today at five the height of the initial phase will link london and birmingham. the second phase will go to manchester and leeds, but delays have hampered the project. we have given the high speed read the green signal. we are going to get this done. in those areas affected by the hsz done. in those areas affected by the hs2 route there has been dismayed at the decision, especially from those who may be under threat. i'll be reporting live from one of the h52 construction sites here in the heart of birmingham, where work can now

begin in earnest. we'll have more from ben in birmingham and we will be talking to one of the leading figures who was involved in the initial review of the project. health experts have renamed the coronavirus. it is now covid—i9. they say there is a realistic chance of containing it but a vaccine could ta ke of containing it but a vaccine could take 18 months to develop. ministers say that all precautions are being taken. the situation will get worse before it gets better. we will be guided by the science. being no doubt we will be doing everything thatis doubt we will be doing everything that is effective to tackle this virus and keep people safe. more whether winnings. .. virus and keep people safe. more whether winnings... later in the hour. the dangerous levels of air pollution which threatened young out

athletes in many sports training grounds across england. its 5pm. our main story is that the controversial hs2 initially been between london and birmingham has been given the go—ahead by the prime minister with a second phase going to manchester and leeds. boris johnson said it had been a difficult decision and announced it he was going to announce a full—time minister to oversee the project. the prime minister said the scheme needed to be seen as part of the government has much wider plans for what he called a transport revolution including bus services and cycle lanes. first, let's go live to birmingham and join my

collea g u es live to birmingham and join my colleagues there. whew, we are at work —— we are aware the station will be for the train running in and out of birmingham. high—speed trains probably won't be running for a decade according to the government, and for the whole project it may not be completed until 2040. there is no doubt about it, what borisjohnson has announced today is possibly the biggest infrastructure decision in this country since the second world war. supporters of hs2 say it will provide a huge boost to the british economy, creating thousands and thousands of jobs. rebalancing economy, creating thousands and thousands ofjobs. rebalancing the economy from south to north, but opponents have it say their cost has ballooned already and could tap more than £100 billion, and that is not to mention the vast environmental cost, because hs2 will cut a swathe through some of the most beautiful

parts of the english countryside. let's hear from tom burridge. from euston in central london to west london, through counties like warwickshire and up to birmingham, work to prepare the ground for the first stretch of a high—speed railway has been going on for years. here in solihull, they're diverting a road over the m42 to make way for the railway. the amount of work going on here — building a new bridge, diverting a road over a motorway — gives you a sense of why it has always been hard to imagine that the government might scrap this project, particularly the first stretch of it, running from here in the west midlands down to london. gordon brown was in charge when the project was conceived a decade ago. the time for high—speed rail has come. 0ther prime ministers have given it their backing. today, borisjohnson has, too. he's backed the whole project —

a y—shaped railway. the latter phase, linking birmingham to manchester and leeds, will be reviewed to try and cut costs, but it will go ahead. hs2 is needed, say supporters, because our railways are overcrowded. but the high—speed vision — this is what they hope birmingham station will look like — comes with a high price tag, which has risen and risen. as the budget has gone up, so did support for those saying the whole thing should be scrapped. but work on the first stretch of the railway is so well advanced that ultimately the government decided its best option was to keep digging. tom burridge, bbc news in the west midlands. . the government has also announced that it . the government has also announced thatitis . the government has also announced that it is going to spend something like £5 billion improving bus links and cycle links outside london. part

ofa and cycle links outside london. part of a transport revolution, says the prime minister. with more on that and more reaction to that hs2 announcement here is the legate. to its supporters, it is a high—speed corridor that will transport growth and prosperity from london to other parts of the uk. from london to other to its critics it is a destructive waste of tens of billions of pounds that could be better spent elsewhere. the prime minister. but it will now go ahead. today, mr speaker, the cabinet has given high speed rail the green signal. we are going to get this done. and to ensure that we do so without further blow outs on cost or schedule, we are today taking decisive action to restore discipline to the programme. once again we see the government taking ideas from the labour party. adopting our language but falling a very long way short on the substance of it.

this is a government which is unwilling to make the scale of investment needed to revive parts of this country. business groups say the announcement sends out a powerful signal of intent. confidence matters, we know that we are looking to embark on a decade ofjobs and growth in this country and this is a really clear signal that not only uplevelling the country really matters, but the uk is absolutely open for business. but others think the scheme has been badly designed and will harm the local communities affected by it. does the prime minister appreciate my and my constituents concerns that this could well be an albatross around this government and the country's neck moving forward and doesn't it set the bar very low for the future delivery of infrastructure projects on time and on budget? and these travellers at manchester piccadilly had mixed feelings. linking the hs2 is valuable, it will rebalance the economy and act as a counterbalance to what goes on in london.

