A report into BBC show MasterChef has found 45 allegations against Gregg Wallace were upheld including one of unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress.

In total, the report says 83 allegations were made against the TV presenter, with the majority of the substantiated claims relating to inappropriate sexual language and humour, but also culturally insensitive and racist comments.

The inquiry, conducted by an independent law firm, was ordered by MasterChef's production company Banijay in the wake of a BBC News investigation which first revealed claims of inappropriate sexual comments against Wallace.

Ahead of the report's release, Wallace insisted it had cleared him of "the most serious and sensational allegations".

Last week, it emerged that he had been sacked as presenter of the cooking show, as dozens more people came forward to BBC News with fresh claims against him.

The 50 people who came forward to BBC News said they encountered Wallace across a range of shows and settings.

Around 20 were on Banijay productions, but others related to areas like night clubs, awards ceremonies and other TV shows. Some of the individuals we heard from also contributed to the Banijay inquiry.

A decision has not yet been made about unseen series of MasterChef which was filmed last year.

The report also says that ten standalone allegations were made against other people, two of which were substantiated.

Both of those substantiated allegations , which did not involve Wallace, relate to inappropriate language, one of swearing and one of racist language.

The investigation team also found evidence that between 2005 and 2024, six complaints were raised with the production company and six with the BBC.

Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said in earlier years, "it is clear that escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been".

"We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed," he added.

A BBC statement said: "Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.

"We accept more could and should have been done sooner."

The BBC said it apologised to "everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace's behaviour", and confirmed it has no plans to work with the presenter in future.

Gregg Wallace has been contacted for comment.

A hosepipe ban affecting 1.1 million people across several postcode areas has been announced by Thames Water.

The water firm said the measure would come into place across Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire on 22 July due to a lack of rain and increasing demand, which had stretched supplies.

It bans the use of a hosepipe for activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or filling a paddling pool.

It comes as the Environment Agency said it had declared a state of prolonged dry weather in large parts of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

Thames Water said the temporary restriction would cover areas with postcodes beginning with OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9.

The ban does not affect businesses where hosepipe use is part of their purpose - for example, garden centres and car washes - but the company said everyone in the region should be "mindful" of water use.

Thames Water said prolonged hot weather meant there was less water available as well as a higher demand, with customers using up to 30% more water when temperatures were above 25C.

Nevil Muncaster, strategic water resources director at Thames Water, said he did not "anticipate the situation will improve any time soon".

"We have to take action now," he said.

"This has been a challenging spring and summer with big spikes in customer demand during hot dry days and very little rainfall to replenish local supplies in the Thames Valley."

He encouraged customers both within and outside the ban area to reduce water use, by doing things like turning taps off while brushing teeth, taking shorter showers and not watering their lawns.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

"She's probably done me out of quite a bit of money - I feel angry and conned."

Julie Gallagher believes her home was sold at a lower price than it could have gone for. There was a buyer who might have offered more for it, an undercover investigation by BBC Panorama can reveal.

Her Connells estate agent appeared to sideline this potential buyer in favour of someone else who had agreed to take out an in-house mortgage.

That mortgage was said to be worth about £2,000 to Connells, while the company potentially stood to make £10,000 in total by arranging add-on services and selling the buyer's property too.

"She sat on this sofa… and said she was actually working for me and she obviously is not, she's working for the company's ends," says Julie. "How dare Connells do that? Just appalling."

Panorama decided to investigate the company after speaking to more than 20 independent financial advisers (IFAs) and mortgage advisers from across England and Wales who had concerns about how the company operated.

One of the biggest estate agencies in the UK, Connells runs 80 chains with more than 1,200 branches. Our undercover reporter, Lucy Vallance, got a job in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in an own-brand office.

During her six weeks there in February, she found evidence that the senior branch manager favoured prospective buyers, if they were planning to take out Connells in-house services, like conveyancing or mortgages, because it made more money for the company.

Connells told us it is "committed to treating all customers and prospective buyers fairly."

Panorama also investigated the online estate agency Purplebricks, after we heard concerns it had been trying to attract sellers by overvaluing properties.

Once a customer was signed up, staff then tried to convince them to cut the asking price, earning commission if successful - a former sales negotiator told us. The whistleblower, who worked for the company between June and October 2024, also filmed online meetings for Panorama.

Purplebricks told us price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, but that is no longer the case, and it does not overvalue properties to win instructions.

'Hot buyers'

In Abingdon, the undercover reporter found that trying to arrange mortgages could be as important as selling houses - and that Connells' staff felt under pressure to get people signed up.

Connells, like many other estate agencies, has an in-house mortgage-brokering team.

The independent financial advisers we have spoken to - who compete for customers with estate agents' in-house services - say this pressure can lead to some agents in the industry playing fast and loose with the rules.

One practice known as "conditional selling" is forbidden by the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents, of which many companies across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - including Connells - are signatories.

This is when an estate agent suggests, implies or tells you that you must arrange things like mortgages or conveyancing services through their in-house teams - or there will be negative consequences for a deal.

It means estate agents signed up to the code know they should not discriminate against prospective buyers who don't use their in-house services.

Connells' senior branch manager told our reporter, at one point, that she understood conditional selling was not allowed.

But that wasn't the full picture.

• Panorama: Undercover Estate Agent - watch on BBC One on Monday 14 July at 20:00 (22:40 in Northern Ireland) or later on iPlayer

Estate agents are supposed to work in the best interests of their clients, but we saw how pressure for profit shaped decisions at Connells in Abingdon.

One Saturday, our reporter was asked to host an open-house viewing for Julie's four-bedroom house, which was on the market for offers over £300,000. It attracted great interest. Fifteen people attended and others also wanted to book separate viewings.

But the following Monday, the senior branch manager seemed interested in two possible buyers - those speaking to Connells' in-house brokers. The next day, via WhatsApp, she told her staff not to arrange any more viewings on Julie's house.

One signed up to a Connells-brokered mortgage and became known by the senior branch manager as a "hot buyer".

A board in the office titled "Hot Buyers" had the names of all house hunters at the branch who had agreed to take out a mortgage or a conveyancing package through Connells.

The hot buyer for Julie's house made an initial offer, which she rejected, but eventually upped it to successfully secure the property.

There was another potential buyer interested in the house who appeared to have deeper pockets - a cash buyer. She wasn't taking out a mortgage through the company.

Connells told us they spoke to the cash buyer the Monday after the open house and that she was undecided about putting in an offer. A call from the cash buyer later the same day was missed, said the company, and not followed up.

When the undercover reporter told the office administrator that the cash buyer might have offered more, she was told that "just a sale" was "not good enough" for Connells.

"They will probably more likely aim to get somebody who's signed up with us and wants to use our conveyancing, as opposed to someone who is a cash buyer," said the administrator. "That's just how Connells are. That's why they ride you if you don't have enough mortgage appointments."

Lisa Webb, consumer law expert with Which? Magazine, reviewed Panorama's evidence of how this sale was managed.

"This is absolutely something that should be against the law - and something that I think that these estate agents really ought to be investigated by the authorities for, because this should not be happening," she told us.

The undercover reporter secretly filmed her boss - the senior branch manager - saying why she was so keen on the hot buyer. Not only would it mean collecting fees from the seller, the manager explained, but also commission from the in-house mortgage with conveyancing fees on top.

In addition, Connells would try to sell the hot buyer's old house - and earn more fees.

The senior branch manager said the combined deal could, in total, be worth £10,000 to the company.

"That, in itself, is just appalling behaviour," said Lisa Webb from Which? when we showed her the footage.

According to the 1979 Estate Agents Act it is classed as an "undesirable practice" for estate agents to discriminate against prospective buyers if they don't take out a mortgage through in-house brokers.

If they do this, they can be investigated by Trading Standards. But it looks like the rules may not cover the sidelining of potential buyers as seen by Panorama's undercover reporter.

Those rules need to be updated, according to financial journalist Iona Bain.

"There's clearly a grey area here, whereby estate agents are able to accept one buyer that will use the in-house broker and turn everybody else away," she told us.

Homeowner Julie, who has now packed up and left her house ahead of the sale going through, was horrified when we told her what had happened.

"I'm quite appalled really that... she [senior branch manager] has kind of taken options out of my hands and probably done me out of quite a bit of money, really."

• If you have more information about this story, you can reach Panorama directly by email - panorama.reply@bbc.co.uk

Connells said it rejects "any accusation of conditional selling" and that "no harm has been caused" to the customer. There were other offers on Julie's property, it told us, but the accepted offer was the highest.

"It is not the case that customers who use our mortgage services are more likely to successfully purchase a property than those who do not," it added. It said that in the six-week period Panorama was undercover, only two properties out of 14 went to customers using the in-house mortgage service.

It also said it invests "significant time and resources in training our teams to ensure they understand the laws, regulations and guidelines within which they must operate".

"Any employee found to be in breach of these standards faces strict disciplinary action, including dismissal," Connells said.

The senior branch manager told Panorama she was content for Connells to respond on her behalf.

'Overvaluing properties massively'

At Purplebricks, a whistleblower began secretly filming meetings because she says she became frustrated with how the company was being run.

Firstly on her phone, then with a camera provided by Panorama.

The biggest shock for the whistleblower was learning that staff were being incentivised to get price reductions on properties - many of which, she was told by one of the company's local property agents, appeared to have been put on the market for more than they were worth.

