And their gps after they became lost in a new Computer System. More questions and growing uncertainty this morning over the future of the h52 high speed rail line. As costs spiral we hear from those along the route about the possible impact. The actor David Mccallum who played a russian spy in The Man From Uncle has died at the age of 90. Good morning. Europes best golfers touch down in rome as they prepare to avenge that humiliating defeat in wisconsin two years ago against the United States in the ryder cup, this time on home soil. Good morning. Rain and showers of rain and showers pushing north east through the day but also sunny spells developing, Tomorrow Storm Agnes makes it impact felt with strong winds and heavy rain. All of the details later in the programme. Good money, are you sitting comfortably . We are in abergavenny for a Special Edition of Bbc Breakfast because we are talking about 500 words this morning. If you have a primary age child in your house or a grandchild, or you are a teacher, they might be entering this competition. Over the last ten years or so, competition. Over the last ten years orso, more competition. Over the last ten years or so, more than a million kids across the uk have entered, that is in effect 500 Million Words that have been entered. We are expecting an awful lot of entries this time. We will bejoined an awful lot of entries this time. We will be joined on the sofa by two judges, Charlie Hickson and Frank Cottrell boyce, some Award Winning illustrators will be here, trying to inspire us and the children who will be arriving soon, and we will be talking about the grand final with the szijj from her majesty queen camilla, and sit down with sir lenny henry, and hacker will be here as well, hackerthe henry, and hacker will be here as well, hacker the dog the Calm Before The Storm well, hacker the dog the Calm Before The Storm watch out for hacker good morning, here are this mornings main news stories. An investigation has been launched by the metropolitan police after they received a number of new allegations of Sexual Offences, following recent claims against Russell Brand. The comedian has denied claims of rape and sexual assault, made against him by four women in an investigation by channel four� s Dispatches Programme and the sunday times. Our media editor Katie Razzall reports. I believe this is about freedom. I believe this is about real democracy. Because for there to be real democracy, there has to be dissent. Back streaming on the video sharing platform rumble, where he has 1. 6 million followers, and Russell Brand was on the attack. We are going to be talking about the state and the legacy medias war on free speech, and in particular how that has affected me this week. Less than half an hour before his show streamed, the metropolitan police announced its central Specialist Crime command team is now investigating a number of allegations of non recent Sexual Offences committed in london and elsewhere in the uk. The senior investigating officer said, we continue to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence, no matter how long ago it was, to contact us. We understand it can feel like a difficult step to take, and i want to reassure that we have a team of specialist officers available to advise and support. The Police Statement didnt name Russell Brand, but it did refer to this investigation by channel 4, the times and the sunday times, and made public two weekends ago. Four women made the original claims of rape and sexual assault, which they allege took place in the us and the uk. The day before the programme was broadcast, the comedian and presenter strongly denied any wrongdoing. I dont mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous, consensual conduct in the past. What i seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. The fallout financially has been swift. Content creators earn money from streaming services when they attract advertising. Youtube has barred brand from monetising his Video Content since the allegations surfaced. Rumble prides itself on standing up to cancel culture. Its accused the Uk Parliament of what it called a deeply inappropriate demand, after the chair of the culture, media and Sport Committee wrote to its ceo asking whether his site planned to follow youtube and suspend brands ability to earn money from his content. Since the story broke, the number of people following Russell Brand on social media and subscribing to his channels has increased by several hundred thousand. Katie razzall, bbc news. Thousands of letters from senior doctors to patients and their gps have been lost because of a Computer Error at a Hospital Trust in newcastle. The Health Regulator has demanded assurances that no one has had their treatment delayed as a result. Our Health CorrespondentSharon Barbour reports. In a letter seen by the bbc, Newcastle Hospitals has told senior doctors that the cqc has issued an urgent warning about the potential harm to patients. The unsent letters date back five years to 2018 when a new Computer System was introduced. It channelled consultants� letters into a folder to be signed off before they were sent out. A review of all the trusts consultants has revealed that most have unsent letters going back several years in their e record account. Many are Discharge Summaries which explain what care the patient was given in hospital and what medications the patient needs to now take. But there are also a significant number of unsent letters from specialist clinics, which may spell out that urgent treatment is needed. Letters that are all vital for a patient� s continuing care. Its very important because, one, we will have the results of the investigations. Thats very significant. And also, frequently there are tests which have been undertaken, blood tests and scans and so forth. So its very important that we know the result of that. And also, once patient has been to the outpatients, medication, tablets, what is going to be prescribed in the future for the patient . Weve got to know that. So there is an incredible amount of information within the letter. An action plan now sent to the cqc says the trust will immediately deal with a 6,000 letter backlog from the last year alone. More than 1,200 of those letters relate to medicine and emergency care. Consultants have also been asked to record incidents of patient harm as a result of the backlog. In a statement, Newcastle Hospitals told us. It says a review is already under way and will be completed as quickly as possible. The cqc says after receiving concerns from staff, they took immediate action to understand the extent to which people may be at risk and evidence of the steps being taken to review the impact on patients. The cqc adds that if anyone has any concerns, they can let them know directly. Sharon barbour, bbc news. School support staff will begin a three day strike in parts of scotland this morning. Thousands of pupils will be affected as Unison Members at 2a of scotlands 32 Councils Stage industrial action in a row over pay. The local Authority Board said the lowest paid would get Rage Increase of £2000. Lowest paid would get Rage Increase of £2000. Wage increase. The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, will today call for major changes to International Rules on refugees and Asylum Seekers. In a speech in washington, she is expected to say that the United NationsRefugee Convention is no longer fit for the modern age. Our chief Political Correspondent, Henry Zeffmanjoins us now from westminster. Morning, henry. What more exactly can we expect to hear from the Home Secretary today . These words we are hearing in the papers this morning are quite striking. Trier . Hearing in the papers this morning are quite striking. Are quite striking. Very striking indeed. Suella are quite striking. Very striking indeed. Suella braverman, are quite striking. Very striking indeed. Suella braverman, the| are quite striking. Very striking indeed. Suella braverman, the Home Secretary, is in washington, but she will be talking about the issues of illegal immigration and Asylum Seekers in the uk because she will say that he thinks the problem, as she sees it, it has been exacerbated, has been made worse, by the way that the long Standing International refugee rules have been interpreted. She will be talking about a 1951 un un Refugee Convention. 