much the case. thank you very much indeed. of course you will see further coverage of that in the coming minutes. with the nerve agent novichok. the couple were found unconscious on saturday. officials have just confirmed that the substance was the same as the one used in the salisbury attack four months ago. the site — in the town of amesbury — is just a few miles away from the site of the russian poisoning in march. we can confirm that the man and woman have been exposed to the nerve agent novichok which has been identified as the same nerve agent that contaminated both yulia and sergei skripal. we'll have the latest on the investigation. officials have released new information in the past half hour. also tonight... a public rebuke for the work and pensions secretary esther mcvey, who's had to apologise for misleading mps about the impact of universal credit. police have arrested a nurse

as they investigate the suspected murders of babies at a neonatal unit in chester. we report from southern syria on the plight of people in one of the last rebel strongholds under fire from government forces. the future for fish after brexit. we report from britain's biggest fishing port at peterhead. and, one of the biggest tv audiences of the past decade. 2a million tuned in to watch england's world cup penalty drama last night. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, we will have all the latest from wimbledon where world number two caroline wozniacki makes a shock exit, beaten by ekateria makarova. good evening.

police in wiltshire have declared a major incident after two people were taken ill on saturday, following exposure to novichok — the type of nerve agent used in the salisbury attack four months ago. tests on the substance found in the town of amesbury are being carried out at a government laboratory, and counterterrorism officers are involved in the investigation. amesbury isjust nine miles away from salisbury, where a former russian spy and his daughter were poisoned in march. live to amesbury for the latest with our correspondent duncan kennedy. an absolutely extraordinary development tonight, the news that yet again we have a nerve agent incident in britain, this time involving the couple who live in the house behind me and tonight they are critically ill in hospital in the

salisbury. in fact, critically ill in hospital in the salisbury. infact, it critically ill in hospital in the salisbury. in fact, it is the same hospital that sergei and yulia skripal were taken to after the attack on them in salisbury in march. the night police have confirmed yet again that this is a novichok poisoning. four months to the day after the salisbury attack and dawn sturgess and charlie rowley have become the new victims of nerve agent poisoning in britain. the couple were taken ill at their home in amesbury on saturday and now critically ill in hospital. this is the moment the emergency unfolded on saturday night. the bbc has been given the phone images of the fire and ambulance services at the property. this man says he's a friend of the couple and saw what happened. he was sweating loads, dribbling and you could not speak to him, he was making funny noises and rocking backwards and forwards. there was no response, you did not know i was

there, it was like he was in another world and hallucinating. the nerve agent was identified at porton down the near amesbury, the same place used to establish the novichok liquid in the salisbury attack in march. tonight the metropolitan police counterterrorism unit confirmed the latest findings. following the detailed analysis of those examples we can confirm that a man and woman had been exposed to the nerve agent novichok which has been identified as the same nerve agent that contaminated both yulia and sergei skripal. the latest update we have from the hospital is that both patients remain in a critical condition. for the past four months, the salisbury has been a scene of massive decontamination after the poisoning of sergei and yulia skripal and a police sergeant. the number of sites were handed back to the public but the clean—up is still going on in places with the highest concentrations. everybody had assumed that clean—up would be

the end of the contamination story so the end of the contamination story so the revelation tonight there is a fresh nerve agent incident will come asa fresh nerve agent incident will come as a shock to many people. although public health england have stressed again today that the risk to the remains low. wiltshire police say five site are being investigated in this latest novichok incident including this church in amesbury and this part in salisbury, both of which, it is thought, the couple caught up in this latest poisoning had visited. they are being treated in the same salisbury hospital as the skripals work. dawn sturgess and charlie rowley now receiving world —class charlie rowley now receiving world—class care to fight this deadliest of substances amid an extraordinary twist to this most potent sequence of events. duncan kennedy, bbc news in amesbury. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, is at scotland yard. he has the latest on the police response. we heard about the

statement, what more can you tell us about what police are saying? the assista nt about what police are saying? the assistant commissioner from the counterterrorism unit only finished making that statement as you came on airand he said making that statement as you came on air and he said indeed making that statement as you came on airand he said indeed best making that statement as you came on air and he said indeed best people had been contaminated with the same kind of nerve agent that sergei and yulia skripal were contaminated with a novichok agent, but it was not possible to tell if it was from the same batch at this stage. there is no evidence that these two people who have been freshly contaminated had visited the sites which had previously been decontaminated after the attack on the skripals is that leaves the police with two options. one is that somehow some leftover knob attack from the attack on the skripalfamily had knob attack from the attack on the skripal family had been knob attack from the attack on the skripalfamily had been picked up either in central salisbury or in amesbury —— leftover novichok. or there has been a fresh attempt to attack people and this time not specifically a former russian

military spy but just specifically a former russian military spy butjust ordinary meet members of the public and i think at this stage everybody is hoping it is the former of those two options. many thanks, danny at new scotland yard. our security correspondent, gordon corera, is here. put this new information in context. it is hugely significant because people will be worried about public health but also the investigation. as we heard earlier, there is no reason why these individuals would have been targeted, they are different from the skripals so the most likely hypothesis, and it is just that, is that this is material perhaps left over from the poisoning of the skripals in march and perhaps these were some of the novichok which is put togetherfor that attack and may be discarded afterwards, left somewhere, perhaps ina park afterwards, left somewhere, perhaps in a park or house and these two individuals came across it. the police and government will not confirm it but that seems the most likely hypothesis and if that is the case, it would give them some investigative leads on one level

because they did not know how it was brought up together before and this could provide them with crucial evidence as to what happened to the skripals but crucially are the public health concern that come from this because if that is the gate and these our leftovers, four months on, two people have fallen critically ill buy something which people had no idea it was there in the community in salisbury. they have stressed that there is no sign of anyone of being ill and there should not be great public health concerns but you can see why people at this stage will be worried and if indeed it is linked to the skripals attack than this suggestion that russia was behind it, there are still casualties amounting to that attack for months on if that is the case. gordon, thank you very much. the secretary of state for work and pensions, esther mcvey, has apologised to the house of commons for "inadvertently misleading" mps about a highly critical report on universal credit. the national audit office said the new welfare benefit — one of the main conservative policies of recent years —

was causing hardship and not delivering value for money. officials said that ms mcvey‘s statements on the report had been incorrect and unproven. our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan, has more details. universal credit is a new service that helps ensure you are better off in work than you are on benefits. it is the largest welfare reform in decades — a new benefit that will eventually be paid to nearly 7 million households. it replaces six benefits, including job seekers allowance... but last month, universal credit was slated by the government spending watchdog, the national audit office. they said thousands of claimants had been forced to occasionally wait months for payments, leaving some with little or no money. keen to defend the policy, esther mcvey attacked the report — an approach that today led to an extraordinary rebuke from the head of the national audit office. take this statement... secretary of state. it is unfortunate that the nao were not able to take into account the significant changes recently implemented in universal credit.

an odd remark, said sir amyas morse in an open letter, as her own officials had agreed the report's contents and, we have seen no evidence of such impacts nor fresh information. and this claim, that the report urged ministers to speed up the roll—out of universal credit. in the report it says just that, it says it needs to continue to go forward and it needs to continue at a faster rate. that is not correct, say the nao. mr speaker... to loud cheers of "resign", a chastened esther mcvey came to parliament to say sorry. i want to apologise to you and the house for inadvertently misleading you. what i meant to say was that the nao had said that there was no practical alternative to continuing with universal credit. despite that apology, labour are not satisfied. if she didn't do it on purpose the question remains, how could she be so incompetent as to not understand what the report was saying?

i think that's a very serious question around her judgment and her competency levels. esther mcvey‘s errors were born of a desire to put a positive spin on a hugely negative report. put simply, universal credit is not working as it should. the use of food banks, for instance, has increased more rapidly after the benefit is introduced to an area. a welfare reform creating for some the very problems the welfare state was designed to abolish. michael buchanan, bbc news. the bbc has been told that official brexit campaign — vote leave — is expected to be found guilty of four charges of breaking electoral law. the draft of an investigation into vote leave concludes that it broke spending limits and failed to comply with some of the rules. it is expected to impose fines as a result of its findings. a nurse is being held on suspicion of the murder of eight babies and the attempted murder of another six at a hospital in chester. 28—year—old lucy letby was arrested yesterday by police investigating

