even more effective than first thought — and ready for approval. more good news on a covid vaccine. pfizer says its vaccine works equally well in people of all races and ethnicities — and is 94% effective in adults over 65. but how quickly will we be able to get it? we'll be talking to our medical editor. also this lunchtime: stick to the rules now and you could still celebrate christmas — government scientists tell us all to do our bit. we are very keen that we have a christmas as close to normal as possible. that requires all of us to make every effort over this national restriction period, and even in early december, to get the cases as low as possible. what's your reaction to your whip not being restored? mr corbyn, what's your reaction? thank you very much for coming this morning.

former labour leader jeremy corbyn will not be reinstated as a labour mp over remarks he made about anti—semitism. diesel and petrol cars won't be sold from 2030 — part of a "green industrial revolution" to tackle climate change and create jobs. across the world, it is the uk that is leading the world in tackling, i think, one of the greatest problems that this planet faces. how are you, all right? good to you again. the touch they've been missing for months, as new safeguards are embraced in care homes. the lost whaling station at the end of the world, now a beacon of hope as the whales return — and thrive. and coming up on bbc news: after a 16 year wait, england's cricketers will travel to pakistan. they're set to play two t20 internationals in karachi in october.

good afternoon, and welcome to the bbc news at one. pharmaceutical company pfizer says latest data suggests its coronavirus vaccine is even more effective than we first thought — 94% effective, in fact, in the over—65s. the vaccine has passed another hurdle in the race to get it to the public. the firm says it has passed safety checks and is now ready for approval by authorities around the world. it comes as a senior government advisers say they want christmas festivities to go ahead. we'll have more on that in a moment, but first, our medical editor fergus walsh is here with me now. just how significant is this? the news gets better and better on vaccines. we had incredibly good news from the dharna —— moderna

monday and this from pfizer, this is about figures. it is still a bit science by press release, we don't have the full data, we have to wait for that but over 94% effective and what really jumps out for that but over 94% effective and what reallyjumps out at me is they say it worked equally well in people of all ages, races and ethnicities. and to have a vaccine that is over 94% effective in the over 65s is stunning because as we age, our immune systems tend to weaken and thatis immune systems tend to weaken and that is why the flu jab often doesn't work very well in the elderly. what we don't know and what nobody can tell us is how long the vaccine will provide protection for so we vaccine will provide protection for so we will have to wait but it is really good news. more evidence here also. they had 170 cases of covid in all the vaccinated, in all the people on the trail, of whom 162 had the dummyjab and only eight were in the dummyjab and only eight were in the vaccinated group. they had ten

cases of severe covid but only one in the vaccinated group. so more good data and they say the side effects, it was generally a well—tolerated vaccine, no serious safety concerns, the only major side effects they had in a few people with fatigue and headaches. fergus, thank you very much. senior government scientist say they want families to be able to get together at christmas and say it's vital people obey current coronavirus restrictions for that to be possible. ministers say it's too early to set out festive rules. the british medical association, has warned that hospitals will be overwhelmed if social distancing rules are relaxed. 0ur health correspondent dominic hughes reports. follow the rules, wear a face covering. in some parts of the uk... keep your two metre distance. ..people have been living with lockdown restrictions for months, but what will the covid rules be over christmas? some newspapers are suggesting there could be a relaxation for five days from christmas eve, so families can get together. but even as the idea is floated,

ministers are saying it's too soon. i want to have my mum and dad round, i want to have members of my family around that christmas table, you know, your viewers will want to do the same. but ijust think it's too early to be reaching any conclusions on that. let's keep doing our bit. as we get to the 2nd of december, the government will set out more details and then we need to keep bearing down on the infection. we genuinely don't know what decisions have been made. and today, senior health experts warned that easing restrictions will not be without cost. for every day that we release, we'll need two days of tighter restrictions. so, coming into christmas, we need to be very careful about the number of contacts that we have, to reduce transmission before christmas and get our cases as low as possible. hopefully, the government will make the decision that will allow us to have some mixing but we will wait and see what that is. the four week lockdown in england is now at its halfway point. new stricter measures have been announced for 11 areas in west and central scotland, but the doctors' union, the british medical association,

says any easing of restrictions needs to be handled carefully. what we do not want to see is a repeat of what happened after the first lockdown, where we brought down the infection levels and then we had a rebound surge because there was a relaxation of the lockdown, people started mixing much more and we went, really, back to square one. what we need to hear from the government now, well in advance of exiting, is a clear exit strategy. the bma suggests replacing the rule of six with a two household rule, to reduce social mixing, banning travel between different local lockdown tiers and giving local public health teams a bigger role in the test and trace system to make it fit for purpose. the question of christmas poses a real dilemma. 0n the one hand, any relaxation of the rules risks a rise in infections but a ban on mixing and christmas could well be ignored by a significant number of people and that could make breaking the rules feel more normal, leading to even more infections in the new year.

dominic hughes, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is here. officials want us to have christmas? yes, this is the first time we have heard from senior government advisers, from the health and scientific community at a briefing at downing street this morning. you would expect them to be very cautious about making predictions. susan hopkins of public health england, when asked, said yes, we are very keen to have christmas as close to normal as possible and in a nswer to close to normal as possible and in answer to my follow up question, is some sort of christmas possible? i think it is. of course, there were caveats which were it would depend toa caveats which were it would depend to a very large extent on people following guidelines throughout this lockdown and whatever is introduced after december the 2nd in england, further tiers, people would have to limit their contacts. so a lot will depend on that and anything that is

relaxed over christmas would be followed by tightening and she said if you tend to relax the rules over one day, you will need two days of tougher restrictions, which points tougher restrictions, which points to something being a little more difficult for people moving around after the christmas period. but it was made clear by doctor hopkins and the other officials that this was a government decision, ministers would have to weigh all this up in light of the data but there was a view we heard today and you had it in that piece from a senior official, that they will try, if possible, to allow some form of household mixing over christmas. thank you very much. the spending watchdog says ministers set aside normal standards of transparency as they scrambled to secure supplies of personal protective equipment at the start of the coronavirus crisis. the national audit office says firms recommended by mps and peers were given priority in contracts. andy verity reports. from the start of the pandemic to the end ofjuly, government contracts worth £18 billion were

awarded at high speed using emergency rules to bypass the normal competitive tendering process. most of the contracts were to suppliers of the contracts were to suppliers of personal protective equipment. the independent national audit office said even in an emergency remained essential to public trust that the government to document why it chose a particular supply and how it chose a particular supply and how it managed any conflicts of interests. in a sample of 20 cases, it found repeated failure to do so. clearly people had to move at great speed, everyone agrees with that, but we don't accept it is not possible simultaneously to be clearly documenting the reasons for each contract award and then put that in the public domain in line with government's own rules. those two things didn't happen consistently. taking virtually from isolation, the prime minister was challenged on the report's findings. can the prime minister give a cast—iron assurance that from now on, from now on, or government contracts will be subject to proper

process, with full transparency and accountability? at the time he bashed the government for not moving fast enough, it's absolutely absurd that he is now attacking with hindsight, trying to score party political points by attacking us for moving too fast. i'm proud of what we did to secure huge quantities of ppe during a pandemic, any government would do the same. ppe during a pandemic, any government would do the samem ppe during a pandemic, any government would do the same. in one example highlighted, a contract was awarded to the focus group public first, who's owners previously worked for cabinet minister michael gove and dominic cummings was to be at the cabinet office failed to document any consideration of any potential conflicts of interest. by not keeping proper records, by not being transparent about when those contracts were awarded and what they we re contracts were awarded and what they were doing, it lays the government open to those accusations, whether they are true or not and certainly this weird vip route through, where

certain companies... got a closer look because they were recommended by mps, peers... this is not something mps wanted and yet it has happened. public first said it was hired on a pay—as—you—go arrangement which meant it could be fired if it did not perform well foster michael gove's office said the national audit office found no involvement of ministers and the decision. the cabinet said it welcomed the scrutiny and recommendations for improvement. andy verity, bbc news. new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will be banned in the uk from 2030. that's just one of the announcements made by the prime minister as part of his 10—point plan to create jobs and address climate change. among other measures in his so—called "green revolution" — greater investment in electric cars, including expanding charging infrastructure and extending grants to make vehicles cheaper. plans to quadruple the amount of offshore wind power — enough to provide energy to every home in the uk. greater investment in nuclear energy, with a focus

on smaller—scale nuclear plants, and measures to make homes and public buildings warmer and more energy efficient. while the plan has been welcomed by environmental groups, critics say the £4 billion allocated is far too small for the scale of the challenge and some of the plans, they say, have already been announced. our environment analyst roger harrabin reports. the end of an era for the petrol engine and its planet eating emissions. you will still be able to drive an existing petrol or diesel car after 2030 but he won't be able to buy a new one. the future is electric. some people fear the cost of electric vehicles but perhaps there is no need to worry. for a period of three to four years because of the massive saving on fuel cost of electric over petrol or diesel, the monthly cost is no greater. certainly, it's not cheap

but it's not greater. charging your electric car is a major issue. finding one of these in some places it's like finding a unicorn. the government is spending £1.3 billion to expand the charging network but thatis to expand the charging network but that is just over 1% of what it is spending on high—speed rail, hs2. nuclear energy is getting public money, £500 million of it. the prime minister wantsjobs at money, £500 million of it. the prime minister wants jobs at the giant sizewell c plant in suffolk. smaller kit style nuclear reactor is being developed by rolls—royce will get some studied, too. even though there is no solution yet for nuclear waste. offshore wind will play a key role, producing enough electricity to power every home by 2030. ministers hope it will support up to 60,000 jobs. cities in the north—east should benefit. the government wants them to become new technology hubs for making wind turbines and creating the clean

fuel, hydrogen. we absolutely back the ambition must we do need to see more detail on how we help businesses and households make this transition but having this strategy is exactly what we need to see, to help us on the road to a greener economy. new house-building will have to play its part. from 2023, all homes will need to be built with so all homes will need to be built with so much insulation that they don't require a gas boiler. heat pumps will enter people's lives in wales, a zero carbon device extracts heat from sea water to warm a stately home. tiny versions will heat millions of people because ‘s holmes using warmth from the water or air or soil. the government will need to help with the cost. together, the drive for zero carbon will transform society. i think in terms of making progress and resetting this agenda, it's an exciting day, in terms of getting us back on the front foot.

is it enough? no, of course it's not enough and we will be looking next week to the chancellor, in terms of what is coming out of the spending review. as the new policies cut emissions, so the prime minister's road building plans will increase emissions. critics say he should stop policies driving on the wrong direction and invest far more in putting the nation on track for a zero emissions future. roger harrabin, bbc news. our business editor simon jack is here. is this a green revolution? there is a lot in it and is this a green revolution? there is a lot in itand i is this a green revolution? there is a lot in it and i think it's probably better to think of this as a menu of options rather than a prescriptive recipe for how to get to net zero. some specific moods, the eye—catching one on cars, the ban on petrol and diesel. sales of new ones. yes, sales of new petrol and diesel. but that will accelerate the sale of electric cars. you will need more charging infrastructure and that means you need gigantic amounts of low carbon electricity

and as roger said, offshore wind, nuclear scene and as roger said, offshore wind, nuclear scene as a way and as roger said, offshore wind, nuclear scene as a way of getting levels where there is consensus on their says about the amount. this will cost us hundreds of billions of pounds over the next three decades and in light of that, 4 billion new money into this, some people are saying there is not enough evidence this is a revolution. we will be paying for this one way or another through our bills, through our taxes and through buying your products but one thing i think is different about this is that in the old days they used to think green stuff equals cost at the treasury. now they think green stuff equals... and this is not just green stuff equals... and this is notjust an green stuff equals... and this is not just an attempt to green stuff equals... and this is notjust an attempt to hit a green stuff equals... and this is not just an attempt to hit a climate target better way to create employment. simon, thank you very much. sir keir starmer says he won't allowjeremy corbyn to sit as a labour mp — despite him being allowed back into the labour party. the party's former leader had been suspended for saying that concerns about anti—semitism in the party had been overstated. our deputy political editor vicki young is in westminster.

have things just got better or worse forcer keir starmer? of course, this follows the damning report for the equalities watchdog that said labour acted unlawfully in the way it with anti—semitism complaints under jeremy corbyn. his reaction, saying political opponents had exaggerated, meant he was kicked out of the party asa meant he was kicked out of the party as a member. but he was reinstated yesterday, but that is not the end all of this. sir keir starmer has made a big political decision today and decided thatjeremy corbyn has to sit as an independent mp and cannot return to the labour party in parliament. his reasons, he says, is that mr corbin has undermined and set back the party's work in restoring trust and confidence in his ability to tackle anti—semitism and this has caused uproar amongst his supporters, saying it will continue the divisions in the party but keir starmer very keen to show that his tough words have been

followed by tough action and wants to make it things —— clear things have changed under his leadership. a 65—year—old man has been arrested in connection with the 1974 birmingham pub bombings, in which 21 people were murdered. west midlands police said the suspect was held by counter—terrorism officers at his home in belfast this morning. our ireland correspondent chris page is in belfast. what do we know? in three days' time it will be the 46th anniversary of what was in terms of the death toll, the worst terrorist attack carried out in great britain linked to the northern ireland conflict. in november 1974, bombs exploded into pubs in birmingham killing 21 people and injuring 220 others. in the last few years there have been fresh inquest held into the murders and the families of those killed have been calling for a public enquiry. the ira never said it was behind the bombings but it's widely believed that that organisation did carry out the attacks. west midlands police have been carrying out an

investigation and as a result of that, today, in belfast, a 65—year—old man has been arrested. it's understood he was detained in his home in the south of the city and is being questioned by detectives at a police station in the city centre under anti—terrorism legislation. it is1:20pm. the it is 1:20pm. the top story. even more effective than first thought — and ready for approval. more good news on the pfizer covid vaccine. coming up — sir geoff hurst calls for young children to be banned from heading footballs — as evidence grows of a link with dementia. johanna konta says the two weeks of quarantine being imposed ahead of the australian open has come as a shock, but insists players should be able to train properly. more and more people across the uk say they're feeling lonely. this month has seen the highest levels of acute loneliness since the beginning of the pandemic.

according to official figures, 4.2 million people said they were "always" or "often" lonely — and it's a growing problem particularly for young people. elaine dunkley reports. for poppy, pregnancy and becoming a parent has been a difficult journey. she is in stockport, her family are nearly 300 miles away in scotland. ijust really miss my mum. i wish we could go and see her. you know, i feel bad that she is missing out on so many things with arlo. it has affected me being able to make friends, and it sounds like it's not a big deal, but it absolutely is, to have peer support is sometimes more important than having a gp on the end of the phone.

it is so much more than being able to go for a coffee with someone. it is everything. elorm is a young carer. her mum has sickle cell anaemia. shielding and extra responsibilities at home has added to the feeling of isolation. it's like you're carrying the whole world's burden on you. with college, i definitely still have to go in. it's just me being extra careful. i'm just like, no, don't touch me! i want to be extra careful. you are outside with other people but you're still isolated from them elorm is a young carer. you catch it and take it home, it could be dangerous. 21—year—old jaymie grew up in care. her grandfather recently passed away and she's worried that this year's christmas gathering for care leavers will be cancelled. last year, we'd had a really nice sit—down meal with a group of us. it was like just a big family sitting down for christmas dinner. like, it was a really good atmosphere and there would usually be christmas quizzes and stuff

as well. and, like, we'd get given presents and stuff. a lot of care leavers may not necessarily have a family to go to. since lockdown began, young people have been the most likely age group to experience loneliness. poppy has now helped to start a walking group for parents. a simple thing, being able to go out for a walk in the park. but, you know, seeing how much it means to some people isjust... can't really describe that feeling. jaymie has nowjoined an online art group to help herfeel connected to have grandfather and his passion for painting. whenever i talked to him about art and stuff, he'd be always like, you take after me with that. which made me smile. and elorm is determined to help others. she is part of campaign called lonely not alone. today i'm wearing my yellow socks, we chose yellow socks as our symbol. and itjust brings me so muchjoy when i see a random person on the bus wearing yellow socks. that will make you feel more

like you're definitely not alone through all this. elaine dunkley with that report. if you are affected by any of the issues raised, you can go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline where you'll find details of organisations which offer advice and support. england's hat—trick hero in the 1966 world cup final, sir geoff hurst, has called for young children to be banned from heading footballs — as evidence grows of a link with dementia. five members of the world cup winning team have been diagnosed with the condition — including nobby stiles, who died last month. our sports correspondent natalie pirks reports. sir geoff hurst's mastery of the header broughtjoy sir geoff hurst's mastery of the header brought joy to sir geoff hurst's mastery of the header broughtjoy to english football fa ns header broughtjoy to english football fans in 1966. but every year that passes for him is a reminder of the friends he has lost. it's been quite emotional for me, reminder of the friends he has lost. it's been quite emotionalfor me, to bring it all back, losing my team—mates. we met every year for

