of the route could be axed. the liberal democrats' annual conference is under way in bournemouth. the party will launch its policy agenda ahead of the next general election. the lib dems are the fourth largest party in the uk parliament, and are looking to build on recent successes in by—elections in traditionally conservative areas. our political correspondent, helen catt, is in bournemouth and told us what to expect from the conference. this conference is being seen as a really crucial one by liberal democrat insiders. it's potentially the last time that they will meet before a general election and the liberal democrat conference has a particularformal role within the party in that policy is made here. so what is voted on, what is passed this weekend

will then go on to form the basis of the pitch, the offer they make to voters at the next general election. so, the liberal democrats are currently the fourth largest party in the uk parliament. they have, though, in the past, held the balance of power and that adds i think, an extra interest to what we hear coming from them this weekend. so, what are we likely to hear in terms of policy? well, we're expecting that they will be putting forward new policies on housing, on sewage, in waterways. that's been a huge issue for them in recent years. but primarily, we're expecting to hear an awful lot on health policy. and in fact, the first thing that they chose to announce out of this conference was a policy to give free personal care. so things like help with taking medication or helping people to wash or dress where needed to everyone, they say, who needs it in england. and they are saying that that would cost £5 billion a year. they reckon that they can save £3 billion a year in the nhs and the cost of accommodating some people in care homes. they say it will be fully funded,

but we won't find out for a while longer how they plan to fill that other £2 billion. there is another extra reason why this particular conference will be important for the liberal democrats themselves, and that is that they haven't actually been able to have this sort of in—person autumn gathering forfouryears, partly because of covid. that's in the first couple of years. last year, the conference was cancelled out of respect after the queen died. so they haven't actually been able to to meet and have those discussions, the sort of policy discussions, the to and fro that you get at conference for four years. and the party was quite different then. if you think back four years, the leader was thenjo swinson, who went on to lose her seat at the general election, and the party, its identity was really almost entirely defined by its stance on brexit, trying to stop brexit. this time the current leader, sir ed davey, has said that rejoining the eu is currently off the table. the party is still very pro—eu,

it wants a closer relationship but actually rejoining it says, for now, is off the table. so it's quite a different place that they find themselves in. and we'll be watching very closely to see what comes out of this conference for what is going to be their pitch to voters at the next general election. that is our political correspondent at the. earlier this week, prime minister rishi sunak rowed back on some of his government's key environmental pledges. he annouced that a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars would be delayed until 2035, instead of 2030. the scrapping of gas boilers, to be replaced by heat pumps but the prime minister says he did remain committed to reaching net zero by 2050. the prime minister said this would help with the cost of living. but how will it play out with voters? a new report out by activist environmental group greenpeace says the new policies will put conservatives in danger of losing seats in key battleground constituencies.

with me in the studio is georgia whitaker, climate campaigner at greenpeace uk. thank you forjoining us. in terms of your study, it is interesting, because where did you sort of come up because where did you sort of come up with the formula, and how did you survey people? tell up with the formula, and how did you survey maple?— up with the formula, and how did you survey purple?— survey people? tell is about the background- _ survey people? tell is about the background. we _ survey people? tell is about the background. we survey - survey people? tell is about the background. we survey is - survey people? tell is about the l background. we survey is 20,000 people, constituency by constituency, so this is really in—depth, and we wanted to get an impression of really how people are going to put in the next general election based on the climate specifically, because we keep hearing from tory mps that you can't go ahead with net zero because they don't have the public�*s backing, but our findings to mistreated the opposite. we found that 70% of people will be going to the polls in the next general election thinking about climate is an important issue at the ballot box. —— ourfindings found the opposite. but at the ballot box. -- our findings found the opposite.— at the ballot box. -- our findings found the opposite. but they want to no ahead in found the opposite. but they want to go ahead in 2050 _ found the opposite. but they want to go ahead in 2050 would _ found the opposite. but they want to go ahead in 2050 would net - found the opposite. but they want to go ahead in 2050 would net zero - go ahead in 2050 would net zero though. but go ahead in 2050 would net zero thou~h. �* ., ,, . . though. but we looked at specific olicies though. but we looked at specific policies they _ though. but we looked at specific policies they want _ though. but we looked at specific policies they want to _ though. but we looked at specific policies they want to roll - though. but we looked at specific policies they want to roll back - though. but we looked at specific| policies they want to roll back on, and one you didn't mention as insulation, so insulation mentored

