the government sets out its post—brexit immigration policy — based, it says, on skills and not where people come from. but there's a rift between the home secretary and downing street over the manifesto aim of cutting net annual migration to the tens of thousands. yes or no — is it the prime minister's intention that her government will still reduce immigration to the tens of thousands? yes. we'll bring you all the details from westminster on this key piece of post—brexit policy. also this lunchtime: the uk's main business groups have appealed directly to mps to avoid the "severe disruption" of a no—deal brexit. it comes as the european commission publishes its plans for flights and freight and other areas in the event of no deal. millions of customers who stay with a company long—term are paying much more than they should, says the markets watchdog. manchester united appoint former player ole gunnar solskjaer as caretaker manager, a day after sacking jose mourinho. and a special reading of one

of charles dicken‘s best—loved stories, a christmas carol, which was published 175 years ago today. and coming up on bbc news, he "chose the wrong words". lewis hamilton apologises for calling his home town, stevenage, a "slum" during his speech at bbc sports personality of the year. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. downing street has rejected a suggestion by the home secretary, sajid javid, that the government is dropping its commitment to keep net immigration below 100,000 post—brexit. questioned this morning, mrjavid refused seven times to say whether he was committed to the target. this lunchtime the government

is announcing a new system for immigration after brexit — which it says prioritises migrants‘ skills rather than where they come from. the plans mean workers from the eu will no longer have the automatic right to work in the uk after brexit. here's our home affairs correspondent, dominic casciani. it's the issue that lay at the heart of so many votes to leave the eu. immigration. now, after more than a year of delays, and 100 days before brexit, the government is unveiling its radical reforms. and the proposals will affect almost every part of the british economy as ministers pledged to put skills before freedom of movement. two thirds of staff in this london coffee shop chain are from the eu. the owner says the highly competitive hospitality trade depends on staff from abroad. baristas from poland, cooks from italy and everywhere in between. it's really going to have a very bad effect on business, notjust mine but all hospitality

businesses, all sorts of industries across the uk. i can only see it's going to have a really bad and detrimental effect. you do not get the applications from english born people that you need to survive in this business. you need to have a pool of people coming in to be able to fill those places. the home secretary, sajid javid, says from 2021 onwards, eu workers will be treated the same as those from the rest of the world. when we set out this new immigration system later today, the biggest shake—up in 40 years, it will still show that we will absolutely be an open, welcoming country, but we will introduce a system that gives us back control. eu workers have started to dry up since the referendum in 2016, but the number of people arriving from the rest of the world has increased. that is far above the prime

minister's target to cut net migration to the tens of thousands. after hours of uncertainty, the prime minister confirmed that the commitment still stands. as the home secretary will not answer a rather straightforward question, yes or no, is it the prime minister is‘s intention that her government will still reduce immigration to the tens of thousands? yes. proposals are expected to reveal that there will be no cap for skilled workers on sections like construction, which has helped to drive up immigration. farmers would get a deal for crop pickers, and there will be no limit on those workers who come for up to a year. nhs leaders warned the minimum salary test yet to be agreed could harm public services. high skilled in the nhs does not necessarily mean salaries over £30,000, so we have junior doctors, we have nurses, we have midwives, we have paramedics, who have starting salaries under £30,000. so our concern is whether we continue to have the supply of staff that we need. but brexit supporters say the economic concerns

can be met, and the public want change. it will be great to see that we have control of our immigration policy again. that was one of the main things that people wanted from the leave vote in the referendum. these proposals represent the most fundamental shift to the uk immigration system for more than a0 years. but so many questions remain unanswered. whatjobs will we value most? how much are we prepared to pay to get the right people? and what is politically acceptable? dominic casciani, bbc news. 0ur assistant political editor, norman smith, is in westminster. further evidence of deep rifts over brexit? this was meant to be the day when the government set out its key

brexit policy, immigration rules to curb low skilled emigration to this country but the publication has been overshadowed by continued evidence of clear divisions in the cabinet so this idea of a £30,000 threshold before people can work here, that had to be put out to consultation because of cabinet breaths, and on this emblematic policy of driving net migration down to the tens of thousands, this morning downing street were telling journalists that was in the white paper, only for the home policy to go on the wireless and seven times refused to commit to the tens of thousands target, then downing street had to get on the blower to the bbc and say that sajid javid had got it wrong. in that

cabinet there are those who believe the priority must be on safeguarding the priority must be on safeguarding the economy and those who believe it must be delivering on key referendum pledges like ending freedom of movement. and there have been some extraordinary scenes in the commons just now sparked by a comment from jeremy corbyn. just now sparked by a comment from jeremy corbyn. the final pmqs of the year, a lot of argy—bargy about brexit but all overshadowed by a moment whenjeremy brexit but all overshadowed by a moment when jeremy corbyn brexit but all overshadowed by a moment whenjeremy corbyn appeared to called theresa may a stupid woman as she replied to one of his questions. that prompted furious demands for him to apologise. theresa may was questioned about it, there were points of order but have a look and form your own view of whether mr corbyn did call her a stupid woman. i have some advice for

the right honourable gentleman, look behind you, they are not impressed and neitheram... behind you, they are not impressed and neither am... now, in the aftermath of that, the speaker then got right into the row after he said ididn't got right into the row after he said i didn't see or hear anything, none of my aides saw or heard anything, but that failed to satisfy a number of conservative women and led to the spat between the leader of the house, andrea leadsom, and john bercow. these two have history because in june john bercow bercow. these two have history because injunejohn bercow was accused of calling andrea leadsom a stupid woman. after you're finding that individuals who are found to have made an welcome remarks should apologise, why is it when an

opposition member found you apologise, why is it when an opposition memberfound you had called me a stupid woman, you did not apologise in this chamber? i'll deal with the point. not apologise in this chamber? i'll dealwith the point. here, here! i dealt with that matter months ago. no love lost there. however, this may be far from over for mr corbyn. we have still to hear from the labour party officially butjohn bercow was subject of a complaint which prompted an inquiry by the standards committee but no further action was an taken. we will see what happens with mr corbyn. well, this morning the eu has published its plans to avoid major disruption if britain leaves the eu without a deal. it's focusing on how to tackle

problems in transport, financial services, and customs. 0ur europe reporter, adam fleming, is in brussels. what does it say? this is 1a new pieces of eu law to help it cope with a no deal scenario and some is quite useful to the uk as well. on aviation, british airlines can fly in and out of the eu but not around it for a year. british truckers can still bring goods into the eu from the uk for nine months before they then have to apply for a limited number of permits. auditions citizens abroad will be given help to apply for permanent residence and you will not need and visa for a short trip, and brussels will recognise some uk legislation on financial services for a year or two to prevent turmoil in the markets. the eu has been more

generous than i expected that this is still pretty bare—bones staff and the message from brussels is clear, this is not like keeping the good bits of eu membership, this is not as good as the transition or inflammation patient period on offer, in other words the deal on the table is way better than no deal —— implementation period. business groups, including the cbi and the federation of small businesses, have urged politicians to do all they can to avoid a no—deal brexit. they say firms are "watching in horror" as mps continue to fight over britain's future relationship with europe, with only 100 days to go before the uk leaves. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity, is here. tell us more about what they are saying. the federation of small businesses in northern ireland, only one in seven among their members have made

preparations and roger holling wood from the federation told us about the anxieties. there are a lot of opportunities for change that people cannot predict or manage, if you look at the amount the government committed to this yesterday, and putting army personnel ready, that shows the action taken by the government but small businesses have fio resources government but small businesses have no resources to spend on speculative plans. that is the problem, it is speculation, in theory what could happen with a cliff edge brexit is that we fall back on world trade 0rganisation rules and that means we have to impose tariffs on goods coming in and out of the eu, so exporters who export to the eu, for example cars would have a 10%

tariff, in theory there are parts, when they cross the channel, that would have a tax imposed each time, disrupting their supply chains and dairy products would have a 35% tariff, then nontariff barriers to trade, checks on compliance standards, under the eu we all recognise each other‘s standards for goods across the continent but if we crashed out, those recognitions would no longer be there so in theory they could impose customs checks and stop goods going to and fro, but whether they would do that in practice is another matter. millions of loyal customers who stay with a company for years are being exploited by them, according to the competition watchdog. the competition and markets authority found "stealth price rises" for services such as insurance, broadband and mobile phones are costing the average person nearly £900 a year. it's demanded an end to practices which it says are leaving people feeling ripped off and let down.

