here at westminster, the queen has set out the government's policies. mps are debating it now. a centuries—old ceremony, but, at the heart of the queen's speech, the political issue of our times — brexit my government's priority has always been to secure the united kingdom's departure from the european union on the 31st of october. the labour leader is dismissive. the prime minister says he aims to create a new age of opportunity for the country. at the heart of this speech is an ambitious programme to unite our country with energy and with optimism, but also with the basic common sense of one nation conservatism. the prime minister promised that this queen's speech would dazzle us.

on closer inspection, mr speaker, it is nothing more than fool's gold. and the other main stories on tonight's programme... syrian government forces on the move to the border with turkey, raising grave fears of a dangerous new confrontation. and hundreds line the streets of oxford in tribute to pc andrew harper, killed on duty. and coming up on bbc news, england manager gareth southgate says his side must deliver in sofia later. a win in their qualifier against bulgaria could see them qualify for euro 2020. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six from westminster,

where, earlier today, the queen set out the government's future policies on issues such as crime, health and the environment and, of course, brexit. but given that the prime minister has no majority in parliament, many of the bills may not become law. mps are debating the speech now and will do so for the coming days. if they reject it, there are likely to be renewed calls for a general election. and hanging over it all, the brexit negotiations which are continuing in brussels. our political editor laura kuenssberg now on today's events here at westminster. plenty of pomp... but very bizarre circumstances. the band playing for the monaco's arrival, the queen and the monaco's arrival, the queen and the crown here to announce the government's plans —— the monaco's. but they are a wish list at the very best. going through the traditional

motions... for a programme that might never happen. black rod! if this first promise is not kept. my government was my first priority has a lwa ys government was my first priority has always been to secure the united kingdom was my departure from the european union on the 31st of october. that is a huge if and the doubts over brexit walked the government's other ambitions. new laws will be taken forward to help implement the national health service's long term plan in england. whether that is more funding for the help service, a points system for immigration or longer criminal sentences. my government is committed to addressing violent crime and to strengthening public confidence in the criminaljustice system. confidence in the criminaljustice syste m. n ew confidence in the criminaljustice system. new sentencing laws will see that the most serious offenders spend longer in custody, to reflect better at the severity of their crimes. this unlikely pair aren't

inclined to agree on any of that. whatever small talk boris johnson was trying and failing to make. jeremy corbyn‘s and so was unlikely to be, "sure, no problem." this government has no majority and the prime minister wants a better outcome than his predecessor but, just like theresa may, borisjohnson once an early election. the legislative programme, mr speaker, isa legislative programme, mr speaker, is a propaganda exercise that the government cannot disguise. this government cannot disguise. this government has failed on brexit for over three years. they are barely beginning to undo the damage of a decade of cuts to our public services. the prime minister promised that this queen's speech would dazzle us. on closer inspection, mr speaker, it is nothing more than fool's gold. prime minister! as we prepare to get brexit done by october the 31st, we are setting out now our vision of an

open, global, free trading united kingdom, a high wage, low tax economy. the best place to invest, the best place to start a business, the best place to start a business, the best place to start a business, the best place to start a family and send your kids to school and without being chauvinistic or disrespectful to anywhere else in the world, in important respects, this country is the greatest place to live and to be. cheered at the end by his own side, this prime minister's fete right rest elsewhere in the hands of diplomats and his own negotiators in brussels. waiting, waiting and waiting. after the eu said no, no and no again to the prime minister's proposals, there is now and irish may be to a deal. a deal is possible and it is possible this month, it may even be possible this week but we are not there yet. whether or not

there is a deal matters more than anything said in parliament today. it is just about possible to see how it could happen this week but there isa it could happen this week but there is a lot of secrecy about exactly how. one cabinet minister said we are still in the middle of the forest. and even if there is an agreement, it would still have to get through the commons. there is no form of brexit that will be good for out form of brexit that will be good for our country. and the liberal democrats will continue to fight to stop brexit. deal or no deal, the prime minister is driving scotland and at the uk into economic catastrophe, risking jobs, livelihoods and delivering a race to the bottom on fundamental rights.|j do think that the sooner that we are able to implement at the result of that referendum, the better. but a wish or sooner rather than later just doesn't mean much yet. in modern political life, even traditions take on a different style. laura kuenssberg, bbc news,