"We are overvaluing properties massively just to gain instructions," said the agent to the whistleblower in a private message.

Estate agents often use property valuations to attract customers - and subsequently dropping the asking price is not unusual. The estate agents' code tells companies they "must never deliberately misrepresent the market value of a property".

The whistleblower was also told in the same message from the agent that staff could earn commission if they persuaded sellers to drop their asking prices.

The same agent suggested to her that 18 price drops per month could earn staff £900 in commission.

In an online meeting, the whistleblower's team leader told staff how to approach conversations with sellers about price drops.

He said, when properties go live, sellers can be told that if there aren't many viewings or offers within the first four weeks then they should "have a conversation about [price] reduction".

"So they won't necessarily push the reduction there and then, but they will plant the seed," he added.

Purplebricks told us it doesn't overvalue properties and that while price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, that was no longer the case. It said it doesn't claim to be perfect and apologises wherever it has fallen short.

Purplebricks staff were also under pressure to sell financial products like mortgages and conveyancing, the whistleblower told us.

During the time she worked there, she said the company encouraged customers to get their conveyancing done through companies it had deals with, rather than look elsewhere.

"We don't want them to get a quote for comparison because we are by far and away very expensive," said her team leader during an online meeting.

When Ryan Evans and Olivia Phelps bought a two-bedroom house in Sutton-in-Ashfield through Purplebricks they ended up buying conveyancing services through the company.

They paid £2,820 last summer. Using price comparison websites, Panorama found that was nearly three times more than the current cheapest quote for the same property.

"We were none the wiser having never done all this before. I certainly felt like maybe they [Purplebricks] had taken advantage of us a bit because we were first-time buyers," Ryan told us.

Like Connells, Purplebricks is also signed up to the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents which says: "You should provide a service to both buyers and sellers consistent with fairness, integrity and best practice."

Our whistleblower also recorded her team leader firing-up staff to sell add-on products in addition to conveyancing.

"So let's try and really squeeze every lead for as much as it's got - and I want us to be a bit more relentless," he told staff at one meeting. "The urgency is massive… there is still a heinous amount of money to be made."

Anyone working in sales is encouraged to sell more, says Lisa Webb of Which?, but it is "a real issue" if an estate agent is "incentivising someone to make a very quick decision" or pressuring them "into making decisions too quickly… before they've had the option to shop around".

Purplebricks said it entirely rejects any portrayal of its service as pressure-selling, adding that it does not promote hard-selling and that it focuses on the benefits, not price, when recommending services.

In a statement, it also said that since new owners took over in 2023, it has "worked hard to improve service and build a team and culture that puts customers first".

The whistleblower's team leader did not want to comment and told us he had left Purplebricks.

An aircraft has crashed at London Southend Airport, police have confirmed.

Essex Police said it was alerted to a 12-metre plane on fire at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 16:00 BST on Sunday.

The East of England Ambulance Service said four crews were at the scene including a rapid response vehicle, a hazardous area response vehicle and a senior paramedic.

The Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson, said on X: "My thoughts are with everyone involved."

Police said, as a precaution, officers have evacuated the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club due to its proximity to the incident.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.

"We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the incident at 15:58.

The service has asked people to avoid the area if possible.

A spokesperson said: "Crews from Southend (two), Rayleigh Weir and Basildon (two), along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended.

"We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners."

A man has been jailed for life for the brutal murder of his girlfriend at their home in South Lanarkshire.

Ewan Methven admitted the violent attack on 21-year-old Phoenix Spencer-Horn at a flat in Glen Lee, East Kilbride, in November 2024.

He had attempted to defeat the ends of justice by covering up the crime and pretending to her family that she was still alive.

Methven was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison at the High Court in Glasgow.

WARNING: This article contains distressing details.

Sentencing Methven, judge Lord Matthews told him he had "rarely heard such outpourings of grief as in the victim impact statements".

He said: "The sadness and deep sense of loss (the family) all feel and continue to feel because of what you did.

"You were a trusted member of her family and you betrayed that trust and robbed her of a life in the cruelest way.

"Not content with what you did to her, you robbed her of all dignity in death by decapitating her and tried to dismember her in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

"The way you treated her after her death meant that her family didn't have the comfort of saying goodbye to her."

In a letter to the judge, Methven wrote: "I know how loved Phoenix was and how she made her family complete. I cannot believe I have taken her from them."

Prosecutors had told the court that Methven choked Ms Spencer-Horn before severing her head and trying to remove her limbs and torso from her body.

Earlier that day, Methven, who worked as a postman, had complained to his girlfriend that her waitress shifts made him "lonely".

She had exchanged messages with her mother, Alison Spencer, at 21:37 saying they were eating dinner.

The couple had been together for two years and met at a family party, the court was told.

Around midnight, a downstairs neighbour heard "a loud noise and hurried footsteps" which coincided with increased activity recorded on a phone app measuring Methven's steps.

He had attacked Ms Spencer-Horn with three knives, stabbing her 20 times. The fatal stab wound was to the chest. There were others in that area as well as to the face and buttocks.

Methven tried to cover up the killing for two days.

He spent the weekend driving Ms Spencer-Horn's red Corsa, scrolling through her phone and searching 170 times for internet pornography, as well as making several attempts to buy cocaine, according to prosecutors.He also repeatedly pretended in texts to his victim's mother that her daughter was "alive and well".

During an earlier hearing, prosecutor Christopher McKenna said: "The accused murdered his girlfriend, Phoenix Spencer-Horn, in the top-floor flat they shared.

"Late on Saturday 16 November, he strangled her and stabbed her. He dialled 999 but not until 18 November.

"Her mutilated and decapitated body was discovered only on 18 November."

The court heard that Ms Spencer-Horn had seen her mother the day before she was killed and had been in good spirits at work the day she was murdered.

In a 999 call, Methven claimed that the murder happened during a psychotic episode induced by cocaine, alcohol and steroids - which he claimed he thought had been spiked.

He told the operator he had been "trying to muster up the courage to phone" and that he had "totally blacked out through the thing".

The court heard a delivery driver reported Methven "did not appear to be drunk or under the influence" at 20:00 on the night of the murder.

Police arrived at the flat and found Ms Spencer-Horn's body covered up in the hallway next to two blood-stained knives. Another bloodied knife was found in the bathroom.

Methven was described as "calm".

Upon his arrest, he told officers: "I could not stay here with her like that. I tried to dismember her. I moved her from the bath and put her there."

After he was put in a police cell, he said: "I guess this is what my next 25 years look like."

His KC Tony Graham said Phoenix's family and friends were likely to regard Methven as the "personification of evil".

Following Ms Spencer-Horn's death, a fundraising page amassed thousands of pounds to help with funeral costs.

Her family went on to donate much of it to the Women's Aid charity.

Its Glasgow branch thanked the family, saying the cash would be used to protect others and continue her legacy.

"Her name, Phoenix, now stands for more than loss. It stands for action. For change. For refusing to let her story end in silence," the charity posted on social media.

"This is what it means to rise from the ashes. To take this devastating crime and use it to protect others.

"Phoenix should still be here. But her legacy is one that's lifting others up, and that matters. Turning pain into action. Refusing to let her name be forgotten."

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe, following their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in June.

The safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster was released by investigators on Friday.

That report said fuel to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner engines was cut off moments after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, and highlighted past FAA reports that suggested the switches should be inspected for safety.

The Flight 171 crash, which was headed to London when it crashed, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade.

Switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's engines had been moved from "run" to the "cut-off" position, hampering the thrust of the plane, according to the preliminary report, which was published by the India Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Investigators referred to a 2018 FAA advisory, which urged - but did not mandate - operators of Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cut-off switches to ensure they could not be moved by accident.

This step was not taken by Air India, the AAIB said in its early findings.

The FAA on Friday told civil aviation authorities that it had seen AAIB's preliminary report.

It noted that its own 2018 advisory "was based on reports that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged" - but added that it does not believe this makes the planes unsafe.

"Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787," said the authority, in an internal note shared with the BBC.

"The FAA will continue to share relevant information with foreign civil aviation authorities as appropriate."

AAIB, which reviewed recovered cockpit voice recordings, reported that one pilot could be heard during the flight asking the other why he cut off the fuel.

"The other pilot responded that he did not do so," said the report.

Investigators said the fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off just after take-off. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped during the flight.

Air India Flight 171 was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad in India to London's Gatwick airport.

The plane crashed into a medical college near the airport within a minute of take-off, killing 260 people who were mostly passengers. One British national survived the crash.

Investigators are expected to produce a more detailed report in 12 months.

The mother of Bebe King who was killed in the Southport knife attacks has said her daughter had the "biggest heart" and she wanted to "carry on her light" by providing grief support for children.

Bebe, six, Alice Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop last July.

Bebe's parents have launched Bebe's Hive to provide creative sessions using art, music and storytelling to help bereaved children.

Her mum, Lauren King, told BBC Breakfast: "Bebe was so full of joy and had the biggest heart".

Mrs King added: "She was very caring and creative, and we want to carry on her light and we want to do that with Bebe's Hive."

She said she had "turned to creativity" in her own grief and she wanted to offer that to children in the community who had lost loved ones.

Setting up Bebe's hive was "a way to concentrate on the beautiful personalities" of children, she said.

"Bebe's with me all the time, but everything we put into Bebe's Hive – it's got Bebe at the forefront – it carries me."

