the figure — which tells us the rate at which prices are rising — hit the bank of england's target of 2% in may, coming down from 2.3% in april. our chief economics correspondent dharshini david reports. gary in sussex used to have seven butchers shops. he now has four. forced to make cuts as he's been caught between soaring costs over the last few years and customers with lean budgets looking for value. but things are easing. the price is probably 10—15% more than they were at the beginning of covid, but the actual price of the product is pretty much stationary now. well, we hope it's stationary. it would be nice if it would come down, but i can't see that, not in the foreseeable future anyway. it's global food and energy costs, which triggered the rise in inflation to 11% in 2022, which have also helped it fall to the 2% target, along with the rate rises over the last couple of years. as you may have noticed, the prices of goods are rising more slowly as the impact of the war in ukraine wears off, and that's brought down total inflation. but some fear that could rebound a bit in the coming months because the prices of services — for example, hotel stays, cafe bills and travel fares — are still rising more quickly as those businesses pass on higher bills. and over at the bank of england, interest rate setters have to be sure inflation will stay down further out before they start cutting rates, so the cost of borrowing may not fall for several months. in wolverhampton, they are weighing up the last major economic figures before the election, including this local business organisation. they are looking to put more money back into their businesses, they are looking to train staff, they are looking to look at new machinery or equipment, and a couple of our businesses have actually said that they are looking to grow more profitable more in the next 12 months, so there does seem to be green shoots. others in the market are less sure. this red fish, i used to buy £17 for a box, now it's £90 a box. serious. and we can't really put the price up to the customers. they won't buy it. i think everybody is really still feeling the pressures of the cost of living. you know, you don't really see that in your wage packet - or anything like that. there's no real difference at all, to be honest with you. - and it's whether people across the country feel the latest turn in economy is bearing fruit that may seal the date turn in economy is bearing fruit that may seal the fate of this election. dharshini david, bbc news. today's inflation figure is the last big piece of economic data to be released before the general election in two weeks' time. the prime minister rishi sunak called it proof that his plan for the economy was working but labour said most people remain worse off after 1a years of conservative rule. 0ur political correspondent ione wells has the details. finally, a reason to smile for the prime minister. strolling around a nuclear power station today, he hopes the news of inflation coming down might trigger a positive reaction... ..and give him a reason to argue to voters, just hang on with us a bit longer. this is a very positive step, shows that the plan we put in place is working. inflation back to target. it was 11% when i became prime minister. i said it was a priority to bring it down, so that people can start now to feel an ease in the cost pressures that they have seen. it is because that plan has worked we have been able to start cutting people's taxes. but inflation coming down doesn't mean the weekly shop at supermarkets like this is too. that is labour's message today. it is back where it was three years ago. but that doesn't mean prices are coming down, it doesn't mean mortgages are coming down. if there is one thing that has been picked up on this campaign trail over and again, it is people being fed up with the government sort of saying, "you need to thank us now, we are turning a page, everything is fine." we need labour to address the economy... what is that? a reminder some people want labour to be bolder with its spending plans. something they are cautious about doing, not wanting debt or inflation to rise again. in fact, all opposition parties are keen to sound not too optimistic today. prices still being high is a message you will hear again and again. people are still feeling incredibly stretched. bills are very, very high, mortgage rates are higher. people are really struggling with the cost—of—living crisis, which is of the conservatives own making. it is cold, cold comfort to those families who have suffered two years of double—digit inflation. remember, 2% doesn't mean prices are coming down, it simply means they're not rising quite so quickly. people are still struggling. words of caution from their critics but this is a nugget of good news for the conservatives in a difficult campaign. what is not clear is whether it is enough to turn things around for them. why does this all really matter? when i have been speaking to both strategist from labour and the conservatives over the last couple of years, really, there is one thing they all agree on, which is that generally speaking people tend to vote with what is in their wallet, how well off or not they feel, who they blame or credit for that. of course, there are exceptions. 2019 we saw brexit be a big theme of the election. there are some big flagship policies like the conservatives are�* rwanda plan, but generally speaking the economy is front and centre for people. that poses challenges and opportunities for both major parties. the conservatives want to argue that things are turning a corner and people should stick with him, but they are grappling with the fact that many voters might blame them for how they feel financially at the moment. labour want to argue that a vote for them is a vote for change and to grow the economy, but they also face a challenge which any future government is going to face in the next couple of years, which is that spending cuts are baked and at the moment to government budgets, tax rises are also baked and at the moment, with both parties saying they would continue to freeze tax thresholds. both of these things mean it is likely it could still be quite some time before a lotta people start to feel better. thank you. the snp leaderjohn swinney has launched his party's election manifesto in edinburgh. he called on the next westminster government to increase nhs england spending by at least £10 billion per year — which, in turn, would generate an extra £1 billion for nhs scotland. 