but will a row over reparations dominate proceedings? the personal attacks intensify in the race for the white house — kamala harris steps up her condemnation of donald trump. it is clear from john kelly's words that donald trump is someone who, i quote, certainly falls into the general definition of fascists. the uk government announces that a ban on single—use vapes will come into force from june next year. striking boeing workers reject the pay offer from the aeroplane giant scuppering plans by its bosses to turn around the business.

hello, i'm geeta guru—murthy, thank you forjoining us. the bbc has learned that commonwealth leaders are preparing to defy the uk at their summit in samoa by agreeing to examine ways of securing reparatoryjustice for the tra ns—atla ntic slave trade. on wednesday, prime minister sir keir starmer, said that while there was "no question" slavery was "abhorrent" but he wanted the meeting on the pacific island to focus on the "here and now". while reparations could cost the uk billions of dollars. king charles and queen camilla are present for the commonwealth heads of government meeting. the couple will complete a day of engagements before meeting with leaders at the end of the week. frederick mitchell is the foreign minister of the bahamas. i think at the moment, caricom countries want the conversation to start about it. there appears to be even a reluctance to have the conversation start. many of the institutions in the uk have already conceded the point of apology, the british government isn't quite there. but at this time the discussion needs to be had about the history of this and the ill effects of what happened after slavery was abolished which continue to affect our

societies today. our political editor chris mason gathered the thoughts of sir keir starmer on the way to samoa. and he spoke to him. the british prime minister emphasising to us on the plane here, the 28—hourjourney from the uk, but as far as the conversation about reparations was concerned he felt that it was too backward—looking, he didn't want conversations to get bogged down over it, and instead he wanted to focus on the future, around trade and climate change, for instance. but now courtesy of this leak to our colleaguejames landale, the bbc�*s diplomatic correspondent, we have seen a draft communique, that is summit speak for the draft conclusions of an event like this, in which there is a specific reference in a couple of paragraphs to a desire from some commonwealth countries, as you say, not least those in the caribbean, for a conversation to properly begin about the question of reparations and the suggestions that some countries, the uk among them, owe, so goes the argument, a debt to countries that feel

they were disproportionately enslaved, and there should be apologies for it and there should be financial compensation for it. as far as the uk is concerned, there is no desire to express any apology or indeed to allocate any money. but it does look like it will come up in the conversation here even if it isn't on the formal agenda. i'm joined by alex renton, journalist and broadcaster, author of blood reckoning can a family story of slavery. thank you forjoining us. what you think the uk government should now do? i think the uk government should now do? ~ , ., now do? i thinki should back down, i now do? ithinki should back down, ithink— now do? i thinki should back down, i think it _ now do? i thinki should back down, i think it is _ now do? i thinki should back down, i think it is a _ now do? i thinki should back down, i think it is a sad - now do? i thinki should back down, i think it is a sad state j down, i think it is a sad state when the former colonial power from whom the commonwealth derives says you can't talk to us about things that are embarrassing or possibly expensive in the future. what is the commonwealth for if not for having debates? keir

starmer said this morning he wants to look to the future and not the past but i don't think britain with its very dubious past in slavery under other colonial issues, can look to the future as an international country without coming more to peace with the past. they should listen to the commonwealth nations and move forward and have some talks. tell me about your own family's history on this. isn't there an argument that the money, if thatis argument that the money, if that is what is due, should come directly from those whose ancestors were directly responsible?— ancestors were directly responsible? i've certainly heard that _ responsible? i've certainly heard that argument. - responsible? i've certainly heard that argument. the | responsible? i've certainly - heard that argument. the whole nation was responsible. you have to remember, i've looked at my ancestors a burst of history and written a book about it but i can see they paid more money on their slavery industries jamaica and tobago to the british government than they ever got in profits themselves. millions of british people alive today are directly connected to the

