tonight at six. high hopes for the covid vaccine that britain is pinning its hopes on. researchers in oxford working with astrazeneca say the latest data suggests theirjab works well on older people as their trials reach their final stages. our results are really, really encouraging because this means we might be able to offer protection to the vulnerable age groups, the elderly, who are particularly susceptible to severe disease. the government has ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine — enough to cover most of the population. also tonight. a d raft a draft report into claims that the home secretary priti patel had bullied staff concluded the summer, that she had broken rules on ministerial behaviour. a woman who had to say goodbye to her dying father

through a carehome window takes the government to court over protecting elderly residents from covid. modernising britain's defence — £7 billion to fund space and cyber projects. kids out there who dream the impossible, do not give up on that dream. because i am living proof that you can manifest your dreams. formula i's seven time world champion, lewis hamilton, on his hopes of inspiring a generation. coming up on sports day later in the hour. who are the winners and losers from the government's £300 million a winter rescue package for sport. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six.

there's yet more encouraging news about coronavirus vaccines tonight. this time from researchers in oxford who are working with the pharmaceutical company, astrazeneca. britain has ordered 100 million doses of this vaccine. researchers say trials have so far shown a promising immune response for people in their 60s and 70s. final data on how well it works should be ready by christmas. the vaccine is easy to store and cheaper than the ones being developed by pfizer and moderna. here's our medical editor, fergus walsh. it is volunteers like ian from southampton who are crucial to vaccine trials. how are you feeling today? we were there injuly when he received the first of two doses as part of the oxford astrazeneca trial, but we are only finding out today how the over 70s are responding to the jab. why did you sign up for the trial? i have become aware that the side

effect of this disease are so much more than just a respiratory illness. you know if i can help it, here i am. the phase two study involved 560 volunteers, 240 aged 70 or over. they were given two injections a month apart. the results showed that covid vaccine produced a robust immune response across all ages, including the over 70s. older adults reported fewer side effects which were, in any case, generally mild, and included a sore arms, and included sore arms, fatigue and headaches. as you get older, your immune system becomes less effective and that leaves you more vulnerable to infections and it usually means you are also less able to respond to vaccines. so our results are really, really encouraging because this means that we might be able to offer protection to more vulnerable age groups, the elderly, who are particularly susceptible severe disease.

vaccines work by training the immune system to recognise and remember the enemy. in this case, coronavirus. the oxford vaccine stimulates the creation of specialist y shaped proteins known as neutralising antibodies. in the event of future exposure, these should latch onto the coronavirus and prevent infection. it also stimulates the creation of t cells, another key part of the immune system. these should sweep up after the antibodies and destroy any cells that have become infected. but we don't know yet whether the oxford astrazeneca vaccine actually protects against disease. those vital results from bigger trials are due soon. if it works, there could be three effective covid vaccines coming on stream before christmas.

we need about 60—70% of the population to take up the vaccine. so, once the vaccines get approval, it is really important to get the message out that these vaccines are safe and we do need people to have the vaccine in order that we can start to relax all these social distancing measures in the new year. astrazeneca said tonight it has delivered 4 million vials of its vaccine for the uk. the government has ordered 100 million doses, which cost around £3 each. it is cheaper, easier to produce and store than the pfizer and moderna vaccines, but they are both more than 90% effective. the hope is the oxford astrazeneca jab will workjust as well. fergus walsh, bbc news. a draft report into the home secretary's conduct concluded that priti patel did break the rules on ministers‘ behaviour, according to sources familiar with the contents. the report was completed this summer but not made public. the cabinet office began an inquiry into her conduct after the most senior official at the home office,

sir philip rutnam, resigned in february. he alleged that staff felt she "created fear" in the department and he is suing the home office for unfair dismissal. 0ur political editor laura kuenssberg reports good morning. she is the most powerful woman in the cabinet, long—standing brexiteer backer of borisjohnson, in charge of the police, immigration, one of the most important jobs in the government. but since february, there has been a shadow hanging over priti patel because of this. dramatic claims made by the man who was hurt most senior official. i have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out. he quit but she wanted to stay so the government launched an investigation

