at six — the self—isolation rules for anyone with covid could be scrapped completely in england by the end of this month. the current law says anyone who tests positive must quarantine for at least five days until they're negative. 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. but as the latest data suggests the number of people with covid is rising, we'll be asking if it's too soon. also tonight... a new photo emerges from a downing street from a downing street christmas quiz in 2020 — the met police say they're reviewing their decision not to investigate the gathering during covid restrictions. a man serving life for murdering his

fiancee in 2016 has just been found guilty of murdering his first wife six years earlier. the rspca removes two cats from the home of west ham's kurt zouma after footage emerged of him kicking them. —— one of them. -- one of them. look at the speed from charlotte _ -- one of them. look at the speed from charlotte bankes! _ but she wasn't speedy enough — how it all went wrong for great britain's best medal hope at the winter olympics. and coming up on the bbc news channel: norris lands a new deal with mclaren. the british driver shuns the competition to stay with the team for four years. good evening and welcome to the bbc news at six. the rules on self—isolating for anyone testing positive for covid in england could be dropped completely by the end of this month.

the prime minister says as long as the data continues to be encouraging, the current law meaning you have to quarantine for at least five full days will be scrapped. the change would end two years of covid restrictions. the latest figures from the office for national statistics suggest infection levels in the uk have risen since last week, with more than 3.3 million people with covid. but the number of deaths are well below the levels seen in previous waves and the number of people in hospital continues to fall. labour has accused the prime minister of using the announcment to dig himself out of a political hole rather than dealing with the serious challenge facing the country. here's our health editor, hugh pym. it's looking like a move backwards to life before the pandemic, reversing restrictions in england perhaps sooner february the 21st, with the ending of the legal

requirement to isolate after a positive test. the prime minister headed to the commons to make the announcement, with an i perhaps to cheering up backbench mps, bringing forward the end of restrictions which had been planned for late march. ., . march. provided the current encouraging _ march. provided the current encouraging trends - march. provided the current encouraging trends in - march. provided the current encouraging trends in the i march. provided the current i encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions, including the legal requirement to isolate if you test positive, a full month early. later labour gave their reaction. the fact we had no notice this was coming, _ the fact we had no notice this was coming, no — the fact we had no notice this was coming, no sense it was coming, suggested — coming, no sense it was coming, suggested it was a throwaway remark at the _ suggested it was a throwaway remark at the start— suggested it was a throwaway remark at the start of prime minister's questions more about taking the prime _ questions more about taking the prime minister out of a serious hole than the _ prime minister out of a serious hole than the future of the country. so what than the future of the country. what to the than the future of the country. sr what to the public think about the end of restrictions? it what to the public think about the end of restrictions?— end of restrictions? if you are auoin to end of restrictions? if you are going to get _ end of restrictions? if you are going to get it. _ end of restrictions? if you are going to get it, you _ end of restrictions? if you are going to get it, you are - end of restrictions? if you are going to get it, you are going | end of restrictions? if you are i going to get it, you are going to get it, it is that simple. everybody is at a stage _

get it, it is that simple. everybody is at a stage where _ get it, it is that simple. everybody is at a stage where we _ get it, it is that simple. everybody is at a stage where we know - get it, it is that simple. everybody is at a stage where we know the i get it, it is that simple. everybody l is at a stage where we know the risk and we _ is at a stage where we know the risk and we have — is at a stage where we know the risk and we have to get on with life. | and we have to get on with life. i love and we have to get on with life. love that and we have to get on with life. i love that we have lots of our freedom _ love that we have lots of our freedom back _ love that we have lots of our freedom back and _ love that we have lots of our freedom back and want - love that we have lots of our freedom back and want to i love that we have lots of our. freedom back and want to enjoy love that we have lots of our- freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i _ freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think— freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think it — freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think it is _ freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think it is still— freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think it is still important - freedom back and want to enjoy it, but i think it is still important to. but i think it is still important to be cautious _ but i think it is still important to be cautione— be cautious. the office of national statistics survey _ statistics survey suggest that 3.3 million people in the uk had the virus last week, up a page on the previous week. case rates varied around the uk, wales was the only nation to see a decrease. at hospital admissions have been falling, the omicron variant proving less severe than initially anticipated and also the continued take—up of boosterjabs. i anticipated and also the continued take-up of boosterjabs.— take-up of booster 'abs. i think it is clear the h take-up of booster 'abs. i think it is clear the rates _ take-up of boosterjabs. i think it is clear the rates are _ take-up of boosterjabs. i think it is clear the rates are still - take-up of boosterjabs. i think it is clear the rates are still very, i is clear the rates are still very, very high, especially in some sectors of the community, particularly children and people who look after children, parents and teachers. .. , look after children, parents and teachers. , ., ., , _ ., teachers. rachel is not happy about the news. teachers. rachel is not happy about the news- she _ teachers. rachel is not happy about the news. she says _ teachers. rachel is not happy about the news. she says she _ teachers. rachel is not happy about the news. she says she is _ teachers. rachel is not happy about the news. she says she is much - teachers. rachel is not happy about l the news. she says she is much more likely to stay indoors. she had a kidney transplant and her immune system is compromised. she is

