this is bbc news with the latest headlines. sounding the last post about said captain tom moore, for his funeral, family members say his spirit will live on. the chancellor plans new measures to help people buy their own homes as he prepares his budget for next week. ministers in england launch a campaign to reassure parents it's safe for children to return to the classroom. anas sarwar has been announced as the new scottish labour leader. he takes charge of the party ahead of the scottish parliament elections due on 6th may.

festival organisers call on the government for more support to ensure live events can take place this summer. hello, welcome if you havejust joined us. this is bbc news. the funeral of the record—breaking charity fundraiser, captain sir tom moore, has been held in bedford. the 100—year—old came to prominence after raising almost £33 million for nhs charities by walking laps of his garden during the first lockdown. he died earlier this month, days after testing positive for coronavirus. our correspondentjohn maguire has the story. they were there by his side when he made his most famous

journey, today they were with him again when he made his finaljourney. soldiers from the yorkshire regiment, the modern equivalent of captain sir tom moore's wartime unit paid tribute with full military honours. on the coffin, his medals, including his knighthood, and a specially commissioned officer's sword, on one side, the regimental motto, "fortune favours the brave." on the other, his motto, "tomorrow will be a good day." and in clear blue skies above bedford cemetery, the silence was broken by a fly—past from a wartime dakota. to us, he was a veteran and a record—breaking fundraiser, who walked 100 laps of his back garden to mark his 100th birthday, raising most £40 million for nhs charities in the process, but for his daughters,

lucy and hannah, he was first and foremost a father. daddy, you would always tell us, "best foot forward," and true to your word, that is just what you did last year. when you raised a fortune for the nhs and walking your way into the nation's hearts. in the last days and hours we had together, you talked with pride about the lasting legacy of hope that people said you had created, brought to life with the foundation in your name. he declared to me and the nursing staff that you had a lot more fundraising into you and that you would be back soon as you felt better. we are all so proud of everything you have achieved and promised to keep your legacy alive. thank you for all the special times we have shared. 0ur relationship cannot be broken by death. you will be with me always. and for his grandchildren, benji and georgia, who have grown up living with their grandad, it was a time to remember

cherished moments. there is a lesson i have learned from living with you these past 13 years. it is the power of positivity and kindness. i truly do not believe i would be the person i am today without your sound guidance. we are now going to take... and he became a favourite for millions around the world who are inspired by his words and deeds — to walk, to be kind, and to support good causes. # walk on through the winds...# reassuring as all that we would never walk alone. during world war two, sir tom served in india and myanmar, then known as burma. he was part of the british fourteenth army, which is sometimes referred to as the forgotten army because its achievements 0ften overshadowed in other parts of will. —— of war. i'm joined now by viscount slim, whose grandfather field marshal william slim commanded the fourteenth army during the burma campaign.

he's chairman of the burma star memorial fund, a charity established thank you very much for being with us on bbc news to talk both about his achievements as part of that remarkable battle of service by the members, who of course, the burma star veterans. why is it, do you think overshadowed for so long? why was it a forgotten army? i think overshadowed for so long? why was it a forgotten army?— was it a forgotten army? i think it was it a forgotten army? i think it was it a forgotten army? i think it was it was — was it a forgotten army? i think it was it was mainly _ was it a forgotten army? i think it was it was mainly because - was it a forgotten army? i think it was it was mainly because the - was it a forgotten army? i think it| was it was mainly because the war was it was mainly because the war was very much on the european theatre. and the people who were fighting in burma where many thousands of miles away, that took six weeks of them to get there. but if you look at the burma campaign at its peak, it was the largest british led campaign of the second world war. there were 1.25 million personnel involved in the campaign, from over 20 commonwealth countries. a lot of people in the past have dismissed the campaign as the

british tried to retain a colony of their empire, but recent studies have shown that it was much more than that. the japanese imperial army had invaded many countries, including china and korea, there was not —— make they were not yet through burma and india, they wanted to get hold of the factories in india. they want to get passed into the oil fields in the middle east. they were met by a tremendous resistance in places by the 14th army, they were repelled by them. the other great achievement of the 14th army was that it was the biggest manned army that the japanese put into the second world war. it absorbs an enormous amount of their resources, by some estimates, the left that he might last 300,000 men in the burma campaign. if those resources had been used in the pacific, it would have made that battle even harder thanit have made that battle even harder than it already was. did have made that battle even harder than it already was.— have made that battle even harder than it already was. did captain tom have clear memories, _ than it already was. did captain tom have clear memories, do _ than it already was. did captain tom have clear memories, do you - than it already was. did captain tom have clear memories, do you know, | than it already was. did captain tom l have clear memories, do you know, of his service during that time? yes.

