Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Five 20240714

In the race to be pm. The other main stories on bbc news at 5. Two oil tankers hit by explosions in the gulf of oman dozens of crew members have been rescued. Almost three quarters of english hospitals miss nhs targets to treat Cancer Patients within two months. The british cyclist chris froome undergoes a six hour operation following a high speed crash on wednesday. Boris johnson has emerged as the clear frontrunner in the conservative leadership election, with more than a third of the votes cast by tory mps in the first ballot of the contest. The field of ten candidates has now been narrowed to seven. Here are the results, announced this afternoon by the 1922 backbench committee. Way out in front is borisjohnson, with 114 votes, followed by the foreign secretaryjeremy hunt on 43 votes, and the environment secretary michael gove who got 37 votes. In fourth place comes former brexit secretary dominic raab on 27 votes, then the home secretary sajid javid who got 23 votes, the Health Secretary matt hancock on 20 votes and rory stewart who just made it into the next round with 19 votes the former ministers, andrea leadsom, mark harper and ester mcveigh, all got below the 17 votes required and are eliminated. Further ballots will be held next week, with the two most popular mps then Going Forward to a vote of the Wider Conservative Party membership. Our Political Correspondent Jonathan Blake reports. Roll up for round one. Tory mps arrived to vote this morning, some still making up their minds who to back as their new leader and our next Prime Minister. Im undeclared. Conservative backbenchers convened in their traditional setting to hear the result on the numbers showed clearly that the front runner was racing ahead. Borisjohnson, 114. Andrea leadsom, 11. Esther mcvey, 9. Will you top the ballot today, mrjohnson . Borisjohnson said he was delighted to win the first round but told his supporters he has a long way to go. At least one of his opponents are hoping the favourite might yet file. We are right at the beginning, we have not tested on at the candidates yet. The first debate is a great chance to test out the policies we are talking about and im looking forward to that. Foreign secretaryjeremy hunt is in a distant second place but his backers say he is the serious choice. Jeremy is one of the candidates who has been absolutely honest about the challenges ahead of us. That is one of the reasons i backed him. My concern about some of the candidates is they are not facing up to the difficulties. Morning. Michael gove finished third in this vote but his campaign say it is all to play for. Borisjohnson now is guaranteed a place in the run off. The only question is who we put in that run off against him so that we give members a proper choice. My view is that should be another committed brexiteer, albeit somebody who will do it in a slightly different way and i think michael gove is the person to do that. She wont be going any further though. Its all overfor some of the candidates now who couldnt win enough support to survive. Seven are now left in the running. Mps will narrow the field to a final two next week, then conservative Party Members will cast the final vote. The outsider who scraped through the first round says his plan is getting through. The way i am going to win this race is get people to focus on the practical issues, how do we get this done . The contest is now a little less crowded and the favourite is way out in front. But this race to run the country is far from over. We can cross to the houses of parliament and speak to our chief Political Correspondent vicki. It has been a feverish day but what is the next stage going to look like . Is it going to be ambition for a and herd behaviour or principles . I think a and herd behaviour or principles . Ithinka a and herd behaviour or principles . I think a lot of people have suggested some mps have come in behind borisjohnson suggested some mps have come in behind Boris Johnson because suggested some mps have come in behind borisjohnson because he looks like he is going to be the winner. There are some who have expressed deep reservations about borisjohnson over the years who are 110w borisjohnson over the years who are now in public backing him. I think there is an element of people thinking, if he is going to be Prime Minister any to be on the right side of this. But if you look at them jockeying for position for second place and who is going to challenge him when it goes out to the conservative party, that is open to interpretation. It is hard to see where it is going. Some people feel jeremy hunt did not perform as well as they thought he might. I think you would want to be a long way ahead of the rest of the pack but it has not happened. Equally, rory stewart is someone who people really did not think would make it through the first round but did reasonably well. His camp are saying it needs to be someone different, unconventional who can challenge borisjohnson but unconventional who can challenge Boris Johnson but there will unconventional who can challenge borisjohnson but there will be an absolute flurry of activity over the next couple of days before that second round which comes on tuesday. It isa second round which comes on tuesday. It is a higher buyer then because mps need to get more than 30 supporters. I think all of them want to stay in the race and make their case. I am joined to stay in the race and make their case. Iamjoined by to stay in the race and make their case. I am joined by the leader of the commons he and michael gove. What did you make of his performance . Terrible headlines for him. Did you think at some point it might all be over . It has been a difficult week and i thought a lot of people thought michael might struggle but it is all credit to him for having gone out there in a direct and honest way over the issue and taking it head on, as we would expect from a future Prime Minister actually. He has come through strongly and he is now clearly in absolute contention to be one of those in the final two. What does he offered that borisjohnson doesnt . If you are a brexiteers why would you back michael gove . Getting brexiteers of getting brexit over the line is do or die for the conservative party. It is a deeply complicated issue and needs a lot of vision and thought, and careful planning. It needs negotiation and detail and michael gove is the person who has demonstrated that. If you look at what he has done in