Mrs King said the project to "offer support to grieving children" was "very special to us".

She added: "We always associated the bee with Bebe even before she was born.

"Hives are extremely nurturing. They are a community and look out for each other.

"That's something that's really important to us and we want to provide for the children of Southport."

Mrs King said bees were like Bebe as "they are very cheeky, very sweet and they dance to communicate" and "Bebe definitely did a lot of dancing".

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

It wasn't just the heatwave making people feel faint at the Wimbledon finals as some of the hottest stars - including Paul Mescal and Nicole Kidman - joined royals in SW19.

A TikTok creator has urged social media users to be more aware of disinformation after a video claiming she was dead was watched 650,000 times.

Grace Wolstenholme, 22, has gained 1.3 million followers since 2021 for her videos which talk about living with cerebral palsy.

One of her most popular videos was used without her permission by an account appearing to sell pillows, and was captioned: "I lost my autistic sister today so I bought this pillow to imitate cuddling her."

TikTok confirmed the video had been removed for violating its community guidelines. Despite numerous attempts, the BBC has been unable to contact the user who shared the video.

"There's a lot of bad people on social media, so you do need to check the facts," said Ms Wolstenholme, who splits her time between Essex and London.

Her original video, posted in 2021, has been liked 5.2 million times and shows her throwing a punch and falling over in a gym class while working with a personal trainer.

Ms Wolstenholme said she became aware of its reuse in the death hoax, uploaded in May, when someone she knows contacted her mum to pass on their condolences.

Ms Wolstenholme had been keeping a low profile online because she had been unwell for about three months, which she said made the hoax appear genuine.

"People were commenting saying 'rest in peace, Grace. I love you'. People were severely devastated hearing I was dead."

She said she had lost thousands of followers and seen a drop in views because of people assuming she was dead, which had reduced her income.

TikTok rewards its most popular creators by paying them based on video views and engagements.

Ms Wolstenholme said she was also frustrated by further disinformation.

"My disability isn't autism, it's cerebral palsy. So he got my disability wrong, and said I was dead," she added.

Ms Wolstenholme said the fake video was taken off TikTok after she contacted someone on Instagram who had the same username.

But it was reposted on TikTok days later and the user sent a series of offensive messages to Ms Wolstenholme.

TikTok removed the video after it was contacted by the BBC, and said it had violated its community guidelines.

It did not comment on Ms Wolstenholme's concerns around the sharing of disinformation on the platform.

'Triggering'

Ms Wolstenholme said her followers were "deeply disgusted" by what had happened.

"It's triggering for my followers to see because some of my followers suffer with their mental health," she said.

A second video appearing to mock Ms Wolstenholme's disability was posted by the same TikTok account.

The TikTok and Instagram accounts and their associated website are no longer active.

The name of the business was not that of any limited company registered at Companies House and the VAT number it displayed was not associated with any UK business.

The BBC called and emailed the shop using contact details found on its website but did not get a response, and unsuccessfully messaged the TikTok account and another profile which appeared to match the person in the videos.

Ms Wolstenholme reported the harassment to the Metropolitan Police, which confirmed it was exploring "several lines of inquiry".

A police spokeswoman said: "The victim continues to be supported by officers. At this stage no arrests have been made."

If you are affected by any of the issues in this story, details of help and support are available at BBC Action Line

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

'Let's get ready to rumble… finally'

'Tremendous sport'

Heightened security at MetLife Stadium

Trump in close proximity during trophy lift

A report into BBC show MasterChef has found 45 allegations against Gregg Wallace were upheld including one of unwelcome physical contact and another three of being in a state of undress.

In total, the report says 83 allegations were made against the TV presenter, with the majority of the substantiated claims relating to inappropriate sexual language and humour, but also culturally insensitive and racist comments.

The inquiry, conducted by an independent law firm, was ordered by MasterChef's production company Banijay in the wake of a BBC News investigation which first revealed claims of inappropriate sexual comments against Wallace.

Ahead of the report's release, Wallace insisted it had cleared him of "the most serious and sensational allegations".

Last week, it emerged that he had been sacked as presenter of the cooking show, as dozens more people came forward to BBC News with fresh claims against him.

The 50 people who came forward to BBC News said they encountered Wallace across a range of shows and settings.

Around 20 were on Banijay productions, but others related to areas like night clubs, awards ceremonies and other TV shows. Some of the individuals we heard from also contributed to the Banijay inquiry.

A decision has not yet been made about unseen series of MasterChef which was filmed last year.

The report also says that ten standalone allegations were made against other people, two of which were substantiated.

Both of those substantiated allegations , which did not involve Wallace, relate to inappropriate language, one of swearing and one of racist language.

The investigation team also found evidence that between 2005 and 2024, six complaints were raised with the production company and six with the BBC.

Patrick Holland, chief executive of Banijay UK, said in earlier years, "it is clear that escalation procedures were not as robust as they should have been".

"We are extremely sorry to anyone who has been impacted by this behaviour and felt unable to speak up at the time or that their complaint was not adequately addressed," he added.

A BBC statement said: "Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour – both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.

"We accept more could and should have been done sooner."

The BBC said it apologised to "everyone who has been impacted by Mr Wallace's behaviour", and confirmed it has no plans to work with the presenter in future.

Gregg Wallace has been contacted for comment.

The mother of Bebe King who was killed in the Southport knife attacks has said her daughter had the "biggest heart" and she wanted to "carry on her light" by providing grief support for children.

Bebe, six, Alice Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were murdered at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop last July.

Bebe's parents have launched Bebe's Hive to provide creative sessions using art, music and storytelling to help bereaved children.

Her mum, Lauren King, told BBC Breakfast: "Bebe was so full of joy and had the biggest heart".

Mrs King added: "She was very caring and creative, and we want to carry on her light and we want to do that with Bebe's Hive."

She said she had "turned to creativity" in her own grief and she wanted to offer that to children in the community who had lost loved ones.

Setting up Bebe's hive was "a way to concentrate on the beautiful personalities" of children, she said.

"Bebe's with me all the time, but everything we put into Bebe's Hive – it's got Bebe at the forefront – it carries me."

Mrs King said the project to "offer support to grieving children" was "very special to us".

She added: "We always associated the bee with Bebe even before she was born.

"Hives are extremely nurturing. They are a community and look out for each other.

"That's something that's really important to us and we want to provide for the children of Southport."

Mrs King said bees were like Bebe as "they are very cheeky, very sweet and they dance to communicate" and "Bebe definitely did a lot of dancing".

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe, following their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in June.

The safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster was released by investigators on Friday.

That report said fuel to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner engines was cut off moments after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, and highlighted past FAA reports that suggested the switches should be inspected for safety.

The Flight 171 crash, which was headed to London when it crashed, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade.

Switches controlling fuel flow to the jet's engines had been moved from "run" to the "cut-off" position, hampering the thrust of the plane, according to the preliminary report, which was published by the India Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

Investigators referred to a 2018 FAA advisory, which urged - but did not mandate - operators of Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cut-off switches to ensure they could not be moved by accident.

This step was not taken by Air India, the AAIB said in its early findings.

The FAA on Friday told civil aviation authorities that it had seen AAIB's preliminary report.

It noted that its own 2018 advisory "was based on reports that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged" - but added that it does not believe this makes the planes unsafe.

"Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787," said the authority, in an internal note shared with the BBC.

"The FAA will continue to share relevant information with foreign civil aviation authorities as appropriate."

AAIB, which reviewed recovered cockpit voice recordings, reported that one pilot could be heard during the flight asking the other why he cut off the fuel.

"The other pilot responded that he did not do so," said the report.

Investigators said the fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off just after take-off. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped during the flight.

Air India Flight 171 was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad in India to London's Gatwick airport.

The plane crashed into a medical college near the airport within a minute of take-off, killing 260 people who were mostly passengers. One British national survived the crash.

Investigators are expected to produce a more detailed report in 12 months.

The Bank of England is prepared to make larger interest rate cuts if the job market shows signs of slowing down, its governor has said.

In an interview with the Times, Andrew Bailey said "I really do believe the path is downward" on interest rates.

Interest rates currently stand at 4.25% and will be reviewed at the Bank's next meeting on 7 August.

They affect mortgage, credit card and savings rates for millions of people.

In the Times interview, Bailey said there were consistent signs that businesses are "adjusting employment and hours" and are giving smaller pay rises following UK Chancellor Rachel Reeve's move to increase employers' national insurance contributions.

Reeves raised national insurance rates for employers from 13.8% to 15% in April this year, in a move the government estimated would generate £25bn a year.

Bailey said the UK's economy was growing behind its potential, opening up "slack" that would help to bring down ­inflation.

"I think the path [for interest rates] is down. I really do believe the path is downward," the governor said.

"But we continue to use the words 'gradual and careful' because... some people say to me 'why are you cutting when inflation's above target?"'

Interest rates were held at 4.25% during the Bank's last meeting in June, following two cuts earlier in the year.

During that meeting, Bailey also said interest rates would take a "gradual downward path".

The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in May, after also shrinking in April, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The unexpected dip was mainly driven by a drop in manufacturing, while retail sales were also "very weak", said the Office.

The UK's performance adds pressure on the government, which has made boosting economic growth a key priority.

It wasn't just the heatwave making people feel faint at the Wimbledon finals as some of the hottest stars - including Paul Mescal and Nicole Kidman - joined royals in SW19.

