this is bbc news i'm shaun ley. the headlines at 8. durham police clear sir keir starmer of breaking lockdown rules. he'd pledged to resign if fined — the labour leader says his party is now ready for an election. if there was a general election, this government will fall and we have a plan for the country we want a fresh start. the former chancellor rishi sunak — enters the race to be the next leader of the conservative party — and prime minister. tributes pour in from around the world forjapan�*s former prime minister shinzo abe who has been assassinated while delivering a speech at a campaign event. the soaring cost of petrol and diesel — the competition watchdog launches an investigation into the way that prices at the pump are set

and in the wimbledon men's semifinal, britain's cameron norrie loses in 4 sets to novak djokovic. the labour leader sir keir starmer and his deputy angela rayner have been cleared by durham police of breaking lockdown rules. the force was looking into an event last april during election campaigning, when sir keir was pictured drinking from a bottle of beer in the office of another labour mp. he'd promised to resign if he was fined. at the time, indoor socialising between different households was banned. but today, the police said

there was no case to answer, because of an exemption to lockdown rules for �*reasonably necessary work'. our political editor chris mason reports april of last year — sir keir starmer is having a beer and a curry. was this in breach of the covid rules at the time? durham constabulary looked into it, and today said no. people said to me i was taking a risk by saying i would step down if i was fined, but it was never about that. for me, it was a matter of principle. it shouldn't be controversial to say that those who make the law can't break the law. have you heard from durham police, sir keir? any comment on their investigation? it was the day after the local elections in may that keir starmer and his deputy, angela rayner, found out that they were under investigation by the police. it all related to an event in this

building, which includes the office of the labour mp for durham. labour always argued they were working at the time. all this was potentially deeply awkward for sir keir because when borisjohnson and former chancellor, rishi sunak, were fined for this birthday gathering in downing street, the labour leader had called for them to resign. the guilty men are the prime minister and the chancellor. they've dishonoured all of that sacrifice. and when durham police started their investigation into him, he said... if the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, i would, of course, do the right thing and step down. the investigation effectively hit the pause button on his leadership for two months, with the prospect that his career could be about to be over. sir keir used his words to draw a contrast between what he saw as his integrity and the prime minister's lack of it, but, of course,

mrjohnson has now resigned. chris, i think we've got you first. sir keir, while you must be relieved, isn't this the week that yourjob has actually gotten much harder with the resignation of borisjohnson, the man you've defined yourself against? no, not in the slightest. the contrast between the tory party, which is tearing itself apart with a cast list of wannabe leaders who've all propped up this prime minister for months and months and months knowing he's unfit for office, contrast that to the labour party. keir starmer is staying, his opponent is changing, but who will it soon be? chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. we know that 3 mps — rishi sunak, suella braverman and tom tugendhat — have entered the race to succeed borisjohnson as conservative leader and prime minister — but more are expected to throw their hats into the ring.

it's the group of backbench tory mps, the 1922 executive committee, that formally decides the timescale of the contest. the committee is due to meet on monday, so after that we should know more about how long the process will take and the rules around it. our political correspondent alex forsyth now reports. the leadership race is on. will you be standing for the leadership? though this morning, potential candidates were keeping quiet. are you going to be the next prime minister? no answer first thing from the former chancellor. and then this afternoon, there was this. i'm standing to be the next leader of the conservative party and your prime minister.

rishi sunak, one of the first to quit borisjohnson�*s government, today launched a slick campaign on social media for his job. he's not the only one. tom tugendhat�*s announced his run this morning. the attorney general suella braverman has already thrown her hat in. the possible contenders are piling up, some familiar, some less so. they'll be courting supporters, weighing their chances and preparing their campaigns. and while sme want a quick contest to replace the prime minister, and while some want a quick contest to replace the prime minister, others say it has to be thorough if the party is to rebuild. the conservative party has a choice. it can fall into fractious - infighting, whoever leads it, or it can try and get behind | the new leader and prepare for the general election, | a general election which, by the way, may be beyond any leader winning given the state _ | of the economy and what's happened| over the past few weeks and months. it's in here that the first decisions will be made. mps whittle down the long list

