hello, good morning. welcome to bbc news, i'm victoria derbyshire and here are the headlines: if you're a teacher, doctor, prison officer or police officer — you're one of 900,000 public sector workers getting an above—inflation pay rise. alongside some of the pension enhancements we've seen over the past couple of years, this means they're making significant advances in pay, which is both right, but also a reward for the work they've done over the last few months. and if you are a doctor, teacher, police officer, senior civil servant or member of the armed forces, let me know your reaction to your pay rise.

government borrowing soared to more than £35 billion injune, about five times more than the same time last year. a report into russian interference in british politics will be released this morning. eu leaders strike a deal on a huge recovery package for member states hit by coronavirus, after a fourth night of talks. the growing mis—use of laughing gas, or nitrous oxide, will be discussed by mps today. and coming up this hour. we'll talk live to dame vivienne westwood who's been protesteing this morning in a large bird cage in front of the old bailey, in support ofjulian assange who's facing extradition to the united states.

nearly a million public sector workers in the uk will get an above—inflation pay rise, after the chancellor said he recognised their "vital contributions" during the coronavirus pandemic. the treasury said the pay increases will come out of existing departmental budgets and will go to doctors, dentists, police officers and teachers. nurses negotiated a separate pay deal in 2018. this comes as the latest figures show government borrowing increased to {35.5 billion injune, five times higher than last year, but lower than the previous two months. the figure for borrowing for the three months tojune is now nearly £128 billion — reflecting the effects of lockdown more on that in a moment, but first this report by our correspondent andy moore. after several months on the front line of the crisis,

some welcome news for key public sector workers. they will get the full pay increases recommended by the independent pay review bodies. teachers in england will get the biggest pay rise — 3.1%. doctors and dentists across the uk will see their pay increase by 2.8%. police officers and prison staff in england and wales will get 2.5%. while the armed forces and the judiciary across the uk will get 2%. some of the increases, such as the ones for doctors, will be backdated to april. others will come into effect in september. more than a million nurses and hospital staff are not included in this announcement. they've already agreed a separate deal which works out at over 4%. chancellor rishi sunak said:

the labour party and the trade unions say the pay rises are good news, but don't make up for a decade of real—time cuts in the years of austerity. the doctors‘ union, the british medical association, said the government could have done even more for staff who'd put their lives on the line during the pandemic. government departments won't get extra funding to pay for these rises. the treasury claims that pay awards should be affordable, that they shouldn't affect the provision of public services. but where budgets are already under pressure, this decision could force other tough choices. andy moore, bbc news. labour have welcomed the pay increase, but warned it won't make up for a decade of real—term cuts for front line workers. the policing minister, kit malthouse said the salary increase was a recognition

of the contribition of public sector workers at the present time. we do have a period of wage restraint in the public sector while we were dealing with the aftermath of the crash of 2007/8 that did mean that wages were held down. over the last two or three years we are starting to see a correction of that, there have been above inflation pay rises of which this is a very significant one. and, you know, decisions about future pay obviously lie with the treasury and will have to be taken against the backdrop of what we face economically over the next few years. but for the moment today, i hope that the 900,000 public—sector workers who are affected will see this as good news. because alongside some of the pension enhancements that we've seen over the last couple of years, this means that they‘ re making significant advances in pay, which is, you know, both right, but also a reward for the work they've done over the last few months. we've also been hearing that government borrowing soared to more than £35 billion injune, about five times more than the same time last year.

let's speak to our business correspondent ben thompson. tell us about the figures on what they signify of how much the government has had to spend during the crisis? you are absolutely right, it does show how much it is costing the uk government to try and p"°p up costing the uk government to try and prop up the uk economy and given everything going on. £35 billion, the difference in what it is earning to tax revenue, versus what it is having to pay out to spend on all sorts of things like public services. but most lately, the furlough scheme, propping up salaries and wages. as you said, £35 billion, more than five times the same month last year. let me show you a graph. it started to paint a picture of an economy that is slowly on the mend. you may see that 35.5 billion forjune in 2020, it is the

latest figure. it is lower than the previous two months because at the height of the crisis, many businesses closed so not contributing in terms of tax. they are also taking money for their staff through various support schemes. so barring much higher and coming down slowly. you might notice the blip injanuary of 2020, that is good for the government because that is when they get a lot of tax reve nu es is when they get a lot of tax revenues from people paying self—assessment tax returns, so helps to prop up the government coffers. it is still the third highest level since records began backin highest level since records began back in 1993. we should say it could be revised further, it is difficult for the office for national statistics to get all the numbers, stats and figures it needs to compile this figure. last month's figure was revised down by about £10 billion. so it can fluctuate, but nonetheless it does underscore how

much all of this is costing. let me introduce you to grace blakeley, an economist with the ippr. give me your thoughts on this number, because as we said, not as high as last month, which indicates business is getting back to work, the demand for the furlough scheme is decreasing but £35 billion is still a lot of money? a quick correction, lam a lot of money? a quick correction, iaman a lot of money? a quick correction, i am an economics commentator at tribute magazine. we will expect a big increase in government spending. he thinks of gdp and the economy made up of the spending of households, businesses and the state. net imports and exports. theirspending state. net imports and exports. their spending goes down in some of those areas, which will be going down amongst businesses, they are investing less and households consuming much less. if you are not

