good morning, welcome to bbc news. lam i am victoria derbyshire. more than a million people in south yorkshire face being placed under the highest covid alert level, as the government says it's on the cusp of agreeing a deal with local leaders — we're expecting a statement shortly. as greater manchester prepares to move tier 3, the government says the door is still open for further talks about a financial support deal. absolutely, that money is there, it's got manchester's name on it and i will certainly work with any local council leader that wants to come forward and ensure that we get that money into the hands of those that need it as swiftly as possible. scientists develop a tool for predicting who is most likely to develop long covid — and hope it can be used to identify patients who might need early treatment. government borrowing jumps in september as the uk continued heavy spending to

support the economy during the pandemic. witnesses in nigeria say a number of protesters have been killed by security services in the country's biggest city, lagos love island star shaughna phillips speaks out about her struggle with a condition called lipoedema — which causes an abnormal build up of fat and in the champion's league, manchester united celebrate a 2—1 victory over paris saint germain, while chelsea are held to a goaless draw by sevilla. an announcement is expected shortly on whether south yorkshire will move to the highest coronavirus alert level in england. it comes as government ministers say the door remains open about a covid support deal for

greater manchester. it's thought a statement will be made shortly about whether sheffield, rotherham, barnsley and doncaster will move to the tier three alert level which includes restrictions on household mixing and the closure of pubs and bars. greater manchester will be in tier three from friday, although a financial settlement has yet to be agreed with westminster. six conservative mps have written to the labour mayor andy burnham accusing him of putting his "ego" above the people of greater manchester. meanwhile, lord sedwill — who was the uk's most senior civil servant — has questioned the government's response to the pandemic suggesting the "exact measures" weren't in place. more on south yorkshire as we get it, but firstjess parker reports on what's happening in manchester. people in greater manchester now know that tougher restrictions are arriving but the wait goes on to find out what extra cash there will be to support businesses and workers, as pubs and bars that can't serve substantial meals will be

forced to close. as part of a wider package of support, an offer of £60 million, say ministers, still stands. this offer was proportionate to the support we've given the liverpool city region and lancashire but, regrettably, the mayor rejected it. of course, we do not want businesses in greater manchester to be disadvantaged, so that offer remains on the table. our door is open. but labour accused borisjohnson of pulling the plug on talks. what a petty, vindictive, callous response in a national crisis, mr speaker. the prime minister may think he is punishing the politicians. in fact, he is punishing the people of greater manchester. and the labour politician who's been leading calls for more support, andy burnham. some conservative mps from greater manchester last night claimed that

he had put his ego before people's interest. he said he was standing up foran area interest. he said he was standing up for an area already hard—hit by months of restrictions. at no point today were we offered enough to protect the poorest people in our communities through the punishing reality of the winter to come. the nhs and lives will be put at risk without tougher rules here. that is what borisjohnson said last night. so he is introducing the changes from friday. given a public health situation, i must proceed with moving greater manchester to the very high alert level. because not to act would put manchester's nhs and the lives of many of manchester's residents at risk. despite all the acrimony, politicians on all sides will be under pressure to get an agreement by then. jessica parker, bbc news. let's speak to our political correspondent nick eardley.

how close is south yorkshire to be moved to tier 3? i think it is pretty likely it will be announced in the next hour or so. there were some last—minute talks going on this morning about specific details. the package has been there for the last day or so, this is likely it will be signed off this morning. it is likely we will get some sort of announcement from the government backjohn sheffield mayor dan jarvis. listen to what the communities secretary robertjenrick was saying about this earlier this morning. we have had quite detailed conversations through the course of yesterday and this morning, and i expect an announcement will be made by the mayor of south yorkshire, dan jarvis, later this morning. later this morning? when might the restrictions come into place? i think you will have to wait for that.

it will be made very shortly. it is now on the website for the council that the area is moving on to tier 3. i haven't seen that with my own eyes, but i have been told that and it sounds like a confirmation that sheffield and south yorkshire is moving into tier 3, meaning pubs and bars closing and household is not being able to mix, of course? it is a pretty big change. the most restrictive of the tea rs. change. the most restrictive of the tears. forgive me, iam change. the most restrictive of the tears. forgive me, i am looking at my phone because i had a text, but it is not about that. it is the most restrictive. it will mean significant changes about to let go to people's lives in places like sheffield. one of the things that will be interesting to see is what support packages on offer. we know there is a formula that the government has come up with for test and trace to be run locally. there will be some money for that. but also some money for local business, which has been the big source of

contention over the last few days when it comes to greater manchester. those talks broke down yesterday, in acrimonious, with the government saying we have to go ahead anyway, but with the mayor in greater manchester, andy burnham, saying he didn't agree that the money was enough. the argument that we are hearing from the government this morning is that they need to keep things fair, basically, they need to give relative amounts to each area going to these restrictions, to make sure that this doesn't end up in different negotiations, with different negotiations, with different areas. but that hasn't done enough to placate some. this morning, we heard from the labour shadow foreign secretary, lisa nandy. all we know at the moment is that we are going to tier three restrictions after months of being under lockdown rule since the end ofjuly, without any financial support from the government, as it currently stands. we are just an absolute state of shock and disbelief that a

government could behave this way to own citizens. thank you, i now have the mayor of sheffield was back in a statement about the area moving into tier 3. let me read it to you. this is from dan jarvis, the let me read it to you. this is from danjarvis, the mayor of the sheffield city region and also labourmpfor sheffield city region and also labour mp for barnsley central. he says, following extensive discussions with ministers, local council leaders and i have agreed with the government that south yorkshire will move into tier 3, the very high alert level for coronavirus restrictions. they will come into force at one minute past midnight, the early hours of saturday morning. the same as manchester, greater manchester. and it will cover all four local authority areas. barnsley, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield. dan jarvis goes on, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield. danjarvis goes on, we all recognise the gravity of the situation and have taken a responsible route to make sure we save lives and livelihoods, and protect our nhs. more older people are contracting the virus. the number of people with covid in our hospitals has doubled over nine days, with no signs it will relent. an action was not an option. we called on the government

back to offer a lifeline for the economy, and new restrictions will be introduced alongside resources, meaning that we are better equipped to control the damage and limit the damage onjobs to control the damage and limit the damage on jobs and businesses. to control the damage and limit the damage onjobs and businesses. so, your reaction, if you are in the areas of barnsley, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield, you will be moving into tier 3 at one minute past midnight, friday into saturday morning. let's talk to the editor of the sheffield star and the doncaster free press. how do you react to this? we have been waiting for a long time. it has been frustrating and south yorkshire because there has been no detail about what negotiations were going on. if there was a real fight to put up for south yorkshire, whether that is what people wanted, if we wanted a deal like manchester or if we just wanted a deal done quickly, that was debatable. there will be incredible frustration this morning, particularly in sheffield where the rates are dropping. but we understand they are

dropping in doncaster, rotherham, and we are in a serious situation and we have to act. it would be nice to get more politician standing up and giving national interviews, fighting for our area national interviews, fighting for ourarea and national interviews, fighting for our area and telling us that they are fighting for us in every possible way. when i look further at dan jarvis's statement, possible way. when i look further at danjarvis's statement, it does acknowledge what you just said about the rates of sheffield going down. while infection rates vary across south yorkshire, collective action was the only practical choice to keep everyone in our region safe. there is going to be debate about that? there is already huge debate going on about it, absolutely. sheffield has got high rates. not as high as doncaster. and for the last week or so, the figures have clearly been coming down. in sheffield, it is not the only problem, but one of the big problems was 60,000 students descended on the city, and as they have everywhere, they had a problem with the virus because students mix. they did exactly what they were told

to do on the universities worked really ha rd to to do on the universities worked really hard to contain it, but that is why the numbers are coming down and it is reflected everywhere. there are going to be many people in sheffield incredibly frustrated today. we have spoken to so many bars and today. we have spoken to so many bars a nd restau ra nts today. we have spoken to so many bars and restaurants that are on their knees anyway without any financial help in tier 2. for some, but not for all, because it is very divisive, some will be pleased that at last they are getting a little bit more financial help. stay there, because i want to talk you more about the money. let's look at these tweets from dan jarvis. about the money. let's look at these tweets from danjarvis. i hope we can show them to you. so, £41 million for sheffield, barnsley, doncaster and rotherham. liverpool got 44 million, lancashire 42 million. so it does sound like it

is in keeping with those two areas. it does, but it also sounds like a drop in the ocean. lets be honest, we have no exit plan. there is no exit plan and many independent businesses will close. so, this might be all right for lives, but i'm not sure it is right for livelihoods and we have been inundated with the thought of tier 3. how long are tier 3 restrictions going to last for? what is the criteria to get out of it? the big problem here is that nobody is confident there is a plan. nobody believes that, come christmas or february, come spring, nobody believes they know what they are doing and that they can lead us through this at a national or local level. track and trace is a mess. if we had done it locally, it would have been much better and we would have been much better and we would have had proper investment, and we

could have got on top of it in a way that was much more effective to what we have actually done. tier 3, here we have actually done. tier 3, here we are, it will cause a lot of problems, and it is going to make many businesses struggle and fold, with no end in sight. thank you very much. we can now speak to the leader of oldham council — sean fielding. hello to you, counsellor. the housing secretary said on the radio an hourago, housing secretary said on the radio an hour ago, council leaders like yourself can pick up the phone to the housing secretary and access the financial package that you need for your people. are you going to do that? i just your people. are you going to do that? ijust want your people. are you going to do that? i just want to reflect on what matt hancock was saying in the house, where he said the offer was made on andy burnham rejected it. it wasn't just andy burnham made on andy burnham rejected it. it wasn'tjust andy burnham that rejected the offer of 60 million, collectively it was the ten council leaders and andy burnham. if you look at the pictures from the press conference, five of us were stood behind him because we supported

his position. £60 million was not enough and it remains not enough. i'm not about to sell out my colleagues, sell—out businesses and individuals that will be hit hard by tier 3 for an insufficient amount of money. you are not going to pick up the phone to the housing secretary?” are not going to pick up the phone to the housing secretary? i am not going to break ranks with my collea g u es going to break ranks with my colleagues across greater manchester who are united in my position that £60 million is not sufficient to support people who are affected by tier 3 during the period of lockdown. from a business point of view, businesses that have been in limbo for ten days, just waiting, what financial help will be available to them from friday? businesses have been in limbo for a number of months. we have had the equivalent of tier 2 restrictions, with more added on, for the best pa rt with more added on, for the best part of three months sincejuly. businesses have been struggling as it is. that is why we thought it was perfectly reasonable for us to ask for more support, compared to other areas, because we have had difficulty. all we have at the moment that we know we have got is the £3000 for every month we are

closed and the two thirds wages for low scheme. there is a question mark over how much the government will come forward with in terms of additional support if we don't roll over and come to them in the way that they are now asking us to. you will no conservative mps were visiting heywood and middleton, barry south, north and cheadle, they cannot fathom why, when the government offers you 92% of what you wanted, you rejected it? well, there are nine conservative mps in greater manchester and only six of them signed that letter. i admire them signed that letter. i admire the six that did sign a commitment to getting an alternative at the next election. the impact of that deal on many of the voters that voted for the first time to get their seats in december will be such that they probably won't do that again. you are quibbling over £1.78 for each manchester resident, is it worth it? well, our

initialfigure, what we calculator to support businesses and residents through this, was 90 million. we thought we could scrape together some money locally, despite having been hit ha rd by locally, despite having been hit hard by austerity as local authorities, so we could bring that request down to 75. we dropped even further, to 65. we dropped £25 million as part of the negotiations. the government matter started and ended with 60. we came down 25, why could they not come up and make the difference for £5 million? it is a huge amount of money for our region under low paid people that will be affected, it is not a huge amount of money for a government that spends billions on track and trace, co nsulta nts billions on track and trace, consultants and other things of questionable value. i wonder if you worry about this, cut the cost of failing to strike a deal affect the willingness of people in the area to comply with tier 3 when it comes in on friday night? my colleagues and i are absolutely clear that these are the rules now, these are going to come in on friday night and

people must follow them. we are all very realistic about the public health situation in greater manchester. we knew that some form of restriction was going to come to bring that under control. we knew that was going to happen. the exact restrictions that have been proposed on the regional lockdown, that was something we didn't necessarily agree was the right approach. but thatis agree was the right approach. but that is in the government's gift to do that. regardless of the disagreements that people might see in the media, it is essential people do follow those restrictions. thank you for talking to us. you heard sean fielding say he is not going to break ranks as his colleagues all, as he put it, sell out my colleagues and residents by picking up the phone to the housing secretary to access some of that money for the region's businesses. let's speak to professor graham lord, vice president and dean of the faculty of biology, medicine and health at the university of manchester. i want to talk about greater manchester and also south yorkshire,

ifi manchester and also south yorkshire, if i may. first of all, how fast are infection rates and hospital admission is rising in manchester? so, we have seen an increase, a fairly substantial increase over the last two weeks of hospital admissions. i see you admissions —— icu admissions are rising, but at a rate that is under control. there is search capacity, and if anything, it isa search capacity, and if anything, it is a slow growth, and to emphasise that greater manchester is aware of this and has plans to manage it across the system at the moment. do you think manchester should have locked down sooner and gone into tier 3 restriction sooner?” locked down sooner and gone into tier 3 restriction sooner? i think the important thing is to ensure that the tier 3 restrictions, as they are sustainable, that it is

important that we understand how we make this effective, and also the support for local businesses that will be affected by this is absolutely critical, because otherwise it is very, very difficult for people to isolate, if they are put into financial difficulties as well. i think a package of measures is very important, and i think what we really need, which is what is going on at the moment, is central government and local government to come to a consensus about what tier 3 actually means, how businesses are best supported, how local testing and tracing is devolved so that localities can manage this appropriately. so it is effective, it is sustainable and, critically, we know when rates start falling that we know how to get out of tier 3 restriction so that we can get the economy going again. do you agree that south yorkshire should go into tier 3 restrictions? yes. i think what we can see across

the north, and this is notjust a greater manchester issue, as you will see in the prime ministerial statement last night, all of the north has significant challenges with coronavirus. i think what i would emphasise is that in the first wave of the pandemic, the north was more severely affected than the rest of the country, because of pre—existing health inequalities. essentially, what coronavirus has done is widen those health inequalities. it's absolutely critical that as we unto the second wave, which may be a different shape to the first wave, that it different shape to the first wave, thatitis different shape to the first wave, that it is understood that this health inequality is deep seated and we have a sustainable way of monitoring those health inequalities. otherwise, if we don't get that right in a sustainable manner, the wide health inequalities will persist for many generations, and that is my concern. it is worth reiterating the news that south yorkshire is moving into tier 3 restrictions from midnight on friday. a

statement says, dan jarvis, following extensive discussions, we have agreed that south yorkshire will move into tier 3, the highest alert level, from midnight on friday, covering all four local authority areas, barnsley, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield. it is one minute past midnight on friday, so the early hours of saturday, midnight, friday night. professor lord, can ijust ask you about tier 3 measures? closing hospitality, potentially closing gems, soft play centres and so on, no mixing of households. well that do the trick, to use the prime minister's words? it was only last week that professor chris whitty, the chief medical officer, were saying that the baseline tier 3 measures would not be enough. that isa measures would not be enough. that is a very good question. the answer is, until we have implement it there and there is good compliance with them, we

won't know. my suspicion would concur with that of chris whitty, that we may need further restrictions. it comes back to my earlier point that it is vital that we get a sustainable, coherent plan for the implimentation, the support of the people across the whole of the north. this isjust about greater manchester or the north, it is about the whole of the country. so that we can manage, if further restrictions are required. i think, again, back to my key point, the north has been and will continue to be more affected by this pandemic because of existing health inequalities that are being widened. i think inequalities that are being widened. ithink in inequalities that are being widened. i think in the first lockdown, in march, it was absolutely appropriate that it was managed centrally. we all did the same thing, the same time. i think what we are looking up now is how we have a central policy framework and there was a local implimentation of lockdown that is based around local infection rates. so, it is absolutely critical that

the local health care system, the local council leaders have the appropriate levers, if you like, and the appropriate control over test, trace and isolate, find and support. so then we can manage this, understanding the nuances across different regions, whether it be south yorkshire, greater manchester, or the north—east as well. i mean, this is a pandemic that is severely affecting the whole of the north. as isaid, our affecting the whole of the north. as i said, our analysis of deaths, morbidity, other adverse outcomes from the first wave between march and january shows that the north was significantly more affected by the pandemic. the worry is that will continue and worsen in the second wave, and unless we have a sustainable plan between central and local government, this will potentially scar the north for a further generation. and that is my main concern here. thank you very

much. lets talk to two people in manchester. misty chance is a drag queen in manchester's gay village. she's worked in the area for 15 years and now faces losing her main source of income. how are you feeling? a little tired, smiling, i'm not sure why, i think it is delirium. how it going into tier 3 going to affect your income? it will wipe it out, 100%, actually. this is the second time it has happened. we were put on the back burner, the last to go back to work in the first to be put out of work with the venue closures. it feels like we are not really but as an important industry, along with all of the other ones. we feel we have been used a little bit of a scapegoat, to be honest, entertainment wise, it is probably

not going to recover for perhaps yea rs not going to recover for perhaps years to come. what are you going to do for income? that is unsure. it happened yesterday, i was sort of expecting it. today will be the day when i look into options, what i am going to do with money. i have a cupboard full of beans, so i'm not going to bang on about being in hardship, where i am going to starve. however, to meet my bills, it is going to be tough. and perhaps, ultimately, iwill lose it is going to be tough. and perhaps, ultimately, i will lose the apartment that i am stood in right now. right, 0k. where will you live? who will you go to? again, i suppose moving in with a friend would be out of the question as well, since the rules wipe that away. if i had to go back to my parents for the first time in 25 years, i mean, i'd be

pretty devastated. where would i put my stuff, my costumes? again, ijust don't know. my first stop would be to the government, to get some help. i think there is a bit of responsibility, with the way hospitality is being treated and the venues i work in, where we have sort of been penalised without strong enough evidence that any spike in the infection rate was coming from us the infection rate was coming from us to begin with. so, i'm a little annoyed about that, to say the least. what do you think of the stalemate between the mayor of greater manchester and number 10? stalemate between the mayor of greater manchester and number 10 ?|j was pleasantly surprised, to be honest. i generally stay out of politics, i have to admit. but it was one of the first times i felt a little bit inspired and part of a strong, wide community, when andy burnham sort of came out and said i'm going to fight for the people who are on

low pay, low incomes, minimum wage. i mean, whatan absolute great thing to do. because the middle class, again, will potentially screw through on percentage of furlough. but to fight for the underdog, i was very pleased with what he was trying to do. how do you think it is going to be resolved, though? it doesn't appear that it will be, quite frankly. i don't blame him for losing the 60 million. what he did was stand by his guns. and i think if he had accepted it, you can't please eve ryo ne accepted it, you can't please everyone all of the time, and he would have probably got backlash for that as well, for giving in. i stand by him with his refusal to take the offer, even though we have come off worse. but not as worse as the government sounds, it sounds like a little bit like a hostel and a punishment, even, and a slight insult for us to be given what we have been given in comparison to other areas. ——

and a hustle. have been given in comparison to other areas. -- and a hustle. thank you for talking to us, we appreciate it. let me read a couple of your messages. this is on the situation in greater manchester. vinnie says that the government's reaction to manchester is a spiteful one. they are punishing manchester, that was the use that misty used, and using us asa the use that misty used, and using us as a warning to other regions to accept the offer or else. alan in the e—mail says andy burnham is not speaking for all of the people of greater manchester. this opportunist is on an ego trip, playing with people's lives. marilyn says they are getting at andy burnham through the manchester people, they don't like anybody standing up to them because they are surrounded by yes—men. they need to get a grip, we are going under and they don't care. one more from sasha, while labour may andy burnham have been wasting time on his unsuccessful political crusade, covid has been continuing to drive through the population of manchester, relentlessly. if you are getting in touch, you are very

welcome, send an e—mail or you can message me on twitter or instagram. lord sedwill, who was the most senior official in government until he left his job last month, has spoken out for the first time since he stepped down. at the beginning of the pandemic, he was part of the senior team at downing street, and even contracted the disease himself. he told the bbc‘s political editor laura kuenssberg about how he felt the government had handled the pandemic, and the level of preparation in place. clearly, although we had exercised and prepared for pandemic threats, we didn't have in place the exact measures and we hadn't rehearsed the exact measures for a pandemic, for a disease of the kind of the challenge covid—19 presented. if it had been a different pandemic, by the way, the answer wouldn't have been a lockdown. it would have been different kinds of measures, so it's hard to have in place all of the capabilities against every possible kind of pandemic, because other kinds of disease, let's say it had been zika or some other kind of disease, the measures would have been

different and, actually, if you look at what we did in terms of imposing the lockdown and then creating the economic programmes to support people through it, actually, i think we should be really proud of the speed at which those were devised and implemented and how quickly the public service responded. i think there is a genuine question about whether we could have been better prepared in the first place and communal, that is obviously a very legitimate challenge. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello, again. if you are just stepping out, make sure you take your brolly with you. if you live in the south or south—east, make sure it is a sturdy one because you have gusty winds here as well. what is happening as we have the remnants of storm barbara, named by the spanish met service. it is bringing rain across southern england, south wales and into the south—east, pulling north—eastward through the day. move north of that, there is a lot of cloud, this

morning's rain across northern england fading and fragmenting across northern ireland and north—west scotland, but, here, it will be pretty windy. through this evening and overnight, we hang on to the rain across parts of scotland, a few showers and also some clear skies. it's not going to be a cold night, temperature range 7—11. tomorrow, slowly, we lose that rain from northern and eastern parts of scotland, a ridge of high pressure builds on, things settle down and there will still be a lot of clouds and the odd shower but some of us will see some sunshine. temperatures eight in the north, to 16 in the south. hello, this is bbc news with victoria derbyshire. the headlines... more than a million people in south yorkshire will be placed under the highest covid alert level this weekend — after a 41 million pound deal was agreed between the government and local leaders. household mixing will be

banned and pubs and bars will close across barnsley, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield. as greater manchester prepares to move tier 3, the government says the door is still open for further talks about a financial support deal. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's sally nugent. good morning. in the last hour, it's been confirmed that wasps will be allowed to play in this weekend's premiership rugby final. their participation had been in doubt after seven players and four members of staff tested positive for coronavirus. but, on social media this morning, premiership rugby have confirmed that there were no more positives in the latest round of testing. they say that wasps can now take their "rightful place" in saturday's final against exeter at twickenham. one other line of rugby union news this morning and the british & irish lions have announced that they'll play on home soil forjust the third time in history.

they'll play japan at murrayfield on 26th june next year. the match will act as a warm—up for their three test tour for their three—test tour of south africa, which is also due to be played next summer. history repeated itself for manchester united and marcus rashford as they beat paris saint germain in the champions league. the game looked to be moving towards a 1—1 draw in the french capital until the 87th minute. that's when rashford took it upon himself to settle the match with a well—placed strike. just as he'd done against the same opposition in the same stadium 18 months ago. elsewhere last night, chelsea drew 0—0 with sevilla. talks have been held about creating a big, new breakaway league that would involve the top sides from across europe. five premier league clubs have been approached about becoming founder members of the league that apparently has the backing of fifa. joe lynskey

reports. english football is at a crossroads. the grounds are closed, the games are silent. now those at the top could look elsewhere for more. reports say english clubs are in talks about a european premier league. 18 teams from five countries forming a super competition. any plans could replace the champions league, but even uefa, who run european football, aren't on board, and the club know that these are sensitive times. i have absolutely no time to think about that, i'm not involved in this, i have no idea about it. i am here, i deal with the daily star. these plans may reveal some of the thinking behind a project big picture, the proposals that were put forward but then rejected by premier league clubs. that offered money to the lower leagues but on the proviso

it would free up more dates on the calendar, possibly for a new competition like this. and it showed a european premier league go ahead, the clubs could stand to split more than £4 billion between them. the clubs could stand to split more than £4 billion between themm the clubs could stand to split more than £4 billion between them. it is a strange set of priorities at the best of times but particularly now, it is sickening to think there are clubs that mean so much to communities who are really worried about whether they will be able to continue in existence, and yet all these people are worried about is these people are worried about is the glamour of global television rights. the lower league clubs are vulnerable. a bailout from the top could come with conditions. but a super tournament brings a possibility the super rich aren't used to. in a league of the best, one team still has to finish last. and chris froome had a tricky first day at vuelta a espana. this is one of cycling's three big tours, but froome struggled to stay with the main pack, and drifted even further away during the penultimate climb. he is, though, still working his way back to full fitness after that

horror crash which ruled him out of last year's tour de france. that's all the sport for now. more throughout the day. thank you. before ten o'clock, we will talk about a condition called lipoedema, which affects more than one in ten women and we will bring you an interview with love island's shaughna phillips, giving herfirst tv interview after undergoing surgery tv interview after undergoing surgery for the condition and we will talk live to zoe dixon, who had stage three lipoedema. the condition involves a n stage three lipoedema. the condition involves an abnormal build—up of fat, you can see the pictures of zoe, she runs a body positive page on instagram and documents her life with the condition, so that is coming up at about 9:45am. a number of reports out today highlight the difficulties facing small business owners during the coronavirus pandemic. research from one bank suggests that almost half of owners of small or medium sized businesses have

seen their profits drop as a result of lockdown restrictions. 40% of female business owners who contirbuted ot the survey who contirbuted to the survey also said their mental health has suffered. another report from the british business bank and consulting firm oliver wyman, has found that black entrepreneurs report lower turnover and profit than their white counterparts. i am joined byjackie ash, who has run her own catering business for the past 30 years. and amanjotjohal, who owns a bar in birmingham, and also piers linney, who's an entrepreneur and former dragons' den investor. he's also a nonexecutive director at the british business bank. piers, you are on the advisory panel for this report. why do black entrepreneurs experience less success than white ones? that is a thing we need to work out, we get the data but what do we ascribe it to? many people start businesses, no matter what colour you are, they invest money, they invest time

and ambition but, for some reason, they are not as successful, so that is structural and systemic, that is the data we have and we have never had before, so it is seminal, this research and the question is what we do to bring about change? i think all we are asking for is a level playing field. we are leaving tens of billions on the table in terms of the economy despite not providing with equal opportunity for ambition and opportunity. amanjot, how do you react to this research that entrepreneurs from black and ethnic minority backgrounds experience less success than white ones? it makes perfect sense to me. we got voted the best gym bar in the world and when i went to pick up the award, i was the only non—white person in the room. we disproportionately have less opportunities and less connections that allow businesses to

come successful —— become successful. why do you have fewer opportunities? why do you say that? a lot of it comes down to connections. as anyone would know, it's easier to become successful the more connections you have, the more ability you have to leveraged your understanding and your knowledge. and the difficulty is for a lot of people who i've spoken to who are in a similar position to me is that feel we don't have the connections that give us that platform to push ourselves, and we have to work harder to create those platforms for ourselves. piers, is some of it down to racism? well, racism, institutional racism. it is not a racism, it is systemic bias and unconscious bias but a very good point there, one of the big differences between those who succeed and those don't, and it is worse if you are a woman as well, let's not forget that, is the social capital and i think the point was made there that this is

about networks, contacts, access to finance. any small company or even high—growth tech company at some point is going to need to raise debt or equity finance, so it is about models, confidence. iwent or equity finance, so it is about models, confidence. i went to m illtown models, confidence. i went to milltown comprehensive and i was pretty bloody—minded but even i suffer from many thousands of micro regressions over my career. can you give us an example, please?” regressions over my career. can you give us an example, please? i have had meetings as a ceo and had meetings with suppliers of potential customers, and they would be looking at what's up or whatever on their phone and i would say shall we start the meeting and they would look around and say, we are waiting for peers. no one expected me to be piers. i was a finalist in a very large entrepreneur competition, cut a long story short, i walked into reception, hung my coat up and bag and asi reception, hung my coat up and bag and as i walked out, two of the finalists handed out coats and bags. we can all make a difference, are

we an investor, an employer, how do we rid ourselves of the conscious and unconscious bias? it is like running a 100m b race and you are 20 metres back and you realise you are in a hurdles race and some of the hurdles are invisible and it is about sorting that out. let me bring in jackie. what challenges have you faced being a female entrepreneur and particularly through this pandemic? so, back in march, when all this happened, i pandemic? so, back in march, when allthis happened, i had pandemic? so, back in march, when all this happened, i had a diary full of work for the whole of 2020, which, within three weeks of the pandemic, every single function was crossed out of the diary because people were too frightened and didn't know what was going to happen and, moving forward, people are too frightened now to book for next year because they can't see where this is all going to end. so, really, overnight, from a 30 year business, i've ended up with nothing, trying

to reinvent something else to keep me going. have you managed to do that? well, at the moment, i am trying to bring out different things, tee boxes and christmas hampers and... but it is all in a very small scale, it is a tool for people whereas i am used to catering for two or 300 people —— it is for two people. the money is not what it was and it is the way forward, because so many people now are trying to make money because they have lost their income and are out there sort of making biscuits, doing little tee boxes, and trying to make money for themselves, so all the big caterers that had lovely businesses over the years have a lot more competition. has your mental health been affected, would

you say? 100%. i couldn't get out of bed for six weeks not knowing what the future was going to bring... i didn't know why i should get out of bed, what i should get out of bed for. i couldn't see a way forward. i couldn't see a way forward. i couldn't see a way forward. i couldn't see what i was going to do with my life. i'm 62 years old... actually, i'm 61, and i don't want to retire. i had a fabulous business, i love what i do, but these big functions are not going to be back any time soon, ijust don't believe they will be. i'm sorry to hear that, i really am. let me bring piers back in. do you have any advice for those watching who have been running small and medium—sized businesses and for people like jackie and amanjot? i've been giving lots of advice about this but, at the end of the day, it's about resilience. being an entrepreneur, this is not an easy time and you have to confront that and

make some quite difficult changes and decisions. the point is it is about survival, it won't go on forever and it's about surviving, cutting your costs a nd it's about surviving, cutting your costs and doing what you can, pivoting, being digital, trying to reach new markets and customers in new ways. at the point is survive, because then it is a lot easier to sort of continue and grow that business and it is often to start again. there is no easy answer to that. but going back to this research, if you are black and asian ethnic minority, it is harder and they have been harder impacted by covid so, in total, it makes it a lot harderfor covid so, in total, it makes it a lot harder for people when it shouldn't be. ok, thank you all very much, amanjot and jackie, i wish you all the best and, peers, thank you for talking to us. amanjot, the owner of 40 st paul's bar in birmingham. scientists have developed a tool for predicting who is most

likely to develop long covid — the long—lasting version of coronavirus infection. the study, seen by the bbc, estimates one in 20 people are sick for least eight weeks. the researchers at king's college london, and the health company zoe, hope it can be used to identify patients that might benefit from early treatment. our health correspondent catherine burns reports. vicky says she was the fittest she'd ever been at the start of this year, from zip lining on holiday, to going to the gym several times a week. but she got covid in march and says she's had wave after wave of illness ever since. ankles or my wrists will suddenly get very sore and swell up. i lost my sense of taste and smell again. it just went completely. i've definitely got some brain fog. i get really wheezy and breathless, and i have to use an inhaler twice a day now. researchers think thousands of people in the uk are going through something similar. they asked volunteers to log their symptoms on the covid symptoms study app and found that

most said they were back to normal in 11 days or less. but they estimate that one in seven people who get ill with coronavirus will be sick for more than a month, which is how they define long covid. then longer covid. they think one in 20 are affected for more than eight weeks, and that one in 45 are likely to be sick for more than 12 weeks. i haven't been able to work for seven months now. the government's worried about long covid too. it's put out this film with people who are suffering from it. it can totally wipe me out just doing basic things. the department of health and social care says this research should be a sharp reminder of the long—term and potentially devastating effects it can have. scientists have used the data, though, to come up with a tool that can predict in seven out of ten cases who is likely to go on to develop long covid. we wanted to have an idea of how much that might affect people, especially as we are going

into a second wave now in the pandemic, where more and more people are going to get exposed to the virus. so, clearly, if people are having symptoms for more than two months, that's going to have significant economic and social implications. the strongest sign that someone's likely to get long covid is having more than five symptoms in their first week of illness. next, age, over 50s are slightly more likely to get it. women seem more susceptible, as well as people with asthma. women seem more susceptible, vicki is under 50, but she did have more than five symptoms and describes herself as vaguely asthmatic. now seven months in, she has good days and bad days, but feels that she's getting better, slowly. it's a condition found in more than one in ten women in

the uk. but it's hardly ever spoken about. lipoedema is where abnormal fat cells build up in the hips, legs and occasionally arms of women. this results in painful pockets of fat that can't go away with diet or exercise. there is no cure and currently no treatment is available on the nhs. now, love island star shaughna phillips has given her first tv interview after undergoing surgery for the condition. ellie costello went to meet her. shaughna phillips was one of the most popular contestants on series six of love island. so, my work—out regime in the villa is pretty easy. i don't have one. she now has 1.5 million followers on instagram. but, despite her popularity and confidence, shaughna was always self—conscious of her legs. i would always feel like my thighs and my calves, there wasn't much difference in size. i never really had, like, a defined ankle. for years, i've had constant numbness in my legs. before i even went into love

island, you can block words that you don't want to see and the first word i blocked was legs, because i didn't want to see anything about my legs. despite being able to block specific words from her social media feed, the offensive comments could still be read by everyone else viewing her photos. it's only since leaving the villa that shaughna was diagnosed with stage 1 lipoedema. she decided to have surgery. lipoedema is an open normal build—up of fat cells that can't be broken down by exercise. it comes in stages, with stage 1 looking quite mild, all the way up to stage 4, which is painful and can affect movement. so just how common is lipoedema? well, it's really difficult to say. it's thought that over one in ten women in the uk have this condition, but, because so little is known by the public, let

alone by gps, it could be so many more. shaughna decided to have private liposuction to shrink the size of her legs. in the most extreme lipoedema cases, this painful procedure can cost up to £90,000, as there are no treatments available on the nhs. like, i saw something that said, "another lazy girl taking the easy way out," and i replied to this person saying i was in no way, shape orform lazy for getting my calves done. i think it was lipoedema uk that put a picture up of my before and after, when i weighed 14 stone, i had lost like four stone posted a picture before and, after, and my calves looked no different, so if that is lazy, losing four stone, going to the gym, eating healthy, eating right, maintaining that and having no change in my calves, then you are the silly one. shaughna wants more awareness of lipoedema amongst the general public and by gps. doctor alex munnoch is one of the only lipoedema experts in the

country. medics haven't heard of it because it's not taught. most of these patients have tended to be labelled with, "0h, you've just got fat genes," or, "you've got big legs, yeah, "it'sjust your genetic make—up, it's just fat, " and ignored thereafter. and i think there is a responsibility on all health care professionals to become more aware of it. i definitely want to use my platform as much as i can to raise awareness and to help women and girls, so don't let it affect your life, don't let it affect the way you view life and stop you from doing things. ellie costello, bbc news. thank you for your messages, mostly the messages today are about the situation in greater manchester, the stalemate between local leaders in the westminster government over the financial package as the region goes

into tier 3. lee says the words divide and conquer spring to mind. i live in liverpool and i wish we had andy burnham. cheryl says why are they bartering? this is the welfare of their own citizens. neville says i think andy burnham should now accept a 60 million. john says this is punishment for andy burnham for having the courage to fight for his city. and this e—mail says andy burnham had an optional 60 million to help greater manchester, he should have accepted that and swallowed his pride and gone begging for more. instead, he allowed his own arrogance to rule. many people in greater manchester will now suffer. thank you for those. you can message me on twitter and instagram as well. the latest figures show the government borrowed

36.1 billion pounds in september. the figure is 28 billion more than the same period last year. the office for national statistics said it was the third—highest figure for any month since records began, in 1993. new figures out this morning also show the uk's inflation rate, which tracks the prices of goods and services, climbed to nought and services, climbed to 0.5% in september, from 0.2% percent in august. a number of people taking part in a protest against police brutality have reportedly been shot dead or injured in nigeria's biggest city, lagos. a witness told the bbc that at least 20 people have been killed. paul hawkins reports. (tx vt) gunfire. protests allegedly turning violent on the streets of lagos. everyone, sit down, sit down, sit down! we haven't been able to verify this footage, but it's said to show uniformed men shooting at protesters. one eyewitness said they counted around 20 bodies and at least 50 injured. human rights organisation amnesty international said it also obtained credible reports of deaths and that soldiers allegedly barricaded the

protest area, preventing ambulances from reaching the injured. the authorities have promised an investigation. earlier in the day, the protests were largely peaceful. a special anti—robbery squad may have been disbanded but many people here are still unhappy with police brutality. they want more changes to the security forces as well as reforms to the way the country is run. we are here because we believe in what we're fighting for. we are proud of it. i know if you listen to our national anthem, and our national pledge, we are here to defend our unity. we are fighting for the truth. we are fighting for the label of our heroes. we don't want it to be in vain. i'm a prepared to die for my children to

have a better tomorrow. the truth is it. protests like these have been ongoing for two weeks but the authorities have had enough — now imposing an indefinite 24—hour curfew on lagos and other regions. the question is have the protesters had enough too? paul hawkins, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello, again. today, for many of us, it's going to be fairly cloudy and we also have some rain in the forecast, the heaviest of which is going to be and is currently across southern parts of england and into the south—east. this is the remnants of storm barbara and, with it, we are looking at gusty winds, even in the wind will be gusty but especially anywhere along the coast from sussex to kent and east anglia. storm barbara, named by the spanish met service, is actually this area of low pressure and it will be pulling steadily towards the north and the east, eventually clearing off into the north sea. we still have quite gusty winds across the

north—west of scotland, easing for a time through the day and indeed as well the rain, and in between are drier and brighter slot with a few showers unlimited amounts of sunshine. temperature wise, still on the mild side today, looking at eight in low week, to 17 in london. through this evening and overnight, eventually we see the remnants of storm barbara move away, slowest a clear and norfolk. there will be some showers left behind and also some showers left behind and also some clearer skies, but we will also have this rain across northern and eastern scotland rotating around an area of low pressure. with all of this going on, it's not going to be a cold night. in fact, it will be quite mild. we start tomorrow with this rain across northern and eastern scotland. eventually, it moves off into the north sea and then a ridge of high pressure builds across us, then a ridge of high pressure builds across us, things down. that doesn't mean wall—to—wall blue skies, there will still be quite a bit of cloud around, one or two showers as well but equally some sunshine and temperatures not quite as high as

they are likely to be today. looking at top temperatures of 16. as we head on through the evening and overnight, many other start the evening on a dry node but already we have the next system coming in from the west, introducing some rain and that will steadily push eastwards through the course of the night and also through the course of friday, turning a bit weaker as it moves over towards eastern areas. behind it, dry and brighter with some showers, some of those showers merging across the north and west of scotla nd merging across the north and west of scotland and feeling cooler. saturday, the unsettled theme continues and it is going to be windy wherever you are on saturday and you will notice the trend of temperature slipping as we head on into sunday.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. more than a million people in south yorkshire are to be placed under the highest covid alert level this weekend — after a 41 million pound deal was agreed between the government and local leaders. household mixing will be banned in most settings and pubs and bars will close across barnsley, doncaster, rotherham and sheffield as greater manchester prepares to move tier 3 — the government says the door is still open for further talks about a financial support deal. absolutely, that money's there, it's got manchester's name on it, and i will certainly work with any local council leader who wants to come forward and make sure that we get that money into the hands of those who need it as swiftly as possible. scientists develop a tool for predicting who is most likely to develop long covid — and hope it can be used