good morning, welcome to breakfast with chris mason and louise minchin. our headlines today: more signs of intense pressure on the nhs, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south east of england urge people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. it comes as hopes grow that the oxford astrazeneca vaccine will be given uk approval this week. getting ready for brexit — a government warning to check your passport, travel insurance and mobile roaming charges before travelling to the eu. the end for free refills — sugary drinks are the latest target in the government's obesity clamp—down. good morning. liverpool left frustrated, as the league

leaders drop points at home for the first time this season in a 1—1 draw with west brom. good morning. more of us seeing our first snow of the season this morning. it is frosty, it is icy, there are difficult travelling conditions and the cold weather will see us conditions and the cold weather will see us out of the year. forecast coming up. good morning. it's monday, the 28th of december. our top story. hospitals across the uk say they're facing intense pressure, as the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south of england are urging people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. london ambulance service says boxing day was one of the busiest 2a hours in its history. and in scotland, doctors say health services could be overwhelmed if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas triggers a surge in cases. with this report, here's andy moore.

health services across the country are under pressure, and in some areas such as wales and london, they are under particular strain. the capital is where the new variant of coronavirus is growing most rapidly. the london ambulance service has reported that boxing day was one of its busiest days ever, second only to march 16th earlier this year, when the first wave of the pandemic was beginning to surge. on the 26th of december this year, the service dealt with 7918 emergency calls. that's an increase of more than 50% on last year's total for the same day of 5217. in order to meet the rising demand, the service is putting back office staff on the road, and drafting in extra ambulances from neighbouring regions. other ambulance services in the south—east are reporting similar problems. ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community

and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid. and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusion about how challenging this is. in wales, more than half of intensive care beds are now occupied by covid patients. it's a situation described as unprecedented. the situation across wales is quite sobering. the number of people that are presenting with symptoms of covid that not only require hospital admission, but are so seriously ill that they require intensive care, and that more than 50% of our bed occupancy in intensive care, is now due to covid patients, is very worrying. in scotland, the country's clinical director has denied the system could be overwhelmed. he said measures were in place where extra capacity was needed. but some doctors are warning that a combination of factors could create a perfect storm.

the combination of these two occurrences, much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain of covid, would result in many more infections. and therefore many more hospital admissions, and necessarily, then, more admissions to an intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly. but there is some good news on the horizon. another vaccine, the oxford university astrazeneca version, is expected to be given approval soon by the regulator and its roll—out could start early in the new year. the uk has ordered 100 million doses of this jab, and unlike the pfizer vaccine, it doesn't need to be kept at extremely low temperatures. andy moore, bbc news. businesses and people travelling to the european union are being warned to get ready for "substa ntial" changes from new year's eve. the cabinet office minister,

michael gove, said there would be "some disruption", which everyone needs to prepare for as the brexit transition period comes to an end. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. big ben chimes. this was the moment the uk left the eu. 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it'll be iipm again, this time of the 31st of december, when we leave the single market and the customs union. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week, and it is expected to be in place before thursday. the eu are set to approve it possibly as early as today. the uk parliament is expected to pass the necessary law on wednesday. but even with a deal in place, businesses that trade goods with the eu will still have to file customs declarations, even though they won't pay any tariffs. lorries wanting to use the channel tunnel port of dover will need a permit to enter kent.

in holyhead, authorities are also putting in place measures to deal with possible traffic build—up. there will be new trade rules for northern ireland. the government has said there was likely to be some disruption to trade. it has advice for anyone planning a trip to any eu country except ireland. check your passport is valid, double—check your roaming policy for your mobile phone and take out full travel insurance. valid ehip cards will still be recognised. the government says with a big change comes challenge and opportunity. and that, it's reminding us, starting a few days‘ time. helen catt, bbc news. buy one, get one free promotions on unhealthy food and free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants, will be banned in england from april 2022, as part of new government plans to tackle obesity. supermarkets will also be barred from displaying unhealthy goods at checkouts, as aruna iyengar reports.

ministers want us to buy more of this and less of this. loading up the trolley with unhealthy buy—one—get—one—frees may soon be a thing of the past. ministers say this promotional practice is bad for our health, and encourages us to buy excessive amounts of food we don't actually need. the government says it wants to get tough on tackling obesity. and childhood obesity is seen as one of the biggest threats to britain's future health. the restrictions will apply to foods high in fat, salt or sugar, such as cakes, crisps, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, pizzas and ready meals. smaller shops will be exempt from the rules. and there will be no more free refills of sugary soft drinks when dining out. suck in a tower burger smothered in spicy... an eight—week consultation will also propose going ahead with a ban on junk food adverts being aired on tv before 9pm. the approach, which will apply

in england, is seen as a u—turn for borisjohnson who has in the past criticised so—called sin taxes and nannying by the state. aruna iyengar, bbc news. police investigating a camper van explosion in nashville on christmas day have named a suspect. us officials said dna found at the scene matched that of 63—year—old anthony quinn warner, who died in the blast. three people were injured. the fbi said it was too early to suggest a motive. now, how's this for precision flying? a pilot in germany has traced an image of a syringe in the sky to mark the launch of vaccination campaigns across the european union. flight tracking data showed the small plane drawing the outline of a syringe above a town in southern germany. pilot samy kraymar says he thought it was a fun way to raise awareness on such an historic day.

blimey. that sounds complicated enough without doing it upside down. you might get your bearings a bit wrong. those lines are very precise. nine minutes past six. if you are out and about early this morning, it is cold and there is snow around, isn't there? good morning, nick. good morning. very wintry to start the day. difficult travelling conditions. a few centimetres of snow have fallen across parts of the uk. widespread ice. it is the start of a cold end to the year and the start of 2021 with frost, with ice at times this week, further rain, sleet and snow occasionally to come. not wet all the time. occasionally drive moments with sunshine. if you are in an area with sunshine. if you are in an area with flooding, there will be more wet weather occasionally. overall precipitation amounts are not going to be as large as we have seen. this

is the latest. we have seen snow in scotla nd is the latest. we have seen snow in scotland in the past few hours, into northern ireland. it is north—west england, wales, the west midlands into south—west england where we are waking up to a few centimetres. difficult travel conditions. warnings for snow and ice. do check those out. this area of low pressure is what was storm bella. clearly not as powerful now. but it is still producing some rain, sleet and snow. cold air across the uk at the moment. that is why the precipitation coming out of storm bella is giving snow in some areas. this is how it is looking, the first few hours of this morning. icy conditions, frosty, difficult roads and pavements. this area of rain, sleet and snow pushing further across parts of central england. not all of it falling snow. on higher ground there will be some snow.

outbreaks of rain until snow through northern ireland into western scotland. coastal counties will see wintry showers. clearly temperatures are going to be struggling. it will feel colder the further west you are. this is where it is quite windy as well. continuing to see a few more showers overnight. we could also see some more rain, sleet and snow putting in to the midlands as the night goes on. i see in places. where you have got flooding and run off as those temperatures fall a few degrees below freezing as we start the day tomorrow. not all of us seeing the wet weather tomorrow. we could very well see this area of rain, sleet and snow putting across parts of southern england during the day. coastal areas continuing to pick up some wintry showers. by tomorrow afternoon many of us seeing some fairly dry weather. some occasional sunshine for those —— but

those temperatures are still struggling, as they will on wednesday. another area of wet weather coming into the cold air. on the leading edge that we could see it turn to sleet and snow in some spots. seeing out of the year and the start of 2021, those temperatures not in a hurry to head up. snowy for some of us. take care if you are travelling. pretty dicey with the snow and the ice. hopefully not too many people having to travel today, because it is a bank holiday. it's quite scary out there. thank you. and if there are snowy scenes where you are this morning, you can send your pictures into us by email at bbcbrea kfast@bbc. co. uk. and you can tweet about today's stories using the hashtag bbcbreakfast — or follow us for the latest from the programme. let's take a look at some of today's front pages. "a shot at freedom" — that's the headline on the front of today's daily mirror, as the paper reports the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine is just days away from approval. it also says this could mean lockdowns can end

as soon as february. meanwhile, a warning from senior doctors leads the times this morning. they say the nhs is at risk of being overwhelmed as the number of patients in hospital is about to exceed the peak of the first wave. and as we're reporting this morning, one area being impacted by that is the capital. the evening standard reports that new cases rose in every london borough during the week before christmas. meanwhile, reviews for the television remake of the 1947 film black narcissus, starring gemma arterton, feature in some of the papers this morning. the telegraph's headline reads "bbc‘s winning habit". quite a clever headline. we will be speaking to... i don't know how many of you have watched bridget in yet. we will be speaking to one of the stars later.

a quick look at some of the story is making the inside pages. this has made a few of the papers. sir david attenborough saying that he will probably never film overseas again. he feels a guilt attached to the amount of overseas travel he has done. someone has done the maths. he has notched up 1.9 million miles of international travel in his career, according to the daily mirror. the equivalent of travelling around the world 76 times. quite a striking quote from sir david who says his heart is sinking deeper into his boots every time he gets on a plane. suchis boots every time he gets on a plane. such is his concern about climate change. idid speak change. i did speak to him a couple of months ago. he has in trouble for ages. there still is a notable optimism though. thankfully. we should talk about that notable optimism, actually. there is a report out by the national trust this week and it is talking about wildlife and saying that so many of

us wildlife and saying that so many of us have turned to wildlife during these difficult few months that we have been going through. britain's tourist hotspots have been proud of this year with vulcans, partridges and other wild creatures. —— vulca ns. and other wild creatures. —— vulcans. also, jimmy and other wild creatures. —— vulca ns. also, jimmy greaves and other wild creatures. —— vulcans. also, jimmy greaves said to become an mbe in the new year's on as. tv host of course as well as former spurs striker. he has turned 80. expected to get a gong, as the newspapers like to call them, in the onerous which we will learn about in the next few days. plenty more speculation about who is going to feature on that list coming up. it is exactly a quarter past six. it's just three weeks until the us president—electjoe biden will begin his tenure as the 46th president of the united states. tackling the coronavirus pandemic will be his biggest challenge at home, but mr biden has lots to sort out internationally too. with an assessment of the challenges ahead, here's our world affairs editor,

john simpson. america is back. ready to lead the world, not retreat from it. once again sit at the head of the table. now thatjoe biden is about to take over the white house, and donald trump is moving out, governments right around the world are heaving sighs of relief. i'm not actually walking into the real oval office. this is an exact replica, in a norfolk film studio, much used by hollywood movies. but whenjoe biden sits at that desk for the first time, he's going to be taking charge of a country whose standing in the world hasn't been as low as this in decades. right around the world, there are offences to be mended and alliances to be built up again. america is back, multilateralism is back. diplomacy is back.

that means taking the lead in nato again, afterfour years of complaints about other members, plus threats to cut america's contributions. and another major priority, rejoining the paris climate accord, which donald trump said damaged american interests. joe biden hopes to revive the nuclear agreement with iran, which trump tried to kill off. iran, the big european countries and britain are all enthusiastic. trump's one foreign policy success was getting two gulf states plus sudan to recognise israel. trump sided strongly with the israelis and cut aid to the palestinians. how easy will it be forjoe biden to be able to change this? even more important for him is how he'll approach russia. the russians meddled in the 2016 us election and seem to have hacked into some of america's

most fundamental secrets. there is a lot of unfinished business with russia. i think together with the uk and with europe, we are going to have to again sit down and decide what kind of serious signals do we send to russia, that it's behaviour must indeed change. we have a max for years, probably two years, to really do things together with our allies. and there is the most complex problem of all, china. what should joe biden‘s approach be? work with china. compete with them in a persistent and forceful and effectual effective way, and be prepared in the event there is conflict. but also be willing to cooperate with china on some critical issues that are right before us, like combating global climate change, dealing with the covid—19 pandemic. at 78, time isn't exactly onjoe biden‘s side. but for the outside world, he has one huge advantage.

he isn't donald trump. john simpson, bbc news. in all of the news around brexit and the coronavirus, you forget there is a huge inauguration coming up. with so many of us stuck at home, 2020 was the year that saw our relationship with the great outdoors change. lockdowns led many of us to appreciate our natural surroundings like never before. now a national trust report says that climate change remains the biggest threat to our environment as breakfast‘s john maguire reports. at least 2020 has been good for some. the grey seal population here at blakeney point on the north norfolk coast, is thriving. it's just a handful of pups that were born at the end of the late 90s, early 2000s. we're now on roughly 3,500 to 4,000 pups born every year. so they've basically been increasing since then. so it's been a pretty phenomenal rise. and they don't really show any signs

of slowing down at the moment. it's been a year of large scale trends driven by climate change, but also lockdowns and restrictions have meant that some of the conflicts between the human and the natural world have been diminished. it's been a kind of record breaking year, and we can expect that as the climate continues to change. and so the challenge for us really is, how do we respond to, not only the climate, but also the nature crisis? and so we're having to adjust our land management to make sure that we make are our landscapes as not only nature—rich, but resilient also to the change which is locked in now. by monitoring its sites across the uk, the trust can produce an audit of the year in nature. for example, beavers. hunted to extinction in the uk centuries ago, they were returned to the honeycut estate on exmoor injanuary, and have thrived, building the first dams

seen here for 400 years. severe storms, including ciara and dennis, caused widespread damage in february, such as here on the river dart in devon. but spring sprung sunny and dry, breaking records in may, as we came to terms with life locked down. always first thing in the morning, i used to live about half past five, quarter to six, to go on my walk. so, yes, i always got out. we were out quite a lot in our local area, doing it a lot more than we would normally. so we have been out and about quite a lot, haven't we? post—summer conditions, produced spectacular autumn colours, an antidote to the second lockdown. however, we were allowed to spend more time outdoors than during the first. there was, though, an increasing amount of grey, as another disease thrived in 2020. ash dieback caused widespread damage to woodlands. but, a great yearfor apples.

