iain watson, bbc have seemed highly unusualjust a year ago. iain watson, bbc news. is here. i , was watching that briefing, plentiful use of the word caution. indeed but all the key covid indicators are looking good. despite school is being reopened in england a month ago, there has been no attempt to end cases, the number of people testing positive has fallen lly people testing positive has fallen by a third in the last seven days, deaths falling sharply, down 44% in the past week, hospital admissions down nearly a quarter in seven days. now, this is partly locked down, but increasingly immunisation. public health england has said just one doze of either the pfizer or astrazeneca jab cuts the risk among the over 80s of being hospitalised with covid by 80%. highly effective but not ioo%, so little wonder that scientists advising the government, the site committee, have said that the site committee, have said that the reopening of shops and how to hospitality should not put severe pressure on the nhs. but as restrictions are further lifted, there was modelling the ep

iain watson.tly in office rather than david cameron, the former prime minister is that we know david cameron last year contacted not one but three different treasury ministers, the chancellor chief amongst them. he was lobbying on behalf of greensill capital, a company for which he was a paid adviser. the owner of that company had worked as a unpaid adviser in downing street when david cameron was prime minister. david cameron was prime minister. david cameron wanted access to government backed loans during the coronavirus pandemic. greensill were not given that funding but labour raise questions about the process. they say in the interest of transparency, they have released two texts which rishi sunak sent to david cameron in response to multiple text messages he received from the former prime minister. labourare he received from the former prime minister. labour are saying these texts suggest the government and indeed the chancellor himself may well have breached the ministerial code. the first

iain watson, bbc news.ed that a navy submarine missing since wednesday has sunk, with 53 sailors on board. search teams have discovered debris including items from inside such as prayer mats. what remains of the submarine is believed to be at a depth of 850 metres, below the level at which it could safely operate. here's richard galpin with the latest. this submarine, the nanggala 402, disappeared four days ago. on board, 53 crew members taking part in a torpedo exercise off the coast of bali. contact was lost after the crew asked for permission to dive. a major operation to find the stricken submarine was launched, with malaysian and australian ships amongst those helping. today, it became clear all was lost. the indonesian naval chief, yudo margono, told a news conference the submarine had sunk 850 metres down from the surface. but the hull could only withstand the pressure at 500 metres. as a result, he said, the hull cracked. he also announced that some items from the stricken submarine had been recover

iain watson, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... cope with an escalating coronavirus crisis, experts say that the worst is still to come. 0ne virologist told the bbc the peak was still two weeks away. in a break from decades of diplomatic language, president biden has described the 1915 massacres of armenians in the ottoman empire as genocide. an indonesian submarine which has been missing since wednesday with 53 crew members on board has sunk — the country's navy has confirmed. officials say debris from the vessel has been found. it follows an extensive search of an area north of bali, where the vessel disappeared. here's our correspondent richard galpin. this submarine, the nanggala 402, disappeared four days ago. on board, 53 crew members taking part in a torpedo exercise off the coast of bali. contact was lost after the crew asked for permission to dive. a major operation to find the stricken submarine was launched, with malaysian and australian ships amongst those helping. today, it became clear all was lost. the indonesian nav

iain watson, bbc news. the uk is racing ahead with its vaccination rollout.pulation have had a firstjab. but other countries in europe are finding new ways of getting the vaccine to the people. aru na iyengar reports. this is disneyland paris but not as you may know it. its convention centre is now a mass vaccination site seeks to speed up its covid injections. open at weekends only, the aim is to inoculate 1000 people per day as france tries to reach a target of jabbing 20 million people by mid—may. jabbing 20 million people by mid-mem— jabbing 20 million people by mid-ma . ~ ,, ~ ., jabbing 20 million people by mid-ma . �* ,, �* ., , mid-may. translation: i told my friends, i texted _ mid-may. translation: i told my friends, i texted them _ mid-may. translation: i told my friends, i texted them and - mid-may. translation: i told my friends, i texted them and said - friends, i texted them and said i'm going to get vaccinated at disneyland and i think it's amazing, it's great, i'm going to get the vaccine, everything is perfect. to get the vaccine, everything

iain watson, bbc news.with his predecessors and declared the massacre over a century ago of up to 1.5 million armenians by the ottoman empire an act of genocide. the move risks damaging us relations with turkey, which is an important nato ally. its foreign minister has already said that the move opens a "deep wound" between the two countries. 0rla guerin reports from istanbul. her report contains images you may find upsetting. a solemn ceremony of remembrance in the armenian capital of yerevan. people here see the past as a burning injustice. more than a century on, it has now been recognised by america as a genocide. president biden, seen here today leaving the white house, has taken an historic step, a reckoning with history, and has given his verdict. a statement issued by the white house is damning. the president refers to the ottoman era armenian genocide and says... these painful images from 1915 show some of the horrors. skulls on public display. armenian is hanging in full view. for decades, turkey

