today at 1:00: a major report on the metropolitan police is expected to criticise it for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. the review of the standards and culture of britain's biggest police force follows the murder of sarah everard by a serving police officer. we hear from the former partners of met police officers who say their allegations of coercive control and domestic abuse were not properly investigated. also this lunchtime... concerns for holiday—makers as passport office workers prepare to go on strike. but industrial action by teachers in england is put on hold for a fortnight while there a new talks with the government. homelessness — a growing problem in the countryside, as well as the big cities.

and i am at the cheltenham festival, looking ahead to the highlight of the week here, the gold cup. and coming up on the bbc news channel, crystal palace are looking for a new manager after sacking patrick vieira. he leaves after a run of 12 games without a win. good afternoon. a major review of the metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour. baroness casey was appointed to examine the met�*s standards and internal culture after the murder of sarah everard by wayne couzens, a serving policeman.

the bbc has been told the review — published next week — will be extremely bad for britain's biggest police force. our special correspondent, lucy manning, has been talking to former partners of police officers — who say the met fails to deal with abusive officers in its ranks. sirens. they used to be in uniform, until they were convicted. since wayne couzens was arrested, more met police officers have been sentenced, many for sexual offences or violence against women. the force has faced criticism it can't deal with complaints against its own officers. i think it's easier to let these police officers stay than try and get rid of them. sally — not her real name — was the partner of a met police officer. they met when he investigated a crime she was the victim. last year, she told the met he'd domestically abused her,

and police powers. how do you feel that they have dealt with him, given the fact he is a police officer? well, they haven't dealt with him, have they? he's still working. he's still getting paid. he's still going to get his full pension. get everything he asked for. he is now going through the met�*s misconduct system, on restricted duties. i think, 100%, if he had attacked me and he wasn't a police officer, he would have been arrested and taken, and carted off. where are you on being able to trust the met? i don't. i don't trust the police at all. and i do not understand why we report allegations against police to other police officers. there is no place in the police service for an officer like him. absolutely not. the met boss has accepted he is unable to sack hundreds of officers, and the bbc understands

the casey review next week will heavily criticise the way the met tolerates wrongdoing and puts its own people ahead of the public. do you believe the head of the met when he says they are going to do better? no, sorry. prove it. prove it by actions. don'tjust stand there and give us a load of old words. we want proof that you're going to act on those words. you're brought up to believe the police are there to protect. the police should be there to protect. that's what we pay taxes for. but theyjust seem to protect themselves. natalie claims her ex—husband, a met officer, coercively controlled her. she struggled to find the right avenues to complain to the force to get them to take action. her words are spoken by an actor to protect her anonymity. i've been in police stations. i've spoken to policewomen who squeezed my arm and looked compassionate, and told me this time it would be sorted, you know? it was unacceptable.

you know, then like i said, you hear nothing. and it then makes him worse. he's bolstered by this, isn't he? he's enabled, and protected. what more do you think the met needs to do now? own up. i think they need total reform. we will take the most robust action against officers who are found to have committed his crimes. the re—vetting of officers has been stepped up. i recognise we are in a bad place. but we are committed, and absolutely determined, to turn that around, and we are going to do so. i completely understand that people will often feel nervous or hesitant to go to the police to report a crime committed by the police. but it's clear it's notjust about a few officers who've been sentenced. the entire force will face serious accusations of racism, misogyny and homophobia. its reputation and ability to regain trust in serious doubt.

lucyjoins me now. we had various reports and reviews into the met over the years, is this one likely to make any difference? i think the answer to that is can the met save itself from its own behaviour? it's not clear that it can do. it will certainly take this report seriously. baroness casey is a well—respected figure. it wants to improve. at this report, let's make no bones about it, will be absolutely damning. it will say that misogyny, racism and homophobia is running through the ranks. and the leadership does want to get things right, and the advantage they have, they will have the backing of the home secretary for the commissioner to take time to get things right. it lets look at the position we are in. we've had lots of reports before, and yet we have a met where they have had a murderer, wayne couzens in their ranks. a serial rapist, david carrick in their ranks. so what has improved? the big problem

