hello it's thursday, it's 9 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to the programme. every year, more than 8 billion plastic straws are thrown away in the uk. now they could be banned in england, along with plastic drinks stirrers and cotton buds. we know that there s a type of plastic that finds its way into our seas and oceans. we know that that plastic is choking our seas and oceans, causing devastation to marine wildlife. we need to take action. it's part of a plan to tackle plastic waste, and it'll be discussed at the commonwealth heads of government conference, which starts today in london. we'll be there live from 10 — for speeches by the prime minister and the queen. a former head of the civil service calls for an inquiry into who ordered thousands of landing cards to be destroyed. they could have helped members of the windrush generation prove their right to stay in the uk. there is quite a lot of care taken on these things, particularly if they are personal records. the truth

is we don't know and we need to investigate this in more detail to understand what happened. we'll ask how do you prove you're entitled to live here? and speak to this man who came here from jamaica in 1960 and despite having permission to stay here and is now too frightened to leave this country in case he's not allowed back in. and television presenter dale winton dies at the age of 62. we'll look at how he rose to fame hosting supermarket sweep. hello, welcome to the programme, we're live until 11 this morning. in an hour, the queen will officially open the commonwealth heads of government meeting in london. it's where prime ministers and presidents of commonwealth countries get together to talk about things that are important to all of their countries. but something campaigners say is not on the agenda is lgbt rights. 36 of the 53 member states

still criminalise homosexuality. so we will talk about that later on. and look who is here in the studio. a massively exciting moment at the commonwealth games, when england took gold from australia on their home soil. two members of the team — jody gibson and beth cobden — are here. waving those beautiful gold medals. we will talk to them before ten o'clock. if you're getting in touch, use the hashtag victoria live and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. our top story today... theresa may will announce plans to ban the sale of billions of throw—away plastic items in england. the move is intended to target the tens of billions of plastic cotton buds, drink stirrers and drinking straws we use and get rid of every year. the prime minister will say plastic waste is clogging up the oceans and threatening future generations. our science correspondent, victoria gill, has more. a sight that's transformed our view of plastic. this cheap ubiquitous throwaway material has become a visible

scourge on our marine environment. the bbc series blue planet shocked viewers with heartbreaking scenes showing how ocean wildlife now has to share its world with this debris. and among the floating litter, more than eight billion plastic drinking straws thrown away every year in the uk. now the government plans to ban those straws, as well as drink stirrers and plastic cotton buds. the consultation on this proposed ban will begin later this year, and any new measures will only apply in england, but the announcement has been timed to coincide with the commonwealth summit, which, over the next two days, will discuss what's called a blue charter, an international effort to safeguard the oceans. in samples of mud from a uk riverbed i saw for myself how plastic litter breaks down into thousands of microscopic

pieces small enough to enter the food chain. evidence of what harm that plastic causes in the environment is still emerging, but this proposal will aim to stop it from being thrown away in such high volumes and prevent it from floating into our rivers and oceans. we will talk about that more later on in the programme. annita mcveigh is in the bbc newsroom, with a summary of the rest of the days news. good morning, everyone. the queen will formally open the commonwealth heads of government meeting this morning. at a ceremony in buckingham palace, the prime minister theresa may will praise the queen's "service, dedication and constancy" and say she's been the commonwealth's most steadfast champion. the queen, accompanied by the prince of wales, will then host the heads of government for a traditional lunch. our royal correspondentjonny dymond explains what we can expect to be discussed over the next few days. this is probably the last time queen elizabeth will open this meeting. she doesn't travel that far any more. and the heads of government meeting will not come back to london for many moons.

so there will be pomp and ceremony, and i think there may be some emotion as well, because this is an organisation the queen has poured a lot of time and energy and love into over six or so decades. at the same time, there is also a task ahead of the commonwealth. because whilst it produces a warm glow and lots of warm words, it has its critics. it represents 2.4 billion people. but, at the same time, it's so disparate that its critics say it struggles sometimes to know quite what it is for. that will be something the heads of government grapple with over the next couple of days. a former head of the civil service, lord kerslake, has called for an investigation into the destruction of thousands of documents, which could have helped commonwealth citizens prove their right to remain in the uk. it's thought dozens of people from the caribbean who've lived here for decades — known as the windrush generation — were threatened with deportation. lord kerslake also criticised a so—called "hostile

environment" policy, designed to deter illegal immigrants. it was notjust a question of the home secretary being told it was a challenging policy. the prime minister was as well. and this was a very contested piece of legislation across government departments. now i can't say, and shouldn't say as a former head of the civil service, precisely who gave the advice to whom. but what i can tell you is it was highly contested. and there were some who saw it, i shan't name them, as almost reminiscent of nazi germany in the way it's working. sorry, some in the civil service? no, some of the ministers were deeply unhappy. the radio and tv presenter, dale winton, who became a household name in the 1990s as the host of the daytime game show, supermarket sweep has died. he was 62. he also hosted several other hit shows including bbc radio 2's pick of the pops, the national lottery and the saturday night programme, hole in the wall. andy moore reports, and here's the star of the show, dale winton! thank you, thank you so much!

supermarket sweep was the show that made dale winton. but with his trademark tan and flamboyant style, he presented many other programmes for itv and the bbc, including pets win prizes. this is ringo, john and paul. so paul is a flying beetle, obviously, because he has wings. fellow stars have been paying tribute: thank you, thank you — now stop!

dale winton's agent said he died at home, no further details were given. two years ago, he said he had had a bad break—up, depression and health issues. dale winton hadn't been on our screens so much lately, but he'll be remembered as a consummate entertainer and game—show host. dale winton, who has died at the age of 62. president trump and the prime minister of japan, have said that maximum pressure must be maintained on north korea until it agrees to complete nuclear disarmament. the two leaders were speaking at the president's mar—a—lago resort in florida. mr trump said he hoped his planned summit with the north korean leader, kim jong—un, would be a success but if it was not, he would respectfully leave the meeting. if i think that it's a meeting that is not going to be fruitful, we're not going to go. if the meeting, when i'm there, is not fruitful, i will respectfully leave the meeting, and we'll

continue what we're doing, or whatever it is that will continue, but something will happen. a woman has died after a car crashed into a house that she was in. the vehicle caused significant damage to the property in clevedon, near bristol. neighbours were evacuated from their homes by police amid fears a gas pipe was damaged in the crash. a man and woman in the vehicle were arrested at the scene. it's lift—off for a new era in planet—hunting. the us space agency's tess satellite has launched from cape canaveral in florida on a mission to find thousands of new worlds beyond our solar system. here's our science correspondent, pallab ghosh. all set and ready to go. nasa's new mission to discover whether the stars we see at night have planets around them. on board this falcon nine rocket is a space telescope that will study the stars closest to the earth and find out whether in orbit around them are planets capable of supporting life.

mission control: liftoff, the spacex falcon nine carrying tests. once in space, the test spacecraft will start scanning nearly the entire sky. as it looks for stars, it'll also detect any tiny decrease in the light that comes from them. that small dip is a sign there is a planet in orbit. the big question is whether there are any like ourown earth and support life. 25 years ago, we looked at a star in the sky and wondered if it had planets around it, today we look at a star in the sky, it would be crazy if it didn't have a planet around it and we're wondering whether indeed life exists on this planet. the space telescope will spend the next two years searching for stars to find thousands of new worlds, and when we look up at the night sky, we'll know which ones have planets around them and those that might be home to life. pallab ghosh, bbc news, at the kennedy space center in florida. the first disability—led

group to play the bbc proms will make their debut this summer. bournemouth symphony orchestra's resound ensemble are led byjames rose, who has cerebral palsy and conducts using a baton strapped to his head. his fellow musicians have conditions such as blindness, autism and partial deafness. they're appearing on the 27th of august. that's a summary of the latest bbc news — more at 9.30. a full weather forecast just before ten, but all the details for where you are in the country, how hot exactly is it going to be and for how long. do get in touch with us throughout the morning — use the hashtag victoria live and if you text, you will be charged at the standard network rate. let's get some sport with will. manchester united close to getting their champions league spot next season. their champions league spot next season. yes, after slipping up against west brom, we've remember

handing the title last weekend to manchester city, manchester united picked up an important 2—0 win against bournemouth last night. all but securing their place in the champions league next season. city have rubbed away with the title but a much improved united. last season they finished sixth, only qualified for the champions league by winning the europa league. now they are second, four points clear of liverpool and 14 ahead of chelsea in fourth place. in end of season feel to this game at the vitality stadium last night. look at that, united 1—0 up, setting up chris smalling. and then lu ka ku scoring. up, setting up chris smalling. and then lukaku scoring. bournemouth have won one of the last nine league games. still not mathematically safe but they will be playing in the premier league season surely next season. next manchester united, an fa cup semifinal against tottenham on saturday as they try to end the

