today at six — the palace hits back after david cameron's revelations about the queen and the scottish referendum. mr cameron tells the bbc he called the palace in 2014 and asked for the queen's help. not asking for anything that would be in any way improper or unconstitutional. butjust a raising of the eyebrow. in a highly unusual move buckingham palace has made its displeasure all too clear. also tonight — major versusjohnson, tory versus tory in the supreme court — the former prime minister says suspending parliament was illegal. part two of our investigation into the plight of vulnerable teenagers in unregulated homes — concerns they're exposed to weapons, drugs and sexual abuse.

letting groomers, predatory paedophiles go after those children and that's our responsibility. japan catches rugby fever — the world cup goes there for the first time — and tickets are almost sold out already. you're sitting here in this studio now talking on the radio... he interviewed without fear orfavour — the bbc‘sjohn humphrys calls it a day after 32 years on the today programme. and coming up on bbc news — arsenal are one of five british sides in europa league action tonight — we'll have the latest in sportsday. good evening.

it's extremely rare for buckingham palace to react to a news story but today that's precisely what's happened — an official has expressed displeasure after david cameron revealed that he asked for the queen's help in the run—up to the scottish independence vote in 2014. it has led to accusations that the former prime minister tried to drag the queen into what was a highly controversial matter. mr cameron has been speaking to the bbc about his six years as prime minister and denies he did anything improper. our deputy political editor john pienaar has more. but anyway, it's very good to welcome you here. it's the highest relationship in britain, and certainly the most discreet. only now, david cameron's been given a rare royal rebuke for disclosing how he sought the queen's help in his fight to keep her kingdom intact and how help was given. this was the moment in 2014 david cameron realised the union was safe, for a time anyway.

the referendum campaign for scottish independence had been defeated. everybody happy? yes, thank you. are we running? yeah. and now david cameron's told the bbc how, after a startling opinion poll suggested most scots wanted independence, the queen hinted openly at her concern. and how he had a hand in her publicly expressing her hope that scots voters would think very carefully about the future. i remember conversations i had with my private secretary and he had with the queen's private secretary and i had with the queen's private secretary, not asking for anything that would be in any way improper or unconstitutional. butjust a raising of the eyebrow even, you know, a quarter of an inch would make a difference. although the words were very limited, it helped to put a slightly different perception of things.

mr cameron hadn't just strained the convention that the queen kept clear of politics, he'd discussed what had happened. a palace source relayed what was called an amount of displeasure that a conversation between the pm and the monarch had been made public, saying it made it hard for the relationship to thrive. today, the former pm plainly regretted his indiscretion. i think i don't want to say anything more about this. i'm sure that some people would think, possibly even me, that i've already said perhaps a little bit too much. too late. scotland's snp first minister, looking ahead to a future referendum, seized on the disclosure. i think the revelations, if i can call them that, from david cameron today, say more about him than they do about anybody else. and really demonstrate, i think, the panic that was in the heart of the uk government. the prime minister, visiting troops on training today, kept a careful

distance from the controversy. not only do i not comment on conversations that i may have held with her majesty, but i don't comment on conversations she may have held with anyone else. the palace hasn't denied the queen made a remarkable intervention in the referendum. today's rebuke to a past prime minister was for speaking out, and it served as a warning. open strain of this kind is rare. more turbulence in politics over the uk's future — inevitable. john pienaar, bbc news. our royal correspondent nicholas witchelljoins me now from buckingham palace. it is unusual for the palace to react at all, so what does it mean when they express their displeasure. i think it means that we can assume it is the queen feels let down, that david cameron has spoken about these things. however, we should not assume that david cameron was the sole instigator of her making these remarks. we know how deeply the

queen feels about the unity of the nation of which she is head of state. she spoke quite explicitly about this in 1977 at the time of the silverjubilee. at the time of the silverjubilee. at the time of the scottish referendum, i believe other members of the royal family we re other members of the royal family were looking for some safe, a cce pta ble were looking for some safe, acceptable way in which they can register their concern. so, david cameron's intervention was perhaps the encouragement they were looking for, perhaps it was decisive. the queen made these remarks, very anodyne on the surface, impromptu supposedly, but quite deliberate, and in the context of a hard—fought referendum, clearly they were taken to mean, think carefully about the implications of separation. disquiet over there, because reopening that at the time she is being drawn in by another prime minister into a highly controversial prorogation of parliament. nick, thank you very much. you can see parliament. nick, thank you very much. you can see more on parliament. nick, thank you very much. you can see more on bbc one tonight at 9pm, the camera years.

