hello — this is breakfast, with steph mcgovern and charlie stayt. tough new rules on high stakes gambling machines. the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals will be slashed from 100 pounds to just 2, but bookmakers warn that the change could cost thousands of jobs. good morning — it's thursday 17th may. also this morning: no ban on flammable cladding. a review of building rules following the grenfell fire is expected to stop short of one the key demands made by safety campaigners. tackling the terror threat. police consider arming all front—line officers in rural parts of england and wales. mothercare‘s the latest high street name in trouble.

more than 50 store closures are likely as part of a rescue plan being announced here in the city. i'll be finding ourt what's gone wrong. in sport, a world cup squad announement with a difference as england reveal their 23 hoping to lead them to succes in russia this summer. windsor gets ready for a royal wedding rehearsal, but a question remains over who will walk meghan markle down the aisle. her father tells a us website he's successfully undergone heart surgery but will remain in hospitalfor days. this is the scene in windsor this morning. we'll be there looking at how the final touches are being made. it's chilly across—the—board today but from 30 of us, you can expect long, sunny spells. i'll have more in15 long, sunny spells. i'll have more in 15 minutes. good morning.

first, our main story. a shake—up of high stakes betting machines will be announced by the government this morning, with the maximum stake expected to be cut to just two pounds. critics call fixed—odds terminals the "crack cocaine" of the betting world. the industry says they are a vital — and perfectly legal — part of the sector that create jobs, profits and revenue for the government. gamblers can currently bet up to 100 pounds every 20 seconds on the electronic casino games, playing roulette and blackjack. it means they can lose up to 1,500 pounds every five minutes on a machine. cutting the bet—per—spin to about £30 had been suggested. but now it seems the government is considering a limit of £2. but the gambling industry says such a move would have a devastating impact on high street betting, resulting in thousands ofjobs losses and hundreds of shops closing. gambling addict tony franklin says he lost over £1 million during 30 years of betting, costing him his home and his family. but the industry says

the machines are worth nearly my my experience with betting terminals is that you can you lose huge amounts of money is really quickly. last summer had a relapse of these machines, was in 2017 when even though i've supposed to be excluded from every bookmaker in this country, i was able to step into a bookmaker and lose £2740 and 42 minutes. the industry says machines are worth two billion pounds a year, generating 450 million pounds for the treasury. we are worried about the government review and are concerned that although we are accepting there is probably going to be a significant sta ke probably going to be a significant stake cut, £2 is disproportionate to the level it should be. it's ridiculous children should be able to gamble and lose more in an arcade of the seaside adults in a highly regulated betting shop. that announcement from the government is expected

at seven o'clock this morning. a drive to recruit specialist counterterrorism officers has fallen short of its target by about 100. it is one of the most demanding jobs in policing. these armed police and the west midlands are practising how to approach a suspect holed up with a weapon. hundreds more officers like these are now on duty across england and wales. after extra money was promised by the government to use. was promised by the government to

use. the recruitment and training process is rigourous and is one reason why the numbers of additional armed has at its target. in 2016, there were just under 5600 firearms officers across 43 police forces. that increased to more than 6400 this year. but at the 1000 extra armed officers meant to be in place by now, only 874 are in post. the boost was designed to make the police response to a potential terror attack quicker and more effective. there has been a 70% increase in the number of armed officers with specialist counterterrorism training but there is still a shortfall about 100 and there are challenges in building positions. some were not meeting the standard, they would be selected in the first place and others put off bya the first place and others put off by a range of things including some people not wanting to carry a gun, they didn'tjoin the police to carry a gun and and many worry about the

level of scrutiny to the nature of post— incident investigations in the rare occasions where a police fire and is discharged. the extra resources have been focused on urban areas deemed to be most at risk of attack that senior officers are wondering how best to protect all communities with the option of routinely —— routinely arming officers said to be not of the table. a review of building regulations in the wake of the grenfell fire tragedy is expected to stop short of calling for an outright ban on combustible cladding. but the government—commissioned report by the engineer, damejudith hackitt, is likely to propose a new system for managing building safety. tom burridge reports. the type of materials used to build g re nfell tower a re the type of materials used to build grenfell tower are believed to be a key factor will dash back to which caused the fire to spread at such a deadly speed. basic tests on the type of cladding used to showjust how combustible it is. so those who

survived the fire and relatives and friends of people killed one of those types of building materials to be banned. they are backed by some construction companies, architects and insurers. but damejudith hackitt, the engineer commissioned by the government on regulations after the fire by the government is not expected to announce a blanket ban that will recommend a more rigourous system for managing the safety of buildings in england. the government is under pressure to act. it is announced new funding for removing dangerous cladding from buildings in england. the fire and rescue services have visited many high—rise buildings and immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of every resident. association must remove dangerous cladding quickly but paint these works must not undermine their ability to imported maintenance and repair work. nearly a year on colour

of the grim legacy of grenfell tower asa of the grim legacy of grenfell tower as a long way to run yet. there are fears ofjob loss as mothercare looks set to close 50 of their stores. the company is also expected to rehire theirformer chief executive, mark newton—jones — just over a month after he was sacked following poor christmas trading. ben is at the london stock exchange and has more details. good morning. i've nicked outside because frankly, it's the high street in places like this which will really feel the impact of these closures of motherca re will really feel the impact of these closures of mothercare if it announces that this morning. we will getan announces that this morning. we will get an update at seven o'clock. expected to hear they are going to close 50 of the 137 stores are so over a third of their stores would disappearfrom over a third of their stores would disappear from the high street that has a corresponding link to jobs as well. reappointing the chief executive who stepped out last month to try to turn around the fortunes for the retailer. we have talked

about this a lot. the problems at mothercare others about this a lot. the problems at motherca re others —— about this a lot. the problems at mothercare others —— mothercare are the same problems others are facing. internet competition and the number who go to the stores who go in and look to buy elsewhere online. the mothercare that is a real problem because they sell big bulky items which people want to live at home thatis which people want to live at home that is a problem. they try to work out how they might solve some of those problems. they are going to announce what is a cva, a voluntary arrangement, whereby they talk to the people who read those stores and try and renegotiate how much rent they pay. it's a similar thing we have seen from other retailers of late, trying to bring down their costs a nd late, trying to bring down their costs and reduce their rent to keep life in those high street stores. we will get the detail this morning, it's due at seven o'clock. along with a raft of other resources we expected this morning, also from the royal mail. that is well. keeping

you busy this morning. thousands of people with dementia in england are being admitted to hospital unnecessarily because of inadequate support in the community from the nhs and councils, that's according to research by the alzheimer's society which found that there has been a 73 per cent jump in these admissions since 2012. the government says no—one should have to go to hospital unnecessarily and it will unveil plans for reform of the system soon. last year, there were 50,000 people with dementia are rushed to hospital in emergencies but we believe in many cases could have been avoided. these are reasons that were based around things were community care just wasn't meant to provide either the volume of the quality of support leading to identify and prevent some of these issues turning into situations people in hospital care for. a royal wedding rehearsal involving more than 250 military personnel is taking place in windsor later this morning. it comes as overnight reports from america suggest megan markle's father will not be attending the events as he recovers from a heart operation.

0ur correspondent sarah campbell is in windsor. sarah, what can you tell us about today's preparations? also, those stories emerging from the united states. two days to go until the wedding and the big for people who wins today, there are thousands of extra people, is, as you say, this full military rehearsal which will take place later today will stop it will be involving the 250 members of the armed forces who will be taking part of the day. prince harry spent ten yea rs of the day. prince harry spent ten years in the army. the public won't be able to see what is going on behind the castle walls but they will see the procession because it will see the procession because it will take place as it will on the day itself. moving on to thomas

markle, the overnight news regarding meghan —— meghan markle's father. macro —— tmz, which has a hotline to him, said he had three steps you did. there is no official comment from kensington palace so the question is, who is going to walk meghan markle down the aisle? are they most often mentioned is her mother doria ragland, who flew in from los angeles yesterday and we understand she has visited kensington palace, the home of meghan markle and prince harry. today, she may well be meeting with the queen and the duke of edinburgh, certainly one can say after the unexpected events of the last few days, they will be very keen to have

her mother by her side. john here with the sport. the names on the plane. trent alexander arnold. from liverpool. the fly you to spain, what are you doing this summer? i don't really know. you are going to the world cup! why such a surprise to him? he hasn't been capped at international before, using a star. sad really breakthrough season. he is a wild ca rd breakthrough season. he is a wild card pick. depending what happens, you are looking at these players. everybody loves a wild card. it's a

video that was put out on social media yesterday. young football fans announcing a 23 games of the plate. that would all the players, revealing them. those who have made it. there he is, that surprise inclusion. world cup defences be warned, france striker antonie griezman scored twice as atletico madrid won the europa league, beating marseilles last night three nil, his second a lovely goal. britain's simon yates put in a brilliant late attack to win his second stage of the giro d'italia and extend his advantage in the leader's pinkjersey. yates, who won stage nine on sunday, now leads the field by 47 seconds overall. and british number onejohanna konta is through to the third round of the italian 0pen after beating taiwanese hsieh—su—wei in straight sets, and will face the french open champion jelena 0stapenko in the next round later this morning. a big test for her later on clay. the times. talking about frontline

police officers carrying handguns for the threat in rural areas. that isa for the threat in rural areas. that is a picture of meghan markle's friends. we found out who will be the page boys and bridesmaids in the wedding yesterday. the sun. so much in the papers this week about the wedding. that is meghan markle's father. we are hearing information from the us website tmz. he has had some form of operation. you can see the headline. these are some of the quotes from meghan markle's sister,

samantha, suggesting he has been left in a bad way and there has not been much advice. are lots of comment from various members of her family as loss. —— a lot of. comment from various members of her family as loss. -- a lot of. they are doing rehearsals today. military rehearsals. a different kind of rehearsals. a different kind of rehearsal here. local children re—enacting a royal wedding procession on the long walk. there will be more people watching on the day, i think it is safe to say. and another story on theresa may. the guardian. a story about the government review of building regulations on the back of rental tower, saying they will not recommend a ban on combustible

cladding. —— grenfell tower. recommend a ban on combustible cladding. —— grenfell towerlj recommend a ban on combustible cladding. -- grenfell tower. iam not a football fan. i get drawn to tournaments, though. sometimes you need characters to draw you in more. i was asking this morning, within that team, no disrespect to everyone, but... who are the characters? gets out get has gone for use over experience. —— gareth southgate. harry kane for tottenham, lots of goals, raheem sterling, helping. marcus rashford here, great

for man u. pacey, does same damage. alexander arnold. there is sterling. and reuben, a late outsider. look at the ages. 20, 19, 20 again. the third youngest squad ever sent to a world cup. youth over experience. there are some attacking players. perhaps one area you could be seen do we have a ball player in midfield to get it going? jack wilshere for arsenal would have been a good week. he has not got the fitness at the moment. —— pick. he has not got the fitness at the moment. -- pick. plenty of time to talk about this in the weeks to come. the thing about youth over experience is that youth sometimes goes without fear, you can play how you play. get him on the plane! you do not worry in the same way as if

you had baggage from previous experience. it is about performing when the pressure is on. england has not done that in the past. and we have had such success with younger english teams as well. this could be it. a good sign. we will talk about the sport later. it is looking lovely in the weather. good morning. a chilly start to the day. temperatures have fallen close to freezing in some parts of the uk. that means frost. for most, dry and sunnyever, there are some caveats. look at this. cloud in the north—west highlands and some in north—west highlands and some in north—west england as well, for example. some drizzle in shetland.

