efiggflz‘uzr euer e‘fir sunday. england and wales, in london, 23 degrees. great news for those running the london marathon. paulette wilson has lived in the uk for over 50 years but was threatened with deportation and put in an immigration centre. it's just upsetting to think that an ordinary person like me could go through something like that. i'm still going through hell at the moment. caribbean leaders call for a speedy response and for injustices to be put right. also tonight... the nerve agent used to poison sergei skripal and his daughter was in liquid form with the highest concentration at his home. the pay squeeze is drawing to a close as unemployment falls to its lowest level since 1975.

generation rent — how a third of so—called millennials may never be able to afford a home of their own. and it may be microscopic but it's a huge honour — the plankton named after david attenborough and the bbc blue planet team. of course it's a great compliment, and one is delighted. coming up on sportsday... trouble at rangers following their cup defeat, they have suspended two of their players after a confrontation with the manager. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. having refused a meeting with them up until yesterday morning on the subject, the prime minister met

and personally apologised to the leaders of 12 caribbean countries this morning for the treatment of the windrush migrants, who came to the uk from 1948 onwards. theresa may said she was sorry for the anxiety that had been caused by many having their british citizenship questioned, some losing theirjobs and benefits, some threatened with deportation. our correspondent adina campbell reports. that was the first day that he started school... paulette wilson, another descendant of the windrush generation who arrived into the uk asa generation who arrived into the uk as a child from jamaica. despite living here for more than 50 as she was held in a detention centre for not having the right paperwork. when i saw the illegal paper, ijust didn't understand it and i kept it away from my daughter for about two weeks. i was just walking around in a daze, thinking, why am i illegal?

it's just upsetting to think that an ordinary person like me could go through something like that, i'm still going through hell at the moment. in jamaica they couldn't find work, but full of hope they sailed for britain... it has become the focus of international political debate. jamaica's prime minister today met his counterpart theresa may to discuss the welfare of those affected. he reacted to the

controversy in a speech to the commonwealth heads of government meeting in london. inside, hoping to make amends, theresa may apologised to. i want to dispel any impression that my government is in some sense. . . that my government is in some sense... particularly those from the caribbean who built a life here. i ta ke caribbean who built a life here. i take this issue very seriously, the home secretary apologised to the house of commons yesterday for any anxiety caused and i want to apologise to you today. after the meeting, some of those who had attended gave their reaction. meeting, some of those who had attended gave their reactionm meeting, some of those who had attended gave their reaction. it is regrettable that the circumstance which we now find ourselves was allowed to get this far. but nonetheless we hope that these issues which are affecting the migrant chelation will not surface again. jamaica's prime minister says he is poised to work with the british government. it is a

concerning matter but we take note that the government has given a commitment and we stand ready, as caribbean leaders, to ensure that the commitment is kept. empire windrush arrived into tilbury port in essex back in lavillanie, carrying the first wave of immigrants from the commonwealth. and in 1971 they were legally entitled to remain in the uk but the home office did not keep records. regulations were tightened in 2014 under the then home secretary theresa may, and without pros of legal status, this restricted access to health care, housing and jobs. ralston came to the uk as a baby from a small caribbean island. he has spent most of his life living, working and raising his family in. leicester but in 2010 he was denied

from updating his passport and he says this led to him being let go at work. watching theresa may's apology he is trying to stay positive. work. watching theresa may's apology he is trying to stay positivelj think he is trying to stay positive.” think it's a genuine apology, just got to take her at her word, but i just hope that the genuineness will be seen in the action of what happens after, from now on. people getting the right to stay in britain, whether that by passport, to work so that this issue of immigration doesn't come up again. whether apologies are enough to draw a line under this ongoing issue, caribbean leaders said they will continue to fight for the rights of all those affected. our deputy political editor john pienaar is in downing street. the last 24 hours have been deeply damaging for the government and more stories keep emerging? yes, this scandal will not wash away quickly or easily. the prime

