today at five, murder and knife crime in england and wales have gone up again, while detection rates have dropped below 10%. the latest figures reveal a 16% increase in knife crime, during the 12 months till the end of march. everyone is deeply concerned about the rise in violent crime, the worst we've seen in a decade, and we all want to see an end of it. we'll have the latest on those figures, and we'll be talking to the police and crime commissioner for the west midlands about whether cuts to policing are to blame. the other main stories on bbc news at 5. scotland yard won't discuss press association reports that police believe they've identified several russians suspected of involvement in the nerve agent attack on the skripals in salisbury. the new brexit secretary, dominic raab, promises to increase the pace of negotiations with the eu, as he arrives in brussels for talks with the eu's michel barnier. michelle has told us the clock is

ticking and so i'm looking forward to intensifying, heating up the negotiations and making sure we are in the best position to get the best deal. and could the end of trafficjams be in sight? we travel to las vegas where a new flying car has been developed. it's five o'clock. our main story is the sharp rise in violent crimes, recorded by police in england and wales, with murder, manslaughter and knife crime all increasing in the 12 months to march. official figures also show a 30% increase in robberies, but offences involving firearms are down. the crime survey, which is an indicator of longer—term trends, suggests no change in overall crime levels, as our correspondent

richard lister reports. dawn raids this morning in west london, part of an operation aimed at drug dealers and knife crime suspects. so far this week the operation has seen almost 70 people arrested and nearly 50 charged, part of a growing problem with violent crime. the figures show homicides in england and wales at a ten year high, more than 700 people were victims of murder or manslaughter in the year to the end of march, a 12% rise on the previous year and excludes terror attacks. the figures suggest knife crime is up by 16% and there were 30% more robberies. we know what works from the past, a combination of robust law enforcement and really effective prevention and that is what our strategy is intent on delivering, so we can put na end to this scourge of terrible violence.

the report says recorded crimes involving weapons and violence tend to be concentrated in london and other cities. the crime survey, which asks people across england and wales about their experience of crime, suggests overall levels are stable. the crime survey has a limited sample of the adult population and it seriously under samples young men, who are most likely to be the victims of physical violence, so it is no wonder it doesn't show the rises that the police are registering. today's report shows police cannot identify a suspect in more than half of all robberies and 15% of crimes of violence. home office figures today show the number of police officers in england and wales has fallen for the ninth year running. there is only so much officers can do in the available time they have got, and we know from our own survey results that this increased pressure and demand on policing is impacting on our officers to adequately do theirjobs appropriately. another arrest under the operation this morning.

the government says it is spending almost £1 billion more on policing now than three years ago, but today's figures suggest the problems are bigger too. richard lister, bbc news. we have just been told by the west midlands police that dozens of officers are currently responding to a carjacking incident in a part of birmingham, wherea a carjacking incident in a part of birmingham, where a four—week—old baby was thought to be still in the car in the back—seat when the car was taken. we still don't have many details on that but there are dozens of officers in the west midlands responding to this carjacking. a four—week—old baby girl still in the car in the aycock screen area of birmingham where that incident happened. in birmingham is the police and crime commissioner for the west midlands, and former labour mp, david jamieson.

0na on a broad level, i'm wondering how you would describe the kind of pressure on police officers in your region right now? we are seeing crime go up in this area and throughout the country. what the police administrator said in part was right, we need tough policing. we are offering that but prevention work, he says we need prevention, yet we have lost 2000 officers in the last five or six years by government cuts. that means the preventative work we were doing previously, particularly in schools, 110w previously, particularly in schools, now is very hard to deliver. that's partly why we are seeing this rise in crime throughout the country and particularly here in the west midlands where i represent. i'm wondering, when you talk about those kinds of pressures, how have they increased in the past 12 months? could you take us through rate you have seen the particular milestones in this particular process? we

noticed about three years ago in the west midlands that gang culture and knife crime was growing. we took very firm action there, looking at tough action by the police but also a commission to look at this that has reported. we're are doing lots of work on prevention, particularly with schools. we have lost all our youth clubs virtually in birmingham and the rest of the west midlands. there is no youth provision is there, we wonder why we have a problem with young people. we are taking that action but can only see the results of having fewer officers, less preventative work, and a growth in crime here and throughout the country. in terms of your role, as police and crime commission, what are you able to do practically? what can you men forced your office that can help this situation? what i do is oversee the priorities the police have, the priority must be the most serious crimes. we are seeing more violent crimes. we are seeing more violent crimes which take longer for officers to pursue, particularly murders. that means it takes them

away from some of the other lower level but very impact of crimes like burglary and anti—social behaviour. iam burglary and anti—social behaviour. i am trying to prioritise the funding we've got. we are making our force more efficient, getting more out of each offers a's time with new technology. we are not standing still here. —— each officer's time. there is an enormous amount of diversionary work with schools, we launched a programme on knife crime last month. the home office only relaunched it this week when most of the schools have broken up for the holidays. it's that type of work we are doing. we will continue to do that, because we will face this problem and make sure we don't allow it to continue as it is at the moment. here is a direct question. i have seen it referred to on social media, notwithstanding the pressure you are talking about on police, we all know there are fewer officers on the street, detection rates in some areas is simply not acceptable, even

