Of Business Leaders. Pitches to Business Leaders at the cbis annual i hope you wont mind conference in london. If i also announce, today, that we are postponing further cuts Prince Andrew faces pressure to give evidence under oath in the us in Corporation Tax. A new climate apprenticeship programme, delivering 320,000 apprenticeships in england alone. And glimpse into the mind of the Young Charlotte bronte one of the little books she wrote when she was a teenager sells at auction for more than £500,000. Its 5pm, our main story. The two teenagers, found guilty of murdering 17 year old Jodie Chesney in a park in east london, have been sentenced at the old bailey. Drug dealer, svenson ong a kwie, 19, has been jailed for life and his runner, 17 year old, arron isaacs, was given a minimum sentence of 18 years. Richard lister is at the old bailey. This was a murder that horrified the nation. Yes, it was. Thejudge described Jodie Chesney as blameless. Her friends and family gathered. Her father blameless. Her friends and family gathered. Herfather peter blameless. Her friends and family gathered. Her father peter said blameless. Her friends and family gathered. Herfather peter said he had lost the most precious human being he would ever know. He described his life is being shattered by the death of his daughter. Jodie was a promising student at a local six gun college, she was an explorer scout, within two weeks of completing her duke of six form college. Completing her duke of edinburgh gold. She was described as an extraordinary young person. She was sitting with a group of friends one evening this year when suddenly out of the darkness, came svenson ong a kwie and aaron isaacs, 19 and 17 respectively. It was determined by the judge that it was determined by the judge that it was svenson ong a kwie who wielded the knife, which almost passed through the knife, which almost passed throuthodie the knife, which almost passed through Jodie Chesney. Aaron the knife, which almost passed throuthodie chesney. Aaron isaacs was described as his enthusiastic supporter. Initially, four people we re supporter. Initially, four people were charged with murder, two of them were acquitted earlier this year and these two were convicted. Detective inspector benton says its possible we will never know what happened that night. Its been one of the hardest investigations ive ever dealt with. It felt like the world was watching, the world was waiting for answers. But me and my team worked tirelessly, to try and get as much evidence as we could, as quickly as we could. Fortunately, through the dedication of the team, we managed to get enough evidence the charge those responsible. To charge those responsible. Obviously, we respect thejurys decision, there were four people that went to that scene. There were two men who got out the car. And only really those two, that went into the playground, actually know why they went there and why they did it. The working theory is thatjodie was mistaken for a drug dealer who was operating in that part of east london and these two had mistaken herfor london and these two had mistaken her for less rival london and these two had mistaken herfor less rival drug london and these two had mistaken her for less rival drug dealer london and these two had mistaken herfor less rival drug dealer in at four. Each of them in the dock blamed the other, neither would take any responsibility, neither expressed remorse which angered the family though they said today they we re family though they said today they were satisfied with the sentence. To give you some of the insight into the impact aside on the family, her sister said you have ripped away a Bright Future which was destined to make change to many lives, addressing the two defendants. Jodies granny said this nightmare will never leave me, i will miss her everyday. The judge will never leave me, i will miss her everyday. Thejudge said will never leave me, i will miss her everyday. The judge said jodie was the victim of callous and irresponsible violence. Hong kong has seen some of its worst violence since the current pro democracy demonstrations began, several months ago. Hundreds of protestors are trapped inside the Polytechnic University, while Police Lay Siege to it with a blockade of the campus. Demonstrators have been trying to escape through the police cordon, sometimes on the back of waiting motorbikes. Chinas ambassador to london has warned that hong kong may be facing a future thats unimaginable and dreadful. Beijing, he said, would not sit on its hands and watch the unrest go on forever. From hong kong, our correspondent robin brant. This is a university under siege and, at times, under attack. This is the latest of numerous fires to take hold in the last 2a hours. Outside, the police have surrounded Polytechnic University on bridges and roads. Inside, the protesters are waiting, fearing a repeat of this. In the early hours of this morning, police raided part of the campus. A tense stand off remains, though. Around 500 protesters have barricaded themselves in, their food and Water Supplies are running low. They still have petrol bombs and other weapons, though. Just before two oclock in the afternoon, one group tried to escape. Its1 a5, and all of a sudden, we hear tear gas and you look down and see a large crowd of protesters. Theyre basically making a run for it. I think there must be maybe 100 of them. They came running out over the barriers and a large amount of tear gas was fired down in their direction. A handful were arrested. The police say anyone leaving the campus will be charged with rioting. I would urge those rioters, do not try to escalate the level of weapon or violence. We have the capability. I will once again urge them to come out, surrender. The focus now, for the university at least, is to end this peacefully. We have now received the assurance of police of a temporary suspension of the use of force, under the condition that, if the protesters do not initiate the use of force, the police will not initiate the use of force. The stand off continues, though, and supporters are streaming into the area around here in large numbers, to provoke the police and to try to impede them. We heard that the students inside, they dont have food and water and they want to get out. This shows no sign of de escalating the opposite, in fact. And the police are now sandwiched between protesters barricaded inside and their supporters outside, on the march