direction star died. the 31—year—old fell from a third floor balcony earlier this week. uk government sources are insisting that extending a freeze on income tax thresholds won't breach promises made in the labour manifesto. the chancellor, rachel reeves, is considering ways to raise money in the budget later this month. by freezing thresholds, more workers may find themselves paying taxes at a higher rate as their salaries increase. a freeze could allow the chancellor to raise an estimated £7 billion by bringing more people into the tax system. reeves is currently trying to find £40 billion through a mixture of savings and tax rises that she will announce in the new government's first budget on wednesday 30th october. our political correspondent tom symonds is with me.

first of all, explain how these, would be to tax rises... yes their stealth because many of us don't look at how much tax we have been paid, but that amount would go up if the threshold, the amount you have to earn before you have to pay that tax, if that is capped in the same place over the years. so is your tax goes up —— as your pay goes up your tax increases. this has been described as picking the pockets of the entire country. she's now got to find money to stabilise the economy. freezing the thresholds. the tax

allowance threshold. that will earn the government, perhaps £7 billion if the current freeze is increased by another two years. is increased by another two ears. , ., , years. the previous conservative - years. the previous - conservative government had frozen this. that term fiscal drag was used because this drags people into a tax band. 3.7 million people will be paying more tax than if they hadn't been freezing these thresholds. more people will be paying the higher rate of tax. it does have a bigger impact on quite a large number of people. the governments hope is that it will stay within its definition in the manifesto of not increasing the rate of tax and not thresholds. and i think they're hoping people will not really notice it. imilli

they're hoping people will not really notice it.— really notice it. will get more detail in a _ really notice it. will get more detail in a moment _ really notice it. will get more detail in a moment with - really notice it. will get more detail in a moment with an i detail in a moment with an economist, but what about the politics... of the manifesto clearly said it wasn't going to raise taxes on working people but there is going to be criticism that they are... the conservatives, _ criticism that they are... the conservatives, the _ criticism that they are... tue: conservatives, the minute rachel reeves sits down and they get to respond, we'll say you have increased working taxes on working people. the problem they have is that they also increase taxes to a historic level while they were in power. we'll have to see how their argument is framed. but we'll see rachel reeves say in this budget, that she had no alternative. the government talks a lot about this £22 billion black hole that it's found. it had to, in its view,

increased public sector wages and that hadn't been budgeted for by the previous government. and that's the debate will see when the budget happens. the buduet when the budget happens. the bud . et as when the budget happens. the budget as an — when the budget happens. the budget as an actually happened yet but we seem to be hearing loads of lea ks yet but we seem to be hearing loads of leaks already... this is standard _ loads of leaks already... this is standard stuff. _ loads of leaks already... t�*t 3 is standard stuff. everyone seems to be spooked by the liz truss mini budget by the markets getting spooked. i think there is a feeling that if there is a lot of bad news let's push it out and see what the reaction is. but the budget is pretty much sorted and the chancellor has had to go to the office for budget once responsibility and say what her plans were this week. there is still some to detail but the basic budget is probably set by now. if you ask the treasury you'll get no response. this is briefing behind the scenes...

let's speak to nimesh shah, chief executive of blick rothenberg, a tax, accounting and business advisory firm. we got into some of the detail there, butjust tell us, in terms of the numbers from your perspective, if this comes in, and they decide to keep that freeze, what that could mean in real terms?— real terms? over 37 million --eole real terms? over 37 million peeple pay _ real terms? over 37 million people pay income - real terms? over 37 million people pay income tax - real terms? over 37 million people pay income tax in i real terms? over 37 million | people pay income tax in the uk, so it's the main tax. which is why the government are looking at what levers they can pull to generate the most revenue. they'll go for the tax that most people pay. the uk income tax system is a progressive system. the more income you earn the more tax you pay. in the uk are... the

way it works is that roughly £12,000 is your allowance. you don't pay any tax on that layer. the next layer is taxed at 20%. those rates really ramp up at 20%. those rates really ramp up once your income goes up, then you pay a0%. when your income hits hundred and 25,000 you income hits hundred and 25,000 y°u pay income hits hundred and 25,000 you pay a0%. income hits hundred and 25,000 you pay 4096-— you pay 40%. what is the other wa of you pay 4096. what is the other way of doing — you pay 4096. what is the other way of doing that? _ you pay 4096. what is the other way of doing that? is _ you pay 4096. what is the other way of doing that? is there - way of doing that? is there another alternative? the government _ another alternative? the government can't - another alternative? tte government can't simply increase those rates that i talked about, zero, 20, 40, and 45. but they said in election that they would not raise