education, justice and the environment, he has shaken up those areas and make them work. Those are the qualities we now need over the months ahead as we negotiate or renegotiate with the european union. Can he renegotiate between now and 0ctober can he renegotiate between now and october the 31st . What can he achieve that theresa may was unable to do . Michael has been very clear, the only thing that actually did get a majority in the house of commons, the brady amendment, it was around the brady amendment, it was around the backstop so that is where the attention needs to go and i think thatis attention needs to go and i think that is where michaels plan rests. We want to. To the backstop so there is an end point. You might say that is an end point. You might say that is quite a challenge and the answer is quite a challenge and the answer is yes, but who is going to be in the best position to have a maximum chance of delivering that and that is michael gove. Was it galling to be in Michael Goves camp where he has been honest in what he has done in the past whereas borisjohnson was not answering direct questions . Im not going to comment on the other candidates or get drawn on that. It will be for others to draw their own conclusions to the answer to your question. I am very proud of the fact, and i have watched and worked very closely with michael, there have been difficult, testing times. The kind of testing times he will face in the event he becomes Prime Minister dollar can say is that the resolve, drive and determination, and honesty, with which approach that i think people respect that. The challenges ahead for any Prime Minister, whoever does thejob of 20 for any Prime Minister, whoever does the job of 20 get a through a parliament that is incredibly divided, yesterday was a backbenches trying to take control of the proceedings to make their own laws may be. How do you see the next three orfour months may be. How do you see the next three or four months planning when it comes to the will of parliament . It is going to be difficult and tough because some of the fundamentals will not have changed. We will not suddenly have a majority oii we will not suddenly have a majority on having a new Prime Minister, that will not change. What it is going to come down to is leadership and we need somebody who is going to do that detailed work, have the vision and the grip that michael has shown. He is the great ministerial performer of his age, actually and we need that right at the front to guide us through. As to what parliament does, some of the candidates had talked about proroguing parliament, a device simply to get no deal over the lines without pa rliaments involvement simply to get no deal over the lines without parliaments involvement and i think that would be deeply wrong and its not something that we would be considering what michael would be considering. Is that something you would advise a future leader not to do . Yes, i do not think it would be right and ive made that clear on many occasions, indeed, including in the house today. Democracy demands parliament is involved in decisions albeit it is the will of government to get the business through. There isa to get the business through. There is a lot of work has to be done and that comes back to leadership. He was the person ready to lead and unite the party . Was the person with the proven track record . That person is michael gove. Thank you very much indeed. A couple of days of frantic activity between now and tuesday evening when we will have the result of the second round. Thank you. Lets take a look in more detail at how the rest of the leadership contest is likely to pan out. On monday, the remaining seven candidates will hold a leadership hustings in front of conservative mps. 0n the following day, the second leadership ballot will be held, in which candidates will need to secure at least 33 votes in order to remain in the contest. And on bbc one at 8 oclock that evening, Emily Maitlis will host a live debate between the remaining leadership on wednesday, the third ballot will be held, where the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated. There will be two further ballots held on the following day, whittling down the numbers untiljust two candidates remain. But we still have to wait over a month for the final result of the contest. In the week beginning the 22nd july, an estimated 160,000 conservative Party Members will be balloted, and the new leader of the party, and Prime Minister, will be announced. Theres been a sharp rise in the price of crude oil after two tankers were damaged in suspected attacks in the gulf of oman. One is reported to have been hit by a torpedo. Both ships have been evacuated. Theres been heightened tension between iran and the us following similar attacks on tankers in may. Richard galpin has the latest. An Oil Tanker Ablaze in the gulf of oman this morning. This video taken by the American Navy is believed iranian navy to be from the norwegian owned tanker front altair. The crews of ships escaped unharmed. The tankers were sailing close to iran through one of the worlds most important shipping lanes for oil supplies. What caused the explosions here remains unclear, but there is suspicion it was an attack. Tensions have spiked in recent months, with the United States deploying this Carrier Group to the arabian sea, and claiming it was responding to iranian threats to us forces and other personnel in the middle east. The show of force sparking concerns it could lead to conflict. Not long afterwards, in mid may, four tankers were damaged in the gulf of oman, apparently by explosive devices attached to the ships by frogmen. Us officials suspect it was carried out by the iranians or their proxy forces. President trump has, since he came into the white house, has adopted aggressive attitudes, i think its fair to say, towards iran. Hes identified the Iranian Revolutionary guard corps as a terrorist organisation. This latest incident today has already led to a spike in oil prices, something which would help iran, a major Oil Producing country, but which is suffering under intense sanctions imposed by the United States. 