if we can sort out the network in the north—west before we think about going down into the south, because coming up here would be fine, but they can't go any further once they get into manchester then. there is transport investment needed in the country, maybe this isn't the exact one that would be best. in order to address some of the criticism it is inevitably going to get forfocusing on hs2, the government has also announced £5 billion of funding for other forms of transport. so there will be extra money for buses across england and wales, including new zero emissions models, and more money as well for hundreds of miles of new cycleways of the kind that london already has. building work on the line and the fancy new stations can now begin, but uncertainty is far from over. the government wants to review the next stage of the project, taking the line up to manchester and leeds to make it

more affordable. more controversy seems inevitable. theo leggett, bbc news. well, as you were hearing there, the hs2 line will come up from london to hear, where i am in birmingham, then eventually onwards to manchester and leeds. let's go to leeds station now andjoin my leeds. let's go to leeds station now and join my colleague fiona trott for the latest reaction from there. fiona? for years, passengers here have seen twice as much spent on transport infrastructure in london than they have here in the north of england, and as you know, recently the rail company northern lost its franchise. passengers simply weren't getting the service they were paying for. but following today's announcement, better connectivity here in the north will now form part of the whole hs2 project which council leaders, business leaders here, will say is a good thing. they say that

the north is more of a priority than it was before, but the mayor of greater manchester, andy burnham, has said that more commitment is needed. in a statement he said the prime minister gave a firm timetable for hs2 from london to birmingham, but there was no such commitment for the north. we want to see the construction of northern powerhouse rail fast tracked, he said, construction of northern powerhouse railfast tracked, he said, in construction of northern powerhouse rail fast tracked, he said, in line with the commitment he made shortly after entering office. we cannot be left waiting years for this investment and the resulting jobs. so passengers we have spoken to here today in leeds say they are worn out by rail travel. there have been cancellations here today too and so they are treating the announcement with some caution. they'd better do it, because there a lwa ys they'd better do it, because there always missing the northern areas out, and we need it more than london. i was recently down in london. i was recently down in london for three days, and i couldn't believe how cheap it was. i kept thinking i had to put my 0yster

ca rd kept thinking i had to put my 0yster card up because the costs of the travel we have, it's card up because the costs of the travel we have, its cost me ten quid to do ten miles. it may be a good thing for the future, and it probably is, but it's not for the present, and they have been dilly—dallying with this for the last three or four years now.|j would rather get the infrastructure here first before we make the major line, because i won't see the of that. i will go to london once in a blue moon, or birmingham. it's the north where i travel about four work, and that's where i want to see the better trains. work, and that's where i want to see the bettertrains. because work, and that's where i want to see the better trains. because otherwise i will drive. which isn't doing the green policy any good. one report says that hs2 will boost gdp here in the leeds city area by millions and millions of pounds per year, but passengers here in leeds tonight say they just want their trains to run on time, and they want tickets that they can afford. and they say the

impact of hs2 still feels very far away. fiona, many thanks indeed. so after all the years of debate and argument, the government and the prime minister have made their decision. hs2 will go ahead and work at sites like this can now really get under way in earnest. from birmingham, back to you in the studio. many thanks for the news that in birmingham, and to fiona and collea g u es birmingham, and to fiona and colleagues there. what we would like to do now is may be take a different perspective and ask to speak to lord berkeley, who is deputy chair of the official review into hs2, who has kindly joined official review into hs2, who has kindlyjoined us now official review into hs2, who has kindly joined us now from westminster. lord berkeley, thank you very much forjoining us. your first thoughts when you heard that the prime minister had said that this would now go ahead? my first thoughts were that i hope he has a very large budget ready for it,

because although hs2 is going to cost 106 billion at present estimates, you need to spend another £100 billion or more on improving the local lines that so many of your vox the local lines that so many of your vox pops you have just interviewed wanted. they can come a lot sooner, and it was good that the prime minister put the two together into a kind of package for northern powerhouse, hs2 and the northern ones, but there still needs to be a commitment to spend all this money, 100 billion or so, commitment to spend all this money, 100 billion orso, on commitment to spend all this money, 100 billion or so, on local and regional services, and i can u nfortu nately regional services, and i can unfortunately see that in a few yea rs unfortunately see that in a few years time, if the finances of the uk get tight, which will get cut first. and it won't be hs2, because once you start with that, you have got to carry on with it. so i think we have got some very serious questions to ask about the commitment to the regional and local lines and services that people in

manchester, leeds, sheffield and birmingham are so desperately need. it's the exact point, isn't it, lord berkeley, made by the gentleman in leeds, who said at the time when he was asked thatjust earlier today, i go to london once in a blue moon but what i'm really concerned about is the fact that i'm travelling around the fact that i'm travelling around the region and those of the services that i want improved. that's absolutely right. when i was working with the review team, we went round many of the cities, and we got a flavour of what people wanted, mayors or leaders or business people, and it was very interesting to get the different reactions between the leaders and members of parliament and the business leaders who may be get to london once a week and would like to have a slightly faster service, but they always get a seat and they have their laptops to play with, but then you compare it with the people who commute to their businesses and offices every

day, and they want a reliable service that works all the time, and it certainly isn't at the moment in the north. and it needs to. but that's where i think the investment is needed, because these businesses will then get a better source of employment, and the people will be able to look for more jobs in a wider area, and i able to look for more jobs in a widerarea, and i think able to look for more jobs in a wider area, and i think that is actually much more important. i suppose my objective would be to see the north and the midlands have a commuter service that's as good as london's. when people are listening to you today, lord berkeley, they might be drawing a conclusion that what you're drawing a conclusion that what you' re really drawing a conclusion that what you're really saying is that it would be better not to spend the money on hs2 right now, better to spend it on improving the regional infrastructure before you come to something as big as hs2? infrastructure before you come to something as big as h527m infrastructure before you come to something as big as h52? it depends how much money you've got to spend, and that is one answer but of course there is also the opportunity, as i have said to ministers, of upgrading

the existing lines to london, going chiltern, west coast, midland and east coast. there is a great deal that one can do there to increase the capacity. and i think that's important as well. so it could all be done that way, but a lot of politicians, and i'm not being critical of them, but they love big projects, because i thought maybe some of them would even be thinking about, well, why call it hs2, but call it somebody else's line, like the elizabeth line in london, the royalfamily is the elizabeth line in london, the royal family is all right, you the elizabeth line in london, the royalfamily is all right, you can do it, but i think people need to sit back and think, have we got this money, because the local improvements and the regional improvements and the regional improvements could be done a great deal more quickly, and there is actually capacity on the line is. just a final point, lord berkeley, because lots of the supporters of the line have been saying today, the point about this is it is a strong economic link between london and

other parts of england, and beyond. and it is for that reason because it isa and it is for that reason because it is a good economic force if you like, it will benefit other reasons regardless of what other people are saying about regional infrastructure as well. so do you accept that the economic case for the line is a strong one? no, i don't, because if you look at the similar case between paris and lyon when they built the first high—speed south—east line, evidence we've got from france is that actually it has caused an attraction of people from lyon to move to paris on a commuting basis, rather than the other way around, so i think it is very debatable which is the better one. it sounds good on paper, but it's a bit like, i was told that the private sector will build all these new stations,

because they are so keen to have it, but when you look at where has the private sector built any station in this country? and i think the only one is a small contribution to ca nary one is a small contribution to canary wharf, which is a little bit special, so it is very easy for economists to say this, but to say that the past record supports their case is very much more difficult. lord berkeley, good to talk to you, thank you very much. lord berkeley, deputy chairman of the independent review of the hs2 project, kind of you tojoin the independent review of the hs2 project, kind of you to join us from westminster. 18 minutes past five, and let me just say at 5:30pm or thereabouts, i will be talking to andrew bridgen, conservative mp, and he is very unhappy about the hs2 project. we will also be talking to conservative peer lord heseltine, former conservative deputy prime minister, very much in favour of the project, so that is coming up in about 20 minutes. the world health organization says it is likely to be 18 months before a vaccine against

the new coronavirus is available. they've given the virus the official name covid—19. the director—general of the who has also said the investment is urgently needed to stop this outbreak from escalating further. the first vaccine could be ready in 18 months. so we have to do everything to date using the available weapon to fight this virus. that was the chief executive of the world health organization. the british businessmen linked to a number of coronavirus cases in the uk has issued a statement saying that he has made a full recovery. steve walsh from hove in east sussex contracted the virus in singapore, and is believed to have infected 11 other people at a ski resort in france. he has thanked the nhs for the care he has received, and says his thoughts are with others who now have the illness. 0ur correspondent james waterhouse has this report.

a small pocket of brighton against a global threat. this surgery has been closed for what is being called health and safety reasons. in short, to contain the spread of coronavirus. you can't be too safe, can you? it's a tricky balance, isn't it, against your need for an appointment against the need for this virus to be contained. it is not urgent that i see the doctor tomorrow. but we was going to put it off for a week or sojust to be on the safe side. right now there is no sign of any cleaning happening yet, but we do get a sense of the localised fight against coronavirus. there is a steady trail of patients turning up expecting to have appointments, but this isn't the only surgery that's been affected. just a mile and a half in that direction, you get the county 0ak surgery which has onlyjust opened after 24 hours. yesterday there were people in full overalls carrying out an intense clean of floors and surfaces. today, both staff and patients returned, some frustrated with the lack of information.

it's hard to know how they can contain it, it seems to go so fast that you can only do what you do. there were four new cases of the virus announced yesterday. it takes the number of people infected in the uk to eight. it is concerning of course when anybody gets coronavirus and i think from the public‘s perspective it feels very worrying when one of their caregivers gets it. but we need to put this into perspective, we have only had eight cases of confirmed coronavirus in the country so far. today the person at the heart of this latest spread has been named as steve walsh, a gas salesman from nearby hove, and is thought to have infected 11 people at a ski chalet in france after travelling back from singapore. he has now fully recovered and said in a statement...