season with a trophy. on saturday as they try to end the season with a trophylj on saturday as they try to end the season with a trophy. i will not play this 11, but all of them, they told me they want to play. that is good. obviously i will play valencia, matic... good. obviously i will play valencia, matic. .. i good. obviously i will play valencia, matic... iwill good. obviously i will play valencia, matic... i will not start with these 11 but these 11 clearly to me,| with these 11 but these 11 clearly to me, i want to be there, i am ready. if you want to watch that game, manchester united and totte n ha m , game, manchester united and tottenham, bbc one at 5:15pm on saturday. two more premier league games tonight. could chelsea and southampton be distracted by their semifinal? everyone asks a question when it comes to fa cup games. not for southampton, crucial match for them, mark hughes is desperate for them, mark hughes is desperate for the points. he can still keep the muppets, will believe he can keep them in the premier league. a win would leave them two points from safety with four games to play. they are right behind swansea on the table and still have them to play as well but a huge fa cup semifinal on

sunday. chelsea playing burnley this evening and antonio conte could be forgiven for being a bit distracted by the fa cup and is perhaps something a little closer to home. until tonight we have the possibility... sorry. my wife. always in the worst moment. chuckles you can put me a fine. we will never know what mrs antonio conte wanted! that is all for now. thank you. a former head of the civil service has called for an inquiry into who ordered the disposal of those landing cards which could have helped prove commonwealth immigrants' right to stay in britain. the prime minister theresa may said it was a decision taken in 2009 by the then labour government. they were destroyed a year later, in 2010, under the conservative and lib dem coalition government when mrs may was home secretary.

so how do you prove you've been in the uk for a long time? which is what windrush migrants are being asked to do? they're required to show they've been in britain continually since 1jan 1973, when they were granted the right to stay in the uk permanently. but, the home office didn't keep records of those who it granted indefinite leave to. to gain official recognition people must apply for a stamp known as no time limit, which costs £229. until this week, the home office required people to provide four pieces of evidence for each year they'd been in the country. after the row erupted this week, the home office softened this, saying any evidence will be considered, including where you went to school, where you've worked, and whether you have family here. the 2014 immigration act requires landlords, employers, banks and the nhs to check people's immigration status.

it's designed to restrict illegal immigrants access to work, healthcare and benefits. but some people who arrived legally decades ago are being caught out by these checks when they try to get medical treatment or a driving licence or rent a house, as we reported on the programme this week. in a moment, we'll talk to someone else who came to this country 10 years ago to fill a skills gap and now faces deportation because of tougher home office rules. but first let's talk a bit more about the windrush generation. let's talk to simeon greene, who came over from jamaica with his mum in 1960 and has indefinite leave to remain but is now so distrustful of the home office he won't leave the country on holiday. and also with us is tony smith — the former head of the uk borderforce — who worked in the home office for over a0 years. you are due to go to south africa

for work purposes soon, but you are worried about going, why? in 2014! left the country to go to athens for a conference and while a group of about 30 of us went to this event from the uk from wolverhampton, when we arrived at athens airport for the return journey, all my colleagues we re return journey, all my colleagues were allowed to board, but i was told at the british airways desk, they didn't recognise the document i'd got. which was this? that entitle me to come back to the uk. 0k, entitle me to come back to the uk. ok, and a letter which you have given us a copy from the home office and the uk border agency who is saying, dear and the uk border agency who is saying, deaergreen, on and the uk border agency who is saying, dear mr green, on the basis of the documentary evidence you have provided you continue to hold the

status of indefinitely to remain in the uk. but you say they didn't recognise the letter? yes, it wasn't one of the lists of documents they recognise. they were issued a list of documents by the home office that prove, as proof that you would have right to enter the uk. such a letter wasn't one of those. which is why you are worried about leaving the country again? absolutely. i spent 14 country again? absolutely. i spent 1a hours at athens airport waiting for permission to get back in. it was the greek government that assisted me more to get back in than the uk government. this conference isa the uk government. this conference is a law and order conference, there have been riots in greece and it is an international conference. one of

the people who attended that was the equivalent of our home secretary. it was the greek government that assisted me back into the country. you came to britain with your mum when you were five years old. yes. how do you feel you are being treated now? for me, it isjust another example of what i believe is racism. my first day at school as a five—year—old, i was the new boy in class, i arrived five—year—old, i was the new boy in class, iarrived in five—year—old, i was the new boy in class, i arrived in the november, my cou nterpa rts class, i arrived in the november, my counterparts had started in the september at the beginning of the academic year. i was sat next to a boy who was to show me the ropes and show me around the school. after morning break i sat down at my desk andi morning break i sat down at my desk and i was pulled out of my chair by my left ear by the teacher who was this child's mother. she objected to a black boy sitting next to her son because i would make him a stupid as iam. and because i would make him a stupid as i am. and that was my first day and

ever since i have been experiencing racism. this isjust another element of that along the way. racism. this isjust another element of that along the waylj racism. this isjust another element of that along the way. i have a statement from the home office which says, this is about people who have built their lives in the uk and contributed so much to society. we don't want them to feel unwelcome or be in any doubt about their right to remain here. as you know, the home secretary and the prime minister have apologise for any distress. the vast majority will have documentation to prove your right to be here, including you with your letter. for those that don't we have established a dedicated team to help them get the documentation they need and make sure this is resolved as soon as and make sure this is resolved as soon as possible. what do you say to that? i don't trust that when it is pa rt that? i don't trust that when it is part of a new cycle, they will keep their promises. i have got the documents and now this seems as though they don't want to accept it. i lost the opportunity of a job in 2009 because this was an accepted by

an employer. i have documents that shows thejob offer an employer. i have documents that shows the job offer and i an employer. i have documents that shows thejob offer and i have documents to prove when i proved my eligibility to work in the uk, it wasn't accepted because it wasn't on the list from the home office as being acceptable. tony smith, former head of the uk borderforce, if you look over your shoulder, there he is. what do you think of this case, when he has the letter from the home office saying you continue to hold the status of indefinite leave to remain? hello, just to be clear! retired in 2013 but i did work in the home office in variousjobs all around immigration, over many years. i started at heathrow airport in the 705 and it wasn't long before that we we re 705 and it wasn't long before that we were waving through citizens and

then refusing entry to european immigrants. but we did have something called the immigration 5ervice. that was abolished in 2008, but it did contain offices, lot5 5ervice. that was abolished in 2008, but it did contain offices, lots of office r5 but it did contain offices, lots of officers with a huge amount of experience with immigration law and hi5torical knowledge of these kinds of cases and we were called out quite often to talk to people in the communities that had been served with police notice and we had to establish whether they were here illegally. we were able to do that to and said —— through conversations and we were given common sense decisions. we don't have a green ca rd decisions. we don't have a green card system in this country like they have in america or a permanent resident card. so some of these old

letters, you know they are really not trusted by some agencies. the letter you have is on the approved list, it is online for getting, along as you produce that with a national insurance number, my advice to anybody in this situation is to apply to the home office for a biometric residence permit which is recognised by the airlines. i can understand why there is a lack of trust out there now because people have been told they are here illegally, which they are not. let me bring in some more gas, the so—called hostile environment towards immigrants which was brought in when theresa may was home office minister, has been blamed by people who came here to filljob vacancies,

people from southern asia to be doctors, one of them is here, she was a pharmaceutical analysis to develop cancer drugs, she came here in 2008 but now faces deportation. they say thousands who came over to contribute to the uk are being u nfa i rly contribute to the uk are being unfairly treated by the current uk immigration system. became ten years ago, tell audience what you said in more detail what you have been working on since then?|j more detail what you have been working on since then? i first came to this country in 2008 as a student. on the student visa. yes, to co m plete student. on the student visa. yes, to complete my masters in pharmaceutical analysis. i did com plete pharmaceutical analysis. i did complete that with distinction. i was picked up by a pharmaceutical company that produced lots of medicines, one of the examples is lemsip. i was working on medicines

to help the community recover their health. in my recentjob i was working on anti—cancer and anti—epileptic drugs. i was working there as a quality assurance officer and my company is a start—up business and they are thinking to expand the business in anti—cancer medicine. it was a start—up cover with my experience i was heavily involved in most of the projects and my sudden absence has caused a lot of damage to the company. they were struggling to find a replacement and myjob is still on the recruitment agencies for the last 17 months. what is the issue, what happened?” applied twice, it was refused saying they could not see my income for 2010 and 2011. so basically, they didn't give me a chance to explain

what happened. it was one day, a windows service and they sent me home saying we will inform you the decision by post. they basically refused me on the basis of my income isn't genuine and basically, my character isn't good enough to stay in the country. what effect does that have on your day—to—day life?” lost my right to work, i lost my right to rent and i only had 1a days to leave the country, which was devastating. i had so much to hand over to my employer. are you saying it was a discrepancy, a mistake by the accountant? and there wasn't the opportunity to say that to them? yes. now what are you worried about? ipaid my yes. now what are you worried about? i paid my taxes in 2013 and it was a technical error, i got my extension