for the met on tuesday, when this report is published, is that there is a possibility it will say that the met is institutionally racist, institutionally homophobic and institutionally homophobic and institutionally misogynistic. if that happens, that is devastating. it's 25 years since the mcpherson report, after the racist murder of stephen lawrence. that will suggest no lessons have been learned and nothing has changed.— no lessons have been learned and nothing has changed. lucy, thank you ve much nothing has changed. lucy, thank you very much indeed. _ passport office workers across england, scotland and wales are to strike for five weeks in an escalation of a dispute over pay, pensions, and job security. more than 1,000 members of the pcs union will take part in the action from early april. the union has warned it's likely to have what it calls a significant impact on the delivery of passports this summer. 0ur employment correspondent, zoe conway, is at the passport office in london. zoe, how much disruption could this cause?

well, passport office staff are planning to walk out for six days a week. that's monday to saturday, for five weeks. that starts at the beginning of april. there are 1900 people whosejob it beginning of april. there are 1900 people whose job it is to examine people's passports, and the civil service union says that 1300 of them are members of the union. i should add another 75joined the union today. so this does look like it could be very disruptive. however, the home office is saying it is working on comprehensive contingency plans, and it is saying that people should still expect it to take up to ten weeks for their passports to be processed. now, cut talks between the government and the union avert all of this? possibly. but right now, there are no talks under way. teachers' strikes in england have been put on hold for a fortnight so there can be new talks to end their dispute

over pay and conditions. education unions are meeting the government today to start what they call "intensive talks". the unions have agreed not to announce any more industrial action for two weeks, until the talks are concluded. 0ur education editor branwenjeffreysjoins me now. what are the key issues for these talks? course, pay is at the centre of it. teachers have had around 5% for most teachers this year in england, which the unions are pointing out is way below the cost of living increase. but there are other issues on the table as well. pay for this year and next, but also the workload, the extra hours that teachers put in preparing lessons, doing all of the work that needs to make sure that a school runs effectively. the recruitment and retention of teachers, while we are recruiting more than enough people to start training at primary school teachers in england, there is a real shortage

in england, there is a real shortage in sub—secondary school subjects. all of those knitted together and have to be resolved in these talks. thank you very much indeed. the chinese president, xijinping, will travel to russia next week for talks with president putin. the state visit follows us claims that china may be considering whether to send weapons to russia for its war in ukraine. meanwhile, there's been a big boost for the ukrainian government. slovakia has followed poland with a promise to send it combat aircraft. from kyiv, james landale reports before the war, they agreed what they called a partnership with no limits. one that next week will bring president xi to moscow in a rare show of solidarity, for a leader in need of allies. china has neither endorsed, nor condemned president putin's invasion of ukraine. but it has kept close diplomatic ties with moscow. china, he said, will maintain its fair position on the war and play a constructive role

in any peace talks. ukraine's foreign minister in kyiv told me china's relationship with russia was complex. this is the message to the entire world, to the west, but also most importantly to the non—west, that russia is not alone, that there is china who is talking to them. do you think the chinese come to broker peace, or to arm russia? i don't think china has reached the moment now where it's ready to arm russia. nor do i think that this visit will result in peace. poland has promised ukraine four soviet—era fighterjets, like these. today, slovakia went further,

saying it would deliver 13. but kyiv is still impatient for more planes and more ammunition. if one delivery is postponed for one day, it means that someone is going to die on the front line. on that front line in bakhmut, the fighting continues. russian forces, still struggling to encircle the city. james landale, bbc news, kyiv. let's get more on the chinese president's forthcoming trip to moscow with our russia editor, steve rosenberg. assess the significance of that visit? ~ ~ , assess the significance of that visit? ~ ~' , ., visit? well, keep in mind that presidents — visit? well, keep in mind that presidents putin _ visit? well, keep in mind that presidents putin and - visit? well, keep in mind that presidents putin and xi - visit? well, keep in mind that presidents putin and xi have l visit? well, keep in mind that- presidents putin and xi have regular contacts. the two men have met in person 39 times. in that sense, not a surprise that the chinese leader

will be coming to russia. if you think back to last year, putin was in beijing for talks, that was just three weeks before the russian invasion of ukraine. so this will be xi's first visit to russia since the invasion. in that sense, yes, it is a show of support for russia at a time when the kremlin is under intense international pressure over the invasion. then again, you know, the invasion. then again, you know, the two leaders have very similar worldviews. they both embrace the idea of what they call a multipolar world against american domination. and both men have proclaimed that their partnership has no limits. that's not exactly true. there are limits. up until this point, china has not provided russia with the lethal aid that would allow it to win the war in ukraine on the battlefield. we have heard that america suspects or claims that china is considering doing that. what can we expect from the talks? i think there will be talking about

boosting cooperation, their partnership, they are probably talking about the chinese initiative to end the war in ukraine. again, very important to keep in mind what there isn't is an actual peace plan on the table. what there is is a lot of scepticism amongst european governments, western governments, that china, even if it wanted to, code broker peace in ukraine. thank ou, steve code broker peace in ukraine. thank you, steve rosenberg _ code broker peace in ukraine. thank you, steve rosenberg with - code broker peace in ukraine. thank you, steve rosenberg with the - code broker peace in ukraine. thank you, steve rosenberg with the latest from moscow. killers who have a history of controlling behaviour towards their victims could face longer jail sentences, under new government plans. thejustice secretary, dominic raab, wants coercive or violent behaviour to be considered when courts pass sentence. campaigners against domestic violence have welcomed the proposal, but say they'd like to see a minimum sentence of 25 years introduced. mark lobel reports. untold tragedy has turned these mothers into campaigners. their daughters were murdered by ex—boyfriends.

24—year—old poppy devey waterhouse, described as a prodigiously gifted gifted mathematician, was stabbed at home 49 times by her ex—boyfriend, after three years living together. she had more than 100 injuries. her killer, joe atkinson, was sentenced to 16 years. poppy's family thinks excessive force used in her murder should have led to a longer sentence. poppy had finished the relationship, her bags were packed in the corner of the bedroom. joe atkinson saw that and took that as a final thing, "well, i'm not letting her go." it is a massive trigger, and a lot of women are killed at that time, very, very vulnerable moment, so we are very pleased that the government have recognised that. the ministry ofjustice in england is announcing the findings of an independent review of the sentencing of so—called domestic murders by barrister clare ward. it says killers with a history of coercive or controlling behaviour will face tougher sentences. and the use of excessive or gratuitous violence will be made aggravating factors

in sentencing decisions. the next step is to find how much weighting that will carry, and that will involve lawyers and judges being trained. so when could we see longer sentences? i will look to get it rolled out as swiftly as we can, but i don't want to rush it either, because it needs, it involves quite a lot of nuance, quite a lot of sensitivity, quite a lot of awareness, but the judiciary i know are committed, as they always are, to getting this right. for these family members of women killed by men, there is also another hopeful development from the government, in the form of a consultation on whether the starting point of 15 years in prison for domestic murder cases should be raised to 25. mark lobel, bbc news. the time is 1:16. our top story this lunchtime. a major review of the metropolitan police is expected to heavily criticise the force for racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour.

20 years after the bombing of baghdad, the story of the 12—year—old boy who was brought to england after being badly injured. coming up on the bbc news channel, the champions league draw has been made. chelsea will face holders real madrid in the quarterfinals, while manchester city will play six time winners bayern munich. new research says homelessness and rough sleeping has increased by a quarter in the past year. charity workers say that in rural areas of britain, the increase is actually greater than reported, because many rough sleepers in remote areas of farmland or woods go uncounted. researchers say despite government funding, local voluntary groups, charities and church groups are often left bearing the cost of supporting the homeless in the countryside. 0ur rural affairs correspondent

claire marshall has this report. mo is finally getting his life back on track after years of troubles. i got into breaking the law- and ending up in and out of prison. like thousands of others, he ended up sleeping rough — first in london, but then across the rural boroughs, market towns and coastal resorts of the south—east of england. the differences are massive. in the city, there were places that i would go. there were crack awareness projects, there were drop—in centres. it is here in the heart of the kent countryside where mo says he has found some salvation. thank god, through the grace of this village i'm able to kind of give back. but mo is one of the lucky ones. a new report says rough sleeping in the countryside is still on the rise,