infant deaths at the countess of chester hospital. police have also extended their investigation to a second hospital — liverpool women's nhs foundation trust. our correspondent judith moritz reports. lucy letby once said she enjoyed nursing babies as she could see them progress and support their families. now she is suspected of murdering eight infants and trying to kill another six. today, police searches have continued at the nurse's home. forensic officers searching the house and taking items away for examination. detectives are still questioning the 28—year—old about the alleged murders and attempted murders. police say that their investigation is focusing on what happened to 32 babies at the countess of chester hospital between march 2015 and july 2016. the babies were all on the neonatal unit, which cares for poorly and premature infants.

managers here called in the police because they could not explain the unusual number of fatalities and babies who came close to death on the unit. now, the murder investigation has widened, beyond this hospital. during her training, lucy letby went on placement to liverpool women's hospital. today, the hospital confirmed that it is helping the police. they are reviewing what happened to babies on its neonatal unit during the nurse's time there and say there is currently no suggestion that any came to harm. since lucy letby was arrested, the police have also been at the home of her parents in hereford. tonight the children's nurse is still under investigation, being asked to explain what happened to the babies in her care. judith moritz, bbc news, chester. a brief look at some of the day's other main stories. a moorland fire near stalybridge in greater manchester may have been started deliberately, according to police. the force is investigating reports that people were seen lighting bonfires on the moorland 11 days

ago, shortly before the fire was first reported to emergency services. the blaze went on to cover several square miles and is still burning. a teenage boy has been arrested tonight in connection with the murder of six—year—old alesha macphail on the isle of bute. alesha's body was discovered in woodland on monday, just hours after she was reported missing. police say the suspect is under the age of 18. a nurse who became the first briton to be convicted for slavery offences overseas, has been jailed for 14 years. josephine iyamu trafficked five nigerian women to germany to work as prostitutes. she was arrested at heathrow airport in 2016. judge richard bond told her that her "vile" actions exposed the women to a real risk of death. a peak audience of more than 2a million people watched england secure their place in the world cup quarter—finals last night, winning a dramatic penalty shoot out against colombia.

this morning the team returned to their base at repino near st petersburg. on saturday they'll face sweden for a place in the semi—finals. our sports editor dan roan has the latest. it was the sight england fans feared they may never see — their team finally able to celebrate winning a penalty shoot out at a world cup. the manager explaining the mindset in moscow that allowed his players to end one of sport's most notorious hoodoos. we're trying to write our own history. i've talked to the players about that. they write their own stories. we don't have to be bowed by the pressure of the past, and, you know, they have done that, the way they played. the style in which they played. so if you could choose to win that way you choose to win it every time. two men emerged as england heroes. first, keeperjordan pickford for his brilliant save. and then sub eric dier, who held his nerve to seal victory over colombia and send his team through to the quarterfinals. we go about our togetherness,

our mentality, resilient, and as a group, — lads, squad, staff — on and off the field, i think that's our biggest threat, really. because we're that strong. and what we did is just reset, go again. if it goes all the way to penalties, our mentality is to win the game. here on wearside, no one was celebrating harder than at pickford's old school in washington. during today's lunch break, staff reliving that world—class save. he was a mentally tough kid. in year 7 he wanted to win in every sport he took part in. i think it came out in that penalty shot. in that penalty shootout. he showed the same type of characteristics we saw here at st robert's in year 7. out on the sports field, pupils are world cup—crazy and pickford is their role model. just really proud because obviously he went to our school and everything. he has been on this field. he's been everywhere we have done, we've got the same chance he has. england, who are back in training today, have worked tirelessly,

practicing penalties and undergoing psychological testing to help them pick those players best equipped to handle the pressure. one sport psychologist, who has worked with southgate, believes trust between the manager and his players is key. he has taught them to talk, and that is now ok. that was not the case in the past. we used to live in a "no comment" environment. now they tell us their story, they tell us how they feel, they tell us how they want to react after a game. the first of england's six heartbreaking penalty shoot out defeats at major tournaments came in the 1990 world cup semifinal against west germany, and the goalkeeper that night believes this side can go one step further. looking at it now, it is there to get to the final at least. i don't fear sweden, i don't fear russia or croatia. i think we are capable of beating those sides. we can play better, and if we do i think we could go all the way to the final, which would be unbelievable. with millions up and down the country transfixed by england's first knockout win for 12 years,

the scramble is now on for any tickets that may become available for the quarterfinal. england now stand on the verge of something very special. overcome sweden in samara on saturday and they will be just one more win away from the biggest stage that football has to offer, the world cup final itself. and if they can prevail at penalties, then perhaps anything is possible in this remarkable tournament. dan roan, bbc news, repino. efforts are continuing in northern thailand to work out the best way to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach who've been trapped in flooded caves for 11 days. they're being given food and the authorities are trying to put in phone lines so that the boys can speak to their families. but they say no attempt to rescue them will be made until it can be done safely and that could take months. our southeast asia correspondent jonathan head reports from the scene in chiang rai province. no longer alone.

the trapped boys now have an army doctor treating them. they even manage a smile. they're being given foil blankets to keep them warm. they are painfully thin. "the food is coming", promises one of the divers. up on the surface, they've been rehearsing for the scenario everyone here is hoping for — getting the boys out and off to hospital. but it won't happen soon. translation: we need to be 100% confident in order to get the boys out, and they don't have to come out at the same time. we are assessing the situation and if there is a risk, we will not move them out. the options confronting this rescue operation are just as tough as when they found the boys.

they are healthy enough, but they say giving them some basic diving training and pulling them through the flooded tunnels one by one is feasible, and yet we've spoken to sources inside the thai diving team who say that's still too risky, that they may still have to leave those boys down there for the full four to five months of the rainy season. we visited the class of dom, the football team captain, and mick — both trapped in the caves. did they have a message for their classmates? translation: i want them to get healthy, to be patient, and to come back safely so they can be with us again. come back quickly, there's lots of homework waiting for you! singing. other school friends have been down to the cave entrance to see the rescue effort and to sing them good wishes.

spirits are high here. but the task of the divers, either in extracting the boys or sustaining them underground, is formidable. they will need all the help they can get. jonathan head, bbc news, tham luang caves, northern thailand. heavy fighting has continued in southern syria as government forces push on in their attempt to recapture daraa province — one of the last rebel strongholds. the un says at least 270,000 people — a third of the population — have fled their homes since the assault began two weeks ago. many of those displaced have headed towardsjordan and the israeli—occupied golan heights, but the border crossings remain closed. several attempts at establishing a ceasefire in daraa have failed, with the last set of talks collapsing earlier today. our middle east editor, jeremy bowen, reports from damascus. here in damascus, the atmosphere has felt very different,

much more peaceful, ever since syrian forces, with the help of the russians, eliminated the last rebel enclaves around the city back in the spring. now they are on the march again, down in the south of the country, and they seem to be heading for another decisive victory. these are stirring times for supporters of president assad. the offensive is hard for us to report, as the authorities here haven't allowed the bbc to travel to the south. the main objective is the city of daraa. it's strategically important, on the border with jordan, and it's a vital symbol because it's the place where demonstrations against president assad started in 2011. the syrian army is making steady progress with overwhelming firepower and russian help. some rebel groups posting pictures of the fight say

they won't surrender. the americans, who armed and trained some of them, have told them not to expect any help. other armed groups are negotiating surrender deals brokered by the russians. civilians have been killed. this is believed to be the aftermath of an air strike on the village of musayfrah last week. local reports say 22 people, including 12 children, died. the living were alongside the dead as they rushed them to hospital. reports say hospitals have also been bombed. funerals are being held quickly and unceremoniously. since these bodies were buried this area has been captured. huge numbers of people have been displaced by the offensive.

