today at five: the national crime agency is to investigate alleged offences relating to campaign spending during the eu referendum. ukip donor arron banks was amongst those referred to the agency by the electoral commission — which suspects that money given to the campaign had come from impermissible sources. they should use all of their powers to investigate this really. these are very serious matters. mr banks says the allegations are ludicrous and says he welcomes the inquiry. the other main stories on bbc news at 5... a senior police officer has questioned whether investigating misogyny rather than crimes such as burglary is the best use of resources. google employees around the world stage a series of walkouts demanding fairer treatment for female and ethnic minority staff. mps criticise what they call a delay to a planned crackdown on fixed—odds betting machines. and taking whale—watching to new heights: scientists use

state of the art imaging technology to count whale species from space. it's 5 o'clock. arron banks, a seniorfigure in the leave campaign during the 2016 eu referendum, has been referred to the national crime agency for alleged criminal offences. the inquiry will focus on £8 million of loans from mr banks to his company, which ran the unofficial leave. eu campaign. he welcomed the investigation, calling the allegations ‘ludicrous‘ and adding that he never received any foreign funding during the campaign. this report is from richard lister. i have a different version of what the future of this country is.

aaron banks described himself as one of the bad boys of brexit. he became one of the uk's biggest political donors, with his multi—million pound support of britain's withdrawal from the eu. that money went to the unofficial leave. eu campaign, fronted by nigel farage. and it came via mr bank's company, better for the country. but the electoral commission says we have reasonable grounds mr banks, who is currently in bermuda, described as ludicrous, saying... i welcome the matter being passed on to the national crime agency

because to date all we have seen from the electoral commission is a biased approach. i hope the matter will be shortly concluded to demonstrate that no crimes have been committed. the national crime agency says electoral law offences would not normally come under its remit but the potential for wider offences to have been committed means an investigation is appropriate. the nca should now use all of their powers to investigate this fully. these are very serious matters and part of that investigation has to bring to a conclusion our understanding of what the real source of aaron bank's wealth was that lead him to make these donations. do you regret your dealings with russia? alan banks has long been dogged by allegations that foreign money found its way

into his brexit campaign. they are allegations he strongly denies and says a full investigation will prove them false. let's get the latest. today's developments showing the results of the referendum is still controversial, but the way the referendum was conducted. they are still actually arguing over those involved. this was a separate campaign. what is interesting about this particular development is the has—been eight dame dong between the electoral commission for some time. aaron banks saying the electoral commission was packed full of swamp creatures, who are pro—remain. we heard from the chief executive of leave. eu saying beware biased. this is now with the police, so there should be a proper investigation. in

times of what this means for brexit, i would not get too excited about that because there has been one mp, who labourmp, saint who labour mp, saint brexit should be put on hold. the snp kirsty blackmun has been saying this brings the result into question. when i spoke earlier to connect, he says there is no grounds for a rerun of there is no grounds for a rerun of the referendum campaign and he did not want the issue of the referendum result hide up with what he sees as a bigger issue, the issue of potential foreign a bigger issue, the issue of potentialforeign money a bigger issue, the issue of potential foreign money coming a bigger issue, the issue of potentialforeign money coming into british politics. it is that that the national crime agency going to be investigating. aaron banks denies any wrongdoing and has denied that consistently. if the national crime agency are going to be carrying out a detailed investigation into offshore companies, i would not expect that to be concluded before

brexit day. i do not think we will be seeing any rerun or halt to the brexit process but we will be seeing a serious investigation into the money that went into that campaign and whether or not it was legitimate. thank you very much. let's talk through some of the legalities of what is going to be happening next. i am joined by tom tabori a human rights and public law barrister. thank you for being with us. maybe you can explain first of all why this has been referred by the electoral commission to the national crime agency. ultimately, the electoral commission felt the investigation, would require investigating companies in gibraltar and the isle of man was beyond its jurisdiction, to bring a prosecution. it is rare that the national crime agency would accept a investigation into electoral law but it reflects the matters and they

have done so in this case. the electoral commission really does not have the power to investigate this kind of thing? ultimately, the dude but one might comment but they are conscious that the limits of their sanctions are £20,000. —— ultimately they do. we are talking about £8 million to the company, better for the country. there is potentially behind the scenes implied a feeling that the sanctions required, require the national crime agency to get involved. what does electoral law say about campaign donations in terms of funding from what are called and impermissible sources? there are strict requirements of who area there are strict requirements of who are a qualified donor, who may provide a loan and strict requirements about informing the electoral commission and the public

