the british economy shrank by a fifth in april, because of the coronavirus lockdown. the contraction was worse than economists predicted — a result of the first full month of shops and businesses being closed. we've always been in no doubt this was going to be a very serious public health crisis, but also had big, big economic knock—on effects and i'm not, i'm afraid, surprised by the figures that we've seen. we'll ask our economics editor what this means.

also this lunchtime: less rigorous checks of eu goods are likely after brexit, to help uk businesses struggling with the impact of coronavirus. borisjohnson says it is shameful that statues are having to be boarded up because of concerns they'll be vandalised. families of more than 400 people who have died with coronavirus demand an urgent public inquiry into the government handling of the pandemic, to try to prevent more deaths. and the paralympian who's the only black board member of britain's major sports tells us much more needs to be done. target does not mean anything. i think, to me, what is important is bringing the black people on board and giving them a voice and listening to them. and coming up on bbc news... another blow to the formula 1 season, as three races

are axed. the grands prix in singapore, azerbaijan and japan have been cancelled. good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. the uk economy shrank by more than a fifth in april, the biggest monthly contraction on record, as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. new figures from the office for national statistics show almost all areas of the economy were affected, with house—builders and car manufacturers particularly badly hit. the chancellor rishi sunak has said the fall is in line with many other countries which are suffering the impact of the pandemic. our economics correspondent andy verity has been looking at the figures. this is the skill of

the economic plunge in april. ten times the size of any previous dive, much larger than the global financial crisis, and much faster than the great depression of the 1930s. this gym in altrincham near manchester is among thousands of businesses which thrive before lockdown. now most of the staff are on furlough and the gym is eerily quiet, as it has been for three months. it's fast, like many others across the economy, has somehow got to find a way to pay the bills when the income is zero. we have had no revenues coming in since the shutdown on 2a march. an considerable recurring costs in the interim. it's been incredibly challenging to manage the cash reserves we have on the way through, whilst protecting our teams and making sure we don't build a creditor while on the other side thatis creditor while on the other side that is too difficult and takes too long to unwind. among the hardest

hit sectors were accommodation and food, with activity down 41%. hit sectors were accommodation and food, with activity down 4196. this is completely unprecedented. the size and suddenness of the economic downturn is without precedent in economic statistics or the experience of the uk economy. what is most extraordinary about this record slump we are in is that unlike previous recessions this was the direct outcome of deliberate government policy. in ordering lockdown, the government, like others around the world, was requiring and requesting a big drop in economic activity, on a scale and ata in economic activity, on a scale and at a speed we have never seen before. construction was also hit harder than other sectors where home—working is possible. down 40% in april alone. i'm not, i'm afraid, surprised by the figures we have seen. the uk is heavily dependent on services, we are a dynamic and

creative economy. we deserve some —— we rely on human contact. we are resilient and creative and will bounce back. the economic slump, like the virus, is an international crisis. there was a report from the oecd but suggested that the drop in gdp for this year for the uk would actually be worse than for every other industrialised nation, so we are ina other industrialised nation, so we are in a very, very difficult situation as a country and we will need strong action to help us to climb out of this as quickly as possible. remarkable in the midst of the economic shutdown was the modesty of the drop in retail sales, down only 8.9%, as consumers ordered online like never before. the habit of spending dies hard, even when all the shops are shut. andy verity, bbc news. let's speak now to our

economics editor, faisal islam. everybody knew it would be bad, is it worse than a lot of people had envisaged? it's a bit worse than expectations, but really the word record doesn't quite do justice to just how much of a fall off the cliff edge this number is. the last recession, the peakfall from cliff edge this number is. the last recession, the peak fall from the top to the bottom was 7%. this is 20% top to the bottom was 7%. this is 2096 in top to the bottom was 7%. this is 20% in one month. 25% since the lockdown began in late march. we are heading for a three month period, a second—quarter with a fall of around 20-25% in second—quarter with a fall of around 20—25% in general. in a funny way, this reflects what people are seeing. it's not new news. this is what happens when you have empty shops, empty offices, empty street and empty skies. the question is, how fast can this rebound be? some of the early

