the defence secretary is sacked, accused of leaking secret information from a meeting last week of the national security council. gavin williamson is accused of leaking information to a newspaper about a government decision regarding the chinese telecoms firm huawei. the prime minister told mr williamson her inquiry found compelling evidence he was responsible for the leak, he replied with a strong denial. a government minister backs the pm. i have a lot of confidence in the national security advisor, i have a lot of confidence in the process he will have conducted, and i have a lot of confidence in the prime minister and i'm sure they will have made the right decision. opposition politicians are now calling for a police inquiry into whether the defence secretary breached the official secrets act. also tonight... the contaminated blood inquiry

the friends who made a pact at school to find out why they were dying. double olympian casta semenya loses her bid to be able to compete without having to reduce her testosterone. opposition demonstrators clash with police in venezuela who fire tear gas in return. these protestors a re targetting an airbase right at the heart of caracas. at the heart of caracas. and liverpool face an uphill struggle in the champions league after a defeat against barcelona. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news, sir dave brailsford defends new owner sirjim ratcliffee with environmental protests expected at the tour of yorkshire tomorrow.

good evening. the prime minister has sacked the defence secretary gavin williamson, accusing him of leaking information from a meeting of the national security council last week. theresa may said in a letter to mr williamson that she had compelling evidence that he was responsible for the leak, and that she'd lost confidence in his ability to serve. an inquiry into the leak was launched after information was printed in a national newspaper from secret discussions about the chinese firm huawei's involvement in the development of the uk's 56 mobile network. mr williamson has strenuously denied he leaked the information. he's been replaced by the international development secretary penny mordaunt. our political editor laura kuenssberg is in westminster. a dramatic night at westminster, even by recent standards? it takes a lot to shock people in westminster, but last week there was genuine surprise and horror among some in government at the leak of conversations from the national security council, not because leaks

never happen, we are used to them, but because of the nature of the conversations that were revealed to a journalist from the daily telegraph. fingers were quickly private at gavin williamson. a defence secretary has lost his job after lea ks from defence secretary has lost his job after leaks from a security meeting. it wasn't me, he said. absolutely not. and again and again. the defence secretary adamant he had nothing to do with leaking from a secret committee. i've never leaked anything from the national security council, nor would i either. do you admit you're one of the people under suspicion. never would, never have. but his boss, the prime minister didn't believe him. furious at a lea k didn't believe him. furious at a leak from the national security

council last week, theresa may wa nted council last week, theresa may wanted gavin williamson out. sacking him this afternoon and writing in a brutal letter tonight... but gavin williamson is sticking to his story. the now former defence secretary was one of several ministers who had doubts about allowing the chinese firm huawei to take part in building oui’ firm huawei to take part in building our 5g network — superfast broadband. when conversations about giving them a chunk of the contract we re giving them a chunk of the contract were leaked to a newspaper, there

was horror were leaked to a newspaper, there was hoi’i’oi’ among many were leaked to a newspaper, there was horror among many in government. privately, many quickly pointed the finger at mr williamson. do you know any more seek represents minister? he had been promoted quickly and surprisingly to some to defence secretary in 2017. almost immediately ruffling feathers at the mod with his occasional and unusual can dour. it should go away, it should shut up. after acting as the keeper of government's secrets as chief whip and brokering with the deal with the dup after the election and trying to keep michael adebolajo and trying to keep michael adebolajo and michael adebowale's —— and trying to keep theresa may's show on the the road. she bid for more cash for the armed forces, but developed a reputation for dealing and wheeling behind the scenes and having his own aspirations for the

top. now he is out, no longer trusted and no longer on the inside. gavin williamson's down fall perhaps his own ambition and the prime minister losing yet another member of her top table. we know it will be disruptive. the cabinet secretary and the national security advisor believes the evidence against mr williamson is compelling. but friends of departed minister fear the leak inquiry called by no 10 was partly a n the leak inquiry called by no 10 was partly an operation to find the evidence after choosing the culprit. there are calls tonight to bring the police in to get to the bottom of what took place. he denies it. he desearches to —— deserves to have his voice heard and the way to do thatis his voice heard and the way to do that is in a criminal inquiry. are you happy with the newjob. but that is in a criminal inquiry. are you happy with the new job. but the political decision is taken and that