westminster. as we've heard, among the policies outlined in the queen's speech earlier, priority was given to taking the uk out of the eu by the 31st of october. there was also a new immigration bill which would end free movement and introduce a new points—based system. the sentencing bill called for longer sentences for serious offenders and foreign criminals. and the environment bill would set legally binding targets to reduce the impact of climate change — including restoring biodiversity, improving water quality and cutting air pollution. it also included plans to tighten rules around voting — including the requirement for people to show an approved form of photographic id before voting in general and local elections. critics say this amounts to "voter suppresion". our political editor laura kuenssberg is with me. so, laura, lots of measures outlined there, how likely are they to be implemented? very unlikely, as it stands. in fact, the queen speech itself has a voter next week and most ministers think that about even

itself won't get through, because the government is in negative territory here, they are down by more than a0 votes so, in a funny way, today's queen speech was not so much about what the sitting government would do, it was about what boris johnson government would do, it was about what borisjohnson would like to do if he wins the next election. which most people around here think is coming sooner rather than later. but that makes it a very unusual queen's speech because normally these happen when a government has just moved into office, they are just starting going, after an election and they say to the country, here we are, here are the promises we are going to try and keep on all of your behalf. today, we are in a situation where borisjohnson can't be sure if he can keep the promise he made to ta ke he can keep the promise he made to take us out of the european union at the end of this month. there is no way he can be sure if he will be able to do that or not and there are plenty of people in parliament who are trying to stop him. laura, thank you very much. our europe editor katya adler is in berlin. katya, what are you hearing from an eu perspective about the likelihood — or not —

of a deal by the end of the week? well, the eu is very much hoping for a deal but the question is absolutely when. from germany and france's perspective, all of the other member states, they want a new brexit deal that they can live with. they worry that something done just to get it done, last minute, could have long—term problems for their single market and for the northern ireland peace process, so negotiations have continue today and the stumbling block remains how to replace the backstop for the irish border, particularly when it comes to customs. can all of that really be sold in three days' time, when eu leaders descend on brussels for their summit? the political will is there on the eu side, in dublin, which is a crucial player here, in big powers, germany and france as well convert, actually, their eyes are on london and the mounting pressure on boris johnson. are on london and the mounting pressure on borisjohnson. he promised a brexit deal by this week and he promised he wouldn't be asking for another brexit extension,

so asking for another brexit extension, so the eu hope is that, under all this pressure, he may feel forced to pivot to the preprepared and preferred eu option of essentially keeping northern ireland in the eu's a customs union after brexit. if he doesn't, all isn't lost for those who want a deal for the eu, doesn't, all isn't lost for those who want a dealfor the eu, because their legal deadline runs out at the end of this month, not this week and if there is a request for another brexit extension, that brexit deadline moves forward once again. thank you. we'll have more from westminster later in the programme. but, for now, it's back to reeta in the studio. fiona, many thanks. the civil war in syria looks set to enter a new and dangerous phase — with government forces on the move, to help kurdish fighters under attack from turkey. turkey crossed into syria last week. it regards the kurdish fighters as terrorists and wants to push them from the border area. the kurds have now turned to syria's president assad for help. today, syrian government forces entered several towns just south of the border —

setting up a potentially dangerous confrontation with turkey. our international correspondent orla guerin joins us from akcakale on the turkey—syria border. well, in under a week, president erdogan has created a dangerous new reality here. north—eastern syria is a battle ground, 160,000 people have been displaced. now the balance of power is shifting. the kurds have had to throw themselves on the mercy of the assad regime. syrian troops have been moving back in, american troops will be moving out and, internationally, there is a growing sense of crisis. rolling in to a hero's welcome. troops of the assad regime. they have been handed a victory without

firing a shot. arriving today in the town of ain issa. look who's back. the kurds had to invite the regime in after washington left them alone to face a turkish invasion. and the town of tel tema now in asad's hands -- tal town of tel tema now in asad's hands —— tal tamer. his supporters resurfacing. i have kept this picture hidden for years, he says, waiting for this day. but not eve ryo ne waiting for this day. but not everyone is celebrating. we met abu and his family on the turkish side of the border. he was planning to go home once kurdish militia were gone. not now. translation: i was shocked when they told me that the regime is now in control. we were happy when the turkish army went in. we were hoping to go back and live happily in our village. no one can go back with the regime there. his young relative

mohammed wants to study medicine in the uk. he can't see a future in his homeland. i think this idea is impossible because i think the syrian war is endless. does that make you feel sad ? syrian war is endless. does that make you feel sad? i am feeling sad for my country, for my people, what cani for my country, for my people, what can i do for them? this is the latest phase in the endless war. turkey continuing to pound northern syria. here, a drone strike. allegedly targeting a kurdish ammunition supply. we work with the precision ofjuly, erdogan claimed today, but the civilian death toll is growing —— precision of a jeweller. and what of islamic state prisoners being held by the kurds? well, turkey claims they were long

gone when it entered this prison in the town of tal abyad. ankara blames the town of tal abyad. ankara blames the kurds for freeing them but turkey has opened the door to a dangerous escalation here and there are fears that it could move rapidly out of control. meanwhile, three young children, believed to be british — whom we featured in our reporting yesterday — are safe following the turkish airstrikes, according to the charity save the children. their parents are thought to have died fighting for the islamic state group. our middle east correspondent, quentin sommerville, met the children in the camp and discovered they'd been taken to safety. quentin, where are they now? well, these children, and meera, heba and hamza, they had a last minute escape —— amira.just hamza, they had a last minute escape —— amira. just before the detention camp was breached, turkish troops we re camp was breached, turkish troops were advancing. the un got in there and scooped up the kids, along with

2a other unaccompanied minors, another 2a orphans. those children have now all been taken to the city of raqqa. one of the options of getting them out of there, as you just heard in the report, things are absolutely chaotic in syria at the moment. well, in the past, the option might have been british special forces, they are option might have been british specialforces, they are in option might have been british special forces, they are in that area but british special forces, like american special forces, are 110w like american special forces, are now in the process of withdrawing. all of that area is now under the control of the regime. damascus has, in the past, allowed the children of extremists to be repatriated to their countries but only countries they have diplomatic relations with. britain doesn't have any embassy or any consular assistance inside syria, so it is going to be very complicated to get the kids out of there but there is another very important missing piece from the jigsaw. the kids, we still don't

know who they are. amira has been through hell in the past five years. she has fond memories of being in her granny‘s house in london but she can't remember her granny‘s name. finding those relative somewhere in the uk will strengthen the chances of bringing these three children home. quentin, many thanks. the time isjust the time is just after quarter past six. our top story this evening: the queen's speech has emphasised the government's commitment to delivering brexit. critics have described it as a pre—election stunt. and we will be in blackpool getting reacting to the prime minister's plans. coming up on sportsday, on bbc news: as scotland are sent home, japan's victory gives the hosts reason to hope, with the quarterfinal line—up complete. hundreds of colleagues, family and friends have attended the funeral of pc andrew harper

in oxford today. the 28—year old officer — who'd been married forjust four weeks — was killed while responding to a reported burglary in august. three teenagers have been charged with murder. jon kay reports. just weeks after his wedding day, the funeral of pc andrew harper. hundreds of his colleagues lined the route. a city silent, to remember a 28—year—old officer killed in the line of duty. inside oxford's christ church cathedral, his widow, lissie, led the tributes. they met at school, and married just 28 days before he was killed.

she told the congregation, "we often talked about how lucky we were to have found and kept each other. true childhood sweethearts, loving one another more and more with each passing day." she placed his ceremonial police hat upon his coffin. pc harper was killed while responding to reports of a burglary in august. she said, "i wish that my most favourite person had not been taken so early, so cruelly, so unexpectedly. ‘i wish‘ is a thought that no—one should have to think." your smile was infectious, your humour relentless. even in the darkest of times, you make me laugh. you made me laugh. your personality shone through in everything you did, and i'm so very, very proud of you. in the pouring rain, officers from around the country joined members of the public. well, he was so young and he'd just got married. you know, he'd got his life in front of him.

and, er... yeah, it's terrible. and how important is it for you to stand here and show your respects? very important, because where would we be without the police? jon kay, bbc news, oxford. a british manjailed for numerous sex crimes against malaysian children has been found stabbed to death in prison, near york. richard huckle was given 22 life sentences in 2016, after admitting multiple charges of sex abuse of children aged between six months and 12 years. it's understood he was attacked in his cell with a makeshift knife. two men, who say they were framed by a detective, have had their cases referred to the court of appeal — almost 50 years after they were sent to prison. winston trew and sterling christie were in a group of four arrested at an underground station in south london in 1972. they spent eight months in jail, for assaulting a police officer

and for attempted theft. the parents of harry dunn — the teenager killed in northamptonshire while riding his motorbike — say they will meet the us woman allegedly involved, but only if she promises to return to britain. anne sacoolas left the uk under diplomatic immunity while police were investigating. she has offered to meet mr dunn's parents, who have travelled to the us. here's duncan kennedy. good morning to you and welcome to cbs this morning. seeking justice, only on cbs this morning, the parents of the 19—year—old british motorcyclist who was killed... from northamptonshire to network news, the extraordinaryjourney of harry dunn's parents. we watched as tim and charlotte told their tragic story to america. and in their measured dignity, they later told me they won't give up. i think everyone can see it's just not, she's not done the right thing, and she needs to do the right thing. she should have just stayed. it shouldn't have come to this.

it's ludicrous. it should be very simple, in other words? we should be celebrating harry now, not coming to new york, trying to push this forward and getjustice for him. yeah. anne sacoolas, the american said to have been driving the car that collided with harry, has now apologised. but harry's parents say they didn't come all the way to new york to receive a written apology. they say they want much more. drained by an alien world of media interviews, tim and charlotte said today they now want any meeting with anne sacoolas to take place in the uk, where they live — and where harry died. duncan kennedy, bbc news, new york. the foreign office says it is supporting the family of a british man who died following an incident in the bulgarian capital, sofia. it comes as fans arrive,

ahead of england's euro 2020 qualifier this evening, but the circumstances of what happened are unclear. bulgaria's interior ministry says it is working to identify the cause of death of a 32—year—old man. that's all from me. now let's go back to fiona, in westminster. thanks, reeta. while the queen's speech took place earlier here at westminster, in aberdeen, the snp party conference has been taking place. scotland's first minister has told the bbc she won't be willing to support a minority labour government unlessjeremy corbyn agrees to grant her a second referendum on scottish independence. but nicola sturgeon remains prepared to support the labour leader as a caretaker prime minister for a matter of days, if it results in a delay to brexit and a general election. she's been speaking to our scotland editor, sarah smith. the snp have come here with grand ambitions, and not just for leading scotland to independence. their leader even says she thinks it might be possible to stop brexit. i won't give up hope around

that until the moment that the uk has left the eu. you have to take the view that there is a prospect, a possibility of stopping ever leaving. do you trustjeremy corbyn? i don't trust him. i don't particularly... i'm not a great fan ofjeremy corbyn. i think his lack of leadership on brexit has been woeful. i can't escape the conclusion that he's actually a secret brexiteer and would rather the uk was out, but... yet you're prepared to make him a caretaker prime minister, and you're trying to persuade other opposition parties to join with you in that. let me set out exactly what i'm trying to do. i'm trying to get in a position where we get rid of borisjohnson, and then we have a very, very short—term interim government that has one purpose — to secure the article 50 extension. probably would be in government for a matter of days. i think the best way is a vote of confidence, an extension to article 50 and a general election, but i'm not ruling anything out. the snp will put at the heart of any general election campaign its demand that scotland must be allowed to hold a second referendum

on independence. i've got public opinion, increasingly, on my side. support for independence is rising. support for a second referendum is rising. those are exactly the circumstances in which no united kingdom prime minister would dare allow you a referendum, because they'd be terrified that they would be the prime minister who broke up britain and who lost scotland. yeah, but you can't... you can't — even people like boris johnson — you know, you can't end up in a situation, inevitably, where you are denying people their democratic aspirations and wishes. that opposition is cracking, so i'm pretty confident that we'll be in a very different position around this very soon. party members have been persuaded they have to wait for a legal referendum, sanctioned by westminster — an argument they think they can win, but it's not a process they can control. sarah smith, bbc news, aberdeen. well, behind me, mps are continuing to debate the various government policies set out in the queen's

speech. but what about the reaction beyond westminster? blackpool south, which includes the famous tower, is a labour—held seat, but with a small majority. in the 2016 referendum, 68% of people there voted to leave the eu, while 32% voted to remain. it's a target seat for the conservatives, as they try to secure a majority at the next general election. our special correspondent, ed thomas, has spent the day there. it could be a defining week. today, a government's pitch to the nation, as brexit talks reach a critical moment. while people watch, and wait... and wait. why are we having a queen's speech now? it's all really confusing. what are your priorities, living in britain today? my priorities are education, health and policing. what do you want to hear from your politicians? direction, of where we're going to be going. are you confident? no, not really.

like elsewhere, political lines in blackpool south are now blurred. take darren — voted labour in the 2017 general election and leave in the european referendum. does party loyalty still exist? no. his next vote is up for grabs. are you frustrated at the moment? yes. very frustrated. because we voted out. what are your priorities, though? priorities is earning money, and this brexit is hurting the country. my government remains committed to ensuring that resident european citizens... today's queen's speech was a chance for the government to catch the eye. policies from crime and justice to the environment. and, of course, brexit. what are your priorities? nhs, for me. top priority. but until brexit's sorted, everything else can't be sorted.

there might be a general election soon, and this is a critical moment for the country. exactly. i wouldn't know who to vote for. there you go, darling. thank you. so, you usually vote labour. yeah. you usually vote conservative. conservative. if there was a general election tomorrow, who would you vote for? i don't know, but not labour. i don't know either. totally lost faith in the big parties. same here. we heard the same word again and again — confusion. people unsure what happens next. unsure where their political loyalties will lie. everybody's confused. so, your votes are up for grabs? yeah, basically. so, what do you want to hear from politicians? well, i think really, we just really want to know. somebody we can trust. aye. that's what we're lacking. and who do you trust right now? nobody. i think everyone's gone round in circles for years. what do you want to happen? i'm just sick of brexit. i'm just sick of it. no guarantees what will happen next, but a sense something soon has to give. ed thomas, bbc news, blackpool.

time for a look at the weather. it is pretty damp and chilly at westminster. here's susan powell. good evening, wet weatherfor all of us good evening, wet weatherfor all of us in the next few days. torrential downpours at the moment across the south east of england and east anglia have led to the met office issuing an amber warning for thunderstorms. this is the area we are concerned about. the storm is packing quite a punch and we could see a0—60 millimetres of rain in some areas before showers pull away causing disruption to transport, a lot of surface water and even localised flooding. looking at the bigger picture, some wet weather elsewhere across england and wales at the moment. most of that cleared by the end of tonight, a few showers in wales and the south west and some rain lingering across the north—east of england. misty and murky behind the rain in central england and wales. clear skies in northern

ireland and scotland. tomorrow, a much drier day on the whole and hopefully some spells of sunshine, too. help could be a problem because he's in scotland and north—east england, the remnants of today's low pressure. it will take a while for this case is debated across central england and where is and look for showers in the south as well. how is a15or showers in the south as well. how is a15 or16 showers in the south as well. how is a 15 or 16 degrees. to the west and waiting in the wings is the next speu waiting in the wings is the next spell of heavy rain sweeping across all parts of the uk, but overnight tuesday into wednesday, many of us may avoid the worst of it in terms of being out and about, but some of the rain could be thundery and heavy as it pushes out of the way of eastern britain early on wednesday. by eastern britain early on wednesday. by the afternoon, not looking too bad. sunny spells for many, a few showers in the north west and temperatures in the mid teens. but for the end of the week, i am afraid, itjust for the end of the week, i am afraid, it just keeps for the end of the week, i am afraid, itjust keeps on coming, more unsettled weather is low pressure approaches from the atlantic, strengthening winds, plenty of showers and some of them could again be pretty heavy with a

lot of rain in a few spots. back to you, fiona. i you, fiona. , susan, thank you. and that is it from today the queen's speech opened a new session of parliament, goodbye.