a warning of disruption at channel ports for up to six months if there's no brexit deal. the government describes the delays at dover or folkestone as a worst case scenario. meanwhile ministers criss—cross the country to drum up public support for the prime minister's brexit deal. they will hear those voices saying, "we want this sorted, we want this deal accepted, because we need to move on as a country." and theresa may insists the vote for her brexit deal must go ahead next tuesday despite the criticism from all sides. also tonight: an emotional appeal for the british backpacker missing for nearly a week in new zealand. grace has never been out of contact for this amount of time. she's usually in daily contact with either her mum, myself, her brothers, the family on social media. the british yachtswoman adrift 2,000 miles off shore after a huge storm in the southern 0cean is finally rescued. a bbc investigation reveals how black and arab university academics are paid less than their white colleagues. and the extra funding for sports,

including skateboarding, ahead of the 2020 tokyo olympics. and coming up on bbc news: success for england at the hockey world cup as they eliminate ireland to reach the play—off stage in india. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. dover and other channel ports could face disruption for up to six months if the uk leaves the eu without a deal, according to the government. it's being described as a worst case scenario, after analysis of likely traffic flows if customs checks are delayed. meanwhile, ministers have travelled across the uk today to try to convince the public to get behind the prime

minister's brexit deal. it's come under attack from all sides at westminster but theresa may insists that she will not seek to get tuesday's vote on it postponed and that it must go ahead. 0ur deputy political edtor john pienaar has the latest. today, around almost every corner, you would see a minister on a mission, dozens of them, ordered out to defend and sell mrs may's brexit compromise, to make what may be a last stand to save her brexit plan, even save the prime minister herself. among ministers, many privately believe the government should delay the big vote next tuesday, rather than face a crushing defeat. for now, they are making their case around the country, hoping mps listen to worried people and businesses. they will hear those voices saying, we want it sorted, we want this deal accepted because we need to move on as a country both to negotiate a good trading deal for a future with the eu and to deal

with the pressing domestic agenda of the nhs, schools, housing and all the other things people want their politicians to focus on. and now warnings from the government of the danger of ending up with no brexit deal at all. up to six months of delays at dover for cross—channel traffic, emergency plans to fast—track and fly in medicines if but the brexiteers are coming. they are calling it or a scare story and they are convinced the rebellion will not melt under pressure. no chance whatsoever. it seems to me they would be better off talking to people and finding out what people want, not preaching to them. but are you worried that theresa may's deal may be the hardest brexit available? you can't be serious. it's not brexit. it's not even brexit in name only. any other brexit deal would be better than what she is putting on the table. labour is hoping it ends up the big winner if the decision goes back to the people. we have put forward a new approach which we are hoping mps in all political parties will vote for. if they do, that will enable us to go off with a strong mandate to negotiate with european partners. if that doesn't happen, in the interests of the country, we

have to be prepared with full back positions and that is a general election or, if we can't get that, than other options. here, behind the posturing on the campaigning, the private talk is about power. the tea rooms and corridors have been humming with the sound of plotting and scheming. for some, it's about how to take control of brexit. for others, it's about how to grab the keys to number ten. talk to anyone, parliamentary newbies or political veterans, and there is one thing on which everyone can agree. no one has seen or lived through times quite like these. in a moment we'll get the very latest from john in downing street, but first our health editor hugh pym is here. how worried should we all be about this medical contingency planning? well some patients are worried about the possibility of a no—deal brexit and medicines not getting through and medicines not getting through and we have had a warning of six

months disruption at dover if there is no deal. the health secretary has said plans are being made to ensure continuity of supply, extra port facilities being set up, with fast track arrangements for lorries, air freight being used and a six weeks stock pile and which has been built up stock pile and which has been built up be stock pile and which has been built upbei stock pile and which has been built up be i the industry. he is warning that the nhs, gps and hospitals shouldn't themselves stock pile, as that would be self—defeating. there may be some suspiciouses about the —— suspicions about the timing, the government says it had to get its technical advice on this out there for the nhs, the industry say they wa nt for the nhs, the industry say they want more detail and what are these contingency plans about. thank you. and john, things are changing daily at westminster, but it looks likely at the moment that theresa may will lose the vote next tuesday — and presumably there's much plotting and planning going on at westminster about what might happen then. you can say that again. at the

