good morning, hello, i'm victoria derbyshire, welcome to bbc news. here are the headlines this monday morning: "vitally importa nt" — the prime minister urges you as mums and dads to send your children back to school, saying it's more damaging to their development and health the longer they're away from the classroom. pupils have already returned to the classroom in scotland — this morning schools in northern ireland open their doors for the first time since march. the white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in the new zealand city of christchurch planned to attack a third and cause maximum casualties. firefighters in california warn conditions will only get worse as they battle to contain nearly 600 wildfires — six people have died and thousands have been forced from their homes.

and at 9:30, live in the studio, the two mps going head to head to become the next leader of the liberal democrats — layla moran, an mp forjust three years, says she represents a "fresh start" for the party. and sir ed davey — he's been a politician for over 20 years, including time as a minister in the coaltion government with the conservatives. he says he's the one with the experience to take on the job. if you want to ask them a question, or simply want to tell them what you think of them, you are very welcome to do that. email victoria@bbc.co.uk or meessage me on instagram or twtter @vicderbyshrie. good morning. borisjohnson has appealed directly

to parents in england to send their children back to school next week. in a statement released late last night the prime minister said, "it is far more damaging for a child's development and their health to be away from school any longer". adding that the life chances of a generation of pupils are at stake if they don't go back. mrjohnson‘s words echoed those of the uk's four chief medical officers who said the risk of contracting coronavirus in a school is "very small". the new term also starts next week in wales. schools in scotland reopened earlier this month. and thousands of children in northern ireland are returning to class today for the first time since the lockdown was imposed. the term is beginning for years seven, 12 and 14. the rest of the pupils are due back in class next week. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardley, is at westminster. there nick eardley, is at westminster. is some serious rt going there is some serious reassuring going onto parents? good morning, victoria. absolutely, education has been ms over the last few weeks with the results fiasco but the government wants to try and get back

on the front foot and is going to spend a lot of time over the next few days trying to reassure parents and teachers in england that it is safe to open schools next week and that they should be doing everything they can to get as many peoples as possible back. remember, this was tried back in june, possible back. remember, this was tried back injune, it didn't go particularly well, but the government has very much nailed its colours to the mast, saying it has to be done. there is a moral duty to do it in the prime minister's words. this is nick gibb this morning.” do it in the prime minister's words. this is nick gibb this morning. i am confident we will have all schools open. we had 90% of schools open when they went back in june. open. we had 90% of schools open when they went back injune. the surveys from the 0ns say 90% of parents are likely to send their children back to school in september. it is a moral imperative, and the risk of long—term harm to

peoples of not being in school according to the chief medical officer, outweigh the small risks of children acquiring the virus within the school environment. children wa nt the school environment. children want to be back in school, they want to be back with their friends and they want to have lessons where the teacher is leading the lessons because it is the most effective way for young people to catch up on the education and that is why the prime minister is right to say it is a moral imperative for schools to be openin moral imperative for schools to be open in septemberand moral imperative for schools to be open in september and for young people to come back into school. open in september and for young people to come back into schoolm is interesting because there were figures out from the office for national statistics last week which show in england half of parents were worried about sending their kids back to school, for various reasons. to clear the government has some work to do on this. one of the things that was done over the weekend, the chief medical officer across the uk, so all four of them and their deputies put a statement out saying it was safe. the chances

of kids transmitting the virus to each other is pretty low, transmitting it to their families is pretty low a nd transmitting it to their families is pretty low and actually, one of the biggest issues in schools is teacher to teacher transmission. they are urging teachers to be wary and pa rents to urging teachers to be wary and parents to be really wary when they are dropping kids off as well. this morning we heard from england's deputy chief medical officer. the teachers who are concerned, there is good evidence now that for younger children, they are less likely to catch the disease themselves, we think. it is still out for further review, but that seems to be the way. and the risk of transmission to adults is less than the risk of transmission from the teacher to the child, if you like. so a report published yesterday by public health england on outbreaks and cases in schools suggest that the majority of

those asked staff to staff interactions. so really important to reassure teachers on that count, but also to encourage them, when it is their coffee break and they get a well earned rest, they make sure they maintain their social distancing, good hygiene, all those sorts of things while they have their break because that does seem to bea their break because that does seem to be a risk factor. so some reassurance from the experts and reassurance from politicians as well. parents are asking questions, they want to know exactly what measures are put into place if there are outbreaks in schools or local areas. some people have been looking to scotland where the schools are already open to see how it is going. some schools have had to close but by and large officials are saying there hasn't been much transmission in schools. we are going to hear a lot about this over the next few days as england's schools prepare to open next week. thank you very much.

