hello. welcome to bbc news. i'm victoria derbyshire with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. all pubs, bars and restaurants in england will have to close from 10pm on thursday, to help curb the spread of coronavirus. a change of advice — the government tell us to work from home in england, and there'll be no return of spectators to sport events for the time being, with more restrictions to come. the prime minister is charing a cabinet meeting right now — that will be followed by a cobra emergency committee. he'll then set out the measures in the commons at lunchtime before he addresses the nation on tv tonight. do you think a 10pm curfew on purpose will make any difference? some parts of the country already have such curfew, how are they

working? and will you start working from home again? get in touch. the leader of britain's opposition labour party urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour as he delivers his virtual conference speech. we hear you. never again will labour ta ke we hear you. never again will labour take you all the things you care about for granted. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly — china and the us decline tojoin. a fierce debate erupts over donald trump's choice for the us supreme court. the president says he wants to see his selection in place before the election. and coming up this hour... more signs of global warming — this year's arctic sea ice melts to the second smallest area since records began.

hello. all pubs, bars, restaurants in england must close at 10pm from thursday to help stop the spread of coronavirus. it comes as the uk's covid—19 alert level moved to four, meaning transmission is "high or rising exponentially". prime minister boris johnson will make a statement to mps this lunchtime before addressing the nation on tv at eight o'clock this evening london time. does not negatively impact businesses, a change to the guidance. —— ministers have encouraged people to work from home where it does not negatively impact businesses. in northern ireland extra restrictions on social gatherings will be imposed from

6pm this evening. in wales, hundreds of thousands of people will have new local lockdowns imposed later, with a warning that more areas are being monitored. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is expected to set out new restrictions to the scottish parliament this afternoon. latest official figures show a sharp rise in infections across the uk. the seven—day average number of new cases per day in the last week — was 3,929. across europe there are restrictions in place, including more thani million people being under partial lockdown in the spanish capital madrid. china and the united states have not joined 156 countries that have signed up to a world health organization project to develop covid—i9 vaccines for poor countries. andy moore has this report on restrictions in the uk. london's soho last night. a busy scene on a warm september evening. but the hospitality sector is going to feel the chill of tighter restrictions. table service only and — in england, at least — a 10pm closing time. so what did these people think about the prospect of those changes? i think, personally, it won't make that much of an effect.

maybe on the weekend, but itjust depends how long it's going to be going on for, i guess. if this needs to be done then, yeah, it needs to be done — whether we like it or not. i think it is a good idea, but, yeah... there are many in the hospitality sector who feel the industry is being unfairly targeted. i do not see the need for further enforcement and further restrictions in pubs whatsoever. we are the home of responsible socialising. and there are plenty of voices on mrjohnson‘s own backbenches calling for him to exercise caution and avoid doing too much to damage the economy. therejust simply has to be a balance. we can't trade lives tomorrow to save lives today. yes, we need to meet this virus head on but, actually, we need to understand that, if you want to have first—world public services such as the nhs, you need a first—world economy that can generate the wealth to pay nurses and doctors. in downing street, the government's chief medical and scientific

advisers painted a scenario where there could be 50,000 confirmed infections by the middle of october and more than 200 deaths a day a month later. if we don't do enough, the virus will take off. at the moment, that is the path that we are clearly on. and if we do not change course, then we're going to find ourselves in a very difficult problem. the chief medical 0fficers of all four nations have now recommended the official covid alert level be raised to level four — meaning transmission is high or rising exponentially. london's mayor is hoping to be invited to this morning's meeting of the emergency committee, cobra. and he's calling for tighter restrictions, such as the more widespread use of face masks. by these additional measures, we think we can avoid a second lockdown, which we think would be catastrophic in terms of our economy, which has still not recovered from the first lockdown. from today, tighter local restrictions are being imposed in parts of the north west and

midlands. the area facing stricter regulations in south wales is also being extended from six o'clock this evening. around 14 million people in the uk are now covered by rules like this. andy moore, bbc news. 0ur political correspondentjessica parkeris 0ur political correspondentjessica parker is in westminster, 10pm pubs closing time, work from home if you can, what else will the prime minister announced? at 1230 pm, borisjohnson is minister announced? at 1230 pm, boris johnson is due minister announced? at 1230 pm, borisjohnson is due before parliament. ministers are being tight—lipped this morning because i think to some extent they are attempting to get the process right, they have been criticised before for announcing measures and not bringing them to parliament as mps and the speaker of the house of commons thinks they should, but what we are hearing so far in terms of this 10pm closing time and the work from home

advises not only will get. but look at what we heard from chris whitty and sir patrick vallance, chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser, yesterday. there were questions after some stark warnings as to how far the would go. i think the closing pubs and restaurants at 10pm is seen as relatively mild, some people suggesting borisjohnson has come under substantial pressure from his own party, not this restless conservative mps, not to go too far in a way they think they could damage the economy but this change in emphasis or change in advice in terms of whether people should go to work or not, i think that will lead to charges of confusion. it was back injuly where borisjohnson confusion. it was back injuly where boris johnson talked confusion. it was back injuly where borisjohnson talked about people going back to work is sacred, the government saying employers and employees should have a discussion about whether they can get people back to work safely and suddenly ministers are now saying work from

home if you can. it may be to frustration in the business community where they have prepared covid secure workplaces and a sense that the advice chops and changes a lot. i think it is a very changeable situation but major adjustments coming for people across the country. thank you, jessica. you will be able to see the prime minister on bbc one at lunchtime, 1230 pm withjo coburn on politics live and also at eight o'clock this evening. with me is azeem majeed who is professor of primary care and public health at imperial college london. also i'm joined by kerry bell who was one of more than 2 million people in the uk who were advised to shield from the virus due to medical conditions. good morning, both. what is the science behind a 10pm pubs curfew,

azeem? things are changing, we are ata azeem? things are changing, we are at a very worrying time and infection rates are increasing, the number of serious cases of covid also, so things cannot carry on. until recently people had changed behaviours, nature to practice good social distancing, they were wearing facemasks, it is a message to people that we need to change our behaviours. so is it arbitrary, 10pm? could it be half ten, half nine? people are still mixing in pubs, enjoy environments with poor insulation where people speak loudly, in my view i think we should have been more radical and perhaps close to the pub is entirely for indoor use for the time being. what about the effects on the economy and job losses, you have to balance out?

the economy can be packed. hopefully this is a show to medium—term problem until we have a vaccine —— a short to medium—term. we had to do what we can until you have a vaccine, but for now we face a real prospect of a large increase and so action is needed to prevent that. prospect of a large increase and so action is needed to prevent thatm northern ireland, mixing between herself is banned from six o'clock tonight, participate in some parts of northern england and the midlands, should that be brought in for the rest of the country and we did have more effect? a lot of transmission of covid—19 occurs within households, people visiting you or you visiting them, that seems to be the main cause of infection in the uk at the moment. we should consider this measure in england as well as other parts of the uk, because evidence shows a lot of transmission takes place within households. what did you think of the chief scientific adviser sir patrick vallance's figure yesterday

that we are seeing roughly a doubling of cases every seven days and if the virus continues unabated without further action than by mid—0ctober you could have 50,000 cases per day, which would be expected to lead to 280 deaths by mid—november? how seriously do you those numbers? we must take it seriously but it is a worst—case scenario. if we are working more from home, wearing facemasks in public, those figures can change and become much lower than the prediction. patrick is saying we face a serious challenge and we must stop becoming a reality in the future. but not all academics, scientists, experts agree with you. there is a big debate about whether the kinds of new restrictions we are seeing, blanket measures, do more harm than good intensive mental health, job losses and access to health, job losses and access to health care for other conditions? ——

in terms of mental health. there is a debate within the community about the best way, some people think we should behave more normally. in my view that risks a lot of excess deaths and lots of people becoming very ill and having complications from covid—19. i have many parents with long—term consequences from covid—19, young people can also become very unwell and have serious long—term problems. ithink become very unwell and have serious long—term problems. i think it is misguided to be too lax, we must ta ke misguided to be too lax, we must take it very seriously until we have a vaccine available. cammy bell is in leicestershire, so you have been subject to local lockdown restrictions, how do you feel about the rest of the country catching up as well as to share has been for the last few months? —— kerry bell it in leicestershire. the news yesterday was horrendous and i think it is time for the rest of the country to

catch up with the same restrictions in leicestershire that we have had since march. is it working in leicestershire? we had seen a downturn in the number of cases in leicester over the last couple of months, but sadly they are starting to creep up again, particularly in the city of leicester, where i live. it is worrying times. why is it so important for you not to touch coronavirus? i severe asthmatic with frequent bronchial collapses, so if i catch the virus i would be very, very poorly and the likely design would end up in icu with very poor repercussions from that. are you shielding now? yes, i have been shielding now? yes, i have been shielding since march, i have been a tasty time since march but seeing the figures recently i have been very reticent to leave my house. how are you dealing with that? 0k,

very reticent to leave my house. how are you dealing with that? ok, i must admit there have been very dark days over the last six and a bit months, that's my view on the mental health situation is that i would much rather have mental health issues that can be dealt with in the future with counselling than to be outside and catch the virus and have the physical repercussions from that. broadly, you have been shielding since march, you have been 0k few shielding since march, you have been 0kfew times, shielding since march, you have been 0k few times, but you are clearly prepared to continue to shield until there is a vaccine? absolutely. i think the issue is that back in march the government pledged to keep the extremely clinically vulnerable like myself at the centre and protect us, and as a community, a population, the clinically vulnerable feel they have been set out... set away from that now and we do not have that protection. sol

out... set away from that now and we do not have that protection. so i am personally prepared to stay indoors until it is safe for me to go out andl until it is safe for me to go out and i think all the clinically vulnerable but i frequently speak to have the same view, we do not want to be out until it is safe. take care, thank you for talking to us, kerry bell and also azeem majeed, professor of primary care and public health at imperial college london. any works in a perp in preston where the 10pm katie comes into place tonight, she says she believes it will make no difference that will make things worse as people will come to the pub earlier and drink a lot faster, earlier. lady laura on twitter says when things change like increased infection and the rules have to change, what is so difficult to understand? have to change, what is so difficult to understand ? barclay have to change, what is so difficult to understand? barclay says the effect of the new restrictions will be far more devastating to likelihood that mental health that will protect against covid. christopher stated seems arbitrary,

what is the difference in risk between sitting in a restaurant at eight o'clock or 1030? simon says it isa eight o'clock or 1030? simon says it is a joke, the government have used a public goodwill and any lockdown measures and teacher will be hard to enforce, they have lost control. we will speak to a representative from the hospitality industry in the next three minutes to ask her what she makes of the kurds coming in across england. —— what she makes of the curbs coming in. china and the united states haven't joined a world health organization project to develop vaccines for covid—19. it involves 156 countries and aims to help poor countries get equal access to any new vaccines by the end of next year. paul hawkins has more. it's the world's holy grail, a cure for covid. but not everyone has the resources to buy one, much less develop and distribute it, which is why the world health organization has come up with the covax project — 156 countries clubbing together to buy and fairly distribute covid—19 vaccines. together, they represent two thirds

of the world's population. it's in every country's best interest. we sink or we swim together. but together includes the usa, which is working on its own vaccine, americans first. hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every american by april. america's absence shouldn't be a surprise. the us is leaving the world health organization because it claims the organisation is controlled by china. but china isn't involved in covax either. it's currently testing its vaccine on the military, while russia, which is also absent, starts a mass vaccination programme next month. both vaccines have raised concerns about cutting corners to win the race, neither are on the world health organization's list of vaccines that have reached the stage involving more widespread human testing.

i think there are moral implications of not providing a vaccine to all the world's citizens. i think there are potentially political ramifications, or at least countries seem to think there are, some countries like russia seem to be using the vaccine as a political tool. i think there are real economic consequences too to not functioning like a world community. but the covax project's immediate problem is money. $2 billion is needed by the end of the year to pay for the vaccine in lower income countries. so far it's raised just $700 million. it's also unclear how deals between pharmaceutical companies and participating countries will affect the project itself. lots of uncertainty, then, for a project with admirable ideals. pull hawkins, bbc news. the number of deaths related to covid in the united states is approaching 200,000 people, the highest anywhere in the world. nearly 6.8 million of the world's 30 million infections are in the us.

the virus has killed people of colour and immigrants in the us at higher rates than their white and us—born counterparts. among the dead are more than a thousand health care workers. the leader of the labour party in britain has appealed to voters who turned away from the party at the last general election and says we hear you and never again will labour ta ke hear you and never again will labour take you all the things you care about for granted. he was speaking in an online brokers from doncaster, his first party conference as leader. our political correspondent vicki young is in manchester, what we re vicki young is in manchester, what were the scenes? sir keir starmer basically saying i am notjeremy corbyn and lionel borisjohnson, trying to break with the past, he talked a lot about security, patriotism —— and i am not boris

johnson. some of the labour party thought that jeremy corbyn johnson. some of the labour party thought thatjeremy corbyn was sometimes undecided britain's enemies, he was very much criticised for that. it is striking that the person introducing him in an otherwise empty room in doncaster was the jewish former labour otherwise empty room in doncaster was thejewish former labour mp who lost her seat at the last election, a cpap backed brexit. keir starmer did not really dwell too much on brexit, most people will know him as one of the leading voices in parliament calling for a second brexit referendum but really this was him trying to introduce himself to people, it is pretty hard at the moment with the political landscape dominated by coronavirus to get his voice heard, but he wanted to talk in broad terms about his values. at this point he will not be coming up with very detailed policy. this is what he had to say. we need to think about the question to 2024 and 20305, not the questions of the past. if anything,

20305, not the questions of the past. ifanything, covid has quickened the pace. the challenges we now face mean even the questions of 2019 already seem like ancient history. what we say at the next general election is not written yet, but it will be rooted in labour values. it will not sound like anything you have heard before, it will sound like the future arising. the trust of the british people will only be won by a party that can provide security and opportunity at work, that ends the structural flaws in our economy that mean that working people have barely had a pay rise ina working people have barely had a pay rise in a decade. that fixes the housing crisis so that young people finally have a prospect of owning their home. that understands the need for an economy that is healing the climate crisis, not contributing to it. that's guaranteed to security

and integrity of this nation —— that's guaranteed the security integrity of this nation. that gives our young people the start in life they deserve and gives our older people the dignity they have earned. and that cherishes our diversity and takes pride in a society where everyone belongs. now, what keir starmer has been doing in his time as labour leader has been trying to attack the government for what equals its incompetence. he would like to paint himself as a grown up in the room, really, saying he is serious. i don't protect —— i don't think you meant the criticism from the prime minister at prime ministers question saying he is lawyerly, i think he would say that it means his across the detail. they have lost four general elections though and been reduced to one seat

in scotland, they lost a whole swathe of seats in england and brexit supporting areas so i do not think he isn't illusions about appetite certainly think that they had time before they had to layout in detail, for example, things like spending times. the bytyqi very much, vicki young. —— thank you very much. our europe correspondent —— the french education ministry has changed its rules on coronavirus cases in schools to try bid to keep more of them open. from today, classes in nurseries and primary schools will only be cancelled if three or more children test positive for covid—19. it is the latest in a slew of measures seen throughout the continent as countries attempt to reign in the spread of the infection. our europe correspondent gavin lee, who's in brussels, told us more. in world health the organisation, there is an alarming spread

of transmission across europe, every single european country is seeing a rise. certainly since the summer period where cases were very low comparatively. but some are much worse than others, the worst three at the moment, spain, then the czech republic, then france. spain will have had consecutively, every second day since august the 28th, more than 10,000 cases. in the past couple of days, that's reduced to about 5,000 cases. but if you look at the measurement, you'll get 300 cases per 100,000 per capita. the czech republic around 193 cases per 100,000, and then france at around 180 cases per hundred thousand. the uk fits in around the middle at about 69 cases per 100,000. so madrid, as you mentioned, eight and a half million people under an easier sort of lockdown then was during april and march, but people cannot leave their immediate zones. as much protest as there has been about that, bars, restaurants can't open after eight o'clock, people can't gather in groups of more than six. quick mention of the czech republic as well, there was a press conference last night, a sort of mea culpa tv address from the prime minister, andrej babis, who said that, i got carried away over the summer, i got it wrong, i shouldn't have eased measures. czech republic is seeing more cases than has ever before, even during the height of the pandemic, and they are also

now making masks mandatory again and public and school—aged children have to wear masks inside the classroom also. and france, which has also seen regularly 10,000 cases or above over the past ten days, as he mentioned, some of those restrictions in schools, for example, trying to keep some of the schools open, but you have still got nice, leon, you've got the capital, paris, in a way you've got stricter restrictions in place. —— you have still got nice, lion air. marseilles, where you've seen saturations in some hospitals also. let get more reaction to the fact that in england puts manchester united such as to close at 10pm. katie nicholl is the chief executive of qatar hospitality uk. we have worked our socks off to make sure we have covid secure measures in place. it is heartbreaking but now we will find trait will be decimated and white —— and while it might seem a

small change it has a dramatic impact on economic and of people that can be employed, it is a very anxious time for many small business owners and workers and hospitality. do you think people who run bars, restau ra nts a nd do you think people who run bars, restaurants and pubs will be looking at their books and seeing whether they can survive? absolutely, despite the help over the summer and the momentum that was built up, one in five of our premises is not open a 900,000 people in hospitality still depend on furlough for their jobs, the furlough scheme is winding down ina jobs, the furlough scheme is winding down in a number of weeks and businesses will have to make difficult decisions in the next couple of weeks about paying rent and paying staff, those are the jobs at risk unless we have further government support to help the industry to what might be a six—month period are very surprised restricted trading. it could be targeted support at the hospitality industry? we would need to have

targeted support at the hospitality industry. we are the last section of the economy closed by legislation or restricted by new legislation like 30s, we are also impacted by general policies and advice about working from home, advice about public transport and socialising, all of those impact on the ability of businesses to trade profitably and with all the help and support over the summer we had onlyjust got to break even so it is make or break for many of this businesses struggling to make ends meet. lots of people do not understand the 10pm party time, stephen says i don't see how ten o'clock pub closing will help because the virus can't tell the time. do you understand why it is 10pm? it is not clear, and equally it is not clear from the government whether that is 10pm cease trading, which would normally happen in licensing laws, or 10pm the premises has to be empty and

closed, which is what it is in newcastle and parts of the notice. it is the latter, that hard trading capacity because it means last orders full restaurant with the outline o'clock and you cannot qa second setting. it seems to be a strange time to have chosen and it does not take account of operational practicalities, people being put out onto the streets at the same time. we are concerned that it is not appear targeted at the areas where we know the greatest levels of infection are rewriting, in the community and homes, hospitality businesses will be paying the price and we are not yet sure whether it will deliver a reduction in infections of the government is hoping for. could it be as simple as the more drunk people get, the less inhibited they are and are less likely to follow social distancing guidelines? i think that is a point that applies more to socialising in your home, your garden, the park, as

we saw were locked out was still in force you had large numbers of young people in particular congregating in parks and there were illegal raves, the covid secure protocol to be put in place in july the covid secure protocol to be put in place injuly ahead of reopening means everybody has to be seated, social distancing is maintained and staff are working their socks off to ensure people are abiding by the rules, they are kept safe and we do not have any breeding appetites of social distancing, so i would say our premises are the safest place to socialise but this year is that safety, controller management will not translate to other parts where people will still continue to socialising homes, gardens and parks. so you are safer than people at home? we are that, we are setup and we have a tent. social distancing is maintained and managed and you have the rule of six strictly enforced, table service strictly enforced, table service strictly enforced, table service strictly enforced and you have hygiene and sanitation so we are certainly safer than people drinking

in public areas. thank you very much, katie nicholl, chief executive of uk hospitality. perhaps we will get the answer from the prime minister when he speaks in the comments as to why it is 10pm. henry says it is pointless when people are not sticking to the two households will, stephen says it will not be worth some pubs remaining open for the long—term, and he says things move on and we have to make changes. kirby says i understand the government needs to implement changes to reduce the spread of the virus but it seems like a contradictory mess, i am a carer and extremely worried about the future and how many more lights this virus will affect. they are making decisions too late, they will not make enough of a difference and i think later down the line we will feel the effects of the government's poor decisions, but i really hope i am wrong. all pubs and bars and restaurants in england will have to close from

pentium on thursday to help curb the spread of covid—19. the government tells us to work from home in england again and there will be no return of spectators to sporting events with more restrictions to come. the prime minister hasjust finished chairing a cabinet meeting which will be followed by the cobra emergency committee and he will set out measures in the commons at lunchtime before addressing the country tonight on tv pundits the leader of the opposition labour party urges voters who abandon the party to take another look at labour as it delivers his conference speech. we hear you. never again will labour take you of the things you care about for granted. more than 150 country to sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly. china and the us declined tojoin. a fierce debate erupts over donald trump's choice for the us supreme court. the president says he wants to see his selection in place before the

election. president, seems to have secured enough support in the united states senate to win approval for his nominee to the us supreme court. the seat is vacant after the death of ruth bader ginsburg on friday. he will make the announcement on saturday. the political leaning of the highest court in the land has become an election issue eclipsing, for now at least, debate over president tom's handling of the coronavirus. he is moving weakly to nominate a success put dashwood a successor to ruth bader ginsburg a move that could give the supreme court a conservative majority for decades to come point i would say on friday or saturday i will be announcing the choice. it is five women that are being looked at and feted very carefully. democrats

believe such a monumental decision should wait until after the presidential election, nowjust 42 days away. trying to decide this at this late moment is despicable and wrong and against democracy. it is shoving the wishes of the hard right and the republicans who go along with them down america's throat. but republicans hold a majority in the senate and it seems they have the votes to confirm mr trump's nominee. the senate has more than sufficient time to process a nomination. history and precedent make that perfectly clear. president tom's shortlist includes amy coney barrett, a judge on the us circuit court of appeals who previously served as a clerk for the conservative justice anthony scalia.

barbara lagao is a 52—year—old cuban american and is considered as a staunch conservative but received strong bipartisan support at her confirmation hearing to. another name in the mix is allison rushing who would be particularly controversial as she is only 38 yea rs controversial as she is only 38 years old. we are in the middle of an election, people have started voting in virginia and north carolina and there are long lines so i should begin by saying it's extraordinary to think that during an election this is what the senate would be doing and this is what this president would be doing. before the death of ruth bader ginsburg, the nine member supreme court was already leaning to the right thanks to two previous appointments by donald trump punter over the years, has decided some of the biggest issues in american life ending the florida election recount in 2000, a move which awarded george w bush the presidency, and in 2008 it determined that civilians were allowed to keep a firearm for

self—defence. the court's future appears to have energised voters on both sides. among the issues it may soon have to decide on our abortion rights and the future of universal health care, not to mention if it is disputed, the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election. the number of reported new coronavirus cases in china continues to drop. health authorities said only six people tested positive for covid—19 on tuesday, down from 12 per day earlier and while countries across europe grapples with resurgence in infections, the city of wuhan, where the pandemic emerged, is slowly opening up night. our correspondent has more details on how china is trying to curb the second wave. they have been more successful tha n second wave. they have been more successful than many countries, certainly in the west. how has it done it? it has been a mix of

measures, many of them simply good common public health sense, if you like. the wide availability of testing, the use of technology to trace people who may have come into contact with those who are positive, and of course the use of quarantine with some pretty strictly enforced quarantine measures. anybody flying into china today automatically goes into china today automatically goes into what they call a centralised quarantine, basically you are quarantined in a hotel for a couple of weeks. there is no option to do that at home. your door is closed, your meals are brought to the room by staff wearing hazmat suits. i think there are some countries now that are looking at some of that and still asking questions about what can be learned. on the other hand, it's worth saying that china has also been able to use something of a sledgehammer approach would be much

harder to emulate given the different political cultures elsewhere in the world. injuly, one city was battling a small localised outbreak and the way that was dealt with was the whole city, 3.5 million people can effectively put into a very harsh lockdown, most people can find inside their homes for the best pa rt find inside their homes for the best part of five weeks with reports on social media that those who refused to comply were having their doors nailed or chained shut. are mixed back and some obviously easier to learn from an amulet than other parts. a court has sentenced an outspoken critic of president xi jinping for 18 years in corruption. ren zhiqiang was charged with bribery and embezzlement. he disappeared from the public eye in march after criticising the response to growing advice from president xi jinping pulled our correspondent

explained who he is and how it happened. ren zhiqiang, known for his propensity for taking on china's, well, a senior government figures, has been given an 18 year prison sentence and a whopping fine. according to court documents, he admitted to crimes related to embezzlement and corruption and critics have already said that these courts, which after all completely are controlled by the commonest party, have been used to silence a critic of xijinping. party, have been used to silence a critic of xi jinping. ren zhiqiang wrote an essay earlier this year which was circulated and in it he referred pretty obviously to someone who had to be xijinping as a naked clown who wanted to continue as emperor. for people who have not lived here, possibly they don't know

just how much of a red line it is to cross when you publicly say things like that but china's leader, especially given that he's not an activist, he is from the country's elite, a decade—long party member, one—time chairman of a state owned developer. he moves in the same circles as all these senior communist party people and for him to say things like this about the leader of the country was not to be tolerated. so he has now been sent away for a long time. in the us, restaurants in new york city will be able to reopen for indoor dining at a reduced capacity from next week. melba wilson owns a restaurant in new york and is the president of the new york city hospitality alliance. thank you for getting up early to talk to us. how has it been for you during the pandemic? good morning. this has been a really difficult

time, especially for restaurants during the pandemic. traditionally restau ra nts during the pandemic. traditionally restaurants need 75% capacity. they need to operate at 75% capacity in orderfor us to even need to operate at 75% capacity in order for us to even see a profit. for restaurants, those who are open, to only operate on takeout, and some have an outdoor seating, it's really not enough. but out of 25,000 we have taken only 10,000 have applied for outdoor seating and we estimate anywhere between 12,000 and 15,000 restau ra nt anywhere between 12,000 and 15,000 resta u ra nt i anywhere between 12,000 and 15,000 restaurant i buy the closed or not reopened. and from next week you will be allowed to open indoors at a reduced capacity. how many would you normally be able to sit in your restau ra nt normally be able to sit in your restaurant and how many will you be able to next week? at melba's we

seat 109 so we are looking at approximately 25 guests. again, we are happy that we are able to start indoor seating but 25 people, there is no way we will be able to pay 100% of the bills while only bringing in 25% of the income. how are you going to survive then? bringing in 25% of the income. how are you going to survive themm has been really tough. quite frankly, a lot of restaurants have not survived. when a restaurant closes, it is notjust the physical space that closes, it is a plethora, a layered effect. it is the vineyards that close, the farmers and producers, it is our paper distributors. you are notjust seeing a restaurant physically closed, you are seeing the shutdown ofan closed, you are seeing the shutdown of an entire industry. but it is that a balance, and we are grappling

with it here in the uk, between the economy and people maintaining jobs and livelihoods and also protecting people from coronavirus. our first job of course is to protect our staff and guests. but when we look at westchester and long island and connecticut and new jersey, at westchester and long island and connecticut and newjersey, they are open at 50% capacity. what is the difference? our numbers have been less tha n difference? our numbers have been less than 1% and as we all know, new york was the epicentre for the coronavirus. right now, our numbers are coronavirus. right now, our numbers a re low coronavirus. right now, our numbers are low 1%. we are in conversation with governor andrew cuomo as well as mayor andrew de blasio. we are hoping that our opening date, they are going to be able to let us open up are going to be able to let us open up at 50% capacity. good luck and thank you for talking to us and we

appreciate you letting us talk to you this early. a growing insurgency has been ravaging large areas of northern beak —— mozambique. both the islamist insurgents and the mozambican army have been accused of atrocities. in one of the latest videos from the region a group of armed men can be seen murdering a naked woman but, where exactly did it happen and who are they? the bbc and other researchers have been trying to find out. you might find some parts of andrew harding's report distressing. video surfaces on social media and it shows for men as they chase one terrified naked woman. it shows them beating her. then it shows them killing her, with at least 36 gunshots. where was this? using online technology, we and other

researchers have managed to pinpoint the spot. northern mozambique region consumed by fighting and a road just outside a small town. you can see the billboards, the three trees, the green and white roofs, there is no doubt about the location. what about the date and the angle of the men's shadows suggests april or september. at the video first emerged in early september this year and we know that mozambique troops were in the area, launching a major offensive against insurgents. now to the heart of the matter, who are these people? the woman has yet to be identified but look at the empty road. it seems likely she was left behind when other civilians fled. as for the killers, . .. we have been able to identify the outfit they are wearing which is

exactly the same outfit that the armed forces of mozambique use. army uniforms then, and accents that seem to back that up. in the video, the soldiers are speaking in portuguese. with accents of the south. what that tells us is they are most likely soldiers of the army because from what we know of the insurgents, they speak in swahili, in some cases in arabic. local media reports have since identified a possible suspect, a soldier who may since have been killed. the mozambique government has given a mixed response, promising an investigation but also suggesting the footage has been faked or edited by malicious people. that is not impossible happened the insurgents, seen here polluting military supplies earlier this year,

are well known for impersonating soldiers. as for why any gun men might kill and film the killing of a civilian... this video may be horrific but it's not unique, in fa ct horrific but it's not unique, in fact it's horrific but it's not unique, in fact its extraordinary quite how many videos are circulating on social media that have come from this corner of mozambique. the bottom line the violence is growing, forcing a quarter of a million civilians to flee their homes. and the stakes are high. building work has already begun on a vast new project worth billions to develop this region's offshore gas fields. but in recent days, the insurgents have launched new attacks along the coast, perhaps threatening the future of those plans. so much in this short video remains a mystery but the horrors unfolding in northern mozambique are now beyond

dispute. andrew harding, bbc news, south africa. we can bring you the headlines now on bbc news. a curfew on pubs and people are urged to return to working from home in england to help curb the spread of coronavirus. the leader of britain's opposition labour party urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour as he delivers his conference speech. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly. china and the us decline tojoin. just under half of all young people here in the uk have been bullied at school, with many parents worried that lockdown will have had a negative impact on the way children behave towards each other in the classroom. the findings from the diana award come as they get ready to bring together children across the country with their favourite celebrities in a bid to empower them to tackle bullying.

one of those is the vamps guitarist james mcvey, an anti—bullying ambassador for the charity the diana award, who was himself bullied at school. you have a keen interest in this because you were bullied about your weight in school? absolutely, i was a victim of bullying for two reasons. you mention how i look but i think it was more to do with me playing music. iwent i think it was more to do with me playing music. i went to a school that was very sports —based and i liked sport but my passion really was singing songs growing my hair and having the piercings. i don't think i really fit the mould of. i was definitely the odd one out in my group andi was definitely the odd one out in my group and i kind of experienced quite a lot of bullying at school, but also i was in the time when social media just started as well so i had it on social media just started as well so ihad it ona social media just started as well so i had it on a two pronged approach, as it were. what kind of things

would people post on social media or say to you? i guess it wasjust, people didn't really understand the sort of person that i was. i think i kind of broke down a few stereotypes of what a boy of my age should perhaps be so it was a lot ofjust picking on mike songs, saying they we re picking on mike songs, saying they were rubbish but also saying some quite hurtful things about the way i looked for things i was interested in —— my songs point that must have made school really difficult for you at points? absolutely and has been the search from the diana award and the nationwide building society, and the fa ct nationwide building society, and the fact that 51% of people who had been bullied at school worry about going back after a holiday, that was definitely me. i remember going off in the summer, hoping i would never need to go back. i was lucky that i

was able to kind of turn off half of the bullying as it were. it is one of those things, especially coming back after a longer period due to the covert lockdown, it's important we have these conversations and the fa ct we have these conversations and the fact that we are doing this big anti—bullying assembly is in at effort to communicate that a lot of children are suffering from bullying, it is still definitely happening and we need to progress this. what will the assembly do to try to bring down the numbers who have been bullied at school? absolutely, we are hoping to get a million young people involved and the event really is an open conversation but we are bringing in a lot of celebrities to share their personal stories which i think it's really important. when i was growing up, ifi really important. when i was growing up, if i had people on tv speaking, that i looked up to come if they we re that i looked up to come if they were communicating that struggle, it would have helped me. as well as that we will have some performances

and key information and guidance on how to deal with and address bullying. who did you speak to and what did you do when you were bullied at school? this is why the diana award is amazing because i didn't really have anyone or anything like that in place. aged 13 or 14, the options were my parents or 14, the options were my parents or teachers. that was quite a daunting thing to only have those two outlets. for me, i didn't really communicate for a long time and i think that did lead to me having a quite severe confidence issues that i think quite severe confidence issues that ithinki quite severe confidence issues that i think i probably still have to this day. seriously? even though you area this day. seriously? even though you are a successful guitarist in a band? yes, definitely. i struggled a lot with acne which i guess what i was bullied for as well as the music and being slightly overweight. that

meant that i struggled to look people in the eye anyway and when it raised attention, a boy aged 15 go toa raised attention, a boy aged 15 go to a sport at school, putting on a foundation to cover his spots, i didn't fit into that mould as it were. i really struggled with that and that is why i kind of wish i had someone like an anti—bullying ambassador to go to because that was almost a stepping stone to help me off—load some of the birth and i was dealing with my own. thank you very much for talking to us, james, and good luck with the assembly. thank you. james mcvey, guitarist from the vamps. people in the uk are being advised to get a flu jab to help protect against the "double danger" of flu and coronavirus. public health england hopes its biggest everflu public health england hopes its biggest ever flu vaccination programme will help reduce the burden on the nhs in the winter. this year anyone over 50 in england is eligible for a jab,

american scientists say summer sea ice in the arctic this year melted, leaving the second smallest area since records began 42 years ago. the findings appear to be further evidence of the impact of global warming. richard forrest reports. the arctic, also known as the north pole, an ocean surrounded by land. unlike antarctica, it doesn't have wind and ocean currents to keep it cold, and that makes it more sensitive to climate change, which is why the latest revelation is no surprise. this summer, sea ice shrank to just over 3.7 million square kilometres, its second lowest level since they started using satellites to watch it 41 years ago. compared to the average from 1979 to 1990, the difference is twice the size of france, germany and spain combined. but less sea ice doesn't mean sea levels are rising. what it does mean is that it's a driver of climate change

as well as a symptom. 80% of the sunlight that strikes the ice is reflected back into space. the dark ocean water absorbs 90% of it, that means the oceans heat up and arctic temperatures rise further. on average, arctic sea ice is declining by 12% a decade, which is why some forecasters say it could be ice—free within 15 years. bad news for santa and even worse news for polar bears. earlier this year, one forecast said they could virtually be extinct by the end of the century. it would also certainly mean a profound shift in the region's marine ecosystems, which is why prince charles had this message about global warming at the start of a climate week conference in new york. it is now rapidly becoming a comprehensive catastrophe that will dwarf the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. with the permafrost melting in siberia, for instance, producing dire effects

on global warming. without doubt, we must now put ourselves on a warlike footing, approaching our action from the perspective of a military style campaign. the good news is the solution is a simple one. cut greenhouse gases and stop the planet warming so quickly. the bad news is the major polluting nations can't agree on a plan of action that does enough. richard forrest, bbc news. rescuers have begun an operation to save d oze ns rescuers have begun an operation to save dozens of pilot whales stranded ona save dozens of pilot whales stranded on a beach on the west coast of tasmania. conservationists are not sure why the 270 wales came to shore and around 90 sadly have already died —— and around 90 sadly have already died -- 270 and around 90 sadly have already died —— 270 whales. whale beatings happen fairly regularly but one of this size has not been seen since 2009 -- --

this size has not been seen since 2009 —— —— beachings. you're watching bbc news. a reminder that boris johnson will make two appearances today to outline the new restrictions in the uk. at 12:30pm he will make a statement in the house of commons. then he will do a live address to the nation this evening at 8pm. you can watch both live on the news channel. and also on bbc one. and at 3:30pm we will be speaking to professor and doctor to answer your questions on covid—19 and the new restrictions. you can get in touch with us on twitter and also e—mail us. now a look at the weather. astronomically speaking it is the

start of autumn today, the autumn equinox taking place this afternoon but one last throw of summer for some, temperatures in eastern areas above 26 degrees today and even further west we above the average of 15-19 in further west we above the average of 15—19 in most parts but by the end of the week, well below where we should beat with colder air in the wake. it is all lying to the west of this weather front, that will bring more rain into northern and western scotla nd more rain into northern and western scotland to bring about the change, turning wetter here today and this afternoon some of the rain spilt into northern ireland. elsewhere, mostly dry, increasing cloud and one or two showers up the west of england and wales. most breezy in the west, lighter winds further east and that with the sunshine we will see the highest temperatures, 25 or 26 degrees compared to just 12—14 in the north of scotland. at least the rain clears and tomorrow it will be brighter. the rain spreads across

northern ireland this evening, heavy with blustery winds and heavy in scotla nd with blustery winds and heavy in scotland for a time for sky is clear and it turns chilly. sporadic showers breaking out in england and wales tomorrow morning and temperatures are still holding up, the last gasp of summer, in the mid teens. we start with cloud, i'll start, our bricks of rain, heavier births in england and wales, brightening up from the west. one or two showers in eastern areas through the afternoon but scotland and northern ireland, not a bad start to autumn with some sunshine out there. a bit ofa autumn with some sunshine out there. a bit of a chill in the air but with the sun overhead, it should still feel pleasant, 12—13 c. a chilly night in scotland to take us into thursday and the next run of the autumn dice is this low pressure bringing more rain, some heavy and even some downpours in places and strengthening winds, gales ought to gales possible in the south and west. how far north of the rain gets

isa west. how far north of the rain gets is a question of the moment, northern ireland could get some but the far north and west of scotland should have a bright day, although cooler, 10—16. through the end of the week, still some showers around on friday, some continue on the east coast on saturday but for many, a dry but cool weekend in store.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm rebecca jones. a change of advice — the government tells us to work from home in england, and there'll be no return of spectators to sport events for the time being with more restrictions to come. all pubs, bars and restaurants in england will have to close from 10pm on thursday, to help curb the spread of coronavirus. after meeting his cabinet, the prime minister is now chairing the cobra emergency committee. he'll then set out the measures in the commons at lunchtime before addressing the country on tv tonight. the leader of the labour party urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour and attacks the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

with one of the highest death rates in the world, on the threshold of one of the deepest recessions anywhere, i'm afraid there is no doubt. this government's incompetence is holding britain back. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly. china and the us decline tojoin. a fierce debate erupts over donald trump's choice for the us supreme court. the president says he wants to see his selection in place before the election. and coming up this hour.... more signs of global warming — this year's arctic sea ice melts to the second smallest area since records began.

hello and welcome, if you're watching in the uk or around the world, and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. all pubs, bars and restaurants in england must close at 10pm from thursday to help stop the spread of coronavirus. it comes as the uk's covid—19 alert level moved to four, meaning transmission is "high or rising exponentially." prime minister boris johnson will make a statement to mps this lunchtime, before addressing the nation on tv at eight o'clock this evening. ministers have urged people to work from home where it doesn't negatively impact businesses. in northern ireland, extra restrictions on social gatherings will be imposed from 6pm this evening. in wales, hundreds of

thousands of people will also have new local lockdown is imposed later, with a warning that more areas are being omitted. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is expected to set out new restrictions to the scottish parliament this afternoon. latest official figures show a sharp rise in infections across the uk. the seven—day average of new cases per day in the last week was 3,929. across europe, there are restrictions in place, including more than 850,000 people under partial lockdown in the spanish capital, madrid. and china and the united states have not joined the 156 countries that have signed up to a world health organization project to pool the development of covid—19 vaccines. the first of our reports comes from andy moore about the situation in the uk. london's soho last night.

a busy scene on a warm september evening. but the hospitality sector is going to feel the chill of tighter restrictions. table service only and — in england, at least — a 10pm closing time. so what did these people think about the prospect of those changes? i think, personally, it won't make that much of an effect. maybe on the weekend, but itjust depends how long it's going to be going on for, i guess. if this needs to be done then, yeah, it needs to be done — whether we like it or not. i think it is a good idea, but, yeah... there are many in the hospitality sector who feel the industry is being unfairly targeted. i do not see the need for further enforcement and further restrictions in pubs whatsoever. we are the home of responsible socialising. and there are plenty of voices on mrjohnson's own backbenches calling for him to exercise caution and avoid doing too much to damage the economy. therejust simply has to be a balance. we can't trade lives tomorrow

to save lives today. yes, we need to meet this virus head on but, actually, we need to understand that, if you want to have first—world public services such as the nhs, you need a first—world economy that can generate the wealth to pay nurses and doctors. in downing street, the government's chief medical and scientific advisers painted a scenario where there could be 50,000 confirmed infections by the middle of october and more than 200 deaths a day a month later. if we don't do enough, the virus will take off. at the moment, that is the path that we are clearly on. and if we do not change course, then we're going to find ourselves in a very difficult problem. the chief medical officers of all four nations have now recommended the official covid alert level be raised to level four — meaning transmission is high or rising exponentially. london's mayor is hoping to be invited to this morning's meeting of the emergency committee, cobra. and he's calling for tighter restrictions, such as the more

widespread use of face masks. by these additional measures, we think we can avoid a second lockdown, which we think would be catastrophic in terms of our economy, which has still not recovered from the first lockdown. from today, tighter local restrictions are being imposed in parts of the north west and midlands. the area facing stricter regulations in south wales is also being extended from six o'clock this evening. around 14 million people in the uk are now covered by rules like this. andy moore, bbc news. let's get more from westminster with our political correspondentjess parker. jess, we know about this 10pm closing time for pubs and restau ra nts, closing time for pubs and restaurants, we know about working from home when you can. but what sense do you have as to what else the prime minister might announce later? i think there will be more to, and michael gove earlier today

talk about a package of measures that boris johnson talk about a package of measures that borisjohnson will be announcing to parliament. he suggested they wanted to wait until borisjohnson was in the commons before going further. saying that, they have revealed two elements to they have revealed two elements to the new strategy going forward. this 10pm closure for pubs and restau ra nts a nd 10pm closure for pubs and restaurants and as well, the move to encourage more people now to work from home. now, if some people feel there has been a bit of a chop and change on this issue over recent months, they would be right. it was injuly when months, they would be right. it was in july when boris johnson months, they would be right. it was injuly when borisjohnson talked about people going back to work and then employers and employees having conversations to see if it was safe for them to return to work. a shift in emphasis now from the government and it is interesting, because so patrick balance, the chief scientific adviser had previously said he didn't think there was any need, any need to change the work from home advice and we see this co nsta nt from home advice and we see this constant balancing act going on at number ten as they receive advice

from their scientific advisers. they also get pressure from some ministers and conservative mps. we know there are a number of conservative mps who were worried that in their view, if the government went to far in terms of imposing restrictions, that would be damaging for the economy and in the long—term as well, public health. but where are we today ahead of boris johnson's statement but where are we today ahead of borisjohnson's statement in the house of commons in a short time? well, i think the government is trying to do this balancing act and the making some changes, perhaps not as major as might have been suggested after those very stark warnings that we heard from the chief medical officers. i think those warnings suggested to some that may be they were rolling the pitch wasn't quite tight restrictions, but it seems the government now is making significant changes to the advice on working from home and in measures that will seriously concern those in the hospitality industry, but perhaps not going quite as far as some may have expected. saying that, we will have expected. saying that, we will

have to see what borisjohnson says in the house of commons in an hour and a heart. —— in an hourand a half. lets pick up on the hospitality changes in england. from thursday night, pubs and restaurant will have to close their doors from too. this man owns a tandoori curry house in bristol. welcome to you. what impact will list mp and cave you have on you and your business? it definitely is going to have a big impact. the biggest relief is it is great we have still not gone into the covid—19 lockdown. great we have still not gone into the covid—19lockdown. but great we have still not gone into the covid—19 lockdown. but every other in the hospitality industry does affect us. if you want to close the restaurant at mpm, you definitely need to get the guests in by 1015, because you have to have enough time. that'll be the last

seating. you lose out on £1000 everyday, £7,000 a week and £28,000 a month. it will hurt, but not as bad as a full lockdown. how much guidance have you had? this curfew for example, will it mean ceasing trading at 10pm rather than emptying out the premises? emptying out the premises is what we are talking about. that is not going to be an easy task because i don't think we can do that at ten o'clock tell the guests, ok, you need to walk out now. i don't think you can satisfy the guests at the same time, ask them to leave at ten. it is definitely going to hurt as big—time to be honest. how difficult has it been for you and the restaurant over the last few months? the past few months have been a test of patience for everybody in the hospitality sector. this has been the hardest sector. this has been the hardest sector that has been hit and as we speak, we are talking about1

million people still on the verge of losing theirjob. it is a busy christmas period so it is testing times. the government has held how they can, but the government help has reminded me of the pocket money i had as has reminded me of the pocket money ihad asa has reminded me of the pocket money i had as a child and i could do a lot of things with my pocket money, but now unfortunately all i can do is buy a smoke. the grants are definitely —— by a samoa set. we need to survive by keeping the economy open and the first knock—on effect for the industry, we need to come back from it and we haven't. we haven't been able to after that. it will be tough. absolutely. have you managed to adapt in anyway, perhaps focusing more on takeaway is, for example? has that helped? that is a good idea, but what happens with ta keaway good idea, but what happens with takeaway is you have to tie up

yourself with the delivery companies and you have to give them a big chunk of your income. you lose out 33% of that. you can't survive on that forever. you lose out on the alcohol aspect, which gives you more profit, which is nonexistent in the takeaway. you can survive on your day—to—day trade, but in the long run, it doesn't seem to help you a lot. 0k, we have got to leave it there. good look challenging times ahead. thank you very much. france has changed its rules on coronavirus cases in schools to try to keep more of them open. from today, classes in nurseries and primary schools will only be cancelled if three or more children test positive for covid—19. it is the latest in a slew of measures seen throughout the continent as countries attempt to reign in the spread of the infection. our europe correspondent gavin lee, who's in brussels, told us more.

we have heard by the who that there is an alarming spread of transmission across europe, every single european country is seeing a rise. at least since the summer period, when cases were very low comparatively. but some are much worse than others. the worse at the moment is spain, then the czech republic and then france. spain have had consecutively every second day since about august the 28th more than 10,000 cases. in the past couple of days, it has reduced to about 5000 cases. if you look at the measurement, 300,000 —— 3000 cases per 100,000 cases per capita. france has around 180 cases per 100,000 cases. madrid, as you mention, a .5 million people under easier lockdown than april or march, people cannot leave their immediate zones. there

has been a lot of protest about that. bars and restaurants can't open beyond tempi. there has a address on the premise in the czech republic who said that he got carried away over the summer and shouldn't have eased measures. the czech republic has seen more cases than ever before, even during the height of the pandemic and are now also making masks mandatory in public and children have to work masked in the classroom as well. france has also seen regularly 10,000 cases or above over the past ten days, as you mention, some of those restrictions and schools try to keep some of the schools open, but you have still got cities like paris where you have got strict restrictions in place. you have seen saturations in other cities and in hospitals too. gavin lee in brussels. a project involving 156

countries aims to get access though access for all countries for a covid—19 vaccine. the world health organization has come up it's the world's holy grail, a cure for covid. but not everyone has the resources to buy one, much less develop and distribute it, which is why the world health organization has come up with the covax project — 156 countries clubbing together to buy and fairly distribute covid—19 vaccines. together, they represent two thirds of the world's population. this is not a charity. it's in every country's best interest. we sink or we swim together. but together doesn't include the usa, which is working on its own vaccine, americans first. hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month,

and we expect to have enough vaccines for every american by april. america's absence shouldn't be a surprise. the us is leaving the world health organization because it claims the organisation is controlled by china. but china isn't involved in covax either. it's currently testing its vaccine on the military, while russia, which is also absent, starts a mass vaccination programme next month. both vaccines have raised concerns about cutting corners to win the race, neither are on the world health organization's list of vaccines that have reached the stage involving more widespread human testing. i think there are moral implications of not providing a vaccine to all the world's citizens. i think there are potentially political ramifications, or at least countries seem to think there are, some countries like russia seem to be using the vaccine as a political tool. i think there are real economic consequences too to not functioning like a world community. but the covax project's immediate problem is money. $2 billion is needed by the end

of the year to pay for the vaccine in lower income countries. so far it's raised just $700 million. it's also unclear how deals between pharmaceutical companies and participating countries will affect the project itself. lots of uncertainty, then, for a project with admirable ideals. pull hawkins, bbc news. the number of deaths related to covid—19 in the united states is approaching 200,000 people. that is the highest anywhere in the world. nearly 6.8 million of the world's 30 million infections are in the united states. the virus has killed people of colour and states. the virus has killed people of colourand immigrants states. the virus has killed people of colour and immigrants in the us ata of colour and immigrants in the us at a higher rate than they are white and us born counterparts. among the dead are more than 1000 health care workers. the headlines now on bbc news. the government urges people in england to work from home if they can, scrapping plans to get staff

back to the office. the leader of britain's opposition party asks voters who abandoned his party to ta ke voters who abandoned his party to take another look as he delivers his conference speech. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccine is fairly. china and the us declined tojoin. britain's opposition leader keir starmer has urged voters who turned away from the party has edge them he hears them. never again will the party ta ke hears them. never again will the party take you all the things you ca re party take you all the things you care about for granted, he said. vicky young explains. care about for granted, he said. vicky young explainslj care about for granted, he said. vicky young explains. i think the main thing was sir keir starmer basically saying, look, i am main thing was sir keir starmer basically saying, look, iam not main thing was sir keir starmer basically saying, look, i am not a jeremy corbyn and i am not boris johnson. he was really trying to break with the past. he talked a lot

about security, about patriotism, there was some in the labour party who felt thatjeremy corbyn was sometimes on the side of britain's enemies. he was very much criticised for that. it was striking too that the person introducing him in an otherwise empty room in doncaster was the jewish former labour otherwise empty room in doncaster was thejewish former labour mp who lost her seat at the last election, a seat of course that back exit. keir starmer did not dwell too much on the brexit issue and many will know him has a leading voice call for a second referendum. this was him trying to introduce himself to people. it is hard at the moment with the political landscape dominated by coronavirus to get his voice heard. he wanted to talk in broader terms, really, about his values at this point. he is not going to be coming up with very detailed policy areas. we need to be thinking about the questions of 2024

and the 20 305. not the questions of the past. if anything, and the 20 305. not the questions of the past. ifanything, covid has quickened the pace, the challenges we now face, meaning the questions of 2019 already seem like engine history. —— ancient history. what we share the next general election is not written yet. it will be rooted in labour values. it won't sound like anything you have heard before. it will sound like the future arriving. the trust of the british people will only be one by a party that can provide security and opportunity of work, that ends the structural flaws in our economy, that mean that working people have barely had a pay rise in a decade. that fixes the housing crisis so that young people finally have a prospect of owning their home. that understands the need for economy,

that healing the climate crisis, not contributing to it. that guarantees the security and integrity of this nation. that gives our young people the start in life they deserve and that gives our own people the dignity that they have earned and that cherishes our diversity and takes pride in a society where everyone belongs. what keir starmer has been doing in his time as leader has been doing in his time as leader has been doing in his time as leader has been really trying to attack the government for what he calls it incompetence. he wants to paint himself as the grown up in the room, really, saying that he is serious, i don't think he particularly mind the criticisms from the prime minister at premises question saying he he is loyal, he would say he is across the detail. it is worth pointing out the huge electoral challenge that the labour party faces. he was making that point today, they have lost

four general elections. they have been reduced to just one seat in scotla nd been reduced to just one seat in scotland and there was a huge swathe of seats in england in brexit supporting areas. he is not under any illusions about that. but they said moving they have got time to play out in detail things, for example, such as their spending plans. that was vicky young there. the number of reported coronavirus cases in china continues to drop. health authorities said only six people tested positive for covid—19 on tuesday, down from 12 a day earlier. while some countries across europe grapple with resurgence in infections, the city of wuhan, where the pandemic started, is slowly opening up. so, has china been more successful in curbing the spread of the disease? our correspondence has more details on how china has managed curve it's

more details on how china has managed curve its second way. more details on how china has managed curve it's second way. china has been more successful suddenly than many countries in the west. how has it done at? a mix of measures, many of them simply good common public health sense, if you like. the wide available at the of testing, the use of technology to trace people who may have come into contact with those who are positive and of course, the use of quarantines. some and of course, the use of quara ntines. some pretty and of course, the use of quarantines. some pretty strict quarantines. some pretty strict quarantine measures. anybody flying into china today automatically goes into china today automatically goes into what they call centralised quarantine, basically you are quarantine, basically you are quarantine ina quarantine, basically you are quarantine in a hotel for a couple of weeks and there is no option to do that at home. your door is closed, your meals are brought to the hotel room, normally by staff using hazmat suits. i think there are some countries now that are looking at some of that and still asking questions about what can be learned. on the other hand, of

course, it is worth saying that china has also been able to use something of a sledgehammer approach that would be much harder to emulated given the different political cultures elsewhere in the world, so, for example, a city was battling a small local outbreak in july and the role they make way that was dealt with was the whole city was dealt with was the whole city was put into a very harsh lockdown and most were confined inside their homes for the best part of five weeks with reports on social media that those who refuse to comply were actually having their doors nailed or chained shut. a real mixed bag and some of it, obviously, easier to learn from and emily than others. court in beijing has sentenced a man. a court in beijing has sentenced a man. renjrzhiqiang, once a prominent member of the ruling

chinese communist party and property tycoon, was charged with bribery and embezzlement. he disappeared from the public eye in march after criticising president xi's response to coronavirus. our shower and a corresponding define who he was and how it happened. this man was known for taking on china's senior government figures and has been given an 18 year prison sentence and a whopping fine. according to court documents, he admitted to crimes related to investment, to corruption, but critics have already said that these cuts, which are, after all, com pletely cuts, which are, after all, completely controlled by the communist party, have been used to silence a critic of the president. the man wrote an essay earlier this year which was circulated, and in it

he referred to the presidents or someone who is supposed to be the president as the emperor. for people who don't live here, they don't know how much of a red line it is to cross when you publicly say things like that about china's leader. especially given that he is not an activist, he is from the country's elite, he is a decade—long party member, one—time chairman of a state owned developer. he moves in the same circles as these senior commies party people and for him to be saying things like this about the leader of the country was not to be tolerated. so he is now being sent away for a long time. president trump seems to have secured enough support in the us senate to win approval for his nominee to the us supreme court. the seat is vacant following the death of ruth bader ginsburg on friday.

the president will make the announcement on saturday. here's our north america correspondent david willis. the political meaning of the highest court in the land has become an election issue, clipping for now at least from's handling of the coronavirus. he is moving quickly to namea coronavirus. he is moving quickly to name a successor to ruth ada ginsberg, a move that could come the —— could give the supreme court... yellow night on friday or saturday i will be announcing the pick and it is five women being looked at and vetted very carefully. five. democrats believe such a monumental decision should wait until after the presidential election, nowjust 42 days away. try and decide this at this last time, at this late moment, is despicable and wrong and against democracy. it's shoving the wishes of the hard right and the republicans who go along with them down

america's throat. but republicans hold a majority in the senate, and it seems they have the vote to confirm mr trump's nominee. the senate has more than sufficient time to process a nomination. history and precedent make that perfectly clear. president trump's shortlist includes amy coney barrett, a judge on the us circuit court of appeals, she is 48 and has previously served as a clerk for the conservative justice antonin scalia. barbara lagoa also served on the circuit court of appeals, she's a 52—year—old cuban—american, and while she is considered a staunch conservative, she received strong bipartisan support at her confirmation hearing. another name in the mix is the appeals court judge allison rushing. she would be particularly controversial because she is only 38 years old. we are actually in the middle of an election right now. people have already started voting

in virginia and north carolina, and there are long lines. so i should begin by saying it is extraordinary to think that during an election that this is what the senate would be doing and this is what this president would be doing. before the death of ruth bader ginsburg, the 9—member supreme court was already leaning to the right things to to previous appointments by donald trump. over the years, it has decided some of the biggest issues in american life, ending florida's election recount in the year 2000, a move which awarded george w bush the presidency. and in 2008, determined that civilians were allowed to keep a firearm for self—defense. we will, we will. the court's future appears to have energised voters on both sides among the issues it may soon have to decide on are abortion rights and the future of universal health care, not to mention, if it's disputed, the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election. david willis, abc news, los angeles.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: a change of advice the government urges people in england to work from home if they can, scrapping plans staff back to the office. all pubs, bars and restaurants in england will have to close from 10pm on thursday to curb the spread of coronavirus. after meeting his cabinet, the prime minister is now chairing the cobra emergency committee. he'll then set out the measures in the commons at lunchtime before addressing the country on tv tonight. the leader of the labour party urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour and attacks the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. with one of the highest death rates in the world, on the threshold of one of the deepest recessions anywhere, this government's incompetence

is holding britain back. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly china and the us decline tojoin. a fierce debate erupts over donald trump's choice for the us supreme court. the president says he wants to see his selection in place before the election. let's return to our main story now that all pubs, bars and restaurants in england must close at 10pm from thursday to help stop the spread of coronavirus and orders will be taken by table service only. the new restrictions come as the uk's covid—19 alert level moved to four, meaning transmission is "high or rising exponentially".

devi sridhar is a professor and chair of global public health at the university of edinburgh. thank you so much forjoining us here on bbc news. if pubs and restau ra nts here on bbc news. if pubs and restaurants close at ten o'clock, and if there is going to be more emphasis on working from home, is that going to be enough to curb the spread of coronavirus? that is a big question. full we need to have clear messaging for people on what they can and cannot do in terms of their daily risks, for example, if people are going to socialise, get them outside where it is so much safer. avoid indoor, crowded, unventilated areas. would you like to be more legal restrictions on socialising? you like to be more legal restrictions on socialising ?m you like to be more legal restrictions on socialising? it is a tricky one, because if you go down

the legal route you have to get involved with compliance and enforcement. people should want to do because we are in this collectively and we want to avoid a sessional dac —— second national lockdown. israel is the first developed country to go into its second national lockdown. it does require everyone to look at their interests and decide how to modify their behaviour is to avoid this transmission. this virus spread through droplets. that means you need to be in close physical contact with somebody else for a prolonged period of time to become infected. that is the simple message you need to get out there. people then can modify their behaviour. if you don't introduce legal restrictions, as you are saying, what is your message to the young particularly, who do

appear to be less affected by the virus? my two messages are, first that this can still be quite serious and young people. it is much less likely, but it is like playing russian roulette with your health. we have seen young people even in the 20 suffering from long covid. this is a multisystem disease. he could be lucky and be a systematic or be unlucky and get seriously unwell. it is not harmless for everybody. the second thing is harm mitigation. if you want to see your friends, get outside. if you want to have a party allowed by government guidance, keep the windows open, put ona guidance, keep the windows open, put on a coat. those are the little changes that means people can continue to socialise, but it is safer. some of the figures we heard yesterday from the government scientists suggesting we could get to 50,000 cases a day and

potentially, i stress that word, 200 deaths a day. do you agree with those figures? there are some scientists who say they may be exaggerated. this isjust a projection, it is not a prediction of what the future will look like. looking at what is happening in france, in spain, it is not com pletely france, in spain, it is not completely unreasonable. they are seeing their deaths increasing to over 100. they are seeing hospitalisation increasing. israel opened up quickly, so it's hospitalisation increasing. israel opened up quickly, so its number skyrocket and i has gone on to a national lockdown because their hospitals are full. we do not want the nhs becoming an covid health service again, we needed to continue doing its daily work. the numbers have to be kept low so we don't have lots of patient showing up in hospital needing care. my question would be, why focus on france and spain were cases have surged, as you

say, rather than germany and italy and even sweden, where they haven't. there are different things going on there. in germany they have a massive testing and tracing movement. it is impressive. they have put in curfews and local restrictions. i don't think it is fairto restrictions. i don't think it is fair to say that germany has done nothing, they have done quite a lot, their diagnostic capacity is remarkable. they are testing a lot of people. in sweden, they have 50% of people. in sweden, they have 50% of people. in sweden, they have 50% of people who live alone at home. they have taken a large hit in terms of deaths per capita, and a large economic hit. there are places that did not go into lockdown which have still taken these non—covid harms.

it is often the virus itself that is causing these harms, not the government measures. imagine the testing system in germany. how well do you think it is working here? u nfortu nately, do you think it is working here? unfortunately, it is not working at the level it needs to. you need to have results returned within a day. testing needs to be made available and accessible. germany has indeed used as primary care system to deliver tests. that is one thing that needs to be looked at in the future, going away from centralised testing, belted into the nhs instead, into gp practices. that is a major issue. if you have people waiting for results for a few days, it is worthless from a test and trace perspective, because you need to start tracing to see who else could be infected by that person. devi sridhar, thank you very much.

people are being advised to get a flu jab to help protect against the "double danger" of flu and coronavirus. research shows people can catch both diseases at the same time, with serious and sometimes deadly consequences.this year anyone over this year anyone over 50 in england is eligible for a jab more than ever before. our health correspondent, naomi grimley has more. prevention is always the best form of health care. that's why drive—in centres like this one in southampton will help the biggest flu vaccination programme england has ever seen. it comes as new research suggests there's a particular danger if people contract covid—19 and flu together. flu and covid—19 are doubly dangerous. they increase the risk of you having hospitalisation, being admitted to icu, and indeed increase your risk of death.

the groups which will get for free flu vaccinations in the first instance include people who were required to shield and their household contacts, people with some conditions including diabetes, heart failure and asthma, pregnant women, 2—3—year—olds, all primary school children and — for the first time — year seven pupils, and, of course, those 65 and over. later in the winter, the programme will be extended to include 50—64—year—olds. flu kills on average around 11,000 people in england every year. so gtting vaccinated will help not just individuals — but also the nhs. naomi grimley, bbc news. in the us, restaurants in new york city will be able to reopen for indoor dining at a reduced capacity from next week. earlier, we spoke to melba wilson owns a restaurant in manhattan

and is the president of the new york city hospitality alliance. she explained how her business will be affected. at our restaurant, we seek 100 and. we are looking at approximately 25 guests. again, we are happy that we are able to start indoor seating. however, at 25 people, there is no way we will be able to pay 100% of the bills by only bringing in 25% of the bills by only bringing in 25% of the income. how will you survive? it has been really, really tough. i frankly, a lot of restaurants have not survived. when a restaurant closes, it is notjust the physical space that closes. it is a plethora, a layered effect. it is the vineyards that clues, the farmers, the producers. it is our paper

distributors. we are notjust saying our restaurant physically close. we are seeing the shutdown of an entire industry. it is not balanced, we are grappling with it here in the uk, the balance between the economy and people maintaining jobs and livelihoods, and also protecting people from coronavirus. her first job of course is to protect our staff and our guests, but when we look at westchester and we look at long island and we look at connecticut and new jersey, long island and we look at connecticut and newjersey, they are open at 50% capacity. what is the difference there? our numbers have been less than 1%. new york was the epicentre for the coronavirus. right now, our numbers are below 1%. we are in conversation with the governor, as well as the mayor. we are hoping that within 30 days after

our opening date, the 30th of september, we are hoping —— hoping that well —— hoping that they will let us open up a 50% capacity. many universities are in their freshers week. students not spending what they normally do is having a further impact on the economy across the uk. aberystwyth is more student than most. aberystwyth is no average time with students. the economy is heavily influenced by them. in freshers week, you would expect many of them to be here. this is what we have done with the dance floor. pre—covid we could get up to 600 people appear, now it is more like 100. we are hoping that it will

still have a positive experience on the students as much of the can. the stu d e nts the students as much of the can. the students are vital to the economy and the businesses wouldn't survive without them. students not going out as much means places like these take on fewer localjobs as much means places like these take on fewer local jobs and as much means places like these take on fewer localjobs and are places like aberystwyth, students and education provide for thousands of livelihoods. education provides the single main employment in carrot again. where people live at university is also changing, with remote learning, especially for stu d e nts remote learning, especially for students overseas. at the end of december, start of january we often have an influx of students coming from all over. quite a lot from malaysia. we don't know if they will be allowed to come to the uk. even if you were allowed, would you? would it be better to stay where you are? what about the price that they are? what about the price that they are paying? there is a reduction in

rents of maybe £20 up to £30 a month, not massive figures. the stu d e nts month, not massive figures. the students are trying to negotiate a bit more, whereas perhaps they didn't before. the make-up of the aberystwyth student population is one of the most diverse when it comes to different parts of the uk. 30% are welsh, 50% from scotland, england and northern ireland. the university often happily described as being in the middle of nowhere, how feel to be back if restrictions tighten further? since being back, there are not a lot of students going out. if anyone is going out it is bonfires on the beach, socially distance, not big groups. it is a lot quieter at night so you don't have the night like same, you don't hear house parties, things like that which usually he would hear on a nightly basis. there are few places is picturesque to study, yet the

economy is in danger of looking quite the opposite. the headlines on bbc news: the government urges people in england to work from home if they can, scrapping plans to get staff back to the office. the leader of britain's opposition labour party asks voters who abandoned his party to "ta ke another look" as he delivers his as he delivers his conference speech. more than 150 countries sign up to an agreement to distribute future covid—19 vaccines fairly china and the us decline tojoin. american scientists say summer sea ice in the arctic this year melted to the second smallest area since records began 42 years ago. the findings are yet more evidence of the impact of global warming. richard forrest reports. the arctic, also known as the north pole, an ocean surrounded by land.

unlike antarctica, it doesn't have wind and ocean currents to keep it cold, and that makes it more sensitive to climate change, which is why the latest revelation is no surprise. this summer sea ice shrank to just over 3.7 million square kilometres, its second lowest level since they started using satellites to watch it 41 years ago. compared to the average from 1979 to 1990, the difference is twice the size of france, germany and spain combined. but less sea ice doesn't mean sea levels are rising. what it does mean is that it's a driver of climate change as well as a symptom. 80% of the sunlight that strikes the ice is reflected back into space. the dark ocean water absorbs 90% of it, that means the oceans heat up and arctic temperatures rise further. on average, arctic sea ice is declining by 12% a decade, which is why some forecasters say it

could be ice—free within 15 years. bad news for santa and even worse news for polar bears. earlier this year, one forecast said they could virtually be extinct by the end of the century. it would also certainly mean a profound shift in the nation's marine ecosystems, which is why prince charles had this message about global warming at the start of a climate week conference in new york. it is now rapidly becoming a comprehensive catastrophe that will dwarf the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. with the permafrost melting in siberia, for instance, producing dire effects on global warming. without doubt, we must now put ourselves on a warlike footing, approaching our action from the perspective of a military—style campaign. the good news is the solution is a simple one. cut greenhouse gases and stop the planet warming so quickly. the bad news is the major polluting

nations can't agree on a plan of action that does enough. richard forrest, bbc news. today is the first day of the annual meeting of the united nations' general assembly which is being held online because of the pandemic. all the speeches have been pre—recorded and will be delivered remotely. the effectiveness of the un has come into question a lot more recently as it's found it increasingly difficult to provide solutions to international problems. the european union's chief negotiator, michel barnier, is coming to london this week to discuss brexit. he is due in london on wednesday for informal brexit talks and will be here until friday. he is expected to meet on the brexit withdrawal agreement, which has been threatened by the uk's temp two override parts of the treaty, an act

which could break international law. millie bobby brown made her name playing ‘eleven' in netflix's cult sci fi series, ‘stranger things'. now at the age of 16 she has produced her own film, and it's a much more british affair. in ‘enola holmes', she plays sherlock holmes' younger sister. our entertainment correspondent colin paterson caught up millie and her on screen mum, helena bonham carter. now, where to begin? my mother named me in nola, which backwards spells alone, yet we were always together. it was wonderful. millie bobby brown, helena bonham carter, we are not short of names in this interview! tell us about enola holmes. i can't really explain her.

she is very witty and brutally honest, a young person who is going through a coming—of—age story. she has gone on an adventure. aweek has gone on an adventure. a week ago i awoke to find my mother was missing and she did not return. lam was missing and she did not return. iamon was missing and she did not return. lam on my was missing and she did not return. i am on my way to collect my brothers, microsoft and sherlock. getting to play the mum of sherlock holmes, is a role! it was fun. i have always been a sherlock holmes fan. i was only —— 18 onjury service, i took the complete works of sherlock holmes to jury service. because i thought somehow if i imbibed all of sherlock's deductive abilities and be able to read people and to code, i would be able to tell

if the man in the dock was guilty or not. did you find him guilty, what are the person done? not guilty. let's start with history. the historical perspective is the only way to begin a day. then we were at lunch. after lunch, iwould way to begin a day. then we were at lunch. after lunch, i would focus on fitness. helena, you were 19 when you find fame with room with a view. iam 107 you find fame with room with a view. i am 107 now! how difficult was it having to deal with all that happens, when you see millie having such a game at such a young age. there is part of me that definitely thought, i have been there. things are very different these days because of social media, which is both great, because you have a direct relationship with the fans,

but i also feel it is a huge pressure. it is also amazing because she does something on her instagram and she has got immediately, is a 2 million? 35 million. i have 25 followers, and she has 25 million! millie, what kind of pressure does have in 35 million followers on instagram bring? it is not that bad. igo instagram bring? it is not that bad. i go with the flow. i'm very grateful and honoured that so many people want to watch my life like that. i don't think about it for too long, just because it feted i would be there all day wondering why those people like me, or... it wouldn't be healthy for me to do that. it is

overwhelming at times, don't get me wrong, but i'm grateful for it and i love them. they are good to me. there are two parts you can take, yours, or the one that others choose for you. you play a suffragette and the film, and you do have a political background in your family because your great grandfather, herbert asquith, was prime minister. i much talk was there of him growing 7 i much talk was there of him growing up? none. not until! became so—called well— known. that was the irony. when you become well known people want to put a narrative to you, so forever i was the great granddaughter of herbert asquith for at least ten years. mum said, i did to 50% if you and there is no mention of my site. the irony was... no, it's not interesting. my

great—grandfather was not pro—suffragette, because the suffragettes were violent and at that point he was looking at home rule in ireland, he thought in order to get it through from his point of view you can use violence, so when i played a suffragette he found it very hard. the film has a strong feminist message. how difficult is it as feminist message. how difficult is itasa feminist message. how difficult is it as a female in the movie industry at the moment, are things changing? some work environments are extremely amazing and you can work with men who are extremely grateful for your voice and look at you as an equal, then some, no. thatjust comes with experience and time and you have to kind of understand that it comes

with this industry. i will quickly save that as... there is a far wider range of parts available. my mother is phoning! available to women of all shapes, sizes and ages. when i was younger it really was what you look like. i was younger it really was what you look like. lam was younger it really was what you look like. i am in was younger it really was what you look like. lam in my was younger it really was what you look like. i am in my mid—505 and i'm now asked to play all kinds of different women. they just i'm now asked to play all kinds of different women. theyjust weren't written, would phone them. ithink we are beginning to be up there in all shapes and sizes. that is jemerson, they are talking about asquith again? mum, i'm on television, i love you, i will speak to you later. i have to go, because i have to go to the parents meeting,

guys. she has got to go and be the best mum ever. the best fit mum. love you, by x! you are watching bbc news. a reminder that boris johnson will make two appearances today, to outline the new restrictions in the uk. at 12:30 he will make a statement in the house of commons. then he will address the nation this evening at 8pm. you can watch both live on the news channel. and at 3:30pm today we're going to be speaking to professor kavita vedhara and dr bharat pankhania they'll be here to answer your questions on covid—19. you can get in touch with us with your questions on twitter using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc.co.uk

before all of that, let's catch up with the weather. hello, there. astronomically speaking, it is the start of autumn today. the autumn equinox is today. we could see temperatures across eastern areas above 26 degrees through the second half of today. even further west we are about the average of between 15 and 19 degrees in most parts. by the end of the week, well below where we should be. colder air is on its way. it is all lag north—west of the waterfront at this —— of this weather at the moment. it will turn here to the rest of today. towards the afternoon we will see some of that rain spilled into northern ireland, too. elsewhere, most places will be dry a decent amount of cloud. there could be one or two showers up the west of england and wales. in the easter

sunshine will continue the longest and here the temperatures will be highest. at least the rain will be clearing in scotland and it will be brighter than today. the rain spreading across northern ireland this evening, heavy with blustery winds. skies will clear later. it will turn quite chilly. we will see sporadic showers break out to england and wales taking us into tomorrow morning. here, temperatures still holding up, the last gasp of summer “— still holding up, the last gasp of summer —— gasp of summer in the south—east. for wednesday, have summer —— gasp of summer in the south—east. forwednesday, have your bursts of rain in england and wales to begin with, brightening up through the day. scotland and northern ireland, a bad start to autumn —— not a northern ireland, a bad start to autumn —— nota bad northern ireland, a bad start to autumn —— not a bad start to autumn with some sunshine. there will be a chill in the air in the shadier moments, when the sun is overhead it should still feel pleasant at 12 or 13. at chilly nights to take a centre thursday. the next roll of the autumn dices this area of low

pressure pitching in, bringing more rain, heavy, country downpours and places, and strengthening winds. guilt is to be a deal is possible to the south and west. how far north that rain gets a bit? at the moment. the far north and west of scotland should have a bright day, although a cool day at ten to 16 degrees. through the end of the week, still some showers around on friday. for many, idry some showers around on friday. for many, i dry but cool weekend in store. david willis, abc news, los angeles.

this is bbc news. the headlines... a change of advice — the government urges people in england to work from home if they can, scrapping plans to get staff back to the office. all pubs, bars and restaurants in england will have to close at ten every evening from thursday to help curb the spread of coronavirus. after meeting his cabinet and chairing the cobra emergency committee, the prime minister will set out the measures in the commons in half an hour's time. he'll address the country on tv tonight. sir keir starmer urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour and attacks the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. with one of the highest death rates in the world, on the threshold of one of the deepest recessions anywhere, this government's incompetence is holding britain back.

advice that getting the flu jab is ‘more important than ever‘ this winter to protect against the "double danger" of flu and coronavirus. hello and welcome to bbc news. i am rebecca jones. i am rebecca jones. in the next half hour, the prime minister will set out a range of measures including closing all pubs, bars and restaurants in england at 10pm from thursday to help stop the spread of coronavirus. it comes as the uk's covid—19 alert level moved to four, meaning transmission is "high or rising exponentially".

borisjohnson's ministers have signalled a possible change of advice, where people are encouraged to work from home where possible. mrjohnson will make a statement to mps at 12:30 in the house of commons. he will then make a televised address to the nation on tv at eight o'clock this evening. in northern ireland, extra restrictions on social gatherings will be imposed from 6pm this evening. new local lockdowns to be imposed in wales, hundreds of thousands of people will also have new local lockdowns imposed later, with a warning that more areas are being monitored. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, is expected to set out new restrictions to the scottish parliament this afternoon. this latest official graph shows a sharp rise in infections across the uk. the seven—day average number of new cases per day in the last week was 3,929. this report from andy moore.

london's soho last night. a busy scene on a warm september evening. but the hospitality sector is going to feel the chill of tighter restrictions. table service only and — in england, at least — a 10pm closing time. so, what did these people think about the prospect of those changes? i think, personally, it won't make that much of an effect. maybe on the weekend, but itjust depends how long it's going to be going on for, i guess. if this needs to be done then, yeah, it needs to be done, whether we like it or not. i think it is a good idea, but, yeah... there are many in the hospitality sector who feel the industry is being unfairly targeted. i do not see the need for further enforcement and further restrictions in pubs whatsoever. we are the home of responsible socialising. and there are plenty of voices on mrjohnson's own backbenches calling for him to exercise caution and avoid doing too much to damage the economy. therejust simply

has to be a balance. we can't trade lives tomorrow to save lives today. yes, we need to meet this virus head on but, actually, we need to understand that, if you want to have first—world public services such as the nhs, you need a first—world economy that can generate the wealth to pay nurses and doctors. in downing street, the government's chief medical and scientific advisers painted a scenario where there could be 50,000 confirmed infections by the middle of october and more than 200 deaths a day a month later. if we don't do enough, the virus will take off. at the moment, that is the path that we are clearly on. and if we do not change course, then we're going to find ourselves in a very difficult problem. the chief medical officers of all four nations have now recommended the official covid alert level be raised to level four — meaning transmission is high or rising exponentially. london's mayor is hoping to be invited to this morning's meeting

of the emergency committee, cobra. and he's calling for tighter restrictions, such as the more widespread use of face masks. by these additional measures, we think we can avoid a second lockdown, which we think would be catastrophic in terms of our economy, which has still not recovered from the first lockdown. from today, tighter local restrictions are being imposed in parts of the north west and midlands. the area facing stricter regulations in south wales is also being extended from six o'clock this evening. around 14 million people in the uk are now covered by rules like this. andy moore, bbc news. let's get more from our political correspondent jess parker, she's she's at parliament, where borisjohnson will make a statement to mps soon. we know some of what he is going to say. do you think there will be more? there could be. michael gove,

the cabinet office minister this morning talked about a package of measures the prime minister would be announcing in the house of commons. now coming in the next hour, that statement. it is interesting looking at the range of measures that we know about so far. this looks like a squeezing of the breaks by boris johnson rather than an outright slamming down of them. however, having said that, the changing of emphasis in the work from home advice is significant and may frustrate some businesses who may feel that the advice has chopped and changed somewhat over recent months from some encouragement back injuly for people to go back into the office if they could and it was safe, then in august the discussion around employees and employers talking to each other about the best arrangements if possible, then talk ofa arrangements if possible, then talk of a back to work campaign as well. now the emphasis seems to be again, work from home if you can. conspicuous by its absence so far in terms of what we are hearing from the government, household mixing. you might remember yesterday the

chief medical officerfor you might remember yesterday the chief medical officer for england talked about trying to break the links of unnecessary household mixing. referring, ithink, to social interactions. we have heard before from the health secretary matt hancock suggesting that a lot of the transmission has been through social interactions. it will be interesting to see if the prime minister has anything to say about that when he addresses the house of commons in the next hour. he has faced pressure from some conservative mps to, in their view, not go to far in the limit of restrictions. some are worried about the impact on the economy and think further sections on economy ——... one conservative mp thinks the gum to still going to far and the impact on the economy could be concerning. it may be that has further persuasion to do and striking the right balance within his own party. thank you, jess. we will bring you

boris johnson's statement live thank you, jess. we will bring you borisjohnson's statement live here on bbc news. in the meantime, our correspondence is in birmingham city centre. good to see you, phil. what is like to be the impact of restrictions where you are? given that birmingham, along with neighbouring authorities in sandwell, solihull and wolverhampton today are all in additional restrictions to the rest of the country, the 10pm curfew may not have a massive add—on effect. birmingham city centre here, this is the brand—new development and you can see they are putting the finishing touches to it. new restau ra nts, finishing touches to it. new restaurants, offices, not many people coming in at the moment. traffic levels coming into birmingham during the rush—hour have kind of gone back up to close to three pandemic levels, but that is basically because people are driving in rather than catching public transport, which is way way down on

pre—pandemic levels. that is the problem in the city centre. not a lot of people are coming in during the day, and i guess that is where the day, and i guess that is where the biggest impact would be had if there were a curfew, because there are still lots of restaurants and pubs here that people do go out to at night, especially at the weekends, which would lose some of their business. that is probably the biggest impact at the moment. birmingham city centre is really quite at the moment, as a lot of big cities in the country at the moment, but those small local high streets that were struggling before the pandemic are doing well as people are staying and working from home and popping out of their local high street and shops and copy shops during the day, spending more money there. phil, many thanks. a reminder that boris johnson will make two appearances today, to outline the new restrictions in the uk. at 12:30 he will make a statement in the house of commons.

borisjohnson will be there we expect at around half past 12. stay with us for that. britain's opposition labour party leader sir keir starmer has made a direct appeal to voters who turned away from labour at the last election, saying "we hear you." in his first party conference speech as leader, he promised "never again will labour take you or the things you care about for granted." he was speaking in an online broadcast from doncaster — as our chief political correspondent vicki young explains. the theme was sir keir starmer basically saying, look, "i am notjeremy corbyn and i am not boris johnson," really trying to break with the past. he talked a lot about security, about patriotism, there were some in the labour party who felt that jeremy corbyn was sometimes on the side of britain's enemies. he was very much criticised for that. it was striking, too, that the person introducing him in an otherwise empty room

in doncaster was ruth smee, the jewish former labour mp who lost her seat the last election, a seat of course that backed brexit. keir starmer did not really dwell too much on the brexit issue and most people will know him as one of the leading voices in parliament, calling for a second brexit referendum. really, this was him trying to introduce himself to people, it is pretty hard at the moment with a political landscape dominated by coronavirus, to get his voice heard. he wanted to talk in broader terms, really, about his values at this point. he is not going to be coming up with very detailed policy areas. this is what he had to say. we need to be thinking about the questions of 2024 and the 20305. not the questions of the past. if anything, covid has quickened the pace. the challenges we now face mean that even the questions of 2019 already seem like ancient history. what we say at the next general election is not written yet.

but it will be rooted in labour values. it won't sound like anything you have heard before. it will sound like the future arriving. the trust of the british people will only be won by a party that can provide security and opportunity at work, that ends the structural flaws in our economy that mean that working people have barely had a pay rise in a decade, that fixes the housing crisis so that young people finally have a prospect of owning their home, that understands the need for an economy that's healing the climate crisis, not contributing to it. that guarantees the security and integrity of this nation. that gives our young people the start in life they deserve and that gives our older people the dignity that they have earned. and that cherishes our diversity and takes pride in a society

where everyone belongs. now, what keir starmer has been doing in his time as leader has been, really, trying to attack the government for what he calls its incompetence. he wants to paint himself as the grown up in the room, really, saying that he is serious. i don't think he particularly minds the criticisms from the prime minister at prime minister's questions calling him loyally. he would say that he is across the detail. it is worth pointing out the huge title challenge of the labour party faces. he certainly made that point today. they have lost four general elections and have been reduced to just one seat in scotland, and lost a whole swathe of seats in england in brexit supporting areas. i don't think he is under any illusions about all of that. but they certainly think they have

got time before they have to lay out in detail things, for example, such as their spending plans. time to say goodbye to viewers on bbc two. you're watching bbc news. the eu's chief negotiator michelle barney is come to london this week to discuss brexit. he is due in london on wednesday for informal brexit talks and will be here until friday. he is expected to meet on the brexit withdrawal agreement, which has been threatened by the uk's attempt to override part of the treaty. an act which could break international law. the mother of a suspended ices terrorist —— terrorist has... is seen here speaking to the bbc two years ago alongside his co—accused is

currently in us custody. priti patel agreed to provide material to the us government under what is known as mutual legal assistance. they are accused of belonging to a cell of execution in syria nicknamed the beatles because of their british accents. that's remind you of the headlines now on bbc news. the comment urges people to work at home if they can't scrapping plans to go to back to the office. sir keir starmer urges voters who abandoned his party to "take another look" at labour and attacks the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. advice that getting the flu jab is ‘more important than ever‘ this winter to protect against the "double danger" of flu and coronavirus. sport now from the bbc sport centre.

good to see you, jane. hello there. we start with covid—19, because the government is postponing the return of fa ns government is postponing the return of fans to sporting events due to start on the 1st of october. michael gove confirmed this morning that plans to gradually reduce spectators will not go ahead at this time. he said they needed to be cautious with cases of coronavirus on the rise. said they needed to be cautious with cases of coronavirus on the risem is in the nature of major sporting events that there is a lot of mingling, people look back now at the beginning of the pandemic and look at some of the major sporting events then and ask the question, why were they allowed to go ahead? well, one that we want to do now, whatever the wisdom of the decisions made then, is to look at sporting events now with caution, but of course we also recognise that sport area course we also recognise that sport are a vital part of the life of this nation and we are looking at everything we can do to support our athletes, our great clubs, through what will be a challenging time. the news will be a huge blow to small

football clu bs. news will be a huge blow to small football clubs. there are fears some will go under if they cannot welcome paying fans. the governors will be looking at the financial impact and possibly putting together a support package. the vice president of tranmere rovers says the rescue fund is vital. you will see the devastating impact on clubs and the job losses that means. it is not just thejob job losses that means. it is not just the job losses within the clubs themselves. it is also the other industries and businesses in local areas that are supported by them and survive because of them. i think the impact could be quite devastating. we have already seen macclesfield disappear in the last week and i fear that there is more to follow if some form of rescue package is not forthcoming. basketball legend michaeljordan hasjoined forthcoming. basketball legend michaeljordan has joined forces with nascar driver to form a racing

team. the news was announced on social media, saying deciding on the was easy. nascar's only full—time black driver is wallace and it is time to agitate a new audience, michaeljordan said. it was added that it was time to find a new audience. —— time to speak to a new audience. i spoke to the chair of public health the university of edinburgh who has been looking at how other countries are handling the pandemic and she said that she doesn't think that putting in additional legal restrictions is the best course of action in the uk, but said that we do need to take action now. action in the uk, but said that we do need to take action nowm action in the uk, but said that we do need to take action now. if you go down the legal route, you have to have compliance and enforcement and ido have compliance and enforcement and i do not think we want to get to the stage where we are enforcing people to do things because they are worried about fines, we should want

to do it because we are in it collectively and want to avoid a second national lockdown. other countries have started to go into, israel have become the first developed country to go into its second national lockdown. it is happening across the railed stop that requires —— it is happening across the world. it requires people to modify their behaviour to say that at least we can avoid this transmission. the virus spreads through droplets from one person to another is that means that you need to be in close physical contact with another person for a period of time, coughing, sneezing, talking, close to two the infected. that is the message we need to get out there. people need to modify their behaviour to not infect others. people need to modify their behaviour to not infect othersm you do not introduce legal restrictions, as you are saying, what is your message to the young particularly, who do appear to be less affected by the iris?|j particularly, who do appear to be less affected by the iris? i think my two messages are, first, this can still be quite serious in young

people. it is less likely, but it is like playing russian roulette with your health. we have seen young people in their 20s suffering from long covid. that means they are fatigued and have long or hard issues. it is a multisystem disease. you could be lucky and be a symptomatically unlucky and get seriously unwell. it is not harmless for everybody. the second thing is harm mitigation. you want to see your friends get harm mitigation. you want to see yourfriends get outside harm mitigation. you want to see your friends get outside and you wa nt to your friends get outside and you want to have a party and it is allowed by the government guidance, open the windows, put on a coat and keep their windows open when you are gathering. little changes we can make so people can continue as much as possible their social lives in a way that is safer. i wanted to ask you about some of the figures that we heard yesterday. they suggested that we could get a 50,000 cases a day and potentially, i stress that word, 200 deaths a day. do you agree with those figures? there are some

scientists who say they may be exaggerated. element this isjust scientists who say they may be exaggerated. element this is just a projection. it is about what could happen if other measures are not put in place. with what is happening in france and spain, it is not unreasonable. they are seeing deaths increasing over 100. they are seeing hospitalisations increase. israel, one of the best performers at the start, has seen numbers skyrocket and has had to go into a national lockdown because their hospitals are full. we do not want the nhs becoming a two —— covid health service. that was a little earlier. at 330 today, we will be speaking to a——to

at 330 today, we will be speaking to a —— to two professors who will a nswer a —— to two professors who will answer questions on covid—19. you can get in touch with us on twitter. you can also e—mail us. we look forward to hearing from you. we look forward to hearing from you. france has changed its rules on coronavirus cases in schools to try to keep more of them open. from today, classes in nurseries and primary schools will only be cancelled if three or more children test positive for covid—19. it is the latest in a series of measures seen throughout europe as countries attempt to slow the spread of the infection. our europe correspondent gavin lee, who's in brussels, has more. the world health organization say there is an alarming spread of transmission across europe and every single european country is seeing a rise, certainly since the summer period, where cases were very low comparatively. some are much worse than others.

the top worst three are spain, the czech republic, and france. spain have had consecutively every second day since about august 28 more than 10,000 cases. in the past couple of days, has reduced to about 5000 cases. but if you look at the measurements — 300 cases per 100,000 per capita, the czech republic around 193 cases per 100,000, and then france at around 180 cases per 100,000. the uk is around around the middle, 69 cases per 100,000. madrid has 8.5 million people under an easier lockdown than there was during april and march, but people cannot leave their immediate zones and there has been protests about that. but people can't gather in groups of more than six. the czech republic, there was a press conference last

night, a mea culpa address from the prime minister who said that he got carried away over the summer and got it wrong and he shouldn't have eased measures. czech republic is seeing more cases than even during the height of the pandemic and making masks mandatory again in public. school—age children have to wear masks in this classroom too. france has regularly seen 10,000 cases or above over the past ten days, as you mention, some of those restricted in schools for example trying to keep some of the schools open, but you have still got nice, lyon, the capital paris, and you have got strict resections in place. marseille has seen saturation in hospital too. the number of reported cases in china continues to drop. authorities say that only six people has tested positive for covid—19 on tuesday, down from 12 a day earlier. some countries across europe grapple with the surgeons in infections, the city of wuhan, where the pandemic started, is slowly opening up. so

has china been more successful in curbing the spread of the disease? our curbing the spread of the disease? 0ur correspondence curbing the spread of the disease? our correspondence has more details on how china has managed to curb its second way. china has been more successful tha n second way. china has been more successful than many countries, certainly in the west. how has it done at? well, it has been a mix of measures. many of them simply good common public health sense, if you like. the wide availability of testing, the use of technology to trace people who may have come into contact with those who are positive, and of course, the use of quarantine. some pretty strictly on. quarantine measures. anybody flying into china today automatically goes into china today automatically goes into centralised quarantine, basically you are quarantined in a hotel for a couple of weeks. there is no option to do that at home. you

know, your door is closed, your meals are brought to the hotel room, normally by staff wearing hazmat suits. there are some countries now that are looking at some of that and still asking questions about what can be learnt. on the other hand, of course, it is worth saying that china has also been able to use something of a sledgehammer approach that would be much harder to relate given the different political cultures elsewhere in the world so, for example, in july, a cultures elsewhere in the world so, for example, injuly, a city was battling a small localised outbreak and the way that was dealt with was the whole city, 3.5 million people, effectively put into a very harsh lockdown, most confined inside their homes for the best part of five weeks with reports on social media that those who refused to comply we re that those who refused to comply were actually having their doors nailed or chained shut. so, a real mixed bag, and some of it, obviously, easier to learn from and emulate than other bits. people are

being advised to get a flu jibe to protect against the double danger of flu and coronavirus. research shows that people can catch both viruses at the same time with serious and sometimes deadly consequences. this year, anyone over 50 in england is eligible for a jab, more than ever before. prevention is always the best form of health care. that's why drive—in centres like this one in southampton will help the biggest flu vaccination programme england has ever seen. it comes as new research suggests there's a particular danger if people contract covid—19 and flu together. flu and covid—19 are doubly dangerous. they increase the risk of you having hospitalisation, being admitted to icu, and indeed increase your risk of death. the groups which will get free flu

vaccinations in the first instance include people who were required to shield and their household contacts, people with some conditions including diabetes, heart failure and asthma, pregnant women, 2—3—year—olds, all primary school children and — for the first time — year seven pupils, and, of course, those 65 and over. later in the winter, the programme will be extended to include 50—64—year—olds. flu kills on average around 11,000 people in england every year. so getting vaccinated will help not just individuals, but also the nhs. naomi grimley, bbc news. we now return to westminster. jessica parker is there. jessica, we know he is going to announce this 10pm closing time for pubs and restau ra nts a nd 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants and the advice is to

work from home if you can. are you expecting him to save more than that? yes, you're expecting a little more. there will be a package of measures that suggests motor,. what we have heard so far overnight, the idea of this 10pm gave you four bars and restaurant in england. the initial reaction was it wasn't as far as the government might have gone or expected to go given the stark warnings we heard from top government scientists yesterday. i think, quite significantly, though, this shift from where people should go into the office or work from home over recent months, the government has moved gradually into a position of trying to encourage more people to go into their offices. they are emphasising where it is safe to do so. there was a letter to the heads of civil service saying they should aim to get 80% of civil servants backin aim to get 80% of civil servants back in the office by september on a rota basis. rowing back from matter

today by the government, now saying that if you can work from home, you should. if you still need to go into the office to actually do yourjob, you should do that. also emphasising again that those offices should be covid secure. that will be seen as point a significant shift, i think, especially after the government had talked about some sort of back to work campaign. definitely rowing back on that issue. they should be the lima could be —— there could be a backlash saying that it could could we macaws confusion. we have just got used to this rule of six, and now there seems to be more changes. what you make of the speed of the change of emphasis? we have had this debate and heard this debate quite a lot, so accusations that the government has chopped and changed, changed its messages, caused confusion, made it harderfor people to follow the rules. it is worth pointing out that a

significant moment as we see further national restrictions, but millions of people are actually living under local restrictions across the country at the moment. they will have to keep following those local restrictions as well. the government's defence in terms of when it has shifted emphasis sometimes quite soon after changing the rules beforehand has been, well, this has been a changeable situation. they have constantly poured over the data and have seen what the data project and the result of that. that is the government's defence. it is also true that when you speak to people out and about people find that the advice has been conflicting and confusing and difficult to keep up with. if you look at what is emerging today, the ten b mkv important to know the difference between what is going to bea difference between what is going to be a legal restriction and what is going to be government advice. —— 10pm restriction. there are others that are just 10pm restriction. there are others that arejust nudging 10pm restriction. there are others that are just nudging people. how much attention is there in the

cabinet about what those measurements should be? there is tension in the conservative party about whether the government should slam down the brakes a bit more in order to force the spread of the virus, which is causing a serious concern, or, and this is certainly within the conservative party, concerns that if the governance goes to far in imposing national restrictions, they will really damage the economy, the fragile economic recovery that ministers are so desperate to try and provoke. but also because wider damage to public health ever down the line if people have to follow greater restrictions, if people have to socialise less and face unemployment, the serious impact that could have on public health as well. those concerns go on. i think there will be conservatives in the party today who feel the government is still going to far with these measures, the worry about the impact on hospitality with this ten bm curfew and an industry that was so severely hit by the full lockdown. a full

lockdown is not what we are talking about. that is something boris johnson has described as the nuclear option. he absolutely does not want to go down that road and describing it as the nuclear option, he thinks it as the nuclear option, he thinks it would be very destructive. will the leader of the opposition be there? earlier today he was in doncaster addressing his virtual party conference. he will hotfoot it back to westminster today to give the labour pa rty‘s back to westminster today to give the labour party's response. the other interesting thing to watch out does is, yes, the labour party response, and sir keir starmer set if there was to be another national lockdown he believes it would be a failure of the government, the government happened prepared for the inevitable upsurge in the virus come september, and labour have been very critical of the government over

testing, keys are testing centres, people unable to book tests online. dido harding said they did not protect the surgeon demand and the capacity was not able to meet it. another point i would watch out for. matt hancock, the health secretary has talked about how the viruses being transmitted to social interactions, not by people that you don't know, but by people that you don't know, but by people that you do know, friends and family. chris whitty talked yesterday about trying to break what he described as a necessary social interactions. we haven't heard anything yet in terms of changes to the rule of six, whether five people can come in to your house and mix with you in your

household. it'll be interesting to see what borisjohnson has to say about that, given the clear warnings we have heard about how social interactions are contributing to the spread of the virus. we are seeing pictures of the house of commons chamber. boris johnson and pictures of the house of commons chamber. borisjohnson and sir keir starmer are sitting there on the government and opposition benches. while we wait for proceedings to start, a quick thought given that we are looking at the house of commons, will mps have a chance to vote on any of the measures that might be introduced today? no, but we will look ahead to the covid act will be up look ahead to the covid act will be upfora look ahead to the covid act will be up for a vote in terms of its renewal over the next week. there has been clear signs from conservative mps feel that the government is taking too draconian an approach to introducing measures. they want things to be more fully debated in parliament, stress tested, as well. they say the government has no policies would

come out in better shape if they went through the machine are parliament, debate and discussion. it is worth saying that quite a lot of the restrictions that we talk about don't come from that piece of legislation, but from an older piece of legislation. tory mps i think you're trying to make a point that they feel that to some extent they have been forgotten, neglected, ignored by downing street. the flip side of that argument is that in a pandemic, in a national crisis, the government needs to be able to act quickly, react quickly to the latest data. just to go off at a slight tangent... no, here he is. let's go straight to the commons. and how we must act now to avoid even greater consequences later on. at every stage in this pandemic we have struck a delicate balance between saving lives by protecting our nhs and minimising the wider

impact of our restrictions. it is because of the common sense, fortitude of the british people that earlier this year we were able to avert an even worse catastrophe, forming a human shield around our nhs and then getting our country moving again by reopening key sectors of our economy, returning children to school. we always knew that while we might have driven the virus into retreat, the prospects of a second wave was real. i'm sorry to say that as in spain and france and many other countries, we have reached a perilous turning point. a month ago, on average around a thousand people across the uk were testing positive for coronavirus every day. the latest figures have almost quadrupled to 3929. yesterday, the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser warned

that the doubling rate for new cases could be between seven and 20 days, with the possibility of tens of thousands of new infections next month. i wish i could reassure the house that the growing number of cases is merely a function of more testing, but a rising proportion of the tests themselves are yielding a positive result. i wish i could also say that more of our people now have the antibodies to keep the virus off, but the latest data suggests that fewer than 8% of us are in this position. it is true that the number of new cases of growing fastest among those aged 20 to 29, but the evidence shows that the virus is spreading to other more vulnerable age groups, as we have seen in france and spain, where this has led

to increased hospital admissions and, sadly, more deaths. in the last fortnight, clearly hospital admissions in england have more than doubled. tens of thousands of daily infections in october would come as night follows day, leads to hundreds of daily deaths in november and those numbers would continue to grow, unless we act. as we —— as with all respiratory viruses, it is likely to spread faster as autumn becomes winter. yesterday, on the advice of the four chief medical officers, the uk's covid alert level was reached —— raised from three up to four, meaning that the virus is high or rising exponentially. this is the moment when we must act. if we can curb the number of daily infections and reduce the reproduction rate to one, then we can save lives, protect the nhs, and

shall to the economy from the far sterner and more costly measures that would inevitably become necessary later on. we are acting on the principle that a stitch in time saves nine. the government will introduce new restrictions in england's, carefullyjudged introduce new restrictions in england's, carefully judged to achieve the maximum reduction in the r number, with the minimum damage to lives and livelihoods. i want to stress that this is by no means a return to the full lockdown of march, we are not issuing a general instruction to stay at home. we will ensure that schools, colleges and universities stay open because nothing is more important that the education, health and well—being of our young people. we will ensure that businesses can stay open and are covid compliant way, but we must ta ke are covid compliant way, but we must take action to suppress the disease. first, we are asking office workers who can work from home to do so. in

key public services and in all professions where home—working is not possible, such as construction or retail, people should continue to attend their workplaces. like government, this house will be free to ta ke government, this house will be free to take forward its business and are covid secure way which you, mr speaker, have pioneered. second, from thursday, all pubs, bars and restau ra nts from thursday, all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate at table service only, mr speaker, except for a together with all hospitality venues, they must close at 10pm. to help the police enforce this rule, that means closing and notjust calling for last orders, because simplicity is paramount. the same will apply to take a ways, though deliveries can continue thereafter. i'm sorry that this will affect many businesses just getting back on their feet, but we businesses just getting back on theirfeet, but we must businesses just getting back on their feet, but we must act to stop their feet, but we must act to stop

the virus from being transmitted in bars and restaurants. third, we will extend the requirement to wear face coverings to include staff in retail, all users of taxis and private hire vehicles, and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink. fourth, except when seated at a table to eat ordrink. fourth, in except when seated at a table to eat or drink. fourth, in retail, leisure and tourism and other sectors, are covid secure guidelines will become legal obligations. businesses will be fined and could be closed if they breach the rules. beth, now is the time to tighten up the rule of six. i'm afraid that from monday, a maximum of six 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, though up to 30 can still attend a funeral. we will now have to extend the rule of six to all adult team sports. we have to acknowledge that the spread of the

virus is not affecting our ability to reopen business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events. we will not be able to do this from the 1st of october, i do recognise the implications for our sports clubs, which are at the lights and soul of our communities. we are working urgently on what we can do now to support them. these rules, these measures, will only work if people comply. there is nothing more frustrating for the vast majority who do comply, the law—abiding majority, than the sight ofa law—abiding majority, than the sight of a few brazenly defying the rules. these rules will be enforced by tighter penalties. we have already introduced a fine of up to £10,000 for those who fail to self—isolate and such fines will not be applied to businesses breaking covid rules. the penalty for failing to wear a

mask or breaking the rule of six will double to £200 for a first offence. we will provide the police and local authorities with the extra funding they need, greater police presence on our streets and the option to draw on military support where required to free up the police. the measures i have announced all apply in england, and the devolved administrations are taking similar steps. i spoke yesterday with each of the first ministers and again today, and i thank them for their collaboration. the health of everyone in these islands depends on our common success. already, about 13 million people across england are living under various local restrictions over and above national matters. —— measures. we will continue to act on local flare—ups with local councils. i want to speak directly to those who were shielding early in the

pandemic and he may be anxious about being at greater risk. following advice from our senior clinicians, our guidance continues to be that you do not need to shield, accept on local lockdown areas, and we will keep this under constant review. i must emphasise, that if all our actions failed to bring the r number blue one, then we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower with significantly greater restrictions. i fervently want to avoid taking this step, as do the devolved administrations. but we will only be able to avoid it if our new measures work, and our behaviour changes. mr speaker, we will spare no effort in developing vaccines, treatments, new forms of mass testing, but unless we palpably make progress, we should

assume that the restrictions i have announced will remain in place for perhaps six months. for the time being, this virus is an artefact of our lives, and i must tell the house and the country that our fight against it will continue. we will not listen to those who say let the virus rip, ought to do is to urge a permanent lockdown. we are taking decisive and appropriate steps to balance saving lives with protecting jobs and livelihoods. i know all of this will have profound consequences for our constituents, so the government will give the house every opportunity to scrutinise our decisions in addition to regular state m e nts decisions in addition to regular statements and debates, honourable members will be able to question the government's scientific advisers more regularly, gain access to data

about their constituencies, cure constituencies, and join daily calls with the paymaster general. after six months of restrictions, it would be tempting to hope that the threats has faded and to seek comfort in the belief that if you have avoided the virus so far, then you are somehow immune. i have to say that it is that kind of complacency that could be ourundoing. if that kind of complacency that could be our undoing. if we fail to act together now, we will not only place others at risk, butjeopardise our own futures with the more drastic action that would we would inevitably be forced to take. no british government would press wish to stifle our freedoms in the way,

in the ways that we have found this year. yet even now we can draw comfort, some comfort from the fact that schools and universities in places of worship are staying open. shops can serve their customers. construction workers can go to building sites and the vast majority of the uk economy can continue moving forwards. we are also better prepared for a second wave, with the ventilators, the ppe, think the hospitals and 100 times as much testing as we began this epidemic with. it now falls to each of us and eve ryo ne with. it now falls to each of us and everyone us to remember the basics. wash our hands, cover our faces, observe social distancing and follow the rules. then we can fight back against this virus, shelter our economy from even greater damage,

protect the most vulnerable in care homes and hospitals, safeguard our nhs and save many more lives. i commend the statement of the house. i now call the leader of the opposition, sir keir starmer. thank you, mr speaker. iwant opposition, sir keir starmer. thank you, mr speaker. i want to thank the prime ministerfor you, mr speaker. i want to thank the prime minister for advanced site of the statements and for his telephone call last night. mr speaker, the picture presented gesture —based by the government's advisers were starting cannot be ignored. infections are rising, hospitalisations are rising, this trajectory is clear, and we know from bitter experience what happens next. so it is right that the prime minister is announcing further measures today, and we support those measures. just as we supported lockdown in march, and the more recent lockdowns, although with fierce criticism of the way the government is handling this

pandemic, when restrictions are needed the national interest lies in clear communications and cross—party support, so we will, as we have done before, encourage people to follow the government guidelines and obey the government guidelines and obey the rule of law. mr speaker, families across the country will be anxious today. many are already living under local lockdowns. many more fear that soon they will. they are worried about theirjobs, about their loved ones and whether there will be able to spend christmas with theirfamilies. they will be able to spend christmas with their families. they will also will be able to spend christmas with theirfamilies. they will also be worried that the government doesn't have a clear strategy. one day people are encouraged to work in the office, in fact more than encouraged terror openly —— openly challenged by the prime minister for not doing so, today they are told the opposite. this is a time of national crisis and we need clear leadership, so it is right the prime minister a nswer so it is right the prime minister answer a series of questions. first, the number of areas that already have localised restrictions,

including some very similar to those announced today. pubs and restau ra nts announced today. pubs and restaurants in bolton, for example, have been told to shut at ten p m for two weeks. leicester has been under restrictions for three months, yet the infections in those areas remains high. could the my —— prime minister be sure that the restrictions we announces today will be effective at suppressing the virus? if they don't work, went to see envisage other measures might be necessary? i also want to ask about the support for families and businesses. these restrictions will put further pressure is on the hospitality sector, on high streets in town centres, and people's jobs and businesses, so what emergency financial support will be made available to those that need it? there was nothing in the statement about that, there is a big gap here. will he not accept that withdrawing the furlough scheme in one fell slip would be a disaster? and at complete odds with the measures he has just

announced for up to six months? would he take up our offer to work with him, with trade unions and businesses, for a replacement scheme that works —— protectsjobs businesses, for a replacement scheme that works —— protects jobs and businesses? given the rise in infections we are seeing these restrictions are necessary, but they we re restrictions are necessary, but they were not inevitable. we want to prime minister months ago the testing needed to be fixed by the autumn. the academy of medical sciences told him the same injuly. they said testing and tracing capacity would need to be significantly expanded to cope with the increased demands over the winter. the government didn't listen, they pretend it wasn't a problem. they didn't act quickly enough. now the testing system isn't working just when we need it. we should also recognise that a second national lockdown is not inevitable. that would be a huge failure of governments, not an act of god. there is still time to prevent it. that must be a national effort. labour will do what is ever is

reasonable and necessary to save lives, protect the nhs, but the government must —— must lead a must so fast. prime minister. i am grateful for his support, though so fast. prime minister. i am gratefulfor his support, though i notice it seems to come and go. it seems to be here today. he criticises testing. he should know asi criticises testing. he should know as i have told the house many times, this country is now testing more than any other country in europe. one test for every five people. in spite of the massive increase in demand for testing, we have greatly increased the number of contacts that are being reached from the indexed cases and i think we should pay tribute to those involved in the testing operation, in spite of all the difficulties they face. he mentions the success of local lockdowns and he is absolutely right to draw attention to what happened in leicester. that was an heroic effort of local people, and it has happened in other parts of the

country, local people coming together to drive the virus down. that is what we hope to encourage across the country and that is part of strategy. he asked about what we are doing to support businesses, families and communities across the country, as if haven't already spent £160 billion to support business and jobs across the country. we will continue to put our arms around the people of this country. i am grateful for what he has said, for the support such as it is that he has offered. what i can tell him is that in putting forward the message of support, i hope he will also say to everybody in his constituency and elsewhere, that this is a balanced and a proportionate response to the crisis that we face. we are driving the virus down. that is our objective by these measures. we are also keeping the vast majority of

the uk economy going. that is our programme, that is what we intend to do. this is a package to drive down the r number, but also to allow education and jobs and growth to continue. that is absolutely vital for the right honourable gentleman to understand. i hope in his support he will communicate that to the country, as well. dame cheryl gillan. one of the most difficult decisions are prime minister has to ta ke decisions are prime minister has to take ina decisions are prime minister has to take in a democracy is to restrict our freedoms for the greater good. in the measures he has announced today, i think my right honourable friend. balance and proportionality, protecting the economy whilst reducing the risk of the virus spreading like wildfire. with this six month he has announced, what does he say to grandparents who want to live their lives before it is too late, and cannot see their families, to worried parents and families who

cannot access a test, to business owners who are facing financial ruin, and to mps who want to debate these matters in parliament before they are decided, not after, so they can help him shoulder this onerous responsibility? how can he convince all of them that he is taking the right path and unite country within hope ——i right path and unite country within hope —— i hope to an end to this misery? if she is entirely right that parliament should and will debate these issues and we will make time early next week in government time early next week in government time for a full debate on this measures. ian blackford. cani measures. ian blackford. can i thank the prime ministerfor advanced site of his statement. we have reached a critical moment. the virus has not gone away. it is not going away. it remains as deadly as ever. i welcome the fact that

following calls this weekend for my first minister, a foreign nation cobra meeting has taken place this morning. we have all witnessed the worrying rise in cases over the last number of weeks and we have all witnessed the worrying rise in cases over the last number of weeks a window the consequences society will face if it continues to grow at the same rate, but we must be clear about one thing. if we take direct right actions now, there is nothing inevitable about the exponential spread of this virus. if we act decisively, if we move sharply, if we ta ke decisively, if we move sharply, if we take a very tough decisions now, we take a very tough decisions now, we can get the virus back under control. we can minimise the time we all spent under new restrictions and, most importantly, we can save lives. mr speaker, today governments across the poor nations are rightly asking citizens to make more sacrifices to protect our collective health. in return for the sacrifices, it is only right that citizens are provided with financial

support. we are nowjust a few short weeks away from the end of the furlough scheme. analysis from the scottish government has already shown that extending the scheme by eight months could save around 61,000 jobs in scotland. france, germany and ireland have already extended theirjob retention schemes into next year, but the prime minister and chancellor have rigidly refused to extend furlough. we all know that u—turns on mixed messaging have come to define this government. the tenthjuly, the plan —— prime minister said go back to work if you can. on the 14th of august the chancellor said it was crucial that we do our bit, such as going back to our place of work. on the 27th of august, government sources said go back to work or risk losing your job. the prime minister has changed his advice this morning on working from home. it is now time to change his mind on furlough as well. today

i have one question, and it is a question that 61 and toys —— 61,000 employees in scotland are asking, they deserve an answer. will this government now save these jobs and extend the furlough scheme beyond october? prime minister, do not throw workers on the scrapheap through no fault of their own. there was a great deal in his question that i agree with. he is right that we need to take decisive action and iam we need to take decisive action and i am grateful for the collaboration that we have all been engaged in across the uk. our objective is to keep businesses going, and to keep the economy moving as much as we can. and to allow people to go back to work where they must, but also to work from home if they can. it is very, very clear what the choices are and what the guidances. of course we will continue to support businesses, we will continue to

support people who face challenges because of coronavirus throughout the united kingdom and i would remind him that in scotland alone, the barnett consequentials up the support i think are now well over £5 billion. across the whole of the uk and the devolved administrations, about £12.6 billion. we will continue to send that support throughout the whole of the uk, to put our arms around the whole of the workforce of the uk and to protect jobs and livelihoods, but we also wa nt to jobs and livelihoods, but we also want to see is those business is continuing and jobs being created. i support the measures announced today and the prime minister decided with a heavy heart but with all the evidence from south korea, singapore, and other countries, is that early decisive action now is the best way to avoid a full lockdown later. i want to ask about testing. we have triple capacity

since may and will double