today at 6:00... the chancellor rishi sunak says the uk—wide furlough scheme will now run through to the end of march. it's yet another extension to the scheme, prompting labour to say he's always a step behind — but the chancellor points to the millions who will benefit. today's announcement will give people and businesses up and down our country immense comfort over what will be a difficult winter. day one of the new lockdown for england — the prime minister says people could have as normal christmas as possible if they stick to the rules. also tonight... joe biden edges closer to the white house — but he's not there yet.

the democratic candidate says he's ahead in key battleground states, but donald trump is trying everything from law suits to tweets to stop him. we love trump! trump supporters are following his lead — there have been protests on both sides, but it's the republicans promising legal action. but we're not going to let them get away with it. they're not going to steal this election. this election gets decided by the people. and coming up on bbc news... phil foden back in the fold — he's set to make his return to the england squad for this month's internationals, but no room for mason greenwood. good evening and welcome

to the bbc news at six. the chancellor rishi sunak has announced that the furlough scheme — which has supported millions of workers — will now run through to the end of march next year. mr sunak has had to extend the scheme yet again, prompting labour to accuse him of playing catch—up, "always a step behind" as the shadow chancellor put it. so how does the scheme work? it will apply to the whole of the uk for the next five months. the government will pay 80% of wages for hours not worked for employees affected by the pandemic. for those who are self employed, support has been extended to a similar level — increasing to 80% of average profits until january. here's our deputy political editor vicki young on why this is an extension the government had hoped to avoid. they tried to open up the economy. but once again, the shutters have come down across england. and now,

emergency bailouts have become long term support. the government, helping to pay the wages of millions of people for a whole year. but today, the prime minister insisted there was light at the end of the tunnel. across the whole of the united kingdom, people are engaged ina huge, united kingdom, people are engaged in a huge, joint efforts to put the coronavirus back in its box. i know that many of you are anxious, weary, and quite frankly fed up with the very mention of this virus. but i wa nt to very mention of this virus. but i want to assure you, this is not a repeat of the spring. of the chancellor was lending a hand at a housing development. he has been saying it is time to wind down the furlough scheme, not build it up again. but rishi sunak has gone from eat out to help out, to eating his words. political opponents have chosen to attack the government for trying to keep the economy functioning, and to make sure the support we provide encourages people to keep working. but to anyone in the real world, that isjust

to keep working. but to anyone in the real world, that is just the thing you have to do when the circumstances change. there have been several versions of the chancellor's support plan in recent weeks. labour said the furlough scheme should have been extended sooner, and that the delay had cost jobs and livelihoods. chancellor can change his mind at the last minute, mr speaker, but businesses can't. we need a chancellor who is in front of the problem is that we face, not one thatis the problem is that we face, not one that is always a step behind. and the first minister of scotland said uncertainty over wage support had had dire consequences. u nfortu nately, had dire consequences. unfortunately, because many businesses and workers expected the furlough, the existing furlough scheme to end at the end of october, andi scheme to end at the end of october, and i know people, we all know people in the circumstance, they made people redundant and i think thatis made people redundant and i think that is deeply regrettable. the seats are empty at this hair salon in cardiff. wales is in the middle ofa in cardiff. wales is in the middle of a two—week lockdown, so owner

helen has put her staff back on furlough. the news today has been, in one way, a big relief, knowing that we will have the backing going forward , that we will have the backing going forward, which is a huge help. but what does that mean, extending it until march? does it mean we are in for more lockdown? are we going to be on this total roller—coaster? for more lockdown? are we going to be on this total roller-coaster? you criticise political opponents who called for the furlough scheme to be extended, and now you have done it. what do you say to those who have lost theirjobs because you didn't provide that certainty earlier? we needed to look at alternative systems of support to encourage the economy to keep moving and get people back into employment. that was why the job support system, the jss, was developed, and a different package of measures. but now, as we face this autumn surge, it is right to go to furlough and that is what we are doing. the chancellor has spent hundreds of billions of pounds propping up the economy during this pandemic. but, after being accused of ignoring the needs of workers in

northern english cities, wales and scotland, he has now come up with even more, another huge financial commitment, stretching into next year. that is reassuring for many, but others worry about the longer term implications for the economy. the brief optimism of the summer has faded quickly. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. and our business editor simon jack is here. we heard what labour had to say, why has the chancellor changed his mind? it's a bit like a game of poker. the translate made what seemed like an obvious bet earlier this year, to spend tens of billions of pounds keeping people close to their employers, on the payroll, keeping tax, rather than having mass unemployment and seeing people on benefits. by and large, that was right and worked. it was predicated on the idea that by now the virus would be in retreat. the game has changed. the question is, does he fold, having spent all that money and still get mass unemployment, or does he double down and keep spending the money to buy himself

more time? most people think he is, in principle, doing the right thing. some people say he could have done it earlier, some of the region said it earlier, some of the region said it took an england lockdown to force his hand. vicki pointed out he'd spent hundreds of millions of pounds, where is he getting the money? it won't be as expensive as lockdown i, it will cost about £1 billion lockdown 1, it will cost about £1 billion per month, per million people using it. he has borrowed hundreds of billions of pounds, and it is no coincidence that the bank of england popped up today to say that it would buy £150 billion worth of bonds, effectively government ious, a coordinated attempt. but one day the money will have to be paid back. he is not in a position to stop spending yet, though. sainsbury‘s says it will to cut around 3,500 jobs — mostly at retailer argos — as part of cost—cutting measures. sainsbury‘s, which bought argos in 2016, will close 420 argos standalone stores over next three years, although it plans to open 150 outlets in its supermarkets.

boss simon roberts said sainsbury‘s was responding to changing consumer habits and the growth of online shopping. boris johnson says the four—week lockdown in england that begins today will have a real impact on the spread of coronavirus. let me remind you of the restrictions. people must stay at home with the following exceptions — which include work, education, essential shopping, exercise and medical reasons. people can't mix with other households in homes or private gardens, but meeting one person from another household in a public space is allowed. pubs and restaurants must close, but they can continue deliveries and takeaways, which in a change of policy can now include alcohol. non—essential shops, hairdressers, gyms and pools must also close, and there are no exemptions for amateur sport. the government says the england lockdown will "expire automatically" on the second of december.

our home editor mark easton reports on england's first day in the new lockdown. in blackpool, the lights went out as england was told to stay in. dawn brought a rushhour without a rush, public transport without the public, freedom locked down again. in the midst of a plague, 14th century pilgrims prayed at st alban‘s shrine in the city that still bears his name. worship at the cathedral is now limited to private prayer. my sense is that we have to take this a day at a time and try to find hope in the small things, try to get to the end of each day with something that has caused you to smile. as in so many places across england, covid cases have been rising fast here.

public health officials insist the new measures are vital to save lives. the first lockdown reduced the numbers by 70%, we think. there is a lot less wriggle room this time. the modelling suggests that we will reduce infections by 40%, so we absolutely need everybody, tired though they are, to double down on doing the things that will stop the infections. this lockdown feels different to the last. the schools are open, cafe is our open, people are more familiar with the new normal of masks and gel and wipes, and more prepared to venture out. many cannot leave their home, though. for michael and sylvia, both in their mid—80s, lockdown means a severed connection to those they love and those who love them. we are a great family of hugs. i mean, my husband has the best hug, so the children say, of all, his grandchildren, especially. and we are not allowed to hug anyone! we are not allowed! and we're not even to kiss each other, and, you know,

it's just very, very different, and we do miss that, and we find that hard. dress up and dance, this st albans shopkeeper implores her customers, but when it comes to having fun, lockdown has put me no in november. i think you have to find the fun where you can, and i think when we do come out of this, i think there will be a lot of parties. we'll be ready then! people are the food and drink of the hospitality industry. denied custom for a month, some feared doors may never reopen. we're very worried. you know, we know of pubs in st albans that won't survive this. i think four weeks will be... it will be a lot longer than four weeks. there is a big worry here, in st albans and across the whole the country that a lot of pubs won't make it. police say they will encourage people to obey the laws of lockdown, but won't hesitate to use the laws

of sanction if necessary. remember, remember, the 5th of november. with normal life furloughed once again, this year, it's a day england may well wish to forget. mark easton, bbc news, st albans. the world health organisation is warning of an explosion of coronavirus cases across europe. the uk is not alone in struggling to contain this second wave of the pandemic. our science editor david shukman has been looking atjust how bad it is here. staff at bradford royal infirmary today facing a sudden rush of patients with covid—19. they have got more cases now than at the peak earlier this year. a pattern already emerging in a few other hospitals. so what's the latest picture across the uk? this map shows where numbers of infections are highest. in northern england and in parts of northern ireland, wales and scotland. the most up—to—date figures

for hospital admissions show increases in every english region, some faster than others. this is not really speculation, this is fact, and we know that in certain parts of the country, the number of coronavirus patients that hospitals are looking after is already significantly over the number that they were having to cope with during the april the 1st peak. but that's not true everywhere, fortunately. we've got parts of the country where, actually, coronavirus is rising but nevertheless, hospitals are coping well. so what exactly is the aim of the new restrictions? well, it's to try to keep the virus under control. the less people get together, the fewer chances there are of infection. a key indicator is what's called the r number, basically a measure of how much the virus is being spread. earlier this year, it was running at nearly 3, meaning that anyone who was infected was on average passing the virus to three others. the first lockdown brought that right down to below 1. 1 is the critical threshold, because below it, the epidemic slows

down rather than speeds up. right now, the government estimates we are up to 1.3, and the hope is that all the different restrictions around the uk will bring that right down again. so what's next in the coming weeks? according to one study that's based on an app, infections have started to drop slightly, possibly because of the restrictions under the regional tier system. we're still seeing nationally high levels of new disease, but it's not going up, and in many places, it has started to come down. but the lag of two weeks between new cases and hospitals means that this won't be seen yet in the nhs. underpinning everything is knowing where the virus is. liverpool will be the first entire city to be tested. the army is ready to help, but the system for reaching the contacts of anyone tested, a crucial part of the strategy,

still isn't working properly, so the next four weeks are a vital chance to get that right. david shukman, bbc news. at this point in our programme, we would usually bring you the daily coronavirus figures, but they haven't been published yet by the department for health and social care. travellers arriving in the uk from germany and sweden will have to self—isolate for two weeks from saturday — after both countries were removed from safe travel list. restrictions in england and wales prohibit people from going abroad on holiday. overseas travel is only allowed for limited reasons including work and education. the former owner of the bhs retail chain, dominic chappell, has been jailed for six years for evading tax on earnings from his deal to take over the failed high street business. southwark crown court heard he didn't pay tax on £2.2 million of income, instead spending the money on a sports car, a yacht and a holiday in the bahamas. the premier league is likely to scrap the controversial

pay—per—view method for seeing matches after this weekend. the £111.95 fee, which led to significant protests among fan groups, is expected to be dropped. to the us presidential election now. we thought we'd be bringing you the result today — but all we can say is that joe biden, the democratic challenger, is edging ever closer to the presidency. there are still some tight races in a handful of key states. joe biden is currently projected to have 253 electoral college votes, and donald trump 214. they need 270 to win the white house. the key remaining states are arizona, georgia, nevada, pennsylvania and north carolina. the bbc, in line with several other news organisations, is now projecting thatjoe biden is the winner in wisconsin. and there's no sign of president donald trump conceding. quite the opposite — he's launched a set of legal challenges.

here's our north america editor jon sopel on the final stages of a presidential race like no other. george, i went to bed last night thinking this is all straightforward, joe biden will get over the line and be the next president. i woke up this morning, saw the race tightening in arizona, with donald trump doing much better, and thought, maybe not. from the campaigns, absolute defiance. the donald trump campaign has brief that donald trump campaign has brief that donald trump campaign has brief that donald trump is alive and well and planning to stay on in the white house. the biden campaign, that their man, once all the votes have been counted, will be the next president. it's like being on a roller—coaster ride. stomach churning, you get to the end, the ride starts all over again before you can get off. or to misquote the famous donald trump slogan, we are in the territory of make america a again. chanting: four more years! as america waits, so impatience grows, and protests are cropping up in all the states where counting is still going on.

they're mainly trump supporters, but what they're chanting depends where you are. stop the count! this is detroit, michigan, where donald trump had a narrowing lead, and his fans are shouting, "stop the count!" chanting: stop the count! but go west to arizona — where donald trump is trailing — and what are they chanting? "count those votes!" we'd just like to watch you count the ballots! last night, the president's lawyer, rudy giuliani, accused democrats of trying to steal the election, although, notably, offered no evidence for that. this is a concerted effort of the crooks that run the democratic party, and you know these big—city machines are crooked. you know that. 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, 100 years of one—party rule leads to corruption. as things stand, we're waiting for counting to finish in arizona, nevada — wherejoe biden holds narrow leads — and in pennsylvania in the northeast and georgia in the south —

where the president is just about to head. in georgia a short time ago, we had this update on the counting process. fast is great, and we appreciate fast, we more appreciate accuracy. accuracy is going to be the bedrock upon which people will believe the outcome of this election, be it on the winning side or the losing side. donald trump hasn't spoken publicly since he made this statement on election night, but his campaign have launched multiple lawsuits since then, demanding a recount in wisconsin, calling for counting to be stopped in other states, alleging fraud in nevada. and he's just tweeted this... the democrats are watching all of this wearily and have an army of lawyers ready to go into battle if that's what this election comes down to.

here, the people rule. power can't be taken or asserted. it flows from the people, and it's their will that determines who will be the president of the united states and their will alone. neither side is giving an inch, neither side is giving up. there's defiance from the trump camp, determination from biden. who's going to prevail? watch this space. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's get the latest from thejoe biden camp, and our north america correspondent nick bryant is at his campaign headquarters in wilmington, delaware. we have just heard joe we havejust heard joe biden. he was sounding very presidential last night, nick. what is the mood now? well, the message from the biden camp is, keep calm and carry on the count. because they believe that

soon, it will show thatjoe biden is going to be the next president. they have got this leading nevada which has increased. there has been a tightening in the polls in arizona, which caused a lot of anxiety among democrats overnight, but they are saying, look at las vegas, a democratic city, still a lot of votes to come from there. they have got very bullish about pennsylvania. donald trump had a lead there on election night of 500,000 votes, but as there is mail—in ballots have come in, that lead has narrowed to just over 115,000 votes. philadelphia, a lot of votes there to count. a democratic city. so they are very confident. on the subject of these lawsuits, they are saying they are frivolous political theatre, part of a misinformation campaign to try and cast doubt on the vote. they are still very confident here,, george, thatjoe biden will win this. thank you very much. well, it's certainly been one of the most divisive us elections

anyone can remember. how has that and the arguments over the results affected the public mood? the bbc, in line with several other news organisations, is now projecting thatjoe biden is the winner in wisconsin, but the trump campaign has demanded a recount. our correspondent has been speaking to people there. even in quaint suburban america right now, in these fractious times, it's them and us. but there are those trying to come together. when tim had his biden sign stolen, his trump—supporting neighbor, josh, surprised him with a replacement. i knowjosh is a member of the republican party, and so, you know, for him to come and do something like that was pretty outstanding. so, in the course of our conversation, i realised thatjosh is, you know, regular person first and a republican second.

but the situation nationally is causing tension. i think people's wicks are just a little bit shorter than they used to be. i think people are afraid. they're afraid of what the economy looks like, they're afraid of the unknown, and so that fear becomes anger. even outside the white house on election night, we saw radical elements on the left make an appearance. in recent months, far right militia have also made their presence felt in many parts of the country. antifascist activist vaughn mays has been arrested several times for alleged violence, but now predicts trouble from the other side. i live in a state where we saw armed protesters, trump supporters, storm the capital because they did not want to follow mask mandates, and they did not want their businesses to shut down. they wanted to be able get,

in theirwords, haircuts. and so if they would go to those heights and those levels for mask mandates, it's definitely concerning what they would do if their president is not reelected, especially when he's been putting it out there that if he doesn't win, it's rigged, or it's some sort of conspiracy against him, and that they should fight back. there's little doubt that the angry rhetoric and political discourse at the top has led to more animosity among some elements at least on the ground. the fear is, because this has already been a contentious election and promises to be into the days and weeks to come, that will only lead to greater divisions in american society. aleem maqbool, bbc news, milwaukee, wisconsin. the republicans are just ahead in the race for the senate, where they have 48 seats projected compared with 47 for the democrats, with only a few seats outstanding.

the democrats had hoped to flip the republicans' current majority, giving them the power to obstruct the plans of a second—term president trump or push through the agenda of a first—term president biden. the democrats, meanwhile, look set to keep control of the house of representatives. in arizona, with 86% of the votes counted, joe biden holds a slender advantage over donald trump. the southwestern state was won by donald trump in 2016, but biden currently leads by around 70,000 votes. from phoenix, our north america correspondent sophie long joins me. sophie, just how important is this count for both candidates? well, it is pretty important, george, and pretty tight. as the race stands at the moment, in terms of numbers, there remain 450,000 votes uncounted. of those, about

300,000 here are in maricopa county, where phoenix is, the major population centre of arizona. a little bit more liberal leaning, perhaps, than other parts of the state. there have been protests by trump supporters at various locations around maricopa county. so far, those protests have been noisy but also non—violent. we were at one a little earlier in a group of about 200 trump supporters dropped to their knees and prayed together, asking god to watch over their ballots. when they got up, they chanted "count the vote". there are frequent reassurances here that that is exactly what is happening. it may ta ke is exactly what is happening. it may take time, but the secretary of state of arizona also pointing out that there are live webcams so people can watch the counting process ta ke people can watch the counting process take place. in terms of significance, the fact that this race is so tight is remarkable in itself. this used to be reliable republican territory. if joe itself. this used to be reliable republican territory. ifjoe biden ta kes republican territory. ifjoe biden takes arizona, as some networks are predicting, it will be the first time in almost seven decades that

arizona has voted for a democratic presidential candidate and since two democratic senators to the senate as well. republicans are still not conceding defeat. we could get some kind of final result at some point tomorrow. thank you very much, sophie. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. hi, george. thanks a lot. some big temperature contrast across the uk. in the south of england, temperatures got to about 10—11 in the sunshine, but it is much warmer further north. durham, 18, and widely across northern scotland, 15-16. the widely across northern scotland, 15—16. the reason for those temperature contrasts comes from where the air actually came from at the start of the month. this cooler air across southern england started round about canada at the start of the month, the airfurther north, of much warmer origin, coming from around the bahamas. that was partly the reason we have those high temperatures across northern areas. the fern effect also helped boost them a little bit as well.

overnight, some mist and fog patches likely to follow, particularly across england and wales, so it will turn murky for some, and in the countryside, frost patches. further north, for scotland and northern ireland, it stays quite cloudy, so never getting very cold, 8 degrees for belfast and glasgow. tomorrow, any mistand for belfast and glasgow. tomorrow, any mist and fog to start across england and wales will lift into low cloud as the breeze picks up. they could hang around for a little while before dispersing with some sunshine and breaking out, and the best sunshine should be into the afternoon. scotland looks pretty cloudy and a cooler kind of day for aberdeen. it was 16 here in the afternoon, but just 12 aberdeen. it was 16 here in the afternoon, butjust 12 tomorrow afternoon, butjust 12 tomorrow afternoon, so a fresher feel across eastern areas of scotland. this weekend, it will turn quite cloudy. low pressure is in charge, bringing rain at times, and ultimately, we see the weather turning milder through the weekend, and milder air reaching across england and wales quite quickly on saturday, but as it turns milder, it will also turn cloudy year, the clout thick enough for a little rain at times across

western areas. further north, a cold start with some frost, temperatures never really recovering in glasgow. highs ofaround never really recovering in glasgow. highs of around seven. for the second half of the weekend, that milderair second half of the weekend, that milder air pushes northwards. quite cloudy, temperatures about 11 in the central belt, still around 16 in the south. it will be cloudy on sunday, with rain at times. so, milder weather is on the way through this weekend. many thanks, chris. and back to the race to become the next president of the united states. we're joined by our north america editorjon sopel. i hate to do this to you, but i will put you on the spot. where is all this headed tonight? this is going to... we may get a result tonight. it is all taking far longer. i have just result tonight. it is all taking far longer. i havejust seen result tonight. it is all taking far longer. i have just seen an official from clark county in nevada, essentially las vegas, saying they may not finish their counting until the 12th of november, next thursday.

imean, we the 12th of november, next thursday. i mean, we will know the result by next thursday, i should think. it looks like joe biden next thursday, i should think. it looks likejoe biden is in front, and he is going to win the plurality and he is going to win the plurality and get these 270 electoral college votes. but what we have seen from the trump campaign today is then firing of legal cases left, right and centre in the hope that this might stop things and change the way it is being counted, what ballots are being admitted, and you have just got the biden campaign saying, everybody stay cool, we are going to see this process out. so i think there is greater confidence that biden will get there first. it is whether donald trump is able to mount any kind of credible legal action that this will now hinge on, and so far, i have read an awful lot of allegations, and i have not seen any substance to those allegations. the word fraud is being bandied around, but no one is providing any evidence yet, and until such time as they do, you would have to say, it

is going to be