The rural affairs secretary should apologise for saying farmers are "perhaps not the best people to run a business", the Conservatives have said.

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies called Lesley Griffiths's comments "highly offensive".
They called into question whether Ms Griffiths was the right person for the job, he said.
Welsh ministers said she was referring to the "diverse range of skills needed to be successful in modern farming".
Ms Griffiths said her remarks were based on her early discussions with farmers after being appointed as the cabinet minister responsible for agriculture by First Minister Carwyn Jones following May's assembly election.
Answering questions in the Senedd on 22 June she said: "I also think we need to look at how we can help them [farmers] with the sustainability and the resilience of their businesses, and to look at the business side of it, because I think farmers, certainly in my very early discussions with them, are perhaps not the best people to run a business.
"They haven't that kind of business perspective also, and they want to work with us in relation to that.
"This is just some of the farmers I've spoken to early in the portfolio. I'm not saying all farmers at all."
Ms Griffiths will have one of her first big engagements in the job at the Royal Welsh Show later this month.
Mr Davies said Ms Griffiths should apologise to the farming community.
"To say that 'farmers are not the best people to run a business' is not only highly offensive but calls into question whether she is in fact the right person to take this brief forward.
"It simply betrays her ignorance of this vital artery of the Welsh economy."
Challenged with the official record of her comments in the chamber, on Tuesday, the first minister said: "That's not what she said."
Mr Davies said he was "dumb-founded that the first minister has refused to acknowledge the extremely offensive comments".
A Welsh government spokesman said: "These comments from plenary a fortnight ago have been taken completely out of context.
"The cabinet secretary was referring to the very diverse range of skills needed to be successful in modern farming."
The spokesman added that Ms Griffiths was "already forging positive relations with Wales' farming community and had hosted a "highly constructive round table discussion with key partners" on Tuesday.


Ten-man Arsenal missed the chance to go top of the Premier League as Diego Costa's winner gave Chelsea victory at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners never fully recovered from defender Per Mertesacker's 18th-minute red card, awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg after he hauled down Costa as the striker raced clear.
The revitalised Costa scored the decisive goal five minutes later, turning in Branislav Ivanovic's cross at the near post to make it nine Premier League games without defeat for Chelsea against Arsenal.
Arsenal's potency suffered after manager Arsene Wenger decided to replace striker Olivier Giroud and introduce defender Gabriel to compensate for Mertesacker's dismissal.
Analysis: Why Wenger was wrong to take off Giroud
Victory would have put Arsenal back on top but Chelsea survived in relative comfort to leave the Gunners in third place with Leicester City now holding a three-point lead over Manchester City at the Premier League summit.
This was the day Arsenal were meant to lay the ghost of Chelsea, who went into this game unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games against the Gunners.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Even Wenger's bogey man, Jose Mourinho, was out of the picture after his sacking. Wenger has lost five and drawn six of eleven league meetings with his old adversary.
And yet it was the same old story for Arsenal as the frustration of their players and fans inside the Emirates reached boiling point long before the final whistle.
There was no shortage of spirit and endeavour from Arsenal in the face of the numerical disadvantage inflicted on them after Mertesacker's early red card.
If anything, it was inspiration and a little self-belief Arsenal lacked against a side that looked physically stronger in a game where Wenger's side was missing a warrior who could get in and among the visitors in those exchanges.
Their best effort of the match fell to Mathieu Flamini who attempted to convert Aaron Ramsey's through-ball with a kung-fu kick, where a header might have been more appropriate.
The result is hardly a terminal blow to Arsenal's ambitions but a wound inflicted in familiar fashion. It now remains to be seen how much of an after-effect there is.
Diego Costa suffered the abuse of Chelsea's fans in the aftermath of Jose Mourinho's sacking as they regarded his poor form and attitude as a key factor in the sacking of "The Special One".
The relationship is repaired now, with Costa regaining that mixture of marksmanship and menace that made him so significant in last season's Premier League title win.
Costa's near-post finish from Ivanovic's delivery was his sixth in eight games since Mourinho left - and it was not just that quality that helped Chelsea look much more like their old selves.
He got under the skin of Arsenal's players and fans, although he could hardly be blamed for his involvement in Mertesacker's red card when he was unceremoniously bundled over as he tried to race clear.
Costa departed to the resounding jeers of Arsenal's fans and cheers of Chelsea's supporters when he was replaced by Loic Remy after 68 minutes - job done and proof Hiddink's side are so much more effective when the Premier League's pantomime villain is on song.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Having talked about the lack of warriors in Arsenal's line-up, one look at Alexis Sanchez back in action shows how he can fit the bill.
The huge roar that swirled around the Emirates when he emerged after 57 minutes to replace Joel Campbell was not simply out of a growing desperation as Arsenal struggled against Chelsea - it was a signal that so much of the rest of the Gunners' season rests on the shoulders of the world-class Chilean.
It was his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury at Norwich City on 29 November and it was understandable he looked a little rusty, but the strength, perseverance and sheer force of will to influence a game were still in evidence in this cameo.
This was a major setback for Arsenal's title hopes - but the return of Sanchez confirms all is not lost if they keep him fit.
The Gunners are at home to Burnley in the FA Cup next weekend, and the Blues are away at the MK Dons in the same competition.
Match ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
Second Half ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 1.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
Attempt missed. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
Hand ball by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
Offside, Chelsea. Nemanja Matic tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Attempt missed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Héctor Bellerín with a cross.
Foul by Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
Mesut Özil (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
Foul by Eden Hazard (Chelsea).
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
Offside, Chelsea. César Azpilicueta tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
Substitution, Chelsea. Eden Hazard replaces Oscar.
Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal).
Offside, Chelsea. John Obi Mikel tries a through ball, but Loïc Remy is caught offside.
Substitution, Arsenal. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Theo Walcott.
John Obi Mikel (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).
Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Oscar.
Substitution, Chelsea. Loïc Remy replaces Diego Costa because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Diego Costa (Chelsea) because of an injury.
Corner,  Arsenal. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.
Foul by John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Diego Costa (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal).
Attempt blocked. Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Theo Walcott.
Attempt missed. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Laurent Koscielny following a set piece situation.
Foul by Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea).
Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).


Darren Clarke's European team start their defence of the Ryder Cup on Friday, 30 September at Hazeltine

The latest score will be updated as they happen on this page from 13:35 BST on Friday, once the 41st Ryder Cup gets under way.
Listed below are the teams, plus an explanation of the format and the tee times.
Friday and Saturday
Foursomes at 13:35, 13:50, 14:05 and 14:20
Fourballs at 18:30, 18:45, 19:00 and 19:15
Sunday
Singles matches start every 12 minutes from 17:04
* captain's wildcard pick
* captain's wildcard pick
There are four foursome matches and four fourball matches on each of the first two days.
In foursomes, only one ball is used with players taking alternate shots. In fourballs, as the word suggests, there are four balls in play at any time - one for each player.
The player with the lowest score among the four competitors wins the hole for his team.
The first of 12 singles matches gets under way at 17:04 BST on Sunday, with the others starting at intervals of 11 minutes.
If a player is injured and cannot compete in the singles, the captain of the opposing team nominates a corresponding player from his own line-up to stand down and not take part.
All matches are played under the matchplay format. It means each hole is decided in isolation, rather than strokeplay, which is the cumulative scoring method used in most tournaments, including all four majors.
The winner of each match scores a point for his team, with half a point each for any match that is tied after the 18 holes.
As holders Europe need 14 out of a maximum of 28 points to retain the Ryder Cup, while the United States need 14.5 points to win the trophy back.
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The boss of Volkswagen's US business has admitted the firm was dishonest in using software to rig emissions tests.

