good morning. welcome to breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. our headlines today — europe shuts its doors to the uk as fears grow over the spread of a new variant of coronavirus. it's the latest blow to festive travel plans. what are your rights if you're caught up in christmas chaos? lewis hamilton is named bbc sports personality of the year. he wins for a second time, after securing a record—equalling seventh formula one world title. overcast in the south today with

some rain, but very mild, whereas in the north, drier, clearer, some sunshine, but also some showers in the north west. all the details in ten minutes. it's monday, 21st december. our top story — a growing number of countries have shut their borders to britons in response to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. france said it would not accept any passengers from the uk for 48 hours. the government said it expects severe disruption at ports in kent. the prime minister will discuss the growing crisis at an emergency cobra meeting later today. jon donnison has this report. after queues of up to 20 miles into dover last week amid brexit uncertainty, things could be about to get worse. the port is now shut to all outbound freight and passengers after france closed its border with the uk for 48 hours, amid fears about the spread of the new strain of coronavirus.

this is an absolute hammer blow after all the queues we have had at ports in the last week caused by brexit stockpiling, and of course the christmas rush, so there's real confusion, real uncertainty in the industry tonight. incoming freight is still permitted, but there are fears some lorry drivers won't want to come to the uk for risk of getting stuck. dover usually handles around 10,000 lorries a day, delivering nearly 20% of all goods bought and sold here. the food and drink federation has said it is worried about the supply of fresh products over christmas. and it's notjust freight affected. this was heathrow last night, where passengers were left stranded amid travel bans from much of europe. eurostar and eurotunnel have also suspended all outbound traffic.

we must, i'm afraid, look again at christmas... two days after the prime minister announced the new restrictions, he will chair a meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee this morning to discuss the coronavirus crisis. meanwhile, government sources have insisted the travel bans won't affect the delivery of covid vaccines. and all this as trade talks with the eu remain gridlocked as the december 31st brexit deadline edges closer. john donnison, bbc news. let's talk to our correspondent simonjones who is at the port of dover. what do you make of this news which came last night? the port here shut at10p, and anyone came last night? the port here shut at 10p, and anyone trying to get into the port, a lorry car, faces a

sign saying french orders, closed. we have seen since we've been here a number of lorries and cars try to get into the port, so the message has not got through to everyone, but the warning is there will be no travel from here across the channel 4 this the next two days. what will that mean for all the lorries? well, when a lorry driver i spoke to last night who was in the port but didn't manage to get on the ferry before the deadline came in, decided he had had enough and he simply set off back home. —— no travel from here across the channel for at least the next two days. for foreign across the channel for at least the next two days. forforeign hauliers, where are they going to go? there are contingency plans, up the motorway from here on the m20, they haven't unlimited an operation where they turn the motor into a giant car park. that is also talk of using another site to stack 4000 lorries. soa sign another site to stack 4000 lorries. so a sign of how big and how much disruption there could be others. simon only know at the moment is

that this is 48 hours? we have been told at least 48 hours. i think you have seen yesterday many countries within the eu be extremely frightened about what they are here and coming out of the uk, when you have the health secretary talking about this new strain of the virus being out of control, it certainly prompted eu leaders to act. now, france decided yesterday afternoon that they would implement this travel ban. unusually, it means freight cannot get across the channel. in the past, fate has been exempt because it is considered so vital to the economy but of france and the uk. traffic can come from france towards the uk, but the reality is, are people going to want to make thatjourney given the fact they might arrive in the uk and then be stuck in their cabs for at least two days trying to get back across the channel? there are warnings that could disrupt the food supply chain with just a few days to go until christmas. there could be problems

with perishable goods if hauliers are not sending lorries across from france to the uk. simon, so many unknowns this morning but thank you very much for bringing us up to date with what you know so far. we will be talking about all the implications throughout breakfast this morning. and it is changing minute by minute throughout the weekend, so we will be answering your questions as well. christmas bubbles in northern ireland will be reduced from five days to one day. it's understood that the stormont executive agreed the change last night. there is expected to be some flexibility around which day people come together to accommodate those who have to work on christmas day. the family of the 1966 world cup winner nobby stiles, who died earlier this year, say they have been told his dementia was caused by heading footballs. a leading expert, dr willie stewart, carried out research into the former footballer‘s brain. natalie pirks reports.

he was the world cup winner whose dancing the nationouts. but as dementia truly took hold in later life, nobby stiles' family became convinced heading footballs was to blame. this weekend, they found out their suspicions were right. last year, this neuropathologist published a landmark study, concluding that footballers are more than three times more likely to develop dementia. he studied nobby stiles' brain, and found it to be at an advanced stage of cte. stiles' brain, and found it to be at an advanced stage of (t e. you only see this in circumstances where there has been head impacts, head injuries, and in football, that is a lot of head impact through heading the ball. so what is (t e? it is a form of degenerative brain disease, on the scene in people who have suffered repeated head impacts, in

other dementia, the brain appears shrunken under a microscope, but what sets chronic traumatic encephalopathy apart is the build—up of abnormal protein, seen here stained brown. a coronary‘s report in 2002 said a west brom player died from heading a football, the first in the uk. in 2014, his brain was also confirmed to have cte. john has no doubt heading the ball close to his father's dementia. none whatsoever. there needs to be a massive amount of help for all the players out there and their families who are left to fight this horrific illness, it is horrific to watch somebody disappear so brutally in front of you. donating nobby stiles' brain wasa front of you. donating nobby stiles' brain was a difficult decision, but ultimately, the stiles family knew this was bigger than then. my dad suffered a lot, and we talked about

it, and my mum basically said, if it can stop one more player suffering the way your dad is dead, then we will do it. this could well be just the tip of the iceberg. we will also talk about somebody involved in that was such a little bit later in the programme. now the weather with carol. can you cheer us up? not necessarily going to be a white christmas unless you count frost. good morning, everybody. some wintry showers in the forecast this week, but there is also some rain. rain the first half of the week particularly across england and wales, some of it getting into scotland and northern ireland later today. but towards the end of the week, it will be mostly chilly, and a lot of dry weather

around as well. but don't forget, that frost in the morning. currently we have a band of rain within north and east across england, and also wales, getting into northern ireland and scotland later. lots of cloud, murky conditions, health organ in its wake with some drizzle and showers following behind. and some showers following behind. and some showers coming across the north west of scotland, a few getting into northern ireland as well. likely to be wintry above about 400 metres in scotland. gusty winds across the english channel coast line today, but look at those temperatures, you don't expect this at this stage in december. 15 celsius in london. but into the north of england, northern ireland and scotland, and it is colder. heading on through this evening and overnight, still a lot of cloud in the south, also some outbreaks of rain, wind is easing. most of that, cold enough for a touch of frost here and there, with some showers, and the wind picking up some showers, and the wind picking up across some showers, and the wind picking up across the far north of scotland. i have a more detailed look at the

weather for the rest of the week in about half an hour. thank you, carol. millions of us found out this weekend that our plans for christmas will have to change after the prime minister announced new rules for the festive season. household mixing has been scaled back to just christmas day across the uk, and those in the newly created tier 4 will only be allowed to celebrate with members of their own household and support bubbles. breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin has been finding out how families have been reacting to the news. this will be a christmas like no other. i live here alone, and i've been looking forward to seeing my children for such a long time, and planning it for such a long time. i've been buying their christmas presents since september. and it's

heart—wrenching. presents since september. and it's heart-wrenching. so many people like tricia had hoped christmas would be a tiny reprieve in what has been the ha rd est of a tiny reprieve in what has been the hardest of years. but her children are in it to yourfour at london, so by law they have to stay home, and they cannot meet indoors with anyone outside of their household. —— tier 4 london. been really lonely this year. 0h, 4 london. been really lonely this year. oh, yes. we have been in contact year. oh, yes. we have been in co nta ct a year. oh, yes. we have been in contact a lot, but nothing beats having your children hug you. and i am sorry. having your children hug you. and i am sorry. and there are millions of people worse off than me, and i feel bad. sue has terminal cancer. her daughter has already travelled from sussex to pembrokeshire to be with her. her son—in—law, jonathan, was due to follow this week. surely based on covid rules, the only day i

can be on christmas day, and so it is then the case of trying to find other ways of doing it, which you can on compassionate grounds, but it's not so much legal as a moral dilemma. iwanted it's not so much legal as a moral dilemma. i wanted to do the right thing the whole time through lockdown, tried to follow the guidelines, being very sensible, so it isa guidelines, being very sensible, so it is a moral dilemma, but the reality is, the flip side of the coin is, i am reality is, the flip side of the coin is, lam here reality is, the flip side of the coin is, i am here at home with the hamster and the chicken. the uk government has stressed we should ta ke government has stressed we should take personal responsibility to limit the spread of the virus and protect those most at risk. you have been shielding all year. yeah. i don't mind my own company, but christmas would have been nice. don't mind my own company, but christmas would have been nicelj wasn't that bothered about christmas, ijust wasn't that bothered about christmas, i just wanted wasn't that bothered about christmas, ijust wanted to see my family. i have not seen them in more or less a year. four sisters katie and samantha, christmas day would normally involve four generations

from five households from across the ukjoining up and staying over in wales. this year, for the first year, they are going solo. literally it is going to be our normal christmas dinner, but with a computer instead of a place that i've got to wash. less washing up is always a plus. it'lljust be nice to see everyone's face, even though we can't give them a hug, at least we can't give them a hug, at least we can see them. this song was written and performed by children from the ls18 music school in leeds to raise money to tackle loneliness. we originally wrote the song before the start of the second lockdown, and thought it would be a cool idea to get grandparents involved in making a video. you guys made this decision

before boris johnson made video. you guys made this decision before borisjohnson made the decision for you. we decide some while ago we would not mingle at christmas, because we didn't think the risks really were worth taking. especially with the vaccine just around the corner. obviously we would have wanted to spend with our grandparents. are you going to miss them? yeah, i already do. yesterday, matt hancock said with the virus out of control in some areas, it was our duty to act now, encouraging people not to focus on what they are missing but on what the might be saving. would you like to give your kids a message? i am not sure i can

come up because i will blub again, and they don't want to look at that. i can't, sorry. my brother and his family, my parents and all my friends, it really is going to be very different. but next year will be different, and the biggest love you have shown me this year is actually not being here with me. so thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for keeping me safe. thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for keeping me safelj thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for keeping me safe. i will miss giving you a cuddle on christmas eve. love you, kiddo. love you. don't make me cry on telly.|j will miss you this year, but i hope ican see will miss you this year, but i hope i can see you very soon. we can still celebrate christmas in our hearts.

that is going to be a lot of crying this christmas. i cannot really offer much, but we will be here on bbc breakfast throughout the christmas period, so if you wake up on your own on christmas day, you are not on your own, we are here. and amid all the horrible news and all the facts we have to give you, we will try to bring you the occasional smile as well, because we have to do that. we need it. keep thinking, at least there would be quite as much washing up this year. that is myjob, and that is a very good point. the most positive thing i have had in weeks, so thank you for that. let's take a look at today's papers. the news that a growing number of countries are banning passengers travelling from the uk because of a new variant of coronavirus dominates the front pages. the guardian says france's ban on uk freight transport could have a "devastating" effect on supply chains. the sun accuses the french government of showing "no merci" over its decision to ban all travel

from britain. "europe shuts door on britain" is the headline on the front of the times. it says there could be gridlock on roads in kent after channel tunnel services were suspended. and one of the most read stories on the bbc website is the news that christmas bubbles in northern ireland will now be limited to just one day. unlike the rest of the uk, there will be flexibility around which day people can come together between the 23rd and 27th of december. despite everything that is going on, there was glitz and glamour last night, wasn't there, sally? there we re night, wasn't there, sally? there were moments that because of that made it even more emotional than usual. there was no live audience in the studio this year,

but 1,000 people formed a virtual audience and millions watched at home. the main prize went to lewis hamilton, but there were special awards for the likes of marcus rashford and captain sir tom moore for what they've achieved in this most unique of years, and i got to speak to the winners. the 2020 bbc sports personality of the year is... lewis hamilton. congratulations. thank you so much. where you a little bit shocked when you heard your name? where you a little bit shocked when you heard your name ?|j where you a little bit shocked when you heard your name? i haven't had a huge amount of thought towards what would happen if i did when, because there were so many great candidates.

what a difficult year it has been. captain tom, i think what he has done, andl captain tom, i think what he has done, and i think what marcus has achieved, there is so many great stories out there. what type of christmas do you have planned? i know it will be different for eve ryo ne know it will be different for everyone this year. i actually don't have a christmas plan at this year. this is as far as it has got, the christmas tree behind me. i noticed such a difficult time for so many people, with the lockdown that is just coming into place in the uk, and people not getting to see their families, potentially. are you feeling fighting fit again? i'm not 100%, but it's going, and i still haven't got my taste back, but i hope it comes back by christmas so that i can enjoy christmas roast or something. 0r christmas pudding. but yeah, i'm excited for when that

passes. in second place, jordan henderson. congratulations, jordan. it was a competitive year this year. what was like when you your name?‘ bit surreal, actually. i'm overwhelmed just being here, to be nominated has been incredible to be a part of tonight, so be sitting on a part of tonight, so be sitting on aabit a part of tonight, so be sitting on aa bit of a part of tonight, so be sitting on aabitofa a part of tonight, so be sitting on a a bit of a bonus. and something that i was not expecting. —— to be taking an award home is a bit of a bonus. what will your christmas look like this year? it is very special when you have small children, so i'm looking forward to that. how early do you expect to have to get up on christmas day? very early. if it is after 6.30, i will be happy. in third place, holly doyle. massive

privilege to have been involved in such a prestigious award, let alone to finish third. i'm just so grateful to everyone that voted for me, and it goes to show that, as an industry as a whole, the horse racing industry really unites when it needs to. it is my honour to announce the 2022 of the year is liverpool football club. 2020 coach of the year as you, jurgen, so many congratulations. what is the secret? coach of the year? really good team. that is how it is in my business. you can be the best coach in the world and if you work at the wrong clu b world and if you work at the wrong club with the wrong team, you have no chance. i am a lucky guy.|j club with the wrong team, you have no chance. i am a lucky guy. i have said you are the best motivator in the business. for anyone who is watching this this morning, struggling to grab for their run of their walk, or whatever it is, what will you say to them? move your... i

