accident and emergency units in england record their worst performance since current records began. one in six patients is waiting longer than four hours — the new figures put health back to the top of the election agenda. this is basically caused by the huge demand that there is on the nhs, and that's why, now, in the last three months, we have done the biggest investment in the nhs in modern times. it is disgraceful and it is a problem of the lack of staff and the lack of funding for it, so a labour government will increase nhs funding by '23/24 by 26 billion a year. one doctor says nhs emergency care is imploding — we'll be getting analysis from our health editor. also this lunchtime:

warnings of further heavy downpours to compound the misery of flood victims in parts of england. floods, too, in venice — the mayor blames climate change and says the city is on its knees. raids across london to rescue women thought to have been trafficked from romania. and after his heroics in the world cup, england cricketer ben stokes tells us he still gets nervous when he relives it there are certain bits that you don't remember, you only sort of... you see for the first time. i was like, i didn't even know i did that. even though i know what happened, it's still nerve—racking watching. coming up in the sport later in the hour on bbc news... england play their 1000th fixture tonight. a draw at wembley against montenegro would also see them qualify for the european championship.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. accident and emergency units in england have recorded their worst performance since current records began in 200a. one senior doctor has warned emergency care is imploding. the government's target is for 95% of a&e patients to be treated or assessed within a maximum of four hours. but today's figures show that was only achieved with 83.6% of patients. they also show a raft of other targets are being missed in england, including for cancer operations and also routine surgery. here's our health correspondent dominic hughes. it's hard to believe that, two years ago,

frances reid was effectively crippled by arthritis. her constant pain was ended by a hip replacement operation. nhs targets mean frances should have only waited 18 weeks for surgery. instead, her operation was delayed by six months. that really impacted on my health, my general health, my mobility. i was in an awful lot of pain. i could barely get about. and it also impacted on my recovery time afterwards, because i was so unfit, actually, by the time i had my surgery. the delay to frances‘ operation is a sign of a system under growing stress. figures released today show none of the three key hospital targets in england have been met for over three years. waiting times for a&e are the worst ever recorded. it's been more than four years since the four—hour target was hit. the 18—week target for planned operations, like the one frances had, was last met more than three years ago. and just over three quarters of cancer patients started treatment

in 62 days in october. the 85% target hasn't been met in nearly four years. the numbers in a&e relate to october. for the last two years, performance actually got better in october. autumn isn't necessarily a bad time for the nhs, it's usually ok in a&e. the real difficulties come in december, january and february, so i'm afraid we are probably going to see these numbers get worse before they get better. health is an area of policy that's devolved, and while these figures only apply to england, similar pressures are seen across the uk. but the data comes in the middle of an election campaign in which funding for the nhs has featured strongly. it is disgraceful and it is a problem of the lack of staff and the lack of funding for it. so a labour government will increase nhs funding by 2023—2021; by 26 billion a year. this is basically caused by the huge demand that there is on the nhs and that's why now in the last three months we have done the biggest investment

in the nhs in modern times. frances‘ operation gave her a new lease of life. nhs england is considering changing waiting time targets, arguing they're outdated. but health charities believe they're still important for patients. behind each of these numbers is an individual living with chronic pain. ajoint replacement operation can take that pain away. delay to that operation can have a devastating impact on the physical and mental health of people with arthritis. nhs england says today's figures reflect the increased number of older and sicker patients who are being seen. but there's a warning from a group that represents doctors that the hospitals they work in are imploding and the real pressures of winter have yet to be felt. dominic hughes, bbc news. and our health editor hugh pym is here with me now.

