theresa may will address mps this afternoon about the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his daughter. the kremlin says it's not a matter for the russian government, as hundreds of people in salisbury are told to wash their clothes in case they're contaminated. we'll have the latest on that meeting of the security council from downing street. also this lunchtime... how tickled i am by all this goodwill. what about you, have you been tickled by goodwill? tributes for the comedy legend sir ken dodd, who's died at the age of 90 a row at the top of the labour party, as a shadow cabinet minister is removed from her post and says she's the victim of bullying. tv football pundit jamie carragher apologises, after spitting at a 14 —year—old girl. and be careful how you feed the birds in your garden — a warning it could spread disease. and coming up in the sport on bbc news, a day to forget for

the winter paralympics organisers — the snowboard cross was delayed following problems with the start gate. all the british athletes were eliminated. good afternoon and welcome to the news at one. the prime minister will make a statement to mps this afternoon on the nerve agent attack in salisbury on a former russian spy and his daughter. it follows a meeting this morning of her national security council, where ministers were briefed on the latest intelligence about the attack. the kremlin says the attack is not a matterfor the russian government. sergei and yulia skripal are still critically ill in hospital. meanwhile, hundreds of people who visited the restaurant and pub they went to before the attack, are being told to wash their clothes, after traces of nerve agent

were found at both places. richard galpin reports. nine days after the attack, and police, including large numbers from counter terrorism command, are focusing their investigation on who was behind the attack. as well as how and where in salisbury sergei skripal and daughter yulia ingested the nerve agent. they remain in a critical condition in hospital. nothing is being said about them making any recovery. this morning, senior ministers arrived in downing street for a key meeting with security officials about the latest intelligence. the question of who was behind the attack and how to respond high on the agenda. and already some politicians are expecting the prime minister to accuse russia. we are expecting the

prime minister to make an announcement soon, and frankly i would be surprised if she did not point the finger at the kremlin. would be surprised if she did not point the finger at the kremlinm was sunday last week when sergei skripal and his daughter headed into the centre of salisbury. a few hours later they were found collapsed on a bench outside a shopping centre. the bbc understands that traces of the nerve agent have been found at the zizzi restaurant, where the skripals eight on the day. the table was so come terminated it had to be destroyed. staff were told to burn their clothes. traces were also found at a nearby pub they visited. several other locations in the city are under investigation. while emergency teams and experts use protective gear as they work together evidence and decontaminate areas, last week health officials we re areas, last week health officials were insisting there was no immediate threat to the public. that has all now changed, with hundreds of people who have been in the

restau ra nt of people who have been in the restaurant and pub told to wash their clothes as a precaution, raising questions about why this advice had not been given earlier. proportion not —— proportion of additional advice was given when more information was not about the nerve agent. it couldn't be given earlier because they didn't know what they had. most people understand that. the investigation is to be making progress. and if the evidence does ultimately implicate russia, the government here will be under intense pressure to take robust action in response. richard galpin, bbc news. ina richard galpin, bbc news. in a moment we will speak to our correspondent in salisbury. vicki young is in downing street for us. that meeting of the national security council ended a short time ago? yes. it went on for almost two hours. all the senior figures ago? yes. it went on for almost two hours. all the seniorfigures here discussing this. there are many seniorfigures senior figures in westminster who do not think there could be anything

other than russia responsible for this attack. of course, the problem for the prime minister is she needs the evidence. who will see point the finger of blame at? it is one thing to say it is russia, another to say it is the kremlin are president putin. there is still some caution. the home secretary has given an interview today. she says the government has do have the facts first. if they do attribute blame, they wanted to be completely sound. she said the government's reaction has to be cool—headed and take into account diplomatic relations. the issue here is if this robust, strong response does come, it is much more powerful if it comes alongside other countries, countries in the european union, nato, perhaps. forthat to happen they need to see the evidence. whatever theresa may has to say about all of this, she will say to parliament in the next couple of hours. thank you very much. our home affairs correspondent, leila nathoo, is in salisbury. what is the latest there are? there

