this is bbc news, i'm kasia madera. the headlines at 8pm... looking for some festive cheer — but there are warnings that a few days of family gatherings may mean many more days of tighter restrictions on either side of christmas. 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. pfizer says its new covid vaccine is almost 95% effective for people over the age of 65. digging down deep to transform the way we heat our homes — the plans to replace 600,000 gas boilers a year with electric heat pumps. borisjohnson says he is "very proud" of the way the government sourced supplies of ppe — despite a report saying politically connected firms were given their own "high priority lane".

former labour leader jeremy corbyn will not be reinstated as a labour mp, following remarks he made about anti—semitism. it stops us from doing a lot of the things that we enjoy that, before getting covert matt, we could do without any problems. concern that children suffering from long covid are being left behind. hello and welcome. government science and medical advisers have said they are keen for christmas to be as close to normal as possible, and that people must observe coronavirus rules in order to achieve that. it's understood plans to allow some household mixing are being considered by ministers,

but public health england warned that each day of relaxation needed five extra days of restrictions. all four uk nations are trying to work out a common approach to the holiday — but it's dependent on how much cases fall over the next few weeks. here's our health editor, hugh pym. will it be a christmas nightmare, or a dream come true? the question being widely asked as people look beyond the current lockdown in england, due to end in early december. those we spoke to in manchester were hoping the rules would allow some form of celebration. it would be nice if everyone could get together and get back to some sort of normality. i mean, it would be amazing, and i think like many families we've had a bereavement as well so it would mean a huge amount to be able to spend time together. senior officials stress that ministers would decide but they were open to the idea of a christmas relaxation. 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 early december. so, is some sort of christmas possible, do you think? so, i think it is. coming into christmas we need to be very careful about the number of contacts that we have to reduce transmission. once we have got past the christmas period — if there's been a release and some socialisation — we will all have to be very responsible and reduce those contacts again. scotland's first minister set out her position on the christmas issue. we are all desperate for some normality at christmas — and i absolutely include myself in that — and the scottish government right now is working very closely and well with the other uk nations to try to agree a way for that to happen. decisions in england have to be made on how the tier system might work in december. 0fficials think the highest tier restrictions in place in the north—west before full lockdown had an effect on curbing the virus. daily hospital admissions of covid patients in the region, which had gone up sharply,

have begun to level off and fall a little. allowing a limited mixing of households is one thing, but deciding what will be permitted for pubs, bars and restaurants is another matter. it's normally their busiest time of the year in the run—up to christmas, but health officials are concerned that a full reopening would see a further spread of the virus. this bar in manchester only opened in march, just before the first lockdown. they had to close, reopen and then close again, and they are desperate to get customers back in. we really need a strong december to make as much money in as normal circumstances as possible in order to get through the first two, three months of 2021. trade—offs and difficult decisions will be needed on what exactly will open up over christmas and for how long, and what will have to stay closed. hugh pym, bbc news. earlier, hugh told us what he sees as the main challenges heading towards christmas.

what will be absolutely crucial is reducing transmission of the virus, getting that vital r number below1 to show the virus is receding. and the challenge for the government at westminster for england is what sort of regime to have after 2 december, once the current lockdown ends, how you bring back a tiered system with maybe tougher restrictions in some areas? and what we learned today is this calculation used by experts on the sage committee that, for every day of relaxation, you need five days of tougher restrictions. whether that would apply either side of christmas or after christmas, if you allowed a relaxation over the festive season, is really not completely clear at this stage. but what's become very, very clear today is that scientific advisers are working very hard to come up with some sort of package of measures to allow at least some mixing of families over the christmas season. and later on, we'll find out how this story and many others are covered in tomorrow's front

pages at 10:1i0pm and 11:30pm this evening in the papers. 0ur guestsjoining me tonight are the author and journalist, rachel shabi, and the conservative commentator, tim montgomerie. i hope you join us too. there's yet more reason to be optimistic about the coronavirus vaccine being developed by pfizer and bye—on—tech. final trials show it is 95% effective in people over the age of 65. what's more it has passed safety checks, making it ready for approval by authorities around the world. it is due to arrive in the uk by the end of the year. our medical editor fergus walsh has more. last week, pfizer and biotech were the first to show their vaccine protected against covert back. now we have more detail. pfizer says the vaccine is more than 94% among the over 60 fives, and showed the same

consistent protection among volu nteers consistent protection among volunteers from different agnes the seas. there were 160 cases of covid—19 across more than 40,000 volu nteers covid—19 across more than 40,000 volunteers — 162 of those were among the volunteers who got dummy or placebo jabs. and only eight in the vaccinated group. there were no serious safety concerns, but a small minority of volunteers suffered significant headaches or fatigue. minority of volunteers suffered significant headaches or fatiguelj think this is good news, and also it is very encouraging that the vaccine seems to show equal protection and elderly people. because that was a question we couldn't answer after the first announcement last week. 0ur immune system usually declines as we age, so it is highly significant that the vaccine protects the elderly who are most at risk from covid. they should be first in line to get the jab, which requires two doses a month apart. boosters doses may be needed as we

don't know how long protection lasts. vaccinated will go into care homes to immunise vulnerable older residents. gp surgeries will play a crucial role — sum could be open seven days a week. and larger venues like sport halls will be used for mass immunisation. the pfizer vaccine must be stored at —70 degrees, creating some logistical problems. but it remains usable for a few days in a normal fridge. it's thought regulators could approve the vaccine by early december. the uk has bought 40 million doses — but most of these will arrive next year. nonetheless, it seems increasingly likely that some covid immunisation will begin before christmas. fergus walsh, bbc news. later this evening on bbc news, you can watch a special programme on what the latest vaccine breakthroughs may mean for you. we'll be joined by the top american infectious disease expert dr anthony fauci to discuss

the latest in the us. we'll also be speaking to leading epidemiologist professor neil ferguson — and dr atul gawande from president—elect joe biden‘s virus task force. that's at 9.30pm here on bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 19,609 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means that the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 24,802. 1,745 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last saturday, and 529 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. it means on average in the past week, 416 deaths were announced every day.

it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 53,274. the government has unveiled its plan for what it says is a "green industrial revolution" to hit its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. from 2030, the sale of new wholly diesel and petrol cars will be banned — a decade earlier than originally planned. but some hybrid vehicles will be allowed. there will be more money for new nuclear power, including 16 mini—nuclear plants and a target to replace 600,000 gas boilers a year by 2028, by installing low—energy heat pumps. to carry out these plans, the government has committed £4 billion in new spending as part of a broader £12 billion package, and it says it hopes 250,000 new green jobs wil be created.

with more details, here's our business editor simonjack. eliminating carbon emissions is a mammoth project, which will need a lot of tools. wind power, a new generation of nuclear energy to replace the old, and electrifying transport. all of them were included in the government's ten—point plan for what it's calling a "green industrial revolution". but it is projects like this one in oxford which may prove the unlikely front line in the battle against climate change. when you think of a huge issue like climate change, you might think of international summits, extinction rebellion protests, offshore wind turbines — but the truth is is that if we're going to get to net zero the way we heat our homes is one of the toughest nuts to crack. this is an industrial revolution that will be coming right to our front doors. these pipes extract heat from under the ground, which is pumped into the home, for heating and hot water. it's a replacement technology

for the 25 million gas boilers, which will have to be ripped out. gas boilers are going. we cannot continue to do what we've done for years and years and years, and i believe the future is heat pumps, and the technology exists today. local resident paul brennan told me why he agreed to be part of this housing association pilot scheme. the initial attraction was the bills are cheaper, the electricity bill will be cheaper, and that in itself will have a knock—on effect, in terms of being better for the environment, using up less resources, for instance. each house costs nearly £15,000 to convert. that's why this is going to be so difficult. easier, by comparison, a technology that has come of age and down in price. nevertheless, bringing forward a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by a whole decade, from 2040 to 2030, will get car owners‘ attention. it is ambitious, but i think it's achievable.

the charging infrastructure has got to grow, but that's a bit of a chicken and egg situation, because the cars aren't on the road yet, and we need the manufacturers to roll out new models. technology to extract and store carbon from heavy industry will see investment, along with experiments in hydrogen and small nuclear reactors. so, does it constitute a revolution? 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'll be looking next week to the chancellor, in terms of what's coming out of the spending review. the committee on climate change estimates it will require £30 billion in investment every year for the next 30 years. transport secretary grant shapps said where the government led, private investment would follow. we think the amounts of money we are investing in this will be dwarfed by the amount of money that comes in from, of course, those new technologies, and people wanting to invest in this sector. the important thing is government is leading the way.

perhaps not a revolution, but a down payment on a green future the government hopes will create newjobs, even new industries, along the way. simon jack, bbc news. sir keir starmer says he won't allow jeremy 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. 0ur political correspondent helen catt‘s at westminster. and there's been reaction coming in tonight? if there has, as you can imagine, a pretty furious reaction from some of those mps and allies of jeremy corbyn who, as you explained there yesterday, a disciplinary panel decided he could be readmitted to the labour party as a member, but that doesn't automatically mean he can represent labour in parliament. that decision rests with sir keir starmer, who this morning said he would not be restoring the whip, as the official phrase is known. he

said that was because jeremy corbyn‘s actions in response to a report by the equalities watchdog on anti—jewish hate had back the trust and confidence in the labour party's ability to tackle anti—semitism. he said he would keep the situation under review. as i said, you can imagine there's been a pretty furious reaction from allies of jeremy corbyn. 32 mps who formed the socialist group have spoken against this, saying the decision to not restore the whip tojeremy corbyn is wrong and should be swiftly reversed. there's also a sign of more trouble coming down the tracks for secure starmer. the head of the unite union, a big, big donorto for secure starmer. the head of the unite union, a big, big donor to the labour party, issued a series of pretty angry tweets. he said,... and

a second week, he went on to say... and ina a second week, he went on to say... and in a third and final tweet, he accused the labour leader of capitulating to external pressure and risking destroying the unity and integrity of the party. he said he urged sir keir starmer in the strongest terms to pull back from the brink. so there was always going to bea the brink. so there was always going to be a fight coming — as soon as jeremy corbyn said what he said, as soon as the party took the decision to suspend him, there was always a fight likely. there's been an uneasy truce over the last few weeks, but now sir keir starmer has had to pick a side — and given his strong words on becoming party leader about making the party a safer, welcoming place forjewish people once again, there wasn't really any other site he could've picked in this. strong reaction there. and while we have you, there's been a couple votes over the house of lords over the

government's internal market bill. that god? this is that controversial bill you might from a few weeks ago, which is controversial because it concluded clauses which would override that withdrawal agreement that was agreed last year with the eu. we knew it would have a rocky time going to the house of lords. there have been a couple of government defeats on different parts of it, most recently on the pa rt parts of it, most recently on the part that would allow ministers to rewrite parts of the bill at a later stage. the lords have voted against that. this will eventually go back to the commons, which is the lords way of saying to mps, "look again at this." it will have to go back to the commons after this. thanks so much for bringing us up—to—date on all those points, helen. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre,

here's chetan. all the home nations are currently in action in the nations league, they all kicked offjust over half an hour ago and england have made a good start against iceland. their hopes of reaching the finals were ended by belgium last time out, but they want to end on a high. declan rice's first goal for his country made it 1—0 at wembley and mason mount has doubled that lead. grealish, kane and foden all starting. in group b, northern ireland are looking for their first nations league win, they're already relegated, 0—0 against romania currently. scotland can potentially win their group tonight, they're 0—0 in israel. wales can get promotion to group a if they avoid defeat tonight — finland down to ten men, it's 0—0. harry wilson has put them in front. you can follow the latest over on the bbc sport website. it looks like liverpool are going to be without mo salah for their next two games, following a second positive coronavirus test whilst he's on international duty with egypt. due to self—isolation rules, salah will likely be unavailable for liverpool's premier league match

at home to leicester on sunday and next wednesday's champions league group game against atalanta at anfield. clubs in the english football league will be able to use five substitutes a match for the rest of the season. the new rule comes into place from friday following discussions with all 72 clubs. there are fears of player burn out this season. the new ruling doesn't apply in the efl cup though, and it's still only three substitutes allowed in the premier league. glasgow city have reached the last 32 of the women's champions league after beating icelandic side valur. the game went to penalties afterfinishing 1—1 in reykjavik. it took 12 spot—kicks in the shoot—out to separate the sides with glasgow ultimately going through 4—3. the government's expected to confirm a rescue package tomorrow of emergency funding consisting of grants and loans for sports impacted by the absence of spectators at venues due to the pandemic. both rugby codes and horse racing will be among

the main beneficiaries. premier league and efl football won't be among the recipients though, with the government saying the sport is wealthy enough to support itself. alexander zverev has boosted his chances of reaching the semi—finals of the atp finals in london after beating diego schwartzman in three sets. the german fifth seed made a strong start, had a poor second set but dominated the decider and will now go into a final group match against novak djokovic on friday with a semifinal place still possible. djokovic is taking on daniil medvedev at the moment with the winner guaranteed a place in the finalfour. england's cricketers will visit pakistan for the first time in 16 years next 0ctober following the announcement of two t20 internationals. the tour is going to serve as a build—up to the twenty20 world cup in india that's scheduled to start in the same month, and comes as international cricket slowly

returns to pakistan following that attack on the sri lanka team bus in 2009. england all—rounder moeen ali has welcomed the decision and says it's a big step for international cricket. the teams that came over last year were amazing to have gone through the whole bubble, and obviously after the coronavirus pandemic, cricket was obviously on the edge and they helped massively with that. so i think it was probably going to happen anyway, but i think it's right that we go back after such a long time to, one for the game itself, but also for pakistan, cricket and the country. some snooker to bring you before we go. and defending championjudd trump has hit a maximum 147 break at the northern ireland 0pen. the world number one made the clearance during his comfortable

4—0 victory in the second round over 16—year—old gao yang. it's the fifth maximum of trump's career. ronnie 0'sullivan was also among today's other winners. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you later in the night — kasia. great stuff, thanks, we will be back with you later. 72 people have been arrested after a fishing boat was intercepted off the coast of east anglia, prompting a people smuggling investigation by the national crime agency. ajoint operation involving the nca, immigration enforcement, and border force intercepted the vessel off the coast of great yarmouth last night. 0ur correspondent simonjones has all the details. bring us up—to—date on all the details? well this is being described by the national crime agency as a significant attempt to breach the uk's border controls. now we understand his fishing boat, 30

metres in length, set off the coast of belgium yesterday morning. now we are told acting on information, it was then intercepted by two border force vessels off the coast of great yarmouth. it was then escorted into the harbour of harwich and essex, arriving there this morning, and the seven to two people on board were taken off. now three people were arrested on suspicion of attempting to facilitate illegal immigration into the uk. the other 69 people on board were albanian nationals — they we re board were albanian nationals — they were also arrested and have been handed over to immigration enforcement, with the clear implication there that these were migrants trying to enter the uk illegally. now the search of the vessel has been continuing, involving essex police. this has been a big operation. we are told from the national crime agency that this shows their determination to tackle the people smuggling gangs that they say are exploiting

migrants and causing misery. now we've spoken a lot this year about migrants attempting to cross the channel largely setting out from peaches and northern france, heading over towards dover. but those tend to be on smaller boats, smaller groups of people attempting to make that crossing. it is unusual for so many people to be stopped in a single incident like this. simon jones, thank you so much. the government's spending watchdog says normal standards of transparency were set aside by government ministers at the start of the pandemic, as they scrambled to get supplies of personal protective equipment. the natioanl audit office says firms recommended by mps and peers were given priority in contracts. but the prime minister said he was proud of what was achieved when it came to sourcing ppe. our special correspondent lucy manning has more. the £21 million man. spanish businessman gabriel anderson got that mentor in consulting fees in the uk ppe deal.

he got paid for helping the centre of a miami jewellery company who had won the contracts. so it was ultimately british taxpayers money. from pendants to pmqs. does the prime minister think £20 million to a middle man was an acceptable use of taxpayers money? the prime minister answered from self isolation. we were facing a very difficult situation where across the world they were not adequate supplies of ppe. nobody had enough ppe. we shifted heaven and earth to get 32 billion items of ppe to this country. lam very i am very proud of what has been achieved. the public spending watchdog says it will investigate these payments. and today, it criticised the government for the way it had bought ppe, saying it had not been open enough about the way decisions were made. so how did dompanies get to supply hospitals with the ppe they so desperately needed?

it turns out there was a vip fast—track route — and if companies were recommended by ministers, mps, peers or officials they were ten times more likely to get a government contract. bbc news revealed in august a small pest control company had problems with the masks they supplied. they were put on the vip fast—track by mistake. dust the report reveals they were put. the spending watchdog also fight potential conflicts of interest. public first was paid more than half a million pounds forfocus groups. its founders previously worked for and advised michael gove. the company says it worked on a pay—as—you—go deal. as the bbc also revealed, another company goatee £250 million contract and andrew mills who was helping was also a government trade adviser. —— ayanda capital. and we reported the 50 million masks that were bought for £150 million

could not used in the nhs. did you use political connections to get the contract? absolutely not. how can the man leading your bed was a government trade adviser? it is a coincidence. he used those connections to approach the cabinet office to find out who he needed to call. that is the extent of those connections. we did not get a reply from our inquiries or offers for help so i was really surprised when i saw these contracts being awarded to companies that do not have the investment and supply chain, the expertise. ppe was needed fast but did speed overtake buying the right equipment at a fair price? lucy manning, bbc news. the bbc has announced that a former president of the court of appeal, lord dyson, will head an independent investigation into how panorama secured an interview

with princess diana in 1995. the inquiry will look at how martin bashir obtained the interview with princess diana, how much the bbc knew of his methods, and how effective the bbc‘s subsequent investigation into them was. the rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, rose to 0.7% in october. the price of food, clothing, second—hand cars, and computer games all went up, while the costs of energy and holidays fell. a 65—year—old man has been arrested in belfast by detectives investigating the 1974 birmingham pub bombings, which claimed the lives of 21 people. the development comes just days before the 46th anniversary of the attacks, which are among the worst atrocities of the troubles. 0ur northern ireland home affairs correspondent, julian 0'neill, reports. this police activity at a house

of of lisburn road is thought to be linked to the arrest. as well as searching, psni officers were also seen examining a vehicle in the driveway. 21 people were killed and more than 200 injured when bombs went off in two birmingham pubs in 1974 — attacks which bore all the hallmarks of the provisional ira. in april last year, an inquestjury found the warning had been inadequate and cost police vital minutes. a flawed investigation led to the wrong convictions of the birmingham six decades ago. but the real perpetrators have never been charged, and home secretary priti patel is also currently deciding whether to hold a public enquiry. relatives of those killed and injured say today's arrest of a 65—year—old man is positive development. it is, of course, welcoming news. but we hope that this is just one step, after 46 years, to truth, justice and accountability. and we also hope that it does not

halt or stop the possibility of a public enquiry — which is still required for the birmingham pub bombings. the suspect would've been 19 at the time of the bombing. now 65, he's being held at one of belfast‘s main police stations. he was arrested under the terrorism act and can be held for a number of days before being charged or released. julian 0'neill, bbc news, belfast. i'll be back shortly. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. hello there. we are in for a colder snap of weather in the next 34 hours. we are clearing it rain away from eastern areas, lots of showers following behind, then we have the more persistent rain again in the north, turning readily to snow in the mountains of scotland because we are dragging down that much colder air. there is a real risk it will

turn frosty with some ice, as well as the snow across parts of scotland overnight. further south we continue with that breeze, bringing in some showers. just enough wind to alleviate the frost. and it certainly will be windy. gale force winds blasting down from the north, the strongest winds transferring to the strongest winds transferring to the east, then gradually easing through the day, with showers still wintry over the hills gradually easing with lengthier spells of sunshine into the afternoon. more clout in northern ireland later, but temperatures significantly down on that today, and the wind is chillier still. hello, this is bbc news with kasia madera. the headlines. looking for some festive cheer — but there are warnings that a few days of family gatherings may mean many more days of tighter restrictions on either side of christmas. 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. pfizer says its new covid vaccine is almost 95% effective for people over the age of 65. digging down deep to transform the way we heat our homes — the plans to replace 600,000 gas boilers a year with electric heat pumps. borisjohnson says he is ‘very proud' of the way the government sourced supplies of ppe, despite a report saying politically connected firms were given their own ‘high priority lane‘ former labour leader jeremy corbyn will not be reinstated as a labour mp, following remarks he made about anti—semitism. back to one of our main stories now, and the prime minister has announced

a ten point plan to address climate change, including the ban of new cars and vans powered wholly by petrol or diesel from 2030. other measures in his so—called ‘green revolution‘ include plans to quadruple the amount of offshore wind power — enough to provide energy to every home in the uk — greater investment in nuclear energy, 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 money allocated is far too small for the scale of the challenge. with me isjosh gabbatiss, climate journalist at carbon brief, and laura levy, a student climate activist. lovely to see you both. first, let‘s talk to josh. what is your initial reaction to this? the prime minister describing this? the prime minister describing this as a green revolution, is that how you see a? it certainly is, we have had the kind of proper climate

plan in place for a long time, so the measure set out today are significant and we have heard some of before, the one powerful example, but there is a lot of new money in here which we haven‘t seen before, so it is certainly significant. there still a long way to go i think. a lot of emphasis has been placed on petrol and diesel vehicles. cars, vans and all the rest of it. is that the right place where we are focusing on? transport is deftly something that needs to be carbonised quickly and we have seen a lot of progress in sectors, we have cut out a lot of our coal power, and rolled out a lot of wind and solar power. but things like emissions inquiries, we haven‘t seen that progress. this is definitely an area that needs ambitious targets

andi area that needs ambitious targets and i think by 2030, the target, that his impressions. it is more ambitious than any country in the world with the exception of norway i think, so yes, i think this deftly something we should be focusing on. what this plan has really highlighted is how this movement is coming right into our homes, this idea replacing 6000 gas per little year that really brings it into everybody‘s home in the mexican area and get your mind thinking. —— 6 million gas boilers a year. —— into everybody‘s home and it really gets your mind thinking. yes. also an extension of the green homes which are there to improve energy efficiency and people‘s homes and the heat pumps target, which is very ambitious. combined with basically there‘s only a few of those in the

government advice he said that needs to increase, the levels need to be far higher. in that aspect committed for the coming into our home. the ten point plan covers a lot of ground, a lot of focus on industry and nuclear power and things which are more. it does sort of address that. is there a particular area specifically that doesn‘t address you think is something that is missing out of this? there are a few things really. first of all, i would say that the government has announced £12 billion package but the reality is that only a fraction of that is actually new money, 3 billion. the rest of it has been announced before, so there is stack

to considerfirst of announced before, so there is stack to consider first of all. in terms of stuff that should be being addressed, the biggest things like onshore winds, solar power, they don‘t get me to all. that is strange given that there‘s this big announcement about offshore wind quadrupling capacity for offshore wind. solar and onshore wind are some of the cheapest ways to generate green electricity, so there‘s no reason why we shouldn‘t be investigating that. there is a large chunk of funding being announced for nuclear that the government has avoided specifying, which nuclear plant will focus on that, something people where expecting would be announced as well. that hasn‘t been mentioned. and also it is a question of scale

to be honest. there is a lot of good stuff in there, but to get to know zero emissions, these proposals will not be enough. some analysis for my colleague has shown that even if all of this works out, we will still be a long way off of the net zero target, so it is really a case of more funding for a lot of the areas like hydrogen for example. it is way off with some of our european neighbours are investigating hydrogen power, which is something that can help to be carbonised a lot of sectors. let's find out what laura thinks. laura, you are a student climate activist, 17 years old, first year of six warm college. when it comes to the plans that you have heard today outline today, he heard josh say that there are gaps

in it. what do you think of it initially and what more would you potentially like to have seen given this is your future we are talking about? yes, absolutely. it is the step and never at the right direction i think in the measures such as making more schools more energy—efficient. —— it is a step in the right direction. but it is not ambitious enough. some things that i think would be should be added, why they focus on changing individual motor consumption. an example, suvs are massive polluters. borisjohnson and his government are doing nothing to deter people from investing in them and buying them. another thing that would been good to see is a focus on education, because i thought the government could have really focused on education and how the impact is going to be affecting young people in the future generations the most, so how can we equip young people with the skills and knowledge to help come up with

solutions to the climate crisis. interesting point. i know you are considering the environment science degree we gone the university, you created or you helped organise a strike in liverpool last year among stu d e nts strike in liverpool last year among students climate activist, were you surprised to find how much people knew or didn‘t know within your age group about climate change? yes. when i first got involved in organising the climate strikes in liverpool, it was great to meet like—minded young people who understood the crisis in a way that people like myself had researched and understood but i was very shocked at how little some people around me didn't understand a lot about the climate crisis. so when we began striking, we are quite a bit ofa began striking, we are quite a bit of a focus on educating others and we also focused on engaging with local politicians to make a change in our local local politicians to make a change in ourlocalarea.

local politicians to make a change in our local area. so if there is any one thing that you would just like to see immediately, what would that be? -- see immediately changed. encouraging people to change the mode of conception and how they think about the options they take on a day—to—day basis. it would be great to see some change on that. something we can all do. laura, thank you. and alsojosh, thank you. thank you so much for your thoughts on this ten point plan. thank you. donald trump has sacked an official who‘d rejected his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the presidential election. christopher krebs was the director of the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, which had described the election as "the most secure in american history". mr trump said he‘d made a "highly inaccurate" statement.

the lorry driver from northern ireland who dropped off a trailer carrying 39 vietnamese migrants who then died crossing the english channel has told the old bailey that he is "devastated" for the migrants families. eamon harrison said he did not know they were inside. he told the court he towed the airtight trailer to the port in belgium. but by the time it was opened in the uk all the people inside were dead. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. an airtight lorry trailer, containing 39 vietnamese migrants, being dropped off at the zeebrugge port last october. at the wheel, eamonn harrison, a young lorry driver from northern ireland. by the time the ferry carrying the trailer sailed up the river thames just east of london, all 39 migrants had suffocated to death. mo robinson, another lorry driver from northern ireland, collected the trailer. when he opened the door, there was a puff of vapour, and he saw 39 bodies lying on the floor.

today, the first driver, eamonn harrison, used an expletive to explain to the jury how bad he felt about what happened. he said that he was devastated for the families of those who died. eamonn harrison‘s barrister asked him if he knew that there were people in the trailer, and he replied simply, "no". he told the jury that he‘d got into debt with his boss, after crashing his lorry while drunk in germany, and that he‘d agreed only to do jobs involving stolen goods. the jury has seen cctv, showing that eamonn harrison had dropped off three trailers in zeebrugge on three different occasions last october, including on the fatal night, and has heard that all of them had contained migrants, but he insisted that each time he was unaware there were people on board. daniel sandford, bbc news at the old bailey. how much inappropriate and harmful content are children being exposed to online?

police are warning parents that more and more young people — especially teenage boys — are being contacted by far right extremists on social media — and they‘ve seen a big rise during lockdown. callum tulley reports. just an ordinary lad. we used to have laughs, we were quite close as a family, and he was always, you know, just my lad, my boy. he was convicted of membership of a proscribed terrorist organisation, and he is now in prison, serving four and a half years. cath‘s son discovered far right material on his computer as a teenager. the more time he spent online, the worse things were getting. he was coming up with things like that the holocaust didn‘t happen, and that hitler was right. how many of you have experienced or seen far right,

racist material online? all of you? yes. these students say online extremism is easy to find. how young were you when you first came across far right material online? yeah i don‘t know, probably around 11, 12. 11? yeah, but you spend a lot of time at a young age, online. i can imagine myself going down a different path, if i stayed ignorant and didn't make an effort to educate myself and naturally think about what i'm saying, then i would be a very different present if i am today. in a matter of seconds, all of us here could join a chat and take part in far right extremism, and joined their ideologies, in a matter of seconds, just with a click. we wanted to find out for ourselves how easy it is to come across right wing material online. we set up an instagram account posing as a 16—year—old boy.

in less than a week, a right—wing group had invited us to a chat room on a messaging platform synonymous with the far right. i have been added to an extremely racist chat group, which use the most offensive racial slurs. i have been recruited to an online group calling itself united britain, with members some of whom say non—whites have no right to be in this country, or that liberal thinking must be purged from our people. and now i‘m being asked to recruit others into this group. so this is where it ends for me but this isjust one month after setting up our instagram account. facebook, which owns instagram, say they have banned over 250 white supremacist organisations and remove content that supports these groups. from january 2019 tojune this year, 17 boys under the age of 18 were arrested for terrorism. more than half worth for right—wing extremism. the police are so worried they have created a website for concerned parents called act early. they are notjust groomers, they are cowards.

they are not people who act themselves, they want to use your child or someone else very vulnerable to use their acts for them. we need to stop them. i miss my son. we were just a normal family. this could happen to anybody. the headlines on bbc news... looking for some festive cheer — but there are warnings that a few days of family gatherings may mean many more days of tighter restrictions on either side of christmas. pfizer says its new covid vaccine is almost 95% effective for people over the age of 65. digging down deep to transform the way we heat our homes — the plans to replace 600,000 gas boilers a year with electric heat pumps. earlier this week the government announced 40 new clinics across the country which will be dedicated to treating patients with long covid...

where people continue to suffer serious after effects long after the disease has gone.this is notjust something that affects adults — children are getting it too and there‘s concern they‘re being left behind. nicola hasler reports. fevers, swallowing problems, nerve pains... these are some of the youngest faces of long covid. my tummy hurts. a series of debilitating symptoms that were not thought to affect children. they caught covid back in march and are still poorly. it stops us from doing a lot of the things that we enjoyed before getting covid, that we could do without any problems. all five of charlie‘s children have been affected by covid. my four—year—old cried every day for four months with pain in her tummy. she barely got out of bed. official figures show very small numbers of children being hospitalized with acute covid.

but those who had it mildly, followed by months of aches, lethargy and fevers, have not been included in any data on long covid. i saw a gp and, despite the bmj article in october about counting on covid in children, she said there's no evidence that long covid existed in children. so it'sjust difficult. many of them have disabling symptoms that, you know, 7—9 months on, and they‘re not getting better. and we don‘t have any answers. the nhs havejust announced it will open 40 long covid clinics. but at present, there is no provision for children. we've been preoccupied with this impact on adults. we need clinics to look for the problems in kids that have had covid, so that they aren't neglected and their problem don't get worse. for parents, it‘s the uncertainty of not knowing when and if their child will recover. muscle aches and pains, heartburn...

nicola haseler, bbc look east. 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 console. towards the back of your tonsil. 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‘re going to be on the news tonight. good! there‘s 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've 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, we're nearing christmas and we can have some normality at christmas, with people coming into the home

to do visits. it would be great. even half obscured by a mask, you can see the joy these rapid tests are bringing already. 0h, she‘s 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‘s loving it up there. the department of health says it‘s 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.

