and a new drug for children with leukaemia — that's freeing up their time to enjoy the things they love. and coming up on bbc news: can novak djokovic see off a scare in melbourne? the defending champion has been in a real battle against the home favourite at the australian open. hello and welcome to the bbc news at one. and we will have more on that news story from skegness in the coming minutes. but we will start with our other major story here this lunchtime. the prime minister is facing another test of his authority today — over plans to send migrants to rwanda. rishi sunak is trying to revive government proposals to send some

asylum seekers to the east african country, arguing it will deter people from crossing the channel in small boats. but he suffered the biggest rebellion of his premiership in parliament last night, and two deputy chairs of the conservative party resigned, saying the bill wasn't tough enough. debate is just getting debate isjust getting under way in the house of commons right now about the house of commons right now about the final stages of the legislation. we will get much more on that from our chief political correspondent henry zeffman in a moment. but first, here's damian grammaticas. yesterday saw the biggest rebellion of his prime ministership. today, more tory divisions could be on show. all in a policy rishi sunak has put at the heart of his agenda. a tempting target for an opposition leader. it

a tempting target for an opposition leader. , . . . , , leader. it is a farce. only this government _ leader. it is a farce. only this government could _ leader. it is a farce. only this government could waste - leader. it is a farce. only this - government could waste hundreds of millions of pounds on a removals policy that doesn't remove anyone. only this government could claim that it only this government could claim thatitis only this government could claim that it is going to get flights off the ground, only to discover that they could not find a plane. we have worked through _ they could not find a plane. we have worked through a _ they could not find a plane. we have worked through a record _ they could not find a plane. we have worked through a record number - they could not find a plane. we have worked through a record number ofl worked through a record number of cases_ worked through a record number of cases and _ worked through a record number of cases and returned a record number of people _ cases and returned a record number of people back to where they have come _ of people back to where they have come all — of people back to where they have come. all of that is a plan that is working — come. all of that is a plan that is working and we can see that it is working — working and we can see that it is working because the numbers of people _ working because the numbers of people coming to this country are down _ people coming to this country are down by— people coming to this country are down by over a third, mr speaker. the labour— down by over a third, mr speaker. the labour leader seized on reports that mr sunak when he was chancellor didn't think the rwanda scheme would work as a deterrent. he didn't think the rwanda scheme would work as a deterrent.— work as a deterrent. he didn't want to fund it, he _ work as a deterrent. he didn't want to fund it, he didn't _ work as a deterrent. he didn't want to fund it, he didn't think _ work as a deterrent. he didn't want to fund it, he didn't think it - work as a deterrent. he didn't want to fund it, he didn't think it would l to fund it, he didn't think it would work. when he sees his party tearing itself apart, hundreds of bold men scrapping over a single broken cone, doesn't he wish he had the courage to stick to his guns? i doesn't he wish he had the courage to stick to his guns?— to stick to his guns? i have absolute —

to stick to his guns? i have absolute conviction - to stick to his guns? i have absolute conviction that. to stick to his guns? i have | absolute conviction that the to stick to his guns? i have - absolute conviction that the plan we had put _ absolute conviction that the plan we had put in _ absolute conviction that the plan we had put in place for work is sufficient _ had put in place for work is sufficient because i think it's important we correct this problem. the attempt to deport asylum seekers to rwanda and leave the east african country to deal with its cases was halted by the court before it got off the ground. the bbc caught up with the country's president in davos, he says it is up to mini —— mrsunakto davos, he says it is up to mini —— mr sunak to revive the plan. the su - reme mr sunak to revive the plan. the supreme court _ mr sunak to revive the plan. tie: supreme court says your mr sunak to revive the plan. ti2 supreme court says your country is not safe. �* r' , v not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's roblem. not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's problem- the _ not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's problem. the ayes _ not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's problem. the ayes to _ not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's problem. the ayes to the - not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's problem. the ayes to the right, . not safe. ask the uk, it is the uk's| problem. the ayes to the right, 68, the noes to — problem. the ayes to the right, 68, the noes to the _ problem. the ayes to the right, 68, the noes to the left, _ problem. the ayes to the right, 68, the noes to the left, 529. _ the noes to the left, 529. yesterday, _ the noes to the left, 529. yesterday, dozens - the noes to the left, 529. yesterday, dozens of - the noes to the left, 529.| yesterday, dozens of tory the noes to the left, 529. - yesterday, dozens of tory mps the noes to the left, 529. _ yesterday, dozens of tory mps tried to amend the new legislation. brendan clarke—smith resigned saying he could not vote for something he did not think would work, as did lee anderson. jane stevenson said she think she will vote with the government today.- think she will vote with the government today. think she will vote with the government toda . ., , ., government today. other tories are also wavering- _

