good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. a senior cabinet minister has told the bbc that the government should consider borrowing more money to invest in building hundreds of thousands of new homes. speaking on the andrew marr show, the communities secretary sajid javid said up to 300,000 new homes a year are needed — a level of construction not seen since the 1960s. 0ur political correspondent jonathan blake reports. new homes are being built but nowhere near enough. the government admits the housing market is broken and for many owning their own home is nothing more than a distant dream. building more is one way to

fix that. and the communities secretary sajid javid says the government may be prepared to borrow money to pay for it. we are looking at new investments and there will be announcements i'm sure at the budget we will be covering housing. but what i want to do is make sure we are using everything we have available to deal with this housing crisis. where that means for example we can sensibly borrow more to invest in the infrastructure that needs to more housing, take some of the lyric —— take advantage of soggy record low interest rates we have, we should consider that. he set up to 300,000 new homes are needed annually, double the number built in england last year. labour welcomed the announcement but said it would go further. we committed to 500,000 a year so go further. we committed to 500,000 a year so it's less than we would like to see that it's a move in the right direction but it needs to be the right type of housing. social and affordable housing, that's so

important. this man has been keeping a tight grip on government spending. but philip hammond may be ready to loosen the reins and borrow to get more new homes built. if there are announcements in the budget next month it would signal a shift in government policy. ministers may hope it demonstrates to voters they are serious about solving the housing crisis. and jonathan joins me now. after yea rs of after years of talking about the need for austerity and the need to borrow less, talking about borrowing more, is this potentially significant shift? it is a change and borrowing money to fund long—term infrastructure project is a sort of thing we are used to hearing from the labour party. interesting to hear the conservatives admitting they may need to loosen the reins slightly and borrow more to build more homes. but it is clear housing is a huge issue particularly for younger voters who have all but given up on owning their own home never mind finding decent affordable rented accommodation. just look at the

party policies that all policies made and the promises they made during the election to see that. but this target of 300,000 new homes per year, double the current number being built in england is a very tall order. the construction industry would have two can increase its capacity never mind the logistical hurdles of planning permission and areas where these new homes could be built. but it's a sign the government is taking this issue seriously but if it's going to deliver its going to have to go a long way to achieve it. be interested to see if sajid javid can convince the chancellor. thank you jonathan. the international trade secretary liam fox says the government won't decide how much money it will pay to the european union after brexit, until it becomes clear what trade agreement the two sides will reach. dr fox says ministers are still trying to establish what the eu wants. i'm saying that what we will decide is a number when we can see the final package. i've made this — as has david davis in discussions we have had with ministers across the european union, we've made very clear our position.

and when we've said to them would you simply give a number before you knew what the outcome was going to be they say absolutely not, in which case we say so why should we? the spanish foreign minister has urged the catalans to disregard any instructions from the regional government in barcelona, if the government suspends the region's autonomy. earlier this month catalans voted for independence in a disputed referendum which spain's highest court said was unconstitutional. 0ur correspondent bethany bell is in barcelona for us. bethany, is it clear what sort of powers the central government is planning to take control of? well, the spanish prime minister mariano rajoy has said he wants to remove the regional government, the regional leadership. he wants to suspend its parliament, he wants to initiate direct rule from madrid and he also wants to see new elections.

this is an unprecedented move. it would mean the first time that madrid has acted to strip one of its regions of its autonomy and it really deadens the political crisis. what would have to happen next is the upper house, the senate, would vote on these measures which is expected to do at the end of this week. and what about the president of the catalan region, how is he likely to respond? well, he and his allies are now trying to consider their next steps. catalonia in a state of some uncertainty here. he has not said exactly what he plans to do next but he has denounced the move by the spanish prime minister. but what it is believed he may try to do is convene the regional parliament over the next couple of days and use that to initiate a halt on the unilateral declaration of independence. if he does that he

