31/05/2017 BBC News at Six

We're in Cambridge, where one of the biggest debates

of the election campaign takes place this evening.

In a last-minute change, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn

The Labour leader said he'd changed his mind on taking part

because voters deserved to see leaders being challenged, and he

I invite her to go to Cambridge and debate her policies,

debate her record, debate their plans, debate her proposals

and make the public make up their mind.

But Mrs May, visiting the West Country today,

said she preferred to be meeting voters on the campaign trail.

I think debates where the politicians are squabbling among

themselves doesn't do anything for the process of electioneering.

I think, actually, it is about getting out

and about meeting voters and hearing directly from voters.

15 years in jail for the surgeon who carried out needless operations.

The judge said Ian Paterson was driven by material rewards.

Over four years of trauma and stress in trying to bring

No amount of prison sentence will ever compensate what myself

and the other people affected have gone through.

At least 90 people are killed in the Afghan capital, Kabul,

after a truck bomb explodes in the diplomatic quarter.

And to boldly go where no spacecraft has gone before.

Nasa's plans to probe the sun's atmosphere.

And coming up in the sport on BBC News...

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and the king of clay, Rafa Nadal,

both ease into the third round of the French Open.

We're at the Senate House of the university, the venue for one

of the biggest debates of this election campaign, with just eight

Seven party representatives will be taking part,

including the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who announced earlier

today that he would, after all, be attending the debate.

But the Prime Minister, Theresa May, will not be here.

She says she'd rather be out meeting voters on the campaign trail.

The stakes are high because tonight's debate takes place

amid suggestions in some opinion polls that the Conservative lead

Our political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has more

on the day's campaigning and the final preparations

London, nine o'clock in the morning, based ago. A rare sight, an

old-fashioned press conference. Labour attacking the Tories on

public services and Jeremy Corbyn still quite over whether he will go

to the debate. Would you attend the BBC debate? Come on, Prime Minister,

come and have a chat! I can be ever so polite! There are number of

questions I want to put to you. Rather than accept the invitation,

Theresa May was up early. In a campaign classic, sampling the

produce at a county show. Not welcomed by all people, notably, in

part of the country, the south-west, the Tories are trying to defend. But

elsewhere, Labour and the leader's rides are enjoying being the

insurgent underdog. -- Labour's crowds. It is just amazing. Vote for

me and not that horrible man. I have come to see the horrible man because

he is not horrible, he is very sensible. He is readable to people

and he understands what young people want. I hear is welcome, ready to

commit to the debate, with or without. I invite her to go to

Cambridge and debater policies and record and plans, their proposals,

and let the public make up their mind. On the move but heading the

other way. The Prime Minister will not respond to heckles or agree to

those chanted demands to show her face tonight. Staff at this factory

in Bath did try to put on the spot but uploaded when she was asked

about not showing tonight. Could she really love things off? Look... He

is up for the head-to-head debate, does this suggest you are frightened

of taking him on directly? I have been taking Jeremy Corbyn on

directly every week in Prime Minister's Questions and actually,

yes, public scrutiny is for the election campaign but that is why

taking questions from members of the public who are going to be voting on

the 8th of June is so important. The risk is he just looks scared. Isn't

your decision not to take part and metaphor for your campaign? Very

happy to repeatedly criticised the Labour Party but for your own plans,

the reluctance to give us much detail, on Brexit, the future

immigration system, how many people will use the winter fuel allowance?

What I have done in terms of the manifesto is be open with the

British people about the great challenges we face as a country over

the next few years and beyond. And how we will address those

challenges. And you talk about the Brexit negotiations, I have set out

clearly what our 12 objectives are for those Brexit negotiations. That

is the right thing to do. Do people not want more from you? You

basically are saying that in many of these big issues, I will get back to

you? I think what we owe to people is to be open about the challenges

we face as a country and be open with them about the solutions were

offering. In campaigns, the path is often less smooth. Those who start

out in front. Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News, Bath. The debate will take

part in the Senate House in Cambridge. John Pienaar is here. The

prospects of this debate have changed given the change of mind of

Jeremy Corbyn? He pulled off a political ambush by turning up at

the last minute unexpectedly, he has made Theresa May look conspicuous by

her absence and that is the idea. Jeremy Corbyn in this debate will

start off trying to make Theresa May looks scared, running scared, while

he is the leader who will want to engage and get stuck in. Whether he

pulls this off depends because for a number of those reasons on the

platform, they will be there to stop him. Amber Rudd is one of them, the

Home Secretary deep in favour of Theresa May, she says it is to and

frustrate the Labour Party leader. This is one of the biggest debates,

what is at stake? This debate, in particular, is as near as we will

get to contact sport in this campaign. It has the potential to

deliver a very big moment, maybe the defining moment. Whether it delivers

one of those moments that moves the market and has an outcome on this

election, that is what we're here to find out. Thank you very much. John

Pienaar, there. Plenty of noises here, the crowd is gathering and the

audience has arrived to make their way into the Senate House. A great

air of excitement. And a quick reminder that tonight's

BBC Election Debate, featuring seven party

representatives and chaired by my colleague, Mishal Husein,

will be on BBC One and the BBC But for now, from Cambridge,

it's back to George. A breast surgeon has been sentenced

to 15 years in prison for carrying out needless and life-changing

operations on patients. Ian Paterson, who's 59,

was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three

of unlawful wounding Jurors were told he exaggerated

the risk of cancer to persuade his Though the case related to ten

patients, it's thought many more Our health editor,

Hugh Pym, reports. A rogue surgeon who thought

he was untouchable. He had the total trust

of vulnerable patients, Some of his victims who suffered

from the operations he carried out gathered before

the sentencing this morning. Then they marched together into

Nottingham Crown Court determined Many warned of a cancer

risk had breast surgery They sat in court watching Ian

Paterson, head bowed in the dock. Sentencing him, Mr Justice Jeremy

Baker said, in pursuit of your own self aggrandisement

and the material rewards it brought from your private practice,

you lost sight of the fact you were carrying out

significant surgical You deliberately played

upon their worst fears. Either by inventing or deliberately

exaggerating the risks The court also heard

that his former patients endured pain and discomfort,

with some suffering long-term complications,

anxiety and depression. We may never know the real reason

why he acted in such an evil way. Throughout the trial he has made

no attempt to show any And may be revealing his true

character rather than the charming professional man we

all thought he was. Some questioned Paterson's 15

year prison sentence. He should be released on licence

after seven and a half years. We have all been given

a life sentence. He is just going to walk away a free

man after seven and a half years. Yet every morning we look

in the mirror and the scars So I think at the least

he should serve the 15 For the victims, the battle

doesn't end here. Their lawyers are preparing

a High Court civil action to be Seeking damages from the hospitals

and Paterson himself. Solicitors said they're acting

for around 600 former patients but more may come forward

and the total number of victims The medical regulators say

there are much tougher safeguards now with regular staff appraisals

and surgeons working in teams The safety net we have now in place

is a very different one that Does it provide an absolute

guarantee against people I cannot give you that

absolute guarantee. But what I can say is that if people

do perpetrate such criminal acts, I would feel very confident

that those would be picked up But private hospitals where Paterson

and other surgeons work, are still not strictly regulated

according to medical leaders. And even as he began his prison

sentence, there have been calls for a wider enquiry into how

patients were so badly let down. At least 90 people have been killed

and hundreds injured by a bomb Among those killed was

Mohammed Nazir, a driver The bomb was detonated in the heart

of the city's diplomatic As our world affairs correspondent,

Caroline Hawley, reports, no one has claimed

responsibility for the attack. You could see from miles away

the force of this explosion, a massive bomb carried in a sewage

tanker which exploded in Kabul's morning rush hour, hitting commuters

on their way to work. It went off close to

the German Embassy, leaving a trail A bomb so powerful it shattered

windows a mile away. One witness said it was

like an earthquake. There were so many casualties

security vehicles had to double-up The Afghan government said

hospitals in the capital were TRANSLATION: I was working

in the office when a I collapsed under the desk

and received injuries Many of my colleagues were also

wounded by the glass. Most of the dead and injured

were civilians, including Among those killed is

Mohammed Nazir, who worked The BBC said he was a popular

colleague, with a young family. The area where the bomb went off

is supposed to be one of the most secure parts of the capital,

close to many foreign embassies, and walking distance

from the presidential palace. And even in a country that has

become painfully used to violence, the scale of this attack has

been a shock. Security in Afghanistan has worsened

significantly since Nato ended its combat mission in 2014,

and British troops In the first three months of this

year alone, more than 700 people were killed in attacks

across the country. The commander of American forces now

wants thousands of extra troops to help strengthen Afghan forces

to fight the Taliban. If Donald Trump agrees to this,

Britain could also bolster It is still not clear what the exact

target of this devastating bomb was, The Taliban have denied involvement

- in one of the worst attacks that Police in Manchester now believe

the concert suicide bomber bought most of the key components

of the deadly device himself. They are still looking for more

clues about Salman Abedi's activities in the four days

between his return from Libya and the attack

which left 22 people dead. Manchester Central Mosque -

one of the city's biggest - Meanwhile, preparations are underway

for Sunday's tribute concert, which will be headlined by Ariana

Grande. It is a real rush to get this then

you ready for Sunday. They have been covering the pitch, getting the

stage ready, the tickets will go on sale tomorrow, those people at the

Arena last week will be offered free tickets to come on Sunday but there

will be a rush for the others as people wish to show their support

from Manchester after all it has been through in the last week.

On Sunday evening 50,000 people who want to support Manchester

The One Love Manchester concert will raise money

Ariana Grande's return is being praised by the event organiser, who

first believed it was too soon for everyone, but now believes it is the

right decision. We consulted with the families who were briefed and

hospitalised, and through the family liaison officers, and the

overwhelming feedback from them was support. Firstly, that we should do

it and secondly that we should do it straightaway.

Everyone who went to the Arena last week can go on Sunday for free.

This fan says that she will go, but she is worried.

I'm not going to lie - I am nervous about going.

I do get a bit sick to my stomach thinking about going.

But it is about getting back into society and being

around people, I think, who are experiencing the same things

Organisers acknowledge that some people who were at the original

arena concert may feel overwhelmed when they get here on Sunday.

So specially trained counsellors will be on hand to help those

Manchester's Liam Gallagher played a benefit gig in the city last night

with 22 candles on the stage, one for each person who died.

Although it was left to the crowd to sing the song which has become

# Don't look back in anger, I heard you say...

And at the weekend the city will welcome back Ariana

Preparations for tonight's election debate - now

Jeremy Corbyn will take part, but Theresa May says she'd

For me it's always easy on the loving affair...

Arsene Wenger's affair with Arsenal will continue -

he signs up for two more years as manager.

