tonight at ten... dominic raab resigns from government but hits back — after some bullying claims against him are upheld. a report finds he acted in an intimidating and insulting manner — but mr raab says he thinks some civil servants have their own agenda. what you've got is the risk here of a very small minority of the civil service, who don't like some of the reforms, effectively trying to block government. that's not on, that's not democratic. well, the big question for the prime minister is, why he was so weak to appoint him in the first place? the second question for the prime minister is why he didn't sack him, and now it's left to dominic raab to resign.

we'll be looking at where this leaves rishi sunak. also on the programme: the business group the cbi in crisis — it suspends key activities — as a second allegation of rape emerges and dozens of firms end their membership. the casualties mount and the un says there are now over 400 dead in the fighting in sudan between rival factions of the army. and in the premier league tonight leaders arsenal fight back in an epic match at home to southampton. on bbc london. for the scrappage scheme. good evening. the deputy prime minister

and justice secretary dominic raab has resigned from government after a report upheld some bullying claims against him. speaking to the bbc in his first tv interview following his resignation, he hit out at what he called "activist civil servants", claiming they effectively wanted to block government reform — and he suggested the report sets a dangerous precedent. mr raab was investigated after at least eight formal complaints at three different departments. today's report says his behaviour was at times "intimidating", "insulting" and "unreasonably and persistently aggressive". in his resignation letter mr raab said he believed the findings were "flawed" — and that the report had set the threshold for bullying too low. mr raab�*s resignation is the third cabinet departure since rishi sunak became prime minister — and the second over bullying claims. mr sunak said he accepted the resignation with great sadness and admitted there had been shortcomings with the process. alex chalk takes over at the ministry ofjustice, and oliver dowden becomes deputy prime minister. our political editor

chris mason reports. the man who was deputy prime minister until this morning. the man who wasjustice secretary but now claims something of an injustice in how his conduct is seen. the man who said he'd resign if an allegation of bullying was upheld, and has now resigned. but thinks the inquiry that finished him off was flawed. is this a stitch—up? look, i wouldn't describe it that way. i resigned from cabinet today because i said i would if there was any adverse finding from this inquiry and i am true to my word. politicians should be. but i do think it sets a very dangerous precedent. if you look at the tolley report it dismissed almost all the claims against me. it found i have never once in four and a half years lost my temper, sworn, shouted, anything of that nature. but it also highlighted maybe two or three instances where i've been what they described as unintentionally abrasive.

so what is in adam tolley kc�*s report? the senior lawyer says dominic raab "acted in way which was intimidating, in the sense of unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct. it also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates." adding he went "further than was necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback," and was "insulting". mr tolley also says mr raab was abrasive and had described work done for him as "utterly useless and woeful". a description "reasonably understood as insulting personal criticism". isn't the blunt truth, when you read all of this report, that a fair—minded person reading it would conclude that, to be crude, that you're a nightmare to work for? actually, almost all of the complaints against me were dismissed. and what this doesn't give you, it's a handful of very senior

officials, none of the junior complaints were upheld. and i got on and dealt with hundreds of civil servants, thousands of other people in the prison service and court service. what you've got is the risk here of a very small minority of very activist civil servants with the passive aggressive culture of the civil service who don't like some of the reforms, whether it's brexit, parole reform, human rights reform, effectively trying to block government. that's not on, that's not democratic. "activist civil servants" — that's quite an allegation for people who are committed to being impartial. you're saying there are people there who are standing in the way of an elected government. i was told that by one cabinet secretary and by one director of propriety and ethics in the cabinet office. did you witness that, did you see work that you thought from civil servants that was effectively, as you describe it, "activist"? that wasn't the description i gave. i said that if you've got particularly activist civil

servants, who either because they are over—unionised orjust don't agree with what we are trying to pursue, we've seen a bit of that with brexit. we've seen it with human rights reform, with my parole reform, there is a little bit of culture, if you like, aversion. actually if they can block reforms or changes through a rather passive aggressive approach, we can't deliverfor the british people. strikingly, on the day the prime minister has lost his deputy, rishi sunak hasn't managed to find any of our cameras. in a letter to dominic raab he said he accepted his resignation "with great sadness," but appeared to acknowledge the whole affair has been a mess, writing, "there have been shortcomings in the historic process that have never negatively affected everyone involved. " the labour leader on a visit to middlesbrough wanted to focus on rishi sunak rather than dominic raab. what i think this shows is the continual weakness

