01/07/2016 BBC News at Six

We're in northern France marking the centenary

of the Battle of the Somme, one of the bloodiest

A crowd of 10,000 - including heads of state

and government - and members of the royal family -

joined descendants of those who fought 100 years ago.

They heard the words of those who went over the top on July 1,

1916, a day of huge losses for British and French forces,

trying to break through German defences.

I was frightened, I don't mind telling you.

You did a job out there and I never realised that there was

The day was also marked across the UK with guns fired

to signal the time when the troops were ordered into battle.

Also on the programme this evening: The Government pledge

to cut the budget surplus by 2020 is scrapped.

The Chancellor says post Brexit we can't afford it.

Michael Gove pledges to leave the EU single market, as he sets out why

he believes he should be the next Prime Minister.

And they were last in a major tournament in the 1950s,

but tonight, could Wales make it through to the semis of the Euros?

At 6. 30pm on BBC News, it's euro 2016 Sportsday with much more build

up to that Wales game and also a update from Wimbledon on the fiveth

day at the All England Club. Good evening from Thiepval

in northern France, where earlier today a crowd of 10,000 came

together, including heads of state and government and members

of the royal family, to mark the centenary

of the Battle of the Somme, It was the bloodiest battle

in the history of the British armed forces and the battle that came

to define the brutality and horror The ceremony was held in the shadow

of the famous memorial here at Thiepval, which bears

the names of 72,000 British and South African troops,

whose bodies were never found. The Prince of Wales,

David Cameron and President Hollande were among those who took part

in the presence of hundreds of descendants of those who fought,

as our special correspondent, It is the largest First World War

memorial anywhere, its scale commensurate with the loss of life

in these fields. It is a memorial to

the missing of the Somme. The names of 72,000 men with no

known graves are carved here. Its plea to posterity,

to us, is plain - never forget. Heads of state and government,

present and future, listened to Clive Adlam as he read

the words of his father, Lieutenant Tom Adlam,

who fought and survived. You did a job out there

and I never realised that there was anything

unusual about it. There was a job to be done

and you just got on and did it. I was more frightened going up

to the trenches, sitting, I was very frightened then,

very frightened indeed. We were taught we had to be

an example to our men and that, if we went forward,

they would go with you, you see. And you'd sort of lose your sense

of fear, thinking The nurse Olive Dent

treated the wounded. Here, her words described that

first week on the Somme. I am too tired to sleep,

too tired to shut out of sight and mind the passionate appeal

of two dying eyes and the low faint whisper of, "Sister,

am I going to die?" A week after Britain voted to leave

the European Union, David Cameron took his place beneath the memorial

to the enduring alliance between the UK and France,

and described a moment of mutual respect between enemies as a British

major risked his life to rescue a wounded soldier

from no man's land. He walked as though

he was on parade. The Germans never fired a shot

at him as he went. They never fired a shot

as he went back. And they cheered him as he lifted

the man onto his shoulders. The poppy and, in France,

the blue cornflower are the emblems of the sorrow of war marked

in two minutes of silence. In these moments of remembrance,

the dead cry out their warning In the words of the poet

Siegfried Sassoon, recited here today, "Do you ever stop

and ask, 'Will it all happen again?' Look down and swear

by the slain of the war that There have been many events

organised today to mark the centenary of the first day

of the Battle of the Somme - some in France, but many

in different parts of The national commemoration in the UK

was held in Manchester, reflecting the fact that

so many of the so-called Pals' Battalions, the volunteers

who joined up with friends and colleagues, came

from the north of England. So let's join our correspondent,

Judith Moritz, who's Yes and those men, known as the Pals

came from towns and cities like Preston, Grimsby and here in

Manchester. This city took time out today to stop, to remember that

moment 100 years ago. The events of the day began very early this

morning in London. 100 seconds of gunfire. To mark 100

years of history. The noise of battle reverberating and then fading

to the silence of remembrance. At 7. 30am exactly whistles blown to

significant fall the very moment the order was given to send the men over

the top. For Manchester, the Somme has special significance. A

cathedral service honoured the Pals' Battalions of northern Britain,

groups of work mates, friends and neighbours, who signed up to serve

together. The boys in khaki were friendly, cheery and full of pluck.

