tonight at ten... the efforts to save debenhams, one of the biggest names on the british high street, have failed. the liquidators will start work tomorrow and unless there's a very last—minute offer, 12,000 jobs will go, and 124 stores will close. we won't have any shopping centres left, we'll have no town centres left. it's not really kept up with the online development and its competitors. it really puts it into perspective how much covid is affecting everybody. it's the second major blow to the retail sector in 2a hours, after yesterday's news that the owner of topshop has gone into administration. the tough trading conditions during the pandemic have dealt the final blow for both retail groups, which employ more than 25,000 people between them. also tonight... the england lockdown ends at midnight, after which more than 20 million people will be

placed in the highest tier of restrictions. one of president trump's closest allies, attorney—general william barr, says he's found no evidence of fraud in the presidential election. this is a serious blow for donald trump, which in effect pits his top lawyers against a donald trump's top lawyers against a donald trump's top law officer. victory for a 23 year—old woman who says her decision to undergo treatment to change gender when she was 16 should have been challenged by doctors. and an error in the ajax goal helps liverpool to progress in the champions league. and coming up in sport on bbc news... malan delivers with the bat again — 99 not out as england wrap up 3—0 t20 series win in south africa.

good evening. all the efforts to save debenhams, one of the biggest names on the british high street, have come to nothing, and 12,000 staff are now set to lose theirjobs. it's the second major blow to the retail sector in the space of 2a hours. arcadia, the owner of topshop, went into administraion last night. debenhams had already cut 6,500 jobs in recent months after the group went into administration. the separate news about arcadia, with brands like topshop and miss selfridge, put 13,000 jobs at risk. for now, debenhams'124 stores and its online business will stay open, but liquidators are moving in tomorrow to start to clear the stock, and if no other offer is made, the stores will close by the end of march next year. our business correspondent emma simpson has more details. debenhams, a big part of bristol for half a century. anchor stores in so many of our towns and cities, like brighton.

i think it's really sad, i used to work for them a long time ago. and on the corner here in leeds. but for how much longer? we won't have any shopping centres left, we'll have no town centres left when everybody shops online. in edinburgh today, nostalgia from younger shoppers, too. i know girls who bought their prom dresses there. it's memories, you know what i mean? and staff arriving for work to find out that when the doors open tomorrow, the stock starts to be cleared, liquidation and a closing down sale. i think it's been like a long, slow decline for debenhams. it's not really changed. it's been a constant presence through the decades, but its problems have been many years in the making. an incredibly sad day. i really feel for the teams involved. sir ian cheshire was chairman months before debenhams went into administration last year. and then limped on, controlled by its lenders. if you're caught with a lot

of fixed costs, long leases, and you can't adapt, you're likely to be one of the casualties. basically round to the straitjacket of its debts and its store long leases. but the pandemic tipped debenhams into administration again during lockdown. jd sports had been closing in on a rescue deal, but they got cold feet and pulled out this morning. the last remaining bidder. in a statement, the administrators said... "the economic landscape is extremely challenging and, coupled with the uncertainty facing the uk retail industry, a viable deal could not be reached." the administratorss‘ absolute priority in a situation like this the administrators‘ absolute priority in a situation like this is to try and get the best possible returns for the creditors. therefore, their total focus will be on that, and sadly that doesn't mean a long—term focus to keeping those stores open, not even being able to preserve jobs. all they can really do now is focus on getting

as much money for the stock in the stores as possible. in many ways, this is the worst week for high street retail that we've ever seen. it's notjust the 25,000 jobs on the line, it's the role these stores play, especially in smaller towns. the pandemic has created nightmare conditions for our strongest, traditional retailers. now, the weaker ones are falling by the wayside. dozens of brands have already gone under and some have disappeared from the high street altogether. debenhams is now preparing for its last ever christmas. all its stores are set to close by march next year, unless an alternative last—minute offer is received. emma simpson, bbc news. and our business editor, simonjack, joins me now. simon, it's been a pretty brutal couple of days in terms of the high—street and retail, what would you say to viewers who want to know what your view of the is out there? well, it has been a gruesome couple of days, and it is only tuesday. it