and publish it on the website who has been funding these activities. and in this case, it appears that it is not known exactly who is the actual source of the money. although, all sorts of articles have been published about aaron banks meetings with various russians and the number of meetings that have been. also about whether, notjust doubts to the source, but whether they are materially affecting the outcome of the election, ultimately. the electoral commission was not able to decide but the fact of these questions has led to this investigation and is a on going that is demanding the prime minister deposited and reconsider the result, but that would be a political question. -- prime minister pause

it. thank you for your time. a senior police officer has questioned whether investigating gender based hate crime, or misogyny, is the best use of resources. chief constable sara thornton, who chairs the national police chiefs council says violent crime and burglaries should be the priority. today the shadow home secretary was among those arguing that police should have more resources. dominc casciani reports. the bread and butter of fighting crime. merseyside police investigating a killing last month, the sixth shooting in liverpool in weeks. police chiefs say officers are under huge pressure, responding to ever widening demands, and pressure to investigate incidents that are not even offences, such as hate based on gender. speaking yesterday, one of the country's most senior police officers said recording misogyny as a crime would be a step too far. the public expect an effective response to organised crime, to terrorism, to the focus on the vulnerable, but they also expect the basics.

responding to emergencies, investigating and solving crime and neighbourhood policing. but we just do not have the resources to do everything that is desirable and deserving. i want us to solve more burglaries and bear down on violence before we make records of incidents that are not crimes. the figures tell her story — recorded crime is up nearly a third in three years. there are 21,000 fewer officers today compared with 2010 and arrests have halved in a decade. chief constables say they do not have the manpower to solve every ill in society, but labour says it is clear how to resolve the competing demands. the real issue here is resources. if society decides that hate speech and gender—based hate speech is a crime, then we have to provide the resources to the police so that they can deal with it. what is really key is it is about harm.

what harm is it causing you or your family, your business and your community? and different crimes cause different harm in different parts of the country and sara thornton is absolutely right, that the priorities should be set by the police leaders and the locally elected police and crime commissioners. the concerns come as the government commits to cracking down on organised crime that is costing £37 billion a year. police will even target estate agents suspected of money—laundering, just another new demand of the police service that is being transformed by 2ist—century crime. staff at google offices around the world are staging a series of walkouts — in protest at the company's treatment of women. the employees are demanding changes in how sexual misconduct allegations are dealt with at the firm — including a call to end forced arbitration — which demands any disputes are dealt with internally rather than through other methods such as the courts. sophie long reports.

at ”am local time, google workers stopped swiping their screens and downed their devices. hundreds moved away from their workstations and took part in the protest, against sexual harassment, leaving this message at their desks... i'm walking out along with others in support of anyone who has been harassed and to ensure that perpetrators are not protected and not rewarded. over the past week, anger among the 94,000 staff grew into demands for change after the new york times revealed a high—profile google executive had received a $90 million pay—out despite allegations of sexual harassment. i don't know that we will see a change of culture. right now we have a ceo who says he wants to see change, he has encouraged this walk—out, but i think we have to pay attention

to whether or not any of these demands or met or responded to or how the company response. also whether the employees themselves believe that things have changed. google's chief executive has apologised and pointed out that he told staff via e—mail... that is not good enough for workers here in dublin or others around the world. they say the company famous for its culture is not meeting basic standards of respect, justice and fairness. and that has to change. our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones is here.

staff working out all across the world, has this come out of the blue? not really. it has been building for a long time. there has been a number of cases. the female softwa re been a number of cases. the female software engineer sued the company over sexual harassment. there has been concern over at the level of representation of women of ethnic minorities within the company. what sparked it was last week, the new york times article saying it is senior executive, four years ago had been given £890 million payoff, despite the fact he faced this accusation of sexual harassment. he denies but google found credible. the thing behind this protest, they put out a manifesto saying they waited for a long time for leadership to act, they did not do

it, therefore they had to take this action. we heard the chief executive saying he understands the anger. how embarrassing is this for google? the company that has had its motto, do no evil, it is embarrassing. they are clock between a rock and a hard —— they are caught between a rock and a hard place. they have pressure to be better at treating women and ethnic minorities. it had one employee who left the company with a stinging e—mail about to much diversity. there is a debate going on within the firm about that. diversity. there is a debate going on within the firm about thatm diversity. there is a debate going on within the firm about that. it is embarrassing. where does this go next, do you think? the chief executive of google has been incredibly conciliatory, trying to almost encourage the protest. and trying to soften the blow by saying he will listen to them and they have

come up with interesting ideas and they will try to put them into action. it is not going to be easy. there is a lot of anger there and he is going to meet shortly a lot of leadership. rory, thank very much indeed. the headlines on bbc news... the national crime agency has been asked to investigate suspected criminal offences relating to campaign spending during the eu referendum. a senior police officer has questioned whether investigating misogyny rather than crimes such as burglary is the best use of resources. as you have just been hearing... google employees around the world stage a series of walkouts demanding fairer treatment for female and ethnic minority staff. and in sport: the leicester city manager claude puel describes the past week as "the hardest in the club's history", as he pays tribute to those, including the club's owner, who lost their lives in a helicopter crash at their stadium last weekend. hearts and hibs have condemned the "unsavoury" incidents at last night's edinburgh derby.

