this is bbc news — i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 2pm: brexit trade negotiations enter their final stage in brussels ahead of a crucial call at 4pm between the prime minister and the european council president this afternoon. he was very downbeat. i would say he was very gloomy. a deal can be done. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century — according to the latest met office research. cheering applause and he's made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven

days — raising more than £1 million. the donations, the support, just fuelled that last run. just completely overwhelming, the whole thing. coronation street theme tune plays. 60 years on the cobbles — stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street's landmark anniversary as the longest running soap in the world. good afternoon. the uk is prepared to continue post—brexit trade deal negotiations for "as long as we have time available", no 10 has said, as talks aimed at breaking the deadlock continue. boris johnson's official spokesman said that although time was in "very short supply", britain would stick at the discussions if an agreement

was still possible. no—one outside the talks really knows where they've got to. but the mood music suggests there's still considerable discord. at four o'clock boris johnson and european commission president ursula von der leyen will talk on the phone — and assess whether a post—brexit trade deal can be salvaged. nick beake reports from brussels. morning! morning! have you made progress? good morning! three good mornings from the eu's chief negotiator, but there are three big problems to solve if there's to be a brexit trade deal. michel barnier gave what was described as a gloomy update on the state of the talks to the ambassadors of the 27 eu countries. they say they want an agreement, but not one that gives the uk an unfair trading advantage. having heard from michel barnier this morning, really the news is very downbeat. i would say he was very gloomy, and obviously very cautious about the ability to make progress today.

at the moment, these negotiations seem stalled, and the barriers to progress are still very much in place. lord frost, the top british negotiator, is also finding the path ahead is not straightforward. still working very hard. though apparently not impossible, according to those in london. a deal can be done. there is an opportunity to get a deal that works in the uk national interest but also works for the eu. the one thing we have learned from negotiating with the european union is often, these negotiations often go to the last minute of the last day. last night, as the talks dragged on in brussels, there were claims a deal was nearly done on fishing — what eu boats will be able to catch in uk waters. but downing street said that story had been made up. even in the cold light of day, it's really hard to know exactly

what's going on behind closed doors. but generally, it's not sounding good, and this is why. borisjohnson wants the uk to be free of eu rules and regulations, but the eu says the uk must agree to some common principles if it's going to get special access to the single market. there is no easy way to solve this conundrum. all the while, more warnings of what no deal would mean on the things we buy — clothes, cars, food becoming more expensive because of new taxes on goods moving between the uk and the eu and vice versa. those in business are increasingly nervous. businesses across the uk do want to see a deal happen, they do want to see the two sides keep talking, but they're running out of time to implement whatever may be agreed or not agreed in brussels. and that ticking clock, that worry, is at the back of many businesses' minds today.

with talk of a final push, senior government minister michael gove has already arrived in brussels. four and a half years after the referendum, what happens next will determine what brexit really looks like. our political correspondent nick eardley is at westminster. take and talk. absolutely, simon. lots of people might be sitting there thinking we have seen this before, brexit talks go down to the wire and they are doing the same over the trade situation. —— wire and they are doing the same over the trade situation. -- tick and tock. the most important of which, which seems to have the two sides are miles apart at the moment, is the potential competition rules that you have after brexit. so whether the uk is forced, in some way, to mirror the rules the european union have, brussels wants that to make sure the uk doesn't have a competitive advantage.

ministers here say absolutely not because the whole reason we are leaving the european union is so that the uk can do its own thing. we have heard from no 10 in the last couple of hours. the prime minister's spokesman saying that the uk will continue to talk for as long as they think that a deal is possible, so not putting a hard deadline on when these talks between michel barnier, lord frost could go on, but making it abundantly clear, as to give them their due, as they have done consistently, the transition period will not be extended. this is going to come to a head one way or another by the 31st december when the current rules end and the uk will either go into a new trade deal if one is agreed, or will go into what you might have heard called an australian—style deal, which basically meals no means no trade deal on the 1st ofjanuary if one isn't agreed. two things to watch out for today, one is the call between the prime minister and ursula von der leyen of the european council, sorry, the european commission, that is happening around

for pm. it will be interesting then to see whether there is scope for more talks, whether anything is moved, whether they are prepared to keep going with the process, or whether they think it has hit a dead end. also in the commons this evening, the internal market bill back are controversial because it includes the clauses that would allow the uk to basically ignore parts of the withdrawal agreement that was signed with brussels, which is important because some here are furious that it breaks international law but brussels is also furious because they think that it has been donein because they think that it has been done in bad faith, if the uk is prepared to break one thing it agrees one not break others too? a lot to watch out for today but absolutely, tick—tock, this is real crunch time. it is on the phone call at 4pm between the prime minister and the european commission president, what could come from that? it is impossible to say for sure. it is possible that they decide to keep going with the talks, that's what happened when they last spoke on saturday. partly quite a

gloomy call but they decided afterwards it was worth their two teams sticking around the table to try and figure out if there was some path forward. a lot of people have said consistently in this process that the big decisions are political ones, they are not about trade, they are not about sitting around the table going, look, we have found the solution that wasn't there before but we have found a way of crossing the teas and dotting the eyes that makes it look different. ultimately, the european union and the uk government will have to make political decisions about whether there is room for compromise. potentially that could come up in the call as well and it is possible. the third way is they could go there is no room left, we have reached the point they will not be agreement, so we need to start telling businesses in the european union and in the uk to prepare for a no trade deal situation on the 1st of january. all of that is on the table. at the moment it is hard to figure out exactly what is going to be said because those talks were so secretive at the moment but be under

no illusion, they are in a hard place at the moment and although trade talks are often full of theatrics, there is often a bit of bartering at the last minute to make it easier to sell to domestic audiences can sew all the leaders can go, look how hard we fought for you and look what we got out of it but at the moment there are still big gaps between the sides on three key issues, the ones you heard in nick's piece, just to remind you, fishing, whether european boats can come into uk waters after the 1st of january, on competition, whether the uk has to mirror some rules that the european union puts in place over the next few years, and finally, how all of that is government, what happens if one of the sides breaks some of the rules, who decides they have been broken and who forces a penalty? those three issues, both sides agree there is still a way to go and there is an long left to figure out if a compromise is possible. thanks very much. 0ur europe correspondent nick beake is in brussels. that word gloomy keeps appearing and you can sense a blame game already

under way. hi, simon. ithink that's fairto under way. hi, simon. ithink that's fair to say. listening to nick and the fact we have domestic audiences involved, borisjohnson, if there is to bea involved, borisjohnson, if there is to be a deal, has to turn around to the british people and say this represents taking back control, we have done it, this is something which we can stand up and shout about, this is brexit, look at this treaty. clearly you have 27 member states of the european union that need to look after their domestic audiences and say this is a victory for them, that they've got a very grown—up deal with the uk, but the british will not be undercutting them in the future. they haven't given too much away to the united kingdom. but i think gloomy as the mood. i spoke to someone a little earlier and i was trying to get a sense of, not whether we are being played here, but is it really as bad as it would seem? actually, are the sort of differences that can be bridged at the last minute? we have seen before with brexit things happen quickly, they can turn very quickly, and a deal can be reached.

this person i spoke to responded to me with tired eyes and said no, it's really, really bad. nick, thank you. nick beake there. france's europe minister has warned that they could veto a brexit trade deal unless it meets their requirements. our correspondent hugh schofield is in paris. you pick up some of the tabloids this morning looking for the person to blame for the impasse and a macron seems to be it, is that fair? they are very aware of the fact that there is about to be launched in all likelihood, in fact already has been launched, le froggy bashing in the uk, they know if there is no deal emanuel macron and the french will bear the brunt of that in terms of responsibility. there is nothing new there and the french are prepared for it and from the very start of the negotiations over brexit, france has been cast, rightly or wrongly, in the role of the tough cop with

the german good cop next to them with the germans saying the whole time, we need a deal, our industry is going to really suffer unless we have a deal and the french at the same time saying, hang on a second, there are principles at stake here and we cannot just there are principles at stake here and we cannotjust give the shop away. there is, i think, and we cannotjust give the shop away. there is, ithink, some and we cannotjust give the shop away. there is, i think, some truth, some truth, in thinking that the french are playing that role, and not relishing it, but believing it is they're sort of function to play that role. certainly on the fishing issue, you know, the french are certainly very mindful of the fact that if that goes wrong there could be mutinous fishermen and fishing boats at ports up—and—down the coast of france and they don't want that, there is an election in 18 months. it is slightly overplayed by the british press where it is sort of automatically suggested every time something goes wrong that the french are behind it and emanuel macron is

simply playing to his domestic gallery. 0ne simply playing to his domestic gallery. one reason i have suspicions of this interpretation is the whole negotiation seems to be getting no coverage in france at all, the french people are not remotely aware of what is going on at it is absolutely central to british interests and perspectives at the moment, it is all over the press there of course. but really, you just think today a couple of editorials in the financial papers. 0rdinary people are completely oblivious to what is going on at the heart of these talks. to say that he is playing to the gallery, i think are simply not true. he is certainly mindful of issues and french interests and the role of france as the leader of the european union and the leader of the european union and the guardian of the principles of the guardian of the principles of the single market and protecting it against being undercut by this powerful external country now, and he is certainly wary of the possibility of the fishermen going on strike and so on afterwards. but you know, it is also the fact that other countries use the french as

their front other countries use the french as theirfront man other countries use the french as their front man and that's happened too. hugh schofield, thank you very much. dozens of hospitals across the uk are receiving batches of the new coronavirus vaccine, with the first jabs to be given tomorrow. front—line health staff, those over 80, and care home workers will be first to get it. the government says the army could be used to help transport further stocks of the pfizer biontech vaccine. here's our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. military personnel running a mass coronavirus testing centre in liverpool. now they may be asked to help again, this time in transporting stocks of the vaccine from belgium to the uk, in what has been described as a significant challenge. we are looking at non—commercial flight options, so we will ensure... i mean, this is such an important product — probably perhaps the most important product — so we will look to ensure that those supplies are available in the uk in whatever circumstance.

in total, the uk has bought a0 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, enough to protect 20 million people. a small proportion of that — around 800,000 doses — are expected to be available this week. the vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures in special freezers and it's hospitals that have them, so elderly people attending outpatient appointments will be the first to be immunised, followed by 80—year—olds in the community who will be invited to receive the jab. it's given in two doses. the key thing that we know from other vaccine programmes is actually making sure that people come back for that second dose, and making sure that we factor that in with the appointments that people are given, because it's a 21—day gap between the first dose and the second dose of the vaccine. so i think that's the key challenge. patients will be given a reminder card to ensure they return for a second jab.

this has led some to speculate the card might become an immunity passport to allow for more freedoms, but the government has said this is not part of their plan. we are going to run through the assessment process now. nurses have been undergoing training in how to give the vaccine, in what the government says is the largest vaccination campaign in uk history. so how are they feeling about the task? nervous. excited that there's something out there that can protect us as well as our patients, and hopefully we will see less cases coming in to critical care, and the vaccine will be of some benefit. 50 hospitals will act as hubs to store and administer the vaccine in this first wave of immunisations, which is set to begin tomorrow. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. well, to discuss this more, we can speak 110w tojulie robinson — founder of move it or lose it — which provides exercise classes to thousands

of elderly people all around the country. and i'm alsojoined by 87—year—old anne fleeman — one ofjulie's longest class members, who is thrilled at the news of being offered a vaccine. can tell me, how thrilled are you?” am very thrilled, my niecejennifer said to me when she heard the news i bet she has her sleeves rolled up ready and i have! once you know it has worked, what will it mean to you? i think it will mean a lot. i'm not afraid of dying of covid because i have a good immune system and i keep myself very healthy, but the long—term debilitating effects don't thrill me a bit. every month when you are over 18 means you lose a little bit of your mobility or vision, otherfaculties, little bit of your mobility or vision, other faculties, and therefore, a little bit more independence, and i don't want to be sitting here as a long—term convalescent. and julie, this is why it is so important that older people

remain active. it's absolutely vital. i mean, normally we would have tens of thousands of people all across the country coming to these classes and doing the kind of exercises that we know are really important to maintain strength, mobility, independence, and also it is really important for their mental health and well— being. is really important for their mental health and well—being. it's about socialising as well as exercising and that's what we have been missing. and how frustrating has not been? what are your clients saying to you after these are very long, grim months? it has hit them incredibly hard. people are feeling very low, depressed and lonely. we have done everything we can to set up have done everything we can to set up online. we have an online club so people like anne can enjoy exercising because she is online but we know there are so many people that can't get online and they are missing out dreadfully on that social contact as well. anne, i

think you do a lot of travelling as well, don't you? so it's important that you keep going. absolutely and to keep independence so i can travel by myself. i have a home in spain andi by myself. i have a home in spain and i like to go there three or four times a year, i maintain it, look after it. i did manage to go once this year but i want to go much more before i feel too old to travel alone. anne, how have you coped not being able to meet people, to do the things that have kept you going?” meet a friend for a walk, i have a wonderful neighbour who calls on the everyday to sure i'm still alive and my sons, my wonderful sons stay with me whenever they can, or they visit me whenever they can, or they visit me whenever they can, or they visit me whenever they can so i don't feel too lonely. julie, once this vaccine is out there, what will it mean? how many people do you think will be ringing your phone saying, look, i need to get my health, both

physical, and of course mental, back with this? from what we have had, the feedback, it is that everybody is desperate to get the vaccine so that they can get back to their classes. the move it or lose it classes. the move it or lose it classes are the catalyst for all the other things you can do, like anne said, like going on holiday, join other groups, do things you would normally want to do. we have even had group members get together and go on holiday together, have a coffee, go shopping, so it's very important that we keep people active, moving and well and we know exercise boosts the immune system too. it is tiring the outjust looking at it. what do you say to those of us who perhaps don't keep as active as we should, who over the last few months have realised just how important it is? i think that understanding what happens as you get older, literally from the age of 50 onwards, our muscle strength is tumbling down. we can reverse that, we can turn back the clock, and even

by doing simple exercises such as these sit to stand, getting up—and—down out of your chair for 30 seconds every day, which was a campaign we ran in the first lockdown with tessa sanderson, really can help people to maintain that muscle strength so they don't lose their independence and can do the things they love for much longer. i was looking at you there, you were describing your reaction to that particular exercise, is that one that you like? no! it is not one that i like. it is a horrible one! she is a hard task master. she wants you to do ten a day at least. which are the ones that you prefer? it's difficult to say, really. i like them all. she has such a varied programme, they have a bit of balance, a bit of stretch. i enjoy all those things. yes, it'sjust balance, a bit of stretch. i enjoy all those things. yes, it's just a wonderful programme. look, you have both got the videos up and running now. it would be a shame not to use this moment. julie, give anne a