don't think this word is allowed, so probably better to motivate yourself. i think this meansjust move. but i struggle as well in the morning, i get up really early, but i could not run as the first thing to do, no chance. now time for our next award, and the recipient as a footballer who has made a massive difference to millions of young people in the uk. what a player on and off the pitch. our expert panel award winner, marcus rashford. marcus rashford, what an incredible year you have had. yeah, i think the beginning of 2020 it was down for everyone, and to come out of this year with something to be happy about, we have taken steps in the right direction, it has actually been a good thing for me mentally, because at the beginning, i was

injured, then it covid happened, eve ryo ne injured, then it covid happened, everyone was in lockdown, so to get to the end of 2020 with a few positives is very good. we are just a few days away from christmas now. how relieved do you feel that you know that families who are struggling will have food on their table, and also have somewhere to go to ask for help? we have taken so many steps forward, that is important to keep taking those steps, do not look behind and look at what we have done, keep looking forward at what we have to do in the future. there is one very special person who is the centre all of this, that is mel. everything i receive from doing what we have done, it would most definitely go back to her and it will be kept in her house and something for her to look at every day. wow. what do you think, girls? it's really good, isn't it? my mind is strong, and in

a world full of adversity, mean that we must still dare to dream. the awareness that rob and the family have generated over the last 12 months has been incredible. looking at the show that we watched tonight, and lots of ways it was not about sports tonight, it was about something bigger, being a part of something, offering support. how important a message is that to give out to people? in these really difficult times? throughout this year, it has been so difficult for everybody, but there are so many people less fortunate than yourself, so people less fortunate than yourself, so if you can do a little bit and help, then you get so much from it. i think it's really important when we all take stock and think life is throwing a bit at as at the minute, but actually, for most of us, it is not too bad. this year's award is given to an amazing man who loved his family and his rugby club and his family and his rugby club and hisjob. match wrote on his family and his rugby club and his job. match wrote on a's life was

so his job. match wrote on a's life was so cruelly ta ken his job. match wrote on a's life was so cruelly taken away in september, but he leaves a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten. —— matt ratana. welcome. i am matt ratana, head coach. do it again! if there is anything good you can take out of the worst possible situation, what good thing that gives you hope to carry on into the future for you and for your club? it is the essence of his spirit, with regards to looking after each other, never giving up, everybody has to do small things, nobody is too good, even if you are the best player at the club, you are not too big, you need to clear out of the changing room like everybody else. it isjust that spirit of being very grounded as just looking after everybody. captain tom, it's so lovely to meet you. we are also proud of you, we have been following your achievements throughout the year, and it is my absolute honour

to be here to present this year's was to you. and we have an extra special award that we have named in your honour. it is the captain tom young unsung hero award. tobias, i love the massive smile you always have on yourface. love the massive smile you always have on your face. we are seeing you walk and run marathons. what is your next challenge? i am currently completing a third marathon. but when i reach 26 miles, i'm not stopping, i am going to complete an ironman run and swim. i will be chuffed to bits that i can raise even more money for my charities. we we re even more money for my charities. we were chuffed to bits to be there. what an incredible night it was.

and tonight on bbc one you can see our documentary following marcus rashford's campaign to help feed the uk's poorest families. here's an exclusive clip of when the prime minister yes, i've just yes, i'vejust got yes, i've just got back now from the game. i got game. igotan game. i got an assist today. marcus rashford: feeding britain's children, is on tonight on bbc one at 7.00pm and on the bbc iplayer. i can't wait. there has been so much going on, really hard to keep up, but if we watch that tonight, we will be across most things. i feel like we have been through the

wringer already, it is not even 6.30. do stay with us, because we will bring you all the news you need to know. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. extra police officers are out this morning on the capital's transport system to ensure people are sticking to the new rules under tier 4. the restrictions include an order to stay at home where possible. british transport police say they'll have an "enhanced presence" at stations following the government's announcement. they're urging anyone planning a journey over the festive period to consider whether travelling is essential. an nhs trust in south east london is urging people aged 80 and above to get in touch with them to arrange a covid—19 vaccination. in a tweet, kings college hospital nhs trust said vaccines were available and that people should call them to arrange an appointment.

a spokesperson said any appointments not taken up — would be given to healthcare workers in most need. one of london's most famous night—time venues — cafe de paris — has announced it's shutting for good. the club has been open in the west end for 95 years and even survived a direct hit during the blitz. but it said in a statement last night it had "tried everything but the devastating effect of covid—19 in the end was too much." a couple rearranged their wedding injust two hours to ensure they tied the knot before london went into tier 4. chloe and jamie collins were due to marry on the 6th of september, but had reorganised three times due to changing coronavirus restrictions. they made it in the nick of time, and got married at 10 o'clock on saturday night at edgware united synagogue. i have never in my life felt so much love and felt how grateful i am to every single one of our suppliers, our family, our friends that have pulled together to make it happen and gave

us the support and just said, "go for it. nothing is holding you back, standing in your way." let's do it. lets do it. so we did it, yeah. let's take a look at the travel situation now... there's a good service on the tubes this morning. now the weather with kate kinsella. good morning. well, it mightjust be the shortest day of the year today but it is certainly not the coldest. some very mild air but with mild air comes the cloud and the rain. a rather damp, unsettled start to this week. we've got some outbreaks of quite heavy rain actually. they're moving away north and eastwards. a much drier afternoon but still the potential for some light, patchy rain and drizzle. temperatures today reaching a maximum of potentially 15 celsius, which is very much above average, where they should be this time of year. it's a breezy day too. a south, south—westerly wind. overnight tonight will see further showers,

potentially quite heavy ones, blowing through. the wind feels a little bit lighter but still quite breezy. the minimum temperature mild, between 8 and 11 celsius. as we head into tomorrow, its stays unsettled. light, patchy rain, drizzle, still mild. very unsettled for wednesday as well. very wet and windy but you'll notice this blue area. that's cold air filtering in for the end of the week, so we pick up a northerly flow and the temperature drops. we mightjust wake up to a sparkle or two of frost on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. hello. this is breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. coming up on breakfast this morning... strictly has added some much—needed sparkle to our weekends this autumn, and saturday night's final was watched by more than 13 million people as bill and oti lifted the glitterball. we'll be speaking to fellow finalist jamie laing.

gavin and stacey actor rob brydon will be telling us about his role in this year's bbc christmas day animation, julia donaldson's zog and the flying doctors. and more than 20 years after presenting the children's show smtv with ant and dec, cat deeley is back on our screens for a special reunion. christmas plans have been scrapped — or restricted — for millions of people amid warnings about the spread of a new variant of coronavirus. those living under the newly—created tier 4 restrictions in england will now be unable to mix with other households indoors at christmas, unless they are part of their existing support bubble. let's speak to our gp, dr nighat arif, who is currently in tier 4 in chesham in buckinghamshire.

good morning. lovely to speak to you. there is a real sense of them are very you. there is a real sense of them are very many people are very upset by what has happened. is that something you can sympathise with? everybody was thinking, we are so close to christmas, we are just there. on saturday evening... also there. on saturday evening... also the announcement got made and it was so sudden, it was from midnight and felt so rushed. plans had to go into turmoil again. this yo—yoing of plans is causing a lot of disappointment and impact on mental health. this is the time of year we love to get round to family members. we would normally hug them and give presents. it is such a joyful time. the whole headlines of christmas is cancelled, things like that are really unhelpful. when we had that

first lockdown, we had ramadan, diwali, eid. we are still in the middle of a pandemic, we need to cover our faces, wash middle of a pandemic, we need to cover ourfaces, wash our middle of a pandemic, we need to cover our faces, wash our hands and keep space so we cannot transmit the virus. with the new variant, that is even more so. virus. with the new variant, that is even more so. the nature of viruses is they spread by touch and that is the one thing we cannot do. so many things to talk to you about and lovely to get your perspective. how can people look after the fact that mental —— of mental health in such a tough time? this is the time when we wa nt to tough time? this is the time when we want to go round. under tier 4 you cannot be in contact with anyone outside your immediate household. you can see one person outside. but

it will be cold. the first thing i would say is, if disappointment is what you are feeling, that is fine. talk it through, write it down, talk to each other, send your nearest and dearest and loved ones and early morning message. you can still go for your daily walk and exercise. we a lwa ys for your daily walk and exercise. we always say movement is really important. whatever you can do. listen to great music, put on a comedy. do stuff he wanted to. do not overburden yourselves. this is the time not to do anything. if you wa nt to the time not to do anything. if you want to overindulge a little bit, have a few mince pies at the weekend. go on, do it. do not feel guilty, do not compare to previous christmases and a christmas card image we have of what christmas is like. the next time we see family

members it will be even more important and more significant. thank you for giving us really optimistic messages. given what we know about this new variant, should we be changing our behaviour or is ita we be changing our behaviour or is it a question of being more cautious than we already have been? everybody is really worried about this new mutated virus. we are looking into the research of that and a significant impact of all viruses, even that a virus. it is transmitted through touch and close contact. evenif through touch and close contact. even if you are without symptoms and spreading it. now we know so much more about how viruses are dealt with and as a population we are so much more aware. if you are poorly, stay at home. if you are asymptomatic, the testing is so much better. we know with testing, like in liverpool, you can come down in

tiers. we do not want a national lockdown further down the line for that if we can prevent that it will be far better. if we can knuckled down, keep nhs safe and keep people protected, we should be able to protected, we should be able to protect stuff that is happening down the line. the great thing is we had a vaccine. we are still rolling out as gps. also rolling out the vaccine to our patient population. there is light at the end of the tunnel. we just had to grin and bear it for a little while, so sorry. i love the way you say sorry, it is not your fault. thank you as ever forjoining us. fault. thank you as ever forjoining us. it is the last time, can i say merry christmas? it is a happy accident i ended up coming on bbc brea kfast accident i ended up coming on bbc breakfast and i think i had come on

every day since march. i wish everybody will stay safe, say hello to your nearest and dearest. the next year after getting out hugs like it is no man's business. you have a mug and you do not have a hug. it has been a pleasure having you as part of our programme. we will see you next year. cheers to you. mugs up. happy christmas. now for the sport. i think ithink our i think our screen needs a hug as well. we are all feeling a bit lonely. away from the sports personality of the year, the game of the day in the premier league was at old trafford, where manchester united neat leeds 6—2. it was hugely entertaining, both sides intent on attacking. united scott mctominay made a bit of history, becoming the first ever player to score twice in the opening three minutes of a premier league game. it's a win that takes man united

to third in the league, and into the race for the title. i don't care what anyone says. it is one third of the season gone. you cannot start talking about league positions. we will keep carrying on, working hard, get some of the details better improving. when we come to march, april, maybe we can talk about it. leicester arejust ahead of manchester united in the premier league table after a 2—0 win at tottenham. jamie vardy scored a first half penalty and was involved in their second, when his header was turned into his own net by toby alderweireld. elsewhere, sam alla rdyce lost his first match as west brom manager. they were beaten 3—0 by aston villa, bertrand traore with the pick of the goals at villa park. brighton drew 1—1 with sheffield united in sunday's other game. celtic have completed a historic ‘quadruple treble' — winning all 12 domestic trophies in scotland over the course of four

seasons. they did it by beating hearts in the delayed scottish cup final. it was a thriller too, 3—3 after extra time so it went to penalties, and it was kristoffer ajer, who kept his nerve to win it. for me, i am so proud. it means so much to me for my career and so much for me personally. it is the sum of the hard work that goes on behind the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. players had covered themselves in glory. we will be talking about this and 30, 40, 50 yea rs talking about this and 30, 40, 50 years time. and andy murray was back in action this weekend. he beat dan evans at the battle of the brits event in roehampton. murray looked to be in good form too, given that it was just the seventh match he's played this year and a first since october.

no signs of any rust on the cell. great news. he is unstoppable, isn't he? here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. good morning. today is the shortest day but we are not short of weather, thatis day but we are not short of weather, that is for sure. there is some rain in the forecast across many areas today. heading up towards christmas day, it will be mostly dry and chile on christmas eve and christmas day that we have rain to get rid of before that. on the pressure chart, this is what is coming our way. a clutch of weather fronts. isobar is telling you it is fairly windy in the south. look at this going back out into the atlantic all coming our way. they are sucking in very mild airforthe time of way. they are sucking in very mild air for the time of year, especially across england and wales. this morning a lot of cloud. a band of

rain moving north across england and wales eventually getting into southern scotland and northern ireland. in the north—west we have showers which will turn wintry. greatest guys in the north—east but essentially a lot of plaid. though the rain and drizzle coming across southern counties. —— lot of cloud. very mild in the south. highs of 15 but cooler in the north. this evening and overrun oban —— overnight, sam frost. the wind will strengthen and ease across southern england. tomorrow we start off with this cloud and rain coming in across parts of england and wales. coming in from the irish sea. north of that, we are looking at quite a bit of sunshine and a peppering of

showers in the north and west. still very mild in the south, 14 degrees in london. a northerly wind coming from the north of scotland, heading southwards during the course of wednesday. not in southern areas. another area of low pressure coming our way stop still hanging on to the mild air. the cold air is penetrating that bit further south. into christmas eve and christmas day, this low pressure starts to move away. there is a ridge of high pressure moving across us. more move away. there is a ridge of high pressure moving across us. more of us pressure moving across us. more of us will be exposed to the northerly wind. you can see all the blues. it will turn that bit milder on friday. on christmas day, it will be dry for most of us. a fee showers in the north and west. it will be fairly chilly stop —— a you showers. if you

are hoping for a white christmas, it would be a frosty start. that is about the best i can offer you. at this point, carol, we will literally ta ke this point, carol, we will literally take anything. let's face it, we are going to be going on christmas walks, aren't we? the list of countries banning travel to and from the uk continues to grow. nina's with us to find out what your rights are if you're caught up in the disruption. nina? lots of us worrying about changing plans over the weekend. for people planning to see relatives abroad all people abroad planning to come back to the uk, things are rapidly changing. this was a busy and difficult time for people leaving the country and coming back. it has got a lot more complicated. today there is closed and there are limits toa

there is closed and there are limits to a growing list of countries. apart from the obvious emotional roller—coaster for those hoping to travel and see their loved ones, there are the financial implications, which can be just as worrying. rory boland is the travel editor at which? and joins me from east london. what are your rights? for those people who were due to travel to france, most of the european union probably by the end of the day, where the borders have been closed make your flights, your ferries, your eurostar, they will be cancelled and then there are circumstances you can get a refund. if it is a flight you will get a refu nd if it is a flight you will get a refund in seven days. it is fair to say you may wait longer because of the number of cancellations which will now be coming through. hopefully we will not see the

