this is bbc news. the headlines at apm. former chancellor rishi sunak confirms he's in the race to be the next conservative leader. suella braverman, the former home secretary, is backing his bid. foreign secretary james cleverly endorses borisjohnson, although the former prime minister is yet to officially enter the race. a close ally is confident he will. yes, i have been speaking to borisjohnson and clearly, he's going to stand. there's a great deal of support for him, as you will have seen. penny mordaunt is still in the running, with 23 backers. she told the bbc she believes in cabinet led politics. i have my views. i will not be imposing policy that i have just made up in a room, by myself. the labour leader, sir keir starmer,

says his party hasn't got complacent, and repeats calls for a general election. these people are so fed up. they are entitled, they want a say in this. there is a choice to be made. we need a general election. let the public in to decide. do they want to continue with this utter chaos? elsewhere, headteachers in england say 9 in 10 schools will have run out of money by the next school year due to the cost of living crisis. good afternoon. rishi sunak has formally entered the contest to become the next conservative leader and prime minister. the former chancellor says he wants to lead the country with "integrity, "professionalism and accountability".

he already has the required backing of more than 100 fellow tory mps. this afternoon suella braverman, the former home secretary became the latest high profile mp to endorse him. writing in the telegraph ms braverman says the tories all need to "compromise" but that "rishi is the only candidate that fits the bill" to deliver "unity, stability and efficiency". meanwhile the foreign secretary james cleverly is backing boris johnson. in a tweet he said that mrjohnson had "learned lessons" from his time in number 10 and will "focus on the needs of the country." mrjohnson has yet to declare his candidacy but held talks with mr sunak last night. penny mordaunt is also running but like mrjohnson has yet to achieve the required number of backers. here's our political correspondent helen catt. three potential prime ministers. two of them have officially said they want the job. the former chancellor rishi sunak has confirmed he is running, after getting more than the 100

backers he needs. in a tweet, he said he was standing because he wanted to fix the economy, unite the party and deliver for the country. penny mordaunt had already said she was in the race and is the only contender so far to go in front of the cameras. but she wouldn't be drawn on the detail of the policy she would pursue. do you stand by what you said a couple of weeks ago? you are trying very hard, laura. her number of public backers is lower than her rivals. she insisted she hasn't done any deals to drop out. i am very confident about the progress we are making and i will say to you that i am in this to win it. it is important for our party we have a contest and i am very confident about our numbers. the reason why i am doing this is because i think i am best placed to bring the party together. which just leaves borisjohnson to say what he plans to do. allies say he will run and insist he does have the numbers,

despite the figure of public backers being just over half of what is needed. clearly, he's going to stand, there is a great deal of support for him. the system is that some have made their names public, and people have a choice to make their names public or not. but the people doing the numbers for boris' campaign tell me they have the numbers, so the hundred that is necessary are there. another supporter said borisjohnson had promised to run a tighter ship if he went back to downing street. an investigation by mps is due to start soon about what he told parliament about the covid rule—breaking last time he was in charge. boris is an amazing figure in our party, an incredible campaigner, he lights up any room, people love him, and if he was in charge of the campaigning, he could be an incredible asset, but as prime minister, we would be absolutely shackled to somebody who was bound to bring us down.

the labour leader again said there should be a general election to let the public decide. there are worries among tory mps that mr sunak would not be able to win votes in the same way as mrjohnson when the next election is called. but for now, he is the only declared candidate who is certain of a place on the ballot tomorrow. helen catt, bbc news. rishi sunak is the second candidate to declare, following penny mordaunt, who announced her candidacy on friday. mr sunak held talks with borisjohnson last night, who has yet to publically declare that he'll be entering the race. the bbc�*s tally indicates that mr sunak has already received the backing of 146 mps. that's significantly more than the 100 needed, to enter the ballot. borisjohnson has 57 and penny mordaunt, the other declared candidate, has 24. let's now speak to giles kenningham,

