all right, where do you want me? bouncing on my knee — where do you think i want you? and david beckham makes his big screen debut in king arthur — but his cameo gets mixed reviews. good morning. it's thursday 11th may. i'm annita mcveigh. welcome to bbc newsroom live. a draft of labour's 51—page general election manifesto has been leaked and seen by the bbc and a number of other news organisation. the leak came as the document was due to be formally signed off today. the document contains a number of eye—catching policies including: bringing the railways back into public ownership as franchises expire and repealing the 1993 railways act which privatised the network. plans to reverse the privatisation of royal mail "at the earliest opportunity". the reintroduction of maintenance grants for university students and a pledge to abolish university tuition fees. 0n energy — the document includes a policy of creating at least one publicly—owned energy company in every region of the uk, with public control of the transmission and distribution grids as well as an immediate emergency price cap to ensure the average duel fuel household energy bill remains below £1,000 per year. and despitejeremy corbyn‘s previous suggestions — the document promises support for the renewal of the trident submarine system. john mcdonnell has described the lea k of john mcdonnell has described the leak of the manifesto is disappointing, but says it is a modern set of proposals. he was speaking to reporters this morning. do you know who leaked your manifesto, mr mcdonnell? no, we don't. disappointing, though, but there you are. we'll have the clause v meeting today and that will decide the final manifesto. you are working through it. do you recognise these policies? do you want to nationalise the railways and the energy companies? we'll see what comes out of the clause v meeting. we have a democratic process in the party, it will be the clause v meeting that will decide it. and then we'll have the launch on tuesday. do you really think you can get... i've got to catch my bus. ..the party elected on such a socialist manifesto? i've got to catch my bus, sorry. how would you pay for all of this? it's going to take tens of billions of extra borrowing, is that right? look, the clause v meeting will happen today and we will decide. let's walk along, don't fall over. the clause v meeting will happen today, and that will decide the final draft, and we'll publish at the launch the costed version. so every policy will have a costing and a funding source identified. do you want to renationalise the ra i lwa ys do you want to renationalise the railways and energy companies? nationalisation of the railways has been a labour party policy for a number of years. when the franchises run out, that has been labour party policy to bring them back into public ownership. 0n the energy companies, we have argued for quite a while, looking at the german model, which is about local community controlled energy supplier, whereby you can reduce overall cost levels and then the profit returns to local communities. but we'll see what comes out of the meeting. what do you say about people who say this is taking britain back to the 1970s? if you look at the energy proposals, it's what a lot of modern european states have done over the past five years, so have done over the past five years, so it is modern. a lot of foreign companies on a railway systems, and they are then blowing their profits back into their own railway systems. so it seems a bit odd that we are subsidising the german railways. it isa subsidising the german railways. it is a transformational programme, it will modernise our economy and make sure everyone shares in the prosperity of the country. michael foot‘s 1983 manifesto... prosperity of the country. michael foot's 1983 manifesto... this is an extremely foot's1983 manifesto... this is an extremely modern, progressive set of proposals. and it is looking to the long—term future, and most people are extremely excited about what they have seen. do you expect these to be ratified today? it's a democratic process. there will be a discussion about the individual proposals a member will decide, then we will launch on tuesday. we will come back to top about that and what this draft manifesto contains injust a and what this draft manifesto contains in just a few minutes. but first. meanwhile the liberal democrats are to announce that they'd accept ten thousand refugees from syria every year for the duration of the next parliament. party leader tim farron will also say that he is committed to reopening the dubs programme for unaccompanied children stranded in europe and seeking asylum. 0ur correspondent sima kotecha is following the lib dems through the campaign and joins us now from cardiff. how do the lib dems think that particular plate is going to go down that their would—be voters? particular plate is going to go down that their would-be voters? i'm in the constituency of cardiff central, and this constituency voted for labour in the last election. prior to that, it was a liberal democrat constituency. tim farren arrived here around an hour ago and he was greeted by around two dozen of his supporters. they cheered and applauded as he made his way onto the platform, where he spoke about that policy. he said that if he were to become prime minister, he would allow 10,000 syrian refugees into the country every year, so he said around 50,000 across the term in parliament. he said that the country he thinks britain should be, the country he feels passionate about, a welcoming country that helps those in need. i challenged him when i spoke to a minutes ago, and said that some here think he's being a bit naive in terms of allowing these people to come in at a time of austerity, when resources are stretched, when were talking daily about the nhs and the budgets in our schools being tightened. he said, these are people who are in need, and when they need help, we should bea and when they need help, we should be a country that says, we will help you, we will stand by you. he's also saying he would reopen the dubs programme, which allows children who are asylum seeking into the country from europe. the current government has allowed 3000 into the uk. he says he would reopen that programme and help all the children that need somewhere to go to be looked after and be adopted and have parents here who can take the men and look after their daily needs. thank you very much. with me is the political commentator and former labour director of communications, lance price. thank you there, along to talk about the manifesto. first of all, the lea k the manifesto. first of all, the leak itself, what does that say to you? it's not the first time it's happened, but it is very irritating if you're trying to coordinate an election campaign, and the manifesto launch is a big part of that. there will be a lot of frustration at labour party headquarters. the draw some comfort from the fact that we are all talking about labour policies this morning. some of those policies this morning. some of those policies will be very popular with some people, like the removal of tuition fees, that policy is thought to cost around £11 billion. but overall, the question is, how will this be paid for? that is the issue, and a lot of the individual policies would be very popular. doing away with student fees and reintroducing maintenance grants, money to help people with social care so people are not put into poverty when they are not put into poverty when they are older. nationalising some of the railway networks. but when you put it together and put the price tag on it, they raise a question over the credibility of it, whether it is possible for it to be afforded. we haven't seen near costing, but i think people would doubt if the figures add up. but also whether or not the state is the one to manage some of our bigger industries. individually, they were great. but the mould together and it does look like a return to the statist policies of the 1970s. we have just heard john mcdonnell describing it asa heard john mcdonnell describing it as a modern set of policies, in contradiction to many interpretations of this leak we have seen so interpretations of this leak we have seen so far. it doesn't strike me as being particularly forward—looking as an overall package, and overhanging the whole thing is the belief that the government are the solution to the majority of britain's problems, and if things aren't working well, that the answer is for the state to step in. and i get the impression that we had moved on from that and perhaps, if the job of the manifesto is to reach out to people who haven't supported you in the past, this may not be the way to do it. it is not very much in this document about brexit of immigration. is that a strategic error estimate because surely, labour needs to win over voters who have a keen interest in those areas, and former ukip voters, it is going to get into power to implement the policies it's talking about. once the election to be about more than brexit. and the fact that it has a nuanced policy on brexit doesn't make it easier. it wants to put the stress on other issues and would be very happy if we are talking about other nations. 0n immigration, jeremy corbyn's position is clear, andi jeremy corbyn's position is clear, and i have a lot of sympathy with it, that immigration is not very good thing for society. whether that is where the national debate is that is where the national debate is that is where the people labour needs to win over our, i'm not so sure. it is relatively clear on immigration, but it's not necessarily a winning policy. is this as aspirational of policies as, if we look back at the of tony blair? it depends how you define aspirational. if you aspire for your kids to have a decent education that would land them with debt, then yes, it is. but if you're aspirational is about how much money you will earn them if you're concerned you might find yourself in a higher tax bracket, then it isn't. in that definition of aspirational, which is the way in which a lot of tony blair's policies was defined, this is not aspirational. a final thought. how much of what we have seen thought. how much of what we have seen is going to make it through to the final version? it's going to be very ha rd the final version? it's going to be very hard with a committee meeting today to go back on it. because the tories will just turn today to go back on it. because the tories willjust turn around and say, we know what you really want to do, because it was in the leaked ma nifesto. throughout the election campaign we'll be putting your questions to politicians from all the main parties. today at 11.20, we'll be putting your questions to the snp's europe spokesperson stephen gethins. you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag bbc ask this — or text your questions to 61124 — and you can email us as well at [email protected]. james comey has made his first public comments since president trump sacked him as the head of the fbi on tuesday. in a farewell letter to colleagues, mr comey said he wasn't going to "spend time on the decision or the way it was executed." mrtrump said mrcomey was fired "because he was not doing a good job". 0ur correspondent laura bicker has more. he's become more famous than me! donald trump may have once embraced the fbi director, but the love was short lived. it's thought the president's frustration had been building for months. he hoped allegations that russia had meddled in the us election to help him win could be dismissed as "fake news" but the towering figure of the fbi kept the story alive by confirming the investigation. that's why democrats think mr trump fired him. the russian leader offered his opinion on his way to a hockey match in sochi. translation: president trump is acting in accordance with his competence, and in accordance with his law and constitution. in a farewell letter, james comey told his colleagues he wasn't going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. and he said the american people should see the fbi as a rock of competence, honesty and independence. meanwhile, the investigation continues and, back at the centre of it is donald trump's former national security adviser, michael flynn. he was fired for lying about his contacts with the russian ambassador. senators have now issued a formal demand, a subpoena, for any documents detailing his russian contacts or business dealings. the fbi director may be gone, but the inquiry surrounding donald trump's aides and their potential links to russia go on. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. the european union's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier will address the irish parliament today. he is the first non—head of state or prime minister to make such an address. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is in dublin for us. many will be watching very closely. the border between and the republic is the key issue. that's absolutely right. the irish government are very pleased, actually, that the diplomatic offensive they have mounted over the last almost a year now since the referendum, has succeeded in pushing ireland's issues right up the agenda, so the issues right up the agenda, so the issues around the irish border will be topped about in the first phase of the uk's negotiations with the eu. that means it has to be resolved early on in the process, before other matters can be resolved. so the irish government do think they have had a success in making other members of the eu understand how significant brexit will be for this country. you can see that in michel barnier‘s address here today. previously, the only non—irish people who have been invited to address the irish parliament there have been presidents and prime ministers, people like nelson mandela, ronald reagan, john f. kennedy. michel barnier is the first to address parliamentarians here who is not in that category. that is symbolic, it shows how seriously the irish is treating brexit. ireland will be affected by brexit more than any other country apart from the united kingdom itself. clear evidence of how important this issue is. we know, of course, that theresa may has spoken often about the idea of geek friction with border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland. what are we likely to hear in terms of detail, or is this a discussion forum with no plans coming out of it? michel barnier will address the irish parliament for about an hour or so and then senior irish politicians will respond to what he has to say. i do not think that one book go further than what is in the eu negotiating guidelines, which see that flexible and imaginative solutions will be required to avoid the return of a ha rd required to avoid the return of a hard border between northern ireland and the irish republic. what ever results should respect european law. the conundrum that will be difficult to resolve is around customs. if the uk is leading the udp and customs union and ireland are staying in it, then that suggests it is likely there will have to be some form of customs controls between the uk and ireland. british and irish lions also spoken about putting in force some sort of electronic monitoring solution in place, but all that has to be worked out. i don't expect to hear much more detailed today, but we can expect to hear michel barnier say that the eu is committed to avoiding the return of a hard border in ireland, and that they understand how important that will be for relations between the uk and ireland and between northern ireland and dublin. we will be back for that speech in the next ten minutes or so. waiting times for key nhs services in england were the worst in four years, in the latest financial year, with key targets missed again, according to the latest figures. the health foundation think tank says that 2.5 million people had to wait longer than four hours to be seen in a and e in the year to april 2017, up from just over 900,000 four years ago. with me is our health editor hugh pym. with me is our health editor. the figures we're looking at, we have just had the figures from march fourth 2016 and 2017, so we can compare them. that is what the think tank has done. looking at the a&e figures, 2.5 million people had to wait longer than the four hour target in a&e. that is a large hike and it is the highest hike since 2003, when that target was brought in. then it was 1.5 million, now it is 2.5 million. in the in between yea rs, is 2.5 million. in the in between years, it had dipped down to around 300,000, so it has gone right up. in terms of waiting for operations like hip and the replacements, the number of people waiting more than the 18 week target has more than doubled since 2012 2/300 and 50,000 patients. those are people waiting for those often very painful knee operations. and for cancer care, the number of people waiting more than the 62 day target has risen from 16,000 patients to a 26,000 patients in the last year. this analysis is coming from the health foundation think tank. is this new ways of calculating the data or is it simply, andi calculating the data or is it simply, and i use that word advisedly, about the nhs having to treat more and more people? the nhs is treating more and more people, that's one of the things the study points to. we know that over the yea rs, points to. we know that over the years, the nhs has always treated more and more people. so the health foundation has done number crunching and it's about percentages of people seen and it's about percentages of people seen within the targets. the targets have just been seen within the targets. the targets havejust been slipping. seen within the targets. the targets have just been slipping. the seen within the targets. the targets havejust been slipping. the nhs knows it has to grow year—on—year in order to cope with our growing elderly population. that is no evidence that the quality of care has slipped, that patients who are going in for strokes, heart attacks are cancer care, that that kid is still good when they get it, but they do say that lags behind the data around waiting times, so it may be that we still don't know whether that has deteriorated or not. thank you for taking us through that. sophie hutchinson. three women are due to appear in court in london today, charged with preparing a terrorist act and conspiracy to murder. they include 21—year—old rizlaine boular, who was shot by police during a raid at a property in willesden two weeks ago. seven other people, arrested as part of the investigation, have been released from police custody. with four weeks to go until the general election onjune eighth, we're putting your questions to politicians from all the main parties throughout the campaign. joining us from dundee is stephen gethins, europe spokesperson for the snp. thank you very much for your time this morning, and for agreeing to a nswer this morning, and for agreeing to answer our viewers' questions. the first one is anonymous via text. it says, the snp denies it has tunnel vision on independence. how do you explain that not a single bill has been passed by the scottish parliament since the election more than a year parliament since the election more thana yearago? parliament since the election more than a year ago? the snp, as we know, has done a great deal of work in government in terms of education and in health, and also at westminster, has been providing the effective opposition to the conservative party. in terms of this election, it's about big issues like pensions, the economy and our relationship with europe, is the snp thatis relationship with europe, is the snp that is putting forward the positive ideas. after all, it is the snp, who just before christmas put forward a compromise document in terms of independence and our future relationship with europe. ifi can interrupt, this question is asking you if you have tunnel vision and an dependence in detriment to doing other work in the scottish parliament? i don't think that's the case. your last package was on health. in terms of health, we have got what has been described by the red cross as humanitarian crisis south of the border, with the health service being the best performing one among the four nations of the uk in scotland. the scottish government is getting on with the job. but a really big part of this is that in this next parliament, there will be an enormous impact on what brexit means. at a time when you have tunnel vision from the tories on a ha rd tunnel vision from the tories on a hard to do brexit that will damage our economy and have an impact on our economy and have an impact on our rights, and opportunities for young people, it has been the scottish government and the snp who have been putting forward a positive vision and a compromise that can try and bring together what is very deeply divided united kingdom. can you truly see it as a functioning democracy if bills are not being passed? there is a lot more to the governance and passing legislation. it's an important part, but we have a good performing health service, they are tackling education and looking at issues like climate change, all at a time when the uk government has grown to a halt over its focus on a hard brexit. the focus on risk question is on holyrood. you would hope i assume the bills do begin to get past soon, because that is evidence of politicians working together, may be making compromises at times, to get jobs done. even though the snp got 4796 jobs done. even though the snp got 47% of the vote, that is a minority administration in hollywood. what the snp have been shown to do is to work across party lines. at a time when europe is going to have a bigger impact than almost anything else, i think the conservatives need to learn a little bit about governance from the way the snp has conducted itself in hollywood. let's move this takes from in edinburgh which asks, with the ever be a situation where the snp supporters staying part of the uk?|j situation where the snp supporters staying part of the uk? i don't think the snp makes a huge secret of the fact that we are in favour of independence. we see that as the best and natural progress for scotland. i think independence is the best option. but saying that, we have a really important westminster election, where decisions will continue to be made at westminster, which have a huge impact on each and every one of us which have a huge impact on each and every one of us on which have a huge impact on each and every one of us on pensions, taxes, opportunities for young people, the environment, and it's really important we have a strong voice for scotland while we're still part of the union. if you lost the second independence referendum, you'd have to a cce pt independence referendum, you'd have to accept wouldn't you? that's hypothetical. lots of people thought a second independence referendum is hypothetical, at least not for another generation. you talking about scotland's been taking out of the european union against its will despite having been told that staying in the uk was the only way to stay in the eu. these are westminster about really important issues that will affect each and every one of us. westminster has a huge impact on our everyday lives and it's so important we have a strong voice for scotland. what's also been shown in this parliament is that the snp has been the effective opposition to the tories and we need that more than ever. the next question is from sheila, who has sent a video clip of her question, which we completely you know. i am sheila from brutal lincolnshire. why isn't the privatisation of the nhs a bigger issue in this election? thanks to sheila for sending latin. what is your response? i think she raised a very important point. the snp has been very strong in its holyrood records on protecting the nhs, but we've been clear we will stand against plans by this tory government to privatise the nhs. we would look to work with colleagues from other political parties to stand against any tory plans to privatise the nhs. even strong on that in scotland and will continue to be strong on that in westminster. we get a good chunk of snp mps to give scotland a strong voice and also a strong voice for progressive values across the united kingdom.