many years in our reunion, so it's been quite tough. after sir bobby charlton's diagnosis was confirmed recently it meant five of the 1966 world cup winning squad have suffered with dementia. nobby stiles was buried just last week. a study last week found footballers were three and a half times more likely to have the disease and geoff hurst thinks training sessions are a big pa rt thinks training sessions are a big part of the reason. we had a ball hanging from the ceiling in the gymnasium. we would spend half an hour or 45 minutes practising heading a ball, swinging from the ceiling. we would play head tennis in the gym and then you get on the field and you practised what we were well known for at west ham, the near post cross near post headers. former premier league player chris sutton agrees. his father was also a player and is now suffering with dementia. he is calling for a seven step plan in football to reduce the risk, including limited heading in practice and for the players union

to provide more help. not enough is being done, and the players of nobby stiles's generation aren't getting looked after well enough. it's as simple as that, because it's not just the dementia sufferer, it's actually the effect it has on the families. the research so far is compelling but not yet conclusive. the players union says it is setting up the players union says it is setting upa task the players union says it is setting up a task force and is helping fund more studies into the links between headers and concussion with dementia. this is no longer seen as just an issue for players of the past. the us aviation regulator has lifted its order banning the boeing 737 max from flying with passengers aboard. the aircraft was grounded by regulators around the world in march, after one of the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the ethiopian capital, addis ababa. the plane had previously been involved in a crash in november 2018,

when one belonging to indonesian carrier lion air crashed into the java sea. england's cricketers will visit pakistan next year, for the first time since a gun attack on the touring sri lankan team there in 2009. england — who have not toured the country since 2005 — will play two twenty20 internationals in october. throughout the pandemic millions of family members have been separated from their loves ones living in care homes. now face to face meetings could be a reality once again — with trials in england of a new system for testing visitors. john maguire has been speaking to some of those who've been able to hug their relatives for the first time since march. how are you? all right? a moment of tenderness, of intimacy, of love, and long awaited. if you could do five swivel turns towards the back of your tonsils. summercourt residential home in teignmouth is one of around 20 homes involved in the pilot across cornwall, devon and hampshire.

peter williams is the first to visit his mum, sheila. he undergoes the lateral flow test, and after half an hour is given the all clear to enter the home and, crucially, be able to touch his mother once again. to go in and hold her hand and reassure her and give her the love, not only from me but from my sister, sue, and her grandchildren and great grandchildren, that would be brilliant. you are going to be on the news tonight. there is no age limit to a mother's pride. peter's recently been elected as the mayor of teignmouth, and is keen to show sheila his chains of office. who would have thought it? all right? for the care home, this is another step towards restoring the magic of a loved one's visit. i have just seen the first visit take place and i was very lucky to be in the room. just seeing the resident's

hands reach out to hold hands with her loved one, it was just really special. we feel very lucky, and hopefully this will all work, and in four weeks' time, nearing christmas, and we can have some normality at christmas with people coming into the home to do visits. that would be great. even half obscured by a mask, you can see the joy these rapid tests are bringing already. she is beaming with delight up there. absolutely loved it. she always loves it when people come to see her. but to actually have the bodily contact, to be able to communicate with her other than through a screen or her being asked to come into the garden, to see her in her own room, absolutely great. relaxed, chilled, she is loving it up there. the department of health says it is aware of some delays and all but one home now have their kits to allow the trial to start fully, with the objective to see testing in all homes by christmas. if successful, it will be another vital step in bringing families,

so cruelly kept apart by this pandemic, back together, back in each other‘s arms once more. john maguire, bbc news, devon. for many years the remote british territory of south georgia was at the heart of the global whaling industry. now it's a very different story. whales have returned — and the island is being seen as a beacon of hope for worldwide conservation. a major new piece of art has just been commissioned to help tell the amazing story. our science correspondent victoria gill reports. wild, for bidding, beautiful. the rugged coastline of south georgia now teems with wildlife. but it has a dark past. for decades, this island was at the centre of the whaling industry, and telling that

story, of a whaling station that became a haven, was the motivation for one scottish artist's industrial scale design. i was kind of fortu nate scale design. i was kind of fortunate because i struck upon this idea quite early on, and i always think that is a lucky thing, and the idea seems to cascade. inspired by the rivets that held together the whaling ships and the barnacles that cling to the whales themselves, his idea is called the spirit tables of south georgia. like so many projects, this has been delayed by the pandemic, but the government of the pandemic, but the government of the island on the south georgia heritage trust will work with the artist on its development in 2021. it will be situated at great britain, the largest whaling station on the the tourists who visit the island on

cruise ships will come