labour narrowly holds on in the batley and spen by—election — winning by a few hundred votes. cheering kim leadbeater wins the seat once held by her sister, the murdered mpjo cox. labour's leader says it's a hugely positive result. when a hugely positive result. the labour party sticks to core when the labour party sticks to its core values, is rooted in its communities and sticks together we can win us we've won here. this is the start, labour is back. we'll have the latest reaction from the constituency. also this lunchtime: covid infections across most of the uk have risen to levels similar to those last seen in february. the case is to be dropped

against two former soldiers facing murder charges from northern ireland's troubles — including from bloody sunday in 1972. the family of saskia jones, murdered by a convicted terrorist at fishmongers�* hall, call on the leaders of the organisation behind the event to step down. and we build up to tomorrow's england match — as they prepare to take on ukraine in the euros quarterfinals in rome. and coming up on the bbc news channel, after battling his way through to the third round andy murray is preparing to go back onto centre court to face tenth seed dennis shapovalov at wimbledon. good afternoon and welcome

to the bbc news at one. sir keir starmer says "labour is back" after the party's narrow victory in the batley and spen by—election. in a close contest, kim leadbeater, the sister of the murdered mp jo cox, held the west yorkshire seat, with a majority of just 323 votes. the conservatives had hoped to gain the seat — they came second, with george galloway in third. the result is likely to ease pressure on keir starmer for now — after recent criticism of his leadership from some within the party. our political correspondent nick eardley is in batley for us. during the last few days there were many people predicting that labour would lose this by—election, a result which would have prompted a crisis for the leadership. instead, in the last couple of hours, keir starmer here has been here celebrating a victory which he hopes

will give his party and his leadership a new lease of life. a narrow win, but one that really matters for labour. some have written of the party's chances of winning batley and spen but kim leadbeater managed to hold on and labour's leader was delighted. itrailien labour's leader was delighted. when the labour party _ labour's leader was delighted. when the labour party sticks _ labour's leader was delighted. when the labour party sticks to _ labour's leader was delighted. �*w'iez�*i the labour party sticks to its core values, is rooted in its communities and pulls together we can win, just as i won here. this is the start, labour is back. iii as i won here. this is the start, labour is back.— as i won here. this is the start, labour is back. if labour had lost here the pressure _ labour is back. if labour had lost here the pressure on _ labour is back. if labour had lost here the pressure on keir- labour is back. if labour had lost| here the pressure on keir starmer would have increased significantly. there was even talk of a leadership challenge, but for now, breathing space. all smiles today but the campaign has been heated, sometimes ugly. accusations of harassment, police accompanying candidates as they canvas support. the new mp says she wants to heal some of the division is. she wants to heal some of the division is-_ she wants to heal some of the division is— she wants to heal some of the division is. ~ ., ., . , division is. we need to do politics better. we need to do politics differently. there is no place for abuse, intimidation, you know, for me personally, but actually

for the people who were campaigning with me. we've had things thrown at people, we've had an assault, you know, someone's been arrested. that's not what we need in our communities, what we need in our country. and if i canjust work a little bit through this role to try and improve things and try and show a different way then i think that's really important. in batley this morning the scale of the challenge was clear. we in batley this morning the scale of the challenge was clear.— the challenge was clear. we are divided and _ the challenge was clear. we are divided and it _ the challenge was clear. we are divided and it will _ the challenge was clear. we are divided and it will take - the challenge was clear. we are divided and it will take a - the challenge was clear. we are divided and it will take a lot - the challenge was clear. we are divided and it will take a lot to l divided and it will take a lot to -et divided and it will take a lot to get that— divided and it will take a lot to get that back. | divided and it will take a lot to get that back.— divided and it will take a lot to get that back. divided and it will take a lot to net that back. .,, , , ., , get that back. i hope she shows her true colours — get that back. i hope she shows her true colours and _ get that back. i hope she shows her true colours and gets _ get that back. i hope she shows her true colours and gets things - get that back. i hope she shows her true colours and gets things done i true colours and gets things done what _ true colours and gets things done what she — true colours and gets things done what she says _ true colours and gets things done what she says to _ true colours and gets things done what she says to get _ true colours and gets things done what she says to get done, - true colours and gets things done . what she says to get done, because let's face _ what she says to get done, because let's face it. — what she says to get done, because let's face it, where _ what she says to get done, because let's face it, where is _ what she says to get done, because let's face it, where is batley- let's face it, where is batley going? _ let's face it, where is batley going? its— let's face it, where is batley doing? it's going _ let's face it, where is batley going? it's going nowhere. i let's face it, where is batley. going? it's going nowhere. i’ll let's face it, where is batley going? it's going nowhere. i'll give her a chance. _ going? it's going nowhere. i'll give her a chance, i'll— going? it's going nowhere. i'll give her a chance, i'll give _ going? it's going nowhere. i'll give her a chance, i'll give everyone - going? it's going nowhere. i'll give her a chance, i'll give everyone a l her a chance, i'll give everyone a chance, but time will tell. the result has _ chance, but time will tell. the result has particular _ chance, but time will tell. the result has particular significance for kim leadbeater�*s sister, her sisterjo cox was the mp here when she was murdered by a far right extremist five years ago. but it's also an important result for national politics. labour held on despite losing thousands of votes to the former mp george galloway, who

