this is bbc news. the headlines at 11pm colin gavin williamson is accused of leaking information to a newspaper about a government decision regarding the chinese telecoms firm huawei. he has been replaced as defence secretary. the prime minister told mr williams and her enquiry found compelling evidence he was responsible for the leak. he replied with a strong denial. a government minister backs the pm. they have a lot of confidence in the process that he will have conducted, and they have a lot of confidence in the prime minister, and i am sure that they made the right decision. meanwhile, opposition politicians are calling for a police enquiry into whether the former defence secretary reached

the former defence secretary reached the official secrets act. also tonight colin the enquiry into the contaminated blood scandal hears from the friends who made a pact at school to find out why they dying. and here comes semenya! double olympic gold—medallist semenya loses her appeal to be able to compete without having to take medication to reduce her naturally high levels of testosterone. there will be a by—election in peterbrough after almost 20,000 people signed a recall petition to remove the city's disgraced mp. it is 1-1! what a goal. liverpool face disgraced mp. it is 1-1! what a goal. liverpoolface an uphill struggle in the champions league after defeat in barcelona. and princess charlotte's fourth birthday tomorrow is being marked by the release of pictures taken by her mother at kensington palace and at the duchess of cambridge's norfolk home. and a reminder that at 11:30pm we will be taking an in—depth look at the papers with our reviewers.

stay with us for that. 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 had lost confidence in his ability to serve. an enquiry into the leak was launched after information was printed in a national newspaperfrom secret discussions about the chinese firm huawei's involvement in the development of the uk's five g mobile network. mr williamson has strenuously denied he leaked the information. he has been replaced by

the international development secretary, penny mordaunt. our political editor has more. it wasn't me, he said. absolutely not. and then again and again, the defence secretary adamant he had nothing to do with leaking week, theresa may wanted gavin williamson out, sacking him in her commons office 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 our 5g network, superfast broadband. when conversations about giving them a chunk of the contract were leaked to a newspaper last week, there was horror among many in government. privately, many quickly pointed the finger at mr williamson. do you know any more secrets, minister? have you got a clean record? he had been promoted quickly, and surprisingly to some, to defence secretary in 2017,

almost immediately ruffling epaulets at the ministry of defence with his occasional and unusual candour. russia should go away, it should shut up. after acting as the keeper of government's secrets as chief whip, and brokering the deal with the dup after the election, and trying to keep theresa may's show on the the road after she lost her majority, as defence secretary, he bid for more cash for the armed forces. but he too developed a political reputation for dealing and wheeling behind the scenes, and having his own not—well—hidden aspirations for the top. but now that loyal lieutenant is out, no longer trusted and no longer on the inside. gavin williamson's downfall perhaps his own ambition, and the prime minister losing yet another member of her top table. we know it will be disruptive... sir mark sedwell, the cabinet

secretary and the national security advisor, normally in the shadows, believes the evidence against mr williamson is compelling. but friends of the departed minister fear the leak inquiry called by number ten 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 exactly what took place. he denies it, and he deserves to have his voice heard, and the way to do that is in a criminal inquiry, given that it appears the law has been broken in this case. are you happy with the newjob? 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. well, the prime minister's made her decision. what i'm focussed on is 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 confidence in the national security advisor, i have a lot of confidence in the process he will have conducted, and i have confidence in the prime minister. confidence in anyone and anything in westminster is limited everywhere. one cabinet career at an end, for now, the government shaky at the helm. our political correspondent chris mason ‘s love for us in westminster. it has been quite an evening. an extra ordinary evening, after something of a brexit black hole in the last week or two, where westminster was much quieter than it had been in april and in march, a day to day that felt like it was falling into that pattern suddenly exploding into action just before six p.m.. with this extraordinary exchange of letters between the prime minister and now former

defence secretary, two people as laura was reflected on were politically very close, a cheerleader for theresa may to become prime minister, then became chief whip, then defence secretary, now finding himself out on his ear, and not going quietly, making this argument that he thinks ultimately that this is a miscarriage of justice. i was speaking to a cabinet minister tonight who felt that gavin williamson, if not quite had this coming, then certainly had form when it came to behaving in a way inside government that others in the cabinet didn't like, i.e. leaking. but also making the point that, for two reasons, this would have deeply irritated the prime minister. firstly that by instinct than by demeanour she is not a gossip, she is not a blather, she doesn't talk to journalists freely, openly and with confidence. and secondly, as somebody who was formerly home secretary, she is in the words of this minister securicrat, someone

