tonight at six. .. scotland's finance secretary resigns after his texts to a teenage boy are made public. derek mackay was forced to quitjust hours before he was due to deliver a multi—billion pound budget. derek mackay‘s conduct fell far short of what is expected of a minister and indeed he offered his resignation to me and i accepted. it was not an option for him to remain in government. also on tonight's programme — a third person has tested positive for coronavirus here in the uk. in china, a full on effort to contain the spread of the disease. blick gatherings like weddings and birthdays are banned. —— public

gatherings. why disability and poverty go hand in hand — a shocking report into how some of our most vulnerable families are let down. down to earth with a record — christina koch completes the longest ever spaceflight by a woman. kirk douglas, one of the greatest stars of hollywood's golden age, dies at a 103. i'm spartacus. and coming up on bbc news, ben youngs has been dropped to the bench for england's six nations match with scotland on saturday, one of five changes to the starting xv. good evening and welcome to the bbc‘s news at six. scotland's finance secretary, derek mackay, has resigned after social media messages he sent to a 16—year—old boy were made public today.

in all there were more than 250 messages over a six—month period, the last five of which were sent this week. first minister nicola sturgeon described his conduct as unacceptable and said he's been suspended by the scottish national party. in a statement mr mackay admitted he'd "behaved foolishly". this report from our scotland editor, sarah smith, contains some flash photography. the finance secretary, derek mackay, was one of the most senior ministers in the scottish government, tipped as a future party leader and first minister. now his career has been destroyed by inappropriate social media messages he sent to a schoolboy. the scottish sun printed numerous exchanges between the politician and a boy that he knew was just 16, commenting on his appearance and calling him cute.

the sun reported that mr mackay told the boy he is gay and invited him to dinner as well as a rugby match. i think if these allegations are founded, and they are very detailed, very explicit, totally inappropriate and, by any standard judgment of what constitutes the grooming of a young individual, these would pass that test. nicola sturgeon has suspended derek mackay from the snp but she cannot make him stand down as an msp. based on what i knew about this last night, it was clear to me then that derek mackay's conduct fell far short of what is expected of a minister and indeed, he offered his resignation to me and i accepted. it was not an option for him to remain in government. msps from all parties are furious. derek mackay this morning described his own behaviour as foolish. but derek mackay's actions towards a schoolboy are beyond foolish. they are an abuse of power.

they are nothing short of predatory. just yesterday mr mackay was planting trees to illustrate the environmental measures in the budget statement he was due to deliver today. today i present the scottish budget for 2020—21. instead, a junior minister had to announce £1.8 billion to be spent on investment projects to help move scotland towards a low carbon economy. derek mackay could now face a police investigation. police scotland say they are assessing available material and encouraging anyone with information to come forward. he was a popular politician who seemed to be heading for the top, now humiliated by his own mistakes which could seriously damage his party as well. this is a really serious blow for nicola sturgeon and the snp. to lose one of the party's star politicians

in these excruciatingly embarrassing circumstances at a time when the snp led government here is already facing significant challenges in the health service and education. to add to that, next month former leader of the snp and former first minister alex salmond will appear in court facing 14 charges of sexual assault and attempted rape, charges he denies. sarah, thank you. it's been confirmed today that a third person in the uk has tested positive for coronavirus. england's chief medical officer says the patient did not catch the disease in china, where it was first detected, but in another asian country. according to the latest figures from china, there are more than 28,000 confirmed cases, with the current number of deaths there at 563. the authorities in china have banned public gatherings, like wedding and birthday parties, in a bid to halt the spread of the disease. but, as rupert wingfield—hayes reports from hong kong, that's not stopped the rising

anxiety in the region. this is what happens when fear takes hold. shops in hong kong today were being cleared of rice and toilet paper as rumours swirled of a complete shutdown of the border with mainland china. out in hong kong harbour, a huge cruise ship, the virus possibly loose on board. several passengers have tested positive and no one is being allowed off. from his balcony, hinsley lee can look out at his home town but cannot go there. translation: i am nervous but the only thing we can do is stay in our cabins and be careful. hong kong has now at least five cases of people with the coronavirus who have not been to mainland china and have not had any apparent contact with people from mainland china. also, three of them live in the same place, that is this building behind me here, and that may be the first indication of what is called

community transmission. that is the virus passing from one person to another here in hong kong. experts here say they are now not optimistic that the virus can be contained and that a full pandemic may be on the way. not so, according to the chinese ambassador to london, who today went on the offensive, insisting china has the situation under control. it is our hope that the governments of all countries, including the uk, should understand and support chinese efforts. respect the professional advice of who, avoid overreaction, avoid creating panic. but at the same time, from wuhan, pictures and the like of which we have not seen in generations. stadiums, gymnasiums and conference centres all being turned into fever centres, so desperate is the shortage of beds for the sick.

by phone today, i managed to talk to a young woman in wuhan who described to me the stress of not knowing what is going on and what to believe. translation: we don't feel safe. we don't know how the virus is passed from one person to another. but we can't stay at homeall the time, and we don't know when this will end. we don't know when we will be able to return to normal life. that is very stressful. there is some good news. these are patients who have recovered leaving hospital. but tonight there are reports that this man, doctor li wenliang, is in critical condition or may have died after contracting the virus. in early december doctor li tried to warn authorities about the spread of a dangerous new virus. his warnings were ignored. rupert wingfield—hayes, bbc news, in hong kong.

let's return to the news that a third person has tested positive for coronavirus here in the uk. our health editor hugh pym is here with me. i know you have made some calls and have more details? i understand the patient is a man, middle—aged, who was taken ill in brighton at home. he was isolated there and tested positive for this new strain of coronavirus and is now at guy's hospital in london, a specialist centre for treating infectious diseases, like the hospital in newcastle treating the other two cases. interestingly, he contracted the virus not in china but in another asian country. that adds to another asian country. that adds to a bit of our understanding of how much this is a spreading and impact the government this evening has extended the range of countries beyond china from which anyone arriving in the uk and developing symptoms is urged to self isolate for 14 days, that includes hong kong, malaysia, singapore and others. what does this tell us about the challenges we face here? the

chief medical officer at the briefing today said that as things stand it is a serious problem for china but has not spread greatly beyond that. the nhs at the moment is perfectly capable of dealing with a small number of cases, even more than today have come to and it has that expertise and the world health organization said at this stage it is not a global pandemic. put the chief medical officer added that if things change and it spread widely around the world more people will come into the uk with the virus and that will put pressure on the nhs. we have not got there yet though. thank you very much. a jury at the old bailey has heard how the brother of the manchester arena suicide bomber bought a bomb—making chemical for the attack using an arabic email address which, when translated, meant "we have come to slaughter". hashem abedi is on trial, accused of helping his brother salman carry out the attack, which killed 22 people at an ariana grande concert in 2017. the 22—year—old denies the charges.

the justice secretary says he'll push through emergency legislation to stop dozens of people convicted of terrorist offences being automatically freed from prison, as was the case with the streatham attacker last weekend. robert buckland wants a new law passed within weeks to delay the release date of around 50 terror offenders. but lawyers say they will go all the way to the supreme court to stop politicians changing sentences passed down byjudges. our home editor mark easton reports. out of prison but extremely dangerous. these cctv pictures from last sunday in streatham show convicted terrorist sudesh amman moment before he started slashing passers—by with a stolen knife a fa ke passers—by with a stolen knife a fake suicide belt under his bulging coat. there was bewilderment that he had been freed from jailjust over a week earlier. he shouldn't have been allowed out of prison if he was still a threat to the community which he obviously was and i think the focus should be on

de—radicalising people rather than locking them up and throwing away the key. today the government fleshed out plans to rush through emergency legislation that would stop emergency legislation that would sto p d oze ns emergency legislation that would stop dozens of convicted terrorists from being released automatically in the next few weeks. is there really a national emergency that warrants fast track legislation? we have a go of about 50 people who are due to be released under the automatic provisions and i think it is therefore a timely and inappropriate moment to take immediate action to get legislation through both houses of parliament as quickly as possible. after it released terrorist offender was moin khan made two people at fishmongers' hall on london bridge in november, minister said the situation demanded action but today the labour party said the real emergency lies elsewhere. talk is cheap, legislation is almost as cheap but the real emergencies is dangerous prisons and a criminaljustice syste m prisons and a criminaljustice system its knees. a typical four year sentence is made up of two

yea rs year sentence is made up of two years in custody and two years on licence in the community. release from jail is automatic at the halfway point. for more serious offences, like ten years, that would comprise a minimum five years in custody and the parole board decide if it is safe to release the offender on licence. the government wa nts to offender on licence. the government wants to lengthen the minimum custodial element to two thirds and end automatic release in all terrorism cases. we have heard of one convicted terrorist who said he had been visited in prison by officials from the ministry of justice and advised he might not be released as expected. that prisoner's lawyer says the government is spoiling for a fight by retrospectively increasing the timejudges rule people should spend in jail. decisions were timejudges rule people should spend injail. decisions were made not timejudges rule people should spend in jail. decisions were made not to impose those sentences on these people so to then impose it by d i ktats people so to then impose it by diktats from above seems to be spoiling for a fight. the prime minister is known to have been outraged by seniorjudges ruling against the government obit suspending parliament last september and some suspect he might be

relishing the chance to take on the supreme court once again. mark easton, bbc news. the grenfell tower inquiry is asking the government's most senior lawyer, the attorney general, for a pledge that no one giving evidence to it will be prosecuted later on the basis of what they say. the request comes after potential corporate witnesses threatened to stay silent without such an agreement. 72 people died in the fire in west london in june 2017. our home affairs correspondent tom simon is outside the enquiry and this is quite a controversial issue? it is. there are people who are due to give evidence here you want a guarantee they will not be expected in the evidence to self incriminate, incriminate themselves in future. they say that they would like that because everyone has the right to remain silent, you know that if you watch crime drama, and the enquiry says that if they remain silent, it will not be able to get answers to some of the difficult questions that

it needs to ask. the chairman of the enquiry is writing to the most senior government lawyer asking for that guarantee. it does not mean that guarantee. it does not mean that they will get immunity from prosecution. it simply means police at the point different evidence to charge them. rather than what is said at the enquiry. but it is disturbing for the victims of the fire, not least because it has delayed the hearings by three weeks. but also because they genuinely are concerned that this decision could have an impact on future prosecutions. the way they see it, they should not have to choose between the truth that the enquiry is promising them and the justice that the criminal courts may one day deliver. tom, thank you very much. the time is 15 minutes past six. our top story this evening... scotland's finance secretary resigns after his hundreds of texts to a teenage boy are made public.

as helen mccourt killers leaves prison — her mother tells of the agony of not knowing where her daughter's body is. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, jofra archer faces three months out with an elbow injury. he'll miss england's tour of sri lanka and the whole of the indian premier league. a new report reveals the extent to which poverty and disability in the uk are linked. according to thejoseph rowntree foundation, nearly half of those in poverty has a disability, or lives with someone who does. that's seven million people. people with disabilities are more likely to work fewer hours and be in lower paid jobs. they'd be earning on average £200 less each week per household than others. our family correspondent frankie mccamley reports. people look down on you, then. like, "oh, yeah, she's scrounging off the state." "oh god, yeah, she's doing that."

and actually they don't really know the impact on day—to—day life. nobody is going to employ me because at a moment's notice i would have to go and deal with adriano, and besides which i'm exhausted. i'm a hidden carer completely because no one knows. i don't get any pay for this, i don't get any recognition for this, i don't get any help. three mothers, one common problem. caring for a disabled family member has forced them into poverty. let's go, let's get fed, baby! in bristol, jennifer's family rely on food banks. she had to give up herjob to care for her youngest son, nathan, who has complex needs including adhd. my full—time job is taking care of my son, but i also do feel i have been punished, not by my son but by life because... no matter how much you try to get yourself a couple of steps ahead, you're always going to be a couple

of steps behind, financially. in york, mary receives £66 a week to care for her 30—year—old son, who has autism. to raise money for the poor and homeless. despite barely making ends meet, her family set up a food bank to help others in their position. had i been able to work to my qualifications, i would have been doing very well, thank you! i have more than enough qualifications at the head of school to be head teacher in special education. but i'd only be able to use my skills if i can give them for free. jennifer and mary's situations are not uncommon. giving up work, paired with the higher cost of living to deal with some conditions, can have a big financial impact. the link between poverty and people with disabilities isn't a new one, but these latest figures show how closely connected the two are. people here in york are using food banks on a weekly basis. they say they desperately need help.

it is time to break that link between poverty and disability. and it's partly because of lack of opportunities, so we need jobs that are much more flexible for people with different conditions. it's partly that we don't have a kind of social security system that really gives people the support they need. which is how community volunteers sydney feels. her mother received £66 a week for full time care. that won't cover even home care of a cleaner. so the government's saying, "you are 35, have to care for your mum at less than minimum wage because we don't have infrastructure supporting this issue. " the government says it wants to get more disabled people into work and is introducing the national disability strategy. but for these families in york, it's all talk and no action. something needs to change. frankie mccamley, bbc news. in the past hour, speaking at the white house, president trump

and "corrupt" people. last night the republican—controlled senate voted along party lines to clear him of charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. mr trump said he'd been through an ordeal. we have something thatjust worked out. i mean, it worked out. we went through hell, unfairly. did nothing wrong. did nothing wrong. i have done things wrong in my life, i will admit. not purposely, but i have done things wrong. but this is what the end result is. this sunday will mark 32 years since helen mccourt went missing on her way home from work in merseyside. ian simms was jailed for her murder, but the former pub landlord has never revealed where her body is. yesterday he was released from prison. helen's mother, marie, has spent years campaigning to deny killers parole, unless they reveal where their victims‘ bodies are. she's been speaking

to jayne mccubbin. when i got the call this morning, i knew that's what it was going to be. i said, i can't believe that they'd do this. marie mccourt has long dreaded this phone call. just four days before the 32nd anniversary of her daughter's murder, her killer, ian simms, was released from jail. it's helen's anniversary on sunday. ijust think, could they not have shown just a little bit of sensitivity and compassion? helen mccourt‘s murder made history. simms was one of the very first people in the uk convicted on dna evidence without the discovery of a body. part of helen's bloodstained earring was found in his pub, another in the boot of his car, fibres and blood found on clothing and towels dumped miles away. yet simms refused to admit his guilt, or reveal where her body was hidden. for years, marie mccourt petitioned for helen's law — no body, no parole —

and last year, the government finally agreed. laws will be introduced to ensure that the parole system recognises the pain to victims and their families. but the legislation has stalled, so, for marie, that commitment has come too late. i can go through all of that. the part that upsets me, as you can see, is that i can't give helen this last goodbye. no. the only thing i want is to have my child back. whatever tiny bits and pieces there are, it's my daughter's and i want them back, and i can't have them now. all marie has is a memorial bench in the family's church, in the village where simms once ran his pub. she can't bear to leave this place. 32 years on, she still organises searches for helen's body.

today he woke up in a hostel, on a tag. he's forbidden from entering a huge area spanning miles around the mccourts' family home. notjust to stop him coming into contact with them, but to stop him returning to helen's body. helen's law is due to be enacted this spring. i kept telling myself i'm strong enough to do it. ok, it may not benefit my case, but it will benefit families who will also follow on. you came so close. yes. so close. mmm. i didn't think a heart could break twice, but mine did. jayne mccubbin, bbc news. back on earth, after completing the longest ever stay in space by a woman. the us astronaut christina koch spent 328 days onboard the international space station. a russian soyuz spacecraft, carrying her and two male colleagues, landed in kazakhstan this morning. the astronaut had already achieved a major milestone during her mission. in october she took part in the first all—female spacewalk

in more than 50 years of space travel. christina koch completed more than 5,200 orbits of the earth and travelled 139 million miles — the equivalent of 291 round trips to the moon from earth. tributes have poured in for the actor kirk douglas following his death at the age of 103. he's been remembered as an unforgettable film icon whose career spanned seven decades. he rose to fame during hollywood's golden age and went on to play the title role in the 1960 classic spartacus. david sillito looks back on his life. for the first time in my life, people cheering for me. it was 70 years ago that kirk douglas made his name in the film champion, a story a tough guy from a hard background who would do anything to get to the top.

there were more than a few echoes of his own life. i can beat him. i can beat him! born issur danielovitch demsky, he'd grown up in poverty. life was a struggle, but on—screen he was hollywood alpha male. he was good at playing ruthless. i tell you why, because the guy in there's dying. sir, would you like me to suggest what you can do with that promotion? in kubrick's paths of glory he was both star and producer. he was a hollywood player. the movie spartacus was his project. i'm spartacus. i'm spartacus. and the director of his last majorfilm, illusion, spoke today of the impact he had had. just hearing him in all those films, he was an incredible man. he was a brilliant actor, but also he had a grace to him that is rare,

especially these days, i think. i had a call from jim lindsay the other day, dad. what's he calling you about? his son michael also followed his father's lead, both producing and acting, and today paid loving tribute. but in the past he's also acknowledged that his father could be aggressive, and there were many affairs. but for hollywood, he is one of the last of an era. i knew him quite well. the last of the golden age, he was the best. when i get old, when i get old! you know, all life is glorious... yes, even as he passed 100 and struggled with the effects of a stroke, there was still some of the old vigour. he was truly a patriarch of the old hollywood. kirk douglas, who has

died at the age of 103. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. i think we know what's coming our way. we have not had many days like this this winter. beautiful, crisp, fresh day right across the uk. it stays that way into tomorrow for many of you, but tonight with clear skies it will be a chilly night. not desperately cold but some frost around for the morning commutejust about anywhere. some missed patches in the north—east of england lusting to the end of the morning, but as the breeze picks up, that will gradually clear. sunshine turning hazy to the west, some isolated showers and temperatures here nine to 11. into saturday, we will see rainy conditions put eastwards,

nothing untoward. there could be some rain lingering close to the south—east corner through the day on saturday, and whilst most will enjoy some sunshine, in the afternoon scotla nd some sunshine, in the afternoon scotland and northern ireland turns and creatively wet with gale force winds developing. this is the start of things deteriorating through saturday night into sunday. rain spreading eastwards with gales quite widely for a time. in sunday we will see heavy rain with the risk of minor flooding see heavy rain with the risk of minorflooding a —— but the see heavy rain with the risk of minor flooding a —— but the winds could be the big feature for many of you on sunday. still plenty of time for the exact details to change but it looks like we will see severe gales widely across the country. if you have got any plans keep an eye on the forecast, there could be travel disruption and some minor damage as well. we will keep you up—to—date right here. damage as well. we will keep you up-to-date right here. matt, thank you very much. that's all from the bbc news at six so it's goodbye from me and on bbc one we nowjoin the bbc‘s

news teams where you are.

hello, this is bbc news, i martine croxall. the headlines. derek mckay has resigned on the day of the scottish bug master budget after sending messages to a 16—year—old boy on social media. first minister nicola sturgeon says he has no place in government. derek mckay's conduct fell far short of what is expected ofa fell far short of what is expected of a minister. indeed, fell far short of what is expected ofa minister. indeed, he fell far short of what is expected of a minister. indeed, he offered his riches, her resignation to me. it was not an option for him to remain in government. a third person has tested positive for coronavirus in the uk. the patient has been transferred to a specialist in hs treatment