the labour leader, sir keir starmer, declares his party is back after it narrowly wins the batley and spen by—election — by a few hundred votes. kim ledbeater took the seat once held by her sister, the murdered mpjo cox, after a bitter campaign in the west yorkshire constituency. my message is 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. also on the programme tonight... the case is to be dropped against two former soldiers previously facing murder charges over deaths in londonderry in 1972, including on bloody sunday.

and england arrive in rome ahead of tomorrows euro 2020 quarterfinal with ukraine. later in the hour, we will have sports day with all the latest reports, results interviews and features from the bbc sport centre. good evening. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, has declared that labour is back after the party held on at the batley and spen by—election in west yorkshire. but their victory was narrow. kim leadbeater — the sister of the murdered mpjo cox — held the seat with a majority of just 323 votes over the conservatives.

our political correspondent, alex forsyth, reports. it was no easy path to today's moment of celebration. but the cheers soon replaced doubt about labour's chances, the relief obvious. a loss here would have left the labour leader vulnerable, but this victory, even narrow, will quieten the critics for now. my message is, 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. for many, though, the credit lies with the candidate, the sister of the murdered mpjo cox. rooted in the community, for her, this campaign meant more than pure politics. what we've done really well in this campaign is we've listened to people and so i think that human connection is really important. and i think sometimes that is lost in politics. this area's littered with the evidence of what was a bruising campaign, fiercely contested and highly charged.

there was tension and anger. for some labour supporters, it laid bare a disconnect that must still be overcome. there are elements in the community that don't feel represented, that don't feel they've got a voice. i think there is a massive amount of work to do bringing and rebuilding the community we have here. the former mp george galloway stood here, aiming to split the labour vote. he did attract support, coming third. his pitch was aimed at the area's large muslim community. after friday prayers at this mosque today, the hope was for unity now a new mp's been chosen. i hope she can fulfil all of her promises, you know, that she has promised to the people who have voted for her and try to bring all of the community together. there were specific local issues here. nonetheless, this result is significant for labour after recent losses. this was their seat to start with but expectations were high that the tories would take it.

one senior party figure suggested the controversy that led to the resignation of matt hancock as health secretary might have played a part. unsurprisingly, no mention from the prime minister at a press conference today, who praised his candidate's efforts. ryan stephenson fought an incredibly positive campaign and, _ all things considered, l did very well to reduce a long—standing labour majority. the decision made here was a blow for the tories, but while it has bought the labour leader some breathing space, it's far from settled questions about the party's future. alex forsyth, bbc news in batley and spen. one of the government's advisers on coronavirus has warned that ministers are facing a very difficult decision about lifting all england's restrictions on the i9thjuly — given the continuing rise in cases. more than 27,000 new cases were recorded across the uk today, but deaths remain low. here's our health editor, hugh pym.

as more jabs go into arms, officials are confident that vaccines are reducing the risk of serious illness. the office for national statistics says hospital admissions are much lower than they would have been without vaccines. but, even so, the head of the 0ns told me that making the right call on ending restrictions in england won't be straightforward. this decision is the most difficult that the government has to make. we are watching with laser focus every day the data, so that the government will have all the information it needs in order, absolutely, to mean that it's data, not dates. the 0ns infection survey suggest that last week in the uk, there was a 67% increase in those testing positive. in england, one in 260 have the virus. in scotland, it was one in 150 and in wales, one in 450. in all of which, there were increases. in northern ireland, one in 670 had the virus

and the trend was said to be uncertain. nhs staff will hope that rising covid cases don't bring back the pressures they saw over the winter. some say they're exhausted and angry they've been offered a i% pay rise. the government will confirm soon whether that will be increased in england. senior doctors say if that doesn't happen, members will be consulted on an overtime ban. you have to go back to the 19705 to find the last time this sort of action was taken by consultants. it's highly unusual for them to get involved in a pay dispute, but their union says feelings are running high, with pay after inflation having fallen over the last decade.

193,000 people have had their second jab. 33.2 million people are now fully vaccinated — 63.1% of adults. a man has been charged with common assault after england's chief medical officer, professor chris whitty, was accosted

in a park in central london. 23—year—old lewis hughes, an estate agent from romford, is due to appear before magistrates at the end of this month. the cases against two former soldiers who were previously facing murder charges over deaths during the troubles in londonderry in 1972 — including two on bloody sunday — are being dropped. here's our ireland correspondent, emma vardy. the first body i saw was that of a youth, being carried out by other civilians with a priest in the lead, waving a bloodied handkerchief as a white flag. the horrors of bloody sunday have resonated through the decades in northern ireland. years of campaigning by families led to a decision in 2019 to prosecute a former soldier for the murder ofjames wray and william mckinney, two of the 13 people shot dead that day. proceedings against soldier f, now in his 70s, began in derry earlier this year. the case has deeply divided opinion.

today, it was brought to a halt. it's a day of devastation. the fact thatjustice has been denied to the people of derry, to the families... heavily disappointed but one point is, we're never going to give up. there was 13 people murdered on bloody sunday and further attempted murders of a further 15 people and we can't get one of them in the court. you know... there's something wrong here. a second veteran case was also dropped today — the prosecution of soldier b, for the murder of 15—year—old daniel hegarty, shot in derry�*s creggan estate. in both cases, prosecutors said they could no longer rely on key evidence of police interviews from the time, which were ruled inadmissible by a judge in another case against two former soldiers which recently collapsed. i feel for the veterans who have had their lives ruined by repeated investigations into what went

on in northern ireland. so it's a dark day, it's a sad day for northern ireland. successive governments have promised to sort out legacy, to invest in it, they haven't. relatives say they want to challenge the decision with a judicial review. isn't it time to leave prosecutions behind now and look at different ways to reconcile the past? you cannot get to the truth without a properjudicial process. the british government or the ira won'tjust give it if you ask them nicely. they tried to frustrate the bloody sunday inquiry at every single turn. the conservative government wants a ban on all prosecutions relating to the troubles. that course of action is opposed by all sides here. dealing with the past continues to weigh heavily on northern ireland's present. emma vardy, bbc news, derry. the cabinet minister michael gove and his journalist wife sarah vine are to separate after nearly 20 years of marriage. a statement said the couple — who have two children — had decided to end their

relationship and were in the process of finalising their divorce. the england squad has arrived in rome ahead of tomorrow's euro 2020 quarter final against ukraine. fans have been urged not to travel there because of coronavirus restrictions, but some who live in italy will be at the game. 0ur sports correspondent natalie pirks is in rome. in the summer heat of rome, tourism is getting back in the swing. legend here says one coin in the fountain means you'll return to rome one day, but for a lucky few england fans who live here, their wishes have already been granted. we're lucky and we feel lucky and we can't wait to go tomorrow. we can't wait! friendsjoe and matt have both lived in rome for more than 15 years and have managed to get tickets. one of the fans that follows england, 0k, constantly, they deserve the ticket more than i do or more than matt does, 0k? but there's nothing we can do about it. i feel for them. they can rest assured

that our voices will be heard. commentator: and now grealish. .. grealish in! it will be a far cry from these scenes, as more than 40,000 fans spurred england to victory over germany on tuesday. england officially had around 2,000 tickets but strict rules mean there was no time for fans to get into italy and complete the five day quarantine. to discourage travel by any means, uefa has now cancelled any tickets held by uk residents, after a request from the italian government. it could be rather lonely in here for england. 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. and, therefore, it's about what we do as a group and creating our own energy and our own spirit. commentator: zinchenko with a cross, ukraine have won it! _ ukraine squeaked into the quarterfinals with a last—gasp winner in extra time against sweden. meanwhile, england have so far been efficient and professional but not yet blown the doors off.

this italian job will not be easy. this is england's only match away from wembley. the this is england's only match away from wembley-— this is england's only match away from wembley. the england players have been keen _ from wembley. the england players have been keen to _ from wembley. the england players have been keen to talk— from wembley. the england players have been keen to talk up _ from wembley. the england players have been keen to talk up their - have been keen to talk up their opponents' abilities. 0ne have been keen to talk up their opponents' abilities. one thing they are happy to talk about is how proud they are of their defensive record that they could set another record tomorrow, socially. no team has ever kept clean sheets in their opening five games at a euros.— kept clean sheets in their opening five games at a euros. lovely, thank ou. time five games at a euros. lovely, thank yom time for— five games at a euros. lovely, thank you. time for the _ five games at a euros. lovely, thank you. time for the weather _ five games at a euros. lovely, thank you. time for the weather with - you. time for the weather with tomasz schafernaker. thank you, a mixed weekend, dark cloud on the horizon are expected, thunder and lightning as well and quite a few heavy downpours which could cause some flash flooding tomorrow. this is what it looks like early on saturday, very muggy in the morning in the south, 16. 11 at 7am in aberdeen. you can see the area of

heavy showers in the morning moving northwards into northern england. that could give 30 millimetres of rain in an hour or so, that is a lot of rainfall but there will be other parts of the country later in the afternoon which will also catch some big downpours. the thinking is around the west country come into west england, scattered showers and also scatter showers almost anywhere across the country during the course of the afternoon. thunder and lightning possible, downpour is possible but not everywhere. through the course of the evening, you can see some of those showers continue again very hit and miss. there will be one or two of us who will miss the showers altogether but watch out for these big humourless and cumulonimbus clouds tomorrow. that's all from us, so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one, we nowjoin the bbc�*s news teams where you are.

there's a big win, more on that for a moment. let's go to centre court where andy murray is on his third round. looking to end an emotional week. it's currently one game in the first set, so under way. shapovalov has been going from strength to strength during the grass—court swing, reaching the quarter—finals in stuttgart and semi—finals at the queen 5 club. at the queen's club. there was bad news for the british number one dan evans. he's been knocked out, losing in four sets to america's sebastian korda. defeat for evans means he has never gone further than the third round. tunisian 0ns jabeur has reached the fourth round in stunning fashion, coming from a set down to beat garbine muguruza on centre court. she beat the two—time grand slam winner5—7, 6—3, 6—2. it's the first time she's reached

this stage of the competition. i'm very happy and this is the first time i played on centre, and it's amazing energy. think you guys, thank you. amazing energy. think you guys, thank vom— thank you. cheering the energy _ thank you. cheering the energy is - thank you. cheering | the energy is amazing. thank you. cheering - the energy is amazing. this thank you. cheering _ the energy is amazing. this is... i'm so, so happy. now, at euro 2020, it's gone to extra—time in the first quarter—final between spain and switzerland. it finished 1—1 after 90 minutes — jordia alba helped put spain in front — he shot and the ball took a wicked deflection off denis zakaria. but switzerland fought back. xherdan shaqiri scored the equaliser before they were reduced to ten men. it is 1-1 it is 1—1 currently.

it's the second quarterfinal and a mouth watering tie over on bbc one — belgium and italy go head to head in munich. and kevin de bruyne starts for belgium, after doubts about his fitness. just more day to wait now until england's euro 2020 quarter—final against ukraine, and the players are in rome, with gareth southgate and harry kane about to speak to the media. this was the squad departing st george's park and being given a send—off from the staff at the training facility. england head to rome in confident mood, having not lost a match at the tournament, or conceding a goal. chelsea women's manager emma hayes has signed a new contract with the club. following her success with the women's side — wining the league and getting to the champions league final — there was speculation that she might be tempted to go elsewhere. however, hayes has committed to chelsea, saying: "i really look forward to building on the successes we ve already achieved and i m we ve already achieved and i'm delighted to have extended further." now, a dislocated shoulder would rule many of us out of work — especially if that was work

was for the british and irish lions. however, that might not be the case for alun wyn jones. the welshman — who had been named lions captain — looked set to miss the tour after suffering the injury last saturday. however, he now has his sights set on what's being described as a �*miracle recovery�*, and could make a return! the lions play their first warm—up match of the tour tomorrow. obviously, it's a big blow. he's a world-class _ obviously, it's a big blow. he's a world—class player. obviously, the liensm _ world—class player. obviously, the liensm get— world—class player. obviously, the liens... get back in shape or form would _ liens... get back in shape or form would be — liens... get back in shape or form would be awesome. if he's able to represent — would be awesome. if he's able to represent us, that's a no—brainer. slovenia's mattey moritch has won stage seven of the tour de france, while mattiuw van der pole retained the overall lead.

at 154 miles, it was the longest stage for 21 years. britain's mark cavendish claimed more sprinting points to stay in the greenjersey. moritch won by more than a minute to claim his first tour win. britain's geraint thomas finished in the main group, slipping a place to 13th overall. mercedes will be hoping they've done enough to close the gap to red bull for this weekend's austrian grand prix. world champion lewis hamilton topped the timesheets in second practice ahead of his team mate valtteri bottas. the briton was more than two tenths of a second quicker than championship leader max verstappen who won last max verstappen, who won last weekend's race at the red bull ring. holly smith has become the first woman for 45 years to be included in the great britain showjumping team for smith is named alongside harry charles as travelling reserve, while london 2012 gold medallists scott brash and ben maher are in the squad. that's all the sport for now. we'll have more for you on the bbc news channel later on. ten minutes to go until potential penalties. we'll be back a little bit later on. you're watching bbc

news. the family of saskia jones who was murdered by a convicted terrorist in a rehabilitation centre in central london are calling on the organisation to step down. her uncles and say the family will be distressed and insulted if the cambridge university athletics remain in place. they have 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 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. senior doctors ours to be asked

whether they want to take industrial action over pay. consultants are angry about proposed 11% rise. but the pay for other public sector workers has been frozen. here'sjim 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's 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. at 22—year—old man has been charged with assault after england's chief medical officer was accosted in a park in central london. louis hughes will appear before magistrate this month. time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello there. today has been a warmer day with more in the way of thatjuly sunshine to go around. we've had some beautiful weather watcher pictures sent to us. this one looks like it came from the caribbean. it's actually

off the western isles in scotland. we have seen some showers and those storms working away from the far north of england, southern scotland. you are going to see some further bands of thundery rain, returning northern london. through the weekend, we've got some big downpours on the way. these could bring some problems as well. saturday morning, our band of thundery rain continues to work its way northward and eastward. what follows are showers and could drop 30 mm injust one hour. but even worse than that into parts of southwest england. we've got this convergence zone and with the winds not changing, that zone locks the showers and thunderstorms right along this line. there will be one or two areas that pick up something like 40 to perhaps 80 mm of rain. that is enough to cause some

flooding issues. the showers will be... as well. of course, it's the euros quarterfinal. england travelling to rome. temperatures drifting down into the mid—20s. sunday, second half of the weekend season area of rain rushing across southern areas. we've got heavy and fun e showers widespread. perhaps the heaviest this time, scotland, northern ireland and the northwest of england and wales. temperatures below par, 18—20 degrees. but the storms bringing a few problems with some surface water flooding issues. into next week, low pressures on the charts. monday and tuesday bringing notjust charts. monday and tuesday bringing not just what the weather, but also quite windy weather. the strongest wind likely towards the south of the uk, where he may have gales as well. rain, strong winds. sunshine and

showers at the time, probably dry and brighter towards the end of the week.

hello and welcome to the programme which brings together some of the country's leading columnists, bbc specialists, and the foreign correspondents writing, blogging and broadcasting to audiences back home from the dateline, london. this week: a valedictory visit from angela merkel. species decline and why it's worth trying to stop it. and how do you live with a centenarian planning to be around for another hundred years? joining us this week: yasmin alabhai brown is an award winning newspaper columnist in the uk. thomas kielinger has been reporting

and explaining the british