Michael Horn said the firm was dishonest with US regulators, adding: "We have totally screwed up."
Last Friday, the regulators said VW diesel cars had much higher emissions than tests had suggested.
French Finance Minister Michel Sapin has called for an EU inquiry, but a UK car industry spokesman said there was "no evidence" of cheating.
Mike Hawes, who is chief executive of the UK's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the EU operated a "fundamentally different system" from the US, with tests performed in strict conditions and witnessed by a government-appointed independent approval agency.
"There is no evidence that manufacturers cheat the cycle," he said. "Vehicles are removed from the production line randomly and must be standard production models, certified by the relevant authority - the UK body being the Vehicle Certification Agency, which is responsible to the Department for Transport."
However, he also described current testing methods as "outdated" and said the car industry wanted an updated emissions test, "more representative of on-road conditions".
France's Mr Sapin said inquiries in Europe had to be conducted "at a European level".
"We are a European market with European rules," he told Europe 1 radio. "It is these that have to be respected. It is these that have been violated in the United States."
Elsewhere, the South Korean government said it would test up to 5,000 Jetta and Golf cars, along with Audi A3s made in 2014 and 2015.
Its investigation will be expanded to all German diesel cars if issues are found.
VW shares plunged nearly 20% on Monday after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that software in several diesel cars could deceive regulators.
Volkswagen was ordered to recall half a million cars in the US on Friday.
In addition to paying for the recall, VW faces fines that could add up to billions of dollars. There may also be criminal charges for VW executives.
The White House in Washington also reportedly said it was "quite concerned" about VW's conduct.
11 million
Vehicles affected worldwide
€6.5bn Set aside by VW
$18bn Potential fines
No. 1 Global carmaker in sales
Analysis: Richard Westcott, Transport Correspondent
There's one question people keep asking me at the moment. Is this the car industry's version of Libor, the scandal that rocked the financial world?
It's way too early to say just yet. But the pressure is now on the car industry to prove that cheating the pollution figures isn't a widespread problem stretching across both sides of the Atlantic.
The German government is investigating whether other companies are massaging their emissions data. The American regulator is widening its probe to other carmakers.
If they dig up more examples, the implications could be huge. Fines running into billions. A complete loss of credibility. And worst of all, the possibility that people have become ill or even died early because of higher emissions.
Americans don't tend to buy diesels. They represent just 3% of their car market. But half of all new cars sold in Europe are a diesel.
Diesel cars: Is it time to switch to a cleaner fuel?
Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn apologised after the scandal emerged and said he would "support" the German transport ministry's investigation into the carmaker.
He has launched an investigation into the software, which allowed VW cars to emit less during tests than they would while driving normally.
"We do not and will not tolerate violations of any kind of our internal rules or of the law," Mr Winterkorn said.
The EPA found the "defeat device", the device that allowed VW cars to emit less during tests than they would while driving normally, in diesel cars including the Audi A3 and the VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat models.
VW has stopped selling the relevant diesel models in the US, where diesel cars account for about a quarter of its sales.
The EPA said that the fine for each vehicle that did not comply with federal clean air rules would be up to $37,500 (£24,000). With 482,000 cars sold since 2008 involved in the allegations, it means the fines could reach $18bn.
That would be a considerable amount, even for the company that recently overtook Toyota to be the world's top-selling vehicle maker in the first six months of the year. Its stock market value is about €66bn ($75bn; £48bn).
VW has ordered an external investigation, although it has not revealed who will be conducting it.
"It's clearly putting German industry under a very bad light," former VW employee Arndt Ellinghorst, now head of global automotive research at Evercore ISI, told BBC News.
Mr Ellinghorst explained why it was so difficult to sell diesel cars in the US: "Carmakers have to comply with 31mg NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions per km. In Europe, that's 80mg, so it's much easier to comply in Europe when you're selling a diesel vehicle compared to the US.
"It makes cars far more expensive, because carmakers have to add more technology."


The chief executive of Lancashire County Council has been suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation.

The county council's Urgency Committee decided to suspend Phil Halsall in a meeting at County Hall.
It follows an independent review of the tender process for a contract to run the council's fleet services.
Jo Turton, the council's executive director for environment, has been appointed interim chief executive.
Mr Halsall was chief executive at South Ribble Council before leaving to become executive director of resources in 2000 at Liverpool City Council.
He joined Lancashire County Council in 2009 and was appointed chief executive in November 2010.


Captivity drama Room has picked up the People's Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival, after winning the popular vote from cinema audiences at the event.

Directed by Ireland's Lenny Abrahamson, it is based on the bestseller by Emma Donoghue, who was also born in Dublin.
The Midnight Madness audience award went to Ilya Naishuller's Hardcore.
Netflix's Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom won the documentary People's Choice.
Room recounts the story of a woman who is kidnapped and gives birth to a son while being held captive - only managing to escape when he is five years old - and their struggle to adapt to the outside world.
Donoghue, who now lives in Canada, was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2010 for the novel.
The film stars Brie Larson as the mother and eight-year-old Jacob Tremblay, who have both been winning critical praise for their harrowing performances.
In a statement read at the award ceremony, director Abrahamson said: "I'm so honoured Room has been chosen by the Toronto audience to win the People's Choice award.
"The programme this year was full of extraordinary films and for the knowledgeable cinema audience to choose ours I will always be immensely proud."
The Special Presentation Prize, handed out by the International Federation of Film Critics, was awarded to Jonas Cuaron's Desierto, which is about a group of people attempting to cross the Mexican border.
It is the first full-length feature film from the son of Alfonso Cuaron, having shared writing credits on the Oscar-winning Gravity with his father.
The jury offered the award "for using pure cinema to create a strong physical sensation of being trapped in a vast space and hunted down by hatred in its most primal form".


A whistleblower flagged concerns about abuse of a green energy scheme two years before it was shut down amidst controversy, leaving Northern Ireland taxpayers with a massive bill.

The person raised issues with the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme with the then Minister of Enterprise Trade and Investment, Arlene Foster.
She asked her officials to investigate.
But they did not believe the informant and the scheme continued until earlier this year when it was closed.
A subsequent investigation has upheld allegations that it was abused to raise money, an assembly committee has heard.
The Renewable Heat Incentive was intended to encourage businesses to switch from oil to wood pellet boilers.
An overgenerous subsidy, poor oversight, and guaranteed payments for two decades saw the costs rack up.
It saddled the taxpayer with a bill of up to £660m over 20 years to be paid out of the Stormont budget when the Treasury confirmed its support was limited.
Money saved from training and skills programmes has already been used to help offset the cost.
The assembly's Public Accounts Committee was today taking evidence from the permanent secretary of the Department of the Economy, formerly DETI. which was responsible for the scheme.
Andrew McCormick said it was a "cause of great concern" to him that departmental officials had not believed the allegations of abuse raised by the whistleblower.
They were brought to Ms Foster's attention in October 2013.
A team of around 10 officials had oversight of the allegations but they dismissed the claims and did not report back to the minister.
When officials realised there was a problem in the summer of 2015, and moved to cut the subsidy, there was a huge spike of applications in an attempt to beat the change.
It was finally shut in the early 2016.
The whistleblower was one of two to bring forward allegations. The other sent an anonymous letter to the first minister in January 2016.
It claimed that an empty farm shed was being heated for the subsidy and factories which did not need the heat were running large boilers 24 hours a day to earn money.


A Welsh hospital has become the first in the UK to offer a pioneering new treatment for patients with chest deformities.

The first procedure at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales was watched by specialists from a theatre gallery and over a video link.
A specially designed metal brace is inserted through two small incisions in the side of the chest to reshape it.
The operation helps people with pectus carinatum, known as pigeon chest.
The condition affects the breastbone and ribs which appear pushed out.
Prof Mustafa Yuksel, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon from Istanbul in Turkey, designed the brace and has carried out over 150 similar operations in his home country.
He was invited by the UHW and Cardiff University's Welsh Institute for Minimal Access Therapy (WIMAT) to bring his expertise to Wales and he now also teaches at the university.
"The bar I designed is easier, safer and better to use," Prof Yuksel said.
"The other type of operation is very invasive. You cut the ribs, take them out, correct them and put them in again.
He said the traditional method was a "very big procedure that can take sometimes six or eight hours".
"This takes only half an hour and the patient is able to leave hospital two days later," he added.
After the metal brace is inserted, the surgeon pushes down on the chest until it has a more normal appearance.
The brace is removed under general anaesthetic after around two years by which time the chest should be permanently reshaped.
The condition affects around one in every 1,500 children and is more common in boys than girls.
It can become more obvious as children grow and cause serious psychological effects including depression, negative body image and low self-esteem.
In some cases it can also affect lung function.
A similar procedure to the one performed at UHW is already available to treat pectus excavatum, where the chest appears sunken.
One man in his early twenties with the condition, who did not wish to be named, spoke to the gathering of specialists visiting UHW.
"It really affected me mentally, especially when I started getting involved with girls," he said.
"I was always a bit reserved but then I managed to meet a girl I actually liked. When she saw my chest though it put her right off. And that hit me really hard.
"Since I've had the operation I've managed to get my confidence back."


Two soldiers from 1st Battalion Irish Guards killed in Afghanistan just six days before they were due to return home have been named.

Maj Matthew Collins, 38, from Backwell, in Somerset, and L/Sgt Mark Burgan, 28, from Liverpool, died on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Their commanding officer said their loss was "a devastating blow".
Their deaths take to 362 the total number of UK military personnel to have died in Afghanistan since 2001.
Maj Collins joined 1st Battalion Irish Guards and had also served in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland and Iraq.
He was the company commander of Number 3 Company, and leaves behind two children and his wife, Lucy.
His family said in a statement: "Not only a soldier but a caring husband, devoted father to Freya and Charlie, caring son, wonderful brother and friend to many. We will all miss him and remember him always."
L/Sgt Mark Burgan joined the Guards in 1999 and had also served in Northern Ireland and Iraq.
His wife, Leanne, said: "I am so honoured to be Mark's wife. I will always love my hero.
"Mark was an extremely proud Irish Guardsman, dad, husband, brother and son. He will forever be in our hearts."
The two men were returning to base from an operation aimed at disrupting insurgent groups in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
Lt Col Christopher Ghika, commanding officer of 1st Battalion Irish Guards, said: "Two more committed and professional soldiers it would be hard to meet; they epitomised what it meant to be a member of this family regiment."
He said Maj Collins had played a key role in training Afghan soldiers, adding: "It is a telling fact that there is a deep sense of sorrow hanging over the 3rd Kandak of the Afghan Brigade today, such is the respect in which they held Matt Collins."
Speaking about L/Sgt Burgan, Lt Col Ghika said: "The notes given to me by his company commander, alongside whom he died, say it all: 'Knows what has to be done, does it brilliantly and has the next thing ready before you ask'."
The commanding officer added: "It is perhaps a comment on the character of this regiment that both Lucy Collins and Leanne Burgan are the daughters of distinguished and long serving Irish Guardsmen.
"The events of last night are a family tragedy in every sense."
Defence Secretary Liam Fox said both were men "of great experience and exemplary commitment".
"They have laid down their lives protecting our national security, a loss made all the more poignant as they were so close to finishing their tour of duty and returning home," he said.