on that basis. my character isn't good or desirable now. i am struggling, i am going through a review because... the home office says about cases like yours, we aim to resolve these applications as quickly as possible and we continue to do so. the straightforward applications it is vital the correct decisions are made especially with complex first—tier applications which require verification with the taxman. it is to prevent abuse of our emigration and tax system and we re our emigration and tax system and were such abuses identified, we will act accordingly. let me bring in the woman sitting next to, working with people like you. what is going on here? well, these migrants, i am aware of, mostly have a masters

degree, they have mostly been in the country over a decade, some have them have got children, school going children. these people, there was a minor accountancy errors. . . children. these people, there was a minor accountancy errors... what, for all of them? some of them, whether it was hmrc issues or accountants issues, when they come to the country on a student visa and apply for a psw. that is the first taxation year for all of us in this country. taxation system in any country. taxation system in any country is complex and anybody can make minor mistakes with that. the home office always have the chance because these guys were given two years and then the home office extends the visa for three years. if they find out any discrepancy but there were any issues, the home office always have the right to

check during that time. but they ke pt check during that time. but they kept quiet. they didn't do anything about it. what should happen now? they should getjustice, half about it. what should happen now? they should get justice, half of them don't have appeal rights to stay in the country. what this justice mean, let everybody stay? let them stay or get some sort of policy because this seems to be a blanket policy, first—tier accountancy issue, paint everybody with the same brush. if you had to go back and leave the country, what would be wrong with that?” go back and leave the country, what would be wrong with that? i have lived here for ten years and i have so lived here for ten years and i have so much to give this country, i have contributed with the help of tax. i think i will be benefit to this country. as i mentioned before, my vacancy, country. as i mentioned before, my vacancy, myjob country. as i mentioned before, my vacancy, my job vacancy country. as i mentioned before, my vacancy, myjob vacancy still hasn't been replaced. i wonder, vacancy, myjob vacancy still hasn't been replaced. iwonder, how vacancy, myjob vacancy still hasn't been replaced. i wonder, how would we impact on the economy and i am in

a relationship with somebody here so it will impact my personal life as well. it's not that easy to leave. we will see what happens with your attempt for a judicial review, thank you for coming on the programme. an simeon green, thank you for your time and tony smith, former head of the uk border force. if you have a relevant experience, send me an e—mail. still to come. mps will honour labour peer tessa jowell today as they debate the treatment and care available to brain cancer sufferers. we'll speak to the labour mp and friend of baronessjowell, who called the debate, as well as someone who is battling the disease. and take the gold medal! england have done it! it was absolutely amazing. that moment for the

england netball team, taking gold at the commonwealth games. we'll bejoined by two members of the team to hear all about it. they are still on a massive high. time for the latest news, here's annita mcveigh the latest headlines on bbc news. theresa may will announce plans to ban the sale of billions of throw—away plastic items in england. the move is intending to target the 13 billion plastic cotton buds and 44 billion drink stirrers which we use in britain every year, as well as drinking straws. the environment secretary michael gove said a ban would be introduced by the end of the year. we know that there is a type of plastic that finds its way into our seas and oceans. we know that that plastic is choking our seas and oceans, causing devastation to marine wildlife. we need to take action. we've already taken some action and plastic bags, and microbeads, the tiny bits of plastic you finding personal care products, now we're taking action to say we will, after consultation,

ban plastic straws. the queen will formally open the commonwealth heads of government meeting this morning. at a ceremony in buckingham palace, the prime minister theresa may will praise the queen's "service, dedication and constancy" and say she's been the commonwealth's most steadfast champion. the queen, accompanied by the prince of wales, will then host the heads of government for a traditional lunch. a former head of the civil service, lord kersla ke, has called for an investigation into the destruction of thousands of documents, which could have helped commonwealth citizens prove their right to remain in the uk. it's thought dozens of people from the caribbean who've lived here for decades, known as the windrush generation, were threatened with deportation. colleagues and friends have been remembering the television and radio presenter, dale winton, who's died at the age of 62. he rose to fame as host of the game show supermarket sweep and went on to host other hit shows including the national lottery, the saturday night programme hole in the wall, as well as bbc radio 2's pick of the pops. that's a summary of

the latest bbc news. we will talk more about the consultation that is being launched in england about banning plastic straws and cotton buds and so on. anthony on facebook says, it is a bit late to start worrying about the plastic and environment. of course we have to do as much as possible, but much of the damage has already been done. james doesn't think a blanket wide ban is a good idea. thank you for those. here's some sport now with will. here are the headlines. manchester united all but secured their place in the champions league next season with a 2—0 win at bournemouth in the premier league last night. chris smalling and romelu lukaku got the goals at the vitality stadium. bournemouth all but safe as well. they have a bit of work to do. boxer alvarez has been banned for two months after failing alvarez has been banned for two months afterfailing a alvarez has been banned for two

months after failing a drugs test. he said eating contaminated meat was the reason he tested positive. eddie jones will have a meeting with bosses at twickenham today, to explain their fifth—place finish in the six nations. the new structure to the domestic season is set to be approved as well. scottish marathon runner callum hawkins who had a two minute lead at the commonwealth games before collapsing has spoken for the first time, thanking eve ryo ne for the first time, thanking everyone for their support. that is all for now. thank you. the commonwealth games on australia's gold coast is over, but its political equivalent starts today. it's the commonwealth heads of government meeting and it opens in london this morning. it's where prime ministers and presidents of commonwealth nations get together to thrash out matters of importance to all of their countries. one thing on the agenda is plastic waste and the damage it's doing to the environment. every year in the uk, more than 8 billion plastic straws are thrown away, along with 44 billion plastic stirrers and 13 billion cotton buds. now those things could be banned in england as part of government plans to tackle the problem.

we'll bring you speeches by the prime minister and the queen live from the meeting a little later. but now let's talk to ben brown, who's at buckingham palace. is mrs may really going to urge the other leaders when it comes to reducing plastic waste? yes, she really is. there will be lots of ceremonial processes starting at ten o'clock, a gun salute representing 53 nations of the commonwealth. beneath all of that there is politics and environmental change is one of the things the british government is really pushing that this commonwealth heads of government summit. it feels that the environment and tackling climate change and tackling plastic pollution is one of the things the commonwealth, this family of 53 nations, can get its teeth into. that is why there is this announcement today about the

consultation on a ban on plastic straws and cotton buds. theresa may will say this is one of the great environmental challenges of our time. the commonwealth, with thousands of different environments, thousands of different environments, thousands of different environments, thousands of miles of coastline, really has a responsibility to tackle it. some people say that the commonwealth is just not relevant really a ny commonwealth is just not relevant really any more. yes, they do indeed. they say it is a relic of the british empire. it isn't anachronism. it is not a military bloc like nato, not an economic bloc like the european union, but the queen has always been a great supporter of the commonwealth. some people have said the queen is the glue that holds the commonwealth together. it is this family of 53 nations, huge nations, the biggest india, and a small nations like the seychelles, just 90,000 people, very vulnerable particularly to climate change and rising sea levels. i've

been talking to the president of the seychelles and he told me that the commonwealth gives small nations like he's a real voice in the world. the commonwealth is very important for the seychelles. a5 the commonwealth is very important for the seychelles. as part of the family, we feel the bond and we are equal to countries like the uk, australia, canada. so we have some voice. so you feel the commonwealth gives your country a voice in the world, and the international stage? absolutely. it is a forum, organisation by which we stand as equals and can put forward the concerns of small countries. in the seychelles, we have various, very important points we normally put on the table. some people might say, what is the point of the commonwealth now in 2018? maybe it is out of date, it is a relic of the old british empire, in a way, but you believe it still has

a relevance and a role? exactly. we have new emerging issues, climate change is here. we have issues of cyber security, issues to deal with trade. gender inequality, all these are very important issues for us to continue to think about and also to take the right solutions in the interests of our nations. that was the president of the seychelles. some of the critics of the commonwealth say one daley and others for others in the commonwealth to modernise and

decriminalise homosexuality. back to you. studio: thank you. we will talk more about that later in the programme. thank you. good morning. mps will honour the labour peer tessa jowell in the commons later today and her campaign to improve the lives of people with brain cancer. the debate has been called to mirror the one led by baronessjowell in the house of lords earlier this year, when she described her experience of being diagnosed with a brain tumour. baronessjowell had a long career at the top table of british politics, serving as culture secretary and olympics minister, helping to win the bid for london to host the games in 2012. this was baronessjowell speaking to the lords back injanuary. baroness jowell.

i got igot in igotina i got in a taxi but couldn't speak. i had two powerful seizures. two days later i was told i had a brain tumour. they need to know they have a community around them, supporting and caring. being practical and kind, while doctors look at the big picture and we can all be a part of the human sized picture. what gives a life meaning is not only how it is lived, but how it draws to a close. i hope that this debate will give hope to other cancer patients like me, so that we can live well together with cancer, notjust dying of it. all of us, for longer.

