13,000 jobs at risk at arcadia, sir philip green's retail empire, which has gone into administration. the group, which includes topshop, burton and dorothy perkins, had been looking for a new injection of cash after sales collapsed this year. sir philip has been criticised by former executives for not investing enough in arcadia and for being too slow to embrace online shopping. i think that the pandemic has accelerated what would have happened in perhaps three or four, five years‘ time, and will also happen, i think, to a number of other high street retailers, too. we'll be asking if there's any

future for the brands, which are among the most prominent on the high street. also tonight... in wales, tough new coronavirus restrictions from friday. all pubs, restaurants and cafes will be banned from serving alcohol and they'll have to close at six every evening. the mass testing of students to make it safe to go home for the christmas break is starting at many universities across the uk. a public inquiry into state collusion in the murder of belfast solicitor pat finucane in 1989 will not take place. his family says it's a government betrayal. we're very angry. i would love to say that we are surprised. but what the british government proposed to us today was nothing short of insulting. and how the english countryside is set to change, as eu subsidies are replaced with new funding rules. and coming up in sport on bbc news... in dreamland — marine,

who play in the eighth tier of english football, will facejose mourinho‘s tottenham in the third round of the fa cup. good evening. within the past couple of hours, it's been confirmed that more than 13,000 jobs are at risk as the retail empire arcadia, which includes topshop, burton and dorothy perkins has gone into administration. arcadia had been seeking a new injection of cash following lost sales because of the pandemic. but a former boss of topshop, jane shepherdson, has told the bbc that the group's problems go back much further than the pandemic. she alleged that sir philip green, arcadia's chairman, had failed to invest in his retail empire and had made its downfall inevitable. our business editor, simonjack, has the latest.

in his pomp, a fashion emperor who dominated the high street and didn't mind flaunting the vast wealth it brought him, lavish parties attended by the rich, powerful and famous, a description he felt comfortable with himself. the empire was full of household names that customers of all ages would recognise. tonight, that empire has collapsed into administration. there's going to be huge unemployment... the woman credited with building the topshop brand explains where it all went wrong. philip's overriding concern was to buy something as cheaply as he could possibly buy it and then sell it for as much as he could get for it. the online players such asos and boohoo don't have the cost base of the stores, they don't have to pay for staffing in their stores. all they have is their online presence. they are much better at it, they've invested a huge amount of money in it and they have a much better connection with their customers. the list of retail failures is a long one, but arcadia is the biggest for years.

there are 444 stories and hundreds more concessions within other stores. there are 13,000 workers whose jobs are at risk and an estimated £350 million hole in the pension scheme. this is, or was, thejewel in the ground that in truth slipped many years ago. once a powerhouse of fashion retail led by the king of the high street, now a business in ruins, led by a man considered the unacceptable face of capitalism. but this is not about one person. this, tonight, is about the 13,000 people who are facing a very uncertain christmas and thousands more in a very troubled high street retail sector. simon here, thanks so much for talking to us today. i spoke to one arcadia worker — who didn't want to be identified — who said the uncertainty had come at the worst possible time. a lot of us are feeling a bit anxious because we don't know the full extent about what's happening ourselves. for us, it's about money around christmas time, bills have to go out, we don't know if we can afford stuff for christmas. we're worried about what will happen to our pension schemes.

will we still get paid if we're in administration? tonight, sir philip is here on his £100 million yacht in monaco where his wife is resident and who received a £1.2 billion tax—free dividend from the business in 2005. there is another twist, debenhams makes money from renting store space to arcadia brands. arcadia's collapse could scupper a rescue of the department store bij sports, another 12,000 jobs at risk. the pandemic has been brutal to businesses with underlying health issues. suddenly you've had covid which has left you a perfect storm in retail, and those retailers who didn't move on during that perfect storm are the ones who are going to suffer and die, and that's what's happening to arcadia. but they're not alone, there are other retailers in a perilous position as we stand today. stores are open in scotland and will open in england on wednesday, as administrators try to sell off christmas stock and maybe some bits of the business. and simon is with me now. let's talk about the future of these

