this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at eight. eu council president donald tusk tells the european parliament: we must stay united or face brexit "defeat". britain, he says could still remain. it is in fact up to london how this will end, with a good deal, a no deal or no. “ oi’ i'io -- or no brexit. the labour party announces an investigation into its mp jared o'mara, following allegations he made sexist and and homophobic comments. as a top republican senator attacks donald trump saying he is a liar — the us president is faced with a paper throwing protester in capitol hill as he heads for a senate policy lunch. the hire—purchase firm brighthouse is to pay out nearly £15 million £15 million to customers, after the financial watchdog says it hadn't acted as a responsible lender. a british man who spent the past two years fighting

against the islamic state group has been killed in northern syria. also in the next hour. more than two hours are wasted per day in nhs operating theatres, because of inefficiencies. a new study finds hundred of thousands more non—emergency operations could be carried out every year in england, if operating schedules were better organised. xijinping consolidates his control of china as the communist party enshrines his name and ideology into its constitution. and a collection of portraits by the french master paul cezanne go on display this week in london. good evening and welcome to bbc news.

the european council president donald tusk has urged members of the european parliament to stick together, or, as he put it, "face defeat." brexit, he said is the eu's toughest stress—test, and the eu must not be divided at any cost. mr tusk also said the outcome of the brexit talks is "up to london", and that abandoning the decision to leave the eu is still an option for the uk. our europe correspondent damian grammaticas reports. with just a year until a brexit deal has to be done, the eu side is deeply uncertain about how this process will end, — with an organised deal or a chaotic split. huge challenges ahead, said donald tusk. ahead of us is still the toughest stress test. if we fail it, the negotiations will end in our defeat. donald tusk is no fan of brexit.

he even hopes it may not happen. but he says success or failure in the talks depends on how the uk handles them. it is in fact up to london how this will end — with a good deal, no deal or no brexit. last week's summit in brussels brought no breakthrough. jean—claude juncker has denied theresa may begged him for help. today, he said the eu wants an agreement. the commission is not negotiating in a hostile mood. we want a deal. those that don't want a deal, they have no friends in the commission. we want a fair deal. this is the man who will secure a deal. michel barnier says there has to be agreement on the uk exit terms first — what is called orderly withdrawal, and only if the principles of that are settled will the eu then engage in talk about a transition period.

today, mr barnier told several european newspapers, "if we reach an agreement on the orderly withdrawal of the uk, such a transition period, both short and framed, is possible." a transition might, he said, be short. it makes sense that it covers the financial period, so until 2020. the transition, he said, would leave us more time to prepare for the future relationship. that is because the eu will not formally agree to a trade deal until during any transition period, after the uk has quit the eu, so after brexit day. that means it could be several years until the terms are set. and our europe correspondent damian grammaticas says that the uk needs to take note of the warning from the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, that a trade deal could take three years to complete, if talks on the subject do start in december. i think this was a very clear message that the eu is all united

around, being sent to the uk. mr barnier saying in response to suggestions by the uk that a trade deal, everything could be wrapped up a year before brexit date, no, he said it would take years. to suggestions that trade talks should move on quickly now, again, he said no. exit issues and the money? be settled first, for trade talks can only happen after 2019 when the uk leaves. from donald tusk who chaired the summit here last week, he said it is up to the uk how this ends, in a good deal, no deal or even know brexit. he has suggested it before, and again today, and he even said the uk could reverse course. well, tonight a conservative backbencher is calling for £1 billion to be set aside in the budget in the event of a "no deal" in the brexit negotiations. charlie elphicke, who's on the influential conservative european research group, led an adjournment

debate this evening in the commons. he insists that the money should be spent on upgrading our border systems and infrastructure. we can now speak to our political correspondent, chris mason, who's following this story for us and joins us live from our westminster studio. chris, this debate on how much should be set aside in the event of no deal or even in the event of a brexit anyway, is quite divisive within the conservative party, isn't it? it is, good evening. it is divisive and tonight is the latest case study where it is bubbling up in public more and more as there is a general awareness in westminster that while most would like to see some sort of deal arrived at with the european union there is a recognition from those who would like a deal and from some who would rather not have a deal that as the months go by, the possibility of no deal is greater and some are particularly concerned, charlie elphicke, the conservative mp,

discussed this in the chamber, about the prospect of a no deal at the last minute where you would have no chance to prepare. he has more reason than most to be particularly aware of that, as the mp for dover in kent. he says the chancellor should set aside £1 billion, a huge investment, in the budget coming up ina investment, in the budget coming up in a couple of weeks, to start making the necessary preparations for the prospect of no deal. not just because that is something that may be useful in terms of making the case to brussels that the uk is willing to entertain the idea of no deal, which may secure a decent deal, which may secure a decent deal, but also it may happen and therefore the uk must be prepared for it. interestingly, steve baker, the brexit minister, has been a dyfed brexit campaigner for years, it's quite odd seeing him on the front bench for the government —— eight dogged brexit campaigner. he

