tonight at ten, the governement will continue to pay tens of billions of pounds to protect thejobs of millions of furloughed workers affected by the coronavirus lockdown. the chancellor, rishi sunak, says businesses will only have to start paying contributions from august. i believe it is right in the final phase of this eight—month scheme to ask employers to contribute — alongside the taxpayer — towards the wages of their staff. support for the 2.5 million self—employed receiving grants will continue as well through the summer. also tonight... at last, reunions in scotland for the first time in weeks, as the lockdown eases. we'll explain what you can and can't do across the uk this weekend. another night of unrest

in minneapolis as a sacked white police officer is charged with the murder of a black man, george floyd. the last in our series of special reports from the royal london hspital, on the impact of covid—19 and how it could change the nhs. and, hallelujah — handel's messiah gets an outing, as thousands of choirs beat the lockdown. and coming up on bbc news, why liverpool could be forced to play the match that wins them a first league title in 30 years away from anfield, at a neutral venue. good evening. the government will continue to spend billions of pounds to pay the salaries of millions of workers for months to come as it promised

to protect the jobs of those furloughed until october. the chancellor, rishi sunak, said the scheme, introduced to prevent mass redundancies, needed to adapt as the economy reopens. employers will have to contribute around 5% of salaries from august, rising to just over 20%, before the scheme runs out at the end of october. the programme currently supports more than 8.5 million employees, with people able to go back to work part—time from july. the chancellor also pledged to extend support for the 2.5 million self—employed who now receive grants through to august. the estimated cost of both schemes stands at around a £100 billion. the news comes as the number of people with covid—19 whose deaths have been reported in the last 2a hours stood at 324. this brings the total number of deaths to 38,161. with the latest, here's our economics editor, faisal islam. when the pubs don't open, neither do the brewers,

and so the government's job scheme has helped hugely keep 8.5 million workers on payrolls, on tap effectively, including him at wild card breweries. but any change to that generosity might push some over the edge. it would not be viable for us for the furlough scheme to diminish and us to contribute more if we don't have clarity as to what is going on because at the end of the day, if a bar is closed and there is no money coming in, how are you supposed to financially contribute to that scheme? that is simply going to mean lots and lots of people out of work. at least those 8.5 million workers will now continue to get the bulk of their wages paid for by the taxpayer. injuly, this can now be on a part—time basis, offering flexibility for companies phasing workers back to work. in august, the government will continue to pay 80% of salary but firms will have to pay national insurance and pensions — about 5% on average. then in september, the taxpayer contribution will go down to 70%, and then 60% in october.

a further 2.5 million self—employed workers at least will be eligible for a slightly less generous grant, representing 70% of wages over three months, capped at £6,500. the car industry today revealed a 99.7% slump in sales in april. that is one reason why the total cost of both these unprecedented schemes is heading towards £100 billion of essentially borrowed money, about the same as is spent over that eight—month period as on the nhs. but the chancellor says it is still value for money. first of all, in aggregate, the scheme is i think very generous. eight months is a long time to have the support. if you look at the total employer contribution over that entire period on a typical employee, average employee on the scheme, it will amount to the employer making a 5% contribution. the opposition says it is taking risks with unemployment. some sectors like, for example, hospitality, look like they could be locked down for really quite a long time.

they're not going to have the cash flow necessarily to have employers paying in to support staff, so this could lead potentially to majorjob losses. the government has a delicate three—way balancing act between controlling the pandemic, saving jobs and the costs to the taxpayer. its essential judgment today is to carry on spending generously — more than expected — and that means a third of the workforce, 11 million workers, will continue to have the vast bulk of their wages funded by the taxpayer for most of the year. it is the self—employed, like iona fyfe, a folk singer, who feel relieved by the announcement, yes, but are still concerned about the future. first, i very much appreciate that we will be supported until august. i worry about my ability to keep touring and keep being a musician, especially after years and years of training and graduating with a degree in music, it's very heartbreaking.

