this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at 11.003m. the home secretary is about to give his first speech since being appointed to the role at the annual conference of the police federation. marks and spencer suffers a big fall in annual profits linked to the cost of a store closure programme. we need to make sure that we are reflective of changes in society, and the way people shop. and that means it is urgent we do this to return the business to growth. an "act of pure evil". a judge sentences berlinah wallace to at least 12 years in prison for throwing acid over her former partner as he slept. also, oxford university says it must do more to attract talent from all backgrounds after figures reveal that just 2% of its new students are black. philip roth, regarded by some as the greatest american writer of his generation, has died at the age of 85. good morning.

welcome to bbc newsroom live. sajid javid is about to give his first speech as home secretary to the police federation conference in birmingham. speaking to rank and file officers, he's understood to want to reset the relationship between the government and the police, by acknowledging the effects of budget cuts, and outlining his commitment to improving working conditions for those on the frontline. we will take a quick look at the conference. he is not speaking just now so we conference. he is not speaking just now so we will come away from the conference but we will go straight back as soon as sajid javid starts to speak. marks and spencer has suffered a big fall in annual profits following a costly

store closure plan. the last financial year saw pre—tax profits for the retailer slump by 62% to £68 million. the figures include the cost of closing more than a hundred stores by 2022. the chief executive steve rowe has described the need for change at the retailer as urgent. what we are clear about it we can't do this slowly. we need to make sure we are reflecting the change in society and the way that people shop. that means it is urgent we do this, to return the business to growth. the store closure programme is important because it reflects the change in custom habit. as i said, i believe a third of our business will be online within the next five years. no panic. let's speak to our business presenter, rachel horne. it isa it is a really dramatic fall in profit. they are still profitable but that headline figure is quite jaw—dropping. but that headline figure is quite jaw-dropping. that is what everybody is focusing on. revamping and store

closures has cost them a lot. £321 million, over the last 12 months. they have closed 21 stores so far and yesterday we heard them on as they are going to close 100 stores by 2022. the annual pre—tax profits, still in profit, but falling to £66 million. the chief executive is saying there is no need to panic. that is what he is going to say. he will steer a steady ship. that report released today, it is honest, stark, you could take a positive view on it. you could say they are opening the pace of change and making the difficult decisions. equally could take a negative view and say it is a 3—5—year plan, our investors going to wait at the tills for that amount of time to get a payback? he also talked about a change in customer habit and online sales is where they've got a look. marks & spencer have been criticised

about being slow i'm getting on board with that. and then previously the ship they spent £200 million on what was to be this amazing commerce centre. that is where houses struggling to keep up with demand. the website is still too slow. as you say, they are still in profit, these results were better than some investors had inspected. the share price was up this morning, up 5%. but it is still up 2%. if you look at the bigger picture, the share price has lost her faith in at the bigger picture, the share price has lost herfaith in its value over the last months. back in 1997, marks & spencer had 13.5% of the uk british clothing sector. it is now just the uk british clothing sector. it is nowjust 7.5% with primax holding 7%. we look at the value of the company, it has got a long heritage and legacy. compare that to the

company found in 2000 of the value of £5.5 billion. then other new guys coming through and m&s need to hold their own. for some time, there have been questions by analysts about what the strategy is going forward. but the core market is. people will say it is trying to be all things to all people and that has caused problems. they need to look where they are going. m&s has a heritage, established in they are going. m&s has a heritage, established “118811. they they are going. m&s has a heritage, established in 1884. they think of it fondly but do they go there to do their shopping? we need to look at their shopping? we need to look at their position in the ftse100. there is a danger that if this continues m&s could fall out of the ftse100. its shares would need to fall around 10% in value for that to happen. that is possibly not likely. it could be more to do if other companies increase their share. we cut the situation where m&s are

store lots, original constituents of the ftse 100 from 1984, could fall out into the 250. that wouldn't have an impact going forward but it would be very significant especially because one of the company's it could be replaced by is an online focused retailer. that could be replacing m&s. inflation, dropping. it fell to 2.4% in april. it was 2.596 in it fell to 2.4% in april. it was 2.5% in march, that is a fork. analysts were expecting it to stay at 2.5%. it means the pressure has eased on the bank of england when it comes to interest rates. this amends the decision they made not to raise interest rates. 0ne the decision they made not to raise interest rates. one of the main reasons to raise interest rates is to bring down inflation. but if inflation is coming down but is less arguments for the bank to raise the interest rates. the consequences, we

have seen sterling fall in value. it is .6% this morning. keep an eye on inflation, petrol prices. they had at the highest level for three and a half years because of a rise in the price of oil. partly because of the us pulling out of the iran nuclear deal. there is increased demand globally. if oil prices that arise we could see inflation rise again and the latest wage for all figures, 2.6% wage growth. if it starts to go up 2.6% wage growth. if it starts to go up again we will see the pension. a woman found guilty of throwing sulphuric acid over her former partner as he lay sleeping has been given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 12 years. berlinah wallace was acquitted of murdering mark van dongen, who later died at a euthanasia clinic in belgium. 0ur correspondent fiona lamdin is at bristol crown court. just tell us a bit more about the background to this case.