government today. other tories are also wavering- l _ government today. other tories are also wavering. i said _ government today. other tories are also wavering. i said if _ government today. other tories are also wavering. i said if it _ government today. other tories are also wavering. i said if it remains i also wavering. i said if it remains an amended, i will at the bare minimum— an amended, i will at the bare minimum abstain, i still leave voting — minimum abstain, i still leave voting on— minimum abstain, i still leave voting on the table, but i will do it collectively with colleagues in run-off — it collectively with colleagues in run—off believe that is the right thing _ run—off believe that is the right thing to— run—off believe that is the right thing to do. run-off believe that is the right thing to do— run-off believe that is the right thin to do. ., , , ., thing to do. that is the question, how divided _ thing to do. that is the question, how divided will _ thing to do. that is the question, how divided will the _ thing to do. that is the question, how divided will the conservative j how divided will the conservative party look after today? will mr sunak get any flights of the ground and will that really stop the boats? our chief political correspondent henry zeffman joins us from the central lobby inside parliament. just give us a sense of this moment for the prime minister, how dangerous is this moment? yesterday was certainly — dangerous is this moment? yesterday was certainly verv _ dangerous is this moment? yesterday was certainly very embarrassing - dangerous is this moment? yesterday was certainly very embarrassing for i was certainly very embarrassing for rishi sunak. effectively, one in five of his own mps saying they don't think his own rwanda policy goes far enough will be affected. the question for today is whether that might curdle into something more serious for him. there will be more serious for him. there will be more rebellions, more amendments, more rebellions, more amendments, more debates, more votes for the

next six hours, they are getting under way in the house of commons chamber behind me. but after that, the crunch. assuming none of those amendments succeed, how many of the conservative rebels would rather have no legislation at all, rather than a build that they themselves think is imperfect? i have seen nothing so far today in lots of conversations here in the palace of westminster that seems to change the quiet mood of confidence in government —— the bill. though i think they will try to minimise any potential rebellion on that third reading vote where no government has lost any vote for almost 15 years. so i think the government will be trying to assure them, although that will not include changes to the civil service code, contrary to speculation today. but the risk for the government is all these debates and attempts to stem rebellion leave lingering bad blood at the start of a general election year. for lingering bad blood at the start of a general election year.— a general election year. for now, hen , a general election year. for now, henry. thank— a general election year. for now, henry, thank you. _ a general election year. for now, henry, thank you. let's - a general election year. for now, henry, thank you. let's talk - a general election year. for now, henry, thank you. let's talk to i

a general election year. for now, | henry, thank you. let's talk to our economics editor faisal islam. we heard briefly from the president of rwanda speaking in davos where you are at the annual gathering. explain what you learnt there. it is are at the annual gathering. explain what you learnt there.— what you learnt there. it is often for: otten what you learnt there. it is often forgotten this — what you learnt there. it is often forgotten this rwanda _ what you learnt there. it is often forgotten this rwanda deal- what you learnt there. it is often forgotten this rwanda deal has l what you learnt there. it is often i forgotten this rwanda deal has two sides. the uk, that is being debated in the commons as you are hearing, but also rwanda and we rarely hear from paul kagame on this. you heard a clip in that report where he said this was the uk's problem, not rwanda's. sounding quite annoyed about some of the hassle and the questions about the safety of his country. but he went on because i challenged him about how he could justify taking hundreds of millions of pounds of british taxpayers' money with no refugees transferred. and he made this quite intriguing offer at this time. he said, if it is not going to be used to come if they don't come, we can return the money, offering a refund just as the prime minister is trying to sell this deal to the house of commons.