moment downing street insists the big vote will go ahead, although some conservatives believe in the ci’oss some conservatives believe in the cross fire of voting next week it may be possible for theresa may to avoid the full weight of the rebels, at least for now. we can't see the future, no one has a clear notion of how this will shake out. but it has been discussed in downing street and among mps that a narrow defeat, would it make it possible for theresa may to go to brussels and try to squeeze more concessions? she could try, but the signs are that brussels are out of big concessions. there is talk among ministers of someone there is talk among ministers of someone like david lidington taking over as a care taker prime minister if theresa may is forced to go. either way the potential runners for the leadership, the they are drum

upping support. 0ne the leadership, the they are drum upping support. one said he has been offered a high ranking post by two offered a high ranking post by two of them. as things stand all the outcomes being discussed at westminster look grim for theresa may and her team. westminster look grim for theresa may and herteam. she westminster look grim for theresa may and her team. she will spend the weekend considering her options and maybe mulling over herfuture. but her options seem to be running short. after a big week in politics s, short. after a big week in politics s, it which be that theresa may's time in downing street could be coming to an end. thank you. the father of a young british backpacker missing in new zealand has made an emotional appeal for help to find her. david millane says his family is "extremely concerned" about his daughter grace, who was last seen in auckland on saturday, the day before her 22nd birthday. police say they "hold grave fears for her safety". helena lee has more. where is grace millane? the 22—year—old recently graduated from university.

she was in new zealand as part of a round—the—world trip. now missing for six days, she is at the centre of a huge police search. today, her father flew to the country to appeal for help finding his daughter. we last had contact with her on saturday ist december. and as a family we have been extremely concerned for her welfare. grace is a lovely, outgoing, fun—loving family—orientated daughter. grace has never been out of contact for this amount of time. she's usually in daily contact with either her mum or myself, her two brothers, members of the family on social media. the police know where grace was last saturday. she had been staying at a popular backpacker hostel in the city of auckland. at 7.15 in the evening she was seen at the sky city hotel. later that night, a short distance away, grace was

spotted at the city life hotel with a male companion. has now been six days since grace was last seen. at this point, we hold grave fears for her safety. the police have also been searching an apartment at the hotel where grace was last seen and spoken to a man she was with. her family say they just want her home. helena lee, bbc news. a teenager from hertfordshire who sent bomb threats to hundreds of schools in britain has been jailed for three years. george duke—cohan — who's i9 — sent the hoax emails to 1,700 schools, claiming he would set off a device if money wasn't paid. he also made bomb threats to a plane bound for the us. duncan kennedy reports from luton crown court. george duke—cohan arrested in his own bedroom. the place he had spent

eight months sending out hoax bomb threats. police officers caught him after he had created what the judge called havoc among thousands of schools. this school in watford was among those targeted by george duke—cohan. he september hoax e—mails to more than 2,000 schools, threatening to bomb them if they didn't hand over money. the evacuations he created caused panic and he sent hoaxes for schools for children with special needs. the upset and economic loss suffered by pupils, parent and airlines demonstrates the seriousness with which the court views such offending. the airline was a united airlines flight from london to america. george duke—cohan posed as the father of a child on board, with

this phone call. thejudge said george duke—cohan wa nted thejudge said george duke—cohan wanted publicity for his own perverted sense of fun, but had caused suffering to thousands of people. the founder and chief executive of the clothing chain, ted baker, is taking a temporary leave of absence while allegations about his conduct are investigated. ray kelvin says accusations that he enforced a "hugging" culture on staff have "raised some very serious and upsetting issues". the company's board says it has been made aware of further serious allegations about the chief executive, which will also be investigated the chief executive of motability —

