good morning. welcome to breakfast — with naga munchetty and rachel burden. our headlines today: the home secretary cuts short his holiday amid calls for tougher action to cut the number of migrants crossing the channel. inside of me, there is a thin person just screaming to get out. just the one, dear? a "sensational talent", funny and generous. the acting world pays tribute to damejune whitfield who's died at the age of 93. voters go to the polls in bangladesh, following an election campaign plagued by violence and complaints of intimidation. good morning. liverpool extend their lead at the top after thrashing arsenal to make it a ninth consecutive premier league victory. good morning. it is foggy out there in some parts of southern and eastern england. that is to watch for this morning. it is a sloped writing process through the day as the wrinklies out into the north sea. —— a slow ripening process. i

will have more in about 15 minutes. it's sunday 30th december. our top story: the home secretary, sajid javid, has promised to do more to stop small boats carrying migrants across the english channel, after cutting short his holiday to deal with what he described as a "major incident". the government has come under mounting pressure to take tougher action but mrjavid insists there "is no—one easy answer". simon clemison reports. risking their lives in a tiny boat crossing the world's busiest shipping lane, these migrants are some of the 220 that have been picked up since the beating of november alone. the number is small compared with the million or so that crossed the mediterranean three years ago. but the figure is rising — up from a dozen successfully crossed the channel last year. the home secretary is now promising further action, but it is not yet clear what additional measures he's going to take. mps have called for more patrol boats capable of rescuing several dingies at once, but sajid javid has so far only said he will keep the numbers under review. he has spoken of continuing to ensure more is done to intercept

boats, tackle traffickers, and deter and protect migrants. sajid javid is expected to speak with the french government later, as with the relatively calm conditions, the boats show no sign of stopping. our reporter simon clemison‘s in doverfor us this morning. simon, i mean, obviously we know sajid javid has cut this holiday short. the question is, what can be done? good morning. good morning, naga. we have not seen any lifeboat sent out from here overnight, but if you speak to people here they will tell you it is a much more regular occurrence. something ministers, they want to show again today, that they want to show again today, that they are getting on top. but what can be done? union rep resenting border force says it has been stripped to the bone. there are these five cutter ships, a mention in my report, but only one in the dover strait. he bring some back on

the mediterranean? i think the fear is that that would only encourage more migrants, because they may feel they have cover in terms of safety, because it can pick up two boats. opponents say that is not the case, the ships are more of a deterrent, better at intercepting the traffickers. equally important the home secretary will be the phone call to france, what is happening on the channel or what is happening on the channel or what is happening on the other side of the channel, can they stop this problem at its source? amazingly, no—one has been killed it. mps are saying it is a matter of time. that is the concern. thank you very much. simon clemison there for us. tributes have been paid to the comedy actress dame june whitfield, who's died at the age of 93. in a career spanning six decades, damejune starred in more than 1000 tv and radio programmes, including the sitcoms terry and june and absolutely fabulous. sarah campbell looks back at her life. kiss me, kiss me, bite me! bite me! i can't, dear, i'm a vegetarian! in a career spanning seven decades, june whitfield played alongside some of british comedy‘s greatest talents. what's it like,

living in the jungle? well, it's... drums play. it's rather dull and boring, really. i realised very early on that i was never going to play the glamorous, you know, leading lady roles. and serious roles, i always thought, ooh, i'd better not do that. they might laugh at me. and laugh they did. as a comedy performer, she first found fame on the radio in the 19505, appearing in take it from here oppositejimmy edwards. in the 19705 she teamed up with her regular comedy partner, terry scott, in terry and june. hello, darling. i'm having awful trouble deciding what to give you tonight. well, you can start on an explanation.

i'm talking about food. what about eating out? what about the garage? 0h, i'd much prefera restaurant. # wheels on fire. but, to younger audiences, june whitfield will be best known as edina's mother in ab fab. inside of me, there is a thin person just screaming to get out. just the one, dear? and, even in old age, she continued to delight audiences on programmes like radio's news huddlines. a versatile and reliable performer to the end. dame june whitfield, who's died at the age of 93. so many tributes to her in the papers this morning. and on social media. friends and co—stars have taken to twitter to pay their respects. joanna lumley posted a picture of herself with dame june, and said her thoughts go out to her friends and family. comedian miranda hart tweeted:

and julia sawalha, who played the granddaughter of dame june's character in absolutely fabulous, says: someone who will be sorely missed and who was greatly admired in the acting world. the tide is six 7am. —— six minutes past seven. five people are reported to have been killed in bangladesh, as polls opened in a general election, where the prime minister, sheikh hasina, is seeking a third successive term.

