22/04/2017 Breakfast

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Rachel Burden and Charlie

The Conservatives try to play down speculation that taxes will rise

Labour accuses the Government of planning a tax bombshell,

while the Liberal Democrats say Theresa May intends to hit

Good morning, it's Saturday the 22nd of April.

50,000 police officers are deployed across France,

as security is tightened ahead of the first round of voting

in the country's presidential election.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as you've never heard them before,

presenting the Chart Show while getting the message

across to young people about their mental health campaign.

In sport, Chelsea chase the double, the Premier League leaders take

on their closes rivals Tottenham, in the first of this weekend's FA

Good morning. We have a decent weekend in prospect. Plenty of dry

weather and even some sunshine, there's a big change on the way for

the start of next week. Something much colder on the way. All the

details in about 15 minutes. The Conservatives are attempting

to play down speculation that they will raise taxes

if they win the general election. Yesterday, the Chancellor,

Phillip Hammond, hinted that the Government might abandon

the pledge made at the last election not to raise income tax,

national insurance or VAT. Labour and the Liberal Democrats

were quick to jump on what they saw as a change of policy,

warning that tax rises lie ahead. Our political correspondent,

Iain Watson, reports. The American Revolutionary Benjamin

Franklin said that uncertainties were tax and death and commitments

to push tax rates up can prove fatal to political campaigns. On a visit

to the United States Philip Hammond criticised the constraints placed on

him by his party's previous pledges on tax. All chancellors would prefer

to have more flexible in how they manage the economy and how they

manage the overall tax burden down, than to have their hands

constrained. Then this happened. Even some Conservative supporting

newspapers speculated that taxes would rise if the parties

re-elected, so Conservative sources were swift to say that the

Chancellor's comments should be seen as a hint of tax increases to come.

What has been remarkable so early in the campaign has been the level of

detail that emerged even before the manifesto is published. We already

know the reason they will recommit to the international aid target,

which some room for wriggling, and she says there will be increases in

the state pension. Labour is committed to retain a policy of

putting pensions up by a minimum of 2.5%. Theresa May seems incapable of

answering any questions about protection of the triple lock on the

state pension. Well, I give you that commitment now! Labour will maintain

the triple lock! At the end of this first week of campaigning, policies

are emerging and political battle lines are being drawn.

In around 40 minutes we'll be speaking about the so-called triple

lock on state pensions, and its chances of survival

More than 50,000 troops are being deployed across France

in preparation for voting in the country's presidential

election after the killing of a police officer in Paris.

Terrorism dominated the final day of campaigning

after the shooting and security has been increased before polls

The French prepare for an election organised under

Armed police and gendarmes have been a common sight in the streets

50,000 of them have been deployed across the country.

The French are also used to that presence of soldiers patrolling

their cities. When the campaign started,

many in France believed it would be It turned out voters have

so far been more concerned It remains unclear

whether Thursday's attack will have a last-minute

impact on people's choice. We've had enough of anxiety,

and things like that, So just wanted to

ignore it, personally. So maybe it will have an impact,

but I don't know. TRANSLATION: I'm not worried

about Sunday in particular, but I am worried, in

general, for all of us. I just don't think our politicians

really have a full grasp The most important, I think,

it's economy, and economic recovery. The Champs-Elysees have reopened,

and are bustling again. But, on the pavement,

a reminder of the attack, in which a police officer was killed

and two others wounded. On the eve of the most unpredictable

presidential election in years, Thursday's shooting will have

repercussions beyond the French capital.

Across France, people hope for a peaceful vote.

A sports ombudsman should be appointed to protect athletes

That's one of the recommendations of a year-long review commissioned

It was led by the 11-time Paralympic gold-medallist

Baroness Grey-Thompson, following a spate of bullying

allegations against coaches, mounting concern over the treatment

of injuries and the child sex abuse scandal in football.

Winning medals is something that I think everyone in the UK would

support. We feel better as a nation when we are winning paramedics,

football, you name it, it's a moment to celebrate. But I think over the

last few years duty of care is something that has slipped away. I

don't think it has been intentional or malicious, but there are hard

targets out there and we want to see British athletes do well. If we get

duty of care right we can do well, if not better.

US Vice-President Mike Pence says a US naval strike group will arrive

in waters near North Korea in a matter of days.

There had been confusion earlier this week over

whether the USS Carl Vinson was heading into the Sea

However, in a press conference with the Australian PM,

Mr Pence said the US wanted to show North Korea it had the resources

All options are on the table. Let me assure you, the United States will

continue to work closely with Australia, our other allies in the

region and with China to bring economic and diplomatic dash to bear

on the regime in Pyongyang until they abandon their nuclear and

ballistic missile programmes. Taliban gunmen have killed more

than 70 troops at an Afghanistan army base outside the northern

city of Mazar-i-Sharif. A military spokesman said

the insurgents were disguised in army uniforms when they attacked

soldiers leaving the base's The Taliban said its attackers had

set off an explosion, allowing suicide bombers to breach

the base's defences. Two men have been arrested

in connection with an acid attack, which left two people

blinded in one eye. 20 people were hurt

in the attack at the nightclub The two men in their twenties have

been arrested on suspicion Police are still urging another man

to hand himself into police. From curries and box sets

to Prince George's favourite TV programme, the Duke and Duchess

of Cambridge have spoken about their family life

together on Radio 1. The couple were promoting

their mental health campaign on the station's chart show,

as our Royal correspondent Please welcome to Radio 1 the Duke

and Duchess of Cambridge. With a destiny to fulfil,

some DJ-ing in the meantime. These are royals bringing

their message about mental health to a young audience,

and a confession about listening Obviously, I wouldn't

tell you who I was. What are you doing

texting in your car? I have not texted while driving,

because that is illegal. The princely fan, who seeks

shout-outs, and who was castigated when he missed a royal event

for a skiing and clubbing trip, It's not something you can

really do all the time? No, and you know, I've got in enough

trouble with my dancing recently, so it's kind of best

to keep away from that, The price of such airtime,

questions that wouldn't have amused Victoria, like what takes

their fancy for a TV supper. Yeah, I'm not so good

with the spicy food, though. If you do a takeaway,

they must never believe you when you're ordering it

to the palace, right? It doesn't usually get

ordered to the palace, We tend to go and pick

it up, not ourselves. Go for a little visit

around the area. He's not going to go

to Chicken Cottage, is he? The royals remained,

and were set to work. The official chart with Greg James

and the Duke and Duchess He had 13 weeks at number one,

with Shape Of You, before Harry came Radio bringing together briefly two

national institutions, So, number one is Ed

Sheeran, Shape Of You. For a couple facing a life of pomp,

this was pure pleasure. When I'm on holiday,

would you mind stepping in? To be honest, we could

probably do a better job. For the first time since

the Industrial Revolution, Britain has gone a whole working

day without using coal National Grid said the news

was a "watershed moment" in attempts Taxes on CO2 emissions

and the falling cost of renewable energy have made coal plants less

economical in recent years. The Nasa probe Cassini

is about to put itself on a path that will lead to its destruction

in the clouds of Saturn. The craft will pass the planet's

moon, Titan, this morning. But this will put it on a trajectory

from which it can't escape and it will be destroyed in

Saturn's atmosphere. Launched in 1997, Cassini has been

in orbit around Saturn for 12 years. This Sunday some 30,000

people will take part in the London Marathon,

among them is one man believed to be the only competitor who'll combine

the run with a karaoke performance. Graham Burns from Broadstairs

hopes his sixth marathon will see him break ?50,000

fundraising for a breast cancer He is expected to sing his 40 track

playlist several times around the course, including

such hits as 500 Miles So he's going to sing and broadcast

and perform all the way? Whether you like it or not.

That's extraordinary! Good luck to Graham. And everyone

else taking part. I had a very specific marathon running playlist.

One is that a very appropriate for running. He mentioned 500 Miles,

Keep on Running, other ones, Don't Stop Me Now.

Did you have any that weren't on the list?

Yes, Jerusalem was my rousing start to the race.

At the beginning? Yeah. But with what other suggestions. Run Baby

Run, Born to Run, Running on Empty. Basically anything with a run in it.

It doesn't have to have that word in it to make you feel inspired! It

could be anything! Let us know at hashtag BBC

Breakfast. Take it easy today!

Let's have a quick look at some of the front pages. The Daily Mail

newspaper, you've just seen the royal couple at Radio one. They are

concentrating on mortgage price wars, suggestions that mortgage

companies will be slashing rates, that the phrase used here, to

extremely low levels, possibly the lowest level seen in the mortgage

market. That's one of the developments being looked at today.

Speculations about tax commitments in the upcoming general election on

the front page of the Mirror and the Sun. The VAT bombshell. At the

moment the Tories haven't ruled out raising VAT and national insurance.

The suspicion is that want to leave themselves some Flex ability. The

front page of the Sun. They also suggest that tax rises could be on

the way. -- flexibility. They are also looking at the threat to the

triple lock, the state pension, which we will talk about later and

how that might impact you if you receive the state pension.

On the front page of the Telegraph you can see the picture of the Duke

and a chess of Cambridge -- Duchess of Cambridge. Everybody using the

phrase" unusually candid". Again, takes on the front page.

Overspending more generally. It's about foreign aid, the commitment

from Theresa May, and the lack of commitment. Exactly what the tax

situation will be when they finally come up with a manifesto. We've got

a few weeks to wait for that, at the hint is that they won't commit to

raising taxes again. You've been hearing from

representatives of all of the parties this week and we will hear

from you keep this morning. This is on the Times. A different

story, talking about future trade deals between Britain and the US.

They say Donald Trump will put the EU ahead of Britain in the trade

queue when it comes to doing deals with the US. They say it's a victory

for Angela Merkel and a victory as well for Brussels. And a picture of

the Queen, it was her 91st birthday yesterday.

We will have a few review of the papers later this morning.

You are watching Breakfast from BBC News.

The main stories this morning: The Conservatives are trying to play

down speculation they are considering tax increases

50,000 troops will be deployed across France in preparation

for voting in the country's presidential election,

after the killing of a police officer in Paris.

Here is Ben with a look at this morning's weather.

The weather is rather important this weekend. I think it is rather good

for the marathon. Yes, good morning to both of you. It should be a

fairly cool start in the mostly dry day ahead. We will have the full

forecast in a moment but today's getting off to a decent start as

well. Not as decent as this everywhere, what a gorgeous sunrise

from one of our Weather Watchers. A bit more cloud around generally but

mostly dry weekend with some spells of sunshine. High pressure still

with us but we have this weather front, a fly on the ointment

bringing more in the way of cloud and the odd spot of rain southwards.

That weather front gets stuck across Northern Ireland, so a fairly cloudy

start across many southern areas of England and Wales, but here the

cloud should rake up. We will see some decent sunshine by the

afternoon. A few showers perhaps across eastern England, heavy

showers across northern Scotland. If you are out and about at 4pm, some

of the brightest weather in the Channel Islands, up into Wales, some

temperatures in the midteens, maybe 17 in places. You could catch the

odd light shower across East Anglia and the south-east but you will be

unlike if do. Most places dry, northern England dry with sunny

spells, always a lot of clout for Northern Ireland. Southern Scotland

in decent shape but north of the Central belt there will be some

showers. It will be breezy, and Chile in the Northern Isles, just

four degrees in Lerwick. Showers will continue in northern Scotland,

they will tend to die away where they have developed elsewhere. A

largely dry night. Some clearer spells, the odd Mr patch, and towns

and cities four to eight degrees in the countryside, not too far away

from freezing. The chilly start to the marathon but as we go through

the day those temperatures will lift up into the teens. We will see some

spells of sunshine developing and it will be mostly a fine dry day for

much of England and Wales. For Northern Ireland in Scotland more in

the way of cloud, some outbreaks of rain, and some heavy rain developing

late in the day across the North of Scotland. And that is the first sign

of quite a big change in our weather. We have a weather front

developing, that will bring some wet and windy weather but then we turn

our eyes to this cold front sinking its way southwards into the start of

next week, bringing so much, much colder weather to all of us. I hope

you have not lost that winter coat just yet. Thank you very much, sound

advice. Time now to take a look

at the latest cinema releases in this week's Film Review,

with Simon McCoy and Jason Solomons. Hello, and welcome to

The Film Review on BBC News. To take us through the cinema

releases this week is Jason The glamour of old-school Hollywood

is the backdrop for a love story between a starlet and her chauffeur

under the watchful eye of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes

in Warren Beatty's Rules Don't We have the sands of time,

which reveal voices from a hidden mirror in the form of

Gertrude Bell's letters from Baghdad, as read

out by Tilda Swinton And wartime London's rubble provides

the setting for Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy in Their Finest,

