good morning. welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. our headlines today: the prime minister's brexit plan goes to a commons vote, paving the way for the uk to leave the eu at the end of january. firefighters in australia are battling more than 100 fires amid a heatwave which has produced the nation's two hottest days on record. the most important un—elected job in the uk — the next governor of the bank of england, who is in charge of whether interest rates go up or down, is expected to be revealed this morning. i'll be explaining why the appointment matters. a new era at arsenal — the club is set to announce manchester city assistant coach and former gunners captain,

mikel arteta, as their next manager. # it is so easy to leave me all alone with the memory...# one of andrew lloyd webber‘s most famous musicals transfers to the big screen today — we'll ask why so many critics have their claws out for cats. iamat i am at somerset house. indoors enjoy the sights of the gingerbread centre. outdoor, rain, particularly in eastern england. yourforecast coming up. it's friday the 20th of december. our top story: the prime minister's brexit divorce deal will be put before parliament later. it comes in a year where theresa may, then mrjohnson, wrestled with mps over their plans. today is expected to feel very different as the government now has a strong majority. officially known as

the eu withdrawal agreement, it is the legislation needed to make brexit happen. this week, it was announced that the government would add a clause to rule out any extension beyond december 2020, ending what boris johnson calls years of "deadlock, dither and delay". now, with a majority of 80, the prime minister expects the bill to become law in time for the uk to cease being a member of the eu on the 31st of january. out political correspondent, jonathan blake, is in our westminster studio. what can we expect from today, jonathan? this vote has a different complexion with the majority. boris johnson will do today what he tried and failed to do earlier this year and theresa may tried and failed to do several times before him at the beginning of the year and that is to get parliament's approval for the deal he has struck with the european union on the terms of britain's

departure from the eu. it is a slightly different version of the eu withdrawal agreement mps will vote on later to the one that was put before parliament before the election. gone are guarantees to protect workers rights. the government says that will be dealt with separate legislation and inserted is a cluster stop the government allowing any kind of extension to the implementation. —— a clause for the government. labour say that is reckless and increases the chance of the uk leaving without a deal. there will be more chance for mps to debate and vote on the legislation in the new year but having this key vote before christmas is clearly intended to show that uk is well on its way to leaving the eu. worth saying as well

we'll be speaking to the brexit secretary, stephen barclay, just after 7:30 this morning. clive lewis as ben the latest and joining the race to succeed jeremy corbyn. he argues labour members should have a greater say in how the party is run. emily thornberry, the foreign secretary, is also standing. the australian prime minister has apologised for going on holidays while the countries bushfire crisis worsens. yesterday to firefighters died when they were hit by a fallen tree. bushfires in australia can be outer beasts. the flames can be unpredictable, they can be fast—moving and they can be ferocious. that is what has happened

here at a place called bargo, 90 minutes drive from the centre of sydney. the bush here has been utterly destroyed. the fires are still smouldering. a short distance away one home has been left in ruin. firefighters did manage to save most of the properties around here but in this broader area, that is under a very serious fire threat, about a0 homes have been lost and a short distance away, two volunteer firefighters were killed when, understand, a tree on that fire engine. that gives you an indication as to how dangerous it is for these firefighters. the firefighting effort is a military style operation, a squadron of water bombing helicopters is supporting hundreds, if not thousands of birds on the ground, and it is notjust in this part of new south wales that is

under threat, there are fires burning in many other parts of australia and the forecast is that over the weekend conditions could get even worse. services to honour the two victims of the london bridge attack are due to take place today. jack merritt and saskia jones had been at a conference for a prison rehabilitation programme when they were stabbed by usman khan last month. reverend patrick taylor, who is conducting the memorial service for saskia, said he hopes people will be able to celebrate her life. people have said what a remarkable person she was and i generally believe they are notjust been kind oi’ generous believe they are notjust been kind or generous because of the nature of her death, she genuinely was a remarkable person and so there is lots to celebrate as well as of the sadness of losing her in such a tragic way. the next person in charge of the bank or england is expected to be announced this morning.

nina's here with more on this. it will become official later this morning. this is a person who has to regulate banks, make sure they are well run, make sure they have enough money, which is important and they also said interest rates so their decisions will affect how much your mortgage rate goes up or down. this is the man who has become a frontrunner initially and now he has returned as a man expected to be confirmed later, it is andrew bailey. he has had a long career at the bank of england, former deputy governor, chief executive of the con docs authority. slightly co ntroversially, docs authority. slightly controversially, they have been saying they wanted to recreate the first female but that does not look like it's going to happen. he will be the i2ist governor. mark carney

isa man be the i2ist governor. mark carney is a man who has almost brought this role to the forefront and has been in the spotlight and some people say he has chosen a little bit too much and been to vocal on brexit and given up too much in advance about interest rates. he is canadian? he brought a very different feel to the bank of england taking over from mervyn king he was very traditional. he has been quite controversial. visible, relevant, a character but some would argue a little bit too much and we expect a change if indeed andrew bailey is confirmed. america is about to take another step towards being able to launch its own people into orbit again — a capability it's not had for nearly nine years. at 11:30 this morning, the boeing company will launch a nasa test capsule from florida to the international space station.

the starliner won't have anyone on board but, if it performs without incident, astronauts will start using the craft next year. american shuttles were retired in 2011 and since then, us astronauts have been using russian soyuz capsules to travel into space. it is all coming that little step closer. let's have a look at the spot. one story everybody has been talking about. another managerial move. this time after the sacking, arsenal might finally have their man. we are expecting an announcement within the next few hours. they're set to name their former captain, mikel arteta, as their new manager. he's said his goodbyes at manchester city, where he's been assistant coach since retiring as a player in 2016. in an exclusive interview with bbc sport, frank lampard says

it's going to be very special, sitting in the opposite dug—out to his old manager, jose mourinhio, when chelsea play tottenham in the premier league on sunday. boxer nicola adams tells us about her plans for the future, after deciding to retire from the sport over fears that she could lose her sight. she says she wants to pursue a career as an actor. and england's world cup winning cricket captain eoin morgan is bought by kolkata knight riders for over £500,00 in the indian premier league players' auction. it is amazing what winning a world cup will do for you. no bids last season but after winning a world cup, he has doubled the earnings. debate about gingerbread this morning. not for me. i like the idea

but not a fan. i like a ginger nut, not so sure about the gingerbread man. gingerbread man, mad! laughter -- matt. gingerbread rocks. it is christmas and nothing says christmas quite like gingerbread. look at this, think of backoff but super—sized, showstopper. this is the gingerbread city in somerset house. hundreds of architects have ditched the concrete and taken on butter and also flower and made this wonderful... these wonderful structures really. the museum of architecture. my words, they really

are showing some architectural skills in this. it is stunning and it swells just amazing. let's take a look at the forecast. outside it is a site of pouring rain for some. the forecast will see heavy rain for some, particularly in eastern areas but further west drier and sunnier. low pressure with us at the moment. the weather front running up the east of the uk. southern and eastern parts of england as far north as north yorkshire will see heavy and persistent rain which makes for a miserable rush hour this morning. massive puddles. that will last all day long across other eastern counties. further west, some sunny spells. misty in northern ireland. a few showers here and there but overall dry. cooler than yesterday.

10- 11 overall dry. cooler than yesterday. 10— 11 degrees in the south—east corner. single figures to further west you. the breeze picking up in the southern half of the country. a few showers continue, clear skies here and there and went lighter across the northern half of the country with mist and fog around. we may see attached frost across northern areas but largely frost—free into the start of your we can. tomorrow, if you are hitting the shops, there will be some dry weather. a few showers to begin with, particularly in the west but later in the day, the breeze picking up later in the day, the breeze picking up in the south—west, areas of rain pushing on and we will finish saturday afternoon and evening across the southern half of england and wales with heavy and persistent rain. temperatures similar to yesterday. a close eye on river levels because grounds have been saturated and could be issues sunday

morning. but then it clears back to a story of sunny spells. some showers mainly in the west some thundery. temperatures will be down in single figures for many and it will feel cooler as we head into christmas week. hopefully the showers will ease and things will turn drier as well. that is how it is looking. we get you on the isolator, don't we? potentially. it isolator, don't we? potentially. it is raining quite heavily so it is more of a lake ring. going well, good stuff. i think itjust adds to the jeopardy. let's take a look at today's papers. the daily telegraph says borisjohnson promises a "golden age for britain" and is planning a decade of conservative government as he lays out his plans in the queen's speech. the guardian shows the same image of the prime minister and jeremy corbyn making their way

to the state opening of parliament. the paper says there are "fears of an extreme brexit after significant alterations to the withdrawal agreement bill since the conservative's election win. the daily mail suggests britain is in a "flu crisis" and that four in ten nhs staff have not had their flu jabs. the paper focuses on health secretary matt hancock's call for all "front—line nhs staff" to be vaccinated. and online, the mirror carries a story about wayne and colleen rooney, who have had a secret bunker, underground tunnel and getaway car built into their new £20 million mansion in cheshire. the paper says the security measures have been revealed in "publicly available plans". i'm sure they are delighted those details are publicly available. all the effort and money and then talking about it on the telly. well. holly, do you have anything to say?

not at all, not in the underground bunker there. i think we will move on from there. moving on to the australian open injanuary, it's a race against time forjoe, it looks like that knee injury that has been giving her problems over the last few months is still giving her some issues —— jo. the tendinitis few months is still giving her some issues ——jo. the tendinitis in her knee might mean she could miss it. this is somewhere where she has been very successful in the past, so fingers crossed that she will be fit in time. laura robson has had to undergo her second hip surgery. we a lwa ys undergo her second hip surgery. we always talk about andy murray and his hip injury, and his operation, but it looks like laura robson's injury seems serious, too. england's cricketers, we mentioned a bit earlier on, they are in south africa for the big match on boxing day, i'm

afraid they have all been hit by the flu. so it everyone is feeling it at the moment. so many people around here have been saying they have been feeling a little bit under the weather, at least they don't have a major match to play. i am feeling fantastic. oh, rub it in. nina, what have you got for us? on the front page of the financial times we have been talking about the expectations of andrew bailey, that she will emerge as the favourite to replace mark carney, at the bank of england. we are expecting confirmation in a couple of hours. it's a big, importantjob. couple of hours. it's a big, important job. in the couple of hours. it's a big, importantjob. in the guardian, thousands of customers who tried to renew rail cards have found the website has been crashing, so over christmas, if people are taking journeys and not getting that saving, the advice is to let staff know that you tried and failed to get your rail card and they are being asked to treat you with

"understanding". i wonder how many people are going to say they don't have a rail card? just helping people save money, that is what we need to do. they say if you can provide any evidence i can e—mail, then you tried enough. have you ever ordered something online at christmas time that wasn't quite what you expected? i remember i ordered a shopping trolley that my sign could —— son could walk around with, but it was that big. how big is your son? it is only relative? it literally fit in my hand. james from south court ordered what he thought would be an eight foot santa. 80 foot. " i started putting air into

it and it kept growing and growing, i had to get neighbours to hold it down." i i had to get neighbours to hold it down. " i had i had to get neighbours to hold it down." i had a friend who ordered a baby scan to put it onto one of those canvases and do it as a surprise for the wife. when it arrived it was the size of the entire wall. it was terrifying. that is the perfect thing for people this morning. if you ordered something online, and it was the wrong size, ta ke online, and it was the wrong size, take a picture of it and send it to us. everyone knows this song, driving home for christmas stop it's been suggested it should be renamed taking is close main city to do five

—— east city mainline 225. they worked out his carbon footprint in his austin mini, and it would have been aa kg of co2, right. had he used a diesel into city, it would have produced 25 kg per person. for your information, the is coast was fully electrified by the end of the 19805, fully electrified by the end of the 1980s, so there you go. whoever got assigned to that article must‘ve thought i trained as a journalist for all of these years now i am flamming up some story out of nothing. there you go. talking about cats the movie later. what did you say about it? i'm going to save it. it's really good, it will be worth it. 6:20am is the time. we have the weather coming up a little later.

nearly 15% of rough sleepers in england are women — and the number is rising. that's according to figures given to breakfast as part of shelter‘s urgent christmas appeal. as a teenager, sabrina cohen—hatton ended up on the streets after her relationship with her mum broke down. 20 years on, she's one of the most senior female firefighters in the uk. our social affairs correspondent fiona lamdin caught up with her at a refuge for homeless women. it's quite emotional, because i know that there are people in there who we re that there are people in there who were in the same space i was once upona were in the same space i was once upon a time. i know how tough it was. the whole reason you are experiencing homelessness is because there isn't a support network around you. that safetynet has failed for you. that safetynet has failed for you. that safetynet has failed for you. that is a really lonely place. so, it's emotional because i'm remembering that. this refuge is currently home to nine women who would otherwise be homeless. this is the kitchen. 17—year—old kelsey shows us around. she has lived here for a year at

shows us around. she has lived here fora yearata shows us around. she has lived here for a year at a family breakdown. how scary was it when you realise things could go on at home? very scary. in what way? we had arguments that were bad for my ma. yeah. it's really difficult. when i was 15, my family breakdown as well and my mother had suffered really badly with her mental health after my dad died. i slept in shop doorways, i slept in derelict buildings for a while, in the porch of the church stop once i slept in a subway, i woke up in the middle of the night and some guy was laughing and my sleeping bag felt wet and there was this drunk guy that urinated all over my sleeping bag. you imagine the practicalities of that as a 16—year—old girl than. the practicalities of that as a 16-year-old girl than. raising the big issue, getting enough money to get a flight. after enough attempts,

she got a job with the fire brigade. decades later, she is one of six fire chiefs in the uk. it helps build your confidence up. 22—year—old alisa was left homeless after her relationship broke down. really, being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid of something, it doesn't. that means doing something even though you are afraid. but then nothing has to define you. day in and day out, you've done really well. you know, that is the most important thing, because they didn't tell anyone about this, so people would look at me now and theyjust think you have a normal life and thatis think you have a normal life and that is fine. but the truth is i had a terrific time. —— horrific. that is fine. but the truth is i had a terrific time. -- horrific. come here. sabrina, how was that? it was really ha rd, actually. here. sabrina, how was that? it was really hard, actually. it was like going back more than 20 years. i wish i had known back then that

people like me could have hope. fiona landen, bbc news. —— lamdin. we will be speaking to her later at 8:10am. this is ginger‘s gaze, it is the winning shot from the rspca young photographer awards. —— tinker‘s gaze. your cat probably does this every day, staring into the garden. i think that was what was going on. the 15—year—old who took this picture will bejoining the 15—year—old who took this picture will be joining us later. it's one thing to see it happening, it's another to capture the image. it's one thing to see it happening, it's another to capture the imagelj took a beautiful image of my cat, and the cut is middle and the picture is beautiful. are we going

to sit? i can put it on social media, it's no problem. she is stunning but she is evil. does not come across in the picture? no, she looks like an angel. you can't a lwa ys looks like an angel. you can't always capture their real spirits. she is not a nice cut. 6:34 a.m., it is time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm geeta pendse. a specialist emergency service, which has doctors treating patients in the community is helping to reduce pressure on a and e wards. the physician response unit is a collaboration between barts health trust, london's air ambulance and london ambulance service. medics with state—of—the—art equipment visit patients and have helped to avoid around 1,000 trips to hospital over the year, saving the nhs around £500,000. it's such a lovelyjob because i think the benefits that you can see

offered is a patient‘s case by case area large offered is a patient‘s case by case are a large and it's a real break from a&e in that you are out and you can see a different side of medicine out here. heathrow‘s expansion has been delayed by "at least 12 months", after the civil aviation authority rejected the airports spending plans. heathrow wanted to nearly quadruple the amount it spends before it gets finalapproval, overfears passengers would foot the bill if the project did not go ahead. the west london hub previously hoped to open a third runway by the end of 2026 but said this had been pushed back to either 2028 or the year after that. there's growing calls for all of us to become more sustainable this christmas. it comes as london held its biggest ever no—waste eco christmas market in east london. a series of workshops creating items like reusable crackers were held for visitors. we throw away almost 230,000 miles of wrapping paper every year

across the whole country. let's take a look at the travel situation now. there's a good service on the tubes this morning. south—western railway trains are being replaced with buses. traffic on the 813 from doug and a mentor barking. —— a 13 from doug and. now the weather. it's another wet start to other capital, a lot of surface water on the roads and pavements leading to tricky driving conditions. also, a met office weather warning, heavy rain into midday today. southern areas, that weather extends into pa rt areas, that weather extends into part of the weekend, too. check out all the details on the bbc weather website. you will notice it is certainly the heavy rain that moves its way northwards to the late morning into the first part of the afternoon. drier conditions will start to develop and it could

brighten up at times, too, but watch out for showers. a touch lower than they were yesterday the winds of lighter. —— winds later. some clear spells around, watch out for some showers, the breeze will become a touch into tomorrow morning. it is a good start of the day tomorrow than we are seeing today. and we got that warning out toward southern areas, remember, tomorrow, so still a chance of some surface water flooding. as we head into the start of next week it is looking guy and there would be some sunshine on christmas day. that sounds nice. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half—an—hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello this is breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment, but also on breakfast this morning:

# touch me, it is so easy to leave me... #. we're looking at whether new film adaptation adaptation of cats is purr—fect or a cat—astrophe. the husband and wife duo behind sherlock will be here to talk about their interpretation of horror classic, dracula. and after 9:00, we'll bejoined by peaky blinders creator, steven knight, who is remaking the festive favourite, a christmas carol. good morning, here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news: mps will vote later today on boris johnson's brexit divorce deal, which would take the uk out of the eu at the end of next month. with a majority of 80 following last week's general election, the prime minister expects to get the withdrawal agreement bill to clear the commons easily. to clear the commons easily. but the bill will come in for some

criticism from opposition parties, with labour and the snp expected to vote against it. the shadow treasury minister, clive lewis, has become the latest labour mp to join the race to succeed jeremy corbyn as leader. writing in the guardian, mr lewis praises mr corbyn but argues that labour members should have a greater say in how the party is run. the shadow foreign secretary, emily thornberry, has also declared that she's standing. the australian prime minister has apologised for going on holiday to hawaii, while the nation's bushfire crisis worsens. crews are battling more than 100 fires amid a heatwave which has produced the country's two hottest days on record. yesterday, two firefighters died when their fire engine was hit by a falling tree. in response, prime minister morrison has said he will end his leave early. two men have died in separate knife attacks in london overnight. one man, believed to be in his 20s, was killed in walthamstow. around an hour later, a man in his 30s was fatally stabbed in an unrelated attack near scratchwood park in barnet. an arrest has been made in connection

with the earlier stabbing. the head of the financial conduct authority, andrew bailey, has emerged as the favourite to become the next governor of the bank of england. mr bailey would succeed mark carney when he leaves at the end of next month. an announcement on the appointment is expected this morning. we'll find out this afternoon who's won the race for the christmas number one single. # i love sausage roll so put another one in the oven, baby. # it looks like a run off between dad blogger ladbaby, who secured top spot last year with, we built this city on sausage rolls. charlie looks so confused laughter. this year he's recorded i love sausage rolls. he's up against stormzy, wham and lewis capaldi. the vlogger could join the beatles and the spice girls as the only artists to have back—to—back

christmas number ones. what would you like me to explain? this year's is called i love sausage roll. but another one in the oven, baby. and who says christmas songs are not what they used to be. what happened to mariah carey? she cannot find a sausage roll! now, there is an image. i don't they bring back last christmas. i love the old songs. what arsenal want for christmas is that man, behind you, mikel arteta. a bit of a legend around arsenal, a former captain. at the moment he is the assistant coach

at manchester city. it's been three weeks since unai emery was sacked and we're expecting an announcement from arsenal today. they're set to name their former captain, mikel arteta, as the new man in charge. he's said his goodbyes at manchester city, where he's been assistant coach for three years, but city are said to be furious at the way arsenal have gone about their business. we also have a sneak preview of an exclusive bbc interview with frank lampard. he's been speaking exclusively to the bbc‘s gary lineker, who asked him about coming face to face with his former boss jose mourinho when chelsea play at totttenham on sunday. what will it be like to set in the opposite dugout? you have spent so many years with them. of course it

will. i think it will be a special and it will make a difference to me and it will make a difference to me and to him because we are both professional, we are driven and sometimes, when you come across some you have worked with, a club you have worked with, it pushes you a bit more in a positive ways and it is tottenham and chelsea and that game has enough already and then you have joe game has enough already and then you havejoe marini, game has enough already and then you have joe marini, who game has enough already and then you havejoe marini, who is going to be desperate to beat us. —— mourinho. macclesfield town are in all sorts of trouble at the moment and now they've been docked six points by the english footall league. they pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including non—payment of salaries, and not playing a match earlier this month. the punishment means macclesfield drop from 15th to 22nd in league two. nicola adams made olympic history at london 2012, becoming the first female boxer to win gold. she turned professional in 2017 but last month announced her retirement over fears

she could lose her sight if she continued with her sport. now adams says she wants to pursue a career as an actor, something she's not new to. i started first getting into acting when i was younger. i quite enjoyed doing it. coronation street, waterloo road. i had fun and i am hoping in the future i will be able to do hoping in the future i will be able todoa hoping in the future i will be able to do a little bit more. i had to turn down a few opportunities while i was boxing so i am looking forward to now taking up all the opportunities that i had to miss. it's one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world, with some of the greatest stars — the indian premier league, and at the players' auction in kolkata yesterday, big money was spent. eoin morgan, who captained england to world cup triumph in 2019, went for 563,000 poundsto

kolkata knight riders. who also made australia's pat cummins the most expensive overseas player in the league's history — at 1.7 million. and england all—rounder sam curran was bought by chennai super kings for 590,000. and this is forjust two months of competition. and just oe other bit of cricket news for you — england's women have beaten pakistan by 26 runs in the final t20 match in kuala lumpur, to take the series 3—nil. there are pieces in some of this morning's papers about the england and leeds rhinos rugby league player rob burrow, who's revealed he has motor neurone disease. burrow has been speaking about his shock at the diagnosis, and the inpsiration he's been taking from scottish rugby union legend doddy weir, after they talked about their shared condition.

you do not want to lie down and just ta ke you do not want to lie down and just take it. we want to compete. for all, they have the same attitude as dottie. i am taking the challenge. i do not intend to lie down. i will get stuck into it. i am a really positive and taking the challenge andi positive and taking the challenge and i think that is the best way to be. if you've scrolled on bbc sport's instagram — you might have seen some interesting sporting partnerships. here's serena williams being put through her paces by none other than mike tyson — looks as though she's got a decent punch there — and serena has been busy. here she is — along with young starlet coco gauff and a few friends, tearing up the dancefloor. that's serena in the yellow

and coco in the red. they have got some moves! that is much more impressive than the one i saw at our christmas party. laughter. mind you, i don't think everybody remembers it. tyson tweeted to say i would not mess with her. she is a wonderful woman and powerful. i am not surprised. you can do everything. the scottish first minister, nicola sturgeon, has written to the prime minister to request a section 30 order — which would grant scotland the power to hold a second independence referendum. she said there was an "unarguable" mandate after the snp won a7 of scotland's 59 seats in last

week's general election. borisjohnson remains opposed to the idea. the snp's external affairs secretary, fiona hyslop, joins us now. thank you for your time. what reaction has ever been to nicola sturgeon's letter to the prime minister? we have published a document which includes legislation drafted to enable the power was to the scottish parliament to do three things. to ensure the scottish people can have the foreign government they want —— sovereign. to have the power to decide when and ifa to have the power to decide when and if a referendum can be held and thirdly that if independence is ratified, it can be secured. we are under no illusions that the rhetoric in the position of the uk government has been to rebuff this but let's be very, very clear, the mandate given

to the scottish national party and our government and three successive elections is very strong indeed. in fa ct elections is very strong indeed. in fact you have to go back to the 19 70s for the uk government to get the level of support that we have at a5% . level of support that we have at a5%. the more borisjohnson says no toa a5%. the more borisjohnson says no to a referendum, which is simply about the people's right to choose, the more he is making the case that the more he is making the case that the democratic deficit that exists means people will increasingly support the case for independence itself. the problem is, boris johnson has said no. the more he says no, the more he himself starts to build an increasing case for independence. it is very strong indeed already but what we're seeing is people, whether believe in independent or not that we are not claiming the big man that means everybody supports independence itself but the one thing that is

absolutely clear in scotland is they believe the people of scotland have the right to choose their own future. this is not a union state in that united kingdom. it is meant to bea that united kingdom. it is meant to be a seat of a voluntary nature and there is a voluntary agreement between the nation and there is consent involved. that currently is being resisted... let'sjust talk this through... he can do this at his political peril. assuming boris johnson keeps to his message which isa johnson keeps to his message which is a straight no, nicola sturgeon has said this would not be the end of the matter. can you explain what that means? do you really think the people of scotland, having voted emphatically in three successive elections, are going to accept a uk prime minister saying no? elections, are going to accept a uk prime ministersaying no? in practice it means that the case will continually be made. if the

a nswer continually be made. if the answer continually is no... ijust do not see... is that another position nicola sturgeon is proposing when she says it is not the end of the matter. yes, she can ask again and the told no again. i do not see what the end point is. what is the ultimate position you can take that will change anything? the ultimate position is to make sure we can take the people of scotla nd sure we can take the people of scotland with us... but you will not have the right to do that and it remains the case. you may remember in the 19805 when margaret thatcher was resisting, even having a devolved scottish parliament, and i remember distinctly that at the scottish constitutional convention, we say as the people say yes and you know what happened over the last period of that last 20—30 years when

we did see a scottish power, eventually being established. we wa nt to eventually being established. we want to be much faster and we want the democratic support to do that and that force an argument will become politically irresistible for borisjohnson. he become politically irresistible for boris johnson. he has become politically irresistible for borisjohnson. he has to think very, very carefully. is it a democrat or not and the more he says no, the more the people of scotland will realise there is a democratic deficit here. not only have the people of scotland voted successively to remain as part of the european union and we did so by 62% at the referendum, the process that the uk government has embarked on in terms of developing the position in relation to negotiations about the european union is com pletely about the european union is completely and utterly ignored... cani

completely and utterly ignored... can i ask you this, it is a huge assumption on your part, that all those people who voted for the snp in this general election want independence. it is a huge assumption you are making.“ independence. it is a huge assumption you are making. if you're listening to what i was saying, we have not assumed that... the first thing you have done after the general election is asked for another referendum which suggests thatis another referendum which suggests that is exactly what you think. the right to choose, the right to have a democratic referendum, a constitutional legal referendum and the independence itself, we argue for three things during the election which we got an overwhelming mandate for. a7 seats out of a9, that was to try and stop brexit, to try and stop borisjohnson becoming try and stop brexit, to try and stop boris johnson becoming prime minister and to have the right to choose and the reason a

significant... there are people that might not support independent the right people, traditional conservative voters, who absolutely believe that the people of scotland have the right to choose and what we set out yesterday was a mechanism by which the people of scotland can have the right to choose stop we have the right to choose stop we have even drafted the legislation for the uk government so there is a way a mechanism to go forward but denying the people the right to choose itself is the problem that borisjohnson faces... choose itself is the problem that boris johnson faces... and some people might say, hearing what you have said this morning, they might say get on with running the country. do that and don't waste so much time that people who even voted for you might not see as a priority. get on with the business, running the hospital better get on with that and, while boris johnson hospital better get on with that and, while borisjohnson is giving a flat no, why waste the time? over

the last year that is exactly what we have been doing. we have been passing legislation when westminster has been paralysed. we have been taking for so much of our programme on education, health. we have fantastic health service on scotland, record level of funding. we have ensured that recruitment of nurses has continued when the uk has had to do a u—turn. we have been funding education. a massive rollout of childcare and we have been making sure three and four —year—olds have the same amount of childcare and early education as they do when in primary school so don't worry we have been getting on with the which is wife people have been giving support to the scottish national party for 12 years. there are conflicting statistics about that topic and many of the

problems we face. but our time is done for now, i appreciate your time this morning. yes, and thank you very much and we look forward to discussing this further. thank you. that is fiona from the snp. good morning, thanks for watching us. we have our very own gingerbread man, his very sweet and lovely. —— yea rs. man, his very sweet and lovely. —— years. —— he is. matt is at somerset house in london with the weather this morning. morning. what you get when you ask 100 architects to swap steel and concrete for flour and sugar? hundreds of architects have come together and let their imagination go wild. this entire cities made out of gingerbread, sweets, this of chocolate as well. it's tempting not to bite off any of it this morning. it is to encourage us to engage with architecture as well and celebrate

the festive m, two of gingerbread. this whole city contains everything from train stations and terminals to hotels, castles, the whole lot is utterly stunning to see —— festive season. the aroma is amazing. it is the last day at work for many of you. if you are on the move today, you. if you are on the move today, you will want to know what the forecast is doing, too. let's get on with the forecast. it's not looking particularly great through central and eastern parts of england, some very heavy rain around but we have some sunny conditions developing elsewhere, just one or two showers, too. we have low pressure in charge of those in the rain that is currently bowling has been folding too much of the night across the eastern half of the uk, those weather fronts you can see on the chart have made for some nasty conditions on road this morning. lots of surface water, big puddles around and minor flooding lots of surface water, big puddles around and minorflooding as lots of surface water, big puddles around and minor flooding as well. takeit around and minor flooding as well. take it easy if you are about to

head out there, the rain is good to last all day long in some eastern counties. clear from london last all day long in some eastern counties. clearfrom london after the rush hour and brightening up in the rush hour and brightening up in the west. some western areas are misty at the moment, a mix of sunshine and the odd shower to come to you today. winds lighter than yesterday although the breeze will pick up again in the english channel later on. temperatures down a little bit, i suppose, further north and west you are single figures, double figures in the south. still reasonably mild as we head into the night, the persistent rain would have cleared from eastern areas as we get the evening rush hour, and tonight is going to be a story of breezes across the southern half, a few showers dotted around, clear skies and the further north you are, winds a lighter and a bit of mist and fog, too, to take us into the start of the weekend. temperatures largely holding up, one or two areas could see a little bit of frost start the weekend. last minute christmas shopping or on the move this weekend, it looks like we will begin with a few showers dotted around on saturday morning, some of those on the heavy side in the west. sunny conditions to the east but

later on we are going to see persistent rain was into southern counties of england. that is going to put into southern parts of wales and the midlands to. —— pushed into. it starts are clear on sunday but could lingerfor a while on it starts are clear on sunday but could linger for a while on the south—east corner. for many we will see skies brighten again, fog to start sunday morning but it is going to bea start sunday morning but it is going to be a day of afternoon sunshine, at least, and a few showers mainly in the west. there is a bit of good news though, as we head into the start of christmas we, yes, we could have some problems with fog, that is one thing to watch out for but things are going to turn dry, a little bit cooler as well and probably a little bit more festive thanit probably a little bit more festive than it is at the moment. snow limited to the tops of the hills in scotland. nager and sally, what does this look like? isn't it amazing? when do you get to eat, matt? not soon enough, charlie! it's so, so tempting. just to do it! take a

chunk out of the roof! they won't notice, yeah. no, no, no. that is one sugar rush, hey? it's a tense time for anyone who has ordered their last minute presents online and is still waiting. nina's with us now. how do you avoid a delivery nightmare then nina? it is intense with online shopping. here are your presence, i never forget, you can't open them yet. there is nothing in them? of course there is! do you know what the thinking? they are fake presence. —— presents. why does charlie get the big one? inside is the answer to who will be the new bank of england. no, don't open it yet! naga! were you

this naughty when you were little? is not naughty, ijust want to know what is inside. —— it's not. is not naughty, ijust want to know what is inside. -- it's not. she's got her hand in the box. more and more of us are ordering things online. but that puts a greater stress on the system and inevitably there are problems. the consumer complaints website resolver says its seen a four—times increase in complaints about deliveries. so, what can you do avoid them? the first thing is to check the delivery dates with the retailer you are ordering from. some retailers have home delivery dates up to about the 22nd or 23rd december. house of fraser, next, john lewis, asos. that is a bit of a gamble, though. it is. you can get later deliveries — with amazon, but not all postcodes are covered. the key is to check

before you order. if you are going to order something today, you are cutting it a little bit fine, but it's not too late. make sure you speak to the retailer if you can, and get a guaranteed date for delivery. it makes sense to have a backup plan, don't put all your eggs in one basket. what if the thing, whatever it is, doesn't arrive? you would think that your contract was with the courier, but it isn't, it's with the retailer you bought the gift from. make your complaint to them. it is missing in action, damaged or a little bit late, you could be entitled to compensation, so go through them. some go missing after they have arrived. have you ever had it delivered to a neighbour's ports? your rights could decrease because really you have let yourself slightly open to that risk. be careful if you leave it with a neighbour —— porch. so, after...

careful if you leave it with a neighbour -- porch. so, after... can ijust neighbour -- porch. so, after... can i just say everyone should be neighbour -- porch. so, after... can ijust say everyone should be nice to their delivery drivers? if you wa nt to to their delivery drivers? if you want to talk about stressful times, this is stressful for them. absolutely. and it is the company's fall, not the courier‘s. absolutely. and it is the company's fall, not the courier's. and this might bea fall, not the courier's. and this might be a time where they only have thatjob might be a time where they only have that job seasonally. and returns? so lots of retailers offer extended returns for christmas, until the 315t returns for christmas, until the 31st of january for lots of retailers. just check whether you have to pay for postage and packaging, only if it explicitly says you should be paying. are you going to be taking a back? i think it really suits you. i love it, thank you. when you open yours? no, i will wait until later. we will see. thanks, nina, we will see you later on. —— will you open yours?

andrew lloyd webber‘s musical cats is one of the most successful theatre shows of all time. the film version is out today, and after spending almost $100 million, the makers of the big—screen adaptation are hoping to replicate its theatre success. it stars the likes of taylor swift and dame judi dench as cgi human—cat hybrids but, the critics have their claws out, as our arts editor will gompertz reports. this is the trailer for the big—screen, big—budget adaptation of cats. it caused a social media storm when it was posted in the summer. what's your name? cat got your tongue? people were freaked out by the uncanny, furry faces of the all—star cast, sporting body—hugging onesies, revealing distinctly human curves. interview requests from the media, that would normally be lapped up, were declined. tom hooper, its oscar—winning director, who was behind the king's speech, made some

changes, working right up to its release this week, and a blizzard of bad reviews. the guardian called it a purr—fectly dreadful adaptation, in its one—star review. the daily telegraph gave no stars at all to what it called a moggy mess, while your correspondent found it soulless. the daily mail, though, was far more positive, saying eight out of ten cinema—goers will love these cats. much of the action takes place in a disused west end theatre in a highly stylised version of london which sits somewhere between dickensian squalor and soho glamour, quite unlike, in fact, the actual modern theatre that cats the musical made its home back in 1981, just down the road in drury lane. spotlight, and a drum roll, please. lord lloyd webber‘s original musical, based on ts eliot's poems, was a critical and commercial hit. this movie version is clearly not the former, but it could yet claw itself back to box office success, or end up in the litter tray of expensive cinematic flops.

will gompertz, bbc news. a lot of people are going to be so excited about seeing a film. we are going to talk to a film reviewer who has seen it, give us a bit of an insight. we've seen it. yeah. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. laughter. good morning from bbc london, i'm geeta pendse. a specialist emergency service which has doctors treating patients in the community is helping to reduce pressure on a&e wards. the physician response unit is a collaboration between barts health trust, london's air ambulance and london ambulance service. medics with state—of—the—art equipment visit patients and have helped to avoid around a thousand trips to hospital over the year. there's growing calls for all of us to become more sustainable this

christmas. it comes as london held its biggest ever no waste eco christmas market in east london. a series of workshops creating items like reuseable crackers were held for visitors. we throw away almost 230,000 miles of wrapping paper every year across the whole country. a lot of wrapping paper has glitter on it which isn't good for the environment. so i'm going to be using brown rap instead, which is better. shampoos, soap bars... i will be renting my christmas tree, which would then go back in the ground next year and carry on growing. i may re—rent it next year. the remains of an elizabethan theatre and a building used as a monty python set are some of the unusual heritage sites in london to receive new — or enhanced — protected status. four sites across the capital have made historic england's 2019 list of the top 21 unusual buildings and sites.

it includes the curtain playhouse, the porchester centre in bayswater the nursemaid's tunnel in regent's park and cabmen's shelter on northumberland avenue. let's take a look at the travel situation now. there is a part suspension on the other grounds at the moment. sometimes link services from brighton are disrupted following flooding. and in wandsworth the road underpass is close northbound because of flooding. now, the weather with elizabeth ritzinni. hello, good morning. heavy rain through the night, it's another wet start to the day across the capital. there is a lot of surface water on the roads and pavements, leading to tricky driving conditions. and also a met office weather warning out for heavy rain, valid until midday today. for the southern areas of the capital, that warning extends into parts of the weekend, too. so check out all the details on the bbc weather website. now, it's a fairly mild start of the morning, it's not the temperature

you will notice, it's certainly the heavy rain. that moves its way through the late morning into the first part of the afternoon. drier conditions will start to develop and it could brighten up at times, too, but watch out for one or two showers. temperatures a touch lower than they were yesterday and the winds will fall lighter. overnight tonight, some long, dry spells, some clear spells around, too, but again watch out for some showers, the breeze will pick up a touch into tomorrow morning. it is a cooler start to the day tomorrow than we're seeing today. and we've got that warning out towards southern areas, remember, tomorrow, so still the chance of some surface water flooding. as we head into the start of next week it is looking dry and there should be some sunshine on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half—an—hour. bye for now. good morning. welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. our headlines today:

the prime minister brexit plan goes toa the prime minister brexit plan goes to a commons vote paving the way for the uk to leave the eu at the end of january. more than 100 fires in new south wales, australia. producing two of the hottest days on record as well. the next governor of the bank of england in charge of whether interest rates go up or down is expected to be revealed this morning. i will be explaining while the appointment matters. arsenal expected to announce mikel arteta as their next manager. # it is so easy to leave me all alone with the memory...# one of andrew lloyd webber‘s most famous musicals transfers to the big screen today — we'll ask why so many critics have their claws out for cats. while i am indoors and drawing

gingerbread city, rain outdoors. your full weekend forecast coming up on breakfast. it's friday the 20th of december. our top story: the prime minister's brexit divorce deal will be put before parliament later. it comes in a year where theresa may, then mrjohnson, wrestled with mp5 over their plans. today is expected to feel very different as the government now has a strong majority. officially known as the eu withdrawal agreement bill, it is the legislation needed to make brexit happen. this week it was announced that the government would add a clause to rule out any extension beyond december 2020, ending what boris johnson calls years of "deadlock, dither and delay". now, with a majority of 80, the prime minister expects the bill to become law in time for the uk to cease being a member of the eu on the 31st of january. out political correspondent, jonathan blake, is in our westminster studio.

good morning. how is this going to play out today? boris johnson will do what he tried and failed to do earlier this year and theresa may tried and failed to do way back in january and that is to get approval from parliament for his brexit deal. the eu withdrawal agreement bill will go before mps later on for its second reading and that is effectively mps first chance to debate and vote on the legislation asa debate and vote on the legislation as a whole. the government is clearly having this vote this week to give the impression that the direction of travel is now clearly set for the uk to leave the eu on the 31st of january which was one of boris johnson's key the 31st of january which was one of borisjohnson's key election pledges. there will be more time for mps to debate and pick over the legislation in the new year but, whereas we have become used to having those on a knife edge and late—night drama in the house of commons, there will be none of that

because a big majority changes everything and the expectation is for it to pass overwhelmingly later today. is there anything different about this bill? there are a few key changes to the new the eu withdrawal agreement belt. first and foremost, the clause which the government has in assorted which outlaws any attempt to extend the transition period beyond the end of december next year, just under 12 months with which the government has to negotiate a free trade deal with the eu and the way we operate and relate to the eu in future. a tight timescale which many people say it will be difficult to do. a bit less parliamentary oversight for that next phase and also changes to a commitment that had been made to allow child refugees to be reunited with theirfamilies allow child refugees to be reunited with their families around the eu even after the freedom of movement

rules are suspended. opposition parties riding in on that and expect that to be the focus from the opposition benches when this bill is debated in parliament later today. we'll be speaking to the brexit secretary, stephen barclay, in half an hour. the shadow treasury minister, clive lewis, has become the latest labour mp to join the race to succeed jeremy corbyn as leader. writing in the guardian, mr lewis praises mr corbyn but argues that labour members should have a greater say in how the party is run. the shadow foreign secretary, emily thornberry, has also declared that she's standing. the australian prime minister has apologised for going on holiday to hawaii, while the nation's bushfire crisis worsens. crews are battling more than 100 fires amid a heatwave which has produced the country's two hottest days on record. yesterday, two firefighters died when their fire engine was hit by a falling tree. let's speak to our correspondent phil mercer who's in bargo, just outside sydney.

in new south wales. we can see the emergency vehicles. give us a sense of the situation as it stands this morning. you can smell the smoke in the airand morning. you can smell the smoke in the air and these bushfires south of syd ney the air and these bushfires south of sydney have been menacing communities. there is a massive firefighting effort right across eastern australia. it is run with military precision. we have seen giant helicopters dropping vast amounts of water onto fires around here, just down the road, those two firefighters were killed when a tree head that fire engine and caused the vehicle to roll over. those two volunteer firefighters died at the scene. that tragedy has prompted the prime minister of australia scott morrison to cut shot a family holiday to hawaii. he was accused of being missing in action while this bushfire crisis has got worse here

in eastern australia and in south australia we understand there is a catastrophic failure morning with 120 fires burning in south australia. in new south wales, on saturday, also a catastrophic failure morning for the next 2a hours. so the fire crisis here in australia certainly shows no signs of easing. two men have died in separate knife attacks in london overnight. one man, believed to be in his 20s, was killed in walthamstow. around an hour later, a man in his 30s was fatally stabbed in an unrelated attack near scratchwood park in barnet. an arrest has been made in connection with the earlier stabbing. the next person in charge of the bank or england is expected to be announced this morning. nina's here with more on this. this is often described as the most important unelected post in the uk and that is because the governor of

the bank of england makes really important decisions on interest rates. it is a job to regulate banks and make sure they are run properly. thejob came and make sure they are run properly. the job came up and make sure they are run properly. thejob came up and we heard about mike carney announcement, back in april. the frontrunner and who we now expect to take over is andrew bailey. he has been reported widely as the replacement. he is the former deputy governor, chief cashier, chief executive lately of the financial conduct authority and seen asa financial conduct authority and seen as a safe pair of hands who knows the team. he replaces mike carney who started in 2013, 1a quite co ntroversially who started in 2013, 1a quite controversially under george osborne. a sleek, likeable even cool type. some have criticised him for being too visible, forgetting too involved with his opinions. he has been critical of rex that and hinted at interest rates. ——of brexit. this

appointment seemed to return to someone on the ground a bit more. it is not official yet though, we find out in the next 1.5 hours or so. america is about to take another step towards being able to launch its own people into orbit again, a capability it's not had for nearly nine years. at 11:30am this morning, the boeing company will launch a nasas test capsule from florida to the international space station. the starliner won't have anyone on board but, if it performs without incident, astronauts will start using the craft next year. american shuttles were retired in 2011 and since then, us astronauts have been using russian soyuz capsules to travel into space. matt is surrounded by gingerbread and he will have the weather

shortly. as we've been hearing, the eu withdrawal agreement will be put before parliament today and now the prime minister has an 80—strong majority, he is hoping for the bill to become law before the 31st of january. but the deal is likely to come under some criticism from opposition parties and the labour party is expected to vote against it. labour mp anneliese dodds joins us now from westminster. thank you very much for talking to us on breakfast and good morning to you. let's clear this up, how are you. let's clear this up, how are you going to vote on the eu withdrawal agreement?” you going to vote on the eu withdrawalagreement? i am you going to vote on the eu withdrawal agreement? i am going to have to vote against this bill. it misses out many of the elements we we re misses out many of the elements we were promised previously but conservative governments. very concerning me it says they will not be any safer the elected representative people to shape the future relationship in the way it was guaranteed before. that is not what people want. they sent a message through this general

election that they want to leave the eu with the conservative party in charge. i do not think they want to see mps completely cut out of the presses in the future as their representatives. we also do not have guarantees around working rights which we were given earlier nor around unaccompanied refugee children. it is not one i can support. what do you mean you're not going to have any right to have any say in the negotiations in the future? in previous versions of this belt, and negotiations carried previously, it was stated that, for example, parliament will be able to have a say on the negotiating mandate and the government could then take it to the eu for future trading relationships. that has been missed out of this bill... you will get time to debate this? well, we are able to debate the eu withdrawal

agreement for two days, which is borrowing for a piece of legislation of this magnitude but it is not clear actually exactly what kind of a debatable around the negotiated mandate for a government. the approach to government has had to this, we could have very little safer parliament and obviously the concern that stems from that is that parliament is there to represent the population and whatever people feel about leaving the eu, they have a right to have different views about what our relationship should be with the eu in the future as part of the trade deal the prime minister was to negotiate and i do not think it is right that as a result of this bill we will not have that input. it also goes against previous assurances we have had from this prime minister as well as other conservatives that there will be that engagement from parliament. what happens to labour plus my position on brexit because the likelihood after this bill is likely to go through, the conservatives have a majority of 80,

what happens to labour force position on exit if this deal goes through? —— brexit. position on exit if this deal goes through? -- brexit. the government actually has a large majority and obviously the bill will pass with that majority but we can advocate our role as opposition and make sure the government's activities are scrutinised at every turn. that is exactly what we will be doing during the progress of this bill. some of the progress of this bill. some of the areas we have had assurances like the future relationship, working rights, are not covered properly and we are making sure that the government feet will be held to the government feet will be held to the fire. but you do not really have any power, do you? we have to use what power we have within the system, those levers to make sure people are properly represented... what i am trying to ask, is that the labour party pretty much defunct

now? looking at the labour party, your leader is stepping down, it appears very divided, and you have had a drubbing at the general elections and you are facing a conservative majority of 80. what is the role? you willjust be shouting at you will be ineffective when it comes to have any say about how this country is run? we do not have the luxury of abdicating the role of opposition. we have to perform it strongly and make sure our constituents voices are heard. would i rather we were in government or had a slim majority? of course but thatis had a slim majority? of course but that is not the situation we're aim and we have to face up to that reality. with that reality, apologies for speaking over you, how effective, as an opposition, can you be, realistically? i do not think we have the luxury of pontificating about that. we have to get on with

it and make sure people '5 voices are heard, in particular when they have been assurances previously by conservatives that they are not holding to now. we need to make sure they are articulated and work harder than ever to make sure people '5 voices are heard on these issues and it will be very important for all of us how we leave the eu and we should not be in a situation where workers rights are under threat and my party may be going through the process of reflection and electing a new leader but we will make sure people '5 voices are heard on these incredibly important issues and we will not abdicate the issues. who should be the new leader? i'm talking to different candidates. i am talking to them about how they think our party needs to change, organisationally and in policy terms as well and once i find out their different views, i will decide who i am going to support but i will not do that until i hear from them on

how exactly we need to change because clearly we have to after a defeat of this magnitude. the next leader needs to be someone who has a strategic mind to also be able to agree that the party needs to move on, she said. a lot of criticism about the labour party is momentum, how much influence it has hard. what other policies of the labour party, who is actually running the labour party and what it stands for. what kind of person politically aligned needs to be running the labour party now, over the next five years, in order to be an effective opposition? for me, it's far less important what particular grouping within the labour party that person comes from, thatis labour party that person comes from, that is far less important to me than whether they can empathise with people is' does make people puzzling situation across the country. of

course the has been a broad church for a very, very long time. i'm not pa rt for a very, very long time. i'm not part of any particular group within the labour party. as i say, the key thing for me is whether we can so that empathy and standing people's shoes right across the country. there are candidates coming from different traditions of the labour party you can do that. others might find it harder. i want to hearfrom them about how we can demonstrate that so that people can give their trust to us again in the future, because we are clearly far away from that, sadly, at the moment was up elise dodds, thank you for speaking to us on breakfast this morning. matt is at somerset house in london with the weather this morning. we with the weather this morning. are told that matt 1 loose we are told that matt has been let loose on the decorations. it's going well, it's like an episode. does

that look like it is going well? i'm just showing you what i'm going for. is that one you made earlier?” thought i would replicate it again and geta thought i would replicate it again and get a whole city to myself. some of you have gone for the more traditional gingerbread houses, but behind me, look at the city! this is amazing. this is the museum of architecture's interbred city here at somerset house and sealjanuary five, 100 different architects have all come together to create a master plan of a city, there is everything you could expect, translations, theatres, hotels, the whole shebang and it looks stunning. and, it smells amazing as well. a real festive feeling at somerset house this morning. hopefully we get outside in a wee while, but it is still raining at the moment. i'm quite happy here, ijust finished my design. while i am nice and dry in here at the moment, it is raining

outside and raining quite heavily across eastern parts of england this morning in particular. after the heavy overnight rain, lots of surface water, lots of spray, minor flooding as well. just be wary, keep an eye on the environmental agency's warnings. heavy rains of the ease, really from kent through towards north yorkshire, it will only slowly ease up into the afternoon. away from western, most of you dry. ms dan miragliotta crossed the northern isles in particular ——. winds will pick up as we head through the afternoon, still double figures do thatis afternoon, still double figures do that is than half of the afternoon with a mild air remains in place. we moved through the rains and i, a bit cooler tonight than the last few nights, we will see a touch of rust potentially in scotland, a few mist

and fog patches, too. many places was the dry, partly cloudy conditions but if you say was around in western areas. into the weekend we go, saturday of course, may be a big shopping day before christmas. if you are heading out or if you are heading cross—country, again, check the risk of flooding although we should see dry conditions of many of us saturday. saturday is essentially a story of sunshine and so is for many. in the channel islands, more heavy rain returns and that will spread across the rest of oven england, south wales and the midlands as we head into saturday evening. temperature is fairly similarto evening. temperature is fairly similar to today. more heavy rain across the path after saturday night into sunday, that will take a while to shift up from the south—east corner sunday morning was to be could be quite windy here first thing, gradually improving throughout the day, since i don't i was elsewhere although there will be some fog to begin with. good attempt is by many, in single figures away from the far south—east. those cooler, drier conditions will continue as we go into the start of

next week. for the start of next week, the main whether hazard will not be rain, dense fog patches here and there was up we will keep you updated on all of that. naga and charlie, i have some important business to content with. you are not supposed to eat them, matt, seriously. have you counted them, naga? someone's got attitude this morning. matt, we are not in a rice. we can stay with this for a moment or two. i'm trying to replicate that, but it's not really working very well, is it? you know, matt... there are it's like masterchef. it is matt's idea, it would be a nightmare if we followed matt doing this, because he's going to show here likes doing things like this. look, look, it's like a gingerbread

snowman without arms. is happy, that's the main thing. —— here is happy. christmas is an exciting time for all children but for those with additional needs, the festive season can be overwhelming. jayne mccubbin has been to a school in blackpool to see how they make sure a good time is had by all. somebody here is very, very, very excited. i am julia! hello. come in. say hello. this is lucy, as she is 16 years old. say hello to everybody. there are hello! is your big party today? yes. do you know who is going to turn up today?

father christmas? this is lucy's over some of the year, but it can also be one of the most challenging stop what do you want to wear? that is brilliant. you have to carefully manage everything. yes, yes. too much information as a sensory overload and she can't cope with it. she gets upset and distressed and runs. and you want her to have a good time? yes. there are hello! thank you. —— hello! it is all going on at lucy's school. we have 160 dinners prepared. 160? enough to everybody. over a long special school has been named the happiest school has been named the happiest school in the uk. at the uk's

happiest school they take the christmas party very seriously. let's see mrs eltham. every child will be walked through exactly what is going to happen in advance.“ will be walked through exactly what is going to happen in advance. if we didn't do that preparation and we didn't do that preparation and we didn't involve the children in the preparation, i think some of them would find it overwhelming. right, lucy, where is your name?” would find it overwhelming. right, lucy, where is your name? i think some of the behaviours that the children my display when they manage in difficult situations, we have pa rents say in difficult situations, we have parents say they feel locked up. so lucy isjust lucy parents say they feel locked up. so lucy is just lucy to us. parents say they feel locked up. so lucy isjust lucy to us. it's really important for the school, it'sjust the family feel of christmas. you look very relaxed. yeah? anything could happen. let's have a nice sleigh ride. it's no mean feat helping children with some of the most complex and mental emotional

needs to sit down together and have a big party which everyone can enjoy. some might need a little time out, but today is very, very special. you can hear some bells, can't you ? what special. you can hear some bells, can't you? what is it? (applause) we've done it, absolutely done it. amazing! from everyone here, we wish them a happy christmas and happy new year. happy christmas! merry christmas everyone and happy new year! jayne mccubbin, bbc news. it's a lovely scene, and thank you for the message. the message goes out there, everyone, have a merry christmas. we will be talking a little bit later on about people with learning difficulties and the overload they can have it is

overwhelming. it is 7:25am. there is lots coming up this morning. # it is so easy to leave me...# we'll discuss whether the new film adaptation of cats is purr—fect or a catastrophe. mixed reviews out there. all of that coming upa mixed reviews out there. all of that coming up a little bit later. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm geeta pendse. a specialist emergency service which has doctors treating patients in the community is helping to reduce pressure on a&e wards. the physician response unit is a collaboration between barts health trust, london's air ambulance and london ambulance service. medics with state—of—the—art equipment visit patients and have helped to avoid around 1,000 trips

to hospital over the year. that has saved the nhs around £500,000. it's such a lovelyjob because i think the benefits that you can see you're offering to patients case—by—case are large and also its a real break from a&e in that you're out, you sometimes get to see the sunshine and you get to see a different side of medicine out here. heathrow‘s expansion has been delayed by "at least 12 months", after the civil aviation authority rejected the airport's spending plans. heathrow wanted to nearly quadruple the amount it spends before it gets finalapproval, overfears passengers would foot the bill if the project did not go ahead. the west london hub previously hoped to open a third runway by the end of 2026, but said this had been pushed back. there is a part suspension on the

overground there is a part suspension on the overg round and all metropolitan lines of the movement. currently southern and thameslink services from brighton are disrupted. there are replacement buses between ascot and reading —— ascot. delays to the hammersmith flyover, and on the m11 southbound, traffic is heavy towards junction 6 following an accident back tojunction junction 6 following an accident back to junction sevens hollow. —— junction 7 to harlow. now the weather with elizabeth ritzinni. hello, good morning. heavy rain through the night, it's another wet start to the day across the capital. there is a lot of surface water on the roads and pavements, leading to tricky driving conditions. and also a met office weather warning out for heavy rain, valid until midday today. for the southern areas of the capital, that warning extends into parts of the weekend, too.

so check out all the details on the bbc weather website. now, it's a fairly mild start to the morning, it's not the temperature you will notice, it's certainly the heavy rain. that moves its way northwards through the late morning into the first part of the afternoon. drier conditions will start to develop and it could brighten up at times, too, but watch out for one or two showers. temperatures a touch lower than they were yesterday and the winds will fall lighter. overnight tonight, some long, dry spells, some clear spells around, too, but again watch out for some showers, the breeze will pick up a touch into tomorrow morning. it is a cooler start to the day tomorrow than we're seeing today. and we've got that warning out towards southern areas, remember, tomorrow, so still the chance of some surface water flooding. as we head into the start of next week it's looking dry and there'll be some sunshine on christmas day. bye for now. hello this is breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt.

here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news: mps will vote later today on boris johnson's brexit divorce deal, which would take the uk out of the eu at the end of next month. with a majority of 80 following last week's general election, the prime minister expects to get the withdrawal agreement bill to clear the commons easily. to clear the commons easily. but the bill will come in for some criticism from opposition parties, with labour and the snp expected to vote against it. we can speak now to the brexit secretary, stephen barclay. a very good morning to you and thank you for your time. given the scale of the tory win and the general election, this today, unlike previous occasions, is something of a formality? it is an historic day. a clear message that people wanted it done, the healing process to start and to start bringing the country back together and we have an opportunity now in parliament today

to pass the second reading and move the bill forward and actually then be able to move the country forward after what has been a very long and often very divided three years. let's talk about the eu withdrawal agreement itself. certain elements have been changed and brought forward today. anyone who works will be interested in workers rights and thatis be interested in workers rights and that is an area that has been stripped out of the eu withdrawal agreement. i have you taken these specific clauses out in relation to workers rights? because we are doing it through the queen's speech. we have a specific employment appeal. if you look at page five of our ma nifesto, if you look at page five of our manifesto, we are absolutely committed to high standards in workers rights and the environment... so why not keep it in the eu withdrawal agreement? this environment... so why not keep it in the eu withdrawalagreement? this is focused on trade discussions moving forward but also in terms of the future in terms of trade so what

we're doing under the employment and workers rights is doing that through other areas of government. we have a very clear commitment in the ma nifesto to very clear commitment in the manifesto to high standards of that and we bring forward specific measures the queen's speech to do that. a lot of people will be thinking, if this is an historic moment, which is important in itself, why take those elements out? the other element already attracting criticism is the issue of refugee children. why do that? we have a very good record, actually, in terms of refugees. we are one of the three top european countries in terms of child refugees we accept. 50% of the entire total within europe and we have a very strong commitment to doing that. we will make a statement to parliament in terms of our approach but it is something for the home office to take forward moving

forward. this bill is about implementing the international agreement we have reached with the eu to get brexit down and the next phase will be in terms of the trade discussions so it is right that other parts of government, such as the approach to children refugees, and that is what we have done, a clear commitment, page 23 of our ma nifesto clear commitment, page 23 of our manifesto in terms of our approach but that is something for other parts of government to take forward rather than to do it in the brexit deal itself. why are you effectively stopping parliamentary scrutiny of any trade deal in the future? quite the opposite. the right clauses of the opposite. the right clauses of the builder give increased scrutiny to parliament, for example during the implementation period, one of the implementation period, one of the new clauses in the bill is to enable the relevant parliamentary select committee to trigger debates in parliament should new laws be brought forward... and votes? to

scrutinise further as a result. will there be any further votes in relation to the trade deal? we will be discussing things with parliament but there is the ability to scrutinise during the dual passage during the period. talk to me about the timetable because many people, as you are well aware, this table for one year to get all these trade deals done is unrealistic. why are you confident you can get this through against what many people think is an unrealistic timetable? it is something the eu themselves have agreed. if you look at the political declaration, there is a shared intent to conclude an ambition relationship by the end of 2020 and that is something both uk and the eu have agreed as part of this deal and that is set out

specifically in the political declaration. obviously, we start from an alliance with the eu and we have strong trading relationship over the past a0 years so there is a strong content to conclude this. we wa nt to strong content to conclude this. we want to move forward and if that is what we want to do this at pace. want to move forward and if that is what we want to do this at pacem someone was looking at this and looking at your proposals, clearly what the conservatives are saying is that we are being active and moving on and swiftly. another way of looking at this, the labour party making it clear, this feels as if it is being steamrolled and the will not be any scrutiny and parts removed without any further discussion with anyone else and we're moving into different style of government which isjust we're moving into different style of government which is just pushing ahead and not allowing questions to be asked. i do not think the labour party ca n be asked. i do not think the labour party can make its mind up, as we saw during the election whenjeremy corbyn took a position of