thank you. applause. baroness jowl getting a standing ovation in the house ‘s overlords in january. we can speak now the the labourmp, sarahjones, who organised the debate and who knows baronessjowell. and peter moreton, who was told he had an incurable brain tumour in 2009. hello both of you and thank you for coming on the programme. sarah jones, tell our audience what tessa jowell is like. i think those extracts in her speech show it all. she has relentless optimism and a drive for change. if you think what

she has achieved in her life, it reflects her personality completely. she thought in 2001 that britain should try and bid for the olympics. this is when we had just had the millennium dome, wembley stadium, low down on the table for the medals of the olympics and she thought it was a good idea and nobody else did. she set about persuading every single person first in the cabinet and then in the country that this was a good idea and she does it by a lwa ys was a good idea and she does it by always believing the best in people, never assuming the worst. she's a lwa ys never assuming the worst. she's always been cross—party as much as possible, she takes people with her and now she's taken this kind of energy to campaigning for people that have brain tumours and other cancers that really we haven't seen any improvement on for many years, in terms of the treatments. she has this realfigure in the in terms of the treatments. she has this real figure in the face of what must be a terribly difficult time for her and her family must be a terribly difficult time for her and herfamily to do something good with her time and change things for the better. peter,

hello. how did you find out you had a brain tumour? i guess a bit similarto a brain tumour? i guess a bit similar to tessa. i a brain tumour? i guess a bit similarto tessa. i had a brain tumour? i guess a bit similar to tessa. i had this big seizure at 7am on monday morning when i was due to go to work. obviously my wife was extremely scared. i couldn't speak to her and i was scared. i couldn't speak to her and iwas taken scared. i couldn't speak to her and i was taken straight to the hospital. ended up spending a while in hospital and then they told me i had a brain tumour. how old were you? 26. how did you react to that? at the time they basically said, get on with your life. it started as a low—grade tumour. and i did, i went back to work after a few weeks. i was very lucky to have some very supportive people at work and i carried on working. it was only when i found i had a carried on working. it was only when ifound i had a high—grade carried on working. it was only when i found i had a high—grade tumour, carried on working. it was only when ifound i had a high—grade tumour, a cancer, that i had to retire from work and go and do chemotherapy and radiotherapy. that was 2015? it was. when you stop work, i think. you have had two children since you

diagnose, which i some people might find amazing. tell us how. i had my first child before i had the formal cancer diagnosis and it was trying to live my life. i have a very supportive wife, family and friends and it all helps. we had to have a second child through ivf because the chemotherapy, makes treatment difficult. but we were able to do it and we are very happy we we re able to do it and we are very happy we were able to do that. you have told me it is ok to ask you about your prognosis, so what is your prognosis? unfortunately about half of the people die in the first year, other people die in the second year. the prognosis is bad, only ten, 12% live for five years. i have been

very lucky so far, nearly three years and counting, but there is no prognosis, there is no cure and it is not funded well to discover a cu re is not funded well to discover a cure at the moment. would you say you are getting on with your life as much as possible? absolutely, i try and do all i can, i like nothing better than picking my daughters up from nursery, i love to try everything when i can. obviously, i have sleep and seizures that get in the way of that and they have to be careful, but i love doing as much as possible. what do you think about the attention baroness tessa joel has brought to this area? it is fantastic, brain tumours are under the radar a little bit. it seems so many people have a friend who had a brain tumouror similar many people have a friend who had a brain tumour or similar and many people have a friend who had a brain tumour or similarand it many people have a friend who had a brain tumour or similar and it is fantastic she has been able to raise it in the house of lords and i am delighted it is in the house of

commons today. it is so important to have people understand it and have people who have it and also the lack of treatment for it. the fact there is no cure for it at the moment at least. do you know about much research going into treatments and ultimately, a cure one day? that is the holy grail? it is the holy grail for all cancers but there isn't a cu re for all cancers but there isn't a cure at the moment. the brain tumour charity fund and raise moneyjust to pay for the research. i think they get a very small amount of money if they get one or two big amounts. i am happy to encourage more, it is a terrible illness and it affects people under 40, i think it is one of the biggest cancer killer is for people under 40 and it is great to have more research done to protect the young toddlers, teenagers who

have to deal with brain tumours. as a politician sarahjones, what do you want to merge that the attention baroness tessa joel and others are trying to bring to this area? we wa nt to trying to bring to this area? we want to see change and more funding. it is about that and also about how we can develop new cure the an treatments. one of the issues tessa has been trying to campaign about these rare forms of cancers, like brain tumour she has, they are relatively small numbers of people and if we could share data across the world, they could do much more effective, faster trials and research to try and get a cure. it is extraordinary that the point you just made, this is the biggest cancer killer amongst children and under the 40s. there is a boy in my constituency at the moment who is going through this and it is terrible. his mother said, going through this and it is terrible. his mothersaid, it going through this and it is terrible. his mother said, it didn't occur to her when he were starting with the symptoms, he was vomiting,

it didn't occur to her he would have a brain tumour because nobody knows about it. more research and more clinical sharing of data so we can get more trials and get much quicker at trying to find treatment and a cure. thank you both, thank you both very much. we are going to bring you the weather slightly earlier before we had to the, well summit live, we are expecting a speech from the queen and the prime minister onwards. we will bring you the weather before that. but before that... they were the golden women of the commonwealth games in australia. england's netball team winning the gold in one of the most tense and most exciting matches in the sport's history. they are so happy. not only that, but they beat the home favourites, australia. it was a neck and neck, 51—51 with 20 seconds left on the clock. england scoring the winning goal with three seconds

of the game remaining. their celebrations, tears, screams and the players alljumping on top of each other, went viral and even david beckham took to twitter to congratulate them. in a moment i'll be speaking to two members of the team, jodie gibson and beth cobden, but for now let's have a look again at the final nail—biting moment. going for the money shot! jo harten! helen housby! she'll have it again, helen housby. they've done it! england have done it! they have broken history. they have made history. they have snatched the gold medal from australia. they have taken it. they have taken it! ijust don't even have any words! what just happened?! england, four down. they crawl it back. they will not give up. my word!

jo harten, helen housby... tracey neville, serena guthrie, jo harten, helen housby, ebony beckford—chambers, corbin, gibson — all of them, they have given everything. and they have taken the gold. they have taken the gold from australia in a commonwealth games in australia. this has just shaken the world of netball. wow! well two of those gold medallists, jodie gibson and beth cobden, are with us now. it is fabulous to see your reaction and you are laughing and smiling the whole of the way through and how many times have you seen it now? probably the 51st time i have seen it. it will affect you for the rest of your life. i keep waiting to come

down, it has been amazing. congratulations. i guess you had no idea in the early morning hours here, people were watching it i getting so worked up on your behalf? we were so overwhelmed, we were not sure about what was going on because when you are there you are in a little bubble so are there you are in a little bubble so to have the response we have had is incredible. what was it like in the last few seconds?” is incredible. what was it like in the last few seconds? i was on the bench and i was gripping onto kadeen corbin, i couldn't watch. and then when we saw helen put the final goal m, when we saw helen put the final goal in, we were screaming, crying, running onto the court, incredible scenes i will never forget. what about you ? scenes i will never forget. what about you? i was in the defensive end and! about you? i was in the defensive end and i couldn't watch it. ijust turned to our goalkeeper and i said

i cannot watch. and she said, we've scored and we were jumping around. seconds before that, helen had missed it. but then you got the penalty for obstruction? yes, because the penalty had been called already, you still get to take it. if he had missed it, it would have gone into extra time, but thankfully! four years ago, the team missed out by one goal. they lost in the semis by one goal, so we ended up the semis by one goal, so we ended up with bronze. and the semifinal before this was absolutely close? up with bronze. and the semifinal before this was absolutely close ?m was really freaky, it was the same thing and it went down to the last second. you cannot write it. you are not only obviously gold medal

winners, you are the only english tea m winners, you are the only english team to ever win a gold medal at the tournament? yes, we kept hearing the words, history being made. it is the first time we have won all our games in the group stages and then to go and win the semifinal and get into the final. and then when we won the final, we couldn't believe it, it is an incredible feeling. tell us about your coach, tracey neville and the atmosphere she has nurtured in this team? we know her really well from clu b team? we know her really well from club level and she is such a personality and she brings it into the group. we have such a good vibe in the team and that is what wins the game is that is what got us over the game is that is what got us over the line, we have a lot to thank her forfor the line, we have a lot to thank her for for that. what does she do to enable you to cope with the pressure? the semifinal was the same as the final in that sense, but you didn't buchel, you didn't show? we have been working for a long time on our culture and we work with a

psychologist to do with being in these pressure situations, so even though it was a big game and we were nervous, retrain for these situations. we have got each other's back and we made the decision to be together and enjoy the moment. that is what got us over the line. in terms of the psychological side, you are talking about mental strength to deal with those nerve—racking moments. give us some tips, we might benefit from this, improving our mental strength, what can we do, what kind of things have you benefited from? we do a lot of work, sat down in the classroom defining what we are, being a rose steelers and all the different values of it. it has kind of build on it slowly. culture is something that you cannot really, i don't know, you can help it along but sometimes you have a good group of... a good five? yet it

is, we are lucky to be part of it. net bowlers have been campaigning since 1967 to get netball in the olympics. the latest attempt was in twe nty20 olympics. the latest attempt was in twenty20 and it didn't work but the campaign goes on for 2024? we hope so. campaign goes on for 2024? we hope so. there is a lot of talk of netball being in the talks among the ioc to get it into the olympics hopefully it will become an olympic sport. to compete in olympics would be amazing but become of games is the highest we can do. to become involved in the olympic games would be amazing for netball is all over the world. keep smiling, i think you will. thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for having us. let's bring you the weather.

