the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk's largest police force after the resignation of dame cressida dick. campaigners have welcomed her decision to stand down and say now is the time for change. what we will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power. this lunchtime, the home secretary has said people across the country must have confidence in the integrity of police officers. we'll have the latest. also on the programme... better than expected — the uk economy rebounded from the pandemic last year, growing by 7_5%_ but warnings remain about rising inflation. as the government says it wants more

disabled people in work over the next five years, we hear about some of the barriers to employment. questions in beijing, as it's confirmed the 15—year—old russian figure skating sensation failed a drugs test before the winter olympics. we can all feel scared sometimes, just like our little owl friend, plop. and we have a sneak preview of the first royal reading of the cbeebies bedtime story. coming up on bbc news channel, britain's women's curling team struggle in beijing after a second defeat in three. they lost to south korea earlier today.

good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one. the search is under way to find a replacement for britain's top police officer, after dame cressida dick announced her resignation from the metropolitan police service last night. the home secretary priti patel said in the last hour that the public across the country must have confidence in the integrity of police officers, and that the new leader must tackle institutional issues of culture and conduct. dame cressida said she'd been left with "no choice" but to go, once the mayor of london sadiq khan made it clear he had no confidence in her leadership. our home affairs correspondent daniel sandford reports. arriving for work at new scotland yard this morning, the most senior police officer in the uk, who has now been forced out of the job. cressida dick made the decision to quit yesterday. cressida dick made the decision to quit yesterday-— quit yesterday. careful, careful. feefinu quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she _ quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had _ quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been _ quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been put - quit yesterday. careful, careful. feeling she had been put in - quit yesterday. careful, careful.

feeling she had been put in an. feeling she had been put in an impossible position by the london mayor, sadiq khan. some of the crises and controversies that led to her departure date back decades. a report into the murder of daniel morgan in 1987 was published last year and said the force had been institutionally corrupt. failure is the force made while investigating the force made while investigating the serial killer stephen port back in 2014 led to allegations last year of entities —— institutional homophobia. the inappropriate conduct of a group of officers at charing cross police station in 2018 led to whatsapp messages being published last week showing racist and homophobic attitudes and offices joking about rate. but by far the most damaging was the murder of sarah everard by a serving met police officer. and the handling of a protest afterwards that hugely undermined confidence in the force. cressida dick is regarded by many officers as the most talented of her generation, but being the face of the force in such a crisis meant she was personally criticised, two and

she sometimes failed to communicate what she was doing to fix the problems. it what she was doing to fix the problem-— what she was doing to fix the roblems. . , . , u, what she was doing to fix the roblems. . , . , ,. ., problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who _ problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has _ problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given - problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given 40 - problems. it was a very sad end to somebody who has given 40 years j problems. it was a very sad end to i somebody who has given 40 years of very distinguished police service to the public of london and indeed, to the public of london and indeed, to the public of the country. her departure will make, or will not make, the world a safer place, it will destabilise the met and frankly, she has been dealt with in a very unprofessional, rude fashion. what did for cressida dick in the end was concerns about the culture in some sections of the police, so her successor will have to have strong ideas for reform.- her successor will have to have strong ideas for reform. what we will be looking _ strong ideas for reform. what we will be looking for, _ strong ideas for reform. what we will be looking for, those - strong ideas for reform. what we will be looking for, those of- strong ideas for reform. what we will be looking for, those of us i strong ideas for reform. what we l will be looking for, those of us who are pushing for reform, is somebody who has a history of speaking truth to power, somebody who is able to bring people to the table, somebody who can show that they have been at the forefront of these matters. the successor will _ the forefront of these matters. the successor will be chosen by the home

secretary in consultation with the london mayor stop doubtless, the prime minister will also have a view. today, priti patel said it is clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence. daniel sandford, bbc news. our political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. this is a search for a senior police officer at a very complicated time in politics. officer at a very complicated time in olitics. , ~ ., , in politics. yes, i think that is fair to in politics. yes, i think that is fairto say- — in politics. yes, i think that is fair to say. those _ in politics. yes, i think that is fair to say. those close - in politics. yes, i think that is fair to say. those close to - in politics. yes, i think that is | fair to say. those close to priti patel have declared themselves astounded at the manner of cressida dick's resignation. they feel blindsided by the mayor of london. but despite those tensions, sadiq khan and priti patel seem in principle to what the same thing. she says as we heard from daniel that she wants strong new leadership and also the culture of policing to be scrutinised. sadiq khan would agree with that. but the process of finding a replacement is politically charged because although it is technically a home office appointment because the met has

national responsibilities, too, nonetheless, sadiq khan has made it very clear that if he does not have confidence in the successor, quite simply, it will be impossible for them to do theirjob and over the next few weeks, the met has to take the hugely sensitive decision as to whether the prime minister and his close colleagues broke lockdown laws, something which could be career ending potentially for boris johnson. it is not yet clear whether it will be cressida dick in her last few weeks of the job that will take those decisions or whether this will be a hot potato for her potential successor. but the liberal democrats are calling on borisjohnson to make it very clear that he will play no part in the process while he is under investigation. technically, he does not play any part in it but it is widely thought around whitehall that it was he who had approved the extension to cressida dick's tenure at the metropolitan police in the first place and i think he will be priced consistently to answer whether he will have any role in choosing her successor.- whether he will have any role in choosing her successor. thank you for “oininu choosing her successor. thank you

forjoining us- _ the uk economy continued to rebound from the pandemic last year, growing by 7.5% in total, despite a slight dip in december caused by the omicron variant. the chancellor rishi sunak has welcomed the latest figures, which follow a dramatic collapse in the economy of 9.4% in 2020 because of coronavirus. but economists are warning that inflation will continue to rise in the coming months, affecting people's spending power. here's our economics correspondent andy verity. in sutton in ashfield in nottinghamshire, at this maker of precision components for the likes of rolls—royce and bentley, business has bounced back rapidly, just as it has bounced back rapidly, just as it has in the wider economy, up by 7.5% last year, the fastest growth in more than 80 years. it is the opposite problem to the stillness of the first lockdown. plenty of work but a struggle getting the staff to do it. the cost of raw materials threatens to wipe out profits.

profit margins obviously were affected in terms of rises in supply and material costs, etc, and driving efficiencies for us was really important in 2021 and will continue to be even more important as we move forward into 2022.— forward into 2022. although growth was faster than _ forward into 2022. although growth was faster than expected, - forward into 2022. although growth was faster than expected, the - was faster than expected, the economy was still 0.4% smaller than two years before, and as omicron struck in december, it shrunk by 0.2%. struck in december, it shrunk by 0.296. ., , , ., struck in december, it shrunk by 0.296. ., ,, ., ., 0.296. today's figures show that des - ite 0.296. today's figures show that despite omicron, _ 0.296. today's figures show that despite omicron, the _ 0.296. today's figures show that despite omicron, the economy. 0.296. today's figures show that i despite omicron, the economy was remarkably resilient. we were the fastest—growing economy in the g7 last year and are forecast to continue being the fastest growing economy this year so it shows our plans for the economy are working. the office for national statistics cast doubt on government claims we are the best performing economy in the g7 group of advanced industrialised countries, whose leaders met in cornwall in the summer. our bungeejumping economy fell faster in 2020 than other countries and has therefore bounced back faster but compared to before the pandemic, we are not top but middling, and consumers are going to

have less spare cash to spend spend, april. have less spare cash to spend spend, aril. ., , . have less spare cash to spend spend, aril. .,, ., ., have less spare cash to spend spend, aril. ., ., , april. people are facing a triple whammy of _ april. people are facing a triple whammy of rising _ april. people are facing a triple whammy of rising prices, - april. people are facing a triple whammy of rising prices, and l april. people are facing a triple | whammy of rising prices, and in particular— whammy of rising prices, and in particular energy prices. tory tax rises _ particular energy prices. tory tax rises thai— particular energy prices. tory tax rises that are being imposed on the economy— rises that are being imposed on the economy at— rises that are being imposed on the economy at the worst possible time and declining real wages. and all of these _ and declining real wages. and all of these things are coming together to enforce _ these things are coming together to enforce a _ these things are coming together to enforce a squeeze on household incomes. — enforce a squeeze on household incomes, the like of which we haven'i— incomes, the like of which we haven't seen for some decades. most economists are _ haven't seen for some decades. most economists are now— haven't seen for some decades. iu’irrst economists are now forecasting the economy will grow only slowly this year as consumers cut back on spending that is not essential. if surging demand for goods and services bumps up against the maximum work firms can take on, then inflation, now at a 30 year high, is likely to get even higher. andy verity, bbc news. let's speak to our economics editor faisal islam. that is the point, isn't it? good news about a rebound but really, what does the future hold? yes.

news about a rebound but really, what does the future hold? yes, on any normal — what does the future hold? yes, on any normal scale, _ what does the future hold? yes, on any normal scale, this _ what does the future hold? yes, on any normal scale, this number, - what does the future hold? yes, on i any normal scale, this number, 7.5%, would be a boomtime number but that each —— but save your bunting for the jubilee because each —— but save your bunting for thejubilee because this is a rebound from 2020 when we were the poorest performing economy in the g7 and now we are the fastest—growing one. so those arguments of the politicians about where that leaves us, in the middle, net, we looked the future, and the good news is the recovery is ongoing but the omicron variant of covid had only a minor impact on the economy but there is a cloud of rising prices, rising taxes, rising mortgage costs, too. and some big decisions for the government. we heard from the bank of england governor last week, saying that people in the private sector, workers might not ask for such big pay rises as implied by the high rate of inflation. the chancellor did not back those words. i asked him about his decisions about public sector workers, too, would they get 7%? he said, it is a

balancing act and it is down to independent pay review bodies that have a very difficultjob now inflation is so high, in setting the wages of important public sector workers. . ~ wages of important public sector workers. ., ,, , ., ., wages of important public sector workers. . ~' , ., ., ., wages of important public sector workers. ., ,, ., ., , the government wants to see one million more disabled people in work in the next five years — but the disability employment gap remains stubbornly wide. only about 50% of disabled people are in employment, compared to just over 80% of non—disabled people. employers and businesses say they want to attract, retain and promote more disabled people. our correspondent nikki fox has been to meet two people trying to find work. my biggest fear is that i could go throughout my life never working, and that really, really frightens me. amrit is blind but has a degree and a postgraduate diploma in psychology and counselling. when her children started secondary school, she started looking for work. it has been five years and she has still not got a job.

she has even struggled to get voluntary work. i was told that the office was not suitable for me as a blind person, that they wouldn't be able to accommodate a desk for me and it wouldn't be safe. the difference between the number of disabled people in work compared to non—disabled people is what is known as the disability employment gap. although it has slightly narrowed in the last few years, experts say this is in most part down to the fact that more people already in work are identifying themselves as disabled. turn around, go on, katherine, turn around, look at that, look at that. katherine loves volunteering in her local charity shop. she worked for a major supermarket for 25 years but was made redundant. is this the kind of thing that you do, katherine? i do, putting things in the right sizes. how much do you love this particularjob here? i know you are volunteering. i like it. would you like this kind

ofjob to be like your full—time job, i suppose? yes, i would like to have it full—time. yes. so, there's your labels. for people with learning disabilities like katherine, the rate of employment in england is just over 5%, and that has gone down over the last decade. do you want me to come in with you or can you do it on your own? you can come in. katherine is being supported by a local organisation. they work with employers to try to overcome negative attitudes and some of the many barriers disabled people face. there's a job there for you, jeff. you know, you apply for a job and it's like, you have got to apply online and often people with learning disabilities, that's going to be a barrier to them. thank you so much. you do see that there can be a lack of support, a lack of empathy with some employers, and that is really sad because you just think, oh, if only they could just... help that little bit. katherine, what would be your dream? just get a good job and hopefully get a great good job. many felt the government's disability strategy was not

the transformative plan it was promised to be and employment is just one part of it. the government says reducing the disability employment gap is a huge priority, along with improving the access to work scheme and meeting their targets of getting 1 million more disabled people in work by 2027. good morning, sir. have you got a cv there for me? yes, i have. for katherine, her priority is getting that break so that she can go back to doing what she loves. yes. working. ok, thank you. nikki fox, bbc news. the labour mp neil coyle has had the party whip suspended, following allegations that he made racist comments to a journalist on the parliamentary estate. mr coyle said he was "very sorry" for his "insensitive comments", which politics reporter henry dyer said made him feel uncomfortable in his place of work. remaining covid laws in wales — including face coverings and self—isolation — could be scrapped by the end of march. the welsh government also says covid pass rules will be

axed from february 18th. our wales correspondent hywel griffith is in cardiff. whatmore has been said? the welsh government — whatmore has been said? the welsh government is _ whatmore has been said? the welsh government is sticking _ government is sticking to its ultra—cautious approach in terms of relaxing restrictions, certainly not in any rush, regardless of what happens in other parts of the uk. the covid pass scheme will stay in place for another week which means people going to tomorrow's big rugby international between wales and scotland will still need to show their covid pass. at the end of february, the facemask rules will relax but it won't be until the end of much that you no longer need a face covering to go into a shop or on public transport. in terms of self isolation, regardless of what borisjohnson may or may not do in england, the welsh government says that, for now, is a rule that needs to remain in place and so somebody who tests positive in wales will keep on having to self—isolate for

at least five days. we have seen over the course of the last two years different nations moving at different paces but there is a political dynamic to this as well, and so the welsh economy minister, vaughan gethin, was highly critical of what he called borisjohnson's surprise announcement this week, arguing there is no real scientific basis to it and the welsh government would look at the science first before deciding on any change to self isolation. thank you for joining us. spain is dropping its entry requirement for children over 12 from non—eu countries to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus. from monday, they'll be allowed to enter as long as they have a negative pcr test. it comes as many families had cancelled half—term trips because their children weren't fully vaccinated. our business correspondent ramzan karmali is here. what's the background to this change, then? up upfiu up till now, if you were going to spain under over the age of 12, you had to show you been double jabbed.

from monday, if you are thinking of going and you're going with someone between the ages of 12 and 17 you will not have to be double jabbed but you will have to show a negative pcr test within 72 hours of arriving in spain and for the under 12 is, —— apartfrom in spain and for the under 12 is, —— apart from the enterprise, everyone has to show proof of being fully vaccinated within 14 days of arriving in spain. if you've had yourjob over 270 days ago, you will have to show proof of a boosterjab, gets more complicated, you have to show a qr code to the authorities by filling out a spanish health control form. still some hurdles to achieve before you are allowed into the country but this makes things easier but for some hoteliers we spoke to on the spanish islands, this may have come to light, they say they have come to light, they say they have lost millions of pounds in trade just from these cancelled have term bookings. add to that, the industry body here saying hundreds of thousands of people are getting away for winter sun breaks and ski breaks at half term.—

our top story this lunchtime... the search is on to find a new commissionerfor the uk's largest police force after the resignation of dame cressida dick. and the lost lego still washing up on the shores of cornwall decades after a container ship hit a storm coming up on the bbc news channel, shaun white brings down the curtain on an incredible snowboarding career. the us legend finishes outside the medal spots in beijing after taking part in the half pipe. he said he was proud of his legacy. it's been confirmed that the 15—year—old russian figure skater, kamila valieva, who helped her team win winter olympic gold in beijing, failed a drugs test in december. but the positive test result wasn't reported until the day after her medal winning performance. laura scott reports from the games.

with the eyes of the world on her, 15—year—old kamila valieva cast a disconsolate figure on the ice as she prepared for an event she might not be able to compete in. and then shielded herself as she walked past the press alone following confirmation she tested positive for a banned drug. such cases are not helpful to the games, these cases need to be prosecuted properly and taken care of properly and due process needs to be gone through. otherwise i think the confidence of people will be even less. ordinarily, someone as young as valieva would not have been named in a doping case but the international testing agency explained there was a need for official information, given the heightened level of public interest in this matter and the immense speculation that's been swirling around beijing. this has now engulfed the games. but how did we get here? on christmas day, valieva was drugs tested during the russian figure skating championships in st petersburg. on monday here in beijing she helped

the russian olympic committee win gold in the figure skating team event, making olympic history with her routine. the following day, the medals should have been awarded but a swedish laboratory announced her sample from december had come back positive for a banned substance and she was provisionally suspended by the russian anti—doping agency. then on wednesday, she successfully challenged that and her suspension was lifted. but that decision is now being appealed by several organisations through the court of arbitration for sport. they need a result quickly because valieva is due to be competing again on tuesday as the favourite for gold. it's the chain of events but again, ultimately, you just feel so sad for the athlete because i cannot in my heart want to think she knew what was going on. another olympics, another doping controversy involving russia. all at a time when the country is serving a two—year ban for a state—sponsored doping programme. at the heart of it, one

of the youngest and most talented athletes of the whole olympics. laura scott, bbc news, beijing. the defence secretary ben wallace is meeting his russian counterpart in moscow, as part of diplomatic efforts to lower tensions on ukraine's border. meanwhile, the us presidentjoe biden has called on all american citizens to leave the country, and warned that he won't send troops to rescue them if russia invades. moscow denies that it's planning an invasion, despite sending about 100,000 troops to the region. our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. a moment of ceremony before yet another round of negotiations. ben wallace, the first defence secretary to visit moscow in 21 years, paying respects at the tomb of the unknown soldier. britain among a host of countries warning that war over ukraine would come at a terrible cost. no sign of de—escalation yet. if anything, the reverse.

satellite images from this week showing the extent of russia's build—up. in crimea, western russia and belarus. washington saying, again, that the danger is real and imminent. as we said before, we are in a window when an invasion could begin at any time. and to be clear, that includes during the olympics. across eastern europe, more gestures of support for anxious allies, 350 royal marines arriving in poland yesterday, not a permanent deployment but part of an effort by nato to reassure its members. the prime minister in warsaw is still urging russia to end its coercive behaviour. poland and the uk won't accept a world in which a powerful neighbour can bully or attack their neighbours. russia says it has no plans or desire to attack. more ships arriving in the crimean port of sebastopol all part, it says, of naval drills.

for ukraine, the spectacle of russian military might to the south, north and east feels anything but normal. kyiv still doesn't feel like a city in moscow's crosshairs but it is feeling the pressure. the president yesterday called it psychological, his foreign minister said the kremlin's demands feel like a loaded pistol placed on the table. president biden has told americans to leave ukraine, warning in his words, that things could get crazy. the government here says that doesn't mean anything has changed. pauladams, bbc news, kyiv. australia has listed the koala as an endangered species in eastern parts of the country. climate change, land clearing and disease means the once thriving animal has seen a dramatic fall in numbers. the species was only listed as vulnerable in 2012, with the wwf calling it a "shockingly fast decline for one of the world's most iconic animals."

a 5,000—year—old chalk sculpture of a talisman's drum has been hailed as one of the most significant ancient discoveries in the uk. the sculpture was found in an ancient grave of three children in east yorkshire. it is only the fourth of its kind known to have survived. curators say analysing the carvings will help decipher beliefs from the stonehenge era. it will go on display at the british museum next week. 25 years ago this weekend, a storm off the cornish coast swept dozens of containers from a cargo ship. inside, were five million pieces of lego — and even now, pieces are still washing up on the shore. our correspondent andrew plant has been to meet a woman who's been collecting them — while piecing together a fuller understanding of discarded

plastic in our oceans. when did you find your first piece? it was back in �*97, so we started noticing the lego coming in, and it was mainly sea—themed pieces, so flippers and scuba tanks and little life jackets, and the occasional octopus or a black dragon. tracey williams can spot a piece of lego where others just see seaweed and sand. the pieces that wash up here tell a story that has been unfolding in wave after wave for the past 25 years. one piece became thousands. flippers, boats, even sea rocks, that were then colonised before washing ashore. some are common. this is the rarest. tracey has seen just two green dragons in 25 years. so there were over 33,000

dragons on the ship. and presumably, you have found most of the pieces along the shoreline yourself but you have never found one of these? i have neverfound a green dragon. tell me about the green dragon. so back in �*97, our next—door neighbourfound one of the green dragons. the next week, a beach cleaner here in north cornwall found one. and that's it. so the green dragon... 25 years ago, this ship lost 62 containers 20 miles off the coast. one was full of 5—million pieces of lego. where it washes up now has told scientists much about the ocean currents but also about how plastic in our oceans can last, notjust for decades but hundreds of years. so all of these bits here that are less than half a centimetre are considered a micro—plastic and eventually, these will break up into smaller and smaller pieces and become nano—plastic. we have no way of measuring how much is out there in the oceans and how much is coming in on every single

tide but if you ask anyone that looks at the beaches and looks at the micro—plastics, they will tell you just how many thousands of bits there are. there is now a worldwide community using social media to map new finds. tracey has even written a book of what has been washed up. finding that first lego brick, the start of her piecing together how plastic stays in our seas, and always hoping, in the seaweed somewhere, a green dragon will finally surface. andrew plant, bbc news, cornwall. there is some royal assistance available this weekend to help settle the children before bed. the duchess of cambridge is the latest person to read the cbeebies bedtime story and the first member of the royal family to do so. our royal correspondent, sarah campbell, has been giving some young fans a sneak preview. so we're going to watch a video

of the duchess of cambridge. it was one of the duchess's favourite books as a child, and she now reads it to her three children. wow, what an encouraging tale. we can all feel scared sometimes, just like our little owl friend, plop. the story of plop, the little owl who was afraid of the dark, has been enchanting children for decades. ..and plop in the middle. i love... i love the owl because he's called plop. i like this page. i like the fireworks. "hello," said the cat, "i wasjust going to go exploring. won't you come with me?" "i would like to, i think," said plop, "but i'm afraid of the dark." it's all about overcoming fears and growing emotionally — very much the theme of children's mental health week, and a lesson the staff at this london nursery agree is vital for youngsters. we're always trying to empowerthem here, that if they do have a problem, they need to speak about it and they need to approach the staff that we have here, their parents — even their peers —

speak about it and get help if they need it, which is what this book touches upon in a lot of detail. so plop is a great role model. plop is a great role model, yes. as mrs barn owl said, "it's better to find out about the things that scare us before we make up our mind." and with the help of others, we can often face things that worry us. her bedtime story was filmed in the garden at kensington palace. a royal edition to mark the 20th anniversary of cbeebies and cbbc. the book's illustrator couldn't be more delighted the duchess chose to tell plop's story. i think it's good for people to talk and not bottle things up, so i think she hit the nail on the head by the choice of the book, and the fact that she loved that story as a child herself and now she reads it to her own three children — i mean, it's brilliant. now it's time for bed. night—night. so tuck the children in, and settle down with the duchess on sunday evening. bedtime story music plays. sarah campbell, bbc news.

we are approaching time for a look at the weather. here's stav danaos. here's stav da naos. a lovely spring picture behind me, it's kew gardens this morning, plenty of sunshine overhead. it has been cold with a widespread frost, winds are light but it's all change into the weekend, turning wet and windy as well as milder. for the rest of the afternoon, it will stay dry for most of us, holding on to the sunshine. this is the responsible feature, an area of high pressure bringing cold, dry and sunny weather, this new area will bring wet and windy weather later. this afternoon, most places dry, the odd shower popping up across western areas ahead of this with a front

which arrives later in