landlords were no longer be obligated to interlace people's homes. that came out as our most popular policy, with 86% of people really supporting insulation measures, and it is unsurprising, because speaking of the cost of living, a well insulated, properly insulated home with energy saving measures will save you money on bills. ., measures will save you money on bills. . , . ., , ., bills. their argument is the cost of livin: is a bills. their argument is the cost of living is a serious _ bills. their argument is the cost of living is a serious problem - bills. their argument is the cost of living is a serious problem to - living is a serious problem to households across the country, and people are really struggling with higher prices, higher energy bills, and so, in the medium term, there has some really perhaps that they won't have to fork out money for higher bills. won't have to fork out money for higher bills-— won't have to fork out money for higher bills. renewable energy is chea er higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than _ higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than oil _ higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than oil and _ higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than oil and gas. - higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than oil and gas. in - higher bills. renewable energy is cheaper than oil and gas. in the i cheaper than oil and gas. in the immediate _ cheaper than oil and gas. in the immediate time, _ cheaper than oil and gas. in the immediate time, with _ cheaper than oil and gas. in the immediate time, with replacing| cheaper than oil and gas. in the - immediate time, with replacing gas boilers, it is when that insulation happens that it is cheaper. {line happens that it is cheaper. one thin the happens that it is cheaper. que: thing the government happens that it is cheaper. iez thing the government did happens that it is cheaper. i2 thing the government did do is make sure there's more money for heat pumps which is a good thing. at heat pumps which is a good thing. at heat pumps were incredibly popular in the survey, so i do like rishi sunak as may be putting words in people's

mouse, and reason we have laws this is actually because now, we are launching a huge campaign to speak to people across the country, because you know people are concerned about the climate, and they want to see these measures put in place, better public transport or example as well, so what we are going to be doing is doorknocking all over the uk and making sure the people's voices are heard, such as political parties put forward a really ambitious agenda. after soon act's speech, he is absolutely tanked in the polls, so you could have demonstrated at an all—time roll. —— after rishi sunak�*s speech. we have spoken to businesses here at the bbc talking about relief, not having to fork out money to invest in the infrastructure to adapt to these policies, and they are not actually cancelling certain policies, butjust knocking them back, and kicking the can down the road. �* , ., back, and kicking the can down the road. �* i. ., back, and kicking the can down the road. �* , road. but you also get companies like ford and _ road. but you also get companies like ford and most _ road. but you also get companies like ford and most of _ road. but you also get companies like ford and most of the - road. but you also get companies like ford and most of the car - like ford and most of the car industry being frustrated about this, because this is notjust about net zero legal targets, although thatis net zero legal targets, although that is important, this is about as being a world leading leader on

climate and economy as well, think about all of those jobs and that investment, and the money we can save the proper measures. for example, we did a study that shows that again, proper energy efficiency measures could save the government £7 billion every year and create hundreds of thousands ofjobs. thea;r hundreds of thousands of “obs. they are still committed h hundreds of thousands of “obs. they are still committed to _ hundreds of thousands ofjobs. they are still committed to net zero by 2050, so... are still committed to net zero by 2050, so. - -_ 2050, so... rishi sunak is not foolin: 2050, so... rishi sunak is not fooling anyone. _ 2050, so... rishi sunak is not fooling anyone. if— 2050, so... rishi sunak is not fooling anyone. if you - 2050, so... rishi sunak is not fooling anyone. if you brought 2050, so... rishi sunak is not - fooling anyone. if you brought back on major transport measures, and transport is our biggest emitter, as well as energy efficiency, home heating, which is a fifth of our emissions, that is a big deal. you can't have your cake and eat it, it is one of the other. it is time for ramping up. is one of the other. it is time for ramping urn-— is one of the other. it is time for ramping up. is one of the other. it is time for ram-inau-. ., ., , ., , ramping up. cheating households will really prioritise _ ramping up. cheating households will really prioritise that, _ ramping up. cheating households will really prioritise that, when _ ramping up. cheating households will really prioritise that, when they - really prioritise that, when they can't afford to do their shopping and be their children? —— do you think households? haste and be their children? -- do you think households?— and be their children? -- do you think households? we have a windfall tax, but think households? we have a windfall tax. but there — think households? we have a windfall tax, but there is _ think households? we have a windfall tax, but there is a _ think households? we have a windfall tax, but there is a huge _ think households? we have a windfall tax, but there is a huge loophole - tax, but there is a huge loophole and if that means that major oil and gas companies don't necessarily need to pay their taxes if they invest in the north sea, so we want a proper windfall tax that will make sure...