hibs boss neil lennon was struck by a coin, while the hearts goalkeeper claims he was punched byafan. i'll be back with more on those stories after half—past. thank you, john. see you later on. the bank of england says its main interest rate will stay at 0.75%. it also confirmed economic growth had risen to 0.6% in the third quarter. but it's warned that the outlook for the economy depends significantly on brexit and the uk's future trading arrangements with the eu. the bank's governor, mark carney said, depending on what form brexit takes, interest rates could move

"in either direction". the economic outlook depends significantly on the nature of the eu withdrawal, in particular the form of new trading arrangements between the eu and the uk, whether the transition to this is abrupt or smooth, and how households, businesses and financial markets respond. whatever happens, monetary policy will act to ensure price ability and subject to that, support the economy during the transition. mps have criticised what they're calling a delay to a planned crackdown on fixed—odds betting machines in bookmakers shops. labour claims a cut in the maximum stake from £100 to £2 had been put back by six months. it has prompted speculation about the future of the minister who first announced the plan, tracey crouch. 0ur chief correspondent is in westminster. reports she is threatening to resign, is that

right? that is right, we understand tracy crouch spoke to the chief whip and she is said to be very angry as what she sees as the government going back on a promise. now, the government has said today that actually there was never any set date put down for this change, taking down that maximum stake from £100 to £2. tracey crouch is not alone from conservative mps, as well as labourmps, alone from conservative mps, as well as labour mps, saying this is a moral issue. it is destroying lives, it isa moral issue. it is destroying lives, it is a problem because it targets some of the most vulnerable in society. that is why mps feel so strongly about it and so strongly they think this change should be brought in as soon as possible, next april. all data has been speculation whether she would resign or at the government would roll back. the end of the budget debate, this is what

was said by iain duncan smith, one of those who thinks the change should come earlier and the response from the government ministerlj think this is a good budget. i will be supporting it tonight enthusiastically. however, there is an issue of the start time, starting date, freddie fixed odds betting terminal reduction to £2. it is not something we can deal with this evening. i wonder if my honourable friend were given undertaking, to return to this? i thank my honourable friend for his point, my right honourable friend for his point. we have brought the date forward by six months. i do not believe it is an issue for the finance bill but i am happy to discuss it with my honourable friend about what more we can do. the question is whether you think that isa question is whether you think that is a signal from the government that they are prepared to listen to those

complaints. liz truss was talking about bringing it forward six months, she meant from 20222019. the government feel they have moved on that. maybe a glimmer of hope. —— 2020. i do not know whether that is enough to persuade tracey crouch do not resign from this. we are hoping to talk to iain duncan smith later on in the programme. medicinal cannabis products can now be legally prescribed to some patients across the uk for the first time. a change in the law was announced after a high profile campaign on behalf of severely epileptic children. but the treatments can only be prescribed by specialist doctors — and in a limited number of circumstances. david rhodes reports. harry has bundles of energy. but that hasn't always been the case for this ten—year—old, who has had epileptic fits every day that could kill him. he has every type of seizure.

we spent days just with him on the sofa. he didn't go to school. harry was dying before our very eyes, you know? epilepsy sufferers and other people with chronic conditions have made lots of noise in recent years about how cannabis—based products could help them manage their condition. at the moment, harry's parents can legally buy non—medical, low—strength cannabis oil, which they say have stopped harry's seizures. you know, 129 days without a seizure, 130 — we count every single day. life—changing? life—changing. as harry grows up, his parents want him to have access to stronger medicinal products. and today they hoped harry would get his first prescription. but their local doctor says he won't qualify for help. well, you're just crushed. if you're going to make something legal and available and make a big announcement and get people's hopes up, people who are seriously ill, and then you just... it's all crushed. practically the announcement is, at the present time, meaningless.