but the treasury say that the self—employed were already treated differently, for example, being allowed to carry on working while claiming the support. the message from the chancellor — that his spending will continue through the summer but as the economy reopens, it must then come to an end. faisal islam, bbc news. our chief political correspondent, vicki young, is at westminster. these schemes have been saving millions ofjobs and are very popular so it is tricky for rishi sunak to change them. popular so it is tricky for rishi sunak to change themlj popular so it is tricky for rishi sunak to change them. i think the chancellor might look back and think that announcing all that help with broad political backing might have been the easy bit. taking it away even gradually without causing a real spike in unemployment could well be a lot more difficult. because he has talked before about the country heading for a recession and today he talks about hardship because he cannot save everyjob. there are many who think that crunch point could be coming quite soon.

look at the hospitality industry, if you have a restaurant that has not had income for months, no guaranteed opening date, no guarantee that customers will come back in the same way. there could be social distancing restrictions. even contributing a tiny part of the wages in august might not be remotely possible. of the government has been dealing with this terrible health crisis. it looks like there is an economic one coming down the track. there has been massive state intervention, like a huge dose of painkillers but the chancellor today made it clear that it will hurt when it wears off. vicki, thank you. vicki young at westminster. people in scotland have been allowed to meet friends and family in small groups outdoors for the first time since lockdown measures were introduced in late march. it comes as wales' first minister announced plans for relaxing restrictions there, with borisjohnson saying yesterday that some measures in england would be eased from monday. in a moment we'll hear from our correspondent in cardiff, hywel griffith, and duncan kennedy in the new forest. but first, sarah smith

reports from scotland. the first eager steps out of hard lockdown, as six—week—old penny meets her widerfamily for the first time. you look a wee bit different in real life. it's unnatural, carefully keeping two metres apart. you just want to reach across... oh, yeah. in scotland, two different households can meet, with a limit of eight people at a time. they're not to share food, cutlery or crockery and not to go indoors. you're desperate to show her off to people, your family. it has been tough. and i don't want to get too personal, but did you go to the loo before you came? idid. that was the last thing i said before we stepped out. only if people stick to the rules will this new freedom persist. if people don't abide by it, we're going to go backwards, which would be heartbreaking for us. the right to sunbathe, barbecue and picnic has been delivered on the hottest day of the year. the police don't have new legal powers to enforce the new rules.

it all relies on public cooperation. it's scenes like this that led nicola sturgeon to say she is a bit nervous about relaxing the rules in scotland. things shouldn't feel as though we are completely back to normal, she says, because we are not back to normal. if you are in doubt about whether your plans are within the rules were not, err for now on the side of caution. because however harsh these rules might seem right now — and i know that they do — abiding by them will never, ever be as harsh as grieving the loss of a loved one. people in scotland can finally play some sports — as long as they're outdoors — whilst we wait three weeks before the government reviews whether they can relax the rules even further. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. too fast or too slow? the journey out of lockdown can feel exhausting. from monday, louise and herfamily will be able to meet relatives here in pontypridd with no limit on the head count, but they can't

travel more than five miles, so family in the midlands will have to wait. i think they're making changes according to people's behaviour. as we can see, people are getting lockdown fatigue and i think people are breaking the rules and being maybe irresponsible, so i think it kind of makes sense in a way to be pragmatic. the changes in wales are meant to depend on data rather than a set of dates. the number of new coronavirus cases has gone down, but the rate at which the virus is spreading hasn't. staying local and not sharing facilities with other people we think remain sensible, precautionary steps when the r rate in wales is no better today than it was three weeks ago. shops have been told they may be able to reopen in three weeks, but some feel left in the dark. sian has several businesses here. she is anxious for pontypridd

to recover after flooding earlier this year, but she's frustrated. i think the longer we are dragging our feet and we're not giving any kind of clarity, it's going to harm. it's going to harm businesses, it's going to harm people's mental health. we are behind and it's causing issues. the welsh approach is unapologetically cautious. no plans have been announced for schools, as change comes one step at a time. hywel griffith, bbc news, pontypridd. across england, from the beaches of brighton to the scenery of surrey, it's already starting to look crowded in some places ahead of monday's changes. in the new forest, most but not all families welcome the adjustment that allows groups of up to six people to meet. i don't think it'll do any harm, as long as everyone's sensible, yeah. so i think, yes, meet up, be sensible, keep a distance and i can't see it being a problem.

it's dangerous. we've got to keep on how we are doing now, social distancing and keep everything closed. new police figures in england show fines for breaching lockdown laws fell below 900 in the past two weeks, but guardians at popular places like this still have concerns about what's coming. right across england, the rules do change from monday about social distancing. what's your message to the public? the rules may change on monday, but our message remains the same, that you need to plan your visit and you need to maintain that social distancing mentioned in the regulations. you can't suddenly turn up with 20 members of your family to a party. from monday, any meetings may only be outside and must keep to the two—metre rule. this is evolution, not liberation, from lockdown. duncan kennedy, bbc news. so, what do these changes to lockdown measures mean? how could they affect all of our lives? our health correspondent, catherine burns, has been looking at some of the key issues.

how many people can i meet up with? northern ireland is already letting groups of up to six meet outdoors. from today, it will be up to eight in parks and gardens in scotland. the changes kick in elsewhere on monday. so, in england, it will be up to six people outside. wales does not have a number limit but says only two households can meet at the same time. all four nations, though, make the same very important point — social distancing is still vital. all this contact must be two metres away. in england, the advice is, if you've got to go, then you can go, but that it is absolutely critical that you clean and wipe everything down after you. elsewhere, the advice is to avoid the loos in other people's homes. the same goes for food and drink. in england, you can have a barbecue as long as everyone washes their hands, but it is strictly bring your own in scotland, wales and northern ireland.

this is another mixed picture. in england and northern ireland, you can travel as far as you would like to see family and friends. the scottish and welsh governments, though, would prefer that you stay local and they suggest about five miles as a rule of thumb. this is the same answer no matter where you live. if you have been told you need to shield, so stay at home because you are at more risk of getting very sick with coronavirus, nothing has changed. you still need to stay there until you are told otherwise. this story is changing quickly and new questions are coming in all the time. you can find more information on the bbc news website and the coronavirus tab. catherine burns reporting. a sacked police officer has been charged with murderfor his role in the death of an unarmed black man in the american city of minneapolis, that's sparked days of unrest.

a police station was set on fire overnight, and officers have been firing tear gas and rubber bullets. donald trump tweeted that "thugs" were dishonouring george floyd's memory, but twitter accused him of "glorifying violence" with a post that said, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." our north america correspondent nick bryant's report contains some distressing images. fires of fury, fires of frustration. phrases from the civil unrest of the 19605 that phrases from the civil unrest of the 1960s that apply once more in 2020 america. for the third night running, parts of minneapolis were burning. a police station overrun and set ablaze. for protesters, it had become a landmark of racial injustice. they believe that an unarmed african—american, george floyd, was murdered by the police.

to bolster this will of minneapolis local officers and to quell the protests a nd local officers and to quell the protests and scattered looting, the state's democratic governors sent in the national guard. he called the u nrest the national guard. he called the unrest unacceptable, but recognise there was a lot of pain and anger. unrest unacceptable, but recognise there was a lot of pain and angerlj cannot breathe. this was the spark for america's latest racial firestorm, a white police officer filmed kneeling on the neck of george floyd despite him pleading he could not breathe. tonight, the sacked police officer was charged with third—degree murder and manslaughter. in this video from a different angle showed other officers also pinning george floyd to the ground. do you mind telling me why i am under arrest? this morning on live television came what was widely seen as another act of racial injustice, the police and carving an african—american correspondent from cnn who were simply reporting on the overnight disorder. donald trump initially called the video of mr floyd's death

shocking, but went on twitter to describe the protesters as dogs, adding that when the looting starts, the shooting starts. that prompted the shooting starts. that prompted the social media network to attach a warning to the tweet saying it violated the rules about glorifying violence. —— —— as thugs. america's first black president barack obama issued a statement saying racial injustice had become painfully and maddeningly normal and shouldn't be any more. yes the past has always shaped the present in us race relations and a country already confronting health and economic crisis is now in the midst of another racial reckoning. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. the new virus testing and tracing programme officially got under way in england and scotland yesterday but, since then, there's been some concern about fraudsters taking advantage of the way people are contacted — which could be by text, email or a phone call.

public health officials in england have told the bbc they're working with the national cyber security centre to make the programme as robust as possible. our health editor, hugh pym, has the story. hi, my name's ellie, i'm calling from the london coronavirus response cell. they're the highest qualified contact tracers, handling with the most complex community cases. they haven't had many cases to deal with since yesterday, but they are expecting more. they are at the top of the pyramid, thousands more working from home are tracing contacts working from home are tracing co nta cts of working from home are tracing contacts of people who test positive. if you have symptoms, self—isolate, get tested. and also, self—isolate if you are told to by an nhs contact tracer. but one tracer — who wanted to remain anonymous — told me so far, she'd made only one call. i'm a little bit frustrated at the roll—out not being quite as smooth as expected. i would have expected a little bit more support. there's nobody senior to speak to.

we're all speaking amongst ourselves, but there's no team leaders, as yet, that we can contact. some concerns have been voiced about possible fraud — hoax callers and fake invitations to log into websites. health officials say they're seeking to minimise the risk. of course we'll be concerned, but we are working with the national cyber security centre and others to make sure that the programme is as robust as possible and that all those issues are monitored. what about people's data security? you are asking a lot for people to put in their contacts, friends who are not members of the family, e—mail addresses and phone numbers. you never asked for more information than is strictly required, but there is more information about that on out is more information about that on our website. and the reason we need to rein —— retain the information for a to rein —— retain the information fora numberof years to rein —— retain the information for a number of years is that this isa for a number of years is that this

is a new infection, we don't exactly know what is going to happen in the longer term. testing remains critical. some experts say more will be needed if the test and trace system is to work effectively. hugh pym, bbc news. one of the leading scientists advising on the government's coronavirus response says he disagrees with the decision to ease lockdowns across the uk, because the level of infection remains, in his word, "very high." professor john edmunds says it was a "political decision" to lift restrictions and many sceintists would prefer to wait. our medical correspondent, fergus walsh, is here. we have heard leading scientists say there is little room for manoeuvre. this is a further sign of unease. there is little room for manoeuvre. this is a further sign of uneasem is, and it reveals a tension between politicians who are trying to return the uk to some kind of normality and scientists who are monitoring the virus and see that cases are not falling as fast as they would like. 8,000 people a day in england are thought to be contracting coronavirus and that doesn't include

cases in care homes or hospitals. and more than 500 people a day are being admitted to hospital with covid—19. professorjohn edmunds, at the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine, says we can't hope to bring down the rate of infection by replacing blanket measures on everyone with targeted measures on everyone with targeted measures like test and trace, but he accepts this as a political decision because ministers have to look at the economy, the effect on mental health, the effect on children'seducation of continuing the lockdown. earlier this month, the lockdown. earlier this month, the government set up a colour—coded alert system to guide them on how tough measures should be. we are currently at level four where transmission is high or rising, but the prime minister said earlier this week we are coming down to level three, where you would see a gradual relaxing of social distancing measures. but today, it was confirmed we are still stuck at level four, the advisory group has

not reduced it, but ministers say they have always been guided by are we meeting the five tests such as reduced deaths and increased hospital capacity? and they say we are meeting all those tests. fergus walsh, many thanks. donald trump said today the united states will be "terminating" its relationship with the world health organisation. he said the body had failed to make "greatly needed" reforms and that american funds would be redirected to other "urgent global public health needs". mr trump has accused the world health organisation of helping china to conceal the coronavirus pandemic in its early stages. now, all this week, we've been reporting from one of the hospitals hardest hit by the coronavirus. in tonight's fourth and final report from the royal london hospital in east london, i've been looking at how the nhs is trying to adapt to the new reality of a virus that, at the moment, has no cure or vaccine, and the continuing grief of those in the local community, who've been worst affected.

this is the story of one hospital, and one community in the time of covid—19. their harmony in the face of an almighty challenge. what does the future hold for the men and women in and out of uniform? and can the nhs adapt to a new normal way of working, with a virus that could be here to stay? we were given unprecedented access to the covid—19 wards of the royal london hospital in the east end. we had permission from all the patients or their families to film. go, go, go. we watched the agonising attempt... ..to save krishna, who was just 55.

and we spoke with a nurse, the only person by his side as he slipped away. ijust sat on a chair and just held his hand, to be with him in that time. krishna was the proud father of four sons, including one here on his graduation day. he wanted to speak to us about his dad. i only got married last year, so it has been one year and a bit, so... again, you know, none of us would have thought this time last year, in that kind of happiness, that something like this would have happened, actually. so we have to try and move on. i think that's going to be the hardest thing

for the first few weeks, months. he was only two and a half weeks shy of his 56th birthday, actually, so he didn't even make it to that. but trevor smith has lived to see another summer. his 65th. his voice box is no longer silent. for weeks, his life hung from a plastic tube, inserted into his throat to provide the supply of oxygen his body needed that covid—19 had choked off.

trevor survived, after being in the deepest and darkest of places. now the sun is shining. but when will the sun shine for us as a nation? when can our collective mourning begin? all the deaths have so far been wrapped up in charts and graphs. close to 40,000 are dead. but this pandemic isn't about numbers. it's about people. for veteran consultant trauma surgeon martin griffiths, it's the humanity of the nhs in this pandemic that is now attracting scores of new recruits.

people are running towards it, the medical students are running towards hospitals to become healthcare support workers and become doctors, and to start their training early. we're having to turn people down who want to commit to support the effort, and there is kindness everywhere. the nhs is thriving, for now. there are even two new gleaming floors at the royal london for possible covid—19 patients, but what about cancer screening or heart disease? many who are sick in the community have stayed away, worried they might catch the virus. hello, sir. good morning. intensive care consultant nick bunker wants them back. all the people who would normally have presented here with ailments, where are they? i suspect some of them have died, some of them are at home. for cancer, we've not been doing a lot of diagnostics, so if you're not doing the diagnostics, you don't pick up

the cancer with the few symptoms that people have early on, so perhaps we're just not detecting it. it's still out there. the fervent hope, as the lockdown eases, is that people will drift back to the nhs for whatever hurts them, and the service will be able to help everyone, if we help ourselves. there are friends and there are colleagues who we know who are dying or sick. people i care about being lost to coronavirus. you can't overstate how simple measures are having a huge effect. i know it's boring and i know it's challenging, but look at it from my perspective. you know, i don't need to see any more dead people. what happens to the nhs now the clapping has stopped?

will the reverence and esteem wane? will the extra funding dry up? whatever happens, the commitment of the men and women we came across at the royal london won't transform, because this is personal. working to help the community they serve is part of a deeper reward. sitting in your car, going to work, you think to yourself, is this what i want to do with my life? and the answer is, yes, absolutely. this is the one time i need to stand up and do myjob. this is the one time i absolutely have to be there. the final report in our series from the royal london hospital in east london. the producer was sam piranty, and the cameraman, david mcilveen. now, we've all missed

being with friends, families and colleagues over the last few weeks, but the two million people in the uk who belong to choirs have been missing the experience of singing together. this weekend, thousands of them will gather online for a singalong of handel's messiah, which lasts several hours. jon kay has the story. if i could ask everybody, if possible, to stand up for me? what would handel have made of this? they sing # hallelujah #. it was mark strachan‘s idea. missing his friends in a dorset choir during lockdown, he suggested singing online. music is more thanjust notes on a piece of paper. it's the feeling of singing with your friends, it's the feeling of going to the same place to be together, it's the feeling of the performance, where you're doing it together,