the perfect combination of warm and dry in spring and summer, followed by autumn rain, meant a bumper crop. for many people, the chance to get out and about this year has been vitalfor physical and mental well—being. you know, it's really important for your mental health. it's made her a lot happier, a lot fitter. and, you know, if anything did happen, i think she's got a good fighting chance of getting rid of the bug. i get a lungful of fresh air here. what more could you say? it's true, isn't it? it'sjust lovely. very important for us, at our age anyway, especially, you know. speak for yourself! we need to get out. i mean, this is this is probably why we've got a dog. yeah. it sort of makes us get out. we've got a good garden. but we would just stay at home all the time. but this gets us out, mixes with other people, you know. fresh air, you know — what better place could you come anyway then here? yeah. 2021 should see a return

to normality, with all of the advantages and disadvantages that brings for our flora and fauna. but one legacy of this year will be the huge hole in the finances of the charities that work to better protect our surroundings. nature may well be resilient, but these days it appreciates a helping hand. john maguire, bbc news. i love the enthusiasm of lots of contributors to that report. lots of people wearing their anorak in at best mediocre weather. it is the wrong outfit. i love being out, whatever the weather. we'd love to see your best nature in lockdown pictures. this is one of mine. i did say we didn't need to have the dog in it. but there she is, ruby, and in autumnal morning. i think the roots triumph over ruby. i said one with

just the words. but ruby made the picture. the fact the trees have been there a very long time and they're probably extremely wise, if they're probably extremely wise, if they could think, obviously. they will look at us thinking, this is all very insignificant. it doesn't feel insignificant from where we are. use short—term us humans! do send us in your pictures. you can send them to us at bbcbrea kfast@bbc. co. uk. almost 25 past six. john is here. good morning. most mornings have been good for liverpool this year. but i think it's fair to sayjurgen klopp will be a little frustrated, as will some of his players, against west brom. very clear what you were going to get from both teams. liverpool with their attacking prowess a nd liverpool with their attacking prowess and west brom with their defence. they escaped with a draw. that doesn't happen with a lot of

teams when they play liverpool at anfield. that rare sight, champions liverpool dropping points at anfield for the first time this season. they opened the scoring early on thanks to sadio mane, but failed to turn their domination into clear cut chances. and it cost them, as sami ajayi equalised with around ten minutes remaining, to give sam allardyce his first point since taking charge of west brom. you have to use the chances, when you have them, better. it's now not the end of the world. so it's a football game which we wanted to win, and actually, i think we should have won. but now i saw the full 95 minutes, i have to say, they deserved a point. jose mourinho claimed tottenham were trying to win their match with wolves, despite appearing to spend most of the game trying to protect their early lead. and it was early, tanguy ndombele scoring a brilliant opener in the first minute. and instead of killing the game off, spurs sat back, and wolves were able to level through

romain saiss late on. it means leeds were the only other winners yesterday, bouncing back from a 6—2 thrashing by manchester united last week, with a 1—0 victory over burnley, thanks to patrick ba mford's early penalty. brighton were denied a win at west ham thanks to this late equalizer from thomas soucek. brighton had lead twice in the 2—2 draw, but they stay 16th in the table, and like burnley, theyre just 2 points clear of the bottom three. in rugby union's premiership, wasps beat sale in the final league match of the year. wasps the better team in the second half and how about this for a break. charlie atkinson with one of two tries in less than ten minutes before hooker tom cruse was put through moments later, to inflict defeat for sale's interim coach in his first match in charge. and there was one match in the pro 14, ulster continuing their perfect start to the season with

a ninth straight win. they beat connacht 32—19. six—time champion roger federer will miss february's australian open for the first time in his career as he continues his recovery from knee surgery. this one man who will be playing in melbourne is andy murray, two years on from his emotional announcement there that he may have to finish his career due to injury. having worked his way back from major hip surgery since then, murray's now been handed a wild card for the tournament where he's reached the final on five occasions. there was a huge upset at the world darts championship last night. reigning champion peter wright has been knocked out. the scot lost after a really close deciding set to gabriel clemens, who becomes the first german to ever reach the last 16. and just after half past eight, i'll be speaking live to jockey bryony frost, who became the most successful female national hunt jockey of all—time this weekend,

with a win in the king george vi chase at kempton on saturday. i will be talking to her about her impact in the sport and women's sport more generally. she didn't realise she had made history until somebody told her afterwards. it's amazing, isn't it? it's so focused on winning races. the women's sport thing is secondary. and she loves that horse as well. they have a great bond. a great connection. you're watching breakfast on bbc one this morning — stay with us.

hello, this is breakfast with chris mason and louise minchin. lots of talk this morning about the snow which is dropping in many parts of the uk, you have been sending us your picture. here is chris in stoke—on—trent this morning. your picture. here is chris in stoke-on-trent this morning. good morning, you are up early! this one

is from peter in greater manchester, it looks lovely until you try and drive and then it is different. here's nick with a look at this morning's weather. there is quite a lot of snow in places. yes, they said there would be snow at christmas, some of us had a smattering on christmas day, but most of us are getting our first smattering today. but it is tricky on the road this morning, it is going to be a cold start to the next year, going to be a cold start to the next yea r, frosty going to be a cold start to the next year, frosty and ice at times, further rain, sleet and snow, but occasionally some sunshine. if you are in an area suffering with flooding at the moment, there will be occasional wet weather but not looking at those big rainfall amounts that we have seen recently so that will come as a simile. this is where we have this rain, —— come asa is where we have this rain, —— come as a relief. this is where we have had the rain, sleet and snow, it is

this zone here through north west england, the west midlands, pivoting toward south—west england where we are seeing a few centimetres of snow falling in places. elsewhere a bit of wet weather to be had from snow falling across parts of north—west scotla nd falling across parts of north—west scotland particularly in high areas. storm bella is still here but not as powerful as it was, it still has a moisture associated with it, and lots of cold air across the uk, which is why we are seeing some snow. even where you do not see it, it is frosty and icy, you see this rain, sleet and snow, it could edge eastward through the day across parts of southern england. we will have an area of wet weather stretching down to northern ireland towards north—west scotland, this has some snow, particularly towards higher ground. some wintry showers

in the north sea coast, hale, sleet, snow, and showered through the far west of wales and south—west england. nowhere is warm today, temperatures at the very best and only briefly up to around five or six degrees. overnight we will continue with a few showers around, continuing to bring some rain, sleet and snow across parts of eastern england through the night into some pa rt england through the night into some part of the midlands. frosty and icy again it's tomorrow morning. tomorrow, this area of rain sleet and snow pushes south and south—west across parts of england, showers around the coastal areas, a wintry mix of rain, sleet, snow and hail. but there will be quite a lot of dry weather at times, and some occasional sunshine, that will not make it feel any warmer. by wednesday, a bit of dry weather

around, coastal parts most likely to see showers. we need to keep an eye on an area of wet weather coming into the south—west which could again have some sleet and snow on the leading edge. we welcome in 2021, temperatures will not be any higher, still the chance of some rain, sleet and snow, but quite a bit of dry weather as we go into the weekend. a cold week to come certainly out there. thank you, this is virtually the nick half hour. you make it sound like a problem! not at all, you can get a like a problem! not at all, you can geta cup like a problem! not at all, you can get a cup of tea! we've got more from nick now as he and sarah keith—lucas look back at the weather in the uk and around the world in 2020. this time on weather world, 2020's biggest storms. floods, fire and record heat — in another hot year, despite coronavirus lockdowns,

leading to an unprecedented drop in carbon emissions. i am here at london's national maritime museum, where i will be walking around a world of records, from another remarkable year of weather. and i'm in bbc weather‘s climate check studio reporting on 2020's record—breaking hurricane season and looking at the climate trends that could change our weather in 2021. also on weather world, as wet as it gets — as the uk endures two of its top three wettest days on record, how a warmer world could also mean a wetter one. and oscar and i are back with more tips on how you can record your own weather at home. this time, we want to get an accurate reading with a thermometer.

welcome to weather world, from london's national maritime museum, a museum dedicated to britain's seafaring heritage. that's basically sailing versus the weather. it is the largest museum of its kind in the world. a world, of course, that in 2020 seemed so very different because of coronavirus, masks and all. and the pandemic has a severely limited our ability to travel and experience the weather beyond our own backyard — which is why i've come here, to their great map of the world, where i can at least do some virtual globe trekking to bring you some of 2020's weather highs and lows. spoiler alert, when it comes to heat, there are more highs than lows. our starting point is in north america in phoenix, arizona, which set a new record injuly for its hottest month on record, and then broke it straightaway again in august, and set another record for the number of days above 110 fahrenheit — that is 43.3 celsius,

53 in total. the previous record was 33. that is shattering a record. in europe, france set a record for the number of consecutive months with above—average temperatures. and in jerusalem, 42.3 celsius in september, it's never been recorded any hotter here. japan, in august, 41.1 celsius, that ties national record here, a record first set back in 2018. it is notjust those high temperatures by day which are contributing to the warming world, it is when it is not cold enough at night. for example in australia, sydney in november with a record warm night, where the temperature did not go lower than 25.4 celsius. there are some cold weather records too. it was cold in parts of the usa in october. but the cold records are heavily outnumbered by the hot ones. and even where you expect

it to be cold, well, it is simply not cold enough. in february, news of heat from antarctica, a temperature above 20 celsius recorded there for the first time, perhaps an outlier, but the longer trend is clear. the world meteorological organization says temperatures on the antarctic peninsula have risen by almost three degrees over the past 50 years. meanwhile, in the arctic, more worrying data in 2020, with the second lowest extent of summer sea ice since satellite monitoring began over 40 years ago. followed by a record late start to its annual refreeze. but if news of heat records sounds familiar, they came in a year that because of covid lockdowns, we saw a record drop in carbon emissions — the very thing which is blamed for playing a major role in causing temperatures to warm. we can talk now to dr emily shugborough, cambridge university's chief climate scientist.

emily, we spoke on this programme at the end of 2019, actually, about carbon emissions, and it seemed impossible that we would get a drop, but that is what has happened in 2020, but put it into context for me, how significant and sustainable is that? well, it is probably no surprise that as a consequence of the global lockdowns that we have seen around the world, emissions are likely to be somewhat lower this year, may be about 7% lower. but that is emissions. the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are still rising rapidly. if we look back at earth's history, the last time concentrations were so high was about 3 million to 5 million years ago, when temperatures were 2—3 degrees celsius warmer than they are today, and the seas were some 10—20 metres higher. 2020 is likely to be the hottest or second hottest year globally, what stands out for you in 2020 in terms of heat trends? we have seen places around the world with exceptional heat, california was particularly warm.

and that was associated with wildfires that caused absolute devastation. we also saw devastating wildfires in australia at the start of the year, and sadly, those look set to return. sydneyjust recorded its hottest november on record. but it's notjust been heat waves, wildfires, that we've seen, we have also seen devastating flooding. when it comes to attributing that to climate change, i mean, there is natural variability as well, how difficult is that or is it more clear—cut? climate change is increasing the risk of those sorts of extreme weather events. we can't say a particular extreme weather event was caused by climate change as such, but as the temperatures rise, the risk of having extreme heat waves increases, and also, the risk of other extreme weather events similarly increases. in terms of heat, the poles seem to be suffering the most. why does that matter so much?

as the ice melts, it finds its way into the oceans, and it raises sea levels globally. and we are seeing an accelerated rate of loss of ice from the ice sheets and an acceleration in sea level rising. emily, for now, thank you, we will talk to you later about what we might expect in 2021. even the places you would not think could get any hotter did in 2020, like here in the usa, the infamous death valley in california, where the temperature hit 54.4 celsius. that could be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on earth. but what does heat like that actually feel like? we asked brandy stuart, who works in death valley national park. it does feel like you are opening a door to an oven. all of our buildings in the park are air—conditioned, so it is nice inside, but really, any time i open up the door from my house

in the morning to go outside, you canjust feel the heat on your face immediately. heat seekers, i think theyjust want to feel what could be the hottest reliable recorded temperature on earth. just to have that experience, also, to see the heat rising from the asphalt on the roads, everything is radiating heat. so, a lot of our hottest summers have been within the last five years. and so, that is a concerning data point that we are seeing hotter and hotter summers, and that can still have effects in death valley national park, and it can have effects on the plants, animals and people that live there. brandy stuart from death valley, where you expect it to be hot, but now to the notjust unexpected, but unprecedented. let me walk across to africa and take you to a country, somalia,

here on the horn of africa, which since reliable records began, has not been hit by a hurricane strength cyclone. but all of that changed in november. cyclone gatti underwent explosive intensification as it moved into somalia from the arabian sea, bringing not only destructive winds but a years' worth of rain in just two days. cyclones are the same type of storm as typhoons and hurricanes, and when hurricane hanna made landfall in texas injuly, it was the first of a record—equalling six hurricanes to hit the usa in an extraordinary 2020 atlantic season. sarah has that story. thanks, nick. the 2020 atlantic hurricane season was like no other. we have not got time to go through every record it broke because there were so many storms exceeding all forecast expectations. not only a record total of storms, but the majority being the earliest

on record for their number. these are the storms that developed just in september, a record ten in total. and in september, the list of preplanned storm names ran out, which meant meteorologists had to start using the greek alphabet for only the second time to find new storm names. hurricane eita hit central america in november and it was a record—equalling 28th named storm of the season, bringing severe flooding to honduras. and to guatemala, where more than 150 people died in floods and landslides. after, storm theta took the season to a record 29 storms. central america was in the eye of a hurricane again, as iota became only the second maximum category five storm ever recorded in november. and although it weakened slightly before making landfall in nicaragua, the destruction it brought was widespread and devastating. there it goes. and of the 12 storms to hit the usa,

hurricane laura in august was the strongest in the state of louisiana in at least 160 years. so, what is the weather science that can explain such an active hurricane season? that's a question i put to a professor of geosciences at the university of south florida. first of all, we have to look at some of the large—scale time circulations that have been going on. so, the atlantic multi—decayed oscillation, this is in a positive phase, it has been since about 1995, and a positive phase of the amo tends to bring warmer sea surface temperatures, which are conducive for hurricanes, and so, we have a positive phase of the amo, but superimposed on that, also this year, we also have a moderate la nina. well, we will be talking about la nina later in the programme, but what is its influence on hurricanes? well, when you have la nina,

you tend to get weaker upper—level winds, we tend to get lower wind shear because of that, and that is conducive for these hurricanes to form. so, with warm sea surface temperatures that we have had this year, lower vertical wind shear, that has really provided the right breeding grounds to provide this record—breaking hurricane season. is it possible to say with any certainty what effect climate change might be having on hurricanes? when we talk about climate change, it is actually strongest when we are attributing types of extreme events such as heat waves which are more closely connected to human caused global temperatures increases. confidence tends to be lower than some other type of events, such as hurricanes. as you can imagine with global warming, we are seeing glaciers and ice sheets melting, and as they melt, the sea levels rise. well, when a hurricane's strong wind pushes that water onshore,

a storm surge, this results in even greater flooding. so we are already seeing impacts of climate change and global warming on hurricane impacts. jennifer collins, thank you. now, on the other side of the world, from that record—breaking atlantic storm season, similarly intense storms in the western pacific ocean are known as typhoons. in 2020, in contrast to the atlantic, the pacific has been quieter than average. the season started late, had a record quietjuly, and it has been unusually overshadowed by the number of atlantic storms. that said, the season roared into life in october with five storms going into vietnam, bringing huge rainfall totals and widespread flooding. and also in october, a super typhoon hit the philippines with such intensity, it now holds the record for the strongest to

make landfall there. but in contrast to what we have seen in the atlantic, it's thought stronger wind shear through the atmosphere helped to limit the number of pacific storms in 2020. now to some of your weather watcher pictures, from an early december snowfall. scenes like this in the uk are forecast to become increasingly rare as temperatures rise. the met office says unless global carbon emissions reduce significantly, by the end of the century, lying snow will have disappeared from all but the highest ground. you can become a weather watcher by signing up at the bbc website. still to come on weather world... a familiar winter scene in the russian city of vladivostok, but you won't believe what happens next. i am at the national maritime museum in london, using the great map here to do something the pandemic does not allow, which is travel

around the world, sort of, to tell the story of 2020's highs and lows. we have talked a lot about heat and the warmer atmosphere can contain more moisture, it is basic physics. so, when it rains, it really rains, and the results can be disastrous — as we saw in southern europe in october. a house is swept away by a flash flood as storm alex brings a deluge to south—east france in october, with more than 600 millimetres of rain in 24 hours. floods and record rain have been a recurring theme of 2020's weather, like here injapan injuly, where the country's meteorologists said parts of the country have been hit with extreme levels rainfall that have never seen been seen before. parts of east africa had the most intense seasonal rains in a century, affecting nearly 6 million people,

according to the united nations. the wet weather in 2020 and 2019 lead to the worst locust swarms in decades, devastating crops as they swept across east africa. in the uk, a succession of storms in february made it the wettest february on record. and then in a soaking october, the uk had its wettest day. three named storms hit the uk in february, producing severe flooding, particularly in parts of england and wales. on the 15th of the month, the uk had its third wettest day on record. but even wetter was to come on the 3rd of october, when, according to the met office, enough rain fell across the uk to more than fill scotland's loch ness, to make it the uk's wettest day on record. the city of oxford had its soggiest october since back in 1875, when the rain

caused extensive flooding. we know that because the city is home to the redcliffe weather station, the uk's longest continuous rainfall record, dating back to the 18th—century. its director is professor washington. on the 3rd of october, we had one of the wettest days in the entire record. 60mm of rain fell. and it rained 27 out of 31 days in october. so it was pretty clear that the rainfall record was the one to watch. rainfall generally is very complicated, there are all sorts of things occurring in the creation of rain, thunderstorms that bring the very heavy rain are quite different from the large atlantic cyclones that feature in the autumn months. but generally across the globe as a whole, we are seeing an increase in rainfall intensity and the intense rainfall events recently in oxford are part of that trend.

weather you're part of the world will be wetter or dry than average going into 2021 could depend on what is happening in the tropical pacific ocean, where meteorologists have declared a la nina event is underway. this is where easterly trade winds strengthen and push warm water towards the west. this in turn warms the air which rises, generating storm clouds. la nina years tend to bring a lot of rainfall to south—east asia and australia. australian forecasters are predicting a wetter than average summer for most of the country. on the other side of the pacific, the warm water is replaced by cool water, which wells up from the deep ocean and drifts westwards. this cools the air, so cloud and rain struggle to develop. so, the western side of south america will be drier than normal. but la nina also has impacts far beyond the tropical pacific. it can bring wetter south—west monsoons to south asia, and already,

2020's wet season brought india 9% more rainfall than normal, following a 2019 season that came in 10% above average, the first time since the 1950s, two consecutive years have been wetter than normal. and will la nina offer any hope to those areas devastated by wildfires in 2020, including here in the usa state of oregon in september? in fire affected areas, the influence of la nina is a mixed picture. in the amazon, la nina could bring long—awaited rain. northern brazil can often see increased rainfall in la nina years. north—western states of the usa, washington and oregon, are likely to have a wetter than average winter. but further south, it could be a more worrying story. la nina can divert much—needed rainfall away from california. this la nina event is forecast to peak early in 2021, but its influence could be felt much further into the year.

we can talk again now to doctor emily shuckborough, chief climate scientist at cambridge university. emily, with regard to la nina, could it be that its cooling effect means that 2021 is cooler than 2020? it looks as though we are entering a la nina phase, which will extend through the northern hemisphere winter, and those la nina phases are typically associated with slightly cooler global temperatures. whether or not that turns out to dominate above the overall warming trend that we are seeing mean that 2021 will be slightly cooler, we will just have to wait and see. but the overall trend that we are on is very much one of warming, and at our current rate of warming, we are already more than one celsius warmer than preindustrial times, and we are on track to reach 1.5 degrees of warming over the next 20 years or so. of course, all being well, in 2021, we will be post—pandemic, the global recovery will be underway.

carbon emissions will start to go up again. how much is this do you think an opportunity for a reset so that we don'tjust go back to the pre—pandemic world? that, i think, is critically important, isn't it? if we are to limit the impacts of climate change, we need to reverse that increase in emissions and decrease emissions by a similar amount to the amount that we have seen a degrees in emissions this year, but that needs to occur year on year so that we halve our global emissions over this coming decade, and we reach a net zero emissions globally by about the middle of the century. doctor emily shuckborough, thank you so much for talking to us again on weather world. my pleasure. with working from home being so commonplace this year, many people have got more time to watch and record the weather around their homes. on the last instalment of weather world, my son and i showed you how to make a rain gauge. this time we are looking at measuring our temperature.

oscar, what do we need? a thermometer like this one. we've got it. let's take a look at the best place to put it in the garden to get the most accurate reading. so, oscar, how about we put the thermometor up here? no, because that it is in the sunshine, giving you the wrong temperature. you're right. if we put it in direct sunlight, that means the sunshine warms up the surface of the thermometer, like it would to your skin on a sunny day, so then you get a recording of the temperature of the thermometer, not the true and temperature. not the true air temperature. so, we need shade. let's find somewhere else. so, this is a shady spot. how about we put the thermometer here? no, because the bricks reflect sunlight, heating up the thermometer. that's right. we should not put the thermometer on a building, there is central heating inside the building and the bricks give off heat as well. so, we need shade, not neara building, let's find another spot.

ok, so, we are in the shade, away from buildings, how about it we put it down here, oscar? no, because the ground reflects heat, too. that's right. we don't want it to close to the ground because the ground warms up and radiates heat away. so we want it about 1.2 metres above ground level. that is the same height as me. right, yes, so, we find the height of a seven—year—old, and how about this spot? it is away from any buildings, it is not in direct sunlight and it is not on the ground. remember, if you are recording the temperature from home, do it about the same time every day, about three o'clock in the afternoon for maximum temperatures, just when you are coming out of school. thanks for helping, oscar. shall we go inside and warm up? yes, please. now, earlier, we asked you what happens next as this man

cleared snow from his car. just about the luckiest escape you are ever going to see on weather world, as the weight of ice contributes to some cladding plummeting from a building onto a car, and almost its owner, in the russian city of vladivostok. you have got to see this. and finally... ..2020 has given us a lot of weather we would rather forget, but never forget, the sky can also produce moments of incredible beauty, as this uk photographer and astronomer, amtt robinson, is discovering whilst living in norway, thanks to the northern lights. oh, wow! and that is it from weather world from the national maritime museum, and our look back at 2020. for clips from our previous programs, go to the weather world website on the bbc. and look out for the monthly

climate check report. until the next weather world... bye. goodbye.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with chris mason and louise minchin. our headlines today: more signs of intense pressure on the nhs, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south east of england urge people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. it comes as hopes grow that the oxford astrazeneca vaccine will be given uk approval this week.

getting ready for brexit — a government warning to check your passport, travel insurance and mobile roaming charges before travelling to the eu. the end for free refills — sugary drinks are the latest target in the government's obesity clampdown. good morning. liverpool left frustrated as the league leaders drop points at home for the first time this season in a 1—1 draw with west brom. good morning. that moment when you pull back the curtains and see the snow, some of them —— some of us had that wow moment of this morning. a cold week to come. i've got your forecast. good morning. it's monday, the 28th of december. our top story. hospitals across the uk say they're facing intense pressure, as the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south of england are urging people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. london ambulance service says

boxing day was one of the busiest 24 hours in its history. and in scotland, doctors say health services could be overwhelmed, if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas, triggers a surge in cases. with this report, here's andy moore. health services across the country are under pressure, and in some areas such as wales and london, they are under particular strain. the capital is where the new variant of coronavirus is growing most rapidly. the london ambulance service has reported that boxing day was one of its busiest days ever, second only to march 16th earlier this year, when the first wave of the pandemic was beginning to surge. on the 26th of december this year, the service dealt with 7918 emergency calls. that's an increase of more than 50% on last year's total for the same day of 5217. in order to meet the rising demand, the service is putting back

office staff on the road, and drafting in extra ambulances from neighbouring regions. other ambulance services in the south—east are reporting similar problems. ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid. and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusion about how challenging this is. in wales, more than half of intensive care beds are now occupied by covid patients. it's a situation described as unprecedented. the situation across wales is quite sobering. the number of people that are presenting with symptoms of covid that not only require hospital admission, but are so seriously ill that they require intensive care, and that more than 50% of our bed occupancy in intensive care, is now due to covid patients,

is very worrying. in scotland, the country's clinical director has denied the system could be overwhelmed. he said measures were in place where extra capacity was needed. but some doctors are warning that a combination of factors could create a perfect storm. the combination of these two occurrences, much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain of covid, would result in many more infections. and therefore many more hospital admissions, and necessarily, then, more admissions to an intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly. but there is some good news on the horizon. another vaccine, the oxford university astrazeneca version, is expected to be given approval soon by the regulator and its roll—out could start early in the new year. the uk has ordered 100 million doses of this jab, and unlike the pfizer vaccine,

it doesn't need to be kept at extremely low temperatures. andy moore, bbc news. we will talk about that more shortly. meanwhile, countries across the european union have begun mass coronavirus vaccinations, with many prioritising the elderly and health workers. countries such as spain, the czech republic, italy and germany have all begun administering the doses, with the eu vaccination program aiming to reach 450 million residents. let's speak to our correspondent bethany bell. this is ambitious and really significant, isn't it? good morning? ——. good morning. this is being seen by politicians, governments across europe, is a sense of light at the end of the tunnel. in austria, the first person to be vaccinated was an 84—year—old woman. she said she was doing it because she wanted to be able to meet with her children, her grandchildren and her

great—grandchildren without having to worry. the austrian leader was there to watch her being vaccinated. he called this a game changer. in italy, the leader of italy said this was a day that would never be forgotten. giuseppe konta. it wasn't an old person who was vaccinated first in italy. it was a 29—year—old nurse who said she believed this was the beginning of the end of pandemic. we are seeing this picture across the eu. they're vaccinating people who live in care homes. they're vaccinating medical staff. but ina they're vaccinating medical staff. but in a couple of countries political leaders were among those getting the first jab. political leaders were among those getting the firstjab. the czech prime minister was the first to get the jab. also the greek prime minister. that is a way of trying to persuade people who may be hesitant about the vaccine to take it. there

is some hesitancy which people are hoping can be overcome as the vaccine is rolled out. bethany bell, thank you. businesses and people travelling to the european union are being warned to get ready for substantial changes from new year's eve. the cabinet office minister, michael gove, said there would be some disruption, which everyone needs to prepare for as the brexit transition period comes to an end. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. big ben chimes. this was the moment the uk left the eu. 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it'll be 11pm again, this time of the 31st of december, when we leave the single market and the customs union. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week, and it is expected to be in place before thursday. the eu are set to approve it

possibly as early as today. the uk parliament is expected to pass the necessary law on wednesday. but even with a deal in place, businesses that trade goods with the eu will still have to file customs declarations, even though they won't pay any tariffs. lorries wanting to use the channel tunnel or the port of dover will need a permit to enter kent. in holyhead, authorities are also putting in place measures to deal with possible traffic build—up. there will be new trade rules for northern ireland. the government has said there was likely to be some disruption to trade. it has advice for anyone planning a trip to any eu country except ireland. check your passport is valid, double—check your roaming policy for your mobile phone and take out full travel insurance. valid ehip cards will still be recognised. the government says with a big change comes challenge and opportunity. and that, it's reminding us, starting a few days' time. helen catt, bbc news.

we will be speaking to michael gove at half past eight. buy one, get one free promotions on unhealthy food, and free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants, will be banned in england from april 2022, as part of new government plans to tackle obesity. supermarkets will also be barred from displaying unhealthy goods at checkouts, as aruna iyengar reports. ministers want us to buy more of this and less of this. loading up the trolley with unhealthy buy—one—get—one—frees may soon be a thing of the past. ministers say this promotional practice is bad for our health, and encourages us to buy excessive amounts of food we don't actually need. the government says it wants to get tough on tackling obesity. and childhood obesity is seen as one of the biggest threats to britain's future health. the restrictions will apply to foods high in fat, salt or sugar, such as cakes, crisps, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, pizzas and ready meals.

smaller shops will be exempt from the rules. and there will be no more free refills of sugary soft drinks when dining out. suck in a tower burger smothered in spicy... an eight—week consultation will also propose going ahead with a ban on junk food adverts being aired on tv before 9pm. the approach, which will apply in england, is seen as a u—turn for borisjohnson who has in the past criticised so—called sin taxes and nannying by the state. aruna iyengar, bbc news. hundreds of british tourists have reportedly fled the swiss ski resort of verbier rather than face a ten—day quarantine. around 200 people are thought to have left the town, popular with uk holidaymakers, during the night. that was after switzerland's government ordered anyone arriving from britain after december 14th to self isolate following the discovery of a new variant of covid—19. reports claim tourists were even offered free champagne on christmas day

to make their stay more comfortable. there is some snow there and there is snow here as well. good morning. good morning. not sure about the skiing potential of this snow. but yes, there is some snow out there to start the day. a few centimetres in places. this is what we have had. snow cover in parts of scotla nd we have had. snow cover in parts of scotland and northern ireland. this is the snow may go through north west england, parts of the west midlands and down towards some spot in southern england. also, another area of snow pushing into north—west england at the moment. north—west scotland. particularly high ground. it is frosty, it is icy in places, an area of low pressure continuing to push south. with the moisture from that, plenty of cold air in place. that is why some of us are seeing that snow. it is icy. if you

do have to go out, there are a difficult travel conditions. we continue to see this area of rain, sleet and snow affecting parts of southern england, south midlands as we go through this morning. also some rain, sleet and snow through parts of north—west scotland, northern ireland. showers for a west of wales and the south—west of england. coastal counties with some showers. wintry showers. a cold day. quite windy to the west. we will continue with plenty of mainly coastal showers overnight. we could well see another area of rain, sleet and snow putting into part of england. i see going to start the day tomorrow. —— icy. day tomorrow. -- icy. thank you. there's more hope on the vaccine front, with the oxford—astrazeneca jab expected to be given the green light this week. if approved, it will be the second to be rolled out in the uk. let's just remind ourselves of where we are. 600,000 people have now been vaccinated in the uk after the pfizer/biontech jab was given the go ahead earlier this month.

the government has ordered 40 million doses. the us firm moderna revealed its vaccine is nearly 95% effective. a delivery of 7 million doses has been secured in the uk, although it's still waiting to be approved. and the government has 100 million doses of the oxford—astrazeneca vaccine on order, which is both cheaper to produce, and easier to transport. we can now speak to gp dr fari ahmad and virologist calum semple. good morning. thank you forjoining us. there is so much riding on these vaccines, what can you tell us about what we hope will happen this week, that the astra zeneca one will be allowed to go through? there is responsibility for looking at the safety a nd responsibility for looking at the

safety and effectiveness data. that isa safety and effectiveness data. that is a confidential process. i have no inside knowledge. but if approved it isa game inside knowledge. but if approved it is a game changer because the number of vaccine doses that will be available to britain and other countries, and the nature of this vaccine is very important, it can be stored at a more convenient temperature. and it can therefore be moved around the country a lot easier. that is the crucial difference, isn't it, with the vaccine that has been rolled out so far? it has been more practicalfor you and your colleagues in gp surgeries to administer this? yes, certainly. some gps have started administrating —— will administering the pfizer—biontech vaccine. we have very few days from when we get it to use it. so we still haven't been able to get it to care homes and places where the most vulnerable are, just because of the restrictions around it. the oxford

one, you can store it in fridge we use for our flu jab. it would certainly be easier to do that while doing the dayjob as well. certainly be easier to do that while doing the day job as well. so much riding on the vaccines. the key here presumably is to get out of the vaccines as quickly as possible, given what is known about the new variant of coronavirus? yes, obviously there is an urgency to this. and we know that it's difficult to vaccinate a of people at the same time. we've got a population of just at the same time. we've got a population ofjust under 70 million people. we are going to move through them in an orderly fashion, vaccinating people most at risk. this is also very important because not only does it generate the antibodies that will protect you from being infected, it also generates the hunter killer cells, these t cells. these deal with infections. they help people if they have got some infection. they can

treat that as well in the people that have been vaccinated. so it is a very good vaccine. i want to ask you both the same question. we know that some people are being vaccinated. how long before we start seeing that make an impact on the number of infections and people being badly affected as well? people that have been vaccinated as individuals will be protected within a matter of weeks. that is very important. on an individual basis these vaccines are so good they would protect individuals. we don't have to wait for this nonsense about herd immunity developing through natural infection. we can start to protect the individuals. to get the wider community, herd immunity, from vaccination rather than natural infection, would probably take 70% to 80% of the population to be vaccinated. that will take us right into the summer, i suspect. in your

gp surgery, again it will be some time before you starting an actual difference in the number of patients will it? i would hope the people who get it will come and... certainly people are starting to receive it now. their protection would be in place. i think ideally we get the most vulnerable first. i would hope we would see the impact. again, it's just about getting as many people cove red just about getting as many people covered in the time before you actually see the cumulative effect of it. talk to us about the practicalities of the coming months and how you will go about it, in practical terms in a surgery, rolling out these various vaccines that we hope will come on stream very soon, alongside all of your usual work? it is a colossal challenge, isn't it? yeah, it certainly is. i am sure lots of my colleagues across the country, this bank holiday we will be spending a fair bit of time doing how we are

going to do it. —— talking about how we're going to do it. at the moment you get about a thousand doses of the pfizer—biontech jab my. you have a short period of time to get it out toa a short period of time to get it out to a population that are often in their 805. you need a fair number of people because you have to delete it, draw it out. people watch people for 1520 minutes after they've had the jab my. you are restricted to how many you can get going and keep the process going. it is taking a lot of organisation. we have to get it right. it would probably be ea5ier it right. it would probably be easier with the odds for one because we have more time, it has a longer 5helf we have more time, it has a longer shelf life and we can manage it better. we are trying to get the vaccination clinic up and running while we can still carry on doing the dayjob. so yes, it has suddenly taken upa the dayjob. so yes, it has suddenly taken up a fair bit of time. in the early weeks of the first vaccine,

how much resistance did you hear about from people who might be relu cta nt to ta ke about from people who might be reluctant to take it? or is there justjoy reluctant to take it? or is there just joy that a vaccine had reluctant to take it? or is there justjoy that a vaccine had finally come along? what's really interesting is a lot of the elderly, the over 805, a very happy to have it. i was talking to somebody who was saying the number of people who didn't turn up at the site was very small. people are travelling. people are taking their parents, making an effort. i think they do understand how much of a difference this will make individually. ithink how much of a difference this will make individually. i think they have probably been the ones that are shielding and it hasn't had a massive impact. as we move through the age ranges i certainly think there will be some vaccine hesitancy. but i would hope that people will have seen the benefits of it. we have just lost her there. one last question to you, callum semple, i think you said it will start to make a difference by the summer. do you see the need for restrictions continuing for some

months? i am going to step back from policy decisions, but clearly having a vaccine protecting the most vulnerable and therefore the nhs, will be an important factor in the policy decisions. 0k. just talk about what the doctor was talking about what the doctor was talking about they but the need for more time, more staff, to get the vaccines out. as i got to be a mobilisation? yeah, and britain has been very good at that. we have vaccination programmes for our school is in place, we also vaccinate the elderly and risk groups for influenza. the technology for identifying these people and the logistics is built into r system. it is going to have to be stepped up to do many more people in a shorter period of time. that is feasible. the other aspect is that this vaccine is very well understood because it has been used for a of other diseases. the package that carries the e—mail that goes to the immune system has been used for

other diseases. there is a good understanding of how this vaccine should work. doctor, ithink understanding of how this vaccine should work. doctor, i think we have got our line back to you. a quick question before we say thank you to you both, if i may. another story we are reporting on breakfast this morning, this idea from the government in england to ban by one, get one free office on unhealthy food. —— offers. how important is that in this on going battle against obesity that we are forever hearing about? i think it's a small step. i think it's the right step. but i think it's the right step. but i think it's the right step. but i think it's a small step. it is one of many. with obesity there are so many factors that come into it. we are a nation that is obese and it has become an ongoing problem. i think sometimes having the ability to control what's in your environment can have an impact on what you put in your supermarket trolley and what you take on. i think it would be helpful. i think a

counter to it is to make healthy foods also cheaper and easier for people to use when you are doing this. interesting. the relative pricing of the two. thank you for your time this morning. we really appreciate it. weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across many parts of the the uk this morning, following on from heavy rain and strong winds caused by storm bella. people are being urged to stay away from swollen rivers, with more than 100 flood warnings still in place. residents living by the river great ouse in bedfordshire were told to evacuate because of flooding there. let's speak now to thomas healey and andreas doverstav, whose cafe in bedford was affected. morning both. thank you forjoining us. i don't know who wants to answer first. but what is happening right now with the cafe? describe the scene? hi, good morning. thank you for having us on the show. we are

here at the front of the cafe and behind us... it is about —1 here, so we are a bit chilly. we are standing at about three inches of silt mod. talk us through what happened? it was on christmas day when italy struck you? yeah, we were down all day christmas day. trying to do the best we can. we are used to floods. this time it was different. we've got the pumps, we got the bags, we got the pumps, we got the bags, we got barriers as well. but it was at such a height, we couldn't contain the water. we were down here on christmas day. we came at about eight o'clock. the water started coming up slowly —— quickly. we have the warnings. we left at about ten o'clock and we thought we had done everything we can do right now. we went on to actually get something to eat but unfortunately, we saw that

i1 of her main flood defences was down. we came back. the water was much higher. it wasn't really safe. and then wejust much higher. it wasn't really safe. and then we just left. these have been difficult times, but you have a flood on top of it as well, andreas, how are you coping, really? well, i don't know really, to be honest with you. you have to take it as it comes and keep on the positives. i think on christmas day, that evening, it was kind of like when we saw the flood barrier go down, when we came back down here, we just saw when that happened, we had to think, we had to save one group, most of the stock and most of the equipment. we had to focus on that. and then on boxing day there was just too much water here. you couldn't get to do

building. that is when all the messages came through on facebook and social media. we had all of our neighbours knocking on our door, waiting those good wishes and helping hands. they really helped through that day. yeah. it made a difference. yes, thank you everybody. we have not had a chance to come back to you all. we are going to be down here really getting dirty today. it is a wonderful thing to hear, the warmth from the community and your customers. talk us through, andreas, the plan is for today? i guess it is trying to get things back up and running, try to bring some money on? well, yeah. the good news is the coffee machine seems to be working. that has been standing on the shelf like nothing has happened. that's really good. we've had a whole team of staff on

standby. they are coming here tomorrow, this morning, to help out. really going to dig in. we have tom's sister. we have a team in our other place. that is all stocked up and ready to go. and we're hoping to be open at some point. have you lost your boats? 0h, be open at some point. have you lost your boats? oh, yeah. sadly, we've got some really unique high sided biking boats and we spent a lot of money getting them restored. we're missing at least two or three at the moment but it's not safe to go out and have a trudge about. next week we will have a look. somebody has taken eight drone out and taken

pictures. he has gone on a search for our boats. but we are missing a couple. what a shame. hopefully if somebody finds them they will get back on contact. at least the coffee is on. thank you. take care. let's bring john in with the sport. good morning. liverpool at home always win except when they don't quite. you think so? that is why sam allardyce has been appointed as west brom manager, to grind out some results. it is a tough place to 90, some results. it is a tough place to go, anfield. they managed to get a draw. that rare sight, champions liverpool dropping points at anfield for the first time this season. they opened the scoring early on thanks to sadio mane, but failed to turn their domination into clear cut chances. joel matty pat to go off injured.

another injury worry for the noble team. west brom equalised with ten minutes remaining to give sam alla rdyce minutes remaining to give sam allardyce his first point since taking charge of west brom. jose mourinho claimed tottenham were trying to win their match with wolves, despite his side spending most of the game trying to protect their early lead. and it was early, tanguy ndombele scoring a brilliant opener in the first minute. and instead of killing the game off, spurs sat back, and wolves levelled through romain saiss late on. in yesterday's other games, leeds beat burnley while west ham and brighton drew. in rugby union's premiership, wasps beat sale in the final league match of the year. wasps the better team in the second half demonstrated by charlie atkinson's great break, one of two tries in less than ten minutes as hooker tom cruse was then put through moments later. sale's interim coach slipping to defeat in his first match in charge.

six time champion roger federer will miss february's australian open for the first time in his career as he continues his recovery from knee surgery and when you consider he's going to be 40 next year, you hope there'll still be more to come. one man who will be there is andy murray, two years on from his emotional announcement that he may have to finish his career due to injury. having worked his way back from major hip surgery, he's been handed a wild card for the tournament where he's reached the final on five occasions. it's been a struggle for australia against india on day three of the second test in melbourne. after bowling india out for 326, and facing a big defecit in their second innings, the home side then collapsed to 99 for six — captain tim paine here the sixth wicket to fall. australia eventually closing on 133 for six — that's a lead ofjust two runs. india with a big chance of winning the game and levelling up

the four match series. but not of course one of the aussie fa ns but not of course one of the aussie fans will have been wanting to see. the boxing day test. they would like to see the aussies do better than that. india don't have virat kohli, their talisman, who has gone home for the birth of his first child. do i spot at the slightest smirk in your face with australia encountering a little bumpy moment? me? are impartial as ever. you're watching breakfast on bbc one this morning. stay with us.

hello, this is breakfast with louise minchin and chris mason. there is rather a lot of weather around, you may have opened the curtains and seeing snow, it is everywhere including greater manchester. yes, it is a wintry start for many of us, that magical moment when you look outside and there is snow out there. for more of us this morning, first snow of the season, the start of what is going to be a cold week. temperatures below average, a sharp frost at night in places, i as well. further rain, sleet and snow occasionally. there is good news, if you are in an area affected by

flooding, the overall precipitation will not be as high as it has been. there will be some sunshine this week. this is the snow radar, the snow in white, we have seen some pushing back in towards north—west scotla nd pushing back in towards north—west scotland particularly on the hills. this is producing a few centimetres from north—west england to the midlands and parts of southern england, and a bit snow especially on the hills into the south—west, so there is a lot of weather going on. the area of low pressure of storm bella is still here but not as powerful as it was. the main issue is the moisture we have in the cold air across us, which is why some of us are seeing some snow. it is icy in places as well, some met office warning sports snow and ice, covering parts of the uk. it's worth checking out if you have to travel.

snow we bought some of us, some of us will see some early morning sunshine. rain, sleetand us will see some early morning sunshine. rain, sleet and snow affecting parts of england. further snow in the north—west of scotland and northern ireland, showers in south england, wintry showers on the north sea coast. a cold day regardless of whether you see the showers or some weeks sunshine. into tonight, you continue to see the showers around and we could see the area of rain, sleet and snow pushing backin area of rain, sleet and snow pushing back in across parts of england in the north sea. turning things icy in places, frosty to start tomorrow. a chance some of us will have some fresh snow on the ground, and this area will push in particularly in parts of england. coastal showers will pick up some of the wintry showers and we will see pictures

below average for the time of year. no change in that regard on wednesday. sun uncertainty in detail here, but another area of moisture pushing in and we could see some sleet and snow on the leading edge. you get the idea, we are seeing out the year with some wintry and cold weather. i think we need to take care. thank you very much. 2020 began with the uk leaving the european union, and soon after politicians were dealing with the global pandemic. leila nathoo takes a look back on events in the year in politics. the beginning of a new decade filled with promise, but 2020 didn't play out as any of us expected. from this evening, i must give

the british people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home. it was a year of decisions politicians never imagined they would have to make... look at the huge temporary hospitals being created for coronavirus patients. the nhs is bracing itself. ..situations they hoped they would never have to face... we've got one of the worst death rates across europe, and now we are going to have one of the worst recessions. ..as the coronavirus pandemic took hold and the economy plunged into crisis. we are all prepared, we've got the covid—secure chairs, we've got hand sanitisers everywhere. the city isjust being picked on! the story of 2020 is one that we will never forget. for all of us, it's been a year of struggle and challenges including for those in power making the calls that have affected us all so profoundly. it was boris johnson's first year as prime minister, labour chose a new leader in sir kier starmer.

you might remember 2020 as the year that life stood still, but in politics, it's been a whirlwind. borisjohnson began the year having secured an emphatic election victory with an 80 seat majority and delivering on his promise to get brexit done. with the eu divorce deal backed by parliament, he had a new slogan of what he called "leveling up". people don't feel that they have a chance to get to the opportunity areas, to the high skilled, high payjobs, and that's one of the things that i hope by the end of this parliament, we will have tackled. it was supposed to be a fresh start... there you have it, we are no longer a member of the european union. ..leaving the bitter brexit battle far behind, now the issue that had dominated politics for years had been settled. unless something really, really odd happens, we are going to be sitting here next

year and the biggest thing that will have happened politically and all the rest will be the uk's out of the european union. well, something was happening on the other side of the world. in central china, a man has died following an outbreak of an unknown pneumonia like virus which officials say comes from the same family as the deadly sars virus. prime minister, are you concerned about coronavirus? at first, the risk to people in the uk was deemed to be low. this is not wuhan, but brighton. but the virus soon arrived on our shores. what had at first seemed a distant concern was soon at the government's front door. this budget is taking place against the backdrop of coronavirus. it's almost overwhelming every thing is, of course, with a dramatic news that our health minister has not gone down with it. minister has now gone down with it. things were moving fast. government's top scientific advisers are making public appearances, but initially, the government's response was low—key. i was at a hospital the other night

where i think there were a few coronavirus patients, and i shook hands with everybody. morning. officials arriving this morning for the emergency cobra meeting on the growing threat of the coronavirus. wash your hands. just what was the government's strategy for getting on top of this virus that was spreading through the country? the world health organisation advice was very clear, test, test, test. at an earlier stage, the uk changed its testing requirements. our aim is not to suppress it completely. also, because most people, the vast majority of people, get a mild illness, to build up some degree of herd immunity. is allowing this to spread to achieve herd immunity in any way government policy? herd immunity is not our policy, it's not our goal. our goal is to protect life. knowing now where we would end up, confined to our homes for months with restrictions on our lives for the rest of the year, it's easy to forget that in early march, the situation was changing rapidly

and the government's response had to quickly evolve. but looking to parts of europe, ministers and their advisers could see what was coming down the track. it's estimated we are three weeks behind italy, and if no action is taken, the epidemic here will double every 5—6 days. now is the time for everyone to stop non—essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel. we need people to start working from home where they possibly can. it's a dramatic shift in policy, and critics say it should've happened sooner, but officials here at the department of health say that it was only today that scientific advisors predicted a significant escalation in virus case numbers requiring radical new measures. the crucial choices the government made in those early days of the pandemic will be pored over for some time to come.

ultimately, borisjohnson, against his libertarian instincts, joined leaders across the world in delivering this shocking message to the nation. without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope, because there won't be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses. from this evening i must give the british people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home. the four nations moved in lockstep, england, scotland, wales and northern ireland in lockdown. schools closed for all children except those of key workers, keeping essential services going. international travel ground to a halt. and the economy shut down, prompting an unprecedented intervention from the government, a conservative one at that, to try to save jobs.

we are paying people's wages up to 80% so someone could be furloughed rather than laid off to protect theirjob. we prepared for the worst and cut ourselves off from each other to try to contain covid—19. we should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. we will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again. in all of this, labour had spent months choosing a new leader to replacejeremy corbyn who'd inspired his followers and shifted his party to the left but presided over two failed general election campaigns. in his place came his former shadow brexit secretary, sir keir starmer, his virtual victory speech delivered to little fanfare. we've got a mountain to climb, where that requires change, we will change. where that requires us to rethink, we will rethink. but while the new leader of the opposition was getting his feet under the table in extraordinary times,

the virus had struck at the very heart of government. the prime minister and the health secretary, the men in charge of britain's fight against coronavirus both test positive for the disease as the uk's death toll climbs again. i am working from home, i'm self isolating. we were told his symptoms were mild, but borisjohnson's condition took a dramatic turn for the worst. less than a mile from downing street, borisjohnson is in intensive care tonight — in a personal fight against the virus that the government and the country is trying to beat. as the first world leader to test positive for coronavirus, the prime minister was out of action in intensive care at a time of acute national crisis. borisjohnson would later reveal that it was 50—50 whether he would be put on a ventilator used to treat the most serious of cases. mercifully, borisjohnson recovered and in time to see the birth of his son, wilfred, at the end of april.

but others were not so lucky. the number of debt continued to rise, soon surpassing the figure of 20,000 that the government's chief scientific adviser had said would be a good outcome. official statistics are only now starting to give a sense of the scale of what's happened in england and wales. 10% of all deaths connected to the virus are happening in care homes. critics claim the government was struggling with key tasks, sourcing reliable and adequate supplies of protective equipment for hospital staff, and increasing the capacity for coronavirus testing and deciding whether to recommend the use of face coverings. while most of us were still grappling with the stay—at—home instruction and the heartache of not being able to see our loved ones, it emerged that some prominent people hadn't been sticking to the rules. to help save lives, stay at home. scotland's chief medical officer resigned after she admitted having visited her second home.

but it was the revelation that the prime minister's most senior adviser, dominic cummings... social distancing. ..had travelled across the country during lockdown that proved to be the most controversial... you're supposed to be more than two metres apart. you understand that for some people, it seems as if there was one version of the rules for you and one version of the rules for everyone else. no, i don't regret what i did. as i said, i think, you know, a reasonable people may well disagree about how i thought about what to do in these circumstances. ..especially since he kept hisjob. streets were deserted. silence descended. and all the while, the economy was taking a battering. in ordering lockdown, government — like other governments around the world — was requiring and requesting a big drop in economic activity on a scale and at a speed we've never seen before. yes, i can see the long—term

consequences of lockdown as clearly as anyone, and i want to get this economy moving as fast as i can, but i refuse to throw away all of the effort and sacrifice of the british people and to risk a second major outbreak. i really fear that, you know, unemployment on a scale that we haven't seen for a generation, 2 million plus possibly 3 million. i don't think that people appreciate the scale of the economic crisis that could be coming down the track. the chancellor was already paying 80% of the wages of those that had been furloughed. while our interventions have saved millions ofjobs and businesses, we can't save everyjob and every business. there were calls for more support for industries collapsing under the weight of restrictions. meanwhile, the government was trying to get a system of test, trace and isolate working, hoping to use it to be able to relax restrictions.

there has been no effective tracing in place since march 12th when tracing was abandoned. we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world beating, and yes, it will be in place, it will be in place byjune the 15t. but it was struggling to deliver. have you fixed your system yet? chanting: black lives matter! 2020 was also the year that issues of racial inequality and injustice came to the forefront. nojustice, no peace! black lives matter protester erupted in the uk after a black man, george floyd, was killed by police in america. we are not learning or growing from our past mistakes. we consistently put things under the rug and then move on and start something new. at the same time, there was concern that covid was disproportionately hitting those from ethnic minorities. the protest lead to tensions over how we represent the country's past...

this was how the churchill statue outside parliament was left. the prime minister calling it shameful. the monument had to be secured. ..and claims of a culture war. this feels to me like a bit of a deflection. let's get to the action, let's have some substance, let's do something about these historic injustices. there were concerns, too, over other gaps widening. with children out of school and forced to try to learn from home, it was clear that for some, their education was suffering. for those at critical stages of their studies, there was confusion about how they would be graded in cancelled exams. a lot of people will be sad and disstressed, it's a very stressful time. your future is uncertain. i was predicted aaa, and i've got given bcc, and ijust think it's unfair that we got given these grades even though we didn't sit exams in the first place. and each of uk nations changed their policy. i do acknowledge that we did not get this right, and i am sorry for that.

incredibly sorry for all of those students who have been through this. in england, the footballer marcus rashford secured not one but two u—turns of government policy... ijust don't want people to go through the same things. ..and his campaign to continue providing free school meals during the holidays. it was a hot summer, and after months of us staying at home or camped in our local parks, the infection rate started to fall, and some restrictions were gradually lifted. for the chancellor, it was time to get the country back out, spending and "eating out to help out", he said, with a major government subsidy. morning. but there were questions about his future flagship job supports package. leaving the furlough scheme open forever gives people false hope that it will always be possible to return to the jobs they had before. butjust as the government hoped the economy was starting

to get back on its feet... tonight at ten, concern and confusion in leicester, as local firms face a further period of lockdown. ..as life started to return to some communities, in others, especially in the north of england, infections were still on the rise and local lockdowns were imposed. we are all prepared, we've got the covid secured chairs, we have hand sanitisers everywhere. the city'sjust being picked on! sudden rule changes affected eid celebrations. i'll paint you a scenario, you've put the turkey in the oven and then you see a twitter feed which is telling you that christmas is cancelled. so, yeah, disappointing. the four nations were moving at different speeds with the relaxation and re—imposition of restrictions, exposing tensions in our system of devolved government. soon, a gulf opened up between westminster and the north of england over levels of support. is this a game of poker? are they playing poker with places and people's lives through a pandemic?

is that what this is about? the people who drive those taxis, who work in the pubs, many of them who may have voted for them, they said to them they would "level up", what we have seen today is a deliberate act of leveling down. over 70% icu capacity in manchester, in bolton, and in other hospitals within the region, that's a serious situation, and it demands action. but that action meant businesses forced to close again. it's my livelihood, it's the people who work for me, they have mortgages, kids, i'm bitter, i'm angry. boris johnson never thought that he would be the prime minister to take away what he called "the ancient right" of british people to go to the pub, something he said at the time he recognised was a huge wrench. but as well as some extraordinary firsts for a uk leader, he also had to contend with matters more familiar to his predecessors.

are you going to get a breakthrough, sir? are you close? we will see how things go today. good morning, mr bennett. how are you, good afternoon. britain had left the eu, but time was running out to put in new trade arrangements once the transition period came to an end. deadlines to strike a new post—brexit trade deal came and went, and the government's strategy continue to shock. yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way. that's not the kind of thing you hear very often in the house of commons — riling even conservative brexit supporters. how can we reproach russia, or china or iran when their conduct falls below internationally accepted standards when we are showing such scant regard for our treaty obligations? but in the midst of all the uncertainty around brexit and covid—19, borisjohnson was still trying to look to the future, promising a green recovery.

the uk government has decided to become the world leader in low—cost clean power generation. and he had the future of the union to worry about too. you can see for the duration of the pandemic that there has been an increase in the "yes support" to 56%. i will seek your authority, no one else's, for independent legal referendum to be held in the early part of parliament. shame on you! labour had its own concerns. in the autumn the equalities watchdog found the party had acted unlawfully in handling claims of anti—semitism under jeremy corbyn's leadership. his response, that the issue is one that had been exaggerated by his political opponents, prompted his extraordinary suspension from the party he had been a member of for more than 50 years... very shocked and very disappointed. ..and which he was in charge of at the start of the year. i made it clear that we won't

tolerate anti—semitism or the denial of anti—semitism through the suggestion that it's exaggerated or faction. meanwhile, coronavirus infections began rising once more. would we all be forced back into our homes for the cold months ahead? i don't want a second national lockdown, and i think it would be completely wrong for this country. the government's scientific advisers privately recommended three weeks ago that it was time to go much further. the circuit breaker is needed now to get this virus under control. but then... large swathes of the country come under tougher coronavirus measures with a full national lockdown starting in wales. over 3 million people there, whether in a higher low infection whether in a high or low infection area, will be under full restrictions now for the next 16 days. the uk government eventually went into reverse. i'm afraid the basic message is the same — stay at home, protect the nhs,

and save lives. on this and on extending the furlough scheme, rishi sunak has gone from eat out to help out to eating his words. we need a chancellor who is in front of the problems we face, not one who is always a step behind. there was disquiet on the government's own back benches too over the system of tiered restrictions in england. by putting down legislation of how people live their lives in private homes, that is not a space we should enter easily. madam deputy speaker, it stinks. collapsing the economy and destroying people's jobs and livelihoods can never be the right solution. there was desperation in some parts of the economy. see all these people? they have children. we need to social distance, or we are going to get in trouble! hungry children. we put a range of different support in place right at the beginning of this when there was such acute anxiety and worry for the country, but the good news is, that support lasts all the way

to next spring, and that is there alongside lots of other things we've done. in each of the nations, those in charge were under pressure to explain how and why we were here again. the cabinet has agreed to take further specific and targeted action to reinforce the current national measures we have in place. coronavirus was also playing a starring role in the key political event across the atlantic. this is quite an unbelievable scene, the president who is being treated for coronavirus is waving at his supporters while he is meant to be in the hospital. president trump recovered from the virus. we were getting ready to win this election, frankly, we did win this election. applause. the president—elect, joe biden. when in fact, he had lost the election to his democrat challenger. mr biden, a quick word for the bbc?

