Anthony Reuben
BBC Verify senior journalist

We’ll be closing this live page shortly, but there’s still plenty of work going on across the team.

Listen out for BBC Verify’s Ben Chu on Radio 4’s Six O’Clock News this evening. He’s due to cover how Chancellor Rachel Reeves might fill the gap in the public finances at the autumn Budget following the government’s U-turn over plans to save money by changing disability benefits.

And our late reporter will be responding to any requests to verify video from around the world as well as monitoring social media like Instagram and X if news breaks.

BBC Verify Live will be back on Thursday but in the meantime do check out our pages on the BBC News website.

Tamara Kovacevic
BBC Verify senior journalist

Earlier, on the BBC’s Politics Live, UK minister Nick Thomas-Symonds defended the government’s record on small boats, after new figures showed 20,422 people crossed the English Channel in the first six months of the year.

“We've prevented 11,000 people from crossing the Channel,” he told the programme.

The Home Office has been publishing weekly prevention figures since May 2024. However, they are not from the UK government but are, external “operational estimates collected and provided to the UK by French authorities”.

Thomas-Symonds did not say what period he was referring to, but from 5 January 2025 to 22 July 2025, a total of 12,130 people were prevented from crossing the Channel, according to those figures.

However, Madeleine Sumption from the Migration Observatory, based at the University of Oxford, says there is evidence that migrants make multiple attempts to cross the Channel.

As a result, she says: “It is not possible to say, based on current data, how many people have been prevented from crossing.”

Sebastian Vandermeersch
BBC Verify journalist

We’ve verified footage appearing to show the aftermath of a drone attack which reportedly left several people injured in the Ukrainian city of Nikopol.

As you can see in the video above - which was filmed in the city centre - two middle-aged men in civilian clothing are lying on their backs, apparently with leg injuries, as a quadcopter drone hovers overhead.

We geolocated the video by identifying the monument visible in the background on Google Maps and matching the scene to Street View imagery. We also confirmed the footage was new by reverse image-searching screen grabs which showed it had not been uploaded before today.

Ukrainian media , externalreported four people were injured in the attack: two men, aged 44 and 49, and a 40-year-old woman are said to be in a moderate condition. A 65-year-old man is said to be in a serious condition.

There have been reports before of Russian drones attacking civilians – a pattern which has been widely documented in and around the city of Kherson. We can’t confirm who was behind today’s incident.

Residents there have described feeling hunted, referring to the drone attacks as a “human, external safari.”, external On 28 May, the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, external concluded that such Russian attacks in Kherson region constituted the crime against humanity of murder of civilians.

Both Nikopol and Kherson lie on the western bank of the Dnipro river, placing them within range of Russian-operated quadcopter drones from occupied territory across the river.

Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist

Image source, Reuters

The BBC has been following comments by US President Donald Trump who has raised the prospect of a potential 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas has said today it wants an “end to the aggression” while Israel’s foreign minister said on X if there is an opportunity “for a framework to release hostages” it “must not be missed”.

BBC Verify has been tracking the numbers of hostages held in Gaza and how many have been rescued or their remains recovered. We know that:

• There are 50 hostages inside Gaza of whom 20 are believed to be alive, and a further two whose status is “uncertain” according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• There are 49 hostages whose bodies have been recovered from Gaza, including three accidentally killed by the IDF
• 148 were returned in temporary ceasefire or separate deals - eight of them dead
• Eight were rescued alive in Israeli military operations

These 255 hostages include four who were held captive prior to 7 October 2023.

Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist

We reported on a helicopter crash in Somalia’s capital this morning, having verified videos showing thick smoke by aircraft hangars at Aden Adde international airport.

The Ugandan military has now confirmed five people on the helicopter died and the three others - the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer - have serious injuries.

The helicopter was on a “routine combat escort mission”, the military said, and an investigation into what caused the crash is under way.

