this is bbc news. the headlines at three. the government rejects calls to bring in commissioners to run kensington and chelsea council but says it will keep a close eye on the situation as the council prepares to elect a new leader. the london mayor has called for commissioners to take over the running of the council. the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary david davis claims negotiations with the eu are being "hamstrung" by theresa may's lack of flexibility. the prominent film critic and former bbc presenter, barry norman, dies at the age of eighty three. the director—general of the bbc, tony hall has described him as a first class presenter and critic. also in the next hour ...marching against austerity. thousands take to the streets in central london — labour leaders are due to address a rally when marchers arrive in parliament square this afternoon. the singer adele cancels two concerts this weekend at wembley stadium —

the singer says she has damaged her vocal cords. in rugby, a late penalty from owen farrell secures the british and irish lions victory in new zealand, levelling the three test series. and in half an hour — the click team head to los angeles and ask could intense farming in containers solve the worlds food problems in years to come. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the government has indicated it won't bring in external commissioners to run kensington and chelsea council following the grenfeel tower fire disaster. he said the pro12 check to select a

successof he said the pro12 check to select a successor would be independent of government. the london mayor has called for commissioners to take over the council. it was the breakdown of this, the first cabinet meeting at the council since the fire at grenfell tower that led to the resignation of its leader, nicholas paget—brown. as council leader, i have to accept my share of responsibility for these perceived failings. pressure had been mounting on the council following intense criticism of the way the disaster had been handled from day one. i completely understand the anger, the frustration of the local community. but i..., of course, we were not immediately quick off the ground, it was an enormous tragedy. i don't know if everyone realised how complex and how fast this fire was. i challenge any borough in the whole country to immediately have an action plan they could put into place. the resignation has been welcomed by many including the mayor of london, sadiq khan who in

a letter to the prime minister urged her to get a grip and immediately appoint commissioners to run the borough. he wrote, commissioners who are untainted should take over the running of the council to act in the best interests of residents. but some in this community that already feels like it has been failed by the authorities are sceptical of the appointment process. they cannot just impose their old boy network and their friends and family scheme that they seem to operate elsewhere. there needs to be a proper process of selection of those commissioners and that has to be community led, they cannot do that on their own. we will not be imposed upon at state level again. it is understood that the council will elect a new leader next week with the hope of rebuilding trust with those who have had their lives shattered by this tragedy. frankie mccamley, bbc news. professor tony travers is a local government expert

at the london school of economics. he thinks the government has made the right decision to not bring in commissioners at kensington and chelsea council. i think that, from the point of view of the government, there is a balance here. despite the fact that kensington and chelsea appeared to be perfectly well run before this disaster, the truth is that the response to it has not been brilliant and there are all sorts of reasons that will doubtlessly be unravelled by their enquiry. in the short term, the government probably does not want to appear to be taking over, overriding local democracy and actually from the point of view of the government, being much more directly held to account for what is happening on a day—to—day basis in north kensington. professor tony travers there. meanwhile the chair of the housing committee at the london assembly says she believes that changes are

needed but she has reservations about commissioners.” needed but she has reservations about commissioners. i have been trying to help residents to manage the emergency result —— response, which has been inadequate. we have got the issues of who was liable, there is going to be a criminal investigation about what went on for the fire to happen. i'm not sure they are the best people to be managing the ongoing support of residents and how we get to a position where people on the ground, the community feel supported again. i think something needs to change. i am worried about the implication that commissioners will be imposed oi'i that commissioners will be imposed on the community from above. they are already feeling alien rated by their counsel and we have already sent in a cross counsel and we have already sent in a cross bearer counsel and we have already sent in a ci’oss bearer team counsel and we have already sent in a cross bearer team to help people who are covering and i think a further remote bit of government being imposed upon that is —— upon them would not be ideal. some of the commissioners should come from the