to just two candidates. then in theory, it's up to party members, though some have suggested that that process could be cut out. not an idea welcomed by these young conservatives from around the country. there is more to a party than just what happens in westminster. us people at grassroots level are the ones who perhaps feel the wrath on the doorstep a lot more than those in westminster. to restore the faith in the government, i want to see more integrity, more honesty from leaders. and i don't know, if you don't pass that on to members who are voting, whether you will get that. better to take a bit longer. and have to work something out in the meantime, than choose quickly. and choose wrong. westminster has calmed after the high drama of yesterday. but away from the microphones, there is still manoeuvring. borisjohnson�*s been clear. he's staying as prime minister until a new party leader is chosen even though some of his critics want him out sooner. number 10 says it can keep things running, but it won't introduce new policy or make a big economic decisions.

so, the man in the highest office has only limited power. for now, though, he remains in residence behind the famous black door while his party wrangles over what and who comes next. alex forsyth, bbc news, westminster. i spoke to our political correspondent ione wells about this in the last hour and i asked her how the leadership race was shaping up is shaping up sick and fast and as you say, just days ago, cabinet ministers was still in boris johnson's government and some of whom are now publicly declaring they want to be the new conservative party leader and the latest in us and we have had this evenings from the former chancellor rishi sunak was the second cabinet minister to resign from boris johnson's government resign from borisjohnson�*s government and his profile really rocketed during the pandemic introducing things like the furlough

scheme and other business support schemes and sending us touched upon a little bit in his resignation letter to borisjohnson that a little bit in his resignation letter to boris johnson that they did disagree on letter to borisjohnson that they did disagree on certain elements around the economy and building back from covid—i9 as well. he is now launched a slick and glossy video to launched a slick and glossy video to launch his campaign and he has been training to other candidates who have publicly put themselves forward in the backbench tory mp as well as suella braverman and there are others who put their weight and showing support among conservative mps and strongly suggesting that they are considering a leadership bid people like the transport secretary, the current chancellor, the former health secretary, former health secretaryjeremy as well this is among some of the names as well the foreign secretary is being thrown around and one thing that is being thrown around is this candidate list will be whittled down

over the summer by conservative mps that eventually by tory members will get a vote for the final two as well stop i do detect any fear among conservatives that they can put forward to names in the party members might from their perspective, not the party members, but from their perspective choose the wrong candidate to be a leader and friend mr? that the wrong candidate to be a leader and friend mr?— and friend mr? that is the accusation _ and friend mr? that is the accusation that _ and friend mr? that is the accusation that is - and friend mr? that is the accusation that is been i and friend mr? that is the . accusation that is been levied against prime minister candidates in the past. between ten o'clock with a man not have liked ideologically, but was very experienced politician and arguably was more likely to win middle ground voters and keep them on site for the conservatives. they chose iain duncan smith was much more ideologically pure, much closer to the spirit of his party at that stage butjust never really was able to convince a bride in a of voters that he was the man for the job.

it's interesting the discussion of contrast between the need to appeal to both tory party members who are party voters but also conservative mps themselves as well. and this week is demonstrated just how many different ideologies there are within the conservative party and i went, people like the arch brexiteer putting themselves forward and the european research group on the right of the party who is potentially trying to tap into some of the strong brexiteer voters and mps but also within the party. and then you have contrast with tom tugendhat, someone seen as more of the centre of the party, one nation conservative and these ideological splits, this does mean that this is a necessarily consensus of who can appeal to both mps but also to the voters themselves. i think there's

certainly some names that have been thrown around and widely touted as being popular with the member should necessarily have the same widespread support among mps themselves this is the kind of process that will be whittled out over the next couple of weeks first i mps were moving themselves forward in meeting the support from their own mps and colleagues but that also eventually with that crucial vote which is usually between the final two from the tory membership. but i think is really striking for the general public to feel about this too is that there really only about 100,000 to 200,000 conservative party members and these would be the people who ultimately will pick the new party leader and by default, pick the new prime minister of the whole of the uk. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight

are kevin scoffield and martin bentham. japan's former, and longest serving prime minister, has been assassinated during a campaign rally. shinzo abe was shot at close range while making a speech in nara, in the south of the country. he was taken to hospital by helicopter but doctors were unable to save him. police arrested a 41 year old man immediately after the attack. there is shock and disbelief injapan, which has low rates of violent crime and tough gun laws. from nara, our correspondent rupert wingfield—hayes reports. at 11 this morning, japan's former prime minister was out on the stump giving a speech, just as he has been but lurking