Schools reopened in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo on Monday 10 days after military police went on strike setting off a wave of violence in the state and its capital, Vitoria.

Public transport also resumed and health centres, which had closed for fear of violence, opened their doors.
During the strike more than 140 people were killed in Vitoria and its environs, police union figures suggest.
After talks with officials, some of the officers are now back on duty.
They are demanding higher salaries and extra benefits such as danger money and higher night allowances, arguing that they are paid far less than colleagues in other states.
Members of the military police are constitutionally banned from protesting or striking so their relatives and friends physically blocked access to the barracks instead.
Brazilian President Michel Temer described the move as "an insurgency against the constitution" and said his government would draft legislation to prevent any future protests.
Since the strike started, the state's crime figures have rocketed, with locals reporting a rise in car thefts, lootings and murders.
More than 3,000 federal troops were sent to the state to restore order but residents complained that many of them seemed to lack the local knowledge needed to ensure safety.
Following negotiations between union and government officials, about 900 officers returned to work at the weekend.
But the wives of military police officers, who have been at the forefront of the protests, said they had not been included in the negotiations and refused to lift their blockades.
Nevertheless, residents reported tension in Vitoria easing somewhat, with more people venturing out on the streets as bus services resumed and shops reopened.


Forfar Athletic extended their lead at the top of Scottish League Two to 11 points after a 1-0 win over second-placed Arbroath at Gayfield Park.

Elgin City remain third but had their game at bottom side Cowdenbeath called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
Fourth-placed Annan Athletic were thumped 4-1 by Berwick Rangers.
Montrose moved to within a point of Annan with a 2-1 win over Stirling Albion, while Clyde stumbled again after a 0-0 draw with Edinburgh City.
The draw in Edinburgh means that Barry Ferguson's side have now gone nine league games without a victory and are five points behind the last promotion play-off place.
Forfar consolidated their position at the top with Josh Peters scoring the only goal of the match on 33 minutes when he latched on to Gavin Swankie's through ball to fire home.
It was the Loons' first league win over the Smokies in three attempts this season and means that Gary Bollan's side are unbeaten in their last nine league matches.
Steve Thomson scored a brace in six first-half minutes to put Berwick in control at home to Annan before Peter Weatherson reduced the arrears before the half-time interval.
Jordan Orru restored the two-goal cushion with a left-footed strike with three minutes remaining and Thomson completed his hat-trick in stoppage-time as Berwick jumped two places to seventh spot.
Montrose made it three wins on the bounce despite Blair Henderson putting the visiting Binos in front from the penalty spot after Kieran McWalter brought down Willie Robertson.
Chris Templeman levelled after he slammed in Andrew Steeves' through ball after the break before Graham Webster won all three points with a penalty of his own with nine minutes remaining.
There was still time for Stirling midfielder Calvin Colquhoun to receive his marching orders for two bookable offences.


Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has had his decision to reduce services at a major hospital declared unlawful and quashed by the High Court.

Mr Justice Silber ruled Mr Hunt acted outside his powers when he announced casualty and maternity units at Lewisham Hospital would be downgraded.
He said the Secretary of State had breached provisions of the National Health Services Act 2006.
The judge gave him permission to appeal against the decision.
Mr Justice Silber said recommendations of the Secretary of State had to have regard to, or be supported by, GP commissioners.
It was quite clear that the Lewisham GP commissioners did not give support to the proposals, said the judge.
He went on:  "On the contrary, they strongly opposed them although those GP commissioners in a number of surrounding but different areas were happy with them.
By Karl MercerPolitical Correspondent, BBC London
There were cheers and tears in Court 76 as Mr Justice Silber gave hospital campaigners the news they had hoped for.
He ruled that Jeremy Hunt and the administrator he appointed to South London Healthcare had acted outside their powers when they decided to reduce services at Lewisham hospital.
He ruled that local GPs had not supported the plans and therefore they should not be allowed to go ahead.
Today's ruling comes six months to the day since Jeremy Hunt announced the downgrading of services like the A&E and maternity units at Lewisham.
Campaigners had argued it was being made to suffer because of the failings of the neighbouring South London Healthcare Trust which is Â£65m in deficit.
This was the first time the Trust Special Administrator regime had ever been used.
The government has been given permission to appeal.
"I considered that it was the absence of support from the local GP commissioners which constituted an additional reason why the decision of the Secretary of State cannot stand."
The challenge was brought by Save Lewisham Hospital and the London Borough of Lewisham.
Dr Louise Irvine, a local GP who chairs the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, said: "This is an incredible day.
"We are delighted for every single person who has supported the campaign and those who will now continue to benefit from this extraordinary hospital."
Rosa Curling, a lawyer with solicitors' firm Leigh Day acting for the campaigners, described it as a "tremendous victory".
She said: "This judgment should serve as a warning to the government that, if they try to do this, local communities will fight back to ensure their healthcare services remain in place."
Mayor of Labour-run Lewisham Council, Sir Steve Bullock, said justice had been delivered to a hospital "well-managed, highly-respected and financially solvent".
In January Mr Hunt told MPs that the cuts were necessary because neighbouring South London Healthcare NHS Trust has been losing more than Â£1m every week.
A spokesman said Mr Hunt's department was "disappointed by the decision" and would consider the judgment carefully.
He said: "This judgment applies to one aspect of a package of changes which we believe are in the best long-term interests of patients and the public across south-east London.
"We expect to continue other elements of that package of changes, including the dissolution of the South London Healthcare NHS Trust, planned for October 1 - although there are a number of steps to go before that can take place."
The other changes expected to go ahead are King's Health Partners taking over Princess Royal Hospital and the merger of Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Lewisham Hospital trusts.


Britain's Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers missed out on a first Grand Slam doubles title together as they lost to fourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in the Wimbledon final.

The Dutch-Romanian pairing won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 52 minutes.
Murray had hoped to claim a first men's doubles Slam title having won the mixed doubles with Jelena Jankovic in 2007.
The 29-year-old was watched by younger brother Andy on Centre Court, 24 hours after his singles semi-final defeat.
"I didn't know he was coming till I heard him shouting," said Jamie Murray.
"He was shouting all the time, encouragement. It was cool.  It was nice to see him out there supporting."
The brothers must now regroup after Wimbledon disappointment as they are both part of the Great Britain squad which will take on France in next week's Davis Cup quarter-final at Queen's Club.
"It's an exciting match to look forward to," he said. "It's a big tie for us. There's going to be a lot of people coming out to support. Motivation is high for the match."
Murray and Peers had three chances to break serve in the first five games of the doubles final but could not convert, and Rojer and Tecau took advantage.
Rojer hammered away a smash to convert their third set point in the tie-break, and when Peers netted a volley to drop serve early in the second, the lead was convincing.
A Peers double fault invited huge pressure at 4-4 in the third and Rojer proved more solid than Murray at the net to earn the decisive break.
The fourth seeds served out the match to love and fell to their knees in celebration, with Tecau finally getting his hands on the trophy after three times finishing runner-up.
"It was a good tournament for us," added Murray, who had never previously been past the quarter-finals of the men's doubles in a Slam.
"We got to the final of Wimbledon, which is not so easy to do.  I mean, my best result in a Grand Slam by quite some distance, I guess.
"It's sad to lose but I guess overall it was a positive tournament."


More than £3m is to be spent upgrading four treatment works in the North East in a bid to improve water quality.

Northumbrian Water said it was installing new equipment at its works to help slow down pipe corrosion and to reduce water discolouration.
The work will take place at sites including Broken Scar in Darlington, Mosswood in County Durham and Warkworth in Northumberland.
A spokesman said the work would be completed early next year.
The work will not disrupt water supplies, the spokesman added.


Police in India's north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh are looking for a gang of poachers who entered a high-security zoo in the capital, Itanagar, and hacked a tiger to death.

Officials have ordered an investigation into the incident, which happened on Monday night.
The arrival of security guards prevented the poachers from carrying away the mutilated animal.
The poaching and smuggling of tiger body parts is common across India.
The animals are prized throughout East Asia in general and China in particular for the supposed medicinal value of their body parts.
Tiger numbers have shrunk alarmingly in India in recent decades.
A 2011 census counted about 1,700 tigers in the wild. A century ago there were estimated to be 100,000 tigers in India.
The poachers tranquilised the six-year-old tigress before entering its enclosure and cutting it into six pieces, officials at the zoo say. A post-mortem of the animal has now been carried out.
Zoo chief Zoram Dopum said that the poachers fled when three security guards who had gone for dinner returned to the area.
There have been attempts at poaching animals in the zoo before, officials say.
In February 2006, three tigers and a leopard were poisoned by unknown people. One tiger died, while the other two other animals survived.
In June 2006, 30kg (66lb) of tiger parts - mainly bones and nails - were seized from a vehicle belonging to a police officer in Assam state.


Immigration rules tailored to the needs of Wales could build public confidence in the system, a group of MPs has said.

An all-party group has called on the UK government to consider devolving some immigration control.
That could involve Wales being able to set its own visas and migration quotas. And the group chairman said immigrants should have to learn English or Welsh.
The UK government said different rules for different areas would cause difficulties for employers.
Currently, there is no separate Welsh immigration policy.
A number of recommendations have made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration (APPGSI) report on how the UK's immigration system could promote better integration.
It said speaking English was "the key to full participation in our society and economy".
Group chairman Chuka Umunna MP said he wanted Wales to have a bigger say in developing immigration policies.
"This is a really hot topic, it's become very toxic, very polarised and we want to build a consensus on what a new system could look like," he told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales programme.
When asked if immigrants could learn Welsh if living and working in Wales as an alternative to English, he said: "Absolutely. Why not?", adding that people could not fully integrate in society if they could not speak the language.
David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth, called it a "ludicrous idea".
"People will just go to whichever nation... is offering the easiest visas and move to where they want to move to," he told BBC Wales.
"Once they've got a visa to go to Wales there will be nothing to stop them going to England or vice versa."
The MPs' report claims the UK's existing points-based immigration system is "generally unresponsive to demographic, economic and cultural differences between our constituent nations and regions".
"Shaping immigration criteria to address nation or region-specific economic and cultural needs might instil confidence among members of the public that the immigration system works for their area", the study said.
It added: "Enabling nations and regions to set regional immigration quotas would create new incentives for politicians to actively make the case for immigration in their area."
Devolution could involve the introduction of region-specific visas, with quotas for how many are issued.
Canada is given as an example, where all 10 provincial governments are allowed to set region-specific requirements for immigrants.
Immigrants are required to live in the region that approves their visa until they become eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship.
The province of Quebec is also able to set its own criteria for its visas and evaluate applications.
A small element of regional policy on immigration already exists in the UK, where Scotland has a list of occupations in addition to a UK-wide version where employers can advertise outside of the EU without first advertising domestically.
The UK government, the report said, should appoint an independent commission to explore how a devolved or regionally-led immigration system might work.
Questions for the commission could include extending existing powers for Scotland to Wales, Northern Ireland, London and the English metro regions, and whether the UK government might copy the Quebec model.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "It is important that the needs of Wales are reflected in future migration policies and that people who settle here are supported to integrate into communities."
Plaid Cymru external affairs spokesman Steffan Lewis said: "Plaid Cymru has long advocated a Welsh visa system to boost our public services such as the NHS and support the private sector in attracting high-skilled workers from around the world.
"It is also of great regret that Westminster policies have damaged our reputation as a destination for international students.
"Student visas should be devolved and would benefit our universities and our economy."
A UK government spokeswoman said: "Applying different immigration rules to different parts of the United Kingdom will complicate the immigration system, harming its integrity and causing difficulties for employers who need the flexibility to deploy their staff to other parts of the UK."
She said the UK government was rolling out a Â£20m fund for English language provision and had made Â£140m available to councils to manage impacts on communities "caused by issues such as poor English language skills".
The spokeswoman added: "We must also recognise that uncontrolled, mass immigration makes it difficult to maintain social cohesion and puts pressure on public services.
"Our priority is to build an immigration system that works for everyone in the UK and delivers the control we need."


Thousands of people have attended a march in Belfast, calling for the introduction of civil marriage for same-sex couples in Northern Ireland.

The march began at Writer's Square and moved towards Belfast City Hall, where a rally was held.
The organisers said Northern Ireland is "out on a limb" as the only part of the UK and Ireland not to change its laws.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has debated the issue four times, and each time MLAs rejected same-sex marriage.
Saturday's demonstration was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), Amnesty International and the Rainbow Project.
Patrick Corrigan,  Amnesty International's Northern Ireland programme director, was among those who addressed the rally.
He said it was "simply unacceptable for the state to discriminate against people on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity".
"Amnesty International believes that states should end discrimination on this basis and instead ensure that all families are equally protected before the law," he said.
"That's why we are on the march today and why we will walk every step of the way with you and the LGBTI community, and why we will not stop until every one of us can enjoy the same rights and recognition before the law."
The singer and actress Bronagh Gallagher performed at the event, which was attended by a number of Northern Ireland politicians. The Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody was also present.
In a statement, the ICTU said: "In 2005, history was made when Northern Ireland became the first place in the UK to hold a civil partnership.
"Ten years later, with every other part of these islands recognising marriage equality, citizens in Northern Ireland have effectively been left behind."
The ICTU added that its members had "played a leading role in campaigning for a Yes vote in the marriage equality referendum in the Republic of Ireland".
Last month, more than 62% of the electorate in the Republic of Ireland voted to legalise same-sex marriage.
It was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by a referendum.
Renowned Northern Ireland novelist Glenn Patterson also spoke at the rally on Saturday and alluding to the symbolism of the DeLorean car currently situated in the grounds of City Hall, asked the crowd to permit him a 'Back to the Future' moment.
"We will never forsake the blue skies of Ulster for the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet skies of the Irish Republic," he said.
"We are going to bring them here."


A councillor has said he was attacked when he tried to stop youths defecating on a memorial to the late Progressive Unionist Party leader David Ervine.

PUP councillor John Kyle told BBC News NI he confronted four youths at the memorial on east Belfast's Albertbridge Road at about 08:20 GMT on Sunday.
He said one was defecating while the others filmed it on mobile phones.
Mr Kyle said when he shouted at them, one of them kicked him off his bike and fled towards the Short Strand.
A PUP statement said their councillor followed the youths into the Short Strand and then reported the incident to police as a "sectarian hate crime".
Mr Kyle said it was a "shame" that such a thing would be done at all, but especially on Remembrance Sunday.
Mr Ervine led the PUP from 2002 until his death in January 2007.
He was a former member of the paramilitary group the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and was a key figure in brokering the loyalist paramilitary ceasefire of 1994.
A police spokeswoman said officers were investigating an assault on a man in the Albertbridge Road on Sunday morning and a report of "attempted criminal damage to a memorial".


A man has appeared in court charged with attempted murder after a security guard was seriously injured at a factory.

Lee Parsons, 44, has also been charged with burglary after the attack on the 73-year-old guard at Stokes Forgings in Vine Street, Brierley Hill, on Sunday.
Mr Parsons, of Highgate Road, Holly Hall, Dudley, was remanded in custody at Dudley Magistrates' Court.
He is due at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 19 April.
Read more news for Birmingham and the Black Country


Walsall midfielder Reece Flanagan has signed a new contract to stay with the League One club until June 2018.

Flanagan's previous deal with the Saddlers had been set to expire at the end of the current season.
The 22-year-old has made 35 appearances for the Saddlers, but has yet to play this season, having torn his anterior cruciate knee ligament in April.
"I took the positive from it and I feel like I'm going to come back stronger than I was before," he said.
"Initially my target to return was Christmas, but when I had my operation, the injury was worse than first thought so I'm looking at January now."


In the space of a week, at least 750 migrants are feared to have died crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

Many thousands of others have risked their lives this year, fleeing conflict and instability in Africa and the Middle East, in small, often decrepit vessels in an attempt to reach European territories.
But the number of fatalities has risen dramatically in a matter of months. More than 2,200 lives have been lost since June, the UN refugee agency UNHCR believes.
That is because of the big increase in numbers crossing the Mediterranean. While some 60,000 reached European shores in 2013, so far more than 130,000 have arrived in 2014.
The majority of migrants head for Italy, prompting a crisis that the country's navy, coast guard and beleaguered immigration facilities are struggling to handle.
Last October, 366 people died off the Italian island of Lampedusa when the fishing boat they were travelling in from Libya capsized.
Nearly all the victims were Eritrean. Migrants crossing in the central Mediterranean - from Libya and Tunisia - have until recently come mostly from Eritrea and Somalia, although increasing numbers of Syrians fleeing the country's civil war are also making the journey.
Libya has become a popular starting point for many journeys, with people traffickers exploiting the country's power vacuum and increasing lawlessness.
The relatively short distance to Lampedusa encourages more people to risk the journey.
Migration charities believe that as many as 20,000 people may have died at sea trying to reach Europe in the last two decades.
Malta's prime minister warned after the Lampedusa tragedy that the Mediterranean was in danger of becoming of a "cemetery" for desperate migrants.
'Age-old' issue
The number of people using the various routes across the Mediterranean has ebbed and flowed.
From 2008-2012, large numbers of migrants crossed between Turkey and Greece via the so-called Eastern Mediterranean route, border management agency Frontex reports.
In response, Greece bolstered border controls with an additional 1,800 police officers.
However, Frontex suggests that the area remains problematic, and points to "uncertainties related to the sustainability of [Greek] efforts, and evidence that migrants are waiting in Turkey for the end of the operation".
Over the last decade, the central Mediterranean route has experienced periodic surges in migrant traffic.
UNHCR figures suggest that some 25,000 people fled to Italy from North Africa in 2005, a number which dwindled to 9,573 in 2009.
In 2011, this figure rocketed back to some 61,000, driven by the conflict in Libya which culminated in the downfall of Col Gaddafi.
Earlier in the decade, the most popular route was from West Africa to Spain, including its North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla, and the Canary Islands, with some 32,000 irregular arrivals in 2006. This figure had dwindled to just 5,443 by 2011.


