today at five. we're in cambridge where one of the biggest debates of the election campaign takes place this evening. and in a last—minute change, labour's jeremy corbyn will be taking part. the labour leader said he'd changed his mind on taking part because voters deserved to see leaders being challenged. and he invited theresa may tojoin him. i invite her to go to cambridge and debate her policies, debate her record, debate their plans, debate their proposals and let the public make up their minds. 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. inside the senate building of the university of cambridge final preparations are being made for the bbc debate featuring no fewer than seven

party representatives. we'll have more from huw in a moment. the other main stories on bbc news at five. jailed for 15 years — the breast surgeon who carried out a series of unnecessary operations at hospitals in the west midlands. he took everything away from me. up until today it's been going on since the ‘90s and only today i've got justice. he took away my youth. preparations are underway at old trafford cricket ground for a concert honouring victims of the manchester bombing. and arsene wenger signs up to two more years as arsenal manager and says he wants to win next year's premier league title. it's 5 o'clock.

we're in cambridge — at the senate house of the university — the venue for one of the biggest debates of this election campaign, with just eight days to polling day. seven party representatives will be taking part — and they will include the labour leaderjeremy corbyn — who announced earlier today that he was cancelling his campaign visit to the south—west of england to attend this debate. but the prime minister theresa may will not be here. the conservatives will be represented by home secretary amber rudd. the lib dem tim farron, ukip‘s paul nuttall, snp‘s angus robertson, the greens‘ caroline lucas, and plaid cymru's leanne wood will also be taking part. the stakes are high because tonight's debate takes place amid suggestions in some opinion polls that the conservative lead over labour might be shrinking. our political correspondent gary o'donoghue reports. four weeksjeremy

four weeks jeremy corbyn four weeksjeremy corbyn insisted if she's not going then neither are my butt today growing in confidence, camea u—turn butt today growing in confidence, came a u—turn and we will see the labour leader driving to cambridge tonight tojoin labour leader driving to cambridge tonight to join the debate. add campaigning in redding, he threw down a gauntlet to the prime minister. there is a debate in cambridge tonight, i do not know what she's doing this evening but it is not far from london and what she's doing this evening but it is not farfrom london and i invite her to go to cambridge and debate her to go to cambridge and debate her policies, debate her record, debate their plans, debate their proposals and let the public make up their mind. this is about as close as the pair have come during the campaign, taking questions separately from a studio audience on sky news and channel 4 on monday. most sought as a score draw but labour clearly have ta ken most sought as a score draw but labour clearly have taken confidence from the performance of their leader. from the start the prime minister said she's not interested ina minister said she's not interested in a head—to—head debate. politicians with a decent lead never

are and the baiting from jeremy corbyn was not about to change your mind. i think debates were politicians squabble among themselves does nothing for the process of electioneering, i think it is about getting out and meeting vote rs it is about getting out and meeting voters and hearing directly from them. the liberal democrat leader was looking to the wisdom of the young as he prepared for the showdown tonight. there is a question! tim farron will be hoping questions tonight are a bit less existential. it is as shane jeremy corbyn did not come to the itv debate but he is coming tonight. but where is the prime minister, she called this general election to suit herself and she is too frightened to turn up and debate the rest of us. not too late to change your mind. as everything comes together in cambridge there will be five party

leaders and to underlings taken to the stage. jeremy corbyn, his late decision to go a clear sign that he believes there is more to gain then there is to lose. here in cambridge the shadow foreign secretary emily thornbury is with me. your party leader has changed his mind on the day of the debate and is now going to attend, what happened question what he did not really change his mind on the day, it was pencilled in from monday night confirmed on morning. he keeps appearing to theresa may to come as debate with him. where is she, what is the problem? surely a leader ought to be prepared to listen to the people or prepared to debate with the other person who is likely to be prime minister. at the public measure the map and see one against the other. if she's supposed to be so the other. if she's supposed to be so strong and stable, the only person who could be prime minister, let her be measured againstjeremy corbyn. we thought jeremy corbyn was

not going to take part if the prime minister was not taking part, she's not taking part and now he is. so clearly he has changed his mind. the trouble is he enjoys this, he enjoys talking to the public and listening to what they say and you could say that on monday night, he was enjoying himself, with the public asking questions about policy the whole jeremy paxman asking questions about policy the wholejeremy paxman thing seem to be about stuff that had happened 30 yea rs about stuff that had happened 30 years ago but the public want to hear about policy. and he's happy to talk about that. you compare him with the way theresa may responded, she was wooden, nervous, it was as if what are they going to ask me next? she should be accountable. she has called the election and should be here to answer questions from the public. she said a debate like this is about exchanging sound bites. how many is about exchanging sound bites. how

