an exhibition of art made during lockdown has opened in sweden — showcasing the challenges people faced. tim allman has more. getting a haircut during lockdown was hard enough but this is ridiculous. and how about this? a zoom meeting recreated in watercolour and pastels. art that speaks of loneliness, of confinement and of time passing. it's a reaction about the pandemic. it's a consequence of the pandemic. you work at home, you work in the studio, you're not outside. a sculpture of neon signs from shops in malmo, forced to close during the pandemic. but this isn'tjust about looking backwards, it's about looking forwards, too. in this exhibition, we can see some form of hope for the future, so it's not closed down, it's something new that's coming up here. more than 200 works of art are on display, each one a memory,

a reminder of the past, and a promise for the future. tim allman, bbc news. in northern morocco, efforts are continuing to rescue a five year old boy who fell into a well. rayan has been stuck in a 32 meter deep water well since tuesday. aru na iyengar reports. bulldozers work flat—out in tamrout, in the northern tourist province of chefchaouen. they're racing to dig a hole alongside a shaft of a 32—metre well. waiting at the bottom is five—year—old rayan. he fell in on tuesday evening. he was playing whilst his father was repairing the well. translation: the closer we get, the hole gets more narrow, - and hard to pass through, which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. this is why we had to come up with another technique, which is digging. rescuers have been able to send oxygen and water to rayan through pipes. it's a tricky,

painstaking manoeuvre. it's a long way down, and the diameter of the well is less than 45 centimetres. rayan�*s plight has touched the hearts of moroccans. there has been an outpouring of sympathy online, with the hashtag #staystrong going viral across north africa. crowds have gathered at the site, anxious to hear the latest on the rescue. translation: rayan is very much loved here in the village, - notjust at home. i miss him, it's been three nights. but rescuers are working against the clock and conditions are difficult. they remain hopeful they can reach rayan and bring him to safety. aruna iyengar, bbc news. an expedition is setting off this weekend to try to find the shipwreck of the antartic explorer sir ernest shackleton. his vessel, the endurance, sank more than 100 years ago — and is believed to be nearly two miles below sea level. our science editor rebecca morelle

has been to meet the team hoping to find the wreck. caught on camera more than 100 years ago. the final moments of the endurance. this footage restored and released by the bfi shows sir ernest shackleton�*s famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. there's the endurance. now a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. but like shackleton, they'll face gruelling conditions. the endurance is the most unreachable wreck in the world. the big challenge is the ice. it's opening, its clenching, it's unclenching. it's a really vicious, lethal environment. the agulhas ii is the icebreaker taking on that challenge.

it will hunt for the wreck using the coordinates recorded by shackleton�*s crew. the endurance lies 3,000 metres down, so the true will use underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras. the hope is that the wreck will be well preserved by the icy water and lack of organisms eating away at the wood. the objects that were rescued from the sinking endurance really give you a sense of what life was like on board. this is the sextant, crucial for navigating, and over here is a box of chocolates that was used as a payment between the crew for doing chores like darning socks. and up here, unbelievably, is a piece of the mast. probably the only relic of the ship that isn't at the bottom of the sea. it's a really important document for people going out looking today. shackleton�*s expedition diary was also saved, with his emotional entry on the day the ship was lost. "she went today. 5pm, she went down by the head. the stern, the cause of all the trouble, was the last to go underwater. i cannot write about it.

sunday always seems the day on which things happen to us." you can read about how it was creaking, they talk about her as a personality. the groaning and the sounds. and there's this real kind of sense of what it felt like and what it sounded like and how crushed they were when the ship was crushed and sank as well. for shackleton�*s expedition, the loss of the endurance wasn't the end. the crew trekked across hundreds of miles of ice, rode the weddell sea and then climbed a mountain range to reach safety. miraculously, they all survived. but the ship that had been their home still lies in the icy depths, silently waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news. it's been two years since game of thrones aired its final episode and the show, which was mostly filmed in the moutains and moorlands of northern ireland,

remains a global phenomenon. now fans of the fantasy series have the chance to go behind the scenes of westeros, as the studio opens its doors to the public for the first time. john maguire has gone to pay a visit. winter has arrived. and so has the chance to walk in the boot steps of the mother of dragons, the lannisters orjon snow. these are some of the actual sets used in the filming of what is often described as the biggest television show in history. and, for the actor ian beattie, the rare opportunity of a job near his home here in northern ireland. that's right, i auditioned for a role in season one, and another actor got it, and i was, well, not happy about that, i'm five minutes away from the studio! yeah, home fixture! thankfully they auditioned me again and i won the role of ser meryn trant, which lasted for five years. and the role i originally auditioned for lasted for five episodes in season one. so i think i got the best bargain.

and who can blame him? when filming in other locations, croatia, malta, morocco, could see him lose half a stone a day. so is this your costume here, ian? this is identical to my costume. this was actually nikolaj coster—waldau's costume but it's identical in every way. all 28 kilos worth. which was some fun in the dubrovnik sun, because the sun would hit the breast plate, you would have been sweating earlier on and then you would start to cook. so it was quite interesting to wear. but i have to say one thing. when you put that costume on, wow! you were a kings guard. yeah. the studio tour is built around where some of the show�*s filming took place. much of its success is derived from the huge scale of the production, but also attention to detail. here you can see close up the costumes, the weapons. the set designs, the make—up and prosthetics. husband and wife team sarah

and barry gower are responsible for turning fantasy tv into what looks like reality tv. they make monsters. the showrunners, david and dan, wanted us to design a character which was quite regal. and almost had the form of a crown in its design, basically. so we were thinking along the lines of snow, ice and icicles, so we actually incorporated these kind of pointy icicle—like shapes into the forehead and the back of his head. so it kind of gave this kind of incorporated crown look and feel into his design. and it's made of? this is made of silicon. these are silicon appliances with a very thin fine final skin, so the actual material this is made of is like a silicon gel product. it's a good job they're married. some days on set were 21 hours long. and they share some unusual interests. just the blood that was used in game of thrones. we all felt that each department, we should consider what blood we were going to use.

and so we agreed that we would test all the different bloods that are pre—made, the colours, put it on film and then we can all decide which blood was the most realistic to use and we would all agree to use that colour blood. it's a bit like you get weird names for paint, there was a game of thrones blood? there was, yes, i think it was venial blood. so everyone agreed to use the venial! the tour, like the show it embodies, is big budget. it cost £40 million to build. included in your entry ticket, the chance to be in step with the white walkers and the wildings. this is cool. there are several of these interactive screens throughout so you get yourself dressed up as lord of the bones, trousers, coat, head, helmet. there it is. and then it'll copy your body movements.

the old usain bolt there. this one. he's got some moves, this guy. how fun is that? the studio tour is located in banbridge, between belfast and dublin. but hold the door, as here you walk through to another world, arriving in westeros, where the iron throne awaits. john shirley is going to be in the next series himself. following the massive oil spill in peru last month, veterinarians are nursing a number of rare hambuldt penguins back to health. 12,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a marine biodiversity hotspot, after a refinery was hit by waves linked to a volcanic eruption on tonga. zoologists say many of the penguins arrived at lima zoo very stressed. the penguins have been

bathed, watered and fed to aid their recovery. the government has called the oil spill the country's worst ecological disaster. but they are getting better. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. good afternoon. windy weather will prevail throughout today and indeed for much of the weekend. the wind today coming down from the north—west means it feels a lot colder out there. we had a weather front move through this morning, and on it there was some sleetiness. even on lower levels and southern areas. and behind it, that cold air now in place. but with some good spells of sunshine, particularly across central and eastern areas. but the shower cloud here has really been gathering in the north and west, and there are still snow showers falling — even to relatively low levels. it's that cold, the air. so it is a bracing day out there. the winds are fairly steady, fresh to strong gales up in the northern and western isles. 0n the face of things, 4—7 celsius.

just a little bit below where they should be this year. but feeling even colder because of the effect of that wind. the winds to ease off a little bit overnight, as do the showers away from the north and west. we have got another weather front approaching. clear skies initially. it will turn quite chilly. many of the rural areas indeed seeing a frost. some of the towns and cities as well. further west, temperatures will tend to rise a little bit later. an area of low pressure towards the north, and it is bringing in this milder air. again we are seeing a seesaw with our temperatures as we have been doing through the week. rain for many parts of the north. in the south, it stays brighter and driest for longest, and in the north it brightens up later. look at the strength of those winds tomorrow. a fairly steady 30—110 mph gust,

even across england and wales. and stronger still further north. although the temperatures will be a little higher, it will still feel cold because of the wind. and particularly so in the cold air in the north which prevails. i think sunday is going to start on a wet and windy night in southern areas. strong winds followed behind. that cold arctic air is returning so you can see the differentiation in the temperatures as we get to sunday. a bit of an up and down weekend. more online.

this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the headlines... pressure continues to grow on prime minister — as five of his aides resign. the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change, and we are seeing that change now. 0fgem says it may start reviewing the energy price cap every three months, rather than the current six. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. the winter olympics are officially under way — the opening ceremony has been taking place inside beijing's bird's nest stadium. we'll be speaking to a team gb gold medallist. rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five—year—old boy who fell into a well near in morocco on tuesday.

good afternoon. the prime minister must "shape up or ship out" — that's what the senior conservative mp huw merriman told the bbc this morning, as questions continue about boris johnson's leadership. the prime minister is looking at how to rebuild his team after the resignation yesterday of four of his top aides. mps supportive of the prime minister are suggesting he's making necessary staff changes following a damning report by the senior civil servant sue gray into rule—breaking parties at number ten during the pandemic. but munira mirza quit because of the prime minister's false claim that sir keir starmer failed to prosecutejimmy savile when sir keir was director of public prosecutions. and this morning a fifth adviser has resigned, another member of the policy unit. 0ur political correspondent, nick eardley reports. another day, another crisis. borisjohnson has lost five members

of his team in just 2a hours. including one of his longest serving allies. this is munira mirza, an aide to mrjohnson for 1h years. she quit yesterday, criticising her boss over incorrect comments suggesting sir keir starmer was linked to the decision not to prosecutejimmy savile. these three have left ambien. these three have left too. the prime minister's director of communications, his principal private secretary and chief of staff have also left, all three caught up in the parties row, but their departures leave big questions over the future direction of number ten. and this morning of fifth resignation. and elena narozanski hung up her gloves today, another member of the prime minister's policy unit hanging up her gloves. the prime minister was clear in his response to the sue gray update that there would be changes at number 10 downing street. that is what has happened.

four people had served their country fantastically well, some during the whole pandemic. borisjohnson has thanked them for their service, they have resigned and he has accepted. but this runs a lot deeper, with the prime minister being criticised by some of his long—serving allies. and there was this from the chancellor, a frontrunner to replace mrjohnson. being honest, i wouldn't have said it, and i am glad that the prime minister clarified what he meant. a politician careful with his words, distancing himself from his boss's comments. among tory mps, growing frustration. i am troubled, i do find it very upsetting, my constituents are upset. i feel like we have lost face and public trust with them and we have to get that back, but i would rather see what the prime minister can do to turn it around rather than acting with haste. we want to see him resign

but we do not think he has the scruples to resign, despite all his transgressions. it is up to the conservative party to hear what people like munira mirza say, and act. borisjohnson has tried to get back on the political front foot this week but it has not worked. there are still questions about his language, judgment and future. michael gove has been speaking to reporters on a visit to sunderland. he denies borisjohnson�*s government has been in disarray. i he denies boris johnson's government has been in disarray.— has been in disarray. i believe the best thing for _ has been in disarray. i believe the best thing for the _ has been in disarray. i believe the best thing for the country - has been in disarray. i believe the best thing for the country is - has been in disarray. i believe the best thing for the country is for i best thing for the country is for the prime minister to continue, he is doing a greatjob, and the best thing for this city is for me to listen to local people here when it comes to the jobs, the investment and public services they care about. because ultimately what happens in westminster will interest those who are watchers of politics, but what really matters in the weeks, in a month, or in year's time is if we are bringing jobs and investment and are bringing jobs and investment and a brighterfuture to

are bringing jobs and investment and a brighter future to the people of sunderland. that is what i'm here to do in conjunction with all the political parties here in sunderland. sajid javid was also asked if the prime minister's position was tenable. the prime minister has been really clear in his response to the reports, the update from sue gray. he came to parliament as he said he would, he apologised, and he set out and said that he will change things. and he's started making this changes already. he hasn't said sorry for using that slur against keir starmer. you have read what munira mirza said. do you agree? should borisjohnson categorically apologise for the savile slur? keir starmer did a good job in the dpp. sir keir starmer deserves absolute respect for that, but the prime minister has come out and clarified his remarks.

rishi sunak said he would not have used that slur, would you? the prime minister has clarified the remarks, and that is important. and what i will be doing is actually getting on with myjob, which is what i am doing today on world cancer day. does he still enjoy your support? of course he does, absolutely. and in a few minutes, we'll discuss more on this with the the daily mirror columnist, susie boniface, and matthew d'ancona, the editor and partner at tortoise media. the opening ceremony of this year's winter olympics has been getting under way in beijing. this is the scene. you might be able to see the forbidden city, and the birds nest stadium is a short drive away from there. its rim is decorated with the flags of the 91 competing nations and regions. the ceremony is due to last around two hours and it will culminate in the lighting of the olympic cauldron. few global leaders have journeyed to beijing to be at the opening.

that is because a number of countries have engaged in a boycott. but the russian president vladimir putin is there. and he's held a meeting with his chinese counterpart xi jinping. the two countries have put out a long joint statement, describing the talks as "very warm" and agreeing on a raft of policies. the statement warned against what they called nato's cold war ideology. many in the west fear the russian leader is planning to invade ukraine, which wasnt mentioned directly. 0ur china correspondent stephen mcdonell is at a pub where people are watching the opening cermoney, which is taking place in the iconic bird's nest stadium. yes, it is full of people, a real party atmosphere. kids, young and

old people, and the reason there is such a community feeling here in part is because people come to places like this to watch the opening ceremony on the big screen because they can't buy tickets. you can't as a member of the public go into the opening ceremony or anything here at the games because of covid restrictions. i think there is an understanding in the general community that because of the tough restrictions within the bubble, it sort of makes sense also that within the general community there are also tough restrictions. it is a bit of a downer frankly for tough restrictions. it is a bit of a downerfrankly for a tough restrictions. it is a bit of a downer frankly for a city that has been looking forward to this, but nevertheless there is quite some excitement. the pressure on officials will be to try to minimise the spread of covid over the coming weeks inside those venues. inside the opening ceremony itself, very interesting, we had some world leaders there but not that many. nothing compared to 2008. vladimir

putin, imran khan, but the list runs out soon after that. interestingly, the camera didn't cut away to world leaders as teams came in, that could be because they don't want to draw attention to who is or isn't at the games because it is such a contentious point here. as for politics, there have been officials warning athletes not to make a scene, not to have political t—shirts when they receive medals and the like. again, the coming days will see if that strategy works. however, it is over to spart now and officials will be hoping now that the ceremony is nearly over, the sport really kicks off and that much more attention will be on the athlete and what the olympics is really all supposed to be about. thank you so much. let's return to our top story.

as resignations mount at downing street, pressure is growing on the prime minister. with me to discuss is susie boniface columnist at the daily mirror and matthew d'ancona editor and partner at tortoise media. the world of 2a hour news is pretty breakneck, and it looks like we might have a few hours of reader so i wonder where things stand. susie first. ~ , , ., , first. where things stand is the erson in first. where things stand is the person in charge _ first. where things stand is the person in charge of _ first. where things stand is the person in charge of having - first. where things stand is the | person in charge of having boris johnson's ideas for him has gone, the person in charge of communicating them has gone, the person in charge of getting them enacted has gone, and even the person in charge of organising their party has gone. we are left in a situation where this morning there are westminster journalists saying boris johnson's are westminster journalists saying borisjohnson�*s aim now is to survive until the weekend. it is friday! if your ambition is to

survive until saturday, you really are on the ropes. it is not a question of if borisjohnson goes now but when and how. will it be rishi sunak in the cabinet room with a revolver? 0r carriejohnson in the flat with lead piping? i a revolver? or carrie johnson in the flat with lead piping?— flat with lead piping? i saw you ostin: flat with lead piping? i saw you posting on _ flat with lead piping? i saw you posting on social— flat with lead piping? i saw you posting on social media - flat with lead piping? i saw you posting on social media that i flat with lead piping? i saw you - posting on social media that prime ministers are not usually brought down by backroom staff, it is normally cabinet ministers or backbench mps. do you really think he will be brought down by backroom staff? , , . ., , , staff? this is certainly the first -hase staff? this is certainly the first hase of staff? this is certainly the first phase of something _ staff? this is certainly the first phase of something that - staff? this is certainly the first phase of something that will i staff? this is certainly the first i phase of something that will carry on until_ phase of something that will carry on until he — phase of something that will carry on until he finally leaves when it is appropriate because number ten is where _ is appropriate because number ten is where the _ is appropriate because number ten is where the problem is and the problem is boris _ where the problem is and the problem is borisjohnson. the most ludicrous spin that— is borisjohnson. the most ludicrous spin that was put on yesterday's chaotic— spin that was put on yesterday's chaotic events was that this was all part of— chaotic events was that this was all part of the — chaotic events was that this was all part of the plan, this was all part of boris — part of the plan, this was all part of borisjohnson's part of the plan, this was all part of boris johnson's structured reorganisation of number ten in