what is the loophole? the loophole basically means _ what is the loophole? the loophole basically means that _ what is the loophole? the loophole basically means that if _ what is the loophole? the loophole basically means that if you're - basically means that if you're investing in the north sea, for example, you don't need to necessarily pay as many taxes, and also for oil and gas, remember we don't have nationalised oil and energy, so it doesn't go to bill payers to help us out either. thank ou for payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining _ payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining us, _ payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining us, we _ payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining us, we will - payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining us, we will have - payers to help us out either. thank you forjoining us, we will have to l you forjoining us, we will have to have you again. a veteran us senator has temporarily stepped down as head of the chamber�*s powerful foreign relations committee after being indicted on bribery charges. justice department prosecutors allege robert menendez and his wife accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for aid to egypt's government. federal agents say they found cash, a luxury car and $100,000 worth of gold bars at mr menendez�*s home. the couple have denied the charges. all five defendants in the case — including mr menendez and his wife — are expected to appear in court on wednesday. 0ur correspondent, nada tawfik, has more. with these charges, senator bob menendez is now no

longer the head of the senate foreign relations committee. of course, he has been here before. six years ago, he was also forced to resign because of a separate bribery case. in that one, a jury was deadlocked and he was eventually acquitted. what we have here today, though, is a separate bribery case involving three newjersey businessmen. apparently, these are men that were his friends that were big fundraisers for him. and he tried to not only enrich one of them, but to shield two others from law enforcement prosecutions and investigations. prosecutors in new york also allege that he tried to help the egyptian government by, in part, passing on sensitive information to their officials. now, of course, senator menendez has come out and said that these are baseless allegations. he intends to fight them. he will continue for now in his senate seat. prosecutors say that the fbi found gold bars, envelopes full of cash

in his suitjackets when they searched his home. and those envelopes of cash had the fingerprints of one of the newjersey businessmen. no doubt, throughout the coming weeks, perhaps months, democrats will want to know what else comes to light. but bob menendez faces re—election next year. and this is a critical year for democrats as they face already a narrow majority in the senate and cannot afford to lose any seats. that was our reporter in the us. urgent action is needed to help vulnerable energy customers in the uk as winter approaches, according to a group of mps. the energy security and net zero committee, made up of members from across political parties, says any announcement of support from the government is long overdue. the group has made a number of recommendations to help those who might struggle as the weather gets colder, as our business

reporter, noor nanji, explains. last winter was hard for many households, with soaring energy bills eating into budgets. this new report from a cross—party committee of mps warns that this winter could be even worse, with bills predicted to stay high, wider cost of living pressures and accumulated energy debt. it adds an announcement of support from the government is long overdue. clearly, the government did step up to the plate last year, but we want to make sure that the energy companies and consumer groups are looking looking out for vulnerable consumers. i think the first thing is the government needs to give some sort of surety to vulnerable households, what support there's going to be. the report makes some specific recommendations, including ensuring all households who missed out on the energy bills support scheme last winter receive their payment immediately, extending the warm homes discount, considering implementing a form of social tariff, working to replace the current unfair and regressive standing charge structure, and accelerating the smart meter roll—out.