ma ny voters is about exchanging sound bites. how many voters has she met that are not paid up members of the conservative party? she was out today thinking workers. they were wondering about theirjobs. —— workers. they were wondering about their jobs. —— meeting workers. they were wondering about theirjobs. —— meeting voters. we're worried about brexit, she's picking fights with the european union and thatis fights with the european union and that is not a strong brexit. that is working out a way forward together and not standing on the steps of downing street stamping your feet. are these debates all about reinforcing beliefs or converting people, what do you think about the value of these debates? jeremy corbyn is on the debate tonight because he hopes that by going in different formats he will get to all different formats he will get to all different types of people and get a chance to see who he really is. we have heard a lot from the conservatives, nonsense about him and his personality. but when people see the real man they go you know what, he is really good. he is

thoughtful and has a vision and alternative and we believe when he says it does not have to be this way, there is another way forward for britain. we will see how the debate goes. thank you very much. making the case thereforejeremy corbyn and his attendance at the debate announced today. a last—minute announcement. emily saying it was not really a change of mind. well be alternative view is that he was saying he did not want to attend unless the prime minister did. let's take a look inside this magnificent senate building. looking up magnificent senate building. looking up preparations for debate. seven party representatives will be taking part. the event chaired by my colleague mischal hussain. they will

be covering a range of issues. including of course the preparation for the brexit process. angus robertson will be taking part for the snp but his colleague kirsty is with me now. what are the stakes in this debate tonight for the snp? with me now. what are the stakes in this debate tonight for the snp7m is really important to get out there and get the message out from the snp. so we get the chance to talk about tory plans for austerity and how we're going to counter that and bea how we're going to counter that and be a strong voice for scotland. it isa be a strong voice for scotland. it is a big event tonight and will perform as he does every week at pmqs. we mentioned brexit, where does that each for you in the mix of subjects tonight? i think it has to feature billy hardy, it is a really important thing in this debate and people need to think about whether

they want to pursue a hard tory brexit, giving them free rein on brexit. i think it will be a major theme tonight. looking at some opinion polls, saying this cautiously of course but some opinion polls seem to suggest that the lead between the tories and labour has been closing. what have you picked up in your campaigning in scotla nd you picked up in your campaigning in scotland in terms of the performance of labour with the snp?” scotland in terms of the performance of labour with the snp? i think it feels as if people have been let down by the labour party and still feeling that. it feels like a choice between tory mps who are going to put the uk first and do what theresa may says and snp mps who will put scotla nd may says and snp mps who will put scotland first. i think that is still the shape of the debate. that is how it feels in scotland. in terms of the message tonight from angus, what is the main thing that he will be saying to a uk audience? the main thing is we will stand up

against tory austerity, the tories, they have been all over the place with their manifesto, reducing school meals, pensions, people will be hit by that and also they have not been fully explained or costed. and if angus is asked bluntly about the prospect of at some stage a kind of progressive alliance or understanding with labour and others in the house of commons, if that we re in the house of commons, if that were possible, what would he say? what we're set for the last two yea rs what we're set for the last two years and before that, we will work with anyone to talk about progressive policies. anyone who supports our manifesto goals of progressive policies across the uk. we will see how it goes. thank you. journalists, bloggers and commentators have been gathering all afternooon, let's cross to the spin room, where the battle of the party messages will take place during and after the debate. my colleague clive myrie is there. we are in the cambridge union

society building, b also been graced by the likes of margaret thatcher, clint eastwood, western church on the past. russell brand is well quite recently. tonight it is going to be populated by a less auguste bunge, a host ofjournalists. they will be giving their interpretation of how well the debate went tonight for the panellists and crucially also here will be representatives from all of the parties taking place, who are part of the debate itself or that they will try to put their spin on how well the debate went for their particular panellists. didn't make sense for jeremy corbyn to turn up in the end of the last minute, was at a good thing or a silly thing. of course we know that is not going to be here. how did that play into the dynamics of the debate? everything that you

see tomorrow morning and read in your newspapers, listen to on the radio or see on television, all that will be influenced by those party workers trying to influence the generous here as they give their interpretation of what happened. so it will be a lively evening tonight, the place will be full of people, and it should be very interesting. ben wright is here with me. what will the attendance of jeremy ben wright is here with me. what will the attendance ofjeremy corbyn do to this debate and the way it is likely to pan out? well it makes it now much more important for the election, it has even more drama thanit election, it has even more drama than it otherwise might have had. forjeremy corbyn it was quite an obvious choice to make, he did pretty well on monday, he was

affa ble pretty well on monday, he was affable and at ease. people thought it was a solid performance and he would have grown in confidence after that. if you are having a bit of swagger, then to seize the initiative of the last minute and bounce the prime minister into appearing, that is a canny tactical move byjeremy corbyn providing of course but it goes well for him and he can remember his figures. then i think this will be a good move for the labour party. it was always going to be tricky for theresa may once he decided to do this. it looks like she is panicking if she attend but if she stays away it looks as if she's frightened. there are seven representatives taking part and for you where are we likely to be focusing in terms of these main issues this evening? well i think labour will want to try to keep this on public services, on living