“ itfairto values across the united kingdom.“ it fair to say that norm of election issues are being overshadowed by brexit and independence? as bad as the westminster government is concerned, they want to put to one side issues like the nhs, because they have a pretty good track record. i think if the tories are being held to account for by the labour party in the same way they we re by labour party in the same way they were by the snp, you would see the tories on the rack. they have a poor re cord tories on the rack. they have a poor record on the nhs, as you package should. people like sheila in lincolnshire and elsewhere in the uk have the right to be asking difficult questions about that. that's something the snp has been doing in westminster, asking the tories tough questions. jake asks, what will be snp to try and stop austerity from a majority tory government and what will they do and the impact of brexit? firstly, we are doing our best to beat tories wherever we can. are doing our best to beat tories whereverwe can. i'm are doing our best to beat tories wherever we can. i'm tried to beat the tories in north east fife and my colleagues elsewhere are trying to beat them. we have a better track re cord beat them. we have a better track record in beating the tories are many other political party in the day at the moment. we put forward a positive message in 2015 campaign about reducing austerity, so we have more money to spend on public services, so let's see how this parliament pans out. we don't know what the results will be, but we've shown we are willing to stand up to austerity, even when the labour party were tripping into the voting lobby with the tories. we want to see a strong opposition to the conservative party. let's work together against austerity, because it's having a damning impact on public services, not just it's having a damning impact on public services, notjust in scotland, but elsewhere in the uk as well. anadolu was taxed asks how would the snp pay for benefits without the money coming from westminster? well, at the moment, the money does not come from westminster, it comes from the taxpayer. the snp has been very clear we would like to see full fiscal freedom for scotland, meaning scotland raises its tax, but has the ability also to make changes to the economy and have as normal powers. the snp already prioritises this. are your priority spending £160 billion on weapons of mass destruction that we don't need any more, or are your priorities tuition fees, so that your ability to go to university or college is based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay? and for pensions and pension fairness, and also tackling the challenges faced by some of the poorest in society. the snp has already committed £300 million in terms of tackling the bedroom tax and some of the council tax changes to help the poorest in society, but we can't always be there clearing up the tory mass. and just this final question for you now from twitter. if northern ireland gets a special relationship to stay in the eu, with regards to the border with the republic of ireland, what would the snp do? would seek the same? would there be a realistic chance of that, he asks? just before christmas, the first minister put together a group of experts from across the political spectrum and produced a weighty paperin spectrum and produced a weighty paper in of what could happen next, respecting the desire of the people of scotland to remain part of the eu. if a deal can of scotland to remain part of the eu. ifa deal can be of scotland to remain part of the eu. if a deal can be done to northern ireland, there is no reason one can't be done for scotland. i think sometimes there is a lack of imagination in the politics at westminster, and that is something we're always here challenge. stephen gethin ‘s, europe spokesperson for the snp, thank you for your time today and answering our viewers' questions, and thanks for sending in those questions. throughout the election campaign we'll be taking an in depth look at the key issues that are important to you. today at 3.30, our reality check correspondent will be answering your questions on brexit. so if you want to know more about the talks that lay ahead or how leaving the eu could impact the price of your supermarket shop, you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag #bbcaskthis — or text your questions to 61124 — and you can email us as well at [email protected]. rather timely that the last question to stephen gethins was about the border between the republic of ireland and northern ireland. we are just going to show you these pictures from dublin, where we're going to be hearing a speech from the euchief negotiator and brexit. very rare for someone to be invited to address the irish parliament like this unless they are a prime minister or a head of state, and it emphasises, doesn't it, how important this issue is. the eu team has already made it clear that the issue of the border is one of its phase one most important issues. we will be back when he begins that speech. right now, time for the weather forecast. let's see if the blue skies continue. hello. good morning. for most of us today, it will be a warm and sunny spring day. temperatures are rising sharply. the first signs of change across england and southern wales. more showers around here, and heavier showers across south wales, the south of england. thundery downpours in the afternoon. that is because it is getting warm and humid from the south. temperatures can reach 23. and i stay for most of us in the sunshine. more showers to receiving a overnight, coming up from the south towards the midlands and wales, and also an area of rain running into northern ireland. scotla nd running into northern ireland. scotland and northern england will be dry and chile, but on the whole, a warm night than we have seen recently. this rain slowly peters out, and in northern ireland, we get some sunshine, and some showers. the rest of england and wales see the bulk of the showers. in the afternoon, heavy, thundery downpours. more places will get wet tomorrow, but still quite warm, highs of 19—20. this is bbc newsroom live. the headlines at 11.35: labour's draft manifesto is leaked, and includes promises to nationalise railways and parts of the energy industry, and to abolish tuition fees. but the conservatives called the plans "a shambles". waiting times for key nhs services in england were the worst in four years in the latest financial year, according to new analysis — with 2.5 million people waiting longer than four hours to be seen in a and e. former fbi directorjames comey, who was sacked by president trump, gives his first public reaction. he said in a farewell letter to colleagues that he wasn't going to "spend time on the decision or the way it was executed." time for sport. hi, hugh. good morning. the fhm and greg clarke has defended the right of football agents to pay players whatever they see fit. he has spoken in the light of a fever investigation into the £89 million tra nsfer of investigation into the £89 million transfer of paul pogba from june event is to manchester united last summer. they have written to united asking for clarification on the deal after allegations in a new book in germany that lames pogba's agent scooped a cool £41 million of the deal, of which they say 22 came directly from united. if manchester united want to pay an agent that much money, and i don't know, the fa knows, but i have not looked into it, that is what they are going to pay, that is what they are going to pay, that is what they are going to pay. they are accountable to their owners and theirfans. if accountable to their owners and their fans. if they think it is good value for money, how much should we pay for players or how much should agents get is a commercial transaction? football wants a change that limit the amount of money agents get, we will have to sit down asa agents get, we will have to sit down as a game, led by the professional organisations and the clubs and talk about that. he was speaking to the bbc at a fever congress in bahrain. the president of the body, gianni infantino, says president of the body, gianni infa ntino, says he president of the body, gianni infantino, says he believes those who want to use football to get rich and get out of the sport is in stark contrast to clarke's view. they also spoke about this dark wave of criticism aimed at fever in the last two years with scandals engulfing the organisation, and admitted much of it was deserved. fake news, alternative facts, these terms did not exist some time ago. they have become on vogue recently. and there are a lots of fake news and alternative facts about feature is well circulating. fever bashing —— fifa—bashing has become a national sport, especially in some countries. and they also understand why, and it was right, and it was right. but fifa has changed now. this is a new fifa. we are new people here, and we act with facts. and that is all the sports news for now. more at around 12:15 p.m.. thank you very much. now let's cross back to dublin. the chief brexit negotiator for the european commission is addressing the irish parliament shortly. the speaker is talking about brexit now. wells retaining the strong relationship with the uk, with those thoughts, may i invite you now to address our sitting. applause dear speakers, thank you very much, mr speaker, for your kind words and congratulations. dear speakers, taoiseach, members of the houses, i dear speakers, taoiseach, members of the houses, lam dear speakers, taoiseach, members of the houses, i am very happy and honoured to address both houses and greet you as the representatives of the people of ireland in or your political diversity. i take this on asa political diversity. i take this on as a responsibility. the responsibility to listen to all those who will be affected by the decision of the uk to leave the european union. the responsibility to listen to your concerns, build our positions together, negotiate and our common interest. and the responsibility to explain that we need each other, that ireland is stronger in the union and the eu is stronger in the union and the eu is stronger with ireland. your country has had deep historical, cultural and intellectual ties to continental europe for many centuries. in the 16th, 17th, 18th europe for many centuries. in the 16th,17th,18th centuries, irish coueges 16th,17th,18th centuries, irish colleges were set up around europe, from madrid, where i was yesterday, to london, paris, rome and prague. they contributed to writing the history of ireland, and the history of europe. and they spread irish culture to the continent. centuries later, in 1972, the people of ireland massively voted to take part in the european project. ladies and gentlemen, at that time, i was 21. last century. france had a referendum on the accession of ireland, the uk, denmark and norway, and it was my very first vote. i campaigned for a yes vote for the uk's campaigned for a yes vote for the uk's accession back then, and voting yes was not so easy for a member of the french gaullist party. but i did it, with my full heart. and i never regretted it. i regret that brexit is happening now. i would have liked to have seen the uk stay in europe with ireland, and all the 26 other member states, but we are where we are. since 1972, we have accomplished great things together. the european union has helped ireland become what it is today, and ireland become what it is today, and ireland has complemented and strengthened our union. the irish people are known as hard—working and open—minded. their eu membership had a chance to modernise their economy and society. we see this now in innovative companies and in the creation of newjobs. investors see ireland as being central in the european market, not peripheral, and we see it across irish cities, towns and villages. they have been enriched by fellow europeans who have come here to work, study, travel and live. seamus heaney said to mark the enlargement of the eu in 2004, so, on a day when newcomers appear, let it be a homecoming, and let us speak, move lips, move minds, and mix new meanings. ireland has welcomed, like you yourselves were welcomed, like you yourselves were welcomed 30 years earlier. ladies and gentlemen, 444 irish people have shaped the union. —— for 44 years. they have helped to europe into aim more diverse continent. ireland's first european minister helped improve equality between women and men before serving as your president, and as your irish commissioner, peter sutherland supported the creation of the single market and he established the erasmus programme, bringing you and your friends together for 30 years now and showing what free movement of people really means. and today, he is in charge of developing one of the union's most complete european economic policies, the common agricultural policy. and ladies and gentlemen, for my part, i am proud to have been minister of the farmers, the minister of the fisher men, in my own country. some in large countries with imperial pasts like my own seem to think that the eu makes them smaller. this is simply not true. in smaller countries, people are often more aware that being part of the eu increases influence and opportunities, and by being part of a common project and identity, it does not prevent the country from keeping its own identity, and making a name for itself in the world. as we we re a name for itself in the world. as we were reminded in a st patrick's day speech in washington, pooling national sovereignty increases our european sovereignty, because they are part of the eu citizens of all countries can study, work, settle down in other member states, and be treated like national 's. down in other member states, and be treated like national '5. european consumers can access high—quality food and agricultural products from across the eu because they are all made to strict standards. suppliers don't have to worry about border checks. because they are part of the eu, citizens travelling to another eu, citizens travelling to another eu country will soon be able to call without roaming charges. airlines, whatever member state they come from, can offer direct flights between any tee eu airports. —— any two eu airports. they can rely on our0pen two eu airports. they can rely on our open skies arrangement with the us. the eu has made travel easier. and irish airlines have been among the first to take advantage of these benefits, and have proven the chance to market. i experienced it first hand myself when i flew to dublin yesterday night on a rather well— known low—cost carrier. still, no coffee at! still, no coffee at! but a little more seating space than before. a little bit! honourable members, being together makes us stronger. because we are pa rt of makes us stronger. because we are part of the eu, businesses can trade goods without customs duties and documentation requirements are very simple. as part of the eu single market, companies can rely on fairer competition and level playing fields. because the eu has consistently put in place high levels of environmental and, citizens enjoy clean air and water, and government can resist a race to the bottom and fight climate change more effectively together. eu companies have privileged access to 60 foreign markets, such as south korea, vietnam, and recently, canada. thanks to the free trade agreements negotiated at the eu level. banks, insurance or investment funds can provide services to the whole single market, based on their establishment here in dublin. thanks to the so—called "power sporting rights". —— pas sporting. because they are part of the eu, judges can rely on the european arrest warrant, which ensures rapid treatment of arrests for surrendering suspected criminals from another member state to bring them tojustice. from another member state to bring them to justice. because from another member state to bring them tojustice. because they from another member state to bring them to justice. because they are pa rt of them to justice. because they are part of the eu, universities receive funding for research and innovation. they form one of the widest academic networks in the world. the speakers and all members, as a union member, this is what we enjoyed. —— enjoy. and it is what a member state loses when it leaves the union. this is what we enjoy, and it is what the member state loses when it leaves the union. but let meals so be clear. brexit will come at a cost. also, to us, the 27. i am fully aware that some member states will be more affected than others, and as chief negotiator, my objective is to reach a fair deal. a deal that defends the interest of the entire eu, but also those of individual member states. because of its historical and geographical ties with the uk, because of your shared border and strong economic links, ireland is in a unique position. with the fall of sterling, brexit is already having an impact on the value of irish exports to the uk, in particular, the agri—food sector. many in ireland fear the return of tensions in the north. today, in front of these two houses, i want to reassure the irish people, in this negotiation, ireland's interest will be the union interest. we are in this negotiation together, and a united eu will be here for you. tomorrow, i will travel to the border with northern ireland. i will meet farmers and workers in the dairy industry. i want to learn from them, and listen to their concerns about how they are affected by brexit. some might be concerned about their exports to the uk, or by the return of customs checks at the border. others might fear a return to the instability of the past. in northern ireland, lifting the borders took time. only 15 years ago, did checkpoints and controls completely disappear, thanks to the good friday agreement, which ended decades of violence. i was the european commissioner in charge of the peace programme, and i have not forgotten my conversations with john hume and david trimble at that point, sol hume and david trimble at that point, so i understand the union's role in strengthening dialogue in northern ireland and supporting the good friday agreement. european intervention helped remove borders that once existed on maps and in mine '5. —— in minds. now, brexit 's changes the external borders of the eu, buti changes the external borders of the eu, but i will work with you to avoid a hard border. the uk's departure from the eu will have consequences. we have the duty to speak the truth. we have together the duty to speak the truth. custom controls are part of eu border management, to protect the single market, to protect our food safety and our standards. but as i already said many times, nothing in these negotiations should put peace at risk, nothing. this was recognised by the 27 heads of state and government '5 two weeks ago. they we re very government '5 two weeks ago. they were very clear that the good friday agreement must be respected in all its dimensions. i also made very clear that the border issue would be one for my —— one of my three priorities for the first phase of the negotiation, together with citizens' rights and a financial settlement. we first must make sufficient progress on these points before we start discussing the future of our relationship with the uk, and as soon as this happens, the better. if the conditions are right, a close partnership with the uk is in everybody's interest, and in ireland's interest in particular. currently, ireland exports 14% of its goods and 20% of its services to the uk. this is twice the eu average. the agricultural and energy sector are fully interconnected on the island of ireland. of course, such facts must be put into perspective. before ireland's access into the eu, the uk accounted for 50% of irish trade. today, ireland exports much more to the other eu countries than to the uk, and the single market is a key asset for the financial and pharmaceutical industries. still, the specific issue that you face deserves all our attention. once again, ireland shares a land border with the uk, and most of the strength of the eu goes through the uk. this is why i have engaged with both houses, the administration, as well as all irish members of the european parliament immediately after taking up my position. ireland has done remarkable preparatory work. we must use our combined strengths together. we are working to deliver solutions. i want to listen to the concerns of the irish people, but i also want to pass on a message of hope and determination. for all pass on a message of hope and determination. forallthe pass on a message of hope and determination. for all the problems it creates, brexit also reminds us of what the eu has built together. but each of us enjoys as new citizens, and how we can further improve the european project. the eu is not perfect. we know that. and presidentjuncker is not perfect. we know that. and president juncker put it is not perfect. we know that. and presidentjuncker put it candidly is not perfect. we know that. and president juncker put it candidly on the occasion of europe day this week. their role is to draw from the crisis. -- week. their role is to draw from the crisis. —— there are lessons to draw from the crisis. there are lessons to draw from brexit and the populist parties in many countries, including mine. let's not confuse public opinion with populism. we should listen to people's feeling and respond with policy change. this is how we will fight populism. dear speakers, honorary members, i am convinced that ireland will play a major role in these changes. as a ce ntre major role in these changes. as a centre for innovation, as a strong and sustainable agri—food producer. asa and sustainable agri—food producer. as a bridge across the atlantic. as a supporter of the future relationship that we need to build with the uk. our objective is clear. we want these negotiations to succeed. i want us to reach a deal. the uk has been a member of the eu for 44 years. it should remain a close partner. we will need to negotiate a bold and ambitious, but also fair, free trade agreement. we will also need the same ambition for our research and innovation networks. and for the fights against climate change. we need the same ambition and foreign policy, in international cooperation and development. 27 years ago, nelson mandela spoke in this very room. the chief brexit negotiator for the eu there, speaking to both houses of the irish parliament, rare honour given to a non—prime minister, non—head of state, in dublin. this is bbc news — and these are the top stories developing at 12. labour's leaked manifesto — the bbc obtains draft plans which promises to nationalise the railways and abolish tuition fees. this is an extremely modern, progressive set of proposals, and it's looking to the long—term future, and most people are extremely excited about what they've seen. waiting times for key nhs services in england were the worst in five years in the latest financial year, according to new analysis. the former fbi director, james comey — who was sacked by president trump, makes his first public comments. how young people on the latest hiv drugs now have a near—normal life expectancy. also... a marketing company which made nearly 100 million nuisance phone calls is fined a record £400,000. keurboom communications made repeated calls, sometimes at unsocial hours, trying to get people to make compensation claims. all right, where do you want me? bouncing on my knee — where do you think i want you? and david beckham makes his big screen debut in king arthur — but his cameo gets mixed reviews. good afternoon. welcome to bbc newsroom live. we begin with breaking news from the bank of england, which warns that 2017 might be a law start therapy. east slight downward revision to its upgrade forecasts since november of last year and february earlier this year. the bank saying that business investment was stronger than expected and that growth next year and in 2019 was likely to be slightly higher than the previous forecast, although still significantly below 2%. it said that adjustments to the uk's new relationship with the european union needs to be watched carefully as well some major negative trends for this year. we'll be talking to a reporter at the bank of england to get his take on what is being said. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has pulled out of a planned campaign appearance after the party's draft general election manifesto was leaked. the document includes pledges to re—nationalise the railways, royal mail and parts of the energy industry, as well as a promise to scrap university tuition fees in england. we can speak to our assistant political editor norman smith. to me think much of what was in the strap to me think much of what was in the stra p ma nifesto to me think much of what was in the strap manifesto will be in the published version?” strap manifesto will be in the published version? i think the assumption is the vast bulk of this will indeed form the next labour party manifesto for this general election. indeed, those around jeremy corbyn are trying to make the best of this week, highlighting what they say other radical policies are you considering what they describe as the transformative manifesto, one some will even comparing to the famous 1945 post—war labour ma nifesto famous 1945 post—war labour manifesto under clement attlee, which set up things like the nhs. but this is a huge, huge package of proposals. we learn thatjeremy corbyn is considering a massive amount of pledges, from big iconic issues such as building 1 million new houses, scrapping tuition fees, capping energy prices, down too much smaller nitty—gritty things like insisting that railway companies provide free wi—fi on their trains, to banning certain types of pesticides which impact on bumblebees. the other thing which i think is clearfrom bumblebees. the other thing which i think is clear from this manifesto is, as it stands at the moment, this is, as it stands at the moment, this is very muchjeremy corbyn's ma nifesto. is very muchjeremy corbyn's manifesto. his views and values permeate throughout it. so we get big iconic policies, such as renationalising the railways. nationalising parts of the energy industry. greater regulation for the buses. these are policies which previously were parties under different readers would never have considered, but underjeremy corbyn, public ownership is right that at the forefront. similarly, when it comes to benefits, this manifesto suggests reversing many of the benefit changes introduced by the conservative party. it suggests a whole raft of new employment rights and union rights. this is very much jeremy corbyn's manifesto. the big?, the really big? , jeremy corbyn's manifesto. the big?, the really big?, is where is the money? because in this draft document, that level of detail is simply not there. we're going to hear now from diane abbott, who's been talking about what has happened today. what do you think of the ma nifesto ? today. what do you think of the manifesto? are you embarrassed by the leak? are you happy to stand on this manifesto? is it a manifesto you'll be proud of. the processor because we will be arrived at by democratic decision and well supported. as you embarrassed by the leak? i have nothing to say. margaret beckett there. don't be silly, she told a reporter, who after she was responsible. he whole string of people being asked about their response to that. actually, it might bea their response to that. actually, it might be a bit of a storm in a teacup. i'm not being facetious, but does this really matter, the fact that this has been leaked a week before it was due to be published, does this matter to the average voter? i think it might, does this matter to the average voter? ithink it might, because i can't recall a full party manifesto ever been leaked before. you might have had bits and pieces, but not the full draft document. this is unprecedented, and what it suggests isa unprecedented, and what it suggests is a degree of division, disloyalty, feuding at the very top of the labour party. there is a lot of speculation around who might be responsible for this. they did perhaps have been labour moderates seeking to destabilise and damage mr corbyn. perhaps. buti seeking to destabilise and damage mr corbyn. perhaps. but i think it's unlikely, because they have been remarkably quiet in recent months. they do not want to give mr corbyn excuse of seeing their disloyalty cost the election. could it be the trade unions trying to put out the policies they want bank, because there's such prounion policies. could it be someone from jeremy corbyn's team, trying to protect this radical manifesto, so it's in the public domain, and to inhibit the public domain, and to inhibit the scope for critics to amend and water it down. and if they do watered—down, to be identified as having weakened and softened mr corbyn ‘s manifesto, which perhaps jeremy corbyn was my people can explain, if they lose the election, they didn't have the sort of ma nifesto they didn't have the sort of manifesto he wanted to campaign on. inafew manifesto he wanted to campaign on. in a few minutes, i'll be speaking to one of the journalists who received that leaked copy of the ma nifesto, received that leaked copy of the manifesto, the draft manifesto last night. but right now, let's go back to the breaking news of the last few moments. the bank of england has released its latest thoughts on the state of britain's economy. is itfairto is it fair to say some modest alarm bells ringing? i think that's absolutely right. what it said is that for 2017, there are some quite negative trends. those trends are around that old story. growth is likely to be below inflation, below the rate that prices are rising, so that means incomes are in reality falling. so the income squeezes back. and it has been around since the financial crisis, and it has returned again now, according to the bank. inflation has increased, the bank. inflation has increased, the bank has slightly downgraded growth for this year, says it thinks this is probably the worst of it, the 2017 mobility by when households with people in work will feel bit tighter squeeze on the living standards. but after that short—term negativity has washed to the system, actually more positive about next year, 2018 and 2019, a slight upgrade in growth for those two yea rs. upgrade in growth for those two years. it says the risk for inflation will go away to a large extent. wage growth will strengthen. it says the global economy is stronger than expected and for britain that is important. sterling fell rapidly after the referendum. if you take away this inflationary pressures . if you take away this inflationary pressures. he says the european result is looking stronger. british investment here is looking good. certainly, over the long term, a positive prospect. but it is something of a coded warning, the report says its assumptions about those future positive forecasts are based on a smooth brexit, a smooth british exit from the european union. but that didn't happen, which it might not, it says all those assumptions might have to change. thank you very much. apologies, if few glitches with the sound there. in live shot from inside the bank now. we're expecting the governor to speak at half past 12 and will return there. that is returned to the labour party ma nifesto. jack blanchard is the political editor of the daily mirror. he obtained a copy of the leaked manifesto last night. do you think this was someone who wa nted do you think this was someone who wanted to sabotagejeremy corbyn's plans or rather someone closer to him, who thought it might be a good idea to get these ideas out in advance? those are the two serious doing the round. i can't comment, because i can't reveal the source to me. what i would say is it's clearly symbolic of a party that is it's clearly symbolic of a party that isn't operating quite as smoothly as like it to. as your correspondent said earlier, this is not something that happens normally, an entire party manifesto being leaked i was six days before they were due to launch it. it is fairly unprecedented. it's not a sign of a slick operation. labour would of had plans to announce of these policies bit by bit over the weekend, explaining how each woodwork and how they would be costed, trying to get ahead in the news each day. instead, suddenly it all goes out of their hands in their planning for the election goes out of the window. the whole thing gets dumped on the daily mirrorand a whole thing gets dumped on the daily mirror and a couple of other places. let's move past that the details of the policies. we will wait and see how many of them end up in the official manifesto, rob lee most of them. but are they vote winners? it's interesting, speaking to a couple of members in the senior labour team to let them know that we have this and were going to publish it, i'd say mate were that, although people will say this is very left wing, use some of the right wing press saying is back to the 1970s, what these policies are is popular. if you look at them individually, if people individually on some of these things, would people like the ra i lwa ys things, would people like the railways to be back in the public sector, would people like very rich people to pay slightly more tax to properly fund the nhs, the answer was comes back that yes, they would. what you would find is that individually, these policies are popular. the question for labour is, will the package as a whole be seen as credible to the voters and will the man leading the party be seen as a credible option to delivered it? also, is that enough in their own brexit and immigration to bring former ukip voters back to labour? yes, that's one of the points of contention. the senior labour people have a meeting to hammer out the final items in this manifesto. it is the immigration line enough? they say they would make false promises like they've seen from the tories, saying immigration will come down to the tens of thousands of men missing that target again and again. instead, it makes a positive case, saying we need people to come to this country to help the economy. although that will please some people in the party, then a rather poor voters and people who voted lead at the referendum, you might not like that message. john mcdonnell was saying this morning that this is a set of very modern proposals, obviously some of the interpretation and the media has been, back to the 1970s. what are your thoughts on the modernity of what he's talking about? it is a lot more nuanced than some of the right—wing press would have you believe. they are talking about bringing parts of the energy industry into public hands. but they're not about wholesale buying out big companies and taking back that sort of thing. talking about setting up new, locally owned energy firms in yourarea, setting up new, locally owned energy firms in your area, which will be run for profit, but bob or the money back into keeping prices down and keeping fuel poverty down. and actually, that's quite a modern solution to an age—old problem. i don't think that's going back to the 19705 don't think that's going back to the 1970s at all. thank you very much, jack. political editor at the daily mirror. political editor at the daily mirror. the green party have launched their manifesto for the general election. caroline lucas — one of the party's co—leaders, said that they were the only party putting the environment at the centre of their manifesto — criticising other parties of side—lining environmental issues. we do it because a prosperous, thriving future will be green or not at all. and environment is the air that bp is, the water we drink, the countryside, the landscape, it's our rivers and our seas. yet for some, is still a secondary concern. something to be considered when we fix so—called more important issues. we are different. we know our prosperity depends on the natural world. it's the ultimate source of everything we make and use, the food and materials, to the sinks her waist. meanwhile the liberal democrats are to announce that they'd accept ten thousand refugees from syria every year for the duration of the next parliament. party leader tim farron will also say that he is committed to reopening the dubs programme for unaccompanied children stranded in europe and seeking asylum. staying on the election and the conservatives say they will honour the nato commitment to spend at least two per cent of economic output on defence if they're returned to office. they'll also increase the budget by at least half a percent above inflation in every year of a new parliament. throughout the election campaign, we'll be taking an in depth look at the key issues that are important to you. today at 3.30, our reality check correspondent will be answering your questions on brexit. so if you want to know more about the talks that lay ahead or how leaving the eu could impact the price of your supermarket shop, you can get in touch via twitter using the hashtag bbcaskthis — or text your questions to 61124 — and you can email us as well at [email protected]. the headlines on bbc newsroom live: the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, has pulled out of a planned campaign appearance after the pa rty‘s draft general election manifesto was leaked. new analysis suggests that waiting times for key nhs services in england were the worst in four years in the latest financial year, with key targets missed again. james comey makes his first public comments since president trump sacked him as the head of the fbi. it is time for the sport. the fa chairman greg clarke has defended the rights of football club's to pay agents whatever they see fit... clarke has spoken in the light of a fifa investigation into the 89 million pound transfer of paul pogba from juventus to manchester united last summer. they have written to united asking for clarification on the deal after allegations in a new book in germany that pogba's agent mino raiola scooped a cool 41 million pounds in the deal... 22 of which, it's claimed, came directly from united... after allegations in a new book in germany that pogba's agent mino raiola scooped a cool 41 million pounds in the deal... 22 of which, it's claimed, came directly from united... clarke was speaking to the bbc at a fifa congress in bahrain — where the body's president gianni infantino said he believes those who want to use football to get rich should 'get out' of the sport— in stark contrast to clarke's view. infantino also spoke about the wave of criticism aimed at fifa over the past few years — in the wake of the various sandals engulfing the organisation — he admitted that much of it was deserved. who want to use football to get rich should 'get out' of the sport— in stark contrast to clarke's view. infantino also spoke about the wave of criticism aimed at fifa over the past few years — in the wake of the various scandals engulfing the organisation — he admitted that much of it was deserved. fake news, alternative facts, these terms and not exist until some time ago. they have become fashionable in recent periods. and there are a lot of alternative facts about fifa circulating. fifa— bashing has become a national sport, especially in some countries. and i understand also why, and it was right, and it was right, but fifa has changed now. this is a new fifa. the only people here. and we packed with facts. forty eight of the world's top 50 golfers tee off today in the players championship at sawgrass — with calls this week championship. leading the field this week is the new masters champion sergio garcia, winner of the players in 2008 and runner—up last year. world number one dustin johnson is the favourite, while jason day is the defending champion. world number two rory mcilroy leads a strong british challenge which also includes masters runner—up justin rose. that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. james comey has made his first public comments since president trump sacked him as the head of the fbi on tuesday. in a farewell letter to colleagues, mr comey said he wasn't going to "spend time on the decision or the way it was executed." mrtrump said mrcomey was fired "because he was not doing a good job". our correspondent laura bicker has more. he's become more famous than me! donald trump may have once embraced the fbi director, but the love was short lived. it's thought the president's frustration had been building for months. he hoped allegations that russia had meddled in the us election to help him win could be dismissed as "fake news" but the towering figure of the fbi kept the story alive by confirming the investigation. that's why democrats think mr trump fired him. the russian leader offered his opinion on his way to a hockey match in sochi. translation: president trump is acting in accordance with his competence, and in accordance with his law and constitution. in a farewell letter, james comey told his colleagues he wasn't going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. and he said the american people should see the fbi meanwhile, the investigation continues and, back at the centre of it is donald trump's former national security adviser, michael flynn. he was fired for lying about his contacts with the russian ambassador. senators have now issued a formal demand, a subpoena, for any documents detailing his russian contacts or business dealings. the fbi director may be gone, but the inquiry surrounding donald trump's aides and their potential links to russia go on. laura bicker, bbc news, washington. the european union's chief brexit negotiator michel barnier has been addressing the irish parliament. he is the first non—head of state or prime minister to make such an address. speaking in the last hour, mr barnier said that he will work with the country to avoid a hard border returning to the island. because of its historical and geographical ties with the uk, because of your shared border and strong economic links, ireland is in a unique position, a unique position. with the fall of stirling, brexit is already having an impact on the value of irish exports to the uk, in particular, the agri— food sector. and many in ireland fear the return of tensions to the north. today, in front of these two houses, i want to reassure the irish people, in this negotiation, ireland's interest will be the union's interlaced. we are, in this negotiation, and a united eu will be here for you. european integration helped remove orders that once existed on maps and and minds. now, brexit changes the border, but i will work with you to avoid a hard border. the uk's departure from the eu will have consequences. let's talk show ireland correspondent, chris page, who is in dublin. a hugely supportive message from michel barnier. up we would expect. wasn't anything new in what he said? i don't think there was anything particularly new, because we already had the draft guidelines, which sets out that firstly, as michel barnier was saying, the eu does recognise that ireland is in a unique position because it is geographically so close to the uk and therefore has strong economic ties. it is also the only eu state which shares a land border with the uk. michel barnier did perhaps use slightly blunter language on the difficulties that we re language on the difficulties that were present in his speech. he said that brexit changes the external borders of the eu, but he will work with ireland to avoid a hard border. he also said, we have a duty to speak the truth. the uk's departure from the eu will have consequences. he went on to say that customs control where part of eu barred management, they protect our food safety a nd management, they protect our food safety and standards. that sums up the tricky issue here, the border brainteaser, the customs conundrum that everybody involved in this process have said they want to keep the border between northern ireland and the republic as open as possible. as free from friction as possible, which is what both the irish prime minister and theresa may have said. if you have one state outside the eu customs union and another inside it, it is likely there will have to be some form of customs controls. exactly what they will be remains the question. that is what is occupying minds from belfast to brussels. officials on both sides are talking about a virtual border, an electronic system for monitoring goods as they cross the order, but exactly how that system will be designed and managed is not clear yet. michel barnier acknowledged the difficulty of that today. tomorrow, a fact-finding mission for him. he will travel to the border to hear first—hand mission for him. he will travel to the border to hearfirst—hand about the border to hearfirst—hand about the people's concerns there. that is right, he's going to travel to a food production business near the border to seem first—hand what the concerns of local business people are, people who cross the border many times a day and don't want any hardening of the border. he is demonstrating here that he is listening to everybody here who has a special stake in this. thank you very much. we can now turn to the nhs and the latest figures out today, the latest analysis. waiting times for key nhs services in england were the worst in four years, in the latest financial year, with key targets missed again, according to the latest figures. the health foundation think tank says that 2.5 million people had to wait longer than four hours to be seen in a and e in the year to april 2017, up from just over 900,000 four years ago. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson told us a little more earlier. 2.5 million people had to wait longer than before our target in a&e. that is a large hike and it is the highest hikes since 2003, when that target was brought in. then it was 1.5 million, now it is 2.5 million. in the in between yea rs, 2.5 million. in the in between years, it dipped right down to around 300,000, so it has gone up. the numbers of people waiting more than the 60s due target for cancer treatment has written from almost 15,020 12 to 26,000 in the last year. this analysis is coming from the health foundation think tank. is this down to new ways of calculating the date or is it simply, and i use that word advisedly, about the nhs having to treat more and more people? the nhs is treating more and more people, that is one of the things that the health foundation is pointing to. the nhs has always treated more and more people. the health foundation has looked back and done this number crunching. also, it's around percentages of people seen within the targets, and the targets have been slipping. they say there is no evidence that the quality of care, when you do get it, has slept, that patients who are going in for strokes, heart attacks cancer care, that the cares still good when they get it. but they do say that the data around that lags behind the data around waiting times, so it may be that we still don't know whether that has deteriorated or not. sophie hutchinson there. let's find out if yesterday's and this morning's blue skies are going to continue. thank you very much, yes, looking good across much of the country today, and as the temperatures rise in the afternoon, the humidity stays, as you can notice, and we might see something the store and aligning along the m4 corridor, so there could be local downpours. much warmer and more humid, temperatures of 21-23d. warmer and more humid, temperatures of 21—23d. northern areas will see the best of the sunshine, still feeling quite cool across the east coast of scotland. as thunderstorms rattle on this evening, more rain pushes northwards. a milder night and my dearto pushes northwards. a milder night and my dear to come, still chilly across the north—east of scotland. the best of the sunshine across parts of scotland, fewer showers here, and for northern ireland, plenty of showers around, some of which could be rainy. we will take you straight to the governor of the bank of england mark carney at the bank, to develop its latest inflation report. relative financial market pessimism would be reduced over because this year. that process has now begun. with wage growth moderating and inflation picking up, both household spending in gdp growth have slowed markedly. in contrast, sterling has appreciated, possibly reflecting market expectations of a more orderly brexit process. on balance, the committeejudges orderly brexit process. on balance, the committee judges that consumption growth will be slower in the near term than previously anticipated, before recovering in the latter part of the forecast is real incomes picked up. in the mpc‘s central forecast, quarterly growth is expected to stabilise around its current rate, resulting in growth of 1.9% in 20 is unseen, and around 1.75% in each of the next two years. this is broadly the committee had expected in february. the global outlook has improved since february, with stronger business surveys and generally better financial conditions. indicators including trade growth and capital goods orders suggest broad—based strength. signs of a more robust global demand have also been reflected in global asset prices, with equity prices rising further in recent months. the mpc‘s projection for world growth remains near the top of the range of external forecasters. the combination of a stronger global outlook and steeling's past depreciation is likely to support uk next trade, together with somewhat lower uncertainty, stronger global growth is also likely to incur its investment as investors renew and increase capacity. turning to inflation, cpi inflation has risen above the mpc‘s 2% target as telling's past appreciation has begun to feed through to consumer prices. this impact has been offset to some extent by the continued subdued growth in domestic cost, with wage growth notably weaker than expected. the mpc expects inflation to raise further above target in coming months, peaking at a little below 3% of the fourth quarter. conditioned on the market yield curve, inflation is projected to remain above the mpc‘s target in the forecast period, and i note that market yield curve has steepened slightly and steeling has rallied somewhat since our forecast was closed. the projected inflation entirely reflects the effects on prices of the fall in sterling since late 2015. the depreciation was caused by market expectations of a material adjustment of uk's medium—term prospects as it leaves the eu. the contribution to inflation and higher import prices is likely to fade gradually throughout the forecast period. the extent to which domestic cost pressures pick up will determine where cbi inflation settles towards the end of the forecast. wage growth has been soft in recent years, despite strong employment growth. wea kness despite strong employment growth. weakness in productivity growth and a continuing drag from slack have contributed to this, but they can't explain its full extent. uncertainty of companies about the outlook may have also made them unwilling to raise wages at a faster pace until they have more clarity about future costs a nd they have more clarity about future costs and market access. the mpc judges that the factors currently weighing on wage growth are unlikely to persist, and it projects that wages will rise significantly as the output gap narrows throughout the forecast and closes by the end. as a result, inflation is projected to rise in the third year of the forecast, even as the impact of imported price pressures diminish. monetary policy committee cannot prevent either the real adjustments as the uk moves towards its new international trading arrangements, or the real income growth that is likely to accompany that adjustment over the extra years. attempting to offset fully the effects of weaker sterling on inflation would be achievable only at the cost of higher unemployment and in all likelihood, even weaker real income growth. for this reason, the mpc‘s remer specifies that inserted optional circumstances, the committee must allens any trade—off between the speed with which it intends to return inflation to target, and the support that monetary provides. at its may meeting, the mpc decided its current sta nce meeting, the mpc decided its current stance on monetary policy committee appropriate to balance the demands of its remit. the overshoot of inflation relative ‘s target is entirely due to sterling depreciation, which itself reflects the fundamental factors that monitor it isa the fundamental factors that monitor it is a cannot effect. in such exceptional circumstances, the mpc‘s remer requires it to pay close consideration. for most of the forecast period, the economy is expected to operate with a degree of spare capacity, justifying some degree of above target inflation could be tolerated. however, the output gap is projected to close by the end of the forecast, reducing the end of the forecast, reducing the committee's torrents per above target inflation at that point. the mpc‘s portas relies on, among other things, a significant pick—up in wage growth, no further slowing in aggregate demand, a lower level of sterling continuing to boost consumer prices broadly as projected, and without average consequences for inflation expectations further ahead, and that the adjustment to the uk's new trading relationship with the eu be smooth. as these conditions may clear, while brexit will play an important role, other factors will also influence the outlook for economy and inflation, and judging the appropriateness of the monetary stance, the committee will monitor closely incoming evidence regarding a range of factors. monetary policy will respond in either direction to changes in the economic outlook as they unfold to ensure a sustainable return of inflation to target, while supporting the necessary real adjustments in the economy. on the whole, the committee judges that if the economy follows a path broadly consistent with the central projection, monetary policy could need to be tightened by a somewhat greater extent of the forecast horizon than the very gently rising path implied by the market yield curve at the time of the forecast. with that, ben and i would be pleased to take your questions. as always, could you please give your name, organisation, and stick to one question, if you could? marina and chris. marine a hurts, itv news, can you explain in layman ‘s language for our viewers, what you're seeing with real wages and what your expectations for wages are overly coming two years? i know there will be of real concern for people. the first thing people are experiencing across the country, and have experienced for several years is that the actual pace of wage growth has been relatively slow, relative to past experience. so even though a tremendous amount of employment has been created, wages are not picking up as much as they would have done in the past. that is the first point. the second is that we have expected since the summer of last year that there would be a squeeze on real incomes around this time, and basically, over the course of this year. in other words, that the wages that people are getting are not going to be sufficient to compensate for the rises in consumer prices in the shop. and so, this is going to be a more challenging time for british households over the course of this year. real income growth, to use our terminology, will be negative. to use theirs, wages will keep up with prices for the goods and services they consume. i think it is important to put this in context, and the context is that the economy is still growing solidly. the economy is still creating jobs. wages are still growing, and we actually expect that the pace of wage growth is going to accelerate as this year progresses and certainly into 2018—19. and this higher inflation that we are experiencing now will come off in subsequent years, so real income growth we expect will return and people will start moving ahead in the latter years of the forecast. now, there's lots of assumptions and judgments around those conclusions, but that's our bestjudgment. chris giles, financial times. you said that the forecast was dependent ona said that the forecast was dependent on a smooth brexit, a smoothly bring up on a smooth brexit, a smoothly bring up the eu. in your opinion, how dependent are lady—macro with the forecasts be worse if we did not have a smooth exit? —— how dependent are they? in order to precisely and so the question, we would have to have done an alternative forecast, as you would appreciate, with some variant ofa would appreciate, with some variant of a disorderly negotiating process, and we have not done that, so i can't give you a precise answer to that. what i can say is that as has been the case since our august forecast of last year, we have assumed that the process of leaving the european union would be a smooth one. what does that mean? it means that there will be an agreement about future trading arrangements, and there will be a transition or a limitation period from the negotiation to that. like everyone else, we do not know exactly the shape of what that agreement is going to be. that is why there is a negotiation. and so we have conditioned on a range of different possible outcomes. we have not change those judgments for that averaging period, but we do have an economy which gradually adjusts to those new trading arrangements that happen at some point in the future, some point after the forecast horizon. and so, one of the consequences, and i will finish with this, that process, is there is a bit of a drag and productivity in our forecast as the economy reorients to those new arrangements. —— a drag on productivity. but there is not any sharp break or sharp readjustment. ed conway, sky news. china following on from those questions, can you be specific about whether this squeeze we are seeing in real earnings that you have just talked about is a consequence, direct or indirect, of brexit, of the referendum? and additionally to that, we are kind of almost a year on. other than that, can you tell us what impact they have been or haven't been on the uk economy from the referendum vote? packed a lot in there. a highly efficient question! so will a longer answer. in terms of your first question, which i will characterise as, is the squeeze on real incomes because of brexit? is that a fair characterisation? the short answer is no. because part of the story here is that wage growth has been weak, and wage growth has been weak for several years, despite relatively strong and in some respects exceptionally strong, in terms of quantities of labour markets, in other words, terms of quantities of labour markets, in otherwords, how terms of quantities of labour markets, in other words, how many jobs have been created and how many hours people are working. we have had quite a strong labour market for several years, and wage growth has been weaker than one would expect. now, in our last forecast, a la judgment has been, and actually, there is probably a bit more slack in the labour market, but in a more positive way, in that more people can seek work, and the level of unemployment, the amount ofjobs the economy can create in a sustainable manner, is higher than we previously thought, so that is the first part of it. another part of the answer is that we think weak wage growth partly reflects the relatively poor productivity performance in this economy for the last several years, but since the financial crisis. now, that predated brexit, and actually, what we have seen in the last few quarters has been some modest improvement in productivity by formance. so there are two elements thereof this squeeze around wages, which are —— which predate the brexit process. one element is largely a product of the decision to leave the european union, which is the overshoot of inflation. it is because the currency went down, because the currency went down, because of a judgment. i am not