worried about picking up the virus from herfamily. i worried about picking up the virus from her family.— worried about picking up the virus from her family. i know my family want to protect _ from her family. i know my family want to protect themselves - from her family. i know my family want to protect themselves and i from her family. i know my family i want to protect themselves and they do tests if they can get them, that you do not know who they are mixing with. next you in supermarkets. the paranoia i had it coming again, because who can i trust? while encland because who can i trust? while england heads _ because who can i trust? while england heads towards - because who can i trust? while england heads towards life - because who can i trust? while england heads towards life without restrictions, scotland, wales and northern ireland are moving at different speeds. they will publish their own plans in due course on life after covid. our political correspondent alex forsyth is in westminster. what about the timing of all this? locale prime minister's questions has provided some politically very difficult moments for the prime minister recently. that difficult moments for the prime minister recently.— difficult moments for the prime minister recently. at the start of prime minister's _ minister recently. at the start of prime minister's questions - minister recently. at the start of prime minister's questions he i minister recently. at the start of- prime minister's questions he stood up prime minister's questions he stood up to make this announcement about covid restrictions ending early. downing street said it was always the intention to loosen regulations when it was safe, but labour said the prime minister was trying to dig

himself out of a political hole. there is no doubt it will please some of the tory benches, including those who have been unhappy with the prime minister in recent weeks. this is downing street trying to move on from the recent turmoil but midway through prime minister's questions another image emerged of an event in downing street, a second photograph of an event that was known about, what number ten says was a virtual quiz in december 2020. the image shows the prime minister, an official wearing tinsel and an open bottle of alcohol. initially the metropolitan police that they were not investigating this, but we have had a statement from the met police saying they are revising that decision, reassessing. no matter how much number ten wants to move on from such a politically damaging saga from the prime minister, they are finding it very difficult to do so. �* ., _ . , , so. alex forsyth in westminster, thank you- _

a man who's already serving a life sentence for murdering his fiancee in 2016 will now never leave prison after being found guilty of murdering his first wife six years earlier. when 61—year—old ian stewart was sentenced for killing his fiancee, the children's author helen bailey, police began investigating the death of his first wife, diane stewart. she was thought to have died from an epileptic fit in 2010. but new evidence has proved otherwise, asjo black reports. i am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of your late wife, diane stewart. you're joking?! this is the moment selling prisoner ian stewart is arrested for murdering his wife, diane. have you got nothing better to do than make things up? we can discuss this at thorpe wood police station. she died back in 2010, and stewart was able to to fool medical professionals by suggesting she died during the course of an epileptic fit. because he went undetected, he then went on to murder another woman in 2016. the body of his fiancee, the author helen bailey, was discovered in a cesspit. it was this crime that made

detectives re—examine diane stewart's death here in bassingbourne. ian stewart said that he went to the supermarket and when he returned to the family home here, he said he found his wife had collapsed in the garden. tell me exactly what's happened. my wife has had a fit. ithink... in this 999 call, he describes finding his wife not breathing and unresponsive. he's told to try and resuscitate her. one, two... diane stewart took regular medication for epilepsy and hadn't had a fit for nearly 20 years. her body was cremated but she donated her brain to medical research. years later, that brain tissue would become crucial evidence in this trial, with some scientists suggesting her death was caused by prolonged restriction of her breathing from an outside source. without that, we wouldn't have been able to secure a conviction and, yes, i was very pleased that we were able to take that away and do further examination.

in police interviews, ian stewart refused to answer any questions about his wife's death. the court heard he inherited £96,000 from diane stewart's estate, and two years later he met author helen bailey on a bereavement website. they planned to get married but, in 2016, he secretly drugged her, suffocated her, dumped her body in a pit below their garage in a plot to inherit her fortune. ian stewart has been described as manipulating, controlling and a narcissist, a man who we now know was a danger to the women he formed relationships with. jo black, bbc news. the rspca has seized two cats belonging to the west ham footabller kurt zouma after footage was posted on social media yesterday of him kicking and slapping one of them. the player has been fined two weeks' wages by his club and has been dropped by adidas.

one of west ham's sponsors have now suspended their sponsorship of the club. 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. fans in the london stadium made their feelings known from the moment kurt zouma touched the ball last night. booing. but with the defender playing, west ham won the match and kept a clean sheet. i'm a human being and i'm 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, 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. the player has since apologised.

last night is far from the first time that football's moral compass has been tested. west ham today says that kurt zouma has been fined the maximum amount they can, that's two weeks' wages and the money has been given to animal charities. they also say that he is fully cooperating with the rspca, who now have his two cats. but that's not enough for some. zouma has been dropped by his personal oot sponsor, adidas, —— zouma has been dropped by his personal boot sponsor, adidas, and the health insurance firm vitality says it is hugely disappointed by the judgment shown by west ham and it has suspended sponsorship of the club with immediate effect. footballers are commodities that can be bought and sold. therefore that has to be taken into consideration. ultimately, this is a non—football matter and if kurt zouma was a lorry driver or a carpet fitter or an architect, we wouldn't be having this conversation. the french international learned swiftly that this is a nation of animal lovers. 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." it seems west ham fans agree. everyone expected him not to be in the team, in the squad, the stadium for last night's game. when the starting xi was announced an hour before the game and he was there, there was a lot of shock. it brings the club into more disrepute. essex police says it is investigating and working with the rspca. zouma's cats have been taken to the vets and will remain in rspca care while the investigation continues. natalie pirks, bbc news. the charity commission is looking into the accounts of the foundation set up by the family of the ww2 veteran sir captain tom. accounts published by the captain tom foundation show that in its first year it spent more than £200,000 on running costs a nd co nsulta nts. it gave out £160,000

to charities in grants. the commission started looking into the foundation almost a year ago. the foundation says it's working closely with the regulator, and welcomes its input. the mayor of london, sadiq khan, has cast further doubt on the future of the metropolitan police commissioner, dame cressida dick, saying she has "days and weeks" to show him she can tackle problems with the culture of the force, and restore public trust in it. mr khan's comments follow a damning report which found there was evidence of racism, sexism and misogyny at charing cross police station in london. the met apologised, but nine of the 12 officers involved in sending offensive messages, remain on the force. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports. it has been nearly a year, the devastating murder of sarah everard by a serving police officer was a crisis for the met. irate by a serving police officer was a crisis for the met.— crisis for the met. we have been rocked. week _

crisis for the met. we have been rocked. week after _ crisis for the met. we have been rocked. week after week, - crisis for the met. we have been - rocked. week after week, accusation after accusation, _ rocked. week after week, accusation after accusation, a _ rocked. week after week, accusation after accusation, a picture _ rocked. week after week, accusation after accusation, a picture emerged l after accusation, a picture emerged of a police force with a culture problem, headed by a commissioner simply cannot fix it. now the mayor of london has ramped up the pressure. mr; of london has ramped up the pressure-— of london has ramped up the ressure. g , ., , ., pressure. my expectation is that the next time i pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see _ pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see her _ pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see her i _ pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see her i will— pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see her i will see - pressure. my expectation is that the next time i see her i will see what i next time i see her i will see what her responses to the examples not of one officer, of 1a officers being involved in racist, sexist, under such an estate, homophobic, anti—semitic, islamophobic and like behaviour, and secondly, what her plans are to win back the trust and confidence that has been locked and shuttered as a consequence. appalling behaviour recently revealed that charing cross police station appears to have pushed the mayor into demanding quicker change. he wants answers, he said that, the next time he sees the commissioner. he and here they are feeling the pressure. i'm told there was a meeting last week between dame cressida dick and the mayor of london.

the met�*s plans for a review were discussed. sadik khan's reaction? "we can't wait for your review. we need urgent, wide—ranging action." but can change happen in weeks? the met�*s review will take all year. perhaps it starts with mid—ranking officers. leroy logan used to be won and says it is about dealing with toxic attitudes openly expressed. they put it on social media, whatsapp groups, and it spread, it has been picked up. i'm not hearing supervisors coming out and saying, "we caught this person, we dealt with them." "we caught this person, we dealt with them-"— "we caught this person, we dealt with them." ., , , ., , with them." the commissioner is the ethical leader — with them." the commissioner is the ethical leader of _ with them." the commissioner is the ethical leader of the _ with them." the commissioner is the ethical leader of the force, _ ethical leader of the force, appointed by the home secretary, but if the mayor no longer backed her, she would almost certainly have to go. the time is 18:15. our top story this evening... the self—isolation rules for anyone with covid could be scrapped completely in england by the end of this month. and still to come... why some british families are having to cancel trips to spain

because their children aren't double jabbed. coming up in sportsday on the bbc news channel, chelsea are on the hunt for another trophy. the champions league winners are in abu dhabi for the club world cup semifinal, but without their manager. we'll tell you how they got on. the search for a safe and sustainable energy supply for the world is a big step closer, thanks to scientists in a british laboratory who have smashed the record for generating energy from a nuclearfusion reaction. fusion energy is what powers the sun and the stars. but it's incredibly difficult to recreate on earth. now researchers at a lab in oxfordshire have had a major breakthrough, producing fusion energy at a scale and for a duration not seen before. it could eventually lead to a cleaner

source of energy that would help protect the planet forfuture generations. our climate editor, justin rowlatt reports two, one, zero. this is the record—breaking reaction. it is more than 150 million degrees 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, says the team here, a landmark for this 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 there 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 reactors use fission. that's when big, unstable atoms like uranium are split in two, the reaction releases lots of energy and radiation. fusion is different. it involves forcing two atoms of hydrogen together, fusing them to create

one atom of helium. once again you get 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. that is because the hydrogen fuel fusion uses is so readily available. the key part of this reaction only lasts for five seconds and only generated enough powerfor 60 kettles but it is an important proof that scientists are on the right track. there is still lots of work to do and this woman is one of a new generation of phycisists plan to do it at a scaled—up version version of the uk reactor being built here in the south of france.

do you think you'll see commercial fusion in your lifetime? yes, i am confident — i want to believe in it. so answer me this, 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 means we have got to keep working on it. justin rowlatt, bbc news, oxfordshire. russia's ian ambassador has told the bbc he still believes diplomacy can help de—escalate the crisis over ukraine. there is talk about the minsk agreement is being used to defuse tensions. the foreign

secretary will fly to moscow for talks with the kremlin tomorrow. 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. while entry rules for some destinations are starting to ease, 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 till the 1st of feb in case anything changed. but yeah, unfortunately, we had to pull the plug. ben is far from alone.

good afternoon... 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 their 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. so when we talk about christmas, when we talk about february, talking about nearly 30% of the business. so that means that this loss could be nearly 1000 million euros

if we do not take the tough measures out. from friday, it'll get a lot easier to come into the uk. fully—vaccinated travellers no longer 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 12 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 mother of an autistic teenager with terminal kidney disease is fighting in court for his right to a lifesaving transplant. ami mclennan is desperately searching for a kidney donorfor her son william, but his hospital believes

such an opertion would not be in his best interests. a judge in the court of protection will now decide his treatment but time is running out, as jayne mccubbin reports. this is the pain of a mother fighting for her son's life. and this is her son, william. he is 17 and he is facing a race against time to survive. how urgent is this? it's life and death, it's as urgent as it gets, really. it's now or never. in william's bedroom there are teddy bears which help him understand the dialysis he has to have four days a week. he is autistic with learning disabilities and a rare kidney disorder. his dialysis will soon have to stop because his veins can't withstand it for much longer. so you believe a transplant is...? his only option. but the hospital disagrees? i just think they're wrong. ijust think, give him a chance. just give him a chance.

he deserves that, if anything. this is the hospital now at the centre of a court battle to decide exactly what will happen to william. medics here at manchester children's hospital say a transplant isn't in william's best interests. they believe it has a slim chance of success and, what's more, his autism means he is left likely to be able to cope with the complicated procedures and the tubes and the recovery time involved in such an operation. and they fear his disorder could simply recur even with a new kidney. and so the court of protection will now decide what should happen. the bbc helped to lift reporting restrictions so amy can share her son's story, so they can start to search for a donor if the court decides william can have a transplant. ijust need somebody to come forward to give him a chance at a kidney, because we can't give him that. due to medical conditions, it takes him a long time to get used to treatment and stuff,

but he's proved them all wrong. with everything that happened, he's done it, it'sjust took him longer than, like, an average child. and i don't think having autism should carry a death sentence. they say there is only a slim chance of this working. but if there was a 10% chance, i would still say go with it, because he deserves it. nobody wants to watch their child die. the hospital say they recognise this is a very difficult time for the family, but this is a complex decision. the court will make a final ruling at the end of this month. please, please, if you can help, help, because hejust deserves a chance, really. jayne mccubbin, bbc news. great britain's hopes of winning the first medal at the winter olympics have been dashed after charlotte bankes was eliminated at the quarter final 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's 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's going to do this. by the slenderest of margins, 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. the winner, though, was some story. remember this back in 2006? this is a lap of honour for lindsey jacobellis. the american's... 0h! drama!

jacobellis is down. well, some 16 years after throwing the gold away, lindsey jacobellis had her redemption. victory at last for the american. finally, she said, it all came together. taking historic gold. meanwhile, it's emerged the medals for monday's team figure skating, which was won by the russian olympic committee, still haven't been presented. the ioc are not giving details yet as to why, saying only that it's a legal issue. andy swiss, bbc news, beijing. time for a look at the weather. here's matt taylor. they could have actual real snow in beijing this weekend. that would be a turn—up for the winter olympics! more snow in scottish mountains. this area of low pressure will swing its way and later tonight and more particularly into tomorrow, crossing

scotland, not having major impact elsewhere. tonight we will see rain with mild conditions across the south. frost and icy conditions around as the wintry showers continue. into scotland in the morning the wind will ramp up. blowing around in the mountains and in the rush—hour wins will be 60, maybe 70 miles an hour. for the rest of us tomorrow morning, a scattering of us tomorrow morning, a scattering of showers for england and northern ireland. a fine afternoon to come with good, long sunny spells. showers continue in the north. the wind blowing around the snow where the strongest winds will be in the afternoon. with a blustery wind across the country it will feel colder. the wind in the north and east will feel sub tomorrow afternoon. the rain, sleet and snow will clip the east of england.

tomorrow is the coldest night of the week and the coldest commute. a widespread frost to get friday under way. a lovely winter's day on friday. plenty of sunshine around. one or two isolated wintry showers. most places will stay dry. temperatures near to where they should be for february. strong went across the country and rain at times. try on saturday in the south—east. —— the driest place on saturday. a reminder of our top story... seh self isolation rules for anyone with covid could be scrapped from the end of the month.

hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm gavin ramjaun. team gb were banking on a first medal at the beijing games, but charlotte bankes failed to reach the final in the snowboard cross. ijust i just wanted to ijust wanted to do my best today, but yes, it didn't go my way, and... yeah. lando norris strikes a long term deal with stay with mclaren as he plots success for next season. and chelsea missing their manager thomas tuchel i treated it club world cup final. —— are through to the club world cup final. also coming up in the programme... e—sports at the commonweath games — we explore plans for gaming to feature at this summer's games in birmingham.