the bbc? i'm irish. and then the news all governments had been hoping for, the promise of a vaccine. a great day for science and humanity, that sentence alone tells you what a big day this could be in the fight against coronavirus. there were soon more scientific breakthroughs. just delighted here in oxford. huge, huge congratulations to you and your teams. it's the third goal in the back of the net now. oxford has created a vaccine not just for britain, but for the world. meanwhile, a major bout of office politics triggered some big changes inside number ten. the prime minister's most senior adviser, dominic cummings, was out. no longer loyal to the man who'd been by his side for years, boris johnson did stick by his home secretary, priti patel, when she was found to have broken the ministerial code in a bullying inquiry. i am sorry if i have upset people in any way whatsoever. that was completely unintentional.

the cost of coronavirus had been building up. our health emergency is not yet over, and our economic emergency has only just begun. many key workers who willingly took on so much responsibility during this crisis are now being forced to tighten their belts. in contrast, there has been a bonanza for those who have won contracts from this government. the chancellor would have to decide how to start paying for it all. we have all spent most of the year not being able to share meals with our loved ones, but over christmas, the four nations decided to relax restrictions for a few days to allow us to meet. it was much needed respite from the isolation of 2020, but scientists warned the government it was playing with fire given that any mixing over the festive period could send infection rates soaring in the new year. but it was a gamble that ministers

were willing to take. until... given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, the potential risk exposes, it is with a very heavy heart, i must tell you, we cannot continue with christmas as planned. dozens of countries shut their doors on the uk. lorries backed up, unable to cross the channel. the new variant is out of control and we need to bring it under control. and this news about the new variant has been an incredibly difficult end to, frankly, an awful year. meanwhile, brexit talks were coming to a head with the end of the transition period looming. negotiators had shuttled back and forth between london and brussels... distance. a deal for post—brexit is there... a good deal is still there to be done. ..until it wasn't. the two sides kept us guessing until the last possible moment.

we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion, a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the uk and the eu because although we have left the eu, this country will remain culturally, emotionally, historically, strategically, geologically attached to europe. so we have finally found an agreement. it was a long and winding road, but we have got a good deal to show for it. it is fair, it is a balanced deal, and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides. in the years since borisjohnson secured his place here, our world has turned upside down. the prime minister himself fell victim to the virus

that he was in charge of tackling. his recovery was short, the economies and societies will take far longer. where and how we go from here with britain in a new relationship with the eu are the crucial political questions for the year ahead and beyond. good morning, welcome to breakfast with chris mason and louise minchin. our headlines today: more signs of intense pressure on the nhs, as cases of coronavirus continue to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south

east of england urge people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. it comes as hopes grow that the oxford astrazeneca vaccine will be given uk approval this week. getting ready for brexit — a government warning to check your passport, travel insurance and mobile roaming charges before travelling to the eu. the end for free refills — sugary drinks are the latest target in the government's obesity clampdown. good morning. in sport, she's the most successful female jump jockey of all time. i'll be talking to bryony frost after her historic win in the king george the sixth chase on boxing day. good morning. more of us waking up to the first snow of the season. it is frosty, it is icy, it is going to be a cold and 22020. forecast on the way. —— cold

and to 2020. good morning. it's monday, the 28th of december. our top story. hospitals across the uk say they're facing intense pressure, as the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. three ambulance trusts in the south of england are urging people to only call 999 if there's a genuine emergency. london ambulance service says boxing day was one of the busiest 24 hours in its history. and in scotland, doctors say health services could be overwhelmed, if the relaxation of covid restrictions for christmas, triggers a surge in cases. with this report, here's andy moore. health services across the country are under pressure, and in some areas such as wales and london, they are under particular strain. the capital is where the new variant of coronavirus is growing most rapidly. the london ambulance service has reported that boxing day was one of its busiest days ever, second only to march 16th earlier this year, when the first wave of the pandemic was beginning to surge.

on the 26th of december this year, the service dealt with 7918 emergency calls. that's an increase of more than 50% on last year's total for the same day of 5217. in order to meet the rising demand, the service is putting back office staff on the road, and drafting in extra ambulances from neighbouring regions. other ambulance services in the south—east are reporting similar problems. ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services. everybody affected by the impact of covid. and talking to trust leaders overnight, they are under no illusion about how challenging this is. in wales, more than half of intensive care beds are now occupied by covid patients. it's a situation described as unprecedented. the situation across wales is quite sobering.

the number of people that are presenting with symptoms of covid that not only require hospital admission, but are so seriously ill that they require intensive care, and that more than 50% of our bed occupancy in intensive care, is now due to covid patients, is very worrying. in scotland, the country's clinical director has denied the system could be overwhelmed. he said measures were in place where extra capacity was needed. but some doctors are warning that a combination of factors could create a perfect storm. the combination of these two occurrences, much more mixing over christmas and the very high transmissibility of the new strain of covid, would result in many more infections. and therefore many more hospital admissions, and necessarily, then, more admissions to an intensive care unit and more deaths, sadly.

but there is some good news on the horizon. another vaccine, the oxford university astrazeneca version, is expected to be given approval soon by the regulator and its roll—out could start early in the new year. the uk has ordered 100 million doses of this jab, and unlike the pfizer vaccine, it doesn't need to be kept at extremely low temperatures. andy moore, bbc news. meanwhile, countries across the european union have begun mass coronavirus vaccinations, with many prioritising the elderly and health workers. 101—year—old gertrude haase was the first person to get it in germany, while three health workers were the first to receive the vaccine in rome. the president of the eu commission, ursula von der leyen, said she hoped the 27 country bloc would be able to vaccinate everyone in europe by the end of 2021. businesses and people travelling to the european union are being warned to get ready for substantial changes from new year's eve.

the cabinet office minister, michael gove, said there would be some disruption which everyone needs to prepare for as the brexit transition period comes to an end. here's our political correspondent, helen catt. big ben chimes. this was the moment the uk left the eu. 11pm on the 31st of january this year. and it'll be 11pm again, this time of the 31st of december, when we leave the single market and the customs union. this time the government says we will notice the change. a trade deal was finalised in brussels last week, and it is expected to be in place before thursday. the eu are set to approve it possibly as early as today. the uk parliament is expected to pass the necessary law on wednesday. but even with a deal in place, businesses that trade goods with the eu will still have to file customs declarations, even though they won't pay any tariffs. lorries wanting to use

the channel tunnel or the port of dover will need a permit to enter kent. in holyhead, authorities are also putting in place measures to deal with possible traffic build—up. there will be new trade rules for northern ireland. the government has said there was likely to be some disruption to trade. it has advice for anyone planning a trip to any eu country except ireland. check your passport is valid, double—check your roaming policy for your mobile phone and take out full travel insurance. valid ehip cards will still be recognised. the government says with a big change comes challenge and opportunity. and that, it's reminding us, starting a few days' time. helen catt, bbc news. we will be speaking to michael gove in about 20 minutes. buy—one—get—one—free promotions on unhealthy food, and free refills of sugary soft drinks in restaurants, will be banned in england from april 2022, as part of new government plans to tackle obesity. supermarkets will also be barred from displaying unhealthy goods at checkouts,

as aruna iyengar reports. ministers want us to buy more of this and less of this. loading up the trolley with unhealthy buy—one—get—one—frees may soon be a thing of the past. ministers say this promotional practice is bad for our health, and encourages us to buy excessive amounts of food we don't actually need. the government says it wants to get tough on tackling obesity. and childhood obesity is seen as one of the biggest threats to britain's future health. the restrictions will apply to foods high in fat, salt or sugar, such as cakes, crisps, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, pizzas and ready meals. smaller shops will be exempt from the rules. and there will be no more free refills of sugary soft drinks when dining out. an eight—week consultation will also propose going ahead with a ban on junk food adverts being aired on tv before 9pm.

the approach, which will apply in england, is seen as a u—turn for borisjohnson who has in the past criticised so—called sin taxes and nannying by the state. aruna iyengar, bbc news. hundreds of british tourists have reportedly fled the swiss ski resort of verbier rather than face a ten day quarantine. around 200 people are thought to have left the town, popular with uk holidaymakers, during the night. that was after switzerland's government ordered anyone arriving from britain after december 14th to self isolate following the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus. reports claim tourists were even offered free champagne on christmas day to make their stay more comfortable. eight minutes past eight. a lot of snow there. and there is some here as well.

good morning. snow of doubtful skiing quality, it has to be said. not much gardening to be done at this time of the year. some of this white stuff. some of us waking up to snow. more to come for others. snow from north—west england to the midlands, to some spot and softening them. more in northern ireland north—west scotland. wintry showers running down north sea coast as well. and away from that it could blood be icy. an area of low pressure is bringing the moisture. cold air in place. that is why for some of us it is now. met office weather warnings for snow and ice. some difficult conditions with this ice. as we go through the day it is a case of seeing where this area of rain, sleet and snow will be. further showers. very windy for

some. quite a ghost this morning of nearly 70 mph on the isles of scilly this morning. temperatures really struggling, 45 degrees. a frost, ice setting and again tonight. furthering wintry showers. this area pushing down to parts of england could produce now in some spots. icy to start of the day. it is a cold weeks to come. that is your forecast. thank you. pressure is mounting on the nhs once again as coronavirus cases continue to rise, right across the uk. the london ambulance service says boxing day was one of the busiest days in its history, and in scotland, doctors have warned that health services could be overwhelmed. let's talk to professorjackie taylor, the president of the royal college of physicians and surgeons of glasgow, along with dr katherine henderson, who is president of the royal college of emergency medicine. good morning to you both. thank you

for joining good morning to you both. thank you forjoining us. we want to get a sense of where things are. what can you tell us about the pressure on the nhs at the moment? how would you assess what is going on? it is very pressured indeed. there are large numbers of patients coming in with covid. i was on on christmas day and it was wall—to—wall covid. we see patients who are coming in who have covid symptoms. we also see other patients coming in with problems who turn out to be covid positive. between that there is a great deal of difficulty getting those patients through into the wards.|j of difficulty getting those patients through into the wards. i will come back to you in a minute. if i can ask you the same question, professor jackie taylor, how much pressure is there where you are? yes, we are seeing significant pressure within scotland. in fact, our busiest time was in october and november. the pressures that london and the south—east is currently under, we have already endured in october and

november. we are seeing significant amounts of patients with covert —— covid, and other emergencies we see at this time of the year that mount up at this time of the year that mount up to our standard winter pressures. professor taylor, how worried are you given the mixing on christmas day that, as we reported a few minutes ago, the situation in scotla nd minutes ago, the situation in scotland could get even more bleak in the coming weeks? yeah, i think the clinician here are very concerned. when there is increased mixing we know there is likely to be increased transmission. levels have never fall into the kind of level we would wish. we are starting from a higher base. in addition, the new variant strain that we are seeing does appear to be significantly more transmissible. that it does give us a great cause for concern. when we

add that to, as i've just mentioned, the usual winter pressures, which happen in january, february, the usual winter pressures, which happen injanuary, february, march, we are very happen injanuary, february, march, we are very anxious happen injanuary, february, march, we are very anxious about the potential for a further huge surge in cases. professor taylor, should christmas day mixing have been banned in hindsight?” christmas day mixing have been banned in hindsight? i think it's very difficult to say that. i think we are all very well aware of the huge cost there has been to individuals. we have to remember our humanity and how important it is for some people to have had the ability to be with family, even for a short time. ithink to be with family, even for a short time. i think it was absolutely right that the restrictions were only flexed for that day. but inevitably, there will be a cost for this. one of the things that we are particularly concerned about here in scotland is that the new year festivities will shortly be upon us. of course, there is no relaxation for those facilities —— festivities.

it is extremely important households don't. when we are dealing with such a transmissible virus, and this new strain is even more transmissible, then those restrictions, in terms of not mixing households, social distancing, wearing masks, hand washing, those restrictions, those pieces of guidance become absolutely vital. so one of the messages we are keen to give is that we can't let our guard down at this point. we really must reinforce all the things that we perhaps sometimes become complacent about. catherine henderson, you mentioned you were working on christmas day. we know from the london ambulance service that boxing day was one of the busiest ever in its history. is there a chance that the nhs at some point will be overwhelmed, or will you be able to cope? the chances are we will cope but we coped at a cost

and the cost is not doing what we hoped, which is keeping none covid activity going. we will stretch staff. the problem is we have a lot of staff sickness. the transmissibility means of staff sickness. the tra nsmissibility means that of staff sickness. the transmissibility means that our staff, who are part of the community like everybody else, are getting infections or having to self—isolate. we will work double shifts, we will pull people in off annually. we have also to people working. so we will cope. but what you see is see is what is overwhelmed, the attempt to keep other services going. we just won't be able to do that. people don't see that. they see the ambulance queues. at the ambulance queues come about because we can't get patients out of emergency departments. we can't get them out because we can't onto the ward because we don't have staff beds on the ward, or we are running short of our icu beds. we can't then

do the major surgeries people need. we can't do some of the care that people would help the nhs would still deliver. it is always challenging in winter. nobody would say it wasn't. but at the moment of the level of patient need is incredibly high. then other things stop being able to be done. you mention about ambulances queueing up outside. are they queueing up to date, for example? are they overnight? the whole of the sector, london has been under strain on ambulances. i was talking to my collea g u es ambulances. i was talking to my colleagues in the ambulance service yesterday. we are seeing long queues. we are trying to off—load as fast as possible. but we just don't have the cubicles. you literally don't have a trolley to put the patient on. so we have got to try and get that situation under control by gaining some more bed capacity, we will need staff for those beds, it is not just we will need staff for those beds, it is notjust about having a physical bed. we would hope to start seeing the benefits in london of the

tier 4 restrictions and transmission rates going down. but there is a big lag. all of the people we are seeing at the moment were infected two weeks ago. so there is a lag before weeks ago. so there is a lag before we start seeing the effects of the new restrictions. so it is incredibly important we don't get another surge. i would echo the message about a new year. please, don't take the chance on this. please, don't take it likely that we have an additional storage. don't mix. wear masks. wash your hands. keep separate. all the things we now. we really need people to take them seriously now. professor taylor, doctor henderson was talking about the wall—to—wall covid in london, but also the knock—on consequences for people seeking other care perhaps who have operations booked in forjanuary, the unseen costs of covid. we already know how many operations we re already know how many operations were cancelled this year, the back already dare. i guess you guys in

scotla nd already dare. i guess you guys in scotland facing that same challenge. the grim reality that even when we do emerge out of this winter, that of the legacy of the coronavirus on the nhs for people with other health concerns is going to be so long? well chris, that's absolutely right. none of us wants to be in a position where we are not able to carry out all of the nhs activities. but as catherine has said, we have to prioritise work. and when these systems are under enormous pressure with emergency work, be that covid or none covid, then we have to shift resources so we can provide that ca re resources so we can provide that care effectively. everybody has been working over the past nine months to try to ensure that we catch up with backlog. we will continue to do that. the harsh reality is that in

some places which are under pressure, some of that nonurgent work will have to be posed. we have two books on the urgent work and we have to be able to roll out of the vaccination programme. but there are hidden harms from covid, as you mentioned, both in terms of —— operations and other social and mental health and economic terms. we are all very well aware of them. as health care professionals we want to be able to treat everybody. we want to make sure everybody gets the best of care. but unless we get a grip of covid and really get on top of this, then we won't be able to open up the other services again. it isn't a case of either or, they are not really competing in that sense. we have to focus on getting on top of the acute problem is that we have at the acute problem is that we have at the moment. thank you both for your time. we are grateful for you sharing your assessment with us. professorjackie taylor and doctor or catherine henderson. —— dr

henderson. with so many of us stuck at home, 2020 was the year that saw our relationship with the great outdoors change. lockdowns have led many of us to appreciate our natural surroundings like never before, so as the national trust publishes its annual wildlife review today, breakfast‘s john maguire has been looking back on a year like no other. at least 2020 has been good for some. the grey seal population here at blakeney point on the north norfolk coast, is thriving. it's just a handful of pups that were born at the end of the late 90s, early 2000s. we're now on roughly 3,500 to 4,000 pups born every year. so they've basically been increasing since then. so it's been a pretty phenomenal rise. and they don't really show any signs of slowing down at the moment. it's been a year of large scale trends driven by climate change, but also lockdowns and restrictions have meant that some of the conflicts between the human

and the natural world have been diminished. it's been a kind of record breaking year, and we can expect that as the climate continues to change. and so the challenge for us really is, how do we respond to, not only the climate, but also the nature crisis? and so we're having to adjust our land management to make sure that we make are our landscapes as not only nature—rich, but resilient also to the change which is locked in now. by monitoring its sites across the uk, the trust can produce an audit of the year in nature. for example, beavers. hunted to extinction in the uk centuries ago, they were returned to the honeycut estate on exmoor injanuary, and have thrived, building the first dams seen here for 400 years. severe storms, including ciara and dennis, caused widespread damage in february, such as here on the river dart in devon.

but spring sprung sunny and dry, breaking records in may, as we came to terms with life locked down. always first thing in the morning, i used to live about half past five, quarter to six, to go on my walk. so, yes, i always got out. we were out quite a lot in our local area, doing it a lot more than we would normally. so we have been out and about quite a lot, haven't we? post—summer conditions produced spectacular autumn colours, an antidote to the second lockdown. however, we were allowed to spend more time outdoors than during the first. there was, though, an increasing amount of grey, as another disease thrived in 2020. ash dieback caused widespread damage to woodlands. but, a great yearfor apples. the perfect combination of warm and dry in spring and summer, followed by autumn rain, meant a bumper crop. for many people, the chance to get out and about this year has been vitalfor physical

and mental well—being. you know, it's really important for your mental health. it's made her a lot happier, a lot fitter. and, you know, if anything did happen, i think she's got a good fighting chance of getting rid of the bug. i get a lungful of fresh air here. what more could you say? it's true, isn't it? it'sjust lovely. very important for us, at our age anyway, especially, you know. speak for yourself! we need to get out. i mean, this is this is probably why we've got a dog. yeah. it sort of makes us get out. we've got a good garden. but we would just stay at home all the time. but this gets us out, mixes with other people, you know. fresh air, you know — what better place could you come anyway then here? yeah. 2021 should see a return to normality, with all of the advantages and disadvantages that brings for our flora and fauna. but one legacy of this year will be the huge hole in the finances of the charities that work to better protect our surroundings.

nature may well be resilient, but these days it appreciates a helping hand. john maguire, bbc news. let's get more on this now with wildlife presenter iolo williams. i was hoping you would be outside but i gather the weather is not good out there for you. you love the great outdoors. do you think we have learned to appreciate it a bit more this year? yeah, i think we have. that's one of the few positive things to come out of this pandemic, people have been forced to spend more time out of doors locally and they have reconnected with wildlife. the number of people who came up to me and said, i am hearing more birdsong, i had to explain you are not hearing more birdsong, it is quieter. you're out of doors more. you are spending time looking and listening to these things. it has been a great time to reconnect with nature. and you great believer that it can really help people's mental

health, for example? 0h, very much so. it's very pleasing to see that some doctors are actually prescribing time out in the open air, time out with rather than pills to tackle things like depression. mental health, it's going to be a huge issue following on from this pandemic. i think wildlife is going to be having a key role to play. i have been lucky through the pandemic. i have a small garden. i can go out and look at birds nests. i had can go out and look at birds nests. ihada can go out and look at birds nests. i had a lovely donor can nest this spring. that was followed a few lea ked spring. that was followed a few leaked weeks later by finding a black bird nest with four fully grown checks on it. things like that. they don't just grown checks on it. things like that. they don'tjust make your day, they make your way, they make your month, and they give you that left that you need just to plough on. all kinds of things. butterflies coming in here. spring flowers. a few moths as well. i had a really good time looking at maths this year. things like this antler month i found in

early summer. and a male ermine moth, beautiful white moth with these delicate blackspots. virtually anybody anywhere can do exactly what idid anybody anywhere can do exactly what i did this spring. if you have got a garden you can do it. if you haven't, you have got the local park. it is vitally important now more than ever that people do get out and they connect with nature.|j love the ermine moth. i can see why it is called an ermine moth. it is beautiful. tell us what people can do? people are not lucky to have a garden, how can they engage with nature? yeah, it doesn't matter where you are. everybody will have a local park, a local cemetery, may be a stream, a river or a canal. just get out to somewhere that is quieter. a little bit wilder. if you are in the middle of london you have more chance of seeing a fox that i have here in mid wales. so many people now are doing urban birding,

looking out the window towards these guys. i have a friend who lives in the middle of birmingham when she saw a peregrine fault on the other week. the fastest bird in the world. this is akin to having a lamborghini turn up on your doorstep in the middle of london. she said, "this has made my year." really, it is matter where you are. we really need to reconnect with nature. matter where you are. we really need to reconnect with naturelj matter where you are. we really need to reconnect with nature. i love that analogy, the lamborghini. do you think the fact —— the fact people are more engaged will help in lobbying politicians, for example? yeah, ithink lobbying politicians, for example? yeah, i think that is the next big step. persuading those people in power that wildlife, that nature, it is important. it's important for its own sake, of course, but it's important for us. that would be the next big thing. ijust hope that after this pandemic that seed has

been sown in the heads of so many youngsters, so many adults as well who have connected with nature may be for the first time. it is only once we appreciate nature that we learn to fight for it. and if we do fight for it, i hope we see more people joining fight for it, i hope we see more peoplejoining organisations fight for it, i hope we see more people joining organisations like the rspb, the wildlife trust, whatever it is. that gives a stronger voice, a stronger lobby for wildlife, as we move forward beyond this pandemic. we know that it is snowing out there today. what should we be looking for? is there anything in particular we should be looking out for in these wintry weather conditions? yes, there is a lot out there. we are not down here in wales. the spring lockdown was easy because the weather was lovely. even now whether it can help. put some food out for the birds. some peanuts. you get these lovely little garden birds coming in. i had a look out this morning at first light i had a great spotted woodpecker,

blackbird, long takes. put out some nesting boxes for birds, for bees, for hedgehogs, maybe create a little pond. it doesn't have to be a big pond. it doesn't have to be a big pond. it doesn't have to be a big pond. it could be the top of a been turned up down filled with water. that's a way of bringing nature in wildlife into your local garden. thank you. a bursting enthusiasm for nature. love it. love it. well, earlier we asked you to send us your lockdown nature pics and you didn't disappoint. but first i wanted to show you this one of mine. that's lovely. this is the ferrari of the countryside. the yorkshire dales. wharfedale of the countryside. the yorkshire dales. wha rfedale on of the countryside. the yorkshire dales. wharfedale on my last trip i come back in october. you can see the autumn colours. to meet my mum and the relatives and to that walking around outside. can't wait to be back in the new year, touch wood. carol smith sent this picture

of her dog on an empty beach in newquay. and caroline hart sent this wonderful shot from the new forest. and finally, this is from marie, a gorgeous shot, the cheviot hills in northumberland. thank you. thank you very much indeed for all your lovely pictures. from thursday, there'll be big changes in the way we travel or do business with the european union. the government is warning there'll be "some disru ption" which everyone needs to prepare for. we're joined now from westminster by the cabinet office minister, michael gove. good morning. some disruption, talked of us in specifics. come new year's day, what changes in practical terms? businesses will need to make sure that they are ready for new customs procedures,

and we as individuals need to make sure that our passports are up because they need to have at least six months before expiry on them to be able to travel abroad. but more guidance is available on the government's website, cover .uk forwards transition. those web addresses are never straightforward to read out! you guys and government have been warning for some months about the need for businesses in particular to prepare, here we are a few days before, in yourjudgment, how prepared are businesses? are there some who still have work to do? again, i would not criticise any business because it is government job to support business in order to be ready. i think a lot of businesses are ready, particularly the larger businesses. some smaller businesses will still want to do a bit more in order to be able to be ready. we are there to help them, and the advice we are giving and the

money we have invested in making sure that people can be ready for customs procedures is designed to help. i'm sure there will be bumpy moments but we are there to do everything we can to smooth the everything we can to smooth path. what you mean by bumpy moments? this is people's livelihoods, isn't it? that's right, that's why we are doing everything we can to provide the information necessary in order that people recognise what we are faced with. as we leave the european union and are outside the customs union, those new requirements will mean that in particular when people arrive at the french border, they need to have the paperwork in order. one of the things that we have done is make sure the businesses that are sending goods through kent to dover and on to calais are in a position to be able to check to see if they have got the right paperwork. if they haven't, then we would advise them absolutely not to make that journey because not only will they be turned back, that is precisely what i mean. making sure everyone

has that paperwork in order. and we hope that the information we are providing will enable people with the wherewithal to be able to navigate these new procedures. let's talk about the brexit deal this encounter it has with parliament coming up on wednesday. the whole mantra around brexit, the idea of taking back control, parliamentary sovereignty. and yet, here comes this hulking deal with hundreds and hundreds of pages, and just one day of parliamentary scrutiny? it's not ideal, is it? we have been debating brexit forfour years... ideal, is it? we have been debating brexit for four years... but not the deal. we have been debating the outlines of what a deal should be. it sometimes seems as though the brexit event would never end but now —— debate would never end but now we have a good deal, an opportunity to move on and an opportunity to take advantage of the opportunities

brexit would bring. the prime minister said if you voted for him, he would get brexit done, he did, he took us out and secured this deal. now we can put the big political debate about brexit behind us and concentrate on make sure... that's not to answer the question i asked about scrutiny this week. the blunt reality is, this huge deal, of course you make the case that it is a great deal, but mps are rapidly trying to read it to provide their duty of scrutinising the government, and they have got hardly any time to do it. i put it to you again, that's not ideal, is it? i think it is better to have a deal than not, a point that keir starmer... better to have a deal than not, a point that keir starmer. .. that's not what i asked, i asked about scrutiny. one of the things you have an opportunity to do now is ask me questions about the deal. we will have a debate in the house of commons, members of parliament have been reading the 1200 page deal alongside their christmas turkey, and so far it has been the case that most people certainly that i have

heard from believe that this is a good deal but of course we are more than happy to answer any specific questions about aspects of it, not just from parliament but public as well. why not give parliament two days, perhaps parliament could have come back tomorrow as well as wednesday? we had full scrutiny in the sense that it is an extended parliamentary day. but again, we have been debating brexit for a long time now. i think that most members of parliament understand that the country gave them a clear instruction at the general election which was to get it done. let's talk about fishing, briefly, if we may. you have said several times over the last few years during the ongoing discussions around brexit that your own father's this processing business in aberdeen went to the wall because of the eu but we have heard from the last few days from those representing the fishing industry that they feel that they have been let down by this deal. the

uk fisheries chief executive say, we are still looking for the produced prodigious amount of fish we were promised, and others are less confidentially than that. all the time we are in the eu, we were in the common fisheries policy and that acted on a constraint on our fishing communities and the fishing industry declined. now we have a chance to turn the corner. at the moment in the eu, we can only fish about half the eu, we can only fish about half the fish in our waters. under this deal we will increase the amount we will get, to about two thirds of the fish in our waters in a few years but then after that we will be able to go even further. i don't think there is any country in the world that fishes all of the fish in its waters, even countries that norway that have had control of their fisheries for years only fish about 80%. but anyway, we are in a better

position than before. and of course ideally, the transition period of five and a half years that we are entering now would have been shorter, wejust entering now would have been shorter, we just wanted three but the european union wanted 14, so we have got it way down from the original point... is not the blunt truth here, because the fishing industry is relatively insignificant economically overall, even if it is hugely symbolically and geographically important, plenty of coastal towns, that you had to trade away some fishing access in order to get the broader deal, that is the truth, isn't it? no, one of the reasons why it took so long to reach the deal is because we were holding out to get the best possible deal for coastal communities and for the fishing sector. for weeks now, bbc correspondents, cathy adler and others, have been reminding us how important fish was to this negotiation. —— cathy adler. it was right up until the afternoon of

christmas eve that we were negotiating to get the best possible dealforfisheries. now, could it have been better? would i have wa nted have been better? would i have wanted that shorter period, yes, absolutely, but we managed to get the eu down from that 14 year transition period to get to five and a half, and we also managed to make sure that we have a significant uplift in the amount that we can catch next year and the years that follow. lots to talk to you about this money, we would love to talk to you about the coronavirus and the time we have left. we were talking toa time we have left. we were talking to a couple of senior doctors 20 minutes ago on the programme who painted a particularly sobering and bleak picture across the uk of how things look at the moment. wall—to—wall covid in london hospitals, one senior doctor told us. is the reality, mr gove, that tier 4for all of us. is the reality, mr gove, that tier 4 for all of england is us. is the reality, mr gove, that tier 4for all of england is coming soon? we review which they are in

