although he did condemn the frank hester comments. we know today that there was an extra 5 million that he'd given the conservatives party, so the public did not know so it was £15 million he needed returning, not £10 million which is the new clarity today's disclosure has brought to the situation. ~ . ., disclosure has brought to the situation. ~ . . ., ., situation. what have lancaster and the conservative _ situation. what have lancaster and the conservative party _ situation. what have lancaster and the conservative party said - situation. what have lancaster and the conservative party said in - the conservative party said in response? we the conservative party said in resnonse?— the conservative party said in resonse? ~ . �* ., ., response? we haven't heard from frank hester _ response? we haven't heard from frank hester himself— response? we haven't heard from frank hester himself yet - response? we haven't heard from frank hester himself yet that - response? we haven't heard from frank hester himself yet that the | frank hester himself yet that the conservative party have defended their right to accept and use the donation and say mr hester has rightly apologised for comments made in the past and he has apologised and shown contrition and we consider the matter resolved and they go on to say that fundraising is legitimate part of the democratic process and the alternative is taxpayer funding of political campaigning which would mean less money forfront line campaigning which would mean less money for front line services like schools and hospital or being in the pockets of the trade unions like the labour party. all of the figures released were for the first quarter of 2024, january to april 2024 so we know who has been funding the labour party and they have got their usual large amounts of money from trade unions but much more money from private donations in the business world when they use to get under jeremy corbyn�*s leadership and they have another £i.5 jeremy corbyn�*s leadership and they have another £1.5 million from the company founded by the green entre finau, dale vince, who has been controversial because he separately funded the protest group, just stop 0il although he stopped last year. all parties coming under scrutiny this morning over who has been funding them in the first quarter of this year and of course we will have to wait another quarter, another three months before we find out who funded the general election campaign. funded the general election campaign-— funded the general election campaign. funded the general election camaiun. , ., ~ , . campaign. henry, thank you very much indeed. to the war in gaza now, where an israeli air strike has hit a un school in nuseirat in the central part of the strip. a hospital in gaza says at least 36 people were killed and the hamas—run media office says dozens who were sheltering there were injured. the israel defence forces say the school was housing a hamas compound and insist they took steps to avoid harming civilians. 0ur middle east correspondent, yolande knell, has more from jerusalem. so the israeli military says that it struck this school in nusurat urban refugee camp in the center of the gaza strip because it was acting on intelligence. there was a hamas command post there and that there were hamas and islamichhad fighters who had been involved in the 7th of october attacks on southern israel, which killed, of course, about 1,200 people, according to official israeli figures. now, local people say that there were hundreds of displaced people that were sheltering inside that school and that we've just been hearing from the al—aqsa martyrs hospital nearby. a journalist working with us spoke to them there and they said that at least 40 people have been killed in the strike. we've been told that there were children among those killed. and certainly in the video shared on social media, you can see body bags and corpses under blankets lined up. there do appear to be some small corpses there appearing to belong to children. the israeli military said that it took steps to try to avoid harm to civilians during this strike, such as aerial surveillance, and that the head of the hamas run government media office has denied that this was being used as as a hamas command post. but really, this is part of a new israeli offensive that we've seen this week in the centre of the gaza strip that has involved heavy israeli bombardment with the israeli military acting against what it says are hamas targets. there have also been tanks moving into another urban refugee camp. and the al—aqsa martyrs hospital says it's been simply overwhelmed by casualties. it's treating hundreds of people as a result of these operations and, you know, in very difficult circumstances. and it said one of its electricity generators has now actually gone down, making it even more challenging. world leaders and veterans have gathered in normandy in france to mark the 80th anniversary of the d—day landings on the 6th ofjune 1944. 0n on that day, on the beach in normandy, more than hundred and 50,000 allied troops launched an attack on german forces that would change the course of the second world war. it was just before half past six in the morning when british, american, canadian and french soldiers began landing on sword, juno, gold, omaha and utah beaches, taking the enemy by surprise in what was the largest ever amphibious invasion — leading to the liberation of france from nazi occupation. last night, a candle—lit vigil was held at the bayeux war cemetery. 4,600 headstones were illuminated in honour of the fallen troops. today there will be a series of events attended by world leaders, including france's president macron, germany's chancellor 0laf scholz, us presidentjoe biden and britain's king charles. this is the scene live in normandy where re—enactments on those marine landings are taking place. let's ta ke let's take you back live in normandy where re—enactments of the marine landings are taking place. back in 1944 over 6,000 vessels joined the attack. they were supported by over 11,000 planes. the allied troops landed on beaches along an 80—kilometre stretch of the normandy coastline. today it is the veterans who were there 80 years ago are guests of honour. around 200, mostly from america, britain, and canada have travelled to mark the anniversary of a day which britain's wartime leader sir winston churchill, called "the most complicated and difficult" operation of world war ii. thoughout the day we will have live coverage of the key commemorations but first our correspondent sophie long looks back at the events which have taken place so far. let's just stay here because we have an amazing looking flyover happening right now. that is over the beach in normandy, as i mentioned before, planes played a pivotal role with 11,000 of them alongside the boats and ships across the water from england to normandy. let's turn to our correspondent sophie long who looks back at the events that have taken place so far. we stand in the future which you gave to us. the one you were told you may never reach. the one lost in the words of your last breath. 