heidi allen, the interim leader of, you are hoping it is going to be called change uk.day as she convenes a knife crime summit today. scotland has cut knife crime by an astonishing 70% since the middle of the last decade because they began to approach it as a public health issue rather than simply an issue of crime. i've been speaking to experts who are attending the knife crime summit — and a mother whose son was stabbed to death. thank you very much for talking to us, all of you. cathy, i want to ask you first of all, what sort of injuries are you seeing and treating? i am maxillo—a facial surgeon, which means i am a doctor, a dentist and trained head and neck surgeon, so as such i deal with injuries affecting the head and neck, the face and the neck, i get patients who will come in with penetrating neck injuries, which means knife injuries, bottles, guns, affecting this area. patients can have nasty wounds affecting them and gushes affecting them and gashes over the face which can affect the facial nerve. it will leave that individual with a permanent scar. patients

heidi allen there.o is in bristol at that launch. scathing words about the main parties, but what are the challenges change uk itself are facing? the big one is to cement a reputation as the party for people who want another referendum and ultimately a way of stopping brexit. a phrase we heard numerous times in the launch a couple of hours ago was remain alliance and that is what the leadership hope they can create. to that end you have seen of —— a fairly diverse group of candidates unveiled. perhaps the most eye—catching racheljohnson, a journalist but perhaps better known as the sister of borisjohnson, the leave campaign leader. it's not going to be easy. a lot of parties will be making a similar pitch in the next few weeks. the lib dems, the next few weeks. the lib dems, the greens, the snp in scotland, in wales and plaid cymru, but the message is there will be a pretty stark choice if the european elections go ahead on the 23rd of may between a pro—eu message they say that's coming from here, and a

and here is heidi allen who is preparing to speak.i'm sure she is... she is looking tanned, so it's fine. welcome everyone and thank you for joining fine. welcome everyone and thank you forjoining us at this phenomenal venue forjoining us at this phenomenal venuein forjoining us at this phenomenal venue in bristol. we the curious, and you may be curious, too, to know why we are here this morning. i will put you out of your misery. we are here to announce the official launch of our eu election campaign. so a very warm of our eu election campaign. so a very warm welcome on of our eu election campaign. so a very warm welcome on behalf of the whole team at change uk, the independent group. we are here today with a really simple message. if you are fed up with our broken politics, join us, get involved and let's change it together. it was just nine weeks ago that 11 mps, we decided to come together across the political demise and work together to form the independent group, and what a nine weeks it has been. eight mps resigned from the lab

i've been talking to heidi allen. like benefits and so on, so we get an idea about your principles and politics, because you have only been an mp since 2015. is that why you are the leader, because you haven't got much baggage? it is a variety of reasons. as a group of 11, we sat down a decision because forming a party going to the electoral commission, you need a leader. it is about who has the skills to bring people together. i have always worked across party and as apolitically as i could and given the reason we need these new politics is that all the existing structures have failed us, a kind of middle—of—the—road person who worked in business, industry, they are the candidates we want to attract. and with not much political baggage. no skeletons, i hope. are there any skeletons? i don't think so, i am quite a boring person really! should income tax be higher for the highest earners? i want a sweet spot where it covers public services and nhs and education. does that mean it goes up? potentially, it could. it was

the party‘s interim leader heidi allen said the group opposed brexit and would call for a second referendum continuing delays to brexit mean that unless mps approve the prime minister‘s withdrawal agreement imminently, the uk will be taking part in the european elections scheduled for one month‘s time. let‘s speak now to our political correspondent rob watson. is three years after we voted to leave the eu. thanks forjoining us i wonder if change uk than for the remainder is, brexit party for brexiteers, which of the mainstream parties are going to be most worried about these two new players? fantastic quiz question on my first day back, greetings. like all politicians, i had been for easter andl politicians, i had been for easter and i came back today, people looked at me like i had a disease and delegate is that paul blood who has brexit, oh, dear. it's nice he's been on. to answer your question though, love, ithink been on. to answer your question though, love, i think of labour and the conservatives should be very worried. specially by change uk and the brexit, i guess the conservatives

speaking at the launch event in bristol, the interim leader of change uk, heidi allen, said the two mainusiness that conservative voters can barely recognise their party anymore. and labour have continued to let the country down, offering ineffective opposition to a government at the time when the country needs it most. lacking leadership on brexit and still — still failing to tackle anti—semitism. a teenage neo—nazi who encouraged the shooting of prince harry for marrying a woman of mixed race has admitted a string of terror offences. 19—year—old mikhail shevchuk, who is from leeds, pleaded guilty at the old bailey to two counts of encouraging terrorism and five of possessing documents useful to a terrorist. the charges relate to a neo—nazi group called the sonnenkrieg division. a 57—year—old woman has been arrested under the terrorism act in connection with the murder of the journalist lyra mckee in northern ireland. she was shot while she was reporting on riots in londonderry on thursday night. the dissident irish republican group, the new ira, has admitted it was behind her killing.

speaking at the launch event in bristol, the interim leader of change uk, heidi allen, said the two maind. the conservatives have drifted yet farther to the right, now so anti—europe and anti—business that conservative voters can barely recognise their party anymore. and labour have continued to let the country down, offering ineffective opposition to a government at the time when the country needs it most. lacking leadership on brexit and still — still failing tackle anti—semitism. let's speak to our political correspondent nick eardley who is in bristol at that launch. a couple of interesting faces in the crowd there. absolutely. the kind of names you need to get a bit of attention in these sorts of campaigns. some former conservative politicians, former conservative politicians, former labourfigures former conservative politicians, former labour figures as well. perhaps the best known among them was racheljohnson, an author and journalist in her own right, but better known as the sister of boris johnson. she will be standing for the party in the south—west if the european elections go