neutrality. people want this done, brexit delivered but also they want us to bring the country back together, to start the healing process , together, to start the healing process, to move on to the other issues in the manifesto we want to focus on and today is an historic day, an opportunity after three yea rs of day, an opportunity after three years of death, delay and divisiveness to step forward and move this legislation and to leave by the 31st and be able to bring the country back together. —— dither. thank you very much. coming up on the programme, matt is feeling festive at somerset house with the weather this morning. he is building gingerbread houses. he is building gingerbread houses. he looked very festive. he's giving ita he looked very festive. he's giving it a try, that's the main thing.” like his christmas jumper, it a try, that's the main thing.” like his christmasjumper, i was a little bit jealous. he didn't make it. he didn't make the gingerbread

either. i think i like gingerbread because i really love christmas but ido because i really love christmas but i do not really. i think i love mince pies but then i don't. ijust like the idea of it. who is this? this is mikel arteta. we're still for the confirmation but it looks as though he will be the new man in charge of arsenal stop a removal laurie is already outside his house. arsenal were criticised by manchester city about how they went about, approaching him because he is currently the assistant coach and manchester city so he has been pulled away. you can understand why arsenal want him. he pulled away. you can understand why arsenalwant him. he is pulled away. you can understand why arsenal want him. he is a former captain said the fans will be happy about it. it should be mikel arteta the man in charge. he's said his goodbyes

at manchester city, where he's been assistant coach for three years, but city are said to be furious at the way arsenal have gone about their business. we have a sneak preview of an exclusive bbc interview for you now. frank lampard has been talking to gary lineker about his first season as chelsea manager and about coming face to face with his former bossjose mourinho when chelsea play at totttenham on sunday. at tottenham on sunday. what will it be like to sat in the opposite dugout? will it make any difference that it'sjose mourinho? that you have spent so many years with him... of course it will. ..brought so much success together? of course it will. be special? i think it will be a special and i think it will make a difference to me, it'll make a difference to him because we are both professionals, we are driven and sometimes, when you come across someone you have worked with, or a club that you have worked with, it pushes you on that little bit more and in the best possible way, and it is tottenham and chelsea... exactly. that game has enough anyeay and then you havejose mourinho out there, who is going to be desperate to beat us.

looking very relaxed. and you can watch the full interview in football focus at 12:15 tomorrow on bbc1. macclesfield town are in all sorts of trouble at the moment and now they've been docked six points by the english footall league. they pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including non—payment of salaries, and not playing a match earlier this month. the punishment means macclesfield drop from 15th to 22nd in league two. it's one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world, with some of the greatest star, the indian premier league, and at the players' auction in kolkata yesterday, big money was spent. eoin morgan, who captained england to world cup triumph this summer, went for over half a million pounds to kolkata knight riders, who also made australia's pat cummins the most expensive overseas player in the league's history — at 1.7—million. and england all—rounder sam curran was bought by chennai super kings for 590,000. and this is forjust two months of competition.

and england's women have beaten pakistan by 26 runs in the final t20 match in kuala lumpur. that gives them a 3—0 series victory. captain heather knight top—scored with a3 and she was pleased to end the tour undefeated. we probably have not been under much pressure but we have done what we set out to do, whitewash and win every game and we talked about the batting group going big scores, winning us games, scoring 100th with they have done brilliantly. the bowlers wanted to take because and we have done that stunningly so i cannot ask for much more, really. there are pieces in some of this morning's papers about the england and leeds rhinos rugby league player rob burrow,

who's revealed he has motor neurone disease. burrow has been speaking about his shock at the diagnosis and the inpsiration he's been taking from scottish rugby union legend doddy weir, after they talked about their shared condition. we really don't want to lie down and just take it. we want to compete. footballers have the same attitude as i think i've got. footballers have the same attitude as i think i've got. doddy‘s certainly got that so i am taking the challenge. i do not intend to lie down. i will get stuck into it. i am a really positive, taking the challenge. i think that is the best way to be. incredible to see him speak so candidly about his condition. if you've scrolled on bbc sport's instagram you might have seen some interesting sporting partnerships. here's serena williams being put through her paces by none other than mike tyson.

looks as though she's got a decent punch there. it is not surprising. my cousin said he would not be wanting to get in the ring with her. here she is, along with young starlet coco gauff and a few friends, tearing up the dancefloor. that's serena in the yellow top and coco in the red. how times have changed. you would not get tim henman doing that.” reckon tim would be up for it. he likes a love. we would like to see that! have you done all your christmas shopping? is that why i don't have a present yet? nina, what have you got for us? i know this is

a bone of contention with u2. talking now about pre— christmas sales. an accountancy firm has been looking at prices ahead of christmas. it is a massive survey and looks at 800,000 products on line and in store and it has found that prices have steadily been falling in the run—up to christmas. it is gamesmanship. a big range of discounts. 80% have had some sort of discomfort look at this average, than 45% stop amazing. discomfort look at this average, than 4596 stop amazing. 45% discomfort look at this average, than 4596 stop amazing. 4596 of products have some kind of discount? no, as% products have some kind of discount? no, 45% reduction. it could be clothing, electronics, clothes. miniature shopping trolleys, for example. that was surprisingly cheap

but the big savings on clothing categories, gaps, oasis, topshop and it is good news for some shoppers and we talked to some in nottingham. lam and we talked to some in nottingham. iamona and we talked to some in nottingham. i am on a tight budget but i pushed it up i am on a tight budget but i pushed itupa i am on a tight budget but i pushed it up a little and especially because i have a new grandson. this seems to be sales everywhere. august sales so i am pretty much done by november. we know what we're coming to shop for so we have gone straight for the things we are looking for and if there is a good deal, we have gone for it. what does this mean for the retailers? if we know this, just wait. it is good news for us but is a good news for them? it smacks of desperation, trying to get rid of their products. mother claire, clinton, the people on in trouble and this is a vital time for

retailers and we do not know exactly how it has worked out for them. people physically going into stores have been down almost 1% compared to the same period last year and that is not good news for them. the golden porter for most retailers but because sales have generally been slowing across the retail sector, they have got a lot of stock they need to get rid of and they are putting that in two sales but what that means is the sales are slowing but they are also making less of a profit so that is not sustainable for many retailers. it is not good for many retailers. it is not good for retailers but, if you are a bit ofa for retailers but, if you are a bit of a last—minute shopper, super saturday tomorrow, you can out there and back the bargains. charlie... this is your gift to me. you selected it personally. do you want

to see the big reveal because i think it is going to be something quite spectacular. i hope it is as beautiful as her necklace. you have to wear them for the remainder of the programme. it really is exactly what i wanted. it is not going to go on, iam what i wanted. it is not going to go on, i am telling you now. come on, i am very mind. let's top that for now. you haven't lost your necklace, have you? thank you, by the way. thank you. hey! that's lovely. it's 7:a5am. what's the date today? is it the 215t, 20th? what's the date today? is it the 21st, 20th? tomorrow is the shortest

day. tomorrow is when you can start to feel brilliant about winter, because the days will be getting longer. it's looking rather beautiful this morning. matt is not 1 million miles away from there, he's on thames at somerset house. they are going gingerbread mad there. we certainly are, it's pretty outside but it is raining quite heavily, the shortest day is on the 22nd, but thankfully not raining in here at the moment because we have this beautiful gingerbread city together by 100 architects to tell us more about it i have melissa. she is the founding director of the museum of architecture who are the master man is behind this. it looks absolutely stunning. thus two —— mastermind behind this it looks

absolutely stunning. we want architects to get involved in the community and show how architecture affects how we work, live and play. what went into putting this city together? this is our fourth year, we have amazing projects, so sugar work, chocolate, things you have never seen before. what is the idea, i suppose, what was the master plan behind it? there is a master plan, sibbald —— tibbalds designed this, they create hotels, bridges, landscapes, so they have everything that a real city as in this city. so, it was 100 architectural firms that put this together? it looks like they have really enjoyed it. they have put their heart and soul into it. engineers, designers, architects, all really putting their

skill into modelmaking, obviously different materials have been used but they are really taking on the challenge. fantastic. thank you very much, melissa. thank you! and absolutely stunning sight to see and smells beautiful as well with all this did you read around. sad to say it is not particularly great outside at the moment. parts of central eastern england, let's take a look at the forecast. the rain is going to last a while. it's been raining all night long for some. we had to keep a close eye on the flood situation for much of the country as we go through the next couple of days. an area of low touches and pressure “— days. an area of low touches and pressure —— an area of low pressure is in charge. south—eastern counties it will rain all day long. the further north and west you are, a drier start. there will be some sunshine breaking through mist and fog, one or two showers to speak of. we will see more on the way of those surface water bottles lasting into

the afternoon across eastern counties of england. still out across the south and east —— water bottles. temperature is around 7— 10 degrees. —— water puddles. the breeze picks up in southern counties compared to what we have had today. a touch of frost, but many places are frost—free to the start of the weekend. a big weekend, last weekend before christmas. if you are out shopping in the high street, it looks like a lot more showers will be around. initially in the south—west and channel islands but across the afternoon and england in south wales, the midlands and england we will see more persistent rain arrived. temperatures fairly similarto rain arrived. temperatures fairly similar to today's values. the breeze picks up, too, to finish saturday, quite a wet night in southern areas. the rain holds onto

the south—east corner. elsewhere it isa the south—east corner. elsewhere it is a story of sunnis was breaking through, some showers here and there, heaviest in the west. but back to increasingly drier weather as we head into next week. that is how it is looking. i have eaten half of my gingerbread house, back to you both, naga and charlie. thank you very much! around 1a0,000 school—aged children in the uk have autism and christmas can be a particularly difficult time for them. things like fairy lights, presents and parties can lead to sensory overload, as paddy mcguiness and his wife christine only know too well. their twins were diagnosed a few years ago. christine is here now to tell us more. welcome back. thank you so much for having me again. so leo and penelope have been diagnosed already. how old are they? they are six, twins, yeah. give people a sense of what the

challenges you face, specific to this time of year. for us christmas is the most difficult time of year, i would say. we struggle with the lack of routine. the school is closed and then the changes, everywhere we go things are different, everywhere is decorated. beautiful to us but to my children it is all too much, it's too different and overwhelming. they rely on things being a certain way, thatis rely on things being a certain way, that is the way they get through the day, that is what works. and there is noise everywhere you go, people are singing christmas carols, which for us is quite lovely but for my children, instantly it is too loud, too much. there's a lot of questions around christmas as to why is there around christmas as to why is there a tree in the house, why is everyone singing and dancing, why other decorations everywhere, what's in the box, what are the presence? it's a lot of unknown, a lot of anxiety, a lot of unknown, a lot of anxiety, a lot of unknown, a lot of anxiety, a lot for them to deal with. they we re a lot for them to deal with. they were diagnosed two years ago? they

we re were diagnosed two years ago? they were three and a half when they were diagnosed. when they were diagnosed, how did you then approach christmas, did you put up a tree? we haven't really celebrated christmas this year. it will be our first more traditional christmas this year, but we will keep it calm. the twins a lwa ys we will keep it calm. the twins always seemed upset. theirfirst christmas they were six months old and didn't really notice, the second christmas they were one and a half, we put a tree up and we noticed they didn't want to come down the stairs. they got really upset. people visiting and coming over, it got too much for them. we took the tree down after a couple of days. we didn't know why and what it was, we just knew that something was upsetting them. wejust knew that something was upsetting them. we just thought we have two big softies scared of the christmas tree. every year we tried introducing small decorations, taking them to see christmas displays, and it wasjust taking them to see christmas displays, and it was just always do much for them. so that we never put

decorations up at home. and wearing a paper heart? know, god. even a normal hat would be too different for them. they would want us to take it off. —— no, god. for them. they would want us to take it off. -- no, god. you mentioned it before, things inside your own home, their behaviour, you can kind of control data. but when you are out or visiting people, there are elements that are about that are outside your control. and our home, we decided for the last six years, we decided for the last six years, we decided for the last six years, we decided right, we are going to decorate the rest, and we can't control outside. this year i took decorate the rest, and we can't contr to »utside. this year i took decorate the rest, and we can't contr to lots de. this year i took decorate the rest, and we can't contr to lots of this year i took decorate the rest, and we can't contr to lots of christmas i took decorate the rest, and we can't contr to lots of christmas displays them to lots of christmas displays and they seem to manage better at school. we thought why don't we go for it? we'll try a christmas tree and if they don't like it we will ta ke and if they don't like it we will take it down. we have had a tree for over one week now and they are ok.

they are all right with it but we are farfrom they are all right with it but we are far from decorating the christmas tree. they chose where we we re christmas tree. they chose where we were going to put it. we were able to put it in a whole. —— hall. i am so proud of them. i moved the so —— sofa. they chose to have it in a room they don't often go in. so you can see the top of the tree. i thought that was good of them to figure out that they would put it somewhere where they know it is there but it isn't in their face every day. this ties in with a national autistic society, they have put out some tips. perhaps you can explain why these tips might work. the first one is setting aside a

christmas rezoned in your house. i am very, very proud, i am an ambassadorfor the am very, very proud, i am an ambassador for the autistic society. this is something we do at home, like i said, the trees in one area that they don't normally go in. that room, they know it is thereby at any point during christmas day i can say if you've got an autistic child or adult, let them go to their bedroom, or if they need some quiet time on christmas day, let them have it. don't try to force them to be involved. we have a few more go through. include business activities as part of your daily routine and giving out presence one by one. so, this is about not too much. my children will come down to a big tower of presence on christmas day —— will not, it will be one by one. something being unwrapped for them, it's the unknown, it's scary. what's in that box? do you find that people are sensitive? you know what is going to work and what doesn't. other people maybe don't know the situation. i have spent years being quite upset because our christmas is not like everyone else was marked,

and then you see everyone's instagram, my children are doing all that, but i think what every parent wa nts that, but i think what every parent wants is a happy child on christmas day. for us, that is keeping things calm. if that is what works for them, iam calm. if that is what works for them, i am not going to try and shoehorn a traditional christmas. i wa nt to shoehorn a traditional christmas. i want to do what works for them. then being happy makes me happy. we wish your family being happy makes me happy. we wish yourfamilya being happy makes me happy. we wish your family a calm, happy christmas. i'm so delighted for you with battery. i'm so delighted for you. thank you. thank you for coming in for us again. you can find those tips on our website. good morning from bbc london, i'm geeta pendse. a specialist emergency service which has doctors treating patients in the community is helping to reduce pressure on a&e wards. the physician response unit

is a collaboration between barts health trust, london's air ambulance and london ambulance service. medics with state—of—the—art equipment visit patients and have helped to avoid around a thousand trips to hospital over the year. there's growing calls for all of us to become more sustainable this christmas. it comes as london held its biggest ever no—waste eco christmas market in east london. a series of workshops creating items like reuseable crackers were held for visitors. we throw away almost 230,000 miles of wrapping paper every year across the whole country. a lot of wrapping paper has glitter on it which we know isn't very good for the environment. so, i'm going to be using brown wrap instead, which is recyclable. shampoos in a soap bar, it's worth three bottles of shampoo, things like that. i will be renting my christmas tree, which will then go back in the ground next year and carry on growing. and i may even re—rent it next year. now, a building used

as a monty python film set is on a list of unusual heritage sites in london to receive new or enhanced protected status. four sites across the capital have made historic england's 2019 list of the top 21 unusual buildings and sites. it includes the curtain playhouse, the porchester centre in bayswater, the nursemaid's tunnel in regent's park and cabmen's shelter on northumberland avenue. let's take a look at the travel situation now. there's a part—suspension on the overground, the metropolitian line and the dlr between stratford to bow church. south western railway trains are suspended between ascot and reading. on the roads there's traffic on the aa06 north circular southbound at henly‘s corner following an accident. now, the weather with elizabeth ritzinni. hello, good morning. heavy rain through the night, it's another wet start to the day across the capital. there is a lot of surface water on the roads and pavements,

leading to tricky driving conditions. and also a met office weather warning out for heavy rain, valid until midday today. for the southern areas of the capital, that warning extends into parts of the weekend, too. so check out all the details on the bbc weather website. now, it's a fairly mild start to the morning, it's not the temperature you will notice, it's certainly the heavy rain. that moves its way northwards through the late morning into the first part of the afternoon. drier conditions will start to develop and it could brighten up at times, too, but watch out for one or two showers. temperatures a touch lower than they were yesterday and the winds will fall lighter. overnight tonight, some long, dry spells, some clear spells around, too, but again watch out for some showers, the breeze will pick up a touch into tomorrow morning. it is a cooler start to the day tomorrow than we're seeing today. and we've got that warning out towards southern areas, remember, tomorrow, so still the chance of some surface water flooding. as we head into the start of next week it's looking dry and there'll be some sunshine on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half—an—hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. now though it's back to naga and charlie.

bye for now. good morning, welcome to breakfast with naga munchetty and charlie stayt. our headlines today... the prime minister's brexit plan goes to a commons vote, paving the way for the uk to leave the eu at the end of january. firefighters in australia are battling more than 100 fires amid a heatwave which has produced the nation's two hottest days on record. the most important un—elected job in the uk. the next governor of the bank of england, who is in charge of whether interest rates go up or down, is expected to be revealed this morning. i'll be explaining why the appointment matters. a new era at arsenal. the club is set to announce manchester city assistant coach and former gunners captain mikel arteta as their next manager. # it's so easy to leave...

one of andrew lloyd webber‘s most famous musicals transfers to the big screen. today, we'll ask why so many critics have their claws out for cats. and have their claws out for cats. i am at somerset ho| museum and i am at somerset house at the museum of architecture's gingerbread city, festive aromas indoors but outdoors it is raining heavily with the risk of flooding in eastern areas but i will have the full forecast coming up right here. it's friday the 20th of december. our top story. the prime minister's brexit divorce deal will be put before parliament later. it comes in a year where theresa may, then mrjohnson, wrestled with mp5 over their plans. today is expected to feel very different as the government now has a strong majority. officially known as the eu withdrawal agreement bill, it is the legislation needed to make brexit happen. this week it was announced that the government would add

a clause to rule out any extension beyond december 2020, ending what boris johnson calls years of "deadlock, dither and delay". now, with a majority of 80, the prime minister expects the bill to become law in time for the uk to cease being a member of the eu on the 31st of january. out political correspondent jonathan blake is in our westminster studio. with that conservative majority, this is a different feel to when it was brought before parliament previously? it does and the drama of knife edge vote and jeopardy in the house of commons has disappeared and it is almost certain that boris johnson brexit deal will pass overwhelmingly in house of commons later today when it gets its second reading which is mps' first chance to debate and vote on the legislation in broad terms. it would be the prime minister's attempt to do what he tried and failed to do before the election and what theresa

may tried and failed several times to do in the early months of this year and that is to get parliament to's approvalfor year and that is to get parliament to's approval for the deal he has struck the eu over the uk's exit. but it is being criticised by opposition parties and others for some of the changes that the government has made to the withdrawal agreement bill. gone is a guarantee that child refugees will be able to be reunited with their family when freedom of movement comes to an end. there is no guarantee that the implementation period after the end of january next year will not be able to be extended, the time in which a trade deal is hoped will be done with the eu. and various other changes which have left labour saying it was a bad bill before and even worse one now, particularly around protections for workers' rights. but speaking on show in the last hour, the brexit secretary stephen barclay defended the government approach. this bill is focused on the trade discussions

moving forward, it is a divorce to get brexit done but also in terms of the future, in terms of the trade, what we're doing on the employment and workers' rights is actually doing that from other areas of government. we have a clear commitment in the manifesto to high standards on that and we are bringing forward specific measures through the queen's speech to do. later this morning the prime minister himself will open the debate on this legislation in the house of commons, wanting to give the impression that the government is delivering on its promise to get brexit done but a reminder, this deals with the immediate issues of leaving the eu, not the future relationship with it after the end of january, that is still to be decided. jonathan, thank you. the shadow treasury minister, clive lewis, has become the latest labour mp to join the race to succeed jeremy corbyn as leader. writing in the guardian, mr lewis praises mr corbyn but argues that labour members should have a greater say in how the party is run. the shadow foreign secretary, emily thornberry, has also declared

that she's standing. the australian prime minister has apologised for going on holiday to hawaii while the nation's bushfire crisis worsens. crews are battling more than 100 fires amid a heatwave which has produced the country's two hottest days on record. yesterday, two firefighters died when theirfire engine was hit by a falling tree. let's speak to our correspondent phil mercer who's in tahmoor in new south wales. good morning, i can see the crew behind you taking a well earned break before going back out but bring us up to date with what is going on. a few months ago, several fire engines from this station at tahmoor, about 90 minutes drive from sydney, raced off to fight another fire. many fires menacing in many communities are not just fire. many fires menacing in many communities are notjust here in new south wales, but in south australia, a catastrophic fire warning has been issued and crews are battling 120

blazes. a catastrophic fire warning has also been issued for parts of new south wales on saturday so australia's brutal summer shows no sign of easing. those two firefighters who died were both volunteers, like many of the firefighters here. they were killed when a tree landed on their fire engine not far away in a place called buxton, and that underscores the dangerfacing called buxton, and that underscores the danger facing this emergency firefighting effort. the firefighters are fatigued but determined to keep on battling these blazes as the crisis here continues. thank you very much. two men have died in separate knife attacks in london overnight. one man, believed to be in his 20s, was killed in walthamstow. around an hour later, a man in his 30s was fatally stabbed in an unrelated attack near scratchwood park in barnet. an arrest has been made in connection with the earlier stabbing.

services to honour the victims of a london bridge attack due to take place today. the reverend patrick taylor, who is conducting the memorial service, said he hopes people will be able to celebrate saskia jones's life. people have said what a remarkable person she was and i genuinely believe they are not just being kind was and i genuinely believe they are notjust being kind or generous because of the nature of her death, she genuinely was a remarkable person. so there is a lot to celebrate, as well as the sadness of losing her in such a tragic way. the next person in charge of the bank or england is expected to be announced this morning. it isa it is a really significant role?m is, people often cite it as the most unimportant —— important unelected role in the uk because they have to ta ke role in the uk because they have to

take important decisions like how much interest rates go up and down which can affect your mortgage and your savings and the altar up to regulate the banks so they have enough funding regulate the banks so they have enoughfunding —— regulate the banks so they have enough funding —— they have to regulate the banks ponder the search for the replacement began in april and today it has been announced that andrew bailey is the frontrunner. he is the former deputy governor the bank of england, former chief cashier and lately chief executive of the financial conduct authority so he is experienced and trusted as a safe pair of hands put they had said they had hoped to appoint the first female governor but that does not look to be happening. first female governor but that does not look to be happeningm first female governor but that does not look to be happening. it has been announced he is a frontrunner but when do we get the announcement? we find out in about half an hour. and you talk about mark carney, he has been seen as quite a character, mervyn king before and then mark carney has been a bit more lively

and quite vocal and criticised, perhaps speaking up and not being as staid as previous governors pulled what would this new guy bring? mark carney almost became a celebrity in his own right, the first non—british governor, he is canadian and andrew bailey, if it replaces him, it will be seen as a move back towards mervyn king. mark carney was criticised for giving his opinion about brexit, against the move, but also hinting at interest rates before he confirmed them so it expected to be a return to the old guard product are you going to be back when it is announced? i will be. it is ten months past. figures given to breakfast as part of shelter‘s urgent christmas appeal show that nearly 15% of rough sleepers in england are women for and the number is rising. as a teenager, sabrina cohen—hatton ended up on the streets after her relationship with her mum broke down. 20 years on, she's one of the most senior female firefighters in the uk. our social affairs correspondent

fiona lamdin caught up with her at a refuge for homeless women. it's quite emotional because i know there are people in there who are in the same space that i was once upon a time and i know how tough it was. the whole reason you are experiencing homelessness is because there isn't a support network around you. that a safety net has failed for you and that is a really lonely place. so it is emotional because i remember that. this refuge is currently home to nine women who would otherwise be homeless. this is the kitchen... 17—year—old kelsey shows us around. she has lived here for a year after a family breakdown. how scary was it when you realised things could not go on at home? very scary. in what way? just had arguments with my dad and my mum. it's really difficult. i can relate to that. when i was 15, my family broke down

as well and my mum had suffered really badly with her mental health after my dad died and i left home and i slept in shop doorways, i slept in a derelict building for a while, in the porch of a church. and once i slept in a subway. i woke up in the middle of the night and some guy was laughing and my sleeping bag felt wet and there was this drunk guy that had just urinated all over my sleeping bag. you imagine the practicalities of that, i was a 16—year—old girl. a year later, sabrina started selling the big issue and raised enough to rent a flat. and after 31 attempts, finally got a job with the fire brigade. and two decades on, she is one of six female fire chiefs in the uk. it helps you build your confidence up, you meet new friends. downstairs, 22—year—old alicia was left homeless after her relationship breakdown. really being brave doesn't mean you're afraid of something, i promise you, it doesn't. it means you do it even though you are afraid of something but then, nothing has to define you.

it's heartbreaking to hear somebody else go through it and the outcome that you've done, you've done really well. and, do you know, that's the most important thing. because i didn't tell anybody about this, people would look at me now and they would think that you just have a normal life and that's fine. but the truth is, i had a horrific time. fiona lamdin, bbc news. and sabrina is here with us now. you are a good hugger! that came in handy! everyone needs a hug sometimes! it clearly made a big impact on you because you are thinking, that was me once. exactly, such an emotional moment and at 1.1 was in tears, alicia was in tears, just in the cameraman was in tears. at the reason it resonated so much is because i was in that position once and it is a really difficult

thing to go back and revisit those emotions. what was so important for me, when i was experiencing homelessness and just after, i would look at people seemingly doing ok in life and think that nothing bad had ever happened and you had a charmed life. that kind of life is not for me. the reality is that since i started talking about it, so many people have come forward and said they had similar experiences i wish i knew that back then public the journey might not have been so difficult. i might not have been so relu cta nt to difficult. i might not have been so reluctant to try because i didn't think i was worthy. try to... try to do something, aim for something, aspire for something public when you experience something like that, it's a lwa ys experience something like that, it's always on the back of some kind of trauma, whether a bereavement or a breakdown or a pa5, it always starts somewhere. when you feel so vulnerable, you feel people will walk past you like you're not there and that life and society as we know it isn't for you. but actually being

ina it isn't for you. but actually being in a position where you can see somebody who has had the same experience as you and come out the other side makes you think that actually perhaps i can ijust wish i had had that back then. i'm thinking there will be people you met in that place who will have seen what you are talking about and taken a great dealfrom meeting you. you are talking about and taken a great deal from meeting you. you take yourself back to that time and place, was that anyone who did that for you? a person or a time or an incident that gave you that thing in your head that went, it doesn't have to be like this? no, at one point in time my self—esteem was so low that i would look at my reflection in shop windows and literally lose what i saw and i didn't think i could aspire to anything —— literally loathe. that turning point for me was when i thought i wanted to be a firefighter and people laughed because they thought i was too small and how can i think about that when i had nowhere to live but it was

sheer belligerence actually more than anywhere else. actually having someone to be that kind of role model would have been a really powerful and we really underestimate the impact of us can have on us sometimes. with what a statistic about the number of women who are homeless. —— be brought up a statistic. for so many people, you spoke about not feeling part of society and ignored and so many people, i think, society and ignored and so many people, ithink, have no society and ignored and so many people, i think, have no idea what it's like to sit there or sleep somewhere on your own, vulnerable, particularly as a woman. physically feeling scared all the time to look can you give us some insight into that. i think it really affects the way you perceive the world and i found myself becoming very hypervigilant because you are co nsta ntly hypervigilant because you are constantly aware of the dangers. eyes to sleep in a derelict building for a while but when there is some kind of shelter, it's not long before other people find it. it felt like quite a dangerous place. i

would do this thing where i would work out an escape route wherever i was and two or three i would stack paint cansi was and two or three i would stack paint cans i would find in eight skipper so if i had to run i could pull something down behind me. i was co nsta ntly pull something down behind me. i was constantly looking for the alternative outcome that could have happened. that has a real impact on you because it affects the way you think. you can sometimes become very anxious but equally it can help because you are constantly looking out for that danger. that feeling of vulnerability and fear and worry and second—guessing other people's intentions can be very real. when you look at what you have achieved in your life, it is unavoidable to think that there was a time when you clearly felt rejected and no one was helping you and you have gone into a career where that is all you do. do think one thing led you to another? yes, iam think one thing led you to another? yes, i am such a cliche! it was actually the one thing that kept me

going, this idea that you could somehow contribute back. the incredible things will be about the fire service is you are trusted by people to know what to do when they are experiencing the worst thing they ever have, and i felt like are experiencing the worst thing they ever have, and ifelt like i had about two years of the worst thing i had experienced. the context is different but the sentiment is executive the same. you have been talking to your daughter about this, she is ten... on new year's day. we have a picture of you when you graduated, with her so how easy is it to tell her about your experiences? it's really hard and there was a time when i thought i never want her to know but there was a time when i never wanted anybody to know and it's only recently i started to talk about it put the reason is i know there are still thousands of people in the same space today that i was back then and it's important that they know that your circumstances do not define new. i'm intrigued, was she ate when

you told her? she was nine. children at that age ask very blunt questions! was it a bit like that? yes but she is so full of empathy, she made me really proud and it's important that whatever background you come from, it doesn't matter and she grows up with that understanding that we talk about unconscious bias, and in terms of characteristics and for good reason but what we don't talk about often enough are the insta nt talk about often enough are the instant decisions you make about people because of their social class or their economic status. i want her to grow up questioning that.” or their economic status. i want her to grow up questioning that. i bet she is very proud. a pleasure to meet you, thank you so much. matt is at somerset house in london with the weather this morning. and some gingerbread creations? good morning, battersea power station and somerset house in front, just two of

the amazing creations here by architectural companies were put together this for the museum of architecture and it's on until the 5th of january. worth coming to have a look and smelling it! right now it is raining quite heavily in many areas and is now 57 flood warnings across england, scotland and wales. you can keep up—to—date with the latest on the weather website. there is more heavy rain to come for some debate but a bit more such are developing later, particularly in the west. low pressure firmly in charge, weather fronts coming up from the bay of biscay producing heavy rain with surface water on the roads making for unpleasant travelling conditions and it will do for much of the day in eastern england under the rain is sluggish to clear. further west, some mist and fog in northern ireland and in scotland, not too wet. a few showers here and there. in western england and wales it will brighten up as well product temperatures in double figures in southern and eastern parts with a

mild air, a bit fresher in yesterday in scotland and northern ireland, seven or 8 degrees. we finish with the heavy rain clearing from eastern coastal counties of england, and then we have a slightly drier conditions overnight and on saturday put a few showers, but clearer skies particularly in the north, a few mist and fog patches. most frost free into the start of the week and. if you are out christmas shopping tomorrow, the last one before christmas, it looks like there will be more dry weather than today and indeed yesterday. a few showers dotted around but if you're in the south—west, the channel islands, get the shopping done early because the rain will come in later and it will be persistent and moving on to southern counties, south wales and the south midlands through the afternoon and evening. similar temperatures to today but does the wind will pick up, quite a windy night and wind will pick up, quite a windy nightand a wind will pick up, quite a windy night and a windy start to sunday in the south—east, rain might be

sluggish to clear but when it does we are back to sunshine and showers, showers in western areas. some morning fog, temperatures dropping a bit and by the start of christmas week, if you have travel plans, keep checking the forecast because fog could be a morning issue. back to you. thank you. it really does look very festive. andrew lloyd webber‘s musical cats is one of the most successful theatre shows of all time. the film version is out today, and, after spending almost $100 million, the makers of the big—screen adaptation are hoping to replicate its success. it stars the likes of taylor swift and dame judi dench. they are cgi human—cat

hybrids. let's have a look at a little bit of help the movie looks. that is taylor swift and you can see them in the background, damejudi dench. jennifer hudson. you can get a sense of what the look is so describe it as you have seen it as is so describe it as you have seen itasa is so describe it as you have seen it as a critic. if you have ever used instagram or snapchat, you know the fun filters that turn you into a cat or dog? that is what it's like, like a david cronenberg nightmare. you might have a cold and a weird dream, that is the aesthetic. you use the word nightmare! the thing about it is whether you like it or

not, people love the theatre production. they will go to see this. it's pretty much a foregone conclusion it will be a success? definitely and a christmas everybody wa nts to definitely and a christmas everybody wants to go and see something they know and recognise and they can sing along with. i think people will go and enjoy it and i can't fault that, even as someone who thought it was a bad film and is paid to have a professional opinion. but i do hope people enjoy it as much as i did watching it. ithink people enjoy it as much as i did watching it. i think it is utterly bonkers but i liked the stage show i think it keeps that spirit alive. bonkers but i liked the stage show i think it keeps that spirit alivem happened with the greatest showman where the critics had a verdict and audiences went, we are in.” where the critics had a verdict and audiences went, we are in. i think hugh jackman brought a audiences went, we are in. i think huthackman brought a lot to that and the cast is so big, it's hard for anyone to pull focus in that similar way. but i think people will

go to the cinema and have a great time. you talk about pulling focus, james corden of course is in this which has attracted a lot of attention because he is one of those people... you want to go and see what he looks like. i would say and evil because of cutting the hat is how i would describe him this. not my favourite. idris elba is great, very pantomime villain vibes which i enjoyed and i think ian mckellen is doing the work, he's fantastic. and damejudi doing the work, he's fantastic. and dame judi dench. just seeing one of the greatest living actresses in a big fur coat! and francesca hayward, who is the main character so to speak, having someone like that in the main role amongst all those big stars, she is a massive star in the ballet world but not as well—known as the others. i hope it kick-starts her career because you get a sense

of how multitalented she is and she holds her own completely against these huge stars. she doesn't ever seem to be the kind of newcomer to the production i think for her it's a great showcase. it's fascinating, the ears and tails are fascinating. the way they twitch! when i saw the film, that is all i was watching, how the ears moved with the emotions and everything, that was what pulled my focus! i love the irony of your shirt today! the fact that you're wearing a dog shirt when we talking about cats! i thought for equality reasons. are you going to do the thing we said in the morning meeting when we talked about the critics reviewing it upon the line that it feels over hurst, critics, i was saying, it was mee—ouch. there was too much build up for that! great to

see you, thank you. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning. low pressure is still dominating our weather. we've had a lot of heavy rain over recent days. reports of some flooding as well. still some more heavy rain to come today, especially across southern and eastern parts of england. some sunshine, some dry weather on the cards, particularly a little bit later on, but through today, a bulk of heavy, persistent rain across central and eastern england will slowly drift its way eastwards, but parts of east anglia towards lincolnshire, could keep that persistent rainfall through the day. elsewhere, it's going to be a day of a few sunny spells and scattered showers. most of the showers will be confined to western scotland later on, and also through central parts of england as well. into this evening, and the bulk of the rain and cloud clears away towards the east so overnight we are left with clear spells and further scattered showers. temperatures getting

down just a few degrees above freezing for most of us, so mostly frost free. could be the odd pocket of frost across parts of northern england, northern ireland and scotland as well. perhaps even the odd icy stretch over higher ground. into saturday morning, the next area of low pressure is waiting in the wings, but actually for a good part of saturday, sunny spells and more of those scattered showers, particularly around coastal areas. but actually many of us having quite a decent day before the next batch of wet and windy weather arrives across part of southern and south—west england during the afternoon. temperatures around 6—7 degrees on saturday. that rain in the south is courtesy of this system here, which then clears away towards the east, as we head on into sunday. sunday brings us a day of sunny spells and scattered showers, most of them across western parts of the uk. driest in the east. fairly light wind as well so not a bad day, sunday. highs around 7—10 degrees and then looking ahead towards christmas week, it's starting off fairly showery before things turn a little drier and colder with some frost and fog for some of us.

this is worklife from bbc news, with samantha simmonds and david eades. brexit milestone. the withdrawal agreement goes before parliament — signalling the final days of britain's eu membership, and the start of intense negotiations on future trade. live from london, that's our top story on friday 20 december. mps will vote today on whether to back the prime minister's plan for the uk to leave the eu on 31stjanuary.