this is bbc news. the headlines. the uk records over 78 thousand new coronavirus cases — the highest daily figure of the pandemic england's chief medical officer says the numbers of hospitalised covid patients are starting to rise — and warns of very difficult weeks ahead. this is a really serious threat at the moment. there are several things we do not know but all the things that we do know are bad. a sharp rise in the cost of living — as the price of energy, fuel and clothing push inflation to a 10 year high. the woman who murdered 16—month old star hobson is sentenced to life — while star's mother is jailed for 8 years forfailing to protect her daughter. and arise sir lewis — he may have lost his

formula one title — but lewis hamilton has gained a knighthood hello and welcome to bbc news. this evening we've heard an update on the booster vaccine rollout from the prime minister in a downing street briefing — on the day that uk has recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases on record. in the latest 2a hour period, there have been a recorded 78,610 cases of coronavirus. again, that's the highest daily figure since the pandemic began. the previous uk daily record was 68,053 on the 8th of january this year.

england's chief medical officer, professor chris whitty said those records, and more, will be broken over the coming weeks as rates rise. the prime minister said the government was �*throwing everything' at the vaccine rollout across the uk, to curb the spread of the new variant with over 650—thousand jabs being administered across the country yesterday. despite the significant rise in cases, there was no indication of any further restrictions in england. our political editor laura kuenssberg has this report. are we staring down the barrel of a terrible outbreak of the virus? are we looking at the signs of impossible pressure for the nhs? is the prime minister watching out of control as his credibility fall away? with record cases, borisjohnson, eager again to emphasise what he wants you to do. we are throwing everything at the wave of omicron -

that continues to roll - in across the united kingdom, and wherever you are, _ we will be there with a jab for you. so please, get boosted now. demand for the booster has surged, but so has the variant, more cases recorded today than at any point during the whole pandemic. as jabs go into arms and surgeries, car parks, or even cathedrals, the fear of the sheer number will cause intolerable disruption. but there is acute political anxiety, too. division, clear the lobby. last night, borisjohnson was pounded by his own backbenchers, 100 tory mps projecting covid passes, and proud about it. one of them even filmed themselves casting the vote against the party's bosses. the bill only passed embarrassingly for borisjohnson with help from the opposition, a point keir starmer could not help but focus on today.

without the support of labour, so we just as leadership, he would not have been able to impose vital public health initiatives. we have taken tough decisions to deliver the fastest - vaccine roll—out in europe, and now the fastest - booster roll—out. we are burdened with the worst possible prime minister had the worst possible time. we vaccinate, they vacillate. the jab, we jab. they jabber, we jab. forget the political drama, what might be next few weeks holds for us? there have been more cases today than there ever have been. if now is not the time for extra restrictions, when will be? the booster provides an excellent level of protection, _ and we think that, given the balance of risks and the balance _ of continuing uncertainties - about omicron, this is the right approach to take.

both of the medics, can i ask you very straightforwardly, do you think it would be better if there were now more restrictions immediately? i just think a lot of this is people following sensible rules for prioritising the things that really matter to them and do prioritising other things. this is a very serious threat at the moment, but how big a threat, there are several things we don't know, but all the things we do know are bad, the principal one being the speed at which this is moving, it is moving at an absolutely phenomenal pace. borisjohnson is again in the middle of a fast—moving crisis, but the government can be accused of dealing with its own mistakes rather than what really matters. with the risk from the virus to our health and wealth, any wrong move could have all sorts of terrible costs. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, downing street. joining us now is our political correspondent damian grammaticas.

the chief medical officer stop is not to make policy, but he is saying that you should be careful about who you meet and get the government is saying, we do not need a formal restrictions at this stage. find saying, we do not need a formal restrictions at this stage. and this was very evident _ restrictions at this stage. and this was very evident in _ restrictions at this stage. and this was very evident in the _ restrictions at this stage. and this was very evident in the press - was very evident in the press conference that we heard this evening where you had the loudest message that came out of that was from the chief medical officer when he said that de—prioritized contacts that are not important to you. and basis and do not go to parties and social gatherings with people that are less important. people should prioritise what really matters, don't things that are not family or don't things that are not family or don't really matter to you, and he warned that because you should prioritise things like a christmas gathering with your family and if that's what matters to you, stick to that. it will heard the prime minister say was we are not closing things, we're not cancelling things,

we have the vaccine booster campaign and we have a lot of confidence in that talk about other let teddy make measures like mask wearing, take a test before you go to the gathering with a large number of people have ventilation, wash hands and those of the things that are now in place in chris wood he was suggesting that people might want to change their behaviour because of the real serious risk now posed by the omicron varian. and what we have heard since the press conference is things like the hospitality industry very worried about what could happen if people do change their behaviour and so the british chambers of commerce are saying after the chief medical officer advised, we still hurt no news of any financial support measures coming from the government and the best the government and the best the government for things they say they need for help and this some conservative mps were saying that the time might be coming for the government to think about the help could give businesses but the

