borisjohnson emerges as the clear front runner in the battle to become the next prime minister. he was way out ahead in the first round of voting in the conservative leadership contest, with the support of more than a third of tory mps. jeremy hunt and michael gove came in second and third place. seven candidates are in the running, after three failed to get enough support. mrjohnson takes a big step towards moving into number ten but there is a long way and many more weeks to go. also on the programme tonight... two oil tankers are damaged by blasts in the gulf of oman — one of the world's busiest oil shipping lanes. iran denies it was involved. on the eve of the second anniversary of the grenfell tower fire — we talk to a student who survived the blaze about the lasting impact

of one of the uk's worst disasters in modern times. captured on camera — moments before britain's champion cyclist chris froome suffered serious injuries in a high speed crash in france — he's in intensive care after six hours of surgery. and coming up on bbc news... england striker toni duggan trains alone for the second day running, and may miss out with injury against argentina at the women's world cup tomorrow. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. boris johnson has overwhelmingly won the first round of votes to be the next conservative leader — and the next prime minister. the former foreign secretary now seems almost certain to make it into the final two —

after picking up the support of 114 of his conservative colleagues. ten candidates were in the running. boris johnson was out way front — followed byjeremy hunt and michael gove. three candidates — andrea leadsom, mark harper and esther mcvey — didn't get enough support and were eliminated from the race, leaving seven mps to face more votes next week. here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. who is it to be? mps voted behind the gates of the commons.” who is it to be? mps voted behind the gates of the commons. i shall be voting for boris. i will be voting for boris. boris johnson. voting for boris. i will be voting for boris. borisjohnson. get voting for boris. i will be voting for boris. boris johnson. get used to seeing this room where the tory committee announces results. jeremy hunt, a3. committee announces results. jeremy hunt, 43. and by a clear margin... borisjohnson, 114.

hunt, 43. and by a clear margin... boris johnson, 114. moments of surprise at the numbers. boris johnson way ahead, with 114 votes, almost certain to be in the final two. the foreign secretaryjeremy hunta two. the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt a clear second. onlyjust ahead of michael gove. ten votes behind, brexiteer dominic raab. the home secretary and health secretary both tucked in under him. a fifth member of the cabinet, rory stewart, just makes the cut, but three others are knocked out. will you topped the ballot today, mrjohnson? so the numbers proved. boris johnson, ballot today, mrjohnson? so the numbers proved. borisjohnson, whose reputation has sunk and risen like the sun really is the frontrunner in this frenzy. this is a very strong result for boris and i think it has really shown how he has united our party, bringing people togetherfrom all different sections our party, both remain, leave, and people with different ideas as well. with no other break—out candidate, despite the smile, the contents now is not

about catching up with mrjohnson but grabbing the other spot in the final two. jeremy's style is much more about trying to build consensus. more about trying to build consensus. he is tough in his negotiations, he is going to be with the european union but he is also very clear he will do it in a way that doesn't menace or threaten. right now, none of the middle of the pack are giving up on the race. even if they are huffing and puffing to keep up. we are going to succeed as a country... whether former remain is in cabinet. and we have a dog called bailey that you might have seen recently on twitter. or brexiteers who quit, they are all hoping to pick up votes from those who dropped out. may we have a strong base and we are looking forward to the next round. this is round one, particularly given the way the votes fell. the outsider candidate who just made the cut says he believes anything could happen. are you, at this moment, really in a position where you are, rory stewart, can see yourself moving into number ten at the end ofjuly?

i'm much closer to it than i was four weeks ago, and closer than i was two weeks ago. we shall see. politics can be a lonely old game. those who lost out today put themselves on the line, but it's the contest to be all of our prime minister, notjust some tory family business. i think it's a fine result and let's see what happens on the next round. have you spoken to your son? i have just next round. have you spoken to your son? i havejust sent next round. have you spoken to your son? i have just sent him something called a whatsapped, do you know about whatsappss? it is a very modern thing. plenty of chances still for missteps. so what next? tory mps vote again onjune 18th. each candidate needs at least 33 votes to stay in the contest. the plan is that further rounds of voting will whittle down the remaining candidates to just two by the 20th june. after that the tory party membership have their say. the name of the new prime minister will finally be announced in the week ofjuly 22nd. laura joins me from westminster.

