dominic cummings, the prime minister's top adviser, is to leave his job by christmas. a divisive figure, his departure comes amid reports of tensions in downing street. we'll ask what this means for the direction of government. also this lunchtime: the yorkshire ripper peter sutcliffe has died in hospital at the age of 7a. he was convicted of murdering 13 women, and the attempted murder of another seven. the son of the first woman he killed says for years he wanted revenge. i can remember with sonia, my sister, we planned — or she... ..we discussed her contacting him, befriending him, changing her name and then eventually going in to visit him. and then she was going to attack him. that was the thoughts we had and that's how

angry we were back then. new figures show that around 50,000 people a day are being infected with coronavirus in england. a very different diwali — coronavirus means the festival of lights is being celebrated online this year. and jubilation for scotland — the men's football team make it through to the euros, and their first major tournament in more than 20 years. coming up in the sport later in the hour on bbc news, we'll have the latest from the masters. after bad weather disrupted play yesterday, rory mcilroy is one of those who still has to complete their first rounds.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister's most senior adviser, dominic cummings, is to leave downing street by christmas. he has been a controversial and divisive figure in westminster, and was a driving force behind brexit. he's denied his resignation is associated with the departure of his close ally, lee cain, as director of communications, amid internal tensions at number ten. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, reports on what it means for boris johnson's government, as it grapples with the coronavirus pandemic and brexit trade talks. and a warning that his report contains flash photography. it's become familiar. the prime minister's most senior adviser confronted by the press outside his home. typically dismissive of

questions about his future. but that has now been settled. he will leave downing street by christmas. unconventional, confrontational, never afraid to break westminster‘s on written rules. have you lost the power struggle, mr cummings? dominic cummings, in style and substance, has made his mark. after a turbulent week at number 10, he has made clear his time is up. he was a was the one who would shake things up. he didn't think -- who would shake things up. he didn't think —— ortake who would shake things up. he didn't think —— or take things, just because they have been done that way, that they could be done any other way. it's good to have people who challenge the system and challenge the way things are done. i'm not surprised, in a way, that it's ending in the way that it is. but no prime minister can afford a single adviser to become a running story, dominating his government plasma communications and crowding

out of the proper messages the government wants to convey. and nobody is indispensable. after another senior aide to the prime minister resigned earlier this week, dominic cummings told the bbc that rumour is he too had threatened to quit were invented. but asked about claims he could be gone by christmas, he said his position hadn't changed since a blog which he wrote earlier in the year. in that, he said he planned to make himself redundant by the end of 2020. masterminding the successful vote leave campaign was dominic cummings‘s defining achievement. it put him on the same site as boris johnson. —— side. 0nce put him on the same site as boris johnson. —— side. once in downing street, he was hired to be the prime minister's right—hand man. bragg is battles with parliament dominated, before a landslide election win. a few months later, the pandemic. and this. yesterday i gave a full account to the prime minister of my actions. a trip to county durham during lockdown put him again at the

centre of the story. there has not beena centre of the story. there has not been a single mp who has come out of this morning that i have heard anyway, who said, he should have stayed —— lee cain should have stayed, dominic cummings should have stayed, dominic cummings should have stayed, there is a big chance for the prime minister to reset the way he runs numberio, to appoint the prime minister to reset the way he runs number 10, to appoint a the prime minister to reset the way he runs numberio, to appoint a new chief of staff and impose a new structure that means decision—making cotties structure that means decision—making comes from the top. and of course that the chief of staff and all the aids should be anonymous people. we should not be talking about them. much more than a man in the shadows, dominic cummings has heavily influenced borisjohnson‘s premiership so far. his departure will leave big questions about the nature of its future. and jonathan joins us now from westminster. are we going to be looking at a very different feeling government after all these departures, a different town, jonathan? i think we will, jane. it is hard to overstate the influence of dominic cummings and borisjohnson, influence of dominic cummings and boris johnson, and on influence of dominic cummings and borisjohnson, and on government as a whole. go back to before the

