i'm joined now by miqdaad versi, spokesperson for the muslim council of britain. nk you for coming into night. thank you for having me. boris johnson has said, we saw him in that package, that no form of racism will be tolerated. i think that would be a great sentiment were it one that he followed. the reality, u nfortu nately, he followed. the reality, unfortunately, is that even just in the last couple of weeks, we have had case after case where no action has been taken, whether it is a candidate who shares something from tommy robinson or whether it is an individual who shares in anti—muslim tweet, and the conservative party hide the fact that this happened. and in fact, that person still becomes a candidate. whether it is boris johnson's becomes a candidate. whether it is borisjohnson's actions himself, he has employed in number ten someone who has called in anti—muslim hate figure a hero. these things are really problematic. he promoted zac goldsmith, who ran the campaign for mayor of london, which was widely regarded as islamophobic. mayor of london, which wa

of labour, the mcb, which represents more than 500 mosques and muslim groups, said: very strongly worded statement thereby the muslim of britain. —— thereby the muslim of britain. —— the muslim councilriticism by the muslim council of britain. we will never ever, as a party, tolerate anyone amongst our ranks that has any kind of prejudice to any group of people, whether that is based on their race or their religion, their gender, or anything else. we will never tolerate it. whenever we have ever come across that kind of behaviour in a tiny, tiny number of cases, that all parties, including the labour party, all grassroots organisations. if someone joins without anyone‘s knowledge that they don‘t stand for our values, then we take action and we take vigorous action. our political correspondent ben wright has been following the prime minister‘s campaign, and we can speak to him in norwich. it's it‘s a parallel accusation, ben, isn‘t it? you have the chief rabbi saying that labour has failed to tackle anti—semitism effectively and the mcb saying exactly the same about the conservatives in relation to islamophobia. it is. it puts tory politicians on the spot, particularly considering th

here's the muslim council of britain again. n dozens of councillors, these are representatives of the conservative party, who have engaged in islamophobia. very little action, no transparency, no idea what's happened to them. in addition to that, there have been individual candidates, i think four of them now, who have engaged with the far—right, islamophobic far—right, have shared tweets of people like tommy robinson, and guess what? these are still candidates for the conservative party. the conservatives say they have suspended some of those members, and it's promising to hold an investigation into all forms of prejudice within the party by the end of the year. but that investigation was originally supposed to deal with islamophobia exclusively. not any more. here's sajid javid, the chancellor, defending that policy. nothing's going to be watered down. we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can, doing more to root out any kind of prejudice amongst anyone who has got any association with the conservative party. ther

the muslim council of britain went on to accuse the conservative party of "denial" and "deceit" over islamaphobia. our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. it is entirely different from anti—semitism... this it is entirely different from anti—semitism. .. this argument it is entirely different from anti—semitism... this argument has been raging for more than three yea rs. been raging for more than three years. it burst into the election campaign today. since jeremy years. it burst into the election campaign today. sincejeremy corbyn has been in charge, there have been co nsta nt has been in charge, there have been constant accusations that labour has allowed racism against jews constant accusations that labour has allowed racism againstjews to creep in. right in the middle of his contest he is right back in the middle of it. a leader of one of the country's main religions actually warning against a vote for labour. writing in the times the chief rabbi says, jews have watched with incredulity. labour's handling of the issue is incompatible with the british values of which we are

but the conservative party has also been accused, by the the muslim council of britain today, of failingal with islamophobia. if anybody is done for islamophobia, or indeed any other prejudice or discrimination in the conservative party, they are out first bounce. we'll have the latest from the campaign trail, with just over a fortnight to polling day. also tonight... the victims of mistreatment at a hospital trust in shropshire who lost their baby girl. now, more than 200 new families have contacted the inquiry. at the victoria falls, a dramatic change in water levels. we report from zimbabwe on drought and rising temperatures. and —jose mourinho's honeymoon at tottenham continues in the champions league. and coming up on sportsday on bbc news: we will have all the latest reports, results interviews and features from the bbc sport centre. good evening. we start with labour's response to the strong criticism by the chief rabbi of jeremy corbyn‘s handling of cases of anti—semitism in the party. ephraim mirvis — britain's most seniorjewish leader — said that "a poison of anti—semitism" had

but then to say as the chief rabbi and as the muslim council of britain have done, vote with your conscienceemocrats. the muslim council of britain is saying vote labour. they are ina britain is saying vote labour. they are in a way directing the vote. are you comfortable with that?” are in a way directing the vote. are you comfortable with that? i thought you comfortable with that? i thought you have to be very careful with power, which is what underlies all of this. and i wouldn't want to tell somebody who to vote for or who not to vote for. i think we have an imperative to vote and i know that there has been a massive spike in people now registering, which is wonderful. but religion and politics have always gone together because politics is about the fabric of society and how we want to impact on society. religion is about the fabric of society and how we impact. so been involved in a narrative around the country and who is leading and what we are saying, that has always been the religious own. who specifically,, he said i will not tell you to vote for, and i think that is great. 0k. not

but the conservative party has also been accused by the the muslim council of britain of failing to deal

editor of the jewish telegraph, whose name is paul harris, and also zainab gulamali from the muslim council of britainsm is too little too late and acknowledge mistakes have been made, she said processes had not been speedy enough in the past and she said sorry. how do you react? there have been so many cases of anti—semitism within the labour party, including naz shah, so many unsuitable people who have come out with comments, as naz shah did, she at least apologised, many of the others involve never did. as far as the jewish community is others involve never did. as far as thejewish community is concerned, they are extremely concerned about a corbyn lead labour government. lord dubs said on the radio this morning he thought the chief rabbi had gone too far in his comments today and jeremy corbyn was fit to be prime minister. what you say? i'd say he is totally unfit, so would most of our readers. for a chief rabbi to intervene in this way politically is unheard—of, unprecedented. chief rabbi mirvis particularly is a quietly spoken man who never involves himself of politics other than in the most ano

today, the muslim council of great britain accused the conservatives of broaching the issue with denialear. meanwhile, the equality and human rights commission continues to investigate labour over anti—semitism allegations. and while the chief rabbi has criticised the party before, timing is everything. right now, jeremy corbyn is working to win voters' trust. jessica parker, bbc news. let's speak now to historian simon sebag montefiore who is in central london. there is no hiding the fact because of the time in the nature of the comments from the chief rabbi what his intention is? hello. i couldn't quite hear the question. would you mind asking it again? i'm just wondering, looking at the timing and the nature of his comments, what do you think his intention is?” the nature of his comments, what do you think his intention is? i can't speakfor the you think his intention is? i can't speak for the chief rabbi himself, but i have to say that the decision to write this article right now is of course an incredibly sensitive one. i also think it's a very brave one. i also think it's a very b

but the conservative party has also been accused by the muslim council of britain of failing to dealobia. if anybody is done for islamophobia, or indeed any other prejudice or discrimination in the conservative party, they're out first bounce. and the united nations says the world has to act much faster to avoid dangerous levels of global warming. hello and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing us tomorrow. with me are the former conservative advisor mo hussein and the author and journalist rachel shabi. many of tomorrow's front pages are already in, and it isjeremy corbyn‘s bbc interview with andrew neil this evening that is dominating the headlines. let's start with the daily telegraph. corbyn refuses to say sorry to jews, refering to his refusal to directly apologise over his handling of anti—semitism in the labour party. the daily express asks, has corbyn‘s horror show gifted boris the keys to number ten? and, staying with that story, the metro has this headline, "corbyn: chief rabbi wrong," and this picture of him at the launch of the party's race and fai

meanwhile, the muslim council of britain has criticised what it called the conservative party's deniall and deceit regarding islamophobia. the party has insisted it never tolerates any form of prejudice. prime minister boris johnson was challenged on his record. we're having an inquiry into all forms of prejudice and... you're having a broad inquiry, but not one into the specific allegations of islamophobia. and — because if anybody‘s convicted, if anybody is done for islamophobia, or indeed any other prejudice or discrimination in the conservative party, they're out first bounce. also making news today: the us housejudiciary committee has announced its first impeachment hearing will take place next wednesday. it marks the next phase in a process that could lead to formal charges against president donald trump. the hearing will reportedly include a panel of constitutional experts who will testify about the founders' interpretation of impeachable behavior. at least 20 people are dead and 600 injured after a 6.1i—magnitude earthquake hit albania. buildings collapsed and people were trapp

according to the electoral commission around 25% of black and asian voters in great britain are not registered. this latest campaign, organised by the muslim councilvil right, you should be able to vote and make sure your voices are heard. amongst our friends it is becoming a big thing, to make sure you have registered. friends it is becoming a big thing, to make sure you have registeredm is essential to get registered and go to the ballot box because that is where change happens it does not happen in the armchair and the mosques. mixed martial arts was once considered a niche sport in this country, but now takes place at sell—out venues, like wembley arena. and tomorrow night, south london's charlotte mcintyre will make her professional debut. she's one of a growing number of female fighters in the sport. have you encountered any sexism? you go anywhere and you hear about inequalities. you go to the mma environment and whether you are on thejumpsuit environment and whether you are on the jumpsuit or not does not mean that a man is better than you and that a man is better than you and thatis that a man is better than you and that is actually reall

to date the muslim council of britain accused the conservatives of approaching the issue with deniale with denial and deceit. we want to ensure the conservative party has robust procedures, we think that we do but we want to check that, to determine that, which is why we are committed to this independent review by the end of this year. # just call on me the labour party described its manifesto as ambitious, tra nsformative, it described its manifesto as ambitious, transformative, it wants to hold an independent review of far right extremism, establish better protections for places of worship. more broadly, tackle pay discrimination based on race and teach children about colonialism and the role of the british empire. but asjeremy the role of the british empire. but as jeremy corbyn the role of the british empire. but asjeremy corbyn arrived at the event a short while ago, it was clear todaypos mac lunch had become overshadowed. i think it's so appropriate we should be able to launch our race and faith manifesto here today and i'm very proud to do that. this document is one that's bee

the muslim council of britain say the same. nto all forms of prejudice. that's not good enough for some people. there are comparisons being drawn rightly or wrongly between how labour have approached the anti—semitism issue in the early days when jeremy corbyn kept saying i condemn racism of all forms. another rhetoric coming from the conservative party about, you know, we need an enquiry looking at all forms of prejudice and discrimination. there are comparisons about whether that is the right approach for the party to take. some people say, we think you should be much more specific and look at the issue of islamophobia only. you mentioned baroness farsi, this is what she said about it on the radio this morning. we are four years into these matters being brought to the attention of the party. three chairman later. two prime ministers later. the fact we are still going on about even having an enquiry and the kind of enquiry we are going to have showsjust how dismissive the party have been on theissue dismissive the party have be

are saying there's got to be an independent enquiry specifically into islamophobia, the muslim council of britainoing to do a wider enquiry about all forms of prejudice and there are comparisons being drawn rightly or wrongly between how labour approach the anti—semitism in the early days, whenjeremy anti—semitism in the early days, when jeremy corbyn said he anti—semitism in the early days, whenjeremy corbyn said he condemned racism of all forms and the rhetoric on the conservative party about needing an enquiry, looking at all forms ofjudas. needing an enquiry, looking at all forms of judas. rightly needing an enquiry, looking at all forms ofjudas. rightly or wrongly, there are comparisons about whether thatis there are comparisons about whether that is the right approach for the party to take. we think you should be really much more specific and look at the issue of his islamophobia only. here is what the former tory party chair was saying about the issue. we're years into these matters being brought to the attention of the party, three chairmen, two prime ministers later in the fact we're sti

the muslim council of britain has accused the conservative party of "denial, dismissal and deceit" overto islamophobia. the conservative party has an acute issue with islamophobia. it is institutional, it is systemic, it is widespread, and they need to hold two enquiries to really look to tackle the problem of islamophobia as well as the problem with prejudice and discrimination. the former conservative deputy prime minister, lord heseltine, has urged members of the party to vote for former tory mps who've had the whip removed and are standing as independents — or for the liberal democrats. speaking after appearing at an event in buckinghamshire last night, lord heseltine said he found it somewhat difficult to advise people to vote against the conservatives, but that voters who opposed brexit should put the country first. joining me now is our political correspondent ben wright, who is in scotland. lots to chew over for the conservative party today. there certainly is. an extraordinary intervention by lord heseltine. borisjohnson is intervention by lord heseltine. boris johnson is here,

accused borisjohnson's party of muslim council of britain in the election campaign. that isjo swinson in london. much more coverage of the election coming up but right now let's go to the weather. we've got some changes in the weather over the next 24—hour is. a welcome change for many of us from the rain and the cloud that we have had recently. we are starting to see those changes already across scotla nd those changes already across scotland with some blue skies coming through there. that is behind this where the front which is moving its way southwards taking the rain with it. as that moves southward it will allow colder airfrom the it. as that moves southward it will allow colder air from the arctic to move further south. it is turning colder across northern areas for today, tonight and into tomorrow. for the rest of the afternoon still some rain in wales, the midlands, eastern england. brighter skies but sunshine in southern areas and increasingly northern areas. big contrast in temperatures though. eight or ten in the south but further

meanwhile, the muslim council of britain has accused the conservative party of allowing islamophobia o fester.. boris johnson has previously written that he believed islamophobia is natural. jeremy c corbyn also says he's obtained documents that reveal britain's national healtlth service could be up for sale in a post-brexit trade deal with ththe united statetes. in texas, at least three people have been hospitalized after a chemical plant exploded in port neches, outside houston. the cause ofof the explosion at the texas petroleum chemical plant has not t t been determined. meanwhile, an uncontrolled wildfire outside santa barbara in california has burned more than 4300 acres. thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate. and the new york city council has passed legislation that would make new york the first major american city to ban most flavored e-cigarettes. this is new york city councilmember mark levine. >> the slow pace at which this country has responded to the team vaping epidemic has been an epic failure. we did nothing as these sleek new devices with an intense dose o

nejra: the muslim council of britain also accused the conservatives of approaching islamic phobia with and conceit. it says the party has a "blind spot" for this kind of. racism patrick armstrong is still with us. is there complacency in the markets on what the pound and where it will be? patrick: probably. the polls are pointing to a conservative majority, which would likely lead to that going forward. i think there are a lot of risks for the u.k. economy in 2020. if we get the withdrawal agreement approved, you still have a cliff edge at the end of the year. you have got the year to work on a trade deal. by no means is that is certainty. that is a significant headwind for the u.k. economy next year. i would not want to belong sterling right now. a is still going to be challenging year. you also have the potential for parliament. there will probably be a lot of fiscal stimulus, whether it is conservatives or labour. both of them have very strong pro-growth policies. nejra: you are not actually long on sterling but you are short on pound. boris johnson faces a much bigger battle in 202

meanwhile, the muslim council of britain says borisjohnson's conservative party is in denial and deceit