Coming up in sports day... England captain Eoin Morgan says his side

can cope with the pressure of being can cope with the pressure

of being hosts. Nasa has unveiled daring plans

to fly a spacecraft directly The Parker Solar Probe would be

exposed to more heat and radiation Its carbon shield is

designed to protect it from temperatures

exceeding 1300 Celsius. As our science editor

David Shukman reports, the space agency hopes

to learn more about how stars A giant flare leaps from

the turbulent surface of the sun. These latest images capture scenes

of extraordinary violence, but there's a lot we don't know

about how the sun works, And the best way to find answers

is to get as close as possible. So next year Nasa plans to launch

a specially designed spacecraft, to fly right up to the sun

and endure the extraordinary The solar probe is going to be

the hottest fastest mission. I like to call it the coolest

hottest mission under the sun. We are going to be moving

at blistering temperatures, we are going to go right up

into the corona. To give you an idea of how

incredibly close this mission will go, the Earth is 91 million

miles from the sun. By contrast, the tiny planet Mercury

is 21 million miles from it, but the new Nasa spacecraft

will fly to just 4 million At the same time, the European Space

Agency will also send a mission to the sun,

and together with the Nasa spacecraft it'll explore the stream

of solar particles flowing our way. How does what we call

the solar wind form - which is a constant stream

of material radiating out from the sun at hundreds

of kilometres a second. It is going to help us understand

how the biggest explosions and eruptions in the solar

system were formed. Our sun has a very dynamic

atmosphere, and to fully understand Mercury, crossing

in front of the sun. The Nasa spacecraft

will go much closer. One big puzzle is how

the sun generates such powerful bursts of energy,

and this matters because the giant flares can affect us by wrecking

anything electronic. And the best way to understand these

events, and to forecast them, Northern Ireland's Alliance Party

has launched its election manifesto, promising "progressive

and pro-European politics." The manifesto includes

a series of commitments on power-sharing in the Assembly,

the economy and justice, This is a manifesto which pledges

to oppose a hard Brexit, support a special deal

for Northern Ireland, and which will give the public

the final say on the outcome The Alliance Party leader,

Naomi Long, speaking there. Arsene Wenger has signed

a two-year extension to his contract as Arsenal manager,

bringing an end to months of speculation about his

future at the club. Fans had called for him to go,

after a disappointing season for Arsenal, but last

weekend's FA Cup victory, He's already British

football's longest serving manager, and now we know -

Arsene Wenger's remarkable reign at Arsenal will extend to a 23rd

year, the season's most contentious Amid fierce debate among the fans,

Wenger refused to face the media today, his club instead

releasing their own interview, in which he explained

why he was staying. I identify myself so

much with the club. Of course when you can be

where you love to be, that's easy. Difficult, because you

want to respond to the demands of all the people

who love this club. The pressure on Wenger has

intensified this season, Arsenal humiliated in Europe

and failing to qualify for the Champions League

for the first time in 20 years. With the highest ticket

prices in football, CHANTING: Arsene Wenger,

we want you to go! Last weekend Arsenal unexpectedly

beat champions Chelsea to win the seventh FA Cup

of Wenger's tenure... COMMENTATOR: Arsenal

in front once more! But his decision to stay has

left the fans divided. His uncertainty has

caused the players He should've just gone

after the cup final. Arsene Wenger needs to earn

the right now to get the fans back behind him,

and that's what we're today was a reminder of the immense

power Arsene Wenger yields at the Emirates, and know we will see if he

can keep their existing players, get new ones and justify his new

contract, worth ?60 million. It will be hard to imagine Arsenal without

Wenger, but 13 years after they became champions, his legacy hangs

in the balance. Back to the election

and to the issues that Today we're hearing

from Moira Cash in Warrington. Her son, Fraser, has cerebral palsy

and has just started college. I want somebody to pay attention,

listen to what people like me, or Fraser himself, are saying

and stand up for disabled rights. He has got cerebral palsy,

he has had it from birth. And it basically means it affects

all his limbs so he can't do Fraser started college back

in September and Moira employes two full-time carers to help

with his physical And he has always had it

at school, so in higher Cuts to funding for disabled

students made in 2014 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat

Coalition mean the money for full-time support

in college is no longer It's a foundation degree

in sports coaching. His aim is to be the first disabled

Premier League coach And why shouldn't he be allowed

to access that via education? Moira, why is this

an election issue for you? In this day and age, we are stopping

- possibly stopping - children from going to further

education. There is billions and billions

of pounds being saved by people looking after and caring for people

instead of asking the Government So put the savings back

into the children, And if you want to find out more

about the different policies the parties are offering you,

then do go to our website. This was Cumbria. Sparkling blue

skies. In London, of light and shade going on. Quite a dramatic

changeable day in setting areas. It was quite cloudy here. Some spots in

one or two areas, particularly across the valleys. But Northern

areas certainly had the lion's share of the sunshine. Tonight it will be

mild, a little misty and some murk around as well. Then all of that

mist and murk around the south coast, and really mild, that's

tonight. This big low-pressure out in the Atlantic tomorrow, with winds

spiralling in, it will do a couple of things, sending more unsettled

weather out, but also drive warmer air out of France, so tomorrow it

will actually be warming up across parts of England. A beautiful day.

More sunshine down south, highs of around 25-26, whereas you can see

more cloud and rain into Northern Ireland, Scotland and Cumbria. For

Cumbria, more cloud on the way. A fine evening across most of England

tomorrow. That is a slow-moving weather front, still with us on

Friday, bringing fresh and wetter conditions to the Western areas but

the heat may spark off some thunderstorms in the south-east. The

thinking is on Saturday there will be some storms rumbling around the

near continent but they should stay to the east of us so this week,

combining Saturday and Sunday, it is a fresh breeze out there with some

splash and dash showers. Back to you. Thanks very