with the cuts you are talking about? i think that's right, it's just not a cce pta ble i think that's right, it's just not acceptable that our police officers are able to follow up so many of the crimes. people saying that are absolutely right. the big frustration for me is providing the funds and resources to the chief comes to the, to do the job. he funds and resources to the chief comes to the, to do thejob. he is working flat out with his officers to deal with these problems but of course i'm seeing my budget reduced by 100 course i'm seeing my budget reduced by100 in my course i'm seeing my budget reduced by 100 in my area, course i'm seeing my budget reduced by100 in my area, and cuts throughout the country. —— by100 in my area, and cuts throughout the country. "1115 million. throughout the country. —— 145 million. the government must decide what it once from my police force and what we have at the moment is a police force that is not meeting the needs of the people. there's lots of talk about where the government's attention is focused. in your dealings with central government, do you feel they are fully focused on this was there attention elsewhere? people like nick hurd make all the right noises. he has a problem with the treasury of course, the

treasury, we are still an austerity. i don't think they have understood the effect it's had on our economy. by the effect it's had on our economy. by having more crime, it's costing us more. by having more crime, it's costing us more. we are costing everybody more with things like house and car insurance. all those things. we are paying, if you like, for this crime wave in other ways. very good of you to talk to us. scotland yard has refused to comment on reports, that police have identified several russians, suspected of being involved in the nerve agent attack in salisbury in march. the press association says it has spoken to a source close to the investigation, whilst the american broadcaster cnn are reporting that the suspects left the uk after the attack. today, the inquest into the death of dawn sturgess, who was exposed to novichok three months after the original attack, was opened and adjourned. 0ur correspondent sarah campbell reports. it's now more than four months since a nerve agent was used to target a former russian spy, sergei skripal and his daughter yulia survived, but the attack led

to a huge and complex investigation into how they were poisoned. the british authorities pointed the finger at russia, russia denied any involvement. then last month, two more people fell ill. tragically, 44—year—old dawn sturgess died. her partner, charlie rowley, survived. they had come across a small bottle of fluid which turned out to be novichock. the same nerve agent used in the attack in march. the press association says police sources have told them they have pieced together cctv from march and have cross checked with the records of people coming in and out of the uk. several suspects have been identified, and the investigators are sure, according to pa, that the poisoners were russian. today in moscow, russia's ambassador to the uk gave this reaction. this is the report of the media. unfortunately we don't have an official statement of the british side, i want to hear that from the scotland yard or the foreign office.

the metropolitan police have not commented on the reports that suspects have been identified. their investigation continues. sites across salisbury and nearby amesbury remain the subject of finger tip searches. it is painstaking work — so far more than 400 items have been recovered and tested. the forensic element in relation to this, the gathering of forensic evidence, the piecing together of other elements that may well make up the potential prosecution are so exact, and i am reassured by that to some extent, that the forensic side of it is being so painstakingly undertaken by the investigating team. salisbury had just started to return to normal after the attack in march. the prince of wales tried to help spread the message

that it was business at usual. a week later, the second poisoning occurred. a mother of three died and the police are still unable to reassure a worried public there isn't any more discarded novichock. sarah campbell, bbc news. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy is in salisbury. these are intriguing suggestions from some quarters. can we shed any light on them at this point? pa seems to be saying similar things to what cnn are saying, their point today was that their sources are telling them that the police on this investigation have married up some cctv footage with people coming into the country and have come up with a list of suspects. cnn tonight are going further than that, saying they think there are two suspects

involved, and that they left the uk shortly after the attack on sergei and yulia skripal on the 4th of march. this is sergei's house behind me. cnn also say that pair of suspects sent some kind of coded message to moscow, and that that message to moscow, and that that message was picked up by some kind of british base in cyprus. we have not independently confirmed by dead the pa will cnn story, but the met are saying certainly they will not comment on this. the russian ambassador is saying that there is no russian involvement in this at all, and again this has been made up by the media. he wants to see more detailed reports on this before he comments properly. also, the security minister himself, ben wallace, saying this is ill informed and wild speculation. with that in mind, what can you tell us about the state of this ongoing investigation, which of course is notjust happening in salisbury but in

amesbury to? months apart from each other. what is the latest? very much operational matters going on in both places. here, we have a police guard mounting up, not much friends at work, but about a mile away in the park in the centre of the city here, the queen elizabeth gardens, today we we re the queen elizabeth gardens, today we were watching divers going into a pond, a river, searching there, we saw them again yesterday in a children's playgrounds saw them again yesterday in a child ren's playgrounds on saw them again yesterday in a children's playgrounds on their hands and knees looking for evidence. separately, the other big operations going on at the house in amesbury about seven or eight miles away from here, that's where charlie rowley and dawn sturgess well when they fell ill. that's also where this glass bottle, this small glass bottle, was found, that the police now say contain the robert rock which incidentally the coroner said was ina which incidentally the coroner said was in a liquid form today. —— contain the novichok. whether this

