good morning, welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. our headlines today. as russia faces continuing resistance in ukraine, president biden warns moscow any use of chemical weapons would trigger a response in kind by nato. ahead of a visit to poland today, he also announces a billion dollars in humanitarian aid for those caught up in the conflict. concern that more than a million people will be pushed into absolute poverty from april. with rising food and fuel prices, we hear from the charities calling on the government to do more to help tackle the rising cost of living. and we meet the teacher getting bedding to children whose families

can't afford to make sure they get a decent night's sleep. wonderful wales are just one step away now from their first world cup finals in over 60 years, and it's captain marvel gareth bale, who keeps their dream alive on an emotional night in cardiff. ajourney back in time injamaica for the duke and duchess of cambridge as they take in a trip in the same landrover used by the queen 60 years ago i will be on the top of broadcasting housein i will be on the top of broadcasting house in london at the start of a sunny and one day for most. signs of a change later in the weekend. details here on breakfast. good morning. it's friday, the 25th march. our top story. the us presidentjoe biden has warned that any use of chemical weapons in ukraine by vladimir putin, would trigger a response from nato. it comes as the alliance approves a major increase

of its forces in eastern europe following an emergency meeting in brussels yesterday. graham satchell has the very latest. an explosion in the occupied southern port of berdyansk. plumes of black smoke seen for miles around. the ukrainians say they destroyed a russian warship, the orsk. this was it three days ago. it has been playing a key role in boosting russian supply lines, carrying troops and hardware. its destruction more evident of fightback at sea and on land. there isn't much left of makariv, a town to the sarit of north—west of the capital kyiv. for weeks and weeks the russians have shelled it relentlessly. but, in a fierce battle, ukrainian forces have regained the town, pushing russian forces back. makariv was a key target for russia. the road from here runs straight to the capital. so, a question. is ukraine turning the tide in this work?

i think ukraine can certainly win. i don't think it's going to be easy. i think that the situation for the ukrainians is grim, miserable. i don't think we've seen anything like it for 80 years in europe, and what putin is doing is unconscionable. the american president, joe biden, will be in poland today. he will meet refugees who escaped from ukraine. at a series of meetings with nato and european allies, the president talked about unity, staying the course, and red lines. what would nato do if moscow uses chemical weapons? we would respond. we would respond if he uses it. the nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has again asked nato for more help, tanks and planes. but in an address posted overnight, he talked of peace and victory.

translation: the country must move towards peace, move forward. - with each day of our defence we are bringing the peace we need so much closer. we are bringing victory closer. because in this war, it is simply impossible for us not to win. the children's hospital in kyiv, and a lucky escape. when a missile struck their house, olga and her husband dymitro ran to cover their baby daughter victoria, protecting her from falling debris. as world leaders debate the course of this work, ordinary ukrainians are on the front protecting each other. graham satchell, bbc news. let's speak now to james waterhouse, our correspondent in kyiv. we will come under those comments from president biden in a moment. bring us up on what you are seeing and hearing where you are right now? so, it is a morning where the centre of kyiv—

so, it is a morning where the centre of kyiv this — so, it is a morning where the centre of kyiv this time is quiet most almost — of kyiv this time is quiet most almost every day we have had heavy artillery— almost every day we have had heavy artillery fire to the west. it is thought— artillery fire to the west. it is thought the way the ukrainians have fought— thought the way the ukrainians have fought back in that region, that hasn't — fought back in that region, that hasn't stopped russian forces from not only— hasn't stopped russian forces from not only encircling the city, but the chernihiv region for the nod. the city— the chernihiv region for the nod. the city of— the chernihiv region for the nod. the city of chernihiv further north is encircled~ — the city of chernihiv further north is encircled. it continues to be cut off after— is encircled. it continues to be cut off after the russians destroyed a bridge. _ off after the russians destroyed a bridge, we were told by the authorities. in mariupol the russiahs_ authorities. in mariupol the russians continue to make steady progress — russians continue to make steady progress on that city that has been surrounded for weeks, where tens of thousahds_ surrounded for weeks, where tens of thousands of people continue to be trapped~ _ thousands of people continue to be trapped. the authorities have had to leave _ trapped. the authorities have had to leave to _ trapped. the authorities have had to leave to run — trapped. the authorities have had to leave to run the city from further afield _ leave to run the city from further afield. humanitarian aid, according to the _ afield. humanitarian aid, according to the world health organization, is struggling to get in, adding to an increasingly desperate situation. and increasingly desperate situation. ahd atso— increasingly desperate situation. and also in that region, the united nations— and also in that region, the united nations has confirmed more cases of russiahs_ nations has confirmed more cases of russians being abducted and taken

hostage. _ russians being abducted and taken hostage, being forcibly removed from their families, hostage, being forcibly removed from theirfamilies, in hostage, being forcibly removed from their families, in occupied areas. so, very— their families, in occupied areas. so, very much a concerning development. but as ever, it varies in differeht— development. but as ever, it varies in different parts of the country. yes, _ in different parts of the country. yes. of— in different parts of the country. yes, of course. also, we heard overnight from president biden suggesting that if russia were to use any chemical weapons in ukraine, that would trigger a response by nato. how much of that are you hearing there? and is there a real fear across ukraine that russian tactics will change? it fear across ukraine that russian tactics will change?— tactics will change? it certainly adds to the _ tactics will change? it certainly adds to the eeriness _ tactics will change? it certainly adds to the eeriness of - tactics will change? it certainly adds to the eeriness of the - tactics will change? it certainly - adds to the eeriness of the silence, to be _ adds to the eeriness of the silence, to be honest with you. because we are, by— to be honest with you. because we are, by all— to be honest with you. because we are, by all accounts, to be honest with you. because we are, by allaccounts, in to be honest with you. because we are, by all accounts, in a second phase _ are, by all accounts, in a second phase of— are, by all accounts, in a second phase of this war. we are seeing, yes, _ phase of this war. we are seeing, yes, russia — phase of this war. we are seeing, yes, russia is continuing to press on mariupol because it is so strategically significant in their advance — strategically significant in their advance to try to get that land corridor— advance to try to get that land corridor to the south. but elsewhere, as the silence would

suggest. — elsewhere, as the silence would suggest, both forces are digging in. they are _ suggest, both forces are digging in. they are taking up defensive positions. russia is drawing in reinforcements against its plans. it is putting _ reinforcements against its plans. it is putting in its b team, it is thought. _ is putting in its b team, it is thought, by western officials. they have already resorted to longer range _ have already resorted to longer range artillery strikes. we have had reports _ range artillery strikes. we have had reports of— range artillery strikes. we have had reports of naval ships trying to target — reports of naval ships trying to target the area around the city of odesa _ target the area around the city of odesa ih — target the area around the city of odesa in the south, where missiles have treeh— odesa in the south, where missiles have been taken out of mid air, according — have been taken out of mid air, according to the authorities there. so we _ according to the authorities there. so we are — according to the authorities there. so we are already entering this phase — so we are already entering this phase of— so we are already entering this phase of both forces digging in and trying _ phase of both forces digging in and trying to— phase of both forces digging in and trying to take pot shots. but the worry— trying to take pot shots. but the worry is — trying to take pot shots. but the worry is that vladimir putin is showing — worry is that vladimir putin is showing no signs of letting up in this so—called special military operation. borisjohnson believes he does not _ operation. borisjohnson believes he does not have the appetite for peace 'ust does not have the appetite for peace just yet. _ does not have the appetite for peace just yet, which leads us to the question— just yet, which leads us to the question of what he is going to be willing _ question of what he is going to be willing to — question of what he is going to be willing to do to either achieve his goal, _ willing to do to either achieve his goal, which is not clear, or achieve something — goal, which is not clear, or achieve something that he can present to his

peopie _ something that he can present to his peopie as _ something that he can present to his people as some kind of win. the us is worried _ people as some kind of win. the us is worried that he is preparing chemicai— is worried that he is preparing chemical weapons. they were deployed in syria. _ chemical weapons. they were deployed in syria, where the russians backed government forces there. it has been a week— government forces there. it has been a week where the russians have been condemned _ a week where the russians have been condemned for ruling out the use of nuclear— condemned for ruling out the use of nuclear weapons. the russians said it it would _ nuclear weapons. the russians said it it would use it only in the most extreme — it it would use it only in the most extreme circumstances, if russia were _ extreme circumstances, if russia were under— extreme circumstances, if russia were under threat. it is the tightening of language that adds to the lack— tightening of language that adds to the lack of comfort caused by these now stuttering periods to this conflict — now stuttering periods to this conflict. but it does not make it any less — conflict. but it does not make it any less deadly for people. james. _ any less deadly for people. james, we are one month and one day on now. do you get a sense of who has got the upper hand, or does it out and flow each day? i has got the upper hand, or does it out and flow each day?— out and flow each day? i think it ebbs and flows, _ out and flow each day? i think it ebbs and flows, to _ out and flow each day? i think it ebbs and flows, to be _ out and flow each day? i think it ebbs and flows, to be honest. i out and flow each day? i think it i ebbs and flows, to be honest. we have _ ebbs and flows, to be honest. we have those — ebbs and flows, to be honest. we have those small waynes for australian —— ukrainian forces. a month— australian —— ukrainian forces. a month ago— australian —— ukrainian forces. a month ago we were told the russians were coming in a lightning

throughout, taking the capital city, toppling _ throughout, taking the capital city, toppling president zelensky... toppling president zelensky. .. peopie — toppling president zelensky... people were talking what sort of reception — people were talking what sort of reception they would get 20 russian forces _ reception they would get 20 russian forces wandered through the city. wouid _ forces wandered through the city. would they be imprisoned? want to be taken away? and yet here we are, it is quiet _ taken away? and yet here we are, it is quiet. there are pockets of normality _ is quiet. there are pockets of normality here. people continue to man military checkpoints, they continue — man military checkpoints, they continue to sign up to the territorial defence, who have already — territorial defence, who have already left, joining the people who have ireen— already left, joining the people who have been forced to leave their homes. — have been forced to leave their homes. or— have been forced to leave their homes, or have decided to stay. they are in— homes, or have decided to stay. they are in the _ homes, or have decided to stay. they are in the habit of going down to their— are in the habit of going down to their shelter. images where the ukrainian — their shelter. images where the ukrainian forces reportedly take territory — ukrainian forces reportedly take territory back are seen as a real boost _ territory back are seen as a real boost to — territory back are seen as a real boost to people. but i don't think anybody— boost to people. but i don't think anybody is — boost to people. but i don't think anybody is under any illusions that when _ anybody is under any illusions that when makariv was taken a few days a-o, when makariv was taken a few days ago. i— when makariv was taken a few days ago. i don't — when makariv was taken a few days ago, i don't think anybody is under any illusions that the russians will be back _ any illusions that the russians will be back. we are still talking about

a sizeabie — be back. we are still talking about a sizeable military power with far deeper— a sizeable military power with far deeper reserves. but ukraine is the defending _ deeper reserves. but ukraine is the defending force here. it is in a fortified — defending force here. it is in a fortified position. andrus has been found _ fortified position. andrus has been found wanting insert —— in terms of supply— found wanting insert —— in terms of supply issues, morale. so, ithink people— supply issues, morale. so, ithink peopie take — supply issues, morale. so, ithink people take what victories they can, but no _ people take what victories they can, but no one. — people take what victories they can, but no one, as long as this war drags— but no one, as long as this war drags on. — but no one, as long as this war drags on. is— but no one, as long as this war drags on, is going to be getting carried — drags on, is going to be getting carried away. thank you very much. james waterhouse in kyiv. ukrainian refugees escaping to the uk are facing difficulties getting visas under the government's homes for ukraine scheme, according to charities. mark and heather easton are trying to help the woman who acted as a surrogate to their baby daughter. they are locked in a bureaucratic battle to help her and her family come to the uk. phil mackie has been to meet them. in december, mark and heather easton arrived in kyiv to await the birth of their daughter, and to meet their surrogate, vita. by the time sophie was born injanuary, they knew a russian

invasion could be imminent. after a frantic few weeks, they got sophie an emergency passport, and they came home to rugby, less than a fortnight before the tanks rolled in. after eight years of trying, and six failed ivf treatments, mark and heather finally have the baby daughter they've longed for. now, they're desperate to help vita and her family escape the war. we just think she's wonderful. she gave us sophie. she basically saved me. i was in an immense amount of grief from infertility, and she has put a smile on my face, and we'rejust trying to save her, basically. she doesn't know anybody else really outside of ukraine. she's never been there, has she? she's never left ukraine. so, we're her lifeline to say, come here and we'll help you. when we said goodbye in ukraine to vita, i says to her, i says, "oh, this isn't goodbye", you know, just saying it like that, you know. this isn't goodbye.

we're always going to be friends, sort of thing. and here we are. that's going to go - outside the tumble dryer. there's a little shed built for it. the eastons are trying to raise money to help vita and her family when they get there, and there's already been a lot of generosity. steve walsh, who lives just five minutes away, has offered to host them in his ground floor flat. so, yes, it wasn't - meant for three people. however, needs must. vita, her husband, andrei, her son nazar, and their dog, muzzy, who wasn't interested in appearing on screen, are currently staying in a hotel in brussels, waiting for their paperwork. we managed to talk to her on a video call, with the help of a ukrainian translator, who i called on my phone. vita told us that her hometown is being bombed every day. that's why she decided to leave. she's grateful, and is really looking forward to coming here. yeah, it's really great to see you, vita, and nazar and andrei. and i presume muzzy is there somewhere.

we can't wait to have you, and hopefully, fingers crossed, a few more days or, come on, government, let you in. the eastons know that vita and her family are safe, but wish the government was speed the application process up. thank you very much. | thank you, thank you. bye — bye. bye. just frustrated with the government, basically that they're making them dot the is and cross the t's, and rather than just letting them come in and then process them here. i think they've been through enough. they don't need this to be dragged out. baby sophie doesn't realise yet how much drama has been packed into her first seven weeks. phil mackie, bbc news, rugby. we are going to talk to the transport secretary letter on about various things, but also about the kind of bureaucracy that at the moment is blocking people like evita

and herfamily coming to moment is blocking people like evita and her family coming to the moment is blocking people like evita and herfamily coming to the uk despite the fact they are matched with a british family.— with a british family. yes, details later. just approaching _ with a british family. yes, details later. just approaching 14 - with a british family. yes, details| later. just approaching 14 minutes later. just approaching ia minutes past six. let's get a look at the weather. matt is on the roof of broadcasting house. it was glorious yesterday. more of the same today? indeed we do. good morning. it is a little bit murky at the moment. pollution levels in england and wales high or very high. we will see improvement on that as we see the weekend out and go into next week. i think i have given the game away. for much of the uk once again it will be another dry, sunny and one day, with just one micro or two exceptions. plenty of sunshine from dawn to dusk. fairweather cloud. may be an isolated shower later. you can see on the charge to the far north and west of scotland there is more cloud. shetland can see some rain

later. cooler today, cloud. shetland can see some rain later. coolertoday, nine, 10 degrees. across england and wales we go to sea temperatures around 19 or 20 degrees. warmest conditions in the yorkshire area. a big contrast from dawn to dusk. through the night we have got temperatures dropping quite markedly once again. it is a bit chilly this morning. it will be chilly tomorrow morning. we go into the weekend with the frost possible in places. but for a saturday we do it all again. lots of sunshine around for a vast majority. fairweather cloud later. the north and west of scotland having low cloud, hugging the coast. a greater chance on saturday across eastern parts of northern ireland. saturday afternoon, breezy in the south. warmest conditions this time in western wales and the west of england. but a quick look at next week shows that temperatures will drop. this sunday into monday a big change on the way as the temperatures drop and we start to see a greater chance of a few

shares. back to both. we very nearly lost your face there but not quite. lucky you! thank you. with energy prices soaring, attention is being paid to renewable sources, and the government is considering plans to lower people's energy bills based on how close they live to an onshore wind farm. there are currentlyjust two turbines in the uk that give discounts, depending on wind speed in the local area. ministers are considering if the scheme could be expanded across the country. our political correspondent ione wells reports. to some, an eyesore on the landscape. to others, an urgent way to get cheaper renewable energy. but you don't see many of these in england at the moment. in 2015, planning regulations were tightened to make it almost impossible for new onshore wind turbines to be approved in england. now, the business secretary, kwasi kwarteng, along with some other ministers, are in favour of reviewing the rules to make it easier

for wind farms to be built — something labour has also called for. they've been controversial with some tory activists in the past, because of the impact on the landscape, and some cabinet ministers strongly oppose the idea. less controversial is the expansion of offshore wind. we were, until recently, the biggest producer of offshore wind in the world, and one of the things i want to be setting out in the forthcoming british energy security strategy is how we can regain our lead as the number one, and where we're going to be doing it. and i think you can do it in a completely environmentally friendly way. you can generate phenomenal quantities of renewable energy at zero marginal cost. but one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy is onshore wind. a government source said ministers are considering plans to bring the public with them in expanding onshore wind. one option on the table is a scheme to make energy bills cheaper, based on how close people live

to onshore wind farms. a government source said ministers would want to ensure communities are able to directly benefit from hosting renewable energy infrastructure. a similar scheme is currently run by the energy company, octopus. customers that live around five to ten kilometres away, in certain postcode areas, will get 20% off of their electricityjust for living close by to a wind turbine. and, as the wind speed really picks up — so it goes up to about ten metres a second, which is about 20 miles an hour — they could get as much as 50% of the electricity portion of their bill. there are two local wind turbines using this model so far, one in yorkshire, and one in caerphilly in wales. the bbc understands the government are very interested in seeing whether a similar scheme could be expanded across the country. ministers are expected to outline their plans for accelerating renewable energy next week. onshore wind is likely to remain a controversial topic among tory members.

but with energy bills spiralling, those in favour of it argue it could be a cheap way to ease the squeeze. ione wells, bbc news. almost all existing covid restrictions in wales will be relaxed from monday. the legal requirement to self—isolate and to wear face coverings in shops and on public transport, will be replaced by guidance — but will remain mandatory in health and social care settings. free lateral flow tests will continue for a further three—months. a legal loophole allowing drivers to avoid prosecution for taking a photo or playing a game on their phone, has been closed. from today, anyone caught using a hand—held device under most circumstances while driving, could face a fine of up to £1,000, as well as six points on their licence. britain's biggest dairy arla says the cost of milk is increasing like never before, and unless producers are paid more, then supplies could come under threat. the boss of the company, which represents more than 2000

farmers, said that supermarket milk prices need to rise by about a third to cover spiralling costs. the duke and duchess of cambridge have arrived in the bahamas on the last leg of their caribbean tour. yesterday, the couple bid farewell to jamaica on a visit which attracted crowds, as well as criticism, and saw prince william express his "profound sorrow" about slavery during a keynote speech. the couple have been completing the tour of the caribbean in honour of the queen's platinum jubilee. let's take a look at today's papers. the guardian leads onjoe biden's warning to russia that nato will be forced to respond, if vladimir putin uses chemical weapons in ukraine. there's also a picture of world leaders gathered together at the nato summit in brussels. "shame on you" is the headline in the daily mirror, which leads on the story of the p&0 boss confessing that the sackings of 800 workers were illegal.

peter hebblethwaite told mps the business had no viable alternative, and he would "make the decision again, i am afraid". the daily express focuses on the fallout from the spring statement, and features stories of people struggling with the cost—of—living crisis. the headline is, "why britain must act to end this despair". and "one's love" is the sun's headline, as it channels bob marley to report on the royal tour of the caribbean. it says the duke of cambridge shared quotes from the reggae legend during his visit to jamaica, and expressed his "profound sorrow" over slavery. two years on coronavirus may still be with us, but it's no longer overwhelming the nhs — it's now a backlog of operations that's the biggest challenge facing the health service. thousands of people have been waiting longer than they should for potentially life—saving treatment. alastair fee has followed one patient�*s journey.

at 77, ray is about to have life—changing surgery. i've been told i'll be a new man. i can't wait to meet him. he's been waiting many months for this day to come. not the sort of thing you normally look forward to, but i've had such a terrible life over the past year. i need to pick me up. i need a big pick me up. today, he's having two valves in his heart repaired and replaced. his surgeon is professor sunil ohri. it is a real concern for us. all we can do is manage the limited resource we have and try and give it to the most deserving patients at the right time. i first met ray at university hospital southampton five months ago. he was an urgent case back then. we'd all like to be put at the top of the list, but there's people more needy than what i am, so you have to wait your turn. that wait for surgery is what many patients have faced this winter, and it remains the biggest challenge

the nhs is facing. when i spoke to raymond ahead of his operation, he said he was very short of breath, and that had got steadily worse. this operation should make a huge difference to his quality of life. we know that the longer you wait, the worse your heart function becomes, and it slowlyjust sort of inexorably deteriorates in the background. and this is why he's been feeling worse over this period of time he's been waiting. this is the valve that we're predominantly interested in today. the recent strain on the nhs wasn't as bad as many feared, which is helping hospitals catch up on the huge backlog of planned care. my personal view is that if the country hadn't stepped up to become vaccinated, we wouldn't be here doing as much work as we are now. what we've done now is we've put the patient on the heart _ lung bypass machine, | and so the body is now totally supported. a partnership with hospitals in oxford and brighton this winter, has helped care for some of the most urgent cases. but still, around 180 people are

waiting for operations like ray's. when you say a number of 180, it sounds like a big number, but you have to remember that we're operating on something between 25 and 30 patients a week at the centre. so you can see what the turnaround, you know, or the turnover of patients is, it's quite a high volume centre. it's something we can, i think, get down to much more reasonable numbers in a fairly short order being, you know, six months, i think. that's gone very smoothly and it was nice and straightforward. this team is now back to full capacity, and will soon benefit from another theatre. it's fantastic, actually, to see these patients walk out the hospital and feeling much better already, and it is very rewarding. it's even more rewarding when you see them back in clinic, and they describe what they can now do, you know, compared to what they were able to do before the operation. i feel very privileged doing thisjob, really.

two weeks after his surgery, i caught up with ray at home. you're up and about. i've got more breath. up and down the stairs quite easily, quite easily. my appetite has improved. my general being has improved. it's incredible. it really is. looking back now over the months you waited, can you describe what that was like? i was wearing myself down. it was the anticipation of not knowing if or when i was going to be admitted. i had several phone calls from the hospital saying that, due to the covid, things had been set back a little bit. but they couldn't give any timescale whatsoever. so you just puddle on through life, waiting, waiting for the phone call or the letter. and finally, it arrived. in total, ray waited seven months for a procedure that both saved

and will now prolong his life. there's optimism across the nhs that many more operations are now taking place, but it will be many months before things return to anything like normal times. alastair fee, bbc news. all the headlines coming up. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm alison earle. it's feared a reduction in government funding and the cost of living crisis could undermine the recent fall in the number of homeless. the money given to local authorities for those struggling to pay rent and at risk of homelessness will reduce by 28% over the next year. cross—party group london councils has warned it could mean more people

going into temporary accommodation. a government spokesperson said "they're spending over £2 billion to tackle and prevent homelessness over the next three years." transport for london is looking to increase the number of shops and cafes across its network. it's one option it's exploring to increase revenue, which has fallen due to a drop in passenger numbers during the pandemic. commercial units make tfl around £70 million a year. they're now trying to fill unused spaces. we have several hundred of these commercial opportunities. there is quite a large market out there as well as we're finding as we're letting more of our units that we have brought back into use. we're finding actually there's quite a commercial demand a london fan has made it his mission to preserve the history of uk reggae sound systems. they originated in the caribbean and are a big part of carnival.

ashishjoshi has created an online archive that he hopes will keep memories alive and help create a new following. these sound systems were pioneers. they brought so much joy to the masses. but sadly these pioneers, a lot of them, have not been recognised. some have died penniless. some have passed away without any recognition. these audios, these videos are essential to highlight how these sound systems play. they're like a time capsule. travel now. there's no service on the overground between new cross gate and west croydon/crystal palace. there are severe delays on the metropolitan line between harrow—on—the—hill and watford/amersham/chesham. on to the weather now with sara thornton. good morning to you, another lovely spring day ahead of us across london in the southeast. once more though this morning, it is a bit of a chilly start. temperatures close to freezing

in some of our suburbs. but beautiful spring sunshine will lift those temperatures in the next couple of hours. and then this afternoon it'll be warm again once more up into the very high teens, well above average for the time of year. and we're going to do it all again tonight, where those temperatures slip away quite quickly under the clear skies. and tomorrow morning it's another chilly start, especially in our suburbs where we will see a bit of a ground frost. it is another lovely day tomorrow, though we still have the high pressure dominating our weather. but through the weekend we start to pick up more of an easterly wind and more cloud. and then next week winds start to come in from the north and it is going to turn things an awful lot colder. so another lovely day today and for tomorrow as well. those temperatures again, well above average for the time of year. but on sunday we start to see a change. more cloud on sunday and after that much colder next week. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. good morning. welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. since the war in ukraine began,

more than ten million people have been displaced. but without the country's trains, many of them would have been trapped on the front line. our special correspondent fergal keane begins his report in the western city of lviv, and looks at how the nation's trains have been rescuing millions. it is the sound of reassurance in a world of chaos. the rescue express. rolling through the night... ..and the day from lviv to the war zones of the east and back. keeping these trains running, running on time as they do, takes the work of so many people at all different levels on the railways. without them, it simply wouldn't have been possible to

evacuate millions of people from the danger zone. many are railway veterans, who started work in soviet times and are now rescuing people from their own home towns. it is really terrifying. i'm from kharkiv in my native city is being bombed. i can feel it and i can see it but i cannot believe it. this is what people are fleeing. home is no longer safe. the war has displaced over 10 million. and sent many fleeing onto trains heading west. dawn, and arrival at kyiv.

this family is heading to lviv. my heart is bleeding. i don't want to leave my home but it's my duty to keep my children safe. when we will win the war, i'll take them back home. this grandad hugs his wife but he must stay behind to care for an elderly relative. the women carry the burdens of exile.

the family reached lviv eight hours later. but they've already caught another rescue train. west to peace and exile. fergal keane, bbc news, lviv. incredible pictures. with warnings that more than a million people will be pushed into absolute poverty from april, many charities are calling on the government to do more to help tackle the rising cost of living. already hundreds of thousands of people in the uk can't afford basic stuff like furniture. there are children sleeping on bedding in baths, brothers and sisters taking turns to share a single bed, and some kids sleeping on the floor. fiona lamdin reports from leeds

where a teacher is trying to help. children that are having to sleep on floors. to share four orfive in a single bed taking turns. unless the basic needs of children are met, they're not going to be able to learn. they're not going to be able to give it their best shot, the one shot that they get at an education. driving around leeds, delivering beds. starting the day at this storage unit, collecting the bed bundles. two beds going out today, so we've got two duvets, two pillows and there's three children in the house, so we've got three sets of lovely pyjamas, all the right sizes. we've got some of our zed ted. so zed ted looks after our children in their new beds. four years ago, bex realised some children in her school didn't have beds to sleep in. since then, she's delivered 2,000. i was teaching a little boy, and he wasn't himself.

when i spoke to him about what was going on, i asked him if he was tired, and hejust looked me straight in the eyes and said, "miss, i'm always tired, i don't have a bed." and that was his truth. and when that's your norm, how you can perform in a classroom, how you can listen, how you can learn, how your brain can function is impeded and that's not ok. we came across a 1a—year—old boy who'd spent six months sleeping on a beanbag on a floor. we were in one house where every flat had a full wall of damp, so actually the mum thought it was better to put the bedding... put duvet covers in the bath, and that's where the children were sleeping. first up, bunk beds for a family of six, who've been sharing two mattresses. i absolutely hate carrying bunk beds. let's try not to get blown over. hello. we're here with your bed, superstar. hi. what a fabulous... fava. hi, fava. thank you for introducing...

these are all for you. your brand—new beds. yeah. ah, how exciting! tina and her children moved from spain three months ago. she and her three daughters have been sleeping on one mattress while her husband and the boys share another. sharing a bed is not really advisable. as for now, we've got all this. i'm so excited. for now, my baby will be sleeping comfortable. yeah, i feel so good. thank you so much. i really appreciate. see you later. bye— bye. bye, everybody. thank you. what an amazing family! absolutely fabulous. but tina and her family aren't alone. it's believed bed poverty affects thousands of children across the country. i made three, too. something sophie in her six—year—old son know all about. they had to leave their old home suddenly, arriving here with nothing. no beds, no fridge freezers.

no cooker, nothing. i was literally living off, like, pot noodles and things like that. what were you sleeping on? a mattress. at the start, yeah. just on my bedroom floor. i think it did have an impact, where, like, he was falling behind a little bit at school and just misbehaving and not listening. but if you don't have enough sleep and you don't... you don't follow instructions well and stuff like that. so what difference did it make when you were given two beds? really good. like, he's excelling at school, he's coming along so well. his confidence has just peaked so much. he's more talkative to people. a lot happier. 18 months on, they're still so grateful for their donated beds. it was amazing really. it was quite emotional when i got the bed at first. just a big weight lifted. like someone cared about us. it's now rush hour, as bex crosses the city for her last delivery of the day. single mum rosie has been sharing her bed with her sons for six months. all brand—new, all gorgeous. basically, i've been

in bed with three of my little boys from age four to eight months. it'sjust been a struggle. lack of sleep, all fitting in a bed. it'sjust been affecting my mental health. oh, it's going to be amazing. a full night's sleep, a routine. see you later, everybody. thank you. bye. bye— bye. well, we've got an empty van all done, hopefully full hearts, empty van at the end of the day. it's been a busy one. hard work, cold and windy, but so worth it to see the smiles on children's and parents' faces today, getting those beds. so, yeah, another great day. 200 schools across leeds refer 20 families a week to bex and her charity, zarach. but this hidden issue means, in the city tonight, many children are still without a proper place to sleep. fiona lamdin, bbc news. that incredible story. she is a

legend, absolute legend. we followed her story for quite a while, so inspiring seen the work she is doing. we are going to speak to former chancellor, former prime minister gordon brown. he has been talking about bedding banks, very similar thing. those taking alongside food banks and close banks. we will get his perspective on all of that. also help for those on all of that. also help for those on the lowest income. we will talk to him after eight o'clock this morning. evidence of people really struggling to pay for many things. the chancellor said earlier this week he is trying to help where he can. but does it go far enough? ben's here. the chancellor announced some measures to tackle inflation — such as cutting fuel duty by 5p a litre and increasing the amount at which you start paying

national insurance by £3,000. but he's been accused of not doing enough in the spring statement to help the poorest households. people who receive benefits — including universal credit and state pension — will see their benefits rise by 3.1% in april, as part of the normal benefit uprating system. it's meant to ensure benefits keep up with rising prices. but this week, the office for national statistics confirmed inflation hit 6.2% in february. and its expected to go as high as 8.7% later this year. but the institute for fiscal studies says in reality costs could rise by 10% for those on the lowest incomes. real pressure on their budgets. we spoke to liz — she gets universal credit and has already been forced to use food banks. universal credit doesn't allow peopie — universal credit doesn't allow people on benefit by clothes and

whatnot — people on benefit by clothes and whatnot it covers the bills and food if you _ whatnot it covers the bills and food if you are _ whatnot it covers the bills and food if you are lucky as well as your rent _ if you are lucky as well as your rent i— if you are lucky as well as your rent. i mean, i if you are lucky as well as your rent. i mean, lam using food banks. i rent. i mean, lam using food banks. iwouid _ rent. i mean, lam using food banks. iwouid be _ rent. i mean, lam using food banks. i would be starting otherwise. the benefits _ i would be starting otherwise. the benefits need to rise in line with all the _ benefits need to rise in line with all the feed, the gas and electric and even — all the feed, the gas and electric and even the rents. it is not helping _ and even the rents. it is not helping people who are on it. it needs— helping people who are on it. it needs to — helping people who are on it. it needs to be in line, like it should be, needs to be in line, like it should be. iti— needs to be in line, like it should be, i'll probably still be using food — be, i'll probably still be using food banks in the next couple of months — food banks in the next couple of months because my money doesn't stretch— months because my money doesn't stretch but— months because my money doesn't stretch but not by the way the prices — stretch but not by the way the prices have gone. liz certainly isn't alone _ prices have gone. liz certainly isn't alone in _ prices have gone. liz certainly isn't alone in feeling - prices have gone. liz certainly isn't alone in feeling that. - the resolution foundation says that taking the chancellor's measures into account, 1.3 million people could fall into absolute poverty in the next year — including 500,000 children. it says it will be the first time britain has seen poverty rise like this outside a recession. absolute poverty means that after housing costs, you have less than £1a,000 to spend as a couple, or £8,000 as a single person.

the chancellor pointed out the extra £500 million for the household support fund, to help people on the lowest incomes. the fund is managed by local councils, which decide who receives the money. it's mainly to help vulnerable households with food, energy and water bills. but it can also be used for things like curtains and carpets to keep a home warm, or a fridge or washing machine. des lynch works at wood street mission, a charity that helps low—income families in manchester and salford. he thinks there are better ways the chancellor could have helped. it probably would have been far better— it probably would have been far better to — it probably would have been far better to maybe look at not increasing insurance levels. a number— increasing insurance levels. a number of— increasing insurance levels. a number of ourfamilies increasing insurance levels. a number of our families are working poor. _ number of our families are working poor, already in some form of employment. it is usually low level

employment, quite often zero—hour contracts _ employment, quite often zero—hour contracts if— employment, quite often zero—hour contracts. if you increase national insurance — contracts. if you increase national insurance levels it doesn't help the situation _ insurance levels it doesn't help the situation we are in. the problem is, if families— situation we are in. the problem is, if families are already struggling and just— if families are already struggling and just keeping their heads above water. _ and just keeping their heads above water. if— and just keeping their heads above water, if they get drab down into the poverty trap it is a lot harder to get— the poverty trap it is a lot harder to get out— the poverty trap it is a lot harder to get out of that trap and to prevent— to get out of that trap and to prevent them from falling into it in the first— prevent them from falling into it in the first place. rishi sunak said he had difficult decisions to make and that he couldn't solve the cost of living crisis for everyone. the government has also said other measures, such as changes to the universal credit taper and the energy bills rebate, will help those households in need. even so, the prime minister has hinted that there could be more support on the horizon. in the meantime, people are braced for some difficult months ahead. some pretty stark warnings we had this week about what happens next. it could get worse before it gets

better. now for the sport. some amazing news for wales. 6a years without going to a world cup that is why mean so much to gareth bale and the rest of welsh team. at least they know can even there they have to get over the final hurdle. scotland still need to play ukraine. at east wales no name will be in the world cup draw which takes place in qatar on friday. for now it's a moment to savourfor wales — a night of passion and emotion in cardiff, as their talisman gareth bale, kept his nation's dream alive. the inspiration in their 2—1 win over austria, which means the world cup finals in qatar are just one game away. our correspondent hywel griffith was there. they call themselves the red wall.

welsh fans have made this place a fortress for their team. wales were unbeaten at home in 16 games, but few have compared to this. wales could face ukraine in the play—off final, but first they had to beat austria. the visitors could have spoilt the party early, piercing the defence, rattling welsh nerves. but then, ready to calm them, came the captain. it's bale! 0h. injust his third game in four months, gareth bale showed he's still good enough for the world stage. maybe the lack of games had made him greedy. bale once again with the midas touch. everything he does is turning to gold. dizzy with celebration, wales were wrong—footed. a deflection helped austria back into the game. danjames could have settled it. by the end, wales were clinging on, but the red wall wasn't breached

again and gareth bale had carried his nation forward. thanks to arguably the finest footballer ever to play in a welsh shirt, wales are nowjust a game away from qualifying for the world cup for the first time in 6a years. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. you can see what it means to the captain, who tweeted later "special night. they are the best group of players i have worked with. i am blessed every day. it's just a group of lads playing together. they enjoy, they enjoy playing football together and they deserve to. they've got one more final to to win and they qualify for the world cup is crazy.

isn't it? now the shock of the night came in italy. the european champions, will not be at the world cup. it's the second time running they will miss out after they were stunned by north macdonia, who defended heroically for 90 minutes and then scored the only goal, of their play—off semi—final in added time. so they will now play in the final eliminator against portugal, who beat turkey. it's just eight months since italy celebrated one of their greatest triumphs — beating england at wembley to win euro 2020. with scotland's play—off semi—final against ukraine, pushed back untiljune, for obvious reasons, the scots had a friendly with poland at hampden. arsenal's kieran tierney scored his first goal for his country before poland equalised in injury time. and a large sum was raised

for unicef�*s humanitarian work in ukraine, with a crowd of over 39,000 there, and £10 from each ticket, being donated. the tail enders rescued england on the opening date of the third and deciding test against west indies in grenada. it was looking bleak for the tourists as yet another batting collapse saw them slump to 67—7. but an unlikely last—wicket stand of 90 betweenjack leach and saqib mahmood kept them afloat, and they made 20a all outjust before the close. mahmood hit a9 — and he was as surprised as anyone. i did look at the scoreboard when i was on 12, and so i've got my average year, but yeah, look, obviously we just we just tried you know, those times where we're sort of in 21 partnership and 30—year—olds and then so that ten overs before the new ball. we knew that obviously have a little bit of sting out there attack. they'd have to bring part time bowlers on and i felt that's there was a good win for heather watson

at the miami open. she beat elina svitolina in three sets to reach the third round but there was another early exit for emma raducanu, beaten by katerina sinialova. the us open champion has won just two of her seven matches this season. andy murray said playing world number two daniil medvedev would be a "really good test" of where his game is at, after he reached the second round in miami. he needed a tie—break to take the first set against, federico delbonis, but sailed through the second 6—1. murray has a heavy block of training booked in after this tournament. medvedev, although he is from russia, is still allowed to play. he will be a neutral. he russia, is still allowed to play. he will be a neutral.— will be a neutral. he has in the ast few will be a neutral. he has in the past few weeks _ will be a neutral. he has in the past few weeks called - will be a neutral. he has in the past few weeks called for - will be a neutral. he has in the| past few weeks called for peace will be a neutral. he has in the - past few weeks called for peace but has stopped short of criticising vladimir putin and that seems to be an issue for the organisers of tournaments like wimbledon you may want him to go further. we had to watch that space. the moment he can compete. matt's on the roof of new broadcasting house in london this morning to bring us the weather.

the sun is breaking through the cloud. very good morning to you both. a lovely start. a bit chilly in places. we are still in march. it mist and fog. if we look at the forecast today it is going to be a day that is very familiar to many of you so far this week. another dry, sunny and warm one for the vast majority. a few exceptions around. high pressure with us at the moment. england and wales, high or very high pollution levels again today. they will slowly improve this weekend. as i said for most it is another sunny one with a fair bit of cloud later. an isolated shower, mostly dry. more cloud in the very north of scotland bringing rain to shetland later. under the sunshine it will be another 11 after a chilly start.

temperatures 20, 21. around the yorkshire area will be warmest today. cooler where you have the cloud in the north of scotland. when the sun goes down, temperatures will drop. there could be a touch of frost to take us into the start of the weekend with a frost in places. temperatures only a few degrees above freezing for most. for saturday itself it will be another dry, sunny and warm one for most. this time the cloud will still have around the coast of northern and western scotland. also northern ireland will see a little more cloud around northern and eastern coast. more of a breeze in the south. the warmest conditions will be in western parts of england and wales. most places are well above where we should be for the stage in march. there will be signs of change are saturday night and into sunday. high pressure starts to shift a little bit. it will help to bring in more

by way of cloud on the north sea coast. that will gradually pushing across england and wales. it will be across england and wales. it will be a greyer day, and misty day as well, feeling cooler. the best of their warmth is in the west of scotland. may be higher across some western areas compared to the teams in the south. next week, a sneaky peek. we have temperatures starting to drop away, back down to levels we are more akin to en marche. it will feel more akin to en marche. it will feel more like march this coming week. —— in march. we still have the sunshine and the warmth. at least in the cooler conditions and pollution levels should improve as well. back to you both. we love when the graphics go over your face. to you both. we love when the graphics go over yourface. the director does not want to see me! we moved back a little too quickly. they well in all your glory. keep

going, keep going. —— there you are. that is what we want to see. look at the sunshine! tell paul he has to polish his lands. there is a bit of dirt on it. at least not raining on mother's day. what have you bought your mum? i got in early yesterday, took the flowers and the card. i have got mine a massive bottle of rose wine. i have completely ruined it. it is arriving tomorrow as a surprise. i will not either. good weather for that. the 9ath academy awards takes place on sunday evening and one of the films expected to do well is coda. that stands for child of deaf adults —

and the story follows a 17—year—old girl, who's the only hearing person in her deaf family, as she finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and the obligations she feels to her family. sophie long has been to meet the cast. # i've got a feeling # i have never had before.# i've been coaching for berklee college of music. i can help you get a scholarship. for ruby, following her dreams means leaving her struggling family at a time when they need her most. coda delves deep into the painful conflict faced by many children of deaf adults, when the cost of breaking free is cutting a much—needed line of communication with the outside world. a lot of people have asked me, "what was the challenge on, you know, working and when you didn't all speak the same language?" but that's what filmmaking is about. you know, you're met with challenges and you find creative solutions, and this movie wasn't a challenge in that way. the challenge was getting six boats out at sea to fish and jumping

off rocks at the quarry. and it was just such a special movie with such special people. you don't care if these guys regulate us to death. this low—budget, independent film bridges the gap between the hearing and deaf communities and has touched the hearts of both. i think about how hard i had to fight to make this movie and how many battles i had along the way over how i wanted to make it, over the fact that i wanted to use deaf actors to play these deaf roles. this is one story from this community. there are countless stories out there that haven't been told, and it's been a community that's been ignored. but i hope these projects get made now, and i hope that other filmmakers don't have to fight the way that i did. marlee matlin, who plays ruby's caring but conflicted mother... marlee matlin. ..made history when she won the oscar for best actress. tut that was 35 years ago, and no deaf actor has triumphed since. but coda could change that. the fact that the film

is all about representation and inclusion and accessibility. all that together, that's important. but what's great is that we can see artists at work. deaf artists showing off their craft, showing how they can jump into a character and create a film like this. troy kotsur, who fought for years to get a foothold in the film industry, could become the first deaf man to win an acting oscar. it's really giving folks a new perspective. and this perspective is something that many have never thought of. when they see deaf people, they think, "oh, you can't." but actually, they're dead wrong. we can. we still work hard. we fight, we support our family, we can converse, and the only difference is our language. and so that's what's so beautiful about koda. 50 years ago... the deaf west theatre company is where he started out, and his success is already inspiring young actors following in his footsteps. hello, everyone. to see a deaf actor nominated for an oscar, that me makes me feel like i can do this too.

