we also haven't heard from alan milburn individually either.published in the newspapers but we know it is accurate. his term has come to an end and he is choosing not to apply in 2018 but it comes in an immediate effect. there is lots in the letter which is damaging to tories in may. the government seems unable to commit to the future of the nation. —— theresa may. at a time when theresa may is facing turmoil, this would be an unwelcome development. things going wrong all over the place for the government. imran hussain, director of policy at child poverty action group, joins me now via webcam from brighton. what did you make of these resignations? alan milburn going from the commission is a real loss but what is real troubling is the manner of his departure. it sounds a key is basically saying he is leaving because he has lost confidence in the government's ability to prioritise making society fairer. —— it sounds like he is basically saying. would you share his view that it is stuff like brexit which is obviously a huge issue and other things

to be honest, this is alan milburn, it's not just honest, this is alan milburn, it's notjust him.f his fellow commissioners are quitting because they feel frustrated. not enough is being done and it is being sidelined because of brexit. ironically they say the people who they should be focusing on the people who aren't seeing social mobility and are disproportionately located in areas who voted for brexit and they are missing out. the statistics are pretty bleak. if you look at someone born in the 1980s, the first generation who aren't expected to be better off than the generation before them. real earnings are going to flat line in the next 20 years. one wonders if this is more because they have so many other priorities, they've got brexit to worry about and other economic things and this has been pushed the background, or is this a longer term thing?” has been pushed the background, or is this a longer term thing? i am surprised they are over occupied with brexit, as much as i am in favour of it. it's harder than they thought. i guess the thing for me is, brexit actually should

in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: his departure, along with three seniorbers of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn it planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. with me now is our political correspondent, jonathan blake. so, this mass resignation. how much ofa so, this mass resignation. how much of a surprise is that? well, it has come as a bit of a surprise. we understand that alan milburn‘s term of office officially came to an end backin of office officially came to an end back injuly of office officially came to an end back in july and of office officially came to an end back injuly and he was told by downing street they would be appointing somebody new to the role. he has clearly chosen, along with his colleague on the board of the social mobility commission, not to go quietly. he has come out with his resignation letter, which has been pu

in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: his departure, along with three seniorbers of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn it planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. i have been getting more analysis on this from our political correspondent jonathan blake. it has come as a bit of a surprise. we understand alan milburn‘s term in office came to an end officially injuly and he said downing street would be appointing somebody new to the role. he has decided not to go quietly. he has come out with this resignation letter which has been published this morning, saying in his view, the government is talking a lot about social mobility and the need to tackle inequality in various parts of the uk, but those words are not being translated into action. he puts that down to brexit in one word. a lot of time, energy and resources are being focused on the effort

the observer leads with news that theresa may's social mobility tsar, alan milburn, has resigned in protestst the government's policies. the sunday times goes with the same story, reporting that mr milburn accused ministers of betraying the people who voted for brexit. the mail on sunday says a labour peer has been wrongly claiming expenses — the peer says he will pay some of the money back. the sunday telegraph reports on dissent within the conservative party over the role eu courts will play in the uk after brexit. and the sunday express claims the upcoming royal wedding will lift the economy by half a billion pounds and boost the uk‘s diplomatic relationship with the united states. so let's begin. the observer, may‘s social mobility commission wrote to quits. this is alan milburn and the other three. for people in total. this is disastrous overall. social mobility is more then, are you rich or poor? it isa is more then, are you rich or poor? it is a case of if you are born poon it is a case of if you are born poor, what are your chances of moving up the income scale and sharing in the ga

alan milburn is right to be highlighting this issue.you risk is extremism, populism, these part of the country feeling left behind, really getting very, very angry and where does it lead to? civil unrest. it is worrying. brexit and social mobility, brexit will have a massive impact, it will happen and will have a huge impact. part of that will be economic and that will impact on social mobility. whether that it is being worse off all better off, depending on what you think will happen, conditions at work and the benefits guaranteed by the eu at the moment, it is all connected and you cannot ignore social mobility to do a trade deal with new zealand, you cannot ignore it. coming at the end ofa cannot ignore it. coming at the end of a difficult week for the prime minister, the damian green saga and other things, and this resignation. that is why it is on the front pages of two papers. it is not that big a deal. the government was having a decent time post—budget, getting their act together. it looks like they will get some stuff going on

i would agree with what alan milburn as saying. i think it is tough.d of the second world war we had this boom in social mobility. i think we are entering an era of stagnating opportunity now. i think this is an issue which will not go away. one of the reasons this is hitting the headlines now is theresa may, when she first came into downing street and made that address on the steps of downing street, she made a big play about wanting to transform social mobility in this country. that would be at the heart of her agenda. yes, i agree. but most prime ministers do say similar things. it is about can you deliver on the rhetoric. there are you deliver on the rhetoric. there a re lots of you deliver on the rhetoric. there are lots of things hitting the government at the moment. they have to look at teachers and apprenticeships as well. we have lots of non—privileged students getting into top universities which is a big challenge, but at the same timei is a big challenge, but at the same time i think we need to strengthen apprenticeships. that is a huge chal