has expanded to other parts of the uk, we are not being told. the met are keeping to themselves. the detailed friends at investigations are ongoing in salisbury and amesbury, the wider detective work is going on in other places as well. thank you. the headlines on bbc news... a sharp rise in violent crimes reported in england and wales — with knife crime increasing by 16%. in some cases, detection rates have dropped below 10%. west midlands police are searching for a grey audi car after it's thought to have been car jacked in the acocks green area of birmingham with a 4 month old girl in the back seat scotland yard won't discuss press association reports, that police believe they've identified several russians, suspected of involvement in the nerve agent attack in salisbury in march. and in sport, and historic stage

victory for going to thomas at the tour de france, as he leads chris froome by one minute and 39 seconds but says he is still riding for his tea m but says he is still riding for his team leader. it is time to focus, after missing the last two, tiger woods is off on his opening round at this year's open. he is two under, three off the lead. and lewis hamilton signs a new £40 million a year deal with mercedes which would keepin year deal with mercedes which would keep in there until the end of 2020. more on those stories after half—past. the european commission has urged eu countries and businesses to intensify their preparations, for the possibility of a no—deal brexit. it said a failure to reach an agreement with britain would cause significant disruption at borders, and to aviation and pharmaceuticals. the new brexit secretary, dominic raab, promised to ‘step up

the pace' of the talks, when he met the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, in brussels today. this is what they had to say earlier. it isa it is a matter of urgency to agree ona it is a matter of urgency to agree on a backstop for northern ireland. we need an insurance policy. 0n the future relationship, the eu proposed in march and unprecedented partnership, not only economic and trade, where we want an ambitious free trade agreement that respects the integration of the single market —— the integrity of the single market, but also internal and external security where a close partnership between us is more important than ever. given the geopolitical context. 0ur challenge will be to find common ground between the fundamental principles that define the eu and the uk's

positions. that is all for now. more is to come. stay tuned, i will see you again tomorrow after the general counsel. now to you, dominic. thank you very much but can i also thank your team for the excellent work they have done up until this point. we have made progress in the withdrawal agreement, particularly on citizens' rights, both uk citizens on the continent here but also eu citizens in the uk, and the implementation period. there are still gaps to fill but we have taken stock and made good progress and we look forward to making more progress today. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas is in brussels. what did you make of this, notjust the body language which seemed quite relaxed, but the exchanges that you heard? i think i would point to one

or two things. first, the promise by dominic raab of this new energy vim and vigour that he is saying he will inject into negotiations. all watching this would say, they urgently need that because these negotiations are at the minute, stalled on this crucial issue. that is the second thing to point out, the two men highlighted different things. dominic raab highlighted this future relationship, michel barnier went straight for the jugular, talking about the ireland border issue. that is the crucial thing he wants to focus on and the eu want to focus on, what they see is at the heart of the negotiations now, the issue that must be overcome to secure a withdrawal agreement. mr barnier said in the next 30 weeks is when they need to do that, because without that, if there is no agreement, there is no exit deal, no transition period, the uk risks

falling out of the eu and all its legal structures in march next year and that's what the eu west separately warning about today, all the preparations that might need to be made for that. that's the other point. how has that warning on down? if not a warning, a piece of strong advice. —— how has that warning gone down? what does that tell us about the state of the talks which are in a bit ofa the state of the talks which are in a bit of a stalemate at the moment? it tells you clearly that deep uncertainty at the heart of those talks. that was pointed out in the eu's advice, their guidelines, they have already put out 60 separate notices to different sectors, businesses, warning them, saying they must start thinking about preparations for what you do if the uk exits the eu with no deal, goes straight outside all the legal structures. today what they said was that this is not part of the negotiations, this is not meant to

be adding to any pressure but it is a prudent measure, the eu thinks, to point out to individuals, companies and eu countries what they might have to do. to give you an idea, they talk about citizens who would have no specific arrangements in place. border issues, the eu would have to ply its regulations, tariffs, customs, sanitary, controls on all imports and exports and expect possible long lines of trucks. all things it says countries have to start thinking about preparing for now because of the uncertainty in the negotiations. thank you. dominic raab and michel barnier are meeting as the prime minister arrives at the irish border for her first visit since the eu referendum. theresa may is due to meet with local businesses alongside the dup leader, arleene foster, as she tries to allay fears, over the prospect of a, hard border after brexit.