going to see a massive contraction in gdp, spending has to go. we have seena in gdp, spending has to go. we have seen a massive contraction in gdp which looks like it has shrunk by a quarter between february and april of this year. it is a huge, huge contraction. obviously, if that wasn't going to translate into a massive decline in living standards and very high unemployment, we would have to see an increase in government spending. the increase we have to be asking now is, you can think about government borrowing as depending on whether or not you are purchasing an asset. this government borrowing the getting a mortgage or taking money out on a credit card? all of that depends on whether you are creating an asset, whether you're making the economy more productive in the long term. what i worry about at the moment as it seems a lot of the money the government is spending is going on corporate welfare, it is going to prop up corporate welfare, it is going to prop up some businesses which otherwise might not be creditworthy and it is going to basically,

especially with this extension of the furlough scheme with this topic for businesses to keep workers on untiljanuary, for businesses to keep workers on until january, we are for businesses to keep workers on untiljanuary, we are giving businesses a little bit of money. a lot of them, even convince to keep workers on but the best way to deal with this crisis is for the government to create jobs itself, sustainable jobs and rebuild the economy for everyone. the government will say that is exactly what it wa nts to will say that is exactly what it wants to do, it has launched various schemes, particularly infrastructure spending to create those jobs but what you are suggesting is the government is kicking this can down the road, propping up businesses that would otherwise fail or jobs that would otherwise fail or jobs that would otherwise fail or jobs that would have to go because of the changing shape of our economy and maybe we need short—term pain to get a longer term gain, is that what you are saying? everyone broadly agrees today we need a big increase of government spending to counteract the recession. the biggest ideological difference is whether

that money should go to prop up businesses said the state can avoid the accusation it isjust providing liquidity cash to the financial markets, then the government can avoid saying we are massively changing the structure of the economy. but actually, many people like me would argue what is needed isa like me would argue what is needed is a much more fundamental set of interventions that would be better value for money, because they would create more jobs and be more productive investment over the longer term, but would involve a more active role for central government, local government and perhaps publicly owned enterprises. why don't we, rather than throwing cash at many of these businesses that are already highly indebted before the pandemic, a lot of those businesses will not be able to paid that money back, let's take them

into public ownership and local government ownership and use those to support something along the lines ofa green to support something along the lines of a green new deal or a green recovery that will create sustainable, well— paid jobs whilst allowing us to decarbonise the economy as well. that would be basically what the government means by building back better. that is how you would do that. at the moment it just seems we are seeing sticking plasters aimed at propping up the incomes of predominantly business owners that are investors. it is fascinating, so many different scenarios can play out here in semi—different ways that may be to get the economy back on track. grace, thank you for your time and apologies for getting your title wrong. that is one of the suggestions that could be one of the ways out of all of this, butjust suggestions that could be one of the ways out of all of this, but just to highlight the story we were talking about, £355 highlight the story we were talking about, £35.5 billion is how much the government borrowed last month,

predominantly to pay for the support schemes for businesses. it is five times more than the same period last year. keep an eye on those figures, it is sort of heading in the right direction but a lot of money, victoria. thank you very much thank you to those who have got in touch with the pay rise situation. howard on twitter says as a social carer who has worked through the pandemic and expose myself to double the risk of death, iam myself to double the risk of death, i am disgusted not to be included in this pay rise for front line workers. a dentist has had, of the pay rise is welcome, i feel we are already well funded, in all honesty. pharmacy staff appear to have been left out. my wife is a pharmacy assistant and has been working flat out with her team under lockdown. colin is a head teacher and says, we are grateful we can show our teachers how much they are valid. it

will not fill the gap created in pay from 2010, but it is a step in the right direction. my teachers have stepped up to support children during lockdown. i am worried the government has said it will be funded from existing budgets. ellie has e—mailed, i've seen doctors, teachers, police will be receiving a pay rise. what about the people who have been working in care throughout the pandemic on the front lie? why do we always get forgotten? phil is a civil servant and says, i am pleased as a civil servant but i am pleased as a civil servant but i am pleased as a civil servant but i am pleased for the police, who have am pleased for the police, who have a toughjob. an blues broken is a police officer and says, as a police officer i am and says, as a police officer i am an despondent, we are approximately 18% below where we need to be. if you are one of those affected by above inflation pay rise, let me know your reaction today. more reaction to that pay rise throughout

the morning. a report on alleged russian interference in british politics will be published this morning, more than a year after it was completed. its original release, due before last december‘s general election, was held back by the government, leading to accusations of a cover—up. here's our security correspondent, gordon corera. what does the threat from russia look like, and has enough been done to counter it? that's the focus of today's long—awaited russia report. it's written by the intelligence and security committee of parliament, which oversees the work of britain's spy agencies and it's based on those agencies' classified contribution, as well as other expert witnesses. it's expected to cover the range of moscow's activities, from the poisoning of sergei skripal in salisdury in 2018 with nerve from the poisoning of sergei skripal in salisbury in 2018 with nerve agent, through to the questioning of whether there was any interference in british politics,