here, the shadow chancellor rachel reeves has jumped on that and said if labour were in government, they would take the money back and spend it on other forms of stopping migration, illegal migration flows. and it is true to say also elsewhere here, other african leaders have been questioning paul kagame and this deal and whether it is the right thing for an african leader to do to accept this kind of trade in refugees when he sees himself as a great leader of africa. so some sense that perhaps rwandans themselves are also getting a little fed up. themselves are also getting a little fed u -. . ~ themselves are also getting a little fed u. ., ~' ,, faisal islam. from davos. our other main story this lunchtime. a review is under way after a two—year—old boy was found dead next

to the body of his father at a house in skegness. children's services at lincolnshire county council say they're supporting the family and looking in to the circumstances. police say they are not treating the deaths as suspicious. our correspondentjo black joins me from skegness — what more do we know? paramedics were called to an address down this road on the 9th of january and the bodies were discovered. the bodies of the 60—year—old man and a two—year—old toddler. they have been named as kenneth battersby and two—year—old bronson battersby and it is reported they were seen last on and around boxing day. this child was known to social services, but it is the type of case where there was contact around once a month and we understand social workers tried to come to the address on the 2nd of january and the 4th of january and could not get access. there was no response so they made inquiries at other properties where the child might be. and also notified the police. but it wasn't until the 9th of january that the landlady of the property was asked to open it up so that paramedics, police and social workers could go inside. we have

spoken to that landlady and she said the discovery of the bodies was one of the worst days of her life and she talked about how she is heartbroken. and she called kenneth kenny and she said she had known him for around a decade and she said he was extremely helpful. and she said that bronson was the light of his father's died. we have heard from children'sservices who say they are carrying out a review into the circumstances —— his father's i. their thoughts are with the families and friends involved. the police say investigations have been carried out and the deaths are not being treated as suspicious. jo black with the latest air in skegness. there was a surprise small rise in the rate of inflation in december. prices for goods and services rose at 4%, up slightly on november's figure. the office for national statistics said a rise in tobacco duty was a key factor, as our economics correspondent andy verity reports.

vegetables like broccoli up io.i%. and that's only half as fast as last year. at this family—run business in warrington that offers healthy ready meals delivered to your home, they have been trying to expand their customers through some of the fastest rising food prices for decades, with packaging and other costs also soaring. i do think that we're going into 2024 having a better starting point in terms of prices. they have come down some. i feel likw they will continue to come down. but not quickly enough yet to bring relief to consumers. food prices were up 8% in the year to december compared to 9.2% in previous figures. but the cost of living generally rose by 4%. far more slowly than last year, but quicker than most expected. after the russian invasion of ukraine in 2022, it was soaring energy prices pushing up the cost of transport and, therefore, imported goods. now that's in the past, oil prices are down more than 10%

compared to a year ago and goods prices upjust i.9%. i think this is more of a blip rather than a renewed up trend in inflation. there are encouraging signs. so, for example, food inflation is coming lower, much less aggressive rises there. and households can also expect a pretty pronounced fall in their household energy bills as well in april. so that is going to help inflation come down further. while prices of services are still rising sharply, up 6.4%, wages are not growing as fast as they were meaning less need for the bank of england to keep interest rates high to try to tame inflationary pressure. after ia rises in interest rates in a row in the past couple of years, traders in the city of london now think we are at the peak and the next move will be down. they're predicting that over the coming year, the official rate will drop from 5.25% to 4%. conflict in the middle east, if it lasts, could once again force

up inflation, but while container shipping costs have doubled, they are still well below their peak of two years ago and prices of raw materials are falling. in spite of today's unexpected figures, deflationary forces are still working their way down the supply chain. andy verity, bbc news. and our chief economics correspondent dharshini david joins me now. what is the wider effect of this? it does mean the strain of some household budgets is more protracted. having said that, that has an almost head on a stick feel to it, it is things like concert tickets, theatres, gaming, also that tobacco raising duty. some of those factors are fleeting and they do bounce around from month to month. if you look at the future, analysts still expecting a pretty marked fall in inflation the coming months. the energy price cap for example in inflation the coming months_ the energy price cap for example could fall by 15% for households in april. you could see inflation falling below the 2% target at that point. it is already lower than the bank of england had expected at that point. so that is news of encouragement at