again. Lets speak now to owan li, hes the student representative on the governing council of hong kong Polytechnic University and has called on the public to support the students. Thank you for being with us. Describe for us the latest situation and as we have heard from the Chinese Embassy here in london, they are warning that this means hong kong could be facing a dreadful future and that beijings well not sit on its hands and watch this u nrest sit on its hands and watch this unrest going on forever. What is your reaction to that . The evade. The police officer. The evade. The police officer. The police force. Inaudible we are having trouble hearing you, we will try and re establish the link to hong kong meanwhile, one of our other main stories this evening. There are growing calls for the duke of york to cooperate with legal cases in the us, about his links to the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. It follows his interview for bbc newsnight, in which denied having any sexual contact with an American Woman Virginia Roberts who says she was forced to have sex with him at the age of 17. Epstein took his own life, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Andy moore reports. Weve come to Buckingham Palace in highly unusual circumstances. Its the interview that continues to dominate the national conversation. People close to Prince Andrew told the bbc he stood by his decision to do it. They said he wanted to address the issues involved with what they called honesty and humility. But its hard to find anyone who thinks it was a success. I think if a member of the royal family, who clearly was friendly with a convicted sex offender, is going to go on television, the first words out of his mouth should be, im sorry, and if theres anything i can do to assist these victims in any way, shape and form, i would want to do that. But todays daily mail claims andrew has expressed in private the sympathy for epsteins victims that he didnt state in public. The sun takes a very different line, claiming the prince told the queen his interview had been a great success. Whatever the angle, the interview continues to dominate the headlines. Theres also analysis of andrews admission that he had met epsteins girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, this year, even though shed been accused of helping epstein groom his victims. If there are questions that ghislaine has to answer, thats her problem, im afraid. Im not in a position to be able to comment one way or the other. When was your last contact with her . It was earlier this year, funnily enough, in the summer, in the spring, summer. About what . She was here doing some rally. Ghislaine maxwell has always denied the accusations against her. This was her six years ago. Elusive then, she hasnt been seen in public for many months, and no one seems to know where she is now. Andy moore, bbc news. Daniella relph is outside Buckingham Palace for us. I suppose the dust has settled on this extraordinary interview. What you think is the general view in royal circles of that interview . think the view is that it has done the exact opposite of what it was intended to do. The idea from within Prince Andrews private office was that this interview would draw a line under everything. It would put the duke in front of an interviewer without any restrictions and he could answer all the questions and all the rumours about his relationship with jeffrey all the rumours about his relationship withJeffrey Epstein. But this just has not closed it down. In fact, but this just has not closed it down. Infact, it but this just has not closed it down. In fact, it has opened up a whole series of questions about his judgment, about whether he should make any statement to the official investigation in the United States and crucially about it his day to day work in the uk. Do the organisations, all those companies with which he has worked so closely over the years, want to carry on their association with him . Some dont, some are considering their position, others we are expecting to hear from position, others we are expecting to hearfrom in the next position, others we are expecting to hear from in the next few days. Some have offered their support and say they will carry on and continue to have a working relationship with Prince Andrew but i think a lot of them are now considering the position and wondering whether having him as a royal patron is really a ny having him as a royal patron is really any good for their own reputations. As you mentioned, there are also calls from the United States for him to start cooperating with the legal authorities there in their investigations into the whole Jeffrey Epstein affair. Many of the lawyers representing victims of Jeffrey Epstein have looked at this and said if you can sit down, Prince Andrew with the bbc and do such a broad ranging interview, why county give any statement to cooperate with the fbi as part of their investigation . Buckingham palace said that if requested, Prince Andrew would consider it. What he could add is difficult because he has said there are lots of things aboutjeffrey has said there are lots of things about Jeffrey Epsteins has said there are lots of things aboutJeffrey Epsteins life that he was unaware of but there is a growing feeling that if he has been able to answer questions from the media, should he also be answering questions from the fbi . For the moment, thank you very much. And, if you missed that extraordinary interview over the weekend, you can watch the whole thing on iplayer now. And its called Prince Andrew and the epstein scandal the newsnight interview. The headlines on bbc news. Two teenage drug dealers are jailed for life, for the murder ofJodie Chesney. A dangerous stand off in Hong Kong Riot Police surround a University Campus with hundreds of pro democracy protesters inside. After his bbc interview, Prince Andrew faces growing calls to cooperate with the american authorities over their investigations into the late sex offenderJeffrey Epstein. In sport, the saracens will not challenge their deduction. It comes as the coach says he is worried it will have a Significant Impact on his england squad. The new davis cup finals are under way in madrid. Russia beat croatia. Anglings first test against new zealand choice. Test against new zealand full russia beat croatia. Anglings first test against new zealand full update in15 test against new zealand full update in 15 