standards, perhaps away from brexit. and i think that will be a contrast between the lib dems who will want to talk about brexit because that is their most defining issue in this. they have promised a second referendum. and for the conservatives they are desperate to bring this back to brexit, to the negotiations to come, questions of leadership and competence. these are some of the of the things that we are going to see. and for amber rudd representing the conservatives as home secretary, is she likely to have to deal with the fact that labour are trying to make a bit of hay for the prime minister and her absence. you did the debate in wales yesterday and the conservative leader in wales was not there. on holiday and clearly a bit of rumpus going on within the tory camp in wales and that was picked up by several members of the panel. they will see this as a weakness that the conservatives will have tonight and

i'm sure every party will go for amber rudd asking why the prime minister is scared and where issue. we will see. thank you very much. and a reminder you can watch the bbc election debate 2017 here on the bbc news channel. we'll have live coverage with clive myrie from 7 o'clock this evening. just leading up to what the stakes are for you. that's all from cambridge for now — we'll be back at half—past five to talk about the latest signals from the polls — with the pollster joe twyman of yougov. a breast surgeon who carried out a series of unnecessary operations at hospitals in the west midlands has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. ian paterson was found guilty last month of wounding with intent, and unlawful wounding — in a case involving 10 private patients.

0ur health editor hugh pym sent this report from nottingham. ian paterson, once a high earning and highly regarded surgeon, now a convicted criminal about to begin a 15 year jail sentence. some of the patients that he harmed arrived at court in nottingham this morning to hear the sentencing. the judge, mrjustice jeremy baker, said paterson carried out unnecessary breast surgery which had a profound physical and psychological effect, and left his patients feeling violated and vulnerable. i just want to say thank you to the judge, at last today we have got justice. we waited for years for this and finally mr paterson has been stopped. 0ver four years of trauma and stress. in trying to bring this man to account. no amount of prison sentence will ever compensate what myself and other people affected have gone through. the number of victims who were harmed is said by their lawyers to run into the hundreds, possibly even thousands, but paterson's motives

still remain a mystery... perhaps he likes the adoration of the patient. if you tell someone they are going to die of breast cancer but if you let me operate on you, you're not, and then tell them afterwards that the pathology shows that yes, if i hadn't operated, you were going to get breast cancer, even though it's untrue, that patient is grateful and likes you, and indeed all the patients, before they found out that he had actually misled them, thought he was a wonderful doctor. a high court action for damages against nhs trust and private hospitals where he worked, and ian paterson himself, is set to begin in the autumn. joining me now from nottingham is linda millband — the lead lawyer representing almost 500 victims. thank you for being with us. the sentence first of all, what you make of that and what do the people that

you represent make of the 15 year sentence? no sentence could have compensated them for the damage and distress it has caused but most of my clients bought it was a reasonably good sentence and they thanked the court and the judge for the way he dealt with the trial. what is the next stage then for you and your clients in terms of the search for compensation? there is a lead case, seven victims, they are the claimants in the action which will be heard at the high court in london commencing on the 30th of 0ctober london commencing on the 30th of october this year. and if that is successful hopefully that will open the gates for the rest of the claimants to be compensated. and that could be quite a time—consuming process ? that could be quite a time—consuming process? yes, the trial is listed forfour process? yes, the trial is listed for four weeks, but after that there will be quite a considerable length of time whilst we get the requisite documents together to be able to value the other cases and bring

about settlement. how many victims do think there are, you represent several hundred but what is your idea of the total? since the verdict we had over 100 people coming forward to say they had been treated by mr paterson and a few more enquiries today. so it is not yet known how many there might be in total. but i think there are still people who may wish to come forward to tell their stories. in terms of the search for compensation i think you are concerned about the differences between the nhs and the private health sector? yes, obviously if a surgeon is employed by the nhs, if there is medical negligence the nhs will foot the bill and settle the case. but in the private sector, mr patterson was the contractor and therefore spire do

not accept they have to make payments in these cases. and for your clients they will be talking about the physical impact and also the psychological impact. there is huge psychological impact because a number of the victims said today in their victim statements, it really has destroyed their lives, many of them have horrific scarring and one of the victims who is very brave said that he had stopped feeling like a woman any longer and i think thatis like a woman any longer and i think that is the case and also there is a gentleman who gave a victim impact statement today and it has affected him psychologically as well. thank you very much. a car bomb has exploded in the diplomatic quarter of the afghan capital, kabul, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 300. the country's president has called it a cowardly attack on innocent civilians.

