this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines: president trump formally accepts the republican nomination for november's us election, calling himself the candidate of law and order and encouraging black voters to support him. i have done more for the african—american community than any president since abraham lincoln, our first republican president. it's "vanishingly rare" for children to die from coronavirus, according to the world's biggest study of young patients with covid—i9. britain's empty town and city centres: the government launches a campaign to get staff back into the workplace. bowing out: japan's longest serving prime minister shinzo abe stands this down because of ill health.

and for the first time in history, a commemorative blue plaque is awarded to a woman of indian heritage. she was a british secret agent in the second world war. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. "the best is yet to come", said president trump as he formally accepted the republican party nomination to run for a second term. he warned that no one would be safe in an america governed byjoe biden, his democratic rival in november's election. he condemned mr biden as a left—wing extremist who would "demolish the american dream". mr trump was speaking to more than 1,000 supporters on the white house lawn, despite claims he was using the executive residence

as a political prop. from washington, david willis reports. cheering and applause music plays 0nto the south lawn, to a rousing reception from an invited and un—socially distanced audience, stepped donald and melania trump. the white house — a federal building — a controversial, some have said unconstitutional backdrop, for a political pitch of this kind. donald trump's appeal to remain here coming at a time of renewed racial tension and on the day a hurricane wreaked havoc on america's gulf coast. my fellow americans — tonight, with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism, i profoundly accept this nomination for president of the united states. calling the forthcoming election the most important

in the country's history, donald trump called once again for the restoration of law and order in the face of protests against police brutality and racial injustice, some of which have grown violent. like richard nixon in 1968, the message to white, suburban voters is clear — safety on their streets is at risk, and he's backing the police over the protesters. as long as i am president, we will defend the absolute right of every american citizen to live in security, dignity and peace. if the democrat party wants to stand with anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters and flag burners, that is up to them. but i, as your president, will not be a part of it. the republican party will remain the voice of the patriotic heroes who keep america safe and salute the american flag. applause and cheering touting his achievements

in trade negotiations, criminal justice reform and the middle east, the president vowed to rebuild an economy ravaged by what he calls the china virus. perversely perhaps, given his criticism of the black lives matter protests, he made this assertion about a voting group his party is nonetheless still hoping to woo. and i say very modestly that i have done more for the african—american community than any president since abraham lincoln, our first republican president. applause and cheering and i have done more in three years for the black community thanjoe biden has done in 47 years. and when i'm re—elected, the best is yet to come. there was no mention ofjacob blake, the black man shot in the back by a white police officer in wisconsin on sunday, nor of the trump—supporting teenage

vigilante charged with murdering two people who were protesting that shooting. donald trump is trailing joe biden in the opinion polls, although a new poll suggests the race may be tightening in several key swing states, leaving everything still to play for, with barely two months to go until the election. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. with me now is lynn sweet, the washington bureau chief for the chicago sun times newspaper. very good to talk to you, lynn. very good to have you with this. let's talk about the spectacle of donald trump at the white house, and it was effectively, really, a party rally at the white house? or you could call it a potential super spreading event if you want to do that. i know the talk is so much about how he has used the white

house, a government building, for a political purpose, but there is another thing, i realised, political purpose, but there is anotherthing, i realised, in political purpose, but there is another thing, i realised, in having to campaign events there plus another one at another government run fort mchenry. these are places that are exempt from local laws dealing with social distance and wearing masks. he found not only is the white house a very special government building in the united states, its about the only place outside of a military base where he can control the real estate enough that people could sit together and not wear masks and not have any local authorities interfere. let's just focus on what he said, and really, he was painting himself as the candidate of law and order, saying thatjoe biden and the democrats side with the anarchists, the rioters, the looters, that it would be a very dangerous america underjoe biden. how much do you think that is going to be a central issue in this election? well, i now

think this is an elevated issue. trump and his allies have been talking about that for weeks, especially with the unrest in the cities. some cities across the united states, after the death of george floyd in may. this is the man in minnesota who died after a white police officer took a knee to him. so part of this is an appeal to those few swing voters in these key battle ground states who are undecided. so these things you hear, law and order, plus an appeal to people's fears, i call this in a sense a campaign of fear that trump is running in order to get these swing voters to somehow feel it is 0k to vote for president trump because now i don't know if i could because now i don't know if i could be safe. now, kenosha, if you take

