good morning. welcome to breakfast, with dan walker and louise minchin. our headlines today: opposition hardens to theresa may's brexit compromise. this letter, released this morning, urges the labour leader to back her deal. last—ditch talks are continuing to save british steel. the firm says it will collapse without an emergency government loan. clothes store closures. will marks & spencer speed up its shop—shutting plan? we find out this morning how plans to turnaround the business are going. arsenal say they're furious with uefa after henrikh mkhitaryan decides not to play in the europa league final in azerbaijan because of fears over his safety. renee zellweger plays

a devious billionaire in her new drama, but she tells us she'd really love to see the return of bridgetjones. i hope so. yeah, i don't know. i'm not being cagey, i promise, i don't know. i know that helen's written the book so maybe i guess there is that possibility. good morning. a chilly start to the day but for many of us it's going to be dry, sunny and warm but some rain across northern scotland, one or two showers across northern england and north wales. i'll tell you more in 15 minutes. good morning. it's wednesday the 22nd of may. our top story: theresa may will make the case for her new brexit plan in parliament later, amid signs that opposition to her compromise is hardening. the prime minister's written tojeremy corbyn, urging the labour leader to back her amended deal. in the three—page letter, released just a few minutes ago, mrs may says she believes

her deal should be able to command cross—party support. she says it will put an end to the "corrosive brexit debate that is damaging our politics" and she tells mr corbyn that if she is willing to compromise, then he should too. our political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. what's the indication so far that the pm will get the support she needs? we will be discussing this throughout the morning. it's not looking good at all, dan. when the pm came out yesterday and offered different things to different groups of people who are unhappy with the way she's been pursuing the brexit process, they pretty much all fell flat on their face. brexiteers in her party are less tha n face. brexiteers in her party are less than happy. some of those who she had been hoping to win overjust saying no, absolutely not, this isn't a deal we can signup to. likewise on the labour side, that offer on a vote as to whether to hold another referendum hasn't gone

down particularly well either because there are those labour mps who are saying you haven't gone well enough. the pm will be up in the house of commons this afternoon trying her hardest to make the case for her deal stop the she has written to jeremy corbyn for her deal stop the she has written tojeremy corbyn saying now is the time, let's compromise on this and get something over the line. all the signs are this morning theresa may is further away from getting a deal through parliament than a few days ago. nick, thanks very much for that. speak to you later. in an hour we'll be speaking to the shadow brexit secretary sir keir starmer to see if he thinks the prime minister has done enough to convince labour mps to back her deal. in other news this morning... it's feared british steel could go into administration today unless it receives emergency funding from the treasury. high—level talks have been taking place to try to save the business, which employs thousands of people at its scunthorpe plant. union leaders argue the firm

should be nationalised. we will be live there throughout the morning for you as well, speaking to numerous guests on that story. it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper alternative postal service. this report from leigh milner. this envelope arrived at an's house in france two days ago. she's been told how postal vote went made it backin told how postal vote went made it back in time for the uk for thursday. the post over here in france told me that there is no chance of them arriving in time. for tony in south—west france, well, he's still waiting for his. we feel disappointed and let down by not receiving our ballots for the european elections and wonder whether this is purely a malfunction of the system or maybe even skulduggery. the reason, well, the clue is on the envelope. this means the ballot papers were sent from the

uk to france via the netherlands. this is the postal service which a number of local councils in the uk used to send the ballot papers rather than the royal mail because it was more cost—effective. well, in a statement, they told the bbc the ballots had been released in line with the elections and council timetables. they insisted they had used reputable mail handlers whose job it was to assess the best route through other european countries. in a statement, the electoral commission said it had on with voting due to take place tomorrow, it's believed thousands of ex pats tomorrow, it's believed thousands of expats will miss out on the chance to have their say in the european elections. lee milner, bbc news. a partial ban on single—use plastics, including straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds, will come into effect in england next year. the government says urgent action is needed to tackle plastic pollution but environmental groups say the measures, which will come into force in april

next year, don't go far enough. a memorial service will be held this afternoon, that's to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services are expected to attend. the pharmaceutical giantjohnson & johnson has been ordered to pay at least £20 million to a woman who alleges that she developed cancer through using its talcum powder on a daily basis. the company, which faces thousands of similar claims, has insisted its products are safe. a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled. the report from the transport select committee points out that buses are the most—used form of public transport, and calls it strange that there's no long—term funding plan for them. the government says they've increased funding to local councils to help them meet

people's transport needs. it's about time when we have some lovely animal pictures. have a look at this adorable litte monkey. he's one of three barbary macaques to have been born this week at monkey forest in staffordshire. he looks quite tired! they're the first new arrivals at the centre since 2017. barbary macaques are endangered, with only around 8,000 surviving in the wild, so every birth is crucial for the species. they usually give birth up in the trees at night, so staff at the monkey forest didn't find out until the following morning when they spotted the tiny bundles clinging to their mothers. like a little mini documentary! absolutely adorable as well, isn't it? white barbary macaque?” absolutely adorable as well, isn't it? white barbary macaque? i think! pronounced it right. sounds like a superhero name, barbary macaque! the bbc has announced its latest star chat show host — none other than vladimir putin!

well, it's a virtual version of the russian president anyway. does he move? no! it's a television first using a 3d digital cartoon of putin which walks around and interviews real human guests. two pilot episodes of the comedy chat show have been commissioned for bbc two. among the first guests are alastair campbell and joe swash. it's fair to say vladimir is quite excited at the prospect. a p pa re ntly apparently vladimir is quite excited! until now, the greatest victory has eluded me... that of number one track show in the uk! so watch out, graham norton, i'm coming for you! wow! extraordinary! i know it's real, but he's quite a big... he is quite big compared to his guests, if you seen a picture of his guests. 0k. you seen a picture of his guests. ok. i look forward for that. when i was in russia for the world cup last summer... i don't keep your diary! what year is it now? 2019. it was

la st what year is it now? 2019. it was last year. there was a shop in a big market that entirely sold vladimir putin calendars. memorabilia? there was a topless one with him riding various animals. did you purchase one? i bought one for my sister. i had to i suppose. i have seen one of him wrestling an alsatian. there was a leopard, a horse, an eagle. fishing? topless fishing. where are you starting? this is a really sad serious story about football. the situation between uefa and arsenal heading into a big game next week. seems ridiculous, doesn't it? blue really sad, arsenal are really cross. arsenal plan to meet uefa to express their anger over the choice of venue for next wednesday's europa league

final. forward henrik mikhitaryan won't travel to baku to play against chelsea because of fears for his safety. mikhitaryan is from armenia which has political tensions with azerbaijan. arsenal are said to be furious with european football's governing body. of course they are. controversial location location for that game. michael vaughan says england have the best opportunity in his time to win the cricket world cup. the hosts are thefavourites, and have named fast bowler joffra archer in their 15—man squad despite only playing three international one—dayers so far. tyson fury says a world heavyweight title rematch with deontay wilder is likely to happen next year. american wilder retained his wbc belt with a thrilling draw against fury in los angeles in december. we were talking about this yesterday, won't we? —— weren't we? and lewis hamilton has described niki lauda as a bright light in my life. the formula one legend died yesteday at the age of 70.

he was a big mentorfor he was a big mentor for lewis hamilton. we only heard from hamilton. we only heard from hamilton late last night, they were incredibly close and they worked closely together at mercedes and it's believed niki lauda saw something in lewis hamilton that he recognised of himself, that killer instinct in a driver and the two of them, when you look at footage of them, when you look at footage of the two of them together, they were incredibly close and last night lewis hamilton posted the most wonderful picture of them just about to go into a massive coach. he's devastated his mentor has died. —— hug. are you staying for the papers? a beautiful sunrise this morning. it was pink, absolutely lovely. carol will know more. good morning everyone. for many it will stay like that stop the sun will stay like that stop the sun will rise obviously. yesterday it was 22 point 2m southampton, good for the time of year if you like it

warm. today not too far from that. a lot of sunshine to look forward to, mainly dry and there is rain in the forecast for some. we've got these couple of weather fronts across the north of scotland producing rain for the last couple of days and we've got a weak system across parts of northern england and north wales, giving us a line of cloud and the odd shower and that will be with us on and off through the day. either side of that, any mist and fog patches forming this morning we'll quickly clear away and then there will be a lot of sunshine. you can see the rain coming down across scotland, a keen north—westerly wind drying out in shetland and here's our line of cloud with the chance of a shower in it. later in the day there is the isolated chance of seeing a shower in east anglia or around london, but it'sjust isolated. top temperatures, 20 or maybe 21. in the north and the cloud and the wind, feeling cool. through

the evening and overnight we still have our rain across the north of the uk, wrapped around an area of low pressure anchored in the north sea. here's our band of cloud but on either side of that, clear skies. not a particularly cold night with some rural areas dipping down to around four degrees, but generally we're looking at seven to about ten. that leads us nicely into tomorrow. we still have this rain and keen wind across the north of scotland. a bit more cloud around perhaps tomorrow than we are looking at today, and you can also see where we've got this line of cloud across parts of northern england and also northern ireland, so the sunshine will be hazy at times and at worst it will be bright stop highs of 11 in lerwick, 22 once again in london. if you're stepping out, don't forget to put the sunscreen and the hat in the bag at the same time. on friday, more cloud around, a dry day in scotla nd more cloud around, a dry day in scotland where we've seen the rain

for the last few days. showers coming in across northern ireland, through the day they could slip through the day they could slip through to parts of wales, the midlands and the south—east corner, enhanced by the heat of the day with temperatures up to around 21. then as we head to the weekend, it is all change. we start to see more of an atla ntic change. we start to see more of an atlantic influence to our weather and we see the rain in the north, getting into some parts of england and wales by bank holiday monday. in essence, this is what you can expect this weekend, cloudier, brazier, the chance of rain and slightly cooler. not hugely cooler and by no means is the bank holiday weekend going to be a washout either. back to you both. thanks, let's take a look at today's papers. "desperate, deluded, doomed", says the telegraph, with three — not very flattering — pictures of the prime minister.

the paper says she's angered tory mps with her amended brexit deal and says there are calls for her to resign. she is on the front page of most of the papers this morning, the prime minister. the main picture on the front of the guardian is jamie oliver, and the news that his restaurant empire has collapsed. i think sean has more on that in just a moment. that story features in the metro, too, but its main headline talks of "tory fury" over the prime minister's latest attempts to win support for the brexit deal. and finally, there's a special issue of the mirror this morning which has been edited by teenagers. the story they've chosen to lead with is about cyber—bullying, and prince william's call for more safeguards to be introduced. those are the front pages. sally is having a good read.|j those are the front pages. sally is having a good read. i am looking at the henrikh mkhitaryan decision not to go to the cup next week. there is a different take on all the papers. the times has done a piece. ian herbert in the daily mail has done a

comment piece and how he is so closely linked to the local armenian community, wherever he and when he was living in manchester he was very closely linked, the community enormously, and he feels very simply that he would not be safe in azerbaijan. his sister, monica, and mother work overseas. yesterday we heard from various people from the clu b heard from various people from the club saying that it is devastating not to take a player with you to the biggest games. fans are also really upset because it is so far away and expensive to get to. also the airport can't process more than a couple of,000 fans. it will be tricky to travel there for everybody. there are big warnings from the regulator about package holidays that are not covered. you will not get your money back. if

you're halfway there in your connections don't appear, if you are not protected, and there are very few package holidays which will be doing it, you know, it's... it seems like a horrendous situation. football fa ns like a horrendous situation. football fans get the wrong end of the stick. some liverpool fans last season anticipated and getting to the champions league final and will tell —— hotels. as soon as they got there they cancelled the hotel rooms and tripled the price and you had to book again. they always get the rough end of it. people pay. i thought i would bring some business into it. very nice. shall we go back tojamie into it. very nice. shall we go back to jamie oliver. the front of the financial times. not often you see his face on the front of the financial times. jamie 0liver's restaurants collapse was 1000 staff out of work. the quote, "i am devastated and deeply upset by the

outcome". it is notjust because his name is above the door and he had this idea, open a restaurant in 2008, massively expanded very quickly, but he ended up, as the financial struggles developed, putting £13 million of his own money in. and still it didn't work. and in the final few hours when they said we have to let this company go bust in the final 22 or 23 restaurants close, he had to make a decision, do i put more of my own money in. it is not the only restaurant chain to have struggled. there are so many struggling farrenberg, many more. there was a story in the telegraph this morning that strada was used to be in the town centre everywhere there are only six left in the country. one of many chains. the telegraph headline," jamie oliver on the hook for restaurant debts". the re sta u ra nt the hook for restaurant debts". the restaurant —— them bank might go after him for debts. he set i'm

