with staff braving heights of 135m to reach the glass pods on the iconic landmark. hello. the local elections take place on may the 2nd and ahead of that, all the political parties will be launching their campaigns to try and get your vote. the first of those is this morning. shortly, the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey will set out his party's pitch to voters. this is the scene live in harpenden in hertfordshire, where the event will take place. you can see that the activists are already there, holding those orange lib dem signs we are used to seeing at liberal democrat launches. sir ed davey is expected to appear there shortly. there is normally some sort of stunt when the liberal democrats launch a policy, so we are wondering what is

behind that white cloth. that will hopefully be made clear shortly. sir is expected to place health services at the heart of the campaign. the parties travelling to what it describes as blue while battlegrounds in a bid to challenge the conservatives in southern england. sir ed has been talking to the media this morning and saying he wanted to not only launch the local election campaign, but he also looked at it as the party's general election campaign. he talked about how he wants to offer the chance for voters to come as he put it, send the conservatives a strong message that they want them gone. this is the first of the party launches for the first of the party launches for the local elections taking place in may. we understand it will be health

services that sir ed davey will focus on as part of their pitch. we expect him to urge voters to, as he has said this morning, send this out of touch conservative government message about the state of local health services. this event is in hertfordshire in harpenden, and that is in the centre of the village, which is in the commuter belt around london. it is one of the villages thatis london. it is one of the villages that is near to st albans, and a lot of people who live in hertfordshire were travelling to london to work. the liberal democrats in hertfordshire gained 21 councillors and they will take overall control of one of the local councils which is in hertfordshire. you can see the pictures of the activists holding up those liberal democrat posters.

pictures are being taken by photographers. it is part of the liberal democrats�* campaign to try and win the blue wall seats. as a search headset, this is not only about the local election campaign, but of course, we are in a general election year. most likely, it will be this year. it could be in january, but we are almost certain that the general election is going to be this year. so the local elections are not only going to be about local issues, but the parties are going to be using this as part of their campaign ahead of the expected general election. that is why sir ed is already talking about getting rid of the conservative government. he claims the conservatives have run health services into the ground, which is what we are expecting him to say as part of this launch of their local

election manifesto of the next couple of weeks, we will see the other parties including reform launching their local campaigns. in harpenden, you can see the liberal democrat activists holding the traditional orange lib dem posters before sir ed arrives. watching this political event is our correspondent iain watson. as i was saying, this is the first of the party to launch their local manifesto. we will hear from the others, but it comes in what is most likely going to be a general election year?— general election year? yes, it is almost certainly _ general election year? yes, it is almost certainly going _ general election year? yes, it is almost certainly going to - general election year? yes, it is almost certainly going to be - general election year? yes, it is almost certainly going to be a l almost certainly going to be a general election year. we do know

the date of the local elections, may the date of the local elections, may the 2nd, will not be the date of the general election. rishi sunak seems to have ruled that out. so it is possible that these elections could be the last opportunity for people to cast their vote ahead of the general election. turnout could be low, but it would give an indication of the result. ed davey is in hertfordshire because he says his party are best placed to beat the conservatives in the so—called blue wall seats which were traditionally conservative, but then the liberal democrats made inroads in by—elections. for example, in west hertfordshire, the liberal democrats won that last year at the

expense of the conservatives. they will target parliamentary seats as well including the new harpenden and berkhamsted seat. so he is saying that this is somewhere that is not only easy for him to reach from westminster, but is also the type of area where the liberal democrats believe they can make progress at the next election. but he is also hopeful that they could do well across a swathe of south—east and south—west england, all the way to dorset and cornwall. that is the scale of his ambition. his message is not necessarily going to concentrate on things that people actually voted out on may second, not issues directly related to the functions of the local authorities, but on some of the big national issues like the state of the health service, the state of the ambulance services as well, sewage, pollution.

he will be saying that these council elections should be used to send a message to the conservative government. so if people are discontented, the liberal democrats are there to pick up an channel that discontent. i�*m not sure what corny stunt he has ready, that he specialises in those. i think we will get something similar today. but in policy terms, he will focus on issues that resonate notjust at local elections, but nationally. in otherwords, local elections, but nationally. in other words, this is preparation for a general election campaign. find other words, this is preparation for a general election campaign. and do ou think a general election campaign. and do you think all — a general election campaign. and do you think all of _ a general election campaign. and do you think all of the _ a general election campaign. and do you think all of the parties _ a general election campaign. and do you think all of the parties are - you think all of the parties are going to be looking at this through the eyes of a general election, not focusing on what the local elections are about, but national issues? i think it will be a mixture of both. the state of council finances is

quite a big deal. various councils are either on the verge of bankruptcy or have had to hike up council tax and make big savings. so there will be complaints about that. but by and large, this will be a road test for the general election. iain watson at westminster, thank you. we will keep an eye on those pictures in harpenden and we will go back to them as soon as the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey appears. let�*s look at the rest of the day�*s news. the data watchdog is assessing a report staff at the hospital where the princess of wales had surgery tried to view her private health information. the daily mirror claimed staff at the london clinic — which is frequently used by royals — "attempted to access her private medical reports". the information commissioners�* office confirmed it received a "breach report" and is making inquiries. the princess was admitted for abdominal surgery injanuary.

details of her condition have not been disclosed, with royal officials saying she wished for her medical information to remain private. seen out and about at the weekend, the prince and princess of wales visiting their local farm shop in windsor. catherine�*s recovery from abdominal surgery seemingly going well. royal officials have always insisted she wants the precise details of her treatment to remain private. but this morning�*s mirror is reporting claims that while she was at the london clinic, at least one member of staff tried to access her medical notes without permission, allegedly breaching her confidentiality. catherine spent 13 nights at the private hospital injanuary. the data protection watchdog, the information commissioner�*s office, said it had received a report of a breach and was assessing the information. kensington palace said it was a matterfor the london clinic. in a statement, the clinic told the mirror...

the hospital also recently treated king charles for an enlarged prostate. he was there at the same time as catherine. the allegations will come as another blow to the royal family, who are trying to shift the focus away from weeks of online speculation and conspiracy theories about catherine�*s health, during her continued absence from public engagements. not helped by the release of this photograph on mother�*s day, which was withdrawn by international picture agencies because it had been edited. catherine later apologised for any confusion. yesterday, prince william was in sheffield to promote his homelessness project. he spoke about the challenges faced by young families — a subject catherine has also taken an interest in. but this morning, the talk again is of catherine�*s health and her right to privacy.

health minister maria caulfield told lbc radio that claims that hospital staff tried to access the princess of wales�*s private medical records could result in enforcement action. i say this as someone who is still on the nursing register. the rules are very clear for all patients that unless you are looking after that patient or unless they have given their consent to you, you shouldn�*t be looking at patients�* notes. i don�*t particularly want to comment on the princess of wales, but for everyone. . . i was asking what action should be taken, minister. so there are rules in place and the information commissioner can levy fines. there can be prosecutions. your regulator, as a nurse, mine would be the nmc, can take action. but it is a crime, isn�*t it, minister? it is, it absolutely is. so if it is a crime,

the police should look into it? the police, my understanding is that the police have been asked to look at it. whether they take action is a matter for them. but the information commissioner do prosecutions and they can issue fines. the nmc and other health regulators can strike you off the register if the breach is serious enough. there are particularly hefty implications if you are caught looking at notes and medical records you shouldn�*t be looking at. that was the health minister maria caulfield, speaking on lbc radio. let�*s return to events in harpenden in herfordshire, where the liberal democrats are launching their election campaign this morning. we are expecting sir ed davey to be there in the next couple of minutes. you can see that the liberal democrat activists are there with posters, ready to go. we expect sir ed davey to appear shortly. we will return to harpenden the moment that he does. we are going to leave those

pictures while we talk about the rest of the day�*s news. inflation has dropped to its lowest level in over two years according to new figures from the office for national statistics. consumer prices rose by a weaker than expected 3.4% in the year to february. this is a slowing, a 4% increase injanuary. all of this. of the bank of england�*s target, 2%. many economists had predicted the drop and said it would further expectation that the bank of england would cut interest rates later in the year. here is what the chancellor had to say. we are firmly on track to bring inflation down to its target of 2%. this is the lowest headline rate for two and half years. but most encouragingly, food inflation, which was nearly 20% a year ago, is nowjust 5%. what this shows is that the plan to bring inflation down, it was

over 11% when rishi sunak became prime minister, nowjust 3.4%, that plan is working, but we do need to stick to it and see it right the way through. more on that throughout the programme. you can follow more on that story on the bbc news website or the news app. let�*s return to those events in harpenden in hertfordshire. we are shortly expecting the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey to launch their local election campaign. watching with me is our political correspondent iain watson. iain, full view is just political correspondent iain watson. iain, full view isjustjoining us, this is the first of these parties�* launches. all of them will have won over the coming weeks?— launches. all of them will have won over the coming weeks? that's right. all the parties _ over the coming weeks? that's right. all the parties are _ over the coming weeks? that's right. all the parties are in _ over the coming weeks? that's right. all the parties are in contention, - all the parties are in contention, including reform uk. the liberal

democrats are keen to get their retaliation in first, get started. harpenden has had boundary changes for the next general election. there is a new seat, harpenden and berkhamsted. it�*s predicted to be a three—way marginal seat between the conservatives, labour and the liberal democrats. so the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey is staking his claim to that territory. it's staking his claim to that territory. it�*s an area where the liberal democrats have been making inroads into what tended to be conservative held seats and councils. sometime ago, they the way in st albans. last year, they won control of a local councillor in hertfordshire from the conservatives and made big gains in the west of the county. he is saying this is an area which is typical of the area is the liberal democrats will be targeting at this year�*s general election, the so—called blue wall areas which might be becoming

discontented with the conservatives and might be looking for alternatives, but not ready to travel all the way to sir keir starmer�*s party. this particular area voted remain in the brexit referendum, so it might be a happy hunting ground for sir ed davey. iain, you have been to a number of liberal democrat launches stop with sir ed davey, he normally tries some sort of stunt. that looks like an 999 sort of stunt. that looks like an egg timer or something. the liberal democrats do go for showing off sir ed in a way that some of the other politicians don�*t? ed in a way that some of the other politicians don't?— politicians don't? that's right, it tends to be _ politicians don't? that's right, it tends to be tongue _ politicians don't? that's right, it tends to be tongue in _ politicians don't? that's right, it tends to be tongue in cheek. - politicians don't? that's right, it| tends to be tongue in cheek. it's tends to be tongue in cheek. it�*s designed to be memorable. quite often, it descends into a bit of a cringe as well! but sir ed davey doesn�*t seem to mind. he has effectively fired a cannon at the conservatives. he had a conservative cuckoo clock calling time on rishi sunak. and he demolished a blue wall

at the chesham and amersham by—election, the first of a series of successes in by—elections. they built a blue wall inside a village hall and he demolished it. he has also been on various bits of farming equipment for other launches. so i�*m on the edge of my seat, wondering what it will be this time. his tongue will be firmly in his cheek, but it will be designed to tweak the conservative tail and be something along the lines of saying that time is up for the conservative government. local elections on may the 2nd, but sir ed davey is saying that that is when rishi sunak should be calling a general election as well and that he is bottling it if he doesn�*t. we well and that he is bottling it if he doesn't-— well and that he is bottling it if he doesn't. ~ . ., , he doesn't. we have the two big arties, he doesn't. we have the two big parties. who _ he doesn't. we have the two big parties, who obviously - he doesn't. we have the two big parties, who obviously get - he doesn't. we have the two big parties, who obviously get a - he doesn't. we have the two big parties, who obviously get a lot| parties, who obviously get a lot more donations. but the liberal democrats don�*t have as much money, so they go for the stunts and target the seats they think they are going to do well in an particular councils?— to do well in an particular councils? . �* , ., �* councils? that's right. i don't think they — councils? that's right. i don't

think they will _ councils? that's right. i don't think they will waste - councils? that's right. i don't think they will waste their - think they will waste their resources, putting as much elbow grease into campaigns across the country. they will be very targeted. where they have put in a lot of campaign resources and when i pick up campaign resources and when i pick up discontent with the conservatives, that pays off, overturning majorities at by—elections of 20,000. they believe that if they target particularly well, they can do well. that will partly be in the south—east of england and partly more traditional areas where they lost ground after being in coalition with the conservatives in south—west england, but they hope to regain those this time round. i don�*t think they think it is likely that they will go back to the high point of their success under paddy ashdown or charlie kennedy, but they are hoping for a lot of success compared to last time round. the electoral calculus website, which looks at predicted outcomes in new seats, because there have been lots of boundary changes

for this general election, is predicting that the lib dems could end up with around a0 seats rather than the eight they got in 2019. if they can keep the success going that they can keep the success going that they have had in recent by—elections, they may be able to do that. on may second, they will be looking for more liberal that —— liberal democrat councillors and a better share of the vote that they have registered in national opinion polls, and to gain control of some councils which are currently under conservative control, which they think will boost them for what looks like it will be a subsequent general election. rishi sunak has ruled out may the 2nd is a general election date, so this will be the precursor of a general election campaign. iain, thank you. we are waiting for sir ed davey to appear. we will put those pictures on the right hand of your screen while we head to

westminster. let�*s go live to the house of commons, where the bbc director general is speaking to the culture media and sport select committee. mps are questioning the bbc over their work. mps are questioning the bbc over theirwork. let�*s mps are questioning the bbc over their work. let�*s listen to what david jordan lee, the editorial policy chief, is saying.- policy chief, is saying. well, it did ask the — policy chief, is saying. well, it did ask the programme - policy chief, is saying. well, it did ask the programme for - policy chief, is saying. well, it did ask the programme for its| policy chief, is saying. well, it - did ask the programme for its view of this_ did ask the programme for its view of this matter and it was given, so justin's _ of this matter and it was given, so justin's view— of this matter and it was given, so justin's view was represented to the today— justin's view was represented to the today programme. his view was understood and heard. it wasn't that it was— understood and heard. it wasn't that it was not— understood and heard. it wasn't that it was not taken account of, but a different — it was not taken account of, but a different view was reached by the ecu _ different view was reached by the ecu~ |_ different view was reached by the ecu. , , , ., ecu. i get the sensitivities and the desire to report _

ecu. i get the sensitivities and the desire to report it _ ecu. i get the sensitivities and the desire to report it as _ ecu. i get the sensitivities and the desire to report it as calmly - ecu. i get the sensitivities and the desire to report it as calmly as - desire to report it as calmly as possible. there is a full range of views on this committee on the issue. in the case of scarlett blake, who committed a terrible murder of a woman in the torturing of cats and things like that, the initial report described her as a woman when it was revealed that she is a trans woman. is it right that you apologised for that? studio: as ou can you apologised for that? studio: as you can see. — you apologised for that? studio: as you can see. sir— you apologised for that? studio: as you can see, sir ed _ you apologised for that? studio: as you can see, sir ed davey _ you apologised for that? studio: as you can see, sir ed davey is - you can see, sir ed davey is arriving in harpenden, so we are going to leave the bbc discussion that you can continue watching on bbc parliament, and had to that eventin bbc parliament, and had to that event in harpenden, where you can see sir ed davey greeting the campaign staff. let�*s listen in on the sound.

he might have bottled the general election, but time is running out for rishi sunak. cheering. it's it�*s running out! time is running out for rishi sunak. he might have bottled the may election. he might be hoping that time will tell as he squats in downing street for a few

months more, but even the prime minister can�*t deny that voters have lost england the chance to vote in their local elections on may the 2nd. we have been speaking to lifelong conservatives around the country. they are telling us that the conservative party no longer speaks for them. time and time again, this appalling conservative government let people down. the conservatives have plunged the nhs into crisis. vulnerable people are waiting in pain, hours foran ambulance, weeks to see a gp or a dentist, months for urgent cancer treatment. and the conservatives made the cost of living crisis even worse, sending mortgage rates sky—high, hitting families with unfair tax sky—high, hitting families with unfairtax hikes, sky—high, hitting families with unfair tax hikes, leaving out pensioners altogether from their budget this month. and the conservatives have trashed our

precious natural environment. they have allowed water companies to get away scot—free with pumping millions of tonnes of water raw sewage onto our beaches. rishi sunak�*s government is running out of road. people know it�*s time for a change, and people are voting liberal democrat because they know it�*s time for the liberal democrats. cheering. we have been listening. already this year, we have knocked on over $1 million. and you have been telling us that things are not working in our country as they should, well, we are ready to work and to fix those things. you have also been telling us that so many people across our

country are switching to the liberal democrats. people who voted conservative all their lives, so fed up conservative all their lives, so fed up with the conservative government, they are choosing liberal democrats to stand up for them. people who usually vote labour are feeling let down and taken for granted by labour locally and backing liberal democrats to be their local champions. that�*s why we have secured four record—breaking, historic by—election victories in this parliament. it�*s why we secured such fantastic local election results in the last two years. it�*s why i know, when it comes to the local election this may, people will vote for some fantastic local liberal democrat councillors, strong champions who will stand up for their communities, who will work hard all year round and never take people for granted. above all, it�*s

time to get the conservatives out of power. it�*s time to give people a fair deal. cheering. thank you thank you so much for what you are doing day in, day out. do you are doing day in, day out. do you feel the excitement on the doorsteps? i have never known so many conservative swing took. hi, victoria, lovely to have you in harpenden. ladies and gentlemen, the next mp for harpenden. we have to get you elected. and of course, we have the amazing daisy cooper! so many great candidates. in hertfordshire, we are doing such a

fantasticjob. hertfordshire, we are doing such a fantastic job-— fantastic 'ob. studio: so that is sir ed fantasticjob. studio: so that is sir ed davey. — fantasticjob. studio: so that is sir ed davey, the _ fantasticjob. studio: so that is sir ed davey, the liberal- fantastic job. studio: so that is i sir ed davey, the liberal democrat leader, launching the party�*s local election campaign. of course, the local elections in england are on may the 2nd. he unveiled a giant egg timer with the message" time is running out, rishi!". the greensand took a little longer than they were expecting, but sir ed used his speech to target the prime minister rishi sunak. he said mr sunak may have bottled the may election, but that he can�*t stop voters casting their vote in the local elections. that was of course a reference to the fact that last week, the prime minister ruled out having a general election on may the 2nd, the same day as the local elections. we don�*t know when the general election will be. we expect it to come this year. at the latest, it can be called in

january, but most people expect it to be this year. but the prime minister ruled out may the 2nd. you can see sir ed talking to people and lining up to talk to broadcasters. he said the conservatives had plunged the health service into crisis. he also said that people who had voted conservative all their life were now voting liberal democrat and that it was time to get the conservatives out of power and time to give people a fair deal. so thatis time to give people a fair deal. so that is the liberal democrat leader sir ed davey in harpenden in hertfordshire, launching their local election campaign. we will have more reaction to that later. you�*re watching bbc news. a reminder that you can get more on the election

campaign on the bbc news website or app. you can type in your postcode and check whether the areas you live, if you�*re in england, are going to vote. we also have the london mayor election also on may two. if you head to the bbc news website or app, there is a of election about the local elections and the mayoral election is notjust in london, but the rest of the country. we will be back to get more reaction to that liberal democrat launch later. now i want to turn abroad and to sudan. only now to sudan, with only a conflict described as the war the world forgot. civilians caught up in the country�*s civil war have given graphic accounts to the bbc of rape, ethnic violence and street executions. top united nations officials have said the war has plunged the country into "one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history"

and could trigger the world�*s largest hunger crisis. sudan — a predominantly muslim country — is situated in northeast africa. it is one of the continent�*s largest nations, but also one of the poorest — with a6 million people living on an average annual income of $750. the fighting erupted in the capital khartoum in mid—april last year — after two men, who once took control of the country in a power sharing agreement, fell out. general abdel—fattah al—burhan, the commander of the sudanese armed forces, is at odds with the head of the powerful paramilitary group rsf, general mohammed hamdan dagalo. within sudan, also lies another humanitarian crisis. in the western region of darfur, where black african and arab communities have long been at loggerheads, witnesses accused the rsf of targeting and killing non—arabs, resulting in reports of hundreds of deaths.

the rsf has repeatedly denied any involvement