who gets that relationship between the military and the intelligence services has to be based on trust and confidentiality, and that a leak from this forum in particular, one of the inner sanctum is in the heart of the inner sanctum is in the heart of the inner sanctum is in the heart of the state, prove that whoever was responsible for it simply couldn't carry on in government. but clearly there is a huge row about what downing street see as compelling evidence against mr williamson, and what he clearly sees as a lack of that. and in addition, although the prime minister may have been very angry, one wonders if she wants to go any further with this, along the lines that we are hearing from some of the opposition parties, that this should now proceed into a criminal investigation. yes, well, downing street have come out tonight and said that they regard this matter is closed. we have seen from the liberal democrats and labour a request for the police to get involved, given that this meeting is governed by the official secrets act and therefore breaches of it, in theory, it would seem, could constitute a criminal matter. the logic, they argue, is that this is

something that should be looked into by the police. and obviously that kind of investigation would require an evidence base that might be significantly greater than the political case where a boss doesn't trust an employee anymore, and so a cabinet minister is removed. now, whether we get to that is ultimately, i guess, going to be a matter for the police. ultimately, i guess, going to be a matterfor the police. but what ultimately, i guess, going to be a matter for the police. but what i think we can conclude tonight, given what gavin williamson has been sang in the last few hours, is that this probably isn't the end of the matter. he feels that as a result of a miscarriage of justice matter. he feels that as a result of a miscarriage ofjustice he has been wronged and wronged in a way that is deeply unfair, notjust to his career but to his standing and his reputation, then one assumes he could well be tempted to carry on fighting. and, even if that was to only amount to being very, very awkward on the back benches, that could have serious political ramifications. thank you very much

indeed. a group of teenagers who all had haemophilia in the 1980s, a rare condition which affects your blood's ability to clot, formed a pact when some of them started dying at school in hampshire. stephen nicholls, 52, told the enquiry into the contaminated blood scandal that they vowed to find out what was killing them. our health editor 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 had 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 had been paid for their blood.

everybody was worried, ‘cause the link, it was — the press story was just 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're going to 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 had contracted hepatitis c. it is 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 had put their trust in the nhs for safe treatment. hugh pym, bbc news. some breaking news coming into us in the last couple of moments from the metropolitan police. scotland yard saying that a 34—year—old has been charged with two counts of preventing a lawful burial, following the discovery of the bodies of two women in a freezer in an east london flat on friday. you may remember that police investigation focusing on that flat in canning town, and the force appealing for anyone who has visited

that flat in the past year or knows anyone who has to come forward while they continue their investigations. but the development this evening is that he has been charged with two cou nts that he has been charged with two counts of preventing a lawful burial. the south african double olympic gold—medallist caster semenya has lost her appeal against regulations regulating testosterone levels in female athletes. she will have to take medication to reduce her naturally higher testosterone if she is to continue competing. she says the policy of athletics‘ governing body is this commentary but she won‘t let it hold her back. our correspondent 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.

herjoy 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. the headlines: gavin williamson is accused of leaking information to a newspaper about the government decision regarding the chinese firm huawei. the enquiry apparently found compelling evidence he was responsible for the leak. government ministers back the pm. the enquiry into the contaminated blood scandal is from friends who made a pact at

school to find out why they were dying. for the first time an mp has been ousted due to a petition signed by more than 19,000 people. it means fiona onasa nya by more than 19,000 people. it means fiona onasanya no longer represents peterborough. she was jailed for three months back injanuary for perverting the course ofjustice. there will now be a by—election. fiona onasa nya there will now be a by—election. fiona onasanya has become of the first mp to be kicked out of her seat under a new system set up on the wake of the expenses scandal to give the public more fate about the fate of their mps. fiona onasanya spentjust underfour fate of their mps. fiona onasanya spentjust under four weeks in prison after lying about a speeding offence. that triggered a process whereby the people of peterborough

we re whereby the people of peterborough were given a say as to whether or not she could keep her seat. more than 90,000 people signed a petition saying she should not. as of tonight, fiona onasanya, who was elected as a labour mp but then expeued elected as a labour mp but then expelled from the party following her conviction, is no longer the mp for peterborough. the election could ta ke for peterborough. the election could take place next month and that will bea take place next month and that will be a fiercely fought contest because peterborough it is a marginal seat. 60% voted to leave the year. the outcome of this election could tip the balance in westminster because every party needs the vote of every mp more than ever now. the minister forjustice is investigating whether a man suspected of rape may have been released from prison early. a