campaign groups have welcomed today's law change, but say the rules regarding this new class of medicine are still unclear. there are still huge gaps in the process, and it's going to be very difficult for patients to be able to access cannabis on november 1st. nhs england say a small number of patients with severe epilepsy or multiple sclerosis, and some cancer patients suffering from the effects of chemotherapy, could be prescribed medicinal cannabis. doctors say, though, they still don't know enough about these new products. we like to prescribe where there is evidence that a particular medication or treatment will help. and right now, there needs to be a lot more research into the potential risks and side—effects of these treatments versus the benefits. and until we have that evidence, we won't be able to prescribe. taking or supplying cannabis for recreational use is still illegal across the uk, and the government says it has no plans to legalise cannabis use more widely. for a small number of people, today's law change is a big moment, but there will also be many families

across the country left still searching for a medical solution. let's ta ke let's take you back to the news about gambling. we were seeing the sports minister tracey couch was considering resigning from the government over delays in cutting the maximum stake of fixed odds betting terminals. we understand now she has resigned in the last couple of minutes. let's bring you the latest on that. this is over a perceived delays of bringing in that cut to the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals. let's go back to our chief political correspondent. i understand tracey crouch has decided to resign over all of this. in some ways, many will feel it is not a surprise given that she has felt passionately about this

issue. there was a tussle between her department and the treasury over getting this change originally. this is not the principle, that is going ahead. it is the timing. tracey crouch and other mps across the house but we had an understanding it would be brought in in april. the government said in the budget it would be in october. they see that asa would be in october. they see that as a rowing back of a promise. it is bad news for the government, they have lost a minister who is seen as very capable, very popular, over an issue that many feel the government will be defeated on if it comes to a vote in the finance bill later this month. labour has already said they will put down an amendment to force this change to bring it forward to april. it seems they may well have lost a minister and make lose a vote. i know you're going to speak to iain duncan smith later on. he is one of the conservative backbenchers who agrees this kind of betting is preying on some of the poor wrist

and most vulnerable in society and a delayed to bring in these changes is not right. this morning, the government was defending this by saying that is a big change for the industry, there could bejob saying that is a big change for the industry, there could be job losses as well as so they wanted to give the industry time to adapt. also to replace the lost revenue. they also feel very strongly the need to replace the revenue to fund public services. they are bringing higher taxes on online gambling and they wa nt to taxes on online gambling and they want to bring in the changes together. we were expecting a possible u—turn from the government. there were some words from liz trust about half an hour ago billy did not seem to go far enough. you could hear some inserted mps muttering there was not enough. mps on all sides of the house of commons who we re sides of the house of commons who were hoping that tracey crouch would stay in herjob because she is

highly regarded by people on all sides of the house for the work she has done, particularly on this issue. it is a matter of principle for a lot of mps, including tracey crouch. this is an issue that provokes anger, doesn't it, in the commons? these fixed odds betting terminals, the irish scene as the crack cocaine of gambling addiction. —— these are seen. crack cocaine of gambling addiction. -- these are seen. it was talked about how it blighted people's lies, destroy people's lives. suicide rates are higher amongst those who are addicted to gambling and these kinds of betting terminals just contributed to that gambling problem. it was a campaign that was won over years to get those changes brought in but i think this is seen asa brought in but i think this is seen as a betrayal by many mps by the government, because the

understanding, although it was not written down, the understanding that they said it was very clear that the understanding was it would be brought in in april. something the government has denied. this morning they were defending their position. i think there will be some in the conservative party who will be very upset about this and they will say it was a self—inflicted wound, there was no need for this to happen, the principle is agreed on. everybody thinks it is the right thing to do. for the matter of the few months, it would have been better to make the change. campaigners would see it as it would help people's lives. from the government point of view, these are going to be bad headlines tonight and tomorrow. some people will say they could have avoided it by climbing down a little bit and changing the timespan by eight few months. absolutely. i think with all the other issues they have, it does

show us how difficult it is to govern when you do not have a sizeable majority. it does mean that if mps on your own side do not like something, they have the capability to defeat the government. i think thatis to defeat the government. i think that is what is perplexing about this, there is very likely to be a vote in the house of commons on this issue and from mps on the conservative side, a number have said to me we will not back the government on this. it does not take very many tory mps to defeat the government. we could end up losing a minister and losing a vote and having to think again anyway. we will see what happens if that vote happens in a couple of weeks' time. it would be an amendment to the finance bill, that has not been published yet. there are labour mps who are hoping to put down an amendment and they are confident they will get conservative mps to

support them. tracey crouch has resigned from the government over delays, as she believes they are in cutting the maximum stake of fixed odds betting terminals. let's we have had a front crossing over today. that front has been really slow to clear. still some rain here for a time this evening. before it finally clears away, clearer skies developing. a pepper of showers for scotla nd developing. a pepper of showers for scotland and the irish sea coasts. a cold night for many. cold spots down to —5. seven or eight for the channel islands. the crisp and frosty start to friday. as the day wears on, more cloud from the west. that will turn the sunshine hazy.