0n Iranian Television this morning the explosions on the tankers made headline news. The authorities in tehran expressing concern about what had happened and also saying they were the ones to rescue the crews and take them to safety. Whoever was responsible for what has happened today, tensions between the us and iran will inevitably flare up again. Richard galpin, bbc news. We will have more on that story later in the programme. The headlines on bbc news. Borisjohnson emerges as the clear frontrunner to be the next conservative leader, after the first round of voting by tory mps. Three former ministers are knocked out, narrowing the field to seven. Oil prices rise sharply after two tankers are hit by explosions in a suspected attack in the gulf of oman. Almost three quarters of english hospitals miss nhs targets to treat Cancer Patients within two months. In the sport, chris froome remains in intensive care following surgery to multiple fractures after a crash in france. He hit a wall travelling almost a0 miles an hour during practice. The us open is under way at pebble beach in california. Rory mcilroy is in the early stages of his opening round. The defending champion is going for it three in a iow. Champion is going for it three in a row. The wash out at the cricket world cup is back. Rain has caused the match between india and new zealand to be called off at trent bridge. I will be back with more on those stories after half past. The british cyclist chris froome is in intensive care after a high speed crash whilst out on a training ride. Froome was left with a broken leg, a fractured elbow and broken ribs after the accident. He also lost consciousness when he hit a wall at nearly a0 miles an hour. The four times Tour De France winner has had surgery, which his team says was successful, but will not be able to compete in this years race. Andy swiss reports. This was chris froome at training yesterday shortly before his crash and just listen carefully. Alongside him his team seemingly warned him against taking his hands of the handlebars but as they head off down the road, minutes later it has emerged to let go of the handlebars to blow his nose, lost control and crashed into a wall. As he was taken away by ambulance the details became shockingly clear. He was at the foot ofa shockingly clear. He was at the foot of a descent, it was gusty and it sounds like you took the hand of his bars to blow his nose and the wind took his front wheel and he hit a wall. He has got a bad fracture and is badly injured so our primary thoughts is for his care and making sure he gets the best medical care as he possibly can. Thinking about his family are making sure they are 0k. He was airlifted to hospital with a fractured leg, elbow and ribs. It is understood surgery has gone well and there is no indication he suffered any head injury but he remains in intensive care. He had been participating in a warm up race for next months Tour De France but you will now have to miss. Among the m essa 9 es you will now have to miss. Among the m essa g es of you will now have to miss. Among the messages of support one from last yea rs messages of support one from last years champion. He said it is a lwa ys years champion. He said it is always horrible hearing about any bad crash but worse when it is a good mate. Heal up quick. Former 0lympic good mate. Heal up quick. Former olympic champion suffered a training accident in 201a which left it with broken ribs and a collapsed lung. She says returning from such serious injury isa she says returning from such serious injury is a gruelling challenge. She says returning from such serious injury is a gruelling challengelj am injury is a gruelling challenge. am sure chris is devastated at the moment and it is really hard to put things into perspective. Hopefully he canjust things into perspective. Hopefully he can just reset and for me, what helped was having small goals along the way and that is the only way to go forward after an injury like this. At 34 though, the future for it chris froome is uncertain. He will help you can return to the top but for now, his only focus is the long road to recovery. A remark made by the comedian jo brand about throwing battery acid at politicians is being assessed by police. The met says its looking at the comment following an allegation of incitement to violence. Jo brand made the remark on the bbc radio a satirical programme, heresy. A request by the United States to extraditejulian assange has been signed by the home secretary sajid javid and will be considered at a Court Hearing on friday. The wikileaks founder is accused by us authorities of computer misuse and the unauthorized disclosure of National Defence information. Mr assange, who is currently serving a 50 week sentence in belmarsh prison for breaching bail conditions in 2012, denies the charges. Mrjavid said the final decision was now with the courts. A second person has died of ebola in uganda after the disease spread there from the democratic republic of congo. Health officials said the latest victim was the grandmother of a five year old boy who died on tuesday. The ugandan government has reported at least six other suspected cases of the virus. Nearly 1a00 people have died in this latest outbreak in central africa. Last year nearly three quarters of nhs services in england failed to reach their target of treating 85 of new Cancer Patients within 62 days of an urgent referral thats according to research by the bbc. The worst performing trust saw fewer than 61 of patients being seen in that time. Cancer Charities Say theyre worried and warn that long waits put patients at risk, nhs england say increasing demand on services has led to delays in referrals. Lauren moss reports. When daniel sims was 35 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had surgery and underwent intensive rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Daniel says he was treated promptly at maidstone, in Tunbridge Wells, in kent but figures show many patients and england and wales are not beginning treatment within the two month target. 62 days is a long time to wait for treatment or diagnosis for cancer. Its emotionally distressing for yourself and your family. It causes huge upset and stress that is overwhelming, especially at a time when you are being diagnosed with something as awful as cancer. When a gp makes an urgent referral nhs guidelines say 85 of Cancer Patients should start treatment within 62 days but almost 32,500 patients across england werent seen in that time in the past year. Bbc Analysis Shows that maidstone and Tunbridge Wells nhs trust was the worst performing, just 61 of patients treated in the target time. It is followed by wolverhampton, weston area health, southend, and bradford. Kingston hospital nhs trust in london topped the list, seeing 96 of patients within the timeframe. Frimley health, bolton, mid cheshire and gloucester also performed well. Its a really difficult experience for people to go through and really the longer that people have to wait to get that diagnosis and get treatment the more its going to impact on them, their health and well being, and just getting through that experience. Latest figures indicate a similar level of failings in other areas of the uk. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells nhs trust says it experienced a surge in referrals last year and has since hired more staff and hopes to be on target by the summer. In a statement an nhs england spokesperson said, cancer survival is at an all time high, 2 Million People were tested last year, up 15 , and almost 130,000 patients were treated within two months. Daniel is now an remission but unable to return to work as a tattoo artist. He is receiving support at a local Cancer Centre and says hes sympathetic to the pressures nhs staff are under. They are under resourced and the amount of people now being diagnosed with cancer is so overwhelming, its putting such a strain on the nhs. Details of how the nhs plans to recruit more doctors and nurses are expected later this year but Charities Say right now its a system in crisis. Lauren moss, bbc news. With me now is moira fraser pearce, director of policy at Macmillan Cancer support. We talked a lot about england but id conditions seen in scotland, Northern Ireland and wales . We know all of the uk the nhs is under extreme pressure and services are struggling to meet the needs of people with cancer, to make sure people with cancer, to make sure people get the care they need in a timely way. So that people do not have to worry about when their treatment will start. It is across the board. We will have some more information about england and some of the others but happens across the uk. From your perspective, what you think accounts for the fact that some nhs trusts are doing so well and others are doing far less well . Why isnt best practice being followed anywhere . There are factors to ta ke followed anywhere . There are factors to take into account. Some areas have populations, older people are in certain populations that might get marked cancer of a particular kind, they may be small staff in areas. It depends on your geography and where you are and that has an impact. Those factors are not really factors over which the hospitals themselves have control. Do you think there are factors over which they have control . The vast majority of factors are to deal with issues related to resourcing and staffing. Quite simply, there are not the number of staff available to meet the needs. We have more people getting cancer and that will continue to rise and other conditions too. We are simply not planning for the doctors and nurses to be able to meet that need to and thatis to be able to meet that need to and that is something we urgently need to do, not on the plan for it but fund it and the government has to ta ke fund it and the government has to take that seriously. It is they are to say on behalf of nhs england, they say cancer survival is at an all time high because the nhs continues to put itself under pressure by ramping up the numbers of people who get checked so that more cancers are caught only when they are easier to treat. They are trying to turn it as a success story, is it fair . It is fantastic that more people are surviving, of course it is and we do need to get people in early to get diagnosed but we need to respond with resources to cope with that. There is no point bringing people in early and not being able to treat them. We art to aim to be among the best in the world in diagnosing cancer early, treating it early and improving the way that people survive cancer and get on with their lives. On the actual real clinical outcomes, does it make a difference to meet this target . It is an exciting factor to be waiting to see a consultant or waiting for treatment, but does it really make a difference to your outcome if you get seen within 62 days . The important thing is people getting early so they know what is happening to them so they feel in control of what is happening, when the treatment is going to start so they can plan for that. Cancer takes control away from you and this is one way people can feel they have some of that control back. For the majority a small delay of two or three weeks will not make much difference in terms of clinical outcome so people can be reassured bya outcome so people can be reassured by a small delay but we were not like that go into weeks or months because it is important people get treated as soon as possible. You mentioned the areas over which patients can have control and there are many areas where they have no control and feel powerless. What power or control two patients have in relation to this particular issue . Is anything they can do if their hospital is not meeting that target . People can take back control for themselves any number of way. They can make sure they have all the information they can get about their condition and what to do and what they should expect. If they need more information they can cull Macmillan Cancer support to a helpline and information will be available on our website. 0r other cancer charities. They can ask about waiting times and results, and get in contact with them and perhaps write to their mp about that. Thank you so much forjoining us. You can find out more about waiting times and care in your area on the bbcs nhs tracker. Time for a look at the weather, with ben rich. Good evening, no prizes for guessing it is going to be mean once again. Some spots into the weekend are seeing over hundred and 50 millimetres of rain. I would take a couple of months at least to get that much rain normally. The wettest weather was across north east england and east of scotland. It was cool under that band of rain. To this evening and overnight showers continue in some places and we see main returning across the south west of england. A mild night in the south, a much chillier one across the northern half and some rain moving across north west scotland. This is how we start off tomorrow with outbreaks of rain across wales. The event will eventually work its way into eastern parts of scotland, away from that persistent rain receipts sunshine and showers but the further south and east you are, some dry weather and temperatures higher than today. As we look to as the weekend, some showers and sunshine as well and some spots could get to 20 degrees. This