so borisjohnson so far out front, can anyone catch on? sophie, to use an old political saying, it is as if his campaign are holding onto a really expensive ming vase and all they've got to try to do is to make it to the other side of a polished, slippy parquet floor without letting go and smashing it out everywhere. clearly they are far out in front here although expectation of the last few weeks that he really was the front runner have been proven to be true by the way the numbers shut down today. but, and it is a huge but when it comes to borisjohnson, who is the kind of politician who has had a huge habit, predilection for committing gaffes, for managing to offend people by mistake, saying the wrong thing at the rome moment, his team motto i am told today is do not die, do not mess up. they are trying to write a very tight,

disciplined committed campaign in order to prevent mistakes. and it is of course the case there could be slip—ups along the way and remember whatever happens, there will be two candidates that go out to members around the country who will have the final say. so although it seems almost certain that mrjohnson will be one of the members of that final duet, there are weeks and weeks and weeks to go in this. in the end, he will be up against someone else, who will be up against someone else, who will be up against someone else, who will be doing everything they can to try and stop him, and i will close with another old political saying, events, events, you never know. laura, thank you. two oil tankers have been damaged in suspected attacks in the gulf of oman — one of the world's busiest oil shipping routes. dozens of crew members have been rescued. the explosions come amid rising tensions between iran and the united states. the us has accused iran of carrying out similar attacks last month. here's our diplomatic

correspondent james robbins. an oil tanker ablaze in the gulf of oman this morning. its owners say the fire was the result of an explosion as yet unexplained. the video was filmed by the iranian navy. iran says its forces rescued all crewmembers from this norwegian owned tanker, and this second vessel, which was also hit by an explosion at much the same time. the united states with its carrier abraham united states with its carrier abra ham lincoln united states with its carrier abraham lincoln in the area, already suspects iran of being behind today's events, and the damage to four tankers last month, but the iranians deny it, and suggest someone iranians deny it, and suggest someone else is trying to provoke trouble. the rising tension is not in doubt. president trump tightened america's sanctions on iran in may, accusing the country of using its forces and arming others to destabilise the entire middle east. but it's the immediate economic impact of today cosmic explosions which will worry much of the outside

world. these tanker fires which will worry much of the outside world. these tankerfires happened close to the allied region is iran. at its narrowest point, the straight is just 21 at its narrowest point, the straight isjust 21 miles at its narrowest point, the straight is just 21 miles wide. there are two lanes four tankers to pass in opposite directions. a fifth of the world's oil exports — almost 19 million barrels of oil a day — passes through. it's a choke point — attacks on tankers threaten oil supplies and drive up prices. if the iranians were involved, what might be the motive? they have highlighted that western states can't protect shipping through that straight, and if there isa through that straight, and if there is a conflict they can inflict massive damage on the global economy. there is nothing we can do to stop that, even if ultimately we we re to stop that, even if ultimately we were to prevail in that engagement. and therefore what they do is they

show that that's really not a credible option for us. this latest incident has already led to an increase in oil prices, something which could help iran as a major oil producing country, although it is suffering under intense sanctions. american officials say they will be able to recover enough debris from the attacks to trace their source. there is a warning that a link to iran could lead to american retaliation. james robbins, bbc news. a senior m15 officer has acknowledged that administrative errors denied investigators an opportunity to link two of the three london bridge attackers the year before they killed eight people and injured another 48. the officer, named in court only as witness l, is giving evidence at the inquests into those killed. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports from the old bailey... close relatives of those who died in the london bridge attack, including christine delcros, who was badly injured herself. arriving to hear their lawyers ask m15 the simple question...