his service during that time? yes, he did. i his service during that time? yes, he did- i did _ his service during that time? yes, he did. i did a — his service during that time? 133 he did. i did a programme, i could not sadly see her because a coronavirus, but i did a programme with him where he talked a lot about his memories of the burma campaign. it was when he was in the dispatch team. he led that, he was a —— he a particular area of it, another young man, it was very exciting, he said, but actually, the burma campaign was probably very exciting, but it had lots of side effects as well, which i certainly would have not enjoyed myself. i certainly would have not en'oyed m self. , , ., ., , myself. very resilient and modest man. presumably _ myself. very resilient and modest man. presumably the _ myself. very resilient and modest man. presumably the difference l myself. very resilient and modest i man. presumably the difference with fighting in europe isjust an entirely different terrain, way outside the life experience of many of the young men who would have served. , , ., of the young men who would have served. , ,, of the young men who would have served. , i. ., ., ., served. yes, you can imagine, normal wartime britain, _ served. yes, you can imagine, normal wartime britain, which _ served. yes, you can imagine, normal wartime britain, which was _ served. yes, you can imagine, normal wartime britain, which was probably l wartime britain, which was probably more normal. you get onto a troop carrier, you arrive in india. the first thing you discover is that the

weather is unbelievably hot. something that you have never experience because yap would be never been abroad before, you have to get used to new food, you have to get new food —— complete different things. and you have got to go and deal with the fact that you have to take quite a bit of fate, because the morale was not good and they could not believe the enemy was invincible. they managed to turn the whole thing around in two years. they went forward into burma and really did impose a massive defeat on the japanese.— on the japanese. your late grandfather _ on the japanese. your late grandfather was _ on the japanese. your late grandfather was credited l on the japanese. your late i grandfather was credited with becoming a defensive operation —— turning a defensive operation into a defensive one, against the japanese. did you talk to captain tom about that at all? i did you talk to captain tom about that at all? . ., did you talk to captain tom about that at all?— did you talk to captain tom about that at all? . ., ., that at all? i commuted with that i commuted catered _ that at all? i commuted with that i commuted catered with _ that at all? i commuted with that i commuted catered with him - that at all? i commuted with that i commuted catered with him about| commuted catered with him about

that. —— commuted catered with him about that. -- i commuted catered with him about that. —— i can with him about that. he was very polite about that. people are polite, i suppose. he was very polite. his nickname was uncle bill. the soldiers liked him. he looked after them. and a difficult environment in which to look after your troops. and as you said, found it very tenacious and determined as an enemy. i went to the part of the reason we are less aware of it as well is because, what is now myanmar is the mac was a closed country for so long. the memorials that people would have normally otherwise gone to. going back to visit old bills, connect with civilians, things like that, that never happened for the bunnies. ~ ., ., bunnies. well, it did. not on anything _ bunnies. well, it did. not on anything like _ bunnies. well, it did. not on anything like the _ bunnies. well, it did. not on anything like the scale - bunnies. well, it did. not on anything like the scale of. bunnies. well, it did. not on| anything like the scale of the european battlefields, but it did and there were regular trips to burma and there were regular trips