rape of a woman in watford and another accusation are ongoing. multi—million pound contracts were given to free ferry companies with one later council as part of an ideal preparation. ——no deal. it could cost tens of millions of pounds. a former cabdriver has been charged with four offences against women. changing his name tojohn ra dford, women. changing his name tojohn radford, he is alleged to have used drugs to carry out sexual assault in london between 2000 and 2008. demonstrators and police have clashed again in venezuela as security forces fired tear gas at protesters throwing stones. the

opposition leader called for strikes to further attack the embattled president. russia has meanwhile accused the us of aggression after it suggested america could intervene militarily. 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. 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 bryant, bbc news, caracas. this crisis not just this crisis notjust a test of president majuro‘s ability to cling onto power but the influence in the americas and clearly frustration in washington that nicholas majuro has not gone already. the plane ready to ta ke not gone already. the plane ready to take him to cuba but russia told him to stay put. so how far is the trump administration prepared to go to put

guaido in? mike pompeo said the military action was a possibility but he also said that the americans would prefer a peaceful transition of power. the problem is, that transition is not happening at the moment. julian assange has been sentenced to almost a year in prison for breaching his bail condition. he took refuge in the ecuadorean embassy in london seven years ago to avoid extradition to sweden over sexual assault allegations which he has denied. in mozambique, almost a week since cyclone kenneth struck with winds of up to hundred and 75 miles per hour, much—needed aid has started to reach remote areas. villages have been almost completely

destroyed and 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. health experts claim that there has been a significant reduction in obesity among preschool children in leeds. healthier meals and more exercise has been encouraged. obesity has been higher in poorer areas. by the time children in england leave primary school, third will be overweight or obese. those from poorer backgrounds and been more difficult to help. but leeds seems to buck the trend. over a five—year period, the number has fallen by 6.a%. what is particularly interesting is that the number of

obese children from deprived backgrounds has dropped even more, by an average of 8.7%. this three—year—old used to only eat beans, sausages and mashed potato but she was helped to try lots of different food as part of a scheme to tackle obesity in leeds. her mum now says she is fantastically healthy. her absolute favourite is broccoli and she can eat loads of it. cucumbers, bananas, mangoes, peaches, strawberries, sweetcorn — loads of things now. the city of leeds has concentrated its efforts on tackling obesity particularly among younger children and in deprived areas. one scheme works with children‘s centres. deprived areas. one scheme works with children's centres. they recognise that parents want the very

best for their children and there is a big difference between knowing what children should be eating and making that happened in practice. we are building parents confidence and skills to establish healthy, happy family life. a handful of other places in england have also seen reduction in childhood obesity and it is hoped the trend will begin to turn but for older children, weight problems are still proving a big challenge. from today beavers are a protected species in scotland. they were reintroduced into waterways a decade ago but some farmers fear they will cause damage to agricultural lands. for hundreds of years beavers were absent from scotland‘s rivers and streams but now they are back and it is not hard to spot the signs of wear is the animals have set up

home. very busy creatures, foraging, taking down trees, using them for food and as a construction material. their dams alter watery landscapes. helping support a way of life for insects and birds. from today they have european protected species status in scotland. farmland here is some of the most productive in scotla nd some of the most productive in scotland and the release of a nausea cost farmers crops and money. this farmer will now need a license to clear a ny farmer will now need a license to clear any dams the beavers appealed. he recognises that beavers are here to stay. we are involved in a litigation trial whereby we could put a beaver gate into the water near the mouth of the river. while all attempts to limit the damage by

vivas do not help, however 20 have been granted. there are monitoring to find out how many are killed. —— beavers. to mark herfourth birthday tomorrow, the duke and duchess of cambridge have shared three new photographs of princess charlotte, their daughter. they were taken at kensington palace and at two of their homes. there were also photos of prince louis. charlotte was born at 8:aaam back on the second of may 2015. we will be taking a look in depth at the papers with our reviewers. that is coming up after the headlines at 11:30 a.m.. first a

quick look at the weather. if you have been out walking in the woods, you will know we have closed out the month of april to some displays of bluebells, a couple of weeks earlier than usual and one of the reasons may be just how dry it has been across the uk. these are the provisional rainfall statistics and you can see the majority of the country seeing well below average rainfall, with just wales and the south—west seeing above average. my garden is desperate for rain. i we going to see any in the next 6—10 day forecast? keep watching, i will let you know. for thursday we start off with some sunshine and a scattering of showers into the afternoon, some of those quite heavy with rumbles of thunder. in the best of the sunshine temperatures should peak at 16 degrees, but noticeably colder in the far north. that is because there is a cold front which

will push