sirjohn major says the reasons given by boris johnson for proroguing parliament cannot be true. a lawyerfor the former prime minister told the supreme court that the suspension was motivated by mrjohnson‘s "political interest" in closing down parliament ahead of brexit. sirjohn says the inescapable inference to be drawn is that the prorogation is to prevent parliament from exercising its right to disagree with the government. the government says if the court rules against the prime minister, we'll have all the latest from here at the supreme court. and the other main stories this lunchtime... the government sends the eu confidential documents that

outline its ideas on brexit. david cameron admits he sought the queen's help to persuade scotland not to vote for independence. not asking for anything that would be in any way improper or unconstitutional, butjust a raising of the eyebrow. the photo that's caused anger of canada's prime minister wearing brownface at a party in 2001 — justin trudeau has apologised. and why some of britains' coastal beauty spots have seen a rise in the number of accidental deaths. and coming up on bbc news... harry kane says tottenham continue to make the same mistakes, as they let a two—goal lead slip in the champions league.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one, live from the supreme court, where we've just witnessed the spectacle of a lawyer for the former prime minister, sirjohn major, accusing borisjohnson of failing to tell the truth over his reasons for suspending parliament. the court is sitting for a third and final day to consider whether mrjohnson acted lawfully. sirjohn‘s lawyer told the court the reasons given by the prime minister for proroguing parliament cannot be true. meanwhile, a government submission has told the 11 supreme courtjustices that if they rule against mrjohnson, he may simply take a new decision to immediately close down parliament again. here's our correspondent

richard lister. it seems at times like an argument without end but those who gathered outside the supreme court today, intent on either stopping a coup or stopping the eu, knew that the arguments inside at least would end today. in this final session, it was the turn of individuals as well as institutions to make their pleas to the car. one was raymond mccord from northern ireland who believes brexit could threaten the good friday peace agreement. in many ways, he speaks for the silent majority in northern ireland. we want a peaceful, prosperous future which can only really be based on the good friday agreement and that delicate constitutional settlement that has been achieved. the lawyer for mr mcca rt been achieved. the lawyer for mr mccart outlined ways brexit could affect northern ireland but the

justices intervened saying that was not what they were therefore. so many people are listening to you and they will hear these points, these general points about brexit and its effect on northern ireland, and it will... it effect on northern ireland, and it will. .. it may effect on northern ireland, and it will... it may come too entirely the wrong conclusion, that this is what we are looking at. don't abuse our politeness and don't abuse our patients. this is the issue at hand, whether boris johnson patients. this is the issue at hand, whether borisjohnson asked the queen to suspend parliament to stop mps scrutinising his brexit process. the scottish and welsh governments had their say on that. what is at sta ke had their say on that. what is at stake here is a fundamental principle of the constitution, namely the principle of parliamentary accountability. we have a decision which aggregates the mechanisms of accountability for a period of five weeks. this is a

quiet, principled, judicial insistence on the maintenance of parliamentary sovereignty with its ongoing legislative autonomy, function, and with its ministerial accountability. in his submission, the former conservative prime minister sirjohn major said it would be naive for the court to believe mrjohnson‘s reasons for suspending parliament. his lawyer said it was inescapable that the true reason was to avoid scrutiny of brexit and the government had not told the truth. the reasons set out in the document put forward by the prime minister cannot be true. courts in scotland and england came to different conclusions about whether the suspension of parliament was lawful. the supreme court must now decide which of them was right. richard lister, bbc news. our legal correspondent clive

coleman has been in court. we live in extraordinarily the braille political times but even by those standards the site of a lawyer for the former tory prime minister condemning the current tory prime minister saying he has failed to tell the truth is astonishing. minister saying he has failed to tell the truth is astonishingm minister saying he has failed to tell the truth is astonishing. it is incredible, it feels like we are through the looking glass into a new reality. it feels at times more like a far—fetched tv drama but you are right, these two appeal cases... remember, the prime minister stands accused of misleading mnemonic of the realm and undermining the sovereign body in our constitution which is parliament. as you say, coming to assist the case against the current prime minister, the former tory prime minister, who in very bold and strong terms is accusing borisjohnson very bold and strong terms is accusing boris johnson of very bold and strong terms is accusing borisjohnson of having misled the queen and suggesting his