just a warning — tom burridge's report contains some distressing images from the start. makeshift ambulances brought them in this morning, as kabul‘s hospitals were overwhelmed. at least 80 people killed when a huge truck bomb exploded during rush hour. several hundred people were injured. it is one of the worst bomb attacks in afghanistan in years. translation: i heard a terrible sound and became unconscious. i opened my eyes and found myself under the desk. blood was coming out of my shoulder. it was a dreadful explosion. this video taken miles from the blast shows how powerful it was. the bbc‘s harun najifizada has been at the scene. it was a water tanker or lorry full of explosives that hit the strategic location right in the heart of kabul. it is very close to the german embassy, indian embassy,

french and british embassies. the explosion only a short distance from afg hanistan's presidential palace. this is the german embassy today, badly damaged. germany's foreign minister said the unimaginable death toll was proof that terror continues to target western institutions, but also local people. a bbc team were in the area and hit by the blast, killing driver mohammed nazir. the bbc described him as a popular colleague, with a young family. nato and some british troops are still based in afghanistan, but the fact that militants were able to get such a large bomb into the city's heavily guarded political zone shows how fragile afg hanistan's security picture has become. so far neither the taliban nor the so—called islamic state in afghanistan have claimed responsibility. attacks in kabul are not unusual.

but this was a bombing on another scale, among the dead, women and children. tom burridge, bbc news. and the death toll from that i'm afraid has now risen, the afghan government saying 90 people have in fa ct government saying 90 people have in fact been killed, 400 injured. in that attack in kabul. so 90 dead and 400 injured. meanwhile, preparations are under way for the one love manchester concert on sunday. american singer ariana grande will return to the city for the first time since the bombing. old trafford cricket ground is being prepared for the concert, which will also feature coldplay, justin bieber, katy perry and take that. danny savage reports. 0n danny savage reports. on sunday evening 50,000 people who want to support manchester will be here at

0ld support manchester will be here at old trafford. the one love manchester concert will raise money for the families of the victims. the more and more i think it is the right decision and absolutely necessary. the concert organiser admits he was worried that it was happening too soon after the attack but he is now happy with the plan. we consulted with the families that we re we consulted with the families that were bereaved and hospitalised through the gmp family liaison officers. and the overwhelming feedback from them was support. but we should do it and do it straightaway. everyone who went to the arena last week can go on sunday for free. this band the arena last week can go on sunday forfree. this band says the arena last week can go on sunday for free. this band says that she will go but she is worried. i'm not going to lie, i am nervous about going. ido 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. ithink people who are experiencing the same

things that personally i am experiencing. organisers acknowledged that some people who are 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 who find it difficult. 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 what was left to the crowd to sing the song which has become an anthem after the attack. # don't look back in anger, i heard you say. and at the weekend the city will welcome back ariana grande with open arms. 0ur correspondent fiona trott is at the old trafford stadium in manchester, where the concert will take place. not a lot of time to get preparations underway for it. just

eight days, they have been working ha rd to eight days, they have been working hard to make sure that the ground is ready here, putting covers on the wicket today and of course this is the home of lancashire county cricket club. but that stage was likely already up for a concert last weekend and that can just stay in place. today's staff have been laying down this plastic flooring on top of the wicked pitch because of caused tens of thousands of people will be here on sunday. a huge logistical effort for people here, a huge logistical effort for greater manchester police as well, 50,000 people expected here on sunday, 60,000 at old trafford on sunday for a testimonial match of michael carrick. so greater manchester police have been working with both event organisers to make sure that both events can go ahead. that is why the testimonial match will kick offa why the testimonial match will kick off a bit earlier on sunday. £2 billion being raised for the families of the victims on sunday.

as you heard, people who were at the concert last monday can come here for free concert last monday can come here forfree on concert last monday can come here for free on sunday. and an important addition to the concert is there will be a special centre nearby set up will be a special centre nearby set up by will be a special centre nearby set up by trafford council and if they find the event difficult at the weekend they can go there for help and support. on the police investigation into the atrocity, what is the latest? today greater manchester police were telling us when they were investigating whether or not salman abedi worked alone or as part of a network, one of the concerns they had was why he kept returning to wilmslow road, and this afternoon a search has taken place there house close to their and that has been cordoned off. police telling people to avoid that area at the moment. aside from that though they say that having analysed cctv footage, mobile phone communications as well, they believe that salman

abedi board bomb components himself and in many cases acting alone. but they cannot rule out that he was pa rt they cannot rule out that he was part of a wider network. around 1000 staff working on the investigation right now, going over 300 digital items and checking footage on that. about 180 officers still guarding 18 sites across greater manchester that are being forensically examined. thank you very much. time for a look at the weather. the weather has been pretty good today across much of the uk. we had some sunshine across northern part of the country and tonight it will be mild and quite nifty. this is the satellite picture, the best of the weather has been across scotland and the north of england. and we are ending the afternoon quite warm and

then through tonight that very mild light on the way. the cloud will increase in some areas, turning misty across southern and western areas of the uk. no lower than perhaps around 15 degrees in some areas. a little bit fresher where the skies are clear. tomorrow we have rain moving into northern ireland and the west of scotland and just about into cumbria. much warmer across england with more sunshine and warm and still further east heading into friday. this is bbc news at 5 — the headlines: jeremy corbyn is to appear in tonight's tv debate on bbc one with representatives of the six other major parties.