didn't rise to the challenge of suggesting the government should set aside £1 billion but said he was glad to confirm that contingency planning is underway for no deal, the government is doing what it needs to do. he said extensive preparations are being worked on, but he said there was no reason for people to be alarmed by contingency planning and that he was of the view, as were the government, that they will get a deal, a good deal from the european union, rather than no deal. brickley, since the prime minister was in brussels the other day we've had all sorts of comments, donald tusk is the latest today, comments on and off the record. —— briefly. where do you think we are on brexit now? comments privately and publicly about the next stage and publicly about the next stage and how long it might take. the prime minister is very conscious and the way she articulates her vision around a trade deal but there are

plenty of brexiters who say that if we are going to get onto the bridge we've got to be able to see the other side before we step on it. that's why the prime minister is quite keen to make the argument that she wants as part of a deal a sense of what it will look like when it is formulated. whether that amounts to completing the trade deal before the end of march, 2018, when the uk leaves the eu, who knows? michel barnier has made it clear he doesn't pick it is possible. examples like canada when it has taken much longer. but you have the politics of brussels and the length of time it ta kes to brussels and the length of time it takes to negotiate trade deals, running up against the domestic politics that theresa may must weigh up, coupled with a negotiation that is frankly unpredictable. thank you for joining is frankly unpredictable. thank you forjoining us. in a separate development, downing street has distanced itself from a letter by a conservative whip

to university leaders asking them to explain what students are being taught about brexit. the remain supporter and chancellor of oxford university lord patten called chris heaton—harris's demand "outrageous". mr heaton—harris, who backed leave in last year's referendum, has tweeted that he believes in free speech. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:40 this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight is dia chakravarty, brexit editor at the telegraph and john rentoul, political columnist at the independent. us president donald trump is attending the senate republican caucus lunch for the first time since his inauguration, to rally support for passing a tax overhaul. the president had russian flags thrown at him by a protester shouting "treason." donald trump also faces

criticism from influential republican senator bob corker, who accused the president of lying. also of dividing the united states and weakening into global standing. —— its global standing. joining me now from washington is katty kay. first of all, what bob corker, this senior republican senator has been saying, an extraordinary attack on the president, saying he is utterly untruthful, that he debases the country. yeah he says he is a liar, he says he isn't a good role model for children and at one point in a series of interviews he gave he suggested he didn't trust president trump with the nuclear codes. these are not our views, those of a democrat, they are a senior republican who is retiring next year and think that the onus is on him to say what he thinks and he's making no bones about it. you used the word

extraordinary. i've covered american politics for nearly 20 years and i've never seen someone from a president's party criticising the head of the white house in this particular way. we will see whether other republicans speak out either in defence of donald trump or in defence of bob corker. an attack like that, does it matter to donald trump? is it water off a duck‘s back? do his supporters care when they hear a politician attacking the president they voted for or does it intensify their support?” president they voted for or does it intensify their support? i spoke to a congressman for oklahoma, a conservative state and he said his constituents were not payment attention but he said that the president must get things done. he may think he can and like in business where he can do a deal, trash the person with whom he's doing business and come back to the negotiating table. the congressman said it doesn't work like that in

politics, he said if there he treats them like that, they all he said. 0ne republican senator in the last be mad minutes to has been critical of president robert announced he is standing down. jeff laker said that they may not be a place for a republican like him in the current republican like him in the current republican party. it is the key for the president to lose too many republican senators because he only has a 52 majority. and this protest i mentioned, some russian flags were thrown at president trump? it wasn't one of these republican senators, was it? no, it was a member of the public who was there, he was quickly picked up by congressional security guards and whisked away. he seemed to be following russian flags, shouting treason, a reference i'm sure to the russian investigation, the meddling in the last election.

president trump, flashing a thumbs up, he doesn't seem to take it seriously. thank you forjoining us. the labour party says it's investigating the conduct of one of its mps after fresh allegations that he's made abusive comments. jared 0'mara had already resigned from the parliamentary women and equalities committee, for a series of homophobic and sexist remarks made more than a decade ago. but now one of his constituents is claiming he used sexist language against her seven months ago. mr 0'mara denies the allegation. 0ur chief political correspondent vicki young gave us this update from westminster. up up until now, the labour party has really seemed to accept jared 0'mara's apologies. he spoke to many of his labour colleagues last night saying he was deeply ashamed of comments he made in the past, sexist and homophobic comments posted online, ten, 15 years ago. what has

happened today is that one of his constituents in sheffield hallam, the ct won where he ousted the former lib dem leader nick clegg in june, has come forward speaking to the bbc‘s sophie evans, alleging he'd made abusive comments against her. the mp totally denies these recent allegations but the labour party in the last few minutes have said they are investigating the more recent comments. mr 0'mara's comments, he's been saying he'd been ona comments, he's been saying he'd been on a journey, that he no longer felt like this, that he'd made mistakes, was ashamed of past comments and his collea g u es was ashamed of past comments and his colleagues seem to accept that to a certain extent but the fact that there may be suggestions of comments like this much more recently, comments that he denies, the labour party feel they have to investigate. the headlines on bbc news: the president of the european council, donald tusk, suggests the uk could still stop brexit, saying it's up to london to decide how the process will end.