iain watson, bbc news.on rollout — more than half the population has had a firstjab. but other countries in europe are finding new ways of getting the vaccine to people. aru na iyengar reports. this is disneyland paris but not as you may know it. its convention centre is now a mass vaccination site as france seeks to speed up its covid injections. open at weekends only, the aim is to inoculate 1000 people per day as france tries to reach a target ofjabbing 20 million people by mid—may. translation: i told my friends, i texted them and said i'm going to get vaccinated at disneyland, and i think it's amazing, it's great, i'm going to get the vaccine, everything is perfect. romania has opened its first drive—through vaccination centre, no appointment is required. people here were vaccinated with pfizer doses, receiving them inside their cars in a city centre car park. 600 were vaccinated today. more drive—throughs are planned in other regions. translation: after seeing the huge queues of cars, i we realised th

iain watson, bbc news.lines: hospitals in india are warning of dire shortages in the face of a huge surge of patients needing treatment for coronavirus as almost a million new cases are confirmed in the last three days alone. there's been another night of scuffles in eastjerusalem between palestinians and israeli police, despite an appeal for calm by israel's prime minister. the turkish government has reacted angrily to president biden�*s declaration that the ottoman empire committed genocide against armenians during the first world war. turkey has always strongly denied that the deaths were systematically orchestrated. its foreign ministry has summoned the us ambassador in ankara. orla guerin reports from istanbul — it contains images you may find upsetting. a solemn ceremony of remembrance in the armenian capital, yerevan. people here see the past as a burning injustice. more than a century on, it has now been recognised by america as a genocide. president biden, seen here leaving the white house, has tak

iain watson, bbc news.ls in india are warning of dire shortages in the face of a huge surge of patients needing treatment for coronavirus as almost a million new cases are confirmed in the last three days alone. the turkish foreign ministry has summoned the american ambassador to protest against president biden�*s decision to recognise the massacres of armenians in the ottoman empire as genocide. israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has called for "calm on all sides" after several nights of violence in and around occupied eastjerusalem. more than a hundred people were hurt on thursday night in clashes that involved the police, palestinians and far—rightjewish demonstrators. militants in gaza launched missiles into southern israel. the israelis responded with air strikes on gaza. there were no casualties on either side. from jerusalem, tom bateman reports. the israeli security forces are on horseback. they're now pushing back the crowd, the palestinians here who had been gathering. there was somethin

iain watson, bbc news. director of communications for number 10 under labour prime minister tony blair. he said it was crucial that all the facts are unearthed. i think there is more here and i think that one of the reasons thatjohnson keeps smashing the norms and the conventions is because he's basically trying to get away with as much as he can. and i hope that a combination of yes, fair play, the bbc with the dyson story and the sunday times and the financial times have really gone after the greensill story and now cummings, i hope that people understand that this does matter, it is serious, people should care and i hope that you are still going to be looking at this and don't go for the next big thing that comes along because we are nowhere near the bottom of this story and we are nowhere near yet the full truth. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:30 and 11:30 this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are personal finance jou

here's our political correspondent iain watson. what secrets might emerge from that box. he has now claimed the borisjohnson planned to ask conservative donors to pay for the repair infringement of the downing street flat and this was unethical —— refurbishment. the plans to keep up the pressure on number ten, the lawyers writing the party political lot —— watchdog electric commission and thank following cummings�*s claims, it is now incontrovertibly in the public interest that the electoral commission commenced a formal investigation. the commission says it is still gathering information. downing street says electoral laws have not been broken and no codes of conduct have been breached. labour is sticking —— seeking to broaden their attack by demanding publication of all contacts and links between ministers and firms given government contracts bring the covid—i9 crisis. the government says while contracts had been awarded at speed, due diligence was carried out and ministered had no role in awarding them and today a committee of m

iain watson, bbc news.ho gave us this update. downing street saying, well, no rules were broken, codes were followed, the prime minister paid himself. but the question then, as dominic cummings alleges, did the prime minister discuss or want to have some plan for tory donors to pay for it, and did he actually get help with that? remember, liz truss was saying that the costs, she was saying, are being covered. so the question was repeatedly put to her by andrew marr, this is liz truss, the question is did borisjohnson get help from a donor to pay for this. my understanding is the costs have been covered by the prime minister, and everything is being fully declared, in line with the rules. did a tory party donor lend him the money beforehand? as i said, he is covering the costs, and it's being complied with fully... did a donor provide the money beforehand? andrew... i am spending my time in intense trade negotiations, getting a good deal for the united kingdom. i'm not spending my time thinking about the dow