Comedy sequel Ted 2 has failed to knock Jurassic World off the top of the US and Canada box office chart, opening in third place behind Pixar's Inside Out.

The film, which stars Mark Wahlberg and a teddy bear voiced by Seth MacFarlane, made $32.9m (£20.9m) between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.
Jurassic World and Inside Out made $54.2m (£34.5m) and $52.1m (£33.1m) respectively over the same period.
Canine drama Max, another new release, made its bow-wow in fourth place.
The film, about a military dog afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), made $12.2m (£7.7m) in its first three days in North American cinemas.
Ted 2's opening weekend tally is no disgrace for a film rated R, which requires under 17s to be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian.
Yet the Universal release had been expected to perform better given the success of its 2012 predecessor, which took almost $550m (£350m) at the worldwide box office.
"We could have had a higher gross, but we get the gross we get," said Universal's Nick Carpou. "It was a very competitive marketplace this weekend."
Jurassic World, which was also produced by Universal Pictures, has now spent three weekends as the US and Canada's number one film.
The fourth instalment in the resurrected dinosaur franchise has now made more than $1 bn (£637m) at the worldwide box office.
Ted 2, in which the title character tries to convince a court he is a person so he can have a child with his wife, opens in the UK and Ireland on 8 July.
Inside Out, an animated feature in which much of the action takes place inside a young girl's head, makes its UK and Ireland debut two weeks later.
The full US and Canada box office top 10 is as follows.


Police have named a 19-year-old man who died after a car crash in Ceredigion on Saturday morning.

Joe Hulston, from Penparcau, Aberystwyth, was driving a silver Ford Fiesta when it crashed at Llancynfelyn. No other vehicles were involved.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and an appeal has been made for witnesses.
Mr Hulston was last seen at the Spar store in Aberystwyth at 03:15 GMT and Dyfed-Powys Police believe the crash happened shortly after.


UK new car sales in the year to June rose at the fastest rate on record, a motor industry survey has found.

The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said there was a 7% rise in new car sales in the first six months of the year, taking the total to more than 1.3 million.
In June alone, there was a 12.9% surge in car sales compared with a year ago, amounting to 257,817 sales.
About 15% of buyers chose a UK-manufactured vehicle, the SMMT said.
That was the highest level in five years, it added.
However, it said it expected slower growth in the next six months.
Low interest rates, attractive finance deals and the launch of new models continued to encourage consumers to buy new cars, the SMMT said.
It also reported a strong surge in demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles in June.
The Ford Fiesta remained the top-selling car last month, as it has all year, selling 12,543 units in June and 71,990 in the year to date.
Behind the Fiesta, the Vauxhall Corsa was the second best-selling car, with 9,561 unit sales in June and 50,125 in the year to date.
1. Ford Fiesta: 71,990
2. Vauxhall Corsa: 50,125
3. Ford Focus: 45,078
4. Volkswagen Golf: 38,261
5. Nissan Qashqai: 34,501
6. Vauxhall Astra: 29,966
7. Volkswagen Polo: 28,980
8. Audi A3: 25,765
9. Mercedes Benz C-Class: 24,676
10. Mini: 23.455
"It is still a great time to buy a new car in the UK, and it is encouraging to see more consumers choosing British models. This is important for the wider economy, with 799,000 people now employed across the UK automotive sector, including retail," said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.
"We anticipate a flatter second half of the year, as the market finds its natural running rate."


UKIP say they would cut net migration levels to zero within five years by almost halving immigration into the UK.

They want to align the number of people coming to the UK - 596,000 in the year to last September - with those leaving, which was 323,000 over the same period.
Unskilled and low-skilled labour would be banned for five years while skilled workers and students would need visas.
Party leader Paul Nuttall said the "radical" plan would put "clear water" between it and the Conservatives.
It comes amid signs that Theresa May will retain a controversial target to reduce levels of net migration - which totalled 273,000 in the last recorded figures - to the tens of thousands in her party's manifesto.
The target, first set by David Cameron in the run-up to the 2010 election and criticised by business, has been repeatedly missed since then but the prime minister said it was still important to continue to aim for "sustainable" levels.
Net migration is the difference between the numbers of people moving to the UK for more than a year, and the numbers of people leaving the UK to live elsewhere for a year or more.
UKIP, which is seeking to bounce back from a poor set of local election results, said the Conservatives could not be trusted over the issue and only it had the "political will" to bring about a sizeable reduction in immigration, before and after the UK leaves the European Union.
Announcing its policy for June's general election, immigration spokesman John Bickley said England was the "sixth most overcrowded country in the world", with immigration levels putting pressure on public services and community cohesion and depressing wage levels for British workers.
Under its "one-in, one-out" plan, annual levels of migration would be reduced from 600,000 to about 300,000. There would be a five-year moratorium on unskilled and low-skilled labour, although seasonal workers, such as fruit pickers, would still be able to apply for six-month visas. (Under current rules anyone moving to the UK less than a year is not counted for the purposes of migration figures.)
The number of workers, students and family members given visas would be determined by an Australian-style points system while the whole system would be overseen by a new Migration Control Commission.
Even though the free movement of EU workers will still apply until Brexit, expected to happen in 2019, and the common travel area with the Republic of Ireland is expected to be maintained, UKIP believes it can bring net migration into balance within five years.
Although it will not set annual targets, it is committed to then keeping the average figure at zero over a rolling five year period.
"Net migration has been the equivalent of a city the size of Birmingham over the past three years," Mr Nuttall said. "This is clearly unsustainable and it is clearly unfair, particularly to inner city communities."
Of the 596,000 people who came to the UK in the last year, 268,000 were from the EU while 257,000 were from elsewhere in the world, with the remaining 71,000 being British citizens returning. At the same time, 323,000 people left the UK.
Mr Bickley said UKIP still wanted to attract the "brightest and best" to the UK, including foreign students, but there could not be an unlimited number of people coming to study due to the pressures it placed on housing and other infrastructure.
He said the number of visas for seasonal workers from abroad would be gradually reduced as British workers were trained to take their places.
"There used to be a time when it was a rite of passage that people going through, if you like, an internal gap year in this country... that to get some extra cash... they'd go fruit picking," he added.


A major Scotch whisky distiller is to close its Perth office and move to a new Glasgow headquarters.

Up to 21 redundancies are expected at Edrington, the maker of The Macallan and The Famous Grouse.
A total of 90 jobs are being moved from Perth and more than 50 roles will move from the distillery and office in the west of Glasgow.
The new headquarters office has not been chosen yet, and the move is planned for early next year.
Edrington's existing site near Drumchapel is currently the base for its executive team.
When the new headquarters is set up, almost 200 people will be left working on productions and operations at the existing Glasgow site.
Eight jobs will be lost from the Drumchapel base while 13 redundancies are expected at the Perth office in West Kinfauns.
The move will bring onto one site the executive board, finance, legal, corporate affairs, human resources, management of global operations, and some information technology.
The company's other six sites across Scotland will not be affected while it continues to build a new distillery and visitor centre for The Macallan on Speyside.
Edrington's main whisky brands are Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark, The Macallan, Highland Park as well as Snow Leopard vodka and Brugal rum, made in the Dominican Republic.
The firm employs 3,000 people, 70% of them overseas, many with distribution operations and joint ventures.
The distiller was founded in Glasgow in 1861 by William Robertson and John Baxter. It is now the largest Scotland-based whisky distiller.
As a private, independent company, its profits go to the Robertson Trust, set up in 1961 by descendants of William Robertson.
The trust distributes them to Scottish charities, last year handing out more than £16m in 571 donations.
Chief executive Ian Curle said:  "This development will not only secure our position as one of Scotland's leading businesses, but also help us to continue investing in our premium brands at home and abroad, which in turn contributes to the on-going success of Scotch whisky, Scottish exports and the Scottish economy."


A 59-year-old teacher at Parkview special school has appeared before Lisburn Magistrates Court accused of cruelty against children.

Stephen Downes of Glebe Gardens in Moira is alleged to have assaulted three children on five occasions between October 2010 and March 2011.
The court heard from a classroom assistant who said she had heard thuds, crying and screaming while Mr Downes was alone in a room with a pupil.
Mr Downes denies the charges.
The classroom assistant told the court she assumed from the noises that Mr Downes had pinned the pupil to the ground.
However, a lawyer for the teacher questioned why there had been a delay between the incident and the classroom assistant reporting it.
She said she did not know why there had been a delay.
The case has been adjourned.


Teenage forward Idris Kanu has signed his first professional contract at Aldershot Town.

After turning 17, Kanu has been given a deal with the National League club until the summer of 2019.
The former West Ham academy player joined the Shots in October and has scored three goals in 10 appearances.
"We are delighted that Idris has signed his first professional contract with Aldershot Town," manager Gary Waddock told the club website.
"He has made a fantastic start to his career here and now it is up to myself and (assistant manager) James Rowe to help him fulfill his undoubted potential."


The first clear signs that Thailand could be destined for another spell of military rule came on Tuesday when martial law was declared.