a former head of press at number 10 downing street and founder of trafalgar strategy. downing street and founder he joins us live from somerset. downing street and founder good downing street and founder to have you with us. i to good to have you with us. i wanted to start by asking you how significant it is, in your view, that suella braverman, the former home secretary, has decided to endorse rishi sunak. suella braverman, a figure on the right of the party, might have been perhaps expected to endorse borisjohnson. what are your thoughts? i expected to endorse boris johnson. what are your thoughts?— what are your thoughts? i think it is significant. _ what are your thoughts? i think it is significant, the _ what are your thoughts? i think it is significant, the tory _ what are your thoughts? i think it is significant, the tory party - what are your thoughts? i think it is significant, the tory party is - what are your thoughts? i think it is significant, the tory party is a l is significant, the tory party is a series of delicate coalitions, and whoever ends up leading them will not be alone able to unite the party. it is how they will be able to unite a cabinet that reflects the different factions of the party. it is a significant get for rishi sunak, i don't make it means he is over the line, because as i understand it, a lot of mps are privately backing boris, but waiting to see if he officially declares, because some of them are fearful of

the 2016 situation, where he marched everyone to the top of a hill, but didn't actually declare again. conventional wisdom says there will be our soon ack— johnson run off of the membership. johnson will properly still win. someone saying that they need to get boris out of the system, but they haven't quite done that yet. i think it is all to play for. done that yet. i think it is all to -la for. , ,~ done that yet. i think it is all to -la for. , , done that yet. i think it is all to .la for. , done that yet. i think it is all to -la for. , ., play for. just picking up on what ou said play for. just picking up on what you said about _ play for. just picking up on what you said about the _ play for. just picking up on what you said about the number, - play for. just picking up on what you said about the number, it . play for. just picking up on what you said about the number, it is your view that boris johnson has you said about the number, it is your view that borisjohnson has got the numbers if he decides to publicly announce that he is going to run? figs publicly announce that he is going to run? �* , , ., ., to run? as i understand that there are a number— to run? as i understand that there are a number of— to run? as i understand that there are a number of whips, _ to run? as i understand that there are a number of whips, people - to run? as i understand that there | are a number of whips, people who actually want to see him publicly declare, because they don't want to be in the 2016 situation, so as i understand it, there are people. the situation. —— there are people close

to the situation. has situation. -- there are people close to the situation.— to the situation. has a penny mordaunt — to the situation. has a penny mordaunt got _ to the situation. has a penny mordaunt got any _ to the situation. has a penny mordaunt got any hope - to the situation. has a penny mordaunt got any hope of. to the situation. has a penny - mordaunt got any hope of reaching the 100 mp5? it mordaunt got any hope of reaching the 100 ms?— mordaunt got any hope of reaching the 100 mp5? ., ., , ., the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the moment. — the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the moment. it _ the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the moment, it was _ the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the moment, it was seen _ the 100 mps? it would not seem so at the moment, it was seen the - the 100 mps? it would not seem so at. the moment, it was seen the momentum is swinging behind sunak and boris. the narrative has switched away from her, and certainly who ever wins will need to give her a prominent role in the cabinet, but at the moment i can't see that happening. the only thing she could hope for is that if borisjohnson drops out that she could pick up a lot of those mps. ~ ., ., , , ., ., mps. whoever does when, they have a helluva 'ob mps. whoever does when, they have a helluva job uniting _ mps. whoever does when, they have a helluva job uniting the _ mps. whoever does when, they have a helluva job uniting the party, - helluva job uniting the party, haven't they? how possible is it? it haven't they? how possible is it? it is a really difficult job. the tory is a really difficultjob. the tory party is notjust split between brexiteers and remain you have the northern research group, you have the er g, you have the common—sense stories, it is a delicate coalition. those coalitions will need to be represented in the cabinet to try

and bring the party together, so you have those viewpoints when the cabinet table. the tory party needs to take up its mind, doesn't want to win? divided parties don't win elections. it is very narrow path, that there is a path to for them. if a week is a long time in politics, two years as an eternity. they can get there. i don't think the labour party has been performing particularly well, this is more of a tory collapse than a labour revival. if they do manage to turn the economy around, i think we can do that. in the labour party there are big fears that they could end up in a 1992 situation, where they get close but not close enough, and still are entrusted on the economy. i don't think your starmer has sealed the deal. at the moment the tories have done a hell of a lot to help him get the keys to number ten. we know the borisjohnson in rishi sunak met last night, with your insight and behind—the—scenes knowledge, how would a meeting like

that come about, and what you think they were discussing? i’zfe that come about, and what you think they were discussing?— they were discussing? i've not been ri to they were discussing? i've not been privy to what _ they were discussing? i've not been privy to what has — they were discussing? i've not been privy to what has been _ they were discussing? i've not been privy to what has been said, - they were discussing? i've not been privy to what has been said, but - privy to what has been said, but before these meetings take place there will be a lot of conversations between advisers to see whether it is feasible that a deal could be done, what do they want table? the problem with this is that both of them have served in big jobs in government, boris could offer rishi sunak a job, government, boris could offer rishi sunakajob, but government, boris could offer rishi sunak a job, but whatjob is he going to offer him that he would want that is so senior? potentially foreign secretary, that if he only has eyes on the top job. one of them was hoping that the other would step down, but remember, we still have 22 hours to go before we get the ballots closed. i think people are hedging their bets will.

ukrainian officials say more than 200,000 households remain without power across the country a day after a wave of russian air strikes on the electricity infrastructure. president volodymyr zelensky said, the attacks had struck on a very wide scale, but that they would not break ukraine's determination to resist. hugo bachega has the latest from kyiv. engineers are working across the country to restore electricity in those places affected by the power cuts. we just had an update from the president's office saying that electricity has now been restored to 1.2 million households across ukraine, and around 200,000 households remain without power. work is under way to restore electricity in those places. yesterday we saw a wave of attacks, russian air strikes targeting electricity infrastructure across the country. people in several regions, including here in kyiv have been told that they could see blackouts today because of those attacks.

engineers are working to stabilise the system, and residents have been told to reduce energy consumption as this is a system that is under a lot of pressure. more than a third of the country's power stations have been hit in recent weeks. 0fficials here say that russia is trying to create a humanitarian crisis by attacking energy facilities ahead of winter. we heard from president zelensky yesterday, saying that these russian attacks targeting energies infrastructure are acts of terrorism, and that they would not stop the country's military as the army go ahead with the counteroffensive. head teachers in england say 9 out of 10 schools will have run out of money by the next school year due to the cost—of—living crisis. the national association of head teachers says there could be a £2 billion shortfall by 2024 due mainly to increased energy

costs and staff salaries. the teaching profession is calling on the government to stand by its 2019 election pledge to restore education spending to 2010 pre—austerity levels. paul gosling is the president of the national association of head teachers, which commissioned the report, and a member of the labour party. i asked him what impact those spending cuts could have. i chill the thought of spending cuts, because at the moment, nine out of ten schools that we serve it i saying that they are going to be finishing the financial year in deficit. that means, schools aren't supposed to be able to do that, they need to look to balance their books. at the moment, even before we are hearing there will be any further cuts in this year, we are looking at trying to do things to reduce costs, and that will inevitably have our erosive effects on the quality of

education. making further cuts in the climate we are in, when we are facing huge energy cost compared to last year, increase staff costs for a number of reasons, it is an absolute nightmare. if they are going to announce cuts, they have to be really honest about the quality of education in this country, which will suffer. ~ . of education in this country, which will suffer-— will suffer. what will this mean, will suffer. what will this mean, will it mean _ will suffer. what will this mean, will it mean bigger _ will suffer. what will this mean, will it mean bigger classes, - will suffer. what will this mean, - will it mean bigger classes, reduced curriculum opportunities, life—support, perhaps mental health support for students? what are we talking about? mil support for students? what are we talking about?— talking about? all of those things. the bi est talking about? all of those things. the biggest cost _ talking about? all of those things. the biggest cost in _ talking about? all of those things. the biggest cost in education - talking about? all of those things. the biggest cost in education as i the biggest cost in education as people. 80% of our costs are spent on people, and people are important in education. you need to have the best quality people, and retain them and attract them into the profession of teaching, and also the support staff that we have, who do an incredible job supporting children incredible job supporting children in class, particularly those with special education needs, but also all children and all teachers. it will probably be some of those jobs

who do the pastoral support, the mental health support, that schools will look to reduce. i will have an impact not only on the children directly, but also on the staff who will be having to work harder to fill in the gaps. i don't think they can work any harder at the moment. since 2010, schools have been dealing with austerity, and we have reduced budgets, we have found cost savings, and have the threat of even more cuts piled on top of that is just a disaster waiting to happen. the department for education are said there is the energy relief scheme, and also that schools will benefit from an increase in core funding which includes a cash increase of £4 billion, what more can schools do to help themselves? i can schools do to help themselves? i to a it an issue with those figures. the government made £7.1 billion extra in their budget, announced by rishi sunak in his budget, remember him? that was in september 2021, and

the aim of that money was to restore us to 2010 funding levels. the ifs did a report last year, which said that £7.1 billion evaporated due to increasing costs. they have got extra money, but not enough. that money is gone. we need them to really look at the overall budget for schools, and take into consideration the increased staff cost and increase energy cost, and increased food cost, and all the other things that schools have to pay for which an increase in is that money was announced, and recalculate what we actually need to keep going. i don't accept that those figures are enough at the moment. food prices are currently rising at their fastest rate in more than a0 years, with the cost of living crisis continuing to squeeze household budgets. 0ne community group in middlesbrough helping people to put food on the table, say they're busier than ever —

but are concerned that public donations are beginning to dry up. stuart whincup reports. they're out every day, delivering emergency food parcels across teesside to those in need. manic, absolutely manic. we were doing maybe 30, a0 a week. it's nowjumped to maybe 100—plus a week. they have around 300 families on their list. people in crisis, experiencing health problems or problems with their benefits. knocking. hi, leslie, are you all right? there you go, there's one. like many, leslie's found herself struggling with the rising costs. even just going to the local shop, getting things like milk and bread, things like that, prices are going sky—high. cos i've got asthma and copd. and i have sciatica so i have to keep warm so my heating has to be constantly on all the time.

it sometimes gets to the stage where i can't do it. the whitefeather project says it used to receive hundreds of bags of food a week in donations, but now, it barely receives any. every day, there was always someone coming with a bag or a box, _ or a van would come with loads of stuff in _ we had to get a storage unit - because we had that much stock. well, now, it'sjusti completely dried up. the charity has two shops in middlesbrough, selling food at a significantly discounted price. we see a lot more people in here now that are working and they are proper struggling with obviously their gas, electric, petrol. proper, really struggling to make ends meet. sean is unemployed and says he relies on the shop to feed his three children. it'sjust a nightmare, 30 quid a week on gas, then 30 at least on the electric. looking at at least 250 month on that. so i prefer to come places

like here, the whitefeather, you know what i mean? cos stuff is on the cheap, it's all the same that you get at the normal shop. it doesn't bother me, doesn't bother the kids. the government says it is committed to looking after the most vulnerable and has delivered £1,200 in support this winter, but the charity has never been busier and are struggling to cope with the demand for help. stuart whincup, bbc news. i want to bring you some breaking news on the conservative leadership contest, which is coming into us from the press association news agency, which is reporting that borisjohnson has spoken to his fellow tory leadership hopeful, penny mordaunt, this is according to sources close to penny mordaunt. the press association understands that the former prime minister has asked penny mordaunt to drop out, and to back his campaign. however, she is said to have refused, warning that

most of her support would switch to rishi sunak if she did drop out. that news isjust rishi sunak if she did drop out. that news is just into us at the bbc via the press association news agency, reporting that borisjohnson has spoken to penny mordaunt, asked her to drop out and back his campaign, that she has refused. we will bring you more news on that as soon as we get it. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello. three areas of weather this afternoon. cloudy with hill fog across scotland, and then we've got this band of heavy rain pushing its way north and eastwards. we're starting to lose the thundery element now and then behind it, some sunshine, but also now further showers arriving into the south and the west. and once again, they could well be heavy and thundery. so we've got two areas of rain overnight. this first band of rain moving its way northwards through scotland. further heavy and potentially thundery showers spiralling around this area of low pressure moving eastwards across england with some gusty winds for channel coast, but it's another very mild night. temperatures easily in double figures, 10 to 13 celsius,

the overnight low. tomorrow, the showers pull away from eastern coast. sunshine following on behind, but further showers likely to push in from the west as the day wears on. somewhat hit and miss, not everyone will see them. there'll be some spells of sunshine in between and once again it'll feel mild, with highs generally between 1a and 17 celsius. for the week ahead, well, it stays mild both by day and by night, but there'll be further spells of rain. also some drier and sunnier slots, too. goodbye.