finished third. this result will come as a huge relief to the labour party. many were preparing for a loss, so a win, even a narrow one, will feel significant. but keir starmer still faces big questions about his leadership about his vision for the country, about why he wants to be prime minister. so while the labour's leader will celebrate today's victory, it takes the pressure off for a while and doesn't remove it completely. for the conservative candidate, disappointment. his party admitted recent headlines and the resignation of the health secretary matt hancock may have harmed their chances. the issue with may have harmed their chances. tue: issue with matt may have harmed their chances. tte: issue with matt did may have harmed their chances. "tt2 issue with matt did cup may have harmed their chances. tt2 issue with matt did cup on the doorstep but it was a wide range of different issues and at the end of the day we have to come back to the fact that governing parties just don't gain by—elections. it's unprecedented to do so and it was unprecedented to do so and it was unprecedented to do so and it was unprecedented to do so in hartlepool. unprecedented to do so in hartlepool-_ unprecedented to do so in hartlepool. unprecedented to do so in hartleool. , ., hartlepool. the batley and spen result matters _ hartlepool. the batley and spen result matters to _ hartlepool. the batley and spen result matters to the _ hartlepool. the batley and spen result matters to the local-

result matters to the local community but it will have important ramifications in westminster too. labour can't afford to celebrate for too long. the party still trails the conservatives in many opinion polls and there are still many who have concerns about keir starmer�*s leadership. but this result provides something which has been pretty rare for labour and its leader recently. good news. the question is whether its a one off or the start of a rebuild. nick eardley, thank you. new data shows coronavirus infection rates across much of the uk have risen to levels similar to those last seen in february. our health correspondent katharine da costa is with me. the ons says infections are rising in england and scotland, rising in wales and the trend is less clear in

northern ireland. ons looks at swab results from a cross—section of the population, people with and without symptoms and in the week to last saturday estimates suggest that 257,000 people would have tested positive for covid, that's up from 153,000 the previous week and that's equivalent to around one in 250. now, the more infectious delta variant is driving up cases. it accounts for 95% of infections in the uk and the infection rate in england is still highest in the north—east, in the north—west, and among those 16—24. while cases are still rising hospital admissions and deaths are not rising at the same rate and data suggests that's down to the vaccines. but health experts are still worried about this rapid increase in infections because not everyone is double jabbed. some people have a weakened immune system so they are still vulnerable. there is the risk of long covid and higher cases means it's more likely you

will see new variants emerge. ministers insist we are still on track to lift restrictions on england on the 19th ofjuly but the advice is still to be careful, to remember hands, face, space and fresh air and get both jabs. katharine da costa, thank you. northern ireland's public prosecution service is to drop cases against two army veterans who were facing murder charges from the troubles — including on bloody sunday in 1972. 0ur correspondent danjohnson is in londonderry. this announcement coming in the last hour or so. tell us what happened. yes, bloody sunday was one of the most dark days of the troubles in northern ireland. in 197213 people were killed when paratroopers opened fire on a crowd during rioting after a civil rights march in derry —— in 1972, 13 a civil rights march in derry -- in 1972, 13 people a civil rights march in derry —— in 1972, 13 people were killed. soldier f was facing two counts of murder

for the killing of james f was facing two counts of murder for the killing ofjames wray f was facing two counts of murder for the killing of james wray and william mckinney who were found to be innocent by the bloody sunday enquiry, unarmed, some of them shot in the back. today, theirfamilies came here to hearfrom northern ireland's public prosecution service to hear that the prosecution against soldier f will not continue. i'm told there will not be a prosecution for the family of daniel hegarty, a 15—year—old who was also shot in that summer of 1972 in an army operation. his family were told that the prosecution will not proceed either. this is all down to the way that evidence was gathered at the time and in subsequent years. there had been a review after some other cases after veterans in collapsed a few months ago and northern ireland's public prosecutor recognised these decisions would bring further pain to families but he said the impact of recent cases had been considered extremely carefully and had led to a conclusion that the reasonable prospect of conviction no longer

existed in those cases. johnny mercer, the former veterans minister, said another veteran's life had been ruined, investigated, drops, charged, dropped, another tragic case for all sides. the families are disappointed and say that they will challenge this and their fight goes on. dan johnson, thank you _ senior doctors in england are to be asked whether they want to take industrial action over pay. consultants are angry about a proposed 1% rise. ministers say they're committed to increasing salaries for nhs staff, but that pay for other public sector workers has been frozen. here's our health correspondentjim reed. it's been an extraordinary yearfor the nhs. now, after 18 months of covid, attention is turning once again to the issue of staff pay. the government has already offered most of those working in the health service in england a 1% rise this year. senior doctors say they will ballot for industrial action if that figure is not at least 4%.

everybody who has worked incredibly hard during the pandemic needs to be supported. when inflation is 4%, these are massive pay cuts that people are doing, despite having gone through a really, really difficult time and we shouldn't be levelling down across groups, everybody deserves a decent, fair pay uplift. consultants say industrial action could mean stopping both paid and unpaid overtime. that could damage attempts by hospitals to reduce long waiting lists caused by covid. my first visit to a hospital on thejob. for the new health secretary, it's another concern as he starts his first full month on thejob. in the past, the government has said a rise of 1% is affordable at a time when pay elsewhere in the public sector has been frozen. it is waiting for independent pay review bodies covering nhs workers to make final recommendations before deciding whether to increase that offer. but demands for higher pay are coming notjust from senior doctors.

the nursing union is calling for a 12.5% pay rise this year and may also ballot for industrial action. we have a massive shortage of nurses. we've had a year like no other year. people are exhausted, morale is really low and the nhs has got a lot of ground to recover. it's absolutely vital that there is a significant pay award for nurses and other health care workers this year in order that we retain all of those staff. pay talks are also under way in wales, where the government has said it will not set a 1% ceiling on pay awards. in northern ireland and scotland, all nhs staff have been offered a £500 bonus this year and longer term pay negotiations are continuing. a 23—year—old man has been charged with common assault, after england's chief medical officer, professor chris whitty, was accosted in a park in central london.

lewis hughes, who's from east london, will appear before magistrates later this month. the incident took place last saturday evening in st james's park. the family of saskia jones, who was murdered by a convicted terrorist at a prisoner rehabilitation conference in central london, are calling on the leaders of the organisation behind the event to step down. saskia's uncles say the family will be "distressed" and "insulted" if the cambridge university academics stay in post. they've been speaking to our correspondent zoe conway. people need to know what has actually happened here. the enormity of what's happened and what a devastating effect it has had on ourfamily and on a number of other people. convicted terrorist usman khan surrounded on london bridge. three men armed with a fire extinguisher and a narwhal tusk tackle him to the ground. nearby in fishmongers',

hall saskia jones and jack merritt lay dying. khan had stabbed them with knives strapped to his wrists. just two hours earlier, he was sat at a table chatting to saskia. both were guests at a prison education event. as a teenager, usman khan was convicted of plotting to set up a terrorist training camp and went to prison. shortly before his release in 2018, m15 had intelligence he was planning another attack. he was monitored in the community by the probation service, the police and m15. they allowed him to go to fishmongers' hall that day without a police escort. learning together is a theoretically informed, values—led educational initiative... amy ludlow and ruth armstrong are the directors of the cambridge university learning together programme, which teaches prisoners and university students side—by—side and which held the event at fishmongers' hall. i'm going to explain to you how i got introduced