community itself. the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary has said negotiations with the eu are being "hamstrung" by theresa may's lack of flexibility. james chapman worked closely with david davis, and told the bbc that the red lines set by the prime minister had made his former boss's job very difficult as he conducts talks with the european union. earlier i asked our political correspondent jonathan blake to expand onjames chapman's latest comment. he talks about the european court of justice, the highest eu court. the eu said it wanted to have a role and expects it to have a role in guaranteeing the rights of eu citizens living in the uk after brexit but theresa may has been clear that it should have no jurisdiction in the uk. many people who voted league—macro my degree thinking that if we are leaving the eu then there should be no authority there. he spoke strongly about other areas where he thinks david davis job was made difficult. she has

taken some absolutist positions on issues, particularly on the european court ofjustice. she set a red line effectively from her conference speech which has hamstrung these negotiations. david davis, there is fio negotiations. david davis, there is no one better to do this negotiation, he is a tough and resilient operator. the red lines have been set for him which make his job extremely difficult. so he is a former adviser to david davis, do we have any idea how much his comments have any idea how much his comments have been sanctioned by david davis? no, there has been no comment from the department or david davis himself. to that end, no comment from number 10 either. i think we can assume that it would be unlikely forjames chapman to come out and say these things without the blessing of david davis. he was in thejob until blessing of david davis. he was in the job until recently and as far as we know, has no particular axe to grind on that basis. if indeed it does reflect the position of david davis, maybe he is feeling a bit

frustrated, maybe he is feeling that his hands are tied in what is already a difficult and complex operation. others are saying that this is david davis potentially using james chapman to get his excusesin using james chapman to get his excuses in early should the negotiations go wrong or ultimately fail. i think we have to take his comments at face value and it is an interesting insight from someone who until relatively recently was working right alongside the brexit secretary who years of course charge with negotiating the uk's exit from the eu. that was jonathan blake speaking to me earlier. thousands of protesters are gathering in central london for a march against austerity. the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell is due to address the rally when it arrives in parliament square later. it comes after a labour bid to get bigger pay rises for nurses, firefighters and other public servants was narrowly defeated this week in the commons. we have been speaking to a couple of the demonstrators. i have a severely

disabled son and the fight i have had to get benefits for him and make sure he has got a standard of living has been unbelievable. that is another story. it is a real struggle andi another story. it is a real struggle and i am here for those parents who are unable to come out today.|j believe austerity led to the fire at g re nfell tower believe austerity led to the fire at grenfell tower and i believe austerity led to the fire at grenfelltowerand i am believe austerity led to the fire at grenfell tower and i am here to promote that today. not just the saving of money that led to having cheaper panels put on the outside, but the proper health and safety checks as well. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has held a rally in hastings in what he says is the start of a tour of every marginal constituency in the country. the home secretary amber rudd held the seat of hastings and rye byjust 346 votes last month. and mr corbyn told supporters he hoped labour would soon be fighting the next general election. he called for an end to the cap on public sector pay and what he said was a forty percent cut to local councils. stay together to win hastings and rye.

a general election. stay together to transform our society. achieve what is possible in this world. and that is the sharing and protecting of the world's riches and resources, not the everlasting trip down the road to misery which is the great gap between the richest and poorest. it is wrong, it is immoral, it is unnecessary. do you know what, we are changing things already. we have changed the nature of public debate. the chinese president, xijinping, says his government won't tolerate any challenge to its sovereignty in hong kong. mr xi was speaking at a ceremony to mark the twentieth anniversary of the handover of the former british colony to china. his comments came as several pro—democracy activists were arrested after clashing with both police and pro—beijing demonstrators. thousands of people calling for greater democracy in hong kong have marched through the city.

juliana liu reports from hong kong. an historic day for hong kong. government officials, including the incoming chief executive carrie lam, gathered for the flag—raising ceremony — marking 20 years since the city was handed from the uk to china. here she is being officially sworn in by the chinese president xijinping. mrs lam is the first woman to hold the position of chief executive and is vowing to restore trust in the local government. translation: we will provide more opportunities for young people to discuss, debate and participate in politics, to deepen their understanding and trust for the government, and to make them future leaders for our society. the president repeated china's commitment to the one—country, two systems formula which guarantees hong kong's freedoms, but he also had strong words for those calling for self—determination or even outright independence. translation: any attempt to endanger

china's sovereignty, challenge the power of the central government, or use hong kong to carry out sabotage activities against the mainland, is an act that crosses the red line and is not permissible. this was the scene on the streets just outside the building where the inauguration took place. hong kong is a deeply divided city, between those who want more democracy, and those who want greater integration with china. it's too soon to say whether mrs lam will be able to bridge the gap. she's already talked about efforts to try to heal these divisions in society, because she does inherit a very polarised city and very polarised public opinion, but it's unclear how she will be able to succeed in doing that. she started out as a very popular career civil servant, but in the last few years her reputation has really changed. she's now widely seen

as a beijing loyalist, which complicates efforts to bring disparate groups together. scuffles like this are visible examples of competing visions for hong kong. the differences are so great, that they're unlikely to be resolved any time soon. juliana liu, bbc news, hong kong. earlier are spoke to our china correspondent and he said despite widespread rallies, the protesters we re widespread rallies, the protesters were not allowed anywhere near president xi jinping. it has been a day of partying and protest in, to mark 20 years since hong kong was handed from britain back to the chinese mainland and this evening we have seen some really spectacular fireworks. despite the pouring rain, the harbour front was absolutely

crammed with people, who were down there to watch the fireworks and they were not deterred by, as i say, absolutely pouring down summer rains. it is images like these that the central government would be hoping would fill local people with pride in being a hong kong resident and also pride in being chinese and that this might somehow ameliorates some of the concerns that people have about the way this place has been governed. after all, the fireworks celebration came after a day of mass protests in which we saw many tens of thousands of people marching through the centre of hong kong, for our on end, reminding president xijinping kong, for our on end, reminding president xi jinping that certain freedoms were promised here and that those protesters a re freedoms were promised here and that those protesters are saying and feel that the independence of the judiciary, the right to associate, freedom of speech had been under threat, with the new chinese leader

in place. and how close by the protesters allowed to get to president xijinping? protesters allowed to get to president xi jinping? they're not going to get anywhere near president xijinping. the event here going to get anywhere near president xi jinping. the event here were attended by selected guests, high—ranking members of the party or party loyalists, anybody who wouldn't embarrass him, they will not let protesters come in there and the reminding president xijinping about their concerns. his message to them has been, don't worry, one country, two systems is still in place, 20 years after a hong kong was handed over, this is still a city with guaranteed freedoms, as long as you don't threaten the basic sovereignty of the place and that is a line he drew today saying, you cannot be talking about independence. this is something that independence. this is something that independence protest as might be worried about in the future. it is

unclear what he meant by this threat. most protesters here, it would be fair to say, still want to remain part of china, as long as hong kong's unique freedoms are guaranteed by the central government. and that was our correspondent there. the headlines on bbc news: the government says it will keep a close eye on kensington and chelsea council as it prepares to elect a new leader. sadiq khan has called for commissioners to take over the running of the council. the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary david davis claims negotiations with the eu are being undermined by theresa may's lack of flexibility. the veteran film critic and former bbc presenter barry norman dies at the age of 83. the director—general of the bbc, tony hall, has described him as a first—class presenter and critic. in sport, the british and irish lions have levelled the series against new zealand winning the second test in

wellington by 24—21 thanks to owen farrell's winning penalty, the decider is in auckland next saturday. the tour de france is underway with a time trial in dusseldorf, chris froome is looking for his fourth tour title and will be the last to go. and karolina pliskova is looking good for wimbledon. she defeated caroline wozniacki in straight sets in these board final. novak djokovic is taking on gael monfils right now. i will have an update for you in the next hour. the film critic barry norman has died aged 83, his family have said. the journalist and former bbc presenter died in his sleep on friday night. norman was best known as the host of film on bbc one from 1972 until 1998. the director general of the bbc tony hall has paid tribute —