mrs may has been criticised for not hearing first—hand the fears of locals who live and work near the irish border. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is on the irish border. this is the border that is at the heart of all those negotiations in brussels. it may not look like much but this is a county well known for its waterways, which form the frontier. we are standing in northern ireland but over there is the irish republic. people in this area really think nothing of crossing the border at the moment, to work, visit relatives, to go on some kind of leisure activity. it's here where we are on the brexit front line, weather worries about what could happen, particularly in an event of a new deal brexit come as to how the resulting problems would be. theresa may happens to be in the constituency of the dup leader arlene foster, a key ally for

her in parliament, particularly in those knife edge brexit votes we have seen in recent days. the prime minister will be talking to a group of local business people, trying to add their concerns, saying that the provisions set out in the recent white paper will do enough to ensure the border remains as seamless and fiction less as it is. she will not be warmly welcomed, she is meeting the five main stormont parties on her visit today and tomorrow, sinn fein have already said they believed the prime minister is reneging on the prime minister is reneging on the commitments she made in the agreement in december, but a backstop for the border. that's effectively a safety net if this border problem is not sorted out by a overarching free trade agreement. the eu say there must be an agreement on some kind of full—back whereby, if there was no free—trade arrangement, there would not be an closed border. in any circumstance

whatsoever. sinn fein say things are pointing towards britain moving away from that commitment. the british government still say very much they are committed to a backstop, but it's clear in the way the eu interprets what a backstop should look like and what the uk in ta blets, look like and what the uk in tablets, there is still certainly a major gap to be. —— what the uk interprets. meanwhile, the imf has warned the republic of ireland economy would face a ‘major hit‘, from a no deal brexit. let's discuss this further with brian hayes, mep for the ruling fine gael party, he's in brussels. thanks for hanging on to talk to us. first of all, on this broad economic warning, what do you make of it?|j think we have to prepare for the worst possible scenario. 0ur economy. . . worst possible scenario. 0ur economy... (inaudible)... no deal,

40,000... (inaudible)... i'll have to stop you there, i'm sorry. we are having trouble with the line. maybe we can make contact with you again later. we will try to dial you with you again later. we will try to dialyou up again. with you again later. we will try to dial you up again. give us a couple of minutes. thanks very much, apologies for that. everything is fine and then when you go to it, there is a glitch! a quick update on the story we mentioned earlier. this is good news from them, they say the four—week—old baby girl who was taken ina four—week—old baby girl who was taken in a birmingham carjacking this afternoon has been left at a health centre, and will be reunited with her mother shortly. west midlands police told us about 40

minutes ago that there had been this carjacking in the acocks green area. the car had been taken, and audi, with a young girl on the back. there we re d oze ns with a young girl on the back. there were dozens of officers unsurprisingly involved in trying to sort this out. we are now told that the baby girl, a very young baby girl, has been left at a health centre and i am sure the investigation is still ongoing. we don't have any other details but the baby girl is safe and sound. it seems she will be reunited with her mother very shortly. the former chair of the bbc trust, lord patten, has said the corporation would be ‘crazy‘ to appeal against the ruling in the sir cliff richard privacy case. sir cliff was awarded an initial £210,000 in damages yesterday, after a judge ruled that the bbc had infringed his privacy with its coverage of a police raid on his home in 2014. jon donnison has more. # congratulations...#

for cliff richard and his fans, something to celebrate after a four—year ordeal. 0ne national treasure, pitted against another. and the bbc the big loser. i don't think this is the bbc journalism at its best. the decisions made by some very good people whom i much respect in the bbc were wrong. this case and those decisions, made in part by bbc editors fran unsworth and jonathan munroe, could end up co—ing the corporation millions in license fee payers' money. and the bbc is now considering an expensive appeal. i think it would be crazy for the bbc arguing that there is some principle of freedom of speech involved to appeal this decision. i think they should swallow hard, say they made a mistake, apologise as they have to cliff richard, move on and not do it again. after he left court yesterday, cliff richard said the bbc apology and more than £200,000 in damages was not enough. he said heads deserved to roll at the bbc.

there must be something done at that top echelon of people. this has to be something done that says you cannot do this again. you must not do it again and i'll still not sure why they didn't have some kind of legal advice that would stop them. i was never even arrested, let alone charged, and i've had to suffer all of this financially and more importantly emotionally, for what? for absolutely doing zero. but much of the media has backed the bbc‘s argument on press freedom for this case and believe this might not be the end of it. if we are heading down the road towards outlawing the naming of anyone who is under investigation prior to arrest or charge, as some people are advocating, then, this massive change to the law and also to the rights of the press and the public‘s right to know, would have to go through parliament and the bbc, ifeel would be justified and would get a lot

of support across the media landscape if they do decide to take this case to appeal and even potentially through to the supreme court. cliff richard says it will take time to recover from the mental trauma of this case. but with an appeal still possible, it might not be over. let's return to our guest brian hayes — mep for the ruling fine gael party — he's in brussels. sorry to have broken up earlier. the imf warning about a major hit to the irish economy from no deal. imf warning about a major hit to the irish economy from no deallj imf warning about a major hit to the irish economy from no deal. i think it's a serious warning, something our own government are whereof, our own finance minister said said last