The army denied it was taking over, saying the aim was purely "to preserve law and order".
But a quick look back in history shows that the military has often had a key role in shaping Thai politics.
Thursday's coup brings to 12 the number since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, giving Thailand the dubious accolade of being one of the world's most coup-prone countries. Add to that seven attempted coups.
The right of the army to intervene in political affairs is even enshrined in law.
The leader of this latest coup, military chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha, on Tuesday cited a 1914 act which gives the military the authority to declare martial law during a crisis.
Thailand has been under constitutional rule for more than 80 years, but for much of that time members of the army rather than civilians have held positions of power.
The first coup happened in June 1932, in a bloodless revolt that abolished absolute monarchy and introduced Thailand's first parliamentary elections.
Six years later, military leader Luang Phibun Songkram became prime minister.
After a short-lived civilian administration following the end of World War Two, the military launched a coup in 1947 and remained in power until 1973.
Just three years of civilian rule followed, before a bloody crackdown on student protesters returned control to the army.
More coups and unstable coalition governments led by appointed prime ministers brought Thailand to 1992, when pro-democracy protesters filled the streets of Bangkok demanding a return to civilian rule.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej famously stepped in and asked the generals and pro-democracy leaders to reconcile their differences. They did, and Democrat Party leader Chuan Leekpai took power.
The next coup to reshape Thailand is at the root of the political impasse which led to the latest military takeover.
In 2006 the flamboyant Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.
The army soon ceded power to a civilian government, but ever since there has been a power struggle.
On one side are those who support Mr Thaksin - and by extension his sister Yingluck, until recently the head of the now deposed government.
On the other are those who want Mr Thaksin's influence out of Thai politics for good.
Earlier this month, amid escalating violence between the two sides, the army warned that it "may need to come out... to restore peace and order".
General Prayuth said at the time that troops might have to end the violence "in full force".
His words have now in large part become reality: political gatherings are banned, a night-time curfew is in force, normal TV broadcasts have been disrupted and the constitution suspended.
The Thai army is once again playing a pivotal role in the nation's politics.


Wales and British and Irish Lions prop Gethin Jenkins says he has no plans to retire after being awarded a testimonial year for 2016-17.

The 35-year-old's current Cardiff Blues deal is until the summer of 2017 and he hopes to extend his Welsh record of 126 international caps in November.
"I was lucky enough to start two games in New Zealand," he said.
"There is a lot of competition but I still have ambitions to keep going at that level."
Jenkins is the most-capped international still playing at the highest level and the triple Grand Slam winner hopes coach Warren Gatland will pick him in Wales' squad for their autumn games against Australia, Argentina, Japan and South Africa.
"I enjoy that level, it's a big test of your physical and mental attributes and I want to keep going at that level," said Jenkins, who started in Wales' first two defeats by New Zealand in June before missing the third Test with a calf injury.
"I will hopefully get selected for the autumn, but my focus is getting back for the Cardiff Blues.
"It's always on the back of a coach's mind that he needs to bring players through for the next World Cup and I suppose that happened during the Six Nations where I was on the bench for all of the games.
"I'd just like to think I've still got a bit to offer and my experience will hopefully rub off on players that are coming through and pushing for that position. Hopefully I can leave the jersey in a good place then."
Jenkins is "honoured" to be given a testimonial year and says it will be a "celebration" of a career that has spanned 16 years since his debut for Pontypridd.
Jenkins has won four Six Nations titles and three Grand Slams in an illustrious career and, with Rob Howley, he is one of just two Welsh rugby players to have won both European cups.
The Beddau-bred loose-head helped Blues win the Challenge Cup in 2010 and Toulon win the Heineken Cup in 2013.
"Every player will say that their first cap for Wales is a massive achievement," said Jenkins.
"You still cherish every jersey and every game you play. You don't know what it is until you've lost it.
"Looking back sometimes it does give me memories to cherish.
"The Grand Slam in 2005 against Ireland, the first one in Wales for 27 years, was probably the best game I've ever played in. It was the best atmosphere, the best atmosphere round town."


Asian markets experience mixed fortunes, as Wall Street's performance on Friday failed to provide a strong lead and with investors cautious ahead of US jobs figures later in the week.

In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed down 1.3% at 17,645.11.
Shares in exporters were hit as the yen strengthened.
A stronger currency is bad for the country's exporters as it makes it more expensive for them to sell their goods overseas.
Japanese investors were also wary ahead of the Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey, due on Thursday.
Shares in mainland China headed lower after government data showed that industrial profits continued to decline in August.
Industrial profits were down 8.8% from a year ago, compared with a fall of 2.9% in July.
Investors are also awaiting both official and private manufacturing surveys for September on Thursday for insight into the depth of the slowdown in the world's second largest economy.
The Shanghai Composite fell initially, but then recovered to finish the day up 0.27% at 3,100.76.
Markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea were closed for public holidays.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 1.4% at 5,113.50.
Shares of telecom Vocus Communications fell more than 7% after it announced plans to buy rival M2 for $1.3bn (Â£855m) in a deal to create Australia's fourth-largest internet provider.


A national body to investigate medical accidents in England should be established immediately, MPs say.

The House of Commons Public Administration select committee said the service was needed because of the scale of the problems in the NHS.
The cross-party group of MPs said the current patient safety system was "too complicated" and "took too long".
It comes just weeks after the government announced it was considering setting up such a service.
Ministers conceded such changes may be needed following publication of the Morecambe Bay hospital inquiry into baby deaths.
The report revealed that 11 babies and one mother had died unnecessarily at Cumbria's Furness General Hospital, but the scandal had gone unchecked for years as patients fought to expose what was happening.
The committee said this and the Stafford Hospital scandal showed there should be no more delays.
It is estimated that there are 12,000 avoidable hospital deaths every year, and more than 10,000 serious incidents are reported to NHS England annually, including 338 "never events" such as surgery being carried out on the wrong part of the body.
Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said for years it had been "evident that the NHS has urgent need of a simpler and more trusted system".
"There needs to be investigative capacity so that facts and evidence can be established early, without the need to find blame, and regardless of whether a complaint has been raised."
Currently responsibility for investigating patient safety is shared between the Care Quality Commission and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at a national level and local arrangements run by NHS trusts themselves.
Peter Walsh, of Action against Medical Accidents, said changes to the system were "much needed".
The Department of Health said it would respond in "due course".


The death of a man at a police station in Dundalk, County Louth, is being investigated.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) said it received a referral on Thursday night after the death of a person in custody in Dundalk.
It said a GSOC team had been deployed and "inquiries are ongoing".
No further details were immediately available.


The UK terror threat is increasing as so-called Islamic State loses territory in Syria and Iraq, the security minister has said.

Ben Wallace said extremists were trying to carry out attacks in the UK because they were either unable to join IS overseas or had returned from there.
He said Europe was now under "constant attack" from terror groups.
Mr Wallace also warned there needed to be more understanding of the anti-terrorism programme Prevent.
It comes after IS said it was behind the Barcelona attack on 17 August when a van drove down Las Ramblas, killing 13 and injuring scores more.
The terror group lost its Mosul stronghold to Iraqi forces last month and international efforts to bring down its "capital" Raqqa in Syria continue.
IS seized Raqqa in 2014 and established its headquarters there, with former prime minister David Cameron calling it "the head of the snake".
Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think the threat is still increasing, partly driven by the fact Isis is collapsing in Syria and people are either unable to get out there to fight for Isis and so they look to do something at home, or also because people have come back and tried to inspire people with their stories and tales of the caliphate.
"I think those two things mean that the threat is to some extent increasing."
The security minister also said it was vital for people to engage with the government's anti-terrorism programme, Prevent, which aims to stop people from becoming radicalised.
But he said he disagreed with comments from the police lead for Prevent who said the programme should be compulsory.
Under the scheme, police and other organisations try to build relationships with the public - including faith leaders, teachers and doctors - and urge them to report any concerns to them, but currently any engagement is voluntary.
Mr Wallace added that he had ordered the release of more information to increase understanding of Prevent and its successes to get more people to engage with it.
"There's no ifs and buts nowadays.
"If we're going to stop these people who use everyday items such as vehicles and kitchen knives to murder people on our streets, we are going to have to all engage together with Prevent and we are having real success when we do that."
Mr Wallace added: "We must offer an alternative and help people be protected from that [radicalisation]."


Amateur footballers in Edinburgh are attempting to break the world record for the longest 11-a-side match.

The match, hopefully lasting 105 hours (the current record is 102 hours) is in memory of the late Falkirk defender, Craig Gowans, 17, who died in 2005.
He was killed when training equipment he was carrying connected with an overhead power cable at the Little Kerse ground in Grangemouth.
The Craig Gowans Memorial Fund has so far raised almost Â£80,000.
The match is being played at Ainslie Park using seven substitutes on each side. There are no limits on how many times a substitute is used.
Every 12 hours a player clocks up on the pitch gives them one hour off from the match to have a shower or get food.
The Craig Gowans Guinness World Record Match is being supported by the Scottish Football Association, Football Aid, The Sick Kids Friends Foundation and the Hibernian Football Community.
Ex-Rangers, Hibernian and Scotland boss, Alex McLeish and the current Scottish Cup holding manager, John Hughes, will be at the event, as will footballers, Scott Arfield and Thomas Scobbie.
The players are Craig's former school friends.
Jonny Wallace, one of Craig's closest school friends and an advocate of the Craig Gowans Memorial Fund said: "The official current record stands at 72 hours and our goal is to smash this and play 105 hours finishing on the 8th, making this a four-day event and finishing on the 10th anniversary of Craig's tragic passing."
The money raised will be used to fund enhancements to the new Sick Kids hospital at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France, specifically a state-of-the-art Snoezelen room in Craig's name.
The space will be a calming room with multi-sensory equipment providing a relaxing and stimulating space for children with sensory impairments.
Kick off was at 13:00 on Saturday.
The current world record was set at St Mary's, the home of Southampton FC, in June by two squads representing the Testlands Support Project, a Southampton charity,


After their narrow 2-1 win over Infonet last week, Hearts travel to Estonia looking to avoid the embarrassment of being knocked out of Europa League qualifying before the domestic season gets underway.

