this is bbc news. the headlines at 8: russia tells britain and other western countries it's expelling more diplomats after the salisbury poisoning row 15 palestinians are killed after a mass protest on the border between gaza and israel. a british soldier — working in syria with american troops — has been killed fighting the so—called islamic state group. new bail rules are leading to thousands of crime suspects, some involving murder and rape, being released without any conditions. and in the next hour — a new form of supercomputer. scientists say quantum computing could open up amazing new possibilities you can begin to solve problems that would take us today more than the lifetime of the universe to solve in seconds, hours, or days. stephen

spielberg takes on the world of computer games. find out about that and the rest of the releases in the film review. good evening and welcome to bbc news. in a day of tit—for—tat diplomatic expulsions after the salisbury nerve agent attack, russia has told britain it has to cut the number of staff it has there to the number that russia has in the uk. in a series of coordinated moves, moscow expelled embassy staff from several countries including france, germany, spain, croatia, and norway. the foreign office described moscow's demand as "regrettable", but said it didn't distract from what it called russia's flagrant breach of international law. from moscow, sarah rainsford reports. it was quite a sight. a stream of ambassadors summoned

to russia's foreign ministry. they came from more than 20 countries to hear their punishment. each one had backed britain, and accused russia of the nerve agent attack in salisbury. the german ambassador emerged to say moscow still has questions to answer over the poisoning. but his country is now losing four diplomats here. in total, well over 100 willjoin a mass exodus from moscow. there have been extraordinary scenes here all day. as, one by one, ambassadors have been called in to the foreign ministry. the timing of this, the choreography, seemed meant to send a message — that russia will hit back at any moves made against it by western governments. and today moscow decided to escalate. the british ambassador was summoned again, ordered to cut his staff even further. it's important to bear in mind why this crisis has arisen in the first place. it is the use of chemical weapons on the streets

of the united kingdom that has threatened the lives of a number of people in my country. 23 british diplomats have already left this embassy. now the uk has the match its total diplomatic presence here to the russian headcount in the uk. this move is a clear sign that vladimir putin is determined not to give in under pressure. expulsions look so easy. you don't have to pay a high price on either side for expulsions, but it is not the case. i'm afraid if the whole fabric of the relationship gets thinner and thinner, we have a real problem. that problem is already here. western countries seem determined to show russia it has crossed the line, but the kremlin still calls the accusations against it is outrageous, and warns that further sanctions could follow. today rush y said it didn't start

this crisis and said it has been forced to retaliate what it calls unfriendly moves by the uk and its allies. a spokesman said vladimir putin wants good relations and he is open to dialogue. butjudging by today's expulsions, it seems vladimir putin is pushing for the dialogue on his terms. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. our guests joining me tonight are the political commentator lance price and the telegraph's chief political correspondent christopher hope. the health ministry in gaza says that at least twelve people have been killed by israeli security forces along the israel—gaza border. thousands of palestinians joined a mass protest called by hamas, which controls gaza, and other palestinian groups. israel's military doubled its usual deployment of troops in the area just ahead of the jewish passover holiday, and said it would act to stop any breach of its borderfence. yolande knell sent this report.

a chaotic rush to the hospital, with hundreds of palestinians injured in gaza. a call for peaceful marches turned to violence, as protesters headed towards the israeli border. israel's military says it used tear gas and opened fire to stop anyone illegally crossing into its territory or attacking soldiers. and this was just the start. palestinians are planning a series of protests until mid—may. that will be 70 years on from the creation of the state of israel. palestinians see it as their catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes, and many here have never given up their claim to the land. translation: we are here to stress our right to return. sooner or later, we must go back. translation: we want to tell the world that returning to our land is non—negotiable.