is clearly some concern among some people who have been —— had been dining at zizzi restaurant from sunday to monday. and who had been drinking at the mill pub. they were not informed until now that they needed to take these precautions and wash their clothes, potentially wipe down their phones and glasses. these area down their phones and glasses. these are a small number of people. we have heard from public health officials saying this is a precaution. there is no immediate risk to the public. we have heard from the council leader saying people accept this is an unprecedented situation, and as the advice changed, so did the advice to the public. they key is some concern. we have heard from the former chief medical officer vertonghen saying helplines and dedicated health centres should have

been set up in the immediate aftermath to address concerns. as for the police investigation, that is now focusing on how surrogate —— sergei skripal and you —— yulia came to co ntra ct sergei skripal and you —— yulia came to contract the nerve agent. traces have been found in the zizzi restau ra nt. have been found in the zizzi restaurant. that was the first place they visited. the table they sat at has had to be destroyed because it was so contaminated. police trying to piece together what happened before they got to the restaurant. thank you. the bbc news channel will have live coverage from half past four this afternoon of the prime minister's statement to mps updating them on the latest intelligence regarding tributes are coming in this lunchtime for the legendary comedian, sir ken dodd, who's died at the age of 90. he found fame on stage, on television and as a chart topping singer. he's been described as the last of the music hall legends,

and his epic stage performances often lasted several hours. ken dodd died in the same house he was born in — and just two days after getting married. david sillito reports. the tickling sticks, the wild hair and surreal flights of fancy were only a part of it. ken dodd was a torrent ofjokes. only a part of it. ken dodd was a torrent of jokes. shows only a part of it. ken dodd was a torrent ofjokes. shows would often end in the early hours of the morning. jeronimo! thank you very much. what a beautiful day for going to count von zeppelin and saying, you will never sell a sausage that size! offstage he was very private. one of his close circle of friends was hisjoke writer, john one of his close circle of friends was his joke writer, john martin. one of his close circle of friends was hisjoke writer, john martinlj had was hisjoke writer, john martin.|j had the honour, and it was an honour

and a privilege, to be one of his script writers for 30 years. i a lwa ys script writers for 30 years. i always said writing jokes per ken dodd was almost like being asked to mix the painter van gogh, it was that big an honour. tea rs tears in 1965 was one of the biggest selling singles of the 1960s. his run at the london palladium broke records. summer seasons would be 15 shows a week, and one of the aspiring performance alongside him remember how supportive he was. he was very instrumental in encouraging me to get into the business. i used to support him on his shows on the isle of man, the villa marina and things. i remember watching his partner in the wings riding down the jokes so he wouldn't

tell the same jokes again. he just loved his business. and jones was his partner of a0 years. piggott ridejust three his partner of a0 years. piggott ride just three days ago here in the house where he had always lived, knotty ash in liverpool. i have been overwhelmed by love and affection, which i have already received from dear friends and the public. and i thank you all for being here. thank you. we got a glimpse of the private ken dodd in a famous court case about his tax affairs. they discovered £100,000 in cash in a suitcase. but he was acquitted and it became more materialfor his suitcase. but he was acquitted and it became more material for his act. it was only a few weeks ago that ill—health finally stopped him performing. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ken dodd! is roots were in musical. as a student of comedy he had had a go at shakespeare but his life was all about laughter and that love being

on stage. by jove, mrs! sir ken dodd, who has died at the age of 90. bbc one will be showing a tribute to ken dodd this evening, with some special archive programmes from 10:a5pm. a 17—year—old has beenjailed for 10 and a half years for attacking six moped riders with acid, while trying to steal their bikes. derryckjohn pleaded guilty to carrying out the attacks in the north and east of london injuly last year. he sprayed the riders in the face with a corrosive liquid, leaving one of his victims with "life—changing injuries". a public row has broken out at the top of the labour party, after a shadow cabinet minister was removed from her post, apparently against her will. labour says debbie abrahams stepped down as spokeswoman on work and pensions pending an investigation, but she claims she's the victim of a bullying

