john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. energy costs in britain are too high. the report commissioned by the government, says households aren't benefiting, from falling wholesale prices. the review is also critical, of the government's support of renewable energy policies, as our business editor simonjack reports. how do we make sure we have enough energy to keep the lights on while keeping bills down in a way that doesn't cost the earth? the author of today's independent report commissioned by the government says customers are paying too much, and it doesn't have to be this way. the fossil fuel price has halved, the costs of renewables are tumbling. the costs of dealing with the intermittency from the wind, wind particular, that's tumbling, too. you know, big problem for my report to look at is, why haven't we have the benefits of these substantial falls in cost in our bills? the dilemma, or trilemma, is this: fossil fuels like coal are cheap and reliable, but emit tonnes of carbon. renewables can't be relied upon all the

john pienaar, our deputy political editor at westminster.litia backed by the us say they have recaptured the entire city of raqqa in syria — the self—styled capital of so—called islamic state. an alliance of kurdish and arab fighters have battled for more than four months to retake control of the city, which was seized by is in 2014. two years ago, is controlled a large area across iraq and syria, but now they only hold a handful of towns on the syrian—iraqi border. 0ur middle east correspondent quentin sommerville has the latest. at the heart of raqqa, they're giddy with victory. the syrian democratic forces controlled the city that the so—called islamic state hailed as its capital. three years ago, is did victory laps here. paradise circle, it's called, and here they beheaded people. their hatred crossed continents. but their caliphate is now in ruins and they're on the run. a new flag flies in raqqa today. it was arab and kurdish fighters, men and women, who did a jig, celebrating the islamic state's retreat. this commander told the bbc i

our deputy political editor john pienaar reports.the promise to the country before the eu referendum and since. but will the uk parliament be guaranteed a vote on the historic deal to leave the european union before it's done? welcome, secretary of state. today, the minister in charge of brexit answered "no". he told mps getting a deal, if there is one, could go down to the wire, the last moment before britain leaves. it's no secret that the way the union makes its decisions tends to be at the eleventh minute. sorry, the 59th minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day and so on. and that's precisely what i would expect to happen here. so what about the government's promise parliament would have a meaningful vote on the deal? the undertaking we've given, the undertaking we've given. could be after march 2019? it could be, yeah, it could be. it depends when it concludes. i mean, mr barnier, remember, has said... the vote, sorry, the vote of our parliament, the uk parliament, could be after march 2019? yes, it could be. did he mean

john pienaar, bbc news, westminster.ld hallam, jared o'mara, has been suspended from the labour party. in the last few days there've been a series of revelations about racist, sexist and homophobic comments he made online more than a decade ago. a woman is now claiming that earlier this year he insulted her using sexist language. he denies the allegation. kenya's electoral commission says a presidential election re—run will go ahead tomorrow, after the supreme court was unable to rule on whether or not to halt the ballot. president uhuru kenyatta won the first vote in august, but the result was annulled by the supreme court after allegations of irregularities in the poll. but the opposition claims any new vote will be rigged, with their leader, raila odinga, urging his supporters to boycott the ballot. our africa editor fergal keane reports. the president's party turned to god this morning. a prayer meeting by women supporters near the supreme court. hoping thejudges, too, would hear their pleas. nothing is moving at the

john pienaar, bbc news, manchester. laura kuenssberg is here.stock at this moment. the prime minister had important policy statements and important policy statements and important personal statements, did any of that come through? people in the conservatives would say thank goodness there was a coherent view. she did show, my goodness, getting through what was clearly a very difficult, physical ordeal that was in their view difficult, physical ordeal that was in theirview an difficult, physical ordeal that was in their view an exemplary demonstration of some of her strongest characteristics, that determination to keep going, that resilience, even when everything is against you. the pessimists in the tory party, and there are plenty of them, are saying tonight that there isa them, are saying tonight that there is a sense that bad luck can start following you around in politics. that is a sense leaders can sometimes become tainted by a set of circumstances that are not necessarily their fault, they are not of their creation, but they become a penn

john pienaar there.how that productivity in the uk labour force fell in the second quarter of the year. the office for national statistics says the amount each worker produces per hour is down 0.1%. uk productivity is now more than 15% below other major advanced economies. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity, reports. at this glass maker growth starts with a glob of molten sand. at each stage of the process where it's melted shaped and transformed the firm analysed how to trim costs and boost the amount each worker produce, their productivity. that in turn can boost the amount each worker is paid. our turnover has doubled and our productivity has tripled. there are small things we can do. we reduced our energy costs by 30% by changing the style of doors. furnaces didn't have doors. they were invented and designed especially for us. small change that brought about massive benefit to the company. that is the exception, not the rule. before the financial crisis each worker produced more each year as em

our deputy political editor john pienaar reports.resa may's bodyguard could see off the political plots, but that's up to her friends and to her, away from westminster today, and doing her best to look cool, still in charge, getting on with business. what i think is necessary for the country now, what the country needs, is calm leadership. that's exactly what i'm providing, and i'm providing that with the full support of my cabinet. thank you. maybe, but not all ex—cabinet colleagues from happier times, like the former party chairman, who's been outed as a plotter and admits stirring mutiny, gathering names of other tory mps who want the prime minister gone and gone quickly. well actually, just over a period of time, since the general election that went so badly wrong, there are quite a lot of colleagues who feel we might now be better served by having a leadership election sooner rather than later. this was really to try to gather those people together in order to be able to say that to her. mr shapps claims some 30 mps support a pl

on the six and ten, john pienaar picked apart policy details around energy, housing and organ donationose elements were extensively pursued in the afternoon and evening, but the headline was focused around the performance of the prime minister. why then the musical compilation that breakfast and daily politics did? some of us remember discussing ed miliband and the bacon sandwich coverage as bullying. this feels like the same sort of issue to many viewers. bullying. this feels like the same sort of issue to many viewersli would sort of issue to many viewers.” would say to look at the voice is there that were sympathetic to her. as soon as the speech finished, the daily politics had an interview with the former deputy leader of communications at downing street, and she said it made many people wa nt to and she said it made many people want to theresa may. what about the musical compilation of the speech. that's a bbc choice. that was one treatment of many that covered it and went alongside the speech coverage of 24 hours of continuous coverage of 24 hours of continuous coverage of 24 ho

john pienaar has more.tting a lid on energy bills to show those feeling the pinch that she was on their side and try to get tory doubters back on hers. doubts about butting into the energy market, warnings that investment could take a hit, were brushed aside. this was about helping customers. the energy market punishes loyalty with higher prices. and the most loyal customers — the most loyal customers, are often those with lower incomes, the elderly, people with lower qualifications and people who rent their homes. those who, for whatever reason, are unable to find the time to shop around. that's why next week, this government will publish a draft bill to put a price cap on energy bills. it's become hard or impossible for many to afford a home or pay the rent. councils want freedom to borrow more money for building but the government says no to more public debt. today, the prime minister called it her mission to solve the problem, providing land for affordable housing, and cash — not nearly the kind of cash

our deputy political editor, john pienaar, reports. remember this?s and kisses in brussels last week. theresa may, europe's top official, eu leaders, all keen to navigate brexit. how? to help mrs may get a deal to sell at home, notjust the story of a leader leaving europe's top table empty—handed. getting a deal done is an uphill climb but today, the man who runs things in brussels did his bit to help, even defending theresa may's dignity, and stamped on a german news reports that she pleaded with european leaders to help with brexit and see of her enemies at home. she was in good shape, she wasn't tired, she was fighting, as is her duty, and everything for me was ok. so she didn't plead with you for help? no, that isn't the style of the prime minister. no, not pleading, apparently, holding out for talks on trade and the future without writing a big cheque out front. statement, the prime minister. she told mps the breakthrough could come soon if there is goodwill on both sides. if we are going to take a step forward together it must be on the basis o

later at 5pm, there was a further interview on the price cap, and on the 6pm and 10pm, john pienaar picked apart policy details around energy, housing and organ donation. so all those areas were extensively pursued in the afternoon and evening, but the headline was focused around the performance of the prime minister during the speech. why then the musical compilation that breakfast and daily politics did? bbc outlets were playing the coughing over and over. some of us can remember discussing ed miliband and the bacon sandwich coverage as bullying on newswatch before. this feels like the same sort of issue to many viewers. it comes to whether i would categorise it in that way, i would say look at the voices there that were sympathetic to her. as soon as the speech finished, the daily politics had an interview with katy perrior who used to be the director of communications at downing street, and she said it made her warm to theresa may. what about the musical compilation? that's a bbc choice to give prominence. that was one treatment of many that covered that went alongside the speech cover

our deputy political editor, john pienaar, is at westminster. e noises off about his approach to brexit? the chancellor put on an unusually feisty performance today. as for calling the eu side the nme, maybe it was a slip of the brain, or maybe he was trying too hard to show that he was trying too hard to show that he isa he was trying too hard to show that he is a board with the brexit project. but no one in the cabinet oi’ project. but no one in the cabinet or the conservative party is about to see him as a fire breathing brexiteer any time soon. he is sticking to his cautious, wary approach to the potential economic effects of brexit, whether the brexiteers like it or not, and they don't like it one little bit. even some of his remain leaning collea g u es some of his remain leaning colleagues are now saying quietly that he sometimes antagonises the brexiteers more than he needs to. and now we are hearing some calls for him to be sacked in a reshuffle of the cabinet by theresa may. downing street are saying that talk ofa downing street are say

from westminster, here's our deputy political editor, john pienaar. remember this?and kisses in brussels last week. theresa may, europe's top official, eu leaders, all keen to navigate brexit. how? to help mrs may get a deal to sell at home, notjust the story of a leader leaving europe's top table empty—handed. getting a deal done is an uphill climb but today the man who runs things in brussels did his bit to help, even defended theresa may's dignity and stamped on a german news reports that she pleaded with european leaders to help with brexit and see of her enemies at home. she was in good shape, she wasn't tired, she was fighting, as is her duties are everything for me was ok. so she didn't plead with you for help? no, that isn't the style of the prime minister. no, not pleading, apparently, holding out for talks on trade and the future without writing a big check out front. statement, the prime minister. she told mps the breakthrough could come soon if there is goodwill on both sides. breakthrough could come soon if there is goodwill on both sidesm we are going

