this is bbc news. i'm rebecca jones. the headlines at eleven. sir michael fallon resigns as defence secretary, saying his behaviour may have fallen short of the standards expected by the uk military. we expect the very highest standards of the armed services. i don't think it's right that on occasion in the past when i have fallen below those standards that i should continue to serve as defence secretary. sir michael's resignation follows theresa may's invitation to party leaders to discuss the sexual harassment claims at westminster. prosecutors in new york file terror charges against the uzbek immigrant accused of killing eight people in a truck attack. and on newsnight, as the defence secretary resigned over allegations of past behaviour we will talk about the problem with men. sex, power, abuse and allegations. an age old

problem, a new national conversation. will come shortly. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has resigned in the light of allegations about his past conduct. he's admitted that his behaviour in the past may have ‘fallen short of the high standards required'. sir michael had already apologised for putting his hand on the knee of a female journalist in an incident more than a decade ago. sir michael — who's been one of the prime minister's strongest supporters in cabinet — told the bbc he believed it was right that the issue of sexual harassment was now being taken very seriously. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. quiet outside the ministry of defence tonight, but inside, turmoil.

the secretary of state quits. in recent days allegations have been made about mps‘ conduct, including my own. many of these allegations have been false. but i realise that in the past i may have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that i have the honour to represent. i have reflected now on my position in government, and i am therefore resigning as defence secretary. the letter to the prime minister that spells the end of his long cabinet career. the reply from theresa may thanking him for his service. his resignation comes only the day after a front—page story telling that he put his hand on a well—known journalist's knee years ago. sources admit more could emerge. were you worried more is going to come out? the culture has changed over the years. what might have been acceptable 15, ten years ago, is clearly not acceptable now.

parliament is now has to look at itself, and the prime minister has made very clear, that conduct needs to be improved and we need to protect the staff of westminster against any particular allegations of harassment. but do you feel that you, yourself, have done anything wrong? i have behaved in the past, clearly, in a way that has occasionally been below the standards that we require of the armed forces. i don't think it's right for me to go on as defence secretary expecting the very highest standards of our service men and women and failed to meet them myself. do you feel you should apologise for what has happened? i feel we all have to look back at the past now. there are always things you regret and could have done differently. do you believe there is a widespread problem in the culture at westminster? clearly, the prime minister has made it clear, a number of allegations are swirling around and many of them are obviously false.

but there are some serious issues here that staff at westminster need to be better protected, and that claims of harassment need to be properly investigated. the prime minister has now set that machinery in motion, and clearly from now on that has to apply to all of us. apply how? theresa may is under pressure to act after days of allegations of harassment. she wants to tighten up the westminster rules with a new independent system to listen to victims‘ claims. i have written to all party leaders inviting them to a meeting early next week so we can agree on it transparent procedure for all those working in westminster. we have a duty to all of those coming here to contribute to public life is treated with respect. butjust as pressing a problem for her tonight is who will walk up this street in his place. the ministry of defence

is in a huge review. we are only weeks from the budget. when ministers are all pressing for money. it's a great day for the royal navy. and irony of ironies, michael fallon was seen as mr reliable. should the foreign secretary be sacked over comments about libya? more used to defending other errant colleagues. he had served four previous prime ministers, from theresa may back to margaret thatcher. what have you got for me today? jobs in education, energy and business. he has been an mp since 1983. you need to have a conservative mp to put pressure on the government to do more and more. but a minister no more. one of the most senior government seats empty for tonight. somebody else's job for tomorrow, but the past can't be erased. police in new york say a man who drove into cyclists and pedestrians last night,

killing eight people, had been planning the attack for several weeks and had been influenced by the islamic state group. the suspect, an immigrant from uzbekistan, has been interviewed by police in hospital. president trump said he'd ordered an increase in the extreme vetting of immigrants. our north america correspondent nick bryant has the latest. this is the kind of scene that preys on the minds of new yorkers, one that recalls the trauma of 9/11, one that reveals how this city is vulnerable to new forms of terror. a rented pick—up truck that became weaponised. a mode of attack that's common in europe, but now used to deadly effect on american soil, and just yards from ground zero, the site of the september 11th attacks. the antenna on the new world trade centre, bathed in red, white and blue, to honour the eight people killed. this is the suspected attacker, sayfullo saipov, a 29—year—old

who reportedly shouted "allahu akbar", "god is great", as he left his truck. he was brandishing fake weapons, and was shot by the police and taken into custody. moments earlier, he'd driven at high speed along a riverside bike path, mowing down cyclists and pedestrians. this was an attack on the united states of america and an attack on new york city, an attack on our people, and it was the definition of terrorism, an effort to take away people's hope and spirit and to make them change, and what new yorkers showed already is we will not change. saipov is an uzbek immigrant who came to the united states in 2010. he chose halloween because the streets would be more crowded. he told police he was pleased with the success of the attack. the fbi is seeking evidence about a second uzbekistan man involved in the attack. one of the early clues that investigators found at the scene were hand—written notes in arabic

pledging allegiance to the group calling itself islamic state. but there's no evidence yet of a direct link to that group. you got kids in there? yeah. all right, hold on. his attack came to an end when he crashed into a school bus. oh, my god. oh, my god! ok, i need an ambulance right here. that was an accident, because he wanted to continue further to the brooklyn bridge. police found knives in his vehicle he rented a truck before, so he could practice making turns. he appears to have followed, almost exactly to a t, the instructions that isis has put out in its social media channels before with instructions to their followers on how to carry out such an attack.