to learning together... khan became one of their students in prison. amy and ruth, amongst others, saw him as a success story. they put him on their leaflets, they gave him a computer. i think people saw the advantage of having him as somebody they had involved in their programme. theyjust lost sight of the danger to the public, their employees and anyone else associated with the programme. at the inquest into saskia's death, learning together said it was the responsibility of the prison and probation service to assess khan's risk and they'd relied on those agencies' expertise. do you think ruth armstrong and amy ludlow can continue to lead this organisation? they shouldn't be leading an organisation that got something badly and tragically wrong. from a family point of view, we'd be very distressed, upset and, frankly, insulted if they did. amy ludlow and ruth armstrong

received several awards for their work, which was also praised by the prisons inspectorate but the organisation is now suspended, whilst cambridge university carries out a review. in a statement, cambridge university said... i've lived for 20 years longer than saskia did and i view what she achieved in her short life as a far greater value than anything i've achieved so far and building upon that is...

..is something that i and we're focused upon. the uncles of saskia jones speaking to zoe conway. the time is 1:16. our top story this lunchtime. labour narrowly holds on, in the batley & spen by—election — winning by a few hundred votes. and coming up — after a gruelling victory earlier in the week, andy murray is back on court later in third round at wimbledon. coming up on the bbc news channel: the red bull of max verstappen was quickest in first practice for the australian grand prix, ahead of the ferrari of charles leclerc and carlos sainz, but lewis hamilton needs to up his game in the mercedes — he finished down in seventh. the england squad flies to rome this afternoon, for their euro 2020 quarter final against ukraine tomorrow night. fans have been urged not to travel

there because of coronavirus restrictions, but some lucky supporters who live in italy will be at the game to see whether england can clinch a place in the semi—finals. 0ur sports correspondent, 0lly foster, reports. after the euphoria of wembleyjust three nights ago, the players are refreshed and refocused. the mantra running through this england squad is that the victory against germany will count for very little unless they can get it right against ukraine tomorrow in the quarterfinals. if they do, then it won't be like this. tuesday night will live long in the memory but in what will be their first away game in the tournament, there'll be no travelling fans. rome be much quieter. well, it was immense the other night. i thought the fans were incredible. but, actually, i think that would be really hard to replicate three days later, so i actually think it's a good thing for us to go away from wembley to... this game will be about us. we might have some support

in the stadium but if we do, it's not going to be vast numbers by the sounds of it. the capacity at the stadio 0limpico was capped at 16,000 tomorrow, but with strict quarantine restrictions in place, the english fa didn't take up their allocation of 2500 tickets. travel is not being encouraged. translation: passengers arriving from britain will be checked - at the border by the police. they will be reminded that there is a mandatory five day quarantine and they will be asked for the address of their home, hotel or private house where the self—isolation will take place. but there will be some english fans, uk nationals who live in italy or mainland europe have been able to get tickets. this is dawn, a rome resident of 35 years. come on, england! you're young, you're fresh, you're gorgeous. you can do this for us! we need this to happen.

we're in rome and rome belongs to italy and the italians but on saturday night, it's going to belong to england! well, i hope so, anyway...! over 20 million watched the win against germany. the fan parks and pubs will be packed again tomorrow — england's progress creating an economic boom around every big screen. the players are aware of the growing support, just as they grow into this tournament themselves. the low—profile group stage wins before they announce their arrival at the party with that victory this week. they're one win away from making it back—to—back major semifinals for the first time but first things first, that mantra again — get things right tomorrow. well, in a moment we'll speak tojohn watson at the stadio 0limpico in rome, but first let's catch up with 0lly at england's base at st george's park. how at st george's park. are they nervous?

