tonight at ten, pressure mounts on the government in the lobbying row involving david cameron, and his links to a failed financial firm. how far did the former prime minister go to help an australian financier, whose company is now in trouble? labour wants answers. the greensill scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. dodgy contracts, privileged access, jobs for their mates. this is the return of tory sleaze. we are having a proper independent review. if he has any allegations to make about what has taken place, he should make them to the eminent lawyer who has been asked to do it. tonight, a spokesman for david cameron says the former prime minister would "respond positively" to any request to give evidence to mp5. also tonight...

as president biden prepares to pull us troops out of afghanistan, we have a special report, from inside one taliban controlled area. hello, sweetheart. should care home staff in england be required to get a coronavirus vaccine? the government begins consultations. the royal family release new photos of the duke of edinburgh, ahead of his funeral on saturday. and manchester city go through to the semi—finals of the champions league, but liverpool are knocked out. also coming up in the sport, on the bbc news channel — another clay—court win for dan evans, sets up a third round clash with novak djokovic at the monte carlo masters. good evening. labour has lost a commons vote

to set up a parliamentary inquiry, into the lobbying row involving david cameron. but that hasn't eased pressure on the government, over the controversy involving the failed financial services firm, greensill capital. the labour leader sir keir starmer has accused the prime minister of presiding over what he called a return to "tory sleaze". it follows days of revelations and accusations about mr cameron lobbying ministers on behalf of greensill. borisjohnson says he shares the concerns raised, but insists a review he's ordered would get to the bottom of the issue, and tonight a spokesman for mr cameron said the former prime minister would "respond positively" to any request to give evidence to mp5. with the latest, here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. whistling cause for alarm? labour thinks it is onto something. after weeks of claims about an all—too—close relationship between politics and those trying to turn a profit, it was borisjohnson�*s turn to answer. questions to the prime minister. after it was revealed that the man

who used to stand in his place argued for the interest of a now failed bank to those now in power. every day there's further evidence of the sleaze that is now at the heart of this conservative government. does the prime minister accept there is a revolving door, indeed an open door, between his conservative government and paid lobbyists? mr speaker, this is a government and a party that has been consistently tough on lobbying, and indeed we introduced legislation saying that there should be no taxpayer—funded lobbying. but the opposition using this occasion to jog your memory... the greensill scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. dodgy contracts, privileged access, jobs for their mates, this is the return of tory sleaze. we are having a proper independent review and if he has any representations or allegations to make about what has taken place he should make them to the eminent

lawyer who has been asked to do it. almost implausibly, this picture appears to show the former prime minister and the financier lex greensill casually chatting on a lobbying trip to saudi arabia. david cameron worked for him and texted and called ministers in government now on his behalf. lobbying, the art of trying to change government's minds, is not illegal, but it is meant to be done in daylight, formal and transparent, for all to see. one of david cameron's former close colleagues suggests it is not quite as it should be. i think there is ample evidence from what has happened that there is a gap between the current law about what people can do by way of lobbying once they have left office, and the public perception of what is appropriate. but borisjohnson�*s top official is alarmed, too, after it emerged that a civil servant was able to work for greensill and the government in 2015.

simon case, whitehall boss now, wrote to his colleagues this afternoon. he said, "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern," and called for transparency and full and proper management of any outside interests. all departments have until the end of the week to flag instances all departments have until the end of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests outside government which might conflict with their obligations. a former cabinet minister told me what is shocking about david cameron is that what he was doing was sometimes considered normal around here. was sometimes considered normal successive governments have tried to grapple with the awkward fact that contacts can be used as currency, that the relationship between money and politics can be toxic. but the opposition sniff an opportunity to make this about the here and now. there is worry on the tory benches. it is no doubt a tasteless, slapdash and unbecoming episode. it leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and as so many have said far better than i could,

it tarnishes us all. but would they vote with labour for a public investigation? if they vote against it, as the prime minister has told you all to do, then i'm sorry to say, that they, too, will be part of the government's attempts to cover up tory sleaze. not this time. so, the noes have it, the noes have it. - but a separate committee of mps will still hold public hearings in the next few weeks. the business of politics once again in the glare. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. and for more background and analysis of the lobbying row, just go to our website at bbc.co.uk/news. president biden has announced all american troops and personnel will leave afghanistan by september this year, missing a previous deadline of may. this year, missing the uk is expected to follow, pulling out 750 british soldiers, at the same time.

