will v“ r 'u are hoping is that that will gain wider support at the general assembly next week. thirdly, on burma, and the tragedy that is unfolding in the gross abuse of the human rights of the rohingya population. nobody should underestimate what is happening. 370,000 rohingya have fled, are estimated to have fled in desperation, that's almost half the rohingya population in northern burma. to answer directly your question about aung san suu kyi, let's be clear. she led burma after a period of decades of repression by a period of decades of repression by a military government. in my admiration of what she stood for, what she fought for, a democracy, many people around the world share that admiration. but i think it is

now vital for her to use that moral capital and that authority to make the point about the suffering of the people being persecuted. nobody wa nts to people being persecuted. nobody wants to see, nobody wants to see a return to military rule. in burma. nobody wants to see a return of the generals. but it's also vital that the civilian governments and that is, for whom i say, i have a great deal of admiration, but it is vital for her now to make clear that this is an abomination and that those people will be allowed back. those people will be allowed back. those people will be allowed back to burma, and the preparation is being made, and that the abuse of their human rights and the killings... hundreds, perhaps even thousands,

that the killings. first, with respect to the administrations of the nuclear deal with iran, the trump administration is continuing to review and develop its policy on iran. it's under way. there have been several discussions internally among our nsc along with discussions with the president. no decisions have been made. it's worth noting that, as the administration continues this review of the jcpoa, i think president trump has made it clear to those of us who are helping him develop this policy, that we must take into account the totality of iranian threats, not just must take into account the totality of iranian threats, notjust iran's nuclear capabilities, that is one piece of our posture towards iran. i think if one revisits the preface to the jpcoa that reads that the

participants "anticipate that full implebation of this jcpoa will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security. " that was and international peace and security." that was one of the expectations of the jcpoa. security." that was one of the expectations of the jcpoa. in our view, iran is clearly in default of these expectations of the jcpoa through their actions to proper up the assad regime, to engage in malicious activities in the region, including cyber activity, aggressively developing ballistic missiles and all of this is in defiance of un security council resolution 2231 thereby threatening, not ensuring, but threat. ing the security of those in the region as well as the united states itself. we have to consider the totality of iran's aachentivity and not let our view be defined slowly by the nuclear agreement. it continues to be under review. no final decision has been with respect to made. the

horrors we are witnessing occurring in burma, i think it is a defining moment in many ways for this new emedium—terminging democracy, although it is a power—sharing arrangement. we all clearly understand that. we appreciate the difficult and complex situation aung san suu kyi finds herself in. i think it is important that the global community speak out in support of what we all know the expectation is towards the treatment of people, regardless of their ethnicity, and that we must, you know, this violence must stop. this persecution must stop. it's been characterised by many as ethnic cleansing. that must stop. need the support aung san suu kyi's and her leadership and and to the military to inform them this is unacceptable. this will define the

direction that burma will take they need our strong support. we should give them our strong support. reporter: secretary tillerson, on north korea, president trump described the un security council resolution that was passed this week asa resolution that was passed this week as a "small telephone step." do you cohcuf as a "small telephone step." do you concur with that assessment? is do you still seek a full oil embargo against north korea? do you think china would ever agree to that? secretary johnson, china would ever agree to that? secretaryjohnson, on china would ever agree to that? secretary johnson, on iran, china would ever agree to that? secretaryjohnson, on iran, the french have signalled a willingness to supplement the nuclear deal to extend sunset provisions, did that come up in today's conversations and is britain open to such a

suggestion? secreta tillerson, would the us be open to that as well? with respect to the un security council resolution and the president's view it was a small step, i share that view. we had hoped for a much stronger resolution from the security council. having said that, i think it does — it did accomplish a couple of things. one, a complete prohibiton on textiles which represents $700-$800 million export revenue to the regime. importantly the successful conclusion of yet another unanimous un security council resolution in and of itself i think does continue to send a consistent message to the regime in north korea and, importantly, to those who continue to enable north korea's activities that the international community does have a common view on the seriousness of

north korea's programme and nuclear weapons. with respect to oil and a complete embargo from oil from the un security council that is going to be very difficult. that is directed at china alone, because china supplies essentially all of north korea's oil. i'm hopeful that china, asa korea's oil. i'm hopeful that china, as a great country, a world power, will decide on their own. they will ta ke will decide on their own. they will take it upon themselves to use that very powerful tool of oil supply to persuade north korea to reconsider its current path towards weapons development. reconsider its approach to dialogue and negotiations in the future. that is a very powerful tool that has been used in the past. we hope china will not reject that or