many pupils in northern ireland will begin a phased return to the classroom this morning. but it will be a really different experience — with measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page is at a secondary school in county armagh. good morning, chris. good morning. we are in county armagh where it is the start of a new term like no other. the focus is on pupils in year 12 and year 14, so they will be taking exams in the coming academic year, gcses and a—levels. also people is coming back a primary school and they will be setting a big test in the coming months, the tra nsfer test to big test in the coming months, the transfer test to decide which school they go to afterwards. the education system in northern ireland still based around academic selection at aged 11. before we hearfrom based around academic selection at aged 11. before we hear from the assistant principal, i have been to assistant principal, i have been to a primary school in west belfast to see how they have been preparing. more than five months after face—to—face lessons stopped,

teachers have been preparing to welcome children into their classrooms again. st paul's primary school in west belfast is in an area of high social deprivation, so the principal has decided to restart school for all pupils today, and begin by focusing on their experience of lockdown. the children have probably been in quite close quarters at home and maybe no access to gardens and things like that. so just give them an opportunity to speak about their experiences and to share that with each other. hopefully that'll begin to allow them to start processing it and be ready to move on, be ready to start learning whenever we come back to the formal education. the difference to school life will be noticeable — not least colourful reminders of social distancing. but families are looking forward to the new term. happy...to see my friends again. yeah. i miss my friends. obviously a lot of nervousness in terms of a lot of pupils coming back together and, you know, you worry about whether that's going to cause further transmission or not.

but, broadly speaking, i think it's important to get the young people back. home schooling was fun, but it'd be nice to have the teachers back doing it properly. schools in northern ireland have been closed for longer than in the other uk nations. reopening will be a learning experience for children, parents and teachers — a new term unlike any before. chris page, bbc news, belfast. that gives you an idea of what things are going to be like for younger children. here, this is one of the biggest secondary schools in northern ireland, more than 1500 pupils and i am joined by the assistant principal, rosemary. good morning, it will be a significant and busy morning for you, what has it been like so far? year 12 and year 14 have been coming in and we are pleased to see them, they seem happy. hopefully, they are feeling safe, we have a lot of new measures in place and we will get them used

to that over the next coming days. they will be briefed this morning on the one—way systems, and hygiene, we have hand sanitiser is all over the school, there is one way science, social distancing science and form tutors will get them used to these new routines. quite a lot for staff and pupils to get used to, as expected. must have been a lot of work going on over the last weeks and months to prepare for this moment? it was months, we have been thinking about this from may onwards and planning then on how to bring it back. at first it seemed like an enormous challenge because we have huge numbers here, but we have got there and we have all these routines and plans in place now. what will you be concentrating on initially in the opening days, considering it has been five months or thereabouts, since pupils last had face—to—face classes in classrooms? we are keen to get back to the core teaching and

learning and those routines. with the safety and hygiene routines comes that reinforcing and reassuring students that they are safe and that these plans are in place to keep them safe. and then reassuring them going forwards. they have huge exams coming up at the end of this year and while it seems far away, it won't be. we have to reassure them they will be ready for those. rosemary jordan, great to hear your thoughts and thank you very much. some schools are following slightly different timetables but this is regarded as the big school reopened day in northern ireland and the plan is by tuesday of next week, all pupils will be back in their classrooms full time. thank you, chris. thank you for your messages around the country. one person says, i am sending my daughter and she starts reception. she needs it, academically, but also socially and mentally. vicki is asking the

question, what about the risk to extremely, clinically vulnerable adults which live in a household with a school—age child? is it safe to send a five—year—old back to school when i am immune suppressed, for example. and rebekah says, i will definitely sending my children back to school, i don't want them to have to wear a mask or be kept apart from their friends. i understand people who are vulnerable have worries, but this will not be over any time soon, we can keep all children at home. jane says, excited kids should be in school. they should have been back weeks ago. one more says, i care deeply about education but the state of things now is so confused, i have no faith in the government at all. if you want to message me about that. in scotland, they are now asking children to wear masks. would that reassure you any more than a

statement from the uk's chief medical officer yesterday and the prime minister last night saying it is vitally important kids are back. let me know your views, message me on instagram, twitter or send me an e—mail. a number of lockdown restrictions that were imposed in aberdeen earlier this month have been lifted. tighter rules were introduced because of a surge of coronavirus cases in the city. a five—mile limit on nonessential travel and a ban on indoor gatherings has been removed, while pubs, cafes and restaurants will be able to re—open from wednesday, subject to environmental health checks. you can stay up to date with the coronavirus epidemic on our live page. there you can check the latest developments, see reaction as it happens and get instant analysis from our correspondents and experts. you can watch video clips and live coverage of events as they happen. visit bbc.co.uk/news or go to the bbc news app. a court in new zealand has heard how a white supremacist convicted of murdering 51 muslim worshippers at two mosques last year had wanted to cause maximum casualties.

at the start of his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said brenton tarrant had bought a collection of high—powered firearms and over seven thousand rounds of ammunition in the fifteen months before the attacks in christchurch. families of the victims also gave emotional statements to the court. may you get the severest punishment for your evil act in this life. and in the hereafter, we know that allah is the mostjust. you transgressed and you thought you can break us. you failed miserably, we became more determined to hold tight to islam and our beloved ones are martyrs. let's get more on the court hearing and speak to shaimaa khalil in sydney. some incredibly upsetting and powerful impact statements from relatives of the victims, tell us more about those. a very emotional

day in court, victoria, with some of the survivors and victims‘ families in the same room with the killer responsible for the mass shooting in christchurch. some of them, like this mother directing the killer directly, saying you tried to break us, but we are not broken, we are united. this mother saying she did not forgive him. another mother, who also lost her son chose to forgive him and said, it is in islam, forgiveness is part of the religion and part of its teachings. they also told the court that brenton tarrant himself, his actions, his crime have devastated their lives. some started their testimonies, their statements with verses from the koran, from the souls of those they lost, talking about martyrdom, justice and peace. we had from one survivor who was shot nine times by brenton tarrant. he described how he locked eyes with

the killer, how he realised he was the killer, how he realised he was the target of his gun and how he had to play dead to avoid being killed. he said that the trauma and the pain will remain with him, he doesn‘t foresee a future without pain. the court also heard very distressing details about how pre—meditating this whole thing was, how, as the killer planned it for more than a year with layouts and research about mosques, when they will be busiest, how he can inflict the most damage and how he planned to burn down the mosques after his attacks. we also had about how he went into one of the main prayer rooms in a mask and started firing at groups of people who were huddled in corners, trying to escape. how he shot people lying down on the floor showing signs of life, including a three—year—old he was clinging on to his father. we are expecting to hear more of those testimonies, more of their state m e nts testimonies, more of their statements in the days to come and also expecting to hear from the killer himself. brenton tarrant will

be representing himself in front of the court after he had fired his defence team a few weeks ago. some more testimonies to hear more of those emotional horror stories people had to live through on march the 15th, 2019. it is pretty controversial the court will hear from the killer himself? it is very problematic, it is his legal right and he has chosen to do so and he will be allowed to do so. but it is problematic and there will be concerns about what he will choose to say, whether he will use it as a platform for his far right agenda and many questions about how that they will pan out. that is why there are many reporting restrictions but on this. we were not able to travel because of covid—19 restrictions, but even as we followed the court proceedings via web link today, there were very, very strict rules about what we could say and when,

but the morning session had to be done before we could report on it. some of the family members said they did not want to be identified by the media. i think the court itself, the judges, the authorities want to control this as much as they can for that reason, that brenton tarrant will be speaking for himself and they want to make sure that whatever it is he says, they don‘t give him a platform for a far right agenda. thank you very much, thank you. the headlines on bbc news... "vitally important" — the prime minister urges parents to send their children back to school , saying it‘s more damaging to their development and health the longer they‘re away from the classroom. the white supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in the new zealand city of christchurch planned to attack a third and cause maximum casualties. firefighters in california warn conditions will only get worse as they battle to contain nearly 600 wildfires — six people have died and thousands have been

forced from their homes. the liberal democrats will have a new leader this thursday. the final two candidates are layla moran and sir edward davey and they‘ll be here in the studio live between 9.30 and 10:00. do send in your questions for them by texting 61124, emailing victoria@bbc.co. uk or you can tweet @ vic derbyshire. first, our reporterjohn owen looks at the challenges they‘ll face to revive the party‘s fortunes. the lib dems find themselves in a bind, struggling to stay relevant with their tiny crop of mps after a crushing election result last year. you lost your seat, miss swinson? but this week, they will pick one of two people who they hope can start to turn the tide. essentially, the party has two different paths it can travel. the first with ed davey,

safe pair of hands, establishment candidate, seen as competent, pretty good in parliament and clearly has governing experience. the second is a rather more radical, rather more progressive pro—european and perhaps for some people, risky option in layla moran. layla moran‘s advantage being that she wasn‘t involved in the coalition, which is something many voters don‘t remember with very much pleasure. sir ed davey, a former management consultant is a political veteran, first elected in 1997. i think people will vote positive for us because of our record. i believe we need to be less male and less white and under my leadership, that's what we'll do. he has experience at the top table of government, having served as a cabinet minister in the coalition alongside david cameron and george osborne. but not everybody will look favourably on that record. of course, there were very symbolic policies there which angered a lot of people, tuition fees being the most obvious one. he says he was once approached to join mi6,

an offer which he declined. so i never became 00—davey. ed davey is no stranger to personal tragedy. my dad had died when i was four, so when mum became terminally ill, my brothers and i became her young carers. he now cares for his severely disabled son, and along with measures to address climate change, has put extra help for carers at the centre of his campaign. a former teacher, layla moran arrived in parliament in 2017. she is the first mp of palestinian descent and the first female lib dems mp from an ethnic minority background. as well as championing the remain course in the last parliament... we just need to make brexit starve. ..she revealed earlier this year she was in a relationship with a woman and identifies as pansexual. then, when i was looking at, well actually what are the labels that exist out there? pansexual resonated with me more. she has also spoken out about her struggles with obesity, having undergone weight loss surgery in her early 20s.

she said that now is sink or swim time for the lib dems after a difficult decade and she intends to be more radical than labour. her policies include a universal basic income and a name for the uk to be carbon negative by 2045. if we win, we build a united kingdom that's cooperative, its compassionate and it allows every person and the planet to thrive. both of them will be here live in a studio. the first guests in the studio. the first guests in the studio since lockdown. allen has said, what are your policies, don‘t waffle. get in touch with me. there have been violent protests in the us state of wisconsin after police shot a black man several times while responding to a domestic incident. the man, named as jacob blake, is said to be in a serious condition in hospital. a video on social media shows him

being shot in the back as he tries to get into a car. hundreds of people marched on police headquarters in the city last night. vehicles were set on fire and police used tear gas to dispurse the protestors. the shooting comes at a time of high tension in the united states over police brutality and racism following the killing of george floyd in the neighbouring state of minnesota. on the west coast of the united states, firefighters in california are trying to control around 600 wildfires, some of which are the worst the region has ever seen. lightning strikes are blamed for starting many of the blazes last week. tens of thousands have been forced to leave their homes and six people have died. rich preston has this. the golden state. more than 4,000 square kilometres of it burning. in the napa valley, california‘s winemaking heartland, a perilous journey caught on dash cam. an ominous orange sky around a deserted university of california, santa cruz.

fire retardants are being dropped from the sky to try and stop the flames spreading. but for some, it‘s too late — the damage has already been done. president trump has declared the fires a major disaster. i spoke to governor newsom as they battle two of the worst wildfires in the history of their state. that continues. the federal government has already deployed over 26,000 first responders and personnel to battle the wildfires. we‘re working very closely with the governor. more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee, but where they‘d normally sleep in shelters, many are avoiding them overfears of the spread of coronavirus. we have more than 400 red crossers who are on the ground and hundreds more who are helping virtually, and those folks are out there making sure that we're getting people in shelters or in hotel rooms where it's available.

and they're also there just to make sure that the people who are coming to our shelters have a safe place to stay and food to eat. emergency crews have been overwhelmed by the number and intensity of the fires. the job is now to save lives and protect only the most essential buildings. but with warnings of more lightning strikes and high temperatures in the days ahead, fears that the fires could continue for at least another week. rich preston, bbc news. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. once again this week, we are in for some unseasonably strong winds. first batch will be tonight and also tomorrow. but what we have today is a mixture of sunshine and showers. now, some of the showers will be heavy and potentially thundery, particularly so in southern counties. on the satellite picture you can see

a bit of cloud around the uk producing those showers, but this is a developing area of low pressure in the atlantic and this is what‘s going to bring us the strong winds and the heavy rain later on. so we‘ve got showers pushing to the west from the east, some of those thundery and heavy in southern parts of england. possibly south wales. showers across eastern parts of england and wales, a lot of sunshine and gentle breezes. highs, 12 and then up to 21 in the south. this evening, still a lot of dry weather but you can see already, the advancing rain, greens and yellows saying they will be heavy bursts accompanied by gusting winds, gusting 45 miles an hour. if we pick this up tomorrow, in the centre of the low pressure it will not be windy but look at the isobars, widely we are looking at gus in england in wales 45 to 50 miles an hourand gus in england in wales 45 to 50 miles an hour and later, the same across eastern parts of scotland. the rain advancing quite quickly northwards, leaving dry conditions

behind with a few showers. those are the wind gusts you can expect and you will see more rain coming in across northern ireland, north wales and northern england through the afternoon. temperatures are disappointing for the time of year across the board, 12 in aberdeen to 21 as we pushed out towards london. on wednesday, the low pressure moves away to the near continent, but before it does you can see the squeeze in the isobars close to the north sea coast. so for those counties along the east of the country, we are looking at a windy start but the winds will ease through the day and many will have a dry day with variable amounts of cloud and some sunshine. highs, 12 to 21 yet again. as we head into thursday, we have this band of rain moving from northern ireland into scotland, turning showery. the next area of low pressure brings in further heavy rain and some gusty winds. temperatures 12 to 20.

good morning. for the next half hour you have a chance to put a question to the two mps who want to lead the liberal democrats. here, live in the

studio, are the two candidates competing to be the next leader of the party, sir ed davey and layla moran. for the next 30 minutes, they‘ll be answering your questions and setting out why they‘re the right person to take charge of the lib dems. sir ed davey is the mp for kingston and surbiton and the current acting leader of the party. he ran for the this job last year, but lost out tojo swinson — who subsequently lost her seat in december‘s general election. layla moran is the mp for oxford west and abingdon. she‘s been an mp since 2017 and is currently the party‘s spokesperson on education. here are some of the voters around the country who want to ask these two a question. and wherever you are — send in your own question and tell us what think of both the canidates — email victoria@bbc.co.uk or message me on instagram or twitter @vicderbyshire or by texting 61124. let‘s introduce you to 26 year old emily willson ? like many others she was made redundant in lockdown.

she doesn‘t know how she will vote in the next general election. hi emily ? what s your question to ed davey and layla moran. my my question for both of you, is there anything that you can do to improve thejob there anything that you can do to improve the job market and how do you plan to help people get back into work? layla moran, let‘s start with you. emily, i am sorry to hear about your situation, we are hearing about your situation, we are hearing about a lot of people who have been made redundant during this really difficult coronavirus crisis and i wa nt difficult coronavirus crisis and i want the liberal democrats to be a party that is on your side, understands your concerns. i think getting you and others back into work has to be a priority for this government but for us as a party to hold them to account. what we know is there‘s lots of people who have been left off any of the scheme is the government has put into place, they have not been taking care of you and i think in this economic recovery, you and i think in this economic recovery , we have you and i think in this economic recovery, we have to put the green agenda at its heart, that‘s notjust the right thing to do for the

planet, it‘s also the right