iain watson, bbc news.ear—old in east london yesterday. fares maatou was killed with what police believed to be "a large—bladed item" outside a pizza restaurant in newham. two boys, aged 14 and 15, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. another 15—year—old boy was arrested in connection with the incident. the indonesian navy says a submarine that went missing with 53 sailors on board has sunk — and that debris from the vessel has been found. it follows an extensive search of an area north of bali where the vessel went missing earlier this week. here's richard galpin. this submarine, the nanggala 402, disappeared four days ago. on board, 53 crew members taking part in a torpedo exercise off the coast of bali. contact was lost after the crew asked for permission to dive. a major operation to find the stricken submarine was launched, with malaysia and australian ships amongst those helping. today it became clear all was lost. the indonesian navy chief told a news conference the submarine had sunk 850 metre

iain watson, bbc news.ed at the international space station. angus crawford reports. we start to see the detail on dragon there as it is closing in. docking just moments away. but endeavour�*s been here before. this its second mission to the international space station. metre by metre, the gap closes. until... dragon spacex on the big loop, soft capture confirmed. the four astronauts blasted off on friday from the kennedy space center in florida. the first to use a rocket booster recycled from a previous flight. checks complete between space station and capsule, this time to meet their crewmates for the next six months. confirmation that the crew is go... making a total of 11 astronauts now on the station. it has not been this busy for years. it is really unbelievable to be here on the space station. the space station has changed quite a bit since last time i was here. i have never seen so many astronauts on board. i have never seen so many different spacecrafts on board. i think it is a tribute to how stro

iain watson, bbc news. on to the day's other news.chard 0korogheye said today that inquiries were continuing following the discovery of a body in epping forest in essex. the 19 year—old, who suffered from sickle cell disease, was last seen leaving his home in west london two weeks ago. 0ur correspondent sangita myska reports. it is here, the remote woodland of epping forest, that has become the focus of the police investigation into the disappearance of the teenager richard 0korogheye. following a search by police divers, a body was found in this lake yesterday. officers have yet to identify who it is. the whereabouts of richard, a 19—year—old student at oxford brookes university, remains unknown, though officers today said they have made intensive efforts to find him. our officers, with the assistance from specialist search teams, dogs and police horses, and colleagues from essex police have been carrying out extensive searches in epping forest since 19—year—old richard was last seen on cctv in the area two weeks ago. the body was fo

this report from iain watson contains flashing images from the start. out but not down.isor left downing street in november but now, dominic cummings has not only denied that he leaked some of the prime minister's text messages, he has also opened a pandora's box of accusations against his former boss. the most serious is that the funding of last year's renovation of the downing street flat, where the prime minister lives with his fiancee carrie symonds, was not above board and led to reports that cost was spiralling out of control. in a blog, dominic cummings says: the government says the prime minister is paying for the works himself and that no codes of conduct non electoral law were broken. the electoral commission is looking into whether there were any undeclared donations. number ten says all donations that needed to be reported have been, but labour is accusing the government of not playing fair. they want to know if any conservative donor was initially involved in the funding and are calling for more transparency and an inquiry. publish the details, have the full

iain watson, bbc news. continuing, following the discovery of a man's body in epping forest in essex. the 19—year—old, who has sickle cell disease, was last seen leaving his home in west london two weeks ago. sangita myska has the latest. it is here, the remote woodland of epping forest, that has become the focus of the police investigation into the disappearance of the teenager richard okorogheye. following a search by police divers, a body was found in this lake yesterday. officers have yet to identify who it is. the whereabouts of richard, a 19—year—old student at oxford brookes university, remains unknown, though officers today say they have made intensive efforts to find him. our officers, with the assistance from specialist search teams, dogs and police horses and colleagues from essex police have been carrying out extensive searches in epping forest since 19—year—old richard was last seen on cctv in the area two weeks ago. the body was found in the lake behind me late last night by local officers who