discard that as a powerful tool that they alone really have the ability to assert. so, we're going to continue our efforts, the global campaign, we are going to continue to call on all countries to implement the un security council sanctions and resolutions. and where countries can put more pressure on this regime to bring them to a point of dialogue in a productive way, we ask that everyone do that. on north korea, quickly. ifi ask that everyone do that. on north korea, quickly. if i add, rex, there was a wide measure of support for the position that you and i have both adopted. this is not the time when we're trying to get the chinese to ex—cert the maximum possible pressure. by the way, i think the chinese have done more perhaps than we thought that they would, but there is scope for them to do much, much more, particularly in respect of oil. now is not the time to start

sending other hares running with other attempts at engagement with the regime in pyongyang. the focus has got to be on what china can do as the country that's responsible for 93% of north korea's external trade. i was struck by the strong support for that position, particularly from our french friends. just to get to your point about iran. the north korean crisis shows the importance of having arrangements such as thejcpoa and you ask about extending — the sunset clause. i can't remember who raised it. it did come up. everybody could see that, you know, it was going to get tenser as we get towards the deadline. that's why it's so important that we make it work and that we keep it alive. there are two

aspects to this. as secretary tillerson has said. the iranians have to behaviour and fulfil their side of the bargain. they have stop beinged a recipe to youious and causing trouble in the region, whether it's yemen, syria or anywhere else. of course, on the other side, we in the uk think it very important that iran, that country of 80 million people, many of them young, potentially liberal, could be won over, could be won over toa could be won over, could be won over to a new way of thinking. i think it's important that they should see there are benefits, economic benefits from the jcpoa as well. there are benefits, economic benefits from thejcpoa as well. we in the uk want to keep that alive and that is certainly a point that we have been making to rex and others in the us. thank you. thank

you. the foreign secretary, boris johnson, and the us secretary of state, rex tillerson, some interesting questions there from journalists at lancaster house in central london. a lot for both of those politicians about the situation in myanmar with the rohingya muslims. boris johnson saying "no—one wants the generals back" in terms of how that country used to be. saying that aung san suu kyi needs to use her "moral authority now to make the point", as he put it, about the suffering of the people in rakhine. borisjohnson talking about the situation with ha rd to talking about the situation with hard to hurricane irma and said it looked like suffering from world war

i. we will talk about more of those related issues around everything the two mendis custodied there over the course of this hour. for now we will return to what is the story that has dominated here today. the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire, which killed at least 80 people injune, has opened with a minute's silence to remember the victims. the man leading the inquiry, sir martin moore—bick, said he acknowledges "the great sense of anger and betrayal" felt by survivors and he wants to provide answers about how he added that his inquiry won't shrink from making recommendations that could lead to civil or criminal prosecutions. frankie mccamley reports. it was a catastrophic tragedy that killed at least 80 people and, three months on from the fire at grenfell tower, anger outside the launch of the public inquiry from some still looking for answers. inside, sir martin moore—bick began with a minute's silence, followed by a strong reassurance

for those affected. i'm well aware that the past few months have turned the world of those who live in north kensington upside down and that former residents of the tower and other local people feel a great sense of anger and betrayal. that is entirely natural and understandable, but if the inquiry is to get to the truth of what happened, it must seek out all the relevant evidence and examine it calmly and rationally. the inquiry process is not adversarial. my task is not to decide which of two or more competing parties has the better case, nor is it to punish anyone or to award anyone compensation. it is simply to get at the truth with the help of all those who have relevant evidence to give. the retired judge explained

the inquiry will be carried out in two stages, examining issues including the cause and spread of the fire, the design construction and refurbishment of grenfell tower, how far regulations go in relation to high—rise flats, whether those were followed in the case of grenfell tower, the actions of the relevant authorities before the tragedy and the response after the fire. after months of speculation and frustration, residents gathered here in this church, just metres from grenfell tower, to watch sir martin moore—bick‘s statement being live streamed on television screens. the hope, to get a better understanding of what the public inquiry will cover and, more importantly, find out whether they think their questions will be answered. we know there's a lot of documents and a lot of paper that needs to be studied and that needs to be looked at.

so i want to be positive and to allow them the time to work out the truth because, at the end of the day, this is what we want. i think a lot of us are disheartened and don't have much faith in the inquiry and we also have to recognise there are other ways we can possibly acquire the change, you know, achieve the change that we are looking for. and as far asjustice goes, i think we have to continue scrutinising the processes of this inquiry continually. but for some in this community there is deep—rooted mistrust already in the process. but for those 196 households who were made homeless, there's a more immediate concern as only three have been permanently rehoused. for others, though, today will be another reminder of the pain the fire caused. frankie mccamley, bbc news. sarah campbell is at a church in west london, where residents watched the statement being live streamed on television screens. yes. this church is a few minutes walk from the tower. it has become a

vocal point for residents. they heard him saying say the scale of this inquiry is enormous and the aim is to get to the truth of what happened. he said it will run in two phases. the first, focussing on the fire itself. that night, how it spread, how it was put out, the response of the emergency services, the evacuation of the residents. sir martin said he will deal with that element first because there was an urgent need to find those answers, not least because they need to mike sure if there are problems then people living in other high—rise flats, thoses are departments need to be made safe. the second phase will look at the design of the building itself, its construction, the refurbishment, that cladding we heard so much about. the fire regulations, were they being followed ? regulations, were they being followed? they will talk about the communications between residents and the tenant management organisation and also the response and the aftermath, in the days afterwards, from local and national government.