How has England's tournament been so far?

What are the key decisions for Wiegman?

What threat will Sweden pose?

Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.

"She's probably done me out of quite a bit of money - I feel angry and conned."

Julie Gallagher believes her home was sold at a lower price than it could have gone for. There was a buyer who might have offered more for it, an undercover investigation by BBC Panorama can reveal.

Her Connells estate agent appeared to sideline this potential buyer in favour of someone else who had agreed to take out an in-house mortgage.

That mortgage was said to be worth about £2,000 to Connells, while the company potentially stood to make £10,000 in total by arranging add-on services and selling the buyer's property too.

"She sat on this sofa… and said she was actually working for me and she obviously is not, she's working for the company's ends," says Julie. "How dare Connells do that? Just appalling."

Panorama decided to investigate the company after speaking to more than 20 independent financial advisers (IFAs) and mortgage advisers from across England and Wales who had concerns about how the company operated.

One of the biggest estate agencies in the UK, Connells runs 80 chains with more than 1,200 branches. Our undercover reporter, Lucy Vallance, got a job in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in an own-brand office.

During her six weeks there in February, she found evidence that the senior branch manager favoured prospective buyers, if they were planning to take out Connells in-house services, like conveyancing or mortgages, because it made more money for the company.

Connells told us it is "committed to treating all customers and prospective buyers fairly."

Panorama also investigated the online estate agency Purplebricks, after we heard concerns it had been trying to attract sellers by overvaluing properties.

Once a customer was signed up, staff then tried to convince them to cut the asking price, earning commission if successful - a former sales negotiator told us. The whistleblower, who worked for the company between June and October 2024, also filmed online meetings for Panorama.

Purplebricks told us price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, but that is no longer the case, and it does not overvalue properties to win instructions.

'Hot buyers'

In Abingdon, the undercover reporter found that trying to arrange mortgages could be as important as selling houses - and that Connells' staff felt under pressure to get people signed up.

Connells, like many other estate agencies, has an in-house mortgage-brokering team.

The independent financial advisers we have spoken to - who compete for customers with estate agents' in-house services - say this pressure can lead to some agents in the industry playing fast and loose with the rules.

One practice known as "conditional selling" is forbidden by the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents, of which many companies across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - including Connells - are signatories.

This is when an estate agent suggests, implies or tells you that you must arrange things like mortgages or conveyancing services through their in-house teams - or there will be negative consequences for a deal.

It means estate agents signed up to the code know they should not discriminate against prospective buyers who don't use their in-house services.

Connells' senior branch manager told our reporter, at one point, that she understood conditional selling was not allowed.

But that wasn't the full picture.

• Panorama: Undercover Estate Agent - watch on BBC One on Monday 14 July at 20:00 (22:40 in Northern Ireland) or later on iPlayer

Estate agents are supposed to work in the best interests of their clients, but we saw how pressure for profit shaped decisions at Connells in Abingdon.

One Saturday, our reporter was asked to host an open-house viewing for Julie's four-bedroom house, which was on the market for offers over £300,000. It attracted great interest. Fifteen people attended and others also wanted to book separate viewings.

But the following Monday, the senior branch manager seemed interested in two possible buyers - those speaking to Connells' in-house brokers. The next day, via WhatsApp, she told her staff not to arrange any more viewings on Julie's house.

One signed up to a Connells-brokered mortgage and became known by the senior branch manager as a "hot buyer".

A board in the office titled "Hot Buyers" had the names of all house hunters at the branch who had agreed to take out a mortgage or a conveyancing package through Connells.

The hot buyer for Julie's house made an initial offer, which she rejected, but eventually upped it to successfully secure the property.

There was another potential buyer interested in the house who appeared to have deeper pockets - a cash buyer. She wasn't taking out a mortgage through the company.

Connells told us they spoke to the cash buyer the Monday after the open house and that she was undecided about putting in an offer. A call from the cash buyer later the same day was missed, said the company, and not followed up.

When the undercover reporter told the office administrator that the cash buyer might have offered more, she was told that "just a sale" was "not good enough" for Connells.

"They will probably more likely aim to get somebody who's signed up with us and wants to use our conveyancing, as opposed to someone who is a cash buyer," said the administrator. "That's just how Connells are. That's why they ride you if you don't have enough mortgage appointments."

Lisa Webb, consumer law expert with Which? Magazine, reviewed Panorama's evidence of how this sale was managed.

"This is absolutely something that should be against the law - and something that I think that these estate agents really ought to be investigated by the authorities for, because this should not be happening," she told us.

The undercover reporter secretly filmed her boss - the senior branch manager - saying why she was so keen on the hot buyer. Not only would it mean collecting fees from the seller, the manager explained, but also commission from the in-house mortgage with conveyancing fees on top.

In addition, Connells would try to sell the hot buyer's old house - and earn more fees.

The senior branch manager said the combined deal could, in total, be worth £10,000 to the company.

"That, in itself, is just appalling behaviour," said Lisa Webb from Which? when we showed her the footage.

According to the 1979 Estate Agents Act it is classed as an "undesirable practice" for estate agents to discriminate against prospective buyers if they don't take out a mortgage through in-house brokers.

If they do this, they can be investigated by Trading Standards. But it looks like the rules may not cover the sidelining of potential buyers as seen by Panorama's undercover reporter.

Those rules need to be updated, according to financial journalist Iona Bain.

"There's clearly a grey area here, whereby estate agents are able to accept one buyer that will use the in-house broker and turn everybody else away," she told us.

Homeowner Julie, who has now packed up and left her house ahead of the sale going through, was horrified when we told her what had happened.

"I'm quite appalled really that... she [senior branch manager] has kind of taken options out of my hands and probably done me out of quite a bit of money, really."

• If you have more information about this story, you can reach Panorama directly by email - panorama.reply@bbc.co.uk

Connells said it rejects "any accusation of conditional selling" and that "no harm has been caused" to the customer. There were other offers on Julie's property, it told us, but the accepted offer was the highest.

"It is not the case that customers who use our mortgage services are more likely to successfully purchase a property than those who do not," it added. It said that in the six-week period Panorama was undercover, only two properties out of 14 went to customers using the in-house mortgage service.

It also said it invests "significant time and resources in training our teams to ensure they understand the laws, regulations and guidelines within which they must operate".

"Any employee found to be in breach of these standards faces strict disciplinary action, including dismissal," Connells said.

The senior branch manager told Panorama she was content for Connells to respond on her behalf.

'Overvaluing properties massively'

At Purplebricks, a whistleblower began secretly filming meetings because she says she became frustrated with how the company was being run.

Firstly on her phone, then with a camera provided by Panorama.

The biggest shock for the whistleblower was learning that staff were being incentivised to get price reductions on properties - many of which, she was told by one of the company's local property agents, appeared to have been put on the market for more than they were worth.

"We are overvaluing properties massively just to gain instructions," said the agent to the whistleblower in a private message.

Estate agents often use property valuations to attract customers - and subsequently dropping the asking price is not unusual. The estate agents' code tells companies they "must never deliberately misrepresent the market value of a property".

The whistleblower was also told in the same message from the agent that staff could earn commission if they persuaded sellers to drop their asking prices.

The same agent suggested to her that 18 price drops per month could earn staff £900 in commission.

In an online meeting, the whistleblower's team leader told staff how to approach conversations with sellers about price drops.

He said, when properties go live, sellers can be told that if there aren't many viewings or offers within the first four weeks then they should "have a conversation about [price] reduction".

"So they won't necessarily push the reduction there and then, but they will plant the seed," he added.

Purplebricks told us it doesn't overvalue properties and that while price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, that was no longer the case. It said it doesn't claim to be perfect and apologises wherever it has fallen short.

Purplebricks staff were also under pressure to sell financial products like mortgages and conveyancing, the whistleblower told us.

During the time she worked there, she said the company encouraged customers to get their conveyancing done through companies it had deals with, rather than look elsewhere.

"We don't want them to get a quote for comparison because we are by far and away very expensive," said her team leader during an online meeting.

When Ryan Evans and Olivia Phelps bought a two-bedroom house in Sutton-in-Ashfield through Purplebricks they ended up buying conveyancing services through the company.

They paid £2,820 last summer. Using price comparison websites, Panorama found that was nearly three times more than the current cheapest quote for the same property.

"We were none the wiser having never done all this before. I certainly felt like maybe they [Purplebricks] had taken advantage of us a bit because we were first-time buyers," Ryan told us.

Like Connells, Purplebricks is also signed up to the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents which says: "You should provide a service to both buyers and sellers consistent with fairness, integrity and best practice."

Our whistleblower also recorded her team leader firing-up staff to sell add-on products in addition to conveyancing.

"So let's try and really squeeze every lead for as much as it's got - and I want us to be a bit more relentless," he told staff at one meeting. "The urgency is massive… there is still a heinous amount of money to be made."

Anyone working in sales is encouraged to sell more, says Lisa Webb of Which?, but it is "a real issue" if an estate agent is "incentivising someone to make a very quick decision" or pressuring them "into making decisions too quickly… before they've had the option to shop around".

Purplebricks said it entirely rejects any portrayal of its service as pressure-selling, adding that it does not promote hard-selling and that it focuses on the benefits, not price, when recommending services.

In a statement, it also said that since new owners took over in 2023, it has "worked hard to improve service and build a team and culture that puts customers first".