the afghan conflict has been america's longest war, and at one point 100,000 us soldiers were deployed. currently, there are around 2,500. but the speaker of the afghan parliament has warned that the withdrawal could lead to a civil war. the country remains deeply divided, with the taliban still in control of many areas, including parts of balkh province, where our correspondent secunder kermani, has gained rare access, and sent us this report. victory, they believe, is theirs. as american troops prepare to leave afghanistan, the taliban promises to create what they call an islamic government. but where does that leave millions of ordinary afghans? we've been given rare access to their territory to find out. early—morning, we set off from the northern city of mazar—i—sharif. this province was once one of the most stable, now it is one of the most violent. we are just around half an hour's drive outside the main

city, and already we're in taliban territory. 0ur hosts have put on a show of force. their violent insurgency has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people. through checkpoints like this, the militants assert their authority. and where does the government control, then? us troops will be withdrawn later this year, but the fighting here will likely continue. negotiations between the taliban and afghan government has achieved little so far. for the past year, you've not been fighting against the americans, you've been fighting against other afghans, other muslims.

this man is the taliban's shadow mayor in this part of balkh province. he gives us a tour of the area. 0ne, one, one. class one? class one. there are girls. in the 1990s, the taliban banned female education, and in other areas there are reports they still don't allow older girls to attend school. but here, at least, they are supporting it. the school is funded by the government, but monitored by the taliban. local sources told us the taliban removed art and citizenship studies from the curriculum, adding islamic subjects, but otherwise follow the national syllabus. the taliban wanted to present us

with a positive image. throughout the trip, we were accompanied by them at all times. residents we spoke to at a local bazaar expressed support for the group, saying they brought security, but later we were told about villagers being slapped for shaving their beards, or having stereos smashed for listening to music. many, particularly in afghan cities, fear the taliban want to recreate their repressive islamic emirate of the 1990s. do you think that you did things wrong back then, and would things be different now? there's a diplomatic push for the taliban to agree to a power—sharing arrangement. so far, though, the group has shown little desire to compromise.

the price of peace may well mean giving into more of their demands. secunder kermani, bbc news, balkh province. 0ur washington correspondent, gary 0'donohue, is at the white house. american troops are going home in september, what does this say about president biden�*s foreign policy? this is part of a wider pivot away from america focusing on international terrorist groups like al-qaeda and more to what it calls the strategic long—term threats from competitors and adversaries like china and russia but it is also a recognition in america, it has achieved what it can achieve in afghanistan, it has trained an army of more than 300,000, it has degraded and dispersed al-qaeda leader and in that sense the score that was 9/11 has been settled after two decades, but there are risks, those in the administration here were also around in 2011 when they

drew down troops from iraq and that led to the vacuum where isis took overin led to the vacuum where isis took over in syria and iraq. it had a bank may feel less impetus to the negotiating table as a result of this unconditional withdrawal —— the taliban mayfield. and nancy pelosi has warned that the progress for girls and women in afghanistan could be at risk. domestically forjoe biden this is an upside in the sense that all candidates and all presidents want to bring their troops home, but if any of those negative consequences start to build up, then that smart politics may start to look a little less smart. gary, thanks forjoining us. it's a controversial issue, and now the government is beginning a consultation, on whether care home staff in england should be required to get a coronavirus vaccine. it's now a year since care homes

