good morning welcome to breakfast with rachel burden and rogerjohnson. our headlines today: the race begins for a new leader of the conservative party after theresa may announces she will step down. five candidates have confirmed they will stand — many more are expected to put their names forward in the coming days. president trump deploys extra troops to the middle east amid growing tensions with iran. a family who fled vietnam in a tiny boat a0 years ago are re—united with the man who rescued them. celtic are looking to make history this afternoon. they are going for their third treble in as many years when they face hearts in the scottish cup final at hampden park. good morning welcome to breakfast with rachel burden and rogerjohnson. spice girl fans get what they really, really want — as the band returns for their first

tour in ten years. we all thought that it was coming up shortly. it's saturday, 25th may. our top story: the race to become the next conservative party leader has begun. theresa may has confirmed she will step down next month, meaning a new prime minister could be in place by the end ofjuly. in the last hour, the health secretary, matt hancock, has joined four current or former cabinet ministers by announcing he will stand in the conservative leadership contest. here's our political correspondent, jessica parker. stepping out to acknowledge it's over. never easy to admit failure, least of all when so many are watching on. i will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold. the second female prime minister,

but certainly not the last. i do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country i love. theresa may had tried, time and again, to get her brexit deal approved by parliament. but yesterday's retreat signalled an end to those efforts and the start of something else. him, her, and more besides, declared or otherwise, names being talked about is leadership contenders, entering what looks likely to be a crowded field. leadership hopefuls will no doubt try to project a sense of purpose and optimism for the future, but there's no getting away from the present brexit deadlock. whoever comes next, will inherit the same divided party and parliament here in westminster. he's running for sure, declaring that the uk must leave

the eu by the end of october — with or without a deal. forgive me, i do not wish to elaborate now on what we're going to do and how we're going to it, but, believe me, you will be hearing possibly more about that than you necessarily want to hear. laughter. another one throwing their hat in the ring, for him leaving without an agreement just isn't the answer. well, i think it's partly about positions on brexit. i think candidates who try to run with a no—deal brexit and are pushing for what that means for our economy would find it very difficult to reunify the country. candidates will offer up different visions of how to handle brexit and so many other issues, but that's the easy bit. winning sufficient support to deliver that vision so very much harder. jessica parker, bbc news. let's look now at how the weeks ahead should pan out. mrs may will step down

as party leader on the 7th ofjune, but will stay on as prime minister until a successor is chosen. the race for the conservative leadership will begin formally on 10thjune. tory mps will have to select two candidates, then the winner will be chosen by party members. the final result is expected by the end ofjuly, with the successful candidate expected to become britain's new prime minister. let's get the very latest from our political correspondent tom barton who is in westminster now. tom, presumably the focus there has already shifted to who will replace theresa may? it was a pretty drawn out and to theresa may's political career, and then without an emotional speech yesterday. attention does not turn away from the prime minister and on

to potential candidates to replace her. there are now five names already in the frame, the most high profile is boris johnson, already in the frame, the most high profile is borisjohnson, the former foreign secretary. he is the book—keepers‘s favourites. jeremy hunt, esther mcvey, rory stewart have all said they wanted to run, and then the last 30 minutes matt hancock has put his name forward. there are likely to be lots of other runners and riders, including perhaps michael gove, a leading member of the leave campaign. people like andrea leadsom, who was second choice to become leader of the party when theresa may became prime minister three years ago. sajid javid is also likely to be amongst the contenders. amber rudd has ruled herself out this morning, saying she is not going to stand. from those

who are planning to run, expect to hear much, much more over this weekend and the days ahead as we build towards the official start of that leadership contest in a couple of weeks. us troops have been deployed to the middle east as tensions between america and iran continues to rise. the relationship between the two countries has been strained for months since president donald trump imposed sanctions on iran and backed out of the iranian nuclear deal. here's our washington correspondent, chris buckler. america is making its presence felt in the middle east. the pentagon has already deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the gulf and it's now announced that extra trips are being sent to the region. all actions intended to send a message to iran, even if president trump has been playing down the possibility of conflict. we're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective.

right now i don't think iran wants to fight, and i certainly don't think they want to fight with us, but they cannot have nuclear weapons. as you know, mr president, from day one... with tension heightened, president trump is doing his best to maintain his relationship with saudi arabia, america's influential ally in the middle east. $3 billion, $533 million, $525 million. in the past, he's boasted of their weapons sold to the saudis. now he's pushing through deals to them and others worth $8 billion. crucially, he is also denying the us congress the right to approve the arms sales by declaring a national security related emergency because of iran. that's likely to ensure conflict in washington, even if the president insists he doesn't want a new fight in the middle east. chris buckler, bbc news, washington.

