this is bbc news. i'm martine croxall. the headlines at 7: a shortage of special needs funding means growing numbers of children in england are being left without suitable school places, according to the largest union for teachers. can you imagine the torment that a parent goes through, a parent of a child with special needs, where we aren't educating them at all? the newest member of the labour party's governing committee, the comedian eddie izzard, says labour must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. it comes as labour distances itself from some pro—jeremy corbyn facebook groups featuring anti—semitic and abusive comments. police on the spanish island of tenerife say they've arrested two people in connection with the death of a nine—year—old boy from northern ireland. police on the spanish island of tenerife say they've arrested two four weeks after the nerve agent attack on salisbury its bishop says the city was violated — and is only just recovering. and in the next hour... happy centenary, raf! ceremonies have been taking place around the country

as the queen pays tribute to the skill and sacrifice of the men and women of the royal air force who, she said, had gallantly defended freedom. and tottenham win at stamford bridge — reaction to that and the rest of the day's sports news coming up in sportsday in half an hour. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. britain's largest teaching union is warning that a growing number of children with special needs in england are being left without suitable school places. last year, more than 4,000 children with the most severe needs were not offered places. the union has accused the government of "starving" local councils of funding. but the department of education insists that local authorities now have more money for every pupil, in every school. 0ur education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. therefore some people...

every child deserves an education, but specials needs help comes from the school budget first, then they fight for extra council funding, from budgets already overstretched, making it hard for schools that want to be inclusive. it would be really sad for me if i ever got to the point where i said we don't want to take children with additional needs for financial reasons. i suspect there are schools and trusts who are looking really closely at the level of needs that a child comes in with and the amount of funding that will be attached to that and making very difficult decisions. in south gloucestershire cash is being taken from every school. they're £7 million short for high needs children, and without support they end up outside the system. can you imagine the torment that a parent goes through,

a parent of a child with special needs, where we aren't educating them at all? special—needs children are more likely to be left without an education. in 20161,700 were left without a school place. by 2017, it reached more than 4,000. an extra £262 million is being put in by the government, but the shortfall just last year was estimated at £400 million across england. how are you doing, darling? finding it very hard at the moment? natasha has needed her mum's support. her son has adhd. last year he was permanently excluded. the school had a zero tolerance behaviour policy. he'd get upset at being constantly pulled up. after the case went to a tribunal, the school apologised. they're looked at as a grade rather than a person, because there is such a high—pressure on students to get high grades, and it's one box fits all, and my son doesn't fit into that box.

her son has been found an alternative place, but natasha told me his confidence has been destroyed. i don't recognise my son now. he looks like a skeleton, he's withdrawn. everybody says that they think he looks depressed, he looks sullen. his eyes are sunk into the back of his head, with dark circles round his eyes. the government says support for special—needs is improving at but many worry funding pressures put that at risk, making schools less likely to welcome children who need extra help. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. 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 parliamentary reporter tony grew and the journalist, caroline frost. the comedian eddie izzard, who has just been appointed to labour's governing national executive committee, says the party must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. it follows the resignation of his predecessor christine shawcroft, after complaints she'd offered support to a council candidate accused of holocaust denial. the 0ur political correspondent chris mason has been following the story and joins me now. eddie izzard is a name known to many people well beyond the labour party. yes, normally, people like me droning on about the machinations of a committee nz political party, with people nobody really cares about, it often involves names that are not celebrity or household, but eddie izza rd celebrity or household, but eddie izzard expose those boxes. the curiosity is the reason he has got thisjob, is that curiosity is the reason he has got this job, is that there are elections, as there always are, to

the ruling body, the nec of the labour party, and he was runner—up last time so he had just lost out, so last time so he had just lost out, so with her resignation, christine shawcroft, he was next on the ticket. he has put out a statement acknowledging what has been going on with this matter around anti—semitism. his argument is the party should be focused on taking on the conservatives rather than arguing amongst itself. he says he has spent his life then campaigning against hate and he will continue to do that, as he says, wherever it rears its ugly head. what is interesting is that politically he has been labour party supporter for yea rs has been labour party supporter for years and years, from a slightly centrist tradition than christine shawcroft, who he was replacing, who was involved in the momentum pro jeremy corbyn lobby group. 0ther interesting thing with this story

