the coronavirus clamp—down — the government urges people to report their neighbours if they're seen breaking the new rules on socialising. from today anyone who breaks the new rule of six could be fined more than £3,000. but there's confusion. it is very difficult to understand because if i allowed to go into a pub with loads of people and i am a metre apart with my kids... we'll be explaining the new rules — all four nations are different. also on the programme tonight... no queues, but the coronavirus testing system is under strain amid claims of a shortage of staff at government laboratories. i now call the prime minister. prime minister. the prime minister defends proposed legislation giving britain the right to override part of the brexit

divorce deal — but gets a rough ride in the commons. martyn hett — one of the victims of the manchester arena bombing — at the inquiry. families of the 22 people who died beginning sharing their memories. and could there be life on venus? astronomers discover new evidence that there might be. and coming up on bbc news, we look at the growing divide between the women's super league's top and bottom clubs after another weekend of one—sided games. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the home office minister kit malthouse has urged people to report their neighbours to the police if they're seen breaking the new law on social gatherings.

from today the "rule of six" is in force. people are now banned from meeting more than five others at the same time. but the rules differ across the uk, both indoors and outdoors in england, it applies to any six people, including family, inside or outside. in scotland, the rule of six also applies inside and outside but only two households can meet and children under the age of 12 don't count. it's different in northern ireland and wales, where the rule of six only applies if you're meeting indoors. in wales, it doesn't include children under the age of ii. but the six must be from an extended household — a group of up to four households who've been allowed to form a sort of bubble. it is complicated. if you break the rules you could face fines of up to £3,200. 0ur correspondentjon kay is in bristol and people are finding some of it quite confusing? yes, out and about, seem to be

sticking to those groups of six at the moment but we spoke to lots of people around the city today and they have got questions about how this is going to work, particularly as far as children are concerned, you were just as far as children are concerned, you werejust mentioning as far as children are concerned, you were just mentioning the differences between the different nations of the uk and the way they regard children as far as this rule of six policy is concerned. questions for the police about how they will enforce this. here in avon and somerset they have had fewer than 30 calls since this new law came into effect at midnight from people shopping their neighbours and reporting this kind of anti—social behaviour. that probably explains why the police here haven't gone at it today handing out fans left right and centre, they have seen a softly softly approach to try and engage, educate and explain. because the rules have changed, i think it includes children as well. 0k. so you are over the number that we are... confusion in the park this afternoon. police officers explain to this mum that her toddler's picnic is in breach of the law, because they are a group of seven.

it's very difficult to understand, though, because if i'm allowed to go into a pub, and with loads of people and i'm a metre apart from that person and i can't be with my kids' friends. if i count up us with our kids, we are more than six. does that mean we are breaking the law in the park? nikki and her friends are also a group of seven. they thought they'd be ok because the children are at school together. in scotland or wales, they'd be fine, because younger children aren't included. wales isn't far away from here, so we could just go over the bridge and be with a much larger group of people, so it does feel a bit unfair. did you realise you are breaking the law today? i hadn't thought about it. now i think about it, i realise we are but i didn't think about it when we entered the park. if you want to meet friends at all, in any social situation, you're going to have to think about it before you go and decide who you can meet with and who you can't. you're going to have to choose your favourite two people now, aren't you? here in bristol, community officers

have been explaining and educating the public on day one, rather than handing out fines. the new rules, they say, could be tougher to police than the full lockdown was. this time, people are still allowed to be out and we have to look at groups, assess what type of group it is, can the numbers, engage with them. --e —— e numbers. are they from the same families? so there is some more ambiguity. this local amateur dramatics group is desperate to put on play readings again, but they're not sure they can under the new rule of six, even though pubs and restaurants are open. because we could socially distance in the space here, quite easily, have no more than 15 people, two metres apart, we could have the doors wide open, why is this place any more dangerous or unsafe than a train, restaurant, workplace? starting university tomorrow... despite some confusion, most of the groups we came across today were aware of the new rules and were sticking to them.

so if there is more that come along, you know, have a bit of distance apart and then maybe build another group of six and just go with that, really. but the police know the biggest challenge is likely to come at night and at the weekend. jon kay, bbc news, bristol. well, the latest government figures show there were 2,621 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 3,004. nine deaths were reported, of people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test, and that means on average in the last week, 12 deaths were announced every day, taking the total number across the uk to 41,637. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has said she has serious concerns about a backlog in processing coronavirus tests.

the health secretary, matt hancock, insists the vast majority of people are getting tests quickly and says the government is trying to resolve the issue of those who are having to travel too far. but there are claims that a shortage of staff in government laboratories is making the situation much worse. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports. another week begins with reports of struggles to get bookings for coronavirus struggles to get bookings for coro navi rus tests stop struggles to get bookings for coronavirus tests stop here in plymouth there was frustration from some who were and hoping. went online, totally crushed. found the 111 , online, totally crushed. found the iii, their system crashed. they told me to come here to see if i can get turned away or not. problem is getting a test, i was told by the nhs there was none. none in the uk whatsoever. back in july system leaders were promoting walk—in testing centres like this one in east london. but now walk—in slots are limited each day and when they run out people are turned away if they don't have a booking. two

school stop out spoke to weren't pleased to hear they'd have to come back tomorrow. go back and get tested stop i have been trying since friday evening. saturday, sunday, no luck. i tried calling the numbers on the websites. the white isjust ridiculous. for us to get through today it took two hours. -- the weight. laboratories analysing swab tests are said to be overstretched. the big sites like this one known as lighthouse labs are run by the uk government and the scotland's first minister has called for action to resolve the problem. we now have a very serious concern that the backlog of test results being faced by the uk lab network which the glasgow lighthouse lad is part of is starting to impact on the reporting of scottish results. the health secretary said the issues were being addressed. if you have symptoms come

forward and get them, we are dealing with people travelling too far and we are putting in the extra resources to deal with that. one organisation representing laboratory staff said the lighthouse labs have so staff said the lighthouse labs have so far relied on academics on attachment but they are now returning to the universities so there is a staffing shortfall. there has been a gradual loss of staff across those sites and it has been difficult, especially senior level, lots of difficulties to, but these senior people running those laboratories, are returning to academia and that is what has led to it. the department of health denied there was staffing problems but questions are still being asked about why there is a backlog in the la bs about why there is a backlog in the labs which appears to be holding up testing for key workers and the wider public. we have heard some confusion about this latest clamp—down on socialising but we have also heard some serious

disagreements that date back to the start of lockdown. yes, there is an ongoing debate about whether the uk went into lockdown to light and weather a crucial week was lost when other countries were looking down before the uk finally announced its measures on march the 23rd. what has emerged today through a bbc freedom of information request is an e—mail sent by the chief scientific adviser sir patrick balance in may, in a discussion with officials, some of it has been redacted so it is not entirely clear who received it, a discussion over how to respond to a sunday times inquiry about uk policy at the time stop towards the bottom of the e—mail sir patrick says it is also the case that i argued stronger than anyone for action for lockdown, with a telling off from cmo, chris whitley, and a couple of other very senior government officials. implying a disagreement at the time over a very fundamental policy. a

government spokesperson has said today there was no disagreement on the substance of scientific advice which was given to ministers and there was no delight to look down. i think this will fuel further debate and speculation about what is really going on. thank you. a new treatment for covid—i9, that uses artificial antibodies, is about to be tested in uk hospitals. mono—clonal antibodies are made in laboratories — and it's hoped they will boost the effect of the antibodies that occur naturally in people who are infected with coronavirus. about 2000 patients will be given the treatment — to see if its effective at fighting the virus. 0ur science correspondent rebecca morelle has more. antibodies are the warriors of the immune system, playing a vital role by attacking the coronavirus. now they are being harnessed in a promising new treatment. currently, there are very few medicines to help covid—i9 patients. the most successful was discovered by the uk's recovery trial. now it will be testing antibodies made in the laboratory called

monoclonal antibodies. they'll be given to thousands of patients in uk hospitals to see if they work. i think the reason that monoclonal antibodies are so exciting is that this is the first type of treatment that is targeted for this specific virus. there are lots of good reasons for thinking it might well be effective in stopping the virus from reproducing, stopping the virus from causing damage, improving survival for patients. we need to know and the way to know is to do the trials. how does this work? when a person is infected with coronavirus, they produce antibodies. these attach to the spike of the virus, blocking it from entering our cells. we make hundreds of different types of antibodies, so scientists sifted through them to find the best at sticking to the virus. they chose two because they both attached to slightly different parts of the spike. so, if the virus mutates

and the structure changes, at least one will still work. both antibodies are then multiplied in the lab and produced in huge quantities. they are then mixed together and given to the patient, immediately boosting their own immune response. monoclonal antibodies are expensive. they are a relatively new type of medicine, but they are used for other diseases, including some types of cancer. the us company regeneron, behind this covid treatment, have used the technology to successfully treat ebola. there are high hopes. we are very excited about our antibody combination. these highly potent neutralising antibodies really will help boost that immune response and will always be needed, even when a potent vaccine is available, because there are going to be underserved populations that we don't want to neglect. covid cases are rising

and the timescale of the recovery trial depends on the rate of hospital admissions. only then will we see if the promise of monoclonal antibodies turns into a reality. rebecca morelle, bbc news. the labour leader sir keir starmer says he's self—isolating at home after a member of his household developed coronavirus symptoms. sir keir found out about the concerns following an appearance on lbc radio this morning. he's not reported to have shown any coronavirus symptoms himself. his family member has been tested and is waiting for the results. the government has faced fierce attacks in the commons over its plans to override international law and change the brexit divorce deal. it comes as david cameron became the fifth former prime minister to express concerns about the proposed legislation, which the government admits would break international law. but borisjohnson defended it, saying it was essential for the economic and political integrity of the uk. here's our political

editor laura kuenssberg. a high wire act, as talks with the eu teeter on the edge. the government has chosen a provocative path. there are enough jitters government has chosen a provocative path. there are enoughjitters in the tory party for the prime minister himself to go to the commons to outline the plan. remember, he already agreed a deal with brussels against the eu, now pushing it too far. we can have a situation where the very boundaries of our country could be dictated by a foreign power or international organisation. no british prime minister, no government, now parliament could ever accept such an imposition. what boris johnson says he is trying to do is just good control to ministers here over special arrangements for northern ireland in case talks with the eu go wrong. but what drives his critics crazy is that unpacks a deal with

brussels that is already been agreed and has already become the law. number 10 knew full well this move could provoke outrage, a tactic used by this government many times before. ministers have admitted it would break international law and one after the other, every living prime minister has cried foul. boris johnson's formerfriend prime minister has cried foul. boris johnson's former friend and rival adding to concern this morning. passing an act of parliament and then going on to break an international treaty obligation is the very, very last thing you should contemplate, it should be an absolute final resort, so i do have misgivings about is what being proposed. one cabinet minister told me the reaction is over the top. the proposed law also controversially rejig the relationship between westminster, edinburgh and cardiff. get with this chunky majority it is deeply unlikely there are enough mps to block the government. yet this is not just another day at the office. for the first time in his life, it

is time to take responsibility. it is time to take responsibility. it is time to fence up, either he wasn't straight with the country about the deal in the first place, or he didn't understand it. here we are again, having dragged us deeper and deeper into the dangerous agenda for the last four years, today this right—wing brexit ca rvalho for the last four years, today this right—wing brexit carvalho has reached rock bottom. but... we won the referendum with a general election across the country because voters wanted to leave the eu and free ourselves from undemocratic rule, this bill guarantees this promise to them and to maintain the union. this is notjust a return to the sound and fury over leaving the european union, but this audacious style of this administration and the serious unfinished business of brexit, the close of which will affect us all. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the time is coming up to 20 past six, our top story... the coronavirus clampdown.

the government urges people to report their neighbours if they're seen breaking the new rule of six. and still to come... the destruction caused by the us west coast wild fires — five million acres destroyed. we'll have the latest from oregon. coming up on sportsday on bbc news, as five players are sent off, neymar says he has no regrets over punching another player in the face, claiming the marseille defender racially abused him. four families have been sharing messages and videos about their loved ones who were among the 22 people who died in the manchester arena bombing in may 2017. over the next two weeks, the inquiry into the attack will hear from each family as they pay tribute to their relatives. 0ur north of england correspondent judith mortiz reports. bagpipes play. whatever eilidh would have put her mind to, she would have been good at. i have no doubt.

darling, if you can't have a glass of prosecco on your way to the tube station, then when can you? eilidh and martyn, two of the 22 people murdered in the manchester arena attack. each had their own personal story. today, some of those stories began to be told. we have had newsjust coming in. martyn is fiat! martyn hett had a magnetic personality. i adore coronation street. those that met him never forgot him. this video, his family's way of showing his colourful character to the world. this is the way martyn lived his life and we

should all be more martyn. the video was played in court, with martyn's family present. it has been difficult, we have had many difficult, we have had many difficult days throughout the whole process , difficult days throughout the whole process, but this is one of the nicer ones. we got a great deal of comfort from it. eilidh macleod was from the outer hebrides. her family's video full of the highland music she loved to play on her bagpipes and messages from the whole island community. i know personally that i will never forget her. she was a wonderful girl and a wonderful person and she taught me, as her class teacher, to be a better person. sorrell leczkowski's mother samantha was with her young daughter when she died. her tribute, read by a lawyer, brought home the enormity of the pain she feels. i feel that i let her down and i didn't save her.

iam let her down and i didn't save her. i am beyond devastated. i am broken. as well as dealing with both me and mum being blown up, i have to deal with seeing sorrell blown up and die in my arms. the inquiry heard that john atkinson may have survived the bomb if help had come sooner. his family ‘s statement was read by their lawyer. we, as a family, are truly devastated with losing john. we can't even explain how much live and miss —— love and missjohn, it's just not fair. love you always and forever, john, your heartbroken mum and dad. the experience of paying public tribute is distressing for the families, but it's also considered important, so that those who died are placed at the heart of the inquiry. judith moritz, bbc news, manchester. wild fires are continuing to engulf large parts of the west coast of the united states. president trump is due to arrive

in california shortly to meet emergency crews who have been battling the blazes. at least 35 people have died, thousands of homes have been burnt. the blazes have destroyed nearly five million acres across three states, fuelling accusations that president trump is in denial about climate change. he blames the fires on poor forestry management. aleem maqbool reports now from the fire—ravaged state of oregon. it was like a journey into an eerie twilight zone. few have been allowed here since the fires swept in with such rage. and though most people had scrambled to get out with whatever they could, it was in this area that lives had also been lost. there were some we found wandering and bewildered, like larry. i've lost everything except what's in that bag. everything. and i didn't have insurance. out of... all the homes had

insurance, except for me. just explain where your cabin was. my spot was right over here and across from what was cabins. it's not there any more. what made these fires are so lethal and record—breaking is the high winds that came with them. accelerating their frightening destructive passage through vast areas of this state. we keep hearing from those who said they felt they were fleeing for their lives and it's only when you are on the ground and you see the destruction, as we've been able to and the warped landscape here, that you start to get a sense of the nightmare that they were running from. this family is tired of running. we found them in a displacement camp miles away. they've now fled fires three times in three different locations in the past week. my mom had ten minutes to get out of her place and she got the clothes

on her back and the cat and that was it, and her house is completely annihilated, it wiped out everything she owned and... and, you know, that's what we heard, the same with ours but we're not as of right now. not sure as of right now. i think a lot of us are in that position of not knowing. it was sumer‘s town that i'd visited earlier. the signs aren't good. for all the politics, at the heart of this disaster are hundreds of thousands of americans who face fear, displacement and loss. aleem maqbool, bbc news in gates in oregon. university students have begun returning to campus for the start of term, after months of remote learning. for some, starting university for the first time, it's a very different kind of freshers' week. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has been talking to students in york. freshers' week, a time of new friendships, freedom and self—discovery.

here at york, campuses are usually packed with students from all over the world, but, this year, things are different. we always offer them a maskjust in case they forget them, and when they come in groups, they are only allowed to come in groups of six or less, so they will be in a line, follow the steps and we will be directing them where to go and what to do. following those rules, freshers and new housemates 0livia, annie, rachel and ethan. it's a lot different from what we expected, so when we were going through school, we all expected freshers to be really good, like, going out a lot and spending a lot of it in bed, hung over, but it's hard with social distancing because otherwise, we get in trouble for being too close to people in pubs. rachel, how does the rule of six affect you? it impacts quite heavily because if we go out as a flat, there's five of us, so then we can only have one additional person. so it limits kind of who we can socialise with if we choose to go out as a flat, rather than individual groups.

if you do test positive for coronavirus at any point, you have to stay here, how do you feel about that? if we get it, being younger people, we are probably going to be fine, chances are we will be fine, but if we went home, where i could take it to my parents, grandparents, other family members who might not be fine, so i think staying here is sort of a good option. going to university is a new beginning, but it can also be daunting and even more so in these times. universities face a challenge. will they be able to welcome students without causing a rise in coronavirus cases? it's important to remember that those who are 18 haven't been in school for six months, so it's quite a big deal coming to university. we've given them lots of information up front, we've also been very, very clear about our expectations, that we want them to be good citizens, to think about the community that we live and work in. this is the five—minute warning for everyone wearing a blue wristband. coronavirus has changed the terms of going to university, from getting

the grades to graduating. these students, like most, have felt every twist and turn of the pandemic. elaine dunkley, bbc news, in york. it's an extraordinary possibility — the idea that living organisms are floating in the clouds of venus, the closest planet to earth. this is what astronomers are now considering after detecting a gas in the atmosphere that could indicate signs of life. 0ur science correspondent pallab ghosh reports. venus. could it be home to extra terrestrial life? there's new evidence that it might be. astronomers have discovered a gas called phosphine in the planet's atmosphere. they think it could have been produced by tiny microbes living in the clouds. i was really surprised, i was pretty shocked as well, and, at first, i didn't quite believe the detection, ijust couldn't

believe that we'd found it but then once we'd set out and independently detected it through another telescope, that's when i knew we really had a solid detection of phosphine through two telescopes and that it was real. the discovery was confirmed by the alma telescope in the mountains of the atacoma desert in chile. it is one of the most powerful arrays on earth. the discovery of life on another world would be one of the greatest scientific discoveries ever made, but the researchers aren't making that claim. at least, not yet. the gas could have been produced by some other means, but its presence on venus is still a sensational finding. in the mountains of the atacama desert in chile. it's the strongest evidence that astronomers have ever had for the existence of alien life. but the big problem is that venus is hostile to life. a soviet spacecraft landing in 1982 confirmed scorching temperatures, up to 460 degrees celsius, and clouds of concentrated sulphuric acid, able to disintegrate any

living thing in seconds. but some think that, even here, life could be possible. there is a habitable zone, a range of altitudes, on venus where it is not too hot and not too acidic, that life that we understand here on earth, so called extremophile life, extremely hardy survival superhero type cells, could survive that environment in the venusian clouds. many scientists still think that the conditions on the planet are too harsh to support life and that there is another explanation for the presence of the gas, but, at this stage, it's hard to completely rule out the possibility that alien life might exist on one of our nearest planets. pallab ghosh, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's ben rich. thank you, good evening. not the searing heat of venus, thankfully,

but it has been pretty hard for some of us today, the highest temperature found in jersey, of us today, the highest temperature found injersey, where we got very close to 31 degrees. plenty of other places not too far behind but not as one for northern ireland or scotland because there has been more in the way of cloud, some patchy rain and, through tonight, that rain is likely to pep up so some heavier bursts pushing through northern ireland and north—west scotland. for england and wales, predominantly dry, may be the odd showerfor wales, predominantly dry, may be the odd shower for south—west wales, the south—west of england and fog patches in the south—east, temperatures between ten and 16. tomorrow, england and wales with another largely dry day, the odd showerfor another largely dry day, the odd shower for the south—west, parts of wales, the north—west of england. drying up with parts of sunshine for northern ireland, dry of scotland, shall re—confined to the far north although it might start to get misty and murky for some north sea coasts, that will be parts of north—east england. 21 for glasgow, 22 per bel per bel per spot somewhere in east

anglia, we could