with scientific evidence, but i cannot pre—empt that because it needs to be a judgment based on the medical situation. as you point out, the nhs is under pressure and these are difficult months ahead. the nhs is under pressure and these are difficult months aheadm the nhs is under pressure and these are difficult months ahead. it has been reported that you have been arguing privately in government for the need for further restrictions in some instances, does that remain your view? there are lots of things reported and i think we are pursuing the right strategy but the important thing to do is to take into account the emerging scientific evidence in order to keep people safe.|j the emerging scientific evidence in order to keep people safe. i note that was not a denial. a quick word on schools in england, we know the plan at the moment particularly in secondary schools, bring us up—to—date because the holidays are rapidly running out. is there more news to come as far as far as schools opening, and in particular secondary schools? yes, primary

schools open, secondary schools will open next week, we hope for years 11 and 13... open next week, we hope for years 11 and 13. .. you open next week, we hope for years 11 and 13... you hope? those doing their gcses and a—levels and other examinations, it will also be the case for children beyond a year 11 and 13 that they will return, if their parents are key workers or if their parents are key workers or if the children are vulnerable. we are aware of that already. i notice you said, you hope. does this still remains to be a decision that is taken, and what more evidence does need to come out before you can be definitively parents about what is happening in a week's time? that is the plan and one of the things we wa nt to the plan and one of the things we want to do is make sure that with teachers and head teachers that we are ina teachers and head teachers that we are in a position to have a safe return to school, and that is built on making sure that we have effective testing. teachers have been working incredibly hard during this period, for some of us, our holiday period, but for them a

continuation of work to make sure the testing system is in place. just to be clear, is there and another announcement coming this week, we'll be here from the education secretary? you'll be hearing from all members of the government this week. so there is an announcement coming? there are always announcements coming. let's be specific, this really matters to pa rents. specific, this really matters to parents. are we going to be hearing from the education secretary this week about what will be happening in a week's time in schools in england? i have already explained what will be happening but the important thing is that we need to make sure we talk to teachers and head teachers so we can report back on the effectiveness of the preparations we are putting in place for testing, and we will keep people updated in real time. i, as the parent of a child, two children, i should say, in year 11 and in year13, children, i should say, in year 11 and in year 13, who have examinations coming up this year, i wa nt to examinations coming up this year, i want to know and i want to be

certain that not only are they in a position to learn, but also that they are safe as well. never forget they are safe as well. never forget the second child! that is a lesson i have learned with two children as work! —— as well! have learned with two children as work! -- as well! yes, one in year 11, 113! it's easily done, i did it the other day, a colleague said to me, iwas the other day, a colleague said to me, i was trying to make arrangements about picking up my children are my colleague said, what it is going to happen to your son at nursery? i said, it is going to happen to your son at nursery? isaid, good point! so i sympathise on that point! let's get a chat about the sport. yes, good morning. christmas has been a bit different for many of us this year, but forjockey bryony frost, it'll certainly be one to remember. she made racing history by becoming the first woman to win the prestigious king george vi chase at kempton on boxing day. the victory her 175th career win which also made her the most

successful female national hunt jockey of all time. i'm delighted to say bryonyjoins us now. back on the road after the road on saturday, you were due to be racing at chepstow yesterday, that was called off because of bad weather and i'm gathering you are stuck in some snow this morning on your way to kettering? yes, it's not ideal! i have bob driving me, we are currently stood still on the m5. i would turn around but i will probably get it all wrong, this is my first time on skype so i will stay exactly where i am! i can officially tell you, it is very white on the m5 and we are not moving. conditions as they are i will not keep you for too long because i knew you chew off at 1:30pm. to saturday, —— you are due to run. you didn't realise on saturday that that wing had made you the most successful jump jockey who was female at all time, i just guess you are focused on winning? yes, it

was ignorant bliss! at the time, i managed to win the king george on a horse that i adore, frodon, who has done so much for me, and my team, and for paul, who trains him, who has supported me right from the beginning. that was what it meant at the time, not the female record, and being the first to do it. it was just at the time, oh, my god, we have won the king george!m just at the time, oh, my god, we have won the king george! it is worth pointing out to people watching that the king george is one of the most prestigious races in yoursport. so to win that is a huge achievement. talk to the relationship you have with your horse frodon, the great success we had at kempton on saturday and last year, what makes your bond with frodon so special? oh, his character is so bold. he knows his scope, how big he canjump over obstacles is so bold. he knows his scope, how big he can jump over obstacles and

how correctly is in doing that. his determination, he makes you believe in what you are doing, every opportunity you have it. you go out there thinking you are $1 million and everyone has to beat you, no matter who is favourite and what not, he believes in yourself —— himself and makes you believe in yourself. you go out there and he is the comfiest armchair you could ever sit in. and for a natural creation, the limits that he can push himself to, and that he enjoys doing it, and how he can operate, is just the best place in the world to be. it is great what you need together and —— it is great what you need together. —— watching you together. let's let you get back on the road. if we get

to the race i think we will win today, we will give it a go! good luck! 1:30pm, that is her race. time is ticking! it is quite miserable out there. let's bring in nick with the forecast. worcester to kettering in weather like this? a trickyjourney. certainly a difficult start but it should get better as you go along. it is pretty to look at but there are some difficult travelling conditions, if you do have to travel today. this is the latest rain and snow radar, we have had some in scotland, northern ireland, and parts of wales, particularly tricky in the midlands and some further snow towards higher ground of north—west scotland. from an area of low pressure that still has strong winds, the further west you are, we had a gust of 70 miles an hour in the isles of scilly. the moisture in the isles of scilly. the moisture in the cold air falling as snow in some

spots. you will continue to see some in the midlands and parts of southern england. rain, sleet and snow, shower to the far west of wales and the far south—west of england. wintry showers of rain, sleet, snow and hail along north sea coast. a cold day and a cold night to come, i see in places. particularly where you have had wintry showers. they could gang up to give another spell of snow in parts of northern england. further winter weather has is to start tomorrow. cold, frosty and icy. —— winter weather hazards to start tomorrow. coastal showers around tomorrow, a cold day and a colder week to come. that theme continuing into the start of 2021 as well. wrap up, that is your forecast. enough to make you shiver! it's already being called netflix's answer to downton abbey.

period drama bridgerton came out on christmas day, and is already getting rave reviews. let's take a quick look. whatever happened to your hand? boxing. it's an absurdity that passes for entertainment amongst men. my cuff, button it. i beg your pardon? you need not feel your evident worry. my book is... have you not heard he writes of me still? no, even if you believe lord burbrook is taken care of, our ruse is not finished. i'm still in need of a husband. though i am flattered, i'm afraid i must reject your proposal. yes, i know. you're not the marrying type. but have you considered, you're not the type women wish to marry? i do suppose if i was forced to take a wife, you would be the least objectionable option. is that meant to be a compliment? yes, but it is no matter because you wish to marry for love, do you not? of course i do.

we were right in that! one of the characters you saw there is the duke of hastings. he's played by rege—jean page, who joins us now. hello, jake! what an introduction! good morning. —— hello, duke! hello, jake! what an introduction! good morning. -- hello, duke! for those people who have not started watching this yet, how would you describe it? i don't know if we are another downton abbey, we are a wayward sibling, considerably more scandalous! we wanted to do something fresh and exciting and entirely more fun, fast, sunny, and glamorous, than has been done before in the period genre, and funny. it wa nts to in the period genre, and funny. it wants to be something colourful and fluffy for christmas, a big warm regency had for the festive period which has been very different. there seems to be an insatiable appetite

for the british or more precise english period drama that rewinds a couple of centuries, on go the clothings, you can see the giant houses and the cut glass english accent. yes, bits and pieces! i think it isjust accent. yes, bits and pieces! i think it is just that little bit of remove you have when you take something back a couple of hundred yea rs, something back a couple of hundred years, it something back a couple of hundred yea rs, it allows something back a couple of hundred years, it allows you to look at yourself without realising you are. i don't think people have changed very much but if you put different clothes on, the restrictive clothing and corsets, it allows you to explore the same problem that we are dealing with today, how to be the best version of yourself, had to be who you are despite the restrictions society puts on you, notjust your corset! the restrictions that family puts on you and those expectations. but all in glittering jewels and fa ncy but all in glittering jewels and fancy balls and great societal affairs, so it makes it a little bit more fun than it is on a grubby day in the middle of winter! tell us a little bit about your character, the

duke of hastings, he is pretty mysterious? yes, tall, dark, broody, and thoroughly broken, but charming when he wants to be. he can do better than, you are the least objectionable option, i suppose. that is a journey we take him on, i was interested in examining what makes this cold, dark and broken archetype attractive in to begin with. what is attractive about darcy and heathcliff, and how can we bring and heathcliff, and how can we bring a 21st century conversation into this? what is attractive about this breed of masculinity and how can we ta ke breed of masculinity and how can we take that hero into the 21st century and be someone worthy of love and capable of loving a little bit better than he is at the beginning in the clip that we showed?” better than he is at the beginning in the clip that we showed? i hear you were drilled four weeks in etiquette lessons at boot camp. what you learn in an etiquette lesson? everything! they drilled us

thoroughly, how to bow and curtsy people on different ranks, for the cream to serving staff. do you bow further down if there is a more seniorfigure? further down if there is a more senior figure? slower and lower is the rule of thumb! faster and higher for lower status! they had not is the same for your mates, your uni mates. there are parallels. —— the head nodding is the same. tell us about the dancing scene permit, they are glorious. they are wonderful, the heart of the piece. thejoy are glorious. they are wonderful, the heart of the piece. the joy of the heart of the piece. the joy of the dancing is it is like regency tender, it is a lot of swiping left —— regency tinder. it is the only place you can be intimate with people even though you are in view of society. and they are wish fulfilment, gorgeous and romantic dancesin fulfilment, gorgeous and romantic dances in the most outlandish costu me dances in the most outlandish costu m e you dances in the most outlandish costume you can imagine with great

big old castles with fireworks going off in the background, so they have thrown everything at this to give you some kind of wonderful escapism with no limit at the end of the year. tell us about the guitar. it is sitting behind you. honestly, it is sitting behind you. honestly, it is mostly my brother's! i keep myself sane by doing bits of music in my time off from being a thoroughly horrible 19th—century duke. you are also in the cinderella, which was comic relief does cinderella, prince charming ain? does cinderella, prince charming again? yes! that was an absolute joy, i again? yes! that was an absolute joy, i was on a ten hour zoom call with olivia colman and helena bonham carter and literal netflix and acting royalty, and it was anarchic and hilarious and really good fun. the theme of this year is we need entertainment to try and remind us of the connections we have lost, and

try to brighten up what has been a very challenging christmas. it was great fun, very challenging christmas. it was greatfun, a very challenging christmas. it was great fun, a very fun christmas. hgppy great fun, a very fun christmas. happy new year to you, a joy to talk to you. thank you very much, likewise, an absolute pleasure. i'm still thinking about the etiquette lessons, knives and forks and spoons and what order to use them in! bridgerton is now available to view on netflix. i'm sure you can watch that cinderella online as well. we're talking covid kindness now and celebrating some of the amazing things people have done during this pandemic. and now a new book features a number of stories that have lifted our spirits this year. # the reindeer keep on prancing # the binmen keep on dancing # because they boogie, boogie # boogie round the bins at christmas time

# boogie, boogie # boogie round the bins at christmas time # cheering i have now donated seven times, including today, so potentially, that's up to 21 people it could help avoid intensive care. for me, it's about awareness and helping others. joining us now is darren buttrick. you just saw him there. he has donated his plasma after recovering from coronavirus and is one of the subjects of the book. we can also speak to the author anna james. good morning, thank you forjoining us. i will come to you in a minute, darren, but first, anna, what was the inspiration behind this? there we re the inspiration behind this? there were so many inspirations, weren't

there? there was, i think! were so many inspirations, weren't there? there was, i think i would like many other people, watching tv and the news, social media, and seeing all of the sad thing that we saw, but also finding a lot of comfort in how much kindness there was, the community spirit coming out. i really felt it needed to be documented. digital and social media was great but i i'm a book scale, i just wanted something tangible to be able to look back on stop —— i am a book scale. we have spoken to you before on breakfast, darren, but to tell us again, you have had quite journey. yes, the darkest day of my life on the march 20, saved by angels in the nhs at the hospital, they saved my life, literally, nowi am donating plasma and trying to raise awareness. | am donating plasma and trying to

raise awareness. i will donate on wednesday for the 18th time, i am the longest serving plasma donor in the longest serving plasma donor in the uk, i started on the second day of the trials, and i am one of handful of people who have donated so many times and it is great to be giving back to people to help them survive this horrible virus. the kindness in her book, anna's book, the ecosystem of people who have contributed to making this country what we are is fantastic. i go back to the things you have just played, in terms of, the bin men dancing, the rainbow, the clapping for cat carers, —— for our carers, the rainbow, the clapping for cat carers, —— for ourcarers, it defines it as a country and i hope that the book defines it and becomes a bestseller. apart from darren, if you had to choose, who would you choose as your standout? oh, goodness. they are all fantastic and what i tried really hard to do is make sure it is representative, so

people from key workers to the people from key workers to the people who stayed home and isolated and looked after themselves and help other people, everyone was fantastic. the one that made me cry during the interview was a care home manager, sam. what they went through, what they had to do to look after their residents and take the best care they could was heartbreaking. i don't think any of us really realised. that is the one that stands out the most for me because it broke my heart talking to her. thank you so much, anna. and darren, when do you next donate, briefly? on wednesday, nhs would love more male donors so please visit their website. google plasma donations. join me and many others that donate for the country. thank you, both. a lovely pot dog on your shoulder! anna's book is called covid kindness uk 2020. that's all from us today, but breakfast will be back tomorrow from six.

enjoy the rest of your day. goodbye!

you're watching bbc news at nine with me ben brown. the headlines: more signs of growing pressure on the nhs from the new coronavirus variant. three ambulance services in the south—east of england are asking people not to call unless it's a genuine emergency. a leading think tank forecasts that the uk economy will see slower growth next year due to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions. the government warns businesses and travellers to be prepared for substantial changes and possible disruption from new year's eve when new brexit rules come into force. businesses will need to make sure that they're ready for few customs procedures and we as individuals will need to make sure that our passports are up to date, because they need to have at least six