the labour leader said he'd changed his mind on taking part, because voters deserved to see leaders being challenged, and he invited theresa may tojoin him. i invite her to go to cambridge and debate her policies, debate her record, debate their plans, debate their proposals and let the public make up their minds. but the prime minister theresa may will not be here, she says she'd rather be out 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. in other news — a breast surgeon, who carried out unnecessary operations on patients leaving them scarred and disfigured, has been jailed for 15 years by a judge at nottingham crown court. and preparations are under way

at old trafford cricket ground for the benefit concert for victims of the manchester bombings. let's catch up with all of the latest sport news now. arsenal's majority shareholder stan kroenke says the club will target the premier league title and european trophies, after it was confirmed manager arsene wenger has signed a new two year deal... let's speak to our sport reporter david 0rnstein who is outside arsenal's emirates stadium... david, they will give him plenty of funds to improve his team? they well, it is my understanding that he may get £150 million to get to spend on new signings, but he needs to short out the future of players who only have one year left on their contract like mesut 0zil and alexis sanchez —— sort out. some breaking

news, a statement firm arsenal's second largest shareholder, who had a takeover bid turned down by the owners stan kroenke. he said he was pleased that arsene wenger will manage to continue with arsenal for the next two years as he is one of the next two years as he is one of the best coaches in europe. what is of paramount importance is that he receives the full support of the board and majority shareholder. he has a great opportunity to deliver the success the fans deserve and the legacy has long contribution merits. however, without the right support, there remains the risk that his legacy will be tarnished. if that support is not forthcoming we stand ready to step in and do everything we can to deliver success on and off the field. arsene wenger signed that new two year contract to take him to 2019 at the club and said this... what is the basic dna of the club is to be together, to support all of

our players and support the club. and give our all, giving our best to be all that we want to be. we can move up to the next level, i am convinced of that. in having faith in how we want to play football, and by supporting these players that we have already. 0f by supporting these players that we have already. of course, we try to strengthen our squad to be stronger next season. a key factor in his decision was the environment around the club. he said the lack of respect towards him this season had been "a disgrace". the fans we spoke to hear today have been split. someone tipped him out and some wa nted someone tipped him out and some wanted him to stay. he is staying for at least another two years so arsenal can now plan ahead with a measure of certainty that they did not have during a turbulent season. david 0rnstein, thank you. defending champion novak djokovic is into round three

of the french open after a straight sets victory over portugal's joao sousa. the second seed raced through the first set and was tested a little more in the second and third to wrap up the win injust over two hours. djokovic will face the argentine diego schwartzman next. rafa nadal is back to playing some of his bast tennis as he aims for an amazing tenth singles title at roland garros. he beat dutchman robin haase in straight sets and will play nikoloz basilashvili of georgia for a place in the last 16. two—time wimbledon champion petra kvitova's comeback has been cut short. she was knocked out in round two — beaten in straight sets by the american bethanie mattek—sands. kvitova missed five months after being stabbed in the hand by a burglar last year. the british and irish lions head coach warren gatland has admitted the schedule of their tour of new zealand will be tough. the lions flew into auckland

overnight, just three days before their first tour match against the new zealand provisional barbarians. the all blacks head coach steve hansen said the lions should have arrived a full week before their first game — while gatland says the team can't afford to be negative. that is all of the sport for now, more in sportsday at half past six. let's return to cambridge now, ahead of tonight's bbc election debate. my colleague huw edwards is there. indeed, thank you. we are at the university of cambridge. sojeremy corbyn has decided, at the last minute, that he'll take part in tonight's live bbc election here in cambridge with representatives of six other major parties. in a speech in reading earlier today, the labour leader challenged theresa may tojoin him, but the prime minister said she'd rather be meeting voters on the campiagn trail. rather than exchanging "sound bites" about the debate tonight.

the debate takes place amid suggestions in some opinion polls that that the conservative lead over labour might be narrowing. with me is the pollster joe twyman of yougov. it's good to have you with us. you have published some major analysis today which has been interpreted in different ways, i think it is there to say. why did you tell us your mainfindings? to say. why did you tell us your main findings? our main findings are if there was an election today we predict there is a good chance that we will see a hung parliament. with a range of seats. the conservatives could win 275—345, but certainly possibly below the 326 that they need for a majority. it is worth remembering that is a snapshot of public opinion at the moment, not a prediction of where we think things will be on the 8th ofjune. looking at underlying data, the conservatives are doing very well on the question of who makes the best prime minister but he is best to deal with the economy and brexit. underlying data favours them but the