iain watson, bbc news.e heard, there's still no decision about whether nonessential international travel, including holidays, can resume, but there was confirmation that a "traffic light" system of countries will be introduced whenever travel abroad is allowed. the government says when that happens, the nhs will be involved to create a travel certificate. our transport correspondent, caroline davis, reports. preparing for international travel takes time. the industry is already gearing up, hoping that they'll have a summer season. but today, the prime minister wasn't making any promises. obviously, we're hopeful that we can get going, but from may to 17th, we are hopeful, but i do not wish to give hostages to fortune, or to underestimate the difficulties that we're seeing in some of the destination countries that people might want to go to. we don't want to see the virus being reimported into this country from abroad. when international travel does restart, it will use a traffic light system. so far, we onl

iain watson, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news... coronavirus crisis, experts say that the worst is still to come. one virologist told the bbc the peak was still two weeks away. in a break from decades of diplomatic language, president biden has described the 1915 massacres of armenians in the ottoman empire as genocide. four astronauts on board elon musk s spacex crew dragon spacecraft have successfully docked at the international space station for a six—month mission. it is the third launch in less than a year for nasa s commercial crew programme, which relies on private sector companies operating from the us. angus crawford reports. we start to see the detail on dragon there as it is closing in. docking just moments away. but endeavour�*s been here before. this its second mission to the international space station. metre by metre, the gap closes. until. dragon spacex on the big loop, soft capture confirmed. the four astronauts blasted off on friday from the kennedy space centre in florida. the first to use a rocket booster recycle

iain watson, bbc news.s for number 10 under labour prime minister tony blair, alastair campbell. thank you very much forjoining us. what is happening to the team boris johnson put around him and got him into office? ~ . , johnson put around him and got him into office? ~ ., , ., , , , into office? what is happening is the are into office? what is happening is they are reflecting _ into office? what is happening is they are reflecting their- into office? what is happening is they are reflecting their leader. l they are reflecting their leader. there is no loyalty there. i think he is somebody who would just use people and what i think happened with cummings is he has decided to fight back. this is what happens when the country put somebody in downing street who lacks a moral compass. the more you hear about what is going on in downing street, with all the problems the world is facing, who likes who and who is fighting whom, it is pathetic. it is all of the peace. we should not be surprised that dominic cummi

iain watson has this report.nic cummings left downing street last year, some in government worried about what secrets might emerge from that box. he's now claimed that borisjohnson planned to ask a conservative donors to pay for the refurbishment of the downing street flat, and that this was unethical. labour plans to keep up the pressure on number 10. their lawyers have written to the party political watchdog, the electoral commission. they say... the commission says it is still gathering information. downing street says electoral laws haven't been broken and no codes of conduct have been breached. labour is seeking to broaden their attack by demanding the publication of all contacts and links between ministers and firms giving government contracts during the covid crisis. the government said while contracts had been awarded at speed, due diligence was carried out, and ministers had no role in awarding them. and today, a committee of mps will question the country's top civil servant about another of dominic cumm

iain watson of the bbc- happy _ different. thank you. iain watson of the bbc. today— the bbc. happy easter, some good news today but _ the bbc. happy easter, some good news today but on _ the bbc. happy easter, some good news today but on vaccine - the bbc. happy easter, some goodi news today but on vaccine passports they seem _ news today but on vaccine passports they seem to — news today but on vaccine passports they seem to have _ news today but on vaccine passports they seem to have achieved - news today but on vaccine passports they seem to have achieved the - they seem to have achieved the remarkable _ they seem to have achieved the remarkable political— they seem to have achieved the remarkable political feat - they seem to have achieved the remarkable political feat of- they seem to have achieved the i remarkable political feat of uniting a former— remarkable political feat of uniting a former labour— remarkable political feat of uniting a former labour leader— remarkable political feat of uniting a former labour leader and - remarkable political feat o

iain watson, bbc news, westminster.ose attending will be allowed to dance and mingle freely with no social distanding or masks, as part of a government scheme testing crowd safety. guests had to prove a negative covid test to get in. danjohnson has more from the event in liverpool. they�*ve got to make sure that everybody knows what the rules are, they have to take a test afterwards next week. but the main intention is that everyone enjoys themselves and certainly people have been excited and have been up for this. the organisers of also dj jade already this afternoon, how was it getting back up there and doing the thing? to it was pleasant to play some records for people. and they were coming in, they were waving giving a thumbs up and one girl give me a thank you card. i almost started crying. and it�*s pretty emotional and it was nice to see peoples faces literally cheshire cat faces on everybody and it�*s just a great thing to see and another local dj, she started crying, literally burst into tears because everyone