including the brexit referendum, and what impact it might have had. what it's actually going to do is unveil a whole range of often really very small—scale activities, from pushing particular subversive news stories through to attempts to woo particular individuals, and that actually gives us a more accurate position of how the russians operate. the report itself was completed over one year ago, but the government failed to publish it before the last election, leading to questions as to what details it might contain. but last week, a new intelligence and security committee was formed, but only after manoeuvring meant that the government's preferred chair, chris grayling, missed out on the role. so this morning, we should finally find out what is in the russia report, or at least in the public version. a classified version will remain under wraps. gordon corera, bbc news. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is in westminster. the daily telegraph seems to suggest the report is going to say russia try to influence the scottish

independence referendum, but not the brexit referendum? let's see, we know it is going to look at the possible involvement of russia in the scottish independence referendum bill and its involvement in the brexit referendum. we know it is going to look at russian money if you like, in british politics. it will look at russian espionage and spying in britain. i have to say, none of the committee members i have spoken to have told me anything about the report, so genuinely, i do not know. coat a point to russian involvement in the scottish independence referendum bill? possibly. it seems to me that would be quite helpful perhaps, as a sort of pre—brief from the government's point of view. if you remember the report was launched after the hiatus of allegations about russian money perhaps being involved in the brexit referendum and so on. frankly, we

will just have referendum and so on. frankly, we willjust have to wait and see. not much longer, it will be out in about an hourand a much longer, it will be out in about an hour and a half. much longer, it will be out in about an hourand a half. i much longer, it will be out in about an hour and a half. i am cautious about how much of a bone shaker this is going to be. looking at reports done by the intelligence and security committee, they tend to be, not so much like select committee report, which can be finger pointing. these tend to be, they tend to highlight the readiness, the preparedness of the british state to meet threats. in this case, the threat from russia rather than particularly identifying individual campaigns or political parties or individuals. i think it will be a broader report. i think to the impact has been diluted that it is an awfully long time since this report was put together. it was launched in 2017, looking back at events which go back to 2014, and before then. so the actual clout it

will have now, i think has been somewhat diminished. and, the fact that we have had a spate of allegations just last week about russian involvement trying to get our covid vaccine secrets, i wonder that by design or default will to give you, we know all about russian involvement and so might discount the report, to some extent. we have to hold back and see what it actually says. and we should know at 10.30. let me ask you about the pay rise for 900,000 public—sector workers and the reaction rate from very pleased with this too i have had ten years of no pay rises so it is not much of arise, to people saying, what about me? at the same, is it deliberate to overshadow the russia report, how do you respond, norman? you can read it in a number

of ways. it does seem very convenient for the government to have the pay report dominating. it will dominate because it affects so many people and rightly so it should be at the top of the bulletins. but it is convenient, shall be saved. but then again, parliament is going into recess tomorrow, they want to get it out before parliament disappears. i wonder if parliament is just trying to get people ready for the push to try and encourage people to return to work, flagging up people to return to work, flagging up the increased pay. and partly come as a thank you for public sector workers. i guess it depends on your political disposition. if you are cynically minded, you'll be thinking, it is time to take the heat of the russia report but if you are not cynically minded, you will be saying it is a good time for the government to get it out anyway. the

prime minister's top team are meeting for the first time since lockdown? they are meeting in the foreign office, which is a very swanky, huge room. usually set aside forforeign swanky, huge room. usually set aside for foreign dignitaries when they are meeting officials of the foreign office. so the cabinet will be in there because the normal cabinet room is regarded as too small, although that is a very big room anyway. but you have a big table, 26 people, one metre social distancing and they will have hand sanitiser is, their own bottles of water, their own glasses. no facemasks, though. they justify that their own glasses. no facemasks, though. theyjustify that on the grounds that matt hancock said he didn't think facemasks were necessary in workplaces because you are with the same cohort of people. so it is more important to observe social distancing. the underlying message is, we are back at work, it is time for everyone else to return to work. you know, let's be honest, will it have that sort of impact?

not so much, people will be more concerned about the horrors of returning to commuting than whether cabinet metres are meeting round a table again. but it gets round zoom style cabinet meetings, which, you know zoom is fine but it has its limitations. when you are involved ina zoo limitations. when you are involved in a zoo meeting you are never sure whether anyone is listening or whether anyone is listening or whether they have gone off to make a cup of tea. thank you very much. speak about your own zoo meetings. ronnie says, nobody talks about the people who stood in for those teachers. new works in an f e college, he said we didn't get a pay rise last time and we will not get it this time either. we are the forgotten education sector. send me a message. eu leaders have agreed the terms of a huge recovery fund for member states hit by coronavirus,

after their summit in brussels stretched into a fifth day. the package totals 750 billion euros — about £680 billion, with almost half in the form of loans, which countries will have to repay. the president of the european council, charles michel, said members had reached the "right deal." i believe this agreement will be seen as a pivotal moment in europe's journey, but it will also launch us into the future. in fact, it is the first time, the first time in european history that our budget will be clearly linked to our climate objectives. the first time, the first time that the respectful rule of law is a decisive criteria for budget spending. and the first time, the first time that we are jointly reinforcing our economies against the crisis. gavin lee is in brussels for us.

