today at six... the nhs waiting list for treatments hits a new record — more than 4.5 million people in england. hospitals were near—breaking point just dealing with covid, and even heart patients have had their operations postponed. it's absolutely shocking, isn't it, that somebody needs to wait more than a year for heart surgery? because heart surgery is not a luxury. if you need it doing, it needs to be done. we'll be asking how nhs doctors and nurses can deal with the backlog. also tonight: it's all a question of who knows who — the web of connections at the heart of the david cameron lobbying row. prince charles sees some of the tributes to the duke of edinburgh, and the palace reveals the list of the 30 guests who will

attend the service. it is your decision not to testify? it is, your honour. derek chauvin, the american police officer accused of killing george floyd by kneeling on his neck last year, refuses to take the stand at his trial. overnight, our lives are put on pause. and sir david attenborough, on what the global lockdown has taught us about humans and our effect on nature. and coming up on the bbc news channel: the biggest win of the british number one dan evans�* career — he beats the 18—time grand slam winner novak djokovic at the monte carlo masters.

good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. we have the clearest evidence yet of the way the pressure on the nhs in dealing with the covid pandemic has affected its ability to treat other patients. the number of people now on hospital waiting lists in england reached its highest since records began nearly 15 years ago. a total of 4.7 million people were waiting for routine operations and procedures in england at the end of february 2021. let's take a look at those having to wait more than a year to start hospital treatment. it stood atjust over 1,600 in february 2020. by this february, 12 months on, there are nearly 388,000 patients waiting more than a year for treatment. those numbers set out the huge and complex challenge facing the nhs — how to make up the backlog of work. today, borisjohnson said he'd do whatever it takes to deal with the problem. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, reports.

vicki has a heart condition and needs regular checkups with a cardiologist, but they didn't happen at all last year and injanuary, her symptoms got worse, which made her increasingly anxious. it symptoms got worse, which made her increasingly anxious.— increasingly anxious. it makes me reall , increasingly anxious. it makes me really. really _ increasingly anxious. it makes me really, really tired, _ increasingly anxious. it makes me really, really tired, really - increasingly anxious. it makes me really, really tired, really dizzy. i really, really tired, really dizzy. it can make me feel a bit faint sometimes, i don't sleep very well, i can feel my heart beat constantly. it is literally like somebody trying to punch their way out of my chest, so sleeping is really difficult because it is a constant distraction.— because it is a constant distraction. ., , distraction. not painful, but uncomfortable. _ distraction. not painful, but uncomfortable. vicki - distraction. not painful, but| uncomfortable. vicki needed distraction. not painful, but - uncomfortable. vicki needed an ambulance to take her to hospital for treatment, she believes it would not be necessary if her checkups have gone ahead. it is an example, experts think of damaging effects on the nhs. for procedures including heart valve surgery, there were 32,000 patients waiting more than the eight work —— the eight week target in their b 2020 and has —— and that number has risen by half with 48,000

and that number has risen by half with 118,000 waiting that long. in the same month, more than 5,000 were waiting over a year compared with just a few dozen a year earlier. we need just a few dozen a year earlier. - need support and help because of the enormous scale of the challenge the nhs is facing and that requires clear planning, financial investment so that we can treat all the patients in need.— so that we can treat all the patients in need. this man has severe learning _ patients in need. this man has severe learning difficulties - patients in need. this man has severe learning difficulties andj severe learning difficulties and needed an operation on his pancreas, it was cancelled in september and december last year and only finally happened last month. his brother says it was very hard to explain. to tell him hospital is under pressure, that is_ tell him hospital is under pressure, that is not— tell him hospital is under pressure, that is not something he can understand at all. all he knows is that he _ understand at all. all he knows is that he is — understand at all. all he knows is that he is in— understand at all. all he knows is that he is in pain. the coronavirus has affected — that he is in pain. the coronavirus has affected people like my brother. some _ has affected people like my brother. some hospitals are trying out solutions. here in croydon, they have what they call the hospital within a hospitaljust for nonurgent operations, to minimise covid infection risk, staff here don't work in other parts of the hospital