the duchess of sussex will not be joining the royal family to welcome president donald trump for his state visit to the uk next month. harry and meghan‘s son, archie, will be less than four—weeks—old. the duchess has previously described mr trump as a "misogynistic" and "divisive". police are questioning a man and a woman on suspicion of murdering two boys aged 13 and 14 following an incident at a house in sheffield. police were called to the property on friday and six youngsters were taken to hospital. four other children, aged between seven months and ii years are not seriously injured. universities in england should not "scaremonger" over their finances ahead of a possible reduction in tuition fees — that's according to the education secretary. damian hinds has also warned the government is looking closely at the quality of degrees and graduate earnings. there have been warnings that lowering tuition fees to £7,500 per year could put some at risk of going bust.

a review of how to fund post—18 education is expected to be published in the coming weeks. homeowners in england will be allowed to build larger extensions to their houses without planning permission. temporary rules, which allowed bigger single—storey rear extensions without a formal application, are being made permanent. additions to terraced and semi—detached homes can be up to six meters, detached houses will be able to extend up to eight meters. but councils are warning they won't be able consider the impact of building work on neighbours. girl power is back, time to look out your unionjack dresses, tracksuits, platforms and leopard print because last night the spice girls returned to the stage to kick off their arena tour with their hit single spice up your life. baby, scary, ginger and sporty took to the stage, minus posh, for their first performance since 2012's opening ceremony of the london olympics. here's ben ando.

scary, baby, ginger, and sporty, back onstage together after seven years. no posh, but that seemed no problem to the 80,000 fans who'd come to dublin's croke park for this first show of the spice girls new world tour. # so tell me what you want, what you really, really want. # i wanna, i wanna, i wanna, i wanna, i wanna...# the spice girls burst onto the scene in 1996. their message of girl power struck a chord and, apparently, it still does. # if you want to get with me, better make it fast... this night was unbelievable. it exceeded all my expectations. it was amazing. honestly, it was joyous. it was fantastic. out of ten i would give it 20. spice girls! the spice girls are, of course, all now women in their mid—405.

many of their fans have teenage daughters of their own. but the songs and the style are still selling. ben ando, bbc news. theresa may has been the mp for maidenhead since 1997 and according to reports she will not resign her seat when she departs downing street. breakfast‘s tim muffett has been to her constituency to get the view of people there following her decision to quit as prime minister. as his local counsellor and then his mp, shari has known theresa may for 30 years. he saw this coming. it was expected. i think she was actually pushed to go and it was inevitable. as a pm she made a lot of mistakes. and, unfortunately, she was not a brexiteer, while trying to achieve a brexit.

and it was doomed. theresa may's been mp for maidenhead since 1997. westminster‘s 30 miles along the thames, where as prime minister a goose may be cooked, but here there's a steady stream of goodwill. she came in when she had a really tough job to do and i think everyone should have knuckled together and sorted out a solution to the country rather than fighting against each other trying to get her out. she had a hard job, really. i don't think she was ever going to win. everyone was always against her. no matter what they did they opposed it. just, i think, to try to get around, think, really. she was a really good prime minister. so i'm actually not pleased that she is leaving, yeah. do you think she has been badly treated by her colleagues? i think so, yeah, i think so. maidenhead took its name from a 13 century timber wharf. it handled goods that were wooden and unbending — familiar descriptions of theresa may. she was very inflexible about things.

i think she's completely misjudged the mood of the country. she may have been rigid at times, you know, it's all about negotiation and working with people and trying to make it work for the uk, but that's a tough line to take for her. so i think she did the best she could. 0nce tory mps have whittled down the contenders to a shortlist of two, theresa may's replacement will be chosen by tory party members, just over 120,000 of them will pick the next leader and the next prime minister. lars is one of them. and is that right that it is done that way? it's been done that way for a number of years, it's quite fair that the membership at the option to choose. would you like to see on the shortlist and who would you like to vote for? i would like to see borisjohnson on the shortlist. i would also like to see gavin williamson on the shortlist. if i was to choose between the two,

i would probably vote for boris. he would do quite a good job of running the country. better than theresa may, you think? um, i wouldn't say that, but we are where we are. theresa may will remain mp here for the foreseeable future, but maidenhead's time as her the prime minister's constituency is about to end. that was breakfast‘s tim muffett reporting from theresa may's constituency in maidenhead. there's also been reaction to her departure in europe. the president of the european commission, jean claude juncker, described mrs may as "a woman of courage for whom he has great respect". let's speak now to jacki davis, an eu analyst, who joins us from brussels.