minister was hosting at the commonwealth summit today, hoping to project britain's international friendships and then across the road in the house of commons, defending the military action in syria as an example of britain acting as a force for good in the world. all of that has been overshadowed by the way that the home office, her old department, treated members of the windrush generation. one of her favourite tories supporting newspapers called it a fiasco which shames britain, and mrs may has become very directly employ a then the argument, which has seen ministers apologising in writing. we saw theresa may apologising in person, the sight of the prime minister saying sorry to a roomful of caribbean leaders, insisting britain was not clamping down on commonwealth citizens, it was not simply politically embarrassing it was in many ways uncomfortable to watch. all of this may have made the prime minister's strategic mission of preserving britain's influence in the world more difficult. a leading european is saying that europeans

110w european is saying that europeans now fear a harsh treatment when they come to assert their right of residence, ministers will deny that at opponents and critics of the government tonight agreed that the government tonight agreed that the government has suffered a loss and may be the country has, too, in terms of moral authority. the nerve agent used to poison the former spy sergei skripal and his daughter was delivered in liquid form. the government has revealed that a very small amount was apparently used in salisbury six weeks ago. a clean—up operation has begun to decontaminate nine sites in the city which will will take several months. duncan kennedy is in salisbury now. this is going to be a long and costly operation? it certainly will. at the end of what is six weeks since the attack, and all the speculation about what this novichok nerve agent was, was ita this novichok nerve agent was, was it a powder, was it something else? well, today officials confirm that it was a liquid. we already know that the biggest concentration of this agent was found on free poll's

house,in this agent was found on free poll's house, in particular on his front door and especially on the handle. we had not known until now that it was a liquid. it has been confirmed as that today, and also that it was directly transferred from person—to—person and from item to item. we also learned today that as you say there is to be a big clean—up campaign here in salisbury. it will take many months and cost millions of pounds we are told. it will involve something like 190 military personnel across nine sites including this one here. they will come in and take things away, incinerate them or clean them on—site. the council say they will bea on—site. the council say they will be a lot more disruption but they say above all else, they want to get this right. mps have been debating the government's right to use military force without the consent of parliament, following saturday's american—led air strikes on syria. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, said a change in the law was needed so that commons backing had to be sought before any planned military intervention. theresa may told the commons that doing so would seriously compromise national security and the lives

of people at home and abroad. meanwhile, syrian state media are reporting that international chemical weapons inspectors have entered the town of douma, scene of a suspected attack ten days ago. the chemical weapons watchdog has refused to comment on its ongoing investigation. the year—long squeeze on wages is showing signs of coming to an end. official figures show the gap between inflation and wages narrowed between december and february. other figures show unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 1975. our economics editor, kamal ahmed, has the details. over the last few years i think things have been fairly tough but we are beginning to feel a bit more confident about the future.” are beginning to feel a bit more confident about the future. i am lucky enough to have my own home, i've got two young kids and it is quite tough to provide for them. i've got two young kids and it is quite tough to provide for themm is nice to get a little wage increased steadily by the time i've got it in one hand it is out the

other... our incomes, a vital part of the economy. and away from the statistics are, the real—world, how people are feeling about the year—long incomes squeeze. people are feeling about the year-long incomes squeeze. as soon as we get a pay rise, food goes out, everything goes out, so that pay rise is, goodbye! take my son, he got himself on the housing ladder, he's now got a young family, he's got twins, he needs to move up to a bigger house, they have only got a little maze he he hasn't got a chance. just like maria and nigel, the wage squeeze is still true for many workers but the evidence is growing that 2018 will be better than 2017. let's look at the improving picture on incomes. if we look at last month they said wages we re look at last month they said wages were increasing by 2.6%. today, that number rose to 2.8%, the highest for three years. and better news on jobs as well. unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975. the head of

the firm which employs maria and nigel and 170 others in west london reveals why things are looking up. we went through a period where we had to reduce the size of the business, laid some people off, we have a constrained environment for pay rises. since then over the last three orfour pay rises. since then over the last three or four years we have seen maybe 20% per year growth in our business and that has been reflected in significant pay rises for our staff. there is one striking thing speaking to people here — the good times have not suddenly returned. over the last decade, people's real incomes have hardly moved at all. how unusual is that? well, the last time we saw figures on income that bad, queen victoria was on the throne. wages are slowly being fixed and are rising. at the same time as the rate of the increase in prices is easing. a stronger pound meaning imports of things like food and fuel are cheaper. the outlook is still

tough 2018, but that income squeeze is drawing an end. the high court has heard that south yorkshire police knew about the bbc‘s plans to broadcast footage of the search of sir cliff richard's home in 2014 a month before it took place. the singer claims that pictures of the raid, carried out following an allegation of sexual assault, were a "very serious invasion" of his privacy, and is suing the bbc. and he is suing the bbc. the corporation disputes his claims. sir cliff richard was never arrested or charged. our special correspondent lucy manning was in court. sir cliff richard arrived at court to hear more details about how a bbc helicopter came to film and broadcast pictures of the police searching his flat in 2014. the bbc and south yorkshire police disagree about how close their relationship was. the force's head of communications, carrie goodwin, admitted in court she had known nearly a month before the search that the bbc was going to film

officers going in to carry out the raid, and broadcast it as soon as it could. we understand there are eight officers here. they are from south yorkshire police... danjohnson was the bbc reporter who south yorkshire told the date and time of the search, the police claims under pressure. he was in court as the force was accused of telling him more, helping the bbc film police arriving when a press officer texted mrjohnson their location details. ms goodwin admitted she had seen this bbc report on the one o'clock news and no one at south yorkshire police had contacted the bbc to object to the helicopter pictures. later that afternoon she texted mrjohnson... "good day." "bonkers but brilliant," he replied. "thanks for your help. "hope it went well from your point of view." "everyone thinks we tipped you off," she said. "so it's lots of grief from media, but nothing we can't handle." the bbc‘s barrister gavin miller put it to carrie goodwin... "south yorkshire police were quite happy to use danjohnson and the bbc "to get coverage of a high—profile

child sexual abuse case. " "that couldn't be further from the truth," she said, "no." mr miller continued. "that's why south yorkshire police went out of its way to enable the bbc to report." "i completely disagree," she said. there was also written evidence today from gloria hunniford, who was in court last week. a close friend of sir cliff richard's, she said when she watched the bbc‘s report of the search, it was beyond belief. she'd never seen anything like it before on british television. she said the singer was broken, violated and betrayed, and lost so much weight he felt like skin and bones. lucy manning, bbc news. the time is 6:15. our top story this evening: theresa may has made a personal apology to the leaders of caribbean countries for the treatment of windrush migrants. still to come, with some decent

spring weather in the forecast, we will be looking at the appalling affect these conditions have had on farming and tourism. and why in london at a growing number of people are seeking refuge in the churches during the day. and will the plan by tate galleries encourage more young people to visit? up to a third of so—called millennials — those born between 1981 and 2000 — may never own their own home, according to new research. the think tank the resolution foundation says they could still be renting when they retire. it's called for more affordable homes for first—time buyers to be built, as well as better protection for those who rent. sima kotecha reports from birmingham, which has seen some of the sharpest rent rises over the last 12 months. more than 5000 homes being built here in the city centre,

but for many owning one of them is more of a dream than a reality. and today's report suggests the property ladder is getting steeper and less affordable than ever. pretty much everyone my age... these men say it's depressing news. wages are stagnating, and house prices are going up. it's not in correlation at all, and it's going to get harder for everyone, regardless. it has been shown. i mean, i think this report today has shown it is getting harder. if fewer people own homes, the report says half of those aged between 18 and 37 could still be renting by the time they're 40. we've all known it for a while, that people, especially my age in the younger bracket, we're just... unless we have the luxury of grandparents or parents who can give us money, owning a house is going to be a tough task. so now the resolution foundation is calling for more affordable housing. and better protection for those who rent. and another idea...

