this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at midday. the chair of the government's social mobility commission resigns, saying he has little hope of achieving anything when the government is so focused on brexit. the government, probably for understandable reasons, is focused on brexit and seems to lack the bandwith to be able to translate the rhetoric of healing social division and promoting social justice into reality. president trump faces accusations that he obstructed justice, a new scheme to make it easier for children in england to access mental health services is outlined by the government. president trump faces accusations that he obstructed justice, after suggesting he'd known that his former national security adviser had lied to the fbi. and, in half an hour here on bbc news, click takes a look at the latest in disability tech — including object recognition and "sign to text" translation. good afternoon and

welcome to bbc news. all four board members of the government's social mobility commission have stood down in protest at what they say is a lack of progress towards a fairer britain. ex—labour minister alan milburn, who chairs the commission, said he had little hope the current government could make the necessary progress. the resignations also include the former conservative cabinet minister gillian shephard. downing street insists it is working to provide opportunities for all. here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth. when theresa may became prime minister she stood in downing street and made a promise. the government i lead will be driven, not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours. when it comes to opportunity, we won't entrench the advantages of the fortunate few.

we will do everything we can to help everybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you. but the government's senior adviser in improving social mobility has now left his job with immediate effect, saying he had little hope the government could make progress in bringing about a fairer britain. in his resignation letter, alan milburn said the government was: his departure, along with three senior members of his team, has been described as a loss by some campaigners. downing street said it had already told mr milburn it planned to appoint a new chair as his term of office had ended. a spokesman said the government was committed to fighting injustice and had made good progress. alex forsyth, bbc news. i have been getting more analysis

on this from our political correspondent jonathan blake. it has come as a bit of a surprise. we understand alan milburn‘s term in office came to an end officially injuly and he said downing street would be appointing somebody new to the role. he has decided not to go quietly. he has come out with this resignation letter which has been published this morning, saying in his view, the government is talking a lot about social mobility and the need to tackle inequality in various parts of the uk, but those words are not being translated into action. he puts that down to brexit in one word. a lot of time, energy and resources are being focused on the effort to leave the european union, but they are frankly, in alan milburn‘s eyes, not sufficient capacity to get much else done. he was asked about the way in which he has decided

to leave his post with immediate effect, on the andrew marr show on bbc one earlier. the government probably for understandable reasons is focused on brexit and seems to lack the bandwidth to be able to translate the rhetoric of healing social division and promoting social justice into reality. so i am afraid i have reached the conclusion that there is only so long we can go on pushing water uphill. he is clearly frustrated. he used the phrase pushing water uphill. he has talked about indecision, lack of functionality and leadership and leadership on this issue, which was, supposed to be theresa may's main mission. we saw in alex's report a few moments ago how she stood on the steps of downing street on day one in the job and said very clearly she wanted to lead a government and a country which worked

for everyone, and to tackle the burning injustices that there were in society. the government's record on that is in focus now. alan milburn having said what he said on leaving this post. he singled out in his letter the education secretary justine greening who wanted him to continue in the post. she was asked about the issue on the programme earlier as well. i am not going to get into the decisions we had inside government. he has done a fantasticjob, but his term had come to an end, and i think it was about getting some fresh blood into the commission, but what i don't agree with him about... the whole lot went, gillian shephard... we were already under a recruitment process for new commissioners. what i don't agree with alan about is his characterisation of the government. what we are doing is a transformational series of policies across government to drive equality... the four people you have put into place say nothing is happening, you are talking the talk

and the words are great, but you are not walking the walk. surely people will believe them. i absolutely don't agree with them. that was justine greening. how damaging do you think all of this is for theresa may? it is not welcome news in an already difficult time. we have the issue of damian green, the prime minister's de—facto deputy, facing an investigation over his conduct and whether there were images of pornography on his computer. we expect a report from the cabinet office before too long on that. there is also, tomorrow, the prime minister meeting jean—claude juncker, the president of the european commission, who will want to seek further clarity and progress on the uk's position with regard to brexit. that really illustrates what alan milburn was saying earlier, that the issue of brexit is taking up so much of the government's capacity, that it is tricky to get

