show the as official figures show the economy shrank for the second month in a row in october. and that was before rachel reeves business bashing budget. how much worse could things get.7 tories much worse could things get? tories have warned that keir starmers housebuilding bonanza will barely keep up with immigration today, even if he hits his target for 1.5 million homes over the next five years. and ed miliband has pledged to bnngin and ed miliband has pledged to bring in the most ambitious reforms to the country's energy system in generations as he presses ahead with plans to accelerate the development of onshore wind farms in england. but will england's green and pleasant land be ruined forever? but could ed's big day be overshadowed by an ongoing row between himself and cabinet colleague wes streeting over his failure to back military action in syria against bashar al assad in syria against bashar al assad in 2013? and could prince

andrew, his choice of friends, get any worse? he's accused of having a close personal relationship with a suspected chinese spy who is now banned from britain. apparently, he even attended the duke's birthday bash that really takes the biscuit. well, as ever, i'd love to hear your thoughts, your views, post your comments gbnews.com/yoursay. but now it's time for your news headlines with will hollis. >> good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> your top stories at 3:00. >> your top stories at 3:00. >> some breaking news for you. >> some breaking news for you. >> first of all, a wicked predator who was caught on cctv raping and killing an nhs worker on a park bench has been jailed for life. mohammed ledoux raped and killed nhs worker natalie

shotter. he has been jailed for a minimum life term of ten years and eight months. he will. we're going to bring you more on this breaking news story a little bit later on. a coroner has concluded that a former british paratrooper was unlawfully killed in ukraine. daniel burke died from multiple gunshot wounds in september last year. but the inquest today, the coroner said daniel was unlawfully killed by someone who purported to be his friend. he died with bravery and valour, but was killed by cowardice and dishonour. daniel, from south manchester, went to ukraine two years ago to support their fight against russia's invading forces. the inquest was told mr burke had previously travelled to syria to fight against the so—called islamic state, after being heavily affected by events in manchester in may 2017, when 22 people died in the manchester

arena bombing. downing street has insisted the government's position on syria is very clear after two cabinet ministers expressed differing views on the commons vote on uk military action in the country in 2013. energy secretary ed miliband says he does not regret blocking british intervention in syria when he was labour leader after the health secretary, wes streeting, suggested the uk's hesitation allowed the assad regime to last for longer. speaking today, miliband defended his decision, saying there had been no clear exit strategy and he had not wanted to put british troops in harm's way. syrian president bashar al—assad has fled to moscow after rebels launched a major offensive against the government, ending the assad family's 50 year rule of the country. in other news, the uk

economy shrank for the second month in a row in october as concerns about the budget continue to weigh on confidence. the office for national statistics said output fell 0.1% , statistics said output fell 0.1%, following the 0.1% decline recorded for the previous month. the figures showed zero growth in the powerhouse services sector, with manufacturing and construction declining at a pace of 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively, the ons says. activity had stalled or declined, with pubs, restaurants and retail among sectors reporting weak months. chancellor rachel reeves said she was disappointed by the data, but it's not possible to turn around more than a decade of poor economic growth and stagnant living standards in just a few months. >> but you'll see from the plans we've been announcing whether thatis we've been announcing whether that is the energy reforms we've published today, the reforms to build 1.5 million homes that we

published yesterday, the pensions reforms, the creation of a national wealth fund. this government are getting on with the job in improving economic growth and driving up living standards. >> shadow chancellor mel stride says the fall in growth shows the stark impact of the chancellor's decisions and continually talking down the economy. >> well, it's not good. these are stark figures. this is the second consecutive month in which the economy has contracted. now, bear in mind that the government actually inherited the fastest growing economy in the g7 from the last conservative government. and what this shows is that this government's constant talking down of the uk economy is coming through in these numbers. now, of course, we've had a budget. we're going to be seeing higher taxes, higher inflation, higher interest rates, downward pressure on wages and higher unemployment. and so it's no surprise that businesses right up and down the country are now sounding the alarm. >> according to reports, an alleged chinese spy suspected of

having links to prince andrew has been banned from entering the uk on national security grounds. the man, known only as h6, has been found to be was found to be a close confidant of the prince and was reportedly ianed the prince and was reportedly invited to the duke's birthday celebrations. the home office has accused the individual of covert and deceptive activity, acting on behalf of the chinese communist party. buckingham palace has declined to comment at this time. and another palace story for you. an investigation will take place after reports of a member of buckingham palace staff was arrested after a christmas party, according to a palace spokesperson. the spokesperson said appropriate action would be taken after the palace was made aware of the incidents. the metropolitan police told the sun newspaper. officers had been called to a bar in victoria street after reports a customer had smashed

glasses and attempted to assault a member of staff, they said. a 24 year old woman was arrested on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly before being released after being given a penalty notice. and in your final story today, 609 migrants arrived in the uk yesterday after crossing the english channel after crossing the english channel, according to the figures from the home office. the cumulative numbers of arrivals by small boats this year now stands at a provisional total of 34,582. that's 19% higher than at the same point last year. the crossings yesterday were the first for eight days. they also represented the highest daily total since october 18th, when 647 migrants arrived. nine boats arrived yesterday, which suggests an average of around 68 people per boat. those are your

latest headlines for now, but i'll be back in just a few short minutes for the very latest gb news direct to your smartphone, sign up to news alerts by scanning the qr code , or go to scanning the qr code, or go to gb news. >> com forward slash alerts. >> com forward slash alerts. >> well, it's eight minutes after 3:00. this is gb news. we're live on tv, online and on digital radio. i'm nana akua. i'm in for martin daubney. now stand by and prepare yourselves. the uk is on recession watch. the uk is on recession watch. the economy is shrinking and it's the second month in a row the country has seen negative growth. chancellor rachel reeves says that this is disappointing, but it's not possible to turn around more than a decade of poor economic growth and stagnant living standards in just a few months. >> but you'll see from the plans we've been announcing whether thatis we've been announcing whether that is the energy reforms we've

published today, the reforms to build 1.5 million homes that we published yesterday, the pensions reforms, the creation of a national wealth fund. this government are getting on with the job in improving economic growth and driving up living standards. >> but let's not forget that she warned us about three years ago. have a listen. >> by all of their election promises to cut national insurance contributions, they're actually raising them against the strong advice of business and trade unions. the conservative government's actions will make each new recruit more expensive and increase the costs to business. the decision to saddle employers and workers with the jobs tax takes money out of people's pockets. when our economic recovery is not yet established or secure, and only adds to the pressure on businesses. >> well, i can only guess that she either didn't write that and is reading off a script and doesn't know what she's saying, or she knows exactly what she's doing. well, her opposite

number, shadow chancellor of the exchequer mel stride blames the government. >> and what this shows is that this government's constant talking down of the uk economy is coming through in these numbers. >> well, joining me now with the latest as gb news political editor christopher hope. christopher, thank you for joining me this afternoon. >> great to see you. >> great to see you. >> so what's the latest with rachel reeves? what's the top line we've got at the moment? >> well, it's a worry. i 1