, making highly personal attack on jeremy boris johnson, making highly personal attack onjeremy corbyn it actually mean? joining me from coventry studio is a literature professor from the university of warwick. thank you forjoining us. a lot of people are used to borisjohnson and his flamboyant use of language. what exactly is a mugwump? mugwump is originally a native american word that by the early 19th century was being used largely in a humorous way in american political discourse to meana in american political discourse to mean a boss or a leader and then towards the end of the 19th century in america, it began to be applied to republicans who refused to support the republican president shall candidate in 1884. what's interesting about borisjohnson using this word is actually it is largely a word that is used historically within america and american political culture, rather than british political culture. so, do you think you chose it because he loved the sound of it? as a linguistic tools? would you think it is trying to pass on some sort of subliminal message?” is trying to pass

they say that boris johnson isa stuff. they say that boris johnson is a loose cannon.e a mistake? rather than speculate as to what might happen, let's take what has happened. when america responded to the chemical strike, the correct thing to have done would be establish through the united nations, either the security council or the general assembly if it was blocked, the responsible at the for the chemical attack. 0n it was blocked, the responsible at the for the chemical attack. on that responsibility has been established, then action can be taken as a result. the action you should take against anyone using weapons of mass destruction against a civilian population contrary to international law is to make sure that those responsible will be put before the international criminal court and held to account. that is the right and legal response. it is the sort of thing that stops it from happening again farther than shooting first and asking questions later. thank you. we have not heard from the labour leader himself, but given his stance on iraq and other interventions,

russian fury as johnson is snapped as syria tensions rise, boris johnson's decision johnson is snappedjohnson‘s decision not to go to moscow —— snubbed. the reaction from the russians, particularly sergey lavrov, who is his foreign secretary counterpart. yes. the russians are basically saying that this shows that britain is incapable of independent thought when it comes to foreign policy. basically, the uk is a lapdog to the united states. as i said earlier, this is not really typically diplomatic language and they are obviously not happy about this. interestingly we are also seen the opposition in the uk, the liberal democrats and labour, criticising borisjohnson for not democrats and labour, criticising boris johnson for not going to russia, working on the basis of rex tillerson, the us foreign secretary who is going to go, so why should boris do not go? we have not had a really clear explanation from the foreign office of the thinking here and this is leading the opposition parties in the uk to say theresa may is afraid he is going to go and they will be gaffes. much further down in

russia accused of complicity in syrian war crime and boris johnson...d borisjohnson because of his notorious florida language. tim farron also coming in saying the foreign secretary is a poodle of washington, echoing the comment on tony blair, was having his diary managed across the pond and think it's pretty shameful when even trump judges you to be a buffoon. 0k. charlie, what can we talk a moment, that is going to happen, rex tillerson the secretary of state, he is going to have to end up of state, he is going to have to end up going to moscow. the talk in the la st up going to moscow. the talk in the last couple of days is if the russians would refuse to have him over. that's not the case, he is going over. he has a serious message. i don't think borisjohnson isa message. i don't think borisjohnson is a poodle, i didn't think tony blairwas, to be is a poodle, i didn't think tony blair was, to be honest. is a poodle, i didn't think tony blairwas, to be honest. i is a poodle, i didn't think tony blair was, to be honest. ithink it's important in a situ

boris johnson burst out this morning. it seems incredible when you have a threat.ng jeremy corbyn is wea k barrels, claiming jeremy corbyn is weak on defence and cannot be trusted. and suggesting the uk could join in, if america again bombed syria. if they come to us and ask for our support, with whatever it happens to be, as is the case in 2013, john, in my view, and i know it is the view of the prime minister, it would be difficult to say no. you would have to go to the commons. that needs to be tested. you will not sure? it would be difficult for us to say no. he said similar before, but it matters now because the tories believejeremy corbyn is soft on defence, whether regarding syria or the rest of the world. there is a risk that people will say, he is just world. there is a risk that people will say, he isjust down islington herbivore, a muddleheaded... will say, he isjust down islington herbivore, a muddleheaded. . m seems all the tory party will do is be rude aboutjeremy corbyn? seems all the tory party will do is be rude about jeremy corbyn? the world is mo

do you believe boris johnson has alienated our g7 allies?ifference between alienation and failing to get them on side on one particular issue? well, who knows? but if you go around, you know, calling for a trade war with italy and using kind of flippant language the way that he did, don't be surprised if italy doesn't decide to take your proposal that seriously. this is the problem. diplomacy is a gentle and delicate process and borisjohnson has many strengths, being gentle and delicate are not two of them and it is really i guess heartbreaking for me to see a united kingdom that i want to be a leader in the world, a force for goodin leader in the world, a force for good in the world not being taken seriously at a major summit like this. it cannot be, it doesn't talk an expert hal we say to put two and two together to realise that britain's disregard for its allies in the last 12 months and its inability to get things done for people in syria. so it is not the approach, it's the man? say that again, sorry. sorry, it's not the approach, it's