as they struggle to produce Warren Beatty, he hasn't

had the best of years! It has been 16 years

since he wrote and directed... As he gets older

is he getting better? This is a vanity project

that he wrote, directed, It's interesting, he began

at the end of old Hollywood It brought indie cinema

into the fore, destroying This is old Hollywood

where he started out in as an actor. You can imagine him coming

into town like the star It's good on the details of how

a boss like Howard Hughes Even presidents wait

on the wealth of Howard Hughes It shows how he used to keep

starlets in various places, the big mansions he kept them in,

they were secretive, But not to Warren

Beatty's Howard Hughes... I decided when I won a talent

contest that maybe I would give it Two weeks in Los Angeles,

you are working for Howard Hughes? I hope Howard Hughes doesn't expect

to meet you in a hotel room... I would like to thank

you for my acting classes, ballet classes and the chance

to become a star. Sex is bad because it

could lead to dancing. Movie actresses are supposed to be

sexy, and they're the rules Without Carly Simon here,

some people suggest that Warren Beatty could be talking

about himself in some of this? He has been a figure in Hollywood,

and him playing Howard Hughes recently, played by Leonardo

DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, he is a strange

and shadowy figure that Like Indiana Jones,

with a pilot jacket. I think Warren Beatty becomes

obsessed with the mania that Howard Hughes himself was overtaken

by and the film becomes oppressive You think it will be light

and fluffy and full of '50s jazz The romance between Lily Collins

and Alden Ehrenreich, it is overshadowed by his ego

in his own film, a Howard Hughes I see where he was going

but it is like Oscars night - We've all heard about Lawrence

of Arabia but not many people have heard of Gertrude Bell,

the Queen of the Desert? Yes, maybe we have heard

of Lawrence of Arabia Gertrude Bell never really had hers,

and this documentary is as epic There is another film

with Nicole Kidman, but this is a more fitting tribute

through this letters that she left through her correspondence

in the desert. She was the most powerful women

in the British Empire. At the end of World War I,

the borders of Arabia She was very much involved in that

with Winston Churchill, riding into the desert,

a redoubtable British colonial figure, intrepid explorer, part spy,

part stateswoman, part antiquarian. In the Arab world, she learned

Farsi, she understood everything. Magnificently played by

Tilda Swinton, as you would expect. What is well done in

the documentary, directed by two women, they resurrected these

letters, finding brilliant archive footage from Baghdad and Damascus -

all of that stuff we see The Sphinx is an apt figure

as Gertrude Bell stares out. There's footage now from the region

which is war-torn and ravaged. War was always something in that

sand, but there is an elegance to it, a kind of colonial innocence

in that footage which is beautiful. Gertrude Bell's voice rings out

as a lost voice of the British A British film crew

attempting to boost morale In this film, they have

Bill Nighy and Gemma Arterton. They wanted to make authenticity

and optimism shine out to boost Stiff upper lip, chocks

away for Their Finest, This goes back to the 1940s,

Gemma Arterton making her way as a script girl, directing slop

dialogue, the romantic Here she is, elbowing her way

and finding her voice on the set. Even taking on Bill Nighy,

who plays a washed-up actor, An example, a mention

of the clever code. I may say that would be the first

clever thing that she's done Just a dash of humour

and further along... It's the caption at the end

is going to be "He's not listening It's a joke for women

who never think that If you start answering,

the caption would make sense. I will be in my dressing room,

if anyone needs me... Gemma Arterton revealed

on the One Show recently that she used Alex Jones's accent

as a model for that? There is a presenting gig

for her if the Oscars I did not know that was

Alex Jones - very good! She is very good in it,

Gemma Arterton, the rosy-cheeked script girl who becomes

the force of the movie. It is about female voices

coming in while the war People saying, when the war

was finished, that the women would not go back into their little

boxes after this taste of freedom. It is about that, but the film

is good at wartime tailoring It is funny, witty and elegant,

as you would expect from people like Bill Nighy, but the spectre

of death is never far away. There is a mix of romance

and the making of a movie, There is that madness of making

movies which hangs this together. It's interesting -

movies provide shape and structure, and an ending where life at that

time was full of mess and never did. That is why people

loved movies back then. 30 million people per week

went to the movies. It was the revival for the British

people, after a demise beforehand? It would be great if this can get

an audience of 30 million I don't think it will,

but this film is witty, A very good performance

from Gemma Arterton, and neatly tied up by the director,

Lone Scherfig, with a good People might think it is a women's

picture, but it has depth and elegance, and I love the wartime

tailoring in the costumes. Yes, it is out at most cinemas,

it isn't a horror film in a scary There is this depth going on,

like in The Stepford Wives. A black guy goes to a white

neighbourhood to meet the parents, They do not know that her daughter's

boyfriend is black? And then they find out,

then we realise that maybe they do? It isn't a scary horror film

with scary bits going on. It is a really edgy

bit of US comedy. There is the British

actor Daniel Kaluuya there who is brilliant in it

and Allison Williams, who was in Girls, that just finished

on television this week. If you are missing it,

there is one of them in Get Out. And the best DVD,

The Lady From Shanghai. And Rita Hayworth,

his wife at the time. In this famous film, he cut her hair

and turned her blonde! It's a bit of a mess, this movie,

and the final sequence is a hall of mirrors - you don't know

who is shooting at who. There's this scene

which was later spoofed. It is a puzzle but it has

all of the classic things you need Orson Welles does one

of the worst Irish accents. Nevertheless, it has a great

atmosphere and shows that Orson Welles was a fantastic

film-maker but ultimately flawed. That is what you want

from your Orson Welles films. And that is what you want

from Jason Solomons. Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Charlie Stayt and Rachel Coming up before 7am,

Ben will have the weather. But first, a summary of this

morning's main news. The Conservatives are attempting

to play down speculation that they will raise taxes

if they win the general election. Yesterday, the Chancellor,

Phillip Hammond, hinted that the government might abandon

the pledge made at the last election not to raise income tax,

national insurance or VAT. Labour and the Liberal Democrats

were quick to jump on what they saw as a change of policy,

warning that tax rises lie ahead. 50,000 police officers

are being deployed across France ahead of the first round of

the country's presidential election. Terrorism and security went

to the top of the agenda on the final day of campaigning

yesterday after a policeman was shot dead by a suspected Islamist

militant on the Champs-Elysees. Polls on the French

mainland open tomorrow. A Sports Ombudsman should be

appointed to protect athletes That's one of the recommendations

of a year-long review commissioned It was led by the 11-time

Paralympic gold-medallist Baroness Grey-Thompson

following a spate of bullying allegations against coaches,

mounting concern over the treatment of injuries, and the child sex abuse

scandal in football. Winning medals is something

that I think everyone We feel better as a nation

when we are winning Olympics, Paralympics, football, you name it,

it's a moment to celebrate. But I think over the last few years

duty of care is something that I don't think it has been

intentional or malicious, it's just there are hard targets out

there and we want to see British If we get duty of care

right we can do as well, US Vice-President Mike Pence says

a US naval strike group will arrive in waters near North Korea

in a matter of days. There had been confusion

earlier this week over whether the USS Carl Vinson

was heading into the Sea However, in a press conference

with the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Pence said the US wanted to show

North Korea it had the resources Two men have been arrested

in connection with an acid attack, which left two people

blinded in one eye. 20 people were hurt

in the attack at the nightclub The two men in their twenties have

been arrested on suspicion Police are still urging another man

to hand himself into police. For the first time since

the Industrial Revolution Britain has gone a whole working

day without using coal National Grid said the news

was a "watershed moment" in attempts Taxes on CO2 emissions

and the falling cost of renewable energy have made coal plants less

economical in recent years. A Nasa probe, flying

near the planet Saturn, is about to set itself

on a path of destruction, Cassini will pass the planet's moon,

Titan, this morning. But this will cause it to change

course and head straight for Saturn's atmosphere

where it will be destroyed. It's hoped before its demise it

will be able to make some last minute measurements

of the planet's rings, And of course it was Cassini that

discovered hydrogen on the moon a round Saturn, that indicated there

may be the presence of life on the moon. It's done a very important job

and I feel slightly sad that it will go and just... That the technical

sound it will make. Good, now we know.

That's the noise it will make. That sounds very high-tech.

Explosions in football to the day, at least we are hoping in the FA

Cup. It is a brilliant weekend. How exciting. Very excited about

Chelsea against spurs. They've been scoring goals for fun at the moment,

Spurs, and Chelsea are notoriously hard to break down, so how will this

turnout? A massive weekend in FA Cup.

It's not just English teams in Cup semi-final action this weekend,

But let's with the teatime kick off at Wembley,

where the two best teams in the Premier League,

Chelsea and Tottenham, meet in the FA Cup.

For the winners, it's a place in the final and dreams

We will play again in Europe. Great manager, great players. Players that

won a European competition in the World Cup. I think we are going to

play again one of the best teams in Europe.

I think Tottenham is a great team and they are showing for the second

consecutive year to fight for the title. Last season they missed. And

this season they are trying again. And that match is live

on BBC One and Radio 5 live, Tomorrow, it's Arsenal

against Manchester City in the second FA Cup semi-final

and at Hampden Park. In Scotland, go for

the treble, as they take on Rangers in the Scottish

Cup semi-finals. But the action begins this

lunch-time, when the holders We've seen off Hearts already in

impressive fashion, so Aberdeen, the second-best team over the last few

years, they keep improving every year under Derek. They've been to

the League Cup final already and the semi-final. They've had a good

season. But you've got 14 to the competition who can win a trophy and

I'm just pleased that we are there. I just want to go and try to win it

and get into the final first and foremost to do that. We've been some

good teams along the way. Ross County, a tough match against

Partick Thistle and another tough on waiting for us. But he don't get the

finals without tough challenges. We've got another one on Saturday,

but looking forward to it. The England manager Gareth Southgate

said he was "stunned" by the death of his close friend and former

team-mate Ugo Ehiogu, describing him as a "gentleman"

and a "credit to football". Ehiogu passed away yesterday

at the age of 44, after suffering a heart attack at Tottenham's

training ground, where Southgate said, "He was a gentle

giant away from football" There was a minute's applause

for Ehiogu ahead of last night's Championship match between

Norwich and Brighton. The Brighton goalkeeper

David Stockdale scoring two freakish own goals,

as they lost 2-0 at Norwich. Both times, the ball hit

the woodwork before rebounding Brighton have already won promotion

to the Premier League. Manchester City women face a huge

test in the Champions League semi-finals this afternoon

as they play holders Lyon at home This is City's first season playing

in Europe's top club competition whereas Lyon have reached

five of the last seven You can watch highlights

on the Women's Football Show tomorrow evening at

11:50pm on BBC One. Widnes remain bottom

of the Super League despite their first

home win of the season. They trailed St Helens

into the final few minutes, but a late try gave

them victory by 16-14. The 2015 World Snooker champion

Stuart Bingham has been knocked out of this year's tournament

by Kyran Wilson. Wilson had the upper hand for most

of the match and had a clear lead when Bingham made a hash

of this attempt at a pot, allowing Wilson to clear up

and complete a 13-10 win and become the first player

into the quarter-finals. And five-time champion

Ronnie O'Sullivan will resume his second round match this morning

against another former winner He needs just three more

frames for victory. Ellie Downie has become the first

British woman to win all round called a European Championships. She

was in second place going into the floor routine. The final discipline

of four. She beat her Hungarian opponent into second place. Ellie

Downie will compete in every individual finals over that weekend.

I studied the bowl differently this time. That went well, the bar went

well, the Dean was British a key and on the floor I try to not what

anyone else and go up and focus on myself. After the second stumble

pass I was like, I'm not sure if it is enough. But I would have been

happy with second, then when the school came through I was

speechless. I don't have words. She says she is speechless, but she

still has load of finals to come because she is in the finals of all

of the other apparatus! She is a great young talent.

Shias. The thing I really like about her is she is a lovely person as

well. -- she is. Very humble. What a talent. I am still reeling

from that goalkeeper! Yes, let's focus on that!

Two off his own head! One hit the bar and came off his back, the other

hit the post and came off his back. Unlucky? That's a tough day. Let's

have another look. Talk us through. You have to feel

sorry for him. He is probably thinking, well, in the grand scheme

of things it doesn't matter too much, I will be a Premier Li player

next season, but it is very unfortunate. -- in the league.

On the upside he will be a YouTube sensation!

I think they call it going viral, don't they? That's a term!

The general election campaign is just a few days old and one topic

is already emerging as a key battleground.

The so-called triple lock on state pensions was brought

in by the Conservative-led coalition in 2010.

Theresa May has so far refused to guarantee keeping it if she wins

the election, while Labour has pledged to keep it until 2025.

Well, it guarantees that the state pension will rise

Either the same as average earnings, keeping the increase in pensioners'

income at the same rate as those in work.

Or in line with the consumer price index.

That's the measure of how much British households are paying

for a typical basket of food, goods and services.

The triple lock guarantees to increase the state pension

by whichever of these three measures is highest.

So how popular is the policy of looking after pensioners?

They've worked through their lives and they've paid their national

insurance. They've paid their taxes, so I think they deserve it as much

as anyone else. If you can't look after the elderly what can you do?

If it can be done, stopping for them. They don't need it. A lot of

them just put it straight in the bank.

He's in our Bristol studio to help us unpick the triple lock.

Good morning. We will leave aside for just a moment, we will come back

to it, the motive issues and political issues. Just do the maths.

It is an expensive thing to carry on a pledge over. Absolutely it is and

this has always been a problem with it. It was introduced to raise

pension income levels and it was necessary and has been achieving

that. But the state pension costs the government about ?90 billion a

year, with a very big chunk public spending. The triple lock, by giving

pensioners the best of each of those measures, so it will always be

running ahead of the rest of the population generally, means that the

cost of the state pension would inevitably keep rising and if we

project forward to the middle of the century it would add about annexed

to 1% of gross domestic product under the cost of the state pension.

So there's an argument that it is not sustainable in the long-term,

but it has been doing its job and really it's a question of how much

longer we should keep it for for finding alternative measures, now

that we've raised incomes up to appropriate levels. That becomes

interesting because on the one hand there are various alternatives, the

idea that you don't guarantee it at all, so very soon after the

election, or the idea that you keep it going for a period of time, maybe

until 2020, or maybe beyond that. The Labour Party talk about until

2025. Each of those has a cost issue attached. It does and this is money

that could be spent elsewhere, on defence, the NHS, police. So the

government has to make hard spending decisions. Labour have identified

that they need to woo older voters, something the Conservatives have

done very successfully in previous elections. Jeremy Corbyn's Paul

ratings aren't especially good with the over 65, so they've issued a

number of pledges, including this triple lock pledge, specifically

targeted at older voters who say they will keep it until 2025. I

think there's a expectation outside the Labour Party and elsewhere that

the policy as a whole objectively has pretty much run its course. But

it is now doing this election campaign less about that and more

about winning hearts and minds and putting the right messages out to

the right blocks of voters and that's a challenge now for the

Conservatives, where they will put their marker down on this issue. All

of which takes us back to the voices be heard a moment ago about the

emotions around this. We heard from some younger people. There is an

emotive issue around this, where people think it is fair and you

should treat older people and pensioners with respect. Part of

that comes down to the financial equation. It's a difficult thing to

tell the group of people they are going to get less. Absolutely it is.

The interesting thing here is pension incomes on average, after

housing costs, on average, I stress, are actually higher than the working

population. Many pensioners, people who have recently moved into

retirement and have good final pensions, many continuing to work,

many are doing well for themselves. So while there are still pockets of

pensioner poverty, on average pensioners are doing pretty well and

it is important to remember that the state pensions are being paid for

after taxes raised by younger workers today. There's always this

question of how you strike a balance across the different generations and

that something next government is going to have to wrestle with. Good

to talk to you. Thank you. Here is Ben with a look

at this morning's weather. I wonder whether he wants to comment

on this. Inside the Times it says never mind spring, get your winter

woollies on. It talks about snow in some places and possible icy blast

on the way. It is April. What do you have to say for yourself? That's

right, it might be April but there is something much colder on the way.

We will rewind the seasons and I hope you can remember where you left

that winter coat. There is something called on the way. The weekend is

looking pretty decent. That was the scene from a Weather Watcher in

Norfolk a short time ago. Mostly dry weather with some spells of sunshine

to come courtesy of this area of high pressure. However, this little

cold area is a fly on the appointment, providing a lot of

clout as we start the day across Northern Ireland and southern parts

of England and Wales. I think Northern Ireland today will stay

pretty cloudy. Across England and Wales, the club will break up.

Southern Scotland and pretty decent shape. Northern Scotland seeing some

showers, some of the showers turning wintry, the first sign of what is to

come. But focusing on this afternoon, the Channel Islands and

south-east England, seeing some sunny spells. Temperatures across

Wales could get up to the mid-to high teens in places. One ought two

showers can't be ruled out in the south-east. You will be unlucky to

catch one. Not a bad day for northern England. Southern Scotland

a mixture of patchy cloud and sunny spells. Showers blowing in the

northern Scotland, some of them went three. Four degrees the temperature

in Lerwick. As we go through the evening and overnight we will keep

showers going in Scotland. Elsewhere, a largely dry night. A

bit of clout around, maybe the odd Mr patch and it will get cold enough

for a touch of frost. Towns and cities on the chilly side but in the

countryside close to freezing. The London Marathon on, a cool start is

not a bad thing for the runners. I think things will brighten up and

warm up a little bit as the day goes on. A lot of dry and bright weather

to come for much of England and Wales. Northern Ireland and Scotland

seeing cloud and outbreaks of patchy rain. Heavier rain and strong winds

later in the day for northern Scotland, and that is the first sign

of this. A developing area of low pressure sliding across the North of

Scotland, and this cold front here will work its way southwards during

Sunday night and Monday, bringing some rain with it, and behind it

that is our icy blast. Are colder, overnight frost. Daytimes will be

very chilly as well, and yes, there could be some wintry showers, even

some rain. Thank you very much. Don't pack away your scarf and hat

and gloves just yet. And this is what it looks like outside. I can

live with that. Not quite bikini weather, knowing Salford. At the bad

weather has a few more days and it is going to be like that.

The news is coming up in a few moments here on Breakfast.

I don't know if you have noticed, but there seems to have been a lot

This week, Click is taking a trip to Paris, where this weekend,

the French take to the polls in the first round of

And curiously, from a technology point of view, the way we vote

seems, if anything, to be going backwards.

In the last election, France did allow online voting

For both the presidential elections and the legislative elections,

in June, it is back to pen and paper.

And that's due to the fear of cyber attacks, which the French national

cyber security agency says are an extremely high risk.

Queues of people, paper voting - surely there has to be a better way.

Well, we asked BBC Newsbeat's political editor Jonathan Blake

Ancient institutions and modern technology.

As elections are held worldwide throughout 2017,

that could radically reshape the political landscape,

most people will cast their vote in the same way it has been done

for decades, using a pencil and paper to put a cross in a box.

One company is working on a way to make voting more convenient and,

they say, more secure, with an app that lets you register

It uses facial biometrics, and combines that with some sort

of government document, whether it is a passport or driver's

licence, to create a digital identity, which the voter

So this is a demonstration version of the app which Smartmatic have

We will start by registering, first of all.