election, adding there are cabinet ministers who feel the same way. 0ur deputy political editor john pienaarorts. if only theresa may's bodyguard could see off the political plots, but that's up to her friends and to her, away from westminster today, and doing her best to look cool, still in charge, getting on with business. what i think is necessary for the country now, what the country needs, is calm leadership. that's exactly what i'm providing, and i'm providing that with the full support of my cabinet. thank you. maybe, but not all ex—cabinet colleagues from happier times, like the former party chairman, who's been outed as a plotter and admits stirring mutiny, gathering names of other tory mps who want the prime minister gone, and gone quickly. well, actually, just over a period of time, since the general election that went so badly wrong, there are quite a lot of colleagues who feel we might now be better served by having a leadership election sooner rather than later. and this was really to try to gather those people together in order to be able to say that to her. mr shapps claims s

john pienaar, bbc news, westminster. stay with us on bbc news, still to come: driver — what driver?s that moves all by itself. indira gandhi, ruler of the world's largest democracy, died today. only yesterday, she'd spoken of dying in the service of her country and said, "i would be proud of it, every drop of my blood would contribute to the growth of this nation." after 46 years of unhappiness, these two countries have concluded a chapter of history. no more suspicion, no more fear, no more uncertainty of what each day might bring. booster ignition and liftoff of discovery with a crew of six astronaut heroes and one american legend. this is beautiful. a milestone in human history. born today, this girl in india is the 7 billionth person on the planet. this is bbc news. the latest headlines: the funeral procession of thailand's revered king bhumibol adulyadej, who died a year ago, has begun in bangkok. kenya's electoral commission says a presidential election rerun will go ahead after the supreme court was unable to rule on whether or not to halt the ballot. president uhuru kenyatta

our deputy political editor john pienaar reports. remember this?s and kisses in brussels last week. theresa may, europe's top official, eu leaders, all keen to navigate brexit. but how to help mrs may get a deal she can sell at home, notjust a story of a leader leaving europe's top table empty—handed? getting a deal done is an uphill climb but today, the man who runs things in brussels did his bit to help, even defending theresa may's dignity, and stamped on a german news report that she pleaded with european leaders to help her with brexit and see off her enemies at home. she was in good shape, she wasn't tired, she was fighting, as is her duty, so everything for me was ok. so she didn't plead with you for help? no, that isn't the style of british prime ministers. are you pleading for help from europe, prime minister? no, not pleading, apparently, holding out for talks on trade and the future without writing a big cheque up front. statement, the prime minister. she told mps the breakthrough could come soon if there is goodwill on both sides. if we

that will take years. john pienaar, bbc news, manchester. laura joins me from manchester.today was such an important moment in so many ways, she has a terrible cold and cannot help that but do you think in your assessment she has been damaged by her performance today? to say it did not go according to plan is the understatement of the political year. everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong. she basically had a terrible run of luck with the prank, the voice, the sign following the path behind on stage. i have spoken to several cabinet ministers this afternoon who have suggested, guessing i suppose, that most mp's will want to rally round. they will be pleased she talked more personally about her own vision and she managed to set out what she wa nts to she managed to set out what she wants to do with the country despite the terrible voice and the gruelling physical ordeal you could see she was having to go through. but in other parts of the party there are senior mp's who now believe this could perhaps be the beginning of the end for theresa may. this afternoon mp

john pienaar, bbc news, manchester.e on theresa may's speech at 8.30 when we'll be speaking to dia chakravarty from the telegraph and stephen bush from the new stateman. in the last few minutes president trump has been visiting people injured in the las vegas mass shooting, as well as the doctors and nurses treating them at university medical centre in the city. afterwards president trump said there was still no indication of a motive that led gunman stephen paddock to shoot dead 58 people. our correspondent dave lee is at the hospitalfor correspondent dave lee is at the hospital for us. correspondent dave lee is at the hospitalfor us. i believe the president has left in the last few moments? yes, hejust president has left in the last few moments? yes, he just left. president has left in the last few moments? yes, hejust left. he spent almost an hour in the umc trauma centre, the hospital that took in the most injured on sunday night, more than 100 people coming through their doors in quick succession. president trump w

here's our deputy political editor, john pienaar. the brexit secretary is refusing to promise up front the cash that brussels wants. borisjohnson is toughest of all but this is a risky game. an international think tank is warning a hard brexit with no deal could harm britain badly, and uncertainty could hinder the economy ahead of any outcome. there is a bit of a... a bit of a bumpy road. it will be crucial that the uk and the eu maintain the closest economic relationship possible. in its latest survey, the 0ecd says the no deal brexit could mean... so, business and consumers would suffer. the report even suggests giving voters another referendum and stopping brexit might significantly help the economy. neither the government nor its main opponents support that idea. are you frustrated by the lack of progress with the eu, gents? 0ne cabinet brexiteer says the 0ecd accept the economy's growing despite uncertainty. he's not too worried, though, about getting a brexit deal at all. no need to fear coming up with no deal, that's the essen