election, remember, the government going to extreme lengths to get its brexit legislation through, chucking mps out of the party, suspending parliament as a whole and then, in the tory party manifesto, dominic cummings‘s personal priorities of investment in science and to and reaching out to areas left behind economically, taking the government support well beyond traditional tory areas of support. some will be sorry to see him go. but being far more vocal today are those who, frankly, are happy to see the back of him. 0ne tory backbencher described this as an opportunity to mock out the sta bles as an opportunity to mock out the stables and get a new team in. another tory mp said dominic cummings had such disdain for those on the backbenches, he couldn't care less that he was going and he should have gone sooner. less that he was going and he should have gone sooner. perhaps that gets to the heart of all the backbiting in government this week. government is about getting things done. boris johnson's operation found itself picking fights not only with its own backbenchers, but elsewhere in

westminster and seemingly every issue. there is no doubt that dominic cummings‘s departure, we will see an administration sounding, acting and behaving very differently from now on. jonathan blake, thank you, at a very noisy westminster. one of britain's most notorious killers, peter sutcliffe, who was known as the yorkshire ripper, has died in hospital at the age of 7a. sutcliffe is said to have refused treatment for covid—19, and had a number of other health issues. the former lorry driver was serving a whole life prison term, after being convicted of murdering 13 women between 1975 and 1980, and the attempted murder of seven others. for years, women across yorkshire and northwest england lived in fear of going out at night, as sutcliffe was interviewed nine times by police but not arrested. a warning — this report by danny savage contains some flashing images. he was one of the most prolific killers of the 20th century. peter sutcliffe,

the yorkshire ripper. we knew that we were dealing with a monster because of what he was doing. he'd get behind them and hit them on the back of the head, a real whack. for six years, women across a large part of northern england lived in fear. a serial killer was on the loose. no woman walking alone at night was safe. from 1975 until 1980, 13 women were killed by sutcliffe, and he tried to murder several others. went down the path on the field at the back of the house, which we later discovered was where she was found. thankfully, it was dark and we were spared discovering mum's body. richard mccann‘s mother was the first victim. he was just five years old when she died. it devastated his young life, and for a long time he wanted revenge against sutcliffe for the murder of his 28—year—old mum. as a young teenager, i can remember with sonia, my sister, we planned — or she... ..we discussed her contacting him, befriending him, changing her name

and then eventually going in to visit him. then she was going to attack him. that was the thoughts we had and that's how angry we were back then. this was in halifax, where19—year—old bank clerk josephine whitaker was killed. murder scenes were scattered across yorkshire and manchester. i am jack. i see you are still having no luck catching me. the police enquiry was famously led down a blind alley by hoax tapes from the man dubbed wearsidejack. he sent letters and tapes taunting the investigating officers. i have the greatest respect for you, george... it led to the conclusion that peter sutcliffe wasn't their man. there was one young detective, and he said, "i've interviewed a man today and he fits the description, the photofit description. he's got bushy hair, bushy beard and he's got the gap in his teeth, and he's a lorry driver."

now one of the top table officers said, "is he a geordie?" "no, no." "what's his name?" he said, "peter sutcliffe." "now listen boys, peter sutcliffe... ..peter sutcliffe is not the yorkshire ripper." so sutcliffe carried on killing, although he was interviewed on numerous occasions. colleagues at the haulage firm where he worked knew, and used to joke about it. he was nicknamed the ripper. and he used to answer to that sometimes. so it was, you know, it's rather... ..it's rather sort of... ..it's sad now, isn't it? bizarrely, he was finally caught after being linked to a car with stolen number plates. weapons were found, and in the early 1981, he confessed. that led to these extraordinary scenes in dewsbury, as the public turned out to voice their disgust. sutcliffe was jailed for life.

he murdered 13 women, but ruined the lives of many more. his death is the end of a chapter for them and their families. but they will still have to live with what happened for the rest of their lives. and danny joins us now live from leeds. we really can't overstate the impact that this had on the people of yorkshire, danny? well, it was in 1975 that peter sutcliffe began to kill people here in west yorkshire. his early victims were sex workers in this area. but in 1977, he murdered a young woman, 16—year—old jane mcdonald, a shop assistant in west yorkshire. that really caught the public imagination and the worry of what was going on suddenly spread, the panic, around society in you west yorkshire especially. if you west yorkshire especially. if you were a student here in leeds or at that time you wouldn't go out alone. you would go out in a group of people only. you would always be