restricting restructuring smi will put some of my personal business into this as well. it might not be the end of it for him. and lots of people affected jobs wise. 1000 people affected jobs wise. 1000 people and potentially another 300. he employed several hundred more than that at its peak. a familiar story. this lady, nan went on, the first female newsreader for bbc television. she died yesterday. she was appointed in june 1962 television. she died yesterday. she was appointed injune1962 read evening and weekend bulletins. quite an extraordinary story when she took on the role of newsreader the bbc bosses called it an experiment, they thought at the time she was serious enough to overcome prejudiced voices in the media that said women were to frivolous to relate important news. and she was removed after she had read only seven late—night bulletins because audience research found that a woman reading the late news was not acceptable. so things have changed. she was the only one to

have read the national news on bb central 1975 when... angela ripon. shejoined the nine central 1975 when... angela ripon. she joined the nine 0'clock news team. she will be on the programme later. classic. so she left after seven bulletins. seven bulletins. she did talk about it. she said there were times when i was doing there were times when i was doing the announcing when i wanted to shout aloud, like shylock," have not women eyes, ears, and senses?!" that is what she was thinking. things have changed. you have lasted a little bit longer than seven. slightly. years and years. we are talking about cricket quite a bit. this is england's kit that was unveiled yesterday. apparently it harks back to the 1992 kit, this famous 1992 kit and they were beaten

by pakistan by 22 runs. very famous white kit with rainbow stripey straps at the top. they have gone retro. it is a real trend for kids to go retro. harking back. retro. it is a real trend for kids to go retro. harking backlj retro. it is a real trend for kids to go retro. harking back. i hope you can pick this up. this is an attempt to be a bit more down with the kids. the 15 here. they are all released by emojis. you have to zouma right in. they will come a little closer. it caused a little bit of consternation from traditional cricket fans saying that they cannot believe the ecb have done this. it is their names in emoji form? exactly. they were quite happy. they said they were quite happy. they said they were quite happy that david willey did not make the 15 squad. that is official. have you got birdfeeders at home? do you feed the birds? i've been the birds. and squirrels. i don't know. it was

me. what is going on is lots of us are doing it. so what is happening is that the actual birds going to the birdfeeders have changed over the birdfeeders have changed over the last few years. traditional favourites such as sparrows, thrushes, and starlings replaced by wood pigeons and magpies. thrushes, and starlings replaced by wood pigeons and magpiesm thrushes, and starlings replaced by wood pigeons and magpies. it is true. magpies are everywhere. it does not come to a conclusion whether it is a good or bad thing. honestly, it put the food out expecting cute little pretty birds and a whopping great pigeon comes into my garden. in my simple analysis you need to do not sophisticated bird food and put bread out things may change. squirrels nicolaou bird food. little rat bags. —— nick all about. if you ever fancy and hour on youtube there are some great squirrel oil films of squirrels just are some great squirrel oil films of squirrelsjust grabbing are some great squirrel oil films of squirrels just grabbing on things and going... sliding down like that.

anyway... anyone with me? just me. well played, everyone. thank you, we will see you later. yesterday, we reported that police across the uk had arrested more than 500 people as part of a co—ordinated effort to disrupt so—called county lines drugs operations — which involve gangs from cities moving into rural areas and using vulnerable people to help them deal. one of the forces involved was bedfordshire, where police chiefs have published unique analysis of how the drugs market operates there. our home editor mark easton has been to find out more. police! police! police and beds conduct a raid on a suspected drug stand once or twice every week. are executing a drugs warrant. all three of you are under arrest intent to supply. in a small flat in a scruffy social housing block they find three men and a significant quantity of what officers suspect is cocaine and

heroin. for pc james what officers suspect is cocaine and heroin. for pcjames westie what officers suspect is cocaine and heroin. for pc james westie wests it isa heroin. for pc james westie wests it is a good morning's work. do you think you make a difference in the fight against drugs? yes. what difference is that? for now we are taking this gentleman of the streets. there are two drug users up there. we will be able to bring in safeguarding measures with them. this is the second county line we have had an impact on in bedford in the last couple of months. i think we are making a difference. but how much of a difference? local police working with other agencies have put together a uniquejob working with other agencies have put together a unique job with the drugs market looks like across the county. and they reckon that in bedfordshire people spend £1 million on cocaine every week. and they spent more than £1 million a week on cannabis. almost one in ten of working aged adults are buying illicit drugs. detective chief superintendent mark sleigh will present the findings of the research later today, a troubling picture of the scale of

the county's criminal drug network. prices are down, quality is up, delivery is quicker than amazon prime. you are losing the water the drug gangs, aren't you? i don't think we are losing the war. people there is a war on drugsjoe woods they have we actually put enough resource into applying the war against drugs? have we got enough resource targeting the supply of drugs? is itjust a question of money and improved focus? the government is conducting an independent review of drugs policy, including whether homes would be reduced if drugs were decriminalised or legalised. i'm trying to deliberately sit on the fence, because, actually, iam not deliberately sit on the fence, because, actually, i am not a lawmaker, ama law enforcer. we as the national crime agency will produce intelligence into that review and that will enable the views of experts in this field, regularly those with a health background, to make their views understood. after the morning reading bedford a man was charged with intent to supply class a drugs. des rate. but police suspect the

distribution network will only be marginally inconvenienced. within a matter of hours it will be business as usual. mark easton, bbc news, bedford. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. still to come this morning: we've been catching up with renee zellwegger about turning 50 and bringing back bridgetjones. will that happen? sometimes you can have too much. bridget jones at 50. 12 episodes of faulty towers.|j think it would be fun. time now to get the news, travel, and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news. victims of violent and sexual crimes are being let down by probation services in the capital — according to a new report. by law, victims of serious offences have to have access to a scheme that keeps them updated about offenders, but in a fifth of cases examined

by inspectors they found that wasn't happening. the ministry ofjustice has admitted improvement is needed and says it will focus on getting them the support they need. researchers have named london as the most popular city in the world for global companies to base their head offices, attracting more investment than new york, singapore, berlin, and paris. the think tank centre for london says firms are attracted because there's great access to talent here. but it warns this could be damaged by changes to immigration rules post—brexit. a new centre in peckham is teaching the yoruba language to children and young people of nigerian heritage. culture tree was founded by one mum after she struggled to find resources to help teach her children her mother tongue. she says keeping languages alive is important to help second and third generations stay connected to their roots. a lot of kids grow up not speaking, their parents don't teach the yoruba, because they speak english. especially migration, people felt

they did not want their kids to speak with a funny accent or a nigerian accent, so they abandon teaching the kids their mother tongue. at i think with the second generation the younger generation, we realise that was a mistake appearance made and we want to have that connection to our roots. let's take a look at the travel situation now. we already have trouble on the metropolitan line this morning because of a signal failure. there are severe delays between harrow—on—the—hill and aldgate. thameslink and southeastern trains are not running between shortlands and bickley at the moment. let's take a look at the roads. this is the a13 and its usual rush hour delays really heading into town and then there are some roadworks to remind you of—in mitcham— the a217 bishopsford road is closed. over to the weather now. here's kate kinsella. good morning. it is another sunny start out there this morning, albeit a little bit hazy. there is some high cloud. all in all today it will feel rather pleasant and warm in the

sunshine. now the windless late today, through the afternoon, perhaps, a little bit more in the way of cloud bubbling up. with that we run a very small risk of a shower as we head towards the end of the afternoon into the early evening. but many places are staying dry, temperatures getting up to 20 celsius. that showers a risk diminishes as we head into the first pa rt diminishes as we head into the first part of the night. the sky clears, the temperature dropping down to around seven celsius in the suburbs. banging the double figures in london. as we head into thursday, similar figures london. as we head into thursday, similarfigures again. london. as we head into thursday, similar figures again. temperatures getting up to 22 celsius. in fact, the temperature stays fairly co nsta nt as the temperature stays fairly constant as we head into the weekend as well. we will gradually start to see a bit more cloud, especially through sunday, then bank holiday monday things just feeling a little cooler. there will be plenty more from us throughout the morning. i'll be back in around half an hour and you can check out our website at the usual address bbc.co.uk/london or tune into bbc radio london but now it's back to dan and louise — bye for now. hello, this is breakfast, with dan walker and louise

minchin. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment, but also on breakfast this morning: former england cricket captain andrew strauss will be here to talk about launching a charity in his wife's name after losing her to cancer last year. also this morning, we'll be joined by the man who spent seven weeks at number one. he calls himself the scottish beyonce, it's lewis capaldi. and after 9am, we're finding out what it's like to be 21 again. two mums from the new bbc documentary will be here with their daughters to tell us what it's like to step back in time. good morning, here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. theresa may has written tojeremy corbyn, imploring the labour leader to back her amended brexit deal. the prime minister has outlined a package of compromises,

including the possibility of a second referendum, in a bid to increase cross—party support. snp leader nicola sturgeon told the bbc that the concessions don't go far enough. well, it sounds as well, it sounds as if well, it sounds as if the well, it sounds as if the deal well, it sounds as if the deal indeed by the cabinet would take scotla nd indeed by the cabinet would take scotland and the uk out of the european union but also out of the single market, and the snp will not vote for a deal that does that, ta kes vote for a deal that does that, takes us out of the eu and the single market, because the consequences of that for scottish jobs, living standards and consequences for future generations would be disastrous. the future of thousands of british steel employees remains uncertain as the company's owners continue to lobby for government backing. the firm says it needs an emergency loan from the treasury. our business correspondent sarah corker is at the firm's scu nthorpe plant. so much uncertainty for people, what is the latest? well, steelworkers are starting to

arrive here for the early morning shift and they know the future of this site and theirjobs very much hang in the balance today. there is a sense of here we go again. many people are asking, is the uk steel industry on the brink of another crisis? to steel steel have asked the government for an emergency loan of £30 million to help them keep trading and avert collapse —— british steel. they need that cash injection to pay wages and keep blast furnaces warm. their blaming brexit uncertainty. 0ver blast furnaces warm. their blaming brexit uncertainty. over the last couple of months, there's been a drop off from eu customers. there worried about a potential no deal brexit and any future tariffs and the government yesterday said it would leave no stone unturned to help the industry, but it's in a tricky situation. it has three potential options, it can use taxpayer money to bail out this private firm but that's difficult because there are strict rules

around state aid. it could nationalise british steel, that something labour and the unions are pushing for, or it could do nothing and let the company fail but that would have a devastating impact on the local economy here and workers stop £11,000 people work at this site, it really is an immense plant —— and workers. 4000 people work at this site. it is almost as big as the town itself. they have sites in teesside and cumbria and they have 20,000 jobs in the wider supply chain. anything going wrong at this steelworks has a ripple effect through the entire area. steelworks has a ripple effect through the entire arealj steelworks has a ripple effect through the entire area. i know you're going to be there through the morning talking to people, but thanks for the update. it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper postal service called adare rather than the royal mail.

adare said all ballots were posted in line with the election and council timetables. a partial ban on single—use plastics, including straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds, will come into effect in england next year. the government says urgent action is needed to tackle plastic pollution but environmental groups say the measures, which will come into force in april next year, don't go far enough. a memorial service will be held this afternoon to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services are expected to attend. the pharmaceutical giantjohnson & johnson has been ordered to pay at least £20 million to a woman who alleges that she developed cancer through using its talcum powder on a daily basis. the company, which faces thousands of similar claims, has insisted its products are safe.