as you say, in the last hour berlinah wallace has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 12 years. last thursday, jury here at bristol crown court found her guilty of throwing a corrosive substance but not guilty of the murder or manslaughter of her former partner, mark van dongen. just a reminder of the in september 2015, mark van dongen went to berlinah wallace's flat to reiterate the relationship was over. they'd been together for five years. as he slapped, he was wearing just boxer shorts, she threw a glass of sulphuric acid over him laughing, if i can't have you, no one canvas he was in a coma for four months. he lost a site in the left eye. he had to have a leg amputated. he was paralysed below the neck. after 15 months he decided he had to end his life. today, when she was

sentenced, the george side of berlinah wallace, the judge said your intention was to burn and this figure mark van dongen soon he would not be attracted to any other woman. it was an act of pure evil. she went on to say, your conduct can probably be described as sadistic. as you read this out, mark's father was very emotional. he was shaking and rocking. he was very tearful. it was such a relief because he had said earlier, i hopejustice will prevail and she will be locked up for the rest of her life. she is a danger to society. he also said, i promised market that i would be standing here in his name that i would not miss one minute of this trial and i would make every effort to make sure she gets the sentence she deserves. thank you, fiona. oxford university says it needs to do more to improve its student diversity

after releasing figures which showed thatjust 2% of its new students were black. overall, the number of ethnic minority students being admitted is rising, as ross hawkins reports. 0xford oxford university, gateway to thousands of brilliant careers but who gets to study here? figures from the university showed of its new undergrads from the uk, almost 18% from ethnic minority backgrounds, more than in the past. 60% of stu d e nts more than in the past. 60% of students were from state schools, thatis students were from state schools, that is up but private schools only educated tiny minority of children. half came from london or the southeast compared to just 2% from the north—east of england. the labourmp the north—east of england. the labour mp david lambie has accused 0xford of social apartheid when he revealed some of their colleges took no black students. these figures showed 2% of new students last year we re showed 2% of new students last year were black. right across the

colleges, the number of black stu d e nts we colleges, the number of black students we have taken in has improved. 1.9% of our undergraduates are from an african caribbean heritage. if you look at the pool we are fishing in and finding these students, only 1.8% come from that black and background. it is a small pool, we have to work hard to encourage them to apply. there is an attitude and appetite for change in oxford. that is a real effort on the pa rt of oxford. that is a real effort on the part of the university to engage with student societies. the university says it is evolving fast but perhaps too slowly to meet the public‘s expectations. later this week, north korea is expected to fulfil its promise to de—commission its nuclear testing site in the remote far north of the country. a number of foreign journalists have been invited to watch the de—commissioning process. here's what we know about where they're going. the punggye—ri facility is north korea's dedicated test site

for nuclear weapons. it has a system of tunnels which journalists will see being collapsed. the complex has been used for six nuclear tests since 2006. the site was last used in september when pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb, triggering a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. last month, chinese geologists claimed the nuclear site had partially collapsed under the stress of multiple explosions rendering it unusable. our colleague at cbs news ben tracy is one of those journalists who'll be visiting the site he sent up this update from north korea's eastern coastal city of wonsan. the city is famous for one thing in particular, this is where north korea has launched more than 40 missiles from. a lot of those missile tests you have seen video of, those happened here in wonsan. however, now north korea is trying to make this known for something else. as you can see this is absolutely stunning. they are trying to turn this into an international tourist destination so when you look down here in the distance you see buildings under

construction. that is going to be a massive resort. you see these blue shower pillars here on the beach. someday, they are hoping millions of tourists from all over the world will come here. before that happens, they have to settle this nuclear issue. that is part of closing down this nuclear test site in northern north korea. we're hoping that we will get on a train, we will be headed 11 hours towards that site and north korea is going to put on a ceremony, they are calling it, to officially decommission that nuclear testing site. ben treacy, cbs news for bbc news in wonsan, north korea. the ash keeps falling and the lava volcano in hawaii. it's been 19 days since the eruption began geologists say it's one of the biggest volcanic explosions in a century. overnight on the island, workers rushed to shut down a power plant affected by the lava. they closed it to prevent the release of toxic gases. chris buckler reports.

