Forensic researchers have developed a new method for establishing an exact time of death after as long as 10 days.

The team from Austria's University of Salzburg measured the breakdown of muscle proteins in dead pigs over time.
It is a significant step forward from the current method of measuring core body temperature, which only works up to 36 hours after death.
The breakthrough was announced at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual conference in Prague.
Dr Peter Steinbacher, the lead researcher on the study, told BBC News that there was "a huge lack of reliable methods" to calculate the time of death "after the moment when the body has cooled down to environmental temperatures".
"Depending on the temperature, this takes normally about one to two days," said Dr Steinbacher, from the University of Salzburg.
"We're searching for a new way to assess the time of death after this... [and found that] muscle protein degradation proved to be a very promising method."
The team studied the muscle proteins of pigs, because of their close similarity to human muscles.
The protein building blocks of our muscles are very large, tangled molecules that, after death, begin to break down into smaller pieces.
"This happens for some of the proteins in a very specific time frame," Dr Steinbacher explained. "Even the breakdown products are present for a specific time.
"So if you know which of these products are present in a sample then you know when the individual died."
The team has also analysed more than 60 human tissue samples from the forensic department of the same university. And their preliminary findings showed similar clockwork-like changes.
"We now need more samples to find out whether gender, body mass index, temperature, humidity, etc play a role in the time-course of muscle breakdown," said Dr Steinbacher.
He and his colleagues hope that within three years, this technique could help in the gathering of vital forensic evidence.
Dr Stuart Hamilton, a forensic pathologist from the University of Leicester said the research was interesting and that "any research that could assist in helping narrow down a time of death is always of value".
But he cautioned that there had been many "false dawns" in this quest.
He told BBC News: "It will take some time before this is validated for court use.
"There is so much riding on the time of death in many murders that we will all as a forensic and legal community have to be very convinced that there are no confounding factors before we start relying on this to convict someone."


New guidelines have come out telling vloggers that they need to be clear and honest with their followers if they're being paid to say something is good.

It's after Newsround raised a complaint, in November 2014, with the Advertising Standards Authority, which makes the rules for adverts in the UK.
Here's what happened...
In June 2014 a group of UK vloggers were paid to say good things about a brand of Oreo biscuits.
But none of the videos were clearly labelled as adverts.
Newsround raised the issue with the Advertising Standards Authority, who monitor advertising in the UK.
They said Newsround had to make a complaint for it to investigate further.
The ASA ruled that the adverts were not clearly marked, and needed to change.
They said it was against their rules and vloggers should make it clear whether or not their vloggs are adverts.
Mondelez, the biscuit company that paid the vloggers, said it was "disappointed" but would "ensure the adverts do not appear in their current form again".
YouTube told Newsround that vloggers themselves are responsible for making videos that stick to their local laws and regulations.
The vloggers affected by the ASA ruling have now changed the descriptions of their videos to make it clear they are paid advertisements, but the ASA said it would be looking at online videos much more closely in future.
The ASA have spent the last few months looking at advertising in vloggs.
Now they've come up with a new set of guidelines, to make it clearer.
Guy Parker, from the Advertising Standards Authority said, "It's important that Newsround made that complaint.
"It's just not fair if we are watching a video by a vlogger and we don't know that a brand has paid for the content of that video."
If a vlogger has been told to say something by a company or a big brand, they must make that clear and the video needs to be labelled as an advert.
If vloggers have been paid by the company to promote an item, they have to state that somewhere.
For example, they need to put something like the word "ad" or "promo" in the title of their video - or use a symbol in the thumbnail telling viewers what they're about to click on is an advert.
The ASA hope the code will make it easier for vloggers to know what they can and can't do online.
This means that from now on, you should be able to tell the difference between an ordinary vlog and an advert.
We spoke to one vlogger Chyaz, who wasn't involved in last year's investigation, about what she thinks of the new rules.
Chyaz Samuel said: "I think the clearer the better when it comes to the rules. No vlogger wants to deceive the audience."


The clock in the Stormont Great Hall was approaching midnight as MLAs cast their votes on the sensitive issue of abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

It has been in the headlines since Sarah Ewart took the brave decision to reveal her traumatic story, explaining how she felt she had no option but to travel to England for a termination after doctors said her unborn baby could not survive.
The speaker Mitchel McLaughlin took pride in presiding over what was at times an emotional debate.
The First Minister Arlene Foster must also take a degree of satisfaction from her decision not to put down a blocking petition of concern.
The 19-strong majority showed Mrs Foster had calculated correctly.
The DUP MLAs trooped into the same lobby as the SDLP, TUV and UKIP and the result means opponents of any change can rightly claim to have the democratic will on their side.
However, the political calculations seem of questionable importance set beside the personal tragedies at the heart of this debate.
Moreover, beyond the assembly chamber there are other forces in play.
With appeals due, the courts are yet to finally resolve the argument over whether the current law is in line with international human rights standards.
Opinion polls also appear to suggest growing support for liberalisation of the current tight restrictions.
The DUP's planned working group is due to report back before the end of August, four months after the next assembly election.
The doctors and lawyers sitting on the group may well add some useful context and evidence to the abortion debate.
However, if abortion in cases of either fatal abnormalities or sexual crime comes back to the assembly chamber in the coming months, MLAs will once again have to wrestle with their consciences.
Ultimately, these decisions about morality and compassion are choices elected representatives must take for themselves, not contract out to the experts.


Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi, who has spent significant moments of his career serving as number two to Kenya's political kingpins, is now making his first bid for the top job.

He faces a tough battle in the presidential race against frontrunners Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta.
But he may have a key role to play should there be a run-off.
The quiet, soft-spoken politician is often accused of being indecisive.
Kenyan cartoonists depict him as a harmless yet gullible character, but social commentators accuse him of being too laid back, to the extent that many say he has no bottle for tough political battles.
Mr Mudavadi is an insider, with a typical Kenyan political pedigree.
He is the son of a powerful politician, Moses Mudamba Mudavadi, who served as a minister under President Daniel arap Moi.
Mr Mudavadi senior had worked his way up through the ranks of the civil service during the colonial era, starting his career as a teacher and ending up in charge of education in western Kenya.
He was largely seen as responsible for delivering his Luhya community's support to the Moi regime and he married one of the president's relatives; hence the close ties between the Moi and Mudavadi families.
Mr Moi's son Gideon, who is the current chairman of Kanu, the former ruling party, is backing Mr Mudavadi in this election.
Musalia Mudavadi entered politics in 1989, aged 29.
When his father died, he was persuaded to leave his practice as a land economist to take up his father's seat as an MP in western Kenya.
His father's close ties with Mr Moi ensured that his political career was fast-tracked; he was appointed to the cabinet soon after his election to parliament.
He served in key positions, including being finance minister between 1993 and 1997.
His tenure at the finance ministry was tainted by the Goldenberg scandal which had begun during the time of his predecessor George Saitoti.
However, Mr Mudavadi was condemned for approving further payments to the architect of the scam.
This remains the largest economic fraud in Kenya's history.
Millions of dollars were pilfered from the treasury to offer compensation to a scheme where individuals were paid for exporting gold, even though Kenya has no commercial gold deposits.
Although the 2006 Goldenberg Commission of Inquiry noted that Mr Mudavadi was not directly involved, the question remains how such large sums of money could have been siphoned off under his nose without his knowledge.
Mr Mudavadi's fortunes hit high and low in 2002.
While many thought it was time for him to dump Kanu for the opposition, where he stood a chance of winning the presidency, he instead agreed to Mr Moi's plans.
He was hurriedly appointed vice-president at a time when parliament had already been dissolved and was made running mate to Mr Moi's preferred successor Uhuru Kenyatta.
But it was a short-lived scheme. Mr Mudavadi holds the record of serving the shortest period as Kenya's vice-president - just two months.
He and Mr Kenyatta were defeated at the 2002 polls following the historic election victory of President Mwai Kibaki.
Worse still, he was humiliated by Moses Akaranga, a little-known preacher who clinched the parliamentary seat in western Kenya that Mr Mudavadi had held for more than 10 years.
Mr Mudavadi's political career was rejuvenated in 2005 when he aligned himself with Raila Odinga, who later in 2007 picked him as his running mate.
In the same polls he reclaimed his parliamentary seat and was subsequently appointed deputy prime minister and local government minister.
But he fell out with Mr Odinga early last year.
He was furious about a clause in the Orange Democratic Movement manifesto which gave the party chairman, Mr Odinga, the automatic right to be the presidential candidate.
He announced that he would be standing for president himself on the ticket of the United Democratic Front, whose most influential backers are thought to be close to State House and current President Mwai Kibaki.
This move has been seen as a betrayal of Mr Odinga, the man who revived his political career.
The Luhya community largely backed Mr Odinga in the previous election and so Mr Mudavadi's candidacy could split their vote.
Some commentators have labelled him a "project" - a Kenyan term for stooge - of powerful forces keen to block Mr Odinga's ascent to power.
Mr Mudavadi was briefly wooed by Mr Kenyatta' Jubilee Alliance but he backed out when it became clear that he would be expected to play second fiddle again.
This episode earned him a reputation for being seriously gullible.
Kenyans were incredulous that he appeared to believe that Mr Kenyatta would step down in his favour.
Mr Mudavadi has struggled to rally his home region of western Kenya to back his presidential bid.
Support from elsewhere in the country has been lukewarm.
His supporters view him as a sober, moderate and non-combative politician - a safe pair of hands.
For this very reason some reckon they would not vote for him, adding that he lacks the passion or drive to get things done, he is a fence sitter and an uninspiring pro-establishment politician.
During his years at the University of Nairobi, Mr Mudavadi was an astute rugby player, turning out for Mean Machine - the university's rugby club.
His interest in sports has lived on; he often likens himself to Lionel Messi, the Argentinean football star known for his swift passes and agile moves on the pitch.
His manoeuvres on the political field will be keenly watched if, as many predict, he finds himself having to choose between Mr Odinga and Mr Kenyatta in the second round of the presidential election.


A spindly teenager with an unruly mop of curly hair strides through the corridors of Manchester United's Carrington training complex and embarks on his path to greatness.

The first time I met him was when I was away with United. We were in Portugal and he could've scored a hat-trick that day
The 18-year-old makes his way into the gym and sees a vision beyond the ocean of dumbbells, cardiovascular machines and medicine balls.
He sees a culture of success and witnesses the camaraderie that binds together a group of winners with the same thirst for improvement.
All the while, he envisages stitching his own patchwork around the template laid out before him and extracting every last ounce of potential from the talents gifted to him.
Cristiano Ronaldo's speed and skill were evident at the Estadio Jose Alvalde in a friendly against Manchester United for Sporting Lisbon in August 2003, assets and a performance which ultimately sealed a £12.24m transfer to Old Trafford days later.
It was in Manchester that the Portuguese sought out the expertise of a man by the name of Mike Clegg - the Old Trafford club's power development coach between 2000 and 2011 - as he began his quest to not only become the greatest player on earth, but an athlete with no equal in the modern game.
"He was a lively lad," Clegg told BBC Sport. "Carlos Queiroz was instrumental in getting him to United, but Sir Alex Ferguson did most of the talking and I observed the lad in front of me.
"He came across as a really determined boy and Ferguson and Carlos really liked that about him, but I didn't realise quite how determined he was until he came into Carrington and I got speaking to him.
"Ronaldo was a natural talent, a rough diamond, but he crammed in thousands and thousands of hours of graft to turn himself into the perfect player.
"I look at the other players who come and go with talent. Nani and Anderson both came in during 2007 at a similar age to Ronaldo, but the difference was astronomical. The difference was the understanding and the knowledge of how to become the best. Ronaldo was above everyone else."
The use of resistance-based workouts were unheard of at Carrington prior to Clegg's arrival, but football's evolution into a game dominated by athletes was just beginning, as basic programmes were introduced to improve functional, football-related strength among the squad.
Players were initially trained to become proficient in the art of bench-pressing, pull-ups, dips and squats - now the staple gym diet of a top-level footballer.
Ryan Giggs, a man Clegg describes as the most open-minded to new training techniques, Roy Keane, a lover of boxing during his recuperation from a serious knee injury, and Paul Scholes, the star pupil during cognitive and peripheral vision tests, were three leading members of a gym culture that formed in the aftermath of United's treble-winning success at the turn of the millennium.
Ronaldo was a keen observer. A vacancy had arisen to join that elite group following the departure of David Beckham - another member of the 'gym club' - to Real Madrid, and though his English was limited at best and his frame more featherweight boxer than sculpted Adonis, Ronaldo wasted little time in turning his vision into reality.
His physical evolution incorporated all facets of athletic performance, with additional sprint and reaction work polishing up his raw, genetic gifts.
But it was the mastering of strength workouts and Olympic lifts - total body exercises performed in an explosive manner at pace - that were behind the development of a muscular physique that has gone on to adorn billboards and magazine covers across the world.
Deadlifts and power cleans were two favourites in his gym routine, with the level of resistance and speed of execution slowly increased over his near six years in Manchester.
Clegg added: "I would say, physically, he is the perfect specimen. From his height to his natural body type, muscular structure, how much fat he's got in his system, his endurance capacity, flexibility, power and strength - they are in perfect balance.
"He had in his mind, 'I need to make myself special and I'm going to have to learn everything I need to become special.  I'm going to have to regiment my day and my week, months and years and become as good as I can be by every possible means.' He had a plan."
It seems strange looking back, but in Ronaldo's early years at the Theatre of Dreams there were doubts he would make the grade at all.
He's always improving and because of that, he is the best.
His penchant for showboating rather than delivering the final pass and a fondness for falling over the outstretched legs of defenders a little too theatrically angered team-mates and opposition alike.
Each season, his manager, mentor and the man the 28-year-old still refers to as 'boss', Sir Alex Ferguson, would agree a pre-season wager over a target number of goals for the campaign. At the end of each of his first two seasons at the club, targets of 10 and 15 goals proved beyond him.
He wasn't fazed. The sight of Ronaldo strapping weights to his ankles and perfecting step-overs long after his team-mates had headed for the showers became a common sight at Carrington.
He invested in himself financially too. The purchase of a house with a custom-built swimming pool to aid him in his recovery after sessions and matches was another sensible addition, while the hiring of a chef at his home ensured his diet was faultless.
Clegg said: "For every mistake he made in a game, he'd spend hours and hours and hours practising to make sure it didn't happen again. Generally with players, if they try something and it doesn't work, they don't try it again, they fear it - but he didn't. No chance.
"We did speed, power and reaction work, everything he needed and worked with on the pitch. So much of my work was tailored around him. I even went to Montreal and looked at cognitive devices and different ways of working that would extract that extra ounce out of him."
The hard work paid handsome dividends. Ronaldo lifted a hat-trick of Premier League titles between 2007 and 2009, as well as the Champions League in 2008 - a success which saw him named World Player of the Year for the first time that same year.
In his own mind, his time at Old Trafford was done.
"He said to me, 'Mike, this is it. I've done everything here, I'm going to move on'. He supported Real Madrid and he knew it was time to leave," says Clegg.
"He'd have loads of little sayings, 'Manchester, it's raining all the time,' he used to say, but he loved being here, yet he knew he was on a journey and he knew it was going to take him somewhere else."
That somewhere else was the Santiago Bernabeu, with destiny - and the small matter of a then world-record £80m transfer fee - seeing him move from United to Real Madrid in 2009.
Trophies have been harder to come by in Spain, with Ronaldo winning one La Liga,one Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana in his four years there to date, but on an individual basis he continues to surpass his own remarkable standards.
In 2013 alone, the Portugal captain scored 66 goals in 56 appearances and is already Madrid's fifth-highest goalscorer of all-time.
There is surely little room left for improvement, but Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka, who worked alongside Ronaldo at Madrid for three years as Jose Mourinho's assistant, believes he can still get even better.
"I had the pleasure of working with Cristiano every day. Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are definitely the two best players in the world," said the former Spain international.
"I think the difference is tiny between them both but I think when you look at the number of goals he has scored over the past year, then Ronaldo is the best.
"Ronaldo improves every day. Look at his numbers three years ago and you think, 'It's impossible he can do better,' and then you look at him this year and he's done better again.
"He's always improving and because of that, he is the best."
The Real Madrid player claimed the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or prize in Zurich on Monday, the second time he has been voted the world's best player.
Few who spent time around the gyms at Manchester United and Real Madrid would argue he deserves anything less.


Three-time squash world champion Nick Matthew has won a record sixth Canary Wharf Classic title in London.

Englishman Matthew, 36, beat 22-year-old Fares Dessouky of Egypt 3-1 to claim his 35th PSA World Tour title.
The world number four donated his prize money to Sumner Malik, an 11-year-old English squash player who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
"We're fortunate to do what we do for a living and we take it for granted at times," Matthew told the PSA website.
"I don't want any thanks or personal gain for doing it - it's about raising awareness for him and it's the least that I can do."


Manager Mixu Paatelainen insists Dundee United must replicate the desire that yielded victory over Hearts if they are to have any chance of staying up.

The Finn feels Premiership bottom side United deserved their win but feared a hard-luck story beckoned before Paul Paton's winner.
"What a save that was from Neil Alexander from Edward Ofere's header [in the first half]," he said.
"We hit the post and on many other occasions were nearby."
The gap between United and second-bottom Kilmarnock has been reduced to 11 points but Paatelainen admits there is still a long way to go with his side having 12 games to play.
"It's a long road," he told BBC Scotland. "It's a one-off victory but the next match is our most important one. We believe in it but we concentrate on our next task, which is Ross County.
"But if we continue with that sort of spirit we have half a chance."
Meanwhile, Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson was critical of referee Kevin Clancy and in particular the red card shown to defender Jordan McGhee.
United substitute Henri Anier was also dismissed for two bookings, with Tuesday's Edinburgh derby likewise seeing both Neilson's side and Hibernian reduced to 10 men.
"We didn't deserve to lose the game," said Neilson. "We had a man sent off, a shocking decision by the referee. I have got no idea what he was thinking about.
"He plays the ball and for some reason [the referee] gives him a second yellow card and puts himself in a really difficult position. He sends another guy off at the end similar to Tuesday night.
"If the referee referees it properly and doesn't give the second yellow then I think we go on and win the game."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Neilson spoke to referee Kevin Clancy in his room at full-time but was unimpressed with the response.
"You can't speak to the referee, it's a waste of time sometimes," Neilson added.
"He just said in his opinion it was a second yellow, but my opinion was it wasn't. People watching it on TV will see it but at the end of the day he makes the decision and we just have to get on with it."


Two teenagers have admitted setting fire to a homeless disabled man who was sheltering in a sleeping bag.

Exeter Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of a lit piece of cardboard being put on the sleeping bag in Barnstaple's Pannier Market.
The boys, who are both 16-years-old, admitted arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, when they appeared in court.
But, they denied arson with intent to endanger life.
The Crown Prosecution Service has been given time to consider whether to accept their pleas.
CCTV footage from 2 December showed a figure huddled in a sleeping bag in a corner of the covered market and a group of people approaching him.
A lit piece of cardboard was put on the sleeping bag and was seen burning for a few seconds before a girl ran over, pulled it away, and stamped it out.
Some of the group returned shortly after and placed the piece of cardboard on a wheelchair which was parked next to the sleeping man, who was later identified as 71-year-old Robert Newton.
Judge Cottle adjourned the case and remanded the two boys in custody to a secure unit in Bristol.
A third defendant, Adam Scott, 23, of no fixed abode, is charged with arson with intent to endanger life and is due to appear on 5 February,


Cambridge University Press, the world's oldest publishing house, has reversed a decision to censor content in China.