The whistleblower's team leader did not want to comment and told us he had left Purplebricks.

French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined plans for a big increase in defence spending, warning Europe's liberty is facing a "greater threat" than at any time since the end of World War Two.

In a speech to the armed forces in Paris, he said "we are living in a pivotal moment" due to complex geopolitics.

Macron called for France's defence spending to rise by €3.5bn (£3bn) next year and then by a further €3bn in 2027.

Referencing the threat from Russia, he denounced "imperialist policies" and "annexing powers".

Fighting has raged since Moscow launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Macron pledged to double France's military budget by 2027, three years earlier than originally planned.

In 2017, his country's defence budget stood at €32bn and under the plans would rise to €64bn in two years time. The proposals still need to be approved by the French government.

"To be free in this world, you must be feared. To be feared, you must be powerful," he said in the speech, which fell on the eve of Bastille Day.

Macron said the world was witnessing the return of nuclear power and the "proliferation of major conflicts".

He also referenced the US bombing of Iran, fighting between India and Pakistan and what he called the "ups and downs in American support for Ukraine".

Last month, Nato members agreed to commit to spending 5% of GDP annually on defence, up from the previous target of 2%.

The UK also announced its own defence review, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying it would send a "message to Moscow".

On Friday, the head of the French army, Thierry Burkhard, said Russia saw France as its "main adversary in Europe".

Russia posed a "durable" threat to Europe, Burkhard said, adding that the "rank of European countries in tomorrow's world" was being decided in Ukraine.

France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected to outline next year's budget on Thursday.

Last summer, a woman was arrested at Gatwick Airport after she arrived from Nigeria with a very young baby girl.

The woman had been living in West Yorkshire with her husband and children, and before leaving the UK for Africa had told her GP she was pregnant.

That was not true.

When the woman returned about a month later with the baby, she was arrested on suspicion of trafficking.

The case, the second the BBC has followed through the Family Court in recent months, reveals what experts say is a worrying trend of babies possibly being brought to the UK unlawfully - some from so-called "baby factories" in Nigeria.

'My babies are always hidden'

The woman, who we are calling Susan, is Nigerian, but had been living in England since June 2023, with her husband and children.

A careworker with leave to remain in Britain, Susan claimed she was pregnant. But scans and blood tests showed that wasn't true. Instead, they revealed Susan had a tumour, which doctors feared could be cancerous. But she refused treatment.

Susan insisted her previous pregnancies had been invisible on scans, telling her employer, "my babies are always hidden". She also claimed she'd been pregnant for up to 30 months with her other children.

Susan had travelled to Nigeria in early June 2024, saying she wanted to have her baby there, and then contacted her local hospital in Britain, to say she had given birth.

Doctors were concerned and contacted children's services.

Arriving back in the UK with the baby girl - who we're calling Eleanor - Susan was stopped and arrested by Sussex Police.

She was bailed and the lead police force on this confirmed there is no active investigation at the moment.

After her arrest, Susan, her husband, and Eleanor were given DNA tests. Eleanor was taken to foster carers.

"When the results show that I am Eleanor's mother, I want her to be returned immediately," Susan said.

But the tests showed the baby had no genetic link with Susan or her husband. Susan demanded a second test – which gave the same result, and then she changed her story.

She'd had IVF treatment before moving to Britain in 2023 with a donor egg and sperm, she said, and that's why the DNA tests were negative.

Susan provided a letter from a Nigerian hospital, signed by the medical director, saying she'd given birth there, as well as a document from another clinic about the IVF treatment to back up her claims.

She also provided photos and videos which she said showed her in the Nigerian hospital's labour suite. No face is visible in the images and one showed a naked woman with a placenta between her legs, with an umbilical cord still attached to it.

Someone had given birth - it wasn't Susan

The Family Court in Leeds sent Henrietta Coker to investigate.

Ms Coker, who provides expert reports to family courts in cases like this, has nearly 30 years experience as a social worker. She trained in Britain, and worked in front-line child protection in London, before moving to Africa.

Ms Coker visited the medical centre where Susan claimed she'd had IVF. There was no record of Susan having had treatment there - staff told her the letter was forged.

She then visited the place Susan said she'd given birth. It was a shabby, three bedroom flat, with "stained" walls and "dirty" carpets.

There Ms Coker was met by "three young teenage girls sitting in the reception room with nurses' uniforms on".

She asked to speak to the matron and was "ushered into the kitchen where a teenage girl was eating rice".

Ms Coker then tracked down the doctor who'd written a letter saying Susan had given birth there. He said, "Yes, someone had given birth".

Ms Coker showed him a photograph of Susan, but it wasn't her, the doctor said.

"Impersonating people is common in this part of the world," he told Ms Coker, suggesting that Susan might have "bought the baby".

The practice of "baby farming" is well known in West Africa, Ms Coker later told the court. At least 200 illegal "baby factories" have been shut down by the Nigerian authorities in the last five years, she said.

Some contained young girls who'd been kidnapped, raped, and forced to give birth repeatedly.

"Sometimes these girls are released," Ms Coker said, "other times they die during childbirth, or are murdered and placed in the grounds of the organisation."

It's not clear where baby Eleanor might have come from – though the doctor told Ms Coker he believed she would have been given up voluntarily.

Ms Coker was unable to establish who Eleanor's real parents are.

She gave evidence to the Family Court in Leeds in March this year, along with Susan, her husband, her employer and a senior obstetrician.

At an earlier hearing the judge asked for Susan's phone to be examined. Investigators found messages which Susan had sent to someone saved in her address book as "Mum oft [sic] Lagos Baby".

About four weeks before the alleged date of birth Susan wrote a text message which read:

"Good afternoon ma, I have not seen the hospital items"

The same day, Mum Oft Lagos Baby responded:

"Delivery drug is 3.4 m

"Hospital bill 170k."

Assuming those sums to be Nigerian Naira, they would be in the region of £1,700 and £85 respectively, the Family Court judge, Recorder William Tyler KC said.

The local authority pointed out the messages were set to "automatic self-destruct mode" – and said they represented evidence of a deal to purchase a baby.

Susan tried to explain the messages in court. The Recorder said her attempts were "difficult to follow and impossible to accept".

Recorder Tyler, sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court, found Susan had "staged a scene" which she falsely claimed showed her giving birth to Eleanor in Nigeria.

He said Susan and her husband had put forward a "fundamental lie" to explain how Eleanor came to be in their care, and had tried to mislead authorities with false documents.

They'd both caused the little girl "significant emotional and psychological harm", he said.

In early July, the BBC attended the final hearing in Eleanor's case, held remotely.

In one little square of the Teams meeting we could see Susan and her husband, sitting upright, barely moving, focused closely on what the advocates said.

They wanted Eleanor returned to them. Their barristers said their own children were thriving - they wanted to offer her the same love and care.

Susan's husband saw Eleanor as "a fundamental part of their family unit".

Vikki Horspool, representing the child's guardian, a social worker from the Independent Children and Family Child Advisory Service challenged that. She said that the couple "continued to be dishonest" about Eleanor's real start in life and how she came to be in their care.

The judge ordered that baby Eleanor be placed for adoption, and also made a "declaration of non parentage". He said he was aware of the "pain" this would cause Susan and her husband.

The barrister for the local authority told the court that the baby is "very settled" with her foster carer, taking part in activities in her community, getting medical treatment.

When Eleanor is adopted she will have a new identity and British nationality - but she may never know who her real parents are.

Eleanor's story echoes the case of "Lucy" – who was brought into Manchester Airport in 2023, by a man claiming to be her father.

'Money exchanged for children'

Ms Coker believes its likely more children have been brought unlawfully to the UK from West Africa. She told the BBC she has worked on around a dozen similar cases since the pandemic. In her experience, baby trafficking is commonplace.

"Money is getting exchanged for children on a large scale" she said - not just in Africa but "across the global south".

Since 2021 the UK government has restricted adoptions from Nigeria, partly because of "evidence of organised child trafficking" within the country.

British authorities have been aware of the problem for many years, and there have been several cases in the Family Courts over the last 20 years.

Two hearings in 2011 and 2012 involved Nigerian couples who'd had "fertility treatment " that led to a "miracle baby".

These "treatments" continue, as recently exposed by investigative journalists at BBC Africa Eye.

In 2013, the UK High Commission in Lagos required DNA tests in certain circumstances before newborn babies could be taken from Nigeria to Britain.

Amongst 12 couples investigated was a former Oxford academic, prosecuted for immigration offences.

However this process has since stopped. In 2018 officials were advised that such DNA testing was unlawful.

They were told they could not make people undergo DNA testing when they were asking for a visa or passport in support of an application relating to immigration status – and that had been the case since 2014.

Ms Coker said some clinics offer "packages" that include registering the baby's birth. It will cost anywhere between £2,000 and £8,000, excluding any airfare, she said.

She thinks more people in Britain should be aware of this activity.

It is hard to tackle, she said - perhaps DNA testing of newborn babies and purported parents would help.

But she wasn't sure the British government can do much to stop it, she said, "the issues start in countries where the children are born".

Patricia Durr, CEO of the anti-trafficking charity ECPAT said cases like this were particularly "heinous" because they denied a child right to their identity.

She said: "Every effort must be made to prevent these egregious crimes occurring."

A government spokesperson said: "Falsely claiming to be the parent of a child to facilitate entry to the UK is illegal. Those found doing so will face the full force of the law.