means new faces in high places. penny mordaunt promoted to become defence secretary. the first woman to shake the hands of the top brass as their boss. the prime minister's made her decision, i'm focussed on getting on with the job. she was replaced by rory stewart. a duo who both have big ambitions for the future. i have a lot of security in the national security advisor and the national security advisor and the process he will have conducted andl the process he will have conducted and i have confidence in the prime minister. confidence in anyone and anything in westminster is limited every where. one cabinet career at an end for now. the government shaky at the helm. so decisive action by theresa may, do you feel she is left strengthened or weakened by this? for a long time, theresa may has had

a problem with discipline in cabinet and the colleagues haven't respected the view that what happens in cabinet stays in cabinet and a lot of them have delighted in spilling beans on conversations in government. whether that puts an end to this kind of chatter and the idea that there is disagreement in government i think it is too hasty to come to that conclusion, because we are know there are so many splits in the tory party, over the decisions that theresa may is making and how she is handling brexit. this looks like decisive action, but it is messy. gavin williamson is still denying what he is accused of. he accepted he had a conversation with the journalist who broke the story. but he and his friends are insistent that he was not the perpetrator of the misdeed and it may well be with

calls for a further inquiry, even bringing in the police, another downing street wants the matter to be closed, it may well simply not be that straight forward. we shall have to see. thank you. a group of teenagers who all had haemophilia in the 1980s — the rare condition that affects your blood's ability to clot —formed a pact when some of them started dying while they were at school in hampshire. stephen nicholls, who's now 52, told the current inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal that they vowed to find out what was killing them. most of the boys did not survive. our health editor hugh pym reports. 89 boys with haemophilia were educated at a special school in the 1970s and ‘80s. just 16 have survived. some were at the inquiry today — representing, they said, friends who died as a result of being given infected blood.

they were at treloar‘s college in hampshire, where there was an nhs treatment facility which gave them blood clotting products. they didn't know at the time these were infected with hiv and hepatitis c, some from foreign donors who'd been paid for their blood. everybody was worried, because the link, the press story wasjust breaking... stephen, who developed hepatitis c, said in the early ‘80s he and his friends began to realise they were at risk. we've stuck together right through our childhood and said, if it happens and it kicks off, we could rely on the person still alive to pursue it and find out why and what went wrong. and i'm the only one left. i'm sorry. that's tough, i think about that every day and... it's tough. the inquiry heard from other patients who'd contracted hepatitis c. it's a virus which can cause potentially life—threatening damage to the liver if left untreated.

officially, blood used in transfusions has been screened for hepatitis c since 1991. but carolyn had transfusions in 1992 and 1993 when she was being treated for blood cancer, and then developed hepatitis c. it had a debilitating effect. just really frustrated that i got through two life—threatening rounds of cancer, only to be given another life—threatening illness. what victims and campaigners want is the truth over why so many were infected when they'd put their trust in the nhs for safe treatment. hugh pym, bbc news. the south african double olympic gold medallist caster semenya has lost her appeal against regulations restricting testosterone levels in female runners. the 28—year—old, who will have to take medication to reduce her naturally high testosterone if she's to continue competing, says the policy of athletics' governing body is discriminatory but she won't let it hold her back.

