the ministry of defence sa s the used up. the ministry of defence says they are _ used up. . the ministry of defence says they are spending more - used up. the ministry of defence i says they are spending more money than ever before and introducing new systems to make procurement more efficient. they also say the uk's armed forces stand ready to protect the national interests and those of the national interests and those of the uk's allies. what implications does this have for our defence? i5 the uk's allies. what implications does this have for our defence? is a critical time- _ does this have for our defence? is a. critical time. we have huge unrest around the world we have a defence equipment plan for what we should today which is not affordable. the mod has to make a very tough judgment and whoever wins the next election will have to look and make very tough decisions about what is spent on what bits of kit and whether or not we do continue to try and deliver every bit of capability thatis and deliver every bit of capability that is currently in the plan. the re ort that

here, a group of mps have warned the ministry of defence has no credible plan to fund the armed forceseave the uk increasingly reliant on its allies. the public accounts committee report that the gap between the ministry of defence's budget and the uk's intended military capabilities has ballooned to £16.9 billion, their largest—ever deficit. simon jones has more. raf fighterjets called into action last month to strike houthi targets in yemen. but this all comes at considerable cost. the public accounts committee, which examines the value for money of government projects, says it is alarming that in an increasingly volatile world, the military is facing a record shortfall between what is expected of it, and what the ministry of defence can afford. this british warship took part in a recent nato training exercise in norway, designed to be a show of strength to neighbouring russia. but the committee says in future the uk could be left increasingly reliant on its allies. at zero zero speed. it accuses the mod of a lack of discipline in budgeting, delays in defence procurement, and a failu

you forjoining us on bbc news. discussion, thank you for “oining us on sac newt the british ministry of defence government wants, which could leave the uk increasingly reliant on its allies. that's according to a group of mps. the public accounts committee report that the gap between the ministry of defence's budget and the uk's intended military capabilities has ballooned to £16.9 billion, their largest ever deficit. simon jones has more. raf fighterjets called into action last month to strike houthi targets in yemen. but this all comes at considerable cost. the public accounts committee, which examines the value for money of government projects, says it is alarming that in an increasingly volatile world, the military is facing a record shortfall between what is expected of it, and what the ministry of defence can afford. we can go straight to the old bailey where chris kaba is' family are talking to stop the 24—year—old shot in london in september 2012. the officer charged with his murder is now being named and they have just been talking outside the old bailey. it was a brief statement and w

this has been released by the ministry of defence. are the last picture is that we have of the princess of wales, from when she was at a big family event. we know that she underwent a planned abdominal surgery injanuary and has been recuperating ever since. the ministry of defence has released information that she will attend trooping the colour onjune the 8th. i should also say that buckingham palace have said that she had had this planned surgery and would be expected to be seen around easter. it will be interesting to see whether there are any engagements before during the eighth, but certainly confirmation that she will be at trooping the colour in central london onjune the 8th. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news here in the uk. the prisons watchdog has found that a vulnerable girl — being held at a young offenders' institution — was twice pinned down and forcibly stripped by male guards. the children's commissioner for england — dame rachel de souza — said she was app

world, the military is facing a record shortfall between what is expected of it and what the ministry of defenceo training exercise in norway designed to be a show of strength to neighbouring russia. the committee saysin neighbouring russia. the committee says in future, the uk could be left increasingly reliant on its allies. it accuses the mod of a lack of discipline in budgeting, delays in defence procurement and a failure to cancel projects and can no longer afford. the committee notes that the mod will see a budget increase of more than £46 billion over the next decade but mps say that could still leave the military facing an estimated deficit of 16.9 billion, its biggest ever black hole. and there's a few of the real figure could be as high as 28.9 billion, as some parts of the mod have only budgeted for capabilities they thought were affordable rather than all those the government had requested. the warning from the public accounts committee to the top brass here at the mod could hardly be starker. "you need to get a grip of spending or you want to be able to deliver the military capabili

britain's new laser weapon with the ability to shoot down drones, has been released by the ministry of defenceing to our top story now — the princess of wales has acknowledged editing a family photograph that was issued by kensington palace on sunday. leading news agencies withdrew the photograph because of concerns it could have been digitally manipulated. in the last few minutes we have her kensington palace will not be releasing the original photographs of the princess of wales and her three children, only the one that has already been published. let's speak to royal commentator katie nicholl. what should have been a reassuring episode has turned into a bit of a mess, hasn't it? it episode has turned into a bit of a mess, hasn't it?— episode has turned into a bit of a mess, hasn't it? it has, as you say, this was meant _ mess, hasn't it? it has, as you say, this was meant to _ mess, hasn't it? it has, as you say, this was meant to be _ mess, hasn't it? it has, as you say, this was meant to be the _ mess, hasn't it? it has, as you say, this was meant to be the sort - mess, hasn't it? it has,

of britain's new laser weapon with the ability to shoot down drones has been released by the ministry of defenceen described as cutting—edge technology — with the potential to revolutionise warfare. our defence correspondent jonathan beale has been meeting some of the people behind its development. this is what's been happening in the red sea. british and us warships shooting down cheap houthi drones to protect commercial shipping, with missiles costing in excess of £1 million each. but this could be the future. the first video of britain's first laser weapon being tested in scotland. a silent, less expensive killer. the beam filmed through a special lens. in reality, it's invisible to the naked eye. this is where the high energy laser comes out of. out of there? out of this window here. a number of tens of kilowatts is coming out of this aperture here. so, that's a number of beamlets that are combined to make sure that we can get that laser onto target. dragonfire has been developed in the uk at a cost dragonfire has been developed in the uk at a cost of more than £100 million, but it will give

mps say the ministry of defence has no credible plan to buy the weapons it needs for the uk's armed forces — and the problem is getting worse. a rise in the number of official warnings that a lack of resources in the nhs is putting lives at risk. a crackdown on holiday rentals, with an end to tax breaks for second homes. but will it do anything to help priced—out renters find somewhere to live? in sport, there's no stopping liverpool as they hit five in europe against sparta prague — including a stunner from in—form darwin nunez. including a stunner good morning. a good deal of dry weather on the cards today, some will say sunshine but they will be a cold easterly wind blowing. i will have all the details for today and for the weekend throughout the programme. it's friday the 8th of march. presidentjoe biden has used his state of the union address to criticise donald trump — his likely opponent in the election — and to claim that freedom and democracy are under assault around the world. president biden also announced that the us military will construct a port in gaza to allow the delivery

of a £29 billion financial black hole in defence spending. the influential public accounts committee warned the government lacked a "credible plan" to fund the ministry conditions allow." the government�*s counter—extremism commissioner says london has become a "no—go zone for jews" during weekend pro—palestinian marches. robin simcox also urged ministers to "be willing to accept higher legal risk" when tackling extremism. rishi sunak�*s spokesman said the prime minister took concerns of extremism "extremely seriously" and noted a rise in both anti—semitism and islamaphobia. new rules on paternity leave have come into effect in england, scotland and wales. fathers will be allowed to take their statutory two weeks leave in two separate chunks instead of in one go. campaign groups want all fathers to be given more time off work at better pay. you�*re live with bbc news. a report has found that a british army spy operating at the heart of the ira during the troubles in northern ireland probably cost more lives than he saved. 0peration kenova took seven years to examine the activities freddie scappaticci. the investigation cost nearly £40 million and the

the united states and europe, but about what what is important is to fight corruption in the ministry of defence, in the armed forces, so that the troops who go forward or go to sea, so that they know that every penny that is ... spent is carefully controlled and that everything that is allocated goes to for the sake of victory, and it is very important to. and the fight against corruption , first of all, i also wanted to add a few things, the colonel talked about some good news, but even i, who is an american of hungarian descent, as an american, i would like to end on a positive note: first, as my good friend general pridlav said, the russians didn't get anything strategic... from russia, well, avdiivka, it was terrible, but now we are looking at a situation that has not changed much for us, even if you had 340 billion dollars, these discussions took place in brussels, in the capitals, regarding a certain interest, and number three the black sea corridor, we talked a lot about the land situation. but the maritime situation is a huge success, i don't know why they didn't talk about it more, the

ministry of defence russia said that its air defense had allegedly destroyed three drones. rding to local telegram channels , traffic was blocked on the kerch bridge, and... loud explosions are reported in the southern part of simferopol. positive results from the explosions at the airfield in the russian city of engels are damaged planes. andriy yusov, representative of the main directorate of intelligence, reported this. according to him, the resort remains an important strategic object for russia and a dangerous object for ukraine and europe. so incidents on that will continue. let me remind you, at the airport. bombers that attack ukraine are based in engels. in vinnytsia , a five-year-old child died of carbon monoxide poisoning, three more women were hospitalized, the state emergency service reported . the tragedy happened in the village of lityn. previously, the cause of poisoning was arbitrary interference with the exhaust gas removal system. all circumstances determine the law. the portrait of the kobzar was firmly attached to the wall, there were no walls or windows

the ministry of defence says more than 20 tonnes of essential aid has been delivered this week.t calls �*dystopian levels�* of work—related stress. in sport, it's official. former wales rugby star louis rees—zammit has signed for the back—to—back super bowl champions, the kansas city chiefs. and there will be fewer showers and a little _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more — and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and it- and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and it shouldl a little more sunshine and it should feel a _ a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch — a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. _ a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i— a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i will- a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i will have - a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i will have the full

. >> the ministry of defence says grant shapps was forced to abandon trip to southern abandon a trip o southern ukraine last week for security reasons. british intelligence warned of a credible missile threat from russia , saying the threat from russia, saying the kremlin had got wind of his visit. that's according to the sunday times. mr shapps was due to travel to odesa a day after a missile hit the city while the ukrainian president and the greek prime minister were visiting . five people were visiting. five people were killed in the explosions, according to ukrainian authorities. meanwhile, the latvian has told latvian prime minister has told the sunday telegraph that britain should consider conscription and a total defence model to deter russian aggression . latvia reintroduced aggression. latvia reintroduced the model last year with all able bodied men required to complete 11 months of military service. however in january, the uk armed forces minister, james heappey, said any talk of the uk introducing conscription to the army of nato goes to war with russia was nonsense that as

public accounts committee warned the government currently lacked a "credible plan" to fund the ministry of defenceitions allow". new rules on paternity leave come into effect today in england, scotland and wales. fathers will be allowed to take their statutory two weeks' leave in two separate chunks — instead of in one go — but campaign groups want all fathers to be given more time off work at better pay. you're live with bbc news. an investigation into one of the british army's top intelligence sources during the northern ireland troubles will be published today. the interim report is part of operation kenova — which was set up to investigate the activites of the agent known as stakeknife. it's expected to call for an apology from the government and the ira. here's our ireland correspondent sara girvin. don't take any more photos of this house, i'm telling you now. because if you, i'll come out and i'll- do you. - this is freddie scappaticci. his double life personified the so—called dirty war between the ira and the british state during the troubles in northern ireland. on one hand, he was the i

. >> ministry defence have >> the ministry of defence have announced for the announced an engagement ? princess of wales. right, ken? some palace not confirming . but some palace not confirming. but if it's true, it would be the first scheduled engagement of the princess of wales. since that abdominal surgery. further quelling the rumours online that perhaps the princess is more ill than she seems do. so it's the trooping the colour review. so a week before the king's birthday parade, where, in theory, his majesty the king would inspect the troops of the household division, another member of the royal family takes part in what's called the colonels review . princess wales is review. the princess of wales is colonel of the irish so colonel of the irish guards, so she to be at horse she is expected to be at horse guards , inspecting guards parade, inspecting hundreds of troops, but in particular the irish guards. the regiments in the household division. clearly this has not been confirmed by kensington palace, but the british army have published this morning which members of the royal

the ministry of defence has confirmed that — it said that he did not make a planned visit to 0desa fore sunday times says that that is because there was intelligence that moscow had learnt about the detail of that, and the paper said that it was already on high alert because just a few hours earlier there had been a near miss in 0desa where a russian strike had almost hit president zelensky and the greek prime minister, who was then visiting. so that's what we know about this incident. grant shapps said to the sunday times that president putin had shown himself to be reckless, ruthless and careless, and he said he hoped that his visit would act as a wake up call to push, persuade and even embarrass the rest of the world into action. health officials in gaza say more than 60 palestinians have been killed in israeli bombardments overnight. the health ministry said 12 members of one family were killed when their house in deir al—balah in the centre of the territory was hit. these images are from the hospital in the aftermath of that attack. ceasefire talks are expected to resume in qatar

. up by the ministry of defence. nothing but stonewalling. that's the inquiry and the judge concerned from the ministry of defence , which ministry of defence, which johnny mercer himself has complained about and one key source of information is what was told to him. now, you're not allowed under any law or under any any court or under any system to say, oh, i'm not going to tell you, your honour, what i know, because, you know, i want to keep it secret. it doesn't work quite like that. so johnny mercer , who i think is an mercer, who i think is an admirable man, is a difficult admirable man, is in a difficult position. and if this continues, there's explosive there's this. it was explosive in australia, where the australian army had to face up to its own death squads, killing afghan afghan prisoners. frankly, we should never have beenin frankly, we should never have been in afghanistan. we just provided our soldiers with target practice for the taliban. i to david cameron in i told that to david cameron in the house

he alongside other ministers in the ministry of defence are known to be supportive of a more urgent movecent of its national income on defence, the government says it will eventually reach that figure, but perhaps some would like that to happen a little bit sooner rather than later, but, yeah, interesting to note we have got now 98 mps who say they are going to stand down at the general election the study clear majority of those are conservative. that is not out of the ordinary. if we look at other previous elections, a similar number step down. there is perhaps the suggestion here conservatives in particular see the writing on the wall, with the polls at the moment suggesting labour are going to win the general election. remember, though, politicians are human beings too and they might have personal reasons for one to stand down at the general election. this job here at westminster is not for the faint—hearted, that for sure. thanks very much indeed. peter saull, our political correspondent. meanwhile, the prime minister has been facing questions from the liaison committee, a group made

britain's new laser weapon with the ability to shoot down drones, has been released by the ministry of defenceare. our defence correspondent jonathan beale has been meeting some of the people behind its development. this is what's been happening in the red sea. british and us warships shooting down cheap houti drones to protect commercial shipping, with missiles costing in excess of £1 million each. but this could be the future. the first video of britain's first laser weapon being tested in scotland. a silent, less expensive killer. the beam filmed through a special lens. in reality, it's invisible to the naked eye. this is where the high energy laser comes out of. out of there? out of this window here. a number of tens of kilowatts is coming out of this aperture here. so, that's a number of beamlets that are combined to make sure that we can get that laser onto target. dragon fire has been developed in the uk at a cost of more than £100 million, but it will give the military more bang for its buck. what this could bring is not having to use that very expensive missile for these cheap threats

, 15 billion— by the ministry of defence, 15 billion is— by the ministry of defence, 15 billion front of you. my name is jim. nobody in their _ gentleman in front of you. my name is jim. nobody in their right - gentleman in front of you. my name is jim. nobody in their right mind i isjim. nobody in their right mind wants— isjim. nobody in their right mind wants nuclear weapons but we need them, _ wants nuclear weapons but we need them, they— wants nuclear weapons but we need them, they are a deterrent. that's them, they are a deterrent. that's the thing — them, they are a deterrent. that's the thing we need. there has been no world _ the thing we need. there has been no world war— the thing we need. there has been no world war since 1945, i would like it to remain— world war since 1945, i would like it to remain like that. i'm lucky, i am 73— it to remain like that. i'm lucky, i am 73 now. — it to remain like that. i'm lucky, i am 73 now, i've never had to fight, i am 73 now, i've never had to fight, i havent— am 73 now, i've never had to fight, i haven't been called up and that

. >> the defence ministry, ministry of defence says grant shapps was forced to abandon a trip to southern last week for security reasons. british intelligence warned of a credible missile threat from russia, saying the kremlin had got wind of his visit. that's according to the sunday times. mr shapps was due to travel to odesa a day after a missile hit the city, while the ukrainian president and the greek prime minister were visiting there. five people were killed the five people were killed in the explosions, to explosions, according to ukrainian . ukrainian authorities. meanwhile, the latvian prime minister has told the sunday telegraph that britain should consider conscription and a total defence model to deter russian aggression. latvia reintroduced the model last year with all able bodied men required to complete 11 months of military service . however, in of military service. however, in january, the uk armed forces minister james heappey , said any ministerjames heappey, said any talk of the uk introducing conscription to the army if nato goes to war with russia was nonsense . all

britain's new laser weapon with the ability to shoot down drones, has been released by the ministry of defence

the ministry of defence has confirmed reports of a fire on board its flagship aircraft carrier , hms queen elizabeth. carrier, hms queen elizabeth. this morning. the royal navy vesselis this morning. the royal navy vessel is currently docked at glen mallan in scotland . the mod glen mallan in scotland. the mod said the fire was quickly brought under control with no reported injuries. no ordnance was involved in the incident . was involved in the incident. they are now working with scottish fire and rescue to establish the cause . the prime establish the cause. the prime minister says he plans to pay for cuts to national insurance contributions by kerbing the benefits budget. rishi sunak told the sunday times he's concerned by forecasts which show welfare spending is set to rise by more than £100 billion a year until 20 2829. mr sunak said that 2.5 million working age people have been signed off as unfit to work and that, quote, just doesn't strike me as a system that's working properly. he insists he will end national insurance contributions if he wins the next general election . the

royal air force plane carrying the defence secretary had its signaljammed as it flew near the russian territory of kaliningrad this week. this image released by the ministryhe plane during the journey in question. the electronic interference is understood to have happened on wednesday evening. mobile phones could no longer connect to the internet, and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. the uk government says it isn't unusual for aircraft to experience this when flying near the russian territory. still to come on the world today, we'll be live on the ground in haiti as the un is trying to get some of its staff out of the country. and a huge leap for elon musk�*s spacex after a third test flight of its starship rocket. around the world and across the uk, this is the world today on bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. a 17—year—old boy's admitted killing a schoolgirl who was stabbed at a bus stop in south london. 15—year—old elianne andam was attacked in croydon in september on her way to school. during an appearance at the old bailey, the teenager, who can't be named because of his age, pleaded g

public accounts committee warned the government currently lacked a credible plan to fund the ministry of defenceation in doctor numbers. the nuffield trust think tank found kent and medway had the fewest gps per person, followed by bedfordshire, luton and milton keynes. it comes as ministers have struggled to hit the pledge to boost the gp workforce. you can get more on that story on the bbc news website and app. you are watching bbc news. let's turn to nigeria now, where there have been two mass kidnappings — one in the northeast and one in the north west of the country. in the north—east — authorities are searching for at least 200 people kidnapped by suspected boko haram militants. the victims are thought to be mostly women and children who lived in a camp in the town of gambaru — after fleeing their homes because of attacks by the insurgents. in a second mass kidnapping in the country this week, reports say more than 200 nigerian school students have been abducted in the north—western town of kuriga. the students, between the ages of 8 and 15, were taken away. the regional governor has vowed

of a £29 billion financial black hole in defence spending. the influential public accounts committee warned the government lacked a credible plan to fund the ministryony to enshrine in the french constitution of the right for a woman to have an abortion. france becomes the first country in the world to guarantee such a right. hugh schofield is in paris. nothing actually changes _ hugh schofield is in paris. nothing actually changes from _ hugh schofield is in paris. nothing actually changes from the - hugh schofield is in paris. nothing i actually changes from the ceremony. the change was voted through parliament on monday, doesn't actually come into effect until it is released or entered into the officialjournal, which will happen over the weekend. this is a purely stage—managed affair to enact publicly something which would have happened normally behind closed doors, which is the imprint of the seal of the republic in hot wax with a trickle of ribbon running through it on to the bit of parchment containing the change to the constitution, which will then be added to all the other changes to the constitution, there have been about 25, which are kep

this footage, released by the ministry of defence in ukraine, purported to show the sergey kotov damageds been going on for two years now, but in the last few months, there's been a lot of important activity here in the black sea. have a look at this. these three dots that are popping up. sure. ukrainian attacks on russian ships since the start of february, according to ukraine. all three of these ships sunk. that's a pretty significant attack on russia's navy. let's focus in on the one that happened overnight, reportedly down here in the kerch strait. have a look at this video. this was released by ukraine and we're told that it shows the drone attack on a ship called the sergei kotov. we have this video up at the top, too, which was posted by russian bloggers on telegram. you can see the similar similarities in the explosion. that makes us confident that both of these videos are from the same incident. i want to show you a bit, too, about what we've done to verify whether this is the ship in question, the sergey kotov. have a look here. this is from last night. this is a stock picture

force plane carrying the defence secretary grant shapps had its signaljammed as it flew near the russian territory of kaliningrad this week. this image, released by the ministryschapps on the plane during the journey in question. the electronic interference is understood to have happened on wednesday evening. mobile phones could no longer connect to the internet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. the uk government says it isn't unusual for aircraft to experience this when flying near the russian territory. here's our diplomatic correspondent paul adams. can we start with the significance of the place they were, kaliningrad, the most westerly point on russian territory was to mark it's important to look at the map because. it’s to look at the map because. it's important _ to look at the map because. it's important to — to look at the map because. it�*s important to look at the map because kaliningrad is what it is all about, the plane carrying grant shapps and a small company parted took off from any polish airfield a short distance south of that, an area of russia the colleton exclusive, a fragment of russia sepa

mps say the ministry of defence has no credible plan to buy the weapons it needs for the uk's armed forceslives at risk. a crackdown on holiday rentals, with an end to tax breaks for second homes. but will it do anything to help priced—out renters find somewhere to live?

yasmine, thank yon _ this image released by the ministry of defence shows grant shapps on the plane duringrnet and the aircraft was forced to use alternative methods to determine its location. the uk government says it isn't unusual for aircraft to experience this when flying near the russian territory. doctor thomas willington is an expert in electronic warfare. and was in the baltic region for research on the recently. hello to you. thank you forjoining us. just explain the significance of this location, first of all.— explain the significance of this location, first of all. thank you very much _ location, first of all. thank you very much for— location, first of all. thank you very much for having _ location, first of all. thank you very much for having me - location, first of all. thank you very much for having me to - location, first of all. thank you i very much for having me to speak location, first of all. thank you - very much for having me to speak to you this evening. kaliningrad is a russian escalade. it is the most westerly point i think of russian territory. it is not attache

but i believe he will give a statement today, or the ministry of defence.is a nato territory and nato should also react. poland is not the only country whose airspace is being violated. romania has had the same problem with russian drones that crash in their territory. this is also a dire situation. the question what could we do. there are some proposals to shut down russian missiles in the ukrainian airspace and radar stations detect missiles coming too close to the polish border should have been shut down, that was the proposal. this is a risky scenario. this could lead to escalation. the other problem is that russia is also interested in seeing how our air defence system works, all those electronic signals being emitted are being recorded and tracked and russians are looking for some countermeasures. if we overreact they will learn too much about our readiness to face such attack which we don't want. it is a consecrated situation.— attack which we don't want. it is a consecrated situation. indeed. thank ou for consecrated situation. indeed. thank you for

the ministry of defence says more than 20 tonnes of essential aid has been delivered this week. a major teaching union says staff are facing what it calls �*dystopian levels�* of work—related stress. in sport, it's official. former wales rugby star louis rees—zammit has signed for the back—to—back super bowl champions, the kansas city chiefs. and there will be fewer showers and a little _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more — and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and _ and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and it- and there will be fewer showers and a little more sunshine and it shouldl a little more sunshine and it should feel a _ a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch — a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. _ a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i— a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i will- a little more sunshine and it should feel a touch warmer. i will have - a little more sunshine and

of disappointment, including from two ministers, that the recent budget did not allocate more money to defence. today conservative danny kruger spoke of a "national security crisis" and labour's kevanjones that the ministryunts committee, though put much of the blame on the forces�* mismanagement of procurement. so have the cries of alarm across europe about a possible war with russia changed the way that the public view this issue? polling by the british foreign policy group suggests that 59% support raising defence spending and 78% strongly support nato. but of course that's asking about those specific issues — other surveys suggest that the british public overestimates by a factor of four the proportion of government spending that goes on the military, and when you ask people to choose three priority areas, only 20% pick defence, which is the same for crime, but behind immigration on 37%, health on 45% and the economy which is a top three issue for 53% of people. to explore that we're joined now by scarlett maguire at pollstersjl partners. you've looked at the electoral figures on this, the opinion research. this ought to be an issue that plays well for the conservatives, shouldn't it? yes, traditiona

i write about survivors of britain's nuclear tests, and we've served legal papers on the ministry of defencefied a big part of the documents about blood and you're in testing which they previously denied ever having existed, within the space of 24 hours and probably notjust a result of our legal case we managed to make a huge breakthrough and itju5t goe5 a huge breakthrough and itju5t goes to show the benefits really i think ofjournalism that really sort of keeps on pounding away at something and never gives up, and eventually you do you get big institutions to deny things and deny things and deny things and also the fact that we've had a legal crowdfund which has helped getting this case to where it is, right up to the steps of it and drag him to court. find is, right up to the steps of it and drag him to court.— drag him to court. and for the arencies drag him to court. and for the agencies involved _ drag him to court. and for the agencies involved time - drag him to court. and for the agencies involved time is - drag him to court. and for the - agencies involved time is important. in the

a figure which also came out last year from the national audit office when it said that the ministry of defencepment for the amount of money you've got in the budget. so, for example, the t—45 destroyers that we see in the red sea at the moment, the original aspiration was for 12. that was then cut to eight. we ended up with six at the other end.the ended up with six at the other end. the f—35bs , the six end. the f—35bs, the six generation fighters that used by both the royal air force and go on the aircraft carriers . at the on the aircraft carriers. at the moment we've ordered 48. we have an aspiration for 138. most people think the final fleet will be 60 to 80. so there is this rhetoric, reality gap. it is a unsafe world. but the russians are suffering. of course, at the moment they've lost 2900 main battle tanks. their fielding t—55 and t—62, that is, tanks built in 1955 and 62. so it is an unsafe world. but that doesn't mean the russians are going to come across any border. it's also worth just ending on that. on saying that , chief of defence saying that, chief of defence staff from the

>> mps are warning that the ministry of defence has no credible plan to fund the armed forces, that the government wants, leaving the uk increasingly reliant on its allies. are we taking defence seriously enough? >> and she's back again. meghan's uk relaunch the duchess of sussex looks set to hire british pr gurus to improve her popularity here in the uk . popularity here in the uk. >> good luck. and the former prime minister theresa may is going to step down as an mp at the next general election . she's the next general election. she's represented the maidenhead constituency for 27 years. we're going to be joined by her former political adviser . political adviser. next. for a lot more this morning, but we really want to hear your views on this nhs fitness app. i'm calling it a fitness app. that sounds quite sort of benevolent. >> so it basically logs how many steps you've done, sends data back in real time to the government . i mean, you're going government. i mean, you're going to be the first person to download aren't you, bev? download that, aren't you, bev? no about big no i mean,

, horse guards, the big area behind the ministry of defence there, st james's the big area behindr castle on a very clear day. the bt tower with the light at the top which is about to be turned into a hotel. charing cross station just below us. it is unrivalled views. it is a fascinating viewpoint. also a very interesting story, as you can imagine, so much maintenance and so much needs to be done to keep visitors so high in the air. it became an immediate fixture among the icons on the silhouetted london skyline. the giant wheel was hoisted into place on the south bank of the river thames almost 25 years ago. the original plan for the millennium wheel was for a five year life. but approaching its silver anniversary, the london eye, as it's now known, has carried more than 100 million visitors. its name has seen changes. so have many of the buildings that surround it. but the panoramic views from the 32 glass pods remain spectacular. each minute of the slow, half hour long rotation offers a different perspective. at 145 metres high, it's exposed to the elements. january's storm hen

ministry of defence germany also refuses to comment on the report about the recording of a conversationevidence, you wanted some details, you see, well done, our intelligence is all this, yes, i was listening just now, when i was thinking, a serious level, but i would have paid attention to two two two points: first, that means the question is now. is scholz aware of these conversations and has he sanctioned these things, because after all, different conversations can take place in the kissphere, it is quite possible that no matter how aware he is of all these conversations, this is the first important point, the second point is that we are talking about, excuse me, then we can clarify, on whose initiative then do high-ranking officers even begin to have such a conversation, but they are part of the nato bloc, so maybe you still think, again, i don’t know, i don’t know, a high-ranking officer. receives an order that the german chancellor does not know about, we have no authority, wait, wait, firstly, such a word was received by the order, here there is no mention of an order, they are d

and the former head of counter—terrorism at the ministry of defence, chip chapman is a political spotlightweek as once again, pro—palestine protests are filling the streets of cities across the country calling for a ceasefire in gaza, and the government unveiled their new definition of extremism , so definition of extremism, so we'll be discussing that and what means to them. and of what it means to them. and of course, sainsbury's and tesco's, they will not be able to fulfil they will not be able to fulfil the vast majority of online deliveries today due to technical issues. that's all coming up in the next hour. tell me you think on everything me what you think on everything we're discussing. views me what you think on everything we gb discussing. views me what you think on everything wegb news. ;ing. views me what you think on everything we gb news. com views me what you think on everything wegb news. com tweet views me what you think on everything we gb news. com tweet me�*ws me what you think on everything wegb news. com tweet me at. at gb news. com or tweet me at. gb news. so it's ti

so, yeah, the ministry of defence, they. this is the telegraph doing a bit of investigation .a bit of investigation. so basically they're like well obviously what's happened recently is the mod are desperately trying to get more for , money for our armed for, money for our armed services. and the telegraph got you know, i wonder how much they spend on the old hotels. it turns out they spend a lot of money. >> don't know about the premier inn. >> do they know they certainly don't. vegas, new york, hawaii , don't. vegas, new york, hawaii, dubal don't. vegas, new york, hawaii, dubai, caribbean. and they're staying in, like, £350 a night, there's one in dubai that's £5,000 a night. so >> so six nights. >> so six nights. >> oh, is it for six nights? >> oh, is it for six nights? >> whatever. oh, they didn't say none of us. >> that was the one i stayed at. i forgot, so, yeah, the question is, of course, are we getting the value money? but also the value for money? but also the value for money? but also the age old debate, do we really want staying a want our officials staying in a ho

the ministry of defence has confirmed reports of a fire on board its flagship aircraft carrier, hms queenth, this morning. the royal navy vesselis this morning. the royal navy vessel is currently docked at glen mallan in scotland. the mod said the fire was quickly brought under control and there are no reported injuries. no ordnance was involved in the incident . they're now working incident. they're now working with scottish fire and rescue to establish the cause . the pm says establish the cause. the pm says he plans to pay for cuts to national insurance contributions by kerbing the benefits budget. rishi sunak told the sunday times that he's concerned by forecasts which show welfare spending is set to rise by more than £100 billion a year until 20 2829. mr sunak said 2.5 million working age people have been signed off as unfit to work currently, and he says , quote, currently, and he says, quote, that just doesn't strike me as a system that's working properly . system that's working properly. he insists he'll end national insurance contributions if he wins the next general election . w

. >> if you have just joined us, here's a reminder of our top stories and the ministry of defence hasmed reports of a fire on board its flagship aircraft carrier, hms queen elizabeth. the royal navy vessel is currently docked in scotland. the mod said the fire was quickly brought under control with no reported injuries . with no reported injuries. >> as a united states military ship is heading towards the middle east carrying aid equipment to build the temporary pier that we're hearing so much about off the coast of gaza. president biden has confirmed that the us would build this floating harbour to get help and more aid to gaza by sea, after aid deliveries by land and air have proved really difficult and in some cases dangerous. >> humberside police have removed a number of bodies from the premises of a funeral director in hull, after reports of concern for care of the deceased. cordons are in place at three branches of legacy independent funeral directors in east yorkshire. they're investigating whether any criminal offences have been committed . committed. >> well, as you cannot es

yes, these scandals in procurement expenditure in the ministry of defence go on and on and on. yes.y is not the route to success. spending it well is what matters. >> well, i couldn't agree more. and when i heard the chancellor talk about these wonderful sounding projects that are sounding it projects that are going to revolutionise productivity in the nhs, i frankly , my heart sank. i mean, frankly, my heart sank. i mean, the of the current the mixture of the current unreformed nhs and it projects to me that just spells failure. >> well, john redwood made an excellent speech following the budget, where he said productivity in the nhs is significant below where it was pre—pandemic. i think, he said 6 to 7, when they didn't have this new it. so wouldn't it be easier to try and get back that six and 7% before you start spending money and that the spend to save in this instance, may come at a later stage, but actually you can get the savings without spending at this point. >> well, i absolutely agree with that. we all know that there are bits of the nhs which are really wonderful. i be