after the inquiry, after the statement was made, i spoke to many residents and there was still a huge amount of scepticism from them, worried that their voices simply won't be heard, that they won't be in the heart of this inquiry. that isa in the heart of this inquiry. that is a big challenge for sir martin to get them on board. he's hoping to have the first interim report due to be published at easter. he warned that timetable may be subject to change. jane. all right, sarah thank you for now. sarah campbell in west london. joining me now is the lawyer, david neita, he's from the group, bme lawyers 4 grenfell. thank you for coming in. you are not formally representing nip caught up in this part of west london, you are there to advise people and offer help and guidance and so on. what is your sense from people you have been talking in that part of west london about how they feel, hard to generalise, now the beginning of the forral process is under way? there

isa forral process is under way? there is a sense of disappointment, in nigh my view thchl is what i'm feeling on the ground. this disappointment didn't start today, it started prior to even the fire. because residents were warning the officials about the state of the building and the relegation and the advice that was coming out of the lackal fire advice that was coming out of the lackalfire in advice that was coming out of the lackal fire in south advice that was coming out of the lackalfire in south london advice that was coming out of the lackal fire in south london that weren't implemented in that building. people had real concerns. those real concerns manifested itself into this disaster that we've experienced here. if we find that had the residents been listened to, this could have been avoided, then it will be a travesty and a disaster and a really sad day in our country. people are disappointed on so many levels. ok. i hear that. people watching you will understand what you are saying there. looking from the outside people may say — today is the start of a process. it will

ta ke is the start of a process. it will take quite a few months, nothing will happen quickly, this is the beginning of people listening. this judge, forensically, going through a real important timetable of events here. you know, he will look right at the beginning, the refurbishment work done, were the rules followed properly. is that not the sort of thing that needs to be investigated? let me explain why it's not the start of the process. there is a consultation process that happened prior to today. today is a launch of what happened between the appointment of sir martin moore—bick by the prime minister and getting to this point. at every level there has been a disappointment in the community. in the first instance the meetings were held and the community we re meetings were held and the community were not made aware of the meeting ina were not made aware of the meeting in a comprehensive and widespread way. one meeting i attended watt as a school. there was a handful of people there. we had to suggest, make suggestion from the floor that the meeting should be held more at

the meeting should be held more at the centre of the community and be promoted better so that people could come to those meetings. once people arrived at those meetings and you mentioned the methodist church ermier on, people started to make recommendation there. was a feeling that the panel did not represent the community and that the panel was not listening and were too happy to have a very narrow inquiry and not address the real concerns of the people. but listening to everything he outlined in terms of what will be happening over the next few months, do people still feel it's happening over the next few months, do people still feel its narrow? he will look at a lot of areas, isn't he? he will look at a lot of areas. the widening of this inquiry is as a direct result of the community speaking into the consultation period. but this is what is felt. in my view. it's felt that the community was ignored prior to the fire and are still ignored. their

concerns were being raised and it feels like no—one was listening. we had a symbolic moment today in the launch when the chair, literally turned his back, at the end of the — it's unfortunate herbing turned his back as lawyer, distinguished lawyer michael mansfield stood up saying he wa nted michael mansfield stood up saying he wanted to make a statement on behalf of the survivors. he was ignored and walked away. that's unfortunate. the whole setup doesn't feel right. people were asked to stand because his lordship is coming in. people we re his lordship is coming in. people were asked to stand to their feet. that is wholly inappropriate in this kind of setting. you may do that in a court of law. in this setting it's we the lawyers who should be standing in honourand in we the lawyers who should be standing in honour and in memory of the people who lost their lives and the people who lost their lives and the people who worked hard in the aftermath to provide comfort and support to those lost. so this whole idea that comes from the upper class, those who are powerful

lording it over still remains resonate in the process we're experiencing now. that has to change. ok. thank you very much indeed for now forjoining us. thank you very much. today's other main stories. a man who was given a 10month sentence for arson, but has spent more than 11 years in prison, is to be released. james ward was given a sentence known as an ipp, an imprisonment for public protection, which meant he wouldn't be released until a parole board decided he wasn't a danger to the public. our correspondent, zoe conway, has been following james ward's case, and has this report. for the last 11 years, james ward has been in prison without ever knowing when he would get out. until now. in just a few weeks' time, james is expected to be moved to a hostel. ijust can't believe it. i'll believe it when he walks through my door, and he can have the biggest hug he can have. whenjames was 19, he went to prison for a yearfor assault. near the end of his sentence, he set

