this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the french government's expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban. around 1,500 lorry drivers have spent a second night in their cabs waiting at the port of dover. testing of some sort is part of the discussions at the transport secretary is having with his counterpart in france right now. getting the tests up and running can happen relatively quickly. containing the spread of the new variant of coronavirus — a top government advisor warns tougher restrictions will be needed in more parts of england. no travel ban between britain and northern ireland — but you will be asked to self—isolate on arrival. get in touch with your thoughts on the latest developments

on coronavirus, i'm on twitter @annita—mcveigh, and use the hashtag #bbcyour questions. the man who murdered british backpacker grace millane in new zealand is named after a court order banning his identification was lifted. music plays and coming up, the former scottish rugby star organising daily street aerobics sessions. good morning. welcome to bbc news. the french government says it will announce measures today that will allow transport links with britain to resume and trade to flow across the channel again. borisjohnson and president macron spoke yesterday following france's

decision to close its border after growing concern about the new variant of coronavirus. that's as lorry drivers in kent spent a second night sleeping in their vehicles waiting for the border with france to reopen. yesterday the pm said there are 150 lorries waiting in kent to cross back to the continent, but the home secretary has confirmed that figure is actually over 1,500. 0peration brock, which was initially developed to ease post—brexit congestion, has been implemented. the eu has co—ordinated its response and member states are pressing for uk arrivals to be tested for the virus before entering their countries. retailers say there's plenty of food in the supply chain and supermarkets for christmas. however, they warn that unless the french border is re—opened today, there will be disruption to supplies of fresh produce by the end of the week. the uk's top scientist warns the new variant is now "everywhere" and that more areas may need

to enter tier 4. sir patrick vallance says lockdown measures "need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced." and northern ireland's executive has voted against introducing a travel ban from england, scotland and wales. more on all that in a moment, but first let's find out more on what's happening at the border, here's our transport correspondent, caroline davies. still, they wait. lorry and van drivers stand around the entrance of the port of dover. 2a hours since the french closed their borders to all traffic from the uk with passengers, and still tonight, there are lorries turning up and being diverted away, border guards here to divert them, too. parked up on a nearby street, vans and cars filled with people waiting for the border to reopen. preparing to sleep in their vehicles. but still more were arriving. this was the approach into dover's port. 0n the m20, highways england confirmed that over 900 vehicles

were parked up last night. they are being redirected to manston airfield while the french border is closed to lorries carrying goods with drivers. 0peration brock, a contraflow layout intended to keep the traffic on the m20 motorway to the coast moving, was also introduced overnight. the european union has said that it's up to the individual member states to decide what restrictions to place on travellers from britain, and how long to keep them in place. there is no certainty yet on when vehicles will be able to cross from the uk to france, but the government has said that work continues at pace. caroline davies, bbc news. let's go to dover now — our correspondent there this morning is simon jones. murnin, simon heard from the downing street news conference yesterday they were talking about 170 lorries waiting in the area, barely now we

know there are many hundreds more, so know there are many hundreds more, so tell the viewers exactly where you are, first of all? i am currently near the entrance of the port of dover and as you can see, lorries pretty much parked everywhere. we have had an update from the home secretary this morning. priti patel says the latest figures show 650 lorries are currently parked up on the m20, another 873 have been moved to a former airport site in kent. look around here, lorries parked on the side road, this road is the main entrance to the port of dover, lorries parked here too. i suppose the only saving grace is they have a nice view of the white cliffs of dover but little comfort really what many have been stuck in the cabs for the last two days and no certainty of when this will end. the last two days and no certainty of when this will endli the last two days and no certainty of when this will end. i know you had spoken to many lorry drivers this morning, what have they told

you about the situation for them, what facilities they have while they wait in theircabs? what facilities they have while they wait in their cabs? i think hawley is used to delays, used to spending nights in their cabs, that is not unusual. —— i think hauliers are used to. but they do not know when this will end, and for many of them being fares based in the eu and other european countries, where they will get home and if they will get home for christmas, because the talk is that they may have to undergo coronavirus testing before being allowed back into france, if that is to happen it will be a huge logistical operation when we are talking about potentially thousands of drivers, you often had to wait a couple of days or longer for test results so the clock is ticking towards christmas. in terms of facilities, if you are parked places like yeah, there are pretty much none, people say they do not have access to toilets, they have had to

go into town. in terms of food it is very difficult, since hauliers had said their only provisions as part of the emergency planning is a cereal bar —— son hauliers had said. they have asked me when it will end, how do we get home? the answer is we simply do not know. thank you, simon jones. 0ur political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. good morning. let talk about testing asa good morning. let talk about testing as a way to unlock and unblock the situation at dover, speed is of the essence so logistics, how quickly can because market testing done and what sort of test will it take to satisfy everyone trying to stop the spread of the new strain?” satisfy everyone trying to stop the spread of the new strain? i think that it's where decisions will be focused between transport secretary grant shapps and his french counterpart, they are hoping to get movement in the talks if not in