data on our testament at the moment is not good news for the conservatives going into the debate tonight. how do you square the two things? if people think you have named three important issues, they would assume they are big drive as a potential support, then you talk about a different kind of outcome. how do you square those things? there are two things going on. the conservative party campaign has not been a massive success so far, it started with a lot of emphasis on strong and stable but if the bubble was not busted has deflated. after the kerfuffle around social care and that you turn taking place, it has never happened in an election campaign ever. jeremy corbyn has been slowly building support for the labour party. it accelerated with the momentum gained with questions over social care. crucially, how many of those people on his side will turn out? younger voters

overwhelmingly favour labour and older voters favour the conservatives. nights like tonight are designed to get the voters to turn out rather than endorse them. the youth vote could be critical. what is your reading of people's willingness to vote? and comparing with previous general elections, what are you basing your analysis on? looking at research, there's a report that enthusiasm in politics is extremely high at the moment, even among young voters is extremely high at the moment, even among young voters who, as is extremely high at the moment, even among young voters who, as you say, tend to have lower interests. it is clear that the different politics jeremy corbyn it is clear that the different politicheremy corbyn and the labour party have promoted is, among some younger voters, labour party have promoted is, among some younger voters, resonating and capturing their imagination. the key question is that they may say they are turning out to vote at the minute but it could change. enthusiasm may dampen and when it

comes to it, the result on the 8th ofjune may be very different. before this debate in cambridge, a quick thought from you, what is at sta ke quick thought from you, what is at stake ina quick thought from you, what is at stake in a debate like this? and, in the context of what you said, do you think these debates console at a people's views, or could they convert people as well? -- consolidate. they have a potential to move the dial, as geeks like me say. back in 2010, you had nick clegg and the liberal democrats jumped ten points in a week after the first televised debate. this is a different format and not the first one. but it shows the potential. a particularly good line, not even seen by the majority of people today, but incoming news stories over the next few days, it gains momentum and could make a real difference. we will be watching and listening carefully, joe twyman from yougov, thank you. the debate here

in cambridge begins at 7:30pm but coverage on the bbc news channel begins at 7pm. live coverage with clive myrie from 7pm this evening here at cambridge university. that debate begins at 7:30pm. in the meantime, back to the studio. studio: huw edwards, thank you. staying with the election... the democratic unionist party has launched its election manifesto, saying that maintaining the union is by far the most important issue in next week's vote. the dup leader arlene foster said returning a majority of unionist mps would keep the idea of a vote about a united ireland off the agenda for generations. speaking at the manifesto launch in antrim she outlined the party's key commitments. 0njune the 8th, i'm asking people to get northern ireland back on the right track. to vote to get the best deal for northern ireland. to strengthen our hand in the upcoming negotiations. to get the assembly back up and running. to protect our place within the united kingdom. and to unite behind one strong unionist voice. most of the political

parties in northern ireland launched their general election manifestos this week, including the cross—community alliance party. the party campaigned to remain in the eu and says it wants to mitigate the impact of brexit on northern ireland. the alliance leader, naomi long, said following the referendum result northern ireland needs a special deal. this is a manifesto that pledges to oppose a hard brexit, support a special deal for northern ireland, and give the public the final say on the outcome of those brexit negotiations. it is a manifesto bubble that recognises whatever the outcome of the negotiations are, our best feature from northern ireland and all of these islands is one that

recognises interdependence and cooperation with the rest of europe as the best way forward. naomi long of the alliance party. the latest headlines from bbc news... jeremy corbyn has challenged theresa may tojoin him on stage at the bbc‘s live election debate in cambridge this evening. a breast surgeon, who carried out unnecessary operations on patients leaving them scarred and disfigured, has beenjailed for 15 yea rs. and preparations are under way at old trafford cricket ground for the benefit concert for victims of the manchester bombing. a week tomorrow, britain goes to the polls, just one week left, will your vote be swayed by what you read on social media? had you ever wondered if what you are reading there is

entirely true? a new study looking at what news has been shared during the campaign on twitter has found that professionally produced news is outweighing so—called junk or fake news. with me is our media editor, amol rajan — where does the uk stand on the quality of news shared on twitter about the general election compared to other countries? what do we mean by japanese what do we mean byjapanese and fake news? academics are specific about their definitions. the question of fa ke their definitions. the question of fake news is slightly confused by donald trump's use of it. fake news to him is things that he does not wa nt to to him is things that he does not want to talk about like russia. fake news is what i would call deliberate lies or misinformation that spreads through social media. it was invented for a political purpose, people want to advance a political agenda, or by generating web traffic they can create money. these academics in oxford are talking aboutjunk academics in oxford are talking about junk news, which