fire to the mattress in his cell. for doing this, a judge gave him an ipp, or imprisonment for public protection, and said he should serve a minimum of10 months. he's been in prison for more than 11 years. james has been writing to us from prison. this letter was written last month, when he'd lost hope of ever being released. i've spoken to my sister recently and she was in tears because of my self—harming i owe my life to her, even if not to myself. i'm trying to hard to stay as strong as possible, but i couldn't promise her that i wouldn't do something stupid. on a visit to see him last month, his family were shocked by how ill he looked. because he's on constant watch because of the self—harm, he's literally sat behind a cage like an animal, where they walk past and point and laugh at him. how is that humane?

how is that human rights? the ipp sentence was abolished in 2012, but there remain more than 3,300 ipp prisoners in england and wales. 85% of them have served more than the minimum term they were given. 278 were given sentences of two years or less, yet they've served eight years more than that. what needs to happen is the government needs to work closely with the parole board in order to make sure that these cases are processed as quickly as they can be and that when it is safe to release people, they are released. james had the news this morning. he's told his family he's excited for the future. his sister knows exactly how she'll be greeting him. i'll hug him so tight. i think there'll be a lot of crying. bill and christine ward will have to wait a few weeks to see james, the son who hasn't been home for 11 years. zoe conway, bbc news.

the value of the pound has risen on currency markets following hints from the the bank of england that interest rates could go up in the coming months. the bank's monetary committee voted today to keep its rate at its historic low of a 0.25%, but the bank's governor, mark carney, said they are trying to balance support for the economy, ahead of brexit, with the ultimate objective of bringing inflation back down to 2%. what you heard today is that the majority of members of the committee, myself included, see that that balancing act is beginning to shift and in order to keep inflation, return inflation to that 296 inflation, return inflation to that 2% target, in a sustainable manage manner, there may need be an adjustment of interest rates in coming months. we will take the decision based on the data, but,

yes, that possibility has definitely increased. well, yael selfin is chief economist at kpmg and shejoins me now. good afternoon. does every event you go to do people ask you about interest rates? i'm curious, only a couple of months we were doing interviews about how interest rates weren't going to go up until well into next year. the mood music seems to be that has changed. what is going on here? we hope that interest rates will start rising next year, hopefully, because that will be a signal that the economy is resilient enough and strong enough to sustain that. that's your hope. where does it come from then when people say, asa number of it come from then when people say, as a number of analysts have said today, it's going to be november/december, it will be at some point this year, where is that coming from? at the moment what we are see something two sides. unemployment is very low, rising inflation. inflation for august was

surprisingly high, even for august. so overall there is a lot of pressure for the bank of england to raise rates. we have wages that remain very low with real wages falling for household. an increase in rates will put further pressures on households and will be quite painful, actually. it's inevitable we do need to start raising rates in the uk because we've a huge number of households that have not experienced a rate rise and they're not planning for it sufficiently. we also have savers, banks and insurers, that are under strain. so we do need to start raising rates. it's just a we do need to start raising rates. it'sjust a question we do need to start raising rates. it's just a question of when. we do need to start raising rates. it'sjust a question of when. but wages haven't been keeping pace with inflation for a long time now. people's incomes are therefore very squeezed and so that is a factor, is it, when mark carney talks about that balancing act and always, a lwa ys that balancing act and always, always looking ahead to britain's

departure from the eu? absolutely. britain negotiations with the eu and in the next months or so will be potentially quite volatile. it's quite possible that the bank of england would want to hold and until we hear a little bit more, maybe around december, then hopefully, if things are relatively smooth, start rising from february or may next year. ok. well, you and i will be discussing it before them, i'm quite sure. thaw thank you very much for now. “— sure. thaw thank you very much for now. —— thank you very much for now. thank you. president trump has arrived in florida where he will meet people affected by hurricane irma. after landing at fort myers the president and first lady melania, were heading to naples to meet residents.