true purpose was entirely political in the sense that he wished to shut down debate and scrutiny in parliament. just remind ourselves what lord garnier said this morning, he was focusing on the documents provided by the prime minister to support his case and there has been criticism there hasn't been a sworn affidavit or witness statement saying the true reasons for the prorogation are what borisjohnson has always said, a new queen's speech. lord garnier said we don't believe the documents given to the car provide the true reason for prorogation, in those circumstances it would be justifiable to the court to infer his true intentions. basically saying, look at the evidence, it is sketchy, draw your own conclusions. he is following the court down the route of improper purpose, that it was done for the improper purpose of shutting down parliament and frustrating it. clive, thank you very much indeed.

this afternoon we will have closing state m e nts this afternoon we will have closing statements from both sides, then it is for the ii justices to consider theirjudgment. back is for the ii justices to consider their judgment. back to is for the ii justices to consider theirjudgment. back to you in the studio. thanks very much, ben. the government says that confidential documents that "reflect the ideas the uk has put forward" on brexit have been shared with the european union. it comes after the prime minister of finland, which holds the eu's rotating presidency, said this morning that britain must put forward fresh brexit proposals in writing by the end of the month. in a moment we'll be speaking to our correspondent damian grammaticus in brussels, but first our assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. norman, this feels like a slow reveal of the british government's position? i think you are spot on. this is the diplomatic dance of the seven veils with the government gradually discarding the veils covering its brexit plan, because what we get todayis brexit plan, because what we get today is not the publication of the

full brexit blueprint, we get the publication of some of the documents setting out the government's thinking around the technical alternatives to the controversial northern ireland backstop. why this cautious slowly slowly strategy? because in government their view is they have just one shot at getting a brexit plan accepted, so they don't wa nt to brexit plan accepted, so they don't want to put the full plan on the table straightaway. they want to see how each step goes down with the eu, so how each step goes down with the eu, so they are slowly, slowly revealing bits of the brexit deal before they put the whole package out there. after weeks, you have to say, when both sides seem to have been hard bawling each other with the eu demanding boris johnson publish bawling each other with the eu demanding borisjohnson publish his proposals, with new deadlines being set, the suggestion to publish the full plan by the end of the month, it is perhaps the first tentative

glimmer of progress in these brexit talks. norman, thank you. damian, how is the eu likely to react to these documents from the uk? we have already had a statement from the european commission here saying they have received them, but they wouldn't go much beyond saying that means they can now... have discussions around areas like customs procedures, the trade in manufactured goods, animal and plant products, that sort of thing. that is pretty much what has been discussed up to this point and these documents are described as non—papers, that just means documents are described as non—papers, thatjust means they documents are described as non—papers, that just means they are discussion documents, nothing in there that is a full, proper, legal text that can be worked on by the negotiators so from the eu side that will be seen as unsatisfactory at this stage. the reason we were hearing that from the finnish prime

ministerand hearing that from the finnish prime minister and others, hearing that from the finnish prime ministerand others, and hearing that from the finnish prime minister and others, and we have been hearing for a long time that the eu want proper legal papers on the eu want proper legal papers on the table, is that the way the eu operates. it needs legal documents its team can comb through, that it can send to 27 capital is to look through, all of that takes time. the other thing that will be troubling for the eu is listening to stephen barclay make a speech in madrid that was very punchy, saying no—deal would cause big damage to countries like spain and talked about the need to take risks and saying the eu would be failing if it didn't take risks over the border. the eu's view i think very much as it is trying to avoid risks by having a backstop, a safety net solution and that's why it needs these papers now to get on with discussing them. what the commission spokesperson here said when i put that point to them about stephen ba rclay's comments