government at the minute saying that they should not do that some people need to think about the wrong behaviour. == need to think about the wrong behaviour-— need to think about the wrong behaviour. ~ ., ., behaviour. -- think about their own behaviour- — well let's look at the latest covid figures in detail. there were 78,610 new cases in the latest 24—hour period — 10 thousand more than the previous record on the 8th january. on average 57,838 new cases were reported each day in the past week. the number of people in hospital with covid now stands at 7673, 165 deaths were recorded, that's of people who died within 28 days of a positive test. 115 covid—related deaths were recorded on average every day in the past week. on vaccinations — almost 657 thousand people had their boosterjab yesterday — a record — bringing the average tojust over 490,000 a day in the past 7 days. more than 2a million 700 thousand

people have now had their boosters. well there were stark warnings too from the head of the uk health security agency, drjenny harries. she told mps that the omicron variant is "probably the most significant threat" since the start of the pandemic. cases are doubling every day and the data over the next few days could be staggering — she said. our health editor hugh pym has this report. with the rapid spread of the new variant, the booster programme has been given new urgency. here, a gp in oxford visit elderly patients in their homes to give them the top job. to give them the top up jab. it will give you a very good protection and boost your immunity. with evidence of that good protection against omicron infection, the booster roll—out will continue, but according to recent research, there is much less of a shield a few months after a second dose,

and there's high level concern about how much case could rise. about how much case numbers could rise. probably the most significant threat we have had since the start of the pandemic, and i'm sure for example that the numbers we are seeing on data over the next few days will be quite staggering compared to the rate of growth we have seen in cases for previous variants. the health secretary visited a vaccine centre, as booster bookings in england were opened up to all adults. it is clear, whilst we know that two jabs are not enough, three jabs are fantastic in helping us all get protected against this new variant, which is why the booster programme is absolutely so critical and is a centralfocus. even if most of the extra cases are mild, that could result in more staff absences, from key sectors of the economy and public services. and while omicron may cause less serious illness than delta, a surge in cases would mean at least some extra hospital admissions. one group of modellers has come up

with a range of scenarios, depending on what happens with the virus and the ta ke—up of boosters. they say in the worst—case scenario england, there could be more than 6000 hospital admissions a day, compared with just under 4000 at the peak last winter. in the best case, they say it would be around 2000 admissions a day in england, and all of that assumes that a previously announced restrictions haven't been changed. so there are serious challenges for the nhs across the uk. any rise in at covid numbers will increase pressure already felt uncrowded a&e departments, including this one in edinburgh. the scottish government has urged people to limit social contacts in the run—up to christmas. already, some hospitality venues report that customers are voting with their feet and cancelling bookings. one restaurant owner told us he had seen 650 cancellations at one site, and government help was needed. it is going to be working out how we survive, how we get through, where are the losses,

where are the gaps, how do we feel them? how do we fill them? and the bigger picture for hospitality as the government needs to look at the huge catastrophic losses that this industry is making. the picture seems bleaker, but vaccine coverage is much more widespread than in the january wave, deaths for now are a lot lower, and there are more therapies for covid patients. professor paul hunter is from the university of east anglia. the glass half—full about this or a glass half empty, you can see on the one hand, looks at the moment like omicron has been so far and places where we have any evidence at all, milder. but we know that the numbers are going up i would looks like exponentially and therefore, even if it's a smaller number of serious infections, it's going to be real trips because the number of people

infected are going to use much bigger. infected are going to use much bi cer. , . , , infected are going to use much bi er. ,., , , . bigger. yes and numbers increased tenfold know _ bigger. yes and numbers increased tenfold know we _ bigger. yes and numbers increased tenfold know we have _ bigger. yes and numbers increased tenfold know we have as _ bigger. yes and numbers increased tenfold know we have as many - bigger. yes and numbers increased i tenfold know we have as many people per case and up in hospital, that's still a fivefold increase in hospitalisations and so, the numbers are potentially very scary at the moment. but, there is good news. it is difficult to predict the what is going to happen over the coming weeks with the increase, it seems to beenin weeks with the increase, it seems to been in younger adults in london southwest. and hopefully, it won't spread as rapidly to order populations and the rate of doubling that we have seen is very difficult at this stage to see when that will be and whether that will protect or otherwise the health service. what otherwise the health service. what timescale are _ otherwise the health service. what timescale are we _ otherwise the health service. what timescale are we talking _ otherwise the health service. what timescale are we talking about in terms of becoming more confident about the effect of this variant? in