freight by lunchtime, i think the 48—hour ban will stay in place but home secretary priti patel suggested that perhaps testing could bejudd relatively quickly because it is the new normal now. but the type of testing is crucial, as we heard from simon, if the more traditional test is applied, which is apparently better at picking up this new variant, it could be another 2a or 48 hours after lorry drivers are tested before they know they are negative and clear to proceed. if lateral flow tests could be used, they are more mobile and can be done much more quickly and results much more quickly, but there is some doubt as to whether too many of the new variant doubt as to whether too many of the new variant cases doubt as to whether too many of the new variant cases would perhaps go undetected, so the british government will be trying to get the easiest and swiftest solution agreed with france, including perhaps tighter protocols for the drivers,

guarantees they will not be mixing its warehouses when dropping off goods, but as far as i am aware, as we speak, it has not been resolved and it could still be the case that testing is not entirely going to be key to a quick and to the blockade, but ultimately some form of testing will be used, this was confirmed by priti patel speaking to the bbc earlier this morning. the transport secretary will speak later today, no doubt, in terms of updates and progress. testing is part of our new normal, and i would argue that it notjust the only thing that the french authorities are looking for. you know, the fact of the matter is we've always worked, i think, quite constructively throughout this crisis, throughout the coronavirus crisis, to keep goods travelling and to keep flow at the border, and we've worked, actually, in a very mutually beneficial way to do that throughout this year.

more broadly, within england, what is the government saying about the possibility of tier 4 restrictions being extended, as alluded to by sir patrick vallance at the downing street news conference yesterday? they are not conforming tier 4 restrictions will be extended but it is pretty clear what the message was from sir patrick vallance last night —— they are not concerning. he said in due course in some areas we would have to look at restrictions being increased, not decrease, he said we would have to get ahead of the virus and outside of london and the south—east, currently under most restrictive tier 4 measures, the new variant of the virus, perhaps localised in some places but nonetheless already in other parts of the country, and fears over the spread of a virus has led to the travel ban that the freight ban going into france. from a government point of view they will not rule anything out, they are not ahead of christmas necessarily giving people an even grimmer message that if you

are not in a tier 4 area you are definitely heading that way, but it seemed to me from what sir patrick valla nce seemed to me from what sir patrick vallance said that it will be inevitable, they expect hospital admissions to rise, so for some extent we will begin to see the beginning of a softening up exercises to tell people elsewhere in the country that perhaps they will face tougher measures after the so—called festive season is over. thank you very much, iain watson at westminster. councillor roger gough is the leader of kent county council. thank you for taking the time to talk to us. i know you have been getting the assessment of the latest situation in the county, bring us up to date? overnight, operation brock was put into effect, a different approach to the m20 compared with 0peration stack, which is what we

have used so far, and we think there are about 800 vehicles in that on the m20. in the course of yesterday munster airport in sunetra, a bit further to the north—east, was also brought into operation. —— the airport in thanet, and there are about 900 vehicles there. things have moved on from yesterday, initially there were very strong measures to stay out of kent if at all possible, but had some effect but may be less now, we have had some vehicles come in and the message is still bad vehicles if at all possible should stay back because clearly we do not wish to see the back—up increase any further. our more drivers choosing to park on roadsides in an ad hoc

manner, rather than being boxed into a lorry park or in the queue in the entrance to the port, and what sort of impacted that having for the more broadly? by and large, when the vehicles are coming into the county, they will still be on those major routes, the m20 all going up into manston itself, there are reports in dover itself of vehicles which have got through there already and your correspondence were showing some film of that, but overall i think the biggest effect is the number of vehicles we now have within 0peration brock, and those up at manston. do you expect the number of freight lorries to grow today, lorries that are still making deliveries and have been making their way back towards the port of dover? clearly the expectation could

well be that you would get more, i would repeat the earlier message that we would urge vehicles if at all possible to stay out of kent, because by and large you will end up with a situation where, as i say, that backlog simply increases. but clearly some of those drivers, if they are heading back to the eu, the continent, knabl be trying their very best to get home to their families for christmas, so you may end up with more lorries arriving. what is the welfare situation for those drivers and if they are stuck here longer than they were planning, how will they be looked after over the christmas period, potentially? there is both welfare provision on the m20 as part of operation brock, but also facilities to support drivers at manston, and that is what is important features, but that has

been called into use. clearly the longer anything goes on the more difficult it becomes, but i think there are a number of issues which will be, if you like, more dynamic from here. what is that whatever mail may not be agreed between the british and french governments, what the locations of that after testing, how that plays out and what the situation would be then for any foreign driver who tested positive. sol foreign driver who tested positive. so i think those are some of the issues we are working towards dealing with now, because that is potentially the next stage of the situation that we have. councillor roger gough, leader of kent county council, thank you very much. the government's chief scientific adviser has warned that tougher restrictions are likely to be needed in more areas of england, to control the new variant of coronavirus. sir patrick vallance said further measures may be required to counter a likely increase in cases, as a result of christmas mixing. mr vallance says the more infectious form of the virus needs to be

taken very seriously, as jon donnison reports. in london and the south—east, around 17 million people are already living under the tightest tier 4 restrictions. but now a warning from the government's chief scientific adviser that stricter measures are likely to be needed in more areas of england to try to control the virus. it is likely that this will grow in numbers of the variant across the country and i think it is likely, therefore, that measures need to be increased in some places in due course, not reduced. just three days before christmas, already many have had to change their plans. i was due to go to my parents' place for christmas day, but we are not going to be doing that any more. we were going to have christmas with six other people in our house and they are not coming now. in greater manchester and the west midlands, health officials have said anyone visiting their regions from tier

four areas and from wales should self—isolate for ten days. it comes amid concerns about a particular new variant of the virus, which the government said has led to a surge in new infections. it has 17 key differences in its genetic makeup — the result of random mutations — and roughly half of those changes are in the spike protein, possibly making it bind to human cells more effectively. it is likely to be more transmissible because it's a dominant strain, just now. but that is not only dependent on the virus, it is also dependent on people's behaviour. and so we need to see whether it is the behaviour, whether that was spreading, and that has accounted for all these new infections, now, or whether it is really the strain that is easier to transmit from person to person. the hope remains that an expanded roll—out of vaccines next year will make all the difference. but things could well get worse before they get better. jon donnison, bbc news.

david gauke is a former conservative mp and solicitor who served under theresa may as lord chancellor. hejoins us now. very good he joins us now. very good to hejoins us now. very good to have you with us, thank you for your time. home secretary priti patel edge on the bbc this morning that the government has consistently this year been ahead of the curve in terms of proactive decisions on coronavirus, is that a description you recognise or would concur with an anyway? i think that is a rather generous self—assessment, in all honesty. i think one has to face the reality that this has been enormously testing and any government would have struggled in the circumstances we are in and other people can come along with the benefit of hindsight and so on, but nonetheless there has been a tendency to believe that things were sorting themselves out, that things we re sorting themselves out, that things were looking up, decisions are left

very late and then in the end there isa very late and then in the end there is a bit ofa very late and then in the end there is a bit of a panic. and i do think shots i understand the issue with the new variant, that is very serious, but it was already clear that, for example, over christmas i was a real risk it was going to turn into a superspreader event and the government should have anticipated that and not as expectations to rise as to what would happen over the christmas period, and i think i have been other instances as well where they could have moved earlier, where it was obvious tighter restrictions we re it was obvious tighter restrictions were going to be necessary and i had to say that i think we are in a similar situation with those parts of the country not in tier 4, it looks pretty inevitable that the whole country will have to go into tier 4 and the government probably should act sooner rather than later, because we do not want to be in the position in a few weeks in those parts in tier 2 and tier 3 saying we

wish we had moved earlier, so i think they should try to get ahead of the curve again, for a change, and move quicker. do you think the government is listening to and following the science at this point, if you are saying you think they should try to get ahead of the curve ? should try to get ahead of the curve? it is pretty clear from what sir patrick vallance said yesterday, he was hinting very strongly that tier 3 and tier 2 would not be adequate for large parts of the country and i think it would make sense to listen to what sir patrick valla nce sense to listen to what sir patrick vallance saying move faster. i do not want to downplay how challenging some of these issues are, and there are real some of these issues are, and there a re real costs some of these issues are, and there are real costs for people in terms of imposing tougher restrictions, but what is very clear is that without tough restrictions, the virus spreads very quickly. this new variant spread even more quickly. and at a time when we have got a

vaccine on its way, we already have half a million people who had their first dose, there is an end in sight, i think tough restrictions over the next few weeks, sadly, will be necessary and i think the government needs to be able to make that case quickly. i know that will be unpopular with some people and some conservative backbenchers a nswer some conservative backbenchers answer newspapers, but what we find it if we don't move quickly, the problem gets worse and then we have to ta ke problem gets worse and then we have to take further action that can last longer, with greater strain and pressure on the nhs and more lives lost. you wrote yesterday that the timo —— the two packages of 2020, covid and brexit, have been separate, but you said no like a tv series finale the plots are brought together. unfortunately we are unlikely to see a conclusion to the

pandemic soon, on brexit do you think a conclusion is even desirable at this point? i think you would like an extension to the talks given our circumstances? i think that is one of the things that would be much better than crashing out without a deal, there are all sorts of legal difficulties injust deal, there are all sorts of legal difficulties in just extending the talks, perhaps the best outcome given where we are would be for the talks to reach an agreement, but that involves a further transitional period so that we do not have a shock to the system in a handful of days. the country is not ready to end the transition period and deal with both the pandemic and the end of the transition period at the same time. given what he has said about this process, do you think the prime minister can countenance the idea of saying or asking for an saying there will be one? i think he has to make

an assessment of what is the least worst option, i think he has boxed himself into a corner but i think you need to get out of that. i hope he can get a deal and do that in the next couple of days but i think it would be sensible to ensure that whatever happens, we do not have a big shock to the system on the 31st of december and the 1st of january ata time of december and the 1st of january at a time when the country is particularly fragile and facing big enough issues as it is, the worst thing that it happened with bt leave without a deal, i think it is important we get a deal, but anything that competed to minimise disruption on the 1st ofjanuary is something i think it's to the benefit of the united kingdom. david gauke, appreciate your time, former lord chancellor. it's understood that people arriving in northern ireland from the rest of the uk will be asked to self—isolate for ten days.

the northern ireland executive voted against imposing a travel ban from britain, fearing it could have serious implications for the viability of air and ferry routes, but is advising people to avoid nonessential journeys. at nine thirty i'll be putting your questions on various aspects of the pandemic to a couple of experts — so do get in touch if you have anything to ask. it will be a little after 9:30am. you can contact us on twitter using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. i'll be joined by professor linda bauld from the university of edinburgh and professor stephen evans from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. royal mail has suspended deliveries to europe — except the irish republic — because of the travel bans. the firm says it's also experiencing delays to canada and turkey. meanwhile, the courier company dhl has stopped all package deliveries to the uk.

the man who murdered british backpacker grace millane in new zealand has been named after a court order banning his identication was lifted. the courtjudgment also revealed 28—year—old jesse kempson has been convicted of sex attacks on two more women. in february, he was jailed for a minimum of 17 years for killing miss millane in his hotel room in auckland in december 2018. we're joined now by our correspondent in sydney, phil mercer. phil, what more do we now know? that court order banning the identification ofjesse kempson had beenin identification ofjesse kempson had been in order not to prejudice the other cases? jesse kempson has been revealed as a serial sexual predator. for the first time we can report that he was found guilty of raping another young british woman in auckland in new zealand just 18 months before he kills grace millane. he was also found guilty of

terrorising a former girlfriend. grace millane went missing in december 2018, on the eve of her 22nd birthday, and this man's identity was suppressed after he was convicted of killing her so that those are child could proceed without any fear of being prejudiced, but we can now identify this man —— so those other trials could proceed. his appeal against his sentence and conviction for killing grace millane has been dismissed, he is serving a minimum sentence of 17 years in prison, grace millane's family has released a statement saying they do not think of this mannose because his name, they searcher member grace as a young girl who went out to see the world, so another disturbing chapter in this awful story of a young british woman who travelled to new zealand and was murdered by a man who strangled her, he put her body

into a suitcase and buried it on the outskirts of auckland. this is a man, as we say, who will spend a considerable amount of time behind bars. phil mercer in sydney, thank you. we have sport coming up for you, as well as bbc your questions, now the weather. clearer skies in the north, a fair bit of sunshine, it will turn haiti through the day across northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland, a few showers in the north—west will be wintry in the hills, but in south wales towards east anglia southwards, lots of cloud, much milder and east anglia southwards, lots of cloud, much milderand rain, turning heavier through the afternoon. that rain will advance northwards this evening and overnight and you will notice the winds started to pick up

in the south—west, in the north, clearing skies, a cold night, some fast, still those showers and some of those will be wintry down to about 250 metres. with all this rain falling on already saturated ground there is the risk of localised flooding tomorrow as the rain will be happy and persistent, and the potential for gales across parts of wales and south—west england but quieter enjoy further north —— as the rain will be heavy and persistent.

pastels this is bbc news with the latest headlines. the french government's expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban. around 1,500 lorry drivers have spent a second night in their cabs waiting near the port of dover. testing of some sort is part of the discussions at the transport secretary is having with his counterpart in france right now.

getting the tests up and running can happen relatively quickly. containing the spread of the new variant of coronavirus — a top government advisor warns tougher restrictions will be needed in more parts of england. no travel ban between britain and northern ireland — but you will be asked to self—isolate on arrival. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre, here's katherine downes. good morning. hope everything is good with you. we will start with the discussion around head injuries in sport. kevin sinfield says "a lot more research" is needed before linking rugby league to brain diseases. a report this morning suggests that a group of former league players are planning to take legal action over a failure to protect them from the health risks caused by concussion. similar legal action has already been started by a group of former rugby union players. sinfield is director of rugby

