today at 5: inflation jumps to 3.1%, its highest level for nearly six years. but wages aren't keeping pace with the higher cost of living, which is bad news for the high street and bad news for the economy. very difficult to make ends meet these days, especially coming up towards christmas. everything's going up. money, rent, electricity, gas. so how much higher could inflation go, and how are small businesses coping? we'll have the latest. the other main stories on bbc news at 5. hundreds of schools remain closed for a second day, following the coldest night of the year so far. three people are being questioned by police, over the suspected murder of three children in a house fire in worsley. the child ren‘s mother and a three—year—old girl are fighting for their lives in hospital. the government considers plans to introduce presumed consent, for organ donations in england.

and star wars fans flock to see the lastjedi, the latest film in the star wars franchise. we'll be live at the london premiere. its five o'clock, good afternoon. our top story is that prices have increased at their fastest rate in nearly six years. inflation has risen to 3.1% in november as the squeeze on households continues. consumers are facing pressure from rising food prices in the run up to christmas with groceries costing more now, than at any time since 2013. the governor of the bank of england mark carney will now have to write a letter to the chancellor to explain how the bank intends to bring inflation back to its 2.0% target. our economics correspondent andy verity has the story. at this baker on the outskirts of

barnsley, not just the at this baker on the outskirts of barnsley, notjust the bread rolls are on the rise, it is barnes, loaves and mince pies, end up in pubs and restaurants from wetherspoon is to pret to tgi and as far afield as the middle east and asia, ingredients like butter and flour have shot up in the past 18 months, it is doing everything it can to make sure costs are covered. one thing we have done with suppliers, we decided to take a radical approach, pay all the suppliers very early, and demand better terms from them, because we are paying them early, that has helped to mitigate some of the costs. if you are looking to warm yourself up in the cold weather, it is not getting any cheaper, the price of food was up by 4.4% in the year to november. very difficult to make ends meet these days,

especially coming up towards christmas. everything's going up. money, rent, electricity, gas. even telephone, we need somebody to do something about it. you see a lot of things going up a couple of pennies, if you are getting a few things, by the time you get to the cash desk, you wonder how it came to that. one of these things. the fact inflation is higher than it has been for nearly six years tells you just how high it has gone but really how low it has been for so long, the last ten years, the peak was 2011, it got above 5%, inflation was close to zero for april pretty long time a couple of years ago, now it is backed up above target. has it peaked? backed up above target. has it peaked 7 that backed up above target. has it peaked? that is the question. there may be further pressure on prices coming further down the line that means inflation does not slow down any time soon. i think it has peaked at 3.1%, it should moderate through

2018, but how fast will it fall? some tri—state out suggests prices at the factory gate affecting manufacturers is a bit pricey, oil price increases could be passed through and make inflation a little stickier than the bank of england is co mforta ble stickier than the bank of england is comfortable with. inflation at 3.196 is of the bank of england target range and the governor will soon write a letter to the chancellor explaining why. because wages are not rising in response, there is little pressure for a second rise in interest rates any time soon. if your wage is less than it was last christmas, that is no more than a crumb of comfort. our economics editor kamal ahmed is here. what is he going to write in that letter? he's going to say that we are reaching the peak of inflation, it is in the system because of the big fall of the value of the pound after the referendum, that pushes inflation up

because we import a lot of food and fuel from abroad, the price of that has gone up, that comes into the system and is ultimately pushed through to consumers, that is broadly what we are seeing at the moment. currency effects in economic terms are quite transient, quickly pushed through the system, so mark carney believes and the bank of england believes that next year, inflation will start reducing again, will come down below the 3% figure, and towards the end of last —— next year, it could be 2.5%, then falling after that. the bank of england is quite dovish, on inflation and price rises, thinks the worst of the rises are around now. the bank predicted that inflation would hit 3.2%. it may do in december, but there is already some evidence that that inflation pressure is reducing. a couple of points on the other side, the oil—price, very cold weather we are having, is increasing slightly,

pushing up the cost of fuel, and global growth, lots of parts of the world, the eurozone, america, asia, seemed very strong growth, that tends to push up inflation because we demand more steel to build things, more concrete, more commodities. could be upward pressure. the bank thinks, overall, next year inflation will be lower. pa rt next year inflation will be lower. part of the issue at the moment is the fall in the value of the pound, as you have indicated, due to the brexit vote. there have been warnings from an influential us think tank about the impact of brexit, what it could mean for the british economy. a lot of the economic discussion is under the umbrella of the brexit issue, a big issue not just umbrella of the brexit issue, a big issue notjust politically but for the uk economy, this is the brand corporation, big think tank in america, largely funded, half of the funds come from the us government, and they have said that under most

trading scenarios it can define that we may have with the european union, after we leave in march, 2019, most of those would have some form of detrimental affect on the economy. —— rand corporation. it only says that one could be an advantage, and that one could be an advantage, and thatis, that one could be an advantage, and that is, a really ambitious 3—way free—trade deal with the us, the uk and the eu. that would be betterfor the british economy than staying in the british economy than staying in the european union. the only problem with that analysis, it believes that isa with that analysis, it believes that is a very unlikely scenario to come to pass. there are some upsides in the report about what may happen, but in the main, it says that most trading relationship, hard or soft brexit, will have a detrimental effect on the growth of the uk economy over the next few years. thank you. three people are being questioned, over the suspected murder of three children in a house fire in greater manchester yesterday. the blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning.