our sports correspondent natalie pirks reports from south africa. south africa's golden girl has never been a big talker. and here comes caster semenya. but every step she's taken in quiet defiance has led her here... and caster semenya blows them away. ..to a decision that could have changed women's sport forever. athletics' governing body believes women with dsd — differences of sexual development — enjoy a performance advantage and should take drugs to lower their testosterone. semenya's lawyers called these rules discriminatory and the court actually agreed, but said the rules are needed. such discrimination is a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving the iaaf's objection of preserving the integrity of female athletics. in a statement, semenya said:

she lost the case. as the news broke, i was with semenya's mentor, the man she calls dad. it's a sad day for athletics, it's a sad day for sport, and it's a sad day for women's sport, and i emphasise women's sport in the world. very disappointed. it's a row that's been rumbling on for years. semenya was thrust into the media spotlight in 2009, aged just 18, after winning the 1800—metre gold. her joy was short—lived as news leaked she was made to take a humiliating gender verification test. results were never made public but it's thought it found she is intersex, with both male and female characteristics. this is where semenya trains in pretoria and where she was protected from the media after that gender verification test. they are fiercely protective of her here, and indeed, a whole nation has looked on aghast at how she's been treated.

the introduction of these iaaf regulations trample on caster's dignity, they trample on caster's rights, so do they trample on other women athletes' rights. this goes beyond semenya. with the tokyo 2020 games fast approaching, the international olympic committee is likely to announce similar testosterone rules for transgender athletes. as sport grapples with issues of ethics and gender, some back the iaaf stance. i'm very pleased. i think it was the right decision. it's about time that cas looked after the majority and thought about how we're going to protect female sport. but for caster semenya this was always simple. she just wanted to run, naturally, the way she was born.

so what now? semenya could appeal but there is a low chance of success. she could switch events to one unaffected by the new rules, like the 5000 metres which she ran recently, or take medication the un has described as humiliating and harmful in order to try to defend her world and olympic titles. athletics south africa has reacted strongly, saying this disgraceful decision has reopened the wounds of apartheid. semenya's tea m the wounds of apartheid. semenya's team say her genetic gift should be celebrated and not punished. the debate rumbles on. the ministry ofjustice is urgently investigating whether a man being hunted in connection with three rapes in london and hertfordshire may have been mistakenly released from prison three months ago. joseph mccann is suspected of the abduction and rape of two women in chingford and edgware last thursday and the rape of a woman in watford four days earlier. the transport secretary chris grayling has cancelled the last two remaining contracts he signed to provide extra ferry services

in the event of a no—deal brexit. multi million pound contracts were given to three ferry companies with one later cancelled as part of no—deal preparations. it's thought the latest cancellation will cost tens of millions of pounds. the former black cab driver john worboys has been charged with four offences against women. mr worboys — who has changed his name tojohn radford — is alleged to have used drugs with the intent of carrying out sexual assaults in london between 2000 and 2008. for the first time an mp has been ousted thanks to a petition signed by more than 19,000 people. it means the disgraced mp fiona onasanya no longer represents peterborough. ms onasanya was jailed for three months in january for perverting the course ofjustice after lying about a speeding offence. the recall petition, as it's known, means there will now be a by—election for a new mp. our political correspondent alex forsyth is in peterborough. this is a politicalfirst?

quite. fiona onasanya has become the first mp kicked out of her seat under a new system set up in the wa ke under a new system set up in the wake of the expenses scandal to give the public more say over the fate of their mps. the public more say over the fate of theirmps. in the public more say over the fate of their mps. in this case it happened because fiona onasanya spentjust overfour because fiona onasanya spentjust over four weeks because fiona onasanya spentjust overfour weeks in prison at because fiona onasanya spentjust over four weeks in prison at the beginning of the year after lying to police about a speeding offence. that triggered a process whereby the people of peterborough got a say in whether or not she should keep her seat, and over the past six weeks more than 19,000 people signed a petition saying she should not. so as of tonight, fiona onasanya, elected as a labour mp that expelled from the party following her conviction, no longer represents peterborough. there will be a by—election, the process will start tomorrow, the election could take place next month. peterborough is a marginal seat. 60% of people he had