it only looking through one lens, feeds into that, but as your report pointed out, you also had a white radical come in with a weapon and kill two people and wounded a third, so kill two people and wounded a third, so there is a lot to unpack there, but that is not what the trump campaign is focusing on. so when you look at a particular group of women, suburban women, that is part of what this... that is what this campaign of fear is about. and if i may add, this now presents a very big challenge for the joe biden campaign, because they wanted to make so much of their messaging a prosecution of trump over how he handled the coronavirus infections in the united states. well, if you saw last night, you would think it is all over here, which it is not, so is all over here, which it is not, so the last few days, i think, do present certain challenges to the biden campaign. on that note, our

correspondent was saying the polls are tightening in some key states. it could be a closer race, may be, than some people were predicting? well, one point to what you and your correspondent are saying, just last night, joe biden in a fundraiser with a group of attorneys revealed that he will be going on the road in swing states, in a safe way, limited activities. this is kind of irrational, right? what difference does it make nowadays if someone appears virtually or in person? well, trump makes a lot of showing up well, trump makes a lot of showing up in places and campaigning in person. he is even having his campaign workers, where it is deemed safe, go and knock on doors. the democrats are not. so one thing to watch for, as this race tightens, is thatjoe biden and running mate kamala harris will be making in person appearances in these critical

handful of person appearances in these critical ha ndful of states person appearances in these critical handful of states before the election. great to talk to you, and i am sure we will talk to you again before the election. lynn sweet from the chicago sun times newspaper. the risk to children of dying from covid—i9 is "vanishingly rare", according to the world's largest study so far into young patients with the virus. but the report, published in the british medicaljournal, did find that black children, those who are obese and very young babies do have a slightly higher risk. 0ur health correspondent anna collinson has more. after months away from the classroom, some schools around the uk are already back. some opened their doors last week. now a comforting message for parents. a large study has found the need for children with coronavirus to have hospital treatment is very small. i think the most important message

from this paper is that children make up a tiny proportion of severe covid in the uk and that death with covid in children is vanishingly rare, and i would like to say that these findings are really reassuring. the study by the british medical journal looked at 70,000 patients admitted to hospital in the uk. just 651 were children. six of those died and all had serious underlying health problems. children of black ethnicity, those who are obese and very young babies have a slightly higher risk. but the vast majority of children have mild or no symptoms at all. tracy mcguire's daughter peyton was born maturely. peyton was born prematurely. she was diagnosed with covid—19 when she was just three weeks old. luckily for us she didn't show any symptoms, and therefore she actually seemed to get through it fine, and it went from a positive test, to the next one was negative, and at that point in time we were just so grateful that we managed to get through the next hurdle, as we saw it. the most recent daily

government figures show there were more than 1,500 covid cases in the uk, the highest since mid—june. an increase in testing partly explains the rise. new figures from the 0ns suggest infections are levelling off, with one in 1,900 people estimated to have had it in england. data suggests parts of tayside in scotland have one of the highest rates of infections in the uk. other areas that were previously a concern are appearing to subside. throughout this year, scientists have been racing to learn about how our immune system response to coronavirus. responds to coronavirus. now, 17 research centres in the uk are attempting to find out how long immunity lasts, why some people suffer more than others, and why some are asymptomatic. understanding this will help fight the virus. the antibody response does develop in almost every patient. it appears to weaken, and that is causing some concern, that it can decrease by perhaps 10% every month, whereas the cellular immune response may last for much longer.

and if we look at the historical precedent of the sars epidemic in 2002, cellular immunity lasted for ten years. a vaccine is the key to defeating covid—19, but one is not expected before christmas. the government has announced it wants health professionals to be trained to administer a vaccine so a lot of people can get it very quickly if and when it's available. speed is key for health and economic reasons, so it has also been proposed that red tape should be cut to prevent any delays. but as schools return, the focus is now turning to adults and their behaviour. illegal gatherings have taken place across the uk over the summer, and there are fears more rules will be broken over the bank holiday weekend. if infections do rise again, the government is adamant schools will be the last to close. anna collinson, bbc news. a government campaign to emphasise the benefits of going back to work will be launched next week.

it will urge employers to reassure staff that it is safe to return by highlighting the measures they're taking to make workplaces covid—secure and the benefits of working in an office environment. labour says it could force people to choose between theirjob and their health. earlier we heard from our business correspondent, katy austin. we know that lots of businesses have no plans for a mass full—time return to offices anytime soon, and while more working from home does seem inevitable in the future, today, the transport secretary placed an emphasis on encouraging a return to work places where it is safe. by work places where it is safe. by and large, where it is possible, people can now return to work. it is safe to do so. your employers should have put in covid friendly... 0r covid unfriendly, i suppose you could say, measures to ensure people can work safely from their offices, because there are things that are

just impossible to do from home. now, it comes out of the big business group the cbi said some city centre still felt like ghost towns without the commuters they used to have, and warned about the impact on city centre economy businesses. yesterday, we heard that the sandwich chain pret was cutting thousands of jobs. it the sandwich chain pret was cutting thousands ofjobs. it has traditionally relied on sales to commuters and office workers. but the decision facing individual businesses about returning to offices is far from straightforward. another business group told me that considerations include trust in public transport, whether schools are back and child care is available, and reduced capacity in offices themselves. those premises might also need expensive adaptations to be safe. if government wants to support and incentivise businesses to bring people back into the workplace, they should be taking steps to allow businesses to discount covid related

improvements to their premises from their tax bill, for example. they should be putting in place a support package as well for city centre businesses that have been so heavily affected by declines in footfall. now, politically, the government is clearly facing pressure from some tory backbenchers to encourage more ofa tory backbenchers to encourage more of a return to workplaces for economic reasons. however, today, the health secretary said how employees perform is important, not where they are based, and labour has called for assurances people won't be forced to choose between their health and theirjob. that is our business correspondent katie austin on the difficulty of persuading people to return to the office. the headlines on bbc news: president trump formally accepts the republican nomination for november's us election, calling himself the candidate of law and order and encouraging black voters to support him. it's "vanishingly rare" for children to die from coronavirus, according to the world's biggest study

of young patients with covid—19. britain's empty town and city centres: the government launches a campaign to get staff back into the workplace. civil rights activists are gathering in washington to mark the 57th anniversary of martin luther king's historic ‘i have a dream' speech. the organisers say it's to protest against continued racial discrimination in the united states, highlighted by the death of george floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police three months ago. barbara plett usher reports. nojustice... no justice... no peace! how to channel a summer of mass unrest into concrete change. the march on washington is capitalising on this national moment of reckoning to try and dojust national moment of reckoning to try and do just that. national moment of reckoning to try and dojust that. like national moment of reckoning to try and do just that. like civil rights

leaders in 1963. at george washington university, nestled between the lincoln memorial and the white house, these students feel swept up in the tide of history. white house, these students feel swept up in the tide of historylj think swept up in the tide of history.” think the past few months... i don't know if it has sparked something, but i think it has sparked something in the nation that made it ok for us to be outwardly upset and outwardly feeling what we have always felt day to day, going through life being black. what do you think this march can achieve? this is for the goal that this doesn't have to keep happening, because my grandma's generation, it breaks their heart that here we are, spending our 205 having to fight for our right to live. it's not radical, one, like lives matter. that is not radical. it shouldn't be radical! it should not be radical. the widely heralded and in some quarters feared march on washington... this seemed radical and even feared at the time. it brought some 250,000

people to the door is a power with a thunderous roar. in 1963, the march on washington moved race relations forward with landmark legislation on civil and voting rights, but it did not finish thejob. civil and voting rights, but it did not finish the job. activists are still pressing for new laws, but they also want new attitudes. they wa nt to they also want new attitudes. they want to change the nation's state of mind. the pandemic has thrown up unexpected barriers, so the crowds will be thinner, and the revolution will be thinner, and the revolution will be thinner, and the revolution will be streamed. the technologies that exist today... a virtual version of the march will amplify its demands for new policing and voting laws, and push to get out the vote. i think after november the 3rd, when we see the results for, again, notjust the 3rd, when we see the results for, again, not just the white 3rd, when we see the results for, again, notjust the white house, but all elections across the country, locally, we will be able to determine whether or not the march was impactful, right? so this is the train two november the 3rd, and we wa nt train two november the 3rd, and we want more people tojoin us. train two november the 3rd, and we want more people to join us. for marchers, it is a call to believe in something they have not yet seen, and to make it happen.