but israel says gaza's leaders are cynically exploiting ordinary people to stir up unrest. translation: hamas and other palestinian groups are calling their protest "the march of return", however, as events unfold, it's the march of chaos. these are aggressive riots. gazan families are now being urged to stay at protest camps along the israeli border, and that will ensure that tensions here remain high in the weeks ahead. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. we heard from our correspondent earlier and she gave us this update. according to the health ministry in gazait according to the health ministry in gaza it is 15 people that have been killed and they‘ re gaza it is 15 people that have been killed and they're dealing with many hundreds of injured. this was one of the largest demonstrations by

palestinians on the israel gaza border that we have seep in recent year. an official said about 30,000 people took part. there are these encampments that have been set up along the border, which is a0 miles long and the idea was supposed to be to have families come along there, there were cultural events and sporting activities. but of the what happened, many palestinians, as the day went on, approached the border fence with israel. that is where soldiers were waiting. there has been a huge deployment, double the number of troops in the area and when they started throwing stones, using molotov cocktails, according to the israeli military, they responded by opening fire and using tear gas and rubber bullets. this

day of violence unfolded, now hospitals really having a difficult time dealing with the number of injuries considering there are many people with gunshot wounds. what are these protests going to be about? those taking part say they will last for some weeks? that's right, first, today's protest is an annual protest, known as land's day. but in gaza the different palestinian political factions have decided gaza the different palestinian politicalfactions have decided it will be the start of six weeks of protest. that is going up to mid—may. and that will be 70 years since the creation of state of israel. israel will be celebrating that. for the palestinians it is known as the catastrophe. that is when palestinians fled from their

homes in lands that came israel. they have become refugees. there are many people with that status who live in gaza and they were taking pa rt live in gaza and they were taking part in the demonstrations. live in gaza and they were taking part in the demonstrationsm live in gaza and they were taking part in the demonstrations. if this is how it is beginning, what are the prospects for calm during the protests ? prospects for calm during the protests? well now there is a lot of concern about what happens next. the palestinian president declared tomorrow as a national day of mourning. we expect the funerals to ta ke mourning. we expect the funerals to take place of those killed. what the israel authorities say is, they're accusing hamas of making it is into an attempt to exploit ordinary palestinians to stir up trouble on the border and they‘ re palestinians to stir up trouble on the border and they're worried, because it is the start ofjewish passover holiday and it could be the start of a lot of unrest when people are trying to enjoy their holidays

and people living in the border zone where tensions are running so high. the deployment will remain in the south of israel, close to the gaza border. thank you. the ministry of defence has confirmed that a member of the uk armed forces has been killed in syria. it said the individual was embedded with us forces on an operation against the islamic state group, near the town of manbij. he was killed along with an american solider by an improvised explosive device. a 90—year—old woman has died after being struck by a bin lorry in edinburgh. the pensioner was hit at approximately 11.30 this morning and was pronounced dead at the scene. an investigation has been launched into the cause of the collision. parents are increasingly being asked to contribute towards classroom basics such as textbooks, says the leader of the largest teachers' union. ahead of their annual conference in brighton, kevin courtney of the national education union, said that despite more than a billion pounds of extra funding being allocated to schools in england, rising costs meant

they still faced tough choices. our education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. they're not the only ones counting carefully... the budget is tight at this primary school. it's in west sussex, an area of low funding. we need to make sure it's the same amount in each quarter... parents paid for the rug in this classroom, part of a wish list set up online by one mum. that was a big shock to myself, when i came to the school and asked them to provide items that they really needed and they were asking me to put on hand towels, tissues, toilet roll, glue sticks, pencils, exercise books. they have to raise the funds somehow to provide all the children in the next school year with exercise books, and the money's not necessarily there. the online portal has raised £5,000 in a month, notjust from parents but from the local community too. schools can only ask parents for voluntary contributions. it's meant to be for little extras,

but with budgets increasingly under pressure from rising costs, parents are finding themselves forking out for the basics. what's another question, max? some extra money is going to schools. more than £1 billion across england, a bigger share for west sussex, but the big cost is staff. teachers are asking for a 5% pay increase. the head here says it all feels too uncertain. my concern is that we're going to end up with a real yo—yo system, where there'll be the teacher cuts, they'll be the redundancies, they'll be the school closures, and then all of a sudden, then more money will be put back into education, but just too late. so then what do we do? share them into quarters, what we now need to do? not enough teachers are training, too many are leaving. teachers unions say a pay rise would help.