the mps also urged 0fgem to take steps to ensure that all customers are given more time, attention and support from their energy suppliers. the report follows an inquiry on how government and energy companies can prepare for the winter months. mps has heard that last year, some people were turning to dangerous coping mechanisms and making other significant sacrifices to heat their homes and how excess winter deaths caused by living in cold, damp homes increased by nearly 50% to more than 4,700. people are needing help that never, ever needed help before. that makes me really worry about this winter. if there are people struggling and it's september and it's quite warm outside, what will it be like in december, injanuary and february when it's really, really cold? the government said the energy price guarantee remains in place to protect people until april next year if energy prices rise above £3,000 a year, and that additional targeted support is available to those most in need.

industry body energy uk says suppliers have increased the support they provide and have invested to expand their customer service teams. and 0fgem said it has shown it will take action when suppliers are not supporting those who are struggling. it said it would continue to keep standing charges under review. former prime minister boris johnson has warned the uk government against scaling back the hs2 rail line, amid speculation part of the route could be scrapped. it's as dozens of company bosses and business groups in england have signed a letter urging current prime minister rishi sunak to re—commit to the high—speed railway. construction of parts of the link are already well under way, but firms including the manchester airports group and virgin money expressed "deep concern" about the project. there has been speculation costs are "out of control". but the government says its focus "remains on delivering it."

0ur transport correspondent, katy austin, has more. it's europe's biggest infrastructure project and a mammoth engineering job. hs2 is meant to cutjourney times and make more space on the rail network, but the project has long faced delays and cuts, and cost increases, with high inflation now adding to the challenge. construction is well underway on the first part between west london and birmingham, with the first services due to run by 2033. a london terminus at euston is meant to come later, although work on that has been paused. beyond birmingham, the line would extend to crewe. back in the spring, construction on that was delayed for two years to spread out spending. it should then reach manchester. plans for an eastern leg to leeds were scaled back two years ago to only go as far as the east midlands. but recently, the prime minister, rishi sunak, and chancellorjeremy hunt have not been willing to say they are committed to hs2 being built to manchester, casting fresh doubts over the project's future.

labour's shadow chancellor, rachel reeves, has also refused to commit. now, dozens of business leaders and groups have put their names to a letter calling for clarification and renewed commitment. it expresses deep concern about constant uncertainty over hs2's delivery and says repeated mixed signals on hs2 and its related northern powerhouse rail scheme are damaging the uk's reputation as a place to do business. the business community in the north of england and the business community in london and across the wider country have been promised by the government on many, many occasions, including by the current prime minister when he was chancellor, that they would deliver this hs2 network for the whole country and northern powerhouse rail connected to it. if that's taken away, then we will see investment being deterred. we will see international investors put off coming to the uk. on thursday, the chancellor insisted no decisions had been made.

but as the journey towards finishing the first part of hs2 continues, its final destination once again seems unclear. katy austin, bbc news. thousands of workers in america's car industry have gone on strike, potentially raising prices and disrupting an industry that makes up about 3% of the entire us economy. the united auto workers union said strikes are expanding against detroit auto—makers general motors and stellantis, but not ford. the uaw wants pay rises and an end to a system allowing newer hires to be paid less, among other demands. the autoworkers' union is now striking against 38 more plants across the us. it represents more than 140,000 workers at the big three detroit automakers. in total, there are now 18,300 auto employees on strike. it's as presidentjoe biden announced that he'lljoin workers on the picket line on tuesday, saying "it's time for "a win—win agreement".

donald trump is also planning a trip to detroit to visit striking employees on wednesday, instead of taking part in the second republican presidential debate. the boss of general motors said the union's initial demands amounted to $100 billion in costs. meanwhile, ford's boss said they would drive his firm to bankruptcy. caroline luce is project director at the ucla institute for research on labor and employment and she told us about the history of this type of dispute. american workers have been under the gun for many months now. i think coming out of the covid pandemic, a lot of people experienced a mistreatment and disregard for their health and well—being on their workplaces. this summer, we've seen 275,000 american workers out on strike. i'm here in los angeles where we have hotel workers out on strike.