rishi sunak officially joins the race to be the next conservative leader and prime minister. it means the former chancellor joins penny mordaunt in publicly declaring. the question now — does borisjohnson have enough backers to stand as well? the people who are doing the numbers for boris's campaign tell me that they have the numbers, so the hundred that is necessary of members of parliament are there. boris is an amazing figure in our party, an incredible campaigner. he lights up any room, people absolutely love him. but the problem is, as prime minister, we would be absolutely shackled to somebody who was bound to bring us down. we'll have the latest on the support for each candidate — also on the programme... the schools struggling to keep the lights and heating on —

headteachers warn spiralling energy costs could see most schools in england run out of money next year. we're on the front line in ukraine as president zelensky�*s troops continue to take back territory from russia. and happy birthday from the king — he sends out his first cards for those celebrating their centenary. good afternoon. rishi sunak has formally entered the contest to become the next conservative leader and prime minister. the former chancellor says he wants to lead the country with "integrity, professionalism and accountability". he already has more than the required backing of 100 fellow tory mps — and more than double the number publicly backing borisjohnson.

mrjohnson held talks with mr sunak last night, but has yet to declare his candidacy. penny mordaunt is also running, but — like mrjohnson — has yet to achieve the required number of backers. here's our political correspondent helen catt. three potential prime ministers. two of them have now officially said they want the job. the former chancellor rishi sunak has confirmed he is running, after getting more than the 100 backers he needs. in a tweet, he said he was standing because he wanted to fix the economy, unite the party and deliver for the country. penny mordaunt had already said she was in the race and is the only contender so far to go in front of the cameras. but she wouldn't be drawn on the detail of the detail of the policies she would pursue. yes or no, do you stand by what you said a couple of weeks ago? you're trying very hard, laura... her number of public backers trails those of her rivals,

but she insisted she hasn't done any deals to drop out. i am very confident about the progress we're making and i will say to you that i am in this to win it. i think it's important for our party that we have a contest, and i'm very confident about our numbers. the reason why i'm doing this is because i think i am best placed to bring the party together. which just leaves borisjohnson to say what he plans to do. allies say he will run and insist he does have the numbers, despite the figure of public backers being just over half of what's needed. clearly, he's going to stand, there's a great deal of support for him, as you will have seen. the system is that the proposer and seconders' names are made public. other people have a choice as whether to make their names public or not. but the people doing the numbers for boris' campaign tell me they have the numbers, so the hundred that is necessary of members of parliament are there. another supporter said borisjohnson had promised to run a tighter ship if he went back to downing street.

an investigation by mps is due to start soon over what he told parliament over the covid rule—breaking that took place there the last time he was in charge. boris is an amazing figure in our party. an incredible campaigner, he lights up any room and if he was chairman of the party in charge of our campaigning, he could be an incredible asset, but the problem is, as prime minister, we would be absolutely shackled to somebody who was bound to bring us down. the labour leader again said there should be a general election to let the public decide. there are worries among tory mps that mr sunak would not be able to win votes in the same way as mrjohnson when the next election is called. but for now, he is the only declared candidate who is certain of a place on the ballot tomorrow. helen catt, bbc news. currently, the bbc estimates