a 14—year—old girl died at the scene, while her 7— and 8—year—old siblings died later in hospital. the children's 35—year—old mother, is in a serious condition along with her 3—year daughter. our correspondent danny savage reports. jackson state is still cordoned off today, police guard a family home set alight early yesterday morning. —— jackson street. more details have emerged about the young brothers and sisters who died here, the oldest victim was 14—year—old demi pearson, who died at the same. neighbours have been left heartbroken after they saw her brother and sister carried from the house by firefighters, later dying in hospital. there are 35—year—old mother, michelle pearson, is in a serious condition, along with a fourth sibling, three—year—old lea,

described as critical. fourth sibling, three—year—old lea, described as criticallj fourth sibling, three—year—old lea, described as critical. i cannot imagine what the families going through, obviously they are com pletely through, obviously they are completely devastated, the loss of a child in any circumstances is unbelievable and to lose three in such deplorable circumstances, words cannot describe. my heart breaks for them, it really does. police also confirmed there had been earlier incidents at the family home, and said the force had made a self referral to the independent police complaints commission. it is understood the voluntary referral was in response to police contact with the family less than 2a hours before the fatal fire. a number of arrests were made yesterday evening, this video, filmed by a resident, shows suspects being detained, the majority of those in custody are under arrest on suspicion of murder. a woman has died in hospital following an explosion and collapse of a house

in birstall near leicester. the building was destroyed in an explosion following a suspected gas leak. one man is in a stable condition, while another man has been discharged after the blast reduced the property in birstall, near leicester, to rubble. emergency services confirmed everyone has been accounted for. hundreds of schools remained closed today because of the snow and ice across much of the uk. drivers and commuters have faced difficult journeys today following the coldest night of the year. robert hall reports. alpine feel across much of the uk today as the sun rose on landscapes, still in the grip of snow and ice. in shropshire, it was briefly colder than moscow, temperatures down to -13, than moscow, temperatures down to —13, recorded at the nearby raf station where all aircraft were grounded again today. because of the location, well inland, fills all around us, very cold place always, snow last night on the ground made

it even colder. in the midlands, wales and northern scotland, hundreds of schools remain closed as warnings are issued of more icy conditions over the extra 12 hours. councils still work to keep roads open and safe but many minor roads, cheekily in wales and scotland, remain closed or impassible. one motoring organisation has reported close to 50,000 calls for help so far this week. as the snow and ice moved south, they disrupted travel in south—east england, and here in northern france, which saw blizzard conditions on major routes, bringing delays of six hours or more on eurotunnel, where extreme weather damaged our supplies. a long channel coasts, and the channel islands, high winds brought other dangers. a passer—by filmed these pictures of a woman on brighton beach, as she struggled to reach a dog, with huge waves crashing ashore. the wintry

snap will ease tonight, temperatures will be slightly higher, the met office says that rain or sleet falling on freezing surfaces will bring fresh hazards to the unwary. offering a stranger the gift of life is what lies at the heart of organ donation. 6500 people need a transplant each year, a50 will die before a donor can be found. plans to change the rules in england on the use of people's organs after they die are being set out by the government. the health secretary has launched a consultation on moving to

a system of what's called ‘presumed consent‘ — in a system of what‘s called ‘presumed consent‘ — in which people opt out of being a donor — rather than opting in. it‘s already been introduced in wales. scotland is planning to follow suit. our health correspondent dominic hughes has more. the family of adrian williams we re more. the family of adrian williams were happy to support his decision to donate. when you lose someone and they have given that immense gift, you are so proud of them, it fills you are so proud of them, it fills you with comfort that other families are enjoying the lives of their loved ones, where they may not have done because of something that our person has done for them. the past decade has seen a big surge in donors across the uk, in 2007, around 790 deceased donors, that has now risen to 1a00, the number of registered donors has gone up from 14 registered donors has gone up from 1a million to more than 23 million, but ministers are concerned that four out of ten families still say no to donation, so they are proposing a system where it is assumed we are all willing to be donors. the issue of presumed consent is one thing we are looking at, what we need really is to have better communication inside family so people know what family members actually want. the story of transplants in the uk over the last decade has been one of success, more