they want the government, not schools, to find more money. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has said his party must do better in the fight against anti—semitism. in his passover message, he tried to reassure thejewish community that labour would "never be complacent" about the issue. aa labour mps and peers have now urged mr corbyn to suspend a senior official over her handling of a complaint about anti—semitism. christine shawcroft stood down as head of the party's disputes panel, after backing the reinstatement of a council candidate accused of holocaust denial. thousands of suspects under investigation for violent and sexual offences have been released from police custody without any bail conditions attached, according to research by the bbc. new rules were introduced in england and wales a year ago, designed to prevent people being kept on bailfor months and, in some cases, years. the charity women's aid said the figures were shocking, and would worry victims

of domestic violence. our home affairs correspondent danny shaw reports. it was the case of paul gambaccini that sparked concerns about the use of police bail. the radio presenter was questioned about alleged sexual offe nces was questioned about alleged sexual offences before being released on bail for 12 months before being told there was no charges. last year a 28—day limit was imposed. if police wa nt 28—day limit was imposed. if police want to bail suspects for longer they need approval. as a result, the numberof of they need approval. as a result, the number of of suspects bailed has dropped by two thirds. so thousands don't have to report back to police and face no restrictions on who they contact or where they go. bbc news

gained information saying that 1,300 suspects were released without conditions between april and june. the number included 31 murder suspects and 768 people suspected of rape. all still subject to police investigation. we are contacted by survivors all the time who tell us of their worries. the failure to use bail conditions in many cases means that the victim can be vulnerable to being contacted or harassed or suffering further violence. the home office said a large drop in the use of bail should not affect the way police respond to incidents of domestic abuse. it said ministers had asked to make sure people are bailare had asked to make sure people are bail are not released without conditions. a fire broke out in

sta nsted and all flights conditions. a fire broke out in stansted and all flights have been cancelled. the airport has tweeted all flights have been cancelled, advising passengers to rebook. no injuries were reported after the fire ona injuries were reported after the fire on a bus. on the line is a bbc producer who is stuck at stansted airport. where were you hoping to get to? shannon and i like many others, hundreds, well into the thousands here at least a thousand people i would say in departures in sta nsted, people i would say in departures in stansted, who people i would say in departures in sta nsted, who on people i would say in departures in stansted, who on good friday, it is com pletely stansted, who on good friday, it is completely stranded at stansted. basically what happened in the last half an hour, initially it said on the board, people were all congregating around the board and then particularly the ryanair flights came up cancelled. so i was

talking to pep around me, who had the —— people around me, who had the same experience of seeing their flight same experience of seeing their flight cancelled and people asking each other was your flight on the board? a each other was your flight on the board ? a lot each other was your flight on the board? a lot of confusion here. a lot of people stranded this good friday evening. there are a few representatives here on the ground, a few ground staff who are being inundated and are trying to provide information. but there is not a great deal of information to impart, other than check the web—site and see if it is confirmed that your flight see if it is confirmed that your flight has been cancelled. crucially, a lot of the flights disappearing completely from the board which has caused a lot of the confusion here. we can see pictures of bus and it is burnt out. it shows how much of an impact an incident like this has had. what are you meant to do now? yes i was early for

my flight and i was standing outside for about two hours trying to get in. i wasn't worries, because i travel a lot and my flight was cancelled due to the beast from the east a few weeks ago, so i'm not having muchjoy east a few weeks ago, so i'm not having much joy getting to ireland. a lot of people just passing by taking photographs, that was slowing up taking photographs, that was slowing up things getting into the building. people were stopping to take pictures. they let people through security, but then there was real confusion as people were standing around, sitting around, people trying to charge up their phones, getting fed. and it was cold and rainy outside earlier. a lot of people with children. a lot of families. but then of course there was the new challenge of trying the

find out what is going on with the flight. find out what is going on with the flight. that challenge is ongoing. there is a big bottleneck of people from departures through the duty—free area, back to the entrance. a lot of people are standing around asking each other, do you know what to do. people coming up to me. i'm quite tall, a lot of german people were coming up, saying are you german, you can see the level of confusion and desperation almost among people here. it was on twitter, they posted that all the flights will be cancelled. the advice is to rebook. i hope you manage to find your way out of the airport eventually. thank you for talking to us. thank you. the headlines on bbc news: russia tells britain and other western countries it's expelling more diplomats after the salisbury poisoning row. latest details say four french diplomats are being expelled by moscow