is bbc news. The headlines borisjohnson says hes delighted to have won the first round of the conservative leadership contest. Three former ministers are knocked out, narrowing the field to seven. Andrea leadsom, mark harper, and esther mcvey are all eliminated, after failing to win enough support from colleagues. Oil prices rise sharply after two tankers are hit by explosions in a suspected attack in the gulf of oman. Almost three quarters of english hospitals miss nhs targets to treat Cancer Patients quickly. A remark on a radio four programme by the comedianjo brand about throwing battery acid at politicians is being assessed by police. The Prime Minister theresa may says the bbc should explain why the joke was considered appropriate content for broadcast. Sport, now, with hugh woozencroft. Chris froomes six hour operation following a high speed crash on wednesday has been described as a success by the surgeon and froomes team ineos. Froome is definitely out of this years Tour De France, a race hes won four times. He suffered a fractured right femur, a broken hip, a fractured elbow and fractured ribs and lost consciousness following the crash. But froome is awake and doctors are very happy with his progress. Translation the objective is that he can get back on the bike, the fractures that he has do not endanger his future in the sport, they will have an impact on his future, but top sports stars always have a tendency to come back quickly and with a strong capacity for rehabilitation so we hope you will get back on the bicycle to the level that he was before. There has been some good news for froome today though. He could be named the 2011 vuelta a espana champion. Froome was runner up to original winnerjuan jose cobo whos been found guilty of an anti doping violation. If the disqualification is upheld then it would be froomes seventh grand tour title. No british man had won a tour title before 2011. There are two games at the womens world cup today. Group c leaders brazil are taking on australia in the first of them. In the last few minutes, brazil have taken the lead, the womens world cups all time leading goal scorer, marta, with a confident penalty from the spot, 16th in world cups, to put her head. These are the live pictures from montpelier, there is about 33 minutes on the clock. Australia were surprisingly beaten in theirfirst australia were surprisingly beaten in their first match in australia were surprisingly beaten in theirfirst match in group c, they will hope to bounce back against the group leaders, later on, south africa take on china at 8pm, you can watch both matches on bbc two. West brom have appointed slaven bilic as their new boss, he was sacked in late 2017 by west ham united, his most recent role was in saudi arabia. West brom mist out on promotion to the premier league in the championship play offs. Over in spain, eden hazards new adventure with real madrid is really beginning as hes presented to the fans in their Santiago Bernabeu stadium. The belgium forward completed his medical ahead of his £89 million move. A figure which could rise to around 150 million. Hazard said leaving chelsea was the hardest decision of his career to date but he already looks comfortable at the home of the 13 time european cup winners. The weather has got the better of the cricket world cup again. The game between india and new zealand in nottingham been abandoned without a ball being bowled, the third complete washout of the tournament. Four games have already been abandoned because of the weather so far, the most of any world cup and there have been calls from some to introduce reserve days to get more games on. But the england captain isnt a fan of the idea. The tournament is quite a long tournament as it is, to have reserve daysin tournament as it is, to have reserve days in the group stages is too much, i think later in the tournament they are necessary, but for stage games, i think it is part and parcel of being anywhere in the world, the fact it may rain at some stage. Morgan also said that mark wood is an injury doubt for tomorrows match against west indies. Hes got a sore ankle and will have a fitness test before play tomorrow. Joss buttlers available again after recovering from bruising. England are currently fourth in the table with four points. The rain has also affected the third and final one Day International between england and west indies women in chelmsford. They resumed at 5 o clock with the match reduced to 39 overs a side. England were 105 1 in the 18th of their overs. Thats all the sport for now. Dont forget though that the third golf major of the year is underway at pebble beach, in california. Its the us open and rory mcilroy is among those out on the course. You can find out all the latest on the bbc sport website. The top story, the number of mps vying for the tory leadership has been reduced to seven, following the first of a series of votes to determine who will take over from theresa may. The former foreign secretary borisjohnson said he was delighted after securing 11a out of a possible 313 votes. We can cross to our westminster studio and speak to the Justice Minister Robert Buckland qc, who supports borisjohnson to be the conservative leader. Iam i am rather puzzled, you voted remain, you supported the Withdrawal Agreement and you do not want a no deal brexit, i am confused why you have got a candidate in among the seven, rory stewart, who seems to fit that brief but your choice is not him but borisjohnson, why is that . On brexit, Boris Johnson has made it clear that he does not want to deliberately pursue a deal of no deal, he does not want to crash out, which would be bad for the economy, security, and union. I believe that when you choose a leader, in a Prime Minister, you are choosing someone who you not only can reflect the broad view of opinion within the party, but also take the fight to labour, and really tackle some of the dangers posed byJeremy Corbyn and his extreme views, which will damage our country, erode our economy and mean that the Public Services that we value will be. To be. It is not a choice between Jeremy Corbyn and borisjohnson. There is a candidate who seems to fit with your profile. Some cynics may say that you are getting co mforta ble may say that you are getting comfortable being in office and government, the trappings of all of that, you want to be on the winning team, momentum is with Boris Johnson, you are going without due to ambition and herd instinct rather a point of principle which would put you more in the camp of rory stewart. I disagree, i have consistently indicated that i want to see a candidate who can win for the party and bring us together, i have stuck my neck out by doing what i have done, i want to bring people together. I was one of the architects of the malthouse compromise in january, together architects of the malthouse compromise injanuary, together with collea g u es compromise injanuary, together with colleagues from across the party, because i genuinely believe we need to find a solution for this within the governing party, to get on with the governing party, to get on with thejob, to lead, and then be able to ta ke thejob, to lead, and then be able to take the fight to the opposition and talk about all those vital domestic policies that i know many people are deeply concerned about. It is interesting you see Boris Johnson as the compromise candidate. Borisjohnson is someone who is mayor of london demonstrated that he was moderate, he was liberal in his instincts, he had an inclusive agenda, he was governing very much from the Common Ground of politics. Sorry to interrupt, there are others who will say, that was all very well as mayor of london, largely a ceremonial position in local government, but he held one of the great offices of state, as foreign secretary, and very few people, including many conservative mps, do not trumpet his record in the foreign office. His record in the foreign office. His record on russia and the Sergei Skripal incident was a good one and we have to look at him in the round, in terms of what he has to offer the future. What is that . I have explained i believe he is the person with the charisma and optimism and character to take the fight to labour, and lead the party, in a much more upbeat way, that can demonstrate that this is a great country in which to live and work, it isa country in which to live and work, it is a country with a great future, and somebody with that outlook, i think, is the right person for these times. Politics is in disarray, the 2 party system itself is in question, parliamentary democracy is under scrutiny, as never before. We are very short of time, i am interested. That is why he deserves our support. 0ptimism and charisma on one hand would not make up charisma on one hand would not make upfor charisma on one hand would not make up for the lack of plan on another, and we have not heard many straight a nswe rs and we have not heard many straight a nswers to and we have not heard many straight answers to straight questions in the campaign of Boris Johnson answers to straight questions in the campaign of borisjohnson so far. Answers to straight questions in the campaign of Boris Johnson so far. disagree, we know who he is, we know where he comes from, this campaign has only just begun, where he comes from, this campaign has onlyjust begun, round one, good result for him, plenty of opportunities during this campaign for him to be questioned and scrutinised, that is what he expects to happen, and that is what will yield forth a very productive leadership campaign. yield forth a very productive leadership campaign. I am glad you feel so clear about that but perhaps you could clarify something for us, on the question of whether candidates are prepared to grow parliament, over a no deal brexit, in october, the times reports that borisjohnson in october, the times reports that Boris Johnson told in october, the times reports that borisjohnson told the hard brexit erg borisjohnson told the hard brexit er g group that he would not explicitly rule it out, what does actually mean . What newspaper reports might carry about who said what about home is not a matter for me to go into but what i am clear about is that he understands the obvious limitations of the role of government when it comes to parliament, and not making any rash decisions and boxing us into a corner or doing something that would provoke a collapse of the government, would be something very much in his mind. Frankly. government, would be something very much in his mind. Frankly. I am sorry to interrupt yet again. I dont really understand the answer. Dont really understand the answer. What im trying to say is that what happens later in the year in october is not easy for any of us to predict, what im looking for is somebody who is prepared to adapt to the circumstances, yes, to lead and provide a clear outlook as to what they want, but also to understand that, frankly, a lot of these decisions will not be entirely in the control of the government, this is an ongoing negotiation and there is an ongoing negotiation and there isa is an ongoing negotiation and there is a lot of factors at play. Thank you very much forjoining us. Do you have any questions for those who want to be your new Prime Minister . Next tuesday, bbc one will be hosting a live election hustings between the candidates for conservative leader and one of them will be the person who moves in to downing street. Their debate will be shaped by your questions and include your name and Contact Number if youre interested in asking it live on the night from your local bbc station. One of those candidates, the home secretary sajid javid, has criticised the decision by downing street not to invite him to the state banquet for President Trump at Buckingham Palace last week. Mrjavid, whos previously criticised donald trump for sharing tweets from a far right organisation, was the only senior cabinet minister not to attend. He said hed not yet received a proper explanation from downing street. How do you feel about not being invited . I dont like it, for the reason that you have just said, it is odd. My office did ask number ten and they said, no, so you would have to ask someone from number ten where they made the decision. Do you think it was because of your muslim background . Im not saying that at all, i really do not know. A senior m15 officer has acknowledged that administrative errors denied investigators an opportunity to link two of the three London Bridge attackers the year before they killed eight people and injured another a8. The officer, named in court only as witness l, is giving evidence at the inquest into those killed. Richard lister is at the old bailey and joins us. What have you heard today . The witness has wrapped up two days of evidence, concealed by a green curtain throughout but also insisted throughout that even though up up until the time of the tax, he said, despite substantial surveillance, there was nothing that the investigation mist