by nearly a quarter injust one year. meanwhile, its authors say rural areas receive 65% less government funding per person than urban areas for preventing homelessness. all this means that across the country, including here in west sussex, this gap has to be filled by charities and other voluntary organisations. this is roffey place, a former bible college in the countryside near horsham. the charity turning tides is converting it into high—support temporary accommodation for 50 homeless people. but to do so it needs to raise £210,000, and relies on volunteers to muck in. like frank. he's has been homeless. he lived under tarpaulin in the woods for nearly two years. it became my life and ijust became this almost feral human being. you know, i was living at the most base level. every day was about, how am i going to get food? how am i going to stay

warm in the winter? the charity helped frank, setting him up in his own flat. they completely rebuilt me and put my life back together again. to reach out to those rough sleepers hidden in the countryside like frank, the charity also has this bus. funding all of this good work isn't easy. i am tasked, with my colleagues, to raise £650,000 in a year- to support the charity. it is enormously challenging to find the money. - and we're always . running at a deficit. the government says local councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads, and they're being given £366 million this year to help with that. meanwhile, mo's thoughts are with those other hidden rough sleepers across the countryside. don't lose faith. don't lose hope.

and most of all, don't lose trust. because to get a stranger to come and help you, that takes massive trust. claire marshall, bbc news, kent. jacqueline gold, the businesswoman behind the lingerie brand ann summers, has died, aged 62. she became a director of the brand in the 1990's, and was best known for growing the retailer into a familiar sight on british high streets. she transformed the company's customer base, and was made a cbe in 2016 new years honours list. jacqueline gold, who's died at the age of 62. in the last few minutes, the skipper of a speedboat has been sentenced in connection with the death of 15—year—old emily lewis in southampton. michael lawrence was acquitted of manslaughter, but found guilty of failing to maintain a proper lookout and failing to maintain a safe speed on southampton water in 2020.

along with the speedboat company owner, mr lawrence was given an 18—week prison sentence suspended for two years. french riot police have used tear gas and water cannon to clear thousands of protesters from the place de la concorde in the centre of paris. more than 100 people were arrested at the demonstration, which was triggered when the government decided use a rare constitutional measure to by—pass parliament and force through an increase in the state pension age from 62 to 64. this weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the controversial invasion of iraq in 2003 by a us—led coalition of countries, including britain. the first phase of the war saw an intense aerial bombardment of baghdad, in which one of the many casualties was 12—year—old ali abbas. ali lost his parents and his younger brother in the attack, as well as both of his arms.

0ur diplomatic correspondent caroline hawley, who was based in iraq before the war, has been to meet with him. you may find some details of her report distressing. few iraqis carry deeper scars from the invasion than ali abbas. his father had been desperate to see the end of saddam hussein's dictatorship. we were farmers. my father was saying that when he see the americans coming, he'lljust make like a party for them. he'll make a barbecue. you know, we werejust hoping for a better life. we were thinking that getting rid of saddam, we will have a good future for iraq. but it's never happened. i never know any family that they haven't lost a loved one, you know? ali's family had fled the capital, baghdad, for safety, but returned thinking the worst was over — just hours before their home was hit by a rocket. i remember the house collapsed on us. -

the fire everywhere. ihear my... ..my mother screaming, and my father also. it was terrible. i felt the fire burning my body and my arms. so this picture was the first picture when i arrived in hospital. i remember my neighbour was telling me that when he pulled me out of the rubble, you know, that... ..because my arm was so badly burned. so when he pulled me out, one of my arms came off. ali now has a precious new family member. hello! his five—year—old son, yusef, who's with his mother in baghdad, though ali hopes to bring him here. when i go back to iraq, he's always spoiling me, you know? he doesn't let me do anything. he is trying to be my carer, you know? he's taking good care of me. yeah. if i'm trying to do something with my feet,

he'lljust say, "no, daddy, i'll do that for you. you don't have to do it." he likes going out with me in the car a lot. you know, he likes my driving. i try to live independent. i do many things, i can write with my feet. i can use the phone. i can also hug him with my with my feet, you know. so it's ok with that. i just want to make a good future for my son, you know? and i hope also maybe i can create my own charity one day and help people who are like in my situation, you know? i have been through very difficult times, especially just after the injury. i have to deal with it without parents and without arms. so it was very difficult in the beginning. and i always thank god for what i have got. so i think of the positive things. ali abbas ending that report from caroline hawley.