voted to leave the eu and with the parliamentary arithmetic so finely balanced, the outcome of the election could tip the balance in westminster, where every party needs the votes of every mp more than ever. thank you, alex. demonstrators and police have clashed again in venezuela with security forces firing tear gas at protesters throwing stones. the opposition leader juan guaido called for strikes to futher destabilise the embattled president, nicholas maduro. he remains defiant, despite reports he'd been ready to flee the country. meanwhile russia has accused the united states of aggression after the us defence secretary suggested america could intervene militarily. nick bryant reports from the venezuelan capital caracas. the opposition promised to make this the largest march in venezuelan history and the country's future could well be determined by whether that prophecy turns out to be true. tens of thousands answered the call to protest — proud patriots, some who looked like caped crusaders,

angry that their beloved country has become a failed state. "we must stand firm", shouted this man, "with the conviction we'll gain freedom", and demonstrators such as businessman carlos gonzalez vowed they would keep on taking to the streets. we are looking for the freedom of our country. that is our mission, we have got to do everything we can to get the freedom. that is the most important, today, tomorrow and forever. in the midst of these crowds, the opposition leader, juan guaido, desperate to keep up the momentum, but his call yesterday for military leaders to switch their allegiance appears so far to have backfired. "we need more military support," he admitted. soon the march became a confrontation, this highway that cuts through the middle of the capital for a second day the battlefield.

both sides have called for mass mobilisation as a way of trying to influence the military. these protesters are targeting an air base right in the heart of caracas. the authorities were determined to hold the line and so far they haven't been overwhelmed. what we are witnessing here is a battle for hearts and minds and there haven't yet been the defections from the military that anti—government protesters were hoping for. on national television, president maduro last night claimed victory, flanked by the military top brass. his hopes of remaining in office depend on keeping them at his side. on international workers' day the socialist president summoned his supporters onto the streets, and for now at least, most of those in uniform are obeying his commands. nick byant, bbc news, caracas.

and this crisis notjust a test of president majuro's ability to cling to power but a test of the trump administration's influence in the americas. there is clearly frustration washington that majuro has not gone already. they thought he would leave yesterday, they claimed there was a plane on the tarmac ready to take into cuba, but russia told him to stay put. the far is the trump administration prepared to go to put its man, juan guaido, in the presidency? security advisor john bolton welcomed the comments of the us commander who said the pentagon was ready to go in support of the opposition. us secretary of state mike pompeo said military action was a possibility but also that the americans would prefer a peaceful transition of power. the problem is that that is not happening this morning. nick briant in caracas, thank you. wicked expanded julian assange has been sentenced to almost a year in prison for breaching bail conditions. it took refuge in the

ecuadorian assembly —— embassy in london seven years ago to avoid extradition to sweden. in mozambique, almost a week since cyclone kenneth struck with winds of up to 175 miles per hour much needed aid has started to reach remote areas. villages on islands just off the northern coast have been almost completely destroyed. officials says more than 200,000 people have been affected and more than a0 are dead — though the death toll is expected to rise as aid agencies reach more areas. ukip's leader gerard batten says his is the only political party that offers a clear policy to take the uk out of the european union. as he launched ukip's campaign for the european elections on 23rd may, mr batten said brexit was being betrayed and a second referendum would mean the effective end of democracy. john pienaar reports from middlesborough. three cheers, everybody! more than just a one—man band? well, there's a new leader since nigel farage left to start a rival group — and ukip's new themes at their european campaign launch?

much like the old ones, exactly what their target audience want to hear. we're here because brexit is being betrayed. if playing the patriotic card guaranteed success, this would be a landslide for gerard batten's party. now, some of our more sensitive mps don't like being called appeasers, collaborators, quislings and traitors. but if the cap fits ,then wear it. ukip had 2a meps. defections, desertions helped reduce them to four. some called their party extremist. mr batten called islam a death cult and took on a hugely controversial adviser. this election isn't about tommy robinson, or anybody else who isn't a member of the party. it is about your identity. this election is about the european elections and whether people want to remain in the european union or leave, and what i've said to the crowd today, and you've heard it all, if they want to leave the european union then ukip is the authentic party of leave. and you find the idea of being a racist party,

