15/07/2017 BBC Weekend News

The former Prime Minister Tony Blair has suggested some EU leaders might

be prepared to change the rules of the single market,

to keep Britain inside the European Union.

He says the views of voters could have shifted, and the British

might be willing to stay inside the EU if changes

were made, such as stricter controls on migration.

His comments have been dismissed by both senior Conservative and Labour

figures. Our Political Correspondent,

Eleanor Garnier, has this report. Balancing the needs of the UK

economy at the same time as getting control of Britain's borders is a

key issue in the Brexit debate but a former Labour Prime Minister has

suggested political change in France has opened the path to compromise.

Tony Blair claims the EU could be willing to make concessions on the

free movement of people to allow the UK to stay in a reformed EU. Britain

benefits enormously from that freedom of movement. However the

question is, where there are changes to it, not alteration in the

visibility of the printable but qualifications to it, around the

things that concern people. But those claims directly contradict

what those in Brussels are saying, that the UK must accept free

movement without exception or new ones. I'm not going to disclose

conversations I had within Europe, but am not saying this on the basis

of a whim. Some of those who campaigned to leave the EU says

there is no evidence to back up his claim. The EU has made it absolutely

clear that the four freedoms including freedom of movement are

not divisible. The chief negotiator said that. They took four minutes to

read his guidelines, there is no debate in the EU. It's complete

nonsense, another attempt to undermine Brexit. Campaigning in

Southampton the current Labour leader rejected the position of his

predecessor and says his party respects the result of the

referendum. Anyone is entitled to give their views and I listen to all

of them. The views we have is that we want to see tariff free access to

the European market, protection of EU National and of the rights and

consumer rights we achieved through European Union membership. This

latest intervention from Tony Blair will not change the government 's

approach to negotiations. Ministers say the former Labour prime

ministers demonstrating again that he is out of touch with voters yet

Mr Blair has reopened the debate on the central issue of Brexit, a

decision he says is the biggest country has faced since the Second

World War. Once he helped determine Britain's place in the world. Now

this former Prime Minister must settle with commenting from the

sidelines. Eleanor Garnier, BBC News.

In Turkey, tens of thousands of people have taken part

in pro-government rallies to mark a year since the unsuccessful

President Erdogan's government has in the past twelve months

dismissed or arrested 200,000 people accusing them

Let's hear from our correspondent Mark Lowen who's in Istanbul.

Many people arrested Mark but people there are celebrating.

Yes, people here, a pretty noisy crowd, they see it as Dickie's

second independence, the might last year when the people stood up the

and thwarted a fifth successive coup in the history of the country,

tonight President Erdogan will come here to address the crowd and will

speak to Parliament one year from when the rubble jets bombed the

building. Yet the opposition have not come here, they are deeply

critical of the mass arrests that followed, 50,000 arrested, 150,000

sacked or suspended, 7000 more last might. The government insists it is

rooting out the virus of the supporters of the coup and that the

supporters run far and wide in this society. Yet critics believe that in

the last year the president has used a state of emergency to crush

dissent. When year ago there was unity against the coup. It has faded

and this country believes July 15 marks the rebirth of modern Turkey.

The other side believes the aftermath is killing off what was

left of Turkish democracy. Mark, thank you very much.

Police in Devon say a 15-year-old girl has died after suffering

an adverse reaction to a psychoactive substance,

sometimes referred to as a legal high.

The teenager was found unconscious in the early hours

of this morning at a park in Newton Abbot and died

Let's speak to Chloe Axford who's in Newton Abbot for us now.

What can you tell us? I am here in the park, it is a peaceful evening,

it was a different scene in the early hours of this morning when

paramedics were called out. They took the girl, who was unconscious,

to hospital with two other girls. Sadly she later died. Police believe

she took a new psychoactive substance known as a legal high. She

was not from this area. She had been visiting family and had been in the

park last night with 12 other young people. Police say they are almost

certain that someone in the community knows who might have

supplied the drug and they are keen to find that supplier. They believe

people might be too scared to come forward but they have said to me

that if anyone has information and if there are any witnesses they

really want to hear from them. Thank you, Chloe. It is a very busy

weekend of sport, we will start with a tennis.

With all the details, here's John Watson at Wimbledon.

Yes, there was to be no fairytale 6th title for Venus Williams

in the women's final at Wimbledon today.

She was beaten in straight sets by Garbine Muguruza of Spain.

14 years between the players, would you have experience be decisive, the

pieces gave nothing away. It's a Wimbledon final, is it ever final

four Venus Williams? Routine just goes on. She arrived at Wimbledon

like a revolution, seemed completely new in 1997. Ask your parents!

23-year-old Garbine Muguruza at the top of the screen, over 20 years

every opponent has learned that Venus Williams can reach most

things. We have seen that before. Uniquely for a women's final, the

roof was closed so everything was amplified. The rallies were getting

longer, they were getting louder. Both women were playing well but one

was better. Garbine, shouldn't the first set 7-5. Second said started

with a double fault, Venus suddenly fragile, how quickly she unravelled,

even when Williams threw everything into her shots and connected there

was Garbine Muguruza. Strong and certain she would not be beaten. A

new champion, a new era, the match was settled by a computer, the final

Williams error but there had been many. The second set, 6-0. Garbine

Muguruza had beaten the player and. I thought, the hardest match today

against Venus, she is such an incredible player. I grew up

watching her play so it's incredible to play the final! Well, what Venus

experienced today was what the Williams sisters inflicted on so

many opponents here but are they done? Venus had this message for

Serena. I miss you. I tried my best to do the same things you do but I

think there will be other opportunities! I do. There is the

new champion, changed out of her tennis gear and surrounded by old

friends and plenty of new ones as well. This occasion always stays the

same but Wimbledon always need someone just to handle it a bit

differently. It is a new take on tradition, which keeps us

enthralled. Joe Wilson, BBC News, Wimbledon.

Britain won their first title of the tournament today and it came

Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett retained their title,

beating the French pair Stephane Houdet and Nicolas

Lewis Hamilton will start tomorrow's British Grand Prix

in pole position, equalling Jim Clark's record of five

The Mercedes driver was more than half a second faster

Championship leader Sebastien Vettel,

who leads Hamilton by 20 points, was third fastest.

South Africa are on top against England in the Second

Captain Joe Root was the only player to pass 50

for England as they were bowled out for 205.

In their second innings, South Africa closed on 75-1

England's women have fared better, completing a sixth successive win

Captain Heather Knight made 67 before the West

England will now face South Africa in the semi-finals.

Stef Reid has won Great Britain's second gold medal at the World

Para-athletics Championships in London in the T44 long jump.

The double Paralympic silver medallist won her first major global

championship title with a jump of 5 metres 40.

And Chris Froome has regained the yellow jersey

And that, Kate is all from Wimbledon.

There's more throughout the evening on the BBC News Channel,

we are back with the late news at ten to ten - now on BBC1 it's