experiences many customers had back in march and april where they waited a long time. it should be very straightforward. i know that does not make up for the emotional turmoil. for those people who are in france or ireland hoping to come home that you should still be able to travel in most cases. it depends which country you are in. some countries have banned traveljust from the uk, including ireland and france. the eurostar from from the uk, including ireland and france. the eurostarfrom paris is still going. slightly different from belgium to give one example. it has banned travel both ways. my advice to people who may be stranded, really essential you do not cancel. the airline has a responsibility to look after you and get you home. if you do cancel or accept a refund while abroad, you meant that

responsibility effectively. the best thing to do today is to wait until the european union meeting later and then we will know how long these bands will last. at the moment they are entering 48 hour bands. —— bans. really important to not cancel yourself because you then surrender yourself because you then surrender your rights. if they cannot get home, it becomes the responsibility of the government to bring them home. yes and no. the government was not particularly helpful last time around when lots of people were stranded around the world in march and april. many people waited months. we are not in that situation just yet. there is still some transport going, particularly from france and ireland, which is key. that allows you to come back by car

and use ferries. what we are likely to see over the next couple of days, airline routes may stop. even though airlines can fly back into the uk, if they're not taking people out, it is unlikely those will continue forever. stay in touch with your airline. if you can come back earlier than i would take them up on that. many people would have booked with flexible conditions. you may be able to go to the airline website and leave your booking earlier. if you can do that are not paying a huge fee, it is a good idea to get yourself back as quickly as you can. that is for things that are cancelled. people are entitled to money back. aside from that, if you are travelling to tearful or you have been advised not to travel from tier 4, you want to do the right

thing that you will not necessarily get your cash back. more complicated with tier 4. if you are in tier 4 or scotla nd with tier 4. if you are in tier 4 or scotland and wales, a little bit unclear in northern ireland although it may be clearer later. you should be given a cash refund. that is what the competition regulator said as recently as last week. different airlines and providers had different approaches. easyjet and tui are issuing refunds. others are only offering vouchers and rebooking. if you e—book that can be more expensive because you have to pay for their new dates. —— if you re—book. if you do want a cash refu nd re—book. if you do want a cash refund and the operator is refusing, in an e—mail, unfortunately, you need written proof that really you

believe you are due a cash refund. hopefully later when the competition regulator intervenes, you will be able to get your money back. sound advice. if you are being caught up in this disruption and you have any questions at all, we would love to hear from you. the questions at all, we would love to hearfrom you. the prime minister and the eu leadership are holding crisis meetings later today. we will keep talking about it later in the morning on bbc breakfast. disruptions endeavour particularly after france has imposed a 48 hour ban on outgoing travel from the uk. this includes passengers and also lorries carrying freight. this is a live shot from the port of dover. there are guys in neon jackets giving advice to people turning up. our reporter told us earlier he has seen a

our reporter told us earlier he has seen a lot of cars and lorries arriving this morning thinking they are going to get onto ferries but they are cancelled both for passengers and freight as a result of the decision taken by the french government. a number of countries have been imposing travel bans on the uk. let's get some reaction to this from the shadow scotland secretary, ian murray who joins us from edinburgh. lots to talk to you about. can we start with the travel ban? do you think countries like france are overreacting in banning brits? there is concerned about the new variant of coronavirus app has been discovered. it is a mess of the prime minister's own making. you cannot lockdown the whole of the south—east of england went 10,000 lorry movements would be going through the channel tunnel to continental europe, to lock it down

and not expect for the french authorities to decide it is too dangerous for them to deal with at this time when they have a massive spike in coronavirus as well. the prime minister should have known about this and considered it before he made the last—minute changes on saturday. you and labour had criticised him in the past for not acting now you have criticised him for acting. we criticise him for acting too slowly and not listening scientific advice. they said there was concern with the new variant and the relaxation of rules over christmas. you will have seen, eve ryo ne christmas. you will have seen, everyone will have seen at prime minister's questions, the response from the prime minister was to mock the leader of the opposition rather than take it seriously and try to make the decisions in the interests

of the country. the prime minister has to take full responsibility for that. what about the consequences for brexit? the end of the transition period comes in the next few days. nicola sturgeon has said because of all of this we had to extend the transition. do you think the prime minister should ask for an extension? the prime minister should sign the other and ready deal which was promised. there is no deal a p pa re ntly was promised. there is no deal apparently at the moment. should he asked for an extension to transition now? this is another consequence of the prime minister leaving everything to the 11th hour. the only way to remove the uncertainty, to give businesses the certainty they require, they are asking to get they require, they are asking to get the deal through. this is fully on the deal through. this is fully on the prime minister. he has promised and are then ready deal which he has left in the last minute. take it out

of his in tray and concentrate on the coronavirus pandemic. that issue saying he should sign any deal. he promised an oven ready deal which was on the table at the general election last year. he needs to get in there, sought the deal and take it off the table. we have left the european union. the transition period will run out on the 31st of december. we will have coronavirus banging up against the final deadline for the transition period. it is another calamity from the prime minister. if we leave the european union without a deal, it will be one of the biggest disasters ever inflicted on the country in generations. nicola sturgeon is saying that he should do is ask for a transition. is labour asking for an extension to transition? we are

asking for the prime minister to fulfil the promise he is about to break of bringing back the other and ready deal he said would be the easiest deal in the history of a trade deal. he needs to get that done and signed and as soon as possible. labour is announcing plans for a devolution week with rocket boosters, increasing powerfor governments around the uk. are you imposing a federal system, a federal united kingdom going forward? we are not making any suppositions about how things will conclude. keir —— in the scottish context, we are currently stuck in a binary argument about a very damaging separation of breaking up with the uk or to defend... inaudible. we are looking

at how people can get power. there isa at how people can get power. there is a feel that politics is divorced and is too far away from daily lives. thank you forjoining us. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. extra police officers are out this morning on the capital's transport system to ensure people are sticking to the new rules under tier 4. the restrictions include an order to stay at home where possible. british transport police say they'll have an "enhanced presence" at stations following the government's announcement. a nhs trust in south east london is urging people aged 80 and above to get in touch with them to arrange a covid—19 vaccination. in a tweet, kings college hospital nhs trust said vaccines were available and that people should call them to

arrange an appointment. a spokesperson said any appointments not taken up would be given to healthcare workers in most need. one of london's most famous night—time venues— cafe de paris — has announced it's shutting for good. the club has been open in the west end for 95 years, and even survived a direct hit during the blitz. but it said in a statement last night it had "tried everything, "but the devastating effect of covid—19 in the end was too much." a couple rearranged their wedding injust two hours to ensure they tied the knot before london went into tier 4. chloe and jamie collins were due to marry on the 6th of september, but had reorganised three times due to changing coronavirus restrictions. they made it in the nick of time, and got married at 10.00 on saturday night at edgware united synagogue. i have never in my life felt so much love and felt how grateful i am to every single one of our suppliers, our family, our friends that have pulled together to make it happen and gave

us the support and just said, "go for it. "nothing is holding you back, standing in your way." let's do it. so we did it, yeah. let's take a look at the travel situation now. on the tube, there are severe delays on the district line between richmond/ ealing and tower hill eastbound due to a signal problem. all other lines are running well. now the weather with kate kinsella. good morning. well, it mightjust be the shortest day of the year today but it is certainly not the coldest. some very mild air but with mild air comes the cloud and the rain. a rather damp, unsettled start to this week. we've got some outbreaks of quite heavy rain, actually. but they're moving away north and eastwards. a much drier afternoon but still the potential for some light, patchy rain and drizzle. temperatures today reaching a maximum of potentially 15 celsius, which is very much above average for where they should be this time of year.

it's a breezy day too. a south, south—westerly wind. overnight tonight will see further showers, potentially quite heavy ones, blowing through. the wind feels a little bit lighter, but still quite breezy. the minimum temperature mild, between 8 and 11 celsius. as we head into tomorrow, its stays unsettled. light, patchy rain, drizzle, still mild. very unsettled for wednesday as well. very wet and windy, but you'll notice this blue area. that's colder air filtering in for the end of the week, so we pick up a northerly flow and the temperature drops. we mightjust wake up to a sparkle or two of frost on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now. good morning. welcome to breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. our headlines today — europe shuts its doors to the uk as fears grow over the spread of a new

variant of coronavirus. the port of dover has closed to outbound traffic and the government has warned everyone to avoid travelling to ports in kent until further notice 10,000 lorries normally pass through here every day. lewis hamilton is named bbc sports personality of the year. he wins for a second time, after securing a record—equalling seventh formula one world title. and strictly sparkles again as bill and oti lifted the glitterball. we'll be speaking to fellow finalist jamie laing. for england and wales today, cloudy but very mild. for scotland, and dryer with some showers in the north—west, and some rain sweeping into the south later. but again, much cooler than in the south. i'll have more details in ten minutes.

good morning. it's monday, 21st december. our top story — a growing number of countries have shut their borders to brits in response to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. france said it would not accept any passengers or freight from the uk for 48 hours. the government said it expects severe disruption at ports in kent. the prime minister will discuss the growing crisis at an emergency cobra meeting later today. jon donnison has this report. after queues of up to 20 miles into dover last week amid brexit uncertainty, things could be about to get worse. the port is now shut to all outbound freight and passengers after france closed its border with the uk for 48 hours, amid fears about the spread of the new strain of coronavirus. this is an absolute hammer blow after all the queues we have had at ports in the last week caused by brexit stockpiling,

and of course the christmas rush, so there's real confusion, real uncertainty in the industry tonight. the transport secretary grant shapps has urged holly not to travel to kent. incoming freight is still permitted, but there are fears some lorry drivers won't want to come to the uk for risk of getting stuck. dover usually handles around 10,000 lorries a day, delivering nearly 20% of all goods bought and sold here. the food and drink federation has said it is worried about the supply of fresh products over christmas. and it's notjust freight affected. this was heathrow last night, where passengers were left stranded amid travel bans from much of europe. eurostar and eurotunnel have also suspended all outbound traffic. we must, i'm afraid, look again at christmas... two days after the prime minister announced the new restrictions, he will chair a meeting

of the government's emergency cobra committee this morning to discuss the coronavirus crisis. meanwhile, government sources have insisted the travel bans won't affect the delivery of covid vaccines. and all this as trade talks with the eu remain gridlocked as the december 31st brexit deadline edges closer. john donnison, bbc news. let's talk to our correspondent simonjones who is at the port of dover. what are you seeing and not seeing? the port is very quiet. at the entrance, a number of officials are basically telling people that they cannot get across the channel. the sign says it all, french border is closed. you can see on the roundabout here, a number of lorries are turning up for some, the message

does not appear to have got through. but they cannot cross the channel. a challenging day for the authorities are trying to stop traffic chaos. we know that 10,000 lorries pass through the port each and every day. where are they all going to go? i spoke to one hole they are and who is based here in kent who was stuck in thejuice. he did not manage to get on a ferry before the 11pm deadline. —— but if you are a foreign haulier, you don't have that option. so the authorities are turning part of the m20 motorway down there into a giant lorry park that can stack hundreds of vehicles. that is also talk of using a disused airfield here in kent for another 4000 lorries. but the message from the government is, a player if you area the government is, a player if you are a haulier do not come to kent at all. -- are a haulier do not come to kent at all. —— please if you are a haulier. this is likely to continue for the

next couple of days fell the eu decides what to do next. so it is likely to be a busy time for people here and on the roads, too. —— while the eu decides what to do. simon, thank you very much. the prime minister will chair a meeting of the government's cobra committee today to address concerns over "significant disruption" caused by the travel ban. let's speak to our political correspondent, iain watson, who is in westminster this morning. we really get a sense this is a moving story. let's talk about the borders with france, they are closed. is this unprecedented?m borders with france, they are closed. is this unprecedented? it is not unprecedented, but it usually is outside of wartime. french borders have been closed to travellers earlier this year during the first wave of the coronavirus crisis. but what is extraordinary this time is that all freight unless unaccompanied is now being stopped for 48 hours. so the flow of goods to and indeed from the continent is

severely disrupted. the government is saying we have contingency plans and are urgently putting further plans in place. that is partly why the emergency committee cobra is meeting this morning. the prime minister will be telling that. but there is also a whole series is other ministerial meetings, some of them going on today, last night, transport ministers and home office ministers meeting initially to deal with the travel disruption that is going to be caused notjust because of the freight problems with france, which is the most major problem that we have, but also of course countries impose and travel bans on flights for example or arrivals by sea flights for example or arrivals by sea if you are a passenger. that includes italy, belgium, the netherlands. all these restriction is put in place until the eu decides on an approach which affects the whole continent today. and also goals, notjust whole continent today. and also goals, not just because whole continent today. and also goals, notjust because of this particular aspect of the crisis, but because of the government's new restrictions, these tier 4 restrictions, these tier 4 restrictions in london on the change

to christmas plans, there have been calls from some of borisjohnson's on mps to have parliament recall. thank you very much, iain. christmas bubbles in northern ireland will be reduced from five days to one day. it's understood that the stormont executive agreed the change last night. there is expected to be some flexibility around which day people come together to accommodate those who have to work on christmas day. wales has entered another national lockdown, and only two households can gather on christmas day. people there are being told to stay at home and non—essential businesses must shut. tomos morgan is cardiff for us this morning. tomos, what's the reaction been to yet another lockdown?

the lockdown was due to come into force on the 28th when there was the end to those original christmas plans, but the welsh government feels it has had to bring it in quicker. it came into force on saturday evening because the welsh government and the health minister here said that this new strain of coronavirus is seeded across the whole of wales as well, with transmission rates higher than any of the other four nations of the uk, so of the other four nations of the uk, so they felt they had to put stricter measures in place. there are errors in the south—west valleys for the transmission rates as above 1000 per 100,000, so there is real concern there. three of the seven welsh health boards have cut nonessential surgeries. critical ca re nonessential surgeries. critical care wards nonessential surgeries. critical ca re wards across nonessential surgeries. critical care wards across wales are busier now than they have ever been throughout this pandemic, so there is real concern and something has to be done to alleviate the strain on the nhs, because there will be a surge over the next two weeks as the

transmission rates continue. they felt they have to put these measures and so they could suppress the virus as we go into the new year and make sure the impact on the nhs wasn't as bad as it could be. ok, tomos and cardiff, for now thank you very much indeed. here's carol with a look at this morning's weather. this morning's weather. lovely picture from one of our weather this lovely picture from one of our weather watchers. the forecast today is wet in england and wales in particular. some rain milling into southern scotland and northern ireland later in the day. but as we get up towards christmas eve and christmas day, most of us will see some dry conditions. it will be chilly across the board. what we have at the moment is this band of rain continuing to edge northwards through the course of the day. a lot of cloud, murky conditions, strong winds. some showers imagine for

longer spells of rain across the north and west of temperature rise, seven north and west of temperature rise, seven and eight celsius across scotland, northern and and northern ireland. 15 in the south and the very high for this time of year, —— year. the receiving evening and overnight, once again a lot of cloud across england and wales, with more wind coming our way. when season across the english channel but picking up across the far north of scotland. and under clear skies, it will be cold, cold enough for some pockets of frost. but not so in the south, nine, ten, up to 13 celsius your overnight lows. tomorrow, still afair bit your overnight lows. tomorrow, still a fair bit of clan across england and wales, across the south of some rain but for north wales, northern england, northern ireland and scotland, more sunshine. still some showers in the far north—west, some of those could be wintry in the nature, and temperatures six to about eight or nine celsius, so the

cooler weather seeking a bit further south. but we have cloud and rain, still very male, 12, 13, 14. more detailed forecast in about half an hour. —— still very mild. christmas is going to look very different for many of us this year, and lots of you have been sending in questions about what you can and can't do over the festive period. we're going to try to answer some of those for you now, with epidemiologist professor sian griffiths and virologist dr chris smith.