225 out of 357 tory mps have now gone public with their support. as you heard, rishi sunak has passed the key threshold of 100 backers, borisjohnson has 57 and penny mordaunt 23. it's worth pointing out that these are the numbers the bbc can verify — others may have different information. 0ur political correspondent damian grammaticas joins me from westminster. damian, boris johnson is damian, borisjohnson is still to declare. his supporters say he has got 100 backers, declare. his supporters say he has got100 backers, but declare. his supporters say he has got 100 backers, but it's unclear who they are. got 100 backers, but it's unclear who they are-— got 100 backers, but it's unclear who they are. yes, and that is the auestion who they are. yes, and that is the question hanging _ who they are. yes, and that is the question hanging in _ who they are. yes, and that is the question hanging in the _ who they are. yes, and that is the question hanging in the air - who they are. yes, and that is the question hanging in the air now. l who they are. yes, and that is the | question hanging in the air now. is borisjohnson going to officially enter this race? you could ask yourself, why hasn't he done so so far? the other camps say they think he hasn't got the numbers and wouldn't want the humiliation of putting himself forward and then falling short. his backers say he does. we know he is a showman, likes to be the ringmaster. perhaps he is waiting for some sort of big reveal, or perhaps things are still in play. it is reported that he has met with penny mordaunt, or had talks with her. we know that she is in no mood

to stand aside. we know mrjohnson had talks yesterday with rishi sunak, who is clearly going ahead. he today is picking up important endorsements, including some you might think would back mrjohnson, like the home secretary who resigned last week, suella braverman. she warned that the conservative party was divided and heading towards a wipe—out. we need unity and stability, rishi fits the bill, she said. the number that matters will be the one that is reached by 2pm tomorrow. mrjohnson needs 100 names ljy tomorrow. mrjohnson needs 100 names by then. fir tomorrow. mrjohnson needs 100 names b then. ., ., , ., by then. or he will have to stand aside. damian _ by then. or he will have to stand aside. damian grammaticas - by then. or he will have to stand - aside. damian grammaticas reporting. what do voters make of the turmoil in westminster? danjohnson has been speaking to people in the conservative consituency of peterborough. here are some alternative candidates who are being put up for election. torrential rain disrupted this

morning's scarecrow contest and politics too, overshadowed by the search for a new figurehead. it’s politics too, overshadowed by the search for a new figurehead. it's an absolute shambles _ search for a new figurehead. it's an absolute shambles and _ search for a new figurehead. it's an absolute shambles and i _ search for a new figurehead. it's an absolute shambles and i would - search for a new figurehead. it's an absolute shambles and i would like j absolute shambles and i would like to see a general election so that we can choose, because i think to continually have a new prime minister is that nobody apart from a minority have voted upon is grossly unfair. . f , ~ minority have voted upon is grossly unfair. . ~ , unfair. the city's mp says his constituents _ unfair. the city's mp says his constituents want _ unfair. the city's mp says his constituents want boris - unfair. the city's mp says his i constituents want boris johnson unfair. the city's mp says his - constituents want boris johnson back constituents want borisjohnson back and, loved or loathed, he is the name on many lips here.- and, loved or loathed, he is the name on many lips here. boris got us throu~h name on many lips here. boris got us through covid- _ name on many lips here. boris got us through covid. i _ name on many lips here. boris got us through covid. i think— name on many lips here. boris got us through covid. i think he _ name on many lips here. boris got us through covid. i think he is, - name on many lips here. boris got us through covid. i think he is, you - through covid. i think he is, you know. _ through covid. i think he is, you know, people have mixed feelings but at the _ know, people have mixed feelings but at the end _ know, people have mixed feelings but at the end of the day, i think he is good _ at the end of the day, i think he is aood. ~ ., , ., at the end of the day, i think he is nood.~ .,, ., , ~ , good. who should be prime minister? sunak. good. who should be prime minister? sunak- rishi? — good. who should be prime minister? sunak. rishi? yes. _ good. who should be prime minister? sunak. rishi? yes. why? _ good. who should be prime minister? sunak. rishi? yes. why? because - good. who should be prime minister? sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we| sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we don't want boris _ sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we don't want boris back, _ sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we don't want boris back, do _ sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we don't want boris back, do we? - sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we don't want boris back, do we? we - sunak. rishi? yes. why? because we| don't want boris back, do we? we are auoin don't want boris back, do we? we are going through — don't want boris back, do we? we are going through a _ don't want boris back, do we? we are going through a financial— don't want boris back, do we? we are going through a financial crisis - don't want boris back, do we? we are going through a financial crisis in - going through a financial crisis in the country. we need someone who can -et the country. we need someone who can get us _ the country. we need someone who can get us out _ the country. we need someone who can get us out of— the country. we need someone who can get us out of a financial crisis. who— get us out of a financial crisis. who should it be? rishi sunak. 0ver