I've been speaking to boss Robbie Neilson, who is adamant his side must go there and score to be sure of progression.
How is the squad looking going into the second leg?
"We're looking good. The players are in good spirits. They've worked hard this week and the competitive 90 minutes from the first leg will hopefully stand them in good stead for the second game."
Was the first leg a bruising experience?
"These games are always difficult when you come into pre-season. When you look at some of the results from the pre-season qualifiers from other Europa League matches, a 2-1 win at home is a good result considering some of the big teams have really struggled at this stage of the competition.
"We knew they were going to be a good team but you never really know what level they're going to come in at. They dominate games in their league but they have to come at us and try and score - we're hoping that can benefit us."
In terms of fitness, what difference can a week make?
"Getting that 90 minutes under their belt has made a huge difference to them. You can see it in training. The tempo is up, the speed is up and the sharpness is up as well, so we're hopeful that the first game and this week's training will mean we get a better performance."
Many people were surprised it was not a more comfortable win in the first leg. Is that fair?
"Not really. Not at this stage of the season. People look at these games and see the opposition and think this should be easy, but when you do your homework, they have guys with fifty caps, seventy caps, some really experienced players who have experience of the Russian league at the top level.
"We have the players here that should beat them and we did beat them but we have a lot to do and we must improve our performance."
Is failing to progress unthinkable for Hearts?
"We obviously want to progress but football is football and you just never know what can happen. We're confident we can go there and win. We have to be respectful but we absolutely must perform better than we did against them at Tynecastle."
Given last year's success, do expectations at Hearts have to be tempered?
"No, not at all. We all want expectations. We all want to be at a big club that's always aiming up. Nobody here wants to be part of a club that settles for mediocrity. We're pushing forward and we want to push and push to see just how far we can go."
Any more business to be done in the transfer market?
"We're still looking to recruit in a couple of areas. I think it's important that we add some quality but we're in no rush."


An Irish woman has died after the yacht she was travelling on overturned off the coast of South Africa.

Irish state broadcaster RTÃ‰ reports that the woman, 49, had been living in the country's Western Cape province.
A 61-year-old Scottish man also died in the incident.
South African rescue crews found the vessel broken up on rocks on the coast after the alarm was raised by a 66-year-old Irish man who had managed to get to shore.
The Irish man was not injured in the incident.
It is understood there were only three people on the yacht, which was reportedly sailing from Langebaan to Cape Town.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is providing consular assistance following the incident.


When Olga Ovechkina set off for St Petersburg airport last Saturday to meet her son and daughter-in-law off their holiday flight she still had no idea what had happened.

Vladislav and Lilia Movchanov had spent a fortnight in Sharm el-Sheikh celebrating their fourth wedding anniversary and Vladislav's new job in a bank.
"They phoned every day and they were so cheerful. They'd say, 'It's such fun here!'" Olga recalls, her eyes shining at the memory.
Ever since it was confirmed that flight 9268 had crashed in the Egyptian desert, people have been streaming to the airport here to leave tributes to those killed.
There is now a huge pile of flowers and soft toys outside the arrivals hall where Vladislav, Lilia and 222 others should have returned.
A group of friends brought photographs of a young woman to add to the shrine one evening then stood drinking a toast in her memory, hugging each another quietly in tears.
The victims - Many were families, some with young children
Four theories - What could have caused the disaster?
What we know so far
Olga Ovechkina says she had a premonition something was wrong as she drove towards the terminal. It was so strong that she pulled over and tried to call her son.
"I could barely dial. The phone was jumping in my hands. I was shaking."
When she finally managed to dial, the phone was blocked.
"I knewâ€¦ my son was already gone," Olga says.
Anxious for information, she and other relatives now come to a hotel near the airport each day.
It has become the headquarters for an emergency response team. Raw-eyed relatives wander the lobby here or sit quietly and cry.
Dozens of psychologists are on hand to offer comfort, themselves clearly drained by the experience.
Olga has given a saliva sample for DNA. But putting a name to each victim is agonisingly slow work for those who are waiting.
Forensic teams have now sent samples to Moscow so that experts there can help speed up the process.
The first funeral takes place on Thursday, in Velikiy Novgorod.
But this disaster - the worst in Russian aviation history - has hit St Petersburg especially hard.
The vast majority of those on board were from the city and surrounding region, which has held five days of official mourning.
Unity Day celebrations were cancelled here on Wednesday, whilst in Moscow President Vladimir Putin marked the holiday with an address to a forum for civil society groups that made no reference to the tragedy. He talked instead of patriotism and Russian power.
But at a second shrine to the plane crash victims on the damp flagstones outside the Winter Palace, one woman's lip shook with anger as she talked of the disaster.
"Maybe now the government will realise they have to do something. To think about people's safety and change the planes," Anastasia Huta said.
She admitted she had been crying herself for several days.
"The attitude here is just, well, it's flying - so that's fine. It's very frightening for all of us," Anastasia said.
State TV has avoided much reference to terrorism as a possible cause of the disaster, despite an early claim of responsibility by militants who have sworn allegiance to the militant Islamic State group.
The Kremlin's spokesman described linking the crash to Russia's airstrikes against IS targets in Syria as "inappropriate".
Instead, there has been considerable TV discussion of a possible technical fault.
"I think there were probably technical problems," Tamara Romontovskaya reflected, next to the memorial.
She struggled to hold back tears as she spoke, calling on Russia's leader to "take note" so there was "no more pain like this".
"I don't want to believe it was terrorism; that there are people able to kill like that," she added.
Russian teams are still searching the crash site, an area now expanded to 40 sq km (15 sq miles). They want to be sure no remains, no personal belongings are left behind.
All the families can do for now, is wait.
As she does, Olga Ovechkina recalls how her son tried to persuade her to join the couple by the sea in Egypt, even for a day.
"Now I know if your children call, you should always go," she says, softly.


Cheltenham Town sealed promotion back to the Football League at the first attempt after beating FC Halifax Town to clinch the National League title.

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Dan Holman also leaped to the top of the division's goalscoring charts with a first-half brace to take him to 28.
His first was a curled effort from the edge of the box after a good through ball by Asa Hall and then the striker slotted home a penalty from a handball.
Promotion was confirmed by Forest Green Rovers' loss at home to Woking.
A 22-match unbeaten league run through the winter did the damage for Gary Johnson's men.
Cheltenham return to League Two after just one season away and have won promotion with two games still to play.
Cheltenham Town boss Gary Johnson told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It's a magnificent achievement by the club - everybody has played their part in the success, supporters, the players, the board of directors and my staff, and I am very proud of them all.
"(After last season) we had to change our thoughts, we had to change our attitude and we had to change our players and when we did that and when we got the right characters in, this is what happens.
"The chairman put us under a little bit of pressure by saying that we had to bounce back straight away, so we had to do everything we possibly could to do that on a small-ish budget."
Match ends, Cheltenham Town 2, FC Halifax Town 0.
Second Half ends, Cheltenham Town 2, FC Halifax Town 0.
Corner,  FC Halifax Town.
Foul by Jack Munns (Cheltenham Town).
Kevin Roberts (FC Halifax Town) wins a free kick.
Attempt saved. Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Attempt missed. Shaquille McDonald (FC Halifax Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high.
Attempt saved. Asa Hall (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Offside, Cheltenham Town. Amari Morgan-Smith tries a through ball, but Amari Morgan-Smith is caught offside.
Foul by Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town).
Jake Hibbs (FC Halifax Town) wins a free kick.
Corner,  FC Halifax Town.
Attempt missed. Kevin Roberts (FC Halifax Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Scott McManus (FC Halifax Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Jordan Cranston replaces Jack Barthram.
Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Billy Waters replaces James Dayton.
Foul by Shaquille McDonald (FC Halifax Town).
Robert Dickie (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick.
Foul by Asa Hall (Cheltenham Town).
Jordan Burrow (FC Halifax Town) wins a free kick.
Attempt missed. Josh MacDonald (FC Halifax Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Kingsley James (FC Halifax Town) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Corner,  Cheltenham Town.
Substitution, FC Halifax Town. Shaquille McDonald replaces Richard Peniket.
Foul by Kingsley James (FC Halifax Town).
James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick.
Attempt missed. Kingsley James (FC Halifax Town) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Foul by Amari Morgan-Smith (Cheltenham Town).
Kevin Roberts (FC Halifax Town) wins a free kick.
Attempt missed. Jake Hibbs (FC Halifax Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Danny Parslow (Cheltenham Town).
Richard Peniket (FC Halifax Town) wins a free kick.
Offside, Cheltenham Town. Dan Holman tries a through ball, but Dan Holman is caught offside.
Foul by Richard Peniket (FC Halifax Town).
Danny Parslow (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick.
Corner,  Cheltenham Town.
Attempt saved. Amari Morgan-Smith (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved. Assisted by Jack Munns.
Corner,  Cheltenham Town.
Attempt missed. James Dayton (Cheltenham Town) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Foul by Kingsley James (FC Halifax Town).