cautious about where you were after dark. students were attacked by peter sutcliffe as well. if you were a man walking around at night and you are thoughtful about things, if you are thoughtful about things, if you were walking behind a woman, you would cross the street. so that she wouldn't think there was somebody walking behind her. again, worried it could be peter sutcliffe. the group e had on society here was huge, and of course that didn't end until they caught him in 19 80. —— where the grip he had. we had hoax types going on from wearsidejack. a man called john humble, who wasn't eventually brought to justice until many years later. that convinced of the police the man responsible for all of these killings was from wearside, was from sunderland, hence why they kept interviewing peter sutcliffe and bringing him in, but then dismissing him as their man. it was not you west yorkshire police's finest hour in any way. but this was a huge case in this part of the

country. a notorious killer. but as isaid in country. a notorious killer. but as i said in my report, few people will mourn his passing, jane. danny savage in leeds. new figures show that the number of daily infections from coronavirus in the community in england, remains at around 50,000 cases a day. yesterday, a significant jump in the daily confirmed cases led to concerns, but some experts have warned against reading too much into one day's data. katharine da costa reports. while coronaviruses levelling off in some areas, the last week has seen cases continue to rise in the south, east midlands and the north—east. across age groups, particularly 35 and over. however, some of the younger age groups are levelling off, or decreasing, and the overall picture is that we are seeing increases in covid, but i had a much slower pace than we have seen in

recent weeks. one in 85 people in england had the virus in the week to the 6th of november, that remains at just under 50,000 new cases a day. cases have risen slightly in wales, levelled off in northern ireland, while it's too soon to say if they have slowed in scotland. it's not just the uk in the midst of a second surge. rising cases have been seen across the continent. france has recorded more than 32 —— 32,000 cases in hospital. french authorities are among those warning it's too soon to start thinking about travel arrangements for christmas. here, the uk government is expected to announce plans to reduce quarantine times for travellers. we said we do want to reduce those periods of time through sort of test to release scheme. i will be saying more, certainly on the travel part of that very soon. and i will be able to describe a syste m and i will be able to describe a system which will help to reduce the

amount of time people have to spend in current time —— where quarantine, as we look to get things going, as we get the mass testing going on as you get the vaccine going as well. while a vaccine might be on the horizon, hospitals like this one in milton keynes are working flat out. there is still capacity here. there are currently caring for 47 covid patients, the numbers doubled in the last five days, but they are hopeful the love that will help. we are concerned if numbers don't slow down we will end up having to stop some of our routine work, not our urgent work. we still have capacity in our hospital to make sure we carry on with elective work. and we will do that as long as it's safe and as long as our staff are able to cope with that. it's thought we will have to wait another week or so before we stay whether the lockdown is working. hospital leaders say they can't stop the number of people having heart attacks and strokes,

but everyone can bring covid cases down and help to save lives. catherine da costa, bbc news. the time is quarter past one. our top story this lunchtime: dominic cummings, the prime minister's top adviser, is to leave his job by christmas. and, still to come: reunited — we meet the couple who couldn't bear to be separated when one of them moved into a care home. coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on bbc news, we'll have the latest from istanbul ahead of a huge weekend for lewis hamilton. he can win his seventh world title at the turkish grand prix. as with so many celebrations, divali is very different this year. lockdown restrictions mean some of britain's most popular places of worship have had to organise virtual ceremonies for the festival — which symbolises new beginnings, and the triumph of good over evil, and is celebrated across

the world by millions of hindus, sikhs and jains. sima kotecha has this report. sisters chaya and maya, lighting candles by a statue of their hindu deity. 0m shanti, shanti, shanti. like christmas and other religious festivals, diwali brings gifts, songs and traditional food. although the sisters are excited about its imminent arrival, they know this year won't be the same. we've still got the lights and the fireworks. but you can't meet up with your family and friends — you have to do it on zoom. that's still ok, because

you at least get to see not face to face, but still it's a bit sad because we actually want to, like, maybe hug them. their grandparents live just minutes away, but aren't in their bubble. they talk online and tomorrow will be no different. but there'll be no exchanging of food and no dancing with cousins. normally we would dance and perform at our grandpa's house as you saw. so we would dance and sing. we do a big show! and we've practised online, we've got it all correct. and this year, perhaps, will be more poignant than usual. south asians have been disproportionately affected by coronavirus. the girl's grandparents lost a close friend to the virus. and so this diwali, they say, will have a somber tone. we are in close contact with his wife and of course not very farfrom us, you know, being a good friend. but, of course, will be missed, in that respect. the one friend we have lost. the chancellor, a practising hindu,

is urging those who celebrate to stay at home, even though they may be tempted to visit relatives. i know how difficult it is. i mean, it's so difficult for us not to want to see each other like it is for everybody, especially at this time of year. but we've just got to stick with this for a couple more weeks and we're going to get through this to keep everyone safe right now. just follow the rules. but there are those, chancellor, who have said that they're frustrated that the restrictions could be lifted in time for christmas but won't be lifted in time for diwali. what would you say to those people? well, i mean, we've had restrictions all the way through this year. there's lots of different religious and cultural celebrations that happen. we can't control the spread of the virus. the virus is doing what it's doing. we have to react to that. and that's got to be the right way to approach this. this is neasden temple. it's one of britain's most popular temples and it hosts the largest diwali and hindu new year celebrations in europe. but not this year. there'll be no packed car parks. there'll be no line of worshippers waiting to go inside.

but, instead, there will be virtual ceremonies for thousands of people to watch from the safety of their home. special days like this one bring the differences caused by covid into sharp and often painful focus. sima kotecha, bbc news. the us president—electjoe biden has reinforced his victory over donald trump after being projected to win the vote in arizona. he's been widely congratulated by world leaders, including now the chinese government. president trump continues to refuse to concede, and people from both main political parties are saying his actions are hindering democracy. ros atkins has been looking at the continuing fallout from the presidential election. it is one more step in delegitimising notjust the incoming biden administration, but democracy generally, and that's a dangerous path. america is in uncharted territory.

joe biden has won, but the president believes this... they are trying to steal an election, they are trying to rig an election, and we can't let this happen. and this is the secretary of state. there will be a smooth transition to a second trump administration. the president is not accepting defeat. so is american democracy in crisis? well, there's no shortage of people making the case. an article in foreign affairs magazine argues the problem is long—term, saying... and donald trump has been consistent. he alleged there was widespread voter fraud in 2016 — there wasn't. he's saying the same this time, again without evidence. and he's sharing videos like this, asking, "is this what our country has come to?" those are mail—in balance being collected legally. well, judd legum, a journalist, described donald trump's actions as "a direct attack on the foundation of american democracy." but are those actions having an impact? well, we know that some americans no

longer trust the system, and their words echo the president. there is questions about some irregularities, there are questions about the integrity of those results. i think there's a tremendous amount of fraud based on what we've actually heard and what we've learned from some reputable sources. facebook had to take down groups devoted to this, and we're seeing it on the streets too. trust in us democracy is being eroded by the president, and crucially by a slew of misinformation online. but, for all that, the system itself is working. here's the new york times telling us, "election officials nationwide find no fraud", and, remember, that's in an election with record turnout in a pandemic. then there's the media organisations which project the results. all of them, including fox news, say biden has won. and the vote counting has continued, despite the president's interventions. but if the system is working there are pressures within it. some argue the way america chooses its president makes a crisis likely. the electoral college system rewards wins in individual states.

that means that while biden leads trump by over 5 million votes, his victory rests on relatively narrow wins in a small number of states. they give him the electoral college majority he needs. and the msnbc host chris hayes argues that's a risk, tweeting... not to mention you can lose the popular vote and become president, as donald trump did. and all of these factors mean american democracy is being scrutinised by a watching world — in a way it always has been. back in 1989 president reagan spoke of the us as "the shining city upon a hill, a beacon to the world". certainly america has long been vocal in its promotion of democracy. that becomes harder when some americans believe their elections cannot be trusted, and surely that mistrust will outlast the trump presidency.

now more on coronavirus. it has had a massive impact on professional sport, causing events to be cancelled, postponed or played without spectators. a number of elite athletes have also contracted the virus, and although many have fought off the infection our correspondent laura scott has been speaking to some who've struggled to return to their sport. the wait is over! coronavirus takes no notice of occasions, of ambitions, of championships or titles. although regular exercisers are less likely to get ill, and the majority of sports people who have tested positive have had mild or no symptoms, some have suffered prolonged after—effects, including former world number three tennis player grigor dimitrov. i didn't really feel well — a lot of aches, shortness of breath and, you know, something that kind of lingered for a while, and i still don't understand why, to be completely honest. it's very unpredictable. i think that's the scariest