to kohima. and going with cemeteries there. to go and look at the battlefield, i have done it myself. people do go. but it is —— people —— part of it, is that it is a very long way away yes!- part of it, is that it is a very long way away yes! and eight big art of it long way away yes! and eight big part of it is _ long way away yes! and eight big part of it is what _ long way away yes! and eight big part of it is what was _ long way away yes! and eight big part of it is what was the - long way away yes! and eight big part of it is what was the british l part of it is what was the british indian army as well. i part of it is what was the british indian army as well.— part of it is what was the british indian army as well. i said there were 1.2 million _ indian army as well. i said there were 1.2 million five _ indian army as well. i said there were 1.2 million five -- - indian army as well. i said there were 1.2 million five --1.25 - were 1.2 million five —— 1.25 million personnel, and about 74% of them were indian. indian were not just fighting, they were fighting for their homeland, the japanese joy trying to deprive them of that. they played a very major part in that. finally, how many burma veterans are still with us now? hot finally, how many burma veterans are still with us now?— still with us now? not everybody who within the burma _ still with us now? not everybody who within the burma camp _ still with us now? not everybody who within the burma campjoined - still with us now? not everybody who within the burma campjoined the - within the burma campjoined the association, so it is quite hard to track them. but we had 53,000 members at the peak, i'm afraid we

are down to about 1500 now. we are focusing very much on the benevolence, but also our programme. but there are not nearly as many of us as they used to be. but they did come it was quite amazing amazing to the batches and talk to the men and they always said to me, please, when we have gone, make sure the burma star is not forgotten, that is why we started the scholarship programme. it is a very good programme. it is a very good programme that is why —— it is all the people who fought in the 14th and come in different countries, as and come in different countries, as a postgraduate degrees on things like engineering and human health which was so vital for the burma campaign. iwas which was so vital for the burma campaign. i was second scholar is raising money but our second scholar is a wonderful lady from nepal and she wants to get her engineering degree to go back and help rebuild nepal after the earthquake. aha, nepal after the earthquake. a terrific cause and i am sure it was one that was proud to be associated

with him. thank you very much for being with us to talk about the work that you and your colleagues are doing and each amended achievements of those involved in the burma campaign. hopefully, not forgotten these days. campaign. hopefully, not forgotten these da s. . ~ campaign. hopefully, not forgotten these da s. ., ~ campaign. hopefully, not forgotten these da s. . ~' ., ~' campaign. hopefully, not forgotten these da s. ., ~ ., ~ let's speak tojohn maguire in bedford. any funeral or memorial is to exert and extend a sombre occasion, but presumably, the family were very keen, given the limitations, to make this as much a commemoration and celebration of the extraordinary life well lived? i celebration of the extraordinary life well lived ?_ life well lived? i think that is absolutely — life well lived? i think that is absolutely right. _ life well lived? i think that is absolutely right. that - life well lived? i think that is absolutely right. that was i absolutely right. that was definitely the tone that captain said tom had wanted himself. 0bviously, said tom had wanted himself. obviously, the one that his daughters, lucy and hannah had put into practice, very much putting his wishes into practice and also, what was celebrating to run the service, that balance to achieve, between reflection, but also a celebration. of course, there is grave, but there

of course, there is grave, but there is a lot of happiness. what we heard i think during the funeral, perhaps was that —— was one that many people had not had before, about the man, his first 99 years, before said captain tom became the legend that we are also familiar ways around the world. small stories about his cheekiness, about his humanity, his kindness, his humility, how he always looked out for the children, how he would repair their toys when they were broken and talk to them about their day at school, their sports matches. and also about how he had always been a great guiding light for his two adult daughters, throughout their lives, a real grounded traditional yorkshire man and very proud of his yorkshire roots. i think that really shone through today and it has made me think about why so captain tom's story has been so huge, why it has travelled right around the world. when he gave interviews to something like 120, 130 different countries.

perhaps it is something because of that. people can identify in him that. people can identify in him that i didn't make humility, that humanity. that really shone through everything he achieved in the last ten months of his life.— ten months of his life. have the family given _ ten months of his life. have the family given any _ ten months of his life. have the family given any indication - ten months of his life. have the family given any indication of. ten months of his life. have the i family given any indication of what they hope will be his legacy? foundation has been set up in his name. the captain tom foundation. it was quite early on, actually, when the fundraising went from that initial target ofjust £100, getting him to walk a lap of his garden, £1 for every lap. ajoke, him to walk a lap of his garden, £1 for every lap. a joke, really, him to walk a lap of his garden, £1 for every lap. ajoke, really, for his dash from his son in law, to keep him busy during lockdown. then those figures really started to gather pace from the money raised for nhs charities, when it started to get into the millions, then the tens of millions, they realise that they had a unique opportunity to speak, as i say, to the world, with all those interviews that he was doing. so they sat down and they thought and spoke to captain tom about the things that were important