of the prime minister. because there is a double weakness here. he should never have appointed him in the first place, along with other members of the cabinet that shouldn't have been appointed. and then he didn't sack him. even today, it's raab who resigns rather than the prime minister who acts. he has acted, mind, in having to find a newjustice secretary, this man, alex chalk. and there's promotion for oliver dowden, who becomes the new deputy prime minister. do some senior civil servants need a thicker skin? it is not intentional. if it is not personalised, if actually it is right but there are some subjective hurt feelings by some, i'm afraid that makes it very difficult to deliver and that's not what you see in most walks of professional life. of course i don't want to upset anyone and i made clear that i'm sorry for that but that's not bullying and we can't deliver for the british people if the bar is that low. rishi sunak tonight has to attempt to deliver for the country without his long—standing ally and former deputy.

chris mason, bbc news, at westminster. dominic raab is not the first government minister to face allegations of bullying — and today's report puts the spotlight once again on the relationship between some ministers and the civil servants who work in their departments. our deputy political editor vicki young takes a closer look at the workplace culture in whitehall. dominic raab is the most senior minister to be caught up in a bullying scandal. but this isn't an isolated case. over the past few years, anger about the workplace culture here at westminster has increased, as examples emerged of unacceptable behaviour in mps�* offices and government departments. when priti patel was home secretary, an independent report concluded she had broken the ministerial code of conduct after shouting and swearing at officials. are you a bully? i am here to give an unreserved apology today. and i am sorry if i have upset

people in any way whatsoever. despite the findings, boris johnson refused to sack her and his ethics adviser resigned in protest. this former whitehall official says outspoken attacks on the civil service by advisers like dominic cummings have soured relations. we get the very best outcomes in government when ministers and civil servants work together, when civil servants believe in their ministers, and ministers are able to get the very best out of their civil servants. so name—calling, lack of trust, inability to get people onside, intimidation, aggressive behaviour, are corrosive for the individuals involved, but actually, it leads, it undermines our system of government. mr raab and the union representing senior civil servants agree on one thing — there has to be a better system to resolve disputes. there should be hr processes

for dealing with complaints against ministers. there should be something written down, because a civil servant that wants to complain about a minister can't even look at the procedure. there is nothing in writing about how they do it. so it is a completely inadequate process. if that's the view of ministers who have been through this, it's also the view of the civil servants who have to make complaints. while this episode is of course about the actions of one man, it has reignited the debate about working practices here at westminster, and what is and isn't acceptable behaviour. it is also a reminder of the tension sometimes between politicians trying to drive through their agenda, and the impartial civil service, there to point out potential flaws in their arguments. there is another ongoing investigation involving sir gavin williamson. he has already resigned to clear his name after being accused of sending abusive messages to his colleague wendy morton, whose words at the time remain relevant today. i want to see parliament actually restore some integrity

into the whole of the organisation. there are many working here who think we are still a long way away from that. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. let's return to our political editor chris mason at westminster. rishi sunak loses a third cabinet minister, where does this leave the prime minister? it is minister, where does this leave the prime minister?— prime minister? it is a difficult da in prime minister? it is a difficult day in downing _ prime minister? it is a difficult day in downing street. - prime minister? it is a difficult day in downing street. we - prime minister? it is a difficult - day in downing street. we haven't actually seen or heard from rishi sunak on a day his opponents are calling him weak and his deputy and loyal campaigner has left government. no answers from rishi sunak, lead to big questions. would he have sacked dominic raab, does he agree with his analysis? at some point he will have to face those questions. as far as mr raab�*s

analysis, there are plenty of civil servants who do not agree with it, unsurprisingly, saying it was concocted conspiracy theory to deflect from the criticisms he faced in the report. the report is complex, nuanced and subtle. inevitably, in an attempt to understand behaviours and how they are interpreted, it is in the eye of the beholder and the stomach as well. and as vicky was reflecting, there will be a broader debate at westminster about the oddities of this place as a workplace and the debate around the country about acceptable workplace practices in 2023. as far as the prime minister is concerned, he will be glad all of this is over but he doesn't need too many more days like this.— many more days like this. chris, thank you _ many more days like this. chris, thank you very _ many more days like this. chris, thank you very much. _ the business lobby group the cbi has said it is suspending key activities untiljune after dozens of firms announced they are leaving the group

