welcome to bbc news. i'm rich preston. our top stories — how many resignations will it take? — borisjohnson refuses to resign, despite his government collapsing, and some of his closest allies deserting him. so far, there have been 44 resignations, a record number in one day, but the prime minister responded defiantly to critics on his own side. does the prime minister think there are any circumstances in which you shouldn't resign? laughter frankly, mr speaker, the job laughter frankly, mr speaker, thejob of the prime — frankly, mr speaker, thejob of the prime minister in difficult circumstances when he has been handed _ circumstances when he has been handed a — circumstances when he has been handed a colossal mandate is to keep _ handed a colossal mandate is to keep going, and that's what i'm going _ keep going, and that's what i'm going to — keep going, and that's what i'm going to do. the opposition labour leader, sir keir starmer, said the prime minister was in

the dying act of his career. anyone quitting now, after defending _ anyone quitting now, after defending all— anyone quitting now, after defending all that, - anyone quitting now, after defending all that, hasn't. anyone quitting now, after. defending all that, hasn't got a shred — defending all that, hasn't got a shred of— defending all that, hasn't got a shred of integrity. - defending all that, hasn't got a shred of integrity. mr- a shred of integrity. mr speaker, _ a shred of integrity. mr speaker, isn't - a shred of integrity. mr speaker, isn't this - a shred of integrity. mr speaker, isn't this thel a shred of integrity. mr- speaker, isn't this the first recorded _ speaker, isn't this the first recorded case _ speaker, isn't this the first recorded case of— speaker, isn't this the first recorded case of the - speaker, isn't this the firstl recorded case of the sinking ships— recorded case of the sinking ships fleeing _ recorded case of the sinking ships fleeing the _ recorded case of the sinking ships fleeing the rat? - and japan plans to pump water from the fukushima nuclear plant into the pacific. we hear from the fishermen protesting the move. hello and a very warm welcome to the programme. hello and a very warm welcome to the programme. the british prime minister, borisjohnson, is clinging on to power in downing street, despite the resignations of more than a0 of his own mps from their government roles. he's continuing to defy calls for him to step down from some of his most senior colleagues. they believe he has clearly lost the confidence of most

of his party. with the very latest, here's our political editor, chris mason. the front pages, the photographers, the reporters, all asking the same thing. is it all over, prime minister? the lenses tilt towards boris johnson leaving downing street, heading for parliament at lunchtime and prime minister's questions. jeering the difficult questions usually come from the opposition benches. today, they came from conservative mps as well. the prime minister constantly tries to deflect from the issue, always tries to blame other people for mistakes and at least nothing left for him to do other than to take responsibility and resign. applause today, i ask him to do the honourable thing, to put the interests of the nation before his own interests, and before, in his own words, it does become impossible for government to do its job. does the prime minister think

there are any circumstances l in which he should resign? laughter frankly, mr speaker, thejob of a prime minister in difficult circumstances, when he's been handed a colossal mandate, is to keep going, and that's what i'm going to do. and when it was the labour leader's turn, he took aim at those in the cabinet. only in office because no—one else is prepared to debase themselves any longer, the charge of the lightweight brigade! laughter have some self—respect! in the middle of a crisis, doesn't the country deserve better than a z—list cast of nodding dogs? mr speaker, the difference between this government i and that opposition is _ we have a plan and they do not. and we're getting on with it. laughter they want to focus on this type of issue, mr speaker, we're going to get on with ourjobs. i ian blackford.