ourflights from our flights from sta nsted our flights from stansted airport have been cancelled after a fire on a bus. 15 palestinians have been killed —— according to the gaza health ministry —— after a mass protest on the border with israel. now the sport. the british champion, anthonyjoshua is now the sport. the british champion, anthony joshua is back now the sport. the british champion, anthonyjoshua is back in action tomorrow. he faces the current bwo champion joseph parker. our correspondent reports from cardiff. cardiff, a city steeped in history. but more recently renowned for hosting major sporting events and they don't come a lot bigger than this. anthonyjoshua againstjoseph parker, the first reigning heavy

weight boxers to fight on british soil. if i make weight boxers to fight on british soil. ifi make a mistake, they're going to capitalise. that is why i like, i work hard and i want to improve, because i don't want to give them that chance. i'm not going to sit here and say, you know, it is not a possibility. but i make the possibility you know slim to none by training, foe cussing and being in the best shape. it is here in front ofa the best shape. it is here in front of a full house that both men will put their unbeaten records on the line. the winner walking away with three of the four recognised world titles. although a hero in his home land of new zealand, parker is yet to compete on a stage of such magnitude and victory would cause a huge upset. i can't whyte wait. i know if hi clip him well he is going down. if he doesn't go down i'm

going to chase him. chase him until i get going to chase him. chase him until iget him going to chase him. chase him until i get him out of there. joshua's rise has been spectacular. this is where he will hope to do so in what is expected to a full house in 2a hours' time. ifjoshua is to continue his journey to sporting greatness, he knows he has to win. cricket and england's top order batting was poor as they started the second test with new zealand. they lost early wickets and found themes 9a-5 lost early wickets and found themes 9a—5 until bairstow and wood led a come back. they resume later on 290-8. as the come back. they resume later on 290—8. as the fallout continues from the ball tampering scandal, australia's cricketers have been backin australia's cricketers have been back in action in south africa. it

is the last match for their coach. the man he replaced said the culture of the australian team has not been right for some time. it was disappointing to see what happened, i'm upset for the players. and i'm disappointed for the knock that australian cricket is taking and world cricket in general. i have been disappointed in the behaviour of the australian team for the last couple of years. i think they felt they are almost above everybody else. because they are a good enough cricket team, very skilled enough cricketers to win games without resorting to the tactics they have. here is the score card from south africa. it isa it is a busy weekend for super league. tonight st helens beat wigan

ina 21—18 league. tonight st helens beat wigan in a 21—18 win. with the scores level with five minutes to go, the 21—year—old regan brace scored the winner. hull fc beat hull kr in front of a record crowd, despite having a player september er sent off in the first half. in the other games, huddersfield drew with leeds. that is all the sport for now. more later on. thank you very much. some break news. in gaza, the uk

security council have announced they will meet later today at the request of kuwait. we have heard that 15 palestinians have been killed as israel opened fire. israel saying they were responding to acts of violence by palestinians as thousands gather nor weeks of protest. and more on the situation at sta nsted protest. and more on the situation at stansted airport where all flights after cancelled after a fire ona flights after cancelled after a fire on a bus. ryanairsay flights after cancelled after a fire on a bus. ryanair say we have been forced to cancel flights due to disruptions caused by a fire outside the terminal building. affected customers have been notified by text and e—mailand customers have been notified by text and e—mail and have been advised of their rebooking options. notjust

ryanair, but all flights cancelled. everyone with a flight tonight shouldn't turn up at the airport and the building has been evacuated and 110w the building has been evacuated and now people do need to leave and rebook. a hundred and fifty million users of the myfitnesspal app and website have had their personal details accessed in a data breach. its owner, under armour, says it happened in late february. user names, emails and encrypted passwords may have been stolen. users are being urged to change their passwords. the comedy actor bill maynard has died at the age of 89, his family has announced. bill maynard first made his name in the itv comedy ‘oh no, it's selwyn froggatt!‘ in the 1970s before starring in the popular drama heartbeat in the 1990s. the hollywood actor arnold schwarzenegger has undergone emergency open heart surgery at a hospital in los angeles, according to reports in the united states. the 70—year—old ‘terminator‘ star — who also served as california's governor — was admitted for a routine