finally, this is a massive bailout fund? yes, a massive summit, almost the longest in history. 25 minutes longer was the nice summit 25 years ago. the takeaways from it, given they have had this amount of time, this was meant to be a fund that helps those countries worst affected like spain and italy in the south aside the interest rates to pay back on these loans will be too high so they wanted a grant. the idea was to give two thirds of this money as a grant that they would not have to pay back. there will be grants, 390 billion, and the so—called frugal four, austria, sweden, the netherlands and denmark, they have driven that amount down. in terms of its significance, with deep recession is coming, the average of 8% contraction of gdp across europe, it helps with unemployment levels,

countries can get access from january, but we have had different responses. we have had the commissioner and former italian prime minister saying, this is on a par with the euro in terms of its importance, it hails an historic the day by man u macron. the netherlands said he will not describe it as historic. witness the power change, angela merkel asked, the last time they were discussing the budget, david cameron was a big figure, his views mattered. now with the absence of the uk, we have this new emergence, this new team and that is the change we are seeing. the force of mark rutte and the dutch as well. thank you, gavin. mps will today be discussing the growing mis—use of laughing gas — also known as hippie crack. you might have seen the small silver

cannisters littered around the place particularly during lockdown. it's actually nitrous oxide — a colourless gas that's used in the making of whipped cream. it's a psychoactive drug and it's illegal to give away or sell. let's talk to leesa davies who lost her sonjordan to nitrous oxide six years ago. and professor gino martini, chief scientific officer for the royal pharmaceutical society. professor, if i can begin with you? what effect can this gas have on someone? well, it can cause dizziness, hallucinations. if you currently use nitrous oxide, it can cause potentially, irregular heartbeats. the big cause for concern it can deplete a vitamin b12 which you need for a healthy nervous system and a healthy spinal code. the spinal—cord can get eroded, you can get numbness and paralysis. that is the extremes if you use nitrous

oxide repeatedly over a long period of time. why did people take it then? they get a high from it. it is a short acting high and that is the problem. they keep repeating it and taking it and we hear estimates of 30 to 40 ampoules taken at a party. severe and chronic users can take up to 1000 ampoules in a day and that is when you can end up being paralysed. i think the issue is people don't understand that nitrous oxide is harmful, there has been a lack of education, a lack of awareness because it is called laughing gas so you think it is trivial and safe to use. it is not safe. the reason it is called that, it because it can lead to fits of laughter, fits of giggles. let me bring in leesa. what happened to your son, jordan? he died from

inhaling nitrous oxide. unfortunately, he was on his own when he did it and he collapsed and there was nobody there to call for help and he died from asphyxiation from the misuse of nitrous oxide. what do you thinkjordan's perception of this drug would have been? i have spoken to his friends sense and all of them thought it was just a bit of a laugh, it was cheap and easy to get hold of. this was six years ago so it was just being sold on the streets by people abroad, it was like to eurocom it was everywhere, it was in the clubs and theyjust was everywhere, it was in the clubs and they just thought was everywhere, it was in the clubs and theyjust thought it was a bit ofa and theyjust thought it was a bit of a laugh. how could it possibly harm you when it is so cheap and legal. and also it was available so easily. you say legal, in this country it is illegal to buy and sell it. it is now, but it wasn't

then. i beg your pardon, you are absolutely right. i went on the internet this morning and i could have wa nted internet this morning and i could have wanted this for making whipped cream. i could have bought a 24 pack of these canisters for 11.95? that is the loophole because the sellers are selling it because they get away with it because they say we thought they were using it for catering. and thatis they were using it for catering. and that is where the loophole perhaps is. if there is a licence so chefs and catering people have to have a licence to be able to buy it, that might reduce the misuse of it. licence to be able to buy it, that might reduce the misuse of itm that what you hope might come out of the fact that mps at westminster are discussing nitrous oxide today? the fact that mps at westminster are discussing nitrous oxide today7m it would certainly help. i believe the plan is to make recreational use of it illegal as well, but the police don't seem to have much power to do anything at the moment. as we

know, just because you make something illegal doesn't stop people using it. so the harder it is to get hold of, it would then make people aware of how dangerous it can be. professor, do you, from your experience, do you think there has been an increase during lockdown of use of this or misuse of this, i should say? it is hard to gauge because nobody is collating the data. from my point of view, even before lockdown it was being heavily used. it is fair to say at the festivals and on brighton beach, the physical evidence, because you can see the canisters on the floor, that it is widely used. to say it has got worse, it is hard to say because nobody is documenting it. i would like to see more documentation on the use of nitrous oxide. going back to your caller, it is the availability online clearly is a