if you woke up to this view this morning, you know it is going to be a lovely day. what a beautiful start to the day in norfolk. we have had lovely scenes from all our weather watchers. this is the scene in nevin. and in surrey, lots of blue skies across the united kingdom. we do have some crowd across scotland, northern ireland and around the irish sea coast. some missed and cloud lapping onshore around the coastal areas so little bit fresher. elsewhere, we're looking at the sunshine, temperatures up to 20 degrees in the south—east of england and with the continuing into most areas, cloud around the irish sea coast. temperatures in scotland and northern ireland, 17, 19 degrees but

24, 27 perhaps up to 28 degrees northern ireland, 17, 19 degrees but 24,27 perhaps up to 28 degrees in the south east of england. tonight, there will be patchy mist and fog developing, particularly around these irish sea coasts into friday morning. more in the way of cloud and spots of rain into the western isles on temperatures overnight down to seven, 12 or 13 degrees. how about friday, will the sunshine continue? the answer is yes, for most of us. mist and fog clears away quickly and lots of sunshine into the afternoon across england and wales. sunny spells. one, northern ireland and wales but the win comes from a different direction on friday. cooler for scotland and northern ireland and temperatures in england and wales down by a few agrees but still above the average of about 25. over the weekend we have this low pressure which will move in. it will spoil the party somewhat as we go through saturday and into sunday. it will start largely fine and dry on sunday with sunshine and feeling warm. we will

see thundery showers starting to work their way up from the south, pushing into south—west england into wales and northern england. temperatures into the mid—20s across the south—east but cooler further north. this is sunday, more cloud, persistent rain moving to scotland and northern ireland and the far north of england. further south that could be the odd shower around on sunday. temperatures around the high teens and low 20s and cooler again across scotland and northern ireland. the london marathon on sunday, it is set to be pretty warm. temperatures getting up to about 20, 202 temperatures getting up to about 20, 20 2 degrees and it could be one of the warmest london marathon is on record. there is a chance of a small shower in the morning but the forecast is for dry weather with some sunny forecast is for dry weather with some sunny spells. hello it's thursday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire. the queen is about to officially opening the commonwealth heads of government meeting —

she'll be speaking shortly along with prime minister, theresa may. we'll bring you live coverage as it happens. 53 different nations will be represented at today's commonwealth summit in london, but in 70% of those countries, being gay is still illegal. with protests planned for later today, we'll hear from two commonwealth citizens who were persecuted for their sexuality. and it could be the end of plastic straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds in england, as the government takes on plastic waste. and it was one of the most tense and exciting games in the history of netball. two members of the england team told us about the moment they knew they'd clinched it... i couldn't watch. she turned away. then we saw the final goal in, just screaming, crying. went on to the court, incredible scenes i will never forget. good morning, it's ten o'clock.

let's go live now to the ballroom of buckingham palace, where the commonwealth heads of government are meeting. members of the royal family are about to arrive. there is our colleague, introducing proceedings. and her majesty the queen, accompanied by his royal highness, the prince of wales. you will be invited to stand for the national anthem, which will be some bright emeli sande, followed by a welcome from the prince of wales. i now ask you to remain seated whilst we give a warm welcome to our commonwealth heads of government. the minister of foreign affairs of barbados. applause the minister for foreign and home affairs of belize.

the deputy prime minister of saint vincent and the grenadines. applause the president of the senate of malaise here. applause a5 malaise here. applause as they are introducing various foreign ministers of commonwealth countries, that could take some time, we can talk to ben brown. what sort of things are on the agenda for these commonwealth nations?” sort of things are on the agenda for these commonwealth nations? i think it will take some time, there are 53 leaders to be introduced and then we will hear from the prince of wales, the prime minister theresa may and the prime minister theresa may and the queen as well. after that, a 53 garden salute to represent all 53 members of this family of nations. what are we going to be discussing at this heads of government over the next few days? climate change is clearly one of the key issues where the british government thinks the

commonwealth can act together. also on the agenda is fighting cyber warfare. from britain's point of view, i think in the post—brexit world, trade is absolutely crucial. after the uk leads the european union, of course it is looking for new trading partners. big members of the commonwealth like india, australia, new zealand and canada will all be crucial, and smaller nations as well. this is possibly the last commonwealth heads of government summit where the queen will be present. she doesn't travel any more and it's pretty rare that this chogm, the commonwealth heads of government summit is held in the uk, so this may be her last commonwealth summit and because of that there is quite a lot of emotion surrounding this particular summit. the queen has always been seen as the glue that holds this family of nations, as it is called, together. it does have critics, the

commonwealth. some say it is a hangover from imperial times, a bielik and an acronym stick relic of the british empire. —— a relic. critics say homosexuality, for example, is still an offence in a lot of commonwealth countries. tom daley said at the commonwealth games in australia that it needs to modernise, it needs to get up to date and move with the times and be truly representative of 2018. so there is a lot for the leaders here to discuss. this is the opening ceremony that you are going to be watching here right now. it is in the ballroom inside buckingham palace, the biggest room inside the palace. and as i say, the queen will be here, the prime minister will be here, prince charles will be here and then a bit later on today they will be getting down to business and talking about all those issues, climate change, trade, cyber warfare and so on. mrs may will have a

chance to talk about the consultation she is launching in england to ban plastic drinking straws and cotton buds and the like, something she will be urging those in the commonwealth to follow. the british government sees the commonwealth is an ideal vehicle to push climate change. britain sees itself as leading the world, in some ways, with this consultation on a barren of plastic straws and cotton buds in particular. the commonwealth, yes critics will say what is it, what is actually for? it is not an economic bloc by the eu, not a military bloc like nato, it doesn't have huge political clout. it's heads of government only meet every couple of years, but they do think the british government, i think, that climate change is one of the things that the commonwealth can tackle. of course, 53 nations, 1.2 billion people in india, big

countries like india, canada, australia and new zealand, but lots of small countries like the seychelles, whose president we were talking to, just 90,000 is the population there. very vulnerable to rising sea levels and climate change. so there are thousands and thousands of miles of coastline, apart from anything else, shared between the commonwealth countries. so the question of plastic pollution, pollution of the oceans is absolutely critical to members of the commonwealth. the official agenda where they will discuss things like that but also boris johnson said he will raise lgbt rights during the summit but this has to be informal conversations in the background ? has to be informal conversations in the background? yes. i think behind the background? yes. i think behind the scenes, there are conversations. for example, as i said the president of the seychelles was telling us in an interview that in his country they have moved with legislation to decriminalise that. they feel they have moved with the points but there are other countries, uganda for example, some other african countries, where it is still a

criminal offence. the british government, they have to be careful i suppose, they have to be diplomatic and this. they don't feel they can railroad anybody into anything, but they can try to be gently persuasive behind the scenes. this is an issue that really suddenly sprung to prominence with tom daley after the commonwealth games and his performance there, think this is something he wants to see addressed. it is all very well having something fantastic like the commonwealth games, but he didn't feel comfortable with the way the commonwealth is on issues like gay rights. so, inside the ballroom we have dozens so, inside the ballroom we have d oze ns of so, inside the ballroom we have dozens of foreign affairs ministers from commonwealth nations being introduced and taking their places. there you can see former prime ministerjohn major. you probably saw that labour mayor of london in the front row, as well. now we have prime minister is being introduced.

then we are expecting, in the next few minutes, the queen and then the british prime minister to give an address. the president of the republic of uganda. applause his majesty the salt brunei darussalam. the prime minister of malta. applause the prime minister of the united kingdom. applause and the commonwealth secretary general. applause thank you, and i'd like to extend a warm welcome to all our commonwealth heads of government. your excellency