income tax. historically what the government have done, since 2021, he said there is threshold which i mentioned, they are going to be frozen. this meant that those thresholds would not increase with in line with inflation. go back ten years or so those thresholds would increase via the rate of inflation. what that means is that more people are paying higher rates of income tax because those thresholds have stayed the same. and because wages have increased, you get pushed into the higher rates of taxation. this is played out in the numbers. since 2019, more people pay the higher rate of income tax. the effects of these frozen allowances,

that's what's happening. 0riginally this was meant to run to 2026. jeremy hunt said it was going to be 2028. what we hearing now through these treasury leaks as the labour government want to increase it to 2030, because it's such a popular... 0r it's an attractive way, i should say to raise taxes without working people actually realising. thank you for expanding those technicalities. king charles and queen camilla have arrived in a rain—soaked australia ahead of a six day visit to the country. the couple will spend their first full day of the scaled—back tour, resting, as the king continues his recovery from cancer. this update from our senior royal correspondent daniela relph, contains flashing images. well, the weather has slightly improved since the arrival of the king and queen last night in torrential rain here in sydney. we watched the queen rather cautiously and tentatively, walking down those steps of the aircraft in some

pretty terrible weather. and it is an unusual start to this royal tour because it begins with a day off and that is really unusual. royal tours normally kick in really quickly once the members of the royal family are on the ground in the country they are visiting, but that isn't the case this time. there is a day off built in today, and it is a reminder that this is a a king and queen heading into their late 70s, and they have been given this day off to recover after the long journey from london. it is also, of course, a nod to the fact that the king is still unwell. he has cancer, he is still undergoing cancer treatment and this whole tour has been put together on doctor's orders under medical advice. so, a day off today the couple are resting at admiralty house, the official residence of the governor general here in sydney, and we will see them for the first time officially here tomorrow on sunday morning, when the king and queen will go to church.

but what we did see last night to mark their arrival here in australia was the lighting up of the sails of the opera house, with images from past royal tours, times that the king, then as prince of wales, visited australia over the years dating back to 1966. and that projection onto the opera house came with a message from the king and queen, saying that they were excited to be here in australia to celebrate the country's communities and culture. let's return to the us election now, and how it's playing out on social media. two pennsylvania farmers, who decided to switch from republicans to democrats, have been getting death threats online after they appeared in a harris campaign ad. conspiracy theorists spread a fake rumour that the couple were paid actors, triggering an avalance of online abuse. bbc verify�*s merlyn thomas paid them a visit to understand how their livelihood has been impacted by misinformation. in the cornfields of rural

pennsylvania, bob and kristina lange, long standing republicans, decided they could no longer vote for donald trump. this time around, they're firmly behind kamala harris. my parents told me, always vote republican, and i always have, until now. even willing to take part in what they thought would be a simple advert for her campaign. donald trump has not looked out for the middle class. but a post on x by a pro—trump supporter falsely accused them of being trained actors and prolific democratic donors. there's tons here, right? oh yeah. those false claims were seen by millions and sparked a wave of online abuse. okay, so there are things here that we won't say because it's too vulgar and just vulgar. how did you feel when you saw that? it's very heavy. i mean, that's the thing when people spread hate. mhm. it spreads heaviness. you know, it spreads negativity. itjust, um, it's a very heavy feeling. misinformation often has a kernel of truth which is then twisted here.

it's that the couple had appeared as extras in a low budget horror movie filmed on their farm in 2022. and yeah, wejust growl and hiss. we're not actors. it'sjust, you know, we're two ordinary citizens. farmers on a family farm. they were just trying to, you know, lead a normal life. the personal attacks put them on the defensive. kristina has a gun. i have a gun. we're prepared to defend ourselves. absolutely. so we're carrying when typically, you know, we wouldn't feel the need to carry. no. that's what's scary. the element of the unknown, of what people are capable of. bob and kristina are just the latest victims of misinformation, and they're unlikely to be the last. amid a heated political campaign, online threats have real world consequences. local police told us they're investigating the threats, including the hate mail against the langs. as for the false claims levelled on x, publicly available records confirm that

they're not democratic donors. in fact, bob himself has been a local republican official since 1998. they say they weren't paid for the ad, which the harris campaign confirmed. despite the threats, they welcomed harris at a rally this week. with the election looming, the flood of misinformation is deepening divisions in this already polarised country. merlyn thomas, bbc news, pennsylvania. he's been dubbed the bionic peer and now the former conservative mp, craig mackinlay, has become the first quadruple amputee to take his seat in the house of lords. lord mackinlay, who lost his limbs after contracting sepsis last year, says he wants to use his new position to campaign for better prosthetics for nhs patients. charlie rose reports. entering the house of lords as its first quadruple amputee. lord mackinlay of richborough,