people having operations and more people having operations and more people willing to donate their organs, but there are those that worry that if we move to a system of presumed consent that could do more harm than good. a quick fix for politicians, pass a law, automatically, everyone is presumed to bea automatically, everyone is presumed to be a donor, and you have more organs but in real life it does not happen that way, a lot of people who would potentially become organ donors object to it so strongly that theyjoin the opt out register. organ donation gives strangers the gift of life, but data is split on whether presumed consent is the right way to make this final selfless act. top stories: inflation jumped to 3.1%, highest level for nearly six yea rs. 3.1%, highest level for nearly six years. wages are keeping pace with the high cost of living, bad news for the high street and the economy. —— wages are not keeping pace. hundreds of schools remain closed

for a second day, following the cold est for a second day, following the coldest night of the year so far. and star wars fans flock to see the lastjedi — and star wars fans flock to see the last jedi — the and star wars fans flock to see the lastjedi — the latest film in the star wars franchise. we‘ll be live at the london premiere. in sport, former world champion tyson fury is now free to resume his career, after accepting a backdated two—year doping ban. manchester united boss jose two—year doping ban. manchester united bossjose mourinho says that there was diversity in behaviour and education when asked about the melee involving several players after this weekend‘s derby. longest serving director of rugby in the premiership has been sacked by northampton saints after ten years at the club, andi saints after ten years at the club, and i will be back with more on those stories just after 5:30pm. the french president emmanuel macron says he believes president trump will bring the us back into the paris agreement

to combat climate change. earlier this year, donald trump announced he would pull the united states out of the global pact on emissions, which had been signed by barack obama. about 50 senior ministers and prime ministers attended a climate summit in paris today, where actor and former california governor arnold schwarzenegger also appeared. speaking at the event, president macron said the world was "losing the battle against climate change" and yesterday he condemned america‘s decision to withdraw from the deal. the us‘s decision is extremely aggressive, to decide on its own just to leave, without a way to push the authors to change, because one decided to leave the floor. i‘m sorry to say that. it does not fly. i think it is a big responsibility for history, and i‘m pretty sure that my friend president donald trump will change his mind in the coming months or years. our correspondent lucy williamson

joins us from paris now. if the americans are not at the summit, is there any point to it? the question a lot of people are asking, part of the point for a manual roar holding the summit, he has admitted as much that the american withdrawal from the agreement was an opportunity for eve ryo ne agreement was an opportunity for everyone else to show solidarity, to come together, and show how determined they were to implement it. as he said in his speech today, he feels the world is losing the battle with climate change, more funding more momentum does need to happen, and that is what he is hoping that this summit will do, i should say france has been very keen to point out it is notjust political leaders at the summit, it is about the nitty—gritty of getting mechanisms in place that will help deliver on those commitments. certainly, some of the biggest stars in today were not the political leaders who appeared... bill gates,

arnold schwarzenegger, and a manual roar himself, trying to be a leader on the world stage. you mention microsoft, other big financial and is thejuice microsoft, other big financial and is the juice and companies, exxonmobil, the french insurance giant, axa, all talking about shareholder pressure for their companies and these concerns to get serious about climate change. one thing being talked about a lot at this meeting is transparency, the idea that companies need to be and are under pressure to be more transparent about the carbon footprint of the business deals they do, the investments they make, and there has been some moves in that direction, we have also seen the world bank has come out and said that as of 2019 it will not fund exploration for oil and gas, other commitments by big energy companies here in europe to do much more with renewable energies, one company saying it wants to be 100% renewable, and another french company here has said it will

increase solar power by four times what it provides now. so we are seeing some concrete commitments by individual companies and organisations, and many people believe that is where a lot of the heavy lifting needs to be done. of course, they are also looking at a big funding pile. and that is something a manual micron would like to address as well. -- emmanuel macron. strong winds are still fanning the wildfires that have been burning in large parts of southern california for more than a week. vast areas have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people have been moved from their homes. firefighters have been working around the clock to tackle one of the largest wildfires ever to hit the state. our north america correspondent james cook has the latest on what is becoming an environmental and economic disaster. this fire is a monster, it is now burned an area bigger than new york city and paris combined. more than

6000 firefighters are battling it but still the blaze rages in the hills above the pacific ocean. these helicopter pilots are working hard, trying to slow down the northward advance of this huge fire. but still it is marching on, down from that ridge top, and the concern is that it might affect homes here and it could even burn all the way down to santa barbara on the pacific ocean. california feels like a state under siege by the climate — rising temperatures, years of drought, longer and more devastating wildfire seasons. the governor says in this warming world, it‘s no surprise. this could be something that happens every year or every few years. it happens to some degree, it‘s just more intense, more widespread, and we are about ready to have firefighting at christmas. this is very odd and unusual but it is the way the world is. on the lettuce line, they‘re carrying on as best they can. inside the greenhouse they‘ve

had to install a fan to blow ash off the leaves. one hundred and fifty people work here. many are worried about their homes and the local economy. the whole community is going to suffer, you know. yesterday all the restaurants are closed and you know, normally everything is bustling on a sunday evening so it‘s going to be tough for everybody. it‘s been a distressing week for animals, too. dozens of horses have died in the fires. this video shows racehorses fleeing the flames after they were set loose in san diego county. there is some good news, the worst winds seem to have died down, giving firefighters a better chance to battle the blaze but it is a daunting task. this may yet become the largest wildfire in the history of the states. james cook, bbc news, santa barbara county in california. britain and the eu face a furious