academics in oxford are talking aboutjunk news, which they say is the completion of that. it may look like news but it is opinion and does not have credible or sourced information. they are concerned aboutjunk information. they are concerned about junk news and information. they are concerned aboutjunk news and save the latest results in the uk are mildly encouraging. so, i suppose we should be worried about fake news and junk news. but in this election, we are doing better than the us? exactly right. in the us last year there was a tight race and a lot of concerns that foreign powers like russia, for example, or wealthy individuals or billionaires were using social media to change the public conversation and influence votes, leading to a lot of concerns about whether that was happening here. evidence that the oxford institute has provided, looking at twitter rather than facebook, they say 53% of news shared on twitter is pretty good stuff. professionally sourced and from credible news providers. that

is substantially more than in most of america. in terms of what they calljunk news of america. in terms of what they call junk news or fake of america. in terms of what they calljunk news orfake news, that of america. in terms of what they calljunk news or fake news, that is much lower, 12 or 13%. similar to what was happening in france or germany. we need to stay vigilant, social media is a cauldron where lies and misinformation and disinformation spreads fast. compared to other countries, britain is doing relatively 0k.|j compared to other countries, britain is doing relatively ok. i don't think there has been much research on this, it is important to know what is going on in the media? hugely. the fact is technological revolution and the rise of social media, facebook is one of the biggest companies in the world and these companies are changing the nature of the public domain. when it comes to thinking about democracy, some people think around the world that the west is under pressure, it is important that people make decisions based on the best possible information. the sheer scale of people on facebook and twitter makes those technology platform is a very

attractive place for foreign powers, or remiss, or those with political agendas to spread confusion. where you have a 2% vote that could sway the result, sometimes misinformation is an effective strategy, technology is an effective strategy, technology is evolving fast but monitoring hasn't really kept pace. thank you very much. let's go back to cambridge for that big debate on the bbc tonight. clive myrie is in the spin room... we were talking about the perils of misinformation. heaven forbid there should be any in the spin room this evening(!). tonight, this room will be full of journalists, evening(!). tonight, this room will be full ofjournalists, it is filling up with bloggers, analysts, commentators and journalists, giving

their interpretation of how well the seven panellists performed this evening. crucially, this room will be full of some of the apparatchiks, party members and their followers, who will also be giving their interpretation to journalists. who will also be giving their interpretation tojournalists. did it make sense forjeremy corbyn to turn up tonight, or was it a big mistake? theresa may has made it clear she is not turning up tonight. how big a mistake is that? will smaller parties be able to shine in the spotlight this even. all of these newspapers, in television and radio coverage, they will be filtered through the spin room tonight. it is an important place after that debate. theresa may has explained why she won't come to cambridge tonight and spoke to our political editor laura kuenssberg. prime minister, is it your decision not to take part in the debate night a metaphorfor your whole not to take part in the debate night a metaphor for your whole campaign? you are happy to repeatedly criticised the labour party but for

your own plans, you are reluctant to give us much detail at all, whether on brexit, yourfuture immigration plans, or who loses the winter fuel allowa nce ? plans, or who loses the winter fuel allowance? in terms of our manifesto i have been open with the british people about the challenges we face asa people about the challenges we face as a country over the next few years and beyond, and how we address those challenges. you talk about brexit negotiations but i have set out clearly what our 12 objectives are for the brexit negotiations. i believe that is the right thing to do but as we go into those negotiations which begin in 11 days after election day, the question people should ask themselves is, who do they want to see? fighting for britain in those negotiations, who do they want to see taking the country forward, bringing a more prosperous britain for the future? people have questions about the practical things that you would do, if you are re—elected. can you tell us now, how would the immigration system work after brexit? who will

lose their winter fuel allowance, where will we set the cap? there is a sense that you use slogans again and again, you talk about broad principles but you hide behind it, you don't tell people what you will actually do? we have been clear, let's look at the issue around social care and fuel payments. we have been clear with people and open with people about the fact that yes, we face the pressures of an ageing society. in ten years' time there will be 2 million people aged over 75 in this country, and if we don't do something about social care, the system will collapse. we want people to protect more savings to pass onto their children where they will not have to sell their home in their lifetime to pay for their care bills, so the worry is taken from them. there will be a cap on the absolute level of funding... them. there will be a cap on the absolute level of funding. . m them. there will be a cap on the absolute level of funding. .. if you keep repeating broad principles but do not give the detail, people will worry, for example, millions of

people may lose their winter fuel allowa nce people may lose their winter fuel allowance or the cap on social care may be set at an extremely high level. don't people want more from you? you level. don't people want more from you ? you are level. don't people want more from you? you are basically saying on these big issues, i will get back to you. i am saying i will listen to you. i am saying i will listen to you and i think that is important. you can approach this in one of two ways. i set out the principles of our policies and how we can provide a sustainable social care system for this country. we need that as the system will collapse and less we do something and do it now. but what i am saying to people is that i want to listen to them about where the cap should be, and where we should means cap should be, and where we should m ea ns test cap should be, and where we should means test winter fuel payments. listen to voters and organisations, charities and others working with older people. consult with them. i think that is the open thing for a government to do. theresa may, talking to political editor laura kuenssberg. this is one of the biggest debates of the whole