culture within the party. ben wright is at westminster. ben and briton completely different versions of events, and an embarrassment for the labour party? that's right. debbie abrahams has been a member of the shadow cabinet since last summer. but now there has been an extraordinary falling out between her and the labour leader's office. it has erupted late last night. labour said that debbie abrahams had stepped aside while an investigation could happen into what the party calls and employment issue. i understand it does concern bullying allegations from a number of complainants. also last night, debbie abrahams put out an excoriating statement. a blistering attack on the labour leader's office, completely denying she had taken part in any bullying. she denied she had volunteered to step

aside. she said the claims were spurious. she said that some in the labour leader's office had behaved aggressively, in an intimidating and wholly unprofessional way. she said it showed the bullying culture at westminster at its worst. it has been an extraordinary falling out. she will make a formal complaint to the labour party and the parliamentary authorities about this. whatever has actually occurred, and there will be an investigation into what is going on, considering how much we have been talking about the bullying culture of parliament recently, this has been handled clumsily. that is safe to say. separately, the government is having to a nswer separately, the government is having to answer an urgent question by a backbench mp this afternoon on the broader claims around the bullying culture in parliament. thank you very much. ben wright. the authorities in nepal say a9 people were killed when a bangladeshi passenger plane crashed while trying to land at kathmandu airport. it appeared to go out of

control and slid off the runway into a football field. the trial of the teenager accused of causing an explosion at parsons green station in september last year, has heard evidence allegedly linking him to the so—called islamic state. he blamed this country for his ahmed hassan denies attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life. june kelly is at the old bailey. who has been testifying this morning? katie cable was a lecturer at the couege katie cable was a lecturer at the college where ahmad hassan was a tutor. she became a mentor to him. she had a good relationship with him and thought him an outstanding student. she recounted a conversation they had when he told her that he held the british responsible for his father's death. his father what a taxi driver and guide it in a bombing in iraq. he also said it was his duty to hate

britain. that comment was made in august, 2016, a year before the parsons green attack. she said at the same time she looked at his phone and on his phone she could see a whatsapp message. that said, "iis has accepted your donation." the court heard that he had trained with islamic state in. he said he was taught how to kill by them but in iraq he said he was in fear of the man had tried to get away from them. on his father's death, she said he also spoke about events in iraq very disparagingly. he spoke about tony blair disparagingly. there was clearly anger, she said. his anger was very clear, she said. briefly, i think the court has heard from other people. yes, one witness, zoe spencer, who worked somewhere

where he stayed when he first came to the uk. she said she saw i propaganda on his phone. she asked him what he was doing, and he immediately close the phone. he was 16 years of age, but she felt he was mentally much older than that. the court has also heard this morning that in the run—up to the parsons green attack, ahmad hassan was going through the government's prevent programme, which is aimed at stopping radicalisation. thank you. it is1:16pm. our top story this lunchtime... theresa may has been chairing a meeting of her national security council to discuss who was behind the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy and his daughter. and coming up, great britain's wheelchair curlers have made an impressive start at the paralympics, beating the world champions norway in an opening match. they are currently leading in their match against canada. coming up in the sport... the trial of england all—rounder ben stokes will begin on august 6th

at bristol crown court. that's expected to last up to seven days, which means he'll miss the second test against india at lord's. at the paralympics, great britain's wheelchair curling team have made a good start — they've beaten world champions norway and now they're facing canada. but there's been disappointment for britain's snowboarders — all three contenders have been knocked out of the competition. our sports reporter, kate grey, is in south korea. well, it was supposed to be a historic day for the snowboarders. the first time great britain had been rigged presented in the sport at the paralympic games. inset, it was a day they would rather forget. the normally fast and furious snowboard cross was today more of a flop. no, the gate didn't open. issues with the start gate meant competition was disrupted, delayed, and organisers left scratching their heads.