other words, the number of weeks after we start to see the number of infections or people will not get a seriously ill and not be vaccinated and those sorts of numbers. figs seriously ill and not be vaccinated and those sorts of numbers. $5 a and those sorts of numbers. as a rule of thumb, _ and those sorts of numbers. as a rule of thumb, when _ and those sorts of numbers. is —. rule of thumb, when somebody and those sorts of numbers. is —s rule of thumb, when somebody gets infected, takes about ten days for them to register as a case. ten days later, they will be in hospital in ten days after that to die if they're going to die. within a couple of weeks, we should start having some very clear understandings about how that is likely to impact on hospitalisations. just christmas. in terms of managing this, we've done all we can in terms of vaccinating we've done all we can in terms of public information, the dilemma becomes, is supposed restrictions

now as to how it might turn out or how it's going to happen. and dealing with the consequences. we are in a dealing with the consequences. 7 are in a different spot and there are in a different spot and there are a lot more people immune than down on the p. but it's still very unclear at the moment and the london school model that you talked about their eyes wide confidence intervals from the worst to the best and so, it is a real struggle to decide at what stage we should be taking this. but we have not talked about is the potential for these new drugs and when we will be able to start rolling those out and the drugs early in infection though keep them out of hospital, and hopefully will

be to get those very soon. find be to get those very soon. and ultimately _ be to get those very soon. and ultimately lobbied _ be to get those very soon. and ultimately lobbied onto the regulator to decide when the approval comes. let's hope will be “p approval comes. let's hope will be up to talk about that soon. thank you very much. the highest in the figure of the pandemic. english chief medical officer says the number of hospital patients are starting to rise and once a very difficult weeks ahead. a sharp rise in the cost of living. fuelling clothing push inflation to a ten year high. sport — and for a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. fans at brighton, crystal palace, and arsenal needed to have

all their paperwork in order ahead of this evening's premier league games. from today in england, covid passes or proof of a recent negative test result are mandatory to gain access to outdoor sports events with more that 10,000 specatators. it's just approaching half time in two of those matches. arsenal could move into the top four tonight if they beat burnley�*s match at turf moor tonight has been postponed because of an ongoing covid outbreak within the watford squad. the premier league said watford had "an insufficient number of first—team players available to fulfil the match". the top two are in action

in scotland, rangers are four points clear of celtic going into tonight's game. arsenal bossjonas eidevall says he is not taking women's champions league quarterfinal qualification for granted and wants their progress sealed with victory at hoffenheim this evening. the gunners need only to avoid defeat by five or more goals to go through. cricket now, and james anderson and stuart broad are back in england's 12 man squad for the second ashes test against australia in adelaide. it's a day—night game, which starts at four o clock in the morning our time. the pair had been left out of the opener in brisbane, which england lost by nine wickets. pace bowler mark wood is rested, with spinnerjack leach retained despite some harsh treatment from the australian

batsmen in the first test. anderson believes that the short time between tests after the heavy defeat in brisbane could benefit england getting street back in the net and having a game and played quick succession. get straight back out there and put things right and play a much better game than we did together. it is a great opportunity for everyone who gets the nod tomorrow and there be a great opportunity to get a spike in the series. —— get us back in the series. meanwhile, australia have confirmed that david warner will be fit enough to face england. the batter had been struggling with an injury. however bowlerjosh hazlewood has lost his fitness battle and will be replaced bthye richardson. coverage across the bbc from 4am tomorrow. england will play the all blacks at twickenham as part of next year's autumn international series. it will be the first time the sides have met since the 2019 world cup semifinal, and therfirst time

at twickenham since 2018. england will also play world champions south africa, argentina and japan. the new formula one world champion max verstappen paid a visit to the red bull racing factory in milton keynes today. the dutchman was a given a brilliant reception, three days after he won the title in the most extraordinary of circumstances. that abu dhabi grand prix was decided on the final lap, when he managed to overtake lewis hamilton to take the title. mercedes protested that race control hadn't followed safety car regulations correctly and though they were rejected on sunday they could still challenge the result. races should be one on the track and i don't think throughout the whole season we have been doing that. if you look at the bat look, you can see a should've already won the championship. but you're in that position and so, we will celebrate

regardless but we at least wanted on the track. regardless but we at least won it on the track. that's all the sport for now. you can find more on all those stories on the bbc sport website. that's bbc.co.uk/sport. the cost of living has risen at its fastest rate for ten years , with inflation at 5.1% last month. the office for national statistics says a surge in transport and energy costs drove the increase. our economics editor faisal islam has more. it is notjust here in cardiff that inflation is reaching ever dizzier heights. across the nation prices are rising at their fastest rate in decades, driven by record petrol prices, massive spikes in gas and electricity, and now clothing

and food price rises too, raising questions about how quickly it will come back down—to—earth. the official rate of inflation reached 5.1% in november, the highest level since 2011 and well over the double rate targeted by the bank of england. the older price index measure, still used by some government departments and to set some bills, reached 7.1%, the highest level in over 30 years. this reflects the every day experience of those at the cardiff christmas market, with widespread price pressures and now uncertainty over the spread of the variant. food has gone up, travel has gone up, everything to do with every day living really. so people are still buying, but i think they are considering it more carefully. importing my cheese has gone up, and lots of other things like diesel is increasing in cost at the moment, but because we have had such a long time locked down people have more spare money. if as we fear there may

be some further social restrictions, what does that due to consumer confidence? i imagine it will kill it off. the same uncertainty affects decision makers at the bank of england, pondering whether to raise interest rates tomorrow. significant price rises are here for months to come, just how many months depends on whether price rises lead to wage rises and then further price rises a spiral. but the fact on employment did not rise after the end of the furlough scheme means the bank of england thinks it has the green light to start raising interest rates slowly. that could come tomorrow, but because of the omicron variant, it could also be delayed until february. if energy prices continue to rise into next year, affecting those on fixed incomes... such as chrissy, a pensioner in somerset whose bills have gone from thousand pounds a year to over £2000. just incredibly worrying because you don't know where it is going to end.

it is mainly energy. but other things too? petrol is a ridiculous price. it is going to be a tricky balancing act for many households this winter. faisal islam, bbc news. on one hand, wejust be on one hand, we just be frightened of inflation in these figures are on the ten year high, but on the other hand seem to be quite as frightening as it once was. abby forgotten what inflation can mean an economy are we more efficient and how we manage these things? the more efficient and how we manage these things?— these things? the key, really is to 'ust these things? the key, really is to just realise — these things? the key, really is to just realise how _ these things? the key, really is to just realise how persistent - these things? the key, really is to

just realise how persistent the - just realise how persistent the impression is going to be going forward. we are still seeing a lot of this is done to temporary factors, like energy, prices relatively high and also for supply chains. and all of this is going to go to subside going forward in the middle of next year we will hopefully see pressure going down a little bit. as long as it is not permanent, if you like and it's going to move away, then it is less of an issue. i going to move away, then it is less of an issue-— of an issue. i heard one issue sa in: of an issue. i heard one issue saying that — of an issue. i heard one issue saying that there'd _ of an issue. i heard one issue saying that there'd been - of an issue. i heard one issue saying that there'd been a - of an issue. i heard one issue saying that there'd been a lot of an issue. i heard one issue i saying that there'd been a lot of talk about which spikes being driven ljy talk about which spikes being driven by a lot of the increase in commodity prices and energy prices, but he said, the wage increase will only be limited to a specific number of professions, those were it is very hard to get staff, some of thoseissues very hard to get staff, some of those issues if you are saying after increase the money that i pay

waitresses or people to claim and cleaned bedrooms and toilets, the percentage there. but because most people are not living in the economy to the way to add to this year up to the covid—19 that it is unlikely to drive up wages which is nothing they can push up inflation figures you are paying more i have to charge more for the services you provide. absolutely, the labour market is one of the key places because you have a tight labour market and vacancies are at a record high and that will continue to be the case for a bit longer. if we are continuing to have a tight labour market with companies still looking and finding it difficult to attract and increase which going forward, we have seen turnovers injobs and people moving to newjobs and increasing actually more recently as the pandemic

subsided and that is really early days and we're still waiting from 18 months to two years to making the full impact and therefore, being used for short—term durations and crisis and in the medium term and hence, that's why

the bank of england is unlikely to raise rates tomorrow and probably want to wait a little bit and seeing how this new variant is evolving before starting to raise next year. good to speak to you and thank you for your time. today, the woman the woman who murdered 16—month—old star hobson after inflicting �*utterly catastrophic�* injuries on the toddler has been given a life sentence. 28—year—old savannah brockhill has been jailed for a minimum of 25 years. the little girl�*s mother, frankie smith, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for causing or allowing her daughter�*s death. a warning, this report by danny savage contains distressing images. star hobson was murdered

when she was just 16 months old. today the two people who should have loved and cared for her but instead were responsible for her death were sentenced for their crimes. this is star with savannah brockhill, the woman who would later kill her. she was an amateur boxer with a violent temper, which she often took out on the toddler. she was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison. thejudge said she had shown no remorse. frankie smith was imprisoned and thejudge said she had played a significant role, something she will have to live with for the rest of her life. throughout her short life, star was subject to endless physical assaults and psychological harm instead of the love and protection, she experienced a world of cruelty and pain. star was known to police and social services. today a family member gave us a video of star with bruises.

taken days before she died, it shows injuries to her nose, cheek and ear and led to her great grandfather contacting social services. i have never seen a child in my life with a black ear. it came into my head that she had been slapped, which caused it, and that brought concerns to me. they could have took her to the hospital, could have got her checked out, and may all these injuries are what she had would have come alight. i just feel let down by them. parliament was today told the murder of this child should be accompanied by sadness and bewilderment that it was allowed to happen. the government has bradford city council in its sights over what went wrong. now it�*s time for a look at the weather with stav danaos.