problem and people are accessing these ampoules online with little checks. if the czechs were strengthened than access would be more difficult. how could you do that on the internet? even if you ask for the birth date, they could lie. proof of identification, restrict the quantities would help. the key message is education. people think nitrous oxide, laughing gas is safe. it is not safe. if you are walking round the streets, if you area walking round the streets, if you are a parent or schoolteacher, and you see canisters on the floor, it should be a trigger point, people are misusing nitrous oxide. what measures can we take, how can we raise the awareness that laughing gas abuse is dangerous to your health? why don't you take this opportunity, plenty of people at home who might have the television on in the kitchen. what would you say to them? i would say it's not safe, be

careful. if you are an aspiring athlete, if you want to play football, be careful, you could end up football, be careful, you could end up in football, be careful, you could end upina football, be careful, you could end up in a wheelchair. if you take this ona up in a wheelchair. if you take this on a regular basis it can damage your spinal cord, that would be my message. and lisa, your message? it's not worth the risk for at 32nd time, to think the devastation you put your family through commission at the same thing happened to you that happened to jordan, at the same thing happened to you that happened tojordan, it's not worth it. -- 30 second hive. lisa, who lost her son jordan, worth it. -- 30 second hive. lisa, who lost her sonjordan, and the professor, chief scientific officer, the royal pharmaceutical society. if you have used nitrous oxide, if you use laughing gas, it's also called hippy crack, tell me why, send me an e—mail. you can message me on twitter. right, it's just e—mail. you can message me on twitter. right, it'sjust gone 9:30am.

hello, this is bbc news with victoria derbyshire. the headlines... almost 900,000 public sector workers are to get an above—inflation pay rise, including doctors, teachers and police officers. alongside some of the pension enhancements we've seen over the past couple of years, this means they're making significant advances in pay, which is both right, but also a reward for the work they've done over the last few months. government borrowing soared to more than £35 billion injune, about five times more than the same time last year. a report into alleged russian interference in british politics will be released this morning. eu leaders strike a deal on a huge recovery package for member states hit by coronavirus, after a fourth night of talks. a domestic violence charity who support afro—carribean women who are victims of violence or sexual abuse are meeting with hackney council in london today over a row about their premises.

sistah space, who say they're the only charity of its kind in the uk, have just seven days to move out of their temporary location and back into their old building, which they say is unsafe. the old property, which you can see here, has a glass frontage, and the charity claims this is unsafe for victims of domestic violence who could be easily seen by their perpetrators whilst seeking help. hackney council say they have spent £35,000 on renovations to make the building safe and that sistah space have always agreed to move back. the charity claim that hackney council is discriminating against them because of their race and their gender. unfortunately, nobody from hackney council was available to speak to us this morning but we can speak to ngozi fulani, founder of sistah space. thank you very much for talking to us. tell us who your charity is. good morning. good morning, sistah

spaceis good morning. good morning, sistah space is a charity for african and caribbean ladies. give us an insight into what the issues were with the old building. we started after a woman and her daughter were murdered in hackney, they went to police for support. we found there was no place for african heritage women to go together, to cry, there was nothing. so we started sistah space. we went to hackney, told them who we were, but we were doing, they gave us the property. property is semiderelict. when you run a charity you are glad for space but when we got in there the building was falling to bits, electricity was faulty, and this had been going on orfour years. we said to them, the space is not adequate,

it's dangerous, we need help. we did try to work with hackney council because we were glad for the space, groups like us don't get venues. as time went on, the electricity became more and more faulty. you would plug something in, it would blow not only the views but the equipment as well and we were using torches and phones to use the toilet after 5pm because there was no light. the council say they've sorted that now. they spent £35,000 they say on making it better. i'm not very pleased with hackney at all. they are landlords, they should never have rented the property in the first place, it was dangerous. they spent £35,000 in a building they say is earmarked for renovation in two years, is up to them. had they debated with us what to do with £35,000 there would have been a different outcome and i think

it's a distraction. they say they invested in us. there are charities out there who are not domestic abuse charities, who would be very glad for that space so you don't have to waste the money. we've said for yea rs, waste the money. we've said for years, the place is not suitable, we don't want to be there, can you find us somewhere else but they say there's nowhere else available. when you say it's a distraction, what is ita you say it's a distraction, what is it a distraction from? they should never have put us there in the first place. what they do, hackney has become very gentrified, working—class people, minorities, you cannot afford to live in hackney any more so they tend to move us out of the way. i think we don't fit the profile. but they said they spent 35,000, we've never been funded by hackney council, we won awards for the work we do, we have a civic

award, they commend the work we do, and we work very hard but when it comes to funding, they say no so why would you spend £35,000 on a building and site that as an investment in us? it is a distraction, it's not true. we put your claims to hackney council and this is what they said, were externally disappointed despite having a great to the existing premises in writing with sistah space last year they now refuse to be back to the building after the work has been completed. it simply not true we are evicting them and their temporary stay in unsuitable commercial work space was only ever intended to be until work to their premises was completed. we com pletely premises was completed. we completely understand to make on concerns about moving during the current virus pandemic which is why we repeatedly offered to extend the temporary arrangements until it is safe to move and until the end of july at the earliest. we are yet to receive a response to the offer. how is this going to be resolved? this is this going to be resolved? this is the problem, the council has recognised there is barrier in place