catheter valve procedure which developed complications. according to reports, his spokesman says he is in a stable condition. scientists say it's the technology that could revolutionise computing. it's called quantum computing and for years companies have been vying to build a fully operational quantum computer, which could process information much faster than today's most powerful supercomputers. rory cellan—jones reports. copenhagen, and it's pretty cold outside, but inside a university lab, there's a place that's even colder. if you look right up here on this gauge, you'll see that the inside of that refrigerator is sitting at three hundredths of a degree above absolute zero. that's 100 times colder than deep space. this may be the coldest place in the universe. and this is why. embedded in this chip is a qubit, the building block for the computer of the future, which will only work under these extreme conditions. microsoft is working with scientists

here and around the world to build a quantum computer. they're confident they're about to make a major breakthrough. if they succeed, there's a huge prize. quantum really represents a giant leap forward from today's technology. we can begin to solve problems that would take us today more than a lifetime of the universe to solve, in seconds, hours or days. so how does a quantum computer work? drill down into a conventional computer and you'll find the bit, the basic unit of information, which is either a zero or a one. think of it as a switch which is either on or off. but at the heart of a quantum computer is the qubit and the magic here is it can be both one and zero at the same time. the switch can be both on and off. this supercharges any computer programme, making impossible problems easy to solve. we could find answers to climate change, make rapid progress in artificial intelligence and break

encryption — secure codes would be simple to crack. first, though, there are huge challenges in creating qubits stable enough to be useful in a commercial quantum computer. microsoft thinks it's got a unique way of doing that. by making a better qubit to begin with, you'll need fewer of them to build the full quantum processor. but there's stiff competition. google, ibm and scientists in labs like this one in london are all making breakthroughs, and so far they've made faster progress. so microsoft is starting further behind, they're still trying to demonstrate a single qubit, but their approach is unique. its qubits may be much better protected against errors, so if they get their one qubit to work, they could leapfrog these other approaches quite quickly. back in copenhagen, they're confident they're on the verge of a breakthrough which will lead to a commercial quantum computer within five years. if that's true, and it's a big if, the world will change

in all sorts of ways. rory cellan—jones, bbc news, copenhagen. the prince of wales has recorded an easter message in support of persecuted christians and other faiths around the world. in the video, prince charles describes how moved he's been while meeting christians who have had to flee from persecution. he also expresses sympathy for anyone being persecuted because of their faith. all three abrahamic faiths have known and continue to know the bitterness of persecution, when religion has fallen into the barbaric grip of those who distort and misrepresent faith. so this easter i want to salute the fortitude of all those who, whatever

their faith, fortitude of all those who, whatever theirfaith, are persecuted for remaining faithful to the truth essence of their beliefs. let's go to the rome coliseum. the pope is leading the way of the cross. it is a procession around the ancient ruins of the coliseum. the pope is there amongst those processing with there amongst those processing with the crucifix. according to roman catholics today, good friday, this ceremony, creates christ suffering, his death, and is one of the main services ahead of easter, which is the climax of the christian calendar. a very important weekend. tomorrow night the pope will lead an easter vigil service. on sunday he will deliver his twice yearly message to the city. and the world.

let's ta ke message to the city. and the world. let's take a look at the weather. for many central and southern parts it was a soggy start of the weekend. further north, more in the way of sunny spells. the easter weekend will be unsettled. there will be rain at times, even snow, which could be problematic on easter monday. it'll stay duck. but there will be some brightness in some places, too. —— it'll stay cool. further snow on higher ground. something try pushing into the south—east of england by the end of the night. the best of the dry weather will be across the north, west and north west of scotland and northern ireland. italy start on saturday. the best of the drier and brighter weather will be on the west coast of scotland. elsewhere, cardigan mel suffering, hill snow, tending to tease out through the day, but it'll feel cold with that easterly wind, particularly in

eastern coastal counties. —— elsewhere, cloudy and hill snow. the headlines: russia has expelled diplomats from 23 countries, including more from britain and four from france. the kremlin has said it still wa nts from france. the kremlin has said it still wants good relations with the west despite the continuing row about the poisoning of a former spy in salisbury. all flights from sta nsted tonight have been cancelled after a fire broke out on a car park shuttle bus. passengers have been asked to leave the airport and contact their airline about rebooking flights. 15 palestinians have been killed — according to the gaza health ministry — after a mass protest on the border with israel. a british soldier — working in syria with american troops — has been killed fighting the so called islamic state group. the leader of the largest teachers' union says parents are increasingly being asked to contribute towards classroom basics such as textbooks the royal air force will celebrate its 100th anniversary

