10/05/2017 BBC News at Six

Tonight at 6 - political shock waves around America

after President Trump fires the Director of the FBI.

The President says James Comey had lost the confidence of key figures

Very simply, he was not doing a good job.

Absolutely explosive news out of Washington tonight.

The FBI chief was investigating alleged links between

the White House and Russia - some smell a rat.

Are people going to suspect cover-up?

We'll be asking what this says about the Trump presidency.

The election battle moves to the classroom -

both Labour and the Lib Dems spell out their polices on education.

The family of 11-year-old Evha Jannath - who died

at a theme park yesterday - describe their loss.

Dylan has been taking medicines for his ADHD since he was six,

It's the sport he's always been passionate about -

we hear from Prince Phillip one week after announcing he's stepping

And coming up in the sport on BBC News:

He's the most expensive footballer in the world,

but Paul Pogba's record transfer to Manchester United is now

Good evening and welcome to the BBC's News at 6pm.

Washington is awash with rumour and speculation tonight,

after President Donald Trump's shock dismissal of James Comey -

In the President's words, Mr Comey "was not doing a good job".

There's been widespread criticism of the move -

political opponents have raised the suspicion that Mr Comey's

dismissal was linked to his investigation

into allegations that members of the Trump election team colluded

with Moscow during last year's presidential election.

Here's our North America Editor, Jon Sopel.

This is a Fox News alert. FBI director James Comey has been fired

by the President of the United States. The term breaking news is

bandied about with abandon but last night it was justified. At FBI

offices in the first they knew their director had been fired was when it

flashed up on their TV screens. And James Comey, was in Los Angeles

addressing staff, knew nothing about it either until then had handed him

a note. The letter sent by President Trump was brutal. You are hereby

terminated and removed from office, effective immediately.

At least they left in the government jet to fly back to the East Coast. A

private citizen, a turbulent career cut short. And today the president

was unrepentant. Why did you fire director Comey? Because he wasn't

doing a good job, simply wasn't doing a good job. James Comey the

six foot eight foot tall director confirmed in March that the

drug-macro campaign was under investigation for its links to

Russia during the election. The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence

mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to

interfere in the 2016 presidential election. The president has railed

consistently that it's fake news and there has been no improper contact.

Last night he fired the man heading the inquiry. It's caused Furia

dismay among some Republicans, and all Democrats. If there was ever a

time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now.

But the White House is seeking to persuade people that the decision to

fire Comey had nothing to do with Russia or the FBI investigation. He

is looking for a fresh start at the FBI. I think the president did as he

has done in many other cases, took decisive action. He provided strong

leadership and to act on the recommendation of the Attorney

General. The White House is less with confidence stems from James

Comey's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail

server when she was Secretary of State. I made a mistake using a

private e-mail. He decided last July there'd be no prosecution, just a

rap on the knuckles. Republicans were furious. Then, stunningly, he

reopened his inquiry 11 days before polling. It took Scots the director

Comey to make the move that he made. -- it took guts. But if it's all

about the way the FBI conducted the Hillary Clinton investigation, why

sack him now? Why this intervention? Why not do it when Donald Trump

first came to office? And how do you reconcile it with the praise heaped

upon James Comey? Whatever, it's left the FBI feeling very sore about

the way their director has been treated. And into the Washington

maelstrom who should arrive today for his first visit to see the Trump

administration than Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, in

jokey mood. He then went to meet Donald Trump at the White House, but

curiously, for the camera loving president, the press was kept away.

This feels like house of cards on steroids.

Can you remember any president in the past behaving anything like

this? Well, the only other director of the FBI to be fired, that

happened some 20 odd years ago when Bill Clinton fired his director of

the FBI. I think the real parallel you want to go back to his 1973,

embattled Richard Nixon, the president, facing the Watergate

investigation, and he tried to fire the chief prosecutor. That

eventually a year later ended up in Richard Nixon's resignation as

president. But there is something very interesting in Donald Trump's

resignation letter in which he fired James Comey. He said I greatly

appreciate you informing on three separate occasions I'm not under

investigation. James Comey has never said that publicly. You are left to

wonder if that was part of the reason why Donald Trump made clear

his displeasure and fired him. One other thing, this has come about at

a time when there is a fever pitch atmosphere in Washington and Donald

Trump has done nothing to dissipate that. Jon, thank you.

Education has taken centre stage in the election

campaign today with Labour and the Liberal Democrats

Both parties are pledging billions more for the sector.

