this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 11pm... seven labour mps quit the party in protest atjeremy corbyn's handling of antisemitism and brexit. japanese car maker, honda, is expected to announce the closure of its plant in swindon, three—and—a—half thousand jobs could be lost. the border force intercepts a boat carrying 3a migrants off the coast of dover, with women and children among those rescued. president trump warns the venezuelan military they risk losing everything if they don't abandon president nicolas maduro. and at 11:30pm, we'll be taking another look at the papers with the political correspondent at the guardian, jessica elgot and broadcaster, david davies. good evening.

welcome to bbc news. seven mps have taken the drastic step of deciding to leave the labour party, and are forming a new independent group, that will sit in the house of commons. the group said they were resigning over the leadership‘s handling of brexit and anti—semitism. mr corbyn says he's disappointed by their decision, and labour's shadow chancellor, john mcdonnell, called on them to stand down and face by—elections. just a warning the following report by our political editor, laura kuenssberg has some flashing images. finally, after a frenzy of rumour... ..labour mps with decades of experience between them, making their way into a stifling, cramped london room. where, after months of struggle to make their presence felt, they announced they would be labour mps no more, whether because of anti—semitism. .. the leadership has wilfully and repeatedly failed to address

hatred against jewish people within its ranks. i am leaving behind a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation. or ideas — a profound clash of ideas between this group and jeremy corbyn over another eu referendum. this has not been an easy decision for any of us. the evidence of labour's betrayal on europe is now visible for all to see... offering to actually enable this government's brexit, constantly holding back from allowing the public a final say. maybe they believe brexit‘s broken our politics altogether, reckoning time for something new. it is time we dumped this country's old—fashioned politics and created an alternative. you don'tjoin a political party to spend years and years fighting the people within it. you get involved in politics, you join a party to change the world. so, we invite you to leave your parties and help us forge

a new consensus on a way forward for britain. many of your colleagues in the labour party are going to feel that you have let them down. some of them may even feel that you are betraying them by leaving, when you should be sticking together. what do you say to your colleagues and to members of the labour party who feel that way? this is a labour party that has changed beyond recognition. you have to make a decision. it's notjust the politics, it is whether you can feel a moral integrity to go along with things that you can no longerjustify or accept, and i've come to my own breaking point. i cannot do that any longer. do you accept that by leaving, because of the way our political system works, that makes a tory government more likely at the next election? people feel politically homeless, and they are asking and begging for an alternative. it seemed none of them knew quite what to say at the end. not yet a political party with a leader or a manifesto,

their long held private fears now very public. but how many others might follow them and leave him? good morning, how nice to see you all here this morning. good morning, how nice to see you, and goodbye! no party wants to say farewell to some of its support. i'm disappointed, but all of these mps stood on our manifesto in 2017, jeremy corbyn‘s manifesto. they all increased their majorities. now, they're on a different platform. so, the honourable thing, the usual thing for them to do now, is to stand down and fight by—elections. backbench unhappiness atjeremy corbyn isn't new, but he's had powerful supporters from the very start. there's a strong whiff of hypocrisy here. they stood as labour mps on a platform in the general election 18 months ago. all of them got massive increases in their majorities. i have to tell them, it wasn't because of their own personal charisma! but the cameras and the crush

are because there are others who believe the system can't be repaired, maybe even including a sprinkling of tories too. this isn'tjust about brexit. this group, that's causing such a frenzy already, believe our whole political system is broken. but whether this tiny number can grow to something with a real impact, is something only weeks and months will tell. this could be their biggest moment, a flash that fades. their hope, though, is to persuade their old colleagues and you that a few could become the many. and laura kuenssberg says there could be more resignations to follow. just because today has been a long time coming does not mean it matters and less. there is no secret that since he won as party reader, there has been significant unhappiness inside the labour party about his