which might have suggested an attack was being planned, but as you suggested, he suggested there was potential mist opportunities in the administrative process , opportunities in the administrative process, two called by members of the public warming that the man in question was becoming increasingly extremist were overlooked by investigators, two officers never established which school butt was teaching the koran at, and it was owned and founded by an alleged extremist, and that same individual, actually opened the gymnasium where the three attackers met regularly in the three attackers met regularly in the to their attack. He also said there were more details about this rather curious incident that we learned of, in march 2016, when italian authorities stopped one of the attackers, as he was on his way to turkey. They asked him why he was going, he said, to be a terrorist, before correcting himself and said, a tourist. The author the italian authorities got in touch with the British Security services to ask if they had any more information about him but due to an administrative issue, that request was never acted on by m15, and he acknowledged it was a potential mist opportunity to learn about the other attacker, zaghba, whom m15 did not know about until after the attack. But it has been said that none of those investigation would have given an indication about what was being planned at London Bridge and borough market, even though lawyers for the bereaved families, here at the old bailey, stressed that in their view, this was a series of potential mist opportunities, and the inquest continues. Orisjohnson emerges as the clear frontrunner to be the next conservative leader, after the first round of voting by tory mps. Three former ministers are knocked out, narrowing the field to seven. Oil prices rise sharply after two tankers are hit by explosions in a suspected attack in the gulf of oman. Almost three quarters of english hospitals miss nhs targets to treat Cancer Patients within two months. More now on one of our top stories this afternoon, and theres been a sharp rise in the price of crude oil after two tankers were damaged in suspected attacks in the gulf of oman. One is reported to have been hit by a torpedo. Both ships have been evacuated. Lets talk now tojohn hall, hes the chairman of british based consultancy alfa energy. Hejoins me via webcam. Isaid i said that the price of crude has gone up but it is coming back down again as the markets calmed down. What happened yesterday was that it was said that the demand was falling, stock levels were going up, a lwa ys falling, stock levels were going up, always bad news. And so, as the price was going down, this happened today to push the price up again. The reality is that after the last 0pec meeting, i said we could expect to see prices reaching 65 and 70 this time of year, today they went up this time of year, today they went up 62, and 52, so the prices are low a nyway up 62, and 52, so the prices are low anyway and were falling when this happened this morning. How concerned are you by these attacks, obviously, this is now the second small, i shouldnt call it a spade, because only two, four last month, we dont know who involved, a bit of a stand off between iran and the United States with the us pointing the finger at iran with a lot of tension between iran and its neighbours, how concerned are you about oil supplies through that strategic choke point . Quite concerned that the market is not reflecting this, you are quite right to say we do not know who is doing it, the americans are all too quick to point the finger at iran, i dont think they will be stupid enough to do that, 20 of all oil goes through this straight, and other goods as well, so it is an important straight, and iran is threatening to close it, but they cannot do that, they would not be allowed and it would initiate some kind of physical response particularly from america. Strait. That is more of a threat than anything else, the stand off between america and iran is quite serious, now, and the iranians are being victimised. The 0pec meeting is coming up shortly, the iranians are standing up and saying, why should they suffer while everyone else picks up their lost quotas . Iran is standing off from 0pec. In the background, russia, working with 0pec, and they are hoping to stay together, perhaps they may not, we also have the trade war with china, demand is going to fall off from china until this gets sorted out. A lot of things going on around the world. Particularly in the trade war between iran and america, this situation will continue day by day. If you think the iranians would not be, would not be stupid enough to do it and the iranians themselves have already denied it and it is probably releva nt to already denied it and it is probably relevant to mention they have the japanese Prime Minister, enzo abbey, they are, that makes it slightly odd timing for them to even, if they wa nted timing for them to even, if they wanted to cause trouble in the strait of hormuz, so who are the other candidates for carrying out these attacks . Shinz abe. Other candidates for carrying out these attacks . Shinz abe. The japanese Prime Minister, it was one of his ships that got struck today, they are hardly likely to hit the japanese ship and entertain the Prime Minister at the same time i honestly dont know who it is, there is conjecture, we will have to wait until more evidence comes out. And meanwhile, uncertainty continues. Absolutely. If youre one of these people who doesnt like having a chat on public transport watch out. Because tomorrow were all being encouraged to strike up conversation on trains, tubes, trams and buses with our fellow passengers. Its all part of the bbc crossing divides on the move day. It comes after Research Showing that travelling by public transport helps sometimes you want to scream, because you are invisible, you want to scream, im here, somebody talk to scream, im here, somebody talk to me. You can be very down, very lonely, somebody saying good morning, it can make you feel better. Loneliness can mean, even when you are in a room full of people, you can still feel like it isjust you people, you can still feel like it is just you and you are people, you can still feel like it isjust you and you are on people, you can still feel like it is just you and you are on your own. How cana is just you and you are on your own. How can a journey on a bus. Help people like hazel and and marie and derek feel a little bit better. Time for a simple experiment. Ann marie. First off, a typical head down, headphones on, gazing out of the window or into the phone. Ann marie. 