minutes. Borisjohnson has said his government will postpone promised cuts in Corporation Tax, if he wins the election. Speaking to the annual conference of the employers organisation, the cbi, the Prime Minister said the move would save £6 billion which could be used for other priorities, including the nhs. The labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has also been addressing the conference. He set out his plans to create 320,000 apprenticeships in england. The leader of the liberal democrats, jo swinson said her party is the Natural Party of business, because they would cancel brexit, and replace Business Rates with a landowner levy. This report from our business correspondent, theo leggett, contains flash photography. Another day, another destination for the Prime Minister on the election hustings. This time, a chance to plead his case before Business Leaders at the cbis annual conference. His message on the economy was carefully chosen and the language inevitably colourful. Like a formula one supercar, green. He spoke about plans for a cut in National Insurance contributions for many firms, and promises to promote research and development. Also, a review of Business Rates. But there was a sting in the tail. If i also announce, today, that we are postponing further cuts in Corporation Tax, and before you storm the stage, and protest. Laughter. Before you storm the stage, let me remind you, this saves £6 billion, that we can put into the priorities of the british people, including the nhs. We have already cut it from 28 to 19 . The stage wasnt stormed, but the decision to delay a 2 tax cut for businesses, due next april, was unlikely to have been aimed at the audience sitting in front of him. Next to speak, the labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. I also hope you enjoyed the warm up act thats just left the stage. Laughter. He dismissed claims that he was anti business and outlined plans for what he called a green industrial revolution, underpinned by a new generation of apprenticeships. So today we are announcing a new climate apprenticeship programme, delivering 320,000 apprenticeships in england alone, during the first year of a labour government. These climate apprenticeships will offer training to School Leavers and workers looking to change jobs mid career, creating the engineers, technicians and construction workers we need. The liberal democrat leader, jo swinson, visiting a Technology Company in st albans this morning, insisted an anti brexit approach when her turn came, she focused on her partys when her turn came, she focused on her pa rtys anti brexit when her turn came, she focused on her partys anti brexit approach. With the conservatives in the pocket of nigel farage and labour stuck in the 19705, we are the only one sticking up for you. We believe any form of brexit, hard or soft, blue or red will be bad for business, bad forjobs and bad for public service5. Their Party Leaders know they do need to make the right noi5e5 about business, but its fair to say all three are rather more focused on winning hearts and minds in the country at large, than plea5ing the power brokers in the hall today. Theo leggett, bbc news. Lets get the reaction from all of todays speeches and announcements from representatives of both big and Small Business in the uk. Edwin morgan is director of policy at the institute of directors and Craig Beaumont is director of external affairs and advocacy at the federation of Small Businesses. Thank you for being with us. Variou5 p i ctu res thank you for being with us. Variou5 picture5 made, all politicians saying they are friends or business. The conservatives starting off saying they are going to postpone this cut on Corporation Tax. Although he said he has not been averse to reducing in business. There are positives but the two main pa rt5 of there are positives but the two main parts of boris there are positives but the two main parts of bori5johnson5 5peech there are positives but the two main parts of bori5johnson5 speech was about crediting 5mall employers with an £1000 to help employ people which we have been pushing forfor a couple of years so were happy to see that and the Corporation Tax cut a5 linked acro55 see that and the Corporation Tax cut a5 linked across to more money for bu5ine55 rate5 a5 linked across to more money for bu5ine55 rates which both at the top two parties rai5ed today and you are therefore moving policy away from funding people who make profit towards helping with upfront co5ts like bu5ine55 rate5 towards helping with upfront co5ts like bu5ine55 rates which you have to pay regardless whether you have a poundin to pay regardless whether you have a pound in turnover to profit you will pound in turnover to profit you will poundin pound in turnover to profit you will pound in business rate5 pound in turnover to profit you will pound in Business Rates so that switch is welcome. Would you make of what the Prime Minister said . They also said they were going to do a full review of the system which is absolutely right alongside targeted cuts we are talking about today. It isa very cuts we are talking about today. It is a very old out of date system, it does not take account of the ways the high street has changed, Online Retail has changed, so a full review is definitely the right thing to do and they need to imprimatur this time as well because they have talked about it in the past and it has not gone far enough. Lets talk about labourlabours pitch. Jeremy corbyn 5aid about labourlabours pitch. Jeremy corbyn said it is nonsense to call us corbyn said it is nonsense to call u5 anti busine55, in fact he said we are promising investment of the kind that you have never even dreamt of. That was the labour patch. Investment in infrastructure in particular is something that our members have been calling for for a long time but it does have to be the right investment. There are broadband in particular, they have got a broader policy on that but it does not mean businessesjust want to see completely unleashed spending and actually it is notjust labour. In this election we have seen a ratcheting up effect and there has been big promises and businesses are still keen that money is spent well. Do you like the promises or do you ju5t do you like the promises or do you just want to make sure it is spent the right way . And increase from where it we are on infrastructure but in terms of general spending, no, not completely. Craig, what did