on the stump giving a speech, just as he has been doing for days. but lurking a few metres away, this man was caught on camera by a local tv crew. then suddenly two very loud bangs rang out. mr abe's bodyguards are on the assailant in seconds. bringing him to the ground and knocking the homemade gun from his hand. the former prime minister is then flown to a nearby hospital, but the news is bad. he's been hit in the back and the neck and his heart has stopped. this is where mr abe was brought and this is where doctors worked for hours to try to save his life. and it was from here that a little after 5pm that we got the news that mr abe had died. tonight, the whole ofjapan is in shock. there have been political assassinations here before, but nothing like this, certainly not in more than half a century.

translation: i was really shocked, | i never thought a gun would be used. using a gun injapan? i've never heard of this. translation: it seems guns are becoming more common. j that makes me feel very sad. in tokyo, a tearful prime minister fumio kishida expressed his anger and sadness. translation: | prayed that - somehow his life would be spared, but unfortunately he has gone. this is a terrible day, and i have no words. | shinzo abe was a huge figure injapanese politics, serving longer than any other japanese leader. he was a friend of donald trump and broughtjapan and america closer than ever. he also had his enemies, not least with china's xi jinping, who did little to hide his displeasure at this meeting in 2014.

this evening, police began searching the suspect�*s home, reportedly finding more home—made firearms. but we have no answer to the question all here are asking. why? rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, nara, western japan. a 22—year—old man has been handed a life sentence for the murder of 53—year—old police community support officer, julia james. callum wheeler will serve a minimum of 37 years behind bars. ms james was found dead from serious head injuries in akholt wood in april last year. sir mark rowley has been named as the new commissioner of the metropolitan police, taking over the role vacated by dame cressida dick. dame cressida stood down as commissioner in february following a series of scandals. earlier, the mayor of london sadiq khan commended the appointment of sir mark rowley and called the new met police chief

a "reforming commissioner". well, sir mark hasn't in the police for the last four years. that's really important. he brings an outside experience. he also knows the importance of a commissioner who is to win back the trust and confidence from so many communities in london lost he has have a plan to get the basics of policing rights and also carry of policing right and also carry on the success we've had in reducing violent crime in our city. joining me now is the crime and police commentator danny shaw. good to see you again. first of all, how difficult a choice to think this was and given the headlines they have been receiving in the last few years, you might wonder if anyone decent wanted to be the next commissioner.— decent wanted to be the next commissioner. , . ., , ,, commissioner. the selection process was marked — commissioner. the selection process was marked by _ commissioner. the selection process was marked by the _ commissioner. the selection process was marked by the absence - commissioner. the selection process was marked by the absence of- commissioner. the selection process was marked by the absence of a - was marked by the absence of a number of key candidates who did not want to put themselves forward, lynn

0wens, the former head of the national crime agency, would have been a leading contender and those who decided not to run for various reasons and he came down to a choice between the current assistant commissioner metropolitan police and sir mark rowley. they have decided for the front line policing at a time when they been put into special measures that they could have been very difficult to get the job. a huge mode of experience with police forces, surrey and the met and he spent four years doing consultancy work and gathering other experience. so, i think it was the standout candidate and supported by a number of figures in the world can see the qualities he can bring but he presses that the completely fresh pair of eyes that everyone preps feels is necessary for the met and will not have the magical qualities

within six months or years to suddenly turn this for us around entering the culture around, that simply will not be possible. ianthem simply will not be possible. when the were simply will not be possible. when they were appointed, _ simply will not be possible. when they were appointed, she - simply will not be possible. when they were appointed, she was - simply will not be possible. when they were appointed, she was an insider, a career officer, she has risen through the ranks all the way up risen through the ranks all the way up to the highest levels. proving herself in difficult situations. an insider can turn the organisation around. the net lost confidence in her and she was gone. having previous been an insider, the fed give him an edge? it previous been an insider, the fed give him an edge?— previous been an insider, the fed give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage _ give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage and _ give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage and he - give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage and he is - give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage and he is not i give him an edge? it certainly gives them an advantage and he is not to| them an advantage and he is not to be someone who will not shirk from making tough decisions however unpopular they may be if he feels that they are for the good of the police force in policing in general and i expect that within a few weeks or months of him taking office, you will see a complete shake—up of the

