tonight at ten, the bank of england calls the uk's vaccination programme excellent news and says it should help the economy recover this year. the bank's governance once the next couple of months will continue to be difficult, but that should change from april. i difficult, but that should change from aril. . difficult, but that should change from april-— difficult, but that should change from aril. ., .,, , . ., from april. i am optimistic we are now seeing _ from april. i am optimistic we are now seeing a _ from april. i am optimistic we are now seeing a hugely _ from april. i am optimistic we are now seeing a hugely impressive l now seeing a hugely impressive programme of vaccination and that we are also now beginning to see the benefits of it and that i think you know, as we move forward that should reduce uncertainty. but know, as we move forward that should reduce uncertainty.— reduce uncertainty. but warnings that hundreds _ reduce uncertainty. but warnings that hundreds of _ reduce uncertainty. but warnings that hundreds of thousands - reduce uncertainty. but warnings| that hundreds of thousands more people will lose theirjobs as furlough unwinds. also tonight, the uk's quarantine hotels, the government says it's aiming to bring them into the force from the of

february. amid pressure to get more people vaccinated faster, health workers take the jabs to older people who can't get to vaccine centres easily. the us and britain vowed to take action after a bbc investigation reveals harrowing accounts of weaker women in chinese camps being tortured and raped. and bucking the trend, the lockdown baby boom. injust one bucking the trend, the lockdown baby boom. in just one street in bristol. and coming up in sport on bbc news, jose mourinho's tottenham are up against his former side as spurs take on chelsea at home as they look to avoid a third league defeat in a row. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at ten. the bank of england says the uk economy is in for another tough few months, but it believes that the impact of coronavirus restrictions will not be as bad as last year's lockdown and the roll—out of vaccines

will help the economy bounce back. the size of the economy — the gdp — is expected to shrink by 4.2% in the first three months of this year. the bank says there could be a rapid recovery from spring onwards. meanwhile, as the government's furlough scheme winds down, the bank say the unemployment rate is likely to peak at 7.8% by the middle of the year. as our economics editor faisal islam reports, there are some reasons for hope, but predicting the course of the economy is as tough as trying to predict this pandemic. like every town, city and suburb, slough high street is currently locked down, again. on the latest figures, it had one of the highest proportions of furloughed employees in the country. not all of this will return but the question is, when does the process of reopening begin? it is the bank of england's job to assess these matters every three months. it has been counting, notjustjobs and prices, but vaccinations, too.

as a result, the shape of the economy from last year's extraordinary lockdown, and autumn recovery, looks a little like this, with right now a further significant fall, but not quite as historic as last year, and then a sharp rebound between april and september, growing 5% a quarter as the economy is able to reopen. i am optimistic that we are now seeing a hugely impressive programme of vaccination and that we are also now beginning to see the positive benefits of it, and i think that as we move forward, that should reduce uncertainty. this famous century—old industrial estate, the largest in europe. the bank also pointed to a hit, for now, from new trade barriers with the eu after the pm's deal. but here, tenants are accelerating investment in serving customers directly over the internet. the trends around digital e—commerce

and tech are so strong, the growth will continue. the recovery will be interesting. what we are hearing from businesses on the trading estate in particular and beyond is this need for a road map and certainty coming out of the pandemic. this lockdown has been quite different from the first one last april. much more of the economy has been kept open, so the overall economic hit will be smaller than last april, and there is also the certainty now of a vaccine—fuelled recovery. we and the bank of england just don't know exactly when, and that has led to strong calls for the government to keep its high level of support going for months to come. on the site of slough old library, a surprise, almost to the day of the new lockdown last month, notjust one but two hotels opening here, a sign of more wheels of the economy turning during the current lockdown. there is key workers in this area, there is a need for construction to continue and our hotel is very well suited for that. so we decided to open and we have opened this week and we have seen

a pick—up thatjustifies it. this is a bet on things getting back to normal at some point? yes, i mean, we are very hopeful that travel restrictions will be eased in due course. i mean, it is slough, who wouldn't want to travel here! right now, it might not look like it, but the bank also pointed to £125 billion in extra savings by households who have not been able to spend it that at some point could be unleashed. another much—needed shot in the arm at a tough moment for the economy. faisal islam, bbc news, in slough. the hotel quarantine scheme for uk residents returning from coronavirus hotspots will come into force on the 15th of february, the government says that the date it is aiming for. it's thought hotels will be asked to provide accommodation for more than 1000 people a day. it comes after labour

had accused the government of risking lives because of the slow roll—out of its new policy. he is our political editor, laura kuenssberg. even firefighters are on the streets at home in some parts of the streets at home in some parts of the country, helping to track the swift spreading south african variant of the virus. but the government has been under attack over how they've tried to stop it getting here from abroad. a plan for travellers to quarantine in hotels on arrival is not in action yet. when you set up a new system of hotel based quarantine we want to make sure that we get this right so that when people go to those hotels hotels are in place, the transport is in place, but it really is important to remember it is already the case that everybody must quarantine for ten days. that is required by law. fin quarantine for ten days. that is required by law.— required by iaw. on the 18th of december— required by law. on the 18th of december the _ required by law. on the 18th of december the south _ required by law. on the 18th of december the south african i december the south african authorities confirmed they had found authorities confirmed they had found a new variant. 0n authorities confirmed they had found a new variant. on christmas eve, visitors from south africa were banned stop later, uk arrivals coming home were told they'd have to

isolate when they got back but on january the 27th ministers promised those arriving home would have to go straight to quarantine in a hotel for ten days. yet the night government sources confirmed that won't start until webber the 15th. nearly two months after the new kind of coronavirus was first discovered. the hotel industry had complained they had been kept in the dark but document seen tonight by the bbc show the government is looking for hotels in ten different locations by airports or ports to be ready to take more than 1000 arrivals a day across the country from the middle of february through to the end of march full stop ministers are adamant the rules in place are stringent but there have been tensions over travel quarantine from the very start of the pandemic and now isolation in hotels on arrival is on the way it will still only cover those coming home from hotspots and still won't come in for another ten days. it is

hotspots and still won't come in for another ten days.— another ten days. it is utterly shambolic— another ten days. it is utterly shambolic that _ another ten days. it is utterly shambolic that this _ another ten days. it is utterly shambolic that this has - another ten days. it is utterly shambolic that this has been | another ten days. it is utterly - shambolic that this has been brought into effect on the 15th of february. that's over 50 days since the south african strain was first discovered in this country and little wonder, frankly, that it reached our shores. it is nearly a year since hotel quarantining was introduced in other countries. find quarantining was introduced in other countries. �* ., , , countries. and the gap between announcing _ countries. and the gap between announcing the _ countries. and the gap between announcing the plan _ countries. and the gap between announcing the plan and - countries. and the gap between l announcing the plan and bringing countries. and the gap between - announcing the plan and bringing in meant travellers like jessica gold who is in south africa for business, could race home. after several cancelled flights she made it back for our haste was to get back to the uk first of all because flights were being cancelled but also because of this hotel quarantining that they wanted to implement, so we wanted to make it home. in ten days or so the hotel proposal should become a reality. perhaps along with bigger fines for those who break the rules at the border, clamping down on coronavirus has neverjust been a question of what happens here at

home. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. almost 10.5 million people have now had their first coronavirus vaccine and the government looks on course to meet its target of 15 million by the middle of this month. doctors are being urged to step up efforts to reach vulnerable elderly people, who've not been able to get to vaccination hubs. now nhs staff are being sent out into the community to make sure that everyone who should have the vaccine will get it. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. out of the fridge and off into the community. this gp—led team is preparing doses of the astrazeneca vaccine to take out to immunise those in priority groups who find it difficult to leave their homes. either they are clinically unwell, physically unable to get out, or they may have shielding reasons where they are not able to leave their house. the team arrive at the home of cynthia, aged 84, who is with her son tim. is it all right for us to come in? yeah, sure.

tim filmed cynthia having herjab. there you go. she has health issues which made it difficult to get to a vaccination centre. 0riginally, she was offered an appointment miles away from her north london home. yes, they gave me birmingham! how do you feel now you have had your vaccination? 0k. touch wood. touch wood, yeah! these vaccinators have been recruited from a range of local health staff. it is about taking what is essentially a vaccination hub into somebody�*s house. myself and my physiotherapy colleagues and the nurses as well are all absolutely delighted to be part of it. it feels historical. the team here they are confident they can get through all their housebound patients in priority groups by the middle of this month, but in other areas, it seems to be proving more difficult. the thing is, she can't walk... antonia hasn't had herjab yet and her home care provider says

there are several examples of people who have so far missed out. i think, in many cases, the people that we are looking after who have not been vaccinated just yet, but are above the age of 70 and 80, they have received a request and a form which they can use to get vaccinated, but travelling to a vaccination centre is very difficult. the latest figures show that in england, the south—west had the highest proportion of those aged 80 and over to have received a first dose — nearly 93%. this was followed by the north east and yorkshire. the lowest region was london, atjust under 75%. scotland's figure was just over 80% and in wales, it was around 77% of those aged 80 and over. figures for northern ireland are not yet available. the target is to offer all aged 80 and over a firstjab by the middle of this month. progress has been made but there is still a little way to go. hugh pym, bbc news.

the latest government coronavirus figures continue to fall. new cases have been falling for a month now. there were 20,631; new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period. on average in the last week, 21,246 new cases were reported every day. the number of people in hospital across the uk is still high at 31,670, but that's a fall of more than 3000 patients since this time last week. 915 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average in the past week, 1,018 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 110,250. the vaccination roll—out continues apace. 469,016 people have had theirfirst dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the last 24—hour period. it means almost 10.5 million people

have now had their firstjab. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. cases, deaths and hospitalisations are all going down but still not fast enough?— are all going down but still not fast enough? yes, i think that's riaht, fast enough? yes, i think that's right. sophie. _ fast enough? yes, i think that's right, sophie, that _ fast enough? yes, i think that's right, sophie, that health - fast enough? yes, i think that's l right, sophie, that health officials want to see more progress on all these fronts before they can get anywhere close to making decisions about opening up restrictions. but the vaccination programme is going well. 10.5 million people have had that first dose, the government target is 15 million in the four priority groups to have her had their firstjab priority groups to have her had theirfirstjab biphobia priority groups to have her had their firstjab biphobia the 15th their first jab biphobia the 15th and their firstjab biphobia the 15th and ministers are quietly confident they can hit that target and the importance of getting those groups vaccinated by that date is particularly for the 70—year—old age group and older to then give them three weeks to build up maximum immunity so that schools can then open on march the 8th in england. so

thatis open on march the 8th in england. so that is the plan, which seems to be on track, but obviously not everything works out according to plan and bbc news has discovered that a major london hospital trust, barts health, which has been vaccinating its own staff and other local care staff, has inadvertently sent out invitations and messages to school staff with passwords to let them book vaccinations, and that has been forwarded by local school management in some areas to hundreds of schoolteachers, some of whom have gone ahead and been vaccinated in good faith. they, of course, are not in the four priority groups and barts health has put out a statement saying this shouldn't have happened. they are going to put things in place to ensure the system is more secure. 0f place to ensure the system is more secure. of course, anything that gets in the way of the priority groups being vaccinated could delay the whole thing. they have been reports of this happening and one other area. they could of course be isolated and overall this plan does

seem to be working as it should do right now. seem to be working as it should do riaht now. , . ~ seem to be working as it should do riaht now. , ., ~ at the start of the pandemic, people receiving universal credit were given an extra £20 a week to help them cope during the crisis. that benefit rise is due to run out at the end of next month. now the prime minister is being warned that scrapping it could harm the health of millions of people for decades. a coalition of health organisations have written to borisjohnson urging him to keep the extra money in place. 0ur social affairs correspondent michael buchanan has been speaking to some of those affected. for me, the universal credit extra £20 is a lifeline that allows me to stay in the job that i'm in. £20 a week to me is literally our food spend. just about to set off 75 miles to work this morning, same as every morning. here we go. and it's a balmy two degrees. another 5am start for caroline shelton. after being made redundant

due to the pandemic, the onlyjob the chemist could find involves a three—hour commute. her salary is topped up by universal credit, which pays her £54 a month. that £54 is four days' fuel. it's a huge help for me. it means the difference between being in debt and not being in debt. that payment comes at a time in the month for me where it's just before i get paid. the single mother of two from leeds fears any cuts to universal credit, as her small benefit payment helps her cope. that peace of mind is priceless. that's my sleep and my mental health. the increase in universal credit costs the government around £6 billion, but since 2010, more than £30 billion has been cut from the benefits of people of working age. even with the extra £20, a single person without children

who loses theirjob will see the greatest drop in income of any comparable economy. in luxembourg, those claimants receive 86% of average earnings in benefit payments. in france, it's 68%, a bit lower in the united states and ireland. here, they receive just 17% of average earnings. for rebecca and her daughter, the extra £20 allows her to add fruit and veg to her weekly shop. when already you're scraping for pennies, £20 is masses. £80 a month is huge, you know, that's literally our food spend. rebecca, who works part—time for a charity, says the idea of paying a one—off lump sum — as ministers are considering — rather than keeping the uplift, is the wrong approach. i don't need £1,000. what i need is long—term security and stability for myself and my daughter. that's the only way we're ever going to get our life situation better.

a huge range of health and anti—poverty groups are urging the government to keep the £20 payment. a decision is expected next month. ministers say they're committed to supporting the lowest—paid families. michael buchanan, bbc news. there's been international condemnation of china after the bbc reported claims that women in so called re—education camps for the uighur muslim minority are being raped and tortured. the british and us governments are now calling on beijing to allow independent investigators into the camps. china has denied the allegations and accused the bbc of making a "false report". matthew hill has spoken to several former detainees for his report and you may find some of their accounts distressing. this woman is reliving a story she can barely bring herself to tell. she was held at one of xinjiang's so—called re—education camps.

these satellite images show the site where she says shse was held. sharing a cell with 13 other women. she says she is haunted by one image, masked men coming down a corridor like this one, after midnight. translation: there were three men. not one but three. _ they did what ever evil their mind could think of and they didn't spare any part of my body. biting it to the extent that it was disgusting to look at. they didn't just rape. they were barbaric. they had bitten all over my body. the us has granted her safe refuge after investigating her claims. she has waived her right to anonymity and now feels free to speak out about the full extent of the abuse she says she suffered. translation: they had an electric baton. - i didn't know what it was.

it was pushed into my private parts and i was tormented with electric shocks. it's estimated over a million uighurs and other muslims are held in the camps. these never before broadcast pictures were filmed secretly in a camp under construction and published by a magazine on religious liberty. many former camp inmates flee to istanbul, some talk of being forced to choose between punishment or complicity in these crimes. translation: chinese men would pay to have their pick| of the pretty young inmates. myjob is to remove their clothes and then handcuff them on their beds so they cannot move. the testimony of the women we have interviewed has sparked international condemnation. the us state department said the atrocities they describe shock

the conscience and tonight president biden has revealed human rights in china will be a priority for his administration. here, too, in parliament today, the treatment of the women was condemned by the foreign office. the evidence of the scale and the severity of these violations is now far—reaching. it paints a truly harrowing picture. if china wishes to dispute this evidence they must allow unfettered access to the region for the un high commissionerfor human rights or another independent fact—finding body. china has responded to our investigation, insisting its camps are vocational training centres designed to stop muslims living in the region from turning to extremism. it accuses the bbc of lies and misinformation. translation: there is no so-called systemic sexual assault _ and abuse against women. china is a country ruled by law and our constitution guarantees and protects human rights and it is embodied in our legal system and the government's work.

these women have spoken out about rape, which in their culture is an unspoken crime, because they want their stories heard. it seems much of the world is listening. matthew hill, bbc news. the prime minister is being urged to block plans for a new coal mine in whitehaven in cumbria. dozens of environmental groups have written to him saying they're mystified that the government has not intervened even though it's due to host a global climate summit in glasgow this year. downing street insists the government is a world leader in climate policy and won't reverse the decision. here's our chief environment correspondentjustin rowlatt. newsreel: and beneath this land lie more than 200 - million tonnes of coal... it's more than half a century since the last deep coal mine opened in the uk. the plan is to burrow under the irish sea to access a vast deposit of high quality coal. the local mayor is delighted.

i think the project is absolutely fantastic. it will bring a huge amounts ofjobs and prosperity into the area. it has been broadly welcomed right across copeland. i have never known a project that has carried so much public support. the coal produced here will not be used to generate power but to make steel, he says, and means less will need to be imported in future. but the decision comes as britain prepares to host a crucial international climate conference here in glasgow in november. if it goes ahead as planned, it will be the biggest gathering of world leaders in uk history. that's why environmental organisations from greenpeace to the rspb to the women's institude have written to the prime minister today to demand that the mine be stopped. the prime minister's dad also opposes it. it's a massive mistake in public relations terms, that's for sure. how can we ask other countries

to bring in their climate change reduction programmes when we are now reopening the whole coal argument here in britain? the government defends the decision to allow the mine to open, saying the uk is cutting emissions faster than any other country. and it's true, when it comes to decarbonisation, britain is a world leader. 0ur coal consumption has fallen 90% in just the last five years. only four power stations still burn the stuff and look what that has done to britain's carbon emissions. some european countries are doing pretty well, too, but in most big economies, look at this... emissions are still rising. critics say opening a new coal mine here threatens to undermine not only the uk's green reputation but also its ability to demand other countries make ambitious carbon cuts. now, if that makes it less likely that the big climate conference in glasgow leads to meaningful action on climate change, it will have consequences for us all.

justin rowlatt, bbc news. the police got there and say they are currently dealing with two serious incidents in kilmarnock. police officers have called off crosshouse hospital and part of the town around portland street. the hospital is under lockdown with ambulances being diverted, and police are asking people to avoid both areas. global stars including rihanna and greta thunberg have been making the headlines in india for showing their support for the farmers who are protesting across the country. they've been demonstrating over plans to give the private sector a greater say in agriculture even though the government insists it will leave them better off. the protests led to violent clashes with police last week. rajini vaidyanathan has the story. fighting for their future. the people who help

feed this nation. more than half of indians are farmers. tens of thousands have been camped here for months. a busy road into the capital... now, a place of resistance, as they protest new laws they fear will destroy their livelihoods. as this site has grown, so, too, the police presence. farmers accuse the government of trying to silence them. for two months, this man has been sleeping on the back of this truck with seven others. translation: we are fighting for our land, we are _ fighting for our rights. we won't go back until these laws are repealed, even if we have to give our lives for the cause. and he believes those new laws will drive him out of business. he took me to his farm to explain why. at 30 years old, he's

the future of indian farming, but the government says that for farming to have a future, the industry needs to be reformed. it says its new laws will benefit farmers by allowing them to sell directly to supermarkets and online retailers. translation: we get a fixed pricej from the government for our crops. i'm worried once the big corporations enter the market, we will have to sell at a price they want. passions are running high. last week, hundreds of police and protesters were injured after a march into delhi turned violent. demonstrators scaled the city's iconic red fort, leaving many wondering whether the country's prime minister has lost control on this issue. known as india's strongman, he has weakened his resolve, offering to suspend the laws for 18 months. what started here at the end of last year has now grown into a mass movement, one that has become about more than just the agriculture laws.

many farmers i have spoken to here who voted for prime minister modi say they're now increasingly concerned about his government's handling of other issues, including freedom of speech, high unemployment and the right to protest. the farmers remained defiant, even after officials suspended internet access at protest sites, social media accounts were blocked and journalists were detained. the farmers say they're not going anywhere until the laws are scrapped. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. football now and chelsea's new manager thomas tuchel faced his first big test this evening as the blues took on tottenham in the premier league. natalie pirks watched the action. a friendly welcome for the new boy. thomas tuchel�*s first big test was against a manager all too familiar to chelsea fans, but it was tuchel�*s blues asking all the right questions and eric dier gave the clumsiest of answers. there's contact, it's a penalty.

jorginho with the penalty to put chelsea into a deserved lead. he rams it into the corner. mourinho had never lost back—to—back home league games as a manager, but with harry kane injured spurs were showing a distinct lack of ambition and chances were few and far between. tottenham did exert some pressure, but it was on their own goalkeeper. jose's incredulity plain to see. that at least warmed hugo lloris up nicely to make a smart save. mount, good save. after yet another chelsea attack. spurs did have late chances at redemption but ultimately deserved their third straight league loss and as tuchel celebrated in the driving rain, tottenham's dreams appear to be drowning. natalie pirks, bbc news. when the first lockdown came into force almost a year ago there was speculation it could lead to a baby boom. there's no official data yet but it looks like lockdown may have had the reverse effect. however, one street in bristol is bucking the trend, as jon kay reports.

first, it was jenny. then catherine. then caroline. followed by victoria, then ellie, and now eilidh. it started with just a couple and then we found out we were due and then i was speaking tojenny... maybe i started a trend. every time i spoke to someone else, it was like, the number basically increased. there's something in the water! four and then five and then six... there are just women popping up every day, it felt like. it's been fantastic. my jaw hit the floor! really? yeah, iwas, like, i can't believe it. this street, this little street. notjust on the same street, but all on the same side of the street. i wonder if it matches us on the other side. we i wonder if it matches us on the other side-—

in the first lockdown, lots - of people went out and got dogs! um...