when i put that point to them about stephen barclay's comments was that great leaders reached deals. stephen barclay will be here tomorrow to speak to michel barnier and we might find that is a testy affair. thank you. damian grammaticas there. david cameron has denied doing anything improper after admitting that he asked the queen for help during the scottish independence referendum campaign in 2014. he was speaking to the bbc in a two—part series which begins tonight about his six years as prime minister. mr cameron said he turned to buckingham palace for support when a newspaper opinion poll backed independence for the first time. the queen later urged people to "think carefully about the future". our political correspondent helen catt reports. it was a referendum on david cameron won. in 2014 scotland rejected independence but the former prime minister wasn't always confident it would be victory he was staring in the face, and he's now revealed that when the no campaign started

trailing in the polls he turned to the for help. i remember conversations i had with my private secretary and i had with the queens private secretary, not asking for anything that would be in any way improper or unconstitutional, but just a raising of the eyebrow, even a quarter of an inch, would make a difference. shortly afterwards the queen told well—wishers in aberdeenshire she hoped people would think very carefully about the future, a comment widely reported and taken to show concern for the union. at the scottish parliament this morning, the first minister addressed the admission. this morning, the first minister addressed the admissionlj this morning, the first minister addressed the admission. i think the revelations, if i can call them that, from david cameron today say more about him than they do anybody else. and really demonstrate, i think, the panic that was in the heart of the uk government in the run—up to the independence referendum five years ago. by

convention the queen is kept out of politics and conversations with her private, but david cameron does have form. speaking after the same referendum in 2014 he was overheard saying the queen had purred down the line when he spoke to her about the result. he said that was a mistake for which he had apologised, and said perhaps he'd already said too much. perhaps boris johnson said perhaps he'd already said too much. perhaps borisjohnson might have appreciated him saying a bit less, specifically when speaking about his motivations during the referendum campaign. in the end ultimately i think he put what was good for his political career ahead of what he actually thought was right for the country. not a charge mr cameron would accept about himself. he maintains his decision to hold the eu referendum was the correct thing to do but some of his former colleagues disagree. we started a series of meetings about

whether to offer a referendum on europe, andi whether to offer a referendum on europe, and i was against because i thought it would split the conservative party and put business offside having done so much work to get them on side, and fundamentally we might lose the referendum. get them on side, and fundamentally we might lose the referendumm get them on side, and fundamentally we might lose the referendum. if he follows convention, interventions like this are likely to be reasonably rare from david cameron but what he said this week may have already added more upheaval in turbulent times. helen catt, bbc news, westminster. our royal correspondent jonny dymond is here. the queen is meant to be kept clear of politics — is this a clear breach of that convention? i think convention has been thrown to the wind, several conventions, the first one being you simply don't discuss the conversations between the prime minister and the monarch, thatis the prime minister and the monarch, that is the first rule of those conversations, that they stay private, and they are no longer private. the second one is you don't

involve the queen in domestic political decisions. we know the queen is in favour of the union, she has spoken of her liking for the union beforehand, but at such a delicate moment in this campaign to ask for her assistance. the third question that comes up is why subsequent to that request did the queen and her advisers think it right for her to speak publicly. the palace has given no official comment, but a source told me there has been an amount of displeasure at the palace, and i think those who read the runes will translate that something coming pretty close to real anger at what david cameron has said. many thanks. and you can watch the first part of the cameron years on bbc one tonight at 9pm and it'll be available afterwards on the iplayer. three teenagers accused of murdering pc andrew harper have appeared

before magistrates in redding. the thames valley officer died after he was dragged under a van while investigating a burglary in berkshire last month. our correspondent jon kay is in reading. just bring us up to date with what happened in court today. this hearing lasted less than ten minutes altogether. henry long, 18, two 17—year—old boys who we cannot name because of their wages, they stood accused of murder and conspiracy to steal a quad bike —— ages. all of them were wearing t—shirts, they gave their names, addresses, dates of birth, they were remanded in custody. as they were taken away, someone custody. as they were taken away, someone in the packed public gallery shouted, i love you. they are now being taken to london to the central criminal court, the old bailey, where they will appear later this afternoon in a follow—up hearing. another man also appeared at the magistrates' court today, thomas

