you want the bbc to cover, and time and again, housing came up. peter felix, who lives locally, was one of the many who contacted us through your voice, your vote. he and his partner are both in their 40s. they would love to buy a home together, but can t get onto the housing ladder. the average price paid by a first time buyer in the uk last year was just over quarter of a million pounds. that s up from £109,000 20 years earlier. the average age of a first time buyer in the uk is now 33. at the same time, private rental costs have gone up more than 9% in just the last year. so tonight, we re here in the black country to the west of birmingham, where peter now lives with his partner rebecca. 0ur midlands correspondent navtej johal has been to meet them. there s nothing, there s no help. we just want a home. we just want to have our own home. that s what we d probably like. peter paints and decorates homes. do you want to hand, pete? please. but he and his partner rebecca are
to supporting our armed forces. there are difficult battles to fight, and then there are campaigns that are going so badly your are going so badly, your own ministers are being asked whether you might resign. has that crossed your mind? i m energised about the vision we re putting forward for the country. this campaign is only.not even halfway through yet. for the last few weeks now, the party leaders have been dashing around the country. now, they don t go to places by accident or on a whim in election campaigns. most of the time, they are going to places that they think are on the front line, where a visit from them might just make a difference. here is a look at the geography of rishi sunak s scampering around the uk. now, nearly all of these places on the map here are places that elected a conservative mp last time in other words, he is on the defensive. now, that isn t that much of a surprise given the tories won big time last time. but he s also been popping up in a f
obsessed with this. we ve talked about this a lot on the weekend newscast that david cameron, because of his former job, can sort of slip in and out of that role very, very easily. some people might raise an eyebrow and say, oh, perhaps too easily. but, you know, as you say, actually for prime minister, you re trying to run the country as well as run an election campaign. that is a challenge that they ve got that actually the leader of the opposition doesn t have, you know, before too long there s the g7 as well. i think the prime minister will be trying to cram in and you know, the small matter of still having to deal with red boxes and so on and so forth. but you re right, it does mean that this big moment of history, some of the snaps that we ll see in the papers tomorrow, will not have the british current prime minister. they ll have the former prime minister. and i suppose there is something slightly awkward about that. i have to say, i love the pictures on social medi
Of the day in the commons and the lords. On this Programme Labour call on tory mps to rebel against the chancellors decision to increase National Insurance contributions for Self Employed people. And no one will ever believe a tory Election Promise ever again. Opposition peers have advice for a work and Pensions Minister to make the introduction of Universal Credit fairer. It will transform their opportunity to get the money that that will help them back into the Labour Market as we all want, and not instead have a lifetime of debt hanging over them. And snp mps appeal for people to come to scotland. Not to visit, but to stay. Scotlands population has been getting a raw deal. Scotland needs to get out from under that and create a welcoming, Entrepreneurial Environment. But first, a key issue on the second day of the Budget Debate in the commons has been Philip Hammonds controversial changes to National Insurance for those whore Self Employed. The change, announced on wednesday, would m
egypt with an iron fist for 30 years is now in a maximum security prison where he ll spend the rest of his life. earlier today an egyptian court found hosni mubarak guilty of making orders to shoot and kill civilians. the angry mubarak was taken by ambulance to the cairo police academy where the verdict and life sentence was handed down. he was wheeled in on a gurney under heavy guard. six of mubarak s former military men were acquitted. that sparked an uproar inside and outside the courtroom. [ chanting ] . furious protesters called it wrong and want to topple the regime. the security is very tight. 5,000 police have been deployed. our senior international correspondent ben wedeman joins us live from tahrir square. what s the scene like? reporter: well, we ve got more people coming in to tahrir square. just a short while ago we watched them bun posters of one of the presidential candidates. he was mubarak s prime minister. the anger seems to be going into the direction o