by by in norfolk says, what is the reason for the hazier spread of the new variant? —— easier spread. reason for the hazier spread of the new variant? -- easier spread. this new variant? -- easier spread. this new virus was picked up in september, and initially it accounted for only a tiny portion of the new cases of coronavirus being diagnosed. but by november, it was accounting for nearly one of four of those diagnoses in some parts of the country. what really got politicians and scientists alarmed was that by december, the number had climbed on the same part of the country to about 60%. so in other words, what you've got is a new variant of the virus that appears to be increasing its proportion of the infections. and when you see that pattern, it suggests that that particular virus

as some kind of advantage. we don't know exactly what that advantage is, but usually when you see those sorts of numbers and that sort of pattern, it is because it has enhanced spread. now, it might be that the virus is a bit more stable and the environment, it might be that it is stickier. when these viruses stick onto our cells, the infect by grabbing hold of a particular marker on the surface of the cell, and it might be that the changes, which we believe what affects what is called the spike protein, it might be that it has become spiky and stickier. so therefore it really load the dice in favour of the virus being able to infect us when we need virus particles. so therefore, the normal things that protect us from infection are not quite as effective each time as they would be with the normal coronavirus. so itjust loads the dice in favour of the virus, tipping the balance, so we see more transmission rates, but we are still actively investigating.

this is a bit complicated without knowing exactly where the members of the family are. if you are in tier 4, the basic rule is you stay home and on the your household can have christmas together. however, if you have family members who live quite close by, i don't see that was any reason why you couldn't walk there and leave a meal on the doorstep. but you see why i am saying be very careful, because the whole idea is to stop the spread of the disease, so to stop the spread of the disease, so you don't want to have to come into contact with anybody, but it

would be possible for you to leave the food on the doorstep, obviously, without coming into contact with the person you would have been using with, and then perhaps have a zoom call with them later on. i think thatis call with them later on. i think that is probably the best way of thinking about it, unless of course you are in a support bubble, because support bubbles continue during the christmas period. should people be worried about food being contaminated, being passed on to other people? that hasn't really beena other people? that hasn't really been a major issue, or talked about recently, and in general, during the early days of the pandemic, we had much more discussion about wiping down food, wiping down food wrappings and services, we don't feel that is the way the virus is most likely to spread. the virus is most likely to spread. the virus is most likely to spread. the virus is most likely to spread by direct personal contact, which is why we have gone into these tiers. if you wa nt have gone into these tiers. if you want to be safe, you could package it nicely and then you could use

hand sanitiser, and just double up on reducing the risk. there are many of us working in various services where we are called upon to work during public holidays and other anti—social hours, and we do it willingly knowing that there will hopefully be a reward in heaven but also that we can take things like christmas at other times. u nfortu nately, like christmas at other times. unfortunately, my interpretation of the rules announced over the weekend is that there is one day when the rules are relaxed and we can get together, and that is christmas day, and it does not appear at the moment that provision has been made for

people in that situation. so at the moment, there is no provision for getting together other days, so i guess those of us who are working will have to have christmas at another time of the year. you can go to work. in all the new regulations, education and work are protected, and you just carry on as normal. obviously if you can work from home, the advice is to work from home, the advice is to work from home, the advice is to work from home, but if you do need to go so from home, but if you do need to go so much, yes, you can continue to go to work.

as far as we know, you should regard yourself, whether you have had coronavirus in the past or not, as potentially susceptible to coronavirus, because although with most viruses when you encounter them, and your body has made an immune response, you have recovered and you can regard yourself as immune, for some viruses, coronaviruses included, the immunity you get from natural infection can be quite short lived. and indeed, there are a number of case reports out there now of people who have definitely caught coronavirus, and then a short time later, in one case of what i have seen within 48 days of what i have seen within 48 days of recovering from coronavirus, a person coated again. so the immunity can be short lived, and the amenity not just to one can be short lived, and the amenity notjust to one strain but the immunity potentially to all the different variants and strains of coronavirus that exist, can be short lived. so until you had the vaccine,

your best prospect of being protected for easily long time, we think, you should regard yourself as potentially susceptible to any strain, whether or not you have had it. and even if it was fairly recent, your infection. so that means carry on with all the usual steps that we are using, public health measures, such as physical distance and etc, to protect yourself until such time as we get the level of virus in society down to very low levels, and we have also got vaccines into appreciable numbers of people. thank you, chris and sian for being with us on the busy breakfast and getting answers to those questions. should have said on bbc breakfast. lewis hamilton took home the big prize at last night's bbc sports personality of the year awards, putting the seal on an incredible yearfor him. sally was there — it was quite different this year, wasn't it, sally?

it was a really different programme. this is our little bbc breakfast set. we kept it going just to show you this morning what our little setup was like last night. it was a different sort of night. obviously no crowd, thousands of people come to watch sports personality of the year. we had an audience, a virtual audience of around 1000 people, which was lovely, and there was some audience interaction, and some really special moment on the night. we saw marcus rashford getting a specialjudges' award for his work this year on free school meals, we saw captain sir tom moore, he was a big part of the night, so hugely emotional moments, and it was great to see kevin syd field on stage announcing the winners. we have of course been talking to kevin losing money for his friend with mnd. but one of the most striking moments you will probably all agree with me was last night was the unsung hero

award. —— are raising money for his friend. it was awarded to the late sergeant matt rata na, friend. it was awarded to the late sergeant matt ratana, who was killed on the line of duty. he was a very special man who was very much loved at his local rugby club. welcome to east grinstead rugby football club. i'm a matt ratana, head coach. his smile went from ear to ear. there was no faking that smile. he would be the light in the room. he was a coach first and foremost, but he was more like a friend, like a dad to us. more like a friend, like a dad to us. we have lost our community a bit of the club. matt give us a sense of where we needed to go. no matter what ability you are, there is a place here for you. rugby was everything for him. even on the night he died, the last thing he did was a training session and then went to work. i saw it on the news and do not even put two and two together, i just thought that is really sad. not even put two and two together, i just thought that is really sadlj received a phone call to tell me it

was matt, which was just awful. received a phone call to tell me it was matt, which was just awfullj just went and sat in my room. was matt, which was just awfullj just went and sat in my roomm made me feel numb. i didn't believe it. it isjust so difficult to come to hand he is not going to walk through the door. that is an expression, history has its eyes on us. expression, history has its eyes on us. history particularly has its eyes on matt, who will make sure his legacy is continued on as long as we can. which needs to make sure everyone has got that little bit of matt in them, and then carry it through the club forever. be strong, be brave, be patient, some things used to say to us, it has motivated me to become the man matt wanted me to be. those words, be strong, be brave, i think very much applicable last night and this morning. we are

joined by one of matte's friends. good morning, neil. you have matt's award, unsung hero for 2020. yes, an appreciation of a great man. a bit ofa appreciation of a great man. a bit of a hollow victory, but it is fantastic. how did you know matt? he used to train at my gym. he came in one day, and as soon as you you could feel his presence, his smile, he had an aura about him, and basically, we hit it off there and then. he was a member of our gym for six years. and i think for him and his partner, sue, the gym is a very special place. can you just explain why that is? yeah. matt was a total character, as you probably know, but it is the showground, really. where he could come back from work, not worry about the rugby, and just let off some steam, have a laugh with a few people, and just generally relax. he made it his own little

office, his home from home. he would either use my office or he would go downstairs to the cafe where he could keep an eye on everyone. but he was such a special fellow, and when he came in the gym, everyone knew he was there. am i right in thinking that that is where he took sue on theirfirst thinking that that is where he took sue on their first date? yes. you said he was a character!|j sue on their first date? yes. you said he was a character! i think she was expecting a nice little candle lit dinner, but unfortunately, she ended up at the gym. you can see from the film we just shared with everybody, how much of an impact he had on young and old, and that message that he was giving out in the film, it doesn't matter what your ability is, just have a go, that mr been hugely important of the by that mr been hugely important of the rugby club. yeah, that was one of matt's first principles. matt never looked at anyone and saw anything but the person that they were. certainly for people who were not doing as well as they could, he

would always go and help them out, he would give them advice and encouragement, and he wasjust he would give them advice and encouragement, and he was just one of those people who was selfless. he would help everyone out, and as i say, he would sue you for what you are. and he was very keen on having no hierarchy as well, wasn't he? one of the stories i loved about him is that, a bit like the all blacks, everybody has to sweep the shed, everybody has to sweep the shed, everybody has to clean up, everybody is the same on the team. that's it, that was key to matt, nobody was better than anyone just because you had a better car or something, he did notjudge people by what they had, hejudge people by what they did and their actions. and yeah, he would get his hands dirty as much as anyone else, and he would encourage eve ryo ne anyone else, and he would encourage everyone to do so. just one of his many, everyone to do so. just one of his any everyone to do so. just one of his many, many good points. neil, thank you so much for talking about your friend matt this morning. no problem. i know it has not been easy for any of you, and last night

wasn't terribly emotional for you, so wasn't terribly emotional for you, so neil, thank you very much indeed. —— was terribly emotional. what an incredible man, unsung hero, matt ratana. an extraordinary evening, we will see more of that throughout the programme. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london. extra police officers are out this morning on the capital's transport system to ensure people are sticking to the new rules under tier 4. the restrictions include an order to stay at home where possible. british transport police say they'll have an "enhanced presence" at stations following the government's announcement. as we've been hearing a number of european countries have banned, or are planning to ban, travel from the uk to prevent the spread of a more infectious

coronavirus variant. as of midnight last night, eurostar said it was unable to run trains from london to paris, brussels, lille or amsterdam today or on tuesday. trains to london from paris will continue to operate, with the rail company saying it planned to resume services to and from the uk on wednesday. a nhs trust in south east london is urging people aged 80 and above to get in touch with them to arrange a covid—19 vaccination. in a tweet, king's college hospital nhs trust said vaccines were available and that people should call them to arrange an appointment. any appointments not taken up — will be given to healthcare workers in most need. he started work as a porter at reading station in the year england won the world cup. 55 years on, great western railway‘s pat kemp has carried out virtually everyjob at the station, and currently works the ticket barrier. he'll check his final ticket on christmas eve. colleagues will gather later for a socially distanced send—off.

and just a reminder that we are always keen to hear from you. whether it's how the restrictions are impacting your family or business, and, of course, your christmas plans? contact us on email at yourlondon@bbc.co.uk or on twitter @bbclondonnews. let's take a look at the travel situation now. on the tube, there are minor delays on the district line between richmond and ealing and tower hill eastbound due to a signal problem. all other lines are running well. now the weather with kate kinsella. good morning. well, it mightjust be the shortest day of the year today but it's certainly not the coldest. some very mild air, but with mild air comes the cloud and the rain. it's a rather damp, unsettled start to this week. we've got some outbreaks of quite heavy rain, actually, but they're moving away north and eastwards. a much drier afternoon but still the potential for some light, patchy rain, some drizzle. temperatures today reaching a maximum of potentially 15 celsius,

which is very much above average for where they should be this time of year. it's a breezy day too. a south, south—westerly wind. overnight tonight, we'll see further showers, potentially quite heavy ones, blowing through. the wind feels a little bit lighter, but still quite breezy. the minimum temperature mild, between 8 and 11 celsius. as we head into tomorrow, it stays unsettled. light, patchy rain, drizzle, still mild. very unsettled for wednesday as well. very wet and windy, but you'll notice this blue area. that's colder air filtering in for the end of the week, so we pick up a northerly flow and the temperature drops and we mightjust wake up to a sparkle or two of frost on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. we will see you soon, bye—bye for now. hello, this is breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. monday morning and some important developments this morning to bring you this morning.