the flow of lava keeps moving faster. and the fountains keep getting higher. this volcano shows no sign of settling as it continues to rip through this land. you can see how deep in the ground the cracks go, close to where the fissures have opened up. take a look here, all of this road completely split apart as a result of the power of the lava. and power lines have actually come down. behind me there is all of this toxic smoke going into the air. at the moment the wind direction is going in such a way we will not be affected but we have to have gas masks. through the smoke and steam you can see why so many people have had to abandon their homes. that is if they are still standing. personally, my property is ok. our friends have lost everything.

to see their pain it is devastating. there have been further eruptions at the summit. but the real danger is from the lava still rising from the ground. molten rock has reached this thermal power plant. staff had to rush to close it down because there are fears its deep under ground wells could explode as it releases more toxic gases into the air. the message getting out there is the whole island is inundated with love and it is not. age isjust the dressed stone. but in this neighbourhood, they are living in the shadow of lava. and having to ta ke the shadow of lava. and having to take risks. on the cracked ground thatis take risks. on the cracked ground that is for now a perilous place to call home. the headlines on bbc newsroom live —

the home secretary is about to give his first speech since being appointed to the role, at the annual conference of the police federation. we'll bring that to you live when it happens . marks and spencer suffers a big fall in annual profits linked to the cost of a store closure programme. a woman convicted of throwing acid at herformer boyfriend, is sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of twelve years. in sports, a new manager has been covered over arsenal. he says he is thrilled to bejoining one of covered over arsenal. he says he is thrilled to be joining one of the great clu bs thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs of the game. wayne rooney is in washington to have a look around the club he could leave everton four. dc united reached a deal in principle with him. andrew strauss has said he will step back from his role as director of cricket while his wife undergoes treatment for cancer. andy flower will will

fill in. i will have more on those stories just after half past 11. a further seven victims of the grenfell tower fire will be commemorated today, including a mother and her toddler. warnings have been given to the attendees in advance about " pa rticula rly upsetting" content following emotional scenes yesterday. footage of the tower engulfed in flames was broadcast as part of a commemoration without anyone being warned beforehand. our news correspondent, angus crawford, joins us now from the inquiry in west london. it has been said by one of those involved in these hearings, talking about half of the survivors and relatives, it is feeling likes them they are attending funerals every day. it is difficult for some. it is very difficult for them but it is also the most important thing, which is to speak about their loved ones, to speak about those who died to make sure they are not forgotten,

to make sure they are not forgotten, to make sure they are not forgotten, to make sure the inquiry chairman realises these are real people with realises these are real people with real lives and their deaths have brought a part families. their legacy is still live today. their legacies will be aboutjustice, trying to find out what happened. they will be more warnings today and in the future about the kind of footage that may be shown within the inquiry, to alert people who lived through that terrible night. it is very traumatic for many of them yesterday seeing further images. today, first, we heard tributes to a woman and her two small children. they were in flat 203 on the 23rd floor. today, her niece presented a video on behalf of her mother, her mother was unable to speak properly. she's dealing with mouth cancer so

is unable to express what she wanted to. her daughter did this herself. she spoke of the family growing up together in egypt's and moving to the uk and, brownie, moving with her children to grenfell tower. the uk and, brownie, moving with her children to gre nfell tower.|j attended her birth, i took to school. i dressed her the best i could. i watched school. i dressed her the best i could. iwatched her grow school. i dressed her the best i could. i watched her grow into a young woman. i prepared herfor could. i watched her grow into a young woman. i prepared her for her wedding and helped put on her wedding and helped put on her wedding dress. was there when she gave birth. iwatched her children grow with mine. never in my life have i thought i would be in her funeral. i have no doubt if she were still here today, she would come and be full front of the fight for justice. she would be the person marching at every march, she would be going to the council and hotels

getting people's writes. she would do everything she could to have the people's voices heard. on the 7th of june 2017 we both went shopping to buy clothes in preparation for the ede festival. we went to the whitechapel which was her favourite place to shop. we spent the day together and headed back towards her flat at grenfell tower. we stopped to say goodbye outside. i thanked her for to say goodbye outside. i thanked herfor her to say goodbye outside. i thanked her for her help that day. and the coming with me. she had taken me and hugged me tightly and said, i love you and i am proud that you are my sister.

at this point, the inquiry then heard an echo, a voice from the past, the voice of a girl. a message of love, a message from holiday. a message to all of her loved ones. i want to hug you, mother. and do something with you. thank you.

bye — bye. there was, at that point, complete silence in the inquiry room. the chairman was himself clearly moved. then there was a round of applause. then there was a round of applause. then was a pause and we continued this morning with more extraordinarily moving tributes to those who died. thank you very much. if you want to find out more about the inquiry, there is a podcast. it looks in detail what is said every day. you can download it from ikea. the funeral of sabika sheikh the 17 year old pakistani victim

of last week's texas school shooting has taken place in her hometown of karachi. the exchange student was one of the 8 pupils and 2 teachers killed in santa fe high school last friday. her body was flown home early this morning. secunder kermani reports from karachi. you are the victims of america latest school victim. her father says he doesn't blame all americans for his daughter's dad. but he believes they should change the laws on guns. we have received so many messages of support from americans. i want to say thank you to them but to stop anything like this happening again they should be a new law on guns. her death should not be in vain. in a country often accused of

being dangerous, many here struggle to understand why the us doesn't do more to prevent these attacks. we have a message to the people of america, stop this. make the school say. make is for the sake of your own kids. children need to be educated. she was meant to return to pakistan in just a few weeks' time ahead of the festival. she came back early, not to be reunited with her family but to be buried. let's go to the police federation conference. they can think of a feud jokes. i haven't had that actually. i am

still in my first full month on the job. so there is still a lot for me to learn. i know that you might be sceptical about what i'm about to say. you'll have seen home secretaries come and go, i think i am the 40th home secretary since the federation was founded in 1990 years ago. they have come from every point on the political spectrum. but one thing we have all had in common is not one of us, not one home secretary has ever served as a police officer. not one. i have been told that i'm the first home secretary with a police officer in my immediate family. i can't blame you if you are sitting there thinking to yourself, this guy may talk a good game but he'sjust like

every other politician. i am sure some of you right now are thinking there is no way that i can understand policing. the work you do, the difference you make, the challenges that you face. that i just don't and that i won't get it. but that is where you are wrong. my family grew up on a road in bristol that was described by one national newspaper as britain's most dangerous street. one journalist referred to it as, he called it, a lawless hellhole where murder, rape, shootings, drug pushing, prostitution, knifings and violent robbery are commonplace. but to ask it was just robbery are commonplace. but to ask it wasjust home. robbery are commonplace. but to ask it was just home. all my parents wa nted it was just home. all my parents wanted for me and my brothers was for their boys to do well, to work

out and play by the rules. but today i've also got a confession. when i was younger i was in a gang. a gang of two. it involved me and one of my brothers. i was ten and he was eight. our gang was called the crime—busters. our mission, was to find crime and to bust it. our equipment, too knackered old bikes and too cheap walkie—talkies. and we had a passion to find crime and to fight it britain's most dangerous street. one first used to the street, the other levies to hang out outside a public phone box in case there was an incident radioed in annie had to call 999. didn't get very far. the walkie—talkie only have a distance of three metres. i

hope your equipment is a bit better than that today. years later that brother is still a crime—buster. only this time for real. as the chief superintendent having started asa pc chief superintendent having started as a pc 725 years ago. over the yea rs, as a pc 725 years ago. over the years, i have heard what he has had to say about policing. i know the tricky situations that he has been in. he has been hospitalised more times than i care to remember. i remember him missing christmas once for having his jaw dislocated. the home secretary talking to the police federation conference in birmingham saying he understands the difficulties police feel because he's got family experience of it. coverage continues on the bbc news channel. we were say goodbye to the

was on bbc two. i asked my brother, why the police spent so much time in that neighbourhood given they clearly we re neighbourhood given they clearly were not welcome. do you know what he said? it is where we are needed most. it is where we are needed

most. it is where we are needed most. only five words but five words that have summed up for me everything that makes our police officers so special. that spirit, that sense of duty is what drives you in everything that you do. from physically taking non—violent criminals to breaking bad news to bereaved families. you are there. from handling tragedies to providing security and peace of mind in events like the royal wedding. you are there. there is no greater testament to your bravery and the honour of police than the roll call of those who have fallen in the line of duty in the past year. we are deeply indebted to these officers who made

the ultimate sacrifice serving the public. we must take this moment to remember them and their families they have left behind. i'd like to pay tribute to those. this week, we also remember the extraordinary acts of bravery from police in the aftermath of the manchester arena terrorist attack. we remember those officers who ran in to help and to protect the many innocent people who found themselves caught up in that attack. we remember dc elaine mciver who lost her life in the attack while off duty. also hugely grateful to detective

sergeant mick bailey would be first on seen salisbury, putting himself at great risk. you see, every single day, you make the brave decision to put on that uniform and go out to work, not knowing what you'll have to deal with on your shift. people called policing a job like no other, but you simply call it the job. for me, this world of policing, yes, it may be new, but this is my fifthjob in government, and every single role that i have had in government, i have seen the importance of the police. when i was culture secretary, i saw how much harder the job was made, because of the rise in

new technologies like social media. as business secretary, i knew that the strong police force creates that environment that we need for our economy to prosper, everything from defending property rights to... as community secretary, i saw first—hand how you work in some of the most challenging places, where the most challenging places, where the underlying problems are not of lawmaking. and in my life before politics, i saw many places in the world where the public suffered from the absence of a professional police force. i saw how bad things could become when the police were ineffective, corrupt or too politicised. that is why i see the police as one of the institutions we can be and we are most proud of in our country. but i am not arrogant

enough to stand here today, stand in front of you after just three weeks on thejob, front of you after just three weeks on the job, and front of you after just three weeks on thejob, and then front of you after just three weeks on the job, and then start telling you how to do yours. what i will say is that i am listening, and that i do get it. i get that there is increased demand, yes, in traditional crime is down, down by a third in 2010, a big credit to your ha rd third in 2010, a big credit to your hard work, but more crimes like hate crimes, like sexual offences are being reported like never before. there is also a recent increase in serious fights, including homicides, knife and gun crime. i am determined to put an end to the appalling violence that is terminating young lives so soon. the threat from terrorism has also escalated and evolved. and crime is increasingly taking place online, the internet has an involving criminals to break

the law in the most horrifying of ways, with platforms that enable dangerous crimes and appalling abuse. since becoming home secretary, i have spoken to front—line officers about your experiences of crime and policing. you have told me you feel stretched, overburdened, and not sufficiently rewarded. i know how frustrating it is when your days often get cancelled at very short notice. i know your work can take its toll on your mental and physical health, you deserve to be respected and valued, but to offer, what you get his abuse. so let me say this, i want you to have the resources that you need. since 2010, yes, we have prioritised strengthening the economy, and this has involved

making some difficult decisions throughout government. all of us have played a part in bringing down that budget deficit, and even though we must all continue to live within our means, of course we must, i recognise that we need to prioritise public investment in policing. we are giving pc sees the flex ability to increase council tax contribution to increase council tax contribution to policing. this has helped to deliver a £460 million increase. we are now investing over £1 billion more in policing and we did three yea rs more in policing and we did three years ago, including the money raised through council tax. but, we need to think more about the long term funding of police. so, my pledge to you is this. i will prioritise funding in the spending review next year. —— police funding. this is not all about money. you

have a job like no other. you never know what you are going to be faced with. it might be a murder case, child abuse, it could be a serious accident. and it is not surprising that when you are dealing with all of that, it'll take it toll on you. so, as you have rightly said throughout this conference, we need to protect the protectors. the government has already pledged seven and a half million pounds by new national police welfare service. it is one step in the right direction, but together, i want us to totally transform the welfare provision for officers. when you are out there, when you are in the public trying to do your duty, you should of course be protected, that is why i am backing the assault and emergency workers bill whittle include tougher penalties for those who attacked police officers and other emergency

service workers. that is why i am supporting changes to the police pursuits to make it clear that the criminal is responsible for the decision to drive recklessly, not the police. that is why i am making sure that you have the right kit and the right technology to do yourjob effectively. it makes no sense where many of you, change your personal mobiles, perhaps every two years, at work, you're using some technology that dates back to the nineteen ninetiess. that is why we are improving fingerprint technology, allowing officers to use smartphones to identify people faster than ever before. the roll—out of cameras that not only catch evidence first hand, but make people think twice before assaulting you. and ifully but make people think twice before assaulting you. and i fully support those officers who... i think it is absolutely ridiculous that anyone

should object to you restraining those who physically abusive. and of course tasers, are also an important tactical option for officers dealing with the most violent criminals. if you don't feel that you are getting the tools that you need, to do your job, iwant the tools that you need, to do your job, i want to know about it. but you don't just needs job, i want to know about it. but you don'tjust needs the kit. you also need the powers. and to help you tackle violent crime, i will be bringing forward new laws which will make it harder than ever before to buy and possess guns, knives and acids. as home secretary, i will continue to look at what other powers you need to do yourjobs more effectively. that means looking at stop and search, some of you, don't feel comfortable using it. and that is not how it should be. i have confidence in your professional

judgment. so let me be clear, i support the use of stopping and search. you have to do yourjob and that means protecting everyone. evidence shows that if you are black, you are more likely to be a homicide victim than any other ethnic group. if stop and search can mean saving lives from the communities that are most affected, then of course it has to be right. —— then of course it has the right. iam new —— then of course it has the right. i am new to myjob, —— then of course it has the right. iam new to myjob, so —— then of course it has the right. i am new to myjob, so i am not going to claim to be a policing expert, i'm not going to claim to have all the answers, but as much as possible, i want to hear from you. have all the answers, but as much as possible, i want to hearfrom you. i wa nt to possible, i want to hearfrom you. i want to hear about your experiences working on the front line. no doubt you will tell me much more about them as i get out and about and meet many, them as i get out and about and meet any them as i get out and about and meet many, many more of you in the weeks and months and hopefully years that lie ahead. i know that nick hurd, the policing minister has already

spoken to all 44 officers and will continue to do that. i know that... iam also continue to do that. i know that... i am also wanted to set up a more formal front—line review to get your feedback and learn what we really think. your ideas and sponsors and what happens with policing. because i don't understand, sorry, i do understand no one knows more about policing menu. but the public demand might rightly expect a high standard from local police, and i want to reach a place where every member of the public is served by a force that is at least rated good. currently, there is nearly a third of forces that are not. and there is a big gap in efficiency between the top and the bottom, so i want standards to be raised and to be more consistent. i want be raised and to be more consistent. iwantany be raised and to be more consistent. i want any bad and good to be rigid act. i wanted

i want any bad and good to be rigid act. iwanted him i want any bad and good to be rigid act. i wanted him to get better treatment, i would see more collaboration and sharing of best practices at what ever level. i want the federation to lead by example, showing greater transparency in expenses and continuing to show its leadership on implementing reforms. i don't want any of you to believe that some changes belong in the too ha rd to that some changes belong in the too hard to do box. i want you to be bold and ambitious, and change the bits that don't work, and put pressure on your bosses to make it happen. it is often said that british policing is the envy of the world. everyone in this room wants to keep it that way. let's re—set the religion ship between the government and the police. i will give you the tools, powers and back—up that you need to get the job done. for those of you who stand on the front line, be in no doubt that i will be standing with you. thank you. applause

home secretary, thank you. we will dive straight into some questions. many from the floor. let's start with some fairly obvious numbers about crime numbers. recent home or office reports said that police cuts likely contributed to a rise in violent crime. your predecessor said that you had not seen that report in heron offers, have you? have i seen that report? i don't think i have seen it. if it is the one that they we re seen it. if it is the one that they were referring to earlier, but this is clearly one of the most important issues, and we are seeing a big

increase, and suddenly across the country in serious violent crime, and we have the collective, look at exactly what is driving it, properly. it think the issue is complex. there will never be one engel driver. —— one single driver. there is no question there is an increase in violent crime and we have what to do more to tackle it. if the question is, and certainly one would have been said earlier, could it be to do with resources? i would like to properly look at it, i would like to properly look at it, i would like to look at the evidence and examine it properly. i am not going to rush to conclusion, but no one should be in any doubt, and if we are to deal with it, violent crime is unacceptable. we need to listen to each other. what would be your instincts on that? would you

imagine that thousands of your police officers would be a contributing factor to a rising crime? furman if you're going to fight crime and your properly, you need to make sure you have got all the right resources, and that means police and is as well as a equipment. if you have not got the right resources, bankers go? as i understand it, ten years ago there was a big increase in violent crime which started to come down eventually, but at that time, there wasn't generally speaking a big issue around resources. i think it was at a time when resources were increasing and police dogs were going up. you need to look at all the evidence, —— police numbers were going up. you need to look at all the evidence, including in the past, there is a lot going on. i will be listening to the federation, and all officers about what we can do. let's ta ke officers about what we can do. let's take our first question. good

morning, markjones. take our first question. good morning, mark jones. only take our first question. good morning, markjones. onlya matter of the you weeks ago, two police office rs of the you weeks ago, two police officers in the area where i work we re officers in the area where i work were sent to a report of a domestic incident. when the two officers arrived at the scene, they were confronted with a male who had a huge pickaxe in his hands. he then we nt huge pickaxe in his hands. he then went on to violently attacked people use car, and with the officers that inside of the vehicle. listening to the body worn video and the airwaves transmissions would hit home to me. the nervous back—up was —— nearest back—up was miles away. the nearest officer with a taser was 20 miles away. actually, the officers were unharmed but it was a pure miracle, an absolute miracle that they weren't killed or seriously injured.

one of those police officers is my wife. and when she recalled to me on the morning after her night shift what exactly had happened to her, it hit home and it hit hard. so, home secretary, i ask you and ip to you, thatis secretary, i ask you and ip to you, that is that every officer —— i plead to you, that it every officer who want a taser and once it, and is fit to carry one, should be able to have that opportunity, and funding should be in place to allow chief constable is to adequately equip their offices. thank you for sharing that with us. it is never easy to share stories like that, especially when it is something so close to you. thank goodness those officers are ok, and as you said, yourself, it is a miracle that given what happened,