quick exercise now. my gosh, i will not make you do the sit to stand, anne, because i know that your knees don't like that one. if you are just sitting down there you can do your normal posture exercise, the shoulders around and back, you know that one, anne? we get tight when sitting, at the computer, reading a book, so we have to improve our posture, so sit up at all and let's get moving. i'mjust posture, so sit up at all and let's get moving. i'm just doing it myself! anne, we feel better immediately, don't we? we do as we are told! it helps! i don't think i would argue withjulie either! in terms of our mental health, do you notice a difference pretty much immediately, and we are looking forward to those moments when you have people standing in front of you ain? have people standing in front of you again? i think it's going to be quite emotional when we do get back because you form a real bond, all of our instructors are lovely, warm people that welcome those class

members and they become their friends as well. in the class there is this bonding, this rapport that you develop, and there is nothing to beat listening to everybody singing along as you are exercising. you get doris day on, everybody swaying and singing que sera sera, so i think we will have some tears of happiness.” bet you will. and briefly, what you say to people of your sort of age who say what is the point in the vaccine, i'm just going to stay in? i would be very sad if they said that. none of my octogenarian friends say that but i know some people are scared of vaccines. i would just press people to do it because they have been so carefully tested, it is just fantastic, and i'm sure all of those elderly people had their early injections when they we re had their early injections when they were able to, even 80 years ago we we re were able to, even 80 years ago we were able to, even 80 years ago we

were able to, even 80 years ago we were able to get smallpox and so on and that didn't do them any harm, so go with it. yes, i've got a feeling you will be beating them at the door. anne, nobody i'm working with is as fit as you are! julie robinson and anne fleeman, thank you for your time. thank you for having us. a0 million people in california have been been ordered to stay—at—home — as a strict new coronavirus lockdown comes into force in most parts of the us state. many businesses will be closed, and people will be banned from meeting anyone from outside their household. cases are continuing to rise in california — and across the united states. meanwhile, donald trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, is in hospital after testing positive for the virus. mr giuliani, who's 76, said he was "getting great care and feeling good". the brother of the manchester arena bomber has admitted his involvement in planning the attack for the first time. abedi is serving 55 years in prison. 0ur correspondent, damian grammaticas, says details emerged during the public inquiry

today during questioning by one of the barristers. paul greaney was questioning the police officer who led the investigation and he said, you will be aware that on 22nd october, hashem abedi being interviewed in prison admitted he played a full part, a knowing part, in preparation for the attack and the police officer acknowledged that. there was no more details at all given and that is all that we have heard from there. but i think what's interesting to say is that at the time hashem abedi fled the country, he fought extradition, when he came back he denied involvement, in court he didn't give evidence, he only gave a written statement, he didn't appear at the sentencing in front of their families. i think the families will feel that at every turn he denied involvement, he told the police that he knew nothing about it and if he had known he would have reported this

to his family to try to stop it. so with no more details here i think this will simply sort of add to the sense of frustration and the pain and anger the family has felt that he never confronted what he had actually done. and that, of course, is now the job of the inquiry to get to the bottom of the events and what happened there, that's what the families are looking to for answers. the first service station in the uk to cater only for electric vehicles has opened in essex. up to 36 cars at a time can recharge their batteries at the site in braintree. among the facilities are shops and a gym with exercise bikes that are linked to the forecourt‘s electrical grid, so motorists can help to generate the electricity for their vehicles. after a difficult year for communities across the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge are travelling across the country to thank people for their efforts during the pandemic. over the next three days william and catherine will travel more than 1,200 miles on the royal train to try and bring some festive cheer. 0ur royal correspondent

nicholas witchell reports. edinburgh's waverley station, the first stop for the royal train on a 1,200—mile journey around the uk to give the duke and duchess of cambridge a chance to meet different groups of key workers, and in the words of kensington palace, to pass on the nation's sincere thanks and gratitude for all their efforts to keep people safe and keep the country going during the pandemic. the scottish ambulance service handles more than 1.5 million emergency calls every year, and like ambulance services everywhere, there's been considerable extra pressure on it caused by covid—19. william and catherine met members of the ambulance service staff in newbridge. the visit fell on a day when the service was remembering a member of staff who'd died recently from coronavirus. # it's the season of love and

understanding... # the cambridges' journey had begun last night with a musical send—off from london's euston station. the duke and duchess met transport workers who'd kept services running throughout the pandemic. then to the royal train, the first time it's thought that catherine has used it, for a journey which, as well as meeting key workers across a range of sectors, will also highlight those who have raised community spirits. in some cases that's been by live performances or by art. and how about this? a piece of artwork, created specially for the cambridges' trip. it's by schoolboy artistjoe whale, who was asked via his dad to create something special for the journey. they gave me a little brief of some things to include, like to say thank you to all of the front—line workers and nhs, but apart from that ijust did what i wanted, really. and those thank yous to key workers will continue over the next 36 hours, as william and catherine continue their journey

around the united kingdom. nicholas witchell, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it's been really cold today where it stayed grey and foggy through parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england, some more fog around here through this evening and into tonight. further north we start to see the weather changing, cloud thickening, the wind picking up, some wetter weather moving in here. maybe some snow over the mountain tops but it's generally going to be rain. got a few showers further south, but that fog more towards the south—east of the uk. patchy frost in england and wales, and that means the risk of some icy patches. further north in scotland, northern and eastern areas could have some localised flooding by tomorrow. that rain continues at times in scotland, northern ireland, northern england, pushing down towards wales. one or two showers further south but some sunshine coming through. not as much mist, fog and low cloud. it could linger a bit towards east anglia so it's going to be quite cold here. but we've got a bit more of a breeze to stir things up and the winds

could be touching gale force across the western isles of scotland and the north coast of northern ireland. here, temperatures probably about 8—9 , 5—6 will be more typical elsewhere. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: brexit trade negotiations enter their final stage in brussels ahead of a crucial call at 4pm between the prime minister and the european council president this afternoon. final preparations are under way, with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow, hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century, according to the latest met office research. and, he's made it. leeds rhinos' kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days — raising more than a million pounds. 60 years on the cobbles —

stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street's landmark anniversary as the longest running tv soap in the uk. sport now and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's 0lly. good afternoon. england's one—day series against south africa has been called off because of continuing concerns over a number of coronavirus cases within both camps in cape town. the first one—dayer was abandoned and they should have been playing the second of three matches today. earlier, i spoke to our cricket correspondent jonathan agnew and asked him how the teams bio—secure bubble had been breached. there bio—secure bubble had been breached. is some bla apportioned, there is some blame it being apportioned, there is talk about the hotel staff coming and going and from the hotel that both the teams are staying in. that happened in bubbles we were both staying in last

year as well, so maybe you need a bit of luck for that to go right, but there has now been a development and in the bigger picture,... sri la nka and in the bigger picture,... sri lanka and pakistan are due to come as well, they need to persuade those boards that going to south africa is safe, they don't want thoughts that the bubbles can be easily penetrated. what has happened is that the local association that owns the area... this was not part of the biosecure bubble at all, it was a practice area and was used without permission. england dressing, we do try and clear that, but the practice we we re try and clear that, but the practice we were given won't fit for purpose and we had no choice. so we can see there is a bit of a blame game going on here, south africa are desperate to prove they are not to blame for this series collapsing. they need the other countries to go there on tour. they are not to blame for this

series collapsing. they need the other countries to go there on tour. there already going to lose around $4 million the pan, and they simply cannot afford for other countries not to come. tom curran is in that england squad and was due tojoin up with the sydney sixers for the big bash later this week in australia, but after spending the best part of six months playing in the tighest of restrictions with england and also the indian premier league, he has opted to return home to be with his family. the sixers say, "the varying conditions we are asking our players "to play cricket worldwide is taking its toll and we understand "tom's need for a break." qpr say that their players will take a knee as a show of solidarity with millwall before their match tomorrow night. millwall condemned a section of their supporters that booed the anti—racism gesture over the weekend before their game against derby. club officials are meeting with kick it out and other anti—discrimination groups later today. qpr's policy this season has been

to not take a knee, with the club's director of football les ferdinand saying that the gesture had lost its impact and become simply a pr exercise. but in light of the events at millwall, the rangers players‘ request to reverse the policy has been granted. newcastle united's training ground is still closed after a covid outbreak at the club. their game at aston villa last friday was postponed because of a significant increase in the number of cases. players are due to be tested again today. it's not yet known whether saturday's game at home to west brom will be going ahead, although newcastle are hopeful that players can return to training tomorrow. that's all the sport for now. let's get more now on brexit. both the uk and the eu have agreed they are entering the endgame of trade negotiations. my colleague reeta chakrabarti is in downing street. good afternoon from downing street where, at 4pm, borisjohnson and the european commission president ursula von der leyen will speak on the

phone and assess whether a post—brexit trade deal can still be salvaged. number 10 said the uk is prepared to continue negotiations for as long as we have time available. we still don't know where the trade talks have got to. we can speak imitated to the leader of the brexit party, nigel farage. good afternoon to you. i wonder how you are viewing the fact that these talks are going on here at 11:55pm, the very last minute, do you see this as a sign of the uk government fighting its utmost for the uk's interests ? fighting its utmost for the uk's interests? well, it's been 4.5 years of the conservative government and we still haven't got an agreement. 0ne we still haven't got an agreement. one of the biggest problems boris johnson has got is what we call that with royal agreement but michel barnier calls it the new eu treaty, and once boris johnson barnier calls it the new eu treaty, and once borisjohnson signed that la st and once borisjohnson signed that

last october, pass it into uk law, it was always going to be very difficult to change anything that was in that document. so, we can blame brussels for 11th hour moving of the goal post, but would it also put ourselves in a very difficult position. i'm quite sure that inside numberio position. i'm quite sure that inside number 10 they quite regret many of the closest they signed up to last year. but to a certain extent, we are where we are, aren't we? what you make of the fact that they're having to talk at this very late stage without any clear outcome? they're talking about what is inside that withdrawal agreements, that is what they're discussing and boris are strong to change some of those terms. i never thought, are strong to change some of those terms. i neverthought, ever, that the eu would look at this as a trade deal. we're viewing this as an economic argument, for them, deal. we're viewing this as an economic argument, forthem, it's political arguments, and existential arguments, as to whether the eu actually survives. all i would say is that i have been very impressed

by the public statements i've seen from lord frost, our chief negotiator, i hope they hold firm but i fear they won't. there have been some clues to that of the last week, we now have confirmation that week, we now have confirmation that we will stay inside the european arrest warrant under a european public prosecutor. were also going to stay part of the slightly broader european human rights regime, so we have given them quite a lot already, andl have given them quite a lot already, and i think what borisjohnson must calculate is that if he is seen to sell out on fisheries and if he is seen to sell out in any way to keep us seen to sell out in any way to keep us part of the level playing fields, then the support it got, the votes he was lent last december, which disappear very quickly. so i'm not pretending that the pm is in an easy position, but if it was to come to the point where he couldn't get a reasonable agreement and he went to the country and said, i tried it but these people were impossible, i think you'd get a big, big backing

of the british public for that position. use say that the european arrest warrant is still going, that the uk will still be part of it, i'm not quite sure that is the case, it will not operate as it did when the uk was part of the eu. be that as it may, the way in which you speak, it isa may, the way in which you speak, it is a save you think it is a choice between either caving in orjust leaving without a deal. this is a point of negotiations, isn't it, it's about trying to find a compromise? yeah, but it's tough to compromise? yeah, but it's tough to compromise when you've signed up to a treaty that commits you, and a whole host of areas, to something that can only be described as brexit in name only. you some of my position precisely, either we cave in orwe position precisely, either we cave in or we walk away, that is where we are right now. we have to leave it there, many thanks. we're waiting

here in downing street for that phone call between the prime minister and the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, that will take place at 4pm our time. will be trying to see any whiffs of white smoke and bring any letters that we have, but for the time being, back to you. if you're dreaming of a white christmas, scientists think it could soon become a thing of the past in the uk, as climate change takes hold. the findings of a met office study, shared with the bbc‘s panorama, project what could happen if no action is taken to curb global emissions. here's our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. nothing evokes winter like a thick blanket of snow. and sledging, snowball fights and snowmen too, of course. but, says the met office, scenes like this will become a rarity across most of britain in the decades to come if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase as they have been.

we're saying by the end of the century much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground. here's how the met office projections suggest our winters could change. this is the average temperature of the coldest day across the uk over the last two decades. everywhere in blue is below zero, and the bluer the colour the colder it is. this map shows how things could have changed by the 2040s. as you can see, most of england now rarely gets sub—zero days. now look at this. by the 2060s, only very high ground and some parts of northern scotland are likely to still experience these freezing days. temperature changes will be much less dramatic if the world succeeds in cutting emissions, and there has been good news on that front. just last week the uk government announced ambitious targets for cutting carbon, and more than 100 countries —

including the uk, china and the eu — have committed to going net zero by mid—century. if those promises are not honoured, we can expect more of this, the met office says. its new data gives unprecedented detail, showing how the climate could change in every neighbourhood in the uk. as well as being warmer, our winters will get wetter. all right? how are you doing? panorama has followed the wingfield family from doncaster. can we come in and have a look? you can do by all means. thank you very much. i don't give a monkeys no more. the wingfields' home was flooded in november last year when a month's worth of rain fell over south yorkshire in a day. look at this, there's just water through the whole house. yeah. this is my father—in—law's room downstairs. this is terrible. look at the room. yeah.

grandpa ken, suffering from dementia, had to be carried out of the home safety. are you all right? yeah, i'm fine. our summers will be a dramatic contrast to our wetter winters. they'll be hotter and drier if emissions are not curbed. the warning is clear — unless the world succeeds in cutting emissions, intense weather like this could become more common. with me is dr sharon george, an evironment and sustainability lecturer at keele university, and dr lizzie kendon, a senior met office scientist who worked on these new climate projections. lizzie, these are dire warnings but it comes with a big but, that's if we do nothing? yes, the projections we're showing are for a high omission that scenario, it's true to say these changes aren't inevitable,

however they are a credible pathway into the future. current pledges suggest that we will be having a global warming rise of about three celsius, the need to be big reductions if we reach the target. locally, these can have profound changes, the difference between a 4 degrees world and a 2 degrees world are massive. to be reduced by about are massive. to be reduced by about a half in terms of temperature changes and big impacts in terms of flooding and heavy rainfall changes in the future. and dr george, anyone who doubts these predictions need only look outside? yeah, well, this is one of the science of climate change, it is very easy to ignore climate change and we talk about c02, invisible gas that is all around us, we are talking about small grey to over decades, it is

very difficult to imagine that as having such a big effect —— very small temperatures. at the same time, seeing that these shifts in temperatures that are putting pressure on the environment, pressure on the environment, pressure on the environment, pressure on species, the rate of change is really scary. this is something we need to curb now. this is going to drive more flooding, more heatwaves, pressure on farming and it's also going to drive more storms. so, everything is changing and it's going to impact us economically as well as through things like wildlife and lack of erow. things like wildlife and lack of snow. is anything to bring some optimism? we have cop26 starting, change of attitude in china, a new administration in the united states, do you feel some hope? yes, there's lots going on, in terms of carbon

reduction, the announcements around electrification are very exciting, if we can achieve them. there are plans to increase the amounts of energy production to renewables in the uk, reducing our reliance on fuels and having an massive impact oi'i fuels and having an massive impact on our fuels and having an massive impact on our admissions. but what is driving climate change isn'tjust uk emissions, it's global emissions. the global efforts that are happening, and hopefully a more united global community to work together on these problems, is something to give us hope for the future. dr kent, your figures, you have gone into immense detailfor the entire country, and the point is, we will all be affected by this. that's right, we have a new tool that allows people to put their

postcodes in and find out what difference a 2 degrees world or a 4 degrees world might look like across the uk. that will help people to see what might be an apparently small the temperature rise will really have profound impacts locally, both in the uk but also worldwide. it's really important, this is a global effort. the uk has recently put forward on a precious pathway for reducing emissions by 68% by the 20 30s, but this very much needs to be a global effort and all countries need to be following suit. what was your reaction when you seen the figures? it brings it home to you, when you talk about hot spells, temperatures typically reach 40 celsius by the end of the century, not something we are currently preparing for. also prolonged heat would really impact old people and public health. exceeding 30 celsius

by two more days could be 60 times more frequent in a high—emission scenario, this is concerning. sharon george, what are the more urgent measures that need to be taken to mitigate this? the halting of burning of fossil fuels isjust something that has to stop much more rapidly. we cannot be looking at targets in the future because every molecule of c02 that were put into the atmosphere is going to stay there. the emissions that are in the atmosphere now are still going to be there for some time. were beyond trying to stop this happening, we are trying to stop it being as bad as it could be. so, every saving of c02 emissions through saving energy individually but also moving towards more electrification so that we can

use more renewables, is going to be a big part of that solution. dr liz kendall, you're in exeter, if you walk out of the office, as are already signs that you notice that perhaps we don't suggest that this is already well under way at the changes you are predicting? there is already evidence that record breaking weather is increasing. for example, we have had the ten hottest yea rs example, we have had the ten hottest years since 2002, a record that goes back 150 years. we had 38.7 celsius in cambridge in july back 150 years. we had 38.7 celsius in cambridge injuly 2019. infirmary 2019, were recorded 21.2 celsius, the only time weather recorded over 20 celsius. there is clearly evidenced in the observational record now of these changes happening, consistent with the model projections we have forward. queue both very much forjoining us this afternoon. you can watch panorama: britain's wild weather at 7pm

evening on bbc one. and visit the bbc news website to see how climate change might affect your area. as the uk prepares to roll out the first 800,000 vaccines from tomorrow, many people have contacted us here at the bbc with questions about it. we've put some of them to dr penny ward, a visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at kings college london, who's spent the last 30 years developing drugs and vaccines. my name is ariana hart. i currently attend soas university. are there any implications of the vaccine that would have been missed that could come to light in the future that could actually outweigh the risk of getting coronavirus for young people themselves? as a technology, it has been studied in clinical trials actually for over ten years in different types of disease. so, the first thing is that

although it's a new technology, it's really quite well understood and its have been well understood, and there has been a quite long time now, so if something serious had occurred because of it there is a good chance that we would have seen it by now. but the vaccine itself has been approved in use by people over the age of 16, or 16 and older, and in order to have been approved the observed benefits had to outweigh the observed risks. many, many people, particularly younger people, may not know they have the infection, actually, and they pass that infection to other people who then go on to become more seriously unwell. my name's ajay, i'm 42 years old, and i have a disability called spinal muscular atrophy, which is basically a muscle wasting condition which i was born with. what demographic of people were the trials carried out on?

was there a way to carry it out on anyone with health conditions? yes, people over the age of 16 were allowed to take part in the phase—three clinical trials, and people in many different countries have participated, so places like south africa, brazil, india, and a variety of different countries, north america, and that did include people who had other conditions that would make them vulnerable to infection and disease with covid. i'm barbara jackson, i'm 77. for people like me who are allergic to penicillin and the trimethoprim group of drugs and also anti—tetanus, are there any contraindications to taking the vaccine? the quick answer is that because many people are allergic

to penicillin and some other antibiotics, you'll be glad to know that vaccines generally do not contain penicillins or trimethoprim we have over 40,000 people who took part in the vaccine studies, the various different vaccines, and there were no serious allergic reactions reported. 146 deaths, 131 weddings and endless servings of hot—pot — coronation street is celebrating 60 years on our screens. when introduced in 1960, corrie broke the mould, invented the modern uk soap opera and provided some unforgettable moments. and as both stars and fans celebrate, our entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been chatting to some of the street‘s longstanding residents. 60 years of coronation street.

from the fights between ena sharples and elsie tanner... now look here, you'll only move me out of this house when i want to go. in the meantime, gojump in the cut! ..to the campaign to free the weatherfield one. i didn't do anything. and those classic one—liners. what's that lipstick taste of? woman, stanley. woman. you see this smile, betty? it's not really a smile, it's the lid on a screen. do i dress a bit tarty? give over. too demure altogether, i reckon. there's some days we hardly see your knickers at all! one man has been there throughout — william roache, playing ken barlow, who, in that first episode, was a student. sauce, ken? no. no, thank you. oh, but i got specially. you always loved it when you was little. did i? and he's hugely proud that both he and corrie have

reached this landmark. what's up? nothing. considering that when it started, it was only going to run for 11 weeks. and also, i didn't want to be in it. and when you think about that, it would have been a life—changing thing if i'd insisted on not doing it. but apart from that, once we got on air, we were the first kitchen sink drama, and the reaction was instant and amazing. and we shot straight up into the ratings, and we've been there ever since. the character who's appeared in the second most episodes, 4,369, is gail platt. keeping count of how many husbands she's had is tricky. is it for when i married twice, is that it? i think that's it. what is the secret? why has it lasted 60 years? i think itjust might have something to do with the fact that children

watch it with their parents. i hope we just go down the generations. coronation street — over 60 years, there have been 57 births, 131 weddings, 146 deaths. and knowing corrie, it won't be long until they're adding to those totals. coronation street's all right. colin paterson... mind, there's some you'll have to watch. ..bbc news. now, look at this for something pretty extraordinary. this is rugby league's kevin sinfield — in the blue hat — the former leeds rhinos captain completing a marathon in oldham this morning, which is actually the seventh marathon that he has run in as many days. he's done it to raise money to tackle motor neurone disease and to support his friend and former team—mate rob burrow, who has the condition. well, kevin sinfield's achievement

hasn't gone unnoticed, he's raised so far more than a milllion pounds. right at the start, we were worried we might not get 77 grand, let alone what we've done, so i can't thank people enough. i tell you what, we've all been so proud of wearing this vestjust for our good mate rob burrow and his family, but also for the mnd community. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it's another cold day, particularly where the fog and low cloud lingers across parts of the midlands, south—east england and east anglia, some freezing fog as well, and in many areas where it has stayed grey, temperatures have struggled to get above freezing all day. patchy fog into this evening, further north wet weather is starting to arrive, and the weather is starting to change here. this area of low pressure coming in from the north sea bringing light to weather for northern areas. further south, still hardly any breeze, is a

mist and fog will re—form, thickening up in the same sort of areas. a few showers into west wales, the far south of england, a few into the far south—east of england, but most of that wetter weather coming into scotland, later northern ireland and the far north of england, keeping temperatures up here. further south, a patchy frost and the risk of icy patches too. the rain overnight and into tomorrow could be a concern across northern and eastern parts of scotland, not expecting huge amounts of rain, but given that the ground is saturated, it brings the risk of some flooding and travel disruption too. that wetter weather continues to affect scotland, northern ireland, northern england, pushing down to northern wales as well. one or two showers further south, some sunshine coming through, not as much mist and fog and low cloud because we have got more of a breeze to stir things up, and we could be touching gale force in the western isles of scotland, the north coast of northern ireland. temperatures getting up to 8—9 degrees, the lowest temperatures

are going to be across east anglia, where the mist and fog and low cloud cuddling into the afternoon. things quieten in down we have that area of low pressure, rain on it tending to peter out overnight, and as we move into rented out, the small cloud across northern and eastern parts of scotland, and by this stage northern and eastern parts of england with showers and not as much fog. then dry weather and sunshine before we see an atlantic weather front bringing rain towards wales on the south—west, and northern ireland by the time we get to the evening. ahead of that, temperatures of 5—7 degrees with light winds. not a great deal of rain heading ourway on thursday, most of it diving down into france. the next weather system has a bit more about it, and that is probably arriving on friday.

this is bbc news. i'm reeta chakrabarti at downing street — as brexit trade talks enter their final stage. it's crunch time — as borisjohnson and the european commission president get ready to speak by phone again this afternoon. he was very downbeat. i would say he was very gloomy. a deal can be done. and i'm simon mccoy — the rest of today's top stories. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century — according to the latest

met office research. cheering and applause. and, he's made it. leeds rhinos' kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days — raising more than £1 million. the donations, the support, just fuelled that last run. just completely overwhelming, the whole thing. coronation street theme tune plays 60 years on the cobbles — stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street's landmark anniversary as the longest running tv soap in the uk. good afternoon from downing street where, in an hour's time, borisjohnson and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen will speak on the phone — about progress in brexit

trade deal talks. no 10 has said, the uk is prepared to continue negotiations for "as long as we have time available". boris johnson's official spokesman said that although time was in "very short supply", britain would stick at the discussions if an agreement was still possible. no—one outside the talks really knows where they've got to. nick beake reports from brussels. morning! morning! have you made progress? good morning! three good—mornings from the eu's chief negotiator, but there are three big problems to solve if there's to be a brexit trade deal. michel barnier gave what was described as a gloomy update on the state of the talks to the ambassadors of the 27 eu countries. they say they want an agreement, but not one that gives the uk an unfair trading advantage. having heard from michel barnier this morning, really the news is very downbeat. i would say he was very

gloomy, and obviously very cautious about the ability to make progress today. at the moment, these negotiations seem stalled, and the barriers to progress are still very much in place. lord frost, the top british negotiator, is also finding the path ahead is not straightforward. still working very hard. though apparently not impossible, according to those in london. a deal can be done. there is an opportunity to get a deal that works in the uk national interest but also works for the eu. the one thing we have learned from negotiating with the european union is often, these negotiations often go to the last minute of the last day. last night, as the talks dragged on in brussels, there were claims a deal was nearly done on fishing — what eu boats will be able to catch in uk waters. but downing street said that

story had been made up. even in the cold light of day, it's really hard to know exactly what's going on behind closed doors. but generally, it's not sounding good, and this is why. borisjohnson wants the uk to be free of eu rules and regulations, but the eu says the uk must agree to some common principles if it's going to get special access to the single market. there is no easy way to solve this conundrum. all the while, more warnings of what no deal would mean on the things we buy — clothes, cars, food becoming more expensive because of new taxes on goods moving between the uk and the eu and vice versa. those in business are increasingly nervous. businesses across the uk do want to see a deal happen, they do want to see the two sides keep talking, but they're running out of time to implement whatever may be agreed or not agreed in brussels. and that ticking clock, that worry, is at the back of many

businesses' minds today. with talk of a final push, senior government minister michael gove has already arrived in brussels. four and a half years after the referendum, what happens next will determine what brexit really looks like. and nick is in brussels for us now. that clock is ticking. how would you assess the mood in brussels right now? in the short term there is about an hour to go until boris johnson talks once again to ursula von der leyen, the european commission president, and to answer your question directly, pessimism would be the one word i am picking up would be the one word i am picking up from talking to lots of people here in brussels. there was this false dawn, as it were, last night, certainly as far as some on the eu side were suggesting, that actually a breakthrough was imminent on

fishing, one of the three topics of contention. that was hotly denied very swiftly afterwards by london saying it was simply not the case that there had been any sort of breakthrough on fishing. and interestingly, today within this rumour mill, within this swirl of speculation, there are some claims i'm hearing that it is actually the british last night who were tabling new suggestions on fishing, particularly on the ownership of boats in the future. i've got to tell you, that is something that hasn't been stood up in any way and it isa hasn't been stood up in any way and it is a reflection that it is really difficult, unless you are actually in the room, to know exactly what is happening, that the briefings and the extent to which people claim they know what is happening, it is really quite something, and as i say, a key conversation in the next hour between the two leaders. ok, knit, many thanks. our correspondent nick beake in brussels. we can speak

to our political correspondent nick ea rdley to our political correspondent nick eardley who was at westminster for us. nick beake saying how difficult it is to work out exactly what is going on but what is your assessment of the mood within government and in downing street? i think that's right, in terms of room to manoeuvre it is hard to work out exactly where that might go. i think the mood in government is fairly pessimistic at the moment. it is seen as roughly 50-50 the moment. it is seen as roughly 50—50 as to whether a deal can be done, and there are increasingly people at westminster saying these talks going on in some senses is a good thing because it suggests both sides still think potentially there is room for compromise, but remember those three key sticking points we keep talking about have been the key sticking points for some time, so fisheries, how many european boats can fish fisheries, how many european boats canfish in fisheries, how many european boats can fish in european waters after brexit, competition, what rules are

in place to try and regulate competition in the uk, whether they have two mirror rules in europe too and finally, governance, how any deal is actually implemented and how both sides can make sure that the other doesn't break the rules. those have been the three issues for some time and there are increasingly some around here going, if there has not been a breakthrough so far, what suggests there is going to be one now? it will be really interesting watching that call between boris johnson and ursula von der leyen from the european commission around for pm uk time, suggesting that at some point this evening we will get a readout where both sides tell us what they think has happened. i can see three things that potentially could happen in that call. one is, and this is perhaps the most likely at this stage, with the two sides agreeing to keep talking. the second is that they find some sort of political breakthrough. remember that trade talks are important but ultimately there has to be some political will to compromise for

these talks to move at this stage, and the third is we have run out of room to talk here and maybe we need to just accept that there isn't going to be a trade deal. we should find out, as i say, early evening how those talks have gone. the other thing to tell you that's happening this afternoon is the internal market bill, one of the pieces of post brexit legislation in the uk is backin post brexit legislation in the uk is back in the commons and again that's an interesting one to watch because it is seen as hugely confrontational by the european union because it will allow the uk to undercut some of the agreements that were reached with brussels about the withdrawal agreement, about how the uk gets out of the european union so it will be interesting to see exactly what the government says about those really controversial elements, whether they are here to stay, whether there is any room for manoeuvre if a deal can be done for those to be removed. ok, nick eardley, we will be back to you shortly before the time being, thanks very much indeed, nick

ea rd ley, thanks very much indeed, nick eardley, political correspondent. maddy thimontjack is associate editor at the non—partisan think tank, the institute for government. we can speak to her now. good afternoon and thank you forjoining us on bbc news. i don't know if you we re us on bbc news. i don't know if you were able to listen to nick eardley running through the areas of real contention between the uk and the eu which are fishing, competition rules, and governance. which of those areas are the naughtiest? which are the most problematic? those areas are the naughtiest? which are the most problematic7m is quite difficult to separate them out? the line that we constantly have from the eu throughout the negotiations as nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. fish has become the sort of big, quite sort of symbolic issue where we know that the uk government is very concerned about how domestic audiences will respond to that but also some of the key eu member states, notably france, are concerned about their own domestic audience on fish. ——knottiest. own domestic audience on fish. --knottiest. when we are talking about the competition element that

is where we are seeing the fundamental principles come into conflict where the eu are saying, if we are going to allow you tariff—free we are going to allow you ta riff—free access we are going to allow you tariff—free access to our market, we need to ensure that you're not going be able to undercut us in the future and be more competitive with that access while the uk government is basically saying, we just don't want to sign up to anything that could in any way tie our hands in the future, despite the fact that the uk government's position at the moment is we don't want to lower standards, we wa nt is we don't want to lower standards, we want to keep standards high across the board. there is a sort of tension around principle there that doesn't maybe reflect the reality because the eu is concerned about the uk becoming more competitive. it is worth saying that if there are going to be new barriers to trade evenif going to be new barriers to trade even if a trade agreement struck so it will be more difficult for uk businesses to trade with the eu so you could argue some of their concerns are possibly overstated but asi concerns are possibly overstated but as i say from the uk side it comes down to a matter of principle. i do think we are at that point where we are waiting to see whether or not the political will is there to make

the political will is there to make the compromise is necessary to get a trade agreement. we are at the 11th hour, as people keep saying, maybe even at 11:55pm. how much longer can these talks go on if there is a will on both sides to go on? it is worth saying we have passed quite a few deadlines already set down, much earlier this year borisjohnson said he wanted a deal by mid—july, and then he said the end of september, we had michel barnier say that the last moment was 31st october and we are still here and the talks are continuing. the date that really matters is 31st december, that's when if no agreement has been reached the uk will leave the transition period without anything else in place to take that arrangement. and managed trade between the two sides. it is difficult to say that there is one date where it sort of becomes too late but it is worth saying that if the talks really do continue and go

down to the wire, businesses don't know what they need to be preparing forfor the end of know what they need to be preparing for for the end of the year, although a lot of things change deal or no deal, the detail of what rules are going to govern trade between the uk and the eu will depend on the outcome of the negotiations so i think there is a real concern that evenif think there is a real concern that even if the clock ticks down on the negotiation side, whatever is agreed, businesses are not going to be able to comply with those rules on the 1st of january because they haven't got the time to understand and digest a 600—800 page document before the end of the year. and in the meantime, those rules have got to be agreed. you have been watching this process over the last months, weeks and days. do you detect any movement on either side? it really is difficult to say. as your correspondence have already said, it is hard to know what is going on in the room, lots of briefings are going on at the moment but i think we cannot really trust any of them. it is honestly difficult. if you had asked me a few weeks ago i probably would have been more optimistic,

where i do think there is a rationale and businesses on both sides saying, please, reach some kind of agreement, we want to remove tariffs, it is really important for trading goods, so please, reach a deal. that hasn't seemed to work yet and we are seen both sides digging in with their very firm red lines. at this stage i wouldn't want to bet on whether or not they will be in agreement, i think it will come down to whether or not the prime minister thinks the compromise is worth it and also whether the eu leaders think the same. very good to talk to you, thank you very much, maddy thimontjack from you, thank you very much, maddy thimont jack from the institute of government. as we wait for that phone call between boris johnson as we wait for that phone call between borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen to for pm this afternoon, the uk says there is time for an agreement, the mood music from the eu is more gloomy. we will have much

more from downing street very shortly as we are reaching the end game of these tortuous negotiations. at the time being, it is back to simon. reeta thank you very much. dozens of hospitals across the uk are receiving batches of the new coronavirus vaccine, with the first jabs to be given tomorrow. front—line health staff, those over 80, and care home workers will be first to get it. the government says the army could be used to help transport further stocks of the pfizer biontech vaccine. here's our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. military personnel running a mass coronavirus testing centre in liverpool. now they may be asked to help again, this time in transporting stocks of the vaccine from belgium to the uk, in what has been described as a significant challenge. we are looking at non—commercial flight options, so we will ensure... i mean, this is such an important product — probably perhaps the most important product — so we will look to ensure that those supplies are available in the uk in whatever circumstance.

in total, the uk has bought 40 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, enough to protect 20 million people. a small proportion of that — around 800,000 doses — are expected to be available this week. the vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures in special freezers and it's hospitals that have them, so elderly people attending outpatient appointments will be the first to be immunised, followed by 80—year—olds in the community who will be invited to receive the jab. it's given in two doses. the key thing that we know from other vaccine programmes is actually making sure that people come back for that second dose, and making sure that we factor that in with the appointments that people are given, because it's a 21—day gap between the first dose and the second dose of the vaccine. so i think that's the key challenge.

patients will be given a reminder card to ensure they return for a second jab. this has led some to speculate the card might become an immunity passport to allow for more freedoms, but the government has said this is not part of their plan. we are going to run through the assessment process now. nurses have been undergoing training in how to give the vaccine, in what the government says is the largest vaccination campaign in uk history. so how are they feeling about the task? nervous. excited that there's something out there that can protect us as well as our patients, and hopefully we will see less cases coming in to critical care, and the vaccine will be of some benefit. 50 hospitals will act as hubs to store and administer the vaccine in this first wave of immunisations, which is set to begin tomorrow. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. trials of rapid coronavirus testing in care homes have started in scotland. 14 homes in five local authority

areas are taking part. it's hoped it will help relatives visit their loved ones safely. but concern about the accuracy of lateral—flow tests has prompted some homes in england to stop using them. our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports. the first minister spent the morning at the western general hospital in edinburgh, one of 23 vaccination centres in scotland. you are the first person to be vaccinated. for those living in care homes, visits from family and friends have been very limited throughout this pandemic. both of alison's parents have dementia and are in a care home. through a window or in a doorway, sort of four metres away with mum stretched out trying to see me, trying to touch me, trying to be with me, and a care worker pulling her back saying, "no, you can't do that," all of that feels

wrong, completely wrong. the scottish government hope the introduction of rapid testing of care home visitors will mean more people can be reunited over christmas. 14 care homes across scotland are taking part in the trial of rapid or lateral flow tests for visitors. they don't need to go to the lab for analysis, and it takes about half an hour for the results to come back. but the scottish government has said that it doesn't replace the additional layers of protection against coronavirus such as ppe. but the british medicaljournal said a community pilot in liverpool showed the tests only picked up half of the cases detected by the current pcr test — raising concerns about safety. others have defended its use. it finds virus in some people, what it doesn't do is find all of the virus in all of the people. but it is better than not testing, and the technology is improving all the time.

so we're going to test itjust in a small number of homes to try and remove this horrible, horrible thing we've got where people can't see their elderly relatives. and then, if we think it's working there, as we review it, we will introduce it in more homes over time. more than 100,000 people in scotland have now tested positive for coronavirus. it's hoped that the arrival of the vaccine and the new tests signal the beginning of the end of these dark and challenging times. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, glasgow. 40 million people in california have been been ordered to stay—at—home — as a strict new coronavirus lockdown comes into force in most parts of the us state. many businesses will be closed, and people will be banned from meeting anyone from outside their household. cases are continuing to rise in california — and across the united states. meanwhile, donald trump's personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, is in hospital after testing positive for the virus. mr giuliani, who's 76, said he was "getting great care and feeling good".

people with learning disabilities experienced ‘unacceptable healthca re inequalities and discrimination' during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by the charity mencap. as the coronavirus vaccine is being rolled out across the uk from tomorrow, the charity is calling for people with learning disabilities to be prioritised, as death rates among the group because of the virus are up to six times the rate of that among the general population. let‘s speak now to dan scorer, head of policy and public affairs at mencap. dan, good afternoon to you. good afternoon. what are these discrepancies, these inequalities that you highlight? over1000 people with a learning disability die unavoidably every year and that was prior to the pandemic. as you say, we have seen people with a learning disability dying of up to six times the rate of the general population. changes to policy and practice across the health service, things like remote consultations being

rolled out, restrictions on people being able to be accompanied by ca re rs being able to be accompanied by carers and relatives to go to hospital, they have all had a huge difference in terms of people with a learning disability being able to access essential health care services. at the same time, government guidance has been complex and ever—changing so people with a learning disability have found it incredibly hard to understand how to stay safe and we have also seen very significant cuts to vital social ca re significant cuts to vital social care services up—and—down the country, people with a learning disability and their families rely on them so much. at a time when support was needed more, it has been available less. the irony of course is the support you seek is the very support that cannot be given because of the nature of this pandemic. that‘s right, and that has been one of the cruel things, that many of the measures that have understandably had to be put in hospitals and other health care settings have had a disproportionate impactand settings have had a disproportionate impact and have excluded people with a learning disability, so many of

the writing changes they rely on to be able to access health services, having longer appointments, having clear and accessible information, having loved ones accompany them, they have not often been possible, and that has had a huge impact on people‘s ability to be able to access the health care that they need, and many of these factors have combined together into the truly shocking statistics that public health england published recently showing people with a learning disability died at six times the rate of the general population. dan, given that we are all in these restrictions together, how do we improve things for those you represent? firstly, the government guidance that‘s published across health and across social care needs to be clear, needs to be accessible, and communications on the forthcoming vaccine campaign need to be very clear and accessible for people with learning disabilities, so they can understand if they are eligible for the new vaccine, how they can access that service, and what else they need to do to stay safe from coronavirus, given that

restrictions up—and—down the country are changing so regularly. dan scorer, great to talk to you, thanks for your time this afternoon. the brother of the manchester arena bomber has admitted his involvement in planning the attack for the first time. abedi is serving 55 years in prison. our correspondent, damian grammaticas, says details emerged during the public inquiry today during questioning by one of the barristers. paul greaney was questioning the police officer who led the investigation and he said, you will be aware that on 22nd october, hashem abedi being interviewed in prison admitted he played a full part, a knowing part, in preparation for the attack and the police officer acknowledged that. there was no more details at all given and that is all that we have heard from there. but i think what‘s interesting to say is that at the time hashem abedi fled the country, he fought extradition, when he came back he denied involvement, in court he didn‘t give evidence, he only gave a written statement, he didn‘t appear at the sentencing in front of their families.

i think the families will feel that at every turn — he denied involvement — he told the police that he knew nothing about it and if he had known he would have reported this to his family to try to stop it. so with no more details here i think this will simply sort of add to the sense of frustration and the pain and anger the family has felt that he never confronted what he had actually done. and that, of course, is now the job of the inquiry to get to the bottom of the events and what happened there, and that‘s what the families are looking to for answers. damian grammaticas. the first service station in the uk to cater only for electric vehicles has opened in essex. up to 36 cars at a time can recharge their batteries at the site in braintree. among the facilities are shops and a gym with exercise bikes that are linked to the forecourt‘s electrical grid, so motorists can help to generate the electricity for their vehicles.

after a difficult year for communities across the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge are travelling across the country to thank people for their efforts during the pandemic. over the next three days william and kate will travel more than 1,200 miles on the royal train to try and bring some festive cheer. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. edinburgh‘s waverley station, the first stop for the royal train on a 1,200—mile journey around the uk to give the duke and duchess of cambridge a chance to meet different groups of key workers, and in the words of kensington palace, to pass on the nation‘s sincere thanks and gratitude for all their efforts to keep people safe and keep the country going during the pandemic. the scottish ambulance service handles more than 1.5 million emergency calls every year, and like ambulance services everywhere, there‘s been considerable extra pressure on it caused by covid—19.

william and catherine met members of the ambulance service staff in newbridge. the visit fell on a day when the service was remembering a member of staff who‘d died recently from coronavirus. # ‘tis the season of love and understanding... # the cambridges‘ journey had begun last night with a musical send—off from london‘s euston station. the duke and duchess met transport workers who‘d kept services running throughout the pandemic. then to the royal train, the first time it‘s thought that catherine has used it, for a journey which, as well as meeting key workers across a range of sectors, will also highlight those who have raised community spirits. in some cases that‘s been by live performances or by art. and how about this? a piece of artwork, created specially for the cambridges‘ trip. it‘s by schoolboy artistjoe whale, who was asked via his dad to create something special for the journey. they gave me a little brief of some

things to include, like to say thank you to all of the front—line workers and nhs, but apart from that ijust did what i wanted, really. are you guys excited about christmas? yeah! and those thank—yous to key workers will continue over the next 36 hours. they met teachers and children at the school at berwick—upon—tweed, a chance for them to thank them and others for all they have done. before they continue theirjourney across the united kingdom. nicholas witchell, bbc news. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it‘s been really cold today where it stayed grey and foggy through parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england, some more fog around here through this evening and into tonight. further north we start to see the weather changing,

cloud thickening, the wind picking up, some wetter weather moving in here. maybe some snow over the mountain tops but it‘s generally going to be rain. got a few showers further south, but that fog more towards the south—east of the uk. patchy frost in england and wales, and that means the risk of some icy patches. further north in scotland, northern and eastern areas could have some localised flooding by tomorrow. that rain continues at times in scotland, northern ireland, northern england, pushing down towards wales. one or two showers further south but some sunshine coming through. not as much mist, fog and low cloud. it could linger a bit towards east anglia so it‘s going to be quite cold here. but we‘ve got a bit more of a breeze to stir things up and the winds could be touching gale force across the western isles of scotland and the north coast of northern ireland. here, temperatures probably about 8—9 , 5—6 will be more typical elsewhere. hello this is bbc news. the headlines: brexit trade negotiations

enter their final stage in brussels ahead of a crucial call at 4pm between the prime minister and the european council president this afternoon. final preparations are under way, with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century, according to the latest met office research. and, he‘s made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days, raising more than a million pounds. 60 years on the cobbles — stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street‘s landmark anniversary as the longest—running tv soap in the uk. and now for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre.

good afternoon. england‘s one—day series against south africa has been called off because of continuing concerns over a number of coronavirus cases within both camps in cape town. the first one—dayer was abandoned and they should have been playing the second of three matches today. earlier, i spoke to our cricket correspondent jonathan agnew and asked him how the teams bio—secure bubble had been breached. there is something wrong the plane being apportioned, talk of the hotel and the others coming and going in the hotel the teams are staying in. to be fair, that also happened in the bubbles we stayed in last summer as well, in southampton and manchester, so i think maybe you need a bit of luck for that to go right, but there has now been a development and the bigger picture is that south africa needs, above all, australia to come on tour in the year, but also sri lanka and pakistan, they need to persuade those boards are going to south

africa is safe. they don‘t want thoughts that the bubble can easily be penetrated. what has happened is that the local association have basically pointed the finger of blame at england for going into an area on the practice ground that was cordoned off and not part of the biosecure bubble at all, it was a practice area, and are used that without permission. in the dressing, we do try and clear that, but the practice pitches were given won‘t fit for purpose and we had no choice. so there is a bit of a blame game going on here. south africa are desperate to try and prove they are not to blame for this series collapsing, they need these other countries to go there on tour. that will already lose about $4 million asa will already lose about $4 million as a result of this tour going down the pan at the simply cannot afford for other countries not to come. tom curran is in that england squad and was due tojoin up with the sydney sixers for the big bash later this week in australia, but after spending the best part of six months playing in the tighest of restrictions with england and also

the indian premier league, he has opted to return home to be with his family. the sixers say, "the varying conditions we are asking our players "to play cricket in worldwide is taking its toll and we understand "tom‘s need for a break." newcastle united‘s training ground is still closed after a covid outbreak at the club. their game at aston villa last friday was postponed because of a significant increase in the number of cases. players are due to be tested again today. it‘s not yet known whether saturday‘s game at home to west brom will be going ahead, although newcastle are hopeful that players can return to training tomorrow. queen‘s park rangers say that their players will take a knee as a show of solidarity with millwall before their match tomorrow night. millwall condemned a section of their supporters that booed the anti—racism gesture over the weekend, before their game against derby. club officials are meeting

with kick it out and other anti—discrimination groups later today. qpr‘s policy this season has been to not take a knee, with the club‘s director of football les ferdinand saying that its impact had become diluted, but the rangers players‘ request to reverse the policy for tomorrow‘s game has been granted. in light of certain events, we stand firmly behind the cause and our players will take the knee tomorrow night. but going forward, this club are so proactive in this area, a diverse club, one of the most in the country but if not the most, and it‘s not about token gestures, it‘s about positive action. but tomorrow night, we will show solidarity, because we won‘t tolerate any form of discrimination. that‘s all the sport for now. just to mark your card for later, from 5pm, the home nations will find out who they‘ll have to play to reach the 2022 world cup in qatar. the qualifying draw will be live on the bbc sport website or the red button. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that‘s bbc.co.uk/sport.

let‘s go back to rita chakrabarti, who‘s at downing street for us. very shortly, we‘re going to go over to the house of commons for an urgent question on the latest on the brexit trade deal negotiations. to explain more, i‘m joined brexit trade deal negotiations. to explain more, i‘mjoined by brexit trade deal negotiations. to explain more, i‘m joined by our political correspondence, nick ea rdley. political correspondence, nick eardley. what is this question, who is tabling it and why? they are trying to find out what is going on behind closed doors in brussels this afternoon. we‘ll hear from behind closed doors in brussels this afternoon. we‘ll hearfrom penny mordaunt for the government, not sure we will get a whole lot of detail, to be honest, because at the same time that urgent question is taking place, the bigger talks are going in here as well. boris johnson, ran for pm, will be on the phone it to the european commission chief ursula von der leyen. they will be trying to find out if, after all the charm of the last few days,

discussions of issues unresolved, what room there is no for manoeuvre, whether there can be a compromise, political compromise, to try and get a deal over the line. westerly talks have any room left to go or whether this has perhaps got to a point where neither side can compromise on those three remaining issues — fisheries, the issue of how any deal is governed, the rules in place, and also standards, whether the uk has to follow european competition law. the eu is worried that the uk may end up with some upper hand and are worried that if they don‘t have theirfull worried that if they don‘t have their full say over what standards are in place they might end up not getting the full sovereignty that people were promised,. labour are wanting to know more about what is going on in these talks, how clear is that labour‘s position on which

way it will go if there is indeed a deal done? there is a debate going on in the labour party. the leadership think that, if there is a tale, and if we can go... let's go to the commons. i‘m gratefulfor this opportunity to update the house on the progress of our negotiations with the european union. intensive talks are continuing. in fact, the negotiating team led by lord frost has been in talks with the eu almost every day since the 22nd of october and is working tirelessly to get a deal on ourfuture and is working tirelessly to get a deal on our future relationship. indeed, this opportunity also affords us come in at this place, to show our collective resolve in getting a good deal. and our expectations of what that needs to look like and what we will not accept. while there has been some

progress a cross accept. while there has been some progress across many areas, familiar differences remain. on the so—called level playing field, fisheries, and governance. of these, the level playing field issue is currently the most difficult. on friday, after an intensive week of talks in london, the respective chief negotiators, lord frost and michel barnier, issued a joint statement. this outlined the conditions for an agreement had not been met and that talks should pause briefly to allow the prime minister and the commission president to discuss the state of play on saturday. following their telephone call, the prime minister and president von der leyen issued a joint statement. this work in progress and noted that an agreement would not be feasible if theissues agreement would not be feasible if the issues on the level playing field, fisheries and governance were not resolved. they agreed to a further effort should be made by the uk and eu to assess whether the outstanding differences can be

resolved and instructed chief negotiators to reconvene in brussels. mr speaker, we are at a critical moment in the negotiations. teams are negotiating as we speak and the prime minister will call the commission president later this afternoon to discuss progress again. my afternoon to discuss progress again. my right honourable friend, the chancellor of the duchy of lancaster, is also in brussels today meeting the european commission vice president in their capacity as co—chairs of the uk/eu committee under the patrol agreements. we are all working to get a deal, but the only deal that is possible is one thatis only deal that is possible is one that is compatible with our sovereignty and takes back control of our laws, trades and waters. while an agreement is preferable, we are prepared to leave on so—called australian—style terms if we can‘t find compliments as. as the prime

minister has made clear, people and businesses must prepare for the changes that are coming on the 31st of december, most of which are related to our departure from the eu single market and customs union, are not the outcome of these talks. mr speaker, will continue to keep the house updated as we seek to secure a future relationship with our eu friends that respects our status as a sovereign equal and independent country. last year, the prime minister said that to leave with no deal would be a failure of statecraft. so, this government must ta ke statecraft. so, this government must take responsibility for their failure if we are to leave without a deal, and we will hold the government to accounts, whatever they bring back, deal or no deal. with just 24 days to go until the end of the transition period, let me ask a few basic questions in terms of this government and our country‘s

readiness. trading on wto terms would mean tariffs on lamb exports of 40%, so what is the latest assessment for how many fans will go to the wall in the event of no deal? ta riffs to the wall in the event of no deal? tariffs on car exports would be 10%, so what is the viability of our great automotive industry if there is no deal on rules of origin? the office for budget responsibility said last week, and time surprise the chancellor didn‘t mention it at all and his spending review statements, that if we leave without a deal, gdp would fall by an additional 2% next year, unemployment would rise by an additional 1% and inflation of 1.5%. these aren‘t just numbers, additional 1% and inflation of 1.5%. these aren‘tjust numbers, this is about british industries and people‘s jobs. the detail doesn‘t matter. so, will the minister admit to the house how many of the 50,000 customs agents that the government agreed to needed by the end of the year have actually been recruited?

today, the honourable memberfor braintree claimed that the oven ready deal had already been delivered. well, if that‘s the case, it must have been sent to the wrong address, because the whole country is waiting for the comprehensive trade and security deal that was promised the british people at the general election, less than year ago. mr speaker, you will remember that the former international trade secretary said that a trade deal with the eu would be the easiest trade deal in human history. so let me finish by asking the minister, is that still the view of this government? i have some sympathy with her majesty opposition today, because although i have been involved with various aspects of these negotiations, and i am at the vice chair of thejoint these negotiations, and i am at the vice chair of the joint committee under the withdrawal agreements, i have not been in the room for peace

negotiations or has any member of this house. i can understand that we haveit this house. i can understand that we have it so much invested in getting a good result for all the recency honourable lady sets out, and must be what it would be like for an expectant father outside the delivery room, waiting for news. i understand the tension and frustration that many members must be feeling at this critical moment, we are all waiting for, we hope, good news. but we are not powerless in this, we are all active players and participants and we should all be doing everything we can at this critical moment to ensure that our negotiating team are supported and that we get the best result for this country. that means that we provide the clarity and resolve in what we

wa nt the clarity and resolve in what we want from a deal and what we are not prepared to accepted, that we show united support and for our negotiating team, and i hope that all members of this house would join me in setting our resolve and good wishes to lord frost and his team as they continue to work on our behalf. and also providing the necessary focus to get these negotiations over the line, such as many members of this house did in ensuring that we did not extend the transition period to. sadly, the right honourable lady and her colleagues opposite have failed to do any of those things in order to help us secure a good deal for this country. fair enough, order to help us secure a good deal forthis country. fair enough, if labour do not have a position on brexit, but they might like to get one in the next few days. we must show, all of us in this house,

support and resolve to get the deal that the honourable lady articulates and that we all want to know for citizens and businesses, notjust within the uk, but throughout the remainder of the eu. i‘m turning to your questions, there went that many questions in the honourable lady‘s question. the tariff issues, they are published on golf.uk. i know she has written to be chancellor of the duchy of lancaster, to reply to her in detail, it always does. what i would say to her, having been involved in transition preparations, is that when we have got into some of the detail, site visits and so forth, open ports, for example, put together their bids for the port infrastructure funds, some input has been made about what we were neat and have been able to be reduced. my local patch, will be looking at having to have ten freight gates, we

now only need three because of greater clarity we have had about how things will work. so we will keep the right honourable lady and all members of this house updated on these fronts, but i can assure her that we are making every effort to secure a deal. that is our aim, that is what everyone, i think in this house, would want, but that deal must respect the united kingdom‘s sovereignty and its integrity as a nation. we want to be able to control our own borders, set our own robust and principled subsea control system and we also want to be able to control our waters. those things are not up for compromise, we will not compromise. and if the right honourable lady and colleagues want to assist lord frost and his team in that, then that is the message they should send this afternoon in this

place. mr speaker, can i thank my right under a friend for her statement. i wish to say that i have absolute confidence in lord frost and the prime minister you are basing their negotiations on a ma nifesto basing their negotiations on a manifesto that won us a huge majority at the last election. the british public voted for a sovereign departure, that is to say that we would be a sovereign nation, just do not agree with me that although this is entitled a trite discussion, the truth is, the end of the day, this is about sovereignty, to continue to have control over our laws, territorial waters and also of our trade, these are matters of sovereign control, not just trade, these are matters of sovereign control, notjust trade. which gave that message back to our negotiators and say they have this side of the house completely behind them? i think my writer friends for his comments and saving my breath and think that again, but he is

absolutely right and it has been a difficulty on the eu side to come to terms with the fact that we are a soft and equal in these negotiations. we have made this point in time and time again, i know many members on these benches have made that point many times, but that is the sticking point and i hope that the eu negotiators and all member states have come to the right honourable gentleman‘s message loudly and clearly. thank you, mr speaker. here we are, at the 59th minute of the 11th hour, we were assured this was going to be the easiest deal in history, it has become the biggest disaster of modern times. the oven ready deal was in fact a fairly defrosted turkey. we still don‘t know if it is to bea turkey. we still don‘t know if it is to be a low deal or no deal. we still don‘t know the scale of the

character of each sector will have to endure. but we do know that even it isa to endure. but we do know that even it is a low deal, it will cost every scots in £1600 and scotland‘s gdp will fall. what we do know is that scotla nd will fall. what we do know is that scotland rejected this measurable project, so will the minister concede that these negotiations have been nothing other than a shambles, that they simply don‘t care about the repercussions of a no deal, that the repercussions of a no deal, that the views of scotland simply don‘t matter? if this government doesn‘t ca re matter? if this government doesn‘t care about the views of scotland, why should scotland endure this misery any longer? i think the honourable gentleman has surpassed himself today. i have to say, as someone who has worked with my cross all and other colleagues —— mike russell and other colleagues in ensuring their views and ideas are taken up by then a gushing team, i

can tell him that, throughout the course of negotiations, the position has evolved to take on board many aspects of what his colleagues have been asking for a, for example, and participation in programmes, the tea m participation in programmes, the team changed their original position and have negotiated heart of things they have asked for. so i would hope, if we have good news in the coming days, he will give the uk government the entire credit. what my right honourable friend ensure that the government points out to our european partners that, under their own treaty, there cannot be any kind of deliberate dosey to or destruction of uk exports to the continent, whether or not we have a free—trade agreement? under their own treaty, there are obliged to

pursue free and fair trade with their neighbours and also obliged under the article to ensure good neighbourliness, and both the uk and the european union have signed up to the european union have signed up to the trade facilitation agreement which obliges us to make sure that trade which obliges us to make sure that tra d e flows which obliges us to make sure that trade flows and doesn‘t get blocked by people doing a box ticking exercises, which are basically unnecessary? my right honourable friend makes an excellent point and he is absolutely right and i would also say that, if they were to do such a thing, they would also be disadvantaging the such a thing, they would also be disadva ntaging the businesses such a thing, they would also be disadvantaging the businesses in their own member states too. we all wish the negotiators well, the reason, not least my writable friend pointed out earlier, the obr‘s assessment that no agreement could reduce real gdp by a further 2% in

2020, these are due to the adverse consequences that come from brexit anyway. just the right honourable member agree with that assessment, and if so, can she expect of the house why, in the middle of the worst economic crisis for 300 years, the prime minister still appears to believe that no deal would be a good outcome, because british business certainly doesn‘t. outcome, because british business certainly doesn't. he will have no argument from me to say that no deal is going to be better than getting a deal, but one is working to get a deal, but one is working to get a deal, that is our objective, that is why lord frost is there with his tea m why lord frost is there with his team to try to secure that. but i would say to the right honourable gentleman that delaying a decision, extending the negotiations, well, i think that is what he is driving at,

is the facts are not going to change. we have all the facts and information on the positions are what they are, it is only by continuing those negotiations and us continuing those negotiations and us continuing the pressure to get those negotiations concluded that we will, i hope, arrive at a deal. we all wa nt to i hope, arrive at a deal. we all want to see a deal but the difficulties are not really about trades. uniquely, we began these negotiations with regulations and terraces of trent boult, which is unprecedented in history trade negotiations, she have made it more straightforward. so does my writable friend agree that it is not a bad trait difficulties, it is about eu politics, it is ensuring that no country politics, it is ensuring that no cou ntry follows politics, it is ensuring that no country follows the united kingdom in exercising their legal powers to leave the union and the potential success of post—brexit britain?” agree with my right honourable friend and it is notjust the issues

that i‘ve set out in the uk‘s position that should be focusing the minds of the eu‘s negotiating team and the commission, it is also what is in the interests of their member states. ‘s position is that we want the outcome not just states. ‘s position is that we want the outcome notjust for our own benefit but the benefit of all member states and the businesses and citizens within them. studio: we‘re going to leave that session in the house of commons there now. that was the shadow cabinet minister, rachel reeves, asking an urgent question, penny mordaunt replying there for the government. the question was, where are we with these very crucial trade talks with our eu partners. penny mordaunt in saying that intensive

talks continue, that there had been some progress, and that the level playing field, meaning competition rules, that area, was currently the most difficult. listening to all of thatis most difficult. listening to all of that is our political correspondence, he was listening to all of that with me, and he is with me now. nick, what did we learn? i'm not sure we got anything in a way of new details as to what is going on behind closed doors in brussels, but you don‘t get the dilemma of the government hasjust you don‘t get the dilemma of the government has just now. penny mordaunt saying that the government it wants a deal, it wants a trade deal with the european union, but it won‘t do it if it doesn‘t mean the uk gets back full sovereignty. it was interesting listening to tory backbenchers, bernard jenkin and ian duncan smith, two leading brexiteers, making it abundantly clear to the government that they bank them at the moment and are confident that boris johnson bank them at the moment and are confident that borisjohnson is on their site and is prepared to do what he they want him to do. one

thing before we wrap up, the government has said in the last half—hour or so that the internal market bill, really controversial brexit legislation, that is prepared to drop some of the more controversial courses in that if it can agree with europe about the way that the northern ireland protocol works, basically how trade between the uk and, sorry, great britain and northern ireland would work after brexit. that was expected but significant at this point, with these negotiations going on. it was a very public offer from the uk to the european union are to resolve some of their differences. very interesting, many thanks. leaving it there for now, much more from downing street with that phone call between the prime minister and the president of the european commission due any minute now. for the time being, time for a look at the weather. hello there. it‘s another cold day,

particularly where the fog and low cloud lingers across parts of the midlands, southeast england and east anglia, some freezing fog as well, and in many areas where it has stayed grey, temperatures have struggled to get above freezing all day. patchy fog into this evening, further north, wet weather is starting to arrive, and the weather is starting to change here. this area of low pressure coming in from the north sea, bringing wetter weather for northern areas. further south, still hardly any breeze, so mist and fog will reform, thickening up in the same sort of areas. a few showers into west wales, the far south of england, a few into the far south—east of england, but most of that wetter weather coming into scotland, later northern ireland and the far north of england, keeping temperatures up here. further south, a patchy frost and the risk of icy patches too. the rain overnight and into tomorrow could be a concern across northern and eastern parts of scotland, not expecting huge amounts of rain, but given that the ground is saturated, it brings the risk of some flooding and travel disruption too. that wetter weather continues to affect scotland, northern ireland, northern england,

pushing down to north wales as well. one or two showers further south, some sunshine coming through, not as much mist and fog and low cloud because we have got more of a breeze to stir things up, and we could be touching gale force in the western isles of scotland, the north coast of northern ireland. temperatures getting up to 9 degrees, the lowest temperatures are going to be across east anglia, where the mist and fog and low cloud could linger into the afternoon. things quieten in down we have that area of low pressure, rain on it tending to peter out overnight, and as we move into wednesday, but there‘s more cloud across northern and eastern parts of scotland, and by this stage northern and eastern parts of england with showers and not as much fog. then dry weather and sunshine before we see an atlantic weather front bringing rain towards wales on the south west, and northern ireland by the time we get to the evening.

ahead of that, temperatures of 7 degrees with light winds. not a great deal of rain heading our way on thursday, most of it diving down into france. the next weather system has a bit more about it, and that is probably arriving on friday.

this is bbc news. i‘m reeta chakrabarti at downing street — brexit trade deal talks have entered a ‘critical moment‘. the prime minister and the european commission president are speaking by phone now. the government says the talks are progressing but differences remain. while an agreement is preferable, we are prepared to leave on so—called australian—style terms if we can‘t find compromises. the whole country is waiting for the comprehensive trade and security deal that was promised to the british people at the general election less than a year ago. and i‘m ben brown — the rest of today‘s top stories. final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs

to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century — according to the latest met office research applause and, he‘s made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days — raising more than £1 million. the donations, the support, just fuelled that last run. just completely overwhelming, the whole thing. coronation street theme tune plays. 60 years on — stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street‘s landmark

anniversary as the longest running tv soap in the uk. good afternoon t0 good afternoon to you from downing street. boris johnson and european commission president ursula von der leyen are talking on the phone right now about the post—brexit trade deal. in the last half—hour the government has said negotiations have reached a ‘critical moment‘ and that ‘though an agreement is preferable they are prepared to leave on australian—style terms if we can‘t find compromises‘. earlier downing street said that although time was in "very short supply", britain would stick at the discussions if an agreement was still possible. no one outside the talks really knows where they‘ve got to. but the mood music suggests there‘s still considerable discord. nick beake looks back at what‘s been happening in brussels today. morning! morning! have you made progress?

morning! three good mornings from the eu‘s chief negotiator, three good—mornings from the eu‘s chief negotiator, but there are three big problems to solve if there‘s to be a brexit trade deal. michel barnier gave what was described as a gloomy update on the state of the talks to the ambassadors of the 27 eu countries. they say they want an agreement, but not one that gives the uk an unfair trading advantage. having heard from michel barnier this morning, really the news is very downbeat. i would say he was very gloomy, and obviously very cautious about the ability to make progress today. at the moment, these negotiations seem stalled, and the barriers to progress are still very much in place. lord frost, the top british negotiator, is also finding the path ahead is not straightforward. we're still working very hard. though apparently not impossible, according to those in london. a deal can be done.

there is an opportunity to get a deal that works in the uk national interest but also works for the eu. the one thing we have learned from negotiating with the european union is often, these negotiations often go to the last minute of the last day. last night, as the talks dragged on in brussels, there were claims a deal was nearly done on fishing — what eu boats will be able to catch in uk waters. but downing street said that story had been made up. even in the cold light of day, it‘s really hard to know exactly what‘s going on behind closed doors. but generally, it‘s not sounding good, and this is why. borisjohnson wants the uk to be free of eu rules and regulations, but the eu says the uk must agree to some common principles if it‘s going to get special access to the single market. there is no easy way to solve this conundrum.

all the while, more warnings of what no deal would mean on the things we buy — clothes, cars, food becoming more expensive because of new taxes on goods moving between the uk and the eu and vice versa. those in business are increasingly nervous. businesses across the uk do want to see a deal happen, they do want to see the two sides keep talking, but they‘re running out of time to implement whatever may be agreed or not agreed in brussels. and that ticking clock, that worry, is at the back of many businesses‘ minds today. with talk of a final push, senior government minister michael gove has already arrived in brussels. michael gove has also arrived in brussels. morning. four and a half years after the referendum, what happens next will determine what brexit really looks like. nick beake, bbc news, brussels.

speaking in the commons in the last few minutes, the minister penny mordaunt, said the trade talks were finely balanced. we are at a critical moment in the negotiations. teams are negotiating as we speak and the prime minister will call the commission president later this afternoon to discuss progress again. my right honourable friends, the chancellor of the duchy of lancaster is also in brussels today meeting the european commission vice president in their capacity as co—chairs of the uk—eu joint committee under the withdrawal agreement. we are all working to get a deal but the only deal that is possible is one that is compatible with our sovereignty and takes back control of our laws, trade and waters. members call out "hear, hear" while an agreement is preferable, we are prepared to leave on so—called australian—style terms if we can‘t find compromises. as the prime minister has made clear my people

and businesses must prepare for the changes that are coming on the 31st december, most of which are related to our departure from the eu single market and customs union, and not the outcome of these talks. mr speaker, we will continue to keep the house updated as we seek to secure a future relationship with our eu friends that respects our status as a sovereign equal and independent country. listening to that was labour‘s shadow office minister, rachel reeves criticised the government‘s handling of the trade talks. last year the prime minister said that to leave with no deal would be a failure of statecraft. so this government must take responsibility for their failure if we are to leave without a deal, and mr speaker, we will hold the government to account, whatever they bring back, deal or no deal. withjust 24 whatever they bring back, deal or no deal. with just 24 days to go until the end of the transition period,

let me ask a few basic questions in terms of this government and our country's readiness. trading on wto terms would mean tariffs on lamb exports of 40%, so what is the latest assessment on how many farms would go to the wall in the event of no deal? tariffs on car exports would be 10%, so what is the viability of our great automotive industry if there is no deal on rules of origin? the office for budgetary responsibility said last week, and mr speaker, i'm surprised the chancellor didn't mention it at all in his spending review statement, that if we leave without a deal gdp would fall by an additional 2% next year, unemployment would rise by an additional 1% and inflation up 1.5%. but mr speaker, these are notjust numbers, this is about british industries and people's jobs. numbers, this is about british industries and people'sjobs. the detail does matter. so will the ministeradmit to detail does matter. so will the minister admit to the house how many

of the 50,000 customs agents that the government agreed are needed by the government agreed are needed by the end of the year have actually been recruited? today the honourable memberfor been recruited? today the honourable member for braintree claimed that the oven ready deal had already been delivered. well, if that's the case, it must have been sent to the wrong address, because the whole country is waiting for the comprehensive trade and security deal that was promised to the british people at the general election less than a year ago. and, mr speaker, the general election less than a yearago. and, mr speaker, you will remember that the former international trade secretary said that a trade deal with the eu would be the easiest trade deal in human history. so let me finish by asking the minister, is that still the view of this government? that was labour‘s rachel reeves speaking just a few minutes ago in the house of commons. listening to that and with me here is our political correspondent nick eardley. nick,

while we were both listening to that exchange between the two ministers, it was fairly clear that nobody really quite knows what‘s going on during these trade talks, but you then found out that they had been other movement by the government within westminster. there is a lot going on today, like the old brexit days when there were developments every hour. the prime minister is on the phone just now to the european commission president ursula von der leyen, that will be important because we should find out in the next couple of hours what is going on with these talks, are they going to continue and douvalidis think there is any ground for optimism? are there any political moves towards compromise that they might be able to make? the other thing that‘s happening today is the internal market bill, one of the pieces of brexit legislation, is backin pieces of brexit legislation, is back in the house of commons. that‘s hugely controversial because elements of that bill would allow the uk government to break international law to essentially make decisions that would go against the withdrawal agreement that was

signed between boris johnson the withdrawal agreement that was signed between borisjohnson and the european union back earlier this year. the government has said in the last hour that it is prepared to remove those controversial elements of that bill, not necessarily tonight, but if it can come to some sort of agreement with the european union in talks about how to police trade between northern ireland and great britain after brexit. now, we sort of thought that would be the case, that there wouldn‘t be any need for these measures if there was agreement between the eu and the uk but it matters at this point because it could be seen as quite a public show of willingness towards the european union that the uk is prepared to make some sort of compromises. it is not done yet but in the context of everything that‘s going on today, it is potentially one positive move in a number of moves that need to happen if there is going to be a trade deal. the timing is really important, isn‘t it? do you feel it is a coincidence because the internal market bill

came back to the commons today, or do you think there is something more in it than that? it is not a coincidence in the sense that we knew that michael gove was in brussels having talks with his counterpart today and we always thought if there was a prospect of a breakthrough that would be one of the first things to go, but i think it is just really important to emphasise that when it comes to the three outstanding issues in those talks, there is the fisheries issue, how many european boats can fish in uk waters after brexit, there is competition rules, whether the uk has to mirror some of the rules that europe brings in over the next few yea rs. europe brings in over the next few years. europe thinks so to avoid the uk having an unfair advantage. the uk having an unfair advantage. the uk says absolutely not, that goes against the whole concept of sovereignty that was behind the referendum. and finally, how it is all govan, who makes the decision on who or what has broken the rules. they are far apart on those three issues —— how it is all governed. there does not seem to be any imminent sign of any white smoke that would suggest they are moving towards each other on that. the next

couple of hours, the thing we are going to be watching for is what is going to be watching for is what is going on in that phone call and what happens next. ok, much more from you shortly. thank you very much indeed, our political correspondent nick ea rdley. our political correspondent nick eardley. i our political correspondent nick ea rdley. i want our political correspondent nick eardley. i want to go over to our europe correspondent nick beake who is in brussels. nick, i don‘t know if you heard nick eardley talking about an olive branch that the government has held out in terms of removing a very controversial part of the internal market bill, potentially, if there is a deal. how is that likely to go down in the eu? what sort of mood will that sort of move, what sort of reception will that get? i‘ve just got a text message from a senior eu diplomat saying this is a welcome step. that is an immediate reaction to this, and they also make the point that this is good because it wouldn‘t be contravening international law, the british government had itself admitted that through putting in some of these clauses in the uk

internal market bill it would be doing that, as well as overriding parts of the divorce deal that of course was only agreed last year. i think this is significant, if there is to be a deal, because we have had meps in brussels saying even if some sort of free trade agreement, the principles of that had been reached between the two sides, meps in their parliament would not sign it off, they would not ratify it. so if we look further ahead, if there is to bea look further ahead, if there is to be a deal, potentially that obstacle has now been done away with. but i think what i would really stress is the lasting legacy, which a lot of eu sources who say, maybe the uk government hasn‘t appreciated, is that this really undermines trust in the whole process, these clauses we re the whole process, these clauses were introduced back at the start of september and people say it really did damage to the trust within the room, that is certainly their assessment of that. nick, as far as

we know, the prime minister boris johnson and the president of the european commission ursula von der leyen a re european commission ursula von der leyen are having that phone call now. it was scheduled for 4pm the british time. prior to the phone call, the mood music did appear to be very gloomy coming out of brussels. is that your assessment? i think so, reeta, that‘s what people we re think so, reeta, that‘s what people were telling us and that was the feeling behind the scene said it was articulated in public by a number of politicians. foreign ministers were meeting today. one irish official telling us that it was a very downbeat assessment from michel barnier, the eu‘s chief negotiator this morning, when he was briefing the ambassadors from the 27 eu countries, he was saying he was neither positive nor possible pessimistic, but was being realistic, and we got a lot of pushback to suggestions last night that may be some progress had been made in fishing, one of the elements of contention that have been talking

about, the suggestion that the sides we re about, the suggestion that the sides were actually a long way away. just to reiterate, from the eu perspective, which we can give in brussels, they think that fishing all along has been a bit of a smoke screen because for them their concern, as they see it, is that the british are not willing to engage with the idea of competition rules. they think the uk are not willing to just realise how important they see the internal market, the eu single market that they‘ve got here, they say that this underpins everything that they do and they are not going to let the british undercut that in any way. of course, in london they say the eu club is simply refusing to a cce pt say the eu club is simply refusing to accept that britain is now an independent sovereign nation, and the difficulty is when you have two sides making such extreme points, you know, extreme sides of the spectrum, how do you reconcile that? how do you bring the two sides together? that is the conundrum that borisjohnson together? that is the conundrum that boris johnson and ursula together? that is the conundrum that borisjohnson and ursula von der

leyen a re borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen are discussing as we speak. yes indeed, ok, much more from you in the hours to come, thanks very much indeed, our brussels correspondent nick beake. what is the mood in germany? damian mcguinness is in berlin. we can speak to him now. it is often thought that the german chancellor angela merkel is friendlier towards the brexit project than perhaps her counterpart in france. how would you assess things there? that's right, there has often been this narrative coming out of london over the past few years that angela merkel will run to the rescue because she is going to be under pressure from german businesses. it is true that business leaders and politicians here are watching this debate with great interest and with great worry, it has to be said. there is a lot of concern here in berlin. the general

population in germany has switched off from the debate because there are off from the debate because there a re lots of off from the debate because there are lots of things going on in the world and brexit isn‘t high on the list of priorities for most german voters. but for german business and for politicians here, they are watching this with great concern, and that‘s because german businesses have a lot of customers in the uk for german exporters, the uk is a big market. that‘s why over the past few years, big market. that‘s why over the past few yea rs, certainly big market. that‘s why over the past few years, certainly the uk government has often said germany is going to put pressure on brussels to come up with a deal. now, that‘s based on a slight misunderstanding because even though the british market is incredibly important for german exporters, and even though if there is no deal that‘s going to hit germany pretty hard economically and people here are aware of that, what is more important to germany, this has been the line consistently for yea rs, has been the line consistently for years, certainly from angela merkel and from her government across the board, is the single market and the integrity of the single market. the uk market is important, but that‘s only one of 27 other markets. there

are 26 others and they are what make up are 26 others and they are what make up the bulk of german exporters‘ profits, and of course the chains of production running across europe, anything that puts the single market into jeopardy makes german business is very nervous indeed. and that‘s why here in germany the mood is very much that of support. for brussels it has not changed for years, german business leaders and politicians are all united behind angela merkel saying you can‘t water down the single market. what that means in practice and are talking about the debate today and what nick was just saying from brussels, is don‘t back down when it comes to a level playing field. there are mutterings in the press here and numerous commentators are saying that fish is not so important for germany. give french fishermen financial support from the eu and back down on fish. that‘s the mood in germany. but certainly don‘t back down on level playing field because german business leaders are saying that if you do that that will undermine our business long term. they would

rather take a short—term hit on some british customers, lose some of that, some tariffs, it wouldn‘t be pleasant, but they would rather do that than have a long term damage for their businesses, something that would undermine the single market. so there is a lot of unity here. that line hasn‘t changed for years, but i think a lot of politicians in britain haven‘t really grasped that and they still pin their hopes on angela merkel and she will not back down on the level playing field because that is what she has been consistent about all along and has support from businesses and politicians on that. really interesting, many thanks, damien mcguinness, our correspondent in berlin. we will be back as soon as we hear any updates. that conversation is going on behind me between boris johnson conversation is going on behind me between borisjohnson and ursula von der leyen. but for the time being it is back to ben in the studio. many thanks indeed, reeta. let‘s bring you the latest on the coronavirus impact in the uk, we

have just had the latest figures on the number of cases. 14,718 across the number of cases. 14,718 across the uk. that‘s down from 17,272 and the uk. that‘s down from 17,272 and the number of deaths is down from 231 yesterday to 189, although on monday the figures are often a little bit lower because of a reporting lag over weekend. 189 deaths and 14,718 cases. dozens of hospitals across the uk are receiving batches of the new coronavirus vaccine, with the first jabs to be given tomorrow. front—line health staff, those over 80, and care home workers will be first to get it. the government says the army could be used to help transport further stocks of the pfizer/biontech vaccine. here‘s our health correspondent sophie hutchinson. military personnel running a mass coronavirus testing centre in liverpool. now they may be asked to help again, this time in transporting stocks

of the vaccine from belgium to the uk, in what has been described as a significant challenge. we are looking at non—commercial flight options, so we will ensure... i mean, this is such an important product — probably perhaps the most important product — so we will look to ensure that those supplies are available in the uk in whatever circumstance. in total, the uk has bought 40 million doses of the pfizer vaccine, enough to protect 20 million people. a small proportion of that — around 800,000 doses — are expected to be available this week. the vaccine has to be stored at extremely low temperatures in special freezers and it‘s hospitals that have them, so elderly people attending outpatient appointments will be the first to be immunised, followed by 80—year—olds in the community who will be invited

to receive the jab. it‘s given in two doses. the key thing that we know from other vaccine programmes is actually making sure that people come back for that second dose, and making sure that we factor that in with the appointments that people are given, because it‘s a 21—day gap between the first dose and the second dose of the vaccine. so i think that‘s the key challenge. patients will be given a reminder card to ensure they return for a second jab. this has led some to speculate the card might become an immunity passport to allow for more freedoms, but the government has said this is not part of their plan. we are going to run through the assessment process now. nurses have been undergoing training in how to give the vaccine, in what the government says is the largest vaccination campaign in uk history. so how are they feeling about the task? nervous. excited that there‘s something out there that can protect us as well as our patients, and hopefully we will see less cases

coming in to critical care, and the vaccine will be of some benefit. 50 hospitals will act as hubs to store and administer the vaccine in this first wave of immunisations, which is set to begin tomorrow. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. amy small is a gp who contracted covid in april. she now raises awareness of the effects of long covid symptoms and is due to receive the vaccine herself this week. amy, good to talk to you. tell us how you feel about becoming one of the first people in the uk to get the first people in the uk to get the vaccine. i'm pretty excited, actually. anything that‘s going to hopefully prevent me from catching covid again has to be a good thing. and you‘re very confident about this vaccine, are you? yeah, looking at the stats they have tested it on

over 44,000 people, which seems like good numbers to me, that works for the risk assessment i have made, and i think that anything that this vaccination throws at me cannot be anywhere near as bad as having had covid and long covid, so for me that‘s good enough. covid and long covid, so for me that's good enough. you qualify for one of the first vaccines because you are a health worker? yeah, i am agp you are a health worker? yeah, i am a gp and in scotland they have prioritised health care workers so the lines opened on thursday, i believe, and so currently we are the first tranche of people being vaccinated at the major hospital sites around edinburgh. just whereabouts will you go and get the vaccine? i'm going to go to the local psychiatric hospital that happens to be around the corner from where i live, so i will go there on foot and get my vaccine early on wednesday morning. as you were saying, you had covid in april and you have been suffering the impact of long covid since then. tell us about your experience with that.

it's about your experience with that. it‘s so hard to put it into words. someone described it as putting your hand into a bag of symptoms and pulling out different ones each day and seeing what you get. suffering from extreme headaches, debilitating fatigue and the like there is no battery left in your body at all, to dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, breathlessness, palpitations. you name it, it feels like you have had it at some point over the journey and for me it was really seven and a half months of battling through and i‘ve onlyjust managed to start getting back to work in the last few weeks. it has really ta ke n work in the last few weeks. it has really ta ken a toll work in the last few weeks. it has really taken a toll on me and my husband, he has had the same problems as well and it has been a real challenge. really tough symptoms. have you been able to get any sort of treatment for those symptoms? i was lucky i was seen by the infectious diseases team who looked after me because i had fever every day and i still have a fever

sometimes now. and i‘ve been diagnosed with a condition called dysautonomia where the heart rate is affected by the covid and i‘ve been able to start dedication to try and control that, which has helped with my symptoms, so now i can walk at a normal pace, which a couple of months ago i couldn‘t even keep up with my four—year—old. i‘m feeling a lot better than i did. i‘m not back to where i was by any means but i am certainly a lot better than i was. having had covid made you presumably have antibodies but you are very worried about getting it again which is why you want the vaccine, is that right? i hope i have antibodies but ijust right? i hope i have antibodies but i just heard from right? i hope i have antibodies but ijust heard from the infectious diseases doctors that they did a test recently and i didn‘t have any. i had already made the decision to ta ke i had already made the decision to take the vaccination, but getting that news yesterday has absolutely

cemented for me the need to get the vaccinations so that i don‘t get this disease again. let's hope you don‘t, and good luck with the vaccination this week and good luck with dealing with all of those horrible symptoms of long covid and really hope you get better soon. amy, thank you very much indeed. amy small, a gp who contracted covid backin small, a gp who contracted covid back in april. trials of rapid coronavirus testing in care homes have started in scotland. 14 homes in five local authority areas are taking part. it‘s hoped it will help relatives visit their loved ones safely. but concern about the accuracy of lateral—flow tests has prompted some homes in england to stop using them. our scotland correspondent alexandra mackenzie reports. the first minister spent the morning at the western general hospital in edinburgh, one of 23 vaccination centres in scotland. you are the first person to be vaccinated. for those living in care homes, visits from family and friends have been very limited throughout this pandemic.

both of alison‘s parents have dementia and are in a care home. through a window or in a doorway, sort of four metres away with mum stretched out trying to see me, trying to touch me, trying to be with me, and a care worker pulling her back saying, "no, you can‘t do that," all of that feels wrong, completely wrong. the scottish government hope the introduction of rapid testing of care home visitors will mean more people can be reunited over christmas. 14 care homes across scotland are taking part in the trial of rapid or lateral flow tests for visitors. they don‘t need to go to the lab for analysis, and it takes about half an hour for the results to come back. but the scottish government has said that it doesn‘t replace the additional layers of protection against coronavirus such as ppe. but the british medicaljournal said

a community pilot in liverpool showed the tests only picked up half of the cases detected by the current pcr test — raising concerns about safety. others have defended its use. it finds virus in some people, what it doesn‘t do is find all of the virus in all of the people. but it is better than not testing, and the technology is improving all the time. so we‘re going to test itjust in a small number of homes to try and remove this horrible, horrible thing we‘ve got where people can‘t see their elderly relatives. and then, if we think it‘s working there, as we review it, we will introduce it in more homes over time. more than 100,000 people in scotland have now tested positive for coronavirus. it‘s hoped that the arrival of the vaccine and the new tests signal the beginning of the end of these dark and challenging times. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, glasgow.

really cold today where it stayed grey and thorgy through parts of the midlands, east anglia and parts of the east midlands. some fog around again. for the north, the east midlands. some fog around again. forthe north, cloud thickening, the wind moving in, wetter weather here, generally going to be rained. some showers further south, though fork more towards the south east of the uk. further north in scotland, northern and eastern areas, so could have some flooding by tomorrow, continued times in scotland, northern ireland, england, pushing down towards wales, sometime is further south, but sunshine coming through, as much mist and cloud, could linger in east anglia, so quite cold, but a bit more of a breeze to stir things up and the winds touching gale force across the western isles of scotland, the north coast of northern ireland.

temperatures around 9 degrees, six more typical elsewhere. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: brexit trade negotiations enter theirfinal stage in brussels. the government says it is prepared to remove three controversial clauses from the internal market bill. final preparations are under way, with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow. hashem abedi — brother of the manchester arena bomber — admits his involvement in the conspiracy for the first time. the days of snowball fights and snowmen could be over for much of the uk by the end of the century, according to the latest met office research. and, he‘s made it. leeds rhinos‘ kevin sinfield completes seven marathons in seven days, raising more

than a million pounds. 60 years on the cobbles — stars and fans prepare to celebrate coronation street‘s landmark anniversary as the longest—running tv soap in the uk. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here‘s olly foster. good afternoon. england‘s one—day series against south africa has been called off because of continuing concerns over a number of coronavirus cases within both camps in cape town. the first one—dayer was abandoned and they should have been playing the second of three matches today. earlier, i spoke to our cricket correspondent jonathan agnew and asked him how the teams bio—secure bubble had been breached. there is something of a blame game being apportioned, talk of the hotel staff coming and going in the hotel the teams are staying in.

to be fair, that also happened in the bubbles we stayed in last summer as well, in southampton and manchester, so i think maybe you need a bit of luck for that to go right. but there has now been a development and the bigger picture is that south africa needs, above all, australia to come on tour in the year, but also sri lanka and pakistan, they need to persuade those boards that coming to south africa is safe. they don‘t want thoughts that their bubble can easily be penetrated. what has happened is that the local association have basically pointed the finger of blame at england for going into an area on the practice ground that was cordoned off and not part of the biosecure bubble at all, it was a practice area, and they used that without permission. england are saying, we did try and clear that, but the practice pitches we were given weren‘t fit for purpose and we had no choice. so there is a bit of a blame game going on here. south africa are desperate to try and prove they are not to blame for this series collapsing, they need these other countries to go there on tour.

they will already lose about $4 million as a result of this tour going down the pan at the simply cannot afford for other countries not to come. tom curran is in that england squad and was due tojoin up with the sydney sixers for the big bash later this week in australia, but after spending the best part of six months playing in the tighest of restrictions with england and also the indian premier league, he has opted to return home to be with his family. the sixers say, "the varying conditions we are asking our players "to play cricket in worldwide is taking its toll and we understand "tom‘s need for a break." newcastle united‘s training ground is still closed after a covid outbreak at the club. their game at aston villa last friday was postponed because of a significant increase in the number of cases. players are due to be tested again today. it‘s not yet known whether saturday‘s game at home to west brom will be going ahead, although newcastle are hopeful

that players can return to training tomorrow. the football association are looking into the games at millwall and colchester over the weekend and have asked both clubs for their observations after some some home fans boo the players when they took a knee. both clubs condemned those supporters but have to respond to the fa by thursday. queens park rangers play at millwall tomorrow and say that their players will take a knee as a show of solidarity. millwall‘s club officials are meeting with kick it out and other anti—discrimination groups later today. qpr‘s policy this season has been to not take a knee with the club‘s director of football les ferdinand saying that it‘s impact had become diluted but the rangers players‘ request to reverse the policy for tomorrow‘s game has been granted. in light of certain events, we stand firmly behind the cause and our players will take the knee tomorrow night. but going forward, this club

are so proactive in this area, we‘re a diverse club, one of the most diverse in the country if not the most, and it‘s not about token gestures, it‘s about positive action. but tomorrow night, we will show solidarity, because we won‘t tolerate any form of discrimination. that‘s all the sport for now. just to mark your card for later, the home nations will find out who they‘ll have to play to reach the 2022 world cup in qatar. the draw will be live on the bbc sport website or the red button. i will update you on that role in the next half hour. with less than a month to go until the end of the brexit transition period, british businesses have many unanswered questions about what happens next, regardless

of if the uk agrees a trade deal with the eu. a report from the british chamber of commerce says the government have failed to answer more than three quarters of its members‘ concerns, which they say is preventing businesses from planning their future plans post—brexit. with me is our reality check correspondent, chris morris. businesses correspondent, chris morris. are getting increasing exasperated businesses are getting increasingly exasperated as the talks go all the way to rewire? and the they are doing that is having a direct impact on how businesses can plan. normally, if you‘re making a major change at the end of this month, you would have done planning months ago. the british chamber of commerce have come up with this report saying we have 35 key questions for the government, and so far, only 11 of them had been answered

satisfactorily. in other words, with 24 days to go, still 24 big u na nswered 24 days to go, still 24 big unanswered question is. we can give you a couple of examples, when its rules of origins, meaning companies need to prove where all the components in their products come from if they are to take advantage of tariff—free trade in a free—trade agreements. at the moment, they don‘t know what the rules on that are going to be. another one is food labelling, they have no idea at the moment what exactly food labels have got to say. you might think it is easy to put a label on food, but we re easy to put a label on food, but were talking about millions and millions of labels every day, and until you know what you can put on that label, what you need to, you cannot change our production process to ta ke cannot change our production process to take account of that. we spoke earlier to adam marshall, the director—general of the british chamber of commerce, and he says companies now need understanding and help from the government.” companies now need understanding and help from the government. i think that two things at stake, the first

is getting as precise information as is getting as precise information as is possible on to uk government guidance and onto government websites and out to businesses over the next few weeks so that they can do what they are able to do with the time that does remain. and in some areas, we are going to have to look at whether the uk and eu can agree some form of easement or grace periods as businesses work to get the new arrangements right but after the new arrangements right but after the 1st of january, the new arrangements right but after the 1st ofjanuary, they may need extra time in order to settle into those new routines. letters and a marshalfrom those new routines. letters and a marshal from the british chambers of commerce. many of these issues apply to northern ireland? that is a key thing to remember, it‘s notjust trade between britain and the eu, it is trade within the united kingdom because northern ireland is being treated differently, essentially following the rules of the single market in the future for goods. at the moment, companies keep saying,

we have no idea how we are supposed to trade between britain and northern ireland in a few weeks‘ time. we mention food labelling, huge amounts of food and supermarket lorries go across the irish sea every day, they don‘t know how that trait is going to work. michael gove has been in brussels today for this meeting of thejoint has been in brussels today for this meeting of the joint committee specifically northern ireland, we heard they are going to potentially be prepared to remove or deactivate some of these controversial clauses in the internal market bill which relate to northern ireland, which i think many businesses will probably welcome if it makes it easier for them to trade, but we don‘t know what the terms of that trade is going to be. the overall trade negotiations go on, it is difficult to get precise answers are northern ireland as well. as you said, 24 u na nswered ireland as well. as you said, 24 unanswered questions from british business, i suppose the biggest question is is there going to be a trade deal between the uk and

european union? let‘s go back to reeta chakrabarti, who‘s at downing street for us. the prime minister borisjohnson is speaking at this very moment to the president of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, and all eyes are on that conversation, if only we could be listening in to find out what is going on. but what we can do is try and read some of the rooms, and to do that, i am joined by our political correspondence. you have been watching this process unfolds, the mood music from the eu has been gloomy, in downing street, they have been saying we will talk for as long as it is necessary. we have seen their clients come and go, what is their clients come and go, what is the timetable here, how long can they actually go on talking? how many times we said it has gone down to the wire? the wire keeps moving further away. the interesting thing to watch from whatever we get,

details from what has happened on this call between the prime minister enters commission counterpart, is art these talks going to continue and are they prepared to say, here isa and are they prepared to say, here is a point with which we have to give up and accept we are not going to be able to compromise? what happens in the traitor talks, what happens in the traitor talks, what happens in the room in brussels today really matters because that is the groundwork for needy to be done. —— in the trade talks. it is going to bea —— in the trade talks. it is going to be a deal, there has to be political compromise, either the uk or the european or indeed both saying, here are a couple of things we think we could move towards you on, if it‘s going to get this deal over the line. there are three issues, fisheries, whether european boats can come into uk waters from next year, there is competition, whether the uk has to in some way mirror rules in the european union to make sure it doesn‘t have come as a european see it, and unfair advantage in the single market.

downing street thinks that would undermine sovereignty. then there is how you police the whole thing, arrangements for the whole deal. what will be trying to find out the next hour or so it is, whether talks continue, how long they might continue, how long they might continue for, doesn‘t seem there has been any breakthrough in talks today. still the big issues of the ones we have been talking about for the last few days. forgive me for saying it had for the millionth time, we talk about this being an endgame, being close to the end of the process, it is for a few reasons, firstly because the 31st of december is approaching and either way, things are going to change then. there is also the fact that then. there is also the fact that the cabinet office is desperate to give business some clarity on what it‘s actually preparing for when those rules change on the 1st of january. and a half an eye on both sides of the debate today will be on what is due to happen on thursday, and european council meeting where

all leaders will be having discussions about what happens with the brexit deal. someone to video to be put before them at the council meeting, is that now going to happen? perhaps not. but that is another really important date in the diary which both sides will be very conscious of. we are trying to interpret all the birds at the moment and you talked about the olive branch offered by the government, a concession of the internal market bill? letters in the commons tonight, the controversial legislation that ministers admitted would break international law. in the last couple of hours, the government i said, if it can come to an agreement with brussels about how the so—called northern ireland protocol works, basically how trade between the island of ireland and great britain which continue after brexit, if they can come to an agreement on how that will work, they will drop those closest. is that a big surprise, not really, because these clauses were supposed to be encased wasn‘t an agreement,

so if there is an agreement, it is no surprise we are getting rid of them. but the timing of it to well matter, because at the start of this really crucial week where goodwill is going to be really important to getting some of these arrangements over the line, the fact that the uk has done this at the start of the week might suggest there is some goodwill to be had. however, the biggest obstacles, the big three issues that we have talked about for days and days at great length, they are still there and they are the ones that really matter. and they will still be talking about those as we speak, the prime minister and also the president of the european commission. thank you, thank you very shortly. that‘s it from us for the time being, but we will be back with you as soon as we hear anything. if you‘re dreaming of a white christmas, scientists think it could soon become a thing of the past in the uk, as climate change takes hold. the findings of a met office study,

shared with the bbc‘s panorama, project what could happen if no action is taken to curb global emissions. here‘s our chief environment correspondent, justin rowlatt. nothing evokes winter like a thick blanket of snow. and sledging, snowball fights and snowmen too, of course. but, says the met office, scenes like this will become a rarity across most of britain in the decades to come if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase as they have been. we‘re saying, by the end of the century, much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground. here‘s how the met office projections suggest our winters could change. this is the average temperature of the coldest day across the uk over the last two decades. everywhere in blue is below zero, and the bluer the colour, the colder it is. this map shows how things could have changed by the 2040s.

as you can see, most of england now rarely gets sub—zero days. now look at this. by the 2060s, only very high ground and some parts of northern scotland are likely to still experience these freezing days. temperature changes will be much less dramatic if the world succeeds in cutting emissions, and there has been good news on that front. just last week, the uk government announced ambitious targets for cutting carbon, and more than 100 countries — including the uk, china and the eu — have committed to going net zero by mid—century. if those promises are not honoured, we can expect more of this, the met office says. its new data gives unprecedented detail, showing how the climate could change in every neighbourhood in the uk. as well as being warmer, our winters will get wetter.

all right? how are you doing? panorama has followed the wingfield family from doncaster. can we come in and have a look? you can do by all means. thank you very much. i don't give a monkeys no more. the wingfields‘ home was flooded in november last year when a month‘s worth of rain fell over south yorkshire in a day. look at this, there‘s just water through the whole house. yeah. this is my father—in—law's room downstairs. this is terrible. look at the room. yeah. grandpa ken, suffering from dementia, had to be carried out of the home to safety. are you all right? yeah, i'm fine. our summers will be a dramatic contrast to our wetter winters. they‘ll be hotter and drier if emissions are not curbed. the warning is clear — unless the world succeeds in cutting emissions, intense weather like this could become more common.

you can watch panorama: britains wild weather at 7pm this evening on bbc one. and visit the bbc news website to see how climate change might affect your area. the first service station in the uk to cater only for electric vehicles has opened in essex. up to 36 cars at a time can recharge their batteries at the site in braintree. among the facilities are shops and a gym with exercise bikes that are linked to the forecourt‘s electrical grid, so motorists can help to generate the electricity for their vehicles. the brother of the manchester arena bomber has admitted his involvement in planning the attack for the first time. abedi is serving 55 years in prison. our correspondent, damian grammaticas, says details emerged during the public inquiry today during questioning by one of the barristers. paul greaney was questioning the police officer who led the investigation and he said, you will be aware that on 22nd

october, hashem abedi being interviewed in prison admitted he played a full part, a knowing part, in preparation for the attack and the police officer acknowledged that. there was no more details at all given and that is all that we have heard from there. but i think what‘s interesting to say is that at the time hashem abedi fled the country, he fought extradition, when he came back he denied involvement, in court he didn‘t give evidence, he only gave a written statement, he didn‘t appear at the sentencing in front of their families. i think the families will feel that at every turn — he denied involvement — he told the police that he knew nothing about it and if he had known he would have reported this to his family to try to stop it. so with no more details here i think this will simply sort of add to the sense of frustration and the pain and anger the family has felt that he never confronted what he had actually done. and that, of course,

is now the job of the inquiry to get to the bottom of the events and what happened there, and that‘s what the families are looking to for answers. 146 deaths, 131 weddings and endless servings of hot—pot — coronation street is celebrating 60 years on our screens. when introduced in 1960, corrie broke the mould, invented the modern uk soap opera and provided some unforgettable moments. and as both stars and fans celebrate, our entertainment correspondent colin paterson has been chatting to some of the street‘s longstanding residents. 60 years of coronation street. from the fights between ena sharples and elsie tanner... now look here, you‘ll only move me

out of this house when i want to go. in the meantime, gojump in the cut! ..to the campaign to free the weatherfield one. i didn‘t do anything. and those classic one—liners. what‘s that lipstick taste of? woman, stanley. woman. you see this smile, betty? it‘s not really a smile, it‘s the lid on a screen. do i dress a bit tarty? give over. too demure altogether, i reckon. there's some days we hardly see your knickers at all! one man has been there throughout — william roache, playing ken barlow, who, in that first episode, was a student. sauce, ken? no. no, thank you. oh, but i got it specially. you always loved it when you was little. did i? and he‘s hugely proud that both he and corrie have reached this landmark. what's up? nothing. considering that, when it started, it was only going to run for 11 weeks.

and also, i didn't want to be in it. and when you think about that, it would have been a life—changing thing if i'd insisted on not doing it. but apart from that, once we got on air, we were the first kitchen—sink drama, and the reaction was instant and amazing. and we shot straight up into the ratings, and we've been there ever since. the character who‘s appeared in the second most episodes, 4,369, is gail platt. keeping count of how many husbands she‘s had is tricky. is it four and one i married twice, is that it? i think that‘s it. what is the secret? why has it lasted 60 years? i think itjust might have something to do with the fact that children watch it with their parents. i hope we just go down the generations. coronation street —

over 60 years, there have been 57 births, 131 weddings, 146 deaths. and knowing corrie, it won‘t be long until they‘re adding to those totals. coronation street‘s all right. colin paterson... mind, there‘s some you‘ll have to watch. ..bbc news. now, look at this for something pretty extraordinary. this is rugby league‘s kevin sinfield — in the blue hat — the former leeds rhinos captain, completing a marathon in oldham this morning, which is actually the seventh marathon that he has run in as many days. he‘s done it to raise money to tackle motor neurone disease and to support his friend and former team—mate rob burrow, who has the condition. well, kevin sinfield‘s achievement hasn‘t gone unnoticed, he‘s raised so far more than a milllion pounds.

right at the start, we were worried we might not get 77 grand, let alone what we‘ve done, so i can‘t thank people enough. i tell you what, we‘ve all been so proud of wearing this vestjust for our good mate rob burrow and his family, but also for the mnd community. after a difficult year for communities across the uk, the duke and duchess of cambridge are travelling across the country to thank people for their efforts during the pandemic. over the next three days, william and kate will travel more than 1200 miles on the royal train to try and bring some festive cheer. edinburgh‘s waverley station, the first stop for the royal train on a 1,200—mile journey around the uk to give the duke and duchess of cambridge a chance to meet different groups of key workers, and in the words of kensington palace, to pass on the nation‘s sincere thanks and gratitude for all their efforts to keep people safe and keep the country

going during the pandemic. the scottish ambulance service handles more than 1.5 million emergency calls every year, and like ambulance services everywhere, there‘s been considerable extra pressure on it caused by covid—19. william and catherine met members of the ambulance service staff in newbridge. the visit fell on a day when the service was remembering a member of staff who‘d died recently from coronavirus. # ‘tis the season of love and understanding... # the cambridges‘ journey had begun last night with a musical send—off from london‘s euston station. the duke and duchess met transport workers who‘d kept services running throughout the pandemic. then to the royal train, the first time it‘s thought that catherine has used it, for a journey which, as well as meeting key workers across a range of sectors, will also highlight those who have raised community spirits.

in some cases, that‘s been by live performances or by art. and how about this? a piece of artwork, created specially for the cambridges‘ trip. it‘s by schoolboy artistjoe whale, who was asked via his dad to create something special for the journey. they gave me a little brief of some things to include, like to say thank you to all of the front—line workers and nhs, but apart from that ijust did what i wanted, really. and those thank—yous to key workers will continue over the next 36 hours. before they continue theirjourney across the united kingdom. nicholas witchell, bbc news. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with darren bett. hello there. it‘s been really cold today where it stayed grey and foggy through parts of the midlands, east anglia and the south—east of england, some more fog around here through this evening and into tonight. further north we start to see the weather changing, cloud thickening, the wind picking

up, some wetter weather moving in here. maybe some snow over the mountain tops but it‘s generally going to be rain. got a few showers further south, but that fog more towards the south—east of the uk. patchy frost in england and wales, and that means the risk of some icy patches. further north in scotland, northern and eastern areas could have some localised flooding by tomorrow. that rain continues at times in scotland, northern ireland, northern england, pushing down towards wales. one or two showers further south but some sunshine coming through. not as much mist, fog and low cloud. it could linger a bit towards east anglia so it‘s going to be quite cold here. but we‘ve got a bit more of a breeze to stir things up and the winds could be touching gale force across the western isles of scotland and the north coast of northern ireland. here, temperatures probably about 8—9, 5—6 will be more typical elsewhere.

this is bbc news. i‘m reeta chakrabarti at downing street. brexit trade deal talks have entered a "critical moment". the prime minister and the european commission president are speaking by phone now. the government says the talks are progressing but differences remain. while an agreement is preferable, we are prepared to leave on so—called australian—style terms if we can‘t find compromises. the whole country is waiting for the comprehensive trade and security deal that was promised to the british people at the general election less than a year ago. and i‘m ben brown — the rest of today‘s top stories... final preparations are under way with the first covid vaccine jabs to be administered in the uk tomorrow.