‘s ladies and gentlemen, please stand for members of the royal family had majesty the queen and his royal highness, the prince of wales. as the queen takes her seat at the commonwealth summit, we are expecting to hear the national anthem shortly followed by some words from the prince of wales. # god save our gracious queen, # long live our noble queen, # god save the queen! # send her victorious, # happy and glorious, # long to reign over us, # god save the queen! thank you, emeli. can i ask everyone

to be seated. the prince of wales will now officially welcome us to buckingham palace today. your majesty, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it's a pleasure to be here with you this morning and to join pleasure to be here with you this morning and tojoin her majesty pleasure to be here with you this morning and to join her majesty the queen in welcoming each of you to buckingham palace for the formal opening of the commonwealth heads of government meeting. this is an occasion to celebrate with renewed

pride are remarkable commonwealth families. particularly as it follows so families. particularly as it follows so hard on the heels of the 21st commonwealth games and australia's gold coast, at the opening of which i was proud to have been asked to represent her majesty. witnessing this great gathering of 71 countries, territories and meeting their athletes in the games village was, above all, a moving reminder of the strong and affectionate bonds which we all share. for my part, the commonwealth has been a fundamental feature of my life for as long as i can remember, beginning with my first visit to malta when i was just five years old. i consider myself fortunate over the years to be able to meet and talk with so many giants of the

commonwealth. sir robert menzies, sir keith holyoke, pierre trudeau and many more. and the foundations they laid the modern commonwealth as a vital role to play in building bridges between our countries, various societies within them and are more secure various societies within them and are more secure world around them. and so, ladies and gentlemen, i pray that this commonwealth heads of government meeting will not only revitalise the bonds between our countries but also give the commonwealth a renewed relevance to all its citizens, finding practical solutions to their problems and giving life to their aspirations. by doing so, the commonwealth can be a

cornerstone for the lives of future generations, just as it has been for so generations, just as it has been for so many of us. applause thank you, your royal highness. the uk is delighted to host the commonwealth heads of government meeting or chogm. one constant throughout the commonwealth's remarkable history is a dedicated experienced the queen has given. the role she has played is much admired. the formal opening is seen as a vibrant expression of our diversity and the ceremony is inspired by the idea of a common future. you will hear a musical performance from six

singers from around the commonwealth. the performance has been created especially for today and is based on a song that has become a youth anthem, unwritten. # iam # i am unwritten, can't read my mind. # i i am unwritten, can't read my mind. #iam i am unwritten, can't read my mind. # i am undefined. # i am undefined. # i am undefined. #iam # i am undefined. # i amjust # i am undefined. # i am just beginning, pen's in my hand... as we watch the interlude in the ballroom, the opening ceremony for this commonwealth heads of government. some of the issues that will be raised will be theresa may inafew will be raised will be theresa may in a few minutes' time and she is expected to focus very much on the

fight against climate change and that will be one of the key issues, plastic pollution of the oceans as well. behind—the—scenes there is a lot of talk about trade especially in the post—brexit world. let's bring in james landale. in the post—brexit world. let's bring injames landale. we were hearing from prince charles talking about the need for the commonwealth to find a renewed relevance. some of its critics will say it isn't very releva nt a ny its critics will say it isn't very relevant any more, it is just a hangover from the old days of the british empire? the critics would say that, and even the defenders of it would say it has been struggling for a role. but it provides an extraordinary network between 53 nations. today we are seeing the pomp and ceremony and the meetings of the heads of government level but the common wealth work is done through small, interlocking professional groups, civic society

groups and charitable organisations to use this network to add value, to use the jargon. what the organisation as a whole has struggled to do is how do you do this at all governmental level? the point is, it is a loose organisation of 53 nations, many of whom have different agendas, they are different agendas, they are different sizes, different cultures and have different opinions on social cultures. they are signed up to liberal, democratic values but they have lots of different, that is what the prince of wales is trying to talk about. what is the role of the commonwealth? in the broader view, many people think, at a time when people are questioning the international rules —based order and people following this postwar structure we have and which the common wealth is apart, some say the commonwealth might be one of those organisations where there are values worth defending and they should look after it in the future. james, thank

you very much. we will bring you much more from this formal opening ceremony inside the palace, so let's listen to a little bit of the music before we hear the prime minister. #so before we hear the prime minister. # so close you can almost taste it... release your inhibitions. # feel the rain on your skin. # feel the rain on your skin. #no # feel the rain on your skin. # no one else can feel it for you. # no one else can feel it for you. # only you can let it in. # only you can let it in. #no # only you can let it in. # no one else, no one else can speak the words on your lips. # live your life with eyes wide open. # feel varane on your skin, no one else can feel it for you. # only you can let in. # only you can let in. #no # only you can let in. # no one else can speak the words on your lips. # trends your life with words unspoken. # live your life with eyes wide

open. #no open. # no one else can feel it for you. # no one else can feel it for you. #no # no one else can feel it for you. # no one else can feel it for you. #no # no one else can feel it for you. # no one else can feel it for you. # no one else can feel it for you. applause thank you. it is now my pleasure to invite the host of the summit, the

right honourable theresa may, prime minister of the united kingdom, to speak. your majesty, your royal highness is, secretary general, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. iam excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. i am extremely proud to be welcoming you all to london the first full heads of government meeting here in almost 40 years. i want to by expressing my gratitude to prime minister muscat and his team, thank you for your incredible hard work. you represent a commonwealth truth that the size of a country does not limit its ambition and impact. i hope that over the coming days and months, we can build on the work you have begun as we forge a future for our common good. over many decades, this organisation has brought together nations, young and old,

large and small, to celebrate our common bonds and work to our mutual benefit. there have been difficulties, successes, controversies, but i believe wholeheartedly, in the good that the commonwealth can do. and this week, as young people from our many nations gather and contribute their views, our responsibility as leaders is to ensure their voices are heard and to build a commonwealth that we can be proud to hand onto the next generation. for in the commonwealth, we have an incredible opportunity. an opportunity to showjust what can be achieved through coordinated action and cooperation. to seize the possibilities open to us as member countries and together, to take on some of the 21st—century ‘s questions. how we support our most

vulnerable member states as we tackle climate change and improve the health of our oceans creating a more sustainable commonwealth. how we improve through trade, pushing back against protectionism for more prosperous commonwealth. how we respond threats and cyber attacks, creating a more secure commonwealth. and how, in all of this, we advance those common values which are organisation has always stood for, democracy, human rights, tolerance and the rule of law, so we establish and the rule of law, so we establish afairer and the rule of law, so we establish a fairer commonwealth. these are problems nations cannot solve alone, but by working together, we can make a real difference. over the past three days, we have seen the power of the commonwealth in action at the forums for business leaders, young people, women and civil society.

these discussions have demonstrated the vibrancy and creativity of our organisation, focusing on issues such as improving trade, youth unemployment, education and health. all of which, have the potential to transform lives. i am looking forward to taking these issues further with the heads of government over the next two days. finally, on behalf of all of you assembled here in buckingham palace, i want to offer my heartfelt thanks to your majesty, head of the commonwealth. this week, you have opened your homes to us, here in london and in windsor. over many years you have been the commonwealth's most steadfast and fervent champion. you have been true to the deepest values of the commonwealth, that the voice of the commonwealth, that the voice of the commonwealth, that the voice of the smallest member country is worth precisely as much as that of

the largest, that the wealthy and most vulnerable stand shoulder to shoulder. you have seen us through most of our most serious challenges and recommit to sustaining this commonwealth, which you have so carefully nurtured. for your service, for your dedication and your consistency, we thank you. applause thank you, prime minister. we will hear from the commonwealth secretary

general, the right honourable, patricia scotland. your majesty 's, royal highness is, excellencies, distinguished delegates, friends and colleagues. our presence in this place, united and purpose and aware of the many millions we represent, isa of the many millions we represent, is a supreme expression of faith in the commonwealth. a commonwealth of people. we have unparalleled ability to draw together streams of wisdom from secular sources and from diverse traditions of religious and philosophical thought and practice. our values and aspirations are

expressed in the commonwealth charter, signed by the queen, head of the commonwealth to whom we owe an untold debt of gratitude. both, asa an untold debt of gratitude. both, as a symbol of free association and through deep personal identification, with the highest ideals of respect and understanding, her majesty has won a place of great affection in the hearts of people of all countries of the commonwealth. on occasions such as this, we become freshly aware of relationships we cherish and of inheritances being

carried forward by successive generations. new energy and vitality are added as younger members take up responsibility and become active within the circuitry of commonwealth connection. commonwealth heads of government meetings are distinctive for being both receptive and responsive to the needs of all. especially the young, the marginalised and the vulnerable. our dialogue is different, because there isa dialogue is different, because there is a special dynamic in our commonwealth ecosystem. we can think back to the lime quarry declaration on the environment made in the 1989 commonwealth heads of government

meeting in malaysia. a visionary and pioneering statement and that early blossom now bears fruit in initiatives such as the queen's commonwealth can be —— canopy and our work on the commonwealth blue charter and the economy. such continuing abundance and productivity depends on processes of refreshment and renewal that are essential for the continuing vitality and development of any organism. numerous examples show commonwealth synergy accelerating progress to tackle climate change and plastic pollution, to eliminate child early and enforced marriage and modern slavery. to eradicate polio and malaria and reduce the prevalence of non—communicable