The goodbyes were manly and warm. There was a sense of hope and

exhilaration in the air. Parting is such sweet sorrow. On this day, we

remember before you all who experienced the battle on the Somme,

those who faced the terrible waste and devastation. Outside, a thousand

people marched in memory, veterans paraded with volunteers and amongst

them walked Louis Roscol, whose father Alf fought at the front after

joining up in Manchester. I'm proud to be here and to see them all

around. My dad was a retiring sort of chap. He wasn't the sort of guy

to push himself forward. So I feel in a way I'm doing it for him. I

want to demonstrate that he was there and that he was very much part

of it. Connecting the past to the present here in Manchester and

across the UK today, the soldiers of the Somme have been rubbing

shoulders with commuters and shoppers, bringing a flavour of 1916

into the 21st century. The Somme is sown into the identity of this city

and into the family histories of many thousands of people who turned

out to remember it. The site here at Thiepval is visited

by around 300,000 people a year. It wouldn't be at all surprising

if those numbers didn't rise, It really is an impressive site

on the Somme, looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves

Commission. We'll be back at Thiepval later

in the programme, but, for now, The Chancellor, George Osborne,

has abandoned one of his principal economic targets, that of restoring

Government finances It's been one of the Chancellor's

key austerity pledges, but Mr Osborne said the UK must now

be realistic in the light Our economics editor,

Kamal Ahmed, reports. He said it again. We will fix the

roof when the sun is shining. And again... We are going to fix the

roof when the sun shines. And again... Fixing the roof when the

sun is shining. Repairing the public finances while the economy was in

better shape. Today, a very different tone, many predict the

post Brexit sunshine will be weaker for the UK economy. Time to rethink

that 2020 pledge. It's incredibly important we maintain fiscal

credibility, that we are tough on the deficit while being realistic

about achieving the surplus by the end of the decade. That is exactly

what our fiscal rules provided for. They explicitly acknowledged the

impact of a significant negative shock. The Chancellor insisted he

wasn't breaking his own budget rules. The austerity target on

cutting public spending and raising taxes was flexible. It does mean

there is now likely to be an easing of the Government's long-term

austerity plan. Since 2010, the Government has cut public spending

by 10%. The amount the Government boar rows has fallen from ?137

billion a year to 75 billion, that's a lot of cuts and tax rises. Now the

Chancellor has suggested ending the Government's central target of

balancing the books by 2020, which could mean fewer cuts over the next

few years. In some ways I'm pleased, he's acknowledged the reality that

it's not working. What we need now is a clear investment programme so

we can counter the recessionary trend we have in the economy, but

also, we can start investing in the areas that felt left behind and

therefore voted to leave. Pain deferred for the country is not pain

cancelled. Chancellors have choices about what they do into the future,

but it looks like we'll be borrowing quite a lot more in 2020 than we

thought we would be. That will have to be paid down at some point. It

may well be that we get more austerity through the 2020s. It may

not be just one decade, but a decade-and-a-half of austerity.

I think reality bit today for the Chancellor and his officials here at

the Treasury. An economic reality and political reality. Few

economists would want to be raising taxes and cutting spending in the

teeth of a possible contraction in the economy. And politically,

Theresa May, the favourite to be the next Prime Minister, has already

said she wants to consign George Osborne's pledges on spending to the

waste paper basket. Frankly, George Osborne had nowhere else to go. He's

been the hard hat, high vis Chancellor, warning of economic

shock, but we haven't had any post referendum economic data yet and the

markets have recovered their pre-referendum mojo. Whatever

happens Mr Osborne wants to be prepared for fixing that tricky

roof. Michael Gove has spoken

of his "burning desire" to transform Britain at the launch of his bid

to be the next Tory leader. A key figure in the Leave campaign,

he vowed to leave the EU single market and to cut EU immigration

if he wins. But already there've

been calls for Mr Gove to stand down as a candidate

from within the Conservative Party. Our deputy political editor,

John Pienaar, has the latest. Doesn't look like a political

assassin, but he is to a lot of Tory The man who stabbed his friend

Boris Johnson in the back. I'll be giving a speech at 11am this

morning at Policy Exchange and I look forward

to seeing you there. Charming as ever, but launching his

own leadership campaign, he painted his main rival

for the Premiership, Theresa May, as the safe,

maybe even dull option. He was out to win Tory

heads and hearts. What this country needs

is a Prime Minister, not just with a cool head in office,

but a heart burning with a desire for change, not just a plan to make

do and mend, but a vision to transform our country

for the better. His cheerleading section of MPs is

smaller than Theresa May's though. Some can't forgive him

for what they see as treachery, backing Boris Johnson,

then deserting and running himself. I stand here and I'm

standing for the leadership, not as a result of

calculation, certainly not I'm standing because I

have a burning desire There was plenty of policy,

a points system to pick and choose No need for Scottish independence,

more devolution of power instead. To build that new union,

the United Kingdom matters so much And another ?100 million

a week for the NHS. I'll put my heart and soul

into making sure that the care your son, daughter or mum or dad receives

is the same I would want You were very clear that

Boris Johnson does not have what it Does Theresa May have what it takes

to be Prime Minister? Theresa did not argue

for and did not put the case for Britain

leaving the European Union. That is a fundamental division

of principle between the two of us. Your assassination of Boris Johnson,

if I can put it that way, has cost you a lot in kindness

and respect among your colleagues. You'll know that.

Can you possibly recover from that? If you're the sort of person

who worries about personal criticism, if you're the sort

of person who allows the attacks from others to get under your skin,

you shouldn't be leader. Theresa May has strong support

in a contest where Tory leaders will pick their leader

and Britain's Prime Minister in He has proved himself to be

a very devicive figure. I don't think he's conducted

himself very well. I would hope that he might now take

the right decision over Among MPs, Theresa May

is the favourite. She's the safe pair

of hands candidate. That may appeal to Conservatives,

with so many doubts The perception of treachery

will hurt Michael Gove. It will make it harder for him

to touch Tory hearts and minds, after his successful operation

to destroy one of Britain's most Today Boris Johnson

was pondering his future, thousands have gathered

in Northern France for a memorial service marking 100 years

since the start of the And, still to come,

the farmers asking - Away from the Euros, it's been a

rainy day at Wimbledon but two British players have set out to see

if they can pull off a couple of major upsets.

In under two hours' time, Wales faces its biggest football

That was the last time they were in a major tournament.

Tonight they face Belgium, and the prize is a place

in the semi-finals of the European Championships.

There must be some very excited fans there.

Excited, elated, I don't think the rain here in Lille is going to

banish any of those emotions. Wales have achieved something pretty rare

in tournament for the old. They have looked as if they are enjoying

themselves on and off the pitch. Can they go one step further and surpass

the achievements of the team of 1958 and find themselves one game away

from a final? Loud, proud and ecstatic

still to be in Europe. Few Welsh fans dared

believe their team could make it this far but diaries have been

cleared, life savings spent. It's been 58 years

since the last time. You've got to make

the effort, really. The atmosphere is amazing,

absolutely amazing. Cancellations at the Eurotunnel left

fans the wrong side of the Channel, There were very few Welsh fans

there to see the last and only time In the 1958 World Cup,

they also made it to the quarterfinals, only for a rising

star to send them home. Wales' own Galactico knows this

is the biggest game since, but if there is pressure,

he seems to take in his stride. It's amazing to be in

the quarterfinals of the European Championships,

first and foremost. But to be the only home nation

left in the competition For Gareth Bale's team-mates,

Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy is the biggest stage they have

ever played on. But they may feel their opponents

have something of a home advantage. The Belgian border is just

eight miles away. Ranked second in the world,

their team has an array of stars. Some of their performances suggest

they are sometimes better on paper Even if they are not

the sum of their parts, Eden Hazard was ravenous

against Hungary. But, like many of the favourites

in this tournament, the weight of expectation is heavy

on their shoulders. It's a game now, or you go on,

or you stay in the tournament, and you feel the pressure

and attention. Novices at tournament football,

Wales have shown it's OK to simply Where England failed

and Northern Ireland faltered, Wales have shown team spirit can

take you a long way. Hywel Griffiths, BBC News,

Lille. And Wales versus Belgium

is here on BBC One - A man who raped and murdered

a 15-year-old schoolgirl after holding her prisoner has been

jailed for life - and will spend Kayleigh Haywood was battered

to death on farmland in Leicestershire after being

groomed on Facebook and other Stephen Beadman lured her

to the home of his neighbour Luke Harlow, who was

also jailed for life. The National Farmers Union

is calling on the government to match the support farms receive

from the European Union - Many farmers are heavily dependent

on subsidies from Brussels and there's huge uncertainty

about what Brexit could mean for the whole agriculture sector

as Sian Lloyd reports: Jacob Anthony, one of a new

generation of farmers This 23-year-old says he is looking

forward to a future for British Let's look at the whole world

is a bigger picture. Let's try and infiltrate

some markets in Asia, Let's get in there and get

new contracts sorted where we can get paid a better price

for our fantastic produce The face of farming has been

revolutionised in a lifetime. It said the result of this

referendum will see the biggest shake-up in the industry

in a generation. For the past 40 years,

Europe has been woven Through regulation,

its subsidies and access We've got all this instability,

what is happening politically and economically,

it's going to affect Livestock farmer

Caroline Jenkins feels uncertain European subsidies have been

a lifeline for this hill farm about where the industry goes

from here. If we're not sure about what loans

are going to be available to us, what EU money is going

to be available to us, how can we try to put

this in some kind of investment? What is going to happen when we have

trade tariffs put on our stock? Are Europe going to

want to buy our stock? But change is on its way

and at a meeting of farmers leaders today, the talk was of shaping

a new approach for British farming. It's going to be so

important that we can deliver and agricultural, domestic

policy that is there, fit for purpose that can deliver

competitiveness, innovation, profitable farming so farmers

can go ahead and produce the food But a recognition too that

Europe is likely to remain their biggest trading partner

for some time to come. Sian Lloyd, BBC News,

Bridgend. More now on the 100th

anniversary of the start Huw is in Thiepval

in northern France. It's true that this memorial

at Thiepval dominates the landscape for miles around -

but there are plenty of other British and Irish cemeteries

and memorials dotted Nearly one in ten of the soldiers

who died on the first day of the battle were from

the 36th Ulster Division - and this afternoon members

of their families were among those who gathered at the

Ulster Memorial Tower, around half a mile away,

built close to the front line Our Ireland correspondent

Chris Buckler watched the ceremony. The Ulster Tower stands close

to what was, a century ago, Here, a generation only learning

of war came together with relatives

who knew the true horror of it. Instead of the dreadful noise

of battle, today there were the sombre signs of remembrance

for Irish soldiers. Many of the body still lie

in this once-contested land. The loss never forgotten

in the towns and villages they left. 1,600 yards was the front

of the Ulster division and The casualties included

men injured but those who followed them out of

the trenches soon discovered I think from the second attack,

the men looking out across no man's land

and seeing their mates lying dead and wounded

it must have been a horrendous Some of the trenches

are still here in these woods and it was from here

that battle was fought. Line after line of German troops

were waiting, not that you could see them,

unless you put your head They came over the top of

the trenches, somewhere around here. Quite near where the

cemetery is right now. James Quigley left Ireland

before the island had a border. He would never return to Donegal

to see his country changed. The whole village would have lost

their sons of a certain age. You know, of those 200

who were with Jimmy, all from the same part

of East Donegal, so a whole, almost

a generation of boys is lost. It scares me, obviously,

that if I was living back in that time

I could have headed off to war soon. It's easier for me just not to think

about the whole war but I think it's What happened on the edge

of Thiepval wood In Belfast, there's a pride

in keeping a connection It is where deals to division went

to serve and for so many that Evening here in France, it's very

calm. The crowds have gone. It's lovely. There were 600 children,

young people lined up at these gravestones, 300 from the UK, 300

from France. They placed flowers at these gravestones. Crucially, the

weather was good because we have had to wrench will reign over the last

few days, including today, we were very pleased that we had good

You were not alone. We've had some torrential rain across the poppy

fields of Lincolnshire. Last year on the 1st of July we had

record-breaking heat with 37 Fahrenheit. Showers Silver

threatening. Most will die back towards the coast. Temperatures down

into low double digits, maybe single figures. Starting with sunshine

across central and eastern areas. But like the last couple of days,

showers blown in by an easterly breeze will continue to penetrate

inland. Some of them heavy with top temperatures around 14 or 15 in

Northern Ireland and Scotland. In England and Wales, down into the

South West, into the afternoon, showers becoming fewer and lighter

in nature. We might see temperatures squeezed between 19-20d. Hopefully,

the showers will be few and far between at Wimbledon. Into Sunday, a

frontal system could bring cloud and drizzly rain into the south coast

first thing. Generally speaking you should have fewer showers across

England and Wales. A smattering in Northern Ireland and Scotland. We

can't rule out a fuchsia as. Into the weekend, cool and breezy with

sunny spells and scattered showers. That's all from BBC News at Six

in northern France on the day

we remembered the one million men killed or injured

during the Battle of the Somme.