as westminster waits to see if any more accusations of harassment emerge, a labour activist tells the bbc about her allegations against a senior mp. ava etemadzadeh says kelvin hopkins was promoted despite her complaints, after he harassed her and sent her a suggestive text. "i'm an attractive, lovely young woman, and a man would be lucky "to have me as a lover. "and if he was young... "but he's not". meanwhile, the former defence secretary michael fallon denies he made an inappropriate comment to the leader of the commons, andrea leadsom. also tonight: two delivery drivers are attacked with acid. one is fighting for his life and his eyesight. a 14—year—old boy is arrested. how fast—tracking desperately needed new medicines could change the lives of even the youngest of patients. the metropolitan police investigate an alleged sexual assault by the hollywood actor kevin spacey while he was in london. and as he gets the nod for the england squad, we speak to harry winks, one of tottenham's emerging young stars. later in the hour on bbc news,

fa cup sportsday is coming from hyde united, as they prepare to take on a team over 100 league places above them. good evening and welcome to the bbc‘s news at six. as rumours and speculation swirl around westminster, a labour activist who accused the labour mp kelvin hopkins of sexual harassment has told bbc news she feels disillusioned by how the party handled the matter. jeremy corbyn is under pressure to explain why the mp was promoted to the shadow cabinetjust months after being reprimanded about the allegations. mr hopkins was suspended last night while the claims made by ava etemadzadeh are investigated.

mr hopkins has not commented. meanwhile, the former defence secretary sir michael fallon has said he "categorically denies" allegations that he made an inappropriate comment to the leader of the commons, andrea leadsom. our deputy political editor, john pienaar, reports. step—by—step, one by one, in one party, then another and today, young labour activist with more allegations of sexual misconduct in politics. her story has added to a crisis unlike anything westminster has seen. ava etemadzadeh tells of a labour mp 15 years her senior, kelvin hopkins, who she says subjected her as a labour supporting students to inappropriate treatment again and again. the first incident happened on campus and he hugged me very tightly and robbed himself against me. he made me feel extremely uncomfortable and it was a revolting act.

the second incident was in parliament, when i went to have a political conversation with him and he told me that," let's not talk about politics, do you have a boyfriend?" he also said that if nobody was in his office, he would have taken me there. i was absolutely shocked. there were calls she didn't answer, then came the uncomfortable text messages. i'm an attractive, lovely young woman and a man would be lucky to have me as a lover and if he was young... but he's not. kelvin hopkins was reprimanded two years ago after she complained, yet he was made a shadow cabinet minister when jeremy corbyn was facing a party mutiny and needed allies lastjune. now the story's come out and he's been suspended from the party. there is an investigation but his accuser is unhappy that he was promoted at all. that made me feel very powerless and isolated and alone. today, jeremy corbyn was in no mood to defend his position as leader

in the whole affair. thank you for coming, goodbye. were you aware of the allegations against him, mr corbyn, before you promoted him to the shadow cabinet? no word from him or his office although he knew about the reprimand and some but not all the detail but promoted kelvin hopkins anyway. goodbye. but some in labour's ranks want to hear more. she said she was satisfied with the way in which the chief whip at the time manage the situation but horrified to then see the mp in question promoted. i think it's a fair question as to how that happened. it's one that only the leadership can answer. i don't think i would have promoted him and i know that the victim felt a bit bereft by his by his promotion. as for the tories, reports say cabinet minister andrea leadsom accused sir michael fallon, who resigned this week, of inappropriate conduct six years ago. he denies misconduct. downing street says she never called for him to go. theresa may's published a new conservative code of conduct, with a hotline for complaints

and an independent figure to helpjudge cases. tories accept all sides must act. it's very important that all political parties have codes of conduct where they set out the standards that should be expected of people who are in elected office and who are in public life. no one here is arguing with that but there will be new safeguards for people working in parties and parliament but no one imagines that will stem the flow of accusations that is hanging over british politics. they fear that every day could bring a new scandal, another crisis. and john pienaar‘s at westminster for us now. so much rumour, speculation and no doubt some fear in the building behind you. you can't help but wonder how damaging is this and where will it end? more than a little fear. no one party is being hurt by this but theresa may and