unable to fix the problem, it was back to basics — rope and a manual start. hardly ideal with the world watching. despite all the issues here, the three british athletes did manage to make their debut, but they were affected by the delays. they all successfully made it through qualification, but struggled in the elimination rounds. the best result was james barnes—miller, making it to the quarterfinals, losing to the eventual gold medallist. britain's flag bearer, owen pick, in the red vest, had high hopes for this event following qualification, but all the uncertainties and hanging around between runs ultimately took its toll. oh, and he's come really, really wide there! there was talks of them... the coaches all had a meeting, and there was talks that they were going to cancel and do it another day. and it was like, guys, come on now. we need to get this... it's the paralympics, we want to race. itjust made people kind of go, blurgh, if that makes sense. and, yeah, it's just a bit annoying, really. all of a sudden, we've got this new starting system. there was a much more positive

mood down by the coast with the wheelchair curlers. theirfourth match in a8 hours, this time against sweden. a very dominant performance by the brits meant the opposition could only get one point. another convincing win under their belts. next they face the paralympic champions, canada. kate grey, bbc news, pyeongchang. we have just found out that britain have indeed beaten the paralympic champions, canada, in an impressive win, 8—1. that means they've won four round robin matches. so they are full of confidence and will be backin are full of confidence and will be back in action tomorrow. the former commander of the uk's maritime forces says britain is in danger of losing its status as a "credible military power". rear admiral alex burton has called for an urgent increase in the defence budget after years of budget cuts, and said the threat

from russia is growing. he's been speaking to our economics editor, kamal ahmed, who's here with me now. what has he been saying?” what has he been saying? i think it isa what has he been saying? i think it is a plea for defence not to be forgotten. we have had huge debates about hospitals and schools, but he says, with the threat increasing from russia, from rogue states, from terrorism, that the hardware, our ships, our submarines, armed terrorism, that the hardware, our ships, oursubmarines, armed forces and soldiers, need to be remembered in keeping britain safe. i asked at the rear admiral, who retired from the rear admiral, who retired from the royal navy last autumn, what was most concerning. what worries me, and worried me when i left the front line and was operating in headquarters, is that some of the decisions we were making, and potentially over the next 12 months, some of the decisions that will be made, will affect the ability to fight and win on the front line. of course, this is all in the

context of the spring statement tomorrow, the big announcement on the public finances and the economy. the treasury makes it clear defence spending is going up. it is the fastest rising sector for whitehawk in terms of its expenditure, and also that they are looking at other areas, like education and health. there could be some warm words on defence spending tomorrow. thank you very much indeed. a council with unprecedented financial problems has been accused of using millions of pounds of funding ring—fenced for public health to prop up other services. the bbc‘s inside out east programme has learned that northamptonshire county council may have to return as much as £10 million to public health england. tom barton has the details. in northamptonshire, there are over 1,000 smoking—related deaths each year... anti—smoking drives

and healthy eating. ..score is below the uk average. every year, the government gives councils in england grants to spend on improving the health of local people. but now there are questions over how one council has been spending that money. we can reveal that northamptonshire county council is being investigated over claims that it spent millions of pounds of public health money on other things. if it's found to have done so, then this hard—up council could be forced to repay some of that cash. northamptonshire's finances are already in dire straits. at the start of february, it became the first council in nearly 20 years to put itself in financial special measures, as officials worried it might run out of cash. and it's cutting services, including axing bus subsidies and closing 21 libraries. opposition councillors say it's no surprise the authority may have broken the rules.

i think it tells you a lot about the bigger picture at northamptonshire county council, which is that money is really tight. they are having to scramble around for every penny they can find to balance the budget, and they may be pushing things a little too far. and potentially spending ring—fenced money outside the rules. that's a big issue, isn't it? absolutely it's a big issue. you would expect people to know the rules and stick within them. the council's leader acknowledges that money intended for public health may have been spent on delivering adult social care services, and she says the authority is in discussions with public health england over whether any of that spending was outside the rules. whether it was wrong, what i can assure people is, that money wasn't misappropriated. it may have been spent on adult social care, looking after people in some way or another, that somebody might judge that wasn't really public health money, but at the end of the day, it's still been spent on the people in northamptonshire.