temperatures up to 13 celsius. if you have firework plans, most will be dry. this rain arriving into northern ireland, western scotland and the wind will pick up. that is the theme into saturday. a windy day for many. we could seek dust of 65 mph. —— we could see gusts of 65 this is bbc news. the headlines: sports minister tracey crouch has resigned over the government's introduction of changes to the maximum stake on fixed 0dds betting terminals. dorrell was over perceived delays to the introduction. the national crime agency investigates arron banks and his leave.eu campaign for alleged offences committed during the 2016 eu referendum. mr banks has welcomed the inquiry into campaignfunding, saying that he never received any foreign — or russian — donations. a senior police officer has questioned whether investigating misogyny, rather than crimes such as burglary, is the best use of resources.

google employees around the world stage a series of walk—outs demanding fairer treatment for female and ethnic minority staff. now the sport withjohn watson. good afternoon. the leicester city manager claude puel has called this week one of the hardest in the club's history following the death of owner vichai srivaddhanaprabha and four others in saturday's helicopter crash. the club's former manager claudio ranieri stood alongside vichai's son to lay a wreath at the club's stadium. he led the club to their triumph in the premier league two years ago. the man now in charge, claude puel, said it was the players‘ decision for their game with cardiff to go ahead as planned, their first since the crash. it was a fantastic feeling, i think, to see all my players on the pitch.

er...| to see all my players on the pitch. er... i have 27 players in the squad, and all the players together ready to train and to give their best, 100%, just to remember the owner on the pitch, er, of that chairman. hearts and hibernian have released a joint statement condemning the incidents which marred last's night's edinburgh derby at tynecastle. hibs boss neil lennon was struck "on the jaw" moments after celebrating hearts having an injury—time goal disallowed. the hearts goalkeeper was also hit by a hibs fan while police scotland have arrested a man in connection with an assault on an assistant referee. the clubs have released a joint statement saying... manchester city forward

raheem sterling has verbally agreed a new five—year contract with the club. his current deal expires in 2020 and talks about an extension have been ongoing for several months. his new contract would see sterling reportedly earn £300,000 a week, making him one of the premier league's highest earners. olympic champion simone biles has underlined her status as one of the all time great gymnasts at the world gymnastics championships in doha. the american's become the first woman to win four all—round titles at the world championships — her first came back in 2013. it takes her tally to 12 world championship golds overall. england co—captain 0wen farrell will start at fly—half in the first

of england's autumn internationals against south africa at twickenham this weekend. it means that ben te'o starts at inside centre despite playing fewer than 30 minutes for worcester this season. blind—side brad shields and mark wilson, who starts at number eight, form an inexperienced back row alongside tom curry. head coach eddiejones has told our reporter chrisjones that despite his team's indifferent form, he's not feeling the heat. i don't think any game is a must win. i think it's exciting for us. we are excited by the challenge and looking forward to it, and we are well prepared for the game and what drugs we know the run hasn't been good recently, so any pressure on yourself? are you putting any extra pressure on your shoulders? you say there is pressure in every game? every time at a test match, is pressure. we've got 82,000 fans, we

wa nt to pressure. we've got 82,000 fans, we want to play well for them. we'll have more for you in sportsday at 6.30. let's get more now on our breaking news this hour, and as we've been reporting the sport minister tracey crouch has resigned from the government over perceived delays in cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals. the chancellor announced in the budget that the change would take effect in october 2019. campaigners had hoped the changes would come in next spring. the government has insisted there has been no delay. 0ur political correspondent leila nathoo reports. a popular and respected minister, tracey crouch today chose to put principle before her career. in her time at the culture and sport department, she sought to tackle

problem gambling, announcing in may that the maximum stakes on fixed odds betting town minerals, considered highly addictive, were to be cut from £100 to £2. this was widely welcomed by campaigners but monday's budget revealed the change would not be brought in until next 0ctober. like many others in westminster, tracey crouch wanted it sooner, and today she stood down over the decision. in the commons this morning, labour's tom watson accused the government of capitulating to the gambling industry. it is a betrayal of the government's own three—year review which was meticulously conducted by the memberfor which was meticulously conducted by the member for chatham and aylesford. when the government itself has admitted the social blight of fixed bets betting terminals, it seems to me inconceivable that the government would delay a policy supported by many on both sides of this house and in both chambers. the government insisted there was never a

commitment to a date to bring in the change and that preparations were needed. it was also right to consider planning to reduce the effect of job losses for those working in betting shops on the high street and allowing time for that planning to take effect. it also has to be recognised that, right although this change is, money for public services coming from the use of fixed odds betting terminals has to be replaced or public services will have less funding. but tracey crouch remained unconvinced, adding in her letter of resignation to downing street this afternoon. matt zarb—cousin is with me. he became addicted to fixed odds betting terminals at the age of 16, and now campaigns for legislative change around gambling. thank you for being with us, and we are going to talk about tracey crouch. i know that you know and you have campaigned with her foot we