jeremy corbyn are feeling the pressure. the labour leader is known to have been told about kelvin hopkins and his conduct and his reprimand months before he was promoted. tonight, the labour party has announced an independent lawyer has announced an independent lawyer has been —— appointed to examine the accusations that a labour activist, bex bailey, was raped by a senior party colleague. no one can score points on this and the one is trying, but for a government and a prime minister under pressure, number ten will be living in high anxiety, wondering where the next scandal will come from, who will be next to resign. eight years ago ministers lived in terror wondering when the next exposure would come on the expenses scandal. i believe this isa the expenses scandal. i believe this is a bigger issue. in time to come, after a ll is a bigger issue. in time to come, after all of this, we will see higher standards of respect and behaviour in politics and by implication elsewhere, too, but there is no sign of the fever that is gripping westminster clearing up,

going away any time soon. thank you. the government says it will speed up the process of getting new, life—changing medicines available on the nhs. a panel of experts is to choose five new treatments for fast—track approval in england next year, with more in the future. ministers hope it could halve the time it takes to get new drugs to patients. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. i'm beautiful, my nose is pink. rudy is two years old. he has a rare condition, spinal muscular atrophy, known as sma. there's only one drug which can help him. it's literally a life saver, but his parents had to go to france to get it, as it's still not been approved for use in the nhs. people are having babies diagnosed with sma. there's nothing there for them. now there is, with the treatment, and it's not being given to them fast enough, so daily they're deteriorating. like others, they're frustrated that medical research is moving fast but the nhs isn't always keeping up. here at hammersmith hospital in london, their answer

is a partnership with a technology company. this is a real heart procedure using a technique to pinpoint abnormal tissue by mapping a 3d version. it's also part of a research study. today, a health minister came to take a look. his aim is to speed up access to new technology and drugs for nhs patients in england. getting new products, whether medicines or devices, can be too slow. the purpose of our accelerated access review was to look at how to speed that up. what we are announcing is a plan to make that happen, and to bring those kind of technologies that can absolutely transform people's lives up to four years quicker into the nhs. currently, the process can take seven years, and pharmaceutical companies say dealing with regulators and getting products approved is slower than in other health care systems. the general view of medical suppliers and patient groups is that this is a start, and an important one, but they want to see the detail

of how the fast track process will work. and at this stage, the policy doesn't actually involve any extra spending by the nhs in england on new drugs and treatments. andrew has a rare eye condition. there is no drug available for him at the moment but there might be soon. he can only hope if it does emerge there'll be no delay in getting it on the nhs. at some point in my life, i expect i will go blind. but there are trials of new drugs at the moment, and knowing that they could be ready but i might have to wait another seven years to get access to them, in that time i could have gone blind. there's a limit to the number of new drugs and devices which will be fast tracked. some patients will be disappointed, some will benefit. they can only hope the scheme does open new doors to new treatments. hugh pym, bbc news. the metropolitan police say a fast food delivery driver is in danger of losing his sight and in a critical condition after having acid thrown in his face in north london. the incident was one of two attacks

on delivery drivers last night. officers have arrested a 14—year—old boy. our correspondent danjohnson is in, walthamstow where one of the attacks took place. the impact of this is horrific on a man who was just doing his job. yes, 2a hours ago a man rode his scooter down here to deliver a ta keaway scooter down here to deliver a takeaway when he was set on by two young men who tried to steal his bike. he had a corrosive substance, possibly an acid, thrown in his face. he is currently in an induced coma in hospital with serious injuries to his face, eyes and throat. if he lives, he may never see again. that is why there has been such a big police investigation today, why the street is taped off and officers have been searching through homes, gardens, bins and vehicles, trying to find clues to lead them to the people responsible

for this attack. detectives say they believe it is linked to another attack half an hour later not far away in tottenham. if that was not troubling enough, police have arrested a child, a 14—year—old boy, on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm. they believe at least one other young man was involved and they want to know who that is. the government has a ready tried to tighten the sale of assets, tried to control corrosive substances more tightly, but this is a difficult problem that is tough to solve. court documents have revealed that the remains of the moors murderer, ian brady, have been scattered at sea off the coast of liverpool. the paperwork shows brady, who died in may, was cremated without ceremony in southport last week. the high court stepped in last month to ensure that his ashes weren't scattered on saddleworth moor, as he had wanted, and where four of his victims were buried. an american soldier who was held for five years by the taliban after deserting his post in afghanistan has been spared a jail sentence by a military court. sergeant bowe bergdahl, who pleaded guilty last month

to charges of desertion and misconduct, has been dishonourably discharged. president trump has called the decision a complete and total disgrace. the hollywood actor and theatre director kevin spacey is being investigated by the metropolitan police. it follows an allegation of sexual assault here in the uk. our correspondent chi chi izundu is outside the old vic theatre where mr spacey used to be artistic director. chi chi what more can you tell us about this new investigation? we understand that the metropolitan police are now investigating an allegation of sexual assault against kevin spacey. it is thought a 32—year—old british man walked into a police station in london this week and made a complaint which has been passed to the metropolitan police's child abuse and sexual offences, and. several allegations of sexual abuse and harassment have been made

against kevin spacey throughout the week. we are also hearing that a number of employees have come forward who work on the house of cards set, which has shut down production indefinitely because of these allegations. they have said, they allege that they have had sexual harrassment from kevin spacey. the charity commission in the uk is also investigating, they have approached the old vic's trust and the kevin spacey foundation, two charities he was part of, to ask about allegations over what they know or did not know about these allegations. kevin spacey has also parted ways with his publicist and his agents earlier this week. before that, he issued a statement saying he was seeking treatment. we have reached out to his lawyers and we are yet to hear any response. our top story this evening: a labour party activist tells the bbc how a senior mp was promoted despite her complaint that he harassed her. still to come:

at home in catalonia — how the independence debate is splitting families. coming up in fa cup sportsday, we are at hyde united, from the eighth tier of english football, as they prepare to cause an upset, up against mk dons. a pioneering project to help young victims of gun and knife crime is being expanded to birmingham and nottingham. the redthread teams, based in four a&e trauma units in london, try to intervene and divert young people away from gangs at the moment they've been injured and are in hospital. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds was given rare access to the project. can we get two chest drain kits out, please? it's early evening in resus. they're preparing for an incoming patient. designated code red. we know this is a young man who's been stabbed and has been stabbed multiple times

in the chest, legs, arms. his life will be in the hands of the huge team of medics. who's going to do blood for me? you will do blood for me, thank you... we spent four days with dr emer sutherland's team. someone just put a finger on a pulse for me and we'll take handover. everyday, there was at least one stabbing victim, sometimes several. see you guys in 15, 20. this young man is 16, he's been stabbed four times. because of his age we can't film his treatment, but the doctors here say that having a patient like this at this age, is really quite common. he survived, but one member of the team here is not medically trained. there's nothing that can prepare you as a youth worker for working in a hospital, where you see young people who have

been stabbed in the chest. they come into resus and the most important life—preserving thing is to open up their chest and do what's called a clamshell thoracotomy, to literally open them up like a joint of meat. lucy is not here to save lives, she is here to change them. but she is waiting until the patient can talk. she is waiting for her moment. why is this moment so important? getting him now when he's here in hospital is my opportunity to say, every single thing that's happened before, everything that's happened up to now, kind of doesn't matter, but right now you are in pain, you are away from your natural environment, your friends may or may not be here. this is an opportunity to think about, does something need to change, can it be different? yes, it can be different. it's live, it's the moment where it's most real for him, so it's the perfect moment to do it. it's also been called the teachable moment, which can nudge young people towards safer lives.

but resus is just the start. becky from redthread has been working for years with a young woman who spent much of her life in london gang, forced to run and guns. for her own safety, we can't identify her. the violence was pretty much every other day and that's not to just me. i saw a man get his legs broken. she met redthread's becky after being sexually abused and seeking medical help. again, it was the right moment. it was probably one of the lowest points in my life and in that moment, she was there to help me and ijust felt an automatic connection, that actually this was someone who, regardless of what i was involved in, she was going to help me. she is now living a normal life and saying goodbye to redthread. i try and work on this principle, this nanny mcphee principle,

of when you need me, but don't want to be, i will be there. when you want me, but no longer need me, i won't. redthread is expanding to new hospitals in birmingham and nottingham. as ever, the aim — fewer young victims returning to resus. tom symons, bbc news, kings college hospital. an army sergeant accused of trying to kill his wife by sabotaging her parachute has started giving defence. she suffered multiple injuries when her parachute failed to open a 4000 feet. four weeks of prosecution witnesses, today it was emile cilliers who gave evidence. he was accused of twice trying to kill his wife, victoria,

in the space of one week. in court, emile cilliers said he came to britain from south africa and joined the army but soon ran up a series of debts. his defence barrister elizabeth marsh qc asked him, did you deal with the debt? he replied, i started to but it's got out of control a bit. i was finding it difficult to support her and also spending money on stuff i probably shouldn't have been. the prosecution claimed it was emile cilliers's debts that was behind the reason why he wanted to kill his wife, victoria. they say he had to benefit from an insurance policy pay—out in the event of her death. in court, he said victoria didn't know about the extent of his debts. he said, i would have been embarrassed, i feared she would have been disappointed in me. miss marsh asked, what did you think she would do if she found out? emile cilliers replied, leave me. it was at the netheravon airbase in wiltshire that victoria cilliers made her parachute jump.

she fell 4000 feet when her main and reserve parachutes failed to fully open. she suffered multiple injuries when she landed. this was the reserve parachute she had on. the prosecution say that emile cilliers learned to pack reserve chutes and knew how to sabotage one. but in court he said, i learned how to be a parachute packer to earn some extra money. i did victoria's parachute then went to aldershot for eight months. after that, i wouldn't like to have attempted it again. elizabeth marsh asked, did you attempt to pack victoria's shoot after that? he replied, no. the court heard mr cilliers, who is father to six children with three women, including two with victoria cilliers, said he had tried to pay his debts back. he denies two counts of attempted murder and will continue giving evidence on monday. duncan kennedy, bbc news, winchester crown court. eight former ministers from the spanish regional government

of catalonia are preparing to spend a second night injail, charged with rebellion after the disputed independence referendum. the region's former leader, carles puidgemont, is out of reach of the spanish authorities in belgium. thousands of catalans have staged protests in barcelona, saying the politicians had become political prisoners. flash photography. si. a week ago, they declared independence. now, eight former catalan ministers are behind bars. they face charges of rebellion. and were denied bail by a judge at spain's high court. theirsupporters, outside catalonia's parliament, stunned. it has polarised opinions further. which, even in sleepy catalan villages, is now

often on public display. the abuse hurled at geordie, a pro—independence counsellor. at a local school where a month ago, he, arms crossed at the front, led a human wall blocking spain's civil guard. it's because of that disputed referendum that his political leaders are now in jail ahead of their trial. translation: it reminds me more of a repressive state like turkey than a country in the european union. lively discussions at home too. this family, split on that key question. who is in favour of independence for catalonia? his sister is, his mum and dad are wavering. but jordi is not. "spain's laws have to be followed," he tells me, "and those who don't should be prosecuted." almost every day, a new chapter in this catalan crisis. on the horizon now,

regional elections. with pro—independence leaders in jail, divisions below the surface are ever more entrenched. tom burridge, bbc news, in barcelona. manchester united manager jose mourinho says he's settled a spanish tax fraud case relating to his time in charge of real madrid. he had been accused of owing nearly £2.9 million in tax from undeclared image rights revenue. he emerged after a brief hearing at a court in the spanish capital madrid today to say he'd paid. but a judge has to decide if the case will proceed to trial. the former manchester united player patrice evra could face a five match ban after kicking one of his team's supporters in the head. it took place at the side of the pitch before the europa league match. uefa have charged the marseille defender with violent conduct and if they deem it a "serious assault", he'll face a lengthy suspension. he was one of tottenham hotspur‘s sensations this week

when they defeated real madrid at wembley. and yesterday harry winks was named in the england squad for their friendlies against germany and brazil. the 21—year—old is just the latest in a string of players from tottenham to be called up by england. our sports correspondent natalie pirks looks into how spurs are doing it. with pinpoint precision and calmness under pressure... harry winks helped spurs to a spanish demolition on wednesday night. there is the goal... wednesday night. there is the goal. . . the wednesday night. there is the goal... the mighty real madrid were left floundering and wembley was rocking and winks had the perfect view. it was pretty special, to be honest. as a spurs fan, to be involved in a game like that, to come away with a win in the way we'd done it as well, it was incredible. winks is the rarest of home—grown talent, a spurs fan since birth, he has played at every level the club

and country but his story has been a lesson in the art of patients. he only started for premier league matches this season and only made his senior england debut last month. he's now been called up again to face germany and brazil. harry is a great example of a player that is manager has had belief in him. he is reaping the rewards of that. that manager is morrissey apache tino who has dubbed winks the perfect midfielder. he has cemented spurs' status as a key breeding ground for english talent. it is well documented how difficult it is for young british players to get opportunities in the premiership. coming through the academy, all i wa nted coming through the academy, all i wanted to do is play the tottenham get the opportunity. he has believed in me and every time i get the opportunity, i try and make sure i repay the faith back to him. opportunity, i try and make sure i repay the faith back to himm opportunity, i try and make sure i repay the faith back to him. it is extraordinary, but not inconceivable

that he could go to russia next summer. that he could go to russia next summer. who knows, it is a long way off, everybody dreams of going to the world cup, but it is a long way andi the world cup, but it is a long way and i cannot think too much into the future just yet. all i can do is keep working hard, stay grounded and not get carried away. confidence, yet level—headed. winks is proof that good things do come to those who wait. time for a look at the weather. plenty bonfire party this weekend. today has been quiet. pretty cloudy for many. this was north yorkshire. during this evening the cloud will produce heavy rain for some others. the rain will get out of the way fairly quickly during the start of tomorrow to leave a weekend of sunshine and showers but a much colder feel to the weather. here comes the rain, a two pronged

attack. rain coming in from the north—west and also up from the south, making for a wet night across england and wales. clear skies for northern ireland and scotland with showers and here, it will feel chilly. tomorrow, as soggy stop the central and eastern areas of england. the rain will slowly trudge eastwards, pa rt of england. the rain will slowly trudge eastwards, part of east anglia will be cloudy and damp all day long. but further west, we peel back the cloud and reveal sunshine and showers. some could be heavy and possibly thundery and wintry over the high ground in scotland. temperatures at best, eight in belfast, nine in glasgow perhaps the mid—teens towards the south—east. if you are watching a fireworks display tomorrow, some showers into the worst but a lot of dry weather around. here is a focus from some of the major cities. the odd shower could show up in manchester or equally in belfast. there will be clear spells as well. sunday looks like a clear spells as well. sunday looks likea dry clear spells as well. sunday looks like a dry evening but a colder one

as well with quite a widespread frost. showers will fade and most of us frost. showers will fade and most of us will be dry by the afternoon with spells of sunshine. your daytime temperatures ranging from seven to 11 degrees. but as we go into the night, we will see quite a widespread frost. it does look more lively and then a lot colder. fiona. that's all from the bbc news at six. so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. this is bbc news. the headlines. a labour activist who accused calvin hopkins of sexual harassment said she felt let down by the party's response. he has yet to comment. they refused to act, and that made me feel very powerless, and isolated and alone. the labour leader is facing questions about why he promoted the

now suspended mp to the shadow cabinet after he had been reprimanded. the metropolitan police have understood to be investigating a claim of sexual assault against the hollywood actor kevin spacey. the incident is said to have taken place in 2008. an army sergeant accused of attempting to murder his wife by sabotaging her parachute has been giving evidence for the first time today. he told the court he had worries about debt he had run up. fist a quick look about what else is coming up here. just after 7.00 we will discuss how the political parties are reacting tole a investigations of sexual harassment, against mps, with the political editor kevin schofield and helen lewis the deputy editor of the new statesman. as the us soldier who