the scottish national party leader at westminster is often remorselessly barracked by conservative mps. not today. let's face it, it's a minor miracle that the prime minister has even made it through to prime minister's questions. and he really ought to see the faces behind him because, prime minister, it really is over. the prime minister is desperately clinging on to his own fantasy, but the public can't afford to put up with this farce of a government a minute longer. all day, it felt at times like every ten minutes or so, conservative mps were sending letters saying the prime minister should go. and just take a look at the language chosen by the now formerjustice minister victoria atkins as she resigned. are we witnessing the collapse

of the government, mrjavid? and from a letter to a resignation statement from the man who just yesterday was boris johnson's health secretary. i call sajid javid. have a look at the body language of the conservative benches as you listen to mrjavid's words. treading the tightrope between loyalty and integrity has become impossible in recent months. and, mr speaker, i will never risk losing my integrity. this week again, we have reason to question the truth and integrity of what we've all been told. and at some point, we have to conclude that enough is enough. i believe that point is now. he said he had been patient, hoping things would improve. but i do fear that the reset button can only work so many times. there's only so many times you can turn that machine on and off before you realise that something is

fundamentally wrong. and then there was this — a public, laser—guided attack on those still in boris johnson's cabinet. they will have their own reasons, but it is a choice. i knowjust how difficult that choice is. but let's be clear. not doing something is an active decision. i'm deeply concerned about how the next generation will see the conservative party, on our current course. can i say to the house, there will be no more personal statements today. bye, boris! bye! but he was back again, down the corridor, a few hours later, facing the liaison committee of senior backbenchers. prime minister, - how's your week going? terrific.

turns out that they had been keeping up with the news. it's being reported that there's a delegation i of your cabinet colleaguesi waiting in downing street, including the chief whip, the transport secretary i and your new chancellor, i waiting to tell you when you finish here today that. it's time for you to go. how will you respond to that? you're asking me to comment on... this conversation will happen in a few minutes, _ prime minister. so you say! but i'm not going to give a running commentary on political events, we're going to get on with the government of the country. this morning, the communities secretary michael gove went to see the prime minister to tell him he thought he should resign. the man who just yesterday sat around borisjohnson�*s cabinet table was sacked by him, with a number 10 source describing mr gove as a snake. this was the scene in downing street this evening — drivers hanging around, while cabinet ministers went inside, some saying mrjohnson should go, others saying he should stay.

the culture secretary's still supportive. laughter is anyone else backing the prime minister? oh, yes! westminster is a postcode defined by power. today has been defined by it draining away from borisjohnson. but he's not shifting, at least yet. chris mason with that report. our reporter mark lobel is in downing street for us. a little earlier he gave this update. a brief respite now, it's the middle of the night, of course. but just after chris was reporting that sensational sacking of michael gove, an hour after that the secretary of state for wales simon hart resigned, the third cabinet minister to resign from government to boris johnson's leadership. and 15 minutes after that, the health minister ed argar, very loyal

to borisjohnson was the 44th ministerial resignation, that is a record in around 2a hours to have that many resignations. and then 15 minutes after that, the attorney general for england and wales suella braverman was on television saying that the prime minister should resign, and she was the first person to throw her hat in the ring for a vacancy that is not yet available because borisjohnson is holding on. and mark, for those watching around the world, 44 resignations in one day, a record—breaking day for the prime minister, just remind us how we got here. well, a month ago, exactly a month ago, there was a vote of confidence in the prime minister, which he won with 59% of the support from tory mps. but straight after that, we had by—elections in this country, in the north and in the south—west, which he lost and that took some of the gloss off his election—winning reputation. and dtraight after that, he went to nato summits and g7 summits around the world and came back, and as soon as he landed, with the party still bruised

from those by—election defeats, he had to admit that he had known about a misconduct complaint of one of his senior figures that he had then promoted to be a senior disciplinarian in the party. that was too much for the chancellor and the health secretary to take, after the partygate scandal and everything else. they resgined on tuesday. and now, next week he faces the prospect of another vote of no—confidence. and if that comes to pass, it is not considered likely, at the moment at least, that he would win that one and stay in that building. well, joseph cirincione, who's a member of the council on foreign relations in washington dc told me that the ramifications of the political turmoil in the uk will be felt far and wide. this has immediate international repercussions. for one thing, it weakens the western effort to support the ukrainians in their war. borisjohnson was a strong supporter of the effort, it is notjust that he may no longer be the leader of the united kingdom, it is that it could usher