borisjohnson has been accused of being dishonest about his reasons for suspending parliament. and the accusation comes from none other than the former conservative prime minister, sirjohn major. his lawyer has told the supreme court that the only reason mrjohnson wanted a longer than usual suspension was to stop mps "interfering" in his brexit plans. the government argues it is not a matter for the courts at all. our home editor mark easton reports. sirjohn major, boris johnson, sirjohn major, borisjohnson, two conservative party leaders, two party leaders, but today the battle of the brexit saw them turn blue on blue amid accusations of hypocrisy, dirty tricks and lies. as the supreme court began the final day of its hearing into whether mrjohnson unlawfully suspended or prorogued parliament, sirjohn major told the judges in a written note that boris johnson had ulterior motives, and his stated reasons for ending the parliamentary session could not be true. sirjohn major's lawyer in

court, lord gerniers, accused a downing street surfer of falsely suggesting that as prime minister his client had suspended parliament with ulterior motives. it was suggested that he had prorogued for base political reasons. mudslinging, it was suggested, there was nothing base and political about the decision to ask the queen to shut parliament down early and head of the election in 1997. in the cabinet at the time, michael, now lord heseltine, today dismissed the idea is nonsense. there is recent evidence of the downing street press office having been misleading in its announcements. lord garnier also referred to a text sent to the bbc bya referred to a text sent to the bbc by a downing street source which said, the claim that the government is considering proroguing parliament in september in order to stop mps debating brexit is entirely false. it later emerged that ministers had discussed asking the queen to suspend the session, although no 10 maintains it wasn't to close down

discussion on brexit. we are not concerned with when and how and on what terms the united kingdom leaves the european union. stressing their discussions have nothing to do with brexit, the justices today received an answer to their own question to no 10. what would government do if they lost the case? now, if the supreme court says the suspension of parliament was unlawful, downing street are considering three options, depending on the exact reasons. one, they don't need to do anything at all. two, they bring back parliament, but they bring forward the queen's speech. or three, they immediately go back to the queen again and ask her to suspend parliament again. but this time lawfully. this afternoon, the government lawyer lord keen, argued it should never get that far anyway because thejudges have no right to rule on thejudges have no right to rule on the matter. the length of each session of parliament and the frequency between sessions is

regulated by constitutional convention, and not by the law. remain campaignergina convention, and not by the law. remain campaigner gina miller's lawyer argued the outcome should be the immediate recall of mps. we would expect, in the light of a declaration, that the prime minister will ensure that parliament resumes as soon as possible next week. we will now consider carefully all the arguments which have been presented to us. but we also know that this case must be resolved as quickly as possible and we hope to be able to publish our decision early next week. if they follow past practice, the justices will come together in the justices will come together in the next few days and each in turn will give their view, starting with the newest member of the supreme court and finishing with the president lady hale. it is, as she said, a serious and difficult question of law. and for the world outside the courtroom, a

question with profound implications for the great institutions of state, for the great institutions of state, for our democracy, and for citizens ofa for our democracy, and for citizens of a troubled kingdom. mark easton, bbc news, the supreme court. let's talk to our political editor laura kuenssberg. the supreme court is all about the conduct over brexit and today he says he is making progress. down the road from the court the other big focus in government is whether we will get a deal with the european union, or whether they have to prepare more intensely for leaving without one. there have been an awful lot of diplomatic flounces and fripperies in the last couple of weeks. but if we strip all that away, just exactly what is going on? there is a sense on this side of the channel, at least, some of the bricks in that brick wall are at least coming loose, the uk has submitted a range of ideas to the european side that they hope could be the basis of a deal and the eu