sunday lunch at the cathedral cafe, sherry is against the idea of a borisjohnson comeback. sherry is against the idea of a boris johnson comeback. because he lied to us and — boris johnson comeback. because he lied to us and he _ boris johnson comeback. because he lied to us and he was _ boris johnson comeback. because he lied to us and he was partying - boris johnson comeback. because he lied to us and he was partying while. lied to us and he was partying while we weren't allowed to because of the virus. and because of that, i wasn't allowed to see my dad and he and i never got to say goodbye. it's not fair. so no, i don't like him andi not fair. so no, i don't like him and i don't like the conservatives either. ~ , and i don't like the conservatives either. ~ ., . ., either. mark runs a window cleaning business and _ either. mark runs a window cleaning business and want _ either. mark runs a window cleaning business and want to _ either. mark runs a window cleaning business and want to see _ either. mark runs a window cleaning business and want to see a - either. mark runs a window cleaning business and want to see a fresh - business and want to see a fresh start, a new general election. yes. start, a new general election. yes, i shall start, a new general election. yes, i shall probably _ start, a new general election. yes, i shall probably vote _ start, a new general election. yes, i shall probably vote labour - i shall probably vote labour this time. but i have been a conservative for most of my life.— for most of my life. opinion polls say conservatives _ for most of my life. opinion polls say conservatives should - for most of my life. opinion polls say conservatives should be - for most of my life. opinion polls i say conservatives should be scared of losing this area. that's why they fear a general election and why one may not be forthcoming. danjohnson, bbc news, peterborough. well, whoever becomes the next conservative leader and prime minister will have the cost of living crisis at the top of their in—tray. this morning there was a stark warning from the former governor of the bank of england,

lord king, about the size of the challenge they'll face. he said whoever�*s in power will need to impose public spending cuts or tax rises in order to tackle inflation. mervyn king said central banks had got it wrong by printing money — a process called quantitative easing — to support people during the pandemic. i think all central banks made the mistake during the lockdown period of thinking that they should print a lot of money to support the economy. whereas in fact, with the economy contracting under lockdown, that was the wrong policy. and all central banks, not just ours, but the federal reserve, the european central bank are all facing now, very high inflation rates of close to 10%. well, our business correspondent marc ashdown is here. so he is pointing the finger at his fellow bankers. he so he is pointing the finger at his fellow bankers.— so he is pointing the finger at his fellow bankers. he is. quantitative easin: is fellow bankers. he is. quantitative easing is one _ fellow bankers. he is. quantitative easing is one of _ fellow bankers. he is. quantitative easing is one of these _ fellow bankers. he is. quantitative easing is one of these confusing i easing is one of these confusing phases, but it is actually simple. it is when central banks buy back government bonds to assimilate their economies, but because they don't exist, you could say they are printing money. it has happened all

over the world since the financial crisis, but lord king says the problem happened during the covid lockdowns. money was already being pumped into the economy via fellow to help people and businesses, but he says egged on by economists, the banks kept on doing it and he said that was a mistake and it contributed to inflation going up. now he says it's time for politicians to front up, to start bringing down inflation with policies that lead to slow growth over many years. but they also need to be honest with the public about the scale of tax rises and spending cuts. he says there is now a case for more money to go into public spending because of the damage done by the pandemic, but we all know cuts are probably on their way. he warns that i could spell a period of austerity which could be even more difficult than the last.— difficult than the last. marc, thank ou. head teachers in england say nine out of ten schools will have run out of money by the next school year due to the cost—of—living crisis and spiralling energy prices. the teaching profession is calling on the government to stand by its 2019 election pledge to restore education spending to what it was in 2010, before public spending