or extremist, offensive? you know very well that this party isn't racist. you know very well that i'm not. you know very well that nigel farage is saying things for political benefit, but i'm not frightened to speak out on things which i think are important and affect the future of this country. thank you. new kid has a job of convincing to do with many voters. the blood it have racist policies, policies we would consider to be racist, you are still a racist party. is that the nigel farage party, or are they two? he had started another party. nigel farage party, or are they two? he had started another partylj nigel farage party, or are they two? he had started another party. i am confused. brilliant. a lot better than what's running the country now, innit? the uk independence party will likely be weakened by the loss of nigel farage, whether they'll admit it or not. a figurehead, a symbol can mobilise a mood — of anger, of hope, of both. these elections will help determine whether ukip can still gain from broken loyalties to the big

parties, or whether they will be discarded and left behind. for a while, politics seemed almost easy for ukip. since the vote to leave, life's got much harder. john pienaar, bbc news, middlesbrough. football and liverpool face a huge task to reach the second champions league final in a row after losing 3-0 to league final in a row after losing 3—0 to barcelona at the nou camp. andy swiss watched the first leg of the semifinal. # mo salah, rolling down the wing! battling for the premier league back home and now the champions league in europe, for liverpool fans these are special times but they knew here in barcelona they would need a special performance. the nou camp is a footballing fortress, a wall of sound and colour, and led by the magical lionel messi, the hosts emerged as favourites. they were soon proving just why, ahead thanks to a liverpool old boy, no less, luis suarez ghosting

in to haunt his former club. you feel he mightjust have enjoyed that one, but barcelona's lead should have been short lived, sadio mane spurning a glorious chance as liverpool trailed at the break. after it, barcelona tightened their grip and itjust had to be messi. after suarez had hit the bar, first he mopped up one of the simplest goals of his career but that was just a taster for his big moment, a free kick and a spot of messi magic, his 600th goal for barcelona in quite breathtaking style. liverpool had their chances, mo salah hitting the post, but that summed up their night — a chastening night for them, a stunning one for barcelona. yes, 30 say liverpool now have a mountain to climb after that then a messy masterclass —— yes, it is fair to say. liverpool are no strangers

to say. liverpool are no strangers to dramatic comebacks, but they will need something quite extraordinary to keep their champions league hopes alive. andy swiss in barcelona, thank you. newsnight will have more on the sacking of the defence secretary gavin williamson is getting under way on bbc two, here on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. good night.

hello there, working the sports day. the headlines tonight. messy magic, liverpool conceived three in spain. —— conceived. for caster semenya following a landmark ruling today. and the snooker championship taking place. yes, good evening. the champions

league semifinals was not all about leah note, but barcelona proved it was, to goals giving them a mountain decline in the return to reach back to back champions league finals. the 3-0 to back champions league finals. the 3—0 heading into the second leg. andy, often regarded as the greatest of all time, he was certainly the difference tonight. he certainly was indeed, although for the first half of the lease, he did do a slightly discontented figure, they made a decent start, holding their own for the first 25 minutes or so, before barcelona finally took the lead and it was a liverpool old boy coming back to haunt them. a goal that he certainly seemed to enjoy after he scored it. so that gave barcelona the lead, with his opening goal but the lead, with his opening goal but the second half really was the messy

master class. liverpool had their chances but barcelona extended their lead when he hit the bar and then scored one of the simplest goals of his career, does nudging at home. that needed to nail but the real star attraction was yet to come because of just 15 star attraction was yet to come because ofjust 15 minutes, a free kick, what a free kick, did his 600 goalfor kick, what a free kick, did his 600 goal for barcelona and he kick, what a free kick, did his 600 goalfor barcelona and he had a quite breathtaking motor skill from him. despite that, liverpool did at their chances at the end, hitting their chances at the end, hitting the post, they did after opportunities to reduce the deficit but ultimately the 3—0 down after the first leg. they have a huge mountain to climb for the second leg next week. having missed those chances, will liverpool feel that this guy is now over —— draw