a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled. the report from the transport select committee points out that buses are the most—used form of public transport, and calls it strange that there's no long—term funding plan for them. the government says they've increased funding to local councils, to help them meet people's transport needs. good morning you're watching brea kfast, good morning you're watching breakfast, lots to come this morning, including lewis capaldi. looking forward to chatting to andrew strauss, former england cricket captain, he lost his wife to long cancer last year and he set up a foundation to make a difference. he's got to young boy is. talking about lung cancer and also helping families —— two young boy. he will talk about it later, his role has com pletely talk about it later, his role has completely changed in the family. his young lads are 13 and 11. that

will be fascinating. a strange story, an arsenal player who is not going to be at the biggest game of his career. big game, massive game, biggest of their season, next week, a week from now, henrikh mkhitaryan isn't going to travel to the uefa cup final. arsenal say they're furious with uefa after forward henrikh mkhitaryan said he won't play in next wednesday's europa league final against chelsea. mkhitaryan is armenian, and there is a long history of political tensions between his country and azerbaijan, where the final is being held. he's not travelling to baku because of fears over his safety. uefa insisted that a comprehensive security plan was in place for mkhitaryan but he's spoken to his family and won't go. arsenal now plan to meet uefa to express their anger. the former manchester united striker robin van persie says current boss 0le gunar solskjaer is a perfect fit for the club. united went on a really good run when solskjaer took over

as caretaker in december, but form dropped off once he'd been made permanent, leading some to question if he's the right man for such a big job. i think it's a perfect match, its just their having a bad spell. everyone has that at a certain time. he had a fantastic first period, now the last 12 games have been tough, 0k, the last 12 games have been tough, ok, but next season they have to pick themselves up and go again. michael vaughan says england have never had a better chance to win the world cup. they've named their 15—man squad for the home tournament, and in it is this man, joffra archer. he's a fast—bowler who's only played three one—day internationals, and has been selected ahead of others with more experience. vaughan says the squad is the right one, and england now need to deliver. this england side have earned the right to be favourites because they've played really good cricket. they got to the semifinals of the champions trophy two years ago, didn't get over the line on that occasion and they've got to use that asa occasion and they've got to use that as a really positive experience, so

if they get into the semis again, play smart, play smart cricket, brave cricket as well, you have to play brave in the conditions they're going to play in and people around the country will see spectacular cricket and the england team are going to be right at the heart of what we are seeing. tyson fury says a world heavyweight title rematch with deontay wilder is likely to happen next year. wilder retained his wbc belt with a thrilling draw against fury in los angeles in december, and knocked out fellow american dominic breazeale on saturday. fury says wilder can't run forever, and says the fight should happen in the spring of 2020. lewis hamilton says nike lauda was a bright light in his life. —— niki lauda. the formula one legend died on monday at the age of 70. lauda worked with hamilton at mercedes and is widely credited with bringing him to the team in 2013. hamilton says he'll miss their conversations, their laughs, and the big hugs after winning races. the entry list for the singles at wimbledon has been published,

no surprise that andy murray's name does not appear. the two—time champion has effectively ruled out competing in the singles tournament this season following another hip operation in january. he has said though that he could potentially play doubles. and we liked this in the centre of west bromwich. it's a statue of laurie cunningham, cyrille regis and brendon batson who all played for west browmich albion in the late 19705 and early ‘80s, and paved the way for black players in the game. it's a great statue. it was the first time a club regularly fielded black players, and brendon batson says the statue should come to symbolise the ongoing fight against prejudice. very often we do have a little giggle about sporting statues, but that's a great one. you've got your latest interview for us?|j that's a great one. you've got your latest interview for us? i have, folks, that's all you need to know, i'm not going to read this stuff! we're doing this stuff about change

the game, a few weeks out from the women's world cup in france and. brea kfast women's world cup in france and. breakfast will be there, and exciting time in women's sport at the moment. among those players hoping to make an impact at the tournament is england's toni duggan. the barcelona forward missed out on a champions league winners medal at the weekend when her side were beaten by lyon but she's looking forward to putting women's football centre stage this summer. as part of the bbc‘s change the game season, i went to spain to meet her. actually really right now. go on? 0k. your spanish is good! toni dug in certainly knows where she's going, settled in spain but heading for the biggest summer of her career —— duggan. for the biggest summer of her career -- duggan. it's the biggest summer in the women's calendar, the world cup, hopefully the olympics next year and then the year after we've

got the european championships in england. so for me the next three yea rs england. so for me the next three years in women's is generally... i know people say every year it's getting bigger and better but this is genuinely the biggest a can be for women's, and i hope i can be at the forefront of that and be a part of it and be successful. when were you were a kid, how unusual was it for a you were a kid, how unusual was it fora girl to be you were a kid, how unusual was it for a girl to be playing like you played? it wasn't common, i was the only girl in the school playing never mind the class. i was always getting called names. people supported me, don't get me wrong, but there was more name—calling from the lads and, you're not good, why are you playing, go and play with the girls. i was only a kid, we can laugh here now, it wouldn't hurt you, but when you're a kid it was difficult and it can hurt you. i'm glad i stuck with it and can hurt you. i'm glad i stuck with itandi can hurt you. i'm glad i stuck with it and i get messages for the game from those people saying how are you doing and good luck. it's nice to say, how time has changed! i'm

trying to create a better pathway for the next generation because i'm thankfulfor for the next generation because i'm thankful for the ones that created it for me. five or ten years ago we would have been screaming out for publicity, radio and tv interviews, brands coming on board so any chance i get to work with brands and do media, igive i get to work with brands and do media, i give it everything. things have changed so much for you over the last couple of years. you've moved away from home, living in barcelona playing for one of the most famous clubs in the world, do you ever pinch yourself? sometimes you ever pinch yourself? sometimes you need to stop and take it all in because even women's in general is moving so fast. sharing planes with the men's teams, playing for barcelona, things you'd never even dream of but the dream has come through. honestly, it's been crazy. it has been crazy for her. i met her many years ago and she's had a fantastic career so far and hopefully brilliant summer. later in the programme i'll be outside with some young footballers who might the

inspired by toni duggan. and where announcing something at 7:30pm? the winner of the bbc women's footballer of the year. is it a big secret until then? of the year. is it a big secret untilthen? yes, brace yourself! good job you have told me that because i've seen a piece of paper! don't say it! spoiler alert! thank you very much! it was a beautiful sunrise this morning. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. will it continue? i think it might. good morning. for some of us, you're right, it will continue stop the lovely pictures from our weather watchers this morning, this is one from catnip in northern ireland and you can see the sun is out. we are looking at a dry day with warm, sunny spells. there is some rain in the forecast. also some showers. rain in northern scotland, where it's been quite wet for the last few days and a weak front in north

wales, heading to lincolnshire, producing a line of cloud and we could see some showers or patchy light rain from it, as we currently are. on either side of that, northern ireland, you can see there's a lot of dry weather around and afair there's a lot of dry weather around and a fair bit of sunshine. later in the day, there's the outside chance, no more, we could catch a shower in east anglia or the london area but for most of us, we will miss them with highs of 20 or 21. warm in the sunshine, but in the north of the country, with a keen northerly breeze and the rain, feeling quite nippy. through the evening and overnight the rain still with us, wrapped around an area of low pressure centred in the north sea. for the rest of the uk, a largely dry night. clear spells and our weak system is producing that band of cloud with temperatures falling between seven and ten. locally in rural areas it could fall as low as four degrees, and these are the temperatures in towns and cities.

tomorrow we start on that note, still with the rain and north—westerly wind across the far north—westerly wind across the far north of scotland producing again a cooler feel to the weather. for the rest of the uk, a bit more cloud around but equally a fair bit of sunshine and it should remain largely dry with tomorrow, temperatures back up to 22. 14 in aberdeen, 11 in lerwick. as we go into friday, once again there will bea into friday, once again there will be a bit more cloud around but still some sunshine if that's what you're after but showers coming in across northern ireland or even parts of wales, north—west england, the midlands and into the south—east quarter through the course of the day. with the heat of the day, we could see further showers sparked as well. breezy with highs to 21. leading to the weekend, wouldn't you know it, it's a bank holiday! things turning a bit more unsettled, by no means a washout with fronts crossing the country in the north introducing rain by this cold front will head further south during bank holiday

monday itself. this weekend, cloudier, brazier, the chance of rain and slightly cooler but not hugely cooler and, as i mentioned, not a washout either —— breezier. good to hear. thanks, carol. some big decisions for marks & spencer to make about the future of its shops. sean's got more on this one for us. what have you got for us? that's rate. good morning. we get an update from m&s after 7, and it's a company under the cosh. not only from shoppers, but if we looking those buying shares and making an investment in the retailer — of 20 analysts looking closely at what marks is doing — only 2 are feel positive enough to think people should buy shares. this matters because marks & spencer is on the verge of dropping out of the top table of british companies if people don't want to invest in them as much. it's been in the top 100 uk companies since the ftse 100 list was launched in 1984.

so what's going wrong? well, you might have noticed m&s has struggled for a number of years to maintain its historic reputation as a fashion retailer of choice. its food business was helping, but not so much now — sales falling in food and clothing(. so the turnaround plan. closing stores, making rents cheaper, and more focus on food — m&s has spent £750 million to sign a new deal with delivery service 0cado. closing 100 shops by 2022 was also in the plan, but could they aim to do that by the end of next year. it's a crucial part of their strategy. this is what the m&s property director told the bbc earlier this month. i think every retailer has got to consider their property portfolio,

live for us, where we have not taken action over a number of years, it's absolutely vital that we do this now and responding to the market challenges. but most importantly responding to what our customers are telling us they want. so we are going to be poised at seven o'clock for what happens with marks & spencer. a few other companies reporting this morning. will there be more store closures? will there be more store closures? will they do it more quickly than they had before? will they be able to say, do you know what, things are bouncing back and it is getting stronger? stick with us. i will be poised at seven with hundreds of reams of paper trying to work out what is going on with these papers. will you be running in where the stuff coming out of everywhere. sort of pretend to. just a speed read. you must have landed. let us have a quick look at one page. shall we talk about nan winton? it is a fascinating story. the first female

newsreaderfor bbc. she fascinating story. the first female newsreader for bbc. she was appointed in june 1962 read newsreader for bbc. she was appointed injune1962 read evening and weekend bulletins. some discussion over her appointment. they considered that she was serious enough to overcome prejudiced voices in the media that said women at that time were too frivolous to relate important news. the thing is, she was given this role, which was sort of groundbreaking, and then after she had read only seven late bulletins audience research found that he was thought that a woman reading the late news was not acceptable. then it wasn't until 1975, that was in the 1960s, 15 yea rs 1975, that was in the 1960s, 15 years later, angela rippon became the second person, the second woman to be able to read the late—night news. shejoined the nine to be able to read the late—night news. she joined the nine o'clock news. she joined the nine o'clock news tea m news. she joined the nine o'clock news team in 1975. rather wonderfully, angela rippon is on our programme later because she does a programme later because she does a programme after programme. she does. live. i wonder if we could ask about

that. good morning, if you are watching, angela, we would like to ask you about that later. what year was that, did you say? 1975 angela rippon started. it is amazing how attitudes have changed. best known for her role as bridgetjones, renee zellweger‘s latest character is about as far away from that as you can get. she stars as a ruthless and powerful investor in the new netflix thriller series ‘what if?'. sophie long went to meet her in los angeles ahead of the premiere. music plays. i would have brought it over to you. i don't like to drink alone. she has kept an ultra low profile for the past two years, but now the

oscar—winning addresses stemming back on her screens with her own streaming series. i went tell if you won't. i've never gotten to do a project like this before, you know, it does look like a lot of fun that is set in this tone, that is hired into reality, and where this character is so audacious and outrageous. it just character is so audacious and outrageous. itjust seemed like a treat. are you two planning on having children? someday. it is a gender stereotyping bust take on this proposal. to obtain elite success her character tells us in the opening scenes you must be willing to take the hard choices, do unpleasant things, just the kind of thing the mitu movement in hollywood has sought stab out. you are an elite performer and at the top of your game, how much did you think along the way about difficult choices and indecent proposals as yellow not at all. not even a little bit. no, it's does 0pposition you are not yourself. try to make the best decision in the moment. see

what feels true. i mean, have no interest in co——— compromise myself ethically for a job. it is a big yearfor ethically for a job. it is a big year for renee zellweger. i hear you celebrated a big birthday. congratulations. thank you very much. still here. things are going according to plan. # somewhere over the rainbow... she has just turned 50 and there's already a growing buzz around her powerful performance asjudy garland in the biopic that charts the final tragic year of her life. it was a very, very special experience, going to work every day with a magnificent crew and everyone motivated by the same things, this love forjudy garland and what she meant to them and it sorta became a love letter. how different would you say that the hollywood you have risen up through to the one she operated in? big

changes happening now. which were inevitable, i suppose, changes happening now. which were inevitable, isuppose, as changes happening now. which were inevitable, i suppose, as younger generations of women are coming up. and it was normalfor them to generations of women are coming up. and it was normal for them to assume they could rise to the top of their games and to ask questions that, i don't know, didn't seem obvious to maybe my generation or maybe we were beginning to ask the question, but it didn't occur to us to sort of lost through and just point at the thing that was wrong and say why are we accepting these things? this is ridiculous. and they feel like it's changing atan ridiculous. and they feel like it's changing at an accelerated pace now and i'm glad. it's time. the character you are playing in what if? is super sexy, character you are playing in what if? is supersexy, dark, high school, kind of the opposite, really, to the character that people will forever hold you in their hearts across the united kingdom, bridgetjones. will be ever see bridgetjones. will be ever see bridgetjones. will be ever see bridgetjones again? bridgetjones. will be ever see bridget jones again? oh, i hope so. i don't know. i'm not being casey, eyebombers. i don't know. they know

that helen has written a book, so maybe a guess there is a possibility. but no detail from maybe a guess there is a possibility. but no detailfrom me, i'm the last to know. i don't know. but i hope so. we will just we willjust have to wait and see. i would like to see bridgetjones at 50. ithink would like to see bridgetjones at 50. i think it will be fine. it would be brilliant. i think that is the most cross you have been with me. i feel up for writing the script. why not? let's do it. you have won me over. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. still to come this morning. # yourgrace, your # your grace, your grace... we'll be joined by the man who spent seven weeks at number one. lewis capaldi lewis ca paldi will lewis capaldi will be live on the red sofa. in london recently you have seen him recently proclaiming

himself this scottish beyonce. they think it is with a heavy dose of irony. he is absolutely hilarious. very self—deprecating. he called his album useless and then he upgraded it slightly too 0k. he came out last week, it is doing incredibly well --it week, it is doing incredibly well ——it came out. week, it is doing incredibly well --it came out. he will be here later. looking forward to hearing from you. time now to get the news, travel, and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm sonja jessup. victims of violent and sexual crimes are being let down by probation services in the capital— according to a new report. by law, victims of serious offences have to have access to a scheme that keeps them updated about offenders, but in a fifth of cases examined by inspectors, they found that wasn't happening. the ministry ofjustice has admitted improvement is needed and says it will focus on getting victims the support they need. researchers have named london as the most popular city in the world for global companies to base their head offices, attracting more investment than new york, singapore, berlin, and paris.