expectations and hopes would be certain, they have been dashed somewhat. you look to other countries now, some have done second and third rescue packages onjobs. that might be required. cuts to vat, that sort of thing. we are not at the end of this by any stretch of the end of this by any stretch of the imagination. let's hope that the bounce back is as quick as that extraordinary fall. faisal islam, thank you. the economic slowdown presents a challenge to ministers who have to balance health and the economy. and there will be more economic changes at the end of the year when the brexit transition ends. today the government has ruled out any delay — despite calls from the scottish and welsh devolved governments to do so. our political correspondent nick eardley has more. the coronavirus crisis has led to unprecedented pressure in whitehall, with unprecedented interventions from the government as well. but the figures today are a stark reminder of the economic impact of

shutdown and the balance ministers have to strike between protecting health and protecting livelihoods. it's right that what we now need to do is get the economy starting up again, start reopening businesses which we will see from next week, but doing that ina way see from next week, but doing that in a way that doesn't risk a damaging second wave which would be economically devastating if we experienced a significant second wave. so we are doing it in a measured way, protecting public health. some want the government to do more, though. many tory mps, including ministers, want the two metre rule halved immediately, to give hospitality businesses a better chance of recovery. the prime minister has said he will do so when it is safe. labour want more action as well. we see different parts of out as well. we see different parts of our economy as well. we see different parts of our economy suffering so much more than others. obviously hospitality, tourism, personal services. we are seeing the removal of those economic

packages occurring at the same time for every sector. i have called on the chancellor to look at that again. if we have a one size fits all approach to these different sectors, bundling all the economy and together, there were likely to see and together, there were likely to see unemployment being even worse thanit see unemployment being even worse than it already is. in a few months' time, there will be another change. new rules when the brexit transition period ends. it had been expected there will be full checks here from there will be full checks here from the 1st of january. now temporarily, goods coming into the uk from europe will now only see light touch checks. a government source described that move as pragmatic. the eu could impose checks on goods travelling from the uk into the union, something which would cause delays and could be costly. and it's still not completely clear if the uk and the eu will be able to agree a comprehensive trade deal. michael

gove held virtual talks with his eu cou nterpa rts gove held virtual talks with his eu counterparts today. ministers believe delay would cause more uncertainty. others believe their approach is the mistake. today, i have joined with the first minister of wales in writing to the uk government, calling for an extended brexit transition period, to take away the risk of a no—deal outcome and to ensure that we all remain focused on supporting business through the post covid recovery. there are some signs of the economy slowly starting up again. but also signs of the impact lasting for some time. the prime minister has said the boarding up of statues and monuments because of concerns they will be vandalised during protests is shameful and absurd. the statue of sir winston churchill in london, which was covered in graffiti at last weekend's anti racism demonstrations, is among several to have protective screens around them. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds is with me

now. what do we know as we get into the weekend about further protests? well there is a process that has been called by black lives matter which is due to take place at about 2pm in the centre of london. the interesting thing was that that was supposed to happen tomorrow but has been brought forward because the organise of the protest are concerned there will be counter protests from groups on the right seeking to, amongst other things, protect statues like the cenotaph we re protect statues like the cenotaph were somebody tried to set light to a flag there allegedly. and the winston churchill statute which was daubed with graffiti. they have moved that protest and it looks as though that might reduce the tension about what was due to happen tomorrow. certainly people who are watching far right groups say they think that fewer people will turn up now for those protests. as you say, the prime minister has raised this ina the prime minister has raised this in a series of tweets this afternoon saying it is absurd and shameful that the winston churchill statue

was at risk of attack and statues teachers about our past. he recognises there is still more to do on racism but these protests have been hijacked by extremists and attacks on police are intolerant and abhorrent. his view is that people should stay away from these protests. tom symons, thank you. relatives of 450 people who have died with coronavirus are demanding an immediate public inquiry into how the government managed parts of the pandemic. the families say an urgent review could help prevent more deaths. but ministers insist the priority at the moment is responding to the crisis. our correspondent michael buchanan has been to meet the family of tony brown, who died in march. tony brown became ill in mid—march. dad was very nearly retired. he had a dry cough and a temperature. nhs 111 is a dry cough and a temperature. nhs iii is said to treat with

paracetamol. at the time, we were co nsta ntly paracetamol. at the time, we were constantly hearing that stay at home message to protect the nhs. one morning, he had chest pains. an ambulance was called. shortly after arriving, he had a cardiac arrest. it wasn't clear anyone new when we should work out when to go to hospital. if you wait too long, it turns out it comes really quickly. an immediate public enquiry is said to prevent more deaths. the group say decisions on everything from easing the lockdown to preventing a second spite will be improved if there is public scrutiny. one of the real problems as the government has

lost the trust of the public. that means that people are not really following the lockdown rules, even if they understand them. what that means there's more transmission and more deaths that could be avoided. at the downing street podium each evening, ministers have been relu cta nt to evening, ministers have been reluctant to admit any mistakes. but their advisers are reconsidering events. on wednesday, a leading scientist told mps that with hindsight many lives could have been save. had we introduced the lockdown a week earlier, we would have reduced the death toll by at least a half. it is so brittle to hear that an earlier lockdown would have stopped so many people dying. it may well have stopped my dad from dying. if anything, it just well have stopped my dad from dying. if anything, itjust makes it feel more pointless. inaction was the reason that my dad died.

ministers say that at the moment they're focuses on responding to the crisis. families argue that be possible while also learning lessons. michael buchanan, bbc news. coronavirus infection rates are continuing to fall in england, according to the office for national statistics. but the new figures also show that the most deprived areas have suffer a far higher death toll from covid 19 than wealthier parts of the country. our head of statistics robert cuffe is with me now. in terms of these new figures, some good news that things are going down, but talk to us about the deprivation well? we know already that poorer people do die younger. we can show that on this graph. if you compare the deaths rates in the poorest regions to those with the fewest poor people, the pattern is

clear. but if we just look at covid deaths again seeing how much higher the death rate is compared to that least deprived area, you see the slope is steeper. pulling it apart is hard. we know that covid hits the vulnerable harder. you have been looking at infection rate as well? there is better news on that score. consistently, infection rates are coming down. if you look at the number of people estimated to be infected in england, this was before we move from stay at home to stay alert, you can see 150,000 people in the community. that number has come down consistently over time. it's down consistently over time. it's down to around 30,000 people.

the rates are much lower. there is a margin of error, but these numbers are going in the right direction. the ons estimates there are 4500 people newly being infected every day. that is the sort of number you could perhaps manage with the contact tracing system, but this is based on a survey, an estimate, and we don't know who these people are. the hard part is finding them. thank you. time is 17 past one. our top story this lunchtime: the british economy shrank by a fifth in april, more than expected — as result of the first full month of lockdown. and still to come, preparing for a very different trooping the colour ceremony this weekend coming up on bbc news... premier league players look for backing to replace the names on their shirts with a tribute to the black lives matter movement ahead of the return to action next week.

hundreds of anti—racism protestors have taken over the centre of seattle in the us, declaring it a police—free autonomous zone. president trump gave a television interview last night where he said he was ready to ‘go in' if the governor of washington state fails to act. but the city's mayor says it would be illegal and unconstitutional to send in the military. our north america correspondent david willis sent this report. on the streets of one of america's most liberal cities peaceful protesters are posing a major challenge to the authorities. in the wake of the death of george floyd, hundreds of them have moved into seattle's capitol hill district and set up camp. declaring the police department a place of the people and the area itself a cop free zone. officials have said the occupation has to end but haven't said how they plan to deal with

it. they can't afford a repeat of these scenes in washington, dc where a peaceful protest against police brutality led to more of the same. at a round table event in texas, president trump denounced those who called for defunding of the police. he said more money, not less, was needed for police training and added later that if local officials were unable to sort the situation out in seattle, he would do it himself. no, no, we're not going to let this happen in seattle. if we have to go in, we are going to go in, the governor's either going to do it, let the governor do it, he's got great national guard troops, he can do it but one way or the other, it's going to get done. these people are not going to occupy a major portion of a great city. we do not need anyone, including the president, to try to sow further divide, further distrust and misinformation. the threat to invade seattle, to divide and incite violence in our city, is not only unwelcome,

it would be illegal. elsewhere, the appetite for confrontation appears to be diminishing. america's top military officer general mark milley now says he was wrong to join president trump in that controversial walk to a damaged church last week. dressed in military fatigues, general milley said it sent the wrong message and that the military shouldn't involve itself in domestic politics. cheering. across this country, protests against racism and police brutality continue with the toppling of statues erected in honour of confederate generals. president trump seems determined to stick up for the police and stay true to his self—defined role as the president of law and order. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. high street stores and shopping centres have begun opening in northern ireland, the first of the uk nations to take this step as coronavirus restrictions begin to ease.

in england, nonessential shops will be allowed to re—open on monday. no date has been set for scotland or wales. our ireland correspondent, chris page, has more. the coronavirus closure is over, retail is being unlocked. all shops in northern ireland now have permission to open ahead of the uk. for people working in the sector, it's a hugely important day. excited, nervous. we've been closed for 12 weeks so we all, all of us are feeling just that little bit emotional as well. because we love victoria square, we love what we do and to be given the opportunity again to start welcoming back our customers is an emotional day. some buyers were out early and said they felt the difference straightaway. i think it's great, it's great, there's a wee bit of atmosphere back in the town as well. the shopping experience isn't the same as it was before though,

hand sanitising stations, one—way systems and social distancing notices are prominent additions. the number of shoppers isn't massive and the weather is probably not helping to bring people out but nonetheless, the fact that shutters are up again on the high street and people are browsing the shelves doesn't feel like a significant moment, it's as if it's the beginning of the end of the ghost town feel. -- it —— it does feel like it's a significant moment. it might seem like the last few months have belonged in the pages of a novel, real life has entered a new era. this book—seller wants to retain as much his shop's character as possible. restrictions may be lessening i think we've all been affected by this so deeply, in so many different ways and i think a lot of people will be reticent, cautious about going into places where they are going to be meeting people and things like that. so i think we will manage it, our main aim is to make it as comfortable for people as possible to come in. there is one other notable change in northern ireland today. the number of people from different households who are allowed to meet outdoors has

increased from six up to ten, very gradually, more aspects of normality are returning. chris page, bbc news, belfast. as we've been hearing, from monday nonessential shops in england will be allowed to reopen. but how keen will shoppers be to visit the high street, after 12 weeks of lockdown? our consumer affairs correspondent, sarah corker has been finding out how retailers are preparing. sprucing up the high street for the grand reopening. i've obviously got posters on the door. i've got hand sanitiser... after three months with no customers, laura's gift shop is slowly coming back to life. got a one—way system in place. she is now set up to welcome socially distant shoppers on monday. a maximum of two customers at any time, so once somebody leaves, somebody else enters. a 2—metre distance from the till section and then this arrow out towards the door. before the pandemic hit, almost 25% of shops here in bishop auckland

were empty. laura and her mum carol know there are tough times ahead. we want, you know, everybody really to shop locally. there is part of me that does believe some people's shopping habits will have changed forever, but then i believe that there's lots of local people that will support their high streets. just have to go for it. i'm getting upset! what's making you upset? the thought we could possibly not be here this time next year. we will. we've worked hard for what we've got. we have worked so hard, though, haven't we? it's just the two of us. lockdown is costing non—essential retailers an estimated £1.8 billion a week in lost sales, but will customers feel safe enough to return? will you be going in those shops? not on monday, not at all. i literally won't be going there because it will be too busy. i don't particularly like going

shopping at the moment anyway. i feel safe, not a problem. keep your distance. if anybody coughs, run! shopping centres used to thousands of people coming through the door, this is shopping on a different scale, here at this metrocentre they are using technology to help manage the flow of customers. we've got flow counters, counting at the doors, heat mapping, we know where people are within the centre through wi—fi technology, 300 shops here, at - 100 wi—fi technology, 300 shops here, at — 100 opening for the 15th, the rest are facing in. retailers have suffered a severe economic shock. businesses here hope the path to retail recovery will be led by smaller high streets as people read discover what's on their doorstep. sarah caulker, bbc news, bishop auckland. a paralympian has called for there to be greater

representation of black people on the boards of major sports in the uk. wheelchair racer anne wafula strike is the only black board member across britain's12 biggest sports — she works with uk athletics. she's been speaking to our sports correspondent laura scott. sport has been undergoing a period of self examination with some of our biggest stars speaking out about differences in opportunities and racial injustices in the wake of george floyd ‘s death. many have highlighted the lack of ethnic diversity in the hierarchy of major sports and for the only black board member can make one, the situation is deflating. statistics are just really appalling, they are shocking. how come i am the only black person on one of these big boards? i think it just really shows that we really need to be doing something, can you imagine all the black, young people,

around this country, when they look around this country, when they look around these big boards they cannot see any versions around these big boards they cannot see any versions of themselves, what this tells us as a nation, as a country. in 130 sports bodies funded by uk sport and sport england the proportion of bame board members is around 5%. proportion of bame board members is around 596. when you don't see anybody who is representing you you start to ask yourself are we so irrelevant, you know? we need to have people who can be good mentors, people, the black young people, growing up, they can look up to. anne wafula strike who was awarded an mbe for disability campaigning is not in favour of targets being introduced. target does not mean anything, to me, what is important is bringing black people on board and giving them a voice, listening to them, because otherwise, we will end up with so many black people sitting on boards but with silent voices. and then it becomes a

tick box exercise. the nfl has changed its stance on athletes taking a need to support the black lives matter movement and displays of unity are likely to continue next week when the premier league kicks off but athletes are looking to the corridors of powerfor athletes are looking to the corridors of power for progress. laura scott, bbc news. it's usually one of the biggest events in the royal calendar, but this year the celebration of the queen's official birthday will look very different. instead of trooping the colour there will be a much smaller ceremony — held in the grounds of windsor castle. as our royal correspondent sarah campbell discovered, most of the horses who would have been involved have spent lockdown enjoying the leicestershire countryside, and are only now retraining for their return to ceremonial duties. preparing to get back on parade. for the equine stars of trooping the colour, training is under way once again. when the horses come back from grass, it's a bit like they've

been sat on the beach for a few months eating lots of pizza — they're generally a lot fatter. trooping the colour is an important fixture in the regiment‘s calendar. it's the epitome of precision, pomp and pageantry in front of huge crowds. the horses love it. they love their work, they love the attention they get as well from it all. so you'll all miss it this year? yeah! everyone's going to be upset this year. tomorrow there'll be none of this, no royal family photo opportunity on the palace, balcony and no 4i—gun salute. fire! guns fire. for the last few months, most of the king's troop's 140 horses have been enjoying the quiet life in the leicestershire countryside. the decision has now been taken to get them back to the barracks. one of the first to return is 10—year—old equinox. and, in common with many of us,

he needs a haircut. we take their manes off for safety reasons because when they're in harness, it could all get all attached and tangled up. units like the king's troop royal horse artillery exist to take the lead in big ceremonial and state occasions. prepare to walk! all of which have been cancelled since march due to coronavirus. in normal times, trooping the colour would be one of the high points of the year. we march past her majesty the queen first. out of all the mounted regiments, who is our captain general, so it's a huge honour, the opportunity to present not only our own guns but the guns of the entire royal regiment of artillery to her majesty is a great privilege. a great privilege which new recruits like emma will miss out on this year, at least. she has spent lockdown on site, looking after the small number of horses who've been stabled here throughout. i'm looking forward to going to the parades and just getting out

there in front of the public eye. i think that's really important to show off what we can do, and i want to be a part of that. here at the barracks, they are champing at the bit to get back out on parade with humans and horses ready to resume their official duties as soon as it's deemed safe to do so. sarah campbell, bbc news, woolwich barracks. time for a look at the weather. here's sarah keith lucas. hello. we've already had a fair bit of rain around over the last 24 hours, particularly across parts of northern england and for many of us, more rain on the cards over the next few days. this is the picture out there at the moment in surrey, cloud increasing during the morning and we could see some heavy showers later. over the next few days, many of us, there will be a mixture of sunny spells, quite warm and as the humidity rises, that's going to spark some heavy and thundery

showers. the areas most