polls close in bangladesh's election. early indications suggest a low turnout of voters, and the current prime minister is expected to win a fourth consecutive term. rishi sunak insists he has faith in his government's rwanda plan, despite leaked papers suggesting he had doubts. this hasn't been tried before in our country. i mean, it's fair to say it is novel. i've been very clear that this is a novel scheme. of course it's novel. but actually we should have more confidence today that it will work precisely because we've got a returns agreement with albania that is working incredibly well. the us transport safety board says no passengers were seated next to where part of a plane fell off mid—flight. and hollywood rolls out the red carpet for one of its biggest nights — the golden globe awards.

jordan's king abdullah has warned the us secretary of state antony blinken of catastrophic repercussions of the continuation of israel's military campaign in gaza. mr blinken is on a tour of the middle east as the us tried to prevent the conflict in gaza from spreading. earlier he met thejordanian foreign minister. king abdullah also urged mr blinken to put pressure on israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. later mr blinken will head to qatar for talks with the emir. as the diplomacy continues, so does the fighting, with israel carrying out air strikes overnight in the city of khan younis in southern gaza. the official palestinian news agency reported many dead and wounded. in the west bank, palestinian officials said six people had been killed in an israeli air raid on the city ofjenin — an israeli border officer has also been killed in operations there. the gaza health ministry says 113

palestinians have been killed in the past 2a hours. and an israeli civilian was killed in what has been described as a shooting attack in the west bank. the israeli army says its completed what it claims is the �*dismantling" of hamas�*s command structure in the northern gaza strip. a spokesman said hamas fighters could operate only �*sporadically�* in the area. i spoke to our correspondent shaimaa khalil injerusalem for the latest update. that is right. we have been getting lines and updates about the fighting in khan younis. we understand from our sources on the ground that the updated number now, as a result of the bombardment on khan younis, has gone up to 50 people, that includes 15 children. and we also now know from the al—jazeera network

reporting that a journalist, the journalist and cameraman, who is also the elderson of the al—jazeera gaza correspondent, was killed among journalists as they were on the road between khan younis and rafah. according to an aljazeera correspondent, they were on their way there to film in an area north—east of rafah. this was a reported safety zone, according to the israeli army, but it had reportedly experienced some bombardment. the team was on their way to cover that when their vehicle was targeted awestruck by a drone strike. we have seen live pictures, we have been watching live pictures of the aftermath of that vehicle after it was struck, but also, the aljazeera correspondent himself, standing next to the body of his son for a final goodbye, in tears, holding his hand. he is at the same

correspondent who lost his wife, his grandchild, his 15—year—old son, is a seven—year—old daughter, in a separate strike in october early in the fighting, but who was wounded when his cameraman was killed while they were filming last month. this is the latest we are getting from khan younis, but also the bombardment continues in central gaza. also worth saying that the bbc has reached out to the idf to get their response to this particular incident. we are still waiting for that response. but i think this shows you the difficult picture that antony blinken faces with the fighting on the ground, with the continued tension in the west bank, including what happened injenin, six palestinians dead, one is border officer killed and others wounded when their vehicle struck an explosive device. this is a very difficult and complicated picture, and a complicated situation that

antony blinken wants to come down, and also make sure that the fighting and also make sure that the fighting and the conflict does not spill over in other areas of the region, specifically in lebanon. the polls have now closed in bangladesh's general election. voting took place amid tight security after violence on the eve of the poll. at least 1a polling stations were set on fire. on friday, a busy commuter train was allegedly set on fire, killing four passengers. prime minister sheikh hasina is trying to gain a fourth straight term in office. bangladesh's chief election comissioner has described the violence as an attempt to sabotage the vote. the main opposition bangladesh nationalist party has asked people to shun the poll. and international observers including the un have said the poll is taking place in a repressive environment. this was prime minister, sheikh hasina, voting a little earlier — the initial results are expected by early monday.

our south asia correspondent samira hussain, is outside a polling station in the capital, dhaka, and told me the latest developments. well, in previous general elections there has been quite a bit of violence as well, but also, more concerningly, there was a lot of vote rigging, which is why this election, prime minister sheikh hasina was determined to have what she could call free and fair elections. of course, the challenge is that the main opposition party, the bangladesh nationalist party, did not participate. polls have just closed. i am near a polling station and they are going to start counting the votes shortly. but if you look at voter turnout, i mean, just half an hour before the polls closed, we heard from the election commissioner that in fact there was about a 27% voter turnout. that is pretty low. by comparison, in the last general election in the uk, you had a 67% voter turnout.

in the last presidential election in the united states, you saw more than 50% of voters turn out. so it then calls into question whether or not these results will truly be reflective of the will of the people, given the low turnout and the fact that the main opposition party did not contest. and just briefly, what are we expecting the opposition party to do, because we know that they have in effect boycotted this general election, but where does that leave them and any potential for voting for an opposition for people in the coming weeks, months, years perhaps? exactly, and that is a question that i put to one of the senior leaders of the bnp, the bangladesh nationalist party. you are not contesting in these elections, it seems that prime minister sheikh hasina is all but guaranteed another