more than four million homes and businesses are still without power in florida and neighbouring states. eight people died in a nursing home in the state, after it lost power during the storm. the president said he's close to reaching a deal with democrats which could prevent the deportation of young migrants who were brought to the us illegally as children. joining me from is anthony zurcher. what is going on with this? president trump had a meeting last night and after the meeting the two democrats sent out a press release saying they had reached and agreement and effectively preserving these protections for children who had come over as undocumented into the us and were brought by their pa rents. the us and were brought by their parents. they have been given a

certain amount of immigration normalcy status by barack obama during his presidency. donald trump said he would phase that out over six months. donald trump and the democrats agreed to pass a law that preserved that immigration status in exchange for ramped up border security. that is what we heard from the democrats last night. it has been confusing, a moving target to follow. donald trump said there was no agreement. he described the terms of the agreement saying he supported that. he started describing the protections in language that sounded a lot like democrats. he flew to florida. he said there would not be an agreement unless there is a guarantee we could get a mexican border wall at some point shortly after the agreement. at this point it's unclear whether or not they will be able to hammer something out. we heard from congressional republican leaders saying they were open to this sort of deal. democrats say they are negotiationing with

donald trump in good faith. the pieces are there. it's a matter of whether it will come together. anthony. thank you for now. we wills discuss it again, i suspect. mentioning president trump in relation to his current visit. we have been mentioning the fact he and the first lady, there they are, are visiting some of the areas affected by hurricane irma. slightly difficult picture quality there. i think wejust difficult picture quality there. i think we just about get the sense they are at a camp handing out, aid, food, water and supplies generally needed by people who have been affected so badly by that extraordinarily ferocious hurricane. we've heard about the vast number of people who are without power, people who have lost their homes. it looks like some of them shaking hands there with donald trump and with the vice—president, mike pence who is alongside him. we will talk more

about that perhaps a little bit later. we will pause to find out what is happening #a # a mixture of sunny spells and showers. the showers took a better time to get going through the day, but the odd rumble of thunder in there as well. through this evening and overnight, showers inland will tend to ease, becoming confined to coastal areas. we see showers moving through scotland, northern england and parts of ways full is —— parts of wales. overnight temperatures around 10 celsius in towns and cities, a couple of degrees cooler in laurel areas. a few showers in the afternoon tomorrow. the risk of thunder. temperature is still fairly

cool thunder. temperature is still fairly cool, a maximum of 16 celsius. with the northerly breeze, it won't feel particularly warm. we will hold onto cool temperatures over the weekend, particularly at night. we could see grass frost aurora leigh, and the winds will ease as high moves in. showers easing as we move into sunday. —— as high—pressure moves this is bbc news at five. the headlines: the inquiry into the grenfell tower fire opens in london. its head, sir martin moore—bick, says his investigation will answer ‘pressing questions‘ about the disaster. i'm well aware at the past few months have turned the world of those who live in north kensington upside down, but if the enquiry is to get to the truth of what happened, it must seek out all the releva nt happened, it must seek out all the relevant evidence and examine it

calmly and rationally. a prisoner who is still injail11 years after being given a 10—month sentence for arson is to be released. james ward had been told he wouldn't be released until a parole board decided he wasn't a danger to the public. the bank of england has said that higher inflation and a pick up in growth could lead to a rise in interest rates in ‘the coming months'. the bank's voted to keep rates on hold at a quarter of one per cent for now. borisjohnson has boris johnson has met borisjohnson has met the us secretary of state in london for talks about libya, iran and north korea. rex tillerson also promised us help for britain after brexit. president trump has landed in florida to see the damage caused by hurricane irma. millions are still without power, and more than 20 people in the us lost their lives. now, it's time for a round—up of the sport. essex are closing in on their first county championship title

since 1992 after beating warwickshire at edgbaston. it means if lancashire fail to win their match at somerset, which is looking likely, essex will be champions. it was a very impressive bowling performance from essex today — backed up by some brilliant fielding — dan lawrence taking this catch to leave warwickshire nine wickets down. the end came when spinner simon harmer took the tenth wicket to give essex victory by an innings and 56 runs. lancashire are in trouble against somerset — seven wickets down in their second innings and following on. arsenal begin an unfamiliar european campaign tonight. after two decades in the champions league... they have their first match in the europa league... and they're joined in this season's competition by everton. ronald koeman‘s team kick off in half an hour

in italy against atalanta who are back in europe after 26 years — wayne rooney and dominic calvert—lewin start up front. atalanta may not be one of the more famous teams from the country. but the everton manager is urging his players not to take the match lightly. it's not about the name of the italian team. every italian team is a strong team that's difficult to beat. and for that, i have a lot of respect for atalanta. it is a tough competition, and even the clubs out of the champions league in third place will play europa league, and of course, if you start a competition, you like to win it, but it's a long way to go. arsenal's game is an 8pm kick off against cologne, who are bringing 20,000 fans to the emirates. and quite a few of them are already in london, parading in the city centre, stopping traffic too, en route to the stadium. there have been reports of bottles being thrown. an investigation into england women's manager mark sampson