around anti—semitism and labour, we have been talking about this for over a week now, headlines continuing to come along, and it is impossible not to conclude that the truce, the public truce that had happened within the labour movement, after the general election campaign forjeremy corbyn did much better than many people expected, albeit he still lost, that it is definitively broken. the party is once again as before the election falling out with itself and doing it in public. christine shawcroft resigned because a——ofa christine shawcroft resigned because a —— ofa lot of the christine shawcroft resigned because a —— of a lot of the pressure on her, and a labour party donor has taken action? yes, he has given one and a half million pounds to the labour party, sir david garrard, he has gone from handing over that money over the last 15 years to effectively tearing up his party

membership card, as he is very disillusioned with this row around anti—semitism. there are those within the labour movement, particularly those loyal to jeremy corbyn, who say that the model we aspire to create in terms of the jeremy corbyn labour party is that opposed to relying on big pocketed individual donors, you have a mass membership that is sufficiently large with relatively small donations from a lot of people making a big difference. in the election campaign there was evidence they benefited from that, but it is still quite striking that somebody whose loyalty to the party extended to handing over a lot of money isn't just stopping giving money to the party, he is actively walking away from that party. tell us about jeremy corbyn and his facebook presence. facebook is a hugely important platform forjeremy corbyn, as with all politicians of course in this era of social media and direct communication. but he has been particularly successful in having a direct channel with voters, putting up clips and all the rest of it, on facebook. he has deleted one

of his two presences, if you like, on facebook. his own personal account. he does still have a profile page, so he is still there, but he has deleted his personal account, and that is after the sunday times publish this dossier, this troll, various people on facebook or supporters ofjeremy corbyn, with more than 2000 messages that were hateful, misogynistic, racist or anti—semitic, found by the newspaper. 0verall, about 400,000 people are members of these groups, is you can argue that these hateful m essa 9 es is you can argue that these hateful messages are a relatively small number of them. what is interesting, there are some senior figures in the party who are members of these groups. the one is suggesting they have posted anything untoward, but they are members of these groups. the party is saying we have nothing to do with these groups, just because people are members, doesn't mean they have even read a lot of the stuff because things can fire up through your facebook profile very quickly, but it is yet another

strand on this ongoing row about anti—semitism, and crucially for mr corbyn's perspective, this re—emergence of bitter and angry and public division at the heart of the labour party. yes, a lot going on, as you say, thank you, chris mason. two people have been arrested in tenerife after a nine—year—old boy from northern ireland died in hospitalfollowing a hit and run on the island on thursday. the boy was leaving a shopping centre with his family when the collision happened. richard morgan reports. nine—year—old carter carson was on a family holiday in tenerife. he was leaving this supermarket in adeje on thursday when he was hit by a car. he died in hospital on friday. the car believed to have been involved was found abandoned a few miles from the scene. the police say two people have been arrested. flowers have been left close to where the crash happened. the foreign office said it is providing consular assistance to the family following the tragic death.

the nine—year—old played football for 18th newtownabbey youth. he'd been a member since he was five, and the club said it was heartbroken. carter was a primary five pupil at abbots cross school in newtownabbey. a post on the school's website said the whole school community is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of carter carson. it said the thoughts and prayers of the school with his family at this tragic time. the school said it's ensuring appropriate support is put in place for its pupils to help them deal with carter's death. the school will open later this week to allow pupils and parents to spend time together, and to sign what has been called a book of memories. it is understood arrangements are being made to return his body to northern ireland in the coming days. richard morgan, bbc newsline. four weeks after the nerve agent attack on sergei and yulia skripal, the bishop of salisbury has spoken of the sense of violation felt in the city. in his easter sermon, the right reverend nicholas holtam said people there had suffered anger and anxiety, and things were only