iain watson, bbc news.ay, people in many parts of england will get the chance to elect their local councillors, who are responsible for running services such as schools and bin collections. on the same day there will be a by—election to elect a new mp in the uk constituency of hartlepool. victoria derbyshire is spending the day there for us, but first she's been taking a closer look at the demographics of the town. just over 90,000 people live in hartlepool, and it's a town that has had a labour mp since the seat was created in 197a. hartlepool is one of the most deprived areas in the country. over 33% of children in the town are eligible for free school meals. average earnings in hartlepool are 7% lower than the national average. life expectancy is also below the national average, and the hartlepool by—election will be a key focus on may the 6th, and it's an election that could test political ties and potentially send shock waves far beyond the town's boundaries. and we can cross to victoria now. hi, we ar

their opening games, in contrast to huddersfield who've lost all four league games under new coach iain watsonirst game since last year's grand final loss. britain's cameron norrie will face 11 time champion rafael nadal in the quarter finals of barcelona 0pen. norrie went through after eighth seeded belgian david goffin retired with an injury, while nadal — who is looking for a 12th title here — beatjapan's kei nishikori in three sets. britain's simon yates has extended his lead in the tour of the alps to 58 seconds, with just one stage to go. the team bike exchange rider looks in good form as he prepares for next months giro d'italia. he led up the final climb in the leader's green jersey, and freewheeled across the finish line in third place behind pello bilbao. the spaniard moves up to second overall. at the world snooker championship three—time winner mark selby eased through to the second round with a ten frames to one victory over kurt maflin. the norwegian had a chance to extend the match if he sunk the black in the 12th frame but after doing the hard work prior to it missed. and that

iain watson, bbc news.r director of the race and equality think tank the runnymede trust, and she's also a member of independent sage, a group of scientists set up to provide independent scientific advice during the pandemic. dr haque, good to have you with us on bbc news today. do you think, listening to the downing street news conference yesterday, and we heard from the uk prime minister boris johnson, he said he saw no reason why his road map for reopening england should not go as planned, that the data was there. do you agree broadly with that position? if only he had followed the data, i think what is really worrying to independent sage and myself is that this really seems to be a road map all about dates rather than date her. i was extremely concerned when her. i was extremely concerned when he said there is absolutely nothing in the data that means we need to deviated i was thinking, what data are you looking at? the government is looking at the four tests but thatis is looking at the four tests but

iain watson, bbc news.ries are continuing, following the discovery of a man's body in epping forest in essex. the 19—year—old, who has sickle cell disease, was last seen leaving his home in west london two weeks ago. sangita myska has the latest. it is here, the remote woodland of epping forest, that has become the focus of the police investigation into the disappearance of the teenager richard okorogheye. following a search by police divers, a body was found in this lake yesterday. officers have yet to identify who it is. the whereabouts of richard, a 19—year—old student at oxford brookes university, remains unknown, though officers today say they have made intensive efforts to find him. our officers, with the assistance from specialist search teams, dogs and police horses and colleagues from essex police have been carrying out extensive searches in epping forest since 19—year—old richard was last seen on cctv in the area two weeks ago. the body was found in the lake behind me late last night by local offi

more on all that throughout the hour, but first our political correspondent iain watson has more on the vaccine passports. the government wants to reopen the economy fully byjune the 21st in england. it�*s currently discussing whether proof of vaccination — or of a negative test — could enable pubs and entertainment venues to open, possibly without the need for social distancing. when it comes to trying to make sure we give maximum confidence to business and to customers here in the uk, there are three things. there�*s your immunity — whether you have had it before, so whether you�*ve got natural antibodies anyway. whether you have been vaccinated. and then, of course, whether you�*ve had a test. so those three things working together will, i think, be useful. but the idea of vaccination certificates has united long—standing political opponents — against them. the former labour leader jeremy corbyn and the former conservative leader iain duncan smith are amongst 70 cross—party politicians who�*ll campaign together to oppose them, calling them discriminatory and divisive. downing street

with more details, here's our political correspondent iain watson.ard slog for many of us. but now if you live in england, you may well be working out what to do next week. from april 12, you can get in shape in the gym, have your lockdown locks snipped off, take a trip to the shops, and maybe relax outdoors with a drink. you might even run into someone you recognise in the beer garden. from monday the 12th, i will be going to the pub myself and cautiously but irreversibly raising a pint of beer to my lips. but, and you know i'm going to say this, we can't be complacent. we can see the waves of sickness afflicting other countries. and we've seen how this story goes. and the prime minister is looking at how other areas of the economy can be reopened safely. at some major sporting events this spring, there will be a trial of what the government calls covid state certification, or critics describe as vaccine passports. to gain entry to some venues, you'd have to prove you've been vaccinated, or that you had a recent negative test. or had some immunity b