could be charged under spanish law with the crime of rebellion which could carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years. bethany in barcelona, thank you. regulators have told several hundred online gambling operators to remove casino games which may appeal to children. the move follows claims that operators are using cartoons and characters to encourage children to play. last year, the industry regulator found 450,000 children in england and wales were gambling every week. prison officers in fourjails are to trial the use of parva spray, which is similar to pepper spray, to defend themselves against aggressive inmates. the ministry ofjustice will also issue more than 5000 body—cameras to officers in england and wales, as well as handcuffs. violence in prisons rose significantly last year, with assaults on staff reaching record levels. voting has just ended in the general election injapan. exit polls suggest the prime minister, shinzo abe will be comfortably returned

for an unprecedented fourth term. his party is set to win two thirds of the lower house. mr abe called the snap election to strengthen his position in the face of the growing threat from north korea. 0ur correspondent rupert wingfield hayes is in tokyo. rupert, what will shinzo abe do with his newly acquired electoral mandate, will it affect the future of the country's constitution?“ mandate, will it affect the future of the country's constitution? if he gets the two thirds majority it looks like he's heading for then it's very possible. this will be prime minister shinzo abe last and probably better chance to achieve his lifelong goal of reforming japan's post—war constitution. he needs two thirds in the lower house and the upper house which it looks like you'll get. then he will have to go to a referendum. but the key

thing here is that mr abe and his supporters have long wanted to overturn the pacifist article nine of the japanese constitution which commits the country not to have a standing army and not take part in any war. they feel it was imposed on japan after the war by america and isa japan after the war by america and is a humiliation. now mr abe has said he will use this mandate to push ahead with his attempt in his last term to rid of it. rupert in tokyo, thank you. in the last few minutes the world health organisation has announced it has rescinded its decision to appoint robert mugabe as a goodwill ambassador. he has led his country for 37 years but was condemned over his human rights record. britain and the united states had warned the decision could overshadow the work of the global health agency. america's five living former presidents have gathered in texas, for a benefit concert to help the victims of the hurricanes which have hit the united states this year. barack 0bama, george w bush, his father george bush senior, bill clinton, and jimmy carter came together to support

the one america appeal, following the hurricanes harvey, irma and maria. the appeal has so far raised more than $30 million. bill clinton had this message for americans. there is still work to be done in texas and florida, and ourfriends in puerto rico and the us virgin islands have only begun to dig their way out of what could be still a calamitous disaster but can be a new beginning — if we just do what we ought to do and prove that the heart of america, without regard to race or religion or political party, is greater than our problems. cheering you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5:50pm, bye for now. hello again, you're watching the bbc

news channel, i'm shaun ley. the shadow brexit secretary, sir keir starmer, has warned that unless the government makes changes to the eu withdrawal bill, labour will side with conservative rebels to block it. hundreds of amendments have already been tabled to the legislation, which aims to transfer eu law onto the british statute books. speaking this morning, theresa villiers, who campaigned to leave the eu in the brexit referendum, says it's time now for all parties to work together. it is important for people to talk and work across parties, but at its heart we must make sure that we get this bill through to provide legal certainty, but also to ensure that the results of the referendum that millions of people took part in is properly implemented. are you confident a deal

is going to be done with the eu, or are you more concerned about the risks of a no deal and having to leave the eu without any kind of formal arrangement? i believe there is a strong chance we will reach an agreement, in terms of... there are two questions — the basic exit agreement, measures on air travel and security, and there is a separate question of a trade deal, delivering a trade deal in the time available certainly is more of a challenge, but i think eu leaders were very much signalling this week they had knowledge it will be in their interests as well as ours to reach a sensible trading arrangement. i remain optimistic that is what is going to be achievable. the pro—eu labour mp chuka umunna says there's been an unprecedented level of cooperation among backbenchers of all parties who are unhappy how the government is handling the brexit negotiations. there were a number of things