city workers were out on strike. of course, the writers and actors have been out for many, many weeks now. so it's a hot labor summer, as we like to say. the car companies are reacting in much the same way most employers do, which is to say they can't afford it, even though they've been posting record profits for years now. one of the things that's really exciting for me as a historian to see about the way the workers are framing their strike is they're really recalling the history of their union, pointing to the sit—down strikes in 1937, which were really the sort of birth of the united auto workers as we know it, and which inspired something like 11,700 other strikes across the country in the wake of their success. so to me, the idea that they're calling this a stand—up strike, trying to forge a new model for what it means to shut an industry down and have these kind of rolling picket lines that are moving from plant to plant rather than everyone going all out at once is a really exciting opportunity to to reignite union that for many years was not investing in organising. shawn fain�*s

election as part of a reform caucus came after years of corruption within the uaw. so it's really exciting to see this new zeal and zest and militancy coming from a union that had been relatively defunct for a while. a british couple who gave up everything to spend more than six years voyaging around the world are returning back home. amy cartwright and matt humphreys used all their savings to buy a 30—year—old yacht after matt was made redundant, giving them a dream trip with just a few nightmare moments along the way. duncan kennedy went to meet them. two people, six years, one world. the adventure of several lifetimes. amy cartwright and matt humphreys — partners for an epic voyage across the globe.

today, we are going to see florence. it all began in 2015, when matt lost hisjob but found a dream. they bought a 30—year—old yacht called florence. both had sailed inshore before, but they decided to go a little further. amy didn't take very much persuading. i thought about it for about two seconds. the first major leg was the atlantic, and almost immediate disaster. last night we broke the boom, which is pretty major. they limped to safety, their yacht, but not their spirit broken. sailing didn't always mean skimping. christmas, one of many celebrations en route — their diet ranging from festive chickens to flying fish. look at this whopper!

and a whole new range of skills to master. just what was the scariest moment in this whole voyage? i think for me, when we were sailing along the coast of colombia. when looking back at these waves that were so big behind the boat that i knew they could roll us if we just got the boat wrong sideways across the wave, i think that, for me, was the scariest point of the whole trip. the battering of the waves meant an endless battle of maintenance, both at sea and on land, all to keep florence going. their route was not about speed, but depth. they wanted to see the world, notjust sail past it. it was meant to take about three years. it ended up double that. they didn't want to miss anything, absorbing cultures, places, and people they fell hard for and found sad to leave.

don't cry. maybe we'll come back one day. for other places, it was impossible to arrive. well, that's a first for us. we've just been kicked out of the port subang in banda aceh, indonesia. customs officials refused them entry because of covid. what a mess. leaving them at one point stranded on this desert island. you are a couple, but there must have been tensions along the way, perhaps. many, many tense moments. and i think we we both had to to work out to to learn how to to deal with those. there's only two doors on florence, so if you slam either of them, you end up in a very small space and realize that it's probably a good idea to make up with the other person pretty quickly. their longest stretch at sea was 33 days and there were times it was overwhelming. yeah, last night, ijust wanted to give up. they helped fund it all by posting videos on social media. the wilder the trips, the more the clicks.

did you learn anything about yourselves in this epic voyage? yeah, it's been really, really good for us both to live... it's a very simple life on a boat, and i think that's been one of the best things. yeah. if you're prepared to abandon everything else and put everything into going for that dream, it's unbelievable what is actually possible. a dream that, for now, ends with their arrival today in portsmouth. an oceanic odyssey for a couple taken by the seas. duncan kennedy, bbc news. bernard jordan was the former royal navy officer who made global headlines in 2014, when he snuck out of his care home to attend d—day commemorations in france. now, his story has been turned into a film, with sir michael caine in the lead role. leanne rinnie went to meet him.

