this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines france is expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban, after more than 1,500 lorry drivers spent a second day stuck in kent waiting to leave the uk. no lorries are leaving dover because of french fears about the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. more than 50 countries have now banned uk arrivals. over a thousand lorries are now stuck in and around the port of dover as they continue to wait and see how the gridlock will be broken. retailers are warning of future food shortages of some products unless the border problems are resolved.

the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier promises he'll keep pusing for a post—brexit trade deal, but the prime minister has ruled out extending talks into 2021. we are really in the crucial moment and we are giving it the final push. the prime minister is facing intense pressure to impose a nationwide lockdown to try to curb the spread of the new coronavirus variant , with scientists warning that inaction over the new strain could costs tens of thousands of lives. the united states' top ddctor, anthony fauci receives his coronavirus vaccine, hoping to encourage others to do the same. the virus that was described from january of this year to less than one year later to have vaccines that are going into the arms of so many people including myself.

the french government says it will announce measures later that could allow transport links with britain to resume — and trade to flow across the channel once again. borisjohnson and president emannuel macron talked yesterday after france's decision to close its border with the uk because of the new, highly infectious coronavirus strain spreading in the uk. more than 50 countries have now banned flights from the united kingdom — the number's been constantly rising. it is around 50 right now. it is around greece and cyprus are now the only countries in europe that have not banned flights from the uk. today, germany extended its ban until six january. and in the us, the governor of new york, andrew cuomo, wants to stop flights from the uk

entering new york state. today, the eu commission said essential travel and trade between the uk and eu member states should not be interrupted. meanwhile, with the new variant of coronavirus apparently spreading in the uk, borisjohnson is under increasing pressure to impose a full lockdown in england. our correspondent theo leggett has this seemingly endless queues of parked up lorries stretching for miles along the m20 this morning. there's simply nowhere for them to go. the french border remains closed, the eurotunnel terminal is shut and deserted and in dover, some traffic was coming in on ferries from france but nothing was going the other way. hundreds of trucks now sit in this giant lorry park, in what used to be manston airport, while others are waiting wherever they can find space. this polish driver was among hundreds waiting for news. it's a disasterfor me, you know? it's the first time i'm

here in the uk and, like a driver, and it's... it's terrible. as i said, if i knew one day before that... hey, guys, idon‘t know, europe, uk, border will close in one day — i would never have come here. do you think you'll get home for christmas? i don't know. i hope but i don't think so. it's not clear precisely how many lorries are now parked up around kent. concerns are growing about the welfare of the stranded drivers, forced to spend days confined to their cabs, farfrom home. the welfare of these drivers should be top of our minds at the moment. we should be treating them much better than we are because they are essential workers that keep our supermarkets stacked, keep our manufacturing sector working. but also, get our british goods to market around the world, earning us pounds and getting us jobs here at home, in britain. the government says it is in talks

with france to find a way of unblocking the border and developments are likely later today. the border was closed because of french concerns about a new and highly infectious variant of the coronavirus. any solution, the government says, is likely to involve testing the drivers. testing of some sort is part of the discussions that the transport secretary is having with his counterpart in france right now. getting those tests up and running, you know, can happen relatively quickly but in terms of the details of that, that is something that both the transport secretary and his counterpart will be discussing right now. so i don't want to speculate in terms of the nature of the tests and how soon that could be up and running. what form those tests could take, though, is still not clear. the uk is known to favour so—called lateral flow tests, which are for rapid results. france prefers a lab—based test, which is slower but seen as more reliable.

yet authorities in calais have made it clear they want an agreement quickly. i am very sad and i hope — i hope — that really in the next... since yesterday morning when i heard, in interviews, i said it's necessary if that is a condition for the hauliers to come back to france, please start as soon as possible the tests. haulage firms agree a solution needs to be found soon or all of these lorries will be left on the road to nowhere. theo leggett, bbc news. let's go to dover now — and talk to our correspondent sangita myska. site or sangita, so miserable lorry drivers. yes. very much so. and understandably so. we describe to you where i am. over this shoulder you where i am. over this shoulder you can see a roundabout whether

illuminated sign, that science is a french border is shot and the reason it says that with police officers behind it is because on this site, there are a whole stack of lorries, there are a whole stack of lorries, the entire road and with truck drivers and lorries goes out into the m 20 which is the main motorway the m 20 which is the main motorway the brings people into this part of dover and nobody is going anywhere. it is complete gridlock. lets get context here. what we know is that there are now over 1000 lorries and trucks that are stuck in and around the port of dover. some of them are on the road on the side of me, some on the road on the side of me, some on the road on the side of me, some on the m 20 as you have seen in those aerial pictures, others in man sealed airfield which is now a makeshift lorry park. if you can see movement behind me, don't be fooled. they are not going anywhere. those are trucks that are pulling containers and they have been told by police that they can go through

toa by police that they can go through to a freight area and take those containers off and leave them there and then you will see the cabs coming back around the other way. that lorry pick something up and went out. the sign is very clearly saying that the french border is shot and nobody here is able to access ferries to take them across. you are asking there about the lorry drivers. i was able to speak to some of them. most are continental drivers and what they have been telling me clearly is this. they have been sleeping in their cabs either since sunday yesterday and there have been no facility is laid on for them, they have no toilets. they can't get access to running water unless they go somewhere and asked very nicely. that of course is breaking covid rules. there is very little communication that they are getting from their bosses and that is because nobody knows what is going on. it is also worth bearing in mind that some of these truck drivers are paid on mileage so if

they're not going anywhere, it means that they are possibly not getting paid to sit here and go nowhere. the crescent gen about christmas is interesting. what priti patel said this morning is at the way to break this morning is at the way to break this deadlock is to introduce mass testing but she didn't have any details. we were told we would get a joint statement from the uk and france at lunchtime. we are now rolling into three or four o'clock and still nothing. the question is, evenif and still nothing. the question is, even if mass testing was to take place, who would be involved? how would be the test be organised? where would the lorry drivers wait to come back? would i be allowed to ci’oss to come back? would i be allowed to cross into france in quarantine there if they tested positive? time is running out for most of these people to get home for christmas and thatis people to get home for christmas and that is a huge worry to them. sangita, many thanks indeed. let's see what is going on with the

blockade. kevin connolly has more for us from brussels. we heard yesterday and today that the french were wary of listing this blockade. but is going to happen? it's very hard to say. what we heard from today here is that the european commission. that has been talking to all the member states and it has been giving something of a mixed message. essentially it has been saying that it is time to get rid of the travel ban but at the same time, there shouldn't be any nonessential travel to the uk. it has been thinking specifically about those truck drivers, about that logjam in dover and calais and it seems to say they're calling a rapid antigen tests. they are the tests can be feasibly done very quickly by a roadside for example. it is still a big logistical challenge but doable. the four if the french insistence is on tests which have to be sent to a

laboratory which can take 21148 hrs, and that is a logistical problem of and that is a logistical problem of a whole different order. they are better results. they will not help those people who are currently trapped in the port of dover. exactly what sort of testing regime you golfer is very, very important in all of this. the european commission is hope is that you take the quick practical decision in dover and then you get trains and planes moving again and that will at least allow people to go home or back to the country of residence. where, says a commission? you have to obey the rules on testing in quarantine. kevin, thank you. stay with us because you're across a multiplicity of stories this this afternoon. we will talk about brexit.

these talks are in a crucial moment michel barnier has been saying. this we are really in a crucial moment and we are giving it the final push. in ten days, the uk will leave the single market and i will continue to work in total transparency with the member states and the uk members of parliament. thank you very much. he says is the final push.|j he says is the final push. i was hoping to identify something from michel barnier there something he hasn't said before. this is the final push, he remains transparent and what are you saying there is that he is the member states on board with their ambassadors, he has the european parliament on board. he is always moving around brussels, briefing different people on the state of the talks, briefing eve ryo ne state of the talks, briefing everyone in fact, except us. what we

know is that there are still problems on fishing rights in the future, still problems about the so—called level playing field and problems over how you police the whole thing going far into the future. we don't know how that sort of three—dimensional triangular puzzle is being solved. the take away there from listening to barney is here is a man of extraordinary patience. we have been watching him making more or less the same point about the shortness of time for yea rs about the shortness of time for years now and he never seems to tire of saying weight with unfailing courtesy. i know that is not helpful in unlocking what is going on, but he isa in unlocking what is going on, but he is a remarkable feature of our daily lives at the moment. that's one way of putting it. kevin, thank you very much. you are watching bbc news. in the past few minutes the uk has recorded 36,804 cases of covid—19

that compares to 33,361; on monday. another big rise in the number of cases and which is explained it would seem by the new variant of coronavirus, the new strain. a big rise in the number of deaths. a big rise in the number of deaths. 691 new deaths have also been recorded within 28 days of a positive test. 691 deaths that compares to 215 deaths recorded yesterday. although the figure on monday is usually a little lower because of a lack of reporting over the weekend. but 691 deaths reported is the latest figure. we can get the latest from our political correspondent jonathan blake. jonathan, we were hearing at the downing street press conference last night that this new variant is spreading in the uk and the prime

