from jeremy hunt we hearing from jeremy hunt we think shortly. let's go now to the conference and hannah miller is there. you have a rather special guest with you? i have indeed. of course you have just seen the rally for robertjenrick, lots of those kind of things going on at this conference. there is lanyards and memorabilia associated with the different candidates. robertjenrick, kemi badenoch, tom tugendhat and james cleverly as they all attend this giant hustings. i'm here with professorjohn curtis who can talk about all about who is the most popular and what the conservative party should do, the election expert as you are. if we can rewind slightly, in terms of what went wrong for the conservative party, should they be more worried at this point about looking to the right and the threat from reform? what should concern them the most?—

reform? what should concern them the most? given the scale ofthe them the most? given the scale of the defeat, _ them the most? given the scale of the defeat, the _ them the most? given the scale of the defeat, the answer - them the most? given the scale of the defeat, the answer is - of the defeat, the answer is they— of the defeat, the answer is they have to worry about all of they have to worry about all of the above. the party lost nearly— the above. the party lost nearly one in four of those who voted _ nearly one in four of those who voted for — nearly one in four of those who voted for it _ nearly one in four of those who voted for it in 2019 two two, one — voted for it in 2019 two two, one in— voted for it in 2019 two two, one in four to labour and one int6— one in four to labour and one intdto— one in four to labour and one into to the— one in four to labour and one in 16 to the liberal democrats so it— in 16 to the liberal democrats so it is— in 16 to the liberal democrats so it is difficult for the conservatives to recover unless they _ conservatives to recover unless they can — conservatives to recover unless they can get voters back from reform — they can get voters back from reform but also they need to -et reform but also they need to get votes back from labour. the question— get votes back from labour. the question is— get votes back from labour. the question is can they find a strategy— question is can they find a strategy that can bring those groups — strategy that can bring those groups together? in one sense the answer is they can't. at the — the answer is they can't. at the last— the answer is they can't. at the last election the public had — the last election the public had lost confidence in their ability— had lost confidence in their ability to provide a competent government and also doubts attout— government and also doubts about partygate. that's a motivation for those who went to labour— motivation for those who went to labour and reform. beyond that, _ to labour and reform. beyond that, those who went to labour were _ that, those who went to labour were particularly concerned about — were particularly concerned about the state of the health service, _ about the state of the health service, although what

distinguishes the reform voters is that— distinguishes the reform voters is that they were particularly concerned about immigration, they— concerned about immigration, they still— concerned about immigration, they still believe in the brexit— they still believe in the brexit project, but it seems to me having looked at the date of that in— me having looked at the date of that in a — me having looked at the date of that in a sense what really nratters, _ that in a sense what really matters, first of all you are doubtful _ matters, first of all you are doubtful about the party's doubtful about the pa rty's conference, doubtful about the party's conference, and then when you went— conference, and then when you went to — conference, and then when you went to labour and reform, only then— went to labour and reform, only then did — went to labour and reform, only then did issues like immigration kick in. then did issues like immiaration kickin. ., ., immigration kick in. for now, tom, immigration kick in. for now, tom. thank— immigration kick in. for now, tom, thank you, _ immigration kick in. for now, tom, thank you, because - immigration kick in. for now, tom, thank you, because i i immigration kick in. for now, i tom, thank you, because i think jeremy hunt has taken to the stage. let's listen to what he has to say. stage. let's listen to what he has to say-— has to say. they have got a secific has to say. they have got a specific claim _ has to say. they have got a specific claim about - has to say. they have got a specific claim about the - has to say. they have got a - specific claim about the budget as you — specific claim about the budget as you are _ specific claim about the budget as you are aware _ specific claim about the budget as you are aware and _ specific claim about the budget as you are aware and i- specific claim about the budget as you are aware and i know. specific claim about the budgetl as you are aware and i know you have _ as you are aware and i know you have combated _ as you are aware and i know you have combated rachel- as you are aware and i know you have combated rachel reeves l have combated rachel reeves quite — have combated rachel reeves quite a — have combated rachel reeves quite a bit _ have combated rachel reeves quite a bit about _ have combated rachel reeves quite a bit about this, - have combated rachel reeves quite a bit about this, so - quite a bit about this, so explain _ quite a bit about this, so exoiain why— quite a bit about this, so explain why it _ quite a bit about this, so explain why it is - quite a bit about this, so explain why it is not - quite a bit about this, so explain why it is not the i quite a bit about this, so - explain why it is not the case in your— explain why it is not the case in your view— explain why it is not the case in your view that _ explain why it is not the case in your view that we - explain why it is not the case in your view that we have - explain why it is not the case in your view that we have a l explain why it is not the case . in your view that we have a £22 biiiion— in your view that we have a £22 billion black— in your view that we have a £22 billion black hole _ in your view that we have a £22 billion black hole in— in your view that we have a £22 billion black hole in the - billion black hole in the budget— billion black hole in the budget that _ billion black hole in the budget that labour- billion black hole in the| budget that labour now billion black hole in the - budget that labour now has to fill. ., ., �* ., ., .,~ , fill. you don't have to take my word for it. — fill. you don't have to take my word for it, just _ fill. you don't have to take my word for it, just read - fill. you don't have to take my