were struggling to cope with the peak of the first wave. april 12th 2020 saw a95 deaths of care home residents from covid alone. more than 800 residents died from other causes, but the combined figures are over three times the number who died on the same day, in 2019. many families and care providers argue that only a public inquiry will explain why residents weren't better protected. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. this is david capewell�*s way of seeing more of his wife, anthea. he volunteers as a gardener at her care home. hello, sweetheart. hello! snatched moments at the window keep him going. anthea, darling... particularly precious, as, a year ago, anthea had covid and was fighting for her life. he was called in to say goodbye. one of the nurses said that you had better get up here, quick... and so, i spent an hour

or two with her. in fact, i think i spent most of the night with her, but she pulled through it with the help of the nursing home. anthea's home, wren hall in nottinghamshire, is normally a vibrant place. but, last spring, life here was transformed by covid. with residents keeping to their bedrooms, staff were caring for 19 people who had the virus. they faced struggles getting health support, ppe shortages, and nursing associate damian remembers concerns over official guidance. the guidance mentioned changing your ppe every time you went into someone. within two weeks, that then changed to, you can go and help three individuals and then change your ppe. and always, in the back of your mind, you are thinking why was it different then, to what it is now? see you later. the home's owner says that they felt largely forgotten by the government. on march the 31st on social

media she described the situation as "dire". on april the 12th, she wrote... in all, 13 long—term residents died. we were clapping for the nhs. we were hearing, you know, "protect our nhs". but there was nothing about social care. i think it's probably a sad state of affairs that i don't feel angry. ijust feel, that is the norm. dad? it'sjean. it was april 12th whenjean adamson last glimpsed her father through the window of his london care home. he died from covid three days later. he was a family man who loved music, and jean is one of many calling for a public inquiry into why people like her father were not better protected. i still need to know why my father died in a place where he was supposed to be safe.

the government have a legal and moral responsibility to get to the truth. so that people who have been bereaved, like myself, i can get the answers. 0n the day audrick adamson died, the government announced its plans for social care. since, there has been more ppe, testing and extra funding and priority vaccination. it says families will get an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. alison holt, bbc news. allison, has there been any response from the care sector? fin allison, has there been any response from the care sector?— from the care sector? on the issue of “abs, from the care sector? on the issue ofjabs. yes- _ from the care sector? on the issue of jabs, yes. that _ from the care sector? on the issue of jabs, yes. that is _ from the care sector? on the issue of jabs, yes. that is dividing - ofjabs, yes. that is dividing people working in the care sector. when you see my film, that underlines the pressures care homes were under comedy issues about the

number of people who died and the many questions families have about why their loved ones weren't better protected, so that shows how important this is, and the government will have to answer questions about what happened in care homes at some point. we know that take—up of the vaccine by care staff has been sluggish. experts say that you protect against an outbreak in a home, 80% of staff had to be vaccinated, at the minute 53% of care homes for older people have reached that level and this is a consultation just looking at care homes for older people. there are particular pockets of concern, all london boroughs are below 80% and there are 27 local authorities below 70%. barchester, one of the big care providers, has said it will make jabs mandatory. unions say, bad

idea, they should do something about proper sick pay. so they can self—isolate but others say persuasion, talking to people about concerns is working. at the question they will have is if you make vaccinations compulsory for this very specific group, will you do the same for other health and care workers? . ~ same for other health and care workers? ., ~ , ., same for other health and care workers? ., ~ i. ~ same for other health and care workers? ., ~ ~ ., the latest government figures show there were 2,491 new coronavirus infections, recorded in the latest 24—hour period, meaning on average 2,719 new cases were reported per day in the last week. there were 2,481 people in hospital being treated for coronavirus on monday. 38 deaths were reported in the latest 2a hour period, that's of people who've died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test, which means on average in the past week, 33 deaths were announced every day, taking the total number to 127,161. 0n vaccinations, 76,123 people have had their first dose of a covid

vaccine in the latest 24—hour period, bringing the total to more than 32 point three million. 312,685 people have had their second dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period, which means that more than 8.1 million people have had two shots of the vaccine. the police officer who fatally shot a black man, daunte wright, in minneapolis following a routine traffic stop has been charged with second—degree manslaughter. kim potter, who served for 26 years, has now resigned. the shooting has sparked widespread protests in the city. a survivor of the terror attack at fishmonger�*s hall in london in 2019 has told the inquest how she was repeatedly stabbed. isobel rowbotham said she played dead after she was stabbed by usman khan at a prisoner rehabilitation event in 2019. he killed 23—year—old saskia jones and jack merritt, who was 25. khan was shot dead by

police on london bridge. members of the royal family including the queen, have returned to official duties, just days after the death of the duke of edinburgh last friday. their return to work comes as preparations got under way for prince philip's funeral on saturday. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph reports. the royal family have tonight opened their private photo albums in memory of the duke of edinburgh. here, the queen and the duke are pictured with their great—grandchildren, in 2018 at balmoral. the photo was taken by the duchess of cambridge. going back into the archive, father and son in 1966 at a polo match. they are precious family memories now being shared. today, princess anne visited the royal yacht squadron on the isle of wight where prince philip had once been the admiral. yes, he enjoyed coming down here. she spoke to many who'd met her father.

the duke's granddaughter princess eugenie also paid her tribute today on social media. she shared photos, referring to him as her "dearest grandpa". she wrote, "thank you for your dedication and love for us all and especially granny, who we will look after for you." and supporting the queen is now the royal family's priority. earl peel, the former lord chamberlain, has been at her side over the years as the most senior official in the royal household. yesterday she went ahead with an audience with him, marking his retirement. the court circular recorded the details, showing a queen back at work. and today met with his replacement, lord parker, the former head of m15. this is a time of great personal sadness for the royal family, and the queen is still in a period of official mourning. but, in continuing with some royal business here in windsor, she's clearly showing that her commitment to duty and public life goes on.

today, a military rehearsal for the duke's funeral in pirbright in surrey. it will honour the duke's military service and patronages. for one of the buglers, who will play the last post on saturday, there was a sense of nervousness. it will be hard to hold back emotions on that sort of stage. the pressure is there but we have rehearsed and practised and we're going to make sure we deliver such an impressive performance for his royal highness. the new photos emphasise the family's pride and love for the duke. the dedication alongside this image remembering a much loved father and father—in—law. and here again, with some of the youngest in his family, the duke of edinburgh as grandpa and great—grandpa. daniela relph, bbc news. there are 100 days to go, before the opening ceremony of the tokyo 0lympics injuly.

the torch relay is under way and athletes around the world are back in training. the organisers insist it's full steam ahead, but public support injapan remains extremely low. the country is facing a fourth wave of covid infections,with less than 1% of the population having received a vaccination. from tokyo, rupert wingfield—hayes has more. these people marching through the streets of tokyo are not celebrating the coming 0lympics, but demanding it be stopped. with covid infections surging acrossjapan, 70% of people here now say they don't want the games until covid is vanquished. over at city hall today, tokyo's governor yuriko koike was having none of it. "the fight against the coronavirus has been a major ordeal," she says. "but i would like us to overcome the virus and make the games a memorable event." for governor koike, this is a political risk.

she is going against people like nobuko shimizu, who is scared. we can't have the olympics. my mother is 91, so she is very vulnerable to covid. i think maybe i would take her to the countryside, maybe two or three weeks away from tokyo. it is more safe. japan's elderly are vulnerable because only a handful have been vaccinated. these pictures are from the first group getting their first covid shot — they're from two days ago. so farjapan has vaccinated less than 1% of its population. japan is now in the midst of a fourth wave of covid infections. the head ofjapan�*s medical association today said the medical system here in the tokyo area is in danger of collapse. add to that the lack of vaccines and you can see why japan is so vulnerable. 0ne epidemiologist i spoke to today said holding the olympics in this situation is irresponsible,

unethical and unscientific. for the athletes, too, covid is taking a toll. a year ago, this woman looked certain to be injapan�*s first—ever 0lympic surfing team, but a year without any international competition has ruined those preparations. translation: nothing - is going the way athletes have planned leading up to the olympics. competition and practice are totally different things. by not having any place to compete, it's hard for athletes to maintain a rhythm. the torch relay has now reached 0saka, the current epicentre of covid infections. instead of being welcomed by waving crowds, torchbearers were forced to run around an empty park, waving to no—one. it could be a foretaste of what is to come injuly. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in tokyo. the disgraced financier bernie madoff has died injail in america at the age of 82.

he was serving a 150 year sentence for running a scam investment scheme, the largest in american history. tens of thousands of people were defrauded of as much as $65 billion. his victims included the film director steven speilberg and the actor kevin bacon, as well as many ordinary investors. northern ireland's first minister, arlene foster, says she felt "humiliated" after a celebrity doctor tweeted a false rumour that she was having an extramarital affair. the high court in belfast has been hearing the tweet by dr christianjessen was retweeted more than 500 times. mrs foster is suing drjessen for defamation. 0ur ireland correspondent emma vardy is at the high court. what else was said in court? dr what else was said in court? d christianjessen is probably best known as the presenter of channel

4's embarrass embodies programme, and his tweet written into thousand and his tweet written into thousand and 19 came around the time but some anonymous twitter account posted claims that arlene foster was having an affair with one of her security guard —— written in 2019. in his tweet, drjessen made reference to those rumours and he wrote that dup had been preaching the sanctity of marriage and he posted, it always comes back to bite them in the end. drjessen has more than 300,000 followers, the tweet was we shared many times before it was taken down a couple of weeks later and arlene foster said how humiliating it was and how upsetting it was to speak to her family and husband about this, and said the rumours were completely untrue. we heard that drjessen had not apologised or corrected the tweet and the court was told that he did not agree with the suggestion that the tweet was defamatory. thank

ou. voters across scotland will go to the polls on the 6th may to elect members of the parliament at holyrood. today the scottish greens unveiled their election manifesto, with plans for a "green economic recovery" from the pandemic, and "a millionaire's tax" on the very rich. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith has more details. as well as their obvious focus on environmental issues, the scottish greens are the only major political party, other than the snp, who support independence for scotland. now is the time to be bold. how they perform in this election could determine whether there is a parliamentary majority in favour of another independence referendum. whilst we are still dealing with a pandemic, there's a climate emergency that you are stressing, is the distraction of an independence referendum in the next five years really necessary? i believe that people in scotland taking their future into their own hands is necessary. not as an alternative to dealing with covid recovery or the climate and nature emergencies, but as a fundamental part of dealing with those

issues effectively. the scottish greens' policies include... a referendum on scottish independence in the next five years. new taxes on profit and wealth, including a levy on firms who have made big profits during the pandemic. warmer green homes for all with homeowners unable to sell properties that don't meet energy—efficient standards. raising the school starting age to seven, with a kindergarten stage for three to six—year—olds. and a rapid transition to alternative energy. you say you want to end the extraction of all oil and gas from the north sea, when? we clearly are being honest about the fact that with far more fossil fuel available than we can afford to burn we need to see a substantial reduction in extraction over the next ten years, but we also need to be building up the alternative industries that will create economic activity, the opportunities for people in the oil and gas industries to move across, but also opportunities for our whole society.

invest in this transition now, they say, and avoid the economic damage caused by previous deindustrialisation. the greens admit some of their ambitious plans for tax raising and the transition to renewable energy cannot be achieved with the powers the scottish parliament currently has. they think an independent scotland could take a much more radical path. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. large sections of a cliff on dorset�*sjurassic coast have collapsed, dramatically changing the landscape. it's the biggest landslide in 60 years, with a substantial rock fall near thorncombe beacon. more movement is expected as fresh cracks have appeared. a further 300 metres of cliffs east of seatown also fell away, leading to the coastal path being cordoned off. dorset council is warning that with the ground drying out, there could be more landslips without much warning. manchester city are through to the semi—finals of the champions league after beating borussia dortmund in germany this evening.

but liverpool are out, after only managing a goalless draw