this is bbc world news, the headlines: the european commission president ursula von der leyen described it as a "good, fair and balanced deal" — she said she hoped for a continued close relationship. prime minister borisjohnson said the uk has "completed the biggest trade deal yet", adding, "we have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters". the final hurdle was access to fishing waters — some fishing unions in the uk have spoken of their frustration and anger at the deal. and the traditional midnight mass has been held in bethlehem, only this year the public had to stay away because of the coronavirus.

now on bbc news — marcus rashford: following the footballer‘s campaign for free school meals. i've not been here for ages. this is where it all began. that was where we used to go in and we used to be able to go upstairs and get a cup of coffee and what have you. his painting's on the wall. that's incredible, innit? there's no way you'd think that would ever have happened. this is like a dream come true, isn't it? cos you dream of this and you just... you just don't think you'll get to it, but he's worked hard, kel, to get to where he's got to now. here he is. you all right, marc? i had to come i was appearance. if you can't do that for your child.

is on the most famous footballers his generation. i manchester united superstar. in england international. a hometown hero. at the age of 23, marcus rushford has the world at his feet. but he is worried by the millions of youngsters experiencing the same levels of hunger he faced asa the same levels of hunger he faced as a child. i'd rather see myself start. prime minister, will children go hungry this summer? marcus rushford is now campaigning to end child food property in england. can anyone hear me? for marcus rushford, this is personal. brings tears to your eyes, doesn't it? you should never be ashamed of what you've been through. ever one comes

from somewhere, even a footballer. you are the best footballer! i'm not the best yet. meet marcus and his mom. as a young single parents, mel worked round—the—clock in a bid to keep food on the table for the future star. though table has got food on it.” didn't think he was going to be a footballer. easter used to take him to fletcher just for footballer. easter used to take him to fletcherjust for baby—sitting. i used to drop them off there, go to work and then come back, pick him up and then come home. whenever serta plane football come i didn't know it was something that you could do for an actual living. i was something that you could do foran i was something that you could do for an actual living. i wasn't at home most of the time. they had to be on their own. jobs,

and if we didn't do that, we wouldn't have been able to cook a pot of food. sometimes it was really bad. , sometimes! pot of food. sometimes it was really bad. , sometimes i didn't get anything to eat and they asked me if i had anything to eat and they asked me if ihad it, andl and i didn't. we didn't even have a loaf of bread in the house, it was embarrassing to say, but we didn't. the way we are living now, honestly... i sit in my room sometimes and ijust cry. you just sit there crying on your own because you think about where you've come from to where you are at now. you know, to me, it'sjust sad, really, isn't it? all those struggles and sacrifices, it helps you appreciate everything like ten times more. so i don't see it as like ten times more. so i don't see itasa like ten times more. so i don't see it as a weakness, because i think in sport, you have to have something behind you that's pushing you. when you come from a place of struggle and a place of pain, a lot of the time, it switches and it becomes

your drive and motivation. one way in which the government could help those worst affected would be to extend the national voucher scheme. they mean children who can't go to school because of coronavirus restrictions still getting free meals. we are announcing a further £63 million of local welfare assistance to be used by local authorities at their discretion to help the most vulnerable families. the footballer marcus rushford rates to mps asking the government to rethink its decision to end free school meal vouchers in england during the summer. vouchers in england during the summer. prime minister, will children go hungry this summer? this was at the beginning of everything. "dear prime minister, my itioiti everything. "dear prime minister, my mom worked full—time earning minimum wage to make sure we always had a

good evening meal on the table. but it was not enough. the system was not billed for families like mine to succeed, regardless of how hard my itioiti succeed, regardless of how hard my mom worked. as a family, we relied oi'i mom worked. as a family, we relied on rex fit —— breakfast clubs, free school meals on the kind actions of neighbours and coaches. food banks and soup kitchens were not alien to us. and soup kitchens were not alien to us. you know, it's things that are personal to me, and it's a bit out of character, really, for me to open up of character, really, for me to open up and speak about something so close to myself and sort of out to the public, but i definitely feel like it was necessary in order to get the messages across. is doing a greatjob in trying to get the government to u—turn on that decision to stop the vouchers going on during the summer. it can happen here if the policy changes, and let's see if we can get this... pre—necklace into the story

on the tv when he was talking about it, i rang him up, and i said you got this. they've got to do the u—turn now after listening to all of that, it's pretty sad. it'sjust crazy to think that this is still going on. we're in 2020 now, and it'sjust something i don't believe should be happening. those words but he was saying or coming from the bottom of his heart. just any flowers after marcus ultimate appeal to number ten... in the last two minutes, the government announces its backing down on its decision to deny school vouchers. 1.3 million children in england will be able to claim... he's done it to my thoughts, i better bring him. i talked to marcus rushford today and to grow gradually to him on his campaign in which... —— marcus rashford, which honestly only became aware very recently, today. and i do think it's right that we should be looking after families and the neediest right now.|j looking after families and the neediest right now. i rang him about 20 times, i said, we cracked it!

it was a mad few days. this is only going to be successful through out the summer period, and then we have bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time to come and figure out what's next and how we keep taking steps forward because i don't want this to be the end of it, because it's definitely more steps that need to be taken. mac marcus wants to find out if he can help families facing child food poverty, so families facing child food poverty, so he sends a tweet to his 7.3 million followers asking for their stories. hi marcus, i'm a single working mother with three daughters. for yea rs, mother with three daughters. for years, idid mother with three daughters. for years, i did struggle. the struggle israel, mate. we've lost so much savings, my partner has been made redundant. until recently, we have a lwa ys redundant. until recently, we have always worked, now we can't even afford the train fare for kids to get to school. being in this situation, i'm a single mom with two children, i work full—time, situation, i'm a single mom with two children, iwork full—time, but situation, i'm a single mom with two children, i work full—time, but at the of the month, when i pay the

bills, that's it, all of the money is gone. we want to stand up for what the committee actually wants. they may not experience what some of the families experience, and those of the voices i want to hear because thatis the voices i want to hear because that is the people that i want to help. marcus is paying a surprise visit to some of the families who a nswered visit to some of the families who answered his appeal on social media. my goodness, boys... uk? gal, i'm good. you ok? you ok? this reminds me of when i was a kid. these are the places that i would come and chill. you don't even realise that you spend all day here. stopping my mom

always comes to get me. she come home. yeah, she's got to drag you home. i've been grounded a few times for not coming home on time. yeah, me too. it's been a difficult period for everyone, but how has it affected you guys? i'm really grateful. because i was really ill in march. i can actually move out of my bed. they actually come in and delivered food to my home. these families are not speaking out. there isa families are not speaking out. there is a stigma, because they look at it as, oh, well, who goes to the food bank? who goes to these places? they look down on it. but when you are speaking about it and say that you have been threats, that's giving the family confidence to say, ok, he has been threats. it took me being homeless to know that you need to meet the right people at the right time to make it. hard you feel about seeing your mom struggling and things like that's? it's very upsetting see my mom upset

sometimes and thinking how is she going to get us through the month or what's going to happen today or tomorrow, and how can i help? so i tried doing stuff like help the community, like i can clean your windows for £3 or something like that, or help your child with football, something like that, take them to school for this amount of money, and then i will try to give it to my mom or do something like that so that i can get onto the train to go to school. do you do that your own back? you. for me, it's refreshing to hear you say things like that. never feel like anyone is looking down on you for doing things like that because they don't know what it feels like to have to survive. because when you have to survive, you do things, you do whatever you have to do. this conversation is really good for me, because these moments just conversation is really good for me, because these momentsjust give me more understanding of people's situations. it's been refreshing.

i'm very happy. i'm very happy. i'm happy to. you are saying all the right things. do know how to spell your name? laughing marcus rushford, a man on a mission. the english footballer has set up a special task for. and a personal letters to mps come to the footballer acknowledged that the food voucher scheme had positively impacted millions of children's lives, but that it was only ever going to support the issue in the short term. we're looking at all the policy suggestions that he's put forward in his letter to make sure that they do deliver on our shared objective which is alleviating the kind of poverty that he about. can anybody hear me? marcus knows there needs to bea hear me? marcus knows there needs to be a long—term solution. hear me? marcus knows there needs to be a long-term solution. white mackey has invited representatives from the uk's largest supermarkets and food brands onto a zoom call.m

is clear that there is trouble, and whatever you think about universal credits, that a mechanism is not going to save them. with the help of you guys, we can come together and make massive changes, and i really appreciate the help that you have given them. it should never be normal for somebody to feel howl felt. when you get to the position that i'm in now, i feel like if they are in need and they don't have anyone really fighting for them, like i should be the one that does it, really. we are to my old school, primary school, we are going to have conversations with one of the staff members that used to work in the breakfast club. hello, hello. are

you? i'm good. thanks. ijust wanted to ask you some questions about how it's changed, basically, from when you remember, has a got more difficult, or? it has been more difficult. we have been supporting we re difficult. we have been supporting were families with food, it could be housing, it could be anything that we do stop with the way i see it as if they are in need of meals while in school, then when they go home, they still need them. soi they still need them. so i think that's probably the next step. it is a stigma that they find, sometimes, they say, you know, they don't need anything. and it's getting past that. the stigma needs tojust a getting past that. the stigma needs to just a disappear as getting past that. the stigma needs tojust a disappear as quickly getting past that. the stigma needs to just a disappear as quickly as possible. i've never understood it, but the quicker it goes, the better for everyone. i agree. my some families may be working and they plan out, and they don't realise, actually, i need help. she said scott wears worse, there's

numerous students there now, and ultimately, that means for her because she so passionate about it and it's more families that she has to try to help. it's disheartening but the main thing is now, you can't look back to me have to look forward to what can make the situation better. footballer marcus -- marcus rashford successfully competing for more than a million pupils to receive free school meals over the summer. receive free school meals over the summer. he receive free school meals over the summer. he becomes an receive free school meals over the summer. he becomes an mba, the services to vulnerable children. in my eyes, a lot of the work is my mums were, she is the first person that spoke about it, just wanted to tell her, basically, about how you brought me up, and none of it would've been possible, never and mbe. being a football player, it just wouldn't have been very likely ifi just wouldn't have been very likely if i didn't have somebody like her behind me. good boy. nice, nice. while marcus waits for commit and from the government, another influential person has been in

touch. acclaimed actor, emma thompson, is also campaigning to end child food poverty. . hi, marcus. mechanized meat used up to meet you. we are not allowed. we've got to stay like this. i will bow. we are not allowed. we've got to stay like this. iwill bow. in we are not allowed. we've got to stay like this. i will bow. in april 2019, emma went to downing street to deliver a report on poverty written from children's perspectives, outlining recommendations for change. k, you lots. you 0k? would you like me to introduce you? i think we know you very well. the mix ofa i think we know you very well. the mix of a question for me now is, you know, what do we do now? where do we go from where we are? the commission to see how any people it's affecting and to show the mps and everyone in the uk that this is a real thing, and that people are suffering, especially young people. that's a massive one. if they actually put themselves in the environment and saw what is actually happening, then we wouldn't even have to speak about

any of it. on your twitter, you said it's not the parent's fault that they can't feed their child, because no parent doesn't want to be their child. i think that needs to be heard by summoning more adults. we could be the ones to tell them that to stop stigmatizing people. when the disbelief goes and the denial goes, then that hopefully will take some of the shame and stigma away. we have all gone through this, we've all seen people go through this, and we show them that we keep on doing what were doing and having people like you, emma, marcus, to show that it's a big issue with how we support that need. it is the government's responsibility to ensure that children do not go hungry. hear, hear! they don't stop being hungryjust

because the school bell rings for the end of term. free school meals have only ever been intended to provide support during term time periods while children are engaging in activity and learning. i urge the government set upa and learning. i urge the government set up a serious long—term plan to combat child food hunger. where is the slick pr campaign encouraging absent parents to take responsibility for their children? i don't believe in nationalising children. instead, we need to get back to the idea of taking responsibility. eyes to the right, 261, the noes to the left, 322. —— eyes he met the noes have it. mps have voted against plans to provide free school meals enduring holiday and time. the people who are speaking about it have had a life where their parents we re have had a life where their parents were struggling, like they can literally afford to buy food and afford to pay bills and that's it,

because i doubt that they have, the way they speak about it is so insensitive and, for me, it's like theyjust lack insensitive and, for me, it's like they just lack understanding. basically, you have got to have gone through to understand it, we understand it clearly because we've been through it. the next step is for the government tojust sit down the next step is for the government to just sit down and try and the next step is for the government tojust sit down and try and gain the next step is for the government to just sit down and try and gain a proper understanding of the people that we are actually helping and what they go through day today, because they don't quite understand the effect it has on people's lives, and it's because they've not seen it first—hand, so once they do see it and they see how people have to live their lives day to day, they can see their lives day to day, they can see the pain in their eyes, the decision will be made then. we have to prioritise food or gas. we do what we do to get by. i'd

rather see myself starve for my kids to eat. we make sure we've got food for the kids, but we live off one meal a day. this is what i've got left to la st day. this is what i've got left to last me until payday. really anxious because i'm like, do i have enough that will last until i get that payment on the last day of the month when i can go and do my shopping? we try to not let people realise what's going on all the time because the stigma that comes with it. in some ways, i felt embarrassed about having to do this, but it's about having to do this, but it's about ensuring my son is eating properly. i know! about ensuring my son is eating properly. i know i try my best normally, but during half term or even any holiday, it's always difficult. the stigma is there, but it's how you deal with it. at the end of the day, we have no choice. let them say what they want, let them think what they want. if we need to go and get food from elsewhere because we can't provide for the kids, at least we are

providing for them, no matter where it comes from. we can just make one little difference, make one child go to bed full, you know, that they can go to bed with a belly full and actually knowing that other people care. i'm often told off a lot because i keep a lot of treats behind for the kids, but actually seeing... and knowing that a child is going to go with a little smile, you know, that actually, there are people out there who do care. and actually, we do care, and we do. during lockdown, marcus and his mom worked with the food charity, fair share. they raise £20 million, enough to feed more than 3 million children throughout the uk. today, they are visiting their local depot

in manchester. hi there, hello. welcome to manchester, would you like to come over here? we have got some ppe to share with you. the mayor of greater manchester is attending the event and shares marcus' disappointment towards the debate in parliament. some of the commons were hard to listen to in the debate, i'm sure they were few, but can i tell you why the campaign is needed, because some people still need education, some people in parliament still need educating stop the one thing it has done is raise more awareness, more and more people are learning about it. just keep momentum now. when he's finished, i will vacate. honestly, on behalf of everyone, we are so proud will vacate. honestly, on behalf of everyone, we are so proud of you, honestly. all of us, so proud of you. but there is some good news. fairshare are expanding you. but there is some good news. fair share are expanding to provide more food for families in need,

fair share are expanding to provide more food forfamilies in need, and they are naming their new depot after marcus' mom. sta rt after marcus' mom. start your own trophy cabinet. i'm overwhelmed. i don't know what to say, but all i can say is thank you. for us, and my mom especially, we we re for us, and my mom especially, we were concentrating so much on the people that we were trying to help, i think it all goes over our heads. need to grow a little bit. i think it all goes over our heads. need to grow a little biti i think it all goes over our heads. need to grow a little bit. 1 million people have signed marco and's petition to extend free school meal vouchers for people in england for the holidays. yell up enough -- following the government's recent announcement to not extend free school lunches during half time, we know some of you have... the great british public are now getting behind marcus and in a big way. so, this week, we will be

giving out free school lunches to any child who needs it. we will do our best... the half term break, fiona is preparing meal bags. here at this foundation... at the great yarmouth park... i thought of any child going hungry, we just couldn't let that happen. this local business is answering the call by footballer marcus rashford. to see sony people do it off their own backs all over the country, for me, it wasjust proud moment. it's been the most challenging year for everyone around the country, and i think at least the children deserve a christmas dinner. it's early november and marcus arrives home from a big game to a long—awaited phone call from the prime minister. how are you? yeah, not bad.

yeah, yeah, i am. yeah, yeah, lam. i've literally just got back from the game. nope, i got an assist today, no goal, but we won the game, so that's good. can you hear me? yeah, yeah, going to mckinneyjust say that again, please? the government is to provide meals to disadvantaged children in england for the holidays as part of a package of measures costing £400 million. hold on one minute, let me move. an existing programme that provides activities and food during the holidays will be extended across and then for the whole of next year. no, that will be the perfect situation for me, you know, we asked for the outcome and because of fact, we will be able to help families in a better way. the significant comes after a campaign led by.

thank you very much, and behalf on the families as well that you are helping, yeah, just a big thank you for them as well, because they will really appreciate it. thank you very much. speak to you soon. he said the u—turn came in a phone call from the prime minister. good conversation from outcome. i think now, we have managed to finally be on the same page, but the main thing for me is that it's happening and families are going to bea happening and families are going to be a lot better off. i be a lot better off. ,and! be a lot better off. , and! all right. she rang me about a week ago and said don't give up because it's something that we all believe in, and we have all experienced at the end of the day, and we don't want other people to have to experience it. that was the last, she was the last person i spoke to about that.|j

last, she was the last person i spoke to about that. i rang him a week ago to say they are going to get the u—turn. it's something i knew that they had to take, something that had to take place. they have the petition out there with over! million signatures, and they couldn't say no after all of that. i'm happy we got to the stage, but in my mind, i can't stop thinking about what the bigger picture looks like. so for me, i'm still a long way from working towards that. so, yeah, i'm happy forthis way from working towards that. so, yeah, i'm happy for this moment, way from working towards that. so, yeah, i'm happy forthis moment, but ijust look yeah, i'm happy forthis moment, but i just look ahead yeah, i'm happy forthis moment, but ijust look ahead to what's you know, what can we do now. as marcus was growing up a couple of words, and that is never forget where you come from. that's one thing i would like to tell the whole world, he has never forgotten where he's come from. we came for from where a lot of people are coming from now. and it's good to get it out there that he has never forgotten that. he's actually helping the world because of where he's come from. well done, market. thank you. -- well done

marcus. hello. the weather is giving us a calm and mostly dry interlude for christmas day, certainly a chilly start, with a touch of frost in many places. it is going to be a fine day for most with some spells of sunshine. we start off with the potential for some icy stretches in eastern scotland and eastern england, where we've had showers through the night, but then we will see some spells of sunshine. more cloud, though, into northern ireland and scotland, particularly western scotland, where it will turn wet later in the day. as winds here as well. that is where we will see the mildest weather, 9 degrees in stornoway. much chillierfurther south and east. but then as we head through friday night into boxing day, we will see more in the way of cloud, we'll see some splashes of rain here and there and it will be a much milder start to boxing day morning. but through boxing day, we will see more cloud, we will see some splashes of rain and certainly some persistent, heavy rain developing across western scotland, parts of northern ireland.

strong winds here as well. and it's going to be very wet and very windy during saturday night.

this is bbc news. merry christmas. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. after lots of heated negotitions, the european union and united kingdom finally reach a post—brexit trade deal. both sides hail the agreement as a "big success". it is fair, it is a balanced deal, and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides. we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive, canada—style free trade deal between the uk and the eu. the final hurdle was access to fishing waters. but what will it mean forfishermen on either side of the channel? and a socially distanced christmas in bethlehem,