stop team and you will see a plan of action with a very clear delivery targets, aims and ambitions. sir mark has never been someone who is not afraid of making difficult decisions, even if it is going out on a limb. 0ne decisions, even if it is going out on a limb. one of the criticisms of him has been in the past that he is so driven and he doesn't to very much or bureaucracy that he sometimes goes full steam ahead it doesn't always carry people with them a big star collapsing around him in his wake. that's been with the criticisms. he'll have to be very careful that that does not happen at the met.— very careful that that does not happen at the met. how great a challenae happen at the met. how great a challenge as — happen at the met. how great a challenge as this, _ happen at the met. how great a challenge as this, given - happen at the met. how great a challenge as this, given the - happen at the met. how great a i challenge as this, given the recent events that have afflicted the met and historically, the uk's first police force, it's the creature that has not changed that much from its early days, even though london has changed dramatically, taking all these national responsibilities but

in some ways, it's heritage is a bit of a problem with it. it's way down but so much history, so much baggage. but so much history, so much ban nae. �* , but so much history, so much ban“, �*, but so much history, so much baggage-— but so much history, so much banaae. �*, . ., ., baggage. there's so much baggage and histo and baggage. there's so much baggage and history and the — baggage. there's so much baggage and history and the difficulty _ baggage. there's so much baggage and history and the difficulty for _ baggage. there's so much baggage and history and the difficulty for sir - history and the difficulty for sir mark will be even if he has a clear plan of action and goes on that reforming path, there will be incidents, there will be scandalous, there will be court cases and there will be misconduct hearings that will be misconduct hearings that will come and met as they have done before and he has got to keep the direction and ensure that he doesn't get afflicted or distracted by all of those other events. that is really been the difficulty for commissioners in the past among the reasons i think that actually, the role is too big for one person to fulfil. but this is the task that he is undertaking and in going back to the basics of the statement, accepting thejob, he the basics of the statement, accepting the job, he talked about returning to policing by consent.

policing with the consent of the community and consent of the public, bringing them there was a phrase that he is that if i was very telling. we will not unilaterally dispensed tactics. i was very interesting. clearly preps a dig at predecessors who have gone away to make a head with particular sets of tactics of policing without adequate consultation of communities and that is something that he wants to address. ., ., is something that he wants to address. ., ,, , ., , . covid infections in the uk are up again. latest figures show 2.7 million people had the virus last week — a rise of 18% on the previous week. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh told me that the numbers have been increasing since the beginning ofjune. this survey shows increases across the uk and in england, one and 25 were infected last week and in

wales, one and 20, when in 19 in northern ireland and highest of all, one in 17 in scotland. at the rate of growth is slowing there. 2.7 million people had covid—19 and up 18% in the previous week. but that is well below the levels at the end of march. it really matters is how many people are getting seriously ill and the most up—to—date figures are for hospitals in england where there's 11 and a half thousand patients with covid—19 but it was much higher in early april and in the huge peak injanuary last year. around two thirds of those now in hospital with covid—19 are primarily being treated for another condition. vaccines are no longer very good at stopping you getting covid—19, but to give strong protection against severe illness. around one 6/75 have still not received their latest

boosterjab still not received their latest booster jab and still not received their latest boosterjab and they are being urged to come forward. once the most powerful man in football, sepp blatter, arriving at a swiss court earlier, the former fifa president denying wrongdoing ahead of the verdict sepp blatter and michel platini, who were once in charge of world and european football, have been cleared of corruption by a court in switzerland. prosecutors failed to prove that a £1.6 million payment made by the former fifa boss blatter to platini had been illegal — the two men insisted the money was payment for past advisory work. our sports editor dan roan reports. once the most powerful man in football, sepp blatter, arriving at a swiss court earlier, the former fifa president denying wrongdoing ahead of the verdict in his trialforfraud. i am not innocent in life, but in this case i am innocent. also in court, the man once favourite to succeed blatter, co—defendant and former uefa president michel platini. the two men were accused of an unlawful payment of £1.6 million between fifa and platini in 2011.