response — reorganisation of number ten in response to the first part of sue gray's _ response to the first part of sue gray's report. it is certainly the case _ gray's report. it is certainly the case that— gray's report. it is certainly the case that the resignation of dan rosenfield, jack doyle and martin reynolds was not in the diary for yesterday — reynolds was not in the diary for yesterday. more to the point what was certainly not in the diary was munira _ was certainly not in the diary was munira mirza writing a letter questioning his integrity over his accusation that keir starmer didn't prosecute — accusation that keir starmer didn't prosecute jimmy savile. so the idea that that _ prosecute jimmy savile. so the idea that that kind of day is part of an orderly— that that kind of day is part of an orderly reset of downing street is insulting — orderly reset of downing street is insulting to the intelligence and it won't _ insulting to the intelligence and it won't last, is the line.— won't last, is the line. susie boniface. — won't last, is the line. susie boniface, sebastien - won't last, is the line. susie boniface, sebastien payne l won't last, is the line. susie | boniface, sebastien payne at won't last, is the line. susie i boniface, sebastien payne at the times made a point that one of the points in favour of borisjohnson was that he had a number of disparate opponents are enemies within the conservative party who were not necessarily coalescing around anyone else and it was this

group that kept him in power. what do you think of that? part group that kept him in power. what do you think of that?— do you think of that? part of the reason no _ do you think of that? part of the reason no one _ do you think of that? part of the reason no one is _ do you think of that? part of the reason no one is stepping i do you think of that? part of the i reason no one is stepping forward so far to say they want to throw their hat in the ring is that whoever takes over is not going to do immediately very well. if a new tory leader came in tomorrow, penned by tea—time, by the end of this broadcast which is entirely possible, they are taking over a conservative party which is having a civil war. conservative party which is having a civilwar. it conservative party which is having a civil war. it is not a government of the greats, it is a group of intellectual pygmies having a big fight. all the statesmen the conservative party had were rejected at the end of the last parliament and they can't rely on those any more. they have an inevitable, you know, the worst slide in living standards for 30 years. they have a cost of living crisis, energy crisis, massing massive living inequality and levelling up has only

just gone out to consultation. and a new leader only has 23 months to make an entire country forget partygate, to make an entire country forget pa rtygate, to forget make an entire country forget partygate, to forget the sleaze, to forget contracts given to maids, to forget contracts given to maids, to forget billions of pounds that are written off, to forget 20 quid getting cut off universal credit, because apparently that is too much to give to us while you are giving millions to other people. with the best will in the world, that is probably not going to work inside 23 months, which is at the best. if you had a leader you could install within weeks and then have an immediate general election, you will still not be able to call that vote before april the 1st which is when the energy price cap kicks in and we will be looking at a real problem as far as our economy and all of our personal spending is concerned, and no one wants to go to the ballot box with any of that stuff going on. whoever takes over, they either have a real horrible vote immediately

which they will probably lose or a horrible vote in a couple of years time which they will also probably lose. so no one wants to step forward, everyone is taking a sharp step back, and that will probably work in borisjohnson's step back, and that will probably work in boris johnson's favour because if he can survive somehow that vote of 181 odd mps that would knock down a no—confidence move against him, then he can go through to the next two years and go into an election and he doesn't have to declare defeat or say sorry to anybody. because no one else wants the job. anybody. because no one else wants thejob. irate anybody. because no one else wants the 'ob. ~ , a, the job. we will see. matthew, i don't know— the job. we will see. matthew, i don't know if— the job. we will see. matthew, i don't know if you _ the job. we will see. matthew, i don't know if you have _ the job. we will see. matthew, i don't know if you have followed | the job. we will see. matthew, i. don't know if you have followed this hour to hour or not, you might have seen michael gove and sajid javid have come out in full support of the prime minister this morning. rishi sunak as we saw yesterday was a bit more qualified in some of his language. how closely do you study what they say in public or do you

have better channels in private? members of the cabinet role for the reasons— members of the cabinet role for the reasons susie outlined keeping their powder— reasons susie outlined keeping their powder dry. but you will notice the way michael gove and sajid javid .ave way michael gove and sajid javid gave support to the prime minister is respectful but not what i would call passionate and full throated. rishi _ call passionate and full throated. rishi sunak is now i think a bit too slowly— rishi sunak is now i think a bit too slowly to— rishi sunak is now i think a bit too slowly to he — rishi sunak is now i think a bit too slowly to be honest for a prospective leadership contender but nonetheless starting to make the moves _ nonetheless starting to make the moves of— nonetheless starting to make the moves of someone who knows their time may— moves of someone who knows their time may come. 0ne moves of someone who knows their time may come. one of the problems with becoming prime minister is you can't always be at the time of your choosing — can't always be at the time of your choosing. often the circumstances are less _ choosing. often the circumstances are less than ideal, and certainly any prime — are less than ideal, and certainly any prime minister that takes over from _ any prime minister that takes over from boris — any prime minister that takes over from borisjohnson before the next general— from borisjohnson before the next general election will be taking over in much _ general election will be taking over in much less than ideal circumstances. but his recent history— circumstances. but his recent history shows that waiting too long can he _ history shows that waiting too long can he a _ history shows that waiting too long can be a very bad idea, and i

suspect— can be a very bad idea, and i suspect in— can be a very bad idea, and i suspect in rishi sunak's camp, there is a growing — suspect in rishi sunak's camp, there is a growing realisation that boris johnson's — is a growing realisation that boris johnson's brand is fatally contaminated, that he will be going and therefore they need to get their skates— and therefore they need to get their skates on~ _ and therefore they need to get their skates on. that in turn will start other— skates on. that in turn will start other contenders like liz truss, others — other contenders like liz truss, others that we can name, getting into the _ others that we can name, getting into the picture. but it is true that— into the picture. but it is true that at— into the picture. but it is true that at the moment the predominant reaction _ that at the moment the predominant reaction of— that at the moment the predominant reaction of the conservative party has been — reaction of the conservative party has been inertia. i don't think that will has been inertia. idon't think that will last— has been inertia. i don't think that will last much longer.— has been inertia. i don't think that will last much longer. thank you to ou both will last much longer. thank you to you both so — will last much longer. thank you to you both so much. _ the headlines on bbc news. pressure continues to grow on the prime minister as five of his aides resign — a cabinet minister denies boris johnson's government is in disarray. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain

to northern ireland must continue for now. rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five—year—old boy who fell into a well near in morocco on tuesday. the conservatives have won the southend west by—election, trigged by the fatal stabbing of the tory mp sir david amess. anna firth got a majority of more than 12,000. the seat was not contested by labour, the liberal democrats or the green party. just 24% of the electorate voted, making it one of the worst turnouts for a by—election since the second world war. here's simon dedman. it's not a massive surprise that the conservatives held this seat with a large majority. there was no mainstream opposition, but the turnout was amongst the lowest of any westminster by—election since world war two atjust 24%. and whilst that was down, the number of spoilt ballots was up. in fact, there were more of those than votes for the candidate that came second, the psychedelic movement. this is what the winner, anna firth, made of that. well, ithink, actually, you would expect a high number of spoilt ballots in an election where there is actually no left wing candidate standing at all.

you remember in batley and spen, because it was a labour mp that was being replaced, you had a left wing candidate standing and a medley of right wing candidates. that wasn't the case here. there were messages on there about borisjohnson. are you going to be taking some of these messages to borisjohnson when you are in westminster next week? i am so proud and privileged to be their mp, and my focus as the newest mp in parliament is going to be delivering on local priorities. well, anna firth heads to westminster on monday, but there will be no letter of no confidence from her in the prime minister. she backs borisjohnson and says she's going to be focusing on making the most of southend's city status. the energy regulator, 0fgem, says it's considering reviewing the energy price cap every three months to try to cope with the volatility in the market. the cap is currently assessed every six months,

limiting what gas and electricity companies can charge a typical household. yesterday it was announced that the cap will rise in april, meaning an average household on a variable tariff will see its bill rise by £693 a year to nearly £2,000. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. for hussain and halima master, who have three kids, rising energy bills means life is getting tougher. it's gone up again, hasn't it? yeah, to 250 — that's crazy, that. hussain has a full—time job, but they are struggling to make ends meet. we have looked into the local food bank. on the weekends, they have it open to the public where you pay a couple of pounds and fill your bags up. so we have had a look at that and we have started to kind of use that. for many families like the masters, worse is to come. energy prices for consumers are capped by the regulator 0fgem. but the cap is going up to reflect a big rise in the price suppliers have to pay for the energy they sell to us.

0fgem says some 22 million households will pay more. we saw an extraordinary increase in prices last year and that was driven by the global gas so it is unavoidable in the short term that prices were going to go up. the government is trying to soften the blow. it will provide £200 towards each household's energy costs in october. but it will have to be paid back through bills later on. most households in england will also get a discount of £150 in april. it will be available for homes in council tax bands a to d and won't need to be repaid. critics say these measures do not go far enough to help vulnerable people at a time when the cost of living is already rising rapidly and household finances are under pressure. but the energy minister said £141; million was available to local

authorities to support those in most need. there is that discretionary fund for local authorities to help those who, due to different circumstances, might be in a high band council tax property or do not pay council tax. labour has described the government's actions as inadequate and has called for a windfall task on the profits of big energy companies to help bring down bills and address what it calls our broken energy system. theo leggett, bbc news. and at 3.30pm this afternoon, we'll be answering your questions on energy prices and how it's impacting your family budget. get in touch with the hashtag bbcyourquestions or email. a high courtjudge in belfast has

ordered that checks on food and agricultural goods traded between the british mainland and northern ireland must remain in place until a judicial review next month. the ruling comes two days after a minister in the devolved government ordered that the inspections be stopped — a move that has triggered a political crisis. the checks are part of the brexit deal struck between the britain and the eu to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of ireland. our correspondent chris page is in belfast and has more on this now. the agricultural minister here edwin poots ordered his officials to stop carrying out checks on goods arriving into northern ireland from the rest of the uk. that is because he is a unionist is opposed to those checks taking place under the brexit deal known as the northern ireland protocol which in effect keeps northern ireland inside the eu single market. unionists see it is basically an economic barrier between northern ireland and great britain and therefore unacceptable. those checks had still been going on

actually in spite of the minister's instruction because there had been some uncertainty over the legality of what edwin poots was asking his officials to do. edwin poots has said he received legal advice which backed up his actions but his political rivals in the power—sharing stormont executive, the likes of sinn fein, the sdlp, the likes of sinn fein, the sdlp, the alliance party, they were saying the alliance party, they were saying the northern ireland protocol is part of the treaty, the brexit agreement, therefore stopping the checks would be a breach of international law. so it was always likely the legal position would be tested in court. a court case has been brought by two people, one of them a member of sinn fein, and it has got through the first stage of the legal process. so the judge at the legal process. so the judge at the high court has this morning granted leave forjudicial review, in other words it is now going to go forward to a full hearing, and the judge has said that in those circumstances he is going to suspend mr poots' order, so now the

officials will certainly be carrying on those checks. there have been some suggestion that perhaps checks could be stopping on monday but now it looks like that is not going to happen, the checks will continue indefinitely until the full judicial hearing resolves that .1 way or another. in the meantime, northern ireland has found itself without a first and deputy first minister. paul givan's resignation took effect at midnightand paul givan's resignation took effect at midnight and under the rules of power sharing here, that means the deputy first minister michelle o'neill of sinn fein is automatically out of a job too. some functions of government do continue, other ministers technically remain in their positions and debates will continue here, but basically the devolved governments cannot make any new major decisions without its two most senior members. chris new major decisions without its two most senior members.—

new major decisions without its two most senior members. chris page in belfast there. _ ministers have promised a new 10—year strategy to improve cancer care in england, but cancer charities have told the government it'll be a huge challenge. we spoke to shaun walsh earlier, he's head of public affairs at cancer research uk. i should say from the outset, cancer research uk absolutely welcomes the secretary of state's ambition on cancer. we and others have been flagging for some time the real challenges this country has faced in relation to access to diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer. that's only been exacerbated by the pandemic. it's important to note that even before the pandemic we were struggling to hit cancer waiting times. the pandemic has really exposed the challenge. what we want to see the secretary of state do, and this is a significant improvement on what has happened with previous plans, we must see the ambition backed by investment and a credible plan for delivery. we have some really strong targets already in place, so there is an ambition that 75% of cancers are diagnosed early by 2028. we are some way off achieving that.

there is an ambition that england is smoke—free by 2030. again, we are some way off that. and the reason why is we haven't had a credibly funded plan to support those ambitions. our ask of the secretary of state today, on world cancer day, on cancer research uk's 20th anniversary i should add, is we need to back the ambition with investment. if we see that, the cancer community will rally around. because all of us have heard harrowing stories of how challenging this period has been for people affected by cancer. and we need to hit on a number of levels. we need to make sure that we are investing in prevention. making sure that we support smoking cessation services to help people give up smoking. we think this could be funded through a smoke—free fund which could charge a levy on tobacco manufacturers to support public health. we think the government should maintain its line on tackling obesity. we are concerned that there is a watering down or weakening of ambitions on obesity.

these are the two factors that are the biggest preventable causes of cancer, so we need to hit them. on early diagnosis and treatment, the big, big challenge facing the nhs as we know is staffing. it's capacity and kit. this is felt very much so by those people going through the system with cancer, and when we look overseas and we look to see how we compare to other countries and how much is invested in workforce, when we look at where we are in terms of progress on early diagnosis, we are way behind. a man who exploited a vulnerable victim found living in a squalid shed in cumbria has been sentenced today. peter swaileer, 56, had pleaded guilty at carlisle crown court last month — he was sentenced to a nine—month jail term, suspended for 18 months. the court heard the victim had been "used and abused" for a0 years by the defendant's father,

peter swailes snr. our correspondent luxmy gopal has more on the story. well, this was a horrific case of exploitation. when the man was found, the victim was found in october in 2018, he was found in what was a rotten shed. the court heard that water was leaking through it, and for the five years leading up to 2018, when the man was found, there was no electricity, there was no heating and there was no light in it. and over a0 years, the man had been kept and exploited. he was made to work for very little pay, sometimes as low as £10 a day, and the court heard that he had learning difficulties, and a charity that's been working with him since to try and help him get back to normal life said that he didn't understand, he wasn't fully aware of what was happening to him because of his learning difficulties. let's bring you some breaking news

which has been delivered by danny savage, our north of england correspondent. it is about lord ahmed's sentencing. a former member of the house of lords has been jailed for child sexual offences. he carried out the assaults on two children in the 1970s when he was a teenager. there are now calls for him to be stripped of his title. the 64—year—old was tried under his real name, nasirahmed. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. it has turned much colder today. strong winds have been blowing wintry showers to the north—west. temperatures will fall away through the night. frost quite widely.

even some snow to lower levels eventually. later, temperatures lift in the north—west ahead of the rain for saturday. initially some snow, then rain moving across the bulk of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, wales. later, bright conditions, cold air returns to the north, further south and east, not that much rain. milder once again. that weather system pushes through on sunday morning to leave more chilly air and showers. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. pressure continues to grow on the prime minister. as five of his aides resign, a cabinet minister denies borisjohnson's government is in disarray, the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change and we are seeing the change now. 0fgem says it may start reviewing the energy price

cap every three months, rather than the current six. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. the winter olympics are officially under way. the opening ceremony has been taking place inside beijing's birds nest stadium. we'll be speaking to a team gb gold medallist. rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five—year—old boy who fell into a well near in morocco on tuesday. sport now, and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre. as well as the opening ceremony at the beijing winter olympics, a number of events are taking place today. the are taking place today. moment team gb made thr arrival the moment team gb made their arrival on the big stage led by dave

ryding and eve muirhead and we have the athletes competing across a wide range of events with the hopes of exceeding the five medals that were one last time. everyone involved in the games in a bubble system and no tickets have been made available to the public and only specially invited guests will attend. and two of gb's fifty athletes, have already started competing — and have maintained their excellent start keeping up their hopes of winning a medal. gb's mixed doubles team ofjen dodds and bruce mouat have made it 3 wins from 4 after beating australia 8—7 in the curling. gb did lead 6—1 at one stage — but were pegged back to 8—8 — and needed an extra end to secure victory. away from the olympics, england cricket's chief executive tom harrison insistsjoe root will remain as captain of the test side, despite

england's poor performance in the ashes. there was no repreive for head coach chris silverwood though as he was sacked yesterday. england are also looking for a new assistant coach and a director of cricket after graham thorpe and ashley giles both left their roles respectively. sir andrew strauss has taken temporary charge as director of cricket. the ecb's ceo has admitted change was needed. i think there's an enormous amount of work to do when we had a difficult few months, no question about that and it's on and off the field issues that have combined to create a difficult period for english cricket but i'm absolutely motivated and focused on getting the job done and getting through this period and setting us back on a course that english cricket fans will be more comfortable with. it will be a liverpool themed final, at the africa cup of nations final on sunday. mohammed salah's egypt

booked their place in the final after beating cameroon on penalties — this missed spotkick was the key moment. they'll now face senegal, who have sadio mane up front. liverpool's manager says he's looking forward to seeing his two forwards come face to face. it will be exciting. it's not so easy because we have to watch the game and there will definitely be one who is really happy after and one who is really happy after and one much less so, but they are the superstars there and the pressure in the tournament that they had on their shoulders is massive, and how they deal with it, i'm really proud of them. he they deal with it, i'm really proud of them. , they deal with it, i'm really proud ofthem. , ., , _ they deal with it, i'm really proud ofthem. , . , , of them. he will be happy if both remain injury _ of them. he will be happy if both remain injury free. _ wales will begin the defence of their six nations title tomorrow — as they play ireland in dublin. after that, england will try to regain the calcutta cup from scotland at murrayfield — and avenge last year's defeat at twickenham. the game will be anthony seibold's

first six nations match since becoming defence coach — and he can't wait to get started. the interest in the game in the interest in the six nations, when i firstjoined england rugby people told me there were 870 million followers worldwide of rugby union and if i compare that to the sports in australia where it's ten or 15 million into those sports, so just the extent of the following and the interest in the six nations and the issue of the calcutta cup, i want to get that done before christmas. aha, get that done before christmas. a huge weekend ahead. and the fa cup and plenty to look forward to. but what's it like to compete in an olympic games? especially one as controverisal as this one —— which has seen numerous diplomatic boycotts. earlier i spoke to amy williams, former team gb skeleton gold medallist at the winter olympic games. she gave me her reaction to the opening ceremony.

