borisjohnson gives his full support to the home secretary, priti patel, despite an inquiry upholding claims against her of bullying. priti patel was found to have broken the code that covers ministerial behaviour — she says she's sorry if she offended. i'm sorry that my behaviour has upset people, and i've never iam here i am here to give an unreserved apology today. it was completely unintentional. but the man who wrote the report into her conduct has resigned after boris johnson rejected his findings. also tonight: the government formally asks the uk regulator if the pfizer vaccine against covid—19 can be approved for use. if it can... we will be ready to start the vaccination next month, with the bulk of the roll—out

in the new year. we are heading in the right direction. in scotland, 11 council areas have just entered the toughest tier of covid—19 restrictions, which will last for three weeks. while in northern ireland, businesses such as hairdressers reopened today but will have to close again in a week's time. and, in the first round in the legal battle between the footballers‘ wives, rebekah vardy is 1—0 up against colleen rooney. and coming up on bbc news... why liverpool are counting the cost, following mo salah‘s positive test for coronavirus in the international break. good evening.

the prime minister has expressed full confidence in the home secretary, priti patel, despite a report into claims of bullying, which found that she broke the rules on ministerial behaviour. the inquiry looked into allegations about her conduct as a minister in three different government departments. the man who investigated the bullying claims today resigned, after borisjohnson contradicted his advice. this afternoon, priti patel told the bbc she was sorry if her behaviour had upset people. our deputy political editor, vicki young, reports. he is standing by her. borisjohnson has taken months to give his verdict on the home secretary's behaviour, which an independent report described as bullying. priti patel shouted and swore at staff. the prime minister has judged she shouted and swore at staff. the prime minister hasjudged she didn't break ministerial rules. i asked her what she thought about the criticism in the report. are you a bully?|j what she thought about the criticism in the report. are you a bully? i am here to give an unreserved apology today, and i'm sorry if i have upset

people in any way whatsoever. it was com pletely people in any way whatsoever. it was completely unintentional. i will be very candid, the work that i do here, in this department and across government, is deeply challenging so, ifi government, is deeply challenging so, if i have upset people, that has been completely unintentional for top was not my intention. it all started nine months ago, when sir philip rutnam, the most senior civil servant at the home office, walked out, complaining about miss patel‘s actions, but his former department has been criticised for being inflexible and unsupportive. the prime minister ordered an enquiry and today sir alex allan concluded that the home secretary had not consistently met high standards required by the ministerial code. her approach on occasions had amounted to behaviour that could be described as bullying and, to that extent, her behaviour had been in breach of the ministerial code, even if unintentionally put up despite this, the prime minister has the final say and has disagreed. sir

alex has resigned. in overruling his independent adviser, the prime minister has made a huge political decision. demonstrate points to what they call mitigating circumstances, they call mitigating circumstances, the fact that no one mentioned the home secretary's behaviour to her at the time and the fact she has apologised. miss patel‘s friends think she has been the victim of snobbery and sexism. the home secretary insists the culture in the home office has changed. at the time, it says this in the report, shoes were not pointed out to me, we we re shoes were not pointed out to me, we were not being supported in our work, but this is a challenging department. people listening will think you are making excuses and actually there is no excuse for somebody in a senior position treating others badly. there are no excuses. i am giving an unreserved, fulsome apology today. i cannot be any fulsome apology today. i cannot be a ny clearer fulsome apology today. i cannot be any clearer about that whatsoever. labour say priti patel should resign oi’ labour say priti patel should resign

or be sacked. the prime minister has said he loathes bullying and yet today he has comprehensively failed a test of his leadership, where he has had a report on his desk precisely on that issue. sir alex allan could not have been clearer that the home secretary has not consistently met the high standards of the ministerial code. hanging on to priti patel will be a popular decision conservative party members but it will bring this tojohnson or political pain. the report had criticisms of priti patel and the home office but tonight sir philip rutnam, the former top civil servant in the home office, has broken his silence and contradicted the version of events given by priti patel to stop says that he did warn her as early as august 2019 that she must not swear and shout at staff. he also said there were other occasions when he had to remind her she had to treat

staff with respect. this issue is not going away. thank you, vicki young, in westminster. the uk government has asked the medicines regulator to formally assess the pfizer—biontech vaccine. if approved, it will begin to be rolled out from next month across the uk. it comes as official figures suggest that coronavirus infection rates are levelling off in england and scotland, and decreasing in wales and northern ireland. the r numberfor the uk continues to fall, and is now between 1 and 1.1. our health editor, hugh pym, reports. they flu jab today at this gp practice. they are now preparing to start free vaccinations for all patients aged 50 and over. so a very busy few weeks ahead. then there is the covid vaccine as well, assuming it's approved. this doctor told me they are ready when given the word to start contacting the first patients. there will be huge logistics involved, in terms of texting patients, writing to them,

phoning them, and obviously the personnel to do the vaccinations, but we have done that already. we have done it with vaccination programmes for flu. today's downing street briefing, the health secretary set out more plans for the covid vaccine roll—out in england. we will be ready to start the vaccination next month, with the bulk of the roll—out in the new year. we are heading in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. coronavirus remains a grave danger right now. so what is happening with the virus? the r numberfor the happening with the virus? the r number for the uk is happening with the virus? the r numberfor the uk is down a little, but still just above one, showing numberfor the uk is down a little, but stilljust above one, showing it is spreading. the office for national statistics survey for the week ending november 1a says in england won in 80 people were estimated to have coronavirus, which was similar to last week. in scotla nd was similar to last week. in scotland it was won in 155 ad rates had levelled off. in wales, it was

one in 165 with rates decreasing in the last fortnight. in northern ireland, one in 135 had the virus, with rates decreasing over the most recent four weeks, some of this might reflect different lockdown plans and timings. one expert says in england there are big regional variations. it seems to be very much that the north—west and yorkshire are going down and almost everywhere else is going up. some places it's going up quite quickly. until we understand that and reverse that everywhere, i don't think we can say the lockdown is working. listers must decide soon what happens after full lockdown ends. —— ministers must decide how strict will restrictions be in england after december the 2nd and how many days might there be some relaxation at christmas? we have not made those decisions yet. over christmas, i know how important it is that we have a system in place, a set of

rules that both keeps people safe but also allows people to see their loved ones. drive through centres like this in greater manchester are delivering the flu vaccine but still will come the much bigger task, with the hope of getting all adults vaccinated against covid—19 by the spring. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures show there were 20,252 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. and 511 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 54,286. more than two million people in scotland have just moved into the toughest coronavirus restrictions, with the rules again varying widely within the four nations of the uk. in england, the situation remains the same, with lockdown continuing until december 2nd. wales had its lockdown lifted ten days ago, but some restrictions on meeting others remain, and travel

to and from england without a reasonable excuse is still banned. northern ireland was due to come out of its five—week lockdown, but now there'll be new restrictions from next friday, lasting until december 11th. but tonight, the focus is on the 11 council areas in scotland which have gone into the strictest level 4 lockdown, meaning that everything but essential shops are closed. —— schools and essential shops. we'll be hearing from wales and northern ireland in a moment, but first let's join alexandra mackenzie, who's in glasgow for us. with only five weeks to go until christmas, glasgow's buchanan street would normally be filled with shoppers, but not tonight. at 6pm, non—essential shops had to close for three weeks. the doors locked, the shutters came down, and that is part of the new tier 4 coronavirus restrictions. the toughest of restrictions are now

in place to help suppress the virus before christmas. who is it you are buying for today? this candle company is determined to get through these challenging times. it's heartbreaking, but normally, from october to december, we are full—on, and this year, it is stop, start, stop, start, so you just have to adapt. it's not only nonessential retail that will be closed for the next three weeks. gyms, hospitality and hairdressers will also be shut. and if you live in level three or level four, travel outside your council area will be illegal, though there are some exceptions. today, shoppers of all ages braved the glasgow drizzle. i think we do have to do it. i think we possibly should have done it a bit sooner. the government is treating the economy like a light bulb, switching it on and off as it once, so it's not going to work. but scotland's first minister said the decision was not ta ken lightly. it stands to reason, we would not be taking these

difficult and potentially unpopular decisions if we did not think it was absolutely essential to do so. so, at this usually sociable time of year, the message is to stay at home as much as possible. while others live in lockdown, across wales, people have been shopping, dining, doing the things forbidden in other parts of the uk, since the firebreak finished on november the 9th. customers have come back to this toy shop in pontypridd. they want to get their christmas done now because they don't know if we will go into a further lockdown, so they are out and around and wanting to buy everything now. the fear of another lockdown hangs over emma's business as well. we can't keep having lockdowns which force people to stay m, lockdowns which force people to stay in, which brings numbers down, but then everybody goes out in droves and the numbers go up again. thank