will talk about politics, but first tell us about your experience. so you were 16 when you got addicted yes, i went into a betting shop for the first time at 16 to put a bet on a football match, and i put some in the machine and very quickly i had a couple of wins, and i became addicted over a number of weeks. after a few weeks i felt, if i wasn't gambling, i needed to plan my next trip to the betting shop, i was thinking about gambling all the time, and it led to a point where i was in tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt where the age of 20 maxed out numerous overdrafts and loa ns maxed out numerous overdrafts and loans and sold all my possessions just to fund this addiction. so you we re just to fund this addiction. so you were losing money but you were still addicted. definitely, but the difference with gambling addiction as to other addictions is that the idea that you can maybe win the money back feeds the delusion, and

that's what kind of incentivises the continuation of gambling. it's very dangerous, in that sense. with addictions like alcohol and drugs, there is a propensity to overdose, but with gambling there is no limit to what you can lose, and i think it's one of those addictions where you think, if i have a big win, it will solve all my problems, and that is what keeps you going, and obviously it's irrational. just explain how fixed odds terminals work to people who don't know them, because they have been described as the kind of crack cocaine of gambling, how addictive they are. anyone who has been in a betting shop and either used these machines or seen people playing them knows that there was a problem with them, and tracey crouch is one of those people who has been in betting shops, put a bet on racing or sports or whatever. she isn't antigambling, shejust or whatever. she isn't antigambling, she just knows that these machines area she just knows that these machines are a particular problem and, when she became the gambling minister in

0ctober she became the gambling minister in october 2016, sorry, 2015, it was, in october 2015 she asked for a gambling review and david cameron said no, and theresa may a year later said yes. we are two years on from that gambling review, and it took 19 months for the government to come to a decision, and they announced in may it would be a £2 cap, and we are now in october and now the government is saying that it's going to be another year. the bookmakers have had far too long, they've had long enough. the industry was saying at the all—party group enquiry recently that it would ta ke group enquiry recently that it would take nine to 12 months, and i think thatis take nine to 12 months, and i think that is a real over estimate to run a software update, but let's take them at their word. nine to 12 months from may 20 team is april or may 2019, and there is no excuse for a delay beyond that. you obviously feel that tracey crouch was right to resign. she is clearly so passionate about this, so i guess it isn't a

surprise? it's not a surprise, but what is a surprise is that government haven't decided to row back on this and agree to april 2019. just for the sake of six months? i think it's brainless for the government, because they will lose a vote on the budget. there was a majority in the house and i think tracey crouch will vote for that amendment, for it to be april 2019, and that is why she has resigned. and you think of mps would back the? there are dozens of tory mps, it is labour party policy. i think the government has handled it terribly. ina sense, government has handled it terribly. in a sense, from your point of view, what is good is that the whole issue of gambling addiction is rising up the agenda, it is being debated and talked about, it is in the political sphere. i think that's a good thing. there are many issues with current gambling legislation, and the last

labour government were responsible for that. there needs to be a levy for that. there needs to be a levy for treatment. treatment is underfunding. 0nline gambling is another issue, advertising... and tv advertising of rambling is still very controversial. very much so, because there is a pre—watershed exemption for live sports, and i think there is a cross—party consensus that we need huge reforms of how we regulate gambling, and i am very pleased with that. briefly, you got out of it but lots of other people obviously haven't and can't. exactly. i am very happy to have got out of it i have the support of family andi out of it i have the support of family and i was able to get treatment and whatever, but the important thing is we have to do everything we can within a regulatory framework to reduce gambling related harm, and £2 stake on fixed odds betting terminals will goa on fixed odds betting terminals will go a huge way towards doing that.

matlock cousin, a former gambling addict, thank you. a global study warns that the amount of heat absorbed by the oceans over the past 25 years has been seriously underestimated. researchers say the seas have absorbed 60% more heat than previously thought, which means it could be harder to keep global warming within safe levels this century. let's go to princeton university in newjersey and speak to dr laure resplandy, the lead author of the report. thank you for being with us. just sum up what your findings thank you for being with us. just sum up what yourfindings are and what your warnings are, if you like. thank you for having me. we are finding —— ourfindings are that the ocean has warned more than we thought, and that has implications for future policy and thought, and that has implications forfuture policy and how thought, and that has implications for future policy and how the earth is sensitive to our emissions. and you are suggesting that the seas and

ocea ns you are suggesting that the seas and oceans have absorbed 60% more than previously thought. that's a huge figure. you are confident that is accurate? so, in the past, ocean warming has been estimated using temperature measurements in situ, in the ocean, and we know very well the ocean warming from the past decade, but the question was, before that, how much warming was there in the past 25 years? there was some uncertainty, so the idea was to find another approach to get that ocean warming, so that it would confirm or infirm some of the prior assessments. we have found that it is that the full range of what has been previously published, and 60% than the figure the ipsa has been using in its report. what does this mean in terms of climate change and the future of the planet? what it means is that the planet is more