this is something boris johnson has the veto by russia.orisjohnson has proposed recently. that story has moved on slightly. there has been a lot of worry is about the fact that boris johnson is not going to go to russia, which he said he was going to do. —— worries. but we have moved oi'i to do. —— worries. but we have moved on with the idea of sanctions. the problem with that take, and it is difficult to figure out what effect the sanctions have. there are already sanctions in place and that has not been anything clearer about what those sanctions would be. how would you work out whether it is having an effect. this is ominous, that threat of real war, that is in the daily mail. obviously sanctions would be a better option. but what sort of sanctions can be put in place? there are often financial sanctions. the times, tough new sanctions. the times, tough new sanctions on vladimir putin. boris johnson says he is being ridiculed on twitter was python, trading like monty python sketch. trading insults. the talk more recently with tighter ba

. front page, we had to touch on boris johnson. he would be disappointed, i am sure he watches! religiously, to see if he will get a mention. you got a mention. it is not anything to do with mugwumps. did you know the word? charlie and the chocolate factory? something to do with american politics, but i could not have explained, but now i know. we are now clear about it. but this is something which he is more concerned about, his own political future, and whether or not, if theresa may get a very substantial majority, she can dispense with him. she has already joked she could dispense with him. why was he needed? he will be leading figure of the brexit campaign, he led the campaign with a certain panache and all of the style we associate with him, the question was whether he could knuckle down and doa was whether he could knuckle down and do a seriousjob in government as foreign secretary. some people think he has, some people don't think he has, some people don't think he has, some people don't think he is a credit to the governme

boris johnson of the g7 foreign ministers in italy.stand he will lead the discussions on the g7‘s response to all that is going on in syria. people close to borisjohnson so the thinking is this — it would not have been a good idea for borisjohnson to go before this meeting and rex tillerson to go afterwards because it would allow the russians to play the two men off against each other. by the two men off against each other. by having one visit, by rex tillerson, they can have one strong, coordinated response to try and deal with the issue. in the meantime, that g7 meeting in italy will try and deal with the issue of how to remove and deal with the issue of how to re m ove assa d and deal with the issue of how to remove assad and to plan for life after him, how planning can take place for peace and rebuilding in syria afterwards, and look at how they might get russia to demilitarise. the chief executive of ford has said he cannot guarantee the company will keep manufacturing in the uk after brexit. mark fields told bbc news it was "real

borisjohnson boris johnson saying borisjohnson saying that boris johnson saying that the russians havehe plain fact of the matter is, they don't, because what boris johnson wanted was pressure applied through sanctions and that isn't happening. borisjohnson through sanctions and that isn't happening. boris johnson was pretty clear that he thought they needed to bea clear that he thought they needed to be a carrot and stick approach to vladimir putin, and the threat should be additional sanctions, but that has been clearly rejected by his colleagues in the g7, and these we re his colleagues in the g7, and these were pretty limited sanctions. we're not talking about broad economic sanctions, we were talking about sanctions, we were talking about sanctions targeted on individuals in the russian and syrian military who probably don't travel to europe a nyway probably don't travel to europe anyway so are likely to be affected by asset freezes and travel bans, but instead all he has merged with isa but instead all he has merged with is a proposal that should there be an investigation into th

boris johnson britain has followed up with a diplomatic rebuke.lled off talks in moscow on monday and issued a written statement instead. developments in syria have changed the situation fundamentally. we deplore russia's continued defence of the assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. we call on russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in syria and ensure the shocking events of last week are never repeated. the planned visit by boris johnson would be the first by any british foreign secretary for five yea rs, british foreign secretary for five years, a long gap reflecting the difficult relationship between britain and russia which already existed. but now these events have provoked an even deeper crisis. russia's response came from a tweet from the embassy in london, accusing russia of theatrics —— a clue —— appeared in boris johnson russia of theatrics —— a clue —— appeared in borisjohnson theatrics. the 1812 overture or celebrates past russian victory. instead of seeing the russia