kane, 21, and he is charged only with conspiracy to steal a quad bike —— king. he was released on conditional bail. a month ago pc andrew harper died, 28 years old, dragged behind a vehicle, he died of multiple injuries. his wife who had only married him for weeks before he died issued a statement at the time describing him as the kindest, loveliest and most selfless person you could ever meet. another man, 20, was also accused of murder here in this court when a month ago. —— courtroom. thank you. our top story this lunchtime: a lawyer for sirjohn major says the reasons given by borisjohnson for proroguing parliament cannot be true and that he was motivated by political interest. and coming up... saying goodbye —

john humphrys presents his final edition of radio 4's today programme after 32 years coming up on bbc news... calls to combat slow play. we hear from europe's solheim cup—winning captain after their victory over the usa in gleneagles. the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, has apologised after a photograph was published by time magazine showing him wearing brownface — that's skin—darkening make—up — at an arabian nights party 18 years ago. with an election next month, his political rivals have been quick to criticise him. our north america correspondent david willis reports. the photograph appeared in a school yearbook 18 years ago. now it's come back to haunt canada's prime minister. pictured in robe and turban, brown paint on his face and hands, isjustin trudeau.

the event — an arabian nights gala at the posh private school in vancouver where he was teaching at the time. in 2001, i was a teacher in vancouver, i attended an end of year gala where the theme was arabian nights. i dressed up in an aladdin costume and put make—up on. i shouldn't have done it. i should have known better, but i didn't, and i am really sorry. the publication of the picture comes just a week afterjustin trudeau launched his re—election campaign. political rivals have been swift to condemn his actions. well, it's troubling and it's insulting. any time we hear an example of brownface or blackfacing, it's really making a mockery of someone for what they live

and what their lived experiences are. a politician of the instagram age, justin trudeau had carefully cultivated an image as a champion of canada's racial and ethnic minorities, a progressive on issues ranging from gender equality to indigenous rights. now, some are asking, is there another side to him? i think it's that sort of hypocrisy. right away, the opposition came out and said, it was still racist to dress up in brownface in 2001. he is the son of one of this country's most famous prime ministers, he had all the education in the world, he was a teacher at the time. it's hard to understand how he couldn't see that that would be racist. justin trudeau had just started to pull ahead of his main rival in the polls with little over four weeks to go to the election. what this will mean for his re—election prospects remains to be seen. david willis, bbc news, washington. providing care for people with learning disabilities and autism is one of the many challenges the nhs in england is facing. the government wants

more people to receive treatment in the community, rather than in hospital. but the latest figures show over 2,200 people were being treated as inpatients last month, despite government pledges to end such treatment. our social affairs correspondent, alison holt, spoke to one family about their experience. tom, now 13 years old and he is autistic. his experience over the last three years spells out the desperation and failures faced by too many people with learning disabilities or autism. you are going to see tom this weekend. yeah. you are working. lam working. each weekend his mum, dad or his grandmother travelled from their home in shropshire to the other side of the country to see him. he has been away from home since age ten. struggling with anxiety and new medication, he had a crisis. he was trying to bite down on wires,

just basically going crazy, throwing whatever he could, breaking everything. this was my therapy, the wall, when tom was admitted to hospital. in that situation, the family found the only place he could go was an adult mental health hospital, he ended up being there for six months and he deteriorated. he refused to use the toilet, he refused to wear shoes, he refused to eat with a knife and fork. it was a complete regression. and it was a display of anger. he was doing these things to express how upset and angry he was. the latest official figures show 2255 people in the specialist assessment and treatment units, 245 children, slightly fewer than a month before, but still a long way short of government targets. over three months, long way short of government targets. overthree months, more than 10,000 restraints of patients,

over a third against children. eventually tom was moved to a residential home, he is doing much better, but finding enough places in the community as part of the problem. three years on, he is still more than 160 miles from his family. i would not wish it on anybody, what we have been through. iwould not wish it on my worst anime. we have struggled these past three years. we need to put more value into these children with autism and learning disabilities —— my worst enemy. people's attitudes need to change, politicians. they matter, their lives matter. nhs england says it is committed to supporting people like tom in the community and it is doing all it can to reduce the number of patients in specialist hospitals. forfamilies, the patients in specialist hospitals. for families, the pace patients in specialist hospitals. forfamilies, the pace of change remains too small. alison holt, bbc

