pressure mounts for a rethink of plans for easing covid restrictions at christmas two influential medicaljournals say relaxing rules on household mixing is a "rash decision that will cost lives." our health system is not going to manage if we allow the current trend to continue, on top of the superspreader event which will be these five days of christmas. the government says no changes are planned — urging us to "do the minimum that is necessary" when mixing at christmas. many families will want to come together over the christmas period but that doesn't mean all the restrictions are lifted. people will still need to continue to act responsibly but we should trust people to do so. as labour add their voice to those calling for plans to be reconsidered — will the government change its mind? we'll be live in westminster. also this lunchtime...

as scientists study the new variant of covid to see if it is spreading more quickly, we ask how worried should we be? a london council backs down and asks schools to remain open after the education secretary threatens to take legal action. more than 800,000 fewer people are on the payroll now than at the start of the pandemic — with hospitality and retail particularly badly hit. and coming up on bbc news, one night only — new restrictions in london mean plans for spectators to attend the world darts championship after tonight's session have been scrapped. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. there's growing pressure on the government and the devolved administrations to rethink plans

to ease coronavirus restrictions for five days over the christmas period. in a rare joint editorial, two of the uk's leading medicaljournals have called for the government to reverse what it describes as a "rash decision that will cost lives". number 10 says it still intends to allow household mixing over christmas but guidance is being kept "under constant review" and the chief secretary to the treasury steve barclay has urged people to "do the minimum possible" when covid regulations are relaxed. in the last few minutes, labour leader sir keir starmer has added his voice to those questioning the festive relaxation. 0ur political correspondent jessica parker reports. will you stand under the tree? getting into the spirit and under the tree, senior ministerjacob rees—mogg en route to cabinet but a small diversion first. will we still get christmas? happy christmas. london, most of essex, parts of hertfordshire head for tighter rules

tonight, the government revealed yesterday as well, there was a new strain of the virus and faced questions whether a temporary relaxation of the rules next week was wise? i think it's important that all of us are cautious ahead of christmas. of course it is a period of risk and that is the reason we wa nt of risk and that is the reason we want people to take it very seriously and go no further. last month, all four nations agreed that from the 23rd to the 27th of december, people can mix with up to three households. and stay overnight. there an extra day, either side, for those travelling to and from northern ireland. but ministers are emphasising wider rules remain in place and while people can take advantage, they don't have to. we've got to trust the british people to act responsibly, to do the minimum is necessary for them within their family situation. but we should recognise it has been a very difficult yearfor recognise it has been a very difficult year for many families, many families want to come together over the christmas period. that

doesn't mean all the restrictions are lifted, people will still need to continue act responsibly. are lifted, people will still need to continue act responsiblym are lifted, people will still need to continue act responsibly. it may look appealing, the idea of an easing over christmas. but a warning that the plan is rash could cost many lives, and should be reversed, that from the british medical journal and health servicejournal. the real, striking, stark truth of the matter is our health system is not going to manage if we allow the current trend to continue, on top of the super spreader event that will be these five days of christmas. some mps have also expressed concerns and the london mayor is carol, calling for a rethink about suggesting the rules could be relaxed in a safer way. my concern is over those five days you could have three households, big sizes, mixing, having sleepovers, hugging, kissing, all the things we normally do at christmas. what would be really, really heartbreaking,

knowing the vaccine is being rolled out, is if you inadvertently pass the virus on to an older relation. as families decide what to do this christmas ministers are keen to stress personal responsibility stop but there will be political accountability as well, if, in the new year, somejudge accountability as well, if, in the new year, some judge this relaxation to have been the wrong call. will we still get christmas, prime minister? a senior government source says there are no plans to review the arrangements for christmas but boris johnson, along with other leaders, will know they are walking a difficult line. and jess is live in westminster. difficult line as you say but the pressure is mounting. yes, i think this all came from partly the fact there were concerns, people desperate to see their loved ones this christmas, after a difficult year, that some kind of provision had to be made and for the four devolved governments to agree and

after the health picture which was played yesterday, it looks illogical to let people potentially travel from hotspots, to travel across the uk, to see their loved ones and in the last few moments we heard from the last few moments we heard from the labour leader sir keir starmer who is calling for an urgent cobra meeting to go ahead to review these rules and i've just heard from a government source that michael gove, the cabinet office minister, is going to hold a call with the devolved nations later this afternoon. this is a difficult one for ministers, i think there might be some arguing this is too late, people will have already made their plans clearly, there is concern, but really, who wants to be the politician that goes ahead and counsels christmas? jessica, thank you. the hospitality industry is warning that london's move into tier 3 will put thousands ofjobs at risk. nearly 14,000 pubs, restaurants and cafes will have to close, and offer takeaways or deliveries instead. our business correspondent emma simpson reports. it's one of london ‘stop hotels but

it's barely breaking even. keeping going as best they can but once again, businesses coming to a standstill. and you wish to cancel this booking due to the tiered three restrictions? customers don't have any choice and there has been more than 100 cancellations already. the restau ra nts than 100 cancellations already. the restaurants are doing a final serving. going to do about 160 today, lunch and dinner and then we will close, again. heartbreaking. they are making christmas lunch for the staff today, to use up some of the staff today, to use up some of the surplus food. a taste of what thousands of hospitality businesses are now dealing with as they go into tier 3. it's the lack of notice. the lack of understanding. and i actually think the decisions are wrong! the damage, you know? we cannot recover. there is many of us, many hotels, many restaurants and bars that won't get over this. and thatis bars that won't get over this. and that is the frustration and the

angen that is the frustration and the anger. an awful lot of businesses haven't even reopened from the previous lockdown and those that have, were banking on some crucial pre—christmas trade to tide them through january and february. traditionally, the lean months for hospitality. it's terrible timing for this industry. alexa, show him how it is done. not great for pantomime either, some west end theatres had just reopened, instead, plans are vanishing in a puff of smoke. here at the garrick theatre, they are now rehearsing to stream they are now rehearsing to stream the show online. it is getting to have the address closing for the third time in 2020. we worked really ha rd third time in 2020. we worked really hard onstage and offstage to make sure venues are covid secure and it means sure venues are covid secure and it mea ns u nfortu nately we sure venues are covid secure and it means unfortunately we are losing over 30 performances throughout the rest of december, many of which were sold out. thousands and thousands of theatre—goers are disappointed by closing the show, unfortunately. the

government says it has to toughen restrictions to save lives but it will come at a cost to people's livelihoods as well, this pub owner in essex is coping, but anxious. we will survive. but the impact, the recovery, will be what will hurt, most will be struggling this time next year because we have been in lockdown three times. businesses doing their best in these toughest of times. emma simpson, bbc news. public health england plans to release its findings into the new mutation of covid—19 within the next fortnight — after the health secretary, matt hancock, said the strain could be linked to the faster spread of the virus in some areas. 0fficials stressed there was no evidence the variant caused more severe forms of the disease or was resistant to vaccines. 0ur health correspondent michelle roberts has more. every virus mutates. these tiny genetic changes happen as the virus makes new copies of itself to spread

and thrive. most are inconsequential and thrive. most are inconsequential and if you can even be harmful to the viruses survival but some can't make it more infectious or threatening to the host. for covid, that host is us. and experts are working to understand precisely what these new changes that have been identified might mean. some viruses do this at a very, very fast rate, like hiv or the flu, for example. 0thers like hiv or the flu, for example. others are more indolent and they change more slowly but it all comes down to the fact that they are evolving and they are evolving against pressure from the thing that is trying to stop them doing what they want to do, which is to spread and have more cases of coronavirus. so far 1000 confirmed cases have been discovered in the uk. they are predominantly in the south of england although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas with numbers increasing rapidly. in the commons yesterday, the health secretary matt hancock said the new strain might be

behind big increases in covid infection is being seen in london and the south—east. researchers have confirmed that the mutations involve the spike protein of the virus, the pa rt the spike protein of the virus, the part that helps it infect cells and the target covid vaccines are designed around but that doesn't mean it's necessarily transmissible, infectious or dangerous or that a vaccine cannot work. the new vaccines are essentially like e—mails that we send to the immune system and they are very easy to twea k system and they are very easy to tweak so if we know the luck has changed very slightly, we just have to edit that e—mail, change a word 01’ to edit that e—mail, change a word or two and then the vaccine will be ready in say, six to eight weeks' time, after that, will be competent and better targeted to the new strain. sharp scratch coming. brilliant. gps are already giving high risk patients the new pfizer jab which experts still expect to be highly effective. and when leading

expert has accused matt hancock of whipping up fear ahead of london being moved into top tier 3 restrictions. it's an unproven connection at this moment and it may well stay like that. reporting that london is going into another tiered regulation and all of that, linking it to the variant, my first response was, that is a bit naughty, blaming the virus, rather than how people are behaving! with cases arising in some parts of the uk, people are being advised to follow the rules and keep social contact to a minimum over christmas. michelle roberts, bbc news. there's confusion for parents and students after greenwich council in london said schools will now stay open. on sunday, the local council called for schools to close and take all learning online because of a dramatic recent rise in coronavirus cases. but the education secretary, gavin williamson, intervened and told greenwich that it would face legal action if it didn't keep schools open. in the last hour, he's

also announced that every secondary school and college in england will have access to rapid coronavirus testing from january. andy moore reports. just if you parents, mostly key workers and the children, turned up at this greenwich primary school this morning. take the decision to close yesterday, after being advised to do so by the labour leader of their borough council. but now, the government is insisting it should reopen again, with only a day or two to go before the end of term. it's a difficult time to be a parent in greenwich. we don't actually know what is happening. today it is a different story, every day is different, i want them to be a school. it is a confusing situation. considering the rest, apparently the re st of considering the rest, apparently the rest of london has not done this yet, it seems a bit strange it would just be happening in our borough. lot of people are confused, i am still working in school so i have to go to work on my son is coming to

school. we just have to stick together and just keep safe. faced with legal action from the government, greenwich council has now backed down. in a statement, its leader danny thorpe said... the government has now said all secondary schools and colleges in england will get rapid lateral flow testing from january. the education secretary gavin williamson said it was a milestone for keeping schools safe. schools and other london boroughs and in part of essex, have also closed down early. union leaders say some head teachers are being put in a difficult position. we seem to have turf wars between national and local government and in

the middle of it, people i represent, head teachers who may have had a letter from greenwich local authority, saying we are advising you to close the school so the heads will have talks with government yesterday, possibly issued a letter yesterday then have it through the day the schools minister says keep your school open. in this battle of wills between local and central government, the pa rents local and central government, the parents and head teachers have been caught in the middle, trying to respond to a series of mixed messages. andy moore, bbc news. there were 819,000 fewer workers on uk company payrolls in november than at the start of the pandemic — that's accodring to new figures from the office for national statistics. hospitality was the worst—hit sector, accounting for a third of the job losses, followed by retail. our business correspondent sarah corker reports. i was in denial at first, and i went through, like, the stages of grief. nina from dorset worked as cabin crew at virgin atlantic for 15 years, but as the pandemic grounded

flights, she was first furloughed and then made redundant injune when the airline laid off more than 3000 staff. the financial pressure has been very great on us, and we've been claiming universal credit, but unfortunately that doesn't cover our basic outgoings, and we've had to really cut back this christmas. unemployment has continued to rise. in the three months to october, the jobless total rose to nearly 1.7 million people and the numbers suggest a worsening trend as unemployment hits 5% in october. and this is the number of people claiming benefits, it went up to 2.7 million. so these might be people in work but on reduced hours, or using savings and topping up their income with universal credit. since the pandemic began, nearly half a millionjobs have been lost in hospitality and retail, sectors employing a large

number of young people. but the over 50s are struggling too. it does get a little bit depressing at times. in lancashire, it's been a tough yearforgraham. his work as a freelance business consultant dried up in march. there are redundancies, people losing theirjobs, when furlough's coming to an end you know there is going to be a wave there, so it's a competitive market. i've been trying but, yeah, it gets you down. i've got ten years left of work and, yeah, i think i've got a lot to give. a quiet high street and boarded up shops are one of the most visible reminders of the economic damage of this health crisis. the pandemic has accelerated the shift towards online shopping and our spending habits are changing the types ofjobs available. companies that pick... ..pack... ..and deliver goods to customers have been hiring.

there's been an opportunity there to bring more staff in earlier, and at this moment in time there's still a lot of orders that we need to shift, it gives them an opportunity to continue into the new year. 0n the south coast, nina has now been offered work from january, and with effective vaccines on the horizon, while there is some optimism, unemployment is expected to continue rising in the months ahead. sarah corker, bbc news. our top story this lunchtime: pressure mounts on the government to re—think its plans for easing covid restrictions at christmas. —— the government and devolved administrations. and still to come — as ministers unveil new laws to tackle harmful online content, we'll ask what impact they'll have. coming up on bbc news — "he was more than just a manager." steven gerrard admits he's struggling to come to terms with the death of his former liverpool boss, gerard houllier,

the netherlands is the latest european country to introduce strict lockdown measures throughout the festive period. from today all nonessential shops, including garden centres, diy and clothing stores in the country will be closed in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. in italy, too, new travel restrictions are to be imposed — though prime minister giuseppe conte stressed that father christmas would be exempt. anna holligan reports from the hague. the dutch had been dreaming of a relatively relaxed christmas, but over the weekend, photos of crowds cramming into city centres combined with an infection rate that's now almost double the dutch government's worst case scenario has meant there's a sense of inevitability about the christmas crackdown, which ironically means the dutch will be celebrating under what constitutes the country's toughest lockdown yet. translation: i'm sad that it has to be done, but it is important. yeah, i think that it's necessary.

yeah, unfortunately. so, from today, all non—essential stores are closed, along with things like museums, cinemas, theaters and amusement parks. restaurants, cafes and cannabis coffee shops can keep on serving takeaways only. and lots of these pink signs have been going up in protest from businesses that feel as though they're being unjustly targeted without enough state support to keep them afloat. traditional german christmas markets aren't as busy this year. most have already been cancelled and a hard lockdown is coming into force as the number of deaths and infections has been surging. nonessential shops and schools will close from december 16th untiljanuary 10th. after weeks of national lockdown travel restrictions within france are being eased today, meaning families can get together over the festive break. the infection rate remains stubbornly high, though — a nationwide curfew will be in place

from eight o'clock in the evening, which will be lifted on christmas eve but not on new year's eve. italy is currently seeing the highest number of deaths since the end of march, and prime minister giuseppe conte has told italians to expect a more sober christmas without gatherings, hugs and kisses. there'll be a travel ban in place between different regions, but he reassured people father christmas is exempt from all global travel restrictions. until now, the netherlands has been reluctant to impose some of the stricter measures adopted by neighboring nations. but with the number of covid—related deaths now approaching 16,000, hospital admissions increasing, infections rising sharply and pressure on the health sector intensifying, a full—blown lockdown comes in later than many had hoped. anna holligan, bbc news, in the hague.

drug—related deaths in scotland have reached another all—time high — with more than 1,200 fatalities in 2019. latest official figures show the country had a higher rate last year than all eu countries — and more than three and a half times that of england and wales. alexandra mackenzie reports. any drug death is more than just a statistic. it is yet another family, ripped apart by substance misuse. when ryan's brother was murdered, his life spiralled out of control. i just didn't want to live any more. it was just completely horrifying. i just kept reliving it, reliving that day. the only thing that helped, i thought at the time, was more drinking and more drugs. 2019 saw the highest number of drug—related deaths in scotland since reporting began more than 20 years ago.

in 2018, there was over 1,187 drug—related deaths in scotland. those eyes —— in 2018, there were. in 2019, this increased by 6%, to 1264. nearly seven out of ten are male, and over two thirds were aged between 35 and 5a. the scottish government previously said it was a public health emergency. today, they said steps were being taken to reduce the number of deaths. one is the increased roll—out of naloxone, a potentially life—saving injection which is sent to those in need. they can be a person at risk of overdose, a family or friend who is concerned about a loved one or it could be someone who was wanting to have a kit for their workplace. the scottish conservatives have said the statistics are heartbreaking and have called for additional funding for rehabilitation projects. scottish labour have said

there should be a radical rethink of drug policy by all political leaders. today's figures are from before the covid 19 pandemic, the fear now is the number of drug deaths in scotland in 2020, will be even worse. alexandra mackenzie, bbc news, glasgow. ministers have published draft legislation which would see internet companies fined if they fail to remove harmful material, such as terrorist propaganda and content used to bully and groom young people. under the proposals, all platforms will have a legal duty of care to protect children. 0ur media editor amol rajan is here now. what have they actually announced? it has been a long time coming, we have been talking about this for yea rs, have been talking about this for years, for the past 15 years also the richest companies in history have basically had a free pass. they are extraordinary companies powered by very powerful engineering but

they have largely been left alone by regulators but now there is a myth saying their worst excesses have to be curbed, that means clamping down on monopolies but this is about social harms, things like bullion, grooming, the promotion of suicidal terrorist content. there are four elements which will come under the purview of 0fcom, which currently regulates podcast and telecoms, there will be fined if they do not comply, there is the eventual threat of criminal sanctions which will be held in reserve and could eventually lead to executives be on hold", there is a legal duty of care to protect children and there will be exemptions for smaller companies so they do not get hurt in the attempted tackle big tech. they do not get hurt in the attempted tackle big techm they do not get hurt in the attempted tackle big tech. it is about definitions of what harm is and what position executives have to be in before they are in that legal position. can it work? there are so many practical difficulties, but

thatis many practical difficulties, but that is not to say it is not worth trying. there is so much of this stuff it is hard to regulate. most of the companies as targets are global companies having to comply with national rules and the onus is on them to comply, which is much more carrot than stick. 0nly on them to comply, which is much more carrot than stick. only 3% of uk companies will under this legislation. there are lots of worries, the awful case of molly russell, about self—harm. the work on whether or not the promotion of self—harm should be illegal is part of the different process to do with the law commission, it is fiendishly complicated, it will probably not become law until at least 2022, and if one thing which companies enjoyed a spending money on lobbying, i suspect they will do that between now and then so i suspect that these proposals will become piloted before coming law. thank you, amol. the government should focus on improving regional rail links between cities in the north and midlands instead of new projects such as hs2.

that's according to a new report by the national infrastructure commission. it argues that halting — or at least building in phases — the eastern leg of hs2 from the midlands to leeds could help pay for the plan. the government said it would consider the commission's proposals. aston villa captainjack grealish has been banned from driving for nine months and fined a total of £82,499 after crashing his range rover during march's coronavirus lockdown. the england international was sentenced at birmingham magistrates' court, after previously pleading guilty to two charges, including one linked to the incident in which his 4x4 hit two parked vehicles in solihull in the west midlands. a group of former rugby union players is setting out their claim for negligence to the sports authorities. they include the world cup—winning former england player steve thompson who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia aged just a2. 0ne former player who has been helping them is jamie cudmore. the ex—canada international has been pursuing his own legal challenge in france over head injuries he suffered. he's been speaking to laura scott.

asa as a naturally competent player, jamie cudmore never ducked a challenge, but with that physicality camea number of challenge, but with that physicality came a number of head injuries. join on his own land that legal case against his old club, clermont auvergne, the former canada international has been lending support to those at the centre of the sports's recent dementia crisis. it is very alarming that now the wider public understand the depth that this problem really does go, we need to do a hell availability as professional sportsmen, coaches, administrators. it is a contact sport and i do not want to change that, but we need to do a lot more about the treatment of concussion. england's world cup hero steve thompson is among a group of players due to send a prenatal letter of claim. urgently rugby's authorities, possibly as early as this afternoon. world rugby says it takes player safety very seriously and

proactively implement injury prevention strategies. with such alarming and high—profile cases at elite level it is part inevitable that parents, coaches and players are focusing on the safety measures in place for youngsters and those whojudge playful side. in place for youngsters and those who judge playful side. this is light years away from the professional game, but it is a concern, but it is really great the way they had started contact but they gradually build in the different skills. rugby has made changes to make the game safer, including the head injury assessment protocol, compression substitutes and pitch side with use of knocks, but one of the well‘s most high—profile coaches had more can still be done. -- one of the world's. we make players tackle underneath the hips, i think they

should start doing that straightaway, to ensure that young players learn a safe, low tackle technique, wejust need players learn a safe, low tackle technique, we just need to try to make the game safer and safer. while those in charge look to the future and the next world cup, the grim reality that some stars of the recent past are struggling is casting a lingering shadow over by casting a lingering shadow over rugby union. time for a look at the weather. here's sarah keith lucas. thanks, simon. a mild and unsettled speu thanks, simon. a mild and unsettled spell of mid—december weather is set to continue. we have lots of views like this, sunshine and showers, plenty of rainbows. that will be the story to the rest of the day, still u nsettled, story to the rest of the day, still unsettled, some brighton centre spells but some heavy showers moving on the breeze and there is more wind and rain in the forecast over the next couple of days, no letter to this unsettled spell. 0ver

next couple of days, no letter to this unsettled spell. over the past few relatively look at