0ur scotland correspondent lorna gordon was at the launch and joins us now. lorna, reversing public spending cuts was the theme of this launch. it was one of the themes, certainly, but front and centre of this manifesto was independence. the nine words on page one spell it out, "vote snp for scotland to become an independent country." the manifesto pledge is that if the snp win a majority of seats in the general election, it would trigger immediate negotiations with the uk government. the leader of the snpjohn swinney wouldn't be drawn on what would happen if they did not win a majority. that magic number is 29. the other big unanswered question is what would happen if the uk government did not engage with those demands. another key focus in the manifesto was the nhs and calls for investment, which would mount up to £1.6 billion in scotland from whoever forms the next government at westminster. it also stated that the snp was the only major party arguing for an end to spending cuts. john swinney urged voters to be careful what they wished for, arguing that both the conservatives and labour had a cosy consensus on billions of pounds of cuts the snp say are coming down the line. he said that the snp are the only party presenting a centre—left manifesto in this campaign. our values, scotland's choices. elected government, not ermine—clad cronies. lift the two—child cap not the cap on bankers' bonuses. bairns not bombs and investment not cuts. i believe those choices represent the values that most of us share. they are scotland's values. a vote for the snp, a vote for this manifesto is a vote for those values for scotland. well, the polling would suggest that support for independence is at the moment higher than support for the snp. john swinney argued that he wants those who support independence to come back out and vote for them. he admitted that his party has had tough times at the moment, but he said he was addressing that and he said he was addressing that and he said the snp was the only party standing upfor said the snp was the only party standing up for scotland.- said the snp was the only party standing up for scotland. thank you, lorna. later in the programme, the bbc verify team will be looking into some of those snp manifesto pledges, and seeing whether the figures stack up. the workers party of britain has also presented its manifesto today. party leader george galloway described it as a "bold and comprehensive plan to redistribute wealth and power". he was the party's one mp in the last parliament, after winning the rochdale by—election in february. the party is fielding more than 150 candidates in this campaign. there is a very real danger of nigel farage running away with this election because of the deliberate vacuity, i am not accusing either sunak or starmer of being stupid, the deliberate and contrived vacuity, emptiness of their leadership and their programmes. the third manifesto being launched today is sinn fein�*s. in the past two years, it's won the most seats in northern ireland's devolved government and on local councils there. the party will be defending seven constituencies, but its mps don't take their seats at westminster. the deadline if you want to apply for a postal vote in england, scotland and wales is 5 o'clock today. applications can be made online at gov.uk. the deadline in northern ireland has already passed. the jury has been discharged in the trial of constance marten and mark gordon, who were accused of the manslaughter of their newborn baby. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford joins us from the old bailey. daniel, what more can you tell us? it was in january last year that the case of constance martin and mark gordon gripped the public imagination. there was a nationwide police manhunt for them and their newborn baby. they were found at the end of february last year in brighton, and on the 1st of march the body of their newborn baby victoria was found in a shopping bag in a shed in an allotment in brighton. they were charged with gross negligence manslaughter. the trial began on the 25th of january this year, but it has been subject to numerous delays. it was originally supposed to end in march, and it wasn't until the 30th of april that the jury were asked to retire to consider their verdicts. there have been numerous delays since then. they have sat for about 72 hours and 33 minutes. this morning they sent a note to the judge saying they were unable to reach a verdict on the charge of manslaughter, so they were called back into court. the clerk asked them if they had reached a majority verdict on manslaughter, they said they had not, thejudge has now discharged the jury from this case, so they will no longer spend any more time considering their verdict and it will be up to the prosecution to decide whether or not this case goes to a retrial. a case that has gripped the public�*s imagination but still hasn't reached any kind of conclusion.— protestors from the campaign groupjust stop 0il have sprayed an orange substance on stonehenge. two people attacked the ancient monumentjust a day before the summer solstice, when crowds traditionally gather to watch the sunrise on the longest day of the year. the group protests against the use of fossil fuels. the russian president vladimir putin and the north korean leader kimjong un have signed a deal promising to help each other in the event of aggression against either country. president putin is on his first state visit to pyongyang in more than 20 years, and was given a grand ceremonial welcome in the north korean capital. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. north korea, a country that doesn't get many stately visitors, put on a show worthy of a rare visit by an important ally. pyongyang's kim il sung square was buzzing with crowds, colour and choreography as the two globally isolated leaders revelled in each other�*s company and this renaissance in the relationship. translation: we very much appreciate your consistent - and permanent support of the russian policy, including in the ukrainian issue. translation: the government - of the democratic people's republic of korea evaluates the important mission and role played by the powerful russian federation in maintaining the strategic stability and balance of the world. since his war in ukraine began, vladimir putin and kimjong—un have grown ever closer. today, they've signed a defence agreement that calls for mutual assistance in the events of aggression against one of the participants. a pact reminiscent of the soviet era style friendship treaty between the two countries. this move will no doubt deepen washington's anxiety. but high on vladimir putin's priority list is his need for more weapons as the war in ukraine continues. russia is desperate to replenish its depleting stockpile, and north korea can provide that. according to the us and south korea, it's already been doing so. both washington and seoul have accused pyongyang of supplying dozens of ballistic missiles and thousands of containers of munitions to russia for use on the battlefield. moscow and pyongyang have denied any arms transfers. kimjong—un has his own urgent shopping list. his country, which has been heavily sanctioned for years, is struggling and needs money, fuel, food and other forms of aid. the north korean leader has his own ambitions of an expanding nuclear arsenal and spy satellite technology — something russia can help with. these two strongmen have been pressured by the west and shunned by the world, and there are limits to what their pariah states can realistically offer each other, but for them this deepening alliance means they haven't yet run out of options. this deepening alliance has been described by kim jong—un and as another level of alliance. while the agreement is worthy of note, when they has said are significant. kin cheung and told north korea would respond without hesitation or wavering to any incidents or walls facing his country all russia. vladimir putin is cited by russian news agencies as saying that peon yang had the right to defend itself, adding that pyongyang or north korea may be used full cooperation with russia militarily. that raises a lot of worries here in seoul or the united states, whether north korea could be used by russia in the general conflict with ukraine. also whether russia which has veto power is in the un security council can help alleviate sanctions on north korea. this alliance is growing deeper and with it deep in the worries of the united states and its allies in the region. the time is 1:17pm. our top story this afternoon. uk inflation slows to 2%, hitting the bank of england's target rate for the first time in three years. and a warning from climate scientists as extreme heat hit parts of the us, canada, greece and india. coming up on bbc news: 0lympic triathlon gold medallist georgia taylor—brown has proved her fitness in time for paris as she gets named for team gb. after nine months of war in gaza, the huge piles of rubbish that are building up — and can't be disposed of — are creating a new threat to people's health. humanitarian agencies say there are now 330,000 tons of discarded waste, and many displaced families are living right next to the tips. 0ur middle east correspondent yolande knell reports. this is wartorn gaza's new landscape. mountains of rubbish. they've built up as basic services have collapsed. and, for some, among the hundreds of thousands of people newly displaced by fighting in the south, like asmahan al—musri, this wasteland is now home. translation: we've never lived next to rubbish. - i cryjust like any other grandmother would over her grandchildren being sick and having scabies. her family of 16 shares its tent in khan younis with clouds of flies, sometimes snakes. everyone tells us of the constant stench. translation: the smell is very disturbing. - i keep my tent door open so that i can get some air. but there's no air — just the smell of rubbish. with the latest influx of people from rafah, the cities that they fled to have been overwhelmed. local councils lack equipment and fuel for rubbish trucks. since the deadly 7th of october attacks, israel won't let them go to the border area where gaza's main landfill sites are. translation: this place wasn't originally meant for waste. - it's a public space and farming area. the council was forced to dump waste here because our crews can't reach the official dumping grounds. now, as summer temperatures soar, there are new warnings from aid agencies about the health hazards posed by so much rubbish. but desperation drives children to take extra risks, searching for something to eat, use or sell. and across gaza, these stinking piles of waste are a symbol ofjust how unbearable conditions here have become. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. spanish police and mountain rescue teams are searching for a man from lancashire who went missing after a music festival in tenerife. 19—year—old apprentice bricklayerjay slater left the festival with two men and later told a friend he was planning to walk for ten hours back to his apartment but said his phone battery was low and he needed water. the teenager, who hasn't been heard from since monday morning, was on his first holiday with friends. a teenager, whose body was found more than three years after she went missing, might have been killed during a sexual attack, an inquest has heard. leah croucher, who was 19, disappeared while walking to work in milton keynes in 2019. police believe she was killed by neil maxwell, a convicted sex offender, who was found dead two months after leah went missing. more than 800 migrants arrived in the uk after crossing the channel yesterday — that's the most in a single day this year. the home office said 882 people made thejourney, which takes the provisional total for this year to 12,313. the mother of a 12—year—old boy killed by a hit—and—run driver in coventry last week has made an emotional appealfor the main suspect to come forward. keaton slater was fatally injured when he was hit by a black bmw on friday. our midlands correspondent phil mackie is outside the police headquarters in birmingham and was at that press conference. phil, what more did we hear? yes, very emotional news conference just over an hour ago here where we had from the family of keeton slater. let me take you back to friday in what happened. he was hit by a black bmw which was going considerably higher than the 30 miles an hour speed limit and he subsequently died. west midlands police have said they are appealing for information about a particular man, the main suspect, a latvian national, living in coventry, who they want to speak to. as we heard today, that appeal was reinforced by the slater family, that was the dad and brothers and the mother of keaton, louise. the whole family, his school friends...are all heartbroken. when we were first approached to speak initially, i said, "no," as it would never bring us our keaton back. but hearing that whoever did this will not hand themselves in has left us all feeling helpless. we need to getjustice for our keaton. we just want everyone to find who took our son. so police say the latvian as the main suspect. t