or pausing their membership. it follows a second allegation of rape from a woman who told the guardian newspaper she was assaulted by cbi colleagues. our business editor simonjack is here. this really is turning into a crisis now for the cbi? it this really is turning into a crisis now for the cbi?— this really is turning into a crisis now for the cbi? it really is. up to now for the cbi? it really is. up to now companies — now for the cbi? it really is. up to now companies have _ now for the cbi? it really is. up to now companies have said - now for the cbi? it really is. up to now companies have said they - now for the cbi? it really is. up to i now companies have said they would wait for the results of an investigation into an existing alleged rape plus some other misconduct issues before deciding their relationship with the cbi. at their relationship with the cbi. at the second allegation of rape we saw today so a trickle of companies quitting turned into a flood. aviva, phoenix group, people leaving include lloyd's of london, schroders, nat west said british business needs a strong representative voice and given the strong allegations against the cbi we no longer have confidence it can fulfil this role at the present time. dozens are leaving, quitting their membership or pausing it. the

cbi are going to release this report next week, bringing the former employee back as the new director—general in a matter of days. but it is unclear right now what organisation she's coming back to. bear in mind given the seriousness of the allegations, the police are now involved so a lot of people are saying, it is not a given, even when this report comes out we will feel comfortable engaging with an organisation with the police investigation hanging over it. that will take months, make no mistake the future of this nearly 60—year—old organisation is in serious doubt this evening. 60-year-old organisation is in serious doubt this evening. simon, thank you- — earlier this year a devastating earthquake struck turkey and syria — but while aid did reach the affected areas in turkey, survivors in syria have told the bbc they feel forgotten. more than 7,000 people died when the tremor hit the north—west of syria, which is under rebel control and already suffering from the effects of 12 years of civil war. our middle east correspondent anna foster reported extensively

from the region at the time — and has now travelled to the syrian province of idlib. first, there were the scars of a long and painful conflict. then the fresh wounds of a devastating earthquake. this home carries them both. more than four million people fled to idlib looking for safety, but on that february night, in this war—ravaged land, they didn't find it. the twin earthquakes killed thousands. 300 died in this building alone. sedra is 13. she and her brother abdullah have cerebral palsy. the extra care they need isn't possible now. translation: i was very scared. we started screaming for help but no one could hear us. everyone in the building had left, but we were stuck because the door handle broke.

this is where you really see the impact of a devastating and long—lasting conflict like this one. this home was already partly destroyed by an air strike. and just imagine how terrifying it must have been to wake in the dark, feeling those first tremors of an earthquake, and knowing that this was all you had for protection. this family was lucky to even escape alive. in azmarin, the living sleep next to the dead. ali sheikh hazem ghannam, the surviving patriarch, remembers them all. ahmed. adil and his children. alaa. men, women and children, all buried together in this mass grave. majed. fauzl amir, just three years old.

children who only ever knew conflict in their short lives. translation: 16 buildings collapsed on the residents and people - and children went missing. we were already suffering from the war and everything the criminal bashar al—assad did to us. then this earthquake came and increased our suffering. 7,000 fresh graves, a new level of destruction in a country that's already lost so much. anna foster, bbc news, idlib. the schools watchdog in england says it will make changes to the way inspections are carried out, after the suicide of a head teacher in january. ruth perry took her own life while waiting for the publication of an ofsted report, which was about to downgrade her school to "inadequate". but ofsted says it will keep the single word overall grade for schools, despite calls to abandon them.

here's our education editor branwen jeffreys. a small primary school like thousands of others. after inspection, it wasjudged inadequate. there were concerns about checks on staff and records of safeguarding. ruth perry, the head teacher, took her life while waiting for the report. her sisterjulia agreed to speak to me for the first time after the family raised concerns. otherteachers, head teachers, live in fear. but i've been absolutely overwhelmed by the number of people from all different quarters who have got in touch with me or who are just speaking out. ofsted has said it is looking again at how inspections are handled, but for ruth's family, that's not enough. what i think needs to happen and should have happened already, is a pause in inspections, you know? there is no doubt in my family's mind at all that ruth killed herself because of that ofsted inspection.

she was fine beforehand. she was not fine during and after it. you're grieving and so is the whole family for your sister. why are you putting your energy into this? i have such a feeling of such profound injustice around this. ruth was an excellent teacher, an exemplary head teacher. if this could happen to her... itjust doesn't bear thinking about that ruth could have died and it would be for nothing. this is, ifeel there has to be something good comes out of this tragedy. today, the chief inspector amanda spielman said in a statement, "we are not deaf to the calls for change, or insensitive to the needs of schools and their staff." she said, "we won't be soft on safeguarding," but would reflect changes schools make more quickly. and "parents find the grading system useful", so the single overall

grade will stay. some agree schools have to be held to account like this for children's education. parents trust us with the safety, well—being and education of their children. and it must be right that we build public confidence by being open and transparent in everything that we do. schools are still recovering from the pandemic — one reason perhaps for the response to these events. the government backs inspections continuing. head teachers�* unions say ofsted has misjudged the strength of feeling. an inquest will look at ruth perry's death later this year. branwen jeffreys, bbc news. and the head of ofsted, amanda spielman, will be one of laura kuenssberg's guests this sunday morning at nine o'clock on bbc two. in sudan, despite calls for a ceasefire for the eid holiday marking the end of ramadan, there's been an escalation

in fighting, with gunfire and explosions heard across the capital khartoum, including in residential neighbourhoods. the united nations says more than 400 people have now been killed, with more than 3,500 injured in the violence. the fighting broke out a week ago between the army led by general abdel fattah al—burhan and its rival, the paramilitary rapid support forces led by general mohamed hamdan dagalo. our correspondent mohamed mohamed osman, who works for the bbc arabic service, lives in khartoum and is one of the few journalists reporting from the city, where five million inhabitants are living in fear. battles have been going for a week in khartoum. insecurity is increasing but some still went to pray. they could hear fighting from across the city. translation: we were afraid but there is nothing _ we can do about it. we are used to praying

here every eid. the streets were empty, which frightened us, but we hope that next eid, things will be better. translation: it is a sad eid. we hope that god raises this hardship and protects everyone. sudan does not deserve this. these people fighting should see how the situation in the country turned out to be, and how people are handling it. from this conflict, a humanitarian crisis. hundreds dead, thousands injured, most hospitals shut. the army's leader still hopes for victory. translation: the destruction and sounds of bullets have left| no room for happiness, which our people all over our beloved country deserve. we are truly saddened by how events have unfolded, but hope remains that we will overcome this ordeal.

the streets here are empty. it is hard for people to get food and clean water. the bbc spoke to one british man who is trapped with his wife and two children. we are not leaving where we are. i mean, we are living in one room and running to the basement when it gets bad. we sleep in the basement, so... it is far too dangerous to leave. some are making the dangerous journey out of the capital, despite the risk. translation: we were born here, but the fight is near us, _ and we can't sleep because of fear. we left our homes, my children, and i went towards the city of mushimadi. the people left here don't have the luxury of time. they are hoping their prayers will be answered, and soon. mohamed mohamed osman, bbc news, khartoum. the former treasurer of a gaelic

football club in northern ireland has been jailed for 16 years for sexually abusing boys and young men. thomas mckenna, who is 62, pleaded guilty to 162 charges in relation to the attacks at crossmaglen rangers gaelic football club in county armagh. the health secretary steve barclay says he intends to take legal action against the royal college of nursing union over its planned strike from april 30th to 2nd may. nhs employers wrote to mr barclay asking him to check the legality of the action, because the rcn's mandate to strike ends in early may. around 16,000 people will be taking to the streets of london on sunday for this year's marathon. among them will be a woman in her 70s going for a world record, and a man who is terminally ill, who'll have to walk all the way. sophie raworth reports. she may be 72, but yuko gordon is still running around a0 miles every

week as she tries to break a world record by finishing in under three hours and 2a minutes. commentator: the gold medal, the first ever - in the ladies�* marathon... this is the 1984 los angeles olympics, the first time women were allowed to compete in the event. it was won by an american, but yuko ran it too. no sign of distress at all... there you are, amazing. my pb was 2.41 then, but i did 2.46, that was a pity. yuko, who was an air hostess at the time, quit soon after, but started running again in her 60s, and now she has this woman in her sights, jeannie rice, who broke the over—70s record in chicago in 2018. i don't think i'm superfit like a couple of years ago, but i have no reason to be unfit either, so it all depends on the day. i am very lucky physically,

i haven't had any problems. if i could go under 3.24, that would be nice. that would be a world record? yeah, yeah. we've also got our world champion down, welcome, yuko. _ she may be modest but her local running club in stevenage are very proud of her and are hoping for a fast time. i've been walking like a hiker. moth winn just wants to get round. ten years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare, terminal, neurological disease called cbd and given just a few years to live. but he discovered walking helped his symptoms and since then he and his wife, the author raynor winn, have walked right across britain, defying all expectations. the walking clearly had a... a really positive effect. it was, and it was a more calming effect. the shaking started to ease and disappear.