here's our personal finance correspondent, simon gompertz. the loyalty penalty can grind of your hard earned cash without you noticing. nick near doncaster found he was paying more than £1000 a year more than he needed to for house insurance. we were paying £1929.82 a year. loyal for 21 yea rs, the cost had tripled. shopping around got him a policy for less than £500. i think it's despicable. it's an easy way for them to earn more money so they will constantly put the price up, year after year after year, and they assume that if people are not making complaints and not chasing it up then it's a safe bet for them. nick's provider, santander, says the price went up because of claims he made. two strawberry, now a pound! two blueberry, now £1.50!

but at doncaster market nearby, explanations from big companies get short shrift. well, i think it's a disgrace, actually. because i think loyal customers should get treated better. it's outrageous, it should be the other way around. what would happen to you if you charged your loyal customers more than someone who just came in for the first time? i wouldn't last two minutes. i'd be bankrupt. the competition watchdog is targeting insurance, mobiles when they keep charging for a phone even though you've paid for it, broadband, which might need a price cap, poor savings rates and mortgage deals, and contracts for antivirus software which roll over at higher prices. we can imagine that, following this report, some companies will change their behaviours in the next few weeks and months. separately, if we believe that under british consumer law, we can take companies to court and a judge would order this company to change their behaviour. it is an issue which infuriates people because it seems unfair, it seems underhand that prices should be allowed to creep up without you knowing and it happens

because big businesses are allowed to charge their long—standing customers more. what we want to see follow is legal action, if necessary, if firms are continuing to exploit people for their loyalty, targeted price caps, as the cma have raised today, if that is what is needed to protect the most vulnerable. i think it's a strong start but there is a lot more to do. seedless satsuma! insurers say they are already changing their ways but today's message is that people should not have to be constantly in fear that companies will take advantage of them. simon gompertz, bbc news, in doncaster. manchester united have appointed their former striker 0le gunnar solskjaer as caretaker manager until the end of the season. he said united was in his heart and that it was "brilliant" to be coming back to old trafford. the club sacked jose mourinho yesterday after a string of poor results, and said it will appoint a permanent manager at the end of the season, as andy swiss reports. as a player, he was no stranger

to rescuing united... solskjaer takes it, oh, he has scored! the super sub has done it again! 0le gunnar solskjaer‘s goals made him an old trafford legend. he scored the winner in the 1999 champions league final but now he is back with a very different challenge, as caretaker manager. in a statement, solskjaer said... while the club's vice—chairman, ed woodward said... that is a hint, perhaps, of what was lacking under jose mourinho who was sacked yesterday after weeks of turmoil. and fans i spoke to this morning welcomed the norwegian's appointment. absolutely delighted. i think he's going to bring the feel—good factor back to the club. we've had negative football for so long. and we need an uplift.

we've had moyes, we've had van gaal and we've had mourinho. we need the time to make sure that we get the right appointment for our next permanent manager and i think 0le, for the next six months, will do. there were even congratulations from norway's prime minister, erna solberg. great day for norwegian football, she tweeted. but not everyone is so happy. solskjaer has only managed once in the premier league, at cardiff. that ended in relegation and the sack which some believe hardly bodes well. to be appointing an interim manager now is a shambles. let's get it right. five wins from 30 at cardiff? listen, he might have scored the winning goal in the champions league final but is this really where manchester united are at? this morning it was training as usualfor the united players. among those arriving, paul pogba, who had become disillusioned under mourinho. solskjaer will have to re—energise him and the rest of the squad as united hope the return of this club hero can start bringing back the glory days.

andy swiss, bbc news. the time is 19 minutes past one. our top story this lunchtime. downing street has rejected a suggestion by the home secretary, sajid javid, that the government is dropping its commitment to keep net immigration below a hundred thousand, after brexit. the details are being outlined in the house of commons. for the first time in more than a0 years, we will be able to say who can and who cannot come into this country. coming up on bbc news... 0le gunnar solskjaer is the new interim manager at manchester united. we'll be looking at the task that lies ahead of him — to bring the club back together. how to tackle home—grown extremism is a difficult and often controversial subject but in bradford, one scheme is aiming to help mothers spot

the signs of radicalisation in their children, both islamist and on the far right. bbc asian network's shabnam mahmood has been given exclusive access to the scheme and has sent this report. in 2017, terror attacks in manchester and london killed dozens of people. the government is trying to fight these kind of terror attacks through its prevent programme. it's designed to identify and support people at risk ofjoining extremist groups and carrying out terrorist activities. the government funds hundreds of deradicalisation programmes across the country. this one is taking place at a community centre here in the heart of bradford, and it's targeting mothers. talk about it as a family... this might look like a mother and toddler group, but these mums here are being trained to recognise signs of extremism. so, as much as all this information,

you have to remember the internet is not designed the kids. the women are from a variety of backgrounds and religions, including muslim, hindu and christian. i wanted to know more about signs and things that i can look into that can help me to understand how they're working and how they're reeling children in. this prevent—funded scheme, mothers against radicalisation, is a voluntary one, for mums who want to keep their children safe not because they are at particular risk. previously, prevent has been criticised for targeting muslims, but the director of the bradford project says they're trying to address people from all backgrounds. this is not a religious problem. this is not a faith problem. this is not an ethnicity problem.

this is a problem because someone has an ideology and a vision which then becomes a violent act. radicalisation doesn't just apply to islam communities. it does apply to the white community, so people can be influenced by the edl, the british defence league, there is so much and it isn'tjust one group it targets. anyone can become groomed and radicalised. if your child, god forbid that you spotted some signs of radicalisation, would you report him to the police? yes. i would, just to safeguard my child. i really don't know. that is quite a difficult question for me, because being a mum as well, am i doing the right thing, am i going to hurt my child? i really don't know, because you would... i think, for me personally, it so that i can protect my child. the group are hoping to expand the project to include fathers in the future. shabnam mahmood, bbc news, bradford. one of america's most senior

intelligence officials has told the bbc that china poses the biggest national security threat to the us. bill evanina, the director of the national counterintelligence and security center in washington, said the threat from russia was small in comparison. 0ur security correspondent, gordon corera, is with me. this will surprise many people. why does he say this? that's right. here in the uk the news has much more been about russia if you think in the last year about the salisbury poisoning an events like that but the longer term strategic threat, bill evanina argues, is from china, the threat that china is to american security. a different threat to russia which is disruptive, if you like, whereas from china is about economic competition and the challenge it poses. there are two ways in which that plays out, firstly argues that

they use sb not to build economic power, stealing secrets from american companies to give to its companies to grow, something he says america does not do and china denies. secondly, economic that china then gathers, his argument is, is used for implements which challenges us security including within the us itself, exerting influence even on free speech in america amongst businesses and universities. i think from a perspective of threat against the united states' national security and our interests, china is number one by far. and i think espionage is a part of that. but from a perspective of countering the intelligence threat of foreign agents, china is our biggest concern across a wide range of issues. espionage is one of the larger ones. you can sense you can sense from you can sense from that that this is pa rt you can sense from that that this is part of a wider confrontation between the us and china in particular with the trump administration over trade and many other issues but security and espionage is certainly part of that. gordon, thank you. the tech entrepreneur elon musk has been showing off

the first tunnel built by his company to try to solve the congestion problem in los angeles. mr musk says commuters will one day use automated cars to cross the city in a series of tunnels, travelling at very high speeds. 0ur correspondent peter bowes has peered inside. a new way to get around. a tunnel that transports ca rs and passengers at speeds of up to 150 mph. the one—mile stretch snakes its way under a city street to the south of los angeles. shrouded in secrecy up until now, this is elon musk‘s pet project. built by the billionaire entrepreneur's construction outfit, known as the boring company, the goal is to solve the problem of chronic traffic congestion. wouldn't it be incredible if you could travel around la, new york, dc, chicago, paris, london, anywhere, at 150 mph? it would be phenomenal. i mean, traffic is soul destroying.

it's like acid on the soul. it's horrible! it must go away! this is the start of the tunnel. it's a very narrow tunnel, just wide enough for a family car, in this case a modified tesla model x. to get through this tunnel it has what they call alignment wheels on the front that keep it on track as it's heading through this stretch of tunnel which is just over a mile long. eventually, there could be hundreds of miles connecting neighbourhoods in this sprawling city. it could ease the pain of millions on their daily commute. as long as it doesn't have any detrimental effect on the environment, i think that would be a good idea because we have had a lot of issues with traffic. i mean, personally, coming from san diego, i have a lot of issues coming here with all the traffic. so, if it works, i'm all for it. there are other alternatives. there is a high—speed rail. i used to live injapan and i think that... that's also worth exploring.

the unveiling of this futuristic tunnel is being closely watched by transport industry analysts. but is it realistic? elon musk has this amazing ability to put on a great show and make a project look like it is the shiny, glossy, finished thing. but, in reality, what he has unveiled is a concrete tunnel. it could be a sewer. it is painted nicely in white. he's got an awful long way to go from translating that into a citywide transportation network. elon musk says he hopes a network of tunnels will be running in los angeles by the time the city hosts the olympic games in 2028. while some observers are sceptical, this may be the dawning of a new era in fast, environmentally friendly transport. peter bowes, bbc news, los angeles. one of charles dickens‘ best—loved stories, a christmas carol, was published 175 years ago today. the story of scrooge,

the miser who is forced to become compassionate by ghosts, immediately sold out, and the tale has captivated people ever since. david sillito reports. so, i'm handling this very gently. this is a little bit of history. this is a first edition of a christmas carol. and it would have gone on sale today, exactly 175 years ago. well, i'm joined now by the great, great, great granddaughter of the author, charles dickens, lucinda hawksley. when it went on sale, did it actually sell out? it did. 6000 copies was the first print run and it had sold out by christmas eve so, in five days, all of them had gone. it was on its third print run by the new year. so, this was an expensive book as well. there was a real buzz then, wasn't there? yes, there really was. and i think even dickens was taken aback byjust how popular it was. it was five shillings, which was a decent amount of money.

and beautifully hand illustrated and hand coloured, absolutely gorgeous book. now, this is a bit of a moment for dickensian connoisseurs because we have this that hasjust emerged. explain what it is that we are looking at here. this is so exciting. this is the dickens lost portrait, painted by a scottish artist called margaret gillies. and this is him as he would have been when he was writing this, wasn't it? this is what he looked like when he wrote a christmas carol. this was him at 31 years old. and the intensity of those eyes, when you think about the campaigning in this book, this is what dickens looked like when he was writing it. it has been lost for 17a years. last on display at the royal academy in london in 18aa. and discovered earlier this year in a box ofjunk in south africa. quite amazing. now, for people who don't quite... well, they know the story, but what's the importance of christmas carol? the importance of a christmas carol is that dickens wanted to highlight child poverty, the iniquities of what was happening in britain in what has now become known as the hungry a0s.

the whole message of this book really is encapsulated in the two children, ignorance and want, who appear with the second christmas ghost. they are the future of the country and dickens says, if you leave children to grow up in ignorance and deprivation, society is doomed. that was david sillitoe reporting. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor lovely scenes at trafalgar square, nice to have some sunshine after the grim weather conditions yesterday. it is not quite the case of staying dry for the rest of the day because we have clumps of cloud, some claiming from the east where they have showers, but more cloud in the west and plenty of showers. this is showing up on the radar where the