a growing number of countries have shut their borders to britons in response to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. let's show you the seen live in dover this morning, where we understand, there is a sign, french border closed. all outbound travel band. let's get some reaction to this from the transport secretary, grant shapps. good morning, thank you forjoining us. . good morning, thank you forjoining us. . how much warning did you have that france was going to close its borders? pretty much the same time as you. we were in touch with the french yesterday and they told us they were considering it. one of the things we have seen elsewhere, borders closing for passenger transport. france have gone a bit further. they have said the hauliers themselves, the lorry drivers effectively, they also would not be able to transit the borders. that makes it somewhat different and actually exclusive to france. every

other country are allowing careers or hauliers to still go backwards and forwards. this will obviously have an impact on people trying to export. what do you say to them, people who are losing money? we have one example, trucks loaded with hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish heading to dover right now. what do you say to people who will be directly affected and financially affected by this? obviously, very concerned for those individuals. the haulier market is pretty used to disruption. in fact, haulier market is pretty used to disruption. infact, it's haulier market is pretty used to disruption. in fact, it's not unusual on this particular route. we have seen in the past weeks of closures, things like the ferry strikes. we quite often get industrial strife over at calais. hauliers are used to this and of course goods are typically therefore insured. the most important thing is to get a result as quickly as possible. i was on the phone to my opposite number in france last

night. he is very keen to see this resolved as quickly as possible. particularly the hauliers aspect of it because it's actually primarily french and european goods which are exported rather than british goods leaving the country. it's balanced in that direction. it's in their interests to get it resolved as quickly as possible as well. i will be speaking to them again later this morning. they have said 48 hours, could it be longer than that? morning. they have said 48 hours, could it be longer than that7m a lwa ys could it be longer than that7m always could be but they have said it is 48 hours. they are meeting right now to discuss the situation. asi right now to discuss the situation. as i say, or the other countries which export to the uk have excluded the hauliers from that. so this is actually very specific to france, the situation, and most goods actually coming in and out of this country not through the roll on of situation that you see in the dover— calais situation. most come in

containers which are unaccompanied, about 80% of the goods coming into this country, and that is unaffected because they don't have people travelling with them. is it your view that france has overreacted? look, every country has to make its own decisions is one of the things that has happened here is because we have the capacity to sequence the genome that makes up the coronavirus in this country has done getting on for half of the entire world's sequencing of the coronavirus genome, 45% i think is a figure i saw, we tend to be more aware of the variance faster. there have been thousands of variants of coronavirus it's just the particular one we have seen it's just the particular one we have seenin it's just the particular one we have seen in kent and london, the thing that has led to the tier 4 lockdown is particularly virulent variant of the virus. it means it spreads more easily for is that we have detected that first but we know already that

the cases have been found in continental europe and other countries, including countries which have placed travel bans, in the netherlands, for example, have much higher case rates per 100,000 than the uk at the moment. so i think it stands to reason that once people look at theirs, they will probably realise it's actually already in their domestic coronavirus caseload. what impact would that have, are you expecting them to reverse their decisions, given you are saying it may already be there? possibly not on domestic travel or international travel but we must remember that passengers shouldn't be travelling at this moment in time. but there is indeed tier 4 a requirement to stay at home, everywhere to stay local so people shouldn't be travelling in any case. it's the haulier side of things we need to get moving. when i spoke to my french opposite number, they are keen to unlock that in the next 24 hours. at the moment it is people leaving the uk but it's

likely to have an impact on hauliers as well coming to the uk. will it have a direct impact on supplies, should people be concerned by that? look, as i say, quite often you get disruption on this particular route, we call it the short straights between dover and calais. most people will be unaware it's happening. we have seen disruption for weeks on end before and people would never really have noticed it. obviously it has an impact and we do need to get it resolved. but to put this into numbers for you, there will be about 6000 lorries that would have been expected at dover or the eurotunnel today, perhaps 4000 at dover and 1800 at the eurotunnel, those lorries will not be crossing. but there are probably 32,000, if you like equivalent, coming over by all means of transport. so those are the unaccompanied freight, the containers, which don't have people with them and that will of course continue to flow. so it's a small, perhaps 20% of the total that we are

talking about here. so in the short term, this won't have an impact. you can guarantee everybody will get what they need, for example, the christmas? i think when it comes to coronavirus, we need to perhaps not give guarantees of things we don't know with the virus. but i say say, in the very short term, over a day or two, there is no particular... this doesn't have a particularly big impact. what would do is if we don't get a result but we will work with the french to get it resolved, not least because that is what they have told me they want to do. they want told me they want to do. they want to speak to me later today because they are very keen to get the hauliers moving again. can we talk about what matt hancock said yesterday. he talked about this being out of control, is that your assessment, and what does that mean for people? there is a very virulent variant of the virus is a very, very easy to catch. so where as before

some of the measures that we are all used to, hands, space, face and making sure that we are keeping social distancing, with this variant, it's up to 70% easier to transmit. it very, very important therefore that people therefore keep separated, keep apart. there is no mystery to theirs. we know how it spreads, it's when human beings come into contact. so by keeping a part, by following in particular the tier 4 rules, so in kent, in london, in the eastern region and the south—east, by following those rules, we can prevent this thing from spreading. we do that very simply by staying from spreading. we do that very ' t from spreading. we do that very simply by staying at home. if we do that, we can bring it under control. but it is, quite literally, in our hands,in but it is, quite literally, in our hands, in your hands if you are watching this, to maintain that distance because it is so easily spread. you talk about it and put it very clearly there, very, very easy to catch. large parts of england are

in tier 4. are you looking at extending that? as everyone knows by now, we will always go where the data and the science sends us. so if we find it is increasing in other areas, we will of course, have to act. i want to put this into some sort of sense. i know some friends who were at a wedding, it was restricted to the correct size, 15, a couple of weeks ago just one person was tested for coronavirus following it, 11 people so far have tested positive. that is the new strain of the coronavirus. they are still waiting for a couple of results. that is the new strain of this virus. it is very, very transmittable this virus. it is very, very tra nsmittable and could this virus. it is very, very transmittable and could increase the famous r rate you hear about all the time by 0.4. if you take the r rate, which has to be below one and add 0.4 orup to which has to be below one and add 0.4 or up to 0.9, that you could see how important it is to get on top of

that. the good news is that the vaccine should still work against it and we have now vaccinated... this morning, i was going to sound the vaccine, i think we have now vaccinated 500,000 people this morning by the firstjab. the vaccine still works and it's important we keep this thing suppressed whilst we wait for the rest of the vaccine roll—out. suppressed whilst we wait for the rest of the vaccine roll-out. given what you've said about all of that, how important is to get on top of it and how easy it is to catch, we saw mark hancock in the commons last monday talking about this new variant. have you quickly enough? keir starmer accusing the prime minister of gross negligence for failing to act earlier. i think it must always be very easy being the leader of the opposition because whatever the government says, you say it is wrong. on friday, the scientists came to us and said actually, we have now analysed the data. we have now done more of the science on this and there is a real problem. on saturday, i was involved

in the emergency meetings. we acted. so literally, you almost couldn't have been faster about it. yes, we knew about the variant but bear in mind we know about thousands of variants to this virus, which mutates all of the time. so the fact there is a variant doesn't mean there is a variant doesn't mean there is a problem but once, as soon as the scientists came to us on friday and said there is a problem, we acted immediately. so i simply don't see how anybody could have acted faster. we heard matt hancock on monday and then we heard from very serious scientists on tuesday, warning about all of this. for some, there is a real sense of despair in there is a real sense of despair in the country and also anger as well from some people. look, it has been... let's been completely blunt, it's been a bloom in difficult year for a lot of people. people have sacrificed an enormous amount. this is another blow when you find there is another blow when you find there isa is another blow when you find there is a variant like this. you can only

go with what the science tells you. you are right, there will always be scientists who say we should go further. i think they were referring to christmas in particular on tuesday. you will have people saying you should go further and others who say don't lock down, this is a road to nowhere. the government has to steer the sensible path for all of these things. that is what we're trying to do. there is no rule book forfighting trying to do. there is no rule book for fighting coronavirus. it's trying to do. there is no rule book forfighting coronavirus. it's easy to bea forfighting coronavirus. it's easy to be a professor of hindsight and say you shouldn't do this at this particular time. we try to take the best decisions based on the best science and evidence that the right time and in this particular case, as i say, i'm absolutely certain that acted the moment the scientists came to us with hard evidence that there is an issue with this particular variant. where there hadn't been, with thousands of other mutations... with regard to the vaccine and you have talked about how important is, can you guarantee it won't be affected by what has happened in the last 24 hours? yes, i can. the

reason is the vaccine wasn't coming in through roll—on and roll off. precious few lorries brought in that way. it comes in containers and the container traffic isn't affected at all. this isn't an issue with the vaccine at all. indeed, will never be an issue for medicines regardless because we have freight contingencies in place. as it so happens, actually, with regard to this virus and these new restrictions, because we have been doing so much planning for the end of the so—called transition period, the end of brexit, because of that, there are measures in place that enable things like this category one goods to flow in any case. are you going to look at the transition period? we had from nicola sturgeon, it's imperative the prime minister tries to get an extension to it.|j think the one thing that could add fuel to the fire would be ending something everyone has known ascending for a very long time, the end of the transition period, which com pletes end of the transition period, which completes on the 31st of december.

absolutely not. the important thing is that businesses continue to prepare, that individuals are prepared. as i say, it's because we have some of those contingencies in place, being able to open up manston asa place, being able to open up manston as a lorry park for what is happening today, that planning is in place because of all the work that has gone on with the kent resilience forum and others preparing for the end of the transition in any case. grant shapps, thank you for your time this morning, transport secretary. it is coming up to 7:45 on this extraordinary christmas week. we had some weather to know what we can expect from the skies. good morning everyone. we have a lot of varied weather this week. to start with, a fair bit of rain. a lot of it will be across england and wales. then as we had through christmas eve and christmas day, dries up and turns cold across the board and there will be some frost to watch out for. today, no problems

with frost, especially across england and wales. the amber indicates that the temperatures into the low teens. for some, the mid teens. also all this rain piling in, moving northwards and eastwards. a lot of cloud associated with it, murky conditions and some showers across the north and west of scotland. some of those merging to give longer spells of rain. through the afternoon, above about 400 metres, we will see them falling as a wintry mixture. as the rain moves north, it gets in across northern england, southern scotland and northern ireland. some medication conditions and showers in the south of england with gusty winds but look at those temperatures, 13—15 as we move further north close to average, seven move further north close to average, seven eight or nine. through this evening and overnight, hanging on to a lot of cloud in england and wales, with some outbreaks of rain. they wind are using. clear skies over northern england, northern ireland and much of scotland means the temperature will fall away. we could

see a touch of frost but we persist with the showers in the north and west and here across the north of scotland, the wind will pick up and to be quite gusty. tomorrow, the shower still with us in northern scotland. a fair bit of sunshine for the rest of scotland, northern england, north wales and northern ireland with just a peppering of showers. the south once again hanging on to the cloud and some outbreaks of rain. but it also means it will be mild. 11—13. the lower temperatures, 6—8 hit a little further south in the midlands and norfolk. on wednesday, a new area of low pressure comes our way, coming in from the atlantic, drifting across england and wales, introducing thicker cloud and some rain. scotland and northern ireland will see a drier day with some sunshine. a few showers coming down the east coast, one or two could be wintry. still colder for the north midlands northwards than it will be in the south. after wednesday, that will change because what is happening as we eventually through wednesday say goodbye to this area

of low pressure, allowing an area of high pressure to build across us. the winds were moved to a northerly and come right the way across the uk so and come right the way across the uk so the amber is replaced by the cold blue, indicating temperatures will be that bit lower. so as we head into christmas eve and christmas day, which of course thursday and friday this week, you can see more settled conditions. more dry conditions around, some sunny skies. also some showers but the temperatures are going down where the first half of the week they are going to be in double figures. so it is all over the place of the weather once again but not much sign of a white christmas unless you count frost as your white christmas and also some wintry showers above 400 metres. we were talking about sports personality of the year earlier. one

of the famous faces members was nobby stiles, the world cup winner. his family have been told his dementia was caused by heading footballs. a leading expert, dr willie stewart, carried out research into the former footballer‘s brain. before we speak to him about that, let's hear from nobby‘s son about how he hopes it will help other players. doe needs to be a massive amount of help for all these players out there and their families who are left to fight this horrific illness, it is horrific to watch somebody disappear so horrific to watch somebody disappear so brutal in front of you. —— there needs to be a massive amount of help. my dad suffered a lot and... we talked about it and my mum basically said, if it can stop one more player suffering the way your dad did, then we'll do it. let's talk to dr willie stewart. he is an expert who has been looking at the case of nobby stiles. thank

you forjoining us. how sure can you be that nobby stiles' dementia was caused by heading footballs? what do so caused by heading footballs? what do so when we examined his brain was a very specific pathology known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which will move lucy and people who have been exposed to brain injury, repetitive head impact, and in the case of nobby stiles, we hear there is not really a story of head injuries but plenty of head impact from heading the ball. so that brings us to it head on it being the risk. so you are certain? as sudden as we can be. to be absolutely certain it requires studies that we frankly cannot do, because the risk exposure is in the 205, and the di5ea5e develops in the 505, 605 and 705, so tojoin di5ea5e develops in the 505, 605 and 705, so to join them di5ea5e develops in the 505, 605 and 705, so tojoin them up is di5ea5e develops in the 505, 605 and 705, so to join them up is virtually impossible, but in terms of the balance of probability, we have more than enough evidence now to say this i5 than enough evidence now to say this is of the problem. this is something we have talked about over the last

few months in different sports, head injuries, but given the profile, the name of nobby stiles anti—science you have brought to this, how significant do you think this moment could be in sport? —— and the science you have brought to this? unfortunately, i have been doing with families like this for almost a decade, and to all these families, the individual we are doing with his high profile to them. but in this circumstance, we are doing with a very high profile individual, and i think it does focu5 very high profile individual, and i think it does focus the attention on something we have been trying to deal with for some time. the fa, the pfa so that they are committed to finding out more, they are trying to invest in the science. it is a sport in general doing enough yet? the fa and the pfa, the scottish fa, they are following our news la5t and the pfa, the scottish fa, they are following our news last year that dementia deaths have been higher than they should be, have done their best to make changes. thi5 done their best to make changes. this is notju5t a local fa, uk problem, this is a global 5port

problem. global 5port problem, this is a global 5port problem. global sport has to make changes now. how does global sport get together and act on this? one thing is to reduce a5 get together and act on this? one thing is to reduce as far as possible and necessary head impact. heading in the game may be important, but has heading in the game may be important, but ha5100 200 headers a week in training really necessary? so we need to do away with as much of that is possible. and another thing a street head injuries on the park more seriously. we saw last week the real regulator5 park more seriously. we saw last week the real regulators in football introduced a system for concu55ion 5ub5titute5, which is frankly unacceptable. those of us with young kids may be just starting out in their football or rugbyjourneys, you see them on the pitch and you see them heading the ball, or going on with tackles for rugby, and you wince and you think of cases like this, and you wonder what kind of danger is my child putting themselves in? what would your message be to the parents of young players today? sport, physical activity is fantastic, so we must

continue that as much as possible, but let's do it in a safe way. if i wa5 but let's do it in a safe way. if i was a premise dropping kid5 but let's do it in a safe way. if i was a premise dropping kids off at by was a premise dropping kids off at rugby or football, i would ask the coach, what do you do about head injuries? what is your policy on head injury management? and what are we doing in training to cut back as much as possible in head impact, or ta ke much as possible in head impact, or take it away altogether for kids? and i guess that is what nobby stiles' family have been saying to you as well. you worked closely with them, they want him to have a lasting legacy in terms of safety. yeah. it is important to us to have an opportunity to examine ca5e5 yeah. it is important to us to have an opportunity to examine cases like thi5, an opportunity to examine cases like this, to understand what is going on, but it also u5 this, to understand what is going on, but it also us the opportunity to see how we can prevent it happening in the future. so it is important we have this opportunity. what the stile5 family and other familie5 what the stile5 family and other families are going to try and find changes very important. thank you very much, doctor willie stewart. we have talked about this issue a lot.

