you are watching bbc news. these are the headlines. the us doctor leading the fight against coronavirus has apologised for appearing to question the speed with which britain approved a vaccine. dr fauci said he had every confidence in the uk medical regulator and had only intended to find the differences between the two countries processes. dr fauci is due to meet the president—elect‘s transition tea m president—elect‘s transition team to discuss the incoming administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic. mr biden said he would ask americans to wear a mask for 100 days in order to curtail the spread of the virus. and a teacher from india has the spread of the virus. and a teacherfrom india has won the spread of the virus. and a teacher from india has won this yea r‘s teacher from india has won this year's global teacher prize at a virtual ceremony. he was named as the million—dollar winner and says he will share the money with his fellow

finalists. now on bbc news, newscast. it seems like we may be on the verge of a post—brexit trade and security partnership deal, whatever you call it, with the eu so we have reassembled the brex as cast bang. and we have invited that a guest who has been on a few times, tony blair. we are obsessed about gillian anderson playing margaret thatcher. have you been watching? did gillian anderson get her down right?” have not what dead. you are a busy internationaljetsetting man of mystery. i know everyone is fascinated by it everywhere but it is not... you don't need to watch a drama of an audience

with the cream queen, you just rememberthe with the cream queen, you just remember the 200 you had with her. i never really watched political programmes that are political programmes that are political because i know that every time i watch them i will a lwa ys every time i watch them i will always be thinking that did not happen, that did not happen. have you never watched many of the dramatisations of people playing you? the dramatisations of people playing you ? absolutely the dramatisations of people playing you? absolutely not. not even michael sheen?! come on! i have not seen the mcqueen for example. it is an experience... because i was there...! it is time to reduce there...! it is time to reduce the budget and the production values back to a level we are more comfortable with on this addition which tonight is an issue of brexit cast.

hello conor adam in the studio and laura in the same studio two feet of —— metres apart. and i am down in a news cupboard down the corridor. and tony blair is waiting to deliver his verdict on what we are talking about. it seems we're getting close to a trade deal being agreed between the uk and the eu about days after various deadlines. it seemed like it was getting their own last night we saw the traditional late—night pizza being delivered to the negotiators. my two passions are colliding there. but, laura, what is your take on the people eating the pizza? even giant trays of sandwiches so

negotiators are hard at it. there are signs around the place that we are in the finale and there has been a lot of private rowing confidence that things are about to move for all sorts of different reasons. but as we are recording this, before seven o'clock on thursday, a senior sourcing government has literally told me that the european union is 110w me that the european union is now introducing new things at the 11th hour and the prospects ofan the 11th hour and the prospects of an agreement are now receding. we also just found out that michel barnier is planning to brief the european ambassadors again tomorrow afternoon, it seems. is this all last—minute theatrics before the inevitable concessions on both sides? possibly. you always need to have a crisis before everyone lives happily ever after —ish. sol lives happily ever after —ish. so i think it is very possible that we are heading for a crisis here. and i think that notjust crisis here. and i think that not just theatrics but there is

an expectation on the eu side amongst the member states that michel barnier needs to play ha rd ball michel barnier needs to play hardball and must not give too much away. and so, you know, what i heard is that you are writing last night on twitter, laura, is that there will be more pizza boxes. these guys need a salad! they are going to pull a late nighter and again tonight and the eu side, close tonight and the eu side, close to the negotiations are telling me that they thought the bulk of the work could be done tonight. and then you would need finessing and then you would need that meeting between the european commission president and boris johnson before a deal could be presented in the uk and to the eu member states. but many a slip twixt cup and lip and we are twixt at the moment. the last person who said that was

lead over adco when he was irish leader and two days later after he said that there was a deal on everyone's lips. two daysis deal on everyone's lips. two days is so long from where we are. help us out. help us out with deadlines. we have spoken about them for the last four and years. where are we in terms of where there has to be a deal, if there will be one, so we can a deal, if there will be one, so we can be ratified for parliaments either side of the channel and make this thing a law in time stop there is a ha rd law in time stop there is a hard deadline because we get out of the departure allowed in the transition zone on december 31. so things change from january 31. if there is a deal and it has to go through parliament in one form or another then several ministers have said to me this week, people have said to me that it must happen by the middle of next week. it must. has to be done so it can then be turned into legislation. the ideal scenario is that there is a deal on friday and boris