Australia's women earned a 55-run win over Ireland in the second game of the T20 series in Dublin.

A surprise looked possible when Ireland bowler Kim Garth took three early wickets to leave the Aussies on 38-4.
However, Ellyse Perry's 39 helped Australian post a decent 131-6 at Claremont Road.
Claire Shillington and Cecelia Joyce departed cheaply for the Irish with Isobel Joyce their top scorer on 29 as they finished on 76-7.
The teams meet in the final match of the series at the same venue on Saturday when Ireland will be hoping for a consolation win.


French presidential candidate Francois Fillon has suffered another blow as his campaign manager quit late on Friday.

Patrick Stefanini said his resignation will take effect on Sunday night.
Earlier, the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) called on Mr Fillon's Republican Party to choose another candidate in the wake of a scandal over payments.
It is alleged his wife and children were paid for parliamentary work they never carried out.
Details of his campaign chief's departure emerged when the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche published Mr Stefanini's resignation letter.
In it, he gave two reasons - writing that he had advised Mr Fillon to cease his campaign after an investigation began into his financial affairs.
After Mr Fillon decided to continue, he found himself in a minority in his political team, he wrote, and "no longer in the best position to lead your campaign".
The other reason, he wrote, was that Mr Fillon could no longer be certain of not being eliminated in the first round of voting.
Mr Fillon has already lost several key members of his campaign team, and several MPs from his own party are campaigning to replace him with Alain Juppe.
Mr Juppe lost the November primary election to Mr Fillon.
But despite the increasing pressure, Mr Fillon, 62, denies any wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a "political assassination".
The loss of support from the UDI represents a major challenge for his campaign.
The BBC's Paris correspondent, Hugh Schofield, said that while the UDI is a small party with 28 MPs, its alliance with the Republicans is important.
As a centrist party, it broadens the Republicans' base, he said.
UDI leader Jean-Christophe Lagarde said Mr Fillon had become a liability, and that as long as he was a candidate, the centre-right was heading for certain failure.
Separately, National Front candidate Marine Le Pen has refused to attend a summons over misuse of EU funds.
Her legal advisers said she would not attend before the election. "Of course she won't go," her lawyer told reporters.
Ms Le Pen's party is accused of misusing more than â‚¬300,000 (Â£257,000; $321,000) of European Parliament funding.
As a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Ms Le Pen is immune to prosecution during sessions of the parliament - a measure designed to ensure the independence of members and protect them from pressure in form of legal threats.
The European Parliament can vote to lift Ms Le Pen's immunity - as they did on Thursday regarding her use of images of violence carried out by so-called Islamic State.
However, the parliament would have to carry out the same procedure again to lift her immunity on the EU funds investigation.
She has also refused a police interview on the topic on the same grounds.
The legal issues surrounding both candidates have lifted the prospects of a third contender - centrist Emmanuel Macron.
On Friday, a poll showed Mr Macron finishing ahead of Marine Le Pen in the first round for the first time - though the pair remain close in popularity.
The election takes place in two rounds in April and May. If no candidate achieves a majority in April, a run-off election will take place between the top two the following month.


Town criers from across England have taken part in an attempt to break the record for the loudest cry.

1 April 2016 Last updated at 16:38 BST
Michael Wood, town crier for the East Riding of Yorkshire, came closest to the 112.3 decibel record - set by Alan Myatt in 1991 during a 48-hour endurance event - with a cry measured at 108.4db.
The event was organised to mark the 20th anniversary of the abolition of Humberside County Council.
The record for the loudest shout, rather than cry, was set by Annalisa Wray in 1994 when she achieved a shout of 121.7db.


Newcastle United made it three straight Championship wins to end Brighton's unbeaten start to the season.

Captain Jamaal Lascelles headed the Magpies in front from Matt Ritchie's free-kick before Yoan Gouffran hit the bar with a 25-yard shot.
Anthony Knockaert struck the woodwork for the visitors but they were reduced to 10 men when Sam Baldock was sent off for two yellow cards.
Jonjo Shelvey then curled in a free-kick to wrap up a comfortable win.
Newcastle began the season with back-to-back defeats by Fulham and leaders Huddersfield, but victories over Reading, Bristol City and now Brighton have seen them go into the international break fourth in the table.
Lascelles' free header from 15 yards gave them the perfect start and they created several other clear chances as Ritchie saw a shot saved by David Stockdale, while Gouffran also hit a half-volley over the bar.
Glenn Murray had a volley blocked by Lascelles and Knockaert hit the bar with a shot from 10 yards as the visitors started the second half brightly.
But once Baldock was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on home keeper Matz Sels the result was never in doubt.
Shelvey's free-kick doubled the lead and, although Sels produced a fine late save to deny Beram Kayal, Newcastle comfortably completed a first win over Brighton since 1990.
Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez:
"It was important to win against a team going well with players and a manager who has experience in this division.
"We got a lot of the things we were looking for today but there is still room for improvement.
"The team has been working very hard. But when you want change and improvement, it takes time.
"It is good to have another win before the international break, and it would be good to carry it on, but we have a rest now."
Brighton manager Chris Hughton:
"I thought it (the sending-off) was harsh. If you watch the second challenge, the keeper kicks Sam. He is not that sort of player.
"Newcastle were very efficient but it feels like a missed opportunity. They scored from two set pieces and although they hit the bar, we had the better chances.
"We are disappointed because we felt we had a good chance today and we didn't pose as much of a threat as we should have."
Match ends, Newcastle United 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 0.
Second Half ends, Newcastle United 2, Brighton and Hove Albion 0.
Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Offside, Newcastle United. Matz Sels tries a through ball, but Ayoze Pérez is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Beram Kayal (Brighton and Hove Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Anthony Knockaert.
Attempt blocked. Oliver Norwood (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Shane Duffy with a headed pass.
Foul by Ayoze Pérez (Newcastle United).
Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the left side of the six yard box misses to the right. Assisted by Anthony Knockaert with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Brighton and Hove Albion. Conceded by Paul Dummett.
Substitution, Newcastle United. DeAndre Yedlin replaces Yoan Gouffran.
Foul by Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United).
Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jack Colback (Newcastle United).
Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Beram Kayal.
Foul by Jesús Gámez (Newcastle United).
Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Yoan Gouffran (Newcastle United).
Bruno (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card.
Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Attempt missed. Shane Duffy (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Anthony Knockaert following a set piece situation.
Foul by Jack Colback (Newcastle United).
Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Newcastle United. Jack Colback replaces Mohamed Diamé.
Foul by Chancel Mbemba (Newcastle United).
Tomer Hemed (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Beram Kayal (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Attempt missed. Anthony Knockaert (Brighton and Hove Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Lewis Dunk.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United) because of an injury.
Foul by Jesús Gámez (Newcastle United).
Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Gaëtan Bong (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Substitution, Newcastle United. Jesús Gámez replaces Vurnon Anita.


It would have been a great story, except that it wasn't true.

Another escape for El Chapo, Mexico's most famous drug lord, would have made it a hat trick. He has already given two maximum security prisons the slip.
And on Friday his name trended worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of people sharing gifs, memes and jokes about his tricksy ways and supposed third escape.
But no reputable media organisation was reporting that he had got out.
The story wasn't on the front pages of any of Mexico's main newspapers and none of the news agencies were reporting it.
El Chapo is still behind bars in Mexico, his extradition to the US halted for now.
So why has his name been trending?
Spoof stories is why.
Several different websites published stories saying El Chapo had escaped again. One of the websites has since apologised, but others have not.
And people just kept sharing and sharing and sharing.
Sometimes people don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
It wasn't the first time that unsubstantiated rumours of El Chapo's escape circled the internet.
But at least some people do check their sources.
Amen, Boogie Bousins: here's to finding out the full story.
And in that vein, let me tell you more about El Chapo Guzman.
With him at the head, the Sinaloa Cartel quickly grew a reputation as the most powerful drugs cartel in the world. Even today, slightly overtaken by its rival the Zetas, it still smuggles a huge proportion of the US' drugs in to the country. Cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines all are smuggled across borders by organisations with far-reaching tendrils.
Who is El Chapo?
The long arm of the law caught up with El Chapo in the early 1990s and he has been in and out of jail since.
Meanwhile, violence related to drugs has claimed more than 100,000 lives in Mexico as rival cartels fight against each other.
Who is behind Mexico's drug violence?
El Chapo was smuggled out of Puente Grande maximum security prison inside a laundry basket. He bribed guards to help get him out and some of them served time in jail as a result.
It was 13 years before he was captured again.
Just over a year after he was put in Altiplano prison, El Chapo escaped through a 1.5km (1 mile) tunnel dug in the showers.
It was a massive embarrassment for the Mexican government and caused difficulties between them and the US, who wanted to see him stay banged up.
He was recaptured in January 2016.
Hasn't happened.
Guzman is wanted in the US on charges of smuggling vast amounts of drugs into the country. At first a Mexican judge said he could be sent there, but in June, a judge blocked the extradition while his lawyers filed appeals.
So El Chapo is still in jail in Mexico.