the bionic peer as he likes to be known, is formally introduced to parliament's upper chamber. i craig, lord mackinlay of richborough, to swear by almighty god that i will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his majesty king charles. it was a little bit of the butterflies. are you going to get the lines right? am i going to drop the pen? you know, i've got a few extra complications that can go wrong, but, you know, it all came together. it went flawlessly, and i thoroughly enjoyed the experience. the former conservative mp for south thanet had both his legs and arms amputated in december after a devastating bout of sepsis. on his return to parliament in may, fellow mps greeted him with this standing ovation and after choosing not to seek re—election, lord mackinlay says his elevation to the peerage has given him a new lease of life, raising awareness of sepsis and helping people access the most effective prosthetic limbs.

i'll be campaigning with the health secretary. i've got a meeting organised with him so that we can get some better prosthetics for people at the right time, so the nhs can actually provide the right things for people. this is particularly important for people that are beginning their different life, their rehabilitation journey from having, say, two legs, two arms to being an amputee and the major adjustments that that brings about with it on a on, on an everyday basis. and after the challenges he's faced over the past 12 months, lord mackinlay says he counts himself lucky and offers advice for anyone else who's struggling. if i've got a message, an experience, no matter how hard life gets, tomorrow is always better. and i think that's a good message for those suffering with mental health is keep yourself busy. have a focus, have a goal, put a smile on your face and get on with life. because every life, every day

of life is a sincere joy and a privilege to be living through. and it's also an advantage joining the house of lords to begin a new quest for change, where rituals and traditions date back hundreds of years. it's thought around three quarters of adults with severe learning disabilities live with their parents. but what happens if an individual wants to prepare for a world without them, and build a life of their own? that's something one young group of friends from swansea have been considering, as they navigate the challenges of setting up home together. will fyfe went to meet them. hi, this is my bedroom. for years ellie lane has dreamt of having a home of her own. the 24—year—old has down's syndrome and type 0ne diabetes and so moving out for her isn't quite as straightforward as for her siblings. i just want my own space and

have the best time of my life. i just want to be more independent. after a recent health scare for her mum jane things changed. a couple of years ago i was diagnosed with cancer, so that propelled me and inspired me even more to really make sure that ellie had what she wanted for the future. coming out of covid it was apparent that ellie had three main ambitions. the first one was to fall in love. the second one was to get a job that was paid, and the third one was to leave home. in wales there are around 16,000 adults with severe learning disabilities, but it is thought 75% of the population still live at home with their parents, like ellie. in an attempt to secure her daughter's future jane found a group of similarfamilies nearby looking to start a housing co—operative.

it is a type of shared housing normally used by like—minded groups like those living off grid. in ellie's case it would mean she could share a home with herfriends. they could help each other out with cooking and day—to—day tasks and have the security of a live—in carer as well. one of those she will be living with is ellie whose mum alison also started planning after health problems of her own. these are vulnerable, young people who can't live on their own, need the support, and that is one of the things that ellie has often said to me. you know, "who is going to look after me when you are gone?" she sees how life is difficult for many people and, yeah, it makes her anxious i suppose, so we have got to make sure that she knows what the future holds for her and that it is safe. we are future proofing, aren't we? after almost seven years the families believe their children are nowjust

months away from completing the legal process to form a housing co—op. from there, they will be able to bid for housing grants, to build a home of their own without the families having to put in any money themselves. the welsh government told us it was committed to improving and building accessible social housing, while the families in swansea hope their story might inspire others. in 1968, the original london bridge went up for sale and was bought by an american, robert mcculloch, forjust over £1 million. the entrepreneur rebuilt it more than 5000 miles away in arizona, where the myths surrounding its purchase, have been something of a tourist attraction ever since. chris slegg takes up the story. london bridge is up for sale. 45 inquiries have reached the city of london from would be buyers, and america tops the list with 36 of these. it was an american, rp mcculloch, who bought

the bridge in 1968 forjust over £1 million and rebuilt it in arizona in the hope its history would draw new residents to the desert city he'd created, lake havasu. it lives on there today, and a story lives on here in london that he actually thought he was buying tower bridge on the banks of the thames today. rp�*s grandson, michael. michael, what do you say when people say your granddad bought the wrong bridge? i hear that all the time. and i say, number one, i have photos, two of them looking at it before they bought it. but no, they knew exactly what they were buying. but most importantly, they got so much press about that, free press, that when they were prepared to dispute it, they thought, let's just leave it alone. michael is in the capital as a guest of the city bridge foundation, which owns tower bridge and london bridge, as is lake havasu

