this is bbc news i'm shaun ley. the headlines at eight. the chief adviser to the government on helping pupils catch—up after lockdown quits over a lack of funding. sir kevan collins says the package of support announced today "does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge". three quarters of uk adults have now received a first dose of a covid vaccine —— according to the health secretary matt hancock. vaccine confidence with uptake rates are among the highest in the world and i am very proud of that fact. opposition leaders in israel have just hours left to try to form a coalition that would oust the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. thousands of women underpaid on their state pensions challenge the government for payment.

and the long—running bbc medical drama, holby city is ending after 23 years, with the final series to air in march 2022. the man put in charge of the government's plans to help schoolchildren in england recover from the effects of the covid lockdown has resigned. in a letter announcing his decision to step down, sir kevan collins severely criticised the level of support that the government has said it will provide. it's proposed spending £11; billion to help children catch up on missed edcuation. but sir kevan said that was not enough, writing: �*the support announced

by government so far does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge�*, and adding that "a half—hearted approach risks failing hundreds of thousands of pupils" he went on: "the package falls far short of what is needed. it is too narrow, too small and will be delivered too slowly", and said that it "betrays an undervaluation of the importance of education" for individuals and society. let's talk to our political correspondent helen catt. helen, what are downing street sing about this because this must be very unwelcome to news. i about this because this must be very unwelcome to news.— unwelcome to news. i think it's very unwelcome- — unwelcome to news. i think it's very unwelcome. brought _ unwelcome to news. i think it's very unwelcome. brought back— unwelcome to news. i think it's very unwelcome. brought back in - unwelcome to news. i think it's very i unwelcome. brought back in february to figure out how to help people catch up on the learning they missed because of the pandemic. boris johnson said that doing that was his biggest priority in so for kevin to come out and use these quite strong terms to dismiss the offering that is come forward from government, thatis is come forward from government, that is going to be a blow for them

for sure. that is going to be a blow for them forsure. so, that is going to be a blow for them for sure. so, this that is going to be a blow for them forsure. so, this £11; that is going to be a blow for them for sure. so, this £11; billion package that is been announced which is what the government had so far spent on education on catchup education, as he said, so kevin said that does not come close. the bbc understands that the figure is being discussed in government up until last week was over £10 billion. you can see the scale of difference here that we are potentially talking about. there is another line in the statement which will come as a blow to the government as well which is that in parts of the country were schools were closed for longer, such as the north, the impact of low skilled productivity will be severe. i think this governments about spreading opportunity to areas that have been left behind in the past, thatis have been left behind in the past, that is going to be quite difficult for the government too. this evening, the prime minister said there you should be grateful to sir

kevan for his help in helping people catch up and recover. the government will continue to focus on recovery and make sure no child is left behind with their learning. the prime minister also said earlier that there would be more funding coming from the track. there's been some suggestion that perhaps in the spending review later this year, thatis spending review later this year, that is not the same as special pandemic money and clearly it has not been enough to keep sir kevan on board. before sir kevan collins resigned, head teachers had said they were "hugely disappointed" by the pledge of £11; billion over three years. the prime minister reassured schools and parents in england that more funding would be "coming down the track". our education editor, branwenjeffreys has the background. it's in towns like hartlepool that children have fallen furthest behind. earlier this year, the prime minister said this was his top priority. it's the loss of learning for

so many children and young people. that's the thing we've got to focus on now as a society. so, what does today's promise mean for this primary and secondary school? giving children back their voice. it was more his confidence being around people. he was very quiet anyway. he's a really quiet boy. so, that side of him was lost again. mums telling me education should be top of the list. you know, the financial state - of the economy is important in terms of how we can prosper. but this is the future of the country. - if we don't invest i in their education. it's just paramount. we owe it to them. there was a draft plan to fund more school hours, for sport and arts, as well as learning. but that got scrapped last

week as too expensive. there is £1 billion extra today for tutoring for some pupils. but this school asked for 12 tutors this year and got two. what we're now doing is the biggest tutoring programme anywhere in the world. there's no question that many kids are incredibly resilient. they bounce back very well from the pandemic. but a lot of them also need help to catch up, to make good on the loss of learning that's taken place. even before the pandemic, two things were happening. the gap between better—off children and poorer children in how they were doing at school was beginning to widen again. and in hartlepool and across the north—east, more and more children were growing up in families struggling with money. and we know that it's those children who have fallen furthest

behind in the pandemic. but for schools today, this is a slimmed—down plan, leaving them choosing which pupils to help. today, the headteacher told me she was bitterly disappointed. i was absolutely incredulous. ijust can't get my head round how the big plans that we have all been involved in the discussion have boiled down to what is in effect 15 hours of tuition for identified children. i'm left thinking, where is the rest of this big plan? schools are on a journey out of the pandemic. travelling with a hope, and promise, there's more to come. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are the pensions expert and campaigner baroness altmann and jason beattie, head of politics

at the daily mirror. this is not quite the day ending as we expected to end because judging by the newspaper late last night, it was going to be all about the education funding plan. what in your judgment has gone wrong? i think the governments — judgment has gone wrong? i think the governments announcement - judgment has gone wrong? i think the governments announcement was - judgment has gone wrong? i think the l governments announcement was deeply disappointing and i'm not party to the arguments that were taking place inside governments between the treasury, downing street in the department for education, but what i do know is that children and young people once again have been a real afterthought for this government and it does seem to me that there's no holistic view of the conservative government of the importance of investing in children and young people. they are right to end enjoying an enriched childhood to

show off their potential and the importance of our whole country of children's education recovery and well—being because if we are holding back not only investment that is needed for them to bounce back from the pandemic, who went to see the consequences for years to come, including consequences for our countries future success and prosperity. i countries future success and prosperity-_ countries future success and --roseri . ., �* ~ ., prosperity. i don't think anyone will ara ue prosperity. i don't think anyone will argue with _ prosperity. i don't think anyone will argue with that _ prosperity. i don't think anyone will argue with that but - prosperity. i don't think anyone will argue with that but part - prosperity. i don't think anyone will argue with that but part of| will argue with that but part of this is about cutting the cloth there so many demands, including posts covid—19 demands in the hospitality industry to continuing investment to train and manage some the long—term health consequences and effects from other things. government has the bounds of these things and whether it is the labour chancellor a conservative one, those problems are the same. it’s chancellor a conservative one, those problems are the same.— problems are the same. it's about makin: problems are the same. it's about making choices _ problems are the same. it's about making choices and _ problems are the same. it's about making choices and the _ problems are the same. it's about i making choices and the government problems are the same. it's about - making choices and the government is making choices and the government is making the wrong choices in children and young people are to have been front and centre of government thinking have always been at the

back of the queue when managing this pandemic. but make what in your view if it's about priority should the government not be doing to allow them to do this? how about contracts issued to conservative party donors the little experience in products that they're supplying and i would argue that investment in children and young people is a moral imperative and really crucial to the future success and prosperity and the chancellor of the exchequer in the chancellor of the exchequer in the whole government are making the wrong choices. of course, i understand that there are many calls for the public purse. but the idea that children can afford to wait is particularly misplaced for a very young child, two or three month delay while the government carries out a review really, really hold back their speech, language and social skills for older students and a delay in being able to catch up on

the lost learning to live a long—term impact on the future study and employment prospects. ijust think the government prospects are wrong here, short—sighted and the wrong here, short—sighted and the wrong priorities and we are a rich economy, we can make choices to invest in children and young people and we should do so. i invest in children and young people and we should do so.— and we should do so. i appreciate that ou and we should do so. i appreciate that you said _ and we should do so. i appreciate that you said you _ and we should do so. i appreciate that you said you are _ and we should do so. i appreciate that you said you are not - and we should do so. i appreciate that you said you are not party i and we should do so. i appreciate that you said you are not party to | that you said you are not party to the comings and goings inside whitehall, but as an observer in the educational field whitehall, but as an observer in the educationalfield and whitehall, but as an observer in the educational field and someone who has a policy background and this yourself, what do you make of the loss of sir kevan, he has only been in forjust four loss of sir kevan, he has only been in for just four months loss of sir kevan, he has only been in forjust four months now? sir kevan is a _ in forjust four months now? s " kevan is a highly respected education official and listening to school leaders, his plans were very well regarded by them and they felt involved, that they were being listened to and they felt they were the right plans for the children that they are responsible for

educating. i think this is the big blow to the teaching professions confidence in this government if they had in the conference before and i know many of them were already deeply concerned about the mishandling of exams in school lockdowns and school bubbles. i think the credibility that the government has but the teaching profession will be even lower as a result of his loss, but the real damage will be to children and young people who is the champion down the conservative government, it seems there is nobody prepared to fight for children young peoples best interests. he for children young peoples best interests. . , , ., , ., ., for children young peoples best interests. ., , ., ., , interests. he appears to have been su ”ortin interests. he appears to have been sunporting a _ interests. he appears to have been sunporting a plan _ interests. he appears to have been supporting a plan that _ interests. he appears to have been supporting a plan that would've - supporting a plan that would've between 10 billion or 15 billion and 11; billion with more promised potential encumbrance and spending. how much would labour spend? to how much would labour spend? trr published our own children's published our own child ren's recovery published our own children's recovery plan today and we suggested spending ofjust under £15 billion, very similar to the sort of figured

that sir sir kevan was mentioning. tutoring small groups is useful in for teacher training and development. but we are very aware that parents and teachers have told us again and again about their concern for children's social and emotional well beings we of all suggested that for expert mental health staff, many children will recover well, but some will struggle and it is important that we tackle any mental health issues early because of the mental health is poor, the learning will be inhibited and we suggested a package for a high curricular activities at the end of the school day which will enhance childhood and their learning and the premium that schools receive to support disadvantage pupils to give them attention, it needs to be

boosted in the next two years to support children's recovery and in fact, the government has sold schools short on the premium we are saying now is the time to increase schools and give them more resources to get more attention on the most disadvantaged students or otherwise will see the attainment gap between better off pupils and those with backgrounds and that is both unjust of those children and again, very damaging for countries future. shadow education secretaryjoins us from greater manchester tonight. thank you for being with us on bbc news. what his reaction to what they had to say in this statement? right

across education _ to say in this statement? right across education and _ to say in this statement? right across education and everyone | to say in this statement? i q�*it across education and everyone who supports young people, we are delighted to see his appointment because his experience and as the head teacher and education policy and children services. we know she was taking an evidence—based approach and he was listening to what was necessary and so it isa it is a real worry, notjust that he is gone, but that he is gone because as we hear, his plan is not being put together. concerns that this was not enough resources and that things would not move quickly and seriously enough a really boring because now is the time to invest in young people. is the time to invest in young --eole. ., ., , is the time to invest in young --eole. ., ., ., , people. how potentially damaging is, i know it is hard _ people. how potentially damaging is, i know it is hard to _ people. how potentially damaging is, i know it is hard to quantify _ people. how potentially damaging is, i know it is hard to quantify this - i know it is hard to quantify this over many years but as we know of others similar education, how potentially damaging is it for a young person and secondary education if they lose the continuity of a year or perhaps 18 months worth of education? it

year or perhaps 18 months worth of education? , ., , year or perhaps 18 months worth of education? , . , ., ., ., education? it is really damaging for that ouna education? it is really damaging for that young person _ education? it is really damaging for that young person than _ education? it is really damaging for that young person than throwing i education? it is really damaging for. that young person than throwing some of the opportunities that they miss, the motivation, the mental health and well—being may be lost, the chance may be lost. the impact they may have on the cohorts behind them. we know particularly in some communities, the social mobility spots. to see success and opportunity to know that you can be part of something and you've already seen a decades progress on enclosing the attainment gap between the more privileged and the more disadvantaged loss because of covid—19. i will start to increase it further if we do not move swiftly. it is notjust about how much resource, it's about moving really quickly and purposefully to close that gap. really quickly and purposefully to close that gap-— really quickly and purposefully to closethat aa-. ~ ., ., ,., , close that gap. would one compromise between the position _ close that gap. would one compromise between the position that _ close that gap. would one compromise between the position that they - close that gap. would one compromise between the position that they have i between the position that they have adopted and taken in terms of speed,

pumping parts of the country, the social mobility spots were people don't, people are reworking a particular disadvantage? yes. don't, people are reworking a particular disadvantage? yes, real tarauetin particular disadvantage? yes, real targeting of— particular disadvantage? yes, real targeting of the — particular disadvantage? yes, real targeting of the schools, - particular disadvantage? yes, real targeting of the schools, the - particular disadvantage? yes, real| targeting of the schools, the young people who need the help most is always helpful but it is critical that we move at speed so overthinking a plan and slowing down delivery is not going to be helpful. it is really critical that help moves quickly and focus in targeting can be really useful in closing that gap- can be really useful in closing that i a . _ ., ~' can be really useful in closing that can. ., " , ., can be really useful in closing that an ., ~' , ., , . the headlines on bbc news. the man advising the government on helping children catch up to their education has resigned this evening

saying the funding package proposed ijy saying the funding package proposed by borisjohnson is not enough. three quarters of uk citizens have received the vaccine according to secretary matt hancock. and is it the end for benjamin netanyahu, of trying to form a coalition that would successfully oust the longest—serving prime minister. sport and here's a full round—up from the bbc sport centre. 0pposition politicians in israel are entering the final hours still 0—0 and around 18 minutes gone against austria, wells are against raining row champions france, 0—0 as

well in scotland that is preparing for its first major tournament in over 20 years are drawing 1— all of the netherlands and check with the opening goal you can keep across all the updates and the bbc sports website. staying with football, we understand that tottenham have made contact with the former chelsea boss antonio conte about filling their vacant manager's position, though no offer has been made yet. conte'sjust guided inter milan to their first serie a title since 2010, but chose to leave the club after talks with the chairman in milan. tottenham have been without a permanent boss since the departure ofjose mourinho in april. new zealand's cricketers have taken control of the first test against england after day one at lords. debutant devon conway finished with an unbeaten 136, as new zealand closed on 21;6—3. it was the first time that england played in front of a home crowd in almost two years, with around 7,500 fans inside lords, but they would've hoped for a better

start to the season. english debutant 0llie robinson took two wickets, while james anderson removed new zealand captain kane williamson. but it was an unbeaten partnership of 132 between conway and henry nicholls that steered the match in the tourists' favour. meanwhile, england bowler 0llie robinson has apologised after historical tweets of a racist and sexist nature were revealed during his debut at lords. he made this statement after the day's play. 0n the biggest day of my career so far, i am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets i posted over eight years ago that have become public. i want to make it clear that i'm not racist or sexist. i deeply regret my actions and i'm ashamed of such remarks. it was irresponsible regardless of the state of mind at the time, my actions are excusable. since that period i have matured as a person and regret the tweets. serena williams latest attempt at winning a 21;th grand slam continues in paris.

the seventh seed is through to the third round of the french open after a hard—fought win over romania's mihaela buzarnescu. she made short work of the decider and eventually taking it 6—1 to set “p and eventually taking it 6—1 to set up a meeting with fellow american daniel collins. and a surprise in the women's draw, the tenth seed belinda bencic has been knocked out by daria kasatkina. the russian cruising into round three after a straight sets win 6—2, 6—2 in just over an hour and a quarter. geraint thomas has work to do after stage 1; of the week—long criterium du dauphine race, as he prepares for the tour de france at the end of the month. the welshman was quickest at the halfway stage of the ten—mile time trial, but faded to finish 10th fastest. he's 8th overall, 21; seconds off the lead. chris froome struggled again as he tries to come back from his serious injury two years ago.

the four—time tour de france champion was only 93rd today. he's 57th overall. the british diving team for this summer's olympics has been announced. tom daley will be looking to finally add olympic gold to the world, european and commonwealth titles he's previously won, as well as bronze at london 2012 and rio 2016. the team also includes defending olympic champion jack laugher and dan goodfellow, whilst16—year—old andrea spendolini—sirieix will be the youngest member. daley says he can't wait to compete at his fourth games. it's just exciting to think that the kiddos streaming of going to london too thousand 12 managed to get there in 2016 in our 2020. i am over the moon to be subject to selected for the big games.

borisjohnson says there's nothing at the moment in the data, to suggest that the final unlocking of covid restrictions in england, shouldn't go ahead, onjune 21st. but he says "the data is still ambiguous" on whether enough people have been vaccinated to combat any new surge. so far, three quarters of all adults in the uk have had one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and just under half, have had two. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has the full details. with the sun shining, thoughts are turning to when remaining restrictions will be lifted around the uk. the road map for england has the date ofjune the 21st pencilled in but, still, there is no clarity on whether that will be the day. the prime minister arguing more time was needed to make the decision. i can see nothing in the data at the moment that means we can't go ahead with step four, or the opening ofjune 21st, but we've got to be so cautious. speaking at the centre where the 0xford—astrazeneca vaccine was developed, the health secretary spelled—out in more detail the key test ahead of the unlocking decision.

we are looking everyday at that data, both at the number of cases, but critically, the flow through into how many people end up in hospital. we know the vaccines work, the question is the degree to which they work. testing to track the variant identified in india known only as delta continues and it is still not clear how fast it spreads. some scientists say the opening up in england should be postponed, others say that is not yet clear cut. at the moment, i don't see anything that would make me very _ jumpy about carrying - on after with the road map afterjune 215t, but that may change in the next two weeks. _ the case and hospital numbers are being closely watched, the data on deaths meanwhile has been more encouraging. the dotted line here shows the five—year average for total deaths in the uk and this line shows what has been happening since january 2020, with big spikes

caused largely by covid. but total deaths are now below that five year average. back injanuary, covid was the leading cause of death in england and way is, but by april, it was heart disease followed by alzheimer's, with covid in ninth place in england and in wales. for some like elizabeth, the debate on data is missing the point, she used to enjoy an active outdoor life while pursuing her postgraduate studies, but all that came to an end after she got the virus in the first wave. she has never shaken off of the symptoms and is a victim of long—covid. i was completely distraught because i absolutely love what i do and to have to take months out because of an illness i thought i would get over in 11; days was just awful. i didn't think that covid would change my life and it has completely changed my life. it can take anyone's health, it doesn't choose. her message is, get vaccinated.

trails with volunteers being given a third booster jab have got under way, the aim is to find out what extra protection might be possible over the winter, by which time, restrictions may have been lifted, but covid won't have gone away. the latest figures show there were 1;,330 new coronavirus infections and 12 deaths, in the latest 24—hour period. on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week was 3,606. more than 108,000 people received their first dose of a vaccine in the last 21; hours, taking the overall total to more than 39.5 million people who've had a single jab — that's over three—quarters of the uk's adult population. more than 338,000 people had their second vaccine dose in the latest 24—hour period, which means more than 26 million

have now had two jabs — just under half of all adults. 55, known as the flower manned by customers and locals died from a knife wound. james from north london has been charged with murder and has remanded in custody it will appear in north london tomorrow. john reed, and said racist language is directed at him and his friends

before the attack, his family pay tribute to their incredibly talented young boy. 0pposition politicians in israel are entering the final hours of negotiations to form a broad coalition government and oust the country's long—serving prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. they have until 10 o'clock this evening to reach an agreement, which would draw together parties from the far—left to the far—right. tasked with forming the government is yair lapid, who heads the yesh atid party. any deal would still need parliamentary approval. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, has the latest from jerusalem. a couple of hours left for yair lapid to try to set up his new unity government — the government for change as it's being called. he's going around to the heads of the different parties that he would enter into government with, asking for their signatures

in the presence of a lawyer to show they are committed to this coalition. but at the moment, we are still waiting to hear what happens with naftali bennett, this key figure. he is a far—right nationalist politician who is key to yair lapid's plans. we know there have been some issues where his yamina party is holding out. mr bennett's number two is really asking for a seat on an importantjudicial committee, for example. she has had protests outside her home, has come under a lot of pressure from those on the right, not to join this alliance. also with that small arab—israeli party on whose support this government would rely — that would be the first time in israeli history that an israeli—arab party had been brought into a coalition, if that happens. they are also making demands, which some of the right—wing politicians have been opposed to. what yair lapid is hoping is that he can get them all to sign this document with a commitment