in the weeks of uncertainty that could weaken british and perhaps european result. and perhaps european resolve. number two, it starts to raise serious questions about the stability of the western alliance. you have major countries, the leaders of these alliances, the united kingdom, france, the united states, with deeply unpopular leaders embroiled in their own conflicts. and in the face of russian, some would say also chinese, threats. and finally, it gives credence to the russian and chinese view that the west is in a period of decline. what represents that decline? the economic malaise, problems and disunity, and failures of governments to be able to hold powerfor a stable period of time. talking about where you are specifically, that special relationship between the us and the uk, how will a crumbling british

government affect transatlantic relations? right away, you will see president biden sort of distancing himself from the united kingdom. he won't want to get involved in what is basically the internal affairs of the british government, so you will have that removal, you will see a distancing of us officials. they aren't going to express support for a troubled prime minister, particularly with the circumstances of the scandal. and you will also see president biden distanced himself as he goes on his visit to the middle east where he is going to israel, another country whose government has recently crumbled. biden is trying to project an image of strength, of certainty, of confidence, of capability, and being associated with these failing governments certainly doesn't help. you touched on russia and china earlier on, how will this play out, longer term, for the governments

in beijing and moscow? you know, one would think that the western alliance, the united states, etc, would have a natural advantage, their economies, vibrancy, the diversity of their populations over russia and china, but what you have instead is the west weakening, faltering, beset with internal contradictions, at a time when certainly china, despite all of its internal problems, is relatively rising. russia, a weak country, still able to prosecute a war that the west seems unable to stop. so this... the crisis of borisjohnson is basically an internal crisis, a domestic crisis. it has these global implications that further herds western efforts to be a model of government, a model of democracy for the rest of the world. stay with us on bbc news. still to come — we look at plans to empty water from the fukushima nuclear

power plant into the ocean. central london has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. police say there have been many casualties, and there is growing speculation that al-qaeda was responsible. germany will be the hosts of the 2006 football world cup. they've pipped the favourites, south africa, by a single vote. in south africa, the possibility of losing hadn't even been contemplated. celebration parties were cancelled. a man entered the palace i through a downstairs window and made his way— to the queen's private bedroom. then, he asked her for a cigarette. - and, on the pretext - of arranging for some to be brought, summoned a footman on duty, i who took the man away. one child... ..one teacher... ..one book...

..and one pen can change the world. education is the only solution. applause this is bbc world news, the latest headlines: boris johnson refuses to resign, despite his government collapsing, and some of his closest allies deserting him. so far there have been 44 resignations, it's a record number in one day, but the prime minister responded with defiance to critics on his own side. let's stay with our main story, borisjohnson has now broken a british political record, for the highest number of ministerial resignations in the space of 2a hours. one in five of those conservative mps who held ministerial or other official posts have now resigned. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young examines the possible next steps.

time to speak out. dozens of conservative ministers and mps have had enough. some have been critical for months, others stayed loyal to borisjohnson but not any more. i have never done this before, it's not in my nature to go on about prime ministers, i challenge the government on policy rather than personalities but we have reached an end point. we are just constantly going from one crisis to another under this leadership and a reluctance to accept where those problems came from. we have got to concentrate on these issues that are affecting people, this charade has to stop. i feel for the prime minister, i really do, i like the man, i i have a huge amount i of respect for the man, but i cannot let this pass. as support drained away, the prime minister's closest allies tried their best to fight his corner. my message to colleagues is calm down, calm down. are they overreacting? be very careful where we go here. why? be very careful about bringing down a prime minister who won a very personal mandate from the british

people in 2019. liam fox has stayed loyal to every conservative leader since he was first elected in 1992 but he told me mrjohnson has squandered too many second chances. the way things have been handled, the way that lines constantly change, the way ministers therefore cannot with any confidence repeat the line they are being given, i think all of this incrementally damages credibility so much that it is difficult to lead and i hope that for his own sake, but for the sake of the conservative party and the government and most importantly, the country, he goes quickly. prime ministers rarely get to choose how they leave office. margaret thatcher promised to fight on but her cabinet told her it was time to go. john major survived rebellions, staggered to an election and was beaten in a landslide. david cameron recognised that losing the eu referendum was a resigning matter. theresa may won a vote of confidence but left a few months later.