sensitive to emissions than we thought, it is warming more than we thought. we have more heat stored in the planet, and that has implications. basically, it is going to be harder to stay below 1.5 or 2 degrees than we thought. and what would you say to people in power around the world, all the presidents and prime ministers? what is your message? 1.5 degrees ago that came ata message? 1.5 degrees ago that came at a couple of days ago from the ipcc lays out for us a way forward, and our results don't question that. what they say is that it is probably going to be harder than we thought so, if we want to make something about it, we have the kind of reports that give us answers. that reports that give us answers. that report from the intergovernmental panel on climate change from the un was pretty alarming, frankly. a lot of people were really shocked. you

are saying, if anything, things are even worse. that is what i am saying. and are you surprised by your own findings? i was a little bit at first, but we have known the ocean has been storing heat and warming a lot. it is taking up more than 90% of the total warming, so we know that. the question was how much exactly, because that has implications for future mitigation strategies. so all of this heat which is stored in the oceans, will it come out? what happens to it in the long term ? it come out? what happens to it in the long term? well, yes. if we start calling the atmosphere, it will come out from the ocean, and thatis will come out from the ocean, and that is why it makes it harder to stay below a certain temperature, when we've underestimated the warming in the ocean, because it is there, it is potentially coming out at some point, on a scale. at some point, on a long—term scale. usually the ocean releases warming ona usually the ocean releases warming on a 100 year timescale, but it is on a 100 year timescale, but it is on the planet and it is going to

stay there. so you are saying we need to do a lot more and a lot faster? that is what it suggests, yes. if we want to stay below 1.5 or 2 degrees, it's going to be harder than we thought. what about anti—for being with us, assistant professor of geosciences at princeton university. thank you for your time. sports minister tracey crouch has resigned over the government's introduction of changes to the maximum stake on fixed 0dds betting terminals. the national crime agency has been asked to investigate suspected criminal offences relating to campaign spending during the eu referendum. a senior police officer has questioned whether investigating misogyny, rather than crimes such as burglary, is the best use of resources. in just five days' time, voters in the united states will get the chance to pass judgement on donald trump's presidency at the ballot box.

the mid—term elections see americans elect members to both chambers of congress, and the results will be hugely significant. in the battle for the house of representatives, mr trump's republican party currently holds 235 seats compared with the democrats' 193. with all seats being contested, the democrats would have to gain 23 seats in order to take control. to stop that happening, mr trump has been campaigning hard for the votes of evangelical christians. 0ur north america correspondent chris buckler has been to mississippi. across the united states, religion and politics feel part of the same conversation. join us for the next hour as we offer a christian response to the issues of the day. christian talk radio stations here don't shy away from the topics that can cause such division in this country. often they appear to embrace them. they say we should have an open border at the south side of our country, the southern border,

but they live in gated communities. right. that's right. mississippi is said to be the most religious state in the us. here at ole miss university in oxford, there are several active christian groups, and evangelicals are among the republican party and donald trump's most devoted supporters. i can share with others... at the ole miss baptist student union there were many who recognise the president's flaws, but his hardline views on one issue mattered more than any other — abortion. it plays a huge role in every political decision i make. just because i think human life, at its core, is that valuable. i think there were a significant number of christian evangelical voters who basically held their nose as they voted for president trump, because of the stench of his moral life. but they realised that out of the two there wasn't necessarily a good option, so they went with the person who represented their values in their policies more than the person who lived it out in their personal life.

in the calvary baptist church in wisconsin, you'll find people keen to show their deep beliefs, both in god and in conservative values. because i'm overwhelmed by the love that god has for me, i'm going to reach out to the community around me and everyone that i bump shoulders with on a daily basis. but i believe that my conservative view is also tied into that. i don't think that you can separate the two. this is much more than a bestselling book... the republican party is a natural home for many of the views held by this congregation. but that means they need to put theirfaith in president trump, a man whose lies and alleged affairs suggest a life less than godly. i think that can probably be said of every politician.

