ina way to go through. his biggest challenge in a way is ironic. he will have such a big majority in parliament, all power will seemed to be vested in him. he maybe someone with the powers and the status of a jupiter, and the risk for him is hubris. you get too much power, and an opposition that is crushed in parliament, it can only find expression on the streets. his opponents are saying now, beware of too much power. many thanks. the headlines. government staff has

been drafted in to help with the aftermath of the grenfell tower disaster after criticism of kensington and chelsea council. the queen's speech to parliament next year is to be cancelled to allow mps more time to scrutinise brexit legislation. it's being described as an unusual move. sport now — and for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. india have won the toss and chosen to field against pakistan in the final of the champions trophy final. these were the scenes outside the oval ahead of the clash between the arch rivals. the game is a complete sell—out with hundreds of millions also watching on tv all around the world. so far, pakistan ratting first and

currently 140—1 after 25 overs. india ran out easy winners when the two sides met in the group stages. we will have to see what happens this time around. england's tommy fleetwood remains firmly in contention at the top of the us open leaderboard going into day a later on today. after the third round of play in wisconsin, the 26—year—old from southport sits on 11 under par, just one shot behind the overall leader, brian harman. this is my first time in contention in a major, so whatever happens, i'll be doing my best and seeing how well i can finish and that's that really. that's all you can do. but it will be a pleasure to go out on a sunday trying to win a major. proud of the way i highly there

today, after a really good start. that was nice. i struck it well. i had a couple of putts that could have gone a bit, but i hit a bunch of greens. you have to play well round here. great britain have won gold in the men's sculls. they crossed the finish line two seconds ahead of the netherlands, with norway coming third in poznan. before that, there was a silver medalfor before that, there was a silver medal for great before that, there was a silver medalfor great britain before that, there was a silver medal for great britain in the before that, there was a silver medalfor great britain in the men's four. gb and australia had both won their heats and broke away from the rest of the field in the final, but the olympic champions just couldn't catch the aussies, finishing half a length behind. warren gatland has named his side to face the chiefs on tuesday, and has included all six controversial call—ups he made yesterday as replacements. ireland hooker rory best captains the side, with the bulk of the squad that beat the maori all blacks yesterday not playing — so they can

prepare for the first test against the all blacks next saturday. gatland says those involved on tuesday will be playing for themselves and for the whole squad. england completed a 2—0 series victory over argentina after winning the second test in santa fe. fullback mike brown broke clear before producing a brilliant offload to send piers francis over for a great try before half time. england went on to win 35—25 but eddiejones's squad was missing 30 of their best players, largely due to the lions tour. very pleased. today we found a way to win, we were outgunned in the first half, second half, we came back in the forwards, particularly, and scrums and our maul defence improved and that got us back in the game and then our ability to score off their mistakes i thought was fantastic. johanna konta could become the first british woman since virginia wade a0 years ago at wimbledon to win a tour event on home soil. she's reached the final of the nottingham 0pen after coming through in straight sets against magdalena rybarikova of slovakia. it's the first time the british number one has reached a grass court final.

she'll face croatia's donna vekic, ranked 70th in the world. the draw for queens which starts tomorrow will see defending champion andy murray face fellow brit aljaz bedene in the first round. murray beat him in the second round last year. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. a murder investigation is under way after an 18—year—old woman's body was found in a country park in wigan. she has been named as 18—year—old ellen higginbottom. her body was found in oral water park yesterday, after she had been reported missing by family members on friday. a fall in the number of people who own their own home is fuelling inequality in britain, according to a new report. research from the resolution

foundation think—tank suggests that 10% of adults own around half of the nation's wealth. our business correspondent, joe lynam, has more. the awful fire at grenfell tower has highlighted for many the issue of inequality in britain. dozens dead in the wealthiest borough in the uk. now an independent think tank has said inequality has worsened since the great recession because fewer people own their own homes. the resolution foundation says property ownership is now spread less evenly than salaries and incomes are. it says the richest 10% of the population own £5 trillion, or half the uk's wealth, while the top 1% own 14% of britain's wealth. by contrast, 15% of adults have no or negative wealth. wealth is arguably the biggest determinant of living standards over people's lives but yet it barely features in today's living standards debates, and that's a big deal because our analysis shows wealth is far more unequally spread across scoiety than incomes are and because of declining property ownership, declining home ownership, for the least wealthy households that inequality has started to go up, and that's a real concern.