it's obviously incredible tough on them personally, these things normally build up over a long period of time but i think most people who have done the job get to a point where they recognise that time is up. and that it is not actually in their own interests in terms of their legacy or their party's interest or the country's interest for them to carry on. i can announce the parliamentary party does have confidence... this group of mps could have a crucial role to play if borisjohnson refuses to leave. the 1922 committee could organise another vote of confidence. borisjohnson won the conservatives their biggest election victory in more than 30 years, many mps backed him because they wanted to make sure brexit happened. but he has not been able to translate that success on the campaign trail into government and many in his own party have now turned against him, fearing he was tarnishing their reputation as well as his own. he can drag out his departure

but few think boris johnson as got long left in number 10. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. to japan now, where prime minister fumio kishida has pledged to restart more nuclear power plants to provide energy as the country struggles with its hottest summer on record. but 11 years on from the fukushima disaster, nuclear plants remain deeply unpopular among the japanese public. 0ur tokyo correspondent rupert wingfield hayes has gained rare access to the fukushima plant and sent this report. this is raw fish, just from the sea off here in fukushima, caught this morning. would you dare to eat this? well, according to 0no—san here, who caught it, he says there is nothing for me to be worried about. "nothing to worry about, it's safe."

well, it certainly tastes good! bell rings for years after the nuclear disaster, no—one wanted to buy fish from fukushima, the fear of radioactive contamination was so strong. finally, that is starting to change, but now there is a new threat. this is the fukushima nuclear plant today. the site is now dominated by giant water tanks filled with radioactive water. from up here, you really get a sense of the scale of the problem. behind me are more than a thousand giant water tanks, and at last count, they contained nearly 1.3 million tons of contaminated water. the plan now is to treat the water and pump it into the ocean. for fishermen like 0no—san, that would be a second disaster. translation: now, fish from fukushima is popular again. i

people know we check every fish for radiation, so they feel safe, but now the government wants to release this contaminated water into the sea. we do not trust them and we do not feel safe. the government says the water will be made safe before it is released, and this is where it will be done. inside this building is the world's largest, most advanced system for removing radioactive particles from water. you can't really see what's going on in here, but in here is all the processes to remove 62 radio—nucleides from the cooling water 62 radio—nucleides from the cooling water so that it will be made safe, before it is then eventually diluted and pumped into the ocean. but the water will not be entirely free of radiation. at this specially built lab, they are testing for one radioactive particle they cannot remove —

tritium. translation: tritium is emitted in the cooling water— of every nuclear power plant in the world. we are closely monitoring the levels to reassure the public it is safe. we've also invited outside organisations like the iaea to check our data. beside the ocean, construction is already under way on a huge pipe that will carry the treated water out to sea. but the fishermen remain almost entirely unconvinced. translation: the electricity from the nuclear plant - all went to tokyo, so tokyo should take responsibility. why not put the water into tokyo bay? the water released from fukushima will be no more radioactive than water released from nuclear plants all over the world, but the fishermen here have had their likelihoods ruined once before.

they have no desire to risk it again. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in fukushima. in football, england have kicked off their european women's championship with a 1—0 win over austria at old trafford. england's winning goal was scored by beth mead, in a match played in front of a record crowd of almost 70,000 people. the lionesses, who are in group a with austria, northern ireland and norway, are aiming to win their first major tournament. at wimbledon — rafael nadal is facing a battle to be fit in time for his semifinal against nick kyrgios on friday. nadal strained an abdominal muscle during his five set victory over the american, taylor fritz. chetan pathak rounds up all the action. if there is one man who knows how to win when he is injured it is rafael nadal. even warriors like him have their limit but my goodness me, did he pull off one of his great