labour announces it will investigate mpjared 0'mara over alleged sexist and homophobic comments. as a top republican senator slams donald trump saying he is a liar — the us president is faced with a paper throwing protester in capitol hill as he heads for a senate policy lunch. the latest sport now, a full round—up from the bbc sport centre from hugh. good evening — big evening of league cup action, with clubs vying for a place in the quarterfinals. as yet very few goals in the fourth round. all the games kicked off at 7:45. sako has sa ko has given sako has given crystal palace the lead against roy hodgson's former team, bristol city. ian atcho has equalised for leicester city against

leeds. —— iheanacho. manchester city —— manchester united have taken the lead through jesse —— manchester united have taken the lead throuthesse lingard. manchester city hosting wolves. sergio aguero, their striker, one goal away from becoming city's all—time leading goal—scorer. the first edinburgh derby since 2014 is taking place tonight, simon marius goring the opener for who bernie and after three minutes. scotla nd bernie and after three minutes. scotland are taking on albania in a women's world cup qualifier in paisley. it is 2—0 thanks to an own goal and one from brown. everton interim manager david unsworth says he hopes he can persuade midfielder ross barkley to stay at the club. the england international is out of contract in the summer and looked to be leaving goodison park this year before suffering a long—term injury.

and unsworth has also stated that he'd like to be given the job on a permanent basis following the sacking of ronald koeman yesterday. there have been a large number of names linked with the role. but 44—year—old unsworth is highly reagarded at the club after leading their u23 side to the premier league 2 title last season. who wouldn't want this job? it's a wonderful football club with amazing fans. it is a topjob wonderful football club with amazing fans. it is a top job for absolutely any manager, including myself. the chairman and farhat had given me the opportunity to hopefully get a run of games. where performance levels go of games. where performance levels 9° up of games. where performance levels go up and we will produce some wins as well. from that, performances and results will dictate any future for me as everton manager. the 2015 world snooker champion stuart bingham will miss the uk championship and the masters after he was banned for six months, half of which is suspended,

for breaching betting rules. just over half of the ban will be suspended if he complies with recommended treatment for his gambling issues, and if he commits no further rule breaches. bingham was also ordered to pay £20,000 in costs, but still has the option to appeal. as it stands, he's due to miss two of the sport's top three tournaments. it's a serious case because it undermines the sport if you have players in it who are betting on matches and tournaments they are involved in. we saw it as a serious case. we don't have an actual benchmark, we felt that a longer ban was more appropriate but we accept the ban as has been put down by the panel. nigel maul there from the disciplinary committee. new zealand—born hadleigh parkes is one of five uncapped players named in a 36—strong wales squad for the upcoming autumn internationals. the scarlets centre parkes is only eligible for the last of their four matches, against south africa

on 2nd december, the day on which he qualifies to play for wales on residency grounds. venus williams has recorded her first win at the end—of—season wta tour finals in singapore. after defeat in her opener, the seven—time grand slam winner beat french open champion jelena 0strapenko in a hard fought three sets, 7—5, 6—7, 7—5. karolina pliskova secured her place in the semi—finals with a straight—sets win over wimbledon champion garbine muguruza. the world number three had already beaten williams in her opening match and saw off muguruza 6—2, 6—2. that's all the sport for now. norwich, one goal had against arsenal in the league cup. a quarter of a million people are to get compensation from the retailer brighthouse, after financial regulators found the company wasn't acting as a "responsible lender."

the firm sells household goods like washing machines and televisions, on hire purchase agreements, paid for in weekly instalments. but some of those deals were given to people who couldn't afford them, and now the firm must pay out nearly £15 million. the financial conduct authority says its ruling is a warning to other firms in the market. emma simpson has more. sasha rhodes has a lot of paperwork for buying a bed. it was a hire purchase dealfrom brighthouse with payments she says she has struggled to afford. they really are exploiting the vulnerable people on low incomes. it's difficult for people nowadays to afford these products out right and they are exploiting that. so, how does it work? imagine owning a state—of—the—art new tv for just £11 per week. when the actual cost is nearly £800. but here is the thing, the interest rate is 69.9%. after three years of payments, plus fees for insurance,

delivery, and installation, you would end up paying nearly £2000 to own it. it isn't the sky—high interest rates that have spooked the regulator, it is the selling of products to vulnerable people who could not afford to pay. we call that irresponsible lending. and it can lead to harm to consumers. it could even lead to bankruptcy. so, we decided we needed to do something about it. we worked very hard alongside brighthouse to make sure that they meet our standards for responsible lending and they do now. government confirmed today that people overwhelmed with debt could be given a six—week breathing space to help get their finances back on track. with borrowing on the rise, real wages falling, and prices going up, many are vulnerable when it comes to paying their bills. i am worried there isn't enough help wider.

i am worried that there isn't enough credit that is really affordable available. it feels like there is a huge gap in the market. payday lending and other solutions all seem to be adding to the problem, not necessarily actually lifting people out of the poverty. renting to own is the only way candy can afford big—ticket items, and she is a good customer. i have two tellies. an x—box. a fridge freezer. a washing machine. sound system. i did have a sound system, but i took it back, and two beds. it helps me on things for christmas for the kids. brighthouse has apologised, saying it has made significant improvements, and it would be writing to affected customers by the end of the year to explain what compensation they are due. emma sinton, bbc news. china's ruling communist party has

given president xijinping equal status to the founder of the modern state, chairman mao. mr xi's name and political philosophy, have now been written into the constitution, making him the country's most powerful leader for decades. rivals won't be able to challenge him, without threatening the communist party as a whole. 0ur china editor carrie gracie reports from beijing. "those in favour, raise your hands. and those against. none. unanimous." more than 2,000 communists and not a single vote against. so he's in the party bible. xijinping thought on socialism with chinese

characteristics for a new era. it's a third chapter for communist china. mao united the country, his successor made it rich, xi intends to make it strong. it's all a long way from the caves where he spent his teenage years as a farmer. xijinping had been born into the communist elite, but sent to the countryside when mao purged his father. that was then, this is now. china on the up and xi promising quality of life at home and superpower status abroad. translation: we want our lives to get better and we want a strong country. translation: xi jinping is very tough. compared to other leaders, he's great. xi believes in control — the party's control of the public, his own control of the party

and a campaign of fear to silence rivals. xijinping has acquired more authority and more power and the chinese communist party has taken a step away from collective leadership and towards a one—man rule by a very charismatic and powerful leader. for centuries, china's emperors ruled from behind the walls of the forbidden city. by enshrining his vision, xi hopes to make himself invulnerable. the chinese once called chairman mao "the great helmsman" and foreigners called him "the red emperor", one man who dictated the destinies of more than a billion people. now, china has a new red emperor in xijinping and his party are already called him the helmsman and the saviour of socialism. mao's one—man rule brought only china misery,

but this time is different. if xi fails, we're all the poorer and if he succeeds, his drive for control will reach us all. carrie gracie, bbc news, beijing. joining me now is shaun breslin, professor of politics and international studies at the university of warwick. thank you forjoining us. . so, is sheeting being, as the report said, the new emperor of china? —— xi jinping. since day one he has tried to stabilise the country's control —— the pa rty‘s to stabilise the country's control —— the party's control of the country and position himself as the call either of the chinese communist party. the way the party has been behaving it is clear that this is a

man who is at the apex of political power and my guess is that he won't wa nt to power and my guess is that he won't want to give it up any time soon. in terms of the role of the party, is it more involved in everything in china, having perhaps stepped back a bit? yes, it's certainly trying to. behind the slogan of xi jinping thought there is a 14 point plan explaining the bottom line of this thought and the first one is ensuring party leadership over all work. i think it's clear that since he came to power, yes, he's keen on changing the nature and direction of the chinese economy, but what we've seen, the party groups and officials, taking a stronger role in a range of different levels of organisation in china. the party never went away but it is certainly back and in a stronger position than it was a few years ago. his thought

and political ideas enshrined into the constitution, which is an extraordinary step, but what is his political thought and in which ways is china still a commonest country when you think there are more millionaires and billionaires and there are in the united states? in what ways they become minister party —— in what ways do the commonest party think it is a commie country? it is overseeing what they see as national rejuvenation, national goals, returning china too, as they see it, its rightful place at the top table of global politics, a strong economy. not just top table of global politics, a strong economy. notjust economic growth but people being happier, dealing with the environment. these are issues dealing with people's everyday lives, on a grassroots level, and china's great power at a national level. but it's about the rejuvenation, the china dream that

xijinping hasn't spoken rejuvenation, the china dream that xi jinping hasn't spoken about before. i don't think it is very commonest apart from the name of the party itself. is he completely unassailable? an attack on him is essentially an attack on the constitution and the party, so does that mean no one can ever try and oust him? well it would be a very risky game. one of the principles he's outlining is that the party should control the military and i think there are some in the military who aren't too happy with the direction of policy, trying to control it over the last few years. it would be a very risky game. the key is going to be in five years' time. the convention, the norm is that the communist party leaders will only serve two terms and then they pass on to someone else. the key is whether he does that in five yea rs' key is whether he does that in five years' time or whether he tries to keep hold of power. you don't go through this process of building

power only to give it up again. thank you forjoining us. let's ta ke let's take a look at the latest weather prospects now with tomos. well, today was very overcast across the uk. tomorrow, ithink, some sunshine on the way. it looks like the far south and south—east will stay mild tonight. the good news is the area of cloud will shift away little, so it is just the south that hangs on to the

cloud tomorrow, whereas most of the uk infora cloud tomorrow, whereas most of the uk in for a fine, bright if not sunny autumn day. temperatures in london getting up to 19 degrees. not much change into a wednesday evening either. hello. this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines: the outcome of brexit negotiations is "up to london", according to the european council president donald tusk. he said that the uk would determine whether the outcome would be a "good deal, no deal or no brexit". the labour party has announced its starting an investigation into its mpjared 0'mara, following allegations he made sexist and homophobic comments. as a top republican senator attacks donald trump, calling him "utterly untruthful",

the us president is faced with a russian—flag—throwing protester in capitol hill as he heads for a senate policy lunch. and a british man who spent the past two years fighting against the islamic state group has been killed in northern syria. the firm brighthouse, which provides household goods to people on hire—purchase agreements, has been reprimanded by the financial regulator for not acting as a "responsible lender". the fca has ordered the company to pay £14.8 million pounds to 249,000 customers in compensation. in 2016 a bbc investigation highlighted the example of a £358 washing machine that ended up costing more than £1,000. the company will now pay out nearly £15 million in compensation to customers because of mistakes with contracts and refunds. the labour mp rachel reeves, who's chair of the commons business select committee, told the bbc earlier today there should be a cap on the amount

that firms like brighthouse can charge customers for goods. essentially, they weren't doing credit checks on people properly, which is why they had to pay out money, but also people who had paid their first instalment and then change their minds, went being compensated, and for those two reasons, brighthouse are having to refu nd reasons, brighthouse are having to refund £14.8 million to customers, but there are still many people paying way over the odds to brighthouse and these are the short—term lenders, and the sca do need to get a grip on this sector of lending, because far too many customers are being ripped off and are paying well over the odds for goods like washing machine than fridges, etc. there was a report last year that showed that for a washing machine that is worth maybe £300, customers pay more than £1000 for that when the interest stacks

up, and as you know, payday lenders have now faced a cap on how much they can charge, but these rent to own schemes for white goods primarily, there is still no cap on that, and that has to change. joining me now is jasmine birtles, a personal finance advisor at moneymagpie.com. this is a huge sum. it is, but they made profits of hundred and 62 million, so it is nothing major. the bigger dent is the appalling pr that this has been for them, and i think it means also that as rachel reeves said, there will be questions in the house, and i'm sure there will be new rules coming in that will cap this at some point, and that will severely dent their profit margin. good thing, frankly. that example we

showed, a washing machine costing 350 quid ending up costing £1000. it's insane, and the problem with these companies, and they do so that they are offering a service and there is clearly a demand for the service, but the way it is couched as people are told it will only be £10 a week or whatever, and that is the way it is sold, and it is wrote much about selling it, because if people knew to ask, what will the total amount be that i will pay, then they will sit back and think again. but are there other options? if somebody really does need a new washing machine or whatever, and really can't afford the outlay, what else do they do? it is a good point, much of the reason why people do go here is because it is the only place they are aware of. there are actually places they can go, there

is an organisation that helps people get white goods a decent price, there are charities and churches and sites like free cycle where people do give away white goods, but you do need to know about it and to be able to get the machine. companies like bright house, they make it so easy, soa bright house, they make it so easy, so a lot of the time that is just lack of knowledge of the alternatives. so is this a warning shot across the boughs of other companies offering a similar service? very much so, and this has been a problem for some time. there was a company that operated in a similar way to bright house, and they went into administration because they were rapped over the knuckles by the sca. and i think other companies that essentially do hire purchase, i think they will have to look at their sales

practices and also their contracts, and really have a look at who they are selling to. some people might criticise the consumer culture surrounding this, where people in the end are buying something they probably can't afford. absolutely, this is one of the issues we have with the debt problems, we heard about people potentially being given six weeks of breathing space if they are having problems paying their debts, but ultimately, nobody is putting a gun to our heads, but we are putting a gun to our heads, but we a re really putting a gun to our heads, but we are really encouraged to borrow, borrow more than we can put that, by the government and by the banks. all of this borrowing is washing money through the system and keeping the economy going on the backs of people who very often cannot pay about, and thatis who very often cannot pay about, and that is a fundamental problem. and possibly with an interest rate rise around the corner, we will see. jasmine birchall is, thank you for being with us. it is 8.39 exactly.

let's take a look at some of the other stories making the news this afternoon. the supreme court in britain has begun a three—day hearing to consider whether current abortion law in northern ireland breaches human rights. northern ireland is the only part of the uk where abortion is illegal, except when a woman's life is at risk. the belfast high court ruled in 2015 that abortion law in the province breached women's rights, but that decision was overturned. hundreds of northern irish women travel to england every year to have their unwanted pregnancies terminated. a memorial service to remember the victims and survivors of the grenfell tower fire is to be held at st paul's cathedral in december. it will mark six—months since the tragedy, which claimed around 80 lives. a 53—year—old man has appeared in court charged with false imprisonment and possession of a sawn—off shotgun and a samurai sword, in connection with a siege at a bowling alley.

david clarke was arrested on sunday afternoon at mfa bowl in nuneaton after a four—hour stand—off with police. he was remanded in custody and will appear in court again next month. a british man who went to syria to fight against so called islamic state, has been killed. jack holmes who was 24, is thought to have died while clearing landmines in the city of raqqa. the former it worker had first travelled to the middle east two years ago, and had been fighting with kurdish militia groups. quentin sommerville reports. today is the 26th of september. daesh attacked behind our lines in raqqa. syria was not his country. he wasn't a soldier. but jack holmes from bournemouth made the battle against the so—called islamic state his own. he said the fight against is was everybody‘s war. i met him just over a month ago before raqqa fell. it was to be his last

television interview. is were a threat to the world, he said. they are a barbaric, fascist, terrorist organisation. who essentially want to take over the world. and if you don't comply by their rules they will kill you. you worked in it in bournemouth, why is it your fight? 0riginally i felt like it was something i wanted to do. i had to do. and i could do. and i think a lot of people can't. he commanded a sniper unit of foreign fighters. today his comrades in arms hailed him as a hero full of kindness. in the wreckage of raqqa's buildings he would sit for hours waiting for a kill. it was in these streets he died, attempting to defuse a home—made bomb left by is. it is illegal for brits to fight inside syria, no matter which side they choose. jack holmes spent time in an iraqi jail cell and was then questioned by police back in britain.

the fighting here is intense. and while foreign volunteers have brought international publicity to the battle, the risks are enormous. many of those who joined were inexperienced in warfare and around a dozen westerners have been killed since fighting began. the fight‘s still going on. they still need as much help as they can get. we first met jack holmes in 2015. he underwent a transformation in syria. he said he would stay until the caliphate was defeated and then go home. he came close to seeing that but he died before the battle's end. the foreign office again today warned people not to travel to syria. quentin sommerville, bbc news. police in england and wales have been accused of letting down victims of modern slavery at every stage. a report by her majesty's inspector of constabulary found that some cases had been closed without any enquiries being made.

the report found forces were failing to recognise the scale of the problem. in some areas, senior officers were reluctant to "turn over the stone" of modern slavery, fearing a lack of resources to deal with what they might discover. the study, which looked at ten police forces, found some examples of good policing — but said that was the exception, rather than the norm. police say they fully accept the recommendations in the report. the government's anti—slavery commissioner kevin hyland spoke to tina daheley earlier today about the scale of the problem. we are not seeing victims supported. we are not seeing victims supported. we are not seeing victims supported. we are not seeing the criminals pursued. 0n we are not seeing the criminals pursued. on that identifies the fact that this is being looked upon some sort of issue, a marginalised issue thatis sort of issue, a marginalised issue that is that some kind of thing sits outside the criminaljustice system. so it is the prejudices of police

officers when it comes to the victims on their backgrounds? it's not just the victims on their backgrounds? it's notjust the police. sometimes it is the lack of understanding or the services available to the victims. in the wider issue of modern slavery, both support that has been available for victims has been insufficient to meet their needs, and that is something i have been pushing for, and we are seeing changes. the report did however single out some examples of good policing of modern slavery, particularly in manchester. the chief constable of greater manchester ian hopkins explains their approach. we've treated this abhorrent crime in the same way that we treat other serious organised crime issues, so we work in partnership with other agencies, with charities like stopped the traffic, we have trained 50 office rs stopped the traffic, we have trained 50 officers is tactical advisers, and we have 120 offices that act as and we have 120 offices that act as a victim liaison officers for the

victims of this atrocious crime. because often what we are finding is that when we do find the victims, they don't actually appear to be victims because of threats made to their families back in their country of origin, because of the way they have been treated here, beating, repeatedly raped, and also some of the mistrust they may have police because of their experience locally. so we have built an experience of tackling organised crime and using family liaison officers to put together training packages for our office rs together training packages for our officers so we can put victims heart officers so we can put victims heart of this. today we've been investigating one form of human trafficking — the use of young people forced into selling drugs for criminals. children as young as 12 are exploited by the gangs, to move and sell the drugs, often in rural areas. the police call this practice county lines. the national crime agency has described it as a ‘national problem', saying last year that around 70% of forces reported they were dealing with these kinds of cases. gareth furby has been looking at how teenagers in london are being used by criminal gangs.

in parts of london, there are gangs which sell drugs. we know this. but what is now happening is they are sending people out of london to work as drug dealers in other cities. and the numbers doing this could be running into hundreds. the numbers doing this could be running into hundredslj the numbers doing this could be running into hundreds. i got involved through friends, seeing friends come back with lots of money. this man, who we are calling john, and we are protecting his identity, was 15 when he was sent out of london to stay in a house taken over out of london to stay in a house ta ken over by out of london to stay in a house taken over by addicts. michael was sent to the midlands to

live in a drug user's house which had been taken over by a gang, and he sold drugs on the street. there was times when i had to stay ina there was times when i had to stay in a graveyard all night. we have found 75 young people in islington involved, but those are the ones who got caught. there could be more, and it is likely that in other boroughs across london who have a bigger gang problem, there are many more people than that. it is getting worse every day. we are seeing the numbers of young people getting involved increasing, we are also seeing the level of violence increasing. junior ru ns level of violence increasing. junior runs a project which is trying to tackle this issue by encouraging young people not to get involved.

they could be in an abandoned building, a crack house, a place where there is no running water, where there is no running water, where there is no running water, where there are blood—borne viruses. they may be under continual threat of violence, not just from enemies of violence, not just from enemies of the group from their own friends. they may be consistently beating up. they may be consistently beating up. the hope is if young londoners who may be targets of such a role given better alternatives, they won't be so tempted to take this route. hospitals in england could carry out 280 thousand extra non—urgent operations every year — by making better use of operating theatres. the analysis comes from a health service watchdog, nhs improvement — it suggests that an average of two hours a day are lost in operating theatres, because of late starts and other delays. our health editor hugh pym has this report. judy knows all about the pain and distress of a last minute cancelled operation. she spent the night in hospital without eating in preparation for surgery, but after waiting the whole of the next day, she was sent home and told she'd be given another date. i was angry that i'd not been kept informed.

i felt disempowered because there was nothing i could do about it and i was also aware that because of the condition i have, i am very restricted now in what i can do until i have the surgery. so i knew that my life was going to go back on hold. but today, judy and many other patients waiting have discovered that the nhs could be doing a lot more operations. better planning, says the health regulator, would mean more patients being treated. and here's an example of what can be done. thanks to changes proposed by surgeons and other staff, croydon university hospital increased the number of cases seen in operating theatres by 1,200 in a year. the secret, they claim, is simple. by working and starting sharply on time first thing in the morning, by changing the way that we schedule our lunch breaks, by ensuring that we finish at the end of the day and overrun if we need to, we're able to manage that extra

patient on the list and fully utilise that list rather than letting it lie fallow. and that's made a huge difference to the number of patients that we've been able to get through our theatre doors. hello, just going to come and do your pre—assessment. making sure patients are fully prepared for their surgery is a priority. they see a consultant and then have their medical checks all on the same day. croydon's reduced the number of cancelled operations by nearly half. we've had patients being cancelled on the day, so on the day cancellations because they're not medically fit and we still need to do more tests on them. because they were pre—assessed too close to the operation date, so now we're doing is assessing them much more earlier so then we can pick up all of the medical problems. there's a big debate going on across the nhs. it has been argued that it could make better use of resources, including operating theatres, but there have been many demands for more money to keep up with rising patient demand. senior surgeons say the real problem is making sure there are beds for patients after they've

had their operations. there's this constant backlog all the way through so that the new patient cannot get into hospital because the last patient is still in the intensive care unit, and, as yet, cannot get back on the ward because the ward patient cannot go home. croydon has shown that more operations can be done, but it's not clear whether other hospitals can follow or whether there are deeper—rooted problems. hugh pym, bbc news. this year's list of the 100 most influential black britons has been published. and at number one on the powerlist 2018 is gina miller, the entrepreneur who took on the government, to give parliament a vote on whether the uk could start the brexit process. elaine dunkley has been to meet her. like the eu referendum, gina miller divides opinion. among the thank you cards there is hate—mail.

these i brought you because they were some of the e—mails. today she received an award hailing her britain's most influential black person. your life has changed beyond all recognition. what were the moments when you thought — this is unreal, in a good and bad way? the whole thing has been pretty unreal. when i brought the case i'd already been a campaigner for nearly a decade. i was used to battling against institutions and mindsets that might have been quite fixed. but i didn't appreciate that it would become so emotional and that people weren't really listening to what i had to say. it actually became more about branding me as this woman who had no right to speak up. how dare i? that kept going over and over again. how dare i, as a woman of colour? how dare i, you know, speak up to a country? i'm supposed to be grateful? that's what i didn't expect. how did you cope with the abuse? it's worried me.

people think i'm fearless. i'm actually very fearful. there are two levels, there is calling names and all of that. that is completely different. when it's saying that i should be beheaded or my children's throats cut or i should have acid thrown. when it's to my children, that takes on a whole different level. it's thrown into question everything i thought i believed of the society i lived in. but it's also shown me that i've got to fight. today you've topped the poll as the most influential back person in britain. how does that feel? daunting because i don't ever do anything because i want people... i tend to do something and move on to the next thing. i don't dwell on it or do it for any sort of accolade. it's to say, as a woman of colour i can stand up, have a voice, have a conscious, and use it. some people will say — you wouldn't be able to have a list that celebrates white achievements without it being deemed as racist, how do you feel about that? what is important about this list is about role models. we're not making inroads.

equality is not happening in the way we thought it was happening. the people with responsibility on this list today have to speak up and show that it's ok to be yourself and succeed because that's important. you have to be who you are. you can't pretend to be something different. it's ok to be who you are because it will make you a success, not in spite of it. gina miller speaking there to elaine dunkley. he's one of the most important figures of nineteenth century painting, who's revolutionary approach, has influenced successive generations of artists. now a major exhibition of paul cezanne's portraits, some never seen before in the uk,, is to go on show at the national portrait gallery in london. 0ur arts editor will gompertz has been to see them. a portrait of an artist as a young man. paul cezanne's early selfie, painted in his 20s, when he was still learning to look like no other artist. he would paint himself throughout his career,

making breakthroughs in technique and tone each time. until this final self—portrait when the artist picasso called "the father of us all", revealed a lifetime's knowledge and skill in a single image. cezanne's portraits were radical when he painted them in the second—half of the 19th century and they still feel radical today. not for him idealised versions of the rich and famous and the great and the good, he just wanted to paint ordinary people, in really ordinary settings and thereby create something extraordinary. even though he doesn't seek to represent expressed emotion, obviously his interest in character, and i think he really wanted that sense of the peopleness of people regardless of social status, regardless of anything. i mean, when you look back in the history of portraiture, who has done that before, and you end up with rembrandt. are there pictures in this exhibition, john, where we see cezanne the artist ta ke lea ps forward ? the first big thing is very

early, in the mid 1860s, where he makes paintings entirely with a palette knife. portraits had never been painted in that way before. the next big step is in the middle of the ‘70s where, after having worked with impressionists, colour blooms in his pictures. then by the ‘80s, volume is very present with regular hatch brush strokes. and then in the ‘90s, all these different currents really start to come together. cezanne was famously grumpy. sitters could be reprimanded for the slightest fidget. "does an apple move", he'd snap, even though it might have been the 150th session they'd attended for a single portrait. it is fair to say, cezanne was something else. will gompertz, bbc news. time for a look at the weather.

tomasz schafernaker is going to painta tomasz schafernaker is going to paint a picture for us! i will! there isn't an awful lot to paint, it is just there isn't an awful lot to paint, it isjust a there isn't an awful lot to paint, it is just a layer of grey out there, but the good thing is it is mild and it will stay like it for a few more days before it cools off. for the time being, the mild air is coming straight from the azores. the air is carrying a lot of moisture, so there is a lot of cloud. we managed to get up to 20 degrees today in the south. 0vernight tonight you can see the rain in central and northern areas. it will be very mild in the south—east, even yorkshire around 12, and single figures in the very far north. this

is wednesday's rush hour. at the most it will be thick cloud from most it will be thick cloud from most of us. and across the north of the country, a bright start to the day, 12 or 13 degrees, maybe 11 in the lowlands of scotland, a few showers in the western isles, not a bad start to wednesday. and then through the course of the morning it will brighten up across the midlands, and one thing we will find is the weather front will be hugging the english channel coast, so it will be cloudy from penzance, through exeter, all the way to dover. size of the m4 it will be quite overcast. the weather front a little further northwards on thursday either side of it some brightness, still quite mild in the south, around 17 degrees if not higher, 13 in the north, and then there is a change on the way as we

head into friday and the weekend, high—pressure building across the weekend and crucially we talked about the south—westerly, the wind coming in from the west and north—west, meaning it is a cooler source, so temperatures will be gradually dipping away through friday, and through the weekend, fresher conditions, and it will be cooler, but the weather will be bright, and temperatures at the weekend will be 13 degrees, and as weekend will be 13 degrees, and as we head into next week, even some ground frost, so a change on the way but until then it will stay mild. hello, i'm nuala mcgovern, this is 0utside source.

it's unanimous, the communist party votes to enshrine president xi's name and ideology in the constitution, it's being hailed as a new era for china. treason! trump 0n the other side of the atlantic, president trump is heckled by a protester, and comes under attack from two senior members of his own party. it's a sad place for the nation and the sad thing is the debasing of the nation. i have grandchildren to answer two and so, mr president, i will not be complicit or silent. the fate of the re—run of kenya's presidential election is — once again — back here