boris johnson says taken not particularly seriously.ken not particularly seriously. boris johnson says that the reason he withdrew his planned trip to russia was because the americans are going and he said he wanted there to bea going and he said he wanted there to be a coordinated, i suppose, message, to the russians and that that would come from the americans rather than from him going tomorrow and that the situation had changed. that has been seized upon the critics of borisjohnson, the liberal democrats described him as an american poodle. what we have had from the team behind borisjohnson is an indication as to what he is doing over this weekend, he is talking to the different countries that are going to be attending the g-7 that are going to be attending the g—7 summit on tuesday in italy and he is trying to get them to have some kind of coordinated boys, i suppose, coordinated message for russia. certainly the whole rhetoric now is really moving towards trying to get russia to withdraw its support for bashar al—assad. as well is

a lot of people talk about boris johnson as large crowds.out borisjohnson as the conservative who can reach parts of the country that others can't. as we saw today his use of language can be controversial. there will be an issue of leadership here. the conservatives wants there to be one. they point out people are of course choosing the next prime minister. they will have to decide too how much they go for mr corbyn and whether, actually, by going in on a personal way for him it could end up backfiring. news that the ukip leader has confirmed he will stand for parliament? there was speculation about whether he would oi’ speculation about whether he would or wouldn't stand to be an mp this time round. he won't say yet which seat he is going for. he said he will be a seat where we think we can give it a good go. he did stand in the stoke by—election. it didn't go well. he came second, labour held on and thes conservatives running him close. the key areas have been the east of england. unlikely to stand there, maybe the north—east, the midlands

writing in a newspaper today boris johnson called jeremy corbyn a "mutton—headed old mugwump".ct of political insults over the years. joining me from the times newsroom is the paper's political sketch writer patrick kidd. i suspect it will be the political insult of the year, what did you think when you heard it? as the father of a six—year old daughter, i know it from roald dahl, it appears ina know it from roald dahl, it appears in a couple of his books. although you have gone into various possible meanings, and it comes from american politics, for the turncoat in the 18705, it politics, for the turncoat in the 1870s, it is a borisism. it contains the word mug, and wump, which sounds like chump, and rob. you talk about it being the political word of the year, maybe he had last year's phrase, because given the referendum he had another word. he is a journalist first and foremost, a colourful and effervescent one. although he is perfectly capable of coming up with these when he is speaking, it is no commented on is he wrote this, so i would not look at the exact meaning, it is

boris johnson's called off talks in moscow on monday and issued a written statement instead.yria have changed the situation fundamentally. we deplore russia's continued defence of the assad regime, even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. we call on russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in syria and ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated. the planned visit by borisjohnson to moscow would have been the first by any british foreign secretary for five years. a long gap reflecting the very bad relationship between britain and russia which already existed. but the events of the past week in syria have now provoked an even deeper crisis. russia's first response came in this tweet from their embassy in london, accusing boris johnson of theatrics for lack of argument and inviting people to listen instead to what they call russia's soft power. a link leads to this excerpt from tchaikovsky's patriotic 1812 overture, celebrating past russian military victory. instead of seeing the russians on monday, bori

boris johnson just looks down. i mean, what is the argument for not going ahead with a visit?ing on wednesday, so rex tillerson is going on wednesday, so it can't be that we've moved to a cold war position of no talking whatsoever. the idea that the foreign secretary can't be trusted because he might pursue his online -- his because he might pursue his online —— his own line makes him look like some sort of mini me to the us, not a situation any foreign secretary would want a beer. rex tillerson will travel to moscow this week for the trump administration's first face—to—face meetings with the russian government. jonathan blake, bbc news. with me is our political correspodent, susana mendonca. what are they trying to achieve? they are trying to get the conversation on to russia's responsibility and trying to get russia to change its stance regarding syria, because russia has been assad's bigger supporter. they wa nt to been assad's bigger supporter. they want to add that pressure onto them now, but the fact that the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, is not going to russia is be

boris johnson has been johnson's decision not to go there.by the liberal democrats who referred to him as an american poodle, basically saying he stood aside for the americans to have a go perhaps because he could not be trusted to do it himself. they are suggesting that he is perhaps not up to it and that he is perhaps not up to it and that view has been echoed today by alec salmond who was talking to andrew marr. he basically said that boris is behaving like a mini me to the americans and ended up looking quite daft. boris johnson just looks daft, what is the argument for not going ahead with the visit? the american secretary of state is going on wednesday. the idea that he cannot be trusted because he might pursue his own line have an independent thought or cross over what the americans are going to say, just makes them look like some sort of mini me to the united states of america and that is not the position that any foreign secretary would wa nt that any foreign secretary would want to be in. if the mail on sunday repeats the russian li