Labour says schools and further education colleges in England

would benefit under plans for what it calls

The Liberal Democrats say under their plans spending

Our Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys reports.

We're going to take lots of measurements of how long it takes

for the sound to get to us. Measuring the speed of sound in

Cambridge. Today a lesson in politics as well as science, news

travelling from money for education. At a college in Leeds it was about

lifelong learning. Labour promising to invest in adult training, but

most of all, in schools, paid for by a rise in corporation tax. We have a

problem in Britain, we have not invested enough in manufacturing

industry, in infrastructure, in the skilled workers, engineers,

scientists and teachers of tomorrow. We are determined to turn that

around. So what could be the impact of a rise in corporation tax? It

will reduce investment by companies in the UK, and in the long run it

won't raise as much as it might the short run, as champ companies change

their behaviour, reduce investment or move abroad. Labour responds that

extra money for schools each year reaching 4.8 by 2022, a 10% increase

on current spending. 1.5 billion extra for adult skills training, and

no school losing out. A promise matched by the Lib Dems. The party

also says it would spend 5.8 billion extra on schools over the next four

years, and more for poorer pupils. 660 million for further education.

The Lib Dems suggested they would also raise taxes on businesses. Two

thirds of schools it now turns out though, are trying to lay off at

least one teacher, losing at least one teaching post in the next two

months. Under that kind of pressure, there needs to be a fully costed

responds to build a future for all of our children so we can have a

decent education and be competent in that. Schools in Cambridge are among

the lowest funded in England. All the secondary teachers here wrote a

parent with a warning. We said there will be fewer teachers and fewer

teaching assistants and fewer resources in classrooms, whether

that is exercise books, laptops. Few opportunities for children to go on

trips or sporting fixtures. We have said across the board there will be

an impact and reductions. This school is one of thousands across

England who have been writing to parents, spelling out the difficult

financial decisions that lie ahead. That has galvanised parents to lobby

MPs of all parties. It is that grassroots pressure which has really

pushed school budgets under the election agenda. The cost in schools

are rising faster than budget, but today the Conservatives defended

their record. First of all school funding is at record levels. We've

also within that, we're putting record number of funding into early

education, protected the school pupil premium, worth ?2.5 billion.

But what matters in education is actually, it's not just about the

funding, it's about the results you see and the education you are

providing for the children. OK, what have you got? Labour and Lib Dems

are also promising extra funding across the UK, but no detail today

another big issue - labour as yet to confirm it would scrap university

tuition fees. And the Lib Dems on how they will handle the toxic issue

for them. Branwen Jeffreys, BBC News.

No Conservative politicians or officials will face charges

for breaches of expenses rules during the 2015 general election.

It follows allegations that the party had under-estimated

the amount it spent in local constituencies.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it had examined files from 14 police

forces in England, but had not found enough evidence to

Our Home Affairs Correspondent, Tom Symonds, reports.

The last general election, Conservative activists to

the country by battle bus, staying in a string

of hotels as they campaign for local candidates.

Party officials declared the cost of this

as national election expenses - not local.

And political rivals said the law had been broken.

But today, prosecutors decided there was no

After full and lengthy investigation the legal

authorities have confirmed what we believed all along,

and what we said all along, which was that the

expenses, that local spending was properly reported, was properly

declared and that the candidates had done nothing wrong.

Prosecutors said today that under the relevant law it

must be proved that a suspect, that's the local official

putting in the declaration, knew the return

was inaccurate and acted dishonestly in signing the declaration.

But in this case, the local officials said they'd

been told what to do by the national party which received a record

penalty fine from the Electoral Commission.

Gregg Kinsell and his partner Louise were also on the bus

supporting a string of Conservative candidates.

But they went to the police about how the campaign was run.

I think this is absolutely disgusting, it's a cover-up on a

huge level, and I think that the Electoral Commission

are involved in this and I think the CPS and the government.

I think it's all to deflect attention from what really

Other parties have also been fined for the

This time the justice system has concluded there's evidence of

inaccuracies, but not of a deliberate attempt to deceive.

But that's not it, because there is still a police investigation into

one official going on in London and prosecutors are examining files of

2000 lived in campaign spending in South Thanet in eastern Kent, the

candidate then, as now, Craig Mackinlay. Tomorrow is the last day

on which he could be replaced on the ballot, but you won't hear about any

prosecution by then. So the Conservatives are going to have to

push ahead with him as their candidate. No doubt holding their

breath! Police have named an eleven-year-old

girl who died yesterday while on a school trip

to Drayton Manor Theme Evha Jannath, from Leicester,

fell out of a boat In a statement, her family said

their world had been torn apart. Evha Jannath had come

to the park on a school trip. The emergency services

arrived quickly, staff and paramedics tried to save her,

but she was pronounced dead Today, investigators

are examining the Splash Canyon ride and trying to work out how

she fell into the water. There is a height restriction,

which means that young children who are between three and three

and a half feet tall have to be Although people aren't strapped in,

they are told to remain seated. This was Patrick Treacy just

after he fell in the water on the same ride four years

ago when he was ten. Parents really should be aware

of what, of how safe their children are going to be when they go

on these rights. They look pretty calm, but they're

actually quite dangerous. And when children aren't

accompanied, I think seat Evha's school shut today; staff

and pupils have been She was a lovely, sweet natured

girl, and she was loved As a school and as a community,

we are trying to make sense Our thoughts and our prayers

are with Evha's family at this Evha's family has issued

a statement saying their world They described her as "A beautiful

little girl, who was full They say that words cannot

describe their pain and loss. The park was empty today -

Drayton Manor decided to close Phil Mackie, BBC

News, Staffordshire. The time has just gone 6:15pm. The

top story this evening. Political shock waves

as the US President fires Donald Trump said James Comey

was not doing a good job. And still to come -

Pogba's record-breaking transfer to Man U is now the subject

of a Fifa investigation. But how much did his agent

earn from the deal? Have England drawn another group of

death for the 2019 Rugby World Cup? Well Eddie Jones says facing both

France and Argentina at the tournament in Japan

will be exciting. There's growing concern

about the number of children in the UK being prescribed

medication to combat attention ADHD, as it's known,

includes symptoms of anxiety, intolerance and an inability

to regulate emotions. A new study has found an increase

in prescriptions in the UK of almost The research also found large rises

in prescribing across Europe But some parents and doctors worry

that drugs are being offered as a quick fix and that long-term

issues behind ADHD aren't Our correspondent,

Sian Lloyd reports. Well, my friends, they know

I have ADHD and they know But I don't think they really know

fully how it is to be like this. 13-year-old Dylan Piper

was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,

which is a mental health He struggles to concentrate and that

can lead to him being disruptive. His mood swings are controlled

by medication, so he can But his family are concerned

about whether taking drugs is the best solution

to changing his behaviour If I was able to do

or give him anything else, I would in a heartbeat,

and not have him on medication. However, right now, we don't

have any other option. The use of medication for children

like Dylan is the focus The United States has the highest

prescription levels, but the report shows that the UK

is catching up. The rate here has increased by

almost 57% over a seven-year period. This report tells us that more

children and young people are being prescribed

medication for ADHD. And suggests that some

may be taking the drugs But it doesn't tell us

exactly why more drugs are being prescribed

in the first place. Doctors like this professor have

to follow strict guidelines surrounding the diagnosis

and treatment of ADHD. Medication is effective,

but it isn't advised as the first option,

except in the most serious of cases. She says professionals

can feel under pressure As a society I think our tolerance

is going down, you know, So there is a lot of pressure

to often medicalise behaviour. Play therapy is one

alternative to medication. It can help children gain

the coping skills they need. Occupational therapist Nerys Hughes

was so frustrated by the lack of choice offered to her son

and children like him, she set up her own therapy centre

to help children with ADHD. It is much harder to get funding

for a child to like themselves than it is to get funding

for a medication that stops a child But the long-term impacts

of the medication are still not fully uncovered, whereas we do know

that children who have gone through successful treatment

packages do come out feeling much better about themselves

and having a much better way Dylan's family are investigating

other ways to help him, Increasingly parents

and health professionals say they are concerned

about the condition A lorry driver who stole a 32-tonne

tipper-truck has been sentenced to six months in prison,

after almost driving into his boss and colleagues

following a row at work. Police helicopter footage

shows Patrick Denman - from Northumberland -

driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway and narrowly missing

two police patrol cars. The court heard he was on his way

to his ex-partner's home A man who was arrested close

to Downing Street last month has appeared in court charged with

preparation for a terrorist act. 27-year-old Khalid Mohammed

Omar Ali, from London, is also charged with two counts

of making or having explosives. It was the record-breaking

transfer of last summer. Paul Pogba's ?89.3 million

move from Juventus to Manchester United is now

the subject of a Fifa investigation. Football's world governing body

wants to know who was involved in the deal -

amid claims that Pogba's agent earned more than $40 million

from the transaction. He came to England with the biggest

price tag football's ever seen - Paul Pogba moved from Juventus

to Manchester United last year The transfer was also highly

lucrative for this man, the French midfielder's

representative, Mino Raiola, one Earlier, Pogba arrived for training

ahead of the Europa League semifinal tomorrow, but his club are facing

questions over how Paul Pogba's occasionally put

in the kind of performance for Manchester United that goes some

way to justifying his remarkable transfer fee, but it now appears

that it could be the amount of money that his agent received

that is the most eye-catching According to a new book

published in Germany, That included ?23 million

of the ?89 million transfer fee, and a further ?16 million

from United in five future instalments, plus ?2 million extra

through Pogba himself. Fifa are investigating,

confirming here at their annual congress in Bahrain that they've

written to United Pogba hasn't commented,

while Raiola says the matter United, meanwhile, feel

the deal was legitimate. Jose, do the headlines and the story

about Paul's transfer, does that affect you or does that

affect the player at all? We're not here to discuss

that, we're just here No.

The question is simple. He asked if it affects,

no, it doesn't affect. But some in the game

feel it's gone too far. The chairman of League 2

Accrington Stanley today telling me what he made of the money

allegedly paid to Raiola. Probably 20 times the cost

of running Accrington Stanley a year in one agent's fee,

from one club. If you can afford 41 million to pay

an agent, for a player, The Premier League makes the point

that its superstars like Pogba that drive its global appeal, and enable

it to redistribute ?200 million a season to Football League clubs,

but for others it's the vast amounts going to the money men behind

the deals that's hard to understand. As we discovered last week the Duke

of Edinburgh will be stepping back from public life in the autumn.

Today he was out carriage driving in Windsor and he was on lively form as

an American journalist found out. Nicholas Witchell reports.

He took to carriage driving when he gave up polo.

So too is winding up unwary interviewers, as an American

carriage driver interviewing the Duke for US television

What does it mean to you to have the sport that

you helped develop displayed here at Windsor?

OK, well, how about some reminiscences?

I heard a wonderful story once how you came

back with only three wheels and needed a garden stake to sort of

Maybe a more technical question about the

What was your personal favourite phase of the three days?

Oh, please, there must be something

Do you have some favourite experiences that

Well, no, but I don't know what you mean

of your years competing in the sport.

Is there something that stands out for you that you look

back fondly and say, yeah, that was a good time.

And there we have it, he's nearly 96,

Looked nice in Windsor, what about the rest of the country? Hearers

Tomasz Schafernaker will stop sunny skies and 19 degrees is what we

managed but a bit of a change on the way, some damp dewy picture behind

me, so the humidity will rise over the next day or so and with that

comes the risk of downpours and possibly thunderstorms.

The warmth and humidity will come in from the southern climes and it will

be here to stay until around about Saturday. Here is the satellite

picture from earlier, beautiful weather across much of the UK, not

Western and northern Scotland, here it has admittedly been a little more

cloudy. Tonight lots of clear whether around and through the early

hours of Thursday morning we will start to see the humidity increase

across southern areas, already some showers getting into the South. Most

of us for sure will have a dry night. Tomorrow morning the clouds

and into the afternoon will increase in the south, that skies will turn

hazy and some thunderstorms might break out in the afternoon but they

will be hit and miss and it's impossible to predict which town or

city will get the storm. Most of us will have a dry day with hazy

sunshine and temperatures around 20 degrees. Later on on Thursday

evening we will seek more substantial rain getting into the

South, substantial watering for the gardens but I can't guarantee

everyone will get the rain in the gardens because it is so difficult

for casting these thunderstorms. The much to on coming in from the

south-west as you saw, perhaps some rain and storms across the central

parts of the British Isles on Friday. Still very humid,

temperatures even though it is cloudy and rainy could be 18 or 19

degrees, better dry weather and fresher in north-west Scotland at

15. It could be raining in Scotland by the time we get to Saturday. The

South will dry out and this weather front brings fresh weather heading

into Sunday. Thank you, Thomas.

Political shock waves as the US President fires the director of the

FBI. Donald Trump said James Comey was not doing a good job.

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me -

and on BBC one we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.