he said barry norman was a first class presenter and critic. film buffs always found his programmes essential viewing. he dominated broadcasting about films for a generation with wit and great knowledge. he will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends." iamjoined i am joined now by anna smith who is chair of the critics circle and i suppose lord hall summed it up there because for so many years when you thought about film criticism, if you thought about film criticism, if you thought about film criticism, if you thought about barry norman.|j remember watching him and he said it was good, you believed him. he was so was good, you believed him. he was so genial and he made it entertaining to hear about the films, whether or not you were going to go and see him peshmerga see them. he had a very natural broadcasting style. he did. in the 19705, broadcasting style. he did. in the 1970s, he was more formal and then

he got more relaxed and you felt you we re he got more relaxed and you felt you were sitting down with a friend and he was given you advice that you believed in. he was funny as well. it is such an achievement when you remember that he was not originally a film critic. he was a journalist and he got this gig and he made it his own and he became the standard for film critics to follow. we looked up to him as we were growing up. do you think that helped him? that he came in from the outside and brought a fresh eye? he also grew up with film because his father was a film director and he came from that background and i think that helped, the fact that he lived and breathed film even before he became a critic. it is important to have a passion forfilm as a it is important to have a passion for film as a critic and understand what it takes to make films and understand what goes into it and he was always very fair from that perspective. he was a member of the critics

circle, what does that mean? we try to uphold the values of criticism, all the foremost critics are members and we were very honoured to have him as an honorary member in his later years. he was one of our finest members. he went on working as the presenter of the programme for so many years, the early 1970s to the late i990s, was he still absorbed in film after that? he did continue to work as a film critic for many years and i think he was a lwa ys for many years and i think he was always passionate about film. once you love film, you never really stopped, and he loved films until the day he died. anna smith, many thanks. thank you forjoining us. helmut kohl oversaw the reunification of germany and was behind reunification of germany. helmut kohl's cough and brought into

one of your‘s high place, the parliament as old faces and new came to bid farewell to one of the greats. this was a man revered for doing what many thought impossible, making germany one nation again but within europe and without waking the dark memories of an inglorious past. in speeches, they paid tribute to his achievement and his generous, large personality. friends from the past like the former spanish prime minister and bill clinton who delivered oratorical tour de force. helmut kohl gave us the chance to be involved in something bigger than ourselves. bigger than our terms of office, bigger than our fleeting careers, because all of us, sooner oi’ careers, because all of us, sooner or later, will be in a coffin like that. and the only gift we can leave behind is a betterfuture

that. and the only gift we can leave behind is a better future for our children and the freedom to make their own choices, including their own mistakes. angela merkel who had a notoriously difficult relationship with helmut kohl in recent years said that all that was now forgotten and that europe would be forever grateful for what her predecessor had done. translation: like for the chances and opportunities you gave me. thank you for the chances you gave to many others as well. thank you very much for the chances which we as germans and europeans have received, thanks to you, you achieved a huge amount, may you rest in peace. now it is up to us to actually preserve and guard your legacy. i bow before you and your legacy. i bow before you and your memory, in gratitude and humility. it has of course been a sad occasion, the presence of helmut kohl's widow a reminder that this was the death of a man, notjust a

politician. it is more than that, because this in effect has been the european union's first ever state funeral and if it has been conducted with such a sense of ceremony, it is because your‘s new leaders especially emmanuel macron and angela merkel want to capture and is still something of the spirit of helmut kohl that work to such effect a quarter of a century ago. after the european farewells, the german ones. helmut kohl's body transported to his hometown where he was born and died and from there to a cathedral, a thousand —year—old building which he loved and which he said symbolised the essence of european union. british airways says it's running almost all of its flights, despite a strike by cabin crew. members of the union, unite, have begun a sixteen day walkout over pay. the government has allowed ba to lease planes and crew from its partner qatar airways during the industrial action. the singer adele has cancelled