into what really happened and now, months on, perhaps it is starting to become clear. one source told me that the draft report concluded way back in the summer, says priti patel had not met the requirements of the ministerial code to treat civil servants with consideration and respect, and they said the investigation had found some evidence of bullying, even if it was not intentional. another source said the report was unambiguous that priti patel had broken the code, the rules that are meant to govern how ministers behave. yet for her part, here at the home office, priti patel has always firmly denied doing anything wrong. are you a workplace bully, home secretary? the reports looked at her behaviour in three different departments and one government source told me it does not always give a flattering picture of what priti patel encountered. and the man who, until recently, was by the prime minister's side confirmed the findings have been in boris

johnson's intray for a while but implied that if priti patel was found to have broken the rules, she might not have to quit. the prime minister wanted his advice and the prime minister needs to reflect and make a decision, that, as i understand it, intro. the expectation in westminster tonight is that ms patel will face some kind of reprimand but not be sacked yet convention matters. that is not a single example of a minister who has broken the rule who stayed on. what message does it send if the minister says, well, actually, i know i said there will be no bullying, what i actually meant was a little bit of bullying is ok and it's not a breach of the ministerial code that requires a resignation. that is not the sort of message i think the prime minister, who is also the minister for the civil service, wants to send to those thousands of civil servants. priti patel had to leave government in dramatic circumstances before, departing as soon as she arrived home from a foreign trip after it emerged she had had unauthorised meetings with israeli politicians. there may not be an exit for her this time but still an unfolding political drama.

iam i am told tonight that the latest version of this report of findings suggested breaches of the rules may not have been intentional by the home secretary, it is important to stress she has always threw this long running saga, firmly denied doing anything wrong. but this is a long—running problem for the prime minister and exactly what he is going to decide. it feels like it is reaching a chris banjo. the government will say the process is still ongoing and it may be after nine months, the prime minister reveals his verdict on all of this tomorrow. laura kuenssberg, thank you. the latest government figures show there were 22,915 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 23,294. 1,744 people have been admitted to hospital on average each day over

the week to last saturday. and 501 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 407 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 53,775. a woman who was forced to say goodbye to her dying father through a care home window is taking the government to court. dr cathy gardner told the high court that the failure to introduce adequate measures to protect care home residents from covid—19, had been one of the most devastating policy failures of recent times. lawyers for the government argued there was no case to answer, but a judge has decided the case should go to a full hearing. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt reports. as covid—19 first spread across the country, much of the government's

focus was presenting the nhs being overwhelmed. this case argues the discharge of patients from hospitals to ca re discharge of patients from hospitals to care homes ceded the virus among residents and ministers should have known they were particularly at risk. 88—year—old michael gibson died of coronavirus on april the 3rd, one of many deaths in care homes at the start of the pandemic. his daughter is bringing the case, she believes the virus got into his home after an nhs patient who had covid was moved there. at the same time we had all been told to stay at home, to keep ourselves safe, the most vulnerable in society, who were just ina most vulnerable in society, who were just in a larger home, were left, not just unprotected, just in a larger home, were left, notjust unprotected, but put at risk. the case argues the government failed in its duty to protect vulnerable care home residents. it scrutinises the guidance that was given at the start of the pandemic, including letters like this one from the nhs which led to the rapid discharge of patients from hospitals

into places like care homes. it claims a lack of testing, personal protective equipment and little guidance on isolation policies made it easy for the virus to spread. ministers have always insisted they acted on the best available evidence. right from the start, we have tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes. at this ca re ring around our care homes. at this care home in kent, they decided to protect their existing residents. they would not take in people from hospitals. the owner, who runs two homes, says they were given very few details about patients, but was still put under pressure. there was no forthcoming information. we asked further questions, had they been tested, would they be tested before they came to us? we weren't given any information so we made the decision to refuse at that point in time. but the issue of how the virus got into homes is complicated. in a