could be reopened after another player submitted evidence that supports eni aluko's claims regarding what was said between aluko and sampson at a meeting in 2015. the fa say they intend to pass this new information from chelsea ladies midfielder drew spence to the barrister who conducted one of the two inquiries that cleared sampson of any wrongdoing. the manager also denied these specific claims when he spoke to our sports editor dan roan two days ago. did you make any comment regarding a number of times being arrested to drew spends about meeting of the china cup in 2015? as i said before, i have never said to an england player or accused them of being arrested. i have tried to make sure i communicate in the best possible way to help the players, make them feel relaxed and give them the best possible chance to perform on the field, because it is a difficultjob playing for england, lots of pressure and scrutiny. we have

incredibly talented and professional players, and i try my best with the staff to support them to help them be at their best. maria sharapova has responded to her critics in an exclusive uk interview with the bbc, claiming she's not a cheat. after a 15—month doping ban for taking meldonium, a substance that had been moved onto the banned list, she returned to the women's tour in april. sharapova has been widely criticised since her comeback, organisers of the recent us open were also criticised for putting sharapova on show courts for all three of her matches at flushing meadows. to be able to walk onto a court in front a crowd of people like that, the noise, it felt like a warm welcome. it is a place i have missed, and i feel like welcome. it is a place i have missed, and ifeel like it is a place i belong. i haven't felt that experience, so to be in a grand slam after such a long period of time was very special. you can see the full interview ‘the unstoppable sharapova ?' on the bbc news channel, tomorrow at 9.30pm.

that is all the sport for now. the chairman of the public inquiry into the grenfell tower fire has promised to get to the truth. in his opening statement, martin moore—bick said the inquiry was not there to punish anyone or to award compensation, but to get answers to the pressing questions of how such a disaster could occur in 21st century london. at least 80 people died after the fire broke out in the 2li—storey block in north kensington on the 14th ofjune. 196 households were made uninhabitable by the fire, including people who lived in the tower — and those who lived nearby, but just three of those households have been moved into permanent accommodation. launching the inquiry into the fire, sir martin moore—bick said it would be split into two phases — with the first examining how

the blaze developed and the second looking at how the building became so exposed to the risk of a major fire, with an interim report expected by easter. the chairman praised the fortitude of the local community but turned down a request from some survivors for a representative to be appointed to his investigating team, saying such a move would undermine impartiality. i know that many of the survivors would like me to appoint someone from among their own number, or perhaps another local resident, as one of my ssos. —— assessors. i will make sure that all the evidence is heard and carefully considered. but to appoint as an asset of someone who had direct involvement in the

fire would risk undermining my impartiality in the eyes of others who are also deeply involved in the enquiry. i have therefore come to the conclusion that i cannot take the conclusion that i cannot take the course they would wish me to adopt. as a result, i have approached a number of people, all com pletely approached a number of people, all completely independent of those whose conduct may have to be investigated, who have expertise of a social and administrative nature that enables them to provide me with the assistance i need to carry out my task. i shall also need the assistance of people who can give me expert advice in more technical areas. in particular, the development of fires in high—rise residential buildings, and the intricacies of the building regulations, with particular reference to protection against fire. i'm currently in discussions

with several people who, in my view, have the expertise necessary to fulfil those roles, and i'm pleased to say that those discussions are making good progress. i hope to be able to announce the appointment of the first group of assessors within the first group of assessors within the next week or so. that was sir martin moore—bick at the start of proceedings today. let's speak now to councillor robert atkinson, labour leader at kensington and chelsea council — he was watching the launch of the inquiry with residents at a church in notting hill in west london. thank you very much forjoining us. you and i spoke in the immediate aftermath of the fire, when things we re aftermath of the fire, when things were still very raw. is there any sense at all today, do you think, that today could be the start, just a very beginnings of trying to

understand and to rebuild?|j a very beginnings of trying to understand and to rebuild? i think people do accept that this is the beginning ofan people do accept that this is the beginning of an explanation, and we heard what thejudge beginning of an explanation, and we heard what the judge said today. he has promised to get to the truth than to be thorough in talking to local people and involving local people, and we now need to hold him to it. when you say hold him to it, what in practical terms does that mean? it is a long process ahead, isn't it? precisely. local people wa nt a nswe rs isn't it? precisely. local people want answers as quickly as possible, but they want in—depth answers and the right answers, so he has the difficult task of getting out information as quickly as possible but doing a thorough job. do you have any sympathy with that view, and it has been expressed even on this programme in the last hour, that a lot of people in that part of west london felt very strongly that there should be a representative from among their number as part of this enquiry, and the fact that

there isn't someone has diminished it for them? do you have sympathy for that lord? i listened very carefully to what he was saying, and i think the point about it being ha rd to i think the point about it being hard to find a single person who was objective is a point well made. i think it's very important that all of us who have something to say are involved and are able to give our testimony. i know i couldn't be objective if i was given a job, and i think that anyone who has been here since the beginning would have a similar problem. that's an interesting observation. you feel too close to it? i feel there are things that i want to contribute and i want to say, and i think it's part of myjob to make sure that every opinion is listened to and weighed up, soi opinion is listened to and weighed up, so i think it's more important that we have the widest possible

