you will this this is the briefing, i'm sally bundock. we're live in downing street where borisjohnson's set to take over as prime minister. the leadership contest is over — but the country's political crisis continues. has boris got what it takes to break the brexit deadlock? it'll be a busy day — of comings, goings — and cabinet appointments. we'll be following all the developments as they happen. i'm ben bland in the studio. our other headlines: hot and getting hotter. europe swelters in the second heatwave of the summer. and robert muellerfaces questions in congress about his report on donald trump's campaign and russia. what could it mean

for the president? hello and welcome. borisjohnson is preparing to become britain's next prime minister, we have not seen any curtains twitching it or any activity but it will get extremely busy here later. as we said, borisjohnson is preparing to become britain's next prime minister, taking on the challenge of delivering written‘s withdrawal from the european challenge of delivering written‘s withdrawalfrom the european union. the new conservative leader will take over the reins of power after theresa may leaves no 10 downing street for the final time

on wednesday to formally tender her resignation to queen elizabeth. our polticial correspondent nick eardley has the latest. whether you love him or you loathe him, injusta whether you love him or you loathe him, injust a few hours time, whether you love him or you loathe him, in just a few hours time, boris johnson will officially become our i ministered. has it sunk in yet? getting there. last night he was celebrating with the waters but life in downing street will be far from easy. this is the moment yesterday he was confirmed as prime minister in waiting. boris johnson. he was confirmed as prime minister in waiting. borisjohnson. 90 he was confirmed as prime minister in waiting. boris johnson. 90 2000, 153. his message, which enthused supporters... deliver brexit, unite the country and the feed jeremy corbyn. and that is what we are going to do. this afternoon, all eyes will be on downing street and mrjohnson returns from docking

palace to tell the country what he wa nts to palace to tell the country what he wants to do with power. brexit will be his biggest challenge but expect him to talk more about domestic plans. new prime minister ‘s love to have a vision for the country. prime ministerjohnson is no different. later he will begin to put his top tea m later he will begin to put his top team together. the people sit around this table. team johnson promises a cabinet for modern written but that will be an easy bed. borisjohnson may make some in his party feel good that others are deeply worried about his brexit pan —— plan and he faces a tougher time here in parliament in almost all new prime minister. a wafer thin majority, several tory collea g u es wafer thin majority, several tory colleagues in open revolt. strapping, this is going to be bumpy. so let's talk you through the events that will take place here today. on wednesday, after her final prime minister's questions, theresa may will go to buckingham palace

and tender her resignation to the queen. that is after a short farewell speech here at number 10. soon after that, mrjohnson will travel to the palace — and be invited to form a government. he'll then make his way to downing street to give his first speech as the new pm. mark davies is a chief executive of camberton, a strategic communications consultancy which advises on reputation management through government and media relations. he's a conservative party member and voted in the leadership election and joins me now. did you get the man you wanted? no.

i chose jeremy hunt. so give us your ta ke i chose jeremy hunt. so give us your take on what lies ahead for boris johnson. he did get two—thirds of the vote. he did and has achieved what he wanted all his life. he is walking into downing street which has been a long held ambition. one of the problems for him is that it is well—known that it has always been his ambition and all his actions over the last few years have been geared towards that, not least of which was deciding to go for brexit. david cameron, among many others, believes that was one of the key things that resulted in the outcome that we got in the end. so people see his behaviour in the last few years as all being geared towards this one moment. of course, once he is there than the rubber hits the road. he has 100 days to

deliver something when the parliamentary arithmetic remains against him. and all the difficulties that theresa may has had to this point in delivering it they still exist. hold that thought. i will come back to you in a moment because what we will do now is hear what world leaders have been saying in terms of congratulations for mr johnson. president trump was one of the first, declaring "he'll be great". we have a really good man is going to be the prime minister of the uk now, borisjohnson. applause. good man. he's tough and he's smart. they say britain trump, they call him britain trump. and people are saying that's a good thing. they like me over there. that's what they wanted. that's what they need. applause. that's what they need. he'll get it done. boris is good, he's going to do a good job. confidence there from president donald trump. boris johnson has made

brexit a priority, claiming that "do or die," britain will leave the european union by the end of october. the incoming new head of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, said mrjohnson faces challenging times ahead. there are many different and difficult issues to tackle together. we have challenging times ahead of us. it is very important to build up a strong and good working relation because we have the duty to deliver something which is good for people in europe and the united kingdom, so i am looking forward to working with him. i will talk to mark in just a moment again but firstly not, let's remind ourselves of what boris johnson again but firstly not, let's remind ourselves of what borisjohnson has done so far. he was london mayor, foreign secretary and credited with securing victory for the leave campaign in the brexit referendum.

but what else do we know about the man who will enter downing street on wednesday afternoon? our chief political correspondent vicki young takes a look at his career. boris johnson's path borisjohnson‘s path to the top is a well trodden one. the 20th prime minister to be schooled at eton. the house will proceed to a division. he went on to study classics at oxford university. a career in journalism followed with a stint in brussels for the telegraph, where he relished mocking the european commission. i didn't want to be totally stitched up here. his profile was boosted by tv appearances. borisjohnson had set his sights on a political career, and where better than the safe conservative seat of henley upon thames? but even back then, as borisjohnson tried to become the conservatives' candidate, the local party was divided over his talents. some were attracted to this slightly eccentric, larger than life personality, but others were concerned about whether he could be taken seriously.

he was elected mayor of london in 2008. such an honour to have you here, mr mayor. oh, please call me boris. mrjohnson was the charismatic frontman, happy to perform for the cameras... oh no! and the mishaps only added to the celebrity status. release the rings into position...now! his supporters say his leadership style is all about creating a feel—good factor. over the years his private life brought unwanted press attention. i have absolutely no comment. during his 25—year marriage, he had several affairs. he was sacked as a conservative spokesman for lying about one of them. last year, he split up from his wife marina. professional relationships have been strained too. mrjohnson‘s two years as foreign secretary brought awkward moments, some with serious consequences. he mistakenly told mps that a british citizen imprisoned in iran had been training journalists in the country. colleagues complain that he didn't focus on important details and found it hard to make decisions. there is a real trust deficit so that he hasn't done what he's supposed to have done, he hasn't read his briefs,

he hasn't turned up to things, he hasn't put the country first but he's put himself first. but friends insists his unconventional approach can charm even the toughest of audiences. many conservative mps are pinning their hopes on borisjohnson because they believe he's a winner. he drew adoring crowds when he led the vote leave campaign but brexit has proved to be the most divisive of issues. i like it, it's brilliant! and the new prime minister will need more than exuberance, charisma, and a bit of optimism. vicki young, bbc news. mark daviesjoins me again now. you were able to hear that as well, that report and it is clear that eve ryo ne that report and it is clear that everyone is saying the challenge that lies ahead for him, that the conservative party are hoping he can pull this off. i think she nailed it

there when she said he has charisma and exuberance and leave people leaving positive. but that does not change the numbers and he has a majority of two as things currently stand. it may drop to one on august one when there is a by—election and the impact of that is that it is extremely difficult for him to get no deal through. parliament has made quite clear that it does not want to go for a no deal brexit and parliament will have to ascend. cannot just run down parliament will have to ascend. cannotjust run down the clock because there will be a mechanism by which parliament gets to vote leone on no deal. if it votes no then he has a problem. he will start to appoint his cabinet and his team, maybe later today we will hear some of the key appointments such as chancellor and foreign secretary and home secretary. i notice the light has come on here at number 11. maybe

there will be some resignations as well? there have already been as five there may be more. once squad has made its position clear over the last few days and we will see appointments of various people coming back into the cabinet who departed over the course of the last few years. predict patel being the obvious one there, one of only 28 conservative mps who voted against theresa may's deal at every opportunity she was given. there will definitely be people return to the cabinet who have very strong view about brexit but as i say it is not necessarily what the prime minister wants or what the cabinet wa nts. minister wants or what the cabinet wants. ultimately, parliament will have to give assent to this. not least because the article 50 process was actually begun by a previous parliament. there has been an election since, numbers have changed and constitutionally we are not allowed to have one parliament by

the hands of the other. parliament needs to give assent, it is notjust a matter of running down the clock on the numbers are against boris he will need all his enthusiasm and exuberance to change that. mark will be back later with ben in the studio for news briefing when they will look through what the media is saying about this story. and if you'd like to learn more about britain's new prime minister — head to the bbc news website. there you can find his brexit plan and what europeans think of the new appointment. plus much more detail. don't forget you can get in touch with us to discuss the transition of power in britain today. we will discuss your comments a little later. stay with us here as we keep you across every single twist and turn. you can tweet us both. i'm @benmbland. i'll be back later in the briefing,

mission control: you can see them coming down the ladder now. it's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. a catastrophic engine fire is being blamed tonight for the first crash in the 30 year history of concorde, the world's only supersonic airliner. it was one of the most vivid symbols of the violence and hatred that tore apart the state of yugoslavia. but now, a decade later, it's been painstakingly rebuilt and opens again today. there's been a 50% decrease in sperm quantity and an increase in malfunction of sperm unable to swim properly. thousands of households across the country are suspiciously quiet this lunchtime as children bury their noses in the final instalment of harry potter.