bbc documentary tonight, one of the researchers who worked on computer modelling to forecast the epidemic, said its advice to government did not reflect the risk of agency staff moving between care homes. we didn't know how connected the care home setting was within the community. i am sure there are lots of academic and policy makers out there who could have told us this if he had asked them. it is the decision is made that difficult times which will be examined at the full hearing at the gardner case next year. alison holt, bbc news. the fashion chains, peacocks and jaeger, have gone into administration. 4,700 jobs and 500 shops are at risk. it comes after the owner, edinburgh woollen mill group, failed to find a buyer for both businesses. the prime minister says the days of cutting the uk's defence budget are over. borisjohnson told the house of commons that britain's military was "the pride of britain" as he announced £16 billion

of new money to "modernise" defence over the next four years. the extra money will help fund space and cyber projects. 0ur defence correspondent jonathan beale reports. britain's armed forces say they are about to undergo their biggest transformation since the end of the cold war. it will inevitably mean less of the old, like tanks and heavy armour and more of the new, to defend in the domains of cyber and space. british troops are already encountering threats such as this information and they will be part of a new national cyber force are ready to carry out offensive cyber operations. and there will be a new space command with plans to fire the first british rocket, like this us one, to launch their own military satellites. announcing the biggest increase in defence spending in decades, the prime minister said it would help his vision of a global

britain and end an era of retreat.|j have done this in the teeth of the pandemic amid every other demand on oui’ pandemic amid every other demand on our resources, because the defence of the realm and the safety of the british people must come first. the mod's british people must come first. the mod‘s annual budget is currently £41 billion a year. the government is now promising that will rise by 4% annually above inflation. so that would see an overall increase in the mod's would see an overall increase in the mod‘s budget to nearly £52 billion fight 2025. the government says it will also help revive the economy, with up to 40,000 newjobs. with a boost of shipbuilding and the aerospace industry. at bae systems in lancashire, they are working at what they call, the factory of the future on the next generation of fighterjet. ten test will be designed to fly with or without a pilot in the cockpit, but defence's

gain might mean paying for other government departments. at the moment it rather looks like they will be cut to help pay for this, which will be a foolish thing to do. this is part of a review of all of our external relationships including foreign aid. so to reduce foreign aid while increasing defence is the wrong message to send. boris johnson wa nts to wrong message to send. boris johnson wants to restore britain's position as the foremost naval power in europe. but labour says the conservatives have already slashed the size of the armed forces and the mod still has a black hole in its budget. and even with this extra cash, it will still have to cut more of the old to fund the new. jonathan beale, bbc news. the time is 16 minutes past six. our top story this evening. more positive news for the covid vaccine britain is pinning its hopes on as researchers in oxford says it produces a strong immune response in

older people and coming up... £300 million to help spectator sports like horse racing survive the winter but some are left out. coming up in the sport, a huge match at the atp tour finals the sport, a huge match at the atp tourfinals in london where rafael nadal faces stefan tsitsipas and the winner will reach the semifinals. campaigners say they‘ re extremely disappointed after a meeting with the housing secretary, robertjenrick, about how to pay for flammable cladding to be removed from tower blocks in the wake of the grenfell tower fire. the government set up a £1.6 billion fund to help remove dangerous cladding. but campaigners say it's woefully inadequate as sarah corker‘s been finding out. the government has been delaying, it's been procrastinating. they are hoping that another disastrous fire does not break out in one of these blocks. three years ago, ritu found out her tower block in south—east

london has the same flammable cladding as grenfell tower. the government fund for cladding repairs has been plagued with delays. ritu's block was the first to have its application accepted but so far they have received just £50,000 and their estimated repair bill is more than £2 million, while other dangerous buildings may get nothing at all. it is basically a lottery of, for me, life and death because we are told that our buildings are as combustible as petrol and to think that for something that is as important as keeping human beings safe, that the fund would work on a first come, first serve basis, it's horrendous. while the government has made good progress with most social housing work completed, it's a different picture for private blocks. there are more than 200 private tower blocks over 18 metres in height with grenfell style acm cladding.

repairs have not started on 75 of those buildings. of the 83 towers where work has begun, only four have had the cladding removed. but this acm cladding is only part of the problem. i live on the eighth floor in an unsafe apartment. here in manchester, this development not only has combustible cladding but other serious fire safety faults that will not be covered by the government scheme. leaseholders like alexis face life changing bills. we are left in a place of confusion. we don't know how much funding we are getting, we don't know when the work is going to start, if it is going to start. a lot of us have been furloughed, have lost our jobs, have lost our businesses. we have no funds. today campaigners met with the housing minister for the first time but said there was little progress. we are massively disappointed and just frustrated. the minister doesn't seem to yet grasp the scale of this crisis.

we are talking about a problem that is going to cost 10—plus billion to fix and the money that the government has allocated won't even touch the sides. we asked the government for an interview — they declined, but said they are providing more than £1 billion to remove unsafe cladding and that building owners should also address safety issues and meet costs, without passing them onto leaseholders wherever possible. but for thousands of flat owners, lockdown has only heightened the feeling of being trapped living in unsafe buildings. sarah corker, bbc news. rugby, horseracing, tennis and motorsport are all among 11 sports hit hard by coronavirus restrictions, that will benefit from a £300 million fund to get them through the winter. but men's professional football won't get any of the government money, despite the financial difficulties facing clubs. our sports editor dan roan reports.

behind closed doors, the action continued from racing at chelmsford to atp tour finals tennis at the 02 arena in london but with no gate receipts since march, sport are facing an unprecedented financial crisis and the day came a rescue kids to help them survive the winter. this package alone compares very favourably, we believe it is the most generous single package of any country around the world. you gave more than five times more than that amount to the arts in the summer so what would you say to those who think that's unfair? first of all, it is worth remembering we have provided well over £1 billion worth of support for sports already to everything like thejob retention scheme, various loan facilities. it is our assessment of working with the sport to see what they need to compensate them for that. sale sharks prepare for the new season this weekend, premiership rugby union clubs like this will share £59 million and for them it is a

lifeline. in principle it is absolutely a necessity, we can't survive. and part of the fabric of everyday life is playing sport as a hobby and for us it is professional but we see what goes back into the community from professional sports. really warranted. 11th spot will receive funding, most of its loans with rugby union the biggest winner, accounting for almost half of the 300 million bail out with horse racing getting 40 million, 25 million for non—league men's football and 3 million for the women's game. babington was delighted to get £2 million while there was 1 delighted to get £2 million while there was1 million delighted to get £2 million while there was 1 million for greyhound racing —— badminton. but meant elite football is missing, the government exist after spending more than £1 billion in the transfer window premier league clubs can afford to support their counterparts in the football league. a deal is edging closer and they are even hoping that some fans could be back inside the stadium as soon as next month. there was a chance that in lower risk

areas if we can do it in a safe way we might at least begin to start the process of seeing fans come back. people could be incentivised to have the test because if they test negative they would have a window to be able to go in and to see their home game, to see the side playing in the government would win because we get more people tested and see where the disease is. the news today isa where the disease is. the news today is a major result for lots of sports but for imperilled swimming pools, gyms and community clubs, the future remains uncertain and demands for grassroots sport to be allowed to reopen from next month is sure to intensify. scotland's first minster nicola sturgeon has said she hopes there will be an agreement next week from all four uk nations on how to ease coronavirus controls at christmas. it comes as a bbc survey suggests that scots have considerably more confidence in the scottish government's handling of the pandemic than they have in the uk government's response, even though scotland has suffered only a slightly lower death rate than england.

coronavirus also appears to be having an impact on voter's views on whether scotland should be an independent country. as our scotland editor sarah smith reports. practising during a pandemic means finding new, outdoor locations. john is a freelance musician who has had a passionate interest in politics ever since, aged 17, he cast his first vote in the scottish independence referendum. he voted then to stay in the uk. he would make a different choice today. so, you voted no six years ago but why have you changed your mind since then? for many reasons, like brexit, like taking away my european union citizenship, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic from both governments. nicola is really a empathetic, compassionate leader and speaks with a real sincerity to everybody. i don't feel that same compassion from boris at all. the ancient mugdock castle

