girls killed in a knife attack at a dance class in southport last month. alice is being laid to rest at st patrick's catholic church in southport. the killing sparked disorder across the uk. the final event of the paris olympics has just ended, with the united states claiming a historic eighth straight gold in the women's basketball final against france. the closing ceremony of the games will take place at the stade de france in a few hours�* time. now it is newscast. hello. throughout the summer newscast is devoting sundaes to long chats with interesting people. in this episode, we are speaking to lord bird, john bird who, in 1991 setup the big issue magazine which are still being sold by the thousand

by homeless people in the streets of the uk. in 2015, he was made a people's payer. in other words he was selected by committee from amongst the great and good to get a seatin amongst the great and good to get a seat in the house of lords where he sits on a nonaligned manner. he is interested in lots of things but his passion is changing the structures of government to fight better. against poverty. so you will hear a lot of that and a lot more in this interview with lord bird. he is wearing his sunglasses because he did not have his glasses and the only prescription glasses he had left where his sunglasses. and also, it was quite a sunny day when we were chatting so that is why he looks a little bit kind of mafioso in this interview. lord bird, hello. how do you feel about being called lord, first of all? i have no problem with it because it,

surprisingly, the politicalfield that i had to work in, if i was just jon boat then people would not kind of talk to you. find jon boat then people would not kind of talk to vow— jon boat then people would not kind of talk to you. and even though most eo - le of talk to you. and even though most peeple have — of talk to you. and even though most people have reservations _ of talk to you. and even though most people have reservations about - of talk to you. and even though most people have reservations about the i people have reservations about the house of lords, they know that there are certain people in the house of lords were quite useful socially. how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean — how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean going — how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean going out _ how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean going out to _ how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean going out to parties. - how do you mean, socially? sorry. i don't mean going out to parties. in | don't mean going out to parties. in the establishment? quite - don't mean going out to parties. in the establishment? quite useful, l the establishment? quite useful, sociall , the establishment? quite useful, socially. in _ the establishment? quite useful, socially, in the _ the establishment? quite useful, socially, in the sense _ the establishment? quite useful, socially, in the sense of- the establishment? quite useful, socially, in the sense of their - socially, in the sense of their socially, in the sense of their social impact. what they are doing. social needs of the country. you are uuite a social needs of the country. you are quite a battering _ social needs of the country. you are quite a battering in _ social needs of the country. you are quite a battering in the _ social needs of the country. you are quite a battering in the house - social needs of the country. you are quite a battering in the house of- quite a battering in the house of lords now, haven't you? i quite a battering in the house of lords now, haven't you?- quite a battering in the house of lords now, haven't you? i have been there eight — lords now, haven't you? i have been there eight years. _ lords now, haven't you? i have been there eight years. there's _ lords now, haven't you? i have been there eight years. there's been - lords now, haven't you? i have been there eight years. there's been a - there eight years. there's been a lot of new _ there eight years. there's been a lot of new ones _ there eight years. there's been a lot of new ones recently. - there eight years. there's been a lot of new ones recently. there l lot of new ones recently. there have. lot of new ones recently. there have- most _ lot of new ones recently. there have. most of— lot of new ones recently. there have. most of them _ lot of new ones recently. there have. most of them are - lot of new ones recently. there - have. most of them are appointed, so they go through a process of being selected by their political masters of various political parties. but the crossbenchers, which i am, which

was set up by tony blair, as people's peers, that is the idea behind it. has put in some very, very interesting people. and i would say, that the crossbenchers are packed full of doctors, vets, social activists, people who run housing associations and all those sorts of things. people who work in music, as education, so if. sorry. if mr starmer is going to take a scissor and paste to the house of lords i think you should do it more on the basis of whether people are useful or not. and activist, rather than their age. or not. and activist, rather than theirage. because or not. and activist, rather than their age. because the problem is, i mean, i am 79.78. their age. because the problem is, i mean, iam 79.78. on their age. because the problem is, i mean, i am 79.78. onthe problem is, is taking me forever to build a kind of understanding of the area i

