tonight at 10 — the home secretary blames a minority of people for putting the nation at risk by flouting the coronavirus rules. what we all doing? breaking up an illegal gathering — the police say they won't waste time reasoning with people who endanger others, and will fine them instead. if you do not play your part, our selfless police officers, who are out there risking their own lives every day to keep us safe, they will enforce the regulations, and i will back them to do so. as the death toll keeps climbing steeply, the wife of a 55—year—old who died at christmas begs people to listen. adrian was 55 years of age. he was so young and we had so much still planned, and people need to take note and stop being selfish and ignorant.

more than 1,200 deaths have been reported in the last 2a hours, but there has been a fall in new cases. also tonight... leaving his mark — president trump flies into texas to see the us—mexico border wall, as he denies any responsibility for last week's violence on capitol hill. the leader of the catholic church in ireland gives an unreserved apology after an inquiry reveals that 9,000 children died at homes for unmarried mothers and babies. and all eyes on the premier league — a goal sparks celebrations for sheffield as the players appear to ignore the coronavirus rules on avoiding unnecessary contact. and coming up in sport on bbc news... manchester united look to replace liverpool at the top of the premier league as they take on burnley at turf moor.

good evening. police forces are warning they will take tougher action against those who do not comply with the coronavirus restrictions in england and wales. the head of the national police chiefs‘ council said there'll be more officers on patrol to crack down on those who he called dangerous, selfish and totally irresponsible, in the face of the current health threat. the home secretary, priti patel, has thanked the majority of people for complying with the rules, but blamed a minority who she said were putting the health of the nation at risk. she said the current rules are tough enough, but under constant review. here's our home editor mark easton. visitors are not welcome at the seaside. southend's beachfront car parks are locked, peaked caps patrolling the shoreline. with people restricted, the rats are enjoying new freedoms. this tourist town doesn't want non—locals coming for a constitutional.

they shouldn't be coming, they shouldn't be travelling. i think they should define what local is for exercise. i heard there was concern about borisjohnson yesterday going from downing street to the olympic park. what really irritates me is that i hear minister after minister say, "don't go out". but they don't follow it by, "except for your exercise". the news that the town's hospital is struggling to cope, close to running out of oxygen yesterday, has contributed to the sense of emergency. most people do seem to be obeying the rules. southend looks like a place in lockdown. it feels as though the mood has changed. in the last couple of days, police say they'll be quicker to fine rule breakers. there's strong public support for tougher enforcement and tighter restrictions as the appeals from health professionals become ever more desperate. we need to really focus on what the enforcement issues are. if the legislation was a lot tighter, it would make it a lot easier for our colleagues in the police force to enforce

what we are asking them to do. home secretary, we are warned we may be facing a health service catastrophe. so why are the rules of this lockdown not as tough as they were last spring? the rules are actually very simple and clear. we are meant to stay at home, and only leave home for a very, very limited number of reasons. that didn't answer the question, of course. the concern is not about the clarity of the restrictions, but their strength. pressed on the point, the home secretary later said she thinks the current rules are tough enough, with police issuing tens of thousands of fixed penalty notices and fines. because of the size of the party and the lack of engagement from people here, you are probably going to end up with up to a £10,000 fine. 0ur successful staged enforcement approach remains, but we will not linger on encouragement for those who are choosing to break the rules. the rules are clear, and we need to abide by them if we are going to protect the nhs

and save people's lives. psychologists advising the government say getting people to obey the rules may have less to do with confronting lawbreakers and more with a focus on those who are following the guidance. if you tell people, "everybody is doing this, stop it", actually, what happens is that what people hear is, "everybody is doing it." it begins to set a norm. it tells you, "if everybody else is doing it, why shouldn't i?" and so it undermines the behaviour. positive tests in southend have been falling in the past week, but 55 people from the town have also died from the disease in the last seven days. what happens next is a matter of life and death. mark easton, bbc news, southend. 0ur deputy political editor vicki young is in westminster. priti patel says rules are tough enough but "under review"? the message from the government is shifting this week and there are various elements to it, the first is trying to get across to people be perilous state we are in especially

the rising number of deaths and the pressure on the nhs, and then they are talking about those breaking the rules and the suggestion that the police will move more quickly from just warning people to actually finding people, trying to shame people into doing the right thing, and the third element is more nuanced, about personal responsibility. saying to people there are many reasons why you can legitimately leave home but please think very carefully about that, do you have to order that parcel and collect it, do you have to see that friend? cut down on personal contacts. the big question, are the rules tough enough? no one will know that until we see a consistent fall in the number of cases which is what eve ryo ne in the number of cases which is what everyone is desperate to see but also why no one is ruling out tighter measures. vicki young, thanks forjoining us. the pandemic caused excess deaths in the uk last year to rise to their highest level since world war two. official statistics show there were nearly 85,000 more deaths in 2020 than would be

expected, a rise of 14%. 0ur health editor hugh pym has been talking to one woman who lost her husband at christmas. he was kind—hearted, ambitious, strong, and he always thought about other people. lisa remembers her husband, adrian, who died on boxing day with covid. he was 55. he had previous health conditions, but doctors said they were not a factor, as the virus gripped his lungs and he passed away in intensive care. adrian is not a statistic. he's not a number, he was my husband. he was his family's son, a nephew, a brother, friends to many. and he was well—known in our community because we had a business, as well. every covid death is tragic for loved ones. the statistics do make bleak reading, not least at a time of lockdown and concerns about the spread of the virus. 0ne measure of the overall impact

of covid—19 is the total number of deaths from all causes, set against what might be expected. there were close to 697,000 uk deaths in 2020, more than 84,000 above the average in the previous five years. that's a margin of 14% above that average. so how does that compare with previous decades? well, it was the highest in 75 years. remember, each year is compared with the previous five, reflecting medical knowledge and population health at the time. as army personneljoined the vaccination effort, there are hopes that once enough jabs are carried out, fewer people will become seriously ill with covid. but before that happens, there are warnings of more grim news to come. people who are dying now from covid—19 are people who will have been infected

well before christmas. and given that we know that cases have been going up since the beginning of december, we can expect to see deaths to go up as well for several more weeks to come. older people are most at risk. the highest number of covid deaths in england and wales have been among those who are 85 and over, followed by 75 and over. but lisa wants all adults to realise they could be vulnerable. it can affect anybody. i'm 45 and i was bedbound for two weeks with it, and i got through it, but adrian was 55 years of age, he was so young, and we had so much still planned, and people need to take note. above all, lisa says the public must know the heartbreaking consequences of letting the virus spread. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest government figures show

there were 45,533 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, the second fall in two days. it means on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 55,653. across the uk, an average of 32,520 people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to sunday. 1,243 deaths were reported, that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test — the second highest figure of this whole pandemic. on average in the past week, 985 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 83,203. the uk has now started a programme of mass vaccinations. 145,076 people have had theirfirst dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24 hour period. taking the total number of people who've had their first jab to more than 2.4 million.

hugh joins me now. let's talk about the fold in the number of new cases, is that significant, two days in a row? —— the full. yes, the crucial seven day rolling average with the trend, that has fallen now over three days, so could this be the first reaction to lockdown restrictions imposed over the new year? it is probably a bit early to say that there is a firm trend and we will need a few more days of data but it is very interesting. in scotland, wales and northern ireland cases have fallen slightly, the same in london and the south—east of england, and only a small fall, but they have been increases in other parts of england and especially the north—west which isa and especially the north—west which is a concern, but hospital numbers up is a concern, but hospital numbers up again. the daily death toll is the second highest on record, they are lagging indicators, and they reflect cases which were first

picked up in sections a couple of weeks ago and they are likely to carry on rising for a little while yet. hugh pym, thanks forjoining us. president trump has denied being responsible for last week's invasion by his supporters of the us capitol building. on a visit to texas to see the mexico border wall, mr trump said his words at a rally, before the incident, had been "totally appropriate". he also said preparations by democrats to impeach him were a continuation of a witch hunt which was causing tremendous anger. 0ur north america editor jon sopel has more. the first sighting of the president since last thursday. his first appearance since the storming of congress by his supporters that left five people dead and america's reputation tarnished. he wants to parade his achievements over these past four years so he went to inspect the border wall in texas, but it's the walls around him in washington that are closing in. tomorrow, he is likely to become

the first president in american history to be impeached twice, though today he was totally unrepentant. the impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witchhunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the usa, especially at this very tender time. donald trump was also asked today whether his language had contributed to last week's riots. then he said, "we have to fight, we have to fight like hell, otherwise we'll have no country left." he told people they had to be strong, not weak, they should march on congress and tell senators what they think. today, he said that language was entirely appropriate. the house will be in order. in congress, they are likely to vote tomorrow on donald trump's impeachment. my view that the votes exist and that the right thing to do is to proceed, because donald trump is a clear and present danger,

every second, every minute, every hour that he remains in office. with each day that passes since those terrible scenes, alarm seems to grow, not dissipate, as more and more shocking videos emerge. 0fficers being dragged out by the mob and attacked, their riot shields held up as trophies. as a trump—supporting rioter hurls a fire extinguisher at a policeman. these are scenes of total lawlessness. confused shouting and as state houses across america act on intelligence that armed groups may be planning to storm government buildings, there is high tension in the us ahead of next week's inauguration. and in dc itself, a state of emergency has been declared. specific plots are being investigated. the peaceful transfer of power, the quadrennial celebration of us democracy, has never seemed more fragile, never more

fraught with danger. jon sopel, bbc news. the head of the catholic church in ireland has apologised unreservedly to tens of thousands of women and children, the survivors of homes for unmarried mothers and babies often run by the church, after an inquiry revealed around 9,000 thousand children died over the decades. at one institution in county galway— almost 800 died — and it's thought many of them were buried in a sewage system. 0ur ireland correspondent chris page begins his report with a man who was born in the home. the only thing that i can remember is the beds being wet. you're marched down to school. you had to go ten minutes late in the morning. you had to leave ten minutes early in the evening. we were all cornered off in a section of the playground by the nuns, so you wouldn't mix

with the other kids. and then to be locked up in what i call a prison, really, and to think, like, why? just because i was born out of wedlock. pj haverty spent his first seven years in the home which once stood here. ireland in the 1950s was a deeply conservative catholic society. unmarried women who were pregnant were taken into religious institutions and separated from their children. the fathers got away with it. it was always the woman that was to blame, it was always the woman's fault. and i suppose, then, when you look at other people, i was lucky, i got to meet my mother. if i didn't meet her, i would be blaming herfor leaving me in there. there is another reason why pj thinks he's lucky. at the tuam home, nearly 800 children aged up to three died between 1925 and 1961. investigators believe many were buried at the site in some kind of sewage system. when i go down there and stand there, to think that i could be in there too,

that a religious country that we're supposed to be would do the likes of that to a helpless little baby. the irish government has committed to having this site excavated, so the children whose remains are beneath this ground can be reburied with some dignity. tuam is the mother and baby home that has generated the most international attention, but there are many other institutions in the republic of ireland with long histories of shame, neglect and unspeakable cruelty. the inquiry report says around 9,000 children died in the 18 homes which were investigated. that's about one in seven of those who were born in the institutions. investigators state that it represents an appalling level of infant mortality. the irish government has said there were decades of brutality. the regime described in the report wasn't imposed on us by any foreign power. we did this to ourselves as a society. we treated women exceptionally badly.

we treated children exceptionally badly. but pj thinks the report hasn't got to the full truth. there was nothing there today that would say, "god, that's fantastic, now my mother is being recognised," or "they're apologising to my mother." they didn't do that today. tonight, the leader of the catholic church in ireland has apologised for the long lasting emotional distress which survivors have suffered. in this country, history will still hurt for years to come. chris page, bbc news, tuam. the government has said it will investigate the quality of food parcels being sent to those on free school meals during lockdown, after a number of complaints about the size and standard of some supplies. the england footballer and food poverty campaigner marcus rashford shared images of food parcels online, saying they were "just not good enough". 0ur education correspondent elaine dunkley reports.

lockdown has hit some of britain's poorest families the hardest. many children are not at school, but the government is still responsible for providing free school meals. 0n social media, images shared thousands of times of food that fell short of expectation. chart 12's worth £10 50 —— challe twell‘s who supply the food, said it was worth £10 £50 but have apologised and said they will change the cost. how school supply food meals vary, caroline is self—employed and has three children at school, her two children at secondary get a free school meal voucher but for her child in primary, she has been told to drive to school every day to pick up a sandwich. i am weighing up louise's money 01’ sandwich. i am weighing up louise's money or going to school to get the sandwich and it is a no—brainer. —— are losing money. it is not an efficient use of my time or resources . efficient use of my time or resources. catering companies say

they are also struggling. some have had problems switching from providing daily hot meals indian holes to delivering weekly food parcels to families at short notice. i firmly believe this is a glitch. we've seen some fantastic work by caterers working in partnership with their schools and getting out boxes full of food that are going to help children thrive while they're staying at home. this week, the government has increased the amount to £15 for food —— this week, the government has increased the amount schools receive to provide full meals from £11.50 to £15. many parents would prefer vouchers but companies were already contracted to provide meals during time. as well as the meals, schools would have the additional cost of the voucher scheme but some say they have little choice. what i have bought for the packed lunches was much better than we get from the company we use and it was half the price and we found that actually for the lockdown, it is what we have been getting from the company that

has been not the greatest in the world and believe it or not, is nearly double the price that we pay for the hot meals pre—lockdown. footballer marcus rashford is once again at the forefront of the provision of free school meals. he tweeted an image of a parcel said to be three days of food for one family, saying that this isn't good enough, and children deserve better. the government says it will carry out a full investigation to ensure —— the government says it will demand that caterers urgently improve the quality of food and families in england will soon be offered a national voucher scheme. elaine dunkley, bbc news. some of britain's biggest supermarkets including sainsbury‘s, tesco's, asda and waitrose, have followed morrisons in cracking down on shoppers who don't follow coronavirus rules. customers will now have to wear a mask unless medically exempt, or they won't be allowed in. people are also being asked to shop alone where possible and maintain social distancing. there's concern about the long term impact that working on the front line during this pandemic will have on nhs staff with the added risk of anxiety, depression and burn—out.

mps have been warned that core staff end up may leaving the nhs. it's estimated that as many as 600,000 health and social care staff — that's one in five workers — may need mental health support once the pandemic is over, as dominic hughes reports. the relentless pressure of work, the fear of contracting the virus. it just destroyed me. it destroyed me in a really bad way. for health and care workers, these are the toughest of times. when a patient dies, that really carries an emotional burden. the impact of which will be felt for years to come. i think there is a grotesque underestimation of the scale of the problem that we're going to have in 6—12 months. the demands placed on hospital staff across the country have soared in recent weeks. but this pandemic has lasted nearly a year, long months with no let—up. it's notjust doctors and nurses,

those like yvette, an assistant occupational therapist who contracted covid last april. she was left depressed, terrified she might bring the infection home. tearful, very tearful, not willing to get out of bed. all the classic signs, really, of low mood, anxiety. i couldn't be bothered. i had no motivation. you know, these are all the classic signs that i knew i was desperate. the physical and mental strain is perhaps most obvious in intensive care units. these staff know some patients just won't make it. but each death has an impact, and they have seen so many. it's not necessarily the young patients dying, it might be a father or grandfather dying, which links you to your own father or grandfather dying, and those things can be extremely upsetting for people. and you do need time to step away from work and, you know, go through your own personal life

and try and deal with it. this is a workforce that is emotionally wrung out and exhausted. tens of thousands of carers who in turn will need caring for in the months to come. many of those people will be ok with support and time and a chance to rest, assuming those things happen, but we know, sadly, that a substantial portion will go on to develop full— blown mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, post—traumatic stress disorder. so, potentially, we are looking at a huge mental health crisis. the care is not available in general mental health services, which have been underfunded for many years now. they are unable to cope with the needs of the general population anyway, and we are sleepwalking into a crisis where the care won't be available for that group. extra funds for mental health support have already been promised, but the next few weeks are likely to be really challenging for front

line health care staff, and the impact of this crisis on them will be felt for many months to come. dominic hughes, bbc news. british firms doing business in china have been warned they'll face fines if they don't do enough to show that their products are not linked to forced labour camps where uighurs and other minorities are being held. china's ambassador to the un has called britain's criticism of beijing's treatment of its uighur minority a baseless political attack. 0ur correspondentjohn sudworth is in beijing for us tonight. how significant is this? well, this was an extraordinary statement from dominic rav, describing what is happening in xinjiang as torture and as you say, for the first time, outing these fines for uk companies that don't show they are doing enough to sever their ties with that region. it is already being met with a furious response from china. 0ne official described it as baseless

and it may well become to be seen here as the moment when the so—called golden era, launched just a few short years ago by david cameron, finally came to an end. china's critics will say it may not go far enough. there was no announcement from the uk foreign secretary of sanctions on chinese officials responsible for these policies, and nor does he support the putting in place of tough human rights preconditions for any post—brexit trade deal with china. nonetheless, these were very tough words. he said, "what is happening in xinjiang is truly horrific" barbarism we all hope was lost to another era. whatever they think of the measures, that kind of language will certainly rankle invasion. john sudworth, thank you. with two days to go until its presidential eleciton, uganda has banned social media and messaging apps. the vote will come after one of the bloodiest campaigns in years. president museveni has been in powerfor 35 years. he's one of africa's

longest serving leaders. his main challenger is the 38—year—old singer bobi wine. he's attracted a large following among young people in a nation where 75% of the population are under the age of 30. from kampala, our africa correspondent catherine byaruhanga reports. a search that has failed to bear fruit. devis has been looking for his brotherfor two months. dawdi was picked up in november during a government crackdown on political protests. the people having him, they don't care. so it is actually heartbreaking. even if he was dead, i don't think it would be emotional like this one, if he was dead and they gave us the body. maybe he was collateral damage in this. collateral damage in a bitter contest for power. dawdi went missing during this violent protest over the arrest of opposition candidate bobi wine.

dozens were killed and hundreds arrested. the politician is one of uganda's biggest music stars. he has turned his star power into a political movement. the majority of people here are below 30 years of age, but struggle to finish school and find work. bobi wine is tapping into these frustrations, but his run for president has seen him and his supporters face retaliation from the state. standing against general museveni is a more dangerous crime than any crime here in uganda. the incumbent, president museveni, took power three decades ago after leading a rebellion, but now, he is 76 and fighting to keep up with his young challenger. ugandans, be confident, we have everything. our economy is strong. the army is strong.

museveni is offering more of the same, stability and security, which he says has allowed this country's economy to grow. but bobi wine says most people are not benefiting, especially the young and the poor, and that it is time that they have a say in how their country is run. ok, the kind of uganda you want? we want uganda where everybody has a job. translation: he has improved security and promoted discipline in the army. the army no longer disturbs us, you understand? that is why i like yoweri museveni. change might not come at this election but whether it is bobi wine leading it or not, young people here are ready for it. catherine byaru hanga, bbc news, kampala. all eyes have been on the premier league this evening — after what appeared to be several coronavirus breaches in the fa cup this weekend.

clubs are coming under increased pressure to make sure players stick to restrictions — on and off the pitch. 0ur sports editor dan roan has more. sheffield united and newcastle united preparing to play the first of three premier league matches tonight as the season continued, a welcome relief to so many that elite sport has avoided being suspended in this lockdown but for how much longer? the images of players ignoring social distancing rules after fa cup matches at the weekend concerned ministers, who felt they sent out the wrong message but others insist the sport can still be trusted. the exposure and the comments and the explanation of the risks, i think our boys, even with that crazy happiness, of a big day for them, they will control. but with more than 60 league games in england to postpone so far this season due to covid, pressure is building. fulham are furious they

we re building. fulham are furious they were givenjust building. fulham are furious they were given just two days