iam i am watching the opening ceremony and i've got butterflies in my stomach, sweaty palms that the athletes are feeling and i wish i could be there competing again. team gb has about — could be there competing again. team gb has about 50 _ could be there competing again. team gb has about 50 athletes and i know you will probably want to name all of them but if you want to name a few for the viewers to look for, who should they look for?— few for the viewers to look for, who should they look for? obviously you have the skeleton. _ should they look for? obviously you have the skeleton. matt _ should they look for? obviously you have the skeleton. matt weston, i have the skeleton. matt weston, marcus wyatt, laura dees, all the bobsleigh athletes and brad hall and his team and somebody like james woods, freestyle skiing, he is hoping to get a medal this time, dave ryding, alpine skiing, and easy atkins on the two sisters, i could keep going. atkins on the two sisters, i could keep going-— atkins on the two sisters, i could keep going. you've got to try and net keep going. you've got to try and get through _ keep going. you've got to try and get through the _ keep going. you've got to try and get through the whole _ keep going. you've got to try and get through the whole team. i keep going. you've got to try and l get through the whole team. these athletes are in a really unusual olympics for two reasons. number one, intense political discussion about the issues surrounding china and some of its policies and then there is the pandemic and in china

there is the pandemic and in china there is the pandemic and in china there is a zero covid policies meaning the athletes are in a bubble and trying to picture what it's like the athletes, can you help us do that? �* , ., ., , ., that? it's hard. those athletes are reared that? it's hard. those athletes are prepared every — that? it's hard. those athletes are prepared every day _ that? it's hard. those athletes are prepared every day for _ that? it's hard. those athletes are prepared every day for at - that? it's hard. those athletes are prepared every day for at least i that? it's hard. those athletes arej prepared every day for at least the last four years since the last winter olympics and their bodies are highly tuned and nothing is left without thinking of it and every single second of every day, and you've already got a lot of stress on your shoulders, the pressure to perform when it matters and now obviously the added pressure of taking that covid test every day, so i can't even imagine what it's like and leaving us working every day when you are testing to see if you can go to work, so for the athletes it's a really tough thing and if i was one of them i would be thinking every athlete is in the same position here so we can't control it and we have to do it to the best of what we can and then really flip away and concentrate on your performance and what you need to do in your competition. haifa

performance and what you need to do in your competition.— in your competition. how much of a difference will _ in your competition. how much of a difference will it _ in your competition. how much of a difference will it make _ in your competition. how much of a difference will it make that - in your competition. how much of a difference will it make that they i difference will it make that they won't be able to have much contact with crowds? do you need that in the skeleton or not?— skeleton or not? skeleton and bobsleiah skeleton or not? skeleton and bobsleigh athletes _ skeleton or not? skeleton and bobsleigh athletes are - skeleton or not? skeleton and bobsleigh athletes are used i skeleton or not? skeleton andj bobsleigh athletes are used to sliding with not many people around and huge local schools will come out with their cowbells and i remember it vividly in vancouver suddenly having all of these crowds that you haven't ever practised without the extra nerves that they bring, so for some athletes it could be a blessing in disguise and they can just do their normal thing and almost have that and pretending it's not the olympic games to get the best out of your performance and take control of your performance and take control of your nerves. pare your performance and take control of your nerves-— your nerves. are we now a winter ol mics your nerves. are we now a winter olympics country? _ your nerves. are we now a winter olympics country? of— your nerves. are we now a winter olympics country? of course. i your nerves. are we now a winter olympics country? of course. we | your nerves. are we now a winter i olympics country? of course. we know that the winter — olympics country? of course. we know that the winter olympics, _ olympics country? of course. we know that the winter olympics, we - olympics country? of course. we know that the winter olympics, we are i olympics country? of course. we know that the winter olympics, we are a i that the winter olympics, we are a much smaller team than our cousins in the summer olympics but we bring home medals and that does steadily

grow. our success gets higher and higher over the years and we do better, so i really hope we bring home medals and we have a good chance of bringing home several medals in these olympics, so fingers crossed and good luck to all of the athletes. �* this is where some of the athletes will be competing. this is the ice cube as it is known which is where the curling will be held and if you look at the orange shimmering to the right, that is the stadium where the opening ceremony has been taking place and where the olympic flame has now been lit. in northern morocco, efforts are continuing to rescue a five year old boy who fell into a well. rayan has been stuck in a 32 meter deep water well since tuesday. bulldozers work flat—out in tamrout, in the northern tourist province of chefchaouen. they're racing to dig a hole alongside a shaft of a 32—metre well.

waiting at the bottom is five—year—old rayan. he fell in on tuesday evening. he was playing whilst his father was repairing the well. translation: the closer we get, the hole gets more narrow, i and hard to pass through, which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. this is why we had to come up with another technique, which is digging. rescuers have been able to send oxygen and water to rayan through pipes. it's a tricky, painstaking manoeuvre. it is a long way down, and the diameter of the well is less than 45 centimetres. rayan's plight has touched the hearts of moroccans. there has been an outpouring of sympathy online, with the hashtag #staystrong going viral across north africa. crowds have gathered at the site, anxious to hear the latest on the rescue. translation: rayan is very much loved here in the village, - notjust at home. i miss him, it's been three nights.

but rescuers are working against the clock and conditions are difficult. they remain hopeful they can reach rayan and bring him to safety. aruna iyengar, bbc news. record numbers of children and young people in england have been referred to specialist nhs mental health services according to new analysis by the royal college of psychiatrists for bbc news. headteachers and a children's mental health charity say many more children are still struggling with the return to learning. the creation of 400 mental health support teams for schools in england is ahead of schedule according to the government. catherine roche is the chief executive of the children's mental health charity �*place2be'. it was an under resourced area before the pandemic in these two years have exacerbated some of the problems and challenges that were already there.

it is not a surprise that we are seeing these figures. place2be has been working in over 400 schools around the country. we have been doing this now for over 25 years. we have seen over this time an increase in the problems and challenges, because schools are on the front lines. mat carpenter is the headteacher of baxter college school in kidderminster. he says the most important thing is for children to reach out to friends or a trusted adult. when children need help the most important thing is that they have trusted adults, a former teacher or a teacher they have a good relationship with and your article on the bbc news website talked about the scale of the issue, so finding any adult in the building that they can trust and talk to within school, we have a school counsellor and a mental health lead who can access services for them but the young people, the most important thing is they talk to their friends and significant adults in their life.

the headlines on bbc news. pressure continues to grow on the prime minister, as five of his aides resign a cabinet minister denies boris johnson's government is in disarray, a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five—year—old boy who fell into a well near in morocco on tuesday. for nearly two years now the world has lived under the shadow of coronavirus. the pandemic has instilled plenty of fear and anxiety — but it has also inspired creativity. an exhibition of art made during lockdown has opened in sweden — showcasing the challenges people faced. tim allman has more. getting a haircut during lockdown was hard enough but this is ridiculous. and how about this? a zoom meeting recreated in watercolour and pastels. art that speaks of

loneliness, of confinement and of time passing. it is a reaction about the pandemic. it is a consequence of the pandemic. you work at home, you work in the studio, you are not outside. a sculpture of neon signs from shops in malmo, forced to close during the pandemic. but this is notjust about looking backwards, it is about looking forwards too. in this exhibition we can see some form of hope for the future, so it is not closed down, it is something new that is coming up here. more than 200 works of art are on display, each one a memory, a reminder of the past, and a promise for the future. tim allman, bbc news.

an expedition is setting off this weekend to try to find the shipwreck of the antartic explorer sir ernest shackleton. his vessel the endurance sank more than 100 years ago — and is believed to be nearly two miles below sea level. our science editor rebecca morelle has been to meet the team hoping to find the wreck. caught on camera more than 100 years ago. the final moments of the endurance. this footage restored and released by the bfi show sir ernest shackleton's famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. this is endurance. this is exactly the way she was. the story has long fascinated maritime archaeologists. now a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. but like shackleton, they will face gruelling conditions. endurance is the most unreachable wreck in the world. by extension this has to be the greatest wreck hunt ever. the big challenge is the ice.

it is opening and clenching, unclenching. it is a really vicious, lethal environment that we are going into. shackleton's expedition set off from south georgia in december 1914 tea m team will use underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras in the hope is that the work will be preserved by the icy water and the lack of organisms eating away at the wood. the objects that were rescued from the sinking endurance give a sense of what life was like on board. this is the sextant, crucial for navigating and over here is a box of chocolates that was used as a payment between crew for doing chores like darning socks. and up here, unbelievably, is a piece of the mast. probably the only relic of the ship that is not at the bottom of the sea. an important document for people going out and looking today. shackleton's expedition diary was also saved with his emotional entry on the day the ship was lost.

"she went today. "5pm she went down by the head. "the stern, the cause of all the trouble, "was the last to go underwater. "i cannot write about it. "sunday always seems the day on which things happen to us." you can read about how it was creaking. they talk about her as a personality and the groaning and the sounds. there was a real sense of what it felt like, what it sounded like and how crushed they were when the ship was crushed. for shackleton's expedition, the loss of the endurance was not the end. the crew trekked across hundreds of miles of ice, rowed the weddell sea and then climbed a mountain range to reach safety. miraculously they all survived but the ship that had been their home still lies in the icy depths, silently waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news.

to the dutch port of rotterdam now — where a shipbuilder has sailed into a row over the world's biggest sailing yacht, which it is building for the amazon founderjeff bezos. anna holligan reports a proud maritime nation. but the kings harbour bridge, part of this port city's rich history is not big enough for jeff bezos's mega vessel. this steel structure was the first part of rotterdam's iconic skyline to be restored after the city was reduced to rubble by the nazis during the second world war. and back then rotterdam council said it would never be dismantled again. but now they have told the people that there is no other way for the multi—billionaire superyacht to make it from this shipbuilder�*s

yard to the open seas. many rotterdamers are not impressed. to be honest, i think it is one of the few more examples with regards to the last time that the more money you have the more power you get even though it goes against the principles of the city. the city said they would not do it in the first place and nowjeff bezos offers some nice money and they are going to do it. the council pointed out that the construction of the mammoth yacht had been good for the local economy but some locals have mixed feelings. it is twofold. on the one hand the council said they would never dismantle again but employment is also important and they dismantled it again just once. rotterdam council promised the bridge would be put that together in its existing form with the amazon founder or shipbuilder picking up the bill but there is a degree of resignation in rotterdam.

money makes the world go round. that is what they say, and he says, if it's brought back in its original state it shouldn't be a problem. the procedure will take a few weeks and is expected to happen this summer and one green politician called it a bridge too far. it's been two years since game of thrones aired its final episode and the show, which was mostly filmed in the moutains and moorlands of northern ireland, remains a global phenomenon. now fans of the fantasy series have the chance to go behind the scenes of westeros, as the studio opens its doors to the public for the first time. john maguire has gone to pay a visit. winter has arrived. and so has the chance to walk in the boot steps of the mother of dragons, tyrion lannister orjon snow. these are some of the actual sets used in the filming of what is often described as the biggest television

show in history. and, for the actor ian beattie, the rare opportunity of a job near his home here in northern ireland. that's right, i auditioned for a role in season one, and another actor got it, and i was, well, not happy about that, i'm five minutes away from the studio! yeah, home fixture! thankfully they auditioned me again and i got, i won the role of ser meryn trant, which lasted for five years. and the role i originally auditioned for lasted for five episodes in season one. so i think i got the best part. and who can blame him? when filming in other locations, croatia, malta, morocco, could see him lose half a stone a day. so is this your costume here, ian? this is identical to my costume. this was actually nikolaj coster—waldau's costume but it is identical in every way. all 28 kilos worth. which was so fun in the dubrovnik sun, because the sun would hit the breast plate, you would have been sweating earlier on and then you would start to cook. so it was quite interesting to wear.

but i have to say one thing. when you put that costume on, wow. you were a kings guard. yeah. the studio tour is built around where some of the show�*s filming took place. much of its success was derived from the huge scale of the production, but also the attention to detail. here, you can see, close up, the costumes, the weapons. the set designs, the make—up and prosthetics. husband and wife team sarah and barry gower are responsible for turning fantasy tv into what looks like reality tv. they make monsters. the show runners, david and dan, wanted us to design a character which was quite regal. and almost had the form of a crown, in its design, basically. so we're thinking, along the lines of snow, ice and icicles, so we actually incorporated these kind of pointy icicle—like shapes into the forehead

and the back of his head. so it kind of gave us, kind of incorporated a crown look and feel into his design. and it's made of? this is made of silicon. these are silicon appliances with a very thin fine final skin, so the actual material this is made of is like a silicon gel product. it's a good job they're married. some days on set were 21 hours long. and they share some unusual interests. just the blood that was used in game of thrones. we all felt that each department, we should consider what blood we were going to use. and so we agreed that we would test all the different bloods that were pre—made, the colours, put it on film and then we can all decide which blood is the most realistic to use and we would all agree to use that colour blood. it's a bit like you get weird names for paint, there is a game of thrones blood? there was a game, yes,

i think it was venial blood. so everyone agreed to use the venial! the tour, like the show it embodies, is big budget. it cost £40 million to build. included in your entry ticket, the chance to be in step with the white walkers and the wildings. this is cool. there are several of these interactive screens throughout so you get yourself dressed up as lord of the bones, trousers, coats, head. helmet. there it is. and then it'll copy your body movements. the old usain bolt there. this one. he's got some moves, this guy. how fun is that? the studio is located in banbridge, between belfast and dublin. but hold the door, as here you walk through to another world, arriving in westeros, where the iron throne awaits.

after that visit, surely he is ready for his audition. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. good afternoon. windy weather will prevail through the day and for much of the weekend and the wind today coming down from the north—west means it feels a lot colder out there and we had no weather front moved through this morning and on it there was sleaziness at lower levels and behind it the cold air is in place. but with some good spells of sunshine particularly across central and eastern areas, the shower cloud is gathering in the north and west and there are snow showers falling at relatively low levels, it's that cold, the air, so it's a bracing day out there and the winds are fairly steady, fresh to strong and gales in the northern and western isles so on the northern and western isles so on the face of things, between four and

seven celsius, bit below where they should be for this time of year but feeling even colder because of the wind and the effect of the wind. the wind and the effect of the wind. the wind will ease off a bit overnight as do the showers away from the north and west but we have another weather front approaching someone under the clear skies it will turn chile and many of the rural areas see a frost and some of the towns and cities as well and temperatures will lift a bit later and that is with the approach of our next rain bearing weather front system and here it is, the area of low pressure to the north bringing in milder air and backing off the atlantic so we are seeing a seesaw with the temperatures as we have through the week. so a cold start for many on saturday but soon the rain will sweep in on a strengthening wind again and rain for many parts of the north and south and it will stay bray and writer for the longest and in the north it brightens up later across scotland with showers but look at the strength of the winds tomorrow with a fairly steady 30 or

40 mph with gusts of wind across england and wales and stronger still further north so the temperatures will be a little higher than those of today it will still feel cold and in the wind particularly in the cold air in the north which prevails and on saturday or sunday the weather front slips south and sunday will start on a wet and windy note in southern areas and strong winds follow behind dragging in lots of wintry showers in the cold and arctic air returning so you can see the differentiation in the temperatures as we get to sunday. an up—and—down weekend. more online.

this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the headlines... pressure continues to grow on the prime minister as five of his aides resign — a cabinet minister denies boris johnson's government is in disarray. the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change, and we are seeing that change now. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. the winter olympics are officially under way — the opening ceremony has been held inside beijing's bird's nest stadium. 0fgem says it may start reviewing the energy price cap every three months rather than the current six — we'll be putting your questions to the experts in the next hour. we join scientists on the hunt for sir ernest shackleton's shipwreck, dubbed "the most

unreachable in the world". good afternoon. the prime minister must "shape up or ship out" — that's what the senior conservative mp huw merriman told the bbc this morning, as questions continue about boris johnson's leadership. he is looking at how to rebuild his team after the resignation yesterday of four of his top aides. mps supportive of the prime minister are suggesting he's making necessary staff changes, following a damning report by the senior civil servant sue gray into rule—breaking parties at number ten during the pandemic. but munira mirza quit because of the prime minister's false claim that sir keir starmer failed to prosecutejimmy savile when he was director of public prosecutions. and this morning a fifth

adviser has resigned, another member of the policy unit. our political correspondent nick eardley reports. another day, another crisis. borisjohnson has lost five members of his team in just 24 hours. including one of his longest serving allies. this is munira mirza, an aide to mrjohnson for 14 years. she quit yesterday, criticising her boss over incorrect comments suggesting sir keir starmer was linked to the decision not to prosecutejimmy savile. these three have left too. the prime minister's director of communications, his principal private secretary, and chief of staff have also left, all three caught up in the parties row, but their departures leave big questions over the future direction of number ten. and this morning a fifth resignation.

elena narozanski hung up her gloves today, another member of the prime minister's policy unit hanging up her gloves. the prime minister was clear in his response to the sue gray report update that there would be changes at number 10 downing street. that is what has happened. four people have served their country fantastically well, some during the whole pandemic. borisjohnson has thanked them for their service, they have resigned and he has accepted their resignation. but this runs a lot deeper, with the prime minister being criticised by some of his long—serving allies. and there was this from the chancellor, a frontrunner to replace mrjohnson. being honest, i wouldn't have said it, and i am glad that the prime minister clarified what he meant. a politician careful with his words, distancing himself from his boss's comments. among tory mps, growing frustration. i am troubled. i do find it very upsetting. my constituents are upset. i feel like we've lost face

and public trust with them and we have to gain that back, but i would rather see what the prime minister can do to turn it around rather than acting with haste. we want him to resign but we do not think he has the scruples to resign, despite all his transgressions. it is up to the conservative party to hear what people like munira mirza say, and act. borisjohnson has tried to get back on the political front foot this week but it has not worked. there are still questions about his language, judgment and future. michael gove, the housing and communities and levelling up secretary has been speaking to reporters on a visit to sunderland. mr gove denies borisjohnson's government was in disarray, government was in disarray. i believe that the best thing for the country is for the prime minister to continue, he is doing a great job, and the best thing for this city is for me to listen to local people here when it comes to thejobs, the investment and the public services that they care about. because ultimately what happens in westminster will interest those

who are watchers of politics, but what really matters in a week, or in a month, or in a year's time is if we are bringing jobs and investment and a brighterfuture to the people of sunderland. that is what i'm here to do in partnership with all the political parties here in sunderland. michael gove there. the conservatives have won the southend west by—election, trigged by the fatal stabbing of the tory mp sir david amess. anna firth got a majority of more than 12,000. the seat was not contested by labour, the liberal democrats or the greens. just 24 % of the electorate voted, making it one of the worst turnouts for a by—election since the second world war. a former member of the house of lords has beenjailed for five and a half years for child sexual offences. lord ahmed carried out the assaults on two children in the 1970s when he was a teenager. his victims are calling for him to be stripped of his title. our correspondent danny savage has been following the story. danny, take us through this story

please. danny, take us through this story lease. , , , , . please. yes, this is the sentencing heafina please. yes, this is the sentencing hearing today _ please. yes, this is the sentencing hearing today here _ please. yes, this is the sentencing hearing today here at _ please. yes, this is the sentencing hearing today here at sheffield i hearing today here at sheffield crown court. lord ahmed was found guilty of the offences last month and appeared today to be sentenced, and appeared today to be sentenced, and they were two offences against a girl who was aged four or five at the time of the events back in the early 1970s, and against a boy who was aged about ten years old at the time. lord ahmed himself was only 16 or 17 years old, 14—year—old potentially with one of those offences, when he carried out the crimes. they were decades ago but the complainant eventually came forward, the court case was heard, he denied the claims but was found guilty and today he was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. part of this case is that the victims are calling for him to be stripped of his title of lord ahmed

of rotherham. he was tried under his name of nazir ahmed but still carries that title. he will be through his sentence still able to use that title. what some people are saying is there now needs to be a change in the law to strip him of that title so he cannot benefit in the future by using it or making any financial gain. so that is part of the crux of this matter, should he now lose his title after being sentenced today to prison for five and a half years. one of his victims gave an impact statement today saying how it had affected her life. she said he is a paedophile who feels no personal shame but in the end all tyrants fall. he was wearing a suit in the dock, listening to the sentencing remarks from the judge today. he turned and waved to his family, picked up his rucksack as he disappeared through a door to start

his five and a half year sentence. danny savage at sheffield crown court, thank you. a high courtjudge in belfast has ordered that checks on food and agricultural goods traded between the british mainland and northern ireland must remain in place until a judicial review next month. the ruling comes two days after a minister in the devolved government ordered that the inspections be stopped — a move that has triggered a political crisis. the checks are part of the brexit deal struck between the britain and the eu to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of ireland. let's talk to our correspondent, danjohnson, in belfast. is this becoming now a political crisis? , , �* , is this becoming now a political crisis? , , ~ , , ., is this becoming now a political crisis? , , �*, crisis? yes, it is. as you say, it started really — crisis? yes, it is. as you say, it started really with _ crisis? yes, it is. as you say, it started really with the - crisis? yes, it is. as you say, it l started really with the agriculture minister at stormont ordering his officials at the port of belfast to stop checks on goods coming across the north sea from great britain into northern ireland. those are the checks that were agreed as part of the northern ireland protocol, that part of the brexit withdrawal deal

that dealt with trade coming into northern ireland essentially to try to solve that conundrum of checking what potentially could flow from northern ireland into the republic of ireland and therefore into the eu without putting a hard border between the north and the republic of ireland. that's why there were checks down the irish sea into northern ireland, but after that judgment today from a high court judge saying that in the interim, until the case can be heard in full, those checks will have to continue and they have been continuing anyway. we now have this political crisis because the democratic unionist party yesterday withdrew the first minister here from the executive in stormont which means the deputy first minister from executive in stormont which means the deputy first ministerfrom sinn fein also loses herjob so there is now in essence no political leadership here, no decision makers in place, and we don't know how long that situation will last for. it doesn't completely freeze everything here because there are still departmental ministers in position who can carry on their work so some

legislation can progress through the assembly here, but certainly no big laws can be made, no major decisions can be enacted. some are saying this should prompt earlier elections, that this was supposed to happen in may. some parties agree that would be a good thing to try and move things forward, others say we have to wait for that so we could see perhaps two months of uncertainty. the dup leader sirjeffrey donaldson said today even after those elections, if there are no changes to the trade rules, the northern ireland protocol and the way it is operating, if he doesn't get the sort of improvements he wants to the rules, he said it would be difficult for him to see government here ever returning, not least in the short term, so it looks like the disruption could continue for quite some time and that is potentially going to make a practical difference to decisions that are needed here in northern ireland in the next few weeks. ., northern ireland in the next few weeks. . .

the 24th edition of the winter olympics have officially been inaugurated after the olympic cauldron was lit in a restrained opening ceremony in beijing. almost 3,000 athletes from 91 nations will compete across the games. the ceremony included the olympic torch which was placed into the centre of a giant snowflake, which was then illuminated to become the cauldron. few global leaders have journeyed to beijing to be at the opening because of western diplomatic boycott of the games. but the russian president vladimir putin is there. and he's held a meeting with his chinese counterpart xi jinping. the two countries have put out a long joint statement, describing the talks as "very warm" and agreeing on a raft of policies. it warned against what they called nato's cold war ideology. many in the west fear the russian leader is planning to invade ukraine, which wasnt mentioned directly. the meeting is mr xi's first in person with a world

leader in nearly two years and is yet another public display of mutual support between russia and china. mr xi and mr putin have met 37 times since taking power, more than any other head of state. vladimir putin told xijinping that the two countries had established an unprecedented relationship and have a history of trade deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars — russia says it's prepared to supply china with more oil and gas. it's thought mr putin will be looking for diplomatic support as he builds up troops on russia's border with ukraine. the energy regulator, 0fgem, says it's considering reviewing the energy price cap every three months to try to cope with the volatility in the market. the cap is currently assessed every six months, limiting what gas and electricity companies can charge a typical household. yesterday it was announced that the cap will rise in april, meaning an average household on a variable tariff will see its bill rise by £693 a year to nearly £2,000. our business correspondent theo leggett reports. for hussain and halima master, who have three kids, rising energy bills means life is getting tougher.

it's gone up again, hasn't it? yeah, to 250 — that's crazy, that. hussain has a full—time job, but they are struggling to make ends meet. we have looked into the local food bank. on the weekends, they have it open to the public where you pay a couple of pounds and fill your bags up. so we have had a look at that and we have started to kind of use that. for many families like the masters, worse is to come. energy prices for consumers are capped by the regulator 0fgem. but the cap is going up to reflect a big rise in the price suppliers have to pay for the energy they sell to us. 0fgem says some 22 million households will pay more. we saw an extraordinary increase in prices last year and that was driven by the global gas market. so it is unavoidable in the short term that prices were going to go up. the government is trying to soften the blow. it will provide £200 towards each household's energy costs in october.

but it will have to be paid back through bills later on. most households in england will also get a discount of £150 in april. it will be available for homes in council tax bands a to d and won't need to be repaid. critics say these measures do not go far enough to help vulnerable people at a time when the cost of living is already rising rapidly and household finances are under pressure. but the energy minister said £144 million was available to local authorities to support those in most need. there is that discretionary fund for local authorities to help those who, due to different circumstances, might be in a high band council tax property or do not pay council tax. labour has described the government's actions as inadequate and has called for a windfall task on the profits of big energy companies to help bring down bills and address what it calls our broken energy system.

theo leggett, bbc news. and in the next 15 minutes or so, we'll be answering your questions on energy prices and how it's impacting your family budget. get in touch with the hashtag bbcyourquestions or email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk. some use to break you coming in from the press association. the launch of a greater manchester clean air zone is to be delayed according to the government and there is some background to this. the clean air zone is unlikely to meet legal limits by the date of 2024. the mayor andy burnham has requested more time to achieve compliance and allow local authorities to review their plans. the proposals have been considered. the environment secretary has agreed to allow a short delay to the implementation of the clean air zone. we will bring you more on that story as it

develops. the headlines on bbc news. pressure continues to grow on the prime minister as five of his aides resign — a cabinet minister denies boris johnson's government is in disarray. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. ministers have promised a new 10—year strategy to improve cancer care in england, but cancer charities have told the government it'll be a huge challenge. we spoke to shaun walsh earlier, head of public affairs at cancer research uk. i should say from the outset, cancer research uk absolutely welcomes the secretary of state's ambition on cancer. we and others have been flagging for some time the real challenges this country has faced in relation to access to diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer. that's only been exacerbated

by the pandemic. it's important to note that even before the pandemic we were struggling to hit cancer waiting times. the pandemic has really exposed the challenge. what we want to see the secretary of state do, and this is a significant improvement on what has happened with previous plans, we must see the ambition backed by investment and a credible plan for delivery. we have some really strong targets already in place, so there is an ambition that 75% of cancers are diagnosed early by 2028. we are some way off achieving that. there is an ambition that england is smoke—free by 2030. again, we are some way off that. and the reason why is we haven't had a credibly funded plan to support those ambitions. our ask of the secretary of state today, on world cancer day, on cancer research uk's 20th anniversary i should add, is we need to back the ambition with investment. if we see that, the cancer community will rally around.

because all of us have heard harrowing stories of how challenging this period has been for people affected by cancer. and we need to hit on a number of levels. we need to make sure that we are investing in prevention. making sure that we support smoking cessation services to help people give up smoking. we think this could be funded through a smoke—free fund which could charge a levy on tobacco manufacturers to support public health. we think the government should maintain its line on tackling obesity. we are concerned that there is a watering down or weakening of ambitions on obesity. these are the two factors that are the biggest preventable causes of cancer, so we need to hit them. on early diagnosis and treatment, the big, big challenge facing the nhs as we know is staffing. it's capacity and kit. this is felt very much so by those people going through the system with cancer, and when we look overseas and we look to see how

we compare to other countries and how much is invested in workforce, when we look at where we are in terms of progress on early diagnosis, we are way behind. we also heard from lawrence dallaglio — his mum died of cancer in 2008. he says the issue will only get bigger. cancer hasn't gone away because of covid. if anything, we're going to have even more people presenting themselves because they haven't had access to the hospitals or the care or the diagnosis. so this is an issue that is only going to get bigger and bigger. 100%, fundraising and awareness is hugely important. all the various cancer charities have had their event and fundraising effectively turned off overnight for the best part of two years, so it is vitally important. but so is the investment that the government make. as i said to you before,

people should not have too travel hundreds of miles to go and get cancer treatment. they shouldn't have to go to another country to get better cancer treatment, certainly not from the uk. so i think there is a lot of money being invested by many years by various different british governments, but i think it is important that we have a coordinated strategy both nationally and internationally to make sure that that money is being invested wisely, that the right treatment is available to the right patient in the right place. if it was up to me, i would probably create a number of centres of excellence around the uk, make sure they are as accessible to everyone, rather than someone in newcastle having to travel all the way down to london to get treatment. but i think that the government is doing an awful lot, but i think they have to do as much as they possibly can, because, as i said, the problem is only going to get bigger and bigger. a man who exploited a vulnerable victim found living in a squalid shed in cumbria has been sentenced today. peter swaileer, 56,

had pleaded guilty at carlisle crown court last month he was sentenced to a nine—month jail term, suspended for 18 months. the court heard the victim had been "used and abused" for 40 years by the defendant's father, peter swailes snr. our correspondent luxmy gopal has more on the story. well, this was a horrific case of exploitation. when the man was found, the victim was found in october in 2018, he was found in what was a rotten shed. the court heard that water was leaking through it, and for the five years leading up to 2018, when the man was found, there was no electricity, there was no heating and there was no light in it. and over 40 years, the man had been kept and exploited. he was made to work for very little pay, sometimes as low as £10 a day, and the court heard that he had learning difficulties, and a charity that's been working with him since to try and help him get back to normal life said that he didn't understand, he wasn't fully aware

of what was happening to him because of his learning difficulties. luxmy gopal reporting. as we've been hearing, borisjohnson has been rocked by a wave of downing street resignations in another blow to his leadership. four of his most senior advisers quit on thursday. another adviser, elena narozanski, leaving her role this morning. the pm is battling to save his premiership as conservative mps consider whether to oust him over lockdown parties in downing street. earlier i spoke to susie boniface, columnist at the daily mirror and matthew d'ancona, editor and partner at tortoise media. susie began by giving us this assessment of the situation.

where things stand is the person in charge of having boris johnson's ideas for him has gone, the person in charge of communicating them has gone, of getting them enacted has gone, and even the person in charge of organising their party has gone. we are left in a situation where this morning there are westminster journalists saying borisjohnson's aim now is to survive until the weekend. it is friday! if your ambition is to survive until saturday, you really are on the ropes. it is not a question of if borisjohnson goes now but when and how. will it be rishi sunak in the cabinet room with a revolver? or will it be carriejohnson in the flat with lead piping? we will wait to see, perhaps next week. matthew, i saw you posting on social media that prime ministers are not usually brought down by backroom staff, it is normally cabinet ministers or backbench mps. do you really think he will be brought down by backroom staff? this is certainly, i think, the first phase of something that will carry on until he finally leaves

when it is appropriate because number ten is where the problem is and the problem is borisjohnson. the most ludicrous spin that was put on yesterday's chaotic events was that this was all part of the plan, this was all part of boris johnson's structured reorganisation of number ten in response to the first part of sue gray's report. it is certainly the case that the resignation of dan rosenfield, jack doyle and martin reynolds was not in the diary for yesterday. more to the point, what was certainly not in the diary was his head of policy, munira mirza, writing a letter questioning his integrity over his accusation that keir starmer didn't prosecute jimmy savile. so the idea that that kind of day is part of an orderly reset of downing street is insulting to the intelligence and it won't last, is the line.

susie boniface, sebastian payne at the times made a point that one of the points in favour of borisjohnson was that he had a number of disparate opponents are enemies within the conservative party who were not necessarily coalescing around anyone else and it was this group that kept him in power. what do you think of that? part of the reason no one is stepping forward so far to say they want to throw their hat in the ring is that whoever takes over is not going to do immediately very well. if a new tory leader came in tomorrow, happened by tea—time, or by the end of this broadcast which is entirely possible, they are taking over a conservative party which is having a civil war. it's not a government of the greats, it is a group of intellectual pygmies having a big fight. all the statesmen the conservative party had were rejected party had were ejected at the end of the last parliament and they can't rely on

those any more. they have an inevitable, you know, the worst slide in living standards for 30 years. they have got a cost of living crisis, an energy crisis, massive living inequality and levelling up has only just gone out to public consultation. and a new leader only has 23 months to make an entire country forget pa rtygate, to forget the sleaze, to forget contracts given to mates, to forget billions of pounds that are written off, to forget 20 quid getting cut off universal credit, because apparently that's too much to give to us while you are giving millions to other people. with the best will in the world, that is probably not going to work inside 23 months — which is at the best. if you had a leader you could install within weeks and then have an immediate general election, you will still not be able to call that vote before april the 1st, which is when the energy price cap kicks in, and we will be looking

at a real problem as far as our economy and all our personal spending is concerned. another letter is to be submitted by a conservative mp calling for a leadership contest, a vote of no confidence in the prime minister. this has been submitted by aaron bell, the mp for newcastle—under—lyme. you might remember him from monday when he talked about missing a proper version of his grandmother's funeral, asking, does the prime minister think i'm a fall? as we can see, we have mr bell's twitter feed up. "i have submitted a letter to sir graham brady. please see the statement." the first paragraph says, "having had the opportunity to speak directly to my local councillors and council candidates yesterday evening, i can confirm i

have submitted a letter to sir graham brady requesting a vote of no confidence. the breach of trust that the events in 10 downing street represent and the manner in which they have been handled makes his position untenable. i believe it is in the country's best interests that this matter is resolved as soon as possible." to remind everyone of the rules, sir graham brady, chairman the committee, will trigger a vote of no—confidence in the prime minister if he receives 54 letters from conservative mps. currently 359 conservative mps have the conservative mps have the conservative whip. if the 54 letters i received, a vote will be held and will be a simple 50/50. the key fact is only sir graham brady knows how many letters have so far been submitted. some mps, a number of them have made intentions public,

others have not. only sir graham brady himself knows but this letter has been disclosed publicly by aaron bell, the mp for newcastle—under—lyme. now it is time for a look at the weather. it has turned much colder today. with the weather front moving out the way, it has introduced this blast of arctic air. strong winds have been blowing wintry showers to the north—west. temperatures will fall away through the night. we'll have a frost quite widely. even some snow to lower levels potentially. later, temperatures lift in the north—west ahead of the rain for saturday. initially some snow, then rain moving across the bulk of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, wales. later in the day, brighter conditions, cold air returns to the north, further south and east,

not that much rain. and it's milder once again. that weather system pushes through on sunday morning to leave more chilly air and showers.

hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. pressure continues to grow on the prime minister. as five of his aides resign, a cabinet minister denies borisjohnson's government is in disarray, the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change and we are seeing the change now. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. the winter olympics are officially under way. the opening ceremony has been held inside beijing's bird's nest stadium 0fgem says it may start reviewing the energy price cap every three months,

rather than the current six. we'll be putting your questions to the experts shortly. sport now, and a full round up, from the bbc sport centre. (straight to beijing, where the opening ceremony of the winter olympics has taken place kicking off 16 days of action to come. team gb were led out inside the birds nest stadium by alpine skier dave ryding and curling's eve muirhead, two big medal hopes. 50 british athletes will compete over the coming days with the aim of exceeding the five medals won in sochi and pyeongchang. a bubble system is in operation for everyone involved in the games. no tickets have been sold to the public, only specially invited guests will be able to attend events. the action will come thick and fast. the mixed curling actually began on wednesday. gb's team ofjen dodds and bruce mouatmade it 3 wins from 4

this morning after beating australia 8—7 in the curling. they were actually leading 6—1 at one stage — but were pegged back to 8—8 and needed an extra end to secure victory. they are world champions in this event. joe root will remain as test captain as andrew strauss steps into the vacant role of director of cricket on an interim basis. he said chris silverwood was placed under an impossible strain combining the roles as head coach and chief selector. he followed ashley giles, out the door with batting coach graham thorpe, the latest casualty as the ecb seek to improve the fortunes of the test side. our ambition with english cricket is not to make up the numbers, our ambitions have to be the number one team in all formats and for the last 12 months or so the england cricket team, the test team, it's hard to say we have moved forwards and i

suppose these decisions have been made to try and help that process happen, to moving the england team forward and get some fresh voices in there and some fresh thinking and challenge the players in different ways and to move the whole environment forward. it will be a liverpool themed final, at the africa cup of nations final on sunday. mohammed salah's egypt booked their place in the final after beating cameroon on penalties — this missed spotkick was the key moment. they'll now face senegal, who have sadio mane up front. liverpool's manager says he's looking forward to seeing his two forwards come face to face. it will be exciting. it's not so easy because we have to watch the game and there will definitely be one who is really happy after and one much less so, but they are the superstars there and the pressure in the tournament that they had on their shoulders is massive, and how they deal with it, i'm really proud of them.

wales will begin the defence of their six nations title tomorrow — as they play ireland in dublin. after that, england will try to regain the calcutta cup from scotland at murrayfield and avenge last year's defeat at twickenham. despite that victory, scotland still only finished fourth in last year's championship, but they're being fancied by some to be real contenders this year, especially after wins over australia and tonga in the autumn. we've got the backing of our home fans tomorrow and we hope we give them a lot to cheer, but the confidence levels are up and we are confident in what we are going to do and we are confident that the challenges will deal with with what england can chuck us and we have to execute it as best as we possibly can. england are a phenomenal side with some quality players and some of my mates are in there, so we are excited for the challenge.

that's all the sport for now. i'll have more for you in the next hour. now on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered on energy. you've been sending in your questions on energy prices rising. with me is jasmine birtles, founder of the website moneymagpie. and also i'm joined by adam scorer, chief executive of national energy action, the national fuel poverty charity. thanks forjoining me and i have a bunch of questions from viewers and i will start with adam and i have a question from anna who asks if it is possible to opt out of the £200 energy bills loan. trio. possible to opt out of the £200 energy bills loan.— possible to opt out of the £200 energy bills loan. no, it isn't. the government— energy bills loan. no, it isn't. the government have _ energy bills loan. no, it isn't. the government have decided - energy bills loan. no, it isn't. the government have decided the i energy bills loan. no, it isn't. the| government have decided the only simple way of doing this is if everybody gets the £200 loan and everybody gets the £200 loan and everybody pays back the £40 and it's too complicated, i think in order to

do it on a discretionary basis, so, no, you are stuck with it and a lot of people will appreciate it but there no choice. aha, of people will appreciate it but there no choice.— of people will appreciate it but there no choice. a question from niel to there no choice. a question from nigel to jasmine. _ there no choice. a question from nigel to jasmine. he _ there no choice. a question from nigel to jasmine. he asks, i there no choice. a question from nigel to jasmine. he asks, how i there no choice. a question from i nigel to jasmine. he asks, how other council tax rebate help those are worst off when most will be getting a council tee —— council tax rebate because of personal circumstances? that's a good point. some people end ”p that's a good point. some people end up not _ that's a good point. some people end up not paying council tax because of their circumstances so it won't affect— their circumstances so it won't affect them and some people are paid much less— affect them and some people are paid much less and quite a lot of people are paying — much less and quite a lot of people are paying a 19% of their council tax bills, — are paying a 19% of their council tax bills, so if that's over hundred and £50 _ tax bills, so if that's over hundred and £50 then it should help them. we have a and £50 then it should help them. have a more and £50 then it should help them. - have a more overall question and ken wants to ask adam, and his question is, what percentage of uk energy usedis is, what percentage of uk energy used is produced in the uk? the uk is actually still _ used is produced in the uk? the uk is actually still producing _ used is produced in the uk? the uk is actually still producing most i used is produced in the uk? the uk is actually still producing most of.

is actually still producing most of its own energy up until about 2010 its own energy up until about 2010 it was 50% and at the moment we think we are producing about 35% dependent on imports and when it comes to gas we have produced about 50% on what is called the uk continental shelf, the north sea and irish sea and 30% comes from a pipeline from norway and the rest of it is pipeline to the rest of europe but also some dependence on the volatile natural gas market which is shipped around the world from cater and the states and other places. let's get a question to jasmine which comes from derek. will the £200 loan for energy affect peoples credit rating?— credit rating? unlikely. largely because it _ credit rating? unlikely. largely because it is _ credit rating? unlikely. largely because it is too _ credit rating? unlikely. largely because it is too fiddly - credit rating? unlikely. largely because it is too fiddly to i because it is too fiddly to administer, i think. because it is too fiddly to administer, ithink. of because it is too fiddly to administer, i think. of course, because it is too fiddly to administer, ithink. of course, if you don't— administer, ithink. of course, if you don't pay it back, the £40 here and there _ you don't pay it back, the £40 here and there when it comes along, then that will— and there when it comes along, then that will probably affect your credit — that will probably affect your credit rating later on as it would if you _ credit rating later on as it would if you are — credit rating later on as it would if you are not paying your gas or electricity— if you are not paying your gas or electricity bill consistently but

no, on — electricity bill consistently but no, on the whole, i think it's not going _ no, on the whole, i think it's not going to — no, on the whole, i think it's not going to be _ no, on the whole, i think it's not going to be a problem for that. in going to be a problem for that. addition to going to be a problem for that. in addition to these questions as i will fire you a follow—up, over the last day or so, how people contacted you with their own questions and is there broadly one question they keep asking you? there broadly one question they keep askin: ou? , ., _,, asking you? yes, how can we cope. that is frankly _ asking you? yes, how can we cope. that is frankly what _ asking you? yes, how can we cope. that is frankly what it _ asking you? yes, how can we cope. that is frankly what it boils - asking you? yes, how can we cope. that is frankly what it boils down i that is frankly what it boils down to. that is frankly what it boils down to it _ that is frankly what it boils down to it is — that is frankly what it boils down to. it is very upsetting. i'm actually— to. it is very upsetting. i'm actually a _ to. it is very upsetting. i'm actually a patron of a couple of charities, — actually a patron of a couple of charities, community money advice and fair— charities, community money advice and fair for— charities, community money advice and fairforyou and charities, community money advice and fair for you and both of them say they— and fair for you and both of them say they have never been so busy and they have _ say they have never been so busy and they have been very busy over the last few _ they have been very busy over the last few years but january, both of them _ last few years but january, both of them have — last few years but january, both of them have said has been really, really— them have said has been really, really busy. they are not even sleeping — really busy. they are not even sleeping very much because they have so many— sleeping very much because they have so many people coming to them. literally. — so many people coming to them. literally. in — so many people coming to them. literally, in different forms, is the main — literally, in different forms, is the main question that is coming in, how can _ the main question that is coming in, how can we — the main question that is coming in, how can we cope? how can we cope with energy_ how can we cope? how can we cope with energy bills and how can we eat and heat? _ with energy bills and how can we eat and heat? how are we going to manage

this year. _ and heat? how are we going to manage this year, basically.— this year, basically. adam, are you iaettin this year, basically. adam, are you getting the — this year, basically. adam, are you getting the same — this year, basically. adam, are you getting the same questions? i this year, basically. adam, are you getting the same questions? we i getting the same questions? - probably get it even more desperately as we deal with some of the most poor and vulnerable households and have people in absolute turmoil about how they will make it through the day, through the week and the choices that jasmine identified, the horror of what this will mean, notjust immediately but over the coming months and years and even though we are talking about some very welcome support from the government it isjust some very welcome support from the government it is just woefully inadequate. government it is 'ust woefully inadequate._ government it is 'ust woefully inadeauate. . inadequate. can i say something about the council— inadequate. can i say something about the council tax _ inadequate. can i say something about the council tax rebate. if l about the council tax rebate. if everyone is exempted from it, the government know there will be people round the edges and there is discretionary fund made available to local authorities and if you are exempt for a number of reasons, that is money available but you might have to reach out around your local authority in april to make sure they know you are eligible for it and in need of it. do

know you are eligible for it and in need of it-— know you are eligible for it and in need of it. do people with second homes get _ need of it. do people with second homes get £200 _ need of it. do people with second homes get £200 twice? - need of it. do people with second homes get £200 twice? do i need of it. do people with secondl homes get £200 twice? do people need of it. do people with second i homes get £200 twice? do people with prepayment metres get 200 fans at all? , ., ., , ., ., prepayment metres get 200 fans at all? , , ., ., �* all? very good question and i'm assuming. _ all? very good question and i'm assuming. and _ all? very good question and i'm assuming, and adam _ all? very good question and i'm assuming, and adam might i all? very good question and i'm. assuming, and adam might know all? very good question and i'm - assuming, and adam might know better but if you _ assuming, and adam might know better but if you have two lots of energy bills then — but if you have two lots of energy bills then you are going to get back the £200 _ bills then you are going to get back the £200 twice, i would imagine so. when _ the £200 twice, i would imagine so. when it— the £200 twice, i would imagine so. when it comes to prepayment metres, as far— when it comes to prepayment metres, as far as— when it comes to prepayment metres, as far as i_ when it comes to prepayment metres, as far as i know, they won't. but there _ as far as i know, they won't. but there are — as far as i know, they won't. but there are other schemes around and again. _ there are other schemes around and again. like _ there are other schemes around and again, like adam says, if you go to your local— again, like adam says, if you go to your local council and say, i'm having — your local council and say, i'm having problems paying my metre and i'm having problems paying my metre and i'm on— having problems paying my metre and i'm on a _ having problems paying my metre and i'm on a prepayment metre, they should — i'm on a prepayment metre, they should be _ i'm on a prepayment metre, they should be able to send you to a local— should be able to send you to a local scheme and there are two lots of £98. _ local scheme and there are two lots of £98. but — local scheme and there are two lots of £98, but again, adam would know better— of £98, but again, adam would know better on _ of £98, but again, adam would know better on that. of £98, but again, adam would know better on that-— of £98, but again, adam would know better on that.- the _ of £98, but again, adam would know better on that.- the problem | better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 _ better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 of— better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 of loans _ better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 of loans is _ better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 of loans is it - better on that. adam? the problem with the £200 of loans is it will- with the £200 of loans is it will hit in october and the government still needs to consult on exactly how it will work out. they are

saying you won't get two lots if you have a second home and they are going to go for one lot for an individual which i think is the right thing to do. the £200 loan applies to every supplier and every tariff including prepayment metres but jasmine is tariff including prepayment metres butjasmine is right, it's a bit more complicated with prepayment metres and if you have a smart metre they should be able to do automatically onto your account is credited but if you're not, then it's going to be a system of vouchers or checks and if those people who are on the warm home discount you have a prepayment metre, it will be the same mechanism used to get you the £200 but it's for everybody from every supplier and every tariff.— for everybody from every supplier and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because _ and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because we _ and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because we are _ and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because we are coming i and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because we are coming back�* breath because we are coming back with a question from mark. will people on fixed tariffs be penalised and have to pay the £40 a year even if they haven't had the £200 rebate? they will get the £200 rebate. this is the point. everyone will get it on the government thinks it's too complicated to do it for the price

cap standard variable tariffs or prepayment metres or fixed tariffs, so everybody gets a £200 and everybody has to pay it back. jasmine, your turn. everybody has to pay it back. jasmine, yourturn. diane everybody has to pay it back. jasmine, your turn. diane has a question for you. why do people on prepayment metres pay more already and have a greater increase on top? every time i get this question and i do a lot, _ every time i get this question and i do a lot, i— every time i get this question and i do a lot, i do— every time i get this question and i do a lot, i do think it is expensive to be _ do a lot, i do think it is expensive to be poor— do a lot, i do think it is expensive to be poor in _ do a lot, i do think it is expensive to be poor in this country, as it is a number— to be poor in this country, as it is a number of— to be poor in this country, as it is a number of countries. and it's true~ _ a number of countries. and it's true. prepayment metres, to my knowledge have always been more expensive and certainly in the last few years — expensive and certainly in the last few years and they are largely, if i'm honest. _ few years and they are largely, if i'm honest, there, because they cost more _ i'm honest, there, because they cost more to— i'm honest, there, because they cost more to run — i'm honest, there, because they cost more to run. you have the physical metre. _ more to run. you have the physical metre. all— more to run. you have the physical metre, all the administration, more to run. you have the physical metre, allthe administration, so more to run. you have the physical metre, all the administration, so to be fair, _ metre, all the administration, so to be fair, they— metre, all the administration, so to be fair, they do cost more to run but it_ be fair, they do cost more to run but it does— be fair, they do cost more to run but it does feel very unfair because on the _ but it does feel very unfair because on the whole the people you have prepayment metres are those who can afford _ prepayment metres are those who can afford it _ prepayment metres are those who can afford it least, really. and that is my mairf— afford it least, really. and that is my main answer and i would like to

see energy— my main answer and i would like to see energy companies bring the price down and _ see energy companies bring the price down and i've spoken to someone they have said _ down and i've spoken to someone they have said that they have already brought — have said that they have already brought down as far as they can, but i think_ brought down as far as they can, but ithink that _ brought down as far as they can, but ithink that is — brought down as far as they can, but i think that is something that needs to be _ i think that is something that needs to be looked at again.— to be looked at again. another auestion to be looked at again. another question for — to be looked at again. another question for adam, _ to be looked at again. another question for adam, from - to be looked at again. anotherl question for adam, from john, to be looked at again. another. question for adam, from john, i don't pay council tax as i am pension credit. will i get the money another way? this pension credit. will i get the money another way?— another way? this is the point i was raising before. _ another way? this is the point i was raising before. there _ another way? this is the point i was raising before. there is _ another way? this is the point i was raising before. there is a _ raising before. there is a recognition that that is a challenge, notjust for people who are exempt by the council tax rebate is for rates from a to d and some people in low income or living vans that are more expensive than that and this is what the discretionary fund is intended to resolve, so the people who are not going to get an automatic rebate payment from the council, there will be a fund of money available to local authorities but i think people are going to have to apply for it and will have to reach out and wait for a few months because the councils have to figure out how they are going to do it but

there should be enough money in the fund for everybody who deserves it and is eligible for it but falls out of the council tax regime to be able to be given the £150.— of the council tax regime to be able to be given the £150. jasmine, wendy from northampton _ to be given the £150. jasmine, wendy from northampton has a _ to be given the £150. jasmine, wendy from northampton has a specific - from northampton has a specific question. i have a council tax exemption due to a severe mental health disability and i live on high rate pip. will i still get the help that rishi sunak has announced? i think this is similar to the earlier question— think this is similar to the earlier question that adam answered where he mentioned _ question that adam answered where he mentioned that there is extra help for you _ mentioned that there is extra help for you if— mentioned that there is extra help for you if you go to your local council, _ for you if you go to your local council, you will have to apply for it, council, you will have to apply for it. so _ council, you will have to apply for it. so there — council, you will have to apply for it, so there is help and it's maybe not quite — it, so there is help and it's maybe not quite the same and not done in the same _ not quite the same and not done in the same way but do ask for it and id the same way but do ask for it and go to— the same way but do ask for it and go to the _ the same way but do ask for it and go to the council and say i hear this help — go to the council and say i hear this help is _ go to the council and say i hear this help is available and even if they say— this help is available and even if they say no it might be they haven't heard _ they say no it might be they haven't heard of— they say no it might be they haven't heard of it _ they say no it might be they haven't heard of it yet but it might be a good _ heard of it yet but it might be a good idea — heard of it yet but it might be a good idea to go back again in a few

days' _ good idea to go back again in a few days' time — good idea to go back again in a few days' time and say, no, really, i can apply— days' time and say, no, really, i can apply to— days' time and say, no, really, i can apply to something here. wendy, i ho -e ou can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are _ can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are able _ can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are able to _ can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are able to listen - can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are able to listen to - can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you are able to listen to the i i hope you are able to listen to the answer. we have more of a geopolitical question for you, adam from sylvia in leicester who asks why are we exporting gas when it cost so much to import it?- why are we exporting gas when it cost so much to import it? about 5096 ofthe cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the as cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we — cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we use _ cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we use in _ cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we use in the _ cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we use in the uk _ cost so much to import it? about 5096 of the gas we use in the uk is - of the gas we use in the uk is produced on the uk continental shelf but that's not the same thing as us producing it. it is global gas and oil producers who are the ones who get it out of the ground and they sell it to globally traded markets, like most other commodities. the supplies you buy gas to give direct supply to householders will buy it from that global market, so it's not as straightforward as saying the uk produces it and uk customers use it. firms operating on the uk continental shelf explore and

extract the gas and then they sell it on globally traded markets and thatis it on globally traded markets and that is just the nature of that global commodity market and when it spikes, we get hit hard. final question- _ spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and _ spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and it _ spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and it is _ spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and it is due - spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and it is due jasmine and question. and it is duejasmine and comes from john who asks, my energy supplier went bust injanuary 2021 supplier went bust in january 2021 and y was given supplier went bust injanuary 2021 and y was given a supplier went bust in january 2021 and y was given a three—year fixed tariff until september 2024, will i still be affected by the changes? your fixed tariff should stay as a fixed _ your fixed tariff should stay as a fixed tariff unless your current provider — fixed tariff unless your current provider goes bust and nothing to say that— provider goes bust and nothing to say that they wouldn't. and you should — say that they wouldn't. and you should get the £200 as well because everybody is so you should be all right, _ everybody is so you should be all right, i_ everybody is so you should be all right, i would say, for the next three _ right, i would say, for the next three years unless they go bust. and i can hear the _ three years unless they go bust. jifuc i can hear the questions ping into your inbox. and i imagine you will be busy for a few hours. jasmine

birtles and adam, chief executive of national energy action, thank you to you both for answering your questions. record numbers of children and young people in england have been referred to specialist nhs mental health services according to new analysis by the royal college of psychiatrists for bbc news. headteachers and a children's mental health charity say many more children are still struggling with the return to learning. the creation of 400 mental health support teams for schools in england is ahead of schedule according to the government. catherine roche is the chief executive of the children's mental health charity �*place2be'. we had a problem as it was an under resourced area even before the pandemic. these last two years have exacerbated some of the challenges that were already there. it is not a surprise

that we are seeing these figures. place2be has been working in over 400 schools around the country. we have been doing this now for over 25 years. we have seen over this time an increase in the problems and challenges, because schools are on the front lines. for younger children, it is where they meet their friends, mat carpenter is the headteacher of baxter college school in kidderminster. he says the most important thing is for children to reach out to friends or a trusted adult. when children need help the most important thing is that they have trusted adults, a form teacher or a teacher they have a good relationship with and your article on the bbc news website talked about the scale of the issue, so finding any adult in the building that they can trust and talk to within school, we have a school counsellor and a mental health lead who can access services for them but for young people, the most important thing

is they talk to their friends and significant adults in their life. an expedition is setting off this weekend to try to find the shipwreck of the antartic explorer sir ernest shackleton. his vessel the endurance sank more than 100 years ago — and is believed to be nearly two miles below sea level. our science editor rebecca morelle has been to meet the team hoping to find the wreck. caught on camera more than 100 years ago. the final moments of the endurance. this footage restored and released by the bfi show sir ernest shackleton's famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. this is endurance. now a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. but like shackleton, they will face gruelling conditions. endurance is the most unreachable wreck in the world. the big challenge is the ice.

it is opening and clenching, unclenching. it is a really vicious, lethal environment that we are going into. the gulbis 2 is the polar icebreaker that will hunt for the wreck, using the co—ordinates recorded by the crew. the endurance lies 3000 metres down so the team will use underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras. the hope is that the wreck will be well preserved by the icy water and lack of organisms eating away at the wood. the objects that were rescued from the sinking endurance give a sense of what life was like on board. this is the sextant, crucial for navigating and over here is a box of chocolates that was used as a payment between crew for doing chores like darning socks. and up here, unbelievably, is a piece of the mast. probably the only relic of the ship that is not at the bottom of the sea. an important document for people going out and looking today. shackleton's expedition diary was also saved with his emotional

entry on the day the ship was lost. "she went today. "5pm she went down by the head. "the stern, the cause of all the trouble, "was the last to go underwater. "i cannot write about it. "sunday always seems the day on which things happen to us." you can read about how it was creaking. they talk about her as a personality and the groaning and the sounds. there was a real sense of what it felt like, what it sounded like and how crushed they were when the ship was crushed. for shackleton's expedition, the loss of the endurance was not the end. the crew trekked across hundreds of miles of ice, rowed the weddell sea and then climbed a mountain range to reach safety. miraculously they all survived but the ship that had been their home still lies in the icy depths, silently waiting to be discovered.

rebecca morelle, bbc news. it's been two years since game of thrones aired its final episode and the show, which was mostly filmed in the moutains and moorlands of northern ireland, remains a global phenomenon. now fans of the fantasy series have the chance to go behind the scenes of westeros, as the studio opens its doors to the public for the first time. john maguire has gone to pay a visit. winter has arrived. and so has the chance to walk in the boot steps of the mother of dragons, tyrion lannister orjon snow. these are some of the actual sets used in the filming of what is often described as the biggest television show in history. and, for the actor ian beattie, the rare opportunity of a job near his home here in northern ireland. that's right, i auditioned for a role in season one, and another actor got it, and i was, well, not happy about that, i'm five minutes

away from the studio! yeah, home fixture! thankfully they auditioned me again and i got, i won the role of ser meryn trant, which lasted for five years. and the role i originally auditioned for lasted for five episodes in season one. so i think i got the best part. and who can blame him? when filming in other locations, croatia, malta, morocco, could see him lose half a stone a day. so is this your costume here, ian? this is identical to my costume. this was actually nikolaj coster—waldau's costume but it is identical in every way. all 28 kilos worth. which was so fun in the dubrovnik sun, because the sun would hit the breast plate, you would have been sweating earlier on and then you would start to cook. so it was quite interesting to wear. but i have to say one thing. when you put that costume on, wow. you were a kings guard. yeah. the studio tour is built around where some of the show�*s filming took place. much of its success was derived from the huge scale of the production,

but also the attention to detail. here, you can see, close up, the costumes, the weapons. the set designs, the make—up and prosthetics. husband and wife team sarah and barry gower are responsible for turning fantasy tv into what looks like reality tv. they make monsters. the show runners, david and dan, wanted us to design a character which was quite regal. and almost had the form of a crown, in its design, basically. so we're thinking, along the lines of snow, ice and icicles, so we actually incorporated these kind of pointy icicle—like shapes into the forehead and the back of his head. so it kind of gave us, kind of incorporated a crown look and feel into his design. and it's made of? this is made of silicon. these are silicon appliances with a very thin fine final skin, so the actual material this is made

of is like a silicon gel product. it's a good job they're married. some days on set were 21 hours long. and they share some unusual interests. just the blood that was used in game of thrones. we all felt that each department, we should consider what blood we were going to use. and so we agreed that we would test all the different bloods that were pre—made, the colours, put it on film and then we can all decide which blood is the most realistic to use and we would all agree to use that colour blood. it's a bit like you get weird names for paint, there is a game of thrones blood? there was a game, yes, i think it was venial blood. so everyone agreed to use the venial! the tour, like the show it embodies, is big budget. it cost £40 million to build. included in your entry ticket, the chance to be in step with the white walkers and the wildings.

this is cool. there are several of these interactive screens throughout so you get yourself dressed up as lord of the bones, trousers, coats, head. helmet. there it is. and then it'll copy your body movements. the old usain bolt there. this one. he's got some moves, this guy. how fun is that? the studio is located in banbridge, between belfast and dublin. but hold the door, as here you walk through to another world, arriving in westeros, where the iron throne awaits. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. it has turned much colder today.

the weather front has introduced last of arctic air. strong winds have been blowing wintry showers to the north—west. temperatures much lower on the thermometer and temperatures will fall away and we will have a frost quite widely and in rural areas the wintry showers pile up over the scottish hills but even some snow to lower levels potentially and later the temperatures were lived in the north—west ahead of the rain bearing weather front for saturday so we have initially a bit of snow but then we have rain moving across scotland and then later in the day it will give bright conditions on the cold air will return to the north and south and east potentially not seen much rain and seen bright and dry and it smiled again, but to the weather system, it pushes through on sunday morning to leave more chilly air and a scattering of showers.

this is bbc news. i'm james reynolds. the headlines... pressure continues to build on the prime minister — another conservative mp, aaron bell, submits a letter of no confidence in his leadership. five of the prime ministers aides resign within 24 hours, a cabinet minister denies borisjohnson's government is in disarray. the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change, and we are seeing that change now. former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. the winter olympics are officially under way — the opening ceremony has been held inside beijing's bird's nest stadium. 0fgem says it may start reviewing the energy price

cap every three months, rather than the current six. we join scientists on the hunt for sir ernest shackleton's shipwreck — dubbed "the most unreachable in the world". good afternoon. a bad end to a difficult week for borisjohnson as another mp has submitted a letter of no—confidence in his leadership following a total of five resignations from his team in downing street. mps supportive of the prime minister are suggesting he's making necessary staff changes, following a damning report by the senior civil servant sue gray into rule—breaking parties at number ten during the pandemic. but munira mirza quit because of the prime minister's false claim that sir keir starmer

failed to prosecutejimmy savile when he was director of public prosecutions. in the last hour the conservative mp aaron bell has said the prime minister's position is untenable. the bbc is aware of around 17 letters of no confidence that have been submitted. more on that in a moment. our political correspondent nick eardley reports. another day, another crisis. borisjohnson has lost five members of his team in just 24 hours. including one of his longest serving allies. this is munira mirza, an aide to mrjohnson for 14 years. she quit yesterday, criticising her boss over incorrect comments suggesting sir keir starmer was linked to the decision not to prosecutejimmy savile. these three have left too. the prime minister's director of communications, his principal private secretary, and chief of staff have also left,

all three caught up in the parties row, but their departures leave big questions over the future direction of number ten. and this morning a fifth resignation. elena narozanski hung up her gloves today, another member of the prime minister's policy unit hanging up her gloves. the prime minister was clear in his response to the sue gray report update that there would be changes at number 10 downing street. that is what has happened. four people have served their country fantastically well, some during the whole pandemic. borisjohnson has thanked them for their service, they have resigned and he has accepted their resignation. but this runs a lot deeper, with the prime minister being criticised by some of his long—serving allies. and there was this from the chancellor, a frontrunner to replace mrjohnson. being honest, i wouldn't have said it, and i am glad that the prime minister clarified what he meant. a politician careful with his words, distancing himself from his boss's comments.

among tory mps, growing frustration. i am troubled. i do find it very upsetting. my constituents are upset. i feel like we've lost face and public trust with them and we have to gain that back, but i would rather see what the prime minister can do to turn it around rather than acting with haste. we want him to resign but we do not think he has the scruples to resign, despite all his transgressions. it is up to the conservative party to hear what people like munira mirza say, and act. borisjohnson has tried to get back on the political front foot this week but it has not worked. there are still questions about his language, judgment and future. nick eardley reporting. michael gove, the housing and communities and levelling up secretary has been speaking to reporters on a visit to sunderland. mr gove denies borisjohnson's government was in disarray, government was in disarray.

i believe that the best thing for the country is for the prime minister to continue, i think he is doing a great job, and the best thing for this city is for me to listen to local people here when it comes to thejobs, the investment and the public services that they care about. because ultimately what happens in westminster will interest those who are watchers of politics, but what really matters in a week, or in a month, or in a year's time is if we are bringing jobs and investment and a brighterfuture to the people of sunderland. that is what i'm here to do in partnership with all the political parties here in sunderland. let's get more on that latest mp who has submitted a letter in no—confidence. aaron bell said:

let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt. helen, how significant is this letter? ., �* letter? aaron bell was already a voice that we _ letter? aaron bell was already a voice that we knew _ letter? aaron bell was already a voice that we knew was - letter? aaron bell was already a voice that we knew was very - letter? aaron bell was already a i voice that we knew was very critical of the prime minister. he spoke earlier in the week in the commons, asked the question which drew audible gasps when he described going to a relative's funeral and then asking the prime minister, does he think i'm a fall? i think the fact he has submitted a letter perhaps comes as no surprise. he's not someone that we were not expecting too. but it does show there seems to be this continual trickle of individual mps suddenly coming to the decision that actually they don't feel they have confidence in borisjohnson any longer, and that seems to be not sort of a coordinated push at this stage, it is certainly at this stage feels like it is a number of individual mps coming to their individual decisions. 5&1

mps coming to their individual decisions. , ., decisions. 54 letters are needed in order to spark _ decisions. 54 letters are needed in order to spark essentially - decisions. 54 letters are needed in order to spark essentially a - order to spark essentially a leadership vote are a vote of no confidence. do we know for sure how many letters have been submitted in public? do you keep asking mps this when they bump into them in the corridors? i when they bump into them in the corridors? ~ , ., when they bump into them in the corridors? ~' , ., , , corridors? i think they are probably sick of me asking! _ corridors? i think they are probably sick of me asking! but _ corridors? i think they are probably sick of me asking! but the - corridors? i think they are probably sick of me asking! but the only - sick of me asking! but the only person who knows how many letters are is the chair of the 1922 backbench committee, sir graham brady. and it is a private process, it is a secret process, so if an mp has put in a letter, they are not obliged to tell anyone. it is a difficult thing to know exactly how many letters are in. the bbc is aware of 17 mps who have said either publicly or privately that they have put a n but that is still some way short of 54, but it is a secret process, so really there's no real way of knowing. process, so really there's no real way of knowing-— way of knowing. let's look at the cabinet then. _ way of knowing. let's look at the cabinet then. we _ way of knowing. let's look at the cabinet then. we reported - cabinet then. we reported extensively yesterday on rishi sunak, the chancellor is like distancing from the prime minister.

this morning we have played sajid javid and michael gove giving support. what is your assessment of the cabinet's public statements? publicly they have all said they are supporting the prime minister. rishi sunak chooses his words carefully, and it is interesting that he did choose clearly distance himself from what boris johnson choose clearly distance himself from what borisjohnson had said in regards to that accusation around jimmy savile. so i think that is interesting that there did seem to be a distance he was putting there. publicly, they are all saying they are sticking behind the prime minister at this time.- are sticking behind the prime minister at this time. helen catt, thank ou minister at this time. helen catt, thank you so _ minister at this time. helen catt, thank you so much. _ the 24th edition of the winter olympics have officially been inaugurated after the olympic cauldron was lit in a restrained opening ceremony in beijing. almost 3,000 athletes from 91 nations will compete across the games. the ceremony included the olympic torch which was placed into the centre of a giant snowflake, which was then illuminated to become the cauldron.

few global leaders have journeyed to beijing to be at the opening. western governments have decided to engage in a diplomatic boycott. but the russian president vladimir putin is there. he's held a meeting with his chinese counterpart xi jinping. the two countries have put out a long joint statement, describing the talks as "very warm" and agreeing on a raft of policies. the statement warned against what they called nato's cold war ideology. many in the west fear the russian leader is planning to invade ukraine, which wasnt mentioned directly. our china correspondent stephen mcdonell is in beijing. he explained how people had been gathering to watch the games opening.

yes, it is full of people, a real party atmosphere. kids, young and old people, and the reason there is such a community feeling here in part is because people come to places like this to watch the opening ceremony on the big screen because they can't buy tickets. you can't as a member of the public go into the opening ceremony or anything here at the games because of covid restrictions. i think there is an understanding in the general community that because of the tough restrictions within the bubble, it sort of makes sense also that within the general community there are also tough restrictions. it is a bit of a downer frankly for a city that has been looking forward to this, but nevertheless there is quite some excitement. the pressure on officials will be to try to minimise the spread of covid over the coming weeks inside those venues. at the opening ceremony itself, very interesting, we had some world leaders there but not that many. nothing compared to 2008. vladimir putin, imran khan, but the list runs out soon after that. interestingly, the camera

didn't cut away to world leaders as teams came in, that could be because they don't want to draw attention to who is or isn't at the games because it is such a contentious point here. as for politics, there have been officials warning athletes not to make a scene, not to have political t—shirts when they receive medals and the like. again, the coming days will see if that strategy works. however, it is over to spart now and officials will be hoping now that the ceremony is nearly over, the sport really kicks off and that much more attention will be on the athlete and what the olympics is really all supposed to be about. stephen mcdonell enjoying himself there in beijing. the conservatives have won the southend west by—election, trigged by the fatal stabbing of the tory mp sir david amess.

anna firth got a majority of more than 12,000. the seat was not contested by labour, the liberal democrats or the green party. just 24% of the electorate voted, making it one of the worst turnouts for a by—election since the second world war. let's take a look at the latest coronavirus figures. there have been 84,053 positive cases of covid—19 in the last 24 hours. 254 deaths have been recorded in the last day within 28 days of a positive covid test. just over 37,458,000 people have now received a boosterjab — that's 65.1% of the population. a former member of the house of lords has beenjailed for five and a half years for child sexual offences. lord ahmed carried out the assaults on two children in the 1970s when he was a teenager. his victims are calling for him to be stripped of his title.

our correspondent danny savage has more. this is the sentencing hearing today here at sheffield crown court. lord ahmed was found guilty of the offences last month and appeared today to be sentenced, and they were two offences against a girl who was aged four or five at the time of the events ——offence back in the early 1970s, and against a boy who was aged about ten years old at the time. lord ahmed himself was only 16 or 17 years old, 14 years old potentially with one of those offences, when he carried out the crimes. they were decades ago but the complainants eventually came forward, the court case was heard, he denied the claims but was found guilty, and today he was sentenced to five and a half years in prison. part of this case is that the victims are calling for him to be stripped of his title of lord ahmed of rotherham. he was tried under his name of nazir

ahmed but still carries that title. he goes to prison today as a lord. he will be released as things stand in about two and a half years' time halfway through his sentence still able to use that title. what some people are saying is there now needs to be a change in the law to strip him of that title so he cannot benefit in the future by using it or making any financial gain. so that is part of the crux of this matter — should he now lose his title after being sentenced today to prison for five and a half years. one of his victims gave an impact statement today saying how it had affected her life. she said, "he is a paedophile who feels no personal shame but in the end all tyrants fall." he was wearing a suit in the dock, listening to the sentencing remarks from the judge today. he turned and waved to his family, picked up his rucksack

as he then disappeared through a door to start his five and a half year sentence. shaista gohir is from the muslim women's network. what are your thoughts on the sentencing? i what are your thoughts on the sentencing?— what are your thoughts on the sentencin: ? ., ., , sentencing? i am relieved. iwas worried he _ sentencing? i am relieved. iwas worried he may _ sentencing? i am relieved. iwas worried he may get _ sentencing? i am relieved. iwas worried he may get a _ sentencing? i am relieved. iwas worried he may get a suspendedj worried he may get a suspended sentence so it is good he is going to prison, butjustice hasn't fully been served because he is going to prison still with his title of being called lord intact. find prison still with his title of being called lord intact.— called lord intact. and our correspondent _ called lord intact. and our correspondent at - called lord intact. and our correspondent at the - called lord intact. and ourj correspondent at the court called lord intact. and our- correspondent at the court said there wouldn't —— would need to be a change in law to strip him of his titles so it would be a complicated process. titles so it would be a complicated rocess. ., �* , , titles so it would be a complicated rocess. . �* , , ., process. that's right, there is an anomaly in _ process. that's right, there is an anomaly in the _ process. that's right, there is an anomaly in the law _ process. that's right, there is an anomaly in the law that - process. that's right, there is an anomaly in the law that allows . process. that's right, there is an l anomaly in the law that allows him to keep his title even though he's been convicted and is no longer in the house of lords, so the muslim women network have joined alexander stafford mp's campaign. he is campaigning to try to get the law changed to strip nazir ahmed of his

title. i have also written to ask for a change in the law. it could be that they can look at things on a case—by—case basis to be able to strip barron's and baroness is of their titles, strip barron's and baroness is of theirtitles, because strip barron's and baroness is of their titles, because my worry is that once he comes out of prison, he is going to use it for influence, so it needs to be done before he comes out of prison. it needs to be done before he comes out of prison-— it needs to be done before he comes out of prison. what some people say that 'ustice out of prison. what some people say thatiustice is — out of prison. what some people say that justice is in _ out of prison. what some people say that justice is in the _ out of prison. what some people say thatjustice is in the form _ out of prison. what some people say thatjustice is in the form of - out of prison. what some people say thatjustice is in the form of a - thatjustice is in the form of a custodial sentence and that that is the thing that should be focused on and not a peerage?— the thing that should be focused on and not a peerage? when you go into the house of — and not a peerage? when you go into the house of lords, _ and not a peerage? when you go into the house of lords, lots _ and not a peerage? when you go into the house of lords, lots of _ and not a peerage? when you go into the house of lords, lots of checks - the house of lords, lots of checks and scrutiny is done and you have got to have high standards of public life. 0k, got to have high standards of public life. ok, this wasn't known when tony blair put him in the house of lords, but once things come to light, how is it morally right for him to keep the title? this is an honour that is bestowed on him by the queen, and what he has done is

despicable and dishonourable. as long as he keeps that title, he will try and maintain that linkage to the house of lords to the queen, so we must break that link because when he comes out, in pakistan he's quite popular among the kashmiri and pakistani cup —— communities and he can use that and we have to stop that happening ifjustice is to be served. that happening if 'ustice is to be served. a, ., , that happening if 'ustice is to be served. ., , ., served. more generally looking at this case, what _ served. more generally looking at this case, what have _ served. more generally looking at this case, what have you - served. more generally looking at| this case, what have you learned? you know what? the bravery of the victims, it doesn't matter how long ago it was, it can be decades ago and it is not an easy process. it has taken years to get to this point of him getting that sentence. i think it is for five years. too many victims actually drop out of the process, so it is worth it, you can getjustice, and i urge more victims to come forward if they feel they have been abused.—

to come forward if they feel they have been abused. thank you so much for 'oinin: have been abused. thank you so much forjoining us- — shaista gohirfrom the muslim women's network. let's get more now on our top story — a difficult week for borisjohnson as another mp has submitted a letter of no—confidence in his leadership following a total of five resignations from his team in downing street. let's get an idea on how the events of the past week are going down with voters outside of westminster. with me is annabel tiffin, the bbc�*s political editor in the north west and also i'm joined by elizabeth glinka, the bbc�*s political editor for the midlands. i understand you have spoken to aaron bell, the mp who has submitted a letter of no confidence? fries. aaron bell, the mp who has submitted a letter of no confidence?— a letter of no confidence? yes, he has sent his _ a letter of no confidence? yes, he has sent his letter _ a letter of no confidence? yes, he has sent his letter to _ a letter of no confidence? yes, he has sent his letter to the - a letter of no confidence? yes, he has sent his letter to the 1922 - has sent his letter to the 1922 committee saying he doesn't have confidence in the prime minister and he would like to see a vote of

no—confidence in the parliamentary party. not too much of a surprise really, many will have seen his intervention in the debate on monday following the release of sue gray's update, partial report from her. he made a very emotional speech talking about attending his grandmother's funeral during the first lockdown. he drove three hours to the funeral and three hours back. he didn't hug any of his family in that speech, and very pointedly at the end said to the prime minister, "do you think i am a full?" so perhaps not too much of a surprise that he has submitted the letter. now back in his constituency, when i spoke to him earlier he told me he had had a meeting last night at which he had discussed his intention to put in his letter. he had also been out door knocking on the constituency this morning and he felt from talking to people, also from the e—mails he had been having from the constituents that he did have their

support and that's why he decided at this stage to put in that letter of no confidence.— no confidence. let's move to annabelle — no confidence. let's move to annabelle tiffin. _ no confidence. let's move to annabelle tiffin. are - no confidence. let's move to annabelle tiffin. are the - no confidence. let's move to| annabelle tiffin. are the mps no confidence. let's move to - annabelle tiffin. are the mps where you are letter writers?— you are letter writers? publicly we haven't had _ you are letter writers? publicly we haven't had any — you are letter writers? publicly we haven't had any say _ you are letter writers? publicly we haven't had any say that _ you are letter writers? publicly we haven't had any say that they - you are letter writers? publicly we j haven't had any say that they have put in _ haven't had any say that they have put in a _ haven't had any say that they have put in a letter of no confidence to sir graham — put in a letter of no confidence to sir graham brady, of course one of our mps _ sir graham brady, of course one of our mps as— sir graham brady, of course one of our mps as well who is chair of the 1922 committee. privately i know one definitely _ 1922 committee. privately i know one definitely has but doesn't want to id definitely has but doesn't want to go public— definitely has but doesn't want to go public with itjust definitely has but doesn't want to go public with it just yet, definitely has but doesn't want to go public with itjust yet, and there — go public with itjust yet, and there are _ go public with itjust yet, and there are a couple sort of on the verge _ there are a couple sort of on the verge of— there are a couple sort of on the verge of doing it. william wragg, the mp_ verge of doing it. william wragg, the mp for hazel grove, has called on the _ the mp for hazel grove, has called on the prime minister to resign. so you could _ on the prime minister to resign. so you could assume he has written a letter _ you could assume he has written a letter of _ you could assume he has written a letter of no — you could assume he has written a letter of no confidence but he hasn't — letter of no confidence but he hasn't said it publicly yet. and christian— hasn't said it publicly yet. and christian wakeford, the bury south mp, christian wakeford, the bury south mp. he _ christian wakeford, the bury south mp, he had written a letter of no confidence — mp, he had written a letter of no confidence but he has now defected to labour— confidence but he has now defected to labour so that becomes null and void really — to labour so that becomes null and void really i— to labour so that becomes null and void really. ithink to labour so that becomes null and void really. i think what the mps in the west— void really. i think what the mps in the west midlands are concerned about— the west midlands are concerned about and what they are saying to me

is that— about and what they are saying to me is that if— about and what they are saying to me is that if the _ about and what they are saying to me is that if the conservative party continued — is that if the conservative party continued to back borisjohnson is that if the conservative party continued to back boris johnson and it is going _ continued to back boris johnson and it is going to be toxic for the party— it is going to be toxic for the party when they go to the polls, and of course _ party when they go to the polls, and of course the local elections are not far— of course the local elections are not far away, and what one particularly has said to me is that if they— particularly has said to me is that if they stick by the prime minister now and _ if they stick by the prime minister now and they don't kick him out themselves, then it is going to reflect— themselves, then it is going to reflect badly on all of them and the voters _ reflect badly on all of them and the voters are — reflect badly on all of them and the voters are going to see them as all pretty— voters are going to see them as all pretty much being the same as boris johnson _ pretty much being the same as boris johnson. we pretty much being the same as boris johnson. ~ ., ., ~ pretty much being the same as boris johnson. ~ . ., ,, ., johnson. we have talked about the mps, let's include _ johnson. we have talked about the mps, let's include the _ johnson. we have talked about the mps, let's include the voters - johnson. we have talked about the mps, let's include the voters as . mps, let's include the voters as well. elizabeth in the west midlands, when you want to people in the shop and you raise the subject or they raise it with you, what kind of conversations do people have? they certainly raise it with me, thatis they certainly raise it with me, that is for sure. i spoke to a business owner who runs a cleaning company this morning. she has been a big borisjohnson supporter, she voted for him in the general election. broadly speaking you would have said she thought he had done a good job as prime minister. she was

saying to me this morning she feels this is a tipping point here, that there is no way back. she said to me, how can he ask people to trust him again? that is someone who had been a big supporter of his. opinion is not uniform, it does vary and you can still find people, particularly in the red wall areas in the black country stoke—on—trent who will be still very supportive of boris johnson and say we all make mistakes, but i would say that talking to people, it is something on their mind and you can find a good many people from across very diverse backgrounds whether they live in the big rural areas like shropshire and herefordshire who are really bothered by this. slightly dismayed i would have to say, and kind of people will often say they see westminster as this circus going on down in london, but i think there is a bit of a kind of lethargy about this. people are feeling exhausted

by it and can't believe it is still going on. that is the sense i'm getting when i speak to voters. annabel tiffin, when you are out and about, do people bombard you with questions or do you bombard them? probably a bit of both! similar to what _ probably a bit of both! similar to what elizabeth is saying. i wouldn't want to _ what elizabeth is saying. i wouldn't want to put words in the mouths of people _ want to put words in the mouths of people in— want to put words in the mouths of people in the north—west but it is a very mixed — people in the north—west but it is a very mixed response. we are in nantwich— very mixed response. we are in nantwich which is conservative now, and the _ nantwich which is conservative now, and the people we spoke to the other day were _ and the people we spoke to the other day were saying i have always voted conservative, i'm not going to do it any more. — conservative, i'm not going to do it any more. i— conservative, i'm not going to do it any more, i have had enough. but there _ any more, i have had enough. but there enough people in that can stick— there enough people in that can stick -- — there enough people in that can stick —— constituency who knew he wasn't _ stick —— constituency who knew he wasn't whiter than white and partygate doesn't make any difference. i think particularly in this region we were under lockdown longer— this region we were under lockdown longer than any other region. we were _ longer than any other region. we were in— longer than any other region. we were in and — longer than any other region. we were in and out of tiers, well we

were _ were in and out of tiers, well we were not— were in and out of tiers, well we were not out but we were in tiers than _ were not out but we were in tiers than any— were not out but we were in tiers than any other region. so many people — than any other region. so many people made sacrifices and so many people _ people made sacrifices and so many people died, so for them not even to be allowed _ people died, so for them not even to be allowed to travel five my —— miles— be allowed to travel five my —— miles out— be allowed to travel five my —— miles out of the region, for parties to be _ miles out of the region, for parties to be going — miles out of the region, for parties to be going on in downing street. but there — to be going on in downing street. but there is another set of people, and you _ but there is another set of people, and you know, we have large pockets of deprivation here, so people are saying _ of deprivation here, so people are saying we — of deprivation here, so people are saying we are more interested in the national— saying we are more interested in the national insurance hike and fuel prices _ national insurance hike and fuel prices going up. we want to know what _ prices going up. we want to know what is _ prices going up. we want to know what is happening to help us so please — what is happening to help us so please get on with the job. generally the feeling is that people are getting tired of this now. but how that — are getting tired of this now. but how that will translate when it comes — how that will translate when it comes to _ how that will translate when it comes to the elections, it is hard to tell, _ comes to the elections, it is hard to tell, but — comes to the elections, it is hard to tell, but i _ comes to the elections, it is hard to tell, but i know certainly at the moment— to tell, but i know certainly at the moment we are speaking to a lot of former— moment we are speaking to a lot of former conservative voters who have had enough — former conservative voters who have had enough. they either want things to move _ had enough. they either want things to move on — had enough. they either want things to move on or want borisjohnson to

move _ to move on or want borisjohnson to move on _ to move on or want boris johnson to move on. ., ~' to move on or want boris johnson to move on. . ~ i. ., i. move on. thank you to you both so much. a high courtjudge in belfast has ordered that checks on food and agricultural goods traded between the british mainland and northern ireland must remain in place until a judicial review next month. the ruling comes two days after a minister in the devolved government ordered that the inspections be stopped — a move that has triggered a political crisis. the checks are part of the brexit deal struck between the britain and the eu to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of ireland. let's talk to our correspondent, danjohnson, in belfast. it isa it is a bit ofa it is a bit of a crisis. who is running things?— it is a bit of a crisis. who is running things? it is a bit of a crisis. who is runnina thins? , ., ~ running things? good question. at the moment _ running things? good question. at the moment there _ running things? good question. at the moment there is _ running things? good question. at the moment there is no _ running things? good question. at the moment there is no first - the moment there is no first minister and no deputy first minister and no deputy first minister although there are still departmental ministers in office here so they can continue making decisions, enacting legislation that is already going through the devolved parliament here. but in terms of new laws, big decisions, there is nobody around to make those decisions now and we are not quite

sure when that situation will be resolved. there are supposed to be elections in early may, some parties have called for them to be brought forward now to see if that can help things progress to try and resolve this crisis, but it would be up to the northern ireland secretary brandon lewis whether those elections are moved or whether they stay on the 5th of may. we could be looking at a couple of months of disruption and instability and it may even continue beyond them because the dup party leader, said jeffrey donaldson, he is the man who decided yesterday to withdraw his first minister and star power sharing fully functioning here. he said even after that election, if he doesn't get the changes he wants to the northern ireland protocols, to the northern ireland protocols, to the way those trade rules are being enacted in goods coming across the irish sea from great britain into northern ireland, then he didn't think it would be easy for his party to go back into government here at all, even after that election. so we could see a continuation of the

disruption. it all comes down to the trade rules and checks on goods that unionists here in northern ireland feel is impacting on business, slowing down trade across the irish sea. it is costing businesses and customers hear time and money, and is in their view weakening northern ireland's place in the united kingdom. that's why they have insisted they want changes to the northern ireland protocol, but this comes down to the impossible conundrum of how do you make sure that goods are not flowing across the borderfrom that goods are not flowing across the border from the that goods are not flowing across the borderfrom the north that goods are not flowing across the border from the north of ireland into the republic without establishing hard border with guards, posts, checks in position. that was agreed right back at the start of the brexit process and that's why there is in effect a border instead in the middle of the irish sea. it is in issue everybody can see being a possible problem six years ago even before the referendum, and it is having the consequences in belfast that means in effect there is no political

decision—making for the foreseeable future. decision-making for the foreseeable future. ., ., _ ., decision-making for the foreseeable future. ., ., ., , . , future. how easy or do difficult is it to change _ future. how easy or do difficult is it to change the _ future. how easy or do difficult is it to change the protocol - future. how easy or do difficult is it to change the protocol and - future. how easy or do difficult is it to change the protocol and the | it to change the protocol and the checks on the irish sea? that it to change the protocol and the checks on the irish sea?- it to change the protocol and the checks on the irish sea? that is the other impossible _ checks on the irish sea? that is the other impossible part _ checks on the irish sea? that is the other impossible part of _ checks on the irish sea? that is the other impossible part of the - other impossible part of the conundrum because it is something the uk government has been trying to negotiate with the eu. it is worth saying the northern ireland protocol was put forward and agreed by the uk government, it is not something that was just imposed by the eu. government, it is not something that wasjust imposed by the eu. and government, it is not something that was just imposed by the eu. and yet the view among unionists in northern ireland is that it doesn't work, it isn't fully functioning, it needs to be changed, adapted or scrapped. nationalists think it is the only sensible solution to stop there being a hard border between the north and the republic. the talks between the uk government and the eu will continue, but as said jeffrey donaldson said this morning, he was expecting perhaps a three week negotiation when the next round of talks started back in september, october. he's made the point we are

now three orfour october. he's made the point we are now three or four months into those talks and there doesn't seem to be any positive progress in making changes to the protocol and that's why he made the decision to remove his first ministerfrom office here. in effect the nuclear option that he has blown up power—sharing here at least for the time being. you has blown up power-sharing here at least for the time being.— least for the time being. you have covered every _ least for the time being. you have covered every angle, _ least for the time being. you have covered every angle, thank - least for the time being. you have covered every angle, thank you i least for the time being. you have covered every angle, thank you so much. the queen's platinum jubilee is being marked with a collection of eight new stamps, featuring photographs of the monarch throughout her reign. the images show her official duties, from trooping the colour to visits across the uk and the commonwealth. the queen's 70th anniversary of ascending to the throne is on sunday, making her the first british monarch to reach the milestone. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. hello there. it has turned much colder today. with the weather front moving out the way, it has introduced this blast of arctic air. strong winds have been blowing

wintry showers to the north—west. temperatures have been much lower. that will continue through the night. we'll have a frost quite widely. even some snow to lower levels potentially. later, temperatures lift in the north—west ahead of the rain for saturday. initially we have some snow, but then rain moving across the bulk of scotland, northern ireland, northern england, wales. later in the day, brighter conditions, cold air returns to the north, further south and east, not that much rain. and it's milder once again. but that weather system pushes through on sunday morning to leave more chilly air and showers. we re hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. pressure continues to build for the pm. another conservative mp, aaron bell, submits a letter of no

confidence in his leadership. the bbc understands around 17 have been put forward so far. that letter comes after five of the prime ministers aides resign within 24 hours. a cabinet minister denies the government is in disarray, former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. the winter olympics are officially under way. the opening ceremony has been held inside beijing's bird's nest stadium. ofgem says it may start reviewing the energy price cap every three months, rather than the current six. sport and for a full round—up, from the bbc sport centre, here's olly. as you've seen , the winter olympics are officially underway. we've had the opening ceremony

inside beijings bird's nest stadium. team gb flagberaers were alpine skier dave ryding and curling's eve muirhead, a bronze medallist in 2014. both are at their fourth games. team gb is 50—strong , and the aim will be to beat the record five medals won at each of the last two olympics. the olympic torch was then placed into the centre of a giant snowflake, bearing the names of each of the 91 nations taking part, and there it will stay for the next 16 days of competition. i was expecting more of an inferno but very pretty. 16 days isn't long enough to pack in all the curling, that has been going for a few days and great britain have a really strong medal hopes in the mixed doubles with world champions jen dodds and bruce mouat. they beat australia, although they had to go to an extra end to pinch it 9—8. that's three wins out

of four for ther british pair and they lie second in the standings at this round robin stage. the top four reach the semis but they still have another five matches to play. after two high profile departures from the england men's set—up this week, the ecb chief executive tom harrison says that he is still the man to help turn the fortunes of the test team around. head coach chris silverwood left his position 24 hours after ashley giles stood down as director of cricket. it follows their 4—0 ashes defeat adding to a total of nine test defeats in 15. sir andrew strauss returns to the director of criucket role on an interim basis, and he will choose a temporary coach for next months test series in west indies. joe root will continue to captain the side. i think there's an enormous amount of work to do when we had a difficult few months, no question about that and it's on and off the field issues that have combined to

create a very difficult period for english cricket, but i'm absolutely motivated and focused on getting the job done and getting through this period and setting us back on a course that english cricket fans will be much more comfortable with. it's a huge fa cup weekend , we're at the fourth round stage and the first tie is actually tonight, manchester united are at home to middlesbrough, who are seventh in the championship, just outside the playoffs. their manager chris wilder is hoping they can cause a shock, but at the same time he's being realistic. the result is decided on manchester united's changing room, if they say yes, and they play as they can play, the odds are stacked against us, but it's a shirt swapping situation for our place. i don't want people to go into old trafford and enjoy their visit, i want them to play well and i want the players to play well and i want the players to play well and i want the players to play well and i want us to give a good account of ourselves and make it really

competitive, make it a dangerous night for manchester united. it's a great weekend for sports fans, it's also the start of rugby union's six nations championship. wales will begin the defence of their title in dublin against italy. it's also the calcutta cup, england are in edinburgh looking to avenge last year's defeat to scotland at twickenham. the interesting thing about this game is that all of the external pressures are on scotland. we always have pressure to win. everyone expects england to win every game, so we are always coping with that but for scotland this is a new pressure they have got and they have to cope with that, so for our players, we have a bit of a free run and we can go in with the normal expectation, go out there, take them on, young players can be themselves and we will play a game that is appropriate conditions. that's all the sport for now. four people have died and another is missing

after an avalanche in austria. it happened in the tyrol region of the country which straddles the border between austria and switzerland. a spokesman for the rescue service said conditions in the alps were especially dangerous due to recent heavy snowfall after a period of relatively warmer weather. an expedition is setting off this weekend to try to find the shipwreck of the antartic explorer sir ernest shackleton. his vessel the endurance sank more than 100 years ago and is believed to be nearly two miles below sea level. our science editor rebecca morelle has been to meet the team hoping to find the wreck. caught on camera more than 100 years ago. the final moments of the endurance. this footage restored and released by the bfi show sir ernest shackleton's famous ship as it was lost to the antarctic ice. this is endurance. now a new expedition is attempting to locate the ship. but like shackleton, they will face gruelling conditions. endurance is the most

unreachable wreck in the world. the big challenge is the ice. it is opening and clenching, unclenching. it is a really vicious, lethal environment that we are going into. the gulbis 2 is the polar icebreaker that will hunt for the wreck, using the co—ordinates recorded by the crew. the endurance lies 3000 metres down so the team will use underwater robots kitted out with sonar and cameras. the hope is that the wreck will be well preserved by the icy water and lack of organisms eating away at the wood. the objects that were rescued from the sinking endurance give a sense of what life was like on board. this is the sextant, crucial for navigating and over here is a box of chocolates that was used as a payment between crew for doing chores like darning socks. and up here, unbelievably, is a piece of the mast. probably the only relic of the ship that is not

at the bottom of the sea. an important document for people going out and looking today. shackleton's expedition diary was also saved with his emotional entry on the day the ship was lost. "she went today. "5pm she went down by the head. "the stern, the cause of all the trouble, "was the last to go underwater. "i cannot write about it. "sunday always seems the day on which things happen to us." you can read about how it was creaking. they talk about her as a personality and the groaning and the sounds. there was a real sense of what it felt like, what it sounded like and how crushed they were when the ship was crushed. for shackleton's expedition, the loss of the endurance was not the end. the crew trekked across hundreds of miles of ice, rowed

the weddell sea and then climbed a mountain range to reach safety. miraculously they all survived but the ship that had been their home still lies in the icy depths, silently waiting to be discovered. rebecca morelle, bbc news. it's been two years since game of thrones aired its final episode and the show, which was mostly filmed in the moutains and moorlands of northern ireland, remains a global phenomenon. now fans of the fantasy series have the chance to go behind the scenes of westeros, as the studio opens its doors to the public for the first time. john maguire has gone to pay a visit. winter has arrived. and so has the chance to walk in the boot steps of the mother of dragons, tyrion lannister orjon snow. these are some of the actual sets used in the filming of what is often described as the biggest television show in history. and, for the actor ian beattie, the rare opportunity of a job

near his home here in northern ireland. that's right, i auditioned for a role in season one, and another actor got it, and i was, well, not happy about that, i'm five minutes away from the studio! yeah, home fixture! thankfully they auditioned me again and i got, i won the role of ser meryn trant, which lasted for five years. and the role i originally auditioned for lasted for five episodes in season one. so i think i got the best part. and who can blame him? when filming in other locations, croatia, malta, morocco, could see him lose half a stone a day. so is this your costume here, ian? this is identical to my costume. this was actually nikolaj coster—waldau's costume but it is identical in every way. all 28 kilos worth. which was so fun in the dubrovnik sun, because the sun would hit the breast plate, you would have been sweating earlier on and then you would start to cook. so it was quite interesting to wear. but i have to say one thing. when you put that costume on, wow.

you were a kings guard. yeah. the studio tour is built around where some of the show�*s filming took place. much of its success was derived from the huge scale of the production, but also the attention to detail. here, you can see, close up, the costumes, the weapons. the set designs, the make—up and prosthetics. husband and wife team sarah and barry gower are responsible for turning fantasy tv into what looks like reality tv. they make monsters. the show runners, david and dan, wanted us to design a character which was quite regal. and almost had the form of a crown, in its design, basically. so we're thinking, along the lines of snow, ice and icicles, so we actually incorporated these kind of pointy icicle—like shapes into the forehead and the back of his head. so it kind of gave us,

kind of incorporated a crown look and feel into his design. and it's made of? this is made of silicon. these are silicon appliances with a very thin fine vinyl skin, so the actual material this is made of is like a silicon gel product. it's a good job they're married. some days on set were 21 hours long. and they share some unusual interests. just the blood that was used in game of thrones. we all felt that each department, we should consider what blood we were going to use. and so we agreed that we would test all the different bloods that were pre—made, the colours, put it on film and then we can all decide which blood is the most realistic to use and we would all agree to use that colour blood. it's a bit like you get weird names for paint, there is a game of thrones blood? there was a game, yes, i think it was venial blood. so everyone agreed to use the venial!

the tour, like the show it embodies, is big budget. it cost £40 million to build. included in your entry ticket, the chance to be in step with the white walkers and the wildings. this is cool. there are several of these interactive screens throughout so you get yourself dressed up as lord of the bones, trousers, coats, head. helmet. there it is. and then it'll copy your body movements. the old usain bolt there. this one. he's got some moves, this guy. how fun is that? the studio is located in banbridge, between belfast and dublin. but hold the door, as here you walk through to another world, arriving in westeros, where the iron throne awaits.

in northern morocco, efforts are continuing to rescue a five—year—old boy who fell into a well. rayan has been stuck in a 32 meter deep water well since tuesday. aru na iyengar reports. bulldozers work flat—out in tamrout, in the northern tourist province of chefchaouen. they're racing to dig a hole alongside a shaft of a 32—metre well. waiting at the bottom is five—year—old rayan. he fell in on tuesday evening. he was playing whilst his father was repairing the well. translation: the closer we get, the hole gets more narrow, i and hard to pass through, which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. this is why we had to come up with another technique, which is digging. rescuers have been able to send oxygen and water to rayan through pipes. it's a tricky, painstaking manoeuvre. it's a long way down, and the diameter of the well is less than 45 centimetres. rayan's plight has touched

the hearts of moroccans. there has been an outpouring of sympathy online, with the hashtag #staystrong going viral across north africa. crowds have gathered at the site, anxious to hear the latest on the rescue. translation: rayan is very much loved here in the village, - notjust at home. i miss him, it's been three nights. but rescuers are working against the clock and conditions are difficult. they remain hopeful they can reach rayan and bring him to safety. aruna iyengar, bbc news. the headlines on bbc news. pressure continues to build for the pm. another conservative mp, aaron bell, submits a letter of no confidence in his leadership. the bbc understands around 17 have been put forward so far that letter comes after five of the prime ministers aides resign within 24 hours. a cabinet minister denies the government is in disarray,

former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. jane hill will be with you at 5 o'clock. before than on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered on energy price rises you've been sending in your questions on energy prices rising. with me is jasmine birtles, founder of the website moneymagpie. and also i'm joined by adam scorer, chief executive of national energy action, the national fuel poverty charity. thanks forjoining me and i have a bunch of questions from viewers and i will start with adam and i have a question from anna who asks if it is possible to opt out of the £200 energy bills loan. no, it isn't.

the government have decided the only simple way of doing this is if everybody gets the £200 loan and everybody pays back the £40 and it's too complicated, i think, in order to do it on a discretionary basis, so, no, you are stuck with it and a lot of people will appreciate it but there's no choice. a question from nigel to jasmine. he asks, how other council tax rebate help those are worst off when most will be getting a council tax rebate because of personal circumstances? that's a good point. some people end up not paying council tax because of their circumstances so it won't affect them and some people are paid much less and quite a lot of people are paying a 19% of their council of their council tax bills, so if that's over £150 then

it should help them. we have a more overall question and ken wants to ask adam, and his question is, what percentage of uk energy used is produced in the uk? the uk is actually still producing most of its own energy up until about 2010 it was 50% and at the moment we think we are producing about 35% dependent on imports and when it comes to gas we have produced about 50% on what is called the uk continental shelf, the north sea and irish sea and 30% comes from a pipeline from norway and the rest of it is pipeline to the rest of europe but also some dependence on the volatile natural gas market which is shipped around the world from qatar and the states and other places. let's get a question to jasmine which comes from derek. will the £200 loan for energy affect peoples credit rating? unlikely. largely because it is too fiddly to administer, i think. of course, if you don't pay it back,

the £40 here and there when it comes along, then that will probably affect your credit rating later on as it would if you are not paying your gas or electricity bill consistently but no, on the whole, i think it's not going to be a problem for that. in addition to these questions as i will fire you a follow—up, over the last day or so, how people contacted you with their own questions and is there broadly one question they keep asking you? yes — how can we cope? that is frankly what it boils down to. it is very upsetting. i'm actually a patron of a couple of charities, community money advice and fair for you and both of them say they have never been so busy and they have been very busy over the last few years but january, both of them have said has been really, really busy.

they are not even sleeping very much because they have so many people coming to them. literally, in different forms, is the main question that is coming in, how can we cope? how can we cope with energy bills and how can we eat and heat? how are we going to manage this year, basically. adam, are you getting the same questions? we probably get it even more desperately as we deal with some of the most poor and vulnerable households and have people in absolute turmoil about how they will make it through the day, through the week and the choices that jasmine identified, the horror of what this will mean, notjust immediately but over the coming months and years and even though we are talking about some very welcome support from the government it is just woefully inadequate. can i say something about the council tax rebate. if everyone is exempted from it, the government know there will be people round the edges and there is discretionary fund made available to local authorities and if you are exempt for a number of reasons, that is money available but you might have to reach out

around your local authority in april to make sure they know you are eligible for it and in need of it. do people with second homes get £200 twice? do people with prepayment metres get 200 fans at all? very good question and i'm assuming, and adam might know better but if you have two lots of energy bills then you are going to get back the £200 twice, i would imagine so. when it comes to prepayment metres, as far as i know, they won't. but there are other schemes around and again, like adam says, if you go to your local council and say, i'm having problems paying my meterand i'm on a prepayment meter, they should be able to send you to a local scheme and there are two lots of £98, but again, adam would know better on that.

adam? the problem with the £200 of loans is it will hit in october and the government still needs to consult on exactly how it will work out. they are saying you won't get two lots if you have a second home and they are going to go for one lot for an individual which i think is the right thing to do. the £200 loan applies to every supplier and every tariff including prepayment metres but jasmine is right, it's a bit more complicated with prepayment metres and if you have a smart metre they should be able to do automatically onto your account is credited but if you're not, then it's going to be a system of vouchers or checks and if those people who are on the warm home discount you have a prepayment metre, it will be the same mechanism used to get you the £200 but it's for everybody from every supplier and every tariff. adam, take a deep breath because we are coming back with a question from mark.

will people on fixed tariffs be penalised and have to pay the £40 a year even if they haven't had the £200 rebate? they will get the £200 rebate. this is the point. everyone will get it on the government thinks it's too complicated to do it for the price cap standard variable tariffs or prepayment metres or fixed tariffs, so everybody gets a £200 and everybody has to pay it back. jasmine, your turn. diane has a question for you. why do people on prepayment metres pay more already and have a greater increase on top? every time i get this question and i do a lot, i do think it is expensive to be poor in this country, as it is a number of countries. and it's true. prepayment metres, to my knowledge have always been more expensive and certainly in the last few years and they are largely, if i'm honest, there, because they cost more to run. you have the physical metre, all the administration,

so to be fair, they do cost more to run but it does feel very unfair because on the whole the people you have prepayment metres are those who can afford it least, really. and that is my main answer and i would like to see energy companies bring the price down and i've spoken to someone they have said that they have already brought down as far as they can, but i think that is something that needs to be looked at again. another question for adam, from john, i don't pay council tax as i am pension credit. will i get the money another way? this is the point i was raising before. there is a recognition that that is a challenge, notjust for people who are exempt by the council tax rebate is for rates from a to d and some people in low income or living vans that are more expensive than that and this is what the discretionary fund is intended to resolve, so the people who are not going to get an automatic rebate

payment from the council, there will be a fund of money available to local authorities but i think people are going to have to apply for it and will have to reach out and wait for a few months because the councils have to figure out how they are going to do it but there should be enough money in the fund for everybody who deserves it and is eligible for it but falls out of the council tax regime to be able to be given the £150. jasmine, wendy from northampton has a specific question. i have a council tax exemption due to a severe mental health disability and i live on high rate pip. will i still get the help that rishi sunak has announced? i think this is similar to the earlier question that adam answered where he mentioned that there is extra help for you if you go to your local council, you will have to apply

for it, so there is help and it's maybe not quite the same and not done in the same way but do ask for it and go to the council and say i hear this help is available and even if they say no it might be they haven't heard of it yet but it might be a good idea to go back again in a few days' time and say, no, really, i can apply to something here. wendy, i hope you were able to listen to the answer. we have more of a geopolitical question for you, adam from sylvia in leicester who asks why are we exporting gas when it cost so much to import it? about 50% of the gas we use in the uk is produced on the uk continental shelf but that's not the same thing as us producing it. it is global gas and oil producers who are the ones who get it out of the ground and they sell it to globally traded markets, like most other commodities. the supplies you buy gas to give direct supply to householders will buy it from that global market, so it's not as straightforward as saying the uk produces it

and uk customers use it. firms operating on the uk continental shelf explore and extract the gas and then they sell it on globally traded markets and that is just the nature of that global commodity market and when it spikes, we get hit hard. final question. and it is to jasmine and comes from john who asks, my energy supplier went bust injanuary 2021 and i was given a three—year fixed tariff until september 2024, will i still be affected by the changes? your fixed tariff should stay as a fixed tariff unless your current provider goes bust and nothing to say that they wouldn't. and you should get the £200 as well because everybody is so you should be all right, i would say, for the next three years unless they go bust.

and i can hear the questions pinging into your inbox. and i imagine you will be busy for a few hours. jasmine birtles and adam scorer, chief executive of national energy action, thank you to you both for answering your questions. it has turned much colder today. the weather front has introduced a blast of arctic air. strong winds have been blowing wintry showers to the north—west. temperatures much lower on the thermometer and temperatures will fall away and we will have a frost quite widely and in rural areas the wintry showers pile up over the scottish hills but even some snow to lower levels potentially

and later the temperatures will lift in the north—west ahead of the rain bearing weather front for saturday so we have initially a bit of snow but then we have rain moving across scotland and then later in the day it will give bright conditions on the cold air will return to the north and south and east potentially not seen much rain and seen bright and dry and its mild again, but to the weather system, it pushes through on sunday morning to leave more chilly air and a scattering of showers.

today at 5pm: pressure continues to build for the prime minister as another conservative mp submits a letter of no confidence. the bbc understands around 17 have now been put forward. it comes afterfive of the prime ministers aides resign within 24 hours. a cabinet minister denies the government is in disarray, the prime minister wanted change and he said there would be change, and we are seeing that change now. a former labour peer lord ahmed is jailed for sexually abusing two children in the 1970s. a court orders checks on food and agricultural goods from britain to northern ireland must continue for now. the winter olympics are officially under way. the opening ceremony has been held inside beijing's bird's nest stadium.

ofgem says it may start reviewing the energy price