you're watching the briefing. i'm ben bland. our headlines: borisjohnson will become britain's next prime minister within the next few hours, after winning the conservative party leadership contest. he'll make a number of key cabinet appointments as he tries to chart a course through the country's political crisis. europe is about to endure its second record—breaking heatwave in as many months. soaring temperatures worldwide made last month the hottestjune ever recorded, prompting warnings from environmental analysts and campaigners of a climate emergency — a warning reinforced by a vote in the british parliament. laura westbrook reports. keeping cool in the middle of the city.

here in paris, temperatures reached 35 celsius and forecasters say it is only going to get hotter. bordeaux already set its highest temperature of 41 degrees. the elederly are particularly at risk from the heat. at this retirement home in bordeaux, residents are being kept inside. translation: i have a room facing the sun so it is 30—35 degree celsius. i have fans, i have a cooler with cold water, but we can't stand it, i mean, i can't stand it. this is the second heatwave in quick succession this summer. it comes as climate activist, greta thunberg, visited politicians in paris. she had this message. we are after all, just children. you do not have to listen to us.

but you do have to listen to the united science, the scientists, and that is all we ask. just unite behind the science. merci. it is notjust france, record temperatures are expected in germany too. for the first time belgium has issued a code red warning for the whole country, and the netherlands has activated its national heat plan. on wednesday, the core of the heat will concentrate on france, the netherlands and belgium. by thursday, a southerly wind will sweep across western europe, pulling up saharan heat. that's when temperatures are expected to peak. heatwaves are do bear the knock of climate change. —— hallmark. so it is not a problem

that is going to go away. as europe prepares for yet another few days of intense heat, scientists say weather like this will be increasingly common. laura westbrook, bbc news. the former fbi director robert mueller is due to appear in public to face questions from two congressional committees, about his report on the donald trump election campaign and russia. republican strategist jen kerns joins me from new york. jen, what would you be listening and watching out for during these evidence hearings? well, you know, for americans tomorrow will just evidence hearings? well, you know, for americans tomorrow willjust be deja vu all over again. you know we've been going through this for a better pa rt we've been going through this for a better part of three years now. we are already into the next presidential election. so americans have heard this mueller report, we first heard saw it three months ago released, now we've seen it in just

about every bookstore in the united states from new york city to the california bay. every american has had the opportunity to read the report and what does make interesting is that the fire left democrat seem hellbent on impeaching this president. by now every american has read this report, bob mueller himself has said he's going to let the report stand for himself. he will not discuss anything. he said "my report is my testimony." yet here you see democrats want to drag him in of congress and create yet another circus in an election year where democrats are struggling to unite around a particular issue. you mention the fact it is an election year, the election campaign heating up. how damaging do you think this could be in an election period? well, i believe bob mueller started wrapping up his report because the polling was actually not good on robert mueller and here's an interesting political landscape, right, that american pollsters began

poling the popularity of the special counsel, that tells you the reality we've been living in here. and what you saw towards the end of last year was that robert mueller‘s credibility rating had dropped, especially among independent voters and women voters, which are key. key to any election. and what you saw at the same time was president trump's numbers are rising, we had a couple of polls out in the state saying does make states, saying his up to 46% popularity —— up to 46% popularity, a record approval rating. i think what you see here is this political drama being drawn out by democrats because theyjust weren't able to accomplish what they wanted. despite that, there is still this? —— this question mark over whether there was an obstruction of justice. if you read jen's own words

and the several witnesses in key meetings between bobjen and the attorney general of the united states, william barr on much with —— bob mueller, robert mueller said he didn't pursue the obstruction charges, not because of this gentleman's agreement that you shouldn't hold a sitting president accountable for obstruction, but because there was not significant evidence. there wasn't sufficient evidence. there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove the collusion case and therefore he drop the rest of his second question. and i think thatis his second question. and i think that is really what democrats, i think, will be surprised to hear tomorrow that roberts mueller really does stick to that report he drafted and he meant what he said. if democrat said he was a man of his word, i believe what he meant what he said, he's really going to stick to the four corners of his report tomorrow. i don't think democrats are going to get anything new except for the political theatre they are looking for in the election year.

jen kernsjoining us live from new york. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. hello i'm tulsen tollett and this is your wednesday sport briefing where we start with the news that the russian boxer maxim dadashev has died at the age of 28 after being injured during an ibf light—welterweight bout in the usa. the american—based fighter suffered injuries at the weekend during a fight in maryland with puerto rico's subriel matias. the bout was stopped after the 11th round and he was hospitalised with bleeding on the brain — undergoing emergency surgery but failed to recover. espn.com writer steve kim was ringside and gave me his thoughts on how it was conducted. nobody thought that fight should have been stop earlier than it was. he was very much alive, responding after the 11th round.

