you're watching bbc news. hello from the bbc sport centre. we'll start with the first 147 maximum break at this year's world snooker championship. it's come on day five at the crucible in sheffield, from kyren wilson, in his second round match against ryan day. the maximum break — where you pot all 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colours — has only been done 11 times before in the history of the tournament. and what about this for nerves of steel? there's also a prize pot totalling £55,000 that wilson would take home if no—one else can match him. as for the match itself, they'll resume this evening in sheffield with wilson leading day 5—3. the winner plastohn higgins

in the third round. 0n the other table, england's jack lisowski has beaten noppon saengkham of thailand 10—7. lisowski will face the winner of the match betweenjudd trump and anthony mcgill, that's going on right now. these are live pictures from the crucible. mcgill is 6—3 up, this one best of 19, remember, at this stage. but trump is about to take the tenth frame in sheffield. later, manchester city can keep up their pursuit of history in the champions league and set up a semifinal with real madrid. pep guardiola's side take a 3—0 lead to germany to face bayern munich in the second leg of their quarterfinal. city have won ten in a row going into this and are looking to lift the trophy for the first time. bayern have enjoyed doing that six times and guardiola isn't understimating his old side, despite his city's lead.

i have been here at bayern munich and i know the mentality of this club. it is in everywhere, the streets, in the skin, and i know what they believe, that they can do it. we believe too. but, so, when you are in this type of club, and we are going to try and build this feeling, that whatever happens we can do it, like they have through their history and in their past in this competition, they are growing with that, so it is what it is. so, this is where we stand. real madrid and ac milan have already reached the champions league semifinals. later, as well as bayern city, inter milan face benfica, the italian side 2—0 up in that tie. to cricket, and david warner has been included in the australia squad for the world test championship final against india and the first two ashes tests with england. the 36—year—old has not been the force of old,

but a double century against south africa in december showed he can still produce the big scores when needed. warner's struggled with an elbow injury of late but makes the australian squad and will be expected to take to the field against england when the ashes get under way injune. speaking of england, jonny bairstow says he'll be available for their first test of the summer after recovering from a broken leg and dislocated ankle. bairstow hasn't played since he injured himself in a freak accident on the golf course last september. he hopes to be back in the next few weeks. it's not been easy at all. it's been my first long—term injury over however many years i've now been playing, and just dealing with that itself has been tricky at times, but we get through that and it's all about the summer. it's going to be a really exciting spectacle. it's imminent, we are not far away and things are travelling in the right direction. jonny bairstow looking

sharp. and that's all the sport for now. you're watching bbc news. i'm rich preston. very good to have your company. it's been a tumultuous few months in scottish politics. the resignation of nicola sturgeon, the woman who'd led the governing snp for 8 years, a new leader in the form of the glaswegian politician humza yousaf — and a scandal involving the party's finances which saw two key party figures being arrested. peter murrell and colin beattie, though both men were released without charge. and to add to that, the scottish government is at odds with the uk government, after westminster vetoed a bill which had been passed by msps, the gender recognition act. in the next few minutes we expect a statement on the scottish parliament on the bill. but first. 0ur scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie joins me live from glasgow. just set the story up and what is happening today.

just set the story up and what is happening today-— just set the story up and what is happening today. well, as you said, it's been a really _ happening today. well, as you said, it's been a really busy _ happening today. well, as you said, it's been a really busy few _ happening today. well, as you said, it's been a really busy few weeks i it's been a really busy few weeks and certainly a busy few months and hamza yusuf, new to the job of first minister, so very difficult and challenging time for him in the last couple of weeks and in the days ahead —— hamza yousaf. mps are gathering in holyrood this afternoon and will be addressed by shirley and somerville, the cabinet secretary for social justice somerville, the cabinet secretary for socialjustice in the new cabinet, and there will be a ministerial statement on the challenge to the uk government's section 35 order and this is about the gender recogniiton act, the reform legislation that went through the scottish parliamentjust before christmas. i don't know if you remember, but we had several days of very long debate within holyrood just coming up to christmas before this bill was passed in scotland and

