of its youngest citizens. hello. welcome to bbc news now, three hours of fast moving news, interviews and reaction. we start in the uk where a manhunt is continuing for a suspected terrorist who escaped from a london prison. daniel khalife got out of wandsworth prison on wednesday morning, by clinging to the underside of a food delivery van. thejustice secretary has ordered an urgent investigation into what happened, and why the former soldier wasn t held in a higher security prison. but the prison officers association says that while it does not want to speculate about the issues surrounding the incident, it claims that wandsworth prison is overcrowded, and has chronic staffing shortages which it is blaming on cuts to the prisons budget. we ll be speaking to them live shortly. in the last few minutes thejustice secretary alex chalk has given an update in the house of commons announcing an independent review. we will hear that shortly. but first. live now to the bbc s
Fuelled by food and energy prices. essentially, the surging cost of living is squeezing household budgets leaving many people struggling. 0ur uk political correspondent rob watsonjoins me now. you are a tax raising chancellor presiding over a session in government spending that what you hoped it would be. do you have any hoped it would be. do you have any hope of winning the next election could conservatives win elections when they are trusted with the economy. when they are trusted with the econom . r . when they are trusted with the economy- when they are trusted with the econom . . ., i. , economy. and what you re seeing toda is a economy. and what you re seeing today is a conservative economy. and what you re seeing today is a conservative chancellori today is a conservative chancellor outlining a very difficult path that gets us through this crisis. the chancellor that is speaking to our political editor. let s go to our political editor. let s go to our political editor. l
Get the people of the uk to do things he needs them to but what was really interesting to me as this triptych you have, to see president southern ski, that inevitably had to have been times knowing that this decision was coming, the fine was coming. to perhaps pre empt that as he boldly watched on the streets of kyiv with president lansky. yet, today, borisjohnson answering the fine and leaning on a written statement, reading from it as he looked down to say, well, yes, the police are right. the findings are right but i don t recall it this way. it is a striking contrast and those poll numbers will only get worse now as the days go on, not better. do worse now as the days go on, not better. , ., ~ ., ., better. do you think parliament should be recalled? better. do you think parliament should be recalled? rob- better. do you think parliament should be recalled? rob was. better. do you think parliament - should be recalled? rob was telling us it is in recess at the moment. adding abou
Cabinet room birthday party now done. the prime minister is alleged to have attended at least six gatherings so there could be more fines to come. the prime minister was pushed by the leader of the opposition on reports of parties in downing street in december last year. let s hear their exchange in the house of commons kier starmer. as millions of people were locked down last year, was a christmas party thrown at downing street for dozens of people on december the 18th? what i can tell the right honourable gentlemen is that all guidance was followed completely during number ten. my colleague rob watsonjoins me now from outside downing street. greater happy with us. i mean, what does it look like for the prime minister and the chancellor right now? it minister and the chancellor right now? , . ., , , ., minister and the chancellor right now? , . ., , now? it is nice to be with you, too. i m not sure now? it is nice to be with you, too. i m not sure if now? it is nice to be with you,
Agreement. one more update. sudan s deposed prime minister has returned home. abdalla hamdok was arrested during the coup. lets get more on the international fallout with our senior africa correspondent anne soy. the protesters have continued to stay in the streets and they are saying they will stay there until the civilian leadership is restored and this is something that the international community has been pushing for and the united states has been very clear that the civilian leadership must be restored without conditions and that national advisor for security said they are also reaching out to the gulf nations to coordinate that message so there is increasing pressure on the military generals to bring back civilian leadership. the australian soccer star josh cavallo has come out as gay, making him the only active top level male professional player in the world to be open about his homosexuality.