race against time to agree a transition deal and future trade relations within the next ten months. donald tusk has said in a letter to the leaders of the 27 remaining eu states ahead of a crucial summit this thursday. the european union‘s chief brexit negotiator michel barnier has warned there can be no backtracking on the divorce deal struck between theresa may and brussels. in strasbourg, dan fleming —— adam fleming, the " b rex it" fleming —— adam fleming, the "brexit" secretary has been suggesting, as has the government, that a deal can be sorted on trade, just after march 2019. donald tusk says that will not happen. what donald capital to task, president the european council, is trying to do with that letter he sent, to all the leaders who will be attending, before every summit, is really ochres minds on how little time

there is for phase two of the brexit negotiations to be completed. —— what donald tusk, president of the european council, is trying to do. this is not just european council, is trying to do. this is notjust about trade but geraghty, defence, foreign policy, allsorts of things, the strategy of the eu at the moment, what they really really want is for the british government to have a discussion around the cabinet table about what they want that relationship to look like. the way it was put to me by one eu official, very ha rd it was put to me by one eu official, very hard for the eu to come up with a future partnership agreement based only on the negatives that the uk has talked about so far, not being a member of the single market, not being a member of the customs union, not having the jurisdiction of the european court of justice not having the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice in any meaningful way after brexit. all the words coming from the eu at the moment are about getting the uk to have that discussion so that phase two can get off on the right foot as soon as two can get off on the right foot as soon as possible, although according to the document circulating now about the eu leaders signing up to

this when they discuss it on friday, phase two talks will not properly get underway until march at the earliest. what will probably happen much earlier, as soon as december 20, talks about the transition period, the two—year period after brexit, in 2019, when the uk will still the stay a member of lots of eu rules and regulations but will be out of the eu and will not have a seat at the eu decision—making table or in places like this, the european parliament in strasbourg. talking about phase two talks, everyone hoping they will get off on the right footing, but it is clear that a few people in brussels are not impressed by the suggestion from david davis that last week‘s divorce deal, as it were, was simply a statement of intent, that it was not actually a binding deal... this has ruffled feathers. quite a few people have brought that up with me in private, that interview david davis

gave on the andrew mark programme on bbc one on sunday was widely watched among the eu establishment. it would be too far to say that they are angry or worried, there is a slight bit of concern, maybe, that what was agreed between theresa may and jean—claude juncker, president of the european commission, at that early morning breakfast on friday which meant the eu could decide if there was sufficient progress, is not legally binding. both sides agree that it is not a legal document. the way the european commission described it, gentleman ‘s agreement, a political agreement, that must be translated into a legal text. what that means is now, it is up text. what that means is now, it is up to the lawyers in the eu institutions to turned that political agreement into a piece of text which is legally binding, which can be turned into the actual brexit withdrawal treaty, which will be legally binding, and which the uk government has promised to write into british legislation so that it

is binding in british law as well. michel barnier has suggested that maybe david davis‘s comments at the weekend could be interpreted as backsliding. the eu does not want the uk to backslide, the idea is that commitments that have been made in phase one of negotiations are now put ina in phase one of negotiations are now put in a box that is locked and cannot be unblocked at any other point in the brexit process. we expect the guidelines about phase two of brexit, as we were talking about, that when eu leaders signed up about, that when eu leaders signed up to them on friday there will be a clause in the guidelines making it very clear that commitments from phase one cannot be unpicked during phase one cannot be unpicked during phase two, they are really keen to make that point. thank you. changing gear a little bit now. it‘s hard to believe, but it was a0 years ago that the first star wars film hit the cinemas,

spawning one of the most successful film franchises in history. the latest instalment, the eighth film, the lastjedi and it has its premier in london tonight. joining me now is our entertainments correspondent, lizo mzimba, who is at the red carpet in london for the european premiere, joined by a very special man, the only person to have appeared now in all nine star wars films, episodes one through eight and in rogue one, how does that feel, anthony daniels!m is kind of sobering, some things are too massive to recognise but what i do like, i am very fond of the character, c—3p0 and to be with him all these years, it is a gift and a treat. you must have a unique insight into what is the secret, for four decades, people have been enjoying and loving this franchise. absolutely not, not the slightest idea, so many elements, everybody

find something they enjoy, miraculous story, somehow, george, he has allowed people to take them and run with the ideas. it is growing bigger and bigger, and run with the ideas. it is growing biggerand bigger, episode nine is coming up. as the custodian, ina sense, nine is coming up. as the custodian, in a sense, what has it been like seeing new people coming forward, like daisy ridley, john boyega, people not even born when you were filming and releasing the first one in 1977. oscar isaac as well, so many people have joined, wonderfully talented artists. i am watching them through c—3p0's eyes and wondering, how do they do this, how do they know... they are such good actors. all of them come across with a knowledge of star wars, as does the crew. on the set, the most wonderful family atmosphere. with our new masters... you know who they are! laughter