has acknowledged it has happened, rather than just saying, we has acknowledged it has happened, rather thanjust saying, we haven't seen any concrete proposals, the uk must tell us what they want. there is now a sense that there is some movement but if this is a journey of 100 miles, they have may be a mile 01’ 100 miles, they have may be a mile or two 100 miles, they have may be a mile ortwo in 100 miles, they have may be a mile or two in recent days. the prime minister seems to be not wanting to exaggerate the chances but there is, though, a mood, at least, that things might be starting to move, at least a little bit. laura, thank you very much. a man accused of the murder of pc andrew harper has had the charge against him dropped. the newly—wed police officer was killed after being dragged along a road last month. jed foster, who is 20, was arrested and charged. he is one of four people accused of involvement in his death. two boys of 17 and 18—year—old henry long have appeared at the old bailey charged with the murder. now to the second part of our investigation into the plight of some of our most vulnerable teenagers. these children are either in care or have recently left,

but are still supposed to be supervised in what is known as semi—independent living. tonight, we hear their stories about being exposed to drugs and weapons. our special correspondent, ed thomas reports. just a house where people profit from young, vulnerable children. i've never really had any support. all i had was basically a bed. there were those involved, whoever did what they did. someone needs to pay a price for the pain. last night, we revealed serious concerns over the safeguarding of teenagers in unregulated homes. tonight, we hear the stories of vulnerable children exposed to weapons, drugs and organised crime. a lot of drug dealing, people bringing in acid. this teenager lived in a home run by a company called centurion care. knives, samurai swords, everything. i don't know how they get it past all the cameras.

terrified, he'd lock himself in his room. how do you know it was acid in the bottle? because i opened it up and smelled it, and it burnt my nose. what was your reaction when that happened 7 i nearly dropped the whole bottle on the floor. and what did you do? put it down, went straight into my room and barricaded my door because i didn't feel safe. he says strangers were coming and going from the home. every ten minutes the door‘s going. like going straight in and out, in and out. going round the corner, doing their drug deals or whatever and then coming straight back. the house was basically just a drug deal house, but i had to live there because i couldn't go nowhere else. centurion care told us they worked with police to prevent drug dealing, and all staff had safeguarding training by the local authority. of the eight young men whose stories we've followed in centurion care, we've learned that four were sent or have returned to prison since leaving the homes. emmanuelle? hello there. one family agreed to let us talk

to their son inside prison. fed? you weren't eating inside there? like many unregulated homes, it's down to the young person to manage their finances and food. emmanuelle repeatedly disappeared because he was involved in county lines drug dealing. how did they get you in the home? how did they find you in basildon? could you have said no? did you ever ask the staff inside centurion care for help?

emanuelle was jailed for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine. centurion care said they felt all children were safe and secure across their placements. we tracked down one centurion care worker who knew many of the children involved. it was completely out of control, absolute manic, wild. .. like, some people had drugs in the house. there were some people that ended up having a large amount of cash, and there was nothing you could have really done about it because other staff members didn't do anything about it. this confidential council briefing we've obtained on centurion care says some workers were known to police for arrests that didn't lead to charges. centurion care says it's not aware of these disclosures on any of the workers' enhanced dbs checks, which were available at every local authority inspection, and no concerns were raised.

her vulnerability was quite high. andy says a girl reported being taken from one of the homes, given alcohol and drugs, before having sex with a man who occasionally worked in the home. police said there was not enough evidence any crime was committed. the confidential briefing says the man had several convictions and had been previously investigated but not charged for an alleged sex offence involving a child. centurion care said the contractor didn't need to be dbs checked. his role was known to the local authority, they co—operated with the police, and there was no further action. these homes were closed in 2017, and the company dissolved after serious safeguarding concerns were raised. tonight, across england, there's around 5,000 children in unregulated homes — many highly vulnerable, all facing the same risks.

i am outraged. i'm outraged and upset in equal measure about what i've just seen. dame louise casey led an investigation into rotherham council after hundreds of children were sexually exploited in the town. it's not a loophole, it's a scandal. i want those homes regulated. how urgent is that? tomorrow. the shame is that it's taken the bbc — the same way it was in rotherham — it took the media to lift the lid on it. she fears young people aren't being protected in unregulated homes. that house was basically just a drug—deal house. you are exposing their voices, which i can only hope means that it's listened to in a different way. it's time for whitehall to wake up to this. it's a disgrace. if action isn't taken on the back of this programme, then we're colluding in letting groomers, predatory paedophiles go after those children. and that's our responsibility, and that's why i find it so upsetting.

across england and wales, there's been more than a dozen so—called organised and complex abuse investigations into failures to protect children in unregulated homes. the stories of those children are unlikely to ever be heard. and ed joins me now... incredibly you have learned even more tonight? yes, research commissioned by the government into these unregulated homes, which shows children as young as 11 years old are being placed in these homes by councils. it is illegal to place a child in a home like this under the age of 16. this research shows highly vulnerable children who should be insecure children's homes, places where they cannot leave, often for their own safety, on occasions are being placed in these

unregulated we also understand that this issue of regulation has been discussed by key figures who are pa rt discussed by key figures who are part of this research, but only light touch regulation has been discussed so far. reaction this evening from ann coffey who leads the all parliamentary group, says it isa the all parliamentary group, says it is a total abdication of responsibility. in a statement, the department for education said councils are required by law to keep these children safe and secure. thank you very much. the time is 20 minutes past six. in a highly unusual move, buckingham palace has made its displeasure clear after david cameron reveals he asked for the queen's support during the scottish referendum. and still to come: after an online campaign, burger king uk will now no longer give away plastic toys with children's meals. coming up on sportsday on bbc news. we talk women's golf, winning and how to clamp down on slow play with europe's

victorious solheim cup captain catriona matthew. tomorrow the rugby world cup kicks off injapan as the hosts play russia in tokyo. all 48 matches of the tournament are expected to be sold out, despite japan not being a traditional rugby nation. katie gornall looks at the rise in popularity of the sport. tokyo is a sprawling, enchanting city. it's a place where the modern nestles alongside the traditional and it's a new frontier for a sport hoping to make a good impression. excitement is building. 15,000 people turned upjust to watch wales train in southern japan and the country's commissioner for sport believes this tournament could leave a lasting legacy. translation: this, the first time the world cup is coming to a country

that has no tradition in rugby. for us injapan, we are really excited to have the tournament so i am hoping that the rugby becomes part of our culture. for that to happen, more children need to pick up a rugby ball. right now, these boys at this high school in tokyo are in the minority. they hope the world cup will change that. translation: since we japanese don't know much about rugby, i'm hoping that we get a better understanding. all the best players from all over the world are coming to japan, so i'm going to watch them play and try to learn something from them. four years ago, they taught south africa a lesson when they beat the two—time champions in their opening game. it went down as the biggest upset in the tournament's history and has raised expectations at this world cup. here in downtown tokyo, you do get the sense that japan is embracing this world cup. there are posters and adverts for the big stars all around here. but, of course, what will really help capture the public‘s imagination

is excitement on the pitch and there are signs that this could be the most open world cup yet. holders new zealand may be the favourites but it's ireland who currently top the world rankings. however, theirform has dipped this year. england, meanwhile, could be peaking atjust the right time. commentator: finn russell under the posts. scotland fans will be craving consistency from a team that too often swings from the ridiculous to the sublime and grand slam winners wales are a big threat on the world stage. this probably is the tightest competition that we've ever had, the tightest world cup. which is great, it's great for the viewers, it's great for us to be watching, it's exciting and that's what builds excitement when you know it's just not a foregone conclusion. it's unfamiliar territory but in the neon glow ofjapan, rugby might have found a new home. katie gornall, bbc news, tokyo. burger king uk will no longer give away plastic toys with children's meals, amid pressure to reduce plastic waste. the move comes after two children petitioned the fast food giant and its rival mcdonald's. sarah campbell has the story.

up up until today, a kids meal in burger king would come with a plastic toy, but no longer, and it is all thanks to a campaign by the sisters. i felt really, is all thanks to a campaign by the sisters. ifelt really, really is all thanks to a campaign by the sisters. i felt really, really happy about that and i think it is so important because there is no planet band no important because there is no planet b and no second chance. every burger king will have a large box like this in store where people can bring their old toys to be dropped off and melt it down. do you think a company like burger king should have been doing this yea r‘s king should have been doing this year's ago, not as a result of a campaign by two children? that is a fair question. we were working on it before but it is fair to say that ella and caitlin had a positive impactand ella and caitlin had a positive impact and speeded the process up. the girls also targeted mcdonald's and the company said today customers will be able to swap the happy meal

toys for fruit, showing age will be able to swap the happy meal toys forfruit, showing age is no barrier when it comes to campaigning. sarah campbell, bbc news. and viewers in the bbc south today region can see more on that story right after this programme. an 81—year—old woman has been talking about how she fought off a mugger. she had been collecting her pension. after the incident, mrs jones said of her attacker, she was expecting somebody more vulnerable and they picked the wrong one when they picked doreen! after 32 years, john humphrys presented his last today programme on radio 4 this morning. his no—nonsense interviewing style made him one of the most respected and feared journalists in the country. david sillito looks back at a career that saw him take on the great and the good without fear or favour. it's six o'clock on thursday 19th september. the final today forjohn humphrys.

he was, for more than 30 years, the bbc‘s interrogator in chief. you are sitting here in this studio now talking on the radio. it was gladiatorial on air combat. i'm not disputing that. let me finish the question. john, let me make this point. you, who i admire as a broadcaster... his terrier—like persistence helped define the political landscape. i'm telling you things have changed, that's all. it's a manifest fact things have changed. having left school aged 15, the story that shaped him was the aberfan disaster. he then joined the bbc, here truly in the thick of it in the indo pakistani war of 1971. there's the big guns falling. and there's a sabre just gone overhead. but the place he truly made his mark was today. what's happening here? the second this was brought to my attention last night, i immediately...

brought to your attention? do you not read papers? do you not look, do you not listen to the output? this interview pretty much ended the career of his boss, the director—general, george entwistle. have you ever regretted going too far with a politician? oh, yes, yes, yes, many times. have you ever said sorry afterwards? yes. interrupting is fine. interrupting is inevitable. unless you want a series of party political broadcasts, you have to interrupt. but when you get angry, which i have done once or twice, and i mean only once or twice, that is absolutely unforgivable. he has divided opinion and he himself has noted that senior politicians are increasingly avoiding these encounters. but at the end, what we got was a glimpse of the softer side ofjohn humphrys. i'm more proud than i can say that you have put up with me for so long. thank you. and that's it from me. good morning. david sillito, bbc news.

time for a look at the weather. here's helen willetts. we do need some rain, it has been very dry, butjust for the moment let's enjoy some late summer sunshine because it has been, just like here at burton upon trent, across like here at burton upon trent, a cross m ost like here at burton upon trent, across most parts of the uk today with just one across most parts of the uk today withjust one or across most parts of the uk today with just one or two exceptions. in the shetland islands it has been a rather grey affair, but even here hopefully that weather front will move away for tomorrow. for most under the starry skies it will be cool yet again tonight, the lengthening nights allowing mist and fog to form. last night northern ireland, possibly southern scotland, northern and eastern england with temperatures dipping into single figures for most of us. a notably chilly morning, with fog which takes

until nine or tend to clear away but onceit until nine or tend to clear away but once it does plenty of sunshine is once it does plenty of sunshine is on the cards. temperatures are the talking point. given the strengthening south easterly breeze, the north—east of scotland may reach 24 the north—east of scotland may reach 2a tomorrow. with the increasing breeze along the south and east coast, it will probably feel cooler. we keep the high pressure for saturday but look what is knocking on the door of the western side of the uk, a change. for saturday, probably not as much mist and fog first thing because we have a breeze which will blow some potentially thundery showers into southern and western areas, perhaps northern ireland later, but it is warmer still. perhaps even 25 on saturday, and a different complexion to the feel of the weather on sunday. it may be that north—eastern uk will escape, but the rain is on the way and it may turn thundery. that

u nsettled and it may turn thundery. that unsettled weather then continues into next week. thank you very much. 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.