mayor cal sheehy. you know, we get a good chuckle from it, but mr mcculloch knew exactly what he was buying. and the bridge in lake havasu city looks magnificent going across the bridge water channel. and we're really proud to be able to have that shared heritage with the city of london. london bridge has the deeper history. tower bridge has the beauty. it is the more glamourous neighbour, and it is- the one that is the sort. of the jewel in the crown. it's the fairy tale i castle on the river that that everyone loves. but london bridge is so important to the. infrastructure of london. it's historically it's way more ingrained in the history- of london, and it has such a function as well in terms of where it sits in the gateway into the city itself. _ i hope you don't mind me being cheeky, but you'd rather have bought that one, wouldn't you? yes. you know, it's a beautiful bridge. and when i drove over it yesterday, i thought, there's no way that mr mcculloch got this wrong. i think it would be fair to say our london bridge. it's used, it's functional. it's probably not loved to

the people of lake havasu city. love it. it is. lake havasu city is notjust called lake havasu city. it's always lake havasu city, home of the london bridge. if it was publicity he wanted, then a story that's bridged 50 years has given rp mcculloch the last laugh after all. when it was painted more than 200 years ago, john constable's the hay wain was considered radical by many at the time. it's instantly recognisable and now a new exhibition details just why it became so universally famous, as zoie 0'brien reports. more than 200 years old and still the centre of attention, the hay wain catapulted john constable to fame in france and wider europe, winning him a gold medal at the paris salon in 1824. the painting now considered revolutionary, its creator, one of our greatest landscape artists of all time. it wasn't well received in england at first. for the british, who were seeing constable's work from 1802 onwards at the royal academy, the british institution and elsewhere,

they were quite familiar with his artisticjourney. but when constable's works were exhibited in paris and then go to the paris salon, that there's a complete revelation for the french, they hadn't seen art like it because of the war, but they hadn't seen radical art like it. in comparison to the classicism that davidian's school of french art. the haywain was painted in 1821, but it's now at the heart of a new exhibition at its home, the national gallery, as part of their discovery series. well, even today, in and around suffolk, you can see the views that inspired the artist more than 200 years ago. take this as an example. flatford mill. you'll recognise it from the hay wain, although the renowned picture isn't an exact image of what was happening right here at this spot. it's an accumulation of images drawn from his knowledge of suffolk. what is important to know is that of course he didn't paint the picture in suffolk. he didn't paint it on the spot.

he painted it in his studio in london. so this is a very, very carefully constructed picture. and which is composed, put together of different elements from his different sketches. the exhibition includes early studies like this one of the hay wain believed to have been painted alongside the final piece by constable, testing changes and techniques. but it is, of course, what artists have always done. so idealised view, if you will, of of suffolk. the gallery is displaying the artist's early work and some of his private pieces, alongside a look at his contemporaries. it runs until february next year. zoie 0'brien, bbc news. just before we go we got an update from the middle east. we've heard that israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, following the killing of yahya sinwar, the leader of hamas a

couple of days ago. in his comments, which were in hebrew but we have the translation. two days later we eliminated yassin two days later we eliminated yass in wire and described him as a mac massmurderer. we are continuing forward until the end. he said he was proud of israeli soldiers and proud of commanders and proud of the citizens of israel. he says, nothing will deter us, we are to continuing until victory. of course that comes as international partners are still trying to negotiate ceasefires when it comes to the ongoing conflict in lebanon and gaza. we heard from western powers yesterday saying that they still felt there was hope for a ceasefire, withjoe for a ceasefire, with joe biden, for a ceasefire, withjoe biden, the president of the united states saying he will felt there were more chances of the ceasefire when it comes to the ceasefire when it comes to the ongoing conflict in lebanon.. those comments from benjamin netanyahu. it is unclear whether that video was

filmed after all before the drone attack that was directed at his home. now let's look at the weather with ben rich. for the weather with ben rich. for the second half of the weekend things look very different. 0ur things look very different. our first named storm of the season, storm ashley, particular for the west of scotland this looks like lots of disruption. 0n the satellite picture storm developing with a vast shield of cloud. an area of low pressure which is going to be deepening as it approaches our stores. we see more and more isobars forming in the centre of this low. and we see a low deepening rapidly as it approaches the uk that always brings with it the threat of strong winds. an amber warning has been issued for tomorrow. 70 to 80 mph wind

gusts. things for tom