why are these figures so bad? this is october, and as we were hearing, it is normally fairly stable in the nhs before winter arrives, and look what's happened. this is the worst everfigure since modern records began in 2004 and considerably down on october last year. we had warnings from various hospitals in october that they were under extreme pressure, they hadn't expected it that winter would come early in their view, but these figures are a surprise to everybody quite how much ofa surprise to everybody quite how much of a fall there had been. and of course winter is still ahead in terms of really cold weather and any flu outbreak that develops, so there is real concern looking ahead into those months. what's going wrong? pa rt those months. what's going wrong? part of it is the joined up nature of care. in some areas oui’ part of it is the joined up nature of care. in some areas our social ca re of care. in some areas our social care and primary care gps unable to do what they could and should be doing which is looking after people

closer to home. are there more people ending up in a&e, elderly patients end up there by default leaving units crowded. all sorts of reforms have been talked about and are beginning to be implemented, but they don't seem to have taken effect yet. there is also the pensions issue affecting consultants. they say tax situations are making it difficult for them to come in and do extra shifts because they get taxed more. thank you. the conservatives have promised to cut immigration if they return to power but have stopped short of setting targets. the home secretary, priti patel, says they will reduce immigration overall through a points—based system. labour has yet to announce their policy on freedom of movement but say it will be a fair process. it all comes as nominations to stand in the general election close this afternoon. our political correspondent jonathan blake reports.

if only cutting immigration was as easy as that. the prime minister visited a school in somerset this morning as his party's commitment to reduce the number is coming to live and work in the uk became the focus of the election campaign. beyond the promise to bring down net migration is little if any detail by how much and when. we will have an australian style points based system that will allow us to control who comes in and make sure we do not have so many people coming in without skills or jobs have so many people coming in without skills orjobs to come to, that we therefore protect wages, we increase wages, and we also make sure, this is a crucial point, that companies in this country, business in this country, invests in the skills of young people growing up in this country. the tories' first promised to cut migration in the

2010 election and again in 2015 and again in 2017 but they never achieved that aim so don't expect them to set a similar target now. reducing immigration means reversing a trend, the most recent figures show net migration from eu countries was 59,000 but from the rest of the world it was 219,000. ending freedom of movement from the eu, which the conservatives have promised to do, won't do anything to curb the numbers coming to the uk from elsewhere so the questions for the tories are how they plan to meet their pledge and when. for labour their pledge and when. for labour theissueis their pledge and when. for labour the issue is settling a debate within the party about where it should stand on immigration. jeremy corbyn was heckled on scottish independence in dundee this morning, but on immigration no word yet on how he will balance differences on a commitment to ending free movement versus taking a more relaxed approach. if we are

remaining members of the eu, which will be an offer in the referendum, freedom of movement continues. if we come to a special arrangement with the eu, there will be a recognition of the needs of european families to have the right to family reunion, the right to reside in this country, and of course british people to work in different european countries. other parties reject the need for tighter controls on immigration. so those considering whether to vote conservative again, the question has to be this, is this the kind of country you want to live in? do we wa nt country you want to live in? do we want to endorse this kind of politics? we would like to encourage people to come here, we would like to encourage eu nationals to come here and freedom of movement to continue. just as they did in the brexit referendum campaign, arguments about immigration policy may play a crucial role in the run—up to this election. jonathan

blake, bbc news. our assistant political editor norman smith is in westminster. we saw a lot of the parties talking about immigration but with these latest a&e figures, health is bouncing back up the agenda. latest a&e figures, health is bouncing back up the agendam latest a&e figures, health is bouncing back up the agenda. it is probably a truism to say talking points the holy grail for many political strategists, in other words they want the big policy, the big idea, the big argument to be what people are talking about at the end of the day. put very crudely, if at the end of today people are talking about health and those figures, labour will chalk it up as a winfor figures, labour will chalk it up as a win for them. alternatively if people are talking about immigration, the tories will chalk it up asa immigration, the tories will chalk it up as a win for them and that's why we have seen labour piling in behind today's dreadful nhs figures to underscore their case for putting £40 billion of cash in the nhs to rescue it, to recoup 24,000 more

nurses “— rescue it, to recoup 24,000 more nurses —— recruit. on the tory side, they have been honing in on immigration because they believe jeremy corbyn is widely seen as soft on immigration and is poised to roll over on freedom of movement, and to continue with the policy of allowing eu nationals to come here without any restrictions. that said, these are not free hits for either party. on the tory side they have to explain why they have repeatedly failed to meet their previous immigration pledge to get net migration down to the tens of thousands. they have given no detail is really about their new policy. on the labour side, there is a spat going on about whether they would allow a four day week as they seem to be suggesting elsewhere, and it's questionable if the sums of money they are proposing would be enough to get the nhs back on its feet, so these are still tricky talking points. many thanks indeed. norman smith there.

if you're trying to decide who to vote for, you might want to check the bbc‘s new policy guide. christian fraser has been looking at it and the priorities of the main political parties. there's a fantastic new tool on the bbc website. let me introduce you to the policy guide to 2019. so, if you've been getting lost in recent weeks in all these announcements, this is going to help you, ok? so, if i scroll down here, you'll see there's a box for whichever nation you're in in the united kingdom and also one for whichever party you might want to know more about. and also on the website, there is, for each of the parties, a top list of priorities. so, let me show you that. starting with the conservatives. you'll see there's lots of bullet points. i won't go through them all, you can do that at your discretion. but their top priority, of course, to deliver brexit. borisjohnson's deal that he secured with the eu. remember that theresa may tried three times to get her deal through parliament. "give me nine more votes", borisjohnson said yesterday. a tory majority the only way, he says, to stop the groundhogary. for labour, of course, it's all about the issues,

spending billions more on schools, hospitals and housing. they said yesterday that they're going to spend 6 billion more than the tories have already committed to the nhs. and that will come from higher taxes on the richest in society. the liberal democrats — they're all about stopping brexit. if they get a majority, says jo swinson, they'll revoke article 50 altogether without a people's vote. if they don't get that majority, then, of course, it's about getting behind a plan for a second vote. the snp, well, of course, they want another referendum, a scottish independence referendum, which they lost in 2014. that was supposed to be a once—in—a—generation vote but nicola sturgeon says circumstances have changed. and the timescales for that referendum should be decided by the scottish people. that is the price she will exact for any support for a future labour government. the green party — 100 billion a year for the next ten years to tackle climate change. and don't forget, they are now

in a remain alliance with the liberal democrats and plaid cymru. so they will not be running against each other in 60 seats around england and wales. plaid cymru — their policies are all on there as well, they're about stopping brexit via a second referendum. the brexit party we know all about, of course. nigel farage said borisjohnson's deal is not true brexit, but then, this week, they announced they will not be standing candidates in those seats where there is a conservative incumbent. so, there you have it, lots of detail on there. we're going to be adding to it, as well, of course, as the manifestos come out. there'll be much more detail coming out in the next few weeks and i'll be taking you through some of those policies here on bbc news. and, if you're watching in northern ireland, saying, "why didn't you focus on the parties in our neck of the woods and the policies that they've got?" they are on there. so take a look. bbc.co.uk/news.

the time is quarter past one. our top story this lunchtime... accident and emergency units in england record their worst performance since current records began. and coming up — the bbc learns most people who appealed against a decision to deny them disability benefits have been successful. coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on bbc news... another gold for hannah cockroft — she set a championship record to retain her 800m title at the world para athletics championships in dubai. more rain has been falling on parts of england already hit by severe flooding. the army says it's on a high state of readiness in south yorkshire. forecasters are warning of further downfalls around the village of fishlake, near doncaster, where hundreds of people have had to abandon their homes and businesses. a yellow weather warning for rain is now in force around sheffield, nottingham and doncaster, and will last until the early hours

of tomorrow morning. our correspondent frankie mccamley is in fishlake. yes, as you can yes, as you can see yes, as you can see there are still parts of this village submerged in water. people can't return to their homes and as you can see a car still left behind me. there are signs though that there is a clean—up operation taking place. there are engineers up poles, trying to restore power and the internet to homes, as water here is finally starting to subside. the small village of fishlake, cut off by flood water earlier this week, now getting the help residents have been asking for. the army have been putting sandbags down and building flood defences since yesterday, but some residents say help has not come quick enough.

we need the investment now into here, we desperately need it. once all the rainwater‘s gone w ever allow this to happen again. the environment agency have got to sit up, listen to what the people... the farmers around this area have been saying for a long time, listen to what they're saying. parts of south yorkshire and lincolnshire have been badly hit by heavy rain, with around 500 homes flooded in doncaster and 1,200 evacuated. in the last 24 hours, the water has gone down substantially. yesterday, this spot was covered in two to three inches of water and you couldn't see this road behind me. but there is still much more to be done. residents still cannot get into their homes and there are still some roads completely submerged in water. and it's not over yet. there is more rain to come this afternoon and overnight. it's been a very wet autumn so far. some of the flooded regions have had twice the expected amount of rainfall. there is more of it to come

today, about an inch worth, not enough to cause further river flooding, but it is topping up the water that's already lying on the ground. there are more than 40 flood warnings in place across the country, meaning flooding is expected. more than a dozen of those are along parts of the river don, where fishlake sits. the environment agency says it's pulling resources from across the country but wants people in affected areas to stay vigilant. we do need people to take note of their flood risk and start to plan for what happens if the worst happens, because trying to start to move possessions upstairs in the dead of night in the middle of winter is not the best time to think about it. start early and you'll be better prepared if the worst happens. the rain on its way is not expected to cause further flooding here, but for some their homes and businesses have already been destroyed. it will be weeks if not months before this village can return

to some sort of normality. as you heard there are some very concerned residents here. the army is going door—to—door offering sandbags, putting them down all over the village. for some that will be a reassurance but for others i'm afraid it's a little too little —— it's too little, too late. frankie mccamley reporting there. the mayor of venice says the city is "on its knees" after floodwaters submerged homes, shops and historical landmarks, including st mark's basilica. it's the worst flooding to his the city in half a century. at least two people have died and it could cost hundreds of millions of pounds to repair the damage. mark lowen reports. come for the renaissance art, stay for the disaster selfies. venice's highest tide in half a century — a draw for the tourists, a tragedy for one of europe's jewels. the glorious st mark's square bore the brunt.

the 12th century crypt of its basilica flooded for only the sixth time in 1200 years. 80% of venice has been submerged. the boats that plied its canals beached, local businesses inundated. fierce winds and torrential rain on tuesday night lashed the venetian coast, leading to a storm surge that overwhelmed a city already sinking. it couldn't cope. it's been devastating, what's happened. two days ago, on the 12th of november, it's carved on our memories. like the water flooded our homes, we live on the ground floor and so do many other venetians. there are shops that are affected as well. the prime minister called it a blow to the heart of the country, pledging to complete a flood defence system that should have been finished eight years ago. translation: in today's cabinet we'll approve a decree approving a state of emergency in venice. this will make it possible to assign the first financial aid to pay

for the emergency spending and to restore services and we'll have two stages of compensation pay—outs. and this is what could have saved venice — 78 flood gates that began to be built in 2003 but were plagued by corruption and overspend. named after moses, designed to halt a biblicalflood, but now an unholy scandal. it's sad that we have to say we cannot trust any more the government, and i know that all over the world we have problems with the heating, that there will be more tornadoes, but we had a chance building this barrier to save venice, and instead every two years they say, oh, we will finish it in another two years. it's too much. climate change and italian mismanagement — venice is drowning in that perilous mix. mark lowen, bbc news. seventeen people have have been arrested in raids across london targeting a gang suspected

of trafficking women from romania. the operation was carried out by the metropolitan police, supported by officers from romania. 29 women were rescued, and cash, drugs and a stun gun were also recovered. our correspondent gareth furby was with the police as they carried out one of the raids. before dawn in east london and police target 16 properties. some, they believe, have been used as brothels. police! police officers! inside this flat, they found two women. at other addresses — another 27 women. the police believe they were trafficked to london from romania to work on the streets. i've got sisters. i've got a daughter. and i think anyone would be angry and upset that anybody can exploit them for their own gains in this way.