diseases. upholding democracy, the rule of law and human rights. hastening these processes, we now have the commonwealth innovation hub and the commonwealth office of civil and the commonwealth office of civil and criminaljustice and the commonwealth office of civil and criminal justice reform. and the commonwealth office of civil and criminaljustice reform. the commonwealth heads of government meeting is a springboard for action. it is the launch pad that propels us onwards. upward, forward, together. we are the believers, we believe in the commonwealth, we have faith in the commonwealth, we have faith in the commonwealth. that it will continue to adapt and thrive, becoming ever more fit for purpose. innovating and collaborating, united in our determination to be as

responsive as we are inclusive. towards a common future. applause thank you, secretary general. there area number of thank you, secretary general. there are a number of young leaders who are a number of young leaders who are with us today on two will now share their remarkable stories. recipients of the queen's young leaders award, celebrating exceptional people using skills to transform lives in their own communities and to drive change across the commonwealth. i now invite them to tell us of their experiences. studio: we are going to pause and go back to buckingham palace in a few moments time, when

we will hear from the queen, who is going to give a speech at around 10:40am. one issue we have reported on today which is not on the agenda at the commonwealth heads of government meeting is lgbt rights. fifty three different nations are represented at today's summit— an overwhelming 70% of those countries still outlaw homosexuality in 2018. nine countries have life imprisonment for being gay. in parts of nigeria and pakistan, if you're gay, you could be given the death sentence. pressure from lgbtq campaigners led to theresa may saying the uk "deeply regrets" the role it played in the legacy of discrimination and says britain has "special responsibility" to change hearts and minds on anti—gay laws. activists will be outside the summit today, saying the issue must be forced onto the agenda, after over six decades of silence. we spoke to the president of the seychelles ahead of the meeting. his country did decriminalise homosexuality in 2016. he told us he's committed to making more progress. i think there are two issues. there is the issue of context.

there is also an issue of human rights. it was a very old law on our books, and i think the time had come for us to repeal this. my appeal is wherever it exists, we have just to take this bold decision and really decriminalise homosexuality. let's talk now to human rights campaigner peter tatchell who is leading the protest outside the summit later today. edrisa kiyemba feared for his life in uganda after being outed as gay by his ex—wife. also here is espoir njei who had to flee from cameroo. —— from cameroon. she says the police used "corrective rape" on her to try and cure her of her sexuality. thank you for coming on the programme. peter, you are proposing four steps leaders at this summit should discuss to advance homosexual

rights in this country is, what are they? these four proposals don't come from me but from commonwealth activist in africa, the caribbean, asia and the pacific. they are all saying four simple things. they want the colonial era laws that were imposed by britain repealed, to decriminalise same—sex relations. they would like to see legislation to protect lgbt people against discrimination. they would like to see the laws against violence enforced, to protect the lgbt people against hate crime. and above all, they want their governments to dialogue with them as lgbt organisations about the persecution that they suffer. we are talking about at least 100 million lgbt people living in commonwealth countries, where even today it is a crime to be gay and those people at risk of imprisonment, mob violence

and mass social discrimination. espoir njei, in cameroon you were seen espoir njei, in cameroon you were seen kissing a woman. what was the reaction? when i was seen kissing a woman, the reaction was horrible. the man who saw us, he screamed, god forbid! what i saying? where is this world going to? so he shouted, help, help! as he shouted, the crowd came and before we could realise, they we re and before we could realise, they were after us. so we had to run. my partner and myself, we ran to save our life. but my breath was short andl our life. but my breath was short and i was caught. my partner for lead. when i was caught, the mob that was there got been well beaten, calling me names, giving me punches. a5 calling me names, giving me punches. as if that wasn't enough, i was dragged from fair to the police station. it's about a 20 minute walk to where we work. outcast, foolish,

thief, criminal, all the to where we work. outcast, foolish, thief, criminal, allthe insults to where we work. outcast, foolish, thief, criminal, all the insults you can think of, i had them. from there to the police station, you could see people coming up through their doors and windows looking at what was really going on and that was me. while at the police station, i was locked, everybody went. my own father was there and he accepted it should be done, because in cameroon it isa should be done, because in cameroon it is a taboo for that family that i came from. so when i was locked at night, there were two police office rs night, there were two police officers on duty. what happened, they said i'm going to have sex with you and you will tell me if you don't feel for me. i was there for four days. no food, no drink and nothing. they rape to you? yes, two of them, two nights successively. after that my father came. you're

not locked up and come out without a form of bride. that is how it happened there. ok. thank you very much for sharing that with us because that is absolutely horrific and an unbelievable trauma that you have had to deal with since then. and her girlfriend was murdered by the police in police custody. and her girlfriend was murdered by the police in police custodym didn't end there, when i left and went home he said, because of the distilleries you want to bring to this family we won't accept it, you have to get married whether you like it or not. —— because of the disgrace you brought this family. i was forced into that marriage, all i had was domestic violence. i couldn't have rest. insults and whatever. then the worst came when my partner was arrested in. i was free because i went to get water and

coming back i saw the husband and two police officers walking towards the inn where we were. i took some steps back to see what was happening andi steps back to see what was happening and i saw them going where i came from. i took up my phone to call my partner, be careful. but it was too late. i could hear screaming from the background, i'm dead, i'm dead, can somebody help me, i'm dead. i was helpless, i couldn't help her so i had to flee and left the country. when i left the country i didn't have peace because what i saw. i have peace because what i saw. i have been trying to get to her and see how she was doing but the number wouldn't go through. so i thought of a lady that knew her and had her number. i called the lady and i said, where is grace, it has been long and i haven't heard from her? she said didn't you hear? she died in police custody because she was being beaten by the husband and a police officer. why? because she was a 93v police officer. why? because she was a gay woman. because she was caught

with a gay woman. i was that lady.” understand. i'm going to bring in edrisa, if i may. your story... you got out of uganda after being forced to marry a woman. you realised you we re to marry a woman. you realised you were gay at age 15. forced into marriage with a woman, who found out you are seeing a marriage with a woman, who found out you are seeing a man marriage with a woman, who found out you are seeing a man and she bent outed you. what happened after that? basically, all societies in africa, they behave in a similar way. in fa ct they behave in a similar way. in fact the cultures in africa at the same cultures around the world. the british empire, which imposed the colonial act, the issues. the

legislations of all countries have adopted that scene where all cultures on the law suggests that if you are caught, you will be outed. sol you are caught, you will be outed. so i was outed by my wife, court with my partner. i was lucky, i feared with my —— for my life. living in uganda and elsewhere around the world is the same thing. whatever happens, everybody will out you, whatever happens, everybody will out you , even whatever happens, everybody will out you, even your own. sorry to interrupt, what do you think about the fact that for the 60th year this issue, the kind of experiences you have shared today has not yet made the official agenda at the commonwealth heads of government meeting? it is really devastating. in uganda in1958, meeting? it is really devastating. in uganda in 1958, when the penal code was put forward, however it is

true we welcome theresa may's apology. however, it has taken a long time, over 68 years. why do we go to demonstrations? there are issues, very many governments coming, commonwealth leaders, who suggest because this is a sensitive topic, they distance themselves away from the topic. can you see it getting on the official gender at some point? at some point it will happen but it is so shocking that there is this mass violation of lgbt rights in 70% of commonwealth countries and the commonwealth leaders at this summit won't even discuss the issue. i have been campaigning for 30 years to get it on the agenda. every time they say no, no, no. they will discuss every issue under the sun but will not even talk about the kinds of experiences that edrisa and espoir have had. it is so distressing. their stories are typical of tens of

thousands of lg bt their stories are typical of tens of thousands of lgbt people in commonwealth countries. we are hopeful change will come, because the seychelles, belize... i'm going to interrupt you because i think the queen is on her way. i hope you will forgive me. thank you all for coming on the programme. back to buckingham palace, where that summit is being held and the queen is about to give a speech to formally open proceedings. applause prime minister muscat, prime minister made, secretary general, ladies and gentlemen, having on so many occasions been welcomed to opening ceremonies around the commonwealth, it is a pleasure this time to welcome you to my own home. here at buckingham palace in 1949,

my father met the heads of government when they ratified the london declaration, which created the commonwealth as we know it today. then comprising just eight nations. who, then, or in 1952 when i became head of the commonwealth, would have guessed that a gathering of its member states would one day number 53 or that it would comprise 2.4 billion people? put simply, we are one of the world's great convening cards, a global association of volunteers who believe in the tangible benefits that flow from exchanging ideas and experiences, and respecting each other‘s point of view. and we seem to be growing stronger year by year.