it has been a joy. this is a touching farewell to carrie fisher, as well. when you see it, yes, when you see it, it is a wonderful tribute to her, i marvelled. a complete performance, just beautiful. i wonderful memorial. anthony daniels, thank you as always for your time, enjoy the rest of the premiere. we will be here through the evening and talking to some of the evening and talking to some of the stars of star wars on the last jedi—— the stars of star wars on the last jedi —— starwars, —— starwars car star wars: the lastjedi.|j jedi —— starwars, —— starwars car star wars: the last jedi. i remember that film coming out, i actually went to see it at the cinema in 1977! i think i was sat behind youi!) 1977! i think i was sat behind you(!) laughter icy conditions across scotland and across northern england, we will get two bites at it, coming into the

cold air, thickening cloud, bringing rain across northern ireland, that wetter weather is moving into the cold air, we could see the threat of icy conditions, reports over glasgow. snow in the hills, that rain clears, rain coming in, in between, later in the night, cloud may break out, temperatures dropping close to freezing quickly in the morning, cloud thickening, winds stronger by this stage. that will blow these outbreaks of rain through all areas, things brightening up, more sunshine, followed by showers, scotland and northern ireland, turning increasingly wintry, turning colder later, temperatures 5 degrees at best, further south, across southern england and south wales, briefly nine or 10 degrees. this is bbc news — the headlines. inflation jumps to 3.1%, its highest level for nearly six years. wages aren‘t keeping pace with the higher cost

of living, which is bad news for the high street and the economy. hundreds of schools remain closed for a second day, following the coldest night of the year so far. three people are being questioned by police, over the suspected murder of three children, in a house fire in worsley. the children‘s mother and a 3—year—old girl are fighting for their lives in hospital. the government considers plans to introduce ‘presumed consent,‘ for organ donations in england. and star wars fans flock to see the lastjedi — the latest film in the star wars franchise. the film has its london premiere. that is tonight. now look at all the sports news. good news for tyson fury — and his cousin hughie after they accepted a compromise

from uk anti doping over a violation and have received a retrospective two year ban meaning former heavyweight world champion tyson fury is free to fight again. he last fought in nov 2015 — beating wladimir klitschko to take the world title. fury‘s team had threatened legal action which ukad said put them at risk of insolvency. both sides accepted a compromise, with the fury‘s still insisting they have "never knowingly or deliberately committed a violation". in a statement, tyson says he‘ll be trying to get his title back so could a huge bout with antonyjoshua be on the horizon. manchester city manager pep guardiola says he "encouraged" his side to celebrate their 2—1 derby win at manchester united on sunday, but denies they went over the top. united managerjose mourinho had milk thrown at him outside the old trafford dressing rooms after objecting to city‘s celebrations and says there‘s a difference in culture between the two — but he does have a history of pretty over zealous celebrations himself and wouldn‘t respond to guardiola‘s views today. i‘m not here to comment on his

words. the only thing i can say is that for me it was just a question of diversity. diversity in behaviours. diversity in education. just that and nothing more. we were happy having won the derby and against our best rivals to win it. so people said you should not celebrate, no, we celebrated. when arsenal win at the fa last season, he celebrated. some rugby union news, the longest serving director

of rugby in the premiership, northampton‘s jim mallinder has been sacked. saints were champions 3 years ago but lie tenth in the table and are on the brink of a european cup exit after defeat to ospreys at the weekend. mallinder had been in the role for 10 years. attack coach alan dickens will take temporary charge. former northampton prop alex corbisiero believes mallinder has been the casualty of a collective failing. it has been tough and sad to watch from the outside. jimmy is a very good man but professional sport is ruthless. we wished a pinnacle in the domestic game in 201a and there has not been a lot of real progression or change or evolution since then. i think that the stagnation and lack of change has led to this point now. with recent results, probably affecting that bad because i think is lack of development as a collective over the last couple of years. england‘s cricketers are gearing up for the third test that starts

tomorrow night in perth. they are 2—nil down in the ashes series, so can‘t afford to lose at the waca. there‘s been criticism of their performances and they have also had to deal with off—field disciplinary issues from bar—room incidents. the most recent incident saw england lion ben duckett suspended by the ecb after pouring a pint of beer overjimmy anderson‘s head. former england captain, david gower, who was heavily fined along with his teamatejohn morris for their antics in a bi—plane on the ‘91 ashes tour says that results will temper how any off—field indiscretions are reported. if you are producing the right performance on the pitch then people are forgiving. years ago we were found to be in the wine bar at one o‘clock in the morning and they have headlines ready to go in the papers the next day slamming us for being out of order but we won the game and the headline was, array. that‘s all the sport for now.