Image source, Reuters

Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist

We reported yesterday on an aerial attack targeting an electromechanical plant in the Russian city of Izhevsk.

Since then, a Ukrainian official confirmed to BBC Ukraine that two long-range drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the plant.

Today, we can bring you a satellite photo - captured earlier this morning - which shows damage to one of the buildings at the complex. Highlighted below, you can see a section of the roof is now missing.

Dramatic video we verified yesterday captured one of the strikes. What appears to be a drone flies towards the site and then a loud, fiery explosion follows.

The plant is more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine. According to local media, the site is reported to be a military factory which is said to produce surface-to-air missile systems and radar equipment.

Three people were killed in the attack and 45 were injured, according to the Russian authorities.

Anthony Reuben
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, PA Media

There were a couple of things to fact-check from Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons this lunchtime.

We looked into a claim by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch who said: “This is the first PM in history to propose a bill to save money who ended up with a bill that costs money.”

This was a claim we looked at earlier in the day and found that the government’s concessions on personal independence payments could now cost £100m a year in 2029-30 - rather than the original welfare reform plan’s expected savings of about £5bn a year by that time. That’s according to analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

We also looked at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s claim that “business confidence is the highest for nine years”.

We looked at this yesterday. It is correct if you look at one survey - the Lloyds Business Barometer - but other indicators of UK business confidence show a weaker picture.

Rob England
BBC Verify senior data journalist

As we reported earlier, 20,422 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year.

Officials say the rise is partly due to more favourable weather conditions for crossings than in recent years.

Most crossings begin on the French coast, where police regularly attempt to stop departures. However, once boats are in the water, maritime laws limit intervention unless passengers request help.

Smugglers have adapted by using so-called "taxi boats" to ferry people to waiting vessels offshore.

France is now considering new legislation which would allow police to intercept boats in shallow waters – though campaigners warn this could increase the risk to life.

Read more about the government’s pledges on illegal immigration and asylum here.

Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist

We’ve received new images from Maxar Technologies of the Fordo enrichment facility in Iran - their satellite passed over the site yesterday. It’s one of the three nuclear sites bombed by the US last month.

The photos show machines continuing to operate near two sets of craters resulting from the attack.

A crane, the shadow from its boom clearly visible on the images, is positioned near one of the impact locations. There also appears to be a new access road located on the eastern side of the site.

David Albright, nuclear weapons expert at the Institute for Science and International Security, has analysed the imagery.

He said: “Right now the site is likely just undergoing damage assessment, which will soon be followed by recovery operations to access any salvageable equipment and materials and depending on the extent of damage, possibly also cleanup and repair.”

Rob England
BBC Verify senior data journalist

A total of 20,422 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, according to the latest Home Office figures we've just received – a 50% rise on the same period in 2024.

The increase comes amid renewed scrutiny of the government’s efforts to tackle people-smuggling gangs, with ministers under pressure to deliver on pledges to curb illegal crossings.

Benedict Garman
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Reuters

Throughout the war in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued evacuation notices advising people living there to leave certain areas where military activity is imminent.

To do this, the Israeli military divided Gaza into numbered "blocks" which they use to say where they are about to carry out operations.

Since the collapse of the last ceasefire in March, they have covered more than 80% of the strip's land area. But even if an area is not covered by a notice, there is no guarantee of safety.

For example, during the first phase of conflict, we found evidence of nearly 100 strikes within an area described as a "humanitarian zone" by the IDF - a place people were directed for their safety.

Earlier this week we verified video of two separate strikes in Gaza City - one on a beachside cafe and one on Wehda Street - both of which were outside areas covered by evacuation notices.

The IDF has told us it is forced to operate without warning against high-profile targets who hide among civilians.

Miguel Roca-Terry
BBC Verify data journalist

Image source, Getty Images

More now on the consequences of the government’s climb-down on disability payments in order to see off a potential defeat in the House of Commons.

