this is bbc news. i'mjane i'm jane hill. the headlines: the labour leader, sir keir starmer, welcomes victory in the batley and spen by—election. kim ledbeater won byjust 323 votes. what a really important victory for batley and spen, of hope over division and decency over hatred. the case is to be dropped against two former soldiers facing murder charges from northern ireland's troubles, including from bloody sunday. angela merkel meets borisjohnson at chequers. they've discussed whether covid travel restrictions cuold be eased travel restrictions could be eased for britons visiting germany. translation: we think that in the foreseeable future, i those who have received

double jabs will then, according to our classification — and right now, britain obviously is a high incidence area — will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine. senior doctors in england are to be balloted on industrial action if the government's proposed 1% pay rise isn't improved. the family of saskia jones, murdered by a convicted terrorist at fishmongers�* hall, calls on the leaders of the organisation behind the event to step down. the england team set off for rome for their quarterfinal match against ukraine tomorrow. and coming up at 5.45, anna smith takes a look the best and worst of the week's film releases.

hello, very good evening. 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. a narrow win, but one that really matters for labour. some had written of the party's chances of winning batley and spen but kim leadbeater managed to hold on and labour's leader was delighted. when the labour party sticks to its core values,

is rooted in its communities and pulls together, we can win, just as we've won here. this is the start, 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 divisions. 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're divided and it will take

a lot to get that back. - i hope she shows her true colours and gets things done what she says to get done because, let's face it, where is batley going? it's going nowhere. i'll give hera chance, i'll give everyone a chance, but time will tell. the result has particular significance for kim leadbeater�*s family — 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 leader will celebrate today's victory,

it takes the pressure off for a while but 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 matt did come up i 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 partiesjust- don't gain by—elections. it's unprecedented to do, i so and it was unprecedented it's unprecedented to do - so and it was unprecedented to do so in hartlepool. the batley and spen result matters to the local community, but it will have important ramifications in westminster, too. let's get a flavour of what's going on on the ground. our correspondentjames vincent is in batley. he's covered this by—election throughout. my goodness, it couldn't have been much closer, could it?

yellow no, it was so close. 320 votes in it. labour predicting batley and spen would be difficult. conservatives became increasingly confident of that victory. one reason why a labour would put it down to is the local campaign. a lot of him leadbeater�*s posters say her name. they don't necessary feature the name laboured —— kim leadbeater. she is one of the 16 candidates here that actually lives in the constituency. she was the only one who could vote for herself, and one of those books will have been one of the 323 which he eventually won by. the pressure will decrease on keir starmer, but knowing that campaign was so local and labour lost 9000 votes will still keep those in the

party who are unconvinced about keir starmer. , . , ., ~ , ., , party who are unconvinced about keir starmer. , . , . ~' , ., , . starmer. james, thank you very much for now. starmer. james, thank you very much for nova we — starmer. james, thank you very much for now. we will _ starmer. james, thank you very much for now. we will stay _ starmer. james, thank you very much for now. we will stay very _ starmer. james, thank you very much for now. we will stay very much - starmer. james, thank you very much for now. we will stay very much with l for now. we will stay very much with this. let's get some reaction from the labour mp peter kyle, who's the shadow minister for schools. i was just checking you're there but i was just checking you're there but i can see you, so that's good news. very good afternoon. labour mp is the point, and my goodness, it could not have been closer. what an absolute relief for labour. actually, i think it's a relief for the community in batley and spen. i'm gratefulfor them and i know they have made a really amazing decision because they have chosen to go with the candidate who actually will focus on healing and a calm approach to politics going forward and bringing people together. actually, this is a point in which we celebrate the decision that they have made for themselves. they have put division to one side, they have chosen unity in the candidate, who

is a fantastic candidate, but also their political party and will also focus on unity and moving beyond the pandemic and get us going in the recovery mode, which communities like batley and spen need more than absolutely any other. both things i'm very happy about. but absolutely any other. both things i'm very happy about.— absolutely any other. both things i'm very happy about. but your party miaht have i'm very happy about. but your party might have lost _ i'm very happy about. but your party might have lost had _ i'm very happy about. but your party might have lost had the _ i'm very happy about. but your party might have lost had the health - might have lost had the health secretary not to resign last week. i secretary not to resign last week. i don't think that's quite right. actually, what you heard on the doorsteps up there, and i was up there for two days last week most recently, was that people were really unhappy with the overall administration of the tory party. yes, they were unhappy with what matt hancock did, but actually, in those —— it was much deeper. it was what he represented. it was about the contracts that were going out to tory donors, making rules which people in batley and spen stuck to so closely, but they knew didn't apply to the people making them. all

of these things were really powerful on the doorstep, but don't forget this is a really difficult situation that we went through and the community went through. george galloway was very disruptive. this was not an ordinary election by any means. yes, we lost votes, but we also picks up thousands and thousands of votes. that for me is the main political missions. we as a party are completely united here. clear message, great candidate and the national campaign that supported everything that was happening locally. that's the message for labour and that is the message we are giving the country right now because this indicates a way forward, notjust here, for the whole country.— forward, notjust here, for the wholecount . ., ., , , whole country. how does the party aet its whole country. how does the party get its message — whole country. how does the party get its message out _ whole country. how does the party get its message out in _ whole country. how does the party get its message out in the - whole country. how does the party get its message out in the coming| get its message out in the coming months? because what does this victory buy keir starmer? a few more months to prove what he's about and what his message is?—

what his message is? places like bakley and _ what his message is? places like bakley and sven _ what his message is? places like bakley and sven are _ what his message is? places like bakley and sven are really - what his message is? places like - bakley and sven are really important for our nation because they are crucial communities that have suffered really hugely. first under austerity and cuts and public services for the previous ten year, but also part of the countries that also labour struggled to retain votes for in the last election. so what the public are now seeing is communities like us are sticking with labour as we move forward. i think the rest of the country will start listening to the labour party and the way it wasn't perhaps in the months before. we need to harness that and capture it and show the unity we brought to batley and spen, the focus on policy is really important. this is about showing that with young people, we want this to be the best country to grow up and, for older people. in the months that lie ahead, we will talk to load

the people in the middle who aren't rich or poor, butjust getting on with life, and we will show them increasingly with the new conversation that we are there for them. , �* ., them. peter kyle, we'll leave it there for now. _ them. peter kyle, we'll leave it there for now. thank— them. peter kyle, we'll leave it there for now. thank you - them. peter kyle, we'll leave it there for now. thank you very l them. peter kyle, we'll leave it - there for now. thank you very much indeed. breaking news from the world of politics. michael gove and his wife have just announced they are divorcing. the cabinet office minister and his wife, according to the statement we've been sent, a joint spokesman for the couple said they have agreed to separate and they have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce. that is the phrase that is being used. so, that statement just through the cabinet office. michael gove and his wife getting divorced. you may well know she is a well—known newspaper journalist. they have two children and they have just announced that

they are finalising their divorce at they are finalising their divorce at the moment. let's just bring you the latest coronavirus data in the uk. there have been 27,125 cases of coronavirus reported in the uk over the last 2a hours — down from nearly 28,000 reported yesterday. 27 people are reported to have died. that is someone who dies within 28 days of testing positive. it's a rise from 22 deaths reported yesterday. over 45 million people have received their first dose of the vaccine with over 33 million people having now received the both doses. that's 63.1% of uk adults. public health england has published

the government's latest weekly r number, which is estimated to have fallen to between 1.1 and 1.3. the latest figures also show new cases of the delta coronavirus variant have risen by 46% in the uk in the past week to almost 162,000. that's a uk wide figure. i've been speaking to our health correspondent, katherine dacosta. in the week to last saturday estimates suggest 257,000 people would have tested positive for covid, and that is equivalent to around one in 250. the more infectious delta variant is driving up cases and accounts for 95% of infections in the uk, and the infection rate in england is still highest in the north—east and north—west and among those aged 16—24. while cases are still rising,

hospital admissions and deaths aren't rising at the same rates and data suggest that is down to 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's the risk of long covid, and higher cases means it's more likely we'll see new variants emerge. ministers insist we're still on track to lift restrictions on the 19th ofjuly, but the advice is still to be careful so remember hands, face, space, fresh air and to get both jabs. katharine da costa. it is 1a minutes past five. the headlines on bbc news: the labour leader, sir keir starmer, welcomes victory in the batley and spen by—election. the party won by just 323 votes. 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 german chancellor, angela merkel, has said she expects people from britain who are fully vaccinated will soon be able to travel to germany without having to quarantine on arrival. 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. they just 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 praised by the prison's 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. it is 19 minutes past five. let's get an update on that news that emerged in the last few minutes. a statement can't through that the cabinet office minister michael gove and his wife sarah fine have announced they are divorcing. jonathan blake is at westminster. what more do we know? this news has come to us via a statement from the couple, a joint statement from the couple, a joint statement from the couple, a joint statement from michael gove and his wife, sarah fine. it was released by the press association and the last few minutes. i'll read you what it

has to say in full. it says michael and sarah have agreed to separate and sarah have agreed to separate and they are in the process of finalising their divorce and it goes on, they will continue to support their children and they remain close friends —— sarah vine. adding the family politely asked for privacy at this time and will not be providing any further comment, so there are no details as to the circumstances of the couple's separation and divorce which they are finalising, but a friend has told the press association that they have drifted apart, describing it as a difficult and sad decision for michael and sarah after what has been 20 years of marriage. that friend is also quoted as saying that it is an amicable separation and there is no one else involved. it says they have drifted apart over the past couple years, but remain friends and their

priority now is their children. a statement from michael gove and his wife, sarah vine, announcing they have agreed to separate and are in the process of finalising a divorce. no details about the circumstances of this announcement, but it is not long since sarah vine wrote in the top mail on sunday. she is often reflected on the nature of their own marriage being well known she is married to a high—profile politician in the wake of the resignation of matt hancock after he was pictured kissing and embracing and aid in his office. she talked about people who climbed the greasy pole at westminster, and it changes a person. they require something new. she also said the problem with the wife who is known way before you were king of the world is she's see

through yourfacade. many were king of the world is she's see through your facade. many people might be reflecting on what sarah vine is saying about being married to a high—profile politician, not necessarily her own marriage in the wake of this announcement. i think michael gove talked about his wife being the perceptive one and he was the one getting on with the job, and i would expect that to continue as michael gove remains to be one of the most high—profile and influential members of the cabinet. jonathan blake, 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 the job. 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's 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. jim reed, bbc news. northern ireland's public prosecution service is to drop the case against two former soldiers who were facing murder charges from the troubles, including on bloody sunday in 1972. 0ur correspondent in londonderry is danjohnson. first, just take us back 50 years ago, but still an acute episode. just remind us what happened. bloody sunda is just remind us what happened. bloody sunday is one — just remind us what happened. bloody sunday is one of _ just remind us what happened. bloody sunday is one of those _ just remind us what happened. bloody sunday is one of those days _ just remind us what happened. bloody sunday is one of those days that - sunday is one of those days that really spells out the worst of the troubles. the scenes from that day or some of the images that to find the most painful point and northern ireland's history. there was a march through the bauxite estate here, and at the end, there was fire on a crowd and shot dead 13 people. amongst those dad that day were

james ray and william mckinney. the only person to have been prosecuted out of those events was a soldier, a british army better known as a soldier f. the families of those victims were told that prosecution would go no further, and that is in essence because there's been a review of the way evidence was gathered and some other cases that had already collapsed. it was decided that key evidence was about to be ruled inadmissible in court, which would have undermined that case. the prosecutor has taken the decision to pull that case at this stage. the family was very disappointed by that news. there is another case involving another soldier referred to as a soldier d, charged with murder of 15—year—old daniel. as i say, disappointment for the families who were hoping they were grinding to a sorely ——

grinding slowly towards justice. here's the reaction from william's brother. , ., . here's the reaction from william's brother. , . . ., brother. this damning indictment of “ustice brother. this damning indictment of justice system... _ brother. this damning indictment of justice system... a _ brother. this damning indictment of justice system... a mass _ brother. this damning indictment of justice system... a mass murder i brother. this damning indictment of| justice system... a mass murder has been _ justice system... a mass murder has been permitted to evade justice wiihout— been permitted to evade justice without even standing trial. soldier f has _ without even standing trial. soldier f has been — without even standing trial. soldier f has been prosecuted for two counts of murden _ f has been prosecuted for two counts of murder. he, in fact, murdered five people — of murder. he, in fact, murdered five people that day. there is no rest butte — five people that day. there is no rest butte that his actions resulted in two _ rest butte that his actions resulted in two women being robbed of their husbands — in two women being robbed of their husbands. 12 children being orphaned. and dozens of young men and women — orphaned. and dozens of young men and women deprived. six parents also lost a _ and women deprived. six parents also lost a son _ and women deprived. six parents also lost a son. ., ,

and women deprived. six parents also lost a son. . , , ., lost a son. there are very strong feelinus lost a son. there are very strong feelings about _ lost a son. there are very strong feelings about this _ lost a son. there are very strong feelings about this on _ lost a son. there are very strong feelings about this on all- lost a son. there are very strong feelings about this on all sides l lost a son. there are very strong. feelings about this on all sides of. absolutely. the families have been campaigning for what they call justice for nearly half a century now. northern ireland's chief public prosecutor said he recognises these decisions would bring further pain to victims and bereaved families who have sought for justice to victims and bereaved families who have sought forjustice and faced many setbacks. but there will be relief for those veterans and their supporters because there's been a campaign to have them set free after so much time. this was the former veterans ministerjohnny mercer, speaking earlier. this veterans ministerjohnny mercer, speaking earlier.— speaking earlier. this current scenario. _ speaking earlier. this current scenario, whether _ speaking earlier. this current scenario, whether it - speaking earlier. this current scenario, whether it is - speaking earlier. this current scenario, whether it is very i scenario, whether it is very veterans _ scenario, whether it is very veterans going _ scenario, whether it is very veterans going back, - scenario, whether it is very veterans going back, the l scenario, whether it is very . veterans going back, the only scenario, whether it is very - veterans going back, the only people who are _ veterans going back, the only people who are happy— veterans going back, the only people who are beware— veterans going back, the only people who are happy are the _ veterans going back, the only people who are happy are the ones - veterans going back, the only people who are happy are the ones making i who are happy are the ones making money— who are happy are the ones making money out — who are happy are the ones making money out of— who are happy are the ones making money out of it _ who are happy are the ones making money out of it. it's _ who are happy are the ones making money out of it. it's a _ who are happy are the ones making money out of it. it's a real- who are happy are the ones making money out of it. it's a real tragedyl money out of it. it's a real tragedy and governments _ money out of it. it's a real tragedy and governments haven't- money out of it. it's a real tragedy and governments haven't sorted . money out of it. it's a real tragedy and governments haven't sorted it out. consequences— and governments haven't sorted it out. consequences of— and governments haven't sorted it out. consequences of not - and governments haven't sorted it out. consequences of not doing i out. consequences of not doing thaim —

the bloody sunday families said in a statement that this is another damning indictment of the british justice system. they say for them, theissueis justice system. they say for them, the issue is farfrom concluded and they will fight on, challenging this as far as they can. it's another reminder of how much hurt is still to be healed even after 50 years of northern ireland's troubles. dan. northern ireland's troubles. dan, thank ou northern ireland's troubles. dan, thank you for— northern ireland's troubles. dan, thank you for now. _ northern ireland's troubles. dan, thank you for now. much - northern ireland's troubles. dan, thank you for now. much more coming up thank you for now. much more coming up in the next half hour, including the film review. right now, here's chris fawkes with the weather. most will see warm spells of sunshine to take us through the afternoon, top temperatures 18—24 but across northern scotland turning cloudy here, outbreaks of rain developing as well. showers and thunderstorms widespread across the southern uplands of scotland, the far north of england but there will be showers elsewhere, eastern england, perhaps one or two for the north wales and north—west england, and the odd one for northern ireland as well. 18—24 , warm in the sunshine if you see it. overnight, a band of thundery rain will extend from the south—west

and that will push its way northwards as we go through saturday and what follows is heavy showers across england, these could bring 30 millimetres of rain in the space of one hour so localised surface water a possibility, but it's worst across the south—west, here the winds will lock a band of thundery rain in the same area, so storms hour after hour. worst—case scenario up to 80 millimetres of rain and that would bring flooding problems. you're watching bbc news. i am jane hill. these are the latest headlines. the labour leader — sir keir starmer welcomes victory in the batley and spen by—election — the party won by just 323 votes. 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 german chancellor,

angela merkel, has said she expects people from britain who are fully vaccinated will soon be able to travel to germany without having to quarantine on arrival. senior doctors in england are to be balloted on industrial action — if the government's proposed 1% pay rise isn't improved. the family of saskia jones, murdered by a convicted terrorist at fishmongers hall, calls on the leaders of the organisation behind the event, to step down. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's jane. you've been watching tennis on my behalf? i'm not really allowed to. bring me up—to—date. and everybody else. absolutely. we have been flicking between the channels and updates from wimbledon. the crowds at centre court have been treated to some great matches today.

british number one dan evans is still playing there as we speak. and the world number one novak djokovic was looking comfortable on court one against denis kudla. andy murray also plays later, but let's go straight to chetan pathick who can update us on all of that. an exciting friday here at wimbledon. dan evans has got a few people biting their nails. they're hoping the fans on centre court and the fans to the right of me and him hill but it might be a bit more straightforward but as you see from the pictures on centre court, then evans the british number one finds himself at one set all in that match after losing the first set 6—3, sebastian, the american has made a good start here but daniel evans to give him his full title, no one is better at solving problems than him. he found the answers that he needed to them that second set. 6-3, he needed to them that second set. 6—3, great for variety. he needed to them that second set. 6—3, great forvariety. he he needed to them that second set. 6—3, great for variety. he started committing to that, he poured himself back into this match and

with serve in the third. how long will he go? when the for andy murray therefore thought —— they are waiting for andy murray there. court number one, you mention novak djokovic, the man everybody is backing to win the title here come his 20th grand slam, if he could do it, with ease, the first two sets were him against the american dentist, 6—4, 6—3 but he was broken and the third set for the five games. novak djokovic are so good. when election trouble of digging himself out he may well be that there. earliertoday, himself out he may well be that there. earlier today, we had a great story, the best match of the championships are common in the women's game. the first arab women, north african woman to get this far at the championships. she won the birmingham classic and now she is not that the 27th he wimbledon champion garbean gimbel garuda in three sets. a fantastic way for her,

the blessedness of her life. i should tell you that sloane stephens is out of the championships. that's the best tennis. the former and us open winner, she has lost match in three sets, also wins today for the french open winner in 2020. the number two seed went through as well. i want to say on the court next to me, cameron norrie plank with his men's double partner soares has meeting the six brothers and he goes to the next round of the men's doubles. ., ~ , ., ,., goes to the next round of the men's doubles. ., ~ i. . ., doubles. thank you so much for brinuain doubles. thank you so much for bringing this _ doubles. thank you so much for bringing this up _ doubles. thank you so much for bringing this up today. - doubles. thank you so much forj bringing this up today. coverage doubles. thank you so much for i bringing this up today. coverage is across the bbc. england play ukraine in their quarter final match in the euros and have travelled to rome where they'll play tomorrow night. england supporters though have been warned not to go to italy due to covid restrictions. and the football association has returned its allocation of tickets. 0ur reporterjohn watson is in rome ahead of the match. john, england have played at wembley for every match so far — how will they cope with

a very different atmosphere? yes, hello from rome. very different a different occasion and different atmosphere in a different team for the better something gareth southgate and his team will have to have to adjust to. the number of fans also different, some two and half thousand tickets only made available to english nationals living here in italy and elsewhere in europe and with the restrictions we haven't seen fans able to travel and that will be the norm head of a big game ahead of the quarter—final template a major tournament you would see both sets of fans mingling in the city, none of that because of the covid restrictions. it will be very different. after that impressive victory over germany against ukraine cabaye team they will not want to underestimate. you can see the match training on the picture behind me. they have up to an hour now to familiarise himself with the stadium. they will run through a few drills. andre

shevchenko, the head coaching charge, great heights as a player. it will be a fascinating much against gareth southgate, somebody who has praised in the lead up sankey and winters with this england team. saint england have the most balanced squad and balanced side in the competition. he has been full of praise for his opposite number and it will be fascinating because when you consider the heights that shevchenko hit as a player, very different for both of them as managers, from gareth southgate, it seems that the tournament at the moment he's got everything right. all the big decisions when he starts kieran trippier at a position in the first match, that works for him. we seen him bringing the sakho. that was a great move. his backing of raheem sterling come a player who has become good and harry kane with a crucial goal in the last match. i'll set up fascinating ahead of tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much- — tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much- -- _ tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much- -- it— tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much. -- it is— tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much. -- it is all— tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much. -- it is all set _ tomorrow at eight o'clock. thank you very much. -- it is all set up. -

in the early match for tonights euros fixtures, spain are taking on switzerland in their quarter final match. but spain shocked switzerland in the first ten minutes. the ball broke tojordi alba outside the swiss penalty area, he shot and the ball took a wicked deflection off denis zakaria, leaving swizterland keeper yann sommer with no chance whatsoever. after 36 minutes, it is 1—0 the sprain. holly smith has become the first woman for 45 years to be included in the great britain showjumping team for the olympic games. smith is named alongside harry charles as travelling reserve, while london 2012 gold medallists scott brash and ben maher are in the squad. we'll have more for you in sportsday at half past six. thank you very much. very exciting. a lot of that. morris were coming up. —— more sports coming up and sportsday.

the announcement yesterday of a huge new factory in sunderland for electric car batteries will need to be the first of many, if supply is to keep up with expected demand. coventry airport has already been identified as another site where a new gigafactory could be in operation by the middle of the decade. but how many electric cars are already on the road, and is the infrastructure ready for many more? 0ur reality check correspondent chris morris is here. he's been looking through all the states. hello. thank you. just a reminder why we re talking about this, the uk is committed by law to get to net zero carbon emissions no later than 2050, to limit the rise in global temperatures. now that might sound like a long time in the future ? but to get to net zero, action has to start now, and accelerate quickly. and transport is one of the big challenges. it is currently responsible for 27% of all uk emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. and cars account for more than half of that amount, as you can see on this chart.

all that petrol and diesel which is being used. that s one of the reasons why the government has announced that there will be no more sales of new petrol and diesel cars after the end of this decade. it also means there needs to be a rapid increase in the production and use of electric vehicles ? a process which is already under way. at the end of 2020 there were 432,000 ultra low emission vehicles on uk roads, most of them electric cars ? that s not much more than 1% of the overall total, but there were none just over a decade ago. and worldwide, global sales of electric cars rose by nearly 50% last year ? with well over three million sales taking place during the pandemic. 0ne estimate is that one in five new cars sold will be electric by 2025. so, car companies are making massive investments in electric car production, with plans to phase out the use of the internal combustion engine. the new nissan battery factory in sunderland, announced yesterday, is just one example.

but there are big challenges. cost has been an issue, electric cars are more expensive to buy than petrol or diesel cars, even if they re cheaper to run.but making batteries is getting easier, and the industry expects a tipping point fairly soon. batterers are coming down in price. the plan _ batterers are coming down in price. the plan is — batterers are coming down in price. the plan is to increase production here _ the plan is to increase production here in— the plan is to increase production here in the — the plan is to increase production here in the uk as we have seen with the meson _ here in the uk as we have seen with the meson announcement this week will the meson announcement this week wiii help— the meson announcement this week will help with that. —— batteries are coming _ will help with that. —— batteries are coming down. —— nissan probably mid decade _ are coming down. —— nissan probably mid decade before that tipping point when electric car has the same ticket — when electric car has the same ticket price of a petrol or diesel car. the other issue is how to recharge your battery, particularly on longerjourneys. range anxiety has been identified as a factor making people reluctant to go electric. the government says there are currently more than 23,800 public charging points around the country including more than 4,000 rapid chargers. £1.3 bn is being invested. but labour says it s not enough. it points out the independent

committee on climate change says there should be 150,000 public charging points by 2025 ? so a big increase is needed. there are regional disparities too, with far more charging points in london than some other parts of the country. and it s notjust about motorways, there s also the issue of charging at home. it s fine if you have a driveway. but people who only have access to on street parking need far more local schemes, such as chargers on lampposts. so, the shift to electric cars is happening ? the challenge is making sure the infrastructure keeps up with the pace of change. really interesting. thank you very much indeed, chris. the german chancellor angela the german chancellor angela merkel has said that britons who have had two covid—19 vaccinations should soon be able to travel to germany without going into quarantine on arrival. mrs merkel met prime minister boris johnson today for talks at chequers, on her last visit to the uk as head

of the german government and covid travel restrictions were high on the agenda. we think that, in the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will then according to our classification, and britain obviously is a high—incidence area, will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine, we would like to encourage people to be vaccinated. in the beginning, we did not have that much experience with this variant but we are dealing with it, and we are approaching this in the spirit that i set out and the variant is spreading quickly in germany too, but let me point out yet again, it's not only germany that has imposed travel restrictions, the uk too has done quite a lot in order to protect its own citizens, and that is a continuous learning process that we undergo, we have to adjust time and again to the most recent development. the talks were also an opportunity

to discuss the disagreements over the brexit nothern ireland protocol. mrs merkel said that �*pragmatic solutions' could be found. i personally believe that on the basis of this protocol and within the framework of how it was negotiated we can find pragmatic solutions. 0n the one hand, we can maintain the integrity of the single market but on the other hand we can contribute to creating acceptable solutions for the people. it is obviously understandable that this was prolonged and it's a good thing it was prolonged for another few months, and i think it should be possible for all of us to come to a pragmatic solution within this grace period, and i'm optimistic that this can happen. and also this afternoon, the chancellor has met the queen at windsor castle.

good afternoon. how nice to see you auain, good afternoon. how nice to see you again. your — good afternoon. how nice to see you again. your majesty- _ good afternoon. how nice to see you again, your majesty. we _ good afternoon. how nice to see you again, your majesty. we have - good afternoon. how nice to see you again, your majesty. we have got. good afternoon. how nice to see you| again, your majesty. we have got the again, your ma'esty. we have got the photographers— again, your majesty. we have got the photographers here. _ again, your majesty. we have got the photographers here. always - again, your majesty. we have got the photographers here. always wanted | again, your majesty. we have got the l photographers here. always wanted to take a picture — photographers here. always wanted to take a picture make _ photographers here. always wanted to take a picture make history. _ photographers here. always wanted to take a picture make history. you - take a picture make history. you fencin: take a picture make history. you fencing the _ take a picture make history. you fencing the prime _ take a picture make history. gm. fencing the prime minister? take a picture make history. you| fencing the prime minister? yes. take a picture make history. you - fencing the prime minister? yes. -- ou have fencing the prime minister? yes. -- you have seen _ fencing the prime minister? yes. -- you have seen the _ fencing the prime minister? yes. -- you have seen the prime _ fencing the prime minister? yes. -- you have seen the prime minister. l fencing the prime minister? yes. --| you have seen the prime minister. a nice you have seen the prime minister. nice day. you have seen the prime minister. a nice day- a — you have seen the prime minister. a nice day. a wonderful _ you have seen the prime minister. a nice day. a wonderful day. _ you have seen the prime minister. a nice day. a wonderful day. the - you have seen the prime minister. al nice day. a wonderful day. the queen and anuela nice day. a wonderful day. the queen and angela merkel. _ 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas is in westminster. we'll talk more about her chancellor borisjohnson, that is probably the heart of it all. interesting times, only a few more months and chances are we work see angela merkel here, not had any formal role that feels politically like at the end of an error. ., politically like at the end of an error. . ., . . ., error. that little royal chit chat about the _ error. that little royal chit chat about the history. _

error. that little royal chit chat about the history. this - error. that little royal chit chat about the history. this is - error. that little royal chit chat about the history. this is the l error. that little royal chit chat i about the history. this is the last visit of angela merkel as chancellor, i think it is 16 years she's been making these visits, multiple prime ministers come and this is her last one. i think part of the reason why she was afforded both the meeting will borisjohnson and then went to meet the queen. but really the substance was in the meeting with borisjohnson. quite a few different areas there, you touched on northern ireland. i think the message for them was pretty straight from angela merkel, that essentially what she was saying was that when the brexit deal was negotiated, borisjohnson was on one side and she was on the other side. it was odd under the eu but what was negotiated was an agreement overseen by borisjohnson and special arrangements for northern ireland and she was saying that has to be implemented. she said they can be a pragmatic solution within it but there was no sign there any sense

germany think they can be any