this is bbc news. the headlines: despite pressure to toughen the restrictions over christmas mixing — there's to be no formal change to the relaxation of covid rules, but stronger guidance will be issued. we do think it's absolutely vital that people should at this very, very tricky time exercise a high degree of personal responsibility. here we go again, mr speaker, ignoring the medical advice. and we know where that leads, because we've seen what happened in the last nine months. but the welsh government issues seperate guidance that only two households should meet over christmas and the nation will go into full lockdown from december 28. the situation we are facing is extremely serious, and i have to tell you today that the welsh government has made

the decision that we must move to alert level four. the government in scotland says it intends to issue strengthened guidance over the relaxation of christmas covid regulations. the five—day relaxation is a window of opportunity during which you can meet. it is not a period that we think it is safe or sensible to get together for. you should see it as a maximum, not a target. injecting progress — almost 140,000 people have been vaccinated for coronavirus so far in the uk. as london goes into tier 3, other areas of england are hoping to be moved down — following a review today of covid restrictions. nine—year—old ella kissi—debrah died in 2013, the inquest finds that air pollution did contribute to her death.

good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. christmas isn't cancelled, but leaders across the uk want you to be very careful. the rules over festive gatherings will not be changed — despite growing pressure for them to be toughened. all four nations have agreed to not to make a formal change but the advice will be made stronger in wales and scotland, where the first minister has given guidance that people should only come togetherfor one day rather than five. families will be urged to think carefully over who they meet. the prime minister told the commons he didn't want to criminalise people's long—term plans ,but he said people must "exercise extreme caution" over the festive period. the rules over christmas allow three households to mix indoors — and they can be from different nations, regions or tiers. though the welsh government

is asking people to stick to two households, and a new national lockdown will come into force there after the festive period. in scotland, the number of people within the bubble has been limited to eight — but children under 12 do not count toward that number. and the scottish government is now recommending that people should meet christmas period. this relaxation of the rules is in place for five days over the festive period, between the 23rd and 27th of december. although people in northern ireland get an extra day either side for travel time. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, said the government has been too slow to respond to the growth of the virus. 0ur political correspondent iain watson reports. beth loves her extended family but is worried that their time just to see them as a running out. she has cancer and would welcome the chance to see them this christmas.|j cancer and would welcome the chance to see them this christmas. i really wa nt to to see them this christmas. i really want to see everybody, and everybody would like to see me, because i really don't know how long i have

got. but borisjohnson has been under pressure to change direction over relaxing rules over christmas and at prime minister's questions, the labour leader asked for the evidence that justifies going ahead. the british medicaljournal yesterday 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, notjust ignore it as usual. and if he really is going to press ahead with this, can he tell us what is the assessment, and has it been done of the impact it will have on infection rates and increased pressure on the nhs? boris johnson accused keir starmer of wanting to cancel christmas, and said at a meeting this morning the uk government and all devolved agreed. we don't want to criminalise people's long made plans, mr speaker, but we do think,

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. avoid contact with elderly people wherever possible. all four uk nations have agreed to keep the relaxation in place, but while they haven't changed the rules, some are changing the advice. legally, up to three households can meet indoors for up can meet indoors for up to five days, but in wales you will be encouraged to restrict who you see. here in wales in particular, the advice of the welsh government is that only two households should come together to form an exclusive christmas bubble during the five—day period. but there was worse news if you live in wales. with infections rising, all nonessential retail will close on christmas eve and hospitality, too, from 6pm on christmas day. and scotland's first minister had some robust recommendations asking

people to restrict their own freedom over christmas. my recommendation is if you form a bubble, you should not meet up with people in it any more than on one day over that period if possible and you should not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. we should also limit numbers as far as possible. three households is a maximum that tries to account for families come in all shapes and sizes but two would be better. 0ne mp summed it up rather bluntly. he said the government seems to be saying you can have your christmas but if infections rise, it is your fault, not theirs. ministers would say, though, they are simply enabling people to make informed judgments. either way, families across the uk are going to have to make some very difficult decisions during a supposed season ofjoy. iain watson, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent, jessica parker, says offical advice from ministers is likely to be toughened. a toughening up of the language, a toughening up of the guidance, if not the law. having said that, this toughening up

of the guidance looks to be pretty significant in different parts of the uk. so, in wales you've got them saying that, ideally, people should meet in two households, not three. in scotland, they're saying don't stay overnight if you don't have to. if people are asking, "well, if you're going to change the guidance to that extent, why not the law?" well, i think it might be regarded as trickier to do that at this stage. of course, there has been this effort to have a four—nations approach, and i think that's a concern, as well, that it's just simply too late. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, saying doing so now could even risk undermining compliance. ministers here in westminster, they're emphasising common sense, personal responsibility. borisjohnson telling the house of commons in the last hour that he didn't want to criminalise people who had already made their christmas plans. in terms of a public health messaging campaign, this isn't ideal, where you might have ministers saying, " look, you can do this,

you can go this far, but please, possibly, maybe, don't." as we've been hearing, wales' first minister mark drakeford has announced that on december 28, the country will go into a full lockdown with restrictions applying to household mixing, holiday accommodation and travel across wales. all nonessential retail will close on christmas eve. the first minister made the announcement at the welsh government daily coronavirus briefing. the situation we are facing is extremely serious, and i have to tell you today that the welsh government has made the decision that we must move to alert level four 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 of the changes that will follow. all of this means that all non—essential

retail, including close contact services at 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 28, 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. 0ur correspondent, mark hutchings, is in cardiff. mark drakeford mark dra keford saintly mark drakeford saintly situation in wales is serious? this is a recognition of the picture that has gotten gloomier about the day. mark dra keford says gotten gloomier about the day. mark drakeford says that gotten gloomier about the day. mark dra keford says that wales gotten gloomier about the day. mark drakeford says that wales now has an

equivalent of... planning is never quite be like this. on the subject of those bubbles, the four nations government did sign up to that free household bubble, but in in wales they are saying that although there is very strongly the law, their christmas wish is you should keep it to two households as they try to keep the lid on acne is arising covid case rates. the rates are soaring in south wales, and there is clear of nervousness about wales going into the festive period just at the worst possible time, with cases rising just such as they are. scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon has issued fresh advice for people meeting up at christmas. at her daily briefing, she said if people feel it is "essential" to meet with others indoors, she said this should be for as short as possible, preferably for one day only and not overnight.

she also said her government intends to issue strengthened guidance on christmas coronavirus regulation relaxations later today. the safest way to spend christmas this year, for you and for those that you love, is to stay within your own household and in your own home. my strong recommendation is that this is what you should do if at all possible. any interaction you do have another household should, if at all possible, be outdoors. but if you do consider it essential to meet indoors with someone from another household, you should limit both the duration and the numbers as much as possible. this is a point i want to stress in particular. the five—day relaxation is a window of opportunity during which you can meet. it is not a period that we think it is safe or sensible to get together. you should see it as a maximum, not a target. my recommendation is that if you do form a bubble, you should not meet up with people

in it any more than on one day over that period, if possible, and you should not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. you should also limit numbers as far as possible. three households is a maximum that tries to account for the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes, but two would be better. in short, if you have to form a bubble, keep it as small as possible. in scotland, we already advise an overall limit of eight people, and i recommend that you stay firmly within that if you do feel that you need to form a bubble. again, the smaller the better. lastly, we will recommend against travel from high prevalence to low prevalence areas of the uk, and we will issue more detail on that shortly. let's go over to glasgow and speak to our correspondent there, james shaw. what sort of reaction are you hearing? reaction at not coming in particularly at the moment, i think people are trying to absorb at this, really. i guess on the whole people will be feeling that what they were sold as there is of the christmas

easing is still there in place, but the guidance is there to be listened to. you heard nicola sturgeon are saying that the restrictions are already a little bit tighter in scotla nd already a little bit tighter in scotland than other parts of the uk. so only eight people from the house house, as opposed to an unlimited numberfrom house, as opposed to an unlimited number from three households. house, as opposed to an unlimited numberfrom three households. 0nly eight in scotland. lamenting that even more, so eight in scotland. lamenting that even more, so spending only one day oi’ even more, so spending only one day or part of the day with another household, limiting the amount of time, limiting the number of people, ideallyjust time, limiting the number of people, ideally just two time, limiting the number of people, ideallyjust two people. also that message about the guidance on travel, that people in high—risk areas should not travel to low risk areas. i think a lot of information there for people to die deist and it will decide whether they think that this guidance is something for them to follow and stick to. —— for people to diejess. to follow and stick to. —— for people to die jess. other people have they made their plans, travel plans anything like that. is the

guidance to change those plans? no, it isn't. nicola sturgeon acknowledge that, saying that she understood that people already had plans, they might already have spent money, just like we had the situation with holidays during the summer. i think it was accepted that people should be allowed to carry on with those plans that they had made, but also to adhere to the guidance, which i think we will hear in detail and more formally later on today. the headlines on bbc news: despite pressure to toughen the restrictions over christmas mixing — there's to be no formal change to the relaxation of covid rules, but stronger guidance will be issued. the welsh government issues seperate guidance that only two households should meet over christmas and the nation will go into full lockdown from december the 28th. the government in scotland says it intends to issue strengthened guidance over the relaxation of christmas covid regulations. this morning, 10 million people in london and some surrounding areas moved into tier 3

— the toughest level of restrictions in england — to try to tackle a recent spike in cases in the capital. later today the government will review the tiered system elsewhere in england before announcing any changes tomorrow. 0ne place hoping to move down from tier 3 restrictions is stratford—upon—avon, from where phil mackie sent this report. this is stratford's most famous landmark — the royal shakespeare theatre. with very low infection rates in the town, they'd expected to be in tier 2 and open, but because other towns and cities nearby had higher rates, it went into tier 3. it was really upsetting. we've obviously had a very tough year in the performing arts, it's been no exception here in stratford. we normally welcome 1,500 people a night to this amazing complex of theatres. we've lost 86% of our income, so actually to get to the end of the year, we were just about to open theatres again to audiences in person, and we had to cancel that. so we are going on with work that we can stream online, but we haven't been able to have

audiences in the building yet, which is incredibly upsetting. there are more swans than people at the moment by the river avon. prospects for the town look as bleak as the weather, unless there is an easing of restrictions. even on a cold, wet december day, stratford would normally have many thousands of visitors, either coming to the theatre or the town's many attractions, but because it's in tier 3, they can't open and the visitors haven't come, which is having a massive effect on the town's economy. the pandemic never seems to end. at the arden hotel, they are getting ready in case they can reopen this weekend, but it may not be worth it, especially if tougher restrictions come back in injanuary. we need to be looking slightly more long—term, in terms of understanding what the strategy is for hospitality. we probably need a minister for hospitality to help us manage our way out of what will be a really tough position. the same concerns are being expressed across england. in manchester, they've endured restrictions longer than most. there is a strong case now for a substantial part

of greater manchester to be in tier2. 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. for now, in stratford, everything remains on hold, but there is hope that restrictions will be eased by christmas. phil mackie, bbc news, stratford—upon—avon. the coronavirus lockdowns are having a continuing effect on the economy. the uk's inflation rate fell to 0.3% in novemberfrom 0.7% in october. lower prices for clothing, food and nonalcoholic drinks were the biggest reasons for the fall. however, games, toys and hobbies increased in price, partly offsetting those declines. the figures reflect the fact that most of the country was in some form of coronavirus lockdown during the month. a week into the national coronavirus vaccine campaign, the government have announced that 137,000 people have been vaccinated across the uk.

0ur health editor, hugh pym, has been taking us through the numbers. it's onlyjust over a week ago that margaret keenan, in coventry, became the first person to receive the vaccine in the uk, or anywhere in the world, the pfizer—biontech vaccine. so now we have got these figures for the uk in the week up until yesterday, a total of more than 137,000. let's see how it breaks down across the uk. england, 108,000. scotland, 18,000. wales, nearly 8000. northern ireland, 4000. so, is that roughly what we might expect? well, some people are saying if you take that as the rate each week, then it is not going to go up very rapidly if you look at trying to do across a large amount of the population by next spring, which is the aim. but it only really got going last week in hospitals. gp practices and surgeries, certainly in england, have onlyjust started doing it in the last 24—48 hours. so it was quite a limited roll—out. so, ministers seemed quite

happy with that start, they're making the point that more of this pfizer—biontech vaccine doses are coming in, they have had in the first consignment of 800,000. remember, you need to do two. they say there will be a few million, at least, by the end of this year. of course, we will have to watch for these numbers every week, they are going to be published on a weekly basis. let's talk christmas, because there was huge pressure on the government to change its guidance for christmas, and we are not getting what many people had hoped for? yes, certainly across the health and medical world, there was a strong plea to ministers to change the guidance to stop people mixing over christmas because of what they called a super spreader event. we had the editors of the british medicaljournal and health servicejournal saying that yesterday, and there is a fear in the health service that you have got cases rising quite sharply in the south—east of england, they are still falling elsewhere in england. but wales have got a particular problem as well, as we have been hearing. there was a worry that the mixing

of people over christmas would really push up cases and put intense pressure on the nhs, just when it is most busy. so, the health world will be watching quite anxiously as to what happens, but i think appreciating that people not mixing christmas is maybe not so good for some people's well—being and their mental health. the head of the european commission, ursula von der leyen, has said that one of the three major bones of contention over brexit has been largely settled — but that the dispute over fisheries remains difficult. speaking to the european parliament, she said the next few days would be crucial. 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 it is there. this afternoon, a spokesperson for the prime minister admitted that it still remains the case that a no—deal is the most likely outcome.

0ur brussels correspondent, nick beake, has been following the talks, and explained the stumbling blocks that remain 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. nine year—old ella adoo—kissi—debrah is the first person in the uk to have air pollution exposure recorded as their medical cause of death. the coroner ruled that pollution made a material contribution as she suffered a fatal asthma attack in february 2013. her mother said her daughter finally got the justice "she so deserved." jon donnison reports. for the first few years of her life, ella kissi—debrah had been a healthy and active young girl. but after a chest infection,

she developed acute asthma. she was hospitalised around 30 times over three years. and died in 2013, just nine years old. the following year an inquest concluded she died of acute respiratory failure and severe asthma. but ella lived just yards from the busy south circular road in south london. she walked to school along it. her family have always believed air pollution directly contributed to her death. and after new medical evidence showed there was a direct link, the high court ordered a fresh inquest. her mother, rosamond, arrived in court this morning for the conclusion of that second inquest, and finally she got what she had been hoping for. 7 million people around the world die every year courtesy of air pollution and this was about my daughter,

getting air pollution on the death certificate, which we finally have and we have got the justice for her which she so deserved but also it is about other children as we walk around our cities still. the assistant coroner, philip barlow, concluded the official medical because of ella's death should be recorded as acute respiratory failure and severe asthma contributed to by excessive exposure to air pollution. the first time such a cause of death has been recorded. and ella's case could set a precedent, the inquest heard that air pollution is a contributing factor to tens of thousands of premature deaths in the uk each year. we have known for many years that air pollution is a huge cause of ill health, but this really is a landmark really is a landmark ruling today because it is the very first time air pollution has been put on a death certificate. we think it should herald a seismic shift in the action that government and clinicians and health professionals take to address the problem.

addressing ella's mother today, the assistant coroner referred to a photograph of the young girl that had been displayed in court throughout this inquest. he remarked that she had very bright brown eyes and a smile bigger than the photograph itself. jon donnison, bbc news, in south london. the killers of pc andrew harper will not have their sentences increased after judges rejected the attorney general‘s case that they were "unduly lenient". suella braverman had argued henry long, albert bowers and jessie cole should be handed longer jail terms. she said the sentences of the three men had caused "widespread public concern" but that was rejected by the court of appeal. pc harper died after he was dragged for more than a mile behind a car in berkshire in august 2019. the supreme court has ruled that plans to build a third runway at heathrow airport are lawful. the scheme had been blocked by the appeal court, which said the government's airports strategy didn't meet up—to—date uk climate targets.

the firm behind heathrow can now seek permission to go ahead with the runway. 0ur transport correspondent caroline davies reports. it is just over there where that tall tree without leaves on is... justine bailey has lived on the border of heathrow airport for 25 years. the proposed third runway would be opposite her house. the runway would be about where the bungalows, you can see some chimneys at the end of the road. that is literally where the runway would be. so you wouldn't be able to stand here without ear defenders on if they were using the runway. today's judgment was not what she was hoping for. it won't be possible to go on living here because the air will be far too polluted. it will be far too noisy. most of my neighbours will have had their houses bulldozed and will have had to move. protesters gathered outside the supreme court before this morning's verdict. today's result is a setback for environmental campaigners as well as residential groups. well, it is very disappointing, and very disappointing for our membership across london and the south—east.

and the government's advisers on the implementation of our carbon commitments has stated that were heathrow to expand, it would almost certainly mean restrictions in aviation activity in other parts of the country. possibly even the closure of some regional airports. the village of harmondsworth has lived with the threat of partial demolition for years. opponents of the third runway say that climate change concerns and even covid have weakened the argument for it. 0thers disagree. as we come out of covid, we are going to have to re—establish international trading connections across the world. and having a major airport which can literally reach every capital city, everywhere in the globe is going to be crucial to london's advantage. and in a post—brexit world, we are going to have to do that even more. while heathrow say today's judgment is the right result for the country, labour has argued the proposals don't pass their tests on air quality, noise pollution and delivering countrywide economic benefits. the government has said they are seriously considering the court'sjudgement.

today's decision is not the end of the process and both sides have said they will fight on. caroline davies, bbc news. the prime minister will host a press conference at downing street this afternoon. borisjohnson will be joined by the chief medical officer for england, professor chris whitty. we'll bring it to you live at 3.30 on bbc one and the bbc news channel. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren bett. we have seen a spell of wet and windy weather across western parts of the uk today. into the evening, the winds will be quite a strong although quite windy in at the irish sea still. they were to wear move away from eastern parts of england, it earns more showery in scotland. it does count more showery overnight, clear spells, a breezy sort of night, cooler as well. temperatures in rural areas could be

down to 3 or 4 degrees. a more straightforward day tomorrow of sunshine and scattered showers. the showers they become fewer, cloud increases from the west and we start to see some rain arriving in northern ireland later on in a new day. not a bad day for eastern parts of scotland, down the eastern side of scotland, down the eastern side of england, some sunshine. temperatures around 9 to 12 celsius.

hello. this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines — despite pressure to toughen the restrictions over christmas mixing — there's to be no formal change

to the relaxation of covid rules, but stronger guidance will be issued. but the welsh government issues seperate guidance that only two households should meet over christmas and the nation will go into full lockdown from december the 28th. the government in scotland says it intends to issue strengthened guidance over the relaxation of christmas covid regulations. injecting progress — almost 140,000 people have been vaccinated for coronavirus so far in the uk. as london goes into tier 3 other areas of england are hoping to be moved down — following a review today of covid restrictions. nine—year—old ella kissi—debrah died in 2013, the inquest finds that air pollution did contribute to her death. sport now, and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's chettan. good afternoon, we're going to start with some breaking rugby news — champions cup holders exeter‘s match at toulouse this sunday has been cancelled, after a covid—19 outbreak at the chiefs.

i'm joined now by our rugby union correspondent chrisjones — what do we know? yes, this statement has just come out in the last few minutes, covid outbreak at exeter has forced the cancellation of their match in toulouse on sunday, and it also has other repercussions, because exeter played glasgow last weekend, and on the advice of public health scotland, glasgow's match at home to lyon on saturday lunchtime has orally been called off —— has also been called off. because of fixture congestion, very little to no chance these games can be rearranged, so 110w these games can be rearranged, so now european cup panel will meet to decide how and whether and why a tea m decide how and whether and why a team could or couldn't and why fulfil the fixture on how to allocate the match points. more news on that in due course, what happens to those match points that would have been played for in these games. but confirmation again that glasgow against lyon and toulouse against

exeter this weekend have both been cancelled. we await to see what happens. chris jones, thank cancelled. we await to see what happens. chrisjones, thank you. we'll talk about the impact of head injuries in a moment too — it's an ongoing discussion in rugby union too. women's 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 knock will do to you. it's not the fact you might get dimension when you are older because when you are 28 you don't care what about when you are older can you genuinely don't care you just want to play for england, but we don't know what the next knock will do to you, you go, 0k, that suddenly very different. i want to have a future, have a family, i wa nt to to have a future, have a family, i want to be able to play with them, stuff like that, and that is a difficult moment to have to do but

100% the right decision, and all this shows me god i'm so pleased i'm in that position. in the last hour, trials of concussion substitutes have been approved by football's lawmakers ifab. it means from next month clubs could get an additional substitution for potentail incidents like this. you might remember wolves striker rauljiminez suffered a fractured skull in a clash of heads with arsenal's david luiz, who carried on playing for a while, after being treated on the touchline. but some experts don't believe ifab have come up with the best solution, and are calling for temporary substitutes to be introduced, so there's time to properly assess players. if the problem that they were trying to address was one way brain injured players, concussed players could not leave the park, were not allowed to be substituted, this would be a solution, but the problem is recognising and identifying those injured players, and this does nothing to help the sideline medic actually get that identification process forward and every other sport has had to wrestle with this and i've had solutions to that. it looks like football has gone back to

the last century and actually come up the last century and actually come up with a bigger problem. and west brom have sacked their manager slaven bilic this afternoon — after 18 months in charge. the club's second from bottom in the premier league with just one win all season. but they did put in a solid performance last night, getting a 1—1 draw at manchester city. in a statement west brom thanked bilic — and his staff — for achieving promotion last season. they're not commenting on his replacement, with sam allardyce amongst the names in contention to takeover at the hawthornes. there is a reaction to that story over at the moment on the bbc sport website. that is all from me for now, back to you simon. thank you very much. 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.

the head of the race equality foundation says it's crucial the nhs uses trusted channels, including bame—led groups, to address concerns — and reach communities disproportionately impacted by covid. 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 a vaccine now in sight, many of us are now starting to breathe a sigh of relief. some, though, are still fearful. i'm not against people having it. 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. at the moment i think people are hesitant in our community, but i

think we have to see the positive side of it. so if there is a service offering the public to take it, i don't think there is any issue. i will take the vaccine because there is no problem and there is no consequence. i will take it and protect my family. if it's got a chip in it to track people, that's the reason why i wouldn't go for it. where have you heard that this vaccine has got a chip? from the whatsapp and all this. the vaccine does not contain a chip and the government says we should be cautious of misinformation and conspiracy theories. even with my two, kids people sort of send whatsapp videos and all sorts of messages. if you don't know where that is coming from, then it is very likely to be inaccurate. this is an incredibly well developed, scientific endeavour. and therefore i would urge everyone, take the information, read it, look at it and then make your mind up. are you happy? yes. researchers say the evidence is clear. with higher death rates in these communities, coupled with underrepresentation in clinical trials, scientists insist getting vaccinated is the safest way to help end the pandemic. adina campbell, bbc news.

germany has registered more than 950 deaths in the last 24 hours — the most recorded since the pandemic began. it comes as the country enters a tough four—week lockdown in response to a dramatic rise in infections recently. 0ur berlin correspondentjenny hill has been looking at why germany has fared so badly in their second wave. there is little festive cheer, as germany prepares for a christmas in lockdown. as shops, schools and hairdressers closed this morning, another miserable milestone — more than 950 deaths recorded in a day. even taking into account statistical fluctuations, it's the worst death toll here since the pandemic began. yesterday, shoppers thronged the streets ahead of the lockdown. most surveys suggest think it's the right course of action. translation: we worry about the elderly in my family

translation: if you ask me, it is absolutely the right time to lock down. hospitals here are at breaking point. we have only had to transfer patients because we don't have any more free beds. so what has gone wrong for the country which came so successfully through the first wave? scientists aren't sure, there were some blame regional politicians who restricted angela merkel‘s calls for a tougher nationwide restriction earlier in the autumn. a tougher nationwide restriction earlier in the autumnlj a tougher nationwide restriction earlier in the autumn. i assume people do not follow all the regulations that were told. i mean, we had to reduce our contact by about 75% but i think that didn't work. frustration too, the vaccine developed by scientist has been rolled out by other countries. here they are still waiting for eu approvalfor use. it they are still waiting for eu approval for use. it is they are still waiting for eu approvalfor use. it is hoped they are still waiting for eu approval for use. it is hoped that will happen by the end of the year,

but for now a country that loves its festive traditions has all but cancelled christmas. more than 300 passengers were stranded on a ferry overnight after crew members tested positive for covid—19. the belfast—bound stena line ferry was advised by port health authorities not to leave birkenhead, after six members of staff were found to have coronavirus. the 322 passengers and 53 crew have been told by public health authorities to disembark in birkenhead. the firm said it was helping passengers find alternative travel. now, it's school christmas nativity time, and this year, one school is doing things rather differently. take a look at this. #0n # 0n the fifth day of covid, boris gave to me, four toilet rolls, two metres distance, and a lockdown in 2020. that's flakefleet primary school. they reached the finals

of britains got talent last year and now they're hosting a star—studded virtual nativity play. they've also released a christmas single, which you've just heard, titled ‘the 12 days of covid'. let's speak to headteacher, dave mcpartlin, who isjoined by mary and joseph — also known as skye and fletcher. first of all, how did this come about? bacca a couple of months ago it became apparent we would never do the nativity normally unfortunately, so we started to think let's write our own version of it, a 2020 covid version. we did that, and then we thought how can we take it a step further? we asked david walliams to be the narrator, he is a lovely man, i thought it was a big ask, but sure enough a couple of hours later he e—mailed back to say he was happy to do it, and then a couple of days later we had an audio file of him narrating our christmas story. mary,

what was it like? how did you do it, put it all together? we don't really know. i don't think we have done the middle bit, so we are doing it at different points at a time. we are jumping around at a bit, we are having to hesitate, because there are different bubbles, mostly, but we arejumping around quite a bit to keep everybody say. so they don't really know what it's going to look like, i'm not sure if i'm totally honest. i see there is a donkey involved somehow, have you got that onein? involved somehow, have you got that one in? the donkeys were furloughed, one in? the donkeys were furloughed, ona one in? the donkeys were furloughed, on a break from blackpool, one in? the donkeys were furloughed, on a breakfrom blackpool, so somebody helped us out with them. all the children got to feed them, we have a brilliant donkey handler here. this is a new career i think forjoseph. here. this is a new career i think for joseph. joseph, here. this is a new career i think forjoseph. joseph, i better call you fletcher. how much fun was it? really fun. really fun. you're

kidding, you were living the dream yesterday with those donkeys, won't you, and then mary riding around on them. it was a bit of a different day yesterday. we had a few of those recently, haven't we? as i mentioned, britton‘s got talent, what is it about the school, is it a special school that encourages this sort of thing? there is only special schools out there. schools have done an amazing job over the past couple months. wejust an amazing job over the past couple months. we just want our own children to grow up thinking anything is possible. our school motto is dare to dream, with what can we write our own nativity, then get david walliams, then go all these other people involved. i'm sure there's people out there that would say you will never be on bbc news, and here you are. it is about perseverance, resilience. 0n the other thing is we want them to be fun, happy memories, do things that are different. not everyone is academic, we need to find something

for everybody and we want to make this covid christmas just a little bit more special than normal and hopefully it will make one or two people smile this year. let'sjust hear a bit more. # 0n the 12th day of covid, boris gave to me. # 12 plastic visors, 11 sanitisers. # 10pm pubs close, nine months in lockdown. # 8pm clapping, seven isolation. # six people lonely. # five zoom calls. # four toilet rolls, three—tier plans. # two metres distance and a lockdown for 2020.# it was much better than that. skye, just tell me, how much fun was it and it must‘ve been great, given that everybody has had a pretty year, haven't they? yeah. it isjust

nice having a bit of fun. it has been a pretty serious time and we have so many good dance moves in the school, haven't we? we are such a talented group. just nice to get out there and have a bit of fun with the children. you are right, it has been a pretty serious time for us all. usa us all we should mention staff, because it has been a huge from everyone. yeah, absolutely. school staff a bsolutely everyone. yeah, absolutely. school staff absolutely across the country, they have done an amazing job, and all key workers have. all those who have a country running. there are so many schools that have also done an amazing nativity is. wejust many schools that have also done an amazing nativity is. we just were lucky, we got lucky last year with britton's got talent, we were able to send a few cheeky e—mails. people in schools, they really have, they have been there for the children, for the communities, they have really done an amazing job, particularly recently and very challenging circumstances. and fletcher, you have got one of the

top roles here, how did you get that? so we were in the middle of pe in the studio, and mr bolton came in and he went, there is a school nativity, so if it sounds like your thing just come with me, so we came. we had an audition and we just got put together in this happen. this is it. we pulled them from pe out of nowhere and here they are now singing the 12 days of covid. dare to dream if ever i saw it. my mum and dad are going to be proud. skye, who is the best singer? me! hey, sit down, sit down, joseph! honestly! i think they are incredibly talent. i have no talent but i have some amazing dance moves. dave, how long has there been a discipline problem

at the school? to be honest, the rest of the kids, it is just mary and joseph, you know, the star role, it has gone to their heads, hasn't it, mary and joseph? they've got a ride and now, they sent a request m, ride and now, they sent a request in, they want cake and only read skittles. so what is next, then, destined for stardom, clearly?” don't know. we see opportunities to make people laugh and have a bit of fun. we want kids to look back the time at school and think that was cool time at school and think that was cool, wasn't it? happy children have got to make better learners, and they might not look that happy right now but i promise most the time they are now but i promise most the time they a re pretty now but i promise most the time they are pretty happy, and we are very lucky. we have lots of brilliant collea g u es lucky. we have lots of brilliant colleagues who do fantasticjobs with the children. itjust works here, it wouldn't work everywhere but it works for us. we are a very lucky bunch here. just looking at

the words, who came up with those? it was staff and sat around over a brew. three tier plan, to me to distance, quite a lot of them jumped out, and then we just looked at other covid—related things and thought we would throw them in there. but it is just lovely, the nativity, we couldn't get everybody on like! would come you would have them all in the whole performing that nice big nativity song. the little single, the idea was we would get all about children on because they all want that little moment so pa rents they all want that little moment so pa re nts ca n they all want that little moment so parents can watch them back. skye, i'm just wondering, how did you feel about having to be married to fletcher? i'm pretty happy about it, but i think in real life i wouldn't have to marry fletcher! i'm pretty happy acting, but in real life! fletcher, what is your response to that? he doesn't even care, really.

this has gone in a direction i wasn't expecting. as a result we are going to leave it, i think! dave, thank you so much, i wish you well with it and to you too, mary and joseph, it is really nice to have something cheerful. thank you all very much. you are watching bbc news. sterner warnings about the dangers of mixing over christmas are to be issued by all four uk nations — but sources say the rules allowing three households to mix are "unlikely to change". 0ur reporterjohn maguire has been speaking to families about their plans for christmas. it's often an angst—ridden time, choosing who to spend christmas with. but, this year, the stakes are higher than ever. the government's decision to allow up to three households to socialise between the 23rd and 27th is highly contentious. throughout the uk, decisions are being made. beth purvis has bowel and brain cancer. we spoke as she awaited treatment

at the royal marsden cancer hospital in london. no, i'm feeling pretty much all right, just general side—effects of treatment, which is chemotherapy. previous christmases have seen up to 25 people getting together from her extended family. of course, this year will be much smaller. but no less important. i really want to see everybody. and my family would really like to see me. because i really don't know how long i've got. i mean, it would be really nice to think that i would get to next christmas, but there is every chance that this is my last one. ledbury's buzzing! in the herefordshire town of ledbury, it has been another frantic day at the waller family's butcher shop. with the store closed, matt and his dad, dave, told me about their plans for christmas.

well, i've got my dad coming over to our house on christmas morning. we are going to have breakfast with the grandchildren, and then he's going to have christmas dinner with my brother, he works with us at our unit, and then we are going to have, for the first time in 18 years, a christmas dinner on our own, me and my wife and my two children. my wife said she was a bit concerned. she wanted us altogether because normally matthew comes over to our house, and we would be together with the grandchildren and all that, but by the time we get to christmas, we are shattered! the shop has seen a year like never before. normally it slowly begins. early december, people start to realise and get their ideas together around christmas but, by the end of november, we have never had so many orders. just a record number of orders. smaller cuts, people are respecting the guidance, and having smaller groups together, which makes sense, and obviously, from our point of view, that generates more order numbers.

put it on for george. just have a quick look. what is it saying? let's have a look. laughter. we are christmas crazy, aren't we, chantelle? and last but not least, meet the lewises. albeit just a fraction of the family. tracy and pete have 13 children. christmas chaos. christmas day, you walk down stairs, and you all sort of had your own corner. and it was great, you kind of knew, you had a corner. it was like, wow, you had the whole lounge through to the dining area was just absolutely full up of bikes, you name it, you know? but it was always so magical. and as you get older, you really sort of miss that vibe. mum and dad got me an electric scooter. and i was so desperate to try it, and i knew what i was getting, i went down about three or four o'clock in the morning. i didn't know how to use it, so i made the loudest noise

and crashed it into, like, the tree, or something! and then dad came shooting down, it was like, no, that's it, christmas is over. you're not having your present. go back to bed. that was one of my most best memories. and now with 22 grandchildren, feeding the family is like a military operation. a couple of turkeys in the oven cooking from about ten o'clock at night on christmas eve. through to the morning. all of the veg is prepped out the night before. we normally serve up about 20 platefuls of everything. so it is life to the full. this year, instead of having to choose, the children have bought their parents a night away in a local hotel. we are actually going away for christmas day and boxing day, but we are going into our home town of bournemouth, so we are staying in a hotel and having christmas day and boxing day and obviously staying over, so to me it will be like

the honeymoon we never, ever got. for tracy and pete, the first peaceful christmas for 37 years. and for the rest of us, hopefully one that is happy and, most importantly, a christmas that is safe. john maguire, bbc news. tom cruise has strongly criticised an apparent breach of the coronavirus rules on the london set of the new mission impossible film. the 58—year—old actor is alleged to have told crew members they would be fired if they don't obey the rules. production of the seventh instalment in the mission impossible franchise resumed filming in september, after it was halted at the start of the pandemic. a lost artefact from the great pyramid of giza in egypt has been found — by chance — at the university of aberdeen. the pieces of wood from a cedar tree, dating back five thousand years, were one of only three objects ever recovered from inside the pyramid. the artefacts known as the dixon relics — were found in a cigar tin

in a university collection. take a look at this bunch of troublemakers who terrorised a town hall in turkey. they might have looked peaceful when they approached, but as they got nearer the building, this beastly bunch, a sheep, goat and three lambs soon started chasing the staff are on the building. the animals had strayed away from the main part of the flock and ended up in the city. they were eventually rounded up and taken back to theirfarm, but eventually rounded up and taken back to their farm, but not before leaving the town hall workers feeling, it says here, a little sheepish. let's look at the weather with darren bett. hello, there. more wet weather around today and in some parts of the country more windy weather as well. it has been particularly wet in the south—west of england, not only whet that we had some very strong winds bringing some very 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 cloud in from the west today, around an area of low pressure which brought the very strong winds from the south—west approaches through the irish sea and into the north channel. those wins are easing down though through the rest of the day. still some quite strong winds at time. we have some wetter weather across western scotla nd wetter weather across western scotland this evening. that last of the rain clinging on to some eastern parts of england. that will move through. it turns more showery in scotland. this evening, there could bea scotland. this evening, there could be a few, heavy, thundery ones. 0vernight, breezy, some clearer spells away from no showers mainly in western areas, and it will turn a bit cooler as well in rural areas. we could be down three or 4 degrees. so not desperately cold for this time of the year. things a little bit more straightforward tomorrow, sunny spells, a few scattered showers mainly for the western areas, particularly across western scotland. they become fewer in the afternoon, cloud increases from the west are not see rain coming in to northern ireland by the end of the day. still some sunshine, albeit

turning hazy across eastern scotland and eastern parts of them. not a bad day here at all, temperatures around nine or 10 degrees. that weather front bringing in the rain to western areas pushes its way eastward during the night, and the rain tend to peter out as it runs towards the south—east of the uk. the next weather system coming in behind with more rain. this is what is left of the first weather system, a lot of cloud come a bit of dampness too. here is the more persistent rain, heavy and there was across the west, particularly across south wales on the south—west of england. some sunshine for a while in the north—east of scotland, north of scotland, high temperatures as well, a very mild day with those southerly winds, 13 or 14, potentially even 15 degrees. in north—eastern wales. that milder air gets pushed away overnight and through the week and we start to draw in cooler and cooler air. not particularly cold. still relatively mild for the time of year but we are turning a little cooler, and it is a mixture again this weekend of sunny spells and scattered showers, some heavier ones mainly in the west.

this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 3: despite pressure to toughen the restrictions over christmas mixing — there's to be no formal change to the relaxation of covid rules, but stronger guidance will be issued. we do think it's absolutely vital that people should at this very, very tricky time exercise a high degree of personal responsibility. here we go again, mr speaker, ignoring the medical advice. and we know where that leads, because we've seen what happened in the last nine months. and the prime minister will hold a press briefing with professor chris whitty, the chief medical adviser to the uk government, in half an hour in downing street. we'll bring that to you live here on bbc news. the welsh government issues separate guidance that only two households should meet over christmas and the nation will go into full lockdown from december the 28th.

the government in scotland says it intends to issue strengthened guidance over the relaxation of christmas covid regulations. injecting progress — almost 140,000 people have been vaccinated for coronavirus so far in the uk. and, as london goes into tier 3 — other areas of england are hoping to be moved down following a review today of covid restrictions. good afternoon, and welcome to bbc news. christmas isn't cancelled — but leaders across the uk want you to be very careful. the rules over festive gatherings will not be changed, despite growing pressure for them to be toughened. all four nations have agreed to not to make a formal change but the advice will be made stronger in wales and scotland, where the first minister has given

guidance that people should only come togetherfor one day rather than five. families will be urged to think carefully over who they meet. the prime minister told the commons he didn't want to criminalise people's long—term plans, but he said people must "exercise extreme caution" over the festive period. the rules over christmas allow three households to mix indoors — and they can be from different nations, regions or tiers. though the welsh government is asking people to stick to two households, and a new national lockdown will come into force there after the festive period. in scotland, the number of people within the bubble has been limited to eight — but children under 12 do not count toward that number. and the scottish government is now recommending that people should meet other households for only one day during the five—day christmas period this relaxation of the rules is in place for five days over the festive period, between the 23rd and 27th of december. although people in northern ireland get an extra day either side for travel time. the labour leader, sir keir starmer, said the government has been too slow to respond to the growth of the virus.

0ur political correspondent, iain watson, reports. beth loves her extended family, but is worried that the time she has to see them is running out. she has cancer and would welcome the chance to meet with them this christmas. i really want to see everybody, and my family would really like to see me, because i really don't know how long i've got. is christmas cancelled, prime minister? but borisjohnson has been under pressure to change direction over relaxing rules over christmas and at prime minister's questions, the labour leader asked for the evidence that justifies going ahead. the british medicaljournal yesterday 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, notjust ignore it as usual. and if he really is going to press ahead with this, can he tell us what is the assessment,

and has it been done of the impact it will have on infection rates and increased pressure on the nhs? borisjohnson accused keir starmer of wanting to cancel christmas, and said at a meeting this morning the uk government and all devolved administrations agreed. we don't want to criminalise people's long made plans, mr speaker, but we do think, 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. avoid contact with elderly people wherever possible. all four uk nations have agreed to keep the relaxation in place, but while they haven't changed the rules, some are changing the advice. legally, up to three households can meet indoors for up to five days, but in wales you will be encouraged to restrict who you see. here in wales in particular,

the advice of the welsh government is that only two households should come together to form an exclusive christmas bubble during the five—day period. but there was worse news if you live in wales. with infections rising, all nonessential retail will close on christmas eve and hospitality, too, from 6pm on christmas day. and scotland's first minister had some robust recommendations asking people to restrict their own freedom over christmas. my recommendation is if you form a bubble, you should not meet up with people in it any more than on one day over that period if possible and you should not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. we should also limit numbers as far as possible. three households is a maximum that tries to account for families come in all shapes and sizes, but two would be better. 0ne mp summed it up rather bluntly. he said the government seems to be saying you can have your christmas but if infections rise,

it is your fault, not theirs. ministers would say, though, they are simply enabling people to make informed judgments. either way, families across the uk are going to have to make some very difficult decisions during a supposed season ofjoy. iain watson, bbc news. 0ur political correspondent, jonathan blake, is at westminster for us now. we are waiting to hear more from borisjohnson shortly? we are waiting to hear more from boris johnson shortly? yes, a press conference in at downing street within the next hour where we will see on the premise that alongside a chief medical officer see on the premise that alongside a chief medical 0fficerfor see on the premise that alongside a chief medical officer for england, chris whitty. we expect to hear from the prime minister more detailed guidance for england on what people are advised to do now over that five—day christmas period. as you had and that report they are, the bills are staying at the same, but the advice is changing significantly depending on where you live in the

uk. in wales, the first minister mark drakeford uk. in wales, the first minister mark dra keford has uk. in wales, the first minister mark drakeford has recommended that people from no more than two households should come together, thatis households should come together, that is also the advice in scotland, with the maximum of eight already stipulated remaining in place. nicola sturgeon going further and saying people should union one of those days out of the five over christmas when the rules are relaxed, and people should not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. we heard a borisjohnson earlier on setting the tone for what i'm sure it will be from him a slightly stricter message that mine we have heard on christmas up until now. he told the house of commons that people should exercise extreme caution, a high degree of personal responsibility, and avoid seeing elderly members of their family wherever possible. so, although the bills are staying at the same, and it remains the case that people are free and able to meet with up to three other households indoors over

that five—day period at christmas, no strong message coming through from governments across the uk now is that that is an absolute maximum of what people should be considering doing, and not necessarily an instruction to go that far. but this isa instruction to go that far. but this is a really tough call given that many people around the country will have already have made their plans, particularly around travel and things? i think that's why we haven't seen the rules change. when representatives from the devolved governments held a call with michael gove governments held a call with michael g ove g ove governments held a call with michael gove gove yesterday, subsequent discussions have happened from then on, there has been a reluctance from all the size to wrap up that original plan and start again. everyone is mindful of the fact that people have had to plan for christmas, that has been acceptance on all sides that people will be wanting to spend some time of the family after having not seen them probably in many cases for many

months, or perhaps since the beginning of the year to give out all the defections that had been in place. and to change the rules at this point would have risk what ministers here at westminster and in that the devolved governments around the uk have been wary of, and that is people making up their own rules and deciding on the bills do not apply to them or are simply too complicated to follow. it is an attempt to strike a balance between allowing the freedom to meet up with up allowing the freedom to meet up with up to three other households, but strongly advising people, given that the situation in terms of coronavirus cases now, not to do so. our health correspondent, anna collinsonjoins me now. the tone of all the messages is that the fewer people you meet up with over christmas, the better? yes, definitely. the risks that come with this five day christmas window, people travelling across the country, potentially from a high risk area to a low risk area, and

taking the virus with them. hugging and kissing, seeing theirfamilies and kissing, seeing theirfamilies and loved ones, drinking alcohol, being in poorly ventilated rooms where the virus can really fly. all that these are really serious concerns. it is why we have been hearing over the past few days from a leading health official saying that the mixing of households is a terrible mistake. the real message is, if there is a surge the uk following this christmas window, the ones that will be made to pay will be at the nhs, and therefore patients. it is thought that patients. it is thought that patients waiting on those waiting lists, replacements, that kind of thing, they will be the ones medically affected by this. this is why the first lockdown was so effective, because at that message of protecting the nhs was taken on board by so many people. what sort of hospitalisation figures are given out at the moment? when we are

looking at cases and hospitalisations, that gives a real idea of where we are, but also where we may be in a few weeks' time, because rising hospital decisions and cases in a few weeks' time can tragically result in death. the uk had seen a fall in cases in septemberas at had seen a fall in cases in september as at the impact of that second lockdown in england came into effect. but in recent weeks, cases have been rising, particularly in south—east england and wales. in the hotspots of england, only two out of the 20 were not in the top 20.473 cases per 100,000 people in swale and kent, they have been in tier3 for two weeks. they have also started rising with hospitalisations, cinemas and the midlands, london and the south—east. while the number of occupied beds in england are actually lower compared to this time last year, covid as

extremely unpredictable as we know. for trust and areas of particular concern, for trust and areas of particular concern, they are already feeling the pressure. traditionally at a time that is the busiest time of the year? winter is always an extremely busy time for the nhs. throw in covid, those waiting list, but we have also started rolling out the vaccine in the last week. 137,000 vaccines have ta ken vaccine in the last week. 137,000 vaccines have taken place so far, but to reach the government's target, they want millions done by the end of this year, that is an awful lot of pressure on the nhs, not to mention house—trained the staff are. it has been the most intensely difficult year for many of them in theircareers, intensely difficult year for many of them in their careers, they haven't you seen patients die, but some have lost colleagues. as we've been hearing, wales' first minister mark drakeford has announced that on december 28, the country will go into a full lockdown with restrictions applying to household mixing, holiday accommodation and travel across wales. all nonessential retail will close on christmas eve.

the first minister made the announcement at the welsh government daily coronavirus briefing. the situation we are facing is extremely serious, and i have to tell you today that the welsh government has made the decision that we must move to alert level four 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 of the changes that will follow. all of this means that all non—essential 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 28, 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. 0ur wales correspondent, mark hutchings, said the decision to impose full lockdown after christmas was because of the high number of people in welsh hospitals with coronavirus. this is a recognition of a picture that has looked gloomier by the day. mark drakeford said that wales now has the equivalent of five full hospitals of people across wales being treated for the effects of covid. christmas planning has never quite been like this, has it? 0n the subject of the bubbles, the four nations governments did sign up some weeks ago to that three

household bubble, but in wales they are very strongly saying that although that's the law, the guidance, their christmas wish if you like, is that you should only keep it to two households as they try to keep the lid on these rising covid case rates. across most — though not all of wales, it has to be stressed, parts of north wales have relatively low case rates, but they are soaring in south wales. there's clear nervousness about wales going into the festive period just at the worst possible time, with cases rising such as they are. scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has issued fresh advice for people meeting up at christmas. at her daily briefing, she said if people feel it is "essential" to meet with others indoors, she said this should be for as short as possible, preferably for one day only and not overnight. she also said her government intends to issue strengthened guidance on christmas coronavirus regulation relaxations later today. the safest way to spend christmas this year, for you and for those that you love, is to stay within your own household

and in your own home. my strong recommendation is that this is what you should do if at all possible. any interaction you do have another household should, if at all possible, be outdoors. but if you do consider it essential to meet indoors with someone from another household, you should limit both the duration and the numbers as much as possible. this is a point i want to stress in particular. the five—day relaxation is a window of opportunity during which you can meet. it is not a period that we think it is safe or sensible to get together for. you should see it as a maximum, not a target. my recommendation is that if you do form a bubble, you should not meet up with people in it any more than on one day over that period, if possible, and you should not stay overnight unless it is unavoidable. you should also limit numbers as far as possible. three households is a maximum that tries to account for the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes, but two would be better. in short, if you have

to form a bubble, keep it as small as possible. in scotland, we already advised an overall limit of eight people, and i recommend that you stay firmly within that if you do feel that you need to form a bubble. again, the smaller the better. lastly, we will recommend against travel from high prevalence to low prevalence areas of the uk, and we will issue more detail on that shortly. professor paul hunter is a professor of medicine at the university of east anglia. no change in the restrictions, but new advice — is this the right way to go forward? i think it is. we will almost certainly see some increase in infections as a result of people meeting in their christmas bubble, but on the other hand skills will be closed, many hospitality venues will be closed. there will also be at the same time some downward pressure on transmission of

the virus in the community. the critical thing, the one thing that has not been spoken about here and it really should be foremost, is if you have symptoms, don't go. whatever the bills are, if you have symptoms of covid, if you live with somebody who has symptoms of covid, or if you have tested positive in the last few days or have been in contact with such a person— don't go and don't let other people come to your house. it is absolutely crucial that even though i think we can meet each other safely over the short period of time, we won't if people who have symptoms who are at high risk of spreading the infection actually do make those trips. one of the aspects of this is the transport bit? absolutely. first up i should not be beyond our ability as a country to manage our transport system so that we don't end up with

huge numbers of people crammed into trains and coaches and buses for several hours as they go about the country. we have to manage this in a way where people are not exposed to large numbers of people in cloudy conditions as they travel. it should not be beyond our ability to micromanage that more safely manager at how? manage it how? make sure that there is enough transport for long journeys, perhaps have a booking system only, and restricting numbers so that people can only bid on particular journeys numbers so that people can only bid on particularjourneys so that you don't end up with coaches packed with people on long journeys from london to the north. the risk with children, perhaps with their grandparents, meeting for the first time in months — should that be a no hug real? in general, yes, when you

are meeting up in peoples homes, then you should try and do what you can to maintain distance. the main risk is actually a who may or may not vertically wanting to be hugging you, but there is a risk were children of all ages, although quite low in the preschool children. i do continue to be careful when you are meeting up. i think you can do this safely. the risks aren't as big as some people have suggested. it is not a guarantee that if you're living there that you will get infected. what we call the secondary attack rate is only about 21%. but when at that 21% is spread across large numbers of people, then the risk is much higher. so don't travel if you are sick, don't travel to visit people if you are sick or if they are sick. whilst you are there, be as careful as you can. a lot of

people will be comforted by what you say, but a lot of people will say that this is a huge risk when the nhs is already under such pressure? absolutely. it is concerning. the problem is, though, if controlling covid was the only thing that we needed to worry about, then, yes, we would close schools, we would ban christmas, we would be in a national lockdown until we have an effective vaccine. but you have got to try and balance risk. to me, if this is manage safely, as safely as it can be, then the risks that it would perhaps reduce is the issue about january and february... we still have a couple more months of a very tough winter, at least. whether or not we have this relaxation over christmas, it is going to be a rough

january. for some people, at least, january. for some people, at least, january is a very difficult month. we do see... suicide rates tend to go we do see... suicide rates tend to 9° up we do see... suicide rates tend to go up around january. if you feel that you really don't know how you're going to get through at the next few months or less you spend some time with your loved ones over christmas, then i for one would not argue against that. but if you are quite happy to not meet up with your pa rents, quite happy to not meet up with your parents, happy to put off until the spring, then you are reducing the risk even further. professor, good to talk to you, thank you for your time. we can speak now to the editor of the british medical journal, fiona godlee. yesterday, the british medical journal said the plan to ease covid rules over christmas in the uk was a "rash decision" that will "cost many lives." the owner, has anything changed? has

what has been announced so far today, does that go far enough to prevent that? i don't think it does. it is always late very good to see people like nicola sturgeon and at the first minister of wales going for a much tighter, the first minister of wales going fora much tighter, much the first minister of wales going for a much tighter, much more sort of stern warnings to people. i think it is inescapable that the trend at the moment is up, it is going to ta ke the moment is up, it is going to take is up even further. the relaxation over christmas will mean that we will have even more people suffering with infection and going into hospital as a result. i think thatis into hospital as a result. i think that is an inescapable fact. anything that can be done to reduce transmission, religious illness and death, it has to be a good thing. i absolutely understand that there are many other factors here. i think the term counselling christmas isn't too strong, really, people can still enjoy christmas and see people, but just mainly outside, not spending time together in the small rooms

without the windows open. these are really serious and potential transmission events, and to have them going on all across the country i think is going to be a very dangerous situation. we have already got the nhs under enormous strain. i'm receiving e—mails on time from doctors telling me that they are so grateful, nurses saying thank you, notjust to me but grateful, nurses saying thank you, not just to me but for those grateful, nurses saying thank you, notjust to me but for those of grateful, nurses saying thank you, not just to me but for those of us asking for the friction is not to be relaxed. please carry on doing this, we are already in difficulty. i got a message from someone who has is in hospital, saying that the hospital is stretch, his operation has been cancelled three times, he is in a ward with people with covid, no nurses saying they don't know how to cope. it is a tough one, i don't wa nt cope. it is a tough one, i don't want to be the one in this instance, it is quite bleak, we have rising cases and went out on

the way. i think it is a very tough situation. given that the restrictions aren't actually changing, what is your fears about how glyn january could look?|j changing, what is your fears about how glyn january could look? i think it could be quite grim. it is also tough. we are doing this on top of ten months of the most tough time for the staff of the nhs, of many of their professional lives, so this is not at all going to be an easy time for them. we have intensive care bedsis for them. we have intensive care beds is already full, staff at stretch, we have the prospect i think of hospital trusts around the country having to decide whether to stop non—acute and elective care, which means further waiting times for people waiting for hip operations on other elective treatments. the problem there is every additional patient in hospital with covid mains another patient

without covid at not getting care. that's the thing people have to keep in mind. when people say protect the nhs, it is not some abstract concept, it is not some abstract concept, it is not some abstract concept, design protect the nhs so it can give care to patients and also protect the staff who have to ca re also protect the staff who have to care for you. when we spoke yesterday, you would be a tightening. are you disappointed used by what is going on now?|j used by what is going on now?” don't think i'm disappointed, i entirely get the decision is hard to make. 0ne entirely get the decision is hard to make. one of the issues has been the commitment to the five—day christmas break was made quite a few weeks ago. it might have been wiserjust to say we won't say anything until we know how things will be. to have made that commitment and then watch the rates go up, even in tiers two and three, so they tears themselves aren't managing to suppress the virus at the moment. that was an opportunity to have kept it vague and say lets the side nearer the time. once one had made that

announcement, ican time. once one had made that announcement, i can see that it is extremely difficult to go back on. but i'm very glad to see the great cautions, specifically warsaw from scotland and wales, saying just take care, if you don't have to travel down travel, if you can meet outside, meaty outside. if you do meet inside, make a brief and have the windows open, try not to have a big meal together in an enclosed space. so there are things people can do to try and reduce the risk. i think the pressure on the nhs means that the care that people may need in the spring, it would have been better just to in the spring, it would have been betterjust to carry on with the current restrictions, and if necessary tighten them in some areas. now, the weather with darren. hello there. we have seen a spell of wet and windy weather across western parts of the uk today. into the evening, the winds won't be quite a strong although quite windy through irish sea still.

the wetter qweather moves away from eastern parts of england, it turns more showery in scotland. it does turn more showery overnight, clear spells, a breezy sort of night, cooler as well. temperatures in rural areas could be down to 3 or 4 degrees. a more straightforward day tomorrow of sunshine and scattered showers. the showers do become fewer, cloud increases from the west and we start to see some rain arriving in northern ireland later on in the day. not a bad day for eastern parts of scotland, down the eastern side of england, some sunshine. temperatures around 9 to 12 celsius.

good afternoon and welcome to this special programme, including a briefing from the prime minister at downing street, which we will bring to you live. christmas isn't cancelled — but leaders across the uk want you to be very careful. the rules over festive gatherings will not be changed — despite growing pressure for them to be toughened. all four nations have agreed to not to make a formal change but the advice will be made stronger in wales and scotland, where the first minister has given guidance that people should only come togetherfor one day rather than five. families will be urged to think carefully over who they meet. earlier the prime minister told the commons he didn't want to criminalise people's long—term plans — but he said people must "exercise extreme caution". the relaxation of rules allow households to mix indoors — and they can be from different nations, regions or tiers.