and i don't know that he's a politician, but we are all sinners saved by grace, and so if he can recognise that and get advice from other people and, you know, surround himself with wise people, then i would be comforted in that. you get the impression that some christians are having to find forgiveness in order to praise donald trump. but the president and his republican party know that in evangelicals they have found something of a political rock. chris buckler, bbc news, 0xford, mississippi. scientists here in the uk have taken whale—watching to new heights. they're using satellite cameras to monitor the movements of the mammals, which up until now have proved extremely difficult to track. from 400 miles up, the imagery is sharp enough to capture the distinctive shapes of different species. researchers from the british antarctic survey hope this can improve conservation efforts by more accurately working out

whale populations. here's our science correspondent, jonathan amos. big, beautiful, but we're a little sketchy on their numbers. whales are recovering from commercial hunting, although how well is open to question. the problem is their range. whales will cover vast tracts of the globe. what's needed is a rapid way to survey the oceans, to zoom in on their breeding and feeding grounds. the answer is the sharpest views from space ever released. well, this big blue piece of paper here is a satellite image of baja california off the west coast of mexico. and as you look closely, each one of these white specks is actually a whale that we're seeing. it's a whale near the surface. we can use these very high—resolution images to actually count the number of whales in any particular area. but totting up the numbers is one thing. scientists also need to know the type of whale. whales have previously been counted

from boats and planes, but these are small—scale surveys. now scientists are using the latest satellite images to cover the whole earth. key is the improved resolution that can see anything larger than 30 centimetres across. this means features such as fins and tails can be observed, and the animals identified. it should lead to more reliable estimates of the status of these endangered creatures. whales were pushed to the edge of extinction by commercial whaling. some species still number in the low thousands, but they are recovering, and scientists are keen to learn everything they can about their progress. whales are really important indicators of our ecosystem health. and so gathering information like this on such a broad scale from satellite imagery, we can understand something about the ocean's health, and that's really useful for marine conservation. the task of counting whales from space will only get easier as more and more satellites are launched. soon, we'll have a sharp

picture of every corner of the globe updated every day. jonathan amos, bbc news. let's remind you of our breaking news, that tracey crouch, the sports minister, has resigned from the government over perceived delays in implementing a maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals. we have just had this tweet from tracey crouch. we were talking in the last few minutes to one campaigner against these gambling machines, a former gambling addict, who was saying that tracey crouch has been a great campaigner on this issue, and saying

that she is a woman of principle, and saying he wasn't surprised she had resigned because of this perceived delay of six months in implementing that maximum stake. much more on that throughout the evening, but tracey crouch saying it with tests with great sadness that she has resigned from the government. —— it is with great sadness. here's alina jenkins with the forecast. a front moving its way across the uk today, and a good deal of sunshine behind that with some showers on western coats. weather front has stalled, we are seeing some rain, but a beautiful afternoon in cumbria with a bit of fair weather cloud. compare that to sob, this was stowma rket compare that to sob, this was stowmarket earlier, plenty of rain, and it is still hanging on this evening. this is connected to this strip of cloud, which is pulling away east, and i think there is still another couple of hours of rain across parts of east anglia and

south—east england before that rain moves away into the north sea. print it, clear skies, still a better ring of showers for the western isles of scotla nd of showers for the western isles of scotland and the irish sea, but otherwise generally dry and clear night. it will be cold, frosty to. these are the temperatures in the centre of town. in the countryside, down to “11 or five, but much centre of town. in the countryside, down to “11 orfive, but much milder in the channel islands. the most, a crisp, frosty start tomorrow, a good deal of sunshine, especially first thing. high crowd will streaming through the day from the west, slowly turning the sunshine hazy, but it stays largely dry after that cold start, with temperatures recovering to between nine and 13. this area of rain behind me eventually moving into northern ireland, then later arriving into western fringes of scotland. if you have firework plans tomorrow night, most will be dry, but the wind is starting to strengthen. it is connected to this area of low

pressure which was hurricane 0scar. notice the squeeze in the isobars. some windy weather for saturday and also outbreaks of rain. at first pa rt also outbreaks of rain. at first part western scotland and northern ireland, slowly filtering is through the day and perhaps affecting western fringes of wales and the south—east —— south—west by the end of the day but windy for all of us, these are average speeds through the afternoon, but we could see costs of 65 mph through the evening and overnight. actually feeling quite warm in the sunshine in south—east england. for sunday, the front has shifted a little bit, working its way south and east but returning north and west, so parts of wales, the midlands, northern england will see some rain at times, but on either side probably mainly dry with sunshine, and we are in a mild theme, 12 to 1a, and the wind will not be as strong as on saturday. but something milder but much windier. a criminal investigation is launched

into how a prominent businessman funded a pro—brexit campaign during the eu referendum two years ago. arron banks has been referred to the national crime agency by the elections watchdog which suspects that £8 million given to the campain came from impermissible sources. the nca should now use all of their powers to investigate this fully, these are very serious matters. aaron banks say he's confident he'll be cleared of what he called ludicrous allegations. a minister resigns amid claims the government has delayed cutting the maximum stake on fixed—odds betting terminals.

a mass walkout by google employees in new york, part of a global protest at the way the tech giant treats women and ethnic minorities. the ten—year—old who'll miss out despite british doctors being allowed to prescribe some with canabis for medical reasons for the first time.