this report from our political correspondent iain watson contains some flashing images.toral success for boris johnson, and there was work to be done on the flat he shared in downing street with fiancee carrie symonds. and it's how this refurb was paid for that is now in the spotlight. when the prime minister's closest adviser left downing street late last year, some in government worried about what secrets might emerge from that box. dominic cummings now claims that borisjohnson planned to ask conservative donors to foot the bill for the flat. he described this as unethical, foolish and possibly illegal. this government minister was asked if borisjohnson got any financial help from a party donor. here is a spoiler alert — you won't hear the words "yes" or "no". my understanding is the cost has been covered by the prime minister and everything is being fully declared in line with the rules. did a tory party donor lend him the money beforehand? as i said, he is covering the costs, and it's being complied with... did a donor provide the money beforehand? andrew, i am spend

iain watson, bbc news.eming has been giving us the latest on the allegations against the prime minister.— latest on the allegations against the prime minister. simon case is the prime minister. simon case is the cabinet _ the prime minister. simon case is the cabinet secretary, _ the prime minister. simon case is the cabinet secretary, britain's i the cabinet secretary, britain's most senior civil servant, and all the political stories we have been talking about, whether it is the handling of coronavirus, whether it is the lobbying of the government by former prime ministers, whether it is the prime minister's whatsapp, whether it is how the downing street renovations were paid for, all roads lead to him because he has been either an observer or involved in all of those issues, so there will be lots of questions for him. one of the questions today is how exactly did the prime minister pay for the renovations to his flat, which is above number 11 downing st. we now know that officially the government has sai

iain watson, bbc news, westminster.at the university of surrey and we can talk to him now. thank you for being with us. i don�*t know if you heard that report there, he was quoting in their and interfere with victoria atkins mp, minister for safeguarding, saying that she has confidence that the government and boris johnson that she has confidence that the government and borisjohnson know their responsibilities over personal phones. we heard the most senior civil servant in the country saying that the public need to be in touch with their leaders. that same quantity when it comes to the prime minister�*s mobile number being out there in the public domain, and that confidence, do you think that it�*s a big deal? i confidence, do you think that it's a bi deal? ., �* , , ., , big deal? i don't this is a big deal big deal? i don't this is a big deal- just — big deal? i don't this is a big deal. just having _ big deal? i don't this is a big deal. just having the - big deal? i don't this is a big| deal. just having the number

iain watson, bbc news. correspondent damian grammaticas says there are several things to focus on here. the first thing is the electoral commission investigation. that now is ongoing. they have powers to investigate the funding, where that came from, where that went, so that will come back. on that issue, the question there is whether they will choose to impose any sanction if they find there was wrongdoing. that could be a fine of up to something like £20,000, or in extreme cases, and this is very rare, to refer it to the police. separately, you have that investigation that will be done by the new adviser on ministerial standards into whether borisjohnson needs to declare anything. now, confusingly on that, if the new adviser finds something was done wrong, he will refer it back to the prime minister and it is the prime minister who decides if there is a sanction on himself. that's a slightly odd situation. lastly is the political fallout from this. we saw these very angry exchanges. sir keir starmer remin

iain watson is at westminster. what do these documents tell us?wledge over how government works to lobby on behalf of greensill. in one document, the most senior civil servant at the treasury says he has had some incoming from his old boss, none other than david cameron, who is not getting very far from the treasury, he goes to the bank of england and ask for help. labour say, why is it the former coach mike i was spending so much time with senior officials at the pandemic west at the treasury says, the fact david cameron's efforts to lobby were ultimately unsuccessful proves that nothing improper was taking place. $1150 improper was taking place. also suggestions _ improper was taking place. also suggestions that _ improper was taking place. also suggestions that dominic cummings leaked text between borisjohnson and sirjames dyson. leaked text between boris johnson and sirjames dyson.— and sirjames dyson. that's right, those texts _ and sirjames dyson. that's right, those texts show _ and sirjames dyson. that's right, those texts show discussion

