Very weird. Looks like a PHP bug. Can you check your exact PHP version please?

PHP :: 7.2.19 ~ Build date :: May 30 2019 15:09:33

Have just update PHP to 7.3.6 and will install b2evo 7.0.1 on another domain to see if the problem occurs again.

did it?

Sorry a bit slow here, will do :)
Doing it now 22:57 UT
Manual ftp at 450K so slow going as is the 'norm' here.

Is it the case that most if not all expressions that use brackets have a space after and before the opening and closing bracket resepectively?
as in

function upg_task_start( $version, $title = '' )
{
	global $old_db_version, $upgrade_db_version;

	if( $old_db_version < $version )

UPDATE: From weird to weird
Haven't got that error but got this as I get one at line 7770 and the script hasn't reached line 11797
Will see if I can edit out the 7770 error and continue with the upgrade

UPDATE 2
OK couldn't see any code to mess with and then checked the remote file and noticed file size difference, so bad upload.

Got past the above error and the one initiating this post. Had a warning about having to make multiple changes to the data base and was prompted to carry and after that all is good.

So looks like a 7.2.19 issue that didn't like spaces ???? unless ????