the think tank centre for london says firms are attracted here because there's great access to talent. but it warns this could be damaged by changes to immigration rules post—brexit. a new centre in peckham is teaching the yoruba language to children and young people of nigerian heritage. culture tree was founded by one mum after she struggled to find resources to help teach her children her mother tongue. she says keeping languages alive is important to help second and third generations stay connected to their roots. a lot of kids grow up not speaking it. their parents didn't teach the yoruba, because they spoke english. especially migration, as well, coming to the uk people just felt it was ok to just, you know, they didn't want their kids to speak with a funny accent or a nigerian accent, so they kind of, like, abandoned teaching their kids their mother tongue. but i think with our second generation, the younger generation, we realise that that was a mistake

that our parents have made with not teaching us our language and we want to have that connection to our roots. let's take a look at the travel situation now. we already have trouble on the metropolitan line because of a signal failure—minor delays between harrow on the hill and aldgate. the northern line now running normally again. thameslink and southeastern trains are not running between shortlands and bickley at the moment. let's take a look at the roads this is the a13 — and its usual rush hour delays really heading into town. and then there are some roadworks to remind you of— in mitcham— the a217 bishopsford road is closed. 0ver over to the weather now. good morning. it is another sunny start out there this morning, albeit a little bit hazy. there is some high cloud. all in all today it will feel rather pleasant and warm in the sunshine. now the windless late today, through the afternoon, perhaps, a little bit more in the way of cloud bubbling up. with that we run a very

small risk of a shower as we head towards the end of the afternoon into the early evening. but many places are staying dry, temperatures getting up to 20 celsius. that shower risk diminishes as we head into the first part of the night. the sky clears, the temperature dropping down to around 7 celsius in the suburbs. staying in double figures in london. as we head into thursday, similarfigures again. temperatures getting up to 22 celsius. in fact, the temperature stays fairly constant as we head into the weekend as well. we will gradually start to see a bit more cloud, especially through sunday, then bank holiday monday things just feeling a little cooler. there will be plenty more from us throughout the morning. i'll be back in around half an hour and you can check out our website at the usual address. bye for now.

good morning and welcome breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. the headlines: in a letter released this morning, theresa may urgesjeremy corbyn to back her brexit deal, as opposition hardens to her amended plan. last—ditch talks are continuing to save british steel. the firm says it will collapse without an emergency government loan. clothes store closures. will marks & spencer speed up its shop—shutting plan? we find out in a moment how the strategy to turnaround the business is going. arsenal say they're furious with uefa after henrikh mkhitaryan decides not to play in the europa league final in azerbaijan because of fears over his safety. renee zellweger plays a devious billionaire in her new drama, but

tells us she'd really like to see the return of bridgetjones. i hope so. yeah, i don't know. i'm not being cagey, i promise, i don't know. i know that helen's written the book so maybe i guess there is that possibility. good morning. many of us seeing some beautiful sunrises this morning, leading us into a dry, sunny day and a warm one but there is some rain in the forecast across northern scotland, an a few showers in northern england and north wales. more in 15 minutes. —— and a view showers and. —— an a few showers. it's wednesday the 22nd of may. our top story: theresa may will make the case for her new brexit plan in parliament later, amid signs that opposition to her compromise is hardening. the prime minister's written tojeremy corbyn, urging the labour leader to back her amended deal. in the three—page letter, released in the last hour, mrs may says she believes her deal should be able to command

cross—party support. she says it will put an end to the "corrosive brexit debate that is damaging our politics" and she tells mr corbyn that if she is willing to compromise, then he should too. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster. no doubt you've read through the entire letter, and we'll be speaking to the shadow brexit secratary sir keir starmer about this in about ten minutes pulse time or so, but if the prime minister is right saying she is willing to move, are they those willing to meet her in the middle? it doesn't look like she's offering will be enough, and in fact the reaction has probably been the exact opposite of what downing street will have been wanting. the ideas they put on the table are compromises, the concessions as number 10 would see them, haven't been well received at all. their labour mps who want another referendum are saying the promise on that doesn't go far

enough and the labour mps who want a closer relationship are saying there isn't enough in the deal to make them think they are going to get it. 0n the other side, there are tory mps looking at what the pm has offered and they are saying this has gone far too far. for some that relu cta ntly gone far too far. for some that reluctantly backed her in march when we had the last big brexit vote are saying they won't do it this time. looking at the papers this morning, i can't looking at the papers this morning, ican't imagine looking at the papers this morning, i can't imagine they will be well received at theresa may's coffee table. desperate, deluded and glued says the telegraph. although the pm will be up in the commons later saying please listen to this, this is the last chance, i've compromised, as should you, and she has said the same tojeremy corbyn, it feels this morning her chances of getting a brexit deal through our even more remote today than they we re even more remote today than they were a few days ago. nick, thanks very much and. that set up to speak

to sir keir starmer, who will be here ina to sir keir starmer, who will be here in a few minutes. the future of thousands of british steel employees remains uncertain as the company's owners continue to lobby for government backing. the firm says it needs an emergency loan from the treasury. the firm is also blaming brexit uncertainty. our business correspondent sarah corker is at the firm's scu nthorpe plant. i know it's a really difficult time for people going into work there. what is the latest? well, it is shift change over time here at the moment, so people are just starting the morning shift and there is very much a sense of it say waiting game. people are nervously waiting game. people are nervously waiting to find out what will happen next. to steel steel have asked the government for an emergency loan of £30 million to keep trading and avert collapse —— british steel. i have a steel fabricator with me now, you run a company, you can see it almost from where we are here, and

you've been a customer and supplier of british steel for 30 years now. were there any warning signs? not until recently, they've got a strong order book, we been doing plenty of work, everything looked fine until a couple of weeks ago. what has gone wrong? a combination of events. the steel market is over supplies. trump's tariffs have stopped the us market for the us and chinese so they're moving steel from the uk. we can produce the best steel in the world but our costs are higher than imports. to steel steel has said brexit is an issue in terms of european customers not placing orders because they're worried about ano orders because they're worried about a no deal brexit tariff situation, so that must affect the viability of the industry. i would say it's the chronic mishandling of the brexit issue by the government and the

senior negotiators, the uncertainty 's. this is a robust issue —— the uncertainty. this is a successful plant. are not buying into that completely. a french... —— i'm not buying into that completely. uncertain times for workers. 4000 workers coming to work today not knowing what their future will be. talks will continue between the government and british steel today. thanks very much, sarah. i know you're speaking to other workers today. for the moment, thank you. it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections, because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper alternative postal service. this report from leigh milner. this envelope arrived at ann bones' house in france two days ago. she's been told her postal vote won't make it back in time for the uk for thursday.

the post over here in france told me that there was no chance of them arriving in time. for tony in south—western france, well, he's still waiting for his. we feel disappointed and let down by not receiving our ballots for the european elections, and wonder whether this is just pure malfunction of the system or maybe even skulduggery. the reason? well, the clue is on the envelope. post nl means the ballot papers were sent from the uk to france via the netherlands. adare is the postal service which a number of local councils in the uk use to send the ballot papers rather than the royal mail because it was more cost—effective. well, in a statement, adare told the bbc the ballots had been released in line with the elections and council timetables. they insisted that they had used reputable mail handlers whose job it was to assess the best route through other european countries. in a statement, the electoral commission said it had:

with voting due to take place tomorrow, it's believed thousands of expats will miss out on the chance to have their say in the european elections. leigh milner, bbc news. a partial ban on single—use plastics, including straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds, will come into effect in england next year. the government says urgent action is needed to tackle plastic pollution but environmental groups say the measures, which will come into force in april next year, don't go far enough. a memorial service will be held this afternoon to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services are expected to attend. a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled.

the report from the transport select committee points out that buses are the most—used form of public transport, and calls it strange that there's no long—term funding plan for them. the government says they've increased funding to local councils, to help them meet people's transport needs. a united nations—backed report says public spending cuts over the last eight years have led to high levels of poverty in many parts of britain. this is the conclusion of professor philip alston, an investigator on extreme poverty who toured the uk last november. he warns that unless policies change, people on low incomes seem destined to lead lives that are solitary and short. the comments have infuriated ministers. here's our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan. for nearly a fortnight last november, philip alston toured the uk, listening and talking to some of the country's poorest residents and what he found pulled him, a nationwide network of food banks, rising levels of child poverty and homelessness as well as huge cuts to

benefits, policing and legal. in a blistering report today, he says the changes since 2010 are the consequences of a deliberate choice. politicians, he says, chose to target the poor and continue to do so. the chancellor has consistently used any the chancellor has consistently used a ny excess the chancellor has consistently used any excess funds for other purposes, weather it's any excess funds for other purposes, weather its tax cuts, weather it's to bring down the debt even further, while all this misery is going on around. professor alston describes the department for work and pensions has been asked to produce a digital version of the 19th—century workhouse, saying there are harsh and uncaring ethos has emerged. ministers have described the report asa ministers have described the report as a barely believable documentation of britain, saying they spend £95 billion annually on working age benefits. privately, they are understood to be furious and are exploring ways to complain to the un. michael buchanan, bbc news. i think we need a bit of monkey

news! do you want some? go on then! this is one of three barbary macaques to have been born this week at monkey forest in staffordshire. it's an endangered species and only 8,000 are believed to be living in the wild. there were two boys and one girl. look at the little yawn there! the bbc has announced its latest star chat show host — none other than vladimir putin! well, it's a virtual version of the russian president anyway. it's a television first using a 3d digital cartoon of putin which walks around and interviews real human guests. two pilot episodes of the comedy chat show have been commissioned for bbc two. among the first guests are alastair campbell and joe swash. it's fair to say vladimir is quite excited at the prospect. until now, the greatest victory has eluded me...

that of number one chatshow in the uk! so watch out, graham norton, i'm coming for you! i expect he will be doing exactly that, watching out! let's return to our top story now. theresa may will make the case for her amended brexit plan in parliament today, even though it's already been rejected by some of the mps it was designed to win over. in a speech yesterday, she warned that mps have one last chance to deliver brexit, but labour has dismissed her list of ten compromises as a rehash of existing plans. joining us is the shadow brexit secretary, sir keir starmer. good morning and thank you for coming on the programme this morning. to your mind, is the deal damp? this package is two-week to get through and i think the prime minister is going to lose and probably lose heavy. —— dead. the

sensible thing would be to admit defeat and not put it to a vote. fees making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear because this is going nowhere and therefore she shouldn't put it to a vote —— she's making. therefore she shouldn't put it to a vote -- she's making. i want to be clear on this, she has said she is compromising on a number of issues, for example the choice about the customs union, which you have spoken to us and others about in many weeks and months. the vote on another referendum and talking about workers' rights. if she says she has shifted, are you saying she hasn't moved her position at all or you are unwilling to move yours? let's take those three issues on the customs arrangement, she is offering the option of a vote between her own policy and a temporary customs union. it's an offer of an option of a vote, she's not even including labour‘s option, a permanent customs union within that suite of possible votes. to simply say you can have a

votes. to simply say you can have a vote on it doesn't really take us very far, because most people in parliament say we could vote on it anyway, we could certainly put down anyway, we could certainly put down an amendment, so that doesn't really get you anywhere that's not a compromise. 0n the public vote, again, all she's really saying is you could have a vote on it. again, the strong feeling in parliament is we've reached the stage where we can put amendments down and vote on them. it's not a compromise. 0n workers' rights, i do accept the government has tried to put something on the table that wasn't previously their. it's not as strong as we think it should the but i would be wrong in suggesting they haven't put something on the table in that regard mother trade unionist don't think it is strong enough but ina sense, don't think it is strong enough but in a sense, if the government had said right, we've compromised, here's the new policy position on customs or the new policy position ona customs or the new policy position on a public vote, that would be one thing but to simply say we'll give parliament a chance to vote on it, that doesn't take you anywhere. on

the workers' rights you said it's not what you want but that's what a compromise is, it's not exactly what you want but you meet somewhere in the middle. it's not strong enough, though, there's something about the remedies and where you can claim them. we would need to look at the detail but the big issues that have taken the time are things like the customs union and the issues about things like the public vote. there it is and sensible to pretend it's a compromise when all you're really saying is parliament can have a vote on it, and if so, for heaven's sake, why exclude labour‘s policy choice? got the government pass and the customs union temporarily but not labour‘s —— government's. at least offer all of the options! has this covered the debate about what will happen when theresa may steps down? —— scuppered. during the negotiations your side of the debate