the taxpayer—supported business that supplies cars to people with disabilities — is to step down next year following criticism of his pay. mike betts was in line to receive a bonus of more than £2 million on top of his annual salary of £1.7 million. the england cricketers ben stokes and alex hales remain eligible for england selection, following the outcome of a disciplinary hearing into their roles in a fight outside a bristol nightclub in 2017. stokes, who was cleared of affray in august, was handed an eight—match england ban by the cricket commission disciplinary panel. our sports editor dan roan is outside the disciplinary hearing. dan, will this be seen as sufficient punishment? well, the ecb tonight have said they think the decision by the panel today serves as a reminder of the values of sport. some will say it is

insufficient punishment. it stems back to that brawl outside a bristol nightclub last year involving stokes and hales. both men were charged by the ecb with bringing the game into disrepute and today we learned both had pleaded guilty to that and that the panel handed stokes an eight match bag and hales a six match ban. but both men can now play, continue to play for england and all they're left with is a fine of a few thousand pounds. both then have issued publish apologies for the first time. one thing is for certain the england cricket team will breathe a sigh of leave, in the case of stokes, arguably the world's best all rounder they have him available for the world cup and also the ashes. thank you. our top story this evening:

a warning there could be disruption at channel ports for up to six months if there's no brexit deal. surf's up — new funding for the british surfers going for gold at the tokyo 0lympics. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... more injury woes for england in rugby union and saracens lock maro itoje is ruled out for ‘a number of weeks' with a knee problem... a bbc investigation has found that academics from black and arab backgrounds at britain's top universities are being paid a quarter less on average than their white colleagues. the figures are startling. 52,000 is the average salary for a white academic. but black academics are paid 38,000

on average and academics from an arab background 37—thousand. the pay gap nearly doubles for women from these backgrounds. the body that represents uk universities says the lack of senior ethnic minority academics is part of the problem . 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley reports. professor kehinde andrews has reached the top of higher education, but he's amongst a minority of black british academics teaching in universities across the uk. when it comes to promotion and pay, they are far behind their white colleagues. they need to open the door. how did you get through... he, along with other academics, are keen to help these undergraduates and ph. d. students overcome some of the challenges they have faced. you are talking about an institution which underpins slavery and colonialism, was almost entirely white 50 years ago, and has only opened up in the last 50 years, and actually if you look at a lot of the structures, a lot of the courses, a lot of the elitism, it is just an incredibly white institutions. so we shouldn't really be surprised that there are so few black professors. we have to work ten times harder

to be in contention, to progress within our careers because there are cliques within faculties, where opportunities and made openly available to everyone. it is too easy for colleagues in higher education to ignore a lot of the things that we've been talking about to avoid these issues. today's ph. d. students are the professors of the future. the way that they navigate themselves through the academic space as ethnic minorities has steadily provided a blueprint for me. but despite an increase of black and minority ethnic students in higher education they are still underrepresented at the best universities, less likely to have funding for ph.d. s and research, or have the mentoring opportunities —— for ph.d.s and research, or have

the mentoring opportunities to progress to professorships. how important... is it to have... a black lecturer? discuss. seeing a black woman up there, teaching me something that i aspire to carry on for word, makes me optimistic that i, too, can open the door, just like she did. black children are not given the confidence from their teachers. they don't feel like they are able to give into academia. in 70 years there have been 25 female black professors. out of 19,000. the statistics don't lie. it's about having the uncomfortable conversation. baroness valerie amos is the first black woman to be in charge of a university in the uk, and says it not good enough. —— of a university in the uk, and says it's not good enough. there is something quite intractable and difficult going on that we have to address. when you look at the universities that have really been able to make a difference in relation to this, they have put a lot of time, effort, and resources, working with their students union, working with their staff, and, crucially, working with their local communities to make a difference. going to university is about improving job respects and opportunities. —— prospects and opportunities.

but for many black academics it is far from the reality. elaine dunkley, bbc news. there is an epidemic of criminal attacks on cash machines, according to a new report from one of the biggest atm operators. raids on cashpoints, including using explosives or ram raids, have caused damage of tens of millions of pounds and have left people in remote rural areas struggling to access cash. in france a massive security operation is underway in preparation for more anti—government protests this weekend. 90,000 police officers will be on duty — with armoured vehicles deployed in paris. fears of a repeat of last week's violence on the streets has led to shops and some major tourist attractions being closed. lucy williamson is in paris for us. the champs—elysees is again preparing for battle — a consumer paradise twinkling behind bars, reminders of last week's violence still scrawled on some of the walls. translation: it'll be smart to close. we've lost a lot of money, both my fellow shopkeepers and myself. it's enough.