The publisher had agreed to suppress access to hundreds of its own articles that dealt with subjects sensitive to the Chinese authorities, such as those about the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The Chinese had said that if CUP did not censor content, it would not be able to publish other material in China.
It changed its mind after protests.
In a petition published on Monday, academics from around the world spoke out against what they called China's attempts to "export its censorship on topics that do not fit its preferred narrative".
Tim Pringle, editor of The China Quarterly, whose articles were blocked, welcomed the reversal.
"Access to published materials of the highest quality is a core component of scholarly research," he said. "It is not the role of respected global publishing houses such as CUP to hinder such access."
The Chinese had told the CUP to block access to more than 300 articles from The China Quarterly as a price for being allowed to publish other material.
It said at the time of the initial announcement on Friday: "We can confirm that we received an instruction from a Chinese import agency to block individual articles from The China Quarterly within China.
"We complied with this initial request to remove individual articles, to ensure that other academic and educational materials we publish remain available to researchers and educators in this market."
End of Twitter post  by @CambridgeUP
Dr Pringle told the BBC that CUP's initial willingness to take down the articles in question indicated "a deeper underlying issue around the contradiction between academic freedom and the allure of the Chinese market.
"As the editor of the leading China studies journal, we'd obviously put academic freedom above all other considerations which isn't to underestimate the difficult position CUP found themselves in."
He said CUP had informed him the articles would be reposted immediately.


White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has quit, reportedly in protest at an organisational shake-up.

Mr Spicer stepped down because he was unhappy with President Donald Trump's appointment of a new communications director, according to reports.
Combative Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci has been picked for the role that Mr Spicer partially filled.
Mr Spicer's press briefings were a cable news hit, but in recent weeks he withdrew from the camera's glare.
He told US media that the White House "could benefit from a clean slate".
Later, appearing on Fox News, Mr Spicer said that with Mr Scaramucci's appointment there was a risk of "too many cooks in the kitchen" in the White House media operation, which was why he was stepping down.
The 45 year old said he had told Mr Trump he "would stay on for a few weeks to achieve a smooth transition", and was looking forward to spending more time with his family.
He defended the president's agenda and hit out at what he termed "media bias", saying: "I was increasingly disappointed about the way the media here do their job, or don't do their job."
The shake-up at the White House comes amid several investigations into alleged Russian meddling in last year's US presidential election and whether Mr Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow.
The New York Times reported that Mr Spicer had "vehemently" disagreed with the appointment of Mr Scaramucci, which he believed to be a "major mistake".
Announcing that he would step down next month, Mr Spicer tweeted that it had been "an honor & a privilege to serve" the president.
The BBC's White House reporter Tara McKelvey says journalists besieged the 18-acre complex so they could film Mr Spicer leaving.
In an assured debut, he attended Friday afternoon's news conference to announce that Sarah Huckabee Sanders, formerly Mr Spicer's deputy, would step into his shoes.
"I love the president and it's an honour to be here," Mr Scaramucci said, adding: "He is genuinely a wonderful human being."
He also said: "The president has really good karma."
Mr Scaramucci, who has no previous experience in communications roles, paid tribute to Mr Spicer as "a true American patriot" and "incredibly gracious".
"I hope he goes on to make a tremendous amount of money," he said.
Mr Scaramucci also apologised and said he had been "unexperienced" as he explained his previous criticism of the president.
In an August 2015 interview with Fox Business, he dismissed Mr Trump as a "hack" and "an inherited money dude" with "a big mouth".
Mr Scaramucci is currently senior vice-president of the Export-Import Bank, a US government agency which guarantees loans for foreign buyers of American exports.
A former member of the Trump transition team, he mistakenly suggested to the BBC in January that Elton John would play at the new president's inauguration.
The singer promptly denied it.
Life on a White House staff is intense and exhausting.
This administration is under particular pressure, given the ongoing Russia investigation, recent legislative setbacks and a president who can be, shall we say, occasionally off-message. Now cracks in the structure are beginning to show.
Sean Spicer's departure, reportedly because he doesn't want to work for newly named communication director Anthony Scaramucci, represents the most significant shakeup within the administration's senior team to date. It could also be a sign of bigger tremors to come.
Mr Spicer was closely allied with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, who was his boss last year in the Republican National Committee.
The Trump team has been rife with personal feuds, as various factions vie for a mercurial president's ear. Leaks abound.
The prestige and power of advisers and aides wax and wane. Media reports abound of a White House under siege.
And just a reminder - the Trump presidency is only six months old.
Ms Huckabee Sanders read a statement from President Trump, saying: "I am grateful for Sean's work on behalf of my administration and the American people.
"I wish him continued success as he moves on to pursue new opportunities. Just look as his great television ratings."
On day one in January, Mr Spicer set the tone of his relationship with the press by bursting into the briefing room to berate journalists for their reporting of crowd numbers at President Trump's inauguration.
His proclivity for gaffes and garbling of his words, as well as making debatable assertions, soon made Mr Spicer a household name.
But he could also be charming and was liked by many among the press corps.
Mr Spicer was lampooned on topical comedy show Saturday Night Live, where Melissa McCarthy played him as a loud-mouthed bully who brandished his lectern at reporters.
Mr Trump noted approvingly in April that Mr Spicer "gets great ratings". A month later, the president said: "He's doing a good job but he gets beat up."
Mr Spicer was roundly mocked after he reportedly hid by a hedgerow on the White House grounds to avoid reporters on the night Mr Trump fired the FBI director in May.
His last on-camera briefing was on 20 June, and there have been few since then.
Members of the media have accused the Trump administration of attempting to kill off the daily news conferences to avoid scrutiny.


Handing control of income tax to the Welsh government is a "logical next step", as long as a deal can be reached on the size of the national budget, the first minister has said.

UK ministers want Carwyn Jones to hold a referendum on devolving control over 10p in the pound of income tax.
But he appears to have dropped his insistence that a referendum is needed.
The UK government said it was "right" that Mr Jones was "now willing to embrace income tax powers for Wales".
Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats have welcomed the change of stance, but said it should have come sooner.
However, the first minister maintained his insistence that income tax powers should not be devolved until a new funding deal is struck with Westminster.
In a speech in London on Friday he said he will "always consider proposals providing they are fair to Wales".
"I am instinctively pro-devolution and I can see the merits, in principle, in different parts of our Union being able to decide on the balance between levels of taxation, including those on personal incomes, and the level of resources for public services.
"But I have been absolutely clear that until we have a fair funding settlement it is not in the best interests of Wales to have income tax devolved."
The first minister added: "Having the flexibility to set taxes to respond to the needs of Wales and the preferences of Welsh citizens within a fair funding model is a logical next step."
Mr Jones has previously said that a referendum must be held before powers over income tax are given to the Welsh government.
But before the speech he told BBC Wales: "It's beginning to look increasingly strange of course that Scotland is getting a raft of powers - way beyond what Wales would get - without a referendum.
"I've no doubt ... if income tax-varying powers were offered to Northern Ireland there wouldn't be a referendum there, but in Wales we have to have a referendum."
Referendums should be reserved for "major constitutional issues and not for a bit of power here and there", he added.
Asked if Welsh voters should expect a referendum soon, he said: "We are not at that stage. We know the first thing to do is to consider a financial settlement that's fair to Wales and then consider what happens next."
In response, a Wales Office spokesman said: "We note with interest the first minister's comments that a referendum is not needed before income tax is devolved.
"This echoes the views of some others in the emerging debate around more accountable government in Wales."
Plaid Cymru welcomed "any late conversion" of Mr Jones to its position against the need for a referendum on income tax devolution.
Party leader Leanne Wood said: "It's a shame that previously both Labour and the Conservatives together have insisted on putting obstacles in the way of progress on Welsh income tax."
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said it "would have been nice" if the first minister had possessed the "strength of character to speak up a little bit earlier".
"I welcome his change of heart, but his challenge now is to convince his party of the same argument," she added.
Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said Mr Jones should concentrate his efforts on "the significant problems in the public services he runs, not least within his NHS".
Public spending per head is higher in Wales than in England, but Welsh politicians claim the so-called Barnett formula used by the UK Treasury to allocate resources is too generous to Scotland and Northern Ireland, and underfunds Wales by as much as Â£300m a year.
The UK government is planning a guaranteed minimum level for the Welsh government's annual grant - expected to be between 13% and 16% higher than English public spending levels.
Opponents say Carwyn Jones has changed his tune.
But the first minister's aides say the opposition is making mischief. This is a change in tone, not policy, they say.
Mr Jones is sticking to his line that Wales needs a guarantee it won't lose out before receiving these tax powers.
However, whereas in the past Labour has stressed the risks of tax devolution, Mr Jones has now laid out a path towards making it happen, providing a deal can be struck on the size of the Welsh budget.


Not that you'd know it from outside the turnstiles on Rooley Avenue but the plain breeze block wall conceals a huge arena that has often been described as the 'Wembley of the north'.

Odsal Stadium, the home of Bradford Bulls, has just been bought by the sport's governing body for an undisclosed sum to avoid "predatory approaches", according to Rugby Football League chairman Richard Lewis.
It has bought a ground where the pitch is housed at the bottom of a huge bowl and at the entrance level spectators can look down from the rim on to the roof of the stand.
Although Bradford Northern (now Bulls) was formed in 1907 the team played at several grounds before Odsal Stadium was opened in 1934.
Before that date the hollow was a vast council rubbish tip on the southern outskirts of Bradford.
The tip sat in a valley gouged out during the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago, geologists have concluded.
Its unusual setting makes for a "sense of theatre" according to John Downes, one of the club's heritage officers.
"The further down you get into the bowl the more crowd atmosphere you get - it's fantastic."
Mr Downes has been in crowds of more than 80,000 for games in the ground.
However, in 1954 the ground hosted the Challenge Cup Final replay between Halifax and Warrington, after a draw at Wembley. Nobody realised the game would attract a then world-record crowd for rugby league.
The official attendance that day was more than 102,000 but in truth the crowd may have been even larger.
Large traffic jams built up around the ground before kick-off and many spectators missed the start of the game and didn't always have a great view even after getting into the ground.
Originally the dressing rooms were built at the top on the stadium's rim and players had a long trek down hundreds of steps to the playing area.
At half-time during games most of the competing teams went into a huddle on the pitch rather than start back up the steps.
The walk to and from the dressing rooms could be an experience for referees and visiting teams, and especially for members of the opposition who had to make the long walk for an "early bath" after getting sent off.
Stuart Duffy, football and media manager of Bradford Bulls, remembered a referee being given a police escort, including mounted officers, for the long trek after a particularly contentious match.
When, in 1996, rugby league decided to change to a summer season Mr Duffy suggested the "vibrancy, colour and game-day entertainment" put on at Odsal went a long way to establishing the new competition.
Other sports featured at the arena have included football, speedway, show jumping and kabaddi.
But it is primarily a rugby league venue and the biggest crowd inside the bowl during the modern era of rugby league is more than 24,000 for a game against local rivals Leeds Rhinos.
Mr Duffy summed up the effect on anyone seeing Odsal for the first time. "It takes your breath away", he said.
Despite being in a bowl the stadium is situated on a high piece of ground and during winter in particular was renowned for its changeable weather.
Mr Downes, who was first taken to the ground in 1949 as an infant in his pram, said: "Odsal has its own micro-climate, it can be sunny in Bradford city centre and fog-bound here or vice versa.
"I remember one game against Wigan when the fog came round the back of the stand like a smoke machine and filled up the bowl.
"That was that, the match had to be abandoned."
Many changes have been made to the ground, concrete terracing replaced railway sleepers on the vast slopes of the bowl and stands have been knocked down and rebuilt.
However, the often suggested idea of upgrading the ground to make it the "Wembley of the north" has never been realised.
Despite the false starts and chequered history of the ex-council rubbish tip Mr Downes would have it no other way.
"I've spent the best times of my life in Odsal, it's been an honour to be involved," he said.


Two people have been charged in connection with the theft of electronic equipment from a children's cancer ward in Leeds General Infirmary.

Matthew Ingham, 37, has been charged with five counts of theft and Kim Ager, 34, has been charged with with receiving stolen goods.
The charges relate to the theft of laptops and other items in July.
Mr Ingham and Ms Ager, both from Keighley, will appear at Leeds Magistrates' Court next month.


Emma Watson has confirmed she's to play Belle in a live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

She shared the news on her Facebook page, saying the cartoon was a "big part of growing up".
The film will be directed by Bill Condon, who previously made Twilight: Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2.
The animated version of Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 and received six Academy Award nominations.
There is currently no release date for the new version.
Revealing the news, Watson said: "I'm finally able to tell you... that I will be playing Belle in Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast!
"It almost feels surreal that I'll get to dance to 'Be Our Guest' and sing 'Something There'. My six-year-old self is on the ceiling. Heart bursting."
We know Emma Watson acts, we know she models and we know she's a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. But singing?
She admitted herself that it's "time to start some singing lessons".
This won't be the first time a Disney classic is being made into a live action movie and could be seen as part of a new trend for the studio.
2015 sees the release of Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella, with Downton Abbey's Lily James playing the title character.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Engineers say they are "confident" the rail line through Ayrshire will reopen on Monday after work to remove derailed wagons was completed.

Two trains carrying ballast for engineering work collided on the track at Logan, near Cumnock, two weeks ago.
Network Rail said a 130-tonne locomotive engine and 16 wagons were moved from the site by Friday.
Engineers are now working "round-the-clock" to repair the damaged track in time to reopen the line.
Before lifting the engine and wagons, engineers had to first construct a 350m-long haul road, and operating pad, for the 1,000-tonne crane which was required to remove the wagons and the locomotive.
The derailment happened on Saturday 1 August, when two freight trains collided while delivering materials to an engineering work-site on the line, which was closed at the time. No-one was injured in the incident.
The rail line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries has been closed during the work.


China has said it will not use exports of so-called rare earth minerals as a diplomatic bargaining tool.

The country produces more than 90% of these valuable commodities, which are used to produce electronic items such as mobile phones.
A row has blown up surrounding their availability, with relations between China and Japan at its centre.
The US and the EU asked Beijing to clarify its policy on mineral exports after China stopped shipping to Japan.
The stoppage followed a spat between China and Japan last month over islands whose ownership is disputed.
A spokesman for China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Zhu Hongren, said: "China will not use rare earths as a bargaining tool. We will have cooperation with other countries in the use of rare earths, because it is a non-renewable energy resource."
But Mr Zhu did not answer a reporter's question about when normal exports of rare earth minerals would resume.
China has about 30% of rare earth mineral deposits, but accounts for about 97% of production.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on China to clarify its policy on rare earth resources.
She said recent Chinese restrictions served as a "wake-up call" for the industrialised world which should drive it to look for other suppliers.
Rare earth metals are scarce minerals that have particular properties, such as being magnetic or shining in low light.
This makes them particularly useful in some new technologies, such as solar panels or electric cars or light-weight batteries.
Japanese companies say Beijing has blocked rare earth shipments to Japan since 21 September after a Chinese fishing boat captain was detained near disputed islands.


Two brothers have been jailed for killing a man with a samurai sword after a drugs-related robbery in East Ayrshire turned into a "bloodbath".

The victim, Jason Bryden, 38, was repeatedly stabbed during the attack at his home in Kilmarnock on 5 July 2015.
At the High Court in Glasgow, James Clark, 36, was jailed for a least 22 years after being convicted of murder.
His brother John, 38, was jailed for 10 years after being convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide.
Jailing both men, judge Bill Dunlop told the brothers that they had carried out "a merciless, relentless and savage attack".
He rejected any suggestion that Mr Bryden had been laying in wait for them armed with a samurai sword.
Judge Dunlop added: "You together planned to gain illegal access with at least one knife and nunchucks.
"Jason Bryden may have been a drug dealer but he was a son, a father and a friend. He was butchered by you."
After both men were jailed, Det Insp David Moran, who led the investigation, said: "The violent and terrible actions of John and James Clark caused the death of Jason Bryden.
"To be taken at the age of 38, in such horrifying circumstances, is a heartbreaking situation that the family has been forced to endure."
The court previously heard the brothers, from Kilmarnock, had decided to rob Mr Bryden of a gold bracelet which they had given to him in exchange for drugs.
The pair, who were high on drink and drugs, went to his home after masking their faces with scarves and arming themselves with a knife and martial arts nunchucks.
The sword used in the killing is believed to have belonged to the dead man.
Neighbours said they could see the Clarks attacking Mr Bryden as he sat on a sofa by the window and could hear him screaming.
Prosecutor Richard Goddard told the trial: "This was a sustained, frenzied attack on this man."
Afterwards, the scene of the killing was described as a "bloodbath".
In addition to the stab wounds, Mr Bryden suffered blunt force trauma during the assault.
He died in Kilmarnock's Crosshouse Hospital three days later.
Both brothers denied the killing.
In evidence, James Clark, who has 38 previous convictions including one for attempted murder, said: "I didn't mean it. It was an accident."
John Clark, who has 23 previous convictions, said he only got involved to help his brother whom he claimed was being attacked by Mr Bryden.


An app supported by the government is designed to make it easier to stay healthy, by letting you know exactly what is in your food.

26 January 2016 Last updated at 07:12 GMT
Eating and drinking too much sugar can be bad for your health, but sometimes it's tricky to know exactly how much sugar is in the food we buy.
So now an app supported by the government in England, has been launched to help you work out what's in your food. You scan the item's barcode and it should tell you the amount of sugar in it.
Ricky went to meet some kids who have been keeping a close eye on what they eat.


Seven candidates will contest two by-election seats in Douglas on Thursday.

The House of Keys constituencies of Douglas North and Douglas South became vacant following elections to the Legislative Council earlier this year.
Previous MHKs David Cretney and Bill Henderson were elected to Tynwald's upper chamber on 17 March.
Four candidates will stand for election in Douglas South, while three others have put themselves forward in Douglas North.
Polling stations for both constituencies will be open between 08:00 and 20:00 BST.
Douglas South candidates (polling centres at Willaston Methodist Church, Cronk y Berry School and the Project 21 Centre):
Kurt Buchholz (businessman);Amy Burns (homemaker); Keith Fitton (registered nurse and charity manager); William Malarkey (electrical engineer and company director).
Douglas North candidates (polling centres at St Matthew's Church Hall, Pulrose Methodist Church, Anagh Coar Primary School and Scoill Vallajeelt).
David Ashford (businessman); Maire Booth (shipping officer); Ralph Peake (businessman).


Each day we feature a photograph sent in from across England.

Find out how you can submit your images and videos below.
If you have a picture you'd like to share, email us at england@bbc.co.uk, post it on Facebook or tweet it to @BBCEngland. You can also find us on Instagram - use #englandsbigpicture to share an image there. You can also see a recent archive of pictures on our England's Big Picture board on Pinterest.
When emailing pictures, please make sure you include the following information:
Please note that whilst we welcome all your pictures, we are more likely to use those which have been taken in the past week.
If you submit a picture, you do so in accordance with the BBC's Terms and Conditions.
In contributing to England's Big Picture you agree to grant us a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to publish and otherwise use the material in any way that we want, and in any media worldwide.
It's important to note, however, that you still own the copyright to everything you contribute to England's Big Picture, and that if your image is accepted, we will publish your name alongside.
The BBC cannot guarantee that all pictures will be used and we reserve the right to edit your comments.
At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws collecting any kind of media.


Astronomers have published new images of a bright jet of material, long enough to cross the Milky Way three times, fired into space by the black hole at the heart of a distant galaxy.

The observations confirm the existence of a second jet, blasting in the opposite direction.
The study uses this galaxy, Pictor A, to test ideas about what makes jets like these emit very bright X-rays.
It appears in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
To make their observations, the team combined 15 years of X-ray data, from Nasa's Chandra space telescope, with images taken in radio wavelengths by the Australia Telescope Compact Array.
Chandra has been in orbit since 1999 - and interest in Pictor A was sparked right back at the beginning of its mission, according to Martin Hardcastle from the University of Hertfordshire, UK.
"The early images from Chandra showed there was this very bright jet," Prof Hardcastle, the study's lead author, told the BBC.
"At that stage we didn't really understand it, because the data were good enough to make an image of the jet, but not to do this kind of detailed analysis."
The new images have five or six times the resolution of our previous best views of Pictor A, he added, meaning that new features can be detected and the physics of the jet probed in detail.
Most big galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their centre, and Pictor A - five million light-years from Earth - is no exception.
In its case, the immense quantities of stuff swirling towards the black hole release so much energy that a beam of high-energy particles is spat across space, at very nearly light speed.
A second jet, fired in the opposite direction, was only an indistinct shadow in previous images, Prof Hardcastle said.
"In some work we did on an interim version of this data set, we thought we could see it. But now it's definitely there."
This "counterjet" - to the left in the blue X-ray image - appears much fainter than its twin and the team believes this is because it is moving away from us, at the same breakneck speed. According to the principles of relativity, this makes it look dimmer.
"It's like the Doppler effect only more so," said Prof Hardcastle. "In special relativity it actually effects the amplitude as well as the frequency of the emission."
Blooming outwards from the twin beams are two clouds of hot material, clearly visible in the radio wave images (displayed in red in these images).
These are created after the jets smash into the sparse, gaseous medium that separates galaxies.
"The material goes up the jet at relativistic speeds and at some point it runs into the external medium. And when it does, it's like blowing up a balloon; the material that's come up the jet has to go somewhere and it inflates these lobes," Prof Hardcastle said.
"It's basically pushing the hot intergalactic medium out of the way, so it blows these twin bubbles."
At the end of the jet there is also a "hotspot", visible in both images, where the material first piles up in collision with that medium.
The most intriguing problem for Prof Hardcastle and his colleagues, however, is wrapped up in the jet itself.
"The question for us is, why can you see the jet at all? It's these very fast chunks of material, but why are they radiating?"
Based on their observations, they say one previous explanation - based on jet particles bouncing off the cosmic microwave background - can be discarded.
Instead, the light we can see shining from the twin jets is apparently produced by electrons spinning around in very small circles.
Just like what happens when electrons are piped around in much bigger circles in a synchrotron, here on Earth, that motion produces radiation in the form of bright X-rays.
But a mystery remains, because the electrons must be re-accelerated along the length of the jet; the mighty shove delivered back at the black hole is not enough.
"Everywhere you see light, you've got some sort of process that's taking energy out of the jet and dumping it into those very high-energy electrons," Prof Hardcastle said.
"We don't know what that is. But we can study the process in Pictor A much better than anywhere else."
Follow Jonathan on Twitter


The governor of Indiana has defended a new law that has unleashed a wave of condemnation across the country.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Mike Pence said the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) had been "grossly misconstrued" as anti-gay.
"I abhor discrimination," he wrote, rejecting claims the law limited the rights of gays and lesbians.
The measure gives firms and groups the right to express their religious beliefs in the way they do business.
The governor went on the attack after a number of famous names, corporations and sporting institutions warned that business owners now had a licence to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
Signed into state law last week, the bill prevents the state from forcing people to provide services they say are contrary to their religion.
Critics believe it provides a way for opponents of gay marriage, which became legal in Indiana last year, to continue their opposition by other means.
The backlash has made allies of Hillary Clinton and Miley Cyrus, and Angie's List and Apple.
And the National Collegiate Athletic Association said it was "especially concerned" about how the law would affect its athletes, days before its basketball finals are being held in Indianapolis.
A day after an awkward television interview in which he refused to answer questions about how the law might be used against gay people, Mr Pence had a clearer message for readers of the Wall Street Journal.
"I abhor discrimination. I believe in the Golden Rule that you should 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'
"If I saw a restaurant owner refuse to serve a gay couple, I wouldn't eat there anymore.
"As governor of Indiana, if I were presented a bill that legalised discrimination against any person or group, I would veto it."
Mr Pence has found himself under intense pressure to amend the law, as other US states have done, to add anti-discrimination language.
Fellow Republicans in the state's Senate and House have offered to explore that possibility, after receiving a letter from nine chief executive officers, including the heads of Angie's List and Eli Lilly, to "take immediate action".
The White House, Walmart and the mayor of Indianapolis have also expressed concerns.
Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy signed an executive order on Monday that bans state-funded travel to Indiana and other states that simultaneously have RFRA and yet no balancing law to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination.


New Zealand women's captain Suzie Bates will play for Hampshire women ahead of the Women's World Cup in June.

Bates, 29, will feature for the county in the 50-over competition alongside former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who joined them in December.
The right-hander will also rejoin Southern Vipers in the Women's Super League after the World Cup.
She scored 232 runs at an average of 42 as the Vipers won the inaugural Super League title last season.


Actor Harry Morgan, best known for playing Colonel Sherman Potter in US TV show Mash, has died aged 96.

The star died at his Los Angeles home after suffering from pneumonia, his family confirmed.
Mike Farrell, who played BJ Hunnicutt in the military series, said of Morgan: "There was not an unadorable bone in the man's body."
Morgan also appeared as Officer Bill Gannon opposite Jack Webb in TV crime serial Dragnet from 1967 to 1970.
He appeared in more than 100 movies in mostly supporting roles from the early 1940s, playing opposite stars including Henry Fonda, John Wayne, James Garner, Elvis Presley and Dan Aykroyd.
Morgan began his TV career in the 1950s when the medium was in its infancy in the US, which he said allowed him "to kick the Hollywood habit of typing an actor in certain roles".
But it was his role as fatherly Col Potter in Mash, which he played from 1975 to 1983, that remains his best-remembered performance.
In 1980 he won an Emmy award for his portrayal, which was set during the Korean War.
During a news conference in 1983, after taping the final episode of Mash, the actor broke down in front of reporters.
"I'm feeling very sad and sentimental. I don't know if Mash made me a better actor but I know it made me a better human being," he said.
His co-star Mike Farrell added that Morgan was "an imp".
"He was full of fun and he was smart as a whip," added the actor.
Morgan's daughter-in-law, Beth Morgan, said he was "side-splittingly funny" and "very humble about having such a successful career".
He is survived by three sons, eight grandchildren and his second wife, Barbara Bushman.


A law has come into force in France which makes it an offence for a Muslim woman to conceal her face behind a veil when in public.

It is the first country in Europe to publicly ban a form of dress some Muslims regard as a religious duty.
BBC News website readers in France have been sending in their reaction to this story. Here is a selection of their comments.
In my opinion, the law appears to be against individual liberties. I am a Muslim but I don't wear a head scarf as I think it's not faithful to my principles. However, this ban will certainly stigmatise Islam. This practice concerns a small number of Muslim women in France and in that way it appears extreme and unfair, because these women will tend to be confined at home most of the time. The consequences will be socially disastrous. Through this law you can see that Islam in France is perceived as a threat to French values and society. Sabrina, Lille, France
As a Muslim living in Paris, I'm so glad that this new law is here, for there has been a growing problem for some time now in Paris, with the radicalisation of young Muslims. Some of the more extreme Muslims have begun to use dress as a symbol or statement against French society. I feel that the extreme example of the Muslim faith works against all that Muslims in France stand for. That is, that we can live in harmony side by side with other religions and faiths. Jean Paul Baptiste, Paris, France
At last a law that protects the dignity and the human rights of women. This is not a racist law, it is a brave and progressive law that aims to put an end to the scandalous persecution of women in the Muslim community. I am not Sarkozy's biggest fan and I wish someone else was leading my country, but I support this law 100% as the plight of women having to wear this garment around the world really saddens me. Rachel Sword, Aix en Provence, France
I agree with this law. The women who walk around in public in the burqa, cause feelings of both fear, and pity. I have often heard that these women complain of being totally ignored by those around them - hardly surprising, really. Hiding your identity causes others to become wary and suspicious. Fiona Ricard, Gailhan, France
Despite being a human rights lawyer, I have mixed feelings about the law. Freedom of religion dictates that people should be able to manifest their faith how they wish, though it can be restricted by the state if there are strong reasons and it is proportionate. I think it should not be banned outright and that it is excessive, but it should perhaps be restricted in the case of employment or other areas of society. Whilst the state has to respect the diverse values of its population, immigrants also have to respect the values of the society they have chosen to live in - and France is a secular state. Andy, Strasbourg, France
Enacting a law to ban face covering veils in France is taking an approach that will polarise and entrench opinions. Very few Muslim women want to wear face veils, but telling them they can't will make them want to do so to protect what they see as an attack on their identity. Why take a line that will push Muslims (the majority of whom are not conservative) into a more polarised stance (unless of course it's to win a few votes)? Naveen Webber, Gex, France
I have been living in France for about six months now and the relative lack of political correctness is a refreshing change from UK. The veil ban is not a big issue here, more like a gentle re-assertion of French equality values. It definitely has nothing to do with a personal crusade by Sarkozy to win votes. Robin Marshall, Avignon, France


Announce more money for a public policy initiative and say you will pay for it with an increase in taxes.
On Wednesday the Labour Party said that it plans to spend more than £5bn improving education in England.
To fund the initiative, the party also announced the details of its proposals to increase corporation tax from its present rate of 19% to 26% by 2020-21.
A move described by Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies as one of the most significant tax increases for 30 years.
Smaller firms with profits below £300,000 a year will see more modest rises - up to 21% by 2020-21.
Labour, using figures from the government's official economic watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, says the increases in corporation tax will raise £20bn by 2022.
The Liberal Democrats have also pledged more money for education (£7bn) paid for by a slightly lower increase in the business tax and the scrapping of tax allowances for married couples.
As both Labour and the Liberal Democrats will know, income from corporation tax (a tax on profits made by firms), is notoriously difficult to forecast.
In 2010, corporation tax raised just over £43bn in revenue for the government.
Since then it has been cut from 28% (interestingly, above the level announced today by Labour) to 19%.
One would suppose that would reduce the tax take for the government.
Not quite.
In 2016, corporation tax raised £49.7bn, an increase of £6.7bn.
That is due to a number of interrelated issues.
First, economic growth has returned, leading to higher profits for firms.
Higher profits mean higher levels of tax receipts.
Now, supporters of corporation tax cuts argue that the very act of reducing the rate increases firms' propensity to invest and increases confidence that Britain is a "business friendly" economy.
Reducing business taxes ultimately creates wealth, they argue.
Second, although George Osborne reduced the headline rate (some joke it is called that for a reason as cutting it produces some nice headlines), he also announced a series of other, more Delphic, measures that actually increased business taxes.
The amount of tax that can be offset against capital investment in new buildings and machinery (called capital allowances) has been reduced.
Taxes on foreign income has also been reformed and rules over the shifting of profits between different tax jurisdictions have been tightened under the "base erosion" changes agreed with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Alongside these changes, the government has also introduced the banking levy, an extra tax on the City which brought in £1.6bn in 2012 - a figure that rose to just under £3bn by 2016.
Many businesses would argue that, yes, the corporation tax cut is welcome but business taxes are already bringing in significantly more money.
And increasing the rate to 26% will simply reduce Britain's attractiveness to business investors and lose Britain vital places in the competitiveness league tables - given that the headline rate is low by G7 standards but other business taxes are relatively high.
Further, any change would come just at the time that Brexit has left a number of firms with their fingers hovering over the "relocate" button.
The new president of France, Emmanuel Macron, says he wants to see the French corporation tax rate cut to 25% from the present 33.3%.
As Mr Johnson said on the Today programme: "The risk is, that while this [Labour plan] would raise knocking on for £20bn in the short run, it is probably going to raise rather less than that in the long run as companies invest less and take other opportunities to reduce the amount of tax that they pay.
"So, the long run behavioural result of this tax would result in revenues being less than the immediate headline increase."
Corporation tax is what is known as "dynamic" - that is, changes to it result in rapid changes in behaviour as sophisticated firms manage their balance sheet in such a way as to minimise any effects and support profits and returns to shareholders (which of course, don't forget, include our pension funds).
This leads to substantial levels of forecast error.
In 2013, the OBR forecast that corporation tax receipts for 2016-17 would fall to £38.2bn.
In fact, receipts were 30% higher.
That suggests that Labour and the Liberal Democrats' plans could raise more than the forecast £20bn.
Or - given the possible economic effect on business investment - far less.
That is the problem with pledges on tax - they are predicated on a forecast about an uncertain future.
That does not mean that political parties should avoid making policy funding announcements based on best revenue estimates by official bodies.
But it does mean that voters should be aware - forecasts can be wrong.


Tesco has deactivated some customers' net accounts after their login names and passwords were shared online.

The list of more than 2,000 Tesco.com accounts was posted to a popular text-sharing site earlier on Thursday.
The supermarket giant said the data had been compiled by hackers using details stolen from other sites.
A small number of people contacted by the BBC via the email addresses given on the list confirmed their accounts had now been deactivated.
All those contacted said their login details were correct and one added the attackers had used them to steal store vouchers.
Tesco said it was "urgently investigating" the appearance of the data.
It is thought the list was drawn up by attackers who combed through data stolen in other high-profile security breaches.
Password and email combinations seen in those large breaches were then tried on the Tesco site and resulted in 2,239 hits where the same credentials were used.
"We have contacted all customers who may have been affected and are committed to ensuring that none of them miss out as a result of this," Tesco said in a statement.
"We will issue replacement vouchers to the very small number who are affected."
The attack is not the first time that Tesco has fallen victim to cyber-thieves. In early 2013 hundreds of owners of Tesco Clubcards reported their loyalty card account had been penetrated.


Critics have lined up to kick Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after the conservative Liberal-National coalition's narrow election victory.

On 2 July, the night of the election, ultra-conservative commentator Andrew Bolt was first out of the blocks, telling Turnbull bluntly: "Resign."
"You have been a disaster," Bolt wrote. "You betrayed (former PM) Tony Abbott and then led the party to humiliation, stripped of both values and honour."
Opposition leader Bill Shorten spent last week gleefully calling Turnbull a "prime minister with no authority" and predicting Australians would be back at the polls within a year.
Australia PM Turnbull's conservatives win tight election
But while things look chaotic from close-up, Australia's recent political history suggests this is business as usual. Turnbull is suffering from a political malaise that's common "down under" - the second-term slump.
Amidst the rancour and heated denunciations last week, former prime minister John Howard offered a much cooler assessment of the government's performance and Turnbull's leadership.
"This hasn't been an outcome that we wanted, but it's not the end of the world and people shouldn't start slitting their throats," he said.
Howard knew this from experience - he, too, suffered from second-term slump.
In 1996, he took the conservatives to their first election victory since 1983 in a massive win that gave them a majority of 45 seats.
But in 1998, Howard broke a promise to "never, ever" introduce a consumption tax in Australia and took this policy to the polls. A 4.8% swing against the coalition reduced its majority to just 13 seats.
Howard went on to be Australia's second-longest-serving prime minister, staying in the job until 2006.
Australians have a history of punishing governments when they seek a second term.
Bob Hawke developed a minor case of the slump in 1984, when his Labor government's majority was cut from 25 to 16, surprising analysts who thought the popular PM would be returned with an increased majority.
Another Labor leader, Julia Gillard, suffered a particularly acute bout of slump in 2010, when a 5.4% swing against her government wiped its majority from 18 seats to zero, forcing her to do a deal with independents to stay in power.
Multiple complex factors were at play in each case. Hawke was forced to delay promised policies due to a hole in the budget and Gillard was always on the back foot after she deposed first-term prime minister Kevin Rudd in a coup.
But the pattern is clear to see - Australians typically return governments for a second term with a greatly reduced majority.
Turnbull is likely to secure 76 seats to Labor's 69, enough for the coalition to rule on its own. In this sense he is already doing better than Gillard, who still lasted almost an entire term before her panicking party ended her leadership and reinstalled Rudd, the man she deposed.
There's no doubt that Turnbull faces a tough road of internal unrest, unruly senators, an emboldened opposition and an uncertain global outlook. But his circumstances are hardly unique in Australian politics.


A man has been arrested on suspicion of supergluing shut the locks of 64 front doors and garages.

Properties were targeted in Marlor Court and the surrounding streets in Heywood, Greater Manchester, between Monday and Tuesday.
Greater Manchester Police said gluing locks was "extremely dangerous" and "caused a huge amount of distress to the victims".
The 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
Insp Andrew Fern said those targeted "worry how they would escape their home in the event of a fire or other emergency".


The Iceland football supporters who captured the imagination at the European Championships in France this year have been nominated as fans of the year in a new Fifa contest.

Close to 8% of the country's population combined a rhythmic slow handclap with a roar to spur on their team to the quarter finals at the Stade de France.
Also up for the award are Den Haag, FC Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund fans.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in Zurich in January 2017.
Fifa says the contest was set up to recognise an outstanding fan moment or gesture, and can be awarded to any fan or fan group regardless of league level, gender or nationality.
Football's world governing body says "Icelandic players leading superbly choreographed fan chants became one of the iconic images of UEFA Euro 2016".
Fans of Den Haag were selected for showering children from Rotterdam's Sophia Children's Hospital who were in the stand below them with soft toys.
And supporters of Liverpool FC and those of Borussia Dortmund won their joint nomination for singing Liverpool's anthem "You'll never walk alone" together, to mark the 27th  anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, when 96 fans were crushed to death at a Liverpool game in 1989.
Fifa says the nominees were chosen by an expert panel.
But the winner will be picked by the public: you can vote here until 9 January.


BBC soap EastEnders is "almost twice" as white as the real east London, Diane Coyle, the acting head of the BBC Trust, said in a speech in on Monday.

Ms Coyle said it would be "daft" for the show to be a "perfect replica" of the real world.
But she added it was "important to ask whether the BBC can do more in its popular output to provide an authentic portrayal of life in modern Britain".
The population of EastEnders was also younger than in real life, she said.
Ms Coyle is in the running to be head of the BBC Trust after Lord Patten stepped down due to ill health.
The BBC's audience council in England compared the population of Walthamstow in east London with Walford, the fictional home of EastEnders.
The figures suggested there were nearly twice as many white people living in Walford - E20 - as in real life E17, while the population of EastEnders tends to be younger than their real-life counterparts and more likely to have been born in the UK.
It is not the first time that Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation (BAME) in EastEnders has been called into question.
The soap's former boss, John Yorke, said EastEnders "may be significantly white compared with the real East End" back in May 2011.
At the time, he added that it was "considerably more multicultural than it was even five years ago and is easily the most multicultural show on telly now".
The BBC responded to Ms Coyle's comments by saying: "We agree with the trust that EastEnders has one of the most diverse casts on British television and that it would be daft to suggest that the programme needs to be a perfect replica of a particular postcode.
"As announced by [director general] Tony Hall last week, the BBC has plans to lead the industry on diversity, both on and off screen."
Ms Coyle also asked for improvements in BBC One's output across the board.
Speaking at the London School of Economics, she said that according to BBC research, BBC One, the home of EastEnders, "plays it too safe in parts of its peak-time schedule".
"BBC One is greatly appreciated.  But it can sometimes feel too predictable.  Its viewers expect still more from it," she added.
The BBC said that the channel reaches 76% of the population, or 44 million people each week.
"These audiences are clearly finding a huge amount that informs, educates and entertains them," it said.
"We continually strive to deliver new and original programmes and it has been our consistent ability to do this over the years which has made BBC One Britain's most-watched and loved channel."
The BBC Trust will set out in more detail what it would like the corporation to do next month.
Ms Coyle also said it was a priority for the BBC to increase the number of women on air.
Her comments follow the BBC's announcement last week to have greater BAME representation on and off air.
The BBC will put Â£2.1m into a fund intended to help BAME talent, on and off screen, to develop new programmes.
BBC targets call for about one in six people (15%) on-air to be from BAME backgrounds within three years - an increase of nearly 5%.
Delivering a lecture to Bafta in March, comedian and actor Lenny Henry said funds should be set aside to boost the presence of BAME people in the broadcasting industry.
He put the presence of those from BAME backgrounds in the creative industry at 5.4%.
He described this as "an appalling percentage because the majority of our industry is based around London where the black and Asian population is 40%."
He added that the situation behind the camera was also "patchy".
On Tuesday, Henry is giving evidence at a culture, media and sport committee on his proposals.


China is the world's most populous country, with a continuous culture stretching back nearly 4,000 years.

Many of the elements that make up the foundation of the modern world originated in China, including paper, gunpowder, credit banking, the compass and paper money.
China stagnated for more than two decades under the rigid Communist rule of the founder of the People's Republic, Mao Zedong.
But China now has the world's fastest-growing economy and is undergoing what has been described as a second industrial revolution.
It has also launched an ambitious space exploration programme, involving plans to set up a space station by 2020.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded in 1949 after the Communist Party defeated the previously dominant nationalist Kuomintang in a civil war.
The Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, creating two rival Chinese states - the PRC on the mainland and the Republic of China based on Taiwan.
China profile - home
Country profiles - home
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
Beijing says the island of Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory that must be reunited with the mainland.
The claim has in the past led to tension and threats of invasion, but since 2008 the two governments have moved towards a more cooperative atmosphere.
The leadership of Mao Zedong oversaw the often brutal implementation of a Communist vision of society.
Millions died in the Great Leap Forward - a programme of state control over agriculture and rapid industrialisation - and the Cultural Revolution, a chaotic attempt to root out elements seen as hostile to Communist rule.
However, Mao's death in 1976 ushered in a new leadership and economic reform. In the early 1980s the government dismantled collective farming and again allowed private enterprise.
The rate of economic change has not been matched by political reform, with the Communist Party - the world's largest political party - retaining its monopoly on power and maintaining strict control over the people.
The authorities still crack down on any signs of opposition and send outspoken dissidents to labour camps.
Nowadays China is one of the world's top exporters and is attracting record amounts of foreign investment. In turn, it is investing billions of dollars abroad.
The collapse in international export markets that accompanied the global financial crisis of 2009 initially hit China hard, but its economy was among the first in the world to rebound, quickly returning to growth.
In February 2011 it formally overtook Japan to become the world's second-largest economy, though by early 2012 the debt crisis in the eurozone - one of the biggest markets for Chinese goods - was beginning to act as a drag on China's growth.
As a member of the World Trade Organisation, China benefits from access to foreign markets. But relations with trading partners have been strained over China's huge trade surplus and the piracy of goods.
The former has led to demands for Beijing to raise the value of its currency, the renminbi, which would make Chinese goods more expensive for foreign buyers and possibly hold back exports. Beijing has responded with a gradual easing of restrictions on trading in the currency.
Some Chinese fear that the rise of private enterprise and the demise of state-run industries carries heavy social costs such as unemployment and instability.
Moreover, the fast-growing economy has fuelled the demand for energy. China is the largest oil consumer after the US, and the world's biggest producer and consumer of coal. It spends billions of dollars in pursuit of foreign energy supplies. There has been a massive investment in hydro-power, including the $25bn Three Gorges Dam project.
The economic disparity between urban China and the rural hinterlands is among the largest in the world. In recent decades many impoverished rural dwellers have flocked to the country's eastern cities, which have enjoyed a construction boom.
By the beginning of 2012, city dwellers appeared to outnumber the rural population for the first time, according to official figures.
Social discontent manifests itself in protests by farmers and workers. Tens of thousands of people travel to Beijing each year to lodge petitions with the authorities in the hope of finding redress for alleged corruption, land seizures and evictions.
Other pressing problems include corruption, which affects every level of society, and the growing rate of HIV infection. A downside of the economic boom has been environmental degradation; China is home to many of the world's most-polluted cities.
Human rights campaigners continue to criticise China for executing hundreds of people every year and for failing to stop torture, as well as for continuing to censor political and artistic expression.
The country is keen to stamp down on what it sees as dissent among its ethnic minorities, including Muslim Uighurs in the north-west.
Chinese rule over Tibet is controversial. Human rights groups accuse the authorities of the systematic destruction of Tibetan Buddhist culture and the persecution of monks loyal to the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who is campaigning for autonomy within China.


Army bomb disposal experts have been called to Carlisle after what is thought to be an unexploded bomb was dug up.

Workmen on a building site at Trinity School uncovered the device earlier.
Cumbria Police said a cordon had been put in place and the sports centre on Strand Road had been evacuated as a precaution.
A bomb disposal unit from Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, is on its way to the scene.


Confectionery giant Nestle will appeal against a High Court decision that denies it the right to trademark its four-fingered KitKat in the UK.

It is the latest ruling in a long running battle with Cadbury.
Nestle wants to stop rivals producing a similar shaped bar.
But the court agreed with Cadbury that the shape was not distinctive enough for consumers to identify all such bars as KitKats.
Nestle said in a statement: "KitKat is much loved and the iconic shape of the four-finger bar, which has been used in the UK for more than 80 years, is well known by consumers.
"We believe that the shape deserves to be protected as a trade mark in the UK and are disappointed that the court did not agree on this occasion."
Its case was not helped by the existence of a similar Norwegian bar, called Kvikk Lunsj, which means 'quick lunch' and has been around since 1937.
In September last year the company failed to persuade European judges of its arguments.
The European Court of Justice said that the company had to demonstrate the public relied on the shape alone to identify the snack.
They concluded this was difficult to prove if goods also showed a brand name such as KitKat.
Nestle has experience of trying to register difficult trade marks.
It took more than 40 years for it to register the slogan "Have a Break" as a trade mark, finally succeeding in 2006.
Nestle first tried to trademark the shape of the four-fingered chocolate bar in 2010, but its attempts were opposed by Cadbury.
The two have also battled over other trademarks. In 2013 Nestle blocked Cadbury's attempts to register the shade of purple used in the packaging of Dairy Milk.
Now it would appear Cadbury, which is owned by US company Mondelez International, has scored a significant but not final victory in the continuing chocolate war.
It has always argued the shape alone was not distinctive enough for consumers to associate it with the rival snack.
Nestle has not sought to trademark the two-fingered bar.


Kemi Adetiba is an award-winning director, producer and cinematographer in the Nigerian city of Lagos and her production company - K-Alpha Innovations - specialises in making music videos.

22 December 2014 Last updated at 18:15 GMT
A law graduate, she got her first taste of the media industry as a little girl accompanying her father, a radio DJ.
As part of the BBC's African Dream series about entrepreneurs, the film-maker explains how she managed to excel in the entertainment industry in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.


US markets are closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday.

On Friday, US stocks had closed sharply lower as falling oil prices sent shares tumbling around the world.
The S&P 500 index ended down 41.51 points, or 2.2%, at 1,880.33.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 390.79 points, or 2.4%, to 15,988.08 while the Nasdaq index dropped 126.59 points to 4,488.42.


Holders Arsenal Ladies will host Notts County in the Continental Cup quarter-finals, a repeat of the 2015 final and one of three all-top flight ties.

Monday's quarter-final draw also pitted league leaders Manchester City against Doncaster Rovers Belles, while in-form Birmingham City will host Liverpool.
London Bees, who knocked out Chelsea Ladies on penalties on Saturday, will travel to fellow-Women's Super League Two side Sheffield FC Ladies.
The ties will be played on 6-7 August.
Sheffield FC Ladies v London Bees
Birmingham City Ladies v Liverpool Ladies
Manchester City Women v Doncaster Rovers Belles
Arsenal Ladies v Notts County Ladies


The number of female sex workers helped to get off the Bristol streets has gone up by 20% in a year, a charity said.

One25 said the number of women it helped in "exiting the lifestyle" went up from 45 in 2013-14, to 55 last year.
It said volunteers help an average of six women a night compared to about 40 when the service started in May 1995.
Gill Nowland, from One25, said it was "hard to compare" the statistics with 20 years ago, but their work has helped reduce that number.
Ms Nowland said: "Twenty years ago we didn't have the capacity to provide intensive casework and meet the needs of the women in the way we are able to today.
"We hope to continue offering routes out to women who find themselves trapped in street sex work and also to work in a preventative way with those at risk of entering street sex work.
"We will work with women who are trying to stop and have stopped street sex working to help them build happy, healthy and fulfilling lives."
Charlotte Rose, one of the women One25 has helped, said the charity "means the world to me".
"If we didn't have it, we'd be dead," she said. "Nothing is too much trouble.
"Yeah, this place is the boom, it's inspirational, security, a safe house.
"The food, entertainment and women are 100%. Everyone is there for you, you love them so."
One25 began with 20 volunteers but now has 140 and employs 21 members of staff.
It said women on the streets today continue to face a range of difficult issues, including homelessness, addiction to drugs and/or alcohol and malnourishment.


Crime hit areas of Wrexham could be set to have more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on the beat.

A plan will be discussed by the local authority's executive board on Tuesday, which could see resources allocated to places where the need is greatest.
Alongside North Wales Police, a review into deployment has been carried out.
Councillor Hugh Jones said the plan was aimed at making people feel safer in their homes and encouraging more people to become PCSOs.
North Wales' police commissioner Winston Roddick said "historic data" had been used to ensure resources can be put where "they are most needed".


Ireland seamer Craig Young has been ruled out of the two one-day internationals against Sri Lanka in June with an elbow injury.

The 26-year-old from Bready is expected to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks.
"Craig will undergo more investigative tests on the injury to decide whether he will require surgery," said a Cricket Ireland spokesperson.
Ireland face Sri Lanka at Malahide on 16 and 18 June.
A Cricket Ireland statement read: "He will miss the games against Sri Lanka, but we would be hopeful he will play a full part in the five-match one-day series against Afghanistan in July."
Young, who has played nine ODIs and 10 Twenty20s, signed for Hampshire on a short-term loan deal in April.


Watford captain Troy Deeney has agreed a new five-year contract on the day the Hornets signed forward Isaac Success from Granada for a club record fee.

Striker Deeney, 28, had been linked to Premier League champions Leicester.
Nigerian 20-year-old Success, who scored six goals in La Liga last season, has cost a reported £12.5m and signed a five-year contract.
Watford have also signed Genk defender Christian Kabasele for a fee believed to be about £6m.
He has also agreed a five-year contract.
The 25-year-old is part of Belgium's squad at Euro 2016, but has yet to make his international debut.
Last season, Kabasele was the only outfield player in the Belgian Pro League to play every minute in both the regular season and play-offs.
In total, the 6ft 1in centre-back played 81 times for Genk after joining on a free from KAS Eupen in 2014.
Deeney, who scored 13 league goals last season, joined the Hornets from Walsall in a £500,000 deal in 2010.
"This club really means business and I want to be part of this," he said.
Meanwhile, Hornets defender Gabriele Angella has joined Udinese after being on at Championship side QPR last season.
The 27-year-old joined Watford in 2013 and made 82 appearances, scoring 10 goals, helping them to win promotion to the top flight in 2015.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Leeds chairman Massimo Cellino's one-year ban has been delayed until his appeal against the ruling is heard.

The 60-year-old was initially banned for 18 months and fined £250,000 by the Football Association for breaching agent rules in the transfer of Ross McCormack to Fulham in 2014.
Earlier this month this was reduced to one year and £100,000 after his initial appeal against the decision.
His ban from all football activity was due to start on Saturday, 18 February.
The FA said in a statement: "The sanctions imposed by an FA appeal board against Cellino have now been stayed pending the outcome of a legal challenge brought by Cellino in arbitration pursuant to FA Rule K.
"Cellino alleges the decision of the FA appeal board was irrational, procedurally unfair, and that there was apparent bias. All other aspects of the arbitration shall remain confidential until such time as a decision has been made."
After his ban was reduced Cellino said he intended to take his appeal against the ruling to the High Court because he felt "duty bound to continue the fight against such injustice for the good of the club and its supporters".
The ban is the third imposed on the former Cagliari owner by the FA since taking over the Elland Road club in April 2014.
In January, he sold 50% of the club to fellow Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani.
Leeds are fifth in the Championship, eight points behind second-placed Brighton.


Hampshire's Sean Ervine made his second century of the match, backed by 96 from opener Jimmy Adams, to help their side draw with Somerset at Taunton.

Somerset added 33 to their overnight score to declare on 587-8.
That allowed Craig Overton to make his maiden first-class hundred (138) and also set a new Somerset eighth-wicket record with fellow centurion Roelof van der Merwe, who was unbeaten on 102.
But Ervine and Adams then put on 159 to help Hampshire force a draw on 254-5.
Needing 250 to make Somerset bat again, after the early loss of Hampshire skipper Will Smith for a duck, Ervine was missed behind the stumps off Jim Allenby in the last over before the interval.
Although they did lose three wickets, two of them to Van der Merwe, Adams took the game out of Somerset's reach with a further key stand of 60 for the fifth wicket with Ryan McLaren.
Hampshire's extra five points from the draw lift them a little closer to safety, having also gained five bonus points to narrow the gap on seventh-placed Durham, who have a game in hand, to 14 points.
Somerset's next game is at Edgbaston on Monday when they meet Warwickshire in the One-Day Cup semi-final.
It took Overton and Van der Merwe just nine more runs on day four to set a new record eighth-wicket partnership for Somerset, wiping out a mark set by two of the county's most famous players in the process.
The previous record of 172 was jointly held by Somerset's two knights, Viv Richards and Ian Botham.
Their stand, compiled against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1983, was then matched by Adrian Pierson and Steffan Jones against New Zealand at Taunton in 1999.
The new record was raised to 217 before Overton was finally out for 138, having hit eight sixes.


Manchester City and Chelsea are vying for the £26m signing of Real Madrid's Brazilian right-back Danilo.

City manager Pep Guardiola sees Danilo as someone who can play both full-back positions and in midfield, while Chelsea counterpart Antonio Conte wants to strengthen an area of perceived weakness in his squad.
But Conte will not be signing City's Sergio Aguero, according to Guardiola.
City's Spanish boss said: "He's our player. He will remain here."
Conte reportedly wanted to sign the striker as a replacement for out-of-favour Spain forward Diego Costa.
Walker left Tottenham for Man City 'to lift trophies'
Danilo, 26, joined Real Madrid from Porto in 2015 but was the Spanish club's second-choice right-back for much of last season.
He started 17 La Liga matches for champions Real, with Dani Carvajal preferred for most of the big games, including the Champions League final.
City, who finished third in the Premier League last season, have already signed four players this summer - goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, right-back Walker and winger Bernardo Silva, plus teenage midfielder Douglas Luiz.
Speaking in the build-up to Thursday's pre-season game against Manchester United in Houston, Guardiola said they were talking to "three or four" more.
"They are young players, with the next three, four, five years in mind," he added.
"We have options for players coming, but until the deal is done, out of respect for the other clubs I cannot say anything."
As well as Danilo, City have also been linked with Monaco left-back Benjamin Mendy.
Guardiola said: "Mendy is the same case as Danilo, we have targets and we see what happens. He's a Monaco player so I'm quiet in my comments."
Aguero, 29, scored 20 Premier League goals last season but lost his starting place to Gabriel Jesus in February, leading to speculation he may leave.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said at the end of the season that the Argentine's future was "never in doubt".
And Guardiola confirmed on Wednesday that Aguero is staying.
While Aguero is staying at Etihad Stadium, fellow striker Kelechi Iheanacho is close to completing a £25m move to Leicester City.
The 20-year-old has scored 21 goals in 64 games in all competitions since making his debut in 2015.
Guardiola said: "Kelechi's a young player. It's not easy for him.
"He needs to play at that age and that's why he and the club decided it was best for him to leave."
Another striker, Wilfried Bony, who spent last season on loan at Stoke having moved to Manchester City from Swansea for £28m in 2015, is absent from the club's pre-season tour of the United States.
Guardiola said Bony had "a little problem" and the 26-year-old would have travelled "if he wasn't injured".


British number one Johanna Konta is out of the Stuttgart Open after a second-round defeat by Anastasija Sevastova.

Konta, 25, broke in the opening game but failed to hold her own serve until her fourth attempt and was beaten 6-3 7-5 by the Latvian world number 26.
Konta broke to go 3-1 up in the second set but lost that advantage in the next game and was broken again at 5-5, as Sevastova clinched victory.
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova beat Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets.
Sharapova made it two wins out of two following her return from a 15-month doping ban by defeating fellow Russian Makarova 7-5 6-1.
The five-time Grand Slam winner dominated Makarova, ranked 43 in the world, wrapping up the victory in just one hour, 20 minutes.
Sharapova was powerful on serve, as she had been in Wednesday's win over Italy's Roberta Vinci, but struggled at times with her return.
Once she had claimed the first set with a late break of serve, she powered through the second, breaking twice before wrapping up the match with an ace.
"Practice and playing are so different and you can only prepare the best you can," Sharapova said.
"The reaction and anticipation you need are so hard to replicate in training and these are the things I need."
In the last eight, the 30-year-old faces Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit, who was a 2-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 victor over Spanish fifth seed Garbine Muguruza.
BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:
She may not have figured in any draw for 15 months, but it appears Sharapova still has a strong mental hold on so many of her opponents.
Makarova had a glorious chance to hit a backhand winner into open court to break for a 6-5 lead, but missed. She then dropped her serve to concede the set, and only won one more game after that.
It was another strong performance by Sharapova, and she then moved to the media centre to make it clear she no longer wishes to discuss the details of her positive test for meldonium.
She says she has done "numerous interviews in the past few months" - which overlooks the fact that journalists and publications, like the fashion magazine Vogue, have been very carefully selected.
Konta, meanwhile, admits her clay-court game is a work in progress, but thinks she is playing well enough to prove effective on the surface.
She says she needs to improve her movement and her point construction, but was not too downhearted by her start to the clay season. She has won two and lost two, and will next play in Madrid in 10 days time.
Wednesday's first-round victory over Naomi Osaka was just Konta's third WTA Tour win on clay.
She began well on Thursday with a break of Sevastova's serve in the first game but lost the next three games and did not hold her own serve until the fourth attempt.
Sevastova, ranked 19 places below Konta at 26, produced three successive aces en route to clinching the opening set before recovering from 3-1 down in the second to level.
A missed forehand opportunity then cost Konta as she was broken in the 11th game and Sevastova served out the victory with her sixth ace.
Had Konta won, she would have faced Romania's Simona Halep in the third round.
Those two were involved in Sunday's controversial Fed Cup meeting in Constanta, which Halep won 6-1 6-3 after Konta left the court in tears.