authorities here are keeping a wary eye, hoping this doesn't become more. the key thing that we are trying to do at the moment is make sure we identify anybody who has been to one of the countries of concern, who has the symptoms of cough, fever or shortness of breath, get them tested. the risk to individuals is low, so say the department of health, but it nevertheless calls the virus a serious and imminent threat. james waterhouse, bbc news, in brighton. let's talk a little more with our health editor, hugh pym. we heard the health secretary in the commons earlier, hugh. just give us a sense of what the government's responses, and when people ask about the level of resources going to this, what can you tell us? well, huw, matt hancock, the health secretary, said there would be more investment and funding available for what he said would be urgent works by the nhs to

invest in isolation facilities in hospitals and other facilities. invest in isolation facilities in hospitals and otherfacilities. no sum of money has been attached to that, but i'm told by sources at the department this is asking hospitals and other trusts, other organisations, to come forward and say, this is what we need to finish off these pods that were first reported on last week, that is providing a facility if a patient comes in with suspected coronavirus, they can be isolated safely, and if it is proved negative, they can go on their way, and if the test is positive then obviously they will go to another specialist facility to be treated. he said the whole thing globally would get worse before it got better, which is probably in line with international thinking, but he went on to say that he thought that the uk was doing all it possibly could to protect its citizens and ensure the virus didn't get out of hand. hugh pym, many thanks. i will put some of those points to my next guest, nicola

stonehouse, professor of virology at the university of leeds. first of all, what do you make of the government's response so far? and then i will ask you something about science, if that's all right, but let's start first of all with the response we have seen. the government's response of trying to identify of trying to isolate and stop spread, is exactly the right action at the moment. we have to try and contain infection and stop that spreading. so, that's the response we've seen. lots of people are rather confused about what this virus is, what it represents. how would you describe it to people?m isa would you describe it to people?m is a respiratory infection, so that means it spreads between people through droplets of liquid as you sneeze, as you cough. also you might get that on your hands, which means then surfaces that you might touch that then other people might touch

can also then spread the virus in that way. so it spreads in a very similar way as the common cold, and indeed some viruses in this sort of class, coronaviruses, do cause very mild symptoms just like the common cold. with that in mind, then, what do we make of this talk about developing a vaccine? the fact that some people are saying that could ta ke some people are saying that could take 18 months? what is the process involved in that, and i suppose you would ask why would people be focusing now on a vaccine for something in 18 months when this is a current crisis? is that a fair question? it is a very fair question. vaccines do take along time to develop. we must ensure vaccines are safe, and therefore that does take time. however, we've had three coronavirus outbreaks in the last 20 years, we have had sars,

we have had mers and we have had coronavirus, so there will be another one, and by acting now, we will be prepared for the next outbreak, rather than waiting for it to happen and then acting, which u nfortu nately to happen and then acting, which unfortunately is what often happens. when you look at the pattern of infection now, just worldwide, we have been focusing on training initially because of the numbers. what does that pattern tell you about whether we are approaching a peak or whether there is a long way to go before the peak? how would you guide us on that? obviously new data is coming out every day. it looks as though we might be hitting the peak in china. if that's the case, then obviously outside of china we might not yet have hit the peak of infections. but i think it's also very important to stress that the vast majority of people who are infected recover, just like the case that you were talking about earlier.

so therefore we must always bear that in mind as well. professor stonehouse, good of you to join us. thank you very much. nicola stonehouse, professor of molecular virology at leeds, we thank you forjoining us on bbc news. 27 minutes past five. a second person has been killed in high winds following storm ciara's passage across the uk. the man in his 60s died after being hit by a fallen tree in high winds. on sunday, a man died after a tree fell on his car in hampshire. the met office has issued an amber weather warning for much of southern scotland for freezing rain and very strong winds which could lead to blizzard conditions at times. letsjoin our lead to blizzard conditions at times. lets join our correspondent james shaw who is braving the element for us at queensferry crossing on the firth of four. just a general thought from you on what conditions are like.

inaudible. well, we could see him, but we can't hear him. is he coming back? don't we have him? it is 28 minutes past five, so we will update you on the weather in just a second, and we will have of course the headlines for you as well, we will have the sports headlines as well, and we will be talking about the day's business. i thinkjames is back. james, can you hear me? yes, i can. sorry, we were just trying to tip read! we can hear you loud and clear now. tell us about the conditions there. we have got this amber warning as you say, huw, across a large part of the south of scotland, and that is a real worry in rush hour. the m74 motorway in particular goes across quite high ground in that southern bit of scotland, so i think there is a real danger of

problems. if the snow starts to drift and there is a lot of traffic, thatis drift and there is a lot of traffic, that is a worry and people should be really careful. also isolated communities in the southern part of scotla nd communities in the southern part of scotland could also be cut off overnight as though snow showers come down. the other thing i want to tell you about is this amazing bridge which you can see behind me, the queensferry crossing. i'm just going to step out of shot so you can get a decent look at it, and the reason why this is significant is because it had to be closed on monday because chunks of ice were falling from those cables. perhaps you can see them coming down from the three towers stretching across the three towers stretching across the firth of four. some of these chunks of ice were as big as coffee tables. and they were falling onto cars, damaging them, and one in fact has his windscreen smashed. so that bridges closed at the moment. it may close, it may open tomorrow, but thatis close, it may open tomorrow, but that is yet to confirmed. and one other thing i wanted to ask you

about, reports of a rescue on ben nevis in these conditions. what more can you tell us? yes, four climbers we believe were visiting from abroad got to the top of ben nevis yesterday, and when the mountain rescue yesterday, and when the mountain rescu e tea m yesterday, and when the mountain rescue team found them, they found that they were extraordinarily badly equipped. three of them just wearing trainers. they had no ice axes or crampons, the metal plates you put on your feet to get across ice fields. apparently they didn't even have a map. the only thing they did have a map. the only thing they did have was an app on their phones which enabled the mountain team to rescue them. there was even a lightning storm going on, but they did get them down from the mountain, and they were able to get them to hospital in fort william by helicopter. they had an incredibly lucky escape, people have died on ben nevis, five people died next winter, so it is a warning that if you try to get onto the mountain in

those kinds of conditions, you can potentially be risking your life. james, many thanks once again. our thanks to james. the headlines in a moment, as i said, but chris has today's weather. it's time for a good update on what what is going on. to date we have seen plenty of snow showers working in across scotland. the heaviest snow has been higher levels. but as we had a moment ago, the met office have issued an amber warming —— warning. so we could see transport disruption but by no means is this the only place that will see snow. north of the central belt will also see some significant accumulations of snow and the risk of transport disruption and the snow will continue to come in in showers. we could see icy conditions.

temperatures in the towns and cities staying above freezing but the wind will make it feel cold, and that win tomorrow will continue to drag in the snow showers across scotland. although pressure rises later on in the afternoon. the showers will tend to fade away, at least for a time, more in the way of sunshine. temperatures eight or nine in the south, only three or four for scotla nd south, only three or four for scotland with the wind making it feel colder than that. and then as we head into the weekend, another storm coming our way. more on that in the next half hour. this is bbc news. the headlines: the prime minister has confirmed the whole of the high speed rail plan, hs2, will go ahead despite concerns over its environmental impact and enormous cost. the cabinet has given high speed 2 the green signal.

we are going to get this done. health experts have renamed the coronavirus. it's now covid—19, and they say there's a realistic chance of containing it, but a vaccine could take 18 months to develop. the british businessman linked to 11 coronavirus cases says he's now fully recovered but still in quarantine as ministers say all precautions are being taken. there are more warnings of severe weather on the way, especially in parts of scotland, where the queensferry crossing is closed because of freezing conditions. good afternoon. manchester united are the latest premier league club to look at installing safe standing. they've asked for permission to fit 1,500 seats in the north east corner

of old trafford with a view to a trial later this season. standing at matches isn't allowed currently, but fans do it anyway, so there is a move to make it safer, by installing more railed seats, wolves and tottenham already have them in their stadiums. this is one further step in the process. as we have seen with wolves and spurs, clubs are allowed to put in these seats but they are not allowed to operate those areas as formal standing areas. it's a shard at the moment and we would like to see that sharad swept away. i have been told by my experts these seats make spectators safer therefore i will allow clubs to operate area is fitted with those seats as formal standing areas. standing hasn't been allowed in england since changes were made following the hillsborough disaster, but the fa and the premier league are open to it. and the government says it "will work with fans and clubs towards introducing safe standing". there's lots more on this in sportsday at 6:30. england have announced their test squad for the tour of sri lanka next month, with record wicket taker

james anderson left out. that was half expected as he recovers from a cracked rib. he stays at home to focus on being fit for the english summer. the notable inclusions are opener keatonjennings and wicketkeeper ben foakes after a year out of the international scene. england will travel to sri lanka with a bit of confidence after that convincing test win in south africa but, as bowler mark wood explains, sri lanka will provide plenty of new challenges. it's not just it's notjust the it's not just the fact that your skill levels come in, it is physical and mental. for a place that is conducive to spin, even as a fast bowler, when you are on you have to be on for that short sharp bursts and make something happen. iwould imagine three orfour and make something happen. iwould imagine three or four spells would be about right because it takes a lot out of you, it is draining. manchester city's premier

league game with west ham has been rearranged for the 19th february. severe weather brought about by storm ciara forced it to be postponed on sunday. manchester city have agreed anyone uinable to attend will be able to secure a refund upon the return of their original match tickets. west ham are offering free travel for all fans wishing to attend. shauna coxsey has been selected to represent team gb in sport climbing in this year's olympics. the event is making is debut in tokyo and coxsey, who won two bronze medals at the world championships last year, is the first british climber confirmed for the games. she said it was a privilege joining so many talented athletes on the team. it is so surreal, and i feel incredibly excited, but it is also strange because i am in training now, and suddenly everyone is chatting about the games again. it is really cool and nice to be thinking about that but also my

thoughts on my training right now and getting fit and healthy and as possible. there's been a maximum 147 break at the welsh open snooker. it went to kyren wilson. the world number eight did it in the first frame of his match againstjackson page. it's the second time he's made a 147 break in his career. the prize for the higest break at the tournament is £5,000. he won the match by 4—3. we'll have more for you in sportsday at half past six. back now to our top story, the announcement the controversial hs2 high—speed rail link will be built. the prime minister borisjohnson has been speaking about the plans the plans on a visit to birmingham this afternoon.

this is a fantastic project. for the country, it delivers a massive increase in capacity for rail from south to north and north to south and allows us to go forward and develop northern powerhouse rail which is exactly what is needed, we need connectivity. you cannot make sense of that without hs2. andrew bridgen is the conservative mp for north west leicestershire — one of the constituences that will be affected by the project. i think it is fair to say, you have got very major concerns about the decision announced today?” got very major concerns about the decision announced today? i was the first mp to raise concerns about the cost of hs2 back in 2013 when the

budget was 32 billion. i said this would cost more than 100 years later it is 106, and to think that in seven it is 106, and to think that in seve n yea rs it is 106, and to think that in seven years the budget is more than trebled yet the project will have another 20 years to run, it will not increase again, we are looking at something that will be well over £200 billion in 2011 money so huge cost of the country. in my view, it is turned into a monster getting very fat on taxpayer money, and you cannot keep feeding the monster. but the prime minister has made his decision and we have to accept that, and it is the duty of backbenchers to speak truth, and i have raised very real concerns that this project will go over budget. when the prime minister explained the decision, it was all about the economic benefits. why has he got that wrong? my constituency delivers the highest economic growth outside london and

the south—east. we have had the plight of hs2 already for seven yea rs, plight of hs2 already for seven years, potentially this project could blight my constituency for 27 yea rs, could blight my constituency for 27 years, holding back economic growth, and when the building goes to the middle of my constituency, the disruption to the road network locally when 40% of all the jobs in north west leicestershire are logistics and distribution related, it will be very difficult for my seat to cope with that. when you look at the arguments being made about hs2 versus investment in regional infrastructure, we heard from lord berkeley earlier, do you think there would be a case for spending £100 billion on regional railways in the north of england? absolutely, although in my seat, we have no railway station within north west leicestershire and every time i have asked the government for £100

million to reopen a line which would link burton on trent to leicester again, iam link burton on trent to leicester again, i am told we have no money. it is not even stopping in my constituency, no one in north west leicestershi re constituency, no one in north west leicestershire will travel north 20 minutes to get a train for more money to get to london 20 minutes faster. the only people who want hs2 live in london, and you get the impression that showed that when they have to travel to the midlands and the north, they can get back to london faster and spent less time in the midlands and the north! do you really think that is fair? it will benefit london. the faster you can get to london from the regions, london is a black hole which sucks in money, it is the finest city in the world but the faster you can get to london the more resources it will suck out. we need more communication to create critical mass to retain

our graduates and young people who can have a strong feature in the midlands and the north and not feel that to progress their career they have to go to london. you supported the prime minister when he was running for leader. because you campaigned so prominently on this, you must have raised this with him, so was today's decision surprising? it was disappointing. i raised it with boris when he asked me to support him for leader and he delivered on that promise. what we will now have is a review of phase two. i will fight for my constituents to seek a better route through north west leicestershire and also i want protection from the environmental damage it is doing with the heart of the new national forest as well. i will continue to fight the best interests of my constituents, that is what mps are here to do. good to talk to you, thank you very much.

i'm joined now by lord heseltine, the former conservative deputy prime minister — a supporter of hs2. do you have any sympathy for your former colleague in the commons and the fact that he thinks this is actually bad news for his constituency? he has ajob actually bad news for his constituency? he has a job to do and he does it very articulately. where i live in the midlands, there are people with similar concerns. there is disruption involved in building any major transport infrastructure project but the government has taken a very public decision. there is insufficient capacity on the main west coast line, for people living and working there they are being subjected to transportation discomfort, and economically a deterrent. this is a very clear decision to implement the devolution

and rebalancing gender upon which the government was elected, and i strongly commend it to anyone interested in the decision. where does one draw the line between the projected economic benefit of the line and the cost which is ballooned significantly in the last eight or nine years? the management of this project has been a disaster from the moment when it was saving quarter of an hourtime moment when it was saving quarter of an hour time between london and birmingham. when actually it was all about regenerating the north. you cannot get to the north and as you go past birmingham. and then the cost implementations. i had the same problems with the docklands railway and the jubilee line. problems with the docklands railway and thejubilee line. that was in my view one thing to do. experts came in who sorted the problem is. if i would give advice to the government,

the present management simply is not up the present management simply is not up to speed and they need to bring people in with the determination to implement this programme effectively and with proper concerns for the environmental consequences. but there are other things they could do. stations will be a major economic generator ofjobs and opportunities, they should create corporations, give it to the private sector and gain the tax benefits that will come from the incremental value of the land. those are two things that we should do straightaway, but what they are right to do is progress with the scheme itself. one view earlier from lord berkeley was that this was the wrong way round, this 100 billion or so should be spent on regenerating what is there already in the region, the regional infrastructure should be improved before this ambitious

high—speed line is put in. what is your answer to that? there are a lwa ys your answer to that? there are always people who say we have got it the wrong way round. the fact is, this is ready to go, it has cost a great deal of money already and it is needed. if you say to me, what about the infrastructure in the north? that is the right question that they should propose and link liverpool to hull, for example, and manchester to leeds. it is obvious there has been starvation of infrastructure. but if there is one caution i have about today's announcement it is this linking of the cycling and buses. this begins to sound to me like the government knowing best. the point of devolution is to create economic strength in communities, and just putting in packets of money for

specific functions is to miss the point. it is what we have always done, but sticking plasters over isolated problems to suit the convenience of whitehall. so i very much hope this extra money for the buses and the cycles will become pa rt buses and the cycles will become part of the package of devolution cash which the maze in this area should play a decisive role in implementing. a final point made by several people today, the effective hs2 quite possibly will not be to radiate economic power from london out to the regions, it'll be to draw people from there into london, make it easierfor them, people from there into london, make it easier for them, therefore people from there into london, make it easierfor them, therefore it is the reverse effect of what you are talking about? you know the story of the isolated village who said their economic problems all about a lack of communications? they built them a road and they all called in the furniture removal vans and moved out! this is the same sort of

argument. of we need to communicate andjoin up the argument. of we need to communicate and join up the whole of our national economy. the more interesting question, and i do not wa nt to interesting question, and i do not want to trespass on people's tolerance, is whether hs2 should go tolerance, is whether hs2 should go to glasgow and edinburgh. that debate is yet to come but come it will. thank you very much for joining us, good to talk to you again. it's another big day in the race for the white house, and voting has started in the new hampshire primary election. it's second of the state by state contests to find the democratic candidate to challenge donald trump in november. 0ur correspondent, chris buckler, reports. presidential hopefuls spend millions of dollars trying to win the new hampshire primary. it is still early in this series

of state—by—state votes that are being used by the democrats to select a challenger to donald trump. but two candidates hope that here they can cement their position as a front runners. so far, vermont senator bernie sanders seems to have captured much of the progressive vote and pete buttigieg is leading among the moderates candidates. it is clear thatjoe biden's campaign sees him as a threat. the former vice president's team have released an attack ad... ..mocking mr buttigieg and his achievements as the mayor of a small city in indiana, particularly when compared to mr biden's. president trump is watching the fight and stalking his potential opponents. in new hampshire, he held a packed rally on the eve of the primary and launched his own attacks on all the democrats. my only problem is i'm trying to figure out who is their weakest candidate. i think they are all weak.

the presidential election is still months away, but it is clear for donald trump that the fight has already begun and that's even though the democrats are only starting the long process to select who will take him on. chris buckler, bbc news, manchester, new hampshire. four men are being questioned about the murder of the journalist lyra mckee in londondery last april. the dissident republican group, the new ira, admitting shooting herr. the men have been arrested under the terrorism act. a flight deporting 17 jamaican—born offenders has left the uk despite a last—minute legal challenge. last night, a court ruled that 25 other detainees should not leave the country following concerns that mobile phone problems had prevented them from getting legal advice. the government has disputed that. critics say the deportations are unfairly sending offenders back to a country they haven't lived in since they were young children.

the home office says it makes no apology for trying to protect the public from serious, violent and persistent foreign national offenders. the uk economy didn't grow at all in the last three months of 2019. the latest figures from the office for national statistics show growth in the services and construction sectors was offset by poor figures for manufacturing. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity, has the details. this wolverhampton graphic design company makes signage for customers from premier league football clubs to cinemas and gyms. so this one will actually look the same as this... like many other businesses around the country, it struggled to grow at all amid the political upheaval of the last three months of 2019 though it's helpful things will now improve. we've not traded as well as we've hoped. however, a lot of people in our industry have, sadly, gone by the wayside, so we've actually traded to a decent level. we continue to support our customers and be thousands of them. i'm very confident for the future,

i genuinely believe that we've got a product which is going to take us forward. this compa ny‘s spent half a million pounds on a state—of—the—art printing machine, confident that business will pick up in 2020. but today's figures show that overall business investment shrank at the end of 2019, one reason the economy didn't grow. activity in the services sector was up slightly, as weak consumer spending was offset by a slightly stronger housing market. construction activity was up by 0.5%, but manufacturing was hit hard, down by 1.1%. some of that was because car—makers suspended production, just as they did last spring. in 2019 overall, manufacturing output fell by 1.5%, its worst performance for six years. one hope is that higher government spending may help to stimulate the broader economy, but that will take time. we know that there will be additional spending, that was laid out last year, and spending in particular on infrastructure, on investment.

the issue with that is that it doesn't generally deliver growth in a hurry so, while it may be good for the long—term, as sajid javid indicated, we may not see the positive impact this year. today's figures suggest that, in december, the economy did start growing again, and by more than most economists expected. businesses are now more optimistic than they were pre—election, but they need that optimism to be converted into orders. andy verity, bbc news. many sports training grounds in english cities have dangerous levels of air pollution which could harm the next generation of professional athletes. a new study of more than 90 sites showed more than a quarter exceeded the recommended level for toxic particles, as our sports correspondent, joe wilson, reports. these children are exercising in the heart of britain's great sporting legacy, east london, little more than a mile from the olympic park. but what are they breathing?

nearly every sports ground in london surveyed by breathe gb breached world health organization limits on air pollution. there are dangerous levels in other cities too. it is an awareness young people are growing up with. cars let out lots of pollution and like planes and stuff. when i was walking, like, once, i was breathing and then i felt like... because i was breathing normal and then something felt, like, different. to the air i was breathing in. it goes into your lungs and it's so bad for you, because it can, like, destroy your lungs and your breathing. air pollution is impacting on our children's lungs, and it especially impacts on growing lungs. children where i work have a 10% reduced lung capacity as a result of air pollution, so it seems sort of counterintuitive that we are asking our kids to go outside and exercise when we know that it might be affecting them in terms of asthma, in terms of respiratory illness and also, overall, in terms of reducing their lung capacity long—term.

well, last year the government announced new plans to tackle air pollution, acknowledging that it harms children and shortens lives. the government also wants to bring as many major sporting events to the uk as it can. in 2022, the commonwealth games will be staged in birmingham. well, the new report found dangerous levels of air pollution right alongside the main venue for those games. is the commitment to sport matched by a commitment to the environment? the government have been committing to meet world health organization limits on air pollution and to make those legal limits for the uk, which is great, it's what we want, but there is no target attached to that. so what we know is this is damaging children's health now, we need urgent action. so we want the government to commit to meeting world health organization limits by 2030. nobody wants to stop young people doing sport. any exercise is good exercise. and sunny february days are there to be seized.

but it is equally self—evident that, to make young people fit for life, their air must be fit to breathe. joe wilson, bbc news, in east london. the british artist david hockney‘s famous painting the splash is to go on auction this evening. the 1966 painting is the second in a series of three splashes and it is thought that it could go for between £20—30 million pounds — more than six times the price when it was auctioned in 2006, £2.9 million. we'll be getting the latest weather in a moment — ahead of that, let me just show you these amazing time—lapse pictures of a snowstorm sweeping in from the black sea and hitting the town of hopa in turkey. these pictures were taken on sunday by one of the town's residents, sefa yasar. he said it was "a bit scary" watching the storm approach, but added that "at the same time it was a natural wonder".

time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. i don't think there's anything like that coming towards us? hopefully not! early this morning, we did have thunder snow in scotland, so similar conditions. let's take a look at what is going on. we have seen plenty of snow showers around once again, and the snow showers could cause a few issues. this was the staffordshi re cause a few issues. this was the staffordshire moors earlier on, the snow drifting that the strong winds, but the met office have a nampa weather warning in force across southern scotland. —— amber. we could see ten centimetres of snow coinciding with the rush hour hence the risk of transport disruption as though snow showers continue to pile on. with temperatures falling, it makes it more likely that the snow sticks on the ground and accumulates. it is not the only

place we will see snow showers though. higher parts of northern ireland and northern england also seen snow showers and a cold night. evenif seen snow showers and a cold night. even if the thermometer does not quite get down to freezing, the winds will make it feel very cold, trust me. on wednesday, though strong north—westerly winds back again soa strong north—westerly winds back again so a similar forecast in some respects for scotland with further snow showers here. wintry showers for northern ireland and northern england as well but the snow potentially settling on high ground for a time potentially settling on high ground fora time and potentially settling on high ground for a time and then a ridge of high pressure m oves for a time and then a ridge of high pressure moves in from the west, tending to kill the showers of, so dry for tending to kill the showers of, so dryfora time tending to kill the showers of, so dry for a time for northern ireland, england and wales, but more on the way of sunshine. then late in the day, we see this band of cloud and rain pushing. on wednesday night that moussa north—eastwards, turning to snow for a time. and maybe for a time, lower levels in scotland. and

we could see localised disruption. another cold day in scotland, further south up to 9—10 to greece as we had to thursday, butjumping ahead to the weekend, another deep area of low pressure. this one is called storm denis, making its presence felt as we had to saturday. costs could reach 60—70 mph, 50—60 mass per hour inland, not as storm —— strong as storm keira but strong enough to bring in trees. and it is not just the strong enough to bring in trees. and it is notjust the strong wind that the storm will bring but heavy rain on saturday. we could see 30 millimetres of rain around the hills as much as 50—70 millimetres of rain is on the forecast so we could well see localised flooding issues building in as well. storm dennis bringing a combination of strong

winds and heavy rain and disruption as we head into this weekend once again. the first stage to birmingham won't now be finished for about 10 years — the prime minister said the decision was controversial but would bring prosperity. this revolution in transport, local and national transport, has the potential to be truly transformative for the entire country. but for those whose homes could be torn down to build the line — there's despair. i've got children. it would be nice to think that they could come into the business, but obviously, we don't know that now... what future it holds. we'll be asking how much of an impact the new rail line could have on the uk's economy once it's built. also tonight: the british businessman who's thought to have infected 11 others