have felt potential tory leaders are trying to stop the discussions, and then the problem is, if there is a compromise, what happens when theresa may is replaced and someone else changes the direction of travel? this was the central problem in the talks, the prime minister said i'm going to step down if and when a deal goes through. that's her judgement call and i won't criticise that one way or the other but it put her ina that one way or the other but it put her in a position of such weakness that as we sat there negotiating, members of the cabinet and those who wa nt to members of the cabinet and those who want to be leader of the tory party we re want to be leader of the tory party were almost circling the talks and shooting into say i won't accept a customs union, i won't accept a public vote or the next leader will be bound by any of this and progress was impossible as a result. i say that without criticism of the negotiating team led by david liddington because those negotiations were in good faith. but in the end they couldn't withstand the pressure of a leadership campaign that's broken out already and everyone is lining up to say evenif and everyone is lining up to say even if there was something agreed

with the labour party, we would rip it up the moment we got into power as leader of the conservative party. it makes it impossible because the prime minister has put herself into wea k prime minister has put herself into weak a position to really deliver and some of that even played out yesterday, because as i understand it, at cabinet it was discussed whether the labour option of a permanent customs union should be one of the options for a vote and the prime minister may even have recognised that would be sensible but her cabinet wouldn't let her do it. so it's this weakness that i think hampers everything right now, and that's why i genuinely think it would be sensible for the prime minister to say i will not now put this package to the vote stopping i think she needs to reconsider and think she needs to reconsider and think again. to more questions i wa nt to think again. to more questions i want to ask you, one about the local elections but on that, on the issue, and potentially what she's been writing in the letter, do you accept this might be your best chance to get something close to what you want? because if predictions are to be believed and the next leader of

the tory party might be a stronger brexiteer than theresa may, then that might take things further away than where you want them to be? no, ithink no, i think if the prime minister recognise that this package was going nowhere, she could admitted, admit defeat, and say will address the central issues that labour is concerned about, a closer economic relationship including a customs union and a public vote. they will address those. i'll make a meaningfulfrom address those. i'll make a meaningful from those two issues and put it to us. but that is open to the prime minister, but she has to come in order to get to that place, she has to recognise that this package is not going to fly she needs to pull the vote and announced that, i would suggest you announce that, i would suggest you announce that this afternoon, and then see whether she can make a meaningful offer in the areas that are of central concern to the labour party. that would be a way forward. on those local elections, your ma nifesto those local elections, your manifesto talks about european elections, your manifesto talks about ending austerity, investing in communities, workers' rights. they

are laudable things to talk about, but, essentially, are you worried that the vote on thursday is going to bea that the vote on thursday is going to be a proxy vote on brexit? well, i recognise that we have got to fight for each and every vote on thursday. we need to reflect on the fa ct thursday. we need to reflect on the fact that this is about returning real meps to europe to work with other politicians on issues of real concern and that is austerity, climate change, tax avoidance, things i think the people are really concerned about. but we have to fight for each and every vote in that election coming up on thursday. thank you very much your time today, thatis thank you very much your time today, that is sir keir starmer. you can find more news and analysis on the bbc news website. i am going to give carol an update on the weather. you would know this. it is raining a bit already.

good morning, not everywhere though, blue. there are showers. sally is under one. a beautiful start to the day. thank you so much for sending the pictures in. we really enjoy them. in today's forecast sunny spells and mainly dry. as blue alluded to, it is not everywhere. heavy rain across the north of scotland, but we have a weak weather front across north wales, parts of northern england, having —— heading across lincolnshire, that is where it is producing patchy, light rain or showers. they will be on and off as we go through the course of the day. on either side of the systems it isa day. on either side of the systems it is a dry start, a sunny start, and temperatures are now starting to pick up quite quickly. as well as the rain in the north, we have a keen northerly wind. if you are under that combination it will feel quite chilly. highs 10— 13 degrees. as we sweep further south you can see how the temperature picks up. we could hit 21 somewhere in the

south—east. yesterday, incidentally, the top temperature was in southampton at 22.6 celsius. way above average for this stage in may. this evening and overnight we have this rain across the north—east of scotland. it is swelling around an area of low pressure. the wind sta rts area of low pressure. the wind starts to change to more of a north—westerly. there will be dry weather around with variable amounts of cloud. temperatures are indicative of towns and cities. in rural areas here and there it could drop as low as four degrees. tomorrow we start off with the rain, the north—westerly wind, moving this time towards the north sea. a brighter day for some parts of scotland. for northern ireland, northern england, parts of wales in the south—west, the cloud will be coming and going. the sunshine at times will be hazy. for the rest of scotla nd times will be hazy. for the rest of scotland and england not a bad day if you like it dry, sunny, and warm. temperatures creeping back up to 22 degrees. if it is raining after there is not a lot in the forecast over the next few days. in fact, on

friday, it will be a drier day in scotla nd friday, it will be a drier day in scotland but fairly cloudy. noticeably breezy wherever you are with some showers in northern ireland, some of those slipping into wales, the midlands, possibly into dorset, hampshire, in the south—east in water. as temperatures rise we could see some homegrown showers. talking of temperatures, ten in the north, 21 in the south. into the weekend, morning to come across the north of the country. we are not talking about substantial amounts. this cold front, by the time we get to monday, will be starting to slip a little bit further south eastwards. this weekend, cloudier, breezy, the chance of rain. and slightly cooler on bank holiday monday. as a mentioned, not a washout. carol, thank you! we were talking m&s profits and figures.

m&s hasjust announced a 9.9% fall in pre—tax profits to £523 million pounds for the year to march 31st. it is still a big business. they go through tough times and we will talk about that in a moment. they are selling £10 billion worth of stuff, food, clothes, home, and making about half £1 billion —— 500 and pounds in profit. sales are falling again for them. it is sales and the food halls were down about 2% on last year. food was supposed to be a big part of that business back in the day. clothing and home sales we re the day. clothing and home sales were down as well. still tough times. the question this morning has been what are they doing about it? and the stores? and? when you look at the boss, steve rowe, he said this morning we're still not been consistent in our delivery in a of areas, changing faster than any time in his career. they are starting now to really ramp up at the store closure plan. they had already told

us about it. when you 100 stores closing or being relocated. this morning they have got more of an idea what they are doing with their food stores. they will close some of their simply food stores. they say they are looking at concentrating on stores with good access and car parking to enable customers to shop for more of their range. that sounds, doesn't it, like supermarket shopping, being able to do that. not just part of their normal clothing stores they have at the minute. we know they have done this huge deal with 0cado to order their food online and get it delivered. food strategy is clearly a major part of the business. they will continue closing stores. they are trying to change things, turn things around. yes. they are definitely trying and they are definitely mixing it up. this brand, m&s, what does it mean anymore? that is what a lot of customers are asking. there is a bit

in here about range to change in terms of clothing. we talked about that enough times, and it hasn't done thejob for them. that enough times, and it hasn't done the job for them. moving online is big for them. this morning it is more about store closures will continue, there will be some food store closures, but there will be an increase in the new food stores that they are looking to do in the next four years. we may see those popping up four years. we may see those popping up in places where you have had other supermarkets in the past. should be in the high street again. yesterday we reported that police across the uk had arrested more than 500 people as part of a co—ordinated effort to disrupt so—called county lines drugs operations — which involve gangs from cities moving into rural areas and using vulnerable people to help them deal. one of the forces involved was bedfordshire, where police chiefs have published unique analysis of how the drugs market operates there. our home editor mark easton has been to find out more. police! police in bedfordshire conduct a raid on a suspected drugs den once or twice every week.

we're executing a drugs warrant. all three of you are under arrest for possession with intent to supply. in a small flat in a scruffy social housing block, they find three men and a significant quantity of what officers suspect is cocaine and heroin. for pc james 'westie' west it is a good morning's work. do you think you make a difference in the fight against drugs? yes. what difference is that? for now we're taking this gentleman off the streets. there are two drug users up there. 0bviously we'll now be able to bring in safeguarding measures with them. this is the second county line we've had an impact on in bedford in the space of the last couple of months. i think we're making a difference. but how much of a difference? local police working with other agencies have put together a unique job with the drugs market looks like across the county. and they reckon that in bedfordshire people spend £1 million on cocaine every week. and they spent more than £1 million a week on cannabis. almost one in ten of working age adults are buying illicit drugs. detective chief superintendent mark

lay will present the findings of the research later today, a troubling picture of the scale of the county's criminal drug network. prices are down, quality is up, delivery is quicker than amazon prime. you are losing the war the drug gangs, aren't you? i don't think we're losing the war. i think that when people say there's a war on drugs i would actually say, well, have we actually put enough resource into applying the war against drugs? so have we got enough resource targeting the supply of drugs? but is itjust a question of money and improved focus? the government is conducting an independent review of drugs policy, including whether harms would be reduced if drugs were decriminalised or legalised. i'm trying to deliberately sit on the fence, because, actually, i am not a lawmaker, i am law enforcer. we as the national crime agency will produce intelligence into that review and that will enable the views of experts in this field, particularly those with a health background, to make their views

understood and known. after the morning raids in bedford, a man was charged with intent to supply class a drugs. but police suspect the distribution network will only be marginally inconvenienced. within a matter of hours it'll be business as usual. mark easton, bbc news, bedford. it is interesting that. later on on the programme we have lewis capaldi here talking about his new album. and really looking forward to talking to andrew strauss. his wife died ofa talking to andrew strauss. his wife died of a rare form of lung cancer and they are raising money for charity to do with that and to help grieving parents and children as well. i think andrew strauss is ten past eight and lewis capaldi will be closer to the end of the programme. also, you are talking about nan winton, the first female newsreader. 0n the bbc.

winton, the first female newsreader. on the bbc. angela rippon, she says that many people think she was the first female newsreader on bbc. as a refu nd first female newsreader on bbc. as a refund has a programme after us and we will talk to her about nan winton later. good morning from bbc london news. i'm sonja jessup. victims of violent and sexual crimes are being let down by probation services in the capital, according to a new report. by law, victims of serious offences have to have access to a scheme that keeps them updated about offenders, but in a fifth of cases examined by inspectors, they found that wasn't happening. the ministry ofjustice has admitted improvement is needed and says it will focus on getting victims the support they need. researchers have named london as the most popular city in the world for global companies to base their head offices — attracting more investment than new york, singapore, berlin, and paris. the think tank centre for london says firms are attracted here because there's great access to talent.

but it warns this could be damaged by changes to immigration rules post—brexit. a new centre in peckham is teaching the yoruba language to children and young people of nigerian heritage. culture tree was founded by one mum— after she struggled to find resources to help teach her children her mother tongue. she says keeping languages alive is important to help second and third generations stay connected to their roots. a lot of kids grow up not speaking it. their parents didn't teach the yoruba, because they spoke english. especially migration, as well, coming to the uk people just felt it was ok to just, you know, they didn't want their kids to speak with a funny accent or a nigerian accent, so they kind of, like, abandoned teaching their kids their mother tongue. but i think with our second generation, the younger generation, we realise that that was a mistake that our parents have made with not teaching us our language and we want to have that connection to our roots. let's take a look at the travel situation now. they have some good news on the

tube. all metropolitan lines running normally. thameslink and southeastern trains are not running between shortlands and bickley at the moment. let's take a look at the roads. this is the a13. and its usual rush hour delays really heading into town. and then there are some roadworks to remind you of. in mitcham, the a217 bishopsford road is closed. over to the weather now. here's kate kinsella. good morning. it's another sunny start out there this morning, albeit a little bit hazy. there's some high cloud. but all in all today it is going to feel rather pleasant and warm in the sunshine. now the wind is light today. through the afternoon, perhaps, a little bit more in the way of cloud bubbling up. and with that we run a very small risk of a shower as we head towards the end of the afternoon into the early evening. but many places staying dry, temperatures getting up to 20 celsius. now, that shower risk diminishes as we head into the first part of the night. the sky clears, the temperature dropping down to around 7 celsius in the suburbs. staying in double figures in central london. as we head into thursday,

similar conditions again. temperatures getting up to 22 celsius. in fact, the temperature stays fairly constant as we head into the weekend as well. we will gradually start to see a bit more cloud, especially for sunday, and then bank holiday monday things just feeling a little cooler. there will be plenty more from us throughout the morning. i'll be back in around half an hour. bye for now. hello, this is breakfast, with dan walker and louise minchin. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. theresa may has written tojeremy corbyn, imploring the labour leader to back her amended brexit deal. the prime minister has outlined a package of compromises, including the possibility of a second referendum, in a bid to increase cross—party support. the liberal democrats say it doesn't go far enough.