and it does sound like a miracle, obviously we are not here to imply miracles, we need to make sure that police officers are properly equipped, and that's the equipment is also powers. you specifically mention tasers, and is it something i want to look at more closely. when i was i want to look at more closely. when iwas in i want to look at more closely. when i was in staffordshire last week, i met some officers, and i can see the difference that makes. i think i am right in saying that my predecessor sometime allow the use of a new type of taser, and that is good, but there is no point in allowing that and they're there is no point in allowing that and they‘ re not there is no point in allowing that and they're not making sure officers have it. i do want to look at that and look at the best way to do it, but it goes to my commitment to make sure that you as officers have the best equip and that you need. thanks for sharing it. the home secretary,

sajid javid, he has been speaking in birmingham, and the message he wa nted birmingham, and the message he wanted to get across is that he gets the frustration that rank and file police officers feel because his brother is a police officer. it comes brother is a police officer. it co m es after brother is a police officer. it comes after difficult relationship notably the bisley between the prime minister, theresa may and the home secretary —— as she was, then, home secretary —— as she was, then, home secretary when she gave some very hard—hitting secretary when she gave some very ha rd—hitting speeches to secretary when she gave some very hard—hitting speeches to that conference. just got some breaking news to bring you from the courts. a mother who forced her teenage daughter to go to pakistan and marry in an arranged marriage has been jailed forfour and in an arranged marriage has been jailed for four and a half years. it is the first successful prosecution of its type in this country, so it isa of its type in this country, so it is a very significantjudgment, and sentencing that we are getting from

birmingham crown court today. she had persuaded her teenage daughter to go to pakistan, and she was 16, i3 to go to pakistan, and she was 16, 13 years old at the time, and the jury 13 years old at the time, and the juryiingly 13 years old at the time, and the juryjingly court case heard how that child sobbed —— during the court case, sobbed as she was married to a relative order than her, and you had to undergo a portion on the way back to the uk, and that is when it was reported to social services. the mother has been jailed forfour and social services. the mother has been jailed for four and a half years. no doubt we will get much more reaction to that sentencing a bit later. philip roth, who was hailed by some as the greatest american novelist of the late twentieth century, has died at the age of 85. born in newjersey in 1933, he wrote more than 30 novels about themes including sex, american ideals, and being jewish in the united states. tributes to the author have been coming in on twitter. guardian of the galaxy director,

james gunn also shared this. philip roth's biographer also shared this: in 2011 philip roth was awarded the man booker international

prize and joining me now is rick gekoski — who was the chair of the judging panel that year... we will talk a bit about that price, because it divided the panel and one of the panellists resigned over it, but just to of the panellists resigned over it, butjust to pick up those tributes, very meaningful tributes from people who felt very directly impacted by his work. it is and this extraordinary thing when you realise that the one person has had an impact, whether directly or indirectly on so many lives. he was a huge figure, revered by a great many in america, but he also divided opinion, because he was out front, he was confrontational. he loved a good argument. he used to talk about writing books as asking the reader not to venerate the book, but to box with it. and that is exactly what happened. he got up very close, he confronted you, he tried to push you

around, but when i met him in new york, when we awarded the prize, and had a dinnerfor it, i wrote about this, and said that sometimes his characters get way too close, and you want to punch them back. philip was terribly amused, and said that you are the guy who want to hit my characters. i said, you are the guy who want to hit my characters. isaid, that you are the guy who want to hit my characters. i said, that by shocking, doesn't everybody? one of the panellists actually resigned because they were really not happy. what happened. i think that happens almost no literary prizes ever unanimous. sometimesjudges resigned. in that event, there were three of us, and we divided 2—1, and it is the way that the voting broke. i think the view that thatjudge took was a perfectly reasonable view, which is that if he gets too close —— he gets too close, he is too demanding and he's mother sue. she didn't like that. i do. i

thought it was terrific. and 80 revel in that? absolutely. he love getting people —— did he revel in that? absolutely. you're getting people's backs up. one of his books, but on the table is not of material about male desire that nobody had written about before. for somebody who has not read a philip roth burke, who might be watching, what would you urge them to pick up and white? first you have to pick up portnoy‘s complain. and then... lovely to talk

to you. prime minister's questions is on the way, and theresa may and jeremy corbyn will be facing each other as usual. i am wondering whetherjeremy corbyn might surprise us all by going for brexit again, because he did it last week and in the week before, he has done it two weeks running. i am wondering whether he might go for the hat—trick. he could pick up on the governor of the bank of england just yesterday saying that every household is now £900 worse off. he could choose to pick over the suggestion that theresa may's is good to keep us in some aspect of the customs union after. he could go for the hat—trick on brexit, he could also go on picking up on reports that we had yesterday that the tories are looking at and