england cricket captain joe root says his team need to set themselves up for their ashes series against australia when they face ireland in a one—off test starting in the coming hours. the match is being played at lord's in what's an historic first—ever meeting in this form of the game as england fresh from their world cup win now prepare for five tests against the old enemy starting next week. the message to this code is to play with a huge amount of pride and passion and intensity, the intensity this week will set the tone for the rest of the summer. —— to the team this week. as long as we go in, exactly like that, then we'll give a good account of ourselves, i do believe that. julian alaphilippe remains the tour de france leader heading into stage 17 of the race later on wednesday. australian caleb ewan won a bunch sprint to take stage 16 on tuesday while britain's defending champion geraint thomas crashed when his gears jammed with 130km to go.

the defending champion sustained grazes to his left—hand side but finished safely in the peleton to remain 95 seconds behind frenchman alaphilippe. juventus take on inter in a pre—season match in china in the coming hours but had an interesting last training session when a local fan tried to get up close and personal. security were on hand to stop the starstruck supporter and cristiano ronaldo even thought he'd help out — although it wasn't what the men in charge thought they'd see from the portuguese superstar. you can get all the latest sports news at our website — that's bbc.com/sport. but from me — tulsen tollett — and the rest of the team that is your wednesday sport briefing. right. let's find out the latest again from downing street. sally is still there. one pages, i assume, dominated by one story, sally? yeah.

absolutely. i'm going to be here for a while, i have to say, ben. a p pa re ntly a while, i have to say, ben. apparently larry is just outside the front door of number ten. he is the cut. in terms of the headlines, let me put my phone down. i've been looking at your tweets. we have the daily telegraph, of course, which borisjohnson has written daily telegraph, of course, which boris johnson has written for. daily telegraph, of course, which borisjohnson has written for. he was a columnist for the telegraph. he says i am the dude. that refers to his speech yesterday where he said d4 deliver brexit, you for unite the country, d4 defeat labour‘s corbin and finally the e11 energise britain —— d for, that is what the sign is picking up on as well, see here, hey, dude, don't make it bad. and the financial times, johnson wins the race for number ten as the imf warns over

no—deal brexit. as a financial lead for the financial times.|j no—deal brexit. as a financial lead for the financialtimes. i was hoping you are going to sing the hay, dude, but maybe next hour. see you $001]. hello. temperatures have been soaring across the uk. in fact, to record levels forjosey on tuesday and a newjuly record set in maison saint louis of 35.7 degrees celsius. and don't be too surprised i think if we don't see some further records being broken before this hot spell is out. the peak anticipated on thursday and some spots could get up to 37 degrees celsius and that would be a new ukjuly record. to start us off on wednesday, plenty of humidity around, and some pretty widespread thunderstorms across the northern half of the uk. strong and gusty winds as they sensible across the latter part. and then move left with a lot of

sunshine as the day pans out. a bit ofa sunshine as the day pans out. a bit of a south—westerly breeze today so a bit cooler in the west, but far from cold. still intense heat in the east, highs of 32 or 33. wednesday evening, and overnight into thursday, not much going on, it's warm, it's humid, a lot of dry weather. just some business going out here towards the west. overnight lows pretty u nco mforta ble, particularly in the south—east close to 20 celsius. what was going on in the west was this area of low pressure trying to approach. it won't do too much to the weather picture on thursday but it what it will do is keep the wind going in a southerly direction, tapping us into real heat from the continent. on thursday we are expecting records to topple across belgium, luxembourg and parts of germany. we may see the odd thunderstorm break out in the west, i think one or two places

could get close to 37 celsius. an 80% chance we will see thejuly record for the uk topple on thursday. currently it stands at 36.7dc, that was set on the first of july in 2015. if it is getting a little bit much for you, though, hang in there. overnight thursday is a friday, a low will start to push this cold front eastwards. the air not especially cold, but certainly considerably cooler. back to average for belfast and cardiff, 27 and 28 for belfast and cardiff, 27 and 28 for london, certainly a fresher field than we will have on thursday. for the weekend, think notably cooler and the chance for some pretty heavy rain.

this is the business briefing. i'm sally bundock. iam i am live outside downing street. in a few hours from now the uk will have a new prime minister. borisjohnson have repeatedly refused to rule out a no—deal brexit, but are businesses ready for that? the usjustice department announce an investigation into leading online platforms, to find out whether they are unfairly restricting competition. and on the markets: they are headed higher in asia today with investors weighing signs of progress in us— china