week that a no deal scenario could lose out because of the collectivity between our economy and the uk economy. even two weeks ago, angela merkel, the german chancellor, made the point is that ireland could face liquidity issues in the circumstance ofa liquidity issues in the circumstance of a hard brexit. we must be aware of a hard brexit. we must be aware of the real threats therefore our own economy in a no deal scenario. i know full well that is not the position of the uk government, they wa nt position of the uk government, they wantan position of the uk government, they want an agreement. the eu wants agreement. we have got to really make it work between now and october to see if we can get this deal and give certainty to people in the uk, ireland and across the eu. today of all days, as we have these talks, and theresa may, as we mentioned, looking at the border issue there. when we looked at these problems over the last two years,

what gives you hope that they can be resolved at this point? we know the white paper, and i think there is recognition in brussels that the prime minister has now got an agreed position from her cabinet. her cabinet proceed on the base of negotiation, that is why it is important that the ministers met today, with good report. we have basis for negotiation now, which is very late in the day but something we've been looking for for a long time andi we've been looking for for a long time and i also have to say the business in northern ireland today, she is going there for a long period and she is going to communities across the border to hear their concerns and fears about brexit and concerns and fears about brexit and concerns of some kind of border re—emerging on the island of ireland. iam re—emerging on the island of ireland. i am more confident now that we can get to a better place. 0ne that we can get to a better place. one of the issues i think will be that i think michel barnier will

wa nt to that i think michel barnier will want to know from the british brexit secretary is effectively what is the standing of the customs arrangement now, given these four men passed just last week in parliament. i think it's important as we going into negotiation that we negotiate with the eu government and it will then be a matterfor the british government to bring back whatever the outcome of the negotiation is to the outcome of the negotiation is to the uk - the outcome of the negotiation is to the uk — westminster parliament for approval. i think it will be most u nfortu nate approval. i think it will be most unfortunate in the middle of all of this is that at this stage, it's effectively less time in these talks. it will not help the process and it will help europe or the uk and it will help europe or the uk and it will not help the necessity and it will not help the necessity and real need for a broad—based sustainable deal between the uk and the eu. brian, good to to you. talk thank you for holding on to talk to us. no problem.

time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes with the forecast. hello, you properly don't need me to tell you that the weather has been very dry over the last couple of months. we will see some thing of a change in the weather picture over the next 24 hours, a blip if you like. a wet blip, outbreaks of rain are edging into western scotland at the moment. rainwater and heavy and more extensive across scotland and northern ireland as we go through the night, bringing welcome falls of rain. in england and wales, this continues with dry weather. we have bits and pieces of cloud coming and going.

temperatures drifting down to 17 in london. a warm, uncomfortable and humid night in the capital. 0n friday, the rain is still quite heavy by the time it reaches north—west england. many people here staring down the barrel of a hosepipe ban until it rains. but it lightens in southern england. warm sunshine, but we also have potential of heavy and thundery downpours across eastern counties in england. london and the home counties. worst case scenario, half a months worth of rainfall in one hourfrom case scenario, half a months worth of rainfall in one hour from those storms, there is a potential of the risk of flooding here in the afternoon. that mac is your weather. this is bbc news. the headlines... official figures show there's been an increase in knife crime and killings recorded by police in england and wales, but offences involving guns are down. west midlands police say they have now found a four—week—old baby who was on the back seat of an audi when it was carjacked in the acocks green area of birmingham. the baby was left at a health centre and will be reunited with her mother shortly. four months on from the novichok

poisoning of sergei and yulia skripal in salisbury — scotland yard say they won't discuss press association reports, that police believe they've identified several russians involved. and the new brexit secretary, dominic raab, meets the eu's chief negotiator, michel barnier, in brussels, promising to inject fresh "vim and vigor" into talks. and coming up we'll hear how the heroes of last year's london bridge terror attack, including two who died, are being recognised for their bravery. at 5:35pm, let's catch up with the sports news today with sarah mulkerrins. let's start with the 147th open championship, which is under

way at carnoustie. .. a long day of play, with the remaining players still plotting their way around the course. . .. 0ur reporter, john watson has been keeping across every twist and turn. how has day one gone so far then? some unfamiliar names at the top of the leaderboard at the end of day one but it is a name familiar to all, currently three shots off the lead, that of tiger woods after a two year absence from the open, he birdied his first hole of the championship. as he looks to come roaring back. and two under par, the british interest falling on the shoulders of rory mcilroy. 0n the back nine. we will talk about the leaderboard in a moment but first, let's get some of those talking points today, the biggest talking points today, the biggest talking point was jordan spieth, points today, the biggest talking point wasjordan spieth, looking to successfully defend his title, it could have been a very different story worried for an unfortunate colla pse story worried for an unfortunate collapse at the end of his round. these are the scorched fairways, not of dubai but dundee. conditions where the ball can keep rolling and

