this is bbc news — these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. borisjohnson promises big changes following his brexit trade deal, as his chancellor rishi sunak says the deal brings reassurance to those who were worried about the impact on businesses. for those who were anxious about the economic implications of leaving, they should be enormously reassured by the comprehensive nature of this trade agreement ensuring tariff free, quota free access for business businesses —— british businesses to the european union. the rollout of the pfizer biontech

covid vaccine begins for millions of people across the eu — starting with italy and the czech republic. storm bella brings gusts of more than a hundred miles an hour — with roads in parts of wales, and devon and cornwall blocked by falling trees. and after 80 years as the village postmistress in shropshire, from world war two to the transformation of the postal service — postmistress kay white finally retires after after 80 years working in the same post office in shropshire. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. borisjohnson has promised that "big" changes are on the way for the uk following his brexit deal with the european union. in an interview with the sunday telegraph, he said he wants to focus on "leveling up the country" and "spreading opportunity" across the uk. mrjohnson said the brexit deal would provide new regulatory freedoms to "deliver for people

who felt left behind". but some fishing leaders have accused him of "caving in" to the eu and sacrificing their interests. mps will vote on the deal in parliament on 30 december. speaking in the last few minutes the chancellor rishi sunak said brexit offers britain a chance to do things differently in financial services. i think ithink our i think our financial services industry is something to be enormously cloud of. it is something we are globally best in class at, it contributes an enormous amount our economy and employs over1 million people across the country. —— enormously proud of. and notjust in the city of london. i made a statement about the future of the financial services industry a while ago, talking about our future, making sure this is still the most competitive place to have business. that we remain open with lots of different trading partners such as switzerland most recently. but also we remain the most technologically advanced place to conduct financial services. i think that vision was

warmly welcomed by various stakeholders now that we've left the european union we can do things a bit differently and we are embarking on that journey. for example, examining how we make the city of london the most attractive place to list new companies anywhere in the world. at this deal also provides reassurance because there is a sta ble reassurance because there is a stable regulatory comprehensive framework in the deal which i think will give people reassurance we will remain in close dialogue with our european partners when it comes to things like equivalence decisions, for example. i think that will give people reassurance combined with the ambitious vision of the city of london and the city of financial services for the rest of the uk, as well. our political correspondent iain watson has been looking at the deal in more detail. the prime minister has insisted he had been willing to go for no—deal when negotiations were going in the wrong direction,

but he insisted the deal he achieved would withstand the most ruthless scrutiny by conservative brexiteers. glad tidings and greatjoy, because this is a deal... the full agreement with the eu runs to more than 1,200 pages and has now been published but it's attracting some criticism. the national federation of fishermen's organisations has described the reduction and the value of the eu's catch is paltry and says there is a profound sense of disillusionment and betrayal in fishing communities. changes to fishing quotas will be phased in over 5.5 years, with the value of the eu's catch falling by 25%. senior uk negotiators admitted they compromised somewhat over fishing, but said the eu had done so too. after 5.5 years the uk would be free to reduce eu access to its coastal waters further but could face retaliatory action. government sources says any measures taken by the eu would have to be proportionate and would be limited to the fishing industry. iain watson, bbc news.

and in the next hour we'll be speaking to labour's shadow chancellor annaliese dodds. the coronavirus vaccine will be given to millions of people across europe from today, as countries including france, spain and italy begin the rollout of their vaccination programmes. meanwhile there have been confirmed cases of the more contagious variant of covid 19 in several european countries, as well as canada and japan. tim allman reports. time is of the essence in the fight against covid—i9. here at this nursing home in north—east germany, the vaccination programme has begun a day early. health workers said they weren't prepared to wait for the eu's coordinated roll—out, which was due to begin on sunday. clearly, for governments all around the world, it could be a real game changer. but as the vaccine spreads in vans and lorries across the continent, so, too, it seems, does the new variant strain of the virus. it was first identified

here in the uk nearly two weeks ago, leading to tough new restrictions for millions of people. despite some countries effectively closing their borders to travellers from britain, the virus has been found in parts of western europe, and further afield. japan and now canada have confirmed positive tests. the new form of the virus is potentially far more infectious, but at this stage it doesn't appear to be any more severe or, crucially, any more deadly. the big question is, will the new vaccines be effective in combating it? it happens every year, for example, with influenza virus. we change the vaccine for influenza pretty much every year because of the revolution of influenza from year to year. the concern would be a similar type thing might happen then with this coronavirus. mass vaccinations are due to begin across europe today, and there are reports that britain's medicine regulator could approve the so—called oxford vaccine

within a matter of days. i little hope and optimism as the new year approaches. tim allman — bbc news. the czech prime minister has become the first person there to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as their programme gets under way. lets talk more about the vaccination programme rolling out across europe. we can speak to dr hajo zeeb a german epidemiologist at the leibniz institute for prevention, research, and epidemiology. thank you for being with us. the roll—out of the vaccine beginning in germany, that must be very welcome news? it is certainly an exciting sunday for us as the vaccine is

coming in. as of today, as you heard yesterday, it has already started in one place. it's good news. we hope the logistics are good, that'll be the logistics are good, that'll be the challenge for the next few weeks to get the vaccine to the people. what are the logistical challenges you are facing? a big country, we are 80 million people, we want to this moving fast. all of these centres this moving fast. all of these ce ntres ha d this moving fast. all of these centres had to be established. they've already been established indeed. the first few days will be mobile teams going to senior citizens homes and nursing homes to vaccinate people there. as more vaccines come in, the doses have to be delivered to those centres, then more people will be getting the vaccine, and then really the big game starts with vaccinating

thousands of people every day and that's really the challenge now. thousands of people every day and that's really the challenge nowm the hope that in due course may be the hope that in due course may be the next two, or three months, the roll—out of the vaccine as millions of people are vaccinated, that that will free germany from all of the restrictions you've had? this will ta ke restrictions you've had? this will take some time. people are aware of this and politicians are realising that it will slowly move in this direction. we can't expect to have an easing up of the restrictions in the next couple of weeks. it will ta ke the next couple of weeks. it will take at least three months or so to really see a change here. but it is light at the end of the tunnel and people are really waiting for this and we are really hoping for a better summer this year with us slowly winning this fight against coronavirus. you say people are really waiting for it. are there many in germany who doubt the vaccine, who don't want to have it

for various different reasons? we have a fair share of people who are hesitant. half of the population is definitely ready. other surveys say 60%. those people are ready to take the vaccine. others aren't sure, they have concerns, and there is a minority of about 15, 20% who are quite sure they don't want to get vaccinated. we will see how this develops over the next few weeks. it certainly depends on how all of this is functioning, if there are any side effects reported, if there are any allergic reactions that have been coming up as one issue of concern. these are all things clinging to this question of how people will accept it all in all over the next few weeks. we see this asa over the next few weeks. we see this

as a turning point in a sense. looking back, how do you think germany has dealt with coronavirus? at the beginning it was widely praised for its handling with lower cases, and fewer deaths, as well. it's been sobering. we did well in the beginning. the summer game. people went on holidays. they didn't ta ke people went on holidays. they didn't take things maybe seriously enough. politicians also were trying to get the right balance. the economy was considered, as well. in the end, it was the second wave, i think the balance wasn't right and we were a little bit slow in realising that you cannot work like this any more at this in time. this light are locked and we had in november,, it wasn't functioning, so there has been some disappointment. but people

realise the lockdown we have now. and this is better news with the vaccine coming in. altogether, we are looking a bit more optimistic into the future again. thank you very much for your time. thank you. the czech prime minister is the first person to be vaccinated in the czech republic. we can bring you pictures now of the czech prime minister andrej babis who has become the first person in the country to be vaccinated against covid—i9. interesting to have a political leader as the first person to be vaccinated. that hasn't happened in other countries. he has obviously chosen to be the first to be vaccinated in that launch of the vaccination programme in the czech republic.

in the italian capital, rome, health workers received their first doses of the pfizer—biontech vaccine. a medical officer and a senior professor were among the first three to get the jab at italy's national institute of infectious diseases. italy was the first western country hit by the virus and has reported more than 70,000 deaths since its outbreak in february. it has highest toll in europe and the fifth—highest in the world. a pilot in germany has traced an image of a syringe in the skies above to mark the launch of vaccination campaigns in europe. flight tracking data showed the small plane — a diamond da20 single—propeller piloted by samy kramer — tracing an image of a syringe above friedrichshafen , a town in southern germany and known for its importance in aviation history. mr kramer said he thought it was a fun way to raise awareness. the health board which runs wales's largest hospital has issued an urgent appeal for help to deal with a high number of coronavirus patients. the cardiff and vale university health board tweeted that it was urgently looking

for medical students for its critical care department. last week, public health wales warned of "an alarming rise" in coronavirus case rates across the country. the scottish government has pledged an extra £41 million to support businesses which were forced to close as they entered the country's top tier of coronavirus measures yesterday. the holyrood government says it's now allocated more than 5.5 billion to support businesses and help the economy recover from the pandemic. weather warnings are in place for large parts of the uk as storm bella continues to bring heavy rain and high winds. gusts of more than 100 miles per hour have been recorded on the isle of wight, and there's an amber warning for wind in place for much of the south coast of england and parts of wales. western power distribution says there are still more than 1700 customers without electricity in the south west of the country and parts of south wales.