today's operation followed months of complaints by residents in parts of north and east london about sex working they said was getting out of control in their neighbourhoods. having their sexual acts in people's front gardens, in their alleyways. we filmed as some residents set up their own patrols to try to stop this behaviour. police targeted this high street, but residents said the activity just moved into brothels. today's raids were a joint operation with police from romania. four properties were targeted there. in london, 17 people, all alleged to have been involved in people trafficking, were arrested. this is absolutely of paramount importance. we are seeking to get to the people that were actually involved in the coordination, the organisation, the upper tier of criminality were involved in this crime type, because this is the way in which you will dismantle

this type of offending. the women found at the addresses, potential victims of human trafficking, have now been taken to a place of safety and are being offered support and accommodation. gareth furby, bbc news. the bbc has found that most people who appealed against a decision to deny them disability benefits have been successful. charities and welfare rights groups say it shows benefits tests are beset by poor decision—making and inaccuracies. the government insists it is spending more than 55 billion a year supporting people with disabilities and health conditions. alex dunlop reports. ann barker has bipolar two disorder so she suffers from hypomanic and depressive episodes. in 2012, her application for disability living allowance was rejected. it's a hideous system, what they make you go through, and you know, they beat you down, because they want you to just go away.

but ann did not go away. after eight months and with the support of her friend, penny, she finally won her claim. ann was then twice refused personal independence payment, before a second tribunal win. assessors, she says, took no account of her mental health. they're trying to take a million people with a million different problems and go, we're going to give them 30 questions and try and work out who should have what. that doesn't work. research by the bbc found that around 553,000 people successfully appealed a tribunal in the five years to 2018. most of those related to these disability and sickness benefits. 67% of people who appealed to tribunal in great britain won their case. it was 54% in northern ireland. capita and maximus, two of the private companies who carry out assessments, said the majority of people were satisfied with the process and they worked with charities

and disabled people's organisations to improve their services further. ann barker's tribunal hearings were held in this building in norwich, but many don't make it this far, and that's because they first have to undergo an extra review by the department for work and pensions. it's called mandatory reconsideration. now, critics say that puts off many applicants because they find the whole process confusing and they have just a month to get their paperwork in order. the department for work and pensions told the bbc... it adds that... ann, who works as a massage therapist, says the disability benefit system is broken but could be on the mend with one key element. i think they need to care more. everybody should have help if they need it, so theyjust need to care more.

alex dunlop, bbc news. the career of england cricketer ben stokes has been marked by some pretty dramatic highs and lows, from the brawl outside a nightclub in bristol after which he was acquitted of affray, to his heroics on the pitch that helped england win the world cup this summer. well, ben stokes has been talking to dan walker about glory on the field, and pressure off it. with what we managed to achieve this summer, you know, throughout, well, even through the world cup, you know, we all started noticing that, you know, we're getting sort of like spoken to a bit more in the street, or when we're out for dinner. i think that comes from what we managed to do, you know, notjust as a one—day team but as a test team as well. it's something we wanted to do was to reach out to a new set of fans and get people falling in love with cricket again, as well as winning the world cup and trying to win the ashes as well, we wanted to do that, but, you know, we know that we've achieved the goal

of making cricket big again and we're very proud of it. going back to that game against new zealand, can you remember it clearly? do you still go through that in your head? yeah, i guess you do, but i've watched it back as everyone else has. be honest, how many times? quite a few! but there's certain bits you don't remember, you only sort of, you see for the first time, i didn't even know i did that, even though i know what happens it's still, like, nerve—racking watching. it's been a brilliant cricketing year but it's also been a year when you've been on both the front and the back pages. was some of what has been written about you and what happened if in bristol, which people know about, was any of that in your mind during the world cup final and during the ashes, trying to sort of find redemption in some way? yeah, no, i mean that word redemption has been flying around a bit, but... does it annoy you when you hear that? it doesn't annoy me, because you can understand why people would say it, it's a really good story, but from my point of view i don't see it like that at all.

i see it as me going out, doing as good as i can to help my team win games. the other thing i think a lot of people admire is the support of your family. you need a support unit that's going to be with you and back you through thick and thin, and that's what family are, that's what friends are, and they like you, they love you for the person that you are, they don't love you just because you're an international cricketer. because of who you are there has been stuff written about you. was that an affront to those people that you've spoken about, the people that you love? people can say what they want, you know, about me. i'm used to it, but, you know, when it's about family, who just do not deserve to be — not exposed like that, but to be the centre of attention around because they are a family member or someone is in the public eye, is just disgusting, and when it's your own family, like, no matter who you are people