you think of whatJeremy Corbyn had to say . He spoke of apprenticeships in particular, creating on the thousands of apprenticeships . Small busine55e5 suffer from late payments and we need the next tablet to take action. The last government promised action. The last government promised action but it has not been delivered, i would like all three leaders to speak to this. On apprenticeships, there are some worries. If you make it so flexible you can use the levy for anything, then the funding will run out and 5mall then the funding will run out and Small Businesses, non levy payer5, which the fund which funds the apprenticeships create, so you could see a downturn in apprenticeships. One thing he announced wa5 see a downturn in apprenticeships. One thing he announced was about Larger Companies being able to tra n5fer Larger Companies being able to tran5fer apprenticeships into Larger Companies being able to tra n5fer apprenticeships into the supply chain so if you are a small bu5ine55 wanting an apprentice who works for the company, you should now if there is a labour government, be able to use that. That is a positive. The liberal democrats, jo swinson mention bu5ine55 rate5, positive. The liberal democrats, jo swinson mention bu5ine55 rates, you mention that. Talking about brexit, 5he mention that. Talking about brexit, she said the lib dems are the Natural Party of business because any sort of brexit, 5he Natural Party of business because any sort of brexit, she said, will be bad for business . There are a genuine range of views on brexit within business. Within our membership they are sick and tired and frustrated that it has not been nailed to come to any kind of solution. A majority had supported the deal as a way of moving forward. The one thing where i would definitely agree withjo the one thing where i would definitely agree with jo swinson is where she said this is not getting brexit done by getting this deal through. There will be a long process after this whatever happens to decide the future relationship with the eu and that will take a long time. Craig, how do you see it . Our members are split right down the middle. I think she was passing remark5 for a big business audience because half of Small Businesses wa nted because half of Small Businesses wanted to leave the eu and half wa nted wanted to leave the eu and half wanted to leave the eu and half wanted to stay. It is a difficult question so we would not say that because you are 5topping brexit, you are therefore the party or business. I think are therefore the party or business. Ithink lib are therefore the party or business. I think lib dems should come out with some Small Business policy, we did not see much of that, a lot of the land value tax may end up with winner5 the land value tax may end up with winners and losers in complexities doe5 winners and losers in complexities does not stop presence rate5 being a problem so that is one where i would see a lot more information. In terms of certainty, where do 5mall busine55e5 stand not so much on how they voted in the original referendum, but in terms of what they want to see happen now in terms of when and if there is a deal and 5o of when and if there is a deal and so on . Remembers what a full transition period, that is very important. A Small Business can get ready for the end and have a set of change5 rather than two 5et ready for the end and have a set of change5 rather than two set of change5 rather than two set of changes and a mess the middle. That i5 changes and a mess the middle. That is the first task, the second is how doe5 is the first task, the second is how does that future relationship work . Can you read negotiated in six months . That looks tough to say the lea5t. If that can be done, i think that gives certainty in the small busine55e5 that gives certainty in the Small Businesses need. Jeremy corbyn said our policies are the best because were talking between a deal, being in the Customs Union, 5taying were talking between a deal, being in the Customs Union, staying in the Customs Union or putting it to another referendum, what if you make of that . The Customs Union is an area where businesses disagree. We have had talks of a partial Customs Union which gives some flexibility on having an independent trade policy which is a prize a lot of people want. But it minimises friction for businesses. The bottom line isi friction for businesses. The bottom line is i agree with craig that it is the process. Smooth transition, long enough transition, businesses will adapt to a different relationship but they need time to do it. They need to know well in advance what it is going to be and they need help from the government to adapt. At least the politicians are coming to talk to business, that has got to be a good thing . Thank you very much indeed. The lib dems and snp have lost their legal challenge to be included in an itv head to head debate, ahead of the general election. The channel is due to air a debate between tory leader Boris Johnson and labours Jeremy Corbyn tomorrow evening. The lib dems said they wanted their pro remain stance to be represented, while the snp also wanted the issue of Scottish Independence to be raised. Carrie the liberal democrats position in this election and that of our leader is unique. Jo swinson i5 of our leader is unique. Jo swinson is the only leader of a National Party fighting to stop brexit. Bori5 johnson and Jeremy Corbyn should not be allowed to 5ide5tep debating the i55ue be allowed to 5ide5tep debating the issue of brexit with someone who wa nts to issue of brexit with someone who wants to remain and itv should not give them the opportunity to do so. That is why this is an incredibly disappointing verdict. Not just for liberal democrats, but also for democracy in this country. And for every remainer who deserves to have a voice in this data. You can clearly observe what is going on. We have fantastic support from the people of scotland with very clear message that we have that scotland was that future should be in the hands of the people of scotland. Yet, in crucial time, hands of the people of scotland. Yet, in crucialtime, where hands of the people of scotland. Yet, in crucial time, where we face the very clear risk of being dragged out of the European Union against our will, the people of scotland having expressed and desire to remain, that we are not permitted to ta ke remain, that we are not permitted to take part in the first and most