the final two shows of her world tour after damaging her vocal cords. she was due finish a four—date run at london's wembley stadium this weekend. in an apology to fans on twitter the performer said she's "devastated" but took the decision following medical advice. an oil tanker and a cargo ship have collided in the english channel. it happened 15 miles from dover at around two o clock this morning, the coastguard said. the i83m (600ft) tanker seafrontier, which is loaded with gasoline, has a hole above the waterline and damage to the superstructure, the rnli said. the 225m (740ft) huayang endeavour was also damaged. none of the crew on board either ship was injured, and the rnli says there's no pollution leak. let's get more on the anti—austerity

rally. protesters have been marching through london and they are arriving in parliament square. our correspondent is there. what is the scene? this is not an uncommon sight in central london. there have been a number of these sorts of marches and rallies over the past few years, two since the general election but perhaps because of the events over the past few weeks, there are thousands and thousands of people here and it may turn out to be one of the biggest of those rallies, although it is impossible to say the numbers. there are thousands of people here, but people are still arriving. on stage at the moment is john mcdonnell from the labour party. they started near new broadcasting house and they marched down here and before that they held a minute of silence for the victims of the grenfell tower disaster. there was also a minute of applause

for the emergency services. you can see from the posters here, plenty of people are connecting austerity and cuts to public services with what happened at grenfell tower. the group that has organised this, they say they are not linked to a political party but as you can see from the speaker on stage at the moment,, diane abbott will be here and also jeremy corbyn, moment,, diane abbott will be here and alsojeremy corbyn, a little bit later. there are tears every time his name is mentioned. and as you can hear, lose every time there are mentions of any conservative politicians. the march logan, not one more day, the idea here is that austerity was not an necessity. the atmosphere is going to be more of a carnival of resistance, apparently. sarah smith, we willjoin you shortly with more on that march. thank you. it's been exactly 10 years since the smoking ban was introduced in pubs and other licensed

premises in england. it hasn't been popular with everybody, but campaigners say the legislation has helped two million smokers to kick the habit, as our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. over a decade ago, lighting up in restaurants, pubs and bars, in fact, any enclosed public space was the norm but all that changed with the ban in england on this day, in 2007, bringing it in line with the rest of the uk. smoking rates are now at their lowest ever recorded in britain — there are nowjust over 8 million smokers. according to cancer research uk, that means 2 million people have given up cigarettes since the ban. the proportion of 16 — 2a year olds who smoke is now just i7%. an all—time low. what we are after is a smoke—free generation. we are part—way there. we see the smoking rate in younger people dropping more people people dropping more quickly

than other age groups. we see them using e—cigarettes more as an aid to quit smoking than others, and that seems to be particularly helpful. as well as the range of nhs stop smoking services that we've got that can help them. but pro—smoking capaigners have been criticised the ban, saying it has led to the closure of more than 11,000 pubs in england. public support for smoke—free areas has grown, however. a yougov poll today suggests just 12% of people would like to see it overturned. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. time to take a look at the weather 110w. time to take a look at the weather now. hi there. cloud has been breaking up nicely across england and wales, some more sunshine to come for the rest of the day. to the north—west of the uk, this cloud you can see moving across scotland and northern ireland is whether weather front that will continue to push into the south, the cloud will thicken up with outbreaks of rain getting into the west of england and wales as we had through this evening, brighter skies following

behind it. overnight, that cloud works into the south, patchy outbreaks of rain developing, not a huge amount, it will be patchy in nature and many areas will stay dry. windy in scotland, particularly for the northern isles. a mild night for most. sunday starts off with brisk winds. plenty of showers driven into the west of scotland. some of those will be heavy, the early morning rain or threat of rain moves away from southern england quickly and cloud will break up with sunny spells and forecast wisely on sunday, looking at similar temperatures, 18—23. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: the government rejects calls to bring in commissioners to run kensington and chelsea council but says it will keep a close eye as the council prepares to elect a new leader. london mayor sadiq khan called for commissioners to take over.

the former chief of staff to the brexit secretary has said negotiations with the eu are being "hamstrung" by theresa may's lack of flexibility. james chapman said the prime minister made his former boss' job very difficult.