barbara plett usher. a little earlier, barbara told me more about what the marchers are hoping to achieve today. the main point here is to try to channel that passion and anger we saw in the protests this summer into concrete change, something that has a lasting impact, sojust like at the march 1963 advocating for civil rights legislation that was in front of congress at the time, they are going to advocate here for police reform legislation, which is currently in front of congress, because the main focus, of course, is criminaljustice and police brutality, given what has happened over the summer, and amplified this week in wisconsin by that police shooting of jacob blake. week in wisconsin by that police shooting ofjacob blake. the other main point is voting. this is an election year, and people here are worried their votes will be suppressed, so they are also pushing for legislation to protect their voting rights. beyond that, they just want to organise the young leadership that was thrown up by the protests this summer, to get them into much more targeted action at

the state and local levels where a lot of important decisions are made, and to organise a massive get out the vote campaign for november the 3rd. that will be another big theme of this event. let's talk about this now. joining us now is candis smith, associate professor of political science & african american studies at penn state university. thank you so much for being with us. what do you think the marchers today, retracing the steps of martin luther king 57 years ago, when you think they are really calling for in concrete terms, in terms of political change that they want to see in the united states? well, i would echo what your reporter has mentioned, that folks are really interested in focusing on issues of civil rights, and we have to remember that the 1963 march on washington was forjobs and freedom, and so, i think it is really important for us to remember the

broad scope of that march, and similarly this one, that though there is a focus in the media about police brutality, i think people generally speaking, and folks who are generally speaking, and folks who a re really generally speaking, and folks who are really in tune with the black lives matter movement, are focused ona lives matter movement, are focused on a larger set of issues, which includes police brutality, but also issues on voting and education and housing and this covid crisis and pandemic is really highlighting issues around labour and health care as well. 57 years ago, martin luther king talked about his dream, of course, famously. what do you think he would think now of the united states, if he looked across america and looked at the way that african americans in particular are treated? that is such a difficult question to answer, but what i can say is that i think that there are important changes that have happened since the mid—19 60s, but there are many things that i think would be

strikingly similar perhaps to someone from that era. so even though at that time we got the 1964 civil rights act and the 65 voting rights act and the fair housing act in1968, we rights act and the fair housing act in 1968, we still see that black unemployment is twice as high as white and employment, that schools are re—segregating, that incarceration rates have skyrocketed since the 1980s, and that even in some way, orform, there is a poll tax. so i think that in some way, maybe it would be bittersweet. we would notice important changes and attitudes, but the similarities are stark, and to some, i think, would say scary. and of course, it will be a time of potential political change in the united states in november with the election. we saw president trump at the white house accepting the

republican party nomination, and it was interesting to hear him say that he has done more for african than any president, he said, since abraham lincoln. you are a professor of african—american studies. what do you make of that claim? well, it is difficult to take president trump seriously on a number of events and claims that he makes, so i think it is asinine for him to make that claim. there is not much more to say, i think, claim. there is not much more to say, ithink, on claim. there is not much more to say, i think, on that issue. claim. there is not much more to say, ithink, on that issue. ok. given that is what you say, do you think african—american voters are going to see this as a pivotal election, and are they going to back joe biden? absolutely. you know, the thing is, african—american voters and black voters generally speaking our strategic voters, that they recognise that we are in a moment when we have a president who has

lauded and outright supported racist and white nationalists, and i'm sure they might have some trepidation around joe biden's past, but i'm sure they also see that black voters are sure they also see that black voters a re often sure they also see that black voters are often between a rock and a hard place, and i think in this instance, that his opponent, joe biden is going to be the better of the two. and mrtrump going to be the better of the two. and mr trump also at the white house was saying he is the candidate of law and order in this election. he said joe biden was on the side of anarchists, rioters and looters, and of course, we have seen a lot of u nrest of course, we have seen a lot of unrest in american cities in the last few months. to what extent do you think law and order is going to bea you think law and order is going to be a key issue? well, i think that law and order is going to be a key issue, but in two ways. this kind of rhetoric ring quite differently depending on who you are talking to, so we call this dog whistle politics. —— rings quite differently. for people who are

going to support donald trump, law and order sounds like they want order even if it means being above the law, which we see trump, seeing himself as above the law quite frequently. to other voters, black voters and particularly, they hear law and order as being oppression and brutality, and there are certainly black voters... to be clear, black voters, in fact, folks in the united states, many do see the necessity of safe neighbourhoods and police, but also, they recognise that sometimes, there is a pattern of police brutality and state violence against black folks. so that kind of rhetoric rings quite differently to different people, and people will respond accordingly. great to talk to you. thank you very much for your time. candis smith, associate professor of political science and african—american studies at penn state university. many thanks.

