tonight at ten — a quarter of the uk will be under local lockdowns by this weekend, as millions more people face tighter restrictions. liverpool is one of a number of areas in northern england where people will be banned from socialising anywhere indoors with other households. the responsibility, the problem, is not coming from the hospitality sector and yet and still we're the ones being absolutely hammered. the most important thing that you can do, it's do that, you know? the restrictions are in place but it's not to be restricted by them as such, it's to move with them. meanwhile a major study suggests that the rate at which the coronavirus is spreading in england may be slowing down. we'll have the latest on that, and all the new restrictions across the uk. also on the programme tonight... i'm going to focus my comments

on the economic health of my constituents this evening. calls for the mp margaret ferrier to resign after she travelled from scotland to westminster by train, having had a covid test — then back the next day having discovered she was positive. almost 2000 migrants reached the uk by boat last month alone. now ministers are said to be considering plans to house asylum seekers on disused ferries off the coast. and the protestors being removed from woodland in buckinghamshire on the planned hs2 rail route. and coming up later in sport on bbc news, action from the europa league as tottenham, celtic and rangers look to seal their spots in the group stages of the competition. good evening. a quarter of the uk's population will be under some sort of local

lockdown by this weekend, after new restrictions were announced for two million more people in northern england. the health secretary for england, matt hancock, said the disease was "spreading fast" in some areas and was "highly localised". he described the new rules as challenging, but necessary. the latest areas affected from saturday are liverpool city region, warrington, hartlepool and middlesbrough. an average area in england has 28 cases per 100,000. but in knowsley, for instance, there are 262 cases per 100,000 people there. the new restrictions mean it will be against the law to mix with other households — whether you're at home, in your garden, or in a pub or a cafe. flout those rules and you could be fined. there's also guidance which says you're advised not to mix with other households in pub gardens, parks or at sporting events. our special correspondent ed thomas is in liverpool for us tonight. ed.

yeah, tonight, sophie, a clearer picture is emerging across the uk. increasingly large parts of the north of england are coming under tighter and tighter restrictions. today, people here were told they we re today, people here were told they were next. no surprises though, because for 48 hours liverpool has waited to hear what's going to happen to stop this spread and rise of coronavirus cases. the mood music has changed. new coronavirus laws are coming to merseyside. households will be banned from mixing inside pubs and restaurants. i lost my husband last year, i am now faced with the possibility of losing my home and my business. is that close for you? it could get that close. anna runs an independent pub. she has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in this business. say we get a group of four, five, six people in, we have now got to ask them to show proof of where they all live as well. do you understand, cases are rising? people are worried. absolutely and we all have to take a great deal of responsibility,

but i think if you look at the hospitality sector in general, we are not responsible for the rises in cases. this is an industry worth billions of pounds to the liverpool city region. the leisure, creative and cultural sectors support 50,000 jobs here. we are looking at the scale ofjob losses in liverpool not seen since the 19805. some worry that these new rules will have a devastating effect. so, we have taken 20 years to build our city and regenerate our city and we are just throwing that away. why? nobody has told me what the endgame is here. the fear is that coronavirus cases keep on rising. politicians here call these new rules a step in the right direction, desperate to bring down cases. did you call for all pubs and bars to be shut? that was something that was discussed on monday night, when we met with the chief medical officer. it depends on what the science tells us, if the science says that we have to go further, we will go further and we will

support further measures. but we want to see the evidence and it is no good just us guessing on what might be the right restrictions. there is also a call for compensation here, to avoid this. to keep restaurants open, to savejobs. i used to work in the hospitality industry. it has been decimated by this. robert lost his job during lockdown. he is now 55 and out of work. are you worried for the future? where it is all going to end? at the moment, i think the future is bleak. as regardsjobs, industries, and i think, i don't think we have seen the worst of it yet. jobs are at risk, so too our lives. as coronavirus cases keep on rising across merseyside. we need to be able to create an environment that is warm, welcoming, makes people feel safe, allows people to have fun. chelsea only opened this restaurant two weeks ago. she supports these new rules. the restrictions are in place, but we are not being restricted by them as such, we want to move

with them, to go hand in hand, to build it into the great work that people are doing anyway. but there is a warning here tonight. if coronavirus cases cannot be controlled, tougher restrictions could still come in. ed thomas, bbc news, liverpool. middlesbrough is one area where tighter restrictions have been imposed. fiona trott‘s there. the reaction? well, councils here wa nted the reaction? well, councils here wanted tougher measures but they didn't want them to go this far. the area covered by these tougher restrictions is widening. already here in the north—east of england around 2 million people are adjusting to the new rules. now, after midnight on friday, around a quarter of a million more will be joining them. middlesbrough and stockton, middlesbrough and hartlepool councils didn't ask for these measures but they wanted a household only ban and that was based on local data which suggested

in september around 80% of cases which were positive were people who'd been exposed to the virus at a home. what hartlepool and middlesbrough councils were concerned about was that any measures that went beyond that in this part of the uk, which has some of the most deprived areas, it would be damaging for the local economy and for people's mental health, but what today's announcement has shown is that local authorities do not have the power to cherry pick what measures they want. central government has announced a support package of £7 million, but the mayor here, andy preston, has said today, we defy the government and do not accept these measures. fiona, thank you. meanwhile, in northern ireland, hospitality venues in londonderry and strabane are to be placed under new coronavirus restrictions. restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway and outdoor dining. and people will be urged to limit their use of public transport and work from home if possible. households across northern ireland

are already barred from mixing indoors in private homes. new coronavirus restrictions came into force for four more council areas in north wales this evening. people living in conwy, denbighshire, flintshire and wrexham now cannot leave or enter the area without a "reasonable excuse", such as work or education. the restrictions — the same as those seen in most of south wales — means another half a million people in wales are now living under tighter measures. from saturday, people travelling to the uk from turkey and poland will have to self—isolate for 1a days on arrival. the caribbean islands of bonaire, st eustatius and saba have also been added to the quarantine list. the transport secretary grant shapps said people who repeatedly fail to comply with quarantine regulations could now be fined up to a maximum of £10,000. the government is using emergency powers under the coronavirus act to require schools in england to provide the same lessons online

to pupils self—isolating at home, as those provided in the classroom. it comes after official figures showed one in six secondaries in england were partially closed to some pupils. the government says it's simply formalising pupils' right to remote learning. there are calls tonight for the mp margaret ferrier to resign after she admitted travelling by train from scotland to london after developing covid symptoms and then returning home the next day after testing positive. the first minister nicola sturgeon said it was "utterly indefensible" and margaret ferrier has tonight been suspended from the snp. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is in westminster for us tonight. there is real anger at westminster about margaret ferrier‘s actions. 0ne about margaret ferrier‘s actions. one person here has been told to self—isolate has a close contact. margaret ferrier has been thrown out of her party and she is facing calls 110w of her party and she is facing calls now to stand down as an mp,

including from some in the snp. i'd like to start by paying tribute... the snp's margaret ferrier in parliament on monday. she was speaking ina parliament on monday. she was speaking in a debate on coronavirus, but tonight she's been suspended by her party and is facing calls to quit parliament for breaking the rules around covid. 0n quit parliament for breaking the rules around covid. on saturday, margaret ferrier showed symptoms and took a test in scotland. she should have self isolated. but on monday she travelled to london, saying she felt better. 0n she travelled to london, saying she felt better. on monday evening in westminster her result came back positive hunt on tuesday morning, despite being required by law to self—isolate she travelled back to the west of scotland on a train. tonight, margaret ferrier tweeted a statement in which she said, i apologise unreservedly for breaching covid—19 restrictions by travelling this week when i shouldn't have. there is no excuse for my actions. there is no excuse for my actions. the snp say they only found out

margaret ferrier had travelled whilst positive today, and tonight she was suspended by the party. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon was clearly furious, tweeting, this is utterly indefensible. it's hard to express just how angry i feel on behalf of people across the country making ha rd people across the country making hard sacrifices every day to help beat covid. 0ne snp mp said she should resign fuzzy and i certainly think her position is untenable. you think her position is untenable. you think she should resign? we are asking people to follow strict guidance and if a member of parliament can't do that they have to reflect on their position. there is disbelief not only an mp would travel after showing symptoms but that they would then travel back to another part of the country knowing they had the virus, especially when there is a legal requirement to self—isolate after a positive test. some mps now believe margaret ferrier‘s position in parliament is untenable. 0ne snp mp told me tonight she had been dangerous, stupid and selfish. margaret

ferrier‘s office didn't respond to those comments tonight and a few months ago she was highly critical of boris johnson's months ago she was highly critical of borisjohnson‘s aide dominic cummings when he travelled to the north of england during lockdown. dominic cummings did undermine public trust in lockdown rules. the scottish conservative leader said she should stand down. it's undermining the whole message of the scottish government, the uk government, and it has put people at risk, travelling hundreds of miles with symptoms and then with a covid test result. at every turn there was an opportunity for margaret ferrier to minimise the risk to others and she ignored that, so she has to go. police scotland said tonight they we re police scotland said tonight they were looking into the circumstances and margaret ferrier faces pressure to quit parliament altogether. nick ea rd ley, to quit parliament altogether. nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. the latest government figures show that the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is slightly lower than yesterday, with 6,914 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period.

that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 6,260. and as new cases have climbed, so have daily hospital admissions, with 373 people being admitted on average each day over the past week. this number doesn't include scotland. 59 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test — again slightly lower than yesterday. that means on average in the past week, 43 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 42,202. a major study suggests that the rate at which the coronavirus is spreading in england may be slowing down — that's after the last few weeks of rapid growth. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has been taking a detailed look at the numbers. this is a huge enterprise. every month, 150,000 people from every corner in england

are chosen at random to receive a home coronavirus swab kit. it enables researchers to get an accurate picture of the amount of infection in the community. including among those with no symptoms. the last samples were collected this weekend, and interim results show the virus has been spreading fast. the survey estimates that one in every 200 people in england is currently infected with coronavirus. that's four times the level ofjust a month ago. prevalence is highest among the 18—24—year—olds, among whom one in 100 is thought to be infected. but it's rising across all ages, with a sevenfold increase among the over—65s — the group most at risk from the virus. since a low point in early august, cases of covid—19 have been rising throughout england, and going up fastest

in the north west and north east. but those analysing the data have found something less gloomy — the speed of growth seems to be slowing down. you can think about an epidemic curve as being a hill. we've been going up a really steep section of the hill. the little bit of good news in the results we found today is that maybe it's not quite as steep. but that's really not enough. we need to be going downhill, and we really need to get to the bottom of the hill, like we were in the summer. india full as for r, the virus reproduction number, that's still above one, which means the epidemic is growing. but the study team think it's not as high as it was, meaning the rise in cases is more gradual. the study published today shows us hope that together we can crack this, and the more people follow the rules and reduce their social contact, the quicker we can get

liverpool and the north east back on their feet. the challenge will be to motivate people to socially distance throughout the winter — the season when respiratory viruses spread more easily — and to do it while keeping schools open and the economy afloat. fergus walsh, bbc news. i'm nowjoined by our health editor, hugh pym. so, millions of people will be under some sort of local lockdown by the weekend. there are plans afoot to make it simpler, almost a traffic light system, so we understand it better. yes, plans have been circulating in whitehall for a couple of weeks and we understand they are complete and could be rolled out —— michael rolled out in a couple of weeks but not signed off i’ow. a couple of weeks but not signed off row. the idea is to end the system where you can have confusion with one set of restrictions and another not far away with something com pletely not far away with something completely different. the thought is

you go to a regional system for england and take a tiered approach based on risk. the bottom tier, the first year as it would be called, would be based on national restrictions as they are now, like the rule of six with nothing extra on top of that, if it is higher risk, not based on the higher infections but the rate at which they are accelerating, the second tier, a ban on mixing households, indoor venues, pubs, the sort of things in the north—east and liverpool and the highest risk would be the third tier. if a region is in that one, there would be a widespread lockdown, everything but schools and essential shops basically closed. it does not appear that there is a region out falls into that category yet. it is all about targeting localised outbreaks. chris whitty said yesterday it is very different now to what it was in march, these are localised, particularly in the north—east of england and that is why you would

have this approach with different types of restrictions in different regions. it has not been completely finalised and one thing is certain, new national restrictions have not been ruled out. thank you. almost two thousand migrants reached the uk by boat last month alone — according to new figures — that's more than in the whole of last year. now ministers are understood to be considering plans to house asylum seekers on disused ferries moored off the british coast, while their claims are assessed. our home editor mark easton has more. a combination of the pandemic and the arrival of thousands of migrants in dinghies this summer has put so much pressure on the home office asylum system that civil servants and ministers have been considering housing some offshore. a recent government brainstorming session included discussion on whether it was feasible to move asylum seekers to ascension and saint helena, thousands of miles away in the middle the atlantic. this was in the realms of cloud cuckoo land. can you just confirm whether or not civil service time was actually spent investigating something

where you couldn't even land an aircraft? no decisions have been taken, no final proposals have been put to ministers or to anyone else. this is in the realm of the brainstorming stage of a future policy. another idea discussed by ministers was to hire disused ferries, as the home office did in 1987 when reception centres were overwhelmed by the arrival of tamil refugees. already this barracks in folkestone is being used to house asylum seekers, as are 91 hotels, including this one in glasgow, which has seen protests over conditions. 56 asylum seekers tested positive for coronavirus at this birmingham hostel, which was closed earlier this month. more than 9,500 asylum seekers are currently in hotels in 50 local authorities because virus restrictions have reduced official accommodation. 122 of those migrants have tested positive for covid—19 and around 750 are currently in isolation. the idea of processing

asylum applicants offshore is a reality in australia, where the island of nauru is used to keep migrants outside national territory while their claims are investigated. we will replace the asylum system in its entirety with offshore processing of all claims to deter all but genuine claims for protection from persecution. over the last two decades, both the conservatives and labour have looked at ways to move asylum seekers offshore, but it's always proved legally and practically challenging. it is another one of the government's crazy schemes. i don't think it will come to anything. we used prison ships in the victorian era and there's a reason that we don't do that any more. it's because it's not an acceptable way to keep fellow human beings. with weather conditions worsening, it's likely the number of asylum seekers crossing the channel will be much reduced, a chance for the home office to draw breath and find realistic solutions to a familiar challenge. mark easton, bbc news.

the european union has started legal proceedings against the uk, saying the government's controversial plan to over—ride parts of last year's brexit divorce agreement break international law. katya adler's in brussels, could it have an impact on current trade talks? well it does not help improve the atmosphere. i think it is very important to realise here, from the point of view of the eu what it did and did not do. yes, it launched legal proceedings today but it has not walked out the door on the trade negotiations and whine out if it is so incensed about the internal market bill? for three reasons, first because of the blame game, the eu does not want to be the first one to walk out of negotiations, it also does not —— it once a deal and it also believes that if the deal is found it will go a long way to allaying concerns of the government

reflected in the internal market bill and the eu hopes that that will make the difficult parts of the bill obsolete. now we have to see what follows, whether they can reach those difficult compromises because this is the end part of the negotiations. we have heard positive noises coming out of the uk, the eu is more cautious and that is because compromise is tricky for both sides. thank you. one of the moments during this week's us presidential debate that sparked the most headlines was when donald trump failed to condemn white supremacist groups in particular one called the proud boys. he instead called out left—wing demonstrators who've taken to the streets in cities like portland in oregon where the violence and destruction of properties has become a big election issue. aleem maqbool‘s report — from portland — contains some flashing images. it's become the us capital of radicalism. most american cities have seen some demonstrations this year, but here they haven't stopped.

and it's become a huge election issue. well, this is what almost every night has looked like, here in downtown portland, in the four months since the police killing of george floyd in minneapolis, and there have been many flashpoints of violence. some feel over—aggression by the security forces has exacerbated tensions, but the white house says this isn't demonstrating about racial justice, just rioting by anarchists or antifa. a riot is the voice of the unheard. so if you don't want riots, maybe you should listen. it's not antifa in the streets. it's the people in the streets. it's the people that are being pushed around, the people that deserve life, they're in the streets. but it has led to loss of life. in late august, a large convoy of trump supporters drove past the protesters in portland, some firing paintballs at them.

later that day one trump supporter from a far—right group was shot dead. it's partly why the neo—fascist group the proud boys earlier this they'd predicted thousands would attend. in the end it was a few hundred. some who travelled far to be here told me they were looking for confrontation. this is an american city. i'm still an american and i see my brothers and sisters living here in portland dealing with this on a daily basis, and i want to help them, and that's why we're here. we're here to shut down this violence and bring awareness, national attention. hopefully donald trump sees this. in the debate, when asked to condemn the actions of white supremacists, the president could only manage this. what do you want to call them? give me a name. white supremacists, proud boys, right—wing militias. proud boys, stand back and stand by, but i'll tell you what, i'll tell you what, somebody's got

to do something about antifa and the left... the proud boys have revelled in his response. back in portland, at the same time as the proud boys gathering was a black lives matter rally. it's those here who've been taking to the streets night after night. many americans support their efforts to bring about change, but for many others these scenes are making them all the more determined to vote for donald trump. aleem maqbool, bbc news, in portland. the duke and duchess of sussex have called for the end of what they call "structural racism" in an interview to mark black history month. prince harry and meghan said there had been changes in the uk in the past 30 years but "sufficient progress had not been achieved". they were speaking to the london evening standard newspaper as they highlighted leaders in the uk's black community. there's widespread outrage in india

after a 19—year—old woman died after she was allegedly gang raped by four men in the northern state of uttar pradesh. she died in hospital in delhi a fortnight after the attack. tougher laws against rape in india have been brought in, but the country's still struggling to tackle sexual violence against women. a warning — some viewers may find this report from our india correspondent yogita limaye distressing. the last video of maneesha in which she says she had been gang raped and assaulted. her spinal—cord had been damaged, she was paralysed and a week later she died. the 19—year—old belonged to the dalit cast, at the bottom of hindu social hierarchy. she was attacked in these fields, allegedly by four men who belong to an upper caste. i found her unconscious,

her clothes had been torn and she was bleeding. the men who did this should be hanged, said her mother. serious questions are now being raised about the investigation. the family alleges police delayed arresting the accused and that they cremated her body hastily without them. her mother pleaded to get one last glimpse of maneesha, but she was not allowed. here, a local official is seen telling her father, the media will be here a few days, after that only we will be here, so you decide what you want to do about your statement. many see this as intimidation. authorities have denied the allegations. and today, a senior policeman said that according to a forensic report, they had not found evidence of rape. it is unclear, though,

when the samples were taken. the brutality of the case has reminded many of december 2012 when a delhi student was gang raped on this bus. her death sparked mass outrage. the government, led then by the current opposition congress party, was forced to pass tougher rape laws. today, congress leaders were on the streets, marching against india's ruling bjp party, but they were stopped by police. this is rahul gandhi, the most prominent opposition face in the country. prime minister narendra modi has called for strict action against the accused, but protests have been taking place in parts of india and many believe the government is worried that it could spiral out of control. yogita limaye, bbc news, tributes have been paid to the 19—year—old actor archie lyndhurst —

the son of the only fools and horses star nicholas lyndhurst — who has died after a short illness. he starred in the cbbc comedy so awkward and in the sitcom bad education as jack whitehall‘s younger self. nicola sturgeon has denied that her government is obstructing the alex salmond inquiry, which is looking at the scottish government's handling of sexual harassment allegations agaisnt the former first minister. during angry exchanges at first minister's questions in the scottish parliament, nicola sturgeon said it was outrageous that she was being accused of not answering questions. 0ur scotland editor sarah smith reports. with her government under pressure to produce information, to date nicola sturgeon herself was accused of breaking her word after promising to provide whatever material was requested by the salmond enquiry. two years ago nicola sturgeon told the media with regards to the salmond case, i relish the prospect to answer all and every question. well on today's performance, the question is when can she start?

first minister. 0k. it is outrageous that i am in a position right now of having given written evidence to this committee two months ago, it has not been published, that is not down to me, i have not been invited to give evidence to the committee and yet i am somehow being accused of not being prepared to answer questions. alex salmond was acquitted in march of 13 charges of sexual assault. the parliamentary enquiry at the heart of this row is looking into where the scottish government went wrong when it was investigating claims of sexual harassment against alex salmond, a process that was found to have been procedurally flawed. the convener of the salmond enquiry turned up the heat this week when she said she was completely frustrated with the obstruction she was experiencing. tory msp 0liver mundell was ejected from the holyrood chamber yesterday after refusing to withdraw a claim that miss sturgeon had lied to parliament. nicola sturgeon has volunteered

to give oral evidence any