hello, it's monday, it's 10 o'clock, i'm victoria derbyshire and we're live from new broadcasting house. widespread transmission of coronavirus in the uk is now "highly likely", according to to the chief of public health england. i think the increase in numbers that we are seeing, coupled with the increases in countries nearby, in europe and, of course, in southeast asia, do make it much more likely that we will get more widespread transmission in the uk. the first emergency meeting chaired by the prime minister to discuss how to fight coronavirus will start in half an hour. he says the government will stop at nothing to contain the outbreak. so, what will that mean for your daily life? this woman is taking an nhs gender identity clinic to court because she says they didn't sufficiently question her decision to transition to become

a man when she was 16. i should have been challenged on the proposals, or, you know, the claims that i was making for myself, and i think that would have made a big difference as well. we'll speak to the director of that clinic, the tavistock, who says they do robustly challenge every patient about their desire to change gender. and — you're looking for a surrogate to carry your baby, your long lost cousin reads about your search, and steps forward to help. that's what ellie did for her cousin olivia. ellie is is now 20 weeks pregnant with olivia's baby. we'll talk to them before 11. hi. welcome to the programme. we're live until 11 this morning. have you made any changes to your

routine, either at home or at work as a reuslt of coronavirus? as a result of coronavirus? are you clear about what the advice, is whether it's the advice, is whether it's washing your hands, shaking hands or self—isolating 7 do let me know. i have been encouraging my teenage boys to properly wash their hands when they have been to the luka the because as you know, teenage boys don't really like to do that. use the hashtag #victorialive. e—mail victoria@bbc.co.uk. text 61124 — it will cost the standard network rate. first, carrie gracie has the news. the prime minister will chair a meeting this morning of the government's cobra emergency committee to approve new measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak. the number of confirmed cases in the uk jumped yesterday to 36, including a health worker at the mount vernon cancer

centre in hertfordshire. labour has accused mrjohnson of being a "part—time prime minister" for not holding an emergency meeting sooner. the number of deaths globally in the coronavirus outbreak is now more than 3,000. most are in china, which has reported another 42 fatalities, all in hubei province, where the disease first emerged. the leader of a religious sect in south korea has publicly apologised that so many of its members became infected. the shin—cheon—ji group has been linked to about half of the country's more than 4,000 cases. the first round of trade talks between the uk and the european union are due to start today. a team of 100 negotiators, led by the prime minister's europe adviser david frost, is travelling to brussels for an initial four days of talks. it's expected that co—operation on security and transport will also be discussed. one of the candidates once thought to be a frontrunner to contest donald trump in the upcoming us presidential elections has announced

he's to end his bid for the democratic nomination. the former mayor from indiana pete buttigieg was the first openly gay candidate to run a major presidential campaign, but after a promising start, his support had waned in recent weeks. a new minimum alcohol price comes into effect in wales today. by law, retailers and any outlets serving alcohol must now charge at least 50p per unit. the change follows a similar move in scotland in 2018. new research suggests teachers need to be paid more if the acute staff shortage in schools in england is to be addressed. figures from the education policy institute say more than a quarter of all schools have vacancies, or positions filled by temporary staff. the government says it is delivering programmes to support and attract teachers. itv has apologised "for any offence caused" during a performance by anne—marie at the end of ant and dec‘s saturday night takeaway. the show‘s hosts wore headbands that

featured the japanese rising sun flag during a martial arts inspired performance of ciao adios. the flag is seen by some as a symbol of japan's imperialist past. scientists believe they have discovered the reason why dogs have such cold, wet noses. it's so they can function as heat—detectors. a study published in the scientific reports journal says the tip of a dog's snout can detect the warmth of a small mammal from around five feet away — but it must be kept cool to work properly. thanks for your messages on how you are changing your routine as a result, revive coronavirus. i am going to read some in a moment. widespread transmission of coronavirus in the uk is now "highly likely", according to to the chief

of public health england. in the next half hour, the prime minister, borisjohnson, will chair a meeting of the government's cobra emergency committee to approve new measures to tackle coronavirus in the uk, as the number of confirmed cases in the uk has risen to 36. it's still a tiny number. the latest cases included 12 more in england and the first patient in scotland, meaning the virus has now reached all four nations of the uk. one of the new cases is a health worker from the mount vernon cancer centre in nw london. the number of people killed worldwide by the coronavirus has exceeded 3,000, most of those in the chinese province of hubei, where the virus emerged late last year. there have also been deaths in ten other countries, including more than 50 in iran and more than 30 in italy. worldwide, there have been almost 90,000 confirmed cases, with the numbers outside china growing faster than inside china. the world health organization has said most patients have only mild symptoms. senior ministers and health advisers will be told at this morning's cobra

meeting that containing the virus here will present a "significa nt challenge". we've brought in some experts of our own. and we definitely want to hear from you in terms of if and how you are changing your routine. dr bharat pankhania is an expert in communicable diseases at the university of exeter. saffron cordery is the deputy chief executive of nhs providers. david heymann was executive director of the world health organization communicable diseases cluster, during which he headed the global response to sars. labour's shadow health secretary jon ashworth is also here. welcome, all of you, thank you for coming on the programme. first of all, let me ask you, jon ashworth, how you think the government is handling this? well, as it happens, we have been broadly supportive of the government's attempts to contain the government's attempts to contain the spread of the virus, delay the spread of the virus. we were a little bit disappointed that boris