johnson will be on his feet in the house of parliament on monday saying here it is! it's debate and vote on aspects of it now. also, you know, nobody in parliament wants to sit and have to do this over and debated past when parliament is meant to finish up so there is an imperative and not least also because the government is also because the government is also next week bringing back controversial legislation that the eu hates. the finance bill. the eternal market bill. exactly. so will it be a giant big b trap that the uk will bring back this legislation that the eu hates and is cross about next week the deal is not done by then and the uk brings about, my goodness. and some people said that if they bring it back and it is all often not happening to they threaten but i think that is an eu thread rather than a pious —— eu threat rather than a promise.

they are furious about the legislation but it will not stop them negotiating. the european parliament has threatened to veto the deal if the bits of legislation are not taken the bits of legislation are not ta ken away but the bits of legislation are not taken away but as we discussed many times, if the deal a successful than those bits of legislation, the controversial bits could become irrelevant anyway. on the choreography, as we call it, i have heard that there may be a few days between there may be a few days between the announcement of the deal and actually the text of any deals so there would be a bit ofa deals so there would be a bit of a vacuum there. but then what will happen in parliament is that many of pieces of legislation, loads of bills or do we have another meaningful vote ? do we have another meaningful vote? i remember the meaningful vote? i remember the meaningful vote very well indeed. we don't know at the moment what kind of vote there will will not be. technically, it does not actually have to be a vote on this treaty. however, the government has orally said there will be primary legislation which is the kind that means loads and loads of

votes a nd that means loads and loads of votes and the kind of expectation both in government and in the labour party and the other parties is that there will be a series of legislation that goes through and loads of votes a nd that goes through and loads of votes and just because it is politics i would be very surprised if there is not kind of one bit that feels like the moment when parliament actually finally has it, if there is a deal. and, look, all the way through it has always been possible that they just will not be one. it is still a possibility, not their expectation. it is not the expectation. it is not the expectation four cabinet, in government, but it is definitely possible that this will not happen, even though it is not the majority. nostalgia is not the majority. nostalgia is washing over me. here we are with a deadline that may not quite be the deadline and then a huge load of? is about what happens next. i am dying for a pizza tonight now. let's talk about where we may or may not

be with the trade deal with the former prime minister tony blair. hello. you spend your whole time talking to world leaders past and present. do they think they will be a trade deal between the uk and the eu this weekend was among most people think so. but, you know, there is still obvious gaps. you just have to assume that the interests of people as such to avoid no deal that there will be one. i would say there isa70, will be one. i would say there is a 70, 80% likelihood. you sound so unenthusiastic about it, if you don't mind me saying. i am unenthusiastic about the deal because the deal is then and it is basically really does not give us much on services where we have a whacking great surplus with the eu and it does give us something on the goods and manufacturing side but that is where europe has a whacking great surplus with us. it is not the deal that i like or

think is the right thing for the country but that's an argument that is gone. this is the only deal on offer now. and it is better than no deal, of course. and that is the truth. athin course. and that is the truth. a thin deal is better kind of what people voted for.|j a thin deal is better kind of what people voted for. i think people voted for leaving the european system. now in time we will see where that leads but the important thing about brexit is obviously that we legally left and we have exited the political union but in a sense that is much less practical impact on leaving the european market, that is the single largest commercial market in the world and almost 50% of our trade and from january 31 those terms will be altered. and no modern developed country has ever seen regulated its trade in this way. there is it has happened and now the most important thing, frankly, is to work out what the future of the british economy will be outside europe

and that will be a big and ever. i am and that will be a big and ever. iam not and that will be a big and ever. i am not saying we cannot do itand ever. i am not saying we cannot do it and we have to try find ways to be positive and optimistic about the future but it will mean fashioning a different economic proposition for the country. and if you had to sit down and work out that proposition, what would it be? the consequences of doing this will be great and people on the brexit side think that it will allow the uk to be more nimble. but if you are sitting there with a blank sheet of paper, what kind of economy would you come up? three things. you need to make the uk phenomenally attractive as a place to come and invest in the centre. and that has a lot of implications around regulations and around taxation and around immigration and bringing the best minds in from wherever you can. singapore, is that what you are arguing for? we couldn't do that even if we wanted to because singapore is a citystate and we are a country. but it will have to do... you