to give you some background to it, it's to make it easier for people to change sex on a bad certificate. there will be no medical diagnosis needed, so it would be self id which has been quite controversial and also the requirement to live in the newly acquired gender is going to be reduced, orwould newly acquired gender is going to be reduced, or would be reduced from two years to just three months, so that also is quite a significant change and one of the more controversial parts of it would be the change to the age, that would be lowered from 18 to 16, although if you are 16 or17, lowered from 18 to 16, although if you are 16 or 17, you would have to live in the required agenda for six months rather than the three months, and it would be a criminal offence to make any false declarations. the uk government said after this was passed in the scottish parliament that they would block the

legislation under section 35 of the scotland act, so you can imagine the reaction amongst msps here, and they said that was anti—democratic, and the scottish government has said that they are now going to challenge that they are now going to challenge that in court, so this is going to be quite a significant battle for hamza yousaf as he takes on the new job of first minister because it has been controversial in the snp, but also within the country as a whole. we will go to the statement as and when it starts. you remember the controversy and let's talk about section 35 because a few people at the time, that westminster retains under the scotland act this power to effectively kibosh on something even though it been passed by law makers in edinburgh. though it been passed by law makers in edinburgh-— in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed _ in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed as — in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed as a _

in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed as a bill _ in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed as a bill within - in edinburgh. yes, that's right. it was passed as a bill within the i was passed as a bill within the scottish parliament, so as you say, a lot of people would have been quite surprised that under devolution that the uk government, that westminster could go against this, and something they thought was a devolved matter, but the argument of the uk government and we haven't heard the arguments in full but if and when this does go to court, we are likely to hear it then but they say that it does overlap with the uk equality bill, so it would impact on uk legislation, so because of that, they can, they say, block the bill that was passed in the scottish parliament.— that was passed in the scottish parliament. �* . ., ., ., parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick _ parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick with _ parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick with us _ parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick with us for - parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick with us for the - parliament. alexandra, thanks for now and stick with us for the time j now and stick with us for the time being. i am nowjoined by michael simmons, data editor at the spectator. thanks for being with us. talk to us about how this has divided opinion in scotland and in the snp itself. so, i think where the gender

recogniiton act became an issue for the snp _ recogniiton act became an issue for the snp is _ recogniiton act became an issue for the snp is because for years, the strategy— the snp is because for years, the strategy of the party under nicola sturgeon — strategy of the party under nicola sturgeon had to be sort of to attach the movement for scottish independence and the snp to wider progressive politics, and that kind of work_ progressive politics, and that kind of work so — progressive politics, and that kind of work so far when nicola sturgeon played _ of work so far when nicola sturgeon played into— of work so far when nicola sturgeon played into the idea that scotland was perhaps slightly left of the rest of — was perhaps slightly left of the rest of the uk or slightly more progressive than the rest of the uk, so it sort— progressive than the rest of the uk, so it sort of— progressive than the rest of the uk, so it sort of made sense to pursue this as _ so it sort of made sense to pursue this as an— so it sort of made sense to pursue this as an agenda, which by the waym — this as an agenda, which by the wa �* ., ., , ., way... i'm going to interrupt, and my apologies. — way... i'm going to interrupt, and my apologies, let's _ way... i'm going to interrupt, and my apologies, let's go _ way... i'm going to interrupt, and my apologies, let's go to - way... i'm going to interrupt, and| my apologies, let's go to holyrood now to hear the statement. macri under section 35 of the scotland act from proceeding to royal assent. i must make clear that, as always, with live legal proceedings there are strict limits on what i can say, and i must not enter into the substance of the petition or the uk government's statement of reasons. i am sure members will understand this