to him and all of the factors in his life, some of them that we are perhaps not regret, but think that a lot more effort needs to be put into them to try to rectify them, to make people's lives better. that will be the captain tom foundation, looking at things like dementia, loneliness, helping education. its work will continue. it could continue for generations to come. we think about some of the large charities we know the names of, bernardo, joseph outreach, perhaps people don't understand who those people were initially, but they know their names now because they are helping so many people every day. john now because they are helping so many peeple every day-— people every day. john maguire and bedford, thank _ people every day. john maguire and bedford, thank you _ people every day. john maguire and bedford, thank you so _ people every day. john maguire and bedford, thank you so much. - anas sarwar has been announced as the new scottish labour leader. glasgow msp mr sarwar defeated monica lennon, the only other candidate in the race. mr sarwar takes charge of the party ahead of the scottish parliament election, which is scheduled to be held on 6 may. in his acceptance speech, he said labour had a lot

of work to win back trust — and promised to work day and night to change that. today, we have elected the first ever ethnic minority leader of a political party in the uk. that does not say something about me, that says something great about scotland, and its people. but the fight for equality is far from over. i will work with all our diverse communities in scotland to rebuild the country we love. this last year, it has been so hard for so many. but by staying apart, we have come together like never before. we can't come through this and go back to old arguments, fighting each other while our nhs loses out on funding. while our children miss out on a world—class education, and our towns and cities watch on as jobs move overseas. instead, we have got to create a better future for scotland, and we need to do that now. that is why, in the coming weeks, we will set out our vision for scotland.

instead of focusing on division, we will meet the case for a covid—19 recovery parliament, with an nhs restart plan at its heart, so we never again, never again have to choose between treating a virus or treating cancer. we will set out a catch up plan for our children, because i won't let a generation of young people go forgotten. we will set out a real vision forjobs, for now, and for the future. to support good businesses to create good jobs. the task ahead is tough, but together, there is nothing we cannot achieve. for too long, politicians are presented binary choices, whether it is a yes or no, leave or remain, they force you to pick a side. we cannot go back to those old arguments, so i say to you, directly, if you are worried about when or if you are going back to work, i am on your side.

if you are worried about your child's education or mental health, i am on your side. if you are worried about a cancer operation or a cancer diagnosis, i am on your side. if you're worried about the planet we are leaving for our children and our grand—children, i am on your side. if you are the victim of inequality or injustice, i am on your side. and i am determined that the labour party i lead will always be on your side. because i will be a leader that focuses on what unites our country, not what divides it. and together, we will build a better future for scotland. anas sarwar acting to his victory as the new elected leader of labour in scotland. the chancellor, rishi sunak, has warned that the uk has been left "exposed" to increases in the cost of borrowing as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and says he must level with people about the enormous strain on public finances when he announces his second budget this week. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, is here. the budget speculation is one of

those inevitable things, but the chancellor is giving more than just speculation. he chancellor is giving more than 'ust speculation.— speculation. he is, some actual words in black _ speculation. he is, some actual words in black and _ speculation. he is, some actual words in black and white - speculation. he is, some actual words in black and white from l speculation. he is, some actual. words in black and white from the chancellor this morning which is rare in the run—up to a budget. it comes with a pretty heavy hints that rishi sunak is trying to deliver in his interview with the financial times that he will use the budget on wednesday to at least start to prepare people for how he plans to redress the balance in the public finances and possibly even take steps towards doing that. of course the context is that he has borrowed billions upon billions during the pandemic to find the furlough scheme and other support measures put in place. he has been able to do that relatively cheaply because interest rates are so low, but when he talks about the economy being is exposed, what he means is that if interest rates were to go up in the near or medium term future, then certainly, that debt would be far more expensive. potentially unsustainable for the government to maintain. he wants to find ways of bringing the