how at st georue's park. are the nervous? ., . little how are they nervous? jangling a little bit but _ how are they nervous? jangling a little bit but fairly _ how are they nervous? jangling a little bit but fairly calm. - how are they nervous? jangling a little bit but fairly calm. in - how are they nervous? jangling a little bit but fairly calm. in the i little bit but fairly calm. in the next 45 minutes, the england players will leave here. it is a short bus ride to birmingham airport. then the flight to rome. the most important thing for gareth southgate as he has a fully fit squad. all 26 are raring to go and very few nations heading into the quarterfinals after four matches have that luxury. what they have done here for two full days in training is still a little bit of homework on the ukrainians but mostly it has been about pushing the reset button and trying to just focus on tomorrow's challenge. easier said than done, of course, but that calm does come from the top down, from gareth southgate, but even let his emotions slip a few nights ago, didn't he, after that victory against germany? he harked back to euro 96, talking about that penalty miss, the regrets and all the redemption as well. he has a lot of history with rome as well. he was in the team in 1997, they had to get

a draw to qualify for the world cup. it was a brutal match against the italians. he played his part, they got the point, it was a career highlight. gareth southgate already has very fond memories of the italian capital and they could get an awful lot better tomorrow. mil an awful lot better tomorrow. all riaht, an awful lot better tomorrow. all right, well, let's go tojohn an awful lot better tomorrow. all right, well, let's go to john watson right, well, let's go tojohn watson in the stadium itself. probably won't be many england fans to join them on, though? trio. won't be many england fans to 'oin them on, though?i won't be many england fans to 'oin them on, though? no. hello from the stadio 0limpico _ them on, though? no. hello from the stadio olimpico here _ them on, though? no. hello from the stadio olimpico here in _ them on, though? no. hello from the stadio olimpico here in rome - them on, though? no. hello from the stadio olimpico here in rome where l them on, though? no. hello from the stadio olimpico here in rome where i| stadio 0limpico here in rome where i have to say it is around 30 degrees at the moment. that is something the england players will have to deal with for their match tomorrow. it could be anywhere between 27—28 degrees and as you say it is a different stadium, a different atmosphere and different conditions with the temperature coming into play tomorrow. as we know, england have not had as much of a lead uptime for this match when you consider the bulk of that squad were given training off given the victory over germany, sojust two given training off given the victory over germany, so just two days to

prepare for that game. and we won't be seeing as many fancy. in excess of 40,000 during england on at wembley. less than 2500 after the english fa gave up their allocation of tickets, handed them back to uefa and uefa put them on sale for english nationals living in italy and elsewhere in europe. it will be and elsewhere in europe. it will be an interesting app spent nonetheless but as we know, gareth southgate does have huge resources to draw from. the likes of phil foden and so many talented players, so if this heat does become too much and the workload becomes a lot and they do begin to tire, he can certainly make some changes, gareth southgate. john, thank you. we cross fingers of course. john watson and 0lly foster, thank you. two leading charities have accused the government of creating a two tier welfare system for people with a terminal illness. a review of rules which restrict fast—track access to benefits to people who have only six months to live was launched two years ago,

in england and wales, but it still hasn't been published. scotland and northern ireland have already taken steps to scrap the rule. 0ur political correspondent, helen catt, explains. to have to ask your consultant, "do you think i may only have six months to live?", when really they can't answer that — it's a very, very difficult question and very difficult to live with. helen nicell from watford is living with terminal cancer. when she changed from an old benefit to the newer personal independence payment, the money she got was reduced. under current rules, only people who can get a doctor to say they have less than six months left to live can get the higher rates of payment and fast track access. the cancer�*s in my spine and at any stage it could spread into one of my organs. you've retired from work and you've got a budget and you've got no other income. not knowing actually what's going to come in, that's actually quite difficult to budget for, really. helen's benefits were restored last september, but mps and charities say many others face similar struggles. what this campaign is all about, really, is allowing terminally ill people to access their benefits

in a quicker way. not to have to prove that they have less than six months to live, to do it in a kind of kinder way so that they can get higher benefits, quicker and go through less assessments in the future. the nature of illness and of cancer means that it strikes everybody — i there's nobody that's immune from it. - maureen dew and her husband glynn retired as vicars after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. her personal independence payment was removed for several months after a reassessment. glynn lost his carer�*s allowance during that time too. during the process of applying for pip or going through a re—evaluation for any type of benefits, one almost has to unstrip the layers of protection that surround you — both psychologically and in terms of scrutinising what your day

to day experience is. so, for instance, you know, it's... it can be quite dehumanising and robs you of your self—respect. campaigners have been pushing for a change to the rules for years. the government launched a review injuly 2019, which still hasn't been published. ministers have repeatedly promised to change. the department is committed to publishing the outcome of the evaluation and it will be announced in due course. i understand the delay has been frustrating and i remain absolutely committed to delivering an improved benefit system for claimants that are nearing the end of their lives. we will be able to make changes very, very soon. the issue for terminally ill people in england and wales is housing. northern ireland announced earlier this week that it would start the process of passing a law before may to extend the six months to 12 months and scrap assessments. in scotland, the scottish government has already changed the law to get

rid of the need for a time limit on life expectancy and further guidance is expected later this month. but in england and wales, there's still no timeframe. a spokesperson for the department for work and pensions said the government was committed to supporting people nearing the end of their lives. for some, though, a few months can really make all the difference. helen catt, bbc news. british tourists travelling to spain must, from today, present proof of a negative coronavirus test or of double vaccination in order to enter the country. 0ur correspondent, guy hedgecoe, is in madrid. tell us more. just a few weeks ago, a month ago. _ tell us more. just a few weeks ago, a month ago, the _ tell us more. just a few weeks ago, a month ago, the spanish _ tell us more. just a few weeks ago, i a month ago, the spanish government lifted all restrictions for british travellers into the country because it was desperate for british tourists to start coming over for

the summer season. the uk is spain's single biggest tourist market however over the last few days, the situation has changed. the spanish government has expressed concern at the rise in cases of covid in the uk and in particular the spread of the delta variant. as a result, the spanish government as of today has introduced these new measures which mean you have to present either a certificate of vaccination or proof of a negative covid test over the last 48 hours to get into the country. now all this is happening the same week that the british government has added the balearic islands to its so—called green list, so that means that people from the uk can travel to the balearics and on their return to the uk, they don't have to quarantine the stop so thatis don't have to quarantine the stop so that is a huge incentive to british travellers to go to majorca so on, however, when they do go there, when they arrive, they will have to undergo these new restrictions which have been introduced in spain here

today. gui; have been introduced in spain here toda . , , have been introduced in spain here toda. , , ., ,, there's plenty of british interest at wimbledon this afternoon — with both andy murray and dan evans in action in the third round. 0ur sports correspondent, laura scott, is at wimbledon. in fact, it is notjust about in fact, it is not just about the men, some cracking news from the female game as well?— men, some cracking news from the female game as well? exactly. before this week, female game as well? exactly. before this week. a — female game as well? exactly. before this week. a lot _ female game as well? exactly. before this week, a lot of _ female game as well? exactly. before this week, a lot of people _ female game as well? exactly. before this week, a lot of people wouldn't . this week, a lot of people wouldn't have heard of emma raducanu but the 18—year—old wild card has been catapulted into the spotlight by the virtue of the fact she is the last british woman standing in the singles. last night she beat a former grand slam finalist and despite being at wimbledon as a holiday. back in april, she was doing her a—levels and asked if she would take good results and those or a spot in the fourth round here, this is what she had to say. i'd have to say round four at wimbledon and i think anyone that knows me would be like, what?! because they think, everyone thinks that i'm like absolutely fanatic about my school results and they think i've got such an inflated ego about it but, actually, i just...

i would say i have high standards of myself and that's helped me get to where i am, in terms of tennis but also in terms of school results. but i would still pick round four. she will be back tomorrow but today it is the turn of the british men and on centre court, the british number one dan evans will play some and notjust from a sporty family but a sporting dynasty. the young american sebastian korda spent last night in his hotel room watching his sister when golf�*s women's pga championship and then later andy murray plays the tenth seed denis shapovalov. his chances will largely depend on how he has recovered from the epic five set match two nights at that he has been playing best under the roof so far, will it be another friday night under the lights to remember?— another friday night under the lights to remember? could be a long niuht for lights to remember? could be a long night for everyone, _ lights to remember? could be a long night for everyone, thank _ lights to remember? could be a long night for everyone, thank you, - night for everyone, thank you, laura. the latest from wimbledon. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes.

it might look like ijust popped over to the caribbean, chance would be a fine thing! this