you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website and we‘ll have more for you in sportsday at half past six. plans to change the rules in england on using people‘s organs after they die are being set out by the government. the health secretary has launched a consultation on moving to a system of what‘s called ‘presumed consent‘ — in which people opt out of being a donor — rather than opting in. it‘s already been introduced in wales. scotland is planning to follow suit. professor nadey hakim is consultant surgeon at imperial college london, and is here with me now. thank you for coming in. does this consultation makes sense to you? i think it is an excellent idea, i have to say this is music to the ea rs of have to say this is music to the ears of many surgeons, transplant surgeons, looking after so many patients who are waiting on the waiting list. and just remind you

there are 6500 people waiting for a transplant. and around a00 people die every not having an organ offered. therefore i think this is long overdue and just to remind you in 2008 there was a task force by the government which at that time was rejected, at the time of gordon brown and now we have our health secretary pushing for something which i think is going to be very instrumental in increasing the number of transplants in england. but they have had this new system in wales now for a while, how well has it gone down there? everyone says two years, nothing much has changed but two years is nothing. so we have not had an increase in organ donation. no but if you look at the spanish programme started in 1979,

it took ten years before you started to see any change. therefore it is not just the opt to see any change. therefore it is notjust the opt out to see any change. therefore it is not just the opt out which to see any change. therefore it is notjust the opt out which has to be organised, you have to fund it, you have to instruct people what exactly is going to go ahead and in addition you have to teach young people at schools about organ donation. this has got to be very instrumental and personally i believe and i have been doing thisjob for over 30 personally i believe and i have been doing this job for over 30 years, we‘re going to see a difference but we‘re going to see a difference but we have to give it a chance. wales, it is only two years ago they started this and it is a small country as such. we have got to wait another few years before we see a real difference. but i have no doubt this is the best option for all of us this is the best option for all of us to increase the number of transplants. there has been some criticism as you say, people have

pointed to wales and suggested that not much radical has changed there. but also pointing to what you alluded to, this need for a much wider education campaign in schools and in communities. to get out the message about the importance of donating organs. and simply having this headline suggestion that it is going to be opt out as opposed to t going to be opt out as opposed to opt in, that does not really cut it comic you need the other stuff as well. i fully agree and this has got to bea well. i fully agree and this has got to be a soft opt out and not a hard to be a soft opt out and not a hard opt out. soft meaning that the families will always have a say eventually, if they say sorry, ok, my loved one, i do not want him to bea my loved one, i do not want him to be a donor then obviously we have to respect that. unlike the hard opt out which is currently implemented

in austria and singapore, where you have no choice. and when it is the ha rd have no choice. and when it is the hard opt out you have a 25% increase in organ donation. here it will be a soft option, as scotland will be offering, and there you can still say no as a family member to the organ donation of your loved one. i think this is a very important thing to highlight. so people are not scared and refuse to accept this new option which hopefully the consultation will find favourable. lots of nuances there that need to be taken into account and factored in as well. thank you forjoining us. the government is promising to simplify the process for eu nationals applying to stay in the uk after brexit. the immigration minister, brandon lewis, said requests for what‘s called "settled status" would be made online and would take just a few minutes to complete. he said the scheme, which would have a presumption in favour of granting the status,

would go live in the second half of next year. joining me now from westminster is labour mp and shadow home secretary, diane abbott. thank you forjoining us. what do you make of the change? we have long argued that the system they were trying to make eu nationals go through was torturous and too long winded. so we give a guarded welcome to this. after what has been a period of terrible uncertainty for eu nationals. a period of terrible uncertainty, it has not been made in a more certain by the suggestion from the brexit secretary that the deal last week was actually a statement of intent. this is the problem, on the one hand this new system problem, on the one hand this new syste m loo ks problem, on the one hand this new system looks to be an improvement but what the government cannot do is

talk out of both sides of their mouths. so one thing to one audience, just a statement of intent, not legally enforceable and saying another thing to another audience. you nationals watch television and listen to the radio the same as everyone else. speaking out of both sides of your mouth, is that not precisely what the labour party is doing on the status of the single market and british relationships with it after brexit. we had the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell saying he stands by his assertion that remaining inside the single market under current rules which would include accepting free movement of eu citizens, would not respect the brexit referendum result. yet keir starmer says labour would seek to remain aligned with eu rules to ensure the uk can retain the benefits of single market membership. is confusing. the benefits of single market membership. is confusinglj the benefits of single market membership. is confusing. ido the benefits of single market membership. is confusing. i do not think it is confusing, we‘ve always said we do not want to take anything off the table. we‘ve always said

that we want access to the single market, and we want all the benefits that come with the customs union. we‘re not wedded to particular structures, but we are clear where we wa nt structures, but we are clear where we want to go. which is more than can be said for the conservative party. are you really clear? this was an attitude that worked pretty well during the election campaign, appealing to remainer is by talking about the single market and soft brexit but also trying to appeal to those brexit supporters in labour constituencies who feel that a much harder brexit is necessary so you are speaking from both sides of your mouth. we are clear that we want jobs first wrecks it, and economy first brexit, we‘re prepared to fight for that and to vote for that. and we are also clear there has to bea and we are also clear there has to be a transition period where we stay in the single market and customs union. and the tories had to follow