in football, premier league crystal palace have sacked manager patrick vieira after a 12—match winless run. the frenchman was appointed in 2021 and was initially praised for his attacking style. but palace haven't won a match in 2023 and despite sitting 12th in the table, are just three points above the relegation zone. the battle to become the new owners of manchester united is heating up. britain's richest man, sirjim ratcliffe, visited old trafford today, as part of his efforts to buy the football club. yesterday, a qatari banking delegation spent ten hours there. it follows november's announcement by the current owners, the glazerfamily, that they were considering selling. rugby union's six nations tournament concludes tomorrow, with ireland widely expected to beat england in dublin and complete a perfect tournament. it would be five wins out of five and a triumph

andy farrell is an englishman and he also grew up steeped in the traditions of rugby league— two very different paths of rugby are converging, asjoe wilson reports. andy farrell's ireland are on the brink of the six nations grand slam this weekend. that is the ultimate in european rugby union. the pressure, the patience, and now the celebrations. yet his outstanding playing career was mostly in a different code, when rugby league was a different world. skilful, tough defending, professional players, when many in union still revered amateurism. different traditions, and for decades, bitter adversaries. now union needs league. uses its expertise. there's something in the water there, isn't there. rugby league's probably...

there's, there's a real heightened sense of awareness, as far as defence is concerned. in fact, if you're a good defensive side, you're looked upon in a better light than a good attacking side. well, look at france. defence masterminded by shaun edwards. for over a decade he was the heart of wigan rugby league. see the theme? england are following, recruiting kevin sinfield, rugby league royalty, to coach their defence. so, where does that all leave rugby league? at clubs like wigan now, do they feel a drain of the best brains? it's fantastic that when you look on the world stage and international stage, in rugby union that you see, well, i think of wigan as first and foremost, but kev as well, and we should be really proud of it, but it is certainly not a drain on our coaches. if anything, it's an inspiration. i think it's hugely positive that we can see our coaches, our staff moving both ways, between the two codes, so i certainly look forward to welcoming master sinfield back. so when the six nations are lost and won, when the union contracts are done, maybe those famous sons

of league will come home? joe wilson, bbc news. it's gold cup day, as horse racing's cheltenham festival reaches its final day. noble yeats could become just the third horse to win both the gold cup and the grand national. rachael blackmore, meanwhile, will be looking to make it back—to—back gold cup victories. let's get the latest from lizzie greenwood—hughes who's there for us now. lizzie. hello, ben, thank eu you, assle always _ lizzie. hello, ben, thank eu you, assle always there _ lizzie. hello, ben, thank eu you, assle always there are _ lizzie. hello, ben, thank eu you, assle always there are plenty - lizzie. hello, ben, thank eu you, assle always there are plenty of l assle always there are plenty of stories on gold cup day, the favourite is an irish trained horse called galopin des champs. his trainer will be hoping he will scamper up that hill first, because galopin des champs means field scamp and he has a very real chance, he is the favourite and it would be mullin's third gold cup victory, the best story of the week is a horse

called hue wick, —— hewick. if he were to win it would make him the cheapest horse in recent history to win a gold cup but he will be hampered by the ground because it has been raining, there are storms forecast today, but that rain will not bother the grand national winner noble yates, he willjoin a very elite group if he were able to do the double and he does have a very real chance. now there is also a real chance. now there is also a real prospect of a first ever scottish trained winner, that would be ahoy senior trained by lucinda russell. that relieved a plus tard. ridden by rachael blackmore who made history last year when she became the first female to win the gold cup. and of course i haven't mentioned sir alex ferguson who had the horse that came third last year, protectorate. it goes at 3.30, the best of the best will be riding up the hill behind me and after that we will know who is the gold cup winner. . enjoy it all lizzie. time for a look at the weather.

here's louise lear.