tonight at ten — england's month—long lockdown begins. the prime minister says it will be enough to get the coronavirus infection rate under control. as millions heed the call to stay at home, borisjohnson says it pains him to ask people to give up so much — but there is light at the end of the tunnel. i've no doubt that people will be able to have as normal a christmas as possible and that we'll be able to get things open before christmas as well. as millions of businesses shut up shop again, a surprise move from the chancellor — the uk's furlough scheme is being extended until the end of march. today's announcement will give people and businesses up and down our country immense comfort over what will be a difficult winter. the other main story tonight — joe biden hasjust addressed his

supporters and called for patience, as he edges closer and closer to the white house. with votes still being counted in a handful of battleground states, he says he's confident of the result. we have no doubt that when the count is finished, senator harris and i will be declared the winners, so i ask everyone to stay calm, all people to stay calm. the process is working. but republicans aren't giving up the fight — donald trump launches a raft of legal challenges. the president is alleging theft and fraud, but so far is yet to supply evidence to back up those claims. and in sport, harry kane gets his 200th goal for tottenham, on his 300th appearance, on a busy night for english clubs in the europa league.

good evening. the prime minister has insisted that the four—week lockdown in england, which began today, will be enough to reduce the rate of coronavirus infections. borisjohnson said he realised that people were weary and fed up, but there was light at the end of the tunnel. non—essential shops have all now shut. pubs and restaurants can only serve takeaways. and in an unexpected move, the chancellor rishi sunak announced that the uk's furlough scheme — for those temporarily laid off — has been extended until the end of march to give more support for workers facing yet more uncertainty. the furlough scheme will now 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 — it's been increased to 80% of average profits untiljanuary. here's our deputy political

editor, vicki young. 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 in a huge, joint effort 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 want to assure you, this is not a repeat of the spring. the chancellor was lending a hand at a housing development. he's been saying it's 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's 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, the delay had cost jobs and livelihoods. the chancellor can change his mind at the last minute, mr speaker, but businesses can't. we need a chancellor who's in front of the problems we face, not one who's always a step behind. and the first minister of scotland said uncertainty over wage support had had dire consequences. unfortunately, because many businesses and workers expected the furlough, the existing furlough scheme, to end at the end of october, and i know people, we all know people in this circumstance, 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 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'll have the backing going forward, which is a huge help. but also what does that mean, extending it to march? does that mean we are in for more lockdowns? are we going to be on this total roller—coaster, open and close? you criticised political opponents who called for the furlough scheme to be extended, and now you've done it. what do you say to those who've 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, thejss, was developed, and a different package of measures. but now, as we face this autumn surge, it's right to go to furlough and that's 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's now come up with even more — another huge financial commitment, stretching into next year. that's 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. the bank of england warned today that the economy is once more shrinking sharply and won't get back up to its pre—covid level until the start of 2022. the bank is now preparing to pump an additional £150 billion into the economy to soften the impact of more lockdowns. its governor, andrew bailey, also warned that brexit would harm economic growth in the first six months of next year — even if there is a trade deal with the european union. he said many firms hit by covid aren't prepared

for new border checks. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity reports. sainsbury announces it's shedding 3,500 jobs and closing 420 stand—alone argos stores, after revealing a £137 million loss. and that's just day one of the new lockdown. for an economy that was recovering since the spring, trouble is once again brewing. this walthamstow beer maker doubled capacity before covid. the pre—christmas period should have been a chance to restore its fortunes. i'm really super proud of the way all of our staff, especially our younger members of staff, have really handled it. they have been adaptable, they have been willing to kind of get stuck in at every turn, but things are hard, things are really, really hard, and especially hospitality staff, like, these people don't get paid the most in the world. they are by nature quite vulnerable staff. so we're doing our best.

today, the bank of england warned that as the second wave breaks, the recovery will have to wait. it looks like the economy will end up, you know, ten or 11% below the level of activity we had at the end of last year. now, that is historically unprecedented, pretty much. i can't give you exact figures for the last 300 years, but it's a huge impact. i mean, there's nothing, certainly in modern times, that we could point to, which would be like that. the economy took a record drop in the second quarter of the year. it did recover much of that ground in the third quarter and that was supposed to continue, but now the bank of england says the economy is shrinking again and it won't get back up to pre—covid levels until 2022. to try and soften the blow, the bank of england will now create another £150 billion at the stroke of a keyboard. it will spend the money buying bonds. that should ensure the government

can borrow cheaply, keeping interest rates as low as possible so this prolonged slump is no longer than it has to be. andy verity, bbc news, the bank of england. and our business editor simon jack is here. so a surprise announcement on furlough today will give more certainty to many workers — did he have any choice? he was in a really difficult position. earlier this year he decided it was better use of money to spend tens of billions of pounds subsidising wages, keeping them close to their employers, preventing mass unemployment and the huge damage that were due to the economic and social fabric of the country, than the mass unemployment you would have had otherwise but that was predicated on the fact he thought virus by now would be in retreat. the game has changed. the question was did he felt that bet, in which case he would spend and get mass unemployment or do you double down, buy more time and go into next year?

going as far as much was an attempt to get slightly ahead of a situation that the labour party say and others say he managed to get himself behind so say he managed to get himself behind so if he kept putting in more money each month that looked as if he was being dragged to the wicket, so lots more money. 0ne being dragged to the wicket, so lots more money. one of the group that won't be very happy is the original measures did exclude some people, self—employed or small directors of companies. they i think we'll find it galling, heartbreaking even, to see billions more going to the people who already have had some assistance, with none to them. simon jack, thank you. well this afternoon borisjohnson said he had "every confidence" the new lockdown will work and england can be eased back into a tiered system on december two. until then people must stay at home except for work, education, essentialshopping, 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 have also closed, 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 rush hour 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 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's a lot less wriggle room this time. the modelling suggests that we'll 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, cafes are 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're not allowed to hug anyone! we're 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 the 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 fear 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 5—39 thh—keéfi—fle f to use their powers to get people to obey the laws of lockdown, as tonight the prime minister tells britain he wants to ensure families can come together this christmas. 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 latest government figures show there were 24,1!!! new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. 378 deaths were reported. that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—i9 test. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to a8,i20. well, our science editor david shukman has been looking at the current scale of infections and what the latest lockdown in england might achieve.

staff at bradford royal infirmary today, facing a sudden rush of patients with covid—i9. they've 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 wales, northern ireland 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 first 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 infected was on average passing the virus to three others. the first lockdown brought that right down to below i. i is the critical threshold because below it, the epidemic slows down rather than speeds up. right now, the government estimates we're 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's 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 positive, 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. the other main story tonight is of course the us presidential election. in the last hour, joe biden, the democratic challenger, has appeared in public and told his supporters that he has no doubt that he will be the next president. counting continues in just a handful of key states.

and the margins are incredibly tight. butjoe biden appears to be edging ever closer to the white house and has called for calm and patience while the counting continues. he 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. let's join our north america editor jon sopel in washington for the very latest. yes, sophie, as you say, donald trump has launched a raft of legal

actions in all these states where the votes are being counted. but i am sensing that there is growing frustration within the white house that the president isn't getting the support that he wanted from the republican party and his lawyer has tweeted about it. donald trump's son has tweeted about it, so there is frustration there. but they are also saying there is going to be no concession because the votes are being stolen, and joe biden‘s camp are saying, we being stolen, and joe biden‘s camp are saying, we are being stolen, and joe biden‘s camp are saying, we are certain we are going to win. so to misquote the trump slogan, the territory we are 110w trump slogan, the territory we are now in is "make america weight again". as america waits, so impatience grows and protests are cropping up in all the states where counting is still going on. god bless america! god bless trump! there are many trump supporters, but last night what they were chanting depended on where they were. stop the count! this is detroit, michigan, where donald trump had a narrowing lead, and his fans are shouting, "stop the count". stop the count!

but go west to arizona, where donald trump is trailing, and what's the cry? "count those votes". the charge from trump surrogates is that the democrats are trying to steal the election. we are filing this federal lawsuit to protect legal voters. it is unacceptable in this country to have illegal votes counted. after this news conference, rick grenell, donald trump's former director of national intelligence, was chased by a national reporter to explain what the fraud is. where is the evidence of the fraud? you haven't presented any evidence. as things stand, we're waiting for counting to finish in arizona, nevada, wherejoe biden holds narrow leads, and in the north—east and georgia in the south, where the president

is just about ahead. in georgia, we had this update on the pressures facing the counting staff. 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 that 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 has tweeted this. the tweet has been flagged by twitter for being misleading. the democrats are watching all of this warily, and have an army of lawyers ready to go into battle if that's what this election comes down to.

we have no doubt that when the count is finished, senator harris and i will be declared the winners. so i ask everyone to stay calm, all the people to stay calm. the process is working. the count is being completed and we'll know very soon. 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. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant is atjoe biden‘s campaign headquarters in wilmington, delaware. and joe biden is sounding very confident now. they are super—confident. they think they are going to win arizona. they think they are going to win nevada. those two states alone would get them to the magic number of 270. they think they are going to win pennsylvania, such a big prize.

donald trump was 500,000 votes ahead on election night in pennsylvania. now that lead has dipped below 100,000. when you read the headlines in the news tonight, it was 97,000. now it is 90,000. the biden campaign are chipping away at that. they know there are still those to be counted in places like philadelphia, a democratic stronghold of course. they are confident of what is happening also in georgia. they are happy on multiple fronts. some of those legal challenges from the trump campaign have been rejected by courts in georgia and michigan. the trump campaign has called for a recount in wisconsin, but they have a 20,000 lead in wisconsin, and a recount only shift about a couple of hundred votes. it is significant, may be, that on this stage behind me, in the past hour they have been checking the microphones, just adjusting a few things. we haven't seen activity on that stage since election night. maybe they are preparing for a victory party. nick

bryant, thank you. well, it's certainly been one of the most divisive us elections anyone can remember. 0ur correspondent aleem maqbool has been speaking to people in wisconsin — one of the most fiercely contested states — to find out how the bitter battle has affected the public mood. 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 neighbour, 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, a 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. and we all remember moments over the last year where american cities have quickly descended into chaos. 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. well, joe biden seems to be the closest to taking the white house — he is certainly sounding confident. he nowjust needs pennsylvania,

with its 20 electoral college votes, or two other states in order to win. donald trump has a hard task — he must win pennsylvania and take three other states to remain president. let's get more from our correspondent, michelle fleury, who's in philadelphia for us. it will be a big win for whoever gets it, and it is looking incredibly tight? yes, as things currently stand, we understand that donald trump has a leader about 1.596, donald trump has a leader about 1.5%, or100,000 donald trump has a leader about 1.5%, or 100,000 votes. donald trump has a leader about 1.5%, or100,000 votes. what donald trump has a leader about 1.5%, or 100,000 votes. what is worth knowing is that when it comes to mail—in votes in the city where i am standing, philadelphia, there are about 100,000 votes left and we are waiting to hear which way they go. why does this matter? because there are 20 electoral votes in the state of pennsylvania, enough to getjoe biden to the magic number of 270, or enough to significantly boost the chances of donald trump to let him have four more years in the white house. legal challenges are flying.

donald trump and his team, a short while ago my speaking about action they are taking in federal court involving ballot watchers and how close they can stand to those who are doing the count. the secretary of state speaking at the moment. everyone is waiting to find out when pennsylvania will finish its count. she has not yet said there is a timeline, and pointed out that they are still receiving mail—in ballots from military personnel and those who live overseas. given how slim the margin between the two candidates right now, it is entirely possible that the answer to the future direction of this country could lie in the building behind me, and the hopes are that tonight, or in the next 48 hours, we will find out what it is. michelle fleury, thank you. more of today's news now. 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 the safe travel list. restrictions in england and wales mean people can now only undertake overseas travel for limited reasons, including work and education. students at the university of manchester held protests tonight after fencing was erected around their accommodation. residents at the fallowfield campus said barriers were put up without warning on the first day of england's lockdown. the university has now apologised and said it will remove the barriers. the public inquiry into the grenfell fire has heard the makers of one of the most widely used types of insulation — kingspan kooltherm — knew it wouldn't pass a fire safety test ten years before the deadly blaze. kooltherm passed a test similar to this in 2005, but its composition was then changed. when retested in 2007, an internal e—mail suggested it burned like a "raging inferno". kingspan says it was unaware its product was being used on grenfell.

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, he spent the money on a sports car, a yacht and a holiday in the bahamas. the premier league is likely to scrap its pay—per—view method for watching matches after this weekend. the £14.95 fee had led to significant protests among fan groups. and back to the race to become the next president of the united states, we're joined by our north america editorjon sopel. perhaps an impossible question, but when are we going to get a result? i'm glad you asked me that. not so much. it's impossible to say, sophie. if pennsylvania declares tonight, as we were hearing from michelle fleury a moment ago, and

declares forjoe