you know? there are so many people like me that should be included in the industry and it motivates me. it makes me feel, like, wow, i can do it too. #iwillgo...# so can coda cause this year's oscars upset and win best picture? all will be revealed at the 9ath academy awards on sunday. sophie long, bbc news, los angeles. and loads of coverage on monday morning on breakfast. jason solomons will be with us later to talk about the oscar nominations. as well as monday morning. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm alison earle. it's feared a reduction in government funding, and the cost of living crisis, could undermine the recent fall in the number of homeless. the money given to local authorities for those struggling to pay rent

and at risk of homelessness will reduce by 28% over the next year. cross—party group london councils has warned it could mean more people going into temporary accommodation. a government spokesperson said they're spending over £2 billion to tackle and prevent homelessness over the next three years. transport for london is looking to increase the number of shops and cafes across its network. it's one option it's exploring to increase revenue, which has fallen due to a drop in passenger numbers during the pandemic. commercial units make tfl around £70 million a year. they're now trying to fill unused spaces. we have several hundred of these commercial opportunities that we'll need to do some work to before we can let out. but there is quite a large market out there as well as we're finding as we're letting more of our units that we have brought back into use. we're finding actually there's quite a commercial demand for these units. a london music fan has made it his mission to preserve the history

of uk reggae sound systems. they originated in the caribbean and are a big part of carnival. ashishjoshi has created an online archive that he hopes will keep memories alive. these sound systems were pioneers. they brought so much joy to the masses. but sadly these pioneers, a lot of them, have not been recognised. some have died penniless. some have passed away without any recognition. some are still around but not been given their dues. these audios, these videos are essential to highlight how these sound systems play. they're like a time capsule. travel now. this is how tfl services are looking. onto the weather now with sara thornton. good morning. another lovely spring da across good morning. another lovely spring day across london _ good morning. another lovely spring day across london and _ good morning. another lovely spring day across london and the _ good morning. another lovely spring day across london and the south - day across london and the south east. once more thou this morning it is a chilly start. temperatures

close to freezing in some suburbs. the temperatures were left in the next couple of hours and this afternoon it will be warm again. once more, into the high teens. we are going to do it all again tonight where the temperatures slip away quite quickly under the clear skies. tomorrow morning it is another chilly start, especially in our suburbs. we will see a ground frost. it is another lovely day. tomorrow we have high pressure still dominating the weather. through the weekend we pick up an easterly wind and more cloud. then next week, the wind comes in from the north and it turns things a lot colder. so, another lovely day today and for tomorrow as well. temperatures again well above average for the time of year. but on sunday we start to see a change, more cloud, and much colder next week. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. now though it's back to victoria and ben. bye for now. to victoria and ben.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. our headlines today. as russia faces continuing resistance in ukraine, president biden warns moscow any use of chemical weapons would trigger a response in kind by nato. a billion dollars in humanitarian aid for those caught up in the conflict. the boss of p80 ferries admits the company broke the law when it sacked 800 workers — we'll speak to the transport secretary. wonderful wales just one step away now from their first world cup finals in over 60 years, and it's captain marvel gareth bale who keeps their dream alive on an emotional night in cardiff. iam in i am in reading to learn more about the army of weather enthusiasts who

have recovered a unique trove of uk rainfall records. and there is very little rainfall in the forecast again today. another dry, sunny and warm one. there are signs of change later this weekend. full forecast on breakfast. good morning. it's friday, the 25th march. our top story. the us president, joe biden, has warned that any use of chemical weapons in ukraine by vladimir putin, would trigger a response from nato. it comes as the alliance approves a major increase of its forces in eastern europe, following an emergency meeting in brussels yesterday. graham satchell has the very latest. an explosion in the occupied southern port of berdyansk. plumes of black smoke seen for miles around. the ukrainians say they destroyed a russian warship, the orsk. this was it three days ago. it has been playing a key role in boosting russian supply lines, carrying troops and hardware.

its destruction more evident of a fightback at sea and on land. there isn't much left of makariv, a town to the sarit of north—west of the capital kyiv. for weeks and weeks the russians have shelled it relentlessly. but, in a fierce battle, ukrainian forces have regained the town, pushing russian forces back. makariv was a key target for russia. the road from here runs straight to the capital. so, a question. is ukraine turning the tide in this work? i think ukraine can certainly win. i don't think it's going to be easy. i think that the situation for the ukrainians is grim, miserable. i don't think we've seen anything like it for 80 years in europe, and what putin is doing is unconscionable. the american president, joe biden, will be in poland today. he will meet refugees who escaped from ukraine.

at a series of meetings with nato and european allies, the president talked about unity, staying the course, and red lines. what would nato do if moscow uses chemical weapons? we would respond. we would respond if he uses it. the nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has again asked nato for more help, tanks and planes. but in an address posted overnight, he talked of peace and victory. translation: the country must move towards peace, move forward. - with each day of our defence we are bringing the peace we need so much closer. we are bringing victory closer. because in this war, it is simply impossible for us not to win. the children's hospital in kyiv, and a lucky escape. when a missile struck their house, olga and her husband dymitro ran to cover their baby daughter victoria, protecting her from falling debris.

as world leaders debate the course of this work, ordinary ukrainians are on the front protecting each other. graham satchell, bbc news. protecting each other. for the latest developments in ukraine, let's speak to our correspondentjonah fisher, who is in lviv this morning. just a couple of lines i want to bring you. we have had an update from the ministry of defence. it does regular updates giving us a sense of what has happened overnight. we are told that he ukrainian counter attacks, and we have been talking about that a lot, the resistance put up by ukrainian people and forces, has meant russian forces have fallen back in certain parts of the country. they say that is because of what they describe as over extended supply lines. so, some logistical issues, meaning russian forces have fallen back. that has allowed ukrainian forces to reoccupy allowed ukrainian forces to reoccupy a number of times and defensive

positions. 35 kilometres east of kyiv. that would be a development overnight. let's speak tojonah which are —— jonah fisher. overnight. let's speak tojonah which are ——jonah fisher. all of this information coming into us in the last few minutes. give us a sense of what you are seeing and hearing? i know you are in lviv. that would be quite a development. the idea that ukrainian forces can retake areas previously occupied by russian forces?— retake areas previously occupied by russian forces? yeah. good morning. that is something _ russian forces? yeah. good morning. that is something we _ russian forces? yeah. good morning. that is something we have _ russian forces? yeah. good morning. that is something we have been - that is something we have been hearing — that is something we have been hearing from the ukrainians in the last couple — hearing from the ukrainians in the last couple of days, that they are maggie _ last couple of days, that they are maggie some progress in and around kyiv. maggie some progress in and around kyiy -- _ maggie some progress in and around kyiv. —— making. we heard they took the town— kyiv. —— making. we heard they took the town of— kyiv. —— making. we heard they took the town of makariv a couple of days a -o the town of makariv a couple of days ago and _ the town of makariv a couple of days ago and there has been sustained fighting _ ago and there has been sustained fighting in— ago and there has been sustained fighting in other parts to the north and north—east of kyiv. so, some signs— and north—east of kyiv. so, some signs the — and north—east of kyiv. so, some signs the ukrainians are trying to take advantage of recent problems. the russians, as we have talked about. _ the russians, as we have talked about, relentlessly appear to be staited _ about, relentlessly appear to be staited or — about, relentlessly appear to be

stalled or bugged to town in the area north of kyiv. and it looks like the — area north of kyiv. and it looks like the ukrainians have sensed the opportunity to perhaps try and target — opportunity to perhaps try and target both the armoured positions themselves and also the supply routes. — themselves and also the supply routes, because that is vital to an army— routes, because that is vital to an army being — routes, because that is vital to an army being deployed in this way, that they— army being deployed in this way, that they have an ability to get fuel. _ that they have an ability to get fuel, logistics and to support their troops _ fuel, logistics and to support their troops on — fuel, logistics and to support their troops on the ground, in this case north— troops on the ground, in this case north of— troops on the ground, in this case north of kyiv. from what we understand the ukrainians have been making _ understand the ukrainians have been making it _ understand the ukrainians have been making it quite difficult for those supply— making it quite difficult for those supply routes to get in. so yeah, some _ supply routes to get in. so yeah, some signs — supply routes to get in. so yeah, some signs we are seeing more than 'ust some signs we are seeing more than just ukraine — some signs we are seeing more than just ukraine resisting russian's offensive. in some places they appear— offensive. in some places they appear to _ offensive. in some places they appear to be taking back some territory~ — appear to be taking back some territo . . appear to be taking back some territo . , ., , ., ., appear to be taking back some territo . , ., ., ., territory. yes, today is a month and a day since — territory. yes, today is a month and a day since the _ territory. yes, today is a month and a day since the war— territory. yes, today is a month and a day since the war began. - territory. yes, today is a month and a day since the war began. we - territory. yes, today is a month and i a day since the war began. we should put it into this context. it is a long slog. we heard yesterday from president biden, meeting other nato leaders in brussels, saying if moscow uses chemical weapons they would be a response in kind from a night out. what are we taking that to mean? ——

from nato. is what are we taking that to mean? -- from nato. . . what are we taking that to mean? -- from nato. , ., ., , from nato. is that a very good question- _ from nato. is that a very good question. what _ from nato. is that a very good question. what might - from nato. is that a very good question. what might that - from nato. is that a very good - question. what might that mean? we know already that nato is playing this very — know already that nato is playing this very carefully. it doesn't want to give _ this very carefully. it doesn't want to give any— this very carefully. it doesn't want to give any opportunity for roger to say that— to give any opportunity for roger to say that this is a war that has effectively become russia against nato~ _ effectively become russia against nato. that could be potentially a global— nato. that could be potentially a global catastrophe. so, not clear what _ global catastrophe. so, not clear what the — global catastrophe. so, not clear what the american president means by saying _ what the american president means by saying that _ what the american president means by saying that. there has been a lot of chatter _ saying that. there has been a lot of chatter in _ saying that. there has been a lot of chatter in the last few days about the possible use of chemical, biological weapons in this war by russia — biological weapons in this war by russia. the reason why that has come to the _ russia. the reason why that has come to the fore _ russia. the reason why that has come to the fore is — russia. the reason why that has come to the fore is very much because within— to the fore is very much because within russian media there has been chat about _ within russian media there has been chat about the ukrainians using it. that is— chat about the ukrainians using it. that is sometimes seen as a possible pretext— that is sometimes seen as a possible pretext for— that is sometimes seen as a possible pretext for the russians to use the chemical— pretext for the russians to use the chemical weapons themselves and blame _ chemical weapons themselves and blame it— chemical weapons themselves and blame it on the ukrainians. this has become _ blame it on the ukrainians. this has become a _ blame it on the ukrainians. this has become a war of attrition. russia is making _ become a war of attrition. russia is making very— become a war of attrition. russia is making very limited progress. some progress _ making very limited progress. some progress in — making very limited progress. some

progress in mariupol. otherwise, very limited. the fear is they will attempt — very limited. the fear is they will attempt to escalate things further, that possibly they may decide that having _ that possibly they may decide that having shelled cities like mariupol guite _ having shelled cities like mariupol quite severely over the last few days. _ quite severely over the last few days, that they now see the time has come _ days, that they now see the time has come to— days, that they now see the time has come to force a victory, the you something _ come to force a victory, the you something which would be devastating for civilians, like chemical or biological— for civilians, like chemical or biological weapons. for civilians, like chemical or biologicalweapons. —— use biological weapons. —— use something. biologicalweapons. -- use something-— us presidentjoe biden is visiting poland later today. our correspondent mark lowen is in warsaw this morning. why is he going there? well, he is coming _ why is he going there? well, he is coming really in a profound show of solidarity _ coming really in a profound show of solidarity with poland. he is travelling to the east of a continent whose illusions about post-war — continent whose illusions about post—war peace have been shattered. he is travelling to the front line of the _ he is travelling to the front line of the refugee crisis, first of all stopping — of the refugee crisis, first of all stopping in the east of poland, to visit american troops, to meet the polish _ visit american troops, to meet the polish president. we expect he will

probably— polish president. we expect he will probably talk to some new arrivals from _ probably talk to some new arrivals from the _ probably talk to some new arrivals from the refugee crisis. poland has welcomed — from the refugee crisis. poland has welcomed more than 2 million ukrainians on its soil. joe biden comes— ukrainians on its soil. joe biden comes here promising $1 billion in american — comes here promising $1 billion in american humanitarian aid, promising also to— american humanitarian aid, promising also to take _ american humanitarian aid, promising also to take 100,000 ukrainian refugees— also to take 100,000 ukrainian refugees into america. this is a message — refugees into america. this is a message from joe biden that he is standing _ message from joe biden that he is standing with poland at a time of the refugee crisis, and also that the refugee crisis, and also that the western world is feeling reinvigorated, a sense of purpose and resolve has been reinvigorated. the kremlin knows that any sign of division _ the kremlin knows that any sign of division among western nations can be exploited. there has been disagreement in recent weeks between poland _ disagreement in recent weeks between poland and _ disagreement in recent weeks between poland and the us when poland announced that it would transfer some _ announced that it would transfer some soviet—era planes, some fighter 'ets, some soviet—era planes, some fighter jets. to _ some soviet—era planes, some fighter jets. to an— some soviet—era planes, some fighter jets, to an american base in germany to be _ jets, to an american base in germany to be deployed in ukraine, only for the americans to say they were not consulted _ the americans to say they were not consulted and they rejected it. so, president — consulted and they rejected it. so, president biden coming here to smooth — president biden coming here to smooth things over, to show solidarity— smooth things over, to show solidarity and to really see what

life is _ solidarity and to really see what life is light on the humanitarian front— life is light on the humanitarian front line — life is light on the humanitarian front line of this work.- life is light on the humanitarian front line of this work. thank you. -- war. the war in ukraine is having a huge impact on civilians, especially children. and for young people with serious health problems, the situation is especially critical. ukrainian children with cancer are being transported to six countries around the world, as part of a major international push to offer them life—saving treatment. sophie hutchinson has filmed with the children and their families in poland and has this report. they have cancer, they are catastrophically ill. unless treated, cancer is fatal, so they could all die with the interruption of treatment. lviv is where theirjourney begins. all these families are used to the stress, but now they have like two wars, one against cancer and the other against russia. this doctor has spearheaded the mission, gathering together young cancer patients from hospitals all over ukraine, and organising

their onward journey to safety. hundreds of patients with cancer, children, being evacuated in convoys from one country to another. this is something exceptional. this was the sixth major convoy of ambulances carrying a0 sick children and their families. the aim was to get out as quickly as possible before any russian attack. ifeelangry and mad. they will pay for this, in my opinion. ten hours later, they arrived in the middle of poland, and into the arms of the emergency services, doctors and volunteers. then, onto a modest roadside hotel, transformed into an international medical triage centre, a ray of hope for these children. translation: it feels very tough. my husband is fighting. _ we met lecia and her 18—month—old son, pavlo, after theirfirst

good night's sleep. he has a very rare bone cancer, but treatment in ukraine was hard, after they had to move to an air raid shelter. translation: because of air raids, we were running down _ to the shelter night and day. the chemo, the drips — there was no rest. it was a great stress for my boy. at night, he was scared. i would take him asleep in my arms and run down the stairs. he simply wakes up and cries several times at night. without treatment, childhood cancer is fatal. but with the right care, there's an 80% chance of being cured. these children have already faced the threat of cancer in their young lives. add to that a war, and the threat of life—saving medicines and treatments being cut off, it's hard to overstate the importance to them of this rescue mission.

natalia's son has a brain tumor. he was diagnosed just four days before the war, and was preparing for surgery as the bombing started. translation: we had an operation scheduled for that day. _ we were already at the hospital with my boy, and my husband called me in the morning and said the war has started, that dnipro, in the city where we live, and the airport, was being bombed. his older brother has travelled with him, but the rest of theirfamily is back in ukraine. natalia says she can't believe what has happened to them. translation: it simply doesn't stack up. - it doesn't sit right in my head. it's like some nightmare. in the weeks since the war started, around 600 young patients have been assessed here, and within just a couple of days, matched with hospitals in europe and north america. the uk has taken in 21. i can understand their pain.

ina, who is herself a ukrainian refugee, has been working to support the children and is in touch with some in the uk. they send me different short movies, constantly, where they stay. i can't imagine that in this dark, terrifying war, there is a light that our ukrainian kids have a chance to have treatment in such a nice place. this extraordinary rescue mission will continue. there are several thousand children with cancer in ukraine and, of course, countless others in need of hospital care in a place of safety. sophie hutchinson, bbc news, poland. we can speak now to dr marta salek, a paediatric oncologist who is working to help the children. she joins us from that clinic in poland that you saw in sophie's report. good morning. thank you for being with us today.

good morning. thank you for being with us today-— with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of _ with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of time _ with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of time to _ with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of time to talk _ with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of time to talk to - with us today. thank you for taking a little bit of time to talk to us. - a little bit of time to talk to us. may be explained to me first of all some of the work that went into setting up this triage centre? it is a temporary centre. how did that come about?— a temporary centre. how did that come about? , ., ., ., , come about? yes, good morning. very nice to be here — come about? yes, good morning. very nice to be here today. _ come about? yes, good morning. very nice to be here today. we _ come about? yes, good morning. very nice to be here today. we developed . nice to be here today. we developed the triage _ nice to be here today. we developed the triage centre once we developed a safe _ the triage centre once we developed a safe process of evacuating children _ a safe process of evacuating children with cancer and blood disorders _ children with cancer and blood disorders. we recognised a need when the polish— disorders. we recognised a need when the polish hospitals became a little saturated _ the polish hospitals became a little saturated with patients from ukraine _ saturated with patients from ukraine. and so we thought we needed to pivot— ukraine. and so we thought we needed to pivot a _ ukraine. and so we thought we needed to pivot a our— ukraine. and so we thought we needed to pivot a our approach and bring patience — to pivot a our approach and bring patience to — to pivot a our approach and bring patience to a triage centre where we could _ patience to a triage centre where we could give _ patience to a triage centre where we could give them food, a medical evaluation — could give them food, a medical evaluation and rest. before encountering further to a destination country where they could receive _ destination country where they could receive the _ destination country where they could receive the best care possible. talk to me a little _ receive the best care possible. talk to me a little bit _ receive the best care possible. t—la; to me a little bit about your involvement? you were in poland

visiting family when war broke out. you stayed there and been able to help out? you stayed there and been able to hel out? . you stayed there and been able to hel out? , ,., ., you stayed there and been able to hel out? , ., , help out? yes, so when the war broke out i had help out? yes, so when the war broke out i had been — help out? yes, so when the war broke out i had been in _ help out? yes, so when the war broke out i had been in poland _ help out? yes, so when the war broke out i had been in poland visiting - out i had been in poland visiting family. — out i had been in poland visiting family, like you said, and i received _ family, like you said, and i received a call from my workplace in the united _ received a call from my workplace in the united states. they told me they were interested in providing humanitarian aid to ukrainian... we had pre—existing relationships with hospitals _ had pre—existing relationships with hospitals and foundations in ukraine and poland — hospitals and foundations in ukraine and poland and we were ready tojump into action _ and poland and we were ready tojump into action i_ and poland and we were ready tojump into action. i was called to help with— into action. i was called to help with the — into action. i was called to help with the logistics and medical care of these _ with the logistics and medical care of these patients. it has been amazing — of these patients. it has been amazing how this initiative has grown — amazing how this initiative has grown it— amazing how this initiative has grown. it is quite remarkable. we have _ grown. it is quite remarkable. we have international collaborators all over the _ have international collaborators all over the world helping. even have international collaborators all over the world helping.— over the world helping. even 'ust that little snapshot i over the world helping. even 'ust that little snapshot that i over the world helping. even 'ust that little snapshot that we h over the world helping. even just that little snapshot that we had l over the world helping. even just | that little snapshot that we had in sophie's report really does underline how incredible this work is. maybe explain to me a little bit about the logistics that are involved? we were discussing this morning, there must be so many

complications, not least in sort of having records about what treatment of these children have had, what they need, and what treatment they need from here on in?— need from here on in? sure. i told ou a need from here on in? sure. i told you a little — need from here on in? sure. i told you a little bit _ need from here on in? sure. i told you a little bit about _ need from here on in? sure. i told you a little bit about the _ need from here on in? sure. i told you a little bit about the triage - you a little bit about the triage centre~ — you a little bit about the triage centre. but i will start from the beginning. in the ukraine we are working — beginning. in the ukraine we are working with a foundation and we have _ working with a foundation and we have contacts at the western ukrainian children's medical centre in lviv _ ukrainian children's medical centre in lviv and — ukrainian children's medical centre in lviv. and with those partners we were _ in lviv. and with those partners we were able — in lviv. and with those partners we were able to — in lviv. and with those partners we were able to identify paediatric patients— were able to identify paediatric patients with cancer and blood disorders. and help them find safe routes _ disorders. and help them find safe routes out — disorders. and help them find safe routes out of ukraine. that could mean _ routes out of ukraine. that could mean going to live, being in a hospital— mean going to live, being in a hospital there and getting evacuated through— hospital there and getting evacuated through the humanitarian corridor. -- lviv _ through the humanitarian corridor. -- lviv it— through the humanitarian corridor. —— lviv. it could mean us picking them _ —— lviv. it could mean us picking them up — —— lviv. it could mean us picking them up across the border. whether in poland _ them up across the border. whether in poland or— them up across the border. whether in poland or other neighbouring countries — in poland or other neighbouring countries. we can also provide the medical— countries. we can also provide the medical care. children that are sick

will go _ medical care. children that are sick will go directly to a poly smack clinic— will go directly to a poly smack clinic and — will go directly to a poly smack clinic and be assessed. the children are not— clinic and be assessed. the children are not sick— clinic and be assessed. the children are not sick and stable who can wait are not sick and stable who can wait a day— are not sick and stable who can wait a day or— are not sick and stable who can wait a day or two— are not sick and stable who can wait a day or two for transport, can come here to _ a day or two for transport, can come here to the — a day or two for transport, can come here to the triage centre. here, they— here to the triage centre. here, they are — here to the triage centre. here, they are seen by a poly micro—physician and a nice delegated from medical centres in poland. one professor— from medical centres in poland. one professor was allocated on behalf of the polish _ professor was allocated on behalf of the polish oncological society. we also work— the polish oncological society. we also work with another society in poland — also work with another society in poland. we were able to provide medical— poland. we were able to provide medical care. and we are able to provide _ medical care. and we are able to provide the — medical care. and we are able to provide the logistics of how can we .et provide the logistics of how can we get them _ provide the logistics of how can we get them to one of the best centres in the _ get them to one of the best centres in the world for paediatric cancer treatment — in the world for paediatric cancer treatment. we have many great collaborators in europe. it has been quite _ collaborators in europe. it has been quite amazing. including our collaborators in the united kingdom. we have _ collaborators in the united kingdom. we have also had a subset of patients _ we have also had a subset of patients travel to north america. and we _ patients travel to north america. and we are really thoughtful about which _ and we are really thoughtful about which children travel to north america _ which children travel to north america. for example, those who have

received _ america. for example, those who have received consultation at one of the hospitals. — received consultation at one of the hospitals, orwho received consultation at one of the hospitals, or who have family in north— hospitals, or who have family in north america, and that is really the best— north america, and that is really the best place for them to be. it is so aood the best place for them to be. it is so good to — the best place for them to be. it is so good to talk _ the best place for them to be. it is so good to talk to _ the best place for them to be. it 3 so good to talk to you this morning. thank you for explaining the work that you do. we wish you well with it. really challenging work right now, of course, in the midst of a huge humanitarian crisis. but thank you for being with us this morning. good luck. . ~ you for being with us this morning. good luck. ., ,, , ., . good luck. thank you so much. absolutely _ good luck. thank you so much. absolutely incredible _ good luck. thank you so much. absolutely incredible work. - good luck. thank you so much. i absolutely incredible work. right, we showed you the sun rising in london. now we are going to show you the sun rising in salford and see which is the winner.— the sun rising in salford and see which is the winner. beautiful. it doesnt which is the winner. beautiful. it doesn't happen _ which is the winner. beautiful. it doesn't happen all— which is the winner. beautiful. it doesn't happen all that - which is the winner. beautiful. it doesn't happen all that often. i doesn't happen all that often. stunning. doesn't happen all that often. stunnina. n. .. doesn't happen all that often. stunnina. .,, ., doesn't happen all that often. stunnin.. ., , ., ., , doesn't happen all that often. stunnin. ., ., , ., , stunning. matt has an equally lovely view from the _ roof at broadcasting house. good morning. good morning. similar start across much of the country this morning. it is still a little bit on the chilly side. a little bit on the chilly side. a little bit on the chilly side. a little bit of frost and fog. if we

look at the forecast for today it is going to be a day is similar to those that have passed so far this week. a dry, sunny and a 0ne0ne as well. the vast majority will be almost cloudless today. a little bit of fair weather cloud here and there. an isolated shower in southern england later. the north and west of scotland, more on the way of low cloud. shetland could see some rain. cabbages could be limited to eight or 9 degrees. way above where we should be for this stage of march. light winds. 20 or 21 celsius expected in the yorkshire area this afternoon. it is going to be another cold night tonight. the exception being where you have got the mist and low cloud in the north and western scotland. temperatures not dropping away too much relative to the day. it could be cold enough for a touch of frost elsewhere. as we going to the start of the weekend and your saturday morning. details for saturday. another dry and sunny one for most of you. they will be

more cloud to the north and west of scotland. on the coast of northern ireland they could be mist and cloud cloud. more of a breeze in southern england. this means it is properly going to be across parts of north—west wales and north—west england where we see the highest temperatures tomorrow. warmest on sunday towards the rest of scotland. —— west of scotland. next week temperatures are on the slide. by the time we get to the middle part of next week it will feel much more like it should do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back you do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back you both. do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back you both. thank do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back you both. thank you. do for march. and with the return of some rain. that is how it is looking. back you both. thank you. looks glorious. 7:22am. the boss of p80 ferries has admitted the company broke the law by not consulting the unions before sacking 800 staff. their chief executive, peter hebblethwaite, told mps the firm had to act to save the business. our political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster. i was watching his evidence and

watching the reaction of mps and they were kind of flabbergasted and also disgusted, weren't they? you summed that _ also disgusted, weren't they? you summed that up _ also disgusted, weren't they? you summed that up pretty well, victoria _ summed that up pretty well, victoria. usually frustrated, hugely critical— victoria. usually frustrated, hugely critical across the political spectrum. now we have had of the chair— spectrum. now we have had of the chair of— spectrum. now we have had of the chair of the — spectrum. now we have had of the chair of the transport committee, a conservative, calling for mr hebblethwaite to resign. we have of the business committee saying he should _ the business committee saying he should be — the business committee saying he should be prosecuted. and some of the workforce have been speaking out and saying _ the workforce have been speaking out and saying he should be sacked. what angered _ and saying he should be sacked. what angered them? a whole range of things _ angered them? a whole range of things. agency staff would only be paid £5.50 an hour, less than the minimum — paid £5.50 an hour, less than the minimum wage in this country. he takes _ minimum wage in this country. he takes a _ minimum wage in this country. he takes a salary home at £325,000 a year _ takes a salary home at £325,000 a year. they— takes a salary home at £325,000 a year. they were also worried by the lack of _ year. they were also worried by the lack of consultation with the uk government, but because his fleet is registered _ government, but because his fleet is registered in the bahamas and cyprus. — registered in the bahamas and cyprus, he said he didn't have to. then— cyprus, he said he didn't have to. then there — cyprus, he said he didn't have to. then there is this key question about— then there is this key question about whether he had broken the law and consulting with the workforce and consulting with the workforce and the _ and consulting with the workforce and the trade unions. just to give you an _

and the trade unions. just to give you an idea — and the trade unions. just to give you an idea of the atmosphere, you've — you an idea of the atmosphere, you've watched it yourself, but for anybody _ you've watched it yourself, but for anybody who hasn't, the question asked _ anybody who hasn't, the question asked by— anybody who hasn't, the question asked by labour mp darrenjones was whether— asked by labour mp darrenjones was whether he _ asked by labour mp darrenjones was whether he was a shameless criminal or didn't _ whether he was a shameless criminal or didn't know how —— what was going on. at the beginning of on. at the be--innin of this panel i at the beginning of this panel i asked whether you didn't know what you're doing and why you wilfully broke the law. you said to this committee today that you wilfully broke the law and chose not to consult, even though you know you have done. you decided to pay people offered compensation in order to break the law. does that not give you concerned that you are in breach of your legal obligation as a company director under company law? so, as i say, i completely hold my hands. _ so, as i say, i completely hold my hands. our— so, as i say, i completely hold my hands, our hands _ so, as i say, i completely hold my hands, our hands up, _ so, as i say, i completely hold my hands, our hands up, that- so, as i say, i completely hold my hands, our hands up, that we - so, as i say, i completely hold my hands, our hands up, that we didl hands, our hands up, that we did choose _ hands, our hands up, that we did choose not— hands, our hands up, that we did choose not to _ hands, our hands up, that we did choose not to consult. _ hands, our hands up, that we did choose not to consult.— hands, our hands up, that we did choose not to consult. that's quite amazinu. choose not to consult. that's quite amazing- you _ choose not to consult. that's quite amazing. you are _ choose not to consult. that's quite amazing. you are saying _ choose not to consult. that's quite amazing. you are saying you - choose not to consult. that's quite i amazing. you are saying you wilfully chose to break the law. we amazing. you are saying you wilfully chose to break the law.— chose to break the law. we did not believe that _ chose to break the law. we did not believe that there _ chose to break the law. we did not believe that there was _ chose to break the law. we did not believe that there was any - chose to break the law. we did not believe that there was any other i chose to break the law. we did not i believe that there was any other way to do this _ believe that there was any other way to do this we — believe that there was any other way to do this. we have _ believe that there was any other way to do this. we have compensated i to do this. we have compensated people _ to do this. we have compensated people in— to do this. we have compensated people in full _

people in full. now- people in full. now there i people in full. i now there that he people in full. - now there that he that people in full. _ now there that he that he people in fun. — now there that he that he said he was compensating people in full but that would mean they would have to stop taking any legal action against p&0 stop taking any legal action against p80 if— stop taking any legal action against p&0 if they are to get that compensation. the prime minister is now suggestive the company could be prosecuted under employment legislation going back to the 1990s. there _ legislation going back to the 1990s. there is— legislation going back to the 1990s. there is also a question of when the government— there is also a question of when the government knew about p&0's intentions. sources close to the transport — intentions. sources close to the transport secretary, grant shapps, said although he met the chief executive of the parent company last november— executive of the parent company last november in dubai, they simply discuss — november in dubai, they simply discuss the competitive pressures on p&0~ _ discuss the competitive pressures on p&0~ there — discuss the competitive pressures on p&0. there was no indication at that stage _ p&0. there was no indication at that stage they— p&0. there was no indication at that stage they would indulge in mass sackings — sackings. we will ask you exactly sackings. — we will ask you exactly what he knew because we will talk to him in the next few minutes. thank you very much. if you are one of those sacked workers, you have got time to send us an e—mail if you wanted to put a to the transport secretary. almost all existing covid restrictions in wales will be relaxed from monday. the legal requirement to self isolate and to wear face

coverings in shops and on public transport will be replaced by guidance, but will remain mandatory in health and social care settings. free lateral flow tests will continue for a further three—months. a legal loophole allowing drivers to avoid prosecution for taking a photo or playing a game on their phone has been closed. from today, anyone caught using a hand—held device under most circumstances while driving could face a fine of up to £1,000, as well as six points on their licence. britain's biggest dairy arla says the cost of milk is increasing like never before and unless producers are paid more, then supplies could come under threat. the boss of the company, which represents more than 2,000 farmers, said that supermarket milk prices need to rise by about a third to cover spiralling costs. the duke and duchess of cambridge have arrived in the bahamas on the last leg of their caribbean tour. yesterday, the couple bid farewell to jamaica,

on a visit which attracted crowds as well as criticism, and saw prince william express his "profound sorrow" about slavery during a keynote speech. our royal correspondent jonny dymond reports. a farewell to jamaica in a traditional style. in his tropical uniform, prince william watched an international group of cadets mark the end of their training. for the best students, awards, and words of encouragement from a man who remembered his days as an officer. being asked to lead men and women through uncertainty and danger is daunting. you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. and then a drive down memory lane in the land rover the queen and the duke of edinburgh rode in when they were here back in the 605.

this ceremonial, thejoyful reception that william and kate got in downtown kingston, so far, so royal tour. but there's been real meat to this visit, too, when william addressed the legacy of britain's role in the enslavement of hundreds of thousands of people here injamaica when it was a british colony. at a reception later, kate met officers old and new, whilst william in his finery caught the eye of some. goodbye, jamaica, hello, the bahamas. this is the last stop of the couple's caribbean tour. another band, another guard of honour, and something a little different from an eight—year—old girl — flowers to welcome the duchess. jonny dymond, bbc news, the bahamas.

we are going to talk some more about that later. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm alison earle. it's feared a reduction in government funding and the cost of living crisis could undermine the recent fall in the number of homeless. the money given to local authorities for those struggling to pay rent and at risk of homelessness will reduce by 28 % over the next year. cross—party group london councils has warned it could mean more people going into temporary accommodation. a government spokesperson said "they're spending over £2 billion to tackle and prevent homelessness over the next three years." transport for london is looking to increase the number of shops and cafes across its network. it's one option it's exploring to increase revenue — which has fallen due to a drop in passenger numbers during the pandemic.

commercial units make tfl around £70 million a year. they're now trying to fill unused spaces. we have several hundred of these commercial opportunities. that we'll need to do some work to before we can let out. but there is quite a large market out there as well as we're finding, as we're letting more of our units that we have brought back into use. we're finding actually there's quite a commercial demand. a london music fan has made it his mission to preserve the history of uk reggae sound systems. they originated in the caribbean and are a big part of carnival. ashishjoshi has created an online archive that he hopes will keep memories alive. these sound systems were pioneers. they brought so much joy to the masses. but sadly these pioneers, a lot of them, have not been recognised. some have died penniless. some have passed away without any recognition. these audios, these videos are essential to highlight how these sound systems play. they're like a time capsule.

travel now. this is how tfl services are looking. there's no service on the overground between new cross gate and west croydon/crystal palace. there are severe delays on the metropolitan line between baker street and watford/amersham/chesham. there's no service on part of the northern line due to major upgrade works. on to the weather now with sara thornton. good morning to you, another lovely spring day ahead of us across london in the southeast. once more though this morning, it is a bit of a chilly start. temperatures close to freezing in some of our suburbs. but beautiful spring sunshine will lift those temperatures in the next couple of hours. and then this afternoon it'll be warm again once more up into the very high teens, well above average for the time of year. and we're going to do it all again tonight, where those temperatures slip away quite quickly under the clear skies. and tomorrow morning it's another chilly start, especially in our suburbs where we will see a bit of a ground frost. it is another lovely day tomorrow, though we still have the high pressure dominating our weather.

but through the weekend we start to pick up more of an easterly wind and more cloud. and then next week winds start to come in from the north and it is going to turn things an awful lot colder. so another lovely day today and for tomorrow as well. those temperatures again, well above average for the time of year. but on sunday we start to see a change. more cloud on sunday and after that much colder next week. that's it for the moment. you'll find more updates on our website. i'm back in an hour. bye for now. good morning. welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. the boss of p80 ferries has admitted his company broke uk employment law, when it chose not to consult trade unions before sacking 800 staff. we can talk now to the transport secretary, grant shapps.

i was watching yesterday. a lot of mps asking questions. it's sort of raised more questions than were answered. they admitted breaking the law. 800 of them were told on a zoom call theirjobs were no longer there. giving evidence he said they had no alternative. now when it transpires how much the current staff are being paid, they are not being paid correctly. we can speak to transport secretary grant shapps nav minutes and also former chancellor gordon brown and former prime minister about the spring statement. we will talk about whether some of those measures were enough to help those on the lowest incomes. later, we are going to speak to the cast of bridgerton and

the oscars. we can now talk to transport secretary grant shapps. hello. what did you think of peter hubbell forate's evidence yesterday? brazen, breathtaking arrogance. he should go. he should resign now? the idea that you come to parliament and you deliberately... you admit you deliberately set out to break the law, not an accident or mistake, deliberately do that in order to sack your staff and bringing below minimum wage people and that you will buy off the staff to do that is quite simply unacceptable. they exploited loopholes. they had been completely disgraceful and i clear thatis completely disgraceful and i clear that is no way to behave and not the right individual to have at the top of the british business. what are you going to do then? i am

of the british business. what are you going to do then? i am going to come to parliament _ you going to do then? i am going to come to parliament with _ you going to do then? i am going to come to parliament with a - you going to do then? i am going to come to parliament with a package | you going to do then? i am going to i come to parliament with a package of measures. the law is very complex in this area. it crisscrosses with international maritime law with domestic law, law about employment and maritime. there are eight different measures we are going to be taking. i am afraid p&0 have got themselves into one heck of a mess. they are going to have to u—turn and we employ people on at least a minimum wage. we are going to ensure that there supplying regular routes in the uk within our economic zone and those other regular routes when they had to pay their workers properly. it cannot be one rule onshore and because you are on the sea yet still within british waters. that will be the effect of it and they might as well recognise that now. sounds to me like they need a change in leadership to do that. can ou tell change in leadership to do that. can you tell me how that package of measures will get the 800 sacked workers theirjobs back? what

measures will get the 800 sacked workers theirjobs back?— measures will get the 800 sacked workers theirjobs back? workers their 'obs back? what we are auoin to workers theirjobs back? what we are going to do--- — workers theirjobs back? what we are going to do... they _ workers theirjobs back? what we are going to do... they used _ workers theirjobs back? what we are going to do... they used all - workers theirjobs back? what we are going to do... they used all sorts i going to do... they used all sorts of tricks. they flagged their ships in cyprus to get around about you otherwise have to give a5 days notice to ministers of redundancies. when redundancies came without giving notice, they defied law again by not consulting with their workers or unions, bypassing the whole thing. there are a whole series of different things we need to do. because of the complexity of maritime law, there is not a single process that will pass different types of legislation. just process that will pass different types of legislation.— process that will pass different types of legislation. just so i am clear, types of legislation. just so i am clear. and _ types of legislation. just so i am clear, and our— types of legislation. just so i am clear, and our viewers _ types of legislation. just so i am clear, and our viewers are i types of legislation. just so i am clear, and our viewers are clear| clear, and our viewers are clear some of the sacked workers will be watching now. is it going to get them theirjobs back? llrrul’ith watching now. is it going to get them theirjobs back? them their 'obs back? with regard to those them theirjobs back? with regard to those workers. _ them theirjobs back? with regard to those workers, this _ them theirjobs back? with regard to those workers, this is _ them theirjobs back? with regard to those workers, this is the _ those workers, this is the extraordinary thing, p&0 had paid those workers of essentially for the silence. ., ., ., |

those workers of essentially for the silence._ i know i those workers of essentially for the silence._ i know for j silence. not all of them. i know for examle silence. not all of them. i know for example another— silence. not all of them. i know for example another employer - silence. not all of them. i know for example another employer went i silence. not all of them. i know for i example another employer went down and a67 of them may well have signed with that employer. p&0 are going to end up where they paid a very high level of redundancy because of their appalling behaviour and they may not be able to re—employ the same stuff but they will have to employ staff who are being paid the national minimum wage. it is therefore a reason and you do not get away with it because they pull some trick and use a whole load of loopholes, create loopholes or use loopholes, not even legal loopholes in order to get around that. that is what they had done here and we will not let it rest. ., , ., , had done here and we will not let it rest. ., ., , , , rest. there are loopholes because oliticians rest. there are loopholes because politicians in _ rest. there are loopholes because politicians in this _ rest. there are loopholes because politicians in this country - rest. there are loopholes because politicians in this country have i rest. there are loopholes because politicians in this country have not closed the loopholes. is there anything you can do to get some of the 800 sacked workers had jobs back? j

the 800 sacked workers had 'obs back? ~ the 800 sacked workers had 'obs back? ,, .,. ., , the 800 sacked workers had 'obs back? ,, ., , ., back? i think actually p&o have actually said — back? i think actually p&o have actually said they _ back? i think actually p&o have actually said they will _ back? i think actually p&o have actually said they will employ i back? i think actually p&o have i actually said they will employ some of them. ~ . . actually said they will employ some of them. ~ ., ., i. ., ., actually said they will employ some ofthem. ~ ., ., ., ., actually said they will employ some of them. ~ ., ., ., ., | of them. what are you going to do? i will be coming _ of them. what are you going to do? i will be coming to _ of them. what are you going to do? i will be coming to parliament - of them. what are you going to do? i will be coming to parliament with i of them. what are you going to do? i will be coming to parliament with a l will be coming to parliament with a very full announcement. ldistill will be coming to parliament with a very full announcement.— very full announcement. will it get their 'obs very full announcement. will it get theirjobs back? _ very full announcement. will it get theirjobs back? that _ very full announcement. will it get theirjobs back? that would i very full announcement. will it get theirjobs back? that would be i very full announcement. will it get theirjobs back? that would be up| very full announcement. will it get i theirjobs back? that would be up to individual employees. _ theirjobs back? that would be up to individual employees. some - theirjobs back? that would be up to individual employees. some of- theirjobs back? that would be up to j individual employees. some of them may feel p&0 has been rather tarnished and not want to go back to work with them. want to be completely straight with your question. yes, p&0 will need to re—employ people on the proper salaries. if i were p&0 i would want to get the people that who are the most experience. unfortunately, p&0 may find a lot of the workers have gone elsewhere. i know a lot of their workers have already accepted other jobs. their workers have already accepted otherjobs. p&0 have made such a dogs dinner of this and they have put themselves in a very difficult position. they will not be able to sail these routes paying seven

minimum standards and using these loopholes. they might as well take action. we loopholes. they might as well take action. ~ . loopholes. they might as well take action. ~ , ., ., ,, , action. we will see if that happens. can ou action. we will see if that happens. can you explain _ action. we will see if that happens. can you explain how— action. we will see if that happens. can you explain how a _ action. we will see if that happens. can you explain how a company i action. we will see if that happens. j can you explain how a company can break the law, the boss openly admits it in parliament, and yet they are still operating? the answer is that they have... _ they are still operating? the answer is that they have... it _ they are still operating? the answer is that they have... it is _ is that they have... it is essentially what he said. the people who would go after the company for breaking the law through tribunal would be the workers and the unions. because they have essentially bought those people off, literally asked people to sign nondisclosure agreements and agreements where they are not allowed to talk about it. because they have done that, essentially what they had tried to do is buy off the very people who would otherwise take them to court. that is essentially what happened. you can freeze the assets of russian

oligarchs but you can't, for example, revoke the licence of piano? fist example, revoke the licence of iano? �* ., ., piano? at the moment we cannot directl . i piano? at the moment we cannot directly. i have _ piano? at the moment we cannot directly. i have already _ piano? at the moment we cannot directly. i have already asked i piano? at the moment we cannot directly. i have already asked the j directly. i have already asked the maritime and coastguard agency to carry out very detailed inspections of their ships. if they are going to try and prove the ships again with individuals who are not being paid the minimum wage and are not familiar with the ships, i am not convinced the ships are safe to say. we do have mechanisms. there are a whole load of other things happening, including letters going out to the ports on different types of legislation will be forthcoming. we will make sure that p&0 have to u—turn on this. there are operators who are using this model. irish ferries already went down this route. it will protect those who are not using this cheap labour, below the minimum wage model, said

everyone enjoys the same protection that parliament has intended them to receive. that is why we have national minimum wage legislation. we are going to make sure these loopholes they have very creatively and rather evenly exploited are closed in lots of different ways so they can't find a way round them. they are still operating illegally right now. they are still operating illegally riaht now. , ., ., they are still operating illegally riaht now. ., ., right now. they are not operating riaht now right now. they are not operating right now because, _ right now. they are not operating right now because, as _ right now. they are not operating right now because, as i _ right now. they are not operating l right now because, as i mentioned, right now. they are not operating i right now because, as i mentioned, i have asked the maritime and coastguard agency to inspect their ships and i know they will be doing that in a lot of detail. what ships and i know they will be doing that in a lot of detail.— that in a lot of detail. what if the do that in a lot of detail. what if they do not _ that in a lot of detail. what if they do not make _ that in a lot of detail. what if they do not make a - that in a lot of detail. what if they do not make a u-turn? | that in a lot of detail. what if i they do not make a u-turn? they that in a lot of detail. what if - they do not make a u-turn? they will have to. they do not make a u-turn? they will have to- by — they do not make a u-turn? they will have to- by law _ they do not make a u-turn? they will have to. by law they _ they do not make a u-turn? they will have to. by law they will— they do not make a u-turn? they will have to. by law they will not - they do not make a u-turn? they will have to. by law they will not be i have to. by law they will not be able to sail.— able to sail. they have already broken the _ able to sail. they have already broken the law— able to sail. they have already broken the law and _ able to sail. they have already broken the law and they i able to sail. they have already broken the law and they are i able to sail. they have already i broken the law and they are carrying on. , , ., ~' ., broken the law and they are carrying on. , , ., ., . , on. they broke a law which is enforced _ on. they broke a law which is enforced by _ on. they broke a law which is enforced by people, - on. they broke a law which is i enforced by people, employees, on. they broke a law which is - enforced by people, employees, being able to go to tribunal is. what we are going to do is provide additional protection and say, for

example, to the pull some sales, in the port service agreement, you cannot have ships plying their trade between say the uk and france for example and without the people who are starving that ship being paid minimum wage. there are lots of different things we can bring in this. i have spoken to my counterpart in the other side of the house of commons, so there will be broad parliamentary agreement to get this done as quickly as possible. when did you know they were going to treat workers like this? i was when did you know they were going to treat workers like this?— treat workers like this? i was stood at the dispatch _ treat workers like this? i was stood at the dispatch box _ treat workers like this? i was stood at the dispatch box on _ treat workers like this? i was stood at the dispatch box on thursday i treat workers like this? i was stood i at the dispatch box on thursday when rumours came out. the influence video was being played and told while standing at the dispatch box myself. did while standing at the dispatch box m self. , , ., while standing at the dispatch box m self. , ,, ., while standing at the dispatch box m self. , ., , while standing at the dispatch box m self. , i. ., , ., myself. did you not see the e-mail ou are myself. did you not see the e-mail you are copied _ myself. did you not see the e-mail you are copied in _ myself. did you not see the e-mail you are copied in on _ myself. did you not see the e-mail you are copied in on around - you are copied in on around whitehall the night before? h0. you are copied in on around whitehall the night before? no, i didn't. actually _ whitehall the night before? no, i didn't. actually all— whitehall the night before? no, i didn't. actually all i _ whitehall the night before? no, i didn't. actually all i knew - whitehall the night before? no, i didn't. actually all i knew was i whitehallthe night before? ijrr, t didn't. actually all i knew was they were going to make redundancies.

they had made redundancies previously during coronavirus which they had done properly. you provide notice, consult with the workers and the unions. the fact theyjust notice, consult with the workers and the unions. the fact they just went ahead with this extraordinary video, taft paypal and try to pay people for their silence is exactly radius. —— taft people out and tried to pay people. -- taft people out and tried to pay --eole. ~ , �* -- taft people out and tried to pay --eole.~ , �* . people. why didn't you see the e-mail of— people. why didn't you see the e-mail of the _ people. why didn't you see the e-mail of the night _ people. why didn't you see the e-mail of the night before? it. people. why didn't you see the i e-mail of the night before? it was a readout of a — e-mail of the night before? it was a readout of a conversation. - e-mail of the night before? it was a readout of a conversation. why i readout of a conversation. why didn't you _ readout of a conversation. why didn't you see _ readout of a conversation. why didn't you see it? _ readout of a conversation. why didn't you see it? it _ readout of a conversation. why didn't you see it? it went i readout of a conversation. why | didn't you see it? it went round readout of a conversation. why i didn't you see it? it went round to government _ didn't you see it? it went round to government departments - didn't you see it? it went round to government departments saying i didn't you see it? it went round to i government departments saying they had been on to say about this. it had been on to say about this. it did not come to you as transport secretary?— did not come to you as transport secreta ? ,, ., ., , . secretary? standing at the dispatch box and hearing _ secretary? standing at the dispatch box and hearing this _ secretary? standing at the dispatch box and hearing this happening i secretary? standing at the dispatch box and hearing this happening in i box and hearing this happening in real—time is outrageous. even if i had known about it the night before,

which i did not, even if had meant they had already broken the law by not providing a5 days' notice, by using the cypress flag to get around it. the behaviour has been outrageous and we must not allow it to stand. ~ . . outrageous and we must not allow it to stand. ~ ., , ., , ., to stand. was the e-mail sent to ou? to stand. was the e-mail sent to you? you — to stand. was the e-mail sent to you? you are _ to stand. was the e-mail sent to you? you are transport - to stand. was the e-mail sent to i you? you are transport secretary. no, i never received it. since you are asking, the advice i received was received at 12:30pm on the thursday when the redundancies had happened. he thursday when the redundancies had ha ened. ., , thursday when the redundancies had ha ened. . , , thursday when the redundancies had ha ened. .. , ., happened. he was then sent to if it were not sent _ happened. he was then sent to if it were not sent to _ happened. he was then sent to if it were not sent to you _ happened. he was then sent to if it were not sent to you as _ happened. he was then sent to if it were not sent to you as transport i were not sent to you as transport secretary? i were not sent to you as transport secretary?— were not sent to you as transport secretary? i think it was sent to a very small — secretary? i think it was sent to a very small 9t°up _ secretary? i think it was sent to a very small group of _ secretary? i think it was sent to a very small group of officials i secretary? i think it was sent to a very small group of officials in i very small group of officials in order to record a conversation, the notes of the conversation that had happened. but notes of the conversation that had ha ened. �* ., ., ., ., happened. but no one thought to inform you _ happened. but no one thought to inform you and _ happened. but no one thought to inform you and say, _ happened. but no one thought to inform you and say, look, - happened. but no one thought to inform you and say, look, this i happened. but no one thought to i inform you and say, look, this might be an opportunity to intervene and try and protectjobs and livelihoods? try and protect 'obs and livelihoods? ., ., , .,

try and protect 'obs and livelihoods? ., ., ., livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stare, it livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stage. it would _ livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stage, it would not _ livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stage, it would not have _ livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stage, it would not have made i livelihoods? unfortunately, at that stage, it would not have made anyj stage, it would not have made any difference. ., ., ., ,, ., stage, it would not have made any difference._ you | difference. you do not know. you have no idea- _ difference. you do not know. you have no idea. i— difference. you do not know. you have no idea. i do _ difference. you do not know. you have no idea. i do know- difference. you do not know. you have no idea. i do know becausel difference. you do not know. you i have no idea. i do know because they had already hired agency staff behind everybody�*s banks and got security n. we have recorded back in from this video. it is outrageous. i do not defend p&0, their actions were in anyway shape or form. it is breathtakingly arrogant what they have done and the boss needs to step down and understand we are going to full stand to u—turn on this and accept british law on national minimum wage not use these loopholes. that is what we are going to do through this package to parliament. they might as well accept that now and get on with the job of reinstating stuff or finding other staff who have been properly paid. other staff who have been properly aid. . ~' ., other staff who have been properly aid, ., ~' ., ., ~' ., other staff who have been properly aid. . ~ ., . ,, ., , paid. thank him for talking to us. an interesting _ paid. thank him for talking to us. an interesting conversation. i paid. thank him for talking to us. i an interesting conversation. let's talk about sport. wales had a great

night. they could end a very long wait. 6a years to play in the world cup finals. at least they will have an interest in the draw which is made in qatar next friday. whereas the italians won't have an interest. we will come to that later. they could play against scotland to decide. they have done their bit for now, wales. it was a night of celebration in cardiff. with their world cup dream still alive, their captain fantastic gareth bale, as determined as anyone to end 6a years of hurt. the inspiration in their 2—1 win over austria. our correspondent hywel griffith was there. they call themselves the red wall. welsh fans have made this place a fortress for their team. wales were unbeaten at home in 16 games, but few

have compared to this. wales could face ukraine in the play—off final, but first they had to beat austria. the visitors could have spoilt the party early, piercing the defence, rattling welsh nerves. but then, ready to calm them, came the captain. it's bale! 0h. injust his third game in four months, gareth bale showed he's still good enough for the world stage. maybe the lack of games had made him greedy. bale once again with the midas touch. everything he does is turning to gold. dizzy with celebration, wales were wrong—footed. a deflection helped austria back into the game. danjames could have settled it. by the end, wales were clinging on, but the red wall wasn't breached again and gareth bale had carried his nation forward. thanks to arguably the finest footballer ever to play in a welsh shirt, wales are nowjust a game away

from qualifying for the world cup for the first time in 6a years. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. that is why it means so much to the skipper, now 32. possibly his last chance in a world cup. he was on social media last night. ian rush, wales record goal—scorer until gareth bale surpassed him simply said fantastic stop he is never short of words but this time he managed wow after the first goal and after the second, while as well. nevertheless the current team are relishing this moment. the country hasn't been to a world cup for a very long time. as players

and a group we have the opportunity to get us there. if we were not dreaming of it we would be silly. we have gone past the first hurdle and it is up to us in the summer with the second game we show the levels we did tonight and get the country to the world cup. they could be facing scotland. trying to reach the world cup finals for the first time since 1988. they played poland in a friendly at hampden last night. arsenal's kieran tierney scored his first goal for his country before poland equalised in injury—time. and over £390,000 was raised for unicef�*s humanitarian work in ukraine, with £10 from each ticket being donated. they are hoping the world cup play—off can go ahead injune against ukraine. now the shock of the night came in italy. the european champions, will not be at the world cup.

it's the second time running they will miss out after they were stunned by north macdonia, who defended heroically for 90 minutes and then scored the only goal, of their play—off semi—final, in added time. it was only eight months ago that italy celebrated one of their greatest triumphs when they beat england at wembley to win euro 2020. liverpool's diogojota was among the scorers as portugal beat turkey 3—1 to make the final. they haven't missed out on the finals since 1998 and they'll be expecting to secure a spot in qatar when they host north macedonia next tuesday. i guess north macedonia showing what they can do with the win against italy. the tail—enders rescued england on the opening date of the third and deciding test against west indies in grenada. it was looking bleak for the tourists, as yet another batting collapse saw them slump to 67 for 7. but an unlikely last—wicket stand of 90 betweenjack leach

and sackib mahmood kept them afloat, and they made 20a all outjust before the close. this is a decider, the final test because they have drawn the previous two. big days ahead. lots of stats and records. we are going to talk about them next stop we are talking about whether facts. particularly record rain. hopefully not too much whether affecting cricket. stay with us because i promise you they are really interesting. it has not been a great build—up, i have to be honest. maybejustin can do better. a volunteer army of 16,000 people has helped recover millions of historic uk rainfall records.

see, it is interesting. it was two years ago this week that people stepped up to help digitise more than 200 years worth of handwritten rainfall entries. the data will be used to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, and give experts a better understanding of climate change, and our climate editorjustin rowlatt can tell us more. morning, justin. i have been looking at some of these statistics. they give a real insight into the wettest year on record. victorian times, the floods and how they dealt with it. really interesting. i am going to let you tell the story. interesting. i am going to let you tell the story-— tell the story. thanks for that introduction. _ tell the story. thanks for that introduction. i _ tell the story. thanks for that introduction. i am _ tell the story. thanks for that introduction. i am at - tell the story. thanks for that introduction. i am at reading| introduction. i am at reading university weather station where they have all kinds of equipment for measuring the weather. things that measure the clouds and sunshine, even devices measuring electrical energy in the atmosphere. whether enthusiast have been taking

measurements and collecting data on the weather for hundreds of years. that archive is really important. the better we understand the past the better able we are to predict future as discovered when i visited met office archives in exeter. this room contains something unique — the uk's national weather memory. it holds tens of thousands of records of our country's weather dating back hundreds of years. but how do you digitise this huge trove of often handwritten rainfall records? back in around 2018, it identified this data as a really rich new source of rainfall data. we knew we wanted to do something with it. the first thing we did was make sure we scanned it all, got it all digitised. but there was a huge amount. 66,000 pages, a total of 5 million individual entries.

when they were keyed, it was done four times for quality control purposes. so it actually makes over 20 million individual observations being keyed. when you add the other data, like the name of the place, the name of the observer, we're up to 1 million keystrokes. —— 100 million keystrokes. a huge effort! absolutely vast. not something catherine with her tiny archive team could ever do. and then... ..came lockdown. suddenly there were millions of people with nothing to do. but how to get them making the weather? iamjoined by i am joined by anne hawkins, a climate scientist at reading university. —— ed. you had a cunning plan for this vast trove of data. we realise the only way to rescue the data and — realise the only way to rescue the data and make it useful to science

once _ data and make it useful to science once again — data and make it useful to science once again was to recruit an army of volunteers— once again was to recruit an army of volunteers to — once again was to recruit an army of volunteers to help transcribe these handwritten records into useful data _ handwritten records into useful data. ., . , , handwritten records into useful data. ., , ., data. you realise this way before lockdown. _ data. you realise this way before lockdown, didn't _ data. you realise this way before lockdown, didn't you? _ data. you realise this way before lockdown, didn't you? we i data. you realise this way before lockdown, didn't you? we could | data. you realise this way before i lockdown, didn't you? we could see lockdown, didn't you? we could see lockdown coming _ lockdown, didn't you? we could see lockdown coming and _ lockdown, didn't you? we could see lockdown coming and thought i lockdown, didn't you? we could see| lockdown coming and thought people would _ lockdown coming and thought people would have more time and one distraction from what was going on in the _ distraction from what was going on in the world. distraction from what was going on in the world-— distraction from what was going on in the world. ,, ., ., , , ., in the world. lockdown happened on the 23rd of march. _ in the world. lockdown happened on the 23rd of march. on _ in the world. lockdown happened on the 23rd of march. on the _ in the world. lockdown happened on the 23rd of march. on the 26th - in the world. lockdown happened on the 23rd of march. on the 26th may| the 23rd of march. on the 26th may you said, we need people to help us with this giant citizen science project. with this giant citizen science ro'ect. ~ . with this giant citizen science ro'ect. . ., ., , with this giant citizen science ro'ect. ~ ., .,, , , with this giant citizen science -ro'ect. ., , ,. project. what was the response like? we expected — project. what was the response like? we expected it _ project. what was the response like? we expected it to _ project. what was the response like? we expected it to take _ project. what was the response like? we expected it to take months i project. what was the response like? we expected it to take months to - we expected it to take months to transcribe — we expected it to take months to transcribe these 5 million observations. the response from the public— observations. the response from the public was _ observations. the response from the public was extraordinary. we achieved _ public was extraordinary. we achieved all of that 16 days. katharine ross, the archivist, said it was 100 million keystrokes. 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what does it tell us _ 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what does it tell us and _ 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what does it tell us and why _ 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what does it tell us and why is _ 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. what does it tell us and why is it - 16,000 volunteers in 16 days. ifanat does it tell us and why is it so important?— does it tell us and why is it so imortant?~ ,, [k important? we spent the last 18 months since _ important? we spent the last 18 months since then _ important? we spent the last 18 months since then ensuring - important? we spent the last 18 months since then ensuring the | important? we spent the last 18 - months since then ensuring the data

is good _ months since then ensuring the data is good quality and making sure we know _ is good quality and making sure we know exactly where the observations were taken. a group of volunteers have _ were taken. a group of volunteers have helped with that task as well. we can— have helped with that task as well. we can hand the data over and put it into the _ we can hand the data over and put it into the rain— we can hand the data over and put it into the rain full database, using it to map— into the rain full database, using it to map out variations in rainfall, _ it to map out variations in rainfall, going back to 1836. we can look at _ rainfall, going back to 1836. we can look at these extreme months and years— look at these extreme months and years from — look at these extreme months and years from the past extreme floods and extreme droughts, and learn about— and extreme droughts, and learn about those to better plan our infrastructure for the future. there is a law the — infrastructure for the future. there is a law the government _ infrastructure for the future. there is a law the government works - infrastructure for the future. there is a law the government works to l is a law the government works to saying we need to plan for 100 year floods. now we have almost 200 years of data. add —— how does that help us understand? the of data. add -- how does that help us understand?— of data. add -- how does that help us understand? ., ., ., ., us understand? the more data we have the more extreme _ us understand? the more data we have the more extreme events _ us understand? the more data we have the more extreme events we _ us understand? the more data we have the more extreme events we can - us understand? the more data we have the more extreme events we can see . the more extreme events we can see in our— the more extreme events we can see in our past — the more extreme events we can see in our past enables estimate better ptahhihg _ in our past enables estimate better planning for the future. this in our past enables estimate better planning for the future.— planning for the future. this is how we rotect planning for the future. this is how we protect our— planning for the future. this is how we protect our cities, _ planning for the future. this is how we protect our cities, towns - planning for the future. this is how we protect our cities, towns and i we protect our cities, towns and cities better, we build infrastructure to deal with a

changing climate and changing whether we can expect in the future. some rainfall records changed as a result of the data you put in and see in its glory for the first time. we have seen extraordinary extreme months _ we have seen extraordinary extreme months in _ we have seen extraordinary extreme months in the past. november and decemher— months in the past. november and december 1852, there were enormous floods— december 1852, there were enormous floods across much of southern engiand~ — floods across much of southern england. the driest year on record is now— england. the driest year on record is now 1855— england. the driest year on record is now 1855 when it was 1857 before. that will— is now 1855 when it was 1857 before. that will help us understand and predict the future better. it is now all on the met office computer. irate all on the met office computer. we know temperatures around the uk have warned _ know temperatures around the uk have warned that _ know temperatures around the uk have warned that is changing patterns. we need to— warned that is changing patterns. we need to plan to make sure we are resilient — need to plan to make sure we are resilient that weather.— need to plan to make sure we are resilient that weather. professor of climate change _ resilient that weather. professor of climate change here _ resilient that weather. professor of climate change here at _ resilient that weather. professor of climate change here at reading - climate change here at reading university, thank you very much indeed. bacteria in the studio. i hope it is a sunny day, like here at reading university. —— back to you

in the studio. reading university. -- back to you in the studio.— reading university. -- back to you in the studio. let's bring for today and the weekend. some of m records for today and the weekend. some of my records are _ for today and the weekend. some of my records are probably _ for today and the weekend. some of my records are probably in - for today and the weekend. some of my records are probably in there - for today and the weekend. some of my records are probably in there as| my records are probably in there as well. an amazing project. talking about rainfall, none in the forecast for most of you today. let's take a look at the forecast. you are used to the story right now. quite a remarkable spring week of sunshine and warmth. more to come again today. a few exceptions. in the very far north of scotland and the westinghouse of scotland, more in a way of low cloud. —— western coast of scotland. for most any from dawn right the way through to dusk once again. we will start to see temperatures rise quite markedly. temperatures across some parts of

eastern england, particularly yorkshire, up to 20,21. eastern england, particularly yorkshire, up to 20, 21. that is how it is looking this afternoon in just light winds. worth pointing out pollen levels moderate again in southern parts of england and wales and pollution levels high once again. in. they will improve over the coming days. after the warmth of the coming days. after the warmth of the day it will turn cold again quite quickly. temperatures dropping away quite markedly. a touch of frost around. mist and fog here and there. a chilly start to the weekend, much like we have had in the past few days. once again another fine spring day with plenty of sunshine around. maybe cloud in case of northern ireland on saturday and still across the north and west of scotland. a bit more of a breeze blowing across the south of the country. as we go into sunday we start to see if few changes around across the country. more in a way of

mist and low cloud pushing in for england and wales and temperatures will start to drop away. temperatures will fall away further as we go into next week. that is how the weather is looking. more forecasts throughout the rest of the morning. now back to ben and victoria. stay with us, headlines coming up.

good morning, welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. our headlines today. as russia faces continuing resistance in ukraine, president biden warns moscow any use of chemical weapons would trigger a response in kind by nato. ahead of a visit to poland today, he also announces a billion dollars in humanitarian aid for those caught up in the conflict. after the boss of p&o ferries admits the company broke the law when it sacked 800 workers, the transport secretary tells us he shoud resign accusing him of brazen arrogance. concern that more than a million people will be pushed into absolute poverty from april. with rising food and fuel prices we hear from the charities calling on the government to do more to help tackle the rising cost of living. and we meet the teacher getting bedding

to children whose families can't afford to make sure they get a decent night's sleep keeping the dream alive — wales are now one step away from their first world cup finals in over 60 years, thanks to their captain marvel gareth bale. good morning. it's friday, the 25th march. our top story. the us president, joe biden, has warned that any use of chemical weapons in ukraine by vladimir putin, would trigger a response from nato. it comes as the alliance approves a major increase of its forces in eastern europe, following an emergency meeting in brussels yesterday. graham satchell has the very latest. an explosion in the occupied southern port of berdyansk. plumes of black smoke seen for miles around. the ukrainians say they destroyed a russian warship, the orsk. this was it three days ago. it has been playing a key role

in boosting russian supply lines, carrying troops and hardware. its destruction more evident of fightback at sea and on land. there isn't much left of makariv, a town to the sarit of north—west of the capital kyiv. for weeks and weeks the russians have shelled it relentlessly. but, in a fierce battle, ukrainian forces have regained the town, pushing russian forces back. makariv was a key target for russia. series of counterattacks has allowed ukrainians to occupy towns up to 45 kilometres north of kyiv. is ukraine turning the tide in this war? i think ukraine can certainly win. i don't think it's going to be easy. i think that the situation for the ukrainians is grim, miserable. i don't think we've seen anything like it for 80 years in europe, and what putin is doing is unconscionable. the american president, joe biden, will be in poland today.

he will meet refugees who escaped from ukraine. at a series of meetings with nato and european allies, the president talked about unity, staying the course, and red lines. what would nato do if moscow uses chemical weapons? we would respond. we would respond if he uses it. the nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky has again asked nato for more help, tanks and planes. but in an address posted overnight, he talked of peace and victory. translation: the country must move towards peace, move forward. - with each day of our defence we are bringing the peace we need so much closer. we are bringing victory closer. because in this war, it is simply impossible for us not to win. the children's hospital in kyiv, and a lucky escape. when a missile struck their house, olga and her husband dymitro ran to cover their baby daughter

victoria, protecting her from falling debris. as world leaders debate the course of this war, ordinary ukrainians are on the front protecting each other. graham satchell, bbc news. let's speak now to james waterhouse, our correspondent in kyiv. james, how have things been overnight? and, regarding president zelensky talking about peace, and any update on the negotiated settlement or not?— any update on the negotiated settlement or not? yeah, let's start on the piece. _ settlement or not? yeah, let's start on the piece, victoria. _ settlement or not? yeah, let's start on the piece, victoria. i— settlement or not? yeah, let's start on the piece, victoria. ithink- settlement or not? yeah, let's start on the piece, victoria. i think as - on the piece, victoria. i think as things— on the piece, victoria. i think as things stand there has been little progress — things stand there has been little progress. not enough in the eyes of the kremlin at least for both president putin and president selenski to meet. it will require a pit race _ selenski to meet. it will require a pit race president zelensky. this has been — pit race president zelensky. this has been a — pit race president zelensky. this has been a war that has been an ever changing _ has been a war that has been an ever changing. unfortunately, the end seems _ changing. unfortunately, the end seems a — changing. unfortunately, the end seems a long way away. we have entered _ seems a long way away. we have entered a — seems a long way away. we have entered a very static period where both sides —

entered a very static period where both sides are continuing to dig in. we can't _ both sides are continuing to dig in. we can't remembera both sides are continuing to dig in. we can't remember a morning disquiet — we can't remember a morning disquiet. usually we hear artillery in the _ disquiet. usually we hear artillery in the north—westerly direction. the thought— in the north—westerly direction. the thought is— in the north—westerly direction. the thought is that ukrainian forces have _ thought is that ukrainian forces have now— thought is that ukrainian forces have now started to surround those invading _ have now started to surround those invading troops, certainly in western— invading troops, certainly in western terms, as they continue to frustrate _ western terms, as they continue to frustrate the advance. it does represent quite a significant fightback. it has notjust been ukrainian _ fightback. it has notjust been ukrainian resistance. but they are taking _ ukrainian resistance. but they are taking the — ukrainian resistance. but they are taking the opportunity of russian forces _ taking the opportunity of russian forces are — taking the opportunity of russian forces are spreading themselves too thin, forces are spreading themselves too thin. to _ forces are spreading themselves too thin. to try— forces are spreading themselves too thin, to try to take back what has been _ thin, to try to take back what has been taken _ thin, to try to take back what has been taken. but the international atomic— been taken. but the international atomic energy agency says it has received — atomic energy agency says it has received reports that russian forces are bombing a city in the north of here, _ are bombing a city in the north of here, where _ are bombing a city in the north of here, where the majority of staff at the chernobyl nuclear power plant live. the chernobyl nuclear power plant live so _ the chernobyl nuclear power plant live. so not only, they say, is that putting _ live. so not only, they say, is that putting them in danger, but they are unable _ putting them in danger, but they are unable to— putting them in danger, but they are unable to go to work and contain the nuclear— unable to go to work and contain the nuclear reactor, to manage it. many will remember it was the scene of the world's— will remember it was the scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster

in the _ the world's worst nuclear disaster in the 80s — the world's worst nuclear disaster in the 80s. it was one of the first place _ in the 80s. it was one of the first place is _ in the 80s. it was one of the first place is too — in the 80s. it was one of the first place is too full to russian troops eartv _ place is too full to russian troops early in _ place is too full to russian troops early in this work. as ever though, in the _ early in this work. as ever though, in the south—east, mariupol continues— in the south—east, mariupol continues to be further encroached by invading russian forces, who have 'ust by invading russian forces, who have just bombarded it for a number of weeks _ just bombarded it for a number of weeks. tens of thousands of people are thought to be trapped. now a worrving — are thought to be trapped. now a worrying development that russian forces _ worrying development that russian forces are — worrying development that russian forces are abducting ukrainian citizens. — forces are abducting ukrainian citizens, forcibly removing them from _ citizens, forcibly removing them from their— citizens, forcibly removing them from their families. the un has confirmed — from their families. the un has confirmed at least 36 cases. so, as ever. _ confirmed at least 36 cases. so, as ever. this _ confirmed at least 36 cases. so, as ever. this is — confirmed at least 36 cases. so, as ever. this is a — confirmed at least 36 cases. so, as ever, this is a war that is ever—changing and unfortunately, far from ending. thank you. james waterhouse. us presidentjoe biden is visiting poland later today. our correspondent mark lowen is in warsaw this morning. good morning. we heard from joe biden yesterday. he was in brussels talking about the role of nato in this work. what are we expecting to hear from this work. what are we expecting to hearfrom him on that this work. what are we expecting to hear from him on that visit today to poland? ~ , , ,

hear from him on that visit today to poland? , , , , ., poland? well, his first stop is to the east of _ poland? well, his first stop is to the east of poland, _ poland? well, his first stop is to the east of poland, to _ poland? well, his first stop is to the east of poland, to a - poland? well, his first stop is to the east of poland, to a city - poland? well, his first stop is to i the east of poland, to a city very close _ the east of poland, to a city very close to — the east of poland, to a city very close to the ukrainian border. there he witt— close to the ukrainian border. there he will meet — close to the ukrainian border. there he will meet some of the american troops _ he will meet some of the american troops. about 9000 of them still in poland _ troops. about 9000 of them still in poland reinforcing the nato eastern ftank~ _ poland reinforcing the nato eastern ftank~ he _ poland reinforcing the nato eastern flank. he will meet the polish president. we expect he will speak to new— president. we expect he will speak to new arrivals from the refugee crisis~ _ to new arrivals from the refugee crisis. poland has welcomed in 2.2 ukrainian — crisis. poland has welcomed in 2.2 ukrainian refugees. this is about the american president visiting the eastern _ the american president visiting the eastern side of a continent whose illusions— eastern side of a continent whose illusions about post—war peace have been shattered. and also, visiting the front— been shattered. and also, visiting the front line of the humanitarian crisis _ the front line of the humanitarian crisis coming from ukraine. he comes having _ crisis coming from ukraine. he comes having announced a one billion dollars— having announced a one billion dollars aid package. having announced also that 100,000 refugees will be _ announced also that 100,000 refugees will be welcomed into the united states _ will be welcomed into the united states. and also, with a sense of solidarity — states. and also, with a sense of solidarity and gratitude to the polish — solidarity and gratitude to the polish government and the polish peopte _ polish government and the polish people for welcoming these refugees, and a sense of solidarity among the

western _ and a sense of solidarity among the western world, united, and the sense of resotve _ western world, united, and the sense of resolve being reinvigorated in the face — of resolve being reinvigorated in the face of russian aggression. thank— the face of russian aggression. thank you _ the face of russian aggression. thank you very much. the transport secretary has told breakfast in the last half hour, that the boss of p&o feries should resign, accusing him of brazen, breathtaking arrogance. chief executive peter hebblethwaite admitted to mps yesterday, the company broke the law by not consulting with unions before sacking 800 staff. our political correspondent iain watson is in westminster. strong words from grant schapps. the boss could just ignore him? that is right. very strong words indeed — that is right. very strong words indeed he _ that is right. very strong words indeed. he described the way the sackings— indeed. he described the way the sackings had been handled as a dog's dinner— sackings had been handled as a dog's dinner and _ sackings had been handled as a dog's dinner and a — sackings had been handled as a dog's dinnerand a pig past my sackings had been handled as a dog's dinner and a pig past my ear and sackings had been handled as a dog's dinnerand a pig past my earand he made— dinnerand a pig past my earand he made it— dinnerand a pig past my earand he made it very— dinnerand a pig past my earand he made it very clear on this programme that he _ made it very clear on this programme that he was— made it very clear on this programme that he was less than chuffed with the actions of the chief executive, peter— the actions of the chief executive, peter hebblethwaite. the key question you asked him was, could have _ question you asked him was, could have the _ question you asked him was, could have the government get these people theirjobs— have the government get these people theirjobs back? i didn't think he

answered — theirjobs back? i didn't think he answered that unequivocally, but he did say— answered that unequivocally, but he did say the _ answered that unequivocally, but he did say the government would be bringing — did say the government would be bringing forward a package of measures next week to close any toophotes — measures next week to close any loopholes that p&0 may have exploited and make it very difficult for them _ exploited and make it very difficult for them to go ahead with their business — for them to go ahead with their business model. if you remember, what _ business model. if you remember, what really— business model. if you remember, what really upset some mps who are questioning peter hebblethwaite yesterday wasn'tjust questioning peter hebblethwaite yesterday wasn't just the question of breaking the law, but p&0's intentions of taking on agency workers — intentions of taking on agency workers and paying them below the minimum _ workers and paying them below the minimum wage. this is something grant _ minimum wage. this is something grant schapps said he would tackle. he said _ grant schapps said he would tackle. he said if— grant schapps said he would tackle. he said if p&0 ferries had to ply their— he said if p&0 ferries had to ply their trade in british waters they would _ their trade in british waters they would have to abide by those rules. but, as— would have to abide by those rules. but, as you — would have to abide by those rules. but, as you say, is main point was that p80 — but, as you say, is main point was that p&0 itself needed a change in leadership and he called on peter hebblethwaite to stand down. brazen, breathtaking arrogance. and i think he should go. he brazen, breathtaking arrogance. and i think he should go.— i think he should go. he should resin i think he should go. he should resign now? — i think he should go. he should resign now? he _ i think he should go. he should resign now? he should. - i think he should go. he should resign now? he should. i- i think he should go. he should| resign now? he should. i mean, i think he should go. he should - resign now? he should. i mean, the idea that you _ resign now? he should. i mean, the idea that you come _ resign now? he should. i mean, the idea that you come to _ resign now? he should. i mean, the idea that you come to parliament, l idea that you come to parliament,

you deliberately, you admit that you deliberately set out to break the law, so it's not some sort of accident or mistake, deliberately do that, in order to sack your staff and bring in a low minimum wage people and that you will buy off the stuff to do that, is quite simply unacceptable. they have exploited loopholes, they have been completely disgraceful and i am clear that is no way to behave and not the right individual to have at the top of british business. now he did say he would have cross—party support for introducing new measures next week. a whole range _ new measures next week. a whole range of— new measures next week. a whole range of things he's doing already inctude _ range of things he's doing already include safety checks on p&0 ferries to make _ include safety checks on p&0 ferries to make sure they cannot ply their business _ to make sure they cannot ply their business again at the moment. he was also asked _ business again at the moment. he was also asked when he knew about p&0's intentions _ also asked when he knew about p&0's intentions and he said he had not seen _ intentions and he said he had not seen internal correspondence at the department for transport that were circulating — department for transport that were circulating the night before the announcement was made. he said only announcement was made. he said only a smatt— announcement was made. he said only a small group of officials were in touch— a small group of officials were in touch with — a small group of officials were in touch with each other and the first

he knew _ touch with each other and the first he knew of— touch with each other and the first he knew of it was when he was addressing parliament on a different issue the _ addressing parliament on a different issue the following day, and the news _ issue the following day, and the news was — issue the following day, and the news was coming through to him while he was _ news was coming through to him while he was in _ news was coming through to him while he was in parliament that p&0 were trying _ he was in parliament that p&0 were trying to— he was in parliament that p&0 were trying to lay off 800 staff. he also said he _ trying to lay off 800 staff. he also said he didn't discussed the question— said he didn't discussed the question of redundancies with them when _ question of redundancies with them when he _ question of redundancies with them when he met the chief executive of the parent— when he met the chief executive of the parent company, dp world, last november — november. thank you. iain watson. 12 minutes passed out. good morning. —— eight. with warnings that more than a million people will be pushed into absolute poverty from april, many charities are calling on the government to do more to help tackle the rising cost of living. already hundreds of thousands of people in the uk can't afford basic stuff like furniture. there are children sleeping on bedding in baths, brothers and sisters taking turns to share a single bed, and some kids sleeping on the floor. fiona lamdin reports from leeds, where a teacher is trying to help.

children that are having to sleep on floors. to share four orfive in a single bed taking turns. unless the basic needs of children are met, they're not going to be able to learn. they're not going to be able to give it their best shot, the one shot that they get at an education. driving around leeds, delivering beds. starting the day at this storage unit, collecting the bed bundles. two beds going out today, so we've got two duvets, two pillows and there's three children in the house, so we've got three sets of lovely pyjamas, all the right sizes. we've got some of our zed ted. so zed ted looks after our children in their new beds. four years ago, bex realised some children in her school didn't have beds to sleep in. since then, she's delivered 2,000. i was teaching a little boy, and he wasn't himself. when i spoke to him about what was going on, i asked him if he was tired, and hejust looked me straight

in the eyes and said, "miss, i'm always tired, i don't have a bed." and that was his truth. and when that's your norm, how you can perform in a classroom, how you can listen, how you can learn, how your brain can function is impeded and that's not ok. we came across a 14—year—old boy who'd spent six months sleeping on a beanbag on a floor. we were in one house where every flat had a full wall of damp, so actually the mum thought it was better to put the bedding... put duvet covers in the bath, and that's where the children were sleeping. first stop, bunk beds for a family of six, who've been sharing two mattresses. i absolutely hate carrying bunk beds. let's try not to get blown over. hello. we're here with your bed, superstar. hi. what a fabulous... fava. hi, fava. thank you for introducing... these are all for you. your brand—new beds. yeah. ah, how exciting!

tina and her children moved from spain three months ago. she and her three daughters have been sleeping on one mattress while her husband and the boys share another. sharing a bed is not really advisable. as for now, we've got all this. i'm so excited. for now, my baby will be sleeping comfortable. yeah, i feel so good. thank you so much. i really appreciate. see you later. bye— bye. bye, everybody. thank you. what an amazing family! absolutely fabulous. but tina and her family aren't alone. across the country. i made three, too. something sophie in her six—year—old son know all about. they had to leave their old home suddenly, arriving here with nothing. no beds, no fridge freezers. no cooker, nothing. i was literally living off, like, pot noodles and things like that. what were you sleeping on?

a mattress. at the start, yeah. just on my bedroom floor. i think it did have an impact, where, like, he was falling behind a little bit at school and just misbehaving and not listening. but if you don't have enough sleep and you don't... you don't follow instructions well and stuff like that. so what difference did it make when you were given two beds? really good. like, he's excelling at school, he's coming along so well. his confidence has just peaked so much. he's more talkative to people. a lot happier. 18 months on, they're still so grateful for their donated beds. it was amazing really. it was quite emotional when i got the bed at first. just a big weight lifted. like someone cared about us. it's now rush hour, as bex crosses the city for her last delivery of the day. single mum rosie has been sharing her bed with her sons for six months. all brand—new, all gorgeous. basically, i've been in bed with three of my little boys from age four to eight months. it'sjust been a struggle. lack of sleep, all fitting in a bed. it'sjust been affecting

my mental health. oh, it's going to be amazing. a full night's sleep, a routine. see you later, everybody. thank you. bye. bye— bye. well, we've got an empty van all done, hopefully full hearts, empty van at the end of the day. it's been a busy one. hard work, cold and windy, but so worth it to see the smiles on children's and parents' faces today, getting those beds. so, yeah, another great day. 200 schools across leeds refer 20 families a week to bex and her charity, zarach. but this hidden issue means, in the city tonight, many children are still without a proper place to sleep. fiona lamdin, bbc news. incredible work by the teacher there. so, the reality for many people is that they are struggling to pay for the basics. the chancellor said

earlier this week he is trying to help where he can. but does it go far enough? ben's here. morning to you. those rising average prices are putting so much pressure on households. the chancellor announced some measures to tackle inflation, such as cutting fuel duty by 5p a litre, and increasing the amount at which you start paying national insurance by £3,000. some measures there. but he's been accused of not doing enough in the spring statement to help the poorest households. people who receive benefits, including universal credit and state pension, will see their benefits rise by 3.1% in april, as part of the normal uprating system. it's meant to ensure benefits keep up with rising prices. but this week, the office for national statistics confirmed inflation hit 6.2% in february. and it's expected to go as high as 8.7% later this year. but the institute for fiscal studies says in reality costs could rise by 10% for those on the lowest incomes.

we spoke to liz. she gets universal credit, and has already been forced to use food banks. universal creditjust universal credit just doesn't allow peopte _ universal credit just doesn't allow people who are on benefit to buy ctothes _ people who are on benefit to buy clothes and what not. it just covers the bills— clothes and what not. it just covers the bills and food, if you are lucky. — the bills and food, if you are lucky. as— the bills and food, if you are lucky, as well as your rent. i mean, i lucky, as well as your rent. i mean, i am _ lucky, as well as your rent. i mean, i am using — lucky, as well as your rent. i mean, i am using food banks. i would be starving _ i am using food banks. i would be starving otherwise. to be honest, the benefits need to rise in line with att— the benefits need to rise in line with all the food, the gas and electric, _ with all the food, the gas and electric, and even the rent tos, because — electric, and even the rent tos, because it _ electric, and even the rent tos, because it is not helping people who are on— because it is not helping people who are on it _ because it is not helping people who are on it it— because it is not helping people who are on it. it needs to be in line, like _ are on it. it needs to be in line, like it— are on it. it needs to be in line, like it should be. i will probably still be — like it should be. i will probably still be using food banks in the next _ still be using food banks in the next couple of months because my money _ next couple of months because my money don't distract, not the way the prices — money don't distract, not the way the prices have gone. liz certainly is not the prices have gone. liz certainly is rrot alone- _ the resolution foundation says that taking the chancellor's measures into account, 1.3 million people could fall into absolute poverty in the next year — including 500,000 children.

it says it will be the first time britain has seen poverty rise like this outside a recession. absolute poverty means that after housing costs, you have less than £14,000 to spend as a couple, or £8,000 as a single person. the chancellor pointed out the extra £500 million for the household support fund, to help people on the lowest incomes. the fund is managed by local councils, which decide who receives the money. it's mainly to help vulnerable households with food, energy and water bills. but it can also be used for things like curtains and carpets to keep a home warm, or a fridge or washing machine. rishi sunak said he had difficult decisions to make and that he couldn't solve the cost of living crisis for everyone. the government has also said other measures, such as changes to the universal credit taper and the energy bills rebate, will help those households in need. even so, the prime minister has hinted that there could be more

support on the horizon. in the meantime, people are braced for some difficult months ahead. yeah, pretty stark. thank you very much. we're joined now by former labour prime minister gordon brown. good morning to you. we have heard over the last few minutes a number of stark examples, people having to choose between food and heating. people that can't afford to find beds for their children. just the latest examples and the warnings we heard from the chancellor on wednesday is that this problem will get worse? wednesday is that this problem will aet worse? ., wednesday is that this problem will aet worse? . , .,, , get worse? yeah, the problem is auoin to get worse? yeah, the problem is going to get _ get worse? yeah, the problem is going to get worse. _ get worse? yeah, the problem is going to get worse. you - get worse? yeah, the problem is going to get worse. you can't - get worse? yeah, the problem is i going to get worse. you can't have children. _ going to get worse. you can't have children. no— going to get worse. you can't have children, no parent wants children growing _ children, no parent wants children growing up — children, no parent wants children growing up without beds, without warmth, — growing up without beds, without warmth, without hot food. something has to— warmth, without hot food. something has to be _ warmth, without hot food. something has to be done about this. i think churches, — has to be done about this. i think churches, pressure groups, charities, _ churches, pressure groups, charities, voluntary organisations, have _ charities, voluntary organisations, have now —

charities, voluntary organisations, have now got to come together and say to _ have now got to come together and say to the _ have now got to come together and say to the chancellor, any comparing and compassionate chancellor would want to _ and compassionate chancellor would want to do _ and compassionate chancellor would want to do something about this level— want to do something about this level of— want to do something about this level of fuel poverty. i see it in fife. _ level of fuel poverty. i see it in fife. where _ level of fuel poverty. i see it in fife, where i live, and i am involved _ fife, where i live, and i am involved with a local charity. parents _ involved with a local charity. parents are reluctant to turn up their— parents are reluctant to turn up their heating, and that is why there is a huge _ their heating, and that is why there is a huge demand for sheets, pittows, — is a huge demand for sheets, pillows, duvets, for anything that will provide warmth for the children during _ will provide warmth for the children during these cold nights. this will be worse — during these cold nights. this will be worse when it gets to the autumn. that is— be worse when it gets to the autumn. that is why— be worse when it gets to the autumn. that is why something has got to be done _ that is why something has got to be done there — that is why something has got to be done. there was a blank page in his budget— done. there was a blank page in his budget statement this week that it missed _ budget statement this week that it missed out millions of people facing real hardship. missed out millions of people facing real hardship-— missed out millions of people facing real hardship. let's come onto some of those proposals _ real hardship. let's come onto some of those proposals in _ real hardship. let's come onto some of those proposals in a _ real hardship. let's come onto some of those proposals in a minute. - real hardship. let's come onto some of those proposals in a minute. how| of those proposals in a minute. how is it that we are here in 2022 and we are talking about needing charities to provide bedding for children? �* , ., charities to provide bedding for children? , ., , ., children? because for seven of the last ten years. _ children? because for seven of the last ten years, benefits _ children? because for seven of the last ten years, benefits have - children? because for seven of the last ten years, benefits have been | last ten years, benefits have been frozen _ last ten years, benefits have been frozen because child benefit is now worth _ frozen because child benefit is now worth 20% — frozen because child benefit is now worth 20% less than it was in 2010, because _ worth 20% less than it was in 2010, because the — worth 20% less than it was in 2010, because the numbers of children in

poverty— because the numbers of children in poverty are — because the numbers of children in poverty are going to rise to 4.8 million. — poverty are going to rise to 4.8 million, and that is even higher than _ million, and that is even higher than it— million, and that is even higher than it was— million, and that is even higher than it was in the recession of the 1980s. _ than it was in the recession of the 1980s. and — than it was in the recession of the 1980s, and it will go beyond 5 million — 1980s, and it will go beyond 5 million during the course of next year _ million during the course of next year that — million during the course of next year. that is a situation now chancellor, no government, should be prepared— chancellor, no government, should be prepared to— chancellor, no government, should be prepared to accept. this is an emergency. it is a cost of living crisis~ _ emergency. it is a cost of living crisis~ and _ emergency. it is a cost of living crisis. and you cannot ignore the needs— crisis. and you cannot ignore the needs of— crisis. and you cannot ignore the needs of people who are having to choose _ needs of people who are having to choose between putting their heating up choose between putting their heating up and _ choose between putting their heating up and feeding the metre and feeding their children. that is simply not an acceptable situation. and i do say a _ an acceptable situation. and i do saya campaign an acceptable situation. and i do say a campaign has got to be mounted across— say a campaign has got to be mounted across the _ say a campaign has got to be mounted across the country to change this. mayors _ across the country to change this. mayors have already spoken out, tocat— mayors have already spoken out, local authority have spoken out, devotved — local authority have spoken out, devolved administrations have spoken out. devolved administrations have spoken out i_ devolved administrations have spoken out ithink— devolved administrations have spoken out. i think churches are going to be very— out. i think churches are going to be very active in saying, we cannot allow _ be very active in saying, we cannot allow this, — be very active in saying, we cannot allow this, we have food banks, baby banks, _ allow this, we have food banks, baby banks, clothes banks, and now what we have _ banks, clothes banks, and now what we have in— banks, clothes banks, and now what we have in fife is a betting bank where _ we have in fife is a betting bank where we — we have in fife is a betting bank where we are having to commute from local firms _ where we are having to commute from local firms and charities and other organisations prepared to help, the seats— organisations prepared to help, the seats and _ organisations prepared to help, the seats and the duvets and, of course,

the beds _ seats and the duvets and, of course, the beds necessary for families to avoid _ the beds necessary for families to avoid this— the beds necessary for families to avoid this suffering. talk the beds necessary for families to avoid this suffering.— avoid this suffering. talk to me about some — avoid this suffering. talk to me about some of _ avoid this suffering. talk to me about some of the _ avoid this suffering. talk to me about some of the stories - avoid this suffering. talk to me about some of the stories that l avoid this suffering. talk to me i about some of the stories that you are hearing in your work with that bedding bank? these are very real individual stories. we saw some of them in the report. what are you seeing where you are?— them in the report. what are you seeing where you are? well, it makes ou an: , seeing where you are? well, it makes you angry. because — seeing where you are? well, it makes you angry, because in _ seeing where you are? well, it makes you angry, because in addition - seeing where you are? well, it makes you angry, because in addition to - you angry, because in addition to the compassion you want to show, you feel something has got to be done but charities cannot do enough. i found _ but charities cannot do enough. i found three children sleeping under one sheet — found three children sleeping under one sheet. we have got mothers who don't _ one sheet. we have got mothers who don't have _ one sheet. we have got mothers who don't have cookers and therefore they can't— don't have cookers and therefore they can't give their children hot food _ they can't give their children hot food you — they can't give their children hot food. you have got people who do not have the _ food. you have got people who do not have the bedding absolutely necessary for the children, who are steeping _ necessary for the children, who are steeping on— necessary for the children, who are sleeping on the floor. you heard about _ sleeping on the floor. you heard about leeds where children were steeping — about leeds where children were sleeping in a bath. these are stories— sleeping in a bath. these are stories you thought you would never hear _ stories you thought you would never hear i_ stories you thought you would never hear i have — stories you thought you would never hear. i have seen poverty when we had unemployment and i have seen poverty— had unemployment and i have seen poverty growing up in a mining town, and i_ poverty growing up in a mining town, and i haven't— poverty growing up in a mining town, and i haven't seen anything as bad as this _ and i haven't seen anything as bad as this and — and i haven't seen anything as bad as this. and therefore, there is an

urgency— as this. and therefore, there is an urgency about the chancellor acting. this is— urgency about the chancellor acting. this is something that he cannot turn his— this is something that he cannot turn his back away from. and all the measures— turn his back away from. and all the measures he — turn his back away from. and all the measures he announced on tuesday missed _ measures he announced on tuesday missed out— measures he announced on tuesday missed out the very vital issue of what _ missed out the very vital issue of what we — missed out the very vital issue of what we do — missed out the very vital issue of what we do to help people who simply don't have _ what we do to help people who simply don't have enough to pay for their heating~ _ don't have enough to pay for their heating. that is why they should bridge _ heating. that is why they should bridge for— heating. that is why they should bridge for the £20 taken away in october. — bridge for the £20 taken away in october, and of course they should have a _ october, and of course they should have a benefits operate it in line with real — have a benefits operate it in line with real inflation. am have a benefits operate it in line with real inflation.— with real inflation. am i right in sa inc with real inflation. am i right in saying you _ with real inflation. am i right in saying you dismantle _ with real inflation. am i right in saying you dismantle your - with real inflation. am i right in saying you dismantle your own | with real inflation. am i right in - saying you dismantle your own sons's beds to help out? == saying you dismantle your own sons's beds to help out?— beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah. that _ beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, that was _ beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, that was a _ beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, that was a year _ beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, that was a year or - beds to help out? -- dismantled. yeah, that was a year or two - beds to help out? -- dismantled. 1 yeah, that was a year or two ago. beds to help out? -- dismantled. i yeah, that was a year or two ago. it was christmassy. i visited a family where _ was christmassy. i visited a family where they— was christmassy. i visited a family where they had no beds. ijust said, my kids. _ where they had no beds. ijust said, my kids, their bunk beds are now out of date, _ my kids, their bunk beds are now out of date, so _ my kids, their bunk beds are now out of date, so let's get them to people who actually need them. i wasn't very good — who actually need them. i wasn't very good at putting them up, but i .ot very good at putting them up, but i got some _ very good at putting them up, but i got some help to do so. this is happening _ got some help to do so. this is happening everywhere, in every part of the _ happening everywhere, in every part of the country. something has got to be done _ of the country. something has got to be done. but the charities alone can do a huge _

be done. but the charities alone can do a huge amount. we are working with amazon. we have got a warehouse in fife _ with amazon. we have got a warehouse in fife stocked full of goods for families — in fife stocked full of goods for families. we have got local firms giving _ families. we have got local firms giving us — families. we have got local firms giving us bedding equipment this week _ giving us bedding equipment this week. and beds next week, probably. but it's— week. and beds next week, probably. but it's not— week. and beds next week, probably. but it's not enough. the government is to play— but it's not enough. the government is to play its— but it's not enough. the government is to play its part. because the safety — is to play its part. because the safety net _ is to play its part. because the safety net is really the welfare state — safety net is really the welfare state it — safety net is really the welfare state. it cannot be relying simply on food _ state. it cannot be relying simply on food banks or charities to provide _ on food banks or charities to provide the lifeline and the last line provide the lifeline and the last tine of— provide the lifeline and the last line of protection for families in the greatest need. you line of protection for families in the greatest need.— line of protection for families in the greatest need. you are a former prime minister, _ the greatest need. you are a former prime minister, also _ the greatest need. you are a former prime minister, also a _ the greatest need. you are a former prime minister, also a former- prime minister, also a former chancellor. so you will know the realities of being in thatjob, you have to try and juggle all the numbers, you have to work out where to prioritise and where to spend. we are emerging from a global pandemic. we are dealing with a war in ukraine. we are in an unprecedented economic situation. we are told economic situation. we are told economic growth will slow this year, that inflation will hit new record highs. amidst all of that, and what we heard from the chancellor on wednesday about his priorities when

it comes to tax cuts and spending rises, i wonder what we should prioritise given that there is no magic money tree? money has to come from somewhere, so that inevitably means a cut somewhere. l from somewhere, so that inevitably means a cut somewhere. i did from somewhere, so that inevitably means a cut somewhere.— means a cut somewhere. i did 11 buduets means a cut somewhere. i did 11 budgets and _ means a cut somewhere. i did 11 budgets and 11 _ means a cut somewhere. i did 11 budgets and 11 statement - means a cut somewhere. i did 11 budgets and 11 statement like i means a cut somewhere. i did 11| budgets and 11 statement like he means a cut somewhere. i did 11 - budgets and 11 statement like he did last wednesday. the one thing you have to _ last wednesday. the one thing you have to do — last wednesday. the one thing you have to do is have a plan for the future — have to do is have a plan for the future you _ have to do is have a plan for the future. you have to have a plan to .et future. you have to have a plan to get the _ future. you have to have a plan to get the debt down. you cannot allow in an emergency when you have got a cost of— in an emergency when you have got a cost of living — in an emergency when you have got a cost of living crisis, tax rises, benefit — cost of living crisis, tax rises, benefit cuts, heating and food going up, benefit cuts, heating and food going up. we've _ benefit cuts, heating and food going up, we've just heard this morning that milk— up, we've just heard this morning that milk as— up, we've just heard this morning that milk as well as bride is going to go— that milk as well as bride is going to go up. — that milk as well as bride is going to go up, and these will be big price _ to go up, and these will be big price rises, _ to go up, and these will be big price rises, you can do is allow children— price rises, you can do is allow children and pensioners to suffer in a crisis _ children and pensioners to suffer in a crisis you — children and pensioners to suffer in a crisis. you have to do something about— a crisis. you have to do something about it _ a crisis. you have to do something about it the — a crisis. you have to do something about it. the priority cannotjust be releasing the oil companies from a windfall— be releasing the oil companies from a windfall tax when that money could pay for _ a windfall tax when that money could pay for the _ a windfall tax when that money could pay for the help that is needed for eating _ pay for the help that is needed for eating for— pay for the help that is needed for eating for children. your priority honestly— eating for children. your priority honestly cannot be to announce income — honestly cannot be to announce income tax cuts later when people

actually _ income tax cuts later when people actually need the help absolutely now _ actually need the help absolutely now i_ actually need the help absolutely now. i think the sleight of hand of the chancellor is going to give the conservative party, unfortunately, the reputation that theresa may tatked _ the reputation that theresa may talked about a few years ago, neither— talked about a few years ago, neither caring nor compassionate, the nasty— neither caring nor compassionate, the nasty party, because they are not helping people at the time of greatest — not helping people at the time of greatest need.— not helping people at the time of createst need. ,., ., �* ., ., ., not helping people at the time of createst need. ., �* ., ., greatest need. gordon brown, good to have ou greatest need. gordon brown, good to have you with — greatest need. gordon brown, good to have you with those _ greatest need. gordon brown, good to have you with those here _ greatest need. gordon brown, good to have you with those here this - have you with those here this morning. thank you for talking to us. ., , ., ., morning. thank you for talking to morning live follows us on bbc one this morning. let's find out what's in store with sara and gethin. coming up on morning live — this time next week, 22 million of us will see some of our bills jump by over 50% as the energy price cap lifts. and whilst it's a hugely worrying time, matt allwright is here - with a way you could save hundreds. i'm talking loft insulation, including how the spring statement has made it even cheaper to install, and if you're on a lower wage, how some energy companies have pots of money to help you cover the cost. plus, a new drug to help people with reduced immunity to protect

themselves against covid. dr punam is taking a look at the latest health stories. it could be good news for over half a million people who weren't able to have the vaccine. also, with the clocks changing this weekend, knocking our sleep patterns out of sync, i'll be helping giving you some tips to beat tiredness. we've got one doctor in the house and another on the road. - our vet drjames greenwood has been to meet the underdogs that prove - beauty is more thanjust skin deep as they compete in — _ wait for it — scruffts, _ the dog show for cross breeds! and from best in show to taking centre stage. she blew our socks off singing opera for comic relief, now, scarlett moffatt is here to tell us why failing her driving test 13 times means she'll be the perfect host of a new series of driving school. and taking the driving seat for strictly fitness, - neiljones is here. all week we've been learning . the routines that were awarded the perfect scores. today we'll put them all together for some friday fun. _

see you at 9:15. 13 times to pass a driving test? how many times did it take you two? first time. yeah, i was first time. second _ first time. yeah, i was first time. second for— first time. yeah, i was first time. second for me. am i the only one who was in first time? it means i'm a better driver. thank you. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london, i'm alison earle. it's feared a reduction in government funding and the cost of living crisis could undermine the recent fall in the number of homeless in london. the money given to local authorities for those struggling to pay rent and at risk of homelessness will reduce by 28% over the next year. cross—party group london councils

has warned the funding is vital to help low—income households keep a roof over their heads. a government spokesperson said "they're spending over £2 billion to tackle and prevent homelessness over the next three years." transport for london is looking to increase the number of shops and cafes across its network. it's one option it's exploring to increase revenue, which has fallen due to a drop in passenger numbers during the pandemic. commercial units make tfl £70 million a year. they're now trying to fill unused spaces. we have several hundred of these commercial opportunities that we'll need to do some work to before we can let out. but there is quite a large market out there as well as we're finding, as we're letting more of our units that we have brought back into use. we're finding actually there's quite a commercial demand. a london music fan has made it his mission to preserve the history of uk reggae sound systems. they came from the caribbean and are a big part of carnival.

ashishjoshi has created an online archive which he hopes will keep the memories alive. these sound systems were pioneers. they brought so much joy to the masses. but sadly these pioneers, a lot of them, have not been recognised. some have died penniless. some have passed away without any recognition. these audios, these videos are essential to highlight how these sound systems play. they're like a time capsule. travel now. this is how tfl services are looking at the moment. there's no service on the northern line between moorgate and kennington due to long term upgrade works. a good service on all other lines. on to the weather now with sara thornton. good morning to you, another lovely spring day ahead of us across london in the southeast. once more though this morning, it is a bit of a chilly start. temperatures close to freezing in some of our suburbs. but beautiful spring sunshine will lift those temperatures in the next couple of hours.

and then this afternoon it'll be warm again. once more up into the very high teens, well above average for the time of year. and we're going to do it all again tonight, where those temperatures slip away quite quickly under the clear skies. and tomorrow morning it's another chilly start, especially in our suburbs where we will see a bit of a ground frost. it is another lovely day tomorrow, though. we still have the high pressure dominating our weather. but through the weekend we start to pick up more of an easterly wind and more cloud. and then next week winds start to come in from the north and it is going to turn things an awful lot colder. so another lovely day today and for tomorrow as well. those temperatures again, well above average for the time of year. but on sunday we start to see a change. more cloud on sunday and after that much colder next week. that's it for the moment. you'll find more updates on our website. i'm back just after 9am. now it's back to victoria and ben. bye for now. good morning.

welcome to breakfast with victoria derbyshire and ben thompson. a charity, which is helping ukrainian refugees escape to the uk, says people are facing difficulties getting visas under the government's homes for ukraine scheme. mark and heather easton are trying to help the woman who acted as a surrogate to their baby daughter. they are locked in a bureaucratic battle to help her and her family come to the uk. phil mackie has been to meet them. in december, mark and heather easton arrived in kyiv to await the birth of their daughter, and to meet their surrogate, vita. by the time sophie was born injanuary, they knew a russian invasion could be imminent. after a frantic few weeks, they got sophie an emergency passport, and they came home to rugby, less than a fortnight before the tanks rolled in. after eight years of trying, and six failed ivf treatments, mark and heather finally have the baby daughter they've longed for. now, they're desperate to help vita

and her family escape the war. we just think she's wonderful. she gave us sophie. she basically saved me. i was in an immense amount of grief from infertility, and she has put a smile on my face, and we'rejust trying to save her, basically. she doesn't know anybody else really outside of ukraine. she's never been anywhere, has she? she's never left ukraine. so, we're her lifeline to say, come here and we'll help you. when we said goodbye in ukraine to vita, i says to her, i says, "oh, this isn't goodbye", you know, just saying it like that, you know. this isn't goodbye. we're always going to be friends, sort of thing. and here we are. that's going to go outside — the tumble dryer. _ there's a little shed built for it. the eastons are trying to raise money to help vita and her family when they get there, and there's already been a lot of generosity. steve walsh, who lives just five minutes away,

has offered to host them in his ground floor flat. so, yes, it wasn't - meant for three people. however, needs must. vita, her husband, andrei, her son nazar, and their dog, muzzy, who wasn't interested in appearing on screen, are currently staying in a hotel in brussels, waiting for their paperwork. we managed to talk to her on a video call, with the help of a ukrainian translator, who i called on my phone. vita told us that her hometown is being bombed every day. that's why she decided to leave. she's grateful, and is really looking forward to coming here. yeah, it's really great to see you, vita, and nazar and andrei. and i presume muzzy is there somewhere. we can't wait to have you, and hopefully, fingers crossed, a few more days or, come on, government, let you in. the eastons know that vita and her family are safe, but wish the government was speed the application process up. thank you very much. | thank you, thank you. bye — bye. bye.

just frustrated with the government, basically that they're making them dot the is and cross the t's, rather than just letting them come in and then process them here. i think they've been through enough. they don't need this to be dragged out. baby sophie doesn't realise yet how much drama has been packed into her first seven weeks. phil mackie, bbc news, rugby. that is the situation for one family. our next guests are also trying to sort out visas. niyara mamontova fled kharkiv with her daughter and is currently in the netherlands, and si morris—green, who's offered to host them is in birmingham. good morning. lovely to have you with us. maybe if i can come to you first, we last spoke to you ten days ago at the start of the process. talk us through what has happened,

if anything, since then? ianthem talk us through what has happened, if anything, since then?— if anything, since then? when the form was lodged _ if anything, since then? when the form was lodged on _ if anything, since then? when the form was lodged on the _ if anything, since then? when the form was lodged on the 15th - if anything, since then? when the form was lodged on the 15th of i form was lodged on the 15th of march, ifelt it form was lodged on the 15th of march, i felt it in. form was lodged on the 15th of march, ifelt it in. i added my daughter. then in a week it appeared i had to create each form separately, for her and for me. that was confusion. i must say that currently there are many families hiding in the basement in kyiv, waiting for the decisions for their visas, so they don't go anywhere, they are just hiding there. the russians right now are still there, shelling our cities, kharkiv in ukraine. mariupol is surrounded by russians. horrific news from my

ukraine. i must say i do not understand why it is so long. right now my husband is in kharkiv, he is a surgeon. i would like to return to kharkiv. i would like to go home. i would like in my hometown there will be peace and so right now i don't understand why is that so wrong? i keep checking my e—mail every minute and waiting for a visa to be approved. so we are waiting. there are many confusions from the people from ukraine. so right now facebook or other social networks, i am

helping, i am trying to help people, families from ukraine. many people with their children, they are just waiting. it is illegal together and went there, so we are waiting outside. ~ ., went there, so we are waiting outside. ~ . ,., went there, so we are waiting outside. ~ . , , outside. what the government says is the have outside. what the government says is they have to — outside. what the government says is they have to do _ outside. what the government says is they have to do the _ outside. what the government says is they have to do the proper— outside. what the government says is they have to do the proper checks. i they have to do the proper checks. the system is going to be slightly overwhelmed for obvious reasons at the moment and they had to make sure the moment and they had to make sure the people you are matched without who they say they are not russian spies wanting to infiltrate this country. d0 spies wanting to infiltrate this count . ,, spies wanting to infiltrate this count . , ., ., country. do you understand that? i it is setup with _ country. do you understand that? i it is setup with a _ country. do you understand that? i it is setup with a of _ country. do you understand that? i it is setup with a of false _ country. do you understand that? i it is setup with a of false hope. i country. do you understand that? i it is setup with a of false hope. 11 l it is setup with a of false hope. 11 days ago i was watching the news and michael gove said people would be arriving from next sunday. we are not saying check should not be done. what they are saying is there is no transparency around the scheme. there is a lot of red tape. we say security checks need to be done.

there are a lot of hurdles for these people to jump through before they can get set up. did people to jump through before they can get set up— can get set up. did you say the forms are _ can get set up. did you say the forms are not _ can get set up. did you say the forms are not in _ can get set up. did you say the forms are not in ukrainian? i can get set up. did you say the | forms are not in ukrainian? no, can get set up. did you say the i forms are not in ukrainian? no, they are in english- _ forms are not in ukrainian? no, they are in english. the _ forms are not in ukrainian? no, they are in english. the forms _ forms are not in ukrainian? no, they are in english. the forms can - forms are not in ukrainian? no, they are in english. the forms can take i are in english. the forms can take up are in english. the forms can take up to two hours. one lady said it took her ten hours because ukrainian families cannot do because they do not speak english. haifa families cannot do because they do not speak english.— families cannot do because they do not speak english. how did you sort of matchup? _ not speak english. how did you sort of matchup? what _ not speak english. how did you sort of matchup? what did _ not speak english. how did you sort of matchup? what did you - not speak english. how did you sort of matchup? what did you actually. of matchup? what did you actually do? ~ ., ., ., , ., of matchup? what did you actually do? we went to a group on facebook. we not do? we went to a group on facebook. we got talking. _ do? we went to a group on facebook. we got talking, talking _ do? we went to a group on facebook. we got talking, talking everyday i do? we went to a group on facebook. we got talking, talking everyday and l we got talking, talking everyday and learning about each other�*s families. we are really welcoming them to our house. our children are ready for it as well. feels like we know them already. everyday i ring and segment you get your visa today can make you get your visa today but

every time i ring the visa office there is not even a tracking process in place to understand where they are in the queue or how long it will take.~ are in the queue or how long it will take. ~ , ., ., , ., take. when you hear him ringing you and saying. — take. when you hear him ringing you and saying. we _ take. when you hear him ringing you and saying, we hope _ take. when you hear him ringing you and saying, we hope to _ take. when you hear him ringing you and saying, we hope to see - take. when you hear him ringing you and saying, we hope to see you i and saying, we hope to see you seeing, what have you been told about how quickly this could happen when you could be on the move to the uk? ., , , , ., ., when you could be on the move to the uk? ., , ,, ., ., ., uk? there were no steps on what to do next. uk? there were no steps on what to do next- we — uk? there were no steps on what to do next. we are _ uk? there were no steps on what to do next. we are just _ uk? there were no steps on what to do next. we are just waiting. - uk? there were no steps on what to do next. we are just waiting. he i do next. we arejust waiting. he keep supporting us by phone. he is going to the government, the application forms officers. he does much for us, thank you so much. i have to say that this is a great opportunity. we understand that

right now it is very difficult to check all the form because, as i understand, there are many families from ukraine right now. sharing is not ending. they are using different weapons and jets. —— shelling is not ending. people are afraid and they are fleeing. i am thankful to the uk government, europe's government's, to every people who are supporting us supporting ukrainian people in these difficult times.— us supporting ukrainian people in these difficult times. thank you so much for telling _ these difficult times. thank you so much for telling us _ these difficult times. thank you so much for telling us your _ these difficult times. thank you so much for telling us your story i these difficult times. thank you so much for telling us your story and | much for telling us your story and also good morning and hello to eleanor, who is playing very nicely.

thanks to you all. the sanctuary foundation has been helping to match ukrainian refugees with hosts in the uk and are well aware of the problems. krish kandiah from the projectjoins us now. what sort of a response have you had from uk families? what sort of a response have you had from ukfamilies? it what sort of a response have you had from uk families?— from uk families? it has been incredible. _ from uk families? it has been incredible. 29,000 _ from uk families? it has been incredible. 29,000 people i from uk families? it has been l incredible. 29,000 people have pledged on our website to say they want to help. families, church groups, businesses, universities and schools. this overwhelming sense of compassion towards ukrainian people. as your report has been showing where there is frustration that people cannot help as quickly as they want. the system seems to be bureaucratic. it is a 56 page document to fill in in english. i was at the border of moldova and ukraine. people are trying to do

applications on their fans. child ukraine. people are trying to do applications on theirfans. child in one hand and phone in the other hand. i'm sympathetic with the government. they need to make sure hosts receiving these ukrainian families are safe but we need to get the bureaucracy out of this to help his people as quickly as possible. i his people as quickly as possible. i talking about making the form more simple or scrapping visas? abs, talking about making the form more simple or scrapping visas?— simple or scrapping visas? a start would be to _ simple or scrapping visas? a start would be to have _ simple or scrapping visas? a start would be to have it _ simple or scrapping visas? a start would be to have it in _ simple or scrapping visas? a start would be to have it in ukrainian. i would be to have it in ukrainian. all ration. would be to have it in ukrainian. all ration-— would be to have it in ukrainian. all ration. ,, ., ., , all ration. russian would be good, definitel . all ration. russian would be good, definitely. we _ all ration. russian would be good, definitely. we just _ all ration. russian would be good, definitely. we just need _ all ration. russian would be good, definitely. we just need more i definitely. wejust need more processing staff. —— or in ration. it takes a long time to get process. it takes a long time to get process. i spoke to a team in bristol who travelled out to poland were helping people with practical thing of filling in the form. asking how long they should wait. will it be days or

hours, how long will it take? it seems to be taking over a week. loads of people in society want to step up and offer volunteer support to some of the processing staff that is going on if it is a manpower issue. it is not a compassion issue. the nation is ready. we started a campaign for mother's day. it is mothering sunday. most of the people coming to the uk are women and children. we have had 5000 gifts of pushchairs, prams, cots and blankets all donated digitally online so that when the mothers of either get the warm welcome with things they need to start their life well here in the uk. -- to start their life well here in the uk. —— arrive here they get the warm welcome. i uk. -- arrive here they get the warm welcome. ~ ., , ., ., ., ., welcome. i know you have done an official research _ welcome. i know you have done an official research into _ welcome. i know you have done an official research into the _ welcome. i know you have done an official research into the numbers. official research into the numbers so far, what did you find? taste official research into the numbers so far, what did you find? we polled 4500 so far, what did you find? we polled 1600 people — so far, what did you find? we polled 1600 people who — so far, what did you find? we polled 4500 people who pledged _ so far, what did you find? we polled 4500 people who pledged to - so far, what did you find? we polled 4500 people who pledged to be i so far, what did you find? we polled 4500 people who pledged to be a i 4500 people who pledged to be a sponsor. sadly only seven people have had a visa match. it is a tiny,

tiny percentage of people are keen and willing to help but they want to do it more quickly. taste and willing to help but they want to do it more quickly.— and willing to help but they want to do it more quickly. we will see what ha ens. do it more quickly. we will see what happens- fingers — do it more quickly. we will see what happens. fingers crossed. - do it more quickly. we will see what happens. fingers crossed. thank i do it more quickly. we will see what| happens. fingers crossed. thank you very much for talking to us. good morning. now for a look at the weather. pretty day outside. another glorious day. a reminder it is still march, a bit chilly and bog in one or two spots. for most it is clear. for the rest of the day the forecast is more dry and sunny and for the vast majority more warm weather as well. there will be one or two exceptions here and there, more especially in the far north and west of scotland where we will see more in a way of low cloud. it will be damp in the shetlands later on. northern ireland, southern scotland and northern england the chance of an isolated shower later in the day.

for most day of largely sunny skies from dawn to dusk, like when the well and temperatures climbing back in the mid to high teens for the majority. the woman's place is in some parts of yorkshire where we could get to 20, 201 degrees. —— the warmest place. temperatures could sit in single figures for one or two of you. moderate pollen levels in the south and high pollution levels as well. tonight, some mist and fog will return. another cold night tonight top temperatures dropping under clear skies. patchy mist and fog forming. frost just about anywhere going into tomorrow morning. cloud in the north and west of scotland and coastal areas of northern ireland for that these areas on saturday, it may be grey and misty through the day. some low cloud burning. foremost on saturday can know the story. another

sunny day, pleasantly warm foremost with temperatures in the west up to 19, 20. more with temperatures in the west up to 19,20. more of a breeze in the south on saturday. big changes into sunday. into next week it will feel like march again by day two. that is fair enough. it is still march, you have to remember. thank you. mike is here. hello. wales are not quite there for the play—off semifinals. another hurdle. they will have to wait till summer. at least when the world cup draw will be made, they will still have an interest. the night of high emotions and passion in cardiff with the dream i i wales, who are one match away for their first world cup finals appearance since 1958. imagine being the captain. that was the driving.

behind —— the driving force. they beat austria 2—1 in the play—off semifinal in cardiff. they will now feel anything is possible with the captain. wales will be at home again, they know that in their play—off final against scotland and ukraine. the semifinal. then and ukraine is postponed untiljune for obvious postponed until june for obvious reasons. postponed untiljune for obvious reasons. they played against poland in a friendly. the polls equalised in a friendly. the polls equalised in injury time. £390,000 was raised for unicef�*s humanitarian work in ukraine. italy will not be at the world cup. they were stunned by north macedonia, who

scored the only goal of their play—off semifinal in palermo in added time. giorgio chiellini said, added time. giorgio chiellini said, a great void will remain among us now. the second time they will miss out on the world cup semifinals. not mathis sony m —— north macedonia will be playing portugal. portugal will be playing portugal. portugal will be playing portugal. portugal will be the favourites. a lot can happen. thank you so much. lovely to see you. it was one of the big television hits of lockdown, and now the second series of bridgerton is upon us. the netflix period drama followed the life of a young debutante looking for love in london high society. season 2 follows her older brother, who's on a quest to find his bride. and there's a new family in town. let's take a look.

just remember to breathe. the marquis of ashtown, a little young to be sure but he has 10,000 a year. the earl of gloucester... his wife recently died of influenza. he might make a particularly estimable addition to your dance card this evening, miss charlotte. i will not be taking to the floor tonight, lady danbury. is there someone back home you've yet to tell me about? come now, i'm long past all of that. the only match i'm interested in is for my sister. he trusts me implicitly. now what about the duke of suffolk? according to debrett�*s, he should be quite the catch this year. let's speak to two stars of the

show. adjoa andoh and ruth gemmell, who play lady danbury and lady violet bridgerton. it is back. season two launches today. i had a little sneak peek. more of the same but it is just lovely and warm and perfect. i want to say lockdown telly but we are out of it, so it is a whole new series. i think we still have lockdown love going through it. a whole new series with lots of things we are familiar with. ruth's esteemed family, the ridge attends have eight children. —— de bridgertons. now we are with their next child to be up for the marriage market. the skill in the game is the family you have just seen. lady mary is an old friend who left court years ago under a cloud.

now she is back with her two kids. time for me to make amends also as lady danbury says to lady violet, let's show those other mars how the game is really played. —— mothers. is there as much six in this one as last one? i is there as much six in this one as last one? ~ , ., last one? i think it is in a different _ last one? i think it is in a different way. _ last one? i think it is in a different way. it - last one? i think it is in a different way. it is i last one? i think it is in a different way. it is more | last one? i think it is in a i different way. it is more about last one? i think it is in a - different way. it is more about the will you. _ different way. it is more about the will you, won't you? that is mainly where _ will you, won't you? that is mainly where it _ will you, won't you? that is mainly where it is— will you, won't you? that is mainly where it is focused this season but you will— where it is focused this season but you will not— where it is focused this season but you will not be disappointed. i was not suggesting... _ you will not be disappointed. i was not suggesting... i _ you will not be disappointed. i was not suggesting... i am _ you will not be disappointed. i —" not suggesting... i am going to stop that and play a clip featuring you, whether see the eldest bridgerton, anthony, in search of a wife. but his announcement seems to come as a bit of a shock to his family — let's take a look.

i will need to oversee the hiring of a few extra staff. you will win, i will need it. i a few extra staff. you will win, i will need it— a few extra staff. you will win, i i will need it._ the will need it. i beg your pardon. the frost hardens _ will need it. i beg your pardon. the frost hardens the _ will need it. i beg your pardon. the frost hardens the soil. _ will need it. i beg your pardon. the frost hardens the soil. he - will need it. i beg your pardon. the | frost hardens the soil. he requested m rinu ? frost hardens the soil. he requested my ring? did — frost hardens the soil. he requested my ring? did someone _ frost hardens the soil. he requested my ring? did someone catch i frost hardens the soil. he requested my ring? did someone catch your. frost hardens the soil. he requested i my ring? did someone catch your eye? all ouna my ring? did someone catch your eye? all young ladies _ my ring? did someone catch your eye? all young ladies look _ my ring? did someone catch your eye? all young ladies look the _ my ring? did someone catch your eye? all young ladies look the same. i- all young ladies look the same. i would like to be prepared for when the opportunity presents itself. i have compiled an index of those eligible and then will conduct interviews. eligible and then will conduct interviews-— eligible and then will conduct interviews. , , interviews. interviews! i will be more than _ interviews. interviews! i will be more than happy _ interviews. interviews! i will be more than happy to _ interviews. interviews! i will be more than happy to give i interviews. interviews! i will be more than happy to give you i interviews. interviews! iwill be| more than happy to give you my interviews. interviews! iwill be- more than happy to give you my ring at the _ more than happy to give you my ring at the appropriate time. | more than happy to give you my ring at the appropriate time. i am more than happy to give you my ring at the appropriate time.— at the appropriate time. i am not in need of coddling. _ at the appropriate time. i am not in need of coddling. i _ at the appropriate time. i am not in need of coddling. i assure - at the appropriate time. i am not in need of coddling. i assure you i at the appropriate time. i am not in need of coddling. i assure you all. i need of coddling. i assure you all. everything is in order. it is need of coddling. i assure you all. everything is in order.— everything is in order. it is funny. i foruot everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how— everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how funny _ everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how funny it _ everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how funny it was - everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how funny it was as i everything is in order. it is funny. i forgot how funny it was as well. | i forgot how funny it was as well. did you ever expect season one to be

such a success? it is not about historical accuracy, such a success? it is not about historicalaccuracy, is such a success? it is not about historical accuracy, is it? such a success? it is not about historicalaccuracy, is it? it such a success? it is not about historical accuracy, is it? it is about fun and drama and a bit of intrigue. taste about fun and drama and a bit of intriuue. ~ ., , intrigue. we need the novels were ve , intrigue. we need the novels were very. very — intrigue. we need the novels were very. very popular _ intrigue. we need the novels were very. very popular in _ intrigue. we need the novels were very, very popular in other- intrigue. we need the novels were very, very popular in other parts i intrigue. we need the novels were| very, very popular in other parts of the world. we knew they had a really strong following. i think it took even us by surprise. given the time it came in, gave everybody a bit of a lift really. it was a wonderful thing to be part of and i am really proud to be part of it. what thing to be part of and i am really proud to be part of it._ thing to be part of and i am really proud to be part of it. what did you think of the — proud to be part of it. what did you think of the reaction _ proud to be part of it. what did you think of the reaction after - proud to be part of it. what did you think of the reaction after series i think of the reaction after series one? , ,. one? here is the thing. in terms of its historical— one? here is the thing. in terms of its historical accuracy, _ one? here is the thing. in terms of its historical accuracy, i _ one? here is the thing. in terms of its historical accuracy, i think i one? here is the thing. in terms of its historical accuracy, i think it i its historical accuracy, i think it is its historical accuracy, ! think it is probably— its historical accuracy, i think it is probably the most historically accurate — is probably the most historically accurate raiment historical drama you are _ accurate raiment historical drama you are going to see because people of colour— you are going to see because people of colour were there and the queen was of— of colour were there and the queen was of colour. that stuff is all true — was of colour. that stuff is all true what _ was of colour. that stuff is all true. what it did during lockdown, it dropped — true. what it did during lockdown, it dropped on christmas day. we were

all not _ it dropped on christmas day. we were all not having the christmas we thought— all not having the christmas we thought we were going to have come were feeling isolated, confused, uncertain— were feeling isolated, confused, uncertain about the future, anxious. then— uncertain about the future, anxious. then came _ uncertain about the future, anxious. then came this bubble of fabulousness and joy. i ink we all 'ust fabulousness and joy. i ink we all just felt— fabulousness and joy. i ink we all just felt that we could give the country— just felt that we could give the country are better left with the show — country are better left with the show i— country are better left with the show. i think that is what the love was people — show. i think that is what the love was people were surprised and lifted out of _ was people were surprised and lifted out of what moment neighbouring at the time _ out of what moment neighbouring at the time. we were all thrilled about that. the time. we were all thrilled about that 82 _ the time. we were all thrilled about that. 82 million households in the first 28— that. 82 million households in the first 28 days. they are not 82 million — first 28 days. they are not 82 million people on this island, said that was— million people on this island, said that was mind blowing to us, especially as we were also on the sofa in— especially as we were also on the sofa in our— especially as we were also on the sofa in our pyjamas.— sofa in our py'amas. what was it like bein: sofa in our pyjamas. what was it like being back? _ sofa in our pyjamas. what was it like being back? as _ sofa in our pyjamas. what was it like being back? as we - sofa in our pyjamas. what was it like being back? as we all- sofa in our pyjamas. what was it like being back? as we all lived | like being back? as we all lived through the pandemic when did you film the second series, just all being together again? taste film the second series, 'ust all being together again? we started, i think it was made _ being together again? we started, i think it was made last _ being together again? we started, i think it was made last year. - being together again? we started, i think it was made last year. really i think it was made last year. really the country was still in and out of

various lockdown is. in a way it's like we were in a bubble of bahrain. isil this company more than isil my friends and family. this industry had been ravaged by the pandemic. —— i saw this company. i was thankful and privileged. we'll kept in touch during the pandemic. we really are a little family, or a large family. season three? i know season to just start today but what we know about season three, is there one? riff season three, is there one? of course the shell is so fabulously popular. — course the shell is so fabulously popular, do you think there will be a season— popular, do you think there will be a season three? -- popular, do you think there will be a season three?— popular, do you think there will be a season three? -- the show. i take that as a yes- _

season 2 of bridgerton is available now. i may have watched quite a bit of it already. they were very nice. you're watching bbc breakfast. it's 8:59am.

this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world... as president biden heads to poland to meet ukrainian refugees, the us is expected to announce a deal to help the eu reduce its reliance on russian energy. with russia blocking aid convoys in southern ukraine, warnings that thousands of trapped residents may soon be forcibly transferred to russia. protests and prayers — we meet the russians desperately seeking an end to the war. a national outpouring of sadness in afghanistan after the taliban backtracks on reopening high schools for girls. after controversy injamaica, the duke and duchess of cambridge arrive in the bahamas for the final leg of their caribbean tour. the uk transport secretary says the boss of p&o ferries should resign after he admitted the company broke the law

in sacking 800 workers.