five years in office, what is the opposition�*s plan? and to them it is a matter of continuing to exercise their democratic right, to try and oppose this government and oppose what they say is a crackdown on freedom of expression and on protest, but they have said they are committed to doing this within the democratic process as much as possible. a devastating fire has also raced through a refugee camp in bangladesh's southern coastal district of cox's bazar. the fire ravaged through one of the 33 camps in cox's bazar. nearly 800 shelters are feared to have been destroyed, in addition 120 facilities that were damaged including learning and health centres, as well as mosques.so far, there have been no casualties reported yet

as a result of the fire. cox's bazar is the largest refugee camp in the world. we can cross now to shari nijman, unhcr communication officer who isjoining us from bhasan char in bangladesh. it seems that very fortunate that so far there are no casualties, though that may change. do you know what the situation is on the ground at the situation is on the ground at the moment?— the situation is on the ground at the moment? thank you. as you already said. _ the moment? thank you. as you already said, it _ the moment? thank you. as you already said, it is _ the moment? thank you. as you already said, it is estimated - the moment? thank you. as you already said, it is estimated thatj already said, it is estimated that over 800 shelters have been destroyed, a500 people displaced. thankfully no casualties on the ground but obviously many people displaced within the camp, it is getting cold, people need assistance, and this is at the situation the ground. we have mentioned — situation the ground. we have mentioned the _ situation the ground. we have mentioned the other - situation the ground. we have mentioned the other fires - situation the ground. we havej mentioned the other fires that situation the ground. we have - mentioned the other fires that have taken place over the past few days in bangladesh. do you think that is

linked to what we have seen or is it too early to tell? it linked to what we have seen or is it too early to tell?— too early to tell? it does not seem too early to tell? it does not seem to be that these _ too early to tell? it does not seem to be that these fires _ too early to tell? it does not seem to be that these fires are - too early to tell? it does not seem to be that these fires are linked i too early to tell? it does not seem to be that these fires are linked to j to be that these fires are linked to each other. there is more frequently fires that happen in the camps, they do not seem to be linked to the rest of bangladesh. find do not seem to be linked to the rest of bangladesh-— of bangladesh. and have they been similar fires — of bangladesh. and have they been similar fires before? _ of bangladesh. and have they been similar fires before? and _ of bangladesh. and have they been similar fires before? and if - of bangladesh. and have they been similar fires before? and if so, - similarfires before? and if so, what is the preparedness like to deal with them? 50. what is the preparedness like to deal with them?— what is the preparedness like to deal with them? so, fires like this unfortunately _ deal with them? so, fires like this unfortunately sometimes - deal with them? so, fires like this unfortunately sometimes happen l deal with them? so, fires like this | unfortunately sometimes happen in the camps. in order to better equip their people on the ground to respond to these fires are very quickly, humanitarian actors are training volunteers on the ground to respond very quickly to these fires. this is what we saw last night when this fire broke out at around one o'clock. refugee volunteers were first on the scene. they were responding and then later were aided

ljy responding and then later were aided by the authorities. and the actions they took actually contained the fire to one side of the camp. however it was our seeing images from the fire and it does look absolutely terrifying and devastating, and as i said at the beginning, a miracle that no casualties have been reported so far. what steps have been taken to find out the cause of it? fist far. what steps have been taken to find out the cause of it?— find out the cause of it? at this oint, find out the cause of it? at this point. because _ find out the cause of it? at this point, because of— find out the cause of it? at this point, because of the _ find out the cause of it? at this point, because of the fire - find out the cause of it? at this point, because of the fire is - find out the cause of it? at this| point, because of the fire is not known. it has not been confirmed. but we have been assured by the government authorities that an investigation will be carried out shortly, and as i mentioned before, the volunteers on the ground have been trained in fire preparedness. as you mentioned, there have been fires at this camp before, but given the devastation inflicted by this one, what is happening to the refugees who were living there? what is being done to look after them?

there are about a500 people who have been displaced by this fire. they will be absorbed in the community either in shelters or with relatives or neighbours in the community. humanitarian actors, as well as the government of bangladesh, is on the site to provide emergency care, including hot food, blankets, information, making sure people are connected with each other, making sure people have the know—how to access services, and we will continue to do that for as long as is necessary. continue to do that for as long as is necessary-— continue to do that for as long as is necessa . ., ,, i. . ., is necessary. thank you so much for brinuain is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us — is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us up _ is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us up to — is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us up to date _ is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us up to date on _ is necessary. thank you so much for bringing us up to date on that. - bringing us up to date on that. just to reiterate, the fires we have been reporting on are not connected to the fire that raced through the refugee camp. britain's prime minister has denied he had doubts over the rwanda

scheme when he was chancellor. rishi sunak told the bbc�*s laura kuenssberg that his job as chancellor was to "ask probing questions of every proposal" that crossed his desk." here's our political correspondent, georgia roberts. rishi sunak and the opposition leader keir starmer both on the airwaves this morning as parliament prepares to return tomorrow, and plenty laura kuenssberg had to ask rishi sunak about. he was asked about reports this morning that the post office could be stripped of its role in appeals when it comes to the horizon it scandal. he confirmed that the government was looking at legal options to review the post office's role in that. but also he was asked about immigration and particularly reports yesterday that the bbc had seen number 10 documents from march 2022, when rishi sunak was chancellor, that seemed to suggest he had doubts about his flagship rwanda policy to send those coming across the channel on illegal boats to rwanda... and he is someone... he said this is something he did not have doubts about and he said that as chancellor it was his job to rigorously look at all the options.

let's take a listen. i absolutely believe in the value and importance of having deterrents and albania and rwanda are linked because they are both returns agreement that allow you to crate deterrents. in terms of this scheme, i was chancellor at the time, myjob is to make sure we get value for money for taxpayers, to ask questions whenever anybody wants to spend taxpayers' money. i would expect the same thing of the chancellor now, so of course i would rigorously scrutinise any proposal that crossed my desk, but ultimately i agreed with the prime minister and we funded the proposal. one issue that his backbenchers in the conservative party, particularly on the right of the party, is whether or not individuals may be able to launch appeals and keep the rwanda scheme bogged down in the courts to stop them being deported to rwanda, and laura kuenssberg asked him about the issue of section 39, whether or not he would let foreign courts, namely the european court of human rights, block any flights to rwanda,

that his backbenchers are so concerned about may take place and keep this rolling on through the courts. let's listen to what he said. there is lots in there but i am determined to stop the boats and i believe... let me explain why i believe it is important. i think it is a simple matter of fairness. it is not abstract or practical, it is about fairness. i don't think it's right for people tojump the queue. it puts untold pressure on our public services. you have said that before, - you have said it many times, i would like you to address this specific... which i am happy to do. i have been very clear about this. i won't let a foreign court stop our ability to remove people once we have been through our process of parliament and our court system, i have been crystal clear about that. keir starmer was being interviewed on sky news and he was asked about labour's plans, given we are approaching a general election and labour are retaining a roughly 20—point lead

in the polls. keir starmer was asked about his plans for tax cuts, given the prime minister floated more of them in a newspaper. keir starmer would not be drawn on what taxes he might want to see cut, besides saying he would like to reduce the burden on working people. but he was also agitating for the prime minister to set a date for the general election. the prime minister said this week that it was his working assumption that there would be a general election on the back end of this year, in novembertime, but keir starmer said he was putting vanity before country. let's listen. what you are seeing at the moment from the prime minister is he is floating tax cuts but he is doing that in his own self interest. he has run out of ideas, they are desperately thrashing around and trying to find dividing lines to go into the election. it is not part of a strategy for growing the economy, it is simply picking tax cuts that the prime minister thinks might

create a dividing line going into the election. that is the wrong way to govern, whichever party you're in, it doesn't matter whether you are conservative or labour, to simply go down the road of desperately picking anything that creates a divide rather than having a strategy for the country. so keir starmer and rishi sunak going head—to—head on the airwaves today. they will of course be battling it out for the majority of this year if what the prime minister said this week is to be believed and the election is sometime in november, so plenty more when parliament returns tomorrow about the both parties�* plans and what they are setting out ahead of that big election taking place this year. alaska airlines says it's again halting flights by eighteen of its fleet of boeing 737 max 9 planes that had returned to the air following safety inspections. one of the carrier's planes had to make an emergency landing on friday after losing part

of its fuselage midflight. a second american airline, united, says none of its max 9s will now resume flights. let's get the background from our reporter, leigh milner. this video footage was taken by a passenger on board flight 1282 shortly after take—off. look closely and you can see a hole in the side of the plane, a panel has been blown out. just 20 minutes after take—off, flight 1282 made an emergency landing back at portland international airport in oregon. luckily, no—one was injured. we are very, very fortunate here that this — we are very, very fortunate here that this did _ we are very, very fortunate here that this did not _ we are very, very fortunate here that this did not end _ we are very, very fortunate here that this did not end up - we are very, very fortunate here that this did not end up in - that this did not end up in something _ that this did not end up in something more - that this did not end up in something more tragic. . that this did not end up inl something more tragic. no that this did not end up in - something more tragic. no one was

seated _ something more tragic. no one was seated in _ something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 — something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 a — something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 a and _ something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 a and 26 _ something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 a and 26 b, _ something more tragic. no one was seated in 26 a and 26 b, where - something more tragic. no one wasj seated in 26 a and 26 b, where that door plug _ seated in 26 a and 26 b, where that door plug is — these pictures show the full extent of the damage in what was a terrifying experience for those on board. there was a kid in that row. his shirt was him and out of the plane. his mother was holding onto him. last night, the uk civil aviation authorities written to all foreign owners of boeing 737 max nine airport demanding that inspections are carried out before they can operate in uk airspace. the us federal aviation administration has ordered the temporary grounding of 171 boeing 737 max 9s as investigators try to work out exactly what happened. this is the latest incident involving boeing's best selling model that was launched back in 2015. in october 2018, a 737 max operated by indonesian airline lion air crashed shortly aftertake—off, killing

all 189 on board. in march 2018, an ethiopian airline 737 max was involved in a similar crash, killing all 157 passengers. that led to all boeing 737 maxs being grounded for the next 20 months. after this latest incident, alaska airlines grounded its max fleet. boeing said they would cooperate with any investigation. 192 flood warnings remain in place across england and wales as the effects of storm henk continue to be felt. hundreds of residents were evacuated after heavy rainfall caused significant flooding and disruption in parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south. our reporter poppyjeffery has the details. desperate families have been left paddling in boats through flood waters to save what they can

of their possessions. here, the river trent has reached a record peak. it's funny to say and it's ironic, but when you see actually see it on telly happening and then it really happens to you. when you're not thinking how them people are feeling now, we are feeling same as what they would have been when they've been flooded. so yeah, it's terrible. absolutely terrible. it's about nine inch deep in water inside. so it's all... ..broken. flood warnings and alerts are still in place across england and wales, with the devastating impact of the water still very visible. from transport links like dunne and bridge between nottinghamshire and lincolnshire, where no car can pass... ..to sandbags protecting homes in gloucestershire. attention is now turning to how to help those affected, as the government announces a package of financial support.