crucial broadcast broadcast that will take place, there is irrefutable academic evidence that the first debate in any westminster Election Campaign is the one that leads to many people have not actively engaged in politics, making their minds up on how to vote. It is simply not on. The australian airline, qantas, says it is willing to provide Legal Support to a member of its crew who was accused of racism by the us rapper will. I. Am. The incident occurred on a flight from brisbane to sydney on saturday, and ended with the black eyed peas member being met by police when the plane landed. The organisers of glastonbury have confirmed that sir Paul Mccartney will headline the festival next year. Emily eavi5 said that having the former beatle headline the pyramid stage, for the events 50th anniversary, was an absolute dream come true. Now its time for a look at the weather with matt taylor. At long last a dry sunny day for many but as the pictures suggest behind me and very cold night out there tonight. Only 1 in glasgow and edinburgh. Widespread frost acro55 and edinburgh. Widespread frost across the country, the blue colour shows where temperatures drop below freezing. Wale5 shows where temperatures drop below freezing. Wales and the south west avoid it, but we could in the countryside get as low as 6 in northern england, 10 in parts of scotla nd northern england, 10 in parts of scotland into the morning. The5e areas start with lots of sunshine once again, another dry day to come. Greater chance of fog, wale5, midlands 5outhern greater chance of fog, wale5, midlands southern england for the commute, that drifts a bit further north. Southern we5tern areas cloudier than today. The cloud in Northern Ireland will bring out pics of rain could bring splashes of rain to the south west. Chilly day acro55 eastern area5, to the south west. Chilly day acro55 eastern areas, more to the south west. Chilly day acro55 eastern area5, more mild in the west. Slowly and surely temperatures climb over next few days towards the weekend. Many people in east it will 5tay predominantly dry. This is bbc news. The headlines two teenage drug dealers are jailed for life for the murder of girl scoutjodie che5ney. Thejudge called it a callous, casual and irresponsible murder. A dangerous stand off in Hong Kong Riot Police surround a University Campus with hundreds of pro democracy protester5 inside. After his bbc interview, Prince Andrew face5 growing calls to cooperate with the american authorities over their investigations into the late sex offenderJeffrey Epstein. Party leaders make their election pitch to an audience of Business Leaders. I hope you wont mind if i also announce, today, that we are postponing further cut5 in Corporation Tax. A new climate apprenticeship programme, delivering 320,000 apprenticeships in england alone. Sport now, and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, heres olly fo5ter. Good evening. Saracens arent going to challenge the huge punishment for breaking the premiership salary cap. The english and european champoions were hit with a 35 point penalty the english and european champions were hit with a 35 point penalty and £5 million fine. I spoke with the england head coach, eddiejones earlier today. He says relationships may have been damaged within his squad by the punishment. Eight of his matchday squad for the World Cup Final just over two weeks ago were sarrie5 player5 including his captain owen farrell. And jone5 can see some of those player5 prioritising club over their country to help keep them up. It could have a Significant Impact, and its something that we need to weigh and look at very carefully. Obviously, there may be some dislocation between saracens players and the rest of the clubs, thats a reality, though we might have to work to mend tho5e relationships a bit harder. And there might be some saracens players that feel like theyve got to play for their club, instead of their country. The australian rugby player israel folau has been crticised for linking the countrys bushfire5 to same sex marriage and abortion laws. Speaking in church in sydney, folau said the fires were a little taste of gods judgement. He was sacked by rugby au5tralia in may for making homophobic comments on social media. Prime minister Scott Morrison say5 folaus latest comments are appallingly insensitive. The new look davis cup is underway in madrid. Rather than the old format of home and away ties through the year, there are 18 nations competing in six groups with the final on sunday. Belgium, canada and russia have got of to winning starts in the first 5ingle5 rubber5 in their ties. Former Spanish International footballer gerard pique has been one of those behind the change. Its been criticised by some but Novak Djokovic is among those who say fans and players should give it a chance. The format change has happened in the davis cup, and in six weeks time, were going to have the atp cup up were going to have the atp cup as well with a very similar format. So, there was some change nece55ary, and very much needed, for the Team Competitions to gain more attention and more significance. Sam curran look5 likely to be chosen ahead of chris woake5 for englands first test against new zealand which starts on wednesday. Curran says he aims to emulate ben stokes all round contribution to the Team Following his heroics in the world cup and ashes last summer. My role in the side, if i do play, will be coming between the bat at number eight and bowling than trying to take wickets. I look up to some like stokes who always contributes as a batter at number five and he comes and takes loads of wickets as well. My main aim is to just keep working hard with bat and ball hobart hurricanes player emily smith has been suspended for three months for posting the team line up on social media before its was meant to be released. The australian breached cricket australias Anti Corruption code by revealing the team around an hour before it was permitted. She accepted a years suspension but nine months of the ban are suspended. It rules smith out of the remainder of this seasons womens big bash. Thats all the sport for now. You can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. Now on bbc news, it is time for your questions answered. Throughout the Election Campaign, we will be putting your questions to all of the main parties. Joining me now to answer your questions is the the chairman of the brexit party, richard tice. Bradley asks, why is the brexit party are giving the conservative a free run when farage spent weeks saying thatjohnsons deal was not brexit, that is was a terrible deal, a surrender treaty . Look, i think everybody recognises that what Boris Johnson look, i think everybody recognises that what borisjohnson did was he took theresa mays terrible deal and did as much as he could. We said, look, its still a bad deal and there are traps and pitfalls, but there are traps and pitfalls, but the biggest risk of all is the risk of having a second recommend. What we have said is a significant shift two weeks ago in a number of cabinet members and the Prime Minister said they were not going to extend the transition period beyond the end of december 2020, thats something we have been concerned about in the weeks leading up to that, and the Prime Minister also said they would go for a simple free trade arrangement, as opposed to one involving alignment. Again, key red lines for us. We felt more reassured that actually it would be better to remove the risk of a second referendum, with all the uncertainty and the pain that would involve, so thats why we took the decision. You have had a change of heart . The conservative party have shifted significantly. We have always said that should the be a leave alliance, we would create an alliance by not standing against them. Meredydd says, i voted leave in the eu referendum, and my local conservative candidate is pro leave. Is it not a bit silly for me to vote for a Brexit Party Candidate, if it splits the leave vote and allows a pro remain candidate from lib dem or labour to win the seat . Well, essentially, that depends where she is. If she is in a conservative held seats, there will be no Brexit Party Candidate. If she is in be no Brexit Party Candidate. If she isina be no Brexit Party Candidate. If she is in a strong labour leave seat, for example one of the 100 plus labour seats that has never been held by the conservatives in 100 yea rs, held by the conservatives in 100 years, than actually a vote for the conservatives is a vote to let Jeremy Corbyn in. We are saying there is a lot of tactical voting going on, where people are going to sea, where is my vote best place in order to preventJeremy Corbyn from getting in. So that if you vote for a Brexit Party Candidate in a strong labour leave area, that is the best tactical vote. Steve asks, why as a pro uk party, are the brexit party are standing in scottish seats that will potentially split the unionist vote and allow the snp to gain or retain seats and why they think it is a good idea when the snp want to hypocritically cancel brexit for the uk but leave uk and re join the eu . The answer is that we are not standing against the conservative held seats in scotland. Lets remember that more people voted in the brexit referendum than actually voted for the snp in 2017. So there are hundreds of thousands of brexit supporters and we wanted to give people the opportunity to vote for us. We are in a number of key seats. We hope to reduce the snp vote. Andrew from sheffield says, do you think that it would be better, and offer a fairer and true democratic choice for the electorate if all parties were to stand in all constituencies . What we have now with pacts between parties not to stand seems to be akin to manipulation of the election process, and not a real democratic vote. Its a really good question. But the reality is that lots of parties over the years have not stood in particular places. There are parties in wales and scotland. We felt that what we need after three years of uncertainty and essentially hung parliament, almost like a zombie parliament, almost like a zombie parliament, actually we really need to make some progress. As a nation, we need to get brexit sorted and we need to move on. Thats why we chose the option to not stand against the conservatives, given the shift we have seen in their stance on the brexit deal, we thought this was a key to a way to guarantee there will not be a second referendum. Hopefully there will be a conservative government and some brexit party mp5 to hold them to account. That is the right way to move forward. This is my question. Isnt the truth that your bubble has burst and the tories have squeezed your support . The reality is, the polls you are reading our national polls. When you look at every key target seats in the 100 labour seats that have never been held by the tories, actually the polling there is very encouraging. More and more people realise that tactical voting is the key. A conservative vote in a long held labour seat is a wasted vote. Robert asks, please explain how you plan to deal with the border between Northern Ireland and the republic of ireland when we have left the eu . So, we in the brexit party have a lwa ys so, we in the brexit party have always had a similar view to the dup and the likes of kate hoey. A review is that the European Union very cleverly over negotiated the issue on the border. We have always had the view that we should adopt what yous own experts in a report of 2017, a report called smart borders two, iurge 2017, a report called smart borders two, i urge viewers to read it, he said that under any scenario you could use existing technology and International Best practice to have a friction free border. Is the limit is a friction free border. Is the limit is there another example anywhere in the world of that . You take existing technologies and then your ticket to the current situation. The experts tell us there are no exa m ples of the experts tell us there are no examples of that. These are the experts who say that they dont really wa nt experts who say that they dont really want us to leave the European Union. When you cross the between switzerland and the eu countries, although there is infrastructure there, which obviously there would not be on the Northern Ireland border, actually, cars and lorries drive straight through. I think it is interesting that theyre expert so you can have a friction free border and yet pot was not present was what ender kenny said and that you need goodwill and good technology. Jack says, why should young people vote for the brexit party . In the same way as anyone should vote for the brexit party. Anyone who believes that brexit is a huge opportunity for the future of our country. I think young people should say that they want to be involved in making and taking our own decisions as an independent, proud, sovereign trading