not always where you wanted. jordan spieth arrived as defending champion but opening round showed wide to stay out the traps. as he faulted an american made the charge to the front. kevin kisner made in south carolina and used to taking on the desert. 11 years ago rory mcilroy came to carnoustie as an amateur. today the course and his career looks very different. while he has not had all the breaks today, is a lwa ys not had all the breaks today, is always one to keep an eye on. the english charge is led by southgate. matthews with two and is in touch with the lead but the british have to ta ke with the lead but the british have to take on the tiger, back fit and ready to win majors. early birdies looking ominous for the rest of the field. for some, these conditions would make the open a dream, or a nightmare... kevin kisner the early pacemaker in

the clubhouse, on five under par. an impressive performance from him today. close behind, three south africans. erik van rooyen, finishing on four under par. an impressive round for him. and another notable brit, matthew southgate on two under par. danny willett, the former masters champion, and two under par. looking to recapture that form that saw him won the masters in 2016. rory mcilroy is still out there, and kevin kisner at the top, tiger woods, i can tell you. the crowd is keeping a close eye on tiger after a hugely impressive return in his early stages of the opening round. thank you so much. geraint thomas has extended his lead at the tour de

france with a thrilling victory on stage 12, on top of alpe d'huez. the battle for the yellow jersey had gone all the way to the top of one of cycling's most iconic mountains. 0n the final bend, the welshman sprinted clear of chris froome and tom dumoulin, for his second stage win in two days. so he's now one minute and 39 seconds ahead of froome — but says he's still riding for his team leader. right — before we go — holly hamilton is with us here ahead of sportsday at 6.30. so what have we got to look forward to? sarah, it is a packed show, if that wasn't enough to whet your appetite, john will be live again from carnoustie, where we are keeping across rory mcilroy‘s progress. and we have progressed from the tour de france, geraint thomas wove a thrilling victory today. all of the reaction to that as well. and we will be hearing from zlatan, joining la galaxy but he has been speaking to us about his former team—mate paul pogba. that's coming up and we will be looking forward to the

hockey world cup. that's coming up on sportsday at 6:30pm. that's all for now. as the government grapples with its approach to brexit, business leaders, representing big and small companies, are expressing their concern about a lack of clarity about likely trading arrangements, and trying to work out what would be needed if the uk left the european union without a formal deal. for those firms with an extensive presence in the european markets, the concern is being more acute. in the british fashion industry, few names are as iconic and quintessentially british as hackett, which was co—founded in the early 1980s byjeremy hackett — the man whose style and attention to detail have made him a global figure in the world of men's fashion. he's with me now. looking as splendid as ever! thank you. nice to see you. i will ask you a direct question, you have decades

of experience in business. in your case, in men's fashion. what are your immediate concerns, or indeed hopes, in the middle of this brexit process we are in? for me, i cannot believe how long the whole process is taking. it must be exhausting for eve ryo ne is taking. it must be exhausting for everyone involved. but, to be honest, i was a remainer. we have a lot of business in europe, spain, france, germany, scandinavia. i think it will be quite complicated for us. i also think that britain is better in europe than out of europe. i think that throughout all of the uncertainty, that seems to be gathering with the bully boys around the world now, i think we should be, from a defence and security point of view, be in the eu. also, i think... that isn't going to happen, we are

coming out. what would your business wa nt coming out. what would your business want out of a deal? a deal that ta kes want out of a deal? a deal that takes us out the eu. what element would you like to see there?m takes us out the eu. what element would you like to see there? it is the tariffs and the borders and the complications of importing and exporting. it will be a nightmare that we are british and will get on with it. in a few years all will be forgotten about and business will go back to normal. i think europe wants to trade with us and we want to trade with europe and something will happen afterwards. several interesting points, on the business pattern that you have, that takes me into how this remarkable brand started, and the fact you now have business around the world. the european context is very different for us today. how would you describe your european business at the moment? where do you buy cloth from and get clothes made? historically 95% of our clothing was made in

britain but that has changed enormously as factories have closed down. it is cheaper to make offshore but we make an enormous amount of clothing in europe through italy, portugal. what we try to do is use british cloth and so we send british cloth with the fox brothers flannels, things like that, quintessentially british. we have been made in italy and to be honest it is the best of both worlds. but that moment has gone. do you foresee that moment has gone. do you foresee that changing in the years to come with the pattern of manufacture here to stay? i think it is here to stay. there are some people starting up and it is in an artisan way. it is all very nice but not enough to make our business work. the brand was

blossoming, what has been the biggest change in how men's fashion works? and being able to manufacture and market something that, for lots of people, they would say in a nice way it is rather old—fashioned.” like that, i quite like being out of step with fashion. except the success of the shops and brown tells you that there is only some in fashion? when i look back and look at our early work... those are the original shops. kings road, where we sold second—hand clothes. original shops. kings road, where we sold second-hand clothes. that is where you started? selling second—hand clothes. where you started? selling second-hand clothes. and from that? after three years we realised we could not sell enough second—hand clothes so we started making new clothes. the idea was to make clothes. the idea was to make clothes that felt like several robot were ready to wear. it had nothing to do with fashion, everybody in the