hello there. then a lovely day for some areas, with some sunshine around, but for most, rather grey and gloomy particular across the south. tomorrow is looking dry with weather fronts across northern ireland and central and southern scotland. it has ground to a halt during the course of today, but it is moving northwards over the night. quite breezy as well, but elsewhere, it is mainly dry, large amounts of cloud around. where we have clear skies, temperatures dipping to single figures, but when we hold onto the cloud, loads of eight or 9 degrees. tomorrow, a similar story across the south. some glimmers of brightness. best brightness will be across the north of england. few showers for the northern isles, but drier for northern ireland. showers for the northern isles, but drierfor northern ireland. a similar story as we head on into friday and the weekend. most places will remain dry and cloudy.

i�*m shaun ley. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: the uk records over 78,000 new coronavirus cases — the highest daily figure of the pandemic. england�*s chief medical officer says the numbers of hospitalised covid patients are starting to rise and warns of very difficult weeks ahead. a sharp rise in the cost of living, as the price of energy, fuel and clothing push inflation to a ten year high. and the woman who murdered 16—month old star hobson is sentenced to life, while star�*s mother is jailed for eight years for failing to protect her daughter. this is the moment when he became notjust lewis hamilton but sir lewis. the formula 1 title, he did not win, but he got a knighthood instead.

let�*s hear about our top story by hearing from borisjohnson and his press conference. he noted that today has seen a record number of confirmed covid cases and said that a "tidal wave" of the new omicron variant has been sweeping across the country. the doubling rate of omicron in some regions is now down to less than two days, and i�*m afraid we are also seeing the inevitable increase in hospitalisations, up 10% nationally week on week and up by almost a third in london. but we are also seeing signs of hope, because since we launched our emergency omicron appeal on sunday night, a great national fightback has begun and people have responded with an amazing spirit of duty and obligation to others. and i want to say that each and every one of you who rolls up your sleeve to getjabbed is helping this national effort, and i want to thank

everyone who has come forward, whether you�*ve had to queue around the block at a walk—in centre or whether you booked online. and, of course, on behalf of the whole country, i want to thank our nhs, our gps, our pharmacists, who, with barely a day�*s notice, 48 hours�* notice, have so accelerated the programme that we began this week with the biggest vaccination monday ever in england and yesterday the biggest booster day yet, with more than 650,000 boosters delivered across the whole uk. and across the country, after all they�*ve been through, those teams are going to keep going through christmas and beyond. christina pagel is a member of independent sage, a independent group of scientists who at times have been critical of the way the government has handled the pandemic. the use it has made of some the

advice it has received. christina pagel, thank you very much for coming back on the programme. what, in yourjudgment, has changed as a result of the omicron variant now? what is it that medically gives you the most cause for concern? just to speed with — the most cause for concern? just to speed with which _ the most cause for concern? just to speed with which it is _ the most cause for concern? just to speed with which it is increasing. i speed with which it is increasing. we�*ve not seen these growth rates ever, really, every two days. we havejust ever, really, every two days. we have just not seen that, notjust means that even if most people are totally recovered fine, just by having the sheer numbers, you could overwhelm health services, and in a really short period of time, because things are in worse rapidly. and really short period of time, because things are in worse rapidly.- things are in worse rapidly. and a su ose if things are in worse rapidly. and a suppose if you — things are in worse rapidly. and a suppose if you then also - things are in worse rapidly. and a i suppose if you then also effectively take out a proportion of primary care in order to boost, as it were, the booster programme, that again must have an impact on the nhs�*s ability

because some of that has to be transferred somewhere and presumably it will end up in a&e. you transferred somewhere and presumably it will end up in a&e._ it will end up in a&e. you are takin: it will end up in a&e. you are taking spill — it will end up in a&e. you are taking spill out _ it will end up in a&e. you are taking spill out of _ it will end up in a&e. you are taking spill out of the - it will end up in a&e. you are taking spill out of the risk i it will end up in a&e. you are i taking spill out of the risk force, but we are also risking taking people out of the workforce through covid, and we�*ve seen that already. many staff are now having to isolate because they are positive or have a household number thatis positive or have a household number that is positive, and that is going to happen. that is positive, and that is going to ha en. ~ ., ., that is positive, and that is going to happen-— that is positive, and that is going to hauen. . ., ., ., to happen. what would you want the government — to happen. what would you want the government to _ to happen. what would you want the government to do _ to happen. what would you want the government to do now _ to happen. what would you want the government to do now in _ to happen. what would you want the government to do now in the - government to do now in the circumstances? what we heard from the prime industry today is, we want you to change your behaviour, but we are not going to tell you to do a —— from the prime minister today. i think we need to do more than that, and i think chris whitty today said it is doubling every two days, it will cause a big spike in admissions. if we do nothing, and it keeps growing at that rate, by christmas, it could be up to 30