to risks to black women and when we offer a solution they don't want. they haven't focused on finding new ways to celebrate our culture. we couldn't think of a better way to represent hackney ‘s diversity loss of sound you know what, i'm really sorry? we got most of what you said but u nfortu nately got most of what you said but unfortunately the technical issues have beaten us but thank you so much for talking to us and we appreciate it. please let us know what happens. thank you. supreme court justices are to consider whether uber drivers should be classed as "workers" or self—employed in a landmark case. bosses from the ride—hailing app appealed to the supreme court after losing three rounds of a fight with two former drivers. the two—day hearing will look at whether drivers are entitled to the minimum wage, paid leave and other legal protections. president trump has surprised

supporters and critics alike — by describing the wearing of a face mask as a patriotic thing to do. with cases of coronavirus continuing to surge across the united states, he tweeted a photograph of himself wearing a face covering. the us president has also threatened to send federal law enforcement personnel to more american cities. federal officers have already been deployed in portland as anti—racism protests continue. there have been 52 nights of demonstrations there against police violence, in the wake of george floyd's killing. portland's mayor has accused federal forces of abusive tactics. the uk will "bear the consequences" if it continues to go "down the wrong road" on hong kong, china has warned. the chinese ambassador in london said the uk had "blatantly interfered" in china's affairs. it comes after the foreign secretary dominic raab suspended an extradition treaty with hong kong, over a new security law for the ex—colony. the us secretary of state, mike pompeo, is in london for talks with uk leaders. their relations with

china are expected to be high on the agenda. he's meeting his counterpart, dominic raab, and the prime minister, borisjohnson. well—wishers and football fans are expected to line the streets of ashington and newcastle this morning ahead of the funeral of jack charlton who died earlier this month at the age of 85. ‘big jack'— as he was known — won the world cup with england in 1966 and later led ireland to the world cup quarter finals as manager. patrick gearey reports. you couldn't miss jack charlton, tall in stature, big in character. the miner turned manager who won a world cup in between. he grew up in ashington, northumberland, with brother bobby. the family was steeped in football and coal. jack went underground for a while with his dad, but it was mum's passion, football, that proved his calling. and while bobby spun silk, jack was granite. he came in like a brick wall and he's hurt... i can't play. i can stop other people playing, but i can't play.

bobby can play, he's a creative player. but there's a place in the game for both types. the two brothers were there on english football's most famous day. that, a rare slip from jack, as they became world cup winners together. but while bobby became a manchester united hero, jack spent his entire playing career across the pennines in leeds. he was there right through their golden age, an unforgettable presence. when ijoined the club, big jack was an established player, and you look up to players like that, when you're a young lad, you know, because they've achieved something. and a wonderful servant to leeds united football club. a one—club man, all his playing career. always a natural leader, jack moved to the dugout, at first with middlesbrough, but most famously with ireland. they'd never reached a world cup before charlton took charge. in 1990, they shocked everyone to make the quarterfinals. and the party can begin! four years later, in the heat of america, they beat italy, and again made the knockouts.

an english hero, now an irish one, too. he left a massive imprint on ireland and a lot of people's lives, but he left a massive imprint on my life as well, because ofjust what he did. you know, he was an inspiration, he was someone you wanted to play for. he was just a fantastic character. eventually, jack retreated to the tranquillity of the countryside. the peace didn't extend to his relationship with bobby. now, sir bobby. a family feud kept them apart until 2008, when jack presented his brother with the lifetime achievement award at sports personality of the year. when we were kids and we used to go to the park and play, i would go home for dinner and he would stay on all day. bobby charlton is the greatest player i've ever seen. he's me brother. today, sir bobby will be reunited with the other charlton brothers, gordon and tommy, to say goodbye to jack in ashington, the town where it all began. the streets will be lined, socially distant, but united,

as elsewhere in england and in ireland, too, they will all miss big jack. patrick gearey, bbc news. fashion designer and activist dame vivienne westwood has been protesting this morning about the possible extradition to the us of the wikileaks founderjulian assange. wikileaks of course, the anti—secrecy organisation. he's accused by the american government of trying to hack into one of their defence computers and he's also facing espionage charges. dame vivienne harnessed herself into a giant birdcage, suspended 10 feet in the air in front of the old bailey. mr assange is currently injail — his extradition hearing is due to resume in september. we can speak to dame vivienne now. good morning to you, thank you very much for talking to us. why do you

supportjulian assigned. much for talking to us. why do you support julian assigned. because he's got to be let out of his cage. and he cannot be extradited to america, for his own sake, because he will be embedded in a concrete gel for the rest of his life but also, because he really is the ca nary also, because he really is the canary in the cage which i am dressed up to be because i amjulian assange. it is a signal for the american government to arrest anybody they like for publishing the truth. and once they do it, that will be worldwide. if they are going to arrest julian assange will be worldwide. if they are going to arrestjulian assange for publishing or crimes, which were the truth, they've got to arrest the guardian, the new york times, everybody that also co—published