people from all sides of the house have concerns about, one is the henry viii power, the things which gives ministers the ability to make powers by decree. that is one. ensuring the bill does not preclude the uk government agreeing a transitional arrangement with the eu, and at the moment as drafted, it could do that. there's also a very big issue, which is that parliament should get a vote on the final deal that we do with the european union. theresa villiers saying that academic when she was here about an hour ago, she says it's like a treaty, there is bound to be a vote, there is not an issue. no, it isn'tjust like any old treaty. this is fundamentally going to change the trajectory of this country and the demand is for us to have a separate act of parliament approving the final deal. and so far the government hasn't

agreed to that, that is what is... that would be separate to the withdrawal bill, a kind of formal easing off at you call it? that's right. a number of other issues about how you enforce environmental issues which were enforced at european level, at a uk level. if they're being transferred across isn't that implicit in the process? the problem is is there a uk agency to pick up the reins and enforce the rules? front—bench position, you will criticise how the government is doing this. but there is a bigger issue, increasingly as the facts are coming to light, brexit in the form that it was sold to your viewers is proving to be impossible to deliver, and when you look at the key elements on which brexit was sold to people, £350 million extra a week for the nhs, the exact same economic benefits once we've left the eu as we enjoy when we're in it, a massive reduction

in the number of eu citizens coming to the country, we won't have the same immigration, on all those three things the facts are showing that they are not going to happen — you're not going to get £350 million per week extra going to the nhs because we have to pay into the european union for continued access the single market. everybody accepts 3 million eu citizens who live in our country should be able to stay and the eu chief negotiator, michel barnier, is absolutely clear you are not going to get the same economic benefits as you did as a member of the club, otherwise why would anybody be a member of the club? we can take you to tokyo to get some shots of the meticulous process of counting votes in the japanese general election. it looks as if the only question now is weather shinzo abe, who has been standing for a

fourth term, which he looks like he has won, whether he will have the two thirds majority in both houses of parliament that he needs in order to be able to amend the japanese constitution. rupert wingfield—hayes was telling us earlier from tokyo, thatis was telling us earlier from tokyo, that is a lifelong ambition for mr abe and many other nationalist politicians in japan, abe and many other nationalist politicians injapan, who feel they we re politicians injapan, who feel they were humiliated by the us constitution imposed on the country after the defeat of japan at the end of the second world war, and specifically its pacifist clauses, which were designed to reassure its neighbours, like china and korea, that it would never again be an aggressive, hostile force in that pa rt aggressive, hostile force in that part of asia. so counting taking place there in the japanese general election. the result is not in doubt, mr abe is back in office, but the question is whether he will have a majority to allow him to secure that critical change to the constitution, something that will be watched with particular interest in

beijing, and, isuspect, pyongyang as well. laps take a look at the headlines. communities secretary sajid javid said the government should think about borrowing more to invest in housing. ministers are considering ways to make buying and selling houses faster, cheaper and less stressful. labour's brexit spokesman, sir keir starmer, says the party will back conservative rebels to force changes to the repeal bill. winds and rough seas. parts of britain have been hit by storm brian with violent winds and rough seas. gusts of more than 120 km/h were recorded in some places. strong wind warnings and flood alerts remain in place across much of wales, the south of england and the midlands. briohny williams reports. storm brian unleashes its worst, as waves crash against the coast of wales. the ferocity of nature showing its hand. it's just taken the whole side of the rnli offices out. buildings damaged and roads flooded.

the picture in the south west of england is similar. beaches empty — advice from the environment agency has been to stay away from the coastline. but walkers in the north west of england couldn't resist watching the awesome scenes storm brian has supplied. power of nature, innit? i was hoping to go for a nice coastal walk this morning, but i think i'll put that on hold. the destruction hasn't been as widespread as predicted, and storm brian is expected to ease over the coming hours. only then will the true impact be revealed. briohny williams, bbc news. a woman has been arrested

on suspicion of murder, after a baby fell from a sixth—floor window in bradford. west yorkshire police say the 23—year—old woman is undergoing a medical assessment in custody. officers have described the death of the 18—month—old child as "extremely traumatic" and say specially trained officers are working to support his family. who will return to the story that we mentioned earlier, sajid javid saying that the government should borrow more money to build homes. i'm joined by a representative from the peabody trust, and i should welcome you to bbc news, you are also a former senior civil servant, so also a former senior civil servant, so you understand the difficulties, the practicalities that may be involved in convincing the treasury of the argument for this. wearing