1951 was signed in the wake of the Second World War. Suella braverman Will Question whether the world then in the world now are so different that those rules need re examining. At the heart of the rule, the principal at the heart of the rule as it stands is that nobody should be returned to a country where they may come to harm. But Suella Braverman will suggest that the courts have moved from a system of ensuring that people do not face persecution to a system where they do not face the risk of discrimination, and she says that means too many people might be able to be resettled. Labour say Suella Braverman is grandstanding abroad in their words, braverman is grandstanding abroad in theirwords, having braverman is grandstanding abroad in their words, having failed to fix their words, having failed to fix the asylum chaos as they see it at home. I think Suella Bravermanjust wants to start the conversation about whether the rules might need changing. About whether the rules might need chanauin. ,. , changing. Give very much, henry. Thank yom the Liberal Democrats are wrapping up their Party Conference in bournemouth later today, where the Party Leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to accuse the government of breaking promises on the nhs. Our Political Correspondent helen catt is there for us this morning. Helen, do we know what ed davey might be expected to say . When helen, do we know what ed davey might be expected to say . Might be expected to say . When i soke to might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir ed might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir ed davey might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir ed davey at might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir ed davey at the might be expected to say . When i spoke to sir ed davey at the very l spoke to sir ed davey at the very beginning this conference a few days ago, he was absolutely clear that this was about firing the starting gun as he put it for the General Election for his party. They have put themselves in the best possible position to try to win over conservative voters at the next General Election, they have been Crystal Clear that that is primarily who they are targeting. What we are expecting to hear from who they are targeting. What we are expecting to hearfrom sir who they are targeting. What we are expecting to hear from sir ed who they are targeting. What we are expecting to hearfrom sir ed davey later is a continuation of that theme, he is going to rally his party, call on them to bring the blue wall as they describe the conservative held seats they are targeting, tumbling down. And he has set out the ground on which they are going to do it, health care is the key policy they are going to fight the next election on. Sir ed davey will draw an explicit link between Health System and the economy, saying you cannot grow the economy while you have got millions of people on Waiting Lists or out of the economy due to ill physical and mental health. He will criticise the tory� s handling of the nhs and today the lib dems will put health as a key part of the economic plan or as he is going to put it, the lib dems will fix the economy with care. Thank you very much. The actor David Mccallum has died at the age of 90. His 60 year career began in radio and featured roles in films such as the great escape. But its for the tv spy drama The Man From Uncle that hell be best remembered, as our Arts CorrespondentDavid Sillito reports. Uncle is an organisation consisting of agents of all nationalities. Its involved in maintaining political and legal order anywhere in the world. For a certain generation, David Mccallum was and always will be Illya Kuryakin from The Man From Uncle. Like my friend napoleon, i go and i do whatever i am told to. Quiet, enigmatic, good looking. Just a wave and a rare smile were enough for the hundreds of teenage fans who found david irresistible. The fan worship was rather overwhelming for an actor who was himself quiet, thoughtful and serious. The background that i had made me very reticent. Very, very scots. I think this is where the word dour comes from, that youre not. You dont show emotion. Its a very inhibiting thing. 50 years later, he was once again back in prime time as dr Donald Ducky Mallard in ncis. Our victim succumbed to a cerebral embolism here in the parietal lobe. If you wanted someone who looked as though they could solve fiendishly complicated mysteries, he was your man. And he loved doing the research to make it look convincing. Clots will develop over a period of minutes or hours. See you in piccadilly. Scots bar. His first taste of Big Screen Success had been the great escape, but his Acting Career had begun back in the forties in bbc radio plays. Thank you. Good luck. Right. The child of musicians, he was born in glasgow and his family then moved to london. He left for america because he felt britain was becoming worryingly left wing. However, it didnt stop him returning to work here. They were recaptured and the architect was shot. Colditz. So were very near. Not till weve done what we have to. And then sapphire and steel. Take it downstairs and burn it. However, it wasnt a patch on The Man From Uncle. David mccallum. He wrote, he composed music and he knew a great deal about forensic science. But above all, he was, in the cold war, the wests favourite russian agent. David mccallum, who has died at the age of 90. You might have noticed i am on my own in the studio this morning, jon is launching the 500 words competition which you will know is the brilliant childrens Writing Competition, he is in wales at a Primary School but im not really alone because carroll is here good morning really alone because carroll is here good morning really alone because carroll is here good mornina . ,. , here good morning good morning to be here with here good morning good morning to be here with you here good morning good morning to be here with you this here good morning good morning to be here with you this morning be here with you this morning although obviously we missjon. I had to say that, but i mean it good morning. Not at cold start to the day, it will be quite wet for the South Of England and the north of ireland where rain is coming in. That rain is going to be pushing north east through the course of the day and many of us will see some sunny spells develop. Some of the rain moving north east across england and wales will be thundery, we have got a band of rain coming in from Northern Ireland which will be pushing north and east as well. Some of that will be heavy and thundery. Behind that we are seeing a return to sunshine and showers. A breezy day in prospect with