now returning to normal. from salisbury, simonjones reports. picturesque from the outside — four weeks on, this city remains unsettled, still coming to terms with a shocking and unexplained attack. for terror and amazement had seized them... at the traditional easter service at the cathedral, the events of the past month are utmost in people's thoughts. i think what's happened was more than an attack on two individuals — it sort of violated the city, and a section of the city has been cordoned off, just a small section, but it's had a big impact on salisbury, and therefore what we need to do now is to find a way of getting back togetheragain, regrouping. the number of visitors to the cathedral has dropped by 40% since the poisoning. most of the city centre is open for business, but the police cordons remain, an ever—present reminder of what happened. in this shop close to where sergei and yulia skripal were found slumped on a park bench,

they say people are returning, but times have been tough. some shops have been closing down early, shutting shop a little bit, not sure if the customers are going to come back, regulars haven't been visiting as frequently as they normally would. and some tell me they are still struggling to comprehend that a nerve—agent attack happened here. this city is not the same anymore. i am walking around the city, and i am thinking, "is there anyone following me? " i think people are scared, cos that's not going to be the last one. i don't think that will be the last one, i think it will happen again. 0thers, though, insist good is emerging from the bad events. we want the world to see that this city is so beautiful, everyone is so nice and friendly here. it's united the city — we're all fighting to have beautiful salisbury back. the bishop of salisbury spoke of the city's resilience — that will be tested further in the coming months. simonjones, bbc news, salisbury. ceremonies have been held

today to mark 100 years since the raf became the world's first independent air force. it was formed by the merger of the army's royal flying corps and the royal naval air service. a number of events are being held across the country, including a fly—past at biggin hill in kent where three world war ii aircrafts took to the skies watched by veterans. 0ur correspondent robert hall has spent the day at stow maries in essex. stow maries is a particularly poignant spot on this day of commemoration. we're surrounded by reminders of the men and the machines whose actions convince the politicians that an independent air force was the way forward. it was a hugely significant moment. small wonder that the raf will never forget april the 1st 1918. 0n the runway at europe's last intact first world war aerodrome, echoes from the day that the raf became a reality. this tiny biplane would have been familiar to the men

who pioneered military aviation. archive footage: t flew like goldfish in a bowl, archive footage: we flew like goldfish in a bowl, in all directions, around the sky... you were alone, you know, and you fought alone and died alone. today stow maries' airfield is turn back the clock, remembering the airships, and those are argued airpower could expand and survive. we are very proud to say that of the operational aerodromes active on operations the day of formation, we are the only one left, the only one you can still fly from. and the only one where you can see these aircraft are doing what they did then. in london, serving personnel and veterans gathered for a service to mark the start of the centenary commemorations. the raf family, looking back to events which provide inspiration to the future. it was a wonderful service, a service of commemoration,

but also i think a celebration of the work our air force has done throughout its history and what it is today, what we achieve and who we are as an organisation. in 1918 the airmen of stow maries watched the raf standard hoisted for the first time. a moment replayed to hundreds of local air cadets, drawn into distant events. the raf is still evolving, but without the courage of those young men long ago its history might have been very different. the raf might have been born but it didn't have an easy time. the army and navy were not convinced, didn't like losing their pilots and planes to this new service, so that raf had to show considerable determination, perhaps summed up in its own motto, "through adversity to the stars." that was our correspondent robert hall. the headlines on bbc news: a shortage of special needs funding means growing numbers of children are being left without suitable school places

in england according to the country's largest union for teachers. the newest member of the labour party's governing committee, the comedian eddie izzard, says labour must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. police on the spanish island of tenerife say they've arrested two people in connection with the death of a nine—year—old boy from northern ireland. in syria, a deal has been reached to evacuate critically injured people from douma, in the eastern ghouta region. rebel fighters have stayed in the town, although there are reports in syrian state media, that they too have agreed to leave douma. several hundred civilians, mostly women and children, are among the latest evacuees. in all, over 150,000 civilians have now been evacuated from eastern ghouta. the region was a major opposition bastion — but most of it has been recaptured by the government in recent weeks. lebo diseko reports:

this is what is left in much of eastern ghouta, the last few civilians on these streets along with government troops. the suburbs outside damascus a shadow of their former selves. 0n the horizon, douma, the last rebel enclave standing in eastern ghouta. if the government takes it, this whole area will be back in president assad's control. for weeks, there have been evacuations across the area with thousands of civilians and rebel fighters being allowed to leave. now russia says a deal has been made to get people safely out of douma. but forced displacement is what the rebels have called it. they accuse president assad of trying to change the demographics in this area in his favour. for the families ripped apart by the fighting in the area, the hope is that at least they can be reunited. translation: my hope is that my sons, who are in ghouta,

they get out, and to bring my children together, so we all live together. for those who don't leave, syria's army has threatened a full—scale military offensive. and as the war here goes into its eighth year, it is difficult to know how much more people can take. lebo diseko, bbc news. pope francis has used his easter message to call for dialogue on the korean peninsula, and peace in syria. thousands of people gathered in st peter's square in rome in bright sunshine to hear him speak from the balcony of the adjacent basilica. he said the power of the christian message gave hope to the deprived, including migrants and refugees who were so often rejected by what he called today's culture of waste. translation: today we implore fruits of peace upon the entire world. beginning with the beloved and long—suffering land of syria, whose people are worn down by an apparently endless war. this easter, may the light

of the risen christ illuminate the consciences of all political and military leaders so that a swift end may be brought to the carnage in course, that humanitarian law may be respected and that provisions be made to facilitate access to the aid so urgently needed by our brothers and sisters, while also ensuring fitting conditions for the return of the displaced. in as you heard, the pope also called for dialogue in korea. earlier kim jong—un and his wife attended a concert of south korean

artists held in pyongyang. it's the first time a north korean leader has been seen at such an event. over 160 performers travelled from the south, including the kpop girl group red velvet. it's the first of two shows organised as a peace gesture, with a second planned on tuesday. it comes with relations seemingly improving between north and south korea, and talks planned with america. the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, has conducted his easter service at canterbury cathedral. his message stressed the importance of hope. it must be — we must be — a holy church made up of holy people, rejecting the seeking of power, transparent about our failings, humble when we sin. the message we have been given by god to give to the world is this. no one need die, no one need hate, all may have hope and calling, because jesus christ, god's chosen one and anointed one, is risen from the dead. the queen has attended an easter

service at windsor castle, along with other members of the royal family. prince philip was absent from the service at st george's chapel — as were prince harry and meghan markle, who will marry there in may. the duke and duchess of cambridge arrived several minutes after the scheduled start time. the duchess, who is expecting her third child this month, entered wearing a dark coat and matching hat. members of the public waited outside the 14th—century chapel as the royals arrived. the governor of the russian region where more than 60 people were killed in a fire at a shopping centre has resigned. aman tuleyev says one of his own relatives died in last week's disaster. the fire led to protests by residents who accused the authorities of corruption and failing to enforce fire safety rules. london's murder rate has overtaken new york city, which has roughly the same population. in a recent surge in violent crime, more people lost their lives

in the capital in february than in the us city. it's seen as more evidence of a narrowing of the crime rate between the two cities against the backdrop of police cuts here. and two more people have been murdered in london over the bank holiday weekend. charlotte gallagher reports. on on and people to be murdered in london this year. so far 46 people, somejust teenagers, have been killed in the capital in 2010 —— two more people murdered in london this year. higher in the capital, 15 compared to 13 across the atlantic. there they have had more murders overall but there they are decreasing and here they are going up. in camden two young men were stabbed to death within hours of each other just streets stabbed to death within hours of each otherjust streets apart. three teenagers have been charged with

both murders. for londoners, it is concerned. very shocked, wouldn't have thought that was the case. 20 yea rs have thought that was the case. 20 years ago maybe. i have felt a lot safer than i would normally anywhere else. it might be stopping tourists and stuff, people moving to london, so and stuff, people moving to london, so that is very sad. when you think about a global city like london you expect some sort of community but at the end of the day london is london. city hall says the mayor is deeply concerned by violent crime in the capital but added he has invested an extra £110 million in the metropolitan police force, but more needs to be done. we have seen the violence spreading. it is endemic in so violence spreading. it is endemic in so many different parts of societies. it can only be dealt with ina societies. it can only be dealt with in a holistic manner. it is not only police. they can't stop and search themselves out of this problem. it has to be done in connection with

the community. and the violence in oui’ the community. and the violence in our capital shows no signs of slowing down. in the early hours of this morning a man was stabbed to death in wandsworth. charlotte gallagher, bbc news. two people are still unaccounted for after a serious fire in a cumbrian village. emergency services were called to knock, near appleby in the eden valley, in the early hours of this morning. megan paterson has the details. iamso i am so sorry. we don't seem to have commentary on that report. tougher penalties for littering come into force in england today. 0n—the—spot fines will increase from £80 to up to £150. authorities can also use the penalties to target vehicles owners if it is possible to prove rubbish has been thrown from their car. jessica parker reports. hitting litter louts where it hurts — their pockets. 0n—the—spot fines are nearly doubling, with the maximum penalty now set at £150. littering is, of course, bad for the environment. it's not good for the taxpayer either. the government says keeping

the country's streets clean cost local councils nearly £700 million last year. that is money which could be much better spent on other services. we want to encourage people to litter less, but also to recycle more and make sure that they work with their communities so that councils can invest their council tax in services that truly matter. it is also going to be easier to tackle littering from vehicles. previously officers had to identify exactly who threw litter from a car. now councils across england will only need to prove that rubbish has been dropped from a vehicle in order to fine the owner, even if it was discarded by somebody else. cracking down on culprits is, it seems, a popular idea. well, there's too much litter around. it's a mess. i think it's dangerous, throwing it out of a car anyway, because of the cars behind you. and just in general, walking around, it's awful sometimes. fines and punishments drive behaviour, so yeah, ultimately i think it is a good thing if we want cleaner streets.

upping fines is one thing, but what about enforcement? the average council only issues ten on—the—spot fines for littering per week. now, if we are going to take advantage of the new legislation, the extra potential revenues generated, this figure really needs to increase. but ministers are warning authorities not to abuse the new powers, saying they should be used in a proportionate way. jessica parker, bbc news. workers receiving the national living wage will get a pay rise today as it goes up to £7.83 an hour. but the living wage foundation claims it's still not enough to help low—paid workers make ends meet — especially for those living in london. our business correspondent joe lynam reports. the good news is that earnings are set to rise for two million

people on low wages from today. the bad news, according to one charity, is that it still isn't enough to cover the real cost of living. the national living wage rises from £7.50 per hour for the over—25s to £7.83 from today. but the living wage foundation charity says the figure should be £8.75 outside london. inside london it believes the real living wage should be £10.20, to cover basics such as rent and transport. we welcome any step to close the gap between the government minimum and the real living wage, which is calculated based on what people need to live. but 5.5 million people in the uk are still earning less than the wage that they need to live on. so for a full—time worker, on the minimum wage, they are earning £1,800 a year less than someone

on the real living wage. that is the equivalent of six months or a year's worth of gas and electricity bills, or three months' rent. and the gap is biggest for people in london. the government said the increased national living wage would be worth £600 per year to those on lower pay. it also said that millions could also benefit from a higher personal allowance of £11,850, which also comes into force today. joe lynam, bbc news. as you've seen — events to celebrate 100 years of the raf have been taking place across the uk — let's have a look at some of images of the day. i always like to get back into a spitfire again. it's part of you. 100 years. i feel i have than 75

years of them. laughter no, it'sjust a wonderful feeling. to be effectively now where they all we re to be effectively now where they all were 100 years ago isjust absolutely fantastic. there's no place like this at all. probably left in the world, really. it's a service of commemoration, but i think also celebration, of what