this information. sorry to interrupt. if that is how the system -- ifthat interrupt. if that is how the system —— ifthatis howthe interrupt. if that is how the system —— if that is how the system works hundreds and hundreds of journalists would be injail and they are not. the reason the united states wa nt they are not. the reason the united states want him to go back to america as they say he tried to hack into a america as they say he tried to hack intoa us america as they say he tried to hack into a us department of defence computer system. yes, what i'm saying is if they arrest him, they ought to arrest the other people. you're saying it's particularly because he's a hacker. what americans are doing all the time is they are fitting him up. they are inventing charges and fitting them to him, he is a hacker so they are charging him with hacking. you know? that has got nothing to do with

anything. because all their charges are worded so as to take the box, you are guilty because you are guilty. tick the box, you are a hacker, therefore you are a hacker, aren't you, yes? guilty. this is the way they are dealing with this case. a trial would decide whether he is guilty or not. if he is not then he can go to america and defend himself. yes, he could from his concrete gel. now then, you are assuming that he is the subject of due legal process. and it's abuse of due legal process. and it's abuse of due legal process in his particular case is so bad if he had been a murderer or drug dealer, it would have been thrown out of court and

you've got to allow me to tell you exactly what has been happening. can i ask you a question, if i may. hang on. you mentioned the guardian, the new york times, those were there is no point in us both talking, no one can hear us. all his private discussions with his lawyers were buggedin discussions with his lawyers were bugged in the embassy by the security firm and they were fed to the cia on a daily basis. how on earth do you know that, how on earth would you know that? how do we know that? because there was a court in spain, you have got to do your homework, darling, it happened in spain. can i ask you a question, please. 0k, spain. can i ask you a question, please. ok, you mention the guardian, the new york times. the guardian, the new york times. the guardian, the new york times. the

guardian, the new york times, those under the papers who had worked with wikileaks under the papers who had worked with wikilea ks and under the papers who had worked with wikileaks and julian assigned previously covering carefully selected and redacted documents, absolutely condemned his publishing of unredacted cables which it is alleged, put some informants lives at risk. do you have any qualms about him dumping thousands of ca bles about him dumping thousands of cables on the internet which could put some people in danger? julian assange, what happened is that all his stuff was redacted. but the guardian had the code for the unredacted documents and they published that code number. and then, after that, julian assange decided also to release it because he thought all those people whose lives were in danger should be warned about it. the guardian say

that's absolute nonsense. he became the enemy because they were the culprit. the guardian say that's absolute nonsense that they did that. let me ask you again, do you have any qualms aboutjulian assange dumping thousands of cables on the internet which allegedly put some people's lives in danger? i beg your pardon? you want it in concrete, don't you? all the media arejust such morons, such spin, brainwashed people. and you are one of them. thank you very much for talking to us today. dame vivienne westwood, get me out of the cage, i think last words. —— i think were her last words. remember at the start of lockdown when many of us made plans to learn new skills

and complete ambitious projects? well, 10—year—old arlo from bristol has done both. he's launched his own magazine, celebrating the type of music he loves. it's called ‘pint—sized punk‘ and has been selling hundreds of copies. 0ur entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been to meet him. punk music plays. meet the pint—sized punk. pre—covid, ten—year—old arlo went to two or three gigs a month in bristol with his parents and would often be found right down the front. during lockdown he was missing his music so came up with an idea. my mum asked what i'd like to write about. and i said i'd like to write about some bands. the pint—sized punk fanzine was born. they approached his favourite bands for interviews, mercury prize nominees idles said yes and became his first cover star. i really like punk music. because i like how the drums and guitars and vocals all go together. like a big punk sandwich. # looking at pretty colours.#

the fanzine has features you wouldn't find anywhere else. this one is a picture of bunf i did from super furry animals. i asked everyone i interview their opinion on marmite. this is the love side. john newton and carlos from fontaines dc are sitting on the fence, they don't mind it but they don't hate it. mum hannah started taking arlo to gigs when she realised it was cheaper than hiring a baby—sitter. making the fanzine has been a huge part of his lockdown learning at home. luckily his school are really, really supportive and we've spoken to them about the skills that he is using but it would be very easy for me as a parent to take over but he's been involved in everything. we've edited and done interviews, that's your english. i've done things on the computer for ict. and i've had to count up the cost for maths. at one point he said maybe he should continue being home—schooled because school

would get in the way of the zine. i'm not sure how we actually feel about that. and word of mouth is spreading. the first issue sold 300 copies, the second has attracted orders from australia and america and he's about to launch a t—shirt range. # a design for life.# and big acts are on board. arlo has spoken to the manic street preachers. and was just about to interview dream wife, whose new album has gone top 20. what kind of things are you going to be asking? i'm going be doing some sensible ones like what music were you listening to when you were ten? what's the one essential vinyl i should get? what's the stinkiest gig you ever played? what did you want to be when you were ten? i wanted to be either an artist, an astronaut or an acrobat. and i think being in this band i get to be all three.

and when social distancing ends, arlo will get to put on his own gig. his local record shop rough trade say he can host a launch party there. let's hope not too many more issues come out before he can do that. colin paterson, bbc news, bristol. the river thames is severely polluted with plastic, according to a new report. it has some of the highest recorded levels of microplastics for any river in the world. researchers are calling for stricter regulations on the labelling and disposal of plastic products. they warn that careless disposal of gloves and masks during the coronavirus pandemic might make the situation worse. thank you for your messages today, mostly about the pay rise, that's been awarded to doctors, police officers, prison officers and others. also about vivian westwood. david says well done, freejulian assange, he must not be extradited to the united states. michael says this vivienne westwood understand how incoherent your argument is, she

seems to lack self awareness. now, a social worker for, sorry, seems to lack self awareness. now, a social workerfor, sorry, social ca re social workerfor, sorry, social care workerfor social workerfor, sorry, social care worker for birmingham city council one of my daughters is a dental nurse, the other works in a pharmacy, we've all worked hard through the pandemic, putting ourselves at risk to serve the community. i'm really disappointed haven't been included in the pay rise. every cloud says what about school support staff, who's been looking after the child care bubbles? deep cleaning, serving chilled meals? all address, on the front line, never any thanks, chilled meals? all address, on the front line, neverany thanks, it's disgusting. another beer says if the pay rise is supposed to come out of existing budgets expect a lot of teaching assistants to lose their jobs. and helen says on twitter state sector teachers are concerned about how these pay rises are going to be paid for. existing budgets means something else has to be cut and that makes yourjob harder. liz adds there is no money left in the existing budget, especially as

they've had to pay out existing budgets for all the extra cleaning etc as the result of covid 19. jane isa etc as the result of covid 19. jane is a teaching assistant. she says i don't think i'll see any of the money as a teaching assistant, the weight budgets were, schools have one pot. if i get a pay rise then kids to get books, for example. maria, a carer says carers had been forgotten again, for 12 weeks i went to work to make sure elderly patients were safe and able to remain in their own homes while putting my partner and two children at risk. just another slap in the face for us unskilled workers. it's disgraceful. and i left out the swea rword disgraceful. and i left out the swearword there. if you want to get in touch sent me a message on twitter. let's bring you the weather. hello. after a fresh, but sunny start to the day for many parts of the country, what we will actually see through today compared with yesterday is a bit more cloud develop. now, most will stay dry, but not quite as much sunshine

around as some of you saw through yesterday afternoon. and with that in mind, temperatures will drop a little bit as well. now, the reason for the increased amounts of cloud comes from this, pushing in off the atlantic. that will be most notable across parts of northern ireland and western scotland, once again. so, after a brighter, middle part of the day in northern ireland, the cloud will thicken up here. to the north and west we will see some splashes of rain. still a few showers in the far north of scotland this afternoon, but eventually turning wetter across the islands in the west. much of england and wales will stay dry, varying amounts of cloud. as i said, not quite as sunny as yesterday, and so temperatures that little bit lower. the highest around 22 celsius through parts of hampshire and the channel islands. as we go through this evening and overnight, it turns damper more widely across northern ireland and scotland. some heavy bursts of rain as well at times later in the night into the first part of tomorrow morning. clearer skies for 0rkney and shetland. drier for much of england and wales, could be a few splashes of rain in the far north, but a milder night tonight, the exception being across some rural parts in eastern england. now, as we go through tomorrow, outbreaks of rain across scotland, northern ireland, the heaviest and most widespread in the morning,

turning lighter and patchy into the afternoon. the far north of mainland scotland, 0rkney and shetland, may stay dry through the day. it turns a bit damper across northern england and the far north of wales. much of england and wales, though, particularly the midlands southwards will stay dry. some spells of hazy sunshine. the lightest winds here, more of a breeze generally, but with those winds coming from a south—westerly, it is going to feel warmer again across the south, even with that hazy sunshine. further north, the cloud, of course, will dominate. and more cloud to come as we go through into thursday. this is the pressure chart. an area of low pressure. when we see low pressure, it usually means rain is never too far away, and certainly, that will be the case on thursday. plenty of cloud. outbreaks of rain pushing southwards across england and wales, perhaps a brighter day for northern ireland and parts of central and southern scotland, though, compared with wednesday. and a bit more of a breeze around on thursday across the west, too. so temperatures will take a little bit of a dip, but that will be offset by the fact that you will see a bit more sunshine. so, southern scotland, northern ireland the same. probably a pleasant day compared with wednesday. beyond that, things are quieter on friday. dry weather for most, turning wet in northern ireland later.

but this weekend, expect to see some rain at times. bye for now.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the long—awaited report into alleged russian interference in british politics will be released in around half an hour. doctors, teachers and police officers — some of the 900,000 uk public sector workers getting an above—inflation pay rise. alongside some of the pension enhancements we've seen over the last couple of years, this means they're making significant advances in pay, which is both right, but also a reward for the work they've done over the last few months. uk government borrowing soared to more than £35 billion injune, about five times more than the same time last year. eu leaders strike a deal on a huge recovery package

for member states hit by coronavirus, after a fourth night of talks.