households in eligible areas can apply for up to £500 to help with immediate costs. some houses and businesses will have 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months. and there's also money for farmers to help them recover, as well as cash to futureproof and make homes more resilient. although floodwaters may slowly be receding in areas like east yorkshire, that doesn't mean the danger is over just yet. it's going to take a while, even though we've got some dry weather in the forecast, thank goodness. we're really pleased about that. it's going to take a while for the peaks in the rivers to move down through to the sea and take the pressure off communities like those we've seen in recent days. although drier weather may be on the horizon, it's now predicted to get much colder. with a yellow, cold health alert in force until friday,

temperatures are expected to drop below freezing. and for communities already trying to recover from the flooding devastation, the threat of ice is definitely not going to be welcome news. and the short while ago the prime minister rishi sunak was out visiting those affected by floods in oxford. let's have a listen. we have over 1000 environment agency personnel on the ground in local communities helping, over 200 perms have been deployed, all of that is making a difference to protect homes, but yesterday we activated the flood recovery framework. it means that those homes, businesses and farms that have been affected will be eligible for financial support, and the immediate relief they need, but also to build resilience for the future. when it comes to flood defences in particular, we have invested £5.2 billion over the period in question.

that has contributed to protecting over 300,000 homes. of course there have been many people affected by what has happened over the past week, but also a9,000 homes have been protected from flooding as a result of that investment and things like the pumps that i have been seeing today at the flood barriers, just in the community i have been walking around, hundreds of homes have been protected because of those investments, but of course it is going to be devastated for those impacted which is why there is a financial support available, but overall the investment is at a very high level, £5.2 billion. hollywood stars are gearing up for the golden globe awards, after a huge year for cinema which saw barbie and oppenheimer dominate the box office. the globes mark the first major ceremony of film awards season, which culminates with the oscars on march 10th. barbie has nine nominations and oppenheimer has eight. the event starts at 01:00 gmt on monday and usually lasts

between three and four hours. this year's ceremony will be hosted by us comedian and actor, jo koy. you know, this is hollywood. this is a tough business. if you dream to be, in this business, you know it's hard. but you got to wait it out. it's all about waiting out and just capturing that moment when it finally happens. and i get to say it finally happened, bro, it's going to be a fun night. i can't wait. we will have coverage on bbc news. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. we've had a rather cold and frosty start to sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five degrees in parts of northern england and southern scotland.

but for many of us, it's been a fine start with some clear skies, a bit of sunshine out there, but also one or two fog patches which may be slow to clear in parts of northern ireland and central scotland. but for the rest of today, for most of us, it's a case of sunny spells. now, the reason for the change in the weather from the recent stormy conditions is this big area of high pressure which becomes established across the uk today and indeed over the next few days. so it keeps things mostly dry. and i say "mostly" because there are one or two showers coming in across the north—east of england falling as snow or some wintriness over the higher ground, a few showers also in the south—east of england this afternoon. but elsewhere, dry with some sunny spells, maximum temperatures getting up to about two to six degrees celsius. but there could be some stubborn fog across some parts of scotland and northern ireland, which will reform again as we go through tonight. it's the northern half of the uk most at risk, but there could be one or two fog patches even further south. a few showers still coming in across eastern areas.

but the main thing about tonight really is how cold it's going to be. once again, temperatures widely below freezing, minus five celsius for northern parts of england and across scotland. we're beneath this area of high pressure where the cold air is sitting beneath that. and these white lines here across southern areas of england, indicative of some fairly brisk winds, which will bring in some wintry showers on monday morning. so if you're travelling, be aware of the fact that we could see some sleet and even some snow, even a hug over higher ground could be settling snow for a time on monday in the south east of england. there'll be a few showers coming in across the north—east of england. but on the whole, once again, it's going to be a dry day for most of us on monday. any mist and fog should tend to clear away. one or two may linger on into the afternoon. on the face of it, temperatures will be about three to five degrees celsius. but facts are in that rather chilly east or north—easterly wind. it will feel more like freezing across many parts. and for the rest of the week, little change really. it's going to stay dry for most of us. there will be some sunny spells,

but watch out for overnight frost and some fog, especially during the mornings. and that's the outlook really you can see dry for most of us and temperatures at orjust below the average for the time of year. bye— bye. this is bbc news. the headlines...

the us secretary of state antony blinken holds more talks with middle eastern leaders. jordan's king abdullah warns mr blinken of the "catastrophic repercussions" of israel's campaign in gaza, and tells him that washington has a major role in putting pressure on israel to agree to a ceasefire. polls close in bangladesh's elections, which are expected to be a landslide for the current prime minister. most opposition parties boycotted the election, which was preceded by a wave of violence with 1a polling stations being set on fire and police today firing shotguns to break up opposition protests. the head of the us national transport safety board says no passengers were seated next to where part of a plane fell off mid—flight this weekend. meanwhile, the american airline regulator has ordered the grounding of 170 boeing 737 max 9 jets after the incident//, while inspections take place.