to solving other issues down the line, because he doesn't have very long before his mandate expires. now it's time for a look at the weather with ben rich good evening. so far this week, temperatures have been steadily climbing day by day, and so today was the warmest day of the year so far. temperatures to the west of london just above 28 degrees. through this evening and tonight, a band of cloud and showery rain drifting northwards. lots of low cloud across eastern scotland, and some quite murky conditions developing further south as well. a very warm night. 15 degrees for london, birmingham, liverpool. into tomorrow, this band of cloud and showery rain will continue its journey northwards, but the rain will tend to fizzle away for the most part across scotland. still some low cloud to the far north—east. for northern ireland, england and wales, early cloud should break to reveal spells of sunshine, but the highest temperatures will be confined to eastern england, 25—27 degrees.

elsewhere, a little cooler than it has been. as we look towards the weekend, still a lot of dry weather, the odd shower here and there, temperatures lower than they have been, but still pleasant in the sunshine. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the chief adviser to the government on helping pupils catch—up after lockdown quits over a lack of funding. sir kevan collins said the £11; billion package of support announced today "does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge". three quarters of uk adults have now received a first dose of a covid vaccine, according to the health secretary matt hancock. vaccine confidence with uptake rates are among the highest in the world and i am very proud of that fact.

could it be farewell bibi? 0pposition leaders in israel have just hours left to try to form a coalition that would oust the prime minister, benjamin netanyahu. thousands of women underpaid on their state pensions challenge the government for payment. discharged — the long—running bbc medical drama, holby city is ending after 23 years. in his letter of departure, so kevin collins severely criticised the £11; billion proposed by government to help children catch up on missed education. he said the support announced by government so far does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge, and i did the package was far short of what is needed, it is too narrow, small and

would be delivered too slowly. today, the prime minister reassured schools and parents that more funding would be coming. of course they will be more coming down the track, but don't forget this is a huge amount on top of what we are already spending. a teacher's starting salary of £30,000... we are now doing the biggest tutoring programme anywhere in the world. there is no question many kids are incredibly resilient, they have recovered very well from the pandemic, but a lot need help to recover from the loss of learning that took place during the pandemic. all the evidence shows the best way to do that is to focus on the individual pupil, the individual child as much as possible. this is the man who _

child as much as possible. this is the man who will _ child as much as possible. this is the man who will be _ child as much as possible. this is the man who will be on _ child as much as possible. this is the man who will be on the - child as much as possible. this is the man who will be on the front| child as much as possible. this is l the man who will be on the front of every paper tomorrow morning. people might not actually know who he is, who he was before he became into this position four months ago... in the world of education... inaudible. that is why it is potentially damaging for the government. he started life as a teacher, then he led national programmes promoting schools, and most recently after other senior posts he was in charge of the education endowment foundation which looks at what works in education. all that credibility and reputation and cultural capital with teachers and school teachers, he brought it to the role of advising the prime minister on catch up. 50 advising the prime minister on catch u n . ,, ., advising the prime minister on catch u -. ., advising the prime minister on catch u . _ ., , , advising the prime minister on catch up. so in that sense, presumably he was useful in — up. so in that sense, presumably he was useful in helping _ up. so in that sense, presumably he was useful in helping to _ up. so in that sense, presumably he was useful in helping to persuade i was useful in helping to persuade people who might have been a bit sceptical that the government was

serious about this? that it wanted to put flesh on the bones of phrases like levelling up, recovery from covid and so on?— like levelling up, recovery from covid and so on? absolutely, and there has been _ covid and so on? absolutely, and there has been extensive - there has been extensive consultation. head teachers have attended virtual meetings with senior officials for input from different parts of england about what was really needed. the expectation built up from that, not least from the interview kevan collins did in february when he was appointed was that this would be a very bold and flawed, ambitious plan. and tonight in a statement he confirmed that what he was asking for was a landmark investment that would really make a step change in terms of picking up children after the pandemic, with a flexible 30 minutes a day that schools could use in any way they wanted, not just for tutoring necessarily but for other things where they thought children needed support. his statement is

pretty devastating in the critique of what was announced. iie pretty devastating in the critique of what was announced.- pretty devastating in the critique of what was announced. he uses a hrase, of what was announced. he uses a phrase, effectively _ of what was announced. he uses a phrase, effectively too _ of what was announced. he uses a phrase, effectively too narrow, - phrase, effectively too narrow, small and slow... can you use the difference between what the government announced today and what he wanted, his ambition? do you have any insight as to why, in the end, they couldn't deliver what he thought he was going to get? there have been intensive _ thought he was going to get? ill” have been intensive negotiations, of course, about how much all of this would cost. i understand the very first draught some months ago was around £15 billion, but as recently as last week, there was a £10 million plus plan on the table between the department for a and, number ten to whom he answered and the treasury. everyone thought they were almost there, but the treasury took a last hard look at it and said essentially they were not convinced

by the economic case for this. part of the argument was that if you support kids now, they leave school without gcses and qualifications, they don't go on to have well—paid jobs and they don't pay as much taxes... that is what they try to argue to the treasury but the treasury was not buying that and said no, we will only pay for something specific, targeted and evidence—based. that came down to tutoring, for which there is good evidence to help disadvantaged children make several months of progress. but it fell so far short of what was in the overall package that kevan collins felt this evening he had no choice but to resign. the government accepted his resignation, thanked him for his service and input, and has promised to look again at this when we get to the spending review, the big planning ahead for public spending. bind

ahead for public spending. and arain, ahead for public spending. and again. that _ ahead for public spending. and again. that is _ ahead for public spending. and again, that is another 2—3 months away. thank you so much for your background insight, really helpful. fascinating to see how this is covered on the front of the papers tomorrow, 10:30pm and 11:30pm this evening, stay with us for that on bbc news. 200,000 women are owed £2.7 billion in all, and those affected... you have to fight for what is rightfully yours. for two decades, rosemary chapel was underpaid her state pension. her son first realised something was wrong. the department for work and pensions agreed to investigate and the scale of the error came out. they said it

was a a crazy amount. that is because she was never given a proportion of the old man's pension when he died. what was your reaction when he died. what was your reaction when you heard how much your mum had been underpaid for 20 years? just astonishing- _ been underpaid for 20 years? ilst astonishing. my first thought was for her. but other people out there who must be in the same position... there are many others affected by this. people phoned the department for work and pensions suspecting their payment was too low, receiving just £1 a week but they were told the amounts they were getting were correct, although they weren't, and for decades an estimated 200,000 women paid their state pensions. this is the astonishing thing. it has been going on for years. nobody

knew. we still haven't had an explanation for what went wrong. i don't think anybody yet knows why this automatic system didn't identify the women and give them the pension they were due. that in itself is quite shocking. this has been going on for a long time. i i just hadn't realised. a rule change in 2008 means angela, from cumbria, will only be able to backdate payments for 12 months. she believes she's owed 11; years of enhanced pension, and will miss out on tens of thousands of pounds. it seems very unfair. very unfair. - if i have to accept it, _ i suppose i would, but itjust does | not seem right when so much time has| been lost and so much money has been lost in the interim. it would make all the . difference in the world. the government says it's contacting those affected and correcting historic underpayments, running into billions.

but that doesn't include women impacted by the 2008 law change. the dwp said it wrote to them at the time about applying for an increase, but those the bbc has spoken to say they received no such letter. and for others, it's come too late. rosemary has dementia and is in a care home in cheshire. she'll never know about this life—changing amount of money. sarah corker, bbc news. 0ne one of my guests on the papers this evening looking at the front pages is someone you saw in the report there, baroness 0rton, the former pensions minister and a sustained campaign for the rights of older people. she is also in the house of lords as a conservative peer. joining her, jason beattie, head of politics at the daily mirror. sounds a bit like the head of department at

school, but no, he is in charge of the political coverage for the mirror newspapers and an old hand on the westminster beat. look forward to hearing from them this evening. a police officer accused of killing the ex—footballer dalian atkinson has told a jury his "fear was through the roof" in a struggle, along with another constable, to arrest him. prosecutors claim pc benjamin monk of west mercia police, who denies murder and manslaughter, allegedly used unlawful and unreasonable force during the firing of his taser on the former aston villa player, and then by kicking him in the head, in august 2016. jo black reports. dalian atkinson was a brilliant striker and tormented defences on the pitch, but by the time he died he had developed renal failure and heart disease. in the early hours of 15th august 2016, he arrived at his father's home in telford. neighbours called 999 after hearing raised voices.

pc monk and pc betty smith were the first officers to arrive on the scene. the officer said the former footballer was erratic, unpredictable and terrifying. after a couple of taser strikes were effective pc benjamin monk said the formerfootballer said, i'm the messiah, your taser will not work, and now i will take you to the gates of hell. he told the court, ijust remember thinking we're done for, and i ran for my life. something he said he had never done before in his career. pc monk said after moving back, he tasered for a third time. the court has previously been told this lasted for 33 seconds, six times longer than normal. the officer said even though dalian atkinson fell to the ground, he thought that he was trying to get up and so he kicked him. he told the court the force he used

was a four out of ten on a sliding scale. he said it was instinctive and said, i thought if he's going to get up that we were going to die. pc monk denies murder and manslaughter, and pc smith denies assault. controversial leases allowing oil and gas exploration, in a wildlife refuge in alaska, have been suspended by president biden. the white house has ordered an environmemtal review of the possible impact, on what's been descibed as america's last great wilderness. the leases were sold at the very end of donald trump's presidency, with some eleven billion barrels of oil lying beneath the ice. here's our science editor, david shukman. it's one of the most sensitive ecosystems on the planet. we spotted this polar bear while filming in alaska some years ago. the whole arctic region is home to wildlife that only lives there. so for decades there has been concern about the massive oil and gas installations and the big plans to expand into areas that