one possible solution is to bring in long—term agreements. that means tenants would have contracts that would last for years, not months. giving them, it is hoped, more security and more rights. of course i want my own house... a record 1.8 million families with children rent privately, up from just 600,000 15 years ago. once you've got the expense of the children, and then the expense of renting on top, it's just impossible to save enough money. you know, the interest rates are low so your savings are what you put into it, and there just isn't enough spare income. the government says figures show more people are buying because of the help—to—buy scheme and the cut in stamp duty. it says it's giving councils more powers to crack down on bad landlords, while giving stronger protection to tenants.

liz is studying to be a barrister. she believes it could be another eight years before she can really call somewhere home. sima kotecha, bbc news. a brief look at some of the day's other other news stories... a father whose seven—year—old daughter died after a bouncy castle flew 30 to 40 feet in the air has told a court how he had "desperately chased" the inflatable at a park in harlow. summergrant died in hospitalfrom her injuries. two fairground workers, william and shelby thurston, deny manslaughter by gross negligence. marks & spencer is closing its distribution centre. it currently handles clothing stores in the north west of scotland but it will stop all its operations in september. it shut its birkenhead branch earlier this month as part of the brand's five—year transformation programme. —— marks and spencer is closing its warrington

distribution centre — putting more than 400 jobs at risk. spring sunshine has finally started arriving across many parts of the uk but for british farmers the better weather is far too late. the weeks of rain and unseasonably cold weather have left farms facing acute shortages of feed and fodder — they've lost more lambs than in previous years, and some are still waiting to begin sowing crops. danny savage is in farndale, on the north york moors. it looks gorgeous pair now, but it has not been like that for some time, has an? this place is famous for its display of natural daffodils, tens of thousands of them, but they are weeks late. this time last year they we re weeks late. this time last year they were perhaps out four five weeks early, which has affected tourism here with your visitors coming through, and they are only reaching their best now. elsewhere in the uk it is farmers who have really felt the effects of the terrible weather, right through from the snow in winter to all the rain we have had in the last few weeks as well. shepherdess whistles in the high reaches of swaledale, it still feels like winter. the ground is sodden,

spring is nowhere to be seen and shepherdess amanda owen is having to feed her flock, which should be eating grass by now. our feed bills at the moment are enormous, so we're looking at roughly about £1000 a week in buyong hard feed. things are desperate. i mean, we're quite used to spring coming late in the hills, it has to be said. but it's just, it's really so unforgiving. a few miles away on bowes moor, nicky race is putting out her very last bag of food for her herdwicks. animalfeed is hard to get — spring can't come soon enough. we need some grass shoots to come through for the lambs to grow, ewes need grass for milk, they can't produce the amount of milk when they've got no grass and that means the lambs are struggling to grow, really. fodder is like gold dust. people are driving hundreds of miles to this supplier near thirsk to get hay bales, but they're having to turn trade away. yesterday morning i had five telephone calls, people none of whom we knew from other areas, looking for hay and straw and we were unable to supply any of them, because we need to keep the stock for all our regular customers,

particularly in the local area and south—west scotland. this is what lots of low—lying farmland now looks like. the heavy snow was followed by heavy rain, leaving many fields flooded. and where there should be livestock at the moment, instead there's ducks and geese. this arable and beef farmer says crops are being sown late, so the harvest will be delayed and costs to the so you're going to have a later harvest for the vegetables. feeling a bit perkier now...? many lambs have died, too, in the wet conditions, meaning some need intensive care to survive, as spring struggles to find its feet. danny savage, bbc news, north yorkshire. now, you know you've made it big in the natural world

when they start naming plankton after you. sir david attenborough — and his blue planet team — were given that particular honour today. syracosphaera azureaplaneta is named after the programme. sir david described it as a "great compliment". he was talking to our science editor david shukman. the amazing images of blue planet 2, electrifying audiences are in the world, but they all depend on one thing... plankton. tiny organisms you can't often see with the naked eye. these rays stow the water to make the plankton light up in the dark. a rare glimpse. incredible detail is revealed by microscopic, the plankton far smaller than a human hair, and this type have been named,