rishi sunak has denied he had doubts over the rwanda scheme when he was chancellor. the prime minister told laura kuenssberg that his job as chancellor was to "ask probing questions of every proposal" that crossed his desk. he made the comments in a wide—ranging interview in which he also talked about the government looking at legal options in the case of the post office horizon it scandal and tackling illegal migration. when you were trans you expressed doubt myjob doubt my job and doubt myjob and i was prime minister is to get it up i believe it is really important because it is about deterrence. the it is really important because it is about deterrence.— it is really important because it is about deterrence. the national crime a . en

about deterrence. the national crime auen said about deterrence. the national crime agency said you _ about deterrence. the national crime agency said you need _ about deterrence. the national crime agency said you need to _ about deterrence. the national crime agency said you need to have - about deterrence. the national crime agency said you need to have a - agency said you need to have a deterrent to solve this problem which is why i got a new deal with albania shortly after becoming pm which means we can return thousands of people to albania and we see the number rising which shows the deterrence works and that is what this game is about providing that deterrent. the interesting thing that the documents i have seen, numberten thing that the documents i have seen, number ten documents from 2022 describe your view as believing that the deterrent would not work. do you den that? the deterrent would not work. do you deny that? i— the deterrent would not work. do you deny that? i haven't _ the deterrent would not work. do you deny that? i haven't seen _ the deterrent would not work. do you deny that? i haven't seen these - deny that? i haven't seen these documents are a comment on them but... d0 documents are a comment on them but... ,, documents are a comment on them but... , documents are a comment on them but... , ., documents are a comment on them but... do you deny you had doubt? the roof but... do you deny you had doubt? the proof is _ but... do you deny you had doubt? the proof is in _ but. .. do you deny you had doubt? the proof is in my— but... do you deny you had doubt? the proof is in my actions. - but... do you deny you had doubt? the proof is in my actions. when . but... do you deny you had doubt? the proof is in my actions. when i | the proof is in my actions. when i became prime minister i prioritise getting a scheme up and running with albania, which is now working. we returned over 5000 people to albania as a result of that new deal. we have seen the numbers coming from

albania drop by over 19%. that shows you the deterrent works and that is why i prioritise getting that up and running by the way the national crime agency also believed the deterrence work. it is crime agency also believed the deterrence work. it is important to be c stal deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear _ deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with _ deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with our _ deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with our audience l be crystal clear with our audience here. we are asking you about this controversial scheme to send migrants arriving on uk shores to rwanda. we are not asking about what happen to their return still with albania. do you deny completely that you ever had any doubts about the efficacy or the value for money of sending migrants to rwanda do you deny completely that you ever had any doubts about the efficacy doubts about the efficacy or the value for money of sending migrants to rwanda? let's separate these things. i absolutely believe in the value and importance of having deterrence, and albania and rwanda are linked because they are both returns agreements that allow you to create a deterrent. in terms of the scheme, i was chancellor at the time and myjob is to make sure we get

value for money for taxpayers and ask questions whenever anybody wants to spend taxpayers money and i would expect the same thing from the chancellor now. of course i would rigorously scrutinise any proposal crossing my desk. ultimately i agreed with the prime and stanley funded the proposal and the proof is in my actions. you admit you had hesitation about whether or not the scheme was value for money. you tell people when you moved into number ten you want at the highest standards of accountability and integrity so we are asking about being accountable for how you came to that decision. did you have hesitations about whether it would be value for money? i think you are expanding this beyond what it is. as chancellor myjob is to scrutinise and ask tough questions of every single proposal that crosses my desk. that's myjob, when i was chancellor. it is the chancellor's job now because ultimately it is all taxpayers money. just because someone asks tough questions doesn't mean they don't believe in the proposal. but what they should be doing is make sure it goes through a process of rigorous scrutiny and i went through that process and ended up being satisfied it would deliver, which is why i agreed with the prime minister to fund the proposal.

and when i became prime minister we have put new legislation before parliament and we have the albania scheme up and running, a similar version of deterrence. i'm not saying it's a good or bad thing for you as chancellor to ask those questions. i'm also not suggesting it was good or bad for you to have doubts and change your mind, but this is one of your core priorities now so i want to be crystal clear with the audience, are you admitting you had hesitations... no, that's the distinction you are trying to draw which i don't think is fair. what did you have then? myjob is to ask probing questions of every proposal that crosses my desk as chancellor. whether you have doubts about it or not, you should not come to it with a preconceived notion everything is fine when you are spending taxpayers money. of course you shouldn't. you should always ask probing questions and approach from the position of scepticism to ensure value for money for taxpayers. that's the job of the chancellor and treasury when things cross their desk.

but to infer from that that i don't believe in the scheme or the principle of deterrence is wrong. i was doing myjob to get good value for money for taxpayers, i went through the process, funded the scheme as prime minister. as prime minster myself i have made sure we have a similar deterrence working with albania and i have made the point that it is because albania is working that we should have confidence the rwanda scheme would work too. it is curious that the view of number ten, as the documents i have seen clearly say, that you had doubts about the deterrence. i want to get this absolutely on the record and i am not asking you to comment on documents that are leaked. i want to say completely clearly whether you had any doubts about whether or not sending migrants to africa from uk shores would put people off making the journey across the channel. this hasn't been tried before in our country. it is fair to say it is novel. i have been clear that it is a novel scheme. but we should have more confidence today it should work because we have the returns

agreement with albania that is working incredibly well. it's a completely separate thing about sending people back to the country they have come from. i believe the principle is the same. the principle is this, if you come here illegally you should not be able to stay here and you will be returned either to your home country or indeed to a safe alternative like rwanda. the principle is you shouldn't be able to stay here because we have somewhere else to send you an that's the deterrence that is so important, the national crime agency agrees and that's why i am keen to get the scheme up and running. people, they will disagree, and the labour party disagrees with the principle of having a deterrence and a working returns agreement. my view is you can't solve the problem without having a proper deterrent and rwanda is how we will do that. keir starmer will be here next week and we will put those questions to him. today we are here to talk about what you think. these are critically important, notjust because it is important

to the public, notjust because you have made it a centrepiece of your premiership, but also some of your colleagues are not really convinced that you really mean what you say when it comes to immigration. the man who was immigration minister until not long ago, robertjenrick, a friend and former ally of yours, he said this morning that your position is sophistry, in other words you are misleading people, you don't really mean it. you say you will do whatever it takes to get the policy off the ground and you want to pass new laws to do that. but this is a technical question but a very important one, if the european courts put down what is called the rule 39, an emergency measure to stop a plane taking off from the uk to go to rwanda, would you ever be willing to ignore a rule 39 order dressed to rwanda, would you ever be willing

to ignore a rule 39 order? there is a lot in there, but what i would say first and foremost, i am determined to stop the boats. and i believe it's important because it's a simple matter of fairness. this is not something abstract or practical, this is about fairness. i don't believe it is right for people to jump the queue and come to the country illegally and putting untold pressure on public services. you have said it before many times but i would like you to address the specific, would you ever ignore a rule 39? i have been very clear about this, i will not let a foreign court stop our ability to remove people once we have been through our process of parliament and our court system. i have been crystal clear about that. does that mean ignoring a rule 39? forgive me, you have said you will do whatever it takes, you will not let a foreign court to stop it happening, and the practical way in which that could happen would be a rule 39, would you ever ignore a rule 39? lots of steps between now and then, i am entirely confident what we are doing is entirely

complied with international obligations. i have been crystal clear, i will not let a foreign court block our ability to remove people safely to rwanda. you will not answer the question. i have been very clear. when it comes to the specifics of how we do this, first, we have to get the bill through parliament and i am sure when keir starmer is here next week i am sure he will ask him, when keir starmer is here next week i am sure you will ask him, why are you not supportive of a workable deterrent like rwanda? we will make sure we can safely remove people. that is how i believe we will solve the problem. you asked before which i think is incredibly important, i really is incredibly important, am i really committed to resolving the problem? here are the facts, before i became prime minister, the number of illegal arrivals into the country across the channel had quadrupled... the fact is... they have gone down because of the actions of this government, not by a little, down by over a third. whilst across the rest of europe it has risen. the track record...

we have a lot to talk about this morning and i really want to move on. i also want to say, you say you are beeing crystal clear, it's crystal clear also this morning you are not answering the question about whether you would ignore a rule 39. i want to point it out. you have answered... you have an answer that. we must move on. you can read the legislation we are passing very specifically which addresses the issue of making it crystal clear it is a matter of ministers deciding on the circumstances of the rule 39. you cannot give a blanket answer but the legislation is crystal clear it is ministers will have the power to decide about rule 39 and i have been clear i will not let a foreign court block our ability to remove people safely to rwanda once the bill is through parliament.

another promise to the public, we talked about this year ago, you promised to get waiting lists down, there has been some progress on those waiting the longest, but overall, waiting lists are still going. is it actually still a promise you are you are committed to? yes, of course. when i made the pledge, thank you for acknowledging we have made progress on the longest waiters. we have said it would be in spring of this year we would see the waiting lists fall properly. in spite of the record resources we have put into the nhs, more doctors and nurses, community diagnostic centres, we are treating more people than ever before but waiting lists have not come down. 7.71 million people waiting... it's far too long. it is on your watch. yes, that has happened on my watch, i accept that, we have put in record resources, more doctors and nurses, community diagnostic centres, doing the right things, treating more people, we've obviously been hindered by industrial action.

if you see what happened towards the end of last year, we had a period without any strikes in the nhs and we saw the waiting lists fall, tens of thousands, by 65,000 in october, waiting lists started to fall when you had a period without industrial action. once we can resolve outstanding industrial action, we will be able to see waiting lists fall because of the extra investment into the nhs. if strikes have been the problem and the evidence on how much they contribute to waiting lists is mixed, but clearly part of the problem, are you willing to improve your offer tojunior doctors? there is nearly 9% already offered to them and another 3% on the table, but to get them back to work, to stop this having an impact for patients, would you put more on the table? we already have and i think again if you look at the government's track record when it comes to resolving industrial action... i am asking if you would put more? it is important to have the context.

the government has reached a resolution with every other part of the nhs, nurses, midwives, paramedics, consultant doctors, specialty doctors most recently, so every other part of the nhs workforce, and i am grateful to them has reached a resolution with the government on a reasonable, fair pay settlement. the only people that haven't are the junior doctors. the numbers you gave demonstrate that the pay offer the junior doctors already have is more generous than any other part of the nhs. those are the facts. given that we have managed to find resolution everywhere else, and thejunior doctors have now the most generous payoff out of anybody in the nhs, i would strongly urge them to come back, talk to the government, so we can resolve the industrial action and start getting waiting lists down as the evidence shows we can do when there are not strikes. what do you think the chances

are of resolving it? ultimately, it's a question for the junior doctors, why when they have the most generous pay settlement in the nhs, when every other part of the nhs workforce, nurses, midwives, paramedics, consultant doctors, they have reached an agreement with the government, why haven't they? what is clear is we can get the waiting lists down when we do not have strikes, that is what the numbers show and that is what everybody wants to see. i would urge the doctors to come back around the table to get everyone back in and we can start getting waiting lists falling which is what everyone wants. many people watching this morning might wish your ministers had tried to resolve the strikes a long time ago because for many months some of your colleagues said, no more money. and there was more money in the end. the strikes in many people's view have contributed to a sense many people feel things are not working very well. one of the viewers wanted us to put this to you, he said,

from nhs delivery to potholes and everything in between, is he wrong? i was here almost exactly a year ago, talking about the outlook for the country over last year, if you think about what was being said then, people were projecting we would have a year—long deep recession this year. in fact, we have avoided that, outperformed countries like germany. inflation having an impact on gary and everyone else, running at close to 11%, now more than halved, less than a%. the notion we would be able to cut taxes for people like gary was fanciful but in fact the chancellor has announced £20 billion of tax cuts. let us be clear on that point... for someone earning £35,000, a tax cut of £a50. we have made progress,

the plan is working, we're starting to deliver the long term change the country needs that i want to deliver for gary and the job is to stick to the plan so we can give him and everyone else peace of mind that future is going to be better for their children and we can have a renewed sense of pride in the country. on the point of taxation, we must be clear with people, for those who have the least and the most, they are not seeing a reduction in tax bills at the moment, the tax burden overall is at a record high. you have done your cut to national insurance but not as simple as you have just suggested. if i can answer that, you have said very important thing. for those on the lowest incomes, we raised the national insurance threshold, personal allowance, so you can now get £1000 a month without paying any tax or national insurance, we did that, disproportionately obviously benefits the lowest paid. national living wage went up by record amounts last year and this year. tax cuts, an average person working

earning £35,000 from this weekend is seeing a tax cut of £a50. overall... it will make a difference to people like gary and everyone else. overall... the tax burden is higher than it has ever been and many people will see an improvement from this set of changes but many people will not. you told the sunday telegraph... 27 million people in work will see a tax cut. you told the sunday telegraph your priority is cutting taxes, not more government spending. you said the way to do that is to have a smaller public sector. which bits do you want to shrink? it is about the rate of growth between the economy and public services. my priority going forward which the chancellor reiterated at the weekend, ourjoint priority for the country, is to make sure we control spending, control welfare, cut people's taxes.

we have said no to lots of things people wanted us to do, talking about public sector pay, an example of why it is the wrong thing to do to say we should say yes to whatever. .. we just had that conversation. either way, keir opposed any one of those difficult decisions and i am sure you will ask him which ones he agrees... it requires discipline and making those difficult decisions and that is what i have done. you have said the only way to cut taxes is to have a smaller public sector and you said you pointed to the welfare budget, so who will expect to have less generous welfare payments? i did notjust point to the welfare budget, it is across the board, it is about discipline on public on public sector pay, one example, which we have done last year, finding ways to make fair pay settlements.

i made a decision before the chancellor to reduce the aid budget. that isn't in keir starmer labour party oppose. —— that is something keir starmer and the labour party oppose. we have seen a very significant rise in the number of people deemed unfit to work in the last couple of years and that is something concerning to me. i believe very strongly in the importance of hard work and rewarding hard work which is why we are cutting taxes on work this weekend very significantly. in the last decade, the system has not been reformed at all and you have seen the number of people signed off has tripled. do i think the country is three times sicker than a decade ago? no. the system is not working as it was designed to work. we are bringing forward reforms to look at the eligibility of who is signed off sick, that will not affect those on existing benefits, it will come in over time and that is something that is the right thing, it is about fairness. making sure everybody who can work does work and for everyone

who is working hard, we reward the hard work with tax cuts. it is a conservative approach, right for our country and again i am sure you will ask keir starmer next week whether he agrees. trying to helpfully suggest lots of questions for keir starmer, he will be here next week. this week, you are here to answer about your approach. we will talk more about your approach and the election in a few minutes. i want to touch on a few things that have really raised people's eyebrows in the last few months. the scandal at the post office has shone a light on how many lives were ruined, itv drama has highlighted what happened there, we will be talking to a sub—postmaster later, a sub—postmaster later, but susan wright, has this question. you can watch it. what are you going to do to ensure we get fair and final compensation, not in dribs and drabs? and not at a snail's pace. please stop making us feel —

still feel — like victims. i want to remind our viewers the post office is wholly owned by the government, so that perhaps point has not been made that much. 11 out of a75 of the full and final compensation deals have been completed. can you set a deadline, tell people like susan, when it will be sorted out? everyone has been shocked by watching what they have done over the past few days and beyond and it is an appalling miscarriage of justice. something that happened a very long time ago in the 90s but hearing about it again shows what an appalling miscarriage ofjustice it is for everyone affected and it is important that people get the justice they deserve. should they all be exonerated? the government has paid out about almost £150 million to thousands of people already, of course we want to get the money to the people as quickly as possible. that is why there are interim

payments of up to i think £600,000 that can be made, three different schemes available, and for anyone affected, they should come forward, talk to the relevant body's... talk to the relevant bodies... will you take extra measures? there is a report thejustice secretary is considering looking at exonerating everyone, a recommendation that has been made, or taking the post office's ability to investigate and prosecute a way, would you like to see that happen? the justice secretary is looking at those things, it would not be right to pre—empt the process, there is legal complexity and all of those things, but he is looking at exactly those areas you have described. it is right we find every which way we can do to try to make this right for the people so wrongfully treated at the time, compensation is part of that, but as you say, there are legal things that might be possible.

they are potentially on the table. i would not want to speculate. those are the types of things been looked at. what is also riling people is the mess around ppe procurement in covid. i'm sure before christmas you saw michelle mone former conservative peer admitting she lied about her involvement in a ppe deal but she also believes very strongly she and her husband have been made been made scapegoats, there's a criminal investigation, i would not expect you to comment on that, but many ppe contracts seem to have gone wrong, £9 billion of waste. how are you trying to get money back from other companies involved in the waste of billions of pounds in the pandemic? will anyone else be held accountable? anybody who took advantage of an incredibly difficult time for our country, to either defraud the public or do things that were illegal should be pursued with the full force of the law. we were all going through an awful time as a country and the job was to get ppe to those on the front line who needed it.

everyone will remember how stressful that was. if people who were trying to take advantage of that system and defraud the taxpayer, that is completely and utterly wrong, appalling, and we should pursue them with the full force of the law. do you believe that other people did? there are processes the government has to do those investigations and that diligence. where we believe that has happened to the government will take action. in this particular instance the government has taken legal action against the company in question which is why i can't comment and more generally you wouldn't expect me to comment on individual cases. i take the matter incredibly seriously, it is wrong if that happened and where there is evidence of it to the government will pursue people with the full force of the law because that's the right thing to do. people shouldn't be able to get away with things like that. let's talk politics, you said this week the general election would be in the second half of the year. it seems like some of your mps are trying to make it happen in a slow and painful way

to make their own decisions and to pack up and go home. tory mp chris skidmore said he was off this week and he wasn't very obliging about what you have been doing in government. there have been five by—elections since you became prime minister and 53 tory mps have said they will stand down. how can viewers have confidence in your project when so many of your own team, who are meant to be on your own team, are walking away? it has been a tough time for our country over the past year or two with the legacy of covid and the impact it had on backlogs, the war in ukraine, the impact on inflation and energy bills but i genuinely believe we have turned the corner and the country is pointing in the right direction. the plans we have put in place are starting to deliver the long term change our country needs to see. myjob is to talk to everybody, show

them we need to stick with the plan because it is starting to work to deliver change that the country needs, the long term change the country needs. we have talked about it already this interview, the progress we have been making. of course i know there is more to do but progress is being made and the country is pointing in the right direction and if we stick to the plan we can continue to deliver the long term change the country needs and that's ultimately how we will provide everybody with the piece of mind that the future will be better we have had a cold and frosty started sunday morning. temperatures down to minus— started sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five _ started sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five degrees _ started sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five degrees in - started sunday morning. temperatures down to minus five degrees in parts - down to minus five degrees in parts of northern england and southern scotland but for many it has been a fine start with clear skies, some sunshine but also some fog patches which may be slow to clear in parts of northern ireland and south of scotland but for the rest of today, for most of us it is a case up sunny spells. the reason for the changing weather from the recent stormy

conditions is a big area of high pressure which becomes established across the uk and the next few days, keeping things mostly dry. there are some showers coming in across the north—east of england falling as snow, winteriness over higher ground, some showers in the south—east of england but elsewhere drive with sunny spells. maximum temperatures getting from two to 6 degrees. stubborn fog across parts of scotland and ireland which will reform again tonight. the northern half of the uk is most at risk, but fog patches further south. showers, it will be cold tonight, temperatures below freezing. minus five celsius four northern part of england and across scotland. beneath this high pressure of high pressure where the cold air is sitting beneath that and these white lines indicative of fairly brisk winds which will bring in some wintry

showers on monday morning. if you are travelling, be aware you could take sleet and snow over high ground, settled snow on monday in the south—east of england. there will be some showers coming in across the north—east of england but on the whole it will be dry for most on the whole it will be dry for most on monday, any mist and fog should clear away, some may linger on in the afternoon. temperatures will be three to five celsius but factor in their chilly north—easterly wind, and it will feel more like freezing across many parts. for the rest of the way, little change. it will stay dry for most of us, some sunny spells but watch out for frost and fog overnight. especially during the mornings. that is a outlook. dry for most of us in temperatures at or just below the average for the time of year.

live from london, this is bbc news

the us secretary of state meets middle eastern leaders. jordan's king abdullah warns him of the "catastrophic repercussions" of israel's campaign in gaza. rishi sunak insists he has faith in his government's rwanda plan, despite leaked papers suggesting he had doubts. this hasn't been tried before in our country. i mean, it's fair to say it is novel. i've been very clear that this is a novel scheme. of course it's novel. but actually we should have more confidence today that it will work precisely because we've got a returns agreement with albania that is working incredibly well. polls close in bangladesh's election. early indications suggest a low turnout of voters, and the current prime minister is expected to win a fourth consecutive term. and hollywood rolls out the red carpet for one of its biggest nights — the golden globe awards. hello, i'm luxmy gopal. jordan's king abdullah has warned the us secretary

of state antony blinken of �*catastrophic repercussions'