and they make maximum use of their facilities. bi; and they make maximum use of their facilities. �* , , ., ., facilities. by ensuring that we have efficiently run _ facilities. by ensuring that we have efficiently run lists, _ facilities. by ensuring that we have efficiently run lists, maximising - efficiently run lists, maximising the estate — efficiently run lists, maximising the estate that _ efficiently run lists, maximising the estate that we _ efficiently run lists, maximising the estate that we have, - efficiently run lists, maximising the estate that we have, usingl efficiently run lists, maximising i the estate that we have, using our theatres _ the estate that we have, using our theatres six — the estate that we have, using our theatres six day _ the estate that we have, using our theatres six day a _ the estate that we have, using our theatres six day a week— the estate that we have, using our theatres six day a week —— - the estate that we have, using our theatres six day a week —— six - the estate that we have, using our| theatres six day a week —— six days a week_ theatres six day a week —— six days a week a _ theatres six day a week —— six days a week a three _ theatres six day a week —— six days a week a three session _ theatres six day a week —— six days a week a three session days, - theatres six day a week —— six daysl a week a three session days, means that we _ a week a three session days, means that we have — a week a three session days, means that we have a — a week a three session days, means that we have a chance _ a week a three session days, means that we have a chance of— a week a three session days, means that we have a chance of reducing. that we have a chance of reducing the backlogs _ that we have a chance of reducing the backlogs that _ that we have a chance of reducing the backlogs that are _ that we have a chance of reducing the backlogs that are now- that we have a chance of reducing. the backlogs that are now building. david _ the backlogs that are now building. david has _ the backlogs that are now building. david has had — the backlogs that are now building. david has had a _ the backlogs that are now building. david has had a hernia _ the backlogs that are now building. david has had a hernia operation i the backlogs that are now building. i david has had a hernia operation and he has this message for others. ads, he has this message for others. lot of people seem to be a bit reluctant at getting things done. don't worry. if you get the offer, take it. and get better. hhs don't worry. if you get the offer, take it. and get better. nhs england sa s 4096 take it. and get better. nhs england says 4096 of — take it. and get better. nhs england says 4096 of all _ take it. and get better. nhs england says 4096 of all covid _ take it. and get better. nhs england says 4096 of all covid hospital - says 40% of all covid hospital admissions came injanuary and february this year, but even so, many routine operations went ahead and there was a £1 billion fund to increase treatment. data from scotland, wales and northern ireland is published at different times, but the rising waiting lists are an

increasing challenge to the nhs in all parts of the uk. and hugh is here. we heard what is going on in croydon and how they are coping with the backlog, but across the nhs, how on earth are they doing?— earth are they doing? george, there are no quick — earth are they doing? george, there are no quick fixes, _ earth are they doing? george, there are no quick fixes, no _ earth are they doing? george, there are no quick fixes, no easy - are no quick fixes, no easy solutions. how do you actually cope with patients coming into the system every week being referred by gps and consultants, plus all those on those long waiting lists we have just been discussing? you can'tjust train up new people, new nurses and doctors and others to come into the system, that takes years. so the answer among various ones put forward is money, more investment to ensure that operating theatres can run six orseven that operating theatres can run six or seven days a week as we have been hearing. you pay the overtime to staff, but staff are pretty exhausted, some feel burned out. so actually getting more of the work done is going to prove extremely challenging. borisjohnson said today that he would give the nhs all

the funding that was needed to beat the funding that was needed to beat the backlog, and he went on to say, we will do whatever it takes. that is a pretty big statement, given the scale of this challenge, it will be watched very carefully of course in this pandemic world, when public finances are extremely stretched as it is. so that is going to be a difficult decision in terms of putting that into practice. but certainly, the nhs in all parts of the uk, the challenge for all the uk's governments there and some have been saying today, it could take years for the health service to recover. . ~' years for the health service to recover. ., ~ , ., , . a former conservative party chairman has become the latest figure to intervene in the escalating row surrounding david cameron's lobbying of ministers on behalf of greensill capital, a finance company that has since gone bust. lord pickles — who currently advises ministers and officials when they take jobs outside government — says there did not seem to be "any boundaries at all" between civil servants and the private sector.