has always been a viciously competitive market, high street retail, emma was talking about the names that have gone, jaeger, mothercare, maplin names that have gone, jaeger, motherca re, maplin is, names that have gone, jaeger, mothercare, maplin is, you name it, toys " r" mothercare, maplin is, you name it, toys "r" us, all of them have had near death experiences or disappeared completely. but the difference here is that the covid pandemic has been ruthless in seeking out those companies which have got a week offering or weak finances. so we're seeing this all happening at once. it is easy to say that we are looking at a retail apocalypse, but that is not quite true. there are those out there who i weathering the storm, people like oui’ i weathering the storm, people like our still making profits, john lewis are still going it is not the end of the road for high street retail, primark. .. the road for high street retail, primark... and it is not impossible that people like mike ashley, the owner of sports direct, might come in and save some of these stores and jobs. but i think the real problem here is, on thosejobs, for those people losing them, where are they going to go? there are no high street retail jobs to

going to go? there are no high street retailjobs to go to, no new ones. that is particularly damaging for younger workers and four female workers. it is a very bleak outlook and it is something that these government programs to try to retrain workers, that is a real challenge for them. simon jack, our business editor. the house of commons has voted in favour of the government's plan to introduce a tiered system of restrictions in england when the lockdown ends at midnight. dozens of conservative mps had questioned the new measures, with 55 voting against, arguing the restrictions should be targeted at smaller areas. but the plans were approved, meaning that from midnight tonight, more than 23 million people will be placed in the highest tier, tier 3. there's no socialising indoors or in private gardens. pubs and restaurants can only do takeaways. more than 32 million will find themselves in tier 2. again, no mixing indoors but up to six people can meet outdoors. and you can go to restaurants or pubs that serve substantial meals with people you live with. tier1 has the lightest restrictions, but fewer

than three—quarters of a million people are in this tier, where up to six people from different households can socialise indoors and outdoors. 0ur deputy political editor, vicki young, has the latest. tomorrow, lancaster will wake up under the strictest covid measures. we cannot afford to relax, especially during the cold months of winter. in westminster, the prime minister makes his case for a regional tier system, but many here say it's unfair, the city has fewer cases than much of the rest of lancashire. phil is putting up decorations at the sun pub, but is worried no—one will be coming through the door to see them. we've moved into zombie mode, we're losing money every single week. it's an area that should be tier 2, potentially pushing for tier 1, and yet due to the fact that they won't split the county of lancashire, which is a massive county, we are being put in tier 3, so, it just seems unnecessary,

its economic harm for the sake of it. it's painful and it's been hugely frustrating for everybody in lancaster. because it serves food, this bar won't benefit from a new one—off payment of £1,000. borisjohnson says he understands the burden on the hospitality industry and his message to mps — the end is in sight. this is not a return to normality. i wish it was so. but it is a bit closer to normality than the present restrictions, and what we can't do is to lift all the restrictions at once, or move too quickly in such a way that the virus would begin to spread rapidly again. labour won't vote for or against the restrictions, a decision downing street said showed a lack of leadership, but sir keir starmer wants more financial help for businesses. i accept the case for restrictions, we will not stand in the way of these regulations, we do not want the restrictions to come off, but i am not going to stand here and pretend,

as the prime minister does, that this is the plan that is going to solve it all, vote for this and it will all be fine through to easter. that is not going to happen and nobody should vote on that basis today. thank you, mr speaker. and dozens of conservative mps are refusing to endorse a tougher tier system, which will last until at least february. if government is to take away fundamental liberties of the people whom we represent, they must demonstrate beyond question that they are acting in a way that is both proportionate and absolutely necessary. today, madam deputy speaker, i believe the government has failed to make that compelling case. and when it came to the vote, 55 conservative mps voted against the government, the largest rebellion boris johnson has faced. so, the ayes have it, the ayes have it. borisjohnson's plans have passed, but dozens of his own mps don't back them. many are hoping that a review in two weeks' time will move areas into lower tiers,

but their real fear is that come january, the prime minister will be back here again asking for the measures to be extended for several more weeks. ministers insist they're trying to protect the nhs. back in lancaster, the local hospital is coping but under pressure. today we've got 85 patients in the hospital behind me who are inpatients with covid currently and we have to be sure that they are isolated from everybody else and the members of staff looking after them. we're actually busier than usual this year because you have to take all of that into account, you have to take the distancing into account and you have to take absences of staff into account as well. for people in lancaster and beyond, life in a pandemic will be even more of a struggle through the winter months. vicki young, bbc news, westminster. relatives of all care home residents in england will be able to visit them over the christmas period, if they test negative for coronavirus. the government has said more

than a million tests will be sent to care home providers to help accommodate what it called safe indoor visits. visits will be able to happen across all tiers of coronavirus restrictions starting from tomorrow. the latest government figures show there were 13,1130 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. that means the average number of new cases reported per day in the past week is now 15,082. there were 1,488 people admitted to hospital on average each day over the week to last friday. and 603 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. reported deaths are often higher on a tuesday due to reporting delays over the weekend. 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 59,051.

one of president's trump's closest allies, the us one of president trump's closest allies, the us attorney general william barr, has said thejustice department has not uncovered evidence of widespread fraud in the presidential election. mr trump is still claiming that the election was stolen. 0ur north america editor, jon sopel, is at the white house. if william barton is saying this, where does that leave donald trump? ina very where does that leave donald trump? in a very difficult place, because i think what william tavare has done is completely undermined the president's argument. he has looked at this and said that there is no evidence of widespread fraud, there is no evidence that voting machines we re is no evidence that voting machines were interfered with, there is no evidence that anything had happened which would have changed the result of the election. william barr has been controversial because he has been controversial because he has been perceived to be far too close to the president, done donald

trump's bidding far too often. and yet here he isn't saying, the fbi have looked at it, thejustice department have looked at it, and we've seen nothing there. now, that has brought a furious reaction from donald trump's legal team, who started a statement with the immortal words... with all due respect to the attorney—general. .. and then proceeded to show him no respect whatsoever, saying, his opinion appears to be without any knowledge or investigation of the substantial regularities. and so we're ina substantial regularities. and so we're in a situation where the trump administration is ending, with donald trump's top lawyers and seemingly at war with donald trump's top law officer. extraordinary. jon sopel top law officer. extraordinary. jon sopel, our north america editor, many thanks. the high court has ruled that children under 16 who say they want to change gender are unlikely to be able to give their informed consent to treatment with drugs that block puberty. the case was brought by a young woman who regretted her decision

to have treatment and argued that a court order should be needed for children to take the medication. transgender rights campaigners have criticised the decision and the only nhs clinic to offer the treatment to children says it will appeal against the ruling. 0ur social affairs correspondent alison holt has more details. for keira bell, emerging from the high court, this judgment was about decisions made as a teenager that started her on the road from transitioning from female to male. she argued she was too young to understand the impact of that treatment. the court agreed more checks are needed. i'm delighted at the judgment of the court today. it was a judgment that will protect vulnerable people. i wish it had been made for me before i embarked on the devastating experiment of puberty blockers. at 16, keira was desperate to be a boy. she was given drugs to delay puberty and then male hormones. clinicians say for some children this is the right move, but keira believes it was a mistake for her. the discussions were very brief and there was no real investigation

into why i had gender dysphoria feelings and how i got to that stage. i spoke briefly of depression and anxiety, but again, it was kind of assumed by everyone that transitioning would alleviate that. her case was against the tavistock, the uk's only gender identity clinic for children. it argued that puberty blocking drugs are only prescribed if a child can give informed consent, but today's judgment ruled it was doubtful a child under 16 could really understand the long—term implications, and for 16 and 17—year—olds, the courts may also need to be involved. this mother, who wants to remain anonymous, was also involved in bringing the action. her daughter, who has autism, is on the clinic waiting list. the long—term effects of puberty blockers, they're not really known. they're given for extended periods of time at a time when your developing your body needs to be exposed to hormones. it doesn'tjust halt the physical development, it halts the psychological, social and emotional

development of a child. in a statement, the tavistock says the trust is disappointed by today's judgment and we understand the outcome is likely to cause anxiety for patients and their families. it continues, we are working to provide support for patients concerned about the impact on their care. it's a very important issue and i'm happy to be here. and 18—year—old sonia calls thejudgment disheartening and wrong. she says young people who want to transition like her already face long waits for specialist help. it's taking more than two or three years just to get a first appointment, and that's before you even get to the prospects of discussing hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers. for me, personally, it took a huge toll on my mental health because i couldn't see light at the end of the tunnel. i had no hope. whilst it's considering the implications of today's judgment, the tavistock says