the advantages are plain to see, an increasing emphasis on trade between our countries is helping us all to discover exciting new ways of doing business. and unimaginative initiatives have shown how together we can bring about change on a global scale. —— and imaginative initiatives. we have emphasised our interdependence, while the commonwealth blue charter promises to do the same in protecting our shared ocean resources. the queen elizabeth diamond jubilee trust is providing life changing eye treatment to many thousands through the generosity and cooperation of the generosity and cooperation of the nations represented here today. my the nations represented here today. my family the nations represented here today. myfamily and the nations represented here today. my family and i have been heartened

by these and many other programmes, in which we are proud to play a part. i'm glad to see that young people, connecting through technology, are becoming ever more involved. when i meet the young leaders of this century, i remember my own lifelong commitment made in south africa in 1947 at the age of 21. as another birthday approaches this week, i'm reminded of the extraordinary journey we this week, i'm reminded of the extraordinaryjourney we have been on and how much good has been achieved. it remains a great pleasure and honour to serve you as the commonwealth and to observe with pride and satisfaction, but this is a flourishing network. it is my sincere wish the commonwealth will

continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one day, the prince of wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949. by continuing to treasure and reinvigorate our associations and reinvigorate our associations and activities, i believe we will secure a and activities, i believe we will secure a safer, and activities, i believe we will secure a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world for those who follow us. a world where the commonwealth's generosity of spirit can bring its gentle touch of healing and hope to all. mindful, as always, that this summit of commonwealth leaders draws its mandate and authority from our member countries collectively. it gives me great pleasure to declare this meeting of the commonwealth heads of government open. applause your majesty, thank you. we will now

celebrate the commonwealth's musical connections with an instrumental collaboration which draws on a range of folk styles on draws on musicians from across the commonwealth. please now enjoyed this musical performance of shepherd's hay. music

as we continue to watch the opening ceremony of the commonwealth heads of government meeting, inside the ballroom at buckingham palace we have been listening to the prime minister, theresa may, talking about how the commonwealth is an incredible opportunity to show you what can be achieved through coordinated action. she was talking about cyber warfare, the fight against that, the fight against

climate change and trade operations, which are so important after brexit. and how the queen is the glue that holds this commonwealth together. let's bring in our diplomatic correspondent, james landale. there have been questions about who heads the commonwealth after the queen, what did she say about that? she was very explicit about that, in previous commonwealth she has dropped hints occasionally, the odd speech, she has talked about the important work the prince of wales does within the commonwealth. he has been doing a lot of work within the commonwealth. in the speech we heard, she openly as the heads of government, or listening to her, she would like the prince of wales to carry on the work in the future. so very, very explicit request by the queen. we know it is supported by downing street, they made this

public earlier in the week. we know it will be discussed tomorrow. because the queen has been so central to this organisation, just as an individual, i think there is a recognition you need to have some kind of continuity into the future. jeremy corbyn has said it could be done on rotation? that idea has a lwa ys done on rotation? that idea has always been there. this idea the commonwealth has always been a bit anglo central, too much based in london. this is a body of 53 nations, maybe have them based in india malaysia, one of the other big nations and have it on a rotating basis. you have the same arguments people have about electing presidents, you have a next politician. james, thank you very much. tributes were paid during the opening ceremony to the queen and her steadfast leadership of the commonwealth. theresa may saying she had been the most steadfast and fervent champion of the commonwealth. this family of 53

nations, from buckingham palace, back to you. tributes have been paid to dale winton who's died at the age of 62 — best known for hosting supermarket sweep in the 1990s, which he did for more than a decade. here's what david walliams said... broadcaster vanessa feltz also paid tribute to dale winton, sharing her memories of him with us. my chief memory of dale is when i was on dale's supermarket sweep, we were told in advance, every answer to every question, you must preface with the word "dale". so if he says, "vanessa how are you?" i had to say, "dale, i'm fabulous."

i remember forgetting and saying, "i'm very well thank you". and it was like, stop, take it again. preface every answer with the word dale. "dale, i'm fabulous." i also remember the moment when they said, "stop! more lip gloss, dale". "stop, more fake tan, dale". "stop, dale doesn't like the lighting, can he retake it?" ijust thought he was great. let's take a look back now, at some of dale winton's tv highlights. dale winton! thank you, thank you so much! hi there, welcome to supermarket sweep. hello gorgeous shoppers! all: hello, dale! oh, your noisy today and i know why... cheering and applause ladies and gentlemen, here's the man that puts the two halves together, dale winton! all: hello, dale! cheering and applause

thank you, thank you! oh, now stop! welcome to the other half. this is a show that's all about trying to spot other people's sweethearts, partners, lovers. yes folks, tonight it's the winton and the wanton! when you think about it, history is littered with the most unlikely of couples. i mean, you've got romeo and juliet, antony and cleopatra and ricky and bianca. what have you got to do with this dog to make her bark? not a lot, but one thing in particular, if i say wendy... what did you say? wendy what? i love your knickers. 0h... there is someone called wendy in the audience who just ran out the door. wendy, i love your knickers. there's a phrase i don't say very often! lovely to see you on pets win prizes. i know, megan. hello. that's a sensation and a half. laughter can i give

you back now, please? you are beetle mad, aren't you? yeah. you've got a beetle car, all be beatle albums and is it called john, paul, george or ringo? this is ringo, john and paul. so paul is a flying beetle because of his wings? you know, the bedroom's obviously a hive of activity. have a look at this. a thigh master. what really impresses me is the his and her fragrances either side of the bed. have a look at this. you may well be forgiven for thinking this garment came straight off bianca's stall in eastenders, but i can tell you it was purchased on their honeymoon abroad. well, i think i'll have some fun. laughte. nothing i like more than a tasty banger. now the best thing about sausages as they come in all different shapes and sizes, from little chipolatas right up to big thickjuicyjumbos, and i love to get my teeth into them.

and so do the dogs. our reporter chi chi izundu is here —tell us about dale winton? we mentioned the tributes from david walliams, but there have been so many more? graham norton paying tribute especially because he said dale winton gave him the best showbiz advice of his career. we have simon mailloux... showbiz advice of his career. we have simon mailloux. .. you have disabled the advice was. this was exemplary of dale winton, people coming up with lovely stories about how they worked with him. sad news about dale winton, he was grand company. in the early 80s he was a radio trent and i was on radio nottingham, morning rivals. he called us the bette davis and joan

crawford of local radio. i am not sure who was who. lots of tributes of people and normal people that watched and loved him on daytime tv. let's not forget that is where he's pride, mainly on itv and many with supermarket sweep there is a generation of people like myself, students, who lived for the programme because it was so entertaining. how he people on to shove everything in the trolley, including the plastic banana. he did start his career as a dj and he was on local radio before he got his break on tv. he was only 62, obviously we are asking about the circumstances around his death. david walliams did say i hope he found peace. he lost his mother to a drug overdose when he was 21. a couple of years ago on loose women he talked about the fact he suffered from depression and he said david

walliams was one of his friends that had helped him through that quite a lot. he did have some mental health issues. at this point in time, we don't know how he died at 62 is a very young age, these days, for someone very young age, these days, for someone of his stature to have died. thank you very much and those tributes continue to be paid. thank you very much for your m essa g es we thank you very much for your messages we have had all week for the windrush messages. we spoke to a man today who said he has a letter, in fact he showed it to you, he came to great britain from jamaica with his mum in 1960 85. he said he is afraid to leave britain case they don't allow him back in. the reason for that fear, because of the fuss around windrush migrants right now but a couple of years ago he went to

greece and at the airport they didn't recognise his letter and they said it isn't on the list of recognisable documents. i have had an e—mail from recognisable documents. i have had an e—mailfrom an american recognisable documents. i have had an e—mail from an american woman who watches the programme called lisa. she said i am an american woman watching your programme on bbc two andi watching your programme on bbc two and i have lived in great britain since 1997, and i came with my daughter and we have both been granted are indefinite right to remain. i also have a fear of leaving the country. a fear that i will not be let back in. employment has been a nightmare to obtain. i have struggled to get a job because employers are not recognising my indefinite leave to remain letter. inside my passport, or the letter given by the home office and they co nsta ntly given by the home office and they constantly said we will have to contact the home office. i am made to feel this isn't my home. yet i have three children, my two sons we re have three children, my two sons were born in the uk, i have three

grandchildren. my grandchildren were born in the uk. they have made me feel like an outcast. thank you very much, lisa. thank you for your company today, bbc newsroom live is next, have a good day we are back tomorrow at nine a:m.. mist and fog developing particular in the irish sea coasts. through friday, in a mist and fog on land for ten to burn away and fog many of us, it's a dry and sunny day, a few showers in northern areas but towards the south, temperatures are still up to about 27 celsius. bye— bye. this is bbc news.

i'm ben brown, live at buckingham palace. the headlines at 11: dignitaries from around the globe gather for the commonwealth heads of government meeting, where theresa may paid tribute to the queen. we committed to sustaining this commonwealth, which you have so carefully nurtured. for your showers, for your dedication, for your constancy, we thank you. a 53—gun salute is being held in near—by green park to mark the meeting. i'll have all the latest from central london throughout the day.