so it's another big day ahead in the united states as that march in washington gets underway. we'll have special coverage starting from four o'clock this afternoon with clive myrie here on bbc news. and you can also follow events on our website. kremlin critic alexei navalny, who remains in a medically—induced coma after what his supporters suspect was a poisoning, is facing no serious threat to his life and his condition is improving, his spokeswoman has said. that is coming into us in the last few minutes. navalny, who is 44, was airlifted to germany on saturday after collapsing during a flight from the siberian city of tomsk to moscow. he is being treated in a berlin hospital. well, with staff being encouraged back to their workplaces, and schools in england and wales

preparing to welcome pupils back next week, how will the public transport network cope with the increase in passengers? john maguire has been to find out what measures are in place for students who use public transport, and what you can expect when it comes to social distancing on the school run. the school run is almost back, but as with everything else in 2020, it will look, feel, and be very different. public transport companies have been juggling different. public transport companies have beenjuggling the demands of social distancing, bubbles, and face coverings all while not really knowing just how many children will turn up. in bristol, first bus will run special services just for pupils, and bristol, first bus will run special servicesjust for pupils, and in some cases, for individual schools. we have added buses which are specifically marked up on school buses, and the route number has a s

added to it, and they are specifically for those journeys. 0bviously, specifically for those journeys. obviously, the first day is going to be challenging as gets the hang of it, but as the kids have got used to it, but as the kids have got used to it, i think it will work 0k. it, but as the kids have got used to it, i think it will work ok. unlike the summer term, the majority of pa rents the summer term, the majority of parents will now have no choice other than to send their children to school, but will have to decide how they get there. i have been extremely anxious about them using the transport. i know it is a necessity, because i can't physically get them all there myself, but it is concerning to myself, but it is concerning to myself, because being a shielding family, and her vulnerability, myself, because being a shielding family, and hervulnerability, i would like to know who is going to be in the transport with my second child, as to how many children she is going to have within that transport bubble. but i still don't know that, with a week to go. the industry's trade body is working to persuade parents that children will be safe. understandable that parents may be concerned, but there is really no need for them to be. 0perators have been working hard, making sure there is enhanced

cleaning in place. 0bviously, making sure there is enhanced cleaning in place. obviously, there are face coverings that children can wear to keep themselves safe, and making sure that there are safety measures in place to protect the driver as well. from the road to the rails, the return of schoolchildren would be the biggest step back to pre—virus life. but there are considerable and challenges ahead. as with any environment these days, whether it is a pub, a cinema or in public transport, it is not necessarily whether you are sitting down and not moving around that social distancing is challenging. it's the getting on and off, the pinch points of accessing a bus or a train. physical safeguards are plain to see. the safety of those people has got to be top of our list. we have been carrying customers now for some time. we know how to do it in the railway industry. the wearing of masks, which most of the secondary school pupils will be having to wear, significantly gives that additional reassurance to customers that they can travel safely, and of course, that they can travel safely, and of course , we that they can travel safely, and of course, we have got there is enhanced cleaning regime is in place, and the social distancing

recommendations that we are helping people follow. there are always nerves on the first day of school, but next week, it won't be just the children who will be anxious. it will be a major test of public transport and of public confidence. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich. good afternoon, after all the heavy downpours we had to contend with lately, there were something fresher on the way for the weekend. winds at first, called by day and by night but it will be mostly dry. through the rest of the day, some outbreaks are the rest of the day, some outbreaks a re pretty heavy the rest of the day, some outbreaks are pretty heavy rain across central and southern parts of england, parts of wales as well with the rain tending to pivot eastwards as we go through tonight with many spots try and clear spells in just through tonight with many spots try and clear spells injust the through tonight with many spots try and clear spells in just the odd shower, a fairly cool night particularly in the west, mile further ease carry three winds and rain into tomorrow morning with you

and is likely to cost that 50 mph or and is likely to cost that 50 mph or a touch more for expose north sea coast. we will see some dry weather, some spells of sunshine and the odd rogue shower. temperature is the time of your pretty disappointing with 13-18, time of your pretty disappointing with 13—18, possibly 19 celsius. cole given the strength of the wind. still very cool for the time of year. hello this is bbc news with ben brown. the headlines... president trump formally accepts the republican nomination for november's us election — calling himself the candidate of law and order and encouraging black voters to support him. i have done more for the african—american community than any president since abraham lincoln, our first republican president.

it's ‘vanishingly rare' for children to die from coronavirus according to the world's biggest study of young patients with covid—19. britain's empty town and city centres — the government launches a campaign to get staff back into the workplace. bowing out — japan's longest serving prime minister shinzo abe stands down because of ill health. and for the first time in history, a commemorative blue plaque is awarded to a woman of indian heritage who was a british secret agent in the second world war. sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's lizzy. more on the harry maguire saga. good afternoon... england defender harry maguire says he's thankful for the suppport of his club manchester united after the traumatic events of the past week.

in an exclusive interview with the bbc, he told our sports editor dan roan that he feared for his life when he was arrested by greek police, and thought he was being kidnapped. united have said maguire is likely to remain as their captain this season. it's such a huge honour to be captain of manchester united, something i'm really proud of. it's a massive privilege to play for the clu b a massive privilege to play for the club never mind be captain but the one thing i will say is how supportive the club have been from top to bottom. they've been great with me and obviously it's been such a difficult time. my main focus is obviously family. but the next best thing to my family is football. playing for manchester united, like isaid, playing for manchester united, like i said, something playing for manchester united, like isaid, something i playing for manchester united, like i said, something i love. you can watch an extended version of that interview with harry maguire. it's at 9.30pm tonight on the bbc news channel.

chelsea's manager frank lampard is continuing to restructure his side's defence, signing the brazil centre—back. thiago silva on a free transfer — one—year deal after leaving paris saint germain. the 35 year old will link up with england left—back ben chilwell, who signed from leicester on wednesday. us sport continues to be disrupted as more playersjoin the boycott to protest over the police shooting ofjacob blake. in the game between the new york mets and miami marlins — both teams took off their caps for a moment of silence, before walking off the field, leaving behind a black lives matter t—shirt. basketball‘s nba's play—offs and football and ice hockey matches have also been postponed. the american football season doesn't start for another fortnight — and is in full practice mode, but the tennessee titans cancelled their latest session in solidarity. we had a meeting with the entire tea m we had a meeting with the entire team and be felt as players and an

entire organisation that it was right to not practice today. we felt that with all the recent events happening in our country, notjust this year, not the past year but the past hundreds of years, we decided it's time to a stand. second practice is under way ahead of sunday's belgian grand prix. valetteri bottas was quickest in the first session — the perfect start to his 31st birthday. bottas just held off his mercedes team—mate lewis hamilton, with max verstappen close behind. the top three were separated by fractions of a second on one england will take on pakistan in the first of 3 20/20 internationals, meanwhile the t20 blast competition is into its second day and sussex sharks are hosting surrey in the t20 blast. hosts sussex were put into bat first

— they are currently 85 for 2. as british sport continues to slowly re—introduce spectators — murrayfield will stage the first rugby match with fans since the lockdown. around 700 will be allowed in to watch edinburgh take on glasgow in the pro 14, with strict social distancing measures in place. tickets have been sold in pairs so members of the same household can sit together. and that gives season—ticket holder darren coutts the perfect opportunity to take his girlfriend anna healy to her first rugby match. i feel totally safe about it. some really good measures in place so i'm really looking forward to it. everybody has a sense of... notjust for rugby but sport in general but there is a sense of responsibility. we understand that covid rack sport across the land and we just want to make it work and hopefully a great

event tonight leads to another great event tonight leads to another great event and we can get back to watching rugby alive. —— and we can get back to watching rugby live. that's all the sport for now. there are calls for the government to do more to protect vulnerable children who are excluded from school and exploited by criminal gangs. a new report by the charityjust for kids law has highlighted how vulnerable children are being excluded from school after being exploited by drug traffickers. he we can speak now to enver solomon — the chief executive, ofjust for kids law — whojoins me now via webcam from north london and to "mark" who believes that social isolation led him to being groomed into county lines activity. that's where illegal

drugs are transported from one area to another , usually by children or vulnerable people , who are coerced into it by gangs. to protect his identity — "mark" which is a pseudonym — isjoining us on the phone. lets talk to enver first of all, to what extent do you think kids who are excluded from school are then more vulnerable for gangs who need to exploit them? they are extremely vulnerable because if they are out of school, then they are on the feet often, not in education. we know the quality of our alternative of working in the capital is invariably pretty poor. so they are out and we know from the casework we do by those who want to work them to get involved in criminal activity and transport drugs, and that puts them in very dangerous situations, so we are saying very clearly that if a