anything else done. it is a difficult time and this is one more bad headline that the prime minister probably did not need. children will be able to get access to mental health support at schools or colleges in england under plans announced by the government this morning. it is a joint initiative between the departments of health and education. campaigners say the measures are welcome, but long overdue. edward curwen reports. i didn't have any therapy, it was just to talk about things... sienna, not her real name, has had an eating disorder and depression for the last five years, but for nearly half of that time she was waiting for the right kind of help. ijust feel i've never been properly treated for the mental side, theyjust sort of put me in hospital when my physical side is bad, and then don't treat anything else and they wonder why it keeps happening. she says once support was offered in a hospital, that service was still hundreds of miles away from home. just over a month ago, a review by the care quality commission found that young people were facing long

waiting times and unequal access to mental health services that could be put in their lives at risk. now the government's allocated £300 million from the departments of health and education. the measures include the piloting of a new four—week waiting time for young people to get treatment. for all primary and secondary schools to get mental health awareness training and joined up mental health support teams between schools and the nhs. the promise we want to make to parents up and down the country is that if your child has a mental health issue, we want to make sure that you get the help much, much earlier than happens at the moment and, if possible, we want to work within the schools system to prevent that condition deteriorating. labour, though, says it questions whether the plans will enable every school in england to provide support, while the charity young minds says there's still a long way to go with chronic underfunding for so long. edward curwen, bbc news.

joining me now is sarah brennan who is the chief executive of the mental health charity young minds. do you welcome this news from the government? young minds definitely welcomes this news and it is a step in the right direction. there are many questions but i think the most important thing is the fundamental recognition of the importance and schools of building children's resilience and in early intervention for mental health service. that is particularly important in this green paper. this idea of putting young people in to help young people with mental health issues into schools, is that new to put councillors and so on is that new to put councillors and so on in schools? that has been done in several individual schools when they choose to, this is about developing a workforce to help specific schools with early intervention. we know early intervention. we know early intervention is critical. we hear from parents and young people every

day about the devastating effect of young weights —— long waits and not knowing where to go for help. so this is really positive. however, it is the quantity of help that is concerning, when this will happen and wanting to see a long—term strategy, not just a and wanting to see a long—term strategy, notjust a short—term fix, oi’ strategy, notjust a short—term fix, ora strategy, notjust a short—term fix, or a short—term funding. we need to see this continue in the long term forever, if we are going to have an impact on children and young people's mental health. we talk about this mental health crisis among young people in particular. what are the reasons behind that. it is difficult to fathom, that people talk about social media and the pressure of it sounds, is it and the pressure of it sounds, is it a combination of all those things?|j think a combination of all those things?” think it is that issue. it is not

anyone think of the those things you mention are absolutely true. what we are also seeing is a real change in children, in childhood. but we're also seeing services disappearing in earlier years. in particular, also seeing services disappearing in earlieryears. in particular, early intervention services. and the welcome impact on the reduction of the stigma around mental health. we have created a perfect storm in some ways, of young people's problems developing, and developing earlier sometimes, but there being no early intervention and early help. so those problems have escalated, and the demand on mental health services is therefore increased, and those services that previously were under real pressure. we have said we cannot help this number, so young people have got sicker still. this is very welcome. we know early intervention is critical. we know schools need help and are desperate for help. what we don't want to see is money being taken out of one place to help another place. we want to see services funded properly across the system, rather than a piecemeal approach. all right, sarah brennan, chief executive of young

minds, thank you for coming in. donald trump is facing accusations of obstructing justice after mr flynn was fired. donald trump's started yesterday day on a bullish note. he is on course for a much—needed win on tax reform. he brushed aside questions about his former national security adviser lying to the fbi over his meetings with russians. what has been shown is no collusion, no collusion, there has been absolutely no collusion, so we are very happy. but then he issued another controversial tweet, one that could cause him a real headache. he said he had fired michael flynn because he lied to the vice president and the fbi. many people are asking why michael flynn, a former three star

general, did not tell the truth to the fbi about his meetings with the russian ambassador. as the president said, his actions were not against the law, but donald trump's tweet leads to a bigger question, did he know michael flynn have lied to the fbi? this is a problem because a former head of the fbi, james comey, has testified under oath that the president asked him to drop an investigation into michael flynn. legal analysts are now wondering if the president was trying to stop an inquiry into his former adviser, knowing he was guilty. in other words, was he trying to obstruct justice? on this vote, 51 in favour and 49 against. it should have been a momentous day for donald trump, the republicans had finally united behind a tax bill, a welcome distraction and at last,

