this is bbc news with the latest headlines. 90—year—old grandmother, margaret keenan, becomes the first person in the world to receive the pfizer covid—19 jab, following its clinical approval — she was given the vaccine at her local hospital in coventry. it is fine, it was fine. i wasn't nervous at all, it was really good, yeah. she is protecting herself but she is helping to protect the entire country. across the uk this morning that it's happening in scotland, northern ireland and wales and in england, people are having the vaccine for the first time. let us know your thoughts at the

start of the mass vaccination programme. the rest of the headlines today... borisjohnson will head to brussels later this week for face—to—face talks in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the post—brexit trade negotiations. german prosecutors say they remain convinced that a child sex offender known as ‘christian b‘ kidnapped and killed madeleine mccann, as they continue to build a case against him. and the archbishop of canterbury and the chief rabbi talk to us about the grief they have experienced — for national grief awareness week. hello and good morning. it's being called v—day by the health secretary,

the start of the biggest vaccination campaign in the history of the nhs. 90—year—old margaret keenan has become the first person in the uk to be given the new covid jab, made by pfizer—biontech. borisjohnson has called the roll—out a huge step forward in the fight against the disease. the first order of 800,000 doses has already arrived at hospitals across the uk, ready to be given to people on the high priority list — including the over—80s, care home workers and nhs staff. 50 hospitals in england have been chosen as vaccination "hubs" — sites where the jab will be administered. in scotland, there will be 23 vaccination sites, including all major hospitals and in the highlands. the welsh government is promising to administer 6000 doses of the vaccine by the end of this week. and in northern ireland, where there's currently a two—week lockdown, 25,000 doses of the vaccine have arrived. the firstjab has already been administered in belfast to a 28—year—old nurse. this report from our correspondent keith doyle contains flashing images.

i'm just going to put this in your arm, 0k? this is the moment the world has been waiting for. the first person to be vaccinated with the pfizer biontech vaccine as part of the mass vaccination programme. 90—year—old margaret keenan received the injection at university hospital coventry and warwickshire this morning from matron may parsons. this simple injection marks the start of a mass programme aiming to protect the most vulnerable and return life to normal. margaret, known as maggie, a grandmother from enniskillen in county fermanagh, has lived in coventry for 60 years. she is 91 next week and said this is the best early birthday present she could wish for. just so strange. and so wonderful, really. yeah, so... anyway, this is for a good cause, so i'm so pleased i had it done. this is a terrible, terrible disease, so

we do want rid of it. so anything that helps is a bonus, isn't it, really? those first to receive the vaccine are, like margaret, over80, and are hospital patients, along with care workers. two doses will be needed 21 days apart. it was really, really emotional. i can't tell you just how much emotion there was in that vaccination centre. this is a truly historic day. a turning point in this pandemic, another world first for the nhs. the start of the largest vaccination programme in our history. the second person to receive the job this morning was 81—year—old william shakespeare. i feel really emotional, watching those pictures of margaret getting vaccinated.

it looks such a small thing. with the needle in her upper arm it was very straightforward and over in seconds, but it is such an important moment in beating this disease. more than 60,000 people in the uk have died after being infected with covid, according to government figures. to start with the vaccine will be given mainly at hospitals. soon gps and pharmacists should get the jab and teams will be sent out to care homes. after receiving her vaccination and talking to the world's press, maggie was clapped back onto her void by nhs staff. cheering and applause this hopefully marks the start of the end of this pandemic but it will be many months before everyone who needsit be many months before everyone who needs it will get the vaccination. until then, the virus remains a threat to all of us. keith doyle, bbc news. the prime minsiter, borisjohnson, has been visiting one of the 70 hospitals administering

the vaccine across the uk. he spoke to one of the first people to revceive the vaccine there. very, very exciting, just to talk to lynn about the vaccine she's just taken. she is 81 and really very moving to hear her say she is doing it for britain. and that is exactly right because she is protecting herself but she is also helping to protect the entire country and across the whole of the uk this morning, that is happening in scotland, northern ireland, wales and in england. people are having the vaccine for the first time and it will gradually make a huge, huge difference. but i stress, gradually. because we're not there yet, we haven't defeated this virus yet. it is very important for people to understand, it is the quite hard to speak to this, but it is important for people to understand that the virus is, alas, still rising in some parts of the country. it is rising

for instance in london, we have it down hugely as a result of the measures we took in november. people made a huge, huge effort but we can't afford to relax now. my message would be, it's amazing to see the vaccine coming out, it's amazing to see this tremendous shot in the arm for the entire nation, but we can't afford to relax now. 0ur health correspondent catherine burns is in coventry where we saw the first vaccine being administered, what an incredible moment for everybody at the hospital? absolutely, the atmosphere is something you wouldn't believe. i am ina is something you wouldn't believe. i am in a hospital by in the vaccination clinic surrounded by the media, but the real action isjust across in the next bay because that is where they are doing the vaccinations today. they are aiming to do about 100 and we have seen the very first one. maggie was wielding

