labour promises free full—fibre broadband for every home in the uk by 2030. the party says it would fund the plan with a tax on the big internet companies, and nationalise part of bt. together we will build a new public service delivering the fastest broadband, free to everyone. this will be all at the heart of labour's plans to transform the future of our economy and our society. what we won't be doing is some crackpot scheme that would involve many, many tens of billions of taxpayers' money nationalising a british business. the other main stories this lunchtime... swans in the streets as heavy rain brings more misery to communities hit by flooding.

a warning that more than 20,000 young people in england will be homeless this christmas. and the first non—stop flight from london to sydney — a journey so long there are exercise classes for the passengers. coming up on bbc news... we will hear from england we will hearfrom england in new zealand as they play their final warm up zealand as they play their final warm up game zealand as they play their final warm up game before the test series begins. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. labour has promised free full—fibre broadband for every home and business in the uk in a decade,

if it wins the election. labour says it would nationalise part of bt, and introduce a tax on technology giants like google, amazon and facebook to pay for the plan. borisjohnson has dismissed the idea as "crackpot" and a crazed "communist" scheme. here's our technology correspondent rory cellan—jones. it's a mammoth task bringing ultrafast fibre broadband to every home in the country, and most of the work is being done by bt‘s 0penreach division. now labour wants to take it into public ownership, rename it british broadband and give everyone full fibre for free. british broadband will be our treasured public institution for the 21st—century. delivering a fast and free broadband to every single home. only the government has the planning ability, economies of scale and ambition to take this on. labour's plan would see state—owned british broadband spent £20 billion

to give everyone an ultrafast service for free by 2030. and running this government owned network would cost £230 million per year, a cost labour says will be met by new taxes on internet giants like apple and google. at the moment, as well as bt, you've got a choice of a whole range of broadband deals from the likes of talktalk, sky and virgin media, and most people are paying on average around £30 per month. but once you can get british broadband full fibre for absolutely nothing, what happens to all these rival companies? labour says it wants to work with the likes of virgin media, but the tech industry's trade body is warning that consumers will not benefit from this plan. at the moment, private investment is driving the vast majority of roll—out. that drives innovation and that drives choice, and labour's proposals will kill that dead in the water. the liberal democrats have described labour's policy as another unaffordable item on the wish list,

while borisjohnson says he has a much more realistic plan. what we are going to deliver is a gigabit broadband for all, and what we won't be doing is some crackpot scheme that would involve many, many tens of billions of taxpayers' money, nationalising a british business. everyone is agreed that the uk has fallen behind in the vital task of bringing fast fibre broadband to every corner of the country, butjust how to speed things up and at what cost has become a key issue in this election. rory cellan—jones, bbc news. 0ur poltiical correspondent nick eardley is in lancaster, where labour leaderjeremy corbyn has been speaking. this is a pretty bold promise, isn't it? isn't it just. it's isn't itjust. it's one of the most eye—catching promises of this election campaign so far, and to be

frank, it's designed to be so. jeremy corbyn‘s argument is that the broadband infrastructure in the uk has fallen behind and the case he made this morning was that the issue is now too important to be left to corporations and needs instead to be dealt with by the government and ultimately by the state. this is one of mr corbyn‘s key economic beliefs. he repeated it this morning, that public utilities shouldn't be run for private profit, as he sees it, but instead should be run by the state for the public good. as you heard in rorymakepeace, his political opponents will rubbish this idea. they say it's fun economics. the tories reckon it will cost taxpayers tens of billions of pounds. and there are other labour pledges for nationalisation as well, the railways and water. add into that the they have a number of other

expensive pledges. labour says it is affordable and doable and we will see the full figures of how they plan to deliver this with their ma nifesto. plan to deliver this with their manifesto. but to be in no doubt, labour are pledging bigger and they are doing it on purpose. nick ea rd ley, are doing it on purpose. nick eardley, thank you. the conservatives has pledged to pump hundreds of millions of pounds into towns and villages that they say have been "overlooked and left behind". the prime minister has announced measures, including cutting business rates for small shops, cinemas and pubs. meanwhile, bbc viewers have this morning been putting their questions to the prime minister in a live phone—in. boris johnson answered questions on topics ranging from brexit and the nhs to alleged russian interference in the election. jess parker reports. campaigning can offerup campaigning can offer up some unexpected moments, and some difficult questions. borisjohnson sat down today to take some of

yours, including a report into alleged russian interference into uk democracy. why aren't you publishing the rush files document before an election? because i see absolutely no reason to change the normal procedures for publishing reports just because there an election. and what of reports of donations to the tory party from russian oligarchs. cani tory party from russian oligarchs. can i make a serious point? this is a serious point about russian interference in uk politics. there is no evidence for that. i think you have to be very careful before you simply cast aspersions on everybody who comes from a certain country just because of their nationality. nine russian oligarchs is what the papers have been reporting donate serious money to the conservative party. is that about right?|j serious money to the conservative party. is that about right? i don't know. you genuinely don't know who gives money to your organisation? they have all been properly vetted. they have all been properly vetted. the core message? we have a great

programme and the vision for the country but we need to get brexit done by january. enter nigel farage and his claim that the conservatives have tried to get brexit party candidates to exit the ring. he says they have offered eight peerages as incentives. many thousands of phone calls have been made to the party candidates, the remaining 300 candidates, the remaining 300 candidates still standing. you say no calls have been made from anyone in conservative party central command to the brexit party? that would be a big thing to investigate. i'm sure that conversations happen between politicians of all parties. but certainly no one has been offered a peerage, i can tell you that. earlier on the breakfast sofa, away from pure politics. why are you relatable to families up and down and across the country? how can they relate to you and your family? well, i... ithink relate to you and your family? well, i... i think that... the

relate to you and your family? well, i... ithink that... the best relate to you and your family? well, i... i think that... the best answer ican give i... i think that... the best answer i can give is that i... i... of course, i have had a very happy and wonderful life in many, many ways. what i want for every child in this country is to have a sense that they can achieve their full potential. policy and personality matter in an election and both will be tested. jessica parker, bbc news. and we've asked the leaders of the other main parties to take part in similar interviews, which we hope to bring you in the next few weeks. the liberal democrats are promising to spend an extra £100 billion on tackling climate change if they win the election. in a speech today, sir ed davey will say the five—year investment would jump—start efforts to combat the climate emergency. the pledge would be funded through borrowing and tax changes. nominations for those standing in next month's election have now closed, and for the first time every

candidate will receive a leaflet advising them on how to protect themselves. the document tells prospective mps when and how to report any abuse or threats, to the police. our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford reports. the murder ofjo cox during the eu referendum campaign of 2016 was the starkest example of the new dangers faced by people taking part in elections. today her sister told me she welcomed the new security advice being given to candidates in this election. in the weeks afterjo was killed there was a short period of time when politicians and others talked about doing things differently and being more compassionate and understanding, even with people that we disagree with, and that didn't last for very long and i think unfortunately the past three and a half years, things have got progressively worse, so i think it's really sad that this advice is needed but i also think it's really important. chanting: soubry's a liar!

since 2016 there has been a striking increase in politicians being abused in person, by post and online. death threats are not unusual. anti—semitic, racist and homophobic abuse are common. so for the first time, all candidates are receiving this guidance from police, including advice such as... this is about all of us getting to the 12th of december with everybody being able to have gone out, done the campaigning they want to do, have debates and discussions they want to do but everyone doing that safely. as well as the written guidance, all police forces will be inviting candidates in for a security briefing where they can meet the officer who will be responsible for handling any reports of intimidation they make and those

reports will be collated, nationally so that senior officers can have a picture of the security situation right aross the uk. 0ne concern is that much of the canvassing in this election will be taking place after dark, but at the heart of today's guidance is legal advice, explaining to candidates the kind of abuse and threats that are criminal offences and encouraging them to report these so police can take swift action. daniel sandford, bbc news. heavy rainfall has brought further misery to flood hit communities. there are more than 100 flood warnings currently in place in parts of england and wales. the wet weather has caused more travel distruption on roads and railways. 0ur correspondent phil mackie is in evesham in worcestershire. the rain yesterday has caused trouble over an area covering

hundreds of miles and rivers everywhere are rising today as a result of the rain yesterday. it's putting properties at risk as well as peoples lives. firefighters in evesham rescuing an elderly man who was trapped by rising river levels. trevor, who is in his 70s, had packed up some belongings and called for help. in his 70s, had packed up some belongings and called for helplj couldn't get out on my own. i tried it earlier on and it was too deep for me to wade through, even with waders on. the river is swollen and rising rapidly after the rain yesterday, more than a0 millimetres, nearly two inches swelling of the catchment area. these are some of the highest levels we have seen in five years and in places since the big floods of 2007. all the water is working its way through and taking a long time on the big rivers and the likelihood it will not peak in tewkesbu ry likelihood it will not peak in tewkesbury at upton not until saturday and sunday. roads are closed and businesses affected by this particularly high level on the river even today. things are going

to get worse but along here there are houses that have their own flood defences built in the last couple of yea rs defences built in the last couple of years which should mean they are kept safe. there are problems elsewhere in worcestershire too. christmas preparations are continuing despite a swollen river. we have took precautions this time. we have took precautions this time. we have took precautions this time. we have sandbanks and bits and pieces over there. so far it hasn't come in. hundreds of square miles are under water across the midlands and the north. the government has come in for criticism from those who say they haven't spent enough on flood defences. we have a 2.6 billion programme of flood defence creation and maintenance, but absolutely, the science is clearer and clearer that our climate is changing and that one of the consequences in the future that it will become wetter and these kinds of extreme flooding events are going to become more frequent. so this is something, of course, we will take into account in terms of the decisions we make in the future and

investing in flood defences. further along the avon in stratford they are putting up barriers and all along the region they are taking everyone is ok ahead of predicted peaks in the next few days. it's not terrible weather for everybody. as you can see, some people are enjoying it today but the real concern is over the next 2a, a8 hours in worcestershire and gloucestershire as rivers like the avian empty into the river severn, and we will see peaks in worcester and we will see peaks in worcester and tewkesbury at the weekend. the danger has not completely passed yet and we will not see record levels like 2007, but nonetheless, after two months of rain people are getting a bit fed up of eight. phil mackie reporting from evesham, thank you. meanwhile, the flooding in venice has got worse with 70% of the city now under water after another exceptional high tide. the mayor of venice has ordered the historic st mark's square to be closed, with floodwaters peaking at around 1.5 metres. italy has declared a state of emergency.

it's the worst flooding to hit the city in half a century. our top story this lunchtime: labour promises free full—fibre broadband for every home in the uk by 2030. and coming up: 0n the last day of the world para athletics championships in dubai, we take a look at britain's successes. coming up on bbc news: rafael nadal needs to beat stefanos tsitsipas to progress at the world tour finals in london. roger federer awaits the winner in the semi—finals. a non—stop flight from london to sydney has landed — 19 hours and 19 minutes after take off. it sets a new long—distance record for a passengerjet. the australian airline qantas say the test flight was aimed at researching the impact of such

a long journey on both passengers and crew. 0ur reporter lukejones was one of the few people onboard. i'd just like to welcome you on board our qantas boeing 787 dreamliner. this is zulu, november, juliet. welcome to the longest and furthest commercial flight. this is london to sydney direct in 19 and a half hours, but it's not commercially available yet. this is a test, research flight. it's basically to see if ultra long haul is doable for people in the cabin and in the cockpit. the first ever london to sydney flight, 100 years ago, took 28 days. this double sunrise flight did it in 19 hours and 19 minutes. this plane is almost spookily empty. there's only 53 of us on board because that's as many as it can carry this distance. the idea is to carry out some research. this thing may be convenient, but is it safe? special meals have been planned and exercise is being regimented.

we're going to do it three times. ready? stretch. that was all right. the passengers are being monitored to assess the impact. every single organ in our body has a clock, and the master clock in the brain is trying to synchronise all of them. and to do that it takes cues from the environment. the three main important cues are light, meals and exercise. far more important, though, is the monitoring of the crew. so, the crew are wearing these different activity monitors, and what we are getting from these monitors is an indication of their activity every minute. there are cockpit—cams watching their faces, they are getting urine samples. and what is this measuring or not measuring? this is an electroencephalogram. it's measuring your brain activity. it gives us a good indication of, for example, there might be different points throughout the flight where your alertness might change, and we can see what impact that has and really look at the factors that may impact that.

it's the last couple of hours of the flight now and this second sunrise has just peeked into view. this flight is technically possible because we've all been on board doing it, but to make it commercially viable, to fill this plane full of people, they haven't even got planes yet which can carry people that distance, and the regulations aren't in place yet that would allow it. but the hope of ultra long haul flight is a little bit closer. and when we land, a bright and bouncy welcome party. even if my body is telling me it's the middle of the night. lukejones, bbc news, sydney. more than 22,00016—to—2a—year—olds will be at risk of homelessness this christmas, according to the charity centrepoint. the figures are based on new data it has collected from councils across england. all over the uk there are many more young people who are known as the "hidden homeless." our home affairs correspondent, june kelly, reports.

the face of homelessness on so many of our streets. today the charity centrepoint is warning of the thousands of 16—to—2a—year—olds at risk of homelessness in the coming weeks. these are just the cases the authorities know about. many of the young are part of the hidden homeless. i explained to her i was living in a shed. jack murasco is among them. in care from when he was a toddler, as a teenager he ended up living in a shed. it was cramped, it was just horrible, outside of everyone else, i just felt different. were you frightened ? it was definitely scary because i remember one night, i had to put a heater in there and when i put the blanket, the blanket nearly caught, i nearly got set on fire in the shed. today jack finally has a home. now he's on the streets at night with a christian charity offering the vulnerable practical help. just come to the trailer after a drink, she said no, give her a pot noodle

and they gave her a hat. jack's ambition is to become an apprentice electrician in his hometown of newport in south wales. like jack, many of the young homeless have been in care. others are estranged from theirfamilies. homelessness causes damage to both physical and mental health. youth homelessness matters. these are young people whose lives are talking about, young people who are the future of our society. these are young people who, by the way, because we haven't tackled the problem, are finding themselves spending the night night on park benches and stairwells, in tents and sometimes making the most awful choices, a stranger's bed. today kai gunnar described how he faced homelessness when his dad, who he lived with, died. kai was 17, too young to take over the tenancy of their home. i wasn't allowed to sign the tenancy for another two months

and i was technically squatting for them two months with nowhere to go to, nowhere to turn. i had people on my side but they couldn't help me because if you can't sign the tenancy, i had no legal address, as it were. those who work with young people say there needs to be a sharper focus on prevention and more help for the 16—to—2a—year—olds who are at risk of ending up like this. june kelly, bbc news. it's the last day of the world para athletics championships in dubai. britain has already won 2a medals and there's the chance of more success in the final session which gets under way shortly. kate grey is there for us. kate. that's right, it has been a brilliant nine days of action in dubai. great britain have achieved 2a medals and that means they have

achieved their target and plenty more sunlight with a few of the great britain's athletes going and we will tell you about them in a few moments but there have been outstanding performances by a number of athletes and i'm joined by maria lyle, double world champion here. tell me about the performance you have had here because you had your last race yesterday, has it sunk in yet? not yet come even in the 100 have not yet sunk in but i'm happy with how i have conducted myself and my races and a large part of that is to do with my team and everyone around me. you won by a good margin, where you aware how far ahead you were? no because i focus on my own line so i don't concentrate on others, it's about what i need to do to get to the line so everyone said

after the race but if i can do my best, that's all that matters. and you have coped so well with the heat, thank you very much, maria can enjoy the rest of your time here and get some well deserved rest. there is more action to come when we will seek the right runners take to the track and it's the first time they have been included at a world championship event and great britain have a good chance of medals in the men and female categories, ranked number one a number two so hopefully more medals to come here. tight, thank you. throughout the election campaign, bbc news is looking closely at the places where the election could be won and lost. we will be visiting ten parts of the uk where seats will be closely contested. today, we're in aberdeen, in north—east scotland, and annita mcveigh is there. thank you, ben. we are live in

aberdeen at the cities maritime museum and this is a city fuelled by the sea, by the oil and gas industry and behind me as a model of an oil rig. it's nine metres tall and goes through the centre of the museum down to the ground floor where our neil is, up to top floor. we're taking a look at some of the uk's marginal seats — one of which is aberdeenshire's constituency of banff and buchan, where scottish independence and brexit are big issues. 0ur correspondent lorna gordon has been speaking to voters there. banff and buchan as an area is known for its farming and its fishing. there are families here who have worked these waters for generations. the election is probably the best thing that could happen because we'll get clarity of who's going to run the country. like his father before him, davie milne is a trawlerman. he's clear what he wants from the politicians. we've a few issues.

the main one is to get out of the common fisheries policy, but we've a lot of problems with crewing in the fishing industry and we need the non—eea labour to come in. fishing communities like this are amongst the strongest supporters of brexit. but more widely across scotland, a majority of those who voted chose to remain as part of the eu. but what banff and buchan does share with dozens of other constituencies right across scotland is the fact that it's a marginal seat, and there is everything to play for here. it's a fine line. you could ask either side whether they think it will go their way, and i think both would say... i think both snp and the conservatives would say that this seat has potential to be won. the other parties do not really have a standing here. the liberal democrats do not get a particularly strong turnout and labour are almost nonexistent. certainty going forward is what this craft beer company in peterhead wants from this election.

it's important we know the direction our country is actually going in. we deal with businesses in europe and since we don't really know what's happening, we've really built up good relationships with these businesses, so to continue that going on into the future would be ideal. for this community group, there are big questions singing out. what are the issues that are going to influence how you vote in the general election? well, the issues would be for independence for scotland. feel strongly about it? oh, yes, yep. what about yourself? do you feel the same way? no, i don't. i voted against independence and i voted to remain, purely because i don't think scotland's got enough to hold onto ourself. no matter what the vote is... it's going to be a hung parliament. ..there's always going to be people that argue, and it's never going to get resolved. an election dominated here and elsewhere by strong views, but... and you're all still friends? yeah.

of course we are. of course, of course, yeah. until the camera goes off! the issues of brexit and scottish independence have defined recent elections in scotland. the noises from this campaign so far suggest this one is sounding no different. lorna gordon, bbc news, banff and buchan. as the country gears up for the election, we've been asking you to send in your questions. among the thousands you have sent so far to yourquestions@bbc.co.uk, a number have been about the cost of a staging a national poll, especially at this time of year. 0ur reporter ben hunte has been trying to provide some answers. learning about spending cash carefully. something which this dad from aberdeenshire has been teaching his little girl. his question is all about money. how much does the government spend on general elections? and why is it so expensive? so, just how expensive

are general elections? the budget for the last one was over £1a0 million. a huge cost is staffing. at this election, its estimated around eight million postal votes will be sent out. the average cost of every postal vote was £2.15 back in the 2015 election. while voting in person at a polling station back then cost £1.22 on average — nearly half the price. running elections is a huge logistical operation. it takes hours and hours of people in council offices dealing with paperwork, nominations, candidates, poll cards, the count. that all comes with a price, but you can't put a price on democracy, and we are keen to make sure we deliver. it's been decades since we've had a winter election. despite a cold day everywhere, the story was one of heavy voting from the start. one of the most picturesque routes to the polling booth was that taken by mr and mrs dougal macdonald. but the timing will present its own challenges.

experts say extra heating, lighting and grit may need to be used at polling stations. all of this comes at a cost. this snap december election means more than a0,000 polling stations right across the uk will have to get ready pretty quickly. including here at aberdeen football club where they have their own polling station at the ground. so, back to this dad. does he think this election is worth the money? that's £10. we have had election after election after election. let's not have an election every two or three years. whatever political interests, they've all got the public at heart. so, why don't they sit down together and say, there's got to be another way? here in aberdeen, they'll be braving the cold to cast their vote, and some will be hoping they won't need to again for a while.