in a year like 2020, there's never been more need for a bit of sparkle on saturday nights, and strictly has definitely provided that over the last few months. i don't know what i will do without it. millions of us watched the final this weekend to see bill bailey become the oldest celebrity to lift the glitterball with his partner oti mabuse. let's take a look. this is the final of strictly come dancing 2020. # every little step she takes...

ican i can now reveal the strictly come dancing champions 2020 are... bill and oti! huge congratulations to them. i was just noticing that even with your foot bound, you are still dancing around. jamie laing was one of this series' runners—up, and hejoins us now from west london. good morning, jamie. what a night, what a series. what do you make of bill winning? bill bailey winning strictly come dancing is the best christmas present i could ever ask for. he is a hero, one of the

funniest people i know i'm one of the nicest people i know, worked so hard. we used to train until about six or seven in the evening, something like that. he would stay on until nine or ten every night. he is just on until nine or ten every night. he isjust an on until nine or ten every night. he is just an amazing guy, such an achievement, and the oldest winner of strictly come dancing, broke a record. i mentioned louise with a troublesome foot. you of course i dranka lot troublesome foot. you of course i drank a lot last year, so you missed out the first time around. finally to have seen through a series and got to the very end, that must be very rewarding. yes, i had my foot last year, and ending at this year was incredible, i also feel good because i was in the four dance offs , because i was in the four dance offs, so i actually did... if you'll see this is normally 14 weeks, so i did a full series including the dance offs. you are literally the longest contestant they've ever had.

you are going to miss it, though, aren't you? oh, it is... i got asked this the other day, what are your feelings towards strictly? and i said, the nicest way possible, i will be jealous of anyone who ever gets to do it, it is a magical experience. it is tough, it is really... you have to strap yourself m, really... you have to strap yourself in, because it is hard. and it is nerve—racking. but it is incredibly fulfilling, and it's amazing, it's beautiful, it's just a fulfilling, and it's amazing, it's beautiful, it'sjust a great fulfilling, and it's amazing, it's beautiful, it's just a great show. an amazing show, and i will miss it. we are seeing you literally strapped in that the moment, we are watching some pictures of one of your dances, you are descending from heaven. maybe you should make it three years ina row, maybe you should make it three years in a row, maybe do it again next year. do you know what, i was thinking, if i injure myself in the final, does that mean i get to back next year? i mightjust unzip this harness and see if i fall. doing it

one year, doing at two years, it isn't credible, it is easily great show, and bill bailey won strictly come dancing, how amazing is that? and the wonderful oti mabuse as well. it was lovely on saturday night they mention is made, the effo rts night they mention is made, the efforts of the crew, the band, anybody else who has been involved in putting on this show difficult year. yeah, it totally is. the tricky thing is, the celebrities and professionals get all the glory, and what we do this we just turn up on stage and do a dance. the real heroes are the band, the producers, the lighting crew, everybody behind the lighting crew, everybody behind the cameras, lots and lots of people. and to put on this show in general is hard, let alone during a pandemic, this is unbelievable they have done this. fantastic. they are so have done this. fantastic. they are so charming, so great, so easy to work with, and as much as we get all the glory, and get the press and

things like that, they should really get a huge round of applause, they are the real heroes, 100%. you are there in london. made in chelsea, tier 4 now, how the new restrictions won't affect your plans, your christmas? do you know what? i am stuck, like everyone else, i was planning on going to my mum's amounts was to spend christmas with the family, and ijust don't think thatis the family, and ijust don't think that is going to happen now, u nfortu nately. that is going to happen now, unfortunately. but it is happening for a lot of people. i think it is just one of those years, we have been topped off with this tier 4 situation, and we just have to go with it, i suppose. situation, and we just have to go with it, isuppose. it situation, and we just have to go with it, i suppose. it is really upsetting everybody wants to see theirfamilies, it upsetting everybody wants to see their families, it is christmas time, tend to be together, and i am, you know, here in the flat in london, and that is what it is going to be like, it looks like, the moment. have you told your mum? i haven't told her yet. oh, no! i

think she understands. we were meant to have different families coming. but it is just too hard, too complicated, it is to concerning to risk anything. it is just pretty much staying in london for this christmas. i have got a tree right here, so it's ok. a little tree. jamie, listen it has been an absolute pleasure watching, the sheerjoy you got out of it. thank you for making saturday nights sparkly. thank you, guys, and many christmas. merry christmas to you, too. i love the little tree. we have done well this year. i thoughtjamie laing would have a bigger tree than that! he has been busy, hasn't he? stay with us, we have the headlines coming up.

good morning, welcome to breakfast — withjon kay and louise minchin. our headlines today: europe shuts its doors to the uk, as fears grow over the spread of a new variant of coronavirus. iam i am live at the port of dover, where they sign behind me says it all, french border is closed. no traffic allowed to go across the channel to france and the situation could continue for the next two days. lewis hamilton is named bbc sports personality of the year. he wins for a second time, after securing a record—equalling seventh formula one world title.

almost 20 years after presenting the children's show smtv with ant and dec, cat deeley is back on our screens for a special christmas reunion. good morning. for many of us, cloudy and wet today, in the south particularly mild. in the north, temperatures closer to average, all the details in about ten minutes. it's monday, 21st december. good morning, everyone. our top story. a growing number of countries have shut their borders to the uk in response to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. france said it would not accept any passengers or lorries from britain for 48 hours, the government said it expects severe disruption at ports in kent. let's talk to our correspondent simonjones, who is at the port of dover. good morning to you. this has had quite an impact, hasn't it? yes, it's a pretty wet and grim morning here in dover but spare a thought for hauliers, who are now likely to

spend the next two days in their cabs. this is the entrance to the port. normally, it should be really busy, some 10,000 lorries pass through the port each day butjust days before christmas, nothing here at the moment. the sign there says clearly, french borders closed. here, there are a number of lorries that have been turning up because the message simply hasn't got through to them that they are being turned away. i've been speaking to some hauliers, one from canterbury told me he went into the port last night, he didn't manage to get on the ferry on time because france shut the borders at around 11pm. he simply went home but foreign hauliers haven't got that option. they are being told they will have to queue on the motorway if they come to kent on the m20, which is being turned into a giant lorry park. there is also talk of using a disused airfield for another 4000 lorries. it gives you a sense of the scale of the problems we are likely to see here in kent today and deeply

from the government, from the transport secretary, if you are a haulier, don't come to kent at all if you can help it because it is not going to be pretty. simon, thank you very much. the prime minister will chair a meeting of the government's cobra committee today to address concerns over "significant disruption" caused by the travel ban. let's speak to our political correspondent, iain watson, who is live in westminster this morning. what are the prime minister's options, what can he do? what are the prime minister's options, what can he do?” what are the prime minister's options, what can he do? i think from the prime minister's point of view it's about contingency plans, making sure there can be a flow of goods through other ports of there are problems with the french ports for the next 48 hours, how else supplies may be sourced. that is one area. they are saying frate is top of that agenda. grant shapps the transport secretary on this programme said he is... he spoke to

his french counterpart yesterday and will speaking to the french transport minister to try and resolve this issue, to try and get people taking goods in and out of france to be allowed into the country and he was pointing out a little earlier that uniquely, france out of all the eu countries at the moment, was the only one saying frate had to be unaccompanied. we mu5t frate had to be unaccompanied. we must remember pa55enger5 shouldn't be travelling at this moment in time but there is in the tearful requirement to stay at home, everywhere to stay local, so people shouldn't be travelling in any case. but it is the haulier 5ide shouldn't be travelling in any case. but it is the haulier side of things we really need to get moving. a5 i 5ay, we really need to get moving. a5 i say, when i spoke to my french opposite number, they are keen to unlock that in the next 48 hours. grant shapps hoping this will be unlocked in the next 48 and i was but the eu will be discussing this this morning and it's possible more restrictions may be put in place because don't forget, matt hancock said the virus was out of control and that it originated in kent. one

other thing i should point out is there is also now calls on the conservative backbenches from some prominent conservatives, former chief whip and former conservative leader, calling on borisjohnson to bring mps back from their winter break to discuss the current crisis and the imposition of new restrictions. one bit of good news from grant shapps, he said supplies of the vaccine, which comes from belgium, won't be affected by the frate ban. iain watson, thank you. let's stay with the restrictions. ministers in northern ireland have agreed that covid restrictions will only be eased for one day over christmas, rather than five as previously planned. those who are working will be allowed to choose an alternative day between the 23rd and the 27th december to meet up with their bubbles. if they have been working on christmas day itself. let's get more on this from our ireland correspondent chris page who is in belfast for us. there is kind of a sense that things

change quickly, isn't there? yes. stormont ministers held talks late into the night. one would imagine what many people in northern ireland will be doing whenever they wake up this morning is checking to see what they have decided. that decision was issued at 1:30 in the morning. the christmas bubbling arrangements in northern ireland is being reduced to one day only. it doesn't have to be christmas day. if, for example, you are working on christmas day, you can choose another day to bubble up between the 23rd and 27th of december but nonetheless, that means a lot of christmas plans will be dismantled. the other issue that ministers have been debating and it's been a much more difficult issue practically and politically is travel. it understood this has split more or less along union and nationalist lines. sinn fein argued travel between great britain and northern ireland should be banned. the biggest union party argued, the

democratic unionists, argued that as anybody living in deer four areas are banned from leaving those areas, there is no need for the specific arrangements. legal advice being taken on the issue today. another aspect that is republic of ireland has put in place a travel ban between that country and england, scotla nd between that country and england, scotland and wales. flights are banned and ferries only permitted to bring freight across the irish stay. there will be talks between the governments in dublin and belfast about that today. chris, for the moment, thank you. meanwhile, people in scotland are facing the toughest coronavirus restrictions from boxing day, nonessential shops, pubs, restaurants and gyms will close for at least three weeks. household mixing will be allowed on christmas day only. let's get more on this from our scotland correspondent, james shaw. james, how is this going down, another lockdown? well, that's right

and really, it's the last thing people wanted just before christmas. scotland, like the rest of the uk, we we re scotland, like the rest of the uk, we were expecting to have those five days. that limited flexibility that would allow christmas celebrations but the other big thing to bear in mind is the restrictions on travel between scotland and england, which are being enforced much more strongly as of now. so police scotla nd strongly as of now. so police scotland have said they are doubling their resources in border areas of scotland. there will not be roadblocks or checkpoints but the police may well stop people and ask them why they have crossed the border. they will encourage them probably to change their behaviour but they could ultimately face fines. the chief constable has said only the most essentialjourneys should be undertaken between scotla nd should be undertaken between scotland and england during the christmas period. ok, james, thank you for that update from glasgow. 8:08.

this is the time we try to speak to carol about the weather, good morning. good morning! this week's weather, the first half of the week for some of us is looking pretty wet but as we had to christmas eve and christmas day, it should be dry and by then it will be cold across the board. what we have this morning is a band of rain moving northwards, getting into southern scotland, northern england and northern ireland later. in the west and the far north, we also have some showers, submerging to give some longer spells of rain. increasingly wintry about 400 metres in the highlands. behind the band of rain, a lot of cloud, overcast and grey, some hill fog, showers and strong winds through the english channel. look at those temperatures. across england and wales, 12—15 degrees, thatis england and wales, 12—15 degrees, that is high for this time of year. whereas in scotland and northern ireland and northern england, we are looking between 7—8, which is more or less where we should be. through the course of the afternoon and into

the course of the afternoon and into the early part of the evening, clear skies will develop across parts of the highlands. the temperature will fall away quite quickly. today is the shortest day, in terms of daylight hours. the same for northern ireland, you will see clear skies. at 5pm, there will still be a lot of cloud around, still some spots of rain. some could be heavy at times and still fairly gusty winds through the english channel. they will ease as we go through the evening and overnight. we will still have all this cloud and some rain across parts of england and wales but clearer skies says further south. a cold night, a touch of brass, wind picking up in the far north of scotland and the showers will persist. more weather and longer details on about half an hour. that didn't make sense, did it, longer details?! you know what i meant. i understood, it, longer details?! you know what i meant. iunderstood, more it, longer details?! you know what i meant. i understood, more details, anyway. details, longer details, carol, thank you. let's get more now

and the travel ban on lorries and passengers by a growing list of countries including france. it all seems to be changing by the minute and big meetings going on in paris with the french government and uk government in london as well. we can speak to a member of logistics uk and ian wright, the chief executive of the food and drink federation. thank you both. alex, let's start with you, how serious is this situation, in terms of the ban on lorries going to and from france? it isa on lorries going to and from france? it is a serious situation. we need two things right now. the first is we need our government to take care of the people, of the drivers who are caught up in these delays. we also need our government to work with the eu partners to come up with a pragmatic, sensible solution, to give the french authorities and other authorities confidence the drivers are covid free and can be allowed to travel through the

borders once again. but can ijust be really clear with everybody? this is affecting outbound freight movements where there is a driver in a truck. it does not affect inbound freight, which means goods are still moving inbound. it also does not affect what we call unaccompanied freight, where you get stuff and put it in freight, where you get stuff and put itina freight, where you get stuff and put it in a box on freight, where you get stuff and put itina box ona freight, where you get stuff and put it in a box on a ship with no driver, that stuff is moving fine. that is why we are saying that the current time, no need to panic buy. there are goods available in shops, retailers are doing everything they can but at the same time, it is serious and we do need a resolution as quickly as possible. let's talk to ian wright, chief executive of the food and drink federation. alex says no need to panic buy. our supplies are indeed?” says no need to panic buy. our supplies are indeed? i agree with every word alex said. let's be clear, there is no need to panic. there is a concern about food 5upplie5 there is a concern about food supplies in the longer term. the

problem here, and i'm sure alex can explain this much more succinctly thanl explain this much more succinctly than i can, the problem is the return journey of drivers coming to the uk. if they cannot be guaranteed either that they will get out of the uk because of the congestion or that they will be able to secure a return journey full of whatever product it is, that is going to make it much more unlikely for them to come in the first place. over time, because the first place. over time, because the transport system requires these round trips, that will reduce the ability of us to bring food into the country after christmas, if that takes effect. what alex said is absolutely right. we need a pragmatic solution that gets drivers across the border into the uk by whatever route, in exactly the same way that we had throughout the lockdown in march and in the earlier pa rt of lockdown in march and in the earlier part of the year. there was no material impact on supply and that was because all sides were pragmatic in that regard. on that, basically

you are saying to avoid long—term problems we need a solution. can you give mea problems we need a solution. can you give me a timeframe on that?“ problems we need a solution. can you give me a timeframe on that? if you think what we are really talking about here is mostly fresh food which is affected immediately, then most of the fresh food that we would wa nt most of the fresh food that we would want over the next week is already either in the country, in the distribution centres or on the shelves or on its way and that is continuing to move. it is over time. we are thinking about this time next week and beyond. probably even later, ten days, 15 days and then into the new year. that is a big concern because at that point, those difficulties that we are talking about today start to back into the new checks that will have to be used on all product coming into the uk from anywhere in the eu because we will have left the transition period bust up so there will be customs checks, sanitary checks, animal

checks, sanitary checks, animal checks, a whole load of checks coming into place on the 315t. so those together with this disruption could be difficult for us. we are seeing live pictures from our team in dover, a car reversing. the guy in yellow is telling cars and we have seen quite a lot of lorries coming in, turning up in thinking they can get to france but being turned around and stop you can see another u—turn there as a car is back on its way. we have seen some rather confused scenes, where the message hasn't yet got through to drivers that they just cannot travel. alex, you were talking about the lorry drivers who are potentially going to be stuck at dover, unable to get on ferries. what do you think needs to change, what needs to happen to reassure the authorities on the other side of the channel that those guys are safe and they should be able to continue? the silver lining in this very

substantial cloud is that we now have measures and tools available that were not here in the first wave of the pandemic. as ian rightly says, there were no material disruptions that prevented shelves being stocked even in april and may when we didn't really understand how the virus was transmitted. now we have testing, and so we are encouraging our governments to look seriously at introducing rapid testing for drivers, or perhaps other measures, that would give the french and other eu countries confidence that drivers are free of covid and thus should be allowed to travel across to the eu. so those tools are with us now, and we do believe that they should be ruled out as quickly and urgently as possible to get us over the hump and back to a normal freight.

possible to get us over the hump and back to a normalfreight. on possible to get us over the hump and back to a normal freight. on a possible to get us over the hump and back to a normalfreight. on a human level, these lorry drivers are stuck in theircabs level, these lorry drivers are stuck in their cabs right now. in terms of the practicalities, where they go to the practicalities, where they go to the loo and how they keep clean and safe, what are you thinking about there? we are very worried about that, and we are calling on the government again to provide for the well—being and health and safety of drivers who are unfortunately caught up drivers who are unfortunately caught up in this. i understand from the media that the airport site, a very large disused airfield put in as a contingency measure to manage potential delays after brexit, we understand that is going to be stood up understand that is going to be stood up and used as a lorry park. that is an absolute necessity, because that will provide hard standing areas where the trucks can stay, whether drivers can be safe, to get out of the cab, get refreshment, use the toilet, that does need to happen right now. because the health and safety of the drivers really is a

top priority, and is something our uk government can and must act on it now. thank you very much indeed both of you. we are going to speak right now to somebody who. .. of you. we are going to speak right now to somebody who... we are talking about hauliers, but there are passengers, people trying to get to france. just tell us, you are trying to get to france last night, what happened ? trying to get to france last night, what happened? as we were driving to portsmouth yesterday during the day, coming from tier 2 in south devon, we we re coming from tier 2 in south devon, we were starting to see reports that some of the bodice to france were close in, we have not heard anything from the ferry company, so we thought we would just keep going, they said it's fine, you will be able to go on board and get off in france, so we sat around for a couple of hours, and then about 1030, the lorries started going on the ferry, and we were all getting on the ferry, so we thought, this is amazing, we are actually going to

get to go. but sadly, we got to our cabin and then the announcement came at, no, we are not sailing anywhere. you will have to stay in your cabins, stay on board overnight, and then get off this morning. so this morning, we all disembarked at about 7.00. and then you go now? are you trying to move to france? —— where do you go now? yes, we are moving to france, so we have entered our house out. i have my two daughters in the back. we are not really sure what we are going to do, actually. we have had a couple of offers from france to go and stay with them. we might find a hotel. there are lots of people in our situation. i met one lady on the ferry who had literally sold up everything, take redundancy from herjob, she was off to france, she said that if you can't get to france, she is effectively homeless. and for now, you don't know when you

can go there, presumably? no,. we are hearing reports from you guys that it will be 48 hours we will be able to sailagain, that it will be 48 hours we will be able to sail again, but who knows if thatis able to sail again, but who knows if that is correct? i would be amazed if and 48 hours they suddenly said it's fine, you can sail, just take a pcr test are one of the lateral flow test when you get there. it is all just chaos, isn't it? we met haulier there on the ferry this morning, one of them had a trailer full of beetroot which he said it's all going to rot. everyone was really pretty sanguine about it, but it's incredibly disruptive, obviously. best of luck with your ongoing journey, whatever that may be, thank you forjoining us. every year, we cover the great christmas getaway about this time. people on the trains. can you believe we are telling the story this week? it is unbelievable. incredible how things

have changed in the last few days. millions of us found out this weekend that our plans for christmas will have to change after the prime minister announced new rules for the festive season. household mixing has been scaled back to just christmas day across the uk and those in the newly—created tier 4 will only be allowed to celebrate with members of their own household and support bubbles. breakfast‘s jayne mccubbin has been finding out how families have been reacting to the news. this will be a christmas like no other. i live here alone, and i've been looking forward to seeing my children for such a long time, and planning it for such a long time. i've been buying their christmas presents since september. and it's heart—wrenching. so many people like tricia had hoped

christmas would be a tiny reprieve in what has been the hardest of years. but her children are in tier 4 london, so by law they have to stay home, and they cannot meet indoors with anyone outside of their household. you've been really lonely this year. oh, yes. we're in contact a lot, but nothing beats having your children hug you. and i'm sorry. and there are millions of people worse off than me, and ifeel bad. sue has terminal cancer. her daughter has already travelled from sussex to pembrokeshire to be with her. her son—in—law, jonathan, was due to follow this week. surely based on covid rules, the only day i can be in wales on christmas day,

and so it is then the case of trying to find other ways of doing it, which you can on compassionate grounds, but it's not so much a legal as a moral dilemma. i wanted to do the right thing the whole time through lockdown, tried to follow the guidelines, being very sensible, so it is a moral dilemma, but the reality is, the flip side of the coin is, i am here at home with the hamster and the chicken. the uk government has stressed we should take personal responsibility to limit the spread of the virus and protect those most at risk. you have been shielding all year. yeah. i don't mind my own company, but christmas would have been nice. i wasn't that bothered about christmas, i just wanted to see my family. i have not seen them in more or less a year. for sisters katie and samantha, christmas day would normally involve four generations from five households from across the uk joining up and staying over in wales. this year, for the first year, they are going solo.

literally it is going to be our normal christmas dinner, but with a computer instead of a plate that i've got to wash. less washing up is always a plus. it'lljust be nice to see everyone's face, even though we can't give them a hug, at least we can see them. this song was written and performed by children from the ls18 music school in leeds to raise money to tackle loneliness. we originally wrote the song before the start of the second lockdown, and thought it would be a cool idea to get grandparents involved in making a video.

you guys made this decision before boris johnson made the decision for you. we decide some while ago we would not mingle at christmas, because we didn't think the risks really were worth taking. especially with the vaccine just around the corner. obviously we would have wanted to spend it with our grandparents. are you going to miss them? yeah, i already do. #i'm singing this to say # i wish i could see you on christmas day...# yesterday, matt hancock said with the virus out of control in some areas, it was our duty to act now, encouraging people not to focus on what they are missing, but on what they might be saving. would you like to give your kids a message? i'm not sure i can, because i will blub again, and they don't want to look at that.

no, i can't, sorry. my brother and his family, my parents and all my friends, it really is going to be very different. but next year will be better, and the biggest love you have shown me this year is actually not being here with me. so thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for keeping me safe. i will miss giving you a cuddle on christmas eve. love you, kiddo. love you. don't make me cry on telly. i will miss you this year, but i hope i can see you very soon. we can still celebrate christmas in our hearts.

very difficult times for everybody. we are here, so if you're picking up on your own on christmas day, bbc brea kfast on your own on christmas day, bbc breakfast will still be on the telly. we will also try and find some smiles. we will keep you company. we will still make it christmas for you. i love that message about there not been quite as much washing—up. thank goodness for that. we have to look at the bright side. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm victoria hollins. extra police officers are out this morning on the capital's transport system to ensure people are sticking to the new rules under tier 4. the restrictions include an order to stay at home where possible. british transport police say

they'll have an "enhanced presence" at stations following the government's announcement. a nhs trust in south east london is urging people aged 80 and above to get in touch with them to arrange a covid—19 vaccination. in a tweet, king's college hospital nhs trust said vaccines were available and that people should call them to arrange an appointment. any appointments not taken up — will be given to healthcare workers in most need. one of london's most famous night—time venues, cafe de paris, has announced its shutting for good. the club has been open in the west end for 95 years and even survived a direct hit during the blitz. but it said in a statement last night it had "tried everything but the devastating effect of covid—19 in the end was too much." a couple rearranged their wedding in just two hours to ensure they tied the knot before london went into tier 4. chloe and jamie collins were due to marry on the 6th of september, but had reorganised three times due to changing coronavirus

restrictions. they made it in the nick of time, and got married at 10 o'clock on saturday night at edgware united synagogue. i've never in my life felt so much love and felt how grateful i am to every single one of our suppliers, ourfriends, ourfamilies who have pulled together to make it happen and gave us the support and just said, go for it. nothing is holding you back, standing in your way. let's do it. let's do it, so we did it, yeah. congratulations to them. let's take a look at the travel situation now... on the tube, there are severe delays on the bakerloo line between queens park and harrow and wealdstone. also severe delays on the district line between dagenham east and upminster and on london overground, severe delays between sydenham and crystal palace. now the weather with kate kinsella. good morning. well, it mightjust be the shortest day of the year today but it's certainly not the coldest. some very mild air, but with mild air comes the cloud and the rain. it's a rather damp,

unsettled start to this week. we've got some outbreaks of quite heavy rain, actually, but they're moving away north and eastwards. a much drier afternoon but still the potential for some light, patchy rain, some drizzle. temperatures today reaching a maximum of potentially 15 celsius, which is very much above average for where they should be this time of year. it's a breezy day too. a south, south—westerly wind. overnight tonight, we'll see further showers, potentially quite heavy ones, blowing through. the wind feels a little bit lighter, but still quite breezy. the minimum temperature mild, between 8 and 11 celsius. as we head into tomorrow, it stays unsettled. light, patchy rain, drizzle, still mild. very unsettled for wednesday as well. very wet and windy, but you'll notice this blue area. that's colder air filtering in for the end of the week, so we pick up a northerly flow and the temperature drops and we mightjust wake up to a sparkle or two of frost on christmas day. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. bye for now.

hello, this is breakfast withjon kay and louise minchin. good morning, thank you forjoining us. good morning, thank you forjoining us. lots of people still talking about sports personality of the year, a massive moment on telly last night and lewis hamilton took home the huge prize at the end of it, putting the seal on an incredible year. we got a bit of glitz and glamour, certainly from sally! thank you, i like to bring a bit of glitz and glamour in these times. wasn't it great at the moment lewis hamilton found out he had won? he was completely surprised. he said my heart was racing, i didn't expect them to say my name and they did. and he already has one! yes, he already has one. there was no live audience in the studio this year, but 1,000 people formed a virtual audience and millions watched at home. as we said, the main prize went to lewis hamilton,

but there were special awards for the likes of marcus rashford and captain sir tom moore for what they've achieved in this most unique of years, and i got to speak to the winners. the 20 205 sports personality of the year is... lewis hamilton. applause congratulations. thank you so much. were you a little bit shocked when you heard your name?” were you a little bit shocked when you heard your name? i am. i really hadn't put a huge amount of thought into what would happen if i did win because there were so many great candidates, you know? it's been quite a difficult year. some of my favourites, captain tom, i think what he has done and little tobias

and marcus, what he's achieved, there are so many great stories out there. what kind of christmas have you got planned, i know it is different for everyone this year?” actually don't have christmas plans this year. this is as far as it's got. i know it is such a difficult time for so many people, specifically with the lockdown that has come into place in the uk. people potentially seeing their families. are you feeling fighting fit again? i am not 100% but families. are you feeling fighting fit again? i am not 10096 but it is going and! fit again? i am not 10096 but it is going and i still haven't got my taste back but i hope it comes back by christmas so i can enjoy a christmas roast or something, or christmas roast or something, or christmas pudding. but yeah, i'm excited for when that passes. in second place, jordan henderson. cheering and applause congratulations, jordan. it was a

competitive year this year. what was it like when you heard your name?‘ bit surreal, actually. i'm just overwhelmed just being here. tojust be nominated is incredible, to be a pa rt of be nominated is incredible, to be a part of tonight. to take an award home is a bit of a bonus and something that i wasn't really expecting, to be honest. footballers don't often get much of a christmas but what is your christmas going to look like this year? when you have small children, it makes it extra special, so i am looking forward to that. how early do you expect to have to get up on christmas day? very! if it is after 6am, i will be happy. oh, my goodness! i need an early night. in third place hollie doyle. a massive privileged to have been involved in such a prestigious award, let alone finishing third. i'm so grateful to everyone who voted for me and itjust goes to

show as an industry as a whole, the horse racing industry really unites when it needs to. it is my honour to announce the 2020 team of the year is liverpool football club! 2020 coach of the year is you, jurgen so many congratulations. thank you very much. what is the secret, coach of the year? a really good team! that's how it is in my business. you can be the best coach in the world if you are in the wrong club and work with the wrong team, you have no chance. iama the wrong team, you have no chance. i am a lucky guy. i have said you are the best motivator in the business. for anyone watching this this morning who is struggling to go out for their run nor their walk or whatever it is, what are you going to say to them? move your... careful! careful! think this word is not allowed, it's a bit early for the words i usually use. you

probably have to motivate yourself. i think that means just move. probably have to motivate yourself. i think that meansjust move. but i struggle myself in the morning. i get up really early but i couldn't, i couldn't run as the first thing to do, no chance. it's time for our next award, a footballer who has made a massive difference to millions of people in the uk. what a player on and off the pitch. marcus rashford! cheering and applause marcus rashford, what an incredible year you have heard. yes, i think the beginning of 2020 was down for everyone. to come out of this year with something to be happy about, that we'd taken steps in the right direction, it's been a good thing for me mentally. because at the beginning i was injured and covid happened and we were in lock the up to get to the end of 2020 with a few positives is really good. just a few

days away from christmas now. how relieved do you feel that you know that families who are struggling will have food on their table and also had somewhere to go to ask for help? we have taken so many steps forward and it's important to keep taking those steps and don't look behind, look at what we've done, keep looking forward and what we have to do in the future. there is one very special person who is the centre of all of this and that is mel. everything i've received from what we've done would go back to her. it will be kept in her house and it is something for her to look at every day. wow. what do you think i'm it's really good, isn't it? my mind is strong and in a world full of adversity we must still dare to dream. the awareness rob and the family have generated in the last 12 months, along side bbc breakfast has

been incredible. looking at the show we watch tonight, in lots of ways it wasn't about sport tonight, was it? it was about something bigger, being a part of something, offering support. how important a message is that to give out to people in need of a really difficult times? throughout this year, it has been so difficult for everybody, but there are so many people less fortunate than yourself, so if you can do a little bit and help, then you get so much from it. i think it's really important when we all take stock and think life is throwing a bit at as at the minute, but actually, for most of us, it is not too bad. this year's award is given to an amazing man who loved his family and his rugby club and his job. matt ratan's life was so cruelly taken away in september, but he leaves a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten.

