you re watching bbc newsroom live — it's 11 am and these are the main stories this morning: london's fire chief dany cotton quits early, she'd faced criticism over the grenfell tower fire, in which 72 people died. the former tory prime minister, sirjohn major, urges voters to back rebel candidates running against his own party in next week's election. boris johnson and jeremy corbyn prepare to go head to head in the final tv debate before polling day. police in india shoot dead four men suspected of rape and murder, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage.

you're questions answered. that's with plaid cymru's liz saville roberts. taking you straight to ironbridge gorge in shropshire for the pictures of the demolition of four cooling towers the. we just got to that a couple of moments later after the charges were set. 120 metres high and they cost of £10 million. crowds gathered to see that historic moment as the towers at the coal—fired power station in ironbridge gorge in shropshire came down. the work of so long comes down in a matter of seconds and as you can see, a cloud of dust is all that is left. 0ur correspondent phil mackie

is watching the demolition. that was quite an amazing sight. it has gone completely to plan. there was concern that some would fall into the river severn. essentially where that dust cloud is at the moment, but everything seemed to happen quite perfectly on time. you really have to be 60 years old or older than that to remember what it was like before that. 55, 60 years ago when they started building these power stations, people regarded them asa power stations, people regarded them as a complete eyesore because this isa as a complete eyesore because this is a beautiful part of the country. it isa is a beautiful part of the country. it is a world heritage site. but over the years it has become part of people's lives and people are fond of them. they are much loved by many, loathed by others. a lot of that rubble and brick will be recycled. that is going to be

rebuilt as part of a new village. that shows you exactly what happened. there they go. there they go. destroyed into rubble. four part of the landscape that have been here for as long as most people can remember. there you go. lots of people here. it is in a gorge, as you can see, so people here. it is in a gorge, as you can see, so there are hills surrounding it and there have been people gathered on every hilltop that could possibly get a view. thousands of people have made their way here today to say goodbye to these cooling towers and the next problem is that the dust. you can see it blowing towards the town of ironbridge but i think everyone will

be quite happy with the way things have gone today. phil, thank you very much for that from ironbridge. phil, thank you very much for that from ironbridge. the london fire commissioner dany cotton has announced she will be stepping down from her position at the end of the year. she had planned to retire in april but the date was brought forward. she has faced criticism of her work at the grenfell tower fire which killed 72 people injune 2017. let's get more on this from our reporter tolu adeoye. tell us more about dany cotton's decisions. she was in charge of the time. we found out earlier this year that she was planning to retire, but not until the spring and today at news that she has brought this forward. she has come in for a lot of criticism over the response to the grenfell tower fire. some commented that she was insensitive, she made comments about how she

wouldn't change how the fire brigade responded to the fire. 0ne wouldn't change how the fire brigade responded to the fire. one of those who support survivors in the bereaved, she said dany cotton stood up bereaved, she said dany cotton stood up in bereaved, she said dany cotton stood upina bereaved, she said dany cotton stood up in a room of bereaved and survivors and said there was nothing she would do to change that night. many thought that was completely unacceptable. do we know what her reason for resigning early actually is? the statement from the london fire brigade says that they want to get another commissioner in so they can get another commissioner in so they ca n start get another commissioner in so they can start working quickly to put forward some of the recommendations in the grenfell tower enquiry. the mayor of london has praised dany cotton and says he believes it is right that she goes now and it is important that a new commission is brought in as soon as possible. we have a statement from dany cotton.

she was the first commissioner in position for more than 30 years. you mentioned the enquiry, that fear that preparations by the fire brigade were gravely inadequate, what the language used. does this provide a new start for the fire service and if so what would they do differently? you mentioned how she said she wouldn't have done anything different. what would the fire service do differently in another g re nfell tower, service do differently in another grenfell tower, god forbid that should happen. it is clear they want the next commissioner into start working on the recommendation is to put people at ease if this was to happen again. some of the criticism was about the statement policy that

was about the statement policy that was on that night. the mayor of london said he wants the next commissioner to start soon. "g re nfell tower was without doubt the worst fire we had ever experienced". that is what dany cotton said in response. we will go back to the dany response. we will go back to the da ny cotto n response. we will go back to the da ny cotton story in a few response. we will go back to the dany cotton story in a few minutes. sirjohn major has given his support to rebel candidates running against borisjohnson's conservatives in next week's general election. the former conservative prime minister has described brexit as ‘the worst foreign policy decision' in his lifetime. let's get more on that now from our political correspondent ben wright. what else did the former prime minister have to say? an extraordinary intervention this. i'm just watching boris johnson extraordinary intervention this. i'm just watching borisjohnson get off this bus. john major who won the 92 general election against many peoples expectations, a very large

share of the boat, will tonight be on stage with tony blair. the two men have been for some time very strongly opposed to brexit and now john major is saying on the eve of this election, he is telling voters in three constituencies not to back the official tory candidate and instead back the three x tory ministers who are running as independents. david gauke, dominic grieve and anne milton. in words that have just been released byjohn major, he describes brexit as a worst foreign policy decision of his lifetime. i think he is in despair about this government and a prospect ofa about this government and a prospect of a majority tory government. it is a pretty remarkable intervention by a pretty remarkable intervention by a former tory prime minister. it follows a n a former tory prime minister. it follows an intervention from the former deputy tory leader michael heseltine. how many of these do we expect to come out. it may happen.

john major and michael heseltine are the two most pro eu tory grandees making clear their anger about what is happening. and proving how brexit really has shattered the old parties and is stretching alliances to breaking point. it is quite extraordinary that those two tories, battle scarred from years of dealing with europe themselves, are still at this stage of a campaign with that is perhaps on the cusp of another majority, if the polls are to be believed, are urging voters to think very ha rd before believed, are urging voters to think very hard before voting conservative at all. it is further proof of how brexit has ruptured the old alliances. boris johnson brexit has ruptured the old alliances. borisjohnson will try and shrug it off. he is not deviating at all from his core message. to get brexit done. i think

you will see him repeat that message again and again tonight he will be ina again and again tonight he will be in a head—to—head debate withjeremy corbyn on the bbc. the last time the two are going to be before the country goes to the polls. thank you very much, ben. as ben wasjust telling us, we had that debate tonight. —— we have that debate tonight. —— we have that debate tonight. we still don't know whether the prime minister will do an interview with the bbc‘s andrew neil. 0n interview with the bbc‘s andrew neil. on our agenda next week have susan hume to answer some of these questions. susan... hello. the fact is that it is barely a week until the election and we will no doubt what the result. so this could be a really big moment this evening when

the two go head to head. we have all been banging on about the election for weeks and weeks but people with busy lives are onlyjust to pay attention. this could be the moment wherejeremy attention. this could be the moment where jeremy corbyn attention. this could be the moment wherejeremy corbyn could make a breakthrough, according to the polls, if you can believe them, borisjohnson the conservatives are ahead. they will be very careful not to do anything that could jeopardise that. so he will be walking on egg shells. jeremy corbyn will be trying to make that kind of breakthrough. as you were saying, one thing boris johnson won't be doing, or has so far not said that, is an interview with andrew neil, his ex—boss at the spectator. we are still to hear whether he will want to do that. nothing so far but andrew neil has thrown down the challenge to him. no broadcaster can compel a politician to be interviewed. but leaders interviews have been a key

part of the bbc's prime—time election coverage for decades. we do them, on your behalf, to scrutinise and hold to account those who govern us. that is democracy. we have always proceeded in good faith that the leaders would participate and in every election they have. all of them. until this one. it is not too late. we have an interview prepared. 0ven ready, as mr johnson likes to say. well, there you are. quite an unusual appeal to boris johnson from andrew neil. the conservatives, as you might imagine, have pushed back saying, these interviews is a tired old format, the viewers aren't interested. it is all about the presenter anyway and not what people wa nt to presenter anyway and not what people want to watch. susan, thank you very much. susan, thank you very much. the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has revealed a document which he claims is an official government analysis of borisjohnson's brexit deal, with a particular focus on northern ireland. 0ur correspondent leila nathoo was at the press conference. let's speak to our political

correspondent leila nathoo. here is the document thatjeremy corbyn was brandishing on stage at the press conference a little earlier. it is about northern ireland's trading relationship with the rest of the uk. after brexit. under the terms of borisjohnson's withdrawal agreement. remember that borisjohnson be theresa may's brexit deal, the one of the main thing is that he renegotiated was this, the northern ireland protocol. this is his big change to their brexit deal that has gone before him. he has repeatedly said there would be no checks or tariffs imposed between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. this idea of a border down the irish sea. he has been repeatedly challenged on this point during the election campaign and he has said time and again that there will be no checks. this document, it seems it contradict that. it is an official treasury

document. it looks like a presentation. and it does seem to say there will be declarations required when goods are exported from northern ireland to great britain in order to meet the eu obligation under the safe framework. here isjeremy corbyn introducing what he said was a damaging document. in private to the government say something very, very different. it says that there will be customs declarations and security checks between northern ireland and great britain. it is there in black and white. it says there will be customs declarations. absolutely clearly. for trade going from northern ireland to great britain. the government cannot rule out regulatory checks, rules of origin checks and animal and public health checks also. and for trade going the other way, from great britain to northern ireland, there will be all of the above, plus potentially damaging tariffs. this drives a coach and horses

through the prime minister's claim that there will be, in his words, no border in the irish sea. it is simply not true. johnson's deal will be disastrous for businesses and jobs all across the uk and the government's confidential report confirms this. there is another strong statement in this document, saying that customs declarations and physical checks on the east west and west east trade will be highly disruptive to the northern ireland economy, pointing out that 90% of northern ireland exporters to great britain are small and medium—sized businesses who are likely to struggle to bear this cost. this is the evidence that jeremy corbyn is pointing to saying that official government analysis has shown that borisjohnson's brexit deal is going to be damaging to the northern ireland economy. he says it has repercussions for other parts of the uk as well. he is talking about this being a lie by

borisjohnson. boris talking about this being a lie by boris johnson. boris johnson has misled the public on the details of this deal. we didn't know what this big reveal was going to be this morning. jeremy corbyn thinks this is more ammunition for him on the brexit front. brexit has been an that issue labour has been keen to get away from in this election campaign. something that the tories have wa nted campaign. something that the tories have wanted to focus on entirely. but similar to the documents that jeremy corbyn produced earlier in a campaign about the nhs and a trade deal between the uk and the us, this was more documentary evidence according tojeremy corbyn that showed that borisjohnson's brexit deal was not all it seemed. then putting that to a referendum with remain on ballot paper two. labour will be hoping that in these final days of the campaign there brexit message will cut through and that this document will be enough to push people towards position. thank you very much. thank you very much.

as we get ready for the last leadership debate tonight, let's look at their personal ratings. one of the features of labour's surge in the 2017 campaign was the corbyn factor — a sharp rise in his personal approval ratings mirrored by a fall in theresa may's. all this fed into to a sharp narrowing in the gap between labour and the conservatives in the weeks running up to polling day. here with the data is the bbc‘s head of statistics, robert cuffe. so how popular are mr corbyn & johnson? they are both pretty divisive. let's ta ke they are both pretty divisive. let's take a look at the data. we are going to show you net approval rating. so you want more people to approve of how you are doing your job and disapprove, but for boris johnson it is about the same each way. jeremy corbyn, it is a good deal worse. like with any polling, you don't want to get too obsessive about the exact numbers. it is more important to look at the changes. this time around i think the changes

tell you more because the approval ratings, at this stage in the campaign they are exactly the same as they were at the start, pretty much. they haven't shifted much. that tells you about the differences between this campaign and 2017. are there any similarities? there absolutely are but if we bring in... we can see that the conservatives and labour have been improving, both coming up since november in parallel. there is no big narrowing between the two parties. that feeds into a closing of the gap. that is not really happening here. they have been pulling boats from the liberal democrats and the brexit party. a mirror image. what is similar is

that labour are narrowing the gap, if we compared those numbers to 2017 we see that labour are in their mid—30s, kind of where they were last time around, moving up, the conservatives, they haven't moved up. there are echoes of the past even though it is for different reasons. it is worth reminding ourselves that pollsters didn't really get it quite right in 2017. they got the tory share writer, the lib dems and they underestimated the labour vote. if you use polling to try and predict a number of seats correct to three decimal places you will come a cropper. it is useful for the big trends and why people are making decisions. this one seems like it is less driven about changing minds about leadership than

it is about brexit. we are going to leave the politics for a moment and turn to international news. police in india have shot dead four men suspected of raping and killing a young woman in the southern city of hyderabad last week. police said the men had been taken to the scene of the alleged crime, and were shot after they tried to attack police. the murder of the 27—year—old vet has triggered protests across india. 0ur correspondent in delhi, rajini vaidyanathan, gave us more details of the circumstances in which the men were killed. well, police have said that they took these suspects. they were in custody of the court but the police took them to the scene of the crime in the early hours of the morning, around 3am in the morning, we are told, for what they said was a crime reconstruction. police say that during that reconstruction the four accused tried to attack them and that is when the police killed the four men. the report is saying that they were shot dead.

today at that scene people have been flocking to the area. we have seen pictures of people dancing, celebrating, scattering petals, letting off fireworks. lots of people in that area saying that this was the right thing for the police to do. and the bbc has spoken to members of the 27—year—old victim's family, including her sister and father, who say they believe that justice has been done. but on the flip side, there have also been a number of politicians today who have condemned the actions of the police, saying that they basically try to subvert the criminal justice system and that these rapists should have gone through a court process, they should have had a trial and this isn't the way to solve the ongoing problem of sexual violence here in india. the german chancellor, angela merkel, is making herfirst visit to the site of the nazi concentration camp at auschwitz in poland.

the trip follows an increase in anti—semitism in germany. more than a million people, the vast majority of them jewish, were murdered there during the second world war. we can cross now to berlin and speak to our correspondent there — jenny hill. tell us more about this visit today. officially angle of merkel is making the visit to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the foundation of the organisation which now looks after auschwitz and which aim is to make sure that the horrors that were perpetrated the, more than 1 billion men, women and children killed, i never forgotten and lessons will continue to be cloned —— 1 million. the 6 million jewish continue to be cloned —— 1 million. the 6 millionjewish people who were killed during the holocaust across germany and europe. as i mentioned in the introduction, we have a time

when anti—semitism is an issue across many european countries and very sensitive in germany itself. what is really striking here is that it is almost 75 years since auschwitz was liberated and just look at germany today. there are now far right politicians sitting in parliament and germany is experiencing a rise in the number of reported anti—semitic attacks. in germany the number is still going to be small but what is more significant is that when you speak to jewish people significant is that when you speak tojewish people here, most of them will tell you they have experienced some form of anti—semitism, whether that will be abuse or more physical in its manifestation. angela merkel‘s visit comes a couple of months after those attacks when a man with very far right extreme, anti—semitic views shot dead two

people outside a synagogue and he also tried to get inside the synagogue and massacre the congregation inside who would gather to worship on the holiest day of the jewish calendar. i spoke to people in the town then, i spoke to a woman who was inside the synagogue, and all of them said they were trying to raise this issue with the german authorities for some time. they were concerned and scared. it is something they want they want the authorities to take more seriously. i was really struck when i had a look back at the previous visits of german chancellors to auschwitz. it was helmut schmidt who said that auschwitz is a place which command silence. he was referring to the dreadful acts which were perpetrated on its soil. but angela merkel is due to speak there and i think many people in germany are hoping that the words she chooses will be powerful bonds which will address some of these concerns and will resonate not only through germany

but perhaps through the rest of europe. jenny, thank you very much. we will look forward to hearing what she has to say there later. we will look forward to hearing what she has to say there later. an earthquake has struck in somerset, causing homes to shake in several villages. the british geological survey says the 3.2 magnitude quake, occured close to bridgwaterjust before 11pm last night, and at a depth ofjust over three miles. well one of those residents who felt the house move, is siobhan pestano who lives in the small town of langport, about 8 miles from bridgwater, the epicentre of the earthquake. we can talk to her now. tell us what happened there. i was just relaxing at home after a very long day. i was lying quietly on myself and then suddenly the whole building shook. i didn't hear an explosion or bang, it was really seismic. it was a shudder. you just immediately are trying to think, it

was quite quick, but you are trying to match the experience to the noise andi to match the experience to the noise and i couldn't come up with anything. was my neighbour being broken into? but it was strong. and at what point did you realise what exactly at what point did you realise what exa ctly ha d at what point did you realise what exactly had happened? well, i texted my neighbour straightaway. she was scared. i popped in, checked her, found another neighbour wandering in the street looking extremely bewildered, then i came back in because once we had established it wasn't a burglary i thought it was quite important, you are left with unpleasant alternatives. this is a very old, historic area and you start thinking, has an ancient pipe imploded onto the building, a sinkhole? so the next thing i did was phone the police on the nonemergency number just to flag was phone the police on the nonemergency numberjust to flag it and then i got on social media. that was it about ten past 11 and i could

see messages coming up. so then i did a social media post. we have a local tv station that i do just to put peoples mind at rest in case they thought they were going mad. it took about 20 minutes for it to start appearing on social media. some great geographical information. have you been given any explanation of why and whether it might happen ain? of why and whether it might happen again? no, i haven't thought to ask. ijust again? no, i haven't thought to ask. i just found the again? no, i haven't thought to ask. ijust found the explanation of an earthquake less unpleasant than a potential sinkhole. i know that was an earthquake in a slightly lesser one in cornwall in august about a year and one in cornwall in august about a yearand a one in cornwall in august about a year and a half ago, so it would be interesting to know if this is something that will happen regularly. but i don't have any more information about it. it was quite

exciting, really. thank you so much for coming on to tell us about it. i hope you have a more peaceful night tonight. thank you. throughout the election campaign, we are asking your questions to all of the main parties. today it's the turn of plaid cyrmu. liz saville roberts joins us from bangor. i have a list of questions to get through the let me start with the first one. with the support for welsh independence rising, what is the plan for costing an independent wales ? the plan for costing an independent wales? we plan for an independent wealth. this is the sum of where we have seen so much more interest growing in independence. we had... we are proposing a commission to look at the way forward with this.

and as part of that a citizens convention. something that has been discussed at this time when politics has become so adversarial and so divisive, as a way of bringing people together, notjust the professional politicians who have been so discredited in recent years, but bringing real people together to talk about what bothers them, what concerns him. the interest is, how would we be able to find a way of affording this? every nation that went independent from the british empire were told they couldn't do it. these are exactly the sort of questions we want to discuss, not in a fervent atmosphere, but amongst real people about what the way forward could possibly be. you

mentioned real people and politicians but not economist and started to strength. the question was what is your plan for costing an independent wales? indeed, we need to look at what wales's natural resources are. so many have been taking out of wales. i represent an area where the slate industry remains just about but there is little to say of the benefit of it. we export water. we are the fifth largest exporter of electricity in the world. what is a potential of that for us? that would be a0 won one of the great potential for the future is a greenjobs revolution which of course need that contribution from central government to improve the national grid. there are so many areas that you can't even put in these things. these have the sort of things, the potential to do things differently very driven to

the leave campaign, and all the fantasies and lies peddled. the leave campaign, and all the fantasies and lies peddledlj the leave campaign, and all the fantasies and lies peddled. i would like to get the viewers questions in. chris from holyhead says: looking at a welsh independence, we have to work with people across wales. and people across parties of wales. and people across parties of wales to a spy for a better future. i used to work as a news reporter in holyhead, i know the community quite well. i wonder if the people they are well. i wonder if the people they a re really well. i wonder if the people they are really one or more of the same? ordo are really one or more of the same? or do they want to spy for the future but there is a possibility of change? wales has been represented by the labour party for about 100 yea rs, by the labour party for about 100 years, labour have been in party shot power in the assembly, the

tories in westminster. one of the same from then will mean more of wales being ignored. surely there is a way ofa wales being ignored. surely there is a way of a better future for communities like holyhead. .. a way of a better future for communities like holyhead... we cannot carry on doing the same old things and suffering the same old mistakes. the answer to the question is, no, you will not be considered. richard says: i understand that entirely. more than 10% of people are beating out a&e for more than 12 hours, forgive me for being political about this. health has been controlled by welsh labour in cardiff for the last 20

yea rs, labour in cardiff for the last 20 years, the welsh labour health minister is responsible for this, they need to take this possibility for some of their actions, we need more doctors, more nurses. we need to recognise that people who live in mid wales, i was speaking to a gentleman who was being treated for prostate cancer and had to travel to four different hospitals in wales. one journey to each of those four hospitals for different aspects of treatment for a relatively common cancer. you add that up, they had to travel at least 500 miles. you are reinstating the problem rather than offering an answer to richard's question, which was, how will you make the nhs in wales work for the

people of wales? we need to appoint more than 1000 doctors, 5000 more nurses, at least 100 more dentists. one thing plaid cyrmu has done is to see that there is a new medical school established in bangor to train people, the doctors of the future, hopefully they will remain to work. our policy is to seek a confirmatory referendum in which we will campaign to remain. we want greater revenue spend in wales, we wa nt greater revenue spend in wales, we want greater infrastructure spend, the sort of thing is that only central government can do, and which welsh labour have had 20 used to do, on the grid, on a connectivity, on transport. we will work with whatever party in westminster to help us realise those policy goals, first and foremost, a confirmatory referendum. where does plaid cyrmu

stand on policing? do you envisage a national police force? they now seem reactive, and not proactive. we would very much sick to see 1600 more police officers on our streets. what would fund that is if the four police forces in wales was devolved from westminster, along the lines of manchester. this was recently recommended by the former lord chief justice, recommending that the time has come now, policing, alongside private prison and probation, to be devolved to wales. the way it would be funded, we would immediately receive £25 million more, which would be spent on police and communities. in my own community, we have seen that the custody suite lost, meaning police officers are on

the road, taking people to other towns, two hours each way sometimes. we also have a single magistrates' court left in the constituency, there is only one for north wales. these are the cuts imposed by tories on us, a0% cuts to justice. that reflects the experience people have beenin reflects the experience people have been in terms of criminaljustice and police are on the streets, and whether they actually get justice and police are on the streets, and whether they actually getjustice in the courts, and how far they have to travel for joining the courts, and how far they have to travel forjoining us. let's cross to kent now where borisjohnson is speaking. we believe in investing in a 20,000 more police officers, supporting them when they do stop and search, we ought to have longer sentences for serious filing terminals. we

wa nt tyros for serious filing terminals. we want tyros to serve the full term in jail. jeremy corbyn and labour oppose that. we back our armed services, jeremy corbyn i shall to disband our armed services will stop me back m15 to keep us safe, john mcdonnell has said that he would like to scrap m15. we back the nato alliance that has kept this country safe and 1 billion people around the world safe, jeremy corbyn has actually said that he wants to disband nato. we back business, small businesses, businesses in this country. that is why we are cutting business rates and national insurance for 31 million people in this country. the labour party actively say that they want to ferment the overthrow of the whole capital ferment the overthrow of the whole ca pital letters ferment the overthrow of the whole capital letters system. by the way, the consequences for everybody would be disastrous. their tax bill, not

just raise interest rates, so everybody would pay more for the cost of their mortgage as the result of their borrowing. they put up taxes for people on incomes as low as £20,000 a year to the tune of £1000 more in attacks. neverforget that the labour party always end up with an economic crisis, it happened in 2010, the slot would start with 1- in 2010, the slot would start with 1— let's give that madness eight mess, let's not go down that way, let's get brexit down and take this country forward. that is the choice —a country forward. that is the choice — a choice between chaos and confusion underjeremy corbyn and the labour party, supported by nicola sturgeon. or else— a one nation, conservative government taking this country forward. i know what i want for christmas, i hope you agree, let's go forward, six days' time, let's get it done.

applause. if we can get brexit done, if we can get a working majority in parliament next week, then we will finally be able to get this country out of that role, into first, into second, third, fourth. this! top gear! we will get the whole nation motoring again, that is our objective and ambition for thank you all very much for coming this morning. white, i have to take some questions from the media, which is a joy. i don't think that has ever been an election campaign in which the prime minister has submitted so joyfully to questions. you say you want to get

the country into the right gear, but the country into the right gear, but the former leader of your party thinks you are in the wrong gear, what do you say to the former conservative prime minister who does not think that voters should bite you this time? well, i think it is very sad, i think he is very wrong. i think he represents an outdated view, i greatly respect him and his record. i think what we need to do now is on the will of the people and get brexit done, it is very simple. i returned to the three reasons— it's about democracy that mucked people go on and on about trust and belief in politics, actually, that is the key issue of this election, only if get better then can we restore those things. number two, it's about the economy. the current confusion is a drag anchor on our

progress as a country. we can't do it, we can move forward, of course, it, we can move forward, of course, it is about what we want to do as one nation conservative government. for all those reasons, i must respectfully disagree with my illustrious predecessor, and urge people, on thursday, let's get this thing done and vote conservative. paul? i want to read from you from the elite treasury document put out by labour detailing the impact on northern ireland of your brexit deal. customs check is, yes. rows of origins checks, yes. you told northern ireland businesses earlier in this election they could put those forms in the bin. who are they supposed to believe here?|j those forms in the bin. who are they supposed to believe here? i can't see the document, it is complete nonsense. i can tell you that with the deal that we have we can come

out as a whole uk — england, scotland, northern ireland and wales — together. we can do trade deals, we can take back control of our money and bought as outlaws, we can have our own immigration system. you look atjeremy corbyn's proposed deal, under no circumstances are they going to take back control of immigration, it would be unlimited, uncontrolled. as everybody knows, i have always been in the favour to us being open to people of talent coming to this country, i don't think it is sensible to slam down the drawbridge, slam up? i think you have got to remain accessible to talent, but we should have a democratically controlled, shouldn't we? that is why people want us to get on with brexit, so let's get it done. it is quite staggering that mr

starr mayor is not willing... he is meant to be negotiating labour? new brexit deal, but he is going to campaignfor remain? brexit deal, but he is going to campaign for remain? i mean, brexit deal, but he is going to campaignfor remain? i mean, what on earth do they think they are doing? how currently put the country through that satirical waste of time, waste of money, and deadlock, division and confusion. time, waste of money, and deadlock, division and confusionlj time, waste of money, and deadlock, division and confusion. i want to go back to that of northern ireland document, the treasury document, it has been produced by your own government. you were asked at the start of this campaign, you said no checks, no extra details for northern ireland experts whatsoever. this document says the exact opposite. it has been produced by your civil servants in your treasury, are you now saying that the voters of this country should

not trust your government i should believe you instead ? not trust your government i should believe you instead? they should believe you instead? they should believe exactly what i say, which is that they will be no goods shot checks on goods coming from ni to gb, because we are going to come out of the eu whole and entire. by the way, it is a vast improvement on the original proposal, which would indeed have carved out northern ireland and kept it in the eu for all sorts of purposes. we are able to do all sorts of purposes. we are able todoa all sorts of purposes. we are able to do a fantastic day for our country. now is the time to seize it. one of the great benefits of the deal that we have done is if there is any particular that the people of northern ireland do not like, then, of course, all those provisions automatically elapse in four years time. if there is anything they do not lack, then they can vote to stay in alignment with the eu for those

purposes. —— they do not like. but it isa purposes. —— they do not like. but it is a fantastic deal that allows us it is a fantastic deal that allows us to get out as a whole country and move on. the great virtue of our deal, the thing that we have done, is that it ends the wrangling and to the bitterness in parliament, and we move on. every one of the six around 35 candidates standing, 600 and something, it is more than 630, standing at this election have approved our deal. that is in stark contrast to the labour party, where i think at least 100 of their candidates say that they want to back remain. if you want to get this thing done, get the country moving forward , thing done, get the country moving forward, you have got to vote conservative. some people say we are living in a post—truth age, going back to the northern ireland question, you just said there will be no checks on goods from gb to

another island, i think you don't know the details of your policy, or you are lying— which is it? know the details of your policy, or you are lying- which is it? you know perfectly well that gets going from gb to ni, there will be no checks. the only checks will be goods going via ni to ireland. that is how we avoid a hard border. it is a great deal, labour has no—deal, if there is any particular that the people of northern ireland do not like about that deal, then of course they are entitled to opt out of it in for your time. we have a fantastic deal. it is unlike any other offering before the people of this country, let's get it done and move on. that is what i commend to everyone. two

more questions, then we will wrap it up. i don't want to hammer on about northern ireland, but even at your former allies in the dup agree with this document that there will be checks. why could you not persuade them to even come on board with your deal? of course, people are entitled to ta ke deal? of course, people are entitled to take different views about the selection, the dup have a different agenda from our own. it is a fantastic deal that enables us to get brexit down and move forward. as it says very clearly, mother ireland as part of the customs territory of the uk and goods arriving in northern ireland have unfettered access to great britain, that is what the deal says. i think you will all concede that. you said at the end of your speech there that you think you're taking more questions

from the media than any campaign ever, you have not sat down with andrew neil... why don't you ask a question yourself! i will ask one of the questions he asked in his monologue last night where he said, how can we trust the prime minister to sit down with president xi and president trump on our behalf if he cannot spend half an hour with andrew neil? i think most people would say i'm the only prime minister to have done, not one, but to head—to—head debates. i have done 118 sit down interviews with a journalist, i have fielded innumerable questions. we cannot accommodate everybody. there is a quy accommodate everybody. there is a guy called a loader bucket head he wa nts to guy called a loader bucket head he wants to have a head—to—head debate with me, unfortunately, i cannot fit him in. we cannot do absolutely everything. on the substantive point

you make about trust in politics and this election, the issue before the country is, in the three and a half yea rs, country is, in the three and a half years, politicians of all parties, are held in low esteem because they have refused to get on and deliver on the mandate of the people. it is utterly shameful, now is the time to do it, we have a great deal ready to 90, do it, we have a great deal ready to go, i suggest that people look for it on thursday, we can get brexit done, move the country forward, unleash the potential of the whole country. that is as many questions asiam country. that is as many questions as i am going to take. the campaign is not yet over. thank you all for coming this morning. boris johnson there. as you can see, he has a big new slogan behind him for that event. she took some questions about

sirjohn major's intervention at this morning, suggesting that voters should vote for those who have left the tory party and are campaigning as independents. boris johnson defending himself againstjohn major's charges, saying, that we just need to get brexit done. facing questions at the end about why he is not appearing in an interview with andrew neil, protesting that he has done many interviews and head—to—head. later tonight, he done many interviews and head—to—head. latertonight, he will be in head—to—head. latertonight, he will beina head—to—head. latertonight, he will be in a head—to—head withjeremy corbyn. let's turn to some other stories. firefighters in australia say they're tackling about a hundred fires across the state of new south wales, nearly half of them uncontained. they say several of the most serious have combined to create what they describe as a "mega blaze" north of sydney. the city has been blanketed by thick smoke all week. bushfires have killed at least six people and destroyed seven hundred homes across australia since

october. shaimaa khalil has more. this thick smoke haze has covered australia's biggest city for about a week now and it is not letting up. everyone will tell you that this grey and murky air isjust not normal for sydney. we also understand that the air quality has now deteriorated to beyond hazardous. people have been told to stay indoors because of the poor air quality but, to be honest, that smell get you even when you are inside. it seeps through the buildings. we also understand there has been a hike in hospital admittance of people with respiratory problems. 25% increase in people coming in with medical problems. that, of course, is because of the 100 bushfires that are raging across new south wales, with the severest coming close to sydney. one headline summed it up quite neatly. it said, "sydney chokes as state burns." we understand that some of these fires are at an emergency level which means that it is too late for some people to leave their homes.

we also heard from authorities who say that north of sydney, three big fires have now merged into what has been described as a mega blaze, covering a huge area of 300,000 hectares. we also saw a remarkable footage of sydney where firefighters were fleeing and escaping, running to safety when the fires were surging towards them. just showing you how fast and unpredictable these fires are. now, the severity of these fires, the timing of these fires, early on into the fire season have sparked anger at the government. many people are criticising scott morrison's government for not doing enough to tackle climate change. the government itself has so far refused to be drawn on that debate. but as fire officials have put it, we are going to see more of that coming in because the fires will continue to rage, so it is tough times ahead. france is waking up to a second day of strikes, with trade unions warning they won't stop until the government scraps its reforms to the pensions system.

the disruption is the worst for decades, with trains cancelled, schools closed and oil refineries shut. there have been rallies in major cities, with some protests turning violent. rich preston reports. teachers, transport workers, hospital staff, even feet or employees turned out. hundreds and thousands of workers in a shower of force against the comment of emmanuel macron. 90% of trains were cancelled. as well as hundreds of domestic and international flights. schools were locked out of the country's biggest tourist attraction is empty. people marched across france. they are unhappy with president macron's planned overhaul of the pension system, which they say will see them work longer and

earn less. translation: i'm a trainee teacher, they have already told us that our retirement will be complicated. translation: i'm very concerned for the future, and ready to send the pension system will disappear.- the moment, i'm supposed to retire at 67, with the new reform, it should be 69th may be even lighter, 75, with a walking frame! police had said they were prepared for trouble. and some scenes do turn violent. in paris, scuffles continued into the night. these strikes have now fixed end date. translation: we want to be heard, one day is not enough, the government has to take action. if it does not we support they need to renew a call for a strike on friday,

saturday, sunday, also, next monday as well. the country, especially the big cities, could face many more days of disruption. north korea has renewed its insults of donald trump after the us president spoke of possible military action and revived his "rocket man" nickname for the north korean ruler. the country's foreign ministry hit back, saying if mr trump was confrontational, it "must really be diagnosed as the relapse of the dotage of a dotard". north korea first called mr trump a dotard — meaning old and weak - in 2017. but have remained friendly since then. the two men held face—to—face talks in february this year, aimed at denuclearisation. but talks have since stalled. the opera singer, katherine jenkins, has been mugged after she intervened in a street robbery. the 39—year—old was on her way to a rehearsal in london on wednesday afternoon when she stepped in to help an elderly woman being attacked —

and was then mugged herself. two 15—year—old girls have been arrested on suspicion of robbery. lots more coming out 12, we have more on angler merkle's visit to auschwitz, we will be at the climate change summit in madrid, analysis layer on what is happening to stop once more on the election campaign, we will be covering all angles. but right now, we lose viewers on bbc two and will go to the winner assignment. we have a much milder start the day that i may have had in a recent mornings, temperatures currently at double figures. it comes with more cloud and rain, we assume that moving eastwards this morning, showers behind it pushing up from the north—west, spreading 30

south—east. brighter skies developing in between the showers, maybe one or two rainbows to catch. mallard ayr for many of us, it pushing up from the north—west, spreading 30 south—east. brighter skies developing in between the showers, maybe one or two rainbows to catch. mild airfor many of us, towards the north of scotland, it will turn a chilly year. elsewhere, it will stay mild. shall we continue and sift further south was and is worse, some may be heavy, maybe even thundery. still fairly blustery conditions, wind is not as strong as they were yesterday, temperatures not changing a great deal through the afternoon, 10 to 13 celsius, a little chillier in the far north. the showers will clear away tonight, dry weather into saturday morning. the odd shower coming into the north—west, temperatures generally down to 5 to seven celsius, a bit chillier in the far north of scotland. the weekend, a ridge of high pressure will keep things

relatively settled before the next where a system which is on from the north—west, bringing rain into it ireland and scotland. cloud increasing across england and wales, still some bright and sunny spells, a dry day for many of us, maximum temperatures about 8 to 10 or 11 celsius. saturday night, they will move to the south—east, much will clear away into sunday massive fines improving but there will be weather systems up to the west that will bring chalmers into scotland and northern ireland, some wintry. otherwise, there will be sunshine, some showers drifting through. temperatures on sunday will be about 8to 13 temperatures on sunday will be about 8 to 13 celsius. it is let out on a sunday lapwings 8 to 13 celsius. it is let out on a sunday la pwings will strengthen across many areas, particularly south wales. strong winds will arrive sunday into monday, they may

even be severe gales for some of us, particularly wales out of the south—west, and into scotland and parts of northern england. that could bring this option, need a bit of damage as well, staging to the forecast for sunday into monday. the sort of things, the potential to

do things differently you re watching bbc newsroom live. it's midday and these are the main stories this morning. london's fire chief dany cotton quits early. she had faced criticism over the grenfell tower fire, in which 72 people died the former tory prime minister, sirjohn major, urges voters to back rebel candidates running against his own party in next week's election. it comes as borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn prepare to go head to head in the final tv debate before polling day. police in india shoot dead four men suspected of rape and murder, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage. the german chancellor angela merkel makes her first visit to auschwitz for the 75th anniversary of its liberation. three bushfires near sydney have merged into an inferno, blanketing australia's biggest city

in a haze of smoke. we hear from the british woman who was brought back to life after her heart stopped beating for six hours. good afternoon. welcome to bbc newsroom live. the london fire commissioner dany cotton has announced she will be stepping down from her position at the end of the year. she had planned to retire in april but the date was brought forward. she has faced criticism of her work at the grenfell tower fire which killed 72 people injune 2017 as our reporter tolu adeoye explains. she has been in for a lot of criticism over the response to the grenfell tower fire. some commented that during sir martin moore—bick‘s inquiry she was insensitive, she made comments about how she wouldn't change how the brigade

had responded to the fire. natasha elcock, chairman of grenfell united, one of those who supports survivors and the bereaved, she said dany cotton stood up in a room of bereaved and survivors and said there was nothing she would do to change that night. many felt that was completely unacceptable. do we know what her reason for resigning early actually is? the statement from the london fire brigade says that they want to get another commissioner in so they can start working quickly to put forward some of the recommendations in the grenfell tower enquiry. the mayor of london has praised dany cotton and says he believes it is right that she goes now and it is important that a new commissioner is brought in as soon as possible. we have a statement from dany cotton. she said...

she was the first female fire commissioner in london for more than 30 years. you mentioned the enquiry, the fear that preparations by the fire brigade were gravely inadequate, was the language used. does this provide a new start for the fire service and if so what would they do differently? you mentioned how she said she wouldn't have done anything different. what would the fire service do differently in another grenfell, god forbid that should happen? it is clear they want the next commissioner in to start working on the recommendations to put people at ease if this was to happen again. some of the criticism was about the stay—put policy that was on that night.

the mayor of london said he wants the next commissioner to start putting recommendations forward. grenfell united — the survivors and bereaved families group — have reacted to the news. that statement from grenfell tower mac united. jeremy corbyn says he's obtained a confidential report which "drives a coach and horses" through boris johnson's claim that there will be no border in the irish sea under his brexit plan.

the labour leader produced the papers at an event in london. mrjohnson has dismissed the claim. our political correspondent leila nathoo was watching: here is a document thatjeremy corbyn was brandishing at the press conference on stage earlier. it is about northern ireland's trading relationship with the rest of the uk after brexit. under the terms of his withdrawal agreement. remember that boris johnson renegotiated theresa may's brexit deal, one of the main things that he renegotiated was this part, the so—called northern ireland protocol. this is his big change to the brexit deal that had gone before him. he has repeatedly said that there would be no checks or tariffs imposed between northern ireland and the rest of the uk. this idea of a border down the irish sea. he has been repeatedly challenged on this point during the election campaign and he has said time and again that there will be no checks.

this document, it seems to contradict that. it is an official treasury document. it is marked official, sensitive. it looks like a presentation. it does seem to say that there will be declarations required when goods are exported from northern ireland to great britain in order to meet the eu obligation under the safe framework. here isjeremy corbyn introducing what he said was this damaging document a little earlier. in private to the government say something very, very different. it says that there will be customs declarations and security checks between northern ireland and great britain. it is there in black and white. it says there will be customs declarations. absolutely clearly. for trade going from northern ireland to great britain. the government cannot rule out regulatory checks, rules of origin checks and animal and public health checks also. and for trade going the other way, from great britain to northern ireland, there will be all of the above, plus potentially damaging tariffs. this drives a coach and horses through the prime minister's claim that there will be, in his words, no border in the irish sea. it is simply not true. johnson's deal will be disastrous for businesses and jobs all across the uk and the government's confidential report confirms this.

there is another strong statement in this document as well, saying that customs declarations and documentary and physical checks on the west— east and east—west trade will be highly disruptive to the northern ireland economy, pointing out that 98% of northern ireland exporters to great britain are small and medium—sized businesses. they are likely to struggle to bear this cost. so this is the evidence that jeremy corbyn is pointing to, saying that official government analysis has shown that borisjohnson plasma brexit deal is going to be damaging to the northern ireland economy. he says that it has repercussions for other parts of the uk as well and he is talking

about this being a lie by boris johnson, that boris johnson has misled the public on the details of this deal. well, just moments ago the prime minister was asked about the documents jeremy corbyn produced which suggested customs checks at the northern irish border. they should believe exactly what i say which is there will be no checks on goods coming from gb to ni, and i to gb because we are going to come out of the eu whole and entire and that was the objective. by the way, it isa that was the objective. by the way, it is a vast improvement on the original proposal which would indeed have carved out northern ireland and kept it in the eu for all sorts of purposes and we were able to do a fantastic deal for purposes and we were able to do a fantastic dealfor our purposes and we were able to do a fantastic deal for our country and now is the time to seize it. if there are... one of the great benefits of the deal we have done is

that if there is anything in particular that the people of northern ireland don't like, all those provisions automatically lapse infour those provisions automatically lapse in four years those provisions automatically lapse infouryears time those provisions automatically lapse in four years time but if there is anything they don't like them they can anything they don't like them they ca n vote anything they don't like them they can vote to stay in alignment with the eu for those purposes. but it is a fantastic deal. boris johnson in kent. a man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 12 —year—old boy in an apparent hit and run outside a school in essex. our correspondent emma north was in court this all happened very quickly and it was all very low—key. it took less tha n it was all very low—key. it took less than two minutes for 51—year—old terence gulliver to make its first appearance here at chelmsford magistrates' court. he is charged with one count of murder and ten further counts of attempted murder involving nine teenagers

between the age of 12 and 16 and one woman who was named in court. this all relates to what happened outside all relates to what happened outside a high school in loudoun. they were hit in what appears to be a hit and run crash. she was treated at the scene and airlifted to hospital but he died later. none of the others injured suffered life changing or injuries. tributes were paid by his family. they say he was a good, kind, helpful and lovely boy. they added that they were so devastated by what had happened. the school had said this was a young life tragically lost. he was liked and loved by staff and students. terence glover was remanded in custody. he will appear at chelmsford crown court on monday. back to the

politics. the former conservative prime minister, sirjohn major, has called on voters to back rebel independent candidates, who were expelled from the party over brexit. he's urged the public to "stop the brexit landslide" — describing leaving the eu as the "worst foreign policy" decision in his lifetime. borisjohnson has just been speaking to reporters in kent. we can speak now to our political correspondent ben wright. on the question ofjohn major, how ha rd on the question ofjohn major, how hard does it hit borisjohnson and how did he deal with that? boris johnson front have been surprised by johnson front have been surprised by john major's intervention today but the wordsjohn major uses are pretty extraordinary from a former conservative prime minister days from a general election in which borisjohnson is seeking a tory majority. john major makes it clear that he thinks brexit is a disaster for the country. that has been his position for quite a while but he is

urging voters in three seats where former tory ministers are sending as independents against the official conservative candidate, usage and to back them. he want to try and stop a tory landslide. he wants to stop brexit. he thinks it will be a disaster for the country and i think that there is remarkable. boris johnson's response was that he had great respect for what he called his illustrious predecessor but he felt that on this borisjohnson's comments were very that on this borisjohnson's comments were very sad, they were wrong and they were outdated. fundamentally boris johnson said this was a question of democracy. there is been a referendum and boris johnson says that is what must happen, regardless of whatjohn major says. it shows just how much brexit has a fractured, shattered the two parties and is causing huge strain. you will see later tonight, john major and tony blair who were rivals back in 1997, shared the same stage to make this anti—brexit

argument. making strange alliances. no surprises in the prime minister's response. what about the northern irish question, the border in the irish question, the border in the irish sea that came up from jeremy corbyn yet again in allegations about confidential documents?m corbyn yet again in allegations about confidential documents? it is uncomfortable for boris johnson. about confidential documents? it is uncomfortable for borisjohnson. he has been at pains to say that there would be unfettered access between great britain and the rest of the uk, that it kept the uk integral, even though northern ireland will still be subject to some eu single market rules. but ministers have accepted over the last couple of months. the brexit secretary in october accepted that firms in northern ireland would have to make some good declarations and products entering the uk. in the document that labour has today, the treasury document, shows that. and it says that there will be impediments for

northern ireland firms accessing the uk's internal market. but boris johnson tried to breezily say that wasn't the case. that the whole of the uk, including northern ireland, would be leaving the customs union and he said that if northern ireland doesn't like these arrangements they could continue after two or three yea rs, could continue after two or three years, they would have a democratic say and what happens in the future. but i think it wasn't uncomfortable for borisjohnson, but i think it wasn't uncomfortable for boris johnson, focusing but i think it wasn't uncomfortable for borisjohnson, focusing on an issue that hasn't really cropped up on the last three weeks of this campaign, the nuts and bolts of how boris johnson's withdrawal agreement will work. i'm glad you without are reported to us. thank very much. the headlines on bbc news... london's fire chief dany cotton quits early —— she'd faced criticism over the grenfell tower fire, in which 72 people died. the former tory prime minister, sirjohn major, urges voters to back rebel candidates running against his own party in next week's election. police in india have shot

dead four men suspected of raping and killing a woman after they reportedly tried to escape. sport now. chelsea will be able to buy players injanuary chelsea will be able to buy players in january after their transfer ban was reduced by the court of arbitration for sport. it will be a huge relief for frank lampard who hasn't been able to bring new players in since taking charge in the summer. simon stone has more. they basically heard an appeal by chelsea against the fifa huntsman for signing players who were underage and they have gone through the case and have decided that only a third of the cases that fifa brought forward of fifa felt chelsea we re brought forward of fifa felt chelsea were guilty of actually stand up and therefore they reduced the punishment so that they reduced by half effectively the number of

tra nsfer half effectively the number of transfer windows where chelsea were not allowed to sign players and, although it is not as important, it is still significant, they have also reduced by half the fine that chelsea were levied and that has gone down from 600,000 swiss francs to 300,000 swiss francs and that is around £230,000. so they have halved the punishment. arsenal are on the worst winless run since 1977 after being beaten to— one by brighton. this was the winner for brighton, ten minutes from time. it prompted some arsenalfans ten minutes from time. it prompted some arsenal fans to leave the stadium a little early. the gunners have now gone nine matches without a victory. newcastle born to — see row against sheffield united. they

confirmed that goal, much to the sheffield united manager's anger. confirmed that goal, much to the sheffield united manager's angerlj believe it not just sheffield united manager's angerlj believe it notjust sucked the life out do my players, it took the life out do my players, it took the life out of everybody in the stadium. every girl but goes in, i am not sure i am celebrating now. the game has just changed dramatically and it is quite sad. that is all the spot foran is quite sad. that is all the spot for an hour. much more on all those stories on the bbc sport website, including the build—up to the anthonyjoshua way including the build—up to the anthony joshua way in including the build—up to the anthonyjoshua way in tomorrow in saudi arabia. it is about an hour's time. police in india have shot dead four men suspected of raping and killing a young woman in the southern city of hyderabad last week. police said the men had been taken to the scene of the alleged crime, and were shot after they tried to attack police. the murder of the 27 —year—old vet has triggered protests across india.

rajini vaidyanathan reports... the scene of a brutal gang rape. now the place of celebration. hundreds gathered. today the officers were hailed heroes. the charred body of the 27—year—old was found here last week. police say they brought the accused to the same spot in the early hours of the morning for a crime reconstruction. but they killed the men after they tried to attack the officers. the victims house, there was praise for the authorities. this action will not bring us back our sister but it is a great relief and i think this incident will make people think about doing this thing again. it will not repeat because of such

actions. the protest and anger across india with demands for swifter justice in rape across india with demands for swifterjustice in rape cases. earlier this week one mp in parliament even called for rapists to be lynched. others question by the violence is the answer. it is a very dangerous thing to have happened. those people in any case by going to get hanging as a punishment for the heinous crime but you cannot kill people because he wa nt you cannot kill people because he want to. the horrific case in hyderabad isjust want to. the horrific case in hyderabad is just one of nearly 100 rapes which are reported in india every single day. after a brutal gang rape here in delhi in 2012, laws were changed, fast—track courts we re laws were changed, fast—track courts were set up. conviction rates remain low and seven years on the conversation is the same. why isn't justice being served and when, if ever, will things change? opposition

mps came out of parliament in protest of another horrific attack. on thursday a young woman was burned alive by the two men she accused of raping her. she was on her way to court for a hearing case. while many are celebrating today plasma killings, others say there is a deeper problem which needs to be addressed. changing mindset towards women in this deeply patriarchal society. let's go back to election yea rs. the leader of the liberal democrats, jo swinson, is also out on the campaign trail this morning and she's in hampshire, today focusing on childcare. our correspondent tom symonds is there. she has just arrived and is literally just gone she has just arrived and is

literallyjust gone inside here in hampshire. we will see what she has to say and we can bring you that later. it is interesting that childcare, this specific offer from the liberal democrats of 35 hours free from 9p is something they really feel they want, they hope, will cut through with voters at the polls next thursday. i was there on the launch of the policy at a school in somerset which seems like a long time ago. there is a slight feeling that has not yet had the attention of the liberal democrat think it deserves. they think it will be a vote winner. forjoe swenson it has been difficult. the polls have only gonein been difficult. the polls have only gone in the wrong direction since the beginning of this campaign —— macjoe swinson. constantly she has been asked this question. you are the kingmaker, potentially, you might be in the middle of a boris johnson premiership or a jeremy corbyn one, and she has repeatedly

refused to say which scenario she would rather have. she was asked again the question on woman's hour this morning. i think that is where we are with the liberal democrats, co nsta ntly we are with the liberal democrats, constantly being asked the question who they will support if it is not a clear outcome in the end. do you get the sense that there is a growing mutiny around her from the sense that there is a growing mutiny around herfrom other liberal democrats who want a different strategy, given that the polls suggest that some of the messaging from the lib dems is not working?” haven't heard that but i am in the joe swinson bubble because i been on the battle bus that has been travelling around with her and those close to her seem to be very keen to continue this policy. the message hasn't changed since the bus hit the road right at the beginning of the campaign. on the busjust now i've made a littlejoke campaign. on the busjust now i've made a little joke and i said campaign. on the busjust now i've made a littlejoke and i said i will be with you to the bitter end. she said, it would better. but the party

has not delivered an obvious boost and that is something she is going to be questioned about over the next few days and when the election results come in, if they go, which the polls suggest they might. but we mustn't read too much into polls. anything could happen in this campaign. there was a lot of talk of tactical voting going on around the country and it could be a different story when we get to next friday morning. thank you very much. we will get more on the childcare announcements later. the un's climate change conference continues in madrid today. countries are gathering to discuss the issue and set targets. and by now we know the warnings. 2019 is on course to be in the top three warmest years on record. the uk government has declared a national climate emergency. millions of people across the world have ta ken to the streets to protest governments' handling of the situation. let's get more on this from our correspondent gavin lee, who's in madrid.

do you get a sense that they are beginning to focus on more dramatic announcements? i think certainly the drumbeat of public feeling, a public presence, public protest, has never been seen before. in the space of a year there were no demonstrations at the 2ath un summit. what a change. there will be tens of thousands of people here in madrid. this is the square of christopher columbus, at the doorstep of where the summit is going on. driven by a 16—year—old climate activist who this time last year was giving solo protest outside parliament in stockholm in sweden and now it has come to a level where we saw 7.9 billion people protested around the world just two months ago. and that is the drumbeat of

this movement. she arrived on the overnight train from portugal just before dawn in madrid this morning. she was met with a press reception it came to rock and roll stars and royalty. she had to be escorted by police out of the train station. she then went to the summit to have a look around and meet some people. she was mobbed by a scrum of press. she was mobbed by a scrum of press. she could hardly move. she went to chile at first where the summit was supposed to be. it was moved to lisbon because of their civil unrest. she got a yacht. she says she has come here energised ready to speak and she will speak to leaders next week. there is enormous pressure on her and yet some are saying it is excessive pressure on 116—year—old and what are the government doing relying on a

16—year—old swede to concentrate their minds? yes, and it is a very mixed picture of what is going on inside the summit. it started off one week ago and many ministers will be turning up next week so in terms of movement, in terms of anything happening to tie up some of the commitments made during the paris climate agreement and to spell out what is the main thing that came out of that, which is a country is all around the world would commit to keep increasing emissions. to not allow the global temperature average to increase more than 1.52 degrees. at the moment the secretary general of the un is saying that they are abysmally failing. this generation is basically sleepwalking into a precipice beyond the point of no return. it is echoing greta thunberg. the russians, the saudis, the us have pulled out of the

climate change agreement altogether. so whether this ends up as a talking shop after robbie public movement and feeling are whether something generally happens next week. we will see. this will be a place of song and dance and commitments made by people here to not stop their protest later today. we will be back to see more of that later. thanks for now, gavin. the german chancellor, angela merkel, is making herfirst visit to the site of the nazi concentration camp at auschwitz in poland. the trip follows an increase in anti— semitism in germany. more than a million people, the vast majority of them jewish, were murdered there during the second world war. we can cross now to berlin and speak to our correspondent there, jenny hill. very important day for the chancellor, why now? she has visited a number of concentration camps before. officially she was at

auschwitz today to mark the tenth anniversary of the foundation of the organisation which now runs the place and whose aim is to make sure that the horrors, the crimes that we re that the horrors, the crimes that were perpetrated there are never forgotten. but of course her visit there is seen as a very significant, particularly at a time almost 75 yea rs particularly at a time almost 75 years after the death camp was liberated when in germany and across europe we are starting to see more insta nces europe we are starting to see more instances of anti—semitism, nationalism and, as she herself has said today, racism and intolerance beginning to grow. she has said that it was difficult as a german chancellor to find the words, to know what to say. when we look at what she eventually did say, you can pick up several particular parts. she herself acknowledged the deep shame she felt in what she described as the face of the barbaric crimes

committed by germans, crimes which will beyond the boundaries of what we would consider it imaginable. there were a number of survivors sitting in front of her as she spoke. she was very grateful to them, she said, because it is their testimony, they're reliving again and again of their ordeal at the hands of the nazis which means that young people today are still able to understand the gravity, the horror of what was perpetrated during the holocaust. but he also went on to talk about the fact that the values which germans, europeans must take for granted today, which are written into the modern german constitution, cannot be taken for granted. she herself acknowledged that anti—semitism is on the rise again and is threatening jewish life in germany and elsewhere. she said these values we must vow to defend. we cannot take them for granted. it is not rhetorical that those values are still there and i try to quote

from what she had to say, but she said we must protect and defend them in daily life and in the workings of state and political life. it is interesting because 75 years after the liberation of auschwitz, it is noteworthy that far right mps now sit in the german parliament. angela merkel talked about being nervous about historical revisionism. there have been big controversies here in germany after members of the far right party have talked about the monument to the holocaust right here in the centre building as being a monument of shame and saying it is time germany left all the behind. my sense from killer merkel from today is that he is very keen that she wa nts to is that he is very keen that she wants to make sure that is not the case. she didn't apologise for the crimes committed by the nazis, of course, but she did say she feels there shame. it is very important, she said, that it should be remembered that whilst auschwitz is

in poland, it is a german concentration camp, built by germans and the crimes committed then were committed by germans. so i think it is very telling that he made the speech today and i think it is clear that she is very keen to protect, and she comes to the end of her time in office, that those values continue. now it's time for a look at the weather. today, we have seen a lot of cloud, operative rain and some drizzle. that isn't limited improvement in the weather, the rest of the rain clouds are white eastwards, followed by sunshine and frequent heavy showers across north—western areas, also dragging in some cooler air. overnight tonight, we will continue to see if you are showers feeding into the curves and hills, partly cloudy, still quite breezy, not an

especially cold night, temperatures a7 celsius. there we can start off fairly windy on saturday, a lot of dry weather around with some bright and sunny spells for many of us. through the day, we'll see thickening cloud and operative rain spreading into the north—west, the heavy stuff are getting into western scotla nd heavy stuff are getting into western scotland through saturday afternoon. another mild day, temperatures still in double figures. on sunday, there are still very strong wind do in the day thanks to the first named storm to victory british isles, nine

hello, this is bbc newsroom live — with me, carrie gracie. the headlines: london's fire chief, dany cotton, quits early — she'd faced criticism over the grenfell tower fire, in which 72 people died. the former tory prime minister, sirjohn major, urges voters to back rebel candidates running against his own party in next week's election it comes as borisjohnson and jeremy corbyn prepare to go head—to—head in the final tv debate before polling day. police in india shoot dead four men suspected of rape and murder — in a case that sparked nationwide outrage. the german chancellor, angela merkel, makes herfirst visit to auschwitz for the 75th

anniversary of its liberation. three bushfires near sydney have merged into an inferno — blanketing australia's biggest city in a haze of smoke. we hear from the british woman who was brought back to life after her heart stopped beating for six hours. let's return now to our main story: london fire brigade's commissioner, dany cotton, is to step down four months early in the wake of criticism over the service's response to the grenfell fire. let's talk now tojoe delaney, from the grenfell action group. what is your responsiveness announcement? i think it was a long time coming to when dany cotton made her, shall we say, i'm pointing out

remarks, saying it was more likely a spaceship would hit the shard than it was to predict that fire, her days were numbered from land, it was only a matter of time to stop it was best that she has gone now to give her successor a proper run into the job. they think it was heart language or actions at the heart of the problem? i think her language compounded her actions, that is the biggest problems we had in the community. a mistake was clearly made up my end how long it took to abandon the stated policy. but then to compound that sticks out publicly and forcefully at the inquiry was absolutely the final straw as many people around here were concerned. we certainly do not blame individual firefighters on the front line, this was a systemic issue affecting london fire service. other than

that, no, we do not blame them, but we do blame the system. u nfortu nately, we do blame the system. unfortunately, she vehemently defended a system that... the heart of the problem, leaders who are responsible for systems which have fundamental flaws. in a way, responsible for systems which have fundamentalflaws. in a way, does the task of the ship mean that they have to challenge their own system publicly? personally, i don't think it is difficult, i think one thing dany it is difficult, i think one thing da ny cotto n it is difficult, i think one thing da ny cotton forgot was it is difficult, i think one thing dany cotton forgot was that she was a civil servant first and foremost. pa rt a civil servant first and foremost. part of that is that you speak truth on to power, she should have fiercely resisted these cuts, been prepared to speak against them. because of that was what herjob was, not to play a politician, that was, not to play a politician, that was the political paymasters who we re was the political paymasters who were cutting these services, who frankly do not have a clue about

fire services, none of them have ever put out a burning building, none of them have ran into a burning building to try and save people, she had, so she should have known better. she certainly should have done better by the staff of the london fire service you put that lies on the life and stop if your response will for the recruitment process for her successor, what would be the key qualities you would be looking for? independence, impartiality and a strong will to resist political pressure, to say or do things which they know are dangerous and will cost lives. the you think that would be a view shared by the firefighters you have met in the course of your experience in the past two years?” met in the course of your experience in the past two years? i certainly have not met a firefighter in the last eight years who would like their life unnecessarily put at risk, they already put themselves in incredible amounts of danger on a daily basis. they deserve better,

london deserves better. that is what we need, a commissioner who be better. investors have just voted to back a plan to save the haulage firm, eddie stobart, which was at risk of collapse. our business correspondent katie prescott is with me now. what has happened? very nervous time for the 6000— people who work for eddie stobart. i have been contacted for several people who say that they will have no idea what is going on with the company even though it is in trouble. there has been a crunch about today, all about when the company's about today, all about when the compa ny‘s shares were about today, all about when the company's shares were suspended back in august because of accounting problems. one of their larger shareholders put a proposal on the table to lend £55 million and ordered to pay back their debts, and to keep the company afloat in exchange for half of the company. although this means that the company

will keep going, shareholders have had to take quite a hit by accepting it. does it make people who work for the company, does it make their working life secure, well they feel confident about this deal? certainly, they will feel confident about this. the private equity firm that has won this about used to actually own eddie stobart so they have been involved in the business for a have been involved in the business fora time, have been involved in the business for a time, they say some of the people working for the company are the best in the business and how they are committed to taking forward. there will also be relieved forward. there will also be relieved for companies like tesco, texaco, big firms that rely on eddie sto ba rt, big firms that rely on eddie stobart, critically in the run—up to christmas. in terms of concrete changes, what will people see?” don't think much will change in terms of branding and contracts, thatis terms of branding and contracts, that is exactly why the company is so very valuable, while there has been the demand for steel to take

place. firefighters in australia say they're tackling about a hundred fires across the state of new south wales, nearly half of them uncontained. they say several of the most serious have combined to create what they describe as a "mega blaze" north of sydney. the city has been blanketed by thick smoke all week. bushfires have killed at least six people and destroyed 700 homes across australia since october. shaimaa khalil has more. this thick smoke haze has covered australia's biggest city for about a week now and it is not letting up. everyone will tell you that this grey and murky air isjust not normal for sydney. we also understand that the air quality has now deteriorated to beyond hazardous. people have been told to stay indoors because of the poor air quality but, to be honest, that smell get you even when you are inside. it seeps through the buildings. we also understand there has been a hike in hospital admittance of people with respiratory problems. 25% increase in people coming in with medical problems. that, of course, is because of

the 100 bushfires that are raging across new south wales, with the severest coming close to sydney. one headline summed it up quite neatly — it says, "sydney chokes as state burns." we understand that some of these fires are at an emergency level which means that it is too late for some people to leave their homes. we also heard from authorities who say that north of sydney, three big fires have now merged into what has been described as a mega blaze, covering a huge area of 300,000 hectares. we also saw a remarkable footage of sydney where firefighters were fleeing and escaping, running to safety when the fires were surging towards them. just showing you how fast and unpredictable these fires are. now, the severity of these fires, the timing of these fires, early on into the fire season have sparked anger at the government. many people are criticising scott morrison's government for not doing enough

to tackle climate change. the government itself has so far refused to be drawn on that debate. but as fire officials have put it, we are going to see more of that coming in because the fires will continue to rage, so it is tough times ahead. shaimaa khalil reporting. now the business news. here is susanna. british builder berkeley group has reported a slump in first—half pretax profit, as it sold homes at lower prices in a brexit hit housing market. the company, which operates mainly in london, birmingham and the south of england said average selling price decreased 13% to £6aa,000. fares will be capped on some routes on the west coast rail line between lancashire and scotland. the competition and markets authority reached the agreement

with first group and trenitalia, who have taken over the contract to operate the franchise under the joint venture, avanti. the watchdog was concerned that on 21 routes, it found that passengers had little or no option but to choose a service run by firstgroup, which also operates transpennine express. customers of defunct tour operator thomas cook have been told they will face delays in getting refunds for atol—protected package holidays. the civil aviation authority originally said all valid claims made on the first day of its refund programme would be paid within 60 days, or by today. but now it says only two—thirds will be paid on time. lets get more now on the berkeley group's latest disappointing results which is blamed partly on the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming general election and delays to brexit. the company, which operates primarily in london, birmingham and the south of england, said pre—tax profit fell 31% to £2767 million months ended october 31. the company delivered 1,389

homes during the period, down from 2,027 last year. we've also had a snapshot of the housing market today from mortgage lender, halifax. it said prices rose in november by around 1% after a 0.1 % drop the previous month. earlier i spoke to kate faulkner, property expert who told me what these latest readings indicate for the housing market i don't think we have lost the desire in this country to be able to buy and live in your own home, so what we have seen over the last kind of twelve months is our people have held off potentially making offers. but what we haven't seen is this huge drop orfall in the number of people who are actually going out there looking. and i think people, some people are waiting for more certainty. we saw a flurry of activity over the summer, particularly in areas like london, that had been somewhat subdued over the last 12 months. in actual fact, if you talk to removal guys, they are absolutely rushed off their feet at this time of year as those come to fruition.

so i don't think it is anything to do with the demand side of things. as far as the supply side is concerned, where the market is subdued then you are going to think, right, we are going into a more normalised area, a normal market. so you are going to build. but you are going to be a little bit cautious because, who knows where we are going to be come january? and we do need brexit settled, not just for the construction industry, but for everybody else. now, christmas beckons, which can only mean one thing — a shopping spree for many. however, if you are a small, independent local business, it can be a challenging time competing with big brands and online giants. tomorrow — there's a nationwide campaign planned to persuade more of us to shop locally and support small businesses. small business saturday — which started in the us in 2010 — but is now spreading across the uk. one of the businesses hoping for support is revival retro — a vintage shop in central london — and we can speak to rowena howie the founder.

what kind of support are you getting from this campaign? it is a grassroots campaign from small businesses themselves. we basically put our hands up and shout about it, raising awareness, and suggest other local businesses. it is a community of local businesses. the public are also held by shopping at small businesses, but also by getting recommendations and raising awareness, shouting about their favourites. how hard is it to compete with on line? even in the vintage and retro market, there is a lot of online competition, facebook community groups, how do you community groups, how do you compete? we operate a bricks and mortar store in central london, and we have a full e—commerce site. we also post on social media, yes. it

becomes a very big undertaking, it is not just simply becomes a very big undertaking, it is notjust simply opening the doors and hoping summary will come through them, you have to be strategic and operating on all levels. as well as just raising awareness, what reforms would you like to see to help small business? i would really like to see some dedicated support to small businesses. there are 5.8 million small businesses in the uk, they employ 17 million people. where a lot of the businesses is about big businesses and corporations, we are a significant part of the economy. our elect to see a government, any party, actually doing action that will actually benefit us. are you seeing with the growing emphasis on sustainability, more people are turning to vintage and second—hand clouds? we actually make new clouds, we design our own rain here in london, we also manufacture our clouds in london. it is new stuff inspired by the past. i think there

are many businesses looking to how they can be more sustainable. small businesses can make changes, they can be flexible, open to new ideas. getting the people in those businesses to act on them, from reducing waste and packaging, to turning off the lights at night, to a bigger emphasis and have bigger opportunities where we really can help save the environment. uber said it received almost 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the us in 2017 and 2018. over the two—year period, 2.3 billion rides were taken via the platform. while the number of cases rose in 2018, the rate of incidents dropped by 16%, as the number ofjourneys was higher. uber is facing growing scrutiny around the world, and recently lost its licence to operate in london. saudi arabia's oil giant, aramco, has become the most valuable listed company

in the world. it raised a record £19.a billion, 25.6 billion. the share sale was the biggest to date, surpassing that of china's alibaba which raised $25bn in 201a in new york. the ipo will value it at $1.7tn when trading begins. the boss of lloyd's of london, the insurance market, has warned workers to behave over the christmas period in what he called a challenging time of the year. in an interview with financial news, lloyd's chief executivejohn neal said that he had emailed staff and its member companies to remind them of the standards of behaviour that were expected. lloyds are holding their christmas party tonight apparently. lets check in with the financial markets — it's looking like a bouyant end to the week. as just days after saying a trade deal between a trade deal between the us and china may not happen until after the 2020 election, president donald trump now says talks are "moving right along". that's cheered investors, as has news that china says that it will waive import tariffs for some

us soybeans and pork, according to the country's finance ministry. meanwhile, markets are awaiting new us jobs data later today — so there is a bit of a wait and see attitude around. not much reaction to those figures from berkeley homes, associated british foods, owner of primark is slightly leigh palin is continuing its strong showing this week. against the euro, it is ata showing this week. against the euro, it is at a two and a half year high. that's all the business news. a british woman whose heart stopped beating for six hours has been brought back to life, in what doctors have described as an "exceptional case." audrey schoeman developed severe hypothermia while hiking in the spanish pyrenees. doctors say it is the longest cardiac arrest ever recorded in spain. andy moore reports. celebrating life with the rescue workers and medics who saved her.

english teacher audrey schoeman was out hiking with her husband in the catalan pyrenees when they get caught in bad weather. she fell unconscious as temperatures plummeted. this rescuer said she was completely immobile, unconscious, and rigid, with clear signs of hypothermia when they found her. her husband feared the worst. i thought she was dead, because i was trying to feel for a pulse, trying to feel for... my fingers were also numb. so i wasn't sure if it was my fingers. but couldn't feel her breath, i couldn't feel her heartbeat. once in hospital, it was this machine that saved her. used here with a medical dummy, it took her own blood, infused it with oxygen, and then reintroduced it. her heart was eventually restarted with a defibrillator and she left hospital 12 days later with only minor problems in her hands. it feels really incredible that

i survived it and just really lucky to be here and to be able to get on with my life. i'm just happy! audrey describes her survival as a miracle. she is the woman who died for six hours and yet lived to tell the tale. andy moore, bbc news. a six—year—old girl who survived a brain tumour, we have just got a verdict through in the last few seconds in the case ofjuices in the last few seconds in the case of juices that in the last few seconds in the case ofjuices that can, —— joseph mccann...

that is just coming through, but he has been convicted by an old bailey jury has been convicted by an old bailey jury ofa has been convicted by an old bailey jury of a string of rapes. so, the right indictments have come back as guilty. joseph mccann, you will remember this shocking case in april and may, the random attacks in london and watford which spread to cheshire, manchester and lancashire before the eventual capture of joseph mccann. there were seven abductions in total, and ace brain of sexual attacks, both against women and children, what the prosecution described as a shocking depravity and violence. it was a long crime spree. convictions layer of rape, no details the other

indictments. the other charges are still being considered. that was a 37 count indictment. let's have a word with our home affairs corresponding, june kelly, who is outside the old bailey for us. the jury outside the old bailey for us. the jury are now bringing in their verdicts, they have 37 count in toto to consider so a lot for them to consider. these are alleged offences to be committed any south—east of england, watford, parts of london, also at the north west. he was on trial for committing offences in lancashire, greater manchester and cheshire. what is interesting and unusual in this case is thatjoseph mccann has refused to attend his own trial, he is legally entitled to do this. he did string the court along, claiming constantly that he wanted to come to court when changing his mind at the last minute. this has led to delays in the trial, also

wasted thousands of pounds of public money. he did make one brief appearance when he simply complained about the conditions he was being held under at belmarsh top security prison. thejury only held under at belmarsh top security prison. the jury only went out yesterday, the trial has lasted a few weeks. although they have 37 cou nts to few weeks. although they have 37 counts to consider, the fact that the verdicts are coming in very quickly now... just hearing, certainly, on the majority of the offences, mccann has been found guilty. i have been till by collea g u es guilty. i have been till by colleagues in court, guilty on count number33, colleagues in court, guilty on count number 33, only for mark moore to go. the offences are obviously horrific offences, the full details are so horrific that we simply have not been able to report them. basically, he went around the country terrorising and raping women and children. 11 victims in all, eight counts of rape, 37 charges. it

was a massive police investigation across five forces. the metropolitan police took priority, they actually ran the investigation, detectives from scotland yard. they were building on information from collea g u es building on information from colleagues in other forces, hertfordshire, manchester and cheshire. mccann was eventually found in many hiding of a tree. he had got away from the police when he was in the north west, eventually, they used a helicopter with heat seeking kit and were able to locate him hiding up a tree. we arejust hearing, thejury are bringing in the verdicts in fairly swiftly. we will get the final verdict in the next few minutes. lots more on that coming up with ben in the one o'clock news. judging from whatjun was saved there. right now, let's

catch a look at the weather. hello there. we have got some strong winds on the way this weekend but before we get there for many of us it is a cloudy day today with outbreaks of rain at times. the rain tends to ease two showers later on and we will start to get some cooler north—westerly winds blowing in. damp weather for many of us with the showers really packing into the north and western areas of the uk. some of those showers are likely to be quite heavy. and those north—westerly winds will drag in some cooler air. temperatures falling through the afternoon. highs of around 8 degrees, but still mild across england and wales. you will see 11 or 12 celsius fairly widely. through the night time, the rain will tend to ease off for many areas although a few showers will continue around the coast and hills in the north—west of the country. patchy cloud around. these are the overnight temperatures. it is relatively mild compared with recent nights. we are looking at lows of around four to six celsius. as far as the weekend goes, what we are keeping an eye on is a deep area of low pressure that is set to form. and it forms because the jet stream

get very strong across the atlantic, blowing at 180 mph. powerfuljet streams often make quite powerful storms, so we get a new area of low pressure forming here. that starts to spin around and will affect the british isles during the second half of the weekend. this is storm atiyah that is on the way. saturday, a lot of bright but windy weather on the way with rain eventually reaching north—westerly areas. sunday looks like for some of us it will become quite stormy, even windier. weather—wise, a day of sunshine and heavy showers. on saturday, for many of us, it is going to be a reasonable day. bright weather. quite windy weather for most of us as well. but through the day strengthening winds blow rain into the north—west of the country. temperatures around 8 to 10 celsius. we will get a zone of heavy rain moving across the uk during saturday night and then on into sunday, a tier, which is this squeeze in the isobars you can see coming in late in the day

towards northern ireland, that will really pick up the wind speed here with the risk of some severe gales blowing in later on in the day. then that swathe of strong winds through sunday night and into monday will start to affect part of england and wales as well. so we have got some strong winds on the way. it is all down to storm atiyah, named by met eireann the irish forecasters. severe gales and destruction on the way for some.

a man described by police as one of the most dangerous sex offenders ever seen in the uk has been found guilty of a string of charges including rape, false imprisonment and kidnap. 3a—year—old joseph mccann was accused of 37 charges relating to 11 women and children, to 11 women and children. joseph mccann is a horrendously dangerous individual who has shown com plete co ntem pt dangerous individual who has shown complete contempt for his victims and he is clearly one of the most dangerous sex offenders we have ever seenin dangerous sex offenders we have ever seen in this country. we will have the very latest from the old bailey. also this lunchtime. former conservative prime ministerjohn major calls on voters in some areas not to back the tories. i think that he is wrong. and i think that he represents a view that