nation. We are good enough to make decisions about rules and regulations on workers rights and the environment. We dont need to outsource that decision because we are scared or not intelligent enough. We dont need to outsource it to enough. We dont need to outsource ittoa enough. We dont need to outsource it to a bunch of unelected bureaucrats in brussels. David asks, what will the brexit party focus be on issues other than brexit . We announced back in during our first major policy, which was to scrap hs2 and save 100 million quid and invest that into local road and rail schemes over the country. Whats interesting we were the first person to talk about investing in the regions and every other party now has adopted that as part of their core policy. Look, imitation isa their core policy. Look, imitation is a form of flattery. We were then talking about having free wi fi on all public transport over the country. Not just all public transport over the country. Notjust on the london tube. We have been saying this should be zero interest on student loa ns. Should be zero interest on student loans. At 6 , it is unfair. You can extend the repayment period. We have a policy launch this coming friday where we will announce further policy is to hopefully infuse people. But that is on a contract, quite a brief document, you are not publishing a manifesto like the other parties, with dozens of pages of detailed policies. We are not going to come out with a warren peace bunch of waffle. Everyone knows that manifestos are stuck on a sheu knows that manifestos are stuck on a shelf and nobody reads them. We will have some eye catching pledges. It isa have some eye catching pledges. It is a contract. These are our key pledges. For example, we were the first people to talk about having zero Business Rates on the high street outside the m25 across the country, and the spacing that replacing that with a small revenue tax to give small and medium sized retailers and leisure operators a chance to compete against Online Retailers. We have been creative and forward thinking. A number of other people have been talking about similar things. The liberal democrats today are talking about having zero interest rates. Two others are following where we have led. So others are following. Ann says, does nigel farage and hence the brexit party still believe in replacing the nhs with an american style insurance policy and if so why . Nonsense, we have never believed that. Like all other parties, recognise the nhs is our most treasured public service. It needs continued public investment, but it needs to be managed better and we needs to be managed better and we need to cut out the huge amount of waste and the rip off from the Drugs Companies are taking far too much out of the budget. Richard tice, thank you for being with us in the studio. And that is your questions answered. The headlines on bbc news two teenage drug dealers are jailed for life for the murder of the girl scoutJodie Chesney. A dangerous stand off in Hong Kong Riot Police surround a University Campus with hundreds of pro democracy protesters inside. After his bbc interview, Prince Andrew faces growing calls to cooperate with the american authorities over their investigations into the late sex offenderJeffrey Epstein. An update on the market numbers for you. Heres how london and frankfurt ended the day. And in the the United States this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. Scientists say theres new hope in the fight against a disease thats devastating ash trees. A team from the Royal Botanic Gardens kew has identified the genes that provide resistance to deadly ash dieback. It means trees could now be bred that are unaffected by the epidemic. The research is published in the journal nature ecology and evolution. Our science correspondent Rebecca Morelle has more. The stunning colours of autumn. Revealing the richness of our forests. But they are under threat. In 2012, ash dieback arrived in the uk from europe, where it has already ravaged woodlands. It is caused by a fungus which kills the ash trees it attacks. One of the classic symptoms isa attacks. One of the classic symptoms is a darkened lesion on the bark of the tree. And we can see this long diamond chic lesion for the fungus has grown into the tree. But by studying these trees, researchers have discovered a very small proportion of resistant are resista nt to proportion of resistant are resistant to the disease. And they have now pinpointed the genes that fight off the fungus. It does give us fight off the fungus. It does give us hope that by understanding the differences between the dna of different trees, we will be able to breed trees with increased resistance, in order to help safeguard future populations of ash trees. This disease is transforming our woodlands. Estimated there are 100 million ash trees in the uk, but the deadly sweep of this fungus could kill off up to 70 of them. A recent report suggested this would cost £15 billion. In their search for a solution, scientists have been extracting dna from ash leaves. The idea is to take the genes that are helping trees resist the disease and incorporate them into new plants through breeding. But ash isnt the only tree in trouble, so a major project has been under way to collect 15 million seeds from different woodland species. Theyre stored at minus 20 in a giant freezer. Its an insurance policy against future threats. We dont know whats around the corner for our woodland. There are threats from Climate Change and from plant Health Threats, pests and diseases and land use change. So we dont know whats going to happen to our woodlands in the future, so by banking the seeds here, we have them, theyre out of the environment, away from plant Health Threats and theyre a back up. We know how to germinate them. Its the diversity of trees that makes our forests unique. Losing any one species, though, would dramatically change them. But the hope is that this new research could preserve woodlands for future generations. Rebecca morelle, bbc news. A tiny piece of Literary History no bigger than a box of matches has just been sold at auction in paris. Written by a 14 year old Charlotte Bronte, its a miniature magazine created for her toy soldiers. The manuscript has been sold for over £500,000, and its going to return to the Bronte Parsonage Museum in charlottes native west yorkshire. Lizo mzimba reports. The moment the museum succeeded in buying the