how was it that khuram butt, who was under active investigation by m15, managed to leave the attack? managed to lead the attack? and how was it that when a member of the public reported butt‘s extremism to m15 itself, that information was not properly handled ? dominic adamson, one of xavier thomas' relatives, asked, the reply from witness l, an unidentified senior m15 officer, this was unprecedented scrutiny. a senior m15 officer answering questions over two days about how a live investigation had been run, but still on several occasions witness l said he wouldn't answer a question either for legal reasons

or for reasons of national security. another attacker, youssef zaghba, when stopped at an italian airport said he was going to turkey for terrorist reasons, quickly correcting himself to tourist reasons. when italy asked mi6 for information on him, it was sent to the wrong person in m15. late on, m15 discovered that khuram butt was teaching at an islamic primary school, but the school, this one, was never identified. gareth patterson, qc for six of the families, asked, witness l said... but, he said, "m15 believe that even without the errors, it is unlikely they would have realised when the men hired a van that it was the last hours before an attack." daniel sandford, bbc news. the metropolitan police say they're assessing

whether a comment by the comedian, jo brand — joking about throwing battery acid at politicians — amounts to an "incitement to violence". the comedian made the remark during a broadcast of radio 4's satirical show heresy on tuesday night. downing street suggested it should not have been broadcast. in a statement, the bbc said the remark was "not intended to be taken seriously". but that it regretted any offence caused. a request by the us to extradite julian assange has been signed by the home secretary sajid javid ahead of a court hearing tomorrow. assange will appear via video before westminster magistrates. the us wants the wikileaks founder to face charges there related to the leaking of government secrets. assange opposes the extradition request. the british champion cyclist chris froome remains in intensive care after suffering multiple injuries in a high speed crash during a practice ride in france yesterday. his ineos team boss, dave brailsford, told the bbc sir dave brailsford, told the bbc

he wasn't in great shape after hitting a wall. he's undergone six hours of surgery on fractured bones in his leg, arm, ribs and hip. here's our sports editor, dan roan. chris froome out training yesterday before the sickening crash that left him fighting to save one of cycling's greatest careers. a team—mate warns him against letting go of his handlebars but just minutes later, froome seemingly did exactly that to blow his nose, lost control in high winds, and ploughed into a wall at 55 kilometres per our. having been airlifted to hospital with a fractured leg, hip, elbow and ribs, froome underwent a successful six—hour operation and remains in intensive care. i think we need at least six months, ok, to come back, but it is difficult for us to be

sure, because maybe we will need to do other things, maybe it will not be as we want. today, froome's team—mates continued without him in a warm up team—mates continued without him in a warm up event for the tour de france, a race he was aiming to win for a record equalling fifth time but which he will now miss. team ineos says his star rider was already discussing his recovery, which they described as very encouraging. our first primary core thought is for his care, to make sure he gets the best medical care as he can, make sure his family are 0k. as he can, make sure his family are ok. former olympic champion dani rowe suffered an accident, and says it isa rowe suffered an accident, and says it is a challenge for mind as well as body. it is really hard to come back from this kind of accident, i think mentally more than physically. there has been some horrific injuries from this crash, but knowing chris's mental strength and determination, he will definitely be back, i'm sure. already one of the

most decorated cyclists in history, froome today received some timely good news, learning from his hospital bed that he set to be awarded one of the sport's biggest races, the vuelta a espana from 2011, after the winner was found guilty of an anti—doping violation. that would take his tally of grand tour triumphs to a remarkable seven but now his focus will be the long road to recovery. dan roan, bbc news. the time isjust road to recovery. dan roan, bbc news. the time is just after quarter past six. our top story this evening: and still to come, tackling loneliness — how a simple chat on the bus can have a major impact in making people less isolated. in sportsday at 6.30pm on bbc news... will rory mcilroy recover from an indifferent start to this year's us open at pebble beach? the northern irishman is among the early starters as he seeks a 6th major title.