lots of compliments about her courage, but also some worry about the uncertainty. they are saying, whoever is the next prime minister, we wa nt whoever is the next prime minister, we want clarity, we want to know what you're going do. the option of a new deal, they want to know if thatis a new deal, they want to know if that is going to become the more likely option. timing is crucial. if it takes until the end ofjuly to get a new prime minister, traditionally not much gets done in august, that leaves just a traditionally not much gets done in august, that leavesjust a couple traditionally not much gets done in august, that leaves just a couple of months to resolve the issue. a clear message from brussels so far is that we are not for moving. that is the deal, take it or leave it. there is a sense we are beginning to pick up from the candidates that they could doa from the candidates that they could do a betterjob, they could negotiate a better deal. is that

even an option? what you hear from eu officials is why would we, when we have been facing a reasonable negotiator in theresa may, why would we then if someone comes in and talks tougher and plays hardball, why would we give them something we wa nt why would we give them something we want prepared to give theresa may when we as much as her wanted to get the dealer crossed the line. i think they feel they have gone as far as they feel they have gone as far as they can consistent with the eu's principles and the interests of the country staying in the club. emmanuel macron of france said yesterday that their priority is the smooth running of the eu and they will not move, particularly on the backstop. anything can happen in politics at the moment, but up until now, this is what they have always said, many members of the tory party

have said we just need to be tougher, but the eu has not blanked. many people here are saying they will not do so now. this does not fundamentally change anything. without wanting to prejudge election results coming on sunday, but the political picture may well change in europe. there will be a change in the presidency of the eu commission. with all of that fluidity going on, there is the possibility that could bea there is the possibility that could be a different dynamic to future negotiations. absolutely. we are waiting to see just what has happened in these european elections. many countries are still yet to boot. the new eu leadership team, a new parliament later, almost every topjob in europe is about team, a new parliament later, almost every top job in europe is about to change. i could change the landscape and the new parliament could. the

crucial thing remains the 27 other prime minister sitting round the table for these proactive negotiations. they have been amazingly united so far in saying this is as far as we can go to give the uk dealers will accept and we will go no further. that still remains the most important dynamic ina very remains the most important dynamic in a very complicated eu decision—making setup. in a very complicated eu decision-making setup. they will know boris johnson from when decision-making setup. they will know borisjohnson from when he was foreign secretary. are they now desperately trying to find out the likes ofjeremy hunt, esther mcvey and so on? there are so many candidates and looks like there will be many more. i think they will hold their fire be many more. i think they will hold theirfire on doing deep research until we get down to the last two. borisjohnson is a very familiar figure in brussels. not hugely popular, it must be sad. many people are throwing their hands up in

dismay saying we will not be able to get anywhere with him. we will see. they are not greeting the idea of borisjohnson as prime minister with undiluted joy, let's put it that way. here's louise with a look at this morning's weather. in some ways, the weather not being too hot would be perfect for all the children revising at the moment. exactly. last week when it i told my son it is a rite of passage, you are revising, it has to be nice weather. it will get a little bit colder. for those of you who have kids of next week, you will need to keep abreast of the forecast because each day will be different. the temperatures will be different. the temperatures will be different. the temperatures will be just will be different. the temperatures will bejust a will be different. the temperatures will be just a little bit below where they should be for the time of

year. make the most of the next couple of days. the rain already arriving into the far north—west and it will turn cooler. this has been the story for the last few hours. we arriving through —— rain arriving through scotland and northern ireland this morning. there has been the odd spot of rain in the south—east, but that is easing the way. the best of the sun chang will be in sheltered eastern areas. clouding over from the west. that could be a bit of light rain into north—west england and north wales by the end of the day. we should see 23 degrees in london, that is the low 70s. each day this week apple got that bit cooler. the rain overnight will continue to pep up in scotland. more wet weather moving to scotla nd scotland. more wet weather moving to scotland and northern ireland, which will push into north—west england.