times worse than it is now, and we�*re not gonna see the impact on the nhs until then, so by the time we see it, it is too late, so i think we have to get transmission down now. what i want to do is have a really many circuit break, just until christmas eve, and enable people to mix over christmas much more safely and re—evaluate where we are then. more safely and re-evaluate where we are then. ., .., more safely and re-evaluate where we are then. s, .. ., are then. you can imagine the reaction to — are then. you can imagine the reaction to that. _ are then. you can imagine the reaction to that. what - are then. you can imagine the reaction to that. what would l are then. you can imagine the i reaction to that. what would you say to those who would say, actually, we are where we are now, the infections are where we are now, the infections are coming, we�*re not going to stop the infections even with a circuit breaker now, so what is the apart from disrupting everybody�*s lives, further disrupting the economy, if much the outcome is going to be the same? we are told — you would not dispute — this is a lot more infectious and the damage is done.

unfortunately, a lot of the damage is done. i think the answer to that is done. i think the answer to that is not to keep letting it spread unchecked. we are now boosting 700,000 people a day? we can spread it out so it does not hit the nhs all that once, we can prevent some people from getting it in the first place. those are all worthwhile things to do. in place. those are all worthwhile things to do— place. those are all worthwhile thinrsto do. ,, , , things to do. in your sense, let me ut it things to do. in your sense, let me put it another— things to do. in your sense, let me put it another way, _ things to do. in your sense, let me put it another way, are _ things to do. in your sense, let me put it another way, are you - put it another way, are you saying the argument at the moment over more restrictions were not more restrictions were not more restrictions is kind of almost sing the point? —— missing the point? in the point? —— missing the point? in the way it is presented, the way it is presented, the nature of the debate we have about, is it a restriction of freedom? is it damaging the economy? do you think those different, that kind of extreme positions, does not hit what

purpose lockdown would serve and what damage it would do... purpose lockdown would serve and what damage it would do. . .- purpose lockdown would serve and what damage it would do... yeah. if we had this — what damage it would do... yeah. if we had this kind _ what damage it would do... yeah. if we had this kind of _ what damage it would do... yeah. if we had this kind of week-long i we had this kind of week—long circuit break and did nothing in it, there would be no point, but we are doing things in it. we are boosting. we could spend the time putting things in classrooms. we could do all these things to make it better in the new year, and what worries me is by leaving it, we are going to be putting in those restrictions may be before christmas orjust after an have to have them on much longer because things have gotten much worse by then, so for me, the sooner you ask, the better it is and that is what sage has been saying for months as most public you are —— you would argue are not being a cassandra in this, you... i

-- you would argue are not being a cassandra in this, you...— cassandra in this, you... i think it is fair. and _ cassandra in this, you... i think it is fair, and the _ cassandra in this, you... i think it is fair, and the people _ cassandra in this, you... i think it is fair, and the people looking i cassandra in this, you... i think it is fair, and the people looking at| is fair, and the people looking at the data have been saying this for the data have been saying this for the last few weeks. we had the european centers for disease control saying it is good to be the biggest threat to europe over the next few months, it could be worse than last winter, yet he who saying that today. it is notjust me, we are in the situation where we had a bad winter ahead of us with delta and now we have another pandemic on top of it which could potentially make it two, three times as bad and that is worrying, and the vaccine is crucial, but it cannot do it all on its own. it is not this magic bullet that will solve everything. christina pagel, member of independent sage, thank you very much for talking us through that this evening. more than two—thirds of community pharmacies in england who offered to help with the covid booster programme are still waiting

for permission or have been refused by ministers. that�*s according to the royal pharmaceutical society, which says some chemists are having to wait 11 weeks until they can help deliver booster jabs. let�*s speak to thorrun govind, the royal pharmaceutical society chair in england. she�*s also a pharmacist and is in manchester. cani can i ask you, first of all, first of all, thank you for being with us? the splint was where the problem arises as far as you can see it? what is either causing the delay or meeting people are rejected out of hand? i5 meeting people are re'ected out of hand? , ., , ., ~ ., hand? is a struggle to know where the delay is- _ hand? is a struggle to know where the delay is. on _ hand? is a struggle to know where the delay is. on the _ hand? is a struggle to know where the delay is. on the 13th _ hand? is a struggle to know where the delay is. on the 13th of - the delay is. on the 13th of december, 1500 community pharmacies delivered 44% of all the covid boosterjabs in england. that is a massive proportion and was recognised by the prime minister even. and yet we are having sites having difficulty being unable to

provide covid vaccines. community pharmacies provide vaccines, having doing so for years and years, and therefore it is completely nonsensical that they are unable to provide covid vaccines. there�*s no change in the facilities needed, you just need somebody who is trained to provide vaccines like ourselves, to be able to do that, and we�*re really at the heart of the community, so we are really struggling here to realise what is the issue? we do not understand why it is taking so long. the sites are perfectly geared up to provide flu vaccinations, so what is the problem when it comes to covid? is this is straightforward caution to do with omicron, that because they did not know how infectious it was, how risky it was, the idea of putting significant others people into what are in community pharmacies often relatively small spaces, just not a good idea at the

time? i went 28 centre because a collie care been positive and my pcr test was negative, but it was a big building and everybody was very, very well spaced out. ii building and everybody was very, very well spaced out.— very well spaced out. if you consider — very well spaced out. if you consider community - very well spaced out. if you i consider community pharmacies very well spaced out. if you _ consider community pharmacies stuck this whole pandemic, yes, we might be small, but we are quite agile and able to adapt to the needs of the local communities. indeed we are the heart of the local community, and people if they are going to these sites, they might be going to more sites, and one problem we�*re having his patients are having issues getting to these larger centres they don�*t want to be using public transport. we are being encouraged to stay at home, work from home, not to stay at home, work from home, not to travel so much, so therefore we need to make sites more accessible. our colleagues have been working extremely hard throughout this whole pandemic and we are there, able,

ready and willing to go also therefore it is not really understandable why this is not being taken forward. understandable why this is not being taken forward-— taken forward. you're asking government. _ taken forward. you're asking government, again, - taken forward. you're asking government, again, please, | taken forward. you're asking i government, again, please, given what you�*ve said today, given the urgent need... they got 600,000 jobs yesterday, they have said they want to get a millionjabbed. you think that if community pharmacies were involved as well, there is a better chance of meeting the target? absolutely. last week, the premonition was calling for unity pharmacies to be involved, he was saying about the importance of getting every but he vaccinated —— the prime minister was. if you want to follow through with what he will needs to do, community pharmacies needs to do, community pharmacies need to be enabled as soon as possible, because we can tackle health inequalities, we can tackle any vaccine hesitancy, our teams are already doing this, so enable us. we need support. already doing this, so enable us. we need support-— need support. thorrun govind, chair ofthe need support. thorrun govind, chair of the royal— need support. thorrun govind, chair

of the royal pharmaceutical - need support. thorrun govind, chair of the royal pharmaceutical society | of the royal pharmaceutical society in england, think you so much. —— thank you. scotland, wales and northern ireland already have covid passports — and from today, people in england need what�*s being called a covid pass to get into large venues — like nightclubs and stadiums. all adults must prove they are fully vaccinated or have a negative covid test from within the last 48 hours. to prove that, you can show an nhs covid pass or a text or email from nhs test and trace. you�*ll need that now to go to indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people, outdoor unseated venues with more than 4,000 people or any venue with more than 10,000 people. our correspondent andrew plant reports from bristol. hi, guys, you got your covid passes? proof of vaccinations or negative tests. great, thank you, guys. suddenly needed all across england today. thousands attending football matches will find themselves affected. this club asking fans to arrive an hour early. 50 extra staff coming

in on saturday, hopefully won�*t be too long... the extra time and extra costs, they say, a small price to pay to keep fans a safe and stay open. we have all been through the lockdowns, the 18 months of pain and the impact on employment and on the economy, so the alternative, let�*s prove to the government we can do this and do this safely, and we can speak venues, stadia, hospitality moving. any venue with over 10,000 people, and every nightclub, will need to make checks, either proof of double vaccinations or a recent negative covid test. when i found out i had to do it, i thought it would be difficult, but i went on to the nhs app, and it took me five minutes. we are all vaccinated, all up to date, we have our masks and we are going on, and i think the covid pass is a brilliant idea. after being closed for almost 18 months, this nightclub reopened in august. it is a whole new scenario for us.

concerns here, though, that some will find the new entry rules confusing. i think a lot of people will be unaware that they need to show anything, or perhaps they haven't got the right format in which to show it. what about people who do not have a mobile phone? access the nhs app? what do we do? do we turn them away because they do not have access to that technology? some entertainment venues have recently reported sharp drops in their bookings, blaming people�*s fears over the omicron variant and not wanting to have their christmas plans disrupted. many, though, are hoping the new covid pass scheme might give people more confidence about going to big, busy places over the next few weeks. after months with almost no income, many were relying on a bumper christmas and say more government help could be needed. we have got the vat relief extended until april 2022, where it is at 12.5%, at which point, it goes back up to 20%. we would ask that that is extended.