was here when scotland was an independent country and waits now to see its future. looking at opinion polls conducted this year, you can see they do suggest an increase in support for scottish independence, with more than a dozen recent polls finding more people saying they wanted to leave the united kingdom than to stay. initially, it was brexit that reignited the independence debate but covid is having an effect, too, as voters have seen the scottish government making many of the decisions about how to handle the pandemic. a bbc survey asked people who they thought had handled the pandemic well. 74% approved of nicola sturgeon's performance. 0nly19% think boris johnson has done well. this is certainly the first time in scottish polling history that we have had polls consistently and regularly putting yes ahead. doesn't mean to say they would win any referendum that was held soon but it certainly looks like they have a better chance of winning any such referendum

than has ever been through in the past. yes, it is november, in scotland. these friends swim wild all year round, demonstrating a single—minded determination. but intriguingly, both of them have changed their minds on the question of scottish independence. so, six years ago i voted to stay in the uk. what would i vote now? i would struggle if there was a referendum any time soon, of how i would vote. i could be persuaded either way i think. but right now, brexit isjust... i'm not a fan of brexit. brexit matters, a lot, in this debate, but you cannot avoid coronavirus. that is what switched sheila from a yes to a no voter. she is worried about the cost of covid, even though she thinks the scottish government has done a good job. they have impressed me, that they can manage these sort of disasters,

or major incidents. that would draw you towards thinking we would be better off if we were independent? not necessarily. i think it is something, covid is so large that we all need to get together. are you worried that scotland couldn't afford to be independent now? i think we need to reassess it, yes. it is only six years since sheila, vivienne and the rest of scotland last voted on the independence question, yet so much has changed. voters' views are more fluid and the political tide may be on the turn. sarah smith, bbc news, stirlingshire. the formula 1 driver lewis hamilton made history at the weekend after he equalled michael schumacher‘s haul of seven world titles. he's been talking to the bbc‘s sally nugent about his stunning achievement, what it means to him, and how he hopes it will inspire many others. britain's most successful ever formula 1 driver.

the seven time world champion has achieved a level of sporting success beyond anything even he imagined. kids out there who dream the impossible, do not give up on that dream because i am living proof that you can manifest your dreams, even the impossible ones. i remember as a kid, adults, teachers, parents of other drivers and youngsters telling me that i would not make it, you're not good enough, there's no way you're going to make it, go back to your country. like, all these horrible things and i remember, i'm going to prove you wrong. lots of people here in the uk would like you to be sir lewis hamilton. how much of an honour would that be one day if it came? oh, well, like everyone, i've grown up adoring the royal family and if one day i am, you know, honoured to be up in front of the queen again, i mean, it would be the happiest day ever. and obviously to see her again

because she's just, she's an icon, she is such an incredible individual. continuing to compete while covid restrictions are in place has been challenging for the mercedes driver, but there is one constant in his life. my goodness! what a fine, fine, handsome dog roscoe is! he's the best! i take roscoe everywhere with me now, i don't really want him to leave my side, i want to maximise every moment i can with him. so, he's at all the races and it's crazy because when i leave in the morning, the motorhome, he's always up, depressed when we leave. when we come back and he's just... no matter what day you've had, it's the happiest moment to see your dog, it's just unconditional love, you know. soon hamilton will start talks about a new contract with mercedes. he will keep driving and look ahead to the possibility of an eighth world title. sally nugent, bbc news.

time for a look at the weather, here's sarah keith—lucas. thank you, a bit of a cold interlude today but it will be quite a brief window of colder weather with milder airon the window of colder weather with milder air on the way. is with sunset in inverness earlier, a bit of snow over the high ground in scotland earlier but tonight, and east west split to the forecast. in the west things will turn more cloudy and mild but further east, clearer skies and some frost developing. a ridge of high pressure with us today is squeezed to the east and that allows weather fronts to move in from the atlantic, bringing milder air and quite a lot of cloud this evening at the night in northern ireland, pushing into western fringes of britain and then rain from the west later on. for eastern scotland and central and eastern england, we keep clearer skies for longer so here temperatures will fall lowest and likely to be perhaps the odd icy stretch in the east first thing

tomorrow. tomorrow