in just a few days time on the 1st of april. to mark the occasion the raf is hosting a number of events up and down the country. air chief marshall, sir stephen hillier, has spoken to huw edwards about the events taking place to mark the air forces centenary and the challenges and changes ahead. to be chief of air staff is a rare privilege at any stage. but to be in this position in the centenary year of the airforce this position in the centenary year of the air force is really a very special privilege indeed. how does it strike you? exactly how you describe it. enormous privilege. i'm really proud to be in command of the raf. but in this year in particular, oui’ raf. but in this year in particular, our 100th anniversary year, the 31st

chief of the air staff. i feel that connection with our history and heritage and our tradition. what are you trying to say to people this year about the significance of the force, and its place in modern british society? we have three themes. we want to commemorate that which history, our heritage, our traditions, and all of that sacrifice and courage that has come on over the last of hundred years. but we also want to celebrate what it is doing today, exceptionally busyin it is doing today, exceptionally busy in operations, defending the uk, protecting our interest here and overseas. we also want to inspire, as well. the air force has always been a young service with youth and technology, and aspiration at its heart. and we want to inspire the next generation towards the ideals of the royal air force. and to realise aspirations wherever they might lie. in practical terms, because it is a celebration, what do you have planned, what should people look out for? the big event will be

in london. the nation ‘s capital. on the 10th ofjuly. in london. the nation ‘s capital. on the 10th of july. we in london. the nation ‘s capital. on the 10th ofjuly. we will have the service in westminster abbey. we will have a parade. and the big fly past, as well. that will be a tremendous day. the essence of ref 100 is on a single event, it is a series of events across the nation. —— raf series of events across the nation. -- raf100. series of events across the nation. -- raf 100. it's series of events across the nation. —— raf100. it's about series of events across the nation. —— raf 100. it's about celebrating and also inspiring young people. we have a major programme of engagement with young people. from ages nine to 15, primarily, aiming to inspire them through the launch platform of them through the launch platform of the raf. he mentioned young people, that can be challenging, you propose to do that? we start from a position of advantage. the royal air force is at the forefront of air, space, and cyber, so there is great technology. also we set a great example of challenging young people, giving them opportunities, allowing them to develop themselves. we are aiming to

combine those altogether. we want to inspire up to 2 million young people. ages nine to 15 primarily, but beyond that, as well. and use this as a launch platform to help them develop opportunities and realise their aspirations. it's about making these connections with young people aware across the country. he mentioned nine to 15. cani country. he mentioned nine to 15. can i take it at the time when you we re can i take it at the time when you were in that age period. what was inspiring you at that stage to think about the raf as a career? was that about the raf as a career? was that a thought for you at the time?m would be started when i was four. my father had been in the raf in the second world war. he bought me a ladybird book which was about a —— impairment in the air force. that was an inspiration. then i started to develop interest in aviation. ——

an it's a remarkable journey. lots of people watching will imagine that somebody in your position would have come through, wanted to go for every form of education imaginable, but thatis form of education imaginable, but that is not true in your case. you state educated, in kilmarnock, tell us state educated, in kilmarnock, tell us about your background and what it says about the royal air force that you've been able to make the journey you've been able to make the journey you have made? that is what is important about the raf. from the start we have been open to all. we've been a merit based organisation. we're not interested where people come from. we're interested in what they can do and their potential. that is what i felt throughout my royal air force career. it's just that merit principle has been at the forefront. in terms of my background, i would describe it is typical for a young boy, growing up in kilmarnock. i

went to the local school. i had a good education there. that gave me the springboard to join the raf. as well as the air training corps which gave me the love of flying. those things together, i guess that is what brought me here today. how would you cast your performance in terms of achieving targets, very important targets, for diversity across the board in the raf? we have had our best year in the last year for recruiting in the last eight yea rs. for recruiting in the last eight years. that's the highest target for the last eight years. all recruiting is successful. we need to make sure that we are representative of the society that we serve. we have government targets which are set upon us. but i want to do so much better than that. an example of that would be women in the rpf. we have a government target of 15%. —— in the