the reality is, she's given no cast—iron guarantee that the people will have the final say on brexit. that's what liberal democrats have been leading on, our leading campaignfor been leading on, our leading campaign for the last three years, so we'll be voting against this. it's feared british steel could go into administration today unless it receives emergency funding from the treasury. high—level talks have been taking place to try to save the business, which employs thousands of people at its scunthorpe plant. union leaders argue the firm should be nationalised. it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper postal service called adare rather than the royal mail. adare said all ballots were posted in line with the election and council timetables. we've had a couple of messages about this, margaret has got in contact to

say it's not only expat voters in france not getting their voting cards for the european elections, they say they live in poland and they say they live in poland and they haven't received their vote. we we re they haven't received their vote. we were told we were eligible to vote in all major elections. a memorial service will be held this afternoon, that's to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services are expected to attend. a united nations backed report says public spending cuts over the last eight years have led to high levels of poverty in many parts of britain. this is the conclusion of philip alston, an investigator on extreme poverty who toured the uk last november. he warns that unless policies change, people on low incomes seem destined to lead lives that are solitary and short. the comments have infuriated ministers. a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled. the report points out that buses are the most—used form of public transport, and calls it strange that there's no long—term funding plan for them.

the government says it's increased funding to local councils, to help them meet people's transport needs. those are some of the main stories this morning. coming up on the programme, carol will have the weather. you are saying it's raining outside? i've been in touch with sally, and she can speak to us now. let's get the sport from sally now, who's outside on the media city five—a—side pitch. shall i tell everybody our little secret? i'm wearing louise pass code, we didn't expect the rain! we are joined code, we didn't expect the rain! we arejoined by local code, we didn't expect the rain! we are joined by local footballers who have come to help us celebrate a very important moment —— louise's. i can announce to you on bbc breakfast the winner of the women's footballer of the year for the bbc and i can tell you it is... aider had berg! ——

ada hegerberg. hegerberg won a fourth champions league title on saturday scoring a hat trick in the final against barcelona, and she's beaten four other nominees for this award in a public vote. 0ur reporter sarah mulkerrins flew out to norway to surprise ada with her award. hello! hi! hello! ada hegerberg, you have won the bbc women's footballer of the year for 2019. let's get a round of applause! applause it's so nice of you to come here and feel the whole family together. i get so emotional when i talk about this. they've been part of the journey since day one and they're the most important people in my life

stopping my mum and my dad, they've they've always been there. and my nephews. they gave me that courage to always stand up for what i believe in. now we've got a strong voice for the girls that really want to play football, and that's very good. it's like you have the glory and the days that are tougher. barn door was beyond my world to be honest. my dad, he passed away now in february, and he often said it's like an adventure, so i adopt his words. it's like an adventure. when she meets a situation, she has already experienced it either on the pitch or in her head. i think that's maybe made the little difference between her and the others. winning the first bbc award was amazing but

winning it again is a really, really ha rd winning it again is a really, really hard job stopping first of all, this is hard for me to find the words because winning it a second time is like, unbelievable. bbc women's footballer of the year, it speaks for itself and so thank you, thank you so much. stay hungry, motivated, i'll give it all as long asi motivated, i'll give it all as long as i can and i'll write new history for sure. congratulations again, because you are the bbc women's footballer of the year for 2019. she really is an incredible role model for anyone playing football, boys and girls, whoever you are! we will talk about her a bit more later in the programme but let's move on now for the rest of our sports news. arsenal plan to meet uefa to express their anger over the choice of venue for next wednesday's europa league final. theirforward henrik mikhitaryan won't travel to baku to play against chelsea because of fears for his safety.

mikhitaryan is from armenia which has political tensions with azerbaijan. arsenal are said to be furious with european football's governing body. michael vaughan says england have the best opportunity in his time to win the cricket world cup. the hosts are the favourites, and have named fast bowler joffra archer in their 15—man squad despite only playing three international one—dayers so far. tyson fury says a world heavyweight title rematch with deontay wilder is likely to happen next spring. american wilder retained his wbc belt with a thrilling draw against fury in los angeles in december. and lewis hamilton has described niki lauda as a bright light in his life. the formula one legend died yesteday at the age of 70. now, we're just weeks away from the start of the women's world cup in france, and among those players hoping to make an impact at the tournament

is england's toni duggan. bbc breakfast is going to be there to enjoy all the thrills and spills of that tournament. the barcelona forward missed out on a champions league winners medal at the weekend when her side were beaten by lyon, but she's looking forward to putting women's football centre stage this summer. as part of the bbc‘s change the game season, i went to spain to meet her. she used to play for everton and manchester city. primera directa. good. and then? despues. means after. despues. primera izquierdo... but actually really right now. vale, vale. vale? does that mean go on? 0k. your spanish is good! toni duggan certainly knows where she's going, settled in spain but heading for the biggest summer of her career. it's a massive few years for women's football i think. this is the biggest in the women's football calendar. we've got the world cup, hopefully the olympics next year and then the year after we've got the european championships in england. so for me the next three years in women's is generally... i know people say every year it's getting bigger and better, but this is genuinely the biggest

a can be for women's football, and i hope i can be at the forefront of that, i hope i can be a part of it and i hope we can be successful. when were you were a kid, how unusual was it for a girl to be playing like you played? yeah, it wasn't common, i was the only girl in the school playing, nevermind the class. i was always getting called names. there was people supported me, don't get me wrong, but there was more name—calling from the lads and, kind of man head, you're not good, why are you playing, go and play with the girls. i was only a kid, we can laugh here now, it wouldn't hurt you, but when you're a little girl, a kid, it was difficult and it can hurt you. i'm glad i stuck with it and i get messages for the game from those people saying, "how you doing, to? "good luck!" it's nice to say, how time has changed! i'm trying to create a better pathway for the next generation

because i'm thankful for the ones that created it for me. five or ten years ago we would have been screaming out for publicity, radio and tv interviews, brands coming on board so any chance i get to work with brands and do media, i give it everything. things have changed so much for you over the last couple of years. you've moved away from home, living in barcelona, playing for one of the most famous clubs in the world, do you ever pinch yourself? sometimes you need to stop and take it all in because even women's in general is moving so fast. sharing planes with the men's teams, playing for barcelona, things you'd never even dream of but the dream has come through. honestly, it's been crazy. let's leak to our guests. we've heard toni duggan talking about when she was a kid, your age, she got called names playing football and

teased. is it like that for you now? know, if you play as a girl in high school, people think that you've got a talent. they think it is good and it means they can play their sport. is it interesting... have things changed? when i was in primary school, i was the only girl but i was still accepted into the sport but now it's more common for girls to play football. olivia, what do you like about playing football?” like how competitive it is, i like the adrenaline and how amazing it is to be on the pitch with the team, integrating with other people and competing against others. it's really good. all week we've been talking to women and girls playing sport and people have said it isn't bad to look sweaty after playing sport and even wearing kit, it doesn't matter what you wear to play

in your sport. how do you feel?” don't think it matters if i'm sweaty, it shows i'm trying my best and i'm playing football and i show lam doing and i'm playing football and i show i am doing my best when i play it stop who has changed things for you? when you watch sport, do you watch the men and the women and do they inspire you just as much? when the united women's team got together that showed me it's more recognised in society, girls can play football and it will be shown and they have just as much talent as the men. will you be watching the women's world cup this summer? definitely. great to hear and cup this summer? definitely. great to hearand i'm cup this summer? definitely. great to hear and i'm glad you will be watching because we will be showing you plenty on bbc breakfast and across the bbc. back to you... i mightjustjoin in for across the bbc. back to you... i mightjustjoin infora across the bbc. back to you... i mightjustjoin in for a second. i'm so rubbish at football! i missed my chance! i want to see this! wouldn't

you love it if sally went to footed in on someone! the only time i ever played there i scored an own goal! you will have done better than me! i can't beat them! well done, a passing glance! pay attention, nugent! pay attention!” passing glance! pay attention, nugent! pay attention! i love that celebration of women's sport. bring my jacket back, by celebration of women's sport. bring myjacket back, by the way!l celebration of women's sport. bring my jacket back, by the way! a window on life, chasing the ball around and when you're not looking it hits you! here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. honestly, the sunrise this morning, carol, was one of my favourites ever. really beautiful! we have seen some beautiful sunrises. sally found some beautiful sunrises. sally found some showers earlier this morning. this beautiful weather watchers picture from cumbria. lovely blue skies, a little cloud, not much more

than that. for many of us, warm, sunny spells, mainly dry. but not totally dry. that is because we have a couple of weather fronts across the north of scotland that are introducing rain. we have a weak weather front across north wales and also parts of northern england, extending from the greater manchester area towards lincolnshire thatis manchester area towards lincolnshire that is what is producing showers apache light rain. 0n that is what is producing showers apache light rain. on and off through the course of the day —— patchy. 0n either side of the rain and the showers we are looking at a fair bit of sunshine, times with the cloud covered will be hazy. a very small chance of a shower later crossed east anglia. if you are going to the chelsea flower showers today, for example, depending on your point of view, you'll be unlucky if you catch on. temperatures in the north, 20—21 in the south—east. yesterday's top temperature was in southampton. 22.6. heading through the evening and overnight we have the rain

across northern scotland. it is rotating around an area of low pressure. the wind more north—westerly. clear skies as well. patchy mist and fog forming. temperatures falling to between eight and ten. these temperatures represent towns and cities. in rural areas it will be lower, some as low as four. tomorrow we start with the rain across the north—east. it is being pulled by the low pressure towards the north sea. you can see that keen north—westerly breeze. for the rest of the uk, well, there will be variable amounts of cloud. some bright spells. there will be some sunny spells. in the sunshine, highs of 22 in london. not out of the realms of possibility. 11—16 in scotland. 16 in northern ireland. in wales you are looking at up to 19 or 20. for friday there will be more cloud around for most of us. there will still be some sunshine. noren across scotland. it will cleared away by then. still quite breezy

——no the rain. through the day we will see showers arrive in northern ireland, out of wales, potentially north—west england, through the midlands, and into the south—eastern corner. temperatures by then at 21. for the weekend it will turn a little more unsettled. in the north there will be some more rain. if you are screaming out for rain in the south it is not coming out. on bank holiday monday weak weather front coming in may produce some of that rain. we will keep you posted on that. generally speaking, the weekend will be cloudier, breezy, with a chance of rain especially in the north, and slightly cooler on bank holiday monday. not a washout and we are not entering the next ice age either. dan and blue. did you say the next ice age? it will be cooler, but not that cool. running an energy company when more of us are being encouraged to use less power can't be easy. sean's going to be speaking to the boss of one of the big six

energy firms in a moment. good morning. that's right. never mind the smaller companies. we're talking about sse this morning. lots of companies to be discussing, from marks & spencer to sse. if you get your gas and electricity from them, well they tried to merge that bit of the business with npower, another big supply — but that didn't happen. so does it want to be supplying energy? that is what we're going to look at this morning. alistair phillips—davies is the chief executive officer of sse and joins me from central london now. good morning to you. good morning. when we looked at your results that you had out this morning, roberts down, a lot, again, still made around £700 million, but falling, customer accounts falling, you are down to about 600 million, half a million customers lost over the last year, what is it you are now going to do with the part of your business

that supplies customers around the country was yellow so we have announced this morning that we have katie biggerstaff as executive chair. she is very experienced in the retail sector the and is an inspirational leader. we are confident with the management we have got she will be able to take the business forward in a competitive market with a lot of cost pressures on it as a the smoker on it. a year or so ago that these plans with npower, to mostly business, you thought it was the best for your retail customers. why should households think that sse are a good supplier if you have been trying to merge the business with another one last year, you have brought somebody else into look at it now, it sort of feels like your heart is not in it. our business performed really well last year. we improved across a lot of key metrics, particularly customer service as we drew that forward. it

is regrettable that sse's performance was so poor that the merger could not go ahead. as i said, katie will take the business forward. it is small part of the group now. we are looking to deliver a low carbon economy with the billions of pounds we are investing in renewables across the country. you mentioned npower there. maybe you were relying on the wrong business there to merge with at some point to try to sort out your retail business stop is it a sad indictment of the big supplies at the minute that you try to merge with another one and say their performance wasn't good enough to do that, your customer service has had to be top of your priority list because it hasn't been great. we look at smart meter 's, you had to fork out nearly £750 million to the regulator because you missed your smart meter installation target. do you think the big six supplies have done a good job of supplying customers? we have definitely done an excellent job of supplying customers. our

customer service standards have been among the best in the industry for 10-15 among the best in the industry for 10—15 years. we are a very high performing company in that sector. it isa performing company in that sector. it is a relatively small business. 0ne it is a relatively small business. one of the big things we want to do for customers now is to make sure we can deliver things like this might economy through investments in networks. why hasn't that work previously for you? you must know if you are a customer and you have had a smart meter installed, at some point, the likelihood is you would have had a stressful point at some point doing that. we have installed well over 1 point doing that. we have installed well over1 million smart metres. i think the vast majority of those have gone very well. our business development —— delivers a very high customer service. thank you very much. they are still looking. if you are a customer of theirs they are still looking to do something with the business, whether it is to spin it off orfind business, whether it is to spin it off or find another buyer at this

point. it shows the tricky environment, struggling to make more money than they were previously out of customers in the uk. thank you, sean. there has been support from our viewers this morning for your plan for another bridgetjones film. hopefully not just my for another bridgetjones film. hopefully notjust my plan. best known for her lead part in bridgetjones's diary, renee zellweger‘s latest role is about as far away from that as you can get. she stars as a ruthless and powerful investor in the new netflix thriller series what if?. 0ur correspondent sophie long went to meet her in los angeles ahead of the premier. music plays. i'd have brought it over to you. i don't like to drink alone. she's kept an ultra low profile for the past two years, but now the oscar—winning actress is steaming back onto our screens with her own streaming series. i won't tell if you won't. i've never gotten to do a project like this before, you know. itjust looked like a lot of fun to do something that's set in this tone, that's heightened reality, and where this character is so audacious and outrageous.

itjust seemed like a treat. are you two planning on having children? someday. it's a gender stereotype busting take on indecent proposal. to obtain elite success, her character tells us in the opening scenes, you must be willing to make the hard choices, do unpleasant things, just the kind of thing the me too movement in hollywood has sought stamp out. you're an elite performer and at the top of your game, how much did you think along the way about difficult choices and indecent proposals? not at all. not even a little bit. no, it'sjust, you know, you're not yourself and try and make the best decision in the moment. and see what feels true. i mean, have no interest in compromising myself ethically for a job. it's a big year for renee zellweger. i hear you've just celebrated a big birthday.

congratulations. thank you very much. woohoo! still here. things are going according to plan. # somewhere over the rainbow... she's just turned 50 and there's already a growing buzz around her powerful performance asjudy garland in the biopic that charts the final tragic year of of the troubled hollywood legend's life. it was a very, very special experience, going to work every day with magnificent crew and everyone motivated by the same things, this love forjudy garland and what she meant to them and it sort of became this love letter. how different would you say that the hollywood you've risen up through to the one she operated in? big changes happening now. which were inevitable, i suppose, as younger generations of women are coming up. and it was normal for them to assume that they could rise to the top of their games and to ask questions that, i don't know, didn't seem obvious to maybe

my generation or maybe we were beginning to ask the question, but it didn't occur to us to sort of bust through and just point at the thing that was wrong and say "why are we accepting these things? this is ridiculous." and ifeel like it's changing at an accelerated pace now and i'm glad. it's time. the character you are playing in what if? is a super sexy, dark, ice cool, kind of the opposite, really, to the character that people will forever hold you in their hearts across the united kingdom — bridgetjones. will be ever see bridgetjones again? oh, i hope so. i don't know. i'm not being cagey, i promise. i don't know. i know that helen's written a book, so maybe a guess there is a possibility. but no detailfrom me, i'm the last to know. i don't know. but i hope so.

i have been doing some research about the next bridgetjones, it is not actually commissioned yet, but she even has said she could call that bridgetjones: the menopause. there is so much opportunity out there. it has got to be done. thank you after last week's series. waking up you after last week's series. waking up to the menopause. still getting lots of messages. appreciate them all. still to come this morning: # yourgrace, your # your grace, your grace... we'll bejoined by the man who spent seven weeks at number one. he calls himself the scottish beyonce, it's lewis capaldi. he is trying to help with mental health. every ticket has an extra 50p involved. that money then funds... people who are anxious

going to his concerts. trying to help them out. he says they are unable to go and watch him live because they feel anxious in those big spaces. he will be here later. time now to get the news, travel, and weather where you are. and we'll be back in a few minutes within the national headlines. good morning from bbc london news. i'm sonja jessup. victims of violent and sexual crimes are being let down by probation services in the capital, according to a new report. by law, victims of serious offences have to have access to a scheme that keeps them updated about offenders, but in a fifth of cases examined by inspectors, they found that wasn't happening. the ministry ofjustice has admitted improvement is needed and says it will focus on getting victims the support they need. researchers have named london as the most popular city in the world for global companies to base their head offices — attracting more investment than new york, singapore, berlin, and paris. the think tank centre for london says firms are attracted here because there's great access to talent. but it warns this could be damaged by changes to immigration rules post—brexit.

a new centre in peckham is teaching the yoruba language to children and young people of nigerian heritage. culture tree was founded by one mum— after she struggled to find resources to help teach her children her mother tongue. she says keeping languages alive is important to help second and third generations stay connected to their roots. a lot of kids grow up not speaking it. their parents didn't teach the yoruba, because they spoke english. especially migration, as well, coming to the uk people just felt it was ok to just, you know, they didn't want their kids to speak with a funny accent or a nigerian accent, so they kind of, like, abandoned teaching their kids their mother tongue. but i think with our second generation, the younger generation, we realise that that was a mistake that our parents have made with not teaching us our language and we want to have that connection to our roots. let's take a look at the travel situation now. it's all looking good on the tube — no reported problem on any of those lines there. thameslink and southeastern trains

are not running between shortlands and bickley at the moment. let's take a look at the roads. this is the a13 — and its usual rush hour delays really heading into town. and then there are some roadworks to remind you of — in mitcham the a217 bishopsford road is closed. and in westminster, millbank is closed between parliament square and lambeth bridge. over to the weather now. here's kate kinsella. good morning. it's another sunny start out there this morning, albeit a little bit hazy. there's some high cloud. but all in all today it is going to feel rather pleasant and warm in the sunshine. now the wind is light today. through the afternoon, perhaps, a little bit more in the way of cloud bubbling up. and with that we run a very small risk of a shower as we head towards the end of the afternoon into the early evening. but many places staying dry, temperatures getting up to 20 celsius. now, that shower risk diminishes

as we head into the first part of the night. the sky clears, the temperature dropping down to around 7 celsius in the suburbs. staying in double figures in central london. as we head into thursday, similar conditions again. temperatures getting up to 22 celsius. in fact, the temperature stays fairly constant as we head into the weekend as well. we will gradually start to see a bit more cloud, especially for sunday, and then bank holiday monday things just feeling a little cooler. there will be plenty more from us throughout the morning. i'll be back in around half an hour. and you can check out our website at the usual address bbc.co.uk/london or tune into bbc radio london. bye for now.

good morning and welcome to breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. 0ur headlines today... in a letter released this morning, theresa may urgesjeremy corbyn to back her brexit deal, as opposition hardens to her amended plan. last ditch talks are continuing to save british steel. the firm says it will collapse without an emergency government loan. can food stop the freefalling? profits and sales continue to tumble at marks & spencer. i'll have more on their strategy to turn around the business. we now know who is the bbc women's footballer of the year for 2019. it's lyon's ada hegerberg, fresh from her hat—trick in the champions league final. good morning. we have been talking about pink sunrises this morning.

this is from a weather watcher in rochdale. lots of fine and sunny weather around today, rain across scotland, and patchy rain across north wales and parts of england. more in 15 minutes. it's wednesday 22nd of may. our top story... theresa may will make the case for her new brexit plan in parliament later, amid signs that opposition to her compromise is hardening. the prime minister has written tojeremy corbyn, urging the labour leader to back her amended deal. in the three—page letter, released in the last couple of hours, mrs may says she believes her deal should be able to command cross—party support. she says it will put an end to the "corrosive brexit debate that is damaging our politics" and, she tells mr corbyn that if she is willing to compromise, then he should too. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster.

can you summarise how much support she is going to get to, and has this changed things for her? it doesn't look like any change has been a positive one. most of the reaction to some of those concessions, as the prime minister sees them, has not been good at all. there's a lot of people around westminster this morning saying if the prime minister brings this new deal back in the form she described it yesterday, it almost certainly will be defeated by mps. we heard in the last hour from labour's brexit spokesman, sir keir starmer. this package isjust too weak to get through and i think the prime minister will lose and probably lose heavily. ithink prime minister will lose and probably lose heavily. i think the sensible thing would be for her to admit defeat and not actually put it toa admit defeat and not actually put it to a vote. she is making a statement to a vote. she is making a statement to parliament this afternoon and she could use that to make it clear, because this is going absolutely nowhere. got to say, there are some conservatives who think the same.

theresa may, as she sits at the coffee ta ble theresa may, as she sits at the coffee table this morning, reading the papers, she will not get the reaction she was hoping for. the daily mail says theresa may's gamble too far. the telegraph is more brutal, calling it a desperate, deluded and doomed. the pm will be in the commons this afternoon making the case, saying to mp5, i have offered you something, i have tried to compromise, let's get this done and the public want us to deliver brexit. but i have to say, it's not looking good for the prime minister this morning and one minister i spoke to in the last half an hour said simply, it couldn't be much worse, could it? the future of thousands of british steel employees remains uncertain as the company's owners continue to lobby for government backing. the firm is blaming brexit uncertainty and says it needs an emergency loan from the treasury. our business correspondent sarah corker is at the firm's scu nthorpe plant. thousands of workers are employed there.

thank you for being there for us this morning. what are people saying to you and what's the general topic of debate this morning? this is scunthorpe's largest of debate this morning? this is scu nthorpe's largest private employer with 4000 people working on this site. it also supports another 20,000 people in the supply chain, so people are saying to me, any problems here at the steelworks has a ripple effect throughout the entire area. as you say, british steel need an emergency loan from the government to avert collapse. really worrying times for people here. charlotte trials is a former steel worker who now works for the gmb. you went through this a couple of years ago when there was trouble at the steelworks. what's it like for workers having to live with this co nsta nt u ncerta i nty? for workers having to live with this constant uncertainty? it's awful, it's hard to plan even the immediate future, if you don't know you can come to work tomorrow. when you start a career on the steelworks you wanted to be a job for life. they

provide training opportunities, a decent wage and you can build yourself and a career. when that is thrown into flux, its devastating. what have workers been told and how informed are they about how talks are going with the government? that's one of the main frustrations for workers here in scunthorpe. nobody knows. there has been a lack of communication but i think that is down to uncertainty. i think british steel are doing what they can to secure a future in scunthorpe but we just don't know at this stage. this isa just don't know at this stage. this is a town built on steel, they have been making it here for the last 150 yea rs. been making it here for the last 150 years. it has a huge impact on everyone, not just those years. it has a huge impact on everyone, notjust those working here. absolutely. scunthorpe is a steel town and the football team is called the iron. my brother—in—law isa called the iron. my brother—in—law is a mechanic. he is worried because most of his customers are steelworkers. it's notjust 4000 people employed here, it's 20,000 people employed here, it's 20,000

people in the supply chain, its people in the supply chain, its people working in cafes, if people don't work here than all those features are thrown into uncertainty. british steel says brexit related issues is causing them uncertainty and they want the government to bail them out essentially. what's the best way forward ? essentially. what's the best way forward? the government need to look at all options available including nationalisation. the steel industry isa nationalisation. the steel industry is a cornerstone of the uk manufacturing industry and as such, if nationalisation is good enough for the banks when they are in crisis, it's good enough for the people and families of scunthorpe. talks will continue with the government and ministers today, and unions, to try to find a way forward for british steel. administrators are on standby here. sarah, thank you. it's believed some british expats living in france might not get a vote in the european elections, because their ballot papers have arrived late or not at all. the bbc found some councils sent them using a cheaper alternative postal service.