the un and other humanitarian groups have issued grave warnings about their safety. jordan is allowing aid through its border, but with more than a million syrian refugees already, it won't let the new arrivals in. refugees have gathered near the battlefield's other border with the golan heights, syrian territory occupied by israel. the israelis have sent in aid, but their borders are closed too. the syrian army held a victory rally in a captured town. it won't be the last. regional powers and the americans seem to have accepted that the syrian army and the russians will win the battle of the south. the war isn't over. but president assad is firmly in power in this country, and, one by one, he's destroying his enemies. jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. the environment secretary,

michael gove, has said the government's plans for the fishing industry after brexit will bring huge benefits to coastal communities. ministers say they're setting out plans to "take back control" of britain's waters in 2020 but the scottish government has said it has "significant concerns" about the proposals. our scotland editor sarah smith reports from peterhead in aberdeenshire. british boats are currently allowed to catch only 40% of the fish in uk waters, under eu rules the fishermen think are deeply unfair, and the government is promising will change. when we leave the european union, we'll have control of our territorial waters, and that means we can reverse what's happened in the past. in the past, we've had a situation where more than half of the fish that's caught in our own waters is caught by foreign boats. now we can say that we'll decide who catches that fish. now, of course, we'll negotiate with other countries, but we'll negotiate with our control

in our hands. after brexit, the government say we will control the catch in all uk coastal waters, extending up to 200 miles out to sea. british fishermen recognise that eu boats will still be able to negotiate some access to these waters, but they say they hope the uk will double their share. we need access to fish. if we can't get access to fish, well, the bigger picture is the business suffers. no access to fish, you've not got an income. are you confident the government will fight for the british fishing industry? i hope they do, i hope they do! there is, of course, always a catch. most of the fish that's landed here is sold into the eu, so we'll still need smooth and easy access to their markets. that, say the government, is a totally separate issue, unrelated to allowing eu boats to fish in uk waters. but the eu do not see it that way, and market access is a battle still to be fought.

any barriers to free trade could be devastating for parts of the industry, like creel fishing for seafood. with all our stuff they catch, solely going to the continent, or 90% of it going to the continent. if tariffs get involved, the tariffs mean a hold up, and they can't have lorries sitting waiting at ports with fresh produce on them. a lot of the time the prawns are live, they've only got a matter of hours. there's a timescale in getting them to the market live, that will be lost. fishing is only a tiny part of the uk economy, but it's politically important. regaining fishing rights will be a highly symbolic example of taking back control. the government's made its position clear today. the eventual outcome, of course, will be subject to negotiation. sarah smith, bbc news, peterhead. seventy years ago tomorrow, the national health service came into being ? a pioneering public

health service, free at the point of delivery, a service that, over the past seven decades, has seen enormous change, and endless challenges, with people living longer and survival rates unthinkable in the years after the war. with the help of some people who were there from the very beginning, our health editor, hugh pym, has been looking back. newsreel: on july 5th, the new national health service starts. it was one of the biggest social changes of the 20th century — free health care. from july the 5th 19118 there was no longer a struggle for many to find the money to be treated. don't forget, choose your doctor now. beryl was one of the first patients in the nhs. and which one's you? that one's me. as a 17—year—old she developed a bacterial infection in the summer of 19118. she had penicillin injections and medical care which herfamily would not have been able to afford before the arrival of the nhs.

it would have beaten us. if the doctor had been called in the first place because they weren't always. do you think, in some senses, the nhs saved your life? yeah, ido. no question of that. i do. she knew people who weren't so lucky before the nhs. a relation of mine had diphtheria. died of it. scarlet fever. there were some fearful things that needed a lot of help and sometimes they got it and sometimes they couldn't afford it. it was serious stuff. and then the nhs came along. peter was an employee of the nhs right from the start. that was before the hospital was built. he was a clerk at a mental health hospital in the west midlands. he remembers how things changed when it came under the management of the new health service.

we had our own budgets. that's one of the biggest changes, i suppose. we were able to get some capital expenditure and improve the hospital, over the years improve the hospital from the old dickensian buildings to modern ones, lifts and modern sanitary blocks and all that sort of thing. this we were able to do once we got our own budget. let's have a look atjoan's x—ray. that patch on her lung is evidence of tuberculosis. tuberculosis is much less of a worry now but, with people living longer, the workload of the nhs has grown dramatically. the modern—day head of nhs england is proud of the long and distinguished history. this is what will be through your letterbox, your new national health service begins on the 5th ofjuly. so how does he see the future of the service over the next 70 years?