word for it, just read this - word for it, just read this weei

and a long journey to go on. but — and a long journey to go on. but governing is about doing difficult _ but governing is about doing difficult things, making the arguments for those things. and about— arguments for those things. and about that, we have had nothing. when it comes to the bil nothing. when it comes to the big decisions we need to secure our economic growth for the future, _ our economic growth for the future, i_ our economic growth for the future, i think people are beginning to wonder whether labour— beginning to wonder whether labour actually has a plan at all because we have had absolutely nothing in the 12 weeks _ absolutely nothing in the 12 weeks they have been in office. i weeks they have been in office. i have _ weeks they have been in office. i have been pretty dubious about— i have been pretty dubious about the _ i have been pretty dubious about the £22— i have been pretty dubious about the £22 billion - i have been pretty dubious about the £22 billion claim i have been pretty dubious- about the £22 billion claim but what _ about the £22 billion claim but what i — about the £22 billion claim but what i have _ about the £22 billion claim but what i have been— about the £22 billion claim but what i have been more - what i have been more interested _ what i have been more interested in— what i have been more interested in and - what i have been more - interested in and impressed by is troth— interested in and impressed by is both the _ interested in and impressed by is both the obr _ interested in and impressed by is both the obr and _ interested in and impressed by is both the obr and the - is both the obr and the institute _ is both the obr and the institute for— is both the obr and the institute for fiscal- is both the obr and the . institute for fiscal studies taikinq _ institute for fiscal studies talking about _ institute for fiscal studies talking about the - institute for fiscal studies talking about the medium j institute for fiscal studies - talking about the medium term position— talking about the medium term position in— talking about the medium term position in tax _ talking about the medium term position in tax and _ talking about the medium term position in tax and spending, . position in tax and spending, and — position in tax and spending, and saying _ position in tax and spending, and saying if— position in tax and spending, and saying if we _ position in tax and spending, and saying if we go— position in tax and spending, and saying if we go on- position in tax and spending, and saying if we go on as - position in tax and spending, and saying if we go on as a l and saying if we go on as a country— and saying if we go on as a country we _ and saying if we go on as a country we are, _ and saying if we go on as a country we are, we - and saying if we go on as a country we are, we won't l and saying if we go on as a i country we are, we won't be able _ country we are, we won't be able to— country we are, we won't be able to fund _ country we are, we won't be able to fund our— country we are, we won't be . able to fund our commitments country we are, we won't be - able to fund our commitments in the medium _ able to fund our commitments in the medium term _ able to fund our commitments in the medium term so— able to fund our commitments in the medium term so at- able to fund our commitments in the medium term so at some - the medium term so at some point — the medium term so at some point political— the medium term so at some point political parties - the medium term so at some point political parties will - point political parties will have _ point political parties will have to _ point political parties will have to confront - point political parties will have to confront either. point political parties will . have to confront either that point political parties will - have to confront either that we are making _ have to confront either that we are making two _ have to confront either that we are making two big _ have to confront either that we are making two big stay- are making two big stay commitments— are making two big stay commitments or- are making two big stay commitments or not. are making two big stay- commitments or not financing them — commitments or not financing them enough _ commitments or not financing them enough and _ commitments or not financing them enough and that - commitments or not financing them enough and that causes| commitments or not financing. them enough and that causes a problem — them enough and that causes a problem for— them enough and that causes a problem for a _