elsewhere it stays dry and mild for sunday morning. there will be early morning sunshine in the south—east, but pretty much what you were up —— wa ke but pretty much what you were up —— wake up with on sunday you will keep for the day. more persistently moving into the far north—west. it will be breezy in scotland, as well. as it moves south and east it will become substantially. into the midlands, east anglia, the south—east corner, outbreaks of light rain. behind it, sunny spells but cooler. 10 degrees in scotland where we keep the rain. the highest value likely on sunday to be 21 celsius. the isobars say squeezed together. bank holiday monday will be cooler, slightly breezy and the wind will drive and some showers along exposed north and west facing coasts, so yet again, sheltered eastern areas in the best of the

sunshine. but not as warm as it has been. perfect revising weather! there is a little spot of rain over where i am going to be in devon next week, that is to be expected! all this week, the bbc has been in middlesbrough finding out how the town once known for steel—making and chemicalfactories is reinventing itself. as part of the ‘we are middlesbrough‘ project we've heard about the challenges facing young people looking for opportunities. so, who better than a michelin—starred chef from the town to inspire group of students about their future.

today we have four students coming in from middlesbrough college. it is great for me to have young challenge coming from the college into my restau ra nt, coming from the college into my restaurant, and hopefully we will inspire them to see what is possible. in middlesbrough college, lam learning possible. in middlesbrough college, i am learning how to be a chef. possible. in middlesbrough college, i am learning how to be a chefm isa i am learning how to be a chefm is a great opportunity to come and work with michael and his team. blowing up balloons to make edible shells, the last thing i was expecting to do. using methods of cooking i have never used before. just to try and learn everything i can. he is from the awry live, so he

is quite inspirational. can. he is from the awry live, so he is quite inspirationallj can. he is from the awry live, so he is quite inspirational. i want to see them seeing this group of what they can do if theyjust drier little bit harder, try to be a little bit harder, try to be a little bit harder, try to be a little bit more creative. i want them to come out of it and still wa nt them to come out of it and still want to be a chef. my dream is to be a pastry chef. there are not that many pastry restaurants in middlesbrough. i don't feel like where i come from has held me back, in fact, the contrary, it will help me move forward, particularly in the future. you are influenced 10096 but what is around you and what you experience throughout your entire life. the ethos of the cooking here is to cook high end food with familiarity.

it is just like walking along redcar beach and having one, it is perfect. lam beach and having one, it is perfect. i am proud to know that everyone else is going to eat that desert. coming here today was really inspirational. the way they mix the flavours. today is the best experience i ever had. flavours. today is the best experience i ever hadlj flavours. today is the best experience i ever had. i feel motivated to crack on. hopefully, use some of it in my future cooking. let's introduce you now to a puppy named shuck who has become the newest recruit at a thatcher‘s firm in norfolk. hejoins his owner, richard, on roofing jobs across east anglia,

without showing any fear of heights. they've only been together for a few weeks, but have become inseparable. this is my favourite shop, it is tiring work. hejust this is my favourite shop, it is tiring work. he just needs a little john. you can imagine him settling down for a snooze. every time i see that, i just want to stretch out myself! let's take a look at some of your pictures of hard—working pets. here's monty in his hard hat sent in by hilary.

fully prepared in his googles and high vis jacket is timmy with his owner sue. bumble's proving he's on top of his accounts sent in by flip. and finally here's steve's picture of his dog checking to make sure he's collected all the mail. thank you so much for sending in your pictures, they have been brilliant. this is breakfast. we're on bbc one until 10.00am this morning, when matt tebbutt takes over in the saturday kitchen. matt, what's on the menu? 0ur our special guest today is marvin humes. thank you. we will talk about your new shoe that is like tonight, the hit list. my wife is not here, unfortunately. you have to put up at me today. she wants me to bring some of your food home. we had a

sleepover last night with a load of 60 rules for the kids, so she is at home watching this. what is your idea of heaven? i love fish. some prawns or some idea of heaven? i love fish. some prawns or some salmon, idea of heaven? i love fish. some prawns or some salmon, that sort of thing. what about health? my worst would be cheesy mushrooms. i hate cheese, dislike mushrooms. we also have a couple of great chefs with us here today. what if you got for us? lam doing here today. what if you got for us? i am doing the ultimate celebratory

dish, a whole prince leg of lamb with a nutmeg and peppercorn sauce. you wait till you try that one. you are on your world tour! america and britain, are two country world tour! we are going to make alphonso mango pie. we have all the charge of the drinks trolley. we are kicking off england one week. it is the lamb, then the desert, you will only need those recipes for the rest of your life. go to the website and vote for what marvin will eat later in the show. i presume dogs in the workplace are an absolute no—no? yes, that's right. i love the fact that our prime minister give a

notice on yesterday and yet today we are talking about taking dogs to work, i love it! stay with us, the headlines are coming up.

hello, this is breakfast with rogerjohnson and rachel burden. coming up before ten louise will be here with the weather. the race to become the next conservative party leader has begun. theresa may has confirmed she will step down next month, meaning a new prime minister could be in place by the end ofjuly. mrs may had been coming under increasing pressure from both sides of her party over her handling of brexit. in the last few minutes the health secretary matt hancock has announced he'll stand in the conservative leadership contest. he told the bbc he could succeed where theresa may had failed. i'm going to run to be the next prime minister because i believe from the bottom of the heart that we need a leader for the future, not just for now. of course we need to deliver brexit, and i will. but we need to win the argument for free enterprise in a free society and to do all the other thing is that wind to do to make this country a great place to live. the international development secretary, rory stewart, is also one of those to have declared his intention to stand. he told us where he thought mrs may

fell short in delivering brexit. to be really blunt, and i find this very difficult to say a day after the prime minister has left, she was very, very good at certain parts of herjob, a wonderful chair of the cabinet and national security council. i'm afraid what i don't think she was as good at was negotiating, communicating, reaching across the house of commons. i can think of probably a dozen labour mps who have come up to me and said they wanted to vote for this deal, but nobody wanted to listen to them. us president donald trump has sent 1,500 troops to the middle east as tensions with iran escalate. the deployment includes surveillance and fighter aircraft, and a patriot missile defence battalion. the relationship between the two countries has been strained for months since president donald trump imposed sanctions on iran and backed out of the iranian nuclear deal. police are questioning a man and a woman on suspicion of murdering two boys aged 13 and 1a following an incident at a house in sheffield. police were called to

the property on friday, and six youngsters were taken to hospital. four other children, aged between 7 months and 11 years are not seriously injured. universities in england have been told not to complain about a lack of funding ahead of a report which could suggest reducing fees by nearly £2,000. a review to be published in the coming week is expected call for better value for money for students. the education secretary, damian hinds, says the sector is in good financial health and has warned university bosses against scaremongering. homeowners in england will be allowed to build larger extensions to their houses without planning permission. temporary rules, which allowed bigger single—storey rear extensions without a formal application, are being made permanent. additions to terraced and semi—detached homes can be up to 6m, detached houses will be able to extend up to 8m. but councils are warning they won't be able consider the impact of building work on neighbours. the crew had to evacuate a cargo

ship after it began listing on the river mersey. the container vessel got into trouble at gladstone dock in liverpool in the early hours of yesterday morning. the maritime and coastguard agency says the ship is now back on an even keel and everyone is safe. holly's here with the sport. it's getting to that time of year where there are so many things to tie up and conclude. another incredible weekend, we are already thinking ahead to next weekend's football, we have a world cup around the corner, cricket and netball. but todayis the corner, cricket and netball. but today is all about celtic and hearts in scottish cup. for celtic, it could potentially be a treble treble. celtic have the chance to claim an unprecedented domestic treble—treble in the scottish cup final at hampden this afternoon. they've already won the league cup and the premiership title, and have won every scottish honour available for

the past three seasons. but standing in the way are hearts, who have not won a game since their semi final victory over a month ago. hearts are another difficult obstacle to overcome. i'm just wary of everyone talking about treble—trebles and bus parades and all that. we have to play the game, that is the occasion, that is really important — it's the message we will be hammering home to the players. we are going for the single—single. it isjust as important to us. we have recent history of beating celtic. and i feel the preparation for the game, particularly the last two or three weeks, has gone extremely well. england's women take on denmark in walsall later in their penultimate warm—up match before the world cup in france. head coach, phil neville, said the starting line—ups for the final two friendlies will provide a good indication

as to his starting 11 for theirfirst game against scotland. he says his side will be ready for the pressure of france. we've not gone easy on them, we've not let them cut corners, and we've not let them cut corners because when it comes to nice on the 9th ofjune, it will be, the expectation will be on england to do well in the tournament. and i want my players to be ready for that, and prepared for that, and if they are prepared and they go out there and they enjoy themselves, we will be happy and we will be a force to be reckoned with. and england against denmark is live on bbc one this afternoon — kick off is at one o'clock. clearly, training going pretty well too... well, phil neville felt the shame during training yesterday... when you put the ball between your opponent's legs — football's ultimate insult. nutmegged by one of his own team, alex greenwood. and toni duggan, luckily, on hand to film it. oh, the shame.