19805 to do with fashion, everybody in the 1980s were wearing baggy suits and we were doing tailored strictly classical looking clothing and it took off. it was enormously successful. what was the high point for you in terms of direct hands—on involvement? from moving successfully to vintage clothing —— from vintage clothing to clothing and creating a brand. at the moment, when i had a label put onto a jacket and it said hackett london, i thought we were on the way. and that is success on a big scale. you have a background that was going to prepare you for the success and you were born perhaps not into wealth but advantageous circumstances, is that right? that's a long way from the truth. i've rarely spoken about this before but i was brought up in ca re this before but i was brought up in care until i was six and then i was adopted. so the early start was

difficult, let's say. some sweet images that we are showing viewers now. that was the first suit i have made. i remember having it made and saying to the taylor, he had a ticket pocket on his suit, and i asked for one. i'm wearing one today with a ticket pocket and a bowtie as well! this here is my friend in the orphanage, kevin carter, who i was very upset to leave but my adoptive pa rents very upset to leave but my adoptive parents assured me he had been adopted, whether he had i don't know but if kevin carter is listening, give mea but if kevin carter is listening, give me a call. and the care experience, i'm just give me a call. and the care experience, i'mjust wondering give me a call. and the care experience, i'm just wondering what kind of shadow that cost on your life? well... it was a catholic nazareth house, you think of catholic nuns and priests... it was tough, it was very tough. but, you know... i got adopted and it took me

a while to settle in and i had all sorts of problems health—wise, because they really did neglect you. there was a lot of abuse. i think we are all familiar with that now. eventually i settled in. i was a terrible student. my father said if you do not pull up your socks you will end up working in a shop, which is exactly what happened, fortu nately! is exactly what happened, fortunately! except you own to the shop! yes! the transition is fascinating. what was the drive within you, given no circumstances, —— given those circumstances, that propelled you to do what you did? a lot of people would not dream of being able to do that. what was it that pushed you ? being able to do that. what was it that pushed you? i've always liked clothes. it was an easy option for me to do clothes. i found i was not

bad at it. i worked in loads of shops in london when i was 19, i flew to about 25 and i picked it up asi flew to about 25 and i picked it up as i went along. i'm a shopkeeper, thatis as i went along. i'm a shopkeeper, that is what i am and i enjoy it. and you are not really a business person? and i'm not a designer. that sounds too grand. i'm a shop keeper, i like putting close together and making stories and things, but i wouldn't call myself anything aside from that. for somebody walking into a hackett today, and if they walked in 20 years go, what are the main things they would see that are different? as i say, it has evolved over the years but i think with our customer. and quite often in the shop and i bump into people i remember selling second—hand clothes too. now they are barristers, doctors, lawyers, and all doing very well. and still shopping with us.

very satisfying. and where does london stand in the world fashion industry, and how do you see london in how it places itself, positioning itself, now? london has always been incredibly important, with high fashion, whether street fashion or classicalfashion, there is a market for every taste in london and i think we have more fun with clothes than other people. and you still have a lot of fun? yes. people who follow you on social media see more of your dogs than you? they are more famous than me, dan then! so i'm bound to tell people thatjeremy has published what is quite a compact book but it has lovely images. let's have a look at the cover. if you stay on the image, you will see that there are lots of images of the dogs in the book and i rather like that!

why? because i post on instagram all the time and the dogs are always the most popular, i thought i would make a little book out of it. i came up with the name the isle of dogs without there being —— without realising there was a film of the same name. they are on the endangered list, these dogs. why? there are very few, 50 odd puppies are born per year. put that into context there are 30,000 labradors. there are very few. people say that owners look like their dogs. i agree. mine are noble and handsome! 0n agree. mine are noble and handsome! on that terribly self regarding note(!) thank you for coming in. best wishes for continued success. very nice ofjeremy hackett to come

andjoin us very nice ofjeremy hackett to come and join us today. conservative chief whip julian smith is under pressure to explain why an mp took part in crunch brexit votes despite an agreement not to. let's talk to our political correspondent leila nathoo at westminster. i had ihada i had a rather ham—fisted attempt at pairing there. can you clarify the pairing there. can you clarify the pairing system, which has been around for decades, is meant to ensure fairness? i thought your attempt was pretty good, actually! it is basically to keep votes there. in the commons, you have to be physically there to vote. and go to be counted. if you are absent, somebody else from an opposing party also agrees to not cast their votes so there is no discrepancy in the number of votes cast. it is a long—standing agreement based on