johnson went on the tv on friday and said, we really need a cobra meeting, but hasn't arranged a cobra meeting, but hasn't arranged a cobra meeting until today, but nonetheless, we're broadly supportive. however, given this is 110w supportive. however, given this is now becoming more serious, i think there are deep concerns about firstly, has the nhs got enough resources to cope? we know it has suffered from ten years of austerity and we know many beds have been cut. but more generally, i think the government need to step in and do something for low—paid workers, those who've are not eligible for statutory sick pay, those on zero hours contracts. because if more and more people are getting asked to self—isolate, i don't want low—paid workers to be forced to make a choice between their own health, or hardship. is all of that necessary, in this country, we have 36 confirmed cases, it is a tiny number? you're right, we shouldn't get hysterical about this, but we should not underestimate how serious it is, because it is very infectious, it seems to be spreading very quickly, and all the medical

and scientific experts are saying we are going to get more cases, and it looks like it is heading for pandemic. it has not been defined as such yet but there are lots of scientific experts who are saying, that's where this is heading. let me bring in saffron cordery, deputy chief executive of nhs providers. this is from a junior doctor in london... everyday i commute through london, including through a big train terminal. i come into close contact with hundreds of people each morning and then i walk straight into work. my colleagues do the same all over london. how do we really think we can sustain a workforce if we are made to self—isolate? who will work in the hospitals? finally, is it safer for doctors to blindly begin their days on the ward with close contact with close patients with multiple comorbidities. by the time we know a doctor might be infected, it will be far too late. personally i cannot believe we are continuing like this. how do you

respond to that? so, we know that it is really challenging at the moment to work out what the right balance is between saying to people, all bets are off, we have got to close down people working and that kind of thing, versus, continuing to administer healthcare. so, i think we have measures in place. the hand washing that you mentioned at the top of the programme is really, really important and doctors know that, basic hygiene is really important. sol that, basic hygiene is really important. so i think what we have got to be clear about is that this will take additional resources in terms of staff, in terms of money, in orderto...! terms of staff, in terms of money, in order to. . .! where are you going to find the extra nhs staff, short—term? to find the extra nhs staff, short-term? it is very challenging, and we will need to prioritise, clearly, to work out what we need to do and what we don't need to do, should this become even more serious as time goes on, and the indications are that it may well do. i think what we have got to be clear about is that we are putting in place those measures that are helping us

to test people, to get the results and to get people to follow the very simple advice, which is, basically, wash your hands and self—isolate. this one says... my wife and i have this morning cancelled ourferry trip to spain. we were due to go on a tonight trip to santander from portsmouth. the increase in infections overnight and the public health england this morning has been pivotal in our decision. we will stay diligent. this one says... i am not changing anything, ijust hope it goes away, but i am worried it is going to ruin the summer in terms of concerts and 2020. this one says, i did not take my grandson swimming because i could not find any reassuring government advice on attending public swimming pool swa ntrs and so attending public swimming pool swantrs and so it goes on. if you we re swantrs and so it goes on. if you were in that cobra meeting this morning, dr bharat pankhania, what advice would you be giving the prime minister? what we need to do is to get a measure of this, and the measure is this, this is an

infection from a new virus, which has just infection from a new virus, which hasjust emerged, infection from a new virus, which has just emerged, and infection from a new virus, which hasjust emerged, and it is infecting people. it is more infectious than the seasonal influenza virus. so, what we need to do is lower the rising tide. that is the important message. contain it? contain it, and the reason is, to reduce the number of new cases. if you have a smaller number of cases, then fewer numbers will need to go to hospital and fewer numbers will need to be treated in intensive care units and such places. priority number one is to do all you can to reduce the rising tide of cases. we wa nt to reduce the rising tide of cases. we want to keep the number of cases as low as possible. how do you contain this coronavirus, david ? low as possible. how do you contain this coronavirus, david? ? the united kingdom knows how to do this, they have done it two times before with a coronavirus, and they have done it at the beginning of this outbreak. what they need to do now isjust to

outbreak. what they need to do now is just to keep outbreak. what they need to do now isjust to keep up outbreak. what they need to do now is just to keep up the efforts to make sure that containment activity is conducted, which means finding contacts, making sure that they self—isolate and contacts, making sure that they self— isolate and if contacts, making sure that they self—isolate and if they develop symptoms, they report immediately to 911 or the number they are told to ring, and self isolation is very important, and people are beginning to think about whether or not they should cancel their trips, that is very healthy, because people should ta ke very healthy, because people should take this as their own and make their own decisions based on what they know. this is what is happening in other countries in europe and around the world. in france, let me come back to our guests in the studio, in france, for example, the advice is not to shake hands, which iam advice is not to shake hands, which i am certainly still doing, some indoor events have been cancelled, there is no kissing on the cheeks, staff at the louvre have asked that bosses are close it down. we are not doing any of that here, jon ashworth, do you think we should be? no, we should just follow the advice of the chief medical officer, and if

the chief medical officer and all the chief medical officer and all the experts suggest we need to take more drastic action, then we would support the government in taking that action. i think that is the responsible position for an opposition party. but the government need to step in and make sure the nhs has got the resources but also deal with some of the bureaucratic things which will hinder this self isolation. we are telling workers they have to self—isolate and quarantine themselves, you need to do that, they need to go on sick pgy- do that, they need to go on sick pay. to be on sick pay they need to get a note from their gp. but they are also told, don't go and see your gp. so things like that need to be resolved. how do we avoid getting it? well, it is spread by droplets. our current knowledge tells us, cloud spread. so, what we do is, we maintain good hygiene. because you don't want to do this and introduce infection to yourselves. —— droplet spread. soap and water, and then dry your hands, clean, dry hands that

are very important. on top of that, when you cannot wash your hands, it is alcohol hand rub. but alcohol hand rub, or gel, is not the panacea. it is an alternative to when you cannot otherwise have clean hands. and one more thing, you need to make it a conscious effort. people unconsciously cough and sneeze. people unconsciously cough and sneeze. you need to bring that into your conscious. i am going to sneeze? what am i going to do? you pull out a tissue paper, you catch it in your tissue paper, the tissue paper is now contaminated, so you get rid of it, and is now your hand is contaminated, so you wash it with warm water and soap. and if you can't, you do it in your elbow. who is vulnerable? this is a new virus and because of that, everybody and anybody can get infected because we do not have immunity to it. however, the data we have from china and other parts is that it seems to affect the elderly more so, and the elderly with other coexisting conditions. the deaths at the moment

are around 3000. between 300000 and 650,000 people die globally from seasonal flu, and broadly 650,000 people die globally from seasonalflu, and broadly speaking, we seem seasonalflu, and broadly speaking, we seem to take that in our stride, are we overreacting? no, no, no, we are we overreacting? no, no, no, we are not overreacting, this is really important, this is a new virus. we don't know what it is going to do, we don't know what it is going to do, we do not know how many people will be ill and how long it will take. and we don't have a vaccine. we don't have a vaccine and we don't have any modification. flu is treatable. we have got to do everything we can to remove this virus from circulation, like we successfully did with the sars virus in 2002. it is not in existence anymore. so, we need to do that again with the covid—19 virus. anymore. so, we need to do that again with the covid-19 virus. do you think, saffron cordery, that the nhs will be able to cope should the numbers continue to rise?|j nhs will be able to cope should the numbers continue to rise? i think that the nhs is in a good position to cope. it copes locally when issues occur and scaling up that

response, i think it is in a good position. asjon ashworth said, there are some real issues about resources but i think we are in a place, the plans are there. but what we have got to think about is the wider perspective. this will start to affect nhs staff. when schools closed, what does that mean for staff who may have to look after children? social care staff, if they start to be affected, caring for people in their homes... there are big issues. buti people in their homes... there are big issues. but i would say that the plans are firmly in place, the testing plans are in place. we have the protocols there. david heymann, iam going the protocols there. david heymann, i am going to read you a couple more m essa 9 es i am going to read you a couple more messages from our audience this morning. these are people who are potentially changing their routine, andi potentially changing their routine, and i wonder what you think of this. this one says... we were planning to go to malta for my daughter's 13th go to malta for my daughter's13th birthday in the first week of april. we all have asthma and my elderly mum was accompanying us. we all have asthma and my elderly mum was accompanying us. we have cancelled and lost half the money

but we can't take the risk because we but we can't take the risk because we don't know what the situation would be like in a months' time. this one says... i am two years post—stem cell transplant and on thyroid medication which lowers my immune system. what am i supposed to do, hide inside? i have to work and i have to be a dad so i am going to have to take my chances, i guess. how do you respond to those two, david? what we are hearing is that people do understand the disease and how it is transmitted and are taking precautionary measures for themselves. that's what people all over the world are beginning to do as well, understand the issues and ta ke as well, understand the issues and take the precautions that people feel are necessary to protect themselves. the reason that containment and control activities in singapore have been so effective is because people are taking this as an issue for themselves, not only to protect themselves but to protect others. and so i think this is what

is penetrating the minds of many people throughout the world, including in the uk, and it's very healthy that people do take charge of their own issues, based on what government guidance is. thank you all, really appreciate your time. a couple more messages. . . all, really appreciate your time. a couple more messages... this one says... my husband is currently undergoing chemo and is due to start his last round this week. it was cancelled from last week because his blood count was too low. he has already been hospitalised with sepsis. it is a very frightening time for us. we are always very careful about going out and about, but now, it is a nightmare. this one says... my husband and i decided yesterday to start stockpiling some ten foods in case of any future self isolation requirements. we are listening to the scientists on tv and radio and are planning to take further measures this week if necessary. this one says... i chose not to take communion at my church yesterday, despite the vicar‘s assurances. so, this is affecting all sorts of areas of people's

lives. keep your messages coming into us. coming up later in the programme... this 23—year—old woman says a nhs gender clinic should have challenged her more over her decision to transition when she was 17. she's now taking legal action — we'll speak to the boss of the clinic. and uk negotiators are in brussels this morning for the first phase of trade talks with the european union. we'll talk to a former trade minister about how a deal might be struck. "attacking the civil service seems to be standard operating practice for this government now." that's what the former home secretary alanjohnson has told this programme in the wake of the decision of sir philip rutnam, the former permanent secretary of the home office, to sue the government for unfair dismissal. sir philip has accused the home secretary, priti patel,

of bullying staff in her department. he claims her behaviour "created fear and that needed some bravery to call out". but the prime minister has said he has absolute confidence in ms patel, calling her a "fa ntastic home secretary". let's talk to a former hose secretary alan johnson. he was the home secretary under gordon brown from june 2009 to may 2010, running the department that philip rutnam has resigned from. also with us is sir bob kerslake. he was head of the civil service under david cameron and knows philip rutnam well. alanjohnson, alan johnson, what do alanjohnson, what do you think of this action, then? well, it's incredible. you don't have to be a fan of the british civil service, and i, by the way, to see that there is something desperately wrong about a senior... —— and i am. let's say it was a private sector organisation, a big organisation, and one of the top people in it not

only resigns about resigns, goes on camera condemning the leader and ta kes camera condemning the leader and takes the organisation to court. it is unprecedented, it is absolutely incredible. lord coe is like, i am told you know philip rutten well, what do you think of his action? when i heard of it, i was completely astonished, i in fact recommended sir philip for his first home secretary role, in transport, in fa ct. secretary role, in transport, in fact. he is a very calm, measured, particular person, a big intellect and a big commitment to career civil surfing. for him to go in this way, as alan said, isjust extraordinary. he must have been pushed to the limit, and in fact really a bit beyond, for him to have done this. we know he was made an offer the night before and he didn't take it, because he wasn't confident the briefing would stop. and the briefing would stop. and the briefing has been absolutely corrosive and unfair, in my view.

