tonight at 10:00 — labour says the time has come for a swift lockdown in england to bring the pandemic under control. the labour leader keir starmer said a so—called circuit—breaker of two to three weeks was the best way to avert a much bigger problem in the depths of winter. if we act now, if we follow the science and break the circuit, we can get this virus under control. if we don't, we could sleepwalk into a long, bleak winter. official documents have revealed that government scientific advisers called for a short lockdown some three weeks ago, but ministers say they chose a more targeted approach. this pandemic remains a formidable threat.

our strategy is to supress the virus, supporting the economy, education and the nhs until a vaccine makes us safe. we'll have the latest on measures to contain the pandemic, including in liverpool where they're facing the toughest restrictions. also tonight... the jobs hit, especially in hospitality, as unemployment in the uk rises to its highest level for more than three years. and we will make america great ain! and we will make america great again! thank you, florida! back on the campaign trail, president trump speaks in the key state of florida less than two weeks after he tested positive for coronavirus. and in eastern russia the story behind the award—winning image that took several months to capture. and coming up in the sport on bbc news, portugal lose their captain as cristiano ronaldo tests positive for coronavirus after featuring against world champions france in paris.

good evening. as boris johnson's government struggles to control the rising rate of coronavirus, the labour leader sir keir starmer says the time has come to impose a short lockdown of two to three weeks, what's being called a ‘circuit—breaker‘, throughout england. sir keir said the mix of measures imposed by the prime minister were not working and that another course was urgently needed. official documents reveal that government scientific advisers called for a short lockdown some three weeks ago but their advice was rejected by ministers. labour's backing for a lockdown is a significant change in the debate on tackling the pandemic as our deputy political editor vicki young reports. coronavirus cases on the rise, hospitals under pressure. liverpool faces new restrictions from midnight. we have got the spirit. households won't be allowed to mix, but shops, restaurants, schools and workplaces

will stay open. the government's scientific advisers privately recommended three weeks ago that it was time to go much further. and today, the labour leader backed their plan for a national circuit breaker, a short period when all hospitality and leisure venues would shut. for months, sir keir starmer has broadly supported the government's approach. that came to an end with this direct message for the prime minister. you know that the scientific evidence backs this approach. you know that the restrictions you introduced won't be enough. you know that a circuit breaker is needed now to get this virus under control. you can't keep delaying this and come back to the house of commons every few weeks with another plan that won't work. he says the test and trace system isn't working effectively and that is hampering the return to normality. you are now talking about a return

to a blanket national approach. isn't this going to be a huge cost to the economy and isn't it better to have a tailored approach for every single region? i think the damage to the economy will be caused by weeks and months of the approach the government has set out. this will break the circuit, bring the r rate down. and here in wales, where labour is in charge, the administration is also putting pressure on the prime minister to discuss a uk—wide approach to tighter restrictions. i ask the prime minister for an extra, special cobra meeting, specifically to discuss the circuit breaker idea. some senior ministers did argue for this circuit breaker idea, a short, sharp lockdown over half term, to try to stop the virus spreading. but they were overruled amid concerns about heaping even more damage on an economy already battered. ministers admit there are difficult months ahead, and in the commons, defended the approach

they are taking. governments of all different stripes, political persuasions, have all come to broadly the same conclusion which is it is necessary to restrict socialising because that way, we reduce the transmission with the least damage to education and the economy. but many conservative mps disagree, pointing to the economic damage the restrictions are already causing. we have to get the country back to work. we simply cannot go on bailing out businesses. we are going bankrupt. there is no silver bullet, and without one, although difficult, we must learn to live with the virus. the continued peaks and troughs are unsustainable. the prime minister is being pulled in different directions, and there are serious repercussions to every decision he makes. across the uk, politicians are really grappling with what to do

next and a worsening situation. tonight, in stormont, the northern ireland executive having late—night talks to decide whether to bring their own version of a circuit breaker in. yeah, borisjohnson has decided to stick with a local, flexible approach. they think different areas will need different things. and there are plenty of conservative mps very wary about the whole idea. they think 2—3 weeks of a lockdown could become far longer, with all of the consequence that entails. borisjohnson with all of the consequence that entails. boris johnson is with all of the consequence that entails. borisjohnson is getting lots of advice, lots of ideas and suggestions. nobody can be sure that any of them will work. thank you. as we've heard, it was three weeks ago when the uk government's own medical and scientific advisers were calling for a short lockdown in england. documents released from a meeting of sage, the scientific advisory group for emergencies, said an immediate circuit breaker was the best way to control cases and slow the spread of the virus. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh has more details.

the sage documents warned of catastrophic consequences unless rapid action was taken to bring the r number down. it's currently i.2—i.5, which means every ten infected people are passing the virus to between 12 and 15 others. the strict measures we know will reduce the prevalence, and the danger of introducing measures that are not strict enough is they're still economically damaging and still damaging to personal freedoms, but the prevalence keeps rising. the scientific advisers wanted a two—week circuit breaker lockdown with an order for people to stay at home. they thought this would bring the r number below one, but would have a short—term impact, perhaps reversing the epidemic by 28 days. 0ne recommendation that has been introduced is that anyone who can should work from home. the scientists think this could reduce r by up to 0.4, and they believe the advice should

remain in place indefinitely. sage also called for all university lectures and tuition to be moved online. they think that could reduce r by up to 0.5, but not if students remain in their term time accommodation. the scientists also wanted the closure of all pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms, leisure centres and hairdressers. they say these would have a more modest impact on suppressing the epidemic. the sage committee warns that a circuit breaker would have negative impacts, especially on the poorest in society. ministers will also be assessing the detailed economic consequences. sage is advising them on the medical science, the epidemiology and the behavioural side of these things. they will also be taking into account economic questions, they'll be thinking about what the government and the country can afford

and they'll also be thinking about things from a political perspective. unless radical restrictions are imposed, sage warns there could be 3000 hospital admissions a day in the uk by the end of the month, the same as the peak in early april. their view is the action taken so far is simply not enough to rein in the virus. fergus walsh, bbc news. the latest official figures show another rise in new infections. 17,231; were recorded in the latest 24—hour period, up from just under 14,000 recorded yesterday. it means the average number of new cases reported per day in the past week is 14,973. hospital admissions have also increased, on average 658 people were being admitted every day over the past week. this number doesn't include scotland. 143 deaths have been reported,

that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. it means on average in the past week, 82 deaths were announced every day. that takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 15,018. 0ur medical editor fergus walsh is here. when we see those figures, and clearly some of them are startling, what should viewers make of them? well, it's the highest daily death toll sincejune. well, it's the highest daily death toll since june. the well, it's the highest daily death toll sincejune. the trend is very much up. i have to tell you, we are going to see further increases in covid—related deaths in the coming weeks. in a sense, they are locked in because many of them will be people who got the virus three or four weeks ago, and we are seeing the epidemic doubling in size every 7-14 the epidemic doubling in size every 7—14 days. the only question is, how high will they go? we are a long way from the thousand daily deaths we

had in april. the average age of those dying from covid is 82. the average age of those going into intensive care is 60. the concern is that as hospital staff to fill up with covid patients, it will begin to have an impact on non—covid care, on operations and diagnostics. 0ne thing in those sage documents that i wa nt to thing in those sage documents that i want to point out is an absolutely damning critique of the government's test and trace system. it calls it having a marginal impact on reducing the spread of the virus and says it will further decline unless it grows at the same rate as the epidemic. 0k, fergus, many thanks again. fergus there, our medical editor. the government's new tiered system of alerts for england comes into force tomorrow. most of england will be put on the medium level, where the rule of six, and the 10pm hospitality curfew will both apply. some areas will be put on the high level —

which means there'll be no household mixing indoors, but the rule of6 will apply outdoors. the most severe level is very high. that means no mixing of households indoors or outdoors. pubs and bars will close unless they provide what's called ‘a substanial meal‘. so far, the liverpool city region is the only area being put on this highest tier. from there, our health editor hugh pym reports. liverpool's tourism is still going — for now — but the city region's facing up to the most extensive restrictions of people's everyday lives in england. so, how has the decision been reached, and why not manchester and some other urban centres as well? one of the key issues is how many people are picking up virus infections. if you look at the number of daily cases per 100,000 of population, here's what's been happening in liverpool since the middle of september, the seven—day rolling average. and here's what's been happening in manchester, slightly lower but rising sharply, and then with a bit of a downward trend over the last week.

the age of those who get the virus is important, with older people more likely to become seriously ill. liverpool's demographics don't help here. we're seeing widespread community transmission of the virus here in liverpool. the city council health spokesman explained the problem they were facing. liverpool's age profile of people infected is across the different age groups and it is moving up into the older population. manchester's is still very much in the younger population, so consequently we're seeing sicker people who need much more medical intervention here in liverpool. government officials have published this chart showing average covid—i9 patient numbers in major hospital trusts in liverpool and manchester going back to the end of march. it shows just how rapidly those numbers have gone up in the last few weeks in liverpool. tighter restrictions are intended to protect the vulnerable and ease pressure on hospitals. but could they damage people's health in other ways,

raising anxiety levels and leaving some feeling isolated? it's kind of that roller—coaster effect again. shaun, who lost hisjob during the lockdown, found that time very stressful. the easing of restrictions and a newjob has helped, but now he's worried again. i felt that anxiety coming back again, and it's almost like you go up the hill and you come down the hill. and you go up and you come down. and you're just thinking whatever's next? and this could go on for a very, very long time, and it's going to destroy a lot of people. it really is, especially in our area, in merseyside. the most vulnerable groups were helped during lockdown with shielding measures. these won't be reintroduced, though there is guidance to those in the highest risk areas to work from home. but charities says that isn't always possible, and financial support is needed. hugh pym, bbc news, liverpool. the impact of the pandemic continues to affect jobs. the latest figures show the uk unemployment rate has risen

to its highest level for more than three years. the office for national statistics says the rate increased to 4.5 % betweenjune and august, with younger workers the hardest hit. and the prospect of tough local restrictions could bring more hardship, as our economics editor faisal islam reports. here in harrogate, the music has stopped playing. employers such as this nightclub operator, who had held out over firing workers, has now had to make the toughest of decision. it was without question the hardest professional decision i've ever taken in nearly a0 years in this industry. the reason being, i've been through two or three recessions previously where we had to make staff redundant. this time, we were in a position where we had to tell people they were going to lose theirjobs because we simply were not allowed by law to open, not because the businesses weren't viable, not because the customers didn't want the product. they were sacrificing themselves for the public health agenda. this is what's driving

up rising joblessness. the unemployment rate, at 4.5%, is at a three—year high, though still relatively low by international and historic standards. the number of redundancies was up over the same period by a record, as the furlough scheme began to be unwound. redundancies are at their highest level since the financial crisis. here in harrogate, the music has stopped playing. there were some silver linings. government support in august helped see a surge in vacancies and workers on company payrolls stabilised slightly up — still over 600,000 down on march. joblessness has jumped and is set to surge further in the coming months. it is one side of a complicated and concerning balancing act between protecting lives and livelihoods. and whatever happens with lockdowns, this tightrope is here to stay over the coming months, and that means very tricky decisions on jobs for employers right now. the international monetary fund

warned today of the lasting damage from the pandemic to all major economies. here, the governor of the bank of england told mps that some jobs will not return. it increases the importance of the need to ensure that people can move jobs, retrain, gather and get new skills, get skills to match the direction in which the change is happening. when the government says... back in harrogate, kim, a back office worker in the nightclub business, fears even the new two—thirds wage support policy is not enough. i can't pay a decreased amount of my bills, and how is my employer supposed to pay my ni and pension with no income? how has it affected things generally? i feel stressed all the time and it's just awful. it is not good for my well—being. a three—way balancing act of lives, livelihoods and the limits of government support is now

going to be with us for some months. faisal islam, bbc news. across europe, many countries are facing a similar dilemma to the uk in the fight against coronavirus, and are also imposing tougher measures. the czech republic is imposing a new three—week state of emergency including shutting schools. the dutch prime minister mark rutte is set to announced the closure of restaurants, hotels and cafes for at least two weeks. and germany, which still has relatively low infection rates compared with other parts of europe, is now limiting the opening hours for bars a nd restau ra nts in some parts of the country. meanwhile, spain has declared a state of emergency in madrid, where police are now patrolling the streets to stop people leaving the areas in which they live. from there, our correspondent jean mackenzie reports. this is an early night by spanish standards. last orders now at 10pm, and no one is allowed to leave or enter the city unless it is essential.

but with the rules chopping and changing for weeks, people are tired and confused. all the time we are breaking the rules and nobody cares. like, even the police, they don't say anything. very soon after spain reopened, cases surged, giving madrid the highest levels of coronavirus in europe. yet thousands have come out to protest against the latest measures. many are angry their sacrifices have been squandered. people in madrid are fed up. they have already been through the strictest lockdown in europe, and here they are again, with their movement being restricted. they want instead for the government to be focusing more on other measures to control the virus, so more tracing and testing, more doctors.

a couple of weeks ago, only some neighbourhoods were locked down, the poorer, more overcrowded ones, including elena's. they were trying to make a line and divide the city with the poor people, the contagious people. the national government intervened, concerned madrid's politicians were not doing enough, and imposed a state of emergency, against their will. now it is a political war. they are creating a lot of confusion and we have been days, like, i don't know, what can i do tomorrow, i don't know if i can do this, i don't know if i can do that. i think that is the main problem. and second of all, i think we can't last this for a long time. a solution cannot be a lockdown. do you accept that a lot of the confusion and resistance has come because people have been given two different ways that they can do things?

but getting spaniards to eat before their 10pm curfew is a tall order. tonight, many restaurants have not even bothered to open, and julian says they will just continue the night back at his. as patience erodes, it is clear countries will need much more than just rules and restrictions. jean mackenzie, bbc news, madrid. business leaders have reacted angrily to claims by a government minister that they have their "heads in the sand" in their approach to trading with the eu after the brexit transition ends. lord agnew, a treasury minister, said businesses should "wake up"

and "engage in a more energetic way" to be ready. there has been a head in the sand approach by traders which has been compounded by what i would call the quadruple whammy of two false alarms, two extensions at the very last minute, then followed by covid. and now the recession. that was lord agnew. our business editor simon jack is here. he says head in the sand but what do business a? he got a pretty sour response, the food and drink association say it is outrageous and they say they have their head in the sand it is because they get more a nswe i’s sand it is because they get more answers down there than they do from the garment. 0ther answers down there than they do from the garment. other groups accept there is a serious issue, 40,000 mainly small businesses who trade with the eu have not got the basic paperwork of what they need to do to trade with the eu and that could mean their consignments are turned back, they are fined, they have to hold 436 hours. lord agnew did not dispute reasonable government estimates —— a recent government estimates —— a recent government estimates that a reasonable worst case scenario could see 7000 trucks on the road to dover but while they

say negotiations are still going on, they don't know what to plan for. but the government insist there are hundreds of millions of bits of paperwork which will need to be done because we are outside the customs union, so they will need to be done, deal or no deal so don't wait for some iith deal or no deal so don't wait for some 11th hour deal and think you don't have to do it. you will have to do it come what may. with 80 days to do it come what may. with 80 days to go, time is running out and for small businesses in particular, they need to get their head around it. simonjack, there. thank you. a 29 year—old mother and her 3 young children have died in a crash on the a40 in 0xfordshire. police said there was a collision between 0xford and cassington last night. an i8—month—old daughter and the children's father were critically injured. 0ur correspondent duncan kennedy reports. a portrait of happiness for the family that have been named locally as the powells. 29—year—old zoe powell died alongside her children, phoebe, who's eight, six—year—old simeon and amelia, who's four. her husband josh and their other, i8—month—old daughter,

who is not seen here, are seriously ill in hospital. the crash happened last night on this bridge near 0xford, when the family's car collided with a lorry. police say it was a terrible tragedy. we have specially trained family liaison officers with the family at the moment but, as you can imagine, this is a horrendous incident and we ask that there is no speculation in relation to the investigation. officers say the driver of the lorry involved is now helping with their enquiries. as the police continue their investigation here, local people in the 0xfordshire village where the family came from have expressed their sadness. the local parish church said everyone was raw and everyone was very upset. at the family's place of worship in chinnor, friends and neighbours have come to pay their respects. the community here say they can't believe such a young, happy family has been met with such tragedy and loss.

duncan kennedy, bbc news, in 0xfordshire. the chief executive of british gymnastics has given her first interview since the sport became engulfed in welfare and bullying allegations. jane allen said she would be standing down in december, but insisted the move was part of her retirement plans, and not a direct consequence of the allegations. she's been speaking exclusively to our sports editor dan roan. for months now, british gymnastics has been a sport in crisis, amid a torrent of allegations of coaching abuse and a culture of fear. now, finally, the woman presiding over the scandal has broken her silence, under fire chief executive jane allen telling me she was leaving the organisation she's ruled for a decade. i've been devastated by the allegations that have come forward in the last few months. i'll be retiring in december of this year. and is this because of the crisis that has engulfed the organisation? no, this has been part of a plan, that myself and the board have

put together in march. you say it's your decision to leave now, but you must accept that your leadership's become toxic. there was no way you could stay. no, i don't agree with that. i think it is time, at 65 years of age, after ten years of working hard for british gymnastics, for me to step aside now. you haven't been pushed? absolutely not. and you're not jumping before you are pushed? absolutely not. a host of top british gymnasts have spoken out about the way their complaints have been handled. allen will be gone by the time an independent review is completed but today, she finally said the words many had been calling for. i would apologise to any athlete who feels that at any time, that any of our actions have hurt them in any way. i feel devastated by what they've gone through. they've been very brave to stand up and speak out. i think the organisation's fallen short, and there are things that as ceo, i take full responsibility for. were you asleep on the job? or were you just

trying to cover it up? which of those two? i don't think either of those. i think the organisation was working hard with its high performance programme. i think that the athletes themselves at times didn't speak up when they felt that way. we need to look at the barriers and understand why they can't speak out. there needs to be a sports ombudsman and if there was, then there'd be a place for athletes or coaches to go if they were aggrieved with any of the outcomes of their complaints. but one former british 0lympian, like some others, is unimpressed with the timing of allen's departure. i think she should be made accountable for the part she's had to play. she has failed to address the issues and the problems in the sport, and is kind ofjust walking away, right at the crucial time, when we are about to get, you know, the results from this white review. and it seems almost too easy for her. for many, your legacy,

sadly, will now be one not of medals but of misery. what would you say about that? i have put everything i can into this sport, and whilst these last three months has been, as i said, devastating to me, i don't believe that that should absolutely define the last ten years. british gymnastics will now hope for a brighterfuture, but that may require more than just today's departure. dan roan, bbc news. president trump has returned to the campaign trail, speaking at a large rally in the key electoral state of florida, less than two weeks after he tested positive for coronavirus. the president told his supporters that he was now "immune", and that he felt "powerful". 0ur north america editor jon sopel has the story. # and i'm proud to be an american...# he's back and, oh, is he relieved to be on the road again, tossing out facemasks, perhaps an unusual choice, seeing as he wasn't wearing one

and neither was most of the audience. though probablyjust as well seeing as what he expressed he wanted to do to them. ifeel so powerful, i'll walk into that audience. i'll walk in there, i'll kiss everyone in that audience. i'll kiss the guys and the beautiful women and everybody. i'lljust give you a big, fat kiss. the president, after his stay in hospital and his treatment with powerful drugs, seemed none the worse for the experience. his main target in the hour—long speech — his democratic rival, joe biden. we have somebody running that's not 100%. he's not 80%. he's not 60%. we can't have this. as a country, we can't have it. joe biden. the vast audience had queued for hours to see him. they all had to undergo temperature checks. the woman handing out facemasks, though, wasn't so busy. and their devotion even making some of his burliest supporters emotional. looking forward to the rally?

absolutely looking forward to it. this man's going to take us where we belong. back to where we belong. chokes me up. nobody except donald trump can make america great again. we love donald trump. why, why? everything about him, best president in the history of the united states. come get a picture with trump. it's the only thing that's free here. and the traders in trump—branded tat were delighted to see him back, too. i'm a general contractor by trade, do this for fun. it's become a very lucrative business, to say the least. if you run elections just on the basis of how enthusiastic your supporters are, well, then donald trump would have it in the bag. but these people, no matter how keen they are, only get one vote, and the polls at the moment suggest that donald trump is well behind and he's running out of time to turn it around.