are still untouched. i've seen the impact of the industry for myself. it has become a battleground now because those who want america to be less dependent on foreign oil say they've got to open this place up to far more drilling. when donald trump was president, vast tracts of pristine land were licensed for oil and gas extraction. nowjoe biden has brought that to a halt. environmental campaigners, who have long protested against arctic drilling, say they are now pleased, but still remain cautious. a suspension is not a cancellation. so we would expect it to be cancelled permanently and that would be in line with what president biden has promised. which is the phasing out of all fossil fuels and a shift to 100% renewable energy transition. and we are not there yet. this administration still has a lot to do. but this is a good first mini

step in that direction. the worry is that the arctic is warming up much faster than the rest of the planet, and the ice that covers it is in retreat. that's because the gases released by burning fossil fuels are heating up the atmosphere. and ironically, that makes it much easier to get at the vast reserves of oil and gas in the region. alaska is not the only area targeted for drilling. norway has its eye on oil beneath the sea and so does russia. so much of the region is being opened up. the oil and gas companies say they can keep their operation safe, that they've got technology to minimise the disruption and especially the risk of spills. but for many indigenous people it is all too hazardous. they fear their traditional way of life will be undermined if the wildlife they depend on is killed or driven away. but change is coming to the arctic. the first cruise ships have made their way through the melting ice.

the question is, with so much pressure for all kinds of development, how long this fragile region can remain unscathed. david shukman, bbc news. the queen will have a platinum jubilee next year. they will be a platinum party at the palace. a live concert featuring some of the worlds biggest stars. beacons will be lit throughout the uk and its overseas territories, and ceremonial bonfires will be lit in the capital cities of commonwealth countries to mark the queen'sseven decades as the head of state. buckingham palace has responded to suggestions that it banned some ethnic minority immigrants from working in parts of

the royal household until the late 19605. the royal household until the late 1960s. the guardian published documents showing that an exemption was sought from racial discrimination laws by the then labour government.— labour government. these are documents _ labour government. these are documents unearthed - labour government. these are documents unearthed by - labour government. these are documents unearthed by the l labour government. these are - documents unearthed by the guardian from the national archive, they are more than 50 years old. there is one document written by a home office official back in 1968, he wrote, following contact with the palace's head of finance, and it's important that i stress this is the wording used by a home office official in this memo. he said it was not in fact the practice at the palace to appoint, in his words, coloured people to clerical roles in the royal household, although they were permitted to work as domestic servants. there has been a robust rebuttal of the point from the palace in a statement. they said,

claims based on a second—hand account of conversations from over 50 years ago should not be used to draw or infer conclusions about modern day events or operations. they point out that the royal household and the sovereign comply with the provisions of the equality act in principle and practice. but coming so soon after what meghan the duchess of sussex said about racial attitudes, it is difficult for the palace, but we have to bear in mind this dates from over 50 years ago when clearly attitude throughout society were very different. bbc one drama holby city is to end next year after 23 years. in a statement, the bbc said the decision to end the programme was in order to reshape bbc drama and to further diversify its programming. the series, which started in 1999, follows the lives

of the staff at the fictional holby city hospital, which is also the setting for the bbc drama casualty. let's talk to tv critic and broadcaster scott bryan. most continuing drama isjust most continuing drama is just carry on and on and on, it seems. what do you think prompted the bbc to make this decision? it is you think prompted the bbc to make this decision?— this decision? it is quite a shock, no one saw _ this decision? it is quite a shock, no one saw it _ this decision? it is quite a shock, no one saw it coming. _ this decision? it is quite a shock, no one saw it coming. it - this decision? it is quite a shock, no one saw it coming. it feels - this decision? it is quite a shock, | no one saw it coming. it feels like it has been part of the tv furniture for so many years, but the bbc said they wanted to realign their dramas to better represent the uk. it's also particularly interesting that in the annual plan they announced this year, they say they planned to have a continuing drama somewhere else in the uk, to be far more reflective of the population. this suggested to me that they are

winding down holby which is filmed in hertfordshire to potentially launch a drama somewhere else. interesting, i suppose there is also a kind of genre, there are an awful lot of medical dramas. like we at one point had an awful lot of police series. we have doctors, casualty, holby city. maybe it is too many? certain dramas need to run and run, just because of the constant ideas that make it easy to draw the material, but there is something very particular about the british, fascination with fire, police and medical. ., ., �* , fascination with fire, police and medical. ., ., h , fascination with fire, police and medical. ., ., �*, , ., medical. london's burning,, also? yes, and i — medical. london's burning,, also? yes, and i think— medical. london's burning,, also? yes, and i think i _ medical. london's burning,, also? yes, and i think i found it- yes, and i think i found it surprising the fact that holby city is a brand. even though it is