cross—section of people involved in giving testimony and answering questions. and sir martin moore-bick said he wouldn't shy away from making recommendations that possibly end up with civil or criminal prosecutions — is that a statement that everybody in that area should welcome? again, that is something we need to hold on to. he has said that he will —— hold him to. he has said he will —— hold him to. he has said he will —— hold him to. he has said he will speak it as he finds it, and i take that to mean that he will be naming names, and whilst he can't institute prosecutions, i'm hoping he will present the evidence in such a way as other people can do. and i don't think any of us should forget that there is a parallel criminal investigation carrying on at the same time. councillor robert atkinson, for now, thank you very much. the leader of the labour group

on kensington and chelsea council. schools in england are being given more money. looking at the figures isa gina more money. looking at the figures is a gina campbell. this is about the government allocating budgets to state schools right across england. and this is seen as one of the biggest shake—ups in decades, because essentially, it means more money per pupil. until this point, schools in the bigger cities — london, birmingham, manchester — they may have received more money per pupil, but this is about levelling out the playing field, getting rid of any quality and making sure schools in different parts of the country have access to fairfunding. the parts of the country have access to fair funding. the education secretary, justine greening, made this announcement earlier today, and she said that primary schools will get at least £3500 per pupil, and

secondary schools will get £4800 per pupil. this is what she said: the case is so strong because of the manifest unfairness. when coventry receives £510 more per pupil than plymouth, despite having equal proportions pupils eligible for free school meals will stop or nottingham similarly attracts £555 more than an area in cheshire. addressing these simple but challenging inequalities will represent the biggest improvement in the school funding syste m improvement in the school funding system for decades. to give you a sense of the key figures, and there are many, every school in england will have access to a lump sum of £110,000, and there will be a £26 million fund to help more floral and isolated schools. overall, as you say, an extra £1.3 billion to be invested over the next two years.

this has come as welcome news for many schools, but critics say this is long overdue, and schools have been underfunded over a period of yea rs. been underfunded over a period of years. with things like budget cuts, inflation, increased class sizes, they are continuing to feel the effects of this long—term financial impact. the secretary of state has said that her funding formula will increase per— pupil funding by said that her funding formula will increase per—pupil funding by 0.5% per year till 2020. increase per—pupil funding by 0.5% peryeartill2020. inflationary pressures are over 2%, so will she admit that herfunding pressures are over 2%, so will she admit that her funding formula will in fact mean a real terms cut in school budgets? in today's statement, she says that the formula provides a per— pupil cash statement, she says that the formula provides a per—pupil cash increased in respect of each school in each local area, so will she admit that there will be pupils, schools and local authorities that see a real

terms cut in funding by 2020? this new government funding formula, they say it is to do with more transparency, reducing the so—called lottery. in terms of when the changes coming, they waltzed up from 2018, and that will be a transitional period for schools to get used to these budget changes, but they will be the kick in from 2019. in terms of the devolved governments, it is up to the individual assemblies to sort out their own school funding, so that will continue in that sense as well. thank you. this is bbc news at five. the headlines: a public enquiry into the grenfell fire has started with a minute's silence for the victims. an interest rate rise might not be that far off if the economy

continues to grow. a man who spent 11 years in prison, even though he was sentenced to ten months, is now set to be released. an update on the market numbers for you — here's how london's and frankfurt ended the day. and in the the united states, this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. let's talk a little bit more about where we began in the salah. we began by listening to borisjohnson and rex tillerson —— in this hour. they were talking about the violins in myanmar. the treatment of the rohingya by the burmese has been strongly criticised by both boris

johnson and rex tillerson. it is vital for johnson and rex tillerson. it is vitalfor her to johnson and rex tillerson. it is vital for her to use that authority to make the point about the suffering of the people. i think nobody wants to see nobody wants to see a return to military rule in burma. no one wants to see a return of the generals. but it's also right that the civilian government, and that the civilian government, and thatis that the civilian government, and that is a government from whom i have admiration, but it is vital for her to make clear that this is an abomination, and that those people will be allowed back. abomination, and that those people will be allowed backlj abomination, and that those people will be allowed back. i think it is a defining moment in many ways for this new, emerging democracy, although it is a power—sharing arrangement. we'll clearly understand that. so we appreciate

the difficult and complex situation is aung san suu kyi finds herself m, is aung san suu kyi finds herself in, andl is aung san suu kyi finds herself in, and i think it is important that the community speak out in support of what we all know the expectation is towards the treatment of people, regardless of their ethnicity, and that we must... this violence must stop, this prosecution must opt. it has been characterised by many as ethnic cleansing. that must stop. —— this persecution must stop. james landale was listening to that news conference. what do we take from some of those comments in terms of any international pressure, james?|j any international pressure, james?” think this represents a substantial hardening of the british position. until now, the british government has said the violence must stop, but they have also said that they continued to praise aung san suu kyi because of her past record in fighting for democracy there, and they had done their best, in their