your housing association hat, would this be welcomed? 0h, your housing association hat, would this be welcomed? oh, i think so. the white paper we saw last year had some welcome moves in it, it recognised that the market was broken and we needed to build more houses of all types people felt it was lacking in government commitment to deliver the huge increase that we need. so this signal is incredibly welcome, it gives us the potential to achieve a step change in housing supply. presumably the frustration that successive governments have found, regardless of political colour, is that they can set targets, impose requirements on councils for new housing, and they can urge developers to do it, but they can't actually get the bricks and mortar in place themselves. yes, it has always been a frustration to

say you want more housing but then it doesn't follow. and this will ta ke it doesn't follow. and this will take time to build up — we shouldn't expect it to be overnight in terms ofa expect it to be overnight in terms of a change. but, and i think this is the crucial point, everybody now, all parties, all key players here, local authorities, housing associations, house—builders, all gets that we need to do more, we need to build more houses and more affordable houses, more social houses. so we are at a really good point, i think. houses. so we are at a really good point, ithink. people houses. so we are at a really good point, i think. people arejumping at the bit to do more, and theyjust need the government to give us the wherewithal to do it.|j need the government to give us the wherewithal to do it. i suppose the interesting question, and you will know more about this having run the civil service at one point, and i think i am right in saying having been at the dclg at one point, the difficulty of persuading the treasury to allow borrowing as an option. years ago, an american cane here and tried and failed to convince the government and gordon

brown that he should be allowed to borrow money to invest in the london underground system. how difficult would it be for sajid javid to convince the government? you are absolutely right, and if you think back to 2010, investment in housing was slashed, and it has taken a while for it to get back up to anything like the levels it was out. what the philosophical objection in the treasury and other parts? there are many competing demands for resources , are many competing demands for resources, borrowing is a big issue for government, but this is the point about housing — when you borrow to build, you create an asset, something that ultimately might be sold on, like the proposals in the sunday times today. so it isn't just a in the sunday times today. so it isn'tjust a question of borrowing and you do not see it come back again. you can borrow and see a return later if the property is sold on. so yes, there is something there that involves more spending, but it

is spending that creates a vitally needed asset, and that is why i think the arguments have got stronger and stronger. it isn't only about government spending, of course. housing associations like mine and peabody, we are up for borrowing and building more ourselves, but if you want to build more social housing, government has to be part of the deal. more social housing, government has to be part of the deallj more social housing, government has to be part of the deal. i should ask you about one other thing, taking off your peabody hat, speaking as a member of the house of lords and a former senior civil servant, there isa former senior civil servant, there is a story in the papers saying you are helping to groom jeremy corbyn to prepare him for being prime minister if he were to win the next election. i am giving some advice on preparing for power, i am a crossbencher, not a member of any party, but i am a democrat, and whoever wins the next election, we wa nt whoever wins the next election, we want them to be as prepared as possible for taking office. and it is clear that, whatever the election comes to london when it happens, labour could win, and so i think it

is right that those who have been in government, civil servants, take some time to help them do that preparation. there has been a run of prime ministers in recent years, in fa ct m ost prime ministers in recent years, in fact most recently have never been ministers, both labour and tory. jeremy corbyn has only ever been a backbencher until he became leader of the labour party, quite a big challenge. indeed, but it is not just the leader, it is the whole shadow cabinet. when labour came into power, they had been out of power for 13 years when tony blair became prime minister. it would be amazing if many of them had been in government. many will come in who have not got government experience — thatis have not got government experience — that is democracy, we shouldn't in any sense to cry that, but one of the things we don't do as well as we could in this country is to help them prepare for the possibility of