picking some of andrew lansley‘s health forms. he could go back to safe territory for labour, mainly, the nhs. i am guessing they will wa nt to the nhs. i am guessing they will want to pick up on is likely better insulation, figures than a little bit. the other thing interesting to watch, is the speaker, mr burke how ——john watch, is the speaker, mr burke how —— john bercow, lots watch, is the speaker, mr burke how ——john bercow, lots of watch, is the speaker, mr burke how —— john bercow, lots of ramblings and grumblings about it. his statement earlier on the week, that he was talking about stupidity, but not necessarily directed at andrea leadsom. a lot of backchat about mr berkow. it will be a distinct see what sort of a reception he gets, he had, too. we will be back very shortly. lots of sunshine across the uk. this

was the scene in cumbria. lovely scene in the mountains in the background, there are. it hasn't been sunny, everywhere, though. quite a lot of clout in central and eastern parts. it is burning back to the coast, but that was in london just a short time ago. these guys coming throughjust just a short time ago. these guys coming through just about, here. just a short time ago. these guys coming throughjust about, here. it might stay quite cloudy along the north sea coast, rampart of yorkshire. up into northumberland, it might be quite cool, hip. but lots of sunshine and if you shower is developing in the far south—east of england later on. maximum temperature is away from those north sea coasts, where it will be about troubled 13 degrees, getting up to about 20 to maybe 25 or 36 degrees. through this evening, we will continue at that low cloud and mist across the north sea. it will drift northwards through the night, and in the south, showers and thunderstorms

becoming more widespread through softwa re becoming more widespread through software and southern england. but, these showers could be heavy and sundry during thursday morning, could cause a view problems. but despite the cloud, in those showers could be quite warm and humid. further north, plenty of sunshine throughout the day on thursday. maximum temperatures, for many of us getting in the high teens and low 20s. this area of showery rain will be of associated with this weather front, here. on this weather front, we will continue to see some thundery rain, which is pushing northwards. so, quite a wet start on thursday, heavy in thundery downpours. some sunshine across the narrows and across scotland and northern ireland on friday, but again, those temperatures getting up into the low 20s, despite the cloud and the rain, it would be quite a

warm and muddy field. into the weekend, much warmer air down towards the mediterranean at the moment, which will move its way forward , moment, which will move its way forward, and that was such a move into the united kingdom. temperatures will rise over the weekend, the bank holiday weekend, and they could be about 25 or 26 and even 28 celsius in one or two spots. risk of more than three showers as we go through the weekend. detailed difficult to pin down exactly, but the risk certainly catching some of these thundery showers over the next three days. goodbye. this is bbc news and these are the top stories developing at midday. in his first speech as home secretary

sajid javid assures police officers he'll provide the resources they need. i'm not arrogant enough to stand here today, stand in front of you after just three weeks here today, stand in front of you afterjust three weeks on the job and telling you how to do yours. what i will say is that i am listening and that i do get it. marks & spencer suffers a big fall in annual profits linked to the cost of a store closure programme. philip roth, regarded by some as the greatest american writer of his generation, has died at the age of 85. and this is the scene live in the house of commons where prime minister's questions is about to get under way. welcome to bbc newsroom live.

let's go over live now to the house of commons where prime minister's questions is getting under way. i don't think theresa may is on her feet yet so let's bring in norman smith. he is watching and waiting. interesting to see whether anyone picks up on the speech by sajid javid, the home secretary, big cars very different tone to that of theresa may who had some fairly tough encounters with the police federation. sajid javid adopting a conservatory tone. what i found interesting was he also suggest when he was asked about how he would tackle violent crime committee said it does come down to resources. why that matters isjeremy corbyn and labour have made a frequent criticism of the government that

cuts to police numbers which mr corbyn argues has in part fuelled the rise in violent crime. interesting to hear sajid javid suggesting in his speech he wanted to look at the issue of resources and that meant numbers and equipment. i doubt he's got that signed off by the treasury, the thought of getting more cash or police officers on the beat. a shift away from the theresa may era not just in terms of the language, the tone he is adopting towards the police but also the suggestion he wa nts to police but also the suggestion he wants to try and get more officers and more equipment. that will be interesting to see whether anyone picks up on that. the other very aware that it might come up because it came up at the end of prime minister's questions last week was that announcement about taking the east coast main line back into public ownership. that very much plays to jeremy corbyn's public ownership. that very much plays tojeremy corbyn's narrative. a key manifesto commitment on

renationalising the railways and i wonder whether he might think they can go back to that announcement last week which escaped pmq ‘s and used to flag up their case for taking the railways back into public ownership. then we have brexit which it never goes away. it will be raised. interesting to see whether any of the tory to real alarm amongst some of seems over the hills followin . further over the hills following that announcement that we could seek to remain. in parts of the customs union, even after the implementation union, revenrafterthe implementation—