We spotted this sign from a protest in Westminster, which suggests that the number of people claiming personal independence payments (Pip) exceeds the Labour majority from the last election in 200 constituencies.

The same claim has appeared across the media for a couple of months. And it seems to be true.

The Department for Work and Pensions publishes counts of Pip claimants by parliamentary constituency.

The last figures are from April, external and we’ve compared them with the results of, external the 2024 general election, external.

We found that there are 197 Labour MPs in England and Wales - that’s about half the total - with majorities smaller than the number of Pip claimants in their area. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different disability payments.

Peter Mwai
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, X

We have been studying videos circulating on social media, external showing the aftermath of a military helicopter crash near the main airport in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The videos show a thick plume of smoke near two aircraft hangars. In the background we can make out the outline of a body of water.

By looking at satellite imagery of the Aden Adde international airport on Google Earth we can match the two hangars seen in the videos - one of which is green - to a location near the eastern end of the runway. The airport is located along the coast next to the Indian Ocean.

Authorities say the helicopter belongs to the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia and had eight people on board. It crashed during landing.

There are no details yet about casualties.

Tom Edgington
BBC Verify senior journalist

Economists have suggested the government’s latest concession on its welfare reforms - notably that proposed changes to personal independence payments (Pip) will be delayed - will now result in no “net savings” by 2030.

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS), says, external the reforms “could even end up costing a few tens of millions”.

How is this possible?

Under the government’s original plans, the reform package was expected to save around £5bn a year by 2030.

This projected figure has been whittled down after a series of concessions to Labour MPs.

The tightening of Pip rules was expected to save £2.6bn by 2030, according to the IFS’s Tom Waters.

But this change is now subject to a government review - which means ministers are left with just a projected £1.7bn saving from cutting the health element of universal credit.

However, the government has also promised to raise basic universal credit, at a cost of £1.8bn, Waters adds. This potentially leaves the government with a bill of £100m in 2029-30.

Joshua Cheetham and Paul Brown
BBC Verify

The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for three areas of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, with people there being told to go “immediately northwards to the known shelters in Deir al-Balah”.

The Israel Defense Forces has not provided any immediate details about these shelters.

Two of these areas in Khan Younis have appeared in previous evacuation orders, while a third is new.

There have been reports of an overnight raid in the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, which we’re investigating.

Image source, X

Tom Edgington
BBC Verify senior journalist

Image source, Reuters

The government’s last-minute concession yesterday over its plan to change the personal independence payment disability benefit leaves it facing questions about the impact of this - and other welfare reform concessions - on the public finances.

The government’s original welfare plan was expected to save about £5bn a year from 2030. That estimate was halved when it announced initial concessions last week in an attempt to stave off a growing rebellion by Labour MPs.

Having now made further concessions, economists say the government could end up with no "net savings" by 2030.

This is significant because the government has a rule which says it cannot borrow money to fund day-to-day spending - to effectively balance the books.

And the amount of leeway Chancellor Rachel Reeves had initially budgeted for against her borrowing rule was just £9.9bn by 2030.

Helen Miller, deputy director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the welfare concessions have effectively halved the chancellor's "margin of error" against her main fiscal rule - raising the possibility of tax rises in the autumn.

Rob Corp
BBC Verify Live editor

Good morning.

On the live page today we're going to be sharing BBC Verify's work on a range of stories - taking in the impact on the UK's public finances of the government’s last-minute changes to its welfare reform plans in the face of a significant potential rebellion by its own MPs.

Elsewhere, we're keeping a close eye on what's happening in Gaza. The Israeli military has warned residents in parts of Khan Younis to “head north” - we'll assess which areas are affected. And with renewed talk of a ceasefire in the long-running war between Israel and Hamas we'll share what we know about the hostages still being held in Gaza and any strikes that happen in the meantime.

As well as those we'll be across Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons from noon ready to fact-check any claims made by MPs during the session.

We start today with our first look at the consequences of yesterday’s welfare U-turn.