style of leadership and about many of his policies and particularly the handling of the anti—semitism crisis that has got the labour party. in the end, a small group of his mps decided to walk out the door and i also think it is highly likely in the next couple of days you may see a sprinkling of others doing the same. the numbers are still likely at this stage to be small and of course there is a question about how much impact a handful of mps setting as an independent group could have but what is also happening is that is different from breakaways that happen before and the memory of what happened in the 80s rings heavy in the airat happened in the 80s rings heavy in the air at the moment is a very real possibility of a small group of conservatives with concerns over brexit may alsojoin conservatives with concerns over brexit may also join the group. i talked to to tori mps and if this group finds

a form of a centre ground and moving forward over brexit, that could lead andi forward over brexit, that could lead and i stress could, give it a very different potential. small at this stage and a very different potential. small at this stage and very small but maybe they help with it big impact in the future potentially. bringing you some news coming to us from our colleagues at bbc westminster, two unnamed conservative mps told the bbc tonight that they are thinking seriously to leave their party and think the mac set as independence. some of their colleagues also having conversations. the situation is very fluid and final decisions have not been reached. joining me now is the labour peer and former transport secretary — lord adonis. inevitably, people are making to inspect them at comparisons with the

sdp and you wear one of those who went into politics, does it have a residence? it is a similar situation, party leadership has moved to the left and has fundamental of principle which are causing differences in the three points of principle are europe and the willingness of jeremy points of principle are europe and the willingness ofjeremy corbyn to embrace the referendum and a great majority of the labour party and i believe the majority of labour mps now regarded as an essential to break the deadlock because an alternative to the referendum one way or another and it would be unacceptable way or another and it would be u na cce pta ble to way or another and it would be unacceptable to the party and the two things driving this are anti—semitism and the failure of the leadership to read anti—semitism in the party. they are very similar to the party. they are very similar to the 1980s and the fact that labour

is proposing to leave the eu in the mid—i9 80s that drove particularly and setting at the sdp. and these mps, mainstream mps, likely those who have left today, the threat of the selection that drove many mps to leave... the selection that drove many mps to leave. . . the the selection that drove many mps to leave... the experience of that for all the relative success, sdp enjoyed attention and sympathetic coverage and the media and a strong share of the 1980s still only two percentage points behind labour but in the end because of the electoral system did not break through and that problem remains, if this does turn into another political party, and has to try and effectively occu py and has to try and effectively occupy space that is already occupied with an electricalm occupy space that is already occupied with an electrical it will be different if they try to form a party because it is not only getting over a very light threshold, but the

stp got to 35% and got 23 seats so that mac compared to 200 plus for labour. because he had most of the sitting mps and concentrations of support. all kinds of horrific memories are coming back to my mind as well, we spend years, literally and painstaking negotiations with parliament seats with the liberal party and there had to be a pact with them and that was deeply traumatic and there was the issue with the by elections because they said the people who defected to sdp we re said the people who defected to sdp were illegitimate because they never won a by election. reselect me but ifi won a by election. reselect me but if i then change my mind i will resign... and people set up a time they should all go through by elections and conservative mps, only one conservative joined the sdp and

it will because the party split. even going to this extreme with margaret thatcher, they did not split. any consequence of success this time is the conservative party and it is the most extreme circumstances like brexit and margaret thatcher is remarkably immune to this. for brexit, the difficulty for this, and not only did the first referendum result in the decision to leave the european union but if we then get to the stage where parliament passes some kind of brexit deal, that issue becomes kind of history and it is what happens next and to focus on that as a reason to leave might seem to be kind of a little irrelevant. the crucial thing is what happens next because if we have the crucial votes in parliament coming up and whether it is no deal that comes up in ten minutes' time and theresa may's second vote of no deal comes

up, so everything is in play there and the big question on the left at the moment is labour going to stand up the moment is labour going to stand up resolutely for its party policy which is not to agree to theresa may's deal and proceed to the referendum, if we are resolute on that course, my view is we can probably succeed in gaining the referendum with a group of conservative mps who are equally concerned and see that we don't crash out... and those who think that might actually fraction the labour party? the labour party has a policy and the great majority of labour members and the referendum voted against brexit and the overwhelming majority of labour party members themselves are against brexit so what is needed and i'm afraid the situation is veryjeremy corbyn to read and when he needs to do is read decisively against rough democratic senate and for the