"Border Force is committed to protecting individuals who cross the border and where concerns are raised, officers will take action to safeguard individuals who could be at risk."

The BBC contacted the Nigerian High Commission for comment but they did not respond.

If you've been affected by issues raised in this story, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.

"She's probably done me out of quite a bit of money - I feel angry and conned."

Julie Gallagher believes her home was sold at a lower price than it could have gone for. There was a buyer who might have offered more for it, an undercover investigation by BBC Panorama can reveal.

Her Connells estate agent appeared to sideline this potential buyer in favour of someone else who had agreed to take out an in-house mortgage.

That mortgage was said to be worth about £2,000 to Connells, while the company potentially stood to make £10,000 in total by arranging add-on services and selling the buyer's property too.

"She sat on this sofa… and said she was actually working for me and she obviously is not, she's working for the company's ends," says Julie. "How dare Connells do that? Just appalling."

Panorama decided to investigate the company after speaking to more than 20 independent financial advisers (IFAs) and mortgage advisers from across England and Wales who had concerns about how the company operated.

One of the biggest estate agencies in the UK, Connells runs 80 chains with more than 1,200 branches. Our undercover reporter, Lucy Vallance, got a job in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in an own-brand office.

During her six weeks there in February, she found evidence that the senior branch manager favoured prospective buyers, if they were planning to take out Connells in-house services, like conveyancing or mortgages, because it made more money for the company.

Connells told us it is "committed to treating all customers and prospective buyers fairly."

Panorama also investigated the online estate agency Purplebricks, after we heard concerns it had been trying to attract sellers by overvaluing properties.

Once a customer was signed up, staff then tried to convince them to cut the asking price, earning commission if successful - a former sales negotiator told us. The whistleblower, who worked for the company between June and October 2024, also filmed online meetings for Panorama.

Purplebricks told us price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, but that is no longer the case, and it does not overvalue properties to win instructions.

'Hot buyers'

In Abingdon, the undercover reporter found that trying to arrange mortgages could be as important as selling houses - and that Connells' staff felt under pressure to get people signed up.

Connells, like many other estate agencies, has an in-house mortgage-brokering team.

The independent financial advisers we have spoken to - who compete for customers with estate agents' in-house services - say this pressure can lead to some agents in the industry playing fast and loose with the rules.

One practice known as "conditional selling" is forbidden by the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents, of which many companies across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - including Connells - are signatories.

This is when an estate agent suggests, implies or tells you that you must arrange things like mortgages or conveyancing services through their in-house teams - or there will be negative consequences for a deal.

It means estate agents signed up to the code know they should not discriminate against prospective buyers who don't use their in-house services.

Connells' senior branch manager told our reporter, at one point, that she understood conditional selling was not allowed.

But that wasn't the full picture.

• Panorama: Undercover Estate Agent - watch on BBC One on Monday 14 July at 20:00 (22:40 in Northern Ireland) or later on iPlayer

Estate agents are supposed to work in the best interests of their clients, but we saw how pressure for profit shaped decisions at Connells in Abingdon.

One Saturday, our reporter was asked to host an open-house viewing for Julie's four-bedroom house, which was on the market for offers over £300,000. It attracted great interest. Fifteen people attended and others also wanted to book separate viewings.

But the following Monday, the senior branch manager seemed interested in two possible buyers - those speaking to Connells' in-house brokers. The next day, via WhatsApp, she told her staff not to arrange any more viewings on Julie's house.

One signed up to a Connells-brokered mortgage and became known by the senior branch manager as a "hot buyer".

A board in the office titled "Hot Buyers" had the names of all house hunters at the branch who had agreed to take out a mortgage or a conveyancing package through Connells.

The hot buyer for Julie's house made an initial offer, which she rejected, but eventually upped it to successfully secure the property.

There was another potential buyer interested in the house who appeared to have deeper pockets - a cash buyer. She wasn't taking out a mortgage through the company.

Connells told us they spoke to the cash buyer the Monday after the open house and that she was undecided about putting in an offer. A call from the cash buyer later the same day was missed, said the company, and not followed up.

When the undercover reporter told the office administrator that the cash buyer might have offered more, she was told that "just a sale" was "not good enough" for Connells.

"They will probably more likely aim to get somebody who's signed up with us and wants to use our conveyancing, as opposed to someone who is a cash buyer," said the administrator. "That's just how Connells are. That's why they ride you if you don't have enough mortgage appointments."

Lisa Webb, consumer law expert with Which? Magazine, reviewed Panorama's evidence of how this sale was managed.

"This is absolutely something that should be against the law - and something that I think that these estate agents really ought to be investigated by the authorities for, because this should not be happening," she told us.

The undercover reporter secretly filmed her boss - the senior branch manager - saying why she was so keen on the hot buyer. Not only would it mean collecting fees from the seller, the manager explained, but also commission from the in-house mortgage with conveyancing fees on top.

In addition, Connells would try to sell the hot buyer's old house - and earn more fees.

The senior branch manager said the combined deal could, in total, be worth £10,000 to the company.

"That, in itself, is just appalling behaviour," said Lisa Webb from Which? when we showed her the footage.

According to the 1979 Estate Agents Act it is classed as an "undesirable practice" for estate agents to discriminate against prospective buyers if they don't take out a mortgage through in-house brokers.

If they do this, they can be investigated by Trading Standards. But it looks like the rules may not cover the sidelining of potential buyers as seen by Panorama's undercover reporter.

Those rules need to be updated, according to financial journalist Iona Bain.

"There's clearly a grey area here, whereby estate agents are able to accept one buyer that will use the in-house broker and turn everybody else away," she told us.

Homeowner Julie, who has now packed up and left her house ahead of the sale going through, was horrified when we told her what had happened.

"I'm quite appalled really that... she [senior branch manager] has kind of taken options out of my hands and probably done me out of quite a bit of money, really."

• If you have more information about this story, you can reach Panorama directly by email - panorama.reply@bbc.co.uk

Connells said it rejects "any accusation of conditional selling" and that "no harm has been caused" to the customer. There were other offers on Julie's property, it told us, but the accepted offer was the highest.

"It is not the case that customers who use our mortgage services are more likely to successfully purchase a property than those who do not," it added. It said that in the six-week period Panorama was undercover, only two properties out of 14 went to customers using the in-house mortgage service.

It also said it invests "significant time and resources in training our teams to ensure they understand the laws, regulations and guidelines within which they must operate".

"Any employee found to be in breach of these standards faces strict disciplinary action, including dismissal," Connells said.

The senior branch manager told Panorama she was content for Connells to respond on her behalf.

'Overvaluing properties massively'

At Purplebricks, a whistleblower began secretly filming meetings because she says she became frustrated with how the company was being run.

Firstly on her phone, then with a camera provided by Panorama.

The biggest shock for the whistleblower was learning that staff were being incentivised to get price reductions on properties - many of which, she was told by one of the company's local property agents, appeared to have been put on the market for more than they were worth.

"We are overvaluing properties massively just to gain instructions," said the agent to the whistleblower in a private message.

Estate agents often use property valuations to attract customers - and subsequently dropping the asking price is not unusual. The estate agents' code tells companies they "must never deliberately misrepresent the market value of a property".

The whistleblower was also told in the same message from the agent that staff could earn commission if they persuaded sellers to drop their asking prices.

The same agent suggested to her that 18 price drops per month could earn staff £900 in commission.

In an online meeting, the whistleblower's team leader told staff how to approach conversations with sellers about price drops.

He said, when properties go live, sellers can be told that if there aren't many viewings or offers within the first four weeks then they should "have a conversation about [price] reduction".

"So they won't necessarily push the reduction there and then, but they will plant the seed," he added.

Purplebricks told us it doesn't overvalue properties and that while price reductions were once a target for rewarding staff, that was no longer the case. It said it doesn't claim to be perfect and apologises wherever it has fallen short.

Purplebricks staff were also under pressure to sell financial products like mortgages and conveyancing, the whistleblower told us.

During the time she worked there, she said the company encouraged customers to get their conveyancing done through companies it had deals with, rather than look elsewhere.

"We don't want them to get a quote for comparison because we are by far and away very expensive," said her team leader during an online meeting.

When Ryan Evans and Olivia Phelps bought a two-bedroom house in Sutton-in-Ashfield through Purplebricks they ended up buying conveyancing services through the company.

They paid £2,820 last summer. Using price comparison websites, Panorama found that was nearly three times more than the current cheapest quote for the same property.

"We were none the wiser having never done all this before. I certainly felt like maybe they [Purplebricks] had taken advantage of us a bit because we were first-time buyers," Ryan told us.

Like Connells, Purplebricks is also signed up to the Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents which says: "You should provide a service to both buyers and sellers consistent with fairness, integrity and best practice."

Our whistleblower also recorded her team leader firing-up staff to sell add-on products in addition to conveyancing.

"So let's try and really squeeze every lead for as much as it's got - and I want us to be a bit more relentless," he told staff at one meeting. "The urgency is massive… there is still a heinous amount of money to be made."

Anyone working in sales is encouraged to sell more, says Lisa Webb of Which?, but it is "a real issue" if an estate agent is "incentivising someone to make a very quick decision" or pressuring them "into making decisions too quickly… before they've had the option to shop around".

Purplebricks said it entirely rejects any portrayal of its service as pressure-selling, adding that it does not promote hard-selling and that it focuses on the benefits, not price, when recommending services.