the same time that is likely we also see what we had talked about there. some companies are already cutting back rates, you may have noticed, giving hope. but this has been a really stubborn bout of inflation. prices are going to be falling sharply any time soon —— or not. and it also means interest rates are likely to stay higher on average than we have got used to in the previous years. mil than we have got used to in the previous years— than we have got used to in the previous years. all right, dharshini david, thank _ previous years. all right, dharshini david, thank you. _ only weeks after communities across the country were hit hard by torrential rains, a cross—party committee of mps has said more needs to be done to protect homes in england from flooding. a report by the public accounts committee warns that the government hasn't maintained enough existing flood defences — or built the new ones it promised. here's our environment correspondentjonah fisher. in some places, like here in stratford—upon—avon, the flood water flowed freely. elsewhere, this was bewdley in worcestershire, defences held it back.

one man went as far as building flood walls all around his home and, incredibly, stayed dry. scientists say climate change will mean warmer, wetter winters and more intense storms for the uk. and that makes the question of what's defended from floods, and who pays for it, all the more pressing. four years ago, flood defences were one of the big spending announcements of rishi sunak�*s first budget as chancellor. to protect people and over 300,000 properties, i'm doubling our investment in flood defences over the next six years to £5.2 billion. so, how's it gone? well, prime minister sunak was in oxford last week, looking at some of the city's flood defences. he was all smiles, but the verdict of the public accounts committee on england's water defences is not so rosy. instead of the 300,000 properties

chancellor sunak promised to defend, only 200,000 seem likely to be protected by 2027. and the report says a lack of funds to maintain existing defences mean thousands of homeowners now face a greater risk. we need to make sure that we properly fund and deliver the capital projects. at the moment, they are delayed and unlikely to meet their current target delivery. two, maintenance of existing schemes absolutely needs to be a priority and there needs to be flex between the capital pot of money and the maintenance pot of money, so that if there's an underspend in one, you actually can use the money wisely, rather than itjust sitting there, which is what's currently the case. a spokesperson for the department for food, environment and rural affairs said they would consider the committee's report, and that since 2010, £6 billion has been invested to protect 600,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion. nearly six million homes

in england are at risk from some sort of flooding, and adapting to our wetter, wilder climate is bringing serious choices and costs. jonah fisher, bbc news. the stormont assembly is to be recalled later, in an attempt to revive devolved government in northern ireland before the latest legislative deadline. midnight on thursday is the deadline by which the assembly and executive has to be restored. otherwise, the secretary of state, chris heaton—harris, will be obliged to call a fresh election. the fbi has launched an investigation, after the bbc revealed allegations that the former chief executive of the fashion chain abercrombie & fitch sexually exploited men at events he hosted around the world. mikejeffries and his british partner also face a civil lawsuit, which alleges they ran a sex trafficking operation. mrjeffries hasn't commented.

he ran the retailer for 22 years. it has more than 700 stores globally, including ten here in the uk. our investigations correspondent rianna croxford is here. just remind us what the bbc uncovered? in just remind us what the bbc uncovered?— just remind us what the bbc uncovered? . ., , ., �* �* uncovered? in october at the bbc revealed allegations _ uncovered? in october at the bbc revealed allegations that - uncovered? in october at the bbc revealed allegations that mike - revealed allegations that mike jeffries and his partner exploited men for sex at events that they hosted while he was ceo taking place at their new york homes and hotels around the world including here in london, paris and marrakesh between 2009 and 2015. at the time i spoke with eight men some of the alleged they were abused and evidence uncovered by the bbc such as flight tickets and e—mails shelled highly organised operation involving recruiters and a middleman. 25nd organised operation involving recruiters and a middleman. and the fbi than today _ recruiters and a middleman. and the fbi than today are _ recruiters and a middleman. and the fbi than today are taking _ recruiters and a middleman. and the fbi than today are taking this - fbi than today are taking this further? i fbi than today are taking this further? ., ., ~