part for everyone. the bbc has learned that 85 olympic and pa ralympic athletes in england have tested positive for coronavirus. of those, 10% had symptoms lasting more than 30 days. some haven't yet returned to training. we are still finding our way. it's too early to say at this stage whether there are any higher risk sports than others, although i think vigilance here is really important. if you do develop symptoms, you should back off exercise very quickly. 0lympic rowerjonny walton is aiding research in this area. well done, great britain's walton and collins! after the virus took a physical and mental toll on him. we got on the rowing machine, and it literally appeared that my physiology had just gone, fallen off a cliff. going through the tough

times on your own, yeah, you do have huge doubts. like, "will i ever get back to where i was?" managing the unpredictable consequences of coronavirus is an area of sports science that will take a while to master, but titles could yet depend on it. laura scott, bbc news. now, 96—year—old kenneth meredith was moved into weeks ago due to his worsening dementia, but coronavirus restrictions meant his wife of 71 years, betty, was unable to visit. she missed him so much she asked if she could be moved into the care home too. phil mackie takes up the story. married for 71 years and reunited after being separated for more than after being separated for more than a month. kenneth meredith has dementia and had to move into the board and view ca re had to move into the board and view care home. —— bourne view. neither

he nor his wife betty could bear being apart, so she decided to surprise her husband and moved in, too. he'd been away for five weeks, i think, and too. he'd been away for five weeks, ithink, and he too. he'd been away for five weeks, i think, and he wasn't coming back because they wouldn't let him out, soi because they wouldn't let him out, so i decided to come here tojoin him. how difficult was it for you, betty, to be apart from ken? very difficult, very difficult. used to seeing each other so much. for a week betty had to isolate in one of the flat here while kenneth was upstairs. she was ringing him but he didn't know she was there. when she was given the all clear they were allowed to reunite and now they are sharing one of these flats on the ground floor together. none of this would have happened without and kylie, who organised the whole reunion and filmed it to. we got betty, she sat down and waited for kenny, and then kenny walked in and

was so kenny, and then kenny walked in and was so emotional. every member of staff were in floods of tears, we we re staff were in floods of tears, we were also happy to see them reunited. the footage became a sensation when the merediths' granddaughters shared it on social media. in these bleak times rare moments like this bring rare moments of joy. it's like moments like this bring rare moments ofjoy. it's like seeing moments like this bring rare moments of joy. it's like seeing a different man. seeing him upset, as he was everyday. he was crying... it was emotional, he was so upset, and then the minute betty came, it's like i go into their room now and all he does is smile. he is beaming, just so does is smile. he is beaming, just so happy. it is incredible. now the merediths can enjoy the rest of their lives together. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham. something in my eye after that one. now some more good news... scotland are through to their first major men's football

tournament since 1998 — after a nailbiting win against serbia in the euro 2020 playoff final. scotland's victory, on penalties, means they'll take on england at wembley in next summer's delayed competition, as well playing two games in glasgow. chris mcloughlin was watching in belgrade and sent this report. singing backin back in the big time and loving it. the scotland players just minutes after the historic win had ended 22 yea rs of after the historic win had ended 22 years of hurt. marshall has saved! this was the dramatic penalty shoot out saves that made the difference. a night in belgrade never to be forgotten. and in the serbian capital this morning a squad slowly realising what they had achieved. capital this morning a squad slowly realising what they had achievedm was a long night. no sleep anyway after a game like that. no sleep with the emotions of the night. wa ke with the emotions of the night. wake up to lots of messages on your phone, and you begin to realise the magnitude of what we did last night. it was a magnificent effort from the players and they deserve all the

plaudits they are going to get. back home, the celebrations were behind closed doors. this, the lockdown reaction from one street just as the penalty was saved. cheering 22 years since we last done it, and i think what the lads did last night, i thought they were brilliant. i thought they deserved to win the game. i think everyone of them deserves great credit, stevie, them deserves great credit, stevie, the backroom staff. ijust think it is great for the whole nation. what scotla nd is great for the whole nation. what scotland achieved here in the stadium last night of course send them to a major finals for the first time ina them to a major finals for the first time in a long time, but it also provides a nation with a much—needed lift. at last, scotland are back, and just when the country it most. bbc news, in belgrade. time for a look at the weather. here's chris fawkes. let's see whether you have any good news with the weather?