that was boris johnson talking to a reporter earlier.s is the headlines. the funeral of pc keith palmer is taking place at southwark cathedral. thousands of police officers lined the streets of central london. russia is facing the personalty of further sanctions for its continued association with assad. and the bbc uncovers evidence implicating the bank of england in the so—called libor scandal. and the sport, sergio garcia says that winning the masters is a dream come true. he beat englishmanjustin rose for the jacket. everton‘s ross barkley is considering his options after he was the victim of an unprovoked attack ina barlast the victim of an unprovoked attack in a bar last night. the complaint has been made to the police. i'll be back with more noble stories just after half past. as the urban hearing, russia faces the threat of fresh international sanctions over its continued association with syria. labour leaderjeremy corbyn has warned of a possible proxy war developing between the united states and russia in syria. let's go to our p

we heard earlier today that boris johnson has decided to cancel that trip.at? it is not be underestimated. let's remember that this was going to the first trip by british foreign secretary to moscow for the best pa rt secretary to moscow for the best part of five years. relations have not been good between london and moscow for quite some time, going right back to the middle of the last decade with the poisoning of alexander litvinenko, when findings here suggested that vladimir putin himself might have signed off the decision on the poisoning of that former russian agent here in london, so things have gone downhill ever since, the episodes in ukraine, the annexation of crimea. western sanctions against russia. this was a bit ofan sanctions against russia. this was a bit of an opportunity to start resetting, recalibrating those relations. this is now not going to ta ke relations. this is now not going to take place. instead, borisjohnson will travel to italy to meet with other members, other foreign ministers, of the g7 group of nations and discuss that stra

finally, boris johnson makes corbyn plot. t page of the mail on sunday. boris the poodle. that was the name given to him by the leader of the lib dems. he said he only pulled out over the say—so of washington. he said he was doing the bidding of the white house, which has been denied by foreign office. we will look at the papers later in the programme. next week is holy week, leading up to easter sunday, the day that christians mark their belief thatjesus rose from the dead. but research commissioned by the bbc suggests belief in a life after death is by no means limited to people of faith. a study by comres found one in five atheists, who say they don't believe in a god, also believe in an afterlife. 0ur religious affairs correspondent martin bashir reports. you are here to worship today! come on! worship at hill song church in surrey isn't just an on! worship at hill song church in surrey isn'tjust an expression of gratitude for what this christians say god is doing in their lives now, but also what they say he has in store

boris johnson pressed hard for it, but insisted no consensus was not defeat. secretary johnson: i don't pretend you this is going to be easy. there are very few better routes forward that i can see for the russians. this is a way forward for russia and syria, and in making this offer, i think rex tillerson has overwhelming support. james: so, looking at boris johnson's performance, what does a former conservative foreign of the gamble? >> putin will be pleased they weren't able to reach an agreement, but putin is an opportunist, and over the obama years he was able to say i can do what i like militarily in syria because the americans are not going to intervene. the americans have now intervened. they have done so once, they could do so again. james: rex tillerson did get from g-7 allies universal endorsement of president trump's missile strikes on syria, but he left here for moscow without the sort of threat to russia that boris johnson would've liked. tim: i spoke with our correspondent in russia, if they would have their own position for rex tillerson. steve

boris johnson had mentioned that concerning those, that strategy or potential strategy in syria. that theresa may is in agreement with him. just the introduction is here two theresa may and let's listen in. thank you. thank you very much for that wonderful welcome and it's great to be here in yorkshire, great to be in leeds, one of england's great cities. leeds is a great financial centre, its cultural centre, as i say, it's a modern, thriving, diverse city, university city, it represents so much of what is good in our country today. i am here this evening to celebrate that. but also to make a simple pledge. that if you vote for me, to strengthen my hand at the negotiating table in brussels, i will do everything i can to represent the interests of every person in this great city and every person in this great city and every person in this great city and every person in this great country. applause and i know that this is a city, a place where people perhaps might call a traditional labour area. but here and in constituencies across the country, although it may say labour on the b

alex, what more has boris johnson said?boris johnson has been borisjohnson has been pretty quiet in this election campaign so far, but he has now waited in in true fla m boya nt style. he but he has now waited in in true flamboyant style. he is known for his colourful use of language and has turned that full blast onjeremy corbyn. he has called him a martin headed —— mutton headed and says he threatens national security. he says he asks nonsensical questions in parliament, he would be calamitous in parliament and disastrous for brexit. this is the core of the conservative campaign so far. they are trying to make this about leadership to draw parallels between jeremy corbyn and theresa may because they think this will do them some savers, but labour have been highly critical of these comments. the shadow secretary says boris johnson was only allowed out of hiding if he talked delusional nonsense. she says he is looking after exit, a significant thing for this country, and these remarks could damage the chances of the uk gett

boris johnson illegal intervention would be counter—productive.johnson is following tony blair in that respect. if the government wants to have parliamentary authority they should ask for parliamentary afforded to, not speculate wildly andjump to afforded to, not speculate wildly and jump to whatever president trump does. the porters" johnson said the situation has not changed. he has not ruled out a parliamentary vote. this is one of the dividing lines between the parties. the tories think it is a strength, trying to portrayjeremy corbyn as a threat to national security. borisjohnson launched a personal attack on the labour leader today calling him a mutton headed mugwump who would be calamitous in downing street. campaigning in downing streetjeremy corbyn said they were focused on serious debate, not name. ask the possibility of air strikes in syria he labour wanted a political solution. above all we need to bend ourselves totally to getting a political settlement in syria and allow the inspectors space to work, allow the inspectors space to wor

boris johnson joins foreign ministers in italy as international pressure grows on russia to abandon itsia's president. police say they are dealing with a spice drug epidemic in manchester and it is putting pressure on public services. the so—called libor scandal — the bbc uncovers evidence implicating the bank of england in rigging a key interest rate. australia's great barrier reef is in great danger say scientists as warmer waters strip the colour out of much it, leaving it fragile. and finally — after trying for 18 years — spain's sergio garcia wins his first major title after a nail—biting finish. and coming up sportsday on bbc news — everton‘s ross barkley is unhurt after what his lawyers have described as an unprovoked attack in a liverpool bar. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the funeral of pc keith palmer, who was killed in last month's westminster attack, has been held at london's southwark cathedral. thousands of police officers from all over the country lined the route of the funeral cortege which set off from the palace of westminster — where his coffin had

boris johnson was due to go to moscow. he has called off that mission. is true or not, but the working theory is that the us secretary of state rex tillerson is due to visit moscow this week and they have divided the workload in the sense that boris johnson will be going to the summit this tuesday to try to rally western support for this sort of us—led position on russia while rex tillerson handles the russian side, i don't know if that is true or not, some people have criticised boris johnson, saying he is clearly seen asa johnson, saying he is clearly seen as a liability, the fact that he has postpunk this engagement makes him look like a poodle —— post—poll engagement. if you look at the front page of the mail on sunday that is the headline! they call him a poodle. it's a difficult one. the kremlin is not easy to negotiate with and is a huge supporter of assad. is a quote in the observer saying that this, the positive scenario of what happened last week because the crucial question is whether the effect of america showing military force in that area s

is boris johnson correct to say you agree with him that it would be hard not tojoin in with militaryat it would be hard not to join in with military action with him that it would be hard not tojoin in with military action in syria if there was another chemical attack? what i have just said is that this is a hypothetical question because there are no proposals on the table for a further strike against syria. i think what we need to do and what we will focus on and what boris has been focusing on in re ce nt what boris has been focusing on in recent weeks is working diplomatically to see if we can find a way to persuade the backers of president assad that this is the time we need to work for a political transition away from president assad for the future stability of the country of syria. one of the things pointed out to the prime minister is that this is the first time she has beenin that this is the first time she has been in yorkshire. since she became prime minister. why is she coming up now? that was put there as well but i think we can expect is a more high—profile visits from hi

borisjohnson did boris johnson did not borisjohnson did not get his way at the g-7 borisjohnson did not get his way at the 6—7 in italy today. we will ask if this episode said anything about the state of british foreign policy. do we ourselves to be more important than we really are in international affairs? join me on bbc two. here on bbc one it's time for the news where you are. welcome to sportday with me. coming up welcome to sportday with me. coming up on the programme. three explanations on the way to emerge. the borussia dortmund team bus is targeted and one player is injured. their game against monaco has been postponed until tomorrow. we've seen this before, but can barca do it again? they're beaten heavily atjuventus in their champions league quarter final first leg. and warburton worry. the man favourite to be named lions captain is ruled out for six weeks, but should still be fit to face to new zealand. welcome along. a borussia dortmund player has been injured after three explosions struck the team bus on the way to the home leg of their champions league quarter final again

we have heard from boris johnson on this topic. he raised the issue,in johnson on this topic.o reiterate not what everyone in the group thinks, but rather what i think. sanctions are not an end in in themselves. they are an instrument to get a specific goal. for example, in the case of ukraine, it was important for us not to have automatic renewal of sanctions because the ultimate ian is to ensure peace and stability in that country, not to have sanctions for the sake of it. the g—7 position is clear, supporting the existing sanctions. i was going to ask the question that my colleague did, so i will ask something different. the new administration in the knighted states has said that it wants to try to restart relations with russia and the secretary of state's trip will be the first test of if there can be an effective dialogue. he does not have a diplomatic background at all, yet some people were positive about him, thinking his fresh or transactional approach could be effective in a place like russia. what is your take on how this might all go? thank you. i think that your qu

asked again and again, she would not repeat boris johnson's admission.estion because there are no proposals on the table for a further strike against syria. yet the tories believe wholeheartedlyjeremy corbyn is vulnerable. thank you very much. and they plan to make it hurt. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the prime minister has accused the eu of lining up to oppose the uk in brexit negotiations. she was responding to comments by the german chancellor angela merkel, who said the uk had illusions about how tough the talks would be. the eu says it has agreed its negotiating guidelines for the brexit talks and that the 27 other countries are united on their strategy, which will be adopted by eu leaders on saturday. from brussels, our europe editor katya adler reports. for the first time in a long time, the vexed eu is feeling bullish. reflected today in its most powerful nation, by its most powerful leader. speaking in the bundestag this morning about brexit, angela merkel painted the uk as confused, the eu as resolute. translation: to us it may see

it is laying into boris johnson's mention the telegraph.aying into borisjohnson's seeming failure of diplomacy here and borisjohnson used to be a writer for the telegraph. he did. £250,000 a year. it was chicken feed that.|j telegraph. he did. £250,000 a year. it was chicken feed that. i wouldn't get out of bed for that money. we could pay all the stuff on the guardian for that. he is in the cold from the g—7 and the united nations and his own government. i think theresa may doesn't trust for minute. let's go to the times. a breaking story this evening. this explosion, some kind of blast, involving the borussia dortmund football tea m involving the borussia dortmund football team on the way to the ground for the champions league game against monaco. very worrying. one of the players has been injured. all the people, the spectators honoured in the stadium waiting for the game. they were told to wait at least half an hour. they have rescheduled the match now for tomorrow night. very worrying. germany has had so many terror attacks. lots of sp

the language out of moscow describing it as absurd, boris johnson's justification for not going gives a sense of how the kremlin sees this. they go on to say the stability and consistency as long. is the hallmark of western foreign policy. chris, thank you very much indeed. joining me now from turkey is massimiliano rebaudengo, head of mission for syria at medecins sans frontieres. i'll will be reflecting now on the terrible events of last week or earlier this week. good evening to you. do you have any up—to—date figures for the sort of numbers of casualties in that a strike which so clearly seems to be chemical attack? for the incident that happened at the days ago, the figure of the casualties are variable and difficult to confirm. there are reports telling about 80 casualties, even more, more than 500 injured people. what i can tell you from the reports that we have from our medical staff in the grounds that have been treating patients, patients keep arriving to our hospitals as well as training and supply and medical supply. we have received about a0 patients in the last two days

my understanding from speaking to those around boris johnson is understanding from speaking to thoseat they did not feel that strategically use was worthwhile, that the two men pretty much going one after another because of fears that russia might try and find a way of praising them apart politically, even though on this issue and the us intervention in the other day, that the uk and the us are at one. borisjohnson deciding not to go, secretary of the us, deciding not to go. —— he will go. at what point, if ever, is this meeting rescheduled. in the meantime, what has been the reaction to the decision not to go? a couple of lines coming out of russia, from the russian foreign ministry and the embassy here in london. the russian foreign ministry said it is absurd that boris johnson foreign ministry said it is absurd that borisjohnson is not going. stability and consistency of long stop i've been the hallmark of western foreign policy. rather more critically or cryptically to me, was it wheat from the russian embassy in london a couple of hours ago offering a link to a piece of classica

foreign secretary boris johnson from president assad.retary borisjohnson will argue that president assad has no future. our diplomatic correspondence sent this report. america's secretary of state is in italy to turn up the international heat on syria's president assad and his russian backers. rex tillerson very deliberately joined an international wreath laying at the memorial to a nazi atrocity here in 1944, the massacre of local villagers. we remember the events of august 12th 191m that occurred here. then he drew a direct parallel to last week's gas attack in syria's idlib province. we rededicate ourselves to holding to account any and all who commit crimes against the innocent anywhere in the world. president trump's foreign minister will use the next two days in italy to work with the major european powers, including britain. rex tillerson is hoping to produce a strong joint message to russia's president putin, urging him to restrain the syrian regime, which moscow fights alongside, and to work instead for political transition away

boris johnson decided not an insignificant decision. it is not.standing, saying he will not go out to moscow. it would've been the first visit by a uk foreign secretary of the five years. it gives you a sense of how pretty much frozen the relationship has been between london and moscow. i think the decision from borisjohnson is significant because it allows them to make a statement that he is not happy with russia's ongoing involvement in syria. i will bring you a little bit of a statement. developments in syria have changed the situation fundamentally. my poetry is contact with the us and others in the run up to the g—7 meeting. —— my priority. instead the us secretary of state is going to go to moscow after that meeting of the g-7. to moscow after that meeting of the 6-7. it to moscow after that meeting of the 6—7. it will to moscow after that meeting of the g—7. it will be interesting when, or is this meeting between boris johnson and his russian opposite number is rescheduled. he has made that decision, we have made about that. what has been t