incredibly rare Charlotte Bronte book for 600,000 euros. Journal of a frenchman, paris, april 17th. Its some of the authors earliest known writing. Charlotte bronte was just 1a when she wrote this collection of short stories. The books, not much bigger than postage stamps, were written for a set of toy soldiers owned by the bronte children, to read while they played. Charlotte bronte writes jane eyre in 1847, if im correct, and so she is about 30 years old, and this isjust the beginning of her writing, she is already very assured and knows exactly what she wants to write about, and so it is very important that we know these manuscripts. Six books were written in total, five of them still survive, and up until today, the Bronte Parsonage Museum has owned all but the one being auctioned in paris. They are of more than just a passing interest to bronte fans. This little book in particular has a scene in it which is a burning bed scene, which is the kind of precursor to the famous scene injane eyre where rochester is in bed and his bed sheets are on fire and jane saves him. We think that, at the age of 14, charlotte was actually having these early ideas of what would become one of the greatest novels in english literature. The book was last auctioned in 2011, but the museum was outbid when it sold for nearly £700,000. Since then, the museum has been hoping for another chance to bring this book home to the place it was originally written. Lizo mzimba, bbc news. Historian professor Kate Williams is with me. Just looking at that book, its so intricate, isnt it . Extraordinary that a 14 year old could produce that. Its part of a family of five. Four are at the museum. Charlotte wrote these books as a teenager. Its amazing. 4000 words crammed into this tiny, tiny, the size of a matchbox, smaller than the palm of your hand, a magazine she wrote for her toy soldiers. And what she, her sisters and her brother did, was they created this huge imaginary world. And its this wonderful and amazing world. When you read the texts, they are so exciting. You see why the sisters became such great authors. So this book is really an insight into charlottes early genius, into the hall world they created in the parsonage. This incredible and imaginary world. On the outside, these girls led a very normal and conventional life. On the inside, it was absolutely passionate imagination. So im thrilled its coming back. And as any of what is there in any way injane eyre . Where does it sit . You have spoken about it being important for her literary development, but would you think it sets . Well, 17 years later, charlotte published jane eyre. We see a proliferation in this little book. There is a little story about a man who is so haunted by feelings of fire that he sets his own bed curtains on fire. Which i think is this fascinating precursor for mitchell mr rochester and the madwoman in the attic. So we see a lot of the early themes. These are passionate, exciting insights. I love that they are in the parsonage themselves because thats so crucial to the development as writers. If you asked many people if they had read a book from the 19th century, often jane eyre read a book from the 19th century, oftenjane eyre is top of the polls. This is the insight into the mind that created an absolutely unique and amazing book. You have spoken about how lovely it as it is coming back to the parsonage museum. That is wonderful news. Expensive, more than half £1 million. Very expensive. Its fascinating because there was a public road funding and there was a public road funding and the public contributed nearly £100,000 towards the cost of it. And i think its because it really sees seized the publics imagination. Here is the 14 year old Charlotte Bronte writing a little book for a dolls house. It is magical. I think it really seized imaginations. It is such a wonderful thing. You know, i have been looking at manuscripts written by authors, letters written by great people all the time, and it never less than blows my mind to see one. Ijust never less than blows my mind to see one. I just cant never less than blows my mind to see one. Ijust cant imagine seeing this in the museum where charlotte wrote her books. This little girl who was a young teenager, having imaginative play. How did she know she would go on to be one of the greatest novelists in Literary History . Its such a wonderful insight. So, its a treasure. It is an extraordinary story. Thank you so much for talking as through it, professor Kate Williams, many thanks. Now its time for a look at the weather. Much of the uk was dry and fairly sunny today. Some of you will stay dry for sunny today. Some of you will stay dryfora sunny today. Some of you will stay dry for a bit longer. High pressure builds across eastern europe. That keeps this more rain bearing area of low pressure to the rest of us. We started throwing some rain at times, but for many of you the dry weather will continue to dominate. Already turning frosty. A cold night on the way. Temperatures rise through the night across Northern Ireland, wales and the south west. Cloud starts to spill its way in. Notice the blue colours. An indication of a widespread frost. Perhaps 9 or 10 for some in scotland. A lovely and sunny and crisp start. Greater chance of dense fog for the midlands and south wales. Otherwise a sunny day over many eastern parts. Workload in the west. Temperatures perhaps into double figures for some of the breeze. Northern ireland, the cloud thicken offer some outbreaks of rain. Temperatures four or five sources. A frosty start as we head into tuesday night, but with the breeze picking up as the weather from starter approach, it means a lot of frost will lift by wednesday morning. Perhaps the odd isolated shower over some north sea coasts in eastern scotland, but most will be dry. Some sunny spells. Cloud towards the west. Like tuesday, the western fridges could see more rain at times, most likely for Northern Ireland. All of our sea temperatures increase. A south easterly breeze, lots of sunshine in south western scotland, but a greater chance of some rain spreading its way northwards during the day. Summary in nature, most of the time will be dry, heaviest rain will be for the southern counties in the west, but even that will be hit and miss. Temperatures, 7 11dc. Maureen will be dominant as we head into the 00 58 39,592 4294966103 13 29,430 start of next week. More rain
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