his comments follow the revelation that a top civil servant was working for the government and greensill capital at the same time. here's our political editor, laura kuenssberg. one out, one in. the revolving door. politicians and officials leave public service and walk in to big private—sector jobs. it's allowed, within a set of rules, but the man checking up on sleaze thinks some officials have gone too far. it is not a satisfactory situation, and i think not only you are entitled to know or i'm entitled to know, i think the wider public are entitled to know what these arrangements are. i hope this doesn't sound rude... there doesn't seem to have been any boundaries at all. but all he can really do when things go wrong is write stiff letters. dozens of them are published every year. ministers and officials don't need permission to take jobs on after politics, they're just meant to follow advice. i think things have been allowed to drift. i had the vaguest feeling that

you might be looking at a cohort entitlement, whereby the existing cohort looked after the cohort that's just left, on the assumption that the cohort that's coming up will look after them. in the middle of this mess is the former prime minister, and the banker lex greensill, who was a government adviser when david cameron was in power. he'd impressed the country's most senior civil servant at the time, sirjeremy heywood. another top official, bill crothers, was even allowed to start working for greensill while on the public payroll. years later, david cameron started working for greensill�*s now—defunct bank. texting and contacting notjust the chancellor, but two other treasury ministers. and arranged drinks with the health secretary and other officials. was it all just too close for comfort? increasingly, we are seeing...

a murkierand murkier picture. whether it's, you know, the way contracts are handed out, the lack of due process, or the lobbying which, you know, it's not a revolving door, it's an open door now into government. there are now several investigations into exactly what happened at greensill. whether the rules failed or individuals failed to follow them. and remember, lobbying, trying to influence the government, can be perfectly legitimate, and ministers and officials have to earn a living when they leave this place. but any contacts are meant to be open, with no nudges and winks. several ministers have told the bbc today it's time to tighten up the rules. but does number 10 have the appetite yet for a wider shake—up? i think the most important thing is for us to get to the bottom of it properly, and i want all ministers and civil servants to be making, you know, the information that needs to be known, known. who knew about greensill, the bank that's gone under, is one thing, but there's concern here about an atmosphere where what can matter is who, not what, you know. laura kuenssberg,

bbc news, westminster. ministers in northern ireland have been meeting this afternoon to agree the details of a plan to ease the covid lockdown. it's the last of the uk nations to do so. let's go live now to stormont and our correspondent there, emma va rdy. what are ministers proposing? we have had a list of dates announced and we know from a week tomorrow, it will be hairdressers, close contact services, beauty salons and outdoor attractions that will be able to reopen. then a week after that, in april the 30th, outdoor hospitality. there have —— there has been beautiful weather, people very keen to get back into pub gardens. around the 24th of may, a potential date for more indoor hospitality to reopen. and this will be very welcome news for lots of businesses in northern ireland, pressure had really been building on the executive to release dates, northern ireland being the last part of the

uk to do so. 0ne ireland being the last part of the uk to do so. one of the reasons things have been a bit more cautious in northern ireland this time round is there is a five party executive here, five parties that have to all agree around the table, so sometimes decision—making has been a bit more fraught. and there has been a reluctance amongst some ministers to open back up earlier and risk a rise in cases as we have seen in the past. in cases as we have seen in the ast. . in cases as we have seen in the ast, ., ., ~' , in cases as we have seen in the ast. . ., ,, y., , . let's take a look at the latest government coronavirus figures. there were 2,672 new coronavirus infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means that, on average, the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 2,667. across the uk, an average of 2,393 people were in hospital with coronavirus over the seven days to tuesday, including suspected cases in wales. 30 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test.

on average, in the past week, 30 deaths were announced every day. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 127,191. the programme of mass vaccinations. 117,835 people have had their first dose of one of the three approved covid—19 vaccines in the latest 24—hour period, taking the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to 32,5 million. the number of people who've had their second dose of the vaccine in the latest 24—hour period is 343,783. that takes the overall number of people who've had their second jab to more than 8.5 million people. more now on those concerns about vaccinations and rare blood clots. a new study suggests the risk of getting one is eight to ten times higher after contracting coronavirus than after having the injection. researchers at oxford university, independent of the

0xford/astrazeneca vaccine team, said those who've had covid should not be unduly worried by clots, either. in the last hour, buckingham palace has released details of those who will be able to attend prince philip's funeral on saturday. under covid restrictions, there's a limit of 30 guests. today, the prince of wales and duchess of cornwall have been to look at some of the thousands of floral tributes to the duke of edinburgh. 0ur royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. it is the vehicle which will take him on his finaljourney — a classic british land rover, designed to the duke's own specification to carry a coffin, his coffin, to its final resting place. it is a no—nonsense approach to a funeral, which reflects the duke's particular wish for a minimum of fuss. normally, a ceremonial royal funeral, this was the one

for queen elizabeth the queen mother in 2002, would have the coffin born on a horse—drawn gun carriage, behind which members of the royal family would walk. and those family members would all be in military uniform. but for the duke's funeral — notwithstanding his long association with the military — all the royals will wear civilian dress. there will be a short funeral procession within the castle, walking in the front rank behind the coffin will be princess anne and prince charles. behind them, prince edward and prince andrew. and then in the third row, princes harry and william, but not side by side — princess anne's son, peter phillips, will be between them. so, what lies behind the decision for the royals not to wear uniform? it is certainly highly unusual. the obvious answer is that it's to spare harry embarrassment since he is no longer entitled to wear a military uniform. all the palace will say is that all the arrangements have been signed off by the queen.

once they get to st george's chapel, the queen will sit on her own. there will be just 30 members of the congregation, all of whom will wear masks. according to the palace, difficult decisions have had to be made about who those 30 should be. they'll include three members of the german branch of the duke's family. and although the funeral will take place in private, behind the castle walls, there will be a ceremonial element to it. the king's troop royal horse artillery will be at windsor to be on hand to fire a gun salute. the footguards and other service contingents, including the royal marines, will also be taking part. they will be responsible for bearing the duke's coffin out of the castle and then into the chapel. everything is being carefully rehearsed. and though the palace has done its best to discourage people from leaving flowers, many have chosen to do so. all the bouquets have been gathered in the grounds of marlborough house, where they've been expected

by the prince of wales and the duchess of cornwall. most are accompanied by messages paying tribute to the duke and thanking him for his years of service. nicholas witchell, bbc news. 667 our top story this evening... the nhs waiting list hits a new record, more than 4.5 million people in england. and coming up... how the lockdowns have had a global impact on the natural world. and in sport, the quarterfinals of the europa league are tonight. the last couple of weeks in northern ireland have seen some of the worst unrest since the signing of

the good friday agreement more than 20 years ago. much of it has been sparked off by what the government calls "significant differences" over the implementation of the northern ireland protocol, which was designed to help the post—brexit transition. representatives of the british and irish governments have been meeting this afternoon. most of the recent unrest took place along the so—called peace lines, the walls which divide largely catholic nationalist areas of belfast from the mostly protestant loyalist parts of the city. our special correspondent fergal keane reports. so much of the story of this place hinges on these walls — over 20 miles of them in northern ireland. nearly 70% of troubles killings took place within 500 yards of them. and in the two decades since the peace deal, they've been growing, not shrinking. it's home, i've had my kids here, i've had four children here as well.

jean has lived on nationalist bombay street all her life, even after her family was burned out of their original home on this spot in 1969. they even came right up there, but we can't... this is the view from the garden. i know it's terrible, but it's necessary. i couldn't live here if that peace line wasn't there. what would happen? it would be murder. the barriers run through some of the city's most deprived areas. the sectarian interfaces, so volatile in times of tension. here, young protestants rioting. because they think nationalist youths like these belong to a community that now has the upper hand... ah! ..and where unionism finds itself reacting, not leading. westland estate, a protestant enclave in north belfast,

is a microcosm of loyalist anxiety... ..over calls for a border, policing issues, and they say intimidation by local nationalist youth. we don't want that trouble, we don't want that tension, you know? we weren't doing anything to deserve that. if this is how we are living now, how would we be living in a united ireland? would our identity be accepted? would we be accepted as british unionists? are you going to take what we know away? and it's only going to get to a sense where loyalism, like it's happening now, people are going to say enough is enough. it is important to remember that the violence is localised. this isn't to return to the troubles, certainly not to anyone with memories of gunmen crossing the city to kill. but these enduring barriers remind us that after 23 years of a peace agreement, sectarianism hasn't been eroded. these aren't just

symbols of intolerance, but of political failure. loyalists feel irish nationalism wants outright victory. nationalists argue they are just asserting their rights. there is little trust. i spoke with two politicians, both former paramilitary prisoners who started out as teenagers on opposing sides here. if you put yourself in their shoes, loyalists see you winning, they think you get away with everything. i can understand that perception because there is a shift in power relationships, but here is the key to it, they need to come to terms with it. that requires leadership, and they can't just shout about, they're winning all the time, they need to sit down and engage. they signed up for the good friday agreement, and then they say it isn't an agreement, it's a process, and it's a stepping

stone to united ireland. that's not what the politics was about, the politics was about starting up division. the rioting across these peace lines saw momentum swing to the streets, creating an unpredictable dynamic, dangerous for governments, political parties and the people. fergal keane, bbc news, belfast. the former police officer charged with the murder of george floyd in the united states will not take the stand on the final day of evidence at his trial. derek chauvin said he would use his right to refuse to answer questions that could incriminate him. he denies killing mr floyd — a black man — by kneeling on his neck. barbara plett usher is in minneapolis, and has been following the trial. barbara, i imagine this was unexpected, what do you make of it? well, we were kept guessing to the last minute about whether or not mr chauvin would testify, and the decision was only really made last night. taking the stand would have

given him a chance to tell his own version of the story of that video, of him kneeling on george floyd's net. but at the same time it would have opened him up to intense cross—examination by the prosecution, and in the end his final decision was not to take that risk. his lawyer has wrapped up the case, it took him two days to present, compared to two weeks for the prosecution, and he focused on the prosecution, and he focused on the cause of death, his chief witness was a forensic pathologist who said that mr floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance brought on by multiple factors, rather than a deprivation of oxygen brought on by mr chauvin. and remember, george, that the defence does not have to prove that derek chauvin is innocent, it only has to raise doubt about whether mr chauvin was the main cause of mr floyd's death. we will be hearing closing arguments on monday and then the jury arguments on monday and then the jury will retire to consider their verdict. �* . . jury will retire to consider their verdict. ., ., ~ jury will retire to consider their verdict. 1, ., ., ~ , ., nicola strugeon has insisted that borisjohnson should

"respect scottish democracy" if the electorate voted for a majority of msps who support independence in next month's scottish parliament elections. the scottish national party leader was speaking at the lauch of her manifesto. here's our scotland editor, sarah smith. for the snp, this election is crucial because they believe a victory for them will lead to another referendum on independence. so, the future direction of the scottish nation is on the ballot. it's a huge question but not the only one on voters' minds. the snp are asking for an unprecedented fourth term. so, that means voters will notjust be looking at their plans for the future, the party also has to defend their record over the last 14 years in government. after seven years as first minister, nicola sturgeon is facing questions about whether she has delivered on education and poverty reduction, as well as scrutiny of how she's handled the covid crisis. do you owe voters an apology for the tragically high death rate in scotland's care homes? i will never, ever say that i didn't get things wrong i didn't get things wrong in covid, i did. i think it is inevitable that that

would have been the case, given what we were dealing with, and i think it's really important that there is full scrutiny and accountability through a public inquiry. but every single day i've done my level best to take the best decisions i could, with the information and the advice i had at the time, and if i'm re—elected as first minister, in fact all through this election campaign, and if i'm re—elected as first minister, that's what i will continue to do. if re—elected, the snp are promising an additional £2.5 billion of nhs spending for frontline health services. a tablet or laptop and a free internet connection for every school child. they want to move towards a minimum income guarantee for every citizen, bring the rail network back into public ownership, and they plan to hold another referendum on scottish independence before the end of 2023. i've got a duty as first minister to lead the whole country. we're in a global pandemic, that's my focus. and then to say to people, here's the choice about the future we can have.

we can have a future dictated by the likes of borisjohnson, or we can decide the shape of our future ourselves. but i always put the needs and the interests of getting this country through covid first, because that is my duty, it would be a dereliction not to do that, but equally it would be a dereliction of duty for me to allow the tories to take scotland so far in the wrong direction that we don't have the option so far in the wrong direction that we don't have the option to change course. same day, different outfit, and nicola sturgeon got her first dose of the astrazeneca vaccine, describing it as an emotional moment. a referendum on leaving the uk could entirely redraw the political landscape. if they win this election, the snp will still need permission from westminster for another vote. though the party will insist no—one should try to deny scottish voters the right to choose their own future. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. marks and spencer has begun legal action against aldi supermarket over its famous colin the caterpillar cake, claiming their rivals' version cuthbert

infringes its trademark. this is the familiar colin the caterpillar cake from m&s. and this is the cuthbert the caterpillar cake from aldi. m&s argues the cakes' similarity leads consumers to believe they are of the same standard and it has lodged an intellectual property claim. no—one can doubt the impact the pandemic, with its national lockdowns and international travel restrictions, has had on the global economy. but it turns out that what's been bad for us humans is a blessing for the natural world. sir david attenborough has made a documentary exploring how our relationship with wildlife and nature has changed over the past year. he's been speaking to our science editor, david shukman. david attenborough: as we stop, remarkable things start to change. . the lockdowns have been tough for people, but great for wildlife, as we see in a spectacular new documentary with david attenborough. this is... ..the year earth changed. david, it's great to talk to you. i'm sorry we can't meet in person, but we've transported

you electronically to the wonderful setting of chartwell, in kent. what surprised you most about how the natural world responded during lockdown? well, the natural world has got on much better without us. i mean, we've thought that animals — for example, penguins in south africa — have survived perfectly well, we think. but in fact, when we retreated, we discovered that the penguins actually normally would be doing very much better than they have been doing for decades. what it does for me is to actually remind me that the natural world — if it's allowed to appear and, as it were, speak to people — is full of drama. but the heroes, the human heroes of the series, of course, are the cameramen. they are the ones that get the pictures. the appearance during the day of this usually nocturnal hunter is a real surprise, not

least for our film crew. you can see he's very considerably taken aback! to what extent is it important or not, or in what form, that the great climate summit takes place at the end of this year? no—one, at no time in history have the nations of the world until now, said, ok, well, we're taking rather more of our share. we will retreat a bit and let you have a share. and that kind of unselfishness is not an attitude that has been present in human politics, ever, in a worldwide sense. and it's got to come, because if it doesn't, we will lose the lot. sir david attenborough there, speaking to our science editor, david shukman. time for a look at the weather, with darren bett.

hello, george, it has been a fine spring day for much of the country today. the sun was out in western parts of scotland and this is where we recorded the highest temperatures. quite a bit cooler in east anglia and the south—east of england, even some showers, which will fade away this evening. it does become dry and clear overnight. later in the night we will have some patchy mist and fog forming in the south—east of england. it is going to be another cold one, with a widespread frost, like last night. may be a bit milder in northern ireland and north—west scotland, where we have got a southerly breeze. tomorrow morning it will be sunny for a while before the cloud bubbles up in land and spreads out a bit. away from the north—west of scotland, where there is a bit of rain coming into the western isles. temperatures, similar to today, could make 15 degrees again across scotland. but the pollen levels are going to be high and we are in the peak of the tree pollen season and the levels will be higher in the south—east and east anglia, where it

is going to be dry with some sunshine. there