news. there's been a big increase in the number of accidental deaths in coastal waters around britain this year. figures from the maritime and coastguards agency show that in the 12 months up to september, 28 people have died compared with 11 in the previous year. lucie fisher has been finding out why. on the run, a man's been spotted 200m out and battling big swells. he'd been caught out by strong currents at gwithian near hayle. this, just one of thousands of rescues performed by the rnli around our coasts this year. what happened ? my son and a friend of his went in over here, but they got ripped straight out across the bay. i was a bit worried about them, so i swum out after them. they've come back in now, have they? yeah, they've gone between the flags, where they should be. many rescues involve families and children, but there's one group most at risk by far.

data shows men were the victims of the majority of coastal deaths last year, particularly young and middle—aged men. i think a lot of the time it's because they think their abilities are better than they are and i think humans just do that in general. so, they will say, "no, i'm a good swimmer, i will swim where i want." they might be a good swimmer in the pool, but they don't actually know how the sea is. such a raw, natural kind of environment. psychologist dr isabel richter has studied how people behave when they are by the sea. she says there is evidence we all behave differently when we are on holiday. there is a lot of research about tourist versus home behaviour and it proves that people on holidays perform more risky behaviour than at home. you think, "no, it is my holiday, i deserve to have fun. i was waiting for this the whole year and now i want to go out and, yeah, enjoy myself. " and as the latest statistics from the maritime and coastguard agency show,

the consequences of making the wrong call on risk or ignoring safety advice can be fatal. 28 people died this year around the south west coasts — more than double the number last year. while we were filming, the jet ski was sent to help look for a man who had been reported in the water just around the headland off an un—life—guarded beach. tragically, in that case, a body was picked up by the lifeboat. a sobering reminder of the dangers of the sea. lucie fisher, gwithian. and you can see more on this story on inside out south west, available now on the bbc iplayer. his voice has been the familiar sound of breakfast radio for millions of listeners over the past 32 years. this morning, john humphrys presented radio 4's today programme for the final time. david sillito reports.

6am, thursday, 19th september. the final today forjohn 6am, thursday, 19th september. the final today for john humphrys, 6am, thursday, 19th september. the final today forjohn humphrys, a chance to reflect back on more than 30 years as the bbc possible interrogator in she. you are sitting here talking on the radio... his domain, the today programme on radio four. let me finish the question. let me make this point. his reputation for a terrierlike persistence came from a career in journalism going back decades. persistence came from a career in journalism going back decadeslj persistence came from a career in journalism going back decades. i am telling you things have changed. a ma nifest telling you things have changed. a manifest fact. over the years, he covered events such as the aberfan disaster... these are the little cards which could one day replace the cash in your pocket. he left school 15, still in his 20s when he found himself in the thick of it in the war 1971. we have been found himself in the thick of it in the war1971. we have been here seven, eight minutes, in that time,

three strikes, the third one coming over now. there is the big guns... overhead. first, the news with john humphrys. and then in 1981, he became the face of the nine o'clock news. fierce warning to the government... six years later, he moved to radio. tony hall... the bbc possible current director general being grown. when you go around westminster, talk to people in whitehall, i want to be on the today programme, who will do the interview? anyone but humphrys. he has a tenacity, his desire to represent the listener. he has definitely converted. what is happening? the second it was brought to my attention, i immediately started... do you not read papers?

this interview pretty much ended his time as director general at the bbc. have you ever regretted going too far? yes, many times. have you ever said sorry afterwards? yes, interrupting is fine, inevitable, u nless interrupting is fine, inevitable, unless you want a party political broadcast. but you get angry, which i have done once or twice, and i mean only once or twice, that is absolutely unforgivable. he has over the years upset politicians and divided listeners, but at the end, a glimpse of the softer side ofjohn humphrys. iam more humphrys. i am more proud than i can say that you have put up with me for so long, thank you and that is it from me. good morning. applause david sillito, bbc