what you mustjudge a government on is what it does, as alan milburn said earlier.n, which i used to be a part of, has taken a view that they are losing much more than they are winning now, and on balance they are saying they don't see much prospect for it. i think there are some good initiatives taking place in government but i don't know if there is the leadership, the dynamism, the courage to really grip some of britain's deepest social challenges and make this a real priority of the government, and i think that is the challenge, and alan is flagging the issue of brexit, but you've also got i think a general lack of determination in number 10 and elsewhere to deal with the really tough issues. one of the problems, there is almost no ability to win legislation in the house of commons, so i think there are some fair challenges here and this is a big moment for the government. this is a big blow to the prime minister. so it is about the dynamics in parliament, it's about the focus on brexit. is it also about a lack of money? money does matter, but you find money for

now, alan milburn is an ex—labour minister. he was due to step down next year anyway.. he's tendered his resignation with immediate effect and says he won't be reapplying for the position. and this is a job he has had since 2012 when he was appointed by the coalition government. and of course, it isn't just him who's resigning, it's his three other commissioners as well. one of those is a former conservative cabinet minister, two others, one an academic, one a a charity for social mobility. so i think this is a bit of a bigger message than party politics, at least one that they're trying to send. alex forsyth there. well, the government has commented on the resignations in the last hour. their statement read: "we are extremely grateful to alan milburn for his work as chair of the social mobility commission over the past five years" "this government is committed to fighting injustice and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to go as far as their talents will take them." "we accept there is more to do and that is why we are focusing our efforts in disadvantaged areas wh

alan milburn is an ex- labour minister and was due to step down next year anyway.g from the labour site? he has gone suddenly and tendered his resignation with immediate effect. this is the jockey had since 2012 when he was appointed by the government. —— this is a job he has had. one of those resigning asa he has had. one of those resigning as a former conservative cabinet minister. one is the chief of the charity for social mobility. this is a bigger message than party politics. we haven't had a response from the government on this yet although we understand they are working on one but it is fair to say this will be very unwelcome from their point of view. alex forsyth, we will have to watch the reaction on that one. thank you. criticism is growing of two former police officers who leaked allegations that legal pornographic images had been found on a work computer of the cabinet minister, damian green. the former chief constable of greater manchester, sir peter fahy, strongly rejected suggestions it was in the public interest to disclose information allegedly fou

you only need to look at some of the things alan milburn has said in his resignation letter and in annterview he gave to the sunday times this morning, to see that in his view at least she has failed. he talks about indecision, dysfunctionality and a lack of leadership. he talks about his job in like rushing water uphill at times, and accuses the prime minister of talking the talk, but not walking the walk. when you look at alan milburn‘s resignation, the have to take into account that his collea g u es have to take into account that his colleagues on the board of the social mobility commission has also resigned. one of those is a former conservative secretary of state for education, the other is a head of a major charity in this area, and the other is a prominent academic. while some may think this is a party politics at play, given that alan milburn is a former labour minister, there is clearly a broader frustration here, i think, with those trying to tackle this issue with the lack, as they see it, of focus from the government when most of their energy is taking up with brexit. the

now, alan milburn is an ex—labour minister. he was due to step down next year anyway.andstanding from the labour side? well, he's gone suddenly. he's tendered his resignation with immediate effect and says he won't be reapplying for the position. and this is a job he has had since 2012 when he was appointed by the coalition government. and of course, it isn't just him who's resigning, it's his three other commissioners as well. one of those is a former conservative cabinet minister, two others, one an academic, one a a charity for social mobility. so i think this is a bit of a bigger message than party politics, at least one that they're trying to send. alex forsyth there. well, the government has commented on the resignations in the few hours. their statement read: alex forsyth has also been covering another story. criticism is growing of two former police officers who leaked allegations that legal pornographic images had been found on a work computer of the cabinet minister damian green. the former chief constable of greater manchester, sir peter fahy, strongly rejec

in a resignation letter seen by the observer newspaper, alan milburn, the former labour minister whod he had "little hope" theresa may's government was capable of making the changes necessary to deliver a more equal society. his three fellow commissioners, including the former conservative cabinet minister, baroness shephard, also walked out. earlier i spoke with our political correspondent alex forsyth who explained how damaging this is for the government. it is undoubtedly damaging. theresa may made it her personal mission. she said she wanted to create a more equal society. she made it a priority to her as prime minister. i think what really is damaging is when you read the resignation letter from alan milburn in which he says he does not doubt be prime minister's personal commitment to social justice, but he minister's personal commitment to socialjustice, but he doesn't believe the government has the capacity to make that happen to deliver any meaningful action in that area right now. here in part blames a brexit, saying the government is so focused, understandably in his words,

well, alan milburn and i both care deeply about social mobility and equality of opportunities.t, and he said you wanted to keep him on. is that true? i am not going to get into the discussions we had inside government. he has done a fantasticjob, but his term had come to an end. and i think it was about getting fresh blood into the commission. the education secretary went on to defend the government's record. we are seeing standards in our schools rise, and critically we are seeing the attainment gap in schools narrow — this is the difference in outcomes between disadvantaged children and their better—off peers. in the report they found children's life chances vary in every part of england. two thirds of areas where young people have the best chance of success are in london, but many rural, coastal and former industrial areas are being left behind. the midlands is the worst performing region in england. deprived areas registered some of the highest support for leaving the european union. the government is facing criticism that it is so focused on brexit that it is ignoring the

that is one of the reason why alan milburn and his tea m the reason why alan milburn and his team haveems and improving social mobility, they see the direction it is going rate is going to make lots of people poorer. the daily telegraph, stretch your legs, treasury targets bitcoin criminals. tell us briefly about bitcoin. bitcoin is crypto currency, you can spend online without people necessarily knowing who you are like a debit or credit card which are attached your name and address. a debit or credit card which are attached your name and addressm doesn‘t exist in notes and coins. there is not somewhere a little electronic coin. it is more like a commodity because it is created by people coding. difficult and complicated coding which encrypts the transaction and the reward for thatis the transaction and the reward for that is a small fraction of a bitcoin and by doing the thing that makes the currency usable you acquire a small matter of the currency. does it make sense? yes. that was a clever explanation. currency. does it make sense? yes. that was a clever explanationlj short that w

alan milburn and i both care deeply about social mobility and equality of opportunity.and he said you wanted to keep him on, is that true? i'm not going to get into discussions we have in government, he's done a fantastic job but his term has come to an end. and i think it was about getting some fresh blood into the commission. the education secretary went on to defend the government's record. we're seeing standards in our schools rise and critically we are seeing the attainment gap narrow, this is the difference in outcomes between disadvantaged children and their better off peers. the social mobility commission's most recent report described britain as a deeply divided nation. two—thirds of the areas where young people face their brightest prospects are in london while many coastal, rural and from industrial areas are being left further behind. it singled out the midlands as the worst performing area in england. deprived areas registered some of the highest support for leaving the european union. the government is now facing criticism that it is so focused on the proc

led by the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, they say the government isn't doing enough tochances of people in england from poorer backgrounds. downing street says mr milburn had already been told he was going to be replaced as head of the commission. jonathan blake has the details. your chances of getting a job, finding a good school for your children and being able to afford somewhere decent to live. issues at the heart of social mobility. and from day one in power, tackling inequality was a personal priority for theresa may. the mission to make britain a country that works for everyone means more than fighting these injustices. if you're from an ordinary, working—class family, life is much harder than many people in westminster realise. but, for the former labour cabinet minister, alan milburn, who was until now in charge of monitoring the government's progress on social mobility, not enough is being done. what is lacking here is meaningful political action to translate very good words into deeds. in the end, what counts in politics is not what you talk about, it's what

in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: a sentiment he shared on bbc breakfastek. there's a lot of talk around from government about healing division, promoting socialjustice, but right now it's heads seem to be consumed by brexit, for understandable reasons, and it doesn't seem to have the headspace to inject the necessary energy or focus into addressing these issues. his departure, along with three senior members of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn had planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent, jonathan blake. good morning, jonathan. it never rains but it pours for the prime minister. on one hand there will be lots of people who will have barely been aware of the existence of this commission, only now learning about it as these members resigned from it. on the other hand, as we heard there, this is so

alan milburn is an excellent minister, due to step down next year anyway.ly, tendered his resignation with immediate effect and says he won't be reapplying and this is thejob he has had since 2012 when he was appointed by the coalition government and of course it isn't just coalition government and of course it isn'tjust him resigning, it is his three other commissioners as well. one of those is a former conservative cabinet minister, to others, chief of a charity and an academic. this is a bigger message than party politics, at least one hour trying to send. alex forsyth there. well, the government has commented on the resignations in the last hour, thanking mr milburn for his work and restating its commitment to fighting injustice and "ensuring everyone has the opportunity to go as far as their talents take them." the youngest patient on the uk transplant waiting list has received a new heart. 8—week—old charlie douthwaite is said to be making good progress following a 9—hour operation at newcastle's freeman hospital. a donor was found after a europe—wide