We'll go with driver's licence, because I have that handy.

Once the ID is matched to your face, the app confirms

And we are voting for Rushfield Borough Council,

It's asked me to take a photo, so if I hold up the camera,

the phone will take a selfie automatically.

So here there is a list of candidates, the same

as you would see on the ballot paper.

I don't need to tell you who I'm voting for,

You are asking people to take a photo of their face,

capture an image of the photo identification.

How secure is that information, where does it go?

The digital identity you create is unique to you,

and it stays on your device, on your personal mobile phone

or tablet, whatever it is you use to create it.

You are in control of it at all times, and you are in control

of what pieces of information you use to create that idea,

But concerns about cyber security mean countries once embracing

the use of technology in democracy are having second thoughts.

France has suspended online voting in elections,

this year, saying the risk of cyber attacks is extremely high.

And in the Netherlands, where the voting system has been

computerised since 2008, this year they are counting

But the country that has earned a reputation as the electronic

voting capital of the world is sticking to its guns.

Estonia is almost obsessive about its digital identity.

Here in Estonia, everyone from the age of 15 carries

Using this, and accompanying PIN numbers, you can access your bank,

phone company, energy firm, but also a lot of official information.

You can see this man's name, address, date of birth,

where he went to school, health records, everything down

In Estonia, voting is just another thing you can do online.

Download software, use your ID card and PIN to make a selection,

and vote from the comfort of your home, or wherever is convenient.

Around one in three votes is now cast online, but officials admit it

The internet voter is a transformed paper voter.

Having a novelty, a convenient method of voting, is not enough

to bring people from the "no voting" zone back to voting,

or to voting, because you need other incentives.

You need policy, you need a reason to vote.

Other countries seem reluctant to follow Estonia's lead.

They have identification cards, and the amount of information

it is a very different space to what we have in the UK,

where they don't have a privacy agenda, about protecting individual

We believe the current paper-and-pen method is the best way forward,

that actually it means that each individual's vote

As technology advances, calls to digitise democracy

will continue, but so will concerns about cyber security,

so the pencil and paper may well always have its place.

And how would you feel about renting your car

Well, believe it or not, here, there is an app that lets

Drivy has been operating for six years.

Over 40,000 car owners have chosen to list their cars on the platform,

mainly in France, Germany, and Spain, racking up one-and-a-half

The app gives me a list of vehicles available in the designated area

And then I can swipe through pictures and details

Yeah, it's basically Airbnb, but for your car.

Right, first impressions of the Drivy office,

But how has this company persuaded thousands of people

I don't know whether it is because I'm British,

but I think it's a crazy idea to randomly hire my car out

Do you not think that no one will partake of this,

because of the risk of damage and having your car stolen?

We definitely knew from the start that it would sound like a crazy

idea to lend your car, to most people.

The question was, would some people agree it was a good idea,

and that it's efficient, and how do I protect these people

who are willing to try, rather than convince the majority.

Do you think there is a reason why sharing services do very well here?

Yeah, I think that France is special, because it has the right

mix of being, like, still a rich country,

where the law is really enforced, where business is going well,

So I think it's the right balance for sharing economy to thrive.

British and Americans are more scared about lending their cars.

I'm not really sure, I don't know, but I heard that you teach kids

And that is something that I absolutely don't know in France.

So maybe less trust of people you don't know, and less willingness

to share time, or things, with other people.

You have been to London, then, clearly.

With Drivy Open, which is our big technological focus,

now, we can geo-locate cars, see where the car is going,

You can use the accelerometer to see if there were impacts.

And basically, the future which is coming, which is all

about connected cars, and then autonomous,

cars is playing huge in our favour, because increasingly,

the amount of data you have on the car, the control over the way

it's driven is going to increase until it's autonomous,

and then whoever is in the car is no longer a problem,

except for sandwich crumbs or stuff like that.

Not that red tape is always a problem here.

One start-up, in a northern suburb of Paris, has already been given

permission to place three of its pods around the city.

So, what on Earth is Agricool putting inside these second-hand

shipping containers that makes them so desirable?

You probably know that fruit sold in city supermarkets has usually

been on a long journey, over several days, to get there.

And that means it has to be picked before it's ripe,

and isn't as sweet or nutritious as it would be if it was left

Well, this is a way of keeping fruit on the plant, in cities,

There you go, four walls of strawberries bathing

Here's all the water that you need, which is pumped in, and then

when it's finished, it's pumped back out again.

Here are your nutrients, and over here, a box of bumblebees.

Did you know you could order bumblebees by the box?

That's where they live, that's where they travel in and out,

and that's where the pollination happens.

Agricool is currently experimenting with different colours of light

and different mixes of nutrients in order to get

Well, inside each shipping container, we create a real paradise

So best air, the CO2 level, the best lights, with LED lights.

We can grow the equivalent of 4000 square metres in only

So it is like 120,000 times more productive,

using 90% less water, using no pesticides,

actually, and using only renewable energy.

Just to be clear, these shipping containers won't move,

they'll be permanent fixtures in cities.

And with a minutely controlled climate, a new batch of strawberries

can be grown every 11 weeks, meaning city folk can experience

the taste of country living all year round.

And that's it for the short cut of Click from Paris.

Plenty more in the full-length version which is available to watch

on iPlayer right now, and plenty more from us on Twitter

throughout the week, that's @bbcclick.

And everyone back to mine for strawberries.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Rachel Burden and Charlie

The Conservatives try to play down speculation that taxes will rise

Labour accuses the Government of planning a tax bombshell,

while the Liberal Democrats say Theresa May intends to hit

Good morning, it's Saturday the 22nd of April.

50,000 police officers are deployed across France,

as security is tightened ahead of the first round of voting

in the country's presidential election.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as you've never heard them before,

presenting the Chart Show while getting the message

across to young people about their mental health campaign.

We've put them in the spot because it is quiet and they will be happy

here and they have access into our garden and a neighbour's garden. How

this village in East Yorkshire has returned many hedgehogs back to the

wild. We have a decent

weekend in prospect. Plenty of dry weather

and even some sunshine, but there's a big change on the way

for the start of next week. The Conservatives are attempting

to play down speculation that they will raise taxes

if they win the general election. Yesterday, the Chancellor,

Phillip Hammond, hinted that the Government might abandon

the pledge made at the last election not to raise income tax,

national insurance or VAT. Labour and the Liberal Democrats

were quick to jump on what they saw as a change of policy,

warning that tax rises lie ahead. Our political correspondent,

Iain Watson, reports. The American revolutionary

Benjamin Franklin said the two uncertainties were tax

and death and commitments to push tax rates up can prove fatal

to political campaigns. On a visit to the United States,

Chancellor Philip Hammond criticised the constraints placed on him

by his party's previous All chancellors would prefer to have

more flexibility in how they manage the economy and how they manage

the overall tax burden down, than to have their

hands constrained. Even some Conservative supporting

newspapers speculated that taxes would rise if the party's

re-elected, so Conservative sources were swift to say that

the Chancellor's comments should be seen as a hint of tax

increases to come. What has been remarkable so early

in the campaign has been the level of detail that's emerged even before

the manifesto is published. We already know Theresa May

will recommit to the international aid target, with some wriggle room,

and she says there will be increases Labour is committed to retaining

a policy of putting pensions up Theresa May seems incapable

of answering any questions about protection of the triple lock

on the state pension. Well, I give you that

commitment now! Labour will maintain

the triple lock! At the end of this first

week of campaigning, policies are emerging and political

battle lines are being drawn. Our political correspondent

Leila Nathoo is at Westminster this I think we are going to get these

rows and this speculation until we get some clarity. Good morning,

either way. Clarity on what is in these manifestoes. Absolutely. This

suggestion yesterday from Philip Hammond, that he would like more

flexibility to manage the economy, rather than being constrained by the

manifesto pledge, not to raise VAT, not to raise national insurance, he

-- that was swiftly played down by a Conservative sources. Some headlines

pleading, no, no, Prime Minister. Labour was quick to criticise,

saying there was a tax bombshell ahead. The Lib Dems con -- accusing

them of hitting the pockets of the white van man. Philip Hammond before

pledged he would increase national insurance contributions, before

quickly realising that he had broken that manifesto pledge. Within days

after lots of hostility among Tory backbenchers Theresa May had ordered

a U-turn on the policy. It was ditched. So clearly there is a gulf

between Theresa May, who is a odds with Chancellor Philip Hammond over

tax policy, but we will have to wait and see what ends up in the

manifesto. Thank you very much. More than 50,000 troops

are being deployed across France in preparation for voting

in the country's presidential election after the killing

of a police officer in Paris. Terrorism dominated the final day of

campaigning and security has been increased before polls in mainland

France open on Sunday. The French prepare for

an election organised under Armed police and gendarmes have been

a common sight in the streets 50,000 of them have been

deployed across the country. The French are also used to that

presence of soldiers patrolling When the campaign started,

many in France believed it would be It turned out voters have

so far been more concerned It remains unclear

whether Thursday's attack will have a last-minute

impact on people's choice. We've had enough of anxiety,

and things like that, So just wanted to

ignore it, personally. So maybe it will have an impact,

but I don't know. TRANSLATION: I'm not worried

about Sunday in particular, but I am worried, in

general, for all of us. I just don't think our politicians

really have a full grasp The most important, I think,

it's economy, and economic recovery. The Champs-Elysees have reopened,

and are bustling again. But, on the pavement,

a reminder of the attack, in which a police officer was killed

and two others wounded. On the eve of the most unpredictable

presidential election in years, Thursday's shooting will have

repercussions beyond the French Across France, people hope

for a peaceful vote. A sports ombudsman should be

appointed to protect athletes That's one of the recommendations

of a year-long review commissioned It was led by the 11-time

Paralympic gold-medallist Baroness Grey-Thompson,

following a spate of bullying allegations against coaches,

mounting concern over the treatment of injuries and the child sex abuse

scandal in football. Winning medals is something

that I think everyone We feel better as a nation

when we are winning Olympics, Paralympics, football, you name it,

it's a moment to celebrate. But I think over the last few years

duty of care is something that I don't think it has been

intentional or malicious, it's just there are hard targets out

there and we want to see British If we get duty of care

right we can do as well, US Vice-President Mike Pence says

a US naval strike group will arrive in waters near North Korea

in a matter of days. There had been confusion

earlier this week over whether the USS Carl Vinson

was heading into the Sea However, in a press conference

with the Australian PM, Mr Pence said the US wanted to show

North Korea it had the resources Let me assure you, the United States

will continue to work closely with Australia, our other allies

in the region and with China to bring economic and diplomatic

sanctions to bear on the regime in Pyongyang until they

abandon their nuclear Taliban gunmen have killed more

than 70 troops at an Afghanistan army base outside the northern

city of Mazar-i-Sharif. A military spokesman said

the insurgents were disguised in army uniforms when they attacked

soldiers leaving the base's The Taliban said its attackers had

set off an explosion, allowing suicide bombers to breach

the base's defences. Two men have been arrested

in connection with an acid attack, which left two people

blinded in one eye. 20 people were hurt

in the attack at the nightclub The two men in their twenties have

been arrested on suspicion Police are still urging another man

to hand himself into police. From takeaways and box sets

to Prince George's favourite TV programme, I think it was

Fireman Sam, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have spoken

about their family life The couple were promoting

their mental health campaign on the station's chart show,

as our Royal correspondent Please welcome to Radio 1 the Duke

and Duchess of Cambridge. With a destiny to fulfil,

some DJ-ing in the meantime. These are royals bringing

their message about mental health to a young audience,

and a confession about listening Obviously, I wouldn't

tell you who I was. What are you doing

texting in your car? I have not texted while driving,

because that is illegal. The princely fan, who seeks

shout-outs, and who was castigated when he missed a royal event

for a skiing and clubbing trip, It's not something you can

really do all the time? No, and you know, I've got in enough

trouble with my dancing recently, so it's kind of best

to keep away from that, The price of such airtime,

questions that wouldn't have amused Victoria, like what takes

their fancy for a TV supper. Yeah, I'm not so good

with the spicy food, though. If you do a takeaway,

they must never believe you when you're ordering it

to the palace, right? It doesn't usually get

ordered to the palace, We tend to go and pick

it up, not ourselves. Go for a little visit

around the area. He's not going to go

to Chicken Cottage, is he? The royals remained,

and were set to work. The official chart with Greg James

and the Duke and Duchess He had 13 weeks at number one,

with Shape Of You, before Harry came Radio bringing together briefly two

national institutions, So, number one is Ed

Sheeran, Shape Of You. For a couple facing a life of pomp,

this was pure pleasure. When I'm on holiday,

would you mind stepping in? To be honest, we could

probably do a better job. We will be discussing the more

relaxed style of the royals later this morning.

That's one of my fantasy jobs, presenting the chart show on Radio

one. Obviously I am way too old now! Don't rule it out!

For the first time since the Industrial Revolution,

Britain has gone a whole working day without using coal

National Grid said the news was a "watershed moment" in attempts

Taxes on CO2 emissions and the falling cost of renewable

energy have made coal plants less economical in recent years.

The Nasa probe Cassini is about to put itself on a path

that will lead to its destruction in the clouds of Saturn.

The craft will pass the planet's moon, Titan, this morning.

But this will put it on a trajectory from which it can't escape and it

will be destroyed in Saturn's atmosphere.

It is hoped before its demise it can make some last-minute measurements

of the planet's rotation and length of day.

This Sunday some 30,000 people will take part

in the London Marathon, good luck if you're among them!

One of those is believed to be the only competitor who'll combine

This is Graham Burns from Broadstairs, who hopes his

sixth marathon will see him break ?50,000

fundraising for a breast cancer charity.

He is expected to sing his 40 track playlist several times around

the course, including such hits as 500 Miles

That's amazing. He's going to sing all the way! We will have to keep an

eye on the race tomorrow. We are told the weather will be

good. Yes, not too hot. Good luck to Graham and anyone else taking part.

We've had a number of suggestions on the best running tracks. Radio one.

-- Run to the Hills by Iron Maiden. Another said The Climb by Miley

Cyrus. Any more, let us know. You've done the marathon. A couple

of years ago. It's tough. It has been dubbed the Brexit

election and whoever wins in June will have to deal with the complex

negotiations of taking Britain out So what does the summer

hold for UKIP? Its leader Paul Nuttall says

he will take a "positive message But with its main objective

achieved, will the party We're joined now by John Bickley,

UKIP's spokesperson on immigration. We will talk to you about all sorts

of other things as well. Ukip is not the party they were and didn't have

the same purpose. I know lots of your campaigning in recent weeks has

been about convincing people that you still have a message to get out

there. We still do. This election shouldn't have been called. Theresa

May is telling us it has been called for the sake of the country, but I

think it was called for the sake of the Conservative Party. When Theresa

May announced the election some of these channels submitted files to

the Crown Prosecution Service that could lead to potentially the

prosecution of a number of Tory MPs. So quite handy to call a general

election. Maybe white the slate clean, so this Tory MPs on the way.

But all of this is a distraction for the fact that actually what the

Conservatives are doing is leading the country into what many suspect

will be a fairly hard Brexit, and people are now turning to men and

saying, why vote for Ukip when you know we will get the same outcome? I

agree that what Theresa May has done is give this impression too many

people who have been Ukip supporters or Leave voters last year. She has

given them the impression that the Tory party will deliver Brexit. We

don't trust her to deliver Brexit. Remember, the Tory party is made up

mainly of Remainers. She was a Remainer. The establishment, the

civil service, are mainly Remainers. They are all Brexiteers now. Why is

it that your most famous representative, Nigel Farage, is not

running our? Nigel has come up with a good reason for him to ensure that

we get Brexit, to remain in the European Parliament where we can

hold their feet to the fire. He can go around Europe... We know he has

had ambitions to get into Westminster for years. He wouldn't

have run in elections otherwise. He is running scared, isn't he? Nigel

is very clear minded. Let's not forget that UKIP has caused the

biggest change in British politics in 40 years. With very few

representatives in Parliament, we have had more impact on British

politics and the way this country is going to move forward than anyone

else in 40 years. A lot of that is down to Nigel. Nigel is a smart guy

and he realises that in the EU Parliament he will have an

opportunity in pole position to hold the EU to account. We will take your

word for it. Other people have a different opinion on it. Will our

banks run with UKIP's blessing? Aaron has been a generous supporter

of UKIP over the years, and the party is talking to Aaron about how

he can help us in this general election, as it does with many

people, and I would say watch this space over the next few days. This

is a man who insulted many people from Liverpool and beyond with his

comments which many found distasteful about Hillsborough.

Would you be comfortable having someone like that bearing the UKIP

banner? Aaron can defend himself. What he said was wrong,.. Let's see

if he works with UKIP in some manner during this election. You have to

move on in life, and we all had to apologise for things we do wrong.

What I am saying to you as there may be a way in which... I don't know,

maybe not. You have talked about tactical voting and have set in some

circumstances it might be more appropriate to have UKIP supporters

put their vote to the Conservatives if it is the kind of MP who will get

the kind of Brexit that UKIP would support. So you haven't ruled out

that kind of tactical voting. No, because I think Mrs May has said

this was an election about Brexit and of course we want to ensure the

17.4 million people who voted to leave last year get Brexit, not some

die looted version of it. So putting country before party, we will put

this tactically. I would say to all Tory voters you cannot win some

seats, but if you send the UKIP candidate back to Parliament, that

person would help Theresa May deliver Brexit. You have no MPs now

that Douglas Carswell has stepped back from UKIP, he hasn't gone back

from the Conservatives. You expect to end up with any MPs after this

election? I think we can, we just have to be careful how we target

certain seats. We have demonstrated that you can have a massive impact

on politics even when you are not populating the green benches. Thank

you very much for coming in to see us this morning.

Here is Ben with a look at this morning's weather.

Thank you, a very good morning. The weekend weather is not looking too

bad. For many of us we are getting off to a fine start. There are some

cloud around, but the sunrise coming through as well. This picture from

one of our Weather Watchers in west Wales and it will be a largely dry

weekend. There will be some sunshine. We are starting the day

with a fair amount of cloud courtesy of this weather front, a very weak

affair. It will be a focus for cloudier skies and maybe one or two

showers. But generally speaking high pressure is in charge. A nice slice

of sunshine at the moment across south-west Scotland, north-east

England, done in the east Wales, the Midlands, parts of the south-east as

well. Fair amounts of cloud as well but for many the cloud will break

up. We will see fair spells of sunshine as well as one or two

showers. If you are out and about through the Channel Islands, into

the south-east of England, Wales, West Midlands, you will see some

spells of sunshine. Temperatures around the mid-teens, 15 to 17

degrees. A small chance of a shower across the south-east. You will be

unlucky if you catch one. Chilly on the east coast, much of northern

England seemed patchy cloud and sunny spells. Northern Ireland will

stay quite cloudy through the day. The best of the brightness and

southern Scotland. Northern Scotland seeing some showers, some of them

quite heavy and wintry over higher ground and a pretty chilly feel

here. The showers will continue across northern Scotland overnight

at elsewhere it will become largely dry. Some clear spells, the odd

dispatch, and even in our towns, not far away from freezing out of the

countryside, cold enough for a touch of ground frost. Cold start is not a

bad thing for the London Marathon tomorrow, getting off to a single

figure start. Things will warm up as we go through the day and they will

probably brighten up as well. The cloud will break up so across

England and Wales we expect that they are sunny spells tomorrow. More

clubfoot northern Scotland, southern Scotland, perhaps cringing into the

far north of England. The odd spot of rain here as well and by the end

of the day some heavy rains but across the far north of Scotland.

And that is the first sign of what is to come. Quite a big change on

the way. This area of low pressure will initially bring some wet and

quite windy weather, and then we turn our highs to this cold front

which dives its way southwards during Sunday night and Monday,

bringing some rain. But look at these blue colours racing across the

map. We will get into some very cold air. Overnight frosts, singledigit

temperatures by day and there will be some showers around as well, and

those could be wintry, with some snow to fairly low levels at times.

I hope you can remember where you have left that winter coat. Good

advice. Thank you very much, we will see you a little bit later on.

New arrivals in the neighbourhood often get people peering over

the fence out of curiosity, but the latest arrivals in one

village are more likely to be scurrying under them.

52 hedgehogs were released back into the wilds of East Yorkshire

this week, after being nursed back to health in animal sanctuaries.

Our reporter Tim Muffett went along to meet them.

Residents of Burton Fleming await new arrivals. They are a bit

prickly, apparently, are in desperate need of a fresh start. Are

you excited? Yes. It will keep the grubs down, hopefully. From an

animal century 40 miles away, they finally arrived. 52 hedgehogs, all

found sick or injured across the North of England. Most of these have

come in as babies, and we have hand fed them, hand reared them. This one

was in a really bad way when she came in. She was very tiny. Very

sick. Veronica and her husband, Frank, run the charity Andrews

hedgehog hospital. They believe the village of Burton Fleming, now

considered hedgehog friendly, will give the animals the best chance.

Our village doesn't have major roads around it and hedgehogs need to

travel and get around different gardens. Provided everyone puts a

hole in the garden to make sure they can move around, we hope that the

numbers will improve -- a hole in the garden fence. We are going to be

putting the hedgehogs in our garden, because I have three little boys who

have never seen alive hedgehog for. Look at his face. Do you like him?

Assessing hedgehog numbers is tricky, but in the 1950s it is

thought there were around 30 million in Britain. But now,

conservationists believe numbers have plummeted to under 1 million.

We are taking all the hedgerows away, which is what the hedgehogs

need. Roadkill, slug pellets, tremors, bonfires. They have a tough

time. The hedgehogs are temporarily marked as Mail or female, so they

can be released in pairs, and then it is time to say goodbye. Oh

sweetheart. They are all out having the time of their lives. We have

been through so much with them. But they are now out where they should

be. They are wild animals, we know they have to go. We know everyone in

the village will be looking after them. Other villages aiming for

hedgehog friendly status include Windlesham, in Surrey, and Cornwall.

We put them in this spot because it is very quiet, and they will be

happy here, and they have access into our garden, into our

neighbour's garden. Dusk. Time to let the hedgehogs go. What is it

like when you see a hedgehog returned to the wild? It is what we

aim for. Our whole purpose in life is to take an injured or sick

hedgehog, make it better, and return it back into the wild. Already to

go. To nature. It is hoped, back for good.

People love hedgehogs. Life is better with pictures of hedgehogs in

our world. Why is that? I don't know. They are gorgeous creatures,

really special. Should bosses be allowed to force

female members of their workforce Currently the law says employers can

dismiss staff who don't meet reasonable dress code guidelines,

and allows different codes When Nicola Thorp was sent home

for refusing to wear high heels, she started a petition calling

for the law to be changed. However, the Government has

now rejected that call. Nicola joins us from

our London newsroom. A very good morning to you. Good

morning. You must be very disappointed that this is not going

further. It is going further. I am disappointed they have decided not

to change legislation but the government has said it will enforce

the guidelines, and they will set out the guidelines over the summer,

what those guidelines are they have not specified yet. It seems like a

weak response to such a strong call to action, but we are going to have

to see what they come up with. So these guidelines you are talking

about, would they be specific? In your case it is about high heels.

That was the issue. You were told you had to wear them and he didn't

want to, and you were camping at the time. Do you wanted to be specific

to items clothing such as footwear, or what do you want? -- temping. I

think guidelines should be specific because as it stands an employer can

distinguish between a Mail and female dress code and what often

happens in those cases is women end up losing out, because often there

is more expected of women in terms of how they look, with their hair,

make-up, high heels, et cetera. And that pressure isn't necessarily put

on men. So what I wanted was for the government to scrap that entirely

and say, do you know what? It doesn't matter whether you are Mail

or female, as long as you are smart at work. We are not going to enforce

things like high heels and make up upon you. But I don't know whether

these guidelines will stay. They might make it clear that employers

who do force employees to wear high heels are already breaking the

equalities act 2010, which says you have to treat men and women equally.