they said it was backdated pay for advisory work the former french footballing legend had done a decade earlier. a panel ofjudges today ruling the pair's account of a gentlemen�*s agreement was credible and that doubts existed about the prosecution's claim it was a bribe linked to a blatter re—election bid, both men acquitted. it'sjustice, but it's a victory for me, definitely. in the case of myjob, my work, 44 years working in fifa, for me, it's so important. it's so important that this case has been settled on the highest swiss level. the payment had emerged amid the corruption scandal that engulfed fifa in 2015, an fbi investigation sparking blatter�*s downfall, with both men then kicked out of football in disgrace and charged by the swiss authorities. platini, a man who both captained and coached his country, telling me afterwards how much it meant to have been cleared. so fifa never believed me. but the tribunal is a normal tribunal, they trust me and it's a great victory for me.

despite his 17—year reign over an organisation that became defined by corruption, this case marked the first time that blatter had faced criminal charges. and the verdict here today will be a major blow to the swiss authorities who must now decide whether to appeal. dan roan, bbc news, in bellinzona. cameron norriejoined an exclusive club of british men by playing in a wimbledon singles semifinal today. the biggest match of his career was against six—time wimbledon champion novak djokovic, but he fell to a four—set defeat. our sports correspondent joe wilson reports. what steps these were for cameron norrie, following just three british men — roger taylor, tim henman and andy murray — who'd done this before him in the professional era. now it was his wimbledon semifinal. oh, and his, too. novak djokovic was the overwhelming favourite, with the experience, with the titles, with his very first

service game broken. norrie burst into the match with a roar of possibility, and in a flash... ..won the first set 6—2. honestly, it's there in black and white. then djokovic put on a cap and got his head into the game. norrie scrambled, stumbled and got up, but lost the second set. and now the reigning champion was reaching everything. that's good hustle by djokovic there. with norrie 2—1 down, the crowd got chanting. crowd: let's go, norrie, let's go! and norrie did not give up. he's given wimbledon a great run. but 6—4 in the fourth and match to djokovic, a look towards a critic in the crowd and then words for his opponent. cameron didn't have much to lose. he was playing probably. the tournament of his life and obviously playing at home

is never easy, but i— wish him all the best. he's a great player, _ and i have a lot of respect for him. and those steps off the court are tough ones to take. joe wilson, bbc news, at wimbledon. what's it going to do for the rest of the uk. nick miller can tell us. hello. with high pressure moving in across the uk, lots of dry weather this weekend. feeling very warm in the sunshine, turning hot in places on sunday. 0vernight, there will be some cloud running in towards northern scotland, with a few showers around, an area of cloud through northern ireland, parts of northwest england. it slips south into wales and the west midlands. it will have a few light showers associated with it and temperatures in the mid to low teens as saturday begins. if you are starting cloudy, wales, parts of western england, that slips away southwards by the end of the morning, taking any light showers with it. outbreaks of rain in northern scotland will turn heavier later in the day where it's still quite breezy. and although there will be quite a bit of cloud running into northern ireland,

there may be a bit of hazy brightness at times and temperatures actually, through parts of england and wales that had some heat on friday, will be a tad cooler on saturday before heating up again on sunday. looking like a fine saturday evening away from northern scotland. warmth being felt more widely on sunday. and the hotspots in the south getting into the low 30s on monday and tuesday.

hello this is bbc news. the headlines. durham police clear sir keir starmer of breaking lockdown rules. he'd pledged to resign if fined — the labour leader says his party is now ready for government. the former chancellor rishi sunak enters the race to be the next leader of the conservative party, and prime minister. tributes pour in from around the world forjapan�*s former prime minister shinzo abe, who has been assassinated while delivering a speech at a campaign event.

the mark rowley has been appointed the new commissioner of the metropolitan police after the resignation of dame cressida dick. in ukraine, russian forces are continuing their advance in the east of the country, a day after president putin told parliamentary leaders in moscow that his offensive was yet to begin in earnest. before russia's invasion in february, it controlled crimea, while parts of the luhansk and donetsk regions were held by russian—backed separatists. now, russia has occupied large areas of the south and east of ukraine and it's continuing to push forward in the donetsk region. the latest russian target is the city of slovyansk. from there, jonathan beale has sent this report. near the front line, close to the city of slovyansk, ukrainian troops prepare to target russian positions. they know this next battle will be crucial.

i think that slovyansk is the next big aim for russia. do you think you can stop putin?

sure. you can? we will, we will. you can? blasts of artillery, the familiar sounds of this war but there is also a quieter, harder—to—see battle involving drones and electronic warfare, jamming and tracking signals. the russians have a lot of stuff for blocking the drones,

blasts of artillery, the familiar sounds of this war but there is also a quieter, harder—to—see battle involving the other western name that's popular among ukrainian troops is borisjohnson. but even though he'll soon be gone, there's still hope that britain will continue to back ukraine. translation: now we're defending western values here. _ modernising our army and providing sufficient weapons will bring peace to your country, to you in britain. russia's already targeting the city of slovyansk. it's still out guns ukraine and has the advantage in electronic warfare. home—grown ingenuity and western support is making a difference. but is it sufficient to halt the russian advance? jonathan beale, bbc news, the donbas.

president biden has signed an executive order to help safeguard women's access to abortion. the move follows the supreme court overturning the landmark ruling that made the procedure legal across the united states. speaking at the white house, mr biden condemned the supreme court's decision. what we are listening to was not a constitutionaljudgment but an constitutional judgment but an exercise constitutionaljudgment but an exercise in political power. when the decision came down, i immediately announced what i would do but also made it clear based on the reasoning of the court, there is no constitutional right to choose only the way to fulfil and restore that rate for women in this country is by voting. by exercising the power at the ballot box. let me explain, we need two additional pro—choice senator and pro—choice house to have it as federal law. your vote can make that a reality.

some hospital leaders in england have warned they're "living with risk" every day because their buildings urgently need repairing. nhs trust bosses blame delays to funding allocations. the government says it's working closely with trusts on building plans. petrol and diesel pricing will be further investigated by the uk's competition watchdog after it found cause for concern in some parts of the industry. the competition and markets authority said it had discovered a sharp rise in prices once fuel had been processed by oil refineries, and significant differences in price between forecourts in many rural and urban areas. our business correspondent caroline davies reports. the cost for filling up your tank is draining people's wallets around the country. this charity bikes blood and medical goods to where they're needed. but their bills have gone up. a 90p increase on fuel from this time last year means we're spending around £1400 extra each month. that's putting up our fuel bill to over £30,000 per year. and that for us is currently unsustainable.

back in march, the government reduced fuel duty by 5p per litre. worried that petrol retailers weren't passing that cut onto customers, the government ordered a review. today, that review said that the cut is being passed on. the evidence we've got so far is that the retailers don't recent price rises. appear to be profiting, benefiting, from the recent price rises. but we do have some concerns still in the retail market. as part of the market study that we're launching today, we're going to look, for example, at what's driving higher prices in rural areas. there'll now be another review that will look more closely at retailers but is mostly worried about whether oil refineries that turn crude oil into petrol and diesel are making unfair profits. analysts say that there could be legitimate reasons for their higher prices, too. several refineries have been closed since before the pandemic. - and, of course, during - the pandemic, there was a lot less driving going on. and since the end of the pandemic,

or let's say since restrictions have i been lifted, people have started to drive again _ and those two things have - essentially collided and created a shortage in the industry in terms of the refining capacity. _ while the reviews continue, there are worries that more action needs to be taken now. the cost—of—living crisis is happening today and, really, every single day that goes by where drivers are being charged unfairly at the pumps is only hurting people's wallets and household finances even more. we need action, and we need it very soon indeed. unpicking the reasons for high fuel prices takes time, but the question many drivers still have is just if and when those prices might go down. caroline davies, bbc news. six men have been found guilty for their roles in a string of what the court heard were "ruthlessly executed" robberies and burglaries, including a £3.5 million diamond heist. a number of the gang were involved in the theft of the portland tiara in 2018, which has been described

as a national treasure. one of them was also found guilty of robbing former england footballer, ashley cole, at his home. navtej johal reports. with the help of a circular saw and helmets to cover their faces, this is the moment a gang of criminals stole a tiara worth £3.5 million. it was described in court as one of a series of ruthlessly executed burglaries and violent robberies. here's one of the gang. ashley cumberbatch. that's amazing! in august 2017, more than a year before the tiara was stolen, he visited the welbeck estate in nottinghamshire with a child in tow. he filmed the trip on a gopro camera as part of a reconnaissance exercise. footage that eventually led police to him. and this is what he had come to see. the tiara designed by cartier and worn by the duchess of portland at the coronation of edward