fbi than today are taking this further? ., ., �* ., further? i have learned the fbi and federal prosecutors _ further? i have learned the fbi and federal prosecutors in _ further? i have learned the fbi and federal prosecutors in new - further? i have learned the fbi and federal prosecutors in new york . further? i have learned the fbi and l federal prosecutors in new york have opened an investigation and have been gathering evidence by interviewing and issuing subpoenas to potential witnesses but it is too early to speculate about what the outcome of the investigation may be in the fbi has declined to comment. but it is worth saying this is not the only investigation happening right now, mikejeffries is also facing a civil lawsuit accusing him of funding a sex trafficking operation over two decades so right now we have a civil case on the go and potentially a criminal case. a criminal case. rianna croxford. and you can watch rianna's panorama investigation — the abercrombie guys: the dark side of cool — on iplayer. there's also a podcast series on bbc sounds. the time is 13:19. our top story this afternoon: a review is launched after the death of two—year—old bronson battersby — who was found next to the body of his father in skegness.

and still to come, was the "tail" about the world's oldest pooch all a shaggy dog story? coming up on bbc news. england have a new captain for rugby unions six nations. hookerjamie george will lead the squad for the tournament which begins in a fortnight. some children with leukaemia are benefiting from a new drug which makes their treatment much less aggressive. as well as being gentler on the body than chemotherapy, the medication can be administered at home — meaning children spend far less time in hospital. our health reporter michelle roberts has the story. life's getting back to normal for 11—year—old arthur. he's been clear of cancer

for almost a year now. he was one of the first children in the uk to try out a new type of cancer drug. blinatumomab, or blina, can replace big chunks of aggressive chemotherapy. the news came that actually there was still some residual cancer, so that particular chemo phase had not worked as expected. for arthur, blina was then the only real option to tackle his blood cancer. you can see the picc line that goes into his pyjamas and actually there on the right hand side, the pump that was separately at that point, or not yet in the backpack so everything could be... all of the kit can be carried in a small bag. although he had to wear it day and night, it gave him back his freedom. really good... doctors say it's a much kinder alternative. hello, arthur. come on in. hello.

and could be a game changerfor kids with b—cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who struggle on chemo. chemotherapy are poisons that kill i the leukemic cells, but also kill. and damage normal cells. and that is what causes their side effects. - blinatumomab is a gentler, . kinder treatment that doesn't have the same side effects - as chemotherapy, but can cure just as many patients as chemotherapy. that bead represents chemo... it's been a long, toughjourney for the whole family, made somewhat easier by blina. it made it feel like a lot freer. it also freed up some of mum and dad's time and they could finally do work again. instead of having to go to hospital with me. new year was when we found out that the blina had worked and that there was no residual cancer. and so that was just amazing. and so we had double celebrations there.

blina's already used in adults, but it's not yet widely available on the nhs for children. given its promise as a kinder, gentler treatment, arthur's medical team hope it could be in the future. michelle roberts, bbc news. state media in tehran has said iran carried out drone and missile strikes in the west of pakistan to target the bases of a militant group they claim had attacked iranian security forces. pakistan officials said two children were killed and called it a violation of pakistan's sovereignty. earlier this week, the iranian military hit targets in iraq and syria. our pakistan correspondent caroline davies joins us from islamabad. explain more about what appears to be going on here?—

explain more about what appears to be going on here? skirmishes between iran and pakistan _ be going on here? skirmishes between iran and pakistan on _ be going on here? skirmishes between iran and pakistan on the _ be going on here? skirmishes between iran and pakistan on the border - be going on here? skirmishes between iran and pakistan on the border are - iran and pakistan on the border are not unheard of but rarely this high profile. iranian state media said yesterday the iranian military had had the headquarters of a sunni militant group known as jaish al—adl which is carried out multiple attacks inside iran including in december an attack on a police station. the group itself has said that the strike hit the homes of militants and killed family members of militants and they have vowed to get their revenge on iran. iran, we still have not had any official statement from them about this. the pakistan foreign ministry said that two children were killed in the strike and they called this a violation of its airspace and they have now recalled their ambassador to iran and they have told the iranian ambassador to pakistan is currently not in the country not to return. of course as you suggested