In my mind wearing a smart pair of flat women's shoes is exactly the

same as wearing a smart power of flat men's shoes. So why on earth

women would be asked to put their health at risk, or hurt their

ankles, et cetera, or feel sexualised in the workplace, I just

don't think it is necessary. Nicola, I am really interested in this,

because you might think on the face of it, surely the number of

circumstances where this comes up is very small but you say a lot of

women have been back in touch with you to say things like, I was sacked

for not wearing lipstick, or an inappropriate skirt length. It is

thousands, and I would say on the grand scheme of things this isn't

one of the biggest issues at all, so why our employers forcing women to

do it, and making women feel uncomfortable in the workplace?

There is explicit and implicit sexism everywhere. These are rules

in black and white, and are explicit, but even if we brought in

the strictest rules to outlaw any kind of overt sexism, laws are only

as good as the people who enforce them. So we need to make sure that

employers know that this kind of dress code policy is completely

unacceptable. There are so many women feel pressured to look a

certain way in their daily lives. But to look sexualised, or more

attractive in the workplace, I don't think in 2017 that is something we

should be expected to do. How would guidelines work in relation to

uniforms? Can an employer get around something by, if you like, saying

what we have is a uniform, and the uniform is what you have to wear,

and maybe you don't like it, but that is what you have to wear?

Absolutely, we have all had to wear uniforms we don't like wearing in

our lives. But the difference would be if they made women wear a uniform

that was less comfortable than men. I am sure you yourself wouldn't like

it if, tomorrow, the BBC said part of your uniform is a four inch heel,

but it is fine because we are making the women do it as well. It just

wouldn't be fair. That is an image to counter! A nice one to leave us

with -- image to conjure! Charlie will definitely not be wearing his

heels tomorrow morning. Headlines coming up just after this.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Charlie Stayt and Rachel

Coming up before 8am, Ben will have the weather.

But first, a summary of this morning's main news.

The Conservatives are attempting to play down speculation

that they will raise taxes if they win the general election.

Yesterday, the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, hinted

that the government might abandon the pledge made at the last election

not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats were quick to jump on what they saw

as a change of policy, warning that tax rises lie ahead.

More than 50,000 troops are being deployed across France

in preparation for voting in the country's presidential

election after the killing of a police officer in Paris.

The BBC's Karin Giannone is in Paris.

Karin, how big a role will security have in tomorrow's vote?

It was always going to be an important weekend in France. Events

over the past few days have changed things a little. What did the like

in France? Welcome to a scene of Parisi and normality. A market just

a stones throw from Notre Dame. People are really just getting on

with their normal Saturday. It is a day of political silence. They

aren't allowed to be hearing any messages from politicians. That

might be a relief after months of political batwing. As you mentioned

the terrible events of Thursday mean police are patrolling all the time.

People are wondering what affects that will have on political

intentions, the choices people make in the ballot boxes, but also

whether the French will be put off from turning out to vote because of

security fears and turnout is so important in this election because

the top four candidates are really neck and neck. Let's just give you

one final thought about Thursday night. It has emerged that the

victim, the 37-year-old policeman, had been deployed in November 2015

at the Bataclan theatre. One year later he was there at the concert

that we opened the concert hall when Sting performed. He was interviewed

that night and he said he was happy to be there, to defend civic values

and say no to terrorists. Thank you very much.

US Vice-President Mike Pence says a US naval strike group will arrive

in waters near North Korea in a matter of days.

There had been confusion earlier this week over

whether the USS Carl Vinson was heading into the Sea

However, in a press conference with the Australian Prime Minister,

Mr Pence said the US wanted to show North Korea it had the resources

For the first time since the Industrial Revolution Britain

has gone a whole working day without using coal

National Grid said the news was a "watershed moment" in attempts

Taxes on CO2 emissions and the falling cost of renewable

energy have made coal plants less economical in recent years.

A Nasa probe, flying near the planet Saturn,

is about to set itself on a path of destruction,

Cassini will pass the planet's moon, Titan, this morning.

But this will cause it to change course and head straight

for Saturn's atmosphere where it will be destroyed.

It's hoped before its demise it will be able to make some last

minute measurements of the planet's rings,

Are you not going to repeat the noise it made? Earlier you made a

very scientific noise. Those are the main stories this

morning. Over to the sport. Good morning. We

are at the business end this weekend of the FA Cup. The teams are just

two wins away from the trophy and it's very exciting.

We haven't had a semi-final weekend like this for a long time.

Two teams in English cup semifinals for the FA Cup, really going for it.

Now they are going to meet in the FA Cup and it will be really exciting.

Hard to call either way, I wouldn't want to say. Yes, good morning.

It's not just English teams in Cup semi-final action this weekend,

But let's with the teatime kick off at Wembley,

where the two best teams in the Premier League,

Chelsea and Tottenham, meet in the FA Cup.

For the winners, it's a place in the final and dreams

We will play again one of hte best teams in Europe.

Players that won European competitions in the World Cups.

I think we are going to play again one of the best teams in Europe.

I think Tottenham is a great team and they are showing for the second

consecutive year to fight for the title.

And this season they are trying again.

And that match is live on BBC One and Radio 5 live,

In Scotland, go for the treble, as they take

on Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

But the action begins this lunch-time, when the holders

We've seen off Hearts already in impressive fashion,

so Aberdeen, the second-best team over the last few years,

they keep improving every year under Derek.

They've been to the League Cup final already and the semi-final.

But you've got four teams in the competition who can win

a trophy and I'm just pleased that we are there.

I just want to go and try to win it and get into the final first

We've beaten some good teams along the way.

Ross County, a tough match against Partick Thistle and another

But you don't get to the finals without tough challenges.

We've got another one on Saturday, but looking forward to it.

The England manager Gareth Southgate said he was "stunned" by the death

of his close friend and former team-mate Ugo Ehiogu,

describing him as a "gentleman" and a "credit to football".

Ehiogu passed away yesterday at the age of 44, after suffering

a heart attack at Tottenham's training ground, where

Southgate said, "He was a gentle giant away from football"

There was a minute's applause for Ehiogu ahead of last night's

Championship match between Norwich and Brighton.

The Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale scoring

two freakish own goals, as they lost 2-0 at Norwich.

Both times, the ball hit the woodwork before rebounding

Brighton have already won promotion to the Premier League.

Manchester City women face a huge test in the Champions League

semi-finals this afternoon as they play holders Lyon at home

This is City's first season playing in Europe's top club competition

whereas Lyon have reached five of the last seven

You can watch highlights on the Women's Football Show

tomorrow evening at 11:50pm on BBC One.

Widnes remain bottom of the Super League

despite their first home win of the season.

They trailed St Helens into the final few minutes,

but a late try gave them victory by 16-14.

The hosts were trailing 14-12 going into the final few minutes,

but some great defence and Patrick Ah Van's second score

of the game, secured the narrow victory.

The 2015 World Snooker champion Stuart Bingham has been knocked out

of this year's tournament by Kyran Wilson.

Wilson had the upper hand for most of the match and had a clear lead

when Bingham made a hash of this attempt at a pot,

allowing Wilson to clear up and complete a 13-10 win

and become the first player into the quarter-finals.

And five-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will resume his

second round match this morning against another former winner

He needs just three more frames for victory.

Ellie Downie has become the first British woman to win

all round called a European Championships.

Britain face Romania in the crunch. There could be back in the world

group for the first time since 1993. Heather Watson is on court first

against Simona Halep, followed by Johanna Konta.

We've got such a strong team, such a strong team spirit, but I think

that's enough to help each other through this week. Obviously you

always hope for a home tie, but again the fact that it is sold-out

arena makes it more exciting and all of us like playing on the big

stages. I just have to say, how one lucky was the goalkeeper!

That's tough. Isn't it hard?