vii in 1902. cumberbatch returned here in november 2018. he and two others broke in and stole the portland tiara and a diamond—encrusted brooch from the estate's harley gallery. they were in and out injust eight minutes. the items have never been recovered and are thought to have been broken up for the jewels. the audacious way that they conducted that burglary, the planning that went into it, the gopro footage we've dated well over a year prior to that showed that how long they'd maybe been planning that for. and, yeah, it became a mission for myself and the team that we were going to solve it. absolutely. the majority of the ten men on trial at nottingham crown court for the past few months have been accused of being involved in the burglary or converting the items stolen. but it wasn't the only high—profile crime in which some of them were involved. one of them, kurtis dilks, was part of a gang of four who used

a sledgehammer to smash their way into the home of former england footballer ashley cole and threatened to torture him. mr cole told police that during the knife—point robbery injanuary 2020, he thought he was going to die. the home of another ex—england footballer, tom huddlestone, was also targeted. he was away playing a match when his wife was bound with cable ties. she told the court she feared she would be raped or killed. despite today's verdicts, police say they're still searching for some of the gang members involved. meanwhile, it's believed the portland tiara, described as a national treasure, will never be seen in its original state again. navteonhal, bbc news.

more on the changes in government now. one of borisjohnson�*s main policies was what he described as levelling up the country in terms of investment and opportunities. but some local leaders are now concerned the policy might not be a priority for the new leadership. our special correspondent ed thomas has been to leigh in greater manchester, which turned conservative for the first time at the 2019 general election. it's 50 years since astley mine closed, and with it, thousands of jobs lost. once again, troubled days are back in leigh, a town that believed in the promises of borisjohnson. 2019 borisjohnson — levelling up, transforming places like leigh, what does that mean to you? not much. we're still as unlevel as we were. this town is dying on its feet. borisjohnson as prime minister meant hope for the walsh family. now their faith is shattered. too many lies, dishonesty. it's not right. has life got worse for you over the past three years? yeah, bills rising. - i've been at food banks. you have to cut down on your food, i whether or not you need a bath every

day and clean your kids. it's basically as though we're begging for help now. i was happy to think that maybe, you never know, this time, this prime minister would actually do a bit better, but obviously not. two for £5! leigh is still to benefit from levelling up cash, money to hopefully transform the town centre. too late for natalie. she's cutting costs, leaving the high street, moving online. people come in, there's families who want payment plans or things like that because they literally haven't got any spare money left. when people say to you levelling up, what does that actually mean to you now three years on? it's supposed to make the town nicerand make it a nicer environment for everybody, and look around. there's nothing been done at all. i voted tory for the first time in my life... - for delia, there's unfinished business, a belief that borisjohnson should've been allowed to finish thejob. so, what do you say to people in the conservative party

who basically said enough, borisjohnson, it's over? they've stabbed him in the back. they're supposed to be tories, . they're supposed to stand by him and they've not done. so, what next for towns like leigh? this is absolutely the defining moment for this government. either they stay the course on levelling up, or they turn back and they will never be forgiven. if the promises of 2019, levelling up, does not materialise, what are the dangers? it's the end of the conservatives in the north of england. it'll be the end of trust in westminster, and finally, it will be economically an absolute disaster. a warning that promises made need to be kept. ed thomas, bbc news, leigh.

hello and welcome. how did the bbc news app six miss breaking live the resignations of two cabinet ministers on tuesday? and why you really need to stay ready for action when you are the standby presenter in this studio? —— the bbc news app six. this week's extraordinary stand—off between borisjohnson and his conservative colleagues in parliament began on tuesday evening with the resignations of rishi sunak and sledgerjaved. emerging as they did shortly after six o'clock, it would normally have been for the news at six to break the news immediately, but those tuning in to watch the programme instead found it had been postponed, with tennis being shown on both bbc one and bbc two. it was almost 6.20 before the main bbc channel got to report what had happened.

main bbc channel got to report what had happened-—