0n the eve of the 80th anniversary of d—day, a service to honour the heroes who never came home. they fought in the largest naval, air and land operation the world has ever witnessed. more than 150,000 allied soldiers landed on the shores of france. the numbers were phenomenal, as was their sacrifice. 4,144 of them lie here at the bayeux war cemetery, where those who enjoy the freedom they fought for — friends, family and royalty — came to remember them. the epitaphs on the headstones here capture the grief of those who loved these men. 0ne mother's words are, "he is not dead, whose memory lives in hearts that know and loved him." 80 years on, let their memory still live on in our hearts. they had one collective aim — to liberate nazi—occupied europe. but they were individuals — sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. i am theo's daughter, anthea. i was nine years old in 1944. i always thought that when the war was over and we had peace, he would come back to us. but of course, he never did. as over 4,000 headstones were individually lit up, honouring those that lost their lives here... ..so was the sky above portsmouth, where theirjourney began exactly 80 years ago. when we were passing the white cliffs of dover, the sergeant said as we passed, he said, "take a good look, boys." he said, "many of you will never see that again." of the 130 lads in my company, only 19 of us made it home. in those desperate battles, they gave their lives for the peace we enjoy today. i will never forget them. my families and their families and friends will never forget them. we will rememberthem. pipes play. at 9.30, the king and queen will join veterans for the first ever national commemoration at the british normandy memorial. the british memorial is near the village of ver—sur—mer, at the eastern end of gold beach, and pays tribute to the more than 22,000 servicemen and women under british command who fell on d—day and during the battle of normandy in the summer of 1944. a number of veterans will also be in attendance — they are front and centre of the events today — and for one veteran this is a very special day indeed. john maguire met with christian lamb — whose role was key to what happened on this fateful day. before d—day began, planning for operation 0verlord, as it was known, took many months, if not years. working alone in a basement room in whitehall, christian lamb created maps for the landing craft that were central to the amphibious attack. last month, we traveled here to normandy with christian, who saw the beaches she'd charted 80 years ago for the very first time. it looks absolutely wonderful, so clear and so blue and it's so attractive. i don't suppose it looked like that then, really. one was very worried about it and expecting ghastly things to happen. these are what i am supposed to have made. these are the maps you made. amazing. we also showed her an original invasion map. again, something she'd never seen before. this will have saved lives. i hope so. there will have been so many lives lost. but perhaps one or two saved. i'm sure more than that. and you think of how young they all were too. and also brave, so desperately keen to win. her role would have been vital, so today she'll be presented with france's highest honour, the legion d'honneur. i'm just amazed, really. i'm not expecting that sort of thing. president macron will give christian her medal here in ver—sur—mer, so she says she's brushing up on her french. i spent that morning trying to go through my french dictionary to find some really polite things to say in french, because i used to be absolutely bilingual when i was young and i lived in france for a whole year, and now i've forgotten it all. but as we witnessed at a school here in northern france last month, christian is being far too modest about her linguistic skills. she speaks french. i feel wonderful. thrilled by it all. yesterday she was flown from portsmouth with pat 0wtram, also a recipient of the medal... i like yours very much. yes. i've always been ratherjealous of it. ..wishing her bon voyage. have a good trip. thank you very much. very exciting. with the distinctive red ribbon and white cross, the people of france are bestowing their highest honour on someone who for many years kept silent about their top secret work but today, at long last, will receive the recognition she deserves. let's remind you of what we are watching on the left of the screen, which is joe watching on the left of the screen, which isjoe biden and jill watching on the left of the screen, which isjoe biden andjill biden, who have arrived in normandy. they landed on air force one and they are on their way together to the commemorations at normandy, at the beaches of normandy. we showed you earlier a few pictures of the commemorations at the us cemetery, and president biden is one of a number of world leaders attending with president macron france and chancellor schultz of germany and the british prime minister rishi sunak and king charles and queen camilla, so there will be a lot of world leaders attending and also the canadians commemorating today, let's not forget. i think we have lost those pictures. let's go to something a little bit less wobbly, the beautiful beaches of normandy and in the background what you are seeing is a re—enactment of a small scale, of course, very small scale re—enactment of the events of 80 years ago when thousands, tens of thousands of soldiers landed on those five beaches in normandy in northern france. there were many boats and ships and vessels which took part but also 11,000 planes took part but also 11,000 planes took part but also 11,000 planes took part and soldiers from canada, france, the uk and the us taking part in that 80 years ago, and this is a re—enactment. this 0ur this correspondent hugh schofield has been on one of the boats taking part in the re—enactments of the beach landing. he explained the signficance of modern day troops taking part in these events. ask any of them, they all say it is absolutely crucial. it's part of their lore, l—0—r—e, their esprit de corps. they need to pass on the memory of what happened that day, which was the most momentous day in the unit's history, to the new generations of marines who are signing on. and that's what's happening. we have older men, younger men and women, and what they're doing is carrying on a tradition in which the older people got from their elders maybe 20 or 30 years ago. they're passing on the memory of this moment, which was a moment of such supreme sacrifice that it is the culminating and most important time in the history of these modern day units. so that's what they're doing. plus, of course, the wider task of educating the public to the importance of what happened on that day. and a lot has been said about the passing from memory to history — that's what's happening now. memory is disappearing, it's becoming history. and so the experience is different, and what has to be done is a task of learning and education, rather than simply evoking memories and emotions, which are obviously not the same as they were, say, 20, 30 years ago. in the early hours of 6thjune 1944, lieutenant den brotheridge took part in a daring raid to capture two strategic bridges in normandy, ahead of the main beach landings. it was a successful mission, but den was shot by a german machine gunner and is considered to be the first allied solider to be killed in combat on d—day. in the early hours of 6thjune 1944, lieutenant den brotheridge ben sidwell has been to meet his daughter margaret. i'm obviously proud of what he did, but the fact that he died was part of war. margaret brotheridge never knew her father. she was born just 19 days after he was killed leading the first attack just minutes after midnight on d—day. he was chosen to go first, and i understand he got drunk as soon as he was chosen because he knew he'd probably be potted first. but if you're in the army, you are trained to do a job, aren't you? born in smethwick, lieutenant den brotheridge was one of 181 hand—picked soldiers who packed into six gliders late on the night of monday, the 5th ofjune, 1944. their destination — two small bridges in normandy. it would have been very hard for them. they must have been anxious. so there was a sacrifice but, at the end of it, there was freedom. they landed at 16 minutes after midnight on the 6th ofjune. commanding 25 platoon, lieutenant brotheridge led his men as they stormed pegasus bridge. he was just the same as one of the others. he led his group over the bridge, he did a job, and that's how i feel — he was doing hisjob. they captured the bridge from the germans, but den brotheridge was hit by machine gunfire and died, becoming the first allied soldier to be killed in action on d—day. this is what makes me very proud of him. they often say, "but he was one of us. he might have been an officer, but he was one of us." now that, ifind, i am so proud about. 80 years on from her father's death, margaret has made the trip to where he was killed, as part of the d—day commemorations. i think he was one of thousands who were doing a job, and thankfully they did, and the liberation was was great. and i'm very proud that they all did it, notjust my father, but... he couldn't have done it on his own. so for everyone that came and all those that never got back. so i'm very grateful and it's lovely to see the freedom. den brotheridge was the first of more than 4,000 men who lost their lives fighting in normandy 80 years ago, all who made the ultimate sacrifice. let's bring you some breaking news coming into us in the last few minutes and it is about a rescue operation currently under way in the channel. lifeboats have been launched to assist the border force following reports of many migrants in the water. let's cross live and speak to simonjones who is in the newsroom. what more do we know? this is a major incident currently being played out in the middle of the channel halfway between the uk and france. i channel halfway between the uk and france. , ., ., , france. i understand a boat carrying miurants france. i understand a boat carrying migrants got into _ france. i understand a boat carrying migrants got into difficulty - france. i understand a boat carrying migrants got into difficulty early - migrants got into difficulty early this morning and initially there were reports that 60 of the people on the boat had gone into the water and we now understand the number is even higher with reports of up to 84 people in the sea who are currently subject of a rescue attempt, so a lot of resources have been sent me channel and there are currently two border force vessels from the uk and —— two lifeboats from warmer and there are two french vessels on the way and the coastguard helicopter. i am told by those involved that the rescue was going well but when you have potentially more than 80 people in the water, that is a big incident to be dealing with. the task now is to be dealing with. the task now is to get those people out of the water and back to shore, but certainly a major incident taking place with lots of resources sent mid channel. the boat, i understand had set out from northern france earlier this morning and was being escorted by a french warship to check everything was going 0k. 0nce french warship to check everything was going 0k. once the boat got over the halfway line into uk waters, the french boat withdrew and then something occurred which resulted in up something occurred which resulted in up to 80 or 84 people in the water, and now that is the subject of this major rescue attempt that is currently ongoing, but i am told it is going well with two lifeboats on the scene. the problem is that with border force vessels, they are not equipped to take people from the water directly which is why the lifeboat has been called in but but very much an ongoing incident and a major incident occurring midway across the channel.— major incident occurring midway across the channel. simon jones, thank ou across the channel. simon jones, thank you very — across the channel. simon jones, thank you very much _ across the channel. simon jones, thank you very much indeed. - across the channel. simon jones, thank you very much indeed. of. thank you very much indeed. of course, we will bring you the latest on the breaking news story as and when we get it. i want to leave you with pictures of the us cemetery where people are gathering to commemorate not only us soldiers but soldiers from around the world who gave their lives on those d—day landings 80 yea