was cut under austerity. kathryn stanczyszyn reports. an unprecedented funding crisis in education as the everyday gets more expensive. that's the warning from many who work in schools who say the reality is stark. a recent survey indicates the burden of rising energy costs as well as salary increases means nine out of ten schools could run out of money by next september. i know of one colleague who has been round his school and taken out all of the light bulbs that he doesn't think are essential. i have talked to school leaders that are not putting their heating on until absolutely necessary. it comes as 13 education bodies have written an open letter to conservative mps urging them to put the issue at the forefront of their minds when choosing a new prime minister. they say current forecasts show a £2 billion black hole by 2024, a desperate situation that will severely impact the quality of education.

steve chalke says energy costs for the 52 schools in his academy chain havejumped from £26,000 a year to just under 90,000. we are paying three times as much for our energy, even after government support, three times as much as we were this time last year. that means we are spending through our reserves so that the situation cannot continue forever. you cannot do that and survive. the department for education says it is increasing budgets this year and that all schools will be eligible for the government scheme to discount energy costs. but lead at schools like this one say it will come nowhere near to bridging the gap. the national association of head teachers has announced it is balloting members for strike action over funding for the first

time in its 125—year history. as the cost of living crisis deepens, schools are finding their financial balancing acts even more precarious. kathryn stanczyszyn, bbc news. china's leader xijinping has secured an unprecedented third term in office after his position was ratified at the communist party's congress in beijing. mr xi unveiled a new handpicked leadership team filled with loyalists. his re—election breaks with a decades—long tradition that limits leaders to two terms. no other communist party leader besides the founder mao zedong has ever served a third term. ukraine's army claims russian forces are continuing to retreat from the city of kherson in the south. defending troops are continuing to launch counter offensives towards the west of the regional capital — and say invading forces are setting up new positions across the dnipro river. moscow's been accused of placing explosives on a key dam as it pulls out — which it denies. 0ur ukraine correspondentjames waterhouse has been to some of recently liberated villages

in the area. in the kherson region, there is activity, military movements back and forth from ukraine's counter—offensive, a logistical artery weaving through recently liberated villages. after months of shelling, it's finally quiet. ukraine is back in control. but of what? communities like khreshchenivka looted and destroyed. there have been times when 69—year—old fedir thought he was going to starve to death. "we lived under explosions and shelling", he says. "those russians said they were liberators. in reality, they started robbing us. it's not why i'm crying.

i'm crying because we spent half a year under explosions". outside the nursery, there are holes, one from a shell and more from shrapnel. all that's left of the pupils are their names. they left long ago. translation: when i came here for the first time after liberation, ijust stood here and cried. it is really hard. so there's nothing left? aliona's own home was looted after she escaped. they took almost everything. you learn a lot about the russian occupiers just by looking around. this school was their headquarters, supplies and rubbish scattered everywhere. not the footprint of a disciplined force, but of one fighting in squalor, which left in a hurry. there are endless moments when this war feels pointless, and this is one of them. whether villages like this are occupied or liberated, the result is the same.

communities are destroyed. but there is relief here, and a belief that people can one day heal. and those are the reasons why ukraine continues to fight. liberation in this region is fiercely contested. if achieved, it doesn't bring instant normality either. but in the words of one ukrainian soldier, what choice do they have? james waterhouse, bbc news, kherson region. king charles and the queen consort have been delivered to hundreds of people celebrating their 100th and 105th birthdays across the united kingdom. ruth parker pearson, who served in the women's royal naval service, celebrated her century on friday. the tradition dates back to 1917, when those celebrating big milestones were sent a telegram of

good wishes from king george v. there's more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. we're back with the late news. now on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. goodbye.

now on bbc news...katy watson reports on the choices facing brazilians as they go the polls. this is the extraordinary amazon. home to 10% of the world's wildlife, as well as millions of people, including 350 indigenous groups. but the world's largest rainforest is under threat. under brazil's current president, jair bolsonaro, deforestation has soared, illegal mining is at record highs. he and his supporters say the amazon needs to be developed. but the forest and its

people are suffering — a traditional way of life forever being altered