view, not to undermine her by putting too much pressure on her to indemnify the islands. i think the point has been reached now —— to condemn the violence. they are now saying the situation is so bad that pressure needs to go on her now. there was some criticism boris johnson last week, when he had been fairly soft in his criticism of also suchith. his language today was much harder, and i think the view now is that what is taking place is really bad, and she has to speak out now. the problem is this: the fear amongst some officials is that the moment that also suchith speaks out —— aung san suu kyi speaks out, she will lose support and there is a risk of a return to military rule. that is a disputed view, but that is the view amongst some, and that is why there has been cautioned. interesting, and the government also

talking about sending a degree of extra aid there, although the bulk of it seems to be going to bangladesh, which is where people have fled. i am interested to know how much pressure britain and other countries can put countries under. well, i mean, you know, as a result of this international pressure and criticism, aung san suu kyi has decided not to attend the un general assembly next week. she was expected to go there, but the scale of international condemnation of what is going on as meant that as a result, she is not now attending. it is having an impact. the question is this: is it possible for her to speak out against the violins whilst maintaining her position within what isa maintaining her position within what is a very fragile democracy, a power—sharing agreement, where the experts all say that the army are not about to take power. they are

happy with this position of some kind of democratic cover. the question is, can continue? james, thank you very much for now. james landale at lancaster house. the time is edging up to five minutes to six. we will turn to other matters entirely. the winner of the mercury music prize is announced this evening. a total of 12 artists are up for the award, which recognises the best british or irish album of the past year. they include big names such as ed sheeran and stormzy, and other, far less well known, artists. let's have a look at a few of them. chi chi is at the hammersmith apollo. over to you. the point of the prize is not only that you get quite a heavy trophy in £25,000, but also a spotlight on your music. art is that way of. loyle carner, you

been nominated. speaking to some of the artists on the line—up, they are hoping that you will win. how does that feel? it is a bit much. i am just happy to be here, surrounded by all these people that i am a big fan of. why is it so important to be nominated for the mercury prize?” don't know, i guess as far as prices go, it is one that pushes innovation. it is no dependent —— it is not all dependent on the award, it is being part of the list. it will push collaboration and creativity. for those that don't know your music, can you give us a flavour of exactly what you do? have a listen and you will find out! flavour of exactly what you do? have a listen and you will find ounm isa a listen and you will find ounm is a bit of hip—hop. a listen and you will find ounm is a bit of hip-hop. yes, hip-hop. it has also been described as part of the grime scene cinema is that fair? people overseas wreck in that. if you are from the uk, you will

know it is not. everyone —— people from overseas reckon that. you are here today, so if you could pick someone other than yourself to win, who would it be and why? kate ten test, or any of them. they are creative and exciting. —— tempest. they should be respected and celebrated. it is an exciting time. you were on the phone to your mum.” am in trouble. is she incredibly proud of you? i'm incredibly proud of her. she has put up with me for almost 23 years — she's a hero, a soldier. thank you very much and

congratulations just being nominated. we are keeping our fingers crossed for everyone. but for me mainly! you can watch the programme or listen to it live on six music this evening. loyle carner, thank you very much. you can see that at 9pm tonight. —— chi chi, thank you very much. a mixture of sunny spells and shower was this afternoon. those are becoming confined to coastal areas this evening. showers moving south through scotland into parts of northern england and wales. temperatures in towns and cities will fall to a minimum of nine celsius. in rural areas, a few degrees cooler. to start tomorrow,

fairly cool but bright. there will bea fairly cool but bright. there will be a few scattered showers to begin with as we move through the day. we will see the shower was getting going as the temperature rises. the odd rumble of thunder in england and wales. a northerly breeze, giving highs of 16 celsius. this weekend, things remain cool. we could see some rural grass frost first thing on sunday. the winds start to ease as high pressure moves in. sunny spells and shower was this weekend, with the showers becoming fewer and farther between as we move into sunday. —— showers. tonight at six, the grenfell tower inquiry opens —

its three months to the day since the fire. at least 80 people were killed — will their friends and family get the justice they are looking for? it can and will provide answers to the pressing questions as to how a disaster of this kind could occur in 21st century london. there are calls for a bigger role for those who lived through the disaster. we want to be part of the inquiry. we want people who know, people in social housing who are aware, people in the community. we'll be asking if residents are expecting too much of this inquiry. also tonight, the bank of england puts interests rates on hold for now — there's a hint they could be going up. the pound hit a one—year high on the news.