work in, which is poverty. and it has taken me a long time to kind of get act together and i'm just kind of getting there and then there's this damocles in sword hanging over me that when i get to 801 this damocles in sword hanging over me that when i get to 80 i will have to stop and suddenly become ineffective and useless. there are two thin . s ineffective and useless. there are two things there, _ ineffective and useless. there are two things there, though. - ineffective and useless. there are two things there, though. first i ineffective and useless. there are two things there, though. first of| two things there, though. first of all, labour haven't actually introduced this retirement age for the lords yet. it was not in the king's speech was that the only reform to the lord that was in the king's speech was abolishing hereditary peers so that people inherit their titles, about 90 people. and then the actual policy is not when you turn 80 blow out the candles on the cake and you can leave the house of lords. it is the end of the parliament in which you turn 80, you have to leave. the year are the parliament. _ turn 80, you have to leave. the year are the parliament. no, _ turn 80, you have to leave. the year are the parliament. no, i _ turn 80, you have to leave. the year are the parliament. no, i thought. turn 80, you have to leave. the year are the parliament. no, i thought it| are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? — are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? i— are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? i have _ are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? i have heard _ are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? i have heard this - are the parliament. no, i thought it was term? i have heard this from . was term? i have heard this from eo - le. was term? i have heard this from peeple- at _ was term? i have heard this from peeple- at the — was term? i have heard this from people. at the end _ was term? i have heard this from people. at the end of _ was term? i have heard this from people. at the end of the - was term? i have heard this from people. at the end of the year, i people. at the end of the year, because every year you have the

opening of parliament so whatever year you turn. because that would mean that you could turn 80 in one year and you would be thrown out the door at 85. what i don't like about it is the kind of. the kind of asinine thinking around the idea that age suddenly, you know, means that age suddenly, you know, means that you are, you know, blocking the way for somebody else. virtually all of the piers that i have spoken to our labour peers who are kind of saying, well, this is a very crude way. it is a hammer to crack a nut. the thinking is, i don't like the thinking. i get, you know, it is like. it is the thinking that means that you generalise about something. and what are we doing at the moment? i mean, what has happened down at southport is the fact that a number of people are generalised about the

deaths of those children, those tragic deaths of those children. so it is a generalisation. it is not based on a thorough investigation and whether it has been investigated. to and whether it has been investigated.— and whether it has been investiuated. ., ., , investigated. to stick to the lords, i think investigated. to stick to the lords, i think what — investigated. to stick to the lords, i think what labour _ investigated. to stick to the lords, i think what labour would - investigated. to stick to the lords, i think what labour would say - investigated. to stick to the lords, i think what labour would say is . i think what labour would say is that they are not being age as they are just that they are not being age as they arejust thinking, right, the chamber is too big. it is the second largest in the world after china. there is not even room for your travel offices and places to sit so actually, if you can a metric by which you can slim the chamber down, then they just alighted which you can slim the chamber down, then theyjust alighted on age. rather than it being picking on the old. ~ , ., ., ~ , old. why not on height, then? why are we to say _ old. why not on height, then? why are we to say hi — old. why not on height, then? why are we to say hi to _ old. why not on height, then? why are we to say hi to a _ old. why not on height, then? why are we to say hi to a colour - old. why not on height, then? why are we to say hi to a colour your. are we to say hi to a colour your eyes or how much grey hair you have got? if they are just taking a thing. the ridiculous thing is, and why not do, and i suggested this to be a four years ago, i said, i don't really care how people ended up in the house. i'm not going to get involved in that argument. whether they are hereditary or whether