jim is opened 11 days ago as well. around wales, things are looking healthier. coronavirus cases and positivity rates are lower now than when the lockdown began but... if people react to the end of a firebreak as though coronavirus was over, it is very likely indeed that we will see coronavirus come flooding back into our communities, and then we will be faced with another series of difficult decisions. inevitably, people want to know where that leaves them for christmas. will the firebrick have been enough to earn more freedom for the next few weeks? will families be allowed to gather? rachel and ebbw vale is a ready brought the presents. she feels they have sacrificed enough to deserve a get—together. sacrificed enough to deserve a get-together. we have cancelled holidays, things that were planned, birthdays, and mental health has definitely suffered among people. we have done a lot. so you need this. we do. the firebrick worked but few

here feel like basking in its success. just as restrictions were lifting... ..businesses in northern ireland reopened their doors today only to have to close them again in a week's time. we were all very excited to be back to the shop again, and that we work hard and pay the bills. and then it was really spoiling when i heard yesterday that we have only one week. last night, the stormont executive made the decision which took a lot of businesses by surprise, to return to an even stricter two—week circuit breaker. the scale of closures we saw back in march, except schools will stay open. i don't think we could put any more safeguards than what we have. and i don't think that has been seen. that's what it feels like. there's a lot of anger today in the business community. in fact, so much so that the business community have lost trust in this executive. hospitality and retail are symbiotic, they rely on each other. and they are now closed in what's known as the golden quarter, one of

the most important times for both of those industries going forward. the northern ireland executive said the scientific modelling they were presented with showed hospitals could become overwhelmed in weeks, and said they took the decision to revert to stricter measures now to avoid them just before christmas. but only last week the dup had blocked longer restrictions and argued strongly for the economy opening up. today, the party denied a u—turn. i've always said that we will only take whatever restrictions are necessary. we try to do it in a proportionate and balanced way, but sometimes the virus behaves in a way even our medical advisers don't for see. hospitality organisations have warned of further redundancies. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. england's test and trace system is failing in areas with some of the worst infection rates, according to a bbc investigation. six months ago, borisjohnson promised a "world beating" system, but research has found thatjust half of close contacts are being reached in some

places like bradford, nottingham and leicester. the government says test and trace is helping to curb the spread of covid. sophie hutchinson reports. i've got the case up... foot soldiers in the war against coronavirus. this is the length leicester council, one of the worst hit areas, is going to. doorknocking people who have tested positive with the virus and to the national track and trace system has failed to reach. it's the first time this operation has been filmed. the first one was for a case that was under 18, so we had to talk to a parent or guardian. when we knocked on the property they weren't available to talk to, but we were told if we ring back from one o'clock this afternoon it would be able to talk to us. around half of england's councils are now contact tracing to address some of the problems of the national track and trace. back in the office in leicester, contact tracers trawl the council's data bases for addresses and phone numbers. there are a handful of people making calls here, but despite their size they

pay considerable success tracking down and speaking to, on average, 89% of people that the national system has failed to contact. but councils are only allowed to trace those with positive test results, any details of close contacts they get have to be sent back to the struggling national system. and there are other problems. after dad robin marlowe tested positive for covid—19, his family were called more than 45 times. by phone call number 45 ijust thought it was, in a way, funny. except it just felt like the most appalling waste of money. six months on from the prime minister's promise of a world beating system, experts say it has failed. we are nowhere near having a properly functioning one, and this has been the problem throughout the summer and into the autumn. that we did not use the time that the last lockdown bought us to create such a system.

but the government says it is refining and improving track and trace, building an integrated national and local system, and that from this week it will no longer insist on speaking to children. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. it is 18 minutes past six. our top story this evening... borisjohnson gives his full support to the home secretary, priti patel, despite an inquiry upholding claims against her of bullying. millions of public sector workers in england, including teachers and police, could face a pay freeze next year. coming up on sportsday on bbc news... novak djokovic takes centre stage at london's o2 arena, as the world number one reaches tomorrow's semifinals to remain on course for a record equalling sixth atp tour title. there are just six weeks left before the end of the brexit transition period, which is where the uk has been following eu rules

on a temporary basis, to allow for a new trade deal to be thrashed out. it's been a fraught process, and talks have stopped for a short time, because one of the eu team tested positive for covid—19. over the months, deadlines have come and gone. but now that it's crunch time, how ready are we? here's our political correspondent, alex forsyth. sunday night, six minutes past six, heading into dover for the boat to france. this is a familiarjourney for lorry driver vic. he's been moving goods to and from europe for years. he kept us a video log of a recent trip. it is relatively easy. all you do is show your passport, and i'm presuming that'll go out the window. it is all about to change. new trade rules come into play injanuary. goods moving between the uk and eu will be subject to new customs controls and checks, some phased in, but still, for drivers and traders, a whole new system to grapple with. now leaving in calais.

straight off the dock and away we go. i doubt that'll happen injanuary. the driver is almost going to have to have a briefcase full of new paperwork. in lincoln, permits and papers are piling up as the boss of vic's firm prepares. his transport company specialises in international haulage. he fears, after some brexit false starts, not all businesses have realised this time change is coming. there's a sort of feeling of, we've all been here before, and it's been put back a couple of times, and i think that hasn't helped, and add covid to that, that hasn't helped, either. but i certainly foresee severe disruption in the first few weeks as far as goods moving to and from the uk are concerned. in kent, work is under way on this new lorry park to help both process vehicles and manage traffic. the fear is lorries backed up, supply chains disrupted. to try and avoid that, hgvs will need permits to enter kent,

to show they are prepared. all part of government efforts to keep things flowing. but some local residents aren't convinced. it will be very interesting to walk up here onjanuary the first and see what's happening. it will no doubt be completely inaccessible by vehicles, because they'll be queueing right round the motorway exits in both directions. preparations by government have ramped up. there are checklists, guidebooks, help centres for hauliers, millions spent on technology and infrastructure. but it is late in the day. the diggers are still in the ground, with six weeks to go. whether we reach a trade deal with the eu or not, these changes will happen come january, because we've left the customs union and the single market. the government says its systems should be in place in time, but there is a real worry that businesses don't have long enough to be ready. at this manufacturer's in kent, there is uncertainty. they export engineering parts to the eu.

they are ready for new systems but don't know about tariffs, which are still the subject of trade talks. there is a large amount of nervousness. we understand the process, we understand that we've got to change our paperwork. we also believe there is going to be tariffs, but if you go on the website, it doesn't really tell you what it's going to be. it always says, to be confirmed. wacky races, here we go. for those like vic, on the front line of trade, the changes brexit will bring really are now just a few weeks away, with much still to be done to keep things moving. alex forsyth, bbc news. the bbc has learned that millions of public sector workers in england, including teachers and police, could face a pay freeze next year. there are 5.5 million public sector workers, but it's thought that nhs staff may be exempt from the measures. figures out today show that government borrowing hit £22.3 billion last month —

that's the highest october figure since monthly records began in 1993. our economics editor, faisal islam, has the details. 2020 has been a year of public serva nts 2020 has been a year of public servants keeping the country going in tough times and the nation showing its appreciation. our government trying to cope with huge borrowing is now planning pay freezes to help save billions, surprising teachers such as allen in walsall. we've kept the country going to allow the rest of the economy to get back on its feet a bit, gone out of our way to do our job but at the same time were not being recognised, so i think it would be grossly unfair. nathan also helps kids to school. the coach driver in buckinghamshire, he says wages should reflect the lockdown economic turmoil. now was not the time for a pay rise. whilst everyone in the private sector is worrying whether they will have a job by

christmas, this is unfair. us drivers have had to take a 20% pay cut. this is a result of me being on a small desk like this has resulted in needing on a smaller hourly rate thanl in needing on a smaller hourly rate than i was 18. white might the government says that fairness pay restraint. there were exemptions for --... during the middle of restraint. there were exemptions for --. .. during the middle of the pandemic, we have told people they will have a pay freeze for three yea rs. we have will have a pay freeze for three years. we have clapped them on a thursday night, and yet, at the end of it, what are we doing? might make nhs workers are expected to be exempt from any freeze, but there is a sea of red in the public finances. it is not how the private sector workers should be exempt from paying. white make the government borrowed more than £22 billion last

month, what than is spent on policing across the uk, a record for october, but with a new lockdown and extended support, and extended support, annual borrowing is head a wing closer to £400 billion, a peacetime record. the unions are furious, but they think they have the public on their side in this year of all years against the government's fundamental argument that there are billions to be saved from the public sector wage bill. for a chancellor more used to signing multi—billion rescue checks, this is risky politics, but the detail of this pay freeze, whether it is chilly or arctic, depends on, for example, the detail we will get at the spending review. the economy continues to suffer and the bulk of limits the tax and spend about to be put off, but not for public sector workers. a coroner has said the television presenterjeremy kyle may have "caused or contributed" to the death of a man, following his appearance on an episode of the itv series. steve dymond, who was 63,

was found dead at his home in portsmouth in may last year, days after he took a lie—detector test on thejeremy kyle show. duncan kennedy reports. thejeremy kyle show ran for 14 years and was known for its confrontational style, with guest against guest. in may last year, steven dymond appeared and took a lie detector test to prove he wasn't cheating on his girlfriend. today's pre—inquest hearing in winchester heard that he was booed and became distressed. seven days later, he was found dead after apparently taking his own life. the coroner, jason pegg, said today he had madejeremy kyle an interested person and that he may have caused or contributed to mr dymond's death. jeremy kyle himself wasn't at today's hearing. but his lawyer said that he had found this experience upsetting. his tv show was later cancelled by itv. the coroner said it would be ludicrous ifjeremy kyle wasn't called in person at the full inquest

into steven dymond's death, which is due to begin next year. duncan kennedy, bbc news, in winchester. rebecca vardy has won round one of her legal battle against coleen rooney. ajudge has ruled that mrs rooney "clearly identified" mrs vardy when she made allegations against her about social media stories being leaked in tabloid newspapers. their disagreement broke out in october 2019, when coleen rooney attempted to find out who was behind fake stories about her — by putting out false information, which she claims could only have been seen by rebecca vardy. david silito reports. coleen rooney, rebecca vardy — both famous for being married to premiership footballers, both with high—profile celebrity careers. and the issue — who was leaking stories about coleen rooney to the papers? she had a suspicion and set up an instagram account with some fake stories, and limited access to just one other account — rebecca vardy‘s account.

rebecca vardy says she didn't leak anything, and began legal proceedings. and so, at the high court today, the lawyers gathered for round one of vardy versus rooney. this was, of course, only a preliminary hearing to decide if that post was directly pointing the finger at rebecca vardy and rebecca vardy alone. the judge decided it was, and so a victory for rebecca vardy. and for coleen rooney, a cost of £22,913.50. the law is a costly business. coleen rooney and rebecca vardy are being given a couple of months to see if they can resolve this and avoid a high court libel battle. david sillito, bbc news. time for a look at the weather. here's sarah keith—lucas. one place in aberdeenshire last night recorded the lowest temperature of the autumn so far,

down to minus 5.3 celsius. the cloud has been increasing there, as it has for all of us through the day. it has been milder. this is the picture in aberdeenshire as the sun set earlier. as we head through the rest of the night, more cloud around than last night. it will be mild, breezy and for some of us, some rain in the forecast as well. he was the first area of rain coming —— here is the first area of rain, pushing west across the uk. more rain coming in across the uk. more rain coming in across northern ireland and scotland overnight, quite heavy, and gales developing across the scotland, particularly in the northern ads. for most of us, mild under the cloud, 10—12 c, very mild for the time of year. heading to tomorrow, low pressure to the north of the uk. quite a few isobars on the trot. it will be quite a windy picture. we also have this cold front bringing rain which will slip slowly south. the rain clearing northern ireland. cloudy and mild to the south, the

odd bright spell. further north, a mix of sunshine, blustery showers and those particularly window conditions in northern scotland. 8-10 in conditions in northern scotland. 8—10 in the north, 13—14 in the south. loss of wind will be quite miserable for all of us. we keep with the showery weather in the north as we head through saturday evening and overnight into sunday. on sunday, colder conditions return from most of us, but we still have that mild air lurking in the south, so that mild air lurking in the south, so cloudy in the far south with the odd spot of rain, but for most of us, more sunshine on sunday, some showers. temperatures round about eight or nine celsius in the north, perhaps just 12 eight or nine celsius in the north, perhapsjust 12 in eight or nine celsius in the north, perhaps just 12 in the far south. a reminder of our top story: priti patel, who was found to have broken the code that covers ministerial behaviour, said she was sorry if you're offended. i'm here to give an unreserved apology