more than 100 million people are eligible to vote. yogita limaye told us earlier — heavy security is in place after a campaign marred by violence and allegations of a crackdown against the opposition. here the voting has been peaceful. i was at an election booth earlier on. even before the polls had opened there was a queue of people lining up to cast their vote. prime minister sheikh hasina is seeking a third consecutive term in power. she says she has brought development to this country, she says the rate of growth has been rising rapidly and poverty levels have been falling. many of these things are statistically true, as well. the one big criticism of the government, which has been growing over the last two years, and which the opposition is raising as an election issue, is that her government have been stifling dissent in this country. the opposition says that they have not been able to campaign freely, that the election camp that may commission has been biased against the party, their candidates have been disqualified, police have been arbitrarily arresting and detaining supporters and activist. there is violence and intimidation

being created so that the opposition is not able to fairly contest the selection. i asked prime minister sheikh hasina about these accusations and she denied them. she said the opposition is not able to provide any proof of the claims they are making. she said the reason they are making the allegations is because they have lost the confidence of the people. certainly, on the streets what we have seen is that pretty much all over you will see posters and flyers of ruling party candidates, but it is hard to actually spot any campaign material from the opposition in the city at least. yogita limaye there for us. scientists, politicians, and food experts have written a letter to the government, calling for action to tackle the health risks posed by processed meats. they say nitrites used to cure bacon and ham can cause cancer. the letter says a lack of awareness is in stark contrast to the warnings regularly issued about fat and sugar. there's a 50—50 chance brexit will be stopped if mps reject theresa may's deal in a vote in parliament next month — that's according to international trade secretary liam fox. dr fox, who's a leading brexiteer, has told the sunday times, that if the commons fails

to support the prime minister, the bond of trust between the electorate and parliament will be destroyed. special stuff for newborns and extra funding for intensive care are just some of the measures designed to halve the number of stillbirths, maternal, and infant death by 2025. more than 1800 babies in uk died before they were one—month—old in 2017. a man credited with saving the lives of around 350 jewish children during the second world war has died, aged 108. georges loinger would take the children to play football on a pitch near the border with neutral switzerland — where they'd slip through an unguarded fence to safety. the resistance hero was later awarded the french military cross and the holocaust memorial foundation described him as an "exceptional man". an extraordinary story.

take a look at these pictures from japan, which has been hit by heavy snow. in some areas nearly two metres of snow has piled up — much more than the seasonal average. blizzards are forecast to continue through the rest of the weekend, mainly in the coastal areas. officials are urging people to make preparations for snowstorms, high waves, and frozen roads. it looks absolutely bitter. we will have our own weather forecast, which is much more miles in the uk. have our own weather forecast, which is much more miles in the ukw certainly is. none of that white stuff. not even a frost at the moment. it is coming. helen will have the latest in a few minutes. moment. it is coming. helen will have the latest in a few minutesm is ten minutes past seven. we will turn our attention to an incredible actress with an extraordinary career. damejune whitfield's long career spanned across stage, radio and television. she starred in the popular carry on films, and even made appearances in eastenders and the american sitcom,

friends. for many, she'll be remembered for her role in absolutely fabulous alongsidejennifer saunders and joanna lumley. we'rejoined on the phone now by the show‘s producer, and former head of bbc comedy, jon plowman. jon plowman, thank you very much for talking to us. i said i was delighted, it is very sad news, but iam glad delighted, it is very sad news, but i am glad i am talking to someone who knew june very i am glad i am talking to someone who knewjune very well and had experience working with her. first of all, our condolences. you have lost a friend and nikolic. what are your at this time was blue she was absolutely a consummate professional. you would give her pages of script and she would look at them and she would work out where the laughs were and she would do her damnedest then, every period of rehearsals, to get them. she absolutely knew what she was doing, not least because she had been doing

it from, i think, something like 70 years. how did her career stand the test of time? because it has, hasn't it? i think it stood the test of time because she was very good. she was very good at what she did. she was very good at what she did. she was very good at what she did. she was very good at working with people, she was very good at working with people who thought they were stars, at least, even if they won't. and she knew how stuff worked. she knew that if she had to play a character and it was a short piece, she better do something reasonably large and if it was, you know, a longer character, like the character ofjune in terry and june, she longer character, like the character ofjune in terry andjune, she had better played real, street. and she was very good at it. sol better played real, street. and she was very good at it. so i think people thought, oh well, we will have more of her. and so she just

ke pt have more of her. and so she just kept at it. and she was very good at it. in many ways she was a paneer when it comes to comedy. she was, she played a leading role in a comedy when they were not many women in leading roles in television. —— paneer. yes, i guess that is true. but she was known to the audience before then by radio, possibly most famously in a show called take it from me. she replaced joy nichols. she was much loved for the character. and television, therefore, hurray, it isjune whitfield who we know the sound of and we like the look of. although she was a pioneer, i think she was a paneer with a record once television

started. she was very self-effacing about her own career, later in life, almost she said leading lady wasn't for her and accepted almost the secondary roles, but as you suggested, did so well. well, yes, she did. she absolutely knew how to make them work. she knew what was needed. she was very, very good at herjob. she needed. she was very, very good at her job. she might needed. she was very, very good at herjob. she might have said she did not want to be a leading lady, i am sure every actress wants to be a leading lady, but she knew there was a rich vein of comedy to be found in the part she was offered and played with great professionalism. jon, it is interesting reading the comments on social media from fellow actors, who have spoken about her kindness

and approachability. tell me about her onset, in thejob, as a person. —— on that set. her onset, in thejob, as a person. -- on that set. it is interesting that until a few years ago she was playing a mother every christmas. that is how she was most of the year. she was sweet, she was entirely kind and nice, never grand, neverdemanding, and entirely kind and nice, never grand, never demanding, and just said ok, when you want me, i will be there, and did the job and was very good at it. and she will be sorely missed. jon plowman, the former head of bbc comedy. it is so much for talking to us on comedy. it is so much for talking to us on breakfast and reminiscing about the career of june us on breakfast and reminiscing about the career ofjune whitfield. thank you. she had this amazing sort of timeless, ageless quality. you would

never have known she was 93, but what a rich career to celebrate. now to the weather, and how is it looking out there, helen? good morning, both. it is, that they are at the moment, but with mild weather and winds coming in of the atlantic there is a lot of moisture, so it is also quite cloudy. we have some rain this morning starting to ease away. this is the weather front bringing the rain, moving out into the north sea. high pressure is building again across the country, hence the fact thatis across the country, hence the fact that is largely dry for many of us as well. but it is not without issues. quite foggy for parts of the home counties, the midlands, gloucestershire, oxfordshire, bucks and berkshire, for example. on the faster routes like the mao and the m25, it could be nasty for the next few hours. and it will take some time to lift and break but as that happens in the weather front moves away, the skies will brighten for the east of scotland, the north—east of england, the welsh marches as well. we will always be with thicker

cloud for the hills of scotland, england and wales, in northern ireland, leaden skies, misty over the hills, but it is mild. and it remains mostly mild overnight. where we have the cloud, it breaks, that will tend to fill in with the mist and fog so by the time we are the monday morning it could again be looking a little on the dismal side, a little bit grey and murky. not especially cold, the temperature is around five to eight celsius for most towns and cities. new year's eve looks like a settled picture after we get rid of this morning's weather front. there are weather fronts across the country for the start of new year's eve, but as the day progresses our cold weather front comes down to bring rain into the northern western isles, caithness, sutherland, eventually into the western isles north of the great glen. there could be gales in these parts by the time we get the teatime. but it is still mild, ten 01’ teatime. but it is still mild, ten or11, teatime. but it is still mild, ten or 11, even though it is a degree or so or 11, even though it is a degree or so down on today. for those heading out to see in the new year, it looks

mostly dry. it will still be rather cloudy, but that does mean it should be mild. we won't be shivering and having a frost, not at least tomorrow evening. things change as we go into the new year. high pressure sitting to the west. at the moment it is to the south of us, so we have a westerly wind. buy new year's day it is fitting to the west of us, so temperatures are going to get away this week by day. but those northerly winds, clean and dry air, brings the sunshine back but also brings the sunshine back but also brings the sunshine back but also brings the night—time frost. all change for the start of our new year. thank you very much. some of the uk's ageing trains will be replaced by more than 7,000 new vehicles which are due to be rolled out across the rail network. the introduction of the new carriages follows a year of disruptions, and comes ahead of a 3% fare increase which will come into force in january. the rail delivery group brings together train operators and network rail, and we arejoined now by its regional director, robert nisbett. thank you very much for your time

this morning. so a lot of passengers listening to this now will want to know when am i going to see the benefits, what benefits will i see? what proportion of train passengers are going to benefit from this new stock? well, this is all around the country you are going to see these carriages rolled out, from scotland to the south—west and wales, to london, the rest of england as well. as you say, 7000 carriages in all by 2021, underpinning the 6a00 extra services we want to put on the network by the 20 20s. it is good to be sitting in that seat and talking about some good news, because it has been a particularly challenging year, i know, for passengers in 2018. and we apologise for that.|j asked 2018. and we apologise for that.” asked what proportion of passengers, can you tell me that? the proportion of passengers, 11 train operating countries around —— companies around the country. most companies will be

putting on these new carriages. this is not going in one big bang, but over the next few years, to pick out a few examples, if you look at the caledonian sleeper, for example, the entire fleet is being replaced. 75 new carriages, and on greater anglia their whole fleet, 1000 new carriages. if you are a passenger in greater anglia, you will be travelling on a new train or a refurbished as new train in the coming years, so those passengers specifically will benefit. those benefits, it is notjust the numbers iam benefits, it is notjust the numbers i am trotting out, but the actual experience for the passenger would be air—conditioning, wi—fi that actually works, more seats, battled to i lets, actually works, more seats, battled toilets, those sorts of things. —— better toilets. i think some people will believe it when they see it. there have been delays to the introduction of this rolling stock, so introduction of this rolling stock, so it has already been a lengthy process. at what stage will all of this new stock be out there? in some insta nces this new stock be out there? in some instances there has been a delay, because when you put new rolling

stock, you have to test of our contracts and sometimes it is not entirely compatible. this isjust normal with engineering projects such as this, but we have seen new trains getting onto the tracks in 2018. in scotland, for example, the hit touchy 3855 are on the tracks and are being enjoyed by customers bad —— hitachi 3855. but this is an unprecedented level of investment, £13.8 billion worth of private sector funding that is finding its way onto the tracks. and again, we appreciate it has been a really difficult year. punctuality has not been where it should be. but because a lot of these train5 been where it should be. but because a lot of these trains are new, should help with punctuality figures a5 should help with punctuality figures as well. you talk about a big chunk of private sector funding, but a large amount is coming from taxpayers. if you look at the united kingdom, we actually have the lowest level of government subsidy in the ra i lwa y5 level of government subsidy in the railways than any other country in the european union, tho5e railways than any other country in the european union, those are the eu's the european union, those are the eu'5 own figures. that is a result

of successive decisions by successive governments, both labour and conservative. they have decided to move the pendulum away from the taxpayer and putting it on the passenger. taxpayer and putting it on the pa55enger. so the day—to—day running co5ts pa55enger. so the day—to—day running costs are pa55enger. so the day—to—day running costs a re now pa55enger. so the day—to—day running costs are now covered entirely by the ticket paying pa55enger. and the idea behind it is this, but why should someone on the minimum wage who lives in hastings subsidise the commute of a wealthy businessman in altrincham. which is why we have seen prices go up and up. you said backin seen prices go up and up. you said back in june that seen prices go up and up. you said back injune that other countries could only dream of outperformance and punctuality of the trains. there was a laughing response to that from commuters. how do you compare the state of our railways with other european countries? the right elements where we are leaders in europe, safety, for example. we haven't had a passenger fatality for ten yea rs haven't had a passenger fatality for ten years on the british network, even though this is one of the most congested networks in europe. but punctuality, we have slipped, admittedly, over the last few years.

we are now pretty much middle ranking of the major countries within europe. but we also run one of the busiest railways in the uk, and what you see with this they arise, which isjust below and what you see with this they arise, which is just below the and what you see with this they arise, which isjust below the rate of inflation that is coming into effect in the new year, of every pound you spend, 98p will go on to future investment, so these new carriages we are seeing coming in, and also the day—to—day running of the railway as well. so that money is being used to invest in the railway, to get it operating much more effectively for passengers. thank you very much. it all comes down to whether it feels right, that 98p being spent. letting people enjoy the holiday before heading back to work next week. you are watching breakfast from bbc news. time now for a look at the newspapers. vicky gosling, head of british ski and snowboard, is here to tell us what has caught her eye. good morning to you, have you had a

good festive period? good morning to you, have you had a good festive period ?” good morning to you, have you had a good festive period? i have, thank you very much. let's take a look at today's front pages. dame june whitfield's passing damejune whitfield's passing as on most of the front pages. the sunday times leads with the news that sajid javid has returned early from his holiday to tackle the rising number of migrants crossing the channel. there is a concern that there are more crossings in smaller boats and the potential for a fatality is what many are faring. on the sunday telegraph this morning, they also have a picture of damejune whitfield, who has died at the age of 93. another story on their front page about extra investment for maternity units across england, in particular neonatal units. there is a big campaign to bring down the

number of maternal deaths and deaths of tiny babies before the year 2035. a quick look at the observer, exam reforms boosting private pupils in the race for universities. there is data suggesting this will benefit the education sector, basically saying that tory education reforms are giving private school pupils a huge advantage. the picture you are seeing is capped in lou rudd, who completed this amazing trek, and you are taking a look at this this morning. he was so delightful to talk to. he was sitting... well, i don't know if he are sitting or standing, but talking to us from the atla ntic standing, but talking to us from the atlantic about 6:30am daytime, and he said it feels positively balmy because it is —20 degrees.” he said it feels positively balmy because it is -20 degrees. i think it is absolutely incredible, were grabbed me with this particular article is where you see that obviously he was inspired by henry wolseley, who tried it and sadly

died, and was another really inspirational character, but the fa ct inspirational character, but the fact he actually carried the flag with the family's crest on it, and didn't even... he had to get rid of everything else, he didn't even have a change of underwear, but he took that with him all the way to the end and said it was one of the most important thing is for him —— henry worsley. the courage he has shown getting himself to the end of this is incredible, really. and i said to him, what next, and he has done so much, and he said i need to get home, i need to spend time with my family. from your point of view, dealing with sportspeople, it is difficult to know, isn't it, when enough is enough and actually there isa enough is enough and actually there is a life to live as well, and making sure you have got the balance. i think that life balance, be it in the military, my background, albeit in sport, is really tough. whether you are away training or on operations or expeditions, you have to get the balance right with family, and i

think... obviously for henry worsley‘s family, he never came home, so i think he recognised the importance of getting home to his wife and family, and thinking, actually, i have achieved this, i've given it everything. but the thing i really like about him as he demonstrates incredible courage, to get where he got. and in this article he talks about the fact that actually there were times he was thinking this is probably the worst place in the world to be right now. and yet he gets through it, gets to the other end, and sticks with it. and you wonder... and he listened to pink floyd, and he had churchill's looks, which i thought was great, and he had the autobiography as well, and you think what is it that gets in there, and it is that courage and wit, and his main goal isiam courage and wit, and his main goal is i am going to finish it, i going to ta ke is i am going to finish it, i going to take this flag with henry worsley‘s family crest on it to the end with me, and i am going to ski solo. and they were the three things that he set himself, and the target,

and he achieved. one of our colleagues, you picked up her kolomina sunday mirror talking about the kind of quality she wants to see from leaders. i thought it was quite apt having read that one about crossing... you know, during the expedition, is the fact that she picks out, at the moment, there is so much toxicity, and there is an awful lot of sort of horrible sort of feelings around at the moment, and she talks about let's focus on and she talks about let's focus on and be reminded about some of the most incredible people that we actually have in our country, and who they are, and she pulls out people like sophie power, who competed in one of the world's toughest races, and breast—fed her three—month—old baby along the way, and she is saying let's focus on the character, the collaboration, the good things, the inspirational

people. they set themselves targets of courage, of never giving up, showing compassion and doing what's right and just. and i think it's really important that we do learn by these inspiring people, and we do realise that those characteristics and those traits get us a heck of a long way. you just have to look at lou rudd and see what he's achieved. and i thinkjust doing what's right and just, and having the courage and having the compassion and the lack of toxicity, i am sure everybody thinks that, but i really like the way she highlighted that, it was a great piece on learning by what we have within this country. we will see you again in an hour and talk lots more things, including stepping away from the microwave. i am a big fan of the microwave. i don't have one. i always get slightly confused about how to use them.” one. i always get slightly confused about how to use them. i will give you a the

into a re a