at the chairman, the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, resigned, saying he had little hope social mobility because it was too focused on brexit. it gave lib dem leader sir vince cable the opportunity to ask ministers about the resignations in the commons. opportunity to ask ministers about the resignations in the commonslj don't the resignations in the commons.” don't think conservatives have ever claimed to be a party of equality, but they have always claimed to be a party of equality of opportunity, in other words, social mobility. and when the prime minister took office, her first speech set out very clearly the objectives to do everything to help anybody, whatever their background, to go as far as their background, to go as far as their talents would take them. so what does the resignation of the commission tell us about the government's success in achieving that objective? the chairman of the commission was very pointed. he said the worst possible position in politics is to set out a proposition that you want to heal social division, and then do nothing about it. in co

in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: a sentiment he shared on bbc brea kfastntiment he shared on bbc breakfast last week. there's a lot of talk around from government about healing division, promoting social justice, but right now it's heads seem to be consumed by brexit, for understandable reasons, and it doesn't seem to have the headspace to inject the necessary energy or focus into addressing these issues. his departure, along with three senior members of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn had planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent, jonathan blake. we heard in that report theresa may making those pushing in this area has been like pushing water up the hill and theresa may has been talking the talk but not walking the walk. downing street has said the government is committed to tackling social mobil

another one alan milburn, a couple of weeks ago quit as the head of the social mobility unit. he said the government did not have the bandwidth as the consequence of brexit to do with social mobility. he's also complaining about brexit. the tories will say in response, well, since the public voted for it, theresa may said brexit means brexit, parliament voted to trigger article 50, why has it taken you this long to realise the government is pursuing brexit? occurs you disagree with it, you cannot serve it. and issuing the resignation? might it be because the eu withdrawal bill is coming?|j might it be because the eu withdrawal bill is coming? i think these protests a re withdrawal bill is coming? i think these protests are the least interesting part of the resignation letter. he was always a staunch remain, nota letter. he was always a staunch remain, not a surprise he is opposed to the process. two bits which are worrying for theresa may. one, a point that george osborne made earlier. if you lose the ability to have cross—party work for big projects. which covers several succ

the headlines at 11:00 — the government's social mobility tsar, alan milburn, and his team resign — warninga "fairer britain". a new tweet from president trump raises more questions tonight about the sacking of his former national security advisor. criticism grows of two former policemen who claimed legal pornographic images were found on a computer used by the cabinet minister damian green. the vast majority of police officers, the vast majority of chiefs of police absolutely realise it's very, very important that policing in our country stays out of party politics. the youngest patient on the transplant waiting list receives a new heart atjust eight weeks old. england's first rugby league world cup final since 1995 ends in a disappointing defeat to australia.

alan milburn is an ex— labour minister. he was due to step down next year anyway.nd standing from the labour side with delahey has gone suddenly. he says he will not be replying. it is it obvious that since 2012 when he was appointed by the coalition government. and it is notjust in resigning. it is three other commissioners as well. one a conservative cabinet minister, two others, one academic and one a chief social mobility. this is bigger than party politics. the government has commented, thanking mr bellbird for his work. —— mrmilburn. and thanking mr bellbird for his work. —— mr milburn. and with everyone to have the opportunity to go as far as the talents take them. alex forsyth has also covered another story, criticism has grown for two former police officers who leaked allegations that legal pornographic images had been found on a work computer of the cabinet minister, damian green. the former chief constable of greater manchester, sir peter fahy, strongly rejected suggestions it was in the public interest to disclose information allegedly found during the

it is the second such resignation in less than one month, we saw alan milburn resigned, the head of theor her to say commission, so it could make it harder for her to say that she is able to create cross—party co—operation in the centre ground. there are those on the labor and lib dem benches have praised lord adonis ‘s principled stance on brexit. there are others within the conservative party who said his differences with the government so great, his resignation was long overdue. number 10 says hejumped before he was pushed. there is a sense of an ability about this, but he has been such a staunch remain all this time but perhaps it is no surprise he has now come to this decision. thank you indeed. and we‘ll be speaking to lord adonis at 8:10 this morning. the white house has said the world is watching how iranian authorities respond to anti—government protests in several cities. in a statement, it said iranians were fed up with the regime‘s corruption and its squandering of the nation‘s wealth to fund terrorism abroad. the us state department condemned the arrests of protesters yeste

in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government wasl a sentiment he shared on bbc breakfast. there's a lot of talk around from government about healing division, promoting socialjustice, but right now its heads seem to be consumed by brexit, for understandable reasons, and it doesn't seem to have the headspace to inject the necessary energy orfocus into addressing these issues. his departure, along with three senior members of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn had planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent, jonathan blake. how does this look for theresa may? this was one of her key pledges when she took office, that she was going to make britain a fairer country. yes, it is not good for theresa may. it was to be her main mission in government, as you say, to improve social mobility. it is clear that alan milburn, who h