election campaign. seven representatives of the main political parties taking questions from about 130 people, a cross—section of british society, demographically and politically, and next as far as those who voted for remain during the referendum campaign and those who were brexiteers. panellists have drawn lots as to who will be given the order, the running order, for those giving the opening statements and the closing statements. they know where they will stand on the stage, as it is moderated by michelle hussein. that is all they know. the questions, five or six, they do not know what those questions will be. specifically, i'm sure they know what the subject areas involved, but the whole idea of tonight is for a freewheeling debate. 0nce the whole idea of tonight is for a freewheeling debate. once the question is asked, one of the panellists, all of the panellists, can answer directly. there may have the debate among the group. —— then

they have the debate. jeremy corbyn has decided to come here, full coverage on bbc one from 7:30pm. studio: clive myrie, thank you. bullying in the online gaming world is a growing problem, according to new research. half the gamers questioned by the anti—bullying charity, ditch the label, said they had been harassed or received threats. more details from our technology correspondent, rory cellan—jones. for 16—year—old bailey, video games have been a big part of his life. and were once an escape when he was getting a hard time at school. he enjoys pitting his skills against other players online. but what he doesn't like is the abuse he sometimes gets while playing. he first experienced bullying in games when he was ten. and it is not getting any better. if i'm playing a game and i score a goal, i have literally been told to kill myself.

if you are being bullied at school, you come home and you play computer and you're just getting more abuse thrown at you. it is just going to put you off doing anything social. the charity ditch the label surveyed 2500 young gamers. 57% said they had been subjected to hate speech in an online game. 47% had received threats and 40% had had unwanted sexual contact. what has changed over the last decade is that more and more games are played online. and that means young gamers are encountering anonymous people from around the world. and chatting with them. that can of course be very positive but it also lays them open to the kind of dangers we have seen elsewhere in the online world. the anti—bullying charity worked with the online game habbo hotel to research young gamers‘ experiences and was disturbed by what it found. i think first and foremost it shows the true extent of the problem. when we talk about bullying, we usually talk about cyber bullying on social media or traditional bullying off—line. and we very seldom talk about it in game environments. and as a result of this research we have found that the majority of gamers have at some point experienced bullying. and i think what is so shocking is the fact that it is

normalised behaviour. we had gamers telling us that this was just part of playing games online, which is incredibly shocking because it can have very real and devastating impacts upon those who are subjected to it. bailey says he has now learned not to let abuse get to him. he wants the games companies to do more to watch over what happens online and to act to stop the bullies. rory cellanjones, bbc news. stargazers in australia and new zealand have been treated to a spectacular show as the southern lights swept across the continent. the aurora australis is caused by solar wind — a stream of charged particles escaping the sun — interacting with earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. speaking of the sun, are we going to get any

speaking of the sun, are we going to getany in speaking of the sun, are we going to get any in the next few days? time to talk to tomasz schafernaker. .. thank you. it has been hit and miss today. look at this picture from cumbria, some layered cloud on the horizon. paisley in cheshire. 0n balance, a very pleasant day. one thing is for sure that it will be mild, missed around. this satellite picture shows this clu b this satellite picture shows this club breaking up as we go through the afternoon. some spots of rain, across wales and light ones coming in. ina across wales and light ones coming in. in a couple of other places but on the whole in looks dry this coming night. mrand murk in the south. these are the temperatures of 16 degrees in parts of the uk. it will be a little fresher. this weather map for tomorrow early in the morning, low—pressure, this weather front moves into the

north—west but that low—pressure scoops up the warmth from france, moving it in our direction. things will be warming up across england through the day. in the south, at 4pm tomorrow, temperatures get up to about 26 degrees in the capital. 0n the south coast around 21 or so. hampton. temperatures widely in the low 20s all the way up into sunderland. the north—west getting fresh airfrom the sunderland. the north—west getting fresh air from the atlantic. for belfast, on and off through the morning. temperatures here in the teens and similar weather across scotland. this is slow to move tomorrow. by the end of the day, somewhere around the north—west, nudging into west and wales. wales gets rain, but not until friday. heavy rain across the hills and further east, another warm day. temperatures of 25 or 26. that

warmth could spark off thunderstorms across southern and south—eastern areas. they will be rumbling across the near continent on saturday. they should stay to the east of us. it means on saturday, with fresh ata la nta means on saturday, with fresh atalanta care winning. it is going to be fresh at 21 degrees in london but with a few showers on and off across the uk. a mix of whether around, but it will be fairly decent if you do not mind a shower or two. that's all, enjoy your evening. today at 6pm... 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 will be taking part. the labour leader said he'd changed his mind on taking part because voters deserved to see leaders being challenged, and he invited theresa may tojoin him. 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