there were power cuts to more than 21 thousand homes — most of which have been restored now. emily unia reports. —— there were power cuts to more than 21,000 homes — most of which have been restored now. emily unia reports. the river has gone back down, as you can see. returning to survey the damage — flooding forced debbie radford's father from his house on christmas eve. now the water's gone down and the cleaning begins. the sockets need to dry out. in bedfordshire river levels rose on the great ouse and police told 1,300 households to leave their properties. the immediate threat to life outweighed the need to follow tier 4 coronavirus restrictions. people were allowed to seek shelter in friends' homes or emergency support centres. we've ended up doing what we've done in the past couple of years anyway. it's been a more sociable christmas than we were planning on, oddly enough. overnight storm bella has delivered more disruption. high winds have brought down trees in wales,

devon and sussex, making driving conditions treacherous. the met office has a number of weather warnings in place, including an amber alert for wind across southern and western england and coastal wales. emily unia, bbc news. the latest headlines on bbc news... borisjohnson promises big changes following his brexit trade deal, as his chancellor rishi sunak says the deal brings reassurance to those who were worried about the impact on businesses. the rollout of the pfizer biontech covid vaccine begins for millions of people across the eu — starting with italy and the czech republic. storm bella brings gusts of more than a hundred miles an hour — with roads in parts of wales, and devon and cornwall blocked by falling trees. an open letter to the prime minister published in the sunday times today is calling on the government to shift its focus from economic to well—being,

when it rebuilds the country after the coronavirus crisis. instead of building back better, the government should build back happier, lords gus o'donnell and richard layard write. lord gus o'donnell — co—author of the letter — served prime ministers tony blair, gordon brown and david cameron as cabinet secretary and head of civil service from 2005 to 2011. and hejoins me now. welcome. what exactly and hejoins me now. welcome. what exa ctly d o and hejoins me now. welcome. what exactly do you mean by build back happier? when people talk about build back better, they often talk about more roads, what we are saying is let's bring the nation together, let's sort out these warring factions and say there is common agenda here. we have real problems covid has thrown up. the election

has thrown up inequalities between north and south, between rich and poon north and south, between rich and poor. let's find ways to look at the well—being of the population, their mental and physical health. let's talk about education to build resilience and character. and think about our planet, making it better for everybody, and our sustainability agenda. these things could bring the whole nation together and really result in 2021 ending ina together and really result in 2021 ending in a way that 2020, alas, hasn't. give us some specific exa m ples of hasn't. give us some specific examples of how we can do that. mental health, we know that has been a hidden cost, often not hidden, of the coronavirus pandemic. yes, and to be honest, it was the case beforehand. we know there are plenty of people with diagnosed mental health conditions who aren't getting any treatment. that wouldn't happen

ina any treatment. that wouldn't happen in a physical health sphere. we know the returns from investing in mental health are huge. when i was cabinet secretary, used to visit a number of prisons. the number of people i see there, lots of people there were there, lots of people there were there because of mental health issues which led to crimes and a cost on society. if we change the angle we could change things. that would mean improving mental health programmes in schools, for example. improving them in prisons. and throughout our health service, to think about treating the individual and finding ways to actually avoid them going to hospitals. i want to get at the prevention side of things, let's think about behaviour change so we can get people healthier and happier and not in need of the repairs that they have

to do in hospitals. when you talk about building back happier, are you saying the uk is not a very happy nation? obviously coronavirus has made us deeply unhappy, there is no doubt about that, but apart from that are you saying that compared to other nations we are not as happy as we should be, perhaps? i'm afraid so. you are right, the virus has had a big impact here, bigger here than elsewhere, i read about that in a journal. for our children, studies look at well—being, and the results for the uk look at well—being, and the results forthe uk are look at well—being, and the results for the uk are depressing, i must say. we are right down the bottom of the league table. very sad. as a nation we are not too bad. the scandinavians, who always seem to win everything, are better than us. there are lessons we can learn there about how to look after people, they do things like social care much better than we do. we need to learn from others. particularly we have a

problem with people who have got particularly low well—being. when you look at them, you see there are issues which could be solved quite straightforwardly. mental health being one. but people who are out of work, unemployed, who have no sense of meaning in their lives. people in jobs which are low income and basically not very fulfilling. those things, and yet at the other end you have got things like volunteering, which actually enhances peoples well—being, which we should be promoting. the charitable sector, which is suffering a great deal during this pandemic, we could boost them and unleash their potential. that would be a huge boost for our well—being. that would be a huge boost for our well-being. just very quickly, you started off talking about brexit and how that has divided us as a source of unhappiness, but i suppose that now with a trade deal, whether you are remain or leave, that is now to

one side. let's hope so. we spent four years negotiating a trade deal where both sides have ended up with lower trade access than they had at the start. but that's done. although we will be negotiating about the details for years to come. but let's get past those arguments, let's bring everybody together around an agenda of improving the quality of everybody‘s lives. particularly those who are most disadvantaged. great to talk to you. thank you for being with us this morning on bbc news. as the year draws to a close, so does one of the uk's longest careers. postmistress kay white has been working in the same post office in shropshire, england, for almost 80 years, and in that time, she's seen it all. from world war two, to the transformation of the postal service, she's been honoured by the queen as well. it all means that when she leaves, kay will leave a big hole in the local community as geeta pendse has been finding out.