high pressure is well and truly in charge of the weather at the moment. it is right on top of us. it is quite settled in the wind will not be as strong as yesterday. temperatures will be higher and more pleasant. cloud in south wales and devon and somerset which would tend to break up. through the day it will build in western scotland. away from those areas in the west, dry and sunny and quite nice. 0n the north sea coastline with onshore wind, more cool. 14—15. this evening and overnight, and the clear skies, once again, quite cold, but not as cold as the previous night. that weather front on the satellite picture is still making inroads into the west introducing a bit more cloud. later we will see the odd spot of rain from that. temperatures overnight, 5-7. from that. temperatures overnight, 5—7. tomorrow, starting off on that

pippy note. cloud in the west introducing rain in the west of scotland. the odd spot in northern ireland. this band of rain will go east through the day. tending to wea ken east through the day. tending to weaken and fragment as it does so. in the sunshine, pleasant. 17—18, perhaps 19. it is still cool along the north sea coastline with the onshore breeze. saturday, another nippy start to the day. a lot of blue sky to start with. a weather front towards the west introducing cloud. blue sky developing in the pennines and wales, south—west england, north—west england. in the sunshine, again, temperatures continuing to climb up that little bit more. a lot happening on saturday. the royal wedding, 21 degrees celsius at the maximum afternoon temperature. a lot of sunshine. bear that in mind if you are standing in it. a cold start to the day. the fa cup final in

wembley, fine condition. the fa cup final in glasgow, dry with sunshine. 0n final in glasgow, dry with sunshine. on sunday, the weather front goes further south—east. in doing so, it ta kes clou d further south—east. in doing so, it takes cloud and rain through scotla nd takes cloud and rain through scotland and also northern ireland. not especially heavy. cloud building ahead of it. the bulk of england and wales, another cracking day. that is if you like dry and sunny and warm. somewhere in the south—east could hit 23. that is brilliant! thank you very much. as well as planning their wedding, prince harry and meghan markle have also been laying the foundations for the work they want to do after the big day. they've both established themselves as advocates for the causes closest to their hearts. when they speak out, people take notice. 0ur royal correspondent, sarah campbell, looks at how they have established themselves as global campaigners. a lesson in how to train the global

spotlight on a favourite cause. this was their first post— engagement is it, travelling to nottingham. the carefully chosen date, world aids day. phenomenal. very aware of discrimination people suffer, the stigma around the condition. they knew full well their choice of talking about the condition and the attention that follows them, how they could utilise that for the benefit of everyone. getting behind causes he believes in is not new for harry. aged 21, he co—founded a charity in southern africa. in the yea rs charity in southern africa. in the years since, on and off camera, he was closely involved. he has the ability to connect with youngsters ina way

ability to connect with youngsters in a way which is completely natural and part of his personality. when he is campaigning and on a global stage, actually, what he talks about is his personal experience, and that comes through. and it is real and that allows him to be an effective campaigner. famous as an actress, meghan markle has also used that profile to initiate change. she travelled to roll and in 2016 with the charity, world vision, and was a un advocate for women. last year she went to mumbai to highlight a charity empowering women living in the slums of the city. the foundation has already experienced the meghan markle effect as it now has a global profile as one of the seven charities the couple has chosen to benefit from wedding gift donations. we were happy she kept her word and she supports us in any way she could. after the wedding, meghan markle will become the fourth

patron of the royal foundation, adding her own insight and focus. you will often hear people say we help women find their voice is. i disagree with that. women do not need to find a voice, they have one. they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen. she is effective and has done great work for the her charities. with the added power of meghan markle and the fact she has the ability to reach parts other royals have not, and that combined force, look at previous power couples on the world stage like brad and angelina, i think they can surpass that. the media profile of last yea r‘s surpass that. the media profile of last year's invictus games was undoubtedly boosted by meghan markle's attendance to be as husband and wife, they will be a campaigning force to be reckoned with. —— attendance. as you can imagine, we

will have plenty of coverage of the royal wedding. later on we will hear from people who have supplied the wedding, including this company that will provide the trumpets and other musical issuance. -- instruments. it is time now to get the travel, news, and weather, wherever you are. good morning from bbc london news. i'm sara 0rchard. a murder investigation has been launched after an 85—year—old woman was attacked at her home in romford. rosina coleman was found by a local handyman at her house in ashmour gardens on tuesday morning after suffering what police have called a "cowardly assault." they're appealing for witnesses. anti—racism campaigners are warning that far right groups in poland are mounting a highly organised effort to come to london and grow their membership.

already in the last 6 months two high profile polish nationals, well known for their anti—semitic and islamaphobic views, have attempted to hold events in west london. campaigners believe up to ten polish far right groups are operating in the capital. i would say this tendency has definitely intensified over the last 2-3 definitely intensified over the last 2—3 years, and there has been a polish far right event in the uk almost every week. if it continues unchecked, it could definitely get worse. and i think there is a potential for acts of violence. people with motor—neurone disease and their carers have protested outside parliament calling for a change in the law over benefits. at the moment, patients have to be re—assessed in order to continue to receive employment support allowance. this is despite the fact that mnd is a terminal disease. campaigners say that is unfair. 50% of people die within two years.

they cannot be reassessed during that time. you want to spend as much time living a life not dealing with fighting the system. let's have a look at the travel situation now. good service on all of the tubes this morning. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. yesterday was cool and cloudy. today, dry and fine. a bit improvement. plenty of sunshine. early cloud this morning first thing. temperatures down to seven degrees. a chilly start for some areas. lots of sunshine through

the morning. long sunny spells in the morning. long sunny spells in the afternoon. uv levels are high. the cool wind is lighter than yesterday. pleasant in the sunshine. 17- 18 yesterday. pleasant in the sunshine. 17— 18 celsius. this evening and overnight, temperatures could drop as low as four or five degrees celsius locally. a chilly start to the day. tomorrow, very little change in the weather. high pressure dominates the weather. that is for the rest of the week. 18 degrees. a shift in the direction over the weekend. things will be warming up. things are creeping up on to the low 20s. lots of sunshine around as well. good news if you have something planned, like a wedding. that looks lovely. back to the brea kfast that looks lovely. back to the breakfast teens. —— team. hello — this is breakfast with steph mcgovern and charlie

stayt. coming up. we'll look at the case of the woman who wants to divorce her husband of 40 years ahead of a supreme court hearing which her lawyers say could have implications for people in unhappy marriages. now that trains on the east coast mainline are coming back under public control, we'll ask what needs to happen to get the franchise back on track. and we'll hear clemantine wamariya's remarkable story, she was separated from herfamily in the rwandan genocide — only to be reunited with them 12 years later. here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. a review into fixed odds betting terminals could see the stakes reduced from £100 to £2. the major betting companies say reducing the sta ke betting companies say reducing the stake limit would force them to close hundreds of shops. campaigners say the machines are highly addictive and ruined lives. the

machines themselves extremely fast it's actually quite hard to buy a different that but it is easy to find a repeat it and get caught up ina find a repeat it and get caught up in a violent cycle of desperation or very occasionally, you get into a winning cycle. essentially, it doesn't really matter. a review of building regulations in the wake of the grenfell fire tragedy is expected to stop short of calling for an outright ban on combustible cladding. but the government—commissioned report by the engineer, damejudith hackitt, is likely to propose a new system for managing building safety. architects, building firms and survivors have backed a ban on using combustible materials in construction. 71 people died in the fire. police chiefs say frontline officers to promote rural communities could be armed. the move

is being considered by the national police chief counsel. a drive to recruit specialist firearm councillors. it's worth 130 people dead. martin peterjones is expected to be reappointed the ceo of mothercare to be reappointed the ceo of motherca re just to be reappointed the ceo of mothercare just after he was sacked. full—year results for the retailer are due this morning. an investigation in to commons speaker john verco pulling staff has been blocked by mps. they voted against allowing the parliamentary watchdog to investigate the claims. he has denied allegations he bullied to former private secretaries.

a royal wedding rehearsal involving more than 250 military personnel is taking place in windsor later this morning. it comes as overnight reports from america suggest megan markle's father will not be attending the events as he recovers from a heart operation. john here with the sport. the england squad is big news as well. there's just over a month to go before england's first fixture at the world cup and we now know which players will be on the plane to russia. lots of excitement amongst those selected, many of whom took to social media. kyle walker posted a screen shot of his phone, saying "the one call you don't want to miss". presuambly gareth southgate did eventually get hold of him to tell him he was on the way to russia. players were showing just how much

it means to them to play for england. pictures of them in england shirts with our youngsters, conspiring to become full internationals. how much does the game into them? how much it means plenty of country. the 23 players selected ahead of the world cup in russia this summer. france's antoine griezman proved why he's one to look out for at the world ?cup, scoring twice for atletico madrid as his club side lifted the europa league. they beat marseille 3—0 in lyon as the spanish side won the trophy for the third time in nine years. nearly a third of elite british athletes say they have experienced or witnessed "unacceptable behaviour" in their world class programme. a survey of summer 0lympic and paralympic athletes by uk sport was undertaken following a series

of bullying scandals over the past year. 31 percent of athletes said they didn't have opportunity to give feedback "without fear of negative consequences" what this survey has done is identify something that can be better in this high—performance system and we have people who pay the sport and want to be better and is to become easier for athletes to be our will to give that feedback and we monitor how that progress and im proves and we monitor how that progress and improves over the coming years. britain's simon yates leads the giro d'italia after winning a second stage of this year's race. he attacked with a thousand metres to go at the end of the hilly 156—kilometre 11th stage, ahead of his nearest rival for the title tom domoulin, to extend his lead over the reigning champion to 47 seconds overall... british number one johanna konta is through to the third round of the italian 0pen she beat taiwanese

hsieh su—wei in straight sets and will face french open champion jelena 0stapenko in the next round later this morning kyle edmund beat lucas pouille in straight sets to book his place in the third round. the british number one will face defending champion alexander zverev in the next round. there were temper tantrums elsewhere at the italian 0pen. karolina pliskova losing her match against greece's maria sakarri after a controversial line call. the former world number took out her frustrations at the end of the match by repeatedly hitting the umpire's chair with her raquet. she managed to do quite some damage too! we have seen tantrums in the past. however see that? would she get in trouble for that? she could do. the claimant was a wasp also begin she was protecting the umpire. it's not going to go unnoticed by the umpire. a big gaping hole where he is

sitting. following her previous divorce applications being rejected, tini 0wens says she feels ‘locked in' to her 40 year marriage. later this morning, the supreme court will look at the evidence. the case has led to calls for ‘no—fault divorce' — where couples can legally separate without placing blame. in england, wales and northern ireland, there are five grounds for divorce. three of those are based on a fault of one of the partners and two are based on periods of separation. the situation is different in scotland and many other countries around the world. more than half of the divorces in 2016 were granted because one of these three so—called fault clauses: the "unreasonable behaviour" clause. however, according to a survey, more than a quarter of couples citing unreasonable behaviour say they lied or exaggerated as it was the easiest way to be successfully granted a divorce. let's talk about this now with the divorce lawyer, emma gill. about this keeps you busy. so many

different rules around it. it certainly does, how individuals interpret unreasonable behaviour is a personal thing from marriage to marriage that's what the supreme court is looking at today. why is it so problematic? the court didn't think the behaviour was unreasonable. what it individual couple feels is unreasonable, but it's got to be objective and measured against the man or woman on the street in 2018 and the judge didn't think the behaviour was unreasonable. this is a couple that married in 1978. she had an affair in 2012. they separated in every 2015 and now and may of 2018, she

has consistently said that she was out of the marriage. how is it to the interest of anyone to keep the marriage going. does it have any pa rt marriage going. does it have any part to play the legal process that is ongoing? it is nobody 's interest. they are in their twilight yea rs interest. they are in their twilight years and should be able to enjoy their lives how they want yet divorce law today actually dates back to the 1960s. there was a different moral standard, different moral code. falls was necessary to break this institution of marriage. you're absolutely right. it is in the interest of nobody. this is why the interest of nobody. this is why the campaign is so important. that means individuals can make decisions about their lives when they want to make them will stop is there a danger that no—fault divorces would

meet lots of people can freely get divorced too easily? i don't think that really has any merit. the issue is about the reasons why you are getting divorced, butjust that you are getting divorced. experience of my clients is, it's the hardest decision they have ever made. nobody enters divorce lightly. it would mean that you could amicably divorced. there is such a thing. i have clients who are desperate to be able to continue to cope parent in a positive way but want a divorce immediately. they are caught between having to wait between two years and five years or effectively mind of their relationship for little nuggets of horror in order to divorce immediately. you are talking

about when both parties want out. even when they both categorically wa nt even when they both categorically want out, still they are prevented from doing so. absolutely. the laws it stands this is one of you has got commit adultery in the adultery definition is narrow. it only applies to heterosexual couples. and unreasonable behaviour will stop which, as we've seen, is judged adjudicated by a person outside of marriage you may not think what one person in the marriage considers unreasonable actually use. you mentioned that people are, not necessarily making things up, but exaggerating claims against their partner which presumably they remain on record, those things. they are a family, there are children involved, becomes a part of the narrative that

need not be there. it's part of the family landscape that one has had to divorce the other. for really horrible reasons. the court appealing this case, we are talking about scraping the barrel. it's not just her, its hundreds of thousands of couples around the country who are literally raking through the history of their marriage and perhaps exaggerating, embellishing things that they muttered at the time. the other side of this argument is, the real risk that if you could just fill in the form, do it on the internet, say something, the more people would seek divorce or get divorced too quickly without due consideration. there is still a process , due consideration. there is still a process, the petition is the first step in the sequence of events. the

court would still be involved that it would be the initial step was far less barbaric and damaging. the government says it's aware there's been a lot of voiced support for a change to how divorce is granted and that it's listening to the arguments and studying the evidence. the first ever games console controller created specifically for disabled players will be unveiled today. it's the first "adaptive controller" that people will be able to find on the shelves. bbc radio 1 newsbeat‘s steffan powell has been to see it in action. if you love games, and an over the counter control does not work view, it can take a long time cost hundreds of pounds and cost lots of help to adapt one. because of his muscular dystrophy, vivek has been slowly losing his ability to control

his muscles. this is the first time he's been able to play a modern game properly in years. it's so exciting to play because allowed me to kind of just forget about what was happening. hard left, hard left. come on. the adaptive controller a cts come on. the adaptive controller acts as a central help. touchpad or joysticks replacing the traditional buttons on the controller. most of the disabilities have come off switches like this are other things in their lives, wheelchair controls and driving comedy is a regular things, there are specialist buttons specific to the movements that people have. as people have the switches in their home, people can ta ke switches in their home, people can take these switches, unplug them from whatever they are in now and add to the gaming experience. how is

that? doctor mcdonough get set up a charity to help disabled gamers play video games. there have been modifying existing controllers to meet the unique needs of players for over ten years. from a company as big as xbox, that will send out a message to lots of people who have disabilities to realise goodness me, ican disabilities to realise goodness me, i can actuallyjoin in with everybody else and that i think is one, for me, what are the biggest, most important aspects of this release, this product. slotted in, bottom left. after a car crash in 2010, george was paralysed below the chest. he's been helping a charity work with microsoft on developing the controller. if you need a band ina certain the controller. if you need a band in a certain area that is an accessible, or a control, you can put a button in an put it where you need to be to play the game. its massive people with disabilities to

be able do that and have that escapism. the device of its own will come up later this year. the exact date is yet to be confirmed. it will cost around £20 more than your average controller. being able to gain again using technology is really good because i've got more options to enjoy myself. i get the sense of freedom in a game so i think i like the sense of freedom. weather. a look outside the windows. weather. a look outside the windows. we actually do not have any windows. but this is what it looks like. quite beautiful. quite nice. who knows? carol can tell us. good morning. for many of us, that is how

it looks like outside. lovely and clear skies. a chilly start. for some of us, close to freezing. just a lot. some frost. lengthy sunny spells today. you can see in the satellite picture this cloud. this isa satellite picture this cloud. this is a weather front. it will not do much damage. some cloud in the north—west in particular through the day. drizzle in shetland. high pressure is firmly in charge of the weather. not many isobars. lighter winds. first thing this morning, cloud in the south—west of wales, the north coast of somerset and devon. that will break up. the cloud will come out. —— the sun will come out. with their weather not far away, some building cloud later in the day in the outer hebrides in

northern ireland. the north sea coastline, more cool. 0nshore breeze. temperatures getting up to 17- breeze. temperatures getting up to 17 - 18. breeze. temperatures getting up to 17 -18. the breeze. temperatures getting up to 17 — 18. the evening and overnight, clear skies once again. a cool night. not as cold as the previous night. not as cold as the previous night. you can see the weather front bumping against the high pressure. not making much progress. cloud from the west. we start tomorrow on a nippy note. bright weather and a lot of sunshine. cool on the north sea coastline. more cloud coming in from the west. some splashes of light and patchy rain across the outer hebrides. some of it could get into the final west of scotland as well. temperatures, again, 17—18, perhaps 19. saturday, if you are camping out for the royal wedding, getting out

early, a cold start. winter, five degrees to start the day. again, another weather front waiting in the sides. the scottish fa cup final, sunny spells. the same in wembley. the royal wedding, sunny spells. a maximum of 21, perhaps 20 to. stepping outside for any length of time, it will be sunny. —— 22. a weather front starts to make progress. rain in scotland and northern ireland. somewhere in the south—east could hit 23 degrees celsius. is it fair to say some people will need sunscreen this weekend totally. absolutely. not

just this weekend, from now. weekend totally. absolutely. not just this weekend, from nowm weekend totally. absolutely. not just this weekend, from now. is it bikini weather? i would prefer it to be 28. but you will never catch me in one. now that trains on the east coast mainline are coming back under public control, we'll ask what needs to happen to get the franchise back on track. it will be a busy morning with the results coming through. we will get them at 7am. we are already digesting the news from the east coast main line that the franchise will not be renewed and it will go back into public ownership. a lot of expectation about whether it would be profitable. now it will be taken back into government hands. we need

to talk about this. good morning to both of you. what went wrong? this is the third time in a decade it is backin is the third time in a decade it is back in government hands. is the third time in a decade it is back in government handsm is the third time in a decade it is back in government hands. it is down to expectations. it seems like they just expected far too much and passenger numbers to be a lot higher. they paid too much for the franchise. the passengers were not there. they blame network rail, the infrastructure was not great enough. the expectations were far too high. isn't it a basic principle of business that if you bid for a contract, you work out how much you charge for it to get, how many people will use it, how did they get that wrong? -- a ticket. they were comparing it to other lines which we re comparing it to other lines which were doing better in the country. it

just has not come through. u nfortu nately, just has not come through. unfortunately, it has gone slightly wrong. it has been doing that for a while. what is so interesting about this is looking at the share price. shares are up because investors like they offloaded this burden. shares are up because investors like they offloaded this burdenm shares are up because investors like they offloaded this burden. it has beena they offloaded this burden. it has been a mess since the beginning, ever since privatisation. stage coach find themselves on the hook with a big bill. shares will be up because they were taken off the hook. what does it tell us about the way these contracts are rewarded? it is like saying you are not financially worse off if it does not work. the authorities and the government were setting the target for this and what can go wrong in terms of the figures coming through. the investment was slow coming

through. all of the network rail structure has been wrong. stage coach and virgin got it wrong too. a mess. what happens next? the government will run it until they can find another provider. what happens? i think the line will run as is. but the line will be open for bidding again in 2020. and stage coach will not be excluded. they are off the hook, good news for them. regarding the line, next time it will be about doing it correctly. we will be about doing it correctly. we will hear from royal

will be about doing it correctly. we will hearfrom royal mail will be about doing it correctly. we will hear from royal mail and mothercare. a tough time for them. mothercare. a tough time for them. mother doesn't care. it's having a bad time. everyone is going somewhere else. they got rid of the chief executive a few weeks ago. they have a serious problem. everyone else has taken their business, all of their baby clothes, you can get it elsewhere. they have to figure out what they have others don't. can they win this back? they have to enhance their internet presence. people do not want to go to the high street to shop any more. they really need to ramp up on line business. that's where sales are. they haven't. thank you, both of you. we will get those figures in six minutes from mothercare, royal

mail, and others. looking at what they have to sayjust mail, and others. looking at what they have to say just after mail, and others. looking at what they have to sayjust after 7am. still to come: as they prepare to go head—to head in the 110m hurdles we'll speak to world indoor hurdles champion, andrew pozzi and the american sprinter aries merritt who returns to the top flight following a kidney transplantjust two years ago. we will catch up with them a little later on. time now to get the news, travel, and weather, wherever you are waking up this morning. good morning from bbc london news. a murder investigation has been launched after an 85 year old woman was attacked at her home in romford. rosina coleman was found by a local handyman at her house in ashmour gardens on tuesday morning after suffering what police have called a "cowardly assault." they're appealing for witnesses. anti—racism campaigners are warning that far right groups in poland are mounting a highly organised effort to come to london and grow their membership. already in the last 6 months two high profile polish nationals,

well known for their anti—semitic and islamaphobic views, have attempted to hold events in west london. campaigners believe up to ten polish far right groups are operating in the capital. i would say this tendency has definitely intensified over the last 2—3 years, and there has been a polish far—right event in the uk almost every week. if it continues unchecked, it could definitely get worse. and i think there is a potential for acts of violence. people with motor—neurone disease and their carers have protested outside parliament calling for a change in the law over benefits. at the moment, patients have to be re—assessed in order to continue to receive employment support allowance. this is despite the fact that mnd is a terminal disease. campaigners say that is unfair.

50% of people die within two years. and if you are being reassessed for benefits during that time, obviously, you want to spend as much time living what's left of your life, not dealing with fighting the system. let's have a look at the travel situation now. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. yesterday was cool and cloudy. but today, it's dry and fine. so, a big improvement in the weather. plenty of sunshine as well. just a bit of early cloud this morning first thing. temperatures down to seven degrees. a chilly start for some areas. lots of sunshine around through the morning.

long sunny spells around too into the afternoon. uv levels are high. but that cool wind is lighter than yesterday. so, feeling pleasant in the sunshine. 17—18 celsius. so, as we head through this evening and overnight, temperatures could drop as low locally as four or five degrees celsius. a chilly start to the day. some mist patches around. tomorrow, very little change in the weather. high pressure dominates the weather for the rest of the week. 18 degrees. a shift in the wind direction over the weekend. things will be warming up. things are creeping up to the low 20s. lots of sunshine around as well. good news if you have something planned in windsor or wembley. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. now, though, it's back to the breakfast team. hello this is breakfast, with steph mcgovern and charlie stayt. tough new rules on high stakes gambling machines. the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals

will be slashed from £100 to just £2, but bookmakers warn the change could cost thousands of jobs. also this morning: no ban on flammable cladding. a review of building rules following the grenfell fire is expected to stop short of one of the key demands made by safety campaigners. tackling the terror threat. police consider arming all front—line officers in rural parts of england and wales. mothercare's the latest high street name in trouble. more than 50 store closures are likely as part of a rescue plan being announced here in the city. i'll be finding out what's gone wrong. in sport, a world cup squad

announement with a difference as england reveal the 23 names hoping to lead them to succes in russia this summer. windsor gets ready for a royal wedding rehearsal, but a question remains over who will walk meghan markle down the aisle. her father tells a us website he's successfully undergone heart surgery but will remain in hospitalfor days. this is the scene in windsor this morning. we'll be there looking at how the final touches are being made. chilly start in many parts with a wee bit of cocoa into the west later on but lighter winds and temperatures higher than yesterday, it will feel pleasant for the time of year. good morning. first, our main story. a shake—up of high stakes betting machines will be announced by the government in the next hour, with the maximum stake expected

to be cut to just £2. critics call fixed—odds terminals the "crack cocaine" of the betting world. the industry says they are a vital — and perfectly legal — part of the sector that create jobs, profits and revenue for the government. let's take a look at how fixed—odds machines work, and why they've been the subject of a long—running government review. gamblers can currently bet up to £100 every 20 seconds on the electronic casino games, playing roulette and blackjack. it means they can lose up to 1,500 pounds every five minutes on a machine. cutting the bet—per—spin to about £30 had been suggested. but now it seems the government is considering a limit of two pounds. but the gambling industry says such a move would have a devastating impact on high street betting, resulting in thousands ofjobs losses and hundreds of shops closing. we are very concerned aboutjob

launches a shop closures with the government review and though we accept that there will be a steak ta rta re, £2 accept that there will be a steak tartare, £2 is disproportionate to the level it should be. it's ridiculous children should be able to gamble and lose more an arcade of the seaside with adults will be able to the regulated betting shop. gambling addict tony franklin says he lost over a million pounds during 30 years of betting, costing him his home and his family. my my experience, of betting terminals, is that you can lose huge amounts of money is extremely quickly. the last timei money is extremely quickly. the last time i had a major relapse of these machines was in september 2017 when even supposed to be excluded from every bookmaker in this country, i was able to step into a bookmakers and lose £2740 import two minutes. --in42 and lose £2740 import two minutes. —— in 42 minutes. the government has

said the maximum stake has been slashed from £100 down to £2. we'll be talking to various people about this, including a gambling campaigner as well someone the industry. a review of building regulations in the wake of the grenfell fire tragedy is expected to stop short of calling for an outright ban on combustible cladding. but the government—commissioned report by the engineer, damejudith hackitt, is likely to propose a new system for managing building safety. tom burridge reports. the type of materials used to build grenfell tower are believed to be a key factor caused the fire to spread at such a deadly speed. basic tests on the type of cladding used have shown just how combustible it is. so those who survived the fire and relatives and friends of people killed want those types of building materials to be banned. they are backed by some construction companies, architects and insurers.

but dame judith hackitt, the engineer commissioned by the government to review building regulations in the wake of the fire is today not expected to announce a blanket ban but will recommend a more rigourous system for managing the safety of buildings in england. the government is under pressure to act. it's announced new funding for removing dangerous cladding from buildings in england. the fire and rescue services have visited over 1,250 high—rise buildings and immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of every resident. councils and housing associations must remove dangerous cladding quickly but paying for these works must not undermine their ability to do important maintenance and repair work. nearly a year on and the grim legacy of grenfell tower has a long way to run yet. police chiefs say front—line officers in remote,

rural communities could be routinely armed in order to deal with terrorist threats. the move is being considered by the national police chiefs' council. a drive to recruit specialist counter—terrorism firearms officers in england and wales has fallen short of its target by around 100. here's our home affairs correspondent, leila nathoo. it is one of the most demanding jobs in policing. these armed police in the west midlands are practising how to approach a suspect holed up with a weapon. police, show your hands! hundreds more officers like these are now on duty across england and wales after extra money was promised by the government two years ago. the recruitment and training process is rigourous and that is one reason why the numbers of additional armed hasn't hit its target. in 2016, there were just under 5,600 firearms officers across 43 police forces. that's increased to more than 6,400 this year. but of the 1,000 extra armed

officers meant to be in place by now, only 874 are in post. the boost was designed to make the police response to a potential terror attack quicker and more effective. there has been a 70% increase in the number of armed officers with specialist counterterrorism training but there is still a shortfall of about 100 and there are challenges in filling positions. some will not meet the standard, they won't be selected in the first place and others are put off by a range of things including some people not wanting to carry a gun, they didn'tjoin the police to carry a gun and and many worry about the level of scrutiny and the nature of post—incident investigations in the rare occasions where a police fire and is discharged. the extra resources have been focused on urban areas deemed to be most at risk of attack but senior officers are wondering how best to protect all communities with the option of routinely arming officers said to be not off the table. the supreme court will decide whether a woman who's been married

for 40 years can divorce her husband, despite the fact that he is contesting her allegations that he behaved unreasonably. following her previous divorce applications being rejected, tini 0wens says she feels ‘locked in' to the marriage. the rare case has led to fresh calls for a ‘no fault‘ divorce system in england and wales. divorce law as it stands today ashlee dates back to the 19605 when they were different moral standards, a different moral code to a fault wa5 a different moral code to a fault was necessary to break this institution of marriage but you're absolutely right, it is in nobody ‘5 intere5t absolutely right, it is in nobody ‘5 interest at all of this is why the campaign are no full divorce is so important because individuals can make decisions about their lives when they want to make them.

thousands of people with dementia in england are being admitted to hospital unnecessarily because of inadequate support in the comminity from the nhs and council5, that's according to research by the alzheimer's society it found that there has been a 73 per cent jump in these admissions since 2012. the government says no—one should have to go to hospital unnecessarily and it will unveil plans for reform of the system 5oon. a royal wedding rehearsal involving more than 250 military personnel is taking place in windsor later this morning. but it is still unclear who will walk meghan markle down the aisle after her father last night told the celebrity web5ite tmz that he had undergone surgery and would remain in hospital for the next few days. 0ur correspondent sarah campbell is in windsor. sarah, what can you tell us about today's preparations? there will be a full military

rehearsal later this morning involving 250 members of the armed forces will be taking part of the big day. clo5ing down bid5 of the morning in the early afternoon. won't be able to see what is going on but we will be on to see the procession on but we will be on to see the proce55ion route. on but we will be on to see the procession route. a5 to other things happening on saturday, tim pallas weathered thoma5 markle i5 happening on saturday, tim pallas weathered thoma5 markle is coming. the problem then is that thomas markle doe5 the problem then is that thomas markle does have a hotline to this website, dmz, and said he had undergone heart surgery, had three states but it is expected to stay in hospital states but it is expected to stay in ho5pitalfor states but it is expected to stay in hospital for three days. it suggests he won't be at the wedding. who will walk meghan down the aisle? her mother. she's got a busy couple of

days because before the wedding, 5he i5 days because before the wedding, 5he is due to meet senior members of the royalfamily including is due to meet senior members of the royal family including the queen and the prince of wales. there are fears ofjob lo55e5 at mothercare with the company 5et to close 50 of its 137 remaining store5. 50 stores, that is a lot. it's about 30%, the third of its business on the high street. it's a familiar tale. high-street retailers struggling because of the convenience of online shopping. in a state with its been released, as you say, it will close 50 stores. will it for you. but also announcing

plans to cut 31. that means they go to their landlords say, we can't afford to pay the rent, can you cut how much we pay you? from that, they 5ay how much we pay you? from that, they say they hope to save up to £15 million to put the business back on a sound financial footing. it is bu5ine55 a sound financial footing. it is business is in an unsustainable situation and they are in a perilous financial condition. telling u5, situation and they are in a perilous financial condition. telling us, as he touched on it, 50 stores, and rent a further 51. particularly the like5 rent a further 51. particularly the likes of amazon. they have that problem where people will look at the store, touch it and feel it, they might go home and buy online. with that figures from the royal mail a5 with that figures from the royal mail as well. their profits are up by 1%. if you start looking at the breakdown, it gives us detail about

what we are doing. the parcels bu5ine55 what we are doing. the parcels business is up by 5%. their letters bu5ine55 business is up by 5%. their letters business is up by 5%. their letters business is down by 5%. pretty flat. pa rcel5 business is down by 5%. pretty flat. parcel5 cancel your letters. business is down by 5%. pretty flat. pa rcel5 cancel your letters. they expect letters to shrink by about 6% a year. let's return to our top story, a shake—up of fixed—odds betting terminals, where the maximum a player can bet in any one go has been drastically cut from £100 to just £2. adam bradford's dad david was sent to prison for stealing £50,000 to fund his gambling addiction, adam joins us now, and dr henrietta bowden—jones, a consultant p5ychiatri5t at the national problem gambling clinic is in our london newsroom. good morning to you both. we know now it's been confirmed, this fixed odd5 betting machine terminals, £2 instead of £100, the better to play

your dad's problem5? instead of £100, the better to play your dad's problems? they did have a pa rt your dad's problems? they did have a part to play. it's important to that while they were part of his gambling story, so was on my gambling. that something has been touched on in the announcement today. specifically, the announcement about this figure. dramatically cut from 100 down to £2. will that have a direct impact? of course it will. it means this industry which was savaging the high 5treet, taking hundreds of pounds every minute from gamblers, will not happen any more. will not have that kind of destruction on the high 5treet. £2 a5 a safe amount. it means gambling can be fun again, you will not be enticed into spending more than the average working person doesn't have £100 available to 5pend. doesn't have £100 available to spend. tell us about your dad. he would have walked into a betting shop and walked to one of those machines could then what? you would

have spent and spent until he had nothing left. it payday loans, credit cards, you remortgaged the house. it's important to mention, a5 i'm sure your guests will atte5t, it's an addiction like any other and when it gets into the brain and affects the way it works, it is wa nted affects the way it works, it is wanted on and on until there nothing left. how much of a problem is these? this i5 how much of a problem is these? this is good news. i am delighted. this i5a is good news. i am delighted. this is a big problem. it has been a big problem. when gamblers have lost enormous amounts of money, they tend to chase lo55e5. the5e enormous amounts of money, they tend to chase lo55e5. these machines are the platform of choice where they

tried to recoup, and a5 the platform of choice where they tried to recoup, and as this was based on the wrong belief they'd get money back, they lose homes and family savings. it is good news. what i would like to say as the director of the national problem gambling clinic, this is a severe illne55. just under 1% of the population suffers from it. there are other ways to gamble. whereas 55% are off of these, many are still betting on sports. they are turning towards that. there is also on line roulette which is attractive to pa55ive gamblers. roulette which is attractive to passive gamblers. they will toughen up passive gamblers. they will toughen up protections around on line gambling, including 5tronger age verification rules in the press as

to require operator5 verification rules in the press as to require operators to set limits and affordability check5. to require operators to set limits and affordability checks. it is further excellent new5 and affordability checks. it is further excellent news on such a great day. you are happy then. what i understand is bookmakers themselves have said there's a danger changing fixed odds betting amounts could draw people to internet betting. you share that concern. internet betting. you share that concern. completely. it was touched on in the report. the measures have not gone far enough. there will be job losses. it is a multi—billion pound industry and they'll make their money back 5omewhere pound industry and they'll make their money back somewhere else. but it needs to be toughened up.“ their money back somewhere else. but it needs to be toughened up. if they will make money another way, that

still will make money another way, that 5till means people will gamble. will make money another way, that still means people will gamble. of course. it does not completely 5olve the problem. people will find other ways. bite it slows down the rate of gambling, rather than stopping it. it's off the high street, but not the internet. and those checks on finances, how does that work?m the internet. and those checks on finances, how does that work? if you took out a credit card, a loan, you'd have a credit check. if gambling is linked to financial ruin and debt, and many borrow, we should check... how can it be done? i am not sure. it should be looked into. the industry has its ways, working with banks and credit providers, let's make it happen. his father had

serious problems with gambling. thank you, both, very much for your time this morning. 8:10. the culture secretary, we'll be talking to him for more detail on those plans. you can see what he glorious morning it is in salford. —— a glorious. it seems it will be good across the uk. good morning. it will not be as cold as it did feel yesterday. a beautiful sunrise for many, a touch of frost too. long sunny spells. almost across the board. this morning we have high pressure dominating our weather. no weather front in sight. hardly any wind. 0nshore breeze on the coastline. temperatures will be lower here.

drizzled in shetland. much of scotland, dry and sunny. you can see the onshore wind here. it will pick up the onshore wind here. it will pick up through the day up a lot of sunshine in england and wales. we have cloud here at the moment and wales. it will thin and break. through the day, more cloud in the west midlands and england. it should still be dry. temperatures inland, 11-17 still be dry. temperatures inland, 11—17 or still be dry. temperatures inland, 11-17 or 18. still be dry. temperatures inland, 11—17 or 18. cooler on the coast. the north sea coastline, 12—14. tomorrow, clear skies. 0nce the north sea coastline, 12—14. tomorrow, clearskies. once again, a chilly night. not as cold as the one gone. a touch of frost in north—east

england and scotland. a weather front from the west introducing more cloud. northern ireland will have rain out of the cloud during the day. nothing too heavy. 0nshore breeze from the north sea. it will fade. cloud in the 10—irons and wales through the day. —— pennines. sunny spells. temperatures are up to 19 again. if you are going to the royal wedding to watch and you are camping out overnight, getting there early in the morning, cold in the day. 0vernight, five degrees. 9am, nine degrees. you can see how quickly the temperature rises. a high of 21. it will be warm later

and high uv levels. take sun protection. a lot of sunshine or the rest of us as well to beat a weather front to the west. —— for the rest. —— as well. a quick look at sunday. a weather front bringing rain to scotla nd a weather front bringing rain to scotland and northern ireland. sunshine in central and eastern areas. by then, 23 in the south—east. it does not look that bad. as well as planning their wedding, prince harry and meghan markle have also been laying the foundations for the work they want to do after the big day. they've both established themselves as champions for the causes closest to their hearts. when they speak out, people take notice. 0ur royal correspondent,, sarah campbell, looks at how they have established themselves as global campaigners. a lesson in how to train the global spotlight on a favourite cause. this was the happy couple's post—engagement visit,

travelling to nottingham. the carefully chosen date, world aids day. lizzie jordan was among the first to meet them. they're phenomenal. and so clued up. they're aware of discrimination people suffer, the stigma around the condition. they knew full well their choice of talking about the condition and the attention that follows them, how they could utilise that for the benefit of everyone living with hiv. getting behind causes he believes in is not new for harry. aged 21, he co—founded a children's charity based in southern africa. in the years since, both on and off camera, he stayed closely involved. he has an ability to connect with youngsters in a way which is completely natural and just part of his personality. and therefore, when he is campaigning and on a global stage, actually, what he talks about is his personal experience,

and that comes through. it's very authentic and it's real and that allows him to be an effective campaigner. famous as an actress, meghan markle has also used that profile to initiate change. she travelled to rwanda in 2016 with the charity, world vision, and was a un advocate for women. last year, she went to mumbai to highlight a charity empowering women living in the city's slums. the foundation has already experienced the meghan effect as it now has a global profile as one of the seven charities the couple have chosen to benefit from wedding gift donations. we were surprised, but happy she kept her word and she supports us in any way she can. after the wedding, meghan markle will become the fourth patron of the royal foundation, adding her own insight and focus. you'll often hear people say

"we help women find their voices." i disagree with that. women do not need to find a voice, they have one. they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen. prince harry was already very effective and has done great work for his charities. look at the invictus games. with the added power of meghan markle and the fact she has the ability to reach parts other royals have not, and that combined force, look at previous power couples on the world stage like brad and angelina, i think meghan and harry can match and in fact surpass that. the media profile of last year's invictus games was undoubtedly boosted by meghan's attendance. as husband and wife, they will be a campaigning force to be reckoned with. sarah campbell, bbc news.

ahead of saturday's royal wedding, breakfast‘s john maguire is in windsor at one of the spots where royal watchers will be able to see the newlyweds up close. the sun is shining here. we are right underneath the flight path of heathrow airport. hopefully you can still hear me. a look around. you may well be familiar with this place. a spectacular location. what we can see a rant here are these temporary studios. —— around. that is bbc, that is itv. schofield will be there. another broadcaster. many americans, canadians, australians. it isa americans, canadians, australians. it is a tent city. it's like the 0lympics village. people in red tops

and red hats. everyone is making sure you get to the right place. these barriers here, everyone is hoping, the planners, they are hoping, the planners, they are hoping there will be thousands and thousands and thousands. it will be kept clear. this area will be good to see the couple. there is a military procession, a military practice, today. imagine, those of you married, how nerve—racking, eve ryo ne you married, how nerve—racking, everyone standing in the wrong position. imagine that but times a thousand. no camping yet, but certainly activity taking place. it will be a massive occasion on saturday at the more from us later. but now, the news, travel, and

weather, wherever you are watching. good morning from bbc london news. a murder investigation has been launched after an 85—year—old woman was attacked at her home in romford. rosina coleman was found by a local handyman at her house in ashmour gardens on tuesday morning after suffering what police have called a "cowardly assault." they're appealing for witnesses. anti—racism campaigners are warning that far right groups in poland are mounting a highly organised effort to come to london and grow their membership. already in the last six months two high—profile polish nationals well known for their anti—semitic and islamaphobic views have attempted to hold events in west london. campaigners believe up to ten polish far right groups are operating in the capital. i would say this tendency has definitely intensified over the last 2—3 years, and there has been a polish far—right event in the uk almost every week. if it continues unchecked, it could definitely get worse. and, well, i think there is a potential for acts of violence. as preparations continue for the

royal wedding, rehearsals include local choirboys from saint georges school. they sing eight services a week. many have previously sung for the queen. we sing for the queen every easter. i did not think it would be at a royal wedding. every easter. i did not think it would be at a royal weddinglj every easter. i did not think it would be at a royalwedding. i am excited. i am lucky. would be at a royalwedding. i am excited. lam lucky. not would be at a royalwedding. i am excited. i am lucky. not many people get to sing at such a special event. the a406 north circular is closed east—bound at golders green road for emergency water work. traffic is being diverted via the a41 hendon way from the brent cross flyover. let's have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. yesterday was cool and cloudy.

but today, it's dry and fine. so, a big improvement in the weather. there'll be plenty of sunshine around as well. just a bit of early cloud this morning first thing. temperatures down to seven degrees. a chilly start for some areas. lots of sunshine around through the morning. long sunny spells around too into the afternoon. the uv levels are high. but that cool northerly wind is lighter than yesterday. so, feeling pleasant in the sunshine. 17—18 celsius. so, as we head through this evening and overnight, we'll keep the clear skies, temperatures could drop as low locally as four or five degrees celsius. a chilly start to the day. some showery mist patches around perhaps as well. tomorrow, very little change in the weather. high pressure dominates the weather for the rest of the week. temperatures up to 18 degrees. a slight shift in the wind direction over the weekend. things will be warming up. things will creep up to the low 205.

lots of sunshine around as well. good news if you have something planned in windsor or wembley. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello — this is breakfast with charlie stayt and steph mcgovern. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. in the last half—hour, the government has announced that it will dramatically reduce the maximum bet on fixed 0dds betting terminals from £100 pounds to just £2. the decision follows a lengthy public consultation and strong resistance to the measure from the industry, who say it will cost thousands of jobs. let's talk to our media editor, amol rajan. good morning to you. what is the reaction like? this is further than we had expected the government to go. as you mentioned and c mentioned, this review has been

going on for a long time. it does look at a range of issues around gambling. the fact that the industry is shifting online. the key measure is shifting online. the key measure is the reduction in fixed on betting terminals or slot machines from £100 down to £2 and if you said the industry would lobby as hard as it has done ten years ago for a compromise and still lose, a lot of people would have been surprised. the industry has taken this badly. they say this will lead to about 20,000 job losses. stores to go from a diet —— from profit—making to loss—making. they say that gambling is central to the uk economy and employs over 106,000 people and in a free society, people should be free to gamble as they choose. campaigners have argued the gambling industry is causing a lot of harm, not just individuals industry is causing a lot of harm, notjust individuals and communities. clustering in areas of

high deprivation and that there were 233,000 instances last year of people losing over £1000. we know there are 430,000 problem gamblers in britain. campaigners feel it's a big win. we will be speaking to the culture secretary matt hancock shortly. police chiefs say front—line officers in remote, rural communities could be routinely armed in order to deal with terrorist threats. the move is being considered by the national police chiefs' council who say it isn't a favoured option but they were looking to ensure all communities received the right level of protection from armed police. the supreme court will decide whether a woman who's been married for 40 years can divorce her husband, despite the fact that he is contesting her allegations that he behaved unreasonably. following her previous divorce applications being rejected, tini 0wens says she feels ‘locked in' to the marriage.

the rare case has led to fresh calls for a ‘no fault‘ divorce system in england and wales. mothercare has motherca re has announced mothercare has announced it will close 50 of its remaining stores, resulting injob close 50 of its remaining stores, resulting in job losses. close 50 of its remaining stores, resulting injob losses. chief executive mark but jones resulting injob losses. chief executive mark butjones has been reappointed. the retailer also plans to ask investors for £28 million as pa rt to ask investors for £28 million as part of a restructuring plan. an investigation into allegationsjohn bercow bullied members of his staff has been blocked by mp5. the common standards committee is investigating the claims. a royal wedding rehearsal involving more than 250 military personnel will be taken

place in windsor a little later this morning. it comes as overnight reports suggest that meghan markle's father won't attend the event as he is recovering from a heart operation. thomas michael is reported to have had a number of ste nts reported to have had a number of stents inserted. are you excited about the england line—up the world cup? we've been it a lot. i'm sure a lot of people rethinking. they are young and brayden hopeful. and have a great deal of ability. the 23 players who

are going to go to russia, you'd think there would be a great anticipation. not if you are carl walker. investors call. he is playing at far too cool. still, you'd have that phone. he called back. really nice pictures. making his mum, standing of all those cold, rainy, wet touchlines. manchester united's marcus rashford took the opportunity to thank his mum, after all those years standing on those cold and wet touchlines, mum we're off to the world cup". ashley young at 34, the oldest in the squad, final;ly gets the chance to go to a world cup, and wear an england kit for real.

and how about leicester defender harry maguire, 2 years ago going to the euros with his mates as a fan. now he's going to a world cup. footfalls get a lot of criticism but it's nice to see this. now theyjust have to deliver. france's antoine griezman proved why he's one to look out for at the world cup, his two goals helping atletico madrid lift the europa league. they beat marseille thee nil in lyon as his spnish club side won the trophy for the third time in nine years. his second a great finish, world cup defences be warned. nearly a third of elite british athletes say they have experienced or witnessed "unacceptable behaviour" in their world class programme. a survey of summer 0lympic and paralympic athletes by uk sport was undertaken following a series of bullying scandals over the past year. 31 percent of athletes said they didn't have opportunity to give feedback "without fear

of negative consequences" what this survey has done is identify something that can be better in this high—performance system and we have people who play sport and want to be better and is to become easier for athletes to be our will to give that feedback and we monitor how that progress and improves over the coming years. britain's simon yates leads the giro d'italia after winning a second stage of this year's race. he attacked with a thousand metres to go at the end of the hilly 156—kilometre 11th stage, ahead of his nearest rival for the title tom domoulin, to extend his lead over the reigning champion to 47 seconds overall. british number one johanna konta is through to the third round of the italian 0pen. she beat taiwanese hsieh—su—wei in straight sets and will face french open champion jelena 05tapenko in the next round later this morning kyle edmund beat lucas

pouille in straight sets to book his place in the third round. the british number one will face defending champion alexander zverev in the next round. there were temper tantrums elsewhere at the italian 0pen. karolina pliskova lost to greece's maria sakarri after a controversial line call. and then took her frustrations at the end of the match by repeatedly hitting the umpire's chair with her raquet. she managed to do quite some damage too! leaving a gaping hole. we have seen tantrums before. it's a curious one, because it's a delayed tantrum. i think it was a line call towards the end of the match. emotions were still running high. vulnerable people struggling with dementia have been abandoned

by the care system in england, that's according to the alzheimer's society. the charity says tens of thousands of people with dementia are suffering "avoidable" trips to hospital because of a lack of adequate community care from the nhs and councils. let's talk about this in more detail with helen jebson—king, her dad, leslie had dementia. alongside helen is kathryn smith from the alzheimer's society. just tell is a bit about your dad. he died last year. yes. what were the circumstances? he was diagnosed with dementia invalided home for as long as possible, even though we we re long as possible, even though we were trying to get the help for him. with his symptoms of being paranoid and not wanting to let people in as well is the lack of knowledge in the system, we couldn't get that help to him. idid system, we couldn't get that help to him. i did try. it took him to fall

at home. he was at home for a lot of the time. we couldn't get any help for him. we did get him assessed. we got that far. 0ne for him. we did get him assessed. we got that far. one of the symptoms of dementia is paranoia, barely people are coming. they like to be in the home as a comfort blanket. we did try to get him help but to printer for before anything could sort of happen. how common is this story? really common. we've seen in credible rises over the last five years linked to funding and our reports found many people affected by dementia are not getting the right support in the kitty which

means they are being admitted due to falls or dehydration because they are not getting the right support ca re are not getting the right support care and when they are in hospital, we find they can't get out so easily because the carers of them. we found a person with dementia at least twice as long as a person with dementia. it's really not good. how much is that reflect your struggle. had that workout? he tried to get help but you are refused on a number of occasions. we tried to get support and his home first. was he a fall and broke his hip and had to go to hospital, they had to listen to us, and to try and help us but even then, he turned out to be self funding, we were left in our own to deal with it ourselves. you are faced with some difficult decisions

about how to come up with the money. we had to pull his money together. we had to pull his money together. we are in the process of selling his house to pay to his care. but he died before the sale of the house went through. more or less, all of his savings have gone. all this stress, you are dealing with money as well is everything else. he deteriorated quite rapidly. his dementia really did start them. deteriorated quite rapidly. his dementia really did start themm is getting frail and frail and more confused. when he was in the care home, he fell again and that led to his death. it's hard to step aside from the emotions involved with this. as you look back on it now, can you see points in time where somebody doing something would have made a big difference? anybody, somebody who come up and say right,

what about if we can help your dad with this, we were literally left in the dark, shut the door, sort yourselves out, hurry up and get out of hospital. how should this be funded? it's such a good point, dementia is a disease, it is a disease of the brain and should be given the same support. if he had cancer or heart disease, your care is provided on the nhs and that is not the case with dementia. it is classified as a social care condition which means it's subject to social care funding. the threshold for receiving funding has gone up and up and also people have to pay for themselves. we find that people affected by dementia quite often have to sell houses to pay for their own care often have to sell houses to pay for theirown care and often have to sell houses to pay for their own care and we feel the least their own care and we feel the least the care that is required as result of dementia should be funded the state. they will be people watching

is worried a similar circumstances you. it's a lonely, isolated place to be so i wanted people to know that you are not alone. there are other people going through it at their wits‘ end. there are probably people watching wondering if there is anything they can do. go to the helpline. local social services, health services, can help. it is quite a minefield. hopefully you can get some extra advice. thank you for coming on. thank you. the weather. good morning. a chilly start to the day. around freezing. 3—6. under clear

skies, a sunny start. through the day, fair weather cloud will build. long sunny spells rather than wall—to—wall blue skies. high pressure is in charge. things are settled. not many isobars. not as windy as yesterday. 0nshore breeze along the coastline. it will feel more cool, especially in the afternoon. dry and sunny weather in scotla nd afternoon. dry and sunny weather in scotland and more than ireland and northern england and much of wales and the midlands, east anglia. as we come to south wales, somerset in devon, the north coast of them, the cloud will fit in and break. sunshine in east anglia. —— thin and break. through the day, more cloud building in the north—west midlands, and western scotland as well. temperatures today are roughly 11—

17 degrees celsius. more cool towards the north sea coastline. 11-14. this towards the north sea coastline. 11—14. this evening and overnight, under clear skies, another chilly 1. not as cold as the nightjust gone. frost pockets across north—east scotla nd frost pockets across north—east scotland and north—east england. meanwhile, the west, another weather front. that will introduce the cloud. some rain introduced in the west of northern ireland and the 0uter west of northern ireland and the outer hebrides. a lot of sunshine tomorrow. cloud to start the day in east anglia and the south—east. that will melt away. the weather front from the west, you can see it clearly defined here. introducing more cloud to be patchy rain and drizzle in the outer hebrides. england and wales, the west, more cloud compared to the morning. sunny spells. a royal wedding is taking

place this weekend. if you are getting there early, a cool start. lunchtime, 17 degrees. a maximum afternoon temperature if you are ill they are 20—21. a cold start, but sunny later. take sun protection. —— still. both fa cup finals will be sunny, wembley and glasgow. a weather front from the west is introducing more cloud. where will you be on saturday on the big day. introducing more cloud. where will you be on saturday on the big daylj will be in windsor in the morning and the rocks in the afternoon. will you be wearing a hat? just a dress

and shoes. the london stock exchange. news is coming in this morning from mothercare about 50 stores closing. that is st paul‘s. we are talking about mothercare. we have had an update from the retailer. widely expected and widely reported troubles for them. 50 stores and 800 jobs gone confirmed in the last few minutes. no details on where. they are struggling to keep afloat on the high street. we will talk about this in more detail. good morning. what do you make of this? 50 stores closing. kind of expected. it is expected. they had 200 stores. it will now be 78. they

grew when times were good. they have a legacy of a much too large portfolio of stores. the landlords will be suffering. and losing staff as well. 800 jobs to go. a big blow. not a huge surprise. a familiar story on the high street with jobs and stores going. they are having to do this to fix their issues. they have not been customer service focused. the issue is with the financials. they need attention back on that. they have not been very good. they are talking about making the business the right size again. it should give them a chance to be viable going forward but they need a lot of hard work. it is a familiar

story. something we have seen before. this is the latest retailer to face it. it is very difficult. mothercare, customers grew up and they did not. it is a combination of that terrible phrase, brick and click. most of the people have moved in other directions and they haven't. is there any direction other than down for the high street? they have to give them new reasons to go to the high street. good to see you. thank you very much. that is the update from mothercare this

morning. figures from the royal mail. closures for mothercare. royal mail. closures for mothercare. royal mail says parcels up 5%, other things down. not so bad. that is it. and now to talk about the wedding business. if you‘ve ever planned a wedding, you probably spent a lot of time thinking about where to get the ideal cake, flowers and dress. but at least you didn‘t have to source a perfect set of trumpets. with just two days until prince harry marries meghan markle, breakfast‘s tim muffett has been meeting the people who‘ve been asked to provide services to make sure the royal wedding strikes the right note. what a blast. in this north yorkshire farmhouse, they do not make any old trumpets. since 2005, state ceremonial trumpets for royal events have been crafted here. state ceremonial trumpets for royal events have been crafted harem has got to be bright and forceful since it is played for a short time. it has to draw attention to something important happening. 0f course, it is played for such a short time, it has to be perfect

straightaway. this is the final instrument. it is bent and wrapped around itself. six trumpets made here will be played at the wedding of prince harry and meghan markle. the first ones to be finished were tested two months ago. what is it about your trumpets which makes them good enough to be chosen for this huge event? we pay attention to the quality of the night and the response of the instrument, how well it responsive and playing —— note. —— responds to them playing. they will announce the arrival announce the arrival of the queen. jeanette isa the arrival of the queen. jeanette is a local trumpet teacher. you have

the valves. the pitching is easier. it's the valves. the pitching is easier. it‘s about using lips to produce sounds. you make your lips vibrate. i now declare you man and wife, harry and meghan. perfect. you have thejob. harry and meghan. perfect. you have the job. seasonal greens and... a royal wedding is unlike any other. the whole thing is surreal. you feel like you‘re in two different parallel universes. he did the same for the duke and duchess of cambridge at westminster abbey. but the best laid plans of mice and men often goes awry. we talked about blossom trees. it was a hot spring. the blossoms had bloomed. so i telephoned the bride and set we have a problem. she said we have not. green trees. nothing nicer. i

remember the purejoy green trees. nothing nicer. i remember the pure joy of working with a couple who were so happy and so relaxed and so in touch with nature. a royal wedding commission, memories to love and to cherish. tim muffett, bbc news. imagine getting that call asking you to be one of the providers for the royal wedding. good to be one of the providers for the royalwedding. good news, to be one of the providers for the royal wedding. good news, john maguire is with us. morning. i am looking at the beautiful blue skies and the wonderful vista. it will be spectacular. i think you are correct. 0f spectacular. i think you are correct. of course, a royal wedding could have taken place in the centre of london, but you cannot imagine a more spectacular location. the long

walk in great windsor park, just behind me, everyone getting set up here. all of these tents are tv studios. you will get an incredible view as the procession comes down. all of the pomp and pageantry the british are so famous for. things are being set up two days out. we have hoisted in some dog walkers. amanda, bonny, and rose. rose has a cup of tea. we grabbed her. no one can escape breakfast. what is it like living among this? it is exciting. the dogs are confused. it is not like this. this is their backyard. we come out and have a chat and so do the dogs. it is great fun. rose, you know, you have the queen as a near neighbour. you must

be used to it, but another level?m is lovely. the queen comes up and down royal ascot. we're used to her nearby. it's so lovely. what has happened to your view? sadly we live just here in the property. we thought we had a prime spot. all of the family and friends are coming but now this has popped up. sorry about that. you can tune into bbc 0ne. about that. you can tune into bbc one. from us and the royal windsor dog walking society, it‘s time to head to the news, travel, and weather. good morning from bbc london news. a murder investigation has been launched after an 85—year—old woman was attacked at her home in romford. rosina coleman was found by a local handyman at her house in ashmour gardens on tuesday morning after suffering what police have called a "cowardly assault."

they‘re appealing for witnesses. anti—racism campaigners are warning that far right groups in poland are mounting a highly organised effort to come to london and grow their membership. already in the last six months two high—profile polish nationals well known for their anti—semitic and islamaphobic views have attempted to hold events in west london. campaigners believe up to ten polish far right groups are operating in the capital. i would say this tendency has definitely intensified over the last 2—3 years, and there has been a polish far—right event in the uk almost every week. if it continues unchecked, it could definitely get worse. and, well, i think there is a potential for acts of violence. as preparations continue for the royal wedding, rehearsals include local choirboys from saint georges school. they sing eight services a week. many have previously sung for the queen.

we sing for the queen every easter. i did not think it would be at a royal wedding. i am excited. i am lucky. not many people get to sing at such a special event. there‘s a good service on the tubes this morning. the a406 north circular is closed east—bound at golders green road for emergency water work. let‘s have a check on the weather now with elizabeth rizzini. hello. good morning. yesterday was cool and cloudy. but today, it‘s dry and fine. so, a big improvement in the weather. there‘ll be plenty of sunshine around as well. just a bit of early cloud this morning first thing. temperatures down to six or seven degrees. a chilly start for some areas.

lots of sunshine around through the morning. long sunny spells around too into the afternoon. the uv levels are high. but that cool northerly wind is lighter than it was yesterday. so, feeling more pleasant in the sunshine. 17—18 celsius. so, as we head through this evening and overnight, we‘ll keep the clear skies, temperatures could drop as low locally as four or five degrees celsius. a chilly start to the day. some showery mist patches around perhaps as well. tomorrow, very little change in the weather. high pressure dominates the weather for the rest of the week. temperatures up to 18 degrees celcius. a slight shift in the wind direction over the weekend. things will be warming up. things will creep up to the low 205. lots of sunshine around as well. good news if you have something planned in windsor or wembley. i‘m back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello. this is breakfast with steph mcgovern and charlie stayt.

tough new rules on high stakes gambling machines. in the past hour the govermment has announced the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals will be slashed could cost thousands ofjobs. good morning. it‘s thursday 17th may. also this morning: no ban on flammable cladding. a review of building rules following the grenfell fire is expected to stop short of one of the key demands made by safety campaigners. tackling the terror threat. police consider arming all front—line officers in rural parts of england and wales. good morning. 50 stores are to close

at 800 jobs are to go at mothercare. the latest high street i.l!._j__.___l_ .__j.. 7 .,.. fora royal weddingreheafsatr” ~ her father tells a us website he‘s successfully undergone heart surgery but will remain in hospitalfor days. in sport: a world cup squad announcement with a difference this is the scene in windsor this morning. we‘ll be there looking at how the final touches are being made. it looks lovely there but what is it like across the rest of the uk? carol can tell us. pretty much like that across the rest of the uk. blue skies for many and after quite

chilly start, the temperatures picked up rapidly and fair weather clouds building throughout the day. temperatures little bit higher than yesterday and with lighter winds it will not feel quite as cold as cold as it did for some. all of the details and the weekend forecast in 15 minutes. thank you. first, our main story. a radical shake—up of high stakes betting machines has been announced by the government, with the maximum stake on fixed—odds terminals cut from £100 to just £2. critics call the machines the crack cocaine of the betting world. the industry says they are a vital and perfectly legal part of the sector that creates revenue for the government and it‘s now predicting thousands of job losses. earlier on breakfast we spoke to adam bradford, whose father was sent to prison for stealing £50,000 to fund his gambling addiction. what it means is this industry, which was basically savaged on the high street, taking hundreds of pounds every minute from gamblers, is not going to happen any more. we will not have that kind of

destruction on high street any more. £2 isa destruction on high street any more. £2 is a safe amount. it means that gambling can be fun again. you are not going to be enticed into spending more and more money, which lets face it the average person doesn‘t have £100 every 20 seconds available to spend. ben is at the london stock exchange this morning. ben a number of these firms are listed on the markets. they have just opened so what is happening quite yet? it is a significant change for the gambling firms. they have been able to charge up firms. they have been able to charge up to £100 and now they can charge just £2 for that same business. if you look at some of the details, william hill says it makesjust you look at some of the details, william hill says it makes just over half of its retail revenues from fixed odds betting terminals. a significant change in how they do business. they have already warned there will be significant closures

of those betting shops on many high streets. and significant job of those betting shops on many high streets. and significantjob losses asa streets. and significantjob losses as a result. we will start to get detailed through from them about what impact it could have on their business and their share price that well over the coming few minutes. i will keep an eye on that and bring the details when we get them. thank you. there is also news about mothercare and those store closures. yes. not wholly surprising in terms of what we heard from the car. it had been widely expected that they would be forced to close more stores. —— motherca re. would be forced to close more stores. —— mothercare. 50 stores to close with the loss of 800 jobs but no details on where those closures will take place but we know they have been struggling of late in terms of the high street and getting people into the stores. they have faced so much competition from online retailers, particularly amazon. many people going into the shops and touching and feeling the products in store but then going home and buying online instead of getting things delivered to their

door. what we have heard from other ca re door. what we have heard from other care is a pretty stark assessment of the state of the high street. they said they are in a perilous financial situation and they are facing difficulty in restructuring the business. we now know that 15 mothercare the business. we now know that 15 motherca re stores the business. we now know that 15 mothercare stores will close and they will renegotiate the rent on a further 21. —— 50 stores will close. they will go to their landlords and say we can‘t pay you what we have been paying it up until now and they will want a reduction. no news on when that will be completed but the headlines this morning are 50 stores to close with a loss of 800 jobs, another blow to the high street that is already struggling in the wake of another number of closures in the last few weeks. we will talk to you later. thank you. a review of building regulations in the wake of the grenfell fire tragedy is expected to stop short of calling for an outright ban on combustible cladding. but the government—commissioned

report by the engineer dame judith hackitt is likely to propose a new system for managing building safety. tom burridge reports. a review of building regulations in the wake the type of materials used to build grenfell tower are believed to be a key factor which caused the fire to spread at such a deadly speed. basic tests on the type of cladding used have shown just how combustible it is. so those who survived the fire, and relatives and friends of people killed, want those types of building materials to be banned. they‘re backed by some construction companies, architects and insurers. but dame judith hackitt, the engineer commissioned by the government to review building regulations in the wake of the fire, is today not expected to announce a blanket ban. she will, though, recommend a more rigourous system for managing the safety of buildings in england. the government is under pressure to act. it‘s announced new funding for removing dangerous cladding from buildings in england. the fire and rescue services have

visited over 1250 high—rise buildings and immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of every resident. councils and housing associations must remove dangerous cladding quickly, but paying for these works must not undermine their ability to do important maintenance and repair work. nearly a year on, and the grim legacy of grenfell tower has a long way to run yet. tom burridge, bbc news. police chiefs say front—line officers in remote rural communities could be routinely armed in order to deal with terrorist threats. the move is being considered by the national police chiefs‘ council. a drive to recruit specialist counter—terrorism firearms officers in england and wales has fallen short of its target by around 100. here‘s our home affairs correspondent, leila nathoo. armed police! show me your hands! it‘s one of the most demanding jobs in policing. these armed police in the west midlands are practising how to approach a suspect holed up with a weapon. armed police, show your hands!

hundreds more officers like these are now on duty across england and wales after extra money was promised by the government two years ago. gunfire. the recruitment and training process is rigourous, and that‘s one reason why the numbers of additional armed police hasn‘t hit its target. in 2016, there were just under 5600 firearms officers across 43 police forces. that‘s increased to more than 6400 this year. but of the 1000 extra armed officers meant to be in place by now, only 874 are in post. the boost was designed to make the police response to a potential terror attack quicker and more effective. there has been a 70% increase in the number of armed officers with specialist counterterrorism training, but there‘s still a shortfall here of about 100 and there are challenges in filling positions. some will not meet the standard.

they won‘t be selected in the first place, and others are put off by a range of things, such as some people just don‘t want to carry a gun, they didn‘tjoin the police service to carry a gun, and many worry about the level of scrutiny and the nature of post—incident investigations in the very rare occasions where a police firearm is discharged. the extra resources have been focused on urban areas deemed to be most at risk of an attack, but senior officers are considering how best to protect all communities, with the option of routinely arming officers in rural areas said to be not off the table. leila nathoo, bbc news. a royal wedding rehearsal involving more than 250 military personnel is taking place in windsor later this morning. but it is still unclear who will walk meghan markle down the aisle after her father last night told the celebrity website tmz that he had undergone surgery and would remain in hospital for the next few days. 0ur royal correspondent sarah campbell is in windsor. it is looking absolutely glorious

there. the big day of rehearsals and lots of questions to be answered. yes, good morning. youjoin me lots of questions to be answered. yes, good morning. you join me in the grounds of windsor castle. you can see the round tower in the background. the rehearsal, some of it, will take place over the castle walls at st george‘s chapel, out of the view of the public, but the processional route will carry out as it will do on saturday, so the public will get a chance to get a glimpse and a taste of what the wedding will look like on saturday. with regard to other events, her father, whether or not meghan markle‘s father will walk down the aisle, kensington palace have stuck to the line that they don‘t comment on private matters. unfortunately he is commenting, it would appear, to dmz, the us gossip website, saying that did undergo heart surgery yesterday, he had three stents fitted and he will be in hospital for the next three days. we have got to deduce from that that it is very

unlikely that he will be coming to windsor. so who will walk her down the aisle? doria ragland, meghan markle‘s mother, did arrive in the country markle‘s mother, did arrive in the cou ntry yesterday markle‘s mother, did arrive in the country yesterday and she travels to kensington palace this morning. we presume that he is with her daughter now. after the last few days and all of your people, one would imagine that meghan is very pleased to have her there. the doria ragland, the next two days before the wedding, she will meet members of the royal family, the queen, the duke of edinburgh, the prince of wales and the duke and duchess of cambridge. it will be a busy time for her. final preparations in windsor are well under way with only two days to go. i bet they will be chuffed with the weather. thank you. carroll will have all of the weather across the rest of the uk later. now let‘s go back to our top story, the news that the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terminals has been cut from £100 tojust £2. betting terminals has been cut from £100 to just £2. the culture secretary has just made that

statement and joins us now from our london newsroom. thank you for your time. did you take us through the detail? yes, the fixed odds betting terminals for some years now have been a feature on the high street. at the moment you can put £100 in every 20 seconds. and all the evidence is that they are the biggest contributor to problem gambling that there is. that is what the hard evidence shows. but i have also seen it for myself, my constituency surgery, people come in and tell me they have lost thousands of pounds in a very short period of time. the machines are designed to be addictive. and we are going to tackle this by reducing that limit so that people can only get £2 every 20 seconds and tackle problem gambling. this has been widely welcomed by those who are anti and

those people who help gamblers with that addiction. why has it taken you so long to come to this conclusion when people have been saying this for such a long time? and the timescale. today, tomorrow, this weekend there will be people going in still able to bet those large amounts of money on fixed terminals. when will the change come in?|j became culture secretary four months ago and! became culture secretary four months ago and i have been working very ha rd ago and i have been working very hard on this with tracey crowd, the minister for sport, hard on this with tracey crowd, the ministerfor sport, who has been driving this agenda over a number of yea rs driving this agenda over a number of years and i want to pay tribute to her. we will work with industry on the timescales. it will be a matter of months rather than weeks. but we will get there. the crucial thing is that when i was asked to do this job, this question of what we do about these machines was on the table. and i looked at all of the evidence and i thought about it, and

iam evidence and i thought about it, and i am absolutely determined to do the right thing by the hundreds of thousands of people, including some of the most vulnerable people, who can least afford to lose this scale of money, and do the right thing by them. the concerns in fact suggested by both the gambling industry and those who are concerned about people who are addicted is that the decision to change fixed terminals so drastically will drive people online. how concerned are you buy that and what would you do with that transpires? one of the reasons we have taken our time to get this decision right is to ensure we put in place a package of measures for online gambling as well. the gambling commission took some action last year, but we have put out a 78 page document this morning that sets out further action that would will be taken to tackle problem gambling,

where ever it is found, including online. clearly there has been a big change in how people gamble, and there has been over a decade or so. we need to make sure people get the support they need. i‘m not against all gambling. i represent newmarket. i like all gambling. i represent newmarket. ilikea all gambling. i represent newmarket. i like a flutter on the horses from time to time. but what i am determined to do is crack down on the sources of the most egregious problem gambling, and all the evidence is that these machines are the worst source of problem gambling. that is why we are taking this action. there are concerns from the gambling industry about the impact of your position today. the association of british bookmakers say in reaction that 4000 shops, they expect to close, betting shops. 21,000 people to lose theirjobs. we will see. some of the bookmakers have said they will not shut any shops as a result of this. of

course, we have taken into account the evidence of potential impact on gambling as well. but ultimately, it comes down to a judgment on whether we think the £1.8 billion that is transferred from some of the most vulnerable people in the country, into the gambling industry through these machines, whether we think thatis these machines, whether we think that is right or not. i may be an essentially free—market pro—business person, but businesses should not be built on the backs of misery, and it‘s the job of government to support it. there‘s no doubt these machines are addictive. the physiology of the addiction is very clear, through the endorphins you get from the bet, and in particular the oximetry of putting the money in and then the result, as opposed to

betting on a sport, where you put the bet on, then wait and watch to get the result. the science is quite clear. of course i understand the impact on bookmakers. i also understand the potential impact on horse racing, which is very close to my heart. we will work with the industry and horse racing to mitigate those impacts, but i was not prepared to stand by when i could see this misery taking place, andi could see this misery taking place, and i met people whose lives have been ruined by it, and i wasn‘t prepared to stand by and let it happen when the decision was there in front of me and i had the opportunity to stop it. mr hancock, as culture secretary, one last question on an entirely separate theme. there is a lot of attention on the royal wedding coming up this saturday. your government has taken a great deal of interest in the way the press handles itself about intrusion and those issues. i wonder

whether you could reflect a little on what you have seen in the papers, and how meghan markle‘s family have been approached and any reflections you have come anything that has concerned you in the coverage so far. i think the newspapers need to be respectful. i think they are largely being respectful. in this debate we have had about newspapers in the uk, one of the issues is that news stories are now global, the moment they go a of ”15:1 ' come think. have a think have a of 591.1 rm % this weekend. i national celebration this weekend. i hope that the press, and of course the broadcasters, can join hope that the press, and of course the broadcasters, canjoin in with that sense of national celebration. i think meghan markle is a remarkable woman. i know prince harry is a remarkable man. i wish them every happiness together, and i

hope that we as a country can come together to celebrate. mr hancock, fnfléfbér tn ré'éfimé for fnaéfhér ’«a-f§ morning it fnaéfhér ’«a-f§ morning some of our watchers‘ from weather watchers picture-54mm weather watchers pictlltesrf-tem susset weather watchers‘ pictutesrf-tent sussex, i chilly fit; ‘and iim’ é 552.53 ragga—57:5: . ;:: . zzs — pick up pressure high pressure'dominatihg—the laterals; high pressure'dominatihg—the hélrfils an . 4a 77 em ,be an , be an onshore breeze g; f: the north during coming from the north sea during the course of the day to make it feel chillier. blue skies across scotland, england, northern ireland, the midlands, wales and the and south coast. just a little bit of cloud across the north coast of somerset and devon, but it will melt away and you will see some sunshine

as you go through the morning. heading through the day, a wee bit more cloud building as we go through the midlands. also in western scotla nd the midlands. also in western scotland and northern ireland. the rest of the uk is looking at a fine, dry and sunny day with temperatures up dry and sunny day with temperatures up to 17 at best, cooler along the north sea coastline, between 12 and 14 celsius. this evening and overnight, early evening sunshine and clear skies overnight mean temperatures will drop again, a chilly night. not as cold as the nightsjust gone chilly night. not as cold as the nights just gone for most, but a touch of frost across north—east england and north—east scotland. by the end of the night, the approaching weather front will bring more cloud into the west with splashes of rain across the west of northern ireland and the outer hebrides. tomorrow, the weather front will advance slowly eastwards, bringing rain across western scotland. as it travels east it will peter out, very patchy. more cloud coming into the west. the best of

the sunshine will be across central and eastern parts of the uk with the temperature climbing a notch or so. if you are heading to the royal wedding in windsor, bear in mind that early in the day it will be cold because we will have clear skies. temperatures picking up quite quickly, like this morning, in the morning sunshine. 17 by lunchtime and 20 or21 morning sunshine. 17 by lunchtime and 20 or 21 by the middle of the afternoon. after a cold start, make sure you have your son preparation with you. a cold start as a whole over the uk on saturday. blue skies, a weather front draped over the west is introducing cloud into western areas. but it will stay largely dry. a breeze picking up. cloud building towards the west and temperatures up towards the west and temperatures up to 20 or21, towards the west and temperatures up to 20 or 21, so the royal wedding is set fair to 20 or 21, so the royal wedding is setfair in to 20 or 21, so the royal wedding is set fair in windsor. a live shot of windsor. looking

gorgeous. and as carol says, it looks like a gorgeous day on saturday. it will be absolutely chock—a—block down there on saturday. as well as planning their wedding, prince harry and meghan markle have also been laying the foundations for the work they want to do after the big day. they‘ve both established themselves as champions for the causes closest to their hearts. when they speak out, people take notice. 0ur royal correspondent, sarah campbell, looks at how they have established themselves as global campaigners. a lesson in how to train the global spotlight on a favourite cause. this was the happy couple‘s first post—engagement visit. the world‘s media travelled to nottingham to record it. the carefully chosen date, december 1st, world aids day. hiv awareness campaigner lizzie jordan was among

the first to meet them. they‘re phenomenal. and so clued up. they‘re very aware of discrimination people still feel, the stigma around the condition. they knew full well their choice of talking about the condition and the attention that follows them, how they could utilise that for the benefit of everyone living with hiv. getting behind causes he believes in is not new for harry. aged 21, he co—founded sentebale, a children‘s charity based in southern africa. in the years since, both on and off camera, he stayed closely involved. he has an ability to connect with youngsters in a way which is completely natural and just part of his personality. and therefore, when he is campaigning and on a global stage, actually, what he talks about is his personal experience, and that comes through. it‘s very authentic and it‘s real and that allows him to be a very effective campaigner. famous as an actress, meghan markle has also used that profile to initiate change.

she travelled to rwanda in 2016 with the charity world vision, and was a un advocate for women. last year, she went to mumbai to highlight a charity empowering women living in the city‘s slums. the myna mahila foundation has already experienced the meghan effect, as it now has a global profile as one of the seven charities the couple have chosen to benefit from wedding gift donations. we were definitely very surprised, but we were happy that she kept her word that she would support us in any way she could. i think this is the best way she could have shown her support. after the wedding, meghan will become the fourth patron of the royal foundation, adding her own insight and focus. you‘ll often hear people say "we help women find their voices." i fundamentally disagree with that because women do not need to find a voice, they have a voice. they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen. prince harry was already very effective and has done great work for his charities.

look at the invictus games and how successful that has been just as an isolated example. with the added power of meghan and the fact she has the ability to reach parts other royals haven't, and that combined force, looking at previous power couples on the world stage like brad and angelina, i think meghan and harry can match that and in fact surpass it. the media profile of last year‘s invictus games was undoubtedly boosted by meghan‘s attendance. as husband and wife, they will be a campaigning force to be reckoned with. sarah campbell, bbc news. it's it‘s worth saying that we are doing quite a bit live from windsor on brea kfast quite a bit live from windsor on breakfast tomorrow. and of course on saturday. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. it has been quite cool

to start this thursday morning with temperatures in single figures but today will be dry with plenty of sunshine around. we have got that sunshine, so it will feel quite warm, with temperatures in the mid to the high teens. through the morning, lots of sunshine, blue skies, cloud developing into the afternoon. particularly in the north midlands, north west of england, scotla nd midlands, north west of england, scotland and northern ireland. you will see more cloud this afternoon but temperatures around 15 to 18. on the north sea coast it will feel chilly with an onshore breeze and temperatures more like 12 or 13. 0vernight with lengthy clear spells, it will turn quite chilly into friday morning. temperatures down to three or 7 degrees. but with clear skies through the night, that will

translate into sunshine in the morning. another glorious start to the day for many of us on friday morning. more cloud moving into scotla nd morning. more cloud moving into scotland and northern ireland and some outbreaks of rain affecting the far north west of scotland, i suspect. elsewhere fair weather clouds developing but temperatures fairly similar. away from the north sea coast, temperatures into the high teens. into the weekend, high pressure firmly in charge. this weather front is glancing, giving more cloud. cool to start in windsor for the royal wedding but going through the afternoon temperatures get up to 17 or even 21. elsewhere on saturday, sunshine from any of us and a bit more cloud with a weather front towards the north west. some cloud in north west scotland but for all of us the temperatures will be much higher than the next few days. getting up into the low 205 across many parts. that is it from me. goodbye.

this is business live from bbc news with ben bland and david eades. hands off the wheel. europe steers towards a driverless future. but are the public on board? live from london, that‘s our top story on thursday 17th may. driverless cars are coming and europe‘s about to catch up with the us and china in this fast—developing technology. but can questions about safety still be resolved? plus: from tencent to half a trillion dollars. the chinese tech giant unveils record profits thanks to a boom in mobile phone gaming. and we keep an eye on the market is