The congregation sings "Guide Me Oh Thou Great Redeemer" as they wait for the arrival of their long-time leader and one of the longest-serving in Africa, President Yoweri Museveni.

A nation-wide internet shutdown has turned Kampala into a muted capital, and the oasis of the State House compound feels even more hushed and isolated above the traffic.

A period of intense political campaigning has been marred by the mass arrests of activists and opposition supporters is now ending in the suspension of nine local human rights organisations and an enforced digital silence.

"We are the ones who built the internet. The shutting down is about dealing with criminals who want to use that infrastructure to destabilise our country," President Museveni tells me in the manicured gardens of State Lodge behind the Chapel.

"It is temporary, short term - but we are the ones who built it. "

Does building it mean you can shut it down?

"No, it's like a road closure."

We travelled to Kampala to speak to the 81-year-old President as Ugandans cast their ballots in what will be his seventh successive election.

He is seeking to add another five years to his four decades in power. In 2005, Uganda's parliament passed a controversial constitutional amendment to lift the two term limit and the age limit of 75 was lifted in 2018.

"If I am available - not dead, not senile but I am still around - and I have some knowledge. If you are really serious about your country why would you not want to take advantage of me if I am still able?" he asks.

This month marks forty years since President Museveni secured victory in the Bush War as a rebel leader in January 1986 and ascended to power.

He was protesting the allegedly rigged election of former Prime Minister Milton Obote when he launched the five year battle for "fundamental change".

Read more from Sky News:
Is America surrendering Antarctica to its rivals?
Iranian woman who fled Tehran describes killings

Does his younger self connect with the need for change that many young people in Uganda are expressing?

"I was actually dying to work with old people because we needed them, unless you are not serious. These problems are big problems and if you are with a big problem, the more hands the better," says the President.

"I was working with [Julius] Nyerere of Tanzania and with Mandela. They were older people but we needed them. I couldn't say go away because I needed to be the one in charge."

A majority of Uganda's population were not alive to witness the Bush War and affirm its necessity. More than 70% of Ugandans are under the age of 30 and the country has one of the lowest median ages in the world at only 17 years old.

President Museveni says his party offers jobs for young people and economic growth for the country. When I asked what the future of Uganda looks like to a man who has seen it all, his answer was quick: "prosperity".

Economic growth is at the top of the list of wins that President Museveni says are the gains referred to in his campaign slogan "protecting the gains": "the economy [the GDP] is almost at $70 billion. When we started it was at $3.9 billion."

But youth unemployment is still high and masses of young Ugandans are currently calling for change by rallying behind 43 year old musician turned opposition leader Bobi Wine.

Bobi Wine has been aggressively targeted by the security apparatus since 2018. Scores of his supporters were killed and arrested by security forces in the 2021 election cycle - Uganda's most violent election to date.

This time, Wine's political party claims that 300 of their supporters and party officials have been arrested by the authorities in the lead-up to the ballot.

What is Museveni's reasoning behind his government's targeting of Bobi Wine?

"Bobi Wine breaks the law, that is why. There are other people in opposition - you don't find us having problems with them. But if you take each case, you find that he is breaking the law."

Museveni's traditional opposition opponent, his military doctor in the Bush War, Kizza Bisegye is currently in prison facing treason charges.

After weathering different eras and global partnerships, he is now witnessing the potential collapse of the Western alliance.

President Museveni said he hasn't spoken to Donald Trump but "unlike Biden" he doesn't force homosexuals on Uganda - as part of a lengthy rant against the "deviance" of the LGBTQI+ community.

President Museveni's former comrades, including the third leading presidential candidate Major General Mugusha Muntu, are critical of the President for holding onto power for so long.

In his speeches and writings from forty years ago, Museveni argues that Africa's problems lie in leaders overstaying in power instead of handing it back to the people. What changed?

"We gave power to the people long ago. They are the ones who elected me. They have been in charge all of this time and I am here because they say "you stay".

But as we speak about allegations of consistent election rigging, violent crackdowns and a monopoly on power, his stance is clear:

"You need to concentrate on what is being done, not who - you think this is a theatre? Just changing the people?"

Weeks after Justice Secretary David Lammy declared the measures would not be retrospective, the courts minister Sarah Sackman has doubled down on the reforms.

She told Sky News that where a trial date has not been set, "what you want is those measures to kick in straight away, so they can bring down the backlog".

This is likely to inflame the row over the changes, with the Bar Council arguing it could breach a fundamental legal principle and may result in a legal challenge.

Mr Lammy and his team are proposing that if MPs and peers agree, soon almost all crimes with a penalty of up to three years in prison will be tried by only a single judge - with no option to opt for a jury.

In one of the strongest outbursts by a mainstream Labour MP about the party leadership in years, Karl Turner, the lawyer leading the rebellion, said he was "ashamed" of Sir Keir Starmer, called Mr Lammy "lazy", and told Sky News the government needed to realise he and colleagues may end up quitting the Commons.