it is suspending all new referrals of under 16s for drug treatments. alison holt, bbc news. england's chief inspector of schools says the lack of monitoring and support of vulnerable children during the pandemic should be a matter of national concern. the warning is highlighted in 0fsted's annual inspection report and warns of a legacy of neglect for children who have become invisible to services because they are not attneding school. the department for education insists the safety and well—being of vulnerable children has been a priority and that nurseries, schools and colleges were kept open for those children during the pandemic. 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley has the story. the children at 0ldham and bolton primary in warrington are glad to be back in school. considering everybody says they don't like school, we can tell that they all do because it's really nice and we know that we all love it. and for some of the most vulnerable

pupils, it's also a safety net. schools are often where signs of neglect and abuse are picked up. today's annual report by 0fsted warns that the low numbers of vulnerable children who attended school during the first national lockdown and the continuing disruption has made it difficult for teachers to identify those at risk. we're not having the conversations that we would normally have. a reduction in child protection referrals is a worrying sign that some are being missed. having eyes on the children and having that pastoral care has been really difficult, and making sure that they're 0k, that they have a safe space to speak to us. so certainly during the first lockdown, those referrals just halted, if you like, really low numbers. and then also the services are really stretched so when we are making the referrals, they're being pushed back. so we call it a line of best fit... 0fsted has also raised concerns about the numbers of children who have not returned to school because of fears around covid. 75,000 children are being homeschooled in england, a 38% increase since last year.

this person has not sent her 15—year—old daughter to school since march. she says she's been forced to choose between her child's education and her elderly mother's health because they all live in the same house. 0n the one hand, we're being told by matt hancock, don't kill your grandmother. but this is a day—to—day reality for my child, she comes home and she sees her grandmother. and we can't isolate members of the family, right? so, all we're asking for is a little bit of common sense into the process. i would also like no fines or prosecution threat hanging over parents who are already dealing with a really difficult situation. the government insists that schools are safe. the department for education says local authorities have been given an additional £3.7 billion to meet the demands within schools and children's services, but 0fsted warns of a legacy of neglect. for most children, getting back into school and normal life,

good teaching, home life, back into normal routines, will deal with most of the problems that may have built up. but there is this a smaller proportion who desperately need that help. how are you feeling to be back in school? teachers are having to respond to constant changes at every level the education system. one of the biggest challenges is dealing what with what happens to children outside the school gates. elaine dunkley, bbc news, in warrington. in germany, at least five people, including a baby girl, have died and several others injured after a car drove through a pedestrian area in the city of trier. the driver, a 51—year—old man who was more than four times over the drink—drive limit, has been arrested, but police say there's no indication that the incident was politically or religiously motivated. from trier, our europe correspondent nick beake reports. the carnage inflicted at the heart

of the city of trier. the driver had ploughed through shoppers in one of its busiest pedestrianised streets. a nine—month—old baby among the five who were killed. more than a dozen were injured, some critically. translation: we always see these images on tv in other countries and we always think this can't happen in trier, and now it has. and i am here as mayor and i have no words and i wonder how can such a man have this idea? 0n the right, the vehicle used as a weapon. police managed to ram and stop it as the attacker tried to escape. some eye witnesses described screaming as the car sped along this pedestrianised area. they said some victims were hit with such force, they were thrown in the air. but the driver didn't stop, he continued his deadlyjourney. the suspect is a 51—year—old man. police said he had been drinking heavily and was thought to have

mental health problems, but there was no evidence he had been motivated by extremist ideology. translation: our thoughts are with the victims‘ next of kin, who have to mourn the death of a loved one, people whose lives were extinguished from one second to the next by such a heinous crime. among them is a baby, a truly horrific thought that parents would have to mourn the death of their child. it's just terrible. at the roman gate, tributes for those killed. this city, claimed as germany's oldest, is tonight the latest in europe to be morning after a deadly vehicle attack. nick beake, bbc news, trier. the world health organization has warned that the global fight against the pandemic is also a fight against disinformation on a massive scale. with a number of vaccines set to be delivered in the months ahead, experts say that misleading information could dissuade many from being vaccinated, while others are likely to be confused by the sheer

amount of information being made available on social media and elsewhere. our global health correspondent tulip mazumdar has more details. ever since this pandemic started, we've all been faced with a barrage of information about covid—19. it can lead to confusion, distrust, and in some cases, protests against proven public health advice like wearing masks. now, with vaccines well on the way, there's a fresh push to separate fact from fiction. i spoke to trainee solicitor 0scar, who's taking part in vaccine trials at imperial college london, and production designer, nina. i would like to be vaccinated because i think it's one of the only ways out of this situation. i have quite mixed feelings. i'm not sure how much i trust the vaccine yet, because it's happened so quickly. preliminary research suggests exposure to some of the most widely circulating misinformation can impact people's intention to be vaccinated against covid—19. 4,000 people took part

in the study in the uk. before they were shown inaccurate claims, 54% said they definitely would be vaccinated. that figure dropped by more than six percentage points after they were shown the false information. what we want is people to have the right information at the right time, in the right format, so they can make their decisions that is good for their health and also the health of the community and their family. so the w h 0, along with governments have teamed up with big social media so the who, along with governments have teamed up with big social media companies to come up with better ways of getting accurate information to people like this whatsapp feed which anyone can sign up to. facebook has introduced notification screens flagging false information before people choose to share it. but it still can be shared. professor heidi larsson has been studying people's attitudes to vaccines for more than two decades. what we need to focus on is building the resilience and filling that space. you can't just take away pieces of misinformation.

one of the big anxieties is safety. so we can talk about the fact that safety processes are being followed carefully. we're short—cutting other parts of that long development process. scientists are taking to social media themselves to try and get accurate information out there. the battle against covid can't be won in hospitals and science labs alone. part of the fight needs to happen online. tulip mazumdar, bbc news. the uk's transition period, after leaving the european union ends in a months time, and a trade deal with the eu still hasn't been finalised. and now the food and drink industry is warning that households could face higher bills for food regardless of whether

a deal is struck. cabinet ministers are calling on businesses to step up their preparations, while some experts warn that there could still be disruption to supplies even with a trade deal. 0ur global trade correspondent dharshini david reports on the anxiety in the business world. it's milking time, but even the uk's biggest dairy cooperative has to top up from the eu to satisfy our appetite. without a trade deal extra import taxes or tariffs could add 40p to a pack of imported butter from next year. buying more british isn't an option. for us it would take many hundreds of millions of pounds of more investment and years to become fully self—sufficient and therefore if we have to pay tariffs on the way in and the product flow is not as good as it is today, then regrettably, because we are a low margin business, we are owned by dairy farmers, we are going to have to pass that on to our customers. from the farm to the fridge, we buy seven times as much fruit and veg from the eu

as we sell there. at new covent garden market they are excited about stocking restaurants as lockdown ends, but nervous about what might lie ahead. what they are talking about on the tariffs and the distribution and covid, it's like the worst melting pot you could ever have. we are so tight on our supply chain anyway, to absorb a margin like that would be virtually impossible. we have to be very competitive to get the product to the chefs in the kitchen which then again have to be competitive to make their margin to go out to the public. and those could be sizeable. take oranges. the input tax on those could be 16%. in total, 26% of our food comes from the eu. and all that could be taxed at an average rate of nearly 18%. tariffs on fruit, veg, meat and cheese, analysts say that could add up to bills of over

£100 per household. with a deal, those tariffs are off the menu but there will still be checks and forms to fill in. the government watchdog fears that could mean delays at the border which could still push up the cost of food. it may even mean some products don't make it as far as supermarket shelves. others on the market think more expensive imports could help some british producers. we support english growers and we try to where we can to work all english produce. and at times, when we import stuff from the countries in europe, it is a lot cheaper than what we can get english produce at times for various reasons. that stops the sales of our english produce. back on the farm, they too hope the uk can beef up production. for now, the government says that deal or no deal,

there'll be no food shortages. retailers and consumers are hoping to put the strain of 2020 behind them, but they've yet to see which way the wind will be blowing. dharshini david, bbc news. buckingham palace says the queen and the duke of edinburgh will be spending a quiet christmas this year at windsor castle. by tradition they usually spend time with other members of the royal family at sandringham. it is thought it will the first time in more than 30 years that the queen hasn't travelled to norfolk for christmas. in the champions league tonight, liverpool reached the knockout stages by beating ajax 1—0 at anfield to top their group. meanwhile manchester city, who have already progressed, were held to a goalless draw in porto, as andy swiss reports. for liverpool, the equation was simple. just a draw against ajax would take them through to the knockout stage, but if the maths were straightforward, the match was a little trickier. curtisjones so nearly fired liverpool ahead, as ajax looked rattled. but gradually, they found their feet.