where is he? he's disappeared off the face of the earth. he's in france. at 90? well, he has done it before, only then, of course, they were shooting at him. it's a true story of courage and determination that shocked and inspired the world. bernard jordan escaped from his care home in hove to join the 70th anniversary of the d—day landings in france in 2014, and now, nearly a decade later, actor sir michael caine is bringing bernard's great escape to the big screen. i am an ex—soldier, first of all. but i was in the army, in the national service, and i was sent to korea, so i know what the second world war was like, because it was exactly the same. we were in trenches opposite the koreans and chinese in a valley, and so i understood the way he felt,

because ijust happened to be an ex—soldier, and like him, i was 90. and also, speaking from a professional actor's point of view, you don't get many leading roles at 90. sadly, bernard jordan died the year after his famous french adventure at the age of 90, but in one of his last interviews, he told us how he pulled off his one—man mission. with a bit of deception. what did they say when you got back? they said, "don't make a habit of this." i said, "i'm not the sort of chap to do that, now." honours the glorious dead. what a waste. the great escaper is in cinemas on the 6th of october. leanne rinnie, bbc news.

now, here's the weather with louise lear. hello. 0ur weekend is certainly shaping up to be a tale of two halves. we've had some beautiful sunrise pictures this morning. there's some lovely sunshine out there. take, for example, earlier on, north ayrshire, but this is one of the areas where we could see a really different story tomorrow, increasingly wet and windy. so get out and enjoy the sunshine if you can. the morning cloud and a few scattered showers easing away across northeast england. sunny spells elsewhere. yes, it will cloud over from the southwest, with rain into northern ireland by the end of the afternoon. but temperatures will peak between 12 and 18 degrees and the winds will be light. but the change comes from out in the atlantic. the remnants of what was ex—hurricane nigel is going to intensify an area of low pressure. not unusual at this time of year, just adds a little bit more energy into the atmosphere. and that means it's going to turn increasingly wet and windy for the second half of the weekend. and we'll start to see the signs

of that as we close out saturday. some rain pushing in from the west and that is going to act like a blanket of cloud, so it isn't going to be as chilly as start. so it isn't going to be as chilly a start. in fact, widespread double digits for many first thing on sunday morning. now, the rain to begin with could be quite light and patchy, but it will intensify as we go through the day. a conveyor belt of wetter weather driven in by the strong to gale force winds from a southerly direction. not all of us will see the rain. central and southeastern areas may stay dry with some sunshine and more warmth for sunday. but again, a windy day. so, the rain really turning quite heavy as it pushes its way out of north wales into north west england and northern ireland. temperatures all a degree or so higher in comparison to today, perhaps peaking at 21 degrees. but the rain will be accompanied by 50, 60 mile an hour gusts of winds. and we close out the day on sunday, heavier bursts into northern ireland

and in particular into western scotland. areas we've already seen significant rainfall so far this month. so, there is a possibility that we could see some localised flooding. that front will ease away, and then monday — a slightly quieter day. not for long though. more wet weather is expected to push in from the west. so our week ahead, once we've got monday out of the way, looks likely to be showers or longer spells of rain and still windy at times.

live from london. this is bbc news. us media reports say washington has agreed to send long—range missiles to kyiv — as canada promises hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid. a study finds people living with long covid after leaving hospital are more likely to show damage to major organs. and — italy's plan to criminalise surrogacy abroad— in new measures aimed at same sex couples. hello. the us plans to give ukraine advanced long—range missiles to help

with its ongoing counter offensive against russia, according to reports in the american media. they quote us officials familiar with the issue as saying ukraine will get some atacms missiles — similar to the ones we're seeing here — with a range of up to 190 miles. that would allow kyiv to hit russian targets deep behind the front line. neither the us nor ukraine have officially confirmed the media reports. it comes as the ukrainian military claims — it struck the headquarters of russia's black sea naval fleet in occupied crimea — with storm shadow cruise missiles, supplied by britain and france. the building in sevastopol appears to have been hit by at least two missiles, causing extensive damage. black smoke was still rising from sevastopol hours after the attack. ukraine has claimed that dozens of russian military personnel , of russian military personnel, including senior commanders, were killed or injured the attack. this has not been independently confirmed. russia has said only that one serviceman is missing.

samir puri is a lecturer in war studies at king's college london.