checking covid passes now the norm for many venues, hoping it is enough to keep people coming in. andrew plant, bbc news. a man who murdered two women in kent more than 30 years ago and then, decades later, sexually assaulted the bodies of more than 100 women and girls in hospital morturies has been told he will die injail. david fuller killed and then sexually assaulted 25—year—old wendy knell and 20—year—old caroline pierce in separate attacks in tunbridge wells in 1987. 30 years later, he was caught after a breakthrough in dna evidence. a search of his home revealed recordings of fuller attacking dead bodies over a period of more than ten years from 2008 at two hospitals in kent where he worked as an electrician. our health correspondent catherine burns has been speaking to a family whose loved ones were victims of the mortuary attacks, and you may

find her report distressing. a mother who has experienced huge loss. she knows pain all too well. it is not good for parents, no one deserves it. nobody deserves it. now she and her remaining family face fresh agony. so beautiful. —— now she and her remaining family face fresh agony. daughter audrey gets some comfort remembering her sisters, 22—year—old helen and mary, who was just 16 years old. she was a baby of the family. easter 2014, nike was the sole survivor after a crash on a motorway in kent. mary and helen, who were on holiday with their parents from their home in france, were killed instantly. their dad michael died two years later. seven years on, the grief is ever present.

christmas is coming. there is no more joy in anything because we used to do that together. we are still alive, but there is no more life. and now you are dealing with fresh pain on top of that. it'sjust like as if he killed them twice. i am admitting the offences, i but i don't want to go into detail. david fuller worked as an electrician at two hospitals in tunbridge wells. he catalogued photos and videos of him sexually abusing at least 100 women and children in the mortuaries. it is just two months since police broke the news to victims�* families. we lost our sisters, my mother lost her kids. the nightmare is not true, this cannot be. how can somebody... ? two young girls died, and now you just... what would you say if you could speak with david fuller? i'd tell him, what is wrong with you? don't you have a heart to feel

the pain of the family? he needs god, he needs christ. this is demonic, it is satanic. can you give yourself to forgive him? yes, god forgives everyone. who am i not to forgive? why did you want to do this interview? pay them tribute. they deserve it. they were lovely. we really loved them. catherine burns, bbc news, in kent. the government said it is going to be reviewing maximum sentences for people who commit sexual offences with corpses, because burn—out it is only a maximum of two years in prison, so... the life sentence is what they could do for murdering two

people in the 1980s. the government is going to look at it, which is perhaps an indication of how it has not been a particular concern until this case. the tv personality katie price has avoided a prison sentence after admitting drink—driving while disqualified and without insurance following a crash in september. she was given a 16—week suspended jail term at crawley magistrates�* court. the judge told the former model that she�*d been incredibly selfish" and showed "no concern for the lives of others" when the crash happened. parents forced to give up their babies for adoption in the 1950s, �*60s and �*70s will be among those giving evidence to an inquiry which gets under way today. duncan kennedy reports. it is nearly 50 years since pat king was forced to give up her newborn baby. pat became pregnant aged 15 in 1973. she wasn�*t married and, almost immediately, a social worker arrived to confront her. i was the wicked girl and i had

sinned and i needed to put this right and the way i could put this right was to help some family who really needed this baby. did she call you wicked? she did call me wicked, yes. it is thought around 400,000 unmarried women in england and wales were pressured to give up their babies for adoption in the 30 years after the second world war. even as they gave birth, some nurses treated them cruelly. you weren't allowed to scream, you were told to shut up and stop making a noise and stop being silly, it was your own fault. you have got yourself into this mess. in the delivery room, a nurse or midwife is telling you to shut up screaming? yes. there was even more anguish when pat came to hand over her baby son. the social workerjust walked towards us, held out her arms, took the baby, well... i tried to fight her to get the baby off me, but that didn't work. she took the baby and that

was it, just a thank you and went, that was it. today�*s parliamentary inquiry follows a series of reports on bbc news with dozens of the birth mothers. the government says it was society to blame for forced adoptions, but the birth mothers say that�*s wrong. it wasn�*t society that took my baby away, it was the state and all the employees of the state, they were all in cahoots with this practice. which was just wrong. and, therefore, the state should apologise? yes, therefore the state should apologise. pat king has never been reunited with her son. she hopes the new inquiry will help bring comfort to thousands of women like her who had their babies taken. duncan kennedy, bbc news. he may have missed out on a record—breaking eighth world championship at the weekend, but formula one star sir lewis hamilton has been picking

up a title of a different sort this morning. the 36—year—old was knighted by the prince of wales at windsor castle. now, jj chalmers presents an appeal for the disasters and emergency committee�*s afghanistan crisis appeal. the people of afghanistan are facing what has been described as a human catastrophe. more than eight million people are on the brink of famine, with a million children under the age of five in danger of dying from malnutrition. there are many reasons why this disaster is unfolding now. afghanistan�*s had decades of conflict and poverty. there�*s been the pandemic and the change of government, which led to mass displacement of people. now the worst drought in nearly 30 years has wiped out harvests. and the country�*s economic collapse has sent food prices soaring. the cold weather is making things

worse, with the risk of hypothermia and infection for people who�*ve lost their homes and are living