' interests to advise on whether any further statements are needed. 0ur political correspondent iain watsonnic cummings let the political views. the prime minister's former adviser accused his old boss of asking conservative donors to pay for refurbishing the downing street flat. he said this would have been unethical and possibly illegal. today, the party political watchdog, the electoral commission, announced a formal enquiry into the funding of the flat, saying it was satisfied there are reasonable grounds to suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. pare suspect an offence or offences may have occurred-— suspect an offence or offences may have occurred. are you worried about the investigation, _ have occurred. are you worried about the investigation, prime _ have occurred. are you worried about the investigation, prime minister? i the investigation, prime minister? it is not the backdrop to pmqs ideally that boris johnson wanted. unsurprisingly, the labour ideally that borisjohnson wanted. unsurprisingly, the labour leader asked the prime minister about the electoral commission

iain watson, bbc news. with me is our political correspondentjonathan blake.vast range of political opinion opposed to these passports? yes. range of political opinion opposed to these passports?— range of political opinion opposed to these passports? yes, it is, now and aaain to these passports? yes, it is, now and again politicians _ to these passports? yes, it is, now and again politicians from - to these passports? yes, it is, now and again politicians from different| and again politicians from different parties _ and again politicians from different parties decide they agree on something and want to do something about— something and want to do something about it. _ something and want to do something about it. it_ something and want to do something about it, it doesn't happen often but it_ about it, it doesn't happen often but it certainly has happened here and it's_ but it certainly has happened here and it's a — but it certainly has happened here and it's a broad alliance, libertarian alliance, the former conservative leader iain duncan smith, — conserva

our political correspondent iain watson reports. they say it is good to talk.al phone? it has emerged he has not changed his numberfor 15 years and emerged he has not changed his number for 15 years and it was possible until recently to find that number on a website. that is politically embarrassing that any more serious than that? a former national security adviser seems to think so. if national security adviser seems to think so. , ., national security adviser seems to think so. ,, ., national security adviser seems to think so. i. ., ., national security adviser seems to thinkso. ., ., , think so. if you are a sophisticated state with cyber _ think so. if you are a sophisticated state with cyber capabilities - think so. if you are a sophisticated state with cyber capabilities and i state with cyber capabilities and you had the phone number of the prime minister, that would give you a head start in being able to access it and potentially listening to calls being made on it or text sent from it. it is a risk that cannot be right. it can be closed off by changi

our political correspondent, iain watson, has all the details.ong road out of lockdown, but now, if you live in england, you may well be working out what to do this time next week. getting in shape in the gym? snipping off the lockdown locks? taking a trip to the shops or relaxing outdoors with a drink? yes, what was once normal will feel like a bit of a treat. the next stage of unlocking will take place from april to 12. at his press conference today, the prime minister said to cheers to that.— today, the prime minister said to cheers to that. monday the 12th, i will be going _ cheers to that. monday the 12th, i will be going to — cheers to that. monday the 12th, i will be going to the _ cheers to that. monday the 12th, i will be going to the pub _ cheers to that. monday the 12th, i will be going to the pub myself, i will be going to the pub myself, cautiously, but irreversibly raising a pint of beer to my lips. but, and you know i am going to say this, we can't be complacent. we can see the waves of sickness afflicting other countries, and we h

opening games — in contrast to huddersfield, who've lost all four league games under new coach, iain watsonkei nishikori in three sets. britain's simon yates has extended his lead in the tour of the alps to 58 seconds, with just one stage to go. the team bike exchange rider looks in good form, as he prepares for next months giro d'italia. he led up the final climb in the leader's green jersey, and freewheeled across the finish line in third place behind pello bilbao. the spaniard moves up to second overall. at the world snooker championship, three—time winner mark selby eased through to the second round with a ten frames to one victory over kurt maflin. the norwegian had a chance to extend the match if he sunk the black in the 12th frame, but after doing the hard work prior to it missed. and that left selby an easy finish to confirm his place in the next round, where he'll face northern ireland's mark allen. and it's four frames all between ronnie 0'sullivan and anthony mcgill in their second—round contest — after scotland's mcgill won the last two frames of the session — to pile the pressu

iain watson, thank ou.r particle pollution in line with world health organisation guidelines. the report follows the landmark ruling last year, which found that toxic air contributed to nine—year—old ella adoo—kissi—debrah's death in 2013. ella's case was the first time air pollution was listed as a cause of death. our correspondent richard galpin is here. tell us more about the report. it's a ve tell us more about the report. it�*s a very important report. it's a landmark, what's happening today. the coroner, philip barlow, says there are three areas of concern, meaning the public are at risk of illness or death from air pollution. he is concerned about the lack of legally binding air—quality targets which you were talking about, this is absolutely essential and it's obviously going to be looked at and they are keen the government looks at that, and defra in particular. he also says there is a lack of public awareness and people are not aware of the dangers of pollution. there is massive amounts of polluti

iain watson, for now, thank ou opposition. iain watson, for now, thank you very — opposition.ut the day. strong sunshine coming through. a bit more cloud in the north—east of scotland. plenty of sunshine. there is a breeze in the western areas and the channel islands today is most, it is possibly the warmest day of the week with temperatures at around 1920 degrees in north—east wales. 0vernight, we will see a little bit of cloud returning. but again, with clear skies throughout most of the night, temperatures will fall to within frost levels, not widely as this morning but still a chilly start to the morning. 0ne this morning but still a chilly start to the morning. one that clears away, it will be similar to today. we have that brisk breeze through the south—west. just starting to take the edge off with the temperatures on the north sea but 17 or 18 degrees in land and sunday looking like a fine day too. hello this is bbc news. the headlines... celebrations outside the court of appeal as 39 postmasters convicted of financial crimes in the post office accounting scandal have h

iain watson, bbc news., cafes and restaurants reopen safely outdoors in england in ten days have sparked anger from industry groups. from april 12th, all customers will have to sign in on entry — notjust one member of the group, like before. some pub owners say the move will burden struggling pubs and staff. the government says it is providing as much flexibility as possible to venues. campaigners have started legal action over government guidance that bans older care home residents in england from going on visits outside the home, despite lockdown restrictions being eased. visits are allowed in exceptional circumstances, says the government, and that it is looking to open up more safe options. here's our social affairs correspondent, alison holt. after the toughest of years, care homes are slowly, cautiously beginning to reopen. nearly all residents have had at least one dose of the vaccine, and they're allowed a single named visitor indoors. but government guidance says a trip out is still too risky for o

with more details, here's our political correspondent iain watson.kdown has been a long, hard slog for many others. hard slog for many of us. but now if you live in england, you may well be working out what to do next week. from april 12, you can get in shape in the gym, have your lockdown locks snipped off, take a trip to the shops, and maybe relax outdoors with a drink. you might even run into someone you recognise in the beer garden. from monday the 12th, i will be going to the pub myself and cautiously but irreversibly raising a pint of beer to my lips. but, and you know i'm going to say this, we can't be complacent. we can see the waves of sickness afflicting other countries. and we've seen how this story goes. and the prime minister is looking at how other areas of the economy can be reopened safely. at some major sporting events this spring, there will be a trial of what the government calls covid state certification, or critics describe as vaccine passports. to gain entry to some venues, you'd have to prove you've been vaccinated, or that you

thank you very much, iain watson in westminster. afternoon, we could see the high teens not out of the question, maybe one or two places seeing a top temperature of 20 celsius. this evening and overnight, we will keep that quiet story. maybe a little bit of cloud just filtering in off the north sea at times and a little bit of patchy mist, and perhaps temperatures not falling quite as low. in one or two rural parts, we could see temperatures down to freezing. but, generally, we keep that dry, settled story for the start of the weekend. a little more cloud as the breeze increases from the east on sunday. hello, this is bbc news with me, martine croxall. the headlines: 39 former postmasters convicted of financial crimes in the post office accounting scandal have had their names cleared. india joins the uk's travel "red list" — with permitted travellers forced to stay in hotels on arrival as the country reports a daily rise of nearly a third of a million cases. a number of newspapers are quoting downing street sources reportedly blamin

political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. plenty to talk about.bout the prime minister's phone. the former national security adviser lord rickett questioning why the prime minister's phone number is so freely available. ., , available. that is right, it appeared _ available. that is right, it appeared in _ available. that is right, it appeared in a _ available. that is right, it appeared in a press - available. that is right, it. appeared in a press release. available. that is right, it - appeared in a press release. it is still on the website with a link to that press release until very recently. it is indeed the prime minister past my current number. and if you call that you will get an automated message saying it is switched off, surprise, surprised. lord rickett said that it should be an elementary matter of security and that boris johnson an elementary matter of security and that borisjohnson went an elementary matter of security and that boris johnson went from an elementary matter of security and that borisjohnson went from being a backbenc

for the latest from westminster, let's speak to our political correspondent, iain watson. let's speakhat dominin cummings so, sources say that dominic cummings was the source of the leak of these text messages between boris johnson and james dyson, what more can you tell us?— can you tell us? what is interesting is these anonymous _ can you tell us? what is interesting is these anonymous sources - can you tell us? what is interesting is these anonymous sources are - can you tell us? what is interesting l is these anonymous sources are now hiding behind that anonymity and going to ground this morning, i guess you might think it is job done, but in three newspapers, prominently, the headlines make it very clear that downing street insiders, they are being referred to, suggests the prime minister's very disappointed in the activities of his former senior adviser, dominic cummings, and that dominic cummings has been blamed for the leagues of these texts, which the bbc revealed of course showing the exchanges between the prime minister and sirjames dyson at the start of the pandemic. but t