a legislative victory. but now, once again, because of a tweet, the american president is embroiled in a controversy over russian meddling in the us election, an investigation that continues to loom over the white house. laura bicker reporting there. coming up in a moment we'rejoined by viewers on bbc one for a round—up of all the day's news. good afternoon. all four board members of the government's social mobility commission have resigned in protest at what they believe is a lack of progress towards what they call a "fairer britain". the commission's chairman, the former labour cabinet minister, alan milburn, said the current focus on brexit meant ministers were unlikely to have the energy needed to tackle "one of the biggest

challenges" facing the uk. downing street said it had already told mr milburn that the commission was to have a new chairman. jonathan blake reports. your chances of getting a job, finding a good school for your children, and being able to afford somewhere decent to live, issues at the heart of social mobility. and from day one in power, tackling inequality was a personal priority for theresa may. the mission to make britain a country that works for everyone, means more than fighting these injustices. if you are from an ordinary working—class family, life is much harder than many people in westminster realise. but for the former labour cabinet minister alan milburn, who was in charge of

monitoring the government ‘s progress on social mobility, not enough is being done. what is lacking is transferring words into deeds. it is not about what you talk about, it is what you do. i'm afraid the divisions in britain wider, socially, economically and geographically. downing street said they already planned to appoint a new chair, so is the former minister's public resignation sour grapes or political point scoring? alan milburn and i both care deeply about social mobility and equality of opportunities. he said that and he said you wanted to keep him on.” am not going to get into the discussions we had inside government. he had done a fantastic job at his term had come to an end. i think it was about getting fresh blood into the commission. the education secretary went on to defend the government's

record. we are seeing standards in schools rise and the attainment gap narrowed, this is the difference in outcomes between disadvantaged children and their better off peers. in the report they found children's life chances vary in different parts of england. children with the best chance of success are in london, but rural and former industrial areas are being left behind. deprived areas registered some of the highest support for leaving the european union. the government is facing criticism that it is so focused on brexit that it is ignoring the reasons which led people to vote for it. rail passengers travelling to and from london euston station have faced major disruption after all lines were closed. emergency repairs are taking place on downed overhead wires. for the latest, live now to our correspondent, lisa hampele, who's outside euston. just bring us up to date. yes, well, 500 metres of wires were downed.

emergency repairs have been carried out all morning, and there have been no services in or out of the station here. that is affecting trains operated by virgin, london midland and london overground. that's our main arterial routes which include places like birmingham new street, manchester, glasgow and liverpool. i have just had a message manchester, glasgow and liverpool. i havejust had a message in manchester, glasgow and liverpool. i have just had a message in the last few minutes to say that we do now have the all clear. those repairs have the all clear. those repairs have been finished. that does not mean disruption will end. a lot of services have been cancelled or they are being delayed and people are being told they can use their tickets to travel tomorrow. but i have been told that they expect there will be no cancellations or problems for the rush hour in the morning. but still, this is a busy weekend. around 40,000 passengers go through this station every day, and coming up to christmas there are a lot of shoppers. they say there will

bea lot of shoppers. they say there will be a knock—on effect. there will be problems coming on later today but services will be back to normal tomorrow morning. thank you very much. children will be able to get access to mental health support at schools or colleges in england under plans announced by the government. £300 million of funding will be made available in a joint initiative between the departments of health and education. campaigners say the measures are welcome, but long overdue. tom burridge reports. ididn't i didn't have any therapy... one young person's story of suffering from an eating disorder and depression forfive from an eating disorder and depression for five years. she waited two years before she got help. i feel i have not waited two years before she got help. i feeli have not been properly treated for the mental side. they put me in hospital when my physical side is bad and don't treat anything else, and then they wonder why it keeps happening and i have to go back into hospital. the

hospital she was sent to, hundreds of miles away, a nightmare scenario which the government now promises no family should phase. so ministers chatting here with pupils in east london are publishing plans to provide support in schools for so many children who face issues regarding their mental well—being. teachers will be trained at spotting problems early. i put excessive pressure on myself wanting to achieve high grades. and there will be new mental health support teams, the idea to bridge the gap between schools and the nhs. if your child has a mental health issue, we want to make sure you get the help much, much earlier than happens at the moment, and if possible, we want to work within the schools system, to prevent that condition deteriorating. but labour claims mental health care in england has been desecrated by cuts services are really