child is at risk of criminal exploitation or of being abused by drug traffickers, you shouldn't take them out of school, you should ensure they remain in school and they are supported by social services who should be there to support them to stay in education and stay away from danger and from the risky situations they find themselves in the on the streets. thank you, enver, we will talk more to you in a moment. let's talk to mark on the phone. tell us, mark, your experience because you were excluded from school and you then became vulnerable to a criminal gang. yes, i was excluded in year nine and sent to alternative provision approval referral unit where either surrounded by other young people. why do you think that made you particularly vulnerable?

because the environment and the schedule, so with mainstream education, you have that strip, rigid, nine till half three or four o'clock and they are not a scheduled are structured so that leaves you more time with your day on which you don't have any kind of enforced classroom time. do you think the school wrong to exclude you? you are later diagnosed with asperger‘s, weren't you? yes, the school only have to go on the balance of probability as opposed to the criminal justice system probability as opposed to the criminaljustice system which has to prove beyond reasonable doubt saudi school doesn't have to give much evidence provide much reasoning —— so the school doesn't have to give much evidence to get rid of a child permanently. what is your situation now? i'm at university now.

exploited by criminals and you are now at university. that's a pretty extraordinary story. yeah, the judge managed to overturn my conviction and get the exclusion of my record soi and get the exclusion of my record so i got to another school, luckily. what is your advice to anyone in a similar position, any young person who is may be excluded and sent a pupil referral unit and you may also be vulnerable. what would you say to them? i would sayjust try to get involved in something different. 0bviously when you get kicked out of school, you're left with a lot of time on your hands but something that help from us music so there's a lot of charities and youth centres that offer music studios to make music or sports teams and i think that can be a really positive outlook for people who haven't got

any mainstream education. do you think criminals, particularly target these excluded pupils like yourself at pupil referral units and so on, they hang around there knowing that they hang around there knowing that they are vulnerable and they are easy prey, may be. yes and no. i think it is kind of a combination of things. the isolation from being excluded from school combined with the new environment which is entirely made up of children who are also being excluded from schools and have been involved in criminal activities or have ties to family members and, in my case in particular, it was meeting these people that acted as a third party to introduce me to these other people. to these older people. thank you. enver, it is an extraordinary story, mark's story and i suspect not that typical in a way that

difficult for schools or thinking of excluding pupils because they do not wa nt to excluding pupils because they do not want to be accused of washing their hands of people but at the same time, they don't want to potentially disruptive pupils disrupting the classroom. it is really difficult for schools and we don't deny that. we don't deny that ten teachers, teachers have to work with a lot of children under a lot of pressure in schools that are subject to a high degree of inspection by 0fsted and they will see children behaving badly is a problem in the classroom and they might rush to eggs them but what we are saying very clearly —— rush to exclude them. the school has to make interests that are in the best interest of the child and they need to be more conscious and aware of the signs that provide those tell—tale indications that a child is at risk of exploitation that

might involve their behaviour or mood changing all of them having periods relic they've missed a lesson. the school cannot track down that child for a period of time and these are all the tell—tale signs we re these are all the tell—tale signs were school has to immediately act. and they have to critically ensure that child is protected because every child has the right to grant to fulfil their potential and get entire education. and to go on to have successful careers. that's what you want for all our children. just back to you. enver was talking about some schools rushing to exclude children. is that what you feel does happen sometimes may be in your case? it is an easy way out to exclude what they see as a disruptive pupil. yes, i exclude what they see as a disruptive pupil. yes, “0096 agree. 0bviously with budget restrictions

and oversized classrooms, there are just not as many members of staff and often you don't have access to free areas where you can see structured children as opposed to being in self—contained units in school. it is an easy option for them and it makes life easier especially when they have other problems within the school. thank you so much for talking to us. what are you going to do? do you have planter at after university yet? yes, i'm going into consultancy. thank you so much for talking to us. the headlines on bbc news... president trump formally accepts the republican nomination for november's us election — calling himself the candidate of law and order and encouraging black voters to support him. it's ‘vanishingly rare' for children to die from coronavirus

according to the world's biggest study of young patients with covid 19.