0urvolunteers window or into the phone. Ann marie. 0ur volunteers keep themselves to themselves. And then this. We simply ask them to start a conversation, a bus where every passenger talks to another. About life challenges. Members of the family. Unsurprisingly, our four legged passengers are a talking point. You can really see the atmosphere change in a positive way. You dont feel like you are isolated. I feel quite comfortable, and it feels like a good Energy Around everyone. I feel happy on this bus today, i feel happy. If we can do it, you can do it. That is backed up by research, conversations on the bus matter. Three in ten people go at least one day a week without speaking to anyone close to them, the bus driver might be the only person that person would interact with on that day. We need to find ways to create more cohesive communities and the bus can do that. Ifa communities and the bus can do that. If a stranger talks to you on the bus, the train or the tram tomorrow, maybe keep Charity Workers kates advice in mind. When you look up and out, you see that there is people around, people care about who you are and what you have done today. Charity worker kates advice in mind. It can change your day. So, get out and talk to people. Thousands of critically endangered snails have been released into the wild in bermuda after a remarkable reversal of fortu nes. The greater bermuda land snail was thought to have died out but a small colony was discovered living in an alley way. Some were sent to chester zoo where a successful Breeding Programme has meant more than four thousand could be returned to their natural habitat. Helena briggs has the story. A000. Believed to have gone extinct decades ago, if few hardy snails we re decades ago, if few hardy snails were discovered clinging to life inside plastic bags in this urban alleyway in bermuda. Some of the survivors were sent to the uk for a Breeding Programme and here at chester zoo, they now have too many keep track of. At last count we had somewhere around 13,000 snails. Maybe more than that. They have had many babies since then but they breed quite easily, actually, so they are a good conservation project. As long as they have some nice soil to live in and some nice food. They like sweet potato. Now, a,000 snails from the zoo have been taken home to bermuda for release into the wild. They have been set free in a nature reserve where the population will be closely monitored. It is hoped that zoo bred snails will help rescue this critically endangered species in a rare glimmer of hope in the fight against extinction. Us President Donald Trump has caused a splash on twitter after a mis spelt tweet about prince charles. The mis spelling has caused a certain amount of hilarity online shortly afterwards, this image was posted by Buzzfeed News reporter hazel shearing with reference to trumps now corrected spelling of wales. Neither of them look like each other. What is more important, better to have high iq or good spelling . Good spelling can get you a long way, lets hope that i have spelt everything right in these weather graphics. You will be watching, eagle eyed, no doubt. Good evening, i have managed to spell my name correctly, and we have had quite a lot of rain so far over the past few days, you dont need me to tell you that, some parts of shropshire have seen 150 millimetres of rain since the weekend, that would normally take a couple of months to see that much rain. The wettest weather was north east england and scotland, underneath that, temperatures got no higher than 9 degrees. I did manage to find you some sunshine earlier on. That was the Western Highlands of scotland. Deep into the evening, even western scotland will see more in the way of cloud, outbreaks of rain, this has actually been one of the driest places over the last few days, but some rain working in here. Eastern and southern scotland, drying up, rain fizzling away, Northern Ireland having a decent evening and as we look further south across england and wales, we will see a mixture of clear spells and showers, some showers towards the south east, potentially heavy and thundery and behind me, more persistent rain working its way back into the south west. As we go through tonight, extending across south west england, into wales, the we st south west england, into wales, the West Midlands and into north west england, some of the showery rain continuing across the north north west of scotland. Fairly cool night across the northern half of the uk, relatively mild one across the uk, relatively mild one across the southern half. Low pressure still churning around on top of us as we go through tomorrow, fans of wet weather are spiralling around. Starting the day with persistent rain, West Midlands, into northern england, soggy rush hour once again for some, that rain then gets into eastern parts of scotland. Away from the zone of persistent rain, sunshine and showers, few and far between down towards the south eastern corner, temperatures, 12 to 19 degrees. Little bit higher than they have been. The weekend hmmfi than they have been. The weekend forecast brings outbreaks of showery rain in from the west, away from that, spells of sunshine, with the south westerly winds, temperatures picking up, 19, 20 degrees. Even for stornoway and aberdeen, highs of 15 degrees. Sunshine and showers day, into monday and tuesday, drying up, and fora time, into monday and tuesday, drying up, and for a time, only for a time, perhaps, turning warmer as well. Check the latest details form where you are on the bbc weather website. That is all for me, goodbye for now. Borisjohnson emerges as the clear front runner in the battle to become the next Prime Minister. He was way out ahead in the first round of voting in the conservative leadership contest, with the support of more than a third of tory mps. Jeremy hunt and michael gove came in second and third place. Seven candidates are in the running, after three failed to get enough support. Mrjohnson takes a big step towards moving into number ten but there is a long way and many more weeks to go. Also on the programme tonight. Two oil tankers are damaged by blasts in the gulf of oman one of the worlds busiest oil shipping lanes. Iran denies it was involved. 0n the eve of the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire we talk to a student who survived the blaze about the lasting impact