at leeds rhinos and says it's important not to "guess and make assumptions" about the links between rugby league and brain disease before they're properly researched. he also says that players understand the risks. meanwhile the premier league's medical adviser will chair a meeting later to talk about restricting heading in adult football. the fa, efl and the players‘ union will all be involved. the wolves boss nuno espirito santo was scathing of the referee as his side lost to burnley in the premier league last night. the game finished 2—1 at turf moor — a win that takes burnley out of the relegation zone. rather than blaming his players for the defeat, nuno took aim at ref lee mason. it was not about the major decisions or the crucial decisions of the game, but the way he handled himself with the players, both teams, the players lose their focus, because they are always arguing with the decision. we must improve, because the game requires good refereeing

and good handling of the game so that the players are able to keep on performing. elsewhere, after back—to—back defeats in the premier league, chelsea got a good win at stamford bridge. they beat west ham 3—0, with striker tammy abraham scoring a couple of goals. it's the quarter—finals of the league cup tonight, and an opportunity for arsenal to do something about their dire start to the season. they've lost five of their last seven premier league games, and are having their worst start to a league season in 46 years. arsenal play manchester city in the efl cup tonight, and the pressure is on boss mikel arteta to turn things around soooner rather than later. the atmosphere around the club is as good as it can be, when we are all for —— we are all hurting, because of the results in the premier league, but we want much more, and we are working to get much more. in the dressing room it is difficult,

because they want more but the confidence level starts to go, but the unity is there. the league cup final has been moved from late february to late april. 0rganisers hope the change of date will allow many more supporters to be in wembley stadium for the match. the pandemic continues to have an impact on sport. ipswich town are the latest club to have to cancel matches after six members of staff tested positive for covid—19, including manager paul lambert. their next two matches in league one are off. championship side millwall have also postponed their next two matches, and with infection rates growing in london and the south east, there are concerns over christmas fixtures. it's just a common sense thing, isn't it? the fixtures were already condensed. every time there is a game called off because of a virus, or any reason, itjust condenses a whole season, so, yes, it has got to be a concern.

and there was nearly a big shock at the world darts championships last night as world number three gerwyn price was given a scare byjamie lewis — a player ranked 60 places below him. the match went the distance, before a relieved price finally won it to book his place in the third round at ally pally. no fans there, but we can enjoy the darts in the run—up to christmas. there are warnings of serious disruption from retailers if there are longer delays at channel ports. nina warhurstjoins us from a salad processing plant in preston. how problematic could this be for businesses looking ahead? good morning to everyone watching. this isa hair

morning to everyone watching. this is a hair net, not a party hat, but that day is fast approaching, what might be on your plate, christmas day, may be one of these gorgeous savoy cabbages with lots of gravy over the top from your turkey. this is produce grown locally in west lancashire. canada here, and see these gorgeous red peppers, the rocket over there, they have come from spain. this has come from italy through dover. harvested around five days ago, they have another week of sheu days ago, they have another week of shelf life. after that no fresh produce coming through here. how worried are you at the moment, john, about this blockage in dover was micro we are concerned, we have stock for the next couple of days but after that unless there is a change we are very concerned. buy christmas day there will be gaps in your supply chain? we think it might

be up to new year's day when the issue start. talked me through how that will look as a consumer. a lot of it is salad bags and into supermarkets, or for restaurants, of it is salad bags and into supermarkets, orfor restaurants, if i'm taking the kids out. if you went out for a burger, there are certain ingredients you might get if there isa ingredients you might get if there is a restriction on the movement of the transport, some of those ingredients could be missing from about new year's day onwards. there is hope today that the blockage will be unblocked. but even if that happens, how long will it take for things to pick up pace and be flowing freely as they were before? we are bringing in about 40 trucks each week. if you imagine a two day hold up, that has got to come out of those trucks, and it takes quite a few days to build that gap back up. all of this produce has a very short shelf life so once that is here we can hold it for a couple of days and

put a seven—day shelf life on it, a short time, so any hold—up in the port impinges on the end life of the product. you have a team of more than 300 people here wondering what is happening next. how clear as the communication being from central government good macro were you impressed with what you saw the mistake was micro not impressed with the prime minister at all.|j mistake was micro not impressed with the prime minister at all. i cannot see anyone in the food industry could be impressed with what he said. there was no guidance, no, we will get a decision by this day, just nothing. so all the time, the shelf life on this product is diminishing because of those white in at airports. and you don't know what is coming through the doors. nobody knows the answer yet. we need more clear guidance. and 9-10 days away, the end of the transition period, the last thing you need at the minute. we know that there will be some paragraphs, we don't know

whether they are going to be applied yet so customers are asking the question, do you know when there will be applied, we don't know, there's an element of paperwork to be done and the clock is definitely taking stock you need things to shift, today. we need an answer today, and we need to know if we are getting a trade deal. just a reminder, 45% of our food getting a trade deal. just a reminder, 45% of ourfood is imported. grant shapps, the transport secretary, saying that 80% of freight doesn't need to be handled by humans, so that will be protected whatever happens, but that is not enough reassurance for businesses like this one, and what we have learned this morning is that everything should be fine for christmas day and even boxing day, but come new year's eve, things can look very different on your plate. nina, interesting to hearfrom look very different on your plate. nina, interesting to hear from you. thank you very much, nina warhurst in preston for us.

just coming into us from the office for national statistics, comedy death figures for the week of the 11th of december, 3062 covid—19 deaths registered in the uk during that week. very slightly down from 3160, the previous week. this brings the total number for deaths involving covid—19 according to death certificates to more than 79,000 people, and a little bit more detail on that. 13,910 deaths registered in the uk, in the week of 11th december. that is 13% more than would be expected normally and down from 15% the week before, and 20% the week before that. but the first figures that we gave you give you a sense of the number of deaths over and above what would normally be expected at this time of year, and

for the week of the 11th of december, 3062 deaths related to covid—19. the total number of deaths according to death certificates involving covid—19, now standing at more than 79,000 people. now it's time for your question's answered. now it's time for your questions answered. with me to answer your questions are professor linda bauld, who is the chair of public health at the university of edinburgh and professor stephen evans from the london school of hygiene and tropical medicine. good morning to you both, thank you for joining good morning to you both, thank you forjoining us today. linda, this first question is from christine, for you, why is this virus spreading so quickly, if we are wearing masks and washing our hands endlessly was micro should everyone be made to

wear face marks outside or when travelling, if that would help stop the spread? that is a good question from christine. there is a lot of discussion about this new variant, how it spreads but also generally the fact that we have a high number of cases of covid—19 in the uk. why is the virus still spreading generally? it is still spreading because people are still coming into contact with one another, even with the new more harsh restrictions people still have to go to work and use public transport and because it is colder, we are in the winter, people are spending more time indoors. that is the main thing. in terms of dealing with it, washing our hands is still essential, even with this new variant. it will be affected by soap and warm waterjust as other strains of covid—19 are, and in terms of face coverings, indoors versus outdoors, the crux of christine's question, some countries

have required populations to wear face coverings outdoors but the evidence for that is limited. we know that it transmits more easily indoors, particularly where there is poor ventilation. in japan, it indoors, particularly where there is poorventilation. injapan, it was suggested it was probably about 18 times more likely for people to pick it up indoors than outdoors. but face coverings may have a role if you are in a crowded place or, crucially, if you are moving between indoor and outdoor areas, for example when shopping, you might as well keep it on. that is the brief a nswer to well keep it on. that is the brief answer to christine's good question. everybody needs to be doing the same thing and wearing masks and washing hands to protect not only themselves but everybody else, as we have repeated throughout the year. stephen, this next question from kevin waite, who asks can you explain how the new strain is able to be transmitted more readily, can it get through masks more easily and is it carried in the air for further

distances? thank you very much for inviting me on the programme, it is a privilege to be here and thank you, kevin, for the question. a privilege to be here and thank you, kevin, forthe question. it is a good question. the first thing to realise is that respiratory viruses that come out of your mouth and nose are carried in droplets or in an aerosol through the air, as linda has said, so, having a mask will reduce the spread of that virus, if you are infected quite notably, and that will apply to all viruses, and it is probably for that reason, because people have been wearing masks and being careful, that we have had very little flu this winter. this new variant is no different. it isn't going to get through masks more easily than the previous variant. the difference is right at the level of the virus

itself, and it is right on what is called a spike protein that everyone has heard of. and so, what is happening, as faras has heard of. and so, what is happening, as far as we can tell, and we don't know all the answers yet, and some of this is what we assume without having very definite data, but what is happening is that the body's in response to this, for those who have not been vaccinated, who have not had it before, very often, they can repel a little of the virus. and a lot of people will not even get a very symptomatic infection. but people who repel the virus will then not transmit it. but if itjust gets virus will then not transmit it. but if it just gets into them virus will then not transmit it. but if itjust gets into them a virus will then not transmit it. but if it just gets into them a little bit better, and it looks as though this particular variant gets into people a little bit better, and they ordinary immune system is not quite as good at dealing with it, that

means it'sjust as good at dealing with it, that means it's just more as good at dealing with it, that means it'sjust more likely that the person you meet with a bit of virus will actually cause you to get the virus and then start replicating and reproducing the virus and getting symptoms, and so the reason that it is more transmissible, if it is, is right at the level of the virus, very microscopic. not to do with how big the mask is or anything of that nature. interesting. not that it carries on the air more or anything like that. 7096 more transmissible, this new variant, so important that people adapt those measures as well, i would assume. this brings me onto the next question, linda, which is from. we've had lots of questions like this, if i've recently had to run cani like this, if i've recently had to run can i get the new variant, or

cani run can i get the new variant, or can i spread the new variant, asks jane. another important question, from jane. we all need to continue to follow guidance even if we have had covid—19, because there's a number of things we simply don't know about immunity. the first thing is that immunity can be short lived, and we know that this commonly the case with other coronavirus, there have been case reports of reinfection with sars—cov—2, the virus, it can even occur after not a long period after the first infection, so just important to emphasise that. i was looking at the nervtag minutes, the group advising government looking at this new variant, and there is, they don't know everything about reinfection with his new variant, so even if

someone has had covid—19 it does not mean that there are immune, they may get it again and be able to pass it on to others so we will continue to have to follow the guidance we have been discussing. this question from dorothy, who wonders if the vaccine being given at present will be any good against the new variant of the virus. we don't know for certain. it is quite likely that it will. the vaccines have been trialled with a numberof vaccines have been trialled with a number of variants, effectively, not deliberately, just because the virus mutates, just by chance, all the time, and so it will have been effective against a number of variants. there are good reasons to say that the vaccine is likely to, at least, reduce the severity of any illness that someone has, due to the new variant, and it may prevent it in the same way, but we simply do

not yet know. we will know that through two methods. we will know it through two methods. we will know it through people looking at the virus in the lab and looking at how the vaccine deals with that virus, and secondly, because we have already vaccinated a very large number of people, into the hundreds of thousands already, we are going to be able to track what has happened to those people, and see whether they get covid. during january we will know the answer to the question. as soon as that? well, thatis question. as soon as that? well, that is going to be very valuable data. the more people vaccinated, the more data there will be. the next one for you, linda, from john, who asks, what is the maximum allowed in a bubble for indoors on christmas day, ignoring children? i don't think we can ignore children, can be? i don't think we know where

john is based in the uk so i will quickly run throughout out what we run quickly run throughout out what we i’ui’i “ quickly run throughout out what we run —— mapping across the uk, india four, applied to large parts of england, you're not being permitted to mix indoors with other hassles even on christmas day, which is difficult for everyone but that is the guidance. tiers won through to tier 3, you can meet up to tear that mac three hassles, no limit on the number of people, adults or children across those three households. that is also the case in northern ireland. and they are allowed to meet on one of the days between the 23rd and 27th of december with do just that hassles. in wales, only allowed to meet up to two households, —— households. 0ne allowed to meet up to two households, —— households. one can be an extended bubble household, and in scotland, you are in law allowed to meet with up to three households, but it has to be a limit of eight people not including children so it could be eight adults plus children. i hope that was still clear. it has

taken me a while to realise is happening across the uk. taken me a while to realise is happening across the uki taken me a while to realise is happening across the uk. i guess you have done enough of these two have that off pat, buy now! even if the rules and guidance keep evolving. so well done for that. john, depends on where you are, unfortunately don't say, but i hope that answer helps you. let's get through some more questions. stephen, with a huge amount of investment into the covid—19 vaccine, has this helped with research into treatments for the flu and the common cold, asks brian black? it has not translated into that yet, but we will, having gained the knowledge we have for the vaccine against covid—19 that there will be improvements in flu vaccines. the common cold are very much doubt. common cold viruses are notjust coronaviruses, but much doubt. common cold viruses are not just coronaviruses, but other viruses that mutate very quickly

indeed, and so the protection you would have from a vaccine against them would not last very long, and so them would not last very long, and so the investment required to keep changing that, for a disease that does not lead to death on the whole, is unlikely to be made, whereas for flue, yes, ithink is unlikely to be made, whereas for flue, yes, i think there will be improvement, but what may be more important is that we have to realise that we live in a global society. and for a that we live in a global society. and fora numberof that we live in a global society. and for a number of the diseases that are around in many countries, infectious diseases, they are such a colour in low and middle—income countries that the knowledge we have got from this may be able to be used for some of other diseases. oh, that the common cold was all that we were dealing with. can i meet up with my partner who is a nurse, on boxing day? i suppose this is another one that depends on where they are. that

is pretty consistent across the uk. i think is pretty consistent across the uk. ithinki is pretty consistent across the uk. i think i have run through what days. northern ireland has some flexibility on the days in which case that would be possible. even for key workers, there are no exceptions. just christmas day for wales, scotland and england but the exception to that a support bubbles. this sounds like a partner. if your partner is part of that support bubble you can still see them on all the days so it depends whether it is a support bubble or not. squeezing in an important one for you, linda, what would have to be done in schools to ensure minimal transmission giving that at present there is limited social distancing and poor ventilation, or as remote, blended learning, the only safe way to return to education? the most important thing we can try to do in schools is get community infection levels to the lowest level possible because schools reflect what is happening in the community. 0ther

things we can do to keep schools safer, more distancing, ventilation, for the older pupils, face coverings when moving around, but the debate about education is about the harms of removing children from school for many weeks or months. they are so significant. even if we cannot eliminate risk in schools, we have to weigh up those two things. professor linda bauld, and professor stephen evans, thank you both so much for your time and for answering those questions. thank you to our viewers, as always, for sending those questions in. some detailfrom our head of statistics robert cuffe. this is about excess deaths. that's the difference between the total number of deaths recorded and the levels expected, based on the last five yea rs expected, based on the last five years at any particular point in the

year. for the week of the 11th of december, the uk recorded 1625 excess deaths, in that week, bringing the total number of excess deaths in the uk since the pandemic started to just over 81,300. so, thatis started to just over 81,300. so, that is 81,300 more deaths than might have been expected, over the course of the year, based on the figures from the last five years. that detail just figures from the last five years. that detailjust coming into us from robert cuffe, the head of statistics at bbc news. lots of us have come up with creative ways to stay fit and healthy during the pandemic. 0ne street in edinburgh they've been taking part in outdoor aerobic classes to keep spirits high. the sessions are run by the former scottish rugby player scott hastings and his wife. hope webb has more.

every week, rain or shine, this group of neighbours gather in their streets for a feel—good aerobics session. it's only 20 to 30 minutes of exercise but it lifts the spirits of all of the residents, old and young. the idea was started by former british lion scott hastings and his wifejenny, as a way of bringing everyone together during the lockdown. today has been very exciting, i looked forward all week. i've got family in italy, so none of them can come here. and, so i live on my own, and it's not easy, it's not easy. we didn't know these neighbours, half these neighbours, before. so we got this, started to do this, and now we're best of friends. it's tough on the legs, you know, as much as anything. it's great fun, uh—huh. and i think it obviously shows — everybody looks as if they're enjoying it.

we are quick to forget, and we came out every thursday and clapped the nhs. and we said hello to our neighbours. and there was a solidarity and unity. and i feel in the winter months, that kind of goes a wee bit. maybe the christmas spirit can bring people together again. this has enabled us all to keep an eye on each other, so i'd encourage people to do that over this christmas period and into 2021. throughout a difficult year, this aerobics class has been a source ofjoy for this new—found community of neighbours. so much so that they are now planning on coming together for a little dance on christmas day. hope webb, bbc news. good on them. that idea should catch on in lots of places.

jupiter and saturn have crossed paths in the night sky, appearing like a single bright star. the planets are more than 400 million miles apart, and just after sunset reached their closest point in 800 years. scientists suggest the timing of this "conjunction" may have been the source of a bright light in the sky 2,000 years ago — which became known as the star of bethlehem. i was hoping to see that last night but it was too cloudy. i hope you are able to catch a glimpse. now it's time for a look at the weather with carol. hello again. once again today we are looking at a north—south divide in our weather. across the north it will be drier, brighter, but colder, whereas in the south there is a lot of cloud around with some rain, but it's very mild for the time of year. we have this weak weather front across us producing rain but we will see the rain pep up from the south—west later, as a new area

of low pressure approaches. so, a lot of cloud as we go through the afternoon, with some spots of rain, the heavier rain coming in from the west, and to the north of that, the sunshine turning hazy at times across northern ireland, northern england and southern scotland, with some showers across the north and west, some of those wintry, on the tops of hills. temperatures, 7—8, but in the south very mild with highs of 13. this evening and overnight, all this cloud and rain advances northwards, potentially getting into southern scotland and northern ireland before the end of the night while further north under clearer skies it is going to be cold but there will be showers and the wintry element will come down to about 250 metres or so. and there's also the risk of some frost. but this area of low pressure tomorrow is quite potent, and as it comes in across wales and south—west england there is the potential for some gales, but we still are hanging the mild conditions represented by the ambers in southern areas.

more northerly areas, as you can see from the wind arrows, colder for you. we have all of this rain falling on already saturated ground. some of it will be heavy and persistent, with the risk of some localised flooding, strong winds in the west and the south—west, but for scotland and northern ireland, we are looking at drier conditions. it is going to be a colder days are some of the showers could have a wintry element to lower levels in the heavier showers. wednesday night, we say goodbye to that area of low pressure so for christmas eve and christmas day we import this large area of high pressure. for christmas eve, a lot of dry weather. there will be some showers running down the coast and on the hills some of those could prove to be wintry, with a bit more cloud coming in across north—west scotland. but it is going to be a cold day wherever you are, and that cold air finally getting down into southern areas. as we move on to christmas day on friday, a frosty start, most of us will have dry conditions but it is unsettled on boxing day.

this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. talks are taking place to end the french travel ban on people coming from britain. around 1,500 lorry drivers have spent a second night in their cabs waiting at the port of dover. testing of some sort is part of the discussions that the transport secretary is having with his counterparts in france right now. getting those tests up and running, you know, can happen relatively quickly. containing the spread of the new variant of coronavirus in britain — a top government advisor warns tougher restrictions will be needed in more parts of england. no travel ban between britain and northern ireland —