in your introduction the reason all of this is getting more attention is because the timing because iran has also syria and iraq and put together it suggests that it is trying to show a display of strength against any group it considers to be a threat. ., ., , ., ~ , ., a 22—year—old woman was jailed last yearfor eight and a half years — after falsely claiming she'd been raped by multiple men. eleanor williams, from barrow in cumbria, told police she'd been trafficked by an asian grooming gang. her lies caused an outpouring of anger and several protests in her home town — and now a bbc documentary reveals the extent of her deceit. anna collinson has the story — you may find some of the details here upsetting. i guess you kind of, you can probably guess what's going to happen. if you just listen... this is the moment eleanor williams was arrested in 2020.

a court would later find that she had repeatedly lied about being raped, which legal experts stress rarely happens. exclusive police footage shows williams' deception began three years earlier when she said she'd been raped at a party. she withdrew her involvement, but a year and a half later, she makes a fresh allegation. just weeks after this, she claims she's being trafficked and raped by a gang of asian men. it was, "we need to do something to help this girl. what is going on?" the police treated williams like a victim, but suspicions began to arise after they spent two days driving her around a town she said she'd been recently trafficked to, and was unable to provide any leads.

that's when i first started - wondering myself personally, is there any truth in this? the following week, her lies unravel further when police are called to her home. you all right? injured, and seemingly intoxicated, she makes more claims of being trafficked. an investigation takes place, and this is the innocent young man she accuses. cctv from that night shows the pair met by chance in preston, when he asks herfor a lighter. it's williams who pursues a conversation. she's then seen on camera in barrow in furness, walking home with no visible injuries. but when police arrive at her flat 20 minutes later, this is what they find. in court, a judge ruled these injuries were self—inflicted and that she was playacting.

he also found there was no evidence that she was mentally unwell. we see on this, it's an evolution. you've got an awful allegation in 2017, a much worse allegation in 2019, and then weeks later, boom, it properly snowballs into a massive, multi handed organised crime group. cumbria police say this is a totally unique case and want to reassure genuine victims that they will be supported. williams' lies about an asian grooming gang led to a spike in hate crime in barrow and damaged the mental health of the men she wrongly accused. and yet we may never know, why did she lie? anna collinson, bbc news. and you can see the full story in liar: the fake grooming scandal at 9 o'clock tonight on bbc3 and on the iplayer. birmingham city council has said up

to 600 jobs could go, as it struggles with huge debt. the council declared itself effectively bankrupt last year, after an 80 million pound overspend on an it system, and equal pay issues which cost more than 750 million pounds. the world's oldest dog... ..might not have been. bobi the portuguese mastiff was said to be 31 years old when he died last year. but guinness world records have suspended his title and launched an investigation — after doubts emerged about his lifespan. mairead smyth explains. before bobi died last october, he held the guinness world record for the oldest living dog and the oldest dog ever. a purebred rafeiro do alentejo from portugal, bobi had apparently lived for 31 years and 165 days, the equivalent of 200 human years.

but every dog has its day. with some reports questioning a change in colour of his paws from white in the late 90s to brown close to when he died. and now a pause of his title by guinness world records, a title handed to many dogs down the years that have defied the odds. well, there are a number of factors that can influence how long a dog can live. the first one is lucky genetics. sometimes it's not within our control. we don't know why some people live to 100 and others don't. bobi's age had been validated last february by the portuguese government's pet database. guinness world records say they've started a review and have decided to temporarily hold the record titles for oldest living dog, and ever, until all of their findings are in place. it looks like bobi's accolade could have gone to the dogs. mairead smyth, bbc news.

spare a thought for the passenger who got locked in an aeroplane toilet for more than an hour — because the doorjammed. the man was on a spicejet flight from mumbai to bengaluru — but realised he couldn't get out, and no—one else could get in. a member of the cabin crew apparently slipped a note under the door asking him not to panic. the man was only rescued after the flight landed. spicejet has issued an apology, saying it regretted "the inconvenience caused". and he was promised a refund! time for a look at the weather... the big freeze continues this week with another cold day in store for many. dried with widespread sunshine but a winter wonderland seen across much of the north with some heavy

snow showers across northern scotland and more of them