this is bbc news. the headlines: no firm date for the return of schools in england — despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. groups will be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then we will be looking at the potential of relaxing summer measures. —— some measures. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year—old was shot and stabbed. the type of person keon was, it doesn't make any sense anyone would want to harm him or take his

life in such a brutal way. debenhams is to disappear from the high street with the loss of 12,000 jobs. the fast fashion retailer boohoo has bought the brand and website, but not the stores. chelsea sack manager frank lampard after 18 months in charge — as he pays the price for winning only one of their past five league matches. borisjohnson says he wants to see schools reopen as soon as possible amid warnings children have become the "forgotten victims" of the pandemic. he's coming under growing pressure from mps to name a date — chair of the education select committee, robert halfon, had asked for an urgent question in the house of commons — but the speaker denied his request. meanwhile, the prime minister said he's �*actively working on�* a proposal requiring travellers

arriving in the uk to pay to quarantine in a hotel. it comes as the latest figures show that more than 6.3 million people have had a first vaccine dose. and in the last few moments moderna has said its vaccine does produce antibodies against the new south african variant — scientists have expressed concern about whether it would be resista nt. ben wright reports. with infection rates high, lockdown stretches on, keeping businesses shut and schools closed to most pupils. it's clear there will be no quick return to normal but the government is under real pressure to timetable the reopening of schools in england. visiting a vaccination centre in north london, the prime minister said a return by easter was possible. schools, obviously, will be a priority but i don't think anybody would want to see the restrictions lifted so quickly whilst the rate of infection is still very high.

for children, teachers and frazzled parents, the pandemic has meant closed schools, cancelled exams and huge uncertainty. many primary schools in england opened for a day before being shut again at the start of this month and some testing plans for pupils have been caused because of the new variant. —— paused. labour says a plan is needed. it is about things like about whether we bring all children back at once or whether you bring them back on a phased basis and, if so, which years come back first. labour's been suggesting nightingale schools for some time, so that there's more space to ensure safe social distancing. it is about getting the roll—out of the testing programme in schools working effectively. schools have been closed by other governments in the uk and the westminster government hsa said it will give schools in england two weeks�* notice to reopen, but senior tory mps are calling for more clarity too. what i want to understand, given that the r rate is decreasing, is what is the plan to get schools open again? what is the timetable? how are we going to ensure that

children get the best benefit of education? or are we going to damage their life chances on climbing that education ladder of opportunity? the political argument over how and when schools can reopen is sharpening up as the vaccine roll—out gathers pace. ministers insist any decisions about relaxing restrictions must be driven by the data on infections and the advice from their scientists. number 10 seems wary of overpromising because there's so much uncertainty around. but a number of tory mps are losing patience and want a much clearer path out of lockdown. there is no reason why there shouldn't be a plan that meets the milestones of the government's own vaccine roll—out. i think there's a tipping point coming in public opinion and you will see that feed through into parliament. and while there will be a review of restrictions in mid—february, it's likely to be many weeks before classrooms begin to fill with pupils again. ben wright, bbc news. let's speak now to holly agbukor.

she's an a—level student from london who is currently studying from home. thank you forjoining us. i'm just wondering, it is going to be weeks before you are back at school, how does that make you feel? it before you are back at school, how does that make you feel? it makes me sad because — does that make you feel? it makes me sad because i — does that make you feel? it makes me sad because i do _ does that make you feel? it makes me sad because i do really _ does that make you feel? it makes me sad because i do really miss _ sad because i do really miss in—person learning, i miss my friends, my teachers, but at the same time, i am not necessarily in a rush to go back if it is not safe for everyone at.— rush to go back if it is not safe for everyone at. how is it working at home? — for everyone at. how is it working at home? it _ for everyone at. how is it working at home? it is— for everyone at. how is it working at home? it is working _ for everyone at. how is it working at home? it is working 0k. - for everyone at. how is it working at home? it is working ok. i - for everyone at. how is it working | at home? it is working ok. i think, this is the third _ at home? it is working ok. i think, this is the third lockdown - at home? it is working ok. i think, this is the third lockdown we - at home? it is working ok. i think, this is the third lockdown we have | this is the third lockdown we have beenin this is the third lockdown we have been in so we have had practice. it has improved from the first lockdown, better resources, my sisterand lockdown, better resources, my sister and i have separate spaces to work so we are managing better now. when you say better resources, what do you mean? the equipment, the

wi—fi, do you mean? the equipment, the wi-fi, that do you mean? the equipment, the wi—fi, that sort of thing? yes. do you mean? the equipment, the wi-fi, that sort of thing?— wi-fi, that sort of thing? yes. the school provided _ wi-fi, that sort of thing? yes. the school provided me _ wi-fi, that sort of thing? yes. the school provided me with _ wi-fi, that sort of thing? yes. the school provided me with a - wi-fi, that sort of thing? yes. the school provided me with a laptop l school provided me with a laptop during this lockdown which is better compared to the first one. what during this lockdown which is better compared to the first one.— compared to the first one. what is our compared to the first one. what is your sense — compared to the first one. what is your sense of _ compared to the first one. what is your sense of what _ compared to the first one. what is your sense of what this _ compared to the first one. what is your sense of what this is - compared to the first one. what is your sense of what this is costing l your sense of what this is costing you? some mps are saying you are the forgotten victims of all this. do you feel like a victim? at forgotten victims of all this. do you feel like a victim?- you feel like a victim? at the start, i certainly... _ you feel like a victim? at the start, i certainly... 0k, - you feel like a victim? at the start, i certainly... 0k, yes | you feel like a victim? at the i start, i certainly... 0k, yes and no. i did certainly feel like a victim because the government hasn't been and still hasn't been clear on what exactly they are doing, so at the moment in our school it is business as usual, we are not sure what we are working towards but at the same time, i am glad there has been more steps taken to address the issues that our generation are facing. i issues that our generation are facina. . ., ., issues that our generation are facina. _, ., .,, issues that our generation are facina. .., ., .,, ., facing. i will come to those in a moment but — facing. i will come to those in a moment but you _ facing. i will come to those in a moment but you are _ facing. i will come to those in a moment but you are studying l facing. i will come to those in a - moment but you are studying maths, history and spanish. how is that, when you're working from home, teachers are doing their best to

help you, but what do you miss in terms of that face to face education?— terms of that face to face education? ., ., ., ., education? there are a lot of thins. education? there are a lot of things- first _ education? there are a lot of things. first of _ education? there are a lot of things. first of all, _ education? there are a lot of things. first of all, when - education? there are a lot of things. first of all, when youj education? there are a lot of- things. first of all, when you are learning online, it is quite easy to hide behind a screen so sometimes a teacher will ask a question and you won't know the answer. because the camera isn't on, you can turn of the microphone and there will be silence. i hate that feeling of awkwardness when no one wants to say anything because you can hide when online. 0ne anything because you can hide when online. one thing i really do miss is being able to see each other�*s faces, talk and have interactive lessons. ., �* ,, lessons. you're missing the discipline. _ lessons. you're missing the discipline, holly. _ lessons. you're missing the discipline, holly. i- lessons. you're missing the discipline, holly. i guess. lessons. you're missing the l discipline, holly. i guess you lessons. you're missing the - discipline, holly. i guess you could sa that. discipline, holly. i guess you could say that- what _ discipline, holly. i guess you could say that. what about _ discipline, holly. i guess you could say that. what about not _ discipline, holly. i guess you could say that. what about not during i say that. what about not during workin: say that. what about not during working hours _ say that. what about not during working hours but _ say that. what about not during working hours but the _ say that. what about not during working hours but the fact - say that. what about not during working hours but the fact that| say that. what about not during i working hours but the fact that you don't have, i'm sure, a social life at the moment.— don't have, i'm sure, a social life at the moment. yes. one of the big thins i at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have _ at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have been _ at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have been feeling _ at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have been feeling is - at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have been feeling is it - at the moment. yes. one of the big things i have been feeling is it is - things i have been feeling is it is a lot harder to distinguish between

the school day and home day. when you go to school, you come back home, there is a clear line between school and work but nowadays the line is blurred. school bleeds into personal time and i end up working for the whole day which is an ideal. i don't want to presume anything about your parents, but are they any help when it comes to spanish and other sorts of homework? hat other sorts of homework? not particularly — other sorts of homework? not particularly but _ other sorts of homework? not particularly but i _ other sorts of homework? iirrt particularly but i am grateful that they give me the space to work how i work best, which is independently. it's clearly not the case for you and you should be admired for it, but many children find this very tough and suffer mentally through this sort of period. you must know some. ~ , ,., y this sort of period. you must know some. ~ , ,., , ., this sort of period. you must know some. ~ , ., , some. absolutely. i would consider, i think some. absolutely. i would consider, i think may — some. absolutely. i would consider, i think may not _ some. absolutely. i would consider, i think may not suffering _ some. absolutely. i would consider, i think may not suffering exactly - i think may not suffering exactly but i definitely feel how tough it has been over lockdown but i do try my best to see the positives out of

it. ., ., i. my best to see the positives out of it. you have said you don't want schools to _ it. you have said you don't want schools to go — it. you have said you don't want schools to go back _ it. you have said you don't want schools to go back before - it. you have said you don't want schools to go back before it - it. you have said you don't want schools to go back before it is i it. you have said you don't want i schools to go back before it is safe to do so. so you have sympathy with politicians who have to make some very difficult decision.— very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, very difficult decision. absolutely. ithink, i very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, i am _ very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, i am quite _ very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, i am quite critical- very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, i am quite critical of- very difficult decision. absolutely. i think, i am quite critical of the l i think, i am quite critical of the government sometimes, everybody is but i don't envy their position. i don't envy you what to do in a global pandemic.— don't envy you what to do in a global pandemic. holly, i suspect that when you — global pandemic. holly, i suspect that when you are _ global pandemic. holly, i suspect that when you are online - global pandemic. holly, i suspect that when you are online on - global pandemic. holly, i suspect that when you are online on the l that when you are online on the computer, the phone may be in search of some of your colleagues, you may be discussing the lecturer behind his back. does that sort of thing go on? , , ,., ., ., his back. does that sort of thing go on? , ., ., ., , on? during the lesson, no, not at my school. potentially _ on? during the lesson, no, not at my school. potentially at _ on? during the lesson, no, not at my school. potentially at other _ on? during the lesson, no, not at my school. potentially at other places i school. potentially at other places but no. i school. potentially at other places but no. . school. potentially at other places but no. , , ., school. potentially at other places but no. , i. a ., but no. i wish you luck and obviously _ but no. i wish you luck and obviously everybody - but no. i wish you luck and obviously everybody hopes but no. i wish you luck and - obviously everybody hopes that you do go back to school as soon as it is safe to do so. thank you very much for your time.

meanwhile the prime minister has confirmed that it'll be mid february before the government starts "looking at the potential of relaxing some measures". much depends, of course, on the vaccination programme and there's now a suggestion that delaying the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine — far from weakening its effects — may actually provide better protection in the long—term. it's a view at odds with the vaccine manufacturers and many other countries. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. you have to keep it under lock and key, have you? absolutely. quite right! the prime minister at a vaccination centre in north london this morning. the vaccine is seen as the way out of the pandemic. you get 11 doses out of this? we do... it's now four weeks since the latest lockdown began and mrjohnson promised they were working on an exit strategy. we're looking at the data as it comes in, we're looking at the rates of infection. as you know, thejcvi groups one to four are going to be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we'll be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures.

but questions are still being asked about the government's vaccination plan. pressure's been building for ministers to reverse their decision to delay the second dose for up to 12 weeks. one of the government's advisors on immunisation today strongly defended the policy. what we know is that the protection after one dose is extremely good. it's surprisingly good. what we know for one of the two vaccines, the oxford vaccine, is that that protection persists and, in fact, the immune response to the booster is enhanced by delaying the second dose. there is no published evidence around the effectiveness of delaying the other vaccine, made by pfizer, and its manufacturers do not recommend it. the doctors union, the bma, has said it's difficult to justify the gap and it should be changed to six weeks. unfortunately, the bma have really picked up half the story and ignored the other half. they're clearly wanting to represent the medical profession

and look after them, but they're failing to recognise that the second doses that are being delayed are actually being given to other members of the medical profession and providing them with protection. and protecting health care workers is critical. hospitals remain under pressure like never before, as the number of severely ill patients continues to rise. getting the vaccine strategy right is undoubtedly the best route out of this crisis. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. let's talk to our political correspondentjess parker. the prime minister being under pressure isn't news but on schools, some tory mps are really concerned about their mental effect this is having on youngsters.— about their mental effect this is having on youngsters. some tory mps are re having on youngsters. some tory mps are pretty angry _ having on youngsters. some tory mps are pretty angry about _ having on youngsters. some tory mps are pretty angry about the _ are pretty angry about the situation. some of them feel the goal posts get moved on this, it makes it harder to communicate with their own constituents about what is going on, when schools might reopen

and there is huge concern shared by many people about the potential damage it is doing to children's education because of the loss of face to face learning. i think yesterday when you heard matt hancock, when he was asked about when schools would reopen, he said he hoped they could be opened after easter, that rang some alarm bells. notjust easter, that rang some alarm bells. not just with conservative easter, that rang some alarm bells. notjust with conservative mps but probably as well parents and carers and students as well. interestingly the prime minister suggesting today that it the prime minister suggesting today thatitis the prime minister suggesting today that it is possible schools could reopen before easter, but still people left with that sense of uncertainty and that is why i think a conservative mp is really trying to press this issue now. one i spoke to press this issue now. one i spoke to said they are pretty livid about the situation and want to see a staggered return as soon as possible. you mentioned the chair of the education select committee had

his request turned down for a christian today. we heard it looks like there will be an urgent question on schools tomorrow brought by the shadow education secretary and one brought by labour on the other issue we are talking about which is borders.— other issue we are talking about which is borders. travel in general and talk of — which is borders. travel in general and talk of quarantine _ which is borders. travel in general and talk of quarantine in _ which is borders. travel in general and talk of quarantine in hotels. . and talk of quarantine in hotels. the prime minister saying it is something they are actively working on. the prime minister says they are actively working on it, then you can bet something will happen pretty soon. we understand there will be a meeting tomorrow and it is looking at this issue of people arriving into the uk being told they had to do their ten day quarantine in a hotel. why? because it can be closely monitored, there have been concerned about enforcement when people have been arriving in the uk, to what extent they are being checked, whether they are sticking to self isolation but there is concern as well of the idea of a

vaccine busting variant coming into the united kingdom because so much depends on this vaccination roll—out, including reopening the schools. we are a bit sketchy in terms of the details of what this quarantine plan might look like, whether it is brits arriving from high—risk countries and they would be asked to quarantine in hotels. we do know they would had to pay for it themselves and worth pointing out, will surround travel have been tightened, you have to have a negative test, you had to fill out a passenger locator form and quarantine albeit in accommodation you might choose for yourself but travellers have been banned from some areas as well which are deemed high risk. some areas as well which are deemed hiuh risk. , . .. ~ some areas as well which are deemed hiuh risk. , . ,, some areas as well which are deemed hiuh risk. . . ~' , high risk. just, thank you very much. the drugs manufacturer moderna has said its covid—19 vaccine has produced what it calls �*virus—neutralizing antibodies' against new coronavirus variants,

in laboratory testing. the two variants involved in the tests were those found in the uk and south africa. the company says a two—dose regimen of the moderna jab isexpected to be protective against emerging strains detected to date. it's planning to test a vaccine booster against the south africa variant in pre—clinical trials. and the health secretary, matt hancock, will be leading today's coronavirus downing street briefing at five o'clock gmt this afternoon. he'll be joined by the deputy chief medical officer, jenny harries, and susan hopkins from public health england. we'll bring that to you live on bbc one and the bbc news channel. the headlines on bbc news: no firm date for the return of schools in england —— despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock —

after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. three more teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a schoolboy who was attacked by a group of youths in birmingham on thursday. 15—year—old keon lincoln was shot and stabbed in handsworth, and died in hospital. his mother has been speaking about her shock, as sian lloyd reports. keon lincoln, a teenager who loved to dance, laugh and listen to music. this footage captured by his twin sister on her phone is a treasured memory for his family. he was shot and stabbed just moments from his front door, his mother today spoke about her loss and the moment she knew something was wrong. i heard the gunshots. and my first instinct was where is my son, those are the first words i said, where is my son? and then a few minutes went by.

i found out there was somebody up the road. and... yes, it was my boy. keon was attacked on thursday afternoon in broad daylight in the handsworth area of birmingham. police have arrested five youths aged between 1a and 16 on suspicion of murder. one of them has since been released under investigation. it's believed this white car which crashed nearby was used by his attackers to flee the scene but one of gather evidence, they are appealing for more information locally. i will be quite frank. the response from the community in terms of information is not where it should be. i know the family have courageously made a request today around that and i would do exactly that. keon's family say they are touched by the support they are receiving from his friends in the community

but what they want now is for people who know anything about what happened to come forward. sian lloyd, bbc news. a mother has admitted killing her severely disabled ten—year—old son in a west london house last year. dylan freeman was discovered by police officers in a property in acton. his mother, 0lga freeman, was originally charged with murder. she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility. at an earlier hearing the court heard dylan died from restriction of his airway. four people have denied committing criminal damage in relation to the toppling of a statue of slave trader edward colston in bristol. rhian graham, milo ponsford, jake skuse, and sage appeared before bristol magistrates' court. the bronze memorial to the 17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a black lives matter protest on 7th june last year, before being dumped in bristol harbour. it was later recovered from the water by bristol city council.

the online fashion retailer, boohoo, has bought the debenhams brand and its website. the deal is worth £55 million — but the company won't be taking on any of the retailer's stores or its twelve thousand staff. simon browning reports. debenhams, a high street bastian for over two centuries but it's been in distress for years, as online shopping accelerated and perceptions it couldn't keep up, as our retail habits change. now boohoo, one of the huge new online brands which has challenged so many of our traditional retailers, has bought what's left. boohoo's purchase of debenhams and sees them just take the website and brand name, meaning stores like this and 117 others across the country are now set to close. it is truly devastating news that the company's12,000 employees. but unfortunately the pandemic continues to wreak havoc for businesses that were already struggling to survive. what that is going to mean for the high street, when you start to think

about the vacancy rates, debenhams, topshop, the rest of the arcadia group not being there, is potentially in the very short term we could start to see may be vacancy rates of a third or maybe one in two stores of those major retail collectors, until we can start to balance it out. it is a perilous time for the uk high street. debenhams is an anchor tenant for lots of cities and shopping centres and the loss of 12,000 jobs will have a huge impact on women and younger workers who are predominantly employed in this sector. it needs an industrial strategy for retail, to give retail an opportunity to have a future. this isjust another nail in the coffin, another 12,000 jobs going. on to the online platforms. so we still call on the government and local authorities and employers to work with us, for what retail looks like in the future. boohoo's growth using online and social media platforms has been unrelenting in recent years and it

hopes for more by acquiring debenhams and its lucrative beauty and cosmetics customers. it plans to relaunch online at the start of the summer. it emerged this morning that online retailer asos is considering buying topman, topshop and the miss selfridge brands. more jobs could go there. the uk high street look set to limp along in 2021 as the battle between bricks and clicks continues. simon browing, bbc news. our business presenter ben thompsonjoins me now. lets talk about debenhams. the closing down had gotten under way, hadn't it? it closing down had gotten under way, hadn't it? .. ~ closing down had gotten under way, hadn't it? . . ,, ., hadn't it? it had. we know some stores were _ hadn't it? it had. we know some stores were not _ hadn't it? it had. we know some stores were not going _ hadn't it? it had. we know some stores were not going to - hadn't it? it had. we know some stores were not going to reopen | hadn't it? it had. we know some - stores were not going to reopen even when restrictions were lifted on nonessential retail. but it seems those stores will not open at all. what we have heard from debenhams todayis what we have heard from debenhams today is they will try and sell off some of their remaining stock through the website before all of

the brands are transferred to its new owner, boohoo. as you heard there in the report, the implications of this are far—reaching. they will have a big impact on town and city centres that rely on big stores like debenhams to be the anchor tenant because without them, it is difficult to convince people to go into town and city centres given all the other restrictions on parking that you might find. so there will be big gaps on many high streets now. these big stores that take up a lot of space but that in itself is part of the problem. saddled with big debts and high rent rates to pay and the cost of those 12,000 staff, those retailers have not been nimble enough to cope with either some of their other rivals on the high street, the likes of h and zara and primark but those new online rivals, a source and boohoo that have stolen a source and boohoo that have stolen a lead. debenhams problems go back decades because even at the height

of their success when they were doing very well, attracting people through their doors with their designers at debenhams range, everything under one roof, their beauty halls, homeware and clothing and fashion, they were sold to private equity and it was accused then of taking a lot of money out of then of taking a lot of money out of the business, handing back and selling off some of the properties and having to lease them back on long and expensive leases. that means the firm has been settled with debt and expensive rent payments that they cannot be cheap enough to compete with those new arrivals. 21t2 years of history coming to an end today when those stores will remain closed. the brand transfers over to boohoo and what they will do with it we will have to wait and see. you talk about — we will have to wait and see. you talk about anchor _ we will have to wait and see. you talk about anchor tenants, anybody who has walked down princes street in edinburgh will be familiar with thejell—o building. that too is closing down. it raises the question, what is the future of the

high street?— question, what is the future of the high street? yes, and what will we no high street? yes, and what will we go therefore- _ high street? yes, and what will we go therefore. just _ high street? yes, and what will we go therefore. just a _ high street? yes, and what will we go therefore. just a word - high street? yes, and what will we go therefore. just a word on - high street? yes, and what will we go therefore. just a word on that l go therefore. just a word on that jena's line. that store itself founded in 1838, it became a house of fraser in 2005 and since then it has been run as a house of fraser. a huge store on the main shopping street there in edinburgh. that will not reopen with the loss of about 200 jobs and it's a similar picture as the debenhams proposition. what will they do to convince you to go there and not to use the ease and a price you can get online? that is the challenge for most of the high street, how can they convince us to go back there when restrictions are lifted and shops can reopen? there has been a lot of debate, discussion about what our high street should be

four and perhaps it is time to get over the idea that high streets are just about retail. they can be an amalgamation of different things, things you cannot replicate online so be those libraries, doctors surgeries, may be hairdressers and beauty salons, may be shops you want to go in and try things and even if you order it for delivery at home, you order it for delivery at home, you have got into a store so it's about rethinking what our high streets are full. we talked about jenners and debenhams, the other big one is the future for arcadia. so many different retail outlets on town and city centre high streets be them evans, dorothy perkins, burton is, all of those in administration as part of the arcadia group administration. we are led to believe asos could be a bidder, the future still in doubt.

a major government scheme to find work for young people has seen fewer than two thousand youngsters take up newjobs. the kickstart scheme began in september and is backed by £2 billion in funding. 120,000 roles have been created under the programme but ministers says covid restrictions have hampered take—up. here's our business correspondent, katy austin. 24—year—old hayden was made redundant from a job in retail late last summer. finding another role in the middle of the pandemic was hard. you start thinking about stuff, if you're going to find work again. he's now started work for delivery company whistl, as part of the government's kickstart programme. i'll give it a go, you know? it is a new experience and i want to do new things, you know? different skills every day, you know? things i've never done before. the number of young people who are unemployed has risen during coronavirus to nearly 600,000 towards the end of last year and the youth unemployment rate has reached 14.5%. kickstart is aimed at addressing the risk of becoming long—term unemployed.

the government has promised £2 billion to pay for six monthjob placements for young people in england, scotland and wales, with referrals to the scheme running until the end of this year. today, the chancellor announced 120,000 roles have been created so far but admitted restrictions are slowing progress. do you know how many young people are actually in those roles yet? so, we know about a couple of thousand of them have already started. 0bviously, because of the lockdowns and restrictions, that hampers businesses' ability to bring people into work and what we can look forward to, as the restrictions ease, is more of these young people starting those placements. small businesses had complained it was difficult and slow to get involved if they only wanted to create a handful of kickstart roles. now, change is being made aimed at boosting their participation. we pushed the government to do this in september. because it's four months late, that means there is now a backlog of cases of people who've been appointed through intermediaries, who've not been able

to access that work yet. why didn't you do it earlier? well, because we're setting something up at such speed that we wanted to make sure that we could make progress and we've achieved that. tracy's organisation is helping small firms to access kickstart. after working to support young people for years, she says who get these roles matters. the young people who really probably would already get a job, with a little bit of help, they probably would get a job, you know, we don't all the kickstart jobs going to those young people. we need to be able to put things in place to support those young people who were already unemployed before covid. some argue the job won't be done by december and kickstart must be extended. the chancellor has left the door open to that. for young people like hayden, thoughts are now turning to finding permanent work once their six months are up. katy austin, bbc news. councils in england are being given £23 million to counter fake stories and misinformation around the coronavirus vaccine. the money will be shared between 60 councils and targeted towards groups including people with disabilities,

the elderly and those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, who are more likely to suffer the worst effects of the virus. the government said the funding will help save lives. now it's time for a look at the weather with thomas. still quite a lot of snow lying on the ground. parts of the midlands yesterday got around 20 centimetres of snow. for most of us it was just a a few centimetres. the frost returns tonight so all of that snow is going to stay. it will be icy once again but today the weather has changed. clearer skies across parts of the uk, a bit of merck earlier on but that has fizzled away so we are in for a clear end to the day, the temperatures will drop away as well. a few wintry showers here and there, maybe across parts of scotland but this weather front, this maybe across parts of scotland but this weatherfront, this rain approaching ireland, that heralds a change. ahead of it it is cold and

frosty but here we have much milder air so that will spread into northern ireland, temporarily bringing some snow. some of this will fall as snow across scotland and the pennines during tuesday but for many of us, it is rain and it is lot milder.

hello this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines — no firm date for the return of schools in england, despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock, after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. debenhams is to disappear from the high street with the loss of 12,000 jobs. the fast fashion retailer boohoo has bought the brand and website, but not the stores. chelsea sack manager frank lampard after 18 months in charge, as he pays the price for winning only one of their past

five league matches. let's get the rest of the sport now. it always cheers them up when i end with a sports story which are probably living with, are you sarah? yeah, we are. you have ruined all the headlines for us! but it is the only story in town, everyone is talking about it, chelsea have sacked their manager frank lampard, as you have been hearing. he has beenin as you have been hearing. he has been in charge of 18 months but their recent form has been poor. they are currently ninth in the premier league. laura scott has this report. premier league. laura scott has this re ort. ~ ~ �* . 0n the pitch, frank lampard became a club legend at stamford bridge. indeed the former midfielder remains their record goal—scorer. in the dugout however, he lasted just 18 months. pressure had been building in recent weeks, with chelsea having won just one of their last five premier league games, leaving them ninth in the table.—

ninth in the table. when there are other managers's _ ninth in the table. when there are other managers's names - ninth in the table. when there are other managers's names being . ninth in the table. when there are - other managers's names being bandied around, successful ones, that must be difficult, how do you deal with that? yeah i don't listen to it. but it is everywhere. it is only everywhere, i'm not stupid, i know what _ everywhere, i'm not stupid, i know what the _ everywhere, i'm not stupid, i know what the pressure as that comes with managing _ what the pressure as that comes with managing a _ what the pressure as that comes with managing a top four booker but i only do— managing a top four booker but i only do my— managing a top four booker but i only do myjob so it doesn't matter to me _ only do my 'ob so it doesn't matter to me. ~ ~ �* only do my 'ob so it doesn't matter to me. ~ ~ ~ , ., only do my 'ob so it doesn't matter tome. ~~ ~ , ., to me. commentator: gilmour lays it off, it is an absolutely _ to me. commentator: gilmour lays it off, it is an absolutely sensational - off, it is an absolutely sensational goal! brilliant teamwork from chelsea. yesterday a 3—1 victory over luton town saw them progress to the fifth round of the fa cup but that was not enough to buy lampard more time at the club. in a statement announcing his departure this morning, chelsea said recent results and performances had not met the clubs expectations and there wasn't any clear path to sustained improvement. yet in a rare move, billionaire owner roman abramovich paid tribute to lampard, calling him an important icon of this great club, and saying his

status remains undiminished. managers do well to last long in this part of west london. when lampard got thejob injuly this part of west london. when lampard got the job injuly 2019, following just one managerial role with derby county, he became the tenth permanent appointment since abramovich bought chelsea in 2003. so who will the club turn to next? german manager thomas tuchel is the favourite to take the role, having left paris st germain in december. chelsea's next game is on wednesday but it's not clear if a deal will have been done by then and whether quarantine rules would allow an overseas manager to take charge in time for that fixture. for some, comedy club's move today has come as a shock, symbolic of a lack of patients, but the club's trust in lampard to bring them the same glory as a manager that he did as a player had run out. laura scott, bbc news. elsewhere, there was a thrilling win for england against sri lanka in the second and final test in goal. sri

lanka dramatically collapsed in their second innings earlier this morning, all out for 126, with spinners dom bess and jack leach doing well as well as captainjoe root doing most of the damage. that left england a tricky target of 164 to win the series, and they did have a bit of a wobble. they were 89—4 at one stage, but simpson and jos buttler steadied the ship with the former getting a half—century to help england win six wickets. brute help england win six wickets. - managed to find a way in very difficult conditions with very little lead up to the series as well, so for us, in the past i think well, so for us, in the past i think we have been guilty of being slow starters, whether it be home and away, so for us to start as well as that was really pleasing, but also to keep growing as a team and improving throughout the two games is quite impressive.— is quite impressive. meanwhile, it has been confirmed _

is quite impressive. meanwhile, it has been confirmed england - is quite impressive. meanwhile, it has been confirmed england will. is quite impressive. meanwhile, it i has been confirmed england will play a couple of test matches against new zealand this summer full stop they will be held at lord's zealand this summer full stop they will be held at lords and edgbaston injune. forwardsjoe will be held at lords and edgbaston in june. forwards joe myler will be held at lords and edgbaston injune. forwardsjoe myler and joe in june. forwards joe myler and joe launchbury injune. forwardsjoe myler and joe launchbury have in june. forwards joe myler and joe launchbury have pulled out of england's six nations squad. launchbury has a stress fracture to his leg whilejoe myler has pulled out for personal reasons. jacob stockdale for ireland is struggling with a knee injury and has been left out of andy farrell's squad. proper tadhg furlong has been included after recovering from a long—term injury, and the six nations starts injury, and the six nations starts in february. that is all the spot for now. millions of parents and children are about to start a fourth week of home schooling. while it seems increasingly unlikely that schools won't fully re—open before easter, our reporter fi lamdin has been to meet some families who are already feeling the pressure of living in lockdown.

four families living in one city. all facing different challenges during this winter lockdown. single dad samuel lives here with his young sons in this tower block. it's harderfor the reason that it is wintertime now, so we tend to stay in 24/7. it is chaos. like, organised chaos in a sense, but then sometimes it can go right out, organisation, because the kids, they want things to do. you can only do so much, you can only educate much, you can only home—school so much, you can only home work so much. where i am in the one—bedroom, it's hard. since lockdown, samuel checks in daily with many of the other families. sienna, have you done your work? all right, bye. and living next door to samuel, up on the 15th floor, is nemery and his family. they've broken the tv twice, they've broken the, like, three chairs, and the table. and they broke as well the sofa, and two beds.

our kids, theyjump everywhere. his wife and three children haven't left their flat for three weeks now since the start of this new lockdown. we share laundry, very busy. we share lift, very busy, and we've got cases in this building. so that's why we keep them at home. are you worried this third lockdown is having a damaging effect on your children's mental health? yeah, of course. even as the adults, we don't want to lock down. and underneath the tower block live this family. it's so hard, because i have to look after four children l with a disabled child. my son, you know, he has a lot i of medication i have to give him, and i have the baby as well. dhekara has stopped her own studying so she can help home—school her children. and you're feeling pulled in all directions? i'm working so hard,

juggling between work, going early to the work and then come back to home, see if they need any help and support for their studies, especially with maths and english. ali is the eldest and in the last year of primary school. the home learning is quite difficult. sometimes i help my siblings. his younger brother mustafa is ten. he has cerebral palsy, diabetes and severe asthma. he said it's bad because he misses his friends at school, and he can't see them at lunchtime. mustafa's family are so concerned about him catching the virus, they have brought the garden slide into the living room. across town, we meet single mum vicky and herfamily. she set up her own marketing business a year ago. the problem is is i'm - having to make the choice between their education or my work. if i don't work, we can't pay the rent, i can't run - the car, i can't buy food. i don't have the choice.

we're just sat at the kitchen table working because we haven't done| any schoolwork today. if the child needs me to actually sit with them and do the work, i we're either doing it late - in the evening, but then there's dinner to cook and tidying up. you know, maintaining the house, all the stuff that's involved - in running a family. four families doing all they can. as they start yet another week locked down. fiona lamdin, bbc news. he may have left the stage, but donald trump continues to be the focus of political attention in america. later today, house speaker nancy pelosi is set to send the senate a single article of impeachment — accusing him of inciting the capitol riot — formally triggering the first—ever impeachment trial of a former president. gary 0'donghue is in washington, from where he outlined what we can expect to unfold. well, this article of impeachment arrives in the senate, and that triggers the whole process of a senate trial, remember that is a political process. the senators themselves sit in judgment as to whether donald

trump is guilty or not of inciting insurrection. that trial will begin in two weeks' time. we don't know the exact format of it, whether it will be witnesses, live witnesses, who will make the president's case in detail, but at the point of a vote, when they come to it, it would need two thirds of senators, 67 of them, to vote to convict the president of high crimes and misdemeanours. that means 17 republicans breaking rank. now, mitch mcconnell, the leader of republicans in the senate has already said he believes the president provoked that january 6th attack on congress, which sparked the impeachment process. we don't know which way he is going to vote, and he could take a lot of votes with him but it's still a big ask, simon, but if they do get to that point a conviction, then donald trump could be barred from holding federal

office for the rest of his life. the dutch prime minister mark rutte has condemned violent protests against the night—time curfew in the netherlands this weekend. police clashed with demonstators, who are angry about new coronavirus restrictions in the country. there were protests in eindhoven and amsterdam and dozens were arrested, as anna holligan reports. burning bicycles were built as a barricade. in eindhoven, they wore facemasks to avoid detection, and hurled rocks repel the riot police who eventually used tear gas to clear the streets. families stopped to stare, while others steered clear. the roads were blocked, and supermarkets looted as frustration turned to opportunism. the netherlands has just entered turned to opportunism. the netherlands hasjust entered its toughest lockdown since the start of the pandemic. while the number of daily covid—19 cases have generally been falling, there are considerable

concerns about the risks posed by the new variants, first detected in the new variants, first detected in the uk, south africa and south america. on saturday, all flights from these places were banned. there is resentment, too. this liberal nation that enjoyed a relatively relaxed lockdown during the first wave has been forced to change its tune, and is now facing one of the toughest in the world. anna holligan, bbc news in the hague. there were also protests in denmark at the weekend. hundreds of people joined a mass anti—lockdown demonstration in copenhagen. police were out in force, and up to nine people were arrested. denmark has introduced new travel restrictions. in france, the top scientific adviser says the country probably needs a third coronavirus lockdown. earlier this month, france brought forward the start of its nightly curfew to 6pm, but since then, the average number of new infections has increased from 18,000 per day to more than 20,000. scotland has recorded four deaths of coronavirus patients, and 752 new cases, in the past 24 hours.

the first minister, nicola sturgeon, said over 415,000 people had received their first dose of the covid vaccine, and that scotland is on track to meet its target to vaccinate people over the age of 80. she also said there were some indications that the rate of hospital admissions might be beginning to fall. ican i can tell you that 2016 people are currently in hospital, that's six more than yesterday, and 151 people are in intensive care, which is six fewer than yesterday. i don't want to overstate this, because the pressure on our nhs continues to be acute and is likely to be so for some time yet, but we think we may have some cautious grounds for optimism that admissions to hospital are starting to tail off slightly. gordon brown has warned that trust in the way the uk's being run is breaking down. the former prime minister, and long—serving chancellor, said the pandemic had exposed tensions between whitehall and the nations and regions. he added that a commission

should be set up to review how the uk is governed. the headlines on bbc news... no firm date for the return of schools in england, despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. boeing's 737 max is expected to get the go—ahead from safety regulators in the uk and europe this week to resume passenger flights. the plane was grounded worldwide in march 2019 after two accidents, in which 346 people died. it has already been cleared to fly again in north america, but a whistle—blower has raised new concerns over the safety of the aircraft. theo leggett reports.

0nce boeing's fastest selling aircraft, it suffered two major accidents in less than five months. first, a lion air plane went down into the sea off indonesia, then an ethiopian airlines aircraft, near identical to these seen here, crashed, minutes after taking off from the ethiopian capital addis ababa. in each case, investigators have blamed flight control software that became active at the wrong time and prompted the aircraft to go into a catastrophic dive. now, the 737 max design has been modified, and planes will be fitted with new software. regulators in the united states insist they've done a thorough job, but ed pierson disagrees. he's a us navy veteran, and former senior manager of boeing, who worked on the production line at the 737 factory near seattle. i'm concerned there are potential

defects in these aeroplanes that stem back to when the airplanes were manufactured, and i believe that these defects could potentially cause future tragedies. before the lion air crash, while still working at boeing, mr pierson warned his bosses that the factory was making too many planes too quickly, and he claimed safety was being compromised. later, after retiring, and after the crashes, he took his concerns to the us congress. now, he has written a report, outlining what he says were unexplained electrical and control system problems on both aircraft, which were evident before the crashes, but he claims have not been investigated properly. all the warnings i gave about production quality, all this stuff has sadly come true, and i'm just concerned and ifeel like there is a lot of unanswered questions that need to be addressed. boeing has previously described any suggestion of a link between conditions at the 737 factory and the two accidents as completely unfounded,

and pointed out that none of the authorities investigating the crashes has found any such link. meanwhile, regulators in europe are expected to un—ground the plane this week, with the uk following their example, and they have already made it clear they think the plane is safe. theo leggett, bbc news. the american company, spacex, has set a new record for the number of satellites launched on a single rocket — 143. the achievement underlines how the space industry is changing, with private companies finding it increasingly cheap to send their hardware into orbit. but is there a risk that the atmosphere above us is becoming too crowded? mark lobel takes a closer look. three, two, one... ..zero. ignition. and lift off. spacex's record—breaking rocket, leaving cape canaveral in florida. it's quite a sight. but is the path ahead for satellites becoming more clouded? separation confirmed.

the launch of 143 satellites used to take a year — not a single moment like this. should have the fairing deployed. this load, a veritable airborne vending machine for multiple customers, will spew into orbit broadband boosters, cogs that connect the internet of things, and dozens of satellites, taking pictures like these, from san francisco's planet company, imaging the earth's surface daily. they scan the whole earth, looking for changes and that is used by a variety of people, in commercial areas, like in agriculture, to understand crop yields, forestry, to understand deforestation, mapping, to improve the maps that you see online, humanitarian use cases, like helping disaster response, afterfloods and fires and earthquakes and so on. but there are now over 3,000 working satellites in orbit. that's causing some consternation for space conservation.

all of these satellites are going in all different directions at 18,000 miles an hour. it's getting crowded enough that there is a serious risk of collisions. and these modern satellites are all manoeuvring and changing, maybe somewhat unpredictably, their orbits, and so it's a real challenge because no one is really in charge of, like with aeroplanes, with an air traffic control, telling each satellite where to go. that's because the last policing manual for outer space was written over 50 years ago. earlier this month, virgin 0rbit showed that satellite—packed rockets can now be launched from a jumbo jet. cape canaveral... with the size and price of spacecraft shrinking, and demand for bespoke orbit heights and launchtimes growing, are we witnessing a burgeoning space economy that risks crowding certain altitudes out? and falcon nine returns safely once again. that is the fifth time for this particular booster. mark lobel, bbc news. for children with complex disabilities, the transition

into adulthood can be a challenging experience. the former model katie price is one parent trying to secure the right support for her son, and she's made a documentary about her experience for bbc one. she spoke to our disability correspondent, nikki fox. cheering. for nearly 20 years, katie price has been in the spotlight. next book coming out in may and my autobiography comes out injanuary. she is a model, author, singer and reality tv star. whoa, what do you think? i kind of hoped i was, like, one of the most glamorous blondes on a mobility scooter! and then i saw you. laughter. are you joking? katie has been recovering from a recent accident, where she broke both her ankles. hurry up. i'm coming. which has made her already complicated life more complicated. is that your little lunchbox? i love it. but her biggest challenge is yet still to come. cool letting go of her son harvey. happy 18th birthday, harvey. things change when you're 18, for anyone. you become an adult.

it's pretty predictable to know what will happen with the other kids. whereas, with harvey, it's not predictable, because he's got complex needs. i love it! harvey was born with a rare genetic disorder, autism and sight loss. i am his carer, like, people think i have carers, i don't. you see, i am a very hands—on mum. are you happy now? yeah! despite some reports, katie is not putting her son into full—time care. instead, she's made the decision to find the best specialist education for harvey, but as many families in her position know, it's not an easy task. and not finding the right provision could risk her son's future. katie, what have been the main challenges for you as a mum, for you and harvey? until you go through it, you can't explain it, but now i'm going through it, if anyone asks me i can advise them. like, where do you start? it's not like straightforward,

where you can just choose a college for them. they have to be right, they have to have the right nursing team, know how to deal with his challenging behaviour. ah, ah! harvey, be careful. her documentary shows just how tricky it can be, finding the right setting for someone with such complex needs. hannah, he doesn't like it with the doors, we're going have to go, please. when he was kicking off at the college, in a way i'm glad he did, because i need them to see what he's like when he kicks off. in the programme, i didn't show him having a full meltdown. ijust wanted to protect harvey in that way, people didn't need to see that, i think they get the gist that he's challenging. he needs this journey, he needs to have these independent skills, learn them all, life skills and i think he will enjoy it, make friends. the amount of people whot love harvey and sometimes, harveyjust randomly goes "hi, hello." we were in traffic, and there was a bus stop, there must have been kids just coming out of school. and harvey is like, hey!, and everyone looked and like, "oh,

my god," and then they noticed me in the car. and they were all running. "harvey, look, it's harvey price." wahey! if i can, out of my career, using my situation for something good, then i'm proud that something good has come out of my life. this evening at 8:30pm. katie price: harvey and me is on bbc one this evening at 8:30pm. a scottish butcher has marked burns night, which is tonight, by launching a haggis into space. simon howie attached the haggis, which is traditionally served on burns night with "neeps and tatties" — to a balloon which soared more than 20 miles above earth. it then fell safely back down again. simon claims it's the first haggis to have ever reached the edge of space, and he hopes the attempt has given everyone some "much needed cheer". now it's time for a look at the weather with tomas.

the cold weather is going to come to an end, basically we have got today left and maybe a bit of tomorrow, and then it is going to turn quite a bit milder, but the frost is going to return this evening and overnight, so once again in the morning tomorrow it will be quite icy in places. now, the weather is a lot sunniertoday, compared to what we had yesterday. clear skies there across parts of the country. these are the temperatures around late afternoon, so pretty nippy in places, barely above freezing in some areas, where there is still a lot of snow lying around. about 20 centimetres or so yesterday across parts of the midlands. through this evening, some wintry showers, yes, across parts of scotland, but clear across the bulk of scotland, england and wales. eventually, it's going to turn milder through the night in northern ireland, and that is because a change is taking place. a weather front is approaching, and with that, also southerly winds

are developing, and these southerly winds up going to push milder air in our direction, but notice parts of scotland and also northern england stilljust about in cold air, so that does mean that when this weather front moves across the country on tuesday, with the rain falling across southern and western areas, it is more likely to be snow across the pennines, yorkshire, maybe even in some towns and cities at lower ground, but also snow across the scottish mountains. to the south of that, a lot milder, we are talking about ten degrees in plymouth, so you can see that weather front moving through, and then eventually even across the pennines it will turn to rain, but i think the snow will continue across the highlands tomorrow evening. here is mid—week. 0ne weather front fizzles out, we have a repeat performance. this is the next one, so we have one on tuesday, the next weather front coming in later on wednesday. ahead of it, the weather is actually not too bad, some sunshine around, absolutely fine in scotland,

with glasgow and edinburgh looking pretty sunny, but notice later in the afternoon on wednesday it is starting to turn wet again in south—western england and parts of wales. that is going to spread north across the country as well. you can see, by the time we get to thursday, we are into double figures, 12 degrees expected in the south of the country, so a cold and crisp day today and tomorrow it will change.

this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines: no firm date for the return of schools in england — despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. jcvi groups one to four will be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we will be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. the type of person keon was, it doesn't make any sense anyone would want to harm him or take his life in such a brutal way. debenhams is to disappear

from the high street with the loss of 12,000 jobs. the fast fashion retailer boohoo has bought the brand and website — but not the stores. chelsea sack manager frank lampard after 18 months in charge — as he pays the price for winning only one of their past five league matches. good afternoon. borisjohnson says he wants to see schools reopen as soon as possible amid warnings children have become the "forgotten victims" of the pandemic. he's coming under growing pressure from mps to name a date, with an urgent question in the house of commons scheduled for tomorrow. meanwhile, the prime minister said he's "actively working on" a proposal requiring travellers arriving in the uk to pay to quarantine in a hotel. it comes as the latest figures show that more than 6.3 million people have had a first vaccine dose.

and moderna has said its vaccine does produce antibodies against the british and new south african variant — scientists have expressed concern about whether vaccines would be resistant. ben wright reports. with infection rates high, lockdown stretches on, keeping businesses shut and schools closed to most pupils. it's clear there will be no quick return to normal but the government is under real pressure to timetable the reopening of schools in england. visiting a vaccination centre in north london, the prime minister said a return by easter was possible. schools, obviously, will be a priority but i don't think anybody would want to see the restrictions lifted so quickly whilst the rate of infection is still very high. for children, teachers and frazzled parents, the pandemic has meant closed schools, cancelled exams and huge uncertainty.

many primary schools in england opened for a day before being shut again at the start of this month and some testing plans for pupils have been caused because of the new variant. labour says a plan is needed. it is about things like about whether we bring all children back at once or whether you bring them back on a phased basis and, if so, which years come back first. labour's been suggesting nightingale schools for some time, so that there's more space to ensure safe social distancing. it is about getting the roll—out of the testing programme in schools working effectively. schools have been closed by other governments in the uk and the westminster government has said it will give schools in england two weeks' notice to reopen, but senior tory mps are calling for more clarity too. what i want to understand, given that the r rate is decreasing, is what is the plan to get schools open again? what is the timetable? how are we going to ensure that children get the best benefit of education? or are we going to damage their life chances on climbing that education

ladder of opportunity? the political argument over how and when schools can reopen is sharpening up as the vaccine roll—out gathers pace. ministers insist any decisions about relaxing restrictions must be driven by the data on infections and the advice from their scientists. number 10 seems wary of overpromising because there's so much uncertainty around. but a number of tory mps are losing patience and want a much clearer path out of lockdown. there is no reason why there shouldn't be a plan that meets the milestones of the government's own vaccine roll—out. i think there's a tipping point coming in public opinion and you will see that feed through into parliament. and while there will be a review of restrictions in mid—february, it's likely to be many weeks before classrooms begin to fill with pupils again. ben wright, bbc news. let's speak now to nigel attwood — headteacher at bellfield junior school in birmingham.

nigel, the problem for everybody it seems is there is no timetable. that is the biggest _ seems is there is no timetable. trust is the biggest problem. the government, ministers keep saying oddly different things in interviews, seemingly contradicting each other, not talking to the education sector, people who know what they are doing who have worked tirelessly through the lockdown is to keep things on task and we want our schools reopened. but we also need to understand what the data is, where they are getting the data on, this confusion about what the risks are to staff, the risk to the wider society when children are going home to theirfamilies and society when children are going home to their families and then we are told a multitude of different figures about lateral flow tests that are in schools. the government are telling us they are 70% accurate which is not incorrect but that is only if scientists are taking a swab but they can be as low as 40%, so

there are issues that need to be picked up. what we think is we need to be looking at a plan to getting children back in school. it might mean we need to do rotors so we make sure we have the distancing going on in school but the priority is to get children back to school. home learning works to a certain point. as far as your staff are concerned, how helpful would it be if teachers were vaccinated? i how helpful would it be if teachers were vaccinated?— how helpful would it be if teachers were vaccinated? i think that would be a hue were vaccinated? i think that would be a huge thing- — were vaccinated? i think that would be a huge thing. the _ were vaccinated? i think that would be a huge thing. the government i be a huge thing. the government still are saying that there is little risk to educational staff, notjust little risk to educational staff, not just teachers little risk to educational staff, notjust teachers but educational staff but there are a multitude of surveys that are saying there are risks because of the close proximity is and because children could be carrying the virus a symptomatically. if you look at the actual figures, symptomatically. if you look at the actualfigures, there symptomatically. if you look at the actual figures, there are a lot of staff who have been off, there are still bubbles closed so there is a risk there. if they are vaccinated,

that would give staff confidence, it means we can get schools back open and if we do it progressively with all the other industries, we can get life back to normal to some degree. we know that there is still going to be a risk but we can't mitigate some of those with planning if we can get on with planning. you of those with planning if we can get on with planning.— on with planning. you say online learnin: on with planning. you say online learning is _ on with planning. you say online learning is going _ on with planning. you say online learning is going well _ on with planning. you say online learning is going well and - on with planning. you say online learning is going well and that l on with planning. you say online learning is going well and that is on with planning. you say online i learning is going well and that is a tribute to all teaching staff going through this, but there must be some pupils, some families who you are worried about. i pupils, some families who you are worried about.— pupils, some families who you are worried about. i think every school has that. worried about. i think every school has that- no _ worried about. i think every school has that. no matter— worried about. i think every school has that. no matter what - worried about. i think every school has that. no matter what you - worried about. i think every school has that. no matter what you do, | worried about. i think every school| has that. no matter what you do, if you are a large family, it's very difficult to arrange a quiet space for your children, you might have three, five, children that might require space, access to learning, the wi—fi might not be good enough. if you are using home learning packs, you still have a parent who is trying to help two, three or four children. that is difficult. my daughter's school are full to the brim with key worker children so we

decided not to send her to school but it is that fine balancing act of working from home, being at work, her getting on with the work, feeling guilty because you are not supporting her. there are so many issues with it. it is working and we have been surprised how many families are trying their best, but it is hard work to juggle everything for every family. but it is hard work to 'uggle everything for every family._ for every family. but that lack of a timetable, — for every family. but that lack of a timetable, do _ for every family. but that lack of a timetable, do you _ for every family. but that lack of a timetable, do you have _ for every family. but that lack of a timetable, do you have some - for every family. but that lack of a - timetable, do you have some sympathy with the government that is dealing with the government that is dealing with a situation no one has dealt with a situation no one has dealt with before and frankly having made promises it hasn't been able to keep in the past, he doesn't want to make a promise that a couple of months down the line you will say, there is another broken promise. if down the line you will say, there is another broken promise.— down the line you will say, there is another broken promise. if you had asked me in _ another broken promise. if you had asked me in april, _ another broken promise. if you had asked me in april, i— another broken promise. if you had asked me in april, i would - another broken promise. if you had asked me in april, i would have - another broken promise. if you had | asked me in april, i would have said yes. now, i have very little. it has been obvious to everybody since september, you need to do this, planned for this. the exam debacle

we had last year, they haven't got a plan in place for that. the consultation keeps changing. it is only the 4th of january that boris johnson was telling us it was safe in schools, now he is saying we cannot reopen schools because of the infection rate. there needs to be a plan and it still feels like they are ignoring the unions, ignoring the people doing the job and that is the people doing the job and that is the issue. we want our children back in school but we need a plan that keeps our staff, children and our families are safe and that is not happening. families are safe and that is not happening-— families are safe and that is not happening. families are safe and that is not haueninu. . ,, ., happening. nigel, thank you for your time. let's talk to our political correspondent damian grammaticas. the criticism and we've heard this before of the government is there is no plan. before of the government is there is no ian. , .. before of the government is there is no ian. , . . no plan. they are under real pressure. — no plan. they are under real pressure, yes. _ no plan. they are under real pressure, yes. as _ no plan. they are under real pressure, yes. as you - no plan. they are under real pressure, yes. as you are i no plan. they are under real - pressure, yes. as you are hearing there, to come up with a plan both from opposition and from some conservative mps as well who are

saying, you are hearing there that schools want to be able to plan, parents want to know to plan as well and have an idea of what is coming down the track. the difficulty is the government says is that in a moving situation with many dynamic parts in the pandemic, they have to take the view based on the scientific evidence at the time. that's why the prime minister is saying today that they will be looking at this question ahead of the middle of february with this review in february, at that point the vaccine roll—out has reached all of those initial vulnerable groups for a first dose and at that point, look at whether the situation warrants taking a decision. it's a complicated one but i think the pressure will come on to the government to lay out at least the criteria by which it might take a decision and we have seen questions

put about that, about what sort of levels of background infections, what sort of levels of hospitalisations and numbers of deaths from covid. when they reach that level, might they be thinking about reopening schools and there is no clarity yet. the about reopening schools and there is no clarity yet-— about reopening schools and there is no clarity yet. the government under ressure no clarity yet. the government under pressure to — no clarity yet. the government under pressure to reopen _ no clarity yet. the government under pressure to reopen schools _ no clarity yet. the government under pressure to reopen schools and - no clarity yet. the government under pressure to reopen schools and on i pressure to reopen schools and on the other hand, under pressure to tighten the restrictions on people travelling. tighten the restrictions on people travellinu. . �* ., ., . travelling. yes. and the two go hand in hand, although _ travelling. yes. and the two go hand in hand, although they _ travelling. yes. and the two go hand in hand, although they point - travelling. yes. and the two go hand in hand, although they point in - in hand, although they point in slightly different directions but they are complimentary. boris johnson today talking about the fact that with the vaccine roll—out now under way, the priority was to protect that vaccine programme from any new imported variants of the virus that might be resistant to it. therefore the pressure coming on for this idea for quarantine hotels. so all travellers coming to the uk

possibly from high risk countries, possibly from high risk countries, possibly broader than that to be made to go into quarantine in designated locations, could also include uk citizens coming back from abroad, the idea that they would have to pay for those hotels, that accommodation and only be released after a ten day in quarantine. and likely also to be clear test results as well, that's what happens in other countries that have this programme. the government is looking at that. we know tomorrow there is a committee meeting that will consider this and there is also an urgent question on both this question on the borders that is being called for by the labour party shadow home secretary and also on the education question as well, two of those issues that labour is seeking urgent questions on here in parliament tomorrow. questions on here in parliament tomorrow-—

meanwhile, the prime minister has confirmed that it'll be mid february before the government starts "looking at the potential of relaxing some measures". much depends, of course, on the vaccination programme and there's now a suggestion that delaying the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine — far from weakening its effects — may actually provide better protection in the long—term. it's a view at odds with the vaccine manufacturers — and many other countries. 0ur health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. you have to keep it under lock and key, have you? absolutely. quite right! the prime minister at a vaccination centre in north london this morning. the vaccine is seen as the way out of the pandemic. you get 11 doses out of this? we do... it's now four weeks since the latest lockdown began and mrjohnson promised they were working on an exit strategy. we're looking at the data as it comes in, we're looking at the rates of infection. as you know, thejcvi groups one to four are going to be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we'll be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures.

but questions are still being asked about the government's vaccination plan. pressure's been building for ministers to reverse their decision to delay the second dose for up to 12 weeks. one of the government's advisors on immunisation today strongly defended the policy. what we know is that the protection after one dose is extremely good. it's surprisingly good. what we know for one of the two vaccines, the oxford vaccine, is that that protection persists and, in fact, the immune response to the booster is enhanced by delaying the second dose. there is no published evidence around the effectiveness of delaying the other vaccine, made by pfizer, and its manufacturers do not recommend it. the doctors union, the bma, has said it's difficult to justify the gap and it should be changed to six weeks. unfortunately, the bma have really picked up half the story and ignored the other half. they're clearly wanting to represent the medical profession and look after them,

but they're failing to recognise that the second doses that are being delayed are actually being given to other members of the medical profession and providing them with protection. and protecting health care workers is critical. hospitals remain under pressure like never before, as the number of severely ill patients continues to rise. getting the vaccine strategy right is undoubtedly the best route out of this crisis. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. 0ur health correspondent michelle roberts is here. a lot of concern about the new variants but moderna in the last couple of hours making a significant statement. ~ ., . ., . ,, . statement. moderna who make a vaccine against _ statement. moderna who make a vaccine against coronavirus - statement. moderna who make a vaccine against coronavirus say i statement. moderna who make a i vaccine against coronavirus say they have been looking at some early data in the lab. they have taken blood from eight people who have had both doses, both of the recommended doses of their vaccine and when they look

at it, it seems to work against these new variants which is important. we still don't know in real life setting, obviously there are lots of people getting immunised now against coronavirus, so its early work this. it is just in the lab looking at what is going on in the blood when you have some immunity from the vaccine but we need to see how long that will last and whether it does play out. what and whether it does play out. what about professor _ and whether it does play out. what about professor finn _ and whether it does play out. what about professor finn suggesting that far from about professor finn suggesting that farfrom making it less effective, a delay between the first and second dose could be a good thing. it is not wholly _ dose could be a good thing. it 3 not wholly surprising that from what we know of the immune system. your first vaccine, dose number one, is the first time your body will have encountered this and it starts to recognise the thing you have been immunised with so that you can mount a response if you ever came into

contact with the real virus, the thing that could damage you. the second dose is to help boost that memory. we know with flu vaccines, every year we need a new one, that is partly because the virus shifts but also immunity doesn't last that long. some vaccines you can have one dose and it does you for life but it depends on the virus you are trying to beat and with coronavirus, we know it can change and also we need to find out how long our natural defences remember how to fight it. and yet a lot of other countries and the manufacturers themselves were critical of that which is now the government's approach to get as many jabs in arms without worrying about a second dose in three weeks. the data we have _ a second dose in three weeks. tue data we have have a second dose in three weeks. he data we have have come a second dose in three weeks. ttj: data we have have come from clinical trials, that's how you get these vaccines approved. you take a group of people, you look at them closely, test them, compare them to those that haven't had the vaccine. real

life isn't quite like that. there will be a slightly different age ranges or ways of giving a vaccine, just like medicine. sometimes people prescribe them off label so you might give an adult tablet to a child because you know it still works. you can start to tinker a little bit in the real world as long as you are confident the effect should be the same.— as you are confident the effect should be the same. talking about confidence but _ should be the same. talking about confidence but a _ should be the same. talking about confidence but a lot _ should be the same. talking about confidence but a lot of _ should be the same. talking about confidence but a lot of people - should be the same. talking about confidence but a lot of people who | confidence but a lot of people who have had that firstjab are asking how long before they can be confident that they are not going to catch or develop covid? the vaccine itself from the _ catch or develop covid? the vaccine itself from the trials _ catch or develop covid? the vaccine itself from the trials which - catch or develop covid? the vaccine itself from the trials which again - itself from the trials which again is not real life, it looks like it stops severe illness and deaths which is what we really want. we still don't know how long the immunity loss for but the trials give us confidence that having two doses spaced apart, there is debate

about how many weeks that should be but 12 weeks is what the government are saying should be fine and now we are saying should be fine and now we are hearing from experts as well that it could give you that immunity and that's really important. fight! and that's really important. and crucially another _ and that's really important. and crucially another thing we don't know for sure is whether those who have had the jab can still pass on the virus. have had the 'ab can still pass on the virus. .. , ~ have had the 'ab can still pass on the virus. .. , . ., have had the 'ab can still pass on the virus. , ~ . ., have had the 'ab can still pass on the virus. , . . ., , the virus. exactly. we want to stop the virus. exactly. we want to stop the spread — the virus. exactly. we want to stop the spread which _ the virus. exactly. we want to stop the spread which is _ the virus. exactly. we want to stop the spread which is what _ the virus. exactly. we want to stop the spread which is what this - the spread which is what this lockdown is about, everything we have been talking about because the more people who catch it, the more people go into hospital and risk dying. and the health secretary matt hancock will be leading today's coronavirus downing street briefing at 5 o'clock gmt this afternoon. he'll be joined by the deputy chief medical 0fficerjenny harries and susan hopkins from public health england. we'll bring that to you live on bbc one and the bbc news channel. the headlines on bbc news: no firm date for the return of schools in england — despite calls from mps for the government to clarify

whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. three more teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a schoolboy who was attacked by a group of youths in birmingham on thursday. 15—year—old keon lincoln was shot and stabbed in handsworth, and died in hospital. his mother has been speaking about her shock, as sian lloyd reports. keon lincoln, a teenager who loved to dance, laugh and listen to music. this footage captured by his twin sister on her phone is a treasured memory for his family. he was shot and stabbed just moments from his front door. his mother today spoke about her loss and the moment she knew something was wrong.

i heard the gunshots. and my first instinct was where is my son, those are the first words i said, where is my son? and then a few minutes went by. i found out that there was somebody up the road. and... yes, it was my boy. keon was attacked on thursday afternoon in broad daylight in the handsworth area of birmingham. police have arrested five youths aged between 14 and 16 on suspicion of murder. one has since been released under investigation. it's believed that this white car which crashed nearby was used by his attackers to flee the scene and while officers gather evidence, they are appealing for more information locally. i will be quite frank. the response from the community in terms of information is not where it should be. i know the family have courageously

made a request today around that and i would do exactly that. keon's family say they are touched by the support they are receiving from his friends and the community, but what they want now is for people who know anything about what happened to come forward. sian lloyd, bbc news. a mother has admitted killing her severely disabled ten—year—old son in a west london house last year. dylan freeman was discovered by police officers in a property in acton. his mother, 0lga freeman, was originally charged with murder. she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility. at an earlier hearing the court heard dylan died from restriction of his airway. four people have denied committing criminal damage in relation to the toppling of a statue of slave trader edward colston in bristol. rhian graham, milo ponsford, jake skuse, and sage willoughby appeared before bristol magistrates' court. the bronze memorial to the 17th century slave merchant was pulled down during a black lives matter

protest on 7th june last year, before being dumped in bristol harbour. it was later recovered from the water by bristol city council. a major government scheme to find work for young people has seen fewer than 2,000 youngsters take up newjobs. the kickstart scheme began in september and is backed by £2 billion in funding. 120,000 roles have been created under the programme but ministers says covid restrictions have hampered take—up. here's our business correspondent, katy austin. 24—year—old hayden was made redundant from a job in retail late last summer. finding another role in the middle of the pandemic was hard. you start thinking about stuff, if you're going to find work again. he's now started work for delivery company whistl, as part of the government's kickstart programme. i'll give it a go, you know? it is a new experience and i want to do new things, you know? different skills every day, you know? things i've never done before. the number of young people who are unemployed has risen

during coronavirus to nearly 600,000 towards the end of last year and the youth unemployment rate has reached 14.5%. kickstart is aimed at addressing the risk of becoming long—term unemployed. the government has promised £2 billion to pay for six—month job placements for young people in england, scotland and wales, with referrals to the scheme running until the end of this year. today, the chancellor announced 120,000 roles have been created so far but admitted restrictions are slowing progress. do you know how many young people are actually in those roles yet? so, we know about a couple of thousand of them have already started. 0bviously, because of the lockdowns and restrictions, that hampers businesses' ability to bring people into work and what we can look forward to, as the restrictions ease, is more of these young people starting those placements. small businesses who want to create a small number of roles have complained of long delays in the approval process. the rules are being changed today to give them a more direct application option.

we pushed the government to do this in september. because it's four months late, that means there is now a backlog of cases of people who've been appointed through intermediaries, who've not been able to access that work yet. why didn't you do it earlier? well, because we're setting something up at such speed that we wanted to make sure that we could make progress and we've achieved that. tracy's organisation is helping small firms to access kickstart. after working to support young people for years, she says who gets these roles matters. the young people who really probably would already get a job, with a little bit of help, they probably would get a job, you know, we don't all the kickstart jobs going to those young people. we need to be able to put things in place to support those young people who were already unemployed before covid. some argue the job won't be done by december and kickstart must be extended. the chancellor has left the door open to that. for young people like hayden, thoughts are now turning to finding permanent work once their six months are up.

katy austin, bbc news. councils in england are being given £23 million to counter fake stories and misinformation around the coronavirus vaccine. the money will be shared between 60 councils and targeted towards groups including people with disabilities, the elderly and those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, who are more likely to suffer the worst effects of the virus. the government said the funding will help save lives. among those getting sick with covid—19 are, of course healthcare workers themselves, who sometimes end up being treated by their colleagues. louise cullen has been speaking to one frontline worker — supported by his work family, as he said goodbye to one of his own. iama i am a 45—year—old who was fit and healthy with no underlying health problems. i have been reduced to a child again. problems. i have been reduced to a child again-— child again. this was jonathan as his recovery _ child again. this was jonathan as his recovery began _ child again. this was jonathan as his recovery began last - child again. this was jonathan as| his recovery began last november child again. this was jonathan as - his recovery began last november on the covid respiratory ward he had

volunteered in since march, he was rushed to craigavon in october. t rushed to craigavon in october. i don't remember being admitted rushed to craigavon in october. t don't remember being admitted to ward. after that, i can remember all these bright lights and hearing a voice saying, we are going to put you to sleep for a wee bit. and that was it. ~ ., , ., was it. within 24 hours three more of jonathan's _ was it. within 24 hours three more ofjonathan's family _ was it. within 24 hours three more of jonathan's family were - was it. within 24 hours three more of jonathan's family were in - ofjonathan's family were in hospital. eventually they both moved back to the respiratory ward. then one saturday morning his mother deteriorated. t one saturday morning his mother deteriorated.— one saturday morning his mother deteriorated. i did say to my mum when she was _ deteriorated. i did say to my mum when she was still— deteriorated. i did say to my mum when she was still awake, - deteriorated. i did say to my mum when she was still awake, i - deteriorated. i did say to my mum when she was still awake, i spent| when she was still awake, i spent about an hour with her, got very tired and wanted to go back for a rest. was in bed for ten minutes and i could hear the staff saying, i think we need to get him back down again. my mum was unconscious. i took her hand and told her we loved

her. she passed away peacefully. tt her. she passed away peacefully. it was his only good buy. he was still in hospitalfor the was his only good buy. he was still in hospital for the funeral. was his only good buy. he was still in hospitalfor the funeral. t in hospital for the funeral. i couldn't grieve in the in hospital for the funeral. t couldn't grieve in the hospital. i couldn't grieve in the hospital. i couldn't take part with my family at home in the grieving process. i couldn't support them at the time of the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. , ., . . the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. . ., . . , the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. . . , the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. . . ., the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. . ., . . , ., ., the way, the burial. to me it wasn't real. . . ., ., ., real. jonathan is back home now. you robabl real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't _ real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't be _ real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't be back _ real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't be back to _ real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't be back to work - real. jonathan is back home now. you probably won't be back to work until l probably won't be back to work until next year. the virus has changed his life but gave him one thing, time with his mother as she slipped away. because i was there to be with her, a lot of our patients have no one other than the staff to sit with them. �* .. . other than the staff to sit with them. �* . , ., other than the staff to sit with them. �* ., ., , other than the staff to sit with them. �* ., them. and he has one message. this ravaaed them. and he has one message. this ravaged my — them. and he has one message. this ravaged my family. _ them. and he has one message. this ravaged my family. every _ them. and he has one message. this ravaged my family. every second - them. and he has one message. this ravaged my family. every second of l ravaged my family. every second of every day, hospitals are trying to save every life so i appeal to everybody in the community, please wear your mask, please wash your

hands. please social distance. but please, please don't take this lightly. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomas. still quite a lot of snow lying on the ground. parts of the midlands yesterday got around 20 centimetres of snow. for most of us it was just a few centimetres here and there. the frost returns tonight so all of that snow is going to stay. it will be icy once again but today the weather has changed. clearer skies across parts of the uk, a bit of murk earlier on but that has fizzled away so we are in for a clear end to the day, a clear evening, the temperatures will drop away as well. a few wintry showers here and there, maybe across parts of scotland but this weather front, this rain approaching ireland, that heralds a change. ahead of it it is cold and frosty but here we have much milder air so that will spread into northern ireland, temporarily bringing some snow. some of this will fall as snow

across scotland and the pennines during tuesday but for many of us, it is rain and it is lot milder. hello, this is bbc news with simon mccoy. the headlines — no firm date for the return of schools in england, despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february. the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock, after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed to death. debenhams is to disappear from the high street with the loss of 12,000 jobs. the fast fashion retailer boohoo has bought the brand and website, but not the stores.

time for the sport with sarah. chelsea have sacked their manager frank lampard after 18 months in charge. german manager thomas tuchel is set to take over. chelsea's same performances have not met their expectations and there wasn't a clear path to sustained improvement. lampard had spent big in the summer, bringing the likes of kai havertz and timo werner to add to his squad but it hasn't quite worked out. t but it hasn't quite worked out. i think the real difficulty is getting people _ think the real difficulty is getting people to work together as a group, as a unit _ people to work together as a group, as a unit. they are all very good, the ones — as a unit. they are all very good, the ones who have come through from chelsea _ the ones who have come through from chelsea and _ the ones who have come through from chelsea and once you have been brought — chelsea and once you have been brought in, particularly ones like timo _ brought in, particularly ones like timo wernerand brought in, particularly ones like timo werner and havertz, they have

not been _ timo werner and havertz, they have not been playing well, no hiding that whatsoever, but it takes a little _ that whatsoever, but it takes a little while to get yourself into a new club, — little while to get yourself into a new club, a new country, a new style. _ new club, a new country, a new style. a — new club, a new country, a new style. a new _ new club, a new country, a new style, a new system, a new manager, and they— style, a new system, a new manager, and they are _ style, a new system, a new manager, and they are young, they are really young, _ and they are young, they are really young, they would have thought it is probably— young, they would have thought it is probably a _ young, they would have thought it is probably a good season before you do see the _ probably a good season before you do see the best out of most players at that age _ see the best out of most players at that age when they do move. england have won against sri lanka in the cricket. joe wilson reports. all around goal and between every case, the word —— the world turns —— all around goal. first sri lanka were bowled out, partly by dom bess. commentator:— were bowled out, partly by dom bess. commentator:_ partly | were bowled out, partly by dom bess. l commentator:_ partly by commentator: bowled him! partly by jack leach. commentator: bowled him! partly by jack leach. james _ commentator: bowled him! partly by jack leach. james anderson _ commentator: bowled him! partly by jack leach. james anderson and - commentator: bowled him! partly by jack leach. james anderson and about | jack leach. james anderson and about one was of great reactions by zak crawley, the catcher, grateful

reaction from dom bess the bowler. but what is this? 40 press wished runs to rescue his team's total. england would bat, needing 160 to win. that demanded serious attention. dabbled are now the bowler, crawley out in england's second innings. jonny bairstow batting. where has that gone? well think you have seen everything? tt’s think you have seen everything? it's one think you have seen everything? tt�*s gone all the way for six. think you have seen everything? it's gone all the way for six. plucked - gone all the way for six. plucked from a bucket _ gone all the way for six. plucked from a bucket of— gone all the way for six. plucked from a bucket of paint, - gone all the way for six. plucked from a bucket of paint, the - gone all the way for six. plucked from a bucket of paint, the ball. from a bucket of paint, the ball formally red. different ball, trapping bairstow lbw for 29 are now the big one. trapping bairstow lbw for 29 are now the bi one. i, _, . ., the big one. bowled him come around his ads. the big one. bowled him come around his pads- joe — the big one. bowled him come around his pads. joe root _ the big one. bowled him come around his pads. joe root gone, _ the big one. bowled him come around his pads. joe root gone, the - the big one. bowled him come around his pads. joe root gone, the score - his pads. joe root gone, the score 84. his pads. joe root gone, the score 84, look his pads. joe root gone, the score 84. look how _ his pads. joe root gone, the score 84, look how that _ his pads. joe root gone, the score 84, look how that made _ his pads. joe root gone, the score 84, look how that made sri - his pads. joe root gone, the score 84, look how that made sri lanka| 84, look how that made sri lanka feel. england's captain can now only watch in the well, fear not. jos buttler batted fluently. dom sibley scored patiently, that's his role. it was a winning combination. sri lanka dismissed four but no more. sibley and butler completed a victory made byjoe root. tough

challenges ahead but that smile goes a long way. joe wilson bbc news. forwards joe myler and joe launchbury have pulled out of england's six nations squad. launchbury has a stress fracture to his leg whilejoe myler has pulled out for personal reasons. jacob stockdale for ireland is struggling with a knee injury and has been left out of andy farrell's squad. proper tadhg furlong has been included after recovering from a long—term injury, and the six nations starts in february. former formula 1 world champion jenson button will compete in next year's new extreme e racing series. he will not only own thejb exceed team but also be one of the team has met two drivers. button joins other high—profile names such as the seven time formula 1 world champion lewis hamilton. a male and female driver will compete for each of the ten

teams in off—road electric e suvs. the series are set to begin in april this year and will be streamed on the bbc see —— on the bbc red button and bbc sport website. that is all the sport for now. as we've heard there is a growing clamour for an easing of restrictions, including allowing more children to return to schools. and this, while tougher measures are in the offing for travel. so what are the government's realistic options for starting to relax the lockdown. we can speak now to christina pagel, director of ucl�*s clinical operational research unit and a member of independent sage. good afternoon to you. hiya. there is a mixed — good afternoon to you. hiya. there is a mixed message _ good afternoon to you. hiya. there is a mixed message for _ good afternoon to you. ti a. there is a mixed message for the government to adhere to, some the governments restrictions to be eased, others strengthen. let's talk about travel first of all, what are the options?— about travel first of all, what are the o tions? . , . ., , the options? the travel restrictions make perfect _ the options? the travel restrictions make perfect sense _ the options? the travel restrictions make perfect sense now— the options? the travel restrictions make perfect sense now that - the options? the travel restrictions make perfect sense now that we i the options? the travel restrictionsl make perfect sense now that we can see there are other dangerous

variants identified in brazil and south africa, it could be that there are many other countries thatjust aren't doing genetic sequencing is what we want to do is avoid importing any other variants into the uk, particularly ones that might resist the vaccine. itote the uk, particularly ones that might resist the vaccine.— resist the vaccine. we have heard from the journo _ resist the vaccine. we have heard from the journo this _ resist the vaccine. we have heard from the journo this afternoon, i resist the vaccine. we have heard i from the journo this afternoon, they are saying they are vaccine protects against the uk's strain on the sorry uk variant of this, and also the south african variant, which is positive news, clearly.- south african variant, which is positive news, clearly. yeah, that's definitely very _ positive news, clearly. yeah, that's definitely very good _ positive news, clearly. yeah, that's definitely very good news, - positive news, clearly. yeah, that's definitely very good news, and - positive news, clearly. yeah, that's definitely very good news, and i'm | definitely very good news, and i'm hoping that pfizer and astrazeneca will be able to say the same soon, but there is no doubt that covid is mutating in that it can mutate, and that there will be a lot of pressure on it to mutate in a way that will escape the vaccine, because that way it can infect more people in that is what viruses want to do. share it can infect more people in that is what viruses want to do.— what viruses want to do. are you surprised. _ what viruses want to do. are you surprised. are — what viruses want to do. are you surprised, are you _ what viruses want to do. are you surprised, are you concerned - what viruses want to do. are you | surprised, are you concerned that what viruses want to do. are you - surprised, are you concerned that we are seeing this increased number of cases at this stage of the pandemic?

in the uk, you mean? yes. well, i mean, in the uk, you mean? yes. well, i mean. i'm — in the uk, you mean? yes. well, i mean. i'm not— in the uk, you mean? yes. well, i mean, i'm not surprised, especially given that we have had the new variant circulating since november, and it does seem to make it harder to get cases down. i mean, the good news is that lockdown does seem to be having an effect. the bad news as it is taking a long time to come down, so, you know, we are not seeing the speed of decrease that we saw in the first wave. so i think what is also concerning is that the imperial study, which tested 80,000 people, found that actually things were pretty flat, and then the office for national statistics survey found things were going down but only slightly so there are kind of these mixed pictures, so in the moment we are still in the situation where we know we are not going up, we know cases are still high, we know hospitals are still really overwhelmed and we are trying to wait to see whether lockdown can become more effective or not. itruthit2h become more effective or not. which

is exactly the — become more effective or not. which is exactly the position _ become more effective or not. which is exactly the position the _ is exactly the position the government says it is in when it looks at the reopening of schools, and whilst it seems obvious to those not in any medical profession that will be an increased risk of infection inside a school, what about the risk outside at the school gates, during thejourney, children going to the school gates? does that worry you? t going to the school gates? does that wor ou? .. , going to the school gates? does that wor ou? . , ., ,., worry you? i mean, everything about auoin to worry you? i mean, everything about going to school _ worry you? i mean, everything about going to school adds _ worry you? i mean, everything about going to school adds to _ worry you? i mean, everything about going to school adds to the - worry you? i mean, everything about going to school adds to the risk - worry you? i mean, everything about going to school adds to the risk of i going to school adds to the risk of getting covid. now, ithink going to school adds to the risk of getting covid. now, i think the problem is that a sage did a big report about schools just before christmas, where they felt quite definitively that schools were contributing to transmission, and saw particularly that cases went down in half term and school holidays, and that was before we have the new variant kind of dominant, and so sage's position is that it would be very hard to keep r below one if schools are open, and

we agree with that at independent sage as well. and it is all a bit, the travel, the mixing outside school, the mixing inside school. the problem is there are things the government could do to make schools safer and a plan for a safer reopening of schools that they haven't done yet.— reopening of schools that they haven't done yet. well, really, well, haven't done yet. well, really, well. what _ haven't done yet. well, really, well, what are _ haven't done yet. well, really, well, what are they, _ haven't done yet. well, really, well, what are they, because l haven't done yet. well, really, - well, what are they, because schools said they have spent months getting covid ready? said they have spent months getting covid read ? ~ said they have spent months getting covid ready?— covid ready? well, for instance in denmark they _ covid ready? well, for instance in denmark they have _ covid ready? well, for instance in denmark they have taken - covid ready? well, for instance in denmark they have taken over i covid ready? well, for instance in - denmark they have taken over empty municipal buildings, so they have managed to split classes into sizes of ten to 12, so that's one thing. another thing is mask wearing inside classrooms, which is not happening in england but it is happening in scotland, france, many other european countries, so there are extra things we can do to support schools to be safer. but the other thing that we really need to do is to think about, well, what we do about exams this summer, are we going to assess people? we know from wave one that schools from deprived

areas lost four months of education compared to two months in the least deprived areas, how are we going to account for that inequality, which will only be more now? we have to give some reassurances to parents and children who have no idea how they will be assessed this summer. people are suffering from severe fatigue in lockdown and it is that loss of any hope at the moment of a date, of a timetable. it is a problem, isn't it?— date, of a timetable. it is a problem, isn't it? yes, actually there isn't— problem, isn't it? yes, actually there isn't that _ problem, isn't it? yes, actually there isn't that much _ problem, isn't it? yes, actually there isn't that much evidence | problem, isn't it? yes, actually. there isn't that much evidence for fatigue. current lockdown measures are overwhelmingly supported by people, hardly anyone think they are not too severe, but what we need is not too severe, but what we need is not necessarily a date but a set of criteria, what is our road map, where are we going, what do we need to have got to before we reopen and i think that is missing, the kind of longer term strategy from the government. at the moment we just hear rumours that we might release restrictions in february, march, we might reopen schools, we might not, so i would like a road map. this is

what we going to do in this is how we are going to do it. itruthat what we going to do in this is how we are going to do it.— what we going to do in this is how we are going to do it. what does the r rate need — we are going to do it. what does the r rate need to _ we are going to do it. what does the r rate need to be _ we are going to do it. what does the r rate need to be for— we are going to do it. what does the r rate need to be for people - r rate need to be for people generally to think we're on the right road, because at the moment it is still too high, isn't it? yes. right road, because at the moment it is still too high, isn't it?— is still too high, isn't it? yes, so at the it looks _ is still too high, isn't it? yes, so at the it looks like _ is still too high, isn't it? yes, so at the it looks like it's, - is still too high, isn't it? yes, so at the it looks like it's, sorry, i at the it looks like it's, sorry, that's my door bell! ts at the it looks like it's, sorry, that's my door bell!— that's my door bell! is that something _ that's my door bell! is that something you _ that's my door bell! is that something you need - that's my door bell! is that something you need to - that's my door bell! is that something you need to go| that's my door bell! is that i something you need to go and that's my door bell! is that _ something you need to go and answer? i'm hoping my husband will get it. we'll find out. ts i'm hoping my husband will get it. we'll find out.— we'll find out. is he there? i really want _ we'll find out. is he there? i really want the _ we'll find out. is he there? i really want the answer - we'll find out. is he there? i really want the answer to i we'll find out. is he there? i | really want the answer to the question. just check it all right. do you want to shout at him and answer the door? trio. do you want to shout at him and answer the door?— do you want to shout at him and answer the door? no, he's got the doon answer the door? no, he's got the door. laughter _ door. laughter let's _ door. laughter let's just - door. laughter let's just deal i door. laughter | let's just deal with door. laughter - let's just deal with this, door. laughter _ let'sjust deal with this, because let's just deal with this, because at what point do we consider that the r rate is at a reasonable level? you need to have r well below one, not 0.9, 0.85, but 0.7, zero point

six where it was earlier in the summer. and we need to have relieved the pressure on hospitals, which are currently working well below their limit, so it is that combination. the problem is we know that this new variant that keeping r below one is really hard. you can't really go for this we can live with r at one or 0.9, because what we have seen in ireland and portugal, if you release restrictions, the new variant will make things much more difficult, and they had massive spikes in cases before they reintroduced lockdowns. so we don't have the room for manoeuvre that we had six or seven months ago. manoeuvre that we had six or seven months ago-— months ago. really good to see you a . ain. will months ago. really good to see you again. will this _ months ago. really good to see you again. will this be _ months ago. really good to see you again. will this be your _ months ago. really good to see you again. will this be your first - months ago. really good to see you again. will this be your first time i again. will this be your first time on a blooper programme, do you think? �* , ., ., on a blooper programme, do you think? �*, ., ., , . think? it's not a very exciting blooper. _ think? it's not a very exciting blooper, though, _ think? it's not a very exciting blooper, though, is - think? it's not a very exciting blooper, though, is it? - think? it's not a very exciting blooper, though, is it? i- think? it's not a very exciting | blooper, though, is it? i don't know, a blooper, though, is it? i don't know. a door _ blooper, though, is it? i don't know, a door bell, _ blooper, though, is it? i don't know, a door bell, it - blooper, though, is it? i don't know, a door bell, it all- blooper, though, is it? i don't know, a door bell, it all adds| blooper, though, is it? i don't. know, a door bell, it all adds to the mix! good to see you. you're

watching bbc news. nearly 8,000 people from the working aged community died with coronavirus last year, that's according to figures from the office for national statistics. the ons said 7,961 people aged between 20 and 64 died with the virus between the 9th of march and 28th december last year. plant workers, security guards and taxi drivers were some of the worst affected professions amongst men. care workers, home carers and those working on assembly—lines were among the worst affected professions for women. overall the figures show that those working in close proximity to one another are most at risk from dying with the disease. earlier, we heard from paddy lillis, who is the general secretary of the shop workers union, usdaw. he's calling for the government to conduct a risk assessment which could help protect workers in public—facing roles. we have been calling on the government to do a risk assessment with thejoint committee government to do a risk assessment with the joint committee of vaccination and immunisation to ensure at the next phase those public facing workers, supermarket

workers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, police, all those who public face are at risk, bringing this to themselves and their families, and of course if they catch it and transmitted into the community, so it's really important that these are looked at in a risk assessment, as you would in any normal circumstance. joining me now from basildon is dan quinn, operations mananger for the security firm, executive uk group. he has between 50 and 100 security guards working for the company every day. it is good to see you. it is sort of common sense that any interaction, any contact with the public, is going to increase the risk? goad going to increase the risk? good afternoon- _ going to increase the risk? good afternoon. of— going to increase the risk? good afternoon. of course _ going to increase the risk? good afternoon. of course it's - going to increase the risk? (13mg. afternoon. of course it's going to increase the risk of contracting the virus was top it is something we try to minimise but ultimately we understand that it is there, and it is something that we need to combat. how we do that is up for debate but it is something that needs to have action taken. the it is something that needs to have action taken-— it is something that needs to have action taken. the irony of course is that if people _ action taken. the irony of course is that if people want _ action taken. the irony of course is that if people want to _ action taken. the irony of course is that if people want to lessen - action taken. the irony of course is that if people want to lessen the i

that if people want to lessen the risk call in security companies presumably like yours?- risk call in security companies presumably like yours? yes, of course. presumably like yours? yes, of course- that — presumably like yours? yes, of course. that minimises - presumably like yours? yes, of course. that minimises the - presumably like yours? yes, ofj course. that minimises the risk presumably like yours? yes, of i course. that minimises the risk to their customers and their staff who are using their establishments, going to their premises and things like that, but it doesn't minimise the risk to the security guards that are going out there every day on the front line, as much as police, fire service, ambulance service, all of those groups of people, while we have the utmost respect, we are on the front line as much as anyone. and what about training, which obviously is crucial for the jobs you have described and for your profession as well? the training asect, profession as well? the training aspect. you'll— profession as well? the training aspect, you'll earn _ profession as well? the training aspect, you'll earn more - profession as well? the training aspect, you'll earn more every. profession as well? the training - aspect, you'll earn more every day. you hear in the news more information every day, different variants, these sorts of things, how to combat contracting the virus, how to combat contracting the virus, how to minimise your risk. we provide training to our staff through an online portal at the moment, because face—to—face, again, is a high risk, and through that portal we try to give as much advice as we can, give as much knowledge as we can on the

virus and how to stop contracting it within close confined spaces where we work predominately most of the time. .. we work predominately most of the time. . ., ' . , ., time. that figure of effectively won in 1000 male _ time. that figure of effectively won in 1000 male security _ time. that figure of effectively won in 1000 male security workers - time. that figure of effectively won in 1000 male security workers and | in 1000 male security workers and the level of vitality, is that a figure that surprises you? tt figure that surprises you? tt surprises me when you hear a figure like that. i thought it would be higher. it is a concern obviously when people hear those figures. i got young children at home myself, so going out on the front line and trying to protect people from this virus is honestly a grave concern when you hear figures like that from the government.— the government. dan, how do you train people _ the government. dan, how do you train people how— the government. dan, how do you train people how you _ the government. dan, how do you train people how you employ - the government. dan, how do you train people how you employ to i the government. dan, how do you | train people how you employ to go out and protect businesses and others during this pandemic when the public may not be playing ball completely? i mean, at some point they've got to get close to one another. qt they've got to get close to one another. . ., , ., they've got to get close to one another. _, , ., , . another. of course. you try and minimise _ another. of course. you try and minimise that _ another. of course. you try and minimise that risk— another. of course. you try and minimise that risk in _ another. of course. you try and minimise that risk in our- another. of course. you try and i minimise that risk in our everyday jobs, pre—covid and no doubt post covid, we are taught to de—escalate

situations, we are encouraged to de—escalate situations, instead of getting close and personal with people. so we try and maximise that, push that out to our staff, encourage that, but ultimately, the risk is still there of coming into close contact with people who may not want to wear masks, who aren't protecting themselves, and that's why we are there to do that. mellie why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank — why we are there to do that. well, dan. thank you — why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank you to _ why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank you to you _ why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank you to you and - why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank you to you and all- why we are there to do that. well, dan, thank you to you and all those you work alongside in these difficult times. dan quinn, thank you forjoining us.— difficult times. dan quinn, thank you forjoining us. the online fashion retailer, boohoo, has bought the debenhams brand and its website. the deal is worth £55 million — but the company won't be taking on any of the retailer's stores or its 12,000 staff. simon browning reports.

debenhams, a high street bastion for over two centuries but it's been in distress for years, as online shopping accelerated and perceptions it couldn't keep up, as our retail habits change. now boohoo, one of the huge new online brands which has challenged so many of our traditional retailers, has bought what's left. boohoo's purchase of debenhams sees them just take the website and brand name, meaning stores like this and 117 others across the country are now set to close. it is truly devastating news for the company's12,000 employees. but unfortunately the pandemic continues to wreak havoc for businesses that were already struggling to survive. what that is going to mean for the high street, when you start to think about the vacancy rates, with debenhams, topshop, the rest of the arcadia group not being there, is potentially in the very short term in two stores of those major retail collectors, until we can start to see this balance out. it is a perilous time for the uk high street. debenhams is an anchor tenant for lots of cities and shopping centres and the loss of 12,000 jobs will have a huge impact on women and younger workers, who are predominantly employed

in this sector. there needs to be an industrial strategy for retail, to give retail an opportunity to have a future. and this isjust another nail in the coffin, another 12,000 jobs going. on to the online platforms. so we still call on the government and local authorities along with the employers to work with us to look at what does retail look like into the future. boohoo's growth using online and social media platforms has been unrelenting in recent years, and it hopes for more by acquiring debenhams and its lucrative beauty and cosmetics customers. it plans to relaunch online at the start of the summer. it emerged this morning that online retailer asos is considering buying topman, topshop and the miss selfridge brands. more jobs could go there. the uk high street looks set to limp along in 2021 as the battle between bricks and clicks continues. simon browing, bbc news. earlier, our business presenter,

ben thompson told me about the deal. security chiefs in the netherlands meet today to discuss a response to a weekend of protests in defiance of a new 9pm curfew. one of the worst outbreaks of violence was in the southern city of eindhoven, where some protesters threw fireworks and smashed windows. the mayor there said the country was heading for civil war. there were also clashes in amsterdam. there were also protests in denmark at the weekend. hundreds of people joined a mass anti—lockdown demonstration in copenhagen. police were out in force, and up to nine people were arrested. denmark has introduced new travel restrictions. in france — the top scientific adviser says the country probably needs a third coronavirus lockdown. earlier this month, france brought forward the start of its nightly curfew to 6pm, but since then, the average number of new infections has increased from 18,000 per day to more than 20,000.

millions of parents and children are about to start a fourth week of home schooling. while it seems increasingly unlikely that schools won't fully re—open before easter, our reporter fi lamdin has been to meet some families who are already feeling the pressure of living in lockdown. four families living in one city. all facing different challenges during this winter lockdown. single dad samuel lives here with his young sons in this tower block. it's harderfor the reason that it is wintertime now, so we tend to stay in 24/7. it is chaos. like, organised chaos in a sense, but then sometimes it can go right out, organisation, because the kids, they want things to do. you can only do so much, you can only educate much, you can only home—school so much, you can only home work so much. where i am in the one—bedroom, it's hard. since lockdown, samuel checks in daily with many of the other families. sienna, have you done your work? all right, bye. and living next door to samuel, up on the 15th floor, is nemery and his family.

they've broken the tv twice, they've broken the, like, three chairs, and the table. and they broke as well a sofa, and two beds. our kids, theyjump everywhere. his wife and three children haven't left their flat for three weeks now since the start of this new lockdown. we share a laundry, very busy. we share a lift, very busy, and we've got cases in this building. so that's why we keep them at home. are you worried this third lockdown is having a damaging effect on your children's mental health? and underneath the tower block live this family. it's so hard, because i have to look after four children i with a disabled child. my son, you know, he has a lot i of medication i have to give him, and i have the baby as well. dhekara has stopped her own studying so she can help home—school her children. and you're feeling pulled

in all directions? the home learning is quite difficult. sometimes i help my siblings. his younger brother mustafa is ten. he has cerebral palsy, diabetes and severe asthma. he said it's bad, because he misses his friends at school, and he can't see them at lunchtime. across town, we meet single mum vicky and herfamily. she set up her own marketing business a year ago. the problem is is i'm - having to make the choice between their education or my work. if i don't work, we can't pay the rent, i can't run - the car, i can't buy food. i don't have the choice. we're just sat at the kitchen table working because we haven't done| the american company, spacex, has set a new record for the number of satellites launched on a single rocket — 143. the achievement underlines how

the space industry is changing, with private companies finding it increasingly cheap to send their hardware into orbit. but is there a risk that the atmosphere above us is becoming too crowded? mark lobel takes a closer look. three, two, one. ..zero. ignition. and lift off. spacex's record—breaking rocket, leaving cape canaveral in florida. it's quite a sight. within range... but is the path ahead for satellites becoming more clouded? separation confirmed. the launch of 143 satellites used to take a year — not a single moment like this. should have the fairing deployed. this load, a veritable airborne vending machine for multiple customers, will spew into orbit broadband boosters, cogs that connect the internet of things, and dozens of satellites, taking pictures like these, from san francisco's planet company, imaging the earth's surface daily. they scan the whole earth, looking for changes and that is used

by a variety of people, in commercial areas, like in agriculture, to understand crop yields, forestry, to understand deforestation, mapping, to improve the maps that you see online, humanitarian use cases, like helping disaster response, after floods and fires and earthquakes and so on. but there are now over 3,000 working satellites in orbit. that's causing some consternation for space conservation. all of these satellites are going in all different directions at 18,000 miles an hour. it's getting crowded enough that there is a serious risk of collisions. and these modern satellites are all manoeuvring and changing, maybe somewhat unpredictably, their orbits, and so it's a real challenge because no one is really in charge of, like with aeroplanes, with an air traffic control, telling each satellite where to go. that's because the last policing manual for outer space was written over 50 years ago. earlier this month, virgin orbit showed that

satellite—packed rockets can now be launched from a jumbo jet. cape canaveral... with the size and price of spacecraft shrinking, and demand for bespoke orbit heights and launchtimes growing, are we witnessing a burgeoning space economy that risks crowding certain altitudes out? and falcon nine returns safely once again. that is the fifth time for this particular booster. mark lobel, bbc news. now it's time for a look at the weather with tomas. the cold weather is going to come to an end, basically we have got today left and maybe a bit of tomorrow, and then it is going to turn quite a bit milder, but the frost is going to return this evening and overnight, so once again in the morning tomorrow it will be quite icy in places. now, the weather is a lot sunniertoday, compared to what we had yesterday.

clear skies there across parts of the country. these are the temperatures around late afternoon, so pretty nippy in places, barely above freezing in some areas, where there is still a lot of snow lying around. about 20 centimetres or so yesterday across parts of the midlands. through this evening, some wintry showers, yes, across parts of scotland, but clear across the bulk of scotland, england and wales. eventually, it's going to turn milder through the night in northern ireland, and that is because a change is taking place. a weather front is approaching, and with that, also southerly winds are developing, and these southerly winds up going to push milder air in our direction, but notice parts of scotland and also northern england stilljust about in that cold air, so that does mean that when this weather front moves across the country on tuesday, with the rain falling across southern and western areas, it is more likely to be snow across the pennines, yorkshire, maybe even in some towns and cities at lower ground, but also snow across the scottish mountains. to the south of that, a lot milder, we are talking about ten degrees in plymouth, so you can see that weather front moving through, and then eventually

even across the pennines it will turn to rain, but i think the snow will continue across the highlands tomorrow evening. here is mid—week. one weather front fizzles out, we have a repeat performance. this is the next one, so we have one on tuesday, the next weather front coming in later on wednesday. ahead of it, the weather is actually not too bad, some sunshine around, absolutely fine in scotland, with glasgow and edinburgh looking pretty sunny, but notice later in the afternoon on wednesday it is starting to turn wet again in south—western england and parts of wales. that is going to spread north across the country as well. you can see, by the time we get to thursday, we are into double figures, 12 degrees expected in the south of the country, so a cold and crisp day today and tomorrow it will change.

this is bbc news. i'm ben brown. the headlines: mounting pressure on the government for a timetable on the return of schools in england — with claims that pupils are becoming "forgotten victims" of the pandemic. covid rules won't be eased in england before the middle of next month. the prime minister says he can't risk a surge in infections. the gc vi groups one to four will be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we will be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. debenhams is to disappear from the high street with the loss of 12,000 jobs. fast fashion retailer boohoo buys the brand and website, but not the stores.

borisjohnson says he wants to see schools reopen as soon as possible amid warnings children have become the 'forgotten victims' of the pandemic. the prime minister said the government will be looking before the middle of february at the "potential of relaxing some measures", but it is understood no changes will be made before that date. mrjohnson is under pressure from mps to name a date for schools to reopen, with an urgent question in the house of commons scheduled for tomorrow. meanwhile, the prime minister says he's 'actively working on' a proposal requiring travellers arriving in the uk to pay to quarantine

in a hotel. it comes as the latest figures show that more than 6.3 million people have had a first vaccine dose. and the company moderna says its vaccine does produce antibodies against both the uk and south african variants of the virus. with infection rates high, lockdown stretches on, keeping businesses shut and schools closed to most pupils. it's clear there will be no quick return to normal but the government is under real pressure to timetable the reopening of schools in england. visiting a vaccination centre in north london, the prime minister said a return by easter was possible. schools, obviously, will be a priority but i don't think anybody would want to see the restrictions lifted so quickly whilst the rate of infection is still very high. for children, teachers and frazzled parents, the pandemic has meant closed schools, cancelled exams and huge uncertainty. many primary schools in england

opened for a day before being shut again at the start of this month and some testing plans for pupils have been paused because of the new variant. labour says a plan is needed. it is about things like about whether we bring all children back at once or whether you bring them back on a phased basis and, if so, which years come back first. labour's been suggesting nightingale schools for some time, so that there's more space to ensure safe social distancing. it is about getting the roll—out of the testing programme in schools working effectively. schools have been closed by other governments in the uk and the westminster government has said it will give schools in england two weeks' notice to reopen, but senior tory mps are calling for more clarity too. what i want to understand, given that the r rate is decreasing, is what is the plan to get schools open again? what is the timetable? how are we going to ensure that children get the best benefit of education? or are we going to damage their life chances on climbing that education ladder of opportunity?

the political argument over how and when schools can reopen is sharpening up as the vaccine roll—out gathers pace. ministers insist any decisions about relaxing restrictions must be driven by the data on infections and the advice from their scientists. number 10 seems wary of overpromising because there's so much uncertainty around. but a number of tory mps are losing patience and want a much clearer path out of lockdown. there is no reason why there shouldn't be a plan that meets the milestones of the government's own vaccine roll—out. i think there's a tipping point coming in public opinion and you will see that feed through into parliament. and while there will be a review of restrictions in mid—february, it's likely to be many weeks before classrooms begin to fill with pupils again. ben wright, bbc news. let's talk about what the whole pandemic is doing to young people in

particular. with me is ryan — who completed his gcses in lockdown over the summer. and also, i'm joined by nick harrop from youth mental health charity young minds. thanks both of you for being with us. ryan, just talk us through what life is like for you at the moment. i am currently studying to be a sound engineer which in normal times would be a practical course. i would be having practical assessments coming up this term but instead i have suddenly switched to online learning which has been quite stressful. now i don't know what is happening with a lot of my coursework and i do spend a lot of my time isolated in my bedroom by myself. my time isolated in my bedroom by m self. ., ., i. my time isolated in my bedroom by m self. ., ., . . myself. how do you find that? we talk about lacking _ myself. how do you find that? we talk about lacking friends, - myself. how do you find that? we | talk about lacking friends, missing friends are not being in a social environment in a moment but in terms of education, how do you find online learning? t of education, how do you find online learnin: ? ~ of education, how do you find online learninu? ~ , , . . , ., learning? i think especially for other students _ learning? i think especially for other students that _ learning? i think especially for other students that are - learning? i think especially for other students that are taking | learning? i think especially for - other students that are taking more practical classes, it is definitely a lower quality. i know my teachers

are trying as hard as they can. i know they are doing at the best they can and it's great what they are managing to do under these circumstances but at the same time, i know i am missing out especially when i am training to do a job and i am missing out on learning concrete skills that i would be applying to my career in later life. host my career in later life. how difficult is _ my career in later life. how difficult is it _ my career in later life. how difficult is it for— my career in later life. how difficult is it for you - my career in later life. how difficult is it for you to - my career in later life. how difficult is it for you to be i my career in later life. how i difficult is it for you to be this isolated? tt difficult is it for you to be this isolated? . ' . isolated? it is quite difficult because i— isolated? it is quite difficult because i think _ isolated? it is quite difficult because i think it _ isolated? it is quite difficult because i think it is - isolated? it is quite difficult because i think it is more i isolated? it is quite difficult - because i think it is more difficult than in the first lockdown because in the first lockdown i didn't have much to do, so i could have time to call my friends, i could go out with my parents but now because of my couege my parents but now because of my college schedule, my lunch breaks don't line up with my parents's so i can't go out for a walk with the dog which i had got used to doing. i don't have much time where i can talk to people. even in college, most of the time we had to have our

microphones on mute, we cannot chat in class so it's quite isolating. nick, from the mental health charity young minds, what is this doing to young minds? irate young minds, what is this doing to young minds?— young minds, what is this doing to mm: minds? ~ ~' ., . young minds, what is this doing to mm: minds? ~ ~ ., . young minds? we know the pandemic as a whole has had — young minds? we know the pandemic as a whole has had a _ young minds? we know the pandemic as a whole has had a huge _ young minds? we know the pandemic as a whole has had a huge impact _ young minds? we know the pandemic as a whole has had a huge impact on - a whole has had a huge impact on children_ a whole has had a huge impact on children and young people's mental health_ children and young people's mental health and that's because of anxiety about— health and that's because of anxiety about the _ health and that's because of anxiety about the pandemic itself, becoming ill, spreading the virus but also isolation, — ill, spreading the virus but also isolation, the loss of routine, the loss of— isolation, the loss of routine, the loss of learning. lots of concerns about _ loss of learning. lots of concerns about education so it's having a huge _ about education so it's having a huge impact on lots of young people. it's important that support is out there _ it's important that support is out there for— it's important that support is out there for those who need it. age hu . e there for those who need it. age huge impact _ there for those who need it. c: huge impact and you think a lasting impact psychologically, mentally? for some it could be. some young people _ for some it could be. some young people will— for some it could be. some young people will be having difficult experiences at home during lockdown. for some _ experiences at home during lockdown. for some it— experiences at home during lockdown. for some it will have a massive impact — for some it will have a massive impact on — for some it will have a massive impact on their education for the lon- impact on their education for the long term — impact on their education for the long term. we are likely to see all sorts— long term. we are likely to see all sorts of— long term. we are likely to see all

sorts of economic uncertainty so it could _ sorts of economic uncertainty so it could be _ sorts of economic uncertainty so it could be difficult for some young people _ could be difficult for some young people to getjobs in could be difficult for some young people to get jobs in the future. and of— people to get jobs in the future. and of course just recovering, just going _ and of course just recovering, just going back— and of course just recovering, just going back from a period of isolation _ going back from a period of isolation back into seeing friends again— isolation back into seeing friends again at— isolation back into seeing friends again at school, returning to schoot _ again at school, returning to school. it's difficult to adjust to these _ school. it's difficult to adjust to these things and all the uncertainty as well— these things and all the uncertainty as well could have a lasting impact on young _ as well could have a lasting impact on young people. it's important that we of— on young people. it's important that we of course make sure that children can carry _ we of course make sure that children can carry on — we of course make sure that children can carry on with their education and keep— can carry on with their education and keep up with learning but we need _ and keep up with learning but we need to— and keep up with learning but we need to make sure that their well—being and mental health is a real priority at the moment as well. ryan. _ real priority at the moment as well. ryan. how— real priority at the moment as well. ryan, how badly do you think this has affected your mental health. in the long term as well as the short term? tt the long term as well as the short term? .. . , the long term as well as the short term? . , , ., the long term as well as the short term? . , , . . term? it has definitely had an im act. term? it has definitely had an impact- for — term? it has definitely had an impact. for example, - term? it has definitely had an impact. for example, i- term? it has definitely had an impact. for example, i went. term? it has definitely had an - impact. for example, i went almost a year without speaking to my psychiatrist because of lockdown. which has been really difficult. there have been multiple times where my medication prescription has been delayed or has come through late to the point where i have relied on

anotherfamily member the point where i have relied on another family member who takes the same medication is ideal to be able to use their dose, otherwise i wouldn't have had any which has been difficult. as well as the isolation that i mentioned earlier, definitely taking a toll, it does feel less like there are people around to support you even though i know they are there but is not being able to see them thatjust feels worse. its, see them that just feels worse. a lot of pressure on the government to give a timetable on the return of schools in england. what would you say about that? obviously the government keeps saying they want to get schools up and running but they don't feel it is safe at the moment to do so. �* . don't feel it is safe at the moment todoso. �*, ., _ don't feel it is safe at the moment todoso. �*, ., ,_, '. to do so. it's obviously a difficult balance in _ to do so. it's obviously a difficult balance in that _ to do so. it's obviously a difficult balance in that of _ to do so. it's obviously a difficult balance in that of course - to do so. it's obviously a difficult balance in that of course the - balance in that of course the pandemic itself, the virus has an impact _ pandemic itself, the virus has an impact on — pandemic itself, the virus has an impact on young people's mental health_ impact on young people's mental health so— impact on young people's mental health so if it feels unsafe to be in school, — health so if it feels unsafe to be in school, that has an impact on young _ in school, that has an impact on young people also. as much as possible — young people also. as much as possible we want young children in

school _ possible we want young children in school because it is good for their well-being — school because it is good for their well—being and mental health not 'ust well—being and mental health not just to _ well—being and mental health not just to be — well—being and mental health not just to be learning in school but to see their— just to be learning in school but to see their friends, to have teachers they can _ see their friends, to have teachers they can turn to if they are struggling and to do those things outside _ struggling and to do those things outside of learning like art, pe, music— outside of learning like art, pe, music that _ outside of learning like art, pe, music that they may have lost out on in the _ music that they may have lost out on in the last— music that they may have lost out on in the last lockdown. of course we want _ in the last lockdown. of course we want schools to return as soon as it is safe _ want schools to return as soon as it is safe but— want schools to return as soon as it is safe but it — want schools to return as soon as it is safe but it is a difficult balance _ is safe but it is a difficult balance-— is safe but it is a difficult balance. ., . ,, ., balance. nick, good to talk to you. and also ryan. _ balance. nick, good to talk to you. and also ryan. a — balance. nick, good to talk to you. and also ryan, a 17-year-old - and also ryan, a 17—year—old student, good luck to you for all you are doing and for the future. thank you. and the latest figures on coronavirus havejust come in — there were 592 deaths within 28 days of a positive test

and 22,195 new cases of people testing positive. both figures going in a downward direction. it was 30,000 cases yesterday, 22,000 new cases today. more on that as we get it. meanwhile, the prime minister has confirmed that it'll be mid—february before the government starts "looking at the potential of relaxing some measures". much depends, of course, on the vaccination programme — and there's now a suggestion that delaying the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine — far from weakening its effects — may actually provide better protection in the long—term. it's a view at odds with the vaccine manufacturers and many other countries. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. you have to keep it under lock and key, have you? absolutely. quite right! the prime minister at a vaccination centre in north london this morning. the vaccine is seen as the way out of the pandemic. you get 11 doses out of this? we do... it's now four weeks since the latest lockdown began and mrjohnson

promised they were working on an exit strategy. we're looking at the data as it comes in, we're looking at the rates of infection. as you know, thejcvi groups one to four are going to be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then, we'll be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures. but questions are still being asked about the government's vaccination plan. pressure's been building for ministers to reverse their decision to delay the second dose for up to 12 weeks. one of the government's advisors on immunisation today strongly defended the policy. what we know is that the protection after one dose is extremely good. it's surprisingly good. what we know for one of the two vaccines, the oxford vaccine, is that that protection persists and, in fact, the immune response to the booster is enhanced by delaying the second dose. there is no published evidence around the effectiveness of delaying the other vaccine, made by pfizer, and its

manufacturers do not recommend it. the doctors union, the bma, has said it's difficult to justify the gap and it should be changed to six weeks. unfortunately, the bma have really picked up half the story and ignored the other half. they're clearly wanting to represent the medical profession and look after them, but they're failing to recognise that the second doses that are being delayed are actually being given to other members of the medical profession and providing them with protection. and protecting health care workers is critical. hospitals remain under pressure like never before, as the number of severely ill patients continues to rise. getting the vaccine strategy right is undoubtedly the best route out of this crisis. sophie hutchinson, bbc news. the drugs manufacturer moderna has said its covid—19 vaccine has

produced "virus—neutralizing antibodies" against new coronavirus variants, in laboratory testing. the two variants involved in the tests were those found in the uk and south africa. the company says a two—dose regimen of the moderna jab is expected to be protective against emerging strains detected to date. it's planning to test a vaccine booster against the south africa variant in pre—clinical trials. and the health secretary matt hancock will be leading today's coronavirus downing street briefing at 5 o'clock this afternoon. he'll be joined by the deputy chief medical officer, jenny harries, and susan hopkins from public health england. we'll bring that to you live on bbc one and the bbc news channel. the headlines on bbc news: no firm date for the return of schools in england — despite calls from mps for the government to clarify whether schools will fully re—open before easter. covid rules won't be eased in england before mid—february.

the prime minister says he will be looking to relax the rules as soon as the numbers allow, but doesn't want to risk a surge in infections with the vaccination programme in full swing. the family of teenager keon lincoln describe their shock — after the 15—year old was shot and stabbed. a mother has admitted killing her severely disabled ten—year—old son in a west london house last year. dylan freeman was discovered by police officers in a property in acton. his mother, olga freeman, was originally charged with murder. she pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility. at an earlier hearing the court heard dylan died from restriction of his airway. the online fashion retailer boohoo has bought the debenhams brand and its website. the deal is worth £55 million, but the company won't be taking on any of the retailer's stores or its 12,000 staff. simon browning reports.

debenhams, a high street bastion for over two centuries but it's been in distress for years, as online shopping accelerated and perceptions it couldn't keep up, as our retail habits change. now boohoo, one of the huge new online brands which has challenged so many of our traditional retailers, has bought what's left. boohoo's purchase of debenhams sees them just take the website and brand name, meaning stores like this and 117 others across the country are now set to close. it is truly devastating news for the company's12,000 employees. but unfortunately the pandemic continues to wreak havoc for businesses that were already struggling to survive. what that is going to mean for the high street, when you start to think about the vacancy rates, with debenhams, topshop, the rest of the arcadia group not being there, is potentially in the very short term we could start to see may be vacancy rates of a third or may be one in two stores of those

major retail collectors, until we can start to see this balance out. it is a perilous time for the uk high street. debenhams is an anchor tenant for lots of cities and shopping centres and the loss of 12,000 jobs will have a huge impact on women and younger workers who are predominantly employed in this sector. there needs to be an industrial strategy for retail, to give retail an opportunity to have a future. this isjust another nail in the coffin, another 12,000 jobs going. on to the online platforms. so we still call on the government and local authorities along with the employers to work with us to look at what does retail look like in the future? boohoo's growth using online and social media platforms has been unrelenting in recent years and it hopes for more by acquiring debenhams and its lucrative beauty and cosmetics customers. it plans to relaunch online at the start of the summer. it emerged this morning that

online retailer asos is considering buying topman, topshop and the miss selfridge brands. more jobs could go there. the uk high street looks set to limp along in 2021 as the battle between bricks and clicks continues. simon browing, bbc news. he may have left the stage, but donald trump continues to be the focus of political attention in america. later today, house speaker nancy pelosi is set to send the senate a single article of impeachment — accusing him of inciting the capitol riot — and that will formally trigger the first—ever impeachment trial of a former president. gary o'donghue is in washington from where he outlined what we can expect to unfold. this article of impeachment arrives at the senate and that triggers the whole process of a senate trial. remember, that's a political process. the senators themselves sit in judgment as to whether donald trump is guilty or not of inciting insurrection.

that trial will begin in two weeks' time. we don't know the exact format or whether there will be witnesses, live witnesses, who will make the president's case in detail, but at the point of a vote, when they come it, he would need two thirds of those senators, 67 of them, to vote to convict the president of high crimes and misdemeanours, and that means 17 republicans breaking rank. mitch mcconnell, the leader of the republicans in the senate, has already said he believes the president provoked that january 6th attack on the congress which sparked the impeachment process. we don't know which way he is going to vote and he could take a lot of votes with him, but it's still a big ask. but if they do get to that point of conviction, donald trump could be barred from holding federal office for the rest of his life. the dutch prime minister mark rutte

has condemned riots across the country this weekend in which demonstrators attacked police and set fires to protest against a night—time curfew to slow the spread of the coronavirus, calling them "criminal violence". the police said hundreds of people had been detained after the incidents. mr rutte told reporters outside his office in the hague that the clashes had "nothing to do with protest".. translation: normal people can only watch this with disgust. this is nothing to do with disgust. this is nothing to do with demonstrating. it is criminal violence and we will treat it as such. a major government scheme to find work for young people has seen fewer than two thousand youngsters take up newjobs. the kickstart scheme began in september and is backed by two billion pounds in funding. 120,000 roles have been created under the programme but ministers says covid restrictions have hampered take—up. here's our business

correspondent, katy austin. 24—year—old hayden was made redundant from a job in retail late last summer. finding another role in the middle of the pandemic was hard. you start thinking about stuff, if you're going to find work again. he's now started work for delivery company whistl, as part of the government's kickstart programme. i'll give it a go, you know? it is a new experience and i want to do new things, you know? different skills every day, you know? things i've never done before. the number of young people who are unemployed has risen during coronavirus to nearly 600,000 towards the end of last year and the youth unemployment rate has reached 14.5%. kickstart is aimed at addressing the risk of becoming long—term unemployed. the government has promised £2 billion to pay for six—month job placements for young people in england, scotland and wales, with referrals to the scheme running until the end of this year. today, the chancellor announced 120,000 roles have been created so far but admitted restrictions

are slowing progress. do you know how many young people are actually in those roles yet? so, we know about a couple of thousand of them have already started. obviously, because of the lockdowns and restrictions, that hampers businesses' ability to bring people into work and what we can look forward to, as the restrictions ease, is more of these young people starting those placements. small businesses who want to create a small number of roles have complained of long delays in the approval process. the rules are being changed today to give them a more direct application option. we pushed the government to do this in september. because it's four months late, that means there is now a backlog of cases of people who've been appointed through intermediaries, who've not been able to access that work yet. why didn't you do it earlier? well, because we're setting something up at such speed that we wanted to make sure that we could make progress and we've achieved that. tracy's organisation is helping

small firms to access kickstart. after working to support young people for years, she says who gets these roles matters. the young people who really probably would already get a job, with a little bit of help, they probably would get a job, you know, we don't all the kickstart jobs going to those young people. we need to be able to put things in place to support those young people who were already unemployed before covid. some argue the job won't be done by december and kickstart must be extended. the chancellor has left the door open to that. for young people like hayden, thoughts are now turning to finding permanent work once their six months are up. katy austin, bbc news. sport and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's sarah mulkerrins. frank lampard singing the blues. let's start with the big news out of the premier league today, chelsea have sacked their manager frank lampard, with former paris st germain boss tomas tuchel expected to take over. lampard has been in charge for 18 months, but their recent form has

been poor and they're currently ninth in the league. laura scott reports. commentator: lampard! on the pitch, frank lampard became a club legend at stamford bridge. indeed the former midfielder remains their record goal—scorer. in the dugout, however, he lasted just 18 months. pressure had been building in recent weeks, with chelsea having won just one of their last five premier league games, leaving them ninth in the table. reporter: when there - are other managers's names being bandied around, successful ones, thatl must be difficult, how| do you deal with that? i don't listen to it. but it's everywhere. it's only everywhere if you go on social media, look, i'm not stupid, i know what the pressure as that comes with managing a top four club is, but i only do myjob, so it doesn't matter to me. commentator: gilmour lays it off, it is an absolutely sensational goal! - brilliant teamwork from chelsea. yesterday, a 3—1 victory over

luton town saw them progress to the fifth round of the fa cup, but that was not enough to buy lampard more time at the club. in a statement announcing his departure this morning, chelsea said recent results and performances had not met the club's expectations and there wasn't any clear path to sustained improvement. yet in a rare move, billionaire owner roman abramovich paid tribute to lampard, calling him an important icon of this great club, and saying his status remains undiminished. managers do well to last long in this part of west london. when lampard got thejob injuly 2019, following just one managerial role with derby county, he became the tenth permanent appointment since abramovich bought chelsea in 2003. so who will the club turn to next? german manager thomas tuchel is the favourite to take the role, having left paris st—germain in december. chelsea's next game is on wednesday, but it's not clear if a deal will have been done by then, and whether quarantine rules

would allow an overseas manager to take charge in time for that fixture. for some, the club's move today has come as a shock, symbolic of a lack of patience, but the club's trust in lampard to bring them the same glory as a manager that he did as a player had run out. laura scott, bbc news. there was a thrilling win for england against sri lanka in the second and final test in galle. after bowling the hosts out in their second innings forjust 126, england were left with a target of 164 to win the series. they had a bit of a wobble, and were 89 for 4 at one stage. but dom sibley and jos buttler steered them safely towards the win. we managed to find a way, in very difficult conditions, with very little lead up to the series, as well, so for us, in the past, i think we have been guilty of being slow starters, whether it be home or away,

so for us to start as well as that was really pleasing, but also to keep growing as a team, and improving throughout the two games, is quite impressive. forwards joe marler and joe launchbury have pulled out of england's six nations squad. launchbury�*s got a stress fracture to his leg, whilst marler has withdrawn for personal reasons. drop—outs for ireland, too. jacob stockdale's struggling with a knee injury and has been left out of andy farrell's squad. ulster�*s john cooney also misses out, but prop tadhg furlong has been included after recovering from long—term injury. the six nations starts on 6th of february. that's all the sport for now. in a moment we'll be joined by viewers on bbc one — ahead of today's update on coronavirus from the government — today it is the health secretary matt hancock leading proceedings. but first, it's time for a look at the weather with tomasz.

still quite a lot of snow lying on the ground. parts of the midlands yesterday got around 20 centimetres of snow. for most of us it was just a few centimetres here and there. the frost returns tonight so all of that snow is going to stay. it will be icy once again but today the weather has changed. clearer skies across parts of the uk, a bit of murk earlier on but that has fizzled away so we are in for a clear end to the day, a clear evening, the temperatures will drop away as well. a few wintry showers here and there, maybe across parts of scotland but this weather front, this rain approaching ireland, that heralds a change. ahead of it it is cold and frosty but here we have much milder air so that will spread into northern ireland, temporarily bringing some snow. some of this will fall as snow across scotland and the pennines during tuesday but for many of us, it is rain and it is lot milder.

this is bbc news, i'm ben brown. the headlines. there's mounting pressure on the government for a timetable on the return of schools in england — with claims that pupils are becoming 'forgotten victims' of the pandemic. covid rules won't be eased in england before the middle of next month. the prime minister says he can't risk a surge in infections. thejcvi group is wonderful. we are going to be vaccinated by the 15th of february. before then we will be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures. british nationals travelling to the uk from high—risk countries would have to quarantine in a hotel, under plans to be discussed by ministers tomorrow. and as moderna says its vaccine

appears to work against the new, more infectious variants of the virus, we'll be speaking