wins here at wimbledon on wednesday against taylor fritz, the american iith seat on an outstanding grasscourt season. taylor fritz won the first and third sets but rafael nadal does not go away and the final set tie—break was won decisively. rafael nadal has already won the french open and australians opened this year, now in the last four at wimbledon in an extraordinary year at the age of 36 despite injury problems, still powering through. awaiting rafael nadal in the semifinals is nick kyrgios. he has never reached the last ball of a grand slam until now. in straight sets he beat gillian cristian garin. nick kyrgios took care of him with age. now lined up are matched against rafael nadal who was previously beaten here at the all england club. in the women's draw the semi—final

lineup is complete. simona halep one against the american 20 on seed and yet to drop a set at the championships. a slight wobble at the end of the second set but powering through in little over an hour. the 2019 champion looking formidable at the moment. and she will next play kazakhstan's elena rybakina, 17th seed who came from a set down to beat ajla tomljanovic, who got to the quarter—finals last year beating emma raducanu on the way at wimbledon. her wimbledon yet again and is with elena rybakina the 23 rolled into her first grandslam semi—final. you can keep up—to—date with rebels and on the bbc news website. 0r download the bbc news up which is where to go on the latest on the political turmoil in the

uk. you can reach me on twitter — i'm @richpreston. from all of us on the team in london they give for your company, we will see you next time. hello there. so far, the weather story this week has been dominated by a lot of low, grey cloud for many. yes, at times, it's felt warm, but just take a look at suffolk yesterday afternoon. it was a fairly typical story right across the country. the cloud was widespread. this was the satellite picture from wednesday. in fact, there was some early morning rain in scotland. that cleared away and a brisk northwesterly wind dominated here. some brightness further south, some warmth, but over the next few days, it looks likely that we are going to see more sunshine and more heat developing. perhaps into next week, it's going to get a bit too hot for some of you. the jet stream is to the north of the uk at the moment. 0nce we're on the southern flank of the jet, we're in the warmerairsource, and this area of high pressure, well, that is keeping things quieter and allowing for more

sunshine to come through. so we will start the day on thursday, for many, on another cloudy, grey note. early morning sunshine in eastern scotland, and then eventually the cloud will tend to melt away and the sunshine really starts to build. the only exception is a little more cloud just running in off the northwest of scotland. perhaps here, temperatures only mid—teens, but highest temperatures through thursday afternoon of 25 degrees — 77 fahrenheit. that cloud into the far north thick enough for a spot or two of light, drizzly rain into the northern and western isles, but elsewhere, we keep some clear skies. it will be a relatively mild start to friday morning, temperatures widely into the mid—teens once again. so, on friday, another dry, settled, sunny day in prospect. again, just the far north and west may well just keep a little more cloud that's being pushed in by this westerly wind, but with more sunshine coming through, temperatures are going to start to respond. into the high 20s not out of the question by friday afternoon, and that's 82 in terms of fahrenheit. as we move into saturday, the high pressure is

still with us. we've still got, however, the wind direction swinging around that high pressure, driving in more cloud and some showery outbreaks of rain just clipping the northern and western isles. but again, those temperatures for england and wales, where we see the highest values, into 27, 28 degrees. and that trend continues through the weekend and into next week. in fact, the heatwave could be here to stay. with temperatures widely into the low 30s for many, it could be too hot for some.

the uk prime minister, borisjohnson, is refusing to step down despite calls from several of his cabinet ministers for him to go. mps are angry at him over a series of scandals, including his handling of claims against a former deputy chief whip, chris pincher. so far, there have been 44 resignations, a record number in one day. the home secretary, priti patel, who's been a loyal supporter, is understood to be among the cabinet ministers who have told the prime minister he should stand down. ukraine's prosecutor general says she's investigating more than 21,000 allegations of war crimes committed since the start of russia's invasion. iryna venediktova told the bbc her office was receiving up to 300 reports of suspected

war crimes every day. some of the worst took place in bucha, a suburb of kyiv.