let me ask alanjohnson about that. sir philip rutnam said, in the last mds, i have been the target of a vicious briefing campaign, he said he did not believe priti patel‘s denial of any involvement in the claims. he said, i would denial of any involvement in the claims. he said, iwould have expected her to disassociate herself from the comments. can you explain to our audience how secretive briefing to friendly journalists works? yeah! it worksjust like that, it is secretive and it is to friendly journalists do that, it is secretive and it is to friendlyjournalists do so, something is coming out of no 10, briefing against sir philip, but trying to reinforce pretty patel. i think the whole question here, and this will come out in the wash, in the court case had all the rest of it, is, is this kind of version of this person strong minded...? often, strong minded is just this person strong minded...? often, strong minded isjust an this person strong minded...? often, strong minded is just an excuse for being totally inadequate at the job. there is a ministerial code that

says how ministers should act. my suspicion is, because there is no procedure, if you've got a complaint against the secretary of state, there is procedures every other eventuality, my theory, my guess, is that sir philip, as the permanent secretary, had to talk to the secretary, had to talk to the secretary of state about some of these complaints emanating from her private office and elsewhere within the home office, and that is what has caused the clash here. the other thing to mention is, this is a triple whammy, because you had... this is a permanent secretary, who also had a secretary of state, the chancellor, being moved just a couple of weeks ago, virtually being chucked out of office. well, he resigned, we are told. he resigned but refused to sign up to this incredible vow of abstinence of having his own special advisers. and then, you had his special advisers, sajid javid's special adviser, sonia

khan, marched out of... he was at the treasury then, marched out of the treasury then, marched out of the treasury then, marched out of the treasury by armed police. there is something desperately wrong going on. i don't know that they were armed, but... there is a wider problem. she is taking legal action. i want to put it to you, sir bob kerslake, sir philip rutnam whether the home office during the windrush scandal, it cost amber rudd herjob because she was briefed incorrectly by her civil servants, and an investigation found that amber rudd was not supported as she should have been by her home office team, and outlined a catalogue of failings in briefings to the then cabinet minister. that's incompetence, perhaps sir philip rutnam was right to resign? look, it was investigated, as you said, and there we re investigated, as you said, and there were actions taken to respond to that, and one of them didn't include that, and one of them didn't include that sir philip rutnam stepped back from hisjob. so, we need to be

careful about just throwing around these suggestions. the truth is that windrush was a consequence of a government policy, a hostile environment, and after that, it was almost inevitable that something would follow. but i think there is a really important point here, this isn't just about sir really important point here, this isn'tjust about sir philip, it's about behaviour towards more junior staff in the private office. and suggestions of bullying behaviour have to be investigated. final word to alan johnson, are have to be investigated. final word to alanjohnson, are their double standards at play here? if you don't like pretty patel and her politics, which potentially you don't as a former labour home secretary, are you more likely to be on sir philip rutnam' side? do you accept the comments of allies of pretty patel when they say, most of this is about misogyny and sexism ? when they say, most of this is about misogyny and sexism? no, not at all. yes, you're right, i am misogyny and sexism? no, not at all. yes, you're right, iam no misogyny and sexism? no, not at all. yes, you're right, i am no great fan of pretty patel as a politician, but

the secretary of state must be able to work with the permanent secretary. and what seems to be happening here is that they could not work together, which meant that the cabinet office got involved, marc said well, doing a dealfor sir philip to quietly go. and there was a big slice of money involved in that. he was being asked to sign up to something that was totally unacceptable, and therefore, he's said no to the money, to take a court case. is extraordinary. i don't think you can just in a blase way just say, well, don't think you can just in a blase wayjust say, well, obviously, it is misogyny. it doesn't matter whether it isa misogyny. it doesn't matter whether it is a man or woman, there are standards written into the ministerial code about the way you deal with your staff and the way you deal with your staff and the way you deal with your staff and the way you deal with other people, and i would be very surprised if priti patel remains home secretary for very long. we will see, thank you so much, both of you.

a 23—year—old woman is taking legal action against an nhs gender identity clinic, saying that she should have been challenged more by medical staff about her decision to transition to a male as a teenager. a judge gave the go—ahead last week for a full hearing of the case against the tavistock and portman nhs foundation trust, which is expected to go to the heart of the controversy surrounding the age at which young people become capable of giving informed consent to medical interventions to change their gender. in a moment, we'll speak to dr polly carmichael from the tavistock centre. but first, let's hearfrom the woman, she's called keira bell. she started taking puberty blockers aged 16, followed by cross—sex hormone, testosterone, and a mastectomy.

keira's been speaking to the bbc‘s alison holt. i would have liked to have, you know, some sort of intensive therapy really. i think that i should have been challenged on the proposals or the claims that i was making for myself and i think that would have made a big difference as well. there will be young people who say, going to the clinic literally saves their lives because it is essential someone listens to them and believes their need to change. what would you say to that? well, i did say the same thing years ago when i went to the clinic. it felt like it was saving me from suicidal ideation and just depression in general. at the time, i felt like it relieved all those mental health conditions that i was struggling alongside, you know, gender dysphoria. it's something you need to kind of work through but it's not something that needs to be rushed into. i think it is up to these, you know,

institutions like the tavistock to step in and make children reconsider what they are saying because it is a life—altering path that you're going down and it's not guaranteed to work. do you feel any anger about what has happened in the last five, ten years for you? ido, yeah. i feel angry that no—one was there to really say any different and i was allowed to run with this idea that i had — almost like a fantasy as a teenager, i was allowed to run with that and it has affected me in the long run as an adult. let's speak now to dr polly carmichael from the tavistock centre in london. she is the director. thank you very much for coming on the programme. how can you be absolutely sure when a child or teenager comes to your clinic that they do genuinely want to live as the opposite gender?”

think the first thing to say is that this is a really complex area. the truth is you can't ever be 100% sure about a lot of things and suddenly, in this area, you can't be 100% sure. having said that our assessment process is wide ranging and over a long period of time. we look at the development of gender. we look more widely at relationships and how young people are doing in school and so on. and, moreover, less tha n school and so on. and, moreover, less than half of the young people who actually come to the service would ever be referred to the clinic. for those that are, they continue to meet with psychosocial professionals, to explore their gender and, importantly, think about a whole range of pathways. right. let's talk more specifically about what happens if someone does come to your clinic, then. how many therapy sessions would you have with a young

person before puberty blockers would be part of the conversation? 0h k, so, we work according to nhs specifications. —— ok. we are a commission service and in the specification it says 3—6. commission service and in the specification it says 3-6. that's an hour long? that's an hour long, may be longer sometimes, with two clinicians. i guess that's around giving young people a space, but also giving their parents a space. and over what period of with those 3-6 and over what period of with those 3—6 sessions be? and over what period of with those 3-6 sessions be? it would vary. it's all individual, case by case, but over a period of six months or so. but i think it's important to say that the reality is one outcome of the assessment is not infrequently ongoing exploration and thinking. rather than at the end of that period prescribing puberty blockers? yes. 3-6 sessions, each about an hour long, two clinicians over a

period of about six months, does that strike you as not enough therapy and over too short a period? so, ithink therapy and over too short a period? so, i think that if it were after that period everyone was being referred to clinic, i think there would rightly be questions but the truth is, often it's much longer than that. and, indeed, ithink we're well aware of some of the concerns that have been coming more recently around large increases in numbers of referrals. there have been concerns about more assigned females being put forward for services. and within that, if anything, we are more cautious, more careful. we also have a network model, so young people come from all over the country. we convene professionals meetings locally and many of the young people we see have a current difficulties at its most appropriate that any therapeutic input happens locally. -- and it is

most. right. how can a child or teenager give theirfull most. right. how can a child or teenager give their full informed consent to taking puberty blockers? that is what critics suggest and kiera bell is one of them. obviously, people over the age of 16 are able to give consent. the consent process we have is a robust one. it is a process, not an event, not one occasion where you obtain consent. but it is involved in numerous discussions around thinking about all of the different pathways. ifan about all of the different pathways. if an individual is pressing for any physical intervention, there would be extensive discussions around their hopes for that, their expectations, ensuring they are realistic. there would be discussion around potential side effects, known side effects and unknown unknowns. and all of this before a young person even gets referred to the clinic. and then formal consent

would be taken. the first visit would be taken. the first visit would only ever be a full discussion from a medical doctor around the treatment. and education. and so on. and so formal consent would never be taken until at and so formal consent would never be ta ken until at least the and so formal consent would never be taken until at least the second meeting. right. again, is that too soon, and, again, how can a 13—year—old really give formal consent for taking puberty blockers, taking cross sex hormones?‘ 13—year—old isn't giving consent for taking cross sex hormones. there is a lot of misinformation about what's up a lot of misinformation about what's up let's stick with puberty blockers, that was my mistake. no, that's fine. -- misinformation about. my view is that young people are able to give informed consent. they are given full information around the intended action, the

potential risks and so on. over time, on more than one occasion. there is also evidence in general that young people and developed, if you like, specialist areas of knowledge beyond their developmental stage, if you like. there has been work around that particular area. that is evidence that comes from paediatrics in general. do you mean because they are going online and joining forums so they have knowledge? i think that's very different. the knowledge they obtain within the clinic is a robust knowledge based on the evidence and that's not always the case online. kiera bell was 16, she was able to give informed consent as a 16—year—old. she says she regrets that your clinic did not challenge her enough. do you accept that?” think we do challenge, without a doubt. my heart goes out to kiera andi doubt. my heart goes out to kiera and i think she is incredibly brave

and i think she is incredibly brave and speaks really well. it's really important that individuals can come forward. there is a place for them and there is a place to discuss this but this needs to be kept in a context. the detra nsition but this needs to be kept in a context. the detransition rate is a cross study very low, 0.3 to about 196. cross study very low, 0.3 to about 1%. detransition means many things. foremost, the reason that is given is around a lack of social acceptance, the loss of family and peer support. whilst it is really important to think about that, we also need to hold in mind the many people who go forward and can lead a full life with support around their gender identity. this is from a viewer, my son started with the tavistock when she was at the time 13 years old. they've spent years counselling before treatment and the only argument i have is that at nearly 2a years, he is still awaiting the final treatment. this caused depression and anger with

things not moving quickly enough. i understand but i wish my son to feel com plete understand but i wish my son to feel complete and happy with himself. in terms of the puberty blockers, you will know that those who criticise the use of them in young people say this is experimental treatment that can have lifelong consequences. you are using a drug which is most commonly used or licensed to treat advanced prostate cancer in men and chemically castrated male sex offenders. and to hold a very early puberty. it is not licensed to treat gender dysphoria in children, that is true, isn't it? i am not a medical doctor but i think you will find that many drugs used in paediatrics are not licensed for use in children. do you have any worries about the long—term effects on children, about brains of element, fertility. we don't know what it does to people. the blogger has been used for over 30 years. —— the

blocker. there is quite an evidence base. it is really important, as numbers increase, awareness increases, that there is more research. but i think you have to weigh this up against the effects of not intervening. we are talking about young people whose sense of themselves does not match their physical body and the distress associated with that is often huge. finally, let me ask you why you think there has been an explosion in referrals of young people to gender identity clinics. in 2009—10 it was 77 referrals and in 2018—200 2019, it is astonishing. it is a difficult question. —— in 2018—2019. it is astonishing. it is a difficult question. -- in 2018-2019. there are multiple reasons for it. we need to hold in mind, as much as we are talking about tra nsgender hold in mind, as much as we are talking about transgender people much more, actually, this continues

to bea much more, actually, this continues to be a marginalised and stigmatised group. part of that is likely to be greater awareness and that can be nothing but positive. but, of course, we are also aware that there may be changes in the demographics and that we need to be, if anything, more cautious. as a clinic, that is exactly the approach we take. thank you very much for coming on the programme, we appreciate your time this morning. thank you. director of the tavistock, thank you. 100 british negotiators are going to brussels this morning, to begin talks about a new trade deal with the eu. this first phase of discussions will last just four days. the government is also publishing its perameters for a free trade agreement with the united states today. i've been talking to mark price, trade minister with specific responsibility for negotiating the uk's future trade deals. and as a former managing director of waitrose and deputy chairman ofjohn lewis, he's also calling

on the government to consider asking businesses to report on the happiness of their employees. i've asked him if a free trade agreement can really be done between the uk and the eu before december. well, it's a bit of a tall order, but it can be done. if both sides agree from the outset the ratification will take place in brussels, then there's no reason theoretically why it couldn't be done. but of course, there are a host of reasons why it could be difficult, because it could have to be agreed by all the regional parliaments, it could be that there are disagreements over a number of issues of substance, and of course that will slow things down. so, at this early stage, nobody knows, but it could be done. 0k. how likely is a deal? how likely is no deal? er, well, i think a deal with the eu is likely. it's in everybody‘s interest to do that. if you look at exports from europe to the uk, they‘ re substantial, they outweigh the exports from the uk to europe.

in food alone, they are about 10 billion euros, and about 4 billion of that is from france alone. so, it's very much in the interests of europe to try to get a deal, but it's not one—sided. on our side, we would want access for financial services, etc. so it's in both sides' interests to try and get a deal. and if i had to press you, what do you think is the most likely outcome, a deal or no deal? a deal. 0k. simply because economically, both europe and the uk need a deal. right, let's turn to the us. how big a task will it be to negotiate a free—trade deal with the united states? oh, huge. there are 100 negotiators gone to the eu today. you will have a similar number that will go to america. these things take time. but having said that, what you can do is agree just to do a deal in the first instance on the few things you might agree on, just to get you off and running.

so, i think it is possible to do a deal quite quickly with the usa, but to do a substantive deal might take, or probably will take, quite a little time. 0k. we do not currently import chlorine—washed chicken from the us, as you know, as a former md of waitrose and former deputy chair ofjohn lewis. we might be pressurised in negotiations with the us to allow that, to allow chlorine—washed chicken in our country, ie lower food standards. if chlorinated chicken was imported to this country, consumers would only buy it if they wanted to, wouldn't they? well, first of all, your food has to be labelled, so, you have to label what's in it. so, whether that's the way it's washed or growth agents that have gone into it, or pesticides used in the growing of crops or the feed that's used. so, we have very strict regulations in the uk and in europe as well about the standard of food

that we put on our shelves in the supermarket. if today we want to import from a country outside the eu, that food has to meet our standards. and that will continue to be the case. so, it simply isn't in the gift of the uk's trade minister to say, that's fine, we'll take x, y, or z. if we have a law, parliament's going to have to agree that they are going to change that law. so, it's not straightforward to simply say, we're going to import going to import things that, at the moment, we legislate against. but parliament, of course, can change any legislation they might want to, either through a bill or through changing the current legislation. ok, that's really interesting. can you see the us pressurising uk negotiators to compromise, to change that law, to allow them to import chlorinated chicken into the uk? yes, of course, because

what they will argue is that they will accept equivalence, so, they will accept our standards if we accept their standards. and then, it is for us to go back and think about that, to decide if we want to do that, to decide if we want to change our law to do that, or not. when i was running waitrose, we exported duchy original organic products to america, and i can remember we tried to export the shortcakes, and they're made with organic butter in the uk, but the organic butter standards in the uk and europe are different to the organic butter standards in america. and so, in the end, we were able to export those biscuits but we couldn't call them organic. so, there are hundreds and hundreds of different pieces of legislation in the uk, different now by country, so, scotland, wales and northern ireland will all have some of their own local rules, but it's also the same for the 50 states in america. so, it's never straightforward. what we will do is negotiate

a standard, and then, if people from america want to export to the uk, or we want to export to america, you have to meet those standards. what the trade negotiators are trying to do is to make it as easy as possible for our exporters, so, to take down all the barriers. so, there will be tariff barriers, that's the amount of money you have to pay for the goods to go into the country, and then there are nontariff barriers, things like, you can only export to this country, if, for instance, your chicken is not chlorinated washed. so, what the trade negotiators are trying to do is to knock down both of those barriers, to say, there shouldn't be a tariff, and, our standards are really good and you should apply to those standards. but, as i said earlier, that applies to everything you can think of, it applies to ceramics, it applies to cars, it applies to food, which is why it takes time to work through all of those things and come to an agreement.

one final question, what are you calling on governments and businesses to do to promote workplace happiness? well, having spent 3a years in thejohn lewis partnership, i believe it's really important that people are happy at work. i've never really liked the phrase work— life balance, it implies work is terrible and then you have a life and i believe work should be enjoyable. all the research says that people who are happy at work and organisations that have a happy workforce are more productive, profitable and shareholders get a better deal. what i have done is i've built a platform called engaging works where people can go and measure their workplace happiness and improve it. i would like to see government and companies over the coming years to understand that the meat having a happy and engaged workforce is fundamental to improving the productivity of the uk and prosperity for all of us. there isa and prosperity for all of us. there is a strong link between a happy and

engaged workforce and commercial success and i want to promote that both personally and i want businesses and the government to start to appreciate that there are real benefits for people's mental health and well—being, for company profits, for society and the treasury. mark price, former trade minister. it's his birthday today, happy birthday to him. this is the comedian formerly known asjoe lycett. i say formerly, because he says he's changed his name to hugo boss. there is the bbc pass to prove it, it says hugo boss. i am now legally hugo boss according to the bbc legal system. good morning, hugo boss. i'm going to have to get used to it. hugo boss is a company, i believe and there is a small company called in swansea who are a business —— boss brewing. they tried to make a couple of trademarks for their beers and hugo boss sent them a cease and desist letter basically stop doing what they think is alleged illegal

activity. i think it is a massive company taking on a little company and its not fair and nobody is going to confuse a beer with hugo boss, i don't think i would splash myself with heineken in the morning —— on my neck but maybe i will. i thought they don't like their name being used, they have sent dozens of these two small businesses, charities. what is interesting is the alleged illegal activity is use of the word boss stop yeah. the brewery is not the hugo boss brewery, it is boss brewing. so no one can use the word boss according to hugo boss. no, and now i am hugo boss, i would prefer it as well. amazing what happens when you have the name. what will they do to you? i changed my name by deed poll and didn't expect the reaction, i didn't expect to be here. i was in the bath about an hour ago. you are welcome. there is the deed poll certificate saying you

have illegally changed your name. the deed poll certificate saying you have illegally changed your namem isa have illegally changed your namem is a headache, there are so many things you have to do. it is not about you! what would you like hugo boss to do or not do. stop sending cease and desist letters because they are not confusing these two brands but i would like them to give... boss brands but i would like them to give. .. boss brewing brands but i would like them to give... boss brewing have spent £10,000 in legalfees and have had to rebrand, change labels, very expensive for a small business, i would like them to give their money back and promised to stop and an apology would be nice, hugo. that would be great. we have asked for a response from hugo boss for comment. this is a statement they gave to itv. they have done this a few times, this is something they do. we tried to get an updated statement but we haven't so far. me too! speak to us, hugo, please! following the brewery‘s application to register a trademark, we approach them in relation to two beer names in their portfolio in relation to the name boss to avoid conflict and potential

misunderstanding regard the brand's boss and boss black which had been used by the brewery but our long—standing trade marks of our company. the discussions clarified the situation in respect of these two brands as well as in relation to textile merchandising for the future. the brewery is able to proceed with the majority of their products without impact on their current branding. but costing £10,000, lot to a small business and they are doing this to other companies like charities. i don't really agree with that statement. fair enough. you are doing a programme about this next month on channel 4. doing a programme about this next month on channel4. i am launching a product as hugo boss and i can't go into too much detail for legal reasons but all will be revealed on my channel 4 show, which i suppose has to be rebranded. it will have to bejoe has to be rebranded. it will have to be joe lycett has to be rebranded. it will have to bejoe lycett has got your back. everyone has to call you hugo boss.

including the bbc! good to talk to you, thanks for coming in. in 2017, olivia rowlands found out she was unable to become pregnant because she needed gruelling treatment for bowel cancer. so, she had her eggs harvested and frozen, and after she got the all—clear from cancer, she appealed for a surrogate. this is ellie hutchinson, olivia's cousin. they hadn't seen each other for years, not since childhood, for years, not since childhood. not since they were one. but when ellie read about olivia's story in the paper, she stepped forward to volunteer to carry olivia and her husband sam's baby. ellie is now 20 weeks pregnant. hurray! can we tell that she's pregnant? just about. i will you. congratulations. congratulations to you two and congratulations to you. this is incredible. as i said in the introduction, you had treatment for bowel cancer, it was gruelling and it meant it affected your fertility. stage three, pretty far on. i had

chemo and radiotherapy and it was the radiotherapy which left me in early menopause and unable to ever carry a baby. she's doing it. you had your eggs harvested. we were lucky, we had a ten day window before treatment started and we got four embryos frozen. you haven't seen each other since you were one. how old are you now? 31. 34. how seen each other since you were one. how old are you now?- 34. how did you come forward with this offer, ellie. we had an aunt living in the states but she keeps the family together, constant e—mail updates about what the family is going through. i knew that olivia was u nwell through. i knew that olivia was unwell and family might be an issue soi unwell and family might be an issue so i reached out to a levy and said if you are looking for a surrogate, i would be happy to help, not knowing if they wanted a stranger or a family member —— reached out to olivia. i never met anyone going through it before. we kicked it off from there. from the start it felt so much nicer knowing that it was a

family member rather than a stranger. because a lot of people did offer, but we didn't know them. and as soon as ellie... how does the offer happened? did you pick up the phone, did you e—mail, does it go via your fabulous aunt, what happened? good old facebook messenger. it was easy to get in contact. in formal and trying to make it easy. i also didn't want olivia to feel like i was forcing it on her. because i haven't been in that situation, i didn't know where she was emotionally but i wanted to know that the offer was there for her. when she offered, i couldn't believe it. we were a normal 29—year—old couple at the time and everything for two years had been... mad. for me as well, ellie reaching out to us made a huge difference for me because i was still getting used to watching my wife go through something so traumatic. and all of a sudden, the idea of going through a

surrogacy agency sudden, the idea of going through a surrogacy agency admitting a stranger, that was very overwhelming. ellie are reaching out was kind of a life—saver as well. to have that already a trusting relationship with a family member. going through this so far, i can't imagine having done this... not that we didn't know you, but you want a stranger. you may not have seen each other for decades, stranger. you may not have seen each otherfor decades, but stranger. you may not have seen each other for decades, but knowing that you are related makes psychologically a massive difference. definitely. absolutely. it really does. what has the process been like? you have the egg is implanted, you don't know if it's going to work. we were given 50-5096 that it would work. first transferred... we were lucky. we had a minor scare at the five week mark. mine are. we thought we might have lost the baby but we had a scan at six weeks to confirm she was viable. and we found out it is a little girl. very exciting. very lucky because we know that is not the story for everyone, a big blessing. the hospital were incredible because

they actually started the whole procedure immediately, as soon as we knew what the treatment plan was for olivia. they got the ball rolling immediately, nine wells hospital in dundee. they were incredible. in terms of getting the eggs out? absolutely. before liv was to start chemotherapy and radiotherapy, they totally took control and pulled us through the whole process. felt numb at that point hearing all these things and then it was straight to the fertility clinic. that day. it was brilliant. what is your motivation, ellie? i knew! didn't wa nt motivation, ellie? i knew! didn't want any more children myself, i have a little boy and i thought if i can help someone else have a family, it was a no—brainer, why wouldn't you do it? other people feel differently, particularly if it is a family member. she's amazing. straightforward. are there any... from your point of view, what are the challenges? have they not been

any? i have been exceptionally lucky in terms of my health and i have a very supportive employer, manager, mental and i have a strong team to support me and a fantastic husband who went along with my crazy idea —— mentor and i have. who went along with my crazy idea —— mentorand i have. i get who went along with my crazy idea —— mentor and i have. i get maternity leave through work as well, i have time to physically and mentally re cove r. time to physically and mentally recover. it has been a strong journey from that perspective. with my little boy, we are reading him a story about surrogacy and will tell him closer to the time that i am carrying auntie olivia's baby. that is going the way we want it to. we are blessed with this. have you thought about names, sam, olivia? maybe. we have, but we will keep them quiet for now. thank you so much for coming on the programme. congratulations. good luck for the rest of the pregnancy and have an amazing life when your baby is born and enjoy. thank you. really nice to have a happy story. thanks for being patient as well. thanks for your

messages. samantha on twitter about joe lycett, your big grin at the end when victoria derbyshire deliberately called yu hugo makes life worth living. does that mean that the name joe life worth living. does that mean that the namejoe lycett is up for grabs? mssi that the namejoe lycett is up for grabs? mss i already don't shake hands, touch public door handles all things outside without tissue or using a hand sanitiser, ifeel pretty safe. thank you very much for getting in touch today, back tomorrow at 10am, have a good day. bbc newsroom live is coming up next. good morning. after the very wet february, march starts off on a slightly quieter note and we haven't got any of those big storms in the forecast throughout this weekend this morning we had sunshine. this was the scene in york with plenty of sunshine for most of the uk and rain

in the south—east of england, the cloud clearing away and frequent showers moving into western scotland and snow over the higher ground continuing. some showers into northern ireland and some showers elsewhere but for most, dry and sunny and maximum temperatures getting up to 7—10. tonight, there will be showers across scotland, northern ireland and drifting further south and east with temperatures falling away over night, there will be some frost into tuesday morning and the risk of some ice where you have showers throughout the night. these are the temperatures are typically expecting tomorrow morning but throughout tuesday, another day of sunny spells and showers. showers moving east with that some sunshine either side at temperatures above 7—10. goodbye for now.

you're watching bbc newsroom live — it's11am and these are the main stories this morning. the pm chairs a meeting of the government's emergency committee on coronavirus — as public health england warns of the spread of the outbreak. it is likely now that we will see in due course widespread transmission in the uk. what we don't know is exactly how widespread that will be. as the worldwide death toll from the virus passes 3,000 — the bank of england says it will take "all necessary steps" to preserve financial stability following recent falls on stock markets. the first round of trade talks between the uk and the european union begins today — 100 negotiators are travelling to brussels for discussions. greece says it's stopped nearly 10,000 migrants crossing