"At least 60" Labour colleagues are also willing to rebel over the plans, according to the Hull MP, reaching a tipping point where "it's not difficult for five more and 10 more and 15 to come on board because you've got the security of the numbers".

"The chief whip can't start suspending 80 members," he added.

He warned that if he was threatened, he could end up saying "I've had enough, I'm off" - triggering a by-election.

His comments feature in a Sky News investigation into the courts system, as part of a series about whether politics is breaking or mending the UK.

We witnessed hours of court sitting time at Snaresbrook Crown Court taken up by missing paperwork, lawyers, and defendants.

We saw offenders unable to undertake rehabilitation courses, arrest warrants not entered in the police computer system, and court staff using their personal email to order psychiatric reports.

No sign of compromise despite backlash

A recently retired judge criticised the government's plans, which hand judges more power.

"At the moment, judges have quite enough power," Christopher Kinch KC, an ex-senior circuit judge, told Sky News.

"I've always thought an important part of the whole process was that having decided the framework and the shape of the case, the judge then said 'this is too important for me, and it's over to you as 12 members of the public'."

Senior lawyers refused to rule out strike action over the proposal to roll back jury trials in some cases.

Simon Spence KC, from the Criminal Bar Association, said: "I don't think we as a profession are going to rule anything out. They conducted a survey and found over 85% of those who responded said that they were opposed to the abolition or reduction of jury trials."

The courts minister definitively rejected a compromise reform plan, floated by government sources, that would see cases being heard by a judge and two magistrates.

Ms Sackman said: "We think the judge-only proposal is robust. It's what they do in Canada. I've got confidence in our judges to be able to run this."

The courts minister also revealed the government would press ahead by stripping some people already facing trial from their right to a jury.

She said: "In terms of the measures themselves, while cases that already have a trial date set for a jury or are already in train, of course those will have to proceed.

"But cases that are already in the system where a trial date hasn't been set, these measures will apply to those because what you want is those measures to kick in straight away so they can start to bring down the backlog."

Ms Sackman did not say Mr Lammy was wrong when he previously said the measures would not be retrospective, but had been answering a question "in a different context".

However, the Bar Association warned this could violate the principle of "lex mitior", which means that such a rule should not be applied retrospectively.

"The government will need to be clear on the cut-off point for commencement of provisions," said a source.

Read more:
UK 'won't back down' in row with Musk's X
Home secretary has no confidence in police chief

Labour rebel: Why I'm ashamed of Keir Starmer

Some 39 MPs signed a letter before Christmas suggesting they might rebel.

Mr Turner, who is co-ordinating the rebellion, told Sky News: "I'm not going to be bullied by threats of losing whips or anything else. It's taken me 16 years to lose my temper at a government policy.

"I'm only sorry that it's my own government, led by Keir Starmer, King's Council, who has built his professional career on a brilliant reputation of being an incredibly impressive eminent lawyer and, sadly, a human rights lawyer.

"So, when I say I'm ashamed of Keir Starmer, I mean it."

Pressed on what he would do if the legislation passes, he said: "The question is: is there going to be a by-election? What I've said to the chief whip is 'don't ring me to lecture me and threaten me with suspension from the Labour whip'. I don't care.

"My integrity is more important to me. But what you do need to worry about, Mr (Jonathan) Reynolds (the chief whip) is the fact that Labour MPs like me are sick to the back teeth of being marched up hills only to be marched back down again when the penny drops that the proposals that have been put forward by way of policy, which were not in the manifesto, which were a shock to us, are sprung on us like a rabbit from a hat.

"I'm fed up with it. All the Labour MPs are fed up with it, and you've got to concern yourself about some of us saying, 'I've had enough, I'm off'."

Speaking at the annual London government dinner at Mansion House this evening, Sir Sadiq will argue that London must actively shape the AI revolution to protect jobs, boost productivity and safeguard the capital's economy.

He will call for faster regulation, skills reform and leadership to ensure AI benefits society rather than deepening inequality.

"Used responsibly, AI could enable us to transform our public services, turbocharge productivity and tackle some of our most complex challenges," he is set to say as he announces a new AI taskforce and free AI training.

"But used recklessly, it could usher in a new era of mass unemployment."

AI impact 'will be colossal'

The Labour mayor will say there is a "moral, social and economic duty to act", with a choice to make: "Seize the potential of AI and use it as a superpower for positive transformation and creation, or surrender to it and sit back and watch as it become a weapon of mass destruction of jobs."

"The impact of AI on London's labour market will be nothing short of colossal," he will add.

"That is likely an underestimation.

"Without proactive action, old roles may disappear faster than new ones are created."

The mayor will say entry-level jobs are likely to be the first to go and, unlike the Industrial Revolution, those in white collar jobs will feel it the most.