referendum but the larger breakaway, substantially turned on whether it labour is complicit and brexit because it is now overwhelmingly a pro—european party and did not want to see a tori brexit. and we have a hold series of bad economic stories related one way or another. the business that went out of business two days ago, and if labour were to be complicit in brexit, what you see todayis be complicit in brexit, what you see today is just the beginning. if labour stops brexit, then i think at that point people will say it may be the party system is working after all. does not, after all you are not traditionally a labour man but when and because of tony blair and the period of politics in the 90s. this brexit crisis still has some way to gailandi brexit crisis still has some way to gailand i am brexit crisis still has some way to gail and i am very much hoping that my party would be doing the right thing by the country which is to put

theissue thing by the country which is to put the issue back to the country and by doing that there is an option to remain and if he did that we would have fulfilled our duty and then i think we would be very comfortable in the labour party. thank you. the car manufacturer, honda is expected to announce the closure of its factory in swindon, putting three and a half thousand jobs at risk. last june, the japanese firm pledged its commitment to the uk, but the plant is now likely to close in 2022. honda has made vehicles in wiltshire for more than 30 years, but production will now switch to japan. the unite union has called the move "a shattering body blow, at the heart of uk manufacturing" 0ur correspondent, jon kay reports from swindon. for 30 years honda cars have been heading out of this factory to a showroom near you. but for how much longer? workers leaving the swindon plant tonight were stunned by news that the site could close. i've got two kids, i've got a mrs, obviously this is my full—time job, this is my life, so obviously without this, technically i'm jobless. ijust think all these companies that are closing down,

it shouldn't be happening. i'm hearing there might be a meeting tomorrow so we willjust wait and see what they say about that tomorrow. but obviously it is all over social media so, yeah, that is all we know at the moment. so you found out on social media? yes, we found out on social media. last month, honda announced it would shut the swindon operation for six days in april, to deal with any brexit disruption. and some of the 3,500 workers now blame brexit for a more permanent closure. i can't imagine a more stark warning to the government. no deal will be catastrophic for the uk car industry and if there is no deal in particular, this will not be the only plant closure. there will be more to come. honda has helped transform this old railway town into a vibrant business hub, and many here believe the threat to the plant now is more about global trade and vehicle trends than it is about uk politics. whatever the reason, the unions are furious. for the last two years,

the uk car industry has been the jewel in the crown of british manufacturing. today's announcement, should it be confirmed, just rips the heart out of it. a lot of people in swindon, all they have ever known is honda. martin has worked at the plant since the 1990s. his honda parked proudly on the driveway. but tonight he is worried not just about the thousands ofjobs at the plant, but the thousands more in the chain. all the companies that supply honda, all the lorries that go in and out, picking up the cars, all the people that supply the parts, they are not going to have the money to go into the shops to spend and things like that. that is going to hit the shops, the retail. it isjust going to be a catastrophe. honda is the biggest thing to ever hit swindon. without honda, there is no swindon. tomorrow morning, the thousands of workers here hope to get some

kind of explanation, but many of them have told us they are less bothered about the way and that they care far more about what next. john kay, bbc news, swindon. the headlines on bbc news... seven labour mps quit the party in protest at jeremy corbyn‘s handling of anti—semitism and brexit. japanese car maker, honda, is expected to announce the closure of its plant in swindon — three—and—a—half thousand jobs could be lost. the border force intercepts a boat carrying 3a migrants off the coast of dover — with women and children among those rescued a group of 3a men, women and children, have been detained by the uk border force near dover, after trying to cross the channel in a small boat. they were brought to shore by coastal patrols, and their nationalities are not yet known. three men have been arrested.

from dover here's our special correspondent lucy manning. blankets over their heads, life jackets on, safe on the border force's cutter. hmc vigilant living up to its name, rescuing 3a migrants from the channel. children can be seen standing at the back. this, a far cry from the small, overcrowded inflatable boat they started theirjourney in. they balanced on it precariously, a dangerous voyage. with 3a men, women and children plucked from here, it's thought to be the most migrants rescued from just one boat in the channel. it was early morning when lifeboats and border force boats launched their rescue operation. they were brought into dover port. it's not clear what nationalities they are, but many recently have been iranian. the migrants have been taken to be interviewed by immigration officials.