big brands and what happens to customers who have got orders in right now? well, i have got the administrator's letter here, they are saying no redundancies are being made at the moment, all orders made over the black friday weekend will be honoured, but beyond that, it is unclear, there is chatter that some of the online brands might want to snap up the topshop and other brands, but it is the brands they want, not the physical stores, and thatis want, not the physical stores, and that is where the jobs are, so it is very uncertain. we have spoken, you have spoken to sir philip green many times over the years, you've mentioned his whereabouts, i wonder what you think is going through his mind and has there been a people out of him today? i haven't heard from him today. listen, for all his abrasive nature, he is actually more sensitive, orthin—skinned, abrasive nature, he is actually more sensitive, or thin—skinned, which might explain his behaviour, than people think. so he will feel this keenly, but that will be cold comfort to the people who are facing an uncertain future. is there another act in the philip green

retail drama? another act in the philip green retaildrama? i another act in the philip green retail drama? i don't know, he is very stubborn and slow to change, the future of retail is about technology, i don't think he's got the skill set that modern retail requires. thank you very much, simon jack, our business editor. just three weeks after the end of its national lockdown, wales has seen another rise in infection rates. so the welsh government has announced a new set of restrictions starting this friday evening. all pubs, restaurants and cafes in wales will be banned from serving alcohol and they'll have to close by six every evening. indoor entertainment and visitor attractions including cinemas, bingo halls, museums and galleries will not be able to open at all. 0ur wales correspondent hywel grifith has the latest. eight and six, 86. as the covid numbers rise, once again, businesses face shutting down. on friday, this bingo hall in cardiff will close its doors. three and two, 32. avril normally comes here three times a week, she says it's her lifeline. the only place i feel as safe

as in here is in my own home. even the shops aren't doing as well as we are. he does so much for us. i mean, i wouldn't see anybody if i didn't come to bingo. stephen, the manager, is reeling, too. he'd hoped wales' recent lockdown would be his last closure of a terrible 2020. just gutted that it's happened to us yet again. this has now been 22 weeks this year we've been shut, and potentially it could be another four weeks, if not longer. that's over half the year shut. while all shops can stay open, in pubs and restaurants, the festive spirit will have to be alcohol—free, and all hospitality venues must close their doors at 6pm. it leaves nick wondering whether it's worth opening at all. of course we can open, but a pub with no alcohol is not a pub anymore. we've come through from one long lockdown, through the firebreak, that doesn't seem to have worked. you've got to say from their own

standards, they've failed. help has been promised for hospitality. the first minister says it will be the most generous package in the uk. he insists the virus is a problem in pubs, something the industry disputes. the evidence i'm afraid is just there. when we get together in that way, whether it's in our own homes or in a hospitality setting, the virus thrives, and the cases rise, and we end up with the position that we see in wales today. but the position around wales varies, a lot. here in llandudno, they're in the county with the lowest case rate, just 27 per 100,000. the seaside hotels here aren't being told to shut, but fear the wales—wide measures will keep customers away. guests simply won't come if it means they're not able to go out, because it's part of the overall experience. and given the time of the year that this has been imposed on us, ijust think it's a really cruel blow.

this thing is very much a one size fits all approach that's going to cost us dearly in the long run. one and nine, 19. this pandemic is far more than a numbers game. lives and livelihoods are always in the balance. the gamble now is whether these measures will get the virus back under control. seven and five, 75. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. at westminster, boris johnson is trying to win support for his plans to introduce three tiers of restrictions in england from wednesday. dozens of his own conservative mps have voiced their anger and concern about the system which they say is out of proportion and deeply damaging to businesses in the run—up to christmas. there will be a parliamentary vote tomorrow, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. the outline of a world after coronavirus is slowly emerging. but it's not clear to see yet. so, before england's national restrictions fade on wednesday, mps will vote on a new set of rules.

and while boris johnson was looking to what is next at a vaccine maker in wales, he had to defend the new proposed regime. we can't afford to let it out of control again, so, the tiering system is tough but it's designed to be tough and to keep it under control. that means no return to nights like this for the restaurant 20 stories in manchester, even though the team here has worked hard to make it safe. i'm currently in the restaurant at the minute and you can see the perspex screens between the tables... from wednesday it will be stuck in the tightest set of restrictions in tier 3, like most of the north of england. it will be the sixth set of different rules they've coped with since march. it's just been an absolute rollercoaster, it's been constant stop—start with the rules changing, what we're allowed to do, what we're not allowed to do, we're just being punished even though we're sticking to everything they throw at us. and what has it been like for you? we're just in limbo at the moment. you've obviously shown

as the impact on your business... us the impact on your business... becky was alongside the labour leader today calling for more support for hospitality. but the treasury is still crunching the numbers, and while labour won't support the new system, neither will they vote against. we've got serious misgivings, but to vote down the restrictions would mean there were no restrictions, and that'sjust not in the public interest. so, this isn't sitting on the fence, this is allowing the restrictions to go through, notwithstanding our significant reservations. but look at this. ministers are still trying to get their own mps on side, publishing some details of the possible effects the new system will have on people's health and wealth. 0ne senior tory privately told me it was weak and cobbled together, and even mps who plan to back the proposals are unimpressed with today's documents. what it is, is a rehash of a lot of the information which was in the 0br report published on the 25th of november, but very little, if anything, around what the consequence of these

different tiers will be. number 10 is giving mps more detail, to try to use its powers of persuasion to get as many of them onside as possible. but in the main, the argument hasn't changed for days, that ministers believe it's just too soon to roll back restrictions everywhere. there will, though, be stiff resistance in parliament tomorrow. but unless something very strange happens between now and the vote, england will be carved up into different categories from the middle of this week. remember, there are different rules in scotland, wales and northern ireland, too. but a patchwork of restrictions is almost inevitably coming for england, with or without the backing of some unhappy tory mps. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. the latest government figures show there were 12,330 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the last week is now 14,778.

there were 1,481 people admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. and 205 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. that means on average in the past week, 460 deaths were announced every day. it takes the total number of deaths so far across the uk to 58,1148. the government's former chief medical officer dame sally davies said poor public health and obesity have led to a much increased covid death rate in the uk. but during the current lockdown, infections in england have fallen by about a third, according to a new report. and thousands of students are being tested at universities so that they can be safe to return home for the christmas break. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has more details. swab the back of your throat,

the tonsil region, about three times. a mass programme of rapid result testing for students is under way at many uk universities — part of the plan to get them safely home for the festive break. two negative results, and they're urged to head straight home. if positive, there's still time to self—isolate for ten days and then get back for the holiday period. i think it was a really important thing for a lot of student unions to kind of lobby for the fact that students needed a break away from the university overwinter break, and i'm really glad that they're getting at. i think the take—up shows that students are such active parts of our communities. with more than a million students in england likely to be on the move, there have been concerns about the potential spread of the virus, but there was news today that infections were receding. the latest survey of virus case rates in england by imperial college london suggest there's been a decline of 30% since the end of 0ctoberjust before the lockdown. the biggest falls were seen in the northeast of england, down 62% and the northwest down 57%.

there was a fall of 35% in the yorkshire and the humber region. other parts of england also saw declines, apart from the east and west midlands, where there was little change. everyone wants to know what further progress can be made, but questions are also being asked about how we got to where we are in this pandemic. we need to put health at the top of our agenda. the uk's covid death rate remains higher than many others, and dame sally davis, former government chief medical advisor, told me that underlying health problems left people here more vunerable to the virus. i think our poor public health, whether it's deprivation, overweight or other chronic illnesses, alongside crowding in urban areas have led to a much increased death rate over what we could have had if we had a healthier basic population and less deprivation.

ministers say community testing with rapid results offers a way forward, but there are continuing questions about how realistic this might be, given the resources and staffing required to deliver it. hugh pym, bbc news. there will be no public inquiry at this point into the murder of the belfast solicitor pat finucane, who was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries from the ulster defence association in 1989. his family has long demanded an inquiry into state collusion in the murder. promises of an official inquiry were made 20 years ago but they've never been fulfilled. mr finucane's widow geraldine said the decision by the northern ireland secretary brandon lewis made a mockery of previous rulings, as our correspondent emma vardy reports. of all the killings that marked the decades of conflict in northern ireland,

the murder of pat finucane has become a touchstone for the issue of state collusion. i thought we had merit in our submissions to to court. a prominent solicitor, his clients included high profile members of the ira. to loyalist pa ramilitaries, that made him a target. he was shot 1a times in front of his wife and children as they were having sunday dinner. collusion should never ever happen. so, on behalf of the government and the whole country, let me say again to the finucane family, i am deeply sorry. the government's review in 2012 found two state agents within loyalist paramilitary groups were involved in targeting him and supplying one of the guns, but that there was no over—arching conspiracy. today, the secretary of state brandon lewis announced a public inquiry would not be established while other reviews are ongoing. i'm not taking the possibility of a public inquiry off the table at this stage. it is important that

we allow the psni and police ombudsman processes to move forward. for pat finucane's son, now the north belfast mp, it has done little to satisfy the long sense of injustice. it is yet another attempt by the british government to delay the truth being exposed in this case and delay any process which shines a light in the part of the world where they don't want a light shone and that's right in the heart of westminster. it's just unbelievable. it's an insult, it's an insult to me and my family. for many years nationalist communities claim the state was colluding with loyalist paramilitaries in the war on the ira. the case of pat finucane brought out of the shadows what many had long suspected, the repercussions of that are still felt today. but revisiting the past is always divisive. unionist mps argue an expensive public inquiry would give unfair prominence to the murder of pat finucane above many other families

who also lost loved ones at the hands of paramilitaries. state collusion cost pat finucane his life. his family say what must be uncovered is hue up the chain of command it went. emma vardy, bbc news, belfast. it's been acknowledged by government and other public bodies that the pandemic has hit vulnerable groups and those living in deprived areas the hardest. official figures for england show the overall death rate between april and june this year in the poorest areas was nearly double that of the least deprived. the government says it is committed to reducing deprivation and has spent over £100 billion in welfare support this year and that they are ensuring councils have the appropriate resources. our special correspondent ed thomas has spent time in burnley and reports now on some of those trying to cope with unemployment and mental health issues. i love the poor.

because i know i am the poor. and as long as i breathe, i'll serve the poor. no need to push, there's plenty! you see all these people? they have children. hungry children. remain social distancing all we are going to get in trouble. it's hard to keep your distance when you're cold and hungry. politicians say that it was a leveller, this coronavirus. it's a lie — because if you're poor, you've got no chance. it's really hard to get food for myself because i haven't got much money on me and i can't go out anywhere. couple of days' food would mean everything to us. we will have no fighting. every time you get any money, it disappears as fast as you've got it. with coronavirus as well, with reduction in wages, it's not easy to cope. so this means you can eat? yes, yeah. you can eat and it helps out wherever you're stuck. has anyone got a chocolate one? i think they've all got chocolate in, brother! and all this is laid

on by pastor mick. the need is massive. this is the church i represent. the level of need here in burnley at the moment is, i think, unprecedented, and it's upsetting. we've got some bread as well, yeah? for too many, the legacy of coronavirus is not only sickness but desperation. visiting a family who had no carpet, who had no settee, who had no gas, who had no electric. they had no food. and it broke my heart, because nobody cared for them. they fell through the crack. i go into houses and i sometimes have children ripping the bags open to get the food as i'm carrying them through the door. and it's not all right, that. that's not all right.

and it wasn't as bad as that before the virus. the biggest part of coronavirus has been the loneliness. most days, pastor mick helps people like viv. she's 55. i keep trying to force myself to eat. i'd stopped eating for about a week. ijust ended up collapsing on my bathroom floor. living in isolation became too much. itjust brought it all back. i've lost my husband, i've buried two of my babies. i've gave birth to them and all i wanted them to do were cry — and they didn't cry. yeah. no mother has to go through that. the coronavirus brought all this... yeah, it's brought every moment back to me. when you collapsed, what went through your mind? just, "let me go". let me go, you know, my number must be up. i thought my time were up.

and pastor mick says he's hearing more and more of these stories. we're trying to fetch a bit of hope to people's lives. the unfairness of health deprivation. i feel angry, — because people aren't listening. what has coronavirus meant for your care? it's stopped it. i'm supposed to have a blood test done once a month for my cancer count. nobody has been and done it. it's been six months. i don't want to be a drain on the system that's already dying — because i'm already dying. we can't do nothing to help. i've just got to sit back and watch it. there's not many people who lose a child. and there's even less that lose two. the first lady of our food bank, she broke down. her daughter had killed herself. you have to try and find words.

without their support, what would have happened to you? me? i'd probably be where my daughter is now, up there. i probably would have took my own life if it weren't for him. together, they're the hope for thousands through this crisis. do you know, it's... ..you carry people's burdens. you try to tell them that it's all right. it's so upsetting. father alex frost ending that report there with ed thomas. the singer, rita 0ra, has apologised for holding a 30th birthday party at the weekend.

police confirmed they were called to a london restaurant to investigate a potential breach of covid regulations. 0n instagram, the singer admitted having a "small gathering" and said it was an inexcusable error ofjudgement. the first minister of scotland nicola sturgeon has said every full—time nhs and adult social care worker will receive a one—off bonus of £500 for what she called their "extraordinary service" during the pandemic. during her speech to the snp's conference — which took place online — she admitted her government had made some mistakes in its handling of the crisis, as our scotland editor sarah smith reports. good morning and a very warm welcome to you all... a virtual conference with contributors from all over the country... michael, you do still need to unmute yourself. ..and some of the usual online issues. the gremlins vanish by the time the snp leader appeared from home with some big spending promises.

so i can announce today that on behalf of us all, the scottish government will give every full—time nhs and adult social care worker £500 as a one—off thank you payment for their extraordinary service. and a challenge to the uk government to waive the income tax on this payment. please allow our health and care heroes to keep every penny of scotland's thank you to them. do not take any of it away in tax. the snp have already promised free school meals to all primary pupils during term time and holidays if they win the next election. now, a winterfund to help families this year. it will provide a cash grant of £100 for every family with children in receipt of free school meals. the money will be paid before christmas and families can use it for whatever will help them through the winter. that could be food, new shoes or a winter coat for the kids.

cheering and applause. we are only six months away from the next elections for the scottish parliament. at the heart of the snp's campaign will be their demand for another vote on scottish independence. and in that election i will seek your authority, no one else's, for a legal independence referendum to be held in the early part of the new parliament. the prime minister has already made it clear, he will not allow another referendum. nicola sturgeon‘s insistent he cannot say no if she's just won a convincing election victory. this could be a fundamental argument about the very future of the uk. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. a manager at a firm that made insulation for grenfell tower has apologised to the inquiry for the way he responded to queries about fire safety. philip heath — then a technical manager for kingspan — admitted his expletive—ridden

responses had been unprofessional. it also emerged that his company didn't consider withdrawing its insulation, despite it failing a fire test. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. kingspan, multi—national producer of insulation — added to walls to make buildings warmer. not a famous brand, it's usually tucked away out of sight, until now. because when stocks of another brand ran out, builders chose kingspan k15 insulation for grenfell‘s walls and its flammable. i can only apologise for the contents of this e—mail... but when a client queried that in 2008, technical manager philip heath e—mailed that they were, "getting me confused with someone who gives a damn." "imagine a fire running up this tower," he added. a kingspan employee wondered if there might be legal issues. a barrister read out mr heath's response.

wintech can go bleep themselves and if they're not careful we'll sue the arse off them." can you explain why you wrote that given win tech were giving entirely accurate advice to their customers? it was totally unprofessional at that time and with... ..on reflection i wouldn't have said that. i think it was just frustration that we were going round in circles with them. he still works for kingspan, which still sells the k15 insulation. the company insists there are situations where it can be used safely. tonight we asked cladding campaign groups for examples of buildings with concerns about the safety of cladding systems, including flammable k15 insulation. their members' pictures flooded in. kingspan is definitely a household names in these households — for all the wrong reasons. tom symons, bbc news.