two years ago tonight, grenfell tower went up in flames. it was one of the uk's worst disasters in modern times. more than 70 people died, after the huge fire ripped through the flats in west london. tomorrow, survivors and families of the victims will attend a memorial service nearby. our correspondent adina campbell has been talking to one teenager who made the headlines after sitting her gcses just hours after escaping the blaze. you may find some of the images in this report upsetting. the headlines this morning: a fire has engulfed a 27—storey block of flats in west london. hundreds of firefighters and ambulance crews... a night that devastated an entire community and shook people all over the world. 72 people lost their lives, and those who survived are still living with the trauma. 16—year—old ines alves

was one of the survivors who spoke to me that summer. she escaped from the family home on the 13th floor, moments after being woken up by her dad. at first i was kind of annoyed at him for calling me out because it was such a small fire, but then we realised how big it was getting when it started reaching six floors above it and then just carried on going up and up. ines made headlines for achieving an a grade in her chemistry gcse, an exam she took hours after the fire. but, two years on, studying for her a—levels has been difficult, and she's now re—taking a year. the trauma, it doesn't actually... it only creeps up on you when... like, for example, i'd sit my exams and it would trigger something. emotionally, a year on was a lot worse than two years on. two years on, i kind

of know what to expect. i can see how my emotions can flood my wellbeing and i'm glad that i know how to cope with it now, so it's been going not well but doable. we used to be a family and... ines' parents are also coming to terms with their new life and new home. surviving... that is maybe the word i should use because, as a survivor, and we are surviving because there's a lot of small things we have to pass through. since the fire, i have always been constant in pain — my legs, my back and my tummy. i need to cry for the things i've lost and i haven't done this yet. you haven't been able to cry? i can't because i think i'm selfish if i'm crying for material things, when so many people lost their life.

the whole family, including their 22—year—old son tiago, are having regular counselling to help cope with the emotional trauma. you now live close to the tower. is that challenging? is it comforting? my anxiety was never around being close to the tower. quite the opposite because being close to the tower is being close to the community that supported me after the fire. that is still there as a reminder. initially it may have been painful, but now i see it as hope. it's almost like you use the symbol that oppresses you to move forward into a different state of mind. that was adina campbell speaking to some of the survivors of the grenfell tower fire. there have been some treacherous conditions in parts of england, following intense rainfall and flooding. the environment agency has issued almost 20 flood warnings and nearly 70 alerts across the country.

the majority were across the midlands and the north west, although they extend as far as northumberland and christchurch in dorset. universities should be able to warn parents if their children are struggling with mental health problems — that's the view of two thirds of the students who took part in a big annual study of student views. the findings also show that young people at university are struggling with growing levels of anxiety on campus, and some find it hard moving away from home. our education editor bra nwen jeffreys reports. starting life as a student is a big leap. leaving home, managing time and money, for some, anxiety or depression come calling. so when did sam feel overwhelmed? straight away, straight away. as soon as your parents leave it's, "ok, it's just me." "what do i do?" and it'sjust, it's getting to know people and just finding... i think the course itself sometimes

can be difficult because it's stuff you're not used to doing. you're so independent with everything you do, your lecturers will help you and if you ask them for help, they'll help you, but it's you, on your own. his university now asks students an extra question. a contact‘s name for a mental health emergency. most students sign up. some suggest a friend instead of a parent. some students may be concerned that if they miss a few lectures we would call their parents but that's not what this is about. this is about serious crisis mental health situations where we just need that additional support to help that individual at that time. part of the pressure for students comes from high expectations. the belief that this should be the best time in your life, when you're studying hard and making new friends. but with students also borrowing for their tuition fees, there's anxiety about value for money. 64% of students wouldn't change their university experience but only 41% thought they got good

value for money, mainly because of tuition fees in england. i mean, i always had my rent set aside... like many students, sam thinks about the cost of uni. i found, with me, i was the first person from my family to go to university so there was a big fear of that big, huge debt on top of you when you finish. i think it's just trying to deal with those things and remembering, ok, as soon as you finish university you haven't got to pay it all back straight away. with so many different pressures on students, universities are having to step up support to make sure none fall through the cracks. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. if you're one of these people who doesn't like having a chat on public transport, watch out, because tomorrow we're all being encouraged to strike up conversation on trains, tubes, trams and buses. it's all part of the bbc

crossing divides on the move day. it comes after research showed that travelling by public transport helps many people combat loneliness, as our transport correspondent tom burridge has been finding out. sometimes you just want to scream, because you think you're invisible. you just want to scream out, "i am here, somebody talk to me." you can be very, very down, very low mood, and somebodyjust says hello or good morning and it just makes you feel better. i think loneliness can mean even when you're in a room full of people you can still feel like it'sjust you and you're on your own. so how can a journey on a bus... morning. are you ok? ..help people like hazel and marie and derek feeljust a little bit better? time for a simple experiment. first off, a typical heads down, headphones on, gaze out of the window or into the phone. our volunteers keep themselves to themselves. and then this.