minister and the government are under pressure to extend the current restrictions to a full england white lockdown. yes, there has been talk of that for some time and ever since the action was taken over the weekend to put as you say more areas under tighter restrictions, still introducing the new tier 4 in london and parts of the south—east, there has been calls from others that it is only a matter of time that more parts of england, under that higher tierfor, or parts of england, under that higher tier for, or perhaps parts of england, under that higher tierfor, or perhaps even parts of england, under that higher tier for, or perhaps even the country as a whole is placed under a national lockdown. i don't think that that is something that is necessarily inevitable at this stage. but there will be discussions and a meeting at some point of the government's gold committee on coronavirus where it is determined 01’ coronavirus where it is determined or advised at least which areas should be placed under which tiers of restrictions and we will have to

wait and see whether any movement comes before christmas or what is not more likely that some areas find themselves in a higher tier after that one day relaxation of the rules as it is now comes in for christmas, allowing up to three houses to mix indoors in tiers one, two and three. and it would be followed by further restrictions. no decisions taken at this point. while we have you there, let's talk about peerage listings that have come out, those people being elevated to a peerage. not for the first time, accusations of political cronyism. yes, a list of names published by the government this afternoon which happens every so often, names put forward by the prime minister, also the leader of the labour party, sir keir starmer and a handful of names also agreed as nominations for what are called crossbench or independent members of the house of lords. these are life peerages and they are political recommendations which are ultimately

confirmed by the queen. one name is attracting more attention than most. that is the former conservative party chairman and long time tory donor. he has been put forward for a life peerage and this is an exceptional case because he is there is an independent body which sets the names forward for life members of the house of lords and recommends whether they should go forward or not. in the case of peter, the house of lords appointments commission said it could not support his case. the prime minister though has gone against that advice and in a letter to the chair of the house of lords appointments commission, boris johnson has said that it is vital to give due weight to the consideration and scrutiny but there are wider factors that should be considered. he talks about peter's outstanding contribution to the charitable and business sectors. another reason his name is raising eyebrows is that because in 2012, he was forced to

resign as conservative party treasurer because he was caught up in accusations of offering david cameron access for large donations to the conservative party. this is a story in the sunday times. mr cruddas subsequently won legal action against the paper and some of its journalist and was awarded substantial journalists, although they were later reduced by the court of appeal. the prime minister says in his letter in effect this was in the past and at the time he stepped back from his role and offered an apology. there are accusations from the labour party and others. the labour party's the labour party and others. the labour pa rty‘s deputy leader the labour party and others. the labour party's deputy leader said that this shows there is one rule for the conservatives and their chums and another for the rest of the country. it has to be said that there are nominations from labour also, amongst those, the former labourmp also, amongst those, the former labour mp jenny chapman was also, amongst those, the former labour mpjenny chapman was head of keir starmer‘s leadership campaign.

they will take a seat as the house of lords in due course. jonathan, thank you. if we can speak to pierre—henri dumont, the mp for calais. thank you for being with us. how much longer do you think of this french travel ban will go on for? good afternoon. it is supposed to be starting tonight at 12am, but in fa ct, starting tonight at 12am, but in fact, it has been decided to buy some time and to find a european solution. your colleague in brussels told us the same. it will depend now on how we find a common european a nswer to on how we find a common european answer to this new strain of the

coronavirus. how worried are the people in france about this new variant, this new strain of coronavirus that has emerged here in the uk? we are worried about this new strain because france is at the east of england. if you are looking at kent and you still have people going through the port of dover to calais, it could hurt our people backin calais, it could hurt our people back in calais or and then they will go back to their families. we back in calais or and then they will go back to theirfamilies. we need to ta ke go back to theirfamilies. we need to take action. this action needs to be taken with all our neighbours prior to a french decision. germany, italy, belgium took their own

decisions. all this 48—hour ban was really needed to find a common european solution which we don't have yet but we are having some good effo rts have yet but we are having some good efforts in finding it. as an example, for french people living in the uk who want to go back to france for christmas. we decided to let them enter with a clean pcr test and in the same for british people. we are finding more and more solutions as places are going up. what you say to people who says gone too far? other european nations top—flight rivals from the uk, but france went further and stop lorries coming in. these are lorries that are bringing in goods for the french people, food for france. yes, but you know, i

don't think italy is a common port with the uk. calais is the gateway and entry to the single market because of brexit and we are the entrance to europe. we had to make this decision. we have a channel tunnel where they only want have such a wonderful piece of transportation between our two countries. of course, we are in the first line, of course we must be the country that is to decide along with its european neighbours, what is going to happen. again, we cannot have the same scale france on one side and then italy or germany because the volumes of the goods that are traded between these countries in the uk is not the same. if it was the other way around and there was a new strain of

coronavirus in france, would you say the uk was within its rights to stop lorries and so on coming in from france? the fact is, borders of european countries got locked down before. in the first wave of coronavirus and i remember that borisjohnson a few months ago, decided to create a quarantine for people coming from the continent of europe to the uk. that decision was already taken before without any discussion with the neighbours of the euro united kingdom. basically, it's a very, very difficult moment for all of our countries and we need to protect our economies but also health of our citizens. when you have got such a huge heartbreak, when you have huge news of a new strain of coronavirus, then it is

normal to take 48 hours, two days, to find a solution. the problem with that, is that we are just before christmas. but nobody decides when a new strain of coronavirus is discovered. very good to talk to you and thank you forjoining us. i want to bring you a tweet that we have got in from the european parliament ora got in from the european parliament or a member of the european parliament he has tweeted that back he will forgot what the former chair of the bracelet steering group between 2016 and 2020. the chief scientific adviser to the government is why a new variant of covid—19.

to come under the toughest tier 4 restrictions. sir patrick vallance says lockdown measures "need to be increased in some places, in due course, not reduced". sophie hutchinson reports. just some of the 17 million people in england currently living under the toughest restrictions in tier 4. they were brought in because of concerns about a rapid increase in cases. but some scientists are insisting that the measures do not go far enough and more action is urgently needed. i actually think the whole country needs to be in tier 4 because we have to get ahead of it and we are not ahead of it. right now, we're behind it. and hospital admissions are shooting up in the south and they are not yet in the north and we just don't want to see it happen everywhere. and if we shut down now, it should stop that new variant becoming dominant in those areas as well and that is what we have to try to do. the government has defended its response, insisting that it is not lost control of the virus. the government is not behind the curve.

the government has been clear from day one in terms of the protective measures that we have been undertaking and putting in place. you have seen regulations and changes to the law week after week basically to protect the british public. but many have not been protected. just a few days ago, 1,800 people were admitted to hospital with covid—19. figures like that have not been seen since just after the peak in april. the government says the rise is due in part to a new and more infectious variant of the virus. the new variant is spread around the country and is localised in some places but we know there are cases everywhere. it is not as though we can stop this getting into other places, there is some there already. whilst much is still unknown about the new variant, it is the reason most of europe has halted travel with the uk. the government says talks are under way about coronavirus tests for lorry drivers waiting to cross the channel full stop but concerns have been raised about the accuracy

of rapid tests which give results in 15 minutes. the key thing to realise is that this test is imperfect, everyone knows that. its imperfections will map out in different ways and settings. it is critical that it is tested before it is put into use. rapid testing is taking place though in many parts of england in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading. but it is unlikely to be enough. government scientists have warned restrictions will probably tighten in some areas after christmas. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. let's get more on the latest deaths and cases of coronavirus in the uk. 691 deaths are recorded. correspondent nick triggle.

a high number of deaths compared to yesterday. and also a very high number of cases. yes, it is a very distressing and depressing set of figures today. tuesday, we often see numbersjump figures today. tuesday, we often see numbers jump from monday because of delays of reporting deaths over the weekend. but if we have a look at the average number of deaths we are seeing week in week out, they are beginning to decline. the deaths we are seeing now are people who were infected at the start of the month, most likely. what we know since then, cases have been going up, 36,804 new cases recorded. that is the highest we have actually seen. backin the highest we have actually seen. back in the peak, in the spring, we tested and we work near the numbers we are now but they were likely to be higher then. but since mass

testing, that is the highest figure reported. that is a record figure in terms of the number of one—day cases's yes, it has been above 30,000 for the past three days and the average seven day average is now above 30,000 which is double what it was at the start of the month. above 30,000 which is double what it was at the start of the monthm you think, those debts we are reporting today, they are cases that we re reporting today, they are cases that were infected at the start of the month. we are going to say, sadly, the number of people die of covid climb in the next coming weeks. our hospitalfigures climb in the next coming weeks. our hospital figures also... climb in the next coming weeks. our hospitalfigures also... nearly 19,000 patients in hospital. back in april, the peak, there werejust over 21,000. we are close to that. the nhs is warning that it is under pressure. i was speaking to some hospital chief executives and they say that the next ten or 15 days are going to be crucial in terms of how they are going to cope this christmas and into the new year. of

course, wintertime is always difficult for hospitals. particularly so now with the number of rows and cases. what could be the implications in terms of restrictions? a lot of talk of possibly full—scale england wide lockdown is of this rise in the number of cases. and the contribution of the new variant of coronavirus. the government acted at the weekend, we have just been hearing the government acted at the weekend, we havejust been hearing how the government acted at the weekend, we have just been hearing how the chief scientific adviser has been warning more restrictions will be needed. i understand the government and officials are meeting behind the scenes discussing what to do. we are seeing a lot of the rise in cases in the south—east, which obviously has been linked to this new variant. at the moment we have london and some of the surrounding counties in tier 4 which is essentially a lockdown. i think we will see whether it will be announced just before christmas or certainly immediately after. we will see a number of areas across the south—east being placed into a tier

4, so that tier map expanding out to other areas where they try and curb and control these rapidly rising cases we are seeing. all right, thank you very much indeed. our health correspondent with the latest on those very depressing figures. a record high in terms of the number of cases, 36,804 and 691 deaths. the winners of one of the world's biggest lotteries, spain's el gordo, are being announced. a top prize of nearly $2.9 billion is up for grabs. people often team up with friends or family to buy a series of tickets in the hope of sharing large winnings. only a few minutes into the draw, a ball worth 60,000 euros was called. let's see if we are going to win in

terms of the weather, i doubt it, but matt taylor will give us an indication. they can be some minor flooding us an indication. they can be some minorflooding for one or us an indication. they can be some minor flooding for one or two parts of england and wales in christmas as we see more rainfall on already saturated ground. nota huge rainfall on already saturated ground. not a huge matter rain so far, but we have bouts of heavy rain and working northwards through the rest of today through parts of england, wales, instantly. some brea ks england, wales, instantly. some breaks in the south, temperatures 12, 13 degrees. chilly into her northern england, scotland. a developing quickly for some, clouds generally increasing. more cloud, more outbreaks of rain across england and wales into the morning and certainly for the midlands southwards staying in the mother of the air, temperatures dropping a few degrees down from what we have seen. dressmaker in the milder air. fabrics rain coming across england and wales, some of the heaviest across north wales and align through the midlands towards east anglia. through that you can see a bit of brightness at times, temperatures of 13, called for the north, sunshine

for scotland and northern ireland. season. —— called for the north. sport and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. good afternoon. we start with the world heavyweight champion anthonyjoshua who's told us he's giving a six figure sum to fund amateur boxing clubs in england, scotland and wales. the sport's been badly hit this year with clubs forced to close their doors because of the pandemic. last month the government announced a £300 million bailout for 11 british sports, but that didn't include amateur boxing. i can't raise 100 million in a short space of time, but what i can do is come up with a sustainable solution for the long term and in the meantime is make sure there's something substantial enough to continue with the lights being turned on and see them through this tough period, but also, most importantly i feel it should bring a

tension to private investors, sponsors, supporting the kids, supporting the community, that will make a big difference for top if we canjust make a big difference for top if we can just raise awareness as well, that will be the main thing. premier league players at clubs in tier 4 areas will soon be tested for coronavirus twice a week. top flight players have only been tested weekly since the start of this season. but with cases of covid—19 increasing in london and the south east of england, testing in those areas is stepping up to the same levels as during "project restart" in the summer. the efl‘s also confirmed it'll review and strengthen coronavirus protocols over christmas to help minimise the risk of transmission. one side currently impacted is ipswich town in league one. they've called off their next two matches after seven positive covid tests within the first team squad and staff, including manager paul lambert. the club's physio says the new strain of covid may mean that english football needs a "circuit breaker" to bring cases under control.

our policies and procedures have not evolved hugely since july in our policies and procedures have not evolved hugely sincejuly in so much that we still do not have access to the dressing rooms within the training centre, we are not showering routinely, we are not eating communally, players are still arriving and leaving in their own training kit. and if those policies and procedures are being challenged by the new strain, i would welcome firstly potentially a reintroduction of testing regime within the sl, but i think of testing regime within the sl, but ithinka of testing regime within the sl, but i think a small hiatus may be releva nt to just i think a small hiatus may be relevant to just re—establish protocols and assess that transmission rate. it's the quarter finals of the league cup tonight, brentford play newcastle in the first game which kicks off in under an hour. after that there's a chance for arsenal to do something about their terrible run of form when they play manchester city. mikel arteta's side have lost five of their last seven

premier league games, its their worst start to a season in 46 years. the cub is as good as it can be when we are all hurting, because people are hurting and everyone is worrying and suffering at the moment, because we want much more and we are working to get much more. in the dressing room, when you are losing football matches, it is difficult, because they care, because they want more. but the unity is there. fifa's lodged a criminal complaint against its former president sepp blatter in connection with the finances of a museum project in switzerland. it is the latest allegation of financial impropriety against blatter, who resigned from his post as president in 2015 amid a corruption scandal. he's always denied any wrongdoing. and one in five professional rugby union players in england suffered concussion during the 2018—19 season, according to figures released by the rfu. several former players have launched

a legal case against the sport's authorities for alleged negligence in relation to dementia caused by playing. the rfu figures show that in 2018—19, for the eighth consecutive season, concussion was the most commonly reported match injury... with just over 20% of players affected. it's an increase from 16% in the previous season to that. that's all the sport for now. i will have more for you in an hour, but for now, back to you, ben. the united states continues to have the highest rates of infections and coronavirus—related deaths in the world. president—electjoe biden has warned of a dark winter even as the us approves two vaccines. the challenge now is trying to limit the spread of the virus and vaccinate priority groups, health workers and the elderly, before vaccinating the population at large.

dr anthony fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the us, has just had his vaccine live on tv to encourage americans to do likewise. joining us a short while ago, i asked him how he felt about getting immunised. it makes me feel good for a couple of reasons, number one, i want this to be a symbol for the people in the united states to encourage them about the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and to get them to be enthusiastic when their time comes to get vaccinated. but also, especially for me and my group, that this particular vaccine that i will be receiving was actually developed here. there does not appear to be any impact on the virulence of the virus, meaning the seriousness of the disease that it causes. it does not seem to impact that.

there is no indication that it is escaping the protection that you would get from the vaccine. so the critical issue that seems to be occupying people's attention is is it a virus that is spread more efficiently? but we need to continue to follow it and definitely take it seriously. i believe it's a complex array of things that happened that led to this difficult situation we are in. we are a very large country, we have 330 plus million people in the country and i believe it would have been better if we did things in a more uniform and consistent way when you are thinking about the implementation of public health practices. that is just one of the things that i think were a problem. the other thing was mixed messaging that we have had.

it has been much politicised. there have been in this situation that i think everybody realises there is a great deal of divisiveness in this country. and there are people that take sides as to what kind of implementation of public health measures they should or should not do. the bottom line is we were inconsistent in our response. russian opposition politician alexei navalny survived an assassination attempt in the summer, after being poisoned with the nerve agent novichok. he, as well as most western nations, have blamed the russian security forces. with the help of the bellingcat investigative website, who had identified some of the team which had been trailing navalny, he called them up, pretending to be a senior security official investigating the poisoning operation and says he got a full confession. here's a little excerpt from the phone call.

translation: what was the main focus? what is the riskiest piece of clothing in theory? underpants. underpants. yes, they poisoned his underpants. a little earlier my colleague lucy hockings spoke to christo grozev, the lead investigator of bellingcat, who sat next to alexei navalny during this phone conversation. it was definitely the most incredible thing anybody can live through. what added to the surrealism was that i had not slept the whole night, working on the final touches to the investigative report that we would publish later that day. so at 4:30am this phone call took place and i do not think alexei navalny had slept much. it was all in slow motion and i thought i was dreaming and this could not be happening. who did you decide to call? well, actually the original plan had been to only confront

the actual suspected poisoners for navalny to call them up and say, hello, why did you try to kill me? and try to get their reaction. we thought this would be a funny moment before we published the investigation. midway through the call, he said i am not getting any reaction, so how about ijust do a prank and impersonate a top security officer? we had a two minute prep session to think what name might work and who might be the office they come from. he decided on calling the nonexistent aid to the chief of the security council of the russian council, who is probably one of the most senior security officials in russia. he was going to call and ask for a quick report on what went wrong when alexei navalny was poisoned. i was completely determined that this would yield in a hang—up and somebody would put the phone down. it went through the first five minutes and i thought, there is a chance this guy might confess.

within 7—8 minutes he had made the first confession. navalny stayed in character for 49 minutes and kept bullying the guy to give him more information. at the end, i really thought i had gone through a dream. it is public as unique as the experience he went through with novichok poisoning. i can see in his face he was holding the motion and emotion must have been extremely powerful, having someone explain my med it's coming to save your life is a terrible thing to happen. i think it took him a lot of adrenaline to go through it and at the end he essentially collapsed, went back to his home to have a rest because he had nothing to say and he can say nothing, until we met later in the day and we all wondered if that had really happened. that was the lead

investigator of bellingcat recounting that incredible phone call where the victim of an assassination attempt called up one of his poisoners and asked him to explain exactly how he had done it. retailers have warned of future shortages of some foods, unless the border problems are resolved. industry leaders say there are sufficient supplies to last through christmas, but that some fresh produce will run out, unless the border is unblocked soon. charlotte wright reports. with just days to go until christmas, staff are working flat out to keep our supermarkets shelves stocked. this morning, retailers and suppliers have issued a message of reassurance. despite france's ban on freight crossing the channel, there will be no shortages of supply for christmas day. we have pre—empted a lot of this because of the brexit situation, so we started bringing produce in a lot earlier as well. so, we were having products just to cover ourselves for the start of the new year, but a lot of the stuff now is being brought in through other ports, through rotterdam, so missing

out on dover and calais and going round about and coming a different way into the different markets. but behind—the—scenes, there are concerns that disruption at dover could mean challenges for our fresh food stocks come the new year. with fears that continental truckers may not want to travel here for fear of being marooned. this salad processing plant in preston handles produce from spain and italy. we are bringing in each week about 40 trucks so, if you imagine a two day hold up, that's going to come out of those trucks, and it takes quite a few days to build that gap back—up. because all of this produce has a very short shelf life. so the maximum, once that's here, we can hold it for a couple of days, then we put a seven—day shelf life on it, so it is a very short time, so any hold—up, impinges on the end life of the product. and of course it is not just affecting imports. businesses who export their goods from the uk are already noticing the impact.

the food that's going out of the country in the direction of mainland europe is, as you say, sitting there and going off. and particularly for sectors like fresh seafood, langoustines, salmon and so on, they have a very finite shelf life, and they will be in big trouble if they are not able to move today at the latest. the government says the uk has a highly resilient food supply chain. supermarkets are well prepared, and the industry has been clear that there is enough stock. charlotte wright, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news: france is expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban, after more than 1500 lorry drivers spent a second day stuck in kent waiting to leave the uk. there's still severe disruption in dover because of french fears about the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. and more than 50 countries have now banned flight arrivals from the uk.

retailers are warning of future food shortages of some products unless the border problems are resolved. you may remember president trump promised to build a "big beautiful wall" along the united states' southern border with mexico and he told people living in the us without documentation to be afraid. as mr trump's presidency now comes to an end, the wall is still under construction and federal enforcement teams continue to arrest undocumented immigrants who've lived in the country peacefully for decades. many supporters of migrant rights are now counting the days to joe biden's inauguration on january 20th. our correspondent sophie long examines what change can be expected. we're in san diego, california, ice agents just pulled over a worker on his way to work.

immigration activists live—stream, record and document an attempted arrest. the safety issue is ice — they are terrorising our people, they are separating families. they believe ice, immigration and customs enforcement, operate unlawfully and consider this attempted kidnapping. they are in violation of state law right now. even the president is trying to intimidate people here. they want these operations, which often remove parents from children, to stop. they want ice to be abolished. they are not hopeful that joe biden will deliver. if we take the last administration where he served as vice president, it was the administration that most deported migrant families, who separated, created the detention centres on the border, privatised the detention of migrants, so, we don't have many hopes. after 40 minutes, the ice agents and police leave. without making an arrest, but not without reinforcing the deep felt fear here.

there were no activists present the day that this couple were arrested and detained for months. theirfour children left to fend for themselves. to see my mum handcuffed, not being able to see my dad, because of he was in a separate area, it was an overwhelming feeling that we are alone. it was my worst nightmare came to be. ididn't i didn't really believe it. three years on, they still don't know if their parents will be deported. what do you hope will happen now? i hope that people will be able to have more empathy and will be more compassionate, that there will be easier path to citizenship instead of confusion, not knowing what will happen. there is hope here and in neighbourhoods along the border, that the end of the donald trump presidency will mark a turning point. the dramatic difference is that this level of fear has been lifted from the immigrant community,

and that is profound, for those of us working in the community, that has been a real terror for folks, every day. so much damage has been done, but there is also a reality check, we know that this is going to take time. halfway through donald trump's presidency we filmed as a young mother and her daughter walked around the end of the border fence. you couldn't do that here now. where there was no barrier, there are now two, and construction continues. joe biden says he will put a stop to that. at the top you have a five foot anticline plate. those who police the border say that the war has made it ——wall has made it more difficult to cross. if you're going to push yourself on an 18—30 foot wall, the whole structure is inherently dangerous, you risk falling, which does happen, we are dealing

with compound fractures, fractured vertebrae and even deaths, unfortunately. whether you are crossing to make illegal entry or claim asylum, with a visa, that is the place, that is the front door of our country, the port of entry. for those and the families of those who survive and made it across the border in the years gone by, the reduction in the fear they feel when donald trump leaves office may be instantaneous, mending a dysfunctional immigration system in a deeply divided country, will not. sophie long, bbc news, on the us— mexico border. let's bring you some more news from the united states concerning the travel situation with the uk. we know around 50 countries have now banned flight arrivals from the uk because of fears about the new variant of coronavirus. let me bring you the latest from the us government who are saying they do not, this is reuters quoting sources

in washington saying the us government does not intend to impose a covert 19 screenings for those travelling from great britain after the emergence of this new variant. the task force did discuss requiring negative pre—flight tests but the government has decided not to take any action for the time being. the prince of wales has sent a christmas message to the members of the armed forces, thanking them for their "continued service, dedication to duty and sacrifice." he also paid tribute to the efforts of service personnel who have supported the fight against covid—19 this year. let's have a listen to what he said.

a giant iceberg that broke off antarctica three years ago has started to break into smaller pieces in the south atlantic. satellite pictures showed more huge cracks in the ice mass, and parts of it drifting away from the the giant iceberg that's been moving through the south atlantic since 2017. although cracks were pronounced on monday, they hadn't by that stage cut right through the iceberg known as a68a. now, during the first uk—wide lockdown back in march, many people across the country took part in a weekly "clap for carers" tribute, saluting nhs staff and other key workers. well, now as large parts of the country endure another lockdown and the pressure on hospitals grows, our correspondent jayne mccubbin, has been speaking to patients

and health care staff about what the "clap for carers," meant to them. applause and cheers it was dark. i didn't know if anybody else would be out. i got a message, "if you can, stand at the doors of your department and just try and listen." 8pm, thursday march 26th, a date for a nation in isolation. applause this patter, this pitter—patter, the noise! and then i understood what it was. it was people clapping. and we were moved. this has been a real hard week for everybody, but what we've just...

i've just taken the team outside to listen. that is absolutely. ..um. .. i haven't got... i don't think there's any words for that but to everybody, thank you. the thanks was heartfelt. bell rings and for some, the thanks was for their very lives. what was going through your head at that moment? i was thinking, i was reliving some of the moments from those 11 days. some of the nhs staff, who i can never thank enough because they saved my life. bell rings even though i was weak as a kitten and my bell is a very heavy one, i willingly, willingly stood outside in my dressing gown straight out of my hospital bed almost and raised my arm over and over again. i think the next morning, one arm was three inches longer than the other! applause but this gratitude

was for more than just the nhs. this was thanks for those keeping the wards open, the country moving, thanks for all those who cared. and they well deserved it, too. because what would we do without their care? in lockdown one, ken's carers had surprised him with this gift. 0h! separated from his family, bereaved from his wife ada, this was the comfort he'd desperately needed then and now. i thought that might be a bit better than your photograph. oh, come here! for ten weeks, we clapped for the countless acts of kindness. your priceless gift of my life, i say thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you.

applause emotional, indeed. now it's time for a look at the weather. they can be some minor flooding for one or two parts of england and wales in the run—up to christmas as we seek more rainfall on already saturated ground. not a huge amount so far but we have some bursts working northwards through the rest of today in parts of the midlands, wales, east anglia. some breaks in the cloud in the south, temperatures 12 or13, the cloud in the south, temperatures 12 or 13, but chilly into the evening in scotland, northern ireland, defroster developing for some, wintry showers in the far north but cloud generally increasing. more outbreaks of rain across england and wales into the morning and certainly for the midlands southwards staying in the mother of the air, temperatures are dropping down on what we have seen

through the afternoon. outbreaks of rain coming and going across england and wales, some of the heaviest across north wales and three line through wales, midlands, east anglia, a bitter brightness at times, but the odd rumble of thunder will stop ceasing. —— see you soon.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. our latest headlines... france is expected to announce plans to lift the cross—channel travel ban. there are now thought to be almost 3,000 lorries stuck in kent waiting to leave the uk. there's severe disruption in dover, and more than 50 countries have now banned arrivals from the uk over fears of the new coronavirus variant. behind me are some of those 3000 lorries in and around the port of dover. they are stuck here with absolutely no sign of when the gridlock will end. retailers are warning of future food shortages of some products unless the border problems are resolved.