boris johnson seeks support for a new initiative to end the conflict. good morning, it's sunday 9th april. also ahead: a rare honourfor murdered police officer keith palmer. his coffin will be taken to the palace of westminster ahead of his funeral tomorrow. a ceremony to mark the centenary of the first world war battle of vimy ridge. more than 20,000 people are expected to take part. in sport, england'sjustin rose is at the top of the leaderboard at the masters. rose is six under par along with spain's sergio garcia going into the final day in augusta. who is the bossy one? also this morning, we meet the sisters with a combined age of 300 and a century of stories to share. and ben has the weather. morning. after yesterday's sunshine and warmth, today will be even warmer. but not for all of us. scotland and northern ireland turning cloudier and cooler, with some rain at times. all the details in 15 minutes. thanks, ben. first, our main story. there's been more tough rhetoric from the british government on russia, over its continued support for syrian pr

brent: today the british foreign minister boris johnson proposed new sanctions on russia. how likely is that to gain support? reporter: it is possible, of course, because everybody here -- also, the other european prime ministers and canada and of course, the japanese, everybody here at the table, they want to increase pressure on russia. however, the question is whether further sanctions, which means probably sanctions against top military personnel in russia, for further sanctions against cronies of president putin, will really change his mind. he has weathered the rather tough economic sanctions the eu has put against him since the ukraine crisis rather well. are further measures really going to change anything in moscow? will he feel the pressure will make him even more stubborn? that is anybody's guess. brent: g7 countries appeared to have no clear position on syria and russia. they all agree that assad it to go, but when it comes to syria as a whole and russia, there is no unity. how big of a problem is that? reporter: it is a big problem, of course, because what eve

you were the deputy mayor under boris johnson.ou think the measures are in the draft plan? well, the first thing i should say is that from my experience the coalition government didn't step up until it was forced to, in the supreme court round two years ago, and from my experience at city hall liberal democrat ministers were not... were just as difficult to engage with, i guess than their conservative counter pars. we took action. let me answer that point. i've given you clear examples of actions we took. we took action but borisjohnson went to brussels to try to argue and make coalitions to undermine the european standards. so boris johnson, far from showing leadership, he tried to undermine action on air pollution. and of course, you know, 201a, from 2010 to 201a, you were so far behind in london, borisjohnson did not do enough to reduce emissions nitrogen dioxide. there is a few things i would like to challenge. the first about going to brussels to water down the rule, that wasn't true. when i went to brussels it was to get the

immediate afterwards, boris johnson told me he is pressing for new sanctions against russia as well as syria. mr. johnson: we will be discussing the possibility of further sanctions certainly on military figures and indeed on some of the russian military figures who have been involved in coordinating the syrian military efforts, and thereby contaminated by the appalling behavior of the assad regime. james: the russians are mocking you for not going to moscow and rex tillerson happy for you to go. why did the prime minister asked you not to go? secretary johnson: i think it is important in these circumstances for the world to present a united front and for there to be no ambiguity about the message, and the message we're sending to the russians is clear. do they want to stick with the toxic regime? do they want to be eternally associated with a guy who gasses his own people? or do they want to work with the americans and the rest of the g7 and like-minded countries for a new future for syria? james: but president assad's major backers, iran and russia, have warned of military retaliatio

to use boris johnson's phrase, price will be paid, but how big a price can there be to bring syria backy can... the conference is still discussing about how to get humanitarian aid to people and how to stop the suffering, including of children, how to bring this war to an end. there is no answers to that yet and there are not likely to be any a nswe i’s there are not likely to be any answers from this conference and the un security meeting this evening. thanks forjoining us. meps at the european parliament have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking a tough stance on brexit negotiations, setting so called "red lines" that cant be crossed. earlier there were testy exchanges as the parliament's brexit negotiator, guy verhofstadt, told meps that brexit is a ‘stupidity‘ which was caused by a catfight inside the conservative party — and he said britain will one day ask to rejoin the eu. nigel farage of ukip accused politicians from other countries of being nasty and vindictive. 0ur europe correspondent damian grammaticas sent this report. a handshake offered from the eu's chief negotiator.

immediately afterwards, boris johnson to be pressing for new sanctions against russia.ing the server —— further sanctions on some of the russian military figures who have been involved in toward a meeting the syrian military efforts and who of course are thereby contaminated by the appalling behaviour of the assad regime. the russians are mocking you for not going to moscow. rex tillerson were apparently happy for you to go. why did the prime minister not want you to go? i think it's very important in these circumstances for the world to present a united front and for there to be absolutely no ambiguity about the message and the message that we're sending to the russians is very, very clear. do they want to stick with a toxic regime? do they want to be eternally associated with a guy who gasses his own people or do they want to work with the americans and the rest of the g7 and indeed like—minded countries for a new future for syria. but president assad's major backers, iran and russia have warned of military retaliation if president trump repeats last friday's cruise m

following the us air strike on the air base in homs boris johnson announced he was cancelling a plannedsia but his american counterpart rex tillerson will go ahead with a trip there later this week. prompting ridicule from mrjohnson‘s critics. the idea that the foreign secretary can't be trusted because he might pursue his own line or have an independent thought or cross of what the americans are going to say itjust makes him look like some sort of mini— me to the united states of america. pictures last night on russian tv showed what they said were aircraft flying once again from the airbase damaged by us missiles. and british hopes of influencing the kremlin‘s position on syria seem slim after the russian foreign ministry said boris johnson's cancelled visit showed that the uk had no real influence world affairs. susana mendonca, bbc news. at least 25 people have been killed and dozens injured following a blast at a coptic christian church in egypt. the blast, in the city of tanta, north of cairo, took place as worshippers gathered to celebrate palm sunday. there's also been a separat

boris johnson regime with a chemical attack on the idlib province. had contacted the british government, asking for political support, but said it would be difficult for britain to say no to a request for practical support in the future. he also updated mps on the situation in north korea. he called on china to use its influence. but he began his statement by paying tribute to britons who died in tragic circumstances in stock old and jerusalem. chris beddington was one of four people who died when a truck was driven into pedestrians. hannah blaydon was stabbed to death in jerusalem on good friday after a senseless attack. our thoughts and prayers are with their families. he laid out what was known about the syrian chemical weapons attack. we know beyond doubt that two aircraft took off from the airfield where we know the chemical weapons are stored. we know they were overhead at 639 when according to wool eyewitness accounts, the attack took place. we know from shell fragments in the crater that not only had sarin been used but the particular chemica

boris johnson telling game by using those cruise missiles.telling the bbc the americans have changed the game. james reynolds has been following the meeting from rome. here's his take on what the rest of the g7 will be looking for. they will be asking pointed questions in private at the working dinner in lucca no doubt of the secretary of state. i think the simple questions they will be asking is this, what is the us strategy in syria? are the air strikes we saw last week simply a one—off? part of a plan? does it have any coordination with the fight against assad and isis? how would it work on the ground ? assad and isis? how would it work on the ground? how might the united states coordinate with russia and iran to make sure their forces aren't targeted by those countries? a lot of questions need to be asked inside the g7 before the g7 may be co mforta ble inside the g7 before the g7 may be comfortable enough to relay a statement to allow rex tillerson to go to moscow with a unified position. we now return to the funerals of the victims of t

following the us air strike on the al—shayrat air base in homs, britain's foreign secretary boris johnsonto russia but his american counterpart rex tillerson will go ahead with a trip there later this week. prompting ridicule from mrjohnson‘s critics. the idea that the foreign secretary can't be trusted because he might pursue his own line or have an independent thought or cross over what the americans are going to sayjust makes him look like some sort of mini—me to the united states of america. pictures last night on russian tv showed what they said were aircraft flying once again from the airbase damaged by us missiles. and british hopes of influencing the kremlin‘s position on syria seem slim, after the russian foreign ministry said boris johnson's cancelled visit showed that the uk had no real influence world affairs. susana mendonca, bbc news. the us military has ordered a navy strike group to move towards the korean peninsula, amid growing concerns about north korea's missile and nuclear weapons programme. us pacific command described the deployment as a "prudent measure to maintain

like britain to take part in according to borisjohnson it britain to take part in according to boris johnsonwould britain to take part in according to borisjohnson it would be very hard for britain to say no. in other words we would almost certainly say, yes, we're in. importantly mr johnson suggested that we would give the go—ahead to taking part in you as action without parliament having as action without parliament having a say. in other words they would be no parliamentary vote to approve military strikes against syria. that would cause a huge row, i imagine, because convention has now built up that when we are engaged in military action that has to be some sort of parliamentary approval. it also contrasts markedly with the stands byjeremy corbyn where he has been highly critical with what he regards as reckless military intervention in the middle east. it also jars to some extent with what no 10 said after the cruise missile attacks, saying they were seeking a political solution, not a military one. this is what borisjohnson said on the today programme on radio 4 today. if the americans