they've sat on somebody�*s lap and some political, you know comments on political sort of way, some political sort of way, some political lap. i'm not going to get upset about that. i'm going to what are you going to do when you're there? so why not whittle down the people who have a peer ship or, you know, hold the title but do nothing with it. you don't appear. use it for their television programmes or use it for something else or use it to get into the best west end restaurants. those are the people we need to cleanse.— need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure — need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure it _ need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure it starmer? _ need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure it starmer? i _ need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure it starmer? i have - need to cleanse. have you made this case to cure it starmer? i have not . case to cure it starmer? i have not made any — case to cure it starmer? i have not made any case _ case to cure it starmer? i have not made any case to _ case to cure it starmer? i have not made any case to cure _ case to cure it starmer? i have not made any case to cure starmer- made any case to cure starmer because, at the moment, i think i might be slightly an annoyance to them because i was quite upset about the fact that there were seven people newly in the party of power who have been kind of ostracised because they could not bring themselves to vote

the fact that the two child system, to me. ., , , | the fact that the two child system, | to me— i have to me. the limit on benefits. i have not a to me. the limit on benefits. i have got a personal— to me. the limit on benefits. i have got a personal interest _ to me. the limit on benefits. i have got a personal interest in _ to me. the limit on benefits. i have got a personal interest in this. - to me. the limit on benefits. i have got a personal interest in this. i - got a personal interest in this. i come from a london irish family of six children. six boys. my mother and father, not very good at counting the money, etc, and looking after it. the thing about them, the thing about it is, you know, if my mum only had one or two children, they would had a much better life. but why would we take this and pass that as a punishment over to the third child of the fourth child. i would love people to have families that they could really invest their time and their efforts into and, though, big families do bring big problems. so i am not. i'm not. to

generalise from my own experience, i'm going to say, let's support to parents because the best thing that we can do in this world is look after children of the disenfranchised. the people who inhabit poverty and when you cut back on the amount of support you give them, you encourage the extension of poverty way into the later realms of their lives. we will talk about your _ later realms of their lives. we will talk about your blueprint - later realms of their lives. we will talk about your blueprint for - talk about your blueprint for solving this massive, massive problem budgeted to pick up on the two child think that by the people would say, it is not a punishment on the third orfourth would say, it is not a punishment on the third or fourth or fifth child or even the parents, it isjust the third or fourth or fifth child or even the parents, it is just to help people make better choices and also, the same choices that not on benefits have to do when they decided they afford to have another child. it is not a sort of victorian off to the workhouse with you thing. i believe that there was a kind of

malice intended, or is not intended, it arrived as malice. i think the problem is that people don't realise. and i realised it because i grew up in poverty. that is why i had spent virtually the whole of my life, certainly into my adulthood, trying to destroy poverty. trying get rid of it and not simply make the poor a little bit more comfortable which is what most people are involved in. and i can tell you that there is. i would love to use the time mind but i went. but poverty is, it really undermines your ability to do many, many things. there are some people, just been speaking to a friend of mine who is part of the windrush generation who came over, he was in an orphanage like myself as a child, lived in poverty, lived in the slums of notting hill, made his way. bier?

of notting hill, made his way. very like ou, of notting hill, made his way. very like you. then? _ of notting hill, made his way. very like you, then? but _ of notting hill, made his way. very like you, then? but he _ of notting hill, made his way. very like you, then? but he made - of notting hill, made his way. very like you, then? but he made his. of notting hill, made his way. very. like you, then? but he made his way into wealth — like you, then? but he made his way into wealth and, _ like you, then? but he made his way into wealth and, you _ like you, then? but he made his way into wealth and, you know, - like you, then? but he made his way into wealth and, you know, did - like you, then? but he made his way into wealth and, you know, did not. into wealth and, you know, did not go into the political and social fields but he is a person who demonstrates that poverty is not always the deathknell that you think it is. and there are people who can survive it. there are people, and unfortunately my mother was like this and my father was like this, in a sense they lived outside of democracy. they never voted. they have had a passport, they never had a phone. they never had a car and they werejust, almost a phone. they never had a car and they were just, almost internal refugees. and i think we have to recognise that poverty is a mind—f and i hope i am allowed to say that. and that is why we need to dismantle poverty. that is why we need to break the inheritance of property and that is why the big bucks need to be spent because, if you don't,

you will be spending £100,000 a year, often come on people who are caught in the miasma of poverty. when you talk about your parents living outside democracy, because they did not kind of sign up to all those things that kind of citizens do, how many people are still like that now, do you reckon? a million, they do say that there is about 13 million people. these are not my fax. they are not my figures. but i don't know because they always seem to change that some people say it is more but about 13 million caught in the debris of poverty. and i would say that a sizeable amount of those people will not be practising their democratic rights. will not be doing all of the things that you associate with democracy, about choice. you know, they won't be going on holidays that we choose so, you know, democracy is about choice. it

is about be able to choices. and we've just made, is about be able to choices. and we'vejust made, have is about be able to choices. and we've just made, have we not? is about be able to choices. and we'vejust made, have we not? the country, i can't vote. along with what they called the mentally ill people, mentally ill and people in prison so the house of lords, they must have something right there, anyway. but the point is, that we have made a big decision to change the government and that involves the actions and the lives of everybody and i would think that there is a lot of poor people that i have known who did not even register the fact that, really, they should have been using the right to vote. i’m using the right to vote. i'm guessing — using the right to vote. i'm guessing you _ using the right to vote. i'm guessing you would have voted labour, if you could. he guessing you would have voted labour, if you could.— labour, if you could. i've never voted anybody _ labour, if you could. i've never voted anybody else. _ labour, if you could. i've never voted anybody else. but - labour, if you could. i've never voted anybody else. but i - labour, if you could. i've never voted anybody else. but i have| labour, if you could. i've never. voted anybody else. but i have to say that, in the course of my 33 years at the big issue and having a programme to help people get out of

poverty, i have been severely hurt in my work by labour and helped, and i've been severely hurt by conservatives and helped. and hurt. by conservatives and helped. and hurt. by the lib dems, who went into the coalition and kept alive, provided much of the oxygen for the austerity that we should never forget that these people, you know, these lovely lib dems condemned millions of people, through the, you know, the ossification, sorry, the destruction of local democracy and local support, localfinancial of local democracy and local support, local financial support. all these people that participated in it. and i am really, really obsessed with the idea that we don't need to go back to austerity. find obsessed with the idea that we don't need to go back to austerity. and we know what the _ need to go back to austerity. and we know what the arguments _ need to go back to austerity. and we know what the arguments they - need to go back to austerity. and we | know what the arguments they would make if there was a lib dem here.

they were say they're acting in the national interest. the country needed some stability and it was £1 in every four that the government was spending at that point was borrowed and actually, there was a risk to the cost of borrowing going up risk to the cost of borrowing going up and actually from the deficit was very big and there were plenty of economist at the time that is what they had to do. i'm just putting. with the other side. it may be the work of people likejoseph stiglitz and all of that who talk to barry sensibly and then there was that greek guy who used to be. the finance minister. and - greek guy who used to be. the finance minister. and they - greek guy who used to be. the finance minister. and they did | greek guy who used to be. the | finance minister. and they did a greek guy who used to be. the - finance minister. and they did a lot of work on. — finance minister. and they did a lot of work on, austerity _ finance minister. and they did a lot of work on, austerity is _ finance minister. and they did a lot of work on, austerity is a _ finance minister. and they did a lot of work on, austerity is a very, - of work on, austerity is a very, very expensive road to go down and we are now paying for it. and when we are now paying for it. and when we came out of the austerity we had lost on that immediately, manage covid. and what happened with covid.

you had hospitals build up by 85% of hospitals were full. now, that is beyond operational levels. you cannot run a service that does not have more than that amount of leeway. and of course that is exactly what happened. and many of those people who were in hospital, i mean, 50% of people who attend hospitals are suffering from food poverty. these are the figures that the bma are throwing around. 50% of people. cardiac arrest, people who suffer from food poverty so here you have this enormous 40% of government expenditure and we are not addressing it. what we are doing is we'rejust giving addressing it. what we are doing is we're just giving the poor a bit more and we are having a kind of initiative here and an initiative there. i love this covenant to coordinate and to convert and to coalesce and to bring it all together, the poverty busting things that we need to do. find

together, the poverty busting things that we need to do.— together, the poverty busting things that we need to do. and editing your bi idea for that we need to do. and editing your big idea for a — that we need to do. and editing your big idea for a while, _ that we need to do. and editing your big idea for a while, hasn't _ that we need to do. and editing your big idea for a while, hasn't it? - that we need to do. and editing your big idea for a while, hasn't it? a - big idea for a while, hasn't it? a sort of anti—poverty department or ministry with the secretary of state his job is to tackle this problem. you might run by number ten, because if it is run by ten it will be taken seriously. so it would be run out of the mr starmer�*s office. and have you pitched this idea to him as prime minister? you pitched it to a few people a few times.— few people a few times. pitched it hundreds of _ few people a few times. pitched it hundreds of times _ few people a few times. pitched it hundreds of times i _ few people a few times. pitched it hundreds of times i printed - few people a few times. pitched it hundreds of times i printed my . few people a few times. pitched it | hundreds of times i printed my own little manifesto which has been circulated at the moment of a get the chance, i can give you some yourself afterwards. and it is simply kill poverty, not people. and it is about using the incredible ability that we have as human beings to converge our energies when we make up our minds. converge our energies, converge the information and let's create a department of government where we know that all of the answers to poverty, because all

the answers to poverty, because all the answers to poverty, because all the answers are out there. that we don't have to reinvent these things. they just don't have to reinvent these things. theyjust need to be converted together. 50 theyjust need to be converted touether. ., , , ., together. so it would 'ust be an organisational h together. so it would 'ust be an organisational thing _ together. so it would just be an organisational thing rather - together. so it would just be an organisational thing rather than doing different things? weill. organisational thing rather than doing different things? well, first of all, it would _ doing different things? well, first of all, it would be _ doing different things? well, first of all, it would be an _ of all, it would be an organisational thing and then the synapses that join things organisational thing and then the synapses thatjoin things together, you would find, actually, the same way as life happens that way and nature happens that way, you would find you have got a different kind of thing. i mean, it wasn't very long ago we were finding out, where we not? that computers were learning to talk to each other, you know, systems were learning to talk to each other. that is the natural thing. so if you bring all this information together, if you bring all the answers together, then you will find hybrids created. that is what i'm really. find will find hybrids created. that is what i'm really.— will find hybrids created. that is what i'm reall . �* ., , ,, what i'm really. and would be spend the same amount _ what i'm really. and would be spend the same amount of— what i'm really. and would be spend the same amount of money - what i'm really. and would be spend the same amount of money or - what i'm really. and would be spend the same amount of money or do i what i'm really. and would be spend | the same amount of money or do we need to spend more money as a nation? ~ , nation? well, the first thing i think we need _

nation? well, the first thing i think we need to _ nation? well, the first thing i think we need to do - nation? well, the first thing i think we need to do before i nation? well, the first thing i | think we need to do before we nation? well, the first thing i - think we need to do before we do anything is we need to have an order of what works and what work. so we need to audit the social fabric of the country and once we audit, then i would think that the best thing to do is to do a beverage type thing which is to build a plan for the recovery and the prevention of poverty. the recovery of people caught in poverty and the prevention of poverty and learn to turn the tap off, which we are not very good at. there was loads of things we could talk about we talked about food poverty a minute ago. in your ideal world, if this has all happened, the changes are made and we make the right decisions, having done our

audit and you have the right structures in the right amount of money spent, what mean for somebody who is in food poverty now? like, what with their life be like in your ideal world? when it comes to food, for example. ideal world? when it comes to food, for example-— for example. first of all, we have to recognise _ for example. first of all, we have to recognise that _ for example. first of all, we have to recognise that there _ for example. first of all, we have to recognise that there are - for example. first of all, we have to recognise that there are two i to recognise that there are two things we have to do and what we have to do is, the big thing we have got to do, in a sense, is the more entrenched, the more a reinvention of the thinking that governments practice is we need to look out for the generation that is not here yet are the generation beyond that. so we therefore have to concentrate on prevention. the second thing we have to do is we have to realise that people caught in poverty need to be given a means of getting out of it. if you give people social security, if you give them social housing. i mean, one of the great things that i find so difficult about social housing is i never hear people. because it is largely middle—class people who live in property, who run social housing, and they are doing the media great favour by working on this. i don't want to sound as if i'm condemning them all. there is a classist thing there so what you've got is you've got the house and the mortgage, looking at people and

saying, oh, god, we better get. white mergansers to make sure everyone has a house. you make the problem is, in the area, the last figure i saw, only about two or 3% of people who get social housing, does it become a foundation stone for an improvement, for social mobility, social opportunities. very, very few people finish their school level, children. then have it poverty. the don't go to university. so should be get rid of social housing? {iii so should be get rid of social housin: ? .., , so should be get rid of social housin: ? _, , ., so should be get rid of social housing?_ you i so should be get rid of social - housing?_ you just housing? of course not. you 'ust said it was i housing? of course not. you 'ust said it was a fi housing? of course not. you 'ust said it was a bad i housing? of course not. you 'ust said it was a bad thing i housing? of course not. youjust said it was a bad thing question i said it was a bad thing question meghan mackay said it is a beautiful thing but it is wrongly used. be used? it thing but it is wrongly used. be used? , ., , , used? it should be socialised. it should. used? it should be socialised. it should- and _ used? it should be socialised. it should. and i'm _ used? it should be socialised. it should. and i'm addressing - used? it should be socialised. it should. and i'm addressing this| used? it should be socialised. it i should. and i'm addressing this or trying to address this because next year we are going to have a conference which is about socialising social housing and we are going to look at all the examples throughout the world and throughout the uk of where people are to break that terrible situation where people go into social housing

and the warehoused, and their children and their children's children and their children's children are then caught in poverty foot up if you look at it very simple way. very simple way, a vast amount of people. in the region of maybe 70% of people who are in social housing are economically active. so what we have done is created this system, outside of society, because they are not participating in society in the same way. so we are doing that and then we are patting ourselves on the back and saying oh, we provide the most needy but we don't provide an exit strategy for the most needy and that is where, why we need to concentrate on getting people out. i admit i'm trying to. food need. bud on getting people out. i admit i'm trying to. food need.— on getting people out. i admit i'm trying to. food need. and trying to work out what _ trying to. food need. and trying to work out what it _ trying to. food need. and trying to work out what it would _ trying to. food need. and trying to work out what it would mean. - trying to. food need. and trying to work out what it would mean. if i trying to. food need. and trying to | work out what it would mean. if you get a social home from the housing issue, thejob as get a social home from the housing issue, the job as well? because a good job you actually don't need to be in social housing in ten years'

time? , ., ., ., time? first of all, you need to take somebody on _ time? first of all, you need to take somebody on the _ time? first of all, you need to take somebody on the journey _ time? first of all, you need to take somebody on the journey that i time? first of all, you need to take somebody on the journey that gets| somebody on the journey that gets them from doing the unskilled, the jobs of the glass ceiling where you will never get more than £10 an hour or £12 an hour, try to get your own housing, and we have to start educating people and scaling them up so, for instance, when david cameron was. before he was prime minister, him and i would meet and we will talk about giving loads of green jobs that people could do. now, you start off and it is almost an unskilled job. and then you move on and then you give them certificates. use kill theirjob up so come in the end, they are on 30 or a0 or £50 an hour and they can move away from so you get this logical step away from a basicjob which will only condemn you to poverty. and this is one of

the terrible realities. 60% of people who are using universal credit are in work. that is. so what we have got is the government underwriting businesses to employ people and not pay them a living wage or a wage which will allow them to get out of poverty. so is wage or a wage which will allow them to get out of poverty.— to get out of poverty. so is the answer to _ to get out of poverty. so is the answer to increase _ to get out of poverty. so is the answer to increase the - to get out of poverty. so is the answer to increase the living i to get out of poverty. so is the i answer to increase the living wage by quite a lot and just get rid of universal credit? ida. by quite a lot and 'ust get rid of universal credit?— by quite a lot and 'ust get rid of universal credit? no. i mean, first of all, universal credit? no. i mean, first of all. we've _ universal credit? no. i mean, first of all. we've got — universal credit? no. i mean, first of all, we've got to _ universal credit? no. i mean, first of all, we've got to stick _ universal credit? no. i mean, first of all, we've got to stick with i universal credit? no. i mean, first of all, we've got to stick with this | of all, we've got to stick with this system. we don't pull the rug away from people already in poverty. what we do is we look at what works, what doesn't work. we start the rethinking. so therefore we do not invest all of our money and something which isjust invest all of our money and something which is just holding the hand of people in poverty. we need to break the inheritance. band hand of people in poverty. we need to break the inheritance.— to break the inheritance. and that is 'ust to break the inheritance. and that is just some _ to break the inheritance. and that isjust some of — to break the inheritance. and that isjust some of my _ to break the inheritance. and that isjust some of my conversation i to break the inheritance. and that i isjust some of my conversation and is just some of my conversation and you can hear even more bonus material in the podcast version available on bbc sounds that ofjust

search for newscast and will be back with a televisual episode of this podcast right here next saturday. hello there. it's a very warm day today but things are going to get hotter for some of us tomorrow. temperatures today are higher than they were yesterday. afternoon temperatures widely into the mid 20s for england and wales. could be reaching 30 degrees in the south—east of england. overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning things are going to be changing a bit, for these areas there is a risk of heavy rain, thunder, lightning and some large hail as well. further south, it may well stay dry and for this part of the country, particularly hot and humid. our headline temperature is 35 degrees. that could be reached in cambridgeshire tomorrow afternoon. but for this evening we are going to have some sunshine to end the day for most, but there are one or two thundery showers threatening the south—west.

those could drift into wales and the midlands, more especially into scotland. later in the night we get a spell of noisy weather with some very heavy rain, gusty winds and frequent lightning coming into northern ireland and, later, western scotland. these are the minimum temperatures tonight so an uncomfortably warm night for sleeping. the weather soon cheers up in northern ireland. we get some sunshine. thundery rain pushes quickly eastwards tomorrow morning in scotland. it may affect northern england but it does move away in the afternoon. further south it is likely to stay dry and a much lower risk of the odd shower. more in the way of sunshine and across the midlands and eastern england temperatures will be around 30 degrees or more. out towards the west and north temperatures are going to be lower, as we see fresher air coming in following that spell of wet weather. it has been very hot in spain, and that is where the heat has been coming from. you can see, right the way across western europe, it is to be going to turn cooler over the week ahead as we get atlantic winds coming in. they start to arrive

in western areas on tuesday, and we see another band of rain coming into northern and western parts, with the winds picking up as well in the north—west. but through the midlands and eastern england it may well be dry still on tuesday, and it is going to be very warm, if not hot. temperatures reaching 28 degrees. again further west things are a lot cooler. after this very hot and humid start some of us, with some sundry downpours in places, the rest of the week will see temperatures gradually falling away, and still rather unsettled.

live from london, this is bbc news. the funeral has been held for nine—year—old alice da silva aguiar, one of three young girls killed in a knife attack in southport. presidentjoe biden gives his first television interview since ending his re—election campaign — saying the importance of defeating mr trump drove his decision. it's a great honour being president. i think i have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing i can do.

we must defeat trump. russia says its army will deliver a "tough response" to ukraine's cross—border incursion, as moscow says it's engaged ukrainian troops deep into russian territory. the united states women's basketball team have beaten the hosts, france, to win the last gold medal at the paris olympics. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. we start here in england, where the funeral has taken place for the first of three young girls fatally stabbed at a taylor swift dance class in the northern town of southport. the service for nine—year—old alice dasilva aguiar was held at st patrick's catholic church in the town, where her parents were joined by family and friends. hundreds of people lined the streets as alice's coffin was brought to the church in a horse—drawn carriage. ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls.