despite pressure to toughen the restrictions over christmas mixing — there's to be no formal change to the relaxation of covid rules. this is bbc news with the latest the prime minister says he'll stick to the rules allowing households headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. to meet over the five day festive window but issues stronger guidance to families. sterner warnings about the dangers of christmas socialising will be we do think it's absolutely vital issued by the four uk nations later that people should at this very, — but the rules allowing three households to meet are expected to remain. very tricky time, exercise a high it's not for government to tell people exactly degree of personal responsibility. how to handle the situation, but it is to offer them clear guidance. here we go again, mr speaker, ignoring the medical advice, last orders in london as it moves and we know where that leads because we've seen what happened to tougher tier 3 restrictions — in the last nine months. ministers are due to review other but the welsh government issues english tiers today. separate guidance that only two households should meet over we'd love to hear about what you've christmas and the nation will go into full lockdown decided to do this christmas. will you be getting together with other households or not? from december the 28th. do get in touch with me on twitter @annita—mcveigh in scotland families are given and use #bbcyourquestions, guidance to only come and i'll try to read out some of your comments. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop

a sharp rise in covid—19 infections. the head of the european commission says a "narrow path" has opened up for the uk and eu to strike a post—brexit deal, but that disagreements remain overfishing rights. ministers say more than 130,000 people in the uk have been vaccinated against coronavirus so far, but research suggests people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less keen to have the jab. and coming up this hour... cleaning up the clothing industry — the small town in italy that's leading the way in sustainable fashion.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the uk prime minister is resisting calls to scrap the relaxed approach to covid rules at christmas, despite warnings from scientists that hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed. no final decisions have been taken, but it's thought the restrictions allowing three households to mix are "unlikely to change". cabinet office minister michael gove is presently thought to be holding talks with the leaders of the devolved adminstrations. sterner warnings are to be given about the dangers of mixing over christmas. people will be told to think carefully about spending time with elderly relatives. and there'll be an emphasis on avoiding travelling long distances after health experts said the planned relaxation would lead to many coronavirus deaths. labour is urging the government to "review" and "toughen up" the christmas restrictions. this report from nick eardley. after a year in which few

things have been normal, christmas is going to be different, too. gone are the office parties and big gatherings of family and friends. there are plans to relax some rules to allow limited mixing but with cases rising in many areas, some have called for a rethink, saying the decision could cost lives. will we still get christmas, prime minister? leaders from across the uk held talks yesterday and it looks like the rules will still be relaxed for christmas. in england, there's no plan for a change of heart and it is understood to be likely other parts of the uk will stick to the plan, too. the final decisions are still to be made, but if confirmed, that would allow three households to form a christmas bubble for five days, starting from 23rd december. but the government is expected to tell us all to be very cautious. in the next few days, ministers are likely to urge the public to limit social contact in the days before forming a bubble,

to think carefully about mixing with elderly or at—risk relatives, and to stay close to home for christmas if possible. there will be more talks on the plans later this morning. politicians are likely to be telling us all to have a cautious christmas this year. nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. let's talk to dame esther rantzen, who has today penned a piece in the daily mail calling for christmas to be cancelled, saying "the best gift we can offer our families this christmas is to refuse to meet them". when you say christmas should be cancelled, you are talking not about christmas being cancelled, but a different type of christmas, aren't you? yes, i'm saying let's postpone it if we can. it was an arbitrary date chosen in the fourth century because it would cheer us up during the dark days of winter, and i can

see that obviously, it a memory that we all cling to, the happy christmases of the past. but if we canjust christmases of the past. but if we can just restrain ourselves until the vaccine is available everywhere, maybe we could have a summer solstice celebration and have santa in swimming trunks, the way they do in australia. maybe the government could give us a bank holiday onjune the 21st, which is midsummer day, to make upfor the 21st, which is midsummer day, to make up for the fact that we haven't been able to enjoy december the 25th the way we usually love to. but as you point out, the psychology around getting together at this time of year is ha rd—wired getting together at this time of year is hard—wired in our dna is retail by christmas. and obviously, people of other faiths have had to deal with restrictions on their celebrations and religious festivals. do you think there is a middle ground here? well, the problem is that boris, our prime

minister, loves to see himself as a sort of lord of misrule, a sense of fun, the court jester who sort of lord of misrule, a sense of fun, the courtjester who always has a joke on his lips. he doesn't want to turn into scrooge overnight and say to people, you really cannot mix the way you want to. but people who talk about common sense ought to look at what happened here. in our market in nottingham, shopping outside harrods, crowds of people mixed without masks, shoulder to shoulder. unless the government make the rules for us, we are not very good at making them ourselves. we have all seen the headlines, boris saves christmas. the prime minister has very much tied himself to that, hasn't he? do you think that makes it difficult for him to back away from any changes to what has already been decreed? of course it's difficult for him. but if he saves

christmas but doesn't save lives, i wonder if he were like the headlines then. in america, what happened after their thanksgiving was a dangerous spike in the number of cases. i have said to my family that at the age of 80, i don't want them to look back on this christmas is the one where they killed granny was up the one where they killed granny was up and they don't want that either. i don't want to take up space in icus that should be available for other people. i don't want to put health professionals' lives at risk, because they have no choice. they have to keep working through christmas. so it's a gift we oldies can give and people with underlying health issues can give. let's say, whatever boris wants us to think of him, let's make the rules ourselves. let's not meet. after all, three households can be a dozen people who have been mixing with others and who

knows whether they could infect us without realising it. what sort of present would that be? so do you think that sterner messaging is not enough, you want the governments of the devolved nations in the uk and the devolved nations in the uk and the westminster government to say we can't have these five days where the rules are relaxed at all? well, they have got themselves in a bind here because they have been dithering for so because they have been dithering for so long. every time they have brought in the rules, it's been a bit late. when we compare ourselves with countries in the far east, who tell us it's a choice between liberty and life and they have chosen life and we have chosen liberty, but our death and infection record is not good. the government have now put themselves in such an awkward position that they will find it very difficult now to act, as they would see it, like scrooge. but what they have really done is

delegated us to make the choice for them. i suppose the problem is that common sense means different things to different people, doesn't it? common sense has always been the least common sense. yes, we are all drawing the line in different places. but a member of my family is a consultant in geriatric care. she looks after old people, and her words are full of older people struggling to take a breath, many of them dying and she is not seen her pa rents them dying and she is not seen her parents this christmas. and if she ta kes parents this christmas. and if she takes that view, it is an example we should take seriously. you have been involved in many campaigns, including of course a focus on peoples well—being. what do you say to people who say, ijust really need this for my mental well—being? i need to get together with a few members of my family over this period to see me through what has

been a really tough time, as it has for everyone? of course i understand that. i hope to launch a helpline for older people called the silver line, which is specifically to provide friendship and support to older people who suffer from intense loneliness. and of course it's terrible over christmas. i speak to many of them over christmas, who tell me how hard it is. so can i recommend this old —fashioned tell me how hard it is. so can i recommend this old—fashioned bit of technology? it's actually a landline. if you tell young people what a landline is, they don't believe you. this is a landline. 0f course there are other kinds of telephone. if we make that phone call to people on their own, members of ourfamily and call to people on their own, members of our family and friends, and just have that good—humoured exchange of best wishes over christmas, perhaps shared memories and shared jokes, that will help to alleviate the intense loneliness so many feel at christmas when they are on their

own. well, we wish you a very happy christmas this year. thank you for talking to us. dame esther rantzen. earlier i spoke to our political correspondent, iain watson, who had the latest on whether any changes are likely from the government at westminster... i think the shift will be in tone. we are now up against a grim backdrop of rising infections in london and the south—east of england and other parts of the uk as well. we have grim those warnings as well. the health servicejournal and the british medicaljournal have made only their second joint editorial in 100 years, coming together to say this decision about relaxation at christmas is rash and could cost lives. and labour leader keir starmer is calling for a review of this and saying he would back tougher regulations if that is what the government wants to do. but i don't think the government does. the thinking from the uk government is that if people are going to follow the rules, you can't chop and change them

entirely at the last minute. in addition, there will be some harm if you do alter the rules. some people will be notjust disappointed, but it could affect their mental health if they have to spend christmas alone. so there is a lot to be weighed up beyond the effect on physical health. but you're right, in terms of the weight of scientific opinion, they say if you're going to allow more people to meet indoors, where the virus is meant to be spread more easily, there will be consequences. but the government was clear this morning. communities secretary robertjenrick suggested there will be clearer guidance and the tone may harden up. people will hear messages about whether you should be visiting elderly relatives, whether you should be travelling across the country, if that was your intention, especially if you're in an area of rising infections. but ultimately, the government will not tell you what to do, it will be your own judgment that

will guide the decision. the gardens from the government todayis the gardens from the government today is that you should exercise yourjudgment, today is that you should exercise your judgment, that make today is that you should exercise yourjudgment, that make the guidance from the government. think about what is right for you. there will be families who have been longing to come together this christmas. there might be significant reasons for that, such as elderly members of the public who might think they have not got many christmases ahead and want to bring theirfamily christmases ahead and want to bring their family together on this occasion. so it's not for government to tell people how to handle the situation, but it is to offer them clear guidance. so we expect that to get that guidance is the day goes on after that meeting from the four nations. we will hear from the prime minister at premises questions at lunchtime and we were hit from government ministers on this over the next few days. from the labour's point of view, they are saying a

merry christmas could lead into a nasty hangover injanuary if we are forced into a further lockdown, so they are calling for a review. they are not saying a great deal about what they would do. they say the government has the data rather than then. the robertjenrick because my opposite number, the shadow communities secretary steve reed says there is a limited number of aerials —— variables are set out what the possibilities could be in terms of tightening the restrictions. the advice needs to be stronger and clearer but it may be given the surge of cases and the variant which appears to be more contagious, it may be that there is a need to look at whether the easing of the restrictions needs to change in terms of the number of days or the numberof in terms of the number of days or the number of people. but let's take that decision based on the science. it mustn't be knee jerk, we simply call for a review to make sure that what we do over christmas doesn't have unintended consequences in the new year that would be damaging for lives and livelihoods. that was iain watson. with just over two weeks to go until the uk's transition period ends, the president of the european commission has said

there is a now a pathway to a post—brexit trade deal. ursula von der leyen admitted fisheries remained a sticking point but that there had been progress on the "level playing field" measures to prevent unfair competition. the update comes amid reports that parliament is preparing to sit for two extra days next week, in the hope of further developments. ms von der leyen was addressing the european parliament when she made her comments. as things stand, i cannot tell you whether there will be a deal or not. but i can tell you that there is a path to an agreement now. the path may be very narrow but the path is there. it is therefore our responsibility to continue trying. the good news is that we have found a way forward on most issues but this is now a case of us being so close and yet being so far away from each other.

i'm joined from brussels by our europe correspondent, nick beake. soa so a narrow path. what does ursula von der leyen mean by that?“ so a narrow path. what does ursula von der leyen mean by that? if you are an optimist, you will have seen hopein are an optimist, you will have seen hope in what she said. if you are a pessimist, you might have thought some of your concerns were justified because with every glimmer of hope she was offering, there was a realisation that there is a lot of detail these two sides do not agree on. specifically, we have been talking for months now about three main stumbling blocks getting on the way of a deal being done. 0ne main stumbling blocks getting on the way of a deal being done. one of those, she suggested, has now been resolved, to use her word, and that is governance oi’ resolved, to use her word, and that is governance or policing a deal, what happens in the future if one side digresses. that leaves the other two issues, fishing, which of course we know has been in the newspapers i looked and we have talked about it a lot. she said there is no guarantee that this will be sorted out at all. she reiterated

that the eu doesn't want to take uk sovereignty, but it won some certainty for its fishermen and women in the years to come. she said we may never resolve this question. that also leaves the idea of fair competition rules. for the british, this is about sovereignty, not being tied to eu rules. she suggested that some progress had been made there, but they are by no means on the verge of a deal from what she was saying. british sources also pretty much the same thing, that we are still far apart much the same thing, that we are stillfarapart in much the same thing, that we are still far apart in key areas. if all the parties manage to walk down this narrow path together, to continue their analogy, what is the timeframe for getting something done? if they can reach an agreement, can they get it done in time for that 31st of december end of the transition period? this is where it gets difficult because if there is a path,itis difficult because if there is a path, it is not very well lit, it is pretty treacherous and you are not sure what is lurking on either side

of the path. they have to ratify it on the side of the english channel. ursula von der leyen gave quite a lot of detail today, the sort of stuff we had only heard privately over the last 48 hours. she gave that information at the european parliament. that is the body which also needs to ratify this, and lots of meps feel they have been squeezed out of the process. i don't want to get too complicated but there is a chance that they might be able to approve any deal that is done after the event. the phrase is provisional application. that could be one complicated side of things. as you we re complicated side of things. as you were suggesting at the top, the british parliament of course needs to sign this off as well, and that is why we are hearing that time may be put in the schedule next week if thatis be put in the schedule next week if that is something they are asked to do. so the pathway is not clear on the timeframe is not clear, but the sist the timeframe is not clear, but the 31st of december, the ultimate

deadline, remains in place. nick, thank you very much. nick beake in brussels. heathrow airport has won a supreme court challenge over the government's decision to give the go—ahead for a third runway. the court has publised a verdict which means that the airport's expansion is not illegal. the decision was announced in the last hour. the court unanimously concludes that the appeal should be allowed. the airport's national policy statement is lawful. the declaration made by the court of appeal stating that it is unlawful will be set aside. let's talk to our environment analyst, roger harrabin. describe what has happened today and what the significance of this decision is? it is a bit tortuous, but you have to go back to the

airport's national policy statement which sets out the framework for planning decisions about airports. that said the expansion would be allowed and also said that at the time, it was basing itsjudgments on uk climate targets which were set at the time. environmentalists challenged that, because they said that at the same time, there had been more stringent targets in play. they won the case at the appeal court that the ruling over the national policy statement was illegal. so this went to the supreme court, where we havejust illegal. so this went to the supreme court, where we have just heard the verdict. they have ruled that it is not illegal and they say the secretary of state did take into account climate change targets at the time and there were more stringent climate change targets, but they had not been formalised and they couldn't therefore be seen as proper government policy. so

heathrow have won this battle, but it is one battle in a very long war and they still now have to get full planning permission through a planning permission through a planning inspector, where they will again be faced with the issue of greenhouse gases. and even if they get that, it will have to be agreed by the government, and the government has been advised by its climate change adviser is that if it allows expansion at heathrow of the third runway, it should pare back the airport capacity in other parts of the country, which will not be easy for the government to do given that it easy for the government to do given thatitis easy for the government to do given that it is committed to a levelling up that it is committed to a levelling up agenda of spreading prosperity away from the south—east. so this is just one more battle in a very long war. i can see why you used the word tortuous! so timeframes are impossible to say, i imagine? impossible to say. i can't confirm this, that there are rumours that

heathrow airport limited have more or less disbanded their team is preparing planning permission after they lost in the appeal court. so they lost in the appeal court. so they would have to put that team back together. they are struggling with covid. some people don't anticipate a full planning application for another year, perhaps even two years. but in the meantime, there is an interesting knock—on ramification, which is that other campaigners have been using the previous decision over heathrow that it was illegal to expand the airport because of climate change targets, they have used that as a way of attacking the government on other fronts, on roads, way of attacking the government on otherfronts, on roads, on north sea oil and coal in cumbria. so this judgment, although not fatal for the heathrow episode, could be influential on other issues too. roger harrabin, our environment a nalyst. strict tier 3 coronavirus restrictions have come into forces for nearly 11 million people across the whole of london, and parts of essex and hertfordshire

in south east england after a surge in positive cases. 34 million people are now living in the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. there can be no socialising indoors with anyone other than the people you live with, or those in your support bubble. bars, pubs and restaurants will have to close, though they can provide takeaways and deliveries. but shops, gyms and hairdressers will be able to stay open. this report byjon mcmanus. it looked festive, and the crowds and the traffic were out in force last night in the capital. but, as the tier 3 deadline loomed, the mood among some of the diners and drinkers of london's west end turned to one of resignation. unfortunate measure the government had to take, but we're going to hopefully make the most of it tonight. even if you don't like the government, you just hope that they have enough good

scientists that are telling them the right thing to do. i've lost people in my life, but the reality is, people do die, and there's a lot more people dying, of other things, than this disease, or whatever they're calling it, it's a joke, it's a scandal. what is the point in living if we're not allowed to be social beings, if we're not allowed to interact with each other, of we're not allowed to engage with each other and have fun? there is no point to life if we're not with other people. the government, though, has made its decision. and, as the night wore on, london's time in tier 2 finally ran out. it's that time before tier 3! last orders at the bar, last orders! cheering. so, it's last orders here on the streets of the capital and at a time of year when bars, restaurants and pubs should be making most of their money, and for those who enjoy a christmas tipple, there's no idea yet when they might

be able to come back. parts of essex and hertfordshire have also moved to the tightest restrictions, which many people in swathes of the midlands, the north—east and the north—west are already living under. today, the government will review whether other parts of england will need to move between tiers. and although venues such as these can offer takeaway food and drink, for many, the only option will be to pack up, for now. john mcmanus, bbc news. six crew on board a stena line ferry in uk waters have tested positive for coronavirus. the staff on board the stena edda tested positive last night and so far are only displaying mild symptoms. 15 close contacts have also been identified and are self—isolating. the vessel, which is carrying a total of 322 passengers and 53 crew, has been advised by port authorities to disembark in birkenhead near liverpool. with coronavirus cases on the rise in many european countries, restrictions are being tightened to try to limit the spread of the infection. from this morning, tough new rules are in force in germany, meaning schools and nonessential shops will be closed

untiljanuary 10th. and with just over a week to go until christmas, questions are also being asked about whether the rules should be relaxed over the festive season. paul hawkins reports on the picture in europe — starting in the netherlands. empty streets again in the hague. in the netherlands' third largest city, these are the country's strictest set of measures since the pandemic began. lasting five weeks, nonessential shops, schools, cinemas, hairdressers and gyms have closed and until march, only essential travel abroad is allowed. translation: a lockdown is not really the solution, but stricter enforcement, like compulsory facemasks, using the corona app and even at morgues, your temperature should be controlled. that solution is far more effective than a lockdown. translation: it is precisely a good idea to close shops so shortly before christmas.

you have people doing their christmas shopping, families getting together, so i think the lockdown is really necessary. 0ver christmas, however, for three days, but households are allowed three guests instead of two. likewise, a relaxation of the rules in germany, where one household can host a maximum of four close family members over christmas. on tuesday, berliners packed the city centre before nonessential shops and schools closed until the 10th of january. restaurants, bars and leisure centres were already shut. in france, from 8pm to 2am, there is a nationwide curfew apart from christmas eve. the police here checking motorists for curfew exemption certificates. the national lockdown is over, but infection rates are still high. theatres, cinemas, bars and remain shut. the restrictions are likely to stay in place until the european medicines agency approves the

pfizer/biontech vaccine. under pressure, it will meet this monday instead of on the 29th. people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine in the uk, according to new research. the royal society for public health found that more than three quarters of white people would take the jab, compared with just over half of people from ethnic minorities. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell reports. the impact of coronavirus on people from black, asian, and other ethnic minority backgrounds has caused a great deal of anxiety and distress over the last few months. but with the vaccine

now in sight, many of us are now starting to breathe a sigh of relief. some, though, are still fearful. the pandemic has caused a huge amount of uncertainty but what is clear from the last few months is that black, asian and other ethnic minority communities are twice as likely to be infected by coronavirus compared with white people and are more at risk of dying. so why is there so much scepticism about the vaccine in these communities? in my minority of people, we have natural remedies. so if you have a cough or a cold, we do our own thing with garlic, ginger, honey and lemon. i'm not against people having it, it's just... we all have our own personal views. so far, it is god that is protecting me, and i'm under his divine protection. i will never catch any disease. a lot of people are hesitant in our community, but you have to see the positive side of it. if there is a service offered to the public, take it. i don't think there is any issue. i will take the vaccine, because there's no problem and no consequence. i will take it and protect my family.

if it has got a chip in it to track people, that's the reason i wouldn't go for it. where have you heard that this vaccine has got a chip? from the whatsapps and all this... the vaccine does not contain a chip and the government says we should be cautious of misinformation and conspiracy theories. i see even with my two kids, people sending whatsapp videos and all sorts of messages. if you don't know where that's coming from, then it's very likely to be inaccurate. this is an incredibly well—developed, scientific endeavour, and i'd urge everyone — take the information, read it, look at it and make your mind up. and those at the most senior level of health care are encouraging people from ethnic minority groups to ta ke people from ethnic minority groups to take the vaccine. for somebody like me that stood in the nightingale and saw row after row of bame patients being ventilated and seeing the way it disproportionately

affected people from the bame community, i would affected people from the bame community, iwould be affected people from the bame community, i would be urging everybody to take the vaccine. and you will be having the vaccine? definitely. are you happy? yes, lam. researchers say the evidence is clear — with higher death rates in these communities, coupled with under—representation in clinical trials, scientists insist getting vaccinated is the safest way to help end the pandemic. adina campbell, bbc news. breaking news from the court of appeal in the last few moments that the sentences given to three teenagers for the manslaughter of pc andrew harper will not be changed after the court of appeal dismissed challenges by the attorney general. the attorney general had sought to have the sentences increased on the ground that they were unduly lenient. but that has been turned down by the court of appeal. and the

sentences given to the three teenagers will not be changed. 28 year pc harper died in august 2019 —— 28—year—old. after his feet caught ina —— 28—year—old. after his feet caught in a strap attached to the back of a car driven by the teenagers and the policeman was dragged to his death down a country road as the three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in berkshire. henry long, who was 19, and 18—year—olds jesse berkshire. henry long, who was 19, and 18—year—oldsjesse cole and albert bowers were sentenced in relation to the killing of pc andrew harper. subsequently, the attorney general had sought to have the length of their sentences increased on the grounds they were unduly lenient. but, today, the court of appeal dismissed that. their sentences will not be changed.

helena wilkinson, our correspondent has been following this case. had enough. that's right, we had thatjudgment handed down in the court of appeal in london in the last couple of minutes. we know that pc have as widow was not in court to hear that. as you mentioned, this hearing happened in the last couple of weeks at the court of appeal and the attorney general had personally taken an attorney general had personally ta ken an interest attorney general had personally taken an interest in this case and she referred to the sentences of henry long, albert bowers and jessie cole comedy three convicted of manslaughter of pc harper earlier this layer year at old bailey. they we re this layer year at old bailey. they were all found not guilty of murder. —— earlier this year. after the sentences, the attorney general referred to them to the court of appeal under what is called the unduly lenient sentence scheme, arguing in court that their sentences should have been more severe in terms of henry long. he

was the driver of that car on the night. the attorney general had argued that he should have been given a life sentence for the manslaughter of pc harbour. when the attorney general was in court, she argued that his jail term did not reflect the seriousness of the offence and was contrary to the interest of justice. offence and was contrary to the interest ofjustice. henry long's barrister during that hearing had argued when the attorney general had talked about there being widespread public concern, he said that should have no influence on the issue of whether that sentence should be adjusted one way or another. the judge hasjust adjusted one way or another. the judge has just handed adjusted one way or another. the judge hasjust handed down that judgment and the attorney general‘s application to have the sentences of the three of them increased has been dismissed by three senior court of appealjudges. also at that hearing, all three had applied for sought

permission to have their sentences decreased. those applications have been dismissed. bowers and cole, the two passengers in the car, also convicted of manslaughter, they, through their lawyers, had sought permission to appeal against their convictions. they were also dismissed by thejudges convictions. they were also dismissed by the judges today at the court of appeal. to put it very simply, the attorney general has not succeeded in trying to get their sentences increased. the lawyers for the three of them, they haven't succeeded, and so those sentences, thejudges succeeded, and so those sentences, the judges today have said that they will remain as they are. henry long was sentenced to 16 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and bowers and cole each got 13 years. helena, thank you for that, helena wilkinson.

uk inflation slowed down in november as clothing and food prices shrank amid tightened coronavirus restrictions. the office for national statistics said consumer prices index inflation decreased to 0.3% from 0.7% in october. clothing and footwear costs made the largest contribution to the drop, as shoppers saw prices which were 3.6% lower than a year ago. the cost of food and non—alcoholic drinks also fell, decreasing by 0.6% in 12 months. the uk vaccines minister, nadhim zahawi, has announced the latest figures for the roll—out of the coronavirus vaccine. mr zahawi says 137,897 people have received the coronavirus vaccine so far. that is the pfizer/biontech vaccine. the figures include 108,000 people in england, 18,000 in scotland, 7,897 in wales, 4,000 in northern ireland. more now on our top story. sterner warnings about the dangers of mixing over christmas are to be

issued by the four uk nations — but sources say the rules allowing three households to mix are "unlikely to change". but what are the current rules? our health correspondent, laura foster, explains. this christmas in the uk, you're allowed to meet up with people you don't live with and to celebrate indoors. but there's a difference between what the rules allow you to do and what would be the safest thing to do. do you want to expose elderly relatives and those who might be vulnerable to this virus either in your home or being a guest in someone else's home? the virus doesn't care that it's christmas, it'll keep spreading regardless. how much risk are you willing to take at this point in time with your family and your loved ones? the british government says up to three households, including your own, can mix indoors. think of it like a giant support bundle or support bauble, if you prefer. scotland has gone further, though, saying this christmas bubble should only have eight people in at the most but says children

under 12 don't count. now, this bubble can exist for five days between the 23rd and the 27th of december. if you're in northern ireland, though, you get an extra day either side of this for travel time. now, you can also meet people from outside your bubble outdoors. here, the rule of six applies and where you can meet them depends on what to tier your area is in. but when it comes to socialising in a home, you can only be in one christmas bubble and you can't change it once you're in it. you can also meet your bubble at a place of worship or in an outdoor public place. the rules say you can do this, but is it a good idea? what we've seen in the us is that after thanksgiving, when people were travelling and mixing, there's now been a big surge in infections and they're seeing 3,000 deaths a day now. the highest rate that there's ever been in any country. if we have that kind of thing happening over the christmas holidays in this country, with very high transmission rates possible injanuary, it's going to take so much longer to get things back to normal. but if you are going to have people round this christmas,

there are things you can do to reduce the chances of the virus spreading in your home. firstly, you should avoid meeting up with other people ahead of the festive season. then, when the time comes to having visitors, if someone has symptoms, don't let them in. open the windows and doors, so fresh air can circulate around your home and keep your distance from people. wearing masks indoors will also help stop the chances of the virus spreading but meeting people outside is much safer. remember, the less time you spend with other people, the better. shorter visits are safer than longer ones. laura foster with that report. let me read out more comments you've been sending me about your christmas plans. amanda says we will be staying at home for christmas, three daughters and four grandchildren will do the same. stay safe. it's one christmas if you want to see christmas 2021, stay home. a big party in the summer planned says amanda. this is from dean. i wish people will stop saying that others use their common sense. what this

pandemic shows is that there are a lot of people without common sense. iam sure lot of people without common sense. i am sure 3—4 weeks after christmas, there will be a huge rise in infections and deaths. that is the concern we have been hearing from scientists and doctors worried about health services being overwhelmed as we go into the new year. and then we have this from adam jones who says my wife was due to have vital cancer surgery today in a london hospital. it has been postponed due to lack of beds following a sudden influx of cases the weekend. a huge worry that other vital services may be affected, may be impacted, postponed, because of the number of people with covid being admitted to hospitals. thank you very much for sending in those comments. i am sure there will be many more opportunities to get your comments read out throughout the day. as we've been hearing, nearly 11 million people across the whole of london and parts of south east england have entered the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. it comes ahead of the first review

of england's regional tiered—system. greater manchester has been in tier 3 since june. the labour mayor of the region, andy bunrham, said he hoped it would move into tier 2 following a fall in the number of positive cases of the virus. we're in a very changed position than when the tiers were first decided. so, we are actually quite a lot lower than london, when london was put into tier 2 and also lower than liverpool, when they were put into tier 2. so, you know, i hope the government will make an evidence—based decision. i can understand that the mood has changed nationally with the position in london and the christmas period coming. so the government wanted to err on the side of caution. a couple of our boroughs are above the national average and you know, i think we wouldn't object to a different decision being taken there. but there is a strong case, now, for a substantial part of greater machester to be in tier 2. and bear in mind, people here have been under restrictions forfour and a half months. and that has to be taken

into consideration when these decisions are made. but if the government looks at the numbers and, as you say, two boroughs are still higher than the rest of the boroughs, do you expect the government to recognise those nuances and differentiate and say, "well, this part of greater machester "can get into tier 2 but those areas have to stay in tier 3?" is it going to happen like that, realistically? well, i'm indicating today to them that we would understand if they wanted to do something like that. but a large number of our boroughs now are well below the england average. and, as i say, well below london and liverpool when they went into tier 2 originally. and if you look at some of the other indicators — the government is using pressure on hospitals — that has reduced significantly, as well, so have the number of cases in the over 605. the position in greater machester is a very changed position. and in some ways it is the opposite

of what has happened in london over the last few weeks. and what we're saying is that we need the same fair consideration of the evidence. and, indeed, the consideration that was given to the economy in london when the tier 2 decision was made. because four—plus months in restrictions has left many of our businesses now close to the brink. and i personally don't understand the logic of giving a complete green light to retail but leaving hospitality in the dark over this christmas period. let me pick up on that, because i know that you are worried that if cities are in tier 3 over christmas and new year, that that is going to drive socialising, and i mean social gatherings, aren't we, indoors? do you think hospitality venues can actually handle those gatherings more safely? yes, i do. because they are regulated. and they've all spent thousands of pounds putting in measures to make them safe. and i think the hospitality industry has really raised its game in this regard. and i think the risk of not

having hospitality open, particularly in city centres through the new year period, is that we will see more gatherings in the home. i'm not sure we've got the balance right in these measures. if you wanted my personal view, i would prefer a tier 2 position with a more modest relaxation over christmas and then back into tier 2. and bear in mind, this review is probably not going to be repeated for another month. so whatever decisions are made today will be in place for a month. and if we get to mid january with greater machester still in tier 3, there will be plenty of pubs and restaurants that will never reopen. more broadly, then, as we look at the five days of christmas, as we're calling it, what is your position there? do you think the leaders of the four nations should stick with what they announced and that there should be that relaxation? or would you like to see some changes to that, some tougher messaging,

which we are anticipating will be given later? it's frustrating, because when this was first announced, i came on your programme and other programmes and said i think it was going too far. i don't know about everyone's family, but my family doesn't gather for five days over christmas — one or two at most. and i don't think the balance was right from the beginning. but it's frustrating, because, you know, it's quite late now, isn't it, and families had made plans? it's hard to change things. in an ideal world, as i said, we would prefer tier 2 and a modest christmas, or i would anyway. i think that's more sensible and a more steady approach. but i understand that this is now late in the day. and it's difficult to be chopping and changing at this stage. it's a frustrating position and i think if perhaps more consultation had been done before this was set, then i think we would have come to a better position. andy burnham speaking to me a little earlier.

the headlines on bbc news... sterner warnings about the dangers of christmas socialising will be issued by the four uk nations later but the rules allowing three households to meet are expected to remain. bell rings. last orders in london as it moves to tougher tier 3 restrictions — ministers are due to review other english tiers today. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop a sharp rise in covid—19 infections. india is gearing up to begin its mass covid vaccination programme. while it awaits approvals for its home—grown vaccine candidates, the bbc‘s arunoday mukharji looks at what it will take to run a successful nationwide campaign. india is getting ready for the next phase of its battle against covid—19 — vaccinating 1.3 billion people, the challenge is unprecedented. in this class, medical

professionals from the private sector are learning how to administer a covid—19 vaccine quickly and safely. this hospital is one of many indian private institutes treating covid—19 patients and now it's also running vaccination training camps. they say they're aiming to administer1 million covid—19 vaccines a day, when a shot is ready. the task is mammoth. we need about 200,000 vaccinators and these will be required in a really spread—out geography. if we don't store this right, the whole vaccine is not of any use so i would think the government would really need to concentrate on safe, vaccinated spaces. india produces more than 60% of the world's vaccines and while it is in talks with pfizer, it is largely banking on its domestic infrastructure. 0xford astrazeneca candidate, manufactured by the serum institute

of india, and its partner are currently frontrunners to get emergency approval from the government. the government says front line health workers and those above the age of 50 in the high—risk category will be the first 300 million indians to get the vaccine in the next six months. but administering the vaccine isjust one challenge. in a country like india, where the richest 1% control over 40% of the country's wealth, the other big challenge for the government is to ensure that the vaccine is made accessible to both the poor and the rich in a free and fair manner. we would have to make sure there is no black—marketing, there is no overpricing, there is a law and order situation and there is no, you know, skewing, the vaccine taken away by the mighty. the government claims its battle ready, but it's still unclear how much the vaccine will cost or if it will be free for the poor. officials also now say they may not vaccinate all 1.3 billion indians but only a critical mass

to break the transmission. while there is hope, normal life is still several months away. arunoday mukharji, bbc news, delhi. the verdicts are due this afternoon in the trial of 14 people accused of playing a role in the islamist extremist gun attacks injanuary 2015 in paris against charlie—hebdo magazine and a jewish supermarket, in which 17 people were killed. the three perpetrators of the attacks were killed by police at the time, and those charged are alleged to have helped provide them with weapons and logistical support. 0ur correspondent hugh schofield is in paris, he's been following this landmark trial. three months is a record in terrorist trials in france. there was a several week period when it was closed for covid, because some of the accused got covid. but regardless of that, it was an enormously long trial. all filmed to make a kind of historic record. and a lot of the first part

of the trial was simply people remembering what had happened. witnesses at the charlie hebdo shooting and then relatives of people who had died, talking about their loss. there were 100 what they call partie civile, who sort ofjoined the case as civil parties and their lawyers all had to have a word as well. and then we got into the meat of the case, which regards these 14 individuals, three of whom are not in court. three of the most important one is not in court because they fled to syria at the time of the attack. and there was a lot of very, very detailed technical evidence that was compiled by the prosecution that tried to establish that these 14 were three absent, had really been the kind of back office of the attacks. that they had been the ones that provided the weapons, the car, and so on. particularly for coulibaly in fact, the coulibaly was the one at the jewish supermarket, the trial, you could almost say it was the trial of the jewish supermarket attack rather

than charlie hebdo. because the kouachi brothers who carried out the charlie hebdo attack, how they got their weapons, remain something of a mystery. this is very much focused on how the supermarket attack got his weapons. we can be fairly sure that the three people who fled at the time will be found guilty. their fleeing was clearly a sign that they knew of the plot. there is one character ali polat who is accused of the most serious offence of complicity, knowing what was happening. he's accused of really being in there with coulibaly, in planning the event. for the others, it's much less clear because they have been able to argue there was some force, via their defence that, yes, they were common criminals and they were used to running drugs and guns even and carrying them around the place and they will have criminal records and so on. but that's a long way from being shown to have taken an active part in any kind of plot.

they all deny that they had any idea of what the weapons were for and yet they are accused, nearly all of them, of a terrorist offence. the most powerful us republican after the president, mitch mcconnell, has finally congratulated joe biden on his election victory — six weeks after the poll. 0ur north america correspondent, david willis, reports. six weeks after the us presidential election, joe biden's victory is finally being knowledged by senior republicans. monday's endorsement by the electoral college prompting the leader of the senate to break his silence and call for members of his party to move on. the electoral college has spoken. the president—elect is no stranger to the senate. he has devoted himself to public service for many years. and i also want to congratulate the vice president—elect,

our colleague from california, senator harris. beyond our differences, all americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president—elect for the very first time. yet whilst members of his party seem willing to bring weeks of fractuous and ultimately futile legal challenges to an end, donald trump continues to allege, without evidence, that the election was subject to voter fraud. at the white house, his press secretary was asked is the president himself willing to acknowledgejoe biden as the president—elect? the president is still involved in ongoing litigation related to the election. yesterday's vote was one step in the constitutional process. so i will leave that to him and refer you to the campaign for more on that litigation. what additional litigation might consist of is anyone's guess. numerous attempts to get the outcome overturned in appeals all the way to the us supreme court appeals have all been rebuffed, many of them byjudges appointed by donald trump. meanwhile, the largest vaccination programme

in this country's history continues, with healthcare workers at the front of the line. officials hope to immunise 20 million people this month and the rest of the population by the summer of next year. a second vaccine made by the american company moderna is expected to receive federal approval this week. the need is urgent indeed. at the national cathedral in the capital washington, dc, the bell was rung, once each for every thousand americans who have died of covid—19. that figure now stands at 300,000 and rising. david willis, bbc news, los angeles. the canadian fashion designer peter nygard has been charged in the united states with trafficking women and girls for sex. mr nygard has been taken into custody by canadian police, and us authorities are seeking his extradition. his lawyer said his client, "vehemently denies "these allegations".

a leading humanitarian agency, the international rescue committee, has called on global leaders to urgently address the major conflicts around the world — or risk giving up earlier progress on reducing poverty, hunger, and disease. the irc‘s president said 2020 will be remembered as one of the most turbulent years in history. more than 370 religious leaders from around the world are calling for a ban on "gay conversion therapy". it aims to change a person's sexual orientation. a statement signed by representatives of all the major faiths is being presented to the foreign office later today. we all know that dogs and horses can communicate with humans, but i bet you didn't think kangaroos could too? welljust have a look at this. scientists found kangeroos gazed intently at researchers when they were unable to open a box with food in, and many of them alternately looked at the human and at the container, as a way of gesturing toward the object. some of them even scratched or sniffed the person conducting

the experiment to try to get them to help. scientists had previously thought only domesticated animals could ask humans for help in that way. never underestimate animals. you're watching bbc news. joanna will be here with you in a few minutes to take you through to 1pm. now, the weather with carol kirkwood. hello, again. low pressure is well and truly dominating our weather today and with it, we've got rain crossing all areas. if you haven't got it yet, it is still going to come your way. and, also gusty winds, the strongest winds this morning have been with the exposure in the west but you will notice the wind today wherever you are. and that's because notjust low pressure but all the fronts wrapped around it, this one moving east, this one moving north and they all are going to bring some rain with them as they do so. so, we've got the rain continuing across england, moving out of wales, not getting into the far south—east until later. if you follow it round, it's the northern isles and the western isles seeing

that rain and then it curls back in on itself, bringing further rain across northern ireland and western scotland. and later into north—west england, too. now, these black circles indicate the wind strength in gusts in the middle of the afternoon, so, wherever you are, you will notice it. temperatures ranging from about 9 to 11 degrees. so, above average for this stage in december. now, through this evening and overnight, eventually that rain gets into the rest of the south east and clears. you can see this wraparound band of rain pushing steadily northwards and you will also see some showers coming in, a lot of them a lot of them on the coast, but some of them blowing inland, as well. temperatures falling to between 4 and 8 degrees, so it'll be a cold start to the day tomorrow than it was this morning. so, talking of tomorrow, we've got a transient ridge of high pressure building across us, the isobars are still quite tightly packed, so it will still be a breezy day and then we've got a new clutch of fronts coming in from the atlantic. so with that transient ridge of high pressure, things settle down. there will be more sunshine around, more dry weather and fewer showers. still quite breezy and then later,

the cloud thickens across the west, introducing a weather front which will bring in some rain and strengthening winds. 0ur maximum temperatures 9—13 degrees but they could actually rise through the course of the night. what's happening on thursday and friday is low pressure takes control of our weather, once again, you can see all the fronts crossing us, but they are bringing in milder air. particularly so on friday. you can see that represented by the ambers, so it will be very mild on friday and then into the weekend, temperatures slide a bit. so, friday, we will see rain coming in from the west, with low cloud and drizzle in the east and then temperatures slip to sunshine and showers at the weekend.

this is bbc news, i'm joanna gosling. the headlines at 11... a sterner warning about the dangers of christmas socialising is expected to be issued by the government later — but the relaxation of rules is likely to remain. it's not for government to tell people exactly how to handle the situation, but it is to offer them clear guidance. i have said to my family that the age of 80, i really don't want them to look back on this christmas as the one where they killed granny. last orders in london as it moves to tougher tier 3 restrictions — ministers are due to review other english tiers today. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop a sharp rise in covid—19 infections.

more than 130,000 people have been vaccinated in the first week of the uk's vaccination programme, but research suggests people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less keen to have the jab. the supreme court rules that plans to build a third runway at heathrow are lawful, after they were blocked by a lower court. the head of the european commission says a "narrow path" has opened up for the uk and eu to strike a post—brexit deal, but that disagreements remain overfishing rights. and coming up this hour... cleaning up the clothing industry. the small town in italy that's leading the way in sustainable fashion.

borisjohnson is resisting calls to scrap the relaxed approach to covid rules at christmas, despite warnings from scientists that hospitals risk becoming overwhelmed. no final decisions have been taken, but it's thought the restrictions allowing three households to mix are "unlikely to change". cabinet office minister michael gove is presently thought to be holding talks with the leaders of the devolved adminstrations. sterner warnings are to be given about the dangers of mixing over christmas. people will be told to think carefully about spending time with elderly relatives. and there'll be an emphasis on avoiding travelling long distances after health experts said the planned relaxation would lead to many coronavirus deaths. labour is urging the government to "review" and "toughen up" the christmas restrictions. this report from nick eardley. after a year in which few things have been normal, christmas is going to be different, too. gone are the office parties and big gatherings of family and friends. there are plans to relax some rules to allow limited mixing

but with cases rising in many areas, some have called for a rethink, saying the decision could cost lives. will we still get christmas, prime minister? leaders from across the uk held talks yesterday and it looks like the rules will still be relaxed for christmas. in england, there's no plan for a change of heart and it is understood to be likely other parts of the uk will stick to the plan, too. the final decisions are still to be made, but if confirmed, that would allow three households to form a christmas bubble for five days, starting from 23rd december. but the government is expected to tell us all to be very cautious. in the next few days, ministers are likely to urge the public to limit social contact in the days before forming a bubble, to think carefully about mixing with elderly or at—risk relatives, and to stay close to home for christmas if possible. there will be more talks on the plans later this morning.

politicians are likely to be telling us all to have a cautious christmas this year. nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. 0ur political correspondent, jess parker is at westminster. those talks going on now between michael gove and leaders of the devolved nations as they try and formulate an updated plan for what to do this christmas, a week out from this christmas bubble starting, where people can mix with up to three hassles over five days, slightly longer if you are travelling to and from northern ireland. certainly from the perspective of the westminster government, they seem pretty relu cta nt to government, they seem pretty reluctant to change the regulations at this stage. i think all sides are saying ideally that they want to reach some sort of four nations agreement because people will potentially be travelling across the uk but the onus for ministers here

seems to be on personal responsibility. it was something the kennedys secretary was speaking about earlier this morning. the very clear guidance, i think, from the government today is, you exercise good judgment, think about the particular vulnerabilities of your own family and friends who might be coming together and decide what's right for you. as i say, we can't legislate for every eventuality. there will be families who have been longing to come together this christmas. there might be very significant reasons for that such as elderly members of the public who might not think they have got so many christmases ahead and want to bring their family together on this occasion. so it's not for government to tell people exactly how to handle the situation, but it is to offer them clear guidance. a tricky one for ministers. he says it is not for government to tell people what to do but of course, over recent months due to the pandemic, that is exactly what has been happening. ministers are facing

calls, criticism to go further, to do more. we heard those stark warnings yesterday from two health journals saying the decision to go ahead with this was rash and would cost lives. as well, we heard from the labour leader, sir keir starmer, arguing infavourof the labour leader, sir keir starmer, arguing in favour of some sort of toughening up of the rules. there is a position echoed by the shadow communities secretary. the advice needs to be stronger and clearer, but it may be, given the surging rate of infections and the new variant, which appears to be more contagious, it may be that there is a need to look at whether the easing of the restrictions needs to change in terms of the number of days or the number of people. but let's take that decision based on the science. it mustn't be knee—jerk. we simply call for a review to make sure that what we do over christmas doesn't have unintended consequences in the new year. difficult cold, but would you expect from keir starmer later it is difficult for politicians because on

the one hand, they are facing these claims that if they don't do more, they will put to peoples lives at risk but then equally, a week out from the start of this christmas bubble, do you want to be the politician who is calling for christmas effectively to be cancelled? we don't know what will come out of this call but a potential strengthening of language. from keir starmer, what we will hear later, i am sure he is like a depression this idea of toughening up depression this idea of toughening up the rules given the bleak health picture we got on monday. a new strain of coronavirus, more areas in england going into tier 3 because of rising rates of the virus. it will be adjusting to hear borisjohnson's response but we are notjust hearing in that mid day hour from the response but we are notjust hearing in that mid day hourfrom the prime minister, we are expecting as well to hear separately from nicola sturgeon in scotland, mark drakeford in wales, so we should get a pretty broad understanding of where the four nations are at and if they have

managed to stay in accordance with each other one week from this christmas bubble. dame esther ra ntzen, is calling for christmas to be cancelled. writing in today's daily mail the broadcaster and founder of both childline and silverline said ‘the best gift we can offer our families this christmas is to refuse to meet them.‘ earlier she explained exactly what she believed was the best course of action this christmas. i'm saying let's postpone it if we can, because it was an arbitrary date chosen in the fourth century because it would cheer us up during the dark days of winter, and i can see that obviously, it a memory that we all cling to, the happy christmases of the past. but if we can just restrain ourselves until the vaccine is available everywhere, maybe we could have a summer solstice celebration and have santa in swimming trunks, the way they do in australia. maybe the government could give us

a bank holiday onjune 21st, which is midsummer day, to make up for the fact that we haven't been able to enjoy december 25th the way we usually love to. well, the problem is that boris, our prime minister, loves to see himself as a sort of lord of misrule, a sense of fun, the courtjester who always has a joke on his lips. he doesn't want to turn into scrooge overnight and say to people, you really cannot mix the way you want to. but people who talk about common sense ought to look at what happened here. in our market in nottingham, shopping outside harrods, crowds of people mixed without masks, shoulder to shoulder. unless the government make the rules for us, we're not very good at making them ourselves.

we will have coverage of prime minister's questions and also the decisions taken by the four nations on whether the rules should be twea ked on whether the rules should be tweaked and what the guidance should be. the latest number of people who have received the coronavirus vaccine in the uk has announced this morning. in england, 108,000 have been vaccinated. 18,000 people in scotland and 7,897 in wales. in northern ireland,— 4,000 have been vaccinated, bringing the total number of vaccinations across the uk to 137,897. with coronavirus cases on the rise in many european countries, restrictions are being tightened to try to limit the spread of the infection. and with just over a week to go until christmas, questions are also being asked about whether the rules should be relaxed over the festive season. paul hawkins reports on the picture in europe — starting in the netherlands.

empty streets again in the hague. in the netherlands' third largest city, these are the country's strictest set of measures since the pandemic began. lasting five weeks, nonessential shops, schools, cinemas, hairdressers and gyms have closed and until march, only essential travel abroad is allowed. translation: a lockdown is not really the solution, but stricter enforcement, like compulsory facemasks, using the corona app and even at morgues, your temperature should be controlled. that solution is far more effective than a lockdown. translation: it is precisely a good idea to close shops so shortly before christmas. you have people doing their christmas shopping, families getting together, so i think the lockdown is really necessary. 0ver christmas, however, for three days, but households are allowed three guests instead of two.

likewise, a relaxation of the rules in germany, where one household can host a maximum of four close family members over christmas. on tuesday, berliners packed the city centre before nonessential shops and schools closed until the 10th of january. restaurants, bars and leisure centres were already shut. in france, from 8pm to 2am, there is a nationwide curfew apart from christmas eve. the police here checking motorists for curfew exemption certificates. the national lockdown is over, but infection rates are still high. theatres, cinemas, bars and remain shut. the restrictions are likely to stay in place until the european medicines agency approves the pfizer/biontech vaccine. under pressure, it will meet this monday instead of on the 29th. uk inflation slowed down in november as clothing and food prices shrank amid tightened

coronavirus restrictions. the office for national statistics said consumer prices index inflation decreased to 0.3% from 0.7% in october. clothing and footwear costs made the largest contribution to the drop, as shoppers saw prices which were 3.6% lower than a year ago. the cost of food and nonalcoholic drinks also fell, decreasing by 0.6% in 12 months. ministers have revised a controversial housing target plan for england after facing backlash from conservative mps. (tx the computer—based formula used to decide where houses should be built has been "updated" to focus more on areas in the north and midlands after concerns that it would have been concentrated in the south east. the new plans will prioritise building new homes in the 20 largest cities. rail fares will rise more than expected next year, but the above—inflation hike won't come into effect

(tx prices will increase by two—point—six %. until march. the government said it reflected "unprecedented taxpayer support" for rail this year — but the transport union, the tssa, has described the news as a "kick in the teeth" for passengers. as you've just heard, restrictions starting in germany will be the country's tightest so far. 0ur correspondentjenny hill sent this report it is a shockingly high number, a record high for germany and it will cause great alarm here. it's worth bearing in mind i think that yesterday we were told to expect a higher number today. because yesterday the state of saxony, which is particularly badly affected, didn't register any of their case numbers or death numbers. so in part, that may be one of the reasons for such a high number today. nevertheless, it is much higher than what we have seen in recent days, when numbers have hovered around 500 or so. so it will be causing great alarm. as if anyone really needed the warning, yesterday we had from the scientific adviser

to the government here, who said the situation has never been more serious for germany. and warned that it could yet worsen. scientists suggest that first of all, it simply may be that people aren't abiding by some of these rules. the government's scientific adviser yesterday said their mathematical modelling suggests that in the so—called lockdown—lite of the last six weeks, which has seen bars, restaurants, arts and leisure facilities close, people reduced their contacts by 40%. he said it needed to be 60%. others say the fact that harsher restrictions weren't introduced earlier may also be to blame. there is a political dimension to this, too. you'll perhaps recall that over the past few months, angela merkel has urged regional leaders again and again to impose tougher nationwide measures. they have really resisted her on that for many months. they've bickered amongst themselves. they couldn't agree

what their priorities were. so that has resulted in this rather delayed introduction of a lockdown. that may also be in part to blame. the majority of germans were in favour of harder restrictions. there has also growing impatience here for some time. the case numbers and deaths have been rising. there is also growing impatience for that vaccine, the german developed a vaccine which has been ruled out in the uk and the us but not yet in germany. because it, like every other eu member state is waiting on that european approval. the vaccination centres here are apparently ready and waiting to roll it out. all they are waiting for is the actual approval and the vaccine itself. the sentences for the three teenagers jailed for the manslaughter of pc andrew harper will not be changed after the court of appeal rejected an appeal by the attorney general. pc harper was killed when he was dragged along a road after being caught in a strap

attached to the back of a car driven by long in august of last year. our correspondent helena wilkinson has been following the case. this all goes back to the court of appeal couple of weeks ago where the attorney general stood up in court and took on the case personally, arguing in front of three senior court of appealjudges that the sentences handed down after that a trial injuly sentences handed down after that a trial in july to sentences handed down after that a trial injuly to henry long and the two for manslaughter of pc harper, the attorney general had argued they we re the attorney general had argued they were and julie linney and and when she was in court, she referred to long, she argued that his jail term did not reflect the seriousness of that offence and was contrary to the

interests of justice. that offence and was contrary to the interests ofjustice. she also said that the other two, the passengers, also convicted of pc harper's manslaughter, the trial judge afforded to great a reduction for their age and learning difficulties. she had argued in court that henry long should have been given a life sentence by the trialjudge. the barristers in court representing the three teenagers said in respect of the attorney general‘s comments that there had been widespread public concern, they said that should have no influence on the issue of whether this sentence order to be adjusted one way or another. the handing down of thisjudgment one way or another. the handing down of this judgment today, the attorney general‘s reference her application to refer the sentences under the undulate union scheme has been rejected by the three court of appealjudges. also at that hearing,

the lawyers representing the three had also sought permission to appeal against sentences for manslaughter, there manslaughter sentences will remain the same, so there has been no change at all in terms of the sentences of the three. has there been any reaction from a pc harper's widow? yes, she has released a statement and as you know, she has been campaigning for what she calls harper's law where she once a life sentence for anyone who is convicted of killing an emergency worker. she has said in a statement that she is disappointed with the outcome of today'sjudgment disappointed with the outcome of today's judgment and she ultimately feels, along with the attorney general, and the majority of the country, she says, that the sentences are far too lenient. she goes on to say that she remains more

determined than ever to do what is right and to ensure that we see what should have been in place so long ago. in her statement she says she is going to continue to fight for what she says is justice for emergency workers. we have also had a brief statement from the attorney general after the judgment today. she has said that she respects the decision of the court of appeal and her thoughts remain with pc harper's family for their unimaginable loss. here in the uk strict tier 3 coronavirus restrictions have come into forces for nearly 11 million people across the whole of london, and parts of neighbouring essex and hertfordshire after a surge in positive cases. 34 million people are now living in the highest level of coronavirus restrictions. there can be no socialising indoors with anyone other than the people you live with, or those in your support bubble. bars, pubs and restaurants will have to close, though they can provide takeaways and deliveries. but shops, gyms and hairdressers will be able to stay open.

this report byjon mcmanus. it looked festive, and the crowds and the traffic were out in force last night in the capital. but, as the tier 3 deadline loomed, the mood among some of the diners and drinkers of london's west end turned to one of resignation. unfortunate measure the government had to take, but we're going to hopefully make the most of it tonight. even if you don't like the government, you just hope that they have enough good scientists that are telling them the right thing to do. i've lost people in my life, but the reality is, people do die, and there's a lot more people dying, of other things, than this disease, or whatever they're calling it, it's a joke, it's a scandal. what is the point in living if we're not allowed to be social beings, if we're not allowed to interact with each other, of we're not allowed to engage with each other and have fun? there is no point to life if we're not with other people. the government, though, has made its decision. and, as the night wore on, london's time in tier 2 finally ran out.

it's that time before tier 3! last orders at the bar, last orders! cheering. so, it's last orders here on the streets of the capital and at a time of year when bars, restaurants and pubs should be making most of their money, and for those who enjoy a christmas tipple, there's no idea yet when they might be able to come back. parts of essex and hertfordshire have also moved to the tightest restrictions, which many people in swathes of the midlands, the north—east and the north—west are already living under. today, the government will review whether other parts of england will need to move between tiers. and although venues such as these can offer takeaway food and drink, for many, the only option will be to pack up, for now. john mcmanus, bbc news. speaking this morning — the mayor of greater manchester andy burnham said he wanted restrictions in the area to be eased.

i hope the government will make an evidence—based decision. i can understand that the mood has changed nationally, with the position in london and the christmas period coming, so if the government wanted to err on the side of caution, a couple of our boroughs are still above the national average and i think we wouldn't object to a different decision being taken there, but there is a strong case now for a substantial part of greater manchester to be in tier 2 and, bear in mind, people here have been under restrictions for four and a half months and that has to be taken into consideration when these decisions are made. so, the lockdowns and restrictions having a continuing impact on the economy and from today as we've been reporting london and large parts of the south east are going into tier 3, the toughest level of measures, affecting nearly 11 million people. we can speak now to our business presenter, sima kotecha. what is the impact on the

hospitality sector in particular? yes, 14,000 businesses in the capital have closed today as these new restrictions have come into place. bars, restaurants, pubs, cafe is can only do takeaways and that means consumers are not allowed to go in and it comes really bad time for these businesses because they we re for these businesses because they were helping to make up for the last ground that they encountered during the two logjams during the christmas period. of italy at christmas, many families and friends get together during normal times and they were hoping that there would be a rash during this period that would boost up during this period that would boost up their revenue and profit but that was not to be. the london chamber of commerce today says he won the government to provide these businesses with urgent financial help. it says a vaccination, even though it is on the horizon, will not make any economic impact until

the midst of next year. the financial year which starts next april. a lot of alarm and concern from grips like that and we so yesterday that the and implement figures are rising. 800,000 people we re figures are rising. 800,000 people were not on the payroll in november. that is a lot of people. economists say the and implement rate is going to get higher as the months move forward. we are approaching colder months, businesses closed, less people at work, all of that means there are fewer pennies are being injected into the economy, giving it to that also means that people will really feel the pinch because abel had fewer pennies in their pockets. so i'm afraid i've said this before several times in the last few months, we have heard the peoples livelihoods are at stake here, mental health is being affected and moving forward, i am afraid it looks pretty dismal. what government help is there because there has obviously

been the furlough system right from the start and that was supposed to go but it was then extended. there have been other forms of help, too. it has been a changing picture so update us on where we are in terms of what support there is? we have the furlough scheme as you say. that is in place until the end of march. there has also been a business rate holiday and any business that is on a high street has to pay this tax on their building and what the london chamber of commerce is calling today is that they want an extension to that holiday so that businesses on the high street don't have to pay that tax. so all of that basically means that they would have less money to pay to the government if they were given that relaxation. this is all about businesses surviving at this point. we have heard that many are on the verge of collapse. if they haven't collapsed

already. these are serious times and asi already. these are serious times and as i have said, these are livelihoods at stake. 0ne pub owner was telling the bbc that he had bought dozens of kegs of beer the christmas rush. all of that beer now has to go to waste because he won't have the customers and that raises so many questions about their areas produce that many businesses have bought for the christmas period. a lot of that produce is bought in the months are january and february. what happens to those goods? many will be wasted. some will be given away, some will be sold but at the end of the day, it is very likely that there will be less money in the solar proprieties of these businesses pockets. speaking this morning, the president of the european commission says there is a now a pathway to a post brexit trade deal. ursula von der leyen admitted fisheries remained a sticking point but that there had been progress on the ‘level playing field' measures to prevent unfair competition. the update comes amid reports that

parliament is preparing to sit for two extra days next week, in the hope of further developments. ms von der leyen was speaking to the european parliament when she made her comments. as things stand i cannot tell you whether there will be a deal or not. but i can tell you that there is a path to an agreement now. the path may be very narrow but the path is there. it is therefore our responsibility to ocontinue trying. the good news is that we have found a way forward on most issues but this is now a case of us being so close and yet so far away from each other. the next days are going to be decisive and i know i have said this before. and i know dealines have been missed time and again.

the clock puts us all in a very difficult situation and it's right to exercise democratic scrutiny and ratification. that's why i want to thank you for your support and understanding and i know that if we do get there i can count on you for good outcome. 0ur brussels correspondent nick beake has been following the talks — and explained the stumbling blocks that remains if a deal is to be agreed. if you are an optimist, you would have seen hope in what she said. if you are a pessimist, you might have thought that some of your concerns were well justified because with every, sort of, glimmer of hope she was offering, there was a sense of realisation that there is a lot of detail these two sides do not agree on. specifically, if we look at it, we have been talking for weeks and months now that there are three main stumbling blocks which are getting in the way of a deal being done. one of those, she suggested, has now been resolved,

to use her word and that is governance of policing a deal. what happens in the future if one side digresses? now, that leaves the other two issues — fishing, which of course we know has been in the newspapers a lot, we have been talking about it a lot, she said there is no guarantee that this will be sorted out at all. she reiterated that the eu doesn't want to take uk sovereignty but it wants some certainty for its fishermen and women in the years to come. but she said, you get the feeling that we may never resolve this question. that also leaves the idea of fair competition rules. for the british, it's about sovereignty, not being tied to eu rules, she suggested some progress had been made there but certainly, they are by no means on the verge of a deal, from what she was saying, and also british sources said today, pretty much the same thing, we are still very far apart in key areas.

you we have just heard that the four nations of the uk have agreed to allow the relaxation of coronavirus rules around christmas, despite calls for them to be toughened with the growing number of covid—19 cases. it is understood there is broad agreement not to change the legal regulations, although the final wording of the agreement is being worked on. a statement is expected soon confirming the details. much stronger advice, urging people to be cautious around christmas is likely later today. it's understood some parts of the uk may toughen advice on household mixing over the festive period as well, so there is an agreement for a four nation approach. it had been thought that perhaps scotland might go its own way and reduce that relaxation of the covid rules around christmas, perhaps reducing the time frame, but there is agreement for all four nations to keep the framework in place as it stands, but there is likely to be much tougher

guidance around that, so we are expecting the full details and we will of course bring them to you as soon as we can. let's catch up with the weather. with low pressure in charge today, all of us will see some stage gusty winds out of the west, rain continues to push eastward through the day, getting to the south—east first of all and if you follow it around, you can see we have a scale of rain coming back into some western areas. gusty winds throughout the day, even inland you will notice them with highs from nine to 13. through the evening and overnight, we say goodbye to the rain in the south—east, there will still be a lot of showers dotted around, most of them around the coast but some inland as well. still quite gusty tonight, overnight lows between four and 708 degrees. so a cold start to the day tomorrow than it was today. but tomorrow with a transient ridge of high pressure crosses ,

transient ridge of high pressure crosses, a lot of dry weather, a fair bit of sunshine and fewer showers. but the cloud will build outs towards the west, we will see some rain, the wind will strengthen and tomorrow's highs nine to 13. hello this is bbc news. the headlines. a sterner warning about the dangers of christmas socialising is expected to be issued by the government later — but the relaxation of rules is likely to remain. the four nations have agreed the relaxation of coronavirus rules around christmas to go ahead, but the guidance will be toughened up. last orders in london as it moves to tougher tier 3 restrictions, ministers are due to review other english tiers today. germany enters a hard lockdown, closing schools and businesses into january in an attempt to stop a sharp rise in covid—19 infections.

more than 130,000 people have been vaccinated in the first week of the uk's vaccination programme, but research suggests people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less keen to have the jab. the supreme court rules that plans to build a third runway at heathrow are lawful, after they were blocked by a lower court. let's go back to that breaking news on the christmas rules. the rules have been relaxed to allow three towels to come together over a five—day period. —— matt households to come together. there has been an agreement between the four nations to stick with the rules as they have been laid out, but there is going to been laid out, but there is going to be much stronger advice issued, urging people to be cautious around christmas, so we are expecting the

full detail a bit later. let's go to our political correspondentjess parker at westminster. good morning. we haven't had official word out from this meeting yet, it was between michael gove and the devolved nations. what we understand is that they will keep this relaxation which kicks in next week, as you say, over five days, over three households can mix, stay overnight, slightly longer window for those travelling to and from northern ireland. they are not going to change the regulations, but there is going to be stronger advice, really urging people to be careful, thinking very carefully about whether it's wise to travel, whether it's wise to go and see elderly all vulnerable relatives. i think really trying to put the onus on people to ta ke trying to put the onus on people to take personal responsibility, as ministers have been saying, in terms of what they want to do this christmas. it's possible parts of the uk may toughen up advice on household mixing, we don't have

details on that yet. we should get details on that yet. we should get details in the coming hour, we are expecting to hear from details in the coming hour, we are expecting to hearfrom nicola sturgeon, mark dra keford expecting to hearfrom nicola sturgeon, mark drakeford and boris johnson as well at prime minister's questions. we should get an idea of where the different nations are, but they are broadly sticking together and one source i they are broadly sticking together and one source i was they are broadly sticking together and one source i was speaking to earlier this morning saying look, it's not an ideal situation to have this christmas bubble coming up given the rates of the virus, but really, from some peoples perspective, it's simply too late to start changing the regulations and from their perspective what you risk doing if you do change the regulations at this stage, people have made their plans, that people will just disobey that have made their plans, that people willjust disobey that change in the law because they've already made their plans and feel like it's just too late to stage and that will be an issue in terms of compliance. so what we are going to get is a strengthening of language, but it puts governments across the four nations in a pretty difficult situation. it's quite a tough message to sell saying, you are

allowed to do this, but we don't really wa nt allowed to do this, but we don't really want you to do it. now, i'm sure that they would argue that when they made this decision, as the four nations, to relax the rules over christmas, that was late november, things are different now, but it does mean that families up and down the country will be asked to make those difficult decisions for themselves as to what is best for theirfamilies. themselves as to what is best for their families. that is going to be tough for households out there to have to make that call. 0ne tough for households out there to have to make that call. one of the things that the government is understood to be talking about is saying isolate before meeting family, but of course we are now so close to christmas and there has been the row over what should happen with schools, and the government saying they have to stay up till the last minute, so it's not going to allow enough time for people to safely isolate to have a save christmas, in compliance with the guidelines that the government is going to be talking about. yes, we have been hearing that message recently about this idea that, if you are going to see your family, particularly if you are going to be

travelling out from a hot spot, where the rates of the virus are high, that you need to turn try and cut down your contacts, because what does this virus thrive on? it's contact. so people are being urged to just cut down on those contacts in the approach to christmas, if they are going to go and see family. but as you say, that won't always be possible, some people still have to go to work, children will be at school, so it's not definitive that people will be able to heed that kind of advice. it will be a challenge for many families, but i think one of the reasons ministers have kind of come to this conclusion that they can't change the regulations at the moment, is that if they tried to, many people would find that difficult, given that it's only a week away, and they have already made their plans, it's better, they think, to ask people to think carefully about what they're going to do over the coming weeks, but it does present difficult

decisions. we are expecting details on that later and we will bring you that as we get it. pm uses coming up at midday. that's not the forum for this to be announced but obviously, labour will have its view on what should happen, previously calling fur there to be a toughening of the restrictions, the government deciding, the four nations deciding altogether that the rules will not be travelled up but there will be tougher guidance, so we will keep you updated with all the reaction and latest developments as soon as we get them. now let's catch up with the sport, we can get the latest. reports suggest west brom manager slaven bilic could be sacked as early as today, even though they held manchester city to a 1—1 draw at the etihad. west brom, second from bottom in the premier league, this got their equaliser thanks to semi ajayi's shot being deflected in by ruben dias. a frustrating night, it's fair to say, for city boss pep guardiola, who said "you have to win this

kind of game". and that point still may not be enough to save bilic‘s job. chelsea could have been top of the premier league this morning. instead they're fifth, after losing 2—1 at wolves. pedro neto with the winner deep in stoppage time at molineaux. chelsea boss frank lampard says his players may be suffering from fatigue but it was an opportunity missed. eve ryo ne everyone talks about maybe, i have never got ahead of myself in terms of the fact that this group does have things to learn, i told them that there as well and on pitch management, letting a game like that, it can't be done. next to the impact of new brexit rules on football. according to the head of manchester united's academy, english clubs are going to be disadvantaged. the changes mean that from the 1st of january, club's won't be allowed to bring in any foreign players under the age of 18.

it probably puts us at a disadvantage to other european clu bs. disadvantage to other european clubs. i wish there was a level playing field here but they won't pat’- playing field here but they won't pay. there will be moving to players between other european countries but those players won't be able to move to our club at the age of 16, as they currently can. it will be 18 and we absolutely will continue to recruit the best talent available to us, we willjust have to do it in a slightly different way. trials of concussion substitues are set to be approved later, by football's lawmakers ifab today. from next month, we're likey to see players subbed after incidents like this. you may remember wolves striker rauljiminez suffered a fractured skull in this clash of heads with arsenal's david luiz, who carried on playing for a while, after being treated on the touchline. we understand the new rules could be brought in for the third round of the men's and women's fa cups. former tottenham captain michael dawson, now at nottingham forest, is in full support.

you hear people talking about making concussion substitutions, i think that's fantastic. it has to come in. it takes the pressure of the player because as players, you have that pressure. you always feel like you wa nt to pressure. you always feel like you want to play on. you have that in a drive and you think, unless you are ina drive and you think, unless you are in a really bad way, you always try and carry on. the impact of head injuries are an ongoing discussion in rugby union too. women's rugby world cup winner kat merchant says she fears she may get early onset dementia, after suffering numerous concussions in her career. she's calling for better care forformer players, and says she still suffers with symptoms after retiring on medical advice six years ago. after 11 confirmed concussions in 14 seasons. we don't know what the next note will do to you. when you are 28, you don't care about when you are older. you don't care, you just want to play for england. but we don't know what the next knock will do to you. that's suddenly very different. i wa nt that's suddenly very different. i want a future and i want to have a

family and! want a future and i want to have a family and i want to be able to play with them, stuff like that. that's a difficult moment to have to do, but 100% the right decision and all the shows may, god i'm pleased i made that decision. and england rugby union head coach eddiejones will be able to continue as a consultant for a japanese league side, despite england being in the same pool as japan for the 2023 rugby world cup. jones has been advising suntory sungoliath for over 20 years and the rfu says they've always been comfortable with the arrangement. he provides consultancy in his holidays. and there's no conflict with his england duties. that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. for the first time in its 70—year history, the unicef has developed an emergency response programme in the uk. the charity began the work over the summer after seeing an increase in food poverty for vulnerable children and their families due to the pandemic. since then, it's worked with dozens of grass—roots organisations up and down the country,

awarding grants to uk community projects like school food matters. joining me now is anna kettley, programmes director at unicef uk. you have been going for 70 years and it may be think, there's been nothing like this in recent peacetime history. no, there hasn't. and what we're saying is that the coronavirus pandemic is the single biggest crisis which has affected children since world war ii in this country. at this time, we feel it's really important that we are stepping up and supporting the most vulnerable children and families this time. so what is the support you are giving? we have partnered with an organisation called sustain, who are the alliance for better food and farming. what we're doing is delivering grants, between 5000 and

£25,000 to food banks, local food pantries, as well as other similar organisations that work at a grassroots level and are therefore local children and families and support they needs as best they can. so we have ordered over 30 different gra nts to so we have ordered over 30 different grants to organisations up and down the uk, across england, scotland and wales and like school food matters so you mentioned earlier, they are delivering this front line work which is so vital at this time. how would you describe a scale of the challenge? obviously, you stepping in is an exceptional thing and there are other charities in place that do work consistently and they are still doing that work, so the fact that you have come along as an extra which gives an indication of the scale of the issue. i think it's recognising that this is an unprecedented situation. i don't think any of us would have imagined that the virus would have had this kind of impact. we know that before the coronavirus pandemic, an

estimated 2.4 million children were already growing up in food insecure households and we know that over the course of the pandemic, up to a fifth of children living in households have gone hungry at some point. we also know that 32% of households have reported a drop in income and this means that families are having to make some really difficult decisions right now. do they put food on the table order they put food on the table order they heat their homes? so what we wa nt to they heat their homes? so what we want to do is be there to make sure that we are supporting children and families at this time. and particularly through the winter period which can be very harsh on family finances. and you've described their bit of what is going on. the fifth of children going hungry, decisions on whether to heat their home are put food on the table. can you tell is a bit more about the reality of life, daily life, for those who you are helping right now? certainly. ithink life, for those who you are helping right now? certainly. i think what we know is thatjob redundancies are

on the rise. family incomes are being severely impacted in many cases. previously, families which we re cases. previously, families which were perhaps comfortable at having to access food banks and different types of support for the first time. what we want to ensure is that we are there for these children and families and we know that it's these community grassroots organisations that not only know their communities so well but i trusted and respected by local members and will engage with them, so we wanted to work out of the community level to have the greatest impact at this time and to make sure no one was falling through the gap. what you are offering is absolutely practical help, which is vital and so needed. but for anybody when they find themselves in a difficult situation that they have not encountered, did not expect too, is perhaps not the capacity all the tools to actually know how to best handle that situation when there are

kids involved, it brings all sorts of dimensions in that dynamic and the difficulties that people are dealing with. what have you witnessed on that front? the organisations that we've been partnering with have innovative ways to reach out to families and they are community—based. they are very easily accessible. the support that has been provided and the organisations we are working with are not only providing food packages of food parcels to support families at this time, but they are also able to signpost families and provide advice on where they might be able to access benefits all support order other organisations working within their community your local area that can meet their different needs. do you think there will be a long—term impactand you think there will be a long—term impact and legacy of this? we do. as unicef, we have been calling this a children's crisis and whilst we

appreciate children might not have been medically impacted by coronavirus in the same way, we do know that they have some of the biggest impact. so if you think about the closure of schools over the summer term, the millions of hours of lost learning that have taken place, we know that family finances have been impacted and this is having a real impact on access to food and making sure that houses a heated and warm during this period and also children's mental health and also children's mental health and well—being. so we do expect that there will be a long legacy from this and i think it is an incumbent on all of us to be supporting children and young people at this time. and helping them come through and giving them the greatest opportunities as we move forward. and just a thought, i don't know if you have any advice to give but obviously christmas is particularly child focused moment and it's at the end of a difficult year where families have not been able to connect in the normal way, people will have been looking forward to those gatherings. what can be done

best to support children through this. it's not going to be a christmas perhaps that they hope to wanted. i think the biggest thing that we can do this christmas is ensuring that we are taking care of children, we are ensuring that they have access to the food and support which they need at this time and we are ensuring that we are looking forward , are ensuring that we are looking forward, we are keeping schools open, ensuring they are accessing education and looking forward to 2021. it's been an incredibly difficult year and we know that it will continue as well. so we just have to make sure that we are putting all of our weight and support behind children and families at this time and ensuring that they are accessing what they need as much as they possibly can. thank you so much forjoining us. heathrow airport has won a supreme court challenge over the government's decision to give the go—ahead for a third runway. the court has publised a verdict which means that the airport's expansion is not illegal. the decision was announced in the last hour.

the court unanimously concludes that the appeal should be allowed. the airport's national policy statement is lawful. the declaration made by the court of appeal stating that it is unlawful will be set aside. our environment analyst, roger harrabin, has the context for the legal ruling. you have to go back to the airport's national policy statement, which sets out the framework for planning decisions about airports. that said that expansion would be allowed and also said that, at that time, it was basing itsjudgment also said that, at that time, it was basing its judgment on also said that, at that time, it was basing itsjudgment on uk climate targets, which was set at the time. environmentalists challenged that because they said that also at the same time, there had been more stringent targets in play. they won the case at the appeal court that the case at the appeal court that the ruling over the national policy

statement was illegal. so this now went to the supreme court, where we have just heard the verdict, they ruled that it is not illegal and they said the secretary of state did ta ke they said the secretary of state did take into account climate change targets at the time and there were indeed more stringent climate change targets that had not been formalised and they couldn't therefore be seen as proper government policy, so they had won this battle at heathrow, but it's one battle in a very long war and they still now have to get full planning permission through a planning permission through a planning inspector, where they would be again faced with the issue of greenhouse gases and even if they get that, it will have to be agreed by the government and the government has been advised by its climate change advises that, if it allows expansion at heathrow of the third runway, then it should actually pare back the airport's capacity in other parts of the country, which is not going to be an easy think the government to do, given that it's committed to a levelling up agenda,

this is just as committed to a levelling up agenda, this isjust as i say, one more battle in a very long war. we arejust we are just hearing that an inquest has ruled that air pollution made a material contribution to the death ofa girl material contribution to the death of a girl in london. it is a significant because this is the first time that air pollution has been listed as a cause of death in the uk. she died in february 2013 after suffering a fatal asthma attack and the case had been her family maintained that it was because of air pollution. she had numerous seizures and many hospital visits over the previous three yea rs. visits over the previous three years. there she is, she wasjust nine years old. she suffered from

asthma and she had many hospital visits as a result of seizures and asthma attacks and in february 2013, she suffered a fatal asthma attack. there was an inquest ruling in 2014 it concluded that she died of acute respiratory failure. that was then quashed by the high court because of new evidence about the dangerous levels of air pollution close to her home. she lived very close to the south circular road in lewisham in south—east london, one of the busiest roads in london and her home was just 25 metres away from that. there was a subsequent inquest and this is the one that we are just getting the ruling on, held at southwark coroner's court whether pollution in the area may have contributed to her death and it

contribution to her death, so, we will bring you any reaction to that. her mother had previously said that she wants justice for her daughter that the conclusion will have an impact on the lives of other children. the coronavirus rules will be relaxed over christmas as planned, but with more stringent guidance. households can form a christmas bubble over christmas. this is limited to eight people in scotland, children not included, with two extra days in northern ireland. they can mix in private homes including overnight stays. no travel restrictions are in place in the five day period. you can't go to a

pub restaurant with your bubble. if you have coronavirus symptoms are self isolating, you can'tjoin a bubble. you can meet people outside your christmas bubble outdoors but only in line with the rules of the tear where you are staying. prime minister's questions is coming up. borisjohnson will be fielding questions from mps. let's go to our political correspondentjeff parker. significant news that the four nations have actually agreed that they are going to stick with the rules, but toughen up the guidance. yes, i think overnight that was what we we re yes, i think overnight that was what we were largely hearing, this idea that they wouldn't change the regulations a week away from christmas, but they would look to toughen up the language to essentially try and make people think very, very carefully about what they are going to do this christmas. there are a number of concerns, travel across the uk being one of them, people leaving areas where rates of the virus are high, going to areas where rates of the

virus might be relatively low, and of course the possibility of seeing elderly and vulnerable relatives as well because of those at risk groups in terms of the virus. as you say, what we are hearing is that they are not going to change the regulations. there is some suggestion that parts of the uk will look to change the guidance around the numbers of households mixing, but we don't have full details yet. we should be getting them in the next hour, as you say. borisjohnson, you have to imagine this question is going to come up in pm we are expecting to hear from mark dra keford come up in pm we are expecting to hearfrom mark drakeford in come up in pm we are expecting to hear from mark drakeford in the come up in pm we are expecting to hearfrom mark drakeford in the next hour, as well as nicola sturgeon. some sort ofjoint statement will emerge over the coming hour also to set out the position, but clearly, ministers following this phone call this morning i decided that potentially, it is just too late to change the regulations and one of the initial concerns had been around christmas and this is why they had formed this christmas bubble anyway is that if they make some kind of provision, people might just is that if they make some kind of provision, people mightjust go ahead and break the rules anyway and

i think that concern remains. should they try and tighten the regulations now, people have already made their plans. thank you, jess. we will have prime minister's questions for you injusta prime minister's questions for you injust a few prime minister's questions for you in just a few moments. while we wait for it, let's have a look at the weather with carol. we will see some rain today with gusty winds. the these twins this morning towards the west, rain continues to push eastwards during the day getting into the southeast last of all. if we follow it around, we have a curl of rain coming back into some western areas. gusty winds, highs of nine to 13. evening and overnight, we say goodbye to the rain in the south—east, still a lot of showers dotted around, most of them around the coast, but some of them inland as well. it will still be quite gusty tonight with overnight lows of around four to 78 degrees. colder

start to tomorrow than it was today. tomorrow, transient ridge of high pressure crosses , tomorrow, transient ridge of high pressure crosses, dry weather and sunshine tomorrow. cloud building towards west, rain, wind strength and, highs of nine to 13.

this is bbc news. the headlines... the four uk nations agree to allow the relaxation of covid rules around christmas, but much stronger advice urging people to be cautious is likely. it's not for government to tell people exactly how to handle the situation, but it is to offer them clear guidance. last orders in london as it moves to tougher tier 3 restrictions — ministers are due to review other english tiers today. this is the scene live in the house of commons, where the prime minister will face questions over those coronavirus restrictions and christmas from mps.

the administrations at westminster and across the uk have agreed to press ahead with the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions over christmas. some scientists had urged ministers to reconsider the decision. its now expected that the government will issue stronger advice later today urging people to be cautious over the festive period. we will go to premonitions questions as soon as it begins. we are waiting to get the full details of what is going to be happening with the guidance around what happens for christmas. yesterday i made a written statement

updating the house on the disposition on the leak investigation as you requested, mr speaker. i am sure that the whole house but want to join me speaker. i am sure that the whole house but want tojoin me in speaker. i am sure that the whole house but want to join me in wishing all members and staff a merry christmas and happy new year. members from across the house will join me in sending our warmest wishes to all our armed forces, both in the united kingdom and those who are stationed overseas. members will also, i hope, want tojoin me in sending best wishes to all members of the emergency services, health and care workers and those who will be working over christmas. this morning, in addition to my duties in his house, i will have further meetings today. thank you mr speaker, may ijoin the prime minister in those good wishes for christmas and may i add my own

good wishes to you, mr speaker, and the prime minister and hope that you both have a peaceful and a safe christmas period. but on the subject of christmas, look, my constituents in lichfield and the rest of the country have had a torrid year with the covid—19 pandemic. we got this very small break over christmas and people have got to use common sense, of course. don't start hugging granny and not going wild over christmas is my right honourable friend, the prime minister, previously said, let us be jolly careful over christmas. but i want to say to my prime minister, would it not be helpful if some smarmy lawyer or somebody now at this late stage were to argue for a change in the laws so can i ask my writable friend, here and now, who is not by

their smarmy nor a lawyer, is he now. . . we their smarmy nor a lawyer, is he now... we have got the message! mr speaker, my honourable friend is absolutely right to stress the importance of people are taking care this christmas because although some things are questionably going well, andi things are questionably going well, and i am very pleased to tell the house that we have had a good start with the roll—out of the vaccination programme and in just seven days, 108,000 people in england, 138,000 in the uk, have received theirfirst vaccination. we must remember that transmission takes place a symptomatically in so many cases, one in three people are currently a symptomatically covid—19. that is why my honourable friend is absolutely right that we should exercise extreme caution in the way

we celebrate christmas and we can celebrate it simply —— sensibly but we must be cautious in the way we behave. and ijoin the prime minister in his good wishes to all the staff, the armed forces and our emergency services. can i thank you, mr speaker, for doing what you have done this year to keep parliament a safe and open in challenging circumstances. since this is probably the last premonitions questions of the year, i want to look at some the prime minster has made in the last 12 months. let me start at the beginning the pandemic. images from hospitals in italy and spain were being shown on our televisions and the infection rates we re televisions and the infection rates were rising in the uk. does the prime ministers now accept that his slowness to respond led to more deaths and a longer lockdown and a deeper economic damage? mr speaker,

no, because at every stage, we followed the scientific guidance and continue to do so and he is right to draw attention to what is happening to cross the europe and there are spikes right across the whole of the eu and thanks to the tier system we have in place, large parts of the country, thanks to the heroic effo rts country, thanks to the heroic efforts of the people of the north—west and north—east yorkshire humber, we are seeing those rates coming down and yes, it is true that we have spikes now in some parts of london and the south—east, but we will make sure that with our adjustments to the tiering system that we conduct over the next few weeks, that we will address those issues. that is the right way forward for this country, that is how we will defeat the virus. with vaccines, community testing and tough tiering. i think what people would like to hear in this season of goodwill to all men is a little bit of support from the right honourable gentleman for what the government is

trying to do to beat coronavirus and perhaps a little less carping. mr speaker, if the prime and it won't listen to me, can i quote his own spending watchdog? they said the uk lockdown later and for longer than some of its european neighbours experienced a deeper full and slower economic recovery. this isn't bad luck, it is not inevitable, it is the result of the prime minister's choices. but if the pie minister disagrees with me, perhaps he can tell us why does he think that ten, the sixth richest country in the world with all our billion scientists and amazing nhs, ends the year with one of the highest numbers of covid—19 deaths in europe, over 64,000, each one leaving a grieving family and the deepest recession of any major economy. why does he think that has happened?

mr speaker, he will have noted his change of tune and the criticisms of the uk performance but perhaps he could tell me why it is that the uk is the first to produce a viable treatment for coronavirus were the first country in the world to roll out a clinically tested safe vaccine? this is a pandemic that has affected the whole of europe and this government has continued to ta ke this government has continued to take the tough decisions necessary to beat it. i may say so, mr speaker, without wishing to cast aspersions on the point of view of the honourable gentleman, the right honourable gentleman, i take his criticisms a little more seriously, frankly, if he has been able to decide last week or even the week before, whether he even supported the approach we were taking or opposed it. he could not do either,

he abstained. mr speaker, i said to weeks ago that i was very concerned that ear to not be strong enough to hold the virus. the pie minister said, don't worry about that, just support us, threw away the problems. two weeks later, what have we got? the virus rising ina tier2 what have we got? the virus rising in a tier 2 and tier 3. if the prime minister thinks the highest debt numbers and the deepest recession is somehow delivering for the british people, he is a long way removed from the truth. the problem is, the pie minister makes the same mistakes over and over again. two weeks ago, he unveiled that latest comic plan. he told the house as he has done so many times before, that he has planned —— make his plan would suppress the virus but the latest figures show the opposite. the prime minister said spikes here and there but let me tell the house come in three out of four tier 2 areas, infections are going up. in other half of the tier 3 areas, infections

are going up. exactly the concern i put to the prime minister to fix ago when he said, just back us anyway. asa when he said, just back us anyway. as a result, 10 million people moved into top restrictions, exactly what we said would happen but does he not recognise that his latest plan has once again failed to control the virus, protect the nhs and our economy? mr speaker, once again, he criticises the governments plan without producing any kind of plan of his own and actually if you look at what is happening, he was the author of the labour of firebreak in wales, but if you look at what is happening across the country and it is thanks to the efforts of the british people that we are seeing significant reductions in the virus in some of the areas where it was really surging and that is because of the hard work of the people of

this country and we will of course be continuing to reflect that as we go forward with the tier approach. we will continue to roll out the vaccine and roll out community testing. i think his time would be better employed supporting those wonderful initiatives, supporting community testing, encouraging people to get a test, encouraging people to get a test, encouraging people to get a test, encouraging people to get a vaccine rather than continuing to attack what the nhs and by the government is trying to do. everybody to get a vaccine every timei everybody to get a vaccine every time i have talked about it. in the last seven days, infection rate has gone up 70%. everybody knows this is a problem in the prime minster is yet again pretending it isn't. another major mistake the last 12 months, losing public trust. we all know what the tipping point was. the 520 mile round trip to barnard

castle and the humiliating way in which the pie minister and his cabinet chose to defend it. now we learn, now we learn that while the prime minister and the chancellor telling the armed forces, police officers, care workers and firefighters that they will get a pay freeze, dominic cummings has been handed at least a £40,000 pay rise. how on earth does the prime minister justify that? well, mr speaker, he totally trivialises the efforts of the british people in getting the virus down. he says that none of the measures, none of the lockdown measures, none of the lockdown measures have worked. it is absolutely untrue. from november five to december three, the people of this country came together once again to get the virus under control and they may have made a huge amount

of progress. we will continue with that tiering system and we will get that tiering system and we will get that virus down and that is the best way forward for this country. all he wa nts to way forward for this country. all he wants to do, mr speaker, is to lock the whole country down. he is a one clu b the whole country down. he is a one club golfer, there is the only solution he has and then, mr speaker, all he does is attack the economic consequences of logjams. you could script that from october and november when he was saying a lockdown is disastrous. two weeks later, he put it on the table and voted for it. ridiculous! it is executive problem with god, not running from mistakes. visit we know about dominic cummings, it wasn't a performance —related pay, mr speaker. i think the bodies people will find it pretty hard to understand why it is one rule for our key workers and another his advisers. it is now likely that the next big mistake will be over the easing of restrictions over christmas and this is not smarmy lawyers, let me give you the british

medicaljournal. yesterday they said this, we believe the government is about to blunder into another major error that will cost many lives. the prime minister should listen to that advice, not ignore it as usual. if he really is going to press ahead with this, could you tell us what the assessment, and hasn't been done, of the impact that it will have on infection rates and increased pressure on the nhs, what the impact? mr speaker, i wish he would have the guts just to say what he really one study, which is to cancel the plans people have made and cancel christmas. that is what he is driving at. he is looking a bit blank. i think that's what he is driving at but i can tell him that as of today and just this morning, there is, as i say, unanimous agreement across all the uk governments, all devolved administrations, including members

of all parties, mr speaker, including his own, that we should proceed in principle with the existing regulations because we don't want to criminalise peoples long major plans. we do think it is absolutely vital that people should, at this very, very tricky time, exercise a high degree of personal responsibility, especially when they come into contact with elderly people, and avoid contact with elderly people wherever possible. that is how, by being sensible and cautious, not imposing endless lockdown is or cancelling christmas as he would appear to want today, is the only indication i can draw from what he has said, mr speaker, and he wa nts to what he has said, mr speaker, and he wants to and some other idea, that is the way we put continue to work together to keep this fire is under control, to defeat it and take the country forward. here we go again, mr speaker, ignoring the medical advice. we know where that leads because we have

seen what happened in the last nine months and whatever the prime minister says, there is no escaping the brutal facts that britain has one of the highest numbers of the covid—19 deaths in europe and the worst economic damage. mr speaker, as this is the last pm keys of the year, i come up for one, often wonder where the prime minister get is advice from a. now have heard the official newsletter of that wedding conservative society, it is not on everyone's christmas reading list but it is a fascinating read because it gives a lot of advice to one of the politicians. it says this, say the politicians. it says this, say the first thing that comes into your headit the first thing that comes into your head it will public be nonsense, you may get a bad headline but if you make enough dubious claims, fast enough, you can get away with it. it concludes, the december edition, sometimes it is better to give the

wrong answer at the right time rather than the right answer at the wrong time. so, my final question to the prime minister is this, is he the prime minister is this, is he the inspiration for the newsletter or is he the author? well, mr speaker, ithink or is he the author? well, mr speaker, i think what the people of this country would love to hear from the right honourable gentleman is, any kind of point of view at all on some of the key issues. this week he couldn't make up issues. this week he couldn't make up as mind whether it was right for kids to be in school or not, he couldn't make his mind up last week about whether a not to support what the government was doing to fight covid—19 and told his troops heroically to abstain. he couldn't make up his mind on a brexit, we don't know whether he will vote for a deal or not. mr speaker, he cannot

attack the government, he cannot attack the government, he cannot attack the government if he cannot come up with a view of his own. mr speaker, in the words of the song, all i want for christmas is a view, mr speaker. this government is getting on with delivering on the people's priorities. we are 20,000 more police, 50,000 nurses 48 hospitals and mr speaker, although it has been via tough and very difficult and everybody appreciates the suffering and hardship that the people of this country have been going through, we are, by rolling out of the vaccine, by community testing and by a tough tiering, which i hope he supports, we are going to defeat coronavirus, mr speaker, and we will take this country speaker, and we will take this cou ntry forward speaker, and we will take this country forward into a great 2021. at the beginning of this year, the prime minister delivered the historic british peoples votes for

brexit. regardless of the outcome of the current talks with the eu, does he agree with me that this great outward looking nation has a world of global opportunities ahead of that? i thank my honourable friend who has campaigned nobly in that cause and as he knows already, we have not only set up a points—based immigration system but we help will also ensure that we set up and we've already done many free—trade deals but will we will use the economic advantages of brexit coming out of the european union to do three ports, to make this country the most attractive people for investment and to resist degradation of the socialists opposite who would destroy that opportunity and do everything they possibly could to ta ke everything they possibly could to take as straight back into the

linear pull of the european union, which is the true ambition of the right honourable gentleman. cani right honourable gentleman. can i wish you, all colleagues and staff and are essential workers and health workers and everyone in these nations, all the best for christmas and everybody does their best to keep everybody safe. mr speaker, in the last few hours, the president of the last few hours, the president of the european commission said the next few days are going to be decisive in the brexit negotiations. with just two weeks to go, it is a disgrace that businesses and people have been left with this crippling uncertainty and the real threat of food and medicine shortages, the new year. one year ago, food and medicine shortages, the new year. one yearago, at food and medicine shortages, the new year. one year ago, at the general election, scotland rejected this prime minister, rejected this tory government, and rejected their brexit. people in scotland now need to know the price that they will be

forced to pay. ahead of any vote in parliament, will apply minister commit to releasing a detailed economic impact assessment of the cost to the uk of his extreme tory brexit plans? well, mr speaker, there is every opportunity, notwithstanding the slight error of gloom from the right honourable gentleman, there's every opportunity and every hope i have that our friends and partners across the channel will see sense and do a deal. all that that takes is for them to understand that the uk has a natural right, like every other country, to want to be able to control its own laws and its own grounds, which is busily important i would have thought to the right honourable gentleman. but whatever happens in the next few days, i know that this country will prosper mightily on the terms that we agreed

with our european friends, whatever they may be, whether they are australian or canadian, he can go forward with a high heart and confidence into 2021, knowing there are great opportunities for scotland and the rest of the uk. iam not and the rest of the uk. i am not quite sure what that was because it certainly wasn't an a nswer to because it certainly wasn't an answer to the question but i am not surprised because the prime minister didn't want to answer the question because he knows that the uk is per and worse off as a result of the extreme tory brexit and the costs continue to soar. the warning study estimates that scotland has already lost £4 billion as a result of brexit. bloomberg economics estimate the uk has lost £200 billion by the end of this year and the scottish government analysis estimates every person in scotland on average will be worse off to the tune of £1600. mr speaker, scotland has been com pletely mr speaker, scotland has been completely ignored by westminster throughout the brexit process and now we are being kept in the dark of the devastating price we will be

forced to play. people in scotland are dwelling to suffer the consequences of this economic vandalism. 16 consecutive polls have shown a majority for independence and mr speaker, there is little wonder. isn't it as clear as day that the only way left to protect scotla nd that the only way left to protect scotland boss mike interests in our place in europe is for scotland to become an independent country? again, mr speaker, despite the gloom that the right honourable gentleman six to spread about scotland and the rest of the uk, the uk currently has the highest youth employment in the g7. and lower unemployment than france, italy, spain, the us and canada. 0f france, italy, spain, the us and canada. of course there is a threat

to the scottish economy, sadly, and thatis to the scottish economy, sadly, and that is the high tax regime, the mismanagement of the scottish nationalist party. that is the problem that scotland faces and i hope that the people of scotland can see it. as my right honourable friend knows, the tourism and hospitality sector in constituencies across the country, but particularly in derbyshire dales, have been severely affected by the pandemic and also the national restrictions. places like the flying children's pub, what support and help can this government give this sector in the weeks and months ahead? i thank my honourable friend for everything she does to campaign for derbyshire dales and for the hospitality and it has been a terrible time for hospitality. we all share the anguish of those who work in the hospitality sector and thatis work in the hospitality sector and that is why we have cut vat for tourism and vat overall from 20% to 596 in tourism and vat overall from 20% to 5% in those sectors until the end of march and we are going to develop,

with her help, a tourism recovery plan to help people in particular to come to see the beauties of the derbyshire dales. last week that chancellor of the duchy of lancaster said that northern ireland would have the best of both worlds as a result of the talks with the european union. but that to be true, we need access to both uk and eu trade deals. can he confirm whether or not he is pushing for this in those talks? iam for this in those talks? i am grateful. 0f for this in those talks? i am grateful. of course, is the agreement with our friends has already made clear, the whole of the uk, including northern ireland, will participate fully in all trade deals that the uk does and northern ireland will continue to have u nfettered ireland will continue to have unfettered access to the whole of the gb uk market. at the recent review, over £14

billion was allocated for research and development and this was excellent news. there is a concern that charity funded medical research which has been hit hard by the pandemic will still be left behind so will my right friend, the prime minister, intervened to ensure that some of this funding is used to set up some of this funding is used to set upa some of this funding is used to set up a life science charity partnership fund to boost medical research and protect thousands of skilled jobs and promote the uk is positioned as a science superpower? yes indeed, mr speaker, and i know that my honourable friend is a doctor and knows the vital importance of medical research and science and that is why this government is investing record sums in science. £14.6 billion this year. that is going to support all sectors and anybody wanted evidence of why it is so vital to support the

sectors, they only have to look the events of the last months. hs two will transform the east midlands and the north, reversing a 40 year trend of losing skilled work. in february the prime minister promised it would be built in full. yesterday's review reduces leg to a line to birmingham and a station in parkway. this will not develop the connectivity nor the economic uplift. when the prime minister affirm his previous commitment and reject the plan or is this yet another broken promise to our committee? i'm afraid the friend is quite wrong. what the nic is saying is that there are other things we can do as well, including massively improving mainline and i think everybody would want to do that. but the ambition to do the eastern leg remains absolutely unchanged. like schools and teachers across the

country, those in south cambridge have been working miracles to continue providing education throughout the pandemic. they are grateful for the support they had from the government and welcomed the new exams regime and they also very much welcome the new testing regime of coronavirus but schools in cambridge started with some of the lowest funding of any of the country and many have been left with deficits they cannot fill. will my right honourable friend work with me to make sure that schools in cambridge get the resources they need, will he be santa for cambridge school kids? well, mr speaker, the whole of the country and the taxpayers of this country and the taxpayers of this country play that role and it is our job to make sure we spend the money sensibly and that is what we are doing and! sensibly and that is what we are doing and i am delighted that thanks in part to the campaigning by my noble friend, his constituency is attracting an average of 3.8% more per pupil year, compared to this year three the national funding

per pupil year, compared to this year three the nationalfunding of in addition to our commitment to pay starting salaries of £30,000. the hospitality sector and pubs in my constituency like the black bill in blaydon, a wet pub with live music traditions, have been devastated by the restrictions placed on them, in our case, since september. pubs are at the heart of our community. the various compensation schemes don't offer enough support to allow these pubs to survive. when the prime minister now commit to bringing forward a financial support scheme which will allow our pubs and hospitality sector to survive? mr speaker, she is quite mighty to raise the problem of the hospitality sector and we are committed to doing everything we can. she knows about the £3000 grant and an additional

£2100 plus the £1000 for a wet pubs but the best thing of all in addition to the cut in business rates and vat that i have mentioned, the best thing is for areas in the west midlands to work together, sorry, forgive me, areas in the north—east, to work together to reduce the virus through community testing in the way that liverpool has succeeded in doing and i appreciate she is in tier 3 and things are very, very tough, but if we all work together, we can get this virus down and get our pubs open again. mr speaker, we are confident that the uk will prosper, whether on a canada the uk will prosper, whether on a ca na da style the uk will prosper, whether on a canada style arrangement all australia style terms. in light of

the new... is they are prime minister aware of the ambitious growth proposition and willie back of his bold bid for books to ensure that bucks continues to improve its contribution to the exchequer, a win to the business are bucks and a win for the levelling up agenda? yes, indeed, mr speaker. i know that bucks council is working closely with my honourable friend, there she is, and our partners across the volu nta ry is, and our partners across the voluntary sector and we have indeed beenin voluntary sector and we have indeed been in initial discussions with buckinghamshire about their proposals and are happy to take them forward. lets it up to scotland. prime minister, where you are as dismayed as i was with the number of drug—related deaths reported in

scotla nd drug—related deaths reported in scotland yesterday? if you were, you can do something about it. notjust in scotland, but across the united kingdom, through the creation of drug consumption rooms. order, one second. just to say, i'm not responsible, you keep saying you. i don't want to be responsible for any of this. my apologies, mr speaker. i'm addressing the question the prime minister. the prime minister, it also exists across the united kingdom, for the creation of drug consumption rooms and those obstacles can be removed at westminster. previously, the uk government has the ideological view that drug consumption rooms encourage drug—taking. with their prime minister engage with me and allow me the opportunity to do the good thing? mr speaker, i listened very carefully to what the honourable gentleman had to say. i must say, we don't want to do

anything that would encourage the consumption of more drugs, mr speaker, nor do we want to decriminalise possession of drugs. i believe that they ruin lives and drive criminality across this whole united kingdom. buti drive criminality across this whole united kingdom. but i am more than happy to look at the proposals that he makes one more time and indeed, to pursue the agenda of tackling drugs. but i may say that the majority of powers that i needed to tackle drugs and drugs crime are already invested in the double demonstration in scotland and i'm afraid the failures he talks about are down to them. can i wish you and everybody in parliament a merry christmas and thank you for keeping us in our place and can i extend those wishes to the prime minister as well. this has been a tumultuous 12 months but he is showing great resolve and determination in leading

our nation through it. this has been a wretched year due to covid, but the vaccination offers us a ray of hopein the vaccination offers us a ray of hope in 2021. does the prime minister agree with me that all those called upon to take the vaccine will not only be protecting their own health, but doing their civic duty and helping the health of others, keeping people injobs and getting us back to our cherished way of life. great to hear my honourable friend, as he speaks such a good sense on this matter, i hope he is heard up and down the land and it is vital that people who are offered the vaccine get it immediately. to protect themselves and everyone else. highly skilled engineers at british gas in my constituency were told last week that they had to sign new contracts before christmas, all else they would be fired and rehired

in the new year on worse terms. fire and rehire is an exploitative and illegitimate negotiation tactic and causes real hurt and anger. the prime ministerjoin me in calling on centrica to withdraw its threat and return to the negotiation table with workers and their union, the gmb, and work with labour and the trade unions to introduce legislation to ban fire unions to introduce legislation to banfire and unions to introduce legislation to ban fire and rehire as soon as possible? mr speaker, it's important that all businesses treat their employees with fairness and with respect. in that sense, i share the point of view of the honourable lady. it is also vital that we have a flexible economy that is able to generatejobs, particularly when a flexible economy that is able to generate jobs, particularly when we are going to be going through a bumpy time and we have a proud

record of keeping unemployment low in this country and we want to continue with that approach. despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, working with the council and local enterprise partnership, kirklees college has managed to open its new campus in the centre of dewsbury. not only will the influx of stu d e nts dewsbury. not only will the influx of students give a much—needed boost to the town centre, but it will open up to the town centre, but it will open up skills and apprenticeships to young people throughout my constituency. watch my right honourable friend agreed to accompany me on a visit to look around this iconic building and to view the amazing sculpture loaned by renowned artist antony gormley as soon as his schedule and restrictions allow? well, i thank my honourable friend. i will do what i can to fit in his kind invitation and to inspect the sculpture. i

admire antony gormley‘s work greatly. i am delighted that kirklees college has opened, providing high level education and skills training of the people of dewsbury and i thank him for what he's doing to for that. we are now heading up to scotland. mr speaker, the prime minister promised to fund 4000 zero buses by 2024. the spending review delivers just 800 buses. why has the prime minister got the handbrake on when it comes to supporting the bus building sector and with cop 26 less than a year away, does the prime minister therefore agreed with me that it is time... we are leaving prime minister's questions. while prime minister's questions. while prime minister's questions. while prime minister's questions was happening, we have been hearing from wales first minister. we have been talking

about an agreement between the four nations about the relaxation of rules over the christmas period. but the first minister in wales have said that the situation is so serious, over the christmas period in wales, only to households should get together. that is a diversion from the previously agreed three households getting together. also, significant announcement about what happens once the christmas period is over and it's basically straight back into full lockdown on the 28th of decemberfor wales. back into full lockdown on the 28th of december for wales. essential shops will close in wales from the end of trading on christmas eve and they will not, i'm sorry, non—essential shops and close contact services like hair salons will close. let's listen to what mark drakeford will close. let's listen to what mark dra keford has will close. let's listen to what mark drakeford has been saying. farfrom seeing far from seeing numbers stabilise a reduced, we have seen a sustained rise in coronavirus numbers in our

communities and in our hospitals. cases have continued to rise. 0ne communities and in our hospitals. cases have continued to rise. one in five people are now testing positive for the virus. the number of people in hospital with coronavirus has risen to record levels. today, that is more than 2100 people. the equivalent to five full general hospitals dealing only with people who are sufficiently ill to need hospitalisation because of the virus. and now, the number of people in intensive care with coronavirus is also rising. it's at its highest level in this second wave at 98 people. many of you will have seen the warnings from our senior doctors

about the huge impact that coronavirus is now having on the whole of our health service. the situation we are facing is extremely serious. i have to tell you today that the welsh government has made the decision that we must move to alert level for and tighten the restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus and save lives. this new set of higher—level restrictions will apply to the whole of wales. i am making this announcement today to give everybody the most notice we can to the changes that will follow. all of this means that all nonessential retail, including close contact services, and all leisure

and fitness centres will close at the end of trading on christmas eve. all hospitality premises will close from 6pm on christmas day. and on december the 28th, at the end of the five—day christmas period, tighter restrictions for household mixing, staying at home, holiday accommodation and travel will come into force. i understand the impact that this will have on the lives of individuals and of our businesses here in wales. we have made £340 million available to support businesses affected by restrictions into the new year. further support will now be made available for those businesses affected by these new restrictions and we will make further details of that additional

support available by the end of this week. are quite dramatic announcement there from wales first minister mark drakeford, talking about much tighter restrictions coming in across the whole of wales. from the 28th, once that christmas period is over, but actually coming on prior to that as well, with from christmas eve, all nonessential retail and close contact services closing and then once the christmas period ends on the 28th of december, the period when the relaxed rules coming, there is going to be basically a lockdown across wales. just another point on what happens over the christmas period, there is divergences between wales and what westminster were saying earlier. the three households that are allowed to come together in a bubble, as was previously agreed, has been changed for wales. it's now down to two

households. i'm just getting some news through from scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, saying that actually the scottish government is going to be issuing stronger guidance about how to avoid spreading coronavirus during the easing of the restrictions over christmas. she says the discussions with the other three home nations are continuing, but she hopes there will be able to adopt a common approach. so that's interesting, if she isjust approach. so that's interesting, if she is just saying the discussions are continuing, because we were told previously that the discussions had resulted in an agreement between the four nations, but as we are hearing from wales, that isn't quite so because actually, in wales, families are now being told a maximum of two households for a bubble over the christmas period and once that five—day christmas window is over, on the 28th, much, much tighter restrictions basically, another lockdown. they've given is the start date on it, they haven't said the period of that lockdown, how long it will be. just run through what it

means. basically, you need to follow social distancing rules with people you don't live with all who aren't in your support bubble. wear a face covering if you are able to and all indoor public places. stay at home. do not create an extended household. single adults all single parents may join with one of the household to form an exclusive support bubble. meet only the people you live with all your support bubble indoors. meet only your household support bubble in private gardens. meet only your household and support bubble... do not travel internationally without reasonable excuse. it's worth saying at this point that wales is now giving specific detail on what will be happening once that's christmas window ends. there hasn't been that clarity from any of the other nations on what happens once the christmas window is closed, but we now have clarity from wales. there has been her restriction on

the relaxation that was previously announced, so it is now two households that can meet over christmas. nicola sturgeon saying that they are still talking. she has said also that the scottish government is going to be recommending that people should meet other households for only one day during the five—day christmas period and should not stay in somebody else's home overnight and that it can't be avoided. she is also said they are recommending people don't travel from high—risk to low—risk areas and that those who do plan to spend time in other households are christmas should limit contact with other people as much as possible in the meantime. what we heard earlier was that the relaxation that had been agreed would not change, the law wouldn't change, but the guidance would change and as we are hearing from wales and scotland, it is changing quite considerably, with nicola sturgeon saying that

scotland's view is that people should only meet other households forjust one of the day during a five—day christmas period. we will bring you more detail on that as we get it. now, ijust want to also talk about another very important breaking news story. let's bring you more on that breaking news that an inquest has found that air pollution was a factor in ella kissi—debrah's death. the reason that this is so significant is that it is the first time in the united kingdom that air pollution has been cited as a cause of death. that seller there. she was nine years old when she died after suffering very badly with asthma and asthma attacks for three years prior to her death. she died in february 2013 and at that point, the death of a kid said acute respiratory failure. —— the death certificate

said acute respiratory failure. her mother said she couldn't understand why she was becoming so ill and were struggling to understand what was causing the asthma attacks and seizures. it was only at the point where air pollution was mentioned... in the air had triggered those asthma attacks, so she looked closely at it. basically, the result is today, the second inquest which now says that air pollution was a cause of her death. let's look at what's happening around europe over christmas. countries have beenjoint in many of the approaches on covid—19, but of course divergent in other aspects. so everywhere is experiencing this increase in covid—19 numbers and it is leading to tough decisions having to be taken by leaders in many countries

about what is the right thing to do over the festive season. paul hawkins reports on the picture in europe, starting in the netherlands. empty streets again in the hague. in the netherlands' third largest city, these are the country's strictest set of measures since the pandemic began. lasting five weeks, nonessential shops, schools, cinemas, hairdressers and gyms have closed and until march, only essential travel abroad is allowed. translation: a lockdown is not really the solution, but stricter enforcement, like compulsory facemasks, using the corona app and even at malls, your temperature should be controlled. that solution is far more effective than a lockdown. translation: it is precisely a good idea to close shops so shortly before christmas. you have people doing their christmas shopping, families getting together, so i think the lockdown is really necessary.

0ver christmas, however, for three days, but households are allowed three guests instead of two. likewise, a relaxation of the rules in germany, where one household can host a maximum of four close family members over christmas. on tuesday, berliners packed the city centre before nonessential shops and schools closed until the 10th of january. restaurants, bars and leisure centres were already shut. in france, from 8pm to 2am, there is a nationwide curfew apart from christmas eve. the police here checking motorists for curfew exemption certificates. the national lockdown is over, but infection rates are still high. theatres, cinemas, bars and remain shut. the restrictions are likely to stay in place until the european medicines agency approves the pfizer/biontech vaccine. under pressure, it will meet this monday instead of on the 29th. the latest number of people who have

received the coronavirus vaccine in the uk has been announced this morning. in england, 108,000 have been vaccinated, 18,000 people in scotland and 7,897 in wales. in northern ireland, 4,000 have been vaccinated, bringing the total number of vaccinations across the uk to 137,897. people from ethnic minority backgrounds or lower incomes are less likely to take the coronavirus vaccine in the uk, according to new research. the royal society for public health found that more than three quarters of white people would take the jab, compared with just over half of people from ethnic minorities. our community affairs correspondent adina campbell reports. the impact of coronavirus on people from black, asian, and other ethnic minority backgrounds has caused a great deal of anxiety and distress over the last few months. but with the vaccine now in sight, many of us are now starting to breathe a sigh of relief. some, though, are still fearful.

the pandemic has caused a huge amount of uncertainty but what is clear from the last few months is that black, asian and other ethnic minority communities are twice as likely to be infected by coronavirus compared with white people and are more at risk of dying. so why is there so much scepticism about the vaccine in these communities? in my minority of people, we have natural remedies. so if you have a cough or a cold, we do our own thing with garlic, ginger, honey and lemon. i'm not against people having it, it's just... we all have our own personal views. so far, it is god that is protecting me, and i'm under his divine protection. i will never catch any disease. a lot of people are hesitant in our community, but you have to see the positive side of it. if there is a service offered

to the public, take it. i don't think there is any issue. i will take the vaccine, because there's no problem and no consequence. i will take it and protect my family. if it has got a chip in it to track people, that's the reason i wouldn't go for it. where have you heard that this vaccine has got a chip? from the whatsapps and all this... the vaccine does not contain a chip and the government says we should be cautious of misinformation and conspiracy theories. i see even with my two kids, people sending whatsapp videos and all sorts of messages. if you don't know where that's coming from, then it's very likely to be inaccurate. this is an incredibly well—developed, scientific endeavour, and i'd urge everyone — take the information, read it, look at it and make your mind up. and those at the most senior level of health care are encouraging people from ethnic minority groups to take the vaccine.

for somebody like me that stood in the nightingale and saw row after row of bame patients being ventilated and seeing the way it disproportionately affected people from the bame community, i would be urging everybody to take the vaccine. and you will be having the vaccine? definitely. are you happy? yes, lam. researchers say the evidence is clear — with higher death rates in these communities, coupled with under—representation in clinical trials, scientists insist getting vaccinated is the safest way to help end the pandemic. adina campbell, bbc news. india is gearing up to begin its mass covid vaccination programme. while it awaits approvals on its home—grown vaccine candidates, the bbc‘s

arunoday mukharji looks at what it will take to run a successful nationwide campaign. (tx vt) india is getting ready for the next phase of its battle against covid—19 — vaccinating 1.3 billion people, the challenge is unprecedented. in this class, medical professionals from the private sector are learning how to administer a covid—19 vaccine quickly and safely. this hospital is one of many indian private institutes treating covid—19 patients and now it's also running vaccination training camps. they say they're aiming to administer1 million covid—19 vaccines a day, whenever a shot is ready. the task is mammoth. we need about 200,000 vaccinators and these will be required in a really spread—out geography. if we don't store this right, the whole vaccine is not of any use so i would think the government would really need to concentrate on safe, vaccinated spaces. india produces more than 60% of the world's vaccines

and while it is in talks with pfizer, it is largely banking on its domestic infrastructure. 0xford astrazeneca candidate, manufactured by the serum institute of india, and its partner are currently frontrunners to get emergency approval from the government. the government says front line health workers and those above the age of 50 in the high—risk category will be the first 300 million indians to get the vaccine in the next six months. but administering the vaccine isjust one challenge. in a country like india, where the richest 1% control over 40% of the country's wealth, the other big challenge for the government is to ensure that the vaccine is made accessible to both the poor and the rich in a free and fair manner. we would have to make sure there is no black—marketing, there is no overpricing, there is a law and order situation and there is no, you know, skewing, the vaccine taken away by the mighty. the government claims its

battle ready, but it's still unclear how much the vaccine will cost or if it will be free for the poor. officials also now say they may not vaccinate all 1.3 billion indians but only a critical mass to break the transmission. while there is hope, normal life is still several months away. arunoday mukharji, bbc news, delhi. the entertainer lionel blair has become the latest celebrity to receive the coronavirus vaccine. the 92 —year—old received this vaccine this morning. it follows prue leith, the great british bake offjudge who received hers yesterday. simon mccoy brings you the bbc news at one next, first, the weather. more wet weather around

today and more windy weather as well for some parts of the country. not only wet but we had some strong winds bringing some rough seas early on in the day. this is our next wet and windy weather waiting to come in from the atlantic on friday. this was the cloud that brought the rain in from the west today, an area of low pressure which brought to the very strong winds from the south—west through the irish sea and into the north channel. those winds are easing down through the rest of the day, still some quite strong winds at times, we have some wetter weather across western scotland this evening, that last of the rain clinging on to some eastern parts of england. that will move through, turns more shower in scotland this evening. that could be a few heavy and thundery ones coming into west wales and the south—west of england. 0therwise overnight, it is breezy, clear spells away from those showers, mainly in western areas and it will be turning a bit cooler as well in rural areas, down to 304 degrees. not desperately call for this time of year. things are a little bit more straightforward for

tomorrow, sunny spells, few scattered showers are western areas, should clear across western scotland. the u in the afternoon, cloud increases from the west and we start to see rain coming into northern ireland. sunshine, turning hazy across eastern scotland and eastern parts of england, not a bad day here at all. that rain bring into west and aries is pushing its way eastwards during the night, the rain peters out as it runs towards the south—east. the next weather system is coming behind with more rain on that this is what's left of the first weather system, persistent rain, heavy over the hills in the west, particularly across south wales in the south—west of england. sunshine for a while in the north—east of scotland, north—east of england and high temperatures as well, a mild day for those southerly winds, quite strong, 13, 14, potentially even 15 degrees in north—eastern wales. that milder air gets pushed away overnight and through the weekend we start to draw

in cooler and cooler air. not particularly cold, still relatively mild for that time of year. a mixture this weekend of sunny spells and scattered showers, heavier ones 02:59:11,744 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 mainly in the west.