trust between opposition parties to keep parliamentary votes fair. where are we in terms of support and opinion in parliament right now? as you see the brexit process going through. it centres around key brexit votes around tuesday night, earlier in the week we were talking about the jeopardy of a government defeat, the government may infect key defeats in brexit legislation but one key pairing was betweenjo swinson, which the liberal democrat deputy leader on maternity leave, she was paired with brandon lewis, the conservative party chairman, who agreed not to vote either. in the event of two crucial votes on amendment, brandon lewis cast his vote, there were only a handful of votes in it, on those votes, clearly every vote counts. brandon lewis

apologised, saying it was an honest mistake made in fast moving circumstances. the chief whip julian smith apologised and apologised for that. then what we had was reports come to light that actually mps had been urged to break their pairing agreements by the chief whip, julian smith, and clearly that caused some outcry. the leader of the commons, andrea leadsom, was asked about it earlier in the house. it isa it is a deep regret to me that that breaking of the pair happened in error. i assured the house yesterday. i assured the house yesterday. i assured the house yesterday that it was an error that the chief whip and my right honourable friend, the member for great yarmouth, had both apologised for. i can tell him there were three pairs on tuesday. i myself was one of them. i did not receive any call

from anyone telling me to vote. that was andrea leadsom. i'm wondering, what has been the reaction to all of that? some concern from across the house, including conservative mps. this is all about a trust and a breakdown of trust. these formal arrangements between parties and what keeps the parliamentary process running. it is extremely unusual not to honour them. even the most fractures of political times, it seems underhand not just for these political times, it seems underhand notjust for these pairing agreements not to be honoured. labour and the lib dems are calling forjulian smith to explain himself to the house and what has gone on, and the prime minister misled the house when she said it had been an honest error. this is wes streeting raising the issue in the house of commons earlier. they do not like to hear it, madam deputy speaker, that this is what one honourable member from the benches is quoted as saying. "julian told me

i was needed and to come in and vote. of course he knew i was paired. idid vote. of course he knew i was paired. i did not vote and honoured my pair, and he demanded to know why not afterwards. it then appears that he told the prime minister it was allan he told the prime minister it was all an honest mistake". now, madam deputy speaker, i have no doubt or any reason not to believe that the leader of the house is only relaying what she has been told to save. so, given this, how can we compel the chief whip to come to the dispatch box to account for his actions, because if the trust of the pairing syste m because if the trust of the pairing system has been abused in this way, he must surely now resign? now, tory sources insist the jo swinson pairing was a mistake that there is an admission that the tory chief whip did consider and may have asked some tory mps to break their short—term pairing arrangements, arrangements in place for the evening. but none of those actually

broke down. jo swinson's was the only one that did that clearly pressure on the tory chief whip tonight, including from within his own party. remember, that trust and goodwill between tory mps and their chief whip is what keeps the process going. the process of the chief whip needing to keep discipline and keep the party together, there are questions tonight to answer both the brandon lewis and conservative chief whip, and if a resignation was to follow, clearly thou would be incredibly destabilising for theresa may's government. just some time to tell you this... the race is on to develop the first flying car. aston martin has a prototype in development, but now a company called kitty hawk which is owned by the founder of google larry page, has developed a version. the flyer has been carrying out tests in las vegas , it weighs less than 250 pounds, can fly for 12 minutes,

and no pilot license is required. it doesn't really look like a car but anyway, as long as it gets you from a to b may be fine. to 12 minute limit may be a constraint for some! that have look at weather again. hello, i think i will stick to lycra for getting home on the old bike! regarding the weather, plenty of sunshine to end the day. across a good part of the country. we see some changes arriving now across the western side of scotland. the cloud is beckoning and we are seeing rain in the hebrides. that continues to spread east and south overnight. the rain is extensive, scotland and northern ireland, it is heavy southern rainfall here. a dry night, muqqy southern rainfall here. a dry night, muggy and warm in the capital. temperatures slowly coming down to 17 degrees by the end of the night which takes you to friday. in this weather front, some

which takes you to friday. in this weatherfront, some heavy rain across scotland and northern ireland. buckley is with time. main welcome in north—west england and northern wales. it looks to be heavy. you may ease off in southern wales and south—west england but at the same time, for the midlands and eastern england, we have humid spells of sunshine. it feels hot but we may see thunderstorms breaking out across eastern england as we head through friday afternoon. worse case scenario, just one hour, flooding issues as we head through friday afternoon in the east of england. that is the latest weather. a big increase in the number of crimes being recorded in england and wales. the number of violent incidents have risen — including those involving knives: it's just devasted the whole family. it's so unreal to us. we still haven't taken it in.

and the number of crimes being solved has fallen — we'll have the latest on all today's figures. also on tonight's programme: the new brexit secretary promises to step up the pace, as he holds his first talks with the eu's chief negotiator. reports that police may have identified several suspects in the novichok attack on sergei and yulia skripal. can a plastic bag ever be fully biodegradable? we have a special report.