at 6.15 and she had the injection at 6.29 exactly. she was the most laid—back person in the room, cool asa laid—back person in the room, cool as a cucumber. she said she didn't feel a thing and she will be 91 next week and she said this is the best early birthday present she could have had. she spoke to our health tell us, how was it? it was fine, i wasn't nervous at all, it was really good. yeah, so... you are part of a moment of history, the first to receive this vaccine, how does that feel? it hasn't sunk in yet. i can't really answer that question yet. i don't know what to say... what do

you say to those who might be having second thoughts about having it?|j would say, go for it. go for it because it is free and it is the best thing that's ever happened. do, please go for it, that's all i say, you know? if i can do it, well, so can you. this is a terrible, terrible disease so we do want rid of it. anything that helps is a bonus, isn't it, really? idon't know what else to say. i think i'll have a little rest when i go to the ward. i have a little rest when i go to the ward. lam have a little rest when i go to the ward. i am going have a little rest when i go to the ward. lam going home have a little rest when i go to the ward. i am going home this afternoon. that's it then. at the hospital, they are wonderful. i am going to miss them really, all the attention i have been getting.

we heard maggie say she was going to have a little rest and she absolutely deserves it. but this is the start of a long, long process. maggie will be back in 21 days for her booster jab and maggie will be back in 21 days for her boosterjab and about a week after that her body will have reached its full immunity levels. but this will be a huge roll—out, 70 hospitals across the uk are starting this now. we have ordered a0 million doses of this pfizer vaccine. we don't have all of them in yet. it will be a few hundred thousand going up will be a few hundred thousand going up to about a million by christmas. this is a long process, we had the prime minister saying it will be gradual, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but we will have something closer to normality. thank you very much come alive in coventry. amazing to hear from the first vaccinated person and the immunity will not

kick in after the second vaccine and seven days after that, so a month from now. no doubt the cameras will return. let's go around the country to find out how this vaccination programme is going to roll out today. our health correspondent dominic hughes is at the salford royal hospital. the first vaccination is due to be delivered there later this hour, is that right? yes, that's right, within the next half an hour they should stop vaccinations here at salford royal. this is one of those 70 nhs hospital hubs around the uk where this vaccination is being delivered today. that will roll out over the next coming weeks, as we have heard this morning. it is a very, very exciting moment. you could hear in keith doyle's report at the top of the programme, the emotion when a maggie returned to her ward and was clapped onto ward. the emotion of the staff, i could feel it, too. it is an incredible moment when you think this is a

process , moment when you think this is a process, developing a vaccine normally takes decades. certainly yea rs, normally takes decades. certainly years, sometimes up to a decade and it has been done within a year. so the vaccinations will be rolled out from today. we know there are going to be nhs staff and those over 80 who are being vaccinated in salford. starting with the vaxinators themselves, so you want to make sure they are fit and healthy. that process will roll out over the coming weeks. next i think we go to chris page in belfast. yes, it is a bleak and blustery day but it is exciting for the medical world and the wider world as the covid—19 vaccine is rolled out for the first time. this is the royal victoria hospital, the biggest hospital in northern ireland. it is in west belfast and about an hour ago, a

nurse, sisterjoanna belfast and about an hour ago, a nurse, sister joanna sloan belfast and about an hour ago, a nurse, sisterjoanna sloan became the first person on the island of ireland to receive the vaccine. she is 28, a mother of one and is from cou nty is 28, a mother of one and is from county down. she is due to get married in april next year and she said just after receiving the covid jab, she felt emotional and also felt proud to be part of a moment of history. so now more of her colleagues lining up in the building behind me to get there jab and a couple of people at the hospital, staff arriving for work said it was a really good feeling just to be driving up the main road and seeing signs, purple signs just driving up the main road and seeing signs, purple signsjust like that one on the front of the building, pointing them towards the covid—19 vaccination centre. 3% of the population of the uk, so they have that proportion of the available vaccines, 25,000 doses arrived on friday, in to vaccinate a bound

12,500 people, considering each person needs two doses. 600 vaxinators, who are first in line just like other health care staff and care home residents and staff, programmed to be rolled out to them via mobile hubs over the next week or so. via mobile hubs over the next week or so. the first minister and devolved government said it is a day of hope and also pointed out the fa ct of hope and also pointed out the fact the first person to receive the vaccine in the whole of the uk, maggie keenan, in the midlands in england, she was originally from enniskillen and county fermanagh, which is 0lly foster's home county. i think you can expect to hear from the likes of arlene foster, the deputy first minister, michelle o'neill, deputy first minister, michelle 0'neill, other senior politicians and senior medics, because this is a significant day, a very symbolic day, people come once more begin to look forward to some kind of

normality being restored, perhaps into 2021 but also there will be a rough few months ahead, particularly for health care workers at the likes of the royal hospital in belfast. that is a picture in all ireland. katharine da costa is at wexham park hospital in slough. yes, the very first vaccination started here from eight o'clock this morning and the first was an a&e consultant, a man in his 605 who has worked for frimley health trust for more than 20 years. he said he was delighted and felt very proud to receive the vaccination, he said he could make for other colleagues, friends and families to also receive it. it was the nhs staff the first to have the vaccinations. in about half an hour, outpatients in their 805 and 905 will arrive by appointment for their injections. in5ide appointment for their injections. inside the building behind me there are some very excited 5taff inside the building behind me there are some very excited staff members to welcome lenin. they will be shown through to one of three bay5 that