endorsing thejudgment, because of a judgment. i am not endorsing the judgment, just noting it. thejudgment endorsing the judgment, just noting it. the judgment was that there would be consequences for the uk's medium—term prospects, and adjustments would be needed. that element is there. the related question, from which there is some evidence, which we picked up talking to businesses around the country, but i would not say it is conclusive. there is some evidence that businesses are hesitating to bring in higher wages costs at a time of some uncertainty about market access and other costs that could be associated with the brexit process. and workers that bargaining dynamic is resulting in more modest wage settlements. —— and for workers. but we do expect in this forecast, our central expectation in this forecast is, despite all those factors, we do expect wages to pick up, and we do expect real income growth to turn positive again over the course of the next few years, and that is during the period of leaving the european union, so it is not as black—and—white. given that i probably used up two minutes on that answer, maybe i will... can i stop there? is that all right? and we will go for other questions. if we have time, i will come to your other one. kamal ahmed, bbc. you have spoken about this sharp squeeze and living standards this year. why are you so confident that that will come to an end, and that wage growth will hit 3.75%, you suggest, by the end of 2019? what are the reasons for people's income starting to rise more rapidly than inflation? and can i also ask, what preparations does the bank do for the possibility of a radical change in economic direction after a general election, for example, towards more public ownership, higher borrowing, and possibly higher taxes for investment? i wondered what would the bank has today one possible outcomes on june nine. the bank has today one possible outcomes onjune nine. —— what the bank has to do. we will start the work to adjust to the new government onjune the 9th, so that is the answer to the second pa rt so that is the answer to the second part of the question. let me start on the first question, and then i will hand to ben. firstly, it is no guaranteed, this is a forecast. it is given off the tightness in the labour market, which, even though we think the equilibrium level of unemployment is lower than the current rate of unemployment, we are continuing to add jobs, added hours we re continuing to add jobs, added hours were gradually quite strong in the first quarter. so the market is getting tighter. you pick it up in surveys , getting tighter. you pick it up in surveys, not just ours. getting tighter. you pick it up in surveys, notjust ours. the most recent was a bit next, but they'd show that in terms of recruitment difficulties, for example, skilled recruitment difficulties, that does continue to be above average, so there is a tightness in the labour market. there is some catch up to do for workers in terms of, even though productivity growth has been relatively meagre, our forecast path for productivity growth is lower than our forecast for wage growth. there should be some catch up there. and i guess the third point i would make, which is that again, we are conditioning on a smooth process, a smooth brexit process, as we have been since august. that is not new. but to the extent that that is the case, and the extent to which uncertainty over that process is temporarily weighing on wages, that should dissipate. i would not overplay that point, given the conditions i put around my answer to mr conway. then, do you want to... ? one small thing mr conway. then, do you want to... ? one smallthing i mr conway. then, do you want to... ? one small thing i would point out, just to be precise about wages and income, real wages are falling this year, and real incomes in aggregate are not. that is because there is some employment growth, and also, you have to remember that must have of household income is not wages. it comes from various other things, including pensions, both public and private, and those are rising slightly faster than wages. the only other thing, or to other things, slightly faster than wages. the only otherthing, orto otherthings, to point out quickly, and one is that they squeeze coming from rising import prices does not last forever. as the governor said, we're seeing it acutely at the moment, but it does dwindle over the forecast period, and that contributes to rises in income growth in real terms. and the last point to make is about that nominal wage growth. it has been weaker than we had expected on many occasions in the last two or three years, which is why the committee earlier this year lowered its estimate of the equilibrium rate. they still think that the tightness of the labour market means something for future wage growth. so it was weaker in 01 than we expected, even after lowering that equilibrium estimate. we still think... so, just beginning to pull away from that bank of england conference. the governor of the bank of england, mark carney, you just saw a moment ago. a sickly said that —— he basically said that consumers are starting to feel the effects of inflation and that there has been a slowing in household spending growth, saying it would be a challenging time for households. he also said that week wage growth reflects a relatively weak productivity performance, and in the last few months, he said the signs are that productivity has been improving. they also said monetary policy can't fully adjust or compensate for the new conditions as big as to brexit negotiations, but he said he was more positive about future growth, as long as brexit was smooth. much more analysis on what has come from the bank of england throughout the day. researchers from bristol university say hiv patients can now expect to live close to the same age as the general population. their findings represent a ten—year increase in life expectancy, since drug treatment became widely available two decades ago. here's our health correspondent jane dreaper. voiceover: it is a deadly disease, and there is no known cure. doom—laden government adverts in the 1980s warned about the dangers of the virus behind aids, and urged us not to die of ignorance. jonathan learned he was hiv positive in 1982. he didn't expect to be alive all these years later. now 67, he is enjoying a healthy and happy retirement. i never thought that iwould hit 40, 50, 60. and to be a pensioner is amazing. i have been very, very fortunate. medicine which stops hiv reproducing has helped jonathan and millions of others. these anti—retroviral drugs became widely available in the uk two decades ago. researchers from bristol say a 20—year—old man who started hiv treatment in recent years should now live until the age of 73, and a woman should now reach 76, close to the average. it is hoped the findings will encourage anyone at risk of hiv to get tested for the virus. the charity terrence higgins trust says this research is great news, although some people are still unaware they have hiv, and this means they are missing out on the treatment which will help them stay healthy into old age. a cold—calling firm has been fined a record £400,000 for making almost 100 million nuisance calls. keurboom communications made unsolicited automated calls relating to road—accident and pp! compensation. keith doyle reports. phones ringing most of us have received them — cold calls offering anything from help with ppi claims or road accidents, to investing in some sort of scheme. the cold callers play the numbers game, bombarding people in the hope that some will bite and take up their offers. and the numbers are staggering. this one company, keurboom communications, based in bedfordshire, made almost 100 million automated phone calls injust 18 months. the calls were about a variety of subjects, including ppi and road traffic accidents. people got numerous calls, often on the same day, often late at night. companies are allowed to make marketing calls, but only if you've given permission, such as ticking a box on a form. this company didn't have permission, and so got a record £400,000 fine from the information commissioner. you can avoid many nuisance calls by signing up to the telephone preference service. new laws which will allow the directors of cold call companies which broke the rules to be fined should also mean fewer nuisance calls in future. david beckham has made his big screen debut. he was met with cheers at the premier of the new film king arthur: legend of the sword in los angeles, but the reception for his cameo performance as a soldier in the movie has been a bit more mixed. all right, where you want me? bouncing on my knee. where do you think i want you? hands on the heel, stupid. boy! both hands! it's fair to say that david beckham hasn't been universally praised for his acting debut. but last night the film's director, guy ritchie, was confident he'd picked the right man for the role. yes, i love him. i think he is great on screen. ifind him very yes, i love him. i think he is great on screen. i find him very talented. yeah, i love him. in a moment, the news at one. first, the weather. hello. for the bulk of the country, today looks like another fine one. plenty of dry weather, a lot of sunshine. we are seeing changes across the south because of this area of low pressure moving up, introducing more cloud, outbreaks of rain, and also, more humid air. this gives more energy to the atmosphere, so some showers may turn thundering through the course of this afternoon and into tomorrow. so, lots of sunshine for scotland. the northern ireland and central england as well, but across the north—west, cloud and showers. across the afternoon as those temperatures rise, some showers will turn thundering, and we could see sharp thunderstorms anywhere from cardiff to west london, along the m4 corridor, so watch out if you catch one. it could be isolated, but torrential, with standing water. warmer and more muddy than of late, temperatures reaching 21—22d in the south—east and also northwest england. drier the further north you are. a cool star, pleasant as the afternoon. quite chilly across eastern parts of scotland, because of this north sea breeze. this evening and overnight, showers and rain continued to move northwards. there could be some heavy bursts of rain mixed into their system as it pushes northwards, and a mild, my dear, misty and murky night. one to cool spots across the north of scotland. a cloudy picture. the best of the sunshine across western scotland and north—west england, but the south, particularly wales and the midlands, we could see some heavy pulses a brain, and maybe thundery bursts through the afternoon, as it feels quite humid again. further north, a little bit of pressure, showers fewer and further between. into the weekend, it looks a bit more unsubtle. showers and sunny spells, and particularly on sunday, looks like we will seek to learn fresh air moving off the atlantic. not necessarily cooler, but we will lose that humility. for saturday, the south—east get away with a dry day with barely any showers. feeling quite one, most of the showers across the north and west where it will be breezy year. on saturday night, this weather front moves to the country, judges and fresh air, so we will all feel the difference. the mix of sunshine and showers on sunday. labour's draft manifesto is leaked. it contains plans to renationalise the railways and and scrap earners to fund the nhs. the shadow chancellor says he believes the proposals will be popular. this is an extremely modern, progressive, progressive set of proposals and it's looking to the long term future and most people are extremely excited at what they've seen. we'll have the latest from westminster. also this lunchtime. a note of caution about the economy. the bank of england downgrades its growth forecast, saying household spending is slowing. a record fine for the company that made 100 million cold calls. their automated messages encouraged people to make insurance claims.