we're only five days away from the start of the cricket world cup, and there was worrying news yesterday for england — the tournament's hosts and favourites. captain eoin morgan picked up a finger injury in practice — and while he's expected to be fit for their opening game against south africa on thursday, he'll miss today's warm—up match against australia in southampton, one that brad haddin expects to be a pretty tense affair. you're starting to get really close to that first game now, so it's really important that we get into some really good habits and there's no better way than to get that competitive edge than a practice game against england. i think we can talk a lot about it being a practice game, getting some miles on your legs, but once you walk across the line pride takes over and you want to do well against england. we have a big weekend of rugby union in store, with two premiership semi—final play—offs and the pro14 final. more than 40,000 fans are expected at celtic park for

glasgow warriors against leinster. warriors are on a nine—match winning run, but leinster are defending champions. it's a massive day for the whole squad, for all our extended people, and backroom staff, and so on, and just a hell of a lot of work from a hell of a lot of people. and so that makes it special. but, yeah, we can't wait for the whistle to roll. the rugby league posts are up at liverpool's anfield stadium for the annual super league festival, the magic weekend — with six matches over two days. it's part of plans to showcase super league in different parts of the country to widen the sport's appeal. and for the players — it's a chance to play at an iconic football stadium. i got a chance to go there on monday and do the promotion for the magic weekend at anfield and just walking down the tunnel going on to the field and you see

the you'll never walk alone and the signs on the side of the wall in the change room, it's an event i've been looking forward to since i've signed. you know, can't wait to get a taste of what it is like to play on there. a busy day ahead, that kicks off at two o'clock this afternoon. also at this afternoon, we have the league 2 play—off final and there one—day cup final at lord's as well, a really busy day. a feast of sport! people can go to five live to keep track of it all day. thanks, holly, have a good day. you're watching breakfast from bbc news. time now for a look at the newspapers. there's only one story on the front pages this morning — theresa may's resignation. let's look at how the papers have been reporting on it. ‘broken by brexit‘ — that's the guardian's headline. the paper also uses a quote from the prime minister's speech —

that not delivering brexit will always remain a "matter of deep regret" to her. and this from the times: ‘it all ends in tears'. the paper also uses an image of an emotional mrs may outside downing street towards the end of her announcement. the daily mirror uses word play to draw a comparison with margaret thatcher — not the iron lady but "the crying lady". the paper also reports that borisjohnson is tipped to be theresa may's replacement. and the sun appears to give its backing to borisjohnson, as the race to find the next leader of the conservative party gets underway. kathryn simpson, a senior lecturer in political economy, is here to tell us what's caught her eye. i would imagine if your interest is politics, so much material to get your teeth into. exactly, this is a political scientist's dream of what is going on at the moment. it is a

most remarkable time in a british and eu politics. we have talked a lot about the conservative leadership rice, who is in it who might be in it. the labour party still saying that they want a general election. this is the main story in the daily mirror. jeremy corbyn is stepping up calls to have a general election because he believes a new primary still will not have the mandate of the people. that is a quote there that breaks down at the polling and how it would translate to labour as well, potentially in their advantage. i think it's a big jump forward. it's also backed the scottish first minister as well, nicola sturgeon, to go back to the polls and have a

general election ahead of our next project he'd won in 2022. rachel was talking to an analyst in brussels about the reaction the european leaders to yesterday's events. this isa leaders to yesterday's events. this is a great article in the guardian because it goes through the responses in europe. the eu leaders saying that they are preparing for a different breed of brexiteer to replace theresa may result but also go through the responses that we have seen from the main capitals. the german chancellor is noted to have said that she acknowledges theresa may peace plan departure but nothing will change. president micron says there is to be further clarity. but there are also very serious concerns about the fact the withdrawal agreement will not be reopened. the dutch prime minister very much talked about that. the irish taoiseach saying that british politics is consumed by brexit and

will be for a very long time. and the concerns that ireland have as well. one thing i'd like to know from each of the candidates is how well they now northern ireland and how deeply they understand the issues there? sometimes, it feels like it is regarded as a sideline and it really cannot be, it is absolutely essential to it. it is crucial and front and centre of the withdrawal agreement, that the backstop issue is the reason why i did not get through parliament three times. very interesting article in our te saying about the lack of understanding that was devastated by the uk and the british prime minster in the lead up to these negotiations. they will have to be a change to move towards the 31st of 0ctober. change to move towards the 31st of october. i thought it was a graphic done by the guardian but it not.

it's actually a street mural from london that somebody sprayed onto a wall. exactly, it's a good image. what they're talking about in the article, it fits really nicely. in other realms of politics, that is another leadership contest going on, the lib dems. because vince cable is definitely stepping down, isn't he? yes, the lib dems will selecting a new leader, vince cable has said that he will step down onjuly 23. i think his deputy, jo swinson, is the main candidate to take over but there will be a leadership contest there will be a leadership contest there as well. slightly different because of the lib dems only have 11 mps in westminster actually leadership candidate needs the backing of 10% of those and also the backing of 10% of those and also the backing of 10% of those and also the backing of 200 members from 20 local parties as again, it's a leadership contest parties as again, it's a leadership co ntest fro m parties as again, it's a leadership contest from a political party that has actually seen a resurgence in the last few months. it will be very

interesting to see with the coming european parliament results tomorrow, into money as well. let's talk about the spice girls. yes, the spice girls are back! they had their opening concert in dublin. the down of video montage to victoria beckham who has obviously notjoined in but saying that she will always be a spice girls. there are 23,211 costu me spice girls. there are 23,211 costume changes. i think victoria beckham has supported down on her own way but is happy not to be that as well. get all power is back, a bit of a relief from the difficulties we see around politics. i wonder how that looks to younger girls. i saw them back in dublin backin girls. i saw them back in dublin back in the 1990s. it's a generational thing, it's a real

hallmark of the 90s and all that comes with it. equally, when you soar theresa may saying that she was the second female prime minister and she won't be the last yesterday, things have change... thank you very much, catherine. here's louise with a look at this morning's weather. the weather will be plain fun and games for the next couple of days, sunshine and rain today. this is in the story of the last couple of hours, the rain pushing into the north—west, parts of northern ireland has well, it will continue to drift eastward steadily. we have also had a spot of light rain in the far south—east corner, where the best of the south china is likely to best of the south china is likely to be for the rest of the day. clouding over from the west, the sunshine turning increasingly hazy but the

rain will set out to the north—west for the rest of the day, just fending off wales by the end of the afternoon. highs the values of 23, likely the best in the south—east. 0vernight tonight, scotland and keeps the rain, it will be a nuisance over much of the weekend. more persistent and heavy rain starting to appear by the end of the night, keeping dry in england and wales, still relatively mild, 13-14dc wales, still relatively mild, 13—14dc as our overnight low. the rule of thumb for sunday is what you start with is not what you will finish with. the best of the century and a south—east to start with, cloud and rain in the north—west, that by the front will continue to move its way slowly eastward throughout the day. behind it, there is some sunshine, the only exception to that is the far north of scotland, it stays cloudy, grey,

wet, and rather cool for much of the day, highest value of 21 degrees. 0nce day, highest value of 21 degrees. once at that conference weeps off to the continent on monday morning, bank holiday monday looks like a breezy story, the wind direction, from the north—west so a cooler source. 0n the exposed gusts, it will be disappointing, plenty of showers piling in. the best of any shout out and sunshine into the east. highest value 10—18d. that is bank holiday monday. it's half term for many of the schools across the country, if you have got some time off with the kids, it's a little bit hit and miss i'm afraid over the next couple of days, cooler than it should be for the time of year. a good deal of dry weather around but rain at times so you'll need to keep up—to—date with the forecast. we will give you the details when those

days show up. yes, we are packing the wellies, don't you worry. 110 years ago, a family risked everything when they war—torn home in vietnam for a new life in the uk. linh spearing and her family spent days at sea without food and water. they were eventually rescued. now, decades later they've been able to thank the sea captain who rescued them. sarah—jane bungay tells their remarkable story. somerset is the place linh spearing calls home, but her life began many thousands of miles away — in ho chi minh city, in vietnam. it was 1979, linh's father had fought in the army against the communists who were taking over the country. fearing for his family's safety, he made a bold decision — the decision to escape the country by sea. i can't imagine the decisions and feelings that they went through, it must have been a life or death situation for them to make that decision.

the boat, it was a only small fishing boat, over 300 people, really scary. and, yeah, very sad, horrible. for the family now, a desire to say thank you. thank you to the man they believe saved their lives 110 years ago this week. both masters of both boats had stories of already having buried several small children. captain healey martin stopped his cargo ship, the sibonga, rescuing hundreds from two small boats. reporter: how long would those boats have lasted? their boats might have lasted a while but people would have died. now for the first time, the family are making a long—anticipated journey to belfast to meet the captain who allowed them to settle here, who allowed them to have a life without fear.

