Good afternoon. There are warnings of extreme disruption in hospitals in england this week. This morning, Junior Doctors and consultants walked out on strike for three days, bringing non Emergency Care to a near standstill. The doctors and consultants want above inflation wage rises. The government says its made fair and final pay offers. Our Health CorrespondentSophie Hutchinson reports. Whose nhs . Our nhs. Picket lines of medics in what whose nhs . Our nhs. Picket lines of medics in what is whose nhs . Our nhs. Picket lines of medics in what is the whose nhs . Our nhs. Picket lines of medics in what is the most medics in what is the most significant strike to hit the nhs in england. Forthe significant strike to hit the nhs in england. For the next few days hospitals will survive on minimum coverfrom hospitals will survive on minimum cover from consultants and Junior Doctors. Only Emergency Care will be provided and with almost 8 million patients already on waiting lists, the situation for them will only get worse. I the situation for them will only get worse. , the situation for them will only get worse. ,. , worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes it worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes it is worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes it is worse worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes it is worse than i worse. I am used to the pain, sometimes it is worse than others. Miss mitchell knows how frustrating it is to have an appointment council. She has way to two years for a Shoulder Replacement and had surgery delayed for a doctors strike. It surgery delayed for a doctors strike. , , surgery delayed for a doctors strike. , ,. , strike. It is depressing, it affects eve art strike. It is depressing, it affects every part of strike. It is depressing, it affects every part of your strike. It is depressing, it affects every part of your life strike. It is depressing, it affects every part of your life because i strike. It is depressing, it affects l every part of your life because you are in pain and you cant sleep properly and you dont know what is coming up and also it is on your mind. Ijust want to get it out of the way and start to get back to some kind of normal life. In the way and start to get back to some kind of normal life. In past decades seems some kind of normal life. In past decades seems like some kind of normal life. In past decades seems like this some kind of normal life. In past decades seems like this with some kind of normal life. In past decades seems like this with doctors at all levels walking out of hospitals in protest would have been almost unimaginable. There have been past disputes between the government and doctors but nothing on this scale. And it is hard to see how the two site can resolve it. They havent spoken in more than 100 days and neither are set to back down. How long this goes on for is up to the government. We are open to be negotiated with and we have already had constructive conversations but the government needs to go further if they want the consultants and Junior Doctors to go back to work. The office they have made are not very good and they need to restore our pay back to 2008. It has fallen by a third since then. The government by a third since then. The government says by a third since then. The government says this by a third since then. The government says this years rises of 6 for consultants and almost 9 for Junior Doctors are fair and final and it is not prepared to go back to the negotiating table. While the two size persist in their dispute, over the next few days patients will face extreme disruption according to the nhs and the only certainty seems to be that more strikes will follow. Sophie is here now. The doctors and the government have been at loggerheads over pay for months, and now this 72 hour strike in the week of the Tory Party Conference . Yes, well, iam yes, well, i am sure many will see the staging of this historic strike by doctors as deliberate in the week of the conservative Party Conference. It certainly sends a clear message to governments that doctors are not afraid to press on with this industrial action unless they get the deal they are looking for. And the escalation in this dispute that we have seen in england risks spreading to other parts of the united kingdom. In Wales Consultants and Junior Doctors have been balloted for Strike Action and the same is taking place now in Northern Ireland. We heard from the bma there today. Potentially governments everywhere apart from in scotland could face real pressure from doctors to improve doctors pat from doctors to improve doctors pay. It comes at a time when the nhs can ill afford Strike Action and this dispute. It cost them a lot of money on strike days, there are eye watering amounts of money some time spent on covering doctors shifts and also getting to the backlog will become harder and harder. Sophie, many thanks become harder and harder. Sophie, many thanks indeed. Sophie, many thanks indeed. Water Companies Want to put up average bills by more than £150 a year by the end of the decade, to pay for new infrastructure. They say it would allow them to almost double investment to £96 billion, including ten new reservoirs and a modernised sewage system. If the regulator ofwat approves the plans, the average annual bill would go up by £81; in 2025, rising gradually each year to £156 extra by 2030. Our environment correspondent, jonah fisher, is in cardiff. Jonah. In the past these Price Reviews have always been about cutting costs and in practice sometimes cutting Customer Bills as well. Things are very different now. The dumping of sewage into our rivers and seas has become a hot political issue and warmer, driersummers become a hot political issue and warmer, drier summers has made it harderfor warmer, drier summers has made it harder for our Water Companies to maintain supplies. These are not easy or cheap problems to fix. As can be seen by the sheer scale of the proposals being put forward by the proposals being put forward by the Water Companies today. We will run out of water, not within the next 50 years, but within the next five to ten if we do nothing. East anglia is the driest part of the uk, and making sure theres enough water for everyone is a recurring headache for the local water company. Climate change is the biggest challenge we face as a company. This is part of the solution. A huge Pipeline Project costing more than £500 million. It will transport water from the wettest to the driest areas and eventually stretch more than 180 miles. Its taking water from north lincolnshire, where we know we have more rain, bringing it down to norfolk, suffolk and essex, where we have a lot less. East anglias pipeline is one example of the massive investment which the Water Companies say is needed. They want to build new reservoirs, Fix Leaking Pipes and reduce the amount of raw sewage being spilled. Today the Water Companies have submitted to the regulator, ofwat, their wish lists, what they want to spend between 2025 and 2030. And its a huge number, nearly £100 billion. Thats almost twice as much as in the previous five year period. And the cost of all that is ultimately going to fall on customers. It is estimated that by 2030, bills will rise on average by about £156. It will now be up to the regulator to dig into the details and decide if the plans are in the best interest of customers. We will be challenging and scrutinising Company Plans to make sure their costs are efficient, and to ensure that they are good value for money and that companies are able to deliver on their promises to clean up rivers and seas. Its got into a dreadful state. Peter says his river in kings lynn used to be crystal clear, so how does he feel about higher bills if it means a cleaner river . Im not personally inclined to pay any more. Theyve had tens of billions of pounds of our money over the last 30 years, since they were privatised, so i would suggest that they start getting some money back from their australian Pension Funds and their other investors that theyve paid out enormous dividends to before they start asking customers to pay more. Do you accept that Water Companies have in the past got it wrong, that profit has been put ahead of stopping pollution . I think that Water Companies have got work to do on Building Trust with customers again, but hopefully seeing schemes like this today shows that we have the environment and looking after our customers at the heart of what we do. A final decision on which projects go ahead, and how much bills will rise, will be taken late next year. Jonah fisher, bbc news. The chancellor, jeremy hunt, will confirm a rise in the National Living wage when he addresses the conservative Party Conference this afternoon. It would increase the hourly minimum pay for workers over 23, to at least £11 an hourfrom april. Mr hunt will also say he wants tougher sanctions for people on benefits who dont take steps to find work. Our Political CorrespondentDamian Grammaticas reports from manchester. A conservative Chancellor Striding into a conservative conference. This should be the most welcoming of territory. Jeremy hunt and rishi sunak are facing Friendly Fire today. On every appearance and interview one subject, tax. It has risen to the highest levels on record on their watch and they are under pressure to say whether they will cut it before the next election. I will cut it before the next election will cut it before the next election. , � ~. ,. , election. I dont know what will ha en election. I dont know what will happen in election. I dont know what will happen in the election. I dont know what will happen in the spring election. I dont know what will happen in the spring or election. I dont know what will happen in the spring or later i election. I dont know what will| happen in the spring or later on next year, but if you are asking me do i want to bring down the tax burden . The answer is absolutely yes. What i cant say is when i will be able to do that. I think people will be able to understand there are no short cuts to these things. We want to make sure that the nhs has money and that schools are properly supported. We what fantastic Public Services and we need to grow the economy, be more efficient in the way we spend money, then we can start to bring down taxes. find way we spend money, then we can start to bring down taxes. Start to bring down taxes. And this blast from the start to bring down taxes. And this Blast From The Past start to bring down taxes. And this Blast From The Past is start to bring down taxes. And this Blast From The Past is what start to bring down taxes. And this Blast From The Past is what is Blast From The Past is what is fuelling the debate. Somebody had been calling it brass neck. Here to Sayjeremy Hunt and rishi sunak are getting it wrong is liz truss. Share getting it wrong is liz truss. Are ou ust getting it wrong is liz truss. Are you just causing trouble . Getting it wrong is liz truss. Are i you just causing trouble . Speaking you ust causing trouble . Speaking out you just causing trouble . Speaking out even after you just causing trouble . Speaking out even after her you just causing trouble . Speaking out even after her tax you just causing trouble . Speaking out even after her tax plans out even after her tax plans imploded her own premiership. I am imploded her own premiership. I am callin imploded her own premiership. I am calling upon imploded her own premiership. I am calling upon the imploded her own premiership. I n calling upon the chancellor at the Autumn Statement to put Corporation Tax back down to 19 . Frankly, if we can get it lower, the better. Mani; can get it lower, the better. Many tories do believe can get it lower, the better. Many tories do believe taxes can get it lower, the better. Many tories do believe taxes are can get it lower, the better. Many tories do believe taxes are too i tories do believe taxes are too high. The economic reality next year it may be that there really is not much scope for major cuts. If it may be that there really is not much scope for major cuts. Much scope for maor cuts. If you have not much scope for major cuts. If you have got significant much scope for major cuts. If you have got significant tax much scope for major cuts. If you have got significant tax cuts much scope for major cuts. If you have got significant tax cuts you | have got significant tax cuts you need to align that with some pretty difficult Spending Cuts as well. That is really hard given where we are, given how much we are spending on health and pension and interest and so on. The on health and pension and interest and so on. ,. , and so on. The issue for the conservative and so on. The issue for the conservative party and so on. The issue for the conservative party is and so on. The issue for the conservative party is how i and so on. The issue for the L Conservative Party is how will and so on. The issue for the conservative party is how will this favourite people beyond this conference . Will rishi sunak and jeremy hunt be able to win the votes they desperately need . Or will people see a party that is still focused on arguing with itself . Later it was full safety gear for the chancellor, not because of Criticism Swirling around him, but because while he waits to make tax cuts he wants to see more people in work so the living wage is going to go work so the living wage is going to 9 up, work so the living wage is going to go up, but at the same time there will be a tightening of rules around benefits to try to get the long term unemployed back intojobs. Damian grammaticas, bbc news, manchester. Our Political Correspondent, nick eardley, is in manchester. Lets look at the bigger picture, with an election expected sometime next year, how important do you think this Party Conference is for the conservatives . Think this Party Conference is for the conservatives . There is no doubt it is crucial the conservatives . There is no doubt it is crucial l the conservatives . There is no doubt it is crucial. I think the conservatives . There is no doubt it is crucial. I think with the conservatives . There is no doubt it is crucial. I think with this it is crucial. I think with this conference and labour� s next week you are going to see the two main parties are starting to see the long race towards a general election next year. It is even more important for the conservatives because rishi sunak has made it clear that over the next few days he wants to persuade all of us he has big ideas to change the country. We had the rishi sunak who pitched himself as the man who would stabilise the economy and he has now got to sell himself to voters as a man who has big ideas, but policies and big pledges. I have got to say, chatting to Tory Activists and politicians over the past couple of days i think there is a bit of a sense of this conference has got off pretty slowly. If that race has begun, rishi sunak is not out of the traps yet. Although we have heard some policy that you heard reflected in the peace and no doubt we will hear a bit more from the chancellor this afternoon, there has not really been afternoon, there has not really been a big bang moment yet and a lot of attention so far has been on quite familiar debates within the conservative party, such as the one on tax. It might seem a bit surprising to some people that liz truss is still getting so much attention, given that when she got a chance to sit in number ten it didnt and particularly well. But it is a reminder that there are a lot of people in the conservative party who agree with and embrace her ideas. Rishi sunak now has to try and grab some of the momentum and some of the initiative back and start setting out his alternative. Nick, thank you very much. There are plans for a blanket ban on pupils using Mobile Phones in schools in england. The government is expected to issue guidance to headteachers saying mobile devices should not be used during the school day. The education secretary, Gillian Keegan, is said to think mobiles distract children and cause bad behaviour. Our education reporter Vanessa Clarke is in salford. Whats the reaction to this so far . Well, what i have heard a lot of this morning is this is the first time we have heard of this, so successive Education Ministers have mentioned a ban on Mobile Phones in schools. At the moment all schools have their own policies, so some may already have this in place, others may only allow students to use their phonein