this report from leigh milner. this envelope arrived at ann bones' house in france two days ago. she's been told her postal vote won't make it back in time to the uk for thursday. the post over here in france told me that there was no chance of them arriving in time. for tony in south—western france, well, he's still waiting for his. we feel disappointed and let down by not receiving our ballots for the european elections, and wonder whether this isjust pure malfunction of the system or maybe even skulduggery. the reason? well, the clue is on the envelope. post nl means the ballot papers were sent from the uk to france via the netherlands. adare is the postal service which a number of local councils in the uk use to send the ballot papers rather than royal mail because it was more cost—effective. well, in a statement, adare told the bbc the ballots had been released in line with the elections and council timetables. they insisted that they had used reputable mail handlers whose job

it was to assess the best route through other european countries. in a statement, the electoral commission said it had: with voting due to take place tomorrow, it's believed thousands of expats will miss out on the chance to have their say with voting due to take place tomorrow, it's believed thousands of expats will miss out on the chance to have their say in the european elections. leigh milner, bbc news. a partial ban on single—use plastics — including straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds — will come into effect in england next year. the government says urgent action is needed to tackle plastic pollution but environmental groups say the measures, which will come into force in april next year, don't go far enough. a memorial service will be held this afternoon, to mark the second anniversary of the manchester arena bombing. 22 people were killed and hundreds more were injured in the attack at the end of an ariana grande concert. families of the victims and members of the emergency services

are expected to attend. a group of mps say funding for bus services in england should be overhauled. the report from the transport select committee points out that buses are the most used form of public transport, and calls it "strange" that there's no long—term funding plan for them. the government says they've increased funding to local councils, to help them meet people's transport needs. a united nations backed report says public spending cuts over the last eight years have led to high levels of poverty in many parts of britain. that is the conclusion of professor philip alston — an investigator on extreme poverty, who toured the uk last november. he warns that unless policies change, people on low incomes seem destined to lead lives that are "solitary and short". the comments have infuriated ministers. here's our social affairs correspondent, michael buchanan. for nearly a fortnight last november, philip alston toured the uk, listening and talking to some of the country's poorest residents. what he found appalled him —

a nationwide network of food banks, rising levels of child poverty and homelessness, as well as huge cuts to benefits, policing and legal aid. in a blistering report today, he says the changes since 2010 are the consequences of a deliberate choice. politicians, he says, chose to target the poor, and continue to do so. the chancellor has consistently used any excess funds for other purposes, whether its tax cuts, whether it's to bring down the debt even further, while all this misery is going on around. professor alston describes the department for work and pensions as being asked to produce a digital version of the 19th workhouse, as being asked to produce a digital version of the 19th centrury workhouse, saying that a harsh and uncaring ethos has emerged. ministers have described the report as a barely believable documentation of britain, saying they spend £95 billion annually on working age benefits. privately, they are understood to be furious and are exploring ways

of complaining to the un. michael buchanan, bbc news. it is 8.12 am. andrew strauss is one of england's most successful cricket captains of all time, but away from the pitch he's had to face dealing with the loss of his wife ruth after she was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. now, the father—of—two is setting up a foundation in her honour in the hope of finding out more about the illness that claimed her life. andrewjoins us now. good morning. thank you so much for coming in. before we talk about the foundation, talk to us about your wife because she sounds like an amazing woman. she was incredible. a beautiful woman with an incredible heart. she had real empathy and care for people. she hated people who we re for people. she hated people who were put upon or disadvantaged. she was able to connect with people. a lot of people would meet her for the first time and think they were

really good friends of hers. and a special mother and wife. it's incredible, you build a life together, don't you, and u nfortu nately together, don't you, and unfortunately that's the issue with grief and loss, you have to start again. correct me if i'm wrong, but i think you described the last year you had together is one of the best yea rs of you had together is one of the best years of your marriage. 10096. because we just lived in the present. all the insignificant stuff became just insignificant stuff. we'll get caught up that, don't we, sweating the small stuff. ruth and i had great times. we savoured every moment. we also had some of the bigger conversations you need to have in life, around what she wanted for the kids going forward. and also her legacy. that's very much what this foundation, the ruth strauss foundation is all about, getting

something positive about it. and also continuing her philosophy, helping people less fortunate than ourselves. what sort of work will the foundation be doing? to things, first of all funding research into rare forms of lung cancers. people who contract these cancers are generally younger women who have never smoked. there is not much understanding about why people get these cancers. we need to understand. most people get diagnosed at stage four and we don't understand why. we need to get diagnosed sooner. the second part is about providing the right support for patients and their families going through this. she hated the idea about death being a taboo and people not planning well for death. for good reason, because people don't like to go there mentally. but if you do start planning for it, i think it really helps when you go through it. the right sort of professional help there is imperative. so it will provide

professional help for people in similar situations? absolutely. patients, families and kids going through bereavement as well. how much has that helps you as a family? hugely. i remember the first time ruth and i went to see a child grief and loss counsellor. the relief we both felt when the council aside, the kids will probably be ok. they will miss you terribly, ruth, but if they have a good support network around them and you make sure they are surrounded by good routines and great people, they will be ok. they will be different, but they will be 0k. when ruth left that room, you could see the weight of the world had left her shoulders. we felt for the first time that we would be able to survive without her. it is very tough but we are doing that. have you been able to look after yourself as well? your focus, your family structure changes, and you are now a

single parent white back to those two young men, 13 and ten. have you been able to process the grief and deal with that yourself? it has been very busy, a lot of domestic duties. but i think the grief process is so important, to be able to take some time out and go back into that loss. it's ok to be sad. that's one of the things that myjob as a parent is to be able to show my kids that it's ok to be sad and not to pretend life is normal. there are plenty of times when life is ok and there are plenty of things to look forward to as well. grief doesn't leave you in five months or five years, it will probably be with me for ever, but the nature of it will change over time. it's difficult, because it's 0k to be sad, but it's ok to be happy as well. yes, you can feel guilty about that in the early days. you think, how can i possibly be

feeling 0k today. you speak to professionals and they say, it's fine. if you feel 0k, professionals and they say, it's fine. if you feel ok, that's a great thing, and it's reassuring to hear that. there are the little things as well. i have a friend who lost his wife... i well. i have a friend who lost his wife. .. i notice well. i have a friend who lost his wife... i notice that he had taken his wedding ring off. that was a big thing for him. but you still have yours. i wear it around my neck. there is still that connection there. there is a phrase, you never move on, but you move forward. i don't really know what that looks like for me, but you have no choice, especially when you have young kids, but to move forward and plot a new course. while at the same time, taking the time to realise where you we re taking the time to realise where you were previously and the lessons you can learn from that. and in my case, how can we possibly do something positive for the world as a result of this. as families and support within sport is so important, and

how supportive she was for your career as a cricketer as well. hugely important. she never bought into the whole fame game thing. very grounded! she would keep me down very well. it's weird because you are in this little bubble and it's not real. so to have something very real to come back to. ruth focused on family and that was what was important to her. i want to do that for others, make sure that family unit can exist and prosper even though people are going through this experience. that point louise made about knowing you can be happy as well. we have a huge cricketing summer with the world cup and ashes coming up. are you able to enjoy the sport as a spectator in the same way as before, because obviously it affects everything. i enjoy it more in some ways, but i don't sweat the

small stuff. the little niggle the things that happened, that get talked about in the media or the ecb, i now think, who cares. let's just enjoy the cricket and have a great time at the world cup. dan keeps saying they will win.” great time at the world cup. dan keeps saying they will win. i think they have a great chance and i'm definitely getting excited. can people find out more about the foundation anywhere? it's all on the website. thank you for having me. it's great you can come on and be open about these things. i'm sure just you being here this morning will help many people watching who are going through something similar. thank you. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. this morning for some of us it's a lovely sunny start to the day. as you can see here in northern ireland, a bit of cloud around but still very pleasant. but others will have rain in the forecast. most of us will have warm and sunny spells

and it will be mainly dry. the rain courtesy of these weather fronts coming south across scotland. wet weather for you in the last couple of days but also a week where front across north wales, the bridge of manchester area and heading into lincolnshire. that has produced quite a bit of clout and patchy light rain and showers, on and off through the day. in between both these areas we are looking at some sunshine and at times it will be hazy as the high cloud comes over and it will cool, as well as rain in the northerly wind across the far north of scotland. temperatures between ten and 13 and as we sink further south, we are looking at 21 as the top temperature. the highest temperature yesterday was in southampton at 22. 6. temperature yesterday was in southampton at 22.6. through this evening and overnight, the low pressure bringing rain across scotla nd pressure bringing rain across scotland will continue to edge more into the north sea, but still quite a bit of wet weather and a keen

north to north westerly breeze. the rest of the uk, mostly dry, but there will be clear areas. a little bit of mist and fog forming but not too much, and ten. in some rural areas, temperatures could drop to 4 degrees. that's worth noting. an area of low pressure being dragged into the north sea still tomorrow. brighter skies developing in the west of scotland. for the rest of scotland, much of england and wales, lengthy sunny spells and in the west and northern ireland, with a bit more cloud around, it will be hazy at times. temperatures climbing up into the low 20s. for friday, generally speaking, there will be more cloud around. starting on a generally dry note and there will be showers across northern ireland. possibly clipping north west england, the midlands, east anglia

and the far south—east. as temperatures rise sparking off some showers. temperatures between ten in the north and 21 in the south. 0ver the north and 21 in the south. 0ver the weekend, things turning more u nsettled. the weekend, things turning more unsettled. rain across the north of the country with a front moving across. largely dry in the south but then the next cold front moving in, bringing more rain across england and wales and on bank holiday monday, as that crosses, a cold front, so slightly cooler behind. the weekend is cloudy and breezy. but it's a bank holiday weekend, but it will not be a wash—out. it was lovely to speak to andrew strauss, wasn't it? i really liked how he still kept his wedding ring around his neck. and that robin that she gave him as well. it really got

to me, actually. it's a good way of remembering, the way he has opened up remembering, the way he has opened up about it and is willing to talk about it. i think it has a massive impact on people. marks & spencer having tough times. how bad is it? it's almost as bad as it has been over the last few years. still making half £1 billion of profits on £10 billion worth of sales. but profits down 10%. profits in the home section are down, and also in the food stores. each time m and s update of us, we look at the turnaround plan and what's the idea. they say they were close some of their simply food stores and open up other food stores. they will continue their main store closures they have already put in place.

reaction from investors this morning, the share price down about 496 morning, the share price down about 4% on the back of it. morning, the share price down about 496 on the back of it. an important couple of things, they talk about accelerating the transformation of the business. there is another restructuring happening, perhaps some more stores closing or happening faster than they previously thought. in food, fewer promotions. slimming down the ranges in closing. they are trying to make ita simplerand in closing. they are trying to make it a simpler and more in closing. they are trying to make it a simplerand more nimble in closing. they are trying to make it a simpler and more nimble and cost—effective company. it a simpler and more nimble and cost-effective company. that's interesting, a few things people might notice in store sooner rather than later. fewer discounts on food, and a simpler clothing range. is that what customers want? a tweet this morning, women's clothing used to bea this morning, women's clothing used to be a big part of their sales for me but it's dreadful now. that view we re me but it's dreadful now. that view were not impressed with ant and dec on the checkout. they are the voices in the machines, i should say, they

are not actually behind the counter! that could have been the big story! i have not encountered ant and dec yet. these are the kinds of things m and sare yet. these are the kinds of things m and s are trying to do to get people to feel good about them again. they are finding it really difficult. big changes on the way, but will it work? we will keep watching. we will talk about the first newsreader on the bbc. nan winton in 1965, she was allowed to read the news. she died this week and she was allowed to read the news for the first time as a woman. a lot of controversy around it. so much so she only lasted seven news bulletins. there was some audience research and then she wasn't able to read the news anymore. in the next few minutes, we will have angela rippon on the programme talking about rip off britain, but we will ask her about

that. a lot of people think she was the first, but nan winton was there before angela rippon. angela joined in 1975. we will also speak to lewis capaldi. if you don't know much about his music, his first album came out last week and it's doing incredibly well. he doesn't take himself too seriously, it's safe to say. he was on football focus at the weekend and i asked him about his new album. i think you might have called it horrendous the first time around and then he said it was ok. very modest. he refers to himself as a scottish beyonce! we will also be talking about some mothers and 21—year—olds, and the 21—year—olds have given their mother a makeover and the mums have to live their life as if they were 21, learning about social media. a really interesting programme. it's also the two—year anniversary of the manchester arena bombing today. i will never forget

that morning, being on this programme. they will be a memorial service, loads of the families and emergency services who attended on the day will be attending at a memorial service, loads of the families and emergency services who attended on the day will be attending that later today. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning, a few changes in the weather into the bank holiday weekend. until that point, weather into the bank holiday weekend. untilthat point, it weather into the bank holiday weekend. until that point, it will stay largely fine and dry. today, more warm and sunny spells. dry for many of us except the far north of scotla nd many of us except the far north of scotland with outbreaks of rain which continue into the afternoon. some of them can be quite heavy in the far north of scotland and the northern isles. cloud and patchy rain in north wales, southern

england, but that clears away as well. for most part, it will be dry and maximum temperatures up to 21 or 22 celsius in the south east. chilly are further north, 11 or 12 celsius here. rain continues with a blustery wind in the far north east of scotla nd wind in the far north east of scotland tonight and elsewhere, dry with clear spells and temperatures down to seven or 10 degrees. throughout their stay, a bright start to the day but more cloud perhaps compared to today. particularly for northern england. still quite cloudy across scotland and still that rain affecting the far north east of scotland, with a strong north—westerly wind. some cloud increasing across northern ireland but temperatures on thursday very similar to today and yesterday. most of us getting into the high teens and even though 20s. this is the pressure pattern into friday. a number of weak weather systems. that one in the north east of scotland is still there drifting a little

further north and east. and many of us will have a dry day on friday. still quite cloudy, particularly for scotla nd still quite cloudy, particularly for scotland and northern ireland, a few showers here. and cloud generally increasing across england and wales. with that, showers breaking out into the afternoon. again, temperatures still around the high teens into the low 20s in the south east of england so still feeling warm where you get sunny spells. that is all from me, have a good day, goodbye.

this is business live from bbc news, with maryam moshiri and sally bundock. hanging in the balance — 5,000 workers at british steel await their fate, as its owners call on the government for help. live from london, that's our top story today, on wednesday 22nd of may. what does the future hold for the thousands who work for british steel and its many suppliers? it's reduced by half the amount of money it says it needs in emergency support from the government. we talk you through what's at stake. also in the programme... is japan feeling the effects of the us—china trade war?