the last covid restrictions in england are set to end within weeks and a month earlier than had been expected. laws requiring people with covid—19 to self—isolate will be lifted as long as the improving situation continues. provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to self—isolate if you test positive, a full month early. it will be almost two years since the first covid restrictions were imposed — we'll be live at westminster. also this lunchtime... the mayor of london tells the head of britain's biggest police force she has just days and weeks to show she can restore

public trust in the force. booed by his own supporters — kurt zouma, the footballer filmed kicking his cat. two, one, zero. and getting a reaction — british scientists break the record for creating energy from nuclearfusion. and coming up in the sport later in the hour on the bbc news channel: team gb were banking on a first medal at the beijing games but charlotte bankes failed to reach the final in the snowboard cross. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the prime minister says the last remaining legal restrictions

on covid—19 in england should be lifted within weeks — a month earlier than expected. borisjohnson told the commons a short time ago that as long as the data continues to be encouraging, england's rules requiring people with covid to self—isolate will come to an end. it will be just under two years since the first restrictions were imposed at the start of the pandemic. our political correspondent iain watson reports. there has been big changes behind the black door in downing street but here is the question... in an attempt to stave off further criticism from his own mps boris johnson has trained some ministers and staff and today he also changed some of his policies. it is and staff and today he also changed some of his policies.— some of his policies. it is my intention _ some of his policies. it is my intention to _ some of his policies. it is my intention to return _ some of his policies. it is my intention to return on - some of his policies. it is my intention to return on the - some of his policies. it is my. intention to return on the first some of his policies. it is my - intention to return on the first day after the half term recess to present our strategy for living with

covid. provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions including the legal requirement to self—isolate if you test positive a full month early. you test positive a full month earl . ., ., , ., , early. from the 24th of february in encland early. from the 24th of february in england you _ early. from the 24th of february in england you will — early. from the 24th of february in england you will not _ early. from the 24th of february in england you will not have - early. from the 24th of february in england you will not have to - england you will not have to self—isolate port covid any more thenif self—isolate port covid any more then if you had a cold orflu as long as the data on infections doesn't get worse. this is likely to reduce staff shortages but may have also done something for the prime minister'sjob prospects. some boris johnson's mps are calling on him to go. covid restrictions were unpopular with parts of his party and sweeping them away early will help his campaign to stay in downing street but labour say perhaps this announcement is not entirely driven ljy announcement is not entirely driven by the science. indie announcement is not entirely driven by the science-— announcement is not entirely driven by the science. we would want to see the scientific— by the science. we would want to see the scientific advice _ by the science. we would want to see the scientific advice on _

by the science. we would want to see the scientific advice on this _ by the science. we would want to see the scientific advice on this and - by the science. we would want to see the scientific advice on this and we i the scientific advice on this and we have only heard what the prime minister said and we know he has motivations that are all to do with protecting his position to get red meat for his backbenchers. but the end of self-isolation _ meat for his backbenchers. but the end of self-isolation has _ meat for his backbenchers. but the end of self-isolation has come - meat for his backbenchers. but the end of self-isolation has come late j end of self—isolation has come late for this health minister. gillian keegan said she made an error of judgment by staying in a meeting after receiving a positive covid result. the health secretary has expected her apology and she is not expected her apology and she is not expected to resign. ending restrictions will be popular with many conservative mps but what about the experts? i many conservative mps but what about the exerts? ., , many conservative mps but what about the exerts? .,, , , , the experts? i was surprised when i heard that news _ the experts? i was surprised when i heard that news this _ the experts? i was surprised when i heard that news this morning. - the experts? i was surprised when i heard that news this morning. we l heard that news this morning. we have seen infections dropped noticeably in recent days especially in children where numbers are dropping quickly so at some point we will be wanting to remove the need to self—isolate but i think we would need a few more days of data yet to be sure that the recent decline is

continuing. be sure that the recent decline is continuing-— continuing. emerging from the andemic continuing. emerging from the pandemic and _ continuing. emerging from the pandemic and shedding - continuing. emerging from the pandemic and shedding covidl pandemic and shedding covid restrictions should bring political rewards but the timing is proving controversial. our political correspondent iain watson is at westminster. the end of restrictions in england, a big moment symbolically — to what extent is this a political decision? borisjohnson boris johnson feels he can borisjohnson feels he can go ahead with this because the number of new infections has been falling, the number of patients in hospital has been falling but it took people by surprise but at the beginning prime minister's questions which could have been hostile, he announced this then. we expect these restrictions to go, next month, he is bringing it forward by one month which is something many people for example in the covid recovery group of mps in the covid recovery group of mps in the conservative party will cheer and it will deal with the problem in

public services, when omicron was at its height of a shortage of staff and feeling feeling fit and healthy and feeling feeling fit and healthy and if this is a mild disease for more people then they could at that stage go out to work so it helps on many fronts but there is politics involved too, as labour were suggesting the prime minister is in a difficult position and cannot leave partygate behind because in the last hour the daily mirror has published a photo taken in december 2020 of what downing street said it was a virtual quiz but it shows an open bottle of champagne and a picture of the prime minister not drinking from it but in close proximity. this isn't being invited by the police, there was an event looked at bite sue gray but it shows how difficult it is for the prime minister, even on something like lifting covid restrictions, to change that political narrative.

our health correspondent nick triggle is with me. talk to us about what the prime minister said in terms of ending these restrictions depending on the current encouraging data continuing. how likely is that? the trends are positive, hospital cases are coming down and despite the huge wave of infections driven by the omicron variant the overall numbers of deaths of these winter are not above what we would normally see during any winter but it has come as a surprise to many that this move is being brought forward by a month. they had said it would happen on the 24th of march and it is unclear what it will do to the spread of infections. infection levels are still pretty high but it's worth bearing in mind that the testing system was only picking up around half of cases over the past month or so and at the peak around 200,000 infections a day were being missed

by the testing system so these people weren't being told to self—isolate and even those who are told to self—isolate, one in five do not fully adhere to that but if this happens and ministers seem keen it happens and ministers seem keen it happens early, we think the uk will be the first developed country to take the step and it marks the point at which in england we are treating this like any other respiratory infection. the mayor of london says the metropolitan police commissioner has "days or weeks" to restore public trust in her leadership. sadiq khan told the bbc he wants to see an urgent plan from dame cressida dick on how to deal with cultural problems within britain's biggest police force. it comes after the publication last week of a series of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages exchanged by a group of her officers. my expectation is the next time i see her, i want to see what her response is to the example is not of one officer, of 14

what her response is to the examples not of one officer, of 14 officers being involved in racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, anti—semitic, islamophobic and the like behaviour, none of whom are still serving and secondly, what her plans are to win back the trust and confidence that's been both knocked and shattered as a consequence. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds is at new scotland yard. so she has just days and weeks to get a house in order. it so she hasjust days and weeks to get a house in order.— so she hasjust days and weeks to get a house in order. it sounds like an ultimatum. _ get a house in order. it sounds like an ultimatum. it— get a house in order. it sounds like an ultimatum. it does and - get a house in order. it sounds like an ultimatum. it does and i - get a house in order. it sounds like an ultimatum. it does and i think l an ultimatum. it does and i think thatis an ultimatum. it does and i think that is how it is intended to be delivered in an interview with the today programme this morning on radio 4. there is a plan being developed by the metropolitan police, they have lady casey looking at the culture of the metropolitan police and how they can improve blood culture but that is expected

to take some time. my understanding is that dame cressida dick met the mayor of london last week, told him there would be a plan and gave some details of that plan but the feeling is that the mayor wants to see something a bit quicker. one official close to him said it's an urgent issue, we cannot wait for the casey review, we need an urgent and wide ranging plan. sadiq khan said this morning the next time he sees her, he wants an answer within days or possibly weeks so that is the pressure on the police. there is also an inquiry commissioned by the home office which will take some time to conclude so pressure all around. , ., , ., . around. the trust of this force in the balance- _ around. the trust of this force in the balance. tom _ around. the trust of this force in the balance. tom symonds, - around. the trust of this force in i the balance. tom symonds, thank around. the trust of this force in - the balance. tom symonds, thank you. mps have criticised the government's performance on delivering brexit, saying the only detectable impact so far has been an extra burden on businesses in terms of increased costs, paperwork and border delays. the cross—party public accounts

committee says a lot more work needs to be done to prevent further disruption. the government says it is ensuring businesses get the help they need to trade with europe and elsewhere. our global trade correspondent chris morris reports. our cows graze freely on pastures rich in nutrients... in the fields of devon, it all looks beautifully serene. this british cheese—maker used to export without any bureaucracy or delays to other countries in europe. but outside the eu things have become far more difficult. every shipment now needs a vet's certificate, a vet costs money. our shipments tend to be quite small, you know, less than a pallet. and so that's quite a cost. the paperwork takes a lot of time. the person doing the paperwork has got 15 other things to do. and that's why the focus on britain's borders continues. the public accounts committee says

trade volumes have fallen partly because of the impact of covid, but the exit from the eu has clearly had an impact and new border arrangements have added costs to business. smaller firms with fewer resources have been hit the hardest. between the delays at the border, the extra costs and all the extra paperwork, a lot of businesses are saying that it's been a real struggle for them. so we've said to the government repeatedly, before brexit and again in this report, you need to step up and support the smaller businesses. they've concentrated on the volume businesses, the bigger ones that are doing the most trade with europe, but that's no consolation for those many people whose livelihoods, and sometimes jobs of other people, depend on their being able to do this trade with europe. the committee notes that a brexit support fund worth £20 million was initially created to help small businesses, but only 6.7 million was ever paid out because it was so hard to access the money. and the government says it is continuing to help businesses trade with europe, including free advice from its export support service. but the committee wants more

transparency and more focus on the practical problems firms are facing. outside dover, long queues of lorries have become the norm, part of a plan to make sure the town itself doesn't clog up. but the committee warns it could get worse. it says there is potential for further disruption as more people start travelling again and passenger volumes at key ports like dover return to normal. there's also concern about extra delays later this year, when the eu introduces new passport controls and the uk starts physical checks on the import of food products. the government is taking a longer view. it talks enthusiastically about new trade deals elsewhere in the world and says it plans to create the most effective border in the world by 2025. the committee calls that a noteworthy ambition, but optimistic given where things stand today. chris morris, bbc news.

foreign secretary liz truss is flying to moscow today to urge the kremlin to reduce tensions over ukraine. more than 100,000 russian troops are massed on the ukrainian border, with fears that an invasion could be imminent. the russian ambassador to the eu has told the bbc russia may implement counter sanctions if nato and western allies impose punitive measures on moscow. from ukraine, our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. russian air defence missiles on the ground in belarus, close to ukraine, brought here all the way from russia's far east for vast military exercises due to begin tomorrow. the west fears this could all be part of preparations for an invasion. russia says the exercises are nothing to fear. they had been preannounced, since last year. and of course, after they are finished, the troops will return to their own permanent stations.

the troops perhaps, but no word on the equipment. unless that leaves too, the sense ofjeopardy remains. but in the meantime, russia says it is interested in talking. we certainly believe there is still room for diplomacy. the french leader, emmanuel macron, visiting ukraine's president yesterday, said russia had indicated a willingness not to escalate further. a kremlin spokesman said no guarantees had been given. by holding a gun to the head of this country, ukraine, russia has forced the west into a debate which it says it wants into wider european security. it's onlyjust begun and it's still not clear if it's enough to avert a crisis. and while the doubt and the anxiety linger, the west continues to take precautions. hundreds of american troops have now arrived in south—eastern poland, a visible show of support for a nervous nato ally. nato says it won't fight in ukraine but more american weapons arrived

in kyiv this morning. across the border, russian long—range bombers patrol the skies over belarus. the kremlin says the exercises will be larger than usual. nato calls them the biggest since the cold war. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. the time isi:i6 the time is 1:16 pm. our top story this lunchtime: the last covid restrictions in england are set to end within weeks and a month earlier than had been expected. coming up, great britain's hopes of a winter olympic medal are dashed in the women's snowboard cross. coming up in the sport in the next 15 minutes on the bbc news channel, we will get the latest from abu dhabi ahead of chelsea's first match at the club world cup. they face saudi side al—hilal in the semifinals.

a uk laboratory has smashed the record for generating energy from a nuclearfusion reaction. the breakthrough represents a big step towards harnessing the energy source of the stars, say researchers. nuclear fusion is the holy grail of energy production because it holds out the prospect of a virtually unlimited source of low—carbon power. our climate editorjustin rowlatt has been to the research centre in oxfordshire where the reaction took place. two, one, zero. this is the record—breaking reaction. it is more than 150 million celsius. ten times hotter than the heart of the sun. and it happened here, the world's most powerful fusion plant, jet fusion, in culham in oxfordshire. it is, say the team here, a landmark

for this kind of technology. these results are really significant because what we have managed to demonstrate insidejet is we can create a mini sun, the right kind of mini sun, hold it for a sustained period and get really good performance levels, which is a major step forward in terms of our quest to get to fusion power plants. most nuclear reactions use fission. that's when big unstable atoms like uranium are split in two, releasing lots of energy and radiation. fusion is different. it involves forcing atoms of hydrogen together, fusing them to create helium as well as lots of energy and just a tiny bit of short—lived radiation. creating mini stars inside reactors like this is one of the greatest technological challenges humanity has ever faced. get it right and it holds out the potential for producing almost unlimited supplies of energy pretty much forever. the key part of this reaction only lasts for five seconds and only generated enough powerfor 60 kettles but it is an important proof of the principles of fusion, but it means there is still lots of work to do. do you think we'll see commercial fusion in your lifetime?

yes, i think we will seek commercial fusion in my lifetime. you are confident we will? yes, i am confident — i want to believe in it. so why is it taking so long? it is hard, it is really hard, very complex but it's worth it and we just have to do it for the future. fusion energy is carbon free, but it is not going to be ready in time to get us out of the climate crisis. that shouldn't stop this research, say supporters. the enormous promise fusion holds mean we have got to keep working on it. justin rowlatt, bbc news, oxfordshire. from friday, fully vaccinated holidaymakers will no longer need to do a covid test when they arrive back in the uk. but britons travelling abroad will still need to follow the rules that apply to wherever they are going. some british families are cancelling half term trips to spain because teenagers over 12 have to be double jabbed to get in, and many are not.

here's our transport correspondent katy austin. ben and his family have great memories of the canary islands. they were looking forward to making more last year, but restrictions forced them to postpone to this february. now, children over 12 need two jabs to enter spain, so the holiday is off. unfortunately, the 12—year—old has onlyjust turned 12, so doesn't have his second vaccination yet. so we cancelled, only cancelled a few days ago, we thought we'd hold out until the 1st of feb in case anything changed. but unfortunately we had to pull the plug. ben is far from alone. travel agents say lots of people want to go away at the moment, but they're having to keep their customers informed of an ever—changing international patchwork of covid rules. spain, including the canaries, is usually a half—term hit. you can get a little bit of heat, wear your shorts, sit outside and eat. the rule barring over—12s with only

one or no vaccinations is having a big impact. 50% of our bookings were moved because actually, it's all families. they'll move destinations or move dates and plan for easter. it's a headache for tourism businesses in the canaries. they want the spanish government to relax the restrictions because many brits are heading for places like turkey or mexico instead. in tenerife, we have 2.5 million british citizens every normal year. when we talk about christmas, when we talk about february, we are talking about nearly 30% of the business. so that means this loss could be nearly 1000 million euros if we do not take those measures out. from friday, it will get a lot easier to come into the uk. fully vaccinated travellers no longer to have to take any covid tests to enter this country. but people planning trips overseas still really need to know what the rules are at their destination. because every country has its own requirements.

and notjust for entry. in france, over—16s need a pass showing proof of vaccination to access certain activities, including getting a ski pass. unvaccinated i2— to 15—year—olds can take daily tests. tour operators still expect a bumper easter and summer, but many families who hoped for winter sun are having to wait a little longer. katy austin, bbc news. the west ham footballer kurt zouma was booed by fans during a match against watford last night, after footage emerged of him kicking his pet cat. the club's manager, david moyes, defended his selection of the player, saying hisjob is to pick the best team available. essex police said they were aware of the incident and enquiries are ongoing. our sports correspondent natalie pirks reports. it baffles me, the decision to play him. this is such a serious case of animal cruelty. it was a man kicking and slapping

a defenceless, fragile animal. - the chorus of condemnation grows ever louder for west ham. fans in the london stadium made their feelings known from the moment kurt zouma touched the ball last night. bo0ing. but with the defender playing, west ham won the match and kept a clean sheet. i'm a human being and also a great animal lover, so i understand how people feel. but again, as i said, i'm the football manager here, and i have to find a way of getting the results here. and kurt zouma is one of the key players to us. the video, which we've decided not to fully show, decided not to fully show, is upsetting. zouma can be seen kicking his cat across the kitchen while his brotherfilms, laughing. zouma also slaps the cat in the face in front of one of his children. in a statement, zouma apologised, saying, "there are no excuses for my behaviour, which i sincerely regret. i also want to say how deeply sorry i am to anyone

who was upset by the video." he added that his two cats "are loved and cherished by our entire family and this behaviour is an isolated that will never happen again." everyone expected him not to be in the team, in the squad at the stadium for last night's game. and when the starting xi was announced an hour before the game and he was there, there was a lot of shock. itjust brings the club into more disrepute. the outcry on social media was swift. former footballer ian wright called zouma "a coward." gary lineker called west ham's decision to play him "tone deaf." and wildlife presenter chris packham said, "animal abuse must never be sidelined at the expense of entertainment." the rspca is investigating, but as a charity it has limited powers and no right to remove animals without police help. the essex police, where zouma lives, says it's liaising with the rspca and urgent inquiries are ongoing. as a cat owner myself, i was completely appalled to see the video, the sheer level of violence that kurt zouma

was showing towards his cat is completely disgraceful. i think whilst he has apologised, ultimately at blue cross we would like to see him prosecuted. we await to see how west ham, which says it's investigating internally, deals with their £30 million asset. natalie pirks, bbc news. great britain's hopes of winning their first medal at the winter olympics were dashed when charlotte bankes was eliminated at the quarterfinal stage of the women's snowboard cross. here's our sports correspondent andy swiss. commentator: charlotte bankes. .. a day when britain's biggest medal hope turned to heartache. there is the gate. charlotte bankes is the world champion in snowboard cross, and with the first two going through to the semifinals, she duly led the way. look at the speed from charlotte bankes! but then a mistake and her rivals were swarming all over her. critchlow on the inside. and as they leapt over the final jump, would she even qualify? i don't know if she is going to do this.

by the slenderest of margins, charlotte bankes was third, and the favourite for the gold was out. what drama and what disappointment for charlotte bankes. she came into this event with such high hopes, but those hopes have been dashed in the most agonising fashion. i don't know what happened, and, yeah. it's frustrating today. i've had a great season so far, and it's my worst result of the season. and having that at the olympics is tough. the winner, though, was some story. remember this back in 2006? this is a lap of honour for lindsey jacobellis. the american's... oh! drama! jacobellis is down. well, some 16 years after throwing the gold away, lindsey jacobellis had her redemption. victory at last to the american. finally, she said, it all came together. taking historic gold.

just casually grabbing a flag. but the day's highest flier came in the big air event. that's the norwegian flag birk ruud's holding in his hand. and it didn't seem to cramp his style. rarely has olympic gold been sealed in more patriotic fashion. no shortage of drama today. i can tell you that britain's farrell treacy has just been in action in the final of the 1500 metre speed skating. he did really welljust to get to the final but i can tell you he has just finished get to the final but i can tell you he hasjust finished outside get to the final but i can tell you he has just finished outside the medals. one other piece of news to bring you about the figure skating team event which took place on monday and won by the russian olympic committee. it has now emerged that the medals have not been officially presented yet because of what is being described as a legal issue by the international olympic committee. andy swiss, thank you.

adele was the big winner at the brit awards last night, taking three of the top prizes — best artist, best album and song of the year. this year's awards were gender neutral after the traditional male and female categories were scrapped, though adele said she loves "being a woman and a female artist." our music correspondent mark savage was there. adele! adele, easy on me! it was almost inevitable. adele swept the board at the brits, winning three of the four categories she was nominated for, including artist of the year and best album for her so—called divorce record 30. i'd like to dedicate this award to my son. cheering. and to simon, to his dad. this album was all of our journey, notjust mine. i'm very proud of myself for sticking to my guns and putting out an album that was about something so personal to me. the star also gave a laid—back performance of i drink wine on a set that echoed the las vegas shows she so recently postponed.

# how come we both become a version of the person we don't even like? meanwhile, ed sheeran opened the show, playing his number one hit bad habits with the sheffield rock band bring me the horizon. # bad habits lead to late nights endin' alone...# ed was also named songwriter of the year, while billie eilish won best international artist. billie eilish! thank you, guys, so much. i am so honoured and feel so lucky to be awarded this — again. thank you so much. best new artist went to rapper little simz and her mum. mum...look at what you've done, mum. she loved it, man. this is her night as well, you know what i mean? she's worked so tirelessly and so hard, and she's raised me to be the person i am. so it felt amazing just to be able to share this moment with her. best rap act went to dave. and rolling stone ronnie wood gave sam fender the award for best rock act.

my favourite, sam fender! cheering. but the person who appreciated winning the most was becky hill, who picked up best dance artist. i was always somebody that nobody really knew who i was and there will still be to this day people who sit on their sofa and go becky who? and this, for me, is proper recognition that i'm doing the right thing and i'm not necessarily wasting my life. in the first year without male and female categories, women prizewinners outnumbered men by three to one, and adele had something to say about it. i understand why the name of this award has changed, but i really love being a woman and being a female artist. i do. mark savage, bbc news. i'm really proud of us. time for a look at the weather. here's susan powell. any awards for the weather?