restriction. however, iwant am sure members will understand this restriction. however, i want to make the statement today to explain the decision as fully as possible to parliament. we have not taken this decision lightly. we have considered it carefully, and it was clear to us in our deliberations that allowing the uk government veto on the democratic decisions of this parliament to go unchallenged would undermine our democracy. equally, the veto was used with no prior discussion a warning and without ever hearing from the uk government about what amendments they would have wanted in the bill. that cannot go unchallenged because of the applications for future legislation and evolution, particularly as the secretary of state refused our offer is to work on potential changes to the bill. to this day, i can confirm that the uk government has not offered up a single area for amendment that would satisfy them in relation to the issue of gender recognition reform. therefore, if we want to take a stand and protect our democracy and devolution, there is no option but to pursue the legal

challenge. the 1998 scotland act that established devolution included the section 35, which allows the sexy of state to make an order prohibiting the presiding officer for submitting a bill for royal assent, even though the bill is within the legislative competence. the intention of how power shop was made clear in comments from the uk government minister lord seoul in july 1998, when he said, and i close —— quite, these powers of intervention are meant to be long stops that exist and are sufficient to ensure consultation between whitehall and edinburgh so there might be no need for them to be used. there were concerns at the time it could amount to a veto on devolved legislation and there was a need for controls on how the powers might be used and they could be a political tool and indeed it was dubbed the governmentjournal dubbed the government journal because dubbed the governmentjournal because and was described by

conservative mps and i quote, the power to bring the actions of the scottish parliament to a halt. around the use of the scotland act, the powers was remembered in the memorandum of understanding between the uk comment on devolved administrations, updated in 2013, clearly that whilst the legislation contains powers for the secretary of state to intervene, and i quote again it was used very much as a last resort. the use of section 35 is the very opposite of the last resort. the memorandum goes on to state the uk government and devolved administration concerned will aim to resolve any difficulties through discussion so as to avoid any actual remission by the devolved administration having an impact on non—devolved matters. the formal intervention should become necessary, then the government will wear practical inform the deformed —— devolved administration in sufficient time to enable the administration give times to take

remedial action. there were no reputations from the uk government or made in the consultations in 2017 and 2019, and of course the uk government plans to make similar reforms. there were no references to the nine—month passage of the bill in the uk, took no steps to resolve their concerns and did not raise the possibility of a section 35 order with us. the scottish government has been proposing gender recognition reform since 2016, to bring in line with international best practice. we held two public consultations including on a full draft bill and impact assessment with over 30,000 responses combined, this was some of the widest consultation ever undertaken on scottish legislation. the uk government made no response and did not provide a view. in fact the uk government proposed similar reforms themselves and in their 2018 consultation explicitly recognise scotland could take its own approach, stating, gender recognition is devolved to scotland meaning scotland can have its own

system for gender recognition if it wants to. the uk government undertook to work closely with a scottish garment on the implementation of scottish proposals, especially on the implantation of proposals where powers are not devolved and mutual recognition of certificates issued in different parts of the uk across the uk. the uk government subsequently dropped their proposed reforms and the joint work on in fermentation went ahead and at official level there were fortnightly meetings between uk and scottish officials as the bill progress through parliament including early work on a section 104 order which is the usual method for resolving impacts between resolved and devolved law. far from raising concerns, the uk government endorsed the ability to take forward the reforms and made no comment otherwise i know response to the call for evidence and there was no ministerial contact until the uk minister responded assent in october by my predecessor, shona robertson, which led to a meeting the day before stage three of the bill.

cross—border effects were discussed at the meeting that no changes were requested by the uk government and there was no mention of the consideration for section 35 order. the secretary of state for scotland's first contact on the bill was a letter on them 16th of january informing us he would be relaying the section 35 order the next day. the house of commons motion seeking to annul the order was not allocated debating time by the uk government. so farfrom raising so far from raising these concerns to the normal government channels, the secretary of state use the section 35 power exactly as even conservative mps viewed at the time of the 1990. an absolute veto to strike down any evolved legislation, passed by a majority of this parliament he dislikes without discussion based on political, not policyjudgment. immediately after policy judgment. immediately after receiving policyjudgment. immediately after receiving mrjack�*s letter in january, shona robinson offered a meeting with the secretary of state in which she offered a potential way

forward, the scottish