millions of britons — young and old — are coping with record levels of loneliness and isolation during lockdown as we head into winter. figures from the office for national statistics suggest before the pandemic more than two and a half million adults were always or often lonely. by the start of this month, that number jumped to more than four million. elaine dunkley reports. loneliness and isolation feels... it feels like being in a grave. it‘s cold, it‘s dark, and it‘s pointless. we are trying to find the next of kin of this gentleman that we are really concerned about at the moment. loneliness and isolation drives everything. at huddersfield train station is platform 0ne. it‘s a charity on the front line of isolation, loneliness and crisis.

i've never struggled before in my life, but before this time you could go and unload a bit of your baggage with a friend oi’ whoever, oi’ you can go out and socialise with somebody and let that steam off, you can't at the moment. you're sat at home looking at the four walls, and you end up getting in that dark place. this 1950s carriage is used as a workshop, a place for men to talk and get mental health support. lockdown and regulations has stopped many coming here. before the pandemic, we were seeing up to 50 guys a day. they came in here and they wanted community and they wanted connection. when covid came, that stopped the connection, and so far this year we've had 15 guys on suicide watch. last year, we had one. platform 0ne works with more than 500 men across yorkshire, but such is the demand, it has now opened its doors to women. traumatic experiences are going to creep up... sophie suffered childhood trauma. the pandemic has brought

issues to the surface. every day, it‘s a challenge, a challenge to believe that i am someone who is loved, and, mentally, that makes me very suicidal. during this isolation, working from home has had more of an effect on me to want to self—harm. how has platform 0ne helped you? my crisis support here at platform one is actually a form of normality for me at the moment, being able to speak to someone, other than someone over a zoom call. lives have been saved here. shane lost his mother and hisjob, and was struggling in isolation, until he found the charity. now i'm, as some of my neighbours call me, mr community, because i fix kids' bikes up forthem, and i've got a purpose in life. shane has come a long way from the days when he was so lonely,

he‘d talk to the furniture in his house. now he is a volunteer. and i come in and i think, great, i've helped somebody. i might have just turned them around. because i've been there, i know what it was like. they're not sat there, talking to chairs, like i did. platform 0ne offers hope, but there is also fear. with christmas around the corner, loneliness will be felt more acutely because of the pandemic. elaine dunkley, bbc news in huddersfield. for details of organisations, offering information and support with emotional distress, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline , or you can call for free, at any time, to hear recorded information on 0800 066 066. now, an extraordinary story of hope,

perpetual uk is an nhs consultant at birmingham city hospital. now, an extraordinary story of hope, perpetual uke is an nhs consultant at birmingham city hospital. she contracted covid early on in the pandemic, whilst pregnant with twins. she was so poorly she had to be put into an induced coma, and the twins were delivered by caesearean atjust 26 weeks. perpetual spoke to my colleagues in bbc birmingham and told them how she felt when she woke up from the coma. waking up two weeks after the delivery was so unbelievable. i first of all, because i had horrible dreams, andi first of all, because i had horrible dreams, and i thought all my family, there were no longer there. then when they were reassuring me that they kept the twins had been delivered and were here, in intensive care unit, when they show me the pictures, you need to have a look at those pictures, they were so tiny, i think i was 27 grams. you can see all of their brains. they didn‘t like human beings.

huge congratulations to her and all of herfamily. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. hello there. we are in for a colder snap of weather in the next 24 hours — a brief blast of arctic air with strong winds. so we are clearing rain away from eastern areas, lots of showers are following behind it. then we have our more persistent rain in the north, but turning readily to snow over the hills and mountains of scotland because we are pulling in, dragging in that much colder air. the rest that it will turn frosty across proctor scotland. further south we continue with that breeze bringing in showers and just enough wind to alleviate f ross and it certainly will be wendy. gale force winds blasting down from the north, the strongest winds transferring into the east and gradually easing through the day, the shower is still wintry over the hills and gradually easing with them sunny spells into the afternoon before we look to more cloud for northern ireland later.

much colder temperatures on the thermometer. significantly down. chillier still with the wind.

this is bbc news. donald trump has tweeted 12 times today, claiming the election was stolen from him. there was nothing, not one message, on the pandemic, after the deadliest day in america in six months. 1,700 people died in the us from covid yesterday, asjoe biden‘s team say mr trump is putting americans at risk by refusing to work with the transition. but there‘s more good news from pfizer, who say their covid vaccine is safe and 95% effective among seniors over the age of 65. also in the programme.... the boeing 737 max is cleared to fly again in the us. but amid the crisis in the aviation sector, will it sell? and are passengers ready to board?