have been set up where a nurse will give the vaccination and they are 5hown through to recovery area for tea5 5hown through to recovery area for teas and coffees afterwards. only expecting a slight pain in the arm initially, only mild side—effects. then they will be invited back in about three weeks for a second jab. there are also care staff being invited in later today. they will be vaccinating here up until nine o'clock this evening. it is a huge day, lots of excitement and people are quite emotional to have reached today to see this happening. but this isjust the start. the supply will be ramped up in the coming weeks and months. other vaccines, perhaps the oxford university astrazeneca vaccine, that will get approval and that will come online. we will start to see gp hubs start vaccinating and the larger community vaccination hubs in sports stadiums, co nfe re nce vaccination hubs in sports stadiums, conference centres, that will start.

most of it is expected to take place in the new year and the hope is to vaccinate all of the very most vulnerable people, certainly by spring. it is very challenging, lots of hurdles to come, it is going to ta ke of hurdles to come, it is going to take weeks and months and we keep being reminded, it is a marathon and not a sprint. but there is lots of optimism it can be done. this could be the beginning of the end of this pandemic. back to you. catherine da costa in slough. in wales, the first covid vaccines will be rolled out today, initially to health and care workers. karen o'shea is the manager of the springbank nursing home in barry. she along with seven other staff will be vaccinated today. thank you forjoining us. can you talk us through what is happening, is it just the talk us through what is happening, is itjust the staff going to be given these jabs first? yes, we have been provided with a number to call to book ourselves in. lots of the staff managed to get through onto that number yesterday. some others

are going today, some or going over the next few days. then others have decided to wait until the vaccine is delivered at the home but the residents and they will receive theirs then. do you know why you we re theirs then. do you know why you were given the option so early? obviously, we are looking after the most vulnerable people, the residents who live in the home. most of which are very elderly and very, very vulnerable. it is important for us very vulnerable. it is important for us to have the vaccine so we can then protect them. how are you feeling about it personally, did you have any worries about it? not really, i am have any worries about it? not really, iam more have any worries about it? not really, i am more worried about covid getting into the home than i am about having the vaccine. i think it has been well tested, it will be perfectly safe for us to have. when is yours due? i am having mind this afternoon. what about the residents, have they been given the option,

too? yes, they will have the option too? yes, they will have the option to have it but they won't be having it today, we are waiting to hear when they will be receiving it. the vaccine will need to come to the home, we will have to work out the logistics of how it is going to travel here. he said some of your staff are waiting as well for the vaccine to be delivered to the home, why don't they want to have it immediately? for people who don't drive, it is difficult for them to get to the vaccine centre. obviously, we tried to not lift share when we can, especially in groups because if somebody were to develop symptoms of covid, obviously they wouldn't be immune to it so if they wouldn't be immune to it so if they did develop symptoms and they had been in the car travelling, what it would mean what possibly or five members of staff would then to isolate. we don't encourage lift sharing at the moment so unless they can go on public transport, which

also does have risks, they are wanting to wait until the vaccine is delivered at the home. are all your staff and residents, as far as you know, happy to have the vaccine? what difference is going to do you think? not everybody has agreed to have it. they are a couple of people, a couple of staff members and one or two residents who have decided not to have it. some of them might want to watch and wait and see what happens. but the majority of the staff are having it and i believe the majority of the residents will have it. the difference this is going to make to us difference this is going to make to us is immense, this is going to allow us to look to tomorrow now and actually start to move on. just looking forward, if you have got staff who are worried about taking the vaccine, is that going to affect who you decide to employ? we haven't talked about that yet. people do

still have a choice. you know, so far, by informing the staff of the fa cts , far, by informing the staff of the facts, pointing out which information to look at and not maybe follow some of the negative social media, so far this is how most of the staff have agreed to have it. karen, in barry, thank you so much. a couple of tweets have come in. peter says i am 80 years old, congratulations to margaret keenan in coventry and william shakespeare, the first to receive the vaccine in the first to receive the vaccine in the uk. i am the first to receive the vaccine in the uk. iam raring the first to receive the vaccine in the uk. i am raring to go and get my jab. i think you will be contacted for anyone who is keen to be on that list. of course, they are going by age group and do keep the tweets coming in. talks to find a uk — eu trade agreement from the start of next year are stuck in stalemate.

boris johnson will travel to brussels later this week in a bid to salvage a post—brexit deal — but neither side is expressing any optimism about breaking the deadlock. our political correspondent jessica parker reports. they spoke again and again, couldn't break the deadlock, borisjohnson and the european commission president, ursula von der leyen. so something different. soon, the prime minister will travel to brussels in the coming days for a face to face meeting. 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. reporter: have you make progress? already in brussels, the negotiating teams who foundereed reporter: have you make progress?

on what are now some familiar differences — fisheries, competition rules and how a trade deal would be enforced. we're still working very hard. the idea of compromise is discussed a lot. workable solutions, it seems, harder to come by. it's not really about state aid, which is much lower here than in europe, or following eu social and environmental standards. again, our domestic standards are way, way higher than what are required as a minimum by the eu. i think it's more this reluctance completely to let go. they still want to have some oversight, some suzerainty. last night, a senior uk government source said that while the process wasn't closed, things were looking very tricky, and that there was every chance an agreement would not be reached. no—one has yet walked away, but nor have they found a way through. jessica parker, bbc news. in a moment will talk to our europe correspondent nick beake

in brussels.first to our political correspondent helen catt. the fog outside and a bit of a brexit fog in terms of trying to bring all sides together? yes, those technical talks which have been going on for many months have seen to hitan going on for many months have seen to hit an impasse, a stalemate. what is happening now is those chief negotiated, lord frost that the uk and michel barnier that the eu, are not resuming any talks over the issues they have been looking at. what they are instead doing, drawing up what they are instead doing, drawing upa what they are instead doing, drawing up a list about the where the two sides have differences and we understand there are significant differences on the shared rules, governance and fisheries. they will be drawing up this list which boris johnson and ursula von der leyen will discuss when they meet in person this week in brussels. as he

heard in that report, the tone from the uk has been pretty gloomy, suggesting it will be very tricky. that is a sentiment borisjohnson has echoed this morning. in terms of actual timelines, i know it is very, very ha rd to actual timelines, i know it is very, very hard to pin this down, do we know when boris johnson very hard to pin this down, do we know when borisjohnson is going to brussels and what is the last moment at which an agreement could be struck realistically? businesses have got to prepare and many are already saying it is already very difficult? there has been a real relu cta nce difficult? there has been a real reluctance to put a date on that, because businesses do need to prepare. the government has been absolutely clear, it is not going to extend the transition period. on the 1st of january the uk will be out of the single market and out of the customs union. that is a point boris johnson has been stressing again, things will be different onjanuary the 1st and businesses need to prepare. businesses are saying, we

need to prepare for what? time is running short and it is also running short politically in terms of getting any deal, if one is agreed through parliament. which would have to happen, although the government is confident it could do that in time. certainly time is running short but there is a reluctance to put any date on what would be the date for saying no further. but it does seem it is in the coming days we will need to get a decisive moment. in terms of when boris johnson is going to brussels, we don't know yet. again, the coming daysis don't know yet. again, the coming days is all we are being told. let's cross now to brussels and nick beake. any word there is to end this meeting might happen? the indications we are getting, it it will not be today, it could be tomorrow. we do believe it won't be on thursday because on thursday, you have got the meeting of the 27 eu leaders. i think there is a concern

here that borisjohnson leaders. i think there is a concern here that boris johnson will be leaders. i think there is a concern here that borisjohnson will be seen to gate—crash that meeting and the indications, as we were hearing, that probably will not be the case. possibly wednesday? it is after this meeting in brussels, that might be friday afternoon or saturday, but it is very much tvc. the fact it is happening at all, some people are feeling maybe it is a good thing because they have made no progress whatsoever in the past 48 hours. both sides agree on that. does it need a political intervention, as people have been predicting for weeks now, get in the same room, borisjohnson and weeks now, get in the same room, boris johnson and ursula von der leyen from the european commission, to thrash out a deal. others are saying, we feel this is for the uk domestic audience that really this is an opportunity for boris johnson to arrive and say he is able to snatch a fantastic victory, or maybe he is planning to come here and say the eu is being completely

unreasonable and i will walk away from this because it is the right thing to do. downing street will say that borisjohnson will thing to do. downing street will say that boris johnson will see what the situation is in front of him and make the best decision for the country. that is an indication of what people are thinking here. thank you both very much indeed. the situation at the moment is very tricky. our friends have the situation at the moment is very tricky. ourfriends havejust got the situation at the moment is very tricky. our friends have just got to understand that the uk has left the european union in order to be able to exercise democratic control over the way we do things and then there is also the issue of fisheries, where we are a long way apart still. but hope springs eternal and i will do my best to sort it out if it we

can. but i want to stress one thing, this is very, very important, people need to realise that whatever happens, it is going to be different onjanuary happens, it is going to be different on january the 1st. whatever kind happens, it is going to be different onjanuary the 1st. whatever kind of deal we get, whether it is like australia, or like canada, there will be change and businesses need to get ready for that change and i hope everybody understands that. will you keep trying for a deal right up until the wire? of course, we are always hopeful but there may come a moment when we have to acknowledge that it is time to draw stu m ps acknowledge that it is time to draw stumps and that is just the way it is. but we will prosper mightily, as i have always said under any version. the prime minister talking about the prospects of a deal or not brexit. german prosecutors have insisted they are building a compelling case against the man they suspect of murdering madeleine mccann — who disappeared during a family holiday to portugal in 2007. the convicted child sex offender "christian b" was identified as a suspect six months ago —

but he has not yet been charged. our berlin correspondent jenny hill has more. it's six months since german detectives made a dramatic revelation. madeleine mccann, they believe, was kidnapped and killed by a convicted german paedophile. after this tv appeal, they received hundreds of tip—offs about christian b, who is in a germanjailfor drug smuggling and the rape of a tourist in the algarve. but they still don't have enough to charge him. even so, this prosecuter told us, they are sure they've got their man. translation: if you knew the evidence we have, you would come to the same conclusion as i do but i can't give you details because we don't want the accused to know what we have on him. these are technical considerations. the six—month investigation has yielded new evidence of other alleged crimes. christian b lived here in portugal on and off for years. prosecutors now believe

he committed at least three other sex crimes here, two of them against children. he may be charged early next year, but progress in madeleine mccann's case is slower. translation: i can't promise, i can't guarantee that we have enough to bring a charge but i'm very confident because what we have so far doesn't allow any other conclusion at all. there have been so many false leads, so many empty hopes, and still the family waits to find out what happened to their little girl. jenny hill, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood. hello again. we've had some dense fog once again this morning, particularly across the south—eastern quadrant of england. most of this will lift today but some of itjust into low cloud and in east anglia, you might hang onto it again for much of the day. we've also got bands of showery rain rotating around an area of low pressure affecting parts

of scotland, northern ireland, northern england and wales and gusty winds around this, especially so with exposure. we are looking at a cold day and it will be a cold start to the night but as this system sinks southwards and eastwards, the temperatures will actually rise and we should lose any mist and fog that forms in the south—east but we could see some across parts of south—west wales and south—west england, but that should clear fairly readily tomorrow. talking of tomorrow, these showery bands of rain continue to push off in the direction of the north sea. hot on their heels we'll have a drier and a brighter slice with some sunshine but then more persistent rain comes in across northern ireland, wales and the south—west. temperatures up on today but still below average. hello, this is bbc news with geeta guru—murthy. the headlines... 90—year—old grandmother margaret keenan has becomes the first person in the world to receive the pfizer covid—19 jab,

following its clinical approval — she was given the vaccine at her local hospital in coventry. it is fine, it was fine. i wasn't nervous at all, it was really good, yeah. borisjohnson will head to brussels later this week for face—to—face talks in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the post—brexit trade negotiations. german prosecutors say they remain convinced that a child sex offender known as ‘christian b' kidnapped and killed madeleine mccann, as they continue to build a case against him. more now on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine across the uk — the biggest vaccination campaign in the history of the nhs. the first person to receive the jab was 90—year—old margaret keenan. more than 70 hospitals hubs have been set up across the uk to administer the vaccine, made by pfizer and biontech. we can speak now to the shadow health secretary jonathan ashworth.

this is an extraordinary moment, isn't it? a real day of hope that so many of us couldn't believe what happened this year. it'sjust brilliant, isn't it, absolutely fabulous and what wonderful pictures of margaret getting the jab earlier. this is a really important day and i wa nt to this is a really important day and i want to thank all the nhs staff who will be working so hard to administer these jabs today and over the coming weeks and months. we still have a long way to go but there is now light at the end of this coronavirus tunnel. it's a really good day and let's applaud all the medical scientists, the clinical researchers, the trial participants, the regulators, eve ryo ne participants, the regulators, everyone who's been involved in making today happen, it really is remarkable. there was some criticism of the role of kate bingham and yet, she and her team and all the others involved, have delivered this vaccine, the first place in the west to be given this pfizer biontech vaccine. that is a remarkable

achievement, surely? when you think about it, 12 months ago there were patients in hospitals in wuhan with a new, mystery pneumonia which we soon learned was coronavirus, a virus that spread with ferocity across the world. i think it was about ten months ago we had our first diagnosis of coronavirus here in the uk stock so for us to have had a vaccine with that speed is a real tribute to everybody involved, particularly medical scientists. and i know are nhs staff are going to be brilliant, they are going to go above and beyond as they always do, today, tomorrow, in the coming weeks, to ensure that this vaccine is administered. it is a really, really good day. let's make sure our doctors, nurses, health care practitioners on the ground have the resources and logistical support to make sure this vaccination programme is rolled out rapidly. but does her appointment on the success of what

she and others have achieved show that partnerships between the private sector and the public sector can be fantastically good? i've a lwa ys can be fantastically good? i've always been in favour of a partnership between the public and private sector when it comes to our life scientists and pharmaceutical basesin life scientists and pharmaceutical bases in this country, we can't be very proud of what we've achieved in this country without life sciences, —— with our life sciences and arts science base. this vaccine has come about through international cooperation, manufactured in belgium, germany played a big role in its development as well. we have other vaccines, we expect, coming online soon, one developed by oxford university in partnership with astrazeneca. there are other universities around the country like imperial college working on vaccines. we anticipate we will have a greater suite of vaccines to use in the coming weeks and months as well. this really is a great moment

to celebrate science and i think going forward, we need and we should invest more in our science base. but this has shown is how important our science base is to our health, but also to our economy as well. let's applaud science. absolutely. do you support also the tiered systems in terms of who has been selected to be given this vaccine because there's been a lot of discussion, should younger people in the workforce been given at first to get the economy going? that priority list has been made on clinical grounds so i support that, it's not for me second guess or say the clinicians are wrong. where i would urge the government to put particular emphasis is that we know from children ‘s measles vaccines and flu vaccines, uptake can't be lower in the more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities so we need to make sure we have got a strategy to make sure we have got a strategy to encourage uptake amongst poorer communities, black and asian

minority ethnic communities, homeless people, people who have difficult lifestyle through no fault of their own, these tend to be communities that have a lower uptake of existing vaccination so we need to make sure the government has a plan in place to ensure everybody who is asked to take the vaccine is given the support and is able to do so. should ethnic minority communities be given priority, given the risks and the death rates are higher? i think the clinical decisions that are being made by the experts on this are the right ones but i think we do need a campaign targeting vaccine uptake amongst some of the ethnic communities, i live in leicester, i represent leicester, hugely diverse city. i know there are issues around uptake, sometimes and i also know if we are honest, lies get spread on social media which different communities

can sometimes believe so i think there needs to be a big campaign to yes, there needs to be a big campaign to yes , reassure there needs to be a big campaign to yes, reassure people and answer people's legitimate questions but deal with some of this nonsense that gets spread online which is designed to cause harm to people. are you worried if there is a no—deal brexit or even if there is a deal, the supply chain of vaccines will be affected ? supply chain of vaccines will be affected? the supply chain of vaccines will be affected ? the government supply chain of vaccines will be affected? the government says it will use the military but will that be enough? we have been assured in the nation has been assured that a scenario plan is in place for a no—deal brexit but we should not be facing a no—deal brexit. some of this is boris johnson facing a no—deal brexit. some of this is borisjohnson in the last, theatrics of negotiations when it goes to the wire because of course he has problems with his tory mps, some of them already talking, he has to do something to convince his very hard, right—wing tory mps that he is playing hardball hard, right—wing tory mps that he is playing hard ball but look, hard, right—wing tory mps that he is playing hardball but look, you know, i remember boris johnson playing hardball but look, you know, i remember borisjohnson telling us he had an up and ready deal, he posed with pictures of himself putting pies and ovens to say the

deal was up and ready! the british people expect him to deliver a deal and that is what is in the national interest. you think his posturing to the right—wing, the very hard like brexiteers, in his party but ultimately, he wants to get a deal, suffered you're saying? they push him around, they are talking about putting him and pinning him and all that sort of stuff, you hear from them, he's got to do something, they are dragging him along on some of this but he told the british people he was and he had an oven ready deal, he would get a deal, that was why he was put in a place, that position. he should deliver on his promise to the british people and get a deal, that is what is in the national interest. jonathan ashworth, many thanks indeed for your time today. with the number of deaths linked to coronavirus now over 60,000 in the uk, many bereaved families and friends will be mourning loved ones this christmas. a special service will today be held

at st paul's to mark the end of national grief awareness week. people are also being urged to take part in a minute's silence at 5pm and buildings will be lit up in yellow in honour of all those that have lost loved ones this year. justin webb reports. when i am asked how many children have you got? i say five because it avoids all kinds of complicated conversations. but we always think six. both the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, and the chief rabbi, ephraim mirvis, lost their eldest child. through their roles as religious leaders and also through the shared experience, they've become close friends. our experience has been that sometimes you arejust caught by surprise. there are days that are predictable and then there are other days when suddenly something happens, it happened to me a couple of weeks ago, and i suddenly thought, what would she be like?

joanna welby was seven months old when she died in a car crash in 1983. ephraim mirvis's daughter, leora died of cancer in 2011, aged 30, leaving behind a husband and two children. in your case, archbishop, with your daughter it was sudden. in the case of your daughter, it was not, was it? did that allow a period before she died? no two bereavements are the same. if anybody comes along and says, i know exactly what you are going through, they don't. because grief is something personal. when one has suffered a deep loss, it is with one for the rest of one's life and one thinks of the person every single day. and there is sadness. i think the people around this country and around the world, more than a million dead around the world, this christmas there will be an empty chair and it will be painful. deeply painful.

i think i'd want to say be kind to yourselves, give yourselves time, be honest about your grief and your loss, that you miss them. there is no harm in tears. justin webb, bbc news. actor greg wise is an ambassador of the good grief trust, which is organising today's events. thank you so much forjoining us. tell us what is going to be happening today and who are you trying to help? we are having the culmination of the week of remembrance, at saint pauls at 5pm this evening. and hopefully, at the end of the service there, saint pauls and lots of other magnificent buildings throughout the country will be lit up in yellow as an act of remembrance for everyone ‘s grief. it's very complicated, grief.

and a lot of people are suffering alone and need to know there is someone out there who they can talk to and who will listen to them and be able to hopefully help them. you became an ambassador of this charter after the loss of your sister. can you talk to us about how difficult that was and what most helped you? —— this charity. that was and what most helped you? -- this charity. fight was the full—time carerfor my -- this charity. fight was the full—time carer for my sister in the last months of her life, she died four years ago of bone cancer, which is an exquisitely painful, slow death. there was a part of me, obviously, that felt relief when she died and i'm sure a lot of people feel that when someone has been suffering so badly. and we have to come again, be kind to ourselves, i think, is the archbishop just said because grief is very complicated. the purity of grief is very healthy

and we need to well commit and not judge it and apologise for it but where we are at the moment is the purity of grief is in a toxic combination with a lot of guilt and anger because so many people have not been able to be with their loved ones when they died. so many people have not been able to go to the funerals of their friends and family so there is this terrible guilt and terrible anger mixed up which is what makes it almost impossible to get over. without finding someone who can't listen to you and who understands you and that was the thing that helped me most. was having bereavement counselling. under the auspices of the good grief trust, there are 800 different charities and organisations people can charities and organisations people ca n a ccess charities and organisations people can access to help them with their grief. have you found the trauma of this year that we have all been through, has that brought back the

most difficult memories for you, in terms of your own loss? how has it affected you, personally? grief never goes. i still have a whole inside myself or my sister was. the whole is slightly less jagged, time my continuing life is slightly tempered but one of the things that has been so wonderful this year for me is that i have been able to help people, i've been able to work with the trust, i've been able to work with macmillan, marie curie, with all these wonderful organisations. people i've been working with for a while who are now finding themselves essential at this time, when people are full of grief and pain. and we all have to know there is someone there who will listen to us and who

will notjudge us and who will not pity us, they willjust listen to us asa pity us, they willjust listen to us as a fellow human being and that what we need at the moment. a lot of us what we need at the moment. a lot of us have come face—to—face with the prospect of our own mortality, those of our nearest and dearest, probably for the first time, in many cases. if we know someone who has lost a loved one, what should we do, what would you say? should we reach out to them, should we keep our distance? in the west, people tend to be very reserved, it's very individualistic, isn't it? we are rubbish, we are rubbish in this country are grieving! and commiserating. all of these things. i think the most important thing is to think that we know best, that sometimes a person who is in grief once to talk, sometimes they want to listen, sometimes they want to be held, sometimes they want not to be touched. i would assume most people wa nt touched. i would assume most people want a good meal, straight after a death because that is the first

thing that one does, you forget to eat. and then, just, see what this person needs, what they want, don't think that we feel we know how to make someone ‘s pain better because we cannot. only time and talking can do that but everyone takes things at their own pace. and i think one of their own pace. and i think one of the things about this particular week is just showing there is a space, a safe space that is available for everyone in this country to be able to access help, access compassion and kindness and love. greg wise, many thanks indeed for your time today and for all the work that you and others are doing. and that special service today at st paul's cathedral, to mark the end of this national grief awareness week. thank you. the headlines on bbc news... 90—year—old grandmother — margaret keenan has becomes the first person in the world to receive the pfizer covid—19 jab,

following its clinical approval — she was given the vaccine at her local hospital in coventry. borisjohnson will head to brussels later this week for face—to—face talks in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the post—brexit trade negotiations. german prosecutors say they remain convinced that a child sex offender known as ‘christian b‘ kidnapped and killed madeleine mccann, as they continue to build a case against him. let me show you some pictures from belfast. if we have them. we know the first person to be given the covid vaccine in northern ireland was a nurse, joanna covid vaccine in northern ireland was a nurse, joanna sloan, 28 years old, being given that first vaccine in northern ireland. in the royal victoria hospital in west belfast.

she is a sister in charge of the covid vaccination for the belfast health and social trust, the largest trust in northern ireland, a former emergency department nurse herself. she is engaged, but her wedding was postponed because of the pandemic and a round of applause, i don‘t know if we can hear it. obviously, lots ofjubilation know if we can hear it. obviously, lots of jubilation for so know if we can hear it. obviously, lots ofjubilation for so many people, knowing this vaccination programme is being rolled out and we see staff giving up, presumably, hopefully, waiting to be given the vaccination. it‘s going to be delivered at seven sites across northern ireland. in new zealand, a royal commssion report into last year‘s terror attacks on two christchurch mosques has been made public. the report said security agencies were "almost exclusively" focused on the threat from islamist terrorism. white supremacist brenton tarrant was sentenced to life in prison

the terrorist attack that shocked the world and devastated new zealand. on march the 15 2019, and in tarrant, a white supremacist, opened fire into macro masks, killing 51 people and wounding dozens more as they got ready for friday prayers. the quiet city of christchurch became the scene of one of the country ‘s darkest days. more than a year of the country ‘s darkest days. more thana yearand of the country ‘s darkest days. more than a year and a half on, a royal commission report on the mass shooting has now been made public. today we have answers. on the matters of how the attack occurred and what could have been done to stop it. the commission found no failure is within any government agencies that would have allowed the terrorist planning and preparation to be detected. but they did

identify many lessons to be learnt and significant areas that require change. the report found that security agencies were almost exclusively focused on the threat from islamic extremism and failed to investigate threats by the far right. it also said the police did not enforce proper checks on firearm licences. but it found no failings within government agencies that would have alerted them to the imminent attack. representatives of the mosques said the findings showed particular government bodies failed to protect the muslim community. the report was welcomed by some of the families but said raw emotions were brought back. it's hard to refer to his name in the past tense, he was the backbone to our family and his circle of friends. and society. he is my hero and he is a hero who

deserves... i hope there are some learnings, not just deserves... i hope there are some learnings, notjust in new zealand but in other countries that can implement ways to mitigate such incidents happening. recommendations include further changes to hate crime laws, how firearms are managed in the creation of an early intervention police programme for individuals showing signs of radicalisation. the aim is to prevent similar attacks. and to help new zealand and christchurch move forward. but for those who have lived through the horrors of the day, life will never be the same. the ons has just released the number of deaths resgistered in the uk for the week ending the 27th november. it's it‘s the overall number of lives lost.

our head of statistics robert cuffe is here. the total number of people who died involving coronavirus passed 70,000 in the week to the 27th of november. it feels like these kind of big, round numbers are passing us by every couple of days and it‘s not because the epidemic is growing so quickly. we are looking at different numbers. what we are looking at todayis numbers. what we are looking at today is the number of people who died when coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate and in the first wave it captured a lot of debts that daily figures were missing, always running higher than the normal daily total. that‘s why it has passed 70,000 when only a couple of days ago we heard the daily figure passing 60,000 for the first time. they have been tracking together in the second wave, looking very similar and we saw aboutjust over 3a00 deaths in a single b, the week to the 27th of november. what are the trends nationally and regionally? add figure ofjust under 3a00 ina regionally? add figure ofjust under 3a00 in a single week is up by about

10% in the previous week. that‘s much slower than the growth a couple of weeks ago, we were seeing growth of weeks ago, we were seeing growth of 30 or a0% week on week for some time, so that has been slowing down and when we look at the daily figures that are more up—to—date, we see they peaked out atjust below three and a half thousand in a week, around that time. there is some hope we are coming close to the peak of this wave, of course, we are seeing cases falling generally and we are seeing people going into hospital following as well but we are coming into christmas and anticipating a rise in infections. there is always this sly, these numbers reflect the fa ct we this sly, these numbers reflect the fact we were in lockdown for a month and now things have opened up and i‘m afraid, i drove my children through the christmas lights in london at the weekend, the streets we re london at the weekend, the streets were absolutely packed. it is worrying. and the deaths that you hear about, registered until the end of november are probably reflecting infections that happened a little while ago and so when we talk about

an increase in cases or hospitalisations in london, it‘s quite possible we won‘t see that filter through into the figures for a little while but we have to remember, deaths are still rising, we just hope that rice is slowing down and hopefully, soon, coming to a halt. robert, thank you. now it‘s time for a look at the weather with carol kirkwood hello again. there‘s been some dense fog around this morning, particularly anywhere from dorset to lincolnshire and points east and southeast of that. now, most of that will lift, but some of it will lift into low cloud. and like yesterday, there will be some stubborn areas. at the other end of the country we‘ve got low pressure dominating. so here we‘ve got some rain or some showers spiralling around that area of low pressure. as we go through the course of this afternoon still some showers across the channel islands, one or two getting into the south west of england, some brighter skies, but some parts, for example, parts of east anglia could hang on to the fog for much of the day. then we‘ve got rain coming in across wales,

more persistent rain coming in across northern england, brighter skies in northwest scotland, but again, rain around that area of low pressure or showers and gusty winds as well, particularly across the northeast, the north and also the west of scotland. now, through the rest of the afternoon, you can see how this system sinks a little bit further south. still be some brightness ahead of it and also still some brightness in northern ireland and our temperature range, three to eight degrees. so feeling cold if you‘re stuck under any lingering fog. now, as we head on through this evening and overnight, our system continues to sink south, taking its rain with it through wales, into the midlands, eventually pushing over towards the south and the east. so after a cold start to the night and also some mist and fog in parts of the southeast, you‘ll find the temperatures will actually rise by the end of the night. and we could also see some patchy fog forming across southwest england and south wales as well. now, as we head through tomorrow, we say goodbye to our first system. it takes its showers with it.

there will be some showers following behind, but equally there‘ll be some sunshine. and then we‘ve got our next front coming into the west, bringing some heavier rain to northern ireland, wales and south west england. temperatures up on today, but still below average for the time of year. now that system sinks off onto the near continent. we‘ve got a temporary ridge of high pressure building across us, but there will still be some rain in the forecast, especially so across parts of northern england, moving northwards into parts of scotland through the day with some hill snow. and as you can see, there‘ll be quite a lot of cloud around as well. but some brighter skies in the north and later in the south with highs up to ten or 11.

we we this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. 90—year—old grandmother, margaret keenan, becomes the first person in the world to receive the pfizer covid—19 jab, following its clinical approval. applause. she was given the vaccine at her local hospital in coventry. 800,000 doses are currently available in the uk with up to four million more expected by the end of the month. it was fine, it was fine. i wasn‘t nervous at all, it was really good, yeah. she's protecting herself, but she's also helping to protect entire country. across the whole of the uk this morning, that is happening in scotland, northern ireland

and wales, in england,