will have to work out how you make sure having given up your place as a gateway into the european market and into the european market and into the european single market you will have to work out how you make sense of what is going to be a different type of economy in the future so you will have to make yourself attractive to investment and you have to work out what sectors you can achieve real global standing in and obviously that will mean protecting our financial service sector and developing out service sector and developing our technology sector, university has become even more important than they are because there will be a lot of the origins of new technology development will happen around universities. and it means we have got to go full scale into developing infrastructure in the country and joining of the regions and making sure that we get much better education and training and skills and apprenticeships because we will need to train a workforce for

the future. are you going to use the phrase level up? there is nothing wrong with levelling up. that is a good thing. the question is how you do it. what lam question is how you do it. what i am saying is that you cannot... brexit is a political argument is over. but you cannot pretend it is not a big event that is about to happen in practical terms and therefore short term it will be very challenging for the country, especially in combination with over 19. but there is no point in being daft about it. if you're going to come out of the european system annual largest existing market, you will have to work out what your economic niche in the new world is and you are going to have to find that niche and it is obviously going to be around high value—added goods and services and around attracting the best talent and as much capital as you can into your country and it will be about making the best use of all the

different regions of the country and the different parts of the uk, for sure. that is what it will be. and then you will have to try and devise those trade deals with other nations and that will be a long—term process. you mentioned all the regions around the country. how worried you about northern ireland? you we re you about northern ireland? you were personally so involved in the peace process there and it isa the peace process there and it is a question that has come up over and over again, since the vote in 2016, and something it has been used as a political football and there is no danger to the peace in northern ireland. the eu has accused the government of putting the peace process at risk, and vice—versa. how process at risk, and vice—versa. how are process at risk, and vice—versa. how are you watching this? look, brexit puts the state of the uk back into play. which is not to say you cannot overcome it but you have to, again, recognise it. large numbers, large majorities of people in scotland and

northern ireland voted for staying. for northern ireland, they are going to have a relationship inside the single market with the uk so they will be ina market with the uk so they will be in a different position from the rest of the uk and that is just a fact. so again, you have to work hard to overcome these things. and there will be nationalism boosted in scotland and northern ireland. now again, iwant and northern ireland. now again, i want the uk to stick together but again, you have got to understand, i think the point i'm trying to make to you is, the political arguments when we do brexit is over but it doesn't absolve you of the need to take account of the consequences, need to take account of the consequences, both economically and politically. you have got that amazing artwork behind you in your office which is about northern ireland. can you draw a line from brexit to a theoretical united ireland ? island of ireland ? theoretical united ireland ? island of ireland? what brings itjust gives island of ireland? what brings it just gives another argument

into the hands of the nationalist, obviously, especially as northern ireland, it is rather strange situation where it's part of the uk but ina different where it's part of the uk but in a different relationship than the rest of the uk to the european market. and that is in the interests of keeping the irish border open. now, it may all settle down but obviously this is an additional argument that the national stay ahead. some people say that actually northern ireland may economically have rather a benefit compared to the rest of the uk because they will retain some of the easier, straightforward relationships with trade with the eu but i notice you have sent a couple of times very distinctly the political argument about brexit is over. lots of brexiteers would say you were one of the people who kept inflating the argument again and again, thank you argument is over, does that mean you would argue against rejoining or you would never be pa rt rejoining or you would never be part of a campaign for us to go back in? ijust think part of a campaign for us to go back in? i just think there is no point in getting into that. it is over. for the foreseeable

future. i mean, i cannot predict what happens in the future. what i think is important is to play a part now, this is what my institute will be doing over the coming year, to say what is the new british economy, new political relationships look like, what is the new relationship with europe because once it's rather ugly and dispiriting negotiation is over, we're going to have to work out what is our relationship with europe? and mind you, we should be finding points of cooperation with europe, where you deepen the relationship even outside of the european union framework, because it is in our interest because you can alter you can alter the political relationship to europe but you cannot alter your history, your geography, your history, your geography, your values or interest, which are aligned because if you look at what is happening around the world, by the way, around the world, by the way, around the world countries are banding together in their own continent angiography and that is for very ample reasons — the 215t century, by the time you get to the middle of this entry, you are going to have two possibly

three giants —— geography. america, china and possibly, if its authors about which you may well do, india. and they will be giants because of the size of the population and economy -- if it of the population and economy —— if it sort itself out which it may well do. then you will have countries like indonesia and brazil and even nigeria which are going to be 200 million population— plus, large, large countries, and many will have medium sized which is germany, france, italy, uk, south korea. people with population 60, 70, 80 million. in a world of giants, those medium—sized people get sat on unless they come together. and gained together what they cannot gain individually and that is the reason why you are getting is again developing out in southeast asia and why you have lots of countries coming together in south america —— asean this is the way the world is going to develop so even if we are out of the political structure of the european union we will still have to

co—operate with the people on out co—operate with the people on our continent. what would you advise me to keir starmer about what labour mps should be when the legislation, implementing this trade deal, and materialises? should they vote for it or abstain or vote against it? it is essentially a tactical thing and everyone knows keir starmer and was not in favour of doing brexit and will probably be extremely critical of the deal. but he should decide that with the shadow cabinet and i don't want to make his life difficult by putting my 2p within and it is for me a tactical question anyway. everyone knows where the labour party stands. the most important thing, never mind what you do on the vote, what is the future of britain outside of the european union? and that is a debate the country has got to have because lam, the country has got to have because i am, the first time in my life, really concerned about where britain goes. because we have made a big, big change, 0k, we have done it, there are ways you can make it work but it will not work on its own,, by the natural consequence of

things. it will have to be gripped and it will have to be shaped and you have to get a strategy to put this country back economically and politically in the strong position, and it will not happen unless it is made to happen, and that is a very, very difficult debate and the debate has to be had with the country as a whole and my view again is if the politics, both conservatives and labour politics, the single biggest change that is going on right now is the technology revolution, exchanging everything, and covid by the way is going to accelerate it dramatically, so the single biggest challenge for either political party today is who can both understand this technology revolution, must eat and harness it for the public good, because that is the thing thatis good, because that is the thing that is going to change every area of policy and every part of our economy —— master. you can debate whether you spend this amount or in the health service that amount but the real question on healthcare todayis real question on healthcare today is not how much more you

spend, it is you going to make use of the technological innovation that is possible in order to transform the way it works completely? and you will need that, by the way, because you will have high levels of debt and you will need to drive value through public services and government services and government spending otherwise, you know, you're going to be in a situation where governments are not thinking interest rates are not thinking interest rates are going to stay low for ever and that does not matter and my experience in politics is when you think the world's never going to change, it does.|j will! let's talk about vaccines ——oh! will! let's talk about vaccines --oh! and where brexit and the whole business of the pandemic kind of overlap. what was today by gavin williamson, the education secretary, talking to ldc about the whole business of the vaccine being licensed and approved in the uk before anywhere else —— lbc. approved in the uk before anywhere else -- lbc. the fact that britain is in the process of and has been exited, doesn't mean we got the vaccination, a world first, head of the us and eu, yes or no, do you believe, secretary of state? i just

recommend got the very best people in this country and we've obviously got the best regular —— medical regulators, better than france and belgium and america, it does not surprise me at all because we area surprise me at all because we are a much better country than every single one of them. what does this say, do you think, mr blair? the whole question about... he's laughing.|j cannot about... he's laughing.” cannot cease i cannot see that. and now he is rolling his eyes as well! it is kind overlap, whether it is the exit of the pandemic and the whole business ofa pandemic and the whole business of a place in the world, how we see ourselves and how the world sees us. see ourselves and how the world sees us. the important thing is it is good that we have approved the vaccine. and it is good that we get it rolled out. and i've been an advocate for trying to get these vaccines out the door as quickly as possible. there is not a problem on safety. then even if they are 50 or 60% effective, then they are worth using because they will reduce radically the problems that we have got with the disease and they will allow us to get out

and about more but there is no point in getting to are we better than anyone else because by the way, pfizer is a cooperation between an american company and the german company that invented the vaccine. we have our own astrazeneca vaccine that will come out soon which i am very, very confident and hopeful. when you have a whole slew of other vaccines but there is no point getting into a competition internationally about who, you know, you just want to get the thing done and not, not end up in what will... what will be a set of rhetorical statements that will irritate the rest of the world and not actually help a part of the world. most important thing is to get the right strategy, to roll the vaccine out you need to make sure that all of the data from the vaccination processes are possibly have properly captured and the data is vital and one of the things that has been exposed in this pandemic is the weakness, not just of national but of global data systems. and then you need obviously to make sure you are building up your stocks of therapeutic drugs

because the vaccine will take time to roll and in the meantime based therapeutic drugs are really important and then we make the case where effectively mobil one i know it isa effectively mobil one i know it is a controversial thing — but i'm clearing my own mind that the will move towards, for those people engaged in international travel, they will wa nt international travel, they will want some form of proof of vaccination or testing or, you know, antibodies present. so it is best to put forward practical solutions. let's not, imean, if practical solutions. let's not, i mean, if you start getting into a competition with the re st of into a competition with the rest of the world as to who is smarter, i mean, i don't think that advances is very far. what are they up to then? are they having a bit of fun with it? what are they doing? you have been a politician for so long, the temptation must be there, wouldn't it, to grow a bit when it looks like the uk has played a blinder? yeah! honest. to go back to coronavirus, president obama, bush and clinton say they will take the coronavirus vaccine live on tv to encourage

people. will you do the same thing? would you do the same thing? would you do the same thing? i would do anything that helps but i don't know whether that helps or not. roll your sleeves up, tony, because our friends at pfizer have arranged for... i'm kidding. it is not happening alive. but that would be amazing. i certainly want the vaccine! but i want to take it when it is my proper place to take it. what age are you now? where are you in that queue? higher up than i used to be! that is the passage of time, isn't it? tony blair, thank you very much. thank you. thanks of being with us tonight and if you want more chat along these lines there is plenty of it on newscast the podcast and i have a feeling we will be doing some emergency episodes if there is a trade deal with the eu this weekend. goodbye. goodbye. goodbye. brexitcast. brexitcast. from the bbc.

hello there. the weather is giving us a real taste of winter. some places have seen snow. there is more in the forecast for friday for the real mix for rain, sleet and snow falling from the sky. it will be cold, it will be windy, and this big area of low pressure is really dominating the weather across western europe. bands of wet weather spiralling around. and some pretty cold air being sucked down from the north. so that combination of cold air and wet weather, that is why we are still seeing some sleet and some snow. across scotland, snow falling for a time to quite low levels. there could even be a brief covering of snow through the central belt. and over higher ground, 10—20cm is possible. could be real travel problems for the high—level routes, especially with some ice

in western scotland. some ice possible in northern ireland as well. a chilly start here but mainly dry. some showers for wales and the southwest. wintry and the southwest. over high ground. this band of rain could contain some sleet and wet snow over high ground across some parts of eastern england. and these various bands of wet weather will just continue to circulate around our area of low pressure, most of the snow becoming confined to the highest ground. rain at lower levels. a lot of rain piling into eastern scotland — that could cause one or two problems. something a little bit brighter down towards the south. it will be windy with gusts around the coast, particularly out west of 50 mph or more, and it will be cold — highs between four and seven degrees. and we will see further areas of wet weather with some sleet and snow mixed in over the hills as we go through friday night. but the weekend is a story of things very, very slowly calming down. it will turn drier but stay cold. on saturday, there will be showers around which could

again contain some sleet and snow over high ground, particularly over the scottish mountains, but more dry weather developing through the day. some spells of sunshine. it still can be chilly with temperatures of 5—7 degrees. but the winds will fall a little later. and those winds will continue to fall during saturday night and very light winds by sunday, there could well be mist and fog around which could be quite slow to clear. it stays dull in some places. many spots will see sunshine. just a few showers by this stage. but still feeling cold with highs of 4—7 degrees.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm lewis vaughan jones. dr anthony fauci sets the record straight on what he thinks about the uk decision to approve the new pfizer coronavirus vaccine. i have a great deal of confidence in what the uk does both scientifically and from a regulatory standpoint. if i somehow came across differently, i apologise for that. us president—electjoe biden says he will ask americans to wear masks for his first 100 days in office to curtail the spread of coronavirus. south africa's farm is under threat from the biggest locust outbreak in over a decade. and the million dollar teacher.