us on union. and the tories had to follow us on that idea as they have had to follow us on simplifying the process for eu nationals trying to get settled status. why notjust say you‘re pushing for a soft brexit and staying in the single market? that would be clear for the voters out there. we afford a jobs first brexit and an economy first brexit, we think there must be a transition for the benefit of both jobs and industry where we stay in the single market and the customs union and we will continue to argue in parliament and campaign and vote for a brexit that works for the british people. we are now hearing from donald tusk at the suggestion from david davis and the government that they could be some kind of trade deal quite soon after march 2019, once believed the eu, that that could be achieved.

donald tusk suggesting that that is pie in the sky? well i think you have to put that to government ministers. i think negotiations have been chaotic all along. but i think we need to put what donald tusk is sent to government ministers. where is the problem? i think the problem is the problem? i think the problem is that the government ministers say one thing to their backbenchers and another thing to the eu negotiators. and to be clear you‘re definitely not doing that? no, we are very clear, jobs first brexit, economy first brexit. diane abbott, thank you for us. this is bbc news at five — the headlines. inflation jumps to 3.1 percent, its highest level for nearly six years. wages aren‘t keeping pace with the higher cost of living, which is bad news for the high street and the economy. hundreds of schools remain closed for a second day, following the coldest night

of the year so far. three people are being questioned by police, over the suspected murder of three children, in a house fire in worsley. the children‘s mother and a 3—year—old girl are fighting for their lives in hospital. an update on the market numbers for you — here‘s how london and frankfurt ended the day. and in the united states this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. voters are going to the polls in the us state of alabama — normally a safe republican seat — in what‘s been a hard fought race for the us senate. donald trump has publicly endorsed the republican candidate — a formerjudge whose campaign has been clouded by allegations of sexual misconduct towards teenagers. his democratic rival is a former lawyer known for prosecuting white supremacists. and we can speak to gary o‘donoghue.

many people expecting the channel to be quite low. i think it will be about what you would expect for this kind of election in an off year as they call it, where there are no other congressional elections going on and no race for the white house. you‘re looking at 20, 20 5%. though that would amount to something between one million and la million, not a lot of votes so it could be very tight. there has been a lot of international and national attention on this so you might think the turnout would be greater. the key thing for the campaigns here is which people make up that 25%, who is the turnout, the danger for the republican candidate corey moore is that the kind of rural white vote especially in the north of the

state, whilst it would never consider voting democrat, republicans in this part of the world, they hate democrats more than atheists and that is saying something. they will never vote democrat but they might stay at home whereas gudjohnsen the democrat, his challenge is not just whereas gudjohnsen the democrat, his challenge is notjust to get out the black vote which will vote for him overwhelmingly in places like montgomery and birmingham, notjust to get that vote out but also some of those to burban more moderate but the —— republicans in the suburbs among the cities. he will need them as well. so really a question of who can actually galvanise their base. to come out and to vote. and that will be the side that becomes victorious. the mouth of all this is important for the white house and donald trump because republicans only have a majority of i think for in the senate and if they lose one with wall—to—wall with the selection, then that is going to make it trickier for him to get

through his legislative agenda. absolutely. donald trump was quiet about bullimore and the allegations when they first came out, people pressed the white house with their view, the republican party was running a mile from one or more but eventually donald trump came out and endorsed him. the money came back in and now they have swung back behind him to some extent at any rate. so donald trump is fully aware that the margin in the senate is 52—a8 in favour of the republicans and that would change if they lose this. it has been hard enough to get his stuff through congress but if it comes that tight in the senate then things like the tax vote for example which will require some democratic votes, 60 votes needed to get that plan to the senate, that will become even harder. so there is a lot at sta ke. even harder. so there is a lot at stake. of course it is a bit of a lose lose situation for the republicans because if they lose,

they get that tightening in the senate but if they win then they face months of ethics investigation into warand war face months of ethics investigation into war and war in the senate with the potential outside chance of him being expelled anyway. and the democrats being able to hang mau mau around the neck of every other republican candidate as we go into the mid—term election in 2018. republican candidate as we go into the mid-term election in 2018. gary, thank you for that. should be an interesting race. the man detained in new york yesterday as he apparently attempted to set off a crude home—made bomb has been charged with three terror offences. members of akayed ullah‘s family in bangladesh are also being questioned in connection with the incident at the city‘s bus station. the 27—year—old suffered burns when a device he‘d strapped to his body went off prematurely. he is reported to be in a serious condition in hospital. three other people were hurt. one of the uk‘s most important oil pipelines has been closed for urgent repairs after a crack was discovered. the forties pipeline carries a0