In a statement, it also said that since new owners took over in 2023, it has "worked hard to improve service and build a team and culture that puts customers first".

The whistleblower's team leader did not want to comment and told us he had left Purplebricks.

How has England's tournament been so far?

What are the key decisions for Wiegman?

What threat will Sweden pose?

The Bank of England is prepared to make larger interest rate cuts if the job market shows signs of slowing down, its governor has said.

In an interview with the Times, Andrew Bailey said "I really do believe the path is downward" on interest rates.

Interest rates currently stand at 4.25% and will be reviewed at the Bank's next meeting on 7 August.

They affect mortgage, credit card and savings rates for millions of people.

In the Times interview, Bailey said there were consistent signs that businesses are "adjusting employment and hours" and are giving smaller pay rises following UK Chancellor Rachel Reeve's move to increase employers' national insurance contributions.

Reeves raised national insurance rates for employers from 13.8% to 15% in April this year, in a move the government estimated would generate £25bn a year.

Bailey said the UK's economy was growing behind its potential, opening up "slack" that would help to bring down ­inflation.

"I think the path [for interest rates] is down. I really do believe the path is downward," the governor said.

"But we continue to use the words 'gradual and careful' because... some people say to me 'why are you cutting when inflation's above target?"'

Interest rates were held at 4.25% during the Bank's last meeting in June, following two cuts earlier in the year.

During that meeting, Bailey also said interest rates would take a "gradual downward path".

The UK economy contracted by 0.1% in May, after also shrinking in April, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The unexpected dip was mainly driven by a drop in manufacturing, while retail sales were also "very weak", said the Office.

The UK's performance adds pressure on the government, which has made boosting economic growth a key priority.

An aircraft has crashed at London Southend Airport, police have confirmed.

Essex Police said it was alerted to a 12-metre plane on fire at the site in Southend-on-Sea shortly before 16:00 BST on Sunday.

The East of England Ambulance Service said four crews were at the scene including a rapid response vehicle, a hazardous area response vehicle and a senior paramedic.

The Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson, said on X: "My thoughts are with everyone involved."

Police said, as a precaution, officers have evacuated the Rochford Hundred Golf Club and Westcliff Rugby Club due to its proximity to the incident.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.

"We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the incident at 15:58.

The service has asked people to avoid the area if possible.

A spokesperson said: "Crews from Southend (two), Rayleigh Weir and Basildon (two), along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended.

"We are continuing to work at the scene with our emergency services and aviation partners."

Hungarians have a popular saying: "Visszanyal a fagyi". Translation: "The ice-cream licks back." In other words, watch out, because what you enjoy devouring, might enjoy devouring you.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has assiduously attacked a liberal world view for at least two decades, transforming the country into what he has variously called an "illiberal democracy" and nation of "Christian liberty".

Meanwhile he has drawn admirers around the world, including US Deputy President JD Vance and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. US President Donald Trump has called Orban "smart" and "a tough person".

"One of the most respected men, they call him a strong man," Trump said in September 2024.

Ahead of the next Hungarian election in April 2026, the LGBTQ community appear to be among Orban's targets – his Fidesz party rubber stamped a new law that sought to ban Pride from going ahead. And yet between 100,000 and 200,000 people turned out last month - up from just 35,000 last year.

But watching huge crowds march through Budapest to celebrate gay pride, free speech and the right to assemble - all in defiance of the ban - many wonder: could the liberal worldview bite back?

And in some ways, that in itself is the wrong question. Orban's power is indeed now under threat, but not in the way – or from the people – one might expect.

As the real challenge comes not from the liberal left, but the centre right.

A surprise challenger from Orban's own circle

Peter Magyar, a 44-year-old formerly of Orban's own circle, appeared as a surprise challenger in February 2024.

This followed a scandal involving a decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up child sexual abuse that led to President Katalin Novak resigning on live television. Justice Minister Judit Varga (Magyar's ex-wife) also resigned - and the scandal dealt a blow to Orban's claim to stand for traditional family values.

Magyar gave a long interview to Partizan, the flagship opposition YouTube channel, blasting what he called the nepotism and corruption of the governing party.

Robert Puzser, an opposition activist who heads a new, non-party initiative called Citizens Resistance, says that Magyar is treading carefully, amid Fidesz officials and certain quarters of the media trying to portray him as a liberal or leftist.

Magyar, he argues, is trying to avoid alienating his conservative base in the countryside, which until recently was Orban's undisputed heartland. And he has created his own powerful narrative – of a Hungary that is collapsing.

Most national polls put Tisza, Hungary's main opposition party led by Magyar, between 9% and 18% ahead of Orban's party. Only one, the pro-government thinktank Viewpoint Institute, still puts Fidesz narrowly ahead.

The parlous state of state hospitals, state schools, and state railways are all being used against Orban by Magyar and his party. Now, Orban's long-established playbook, so admired abroad, is starting to fail at home – and it leaves Hungary closer than ever to ousting a man who has ruled it for the past 15 years.

Orban's tried-and-tested strategy

Orban has been in power for 19 of the 35 years since the fall of Communism in 1990, making him one of the most experienced leaders in the EU. In the early 1990s, Fidesz broke away from its liberal roots, and Orban instilled a new conservative, nationalist, right-wing identity.

In 2015, as scores of people travelled to Europe asking for asylum, Orban referred to them as part of "a migratory movement composed of economic migrants, refugees and also foreign fighters". He has opposed military support for Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, and also opposes Ukraine's bid for EU membership.

A cornerstone of Orban's playbook has been his ability to identify what his voters fear: this was true of each of his landslide victories, in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.

A public opinion survey by the Publicus agency carried out from 23-25 June found 45% of people were in favour of the Pride march in Budapest and 48% were against. Just 8% of Fidesz voters approved, however, so it was a flag to rally his own camp behind.

Since the march, Fidesz supporters have shared some provocative images from Budapest Pride, including nudity and the tale of a man arrested by police for masturbating in public.

After the event, folk singer Marianna Majorosi, whose song was performed during a drag queen show at the Pride event, said, "it deeply upsets me that as a performer I have no right to prevent someone from doing this to my voice". Orban expressed his support for her on Facebook.

In 2022, the government organised a referendum on child protection to coincide with the general election. The questions included: "Do you support allowing children in public schools to participate in sexual orientation classes without parental consent?" And, "do you support the promotion of gender reassignment for minors?"

A total of 3.7 million Hungarians took part, with the vast majority voting, "No". Government officials have since cited that referendum result as proof that Hungarians oppose what Pride stands for.

The winner takes all

Another key to Orban's playbook is that the winner takes all. Orban lost power in 2002 then returned to office in 2010, and in a new electoral law of 2011 he shrank Parliament from 386 seats to 199 and abolished the second round of elections, effectively channelling votes to the strongest party.

While the fractious opposition parties fought for the crumbs, Fidesz took the cake. They took 45% of the vote in 2014, which translated to 67% of seats in Parliament. The former system of proportional representation was replaced by something closer to the first-past-the-post system, as used in the UK.

He has also appointed Fidesz-friendly judges to the Constitutional and Supreme Court.

In 2014 he said that the "illiberal state" he was constructing "does not reject the fundamental principles of liberalism such as freedom… but it does not make this ideology the central element of state organisation".

Orban is still struggling to find the right name for his invention. András Lánczi, a philosopher widely considered a strong influence on the prime minister, calls it "political realism… Ideas based on experience rather than the utopias and moralising that leftists like so much".

How he won over world leaders

Orban rules by bullet-points, simple messages culled from unpublished opinion surveys commissioned by his government to find out what is worrying the public. Pro-government media, social media, and nationwide billboards then act as an echo chamber for these messages.

Some leaders overseas appear to admire his approach, while many MAGA Republicans love Orban for confronting "woke" culture.

The Slovak and Georgian prime ministers are also seemingly firm admirers, as are Alice Weidel (Alternative for Germany), Geert Wilders (Dutch Party for Freedom), and Herbert Kickl (Austrian Freedom Party).

Orban has instilled in his countryfolk "a new self-confidence", Mr Lánczi suggests, after centuries of foreign rule. "This nation has become stronger, and we would like to believe that we are not inferior to any other nations."

But just as he reaches the height of his fame abroad, the carpet is apparently being tugged from under his feet at home.

Are cracks starting to appear?

Peter Magyar has toured the country almost continuously, attacking the government for conditions in hospitals, a failing rail network and public service wages that are among the lowest in Europe.

He draws large crowds, and his visits to hospitals, schools or care homes are broadcast live on Facebook, with many attracting tens of thousands of views.

"We will re-build this country together, brick by brick," Magyar repeats. "Brick by brick!" chant the crowds, in unison.

Fidesz publicists have dismissed him as a hollow "messiah", or a traitor from their own ranks. But Magyar has given the public an alternative vision of repairing the homeland.

Orban has himself started to make some mistakes, like backing the ultra-nationalist candidate George Simion in the recent Romanian presidential election, despite a long history of anti-Hungarian remarks. He considered him to be a useful ally in the European Parliament where he shares Orban's message that "Christian Europe" is under threat. But Simion was the surprise loser of the second round of that election.

Orban's failure to stop Pride, after he promised his supporters it would not take place, also suggests some weakening of his power.

But perhaps most seriously, the Hungarian economy, heavily dependent on the German market, especially German cars manufactured in Hungary, is stagnating. Orban can no longer deliver an improved standard of living.