them enough and that causes a problem for a political- them enough and that causes a problem for a political party - problem for a political party that— problem for a political party that wants _ problem for a political party that wants both _ problem for a political party that wants both higher- problem for a political party - that wants both higher spending or at— that wants both higher spending or at least— that wants both higher spending or at least that _ that wants both higher spending or at least that wants _ that wants both higher spending or at least that wants better - or at least that wants better pubiic — or at least that wants better public services _ or at least that wants better public services and - or at least that wants better public services and at - or at least that wants better public services and at the i or at least that wants better i public services and at the same time _ public services and at the same time lower— public services and at the same time lower taxes. _ public services and at the same time lower taxes. so _ public services and at the same time lower taxes. so first i public services and at the same time lower taxes. so first of. time lower taxes. so first of all, — time lower taxes. so first of all. before _ time lower taxes. so first of all, before asking _ time lower taxes. so first of all, before asking you i time lower taxes. so first of all, before asking you how. time lower taxes. so first of. all, before asking you how you might— all, before asking you how you might solve _ all, before asking you how you might solve this, _ all, before asking you how you might solve this, is _ all, before asking you how you might solve this, is this - might solve this, is this analysis— might solve this, is this analysis is— might solve this, is this analysis is something . might solve this, is this l analysis is something you might solve this, is this - analysis is something you might accept? — analysis is something you might accept? i— analysis is something you might acce t? ., analysis is something you might accet? ., . ~' accept? i do, and i think everyone _ accept? i do, and i think everyone knows - accept? i do, and i think everyone knows in i accept? i do, and i think everyone knows in their| accept? i do, and i think- everyone knows in their heart of hearts _ everyone knows in their heart of hearts that if you are looking _ of hearts that if you are looking ten, 20, 30 years ahead with an — looking ten, 20, 30 years ahead with an ageing population and all the — with an ageing population and all the pressures on the nhs and the _ all the pressures on the nhs and the care system, and then you took— and the care system, and then you took at— and the care system, and then you look at what putin is doing in ukraine _ you look at what putin is doing in ukraine and the desperate need — in ukraine and the desperate need to— in ukraine and the desperate need to put more money into defence — need to put more money into defence and get our european friends — defence and get our european friends to put money into defence _ friends to put money into defence as well, then there is a iot— defence as well, then there is a lot of— defence as well, then there is a lot of pressure, longer term pressure _ a lot of pressure, longer term pressure on public finances. what — pressure on public finances. what the _ pressure on public finances. what the obr said in their analysis, which i thought was the crucial thing. everyone taiked _ the crucial thing. everyone talked about this 300 trillion -ap talked about this 300 trillion gap that there was going to be, but what — gap that there was going to be, but what they also said was if

we increase our productivity growth _ we increase our productivity growth byjust1% a year ahead of current— growth byjust1% a year ahead of current levels, then the entire _ of current levels, then the entire gap disappears and that was why— entire gap disappears and that was why in the budget i said what — was why in the budget i said what is _ was why in the budget i said what is the obvious thing for the government to do — start with— the government to do — start with a — the government to do — start with a 20% of the economy we directly— with a 20% of the economy we directly control, the public sector, _ directly control, the public sector, and that's why we announced our public sector productivity programme starting with the — productivity programme starting with the nhs and that big investment, the £34 billion we gave _ investment, the £34 billion we gave to — investment, the £34 billion we gave to the nhs to improve its it systems. public sector productivity and productivity generally, that is a really good _ generally, that is a really good example of the kind of difficult _ good example of the kind of difficult decision that a good government is going to have to -et government is going to have to get to— government is going to have to get to grips with. but what do we get — get to grips with. but what do we get from this labour government? £9.11 we get from this labour government? £9.4 billion public sector— government? £9.4 billion public sector pay— government? £9.4 billion public sector pay rise, double inflation, triple inflation in the case _ inflation, triple inflation in the case of the junior doctors

nine — the case of the junior doctors nine times inflation without asking _ nine times inflation without asking for a single improvement in productivity and return. just — in productivity and return. just pumping 9 billion more into— just pumping 9 billion more into public sector pay will reduce _ into public sector pay will reduce public sector productivity at a time when it is already— productivity at a time when it is already 6% lower than it was pre—pandemic, so that's not taking — pre—pandemic, so that's not taking a _ pre—pandemic, so that's not taking a difficult decision, it is docking a difficult decision on the — is docking a difficult decision on the issue of productivity that— on the issue of productivity that most economists say is the most _ that most economists say is the most important one for the economy— most important one for the economy if we are going to raise — economy if we are going to raise living standards. that is jeremy hunt. _ raise living standards. that is jeremy hunt, the _ raise living standards. that is jeremy hunt, the now i raise living standards. that is| jeremy hunt, the now shadow chancellor, former chancellor of course, giving a defence of his own economic strategy and his own economic strategy and his own economic strategy and his own record in government. but let's carry on talking to john curtis. we were talking about the competence and the need for the electorate to see that the conservative party is competent again. which is best placed to do that? to be honest, that there is a big