overstretched and children are waiting years for that vital support that they need. this is a drop in the ocean and paired with the cuts that many services have faced. the government is facing up to the scale of the issue. it now hopes schools can spot problems and address them early. the metropolitan opera in new york has said it will investigate allegations that its former music director sexually abused a teenage boy in the 1980s. the met said it was deeply disturbed by media reports about james levine, who stepped down last year after 40 years in the role. he's reported to have denied the allegations. cricket, and rain has ended play early on the second day of the second ashes test in adelaide. england are 29 fori in reply to australia's first innings total of 442 for 8 declared. from adelaide, andy swiss sent this report. if they one had been tricky for england, day two was to prove even tougher, as first their hopes of restricting

as australia'ss batsmen were emphatically dashed. sean marsh has had a stop start career. he seemed a strange selection for many, that as he completed a brilliant century, it suddenly made sense. vindication for him, euphoria for the adelaide crowd. and when he did finally offer up a chance, this pretty much summed up england's day. alistair cooke and james vince with a moment they'd both rather forget. a symbol of england's struggles as marsh simply piled on the misery. australia eventually declaring an 442—8. leaving england with the cricketing mountain to climb. under floodlights, and the fiercest pressure, their openers needed a solid start. they did not get it. mark stoneman trapped by mitchell starc for just 18. australia in utter control. it was cricket at its most compelling. cooke surviving another big appeal. england were jittery, but then, in the next time, the rain arrived, ending play for the day, but still leaving the visitors facing a huge batting challenge.

it is not impossible to score runs out there. a lot of their batters made starts. so, it is not impossible to score runs. there is a long time left in the game, so it will be up to one or two of our guys to go in and make a big score, and not just make 40 or 50. for england, then, a frustrating and deflating day. they now need to bat at their very best if they are to save this match, and realistically save their ashes hopes. a so—called super moon will be visible across parts of the uk later when it will appear larger and brighter than normal. traditionally in december it is called a cold moon. it will be brightest at midnight when it is at its highest

point above the horizon. worth staying up for. you can see more on all of today's stories on the bbc news channel. the next news on bbc one is at 5.55pm. bye for now. hello there. it is an improving sort of day today. a lot of the low cloud, light rain and drizzle should be moving away and we should find the cloud breaking from the north, more sunshine heading its way southwards as well. some areas will hang on to the cloud in the afternoon. it could be down in the far south—west of england. the rest of wales, the west midlands and the southin of wales, the west midlands and the south in some sunshine but a slower day for the south—east, the east midlands and east anglia. at least it is not as cold as it was yesterday. we have sunshine across

northern england and scotland in the afternoon. temperatures are shade lower than yesterday in northern ireland. a few showers and blustery winds across the northern isles. let's follow the dampen drizzly weather across northern ireland as it pushes its way into scotland, western parts of england and wales. a few bricks behind that. clearer skies ahead of it means it will turn chilly in places. some mist and fog patches but a better chance of seeing the super moon perhaps. as we head into monday, that mist and fog will tend to lift and we will have a few showers coming in to the north—west of scotland across the irish sea into north—west england and scotland. a lot of cloud tending to break up. brighter skies. some sunshine coming through. we have atla ntic sunshine coming through. we have atlantic winds so decent temperatures, seven to 10 degrees in the afternoon. a quiet start for the week and that continues for england and wales on tuesday. the winds starting to pick up, especially in

the north—west, and we start to see some rain arriving and that rain turning steadier and heavier. around the middle part of the week we will all get a dose of wet and windy weather. some gale force winds. the rain will be heavy enough to give some localised flooding. you can see a lot of isobars on the chart. this area of low pressure sweeping down across the country on wednesday and clearing away on thursday. and then the wind direction changes from the mild south—westerly to wind which will come all the way from the arctic. that will drag down much colder air by the end of the week. and very quickly as well. while there will be some sunshine around, those showers will be turning rather wintry. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: all four board members of the government's social mobility commission have resigned, in protest at what they see as a lack of progress towards a "fairer britain" the government, probably

for understandable reasons, is focused on brexit and seems to lack the bandwith to be able to translate the rhetoric of healing social division and promoting social justice into reality. donald trump faces accusations of obstructing justice, after suggesting that he knew his former national security advisor, michael flynn, had lied to the fbi about contacts with russia before the president fired him. the government sets out plans to make it easierfor children in england to get access to mental health services. schools and colleges will be encouraged to appoint staff who'll work with the nhs to provide specialist support. now on bbc news, it's click. this week: