this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines at 11am: the home secretary, sajid javid, cuts short his holiday and returns to the uk to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. the trade secretary, liam fox, says the chances of britain leaving the eu will only be 50—50, if mps reject the prime minister's brexit deal. also this hour, the health secretary, matt hancock, sets out plans to provide better support for mothers and babies in england. the proposals would include more specialist neonatal staff, and targets to halve the number of stillbirths, and maternal and infant deaths, by 2025. stars from the entertainment world remember comedy actress, dame june whitfield, best—known for her roles in terry and june and absolutely fabulous, who's died at the age of 93. and coming up: foreign correspondents panel give their views on the next 12 months around the globe, that's in dateline london at 11:30am. good morning.

the home secretary, sajid javid, is returning to the uk today, after cutting short his holiday, to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. mrjavid is under pressure to take tougher action on the issue, but he's insisted there's no single easy answer. more than 220 migrants have attempted the crossing since the start of november. simon clemison reports from dover. risking their lives in a tiny boat, crossing the world's busiest shipping lane — these migrants are some of the 220 who have been picked up since the beating of november, alone. who have been picked up since the beginning of november, alone. the number is small, compared with the million or so who crossed the mediterranean, three years ago. but the figure is rising — up from a dozen, who successfully

crossed the channel last year. the home secretary is now promising further action, but it's not yet clear exactly 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 to the french government, later. as with the relatively calm conditions, the boats show no sign of stopping. earlier, our correspondent in dover simon clemison spoke to the town's mp charlie elphicke — who called for a clear plan to tackle the crisis. i think the home secretary's been absolutely right in declaring a major incident, appointing a gold commander, treating it seriously. this has been building up over the last two months. it's good that he's taken personal charge. what we now need is a clear plan and a strategy. for me, that is have a dover patrol, with the five cutters, have more investment in our borders, particularly intelligence, and deeper cooperation with the french.

indeed, joint working across the channel, and not being too specific about the 15 mile zone, where our border is. be more flexible in treating it as a joint zone, where we work together with the french, so we can help repatriate people back to the northern french coast. and if they don't, the dangers are there for all to see, aren't they? absolutely. i think we have to do this and we have to work jointly with the french on a humanitarian basis. you know, it is the compassionate and humanitarian thing, to make sure that people don't leave northern france on perilous journeys across the english channel — a great hazard to their lives. remember, this isn't normal trafficking, this is men, women and children on the high seas, in the middle of winter, where they should not be. we've got to stop this and stop it now. the conservative mp for dover and deal. earlier, our political correspondent jessica parker gave us an update on the reaction from the government.

there are concerns that the worst could happen, that this is an incredibly dangerous journey that some people are taking. there has been a lot of focus on the number of patrol vessels, known as cutters, that are currently operating in the dover strait. only one out of the five in the border force fleet. we know that sajid javid, the home secretary, says that is under review but no easy answers with this issue. among the things we understand he will be doing today is talking to the french interior minister, because, at the end of the day, obviously, to some extent, this problem is originating in calais. there needs to be that cross—channel working with france. so no doubt that is something that maybe government felt only the highest level officials and politicians could deal with at this stage, to really give this situation the oomph that it needs to get something sorted in what is a very complicated and difficult matter. while we are talking about political developments, brexit, it has been relatively quiet on the brexit front over christmas. but liam fox has had something to say today, about what would happen if the prime minister doesn't get her brexit

deal through parliament. yes, he's said if she doesn't get her brexit deal through parliament, he thinks there is only a 50—50 chance that brexit will happen at all. he's been talking to the sunday times about this. we know, of course, liam fox, international trade secretary, he likes to put numbers on things. i think it august last year, where he said he thought a no deal scenario was 60—40. that headline was well discussed at the time. this is all part of a wider government tactic that we have been seeing, warning conservative mps who do want to deliver on brexit, that if they reject theresa may's deal, and, of course, it looked like they would, that is why she pulled and delayed the vote, then they risk getting no brexit at all. liam fox reiterating that argument, saying, " pa rliament cannot now, with any honour, renege on the result of the referendum. were they to do so, i think you would shatter the bond of trust between the electorate and parliament and i think that would put us into unprecedented territory with unknowable consequences. " so, those warnings, that pressure on conservative mps to get behind

theresa may's deal continues. of course, we know the vote is now due in mid—january. jessica parker, our political correspondent. leading figures from the world of entertainment have been remembering damejune whitfield — who has died at the age of 93. her career spanned more than 70 years, encompassing many of the highlights of british comedy. sarah campbell looks back at her life. kiss me, kiss me, bite me! bite you?! 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. .. 0h... 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 1950s, appearing in take it from here opposite jimmy edwards. in the 1970s, 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 prefer a 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? laughter.

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 whitfied who damejune whitfied who has died at the age of 93. well, joining me on the line is actorjohn challis, who worked alongside june in the only fools and horses spin off, the green green grass. thank you for being with us. what made her such a terrific star with such an extraordinary long career, 70 years. i loved the characters, i was always fascinated by the character and so on. i was always a character and so on. i was always a character actor like her. i loved her. i grew up with her. luckily, i

found myself in the rivals, with her. she was brilliant. using all the wrong words all the time. a great thrill to meet her. her daughter was in the chair as well. that was a great pleasure. that show. later on, as you say, when we did the spin off, the green green grass, she played marlene's mother. shall we say not a very comfortable relationship, boy see dora and my character. it was a treat to play with her. my timing is superb. she said she never wanted to play leading roles. she was one of those people we all grew up with. someone

said you can't do a sitcom about june whitfield. —— withoutjune whitfield. she was so modest and she had a dry sense of humour. she told it like it is. i loved the quotes about... i like being in a nursing home, i don't have to worry about the plumbing anymore, of her. as you say a long career. i remember her in terry and june but younger, people remember her in absolutely fabulous, brilliant at reinventing herself. absolutely. it is a testament to the quality she had. 60, 70 years, she never stopped, she always seems to have been doing something. fab was a brilliant late career invention. quite a new audience. itjust went

on and on. it was so sad it has to come to an end. at least i had a chance to work with her on a couple of occasions. she has been described bya of occasions. she has been described by a lot of the papers as a national treasure, sometimes a term overused but in her case, really applicable. i think but in her case, really applicable. ithink so, but in her case, really applicable. i think so, yes. all her characters... she is one of those people. so valuable in this profession, when you think of her, you smile. and all her creations. shejust added so you smile. and all her creations. she just added so much to our lives from that point of view. because of those characters. shejust from that point of view. because of those characters. she just had that timing and her characterisation just made life a bit better and a bit more charming, i think. well, thank you so much for remembering june

whitfied with us. the health secretary, matt hancock, has set out plans to provide better support for mothers and babies in england to try to halve the number of stillbirths, and maternal and infant deaths by 2025. he said the measures would make the nhs the best place in the world to give birth. 0ur health correspondent smitha mundasad reports. more than 646,000 babies were born in england last year. and the vast majority of new arrivals were delivered safe and well. but, tragically, this is not always the case. in 2017, there were 2,679 stillbirths. and last year, 1,857 babies died in their first month of life. there have been steady improvements in the last few years. but there are concerns that england's maternity services lag behind some other european countries. the health secretary's ambition is to make england the best place to give birth in the world.

there's a whole package of safety measures around maternity care to make sure that we have the right number of midwives. we will have 3,000 more midwives. we've got record midwives in training at the moment. and we want to make sure that the very best care that we see in the best hospitals is replicated right across the country. the new measures include more specialist neonatal staff to care for newborns. and more cots in intensive care. more mothers will get physiotherapy after childbirth. and child health records, known by many as the red book, will soon be available on smartphones, making it easier to share information between parents, carers and the nhs. the hope is these measures will go some way to helping the nhs save an additional 4,000 lives by 2025. but some will argue that much more needs to be done

to keep both mothers and babies safe. smitha mundasad, bbc news. councils in england should be forced to consult local communities before cutting down trees, according to proposals from the environment secretary michael gove. it follows three years of protests in sheffield, where more than 5,000 trees were chopped down and replaced. mr gove says it's right that residents have a say. the labour mp lucy powell has accused private schools of cheating the exam system to improve their results, by entering pupils for international gcses. the exams have been criticised as less rigorous than the standard exams taken by most state school pupils. in a statement, the department for education said "the international gcses had not been through the same approval and quality control process as the new gold standard gcses, which is why they are no longer recognised in school performance tables. "

the headlines on bbc news... the home secretary, sajid javid, cuts short his holiday and returns to the uk to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the channel in small boats. the chances of britain leaving the eu will be about 50—50, if the prime minister's withdrawal agreement is rejected by mps, the international trade secretary, liam fox, has told the sunday times. stars from the entertainment world remember comedy actress dame june whitfield, best—known for her roles in terry and june and absolutely fabulous, who's died at the age of 93. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. more premier league action with

chelsea hosting crystal palace in the next 45 minutes. later manchester city will be looking for a crucial win over southampton to narrow that gap with leaders liverpool who are now nine points clear at the top following an emphatic victory over arsenal. adam wild was watching the action. around anfield, the best way to avoid the post—christmas blues is to follow the reds. the festive season to savour with liverpool reaching highs, their hopes on the rise as well. they had gone behind against arsenal, but two goals in 90 seconds from roberto firmino turned this right around. a third from sadio mane, the kind of free—flowing brilliance to which their fans have become accustomed. mo salah added a fourth from the penalty spot, before firmino did the same for his hat—trick. you'll never walk alone is liverpool's famous anthem, but, in truth, no—one can keep up. i thought we were really good in the game, and we did exactly what we wanted to do. yeah, for 2018, i have nothing

to moan about, any more. there has, of late, been plenty of festive cheer at tottenham — harry kane here adding a little more sparkle. goodness me. what a strike from harry kane! but that was as bright as it got. in the second half, spurs faltered, wolves pouncing on any sign of weakness — three goals in the final 18 minutes. how quickly moods can change. the same can be said at fulham. not much to cheer about there this season, so when they were awarded a penalty against fellow strugglers huddersfield, the last thing they needed was a squabble about who would take it. aboubakar kamara won that row. he might wish he hadn't. so aleksandar mitrovic had a point to prove. three points for fulham was his final word on the matter. perhaps the goal of the day came from cardiff's victor camarasa. it came late against leicester, but worth waiting for, as they end their year in spectacular style. so that game between chelsea

and crystal palace gets under way in around 40 minutes. then it's that all important match for manchester city against southampton. can they end their run of defeats? manchester united are at home against bournemouth. as always, there will be live text commentary on the bbc sport website. cameron norrie has been beaten by roger federer in the first match of great britain's latest hopman cup group tie against switzerland. norrie had the unenviable task of trying to defeat the man who's won 20 grand slam titles and was swept away 6—1, 6—1. norrie is teamed up with katie boulter, who plays belinda bencic in her singles match before they all meet in a mixed doubles match. britain beat greece in their first group tie. india's cricketers have beaten australia in melbourne to go 2—1 up in the four—test series.

australia still needed 141 more runs to win at the start of the final day but only had two wickets remaining. and they lost both of those for just three runs. it was the first time india have won a test match in melbourne since 1981. also overnight, new zealand wrapped up their two match series against sri lanka with a huge 423 run win in the second test in christchurch. the first match was drawn. staying with cricket, australia's cameron bancroft could manage only two on his competitve return to the sport, this morning. bancroft was one of three players banned for ball tampering during that test match against south africa, last march. he was playing for perth scorchers against hobart hurricanes this morning, but was out after facing just three balls. hobart easily chased down their target of 108 with six wickets and 15 balls to spare. two—time champions gary anderson and michael van gerwen

will meet in the pdc world championship semi—finals later. anderson beat dave chisnall 5—2 in his quarterfinal, while number one seed van gerwen beat world number 74 ryan joyce 5—1. the other semi this evening will be between michael smith and nathan aspinall. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. clashes between supporters of rival political parties in bangladesh have left ten people dead, as people vote in a general election marred by claims of vote rigging. reports said three were shot dead by police. the prime minister, sheikh hasina, is seeking a third successive term. the opposition alliance has complained of intimidation and widespread irregularities. polls have now closed. more than 100 million bangladeshis were eligible to vote. the bbc‘s yogita limaye is in the capital, dhaka,

and sent this report from a polling station. people lining up here in the city of dhaka to cast their vote. inside there, it is still a paper ballot, so it's on a piece paper these people can tick off their choice. but for the first time bangladesh, in six constituencies, electronic voting machines are also being used. now, during this selection, the opposition has very strongly said that it's not been a fair one. the main opposition party here in bangladesh, the bangladesh national party, their leader, their big face, khaleda zia, is injail on corruption charges. she says they are politically motivated, but she cannot contest this election. and in other ways as well, the opposition says the electoral commission has been biased against them, that the police have been acting as an extension of the ruling party, in detaining and arresting their activists. now, i put all of these allegations, i asked prime minister sheikh hasina,

about them, two days ago. she said they are not true. she said the opposition has lost the confidence of the people and that's why they are making these accusations. her main pitch to the people of bangladesh is that her government has brought development to this country. that the rate of growth has increased rapidly and that poverty levels have been falling as well. indeed, on the ground, when you drive around the city of dhaka, pretty much everywhere you will see posters of candidates from the prime minister's awami league party. it's actually really hard to find any campaign material or flyers from the ppposition. from the opposition. what we also saw on the last day of campaigning here in the city of dhaka was lots of street marches, tens of thousands of people from the awami league party, supporters of the prime minister, out on the streets, campaigning for her. 0n the other side, it was quite quiet, just a few door—to—door campaigns. they are saying they were not given permission to hold big rallies or political marches, at least in this city, at least in dhaka. so, increasingly on the ground, it does feel like a very one—sided contest.

a 21—year—old man has died following an incident outside a house in wigan. police were called by the ambulance service shortly after 9:30pm on friday evening, following reports a man had been assaulted in abram. william livesley was taken to hospital but died from his injuries yesterday. police are questioning a 57—year—old man. a man credited with saving the lives of about 350 jewish children during the second world war has died, aged 108. george luanjay 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". anti—government demonstrations have continued across france for a seventh weekend —

with the so—called yellow vest protesters taking to the streets. police fired tear gas in paris and barricades were set alight in bordeaux. georgina smythe has the story. the seventh saturday of yellow vest protests. and the streets of france are still burning. this scene, filmed by onlookers on the streets of paris, the latest in a movement that ignited with fuel tax increases and exploded into so much more. an olive branch of tax and salary concessions was offered by president macron early this month, but anger is still high across france. in bordeaux, police barricades were hijacked by demonstrators, stacked high and set alight. further north, in nantes, canisters of tear gas were deployed, as peaceful demonstrations turned violent. translation: we will continue until we win, until macron backs

down and gives us what we deserve — more purchasing power, less taxes, a healthy life, without having to tighten and tighten the belt at the end of every single month. in the capital, yellow vests converged on the steps of media outlets, ensuring the movement stays firmly on the news agenda. translation: i don't think we are slowing down. i think there is a desire to discredit the movement, a willingness to say the yellow vests are slowing down. but that is not the case. organisers of the capital's new year's eve fireworks and light show say preparations will continue for the event, despite plans for more protests on the night. a message to the government that the movement will not fade for 2019. georgina smythe, bbc news. the favourite is one of the leading contenders at the forthcoming awards season.

the film is set in the early 18th century, when a frail queen anne, played by olivia colman, occupies the throne. here's our entertainment correspondent lizo mzimba. dearest queen, how goes the kingdom? this oscar—tipped comedy—drama follows the behind—the—scenes manoeuvring as everyone tries to win favour with an eccentric queen. look at me! how dare you?! close your eyes! playing two of the scheming characters, a pair of britain's brightest young stars — joe alwyn and nicholas hoult. harley's a politician who's playing the chess game of the court, essentially, and trying to get to the queen's ear, because then he knows he can gain what he wants in that world. so, yeah, he's very manipulative. i'm not the brightest character. i think i'm a bit of an airhead, and i run around lustfully after abigail, who emma plays. there's this kind of cat—and—mouse power play between the two of them in the scenes that they're together, and she uses him. he has some status,

and she uses him for that. although set in the 18th century, the story explores power and relationships in a way that still has a relevance today. go back to your rooms. thank you. making these things isn't... when you're kind of inside the bubble of it, it isn't something you're necessarily aware of. but when it comes out, especially in the current climate, there are comparisons — both in terms of politics, or even gender politics. he's referring to the fact that, unusually for hollywood, the three most powerful characters are all women — a refreshing and significant change to the kind of films the cast are used to being offered. sometimes, you read scripts, and i've noticed it before, where you read it and you go, that's not a well—developed female character, or it's trying to be put into an archetype that doesn't exist. so, yes, it's important for it to reflect what's happening in society, definitely. may i exhort the chamber to roar a mighty hurrah for her majesty in her brilliant decision not

to raise the land tax? hurrah! the film is overflowing with british talent, something often seen as a quality mark to us audiences. it's the accent! he laughs. i think we're hard—working, i think that's something about it, and also, we love what we do. i think sometimes — nearly all the brits that i know are in it for the right reasons. you know, so that's a big thing for it. but, yeah, also the accent. it has already been recognised at award ceremonies here and in the us, and if the favourite ends up living up to its name at next year's academy awards, few will be surprised. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen. a grey and misty start, we had some fog but that is lifting now. it is

hoped we will see brightness and sunshine for the remaining of this sunday particularly in eastern areas but for most of the rest of today and tomorrow, 2018 looks mostly cloudy. relatively mild because there is high—pressure to the south, westerly wind comes our way. ahead of the moisture, the cloud, it comes in from the west it is leaden. drizzly rain will continue across the highlands of scotland, northern ireland and england and wales. those areas sheltered from the westerly breeze in eastern areas the best chance of seeing brightness. temperatures around 11, well above where they should be for this time of year and it will stay mild this evening and overnight. holes in cloud, starry skies, temperature is made it back to 4 degrees. more likely they will be filled in with mist, low cloud and fog as we head towards the morning of new year's eve. overnight lows in the towns and cities, relatively mild night. another great start, there could be some fog this morning. the main fly

in the ointment for new year's eve celebrations, this weather front and how quickly it slips southwards. in the day, mostly in the highlands and the day, mostly in the highlands and the islands with a brisk wind setting in, severe gale for the northern isles later on. come midnight, that could sink further south towards the central belt. for most, a dry and bright situation, brighter than today because we have got more breeze to stir up that cloud. new year's eve for most of us, as it strikes midnight into new year's day looks mostly dry, rather cloudy and just across scotland where the weather front is weakening. it will be instrumental, that weather front. it changes the orientation of our high pressure, which moves to the west of the uk, allowing the wind to come down from the north, much colder direction for us. the north, much colder direction for us. we will see quite a dramatic change in the weather for the start of the new year, the return of more