among those killed, five friends from argentina, men in their late 40s, in new york to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their graduation from college. look at the camaraderie and fun they were having, just a short while before, as they rode bikes down the hudson river, on a perfect autumn day. president trump is demanding a more aggressive criminaljustice system. we need quick justice and we need strong justice, much quicker and much stronger than we have right now because what we have right now is a joke and it's a laughing stock, and no wonder so much of this stuff takes place. in his home town, this tower was erected in defiance of terror, a symbol of a resurgent city that refused after 9/11 to be cowed, and at the ground level this morning that spirit was very much in evidence, joggers following their normal routes. even a cyclist berating a pedestrian for getting in her way, a scene that speaks of every day new york.

the city has experienced worse dawns and waking up to the threat of terror may well be an irreversible fact of life. nick bryant, bbc news, manhattan. two 14—year—old boys from northallerton in north yorkshire have been charged with conspiracy to murderfollowing an investigation by counter terrorism detectives. the two boys were arrested on saturday as part of what police called an "intelligence—led" operation. they have been held in custody since then. they will be taken to court tomorrow for a hearing at leeds magistrates. the government has announced it will take steps to introduce a budget bill for northern ireland at westminster james brokenshire said that it was unlikely that powersharing could be restored at stormont before northern ireland ran out of money at the end of this month. new allegations have been made by a number of men, accusing the hollywood actor

kevin spacey of sexual misconduct. one man who wishes to remain anonymous, and is now in his 50s told the bbc that when he was 17 the actor tried to get him into bed. there's been no comment from mr spacey or his representatives. the former ukip donor arron banks is being investigated in connection with allegations that he breached finance rules during the eu referendum campaign. the electoral commission has announced it will examine whether he had committed offences in relation to donations or loans made to campaigners. there needs to be a change of culture in the way relatives are treated in the wake of a public tragedy. that's the main conclusion of a review into the experiences of families who lost relatives in the hillsborough disaster when 96 liverpool fans lost their lives. our correspondentjudith moritz has been looking at the findings. hillsborough was a disaster on many levels.

96 people died, but theirfamilies have suffered a burning injustice. many institutions, both public and private, bear responsibility, their treatment of the families making their suffering worse. that mustn't happen again, according to this report, which recommends measures to help disaster victims like those whose loved ones died at hillsborough. it calls forfairer legal funding for such families, a voluntary charter for public bodies and for the police to be held more accountable. you can change the law as much as you want, but unless there's a cultural change, you won't make a difference because what the families found is that when they challenged the institution, the institution closed ranks, put their own reputation above the needs and the rights of the individual. the hillsborough disaster happened when fans became crushed on the terraces of the sheffield ground.

one of those who died wasjimmy hennessy, whose daughter charlotte was just six. now a parent herself, she contributed to the new report. it's very, very difficult to talk about your life so openingly and so honestly because, you know, you're going back into things that you've dealt with or you've kind of put away. if any good could come of this process, it's got to be that we protect other people. i would never want anybody to have the life that i've had. what happened here has raised big questions about the way the state and its agencies respond to disasters and the success of this report will bejudged in part on whether people caught up in such trauma are treated better as a result. there are concerns that those bereaved by the grenfell tower fire are experiencing a repeat of the suffering endured by the hillsborough families, some here welcomed the report. let people be transparent, let the laws change for the people,

to be transparent and accountable. don't let us wait five years and... it's just wicked. the report is full of personal stories of pain and adversity, but there's hope too for a hillsborough law, designed to make public servants open and accountable. many say that would be a fitting legacy. judith moritz, bbc news, liverpool. now it's time for newsnight with emily maitlis and evan davis — and a warning the programme contains strong language. in recent days allegations have been made about some mps‘ conduct including my own. many of these allegations are false but i have realised that in the past i may have fallen below the high standards we require from the armed forces.

what started as a scandal in hollywood has become a crisis in westminster, with one of theresa may's key cabinet colleagues, the defence secretary michael fallon, stepping down. his scalp may be a ministerial first. it may not be the last. but the issue of sexual harassment goes way beyond westminster. tonight, we've chosen to give this subject the full studio treament. how are men behaving towards women? and what women are now saying about it? i had gone for a late brunch with a friend and on my tube journey home i was on the northern line coming out at tooting broadway and as i came on to the escalator i stood and i noticed a man run really quickly — he was really keen to get on this escalator behind me. i was 18 when it happened. and it was just at a work party.