power. so when they come in, they know what to expect, they know how they can go about the implementation of their policies. i think that is a thing that i should do, and i think otherformer thing that i should do, and i think other former civil servants should do it as well. lord kerslake, thank you for coming in and talking to us and bbc news. president trump says he plans to release thousands of classified documents on the assassination of presidentjohn f kennedy. the papers would be made available unless government agencies had compelling objections. the bbc‘s laura bicker has the latest from washington. they were locked away 25 years ago by law to try to quell conspiracy theories around the assassination of president kennedy. it didn't work. a recent survey suggests around 30% of americans believe the man accused of murder, lee harvey oswald, did not act alone. he, of course, was shot and killed before he had his day in court. now, the files historians really want to pore over surround 0swald's visit to mexico city just weeks before the assassination. there he met with cuban and soviet spies, and it is alleged

he announced his intention to kill the president, although that has not been made a fact as yet. when it comes to these documents, they will be released on thursday, unless president trump says otherwise. and his tweets suggesting he will, unless strong national security arguments are made. so decades of secrecy may be about to come to an end. an intriguing prospect, laura bicker in washington. a mexican cliff diver has just been crowned world champion in a sport that's not for the faint hearted. jonathan paredez won this year's world series in chile. he beat the six—time world champion, briton gary hunt. the competition involved launching from a 90 foot high ledge, before performing somersaults and twists. we have splashed down! and we also

have liftoff, because we are going up have liftoff, because we are going up to the balcony to join up ben rich, who has given nick miller an early bath. is it good weather for diving? it is not the time for a belly flop, thatis it is not the time for a belly flop, that is all i will say! good afternoon, things not looking too bad through the rest of today, really calming down, actually, after storm brian yesterday. this is the sort of scene we have been witnessing, this is off the cornish coast, blue skies, some shower clouds here and there, still some showers through the afternoon, tending to fade, increasing amounts of sunshine, but not particularly one, 11—14 degrees. for this evening and tonight, decidedly chilly in central and eastern areas. 0ut west, a lot of cloud, outbreaks of rain, much milder air, 12 in plymouth by

the end of the night. these outbreaks tomorrow staggering eastwards, the rain tending to ease as it goes. behind it, things will improve, northern ireland, western scotland, eventually the western half of england and wales seeing some sunshine, top temperatures of 14-17d. a some sunshine, top temperatures of 1a—17d. a mixed, changeable week ahead, the wind is lighter than they have been over the last couple of days, but for many, particularly in the south, it is going to turn a little bit warmer. hello. this is bbc news. the headlines: the communities secretary sajid javid says the government should think about borrowing more to invest in housing. liam fox says the government won't decide how much money it will pay to the eu after brexit until it becomes clear what trade agreement the two sides can reach. spain's foreign minister has dismissed claims that his government is carrying out a coup by stripping the catalan government of its powers. regulators have told online gambling

retailers to remove games which may appeal to children. thank you for your company throughout the day so far. vicky will be here at the top of the alps 01’ will be here at the top of the alps or the day's news. before that now let's go to the sports centre and jessica. good afternoon. that they apologised on wednesday for racially discriminatory remarks we re for racially discriminatory remarks were made by the former women's manager to a striker. things need to change starting with ashworth. i think it is untenable. things need to change starting with ashworth. ithink it is untenable. i think the position is untenable. he's been there since 2012 on these issues have been raised. the lack of diversity, the lack of black coaches, clearly the issues of mark

sampson. these are all happened and when you talk about leadership in organisations, when people talk about bringing about culture and i've heard people argue that has to be reformed, who is going to lead that reform? be reformed, who is going to lead that reform ? it be reformed, who is going to lead that reform? it can't be the leadership who've been there. in the premier league everton have just got underway against arsenal. pressure really mounting on their manager, though. his side have not won in any competition for nearly a month and if they lose by more than two goals today they will drop into the relegation zone. a bit later this afternoon liverpool take on totte n ha m this afternoon liverpool take on tottenham at wembley. guy is therefore much of the day. liverpool will be positive. like spurs i felt