the report is part of a wider study into a growing gap between older and younger people. the foundation says older people have accumulated wealth due to rising house prices as well having gold—plated pensions, which the young won't enjoy. the government says we want to build an economy that works for everyone. income inequality is at its lowest level since the mid—1980s and the lowest paid saw their wages grow faster than for 20 years. joe lynam, bbc news. a forest fire in central portugal is believed to have killed 57 people. 18 of the victims died whilst trying to escape in their cars in an area north of the capital of lisbon. several firefighters are amongst the 59 people reported as injured. the prime minister antonio costa said, that this fire was "the greatest tragedy we have seen in recent years in terms of forest fires". the cause of the fire is currently unknown. earlier, our reporter alison roberts joined us from lisbon and said

the extreme temperatures seen on the continent in the past few days will have contributed. very high temperatures in the last few days, there have been some thunderstorms, but not in pedrogao grande, which is where this fire took place, but there were lightning strikes, and the prime minister suggested that this may have been the cause of the fire. this spread rapidly overnight, and that could have been part of the problem. this is a thickly forested area, so some roads passing through our vulnerable. this seems to have been a majorfactor. as you mentioned, 18 people were overcome by the fire as they tried to flee in their cars. many of the deaths seem to have taken place along roads in that forested area. we don't yet know the cause of the fire, but are you hearing what people are saying about how it might have started ?

yes, this fire could well have been caused by a lightning strike. that hasn't been confirmed, but the prime minister himself suggested that is what he was hearing. there are many and various causes of fires in the summer in portugal. sometimes it's arson, but that doesn't seem to be the case in this particular situation. that will be looked at now. at the moment they are just coping with this tremendous amount of injured, and some serious injuries. at least four firefighters and one child seriously injured. thank you. the bodies of a number of sailors missing after a us naval vessel collided with another vessel

overnight. an investigation is under way. with humble beginnings in a shropshire garden, it has bloomed into one of the bbc‘s most iconic programmes — with an audience of up to two—and—a—half—million people a week. so, as gardeners' world turns 50, kay alexander has been digging through the decades to investigate how a show, rooted in plants and personalities, has experienced such enduring success. 50 years ago, the advent of colour television enabled the bbc to make a new horticultural programme and gardeners' world was born. it was presented by the legendary percy thrower from his garden near shrewsbury. good evening. september. the sun still shining. in my family, everything stopped dead for gardeners' world. my mother was a keen gardener and so was this little girl. i am still a big fan of the programme. peter seabrook was one of the presenters in the 1970s and is still a big influence in gardening today. percy was god, and everybody watched every friday without question.

and if percy showed a plant on his programme, then by 10am the next day, they would be sold out across the country. the effect was remarkable. in 50 years, there are a number of personalities who have made their name on gardeners' world, including geoff hamilton, whose garden, barnsdale, was one of the eight gardens used over the years. after he died in 1996, alan titchmarsh became the next main presenter. if this does not make you drool, nothing will. i think i am proud of having had a hand in gardeners' world and having been a part of its colourful history. my mission in life is to impress upon people the pleasure to be gained from growing things and the importance of keeping our planet green. it is the sharp end of looking after the planet, gardening. since the programme debuted in 1967, it has gone through all sorts of fashions and trends and styles. is there a magic ingredient that

keeps it fresh and exciting? one of the magical things about gardeners' world is the fact you canjoin the head gardener in their garden every friday. it is a value of being able to look over the garden gate to see what they are doing, but at the same time, gardeners' world has always been about plants, passionate plant people and the places in which those plants grow. lumbering outside broadcast vehicles of the past have been replaced by the latest technology. but what about the future of the programme? every gardener knows that every season is different and new and exciting, and if you can just capture that excitement, you will not have to worry about the future. just go with it. no worries there, then. so happy golden birthday, gardeners' world. and here's to the next 50 years! all: happy birthday! according to us media, it's a happy day for the king and queen of the music industry.

the american pop star beyonce has given birth to twins. entertainment weekly, us weekly and people magazines have confirmed the news, but the date of birth and gender of the babies are not yet known. beyonce, who is married to rapper jay—z, announced her pregnancy in an instagram photo in february — it became the most—liked post in history. nothing yet from the couple themselves on social media. it isa it is a sweltering day outside in london. what does the weather have in store for the days to come? another hot day across the board with very few exceptions, and temperatures could creep higher than the past few days. the satellite pictures showing you now. cloud limiting the strength of sun in

scotland, but elsewhere, very high levels of uv, which is just about as strong as it gets in the uk. it will continue. a bit of cloud bubbling up, and a very small chance of a thundery downpours later in the day because of the heat, most likely in east anglia and the south—east. pretty u nco mforta ble east anglia and the south—east. pretty uncomfortable night for most of us tonight, but again, tomorrow looks hot, and dry for many, though that cooler air creeps further south in scotland and northern ireland. temperatures in the low 30s across the south—east.