almost 90,000 security forces are being deployed across the country, and tourist sites including the louvre and the eiffel tower will close. the government has released a video on social media. "protesting is a right", it says, "but attacking property or the state is not". translation: the gilets jaunes include pacifists with good intentions, but also people who have been radicalised, exploited by extremist groups, and who want to topple the republic. last saturday saw the worst violence here in decades. what began as a protest over fuel tax rises has broadened into a leaderless movement that includes many violent and extremist groups. tonight, this city is bracing itself. the heart of france's economic and political life has become a target for those who feel they have lost touch with both. the threat tomorrow is from extremist groups and violent saboteurs, but the disillusion touches poorer working families across france. lucy williamson, bbc news, paris.

the man appointed by the government to carry out a review of britain's railways says he will consider all options but has not ruled out recommending re—nationalisation. keith williams, who's a former chief executive of british airways, said public trust has been lost following periods of acute disruption. he spoke to our transport correspondent, tom burridge. when you're on board, people at a command centre nearby are shuffling the network along. this one is coming through the station here now, this is running late, so we need to get this ahead of 2a92, which, again, is going to the airport. cancellations and long delays are at their highest in 17 years. that's running slightly late, because it's showing yellow. this train is also running slightly late. and so is also this. the government has asked the former boss of british airways to find out what needs to change. what i see in the rail system is what i call a loss of public confidence. and if the passenger doesn't believe it's going well, then there's something there that needs to be looked at.

so, how to fix it for passengers like tom? as a regular commuter, one of the biggest problems is the train is frequently late, which canjeopardise getting to work on time. and the other problem is it's deeply overcrowded. you pay a lot to get in and out of work every day, and it's not a great service. the man running the review agrees regions like the north of england have been left behind. clearly there's a need to prioritise bad expenditure in the north, as well as other regions of the country. in manchester's main control room, tim from network rail, the public company managing the infrastructure, talks to colleagues at privately operated northern rail. while i'll try to drive, i'll wait until i've got a clear run. the review of the railways, run by keith williams, was commissioned by and will answer to the government. so it's hard to imagine he will favour labour's preference of renationalising the operation of the trains. i'm independent, so i think we should look at everything, and ourjob is to come up with a recommendation for government of whatever persuasion to take forward.

so, you will look at the balance between public and private? i think we should look at the balance between public and private, yes. he also says he'll look at the lack of clear leadership and accountability in the railways, and the complexity of the system. right, 1h80, oxford road, ready to go now. we had a passenger that was taken ill on board. this control room, just one pressure point. we have eyes everywhere and we are playing a massive game of chess, really, because we've got passengers that are getting to the airport, we want them on time. and that's what's at stake, people's livelihoods, our economy, a reliable railway, that works for the greater good. tom burridge, bbc news, greater manchester. a british sailor whose yacht was crippled by a fierce storm in the southern pacific ocean has been rescued. susie goodall — who was the youngest competitor — and the only female entrant in the solo golden globe around the world race — was stranded for days in the southern ocean, 2,000 miles from land, but this afternoon a cargo vessel from hong kong came

to heraid, bringing heraboard in stormy conditions. barry pickthall from the golden globe team said they had been speaking to susie every few hours. we've been talking about the best way to evacuate the boat and what to do and what to take. so she has had her time filled getting prepared for this lift off. so the adrenaline will have been running, and she'll be elated now. the new 0lympic sports of surfing, softball and skateboarding have obtained funding from uk sport ahead of the 2020 olympic and paralympic games in tokyo. and wheelchair rugby, table tennis and badminton are three of the big winners among a total of 1a sports that will benefit from the extra money. our sports correspondent natalie pirks has the story. an in quite like this before, with