debt down and how did he do that? well, there is pressure from all sides in his own party, never mind anywhere else, there are conservative backbenchers lining up to say that there is not the time to raise taxes, the economy still fragile, we need to keep on investing. then he has kenneth clarke, former conservative chancellor saying that he needs to look at income tax, vat, national insurance. those are things which the tories said in their manifesto at the last election that they would not touch. i do not expect him to go there necessarily. more likely perhaps, it is all speculation at this stage, things like corporation tax and taxes which put would perhaps affect businesses a little bit on what you might call tinkering around the edges rather than a big tax bombshell, but a warning nevertheless from rishi sunak. i nevertheless from rishi sunak. i suppose the dilemma is compounding. notwithstanding him coming back and say that covid—19 has changed everything, so that they made promises that nobody can expect them to keep in the circumstances, but

the premise has no return to austerity. does that mean having ruled out big spending cuts? 0nce ruled out big spending cuts? once you borrow, the cut of spending, it has got to beat taxation at some point and in some way.— has got to beat taxation at some point and in some way. yes, it does have to be. — point and in some way. yes, it does have to be. as _ point and in some way. yes, it does have to be, as you _ point and in some way. yes, it does have to be, as you say, _ point and in some way. yes, it does have to be, as you say, there - point and in some way. yes, it does have to be, as you say, there are i have to be, as you say, there are only a couple of ways in which the chancellor can raise money, he can either borrow it all put taxes up. he has borrowed so much and he is clearly uncomfortable with that level of debt on the books, that he will have to look at raising taxes at some point. he might not do it all in this budget, your almost certainly will not, but the longer he leaves it, the closer we get to the next election in the calendar for 202a. which conservative mp would want to answer on the doorstep for big tax rises in the to that? is a very tricky balancing act that he has got to do. i think what he is coming through clearly is that there is an uncomfortable feeling in government about the level of debt that has been built up in the pandemic and sooner or later, all that spending to keep the economy

afloat is going to have to come at a price. afloat is going to have to come at a rice. �* ., ., ., afloat is going to have to come at a rice. , ., ., ., ., ~ afloat is going to have to come at a rice. �* ., ., ., ., ~' i., afloat is going to have to come at a rice. �* ., ., ., ., ~' , price. jonathan, thank you very much. ministers in england have launched a campaign to reassure parents it's safe for children to return to the classroom. the back—to—school adverts will highlight extra measures, such as testing and masks, being introduced ahead of schools reopening fully on march the 8th in england. 0ur correspondent, jon donnison, has the details. these are some of the reasons the government in england think it's important to get young people back to school. teachers�* unions, though, are urging caution. our view is that it is the right time to go back into school. we would have had a phased return because that is what we see in wales, in northern ireland and in scotland. we haven't really seen the evidence for why it is so different in england. 0n the other hand, this is all about managing risks. and the risks of children not being in school are very significant as well. so, yes, it is the right time. but let's be realistic and recognise that it must be done with a real

sense of honesty and of caution. and the unions are unhappy that the government has rejected the idea of prioritising teachers for vaccinations. instead, age will continue to be the main factor driving the vaccination timetable. the government has pledged to offer the vaccine to everyone over 50, as well as those in specific at—risk groups, by mid april. it will then work down through the age groups, starting with those aged 40—49, then 30—39, and finally 18—29 — aiming that all adults should have been offered at least a firstjab by the end ofjuly. but despite the rapid progress on jabs, at the latest downing street briefing, a warning not to become complacent. it's a bit like being 3—0 up in a game and thinking, "well, we can't possibly lose this now." but how many times have you seen the other side take it 4—3? do not wreck this now. it is too early to relax.

and as we head towards spring, although cases are continuing to fall on a national level, in one in five local council areas, infections have actually started to slightly rise again. jon donnison, bbc news. security forces in myanmar have arrested hundreds of protesters after a fourth successive weekend of demonstrations. thousands took to the streets in protests against the military coup. it took place a month ago tomorrow. in the main city, yangon, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to try to break up the crowds. the military government has now annulled the results of last november's general election, which saw a landslide victory for the party of aung san suu kyi. the bbc�*s nick marsh is in singapore and told me there are reports that another woman has been shot in myanmar. local media outlets are actually reporting that she died. if that is true, that would make her the fourth person to die in coup—related violence

since the military takeover happened about a month ago. we do not know that for sure yet, we are not confirming that, we know that she was shot, she was rushed to hospital and taken to the intensive care unit. my colleagues in the bbc burmese service are saying that once a person is taken to hospital, once they are in the custody of the authorities, effectively, it is very hard to get details, to get any confirmation of exactly what is happening. we are keeping across that, of course, and as soon as we know anything with certainty, we'll bring you up to date. in terms of what is happening across the country more broadly, we are seeing more widespread process. we have seen people coming out onto the streets, today is a saturday, it is not a working day. we saw thousands in yangon, for example. there was some tear gas, there was some clashes live ammunition fired, warning shots into the air. but people keep coming out and we are going to have to keep an eye now and how the security forces respond.

nick mash their reporting on the events in myanmar. just getting reports that the regime has fired the ambassador to the united nations was that we will get more on that we bring it to you on bbc news. police in exeter say preparations are under way for the controlled explosion of a suspected second world war bomb found in the city. thousands of people in the area have had to leave their homes. 0fficers hope the work will be finished by the end of the day. veterinary authorities in spain say that nearly nine hundred young bulls held on board a ship for nearly three months had to be destroyed. the vets say the animals had suffered for too long after they were refused entry at several mediterranean ports over fears the cattle had contracted a bovine virus. vince soodin reports. "hellish" — that is how these dark, cramped conditions that trapped these male calves have been branded. these animals have been on—board this transit ship for weeks on end.

22 cattle have died at sea. now the rest are condemned to an early death. the animals' journey started on december the 18th from the spanish port of cartagena, destined for turkey. but the shipment was blocked, when the turkish port suspected the animals had blue tongue disease, a virus that leaves cattle lame and haemorrhaging, but does not affect humans. several countries have refused the ship entry, forcing the calves to go several days with just water and no feed. the transit has been condemned by animal rights activists. translation: we demand immediate - action to finally ban livestock - transport to the middle east, as other european countries have done, on the grounds that the animals' health and well—being cannot be guaranteed. when the calves returned to cartagena, the vets concluded they had suffered enough. too unwell to be transported out of the eu, too ill to be

allowed inside the block. destroying the bulls was the only solution, according to the vets' confidential report. out at sea, another 1,800 cattle on a second ship could now meet a similarfate. it's also been at sea since before christmas. it casts yet another cloud on the livestock transit industry. vince soodin, bbc news. the festival industry has been hit hard by the pandemic with revenues dropping by 90%. the government's furlough scheme and other financial support has helped many businesses survive, but event organisers will be watching wednesday's budget to see whether that continues beyond next month. this report from katie prescott contains flashing images from the start. dance music. dancing together — a distant memory. the echoes of crowds like these not heard for over a year. but there are hopes that parks like this one might soon welcome them again.

this festival organiser is planning an event here in september — but he's taking a big risk. with every single month that goes by, from now until september, we are investing heavily in this show. we currently have no insurance in place to ensure that we're going to get that money back. every single month that goes by, thousands of pounds are being spent on suppliers. we had to delay as many payments as is humanly possible. performers can't be sure if the event will go ahead. completely helpless. but then, also, what can you do? i'm someone that definitely works in the moment, and when everything and all the tools possible have been taken away and downed, it makes it extremely hard. # come on, now, tell me, . tell me what you want to do. # come on!# the festival industry will be hoping the chancellor shows them some love in his budget on wednesday — a year on since the pandemic started, it will lay bare just how

much it's cost to keep businesses going through covid. but the events industry is hoping the government doesn't pull the plug on spending just yet — at least until audiences are able to return to venues like these. we need an extension of furlough. the business rates relief was really important. the 5% vat was interesting, but we've not been able to trade so we've not been able to benefit from that. when tickets are available, it seems people do want to buy them. we are, if anything, worried about the capacity that we'e going to have for the explosion of domestic tourism we're expecting to see in the uk this summer. internationaltourism, obviously, completely different story. after a year of silence, this summer could mark the start of a new dawn for festivals — even in a socially distanced world. katie prescott, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather. high pressure belting across the uk,

now is going to bring plenty of dry