That will include some of London's biggest sectors, such as finance, professional services and the creative industries.

He will put London forward as a global leader in AI, saying the tech shaping the future needs to be made in the capital "with our values hardwired into the code".

Read more from Sky News:
Khan swipes at Trump
AI being used by students to cheat

On the London Taskforce on AI, he will say it will provide recommendations for what is needed to "embed AI skills at every level in our workforce and equip the next generation with the tools they'll need to thrive".

Sir Sadiq will also announce free AI skills courses open to all Londoners so they can "take advantage of this new technology".

But he will also warn there needs to be responsible regulation of AI, with lessons learned from the "social media revolution" that has saddled the UK "with a youth mental health crisis and a surge in online abuse".

"This time, we need to move faster and not make the same mistakes again," he will say.

The initial yellow Met Office warning covered parts of London and the south of the UK from 9am until 10pm on Thursday.

It says there may be some surface water flooding due to heavy rain falling on saturated ground.

An update issued early on Thursday also included the Midlands, South West, and eastern England in the warning, which now also advises of strong winds.

"Rain will also be accompanied by strengthening winds through the afternoon and evening, particularly across southern and South East England, where gusts around 50mph may be possible along some exposed coasts," the updated warning said.

Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England said: "It'll be another very wet day in the south, with 50mm of rain possible in places, bringing a risk of localised flooding and coastal gales near the eastern Channel, but at least it'll be warmer than last week, with no significant snow."

It comes after a major incident was declared in Kent and Sussex after around 30,000 properties were left without a water supply due to burst pipes and power cuts.

Storm Goretti brought gusts of almost 100mph and a red warning for "dangerous, stormy" winds in the South West of England last week.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency has three flood warnings in place for England, with flooding expected. There are also 40 flood alerts where flooding is possible.

Read more from Sky News:
Regulator investigating South East Water after supply cut
Economy records 0.3% growth in November

The yellow weather warning says flooding of a few properties is possible, while rail and bus services will likely be affected, with longer journey times, and there could be flooding on roads.

Between 20 and 30mm of rain is anticipated fairly widely in the warning area, with 40 to 50mm possible in a few isolated spots, the forecaster said.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said on Thursday it would "be drier for much of the north of England, Scotland and Wales, but northwest Scotland could see some showers".

"An area of low pressure is going to bring heavy and persistent rain to parts of southern England and will be accompanied by some gusty winds at times," he said.

"There's the possibility of travel disruption for some and the possibility of flooding in a few places as well."

Winds of 35 to 45mph may hit parts of the south at times, Mr Dixon said.

There will be some showers in western areas on Friday, and patchy cloud elsewhere, with similar weather forecast over the weekend, Mr Dixon added.

On Monday, the UK government said the wintry weather had triggered its cold weather payments scheme.

Pensioners and low-income households will automatically receive £25 for every seven consecutive day period of very cold weather under the scheme, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported an improvement for industrial production on the previous month amid the phased restart of manufacturing at Jaguar Land Rover after August's cyber attack.

The ONS measured growth on a rolling three-month basis at 0.1% - a rise on the upwardly revised zero growth covering August-October.

Money latest: Why you may have a trust fund you don't know about

Economists have partly put that performance down to paralysis caused by the build-up to a budget dominated by signals of more pain to come, including an income tax hike.

Private sector surveys have suggested that consumer spending picked up following guidance, in mid-November, that the chancellor had backed away from imposing that measure.

The ONS data supported that view as services - the dominant force behind the UK economy - was the only major sector to show growth at the back end of the September-November window.

ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown said: "The economy grew slightly in the latest three months, led by growth in the services sector, which performed better in November following a weak October.

"This was partially offset by a fall in manufacturing, where three-monthly growth was still affected by the cyber incident that impacted car production earlier in the autumn.

"However, data for the latest month show that this industry has now largely recovered.

"Construction contracted again, registering its largest three-monthly fall in nearly three years."

Construction has endured tough times across the board for more than a year, with the housebuilding sector worst hit.

Challenges have included weak business confidence and higher than expected borrowing costs, raising fears that the government's target of 1.5 million new homes for England by the end of the parliament will be missed by a large margin.

Recent surveys indicate, however, that the worst may be over and confidence is improving more widely now that the budget is behind firms and government has not ruled out help on business rates hikes beyond just pubs.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said of the ONS data: "With the worst of the uncertainty behind businesses, we expect growth momentum to continue over the coming months.

"Nonetheless, businesses remain concerned about the potential need for further taxes rises before Parliament ends and geopolitical tensions may also threaten growth this year.

"Despite the relatively mooted consumer sentiment so far and consumer-facing services output declining in November, there are some tentative signs of a pick-up in household spending. Inflation is also projected to decline, thanks to easing food and energy prices, which could support a recovery in discretionary spending."