Even András Lánczi, who believes Orban will win the next election, says: "Unavoidably, there are so many conflicts during such a long time [in power]", conflicts that "erode trust, erode respect, erode a lot of positive things that unite that political community."

Battle for the soul of Hungary

Defeat for Orban, who has ruled Hungary for the past 15 years, would be monumental.

"Orban is able to mobilise his core electorate, which is about two million people, but it's not enough to win the elections," says Zoltan Kiszelly, a political analyst close to Fidesz.

The Tisza party now also has about two million supporters. More than five million Hungarians voted in the 2022 election, with a 69% turnout - so the election in April 2026 will likely be decided by those who are currently undecided.

"We are looking for policy issues that can attract these 500,000 to one million more voters who are needed to outnumber the opposition," Mr Kiszelly explained.

In 2022, amid the war in Ukraine, Orban portrayed himself as the "peace" candidate, and claimed the opposition would drag Hungary into war. It was a successful tactic in a country, often overrun in its history by foreign armies. In 2026, Ukraine could help Orban win again, Mr Kiszelly believes.

Yet if the war in Ukraine is over by then, Orban "the political realist" will be able to claim credit as the Western leader who warned that Ukraine cannot defeat the might of Russia. Or, if the war continues, Fidesz could step up its campaign against Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party (EPP), which supports continued Western military supplies for Ukraine.

"Orban can present himself, once again, as the dove of peace," Mr Kiszelly explains.

Orban also depicts his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a guarantee of cheap Russian gas and oil for Hungarian consumers - constantly under threat from EU sanctions against Russia. (Though Orban has not successfully blocked any of the 18 packages of EU sanctions against Russia so far.)

But his opponents hope that Tisza, and Magyar, can maintain their polling lead. Mr Puzser, the opposition activist, believes Tisza will win "sooner or later".

He describes Hungary as being at a crossroads. "There is a path leading to a democratic transition from this semi-authoritarian, semi-constitutional system," he argues, "and there is a despotic path leading to a dictatorship."

As for Orban, he said in March that there was a struggle "for the soul of the Western world" – some see next April's election as a battle for the soul of Hungary.

Top image credits: Anna Moneymaker/ Leon Neal/ Pierre Crom via Getty

BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.

French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined plans for a big increase in defence spending, warning Europe's liberty is facing a "greater threat" than at any time since the end of World War Two.

In a speech to the armed forces in Paris, he said "we are living in a pivotal moment" due to complex geopolitics.

Macron called for France's defence spending to rise by €3.5bn (£3bn) next year and then by a further €3bn in 2027.

Referencing the threat from Russia, he denounced "imperialist policies" and "annexing powers".

Fighting has raged since Moscow launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Macron pledged to double France's military budget by 2027, three years earlier than originally planned.

In 2017, his country's defence budget stood at €32bn and under the plans would rise to €64bn in two years time. The proposals still need to be approved by the French government.

"To be free in this world, you must be feared. To be feared, you must be powerful," he said in the speech, which fell on the eve of Bastille Day.

Macron said the world was witnessing the return of nuclear power and the "proliferation of major conflicts".

He also referenced the US bombing of Iran, fighting between India and Pakistan and what he called the "ups and downs in American support for Ukraine".

Last month, Nato members agreed to commit to spending 5% of GDP annually on defence, up from the previous target of 2%.

The UK also announced its own defence review, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying it would send a "message to Moscow".

On Friday, the head of the French army, Thierry Burkhard, said Russia saw France as its "main adversary in Europe".

Russia posed a "durable" threat to Europe, Burkhard said, adding that the "rank of European countries in tomorrow's world" was being decided in Ukraine.

France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected to outline next year's budget on Thursday.

After the thirtieth consecutive month without rain, the townsfolk of San Francisco de Conchos in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua gather to plead for divine intervention.

On the shores of Lake Toronto, the reservoir behind the state's most important dam – called La Boquilla, a priest leads local farmers on horseback and their families in prayer, the stony ground beneath their feet once part of the lakebed before the waters receded to today's critically low levels.

Among those with their heads bowed is Rafael Betance, who has voluntarily monitored La Boquilla for the state water authority for 35 years.

"This should all be underwater," he says, motioning towards the parched expanse of exposed white rocks.

"The last time the dam was full and caused a tiny overflow was 2017," Mr Betance recalls. "Since then, it's decreased year on year.

"We're currently at 26.52 metres below the high-water mark, less than 14% of its capacity."

Little wonder the local community is beseeching the heavens for rain. Still, few expect any let up from the crippling drought and sweltering 42C (107.6F) heat.

Now, a long-running dispute with Texas over the scarce resource is threatening to turn ugly.

Under the terms of a 1944 water-sharing agreement, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US.

The water is sent via a system of tributary channels into shared dams owned and operated by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which oversees and regulates water-sharing between the two neighbours.

In return, the US sends its own much larger allocation (nearly 1.85 billion cubic metres a year) from the Colorado River to supply the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali.

Mexico is in arrears and has failed to keep up with its water deliveries for much of the 21st Century.

Following pressure from Republican lawmakers in Texas, the Trump administration warned Mexico that water could be withheld from the Colorado River unless it fulfils its obligations under the 81-year-old treaty.

In April, on his Truth Social account, US President Donald Trump accused Mexico of "stealing" the water and threatened to keep escalating to "TARIFFS, and maybe even SANCTIONS" until Mexico sends Texas what it owes. Still, he gave no firm deadline by when such retaliation might happen.

For her part, the Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, acknowledged Mexico's shortfall but struck a more conciliatory tone.

Since then, Mexico has transferred an initial 75 million cubic metres of water to the US via their shared dam, Amistad, located along the border, but that is just a fraction of the roughly 1.5 billion cubic metres of Mexico's outstanding debt.

Feelings on cross-border water sharing can run dangerously high: in September 2020, two Mexican people were killed in clashes with the National Guard at La Boquilla's sluice gates as farmers tried to stop the water from being redirected.

Amid the acute drought, the prevailing view in Chihuahua is that "you can't take from what isn't there", says local expert Rafael Betance.

But that doesn't help Brian Jones to water his crops.

A fourth-generation farmer in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, for the past three years he has only been able to plant half of his farm because he doesn't have enough irrigation water.

"We've been battling Mexico as they've not been living up to their part of the deal," he says. "All we're asking for is what's rightfully ours under the treaty, nothing extra."

Mr Jones also disputes the extent of the problem in Chihuahua. He believes that in October 2022 the state received more than enough water to share, but released "exactly zero" to the US, accusing his neighbours of "hoarding water and using it to grow crops to compete with us".

Farmers on the Mexican side read the agreement differently. They say it only binds them to send water north when Mexico can satisfy its own needs, and argue that Chihuahua's ongoing drought means there's no excess available.

Beyond the water scarcity, there are also arguments over agricultural efficiency.

Walnut trees and alfalfa are two of the main crops in Chihuahua's Rio Conchos Valley, both of which require a lot of watering – walnut trees need on average 250 litres a day.

Traditionally, Mexican farmers have simply flooded their fields with water from the irrigation channel. Driving around the valley one quickly sees walnut trees sitting in shallow pools, the water flowing in from an open pipe.

The complaint from Texas is obvious: the practice is wasteful and easily avoided with more responsible and sustainable farming methods.

As Jaime Ramirez walks through his walnut groves, the former mayor of San Francisco de Conchos shows me how his modern sprinkler system ensures his walnut trees are properly watered all year round without wasting the precious resource.

"With the sprinklers, we use around 60% less than flooding the fields," he says. The system also means they can water the trees less frequently, which is particularly useful when the Rio Conchos is too low to allow local irrigation.

Mr Ramirez readily admits, though, that some of his neighbours aren't so conscientious. As a former local mayor, he urges understanding.

Some haven't adopted the sprinkler method because of the costs in setting it up, he says. He's tried to show other farmers that it works out cheaper in the long run, saving on energy and water costs.

But farmers in Texas must also understand that their counterparts in Chihuahua are facing an existential threat, Mr Ramirez insists.

"This is a desert region and the rains haven't come. If the rain doesn't come again this year, then next year there simply won't be any agriculture left. All the available water will have to be conserved as drinking water for human beings," he warns.

Many in northern Mexico believe the 1944 water-sharing treaty is no longer fit for purpose. Mr Ramirez thinks it may have been adequate for conditions eight decades ago, but it has failed to adapt with the times or properly account for population growth or the ravages of climate change.

Back across the border, Texan farmer Brian Jones says the agreement has stood the test of time and should still be honoured.

"This treaty was signed when my grandfather was farming. It's been through my grandfather, my father and now me," he says.

"Now we're seeing Mexico not comply. It's very angering to have a farm where I'm only able to plant half the ground because I don't have irrigation water."

Trump's tougher stance has given the local farmers "a pep in our step", he adds.

Meanwhile, the drought hasn't just harmed farming in Chihuahua.

With Lake Toronto's levels so low, Mr Betance says the remaining water in the reservoir is heating up with uncommon speed and creating a potential disaster for the marine life which sustains a once-thriving tourism industry.

The valley's outlook hasn't been this dire, Mr Betance says, in the entire time he's spent carefully recording the lake's ups and downs. "Praying for rain is all we have left," he reflects.

Additional reporting by Angélica Casas.

Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.