welcome. i am matt ratana, head coach. do it again! if there is anything good you can take out of the worst possible situation, what good thing gives you hope to carry on into the future for you and for your club? it's the essence of his spirit, with regards to looking after each other, never giving up, everybody has to do small things, nobody is too good, even if you are the best player at the club, you are not too big, you need to clear out of the changing room like everybody else. it isjust that spirit of being very grounded as just looking after everybody. captain tom, it's so lovely to meet you. nice to see you. we are also proud of you, we have been following your achievements throughout the year, and it is my absolute honour to be here to present this year's award to you. and we have an extra special award that we have named in

your honour. it is the captain tom young unsung hero award. tobias, i love the massive smile you always have on yourface. we have seen you walk and run marathons. what is your next challenge? i am currently completing a third marathon. but when i reach 26 miles, i'm not stopping, i am going to complete an ironman, run, trike and swim. i will be chuffed to bits that i can raise even more money for my charities. tobias was brilliant! and tonight on bbc one, you can see our documentary following marcus rashford's campaign to help feed the uk's poorest families. here's an exclusive clip of when the prime minister gave him a call.

yeah, yeah, i literallyjust got back now from the game. i got an assist today. find out exactly what happened during that phone call tonight. marcus rashford: feeding britain's children, is on tonight on bbc one at 7pm and on the bbc iplayer. it has taken us, we have been working on this documentary for several months. i was going to say, count the months, was it three coronavirus marc giraud yes, and we filmed the die ornate documentary most of it lockdown so it's been very challenging. you would have seen lots of marcus rashford in the papers and clips on the television

but tonight, you will see things you have never seen before. he has welcomed us into his home. his family have done the same. his mum mel is amazing, she is the star of the show. she is the reason he does all of this? yes, he mentioned it last night, she is the reason he is so last night, she is the reason he is so keen to keep going. giving her his trophy that he won. he will. i look forward to it, sally, thank you. can't wait for that, brilliant! it is winter solstice today. we have a beautiful live shot from stonehenge which was streamed on line because people can't travel there. silhouetted against the salisbury plain, a beautiful sunrise there this morning. that people cannot gather as they normally do at this time of year but at least you know that some things just continue. some things stay the same! carol,

how is the weather looking? i love, this is what i would like at home, one this size. it is enormous, this is a weather watcher picture from yesterday. i think it is of their christmas tree, fabulous! the weather today is pretty wet for some of us, wet across england and wales in the next couple of days in particular but then dries up christmas eve and christmas day that it will be chilly and there will be some frost first thing in the morning, as well. a mild day to day across england and wales, as you can tell from the amber colour. cooler in scotland and northern ireland, where temperatures are closer to where temperatures are closer to where they should be at this stage in december. you can see the rain we have had overnight. this is moving northwards and eastwards through today. we also have a peppering of showers across the north and west and increasingly through the day, they will turn wintry above 400 metres. as the band of rain continues to edge into northern england, scotland and northern ireland, there will be some breaks in the cloud across the far north—east but it will be colder

across scotland, northern england and northern ireland than it will be as we move further south, with highs 13-15. not as we move further south, with highs 13—15. not only is it the winter solstice today but it is also the great conjunction between saturn and jupiter, which is when they will look closer together than they have done. if you want to see this, you need clear skies and you will need to go out straight after sunset more or less just to see if you can see them. a lot of us may not be able to see them because there is a lot of cloud but it will be thinning and breaking as we go through the night. still some rain and cloudy are murky conditions in the south, the wind easing but the wind strengthening across the far north of scotland. they will also see some showers. it will be a cold night, cold enough for a touch of frost in places but not so in the south. interestingly, it will be the closest appearance since way back in 1623 of saturn and jupiter. as we had done through

tomorrow, still this cloud and rain coming into southern areas. to the north of that, some sunshine. there will be some showers and it will be still quite windy across the far north. the wind changing to more of a northerly direction. these are the temperatures you can expect, 6—8 was the air getting further south into the air getting further south into the midlands and norfolk, where as we still are in double figures as we push into the far south of england, 10-13. push into the far south of england, 10—13. looking pretty wet on wednesday for much of england and also wales, with a lot of cloud. scotla nd also wales, with a lot of cloud. scotland and northern ireland, you will see more sunshine with fewer showers but we could see a few showers but we could see a few showers coming down this east coast and there is a chance some of those could have a wintry component to them. temperatures only 4 degrees in lyric on wednesday but still hanging on by the skin of our teeth to the milderair on by the skin of our teeth to the milder air further south. on by the skin of our teeth to the milderairfurthersouth. but on by the skin of our teeth to the milder airfurther south. but it on by the skin of our teeth to the milder air further south. but it is not going to last because we say goodbye to this area of low pressure during wednesday. that allows this area of high pressure in the

atla ntic to area of high pressure in the atlantic to build across us. more of us will have that northerly plunge and on christmas eve and on christmas day, look at the blues across the country, indicating the change in the temperatures where they have been in double figures to go back down to single figures. for christmas eve and christmas day, with that high pressure across as, fairly settled. if you showers around, a lot of dry weather but it is going to feel colder. i love a weather forecast that takes us back to 1623. thank you, campbell, see you tomorrow. —— carol. it wouldn't be christmas without a julia donaldson animation and this year there are eight to choose from. on christmas day, gavin and stacey actor rob brydonjoins a host of other stars including lenny henry for a brand

new adaptation of zog and the flying doctors. we'll speak to rob in a moment, but first, let's have a look at a clip. "where have you been?", he thundered. you look an awful mess. what's happened to your crown? and where's your pretty frilly dress? growling. "but, uncle, can't you see that i'm a doctor now?, said pearl. the king replied... princesses can't be doctors, silly girl. seize her, don't let go of her. now, lock her up inside. rob joins us now from south west london.

how are you? i'm great, thanks, how are you. good, thank you. this is pa rt are you. good, thank you. this is part of christmas now, what is it like being part of it? such a lovely thing to be part of. i am lucky i have done all ten, i think it is, starting with the gruffalo, because you do it way in advance, because the animation that takes so long, you always hope to get the call, and now it has become a tradition, and they are such beautiful animations that i am very proud to be a part of them. so rob, how long ago are the voices laid down for this one? for this one, i think it was the beginning of this glorious year we have all enjoyed. or it might even have all enjoyed. or it might even have been towards the end of 19,

actually. because they do the voices first, and then the animators if you have any little quirks in your voice, and i have many, they can animate around them. which is absolutely lovely. and that is something so lovely about the way she writes, the cadence of it.” thinkjulia donaldson is a genius. i a lwa ys thinkjulia donaldson is a genius. i always think with any books, but particularly children's books that you will often read to your children, you can tell so much about them just from how much pleasure you get as a parent leading them to your child. and you can read julia donaldson's books again and again and again, and we've done loads over the years. i think the last one was the snail and the whale, in which i played the whale, and the highway rat, one of my favourites, i was the narrator. they are a delight to read. you are all over the telly

this christmas. you are in the story of beatrix. it is incredible. abbie wilson, who wrote it, discovered that when roald dahl was very young, he made the strip to try and meet an elderly, i hope dawn french won't mind me saying that, an elderly beatrix potter, and she has turned it into the most enchanting film, in which dawn place beatrix, i play her husband. bill bailey, we have the man of the moment, bill is in it as well. jessica hynes, alison steadman, all sorts. a beautiful charming film, roald and beatrix. brilliant casting to have got bill bailey. even before he was the

champion dancer. we would like to also ask you about gavin and stacey, there are rumours that possibly there are rumours that possibly there might be something, or is it just optimism? no, i read a thing that james had said that yes they would do another special at some point. but there's certainly nothing in the works, and thus they are doing it without me, i certainly haven't heard that. but last year's special, which did so well, it's been repeated this year i think on christmas eve it was so much fun to watch that last year, especially at the end of the proposal, it took people by surprise. it was lovely to be part of that. you're cooking didn't go very well that day, if i remember. i was cooking christmas dinner for 12, remember. i was cooking christmas dinnerfor12, i think, remember. i was cooking christmas dinnerfor12, ithink, i can't remember now. those were the days.

what would you be doing now? i'm cooking christmas dinner for myself. have your plans changed over the weekend. well, oddly enough, they have changed. they changed just before the strictly final, actually. we were going to try and do a lot of stuff outdoors, as much as possible, have all the windows open, but that's all gone now, so it'lljust be the immediate family, four of us, when normally it can be about 18. it to be that enemy, it would have been slimmed down, but it has to be done, doesn't it? and who does the cooking, is it you? well, you saw how i got on... cooking, is it you? well, you saw howl got on... you cooking, is it you? well, you saw how i got on... you are an actor! not much acting needed there. a real pleasure to talk to you. have a happy christmas for four of you, lovely to chat. thank you, merry christmas. thanks, rob.

zog and the flying doctors is on bbc one at 2.30 on christmas day. i will be watching an awful lot of television. we all remember those uplifting moments during the first lockdown when once a week, communities would stand outside their homes and clap for our nhs. well, now people in harrogate are trying to re—create that moment — this time with a christmas eve jingle — which they hope will unite their streets once again. when we got invited to it, the next day you saw thousands of people are doing it, it is notjust us, we are not mental. well, we're joined now by the organiser

of the christmas eve jingle, mary beggs—reid. tell us about this idea. the idea started from the firm elf where they sing at the end to lift the sleigh. —— de film elf. so this would give the children a happy memory of 2020, something we will always remember when they are older, that i'm christmas eve something magical happened. christmas eve is that were normally you would be with other people, you would be getting excited and gathering, but you cannot do it in the normal way. that can make a massive difference to a normal people. exactly, we can go out on our doorsteps, we can't physically be together but at least we can ring together. it will bring a community spirit and raise awareness for hope for better days to come. this started with your idea and it is

getting bigger, isn't it? yes, we have nearly 500,000 on the group now, it has gone literally worldwide. all parts of the uk, we have got members of australia, canada, america, so it's wonderful that every body wants to take part, this is an event that cannot be cancelled, we can do this even with the restrictions of lockdown. it is something to look forward to, which i think is now needed more than ever with the recent news that we obviously can't really be together at christmas. there have been some concerns, haven't there, about signing in the open and shut are projecting your voice even? but i guess shaking something, if you are standing apart from other people, is about as safe as it can get. exactly, it's lovely. and it isjust bringing people together, so many members have delivered bells to people that aren't on social media, with a note about the idea, so i think it's now into its millions, because there are so many people

wanting to take part. just tell us, why particularly bells? just because i thought people probably wouldn't wa nt to i thought people probably wouldn't want to sing, they get a bit embarrassed, and i just want to sing, they get a bit embarrassed, and ijust thought bells for children will sound magical. it will sound magical, likely with bells across the world. i don't think i've got any. i've got a bike bell, would that be all right? that is fine, bike bells, phone app bills, you will probably be surprised, you've probably got bells on your christmas tree. you're right, i have. i've got one of those bells you're in when you are on a race or something, i've got quite a of those. that's a special one. that's a big school bell. i thought, ifiam that's a big school bell. i thought, if i am starting this, i need to have a good one, and i said to my kids now, that is a family element because this is the first bell of

the christmas eve jungle. ok, so it is christmas eve, 6.00, how long these people will be ringing their bells for? ringing for two minutes. it will sound wonderful. and have you had to change your christmas plans? yeah, we really have. it's just unfortunate, it is one of those things, and obviously working with christmas together, this is a way where we can connect, so notjust a bell ringing, maybe give somebody a call, somebody you know is on their own, this is a way to connect with each other again. the thing i love about this, it will be actively taking part for some people, some people might not be able to get out of their houses but they will be able to hear it, won't they? you will feel like you are something they are part of something if you hear it. that is what i have said to

everyone. for two minutes, hear it. that is what i have said to everyone. fortwo minutes, hopefully nobody will feel alone this christmas. we are part of something, this is a movement to show that christmas kindness, christmas spirit is very much alive. wonderful to speak to you. thank you very much indeed. i imagine people at home are looking around... we haven't had any bells on our tree. thank you so much, good luck, what a brilliant idea. thank you, merry christmas. usually feel like it is christmas week now. i think every guest has sent merry christmas to us. i think so, and! sent merry christmas to us. i think so, and i think people feel the need to express it anyway when we are talking about lorries not being able to get in and out, and transport problems, new variants and stuff, i think people feel just that desperate need to just say happy christmas. and just a reminder as well, i'm sure many of you do watch on christmas day, we are here on brea kfast on christmas day, we are here on breakfast throughout the whole of the christmas period, on air every

day from 6.00, so if you are alone, you're not alone. we are here with you. you're watching bbc breakfast. it's 8.59. let's take a last look at the news headlines. a growing number of countries have shut their borders to the uk in response to the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. france said it would not accept any passengers or lorries from britain for 48 hours. the government said it expects severe disruption at ports in kent. let's talk to our correspondent simonjones who is at the port of dover. simon, people are being warned to stay away from all the cross channel ports in kent?

hello, good morning. this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the prime minister will chair a meeting of the government's emergency committee later after france closed its border with the uk for 48 hours. many other countries in europe and elsewhere have restricted travel to and from the uk due to the new, more infectious variant of coronavirus. retailers play down fears of food shortages as a knock—on effect of the ban on lorries leaving dover. the transport secretary says he's in talks with his french counterpart. it's primarily french and european goods which are exported rather than british goods leaving the country. it's balanced in that direction, so of course it's in their interest to get it resolved as quickly as possible as well. the easing of northern ireland's coronavirus rules over christmas will be reduced from five days to just christmas day when three