percent of north sea oil and gas. a crack was discovered last wednesday. it‘s thought it could take up to three weeks to fully repair. as most of the oil from the north sea is exported, the shut down is not expected to have a major impact on domestic supplies. let‘s speak now to our scotland business correspodent douglas fraser. he is in glasgow. how serious is this? very serious for the companies, for the supply chain within the oil industry. not likely to have much of consumer impactjust yet, the oil price, the global oil price for brent crude, some of it actually froze through the pipeline when it is working, it rose above $65 per barrel earlier today before falling back a bit. as an indication of the destruction was of concern within the market, it is a volatile

market and if that were to remain elevated for a long time then consumers could see problems coming through. but this is an industry that pumps more than 90 million barrels per day so not a huge impact on the global market. it has an impact on grangemouth, in scotland. where much of the oil is fed to four refinery. and on the tanker movement around the north sea, 21 very large tankers expecting to be taking on oilfrom the north tankers expecting to be taking on oil from the north sea, tankers expecting to be taking on oilfrom the north sea, from tankers expecting to be taking on oil from the north sea, from this pipeline which as i say things about a0% of uk oil production and a lot of gas in from the north sea, gathering in it from about 80 different fields including a couple of very ones. two to three weeks to get this sorted, but if this becomes a prolonged period and a prolonged problem for the company, then that could see prices rising potentially and that could lead to more inflation. the international energy

agency is not much concerned about this, they said there are other sources of oil but can feed into the world market so prices will not necessarily spike is resolved. the main concerns are for the tankers, these companies operate with very thin margins and also those companies pumping oil including some of the big oil companies that have big deep pockets and can handle that kind of disruption as they have to close down because there‘s nothing to ta ke close down because there‘s nothing to take all and gas away from their platforms. but much tougher for those smaller companies without those smaller companies without those deep pockets. they will find problems of cash flow are much more ofa problems of cash flow are much more of a problem. but in terms of the world energy market, this is about a00,000, less than 1% of world production. it has had an effect as a kind of glitch within the world market but i think that can be made

up, in effect, the effect on the brent crude price is a concern but concerned also around the environmental impact because this has been on land that they have discovered this through routine maintenance. oil has built from a cracked within this and there are some concerns being raised by scottish politicians as to whether this pipeline has other problems. no sign of that yet but the scottish government is checking with the new owners who only took ownership of the pipeline from bp a few weeks ago, they‘re having a pretty u nfortu nate start to ago, they‘re having a pretty unfortunate start to their ownership. thank you for that. the recent heavy snow may have encouraged some of you to get building snowmen, but one man has taken his snow sculpting a step further. this is the igloo benjamin crutch built in his girlfriend‘s garden in redditch in worcestershire, after heavy snow on sunday. the igloo took eight hours to build using nearly 500 snow bricks. time for a look at the weather.

tonight is not going to be as cold as last night but still a little bit i see on the untreated roads. we started off in shropshire this morning with a temperature of —13, —4 morning with a temperature of —13, —a for most of the afternoon. right now it is plus one. we‘ve seen temperatures rising as this cloud is coming into the cold air and that carries with it some rain and for some areas even some snow and also the threat of some ice. because the wintry mixture could be falling on frozen services. moving on, heading into the evening we have wetter weather clearing away from northern ireland, pushing further into scotland. some snow over the hill. and also has built over the hills for a short time over the north of england. —— also some snow over the

hills. with thin cloud advancing east through today but still cold enough for temperatures to be close to freezing. and the risk of the ice as wetter weather pushes east, it will be mostly rain across the south—east and is that move through it turns misty for time ahead of this showery rain. temperatures dropping away as the crowd begins to break up and we could have some icy patches once again by the end of the night. probably the biggest rest of disruption overnight will be across scotla nd disruption overnight will be across scotland and northern england because of that ice. quickly we will see cloud increasing and outbreaks of rain coming in across the morning. through the afternoon a bit more sunshine chasing in behind that and a strong westerly wind. here temperatures 5 degrees at best. nine

or ten across england and south wales. but we could see some more snow falling across northern ireland and scotland and even across lower levels of wales and the midlands for a time tomorrow evening just four short time. that leaves us on thursday with a mixture of sunshine and showers. otherwise some strong wind picking up. and things getting bad bit colder. three of a degrees across the north, seven at best across the north, seven at best across southern areas of england and wales. more showers as we head into friday mostly around coastal areas. the wind direction changing, the air coming down from the arctic. that is on friday. so getting colder and that keeps the threat of snow and ice going but not as cold as it has been over the past few days. tonight at six: the cost of living goes up as inflation jumps to its highest for nearly six years.

with christmas round the corner — and food prices rising — there‘ll be a squeeze on household budgets. people are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. i think they should bring the prices down for food, but they're not. every time you go, it's going up and up and up all the time. we‘ll be asking what this means for interest rates. also tonight: the suspected arson attack in manchester that left three children dead — their mother and another child are fighting for their lives in hospital. warnings of icy conditions after the coldest night of the winter — hundreds of schools are still shut. the gift of an organ that could save a life — now the government wants to persuade more people to become donors.