unknown. honest, that there is a big unknown-— unknown. we have four candidates _ unknown. we have four candidates that - unknown. we have four candidates that as i unknown. we have four candidates that as far l unknown. we have four| candidates that as far as unknown. we have four- candidates that as far as the wider public is concerned, they are largely unknown categories. and characters. if you look at the opinion put out yesterday, you have nearly 50% of conservative voters saying i don't know enough about any of these characters to be able to say whether i like them or not or whether i would vote them. and the point of the beauty parade we are having over the next three days is to see if we can get some clues as to whether any of these characters doindeed whether any of these characters do indeed have the ability to reach out to the wider public to begin to command their attention, to demonstrate the ability to perhaps create a narrative as to how the party might get its way back that might get its way back that might suggest they will be able to reach out to wider voters. one of rishi sunak�*s problems is he wasn't that good at it with the party having lost as bad as it did, it does need to

badly find someone with that quality. more broadly, there is clearly a debate going on as part of this leadership process about is the issue simply a question of competence and integrity or as some conservative activists believe, and the argument to which all the leadership candidates seem to be tilting to some degree, the reason why we lost is because we put taxes up too much and allowed immigration to be too high. in other words, policy stances. they are issues that upset some voters, but as i was showing on the fringe meeting i did yesterday on taxation for example, it's not clear but that is the issue that at the moment concerns voters. what concerns voters is the state of the public services, yet the conservative party tried to win the election by having won... insurance which didn't make any difference but they would like to go back because the last

conservative government presided over one of the biggest increases in taxation and spending since 191t5. do biggest increases in taxation and spending since 1945. do you think there is _ and spending since 1945. do you think there is anything _ and spending since 1945. do you think there is anything in - and spending since 1945. do you think there is anything in that i think there is anything in that argument that many members really like here? it may not have been in the right argument for this election but is getting back to what they would see the conservative party's mission to be, is that a vote winner? . �* . mission to be, is that a vote winner? . �* , , ., winner? that's the question. the true _ winner? that's the question. the true is — winner? that's the question. the true is at _ winner? that's the question. the true is at the _ winner? that's the question. | the true is at the moment we would normally expect the public to have reacted strongly against the expansion of the state given historical precedent, that certainly happened in the wake of new labour's much more modest increase in spending before 2010. in the wake of that, the public moved sway. the public has so far reacted very little against the expansion of the state. one possibility is it is just to do with the state of

the health service, and unless and until the nhs is turned around, that will always in the public priority. they saw the state take over the labour market and rescue it. ensuring the financial markets survived. we saw the potential power of the state and therefore has that meant the public are saying, well actually more state action is not so bad. i don't think we will know the answer to that until the next election but this party i think needs to realise that perhaps the territory has moved on, and what we mean by a small state in 2029 may be somewhat bigger than what we might have meant of a small state in 2019. i of a small state in 2019. i have to ask about the comments made by kemi badenoch talking about not all cultures being equally invalid, making comments that she said were misrepresented but about maternity pay and the role of

business and maternity pay. those kind of things have been dominating the agenda in some ways and the leadership candidates have to respond to those comments she has made. is that the helpful thing for her to be doing? does it enhance her case to be the next conservative leader? the first art of conservative leader? the first part of what — conservative leader? the first part of what she _ conservative leader? the first part of what she referred i conservative leader? the first part of what she referred to l part of what she referred to about migrants coming from different cultures, probably for this audience is something many would support. one can say she seemed to be saying i'm not quite so keen on muslims coming to this country as christians but that is for her to say. the second episode, the maternity pay episode is perhaps an indication of one of the areas where people questioned her competence because as i listened to that clip, basically what happened is that she was wanting to talk about what she regards as the burden of business regulation. she didn't listen closely enough to what her interviewer asked her about, which was about

maternity pay in particular. some people do say that kemi badenoch has very clear views, she is very articulate but perhaps sometimes doesn't always listen enough. was yesterday an example of something that is so far largely talked about within the westminster bubble now in the wider public? but the publicity is not something she would have wanted. ., ., , , ., , wanted. the famous phrase there is no such thing _ wanted. the famous phrase there is no such thing as _ wanted. the famous phrase there is no such thing as bad _ is no such thing as bad publicity and the issue that most people don't necessarily know who these people are. kemi badenoch is _ know who these people are. kemi badenoch is not _ know who these people are. isn badenoch is not guaranteed to be in the final two. if indeed when it goes back to the mps next week, eitherjames cleverly or tom tugendhat dropout. the odds are their boats are more likely to go to whichever of them has survived than not. if robertjenrick can remain ahead of kemi badenoch may be that she finds she make it. the conservative activists

may say she is worried about what she allegedly said about maternity pay albeit i don't think she did actually say, but mps may say hang on, that's not necessarily demonstrating the qualities of leadership that we want. , . , qualities of leadership that we want. , , , ., ., want. very briefly, in one name if ou want. very briefly, in one name if you can. _ want. very briefly, in one name if you can. is — want. very briefly, in one name if you can, is there _ want. very briefly, in one name if you can, is there any - if you can, is there any evidence that one of them might be more popular than the other with the public? we. great, with the public? no. great, that was— with the public? no. great, that was concise! _ with the public? i457. great, that was concise! we have professor sirjohn curtice giving all there is to know about the conservative leadership race. the candidates will be taking more questions, giving more answers, speeches on the main stage, rallies as it all goes on and they all try to win support over the next few days. hannah, great to hearfrom you and sirjohn curtice as always and sirjohn curtice as always and i'm sure we will be back with you in the coming hours and the next couple of days.

a bbc investigation has discovered that multiple signs of slavery were missed after nine men were trafficked from the czech republic and forced to work at a uk mcdonald's restaurant bya criminal gang. other victims were enslaved and put to work at a factory supplying bread products to majorfood retailers. baroness theresa may, who introduced anti—slavery legislation, says the case raises "shocking questions" about how big companies address modern slavery. jon ironmonger has the story.? police! stay where you are! rescuing slavery victims from a london house and a criminal operation lasting seven years. got two in here. just one in here. translation: it was terrible to wake up every morning i and i didn't want to wake up. i'd rather be dead. forced to live in an attic and an unheated leaking outbuilding, victims were found legitimatejobs by a criminal gang, led by brothers ernest and zdenek drevenak, who referred to them as "livestock" and stole hundreds of thousands of pounds from their wages to fund luxury lifestyles, new cars, gold jewellery and foreign holidays.

nine victims were sent to work at this cambridgeshire mcdonald's, where they clocked up to 100 hours a week. translation: the managers didn't question _ the long hours i did. they would even ask me, "are you happy to stay longer?" we've discovered the mcdonald's and the franchisees running the branch missed multiple opportunities to detect the crime. job applications were completed by gang members, victims' wages paid into bank accounts controlled by the gang, and victims worked extreme hours. we use the term "red flag" to say this is an indicator that forced labour, modern slavery might be happening. and in my view, there were many red flags in this case which were missed. in a statement, mcdonald's told us they commissioned an independent review and with their franchisee, who unknowingly employed the victims of slavery, have...

i think it definitely should act as a wake—up call for all companies. professional curiosity goes an awful long way when considering and looking out for modern slavery. the victims were also forced by the criminal gang to work in a london factory making and supplying own—brand pita bread for six of the uk's biggest food retailers. tesco, sainsbury�*s, m&s, waitrose, co—op and asda. none spotted the signs of slavery at the time the victims worked there. sainsbury�*s says it stopped using the supplier in 2016 for unrelated reasons. m&s, tesco and waitrose all say they pulled out due to concerns about working practices. but co—op says it carried out inspections but found no signs of slavery while asda said it was disappointed to learn of the historic case and would

carry out a thorough review. it's almost ten years since then home secretary baroness theresa may introduced the modern slavery act. i think the case has raised some shocking questions about the approach being taken by some big companies. they need to look at their supply chains, they need to look at their processes. do we need to enhance the modern slavery act? yes, i think we do. you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit the offence of holding another in slavery. ending years of misery for victims, in 2019, the gang masters were arrested in the uk and the czech republic. translation: that was the best feeling i have ever had. - i was so happy it was over. while the criminal gang have been put on trial and put behind bars, their victims are still waiting for an apology from the companies who failed them. jon ironmonger, bbc news, cambridge.

in a few hours' time, the uk will pass a historic landmark with the county's last coal fired power station, ratcliffe in nottinghamshire, closing at midnight. it means britain will become the first major economy to produce electricity without using coal. also on monday, the tata steelworks in port talbot in wales closes. 2500 jobs will go. earlier i learned some background on the situation. the uk was the home of the industrial resolution, and we have been responsible for industrialising through use of fossil fuels, industrialising through use of fossilfuels, and coal being the most polluting of the fossil fuels is the first one

we really need to get away from to tackle climate change. so the uk committed to taking that path and this is a very significant moment in our move towards cleanerforms of towards cleaner forms of energy. towards cleaner forms of ener: . ., towards cleaner forms of eneru. ., ,. towards cleaner forms of eneru. ., , towards cleaner forms of eneru. ., energy. how optimistic are you that for example _ energy. how optimistic are you that for example the _ energy. how optimistic are you that for example the current i that for example the current government's plan can be adhered to? 50 government's plan can be adhered to?— government's plan can be adhered to? so the current government _ adhered to? so the current government is _ adhered to? so the current government is now - adhered to? so the current i government is now committed to continuing to remove fossil fuels from our electricity system so that it is fully cleaned by 2030. that means taking the remaining gas stations powering our electricity generation and turning those into clean power systems as well. we have made huge progress. we have brought in a massive amount of investment into wind power. i think it was borisjohnson who said famously we are the saudi arabia of wind so we have moved away from fossil fuels by investing in our own home—grown clean electricity and we have got to finish the job now by 2030. it's not an easy task but

it is not impossible. brute 2030. it's not an easy task but it is not impossible.— it is not impossible. we are also seeing _ it is not impossible. we are also seeing the _ it is not impossible. we are also seeing the closure i it is not impossible. we are also seeing the closure of l also seeing the closure of steelworks today and job losses. what do you say to those who are facing the loss of their ability to earn a living with all these changes in how energy is generated? it in how energy is generated? it needs to be carefully handled and i'm glad the tuc issued a statement in support of how the owners of ratcliffe power station have found newjobs for all the people involved in that station. port talbot is slightly different, there is a gap in the number that will be employed in the new electric arc furnace, but that plant will be operating into the future clearly without pollution and bringing future proof jobs to pollution and bringing future proofjobs to port talbot but there will be job losses for sure so it's really important that port talbot attracts new, clean investment into the area which should be easier once it modernises and as i say, i am from wales, i have driven through port talbot most of my

life, and really that part of the world needs to modernise. the pollution going away will mean port talbot has a future. there are questions over one of tv's there are questions over one of tv�*s best known menopause doctors. bbc panorama has learned doctor newson has lost her accreditation with the charity the british menopause society over the prescribing of high doses of hormone replacement therapy. using health says its approach is consistent with national guidelines. ruth clegg reports. dr louise newson, a well known menopause specialist, a regular sofa guest on tv

programmes like this morning. the first thing i'll often say to people is, do you think any of these symptoms could be related to your hormones? since 2020, her private menopause clinic, newson health, says it has seen over 45,000 women, often prescribing hrt to help with their symptoms. so increasing the dose has really transformed my life. dr newson is open about prescribing high doses, sometimes more than the amount approved by the medicines regulator. over the last 12 months, bbc panorama has spoken to more than a dozen women with complications, after high doses of hrt, prescribed by newson health. during lockdown, rachel osmond turned to newson health clinic for help. at first, she was prescribed 50 micrograms of oestrogen, half the licensed dose. but rachel's symptoms didn't improve. in fact, they got worse. hot flushes all the time, relentless. anxiety, couldn't sleep. didn't sleep for days. morning sickness. over the course of several months, the clinic upped her dose to 300 micrograms, three times the licensed dose. ijust kept getting told, some women need higher doses, some are ok on lower doses, itjust all depends on your body. specialists can prescribe

over the licensed dose if it is in the interest of the patient. rachel says her symptoms were getting worse, and she was having pelvic pain and heavy bleeding. in the end, she went to her gp, who referred her to nhs specialists, and she was diagnosed with a condition called endometrial hyperplasia. that can be a precursor to cancer. i've never, ever prescribed that dose of oestrogen to anybody. professor rymer attributes rachel's hyperplasia to the treatment she received at newson health. while rachel's oestrogen dose was increased, the other hormone, progesterone, used to protect the womb, was halved. that dose of progesterone would not be enough to counteract the effect of oestrogen on the lining of her womb. the watchdog, the care quality commission, told panorama it was following up information it had received to understand if there are any risks to people using the service, and whether further action is warranted. newson health says it has addressed all points raised by the cqc, and that it

maintains a cqc good rating. hello. hi, how are you? a panorama reporter secretly recorded online consultations with doctors at newson health. she posed as a woman going through the menopause, who was already on the maximum dose. louise is very keen to get the message out that you just need what you need. we have many women who are on a lot higher than you're going to be. there isn't really any risk in going over, is basically what i'm saying. gynaecologist dr heather curry reviewed the footage. that is reassuring this patient, falsely, that to go to such a high dose is perfectly ok to do. there's an absolute risk in doing that. newson health told panorama there was nothing improper in the consultations, proper processes were followed, and it ensures patient safety and consistent levels of care. rachel is now gradually lowering her dose of oestrogen to reduce her risk of cancer, but has been advised she may need a hysterectomy. scared. although i want it over

and done with and finished, a hysterectomy is not an easy surgery. it's major surgery. dr newson says there's no evidence to link higher doses of oestrogen to an increased risk of long term health, and that the british menopause society is not a regulatory body. newson health says it uses a wealth of clinical experience, data and scientific evidence to treat patients on an individualised basis, to provide the best possible menopause care. ruth clegg, bbc news. see more on panorama tonight on bbc one at 8pm. it is already available on the bbc iplayer. let's have a look at the weather with carole. hello again, we have had some torrential rain already this morning and that rain is still falling. through the rest of the day and into tonight and tomorrow, we look at the rainfall accumulation chart and

you can see the dark blues, indicating another 40 millimetres of rainfall is quite possible and that will be falling on ground that is already saturated, exacerbating the flooding risk. this is the area of low pressure driving our weather currently, bringing the cloud, wet and windy conditions. where you see the greens and yellows in the chart, that is indicating the heaviest bursts. the driest conditions across the far north of scotland. even here, not immune to a shower or two with top temperatures getting up to about 17 degrees. through this evening and overnight, the rain starts to push back southwards. now, it will turn a little bit lighter in doing so. out towards the west we see a return to some clearer skies. still windy along the north sea coastline with temperatures 6 to about 13 degrees north to south. that takes us into tomorrow. our area of low pressure trying to pull away but lingering

across the far south—east. that means here we are looking at a bit more cloud around and also the remnants of the rain across east anglia, parts of east england, into the south—east. out towards the west, we've got brighter skies, same for the north too, a bit more sunshine coming through. and because the rain won't be so widespread and won't be as heavy, it won't feel as cool as it's going to do today. temperatures 13 to about 17 or 18. then as we move into the middle part of the week, the dregs of that rain moving away but the weather front close enough to still be producing a bit of cloud and also the odd shower in the south—eastern corner. but a ridge of high pressure is building across us so that means we are looking at a fair amount of dry weather and also some sunny skies. temperatures, 13—16 degrees. as we head on through the week, then, moving into thursday, thursday is likely to start off with some mist and fog, but it will be generally fine. friday, brighter in the east but we will have a bit more cloud coming in from the west

with some rain. live from london. this is bbc news. israel expands its military operation in lebanon, striking dozens of hezbollah sites and targeting another militant group. this is the scene live as smoke rises above beirut. hamas says its leader in lebanon has been killed in overnight strikes. iran's foreign minister says the death of the hezbollah leader will not go unanswered. the uk's last coal fired power station closes at midnight, as does tata steelworks in wales. it will be replaced by electric furnace.

and, the american singer, songwriter and actor kris kristofferson, has died aged 88. hello. we start in the middle east, where iran's foreign ministry spokesperson has said iran will not leave any of "the criminal acts" of israel unanswered. speaking during a weekly news conference ? his first since a senior general in iran's revolutionary guards corps was killed by an israeli strike on friday ? nasser kanaani says iran does not seek war but is not afraid of it. israel says it has expanded its military operations in lebanon by targeting dozens of hezbollah targets overnight. hamas says its leader in lebabon, fateh sherif abu el—amin was killed along with

some of his family members. and lebanon's health ministry says four people