tonight at ten: three days to polling day and the nhs is once again at the heart of the election campaign. borisjohnson was on the campaign trail tonight after a day of being accused of not caring for the plight of nhs patients. it followed a report in today's press about a young boy with suspected pneumonia who had to sleep on the floor of a hospital in leeds. 40 a0 new hospitals... 40 new hospitals... i'm talking about this boy. how do you feel? look at it now... we'll have the latest

on the campaign as the party leaders focus on their target seats in the last few days. also tonight... british citizens are among eight people missing after a volcano erupted off the coast of new zealand — five people have died. joseph mccann, who carried out a series of sex attacks, is sentenced to 33 life sentences — thejudge says he will always be a danger to society. russia is banned again from all major sports events for doping — this time forfour years. and one of the last—surviving raf pilots who fought the luftwaffe in the skies during the battle of britain has died at the age of 101. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news... all the reaction from the london stadium, where arsenal were hoping to bring an end to their nine—game run without a win. good evening.

with just three days to polling day, the state of the nhs is once again dominating the election campaign. borisjohnson has been criticised after initially refusing to look at an image of a four—year—old boy with suspected pneumonia who had to sleep on the floor of a hospital in leeds. as other party leaders, including labour'sjeremy corbyn, accused the prime minister ofjust not caring, the health secretary matt hancock later apologised for the boy's experience. our political editor laura kuenssberg has the latest. not long left to roll. borisjohnson wants to win and hopes he can do so by taking territory that's been labour forever but where the majority voted leave. people in this part of the country, people across this country spoke and said that they wanted to leave the eu. now is the moment for us to get on and do it. beyond that familiar mantra, though, is he really in tune with millions of people who rely on public services and worry about them? like four—year—old jack's parents whose son had to wait on the floor

in a leeds hospital, pictured on the front page of the mirror newspaper today. i'm talking about this boy, prime minister. i know, i know. how do you feel looking at that photo? of course, and let me tell you, let me tell you that i haven't had a chance to look at that but i'll look at it. why don't you look at it now, prime minister? borisjohnson, awkward, when an itv reporter asked him to respond directly to the photograph. you've refused to look at the photo, you've taken my phone and put it in your pocket, prime minister. his mother says the nhs is in crisis. what's your response? i'm sorry. look, it's a terrible, terrible photo and i apologise, obviously, to the family and all those who have had terrible experiences in the nhs. although he was flanked by a former labour mp today, this is not safe ground for boris johnson. not at all. why was a fake website set up? there were tricky questions from the audience on the tories‘ behaviour online, brexit and the tv licence fee. it certainly wasn't his home crowd. do you really think, after nearly a decade of a very

significant squeeze on public spending, that you as a party understand the concerns of people in the north of england? especially since today you struggled to look at a picture of a four—year—old boy on the floor of an emergency department in a hospital in leeds? well, i'm very proud of what we are doing to rebuild leeds general infirmary, and it's one of the hospitals that we will rebuild from the beginning. it will be a fantastic project. and we are putting, as i say, the biggest ever investment into our nhs. borisjohnson‘s here trying to get people to vote tory in this part of the country. do you think that's going to happen? i hope not. why? we've had nine years of awfulness. but others are for turning. we're changing to tory. yeah, yeah. how will you vote this time? tory. and will it be the first time? just to keepjessa out. at this late stage, though, today labour was given a big chance in front of a big crowd in bristol

to push on the bruise. the daily mirror today shows this picture of a four—year—old boy suffering from pneumonia being treated on the floor of a hospital. and... all the way through, they've attacked the tories on how they've dealt with the health service. the tories have had nine years to fund our nhs properly. cheering it's time to bring their regime to an end and elect a labour government that is determined to fund our nhs properly. the health secretary was dispatched to leeds general to try to calm things down. it's not good enough and i've apologised. i've got three small children myself, i've spent too many evenings in a&e and i know what it feels like. shouting the health secretary, though, was harangued by a small group of labour protesters on his way out. the two sides in this

election are miles apart. with only three days to go, tensions are on the rise. get out of here! you are not welcome... we are going live to skipton this evening and laura joins us from there. when you see what the prime minister was trying to answer from that reporter, how damaging a day has it been for him? this is a critical moment in the election campaign. there is only a couple of days left, and this has been a bad days left, and this has been a bad day for the conservatives on the campaign trail. the prime minister has spent the day certainly on the back foot, and it's given his opponents, especially the labour party, another big chance to hammer away at what they perceive to be an area of real vulnerability for the tories. notjust their handling of the nhs and whether the health service has enough money to do the

job it wants to do, but politics is about empathy as well and it seemed today boris johnson about empathy as well and it seemed today borisjohnson struggled to show that. that has been a question we have heard from many voters around the country, whether the tories really understand what millions of people around the country are dealing with and perhaps struggling to go through. clearly in that regard it's been a very tricky day for the conservatives. tonight, frankly, it is impossible to tell whether this kind of event, which has been a big moment in the campaign, will really have an impact on the final result, but it will certainly have taken a hammer to any complacency that might be setting in tory hq. a reminder that this election might be in the final furlong but it really isn't over yet. another couple of days yet left to go. laura kuenssberg in skipton, thank you. let's take a look at some of today's other election news. and as you heard in laura's report, borisjohnson has suggested a conservative government

would consider the future viability of the bbc licence fee. in response to a question from the public, he said it was worth considering if the current funding model for public service broadcasting still made sense. the liberal democrat leader, jo swinson, has come under pressure over her claim that she could be prime minister and that her party would revoke article 50 if it won the election. that is the mechanism for delivering brexit. contributors to a bbc 5 live phone in this morning including former lib dem voters were overwhelmingly critical. jo swinson said she would review her campaign after the election. the snp leader, nicola sturgeon, has again warned that only a vote for her party in scotland on thursday can prevent a conservative majority government in westminster. she said borisjohnson had proved himself to be untrustworthy as a prime minister. representatives from all of the main political parties contesting the election have faced each other in a special bbc question time for the under 30s. they debated climate change, housing and mental health among other issues.

our chief political correspondent vicki young has been taking a look at what issues are important for younger voters. whether it's climate change, housing, brexit or education, young people are often passionate campaigners, but when it comes to election they are still significantly less likely to vote than older people. one issue seems to resonate with every generation. how can it be democratic to have a second referendum on eu membership before implementing the result on the first? labour wants to negotiate a new deal and then put it to the vote. what is frustrating as people think we are trying to stop brexit, thatis think we are trying to stop brexit, that is not what we are trying to do. i don't personally subscribe to people didn't know what they were voting for, they did and i understand the frustration. because

politicians have failed to do their job, we have to take it back to the people. there isn't a brexit deal that protectsjobs, that is good for out that protectsjobs, that is good for our economy, that protectsjobs, that is good for our economy, and the people trying to say that is the case are trying to say that is the case are trying to peddle something that simply is not true. you think we will be better off and i think —— i think we will be better off and you think we will be better off and you think we will worse off. the late paddy ashdown said we will respect the voters and you have broken your word. many in this audience are keen to have their say on brexit. my grandparents had two votes on this, andi grandparents had two votes on this, and i myself have not had one. and what about climate change? and i myself have not had one. and what about climate change ?|j and i myself have not had one. and what about climate change? i know the conservative government chided those young people for skipping school and how dare you, and it was terrible, but i was proud to be part of the scottish government that said

bloody well done because you got the issue right up the agenda. we are the only ones saying we have a hopeful vision where we can cut people's bills by super insulating their homes, get people out of their cars... you would have to borrow a heck of a lot of money to do that. and no surprise that this issue came up. how can we be sure any future houses are genuinely affordable when private companies are expected to build the majority? we have built in the last year more homes in this country than any bar one in the last 30 years. there is a role for the state in that but we are also trying to encourage through reforms in the planning system and infrastructure of the private sector as well. at the last election there was a small increase in the number of young people voting. their involvement could be crucial on thursday. vicki young, bbc news. at least five people have been killed and eight more are missing after a volcano erupted off

the coast of new zealand. around 50 people, mainly tourists, were on the island at the time of the eruption. two british people are in hospital and new zealand's prime minister has confirmed that british people are among those still unaccounted for. white island is new zealand's most active volcano. it's in the bay of plenty around 30 miles off the coast of the north island. from there, our correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. the extraordinary few moments after the volcano on white island erupted. it hit briefly and fiercely, filling the air with plumes of smoke and smouldering ash. the people on this boat had left just moments before the eruption. the boat operators were not taking any chances. go inside! go inside! translation: we were on the volcano for about an hour. ten minutes after we left and got on the boat, the volcano started erupting. the boat turned around and went back to the

island to try to help the people who were still there. i'm not sure if everyone got out alive. white island is one of new zealand's most active volcanoes, but it's also a popular tourist destination. thousands come here for walks and scenic aeroplane rides. nothing escaped the devastation here. the scale of the damage clearly shown here with a sightseeing helicopter, barely recognisable under the thick smouldering ash. down the beach, a large group could be seen waiting to be rescued. at this stage, we can confirm that amongst those currently listed as missing or injured are new zealanders who were part of the tourist operation and tourists from australia, the united states, united kingdom, china and malaysia. that is to the best of our knowledge. emergency operations are now in place in many hospitals around the country. 3! people have been taken in for treatment so far. the injured who were brought to shore from the

island were all suffering from burns. we now know that three people were treated, then released from hospital here. those with more severe burns and critical conditions have been transferred to specialist hospitals across the country. we also know that five of those initially rescued died from their injuries. the monitoring camera filmed a group of people at the rim of the volcano moments before the eruption. then it went black, raising questions about why tourists were allowed near the area in such hazardous conditions. about three weeks ago we raised the alert level to indicate there were signs of increased unrest and therefore a slightly higher probability of an eruption. but that goes down to the tourist operators, who informed the tourists and decide whether they should go or not. police say the situation on the island is still dangerous and

u nsta ble island is still dangerous and unstable for rescuers to go in. they have confirmed there is no sign of life there at the moment, and whoever is still on the island has not survived. and now that we know and have had a confirmation from the prime minister that there is no sign of life on the island this then becomes a recovery operation, not a rescue mission. we understand helicopter and drone surveillance will continue but big issue here is those very dangerous conditions, that dangerous situation that still hasn't been resolved on the island, and again, a reiteration from the police that they will not send anyone in until they are told it is safe to do so. shaimaa, thanks for the update, our correspondent shaimaa khalil on the north island of new zealand. the world anti—doping agency has

banned russia from major international sporting events for an unprecedented four years including the next summer and winter olympic games and the 2022 football world cup. an investigation found that the russian authorities had tampered with data from an anti—doping laboratory. athletes who can prove they are drug free will be able to compete under a neutralflag. our sports editor dan roan has the story. it's a sporting superpower, as both host and competitor. but today, russia found itself out in the cold. ever since hosting the winter games in 2014, the country's been mired in an unprecedented doping scandal and now it faces an unprecedented punishment. this morning at a meeting in lausanne, russia hit with a four—year ban from international sporting events. russia was afforded every opportunity to get its house in order and to rejoin the global anti—doping community for the good of its athletes and for the integrity of sport. but it chose instead a different route. russia's been punished for tampering

with drugs test data from the former lab of doping mastermind—turned—whistle—blower dr grigory rodchenkov, who we caught up with last year in disguise and still in hiding in the united states. olympics could die. today, he welcomed the punishment but russian officials are set to appeal. translation: the fact these decisions have been repeated, often affecting athletes who have already been punished, leads one to believe this is more anti—russian hysteria that already anti—russian hysteria that's already taken on a chronic form. no official russian team, anthem or flag will feature at next year's tokyo olympics and paralympics, the winter games in 2022, or the world cup a months later. winter games in 2022, or the world cup a few months later. but as ever with anti—doping there are caveats. a loophole means russia will be allowed to play and host matches at football's euros next year because it's not a global event. and as at last year's winter olympics, russian athletes who can prove they are clean will be allowed to compete under a neutral banner. that's dismayed those who wanted wada to issue a blanket ban.

the duplicity, deceit and deception that they've exhibited is just beyond the pale. wada under this particular administration has not really stood up for the athletes the way that we deserve. london 2012 was just one of the events sabotaged by russia's cheating. seven years on, the fallout from sport's greatest ever scandal continues. dan roan, bbc news. the serial sex attacker joseph mccann has been sentenced to 33 life sentences and must serve a minimum of 30 years. he was convicted of a string of attacks on a total of 11 women and children across england. the judge described him as a classic psychopath who would always be a danger to society. he also called for an independent investigation into why mccann was released from prison in february. our home affairs correspondent june kelly reports. joseph mccann, described today

by the judge as a psychopath, a coward, a violent bully and a paedophile. his youngest victim was a boy of 11. his eldest, a woman of 71. most were grabbed off the street by mccann. cctv captured him in his car as he spotted and targeted a 25—year—old. her identity is protected. mccann subjected her to what was described as 14 hours of depravity. she finally managed to free herself and another young woman after mccann went into this hotel in watford, leaving them both in the car. when he returned, she hit him over the head with a vodka bottle. today, her victim personal statement was read to the court by the prosecutor. she said, "my life as a young woman in her 20s looks very different to how it did. i spend more time at home managing my trauma." she also disclosed that since her ordeal at the hands of mccann,

she had faced a wait of up to a year for therapy and ended up paying for it herself. once again, joseph mccann exercised his legal right not to attend court. today's excuse was that he had a bad back. the judge described mccann as someone entirely obsessed with himself, who had never expressed a word of regret or concern for his victims. they were failed by the state. joseph mccann‘s mistaken release from prison gave a violent offender the opportunity to rape women and children. today, thejudge, mrjustice edis, said he feared some lives could be ruined by what mccann did, and the failings in this case should be made public. june kelly, bbc news, at the old bailey. in china, a senior official has claimed all the people held in detention centres in the west of the country have now been released.

a mounting body of independent evidence suggests more than1 million uighur muslims were sent to the centres in the last few years in the western region of xinjiang. human rights groups have described the camps as prisons. china has always maintained they were voluntary "re—education" and training centres, despite the presence of high security features such as watchtowers and razor wire. a number of recent reports including by bbc news have highlighted conditions in the centres and sparked international condemnation. our china correspondent john sudworth is one of the few western journalists to have been given access to the camps. with international outrage still growing over the mass internment of muslims, xinjiang's camps, china says, are no more. translation: all the students who took the classes have graduated. with the help of the government they have achieved a stable employment and live a happy life.

china has long insisted that these places are schools for tackling extremism. on our tour we were shown a supposedly grateful muslims being taught to be loyal communist citizens. but away from the show camps the guards, the queueing visitors, the barbed wire, and the watchtowers make clear that enrolment is anything but voluntary. information and access are so limited in xinjiang, beijing's claim that the camps have closed is impossible to verify. but while aspects of the system may well be changing, it is highly unlikely that this massive system of coercion and control has been dismantled. state media has been showing new factories, some built next to the camps, in which graduates are being put to work for meagre wages and,

reports suggest, little choice. and separate to the camps, xinjiang's prisons have also been filling up at an extraordinary pace. while for china as a whole, the arrest rate per head of population has remained stable, in xinjiang it has skyrocketed. our reporting has highlighted the human cost of china's policies. if xinjiang's disappeared masses really are being released, then many will ask, "where is the proof?" john sudworth, bbc news, beijing. firefighters have been tackling a major blaze at a block of flats in glasgow. the alarm was raised at lancefield quay on the north bank of the clyde earlier this evening. the fire service sent 12 engines to the blaze and nearby residents have been advised to stay indoors. there have been no reports of injuries so far.

the ukrainian president, volodymyr zelensky, and his russian counterpart, vladimir putin, are holding their first face—to—face talks, docused on the conflict in eastern ukraine. france and germany are mediating the summit which is taking place in paris. the leaders will attempt to end five and a half years of fighting in eastern ukraine between government forces and separatist rebels backed by russia. in just a few days we'll know the identity of the uk's next prime minister. throughout this campaign we've been travelling around the uk to key seats that could tip the balance of power. tonight, we're at our final stop crewe in cheshire where we can join my coilleague clive myrie. clive? yes, good evening. we're in the heart of the town in memorial square, a stone's throw away from the main railway station. crewe, of course, a major rail hub catering to 10,000 passengers every day, including the conservative and

labour leaders canvassing hard here. now, the seat actually spans two towns, crewe and nantwich, taken by labour from the tories, in 2017. the majority — wafer thin — just 48 votes, and after three recounts, actually, making this one of the top ten most marginal constituencies in the uk. on brexit, 60% of voters wanted to leave the european union. so, with this being such a tight marginal, undecided voters who aren't being counted by the pollsters, could prove to be decisive. we've been talking to one couple, still unsure which way to go. prepare for the final dash — the rush of promises of treats to win your vote on thursday. meet scott thompson who, with his wifejenny, runs a doggy day—care centre in crewe. they say they're torn about which party deserves their full attention.

health care and education, two main things, and as a businessman, business rates, corporation tax. they're all always conflicting, they'll have one party that will help us as a business, another party that will help us as a family. we now have to decide whether we want a strong business or a strong family. it's ok, mate. i know. and there is a fatigue, a weariness, over the brexit battle. everyone's fighting, nobody understands anything, and at the moment most people that i speak to, i'd say about 80% of people are just like, "i'm sick of hearing about it, i want brexit to be done and over." undecideds could be vital in this marginal seat when they eventually make up their minds. more affordable housing, an improved nhs, higher paying jobs — all vital issues in the first december general election since 1923. and for the folks out buying christmas trees, could family squabbles over politics and brexit spoil the holidays?

you're going to be voting differently from your wife. yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. ok, has that caused any arguments in the house? no, not really, no. why should it? you're entitled to your own opinion, aren't you? please, no throwing of pigs in blankets across the dinner table. oh, no, they're for eating, not for throwing! this is the season of goodwill to all men. with this election, do you think that's going to be the case? i don't think so, no. i think too many people have got their own personal agendas. and it's all lies, yeah. oh dear. yeah. happy christmas, mate! yeah, cheers, and to you. happy new year! it is a time of year that prompts reflection on the year past and the year to come. whichever way the election goes, the thompsons have one big christmas wish. whatever the colour of the government — blue, red, yellow, green, whichever — we just need to start forgetting about our differences and working forward together. this is a splintered isle, a disunited kingdom.

can this election begin the healing? we'll know by week's end. that is the fervent hope of one and all. with me is the bbc parliament home editor mark easton. the last five or six weeks we have been all over the country talking to people, and the vast majority of voters we have come across, for them this is a stark choice between the main candidates, yet there are still a lot of undecideds in this campaign. it is really interesting how many people i've met, evenjust here today, who have still not made up their mind who they have made up their mind who they have made up their —— they are to vote for. it has deepened cynicism and disappointment at the choices facing them. none of the party leaders are particularly trusted or liked. on theissues particularly trusted or liked. on the issues people, yes, they want brexit to be sorted one way or the other. they want us to be able to move on to talk about the other issues. there is realfrustration we have not been discussing more things

like health, like social care, like climate change, like housing and crime. the manifestos are often seen, crime. the manifestos are often seen, you crime. the manifestos are often seen, you talk to people and they say they are more of a wish list them a credible road map to government. a lot of people today said they will literally make the decision in the polling booth looking down at the piece of paper, somehow instinct will take over and they will know where to put the x. in india they have a box that says none of the above for people who don't like any of the candidates. i suspect if that was on the polling paper at this election it would win a lot of support. all right, mark easton, our home editor, thank you. and with that, it is back to you from a chilly crewe and nantwich. clive myrie in crewe on the last stop of the campaign trail. one of the last surviving raf pilots who fought in the battle of britain during the second world war has died

at the age 101. maurice mounsdon was one of only four remaining members of what churchill called the few, the 3,00 airmen who defended the skies above southern england from the nazi luftwaffe in 1940. our correspondent robert hall looks back at his life. their story has gripped us for over 75 years — the young men who defended their skies against waves of german bombers in 1940. hurricanes and spitfires roar into action... but now, one by one, those men are passing into raf history. maurice mounsdon was 21 when hejoined up. less than a year after completing his training, he was in combat over kent. throuthuly and august, he flew relentless and exhausting missions — shooting down at least seven enemy aircraft. but his luck ran out, and at 14,000 feet, he was forced