for the last two months, a government inspector has been keeping a close eye on how northamptonshire county council is run. he is due to complete his report at the end of this week, giving more details about what went wrong at this troubled council. tom barton, bbc news, northampton. and if you live in the east of england, you can see more on that story tonight on inside out on bbc one at 7:30pm, and then everywhere on the bbc iplayer. there are over 60,000 people detained in mental health hospitals in england — a rise of more than a0% in the last decade. the prime minister has said that figure is too high. in this special report, graham satchell follows the progress of one patient as she prepares to leave hospital and begin a new phase of her life. so, any worries? how are you feeling? i'm a bit nervous, because obviously i've been here for quite a while so it becomes kind of normal, the routine. tee has been locked up for her own safety for almost two years.

no sharp objects, not even a mirror. she was detained under the mental health act just after turning 18. i just remember feeling every emotion under the sun. i was scared. i felt upset that i've let my family down, ifelt a bit lost. initially it was really horrible and a really scary process and i started to realise that that was what i needed. they didn't section me for no reason. there was obviously a reason why. tee has been treated at st andrews in northampton, one of the biggest secure mental health hospitals in the country. it's the first time news cameras have been allowed to film here. tee's problems started when she was 1a. i used to self—harm so that got more intense and quite serious and things like overdosing, which obviously i look back now and am glad nothing worked. things like that, just spiralled out of control and i felt like i couldn't cope anymore.

tee, it's almost time to leave hospital. how do you think you've done in your time here? when i first got here, i was really anxious and thought i would be here forever. tee has worked hard to get to this point. with therapy and medication, she's learned to manage her emotions. but the number of people being detained in mental health hospitals in england has gone up a0% in a decade. the majority of our patients are detained patients. they are here under a section of the mental health act. sadly, there is an inexhaustible supply of damaged young women out there who could replace the ladies who are leaving. why are numbers so high? the moment of crisis for tee came as she moved from child to adult mental health services. the criteria for getting help as an adult is different. waiting times are longer. as she turned 18, tee had months of no support and ended up taking an overdose. ifelt like i was kind ofjust left, so that gap, it really made me worse. my mental health deteriortated, i felt like nobody cared, i pushed the ones i loved the most away because i thought, they don't care so i don't care.

it was really difficult having that period of no support. transition is supposed to be a gradual managed period from children's mental health services to adult mental health services but for many young people, it's like falling off a cliff edge and that's how many young people describe that process. nhs england told us they're spelling spending an extra £280 million a year and trialling new models of care, young people moving to adult mental health services at 25 rather than 18. but they acknowledge too many young people are not getting the treatment they should expect. graham satchell, bbc news. it is understood that jamie carragher will not appear on monday night football. the former england and liverpool footballer—turned pundit, jamie carragher, has apologised after spitting at a 1a—year—old girl in a car while driving. the a0—year—old had been covering

his former side's 2—1 defeat by manchester united on saturday. the footage shows the star react by spitting, after what he described as being "goaded" — he later said there was "no excuse" for his behaviour. scientists are warning that feeding birds in your garden could spread some diseases, posing a threat to wildlife. experts led by the zoological society of london say feeding tables and containers need to be regularly disinfected, as helen briggs reports. feeding wild birds. it's a great way to get close to nature, but

scientists say feeding birds may not a lwa ys scientists say feeding birds may not always be good for their health. so when people are feeding birds in their garden, you get a number of birds coming to the same place, day after day after day, and you can get after day after day, and you can get a build—up of disease—causing agents at those locations. data shows new disease threats to common garden birds, like chaffinches and great tips, which cause symptoms like fluffed up feathers and lethargy. birds rely on us feeding them, that when they gather on bird feeders like this, they can pass diseases to each other. wildlife experts say anyone who feeds birds should follow simple precautions. the aim of this report is to get the message out that the people that they need to be responsible if they are feeding birds. we are not discouraging people from feeding birds, but if you put feed out that the birds, you

should be very aware of your hygiene, about keeping feeders clea n, hygiene, about keeping feeders clean, and what signs of disease look like. if you see signs of disease, you should take action. this bird lover says it's worth taking the action to keep birds coming back to her garden. the necessity to clean them, the news about that is a bit of a shock, because i don't do it very often. it is rather a pain to do it. we will just have to bother. with populations of some garden birds in dramatic decline, more information will help safeguard the health of the birds we share our gardens with. helen briggs, bbc news. time