the journey to belfast i know means an awful lot to my parents. it's something they have constantly talked about it over the years, about wanting and feeling the debt to repay. now in his 805, captain martin lives at this care home — so this is where the family has come, along with many others also on the fishing boats. so, this is it — 110 years to the day since they were rescued, linh and her family have come to say thank you to the man who saved their lives. i was seven years old... when the reunion came, it was slightly chaotic — so many people here wanted to show their gratitude. there were people here from america, from malaysia. dunh was just a four—month—old baby and seriously ill when he was rescued, he was airlifted from the ship to hospital, something the captain remembers all these years on. there's a lady here who held her baby in her arms. she went into the ambulance

and went to the hospital. the baby is here as well? the baby is here, too. well, the baby was duhn, filming this video. i pay respect and just say thank you to him. we owe him our life. thank you — they're two short words, but for this family, they sum up a lifetime of gratitude. a lovely story, we had a lovely response from you who have seen it. david mckee will be here to tell us how tackling topical issues has made elmer the elephant an enduring character for cou ntless

let's take a trip down memory lane. elmer was different, elmer was patchwork, elmer was a purple, elmer was different, elmer was patchwork, elmerwas a purple, red, blue, green, and black, and white. elmer was not elephant colour. and david mckeejoins us now. it is now 38 years sounds it got its big publishing run but is actually 50 yea rs big publishing run but is actually 50 years since you wrote that. —— 30 yea rs.

50 years since you wrote that. —— 30 years. yes, i guess i was working on it in 67. it celebrates peoples differences, celebrating different people. you are quite ahead of your time, really? that is for you to say, not me, because i cannotjudge my time. did you consciously put certain messages in your books? well, i was brought up with very mild stories, ice helps fables, para bles mild stories, ice helps fables, parables in the bibles, stories with not just parables in the bibles, stories with notjust meaning parables in the bibles, stories with not just meaning but later on parables in the bibles, stories with notjust meaning but later on you'd actually see more meaning, a slow burn understanding. so i suppose it was just natural that i wrote the same sort of stories. and they did the idea for the colourful,

patchwork elephant come from? at the time, paintings were inspired by paul clay, his paintings. 0ne time, paintings were inspired by paul clay, his paintings. one day, i do it on an elephant rather than on a canvas. lo and behold, there was elmer. obviously, there are lots of different stories, where do get all the ideas from? in a way, i let him tell me the stories, it's like living with him. but he is also at like one of my children, it got to a point when i have to let him do things that are not always quite sure he should be doing but he's old enough now. i also like that he very much has his own mind, that is a story where the floods come as the little elephants out on the island, he goes to rescue them, he is like leave me here, i want to chill out on my own. i think we can identify

with that, can't we? yes, it most of the time, that is what i do. elmer is only one of your creations. i grew up with mr benn, who, to me, it was one of my favourite things, favourite cartoons. there were only ha ndfuls favourite cartoons. there were only handfuls of those made, weren't they? yes, we made 13 in the series, we made an extra one for the dvd. they? yes, we made 13 in the series, we made an extra one for the dvdw is amazing how these stories and animations, innocent as they look, can still enthrall children today. that is interesting. it's also interesting that people can watch stories with affiliate theatre, that is nothing there at all but the silhouette but if the story and animation is good, they are enthralled, the imagination is

working more. it's a bit like sitting and reading a book, isn't it? yes. i must as you about not now, bernard, which is brittle, a child goes outside and is eaten by a pak monster. i'm not sure it could be marketed now. yes, that one is its is. i suppose i believe we all have a monster inside us and it eats us have a monster inside us and it eats us up if we are ignored or not treated well. a lot of people's behaviour problems are just that, the monster eating them up. a quick word aboutjudith care, who died this week, i know that you put reference to her in your books. ——

kerr. en elmer, there is a reference toa kerr. en elmer, there is a reference to a tee time being very important, thatis to a tee time being very important, that is a straight tribute. david's book ‘elmer‘s birthday‘ is out later this year. breakfast is back tomorrow live from six, here on bbc one. have a great day. bye!

this is bbc news. the headlines at 10.00am: the race is on to become the new conservative leader and prime minister. the latest contender to enter the running is health secretary matt hancock. delivering brexit is absolutely mission critical and it must be done and done as soon as possible and it has to be done in this parliament. president trump arrives injapan for the start of a historic four—day state visit. universities in england are told not to "scaremonger" over finances as a review is expected to call for them to reduce their tuition fees by nearly £2,000 per year.

rules allowing homeowners to build extensions in england without planning permission have been made permanent. a special edition of the bbc‘s brexitcast, from the day theresa may