hypothetically in the west of england, it could be anywhere. they could have moved production, like they did with waterloo road. that was set at a school and they moved it to glasgow. plot —wise, it made no sense, but they did it anyway. they could have done that, but clearly this idea, i guess, they have a plan to do something a little bit different. but of course, this is really devastating for those who work on the show, and it's very hard on tv to be with a show for a very long time. a lot of acting and production roles are short—term contracts. production roles are short-term contracts. �* , ., production roles are short-term contracts-— contracts. it's a bit like the equivalent _ contracts. it's a bit like the equivalent of _ contracts. it's a bit like the equivalent of programmes | contracts. it's a bit like the - equivalent of programmes like holby would be something like law and order, in new york, where you end up with almost every actor who works in new york at some point has been in law and order. a constant demand for

new content, an hour each week, a different plot. not quite the same because we have continuing plots. what should we remember holby for? for being an incredibly inclusive show and for having a real emphasis on trying things a bit different. casualty, the saturday night version, always has drama, explosions and much more entertainment background, but holby will be remembered for the way it has talked about very difficult subjects, such as assisted dying, while also having a real focus directly after the first wave of the pandemic, focusing on how doctors and nurses across the country are reacting with their mental health to the pandemic and the shoe exhaustion they are facing every single day. it is a sad loss, and i hope the bbc continues... i hope they continue

their writing schemes, and production, because those are the opportunities, people who start on these shows behind—the—scenes, writing and acting in some of the biggest dramas, we can't lose that. and bbc elstree, it used to have grange hill, that has gone, it used to have top of the pops, that has gone. eastenders is still there but holby they will be dismantling that wonderful set up stairs with all of the real medical equipment. i went 20 years ago myself, full of the latest medical equipment! the manufacturers used to send this stuff because they were so keen for it to be showcased on the programme. the detail with these sort of things, for the viewer. i'm not sure how medically accurate it is! this comes at a pivotal time for the bbc,

when it has been under the director—general tim davie's emphasis to ensure the bbc is more reflective of the uk. we have seen it with bbc news and bbc radio, and now we will see much more of an emphasis across bbc drama and production, and this isjust going to be the start of it. it’s production, and this is 'ust going to be the start of it._ to be the start of it. it's going to be fascinating _ to be the start of it. it's going to be fascinating to _ to be the start of it. it's going to be fascinating to see _ to be the start of it. it's going to be fascinating to see what - to be the start of it. it's going to be fascinating to see what they i to be the start of it. it's going to - be fascinating to see what they come up be fascinating to see what they come up with. thank you very much for paying respects to holby, it still has a few months, it will continue until march of next year. if it has to be in the south—west, as an emergency service, how about the coast guard down in plymouth? ben would love that. so far this week temperatures have been steadily climbing day by day, and so today was the warmest day of the year so far

across the uk as a whole. some dramatic downpours. a stripe of cloud bringing sundry downpours across the uk. the weather system responsible still with us on thursday, the rain will weaken, as it drifts northwards. behind the cold front here, there is some colder or cool air. after days of climbing, the temperatures will start to drop a little for most of us. on thursday, some showery rain drifting across northern england and scotland. tending to fizzle away. low cloud across eastern scotland. the early cloud should break. england sing the highest temperatures, up to 27 degrees. for most of us, a bit cooler than it has been. thursday night, some cloud and rain getting close to the western counties of northern ireland, and the potential for possibly heavy and

sundry downpours across south—eastern england and east anglia, where it will be warm and muggy. anglia, where it will be warm and muqqy- a anglia, where it will be warm and muggy. a bit fresherfurther west. friday, always the chance we will see some downpours in parts of eastern england. 0ut see some downpours in parts of eastern england. out west, northern ireland, more cloud potentially bringing a few spots of rain into the western counties. in between, some sunshine is. 18—21 in the sunshine will feel very pleasant. for the weekend, frontal systems trying to make inroads from the atlantic. it remains relatively high, which means the fronts will struggle to make much progress and they will tend to weaken. some patchy, showery and light rain working into western areas on saturday with a lot of cloud. the best sunshine further east, along with the highest temperatures. sunday, the weather front brings a few showers into east anglia and the

south—east, but many spots will be dry with spells of sunshine, again temperatures between 16—23 in most places. into monday, pressure remains relatively high. the next frontal system pushing in from the west will bring cloud and some outbreaks of rain into northern ireland and western scotland, and further south and east some good spells of sunshine, 23 in london, 17 in glasgow and belfast. the flow of wind in the atmosphere will be well to the north, maybejust wind in the atmosphere will be well to the north, maybe just clipping north—western areas to bring some cloud and rain at times, but for most of us, high pressure in charge and as thejet most of us, high pressure in charge and as the jet stream starts to buckle through the end of the week, we may see some warmer air returning. to sum up, next week is

mostly dry for most of us, some rain possibly in the north—west of the uk, but after a few days of dipping, the temperatures are set to climb again, perhaps into mid 20s.

this is bbc news — israeli opposition parties havejust one hour left to form a new government. if they fail in these final minutes it's back to the polls again after four elections in just two years. if they succeed, it could be the end of an epic political careerfor this man. bibi netayahu would be out of office after running israel for the last 12 years. how safe is america's critical infrastructure? the world's largest meat processing company was forced to close operations because of a cyber attack. also in the programme. we speak to the family of an american journalist imprisoned in myanmar, fighting for his release. plus, a tale of what happens when you don't double check the spelling on a newly—printed plaque.