we simply ask them to start a conversation. a bus where every passenger talks to another, about life's challenges, members of the family, unsurprisingly, our four—legged passengers are a natural talking point. no, he came with that name and itjust suited him. this is an experiment, but you can really hear and feel the atmosphere on board change, in a positive way. it's the best bus i've been on so far, it's been quite jolly! you don't feel like you're isolated. it's better to be in a conversation than sat on your own. i just feel quite comfortable, and itjust feels like a good energy around everyone. i feel happy on this bus today, i feel comfortable. we are here to give out, almost plead to people, if we can do it, you can do it. talk. and those views are backed up by research, which says conversations on the bus matter. three in ten people go at least one day a week without speaking to anyone close to them. the bus driver might be the only

person that that person will interact with on that day. we need to find ways to kind of create more cohesive communities. the bus can do that. so if a stranger talks to you on the bus, the train or the tram tomorrow, maybe keep charity worker kate's advice in mind... when you look up and out, you see that there's some really nice people around, and people that actually care about who you are, and what you've done today, and what you're interested in, and that just creates your own self well— being. tom burridge, bbc news. britain's oldest person, grace jones, has died at the age of 112 at her home in worcestershire. she was born in september 1906 and lived through five monarchs. her daughter, who is 80, says her mother was fit and active right up until the very end. what a life. time for the

weather with chris, and a lot of rain? yes, it has been very wet. you don't need me to tell you that. since their weekend parts of shropshire, 155 millimetres of rain, three times the amount we would normally see in june. there is more to come as well, today with the rain pushing slowly eastwards. through this evening and overnight, that whether it is not going to be welcome and could cause issues out and about with localised surface flooding and the potential of seeing some further localise travel issues. there is a degree of uncertainty about how much rain there will be overnight and the position and timing of this area of rain. it is expected to develop. there is some expected to be across england and wales at times, drier across eastern scotland where it will be cooler. the weather hasn't changed very much because of this.

we have high pressure surrounding the uk in a kind of cage and that means this area of low pressure which would normally want to move north—eastwards, has been stuck over the british isles and into the early pa rt the british isles and into the early part of next week as well. rain for northern england and wales to start the day but it will tend to clear away in the afternoon so for many of us away in the afternoon so for many of us the weather will try to brighten up. givena us the weather will try to brighten up. given a bit of sunshine between the cloudy moments, temperatures coming upa the cloudy moments, temperatures coming up a few degrees. as far as the weekend goes, that area of low pressure is still influencing the weather with south—westerly winds. we are looking at further showers, still some cloud around but bright spells at times and temperatures coming upa spells at times and temperatures coming up a few degrees as well. it is not until tuesday or wednesday until that low pressure finally clears off out of the way and we get something a bit more settled perhaps in the south. thank you. boris johnson

in the south. thank you. borisjohnson emerges as the clear front runner in the battle to become the next prime minister after the first round of voting in the conservative leadership contest. that's all from the bbc news at six, so it's goodbye from me, and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are.

this is bbc news, the headlines: borisjohnson this is bbc news, the headlines: boris johnson says this is bbc news, the headlines: borisjohnson says he is delighted to have won the first round of the conservative leadership contest, three former ministers are knocked out, narrowing the field to seven. andrea leadsom, mark harper and esther mcvey are all eliminated after failing to secure support from their colleagues. two tankers hit by explosions in a suspected attack in the gulf of oman. a remark on a radio four programme by the comedian jo brand about throwing battery acid at politicians is being investigated by police. the bbc has said that it regrets a ny by police. the bbc has said that it regrets any offence caused.