now they are getting ready to lace up for sunday's challenge. i don't think you'll have any - problem covering the 26 miles, it's just a matter of time. i'm certainly going to give it my best shot. moth winn, ending that report by sophie raworth. england captain leah williamson will miss this summer's world cup with a knee injury. the 26—year—old arsenal defender was injured in a match against manchester united on wednesday and will now undergo surgery. the lionesses are due to begin their world cup campaign against haiti onjuly 22nd. in the premier league tonight, arsenal and southampton served up one of the best games of the season so far — the gunners coming back from 3—1 down to draw 3—3 and keep their stuttering title hopes alive. our sports correspondent natalie pirks watched the action. it was top versus bottom, with both

sides feeling the pressure under the lights. arsenal's gallop to the title has started of late and their nerves were on show right from the off. �* , . . ., . nerves were on show right from the off-— carlos - off. arsenal conceded! carlos alcaraz could _ off. arsenal conceded! carlos alcaraz could not _ off. arsenal conceded! carlos alcaraz could not believe - off. arsenal conceded! carlos alcaraz could not believe his| off. arsenal conceded! carlos - alcaraz could not believe his luck as the emirates was stunned into silence. ., ., ~' . as the emirates was stunned into silence. . ~ ~' as the emirates was stunned into silence. ., ~ ~ ~ ., silence. look at mikel arteta. southampton _ silence. look at mikel arteta. southampton are _ silence. look at mikel arteta. southampton are fighting - silence. look at mikel arteta. southampton are fighting for| silence. look at mikel arteta. - southampton are fighting for their premier league lives but if arsenal thought it could not get worse... the home fans were in disbelief. time for a good talking to. it worked. arsenal's deficit was halved in the blink of an eye. but as they pressed hard for the equaliser, they switched off at a crucial moment. caleta—car! switched off at a crucial moment. calm-car!— switched off at a crucial moment. caleta-car! ., , , ., ., caleta-car! oh, boy! exasperation versus elation. _ caleta-car! oh, boy! exasperation versus elation. the _ caleta-car! oh, boy! exasperation versus elation. the gunners - caleta-car! oh, boy! exasperation| versus elation. the gunners simply had to go for it, cue a frantic ending. had to go for it, cue a frantic endinu. . . had to go for it, cue a frantic ending._ mere - had to go for it, cue a frantic- ending._ mere seconds ending. odegaard. mere seconds later, ending. odegaard. mere seconds later. bukayo _ ending. odegaard. mere seconds later, bukayo saka _ ending. odegaard. mere seconds later, bukayo saka made - ending. odegaard. mere seconds later, bukayo saka made it - ending. odegaard. mere seconds later, bukayo saka made it 3-3. | ending. odegaard. mere seconds| later, bukayo saka made it 3-3. a later, bukayo saka made it 3—3. a thrilling draw, though, that helped

neither side, as arsenal's title dream is looking shaky, with manchester city up next. natalie pirks, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. darren? we will have a look at the forecast for the marathon in a moment but the weather is certainly changing and over the next few days, the weather will be turning more unsettled so there will be more rain in more parts of the country and temperatures are going to be dropping everywhere as well. a significant change this weekend is going to be in northern ireland and scotland, where we have seen some more warm sunshine today. temperatures have been 17, even 19 again in highland scotland. but look what happens by sunday, a significant drop in temperatures as we get some northerly wind. before then, though, a bit of rain heading its way over night into northern ireland and southern scotland. still affecting parts of northern england. either side of that, we should be dry with clearer skies and a touch of frost in some parts of scotland and italy start tomorrow for

southern england and wales, maybe early mist and fog patches as well. the rain is really slowing down and affecting northern ireland, so a big change in the weather. some rain for southern scotland and showers may be developing across england and wales and something a bit wetter in the south—west of england. to the north of the band of rain, some sunshine away from low cloud in north—east scotland. temperatures could reach 16 perhaps in the sunshine but otherwise, temperatures evening out at about 11—14. this is the forecast for the marathon, not great, it will be cool but it looks like we have got some rain, particularly in the morning. this could be one of the wettest parts of the country on sunday. rain developing in the south—east, pushing into east anglia. elsewhere, we will find a bit of sunshine but not a lot. some showers which could be turning a bit wintry over the mountain tops in scotland. a really strong wind is picking up in northern scotland, dropping the temperatures. still could make 13 or 14 across southern england and wales.