put your letter through. thank you. a life behind the counter. at 93, kay white is the oldest postmistress in the country, assisted by anne, her spritely 75—year—old niece. kay started working at her village post office in claverley at the age of 1a. there we are. mrs drew, the postmistress, asked mother if i'd come and help in the office. and in those days, if your mother says you're going to do something, you do it. and so, that's how i came to be here. kay became postmistress in 1960, and whilst technology has changed, she still remembers doing the accounts by herself. mother used to say to me, "kay, isn't there anybody who could help you?" i used to say, "nobody would understand this lot!" laughter

now, after almost 80 years, kay has decided to retire, leaving a big hole in the community. bells chime how important is kay to the village? she is very important. it's about being the heart of the village, where people come to share their news. the reverend garry ward says when the post office closed temporarily this year during the first lockdown, people really felt the loss then. some people pop in dailyjust to say hello and just to, you know, speak to kay. so, if the church is the soul, then the post office is definitely the heart of the village and kay is a very important part of that. every week without fail, kay pops over to the only other shop in the village — the hairdresser‘s — for her weekly wash and set. and it's safe to say that her departure has become something of a talking point. she started working at the post office when she was 1a. linda has known kay all her life. the impact kay has made on the village is absolutely immense.

she is an absolute character, and the person who will miss the post office the most is kay herself, because it'sjust been her life. what's your secret, kay? you've been working here almost 80 years. i think you've got to like helping people and one another. how do you think both of you will you feel on that last day? it will be very strange, really, and you know, we should be sorry, you know? i never thought i would live till now. and i thought i shall die and the place will all be sold. and i shouldn't have had all this. i didn't think i'd be here! laughter as 2020 draws to an end, kay and anne will lock up for the last time, but there is no doubting the imprint this shropshire postm istress has left on her beloved village. geeta pendse, bbc news, claverley.

you are watching bbc news. do stay with us. after a stormy start, the winds from storm bella are starting to ease down but we've had them in excess of 80 mph and that's caused damage and disruption stuff as well as that, we've had more heavy rain. that is also starting to clear away and all parts are getting into the colder arctic air. that will be with us until the end of 2020 now. there are issues with snow and ice, that risk especially in the north for the rest of the day, but all parts as we head into the night time. still a windy day. flood warnings and severe flood warnings still remaining. the rain is clearing away. we have sunny

spells and showers following. sunny spells and showers following. sunny spells in central and eastern areas. the showers in the north, falling snow low levels in scotland, northern ireland, and northern england. the winds are easy but it is still pretty gusty. that will exacerbate how chilly it feels. nowhere near as mild as yesterday. temperatures started a relatively high, tens and 11 is in the south, but they are dipping away. that will exacerbate the chilly feel. this evening and overnight, the spell of persistent snow comes to northern ireland, north wales, northern england. we could see a smattering of snow over the moors further south. much cold overnight. not as windy. temperatures will fall to freezing or below. where we've had all of the rain, the surfaces are damp, and with those showers it could be treacherous with the ice and snow. that same area of low pressure, remnants of storm bella with us, drifting south on monday,

but dragging the cold air south, meaning snow to lower levels even further south and a few centimetres in those showers over the hills. it's cold air. those showers rushing into northern and eastern areas, a colder day throughout. sometime between the showers. the devil is in the detail. for the rest of the week, and into the start of 2021, it remains on the chilly side. getting drier, a few showers around, a little bit of sunshine, as well, but it looks like it'll be a cold and frosty end of the year with snow and ice risk. warnings are online.

hello, this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines: borisjohnson promises big changes following his brexit trade deal, as his chancellor rishi sunak says the deal brings reassurance to those who were worried about the impact on businesses. the roll—out of the pfizer biontech covid vaccine begins

for millions of people across the eu, starting with italy and the czech republic. storm bella brings gusts of more than a hundred miles an hour, with roads in parts of wales, and devon and cornwall blocked by falling trees. let's take a look back now at how coronavirus impacted the world of sport in 2020. patrick gearey reflects on the highs and lows of the year in sport. we've got so much to look forward to in 2020. europe's festival of football begins. welcome to euro 2020. it's that time of year again, and there's a real buzz