blue planet, after the programmes, the first time this has happened. david attenborough was at university couege david attenborough was at university college london today with some of the scientists who'd been working on the scientists who'd been working on the plankton. studentsioam the scientists who'd been working on the plankton. studentsloafl as l mm i777": time. hello. i'm very well. enjoying these, obviously? ithink they time. hello. i'm very well. enjoying these, obviously? i think they are stunning. what about the one named after blue planet, this little one here? not sure about the likeness... laughter but he had a serious point, too, that plankton have a vital role to play for the planet as a whole. they are an essential element in the whole cycle of oxygen production and carbon dioxide. and you mess about with this sort of thing and the echoes, the reverberations, the consequences, extend throughout the atmosphere. the lecture hall was packed to see the great man, and to

celebrate the naming of the blue planet plankton. david attenborough was then handed a model that which seems to entreat him. isn't it marvellous that what science does is produce mystery? this is a mystery. laughter with adoring expressions, the stu d e nts with adoring expressions, the students and staff hung on every word. david attenborough has a remarkable ability to inspire. microscopic plants, encased in shells of leinster. .. more than 30 yea rs shells of leinster. .. more than 30 years ago he highlighted the importance of plankton, and these now drift through the oceans carrying the name of one of his most famous programmes. david shukman, bbc news. studio: wonder. ! —— wonderful stuff! time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor... yes, a bit more of this coming our

way over the next few days as things turn warmer and sunnier across the uk. this is sandwiched between low pressure on the west, high pressure in the east, which will dominate through thursday and friday. there is that cloud, breaking up for a time across england and wales, producing a few spots of rain, a few heavy showers to begin with in scotla nd heavy showers to begin with in scotland and wales but they will ease generally through the night. double figures for most into the morning. some clear skies to start the day across southern coastal counties. lots of cloud elsewhere, patchy drizzle in wales and north—west england initially. northern ireland with a spell of damp weather through the morning. rain working then across western parts of scotland, confined to the highlands and islands by the end of the deysel not a great day they are, admittedly, but lots of sunshine to see the day out. 17, 18, perhaps 19 degrees, the moray firth, widely into the 20s across england and wales. warmer still in the thursday,

the remnants of that front producing the remnants of that front producing the odd spot of rain in scotland and some misty conditions around western and southern coasts, but foremost thursday will be dry, with long spells of sunshine and the warmest area with us since last august, 26 degrees possible across the south—east corner. with that, strong sunshine. winds will bring that heat our way. still warm enough for many with perhaps some rain on sunday across scotland and northern ireland. for many, lots of dry and sunny weather still under way. back to you, fiona. thanks very much for that. that is from the bbc news at six. time for the news where you. goodbye. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: theresa may has apologised for the windrush migration row, telling caribbean leaders she's genuinely sorry for the anxiety caused by the home office threatening the children of commonwealth citizens with deportation. i want to dispel any impression that my government is in some sense clamping down on commonwealth

citizens, particularly those from the caribbean who built a life here. sergei skripal and daughter yulia were poisoned by a nerve agent delivered in liquid form, says the department for the environment. the year—long squeeze on wages is showing signs of coming to an end. official figures show the gap between inflation and wages has narrowed and unemployment has fallen to its lowest level since 1975. up to a third of so—called millennials — those born between 1981 and 2000 — may never own their own home, according to new research. the think tank the resolution foundation has called for more affordable homes. a type of plankton discovered in the south atlantic has been named after the bbc series blue planet. the programme's presenter, sir david attenborough, said it would raise the profile of an unseen but important feature of the oceans. in a moment, it will be time

for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. we'll be live in somerset with a dairy farmer as we hear that weeks of rain and unseasonably cold weather have left farms facing acute shortages of feed and fodder. at 8pm, we'll be speaking to a former immigration officer about how some windrush migrants lost theirjobs and benefits and were threatened with deportation. and finally at 10:30pm later this evening we'll have a look at the first edition of tomorrow mornings papers with caroline wheeler, the deputy political editor at the sunday times, and laura hughes, political correspondent of the financial times. that's all ahead on bbc news. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday.