this is bbc news live from washington and london. the pressure is mounting on senior republicans to accept the results of tuesday's us election. the former republican president george w bush has issued a statement warmly congratulating joe biden for winning an election he said was "fundamentally fair". on his first full day as the president—elect, mr biden has been reflecting on his victory at a church service in delaware. donald trump has been finding solace on the golf course, though on twitter the president continues to assert that the election has been "stolen". his wife melania tweets that every legal vote should be counted. kamala harris will make history becoming the first female,

first black and first asian—american vice—president. she says voters have sent america's children a message — to dream with ambition. joe biden has encountered every british prime minister for the last a0 years — he described the current prime minister as a clone of donald trump, a comparison borisjohnson was keen to ignore. there is far more that unites the government of this country and government in washington, any time, at any stage, than divides us. away from the us — the queen has attended a ceremony to mark remembrance sunday to honour the dead from the two world wars. people across the uk observed a two—minute silence.

joe biden is spending his first full day as the president—elect of the united states — and already the hard work is under way. his advisers have begun discussing who will fill the most important posts in his cabinet. joe biden himself took some time out to attend church this morning in greenfield. on saturday night, mr biden said he wanted to ‘restore the soul‘ of america and promised to heal and unify the country. in the past couple of hours, an important intervention has come from the former republican president george w bush. he has released a statement congratulating joe biden on his election victory. president bush said: "i know joe biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country. " the statement will increase pressure on senior republicans to recognise the projected result. donald trump — who remains president

until the 20th of january — has yet to speak publicly or concede defeat. his campaign says it will contest the legality of the votes in several states but has yet to provide any evidence of irregularity. our north america correspondent nick bryant reports now from wilmington, delaware, mr biden‘s home town. cheering. for democrats across america, a night both of celebration and catharsis. joy borne of the certainty that joe biden will become the occupant of the white house. relief that donald trump will soon have to make his exit. the coronavirus turned this into a drive—in victory party, a multiracial and multi—generational gathering that looked like a tableau of modern day america. kamala harris. the night began with a historic first. never before has a woman become vice—president—elect,

or a person of colour. kamala harris, joe biden‘s running mate, has achieved both. while i may be the first woman in this office, i will not be the last. because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. the president—elect of the united states of america, joe biden. cheering. after nearly 50 years in public life, no wonderjoe biden was in a rush to reach the stage. and he did so wearing what has become his trademark face mask — a piece of cloth that has become a political symbol, in a country that the pandemic has driven even further apart. tonight, we're seeing all over this nation, all cities in all parts of the country, indeed, across the world, an outpouring ofjoy, of hope, renewed faith in tomorrow being a better day.

he presented himself as an elder and a healer. let this grim era of demonisation in america begin to end here and now. a leader who can restore the soul of america. the bible tells us, to everything there is a season. a time to build, a time to reap and a time to sow, and a time to heal. this is the time to heal in america. joe biden says he wants to bring this country together, but it's in such a state of disunion. there isn't even agreement on who has won this election. the white house is looking more like an elegant bunker, under siege from democrats calling for donald trump to concede. but the president continues to make unsubstantiated claims the election was rigged, that some giant fraud has been committed. the only sighting of him

this morning, as he left the building to play golf. in delaware, the night ended with the kind of tv spectacular we normally associate with donald trump. a show of the democratic reality, thatjoe biden is the victor. white make beautiful fireworks there. in the past few minutes, the first lady melania trump has tweeted. a "the american people deserve fair elections. every legal — not illegal — vote should be counted. we must protect our democracy with complete transparency. " fresh from another round of golf, the president is back on twitter. he

said: since when does the lame strea m said: since when does the lame stream media call our next president? he said we have all learned a lot in the last two weeks. between now and the 20th of january, around 70 days from now, we enter the transition stage where the biden tea m the transition stage where the biden team prepares to take over from mr trump cosmic administration. in the tea m trump cosmic administration. in the team have already built a website, building up to the day he takes office. joe biden will to pick people in his cabinet and fill top jobs such as white house chief of staff and the secretary of state. members of the transition team go into the federal agencies to get briefed on things like looming deadlines and budgets. the aim of the transition period is to ensure a smooth transition of power between the out going trump administraion and the incoming biden government.

nomia iqbal is in wilmington, delaware: kate bedingfield this morning made a point about how many can —— about how many top republicans had not reached out to their team, which usually happens. but she also said that they were carrying on with their work, and joe biden and kemal harris have all week been having —— kamala harris, have been having policy meetings. as you mention, the transition website as well. and we know thatjoe biden will put together a task force to tackle coronavirus, because as the aftermath of the election plays out, the situation with coronavirus is getting worse in america. it is

nearly 10 million recorded cases, and mr biden had said during his election campaign that he would try and tackle the virus and get the country back on track, and that's what he is wanting to do. he is expected to get together a team of more than a dozen scientists and technology experts to come up with a safe vaccine that they can hopefully deliver to the american people. you are right, it is going the wrong direction. since election day, we have been slightly taking our eye off it. 5000 have died since tuesday. 30 states hit a new seven day average in the past week, 42 states training in the wrong direction, and a new high, a new record yesterday, with 126,000 new infections, so he will need this task force to hit the ground running. the question is, what can they do? we are still 70 days away his inauguration. i think, speaking to biden supporters last night in

philadelphia, where lots of celebrations were taking place, i think the fact thatjoe biden is taking it seriously is a start, many of them were saying. we have seen throughout the election campaign the he wears a mask, he has had these scaled—down events, none of these big campaign rallies, and the fact that he is listening to the scientists, and he has made a point of that, that he is going to listen to the scientists and experts, and for many people, the fact that that is his starting point is something. i don't think anyone is under any illusion that suddenly a vaccine will appear, but i think his approach is what people are wanting from him, and that's whatjoe biden says they will get from him. thank you very much forjoining us. so much to do, not really much time for celebration at all. well, as we've been been reporting, president trump remains unwilling to concede defeat and has vowed to contest election results on several fronts. in georgia, where the margins are tight, there will be a recount — althouthoe biden‘s lead has

stretched in the past day to just over 10,000 votes with 99 per cent of the ballots now counted. mr trump also wants a recount in wisconsin — his lead there just over 20,500. and the trump campaign has now filed a lawsuit over ballots cast on election day in arizona that it says were incorrectly rejected. joe biden‘s lead there is 18550 with 97% of the ballot counted. arizona's secretary of state, says the president is "grasping at straws". if the election result is challenged — it would require the president's legal teams to begin their fight in the state courts, before it got anywhere near the supreme court. and so far no evidence has been provided for the alleged voterfraud. senior figures in mr trump's republican party have largely remained silent, but one report in the us media suggests his adviser and son—in—law, jared kushner, has tried to persuade him to concede. speaking on nbc‘s meet the press, republican senator,

mitt romney, said mr trump was within his rights to question the results and he would remain an important influence in the republican party, irrespective of the outcome of the election. he has every right to call for recounts, because we are talking about a recounts, because we are talking abouta margin recounts, because we are talking about a margin of 10,000 votes or less in some cases, so a recount could change the outcome. he wants to look at irregularities, pursue that in the court, but if, as expected, those things don't change the outcome, he will accept the inevitable. he is without question the most powerful voice in our party. people have an enormous impact ona party. people have an enormous impact on a party going forward. i believe the great majority of people who voted for donald trump want to make sure his principles and policies are pursued, so yeah, he is not disappearing by any means. he is the £900 gorilla ruler when it comes

to the republican party. —— the 900— pound gorilla when it comes to the republican party. ron christie was formerly a legal adviser to george w bush. what pressure does this put on mitch mcconnell? i think it puts enormous pressure on the senate majority leader. george w bush was our last elected republican president, and when i was talking about this yesterday, cathy kay said, what would it take to get president trump to recognise it is time to get off the stage, to cede to the ground and concede this election because mike george w bush sent a very warm, gracious statement to the president elect, but he also congratulated president trump, and i think that coupled with jared kushner, who was on nbc this morning, i think the

current occupant of the office recognises perhaps it is time for him to step away. mitch mcconnell will come under increasing pressure to make a public statement to say, mr president, the american people have spoken loudly and it is time to transition to the 46th president of the united states. we heard from mitt romney, saying he is the gorilla in the room. he won over 70 million votes in this election, so there will be a lot of these senior figures in the republican party perhaps wondering whether he is going to come back in four years. is that perhaps what is making them think twice about conceding on his behalf? i think so, think twice about conceding on his behalf? ithink so, christian. 0bviously, behalf? ithink so, christian. obviously, the president continues to send out e—mail after e—mail. i probably get ten of these an hour, saying the media doesn't get to select the president, the people do. i think he is laying down the gau ntlet i think he is laying down the gauntlet that he is not going to go away quietly, and he could come back before you know it to try to reclaim

the office that he so clearly cherished. i don't think we have heard the last of donald john trump. ron, what about the ideology of trump trumpism? i think there are millions upon millions of americans who love this president, believing his ideology, message, and as you heard mitt romney say, he still is going to be a very powerful figure in the republican party. my question, looking at this when we do the postmortem, as we will in the days to come, or their party elders 01’ new days to come, or their party elders or new faces who can put forward a different agenda, a more sunny message that could take away the power that donald trump has right now, but for the moment he is still

a strong force to be reckoned with. and they couldn't control him when he was in the white house, so who might be able to redirect his energy is out of the white house?|j certainly is out of the white house?” certainly think that mitt romney, one of his nemeses, someone who was a governor, a senator, one of his nemeses, someone who was a governor, a senator, someone one of his nemeses, someone who was a governor, a senator, someone with senior stature within the republican party, i expect you are going to hear a lot more out of him. it would also be interesting to hearfrom my former boss, governorjohn kasich from ohio, who endorsed president biden and is widely expected to assume a cabinet or senior position within the biden administration. i look for these type of figures to really sta nd look for these type of figures to really stand up and say, we need to recognise who we are as republicans. but the real question will be, as the party left what the establishment used to be, and is trumpism what the republican party will be in the years to come? the

great debate in the republican party, no doubt. thanks for giving us party, no doubt. thanks for giving us your thoughts. well, what kind of relationship is the president elect likely to have with borisjohnson? the prime minister said today that he was looking forward to working with mr biden on climate change — as well as on international trade — and security. but as our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports well, what kind of relationship is the president elect likely trade — and security. but as our diplomatic correspondent james landale reports there are some tricky issues ahead. from the days of margaret thatcher, joe biden has been no stranger to britain, making it his business to know the prime ministers of the day. at least, until now. for borisjohnson has yet to meet the president—elect and the two men have their differences. mr biden has described the pm as a "physical and emotional clone" of donald trump. and as for brexit... had i been a member of parliament, had i been a british citizen, i would have voted against leaving. views shaped in part by his ancestry. mr biden, a quick word for the bbc? bbc? i'm irish.

he's made clear that peace in northern ireland should not become a casualty of brexit, with a uk—us trade deal very much on the line. a warning repeated by allies. there are of course significant concerns here about how any departure arrangement, final status, between the uk and eu might impact the border in northern ireland. from downing street, the prime minister insisted the us was britain's closest, most important ally, and there was a good chance of a trade deal. there is far more that unites the government of this country and government in washington, any time, any stage, than divides us. we have common values, we have common interests, we have a common global perspective. there are issues where mr biden agrees with mrjohnson. being tough on russia, reviving the deal curbing iran's nuclear programme and agreeing new carbon reduction targets at a big climate summit

in britain next year. above all, a president that supports multilateral organisations such as nato, unlike his predecessor. but... the hard truth is that britain outside the eu is less useful to washington, and so, whenjoe biden wants to influence europe, he will go to paris and berlin, not london. there was a time when american presidents were so important to britain that 160,000 people paid a few pounds to build a statue of one, like franklin roosevelt here. but those days are gone. joe biden's priorities will begin at home, fixing covid and the economy. allies, trade deals, they have to take second place. so for now, a relationship, not as special as once, but more predictable than of late, with perhaps fewer tweets. james landale, bbc news.

let's get more reaction from within the us. larry madowo is in atlanta and joins us now... the fact thatjoe biden managed to get to 270 without knowing the result in georgia might make many people think, what is there are still to look at in georgia? why are the result of that recount still significant? very significant, because right now, in the georgia presidential election, joe biden is leading by about 10,000 votes, and we still don't know who won and we went for a little longer until after the recount. if president trump loses georgia, which obviouslyjoe biden didn't need, it willjust be rubbing salt in the wound, and especially brutal, painful mail than his political coffin, because this was a solidly republican state that no republican has lost since 1992, when bill clinton took it, and right

now, it looks like when there is a recount, there is still a possibilityjoe biden could win again, because in the last 13 state—wide recount that have happened in the united states, only three times did that recount change the outcome of the election. the margins between winners and losers... isn't that the point, larry, that it's so close in georgia? what are republicans thinking about how they will have to recalibrate their whole strategy there? this is deep red republican territory, and the result, as you say, is that close. and republicans are hanging their hat on this recount, hoping there was some sort of miracle that happens and they can win georgia, even if not to bring donald trump to the presidency but just to make sure this remains a solidly red state. they have one final chance, which is two senate races, both held by republicans,

going into a run—off because none of the candidates got more than 50% of the candidates got more than 50% of the vote needed on the georgia straight law. if that happens on the 5th of january and they lose both seats, it will be the final confirmation that georgia is blue. right now, i think it is safe to say it's purple, if you know your colours. larry, thank you very much indeed forjoining us. two important senate races in georgia as well. here in the uk, the queen has led remembrance sunday commemorations — as people around the country paid their respects to the fallen largely from home — because of coronavirus restrictions. this year's events come 75 years on from the end of the second world war — and the queen was joined by other members of the royal family and political leaders at the cenotaph in london. 0ur royal correspondent, nicholas witchell was watching. music: nimrod by elgar. the numbers were depleted, but for all that the massed bands and everyone else had to be socially distanced and the pavements were empty of crowds,

the purpose was unchanged. 0n remembrance sunday, in a year when loss has been more keenly felt than most, the ceremony of remembrance at the cenotaph had a particular power and poignancy. as 11 o'clock approached, the queen took her place on a balcony, as the prince of wales led other senior members of the royal family to their places in readiness for the two minutes' silence observed in whitehall and around the nation. big ben chimes the hour.

music: last post. in whitehall, the prince of wales placed the queen's wreath against the cenotaph‘s northern face. other members of the royal family followed. absent, for their different reasons, were princes harry and andrew. the wreath—laying by the politicians, a small group of commonwealth high commissioners and the military chiefs would normally have been followed by the march—past by thousands of veterans. the record will show that in 2020, 100 years after the cenotaph was unveiled, things had to be done differently. the veterans were represented by a group of 25. yet, for all the changes required by the pandemic, lives lost in war and more recently were recalled and honoured, for remembrance is carried in the heart.

nicholas witchell, bbc news. moving tributes around the country in spite of the coronavirus restrictions. jane, i have to get you to talk to your american college, because i think they misunderstood us here in the uk yesterday. now, have a look this tweet from abc news, who say the fireworks in london last night were in response tojoe biden's victory. it was supposedly for the presidential elect celebrations. they thought this was what was going on in london. can i deliver the punch line? go on. it was bonfire

night, wasn't it? remember, remember, the 5th of november. sorry to disappoint. hello there. it has been a grey and gloomy sunday for many, but for this stage in november it has been incredibly mild and that continues this week. we have two areas of low pressure out of the west and this one will bring showers tomorrow. this is with us today bringing rain. both coming from a southerly direction and with the southerly flow we continue the mild theme, notjust into tomorrow but through much the week. temperatures above where they should be for the time of year but do expect rain at times and some of the wettest conditions for the midweek onwards, especially for the west. mild as we go into the evening, temperatures staying in double figures for many but plenty of cloud around as we see the day out. patchy rain or drizzle for central and eastern scotland through northern and eastern england. confined to eastern counties tonight clear skies in the west.

showers will push up through the channel islands, south—west england, wales and into northern ireland. by the time we start monday morning, noticed how the temperatures have not fallen a great deal compared to what we have at the moment. it will be a mild start to monday, but the next level of cloud on the satellite is this where the front, a trough in the isobars which enhances the showery rain we will see some hefty showers at times through south—west england, wales and northern ireland. some willjust north—east and eastwards and very few showers across eastern england, certainly until late in the day. once there will be a fair amount of cloud, there will be sunshine coming and going through the day, especially between the downpours and temperatures, milder still over scotland, northern ireland and northern england. as we go into monday evening and monday night, showers drift northwards and a kink in the isobars enhances the showers, pushing them northwards and eastwards to take us into tuesday.

another mild start. there will be showers, particularly to the eastern half of the country and we could see heavier showers push up across the south east corner, but overall after a cloudy start to the day, optimistically there will be more sunshine developing on tuesday. although there will be the odd shower in the west, most places will finish the day on a drying out and still a mild one as well. beyond that, temperatures will drop a little bit but it did stay mild. to wednesday and friday we will see heavy rain and strong and gusty winds, particularly in the west. goodbye for now.

this is bbc news, the headlines: on his first full day as the president—elect, joe biden has been reflecting on his victory at a church service in delaware. president trump has found solace on the golf course, though on twitter he continues to assert that the election has been "stolen". his wife melania has tweted that every legal — not illegal vote — should be counted. kamala harris will make history becoming the first female, first black and first asian—american vice president. she says voters have sent america's children a message — to dream with ambition. joe biden has encountered every british prime minister for the last a0 years — he described the current prime minister as a clone of donald trump, a comparison borisjohnson was keen to ignore.