skateboarding new for tokyo, there was a much—needed injection of cash for them and 13 others. not all of the sports have medal prospects, but at least for now some athletes have at least for now some athletes have a fighting chance of qualifying. at least for now some athletes have a fighting chance of qualifyingm is going to help hugely. in a lot of ways. travel is expensive. it means it won't be coming out of my money, i would be struggling to find the money, it will take the stress off that. sports like wheelchair rugby and badminton were amongst those handed cash today after having millions stripped following the real 0lympics. new events for 2020 like climbing and surfing also came away with cash but these figures are dropped in the ocean compared to the kind of money handed out to sports like growing ahead of the tokyo 0lympics like growing ahead of the tokyo olympics and paralympics. this is about specific athletes on a journey to tokyo. —— sports like rowing. it's about long—term, sustainable pathways for athletes so they are

supported to be the best they can be. it isn't much cash but it is a boost to those who have dayjobs, for example, or those who have to travel to far—flung places around the globe. carla burkett is on britain's karate team, also a new sport for tokyo. before today she was having to crowd and to get events. it is difficult. a lot of the people i am up against here are fully funded and full—time. we work. it isa fully funded and full—time. we work. it is a struggle. sports who bid for this not only proved they could compete but also they could inspire. britain's softball team believes this money could change everything. it's a real possibility that britain could be at the olympics. it would be cool if it was more of a household name, you would say it and people would know what it is. not long to wait until we find out. natalie perks, bbc news. —— natalie

pirks. time for a look at the weather... here's lucy marten. a beautiful photos sent in from one of our weather watchers in aberdeen earlier. there have been some beautiful sunsets, but also somewhat and windy weather today, courtesy of this area of low pressure to the north of the uk gradually edging east as we move through tonight. during this evening, there will be windy weather for scotland, slowly shifting into parts of northern ireland and northern england. that is where we will see the windiest conditions. further showers to, as they work their way east through the night. some heavy ones in there. temperatures cooler in the south compared with late. we are looking at fairly wet and windy weather. saturday brings showers. it'll turn drier but also cold as we move through the day to sunday. we start of saturday with sunny spells and showers. those are showers largely

in the north and west. they will turn cloutier with the showery outbreaks pushing in from the west. a fairly breezy day on saturday. ten richest between nine to 11, and between 11 to 13 in the south. —— temperatures between nine to 11. there will be further showers as we move through the night. they are gradually sinking south. through the night and into sunday, we will pick up night and into sunday, we will pick upa night and into sunday, we will pick up a more night and into sunday, we will pick up a more northerly wind, making things fresh on sunday. sunday sta rts things fresh on sunday. sunday starts windy in the south. showery outbreaks of rain gradually clearing south. we have that cooler, northerly wind, and that'll make things feel fresher. still a few showers to look out for in northern and western parts. temperatures reaching a high of 11 celsius. thanks. 0ur thanks. our top story: there could

be disruption at channel ports for up be disruption at channel ports for up to six months if there is no brexit deal. that's all from the bbc news at six — so it's goodbye from me — and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s news teams where you are. this is bbc news. they headlined: warnings that channel ports could face six months of disruption if britain leaves the eu without a deal. the latest warning from the government comes as 30 ministers fan out around the country, trying to sell theresa may's brexit plan. police in new zealand say missing british backpacker grace millane was last seen with a male companion at her hotel. three years injailfor a her hotel. three years in jail for a teenager who sent thousands of hoax bomb threats to schools and triggered an american airline security scare. british chairwoman sue goodall is rescued after being stranded in the pacific for two days. her boat capsized during the golden globe race. in a moment, it will be time

for sportsday, but there is a look at what is coming up. after seven we will hear about how kent roads may become gridlocked in the event of an idea brexit as minister is that dover could face disruption for up to six months. at eight, we will find out how paris is preparing for the next wave of so—called yellow vest protests, due to take place this weekend. and later this evening, we will find out what is on the front of tomorrow's front pages with our reviewers. the political correspond of the times and jason beattie, head of politics at the daily mirror, willjoin us. that is all head on bbc news. now it's for sportsday. hello and welcome to sportsday. ben stokes and alex hales won't miss any more cricket for england — despite being found to have to have brought the game into disrepute. jurgen klopp, the liverpool boss, isn't happy at his player being branded as "cheating" by the burnley boss sean dyche. england will miss influential

midfielderjordan nobbs