the prime minister tells the commons he had no choice but to reintroduce a lockdown in england. borisjohnson says the new variant of coronavirus has brought renewed pressure on the nhs and changes everything. it is inescapable that the facts are changing and we must change our response. so we have no choice but to return to a national lockdown in england, with similar measures being adopted by the devolved administrations. the situation we face is clearly very serious. perhaps the darkest moment of the pandemic. with virtually all of the uk under strict virus cups, we will get the latest from westminster as the new measures for england become law. also this lunchtime, as the

number of cases breaks another record, a warning from public health england as hospital pressure mounts. we know that the cases in the community are still rising, and that means we expect to see admissions to hospitals and further deaths. hard to assess, the education secretary outlines his plans for grading stu d e nts outlines his plans for grading students as gcses and a—levels are cancelled. ona cancelled. on a knife edge, with most votes counted in georgia, the democrat party looks set to gain control of the senate. yes! and digging for victory. the dramatic rescue involving the death cocker spaniel at a jcb digger. and all of the tests are past in sri la nka and all of the tests are past in sri lanka as they begin training ahead of next week's test.

the prime minister says he had no choice but to introduce a new lockdown in england. the figures for covert infections are served in, and hospitals are out near breaking point. new cases it a new high of 60,000. parliament has been recalled from recess what second time to debate and retrospectively vote on the measures. so keir starmer said the virus is out of control and we are in the darkest moment of the pandemic. gavin williamson is due to outline a package of support for young people after students in england were told this year's gcse and a—level exams would be scrapped. first here is our political

correspondence. ina correspondence. in a capital with soaring infection rates, mps recalled today for an extraordinary setting. the prime minister just extraordinary setting. the prime ministerjust a few days ago didn't foresee this lockdown happening this fast. how long are we in this for? one in 30 people in the capital have been infected by the virus in the past week. inside, there was ceremony but few to see it happen. a handful of mps present in parliament. a new year, a new variant, and so tighter restrictions. i now call the prime minister to make restrictions. i now call the prime ministerto make a restrictions. i now call the prime minister to make a statement. restrictions. i now call the prime minister to make a statementm restrictions. i now call the prime minister to make a statement. it is inescapable that the facts are changing and we must change our response. so we have no choice but to return to a national lockdown in england, with similar measures being adopted by the devolved administrations. so we can control this new variant until b can take the most likely victims out of its

path with vaccines. under england's new restrictions, you can only leave home for essential reasons. no mixing of households is allowed indoors or out, though you can meet one person for exercise, and there are exceptions for childcare and medical needs or support bubbles. mps are concerned about how long the restrictions may last. they could be in place until the end of march, but they will be fortnightly reviews, including in mid—february, by then millions of vaccines will have been offered. it is the timeline for the vaccines that are so important. 50 of the governor's own mps did not support the last lot of restrictions. what is different this time is that the new variant of the viruses on the loose and there is the prospect of millions being immunised in the coming weeks. keir starmer confirmed his party would vote for new restrictions, but was critical of the way the

government had acted. the situation we face is clearly very serious. perhaps the darkest moment of the pandemic. but this is not just bad moment of the pandemic. but this is notjust bad luck, it is not inevitable. it follows a pattern. in the first wave of the pandemic, the government was repeatedly too slow to act. some conservative mps said they wanted regular chances to vote on whether the restrictions should be ongoing. many of us are concerned at being asked to approve a lockdown which could continue until the 31st of march. can i ask my right honourable friend to reconsider and to offer the house a vote at the end of january and at the end of february as well, not on whether to lift restrictions, but on whether to continue them or not? with broad support this time, borisjohnson has less disquiet to worry about piece of the return of schools after the february half term with a priority,

and restrictions could be relaxed area by area depending on local circumstances. as we have been reporting, the uk has recorded the highest daily total of coronavirus cases so far, over 60 thousands. one in 50 people in england had covid—i9. there is a huge pressure to get the vaccination programme right. they hope that deaths start to reduce as early as the spring. the nhs is under intense pressure. driven by a big surge in new cases of covid—i9, more than 60,000 yesterday. the office for national statistics said last week in england alone one in 50 people in private households had the virus, rising to one in 30 in london. that means some tough weeks ahead for the health

service will stop this position is the most serious we have been insofar in this pandemic. we are now seeing a number of patients in hospital that is 40% higher than the peak in march and april. we know that the cases in the community are still rising. that means we expect to see further admissions to hospital, and further deaths. better treatments for the very ill and a vaccine will stop the government's target is to vaccinate 30 million people by the end of february, around 2 million people per week. they come from four priority groups, ca re they come from four priority groups, care home residents and workers, then people over 80 and front—line health and social care staff. those in the 75 to 79 bracket are next. then everybody was externally clinically vulnerable. if we deliver the protection for those first foot categories in the

most —— the first four categories, which are the most critical, there is an intersection between both hospitalisation and mortality, and the vaccination programme. therefore spread in communities. to tilt in our favour and reduce the death rate and reduce the hospitalisation rate. but getting 13 million people vaccinated within the next six weeks is going to be tough, and local pharmacists, experienced in delivering vaccines, are asking why so far they are not part of the plan. 9096 of the population are within a 20 minute walk of their local pharmacy. so let's use that convenience and geographical proximity to maximise that roll—out. getting a second job in east london this morning was this man, now in his 805, part of a bangladeshi community that has been badly hit by the virus. accompanied by his

grandson, he knows that some are relu cta nt to grandson, he knows that some are reluctant to receive the vaccine, and he wants to lead by example. reluctant to receive the vaccine, and he wants to lead by examplelj am and he wants to lead by example.” am happy for everybody to take the injection. that is good for everyone. it is very important that people from the bangladeshi community and other minority communities are aware of the importance of getting vaccinated, getting tested. the contrast between the future hope offered by the vaccine and the current crisis in the health service is stark. there will be some difficult days to come. a5 thousands of pupils acro55 england have had their gcse and a—level results cancelled, gavin williamson i5 a—level results cancelled, gavin williamson is excited to announce a ca re williamson is excited to announce a care package for students. uncertainty reign5 for hundreds of thousands of students in england. lockdown at home and i'm sure

whether there exams will now go ahead. that is causing anxiety for 5tu d e nts ahead. that is causing anxiety for students like libby, who had been due to sit her btec5. students like libby, who had been due to sit her btecs. she is taking ta blets to due to sit her btecs. she is taking tablets to help us sleep, because of her anxiety wa5 tablets to help us sleep, because of her anxiety was nobody wants their daughter to be taken tablets to help her sleep or suffer more anxiety than they need to. the government 5aid than they need to. the government said that vocational exams would go ahead, butjust said that vocational exams would go ahead, but just hours said that vocational exams would go ahead, butjust hours later they change their position, leaving it to individual schools and colleges to decide with that they should happen. this has drawn criticism from some teachers will stop we have students who are writing to us, 5aying, i'll be coming in for exams or not? we are having to do everything we can to support our students. our wonderful team are going out of their way to create advantages for their way to create advantages for the students, but it is not fair at the students, but it is not fair at the moment. the lack of information makes it harder for us.

in contrast, ministers say it would be unfairto in contrast, ministers say it would be unfair to expect a—level and gcse 5tu d e nts to be unfair to expect a—level and gcse students to sit their exams, and it will not be asking them to do so. only the teachers know what we are capable of because they are the ones who have been teaching us for two years. who have been teaching us for two yea r5. at least now who have been teaching us for two years. at least now they have more time to figure out a more appropriate strategy than last time, because last i was a shambles wa5 the education secretary is under p ressu re the education secretary is under pressure to provide answers. willie resigned today? —— will you resign today? he has asked quual to establish away of approaching this. they will wa nt to away of approaching this. they will want to avoid the issues last year. it was branded unfair, with 40% of 5tu d e nts it was branded unfair, with 40% of students marked down. it is vital for students and young people that

they have something to aim for. we cannot just let them feel that this will be something decided for them by teachers and advisers and whatever. it needs to be something they have agency in, because otherwise they will not be learning in the next two months. wales and scotla nd in the next two months. wales and scotland cancelled their exams late last year, and the bbc understands that northern ireland is set to announce its exams will be cancelled as well. the government says it is doing everything in its power to provide clarity for english students as provide clarity for english students a5 cuddly a5 provide clarity for english students a5 cuddly as possible. in the meantime, despite lockdown, they say education remains a national priority. our political correspondence is in westminster. there is some pressure on the education secretary and we will be hearing from him shortly? ye5, will be hearing from him shortly? yes, that is the most pressing challenge the government faces as this lockdown in england begin5, because the shift was so swift. one day, the prime minister was saying that schools were safe, then he was announcing a lockdown in england

which would involve the closure of school5 which would involve the closure of schools to most pupils, although tho5e deemed vulnerable i5 and the children of key workers will still attend. tho5e hoping for all of the a n5we r5 attend. tho5e hoping for all of the answers today, in terms of what 5tu d e nts answers today, in terms of what students will be expected to do in place of that and how their grades will be awarded, i think they will be disappointed. we may get an indication of the overall approach, but i don't think we will get the big picture from the education secretary, gavin williamson, ju5t yet. although a course the government will be keen to avoid, a5 you saw in report the there, a repeat of last summer, when the strategy put in place had to be changed and teachers grades were implemented at the last minute. more likely details of the support government is trying to give to familie5 government is trying to give to families who have struggled with remote learning we have heard from borisjohnson remote learning we have heard from boris johnson and the remote learning we have heard from borisjohnson and the new strategy

for the vaccinations was up there was a means of escape, as he described. the vaccine has begun to be rolled out. you can hear the impatience from mp5 on the prime minister's own side, asking the prime ministerfor proof that this aim of giving the first vaccine, the first of two micro—jabs, to the most at risk in society by mid—february was viable, and how quickly, once those people had been protected, the government would lift restrictions. anyone hoping for a firm type table —— timetable for commitments to when that will happen would have been disappointed. the prime minister suggested mp5 would get a vote before these restrictions were to end. they may well vote against this lockdown in protest at night. thank you. coronavirus cases are

rising almost in all corners of the globe, and it is a race against time to make sure the vaccines reach people before the virus does. how are different countries coordinating theircampaigns? we are different countries coordinating their campaigns? we have been finding out from some about correspondence was up here in france, what is exercising people more and more is the sheer sluggishness of the government's vaccination programme. at the weekend, when germany had vaccinated you had a 50,000 people, here in france the figure was 530, it was minuscule. part of it seems to be bureaucracy. it is part of the system here inoculated anyone for anything is each person has a consult ocean ahead of the injection, when the doctors can assist if there are getting factors and so one and that is going through with everyone in old peoples homes, which is causing a huge delay. there

isa which is causing a huge delay. there is a general acceptance that that approach will have to change. there is another problem in that it is the most sceptical of vaccines. many people say they will not have it. that means that the government is moving very slowly and cautiously. in any case, the accusations of the government have stung and it says it will accelerate its programme, added promises that by the end of the month its cruising speed for vaccinations will be the same as in the rest of europe. iam the the rest of europe. i am the bbc‘s middle east correspondence injerusalem. i am the bbc‘s middle east correspondence in jerusalem. israel has raced out of the blocks when it comes to administering the first dose of the vaccines. they have been doing about 150,000 jabs per day. everyday some one point —— someone .5 million people have received the vaccination. they have been vaccinated people at the fastest rate in the world. they have done it

because the country has a very centralised system of databases of patient records, and ways of contacting patients, and has had apr drivers well. the top scientists that advise the israeli government on coronavirus told me that it was an amazing achievement, but said it would be many more months before they can contain the virus. i'm the bbc‘s corresponded based in los angeles. here the vaccination progress is much lower than would have been hoped. 50 million doses have been hoped. 50 million doses have been hoped. 50 million doses have been delivered to states across the country, but less than a third of those have been administered. why is that? health officials say they are dealing with a deep distrust of the vaccine, largely because the speed with which it has been developed. others are citing organisational glitches was up the leading infectious diseases expert

as it is has been delivery problems that have because the issue, not people's reluctance to have it. in the last week, an average of more than 2500 americans have died from the virus every day. our top story this lunchtime. the prime and tells the commons that he had no choice but to reintroduce lockdown in the uk. the facts are changing, and we must change our response so we have no choice but to return to a national lockdown in england, with similar measures being adopted by the devolved administrations. in sport on bbc news, tributes paid to colin bell, one of manchester city's all—time great players who has died at the age of 7a city's all—time great players who has died at the age of 76 from a short, non—coronavirus related illness.

it is the election which will decide who controls the us senate, which will enablejoe who controls the us senate, which will enable joe biden to who controls the us senate, which will enablejoe biden to advance his agenda. it is looking good for the democratic party. both of the democratic candidates have declared victory. another long night of counting in a state that has done little else for the last two months was up georgia's seismic shift seems to have continued, first electing joe biden as president and now possibly two macro senators from the same democratic party. giving mr biden a narrow edge in congress, but a vital one. one look set to become the state's first black senator. that in itself a moment of history, here in america's deep south. tonight, we prove that with hope, hard work and people by outside, anything is

possible. for legions of newly energised african—american voters, it is a moment to savour. inspired by local politician and rights activist, stacey abrams, many new black voters have registered. just seeing her, understanding what today means and what it holds well future, it made me feel proud. the other races closer, butjohn allsop is ahead. he would be the country's youngest senator, once held decades ago by joe biden. a formality finally drawing a line under november's result, joe biden being confirmed as president. reports suggest that mike

pence is unwilling to hold up the confirmation ofjoe biden. there has never been a role overturning election results. it was an attempt that was shot down because they were trying to contest this idea that the vice president could actually challenge the state electors, but he cannot. some republicans will object, but it is symbolic. members like ted cruz thinking about their own future medical battles, not this one. mr trump's medical battles, not this one. mrtrump's angry medical battles, not this one. mr trump's angry supporters have descended on washington to make their voices heard. it won't make any difference, but shows what a deeply polarised america joe biden is inheriting. the founder of the wikileaks website, julian assange has been denied bail after learning that he cannot be extradited to the united states. thejudge said he might

abscond while the us appeals the decision. he was in court to hear this, so what happens now? purely from a human thing, mr assange has been in confined circumstances for almost nine years now, seven yea rs circumstances for almost nine years now, seven years in the ecuadorian embassy and two macro in belmarsh. a judge ruled on monday that he should not be extradited to the united states, they said it changed everything, he had the protection of the rule of law. they also said the circumstances are different, he has a young family, he wants to live a sheltered life in the uk. the us lawyers said there is a serious whiskey might abscond, he is willing to spend seven years in the ecuadorian embassy to avoid that. i would like to make a statement

regarding schools in national lockdown. the last thing any education secretary wants to do is announce that schools will close, and this is not a decision that the government ever wanted to take. i would like to reassure everyone that our schools have not suddenly become u nsafe, our schools have not suddenly become unsafe, but limiting the number of people who attend them is essential when the coronavirus rates are climbing as they are now. we must curb the collating cases —— the escalating cases throughout the country and prevent the nhs are being overwhelmed. that is why am setting out the contingency plans are prepared but had hoped never had to implement. i would like to thank all of our teachers, all of our education staff and our social workers for all that they have been doing to keep children and young people safe and learning. during

lockdown, early years settings remain open nationally to all. providing vital early education and childcare. schools will be open as well for those vulnerable children and four children of critical workers. there are a small knob of exceptions to studying online, including those studying medicine, —— a small number of exceptions. welcome to this lockdown is, and i am conscious of the challenges pa rents a re am conscious of the challenges parents are facing with children at home, we are far better placed to cope with it than we were last march. we are prepared to deliver online learning, and important step forward in supporting children to make progress with their education that they so desperately need, and

we will also do what we can to help their parents. i would also like to thank all of those parents and ca re rs thank all of those parents and carers who are having to step up once more to take on the challenge of home learning. we have set out clear, legally binding requirements for schools to provide high quality remote education. this is mandatory for all state funded schools, and will be in force by ofsted. we expect schools to deliver between three and five hours of teaching per day, depending on the age. if pa rents day, depending on the age. if parents feel the schools are not providing suitable education, they should first raise their concerns with the teacher or head teacher and, failing that, report the matter to ofsted. ofsted will inspect schools of any great where it has

serious concerns about the quality of re m ote serious concerns about the quality of remote education being provided. we have also significantly stepped up we have also significantly stepped up the digital support we are providing to schools and parents. the fantastic national academy provides a video lessons for all ages across all legends, and the bbc and as it will deliver the biggest push on education in its history, bringing 11! weeks of educational programmes to every household in the country. our delivery of laptops and ta blets country. our delivery of laptops and tablets continues apace. we have purchased more than 1 tablets continues apace. we have purchased more than! million la pto ps purchased more than! million laptops and tablets, and have already delivered over half of those two schools and local authorities with a 100,000 being just repeated this week alone. by the end of next week, we will have delivered 750,000 devices. we are also working with all of the united kingdom's leading

mobile network operators to provide free data for key educational sites. we are grateful to eu, three, virgin mobile, 02 and vodafone, among others, for supporting this offer. we have also been delivering routers to families who need to access the internet. another area where we have learned lessons is on exams. last year, all four nations of the united kingdom found their arrangements for awarding grades did not deliver what they needed. with the impact felt painfully by students and their pa rents. painfully by students and their parents. although exams are the fa i rest parents. although exams are the fairest way we have of assessing what a student knows, the impact of this pandemic now means that it is

not possible to have those exams this year. i can confirm that gcses, a—levels and as—level exams will not go ahead this summer. this year, we are going to put our trust in teachers, not algorithms. the department and quual had already worked up a range of contingency options. while the details will need to be fine tuned in consultation with quual, the exam boards and teaching presented organisations, i can confirm now that i wish to use a form of teacher assessed grades with training and support provided to ensure these are awarded fairly and consistently across the country. i know students and staff have worked ha rd to know students and staff have worked hard to prepare for the january exams and assessments, and technical

and vocational qualifications. we wa nt and vocational qualifications. we want them to continue with this when they feel safe to do so. no college will be pressured to do so, and we will be pressured to do so, and we will allow all students to progress with these, as they will in the summer. there is concern about free school meals. we are going to provide extra funding to support schools to provide food parcels or meals to eligible children. where schools cannot offer food parcels or use local solutions, we will ensure a national voucher scheme is in place so there is every eligible child can access free school meals while their school remains closed. finally, i would like to turn to our programme of testing for the virus. there has been a brilliant concerted effort in secondary schools and colleges to

deliver testing for the start of this term. none of this work to roll this term. none of this work to roll this out is going to be wasted. regular testing will take place of staff and students in school and in due course help us to reopen schools as soon as possible. testing will be the centre of our plans to return children back to school, back to the classroom, back to college as soon as possible. i never wanted to be in a position where we had to close schools again. i believe that schools should always have their gates open, welcoming children and always being at the heart of their community. the moment that the virus permits, all of our children will be back in school with their teachers and their friends. but until then we have put in place measures we need to make sure that they continue to progress, and for

this reason