raf. 20% of the people we have recruited into the raf are women. they are in every branch. everything is open to everybody. it is imperfect. we have further to go, clearly, to make sure we are fully representative. but i think it shows we are doing pretty well. would you go so faras we are doing pretty well. would you go so far as to agree that we are in danger of using our status as a credible military power, unless spending is increased ? credible military power, unless spending is increased? do you recognise that? we are an immensely credible and capable air force. if we look at operations against daesh, we've been number two matt quinn the coalition alongside the us. number two matt quinn in the coalition has meant that we have been providing up to a0% of the capabilities. —— number two to a0% of the capabilities. —— numbertwo in to a0% of the capabilities. —— number two in the coalition alongside the us, and number two in the coalition has meant that we have

been providing up to a0% of the capabilities. the raf is involved in situations in 20 countries around the world. an amazing effort. i don't worry about our credibility right now. but the world is changing. it's adapting very quickly. people have noticed where we are strong. they've noticed in recent complex strength in the air. they are working to deny us that strength in the future. in order to continue being a credible athos i need to expand by capabilities, thicken them up, provide more resilience. —— a credible airforce. threats are growing. we can see that ona threats are growing. we can see that on a daily basis, at home and overseas. i need to make sure i have the capabilities which gives the government choice to respond to those increasing threats. we also need to make sure we have the funding to allow us to develop our capabilities further. threats are increasing. it's a riskier, more dangerous world. a lot of things we

have taken for granted in the air environment, like our control of the air, we can no longer take for granted. we need to up her game technologically. i would like to see us technologically. i would like to see us properly resourced with the capabilities we deal with the threats we face. i'm trying to decode what you are saying. you don't want to set a figure but current level of resources in your view does not allow you to do all of the things you believe necessary?m we had more resources i would be able to better guarantee that the raf was adapted for the threats we face in the third decade of the 21st century. i would be able to ensure we had great resilience to deal with that in the force. what is the gap? are we way off that? quite close? what is the reasonable stat you are talking about? at our current level of aspiration, yes, we need more funding to ensure that we deliver

against that aspiration. i'm saying that our aspirations should be higher than that. because the world demands it. that will require a greater amount of money. but i am a realist. we cannot accept an unlimited budget. this needs to be a pa rt unlimited budget. this needs to be a part of the whole government debate about how best to guarantee our national—security. i am wary of setting arbitrary figures because that's not the way, i believe, we should work it out. we mention russia all the time. the varied level of threat it seems to pose in various areas. level of threat it seems to pose in various areas. how level of threat it seems to pose in various areas. how would you characterise the threat right now from russia? i feelwe are under greater pressure. russia is aiming to ta ke greater pressure. russia is aiming to take advantage wherever it can. and exploit opportunities. and do so ina and exploit opportunities. and do so in a which disregards previous norms of international behaviour. a small

example of that would be about one month ago, i was up in the north of the shetland isles. we were putting a defence radar back there. because we needed a better awareness of what was happening in the north sea, the norwegian sea. a few days before i went up there two russian aircraft had come down to the north sea within 30 miles of aberdeen. previously they have come up the english channel to within 12 miles of our coastline. this feels different. this feels like under more pressure. then there is the cyber threat. we need to see how the events in salisbury play out. and as the home secretary said, we need to com plete the home secretary said, we need to complete the investigation. but that sense of pressure, that sense of advantage, that sense of disregard of the walls and behaviour is how i feel it. —— disregard of the rules. ifind my

feel it. —— disregard of the rules. i find my aircraft in syria on a daily basis. they are being intercepted by russian aircraft. again, it feels different from what we have seen in the past. at the end of this year, when your celebrations are complete, what do you hope he will take away from the ceo of centenary celebrations?” will take away from the ceo of centenary celebrations? i hope and injuring legacy. —— they will take away. recognition of the air force being at the cutting edge of technology now and in the future. —— from this year of centenary celebrations. to see that we are talented, skilled, challenged, willing to challenge themselves, that we still have those people going forward. and that people will look at that as an example and say,