three people were arrested. this is the largest group of migrants in a single boat that we are aware of, and there must be a concern that this will become more commonplace as the weather improves, as temperatures rise, as the sea becomes calmer, and that is why it is so important that we act now, that the home secretary acts now before it becomes an even more serious problem. last year, 539 people attempted to cross the channel in small boats, with 434 of them making the journey between october and december. the bbc believes around 90 people this year have arrived here in the same way. however, that number is just a small fraction of those who arrived here on the back of lorries in our ports. with the weather improving, the concern is more people and more boats will make the crossing. the second border force boat that was redeployed from overseas has yet to arrive. it is still undergoing maintenance. the home secretary had at the end of last year declared the migrant crossings a major incident.

after something of a lull, this was the third boatload in five days, and by far the biggest. lucy manning, bbc news, dover. president trump is attempting to build support for venezuela's opposition leaderjuan guiado, who the us has been backing since he declared himself interim president last month. speaking at a rally in miami, the us president warned members of venezuela's military who are helping president nicolas maduro to stay in power that they are risking their future and their lives. we are here to proclaim a new day is coming in latin america. it is coming. in venezuela and across the western hemisphere, socialism is dying and liberty, prosperity and democracy

are being reborn. today our hopes democrats are filled with hope because of the determination of millions of everyday venezuelans, the patriotism of the venezuelan national assembly and the incredible courage of interim presidentjuan guiado. —— today our hearts are filled with hope. today but the people of venezuela are standing with freedom and democracy and the united states of america is standing right by their side. donald trump speaking in miami a short time ago. shamima begum, the schoolgirl from london who ran away to join islamic state in syria, says she never wanted to be a "poster girl" for the terror group. now 19, and with a two day old baby, she says she wants the uk's forgiveness, and while it was wrong that innocent people died in the manchester arena bombing, she saw what happened as a "kind of retaliation" for attacks on is.

she's been speaking to our middle east correspondent, quentin somerville. underneath her black dress, she cradles her today year—old son, only four years have passed since he left britain. but that's a lifetime in the islamic state group. shamima begum stuck with the extremists until the very last moment. but now she wants forgiveness. myself i will admit that i was when you made the choice even though i was only 15 years old. i could make my own decisions. i do have the mentality to make my own decisions andi mentality to make my own decisions and i did leave on my own knowing that. it was a risk but, i will admit it is my fault right now. i just want forgiveness really. from the uk. everything i have been

through, i did not expect i would go through, i did not expect i would go through that. losing my children the way i lost them, i do not want to lose my baby. if islamic state stayed and had not been defeated would gives a? now, i would've let. they were brought to this camp after they surrendered to kurdish forces there is a possibility to apologise to people for some of the kids who we re to people for some of the kids who were killed in the manchester arena, you must‘ve heard about that attack, what did you think about that?” you must‘ve heard about that attack, what did you think about that? i was shocked but... i just what did you think about that? i was shocked but... ijust couldn't... i

didn't know about the kids, actually but... ido didn't know about the kids, actually but... i do feel that is run that innocent people to get killed. it is wanting to kill a shuttle to my shoulder that is firing at you but it isa shoulder that is firing at you but it is a different thing to kill women and children. like women and children that are being killed right now in the bombings. it is a two way thing. because women and children are being killed back in islamic state right now and it is kind of retaliation. theirjustification was that it was retaliation and i thought that was a fair justification. i —— i asked celebrated. they said anyone returning from the islamic state group will be investigated and prosecuted. she is wanted and syria

and at home. as the caliphate classes, it reads more than rubble in its wake. i2 classes, it reads more than rubble in its wake. 12 more british winged deming women are in this camp in the last week alone. —— british women are in this camp in the last week alone. it's being celebrated as a medicalfirst. a woman from oxford has had gene therapy, to try to halt the most common form of blindness in the uk, age related macular degeneration. surgeons injected dna into the affected eye under local anaesthetic, to try to protect her remaining vision. our medical correspondent, fergus walsh, has this exclusive report. can you see the letters on this line, the next one down? no, it's become a blur. little by little, janet 0sborne is losing her sight. just look straight ahead. she has age—related macular degeneration, amd. it's a massive problem in the uk, affecting several hundred thousand people. the condition means her central vision is blurred. you're not clear, but i can see your glasses and your ears... can you see the colour of my eyes?

no. you can see the light, can you? in a world first, this professor of ophthalmology at the university of oxford is going to use an injection of gene therapy to try to halt amd in her left eye. so, how does it work? in some people, as they age, genes responsible for the eye's natural defences start to malfunction and begin destroying the cells in the macula — the most sensitive part of the retina, responsible for sharp central vision. in this trial, an injection is made at the back of the eye. a harmless virus infects the retinal cells and releases a synthetic gene. this is used by the cells' own machinery to make a protein. it's hoped this will stop the immune system overreacting and keep the macula healthy. the procedure, at oxford eye hospital, is done under local anaesthetic, and takes less than an hour. if it works, the implications would be huge. imagine a future in which

the commonest cause of blindness in the uk could be prevented by a single injection. that's what's at stake here. because if this treatment is successful, it could be offered to patients before they've lost any vision, stopping their disease in its tracks. approximately 350,000 people in the uk are severely sight—impaired by age—related macular degeneration. a genetic treatment administered early on to preserve the vision in patients who'd otherwise lose their sight would be a tremendous breakthrough in ophthalmology, and certainly something i hope to see in the near future. it's too early to know if janet's sight loss has been stopped, but she'll be monitored over the coming year, along with other patients on the trial. it would mean a lot to you to keep your vision? it would be amazing, absolutely amazing. there is already a gene therapy treatment for another rare form of blindness. if its successful forjanet‘s common condition, it would help many older people retain their sight

and their independence. fergus walsh, bbc news, 0xford. now it's time for the weather with nick miller. hello, this time of year, some of us like to take a trip to the canary islands, for a taste of winter warmth. for a time, islands, for a taste of winter warmth. fora time, laterthis islands, for a taste of winter warmth. for a time, later this week on the weekend, we will bring a bed of the canary islands to be uk. northwest africa and the canaries, indicating where the air is coming from and more importantly going to, keep going and keep going all the way to the uk. it will get a little bit cooler on its journey to the uk but we are still expecting temperatures well above normal for the time of year as the air is skipped up by this area of high pressure, the floor around it bringing it up but it is high pressure which means another spell

of dry weather going our way and after a drier than average january with a dry spell in february, this is something we have to bear in mind going forward into the warm summer months when we have to keep an eye on that but that is where we are heading for a time, into the weekend and the weekend very mild, how mild, it could be reaching 18 celsius. it could be reaching records in some parts of the uk. and other unusual feature about the air coming our way, at the end of the week and we will look at that and just a moment. back to what we have between now and the end of the week and a recent satellite picture indicating this is waiting in the wings later on tuesday — wednesday but there is a gap between leather systems, a range of high pressure and some sunshine to start to say. cloud will increase from the last, with some outbreaks of rangy northern and pushing into western scotland and northwestern england and north wales later in the day. similar to how we started the week but for now they have taken a

step backwards. this weather system will take the rain across the northern half of the uk into wednesday and it was stay essentially dry. a trailing weather front to push their wednesday morning but it will tend to turn drier as we go on through the day and some sunny spells developing and temperatures on wednesday are nudging a little bit higher. that is the process that continues thursday and take this warmth ran northwards and take this warmth ran northwards and follow the isobars and the process under way. the canaries, here we come. we will start with a lot of cloud, not a lot of clear blue sky by any stretch of the imagination on thursday and some patchy rain from the crowd in scotla nd patchy rain from the crowd in scotland and northern ireland for a time but some sunny spells developing into england and wales and you notice the upward trend in temperatures. we expect increasing sunshine from england and wales and still through