government's top coronavirus adviser as "a disaster," saying that if he had taken anthony fauci's advice, the country would have had more than 500,000 deaths from covid—19. the president has repeatedly clashed with dr fauci, a highly respected infectious diseases expert. it's little more than two weeks now until the us presidential election, and early voting has begun in several states. florida, arkansas, idaho, north dakota and colorado have opened their polling stations, joining several other states who had already done so. election day is november the 3rd. belgium's health minister fears the country could soon be overwhelmed by new coronavirus infections. new measures are now in place as it's feared soaring case—numbers are close sunami, where authorities "no longer control what is happening". now on bbc news, monday in parliament.

hello there, and welcome to monday in parliament. coming up, as a row continues over help for areas put under the toughest covid restrictions, matt hancock holds out hope for a coronavirus test that can give results in 15 minutes. these tests have shown real promise, and we are both buying them now and ramping up our ability to produce them at scale right here in the uk. the eu says it's willing to " i nte nsify" talks with the uk on a post brexit trade arrangement labour worries about what will happen if there is no deal. they can call it no deal, they can call it an australia deal, they can call it a narnia deal as far as i'm concerned but let's be honest

about what that means, and let's be honest about how damaging it is for this country. and a former commons speaker joins the chorus of disapproval of a bill that would allow ministers to break international law. never in my parliamentary experience have i witnessed such a collapse of the people's trust in a government that promised so much and so quickly. but first, the health secretary has held up the prospect of rolling out new coronavirus tests that can give results in 15 minutes. the news came as matt hancock made a statement to mp5, confirming that lancashire would be the latest area moving into the most restrictive tier 3 category. his comments came as further talks between the government and local leaders in greater manchester about whether that region should be placed under the harshest measures and what financial support will be provided broke up without agreement. matt hancock began with a tribute to leaders in lancashire. i would like to thank local leaders in

lancashire who've been working with us so constructively, and i'm sure that their willingness to put politics aside and in the interest of the people we serve will save lives and protect livelihoods at this difficult time. he moved on to the latest developments with new tests for the virus. some of these tests can produce a result as quickly as in 15 minutes. we will make them available to local directors of public health as part of our strategy for local action. starting with areas in the very high alert level. these tests have shown real promise and we are both buying them now and ramping up our ability to produce them at scale right here in the uk. mr speaker, i will stop at nothing to support this endeavour to give us hope on the path back to normal life. his labour shadow welcomed the new tests, then

turned to the areas with the most severe restrictions. we are now in a situation where the bishop of manchester, a bishop for goodness state, describes liverpool as feeling cheated, lancashire feeling bullied, and manchester angrily determined. if we are seeking to impose greater restrictions are greater manchester, surely they need financial support so that peoples livelihoods are not put at risk. so can he tell the chancellor to spend less time admiring himself on instagram and instead deliver a financial and he called for a two— to three week—circuit break to help bring the virus down. we have a window of opportunity, much of the country, it's half term next week. he can call it a firewall or a national moment of reset,

need something. the longer the prime minister dithers, the harder it will be to take back the control of this virus and save lives. the health secretary didn't reply to that. 0ther mps welcomed the new tests. potentially the most significant news this house has heard on the fight against the virus support many, many weeks. the snp‘s spokesperson asked about the installation of advanced ventilation systems to help reduce the spread of the virus. does he recognise the importance of ventilation in the battle against covid? and if so it will his government use taxation powers to make hospitality settings more covid secure and avoid them being repeatedly shut down? thank you very much, mr speaker, absolutely we will support hospitality businesses and all the sectors of the economy might right honourable friend the chancellor has supported the hospitality industry more than any other.

the welsh government has announced a stringent fire breaker to bring the r number down, subject to the strategy must be sufficient economic support to support livelihoods. will he make sure they have flexibility to ensure there's chosen health policy? the welsh government response the circumstances in wales as it sees fit. according to the settlement. rebuilding confidence is critically of the secretary of state has taken the counterproductive step of arranging data to be shared with the police for enforcement which could deter people from getting a test in the first place. there's no health data that is transferred but of course once this house has voted for an enforceable rule it's important for all of our constituents and communities that we enforce it step that we have viable businesses in lancashire, and knocking on the doors register councils asking for financial support, but those district councils have not been told what

criteria they would distribute that support and i had the cast release from government. given so many cases are asymptomatic, could he say when he expects that to be available across the community? matt hancock says he was giving a test to be rolled out as fast as they can. now, has there been a breakthrough in the stalled trade talks with the european union? on friday, downing street said the talks were over and borisjohnson said the uk should prepare to leave the brexit transition period at the end of the year without a formal deal. the cabinet office minister told mps

that the eu needed

the government has faced an avalanche of criticism over its controversial internal market bill, which allows ministers to break international law. the legislation sets out rules for the operation of trade between england, scotland, wales, and northern ireland after the end of the brexit transition period in january. but controversially, it allows the government to roll back on parts of the brexit divorce deal agreed with the eu. during a debate in the lords, the measure was condemned by speaker after speaker. the business minister began by setting out the government's position. this bill is crucial to ensuring that we continue to work together as one united kingdom, support jobs and livelihoods across our entire country.

as we rebuild and recover from covid—19 and look ahead to the opportunities following the end of the transition period, this bill would provide the certainty that businesses need to invest and create jobs. and it will accompany one of the biggest transfers of power in the history of devolution, with hundreds of powers flowing from the eu to the devolved administrations at the end of the transition period. this bill will do all this and preserve the internal market that has been an engine of growth and prosperity since the acts of union. the archbishop of canterbury was worried about the impact on the good friday agreement. he'd already made his opposition clear in the morning newspapers. there are some who claim that i and my colleagues, who wrote in the ft this morning, are misinformed. but the letter and this intervention followed the lead of those who've spent their lives seeking peace in ireland. peace is surely something

of which religious leaders should speak. an independent peer put down an amendment to show the level of opposition in the lords. i know that i'm not alone in finding it offensive that we are being asked by a minister in parliament to seek parliament's authorisation to allow him to break the law deliberately and knowingly. my lords, saying it's only going to be done in a very specific and limited way is a total obfuscation. a thief who steals only a tin of tuna is still a thief. in this bill, the prime minister has managed to anger lawyers, devolved authorities, the eu, the churches, its own back benches, and the majority of your lordships. he is really like a bathroom brawler, is he not, taking on all comers? is it possible that they are

right and that he is wrong? a former conservative leader said he didn't regret for one moment that the uk was leaving the eu. i wanted to be an independent sovereign state that is a beacon unto the nations. i do not want it to be an independent sovereign state that chooses, as one of the first assertions of the sovereignty, to break its word, to break the law, and to renege on a treaty that it signed barely a year ago. for anyone who aspires to be a parliamentarian, this is shameful — and there is no other word for it. and i'm deeply ashamed that a conservative government should have embarked on this course. it's the product of a prime minister clueless about detail, so lacking

in grip that he can't or won't see beyond looking tough towards the european union, flailing around trying to deliver on the false promises he made to northern ireland business that there wouldn't be any additional checks between northern ireland and great britain, and to the hardline brexiteers that he would do something about the northern ireland protocol — with his advisers out of control looking for political stunts to reinforce the insurgent nature of brexit, happy to sacrifice the rule of law in the hope of a good culture war‘s row with the remainers and some screeching headlines. but there was an occasional voice of support for the government. most of the adverse comments are frankly sour grapes from remainers. that britain would lose its reputation by passing this bill is nonsense. but a former commons speaker disagreed. i was elected to

parliament some 47 years ago and have witnessed nine prime ministers tread the steps of number ten downing street. but never in my parliamentary experience have i witnessed such a collapse of the people's trust in a government that promised so much and so quickly, and is now groping for desperate solutions to problems it said would not arise — or, if they did, they could easily be resolved. well, that debate will continue, and peers will vote on it on tuesday. you're watching monday in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. the government has faced cross party calls for pet theft to be made a specific criminal offence. mps said the courts needed powers to impose tougher sentences on those found guilty of stealing a family pet —

an idea rejected by ministers. dogs and certain breeds of puppies can change hands for hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. a debate on pet theft was in response to several petitions signed by more than 250,000 people amid rising cases of dog theft. the mp who led the debate described the crime as "sickening and depraved." we're fighting this growing tide with outdated and underpowered laws. the risk of small fines will not stop this type of organised crime. in conclusion, that's why we must have pet theft reform. making pet theft a specific offence, as these petitions call for, will elevate pet theft to a category two offence and empowerjudges to hand out prison sentences of up to two years — sentences that represent something closer to justice and an effective deterrent against this disgusting crime. i would like to urge the government to rethink the current laws on sentencing for pet theft. it is a growing crime,

and i feel the law must be improved to reflect the seriousness of the crime and the impact on pet owners of having their pets stolen. in lockdown, as the demand for pets has risen, so has the price for certain breeds of dogs and cats. puppies and kittens are now big business and, as the price of those pets increases, so do the potential rewards for criminals. the trauma of losing a pet is absolutely horrific. there does need to be a decoupling for sentencing for an animal's value, because i know that the minister will tell us that dog theft is already a crime under the theft act of '68, carrying a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment. but of course, that sort of sentence is very, very rarely handed down. and i don't want to dwell on the reason why a dog be stolen — other members this afternoon have alluded to that — but the reasons are actually horrific, and they don't end up in the arms of a family who will love them in the same way that the one they've

been ripped from does. we know that those who've been in lockdown and isolated, perhaps those who've been shielding, have found great comfort in their pets. and for anyone in that circumstance, to have a pet stolen would just be an absolute travesty. so we need, really, as a house of commons to act on these issues. i would encourage the minister, in addressing the very valid and well— put concerns of members in this debate, to give a reassurance that all those hundreds of thousands of people, including the 500 people who signed a petition from across plymouth, won't need to sign the same petition again in order to get another debate in order to put pressure on a minister to enact what i think is a very clear and obvious instruction from the public — and indeed, from this house — that we want to see pet theft taken more seriously. i think we should all recognise that there is a lot of heartbreak behind this debate, as well, of course,

as the happy memories we all have with our animals. the government really understands how important pets are to the families who care for them. the court, she said, already take into account the emotional trauma of losing a pet. we don't think currently that the creation of a specific offence for pet theft — with a two—year custodial penalty — would really help much at the moment. we do think the way to go is to continue the discussions — which i know the honourable gentleman is already undertaking — on sentencing guidelines. to this end, he government's very willing to work with interested parties, including the animal welfare organisations to bring this forward. we're keen to act in this area, and i look forward to taking this forward with members across the house. a controversial statue of cecil rhodes outside an oxford college should be joined by a sculpture of nelson mandela, rather than being removed, according to

one peer. the call was made by the independent — or crossbench — peer lady deech, as she urged the government to stop the destruction of important historical statues. in june, protesters in bristol toppled the statue of the 17th—century slave trader edward colston. the wish on the part of some to eradicate our past in the belief that it's evil does not justify vandalism. i'm dismayed to see reevaluation, often uninformed, of the contribution of historicalfigures — most of whom have both good and less good elements. she turned to the row around the statue of cecil rhodes. i maintain that he did more good than bad and should not be sacrificed to current concerns to bejoined by a statue of mandela. will the minister do all she can to stop the destruction of important historical statues ? there are approximately 12,000 outdoor statues in england. in the region of 3,500 statues are protected as,

or as part of, listed buildings, of which 473 are of historical figures. the future of the vast majority of these historic statues are the responsibility of the owners, usually local authorities. the government policy on historic public statues is quite clear — they should not be removed, but retained with a fuller contextualization on the background and history of those commemorated provided — summarised as retain and explain. does the minister agree that people would be more likely to accept existing statues if we showed greater recognition of the full history of our country? in 1682, william goodwin proposed a statue in london to prominently acknowledge the injustice suffered by enslaved africans. doesn't she agree that 350 years on, it is time — well past time — that a national memorial was constructed in london to commemorate the millions of africans enslaved under british rule?

assessment of our statues in england is not a culture war, as some would like to say, but rather an honest appraisal about who we put on a pedestal to be revered. whilst we understand that no one is perfect and this is not an attempt to rewrite history, but rather to better understand. some statues would be better placed in a museum with full context explained, rather than showcased in a grandiose way. therefore, will her majesty's government create a task force on historical statues that will assess the actions of people honoured and decide what to do with their statue? i'm not aware that there are plans for a task force, as the noble lord suggests, but i'm happy to take that back. research by campaigner caroline criado—perez suggest theree already statues of women, and among those, 110 future mythical or allegorical women, 46 depict royals, and 14 show the virgin mary. does the minister agree that, rather than myths, princesses,

or virgins, we should invest in a few statues that commemorate some of our great female innovators and role models, such as dorothy hodgkinson, ada lovelace, jocelyn bell burnell? there are many to choose from, and they would be a great addition to our landscape. lady barron said lady blackwood was right, and there was plenty of room for women of extraordinary talent to be represented. finally, the deputy leader of the democratic unionist party, nigel dodds, has taken his seat in the house of lords. lord dodds of duncairn and served as mp for north belfast for almost two decades before losing his seat to john finucane of sinn fein at last year's general election. and that's it from me for today. but do join me at the same time tomorrow for another round up of the day here at westminster. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye.

very, very mild out there at the moment. and tuesday promises to be a very mild day too. we have southerly winds across the uk, and the air is coming all the way from spain and portugal, in fact. there's a bit of rain in the forecast too. quite a lot of it. you can see this big low pressure there sweeping in from the south of the cloud, that is with the air is coming from, all the way from iberia. so, with the winds it will be a very mild morning, with a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain too, it'll have been a very wet night in northern ireland, and parts of scotland but these are the morning temperatures. 13 in plymouth, double figures also across some northern part of the uk. the rain will be intermittent, it will come and go across most parts of england or wales. but northern ireland in the afternoon could see persistent heavy showers and probably clip parts of southwest scotland as well. but aberdeen will be a little bit brighter. but look at the temperatures. we are pushing 20 in the southeast. it's more likely to be 17 to 19 degrees there. now, on wednesday, another

low pressure comes in. remnants of storm barbara which will have swept across parts of portugal, spain, the bay of biscay. we are not too sure how much wind this weather system will bring. the thinking is it will certainly bring a fair bit of rain and you see the dark blues there, but the wind could be for a time quite strong in the extreme southeast of the country. further west and north, a different weather pattern and more sunshine for the lake district, but not completely dry. there are some showers around across the northwest of the uk. it is still going to be mild and the weather system are still coming in from the south. thursday, we have a bit of a break in the weather, and between weather systems. you can see fewer isobars on the weather map. the white pressure lines. that means that winds will be a lot lighter with some sunshine around and thursday is promising to be a pretty decent day across most of the uk. you can see the weather system out there in the north sea and one in the atlantic

with a bit of wet weather to the south of us and we're in between so there will be more sunshine around. temperatures will be around 12 to 16 degrees. a little bit fresher. you can see the temperatures peaking on tuesday. from then onwards, it looks like it will cool off a tad bit. 0verall, staying on the mild side. that is it for me. goodbye.

welcome to bbc news — i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: president trump attacks his own top coronavirus adviser — describing the highly respected expert anthony fauci as a "disaster". could china's covid success drive it further apart from the united states — we have a special report. belgium's health minister warns the country could soon be overwhelmed by new coronavirus infections as cases there soar. one small step for man — one giant phone call for mankind. why there may soon be mobiles on the moon.