for the rest of a trial where he s accused of indecent assault. police launch an investigation into an unusually high rate of baby deaths and collapses at the countess of chester hospital. and it s all in the packaging the everyday items that recyclers say are impossible to deal with. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. the prime minister theresa may has launched the conservative party manifesto this lunchtime with a raft of policy pledges claiming to get to grips with the great challenges of our time . it includes major changes to social care in england. for the first time, the value of someone s property would be included in the means test for care at home. mrs may pledged changes to our state pensions she said there ll be a new ‘double lock‘ system when the current triple lock expires in 2020. there s also a promise for an increase in nhs funding for england, by a minimum of £8 billion in real terms over the next five years. on brexit mrs may warned that if a
good morning. a cold and frosty start to the day. a slightly quieter story in comparison to of late. coastal showers around. further inland, there will also be some sun. thank you. good morning. first, our main story. the prime minister has said gps in england should keep their surgeries open for longer to ease pressure on accident and emergency departments. downing street says too many family doctors are closing early and failing to open at weekends, forcing patients to seek treatment in hospitals. our political correspondent, chris mason, reports. for days, the government has faced a blizzard of criticism about its management of the nhs in england. targets have been missed and major alerts declared. senior figures in the health service are sounding doom alerts about the future. now the prime minister is turning her attention to family doctors and what they can do to help. a downing street source said this. the doctors‘ union, the british medical association, said the rema
in the number of a&e patients in england stuck on a trolley for more than four hours as they wait for a bed. residents evacuated from a town in shropshire as flood barriers are overwhelmed. coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with sarah, and england s women back on track are in the cricket? i ll have more on england s convincing win against thailand, back on track at the women s t20 world cup. captain heather knight struck her maiden t20 hundred as she lead her side to a record 98 run win. thanks, sarah. and the other ben has the weather. thank you, good afternoon. one year ago brought the highest february temperature on record, we got above 21 degrees. this year, very different, severe flood warnings in force, more rain in the forecast, and snow for some as well. all the details coming up. see you later! also coming up. if we do not get ahead of this surge, we will see more of the will s most beautiful destinations closed or destroyed. in one of his last official enga