wealth derived from slavery and the compensation money paid at the compensation money paid at the end of slavery. it is something that affects our whole nation and it affects our relationships with nations in west africa, in the caribbean and so on. and also the large proportion of people in britain itself who are descended from enslaved people from the caribbean and in africa. this is not a dead issue or an unimportant one and reparations is an idea that can be really effective in promoting peace and reconciliation. it happened between the jewish and reconciliation. it happened between thejewish people in germany, for example. this is a positive idea and this is just about discussions. i should also say, ask for caribbean nations, it's notjust about money, we are very good at saying it is trillions, we can possibly pay it, but actually if you look at what the nations have been asking to talk about over the years it's about many other issues for the caricom countries. other issues for the caricom countries-— other issues for the caricom countries. . ~ ., ,, countries. what kind of issues? there is a _

countries. what kind of issues? there is a ten _ countries. what kind of issues? there is a ten point _ countries. what kind of issues? there is a ten point plan - countries. what kind of issues? there is a ten point plan on - there is a ten point plan on the caricom website, help with educational facilities, the caricom website, help with educationalfacilities, debt forgiveness, which is not a taxpayer issue but for banks and is very effective in helping poorer countries, these are access, about really the better relations we ought to have with two countries whose populations we exploited terribly for 250 years. isn't there a fundamental- terribly for 250 years. isn't i there a fundamental problem with this, even if people accept the principle of justice, that if every nation does this and looks at its own colonial past, current populations will be potentially liable for huge amounts of money and most countries, britain included, will say they simply cannot afford it, and if, as i said, going back to my first question, if anyone is going to pay commission to be those families and those individuals who have benefited from enormous wealth?- from enormous wealth? well, institutions _ from enormous wealth? well, institutions are _ from enormous wealth? well, institutions are certainly - institutions are certainly looking at that. if you look at my family in particular there is none of that welfare any longer. it is five or six generations ago. and there are

hundreds and thousands of people connected to my ancestors who did these things. this conversation isn'tjust about britain. we always seem to make it about us. there are 11 european nations who have been asked by the caribbean nations to start these debates. the dutch have already accepted and made apologies, something we haven't done either, and granted 200 million to begin a reparations process. in many british institutions, the university of glasgow up here and others are doing so. reparations i think it's about reconciliation and acceptance and acknowledgement of the past. it could take many forms. those who want to reject even discussing something that could bring greater peace and understanding between us like to just say it is too much money and we couldn't pay it. it's about talking about the future, and i think that should be done. my family, since you

ask, do make donations to various causes in the caribbean and in the uk that we hope help black people and people descended from the enslaved. i think that's a good way to go forward. i know lots of other families are doing that. but this is a national issue. it's about the trade and the industries related to it that made britain rich in the 19th century. it's a great national shame and there are things we can still do about it. we can still change the consequences. alex renton, very gratefulfor your time today. thank you for being with us.— the us vice president, kamala harris has said she believes donald trump is a "fascist". the former president is facing a fresh storm of criticism following a report that he once said he needed "the kind of generals that adolf hitler had". it comes after his longest—serving chief of staff, john kelly, told the new york times that the former president once told him: "you know, hitler did some good things, too." this is a window into who donald trump really is,

from the people who know him best, from the people who worked with him side by side in the oval office and in the situation room. and it is clear from john kelly's words that donald trump is someone who, i quote, "certainly falls into the general definition of fascist", who in fact vowed to be a dictator on day one and vowed to use the military as his personal militia to carry out his personal and political vendettas. donald trump has responded on his truth social platform — calling vice president harris "a warped mind" and a "threat to democracy". the comments at the heart of the latest attack lines from kamla harris come from john kelly, the trump white house's longest—serving chief of staff. speaking to the new york times,

he said that he believed that donald trump met the definition of a fascist. let's hear what he had to say. looking at the definition of fascism, it's a far—right, authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology or movement characterised by a dictatorial leader, centralised autocracy, militarism and the forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy. so certainly, in my experience, those are the kind of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running america. that wasjohn that was john kelly, that wasjohn kelly, the longest serving chief of staff to donald trump when he was in the white house. let's see how the presidential candidates are polling. new polls are arriving every day, each one with its slightly different take on the figures. if you look at the overall trends, rather than the individual points, you see harris retains a small lead over trump

in the national polling averages. and if we turn to the battleground states, these are the states that were very close last time around and could be decisive in this election. the polling in each one is very tight, with kamala harrisjust ahead in three and donald trump just ahead in four. these are our latest polls — we'll bring you the new data when it updates later this morning. the usjustice department has reportedly weighed on in elon musk�*s actions on the us presidential campaign trail. it has warned the tech mogul that his million—dollar giveaway for registered voters in swing states may violate federal law. it comes after elon musk�*s political action committee said it was offering the prize money to increase voter registration — in a controversial move that some state officials warned, might be illegal. our north america correspondent david willis has the latest. reports here suggest the us justice department's head of election crimes has written to the political action committee, headed by elon musk, alerting it to the fact that it is against the law in the united states to pay anyone to vote

or to register to vote. elon musk has said he will pick one person a day and present them with a cheque of $1 million between now and election day. in return for them signing a petition in support of free speech and gun rights. he has already presented four such cheques, three in the state of pennsylvania, one in north carolina. a key condition is all the participants be registered to vote in one of the seven key battleground states. those are the states that could determine the outcome of this election. democrats have argued that it's part of a ploy by mr musk to swing the election the way of the republicans, who he supports. mr musk and his people for their part contend this contest is open to anyone regardless

of their political affiliation. and that he is not effectively paying republicans to vote. mr musk has been campaigning energetically on behalf of his preferred candidate, donald trump, who has vowed if he is elected president to appoint mr musk to lead a government efficiency commission. the usjustice department apparently did not specify what it planned to do in response to this alleged infringement, potential infringement of the voting laws, but it did spell out some of the penalties for breaking those laws, which include up to five years potentially in prison. david willis. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

to the us next. striking workers at boeing have rejected the latest pay offer and opted to continue their strike action that has lasted nearly six weeks. boeing are offering the striking machinists at 35% pay rise over four years, but around 33,000, most in seattle, turned down the latest offer. the strike has estimated to have cost boeing $5 billions. let's speak to our international business correspondent theo leggett. this is strike by workers in the pacific northwest of the us, the regions around seattle where boeing has its heartlands. there factories there that produced the 737 the 777 and 767 freighters so they are really important factories and these workers are negotiating a new four—year contract agreement with boeing to replace one that has expired. the problem is they say boeing hasn't been offering them enough and over the past

it has been pushing down radius and pushing down the terms and conditions in other ways and removing defined benefit pensions for example and that hasn't been made up. this was the second offered boeing has put forward. it has a 35% pay increase over four years, a $7,000 out a vacation bonus for signing the deal, but no return to the pensions that the workers wanted. and what we have really is a breakdown in trust has become very apparent between boeing's management and its workforce. the result of which has been to offers from boeing which have been put on the table and twice now they have been voted down which is extremely damaging for a company that is firefighting on so many fronts at the moment command safety and quality, on getting its latest aircraft tested and into circulation and supplied to airlines, dosso even its space programme, the star liner space vehicle left astronauts stranded in space. so this is a company that is in all sorts of difficulties at the moment but the most

pressing one is the strike on its doorstep in seattle. h0??? its doorstep in seattle. how much is that _ its doorstep in seattle. how much is that strike - its doorstep in seattle. how much is that strike costing l its doorstep in seattle. how much is that strike costing mn reddi things go from here? is costing it a great deal of money, and boeing issuing its third quarterfinancialfigures yesterday must have for the period up until the end of august, end of september, sorry. they showed that during that period over three months boeing made a loss of more than $6 billion. 4 billion of it on the commercial side and 2 billion on the defence side. but more importantly, it is burning through cash, it is burning through cash, it is burning through cash, it is burning through a lot of cash because it isn't delivering planes to airlines and therefore those planes are not getting paid for, which means it can't go on like this forever. this is a company that is carrying $57 billion worth of debt at the moment and the money isn't coming in. so it is an extremely costly strike and won the nuclear chief executive kelly augsburg has already said is his priority to sort out. he is his priority to sort out. he is new in thejob, this is his first big challenge and so far